Attributes

The four core Attributes that determine your character's nature and abilities are Slip, Beef, Brains, and
Sense.
Slip is a measure of your speed, agility, dexterity, and finesse. It is tied to many Skills important for
thieves, archers, assassins, and similar subtle combat experts. It is important for all characters because
it determines your number of moves per round, ability to avoid attacks, mislead others with the
Deception skill, and evade sudden dangers with the Reflex resistance.
Beef is a measure of your raw strength, endurance, and power. It is tied to many Skills important for
fighters, barbarians, knights, and similar heavily armed and/or armored combat experts. It is important
for all characters because it determines your Hit Points, your ability to impress the gravity of a situation
on others with the Intimidation skill, and your ability to resist environmental dangers with the Fortitude
resistance.
Brains is a measure of your intellectual, analytical prowess. It is tied to Skills important for wizards,
scholars, medics, and other unique utility characters. It is important for all characters because it
determines your ability to debate with others using the Reason skill, and your ability to resist mental
dangers with the Concentrate resistance.
Sense is a measure of your perception, common sense, and awareness. It is tied to Skills important for
druids, clerics, rangers, and other devoted characters. It is important for all characters because it helps
determine your Initiative, your critical hit bonus, your ability to reach people with the Persuasion skill,
and your ability to spot elements of your environment with the Notice passive skill.
All Attributes have a neutral value at 6. An Attribute at 6 will confer no benefit or penalty, while an
Attribute at 5 (the default starting score) will yield a -1 modifier to all dice rolls and calculations
relating to that Attribute.
Derived Statistics
Derived Statistics are numbers determined from your Core Attributes.
Initiative helps determine the order in which you act in combat. This is added to your Initiative roll, and
is a result of the combination of your Slip and Sense modifiers. Initiative can be negative.
Dodge is a modifier added to your defense roll when you are the target of an attack. It is equal to your
Slip mod (minus any armor penalty.) If your Slip mod is negative, Dodge can be negative as well.
Moves are your number of moves per round and equal 6 + ½ of your Slip mod. Always round down.
Hit Points are a measure of your ability to turn deadly blows into “just a flesh wound.” While you have
hit points, you remain conscious and have the wherewithal to absorb, deflect, or shrug off damage,
taking on cuts and bruises when you should have been struck down where you stood. When your hit
points reach 0, you are unconscious and must be revived. You will suffer a Wound (penalty to one of
your Attributes or gradual HP loss that lasts until repaired; see the entry on Wounds later.) If your hit
points drop to 0 minus half your maximum, you will die. Your hit points begin at 2 x Beef score + 3. At
every level-up you may add 1/2 of your Beef mod, or 1, whichever is greater. If injured, you recover
your Beef score worth of HP per day.
Character Creation
All Attributes begin at 5 and cannot be increased past 12 (except temporarily by in-game effects.) At
this point you must select your Favored Attribute. You will only EVER be able to perform Epic Feats in
Skills tied to this Attribute, and you may not elevate any other Attribute to a higher score than you have
in it. Your Favored Attribute is immediately increased to 7.
You may now spend 4 Attribute Points to increase Attributes of your choice. You also receive 4 Skill
Points to spend on Skills.
At Level 1, you begin with 2 Minor Feats and 1 Major Feat.
If you wish a more randomized character creation process, you may roll for your core Attributes: roll
three six-sided dice for each Attribute and drop the lowest number you rolled. Use the result for your
starting score. Note that this can result in some very unbalanced characters!
Level-up
As you defeat enemies and complete adventures, you will gain experience points (XP). When you have
gained enough XP, your character will grow in knowledge, strength, and skill.
To reach level n, you must gain an additional (n – 1)x200 XP, as shown in the table:
Level 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
XP 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200
XP 200 600 1200 2000 3000 4200 5600 7200 9000 1100 3300
total

At every level-up, you may spend one Skill Point. Also, as noted in the Derived Attributes section, add
½ of your Beef mod to your HP pool, or 1, whichever is greater. If you later increase your Beef
Attribute, you may make this change retroactively.
At every even-numbered level, you receive one Minor Feat and one Epic Feat, with the exception of
Level 2. At Level 2, you receive one Minor Feat only.
At every odd-numbered level, you receive one Attribute Point and one Major Feat.
Equipment
Weapons determine which of your combat Attributes (Slip or Beef) is used to modify your attack roll,
and provide a bonus to your damage. Each weapon has a set value for how many moves you must
spend to make an attack. Ranged weapons may also have a move requirement for reloading and a range
limit. Using ranged weapons out of range causes a -1 penalty to your attack roll for each square.
The table provided is not comprehensive; custom weapons may be imagined and introduced by players
with the GM's approval.
Name Damage Moves Attribute Other Skill
Fists/Feet 1 1 Beef Hand-to-Hand
Dagger 2 2 Slip Can be thrown Light
Thrown 1 1 Slip Range: 5 Reload: 1 Marksman
knife/dagger
Quarterstaff 4 3 Beef 2-handed Light
Club 3 2 Beef Light
Shortsword 3 2 Slip Light
Whip 2 3 Slip +1 Range, may not Parry Light
Longsword 4 2 Beef Heavy
Warhammer 6 3 Beef 2-handed Heavy
Battleaxe 8 4 Beef 2-handed Heavy
Shortbow 3 1 Slip Range: 9 Reload: 2 Marksman
Crossbow 2 1 Slip Range: 7 Reload: 1 Marksman
Longbow 5 2 Slip Range: 11 Reload: 2 Marksman

Armor provides a bonus against damage. If your evasion roll and your opponent's attack roll even out
once your Slip/Beef mods and any other modifiers are accounted for, whether or not you take damage
is a direct comparison between your armor and their weapon. If your armor value is equal to or higher
than their weapon damage value, their attack glances off and causes no harm.
Armor also reduces your Dodge statistic. If you are proficient in the armor you are wearing, your
Dodge statistic will not be reduced past 0 by this penalty (though it may be reduced past 0 if your Slip
mod is negative,) and the penalty itself is reduced by 1.
Name Armor value Dodge penalty Weight
Cloth/Skin 1 0 No proficiency req'd.
Leather 2 -1 Light
Mail/Chain 3 -2 Light
Scale 4 -3 Heavy
Plate 5 -4 Heavy

Characters wishing to wield two weapons or a shield may do so at a cost of a -1 penalty on all attacks.
When dual-wielding, making two attack rolls (with both weapons) requires the full expenditure of both
weapons' move costs, but you may choose to use only one weapon in your attack (still taking the -1
penalty.) Dual-wielding provides a +1 bonus to Parrying and Disarming attempts. See the Rules and
Guidelines entry for Combining Multiple Attacks for more details.
Shields may be used by characters who have purchased the Block skill, and add to that character's
defense when used to block, but further reduce the Dodge statistic due to the added encumbrance. This
penalty may push Dodge below zero. A shield's dodge penalty is equal to its defense bonus when used
for blocking.
Combat
Combat resolves in a turn-based fashion. All combatants roll one die for Initiative; the result of this
roll, modified by each individual's Initiative stat, determines the order that the turns take. In the event
of a tie, the combatant with the higher Initiative stat goes first. If THIS is a tie, roll-off until there's a
winner.
On your turn, you may perform actions until you have exhausted your allotment of moves. Combat
takes place on a square grid. Each square represents roughly 5 feet of distance.
Actions
Ordinary actions you may take during your turn include moving, attacking, and manipulating objects in
the world. The more complex and time-consuming an action is, the more moves it requires. Slapping a
switch, slashing through a fragile rope, or kicking over a lamp might cost only one move.
Moving one square costs one move. The first diagonal square you move on your turn costs one move;
every second diagonal costs two. This helps account for the extra distance you cover by moving
diagonally.
Preparing
If you have moves left, you may prepare to use them after your turn ends by designating a clear cause-
and-effect (“If the goblin comes through the door, I will attack it,” or “If our fighter takes another hit, I
will cast a Minor Healing spell on him.”) If your prepared action does not trigger, you lose the moves
you spent on it.
You may also Delay at the beginning of your turn so that you can see what happens and decide what to
do. Any time you Delay, you move your place in the Initiative order for the rest of the combat
encounter.
Multi-round Actions
If your Slip score is low, you may not have enough moves in your turn to perform some particularly
time consuming actions, but this does not mean you can never perform them! You will just have to split
the action between multiple turns. In between your turns, however, you will be vulnerable. If you end
your turn in the middle of an action, you forfeit the ability to make a defensive roll when attacked.
With an unimproved Slip score, your Moves will begin at 5, which is not enough time to perform Epic
Feats in one turn. Teamwork will be required of your party! Protect your friends while they're busy
casting spells, tearing doors off their hinges, picking locks, assembling bombs, and so on.
Feats
Feats are an important part of the game and the greatest opportunity for you to make your character and
her adventures unique and exciting. Feats are opportunities for you to use the Skills you've selected in
amazing ways. They come in three classes: Minor, Major and Epic.
Minor Feats are impressive, but not astonishing: a Minor Feat of Brute Force might be head-butting an
opponent's staff to snap it in half; a Minor Feat of Acrobatics might be somersaulting under an enemy's
legs to surprise them from behind. A Minor Feat using the Fire and Ice spell might light a torch without
flint and tinder. Generally speaking, for numerical purposes in resolving game situations, Minor Feats
will provide small effects. Bonuses and penalties will be around 1 or 2, effects will last from the next
action to one turn, etc.
Major feats are astonishing, but not unbelievable. A Major Feat using the Plant Growth spell could
cause vines to grow from a wood floor and entangle an enemy's legs. A Major Feat of Alchemy could
distill common materials into an acid capable of burning through an impassable lock. A Major Feat of
Sneaking could allow a combatant to blend back into the shadows even though he's already been seen.
Generally speaking, Major Feats will resolve into moderate effects. Bonuses and penalties will range
from 3 to 4, effects will last from one to two turns or actions, etc.
Epic feats are so amazing that they beggar belief. An Epic Feat of Throwing could be tossing an entire
cart full of barrels of black powder over the wall of the enemy castle. An Epic Feat using the Healing
spell could bring an ally back to full strength from the brink of death. An Epic Feat of Engineering
could mean constructing a miniature steam engine out of a pile of rusted furnaces and pipes. Generally
speaking, Epic Feats will produce significant effects. Bonuses and penalties will range from 5 to 6,
effects will last for several turns or iterations, etc.
Feats can be very flexible. You can, and should, use them in any way you can imagine. The GM has
final say in what Feats can be used to do, and which class (Minor, Major, or Epic) the Feat you're
describing falls into. Some actions may even be best described as a combination of two different Feats,
and you will have to spend the moves and Feats for both in order to perform the action. As you might
expect, it is much more difficult and taxing to perform an Epic Feat than a Minor Feat. You begin the
game unable to perform any Epic Feats at all, and will be unable to do so until (at the earliest) Level 4.
You may only ever perform Epic Feats using skills tied to your Favored Attribute.
To perform Epic Feats, your Favored Attribute must be at least 9. To perform Major Feats using your
Favored Attribute, your score must be at least 8. To perform Minor Feats, 7.
You may perform Minor and Major feats using an Attribute other than your Favored Attribute if your
score is at least 7 or 9, respectively, but doing so is more taxing than Feats using your Favored
Attribute; you must spend a Major or Epic Feat in order to get the results of Minor or Major Feat,
respectively. The move cost for the Feat does not change. Remember that you may not increase any
non-Favored Attribute above the score you have in your Favored Attribute.
There is a limited number of Feats of each class that you may perform without recovering, determined
by your character's level. Feats that you have spent will recharge over time. You cannot “recharge” past
your ordinary Feat limits by not using your Feats.
You recover one Minor Feat about every quarter-hour of game-time. You should have a hard time
running out of these.
You recover one Major Feat about every hour of game-time. You will run out of these if you use them
thoughtlessly.
You recover one Epic Feat about every four hours of game-time. You will find it very easy to run out of
these if you don't save them for when you really need them!
The number of Feats of each class that you may perform increases as you level up.
When used in combat, Feats have a move cost equivalent to their power. Minor Feats cost 2 moves;
Major feats cost 4; and Epic Feats cost 6 moves. This applies even if the Epic action you're describing
takes a short amount of time; your character spends the rest of the time preparing for, and recovering
from, his herculean effort!
When you assign skill points, you are selecting the areas of expertise in which your character may
perform Feats. If you have not purchased the Precision skill, you may not perform such Feats as
shooting an arrow into a tiny crevasse many yards away, cutting away the buckle that holds an enemy's
armor on, or tossing a key into a lock from across the room. If you have not purchased the Language
skill, you may not perform such Feats as suddenly deciphering the runes carved into the cave wall or
learning to speak the language of the centaur tribe surrounding your party. For most skills, one skill
point is not enough to grant you mastery of the art; you must spend two skill points in order to perform
Feats of a class higher than Minor. Proficiency and Resistance skills are the exceptions. (See table, next
page.)
Weapon proficiency skills allow you to spend Feats on imaginative ways to use those weapons. If you
are not proficient with light weapons, you may use a dagger for standard attacks, but you cannot
perform Feats like an attempt to parry the enemy's next blow with your blade and open him up to an
attack. If you are not proficient with heavy weapons, you may use a battleaxe, but you may not attempt
to perform a Feat like chopping down a tree in one mighty blow. If you are not proficient in Hand-to-
Hand, you may punch or kick as a normal attack if unarmed, but you may not attempt Feats like
knocking an opponent momentarily senseless or tripping them with a sweep kick.
You may not perform Precision Feats using any weapon you're not proficient with, even if you've
learned the Precision skill.
There is an incredible variety of effects you might be able to produce in combat using your Feats. It
would be impossible to list and give static rules for them all; the best approach is to say what kind of
action or effect you want to take, and discuss with your GM how such a situation would resolve in the
game.
Any time you attempt to perform a Feat, you must roll 2d6. If you roll two sixes, you have outdone
yourself, and will get an even better result! If you roll two ones, you have slipped up, and your Feat
will fail. See the entry on Critical Success and Failure.
Skills
Skills are categories of expertise or ability that your character may have. Most skills form the basis for
your character's Feats. One skill point in a Feat-related skill opens up Minor Feats; a second point is
required if you wish to perform Major or Epic Feats with that skill. However, in order to spend these
points on these skills, you must have the Attribute scores to back them up. If your Attribute score is too
low, you may not purchase the skill.
When you increase your Favored Attribute above 9, you may freely select one Feat-related Skill from
that Attribute's skill list to designate your Master Skill. When you perform Feats in this skill, you will
have an even greater chance of succeeding critically as your Favored Attribute grows. You can only
select a Master Skill once; if you have not yet purchased the Skill you'll eventually want to Master
when you initially raise your Favored Attribute to 10, you may wait to designate it until later.
Spells are learned as skills; see the following entry on Magic.
Proficiency skills require that you be able to perform Minor Feats in using their Attribute in order to
purchase them. They require only one skill point spent in order for your character to acquire
proficiency.
Passive and Social skills may be purchased by any character with no Attribute requirements, and there
is no limit to the number of points you may spend on them. Each point spent on one of these Skills will
give you an additional +1 bonus on these dice rolls.
Slip Beef Brains Sense
Light Weapons Heavy Weapons Arcane Spell (see table) Divine Spell (see table)
Provides proficiency with Provides proficiency with
light weapons. Daggers, heavy weapons. Large
whips, small swords, light swords, battleaxes,
clubs and axes, etc. warhammers, etc.
Light Armor Heavy Armor Engineering Nature Spell (see table)
Provides proficiency with Provides proficiency with Skill in analyzing and
light armor (leather and light heavy armor (scale and constructing structures and
mail.) plate.) devices.
Marksman  Block Language Survival
Provides proficiency with Provides proficiency with Skill in deciphering Skill in identifying plants and
projectile weapons, including shields and allows character languages, written and animals, natural remedies,
bows, crossbows, throwing to spend 1 move at the end of spoken. campsite construction, etc.
knives, and other small their turn to assume a
projectiles. blocking stance: use Beef
mod instead of Slip mod for
evasion.
Sneaking Hand-to-Hand  Alchemy Precision
Skill in remaining Provides proficiency in Skill in analyzing and Skill in hitting small targets,
undetected, stepping lightly, fighting with the body. concocting potions, poisons, whether in melee, at range,
and blending into the chemical mixtures, etc. with a thrown rock, etc.
shadows.
Security Brute Force Medicine Wayfinding
Skill in defeating locks, Skill with smashing, tackling, Skill in bandaging wounds, Skill in tracking creatures,
traps, timers, and other charging, and crushing setting breaks, diagnosing judging directions, knowing
simple low-tech devices. things. Used to kick down illness, etc. your position, etc.
doors, bash off padlocks,
knock over pillars, etc.
Acrobatics Throwing Reason  Persuasion 
Skill in swinging, balancing, Skill with throwing things Skill in debate and logical Skill in reaching people's
etc. not meant to be thrown (or discourse. hearts with your words.
incredibly heavy.) Tossing
enemies (or allies,) hurling
fallen tree limbs, etc.
Deception  Athletics Concentrate  Notice 
Skill in misleading and Skill in climbing, swimming,  Indicates a skill that opens up an item proficiency. Only
manipulating other people. lifting, etc. Where Brute one point may be spent here.
Force deals with sudden  Indicates a spellcasting skill. Each individual spell is like
bursts of power, Athletics is a separate skill, requiring two skill points to master.
more about endurance.  Indicates a Social skill. You may spend multiple skill
points on these skills to make your character better at
Intimidation 
changing people's minds.
Skill in threatening, staring  Indicates a Passive skill. You may spend multiple skill
down, and scaring others. points on these skills to increase your resistances, with no
Reflex  Fortitude  limit.
Magic
The three schools of magic (Arcane, Divine, and Nature) are mutually exclusive. A character who
learns to cast spells of one school may not learn spells from another school. Characters must spend one
skill point for each new spell they wish to learn and an additional skill point to master that spell (to
perform Major or Epic spellcasting Feats.)
Arcane Spells Divine Spells Nature Spells
Transmute Healing Healing
Transform something into Close wounds, cure disease, and Close wounds, cure disease, and
something else. neutralize poison. neutralize poison.
Conjure Protection Animal Friend
Produce simple objects out of Increase allies' defensive abilities Influence the behavior of nearby
thin air. and resistances. animals.
Force Abjuration Plant Growth
Levitate, push, pull, or deflect Smite evil or unnatural creatures, Influence the growth of nearby
objects. causing weakness, immobility, or plants and wood. Create thorns,
direct damage. Less effective on vines, etc.
ordinary beings.
Fire & Ice Divination Elements
Cause sudden changes in See and know what you have no Influence the behavior of air,
temperature. way of seeing and knowing. water and weather.
Illusion Inspiration Shape Shift
Produce images or sounds that Increase allies' offensive abilities Change your own body to
are not there. and stamina. resemble forms found in nature.

Spells are always cast by the use of a Feat. Minor Feats produce very brief and/or simple effects. A
Minor Shape Shift spell might give you a bloodhound's sense of smell for a few minutes, and a Minor
Protection spell might give a single ally a small (+1 or 2) bonus on a single resistance roll.

Major Feats produce impressive effects. A Major Conjuration spell might produce a tall ladder to get
your party out of a deep pit. A Major Elements spell could cause a strong gust of wind that knocks an
enemy out of the tree in which he's perched.

Epic feats produce astonishing effects that seem almost impossible. An Epic Animal Friend spell could
summon a fierce bear out of the surrounding forest that will let you ride while it fights. An Epic
Divination spell might reveal the long-lost secret entrance to the tombs. An Epic Transmutation spell
might turn the stone bridge across which the villain is escaping into quicksand.

In general, adding range, area, duration, or intensity to a spell effect increases the class of Feat required
to cast it.

Countering Magic
If an opponent casts a spell that you wish to neutralize, you may usually do so by casting the same spell
one class higher. So to dispel a Minor Illusion, you must use a Major Illusion spell. To neutralize a
Major Plant Growth spell, you must spend an Epic spell of Plant Growth. The only way to counter an
Epic spell is with a critical success on your Epic spellcasting attempt. Spells which have no duration
but take effect immediately, such as Healing, cannot be countered. Inspiration and Protection spells can
be countered by Adjuration instead of spells of their own types. Shape Shift cannot be dispelled, since
its effect is limited to the caster's own body.

Wounds
A character who has been rendered unconscious and later recovers, whether by healing magic, an ally's
Medicine skill, or regular HP regeneration, must roll 1d6 to decide what manner of Wound he has
suffered. Use this table:

Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6
Wound Bleeding Sprain Bruised Concussion Dazed Lucky
Bone Break
Effect Lose 1 HP/hour for each -1 to Slip -1 to Beef -1 to Brains -1 to Sense None!
successive Bleeding
Wound.

All wounds stack. To recover from a Wound requires a special one-use item, an Epic Healing spell, or
an Epic Feat of Medicine. A Feat used to recover your HP after injury will not heal any Wounds and
they must be addressed separately.

The Dice
Dice rolls resolve all non-trivial actions in the game. Trivial actions (such as walking through the
woods, talking, or pulling a well-greased lever while not under duress) do not require a roll, and may
be assumed to succeed. Feats require only a nominal roll, and the only way you can fail to perform the
Feat is by rolling “snake eyes”, but in some situations the GM may choose to require a roll to see if
your successful performance of the Feat has the effect you wanted; for example, your beefy character
might hurl a wagon wheel at his foes in a Feat of Throwing, but the enemies may get to roll a Reflex
Save to avoid some or all of the damage.

Saves
Saves are rolls using your “Passive” resistances. These are skills that you do not choose to activate, and
are not used for Feats, but rather are triggered by events in the world.

Reflex skill helps you avoid dangers that appear suddenly, keep your balance, catch yourself when
falling, and so on. A reflex save uses your Slip modifier.

Fortitude skill helps you weather physically difficult or dangerous circumstances like poison, drugs,
oppressive heat and cold, encumbering weight or bindings, and so on. A fortitude save uses your Beef
modifier.

Concentrate skill helps you resist distracting or mind-affecting dangers such as pain, illusory images,
fear, and so on. A concentrate save uses your Brains modifier.

Notice skill helps you perceive minutiae in your environment such as a patch of leaves that conceals a
trap, the sound of pursuers sneaking up in the night, or a tiny message scratched into the pattern of the
floor mosaic. A notice save uses your Sense modifier.

When rolling a Save, you roll two six-sided dice (2d6) and add your resistance score. Your resistance
score is the combination of the skill points you've spent on that passive skill and your relevant Attribute
modifier, as well as any special modifiers applied to the situation by your GM. For example, if you are
rolling a Notice Save but your character had mud flung into her eyes a moment ago, you may take a
penalty on your roll.

When you roll a Save, your goal is to meet or exceed the Difficulty Class (DC) of whatever you're
rolling against. The DC is a number selected by the GM to reflect the relative difficulty of avoiding,
resisting, or spotting whatever part of your environment or situation you are trying to Save against. For
example, for a level one character, a DC 7 Save would be just slightly hard; if you have a high Attribute
modifier and/or Resistance skill, you will probably pass even if you roll poorly. A DC 14 Save would
be much harder. You would have to have a high Attribute modifier and/or Resistance skill and also roll
very well to pass this Save.

Attack and Defense

The other major dice roll in the game is, of course, combat! When you make a normal attack on an
enemy, you both roll 1d6. Your attack roll is combined with your weapon's relevant Attribute modifier
(usually Slip for light and ranged weapons and Beef for heavy weapons) as well as any other special
modifiers that the GM applies to reflect the circumstances of the fight. For example, if your friend has
just cast a Minor Inspiration spell on you, you may have an additional bonus to your attack.

If your opponent is aware of your attack and able to move, he will roll 1d6 to defend himself. The
result is combined with his Slip modifier as well as any other special modifiers. If your opponent has
the Block skill and has chosen to spend 1 move at the end of his last turn to begin blocking, his Beef
modifier is used instead.

The attack and defense scores are compared, and if the attacker's score is higher, it's a hit! Ties go to the
attacker. However, a hit does not always mean a good hit. See the entry on weapons and armor for how
to calculate damage. In short, your damage on a successful hit equals (attack – defense) + (weapon –
armor). If the result is 0 or less, your weapon failed to penetrate the enemy's armor/hide/etc.

Under these rules, a nimble but relatively weak fighter might find it impossible to damage a hulking,
tank-like armored opponent. But there are always weak points and gaps! Scoring a critical hit allows
you to bypass an enemy's armor as well as doing some extra damage by targeting their weak spots. You
score a critical hit when your attack score exceeds their defense by 5 or more. If you roll a 6 and they
roll a 1, you score an automatic critical hit even if the score difference is less than 5. When you score a
critical hit, instead of subtracting the enemy's armor value from your damage, add the value of your
Sense modifier instead. Otherwise, the calculation is the same.

Attribute Checks
Special actions that require unique skill are generally resolved with the use of Feats. When you attempt
to perform an action that requires no special expertise, but is still dependent on a given Attribute, the
GM may require an Attribute Check roll. This is a simple roll of 1d6 plus your Attribute score. For
example, you might roll a Slip Check in order to step carefully through a hallway with spikes jutting
from the floor. A Beef Check might be rolled when you try to shut the door to a closet that's stuffed full
of unconscious guards. You might need to roll a Brains Check to perform a calculation. As with Save
rolls, your goal is to meet or exceed the DC for the action you're performing, chosen by the GM.

Generally speaking, it's often a thin line between rolling an Attribute Check and rolling a Save. As
always, the GM decides which is appropriate. Stepping outside the box for a moment, the reason for the
difference is this: Saves are designed to be more forgiving for characters who have not specialized in
their associated Attribute. Even if your Sense score is left at 5, you can spend skill points to increase
your Notice skill and do better on saves, training your character to overcome her handicap.
Furthermore, rolling 2d6 yields a bell curve, making it more likely that you will do “okay” on any
given Save and reducing the your dependance on your Attribute modifier and Resistance skill. In the
case of Attribute Checks, though, the goal from a design perspective is to make the action more
dependent on your Attribute score. As such, you only roll 1d6, which gives a flat probability
distribution, do not add your Resistance skill, and use your full Attribute score instead of just the
modifier to help even out the numbers. In short, there is still an element of randomness to an Attribute
Check, but your die rolls will be randomly distributed around your Attribute score, making that score
more important to the result. In short, it will pay to be innately quick, strong, smart, or keen!

Critical Success and Failure

Almost any time you roll dice, you have a chance of succeeding or failing critically (the only exception
being Attribute checks.) When rolling 2d6, Snake eyes (two ones) is always a critical failure. On an
attack roll, critical failure is a result of rolling 1 when your opponent rolls 6, and may mean you hit
someone in the next square from your target, drop your weapon, get it stuck in a tree, etc. On a Save,
critical failure means you treat your roll as -1. On a Social roll, you fail in your persuasion attempt
utterly; the other person may now like you even less than before (with the appropriate consequences.)
On a Feat attempt, the GM will determine an appropriate outcome; the goal of a critical failure is not to
punish you brutally, but to add an unexpected challenge, force you to think on your feet, and keep you
guessing!
Two sixes on a 2d6 roll is a critical success. On a Save, you count your roll as 15 (instead of 12.) On a
Feat attempt, your result will be even better than you intended (like an additional Feat class.) On attack
rolls, you get a critical hit when you roll 6 but your opponent rolls a 1. This roll on a Social roll will not
mean automatic success, but your roll will be treated as an 8 instead of a 6.

If your Favored Attribute rises above 9, you may select one Skill from that Attribute's list as your
Master Skill. Your high Attribute score will expand the range of dice rolls considered critical success
when performing Feats with this skill.. For each point past 9 you pay into your Favored Attribute score,
you may consider a roll of 6 and (6-x) a critical success.
Favored Attribute Score Rolls for Critical Feat Success
9 (6,6)
10 (6,6) (6,5)
11 (6,6) (6,5) (6,4)
12 (6,6) (6,5) (6,4) (6,3)

Note that in all critical Feat successes, one of the dice MUST come up 6. At Attribute Score 12, you do
not score critical success on any roll of 9 or greater, but only when one of the dice reads 6 AND your
total is 9 or greater.

Social Situations and Skills

The final Skill listing for each Attribute in the table is that Attribute's Social Skill. Social Skills are how
your interactions with other people in the game are resolved. There are four ways to try and convince
someone to see things your way or do something they do not want to do, and each approach is tied to
an appropriate Attribute. As with Resistance Skills, you may continue to pay skill points into your
Social Skills past the 2 point limit for Feat Skills.

Social Skills are used to resolve situations without combat. Lie to the guards, telling them your party
carries an urgent message for the Duke, to get into the city gates in spite of the lock-down. Tell the
highwaymen standing in your way that they'd better run while they still have the legs to carry them.
Demonstrate the economic inevitability of the fiefdom's collapse if the lord does not finance your
attempt to remove the goblins from the silver mine. Or reassure the girl your party's rescued that you're
not more of her captors, so she'll come with you and stop shrieking.

Any time you attempt to sway someone's ideas, you roll 1d6, just like an attack, and add your score in
the Social Skill you're using, plus your modifier in the associated Attribute. You do not need to have a
particular Attribute score or have spent Skill points in order to make this attempt. But a slippery
character is a better liar than a scholar, and a sensitive character can make a better appeal to the
emotions than a gruff barbarian.

The DC for a Social roll is not fixed to any particular Attribute, but rolls like an attack (1d6 +
modifiers, versus an opponent's roll and modifiers.) What modifiers go into that equation will vary
depending on the personality of the person you're talking to, the situation surrounding the conversation,
and how badly the person wants NOT to be convinced. Generally speaking, whichever Attribute most
matches the person's motivations for not doing what you want will have its modifier added to his Social
roll. This will often, but not always, be that person's Favored Attribute. Here are a couple of examples:

When you ask about the notorious outlaw your party has been pursuing, the keeper of the luxurious inn
you've tracked him to tells you that he doesn't discuss the comings and goings of his patrons. The
innkeeper is an intelligent man who has made his inn the finest in the city by virtue of his excellent
accounting skills. His Favored Attribute is Brains. However, in this case, he is motivated by the bribe
your target has paid him. If you attempt to change the innkeeper's mind about giving you information,
he will use his Slip modifier when rolling to oppose your attempt.

The orcs who have captured your party lead you before their warlord-shaman. The once-proud warrior
is now a stooped and wizened creature, lined with years, but his eyes are clear and sharp. He still
breathes deeply of the Earth and knows much of the ways of nature. He is enraged that you have
trespassed in the orcs' sacred grove. His Favored Attribute is Sense, and his anger at you is motivated
by that same aspect of his personality: his respect for nature and his people's traditions. Your attempt to
dissuade him from having your party executed will have its difficulty set in part by his Sense modifier.

Exactly which Attribute is most important to the person, the situation, etc. is up to the GM.
Slip will most often be used when the character is motivated by greed, desire to manipulate others,
desire to hide something, and other underhanded wants.
Beef will most often be used when the character's martial pride, honor, or machismo is at stake.
Brains will most often be used when the character has come to a decision based on deduction,
calculation, and what they feel is simply the most logical course of action.
Sense will most often be used when the character is motivated by tradition, common sense, and their
personal feelings.

The GM may append a modifier to your rolls to represent other facets of the situation, such as how
badly the other party wants to stay unconvinced, whether he thinks you are trustworthy, etc. Obviously,
previously failed Social rolls will have a negative impact on future attempts.

Attempting a Social Skill use while in combat (for example, Intimidation to dissuade an enemy from
attacking just yet, or Deception to confuse them) is treated as a generic Minor Feat in the relevant
Attribute, with the same move and Feat costs, Attribute score requirements, etc., although you do not
have to have spent any skill points to attempt such an action. The best use of Social skills in combat is
generally not to try and end the combat entirely (unless you have a very good argument,) but to give
yourself a brief advantage.
Rules and Guidelines – for GMs and Advanced Players

Here will be provided a short and by no means exhaustive list of situations that may often arise in
combat and how it is recommended that they be resolved. This is provided solely to serve as a guide to
players and GMs and to help you get an idea for how the game is designed to work. Remember, Rule 0
of any roleplaying game is the rules are flexible! Talk to your GM and decide what's most fun for your
group!

Flanking
If a character is confronted by enemies on opposite sides of his position, he is flanked and will have a
harder time avoiding their attacks. The GM may apply a penalty to his defense rolls of -2, with an
additional -1 for each additional flanker.

Parrying
If a character is proficient in the weapon he's wielding, he may choose to spend a Minor Feat (and the
required 2 moves) at the end of his turn to prepare a parry of his opponent's next attack. The
recommended resolution for such a situation is: The parrying player gains a +2 bonus to his defense
roll against that enemy's next attack. If the attack does not score a hit, the parry is successful and the
enemy now suffers a -2 penalty to his next defense roll.
Consider: perhaps a player could spend more moves to prepare a follow-up attack or Feat in the event
his parry is successful, allowing him a chance to score a solid hit on an enemy he's having a hard time
with, at the expense of the Feat and extra moves; or a player could prepare a second Feat to disarm the
opponent whose attack was parried.
Consider also: perhaps a player could spend a more powerful Feat for a better bonus on the parry
attempt and penalty on his enemy's defense.

Combining Multiple Attacks

Characters with high move counts and/or quick weapons may find themselves making a lot of die rolls
on their turn, slowing down combat for everyone else and reducing the excitement with repetitive
tallying. To make things go smoother, any number of attacks may be combined into one roll with the
same total move cost and a +1 bonus per attack. This applies to dual-wielding as well (therefore,
swinging both weapons in one roll negates the inherent -1 dual-wield penalty.)

Grappling
Attempting to limit another combatant's movements by grappling with them can be resolved by
spending 2 moves and performing a Beef Check. This value is the DC for the opponent's Reflex Save
against being restrained. If they succeed, they have avoided the grab. If they fail, they have entered a
grapple with you.

Once a grapple is initiated, you must continue to make Beef Checks to restrain your opponent. They
may choose whether to make Slip Checks to slither out of your grasp, or Beef Checks to force their
way out. Again, the attacker's Check is the DC which the defender must match in order to escape.
Attempting to grapple costs 2 moves. If the initial attempt fails, the defender loses no moves in the
process. Once a successful grapple is begun, the attacker must spend 2 moves at the beginning of his
turn to maintain his hold, at which point the defender gets a free escape attempt. Again, this has no
move cost to the defender.
The rest of the attacker's moves on his turn may be spent as he sees fit; however, moving during a
grapple requires a successful Beef Check against the defender's own Beef Check (which he may
decline if he wishes.) Failing this Check does not end the grapple.
An attempt to attack the defender from inside the grapple requires a similar Slip Check vs. Slip Check.
If the Check is successful, the attacker may roll an attack as normal.

A character who is being restrained takes a penalty to his defense rolls. This penalty will be determined
by the GM based on the exact circumstances of the grapple, but in general it is recommended that a
solid grapple ought to confer about a -4 penalty to evasion.

On the defender's turn, he may make as many escape attempts as he has moves for. Each attempt costs
2 moves. He may not perform any action requiring more than 2 moves, but he may also attack within
the grapple by means of the same opposed Slip Check vs. Slip Check. Generally speaking, grapples are
too confusing to support the casting of spells unless there's some extraordinary circumstance, as
adjudicated by the GM.

Grapples have always been a messy element in RPGs because they are an attempt to slap a one-size-
fits-all ruleset onto an inherently chaotic, very complex situation. What limbs are being restrained?
Does it count as a grapple if I'm just clinging to one leg? How much freedom does the defender have?
Can he speak? What about casting spells? Can he try to damage his attacker without actually escaping
first? Therefore, it is explicitly stated here that the details of each individual grapple are unique and
their resolution is up to the GM.

Impairing an Opponent in Combat

A character squaring off against an enemy may wish to turn the tide of combat by imposing some kind
of penalty on their opponent using their weapons or hand-to-hand combat. Using held weapons or one's
own body for an attack like this should always require a Feat, and therefore proficiency in the
appropriate weapon class. Here are a few guidelines as to what kind of effects characters might try to
produce and how they might be resolved.

Stunning: landing a solid blow to the head might cause an enemy to lose a portion of their turn and/or
the ability to defend themselves.
A character may spend a Minor Feat using a weapon in which they are proficient to make an attack that
will do zero damage, but on success, will cost their opponent a number of moves in their turn
equivalent to the damage the attack would have done normally and impose a penalty to the opponent's
defense until they are able to act again. A Major or Epic Feat lasts an additional turn longer per Feat
class, or adds an additional -2 to moves and defense per Feat class, at the player's choice.
If this is being abused, the GM can consider giving the opponent a Fortitude Save to avoid the
condition.

Impairing Senses: stealthy characters particularly might wish to cause damage to an opponent's senses
with thrown dust, a flash of light, a loud bang, etc. There are myriad ways to attempt such an attack,
and they might be resolved by a simple Attribute Check versus an opponent's Reflex Save, or resolved
as a normal attack that trades damage for a status effect (like the recommended Stunning resolution) or
be achieved automatically if the opponent fails a Save (as by triggering a trap, or entering a smoke-
filled chamber.) These situations, and any penalties and durations, will have to be resolved by the GM.
As a general rule, blinded characters (or characters fighting in dense fog or darkness) will take a
penalty to attack and defense rolls, as well as any other rolls that involve vision.

Stealth and Sneaking

The Sneaking skill allows characters to use Feats in their attempts to remain hidden, but any character
can attempt to hide or move undetected by making a simple Slip check, possibly against an opponent's
Notice Save. The skill itself is used for more daring maneuvers, like attacking without revealing one's
self, slipping away after being noticed, and hiding in circumstances that should be nigh impossible.

Any attack of which a defender is unaware is resolved without giving them a defense roll.

Mental Effects
A character confronted by certain circumstances might suffer mental effects like panic, fear, confusion,
or similar conditions. Generally these kinds of effects are the result of a failed Concentrate Save. These
effects are generally temporary and cause the victim to behave differently than they normally would,
for example forcing them to flee, causing them to mistakenly attack the wrong people, or causing a
penalty to their rolls. Characters attempting to produce such effects in their enemies might use mind-
affecting poisons or drugs, Intimidate their opponents, and so on.

Poisons
Any substance applied to a weapon meant to cause harm to victims will affect the target on a successful
critical hit. This applies to natural weapons and poisons like a snake's venom; poisonous fangs,
stingers, etc. will apply poison on a critical hit, but not otherwise.

Jumping and Falling

Any fancy kind of leaping, rolling, and flipping is the domain of the Acrobatics skill and requires Feats.
However, of course any character may jump or fall in the course of their adventures. Falling more than
10 feet requires a Slip Check to avoid damage. The DC is equal to the distance fallen in feet, and
failure will cause the character to take damage equal to the magnitude that their roll failed. The DC
may be modified somewhat by environmental factors such as soft leaves at the bottom of the fall, a
slope your character can slide on to slow himself, and so on.

Cover and Concealment

A character who is partially hidden or obscured from his opponent may receive a bonus on his defense
rolls when attacked by that opponent, especially if the attack is ranged. The bonus should reflect the
degree of protection his environment offers him: a character hiding behind some thin bushes might
receive a +1 bonus, while a character partially behind a solid stone fence could receive +2. Obviously, a
character cannot be attacked by an enemy who does not have line-of-sight to him. A character who has
a significant elevation advantage over his target should receive a +1 high ground bonus to his attack
roll and to dodge.

Difficult Terrain
Characters attempting to move through thick underbrush, deep puddles, uneven rocks, and so on will
move more slowly than normal. Regular movements will cost 2 for the first move, then alternate
between 1 and 2 until the character returns to normal terrain, while diagonals will all cost 2.

Non-Standing Positions
A character knocked off his feet must spend half of his moves to get up, unless he has the Acrobatics
skill and spends a Feat to get up faster or finds some other creative way to right himself.
It takes one move for a character to drop into a kneeling, sitting, or prone position, and two to rise from
a prone position he's adopted on his own. One move to stand up from sitting.
Crawling instead of walking costs double moves.

Inventory
Retrieving or storing an item kept on one's body (as a sheathed weapon, potion in a belt pouch, etc.)
costs 1 move. Items may be dropped on the ground without a move cost. It takes one move to unsling a
backpack, two to retrieve an item from it, and another to put the pack back on.

Creature Sizes
Humans and similarly built creatures (i.e., most characters) are considered the default size and occupy
one square of the battlefield. Creatures of different builds may take up more space on the battlefield
and receive adjustments to combat that reflect their bulk. These adjustments are RELATIVE. A giant
fighting another giant is treated exactly as two normal-sized humans fighting, with no size adjustments.
Here are guidelines for determining size adjustments:
Size Squares Dodge adj. vs. Damage adj. vs. Examples
Occupied Medium Medium
Small 1 +1 -1 Halflings, Badgers, Snakes, etc.
Medium 1 0 0 Elves, Dwarves, Dogs, Deer, etc.
Big 2 -1 +1 Worgs, Lions, etc.
Large 3* -2 +2 Horses, Bears, etc.
Huge 4 -3 +3 Rhinos, Giants, etc.
*Creatures occupying 3 squares may either be 3 squares long (as a horse) or, if more compact (as a bear), will be
represented as occupying 4 squares, but one of its squares may also be co-occupied. Once the creature has made an attack
that establishes it must occupy a given square (in order to reach the target) it must be considered to be occupying that square
until it moves or until its next turn. The GM should extend this logic toward any other greater size categories with odd
numbers.

This sort of progression can continue indefinitely in either direction (though of course it's impossible
for a creature to occupy less than one square, but for very small creatures the GM may allow multiple
entities to co-occupy a single square.)

Creatures of size 3 and larger should be more ungainly and require move expenditure to turn about. At
size 3, a rotation of 90 or 180 degrees costs 1 move. At size 4, a rotation of 90 degrees costs 1 move
and 180 degrees of rotation costs 2 moves.

A creature at least two sizes bigger than its opponent may trample its enemies if moving at a high speed
on the same surface (see later entry on speed and maneuverability.) To trample a smaller opponent, one
must be moving at least 2 speeds higher than the enemy and pass directly over them. The trample will
resolve as a normal attack, using (Slip x Speed difference-1) as the bonus to hit and (Beef x Size
difference-1) as damage.

Mounted Combat and Movement

The recommended treatment of riding and fighting on a vehicle or creature is this: the mounted
character may move about the battlefield using his mount's moves rather than his own, allowing him to
use his own moves for Feats and combat. Additionally, a mounted character is granted a high ground
attack and evasion bonus against characters on foot (unless they are very tall.) However, the mount
itself remains vulnerable, and since a mount must be at least one size category larger than its rider, will
likely take a dodge penalty vs. most attackers. The following entry on speed and maneuverability will
also be of interest to mounted characters.

Speed and Maneuverability

The default gait of 1 square per move is something like a light jog: faster than a walk, but sustainable
for a long time and easy to change direction or stop without difficulty. Characters who desire to cover
more ground may do so at the cost of maneuverability.

To increase speed to 2 squares per move, a character must first move two full squares at full cost in the
direction desired, without stopping or changing direction. Once they have done so, they may continue
forward in the same direction at a cost of 1 move for 2 squares. Reducing speed requires that they
continue in the same direction and costs 1 move per speed reduction. Until they have reduced speed,
their control over their direction is limited to turning ¼ turn (i.e. moving diagonally to their current
course) or shifting 1 square laterally. Diagonal motion uses the same 1-then-2 movement cost as
normal. These maneuvers do not cost additional moves, but the character must continue to move at a
speed of 2 squares.

If a character is mounted, they may further increase speed to 3 or 4 moves per square by the same
formula: complete two motions at the previous speed and move cost without changing direction, and
you may then increase speed by 1. At speed 3, diagonal turns cost 2 moves. At speed 4, diagonal turns
cost 2 moves AND immediately reduce your speed to 2. You must re-accelerate after such a turn, at the
appropriate move cost.

A character's speed confers a dodge bonus, melee damage bonus, and ranged attack penalty of 1 for
each additional square of speed. A character moving at high speed may make attacks during his
movement, at normal move cost, against any enemy passed during his motion, but only one attack per
weapon per movement. So, for example, a character riding a horse at speed 3 may pass into range of
several opponents during one 3-square movement; but he may only attempt to attack one of them, or
one on each side if he is holding two weapons.

Characters who run into walls or other obstacles at high speed may expect to suffer damage and/or
penalty effects (such as lost moves due to being dazed, etc.)