The Elder Scrolls: D20

Core Rulebook

An Elder Scrolls fan project by Michael Ponticello

Beta 4.16
 Contents
Chapter 1: Character Creation and Leveling Up .................................................................................... 5
Creating your Character ...................................................................................................................... 5
1. Select Race .................................................................................................................................. 6
2. Distribute Attribute Points ........................................................................................................ 11
3. Select starting Skills and Perks .................................................................................................. 11
4. Get starting Equipment ............................................................................................................. 12
5. Fill in Character Sheet ............................................................................................................... 13
Leveling Up........................................................................................................................................ 15
Training ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 2: Skills .................................................................................................................................... 17
Might ................................................................................................................................................. 18
One-Handed (Might) ..................................................................................................................... 18
Heavy Armour (Might) .................................................................................................................. 21
Marksman (Might) ........................................................................................................................ 23
Two-Handed (Might) ..................................................................................................................... 26
Block (Might) ................................................................................................................................. 29
Smithing (Might) ........................................................................................................................... 32
Sorcery .............................................................................................................................................. 35
Destruction (Sorcery) .................................................................................................................... 35
Restoration (Sorcery) .................................................................................................................... 38
Conjuration (Sorcery) .................................................................................................................... 40
Alteration (Sorcery) ....................................................................................................................... 43
Illusion (Sorcery) ........................................................................................................................... 45
Enchanting (Sorcery) ..................................................................................................................... 47
Cunning ............................................................................................................................................. 50
Light Armour (Cunning)................................................................................................................. 50
Sleight of Hand (Cunning) ............................................................................................................. 52
Security (Cunning) ......................................................................................................................... 55
Speech (Cunning) .......................................................................................................................... 57
Sneak (Cunning) ............................................................................................................................ 60
Alchemy (Cunning) ........................................................................................................................ 64
Chapter 3: Magic .................................................................................................................................. 66

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 Spells ................................................................................................................................................. 66
Destruction.................................................................................................................................... 68
Restoration.................................................................................................................................... 76
Conjuration ................................................................................................................................... 83
Alteration ...................................................................................................................................... 90
Illusion ........................................................................................................................................... 96
Enchantments ................................................................................................................................. 101
Chapter 4: Equipment ......................................................................................................................... 109
Weapons ......................................................................................................................................... 109
Apparel ............................................................................................................................................ 115
Consumables ................................................................................................................................... 119
Chapter 5: Combat ............................................................................................................................. 130
Combat Sequence ........................................................................................................................... 130
Attributes in Combat....................................................................................................................... 131
Death and Dying.............................................................................................................................. 131
Weapons and Spells ........................................................................................................................ 132
Mounts in Combat .......................................................................................................................... 132
Actions ............................................................................................................................................ 133
Free Actions ................................................................................................................................ 133
Move Actions .............................................................................................................................. 134
Standard Actions: ........................................................................................................................ 135
Swift Actions: .............................................................................................................................. 135
Full-Round Actions: ..................................................................................................................... 136
Other Actions: ............................................................................................................................. 137
Special Attacks ................................................................................................................................ 138
Special Abilities ............................................................................................................................... 143
Chapter 6: Game Mastery .................................................................................................................. 148
Preparing for a Game ...................................................................................................................... 149
Planning a Campaign ....................................................................................................................... 150
Travelling......................................................................................................................................... 151
Advancement .................................................................................................................................. 152
GM Tools ......................................................................................................................................... 153
Advancement Table .................................................................................................................... 155
Sample Traps ................................................................................................................................... 162

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 Sample Diseases .............................................................................................................................. 163
Just Guidelines ................................................................................................................................ 164
Chapter 7: Glossary ............................................................................................................................. 165
Credits ................................................................................................................................................. 166

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 Chapter 1:
Character Creation and Leveling Up
Creating your Character
Making an adventurer for TES:D20 is an easy and fun experience - no two
characters are the same! The process is composed of 4 easy steps:
1. Select Race
2. Distribute Attribute Points
3. Select starting Skills and Perks
4. Get starting Equipment
5. Fill in Character Sheet

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1. Select Race
Your race is a very important decision when creating your character. It
strongly influences your starting abilities, as well as how you are treated in
the world of The Elder Scrolls.

Altmer
The High Elves consider themselves the most civilized
culture of Tamriel; most of the Empire's arts, crafts, and
sciences and even language derive from High Elven
traditions. Deft, intelligent, and strong-willed, Altmer
are the most strongly gifted in the arcane arts of all the
races.

Altmer Traits
Speed: 6 metres. Altmer are tall and move quickly.
Highborn: Altmer increase their starting Magicka total
by 20%. If you distribute no points to Magicka, you start
with 10.
Arcanist: Choose any 1st level spell. You know and can
cast that spell as if you had Novice rank in its school.
Resist Disease: Altmer start with 5 points of Disease
Resistance, which increases by 1 every 2 levels.

Argonian
At home in water and on land, the Argonians of Black
Marsh are well-suited to the treacherous swamps of their
homeland, with natural immunities protecting them from
disease and poison. Argonians are reserved with
strangers, yet fiercely loyal to those they accept as friends.

Argonian Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Argonians have average speed.
Scales: Argonians have 1 extra point of Damage
Reduction at first level, and gain another point every 5
levels thereafter.
Resist Disease: Argonians begin play with 5 points of
Disease Resistance, which increases by 1 every level.
Poison Immunity: Argonians are immune to all poison.
Waterbreathing: Argonians can breathe underwater indefinitely.
Histskin: Once per day, an Argonian can recover Health in addition to
Magicka and Stamina when using the Recover action.

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Breton
Passionate and eccentric, poetic and flamboyant,
intelligent and willful, the Bretons feel an
instinctive bond with the forces of magic and the
supernatural. Many great sorcerers have come out
of their home province of High Rock, and in
addition to their quick and perceptive grasp of
spellcraft, enchantment, even the humblest of
Bretons can boast a resistance to magical energies.

Breton Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Bretons have average speed.
Magic Connection: Bretons increase their total
starting Magicka by 10%.
Magic Resistance: Bretons start with +4 Magic
Resistance.
Mer Heritage: Bretons receive +1 to both their
Sorcery and Cunning scores.

Bosmer
The Wood Elves are the various Elven clanfolk of the
Western Valenwood forests. These country cousins
of the High Elves and Dark Elves are nimble and
quick in body and wit, and because of their curious
natures and natural agility, Wood Elves are
especially suitable as scouts, agents, and thieves. But
most of all, the Wood Elves are known for their skills
with bows; there are no finer archers in all of
Tamriel.

Bosmer Traits
Speed: 6 metres. Bosmer are quick and agile.
Natural Marksman: Bosmer have +2 to hit with all
Bows.
Resist Disease and Poison: Bosmer start with 5
points of Disease and Poison resistance, both of which increase by 1 every
level.
Beast Tongue: Once per day, you can command an animal of a level no
greater than yours for 1 hour.

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Dunmer
In the Empire, "Dark Elves" is the common usage,
but in their Morrowind homeland, they call
themselves the "Dunmer". The dark-skinned,
red-eyed Dark Elves combine powerful intellect
with strong and agile physiques, producing
superior warriors and sorcerers. On the
battlefield, Dark Elves are noted for their skilled
and balanced integration of swordsmen,
marksmen, and war wizards. In character, they
are grim, distrusting, and disdainful of other
races.

Dunmer Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Dunmer have average speed.
Dunmer Fighting Style: Choose two of the following bonuses: +1 to hit with
Swords and Daggers, +1 to hit with Destruction spells, +1 to hit with
Marksman weapons, or +1 Dodge.
Resist Fire: You begin play with 5 Fire resistance. This increases by 1 every
level until level 15.
Ancestor Guardian: Once per encounter, you can reroll a single failed
check/roll.

Imperial
The well-educated and well-spoken native of
Cyrodiil are known for the discipline and training
of their citizen armies. Though physically less
imposing than the other races, Imperials are
shrewd diplomats and traders, and these traits,
along with their remarkable skill and training as
light infantry, have enabled them to subdue all the
other nations and races, and to have erected the
monument to peace and prosperity that comprises
the Glorious Empire.

Imperial Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Imperials have average speed.
Voice of the Emperor: You gain +2 on all Speech checks.
Flexible: Imperials increase the total of a starting attribute score of their
choice by 10%.
Might of the Empire: You gain +1 to hit with a weapon skill of your choice.

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Khajiit
The Khajiit of Elsweyr can vary greatly in
appearance.. The most common breed found
outside Elsweyr, the suthay-raht, is intelligent,
quick, and agile. Khajiit of all breeds have a
weakness for sweets, and many disdain weapons
in favor of their natural claws. They make excellent
thieves due to their natural agility and unmatched
acrobatics ability.

Khajiit Traits
Speed: 6 metres. Khajiit are quick and agile.
Darkvision: Khajiit can see objects up to 10
metres away in total darkness.
Agility: Khajiit gain +1 to Sleight of Hand and
Sneak checks.
Claws: In unarmed combat, Khajiit can use their sharp claws, which improve
as they level up. See the Claws entry in the Weapons, Armor and Gear section
for more information. In addition, they can attempt to pick locks with their
claws at a -4 penalty. Breaking a pick in this way prevents that hand from
being used for claw attacks or picking until the next day.

Nord
The citizens of Skyrim are aggressive and fearless
in war, industrious and enterprising in trade and
exploration. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, Nords
are famous for their resistance to cold, even
magical frost. Violence is an accepted and
comfortable aspect of Nord culture; Nords are
skilled with a variety of weapon and armor styles,
and they cheerfully face battle with an ecstatic
ferocity that shocks and appalls their enemies.

Nord Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Nords have average speed.
Northern Warrior: Nords gain a +1 bonus to hit with One-Handed, Two-
Handed and Thrown weapons.
Resist Frost: You begin play with 5 Frost resistance. This increases by 1 every
level until level 15.
War Cry: Once per day as a Move action, all enemies whose level is lower than
that of the Nord within 5 metres must flee if possible for 3 rounds. They
cannot attack the Nord during this time.

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Orc
These sophisticated barbarian peoples of the
Wrothgarian and Dragontail Mountains are noted for
their unshakeable courage in war and their
unflinching endurance of hardships. Orc warriors in
heavy armor are among the finest front-line troops in
the Empire. Most Imperial citizens regard Orc society
as rough and cruel, but there is much to admire in
their fierce tribal loyalties and generous equality of
rank and respect among the sexes.

Orc Traits
Speed: 6 metres. Orcs are tall and muscular
humanoids that can cover ground quickly.
Brute Strength: Orcs deal 1 additional damage with one-handed and thrown
weapons and 2 with two-handed weapons..
Toughness: Orcs increase their starting Health total by 20%.
Berserk: Once per day during battle, Orcs can enter a fierce Berserk rage as a
move action. While Berserking, they deal 25% more damage with all weapons
and take 25% less damage from all sources, after the appropriate
resistance(s). The effect ends at the end of the encounter. Additionally,
remove any hindering effects (such as Illusion spells or paralysis, but not
damage over time) when activated.

Redguard
The most naturally talented warriors in Tamriel, the
dark-skinned, wiry-haired Redguards of Hammerfell
seem born to battle, though their pride and fierce
independence of spirit makes them more suitable as
scouts or skirmishers, or as free-ranging heroes and
adventurers, than as rank-and-file soldiers. In addition
to their cultural affinities for many weapon and armor
styles, Redguards are also physically blessed with hardy
constitutions and quickness of foot.

Redguard Traits
Speed: 5 metres. Redguards have average speed.
Born to Battle: +2 to hit with a weapon of your choice.
Tireless Warrior: Redguards increase their starting Stamina total by 20%. If
you distribute no points to Stamina, you start with 10.
Resist Disease and Poison: Redguards start with 5 points of Disease and
Poison resistance, both of which increase by 1 every level.

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2. Distribute Attribute Points
When creating your character, you have 100 points to distribute between
your 3 Attributes - Health, Stamina and Magicka. You must have at least 10
points of Health. You require Stamina to perform power attacks and many
special attacks, and you need Magicka to cast spells. For every 50 points of
Health you have, you gain 1 additional point of Damage Reduction. For every
50 points of Stamina you have, you gain 1 additional Speed. For every 50
points of Magicka you have, you learn 1 additional spell of any level you can
cast.

3. Select starting Skills and Perks

When creating your character, you get to choose 3 skills to start with. Each of
those skills becomes Novice rank, and you can choose 1 Novice perk from each
of them.

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4. Get starting Equipment
All adventurers start with the following items:
 50 Gold
 Bedroll
 Iron Dagger
 3 Torches
 3 days of rations
 1 Potion of Minor Healing
 1 Lockpick
 Common clothing
 Backpack
In addition, you gain bonus equipment based on your 3 starting skills:
 Heavy Armor: Iron Armor
 One-Handed: Any one-handed Iron weapon
 Two-Handed: Any two-handed Iron weapon
 Marksman: Wood Bow and 50 Arrows, Wood Crossbow and 50 Bolts, 20
Iron Light Thrown weapons or 10 Iron Heavy Thrown weapons.
 Block: Small Hide Shield
 Smithing: Up to 70 gold of additional weapons and apparel.

 Destruction: 2x 1st level Destruction Spell Tomes

 Restoration: 2x 1st level Restoration Spell Tomes
 Conjuration: 2x 1st level Conjuration Spell Tomes
 Alteration: 2x 1st level Alteration Spell Tomes
 Illusion: 2x 1st level Illusion Spell Tomes
 Enchanting: A filled Petty Soul Gem, and 100 gold worth of Enchanting
knowledge.

 Light Armor: Hide Armor

 Sleight of Hand: 50 extra Gold
 Security: 3 extra Lockpicks
 Speech: 50 extra Gold
 Sneak: 1 Potion of Minor Invisibility
 Alchemy: Up to 75 gold worth of extra potions/poisons.

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5. Fill in Character Sheet
Character Name: The name of your character.
Race: Your chosen race.
Level: Your character’s level. When you’re just starting out, this will be level 1.
Appearance: Details of your character’s appearance, such as age, gender and
other features.
Health, Stamina and Magicka: The center column is your base total,
determined by your starting statistics, race, and any increases from leveling
up. The Current column is used to track the value in combat, and the Bonus
column is used for the total after any bonuses from magic items and the like.
Speed: How quickly your character moves, in metres. The Bonuses column is
for situational boosts, such as from Agile Defender. The Armor column lists
any Speed reduction from worn armor.
Stealth: Your bonus on Sneak rolls, determined by your race and Sneak skill.
List any bonuses in the Bonuses column and penalties from Armor in the
Armor column.

Defenses: Your defenses against various attacks. Starting out you only have to
worry about Dodge (5 + Speed), Damage Reduction (determined by armor),
Blocking DR (based on used shield/weapons) and Magic Resistance (base of
8). Don’t forget to include any racial boosts. See the Glossary for more details
on each defense.
Recovery: The amount of Magicka and Stamina you regain per action. Starting
out, this is 50% of your total for a Full-Round action, 25% for a Standard
action, and 10% for a Move action.

Might, Sorcery and Cunning: List the ranks (if any) you have in your skills
from these specializations here. Your Score for a particular specialization is
the total ranks you have in all skills from that specialization - these are used
for more abstract checks.
Skills, Perks and Other Bonuses: List your skill ranks and perks here, as
well as other bonuses such as those from your race.

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Armor/Shield: List the details of your equipped armor and/or shield (if any)
here.
Name: The name of the equipped item.
DR/Blocking DR: The amount subtracted from damage when hit by attacks.
With shields this only applies when Braced. This value is increased by your
armor and blocking skills.
Base DR: The base DR of the equipped armor/shield.
Speed Mod: The reduction in Speed from the item, if any.
Value: The gold value of the item.
Enchant: The enchantment (if any) applied to the item.
Special: Any special properties.

Accessories: List the details of any worn accessories here.

Attacks: List the details of your weapon(s) here.

Weapon: The name of the weapon.
Type: The weapon type (sword, greatsword, or bow for example).
Hit: Your bonus to hit with the weapon, typically determined by your race and
skills.
Power: The Power of your attacks with the weapon, determined by your skills
and the weapon used.
Dice: The dice roll added to the weapon’s Power when dealing damage with
the weapon.
Stamina: The base Stamina cost of Special Attacks/Abilities for the weapon.
Range: The base range of Marksman weapons, in metres.
Base Power: The base Power of the weapon, without any modifiers from
enchantments or skills.
Value: The gold value of the item.
Enchant: The enchantment (if any) applied to the item.
Special: Any special properties.

Other Items & Notes: Use this section to track other items in your inventory
as well as any other information.
Wealth: Use this to track gold and treasure.

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Leveling Up
When your character gains enough experience, they level up. When you level
up:
1. Increase any attribute score of your choice by 10. Remember, every
50 points of Health gives you 1 point of DR, every 50 Stamina gives
you 1 Speed (which also improves your Dodge) and every 50
Magicka allows you to learn an extra spell for free of any level and
school you can cast.
2. Spend your Skill point (or two Skill points at even-numbered levels)
to improve your abilities. Investing a Skill point in a particular skill
increases the Rank of the skill if you are high enough level, and
allows you to pick a perk from any rank of the skill you have
unlocked - even if you’re not high enough level to increase the Rank.

Rank Level Required

Apprentice 2

Adept 5

Expert 9

Master 14

3. If any of your skills increased in Rank, Improve your Might, Sorcery

or Cunning score, as appropriate.
4. Improve any racial bonuses based on level, such as the Khajiit Claws
or Nord Frost Resistance.

Make sure you update your Character Sheet afterwards!

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Training
For every two levels above 1, a character can pay or complete services for
skilled NPCs in order to receive additional training. Training allows you to
gain additional perks in skill ranks you have already unlocked or learn a new
skill entirely. You cannot increase the rank of a skill from training, however.
NPCs can train characters in any perk that they know (except for Master
perks). When training a new skill to Novice rank, you automatically gain a
Novice perk in that skill and increase your Might, Sorcery or Cunning
accordingly.

Training Cost

Novice Perk 100

Apprentice Perk 300

Adept Perk 600

Expert Perk 1000

New Skill (train to Novice rank) 200

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 Chapter 2:
Skills
Every time your character levels up, they can spend skill point(s) on a skill to
increase the rank of a skill (assuming they are high enough level to rank up
that skill), and/or choose a Perk from any rank they have unlocked in that
skill. Even after a skill is at Master rank, you can gain more Novice - Expert
perks in that skill, though you will not get any more rank bonuses. You can
only have 1 Master perk for each skill.

Skills are divided into 3 categories - Might, Sorcery and Cunning. Your Might,
Sorcery and Cunning scores are the total number of all ranks you have in
those skills, plus any bonuses (such as the Breton racial ability). These scores
are used for various simple checks, like feats of strength, arcane knowledge
and perception.

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Might
Might skills are based around physical strength and endurance. Use your
Might score for performing actions like attempting to break down a door,
moving an exceptionally heavy object, recalling martial lore, or marching for
long periods of time.

One-Handed (Might)
The One-Handed skill is used for fighting with weapons such as the dagger,
sword, war axe and mace.

Usage
Attacking with a One-Handed weapon is a Standard action. Roll 1d20 + One-
Handed Rank + other modifiers against the target’s Dodge. If the attack hits,
your weapon deals damage equal to Weapon Dice + Power. If you roll a 20,
you score an automatic Critical Hit which deals double damage. Some
characters may be able to score critical hits on lower rolls (down to a
minimum of 15). In this case their total to-hit roll must still exceed the target’s
Dodge.

Novice
Increase the Power of attacks with One-Handed weapons by 1.

Perks
1. Fighting Stance: Once per encounter, you can perform a special
attack/ability using a One-Handed weapon for no Stamina cost.
2. Precision Strikes: +1 to hit with One-Handed melee weapons.
3. Swift Striking: You can perform basic attacks with One-Handed
weapons in your main hand as a Swift action.
4. Brawler: When fighting unarmed, you have 8 Power with unarmed
attacks. Increase the power of your unarmed strikes (and claws, if you
have them) 2 for every One-Handed rank you have above Novice.

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Apprentice
Increase the Power of attacks with One-Handed weapons by 3.

Perks
1. Blade Wielder: You Critical Hit range with Swords increases to 19-20.
2. Blunt Wielder: Maces ignore 25% of damage reduction on Power
Attacks.
3. Axe Wielder: If you incapacitate a creature with a melee Power Attack
with a War Axe, you can immediately make a basic attack against
another enemy in melee range.
4. Light Weapon Wielder: Daggers and unarmed strikes have +1 to hit.
5. Flurry: You gain access to the Flurry special attack, which allows you to
make multiple rapid attacks.
6. Kick: You can deliver a kick which deals damage and sends your
opponent reeling. When you use the Push special attack, you can spend
an additional 10 Stamina to deal unarmed damage.
7. Ride-By Attack: You can attack with a one-handed weapon at any point
during your mount’s movement.

Adept
Increase the Power of attacks with One-Handed weapons by 5.

Perks
1. Power Charge: When charging with a One-Handed weapon, you can
perform a Power Attack at the end of the charge. Add the Stamina cost
of the Power Attack to the cost of the charge.
2. Beheading Strike: If one of your Special Attacks with a One-Handed
weapon reduces your target below 10% health, they are instantly slain
and beheaded (or similarly mutilated). They cannot be raised or
resurrected as a result. The beheading does not apply to daggers or
unarmed attacks.
3. Improved Swift Striking: You can make basic attacks with One-Handed
weapons in either of your hands as a Swift action. (Requires Swift
Striking)
4. Dueling Stance: When wielding a single one-handed weapon and
nothing in your off-hand, you can spend a Swift action after attacking
with your weapon to gain a bonus to Dodge equal to your One-Handed
rank.
5. Tackle: If you successfully grapple on a charge (including as a result of a
successful Grab attack), you automatically pin your opponent.

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Expert
Increase the Power of attacks with One-Handed weapons by 7.

Perks
1. Blade Master: Your Critical Hit range with Swords increases to 18-20.
(Requires Blade Wielder)
2. Blunt Master: Maces ignore 25% of damage reduction on all attacks.
(Requires Blunt Wielder)
3. Axe Master: If you drop a creature with any melee attack with a War
Axe (including an attack granted by Axe Master), you can immediately
make a basic attack against another enemy in melee range. (Requires
Axe Wielder)
4. Light Weapon Master: Daggers and unarmed strikes have +1 to hit
(Stacks with Light Weapon Wielder)
5. Rend Armour: Striking a single opponent with two or more attacks from
a one-handed weapon (not an improvised weapon) during your turn
reduces their DR by 10 until the end of your next turn.
6. Lightning Attack: Attacks made with one-handed weapons while your
mount is sprinting automatically deal critical damage if they hit.
(Requires Ride-By Attack)

Master
Increase the Power of attacks with One-Handed weapons by 9.

Perks
1. Knockdown Strike: When Power Attacking, you can put extra force
behind your blow by doubling the Stamina cost. If you hit, make a Push
as part of the attack, increasing your Might for the Push roll by 5.
2. Dual-Wielding Master: You can perform a power attack with both
weapons as a full-round action. (Requires Improved Swift Striking)
3. Weapon Master: When attacking with one-handed weapons make two
attack rolls and use the greater result.

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Heavy Armour (Might)
The Heavy Armour skill is used for defending against physical attacks. Heavy
Armour slows the user down, but offers greater protection than Light Armour

Usage
When hit by a physical attack, subtract the damage dealt from your Damage
Reduction.

Novice
Proficiency in Tier 2 Armours, such as Steel.

Perks
1. Juggernaut: When wearing Heavy Armour and using a Heavy Shield, add
twice your Heavy Armour rank to your Blocking DR when you Brace.
2. Ironclad: When wearing Heavy Armour, you gain extra DR equal to your
Heavy Armour rank.

Apprentice
Proficiency in Tier 3 Armours, such as Dwarven.

Perks
1. Insulated: When wearing Heavy Armour, you gain magic resistance
equal to your Heavy Armour rank.
2. Wall of Steel: You can deflect blows off of your armour like a shield.
When wearing Heavy Armour, you count as using a Light Shield with a
DR equal to half the base DR the Heavy Armour you are wearing.

Adept
Proficiency in Tier 4 Armours, such as Plate and Orcish.

Perks
1. Cushioned: You take 50% less damage from Impacts when wearing
Heavy Armour. (fall damage, thrown against a wall etc)
2. Conditioning: You reduce the speed penalty of all heavy armour you are
proficient in by 1. The full speed penalty still applies to your Sneak rolls
however.

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Expert
Proficiency in Tier 5 Armours, such as Ebony.

Perks
1. Tower of Strength: You count as 1 size larger when resisting effects and
defending in a grapple when wearing Heavy Armour.
2. Reflective Armour: You gain Elemental Resistance equal 2 times the tier
of Heavy Armour you are wearing.

Master
Proficiency in Tier 6 Armours, such as Daedric.

Perks
1. Repel Blows: If a melee attack hits you and deals no physical damage,
the attacker is staggered until the end of their next turn.
2. Invulnerable: You unlock the Invulnerable special ability, which makes
you immune to all damage and effects for 1 round.

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Marksman (Might)
The Marksman skill is used to determine effectiveness of projectile weapons,
such as bows and crossbows, as well as thrown weapons.

Usage
Using a Marksman weapon is a Standard Action, though crossbows must be
reloaded with a Move Action. To hit your target roll 1d20 + Marksman Rank +
other modifiers against their Dodge. If the distance between you and the
target is more than the weapon’s Range but less than two times its Range, you
take a -4 penalty on Marksman rolls. Drawing an arrow, bolt or another
thrown weapon is a Free action, though Crossbows must be reloaded as a
Move action. When using a Marksman weapon in melee combat, you provoke
Attacks of Opportunity. If you roll a 20, you score an automatic Critical Hit
which deals double damage. Some characters may be able to score critical hits
on lower rolls (down to a minimum of 15). In this case their total to-hit roll
must still exceed the target’s Dodge.

Novice
Increase the Power of attacks with Marksman weapons by 1.

Perks
1. Careful Shot: You unlock the Careful Shot special attack, which
significantly increases the range of attacks.
2. Precision Aim: +1 to hit with all Marksman weapons.
3. Swift Throwing: You can attack with Thrown weapons as a Swift action.

Apprentice
Increase the Power of attacks with Marksman weapons by 3.

Perks
1. Piercing Shot: Crossbows ignore 25% of damage reduction.
2. Rapid Shot: You can attack with a Bow as a Swift Action with -2 to hit.
Doing so consumes 15 Stamina.
3. Power Throw: You can Power Attack with Thrown weapons. It costs 10
Stamina for a Light Thrown weapon or 15 Stamina for a Heavy Thrown
weapon.

23 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Adept
Increase the Power of attacks with Marksman weapons by 5.

Perks
1. Skirmish: You unlock the Skirmish special attack, which allows you to
move quickly and make a ranged attack.
2. Power Shot: If an attack from a Marksman weapon deals damage
greater than or equal to 25% of the target’s maximum Health (after
damage reduction), they are Staggered.
3. Throw Anything: You can use One-Handed weapons and Light Shields
as thrown weapons with a range of 5 metres, or 10 metres for Daggers.
The base damage of a shield is equal to its DR. Use your Marksman skill
to determine your bonuses to hit and Power.
4. Mounted Archer: You take no penalties for shooting while your mount
is making a double move, and only a -1 penalty while it is sprinting or
charging.

Expert
Increase the Power of attacks with Marksman weapons by 7.

Perks
1. Rapid Reload: You can reload a crossbow as a Free action once per
round, but doing so consumes 20 Stamina.
2. Close-Quarters Marksman: You no longer provoke attacks when using
Marksman weapons in melee combat. Additionally, you may now use
Marksman weapons to Parry (but not block) if you have the Parry perk.
3. Multi-throw: You unlock the Multi-Throw Special Attack, which allows
you to attack multiple times with thrown weapons.

24 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Master
Increase the Power of attacks with Marksman weapons by 9.

Perks
1. Bullseye: You can score critical hits with Marksman weapons on an
attack roll of 18-20. If you score a critical hit and deal damage to the
target with a Marksman weapon, you may make a Push as part of the
attack. Use ⅕ of the damage dealt (before DR) as your Might for the
Push.
2. Focus: You unlock the Focus special ability, which increases your range,
accuracy and damage at the cost of speed.
3. Penetrating Shot: You unlock the Penetrating Shot special ability, which
allows you to hit multiple targets in a line.

25 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Two-Handed (Might)
The Two-Handed skill is used for fighting with weapons such as the spear,
greatsword, battle axe and warhammer.

Usage
To make an attack with a two-handed weapon, roll 1d20 + Two-Handed Rank
+ other modifiers against the target’s Dodge. If the attack hits, your weapon
deals damage. If you roll a 20, you score an automatic Critical Hit which deals
double damage. Some characters may be able to score critical hits on lower
rolls (down to a minimum of 15). In this case their total to-hit roll must still
exceed the target’s Dodge.

Novice
Increase the Power of attacks with Two-Handed weapons by 2.

Perks
1. Champion’s Stance: Once per encounter, you can perform a special
attack/ability using a Two-Handed weapon for no Stamina cost.
2. Brutal Precision: +1 to hit with two-handed melee weapons.
3. Long Thrust: When using a Spear, your Special Attacks can strike
enemies at double your normal reach.
4. Lancer: You can use a Spear while mounted, optionally in combination
with a light shield.

Apprentice
Increase the Power of attacks with Two-Handed weapons by 5.

Perks
1. Greatsword Wielder: Your Critical Hit range with Greatswords
increases to 19-20.
2. Warhammer Wielder: Warhammers ignore 25% of damage reduction
on Power Attacks.
3. Battleaxe Wielder: If you drop a creature with a melee Power Attack
with a Battleaxe, you can immediately make a basic attack against
another enemy in melee range.
4. Spear Wielder: When wielding a spear, your Special Attacks that deal
damage push targets up to 1 size larger than you 1 metre backwards.
5. Deadly Charge: Basic attacks with spears made at the end of a mounted
charge or sprint are automatically deal critical damage if they hit.
(Requires Lancer)

26 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Adept
Increase the Power of attacks with Two-Handed weapons by 7.

Perks
1. Great Power Charge: When charging with a Two-Handed weapon, you
can perform a Power Attack at the end of the charge. Add the Stamina
cost of the Power Attack to the cost of the charge.
2. Brutal Beheading Strike: If one of your Special Attacks with a Two-
Handed weapon reduces your target below 10% health, they are
instantly slain and beheaded (or similarly mutilated). They cannot be
raised or resurrected as a result.
3. Sweep: You unlock the Sweep special attack, which lets you strike every
enemy around you.
4. Quick Thrusts: You can now strike enemies up to double your normal
reach away with basic attacks with Spears. You can also make Attacks of
Opportunity against enemies up to double your normal reach who
provoke them.

Expert
Increase the Power of attacks with Two-Handed weapons by 10.

Perks
1. Greatsword Master: Your Critical Hit range with Greatswords increases
to 18-20. (Requires Greatsword Wielder)
2. Warhammer Master: Warhammers ignore 25% of damage reduction on
all attacks. (Requires Warhammer Wielder)
3. Battleaxe Master: If you drop a creature with any melee attack with a
Battleaxe (including an attack granted by Battleaxe Master), you can
immediately make a basic attack against another enemy in melee range.
(Requires Battleaxe Wielder)
4. Spear Master: When wielding a spear, your Power Attack can attack 2
enemies in a 2m long line. If you hit the first target, the second takes
half damage. If the first target successfully blocks or parries, you don’t
get to attack the second. (Requires Spear Wielder)
5. Unstoppable Charge: Any spear attack (including special attacks) made
at the end of a mounted charge or sprint with a spear automatically deal
critical damage if they hit. (Requires Deadly Charge)

27 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Master
Increase the Power of attacks with Two-Handed weapons by 12.

Perks
1. Momentum: Whenever you drop an enemy with a two-handed weapon,
you recover 25% of your Stamina.
2. Fury: You unlock the Fury special ability, which allows you to deal huge
amounts of damage, and consume Health instead of Stamina for special
attacks.
3. Spinning Spear: When wielding a Spear, enemies never get Flanking
bonuses against you. Additionally, you can now use the Sweep special
attack with a spear, striking all enemies within reach.

28 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Block (Might)
The Block skill is used to defend from weapon strikes. When using a shield it
can also block missile weapons. Skilled users can even defend against magical
attacks.

Usage
As a Move Action, you can Brace yourself to defend against an incoming
attack. One time until the start of your next turn when you would be struck by
a physical attack from an attacker you have detected, you can choose to Block
it, adding the DR of your shield to that of your armour (if any). If you are
blocking with a weapon, you cannot block missile weapons, and add 1/4 of the
weapon’s Power (modified by your One-Handed or Two-Handed skill) to your
DR (rounding up). Blocking an attack uses 5 Stamina. If you spend additional
actions to Brace, you add up the number of Block attempts. When Braced with
a shield you gain a +4 bonus when defending on an opposed Might check.
When braced with a weapon, you gain a +2 bonus when defending on an
opposed Might check.

Novice
Increase the DR of your shield by 2 and the effective DR of weapons by 1 when
blocking.

Perks
1. Bash: You unlock the Bash special ability, which allows you to stagger
and interrupt enemies attacking you.
2. Quick Reflexes: You unlock the Quick Reflexes special ability, which
allows you to move out of the way of incoming attacks in light or no
armour.
3. Heavy Shield Training: Reduce the Speed penalty of Heavy Shields by 1.
4. Shielded Caster: You can cast spells with your shield hand while using a
Light Shield.

29 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Apprentice
Increase the DR of your shield by 4 and the effective DR of weapons by 3 when
blocking.

Perks
1. Defender: You can attempt to Block (or Bash, if you have the perk)
attacks targeting allies adjacent to you.
2. Quick Block: For every Move Action you spend Bracing, you gain 2 Block
attempts rather than one.
3. Shield User: You can Brace with a shield as a Swift action. This does not
benefit from the Quick Block or Superior Quick Block perk. In addition,
you can Bash as a Swift Action when not Braced.
4. Parry: When blocking with weapons (including unarmed), you get 1/3
of your weapon’s Power as Blocking DR instead of 1/4. Additionally,
you unlock the Parry special ability, which allows you to deflect attacks
with your weapon.

Adept
Increase the DR of your shield by 6 and the effective DR of weapons by 4 when
blocking.

Perks
1. Deflect Arrows: You can attempt to defend against Marksman weapons
using the Parry ability. (Requires Parry)
2. Shield Wall: When using a shield, you can spend a Full-Round action to
count as Braced against any number of attacks until the start of your
next turn. You cannot use the Bash, Quick Reflexes or Parry abilities
while using Shield Wall. Additionally, you double the bonus to
defending against Grapple checks to +8.
3. Cross Parry: When blocking while dual-wielding, you double the
blocking DR bonus granted by your Block rank. Additionally, when
Parrying while dual-wielding you can increase the Stamina cost by 5 to
make a second roll with your off-hand weapon - if either succeeds, you
negate the attack.
4. Power Bash: You can use a light shield as a deadly weapon in close
combat. Light Shields count as Improvised One-Handed weapons with a
Power equal to their base DR and a damage die of 1d4. You also deal
this damage when performing a Bash. If you have the Shield User perk,
you cannot use it to Brace and attack with your shield on the same turn.
Additionally, when you Bash with a weapon, you deal damage equal to
its Blocking DR (¼ or ⅓ of its base Power) + 1d4.

30 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Expert
Increase the DR of your shield by 8 and the effective DR of weapons by 6 when
blocking.

Perks
1. Instinctive Block: If you do not spend any Move actions bracing on your
turn, you count as Braced against a single attack in addition to any
Block attempts you might have from Shield User. Any actions taken
using the block attempt gained from Instinctive Block use twice as much
Stamina.
2. Elemental Protection: If you are using a Shield and Brace on your turn,
you may use Block attempts to block spells. When doing so, add half of
your blocking DR to your Elemental Resistance.
3. Counter: After performing a successful Block, Bash, Parry or using your
Quick Reflexes perk with a weapon equipped, you can make a basic
attack, which uses 10 Stamina. You cannot Counter the same enemy
more than once per turn. You can’t Counter if you’re using the Shield
User perk.

Master
Increase the DR of your shield by 10 and the effective DR of weapons by 5
when blocking.

Perks
1. Improved Counter: When using the Counter perk, instead of a basic
attack, you can perform any special attack/ability using a melee weapon
that you know. If you perform a special attack/ability that requires a
Full-Round action, you sacrifice any remaining block attempts for the
current turn and are Staggered on your next turn. In addition, if you
Counter with a Basic attack, you no longer use any Stamina. (Requires
Counter)
2. Superior Quick Block: For every Move Action you spend Bracing, you
gain 3 Block attempts rather than one. (Requires Quick Block)
3. Redirect Arrows: You unlock the Redirect Arrows special ability, which
lets you redirect ranged attacks against other targets

31 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Smithing (Might)
The Smithing skill is used to create weapons, apparel and other items using a
forge.

Usage
To Smith an item, you need to have access to tools (a forge for metal items,
otherwise just a workbench) and spend the base cost of the item to purchase
materials. At the Game Master’s discretion, some materials (Ebony for
example) may be unavailable or sold at an increased price. Creating an item
takes 1 hour per 50 gold of the item’s value. This time need not be contiguous.
If you are untrained, you can craft accessories of Basic quality, all Iron
weapons, Tier 1 Apparel and Hide shields.

Novice
You can craft Steel and Silver weapons, Tier 2 Apparel, and Iron shields.

Perks
1. Utility Smith: You can now craft tools. Certain items you might need
special knowledge to create (maps for example).
2. Careful Smith: When Smithing, you only need to pay 90% of the item’s
cost in materials.

Apprentice
You can craft Dwarven weapons and Heavy Shields, Elven Shields, and Tier 3
Apparel.

Perks
1. Tailor: You can now craft clothing and accessories of any grade. Many
jewelry items require special materials to make, however.
2. Recycle: You can destroy an item to gain materials worth 50% of the
item’s value you can use to make similar items (Melting down Iron
Swords to make some Iron Armour for example).
3. Mount Armoursmith (Smithing, Apprentice): You can create armour
fitted for a particular type of standard mount (horse for example) at 1.5
times the normal cost.

32 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Adept
You can now craft Elven weapons, Tier 4 Apparel and Steel Shields.

Perks
1. Improved Careful Smith: When Smithing, you only need to pay 80% of
the item’s cost in materials. (Requires Careful Smith)
2. Fine Craftsman: When creating weapons and armour, you can double
the time required to create the item, but increase the Power or DR (as
appropriate) for the item created by 20% (rounded up).

Expert
You can now craft Ebony and Glass weapons and shields, as well as Tier 5
Apparel.

Perks
1. Reforge: You can improve existing weapons and armour as if you
crafted them with the Fine Craftsman perk. This takes time equal to the
time it would have taken to create the item normally. (Requires Fine
Craftsman)
2. Improved Recycle: When using the Recycle perk, you instead gain
materials worth 70% of the item’s value.
3. Advanced Mount Armoursmith: You can create armour fitted for a rare
or unusual mount (such as a Wamasu or Bear) at 2.5 times the normal
cost.

Master
You can now craft Daedric and Dragonscale items. These items require special
ingredients to make on top of their base cost - a Daedra Heart to create a
Daedric item, or Dragon Scales to create Dragonscale items.

Perks
1. Master Smith: When you work the forge, no material goes to waste. You
only need to pay 70% of an item’s cost in materials. (Requires Improved
Careful Smith)
2. Secrets of the Forge: You can forge rare reagents into your items to
produce wondrous magical effects, similar to enchanting. Adding a rare
ingredient when creating a item adds an enchantment determined by
the Game Master. See below for suggestions.

33 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Ingredient Weapon Effect Armour Effect

Fire Salts +15 Fire damage +10 Fire Resistance

Frost Salts +15 Frost damage +10 Frost Resistance

Void Salts +15 Shock damage +10 Shock Resistance

Daedra Rolls of a natural 20 on +20 Health
Heart attacks do triple damage

Ectoplasm Magic Weapon Can turn Ethereal, taking damage to

Stamina instead of Health

Glow Dust Weapon sheds light as a Melee attacks have -1 to hit you
torch

Moon Sugar Random Illusion effect - +1 Dodge

Power 10, 3 rounds

Taproot +20 Poison damage Grants immunity to Poison

Vampire -10 to Parry this weapon +2 to Stealth
Dust
Unicorn +10 Armour Penetration +10 DR against nonmagical weapons
Horn
Jarrin Root +25% Poison strength Enemies within 1 metre of you take
15 Poison damage at the start of
their turn

34 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Sorcery
Sorcery skills are about manipulating arcane energies to cast spells. Use your
Sorcery score when performing actions like determining the properties of a
magic item, identifying a spell someone just cast, recalling knowledge, or
reading runes in the Daedric language.

Destruction (Sorcery)
The Destruction skill is used to harness the power of the elements to deal
damage to enemies.

Usage
Casting a spell is a Swift action. To hit a character with a targeted spell roll
1d20 + Destruction Rank + other modifiers against their Dodge. If you roll a
20, you score an automatic Critical Hit, dealing double damage.

Novice
Ability to cast 1st level Destruction spells.

Perks
1. Destruction Dual Casting: When casting the same spell twice on your
Turn, you can choose to combine the spells together. Make a single
attack roll, add the Powers together and double your total bonus to hit.
2. Keen Eye: +1 to hit with all Destruction spells.
3. Spell Technique: Once per encounter, you can cast a single Destruction
spell of level 1 to 4 you know for no Magicka cost. Your maximum
Magicka must still be high enough to cast the spell, however. If using the
Spell Technique perk while Dual Casting, halve the total cost.

35 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Apprentice
Ability to cast 2nd level Destruction spells.

Perks
1. Augmented Element: Choose an element. Increase the Power of all
spells which deal damage of that element by 2 x Destruction rank. You
may take this perk multiple times, but only once for each element.
2. Warder: Double the range of Wall and Rune spells.
3. Impact: If you hit with a dual-casted spell, you exert force on the target.
If you deal damage greater than 25% of their maximum health, make a
Push attempt, substituting your Sorcery for Might. If the spell had an
area of effect, halve your bonus on the Push attempt.
4. Mounted Battlecaster: You take no penalties on spellcasting while your
mount is making a double move, and only a -1 penalty while it is
sprinting or charging.

Adept
Ability to cast 3rd level Destruction spells.

Perks
1. Cloak Mastery: Increase the radius of Cloak spells by 1 metre.
2. Destroyer: Increase the radius of all Area Destruction spells by 1 metre.
3. Destruction Sniper: When casting targeted Destruction spells, you can
choose to double the range but take a -2 penalty to hit..

Expert
Ability to cast 4th level Destruction spells.

Perks
1. Flame Mastery: Fire spells ignore 20% of the target’s Fire and/or
Elemental Resistance. (Requires Augmented Flames)
2. Frost Mastery: When using Frost spells, targets are slowed by an
additional point. (Requires Augmented Frost)
3. Shock Mastery: When you deal damage with a Shock spell to an enemy
below 15% Health, you can choose to Disintegrate them, instantly
killing them and preventing them from being raised or resurrected.
(Requires Augmented Shock)

36 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Master
Ability to cast 5th level Destruction spells.

Perks
1. Supreme Technique: The Spell Technique perk can now be used 3 times
per Encounter. (Requires Spell Technique)
2. Critical Blast: You can now score Critical Hits with Destruction spells on
a roll of 18-20. The spell deals double damage and the target suffers the
effects of the Impact perk, if you have it. Fire spells ignite the target(s),
dealing 50% extra damage on the following turn. Frost spells slow
targets by double the normal amount, and paralyze them for 1 round if
their speed is reduced below 0. Shock spells arc to up to 2 targets within
5 meters, even if they have already been hit by the same spell (eg Chain
Lightning).
3. Unerring Aim: When casting area spells, you can exclude up to 5 targets
of your choice from the area of effect.

37 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Restoration (Sorcery)
The Restoration skill is used to harness the positive energies to heal, defend
and battle undead.

Usage
Casting a spell is a Swift action. Wards and Healing spells do not require attack
rolls. When casting Turning or Sun spells, roll 1d20 + Restoration rank + other
modifiers against the target’s Dodge in the case of Sun spells, or Magic
Resistance for Turning spells. If you roll a 20 with a Sun spell, you score an
automatic Critical Hit, dealing double damage.

Novice
Ability to cast 1st-level Restoration spells.

Perks
1. Restoration Dual Casting: You gain bonuses when casting the same spell
twice on your turn. For Healing spells, add the Powers together and
increase the total by twice the spell’s level. For Ward spells, add the
Powers together. For Sun spells, make a single attack roll, add the
Powers together and double your total bonus to hit. For Turning spells,
make a single Restoration roll and add your Restoration rank to the
Power.
2. Purger: +1 to Restoration rolls with all Turning and Sun spells.
3. Efficient Healing: Increase the Power of Healing spells by 2 x
Restoration Rank.

Apprentice
Ability to cast 2nd level Restoration spells.

Perks
1. Recovery: When you Recover, you regain 50% more Magicka.
2. Imposing Ward: You can block spells targeted at adjacent allies with
your Ward spells. If blocking an Area spell, you need only block once
(rather than once for each ally).
3. Holy Fire: When you successfully Turn an enemy, they take damage
equal to the spell’s Power each round the spell is active. Increase the
Power of Sun spells by twice your Restoration rank.

38 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Adept
Ability to cast 3rd level Restoration spells.

Perks
1. Respite: Healing spells also restore Stamina equal to 50% of the spell’s
Power.
2. Ward Blows: You can use Wards to block physical attacks. Every 10
damage counts as 1 spell level.
3. Necromage: Your spells are more effective against undead. You gain +2
on spellcasting rolls against the Dodge or Magic Resistance of Undead
with any spell school.

Expert
Ability to cast 4th level Restoration spells.

Perks
1. Party Guardian: All Area Restoration spells have 1 metre larger radius.
2. Ward Absorb: When you block a spell with your Ward, you absorb an
amount of magicka equal to the casting cost of the absorbed spell.
3. Weakening Light: When you hit and deal damage with a Sun spell, the
target cannot take the Recover action on its next turn.

Master
Ability to cast 5th level Restoration spells.

Perks
1. Avoid Death: Once per day when you are dropped below 0 hit points,
you instantly heal 100 hit points (this is affected by Efficient Healing if
you have it). If the attack would still kill you, you die.
2. Reflection Ward: You unlock the Ward Reflect special ability, which
allows you to reflect spells you block with wards.
3. Destroy Undead: If you target an undead enemy with a Turning spell
with a Power of more than 150% of the target’s level, they are instantly
destroyed. Undead killed in this manner cannot be raised.

39 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Conjuration (Sorcery)
The Conjuration skill is used to summon, control and banish Daedra from
Oblivion, bind magical Weapons and Armour, and raise the dead.

Usage
Casting a spell is a Swift action. You can give simple commands (defend me,
attack, wait here, etc) to a summoned/controlled creatures as a Free action
once per turn. More complex commands can be given as a Move action. You
may only have 1 Summoning or Necromancy spell active at a time - when you
gain control of new creature(s) via another spell, the existing creature(s) are
destroyed. When casting Banishing spells, roll 1d20 + Conjuration Rank +
other modifiers against the target’s Magic Resistance. If the conjurer falls
unconscious or dies, their summoned or raised creatures are returned to their
home plane or destroyed.

Novice
Ability to cast 1st-level Conjuration spells.

Perks
1. Mystic Binding: Increase the Power of all Bound weapons by your
Conjuration rank.
2. Summoner: Increase the range of all Summoning spells by 50%
3. Death is Strength: All raised dead deal additional damage equal to the
level of spell they were raised by when attacking with weapons or
spells.

Apprentice
Ability to cast 2nd level Conjuration spells.

Perks
1. Persistent Binding: Letting go of a Bound weapon or piece of armour
does not dismiss the effect (it is still dismissed at the end of the
duration, however). Bound weapons/armour last for the entire
encounter.
2. Atromancy: All creatures summoned from Oblivion last for the entire
encounter.
3. Necromancy: All raised dead now last for the entire encounter.
4. Improved Attunement: Reduces the tier of all Bound Armour by 1.

40 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Adept
Ability to cast 3rd level Conjuration spells.

Perks
1. Sever Connection: When you successfully Banish or Command a
summoned Daedra, the original summoner cannot cast Conjuration
spells for 2 rounds.
2. Improved Summoner: Increase the range of all Summoning spells by
50%. Stacks with Summoner.
3. Improved Death is Strength: All raised dead have additional DR equal to
the level of spell they were raised by.
4. Fluid Binding: As a Free Action once per turn, you can morph a Bound
Weapon you are currently wielding into another weapon type of the
same quality. For instance, you could morph a Bow summoned by
Bound Greater Weapon into a Greatsword of Glass quality.

Expert
Ability to cast 4th level Conjuration spells.

Perks
1. Dark Souls: Raised dead have 5 more Health per level.
2. Overcharge: When Summoning a single creature that is lower level than
the Power of the spell, add the difference between the Power of the
spell and the creature’s level to either the damage dealt by the creature
with weapons and spells or its DR for the duration of the spell.
3. Purging Weapons: Bound Weapons now Banish Daedra and Turn
Undead on hit with a successful Conjuration roll against Magic
Resistance. The level affected is 2 times the spell level. This effect
benefits from the Sever Connection perk, if you have it. Additionally,
Bound Weapons now trap the souls of anyone they kill.
4. Shielded Binding: When casting Bound Armour spells, you gain a
damage shield which absorbs 5 x Conjuration rank in damage.

41 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Master
Ability to cast 5th level Conjuration spells.

Perks
1. Dremora Servant: You gain the services of a loyal Dremora Knymarcher
as a servant. When casting a Summoning spell with sufficient Power,
you can choose to summon your Servant (as well as other creatures, if
the spell has sufficient Power). At first, the Servant is identical to a
normal Dremora Knymarcher (variant of your choice), however the
Servant can be given equipment and gains experience. Your servant will
leave your side at the end of the duration of the spell used to summon
him (you can Enthrall your servant, however). If your servant is slain,
he returns to Oblivion with his equipment and cannot be summoned for
1 week. If your servant is Banished, they can be summoned again at any
time.
2. Beyond Death: When you die, you can choose to raise yourself as a free-
willed zombie up to 1 day after your death, provided your body is still
intact. You can act normally and retain your original statistics modified
by Death is Strength, Improved Death is Strength and Dark Souls
(Beyond Death counts as a 5th-level spell). You also adopt the strengths
and weaknesses of the Undead type. Your new appearance may give you
a bonus or penalty on Speech checks, depending on present company.
You do not age after being raised, and your flesh will not rot over time
(it is still evident you are a undead to the trained eye, however). If you
die while in this form, your body and soul are destroyed and you cannot
be raised or resurrected again. (Requires Death is Strength, Improved
Death is Strength and Dark Souls)
3. Elemental Binding: Your bound weapons and armour are infused with
shifting elemental power. Bound Weapons deal 15 additional damage of
an element of your choice on strike, and armour adds half its DR to your
Elemental Resistance against the first element you are attacked by each
round.
4. Oblivion Seal: Hostile spellcasters within 15 metres of you must make a
Conjuration check against your Magic Resistance (or 15, whichever is
greater) to cast Conjuration spells successfully.

42 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Alteration (Sorcery)
The Alteration skill is used to produce a variety of beneficial and detrimental
effects.

Usage
Casting a spell is a Swift action. When casting Alteration spells with
detrimental effects, roll 1d20 + Alteration Rank + other modifiers against the
target’s Magic Resistance.

Novice
Ability to cast 1st-level Alteration spells.

Perks
1. Mage Armour: Protection spells have 100% more Power when not
wearing armour.
2. Augury: Detection spells can determine whether targets are friendly,
neutral or hostile.
3. Alteration Dual Casting: When casting the same spell twice on your
Turn, you can choose to combine the spells together, making a single
Alteration roll (if applicable) and doubling the duration.

Apprentice
Ability to cast 2nd level Alteration spells.

Perks
1. Dazzle: When you cast a Light spell, you can choose to make it
blindingly bright. All sighted beings within the lit area take a penalty on
all attacks equal to the level of the spell unless they are facing away
from it.
2. Extend Armour: Protection spells now last for the entire encounter.
3. Discern: When casting Detection spells, you also discover the race of all
targets.
4. Share Spell: Beneficial spells active on you can also be shared with your
mount while you are mounted.

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Adept
Ability to cast 3rd level Alteration spells.

Perks
1. Transfer Spell: As a Move Action, you can transfer any Alteration spell
you have cast on yourself to any willing target within 5 metres. For
spells which require concentration, you must still concentrate to
maintain the effect. The recipient can concentrate on the spell instead,
but they must know the spell.
2. Ranged Alterer: Double the range of all targeted Alteration spells.
3. Magic Resistance: You add your Alteration rank to your Magic
Resistance.

Expert
Ability to cast 4th level Alteration spells.

Perks
1. Stasis: When you hit a target with a Paralysis spell, you can choose to
place the target under Stasis. In this state, they are completely frozen in
place, and are immune to all damage and effects for the duration. They
can still attempt to escape with a successful Save and the effect can be
dispelled.
2. Scrutinize: When casting Detection spells, you also learn what grade of
equipment the targets are currently wearing.
3. Improved Mage Armour: Add the base Power of active Protection spells
to your Elemental Resistance. (Requires Mage Armour)
4. Mind over Matter: You can choose to substitute your half your Sorcery
score for your Might whenever you would make a Might check.

Master
Ability to cast 5th level Alteration spells.

Perks
1. Atronach: Whenever you are subject to any spell, you can attempt to
absorb it. Roll a d20. If the result is 16 or above, instead of suffering the
effect of the spell, you regain magicka equal to the amount spent casting
it.
2. Omniscience: When casting Detection spells, you learn the relative level
of all targets, as well as whether they have magical abilities or not.
3. Aetherial Channel: Once per turn as a free action, you can regain 15
Health, Magicka or Stamina.

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Illusion (Sorcery)
The Illusion skill is used to bend the minds of others.

Usage
Casting a spell is a Swift action. When casting Illusion spells against unwilling
targets, roll 1d20 + Illusion Rank + other modifiers against the target’s Magic
Resistance.

Novice
Ability to cast 1st-level Illusion spells.

Perks
1. Extend Stealth: Increase the duration of all Stealth spells by 50%.
2. Break Mind: You can score critical hits with Illusion spells on a roll of
20. When you score a critical hit, you break deep into the mind of the
target and can give mental commands as a Move action to the target for
the duration of the effect. Targets that would be not be affected by the
normal effect are not subject to this one either.
3. Empower Illusion: When casting Illusion spells, you can increase the
Power of the spell by up to your Illusion rank. Each point added causes
the spell to cost an additional 5 Magicka.

Apprentice
Ability to cast 2nd level Illusion spells.

Perks
1. Mind of the Undead: Illusion spells can now affect undead targets,
though when used in this fashion the Power is halved.
2. Hypnotic Gaze: Increase the Power of all Charm spells by your Illusion
rank.
3. Shadow Strike: Once per encounter, when attacking with a weapon
affected by the Conceal spell, your target counts as Surprised. They
must not have seen you cast the spell on the weapon.

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Adept
Ability to cast 3rd level Illusion spells.

Perks
1. Mind of the Machine: Illusion spells can now affect Automatons, though
when used in this fashion the Power is halved.
2. Aspect of Terror: Increase the Power of all Fear spells by your Illusion
rank.
3. Quiet Casting: When casting any spell you can choose to make it
completely silent, halving the bonus enemies get to detect you from
casting such spells.

Expert
Ability to cast 4th level Illusion spells.

Perks
1. Mind of the Daedra: Illusion spells can now affect Daedra, though when
used in this fashion the Power is halved.
2. Conceal Life: While under the effect of an Invisibility spell, you cannot
be detected by Detect Life spells.
3. Rage: Increase the Power of all Fury spells by your Illusion rank.

Master
Ability to cast 5th level Illusion spells.

Perks
1. Master of the Mind: Your Illusion spells use their full Power against any
target. (Requires Mind of the Undead, Mind of the Machine and Mind of
the Daedra)
2. Shatter Mind: You can score critical hits with Illusion spells on rolls of
17-20. (Requires Break Mind)
3. Invisibility Master: You can take 1 Standard action without breaking
Invisibility.

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Enchanting (Sorcery)
The Enchanting skill is used to imbue items with magical effects.

Usage
To Enchant an item, you need to have access to tools (an Arcane Enchanter or
Enchanting Kit), a filled soul gem with sufficient Soul Energy, and knowledge
of the enchantment. Enchanting requires training (at least Novice level) to use.
See the Enchanting section of the Magic chapter for more.

Novice
You can add rank 1 enchants to weapons and apparel.

Perks
1. Powerful Weapons: The magnitude of the damage-dealing effects on all
weapons you enchant increases by 1 per rank.
2. Augmented Apparel: The magnitude of numerical effects on all apparel
you enchant increases by 20%, rounding down.

Apprentice
You can add rank 2 enchants to weapons and apparel.

Perks
1. Soul Squeezer: You can get 25% more Energy from a filled Soul Gem.
2. Extract Soul: When disenchanting an item, instead of learning its
enchantment you can instead extract a soul into an empty soul gem you
possess of the same size used to enchant the item. The item is still
destroyed however.

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Adept
You can add rank 3 enchants to weapons and apparel.

Perks
1. Imbue Item: A favourite of many sorcerers and battlemages. You can
temporarily enchant (imbue) a nonmagical weapon or apparel item
with magical properties using the normal process, however you do not
require any tools. The imbuing process takes a number of rounds equal
to the rank of the enchant being imbued. Imbued items lose their
magical power after 24 hours.
2. Staff Enchanter: You can create staves. To do so, you must either know
the spell you are putting on the staff, or possess a scroll of that spell.
You must then supply a mundane staff to place the enchantment on and
a filled soul gem. See the Staves section under Enchanting in the Magic
chapter.

Expert
You can add rank 4 enchants to weapons and apparel.

Perks
1. Efficient Weapons: Weapon enchantments’ energy requirements are
reduced by 1 rank. You always need to supply at least a Petty Soul
however.
2. Efficient Apparel: Apparel enchantments’ energy requirements are
reduced by 1 rank. You always need to supply at least a Petty Soul
however.

48 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Master
You can add rank 5 enchants to weapons and apparel.

Perks
1. Multi-Effect: When Enchanting you can place any number of
Enchantments on an item, providing the total energy requirement does
not exceed the Soul Energy of the gem used.
2. Devour Souls: You can devour filled soul gems as a full-round action
which provokes attacks of opportunity to regain health, magicka and
stamina, similar to potions. Distribute the Soul Energy of the gem
between your Health, Magicka and/or Stamina in any combination you
choose. Devouring a Grand or Black Soul Gem completely refills your
Health, Magicka and Stamina as well as removing all negative effects
that you are currently afflicted by.
3. Ultimate Enchanter: Digging deep into the reserves of knowledge you
have acquired over your enchanting career, you can enchant even more
powerful items. You now have the ability to enchant weapons and
apparel at rank 6. All normal modifiers apply.

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Cunning
Cunning skills are about finesse and talent. Use your Cunning score when
performing actions such as detecting a sneaky opponent, seeing through a lie,
performing a feat of dexterity or searching a room for evidence.

Light Armour (Cunning)

The Light Armour skill is used for defending against physical attacks. Light
Armour doesn’t slow the user down, but offers less protection than Heavy
Armour.

Usage
When hit by a physical attack, subtract the damage dealt from your Armour’s
Damage Reduction.

Novice
Proficiency in Tier 2 Armours, such as Leather.

Perks
1. Agile Defender: When not wearing Heavy Armour, your Speed increases
by 1.
2. Duck and Weave: When not wearing Heavy Armour, You add 1 to your
Dodge if you move more than 1 metre from your original position on
your turn. This bonus doubles if you move more than your Speed from
your original position.

Apprentice
Proficiency in Tier 3 Armours, such as Mail.

Perks
1. Light Armour Specialisation: When wearing Light Armour, you gain
extra DR equal to your Light Armour rank.
2. Wind Walker: You regain 50% more Stamina from the Recover action.

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Adept
Proficiency in Tier 4 Armours, such as Mithril.

Perks
1. Unhindered: Reduce the Stamina cost of sprinting by 50% when not
wearing Heavy Armour. This also applies to Special Attacks/Abilities
that base their Stamina cost off of sprinting, such as Charge and
Skirmish.
2. Tumble: You unlock the Tumble special ability, which lets you avoid
Attacks of Opportunity from movement.

Expert
Proficiency in Tier 5 Armours, such as Glass.

Perks
1. Spring Attack: You can perform actions at any point during your
movement, rather than only before or after.
2. Improved Agile Defender: When not wearing Heavy Armour, your
Speed increases further by 1. (Requires Agile Defender)

Master
Proficiency in Tier 6 Armours, such as Dragonscale.

Perks
1. Deft Movement: Gain +3 Dodge.
2. Combat Acrobat: You unlock the Combat Acrobat special ability, which
grants large movement and Dodge bonuses.

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Sleight of Hand (Cunning)
The Sleight of Hand skill is used for Pickpocketing, as well as various other
applications both in and out of combat.

Usage
When making a Sleight of Hand check, roll 1d20 + Sleight of Hand Rank +
other modifiers against 5 + the target’s Cunning score. Without any ranks in
Sleight of Hand, you can only attempt to Pickpocket. Your Pickpocket attempts
automatically fail if the target has detected you. You cannot pickpocket worn
clothing or armour. When pickpocketing, a number of modifiers can apply:

Item Size Penalty

Tiny (Gem, purse, jewelry) 0

Small (Dagger, satchel, ingot) -1

Medium (Sword, bag, large book) -4

Large (Battleaxe, armour, large sack) -6

Item is heavy (stacks with other penalties) -1 to -4

Target is distracted +1 to 4
Target is sleeping +5

Novice
You can conceal one item no larger than a dagger on your person, making it
more difficult to find. When people search you, they take your Sleight of Hand
Rank as a penalty on their Cunning check to find the item.

Perks
1. Light Fingers: You can attempt to pickpocket non hostile targets that
are aware of your presence, however you halve the Rank bonus on your
Sleight of Hand check.
2. Poison User: You no longer need to roll to successfully poison a weapon
as a Move action.
3. Wrestling: You add your Sleight of Hand Rank to Grapple checks when
Grappling.
4. Horseman: Directing your mount to perform a complex action is a free
action.

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Apprentice
You can attempt to escape from holds or binds by making a Sleight of Hand
check.

Perks
1. Plant Item: You can attempt to plant an item onto the target using a
Pickpocketing roll. All the same modifiers apply as if you were taking
the item from them.
2. Disarm: You unlock the Disarm special attack, which can force the
target to drop their weapon.
3. Grab: When you hit with an unarmed Power Attack or score a critical hit
on an opponent using an unarmed strike, you can choose to
immediately make a Grapple check to enter a grapple with your target.

Adept
You can conceal up to two items no larger than daggers on your person, or a
single item no larger than a one-handed weapon, making it more difficult to
find. When people search you, they take your Sleight of Hand Rank as a
penalty on their Cunning check to find the item.

Perks
1. Skilled Pickpocket: You gain a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks to
Pickpocket.
2. Feint: You unlock the Feint special attack, which can prevent the target
from blocking your next attack.
3. Poisoned: When planting poisons on an enemy with less than 20
Damage Reduction, they instantly take effect. (Requires Plant Item)
4. Chokehold: When pinning an opponent, you can make a Grapple check
as a free action once per turn to attempt to choke them. If you succeed,
you deal unarmed damage + how much you beat your opponent by on
the grapple check.

Expert
You can draw any weapon as a free action.

Perks
1. Perfect Touch: Halve the weight and size modifiers when pickpocketing.
2. Find the Gap: You can perform the Pierce Armour special attack using
the action you would normally use to make a basic attack with your
weapon, rather than a Full-Round action.

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Master
If you draw a concealed weapon and attack with it on the same turn, the target
counts as Surprised against the first attack.

Perks
1. Master Pickpocket: You gain a +5 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks to
Pickpocket.
2. Misdirection: You unlock the Misdirection ability, which allows you to
redirect melee attacks that miss you.

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Security (Cunning)
The Security skill is used for opening locks, disabling traps, and working with
other mechanical devices.

Usage
When making a Security check, roll 1d20 + Security Rank + other modifiers
against the difficulty of the device. You must have a pick to attempt Security
checks. If the check fails, your pick breaks. Without any Security ranks, you
can only interact with Very Easy devices. Making a Security check is a full-
round action that provokes attacks.

Device Level Typical Difficulty

Very Easy 14
Easy 16

Average 18
Hard 20

Very Hard 22

Impossible 26

Novice
You can attempt to interact with Easy devices.

Perks
1. Deft Hands: You gain a +2 on all Security checks.
2. Evasion: You gain +3 Dodge when attacked by Traps.

Apprentice
You can attempt to interact with Average devices. Interacting with Very Easy
devices always works.

Perks
1. Careful Hands: If you fail a Security check by 5 or less, your pick doesn’t
break.
2. Quiet Pick: Enemies take your Security rank as a penalty to Cunning
checks to hear you interacting with a device.

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Adept
You can attempt to interact with Hard devices. Interacting with Easy devices
always works.

Perks
1. Locksmith: You gain a +2 on all Security checks.
2. Trained Eye: You gain a +5 on Cunning checks to detect traps.

Expert
You can attempt to interact with Very Hard devices. Interacting with Average
devices always works.

Perks
1. Disable Machine: You can attempt to disable automatons when they are
unaware of your presence. Make a Security check against 5 + the level of
the target + 5 for each size it is above medium. You must be within 1
metre of the target. If you succeed, the target is disabled but can be
reactivated with a successful Security check (same difficulty). If you fail,
the automaton notices you.
2. Improved Careful Hands: You don’t break picks unless you roll a 1.
(Requires Careful Hands)

Master
You can attempt to interact with devices that normally require a specific key
or similar object to use (Impossible). Interacting with Hard devices always
works.

Perks
1. Reconfigure Machine: When you would disable an automaton, you can
choose to reconfigure it. You can give the automaton orders (Follow me,
guard this spot, etc) and designate which targets (or group of targets)
are friendly and hostile by interacting with the machine. The automaton
typically won’t leave the bounds of the area it was created to protect,
however. (Requires Disable Machine)
2. Break Magic: You can attempt to break through magical barriers,
disable magical traps and open magically sealed doors. Make a Security
check against 5 + the Sorcery score of the creator.

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Speech (Cunning)
The Speech skill is used for interacting with others, such as when buying and
selling items, or negotiating with someone.

Usage
When making a Speech check, roll 1d20 + double your Speech Rank + other
modifiers. When using Speech to Negotiate or Barter, make a Speech check
against the Speech check of the target. When Negotiating with a group, the
member with the highest Speech Rank makes the check. You can choose to
Intimidate, substituting your level for your Speech Rank and modifiers,
though this doesn’t work in some settings and may have consequences in the
future. Success when Negotiating or Intimidating means that the target(s) are
more likely to do what you want or see your point of view. Success when
Bartering means that shopkeepers will accept greater prices for sold goods
and may lower their prices or accept more favourable trades. At the DMs
discretion, high degrees of success or failure might result in especially
favourable or unfavourable outcomes.

Novice
Improve the bonus to Speech checks.

Perks
1. Bribe: You can use bribes to gain bonuses (or an automatic success)
when negotiating. The bonus granted is determined by the GM, but it
should reflect the amount offered, and the wealth and status of the
individual The maximum bonus you can gain from doing this is 2 times
your Speech Rank.
2. Allure: +2 to all Speech checks against the appropriate sexuality.

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Apprentice
Improve the bonus to Speech checks.

Perks
1. Merchant: You can buy and sell any type of item with any merchant.
2. Taunt: As a Standard action in combat, you can make an Intimidate
check to force your target to focus on you. This can also be done outside
of combat, but at a third of the normal bonus. Your target must be of at
least Primitive intelligence and be able to hear you. If they can’t
understand you, halve your bonus. The effect ends if the target takes a
high amount of damage from a source other than you or makes a series
of ineffective attacks against you.
3. Rumours: You’ve picked up a lot of knowledge from talking to people,
and can make Cunning checks when recalling knowledge you don’t
know from experience (such as identifying a magical phenomenon or
knowing the laws of a foreign province) at the GM’s discretion.

Adept
Improve the bonus to Speech checks.

Perks
1. Investor: You can pay gold to invest in a store. This permanently
improves the quality and quantity of the shopkeeper’s stock, as well as
other benefits at the GM’s discretion, such a small discount.
2. Persuasion: You gain +2 on all Negotiation checks.
3. Divert Attention: As a Standard action in combat, you can make a
Speech check to force your target to focus on a different target. This can
also be done outside of combat, but at a third of the normal bonus. The
target must be able to see you.

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Expert
Improve the bonus to Speech checks.

Perks
1. Fence Goods: You can sell stolen goods to any merchant.
2. Contacts: You set up a network of contacts throughout Tamriel with
places or people you have visited (up to 10 people). These contacts can
provide you with things like information, shelter, favours and loans.
Contacts can be people like a city guard, soldier, tavern keeper,
merchant, or member of a local guild. You can gain a new contact by
making Negotiating with a specific NPC or spending a day in a
settlement looking for a new contact.
3. Taunting Shout: When Taunting, you can affect everyone within 2
metres of you.

Master
Improve the bonus to Speech checks.

Perks
1. Master Trader: Success when Bartering means that shopkeepers buy
and sell goods at the base value.
2. Silver Tongue: +5 on all Speech checks.

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Sneak (Cunning)
The Sneak skill is used for remaining undetected and delivering devastating
surprise attacks.

Usage
To sneak, you make a stealth check of 1d20 + (Sneak Rank * 2) + other
modifiers at the start of your turn, affected by what actions you are taking this
turn. This is opposed by the Cunning check of all enemies that could detect
you. A 1 on either of these checks indicates automatic failure, while a 20
indicates automatic success (if two characters roll a 20 on an opposed check,
the sneaking character wins). When you make a basic attack against an enemy
that hasn’t detected you, they are surprised don’t add their Speed to their
Dodge. Some creatures with especially keen senses might receive larger
modifiers when trying to detect you. At the start of their turn, enemies that
might be able to see or hear you are entitled to a Cunning check vs your
stealth check (with all appropriate modifiers) to detect you. An untrained
character can’t get more than a +8 bonus on Sneak checks.

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Circumstance Modifier

Light concealment (tall grass, bushes, night) +2 Sneak

Heavy concealment (dense forest, thick fog, total +4 Sneak
darkness)

Noisy surface (water, dead leaves, creaky floor) +1 to +5 Detection

Invisible or out of line of sight -3 Detection, no vision
modifiers

Wearing Armour -2 Sneak

Speed penalty -3 Sneak per point

Especially bright area (sunlight, well-lit interior) +4 Detection

Target is looking for you +3 Detection per round

Target has detected you in the last round +6 Detection

5 metres or less from the target +3 Detection

Attacked with a Marksman weapon in the last +2 Detection

round
Attacked with a Melee weapon in the last round +6 Detection
Cast a spell in the last round +4 Detection

Killed a nearby target in the last round +4 Detection

Target has strong sense of smell (eg wolf) +4 Detection

Target is distracted (eg performing complex task, -1 to -5 Detection

paralyzed, sleeping)

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Novice
Enemies no longer get a bonus to detect you if you are wearing Light Armour.
Your total Sneak modifier can reach up to +10.

Perks
1. Ambush: Once per turn, when an enemy is surprised, basic attacks
automatically deal critical damage. If ambushing with a Marksman
weapon, you must be within the weapon’s base range.
2. Stealth: You get a +2 bonus on Sneak checks.
3. Watchman: You add twice your Sneak rank on Cunning checks to detect
other sneaking characters.

Apprentice
You get an additional +2 to your Sneak roll when lightly concealed. Your total
Sneak modifier can reach up to +13.

Perks
1. Quiet Takedown: Halve the bonus enemies get to detect you when
killing a target, attacking with daggers, claws or unarmed, or attacking
with a light thrown weapon.
2. Armoured Stealth: Your speed penalty counts as one point less for the
purposes of Sneak checks.
3. Shadow Mage: When an enemy is surprised, your first attack with a
Destruction spell reduces the target’s resistance to the relevant element
by 5 times the level of the spell for 3 rounds. This occurs before the
damage of the spell is resolved, and can reduce the resistance of the
target(s) below 0, resulting in increased damage. Shadow Mage doesn’t
apply if you are dual-casting the spell. (requires Ambush)
4. Mounted Stalker: When mounted, your mount receives a bonus on
Stealth checks equal to your Sneak rank.

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Adept
When sneaking, if you start and end your turn in cover, you can choose to use
the result of the sneak roll you made at the start of your turn in the place of
other sneak checks (such as opposing enemies searching for you) until the
start of your next turn. Your total Sneak modifier can reach up to +16.

Perks
1. Improved Ambush: Once per encounter, when an enemy is surprised,
your critical hits with daggers, unarmed attacks, claws and light thrown
weapons deal triple damage. (Requires Ambush)
2. Improved Stealth: You get a +2 bonus on Sneak checks. (Stacks with
Stealth)

Expert
Halve the Sneak penalty for noisy surfaces. You no longer set off pressure-
based traps unless you purposely do so. Your total Sneak modifier can reach
up to +20.

Perks
1. Sniper Shot: When using a Marksman weapon, you can Ambush from
any range. (Requires Ambush)
2. Camouflage: When Sneaking and not moving, you always count as
lightly concealed.

Master
Enemies no longer get a bonus to detect you in bright areas. Your total Sneak
modifier can reach up to +26.

Perks
1. Assassin’s Strike: When you make any attack against an enemy that
hasn’t detected you (including special attacks), they count as surprised.
When an enemy is surprised, you score automatic critical hits with all
attacks.
2. Shadow Warrior: Enemies get no bonus to detect you if you were
recently detected. The detection bonus for searching for you is reduced
to +1 per round.
3. Master Stealth: You get a +2 bonus on Sneak checks. (Stacks with
Stealth and Improved Stealth)

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Alchemy (Cunning)
The Alchemy skill is used to make life-saving potions and debilitating poisons.

Usage
To mix a potion or poison, you must have access to tools (an Alchemy table or
Alchemy kit) and sufficient materials to craft the mixture. Starting out, you
need to pay the base cost of the item in materials, though some perks allow
you to reduce this cost and gather ingredients while in the wilderness or from
creatures. Untrained characters can only make Minor Healing, Magicka and
Stamina potions and Weak Poison. Creating potions and poisons takes 1 hour
per 100 gold of value (modified by Careful Alchemist perks).

Novice
You can craft any Minor potion or poison.

Perks
1. Gatherer: While outside of populated areas, you can spend time
gathering common reagents. You find 50 gold of materials that can be
used to make Minor or Common mixtures per day. You can also gather
ingredients while travelling, though you get half the normal amount.
2. Careful Alchemist: When mixing, you only need to pay 90% of the
mixture’s cost in materials.

Apprentice
You can craft any Average potion or poison.

Perks
1. Benefactor: You can drink potions or administer them to allies as a Swift
action instead of a Move action.
2. Poisoner: Your poisons ignore 10 points of Poison Resistance.
3. Bomber: You can craft bombs. See the Equipment section for details on
bombs.

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Adept
You can craft any Major potion or poison.

Perks
1. Improved Careful Alchemist: When mixing, you only need to pay 75% of
the mixture’s cost in materials. (Requires Careful Alchemist)
2. Skilled Gatherer: While outside of populated areas, you can spend time
gathering common reagents. You find 150 gold of materials that can be
used to make any mixture per day. You can also gather ingredients
while travelling, though you get half the normal amount. This replaces
the benefits of the Gatherer perk. (Requires Gatherer)

Expert
You can craft any Ultimate potion or poison.

Perks
1. Concentrated Mixture: You can choose to spend 50% more materials
when mixing a potion or poison to make a concentrated version.
Concentrated potions and poisons can be used twice.
2. Snakeblood: Your Poison Resistance increases by 20.

Master
You can craft the powerful Potion of Revival and Black Death poison. In
addition to their normal costs, they also require a unique ingredient which
gives them their power - a Daedra Heart for the Potion of Revival, and a Jarrin
Root for Black Death. These can be substituted with a similarly potent and
rare ingredient at the GM’s discretion.

Perks
1. Infusion: You can craft a special potion called an Infusion, which
provides you (or allies) with permanent benefits. See the Infusions
section of the Equipment chapter.
2. Master of Venom: Once per round, you can apply poison to an equipped
weapon as a free action without any chance of failure or Attacks of
Opportunity.
3. Master Brewer: You can brew potions and poisons without tools as a
full-round action, even during combat. This provokes an attack of
opportunity however.

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 Chapter 3:
Magic
Spells
A skilled mage can bend the energies of Aetherius into a variety of forms.
Spells are divided into 5 Schools - Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration,
Alteration and Illusion. See the specific skill descriptions for more information
on each school. When casting spells that affect multiple targets and require
rolls, make a roll against each target. You usually don’t need to track magicka
outside of combat, but keep in mind your maximum when casting spells in
quick succession or very costly spells.

Learning new spells can be done in one of 3 ways - being taught by another
character (some characters will charge for this service), increasing your base
Magicka by a multiple of 50 (allows you to learn any spell you can cast), or by
purchasing a Spell Tome, which contains knowledge of a spell and is
consumed on use. Spell prices are listed below.

Name Price

Level 1 Spell Tome 25

Level 2 Spell Tome 50
Level 3 Spell Tome 150

Level 4 Spell Tome 250

Level 5 Spell Tome 400

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Scrolls can be used by anyone to cast the spell written on them. They are not
affected by any perks you might have pertaining to the spell. When you cast a
spell from a scroll, the scroll is permanently destroyed.

Name Price
Level 1 Scroll 10
Level 2 Scroll 25
Level 3 Scroll 50

Level 4 Scroll 100

Level 5 Scroll 300

67 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Destruction
Destruction spells - as the name suggests - are made for dealing damage. This
is typically done through harnessing the power of the three elements - fire,
frost and lightning.
Fire spells are typically more efficient than other Destruction spells for
dealing damage.
Frost spells also inflict a slowing effect on their target. When you deal damage
with a Frost spell, reduce the target’s Speed by the level of the spell (to a
minimum of 1) until the start of their next turn. The magnitude of the slowing
effect is reduced by 1 for every 5 points of the target’s Frost Resistance (round
down).
Shock spells cost the most to cast but have a +1 bonus to hit.

1st-level Spells
Flames (Fire)
Cost: 6
Range: 3 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 4
A stream of flames bursts forth from your hand, dealing (Power + 1d8) Fire
damage to the target.

Frostbite (Frost)
Cost: 8
Range: 3 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 4
You blast a stream of frozen air at your target, dealing (Power + 1d8) Frost
damage.

Sparks (Shock)
Cost: 8
Range: 3 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 4
A stream of electricity jumps from your outstretched hand to the target,
dealing (Power + 1d8) Shock damage.

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Flame Arrow (Fire)
Cost: 14
Range: 20 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 6
You shape a missile of magical fire and launch it at your target, dealing (Power
+ 1d8) Fire damage.

Chilling Mist (Frost)

Cost: 15
Range: Self
Area: 3 metre burst centered on you
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 4
Freezing energy bursts from your body, dealing (Power) Frost damage to
everyone within 3 metres. A cloud of mist persists there for the next 3 rounds,
dealing damage to anyone who moves through the mist or starts their turn
there.

Shock Blast (Shock)

Cost: 13
Range: 5 metres
Area: 5 metre long line extending from you
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 4
Lightning leaps from your fingertips, blasting everyone in a 5 metre long line
for (Power + 1d8) Shock damage.

2nd-level Spells
Firebolt (Fire)
Cost: 25
Range: 25 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 12
You launch a bolt of pure flame at your target, dealing (Power + 1d8) Fire
damage.

69 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Ice Spike (Frost)
Cost: 28
Range: 25 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 12
You launch a large shard of ice at your target, dealing (Power + 1d8) Frost
damage.

Lightning Bolt (Shock)

Cost: 28
Range: 25 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 12
A bolt of lightning lances towards your target, dealing (Power + 1d8) Shock
damage.

Fire Rune (Fire, Rune)

Cost: 30
Range: 3 metres
Target: 1x1m square on a solid surface
Duration: 10 rounds
Base Power: 18
You trace some Daedric runes with your hand, creating a deadly trap. Select a
1x1 metre area within range. When an enemy walks over it, they and
everyone adjacent to them takes (Power + 2d8) Fire damage. It can be
detected with a Detect Magic spell or by sight with a Sorcery or Cunning check
that beats your Destruction Rank * 5, and can be detonated using any Fire
spell. You don’t need to roll Destruction to cast this spell. You can’t cast a Rune
spell in an area occupied by another creature.

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Frost Rune (Frost, Rune)
Cost: 35
Range: 3 metres
Target: 1x1m square on a solid surface
Duration: 10 rounds
Base Power: 18
You trace some Daedric runes with your hand, creating a deadly trap. Select a
1x1 metre area within range. When an enemy walks over it, they and
everyone adjacent to them takes (Power + 2d8) Frost damage. It can be
detected with a Detect Magic spell or by sight with a Sorcery or Cunning check
that beats your Destruction Rank *5, and can be detonated using any Frost
spell. You don’t need to roll Destruction to cast this spell. You can’t cast a Rune
spell in an area occupied by another creature.

Shock Rune (Shock, Rune)

Cost: 35
Range: 3 metres
Target: 1x1m square on a solid surface
Duration: 10 rounds
Base Power: 18
You trace some Daedric runes with your hand, creating a deadly trap. Select a
1x1 metre area within range. When an enemy walks over it, they and
everyone adjacent to them takes (Power + 2d8) Shock damage and is knocked
back 1 metre away from the rune. It can be detected with a Detect Magic spell
or by sight with a Sorcery or Cunning check that beats your Destruction Rank
*5, and can be detonated with any Shock spell. You don’t need to roll
Destruction to cast this spell. You can’t cast a Rune spell in an area occupied
by another creature.

3rd-level Spells
Fireball (Fire, Area)
Cost: 40
Range: 25 metres
Area: 2 metre radius blast
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 20
You toss a swirling ball of flame at your target, dealing (Power + 1d10) Fire
damage to them and everyone within 1 metre of them. You can target a space
instead of a character if you wish.

71 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Ice Storm (Frost, Area)
Cost: 45
Range: 15 metres
Area: 15 x 3 metre line
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 20
A 3 metre wide frozen tempest bursts forth from your hand, travelling in a
straight line from you. Anyone in its path takes (Power + 1d10) Frost damage.

Chain Lightning (Shock, Area)

Cost: 45
Range: 30 Metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 20
You launch a bolt of lightning that can jump between targets. If your initial
attack hits, it deals (Power + 1d10) Shock damage and jumps to a secondary
within 5 metres. Make separate attack roll for the new target. If that target is
hit, make an attack on a tertiary target within 5 metres. Each time the
lightning jumps, reduce the Power by 10. It stops jumping when either it
misses, or the Power is reduced to 0. The chain can’t hit the same target more
than once.

Elemental Cloak (Fire, Frost or Shock, Cloak)

Cost: 50
Range: Self
Duration: 10 Rounds
Base Power: 4
You wreath yourself in Fire, Frost or Shock energy. Choose an element when
casting this spell. For the duration, any enemy that begins their turn within 1
metre of you takes (Power + 1d8) damage of the chosen element. No
Destruction roll is required. The Frost version on this spell slows targets by 1
instead of the regular 3 for 3rd level spells.

4th-level Spells
Incinerate (Fire)
Cost: 50
Range: 30 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 26
You sling a bolt of searing flame at your target, burning through flesh and
bone. The target takes (Power + d10) Fire damage.

72 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Icy Spear (Frost)
Cost: 55
Range: 30 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 26
You launch a 2-foot long shard of magical ice at your target, dealing (Power +
1d10) Frost damage.

Thunderbolt (Shock)
Cost: 55
Range: 35 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 26
A deafening thunderbolt jumps between you and your target, dealing (Power
+ 1d10) Shock damage.

Flame Wall (Fire, Wall)

Cost: 50
Range: 10 metres
Area: 5 adjoining 1x1 metre squares
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 16
You create a wall of flames up to 5 metres long on a surface within range. Any
enemy that moves through the wall or begins their turn there takes (Power +
1d8) Fire damage. In addition, making attacks with ranged weapons or frost
spells through the barrier is done at a -5 to hit.

Frost Wall (Frost, Wall)

Cost: 50
Range: 10 metres
Area: 5 adjoining 1x1 metre squares
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 16
You create a wall of deadly ice shards up to 5 metres long on a surface within
range. Any enemy that moves through the wall or begins their turn there takes
(Power + 1d8) Frost damage.

73 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Storm Wall (Shock, Wall)
Cost: 50
Range: 10 metres
Area: 5 adjoining 1x1 metre squares
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 16
You create a wall of writhing electrical energy up to 5 metres long on a surface
within range. Any enemy that moves through the wall or begins their turn
there takes (Power + 1d8) Shock damage. In addition, any enemies that move
adjacent to the wall (but not through it) take (Power / 2) Shock damage.

5th-level Spells
Flame Artillery (Fire, Area)
Cost: 50 per orb
Range: 50 metres
Area: 2 metre radius blast
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 26
You create up to 3 explosive orbs of flame and launch them soaring through
the air. On impact, they deal (Power + 2d6) Fire damage to the target location
and everything within 2 metres of it. Each orb counts as 3 spell levels for the
purposes of Ward spells.

Blizzard (Frost, Area)

Cost: 100
Range: Self
Area: 6 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 30
Slamming the ground with your fist, you create a swirling blizzard in a 6
metre radius burst around you. At the start of your turn, everyone inside the
blizzard except for you takes (Power + 2d6) Frost damage. You can end the
effect early as a free action on your turn.

74 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Energy Beam (Shock)
Cost: 60
Range: 30 metres
Area: 1 metre radius burst centered on the target
Duration: Concentration
Base Power: 36
A massive beam of electrical energy blasts from your hands to your target,
dealing (Power + 3d6) Shock damage to them and (Power / 2) Shock damage
to all adjacent foes. You can maintain the beam at a cost of 30 Magicka per
round, firing again as a standard action at a target within 10 metres of the
previous target.

Magicka Blast
Cost: 50
Range: 25 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 40
You fire a bolt of pure crimson energy, blasting your target for (Power + 1d8)
damage. This damage cannot be reduced in any way if it hits, and counts as 10
spell levels for the purpose of wards.

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Restoration
Restoration spells are very useful to any magic user, with the ability to mend
wounds, protect against spells, and battle undead.
Healing spells restore health on the caster or their allies.
Sun spells deal damage to undead, but not any other type of creature.
Turn Undead spells are useful when fighting undead. Turned undead flee for
the duration of the spell, or until attacked.
Ward spells are used to block spells from other spellcasters. Multiple wards
do not stak - only the most powerful effect applies.

1st-level Spells
Minor Healing (Healing)
Cost: 10
Range: Touch
Target: Single living creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 6
Channeling restorative energy through your hands, you instantly heal yourself
or an adjacent ally (Power + 1d6) Health.

Searing Light (Sun)

Cost: 5
Range: 3 metres
Target: Single undead
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 4
A ray of bright light shines from your index finger, dealing (Power + 1d8) Sun
damage to target enemy.

Weak Turning (Turn Undead)

Cost: 12
Range: 10 metres
Target: Single undead
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 1
You envelop the target enemy in holy light. If the target’s level is lower than
the spell’s Power, they are Turned for the duration.

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Lesser Ward (Ward)
Cost: 10
Range: Self
Duration: 1 round
Base Power: 2
You project a magical shield in front of you, which can block up to (Power)
levels of spells. When targeted by a spell, you can choose to Ward it as a free
action. Once you block (Power) levels of spells, the Ward disappears. If you
block a spell that would overpower your Ward by exceeding the maximum
spell levels blocked, it shatters and you are Staggered as well as receiving the
normal effects of the spell. If the spell would overpower your ward by more
than double the maximum spell levels, you are Stunned. Dual-cast spells count
as having twice as many spell levels.

2nd level Spells

Healing (Healing)
Cost: 20
Range: Touch
Target: Single living creature
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 16
Channeling restorative energy through your hands, you instantly heal yourself
or an adjacent ally (Power + 2d6) Health.

Sun Fire (Sun)

Cost: 14
Range: 25 metres
Target: Single undead
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 14
You blast your target with a ball of holy light, dealing (Power + 1d8) Sun
damage.

Turning (Turn Undead)

Cost: 20
Range: 10 metres
Target: Single undead
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 3
As the Weak Turning spell, but with greater Power.

77 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Ward (Ward)
Cost: 20
Range: Self
Duration: 1 round
Base Power: 4
As Lesser Ward, but with increased Power.

3rd-level Spells
Healing Bolt (Healing)
Cost: 25
Range: 30 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: 1 round
As Healing, but as a projectile with 30 metres range.

Repel Undead (Turn Undead, Area)

Cost: 30
Range: 10 metres
Area: 10m long x 5m wide line
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 5
You launch a wave of holy energy in an arc in front of you. Turn up to (Power)
levels of undead in a 10x5m line.

Lingering Ward (Ward)

Cost: 50
Range: Self
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 5
You generate a barrier of magical force around your body. This acts as a Ward
(see Lesser Ward) that can absorb up to (Power) levels of spells over the
course of 3 rounds.

Sun Burst (Sun, Area)

Cost: 30
Range: 20 metres
Area: 2 metre radius blast
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 25
You toss a shining ball of light at your target, dealing (Power + 2d8) Sun
damage to the target and all within 2 metres of them. You can target a space
instead of a character if you wish.

78 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Cure Poison (Healing)
Cost: 30
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Immediately end the effects of poison on either you or an ally you can touch.

4th-level Spells
Grand Healing (Healing, Area)
Cost: 45
Range: Self
Area: 2 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 60
You shower yourself and the surrounding area with healing energy. Distribute
(Power) points of Health between yourself and/or allies within a 2 metre
radius of you. You cannot distribute more than half the Power to one target.

Steadfast Ward (Ward)

Cost: 40
Range: Self
Duration: 1 round
Base Power: 6
As Lesser Ward, but with increased Power.

Greater Turning (Turning)

Cost: 40
Range: 10 metres
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 7
As Weak Turning, but with increased Power.

Nimbus of Light (Sun)

Cost: 40
Range: Self
Duration: 10 Rounds
Base Power: 6
You surround yourself in a glowing aura of light. For the duration, any enemy
that begins their turn within 1 metre of you takes (Power + 1d8) Sun damage.

79 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Wall of Holy Light (Turning, Sun)
Cost: 55
Range: 10 metres
Area: 5 adjoining 1x1 metre squares
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 16
You create a wall of holy energy up to 5 metres long on a surface within range.
Any enemy that moves through the wall or begins their turn there takes
(Power + 1d8) Sun damage, and flee for 5 rounds if their level is (Power / 4)
or below..

Cure Disease (Healing)

Cost: 70
Range: Touch
Target: You or one ally
Duration: Instant
Immediately end the effects of a disease on you or an ally you touch.

5th-level Spells
Resurrection
Cost: 150
Range: Touch
Target: 1 dead previously living creature
Duration: Instant
You restore a creature that has been dead for no more than 1 week to life with
all its previous abilities at 25% of its maximum Health, Magicka and Stamina.
The corpse must still be intact - it cannot have been disintegrated,
decapitated, melted, or similar. They cannot have been previously raised by
Necromancy spells. This spell only works on creatures that were previously
living - it does not work on undead, automatons, or other magically created
life. The same creature can only be raised once per month. This spell takes 3
full rounds to cast.

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Ward Globe (Ward, Area)
Cost: 75
Range: Self
Area: Up to 3 metre radius sphere centered on you
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 10
You create a globe of magical force with a radius of up to 3 metres centered on
you which blocks up to (Power) levels of spells entering from the outside.
Creatures inside the globe can cast spells through it freely, and creatures can
enter or leave through the ward normally. While inside the globe, you can
reinforce it as a standard action to restore spell levels and refresh the
duration. When doing this, you spend 10 magicka per level restored. The total
levels cannot exceed the spell’s Power.

Guardian Circle (Healing, Area)

Cost: 60
Range: Self
Area: 2 metre radius circle centered on you
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 20
You trace a circle with your finger around you, and it springs to life with
healing magic. You and any allies in the circle heal (Power + 3d6) Health per
round.

Bane of the Undead (Turn Undead, Area)

Cost: 65
Range: 10 metres
Area: 5m radius sphere
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 16
You launch a wave of holy energy in an sphere around you. Turn up to
(Power) levels of undead in a 5m radius sphere. While they are fleeing, they
also take 10 Sun damage per round.

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Solar Flare (Sun, Area)
Cost: 25 per beam
Range: 30 metres
Target: 1 undead target per beam
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 30
From your outstretched palm shine up to 6 beams of brilliant sun energy.
Each beam costs 25 magicka to cast, and deals (Power + 2d8) damage to
target undead enemy. You cannot target the same undead with more than 1 of
the beams. If you use this spell while outside during the day, the beams strike
down on foes from the sun itself, and always hit.

82 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Conjuration
Conjuration spells allow you to manipulate the forces of Oblivion and raise the
dead.
Binding spells create magical weapons and armour that can be used by the
caster. They disappear when they leave the target’s possession, however.
Summoning spells bring forth creatures from the Planes of Oblivion to battle
alongside the caster.
Banishing spells can send Daedric creatures back to their home plane.
Necromancy spells can raise the dead as zombies to fight again.

1st level Spells

Bind Weapon (Binding)
Cost: 20
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Bind a lesser Daedra in the form of a weightless magical weapon of your
choice. Its statistics are equivalent to that of a Silver weapon. The weapon
vanishes if it leaves your hand or at the end of the duration.

Lesser Summoning (Summoning)

Cost: 20
Range: 4 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
You conjure a Scamp Runt from a Plane of Oblivion. See the Creature Codex for
statistics. It vanishes if it reaches 0 Health or at the end of the duration.

Weak Banish (Banishing)

Cost: 15
Range: 5 metres
Target: Single summoned Daedra
Duration: Instant
Power: 1
You banish target summoned Daedra back to its home Plane. Its level must be
less than or equal to the spell’s Power.

83 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Raise Weak Zombie (Necromancy)
Cost: 20
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single corpse
Duration: 5 rounds.
Power: 2
You summon a spirit to inhabit a corpse, raising it to fight for you. The corpse
level must be less than or equal to the spell’s Power. It now counts as an
Undead creature, and gains the Energy Vulnerability trait, allowing it to be
affected by Sun and Turning spells, and the Undead Mind trait, granting
immunity to Illusion spells. Automatons, incorporeal undead and Daedra
cannot be raised. Raised dead are destroyed at the end of the duration and
cannot be raised or resurrected.

Soul Trap
Cost: 20
Range: 10 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: 5 rounds
You attempt to bind the creature’s soul to one of your Soul Gems, capturing it
within if it is killed within the duration.

2nd level Spells

Bind Armour (Binding)
Cost: 30
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
You bind a lesser Daedra in the form of a weightless suit of magical armour.
Choose at the time of casting whether it is Heavy or Light armour for the
purposes of proficiency or perk bonuses you might have. It counts as Tier 2
armour, granting 12 DR with no Speed penalty for the Heavy version and 8 DR
for the Light version. This DR does not stack with any other worn armour -
take the higher value. The armour vanishes if you take it off or at the end of
the duration.

Summoning (Summoning)
Cost: 35
Range: 4 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 3
You conjure a single Daedra of up to the spell’s Power in level from a Plane of
Oblivion. The creature vanishes when it reaches 0 Health or at the end of the
duration.

84 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Banish (Banishing)
Cost: 25
Range: 5 metres
Target: A single summoned Daedra
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 3
As Weak Banish, but with Increased Power.

Raise Zombie (Necromancy)

Cost: 30
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single corpse
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 4
As Raise Weak Zombie, but with increased Power.

3rd-level Spells
Bind Greater Weapon (Binding)
Cost: 35
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Bind a lesser Daedra in the form of a weightless magical weapon of your
choice. Its statistics are equivalent to that of a Glass weapon. The weapon
vanishes if it leaves your hand or at the end of the duration.

Greater Summoning (Summoning)

Cost: 45
Range: 4 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 6
You conjure up to 2 creatures from Oblivion. Their combined level cannot
exceed the spell’s Power. They vanish at the end of the duration, or if they
reach 0 Health (reducing one to 0 Health does not cause the other to vanish,
however).

85 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Command Daedra (Banishing)
Cost: 40
Range: 10 metres
Target: Any Daedra
Duration: See text
Base Power: 6
You assume command of target Daedra up to the spell’s Power. If it is bound
to another summoner, they lose control of it, and it is yours to command for
the remainder of its duration. If it was an free-willed Daedra, it is now bound
to your service for the next 5 rounds - you can choose to banish it back to
Oblivion if you wish. The creature doesn’t count towards your summon limit,
but the original caster can attempt to regain control once per turn as a
Standard action (an opposed Conjuration check).

Dread Zombie (Necromancy)

Cost: 40
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single corpse
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 6
As Raise Weak Zombie, but with increased Power.

Bolster Undead (Necromancy)

Cost: 25
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single undead creature
Duration: Encounter
Base Power: 4
You strengthen target undead against Restoration magic. Its level is increased
by (Power) for the purpose of Turn Undead spells, and it gains 10 resistance
to Sun spells.

4th-level Spells
Supreme Summoning (Summoning)
Cost: 55
Range: 4 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 11
You conjure up to 3 creatures from Oblivion. Their combined level cannot
exceed the spell’s Power. They vanish at the end of the duration, or if they
reach 0 Health (reducing one to 0 Health does not cause the others to vanish,
however).

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Revenant (Necromancy)
Cost: 50
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single corpse
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 10
As Raise Weak Zombie, but with increased Power.

Greater Banish (Banishing)

Cost: 50
Range: 10 metres
Target: Any Daedra
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 12
You send target Daedra (summoned or free-willed) back to its home plane if
its level is equal to the spell’s Power or below.

Bind Greater Armour (Binding)

Cost: 40
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
You bind a lesser Daedra in the form of a weightless suit of magical armour.
Choose at the time of casting whether it is Heavy or Light armour for the
purposes of proficiency or perk bonuses you might have. It counts as Tier 4
armour, granting 20 DR with no Speed penalty for the Heavy version and 13
DR for the Light version. This DR does not stack with any other worn armour -
take the higher value. The armour vanishes if you take it off or at the end of
the duration.

87 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

5th-level Spells
Enthrall (Summoning, Necromancy)
Cost: 150
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
You enthrall a single summoned or raised creature, or even bound weapons
and armour, binding it to your service permanently. It no longer has a set
duration, but still disappears when killed, or banished in the case of
summoned Daedra. Enthralled bound items disappear if they leave your
person (or 5 rounds after that if you have the Persistent Binding perk). You
can only Enthrall Daedra and Undead bound to you. If you Enthrall a creature
summoned or raised by a spell which can summon or raise multiple creatures,
the rest of the creatures in the group are returned to their home plane (in the
case of Summoning spells) or destroyed (in the case on undead).

Bound Armoury (Binding)

Cost: 60 + 30 per additional item
Range: Self and/or allies touched
Duration: 5 rounds
You bind a greater Daedra in the form of magical armour and weapons.
Choose up to 3 items from this list to be instantly equipped on you or allies
you touch:
1. A weightless suit of tier 5 heavy armour granting 24 DR with no Speed
penalty
2. A weightless suit of tier 5 light armour granting 18 DR
3. A weapon of Daedric quality
You can bind extra items at the cost of 30 Magicka per item. They disappear
instantly if they leave the recipient's person or at the end of the duration. If
you wish to Enthrall these items, you must cast it separately for each item.

Oblivion Rift (Summoning)

Cost: 80
Range: Self
Area: 10 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: 5 minutes
Base Power: 15
You briefly open a portal to Oblivion from which a number of Daedra equal to
the spell’s Power emerge within 10 metres of you. The total level of the
summoned Daedra cannot exceed the spell’s Power. These levels can be
distributed as you wish. You could summon a horde of scamps or a single
Dremora Valkynaz for example. Creatures summoned by Oblivion Rift return
to their home plane when reduced to 0 Health or at the end of the duration.
This spell takes a full round to cast.

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Necromantic Ritual (Necromancy)
Cost: 80
Range: Self
Area: 10 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: 5 minutes
Base Power: 15
You raise up to any number of Undead whose total level does not exceed the
spell’s Power. (see Raise Weak Zombie for more information on raised dead).
This spell takes a full round to cast.

Purging (Banishing)
Cost: 75
Range: Self
Area: 20 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: Instant
Base Power: 15
You return up to the spell’s Power in levels of Daedra (summoned or free-
willed) within the area to their home plane.

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Alteration
Alteration can produce a variety of helpful effects for the caster, and
detrimental effects for the enemy. While some spells deal damage, that isn’t
the main purpose of the school.
Protection spells grant additional DR against physical attacks.
Light spells create illumination, useful when exploring dark dungeons.
Detection spells can be used to learn the locations and statistics of nearby
creatures and objects.
Force spells are used to push people and objects.
Paralysis spells paralyze their targets.

1st-level Spells
Oakflesh (Protection)
Cost: 15
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 4
You surround yourself with a thin shield of magical force, increasing your DR
by the Power of the spell.

Candlelight (Light)
Cost: 5
Range: Self
Duration: 1 minute
You create a small floating light that hovers above you and sheds light in a 5
metre radius. You can dismiss the effect as a free action.

Detect Life (Detection)

Cost: 25
Range: Self
Area: 20 metres
Duration: Instant
Your mind reaches out, and you learn the locations of all life sources within 20
metres of you. You must make an Alteration roll - if it doesn’t exceed a target’s
Magic Resistance, you don’t detect them.

2nd-level Spells
Stoneflesh (Protection)
Cost: 25
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 6
As Oakflesh, but with increased Power.
90 | The Elder Scrolls: D20
Magelight (Light)
Cost: 15
Range: 20 metres
Duration: 1 minute
You create a small floating light that you can shoot at a surface, a character or
into the darkness. If targeted on a person, it requires an Alteration roll. If it
hits, a small light hovers above them and sheds light in the 5 metre radius. If
targeted at a surface, the light hovers next to it and sheds light. You can
dismiss these effects as a free action. If shot in a direction, it travels in a
straight line, providing lighting the whole way.

Detect Dead (Detection)

Cost: 40
Range: Self
Area: 20 metres
Your mind reaches out, and you learn the locations of all corpses and undead
within 20 metres of you.

Bolt of Force (Force)

Cost: 15
Range: 20 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
You launch a bolt of kinetic force at your target, driving them back. Bolt of
Force can be used to exert force on objects (to move or break them) or people
(in the form of a Push attempt). It has an equivalent Might score of 5.
Dispel
Cost: 20
Range: 10 metres
Target: 1 creature or object
Duration: Instant
You attempt to remove or suppress magical effects. To Dispel a spell effect
(only of level 3 or lower), make an Alteration roll against the target’s Magic
Resistance + the level of the spell. To suppress an enchantment or permanent
magical effect, make an Alteration roll against 11 + the Rank of the
enchantment or a score determined by the GM.

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3rd-level Spells
Ironflesh (Protection)
Cost: 35
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 8
As Oakflesh, but with increased Power.

Water Adaptation
Cost: 50
Range: Touch
Duration: 5 minutes
You magically adapt yourself or another creature you touch to be able to walk
on water at their normal speed or breathe underwater for the duration. This
choice is made when casting the spell.

Telekinesis (Force)
Cost: 25
Range: 20 metres
Target: One object
Duration: Instant
Placing your hand in front of you, you can manipulate objects as if you were
touching them. Move one object with a size and mass and average human
could carry in one hand up 10 metres in any direction (counts as a Might of 3).
You can also use Telekinesis to manipulate objects such as doors and levers
within the spell’s range. You can make pickpocketing and security attempts at
a distance using this spell, though you take a penalty equal to (8 - your
Alteration rank). You can attempt to disarm enemies using this spell - make an
Alteration roll opposed by their Might roll. If you succeed, you can move their
weapon up to 5 metres in any direction.

Detect Magic (Detection)

Cost: 50
Range: Self
Area: 20 metres
Duration: Instant
Your mind reaches out, and you learn the location of all magic sources within
20 metres. These include creatures and people with magical abilities,
creatures of magical origin, enchanted items, and active spell effects. You do
not learn the power or function of the detected magic, only its location. You
must make an Alteration roll with Detect Magic - if you fail to exceed the Magic
Resistance of any creatures, you do not detect them.

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Halt (Paralysis)
Cost: 25
Range: 5 metres
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 1 round
You launch a stream of green energy at your target, encasing them in magical
shackles. The target is paralyzed for 1 round.

Haste
Cost: 35
Range: 5 metres
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 3 rounds
You subtly bend time around the target creature, allowing them to act more
quickly. For the next 3 rounds, they receive an additional Move action in
addition to their normal actions. Creatures under the influence of Haste could,
for example, make a Move and Full-Round action in the same turn.

4th-level Spells
Ebonyflesh (Protection)
Cost: 45
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 10
As Oakflesh, but with increased Power.

Levitate (Force)
Cost: 50
Range: Self
Duration: Concentration
Air forms around your feet, and you begin hovering. As long as you are
concentrating on Levitate (a swift action) when you move you can go in any
direction (including up). If you stop concentrating while you are still in the air,
you descend at a rate of 12 metres per round.

Paralysis (Paralysis)
Cost: 45
Range: 15 metres
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 3 rounds
You fire a bolt of green energy at your target, paralyzing their entire body for
3 rounds. Make another Alteration roll against their Magic Resistance at the
start of each round. If you fail, the effect ends.

93 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Daylight (Light)
Cost: 30
Range: 10 metres
Area: 50 metre radius
Duration: 1 minute
You create a globe of pure light at the target location, illuminating the area
within 50 metres as if it was outside on a clear day. As this is not true sunlight
however, and vampires and other similar creatures do not take their daylight
penalties on it.

Force Blast (Force)

Cost: 35
Area: 15 metre long line, extending from you
Duration: Instant
Thrusting your arm forward, a blast of force issues from your outstretched
hand. Up to 3 targets in the line have a force equivalent to a Might of 10
applied to them, which can be used to Push creatures, as well as move or
break objects. Any creatures affected by this spell are automatically knocked
down if the Push is successful.

Supreme Detection (Detection)

Cost: 60
Range: Self
Area: 40 metres
Duration: Instant
Your mind reaches out, and you learn the location of any and all creatures
(including undead and automatons) within 40 metres.

Greater Dispel
Cost: 35
Range: 10 metres
Target: 1 creature or object
Duration: Instant
You attempt to remove or suppress powerful magical effects. As Dispel, but it
works on any effect.

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5th-level Spells
Dragonflesh (Protection)
Cost: 50
Range: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 12
You form a shield of magical force around you, as tough as dragon scales. Your
DR increases by the Power of the spell.

Mass Paralysis (Paralysis)

Cost: 60
Range: 30 metres
Area: 3 metre radius blast
Duration: 3 rounds
You launch a swirling ball of green energy at target location. Upon impact, it
explodes in a 3 metre radius, paralyzing all within for 3 rounds.

Force Wave (Force)

Cost: 50
Area: 5 metre burst, centered on you
Duration: Instant
Slamming the ground with your fist, a wave of force blasts outward in all
directions. All creatures and objects in the area are affected as if a 20 Might
force was exerted on them - this takes the form of a Push attempt in the case
of creatures. Any creatures that are successfully affected by the Push are
moved to the edge of the area and knocked down.

Sustained Flight (Force)

As Levitate, but you can spend 10 Magicka as a Free action to remain airborne.

Creature Telekinesis (Force)

Cost: 35
Range: 20 metres
Target: Single creature
Duration: Instant
Similar to Telekinesis, Creature Telekinesis allows you to manipulate
creatures from a distance using either your Sorcery or 20, whichever is
higher. When you pin an opponent using this spell, you deal Physical damage
equal to your Sorcery score.

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Illusion
Illusion spells focus on manipulating the mind of the enemy.
Charm spells alter the target’s disposition towards the caster and others.
Unless otherwise stated, Charm effects end if you take hostile actions towards
the target.
Fear spells cause their targets to flee from combat.
Fury spells send targets into a killing frenzy.
Stealth spells have a variety of uses, such as creating or disguising objects
using illusions, and turning invisible.

1st-level Spells
Calm (Charm)
Cost: 10
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single living creature
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 1
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. All hostile
intentions towards you are suppressed for the duration.

Fright (Fear)
Cost: 12
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single living creature
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 1
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. They flee
from you for the duration, but may still attack other creatures if they are
threatened.

Frenzy (Fury)
Cost: 12
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single living creature
Duration: 3 rounds
Base Power: 1
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. They attack
the closest target to them, or the one that presents the biggest threat.

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Conceal (Stealth)
Cost: 20
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour
You turn an object no larger than a dagger invisible for 1 hour. The object can
still be detected via smell and touch. The effect ends when you use the object
(such as picking a lock or attacking with a dagger).

2nd-level Spells
Peace (Charm)
Cost: 20
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single living creature
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 3
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. All hostile
intentions are suppressed for the duration. The effect breaks at the end of the
duration or if the target is attacked.

Fear (Fear)
Cost: 23
Range: 10 metres
Target: A single living creature
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 3
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. They flee
from combat for the duration.

Directed Frenzy (Fury)

Cost: 25
Range: 10 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 3
You warp the mind of a target with a level up to the spell’s Power. During
combat, it engages the target hostile to you which it deems the greatest threat.
If there are no more hostile targets, it begins attacking the closest creature.

Muffle (Stealth)
Cost: 30
Range: Self
Duration: 10 minutes
Enemies take -4 on their Cunning checks to detect you when Sneaking.

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3rd level Spells
Charm (Charm)
Cost: 30
Range: 15 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 5
The target treats you (but not your allies) as a trusted ally for the duration.
This effect breaks if you attack the target. This only works on living targets
with a level equal to the spell’s Power or below.

Terror (Fear)
Cost: 30
Range: 20 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 5
The target cowers in terror (counts as prone) and cannot take actions for the
duration. If they are attacked, they can flee from their attacker at full speed.
This only works on living targets with a level equal to the spell’s Power or
below.

Rage (Fury)
Cost: 40
Range: 20 metres
Area: 2 metre radius
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 5
You warp the minds of your targets, making them think that everyone is an
enemy. For the duration, they attack the closest target (usually each other).
This only works on living targets with a level equal to the spell’s Power or
below.

Illusory Object (Stealth)

Cost: 50
Range: 50 metres
Duration: 1 minute, or Concentration
You create an illusion of any object or creature of your choosing, though it
must be no larger than Medium size. Normally the illusion is purely visual and
static, but by concentrating (a Move action) you can make it move or make
sounds. The illusion cannot have any effect on the world around it however
(though you could combine other spells, such as Telekinesis, to have an
illusion of a humanoid open a door).

4th-level Spells
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Alter Allegiance (Charm)
Cost: 40
Range: 20 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 7
You alter the mind of the target, and it perceives you and your allies as friends,
and your enemies as enemies. This only works on living targets with a level
equal to the spell’s Power or below.

Rout (Fear)
Cost: 45
Range: 20 metres
Area: 2 metre radius
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 7
You break the morale of the targets, making them flee from combat for the
duration. This only works on living targets with a level equal to the spell’s
Power or below.

Berserk (Fury)
Cost: 45
Range: 10 metres
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 7
The target flies into a mad frenzy, attacking the nearest target with reckless
abandon. The target does whatever it can do cause the maximum possible
amount of damage to the nearest target for the duration. This only works on
living targets with a level equal to the spell’s Power or below.

Invisibility (Stealth)
Cost: 40
Range: Self
Duration: 2 rounds
You are completely invisible for the duration of the spell, giving sighted
creatures a penalty to detect you. You may still leave signs of your movement,
such as footprints in snow. The effect ends if you cast a spell or attack.

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5th-level Spells
Harmony (Charm)
Cost: 65
Area: 5 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 10
All targets within the area lose their will to fight for the duration or until
attacked. This only works on living targets with a level equal to the spell’s
Power or below.

Nightmare Visage (Fear)

Cost: 70
Range: 10 metres
Area: 4 metre radius centered on an illusion
Duration: 4 rounds
You create an illusion of a creature (in an appropriately scary form of your
choice, up to Huge size) which strikes terror into those around it. Everyone
within 4 metres of the Visage (except you) is affected as if hit by a Rout spell.
The Visage can be moved at a speed of 10 metres as a Move action.

Chaos Blast (Fury)

Cost: 75
Area: 5 metre radius burst centered on you
Duration: 5 rounds
Base Power: 10
All living creatures of up to the spell’s Power in level within the area attack the
closest target (usually each other) for the duration.

Greater Illusory Object (Stealth)

Cost: 60
Range: 50 metres
Duration: 1 minute, or Concentration
As Illusory Object, but you can create an object or creature of up to Huge size
(mammoth, dragon or small house).

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Enchantments
Enchantments are magical enhancements on items that improve them in some
way. Enchantments come in two types - Weapon and Apparel. Weapon
enchantments can be applied to weapons and hand items (for unarmed
attacks). Apparel enchantments can be applied to any worn item. Most
enchantments have a Rank represented as a number from 1 - 5 which
determines how powerful they are and the minimum Soul Energy required
when creating them.. Some enchantments have no Ranks - their cost and
effects are fixed. When an item is enchanted, its value increases by the value of
the (filled) soul gem used. This value is increased by 10% for every
Enchanting perk the creator has that affects the enchantment.

To create an enchanted item, you must first learn the enchantments you are
going to use. This can be done by disenchanting items and learning their
enchantments, or reading Enchanting Tomes. The price of the Tome for each
enchantment is listed in the enchantment description. Most enchantments
have a Soul Energy requirement based on their Rank - this indicates the
Energy of the soul required to create such an item.

Soul Gems
Enchanted items are powered by souls from fallen creatures. Listed below are
the values of soul gems, their Soul Energy when filled, and the minimum level
of creature that must be soul trapped to fill one.

Soul Gem Gem Value (Empty) Gem Value (Filled) Soul Energy Min. Level

Petty 25 50 30 1
Lesser 75 200 60 3

Common 150 400 100 6

Greater 300 600 150 9

Grand 500 800 200 12

Black 600 1000 200 Any

If a soul is stored in a higher-level gem, the gem’s value is reduced as if it was

a filled gem of the soul’s rank. If a soul is stored in a lower level gem, it uses
the maximum Soul Energy of that gem. Humanoid souls can only fill Black Soul
Gems.

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Weapon Enchantments
Enchantments placed on weapons can provide additional effects on each
strike, other useful benefits, or even both. Enchantments placed on ranged
weapons transfer to their ammunition. The prices here represent the cost of
enchanting a single melee or projectile weapon, 5 thrown weapons, or 10
ammunition. Enchantments on Thrown weapons can be re-used if the weapon
is retrieved, but enchantments on ammunition cannot. Enchantment effects
that don’t deal damage (such as the Paralysis enchant or the secondary
function of the Exhausting enchant) require a roll of 1d20 + Enchantment
Rank (if any) against the target’s Magic Resistance. If you succeed, the
enchantment takes effect. You may place weapon enchantments on shields
(which take effect on shield bashes) or an accessory (which takes effect on
unarmed strikes).

Flaming
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 50 gold
A thin aura of flame surrounds the blade of your weapon. Deal (3 x Rank)
additional Fire damage on each strike. You can also use a flaming weapon to
shed light as a torch indefinitely.

Frost
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 50 gold
A thin aura of freezing mist surrounds the blade of your weapon. Deal (3 x
Rank) additional Frost damage on each strike. You can choose to forgo this
additional damage in favor of reducing the target’s Speed by 2 for a number of
rounds equal to the rank of the enchantment. This effect doesn’t stack with
itself on successive attacks.

Shock
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 50 gold
Electricity arcs around the blade of your weapon. Deal (3 x Rank) additional
Shock damage on each strike. You can also use a Shock weapon to jolt a target
at close range once per round. This jolt attack has a maximum range of 10
metres, and deals 1d8 shock damage per Rank. Your to-hit bonus and action
are the same as if you were attacking with the weapon normally.

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Force
Energy Required: (50 x Rank)
Tome Price: 50 gold
Your weapon is surrounded by a thin aura of force. Increase the physical
damage done with the weapon by (Rank x 4).

Paralysis
Energy Required: 150
Tome Price: 200 gold
Your weapon is imbued with paralysis magic. Enemies hit by a special attack
from this weapon are paralyzed for 1 round.

Vampiric
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 200 gold
Your weapon is imbued with blood magic, and restores Health equal to the
damage done to the target on each strike, up to (Rank x 3). You can also use
the blood magic power of the weapon to raise an undead servant once per
encounter. When you kill a target with this weapon, you can raise them as per
the Raise Weak Zombie spell with a Power equal to (Rank x 2). Doing so
prevents the Health restoration component from functioning for the duration
of the effect.

Exhausting
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 100 gold
Your weapon saps the strength from your target, dealing (4 x Rank) Stamina
damage on each attack. This has no effect if the target has no stamina, and
cannot reduce their stamina below zero. Alternatively, instead of dealing
Stamina damage you can instead prevent the target from performing any
actions (other than Blocking) that consume Stamina for (Rank) rounds or until
they Recover.

Magicka Burn
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 100 gold
Your weapon saps magicka from your foes. Deal (4 x Rank) Magicka damage
on each attack. This has no effect if the target has no magicka, and cannot
reduce their magicka below zero. You can choose to additionally deal damage
of an element of your choice equal to double the magicka drained, but the
enchantment will not function the following turn.

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Holy
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 100 gold
The favored weapon of any undead slayer, a Holy weapon glows with an inner
light. Undead hit by this weapon take (5 x Rank) additional Sun damage.
Alternatively, you can spend a full-round action once per Encounter to Turn
an undead of up to level (2 x Rank) within 10 metres of you for 2 rounds.

Conjurer’s
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 150 gold
If an enemy struck by a Conjurer’s weapon is killed by the attack or within (1 x
Rank) rounds, the target’s soul is trapped by the wielder. Once per encounter,
when striking summoned daedra with a level up to (2 x Rank), you can Banish
them back to their home plane.

Dread
Energy Required: (50 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 150 gold
Your weapon strikes fear into your opponents. When you strike a living being
of up to level (2 x Rank) with a Special Attack from your weapon, they flee
from you for 2 rounds or until attacked.

Accuracy
Energy Required: (80 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 200 gold
Your weapon seeks out your target, making it easier to land attacks. Gain the
Rank of the enchantment as a bonus on your attack rolls with this weapon.

Keen
Energy Required: (90 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 200 gold
Your weapon guides itself to the vulnerable parts of your opponent. Increase
the range you can land a Critical Hit with this weapon by the Rank of the
enchantment.(ie a rank 1 Keen weapon could score criticals on an attack roll
of 19-20).

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Apparel Enchantments
Most apparel enchantments have a constant effect. They can be applied to any
armour or accessory.

Health
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
Your body toughens when wearing this item. Your maximum Health increases
by (5 x Rank).

Magicka
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
While wearing this item, your connection to magical energies deepens. Your
maximum Magicka increases by (5 x Rank).

Stamina
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
While wearing this item, you tire less quickly. Your maximum Stamina
increases by (5 x Rank).

Spellcasting
Energy Required: (50 x Rank)
Tome Price: 150 gold
While wearing this item, you cast spells more efficiently. Once per encounter,
this enchantment allows the wearer to cast a spell they know of a particular
school (chosen when the enchantment is created) of up to the enchantment’s
Rank in level for no Magicka cost.

Wielding
Energy Required: (40 x Rank)
Tome Price: 150 gold
When wearing this item, your strength and precision increases, allowing you
to use special attacks and abilities more efficiently. A number of times per day
equal to the Rank of the enchantment, this enchantment allows the wearer to
negate the Stamina cost of a weapon or shield-based special attack, ability, or
perk (such as Rapid Reload).

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Stealth
Energy Required: (40 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
This enchantment camouflages your form and muffles your movement. You
gain a bonus on Sneak checks equal to the Rank of the enchantment.

Element Resistance
Energy Required: (40 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
This enchantment shields you from a particular element (chosen when the
enchantment is created). Your resistance to that element increases by (4 x
Rank).

Elemental Resistance
Energy Required: (80 x Rank)
Tome Price: 250 gold
This enchantment shields you from the elements.. Your Elemental Resistance
increases by (4 x Rank).

Magic Resistance
Energy Required: (40 x Rank)
Tome Price: 250 gold
This enchantment shields you from harmful magic effects. Your Magic
Resistance increases by the Rank of the enchantment.

Poison Resistance
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
This enchantment improves your body’s ability to resist poison. Your Poison
Resistance increases by (2 x Rank).

Disease Resistance
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 100 gold
This enchantment improves your body’s ability to resist disease. Your Disease
Resistance increases by (3 x Rank).

Enhanced Recovery
Energy Required: (30 x Rank)
Tome Price: 150 gold
This enchantment improves the rate at which you can recuperate. A number
of times per day equal to the Rank of the enchantment, when you make a
Recover action you recover Magicka and Stamina as if you used a longer
action (Move->Standard->Full).
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Deflection
Energy Required: (50 x Rank)
Tome Price: 150 gold
This enchantment forms a protective layer of force around you, increasing
your DR by the Rank of the enchantment.

Spell Preparation
Energy Required: (40 x Rank)
Tome Price: 150 gold
This enchantment stores a Self-target spell (such as Oakflesh) of a level up to
the Rank of the enchantment for future use. To store a spell, simply cast it and
indicate it is being stored in a Spell Preparation item. As a Free action at any
point in the future, the wearer can activate the spell as a Free action, using
only half the normal Magicka cost. The wearer must still know the prepared
spell in order to activate it.

Precision
Energy Required: (100 x Rank) Energy
Tome Price: 200 gold
This enchantment improves your precision with any weapon you wield. Gain
the Rank of the enchantment as a bonus on your attack rolls with all weapons.

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Staves
Staves are used to cast spells of any level. They can be used even by one with
no magical ability, but the effects of a staff are enhanced by Ranks and Perks
the user (not the creator) might have. This includes the to-hit bonus for
having a high rank in a Sorcery skill or the Power boost from Augmented
Flames. Casting a spell from a staff consumes a charge from the staff - the
number of charges is equal to the base casting cost of the spell divided by the
Soul Energy of the gem used to create it, rounding down. The charges are
replenished after 8 hours without use.

The price of a staff is equal to (Price of scroll for the spell + Cost of Soul Gem
used + [20 x Spell Level]). Staves are usually named as “[Soul Rank] Staff of
[Spell]” - “Petty Staff of Flames” for example.

Some sample staves are listed below.

Item Price Energy Cost Soul Energy Charges

Petty Staff of Flames 95 gold 6 30 5
Lesser Staff of Summoning 190 gold 35 60 1

Common Staff of Healing Bolt 410 gold 25 100 4

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 Chapter 4:
Equipment
All adventurers use some sort of equipment throughout their adventures -
weapons, armor, spell tomes, torches and the like. Equipment is divided into 4
broad categories - Weapons, Apparel, Consumables and other Miscellaneous
items, such as tools.

Characters typically can’t carry more than what they are wearing and what
they have stored in a pack, though carrying capacity is ultimately up to the
GM.

Weapons
Weapons are relied upon by many adventurers for both attack and defense.
Weapons are divided into 3 sub-categories - One-Handed, Two-Handed and
Marksman. Weapon damage is calculated by rolling the weapon’s damage dice
based on the weapon’s type (War axe for example) and adding its Power
based on the material and category (Such as one-handed Daedric). The
stamina cost for performing special attacks with weapons is determined by
the weapon type.

The price of a weapon is based on its quality and size. All Elven one-handed
weapons cost the same, for example.

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One-Handed Weapons
Quality Power Price

Iron 10 25
Steel 13 50
Silver* 14 75

Dwarven 15 175
Elven 17 300

Glass 19 500

Ebony 21 750
Daedric* 22 1000
* Counts as a magic weapon for overcoming special defenses.

Weapon Dice Stamina Cost

Sword 1d8 14
War Axe 2d4 16

Mace 1d10 18

Dagger/Unarmed/Claws 1d4 10

Sword: Swords are weapons with a long blade and a hilt with a handguard,
used in one hand for thrusting or slashing attacks, favored by many for their
relatively light weight.
War Axe: One-handed war axes consist of a haft and an axe head designed for
use in combat. They have the power to cleave through several foes with a
single strike.
Mace: Maces consist of a heavy weight on the end of a haft, designed for
striking an enemy with blunt force. With training, they can be used to crush
through heavy armour.
Dagger: Daggers are short bladed weapons, primarily used for stabbing
attacks. They are favored by assassins for their ease of concealment.
Unarmed: In hand-to-hand combat, most races attack with their fists. You
cannot block weapons while unarmed, though you can block unarmed attacks
from others.

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Claws: Khajiit and some monsters can attack with their claws. They count as
daggers for the purposes of perks. They have a Power of 10, and this value
increases by 1 every 2 character levels.

Two-Handed Weapons
Quality Power Price

Iron 15 50
Steel 18 100
Silver* 20 150

Dwarven 22 300
Elven 25 500

Glass 27 750

Ebony 29 1000
Daedric* 30 1500
* Counts as a magic weapon for overcoming special defenses.

Weapon Dice Stamina Cost

Greatsword 1d12 20
Battleaxe 2d6 22
Warhammer 2d8 25

Spear 1d8 18

Greatsword: A large sword used in two hands with a blade of roughly 4 feet
in length. It is the favored weapon of many two-handed users for its excellent
balance of power and weight.
Battleaxe: A two-handed axe capable of delivering deadly chopping attacks.
Preferred weapon of the Nords, a skilled warrior can use one to cut through
hordes of foes with ease.
Warhammer: A huge and very heavy hammer head on the end of a long haft,
the warhammer is capable of delivering devastating attacks unmatched by any
other weapon.

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Spear: A light and sharp metal head mounted on the end of a long shaft, used
for thrusting attacks. While it lacks the raw power of other two-handed
weapons, it can be used to strike opponents at a distance with training.

Marksman Weapons
Marksman weapons come in two varieties - projectile weapons, such as bows
and crossbows, and thrown weapons.

Projectile Weapons
Quality Power Price

Wood 10 40
Steel 13 75

Silver* 14 100
Dwarven 16 200
Elven 18 400

Glass 20 750

Ebony 22 1000
Daedric* 25 1250
* Counts as a magic weapon for overcoming special defenses.

Weapon Dice Range

Bow 1d10 20 metres

Crossbow 2d6 30 metres

Bow: Bows consist of a flexible wooden (or composite) staff strung with cord,
used to propel arrows over great distances. They are the favored weapons of
many assassins and rangers, in particular the Bosmer.
Crossbow: Crossbows are more complicated weapons, based off Dwemer
designs. A heavy cable is pulled back (with the assistance of a lever) and a bolt
loaded into the weapon. A crossbow shoots with more power than a
traditional bow, giving it greater range.

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Thrown Weapons
Quality Power Price
Iron 8 5

Steel 10 10

Silver* 11 15
Dwarven 14 25

Elven 16 40

Glass 18 60
Ebony 20 100

Daedric* 22 150
* Counts as a magic weapon for overcoming special defenses.

Weapon Dice Range

Light Thrown 1d6 10 metres

Heavy Thrown 1d10 15 metres

Light Thrown: Light thrown weapons include items such as throwing knives,
darts and throwing stars (shuriken). They are favored by assassins for their
concealability and are often used with poisons to increase the lethality.
Heavy Thrown: Heavy thrown weapons encompass items such as throwing
axes, hammers and javelins. They are often carried as backup weapons by
warriors, and used alongside a shield.

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Improvised Weapons
Objects that aren’t crafted as weapons but are used in combat are called
improvised weapons. These are things like chairs, brooms, broken bottles,
stones and the like. Any relevant perks still apply (using a shovel in two hands
would benefit from your two-handed skill, but would not benefit from any
perks that apply only to Greatswords, Battleaxes, Warhammers or Spears).
Below are some example statistics for improvised weapons,

Item Example Power Dice Stamina

Light One- Bottle, chair leg, knife, mug 5 1d4 5

Handed

Heavy One- Metal pipe, practice sword, spade, 8 1d6 10

Handed pickaxe
Light Two- Broom, chair, large platter, staff 10 1d6 15
Handed

Heavy Two- Lumber axe, shovel, door, 12 1d8 20

Handed humanoid

It should be noted that improvised weapons are fragile when compared to

weapons designed for fighting. At the GM’s discretion some improvised
weapons may be damaged or destroyed from use.

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Apparel
Apparel such as armor can be used to protect against physical attacks, such as
those from swords and bows. The Damage Reduction (DR) value represents
how much damage you subtract from such attacks. If you wear armor you are
not proficient in, double the Speed penalty (for Heavy Armor), and you only
gain half the listed DR (rounded down). All characters start with proficiency in
Tier 1 armor.

Instead of armor you could instead wear other apparel like simple clothes or
robes. You can also wear other Accessories such as rings, necklaces, hoods,
masks and belts which don’t provide any protective benefits or penalties but
can be enchanted. You can benefit from Apparel enchantments on up to 4
items at a time (ie from any combination of armor, shield and accessories).

Heavy Armor
Name DR Speed Penalty Price

Tier 1 Iron Armor 5 1 metre 100

Tier 2 Steel Armor 8 1 metre 200

Tier 3 Dwarven Armor 12 1 metre 400

Tier 4 Orcish Armor 16 1 metre 700

Plate Armor 18 2 metres 800

Tier 5 Ebony Armor 20 1 metre 1000

Tier 6 Daedric Armor 24 2 metres 1500

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Light Armor
Name DR Speed Penalty Price

Tier 1 Hide Armor 3 - 40

Tier 2 Leather Armor 5 - 100
Tier 3 Mail Armor 8 - 300

Tier 4 Mithril Armor 11 - 500

Tier 5 Glass Armor 14 - 800

Tier 6 Dragonscale Armor 18 - 1200

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Shields
You only add the DR from a shield when blocking. Light Shields provide less
DR than Heavy Shields but Heavy Shields are more expensive and have a
speed penalty.

Heavy Shields additionally have a small passive DR bonus, which is used when
you aren’t blocking. If your target is flanking you, you don’t get the passive DR
bonus.
Name DR Passive DR Speed Price

Light Shields Small Hide Shield 5 - - 20

Iron Round Shield 7 - - 40

Steel Round Shield 10 - - 200

Mithril Shield 14 - - 350

Glass Shield 17 - - 500
Dragonscale Shield 20 - - 800
Heavy Shields Large Hide Shield 8 2 1 40
Iron Tower Shield 10 3 1 100

Dwarven Tower Shield 15 4 1 250

Heavy Steel Shield 20 6 2 400

Ebony Shield 22 7 1 600

Daedric Shield 26 9 2 1000

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Other Apparel
Other apparel such as clothing and accessories can be worn in addition to
armour, usually to hold enchantments. The quality of an item affects only its
appearance. Keep in mind a character can only benefit from up to 4 apparel
enchantments at a time.

Name Price (Basic) Price (Fine) Price (Exquisite)

Clothing/Robes 15 60 200

Cloak 10 50 120

Hood 10 40 100
Belt 10 30 80

Jewelry 50 200 400

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Consumables
Consumables are single-use items, and are divided into 3 categories - food,
potions and poisons.

Food
Characters in TES:D20 need to eat and drink to survive.
Name Cost

Rations (1 day) 6
Waterskin 5
Hot meal 4
Alcoholic Beverage 3

Skooma 20

Rations: Characters in need to eat. Rations are a cheap and easy meal while
travelling, usually consisting of bread, dried meats and cheese.
Waterskin: Can carry a day’s supply of water. In certain conditions (extreme
heat, for example) characters need more to survive.
Hot meal: A hot meal consisting of meats and vegetables, typically available in
inns and taverns.
Alcoholic Beverage: Alcoholic drinks such as beer, ale and wine. Drinking too
much can have bad side-effects!
Skooma: A powerful narcotic substance made from refined Moon Sugar.
Drinking it increases the user’s Speed by 1 and damage with physical attacks
by 2 for 3 rounds, and reduces their Cunning and Sorcery scores by half for 30
minutes. Being a narcotic it is possible to develop an addiction to Skooma.

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Potions
Potions provide beneficial effects to those who drink them. Each potion
comes in 4 qualities.
 Weak: 50% cost, 50% magnitude
 Standard: Base cost and magnitude
 Potent: 400% cost, 200% magnitude
 Ultimate: 1000% cost, 500% magnitude
On potions without a magnitude (Invisibility for example) modify the duration
instead.

Name Price

Potion of Healing 50

Potion of Stamina 50

Potion of Magicka 50

Potion of the Warrior 100

Defender’s Potion 150

Potion of Toughness 100

Potion of Extra Magicka 100

Potion of Efficiency 100

Potion of Invisibility 200

Potion of Sneak 100

Potion of Nimble Fingers 100

Potion of Speech 100

Potion of Recovery 50

Potion of Keen Senses 50

Potion of Revival 500

Potion of Quickness 200

Potion of Stasis 100

Potion of Waterbreathing 150

Potion of Cure Disease 200

Potion of Cure Poison 100

Potion of Levitation 250

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Potion of Healing: Restores 40 Health.
Potion of Stamina: Restores 40 Stamina.
Potion of Magicka: Restores 40 Magicka.
Potion of the Warrior: Increases Power of One-handed attacks by 4 for 5
rounds.
Defender’s Potion: Increases your DR by 4 for the rest of the encounter.
Potion of Toughness: Increases your maximum Health by 30 for the rest of
the encounter.
Potion of Extra Magicka: Increases your maximum Magicka by 30 for the
rest of the encounter.
Potion of Efficiency: The next 3 spells you cast with a cost of 40 Magicka or
less are free.
Potion of Invisibility: You become invisible for 2 rounds. Casting a spell or
attacking breaks the effect.
Potion of Stealth: You gain a +2 bonus on Sneak checks for 5 minutes.
Potion of Nimble Fingers: You gain a +2 bonus on Pickpocket and Security
rolls for 5 minutes.
Potion of Speech: You gain a +4 bonus on Speech rolls for 1 hour.
Potion of Recovery: When you recover, you regain an additional 20%
Stamina and Magicka for the rest of the encounter.
Potion of Revival: If a character has been dead for no more than 1 day, you
can pour this into their mouth to revive them as the Resurrection spell. The
same creature can only be raised once per month. There are no Minor, Major
or Ultimate versions of this potion.
Potion of Quickness: Increases your Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter.
Potion of Stasis: Places you in stasis for 4 rounds, meaning you cannot act but
are immune to all damage and effects (including beneficial ones).
Potion of Keen Senses: You gain +4 on Cunning checks to detect hidden
creatures for 1 minute.
Potion of Waterbreathing: You can breathe underwater for 1 minute.
Potion of Cure Disease: You are cured of a single disease.
Potion of Cure Poison: You are cured of a single ongoing poison effect and
heal up to 20 Poison damage taken in the last 2 rounds.
Potion of Levitation: For the following 2 rounds, you can levitate through the
air at your Speed when moving.

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Poison
Poisons provide detrimental effects, and are delivered via wounding or using
the Poisoned perk. Each poison comes it 4 qualities:
 Weak: 50% cost, 50% magnitude
 Standard: Base cost and magnitude
 Potent: 400% cost, 200% magnitude
 Ultimate: 1000% cost, 500% magnitude
On poisons without a magnitude (Paralysis for example) modify the duration
instead.

Name Price

Poison 50

Paralysis Poison 100

Magicka Poison 50

Stamina Poison 50

Breathstealer 100

Ravaging Poison 100

Weakness to Magic Poison 100

Severing Poison 200

Tiring Poison 150

Sleep Poison 200

Lingering Poison 50

Elemental Oil 100

Silver Oil 150

Terror Poison 150

Madness Poison 150

Slow Poison 100

Weakness Poison 100

Disease Poison 200

Black Death 1000

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Poison: Deals 20 poison damage to the recipient.
Paralysis Poison: Paralyzes the recipient for 2 rounds.
Magicka Poison: Deals 20 poison damage to the recipient’s Magicka..
Stamina Poison: Deals 20 poison damage to the recipient’s Stamina.
Breathstealer: The recipient cannot Recover for the next 4 rounds.
Ravaging Poison: The Ravaging Poison only has effect when used on a
weapon. The physical damage dealt by the weapon the poison was on is
permanent until the target recipient is cured by a Cure Poison potion or spell.
This poison does not have Weak, Potent or Deadly versions.
Weakness to Magic Poison: Reduce the target’s Magic Resistance by 4 for 5
rounds.
Severing Poison: The recipient of this poison cannot cast spells for the next 2
rounds.
Tiring Poison: The recipient of this poison cannot perform any action
requiring Stamina for the next 2 rounds.
Sleep Poison: The target falls into a deep sleep for 2 hours. They may be
woken by an ally or in other circumstances (being attacked, burning,
earthquake etc). The duration reduction from Poison resistance applies in
hours instead of rounds in this case.
Lingering Poison: Deals 6 damage to the recipient per round for the next 5
rounds.
Elemental Oil: Comes in Fire, Frost and Shock varieties. Deals 15 damage of
its element and reduces the recipient’s resistance to that element by 6 for the
next 5 rounds. This can reduce their resistance below 0, causing them to take
additional damage. The weakness effect from multiple Elemental Oils of the
same element do not stack - use the highest value.
Silver Oil: Negates the recipient's resistance to non-magical weapons for 5
rounds. If delivered using an attack from a weapon, that attack also ignores
the resistance. Affects the recipient even if they are normally immune to
poison.
Terror Poison: Causes a recipient of up to level 4 to flee from combat for the
next 5 rounds.
Madness Poison: Causes a recipient of up to level 4 to attack the nearest
target for the next 5 rounds.
Slow Poison: Reduces the recipient's speed by half for 2 rounds.
Weakness Poison: The magnitude of poisons that hit the recipient in the next
5 rounds are increased by 20%.
Disease Poison: The target is infected with a disease determined upon the
poison’s creation. Poison resistance does not apply (though Disease resistance
does).
Black Death: This extremely powerful poison does not have weak, potent or
deadly versions. The recipient takes poison damage equal to their maximum
health.

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Bombs
Bombs are alchemical mixtures that explode over a 3x3m area. Each bomb
comes it 4 qualities:
 Weak: 50% cost, 50% magnitude
 Standard: Base cost and magnitude
 Potent: 400% cost, 200% magnitude
 Ultimate: 1000% cost, 500% magnitude
On bombs without a magnitude modify the duration instead. Bombs count as
Marksman weapons with a range of 10 metres. Due to their explosive nature,
they have a +5 to hit.

Name Price

Poison Cloud Bomb 100

Shrapnel Bomb 80

Blast Bomb 100

Silver Bomb 80
Elemental Bomb 100

Smoke Bomb 80

Restorative Bomb 125

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Poison Cloud Bomb: A cloud of poisonous toxins appears over the area for 3
rounds. Anyone who moves through the cloud or starts their turn there takes
10 Poison damage.
Shrapnel Bomb: Shrapnel bombs detonate on impact, dealing 30 physical
damage to anyone caught in the blast.
Blast Bomb: Blast bombs are filled with a compound which explodes in a
wave of force when detonated. Anyone (or anything) in the blast is affected by
a Push with an effective Might of 10, originating in the center of the blast.
Silver Bomb: Targets struck by a Silver bomb have their resistance to non-
magical weapons negated for 4 rounds.
Elemental Bomb: Elemental bombs are packed with substances which cause
either fire, frost or shock effects upon detonation. The initial blast deals 20
points of damage of the relevant element, and reduces resistance to that
element by 6 for 4 rounds. A hazard remains in the area, dealing 10 damage of
the relevant element to anyone who moves through the area or starts their
turn there.
Smoke Bomb: Smoke bombs create a dense cloud of smoke on impact. They
cover a 5x5m area in thick smoke, granting Heavy Concealment to anyone
inside the cloud. The cloud dissipates after 2 rounds.
Restorative Bomb: Little more than concentrated healing potion and an
explosive, a Restorative bomb heals living beings in the blast radius for 20
Health on impact.

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Infusions
Infusions are exceptionally valuable potions which have permanent effects.
Infusions must be crafted for a specific type of creature (typically a
humanoid). Drinking an infusion overrides the effects of any previous
infusion. Due to the difficulty of creating an infusion, purchasing them is often
at a markup. Like some rare potions and poisons, creating an Infusion
requires a special, rare ingredient.

Name Price

Infusion of Regeneration 1000

Infusion of Respite 1000

Infusion of Magicka 1000

Warrior’s Infusion 1000

Infusion of Shadows 800
Infusion of Guile 800

Infusion of Senses 800

Infusion of Quickness 1000

Infusion of Waterbreathing 500

Infusion of Venom 800

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Infusion of Regeneration: Heal 5 Health per turn, but only while conscious.
Additionally, once per encounter, you may negate damage from a single
physical attack. Requires: Taproot.
Infusion of Respite: Regain 10 Stamina per turn. Additionally, you may
perform a Move Recover as a Swift action. Requires: Werewolf heart.
Infusion of Magicka: Regain 15 Magicka per turn. Requires: Void Salts.
Warrior’s Infusion: Increase your damage with One-Handed and Marksman
weapons by 3. Increase your damage with Two-Handed weapons by 5.
Increase your DR in Light Armour by 2 and Heavy Armour by 4. Additionally,
Blocking an attack does not use Stamina. Requires: Minotaur horn.
Infusion of Shadows: Increase your Stealth Bonus by 3. Additionally, you
may turn Invisible for up to 10 rounds (1 minute) per day. Requires: Vampire
dust.
Infusion of Guile: Add +4 to all Speech checks. Once per day, automatically
succeed on a Speech check (the GM may overrule this in extenuating
circumstances). Requires: Imp gall.
Infusion of Senses: Add +6 to all Cunning checks related to detection.
Additionally, twice per day, you may use the Supreme Detection spell for no
cost. Requires: Ectoplasm.
Infusion of Quickness: Increase your Speed by 2, and increase your Dodge
accordingly. Requires: Raw Moon Sugar.
Infusion of Waterbreathing: You may breathe underwater indefinitely.
Requires: Dreugh wax.
Infusion of Venom: Gain immunity to Disease and Poison. Additionally, when
struck with an unarmed attack, natural weapon, or critical hit from a melee
weapon, deal 20 Poison damage to your attacker. Requires: Nirnroot.

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Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous items are typically mundane items that don’t fit into the other
categories.

Name Cost

Lockpick 5
Torch 5
Bedroll 10
Tent 20

Backpack 10

50ft Rope 5
Arrows/Bolts 1

Silver Arrows/Bolts 5
Pickaxe 10
Map 15

Flint and Steel 5

Alchemy Kit 250

Enchanting Kit (Single use) 50

Basic Mount 200

Wagon 250

Lockpick: Used for interacting with devices with the Security skill, such as
opening locks and disabling traps. Picks break on failed Security checks.
Torch/Latern: Provides light out to 10 metres. Can be lit or extinguished as a
Move action.
Bedroll: Comfortable bedding (relatively speaking). You take penalties if you
don’t get enough sleep.
Tent: Small tent with enough room for 1 person and their equipment (or two
people, if they are willing to get cozy).
Backpack: Used to hold equipment.

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Rope: Hemp rope which can be used for a variety of purposes. Can be broken
with 1 hit from a sword, war axe, greatsword or battleaxe, or 2 hits from claws
or daggers.
Arrows/Bolts: Ammunition for Bows and Crossbows respectively. By
searching the battlefield for 1 minute after combat, you can recover 50% of
the ammunition you used.
Silver Arrows/Bolts: Silver ammunition counts as magical to overcome the
damage reduction of certain creatures. They are more fragile than ordinary
steel-headed ammunition and cannot be recovered.
Pickaxe: Used for mining ore.
Map: Maps come in several types, with different levels of detail, such as a map
of an entire province or a more detailed map of a region or Hold. Maps of
certain areas (a treacherous mountain range or ancient Dwemer city) are
significantly more expensive, and their prices should be set by the DM.
Flint and Steel: Used to light fires or torches.
Alchemy Kit: Can be used to brew potions away from an Alchemy lab.
Enchanting Kit: Can be used to enchant equipment away from an Arcane
Enchanter. Single use only.
Basic Mount: Basic mounts include creatures like horses, camels, senche-
tigers and guar. See the Creature Codex for details.
Wagon: A wooden wagon pulled by a beast of burden such as a horse or guar.
Has a seat for two on the front and room for 6 people (or cargo) in the back.

129 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

 Chapter 5:
Combat
The world of The Elder Scrolls is populated by countless monsters, undead,
bandits and the like. The Elder Scrolls:D20 has an easy to learn but tactical
combat system.

Combat Sequence
Combat is divided into 4 stages:
1. Surprise
2. Initiative
3. Combat Round
4. End Combat

Surprise
If the enemies haven’t detected the adventurers (or their hostile intentions)
when combat begins, they count as Surprised. Any adventurers that haven’t
been detected get a free round worth of actions before anyone else acts. This
can also work against the adventurers - such as in an ambush, or when
someone who appears to be an ally attacks. When Surprised, characters are
vulnerable to Sneak Attacks and don’t add their Speed to Dodge. During the
Surprise round, characters can act in any order.

Initiative
If anyone on either side is still standing after the Surprise round (most of the
time), Initiative is used to determine what order characters act in. Roll a d20
and add your Speed, and let your GM know the result. Having a higher speed
means you have a higher chance of acting earlier. If two or more characters
end up with the same total, they act in order of their Speed. If they have the
same Speed, each of them rolls a d20. The character with the highest result
goes first (this does not replace the d20+Speed roll from earlier).

130 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Combat Round
Now, a series of Combat Rounds begin and continue until either the enemy, or
even the adventurers, are dead, unconscious, captured, or otherwise no longer
a threat. Each character acts in Initiative order, and can perform a series of
Actions on their Turn. Each character gets one Move Action and one Standard
Action (which can be divided into two Swift actions) per Turn. Some actions
as classified as Full-Round Actions, which, as the name suggests, take an entire
Turn to complete. You can also perform an unlimited number of Free Actions.
See the Actions section below. After the last character in the Initiative order
takes their turn, the first character can make their next turn. Combat rounds
last roughly 6 seconds in game time.

End Combat
At the end of combat, you fully regenerate all your Stamina and Magicka. If a
healer is in the party, they can heal the party to maximum Health, otherwise
characters regenerate 5% of their maximum Health per hour.

Attributes in Combat
Health, Stamina and Magicka typically do not regenerate on their own during
combat. Stamina is used for actions like sprinting, special attacks and many
special abilities. Magicka is used for casting spells. When an action has a
Stamina or Magicka cost, subtract that amount from your current Stamina or
Magicka. If your Stamina or Magicka total would be below 0, you can’t perform
the action. You can spend an action to Recover part of your Magicka and
Stamina - see Actions below.

Death and Dying

When you fall below 0 Health, you start dying. You fall prone, attacks
automatically hit you and you cannot take actions. You lose 1 point of Health
every round. If your Health reaches negative ½ of your maximum Health, you
die. Dead characters can be brought back to life by powerful Restoration spells
and potions.

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Weapons and Spells
During combat, you can hold either a One-Handed or a Thrown weapon in
each hand, or a Two-Handed weapon, Bow or Crossbow in both hands. When
using one-handed weapons and spells, you can only use each hand to make a
basic or Special Attack once per turn, unless otherwise stated (this limit
doesn’t apply to Special Abilities, however). For example, if you had a dagger
equipped and an empty hand, you could attack once with the dagger and once
with a spell but not twice with the dagger or spell. You can hold a weapon that
requires both hands in one hand (to cast a spell for example), but you can’t
use that weapon until the start of your next turn (not even for attacks of
opportunity or blocking). You can have up to 4 weapons and a shield within
easy access. Two-Handed weapons, Bows and Crossbows count as 2 weapons.
Other weapons can be stored in a backpack, but take a full-round action to
equip. This is a recommendation - the weapon carry limit is ultimately up to
the GM.

Mounts in Combat
A trained mount follows its rider’s directions in combat. When not being
ridden or directed, they will generally try and avoid danger but will attack if
threatened directly. Your mount always acts on your turn, usually when you
direct it. You can perform your action(s) before those of your mount (eg
casting a spell and moving away), between (moving, attacking and moving) or
after (making an attack at the end of a charge).

You and your mount can be targeted independently. If your mount is knocked
prone, unconscious or killed, you must make a Might or Cunning check of at
least 12 to stay in the saddle. If you are pinned, grabbed, or pushed more than
2 metres while mounted, you fall from the saddle.

Attacking with a spell, bow or a crossbow while your mount is performing a

double move is done at a -2 penalty, or -3 if your mount is charging or
sprinting.

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Actions
Free Actions
Name Description
Speak Say a few sentences
Drop an item Let go of an item

Prone Drop prone

Attack of Opportunity Attack a careless enemy

Save Save against an ongoing effect once per turn

Speak: In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it
isn’t your turn. Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the
limit of a free action.
Drop an item: Drop an item held in one of your hands up to 1 metre from you,
or pass it to another character.
Prone: You immediately drop prone. See Status Effects for the bonuses and
penalties associated with being Prone.
Attack of Opportunity: You must be wielding a melee weapon to make an
Attack of Opportunity. When an enemy provokes an Attack of Opportunity,
you can choose to make a basic attack against them as a Free Action. You can
make up to 3 Attacks of Opportunity per round.
Save: Once per turn you can save against an ongoing magical effect. Roll a d20.
If the result is under your Magic Resistance, the effect ends at the end of your
turn. The Save action can be taken even if you are incapacitated (such as by a
Paralyze spell) but not unconscious.

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Move Actions
Name Description
Move Move up to your Speed

Switch Weapon or Shield Switch from and/or to a Weapon or Shield

Use object Open a door, pull a lever, etc

Stand up Stand up from being prone

Sneak Attempt to remain hidden

Brace Prepare to Block an attack

Mount/Dismount Get on or off your mount

Reload Crossbow Load a bolt into your crossbow

Move: Move up to your speed. If you move through or out of a space 1 metre
from an enemy, you provoke an Attack of Opportunity. You cannot move
through a space occupied by enemies, but you can move through allies’ spaces.
Your movement may be slowed by difficult terrain or obstacles. You cannot
end your movement in a space occupied by another character.
Switch Weapon: Switch to and/or from a weapon or shield. You can stow any
of your currently equipped weapon(s) and/or shield(s) and optionally equip
one or more items within easy access to one (or both) of your hands.
Use Object: Manipulate an object. This includes things such as lighting or
snuffing out a torch, opening or closing a door, drinking a potion, and pulling a
lever. This provokes an attack of opportunity.
Stand Up: Stand up from being Prone.
Sneak: Attempt to remain hidden. See the Sneak skill description for more
details.
Brace: Prepare to Block attacks. See the Block skill description for more
details. You must have a Shield, One-Handed or Two-Handed weapon
equipped to Brace.
Mount/Dismount: Get on or off your mount, provoking attacks of
opportunity.
Reload Crossbow: Load a bolt into your crossbow, ready to shoot. You must
have a crossbow equipped to do this.

134 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Standard Actions
Name Description
Basic Attack Perform a basic attack

Move Do a Move Action instead of a Standard

Cast 5th-level Spell Cast a 5th-level spell

Basic Attack: Make a single attack with your equipped weapon. See the
specific Usage for One-Handed, Two-Handed and Marksman skills.
Move: You can choose to perform a second Move Action in place of your
Standard Action.
Cast 5th-level Spell: Casting a 5th level spell requires extraordinary
concentration and focus, and thus requires a Standard action to cast. You need
both hands free to cast a 5th-level spell.
Swift Actions: Instead of a Standard action, you can perform two Swift
Actions (see below) at any point in your turn.

Swift Actions
Name Description

Attack with Light Weapon Attack with a dagger or unarmed strike

Cast Spell Cast a spell

Cast a Spell: Most spells (1st to 4th level) can be cast as Swift actions. Casting
a spell requires at least one free hand (a hand holding a Staff still counts as a
free hand). See the Sorcery skill descriptions and Magic chapter for more.
Attack with Light Weapon: You can attack with daggers and unarmed strikes
(including claws) as Swift actions. Light weapons may not be used to attack
while mounted.
Other: Some perks allow other actions (such as attacking) to be performed as
a Swift action.

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Full-Round Actions
Name Description
Sprint Move triple your Speed

Withdraw Move your Speed without provoking attacks

Interact with Device Make a Security check to interact with a device

Sprint: Move up to 3 times your speed. This consumes 10 Stamina, plus an

additional 5 for every point of Speed penalty your armor has. All movement
restrictions and Attacks of Opportunity from Move still apply.
Withdraw: Move up to your speed without provoking Attacks of Opportunity.
All movement restrictions from Move still apply.
Interact with Device: Attempt to open a locked door, disable a trap, or
interact with another device using your Security skill. See the Security
description for more information.

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Other Actions
Name Description
Perform Special Ability/Attack See Special Abilities and Attacks below

Apply Poison Apply poison to a weapon

Recover Regain Stamina and Magicka

Step Cautiously move 1 metre

Direct Mount Direct your mount to perform an action

Perform Special Ability/Attack: See Special Abilities and Attacks below.

Recover: Spend a few seconds to catch your breath and focus. If you spend a
Move action, you regain 10% of your maximum Magicka and Stamina. If you
spend a Standard action, you regain 25%. If you spend a Full-Round action,
you regain 50%.
Apply Poison: Attempt to poison one equipped weapon. If you take a Full-
Round action to poison a weapon, you provoke no attacks of opportunity and
the attempt always succeeds. If you make your attempt as a Move action, you
provoke an attack of opportunity. If you are attacked (even if the attack
misses), roll a d20. On a roll of 5 or higher you successfully poison your
weapon. On a roll of 2 to 4, the attempt fails and the poison is lost. On a roll of
1, the attempt fails and you suffer the effects of the poison.
Step: Move 1 metre without provoking an attack of opportunity. All
movement restrictions from Move still apply. A Step can be performed as a
Move or Swift action.
Direct Mount: Directing a mount to perform a simple action, such as single
move or step is a free action. Giving a mount a more complex action to
perform is a move action. Possible directions are:
 Attack - the mount attacks a given target as it best sees fit
 Double move - the mount moves at twice its speed
 Charge - the mount moves at twice its speed in a straight line and
attacks
 Sprint - the mount moves at three times its speed
Your mount cannot exceed its normal number of actions.

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Special Attacks
Special attacks allow you to perform particularly deadly feats with weapons.
Name Action Description
Charge 2 Full-Round Charge forward and attack

Skirmish 1 Full-Round Move and attack with a Marksman weapon

Power Attack 2 Full-Round Perform a heavy attack

Sweep 1 Full-Round Attack every enemy around you

Careful Shot 1 Full-Round Aim with a Marksman weapon for extra range
Pierce Armour 2 Full-Round Attack, ignoring 50% of enemy DR

Flurry 1 Full-Round Make multiple attacks

Multi-Throw 1, 2 Varies Throw two weapons at once
Grapple Varies Grapple with an enemy

Push Swift Forcibly move an enemy

Grab Standard Grab a smaller enemy

1 Requires a perk. See the description for details.
2 Can be modified by a Perk. See the description for details.

Charge
Requirements: You must be wielding a One-Handed or Two-Handed weapon.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: As Sprint
Improved By: Power Charge, Great Power Charge
Move up to double your Speed in a straight line (minimum distance of your 4
metres). You must end your movement within striking distance of an enemy.
This movement does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity. At the end of your
charge, make an attack with your equipped melee weapon. If you’re using two
weapons that you can attack with as a Swift action, you can attack with both.

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Skirmish
Requirements: You must be wielding a Marksman weapon and have the
Skirmish perk.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: As Sprint
Improved By: Power Throw
Move up to double your Speed in a straight line (minimum distance of your
Speed). This movement does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity. Then make
a ranged attack with an equipped weapon. If you have the Power Throw perk,
you can perform a Power Throw at the end of your movement instead.

Power Attack
Requirements: You must be wielding a One-Handed or Two-Handed weapon.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: 1x Weapon Stamina
Improved by: Beheading Strike, Brutal Beheading Strike, Paralyzing Strike,
Impale, Power Throw
Make an attack with your equipped weapon, increasing the weapon’s Power
by 50% (rounding down). You can make a Step before or after performing a
Power Attack.

Sweep
Requirements: You must be wielding a Two-Handed weapon that is not a
Spear and have the Sweep perk.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: 2x Weapon Stamina
Improved by: Spinning Spear
Make a basic attack against every enemy around you. You can take a Step
before or after the attack.

Careful Shot
Requirements: You must be wielding a Marksman weapon and have the
Careful Shot perk.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: -
Make a single attack with an equipped Marksman weapon. If the target is
within your base range, gain +2 to Hit. If the target is within 2 times your
range, you take no penalty of your attack. If the target is between 2 and 3
times your range, take a -2 penalty to hit.

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Flurry
Requirements: You must be able to make Swift attacks with at least one
equipped weapon and have the Flurry perk.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: 1x Weapon Stamina
Make two attacks with an equipped weapon. If you are wielding two weapons
and can make an attack with your second weapon as a Swift action, you can
also make a single attack with that weapon. Use the stamina cost of the
weapon you are making two attacks with. You can make a single Step before,
after or between attacks in a Flurry.

Pierce Armour
Requirements: You must be in melee range (if using a melee weapon) or
within 5 metres of your target if using a ranged weapon.
Action: Full-Round
Stamina Cost: 1x Weapon Stamina
Improved by: Find the Gap
Make a basic attack with your equipped weapon. If it hits, it ignores 50% of
the target’s DR. This doesn’t stack with any DR ignoring effects you might
normally benefit from. You can make a Step before or after the attack.

Multi-Throw
Requirements: You must be wielding a Thrown weapon and have the Multi-
Throw perk.
Action: Varies (see text)
Stamina Cost: 25
Improved by: Throw Anything
Make two attacks with an equipped Thrown weapon as a Standard action. If
you are wielding two Thrown weapons, you can make an additional attack
with your second weapon. If you attack multiple targets, they mustn’t be more
than 10 metres apart.

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Grapple
Requirements: You must be in melee combat with your target. The target
must not be more than 1 size larger or smaller than you. You must have at
least 1 free hand.
Action: Varies
Stamina Cost: Varies
You engage your target in a grapple.

Grapple checks
A grapple involves a series of Grapple checks, a special type of opposed Might
(and Cunning, in some cases) check. You gain a +5 bonus if you are larger than
your opponent. You can spend up to 25 Stamina to gain a +1 bonus on your
check for every 5 Stamina spent. Some perks and creature abilities might
grant bonuses to grappling.

Entering a grapple
You can attempt to enter a grapple as a Free action once per turn. First roll an
attack with your highest weapon skill - if you hit, you get a hold. Your
opponent can choose to oppose you, forcing you to make a grapple check. If
you fail, nothing happens. If you succeed, you enter their space and can
immediately take other grapple actions with the rest of your turn. While in a
grapple, attacks from outside the grapple have a 50% chance to hit your
opponent and vice versa.

Options when grappling

Push: You can move with your opponent. As the Push Special Attack (below),
but you move with your opponent.
Attack: As a Standard action, you can attack with any One-Handed weapon at a
-2 penalty. If you could normally attack with it as a Swift action, you take no
penalty. You can also cast spells (but not 5th-level spells).
Brace: As a Move action, you can prepare to prevent your opponent from
attacking. If your opponent attacks on their next turn, they are forced to make
a Grapple check. If you win, the attack fails. If you have a shield, you gain your
Block rank as a bonus on the check. If you have the Bash perk, you Stagger
your opponent if you succeed.
Use Object: As normal.
Pin: As a Standard action, you can pin your opponent, preventing them from
taking actions. Make a grapple check. If you win, your opponent is prone and
you automatically count as Braced against any attacks they make. To escape
the pin, your opponent must make a Grapple check for which the pinner has a
+2 bonus as a Move action. The pinned creature can optionally use Cunning
instead of Might on their check.

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Leave Grapple: You can attempt to leave the grapple as a Free action once per
turn. Your opponent can attempt to stop you with a Grapple check. You can
optionally use Cunning instead of Might on your check to escape.

Push
Requirements: You can Push any time you would make a basic melee attack.
The target must not be more than 1 size larger or smaller than you.
Action: Swift
Stamina Cost: Varies
You throw your weight against your foe, attempting to push them away from
you. Make a Grapple check (see above). If you beat your target, you push them
back 1 metre. For every 5 you beat them by, you push them back an additional
metre or stagger them. If your target beats you by more than 5, you are
knocked back 1 metre instead.

Grab
Requirements: You can Grab any time you would make a basic melee attack.
The target must be at least 2 sizes smaller than you. You must have at least 1
free hand.
Action: Standard
Stamina Cost: Varies
You grab a smaller opponent. Make an attack with your highest weapon skill
to get a hold, and then a grapple check (see above) to grab them. When they
are grabbed, their Dodge becomes 5, but any attacks by others targeted at the
grabbed target have a 50% chance to hit you. You must make another grapple
check at the start of each turn to hold on to the grabbed target, but can
otherwise take actions normally. The target cannot take actions other than
attempting to escape as a Move action on their turn. The grabbed creature can
use Cunning on all Grab-related grapple checks.

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Special Abilities
Name Action Description
Disarm 2 Standard Attempt to disarm an enemy of their weapon

Invulnerable Standard Ignore all damage and effects for 1 round

Feint Move/Swift Trick an enemy, preventing them from

Blocking

Penetrating Shot Free Hit multiple targets with ranged attacks

Focus Free Gain bonuses when using Marksman weapons

Fury Free Enter Fury, gaining a massive damage bonus

Bash 2 Free Bash an opponent with your shield or weapon

Quick Reflexes 2 Free Dodge an opponent’s attack when Braced
Parry Free Deflect an opponent’s weapon with your own

Redirect Arrows Free Redirect ranged attacks that hit your shield
2

Tumble Free Avoid Attacks of Opportunity from moving

Combat Acrobat Free Gain movement and Dodge bonuses

Misdirection Free Redirect a melee attack that misses you

Ward Reflect 2 Free Redirect spells that hit your ward
2 Can be modified by a Perk. See the description for details.

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Disarm
Requirements: You must be wielding a Melee weapon and have the Disarm
perk.
Action: Standard
Stamina Cost: 1x Weapon Stamina
Affected by: Swift Striking
Make an attack against your opponent. If you hit, roll 1d20 + Sleight of Hand
Rank + any bonuses to hit with your weapon, opposed by the target’s attack
roll. If the target has a larger weapon than you (unarmed/daggers<one-
handed weapons<two-handed weapons) they receive a +1 bonus on their roll
for each size larger their weapon is. If you beat the enemy’s roll, their weapon
clatters to the ground up to 1 metre away from them. If you made the check
with at least one free hand, you can choose for the weapon to be in your hand
instead. If you have the Swift Striking perk, you can Disarm as a Swift action
instead.

Invulnerable
Requirements: You must be wearing Heavy Armor and have the Invulnerable
perk.
Action: Standard
Stamina Cost: 60
Until the start of your next turn, you are immune to all damage and effects.
You cannot take any actions however, including blocking or making an Attack
of Opportunity. You cannot use the Invulnerable ability on 2 consecutive
rounds. In some rare cases (at the GM’s discretion) you may still be affected.

Feint
Requirements: You must be wielding a melee weapon and have the Feint
perk.
Action: Move or Swift
Stamina Cost: 1/2 Weapon Stamina
Make a Sleight of Hand check + your bonus to hit with an equipped weapon
opposed by the target’s attack roll. If you succeed, the target does not count as
Braced against your next attack. If you don’t attack before the start of your
next turn, the benefit is lost.

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Penetrating Shot
Requirements: You must be wielding a Marksman weapon and have the
Penetrating Shot perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 30
Any attacks you make with Marksman weapons before the start of your next
turn travel through targets. If you hit and deal damage with an attack, trace a
line from you to the target and extend it onwards out to the max range of the
weapon. If another enemy is on this line, make an attack against them as well.
If it deals damage, repeat the process. You can hit up to 3 targets with each
Penetrating Shot.

Focus
Requirements: You must be wielding a Marksman weapon and have the
Focus perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 30
Until the beginning of your next turn, your range is increased by 50% and you
gain +5 to hit and Power. However, your Speed is reduced to 0, meaning you
cannot move and your Dodge is reduced accordingly.

Fury
Requirements: You must be wielding a Two-Handed weapon and have the
Fury perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 30
Until the start of your next turn, you deal 10 more damage and have +5 to hit
with Two-Handed weapons. You can choose to spend Health instead of
Stamina for special attacks. At the beginning of your next turn, if you wish to
continue the Fury you can spend Health or Stamina.

Bash
Requirements: You must be wielding a melee weapon or Shield and have the
Bash perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 20
Affected by: Shield User, Counter, Improved Counter
You can perform a bash on an opponent as a reaction to an attacker when
Braced and targeted by a melee attack. The attacker is staggered. If you
bashed in reaction to an attack and the target was staggered, the attack is
negated. Performing a Bash still uses a Block attempt.

145 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Quick Reflexes
Requirements: You must have the Quick Reflexes perk. You must have no
Speed penalty from your armour or a shield.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 15
Affected by: Counter, Improved Counter
When braced and targeted by a melee attack, you can choose to dodge out of
the way. Make a Step as a Free action. If you would still be targeted by the
attack (such as an area attack from a monster, a spear or the Sweep special
attack) you are still subject to the attack. Using your Quick Reflexes still uses a
Block attempt.

Parry
Requirements: You must be wielding a melee weapon and have the Parry
perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 10
Affected by: Counter, Improved Counter, Deflect Arrows, Cross Parry
When braced and targeted by a melee attack, you can choose to deflect it with
your weapon. Make an attack roll with your weapon, adding your Block rank
to the total. If you beat your attacker’s roll, the attack is negated. Halve your
bonus if you are blocking a Special Attack, melee weapon while unarmed or a
ranged attack. If you fail, the attack resolves as usual. Attempting to parry an
attack still uses a Block attempt. If you have additional Block attempts
remaining, you can still use one to reduce the damage taken from the attack,
but you can’t use it to try and Parry, Bash or use Quick Reflexes to evade.

Redirect Arrows
Requirements: You must be wielding a metal Shield and have the Redirect
Arrows perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 20
Affected by: Deflect Arrows
When you successfully block or parry a ranged attack, you can choose to
redirect it. Make an attack with no modifiers against a target of your choice.
Use the remaining range of your attacker’s weapon (ie the total range - the
distance from the attacker to you). If your attack hits, deal the same damage it
would have done if it had hit you (before DR).

146 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Tumble
Requirements: You must be wearing Light Armor or clothing and have the
Tumble perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 10
When moving (such as the Move action or as part of a Sprint) you can Tumble
to avoid any attacks of opportunity from movement out of or through a 1
metre square.

Combat Acrobat
Requirements: You must be wearing Light Armor or clothing and have the
Combat Acrobat perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 35
Until the start of your next turn, you gain +5 to Dodge, can move through the
spaces of enemies, and provoke no Attacks of Opportunity from any actions. In
addition, the Charge special attack uses no Stamina.

Misdirection
Requirements: You must have the Misdirection perk.
Action: Free
Stamina Cost: 20
During combat when an enemy misses you with an attack (including a special
attack), you can redirect it to hit another target with a successful Grapple
check - you and your attacker may use either Might or Cunning. They make
another attack roll (with the same modifiers) at a target of your choice within
reach. If it hits, the new target takes the damage of the attack.

Ward Reflect
Requirements: You must be casting a Ward spell and have the Reflection
Ward perk.
Action: Free
Affected by: Ward Blows
Any spells you successfully block with a ward can be reflected back at another
target. Make an attack roll of 1d20 + 5, against a target of your choice. Use the
remaining range of the spell you just blocked (ie the total range - the distance
from the caster to you). If your attack hits, the target suffers the effects of the
spell. If you have the Ward Blows perk, you can also reflect missile weapons in
the same way.

147 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

 Chapter 6:
Game Mastery
Just like most other tabletop RPGs, a Game Master in TES:D20 plays many
roles - from the friends and foes the players encounter in their adventure to
the world itself. Being a GM is a demanding job, especially for people new to
the role. You’ve got to describe the world, play the non-player characters
(NPCs) which the players encounter, control the enemies during combat, and
deliver an engaging story. You can, of course, create your own adventure using
the rules outlined in the TES:D20 materials, or run a pre-written adventure
(such as the Happenings in the Hollow sample adventure in the following
chapter).

Ultimately tabletop RPGs are about telling a story together, and it is up to both
the players and the Game Master (or GM for short) to achieve this.

This chapter covers the basics of GMing in TES:D20.

148 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Preparing for a Game
Unlike the players who simply have to attend your session with their
characters, the GM needs to prepare what’s going to happen during the
session. Here’s some of the most important things to take into account.

 Story - What’s going on in the world this session, and how are the
players involved? Keep in mind what the factions are doing behind the
scenes, even if the players aren’t directly involved.
 Locations - What locations are the players most likely going to the visit
during the session? Perhaps prepare a description of the cities, villages
or other landmarks the players are visiting. If the players are going into
any dungeons, plan out the interior in detail, including things like traps
and treasure. If the dungeon had a specific purpose, consider it when
planning out the rooms of the dungeon.
 Encounters - Consider both combat and non-combat encounters. What
enemies will the players be facing? Perhaps mark some pages of the
Creature Codex and plan out how many enemies the players will face in
each encounter. Depending on your group you might want to work out
some special tactics for enemies to employ to make the encounters a
challenge. If what you’re after isn’t in the Creature Codex or you want to
make a special bossfight, don’t be afraid to create your own enemies.
Just as important as combat encounters are non-combat ones, including
things like puzzles and conversations with NPCs. You can’t often plan a
conversation like a combat encounter but keep in mind what the NPCs
motivations and general demeanor is like - making unique NPCs can be
very engaging for the players!

149 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Planning a Campaign
Different players prefer different kinds of characters, and different characters
lend themselves to different kinds of adventures. This is very important to
keep in mind when planning an campaign of your own!

It’s worth consulting with the players before you begin about what kind of
characters and game everyone wants to play. Most often you’ll end up with a
fairly balanced party where each character has a different area of speciality,
which can work well in most settings, and lends itself perfectly to a band of
wandering heroes who travel around, righting wrongs, finding treasure and
uncovering plots. Remember to include situations where everyone has a
chance for their character to shine.

You can, of course, run many other kinds of campaigns and adventures in
TES:D20. These can be included as a section of a larger story, or even as a
campaign on their own with the right party. A few examples are listed below:

 A group of stealthy characters might want to play a game centred

around thievery or assassination. Sessions might be based around
gathering information, stealing important items, planting evidence, or
eliminating dangerous individuals. These sorts of adventures really
shine with lots of attention to detail, where the players are required to
carefully plan their heist or assassination, and then execute their plan.
Throwing in a few unexpected surprises here and there can really keep
things interesting and keep the players on their toes!
 A group of strong role-players might want to experience a game of
intrigue, perhaps set in the courts of High Rock or the underworld of the
Imperial City. This sort of adventure usually involves lots of roleplaying,
investigation and a little combat. If you’re running this sort of
adventure, remember to really flesh out the NPCs that the players will
be interacting with. Memorable and interesting characters go a long
way to making this sort of adventure enjoyable!
 A group of players well-versed in Elder Scrolls lore might want to
experience some events that are mentioned only in the lore, or even the
events of the game from another perspective. Think of running a
campaign like this like a historical fiction novel - you’ve got a lot of
license to make your own story here, but make sure you do your
research and ensure it matches up with what we know about the Elder
Scrolls universe and timeline.

150 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Travelling
Tamriel’s a big place, and many adventures and campaigns will involve a lot of
travel. The actual size of Tamriel in the lore is quite different from what we
see in the games - Skyrim in the lore is roughly 500 miles from the east to
west border, while in game it’s closer to 4.5 miles! If you’re planning on using
lore distances, here’s some recommended travel speeds:

Method of Travel Miles/Day

On foot 25
On horseback 50

On ship 75

Another (simpler) option is to simply use whatever time suits your campaign
for narrative purposes. I usually went with roughly a week to cross a province
on foot, 4 days on horseback or 2 days via ship.

Something else to keep in mind is if you want to keep track of food, water and
other supplies like arrows and torches. Often it’s easy to assume the players
have enough supplies between settlements for whatever journey they embark
on, though tracking supplies in a harsh environment (such as the mountains of
Skyrim or deserts of Hammerfell) can add a lot of atmosphere to an
adventure.

While the players are travelling (especially on longer journeys) it’s worth
adding an encounter every few days to advance the story by providing a plot
hook, introduce players to a new part of the world, or simply to let them try
out the new abilities they have from their last adventure. Some examples of
travelling encounters could be an attack by bandits or the local wildlife, some
kind of environmental obstacle like a broken bridge, or simply a stop at a
roadside inn or settlement where they can learn about what’s going on in the
area.

151 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Advancement
Most RPGs have sort sort of system to quantify the experience characters gain
over the course of their adventure. TES:D20 has no such system in the core
rules (though you could, of course, implement your own). Instead, when the
player characters increase in level is up to the GM. The main factors to keep in
mind are the planned length of the campaign and what level the players
should achieve by the end. For example, characters could level up every
couple of game sessions or perhaps at important plot points. There’s no
‘maximum level’ in TES:D20 but level 15 is a good ending point for most
characters, with Master perks available in their favourite 3 skills.

It’s worth remembering that the equipment available to characters should

generally keep up with their level.

152 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

GM Tools
Maps
Maps can provide a way to make your game feel much more authentic,
especially to players familiar with the franchise. The maps of Vvardenfell,
Cyrodiil and Skyrim contained in the special editions of the Elder Scrolls
games are perfect - hand one over to the players when they’re planning a
journey, for example. Even if you don’t own one yourself, you can always ask
one of your players to bring theirs along. For maps of other parts of Tamriel,
you can simply search the web - plenty of fans have created detailed maps of
areas that haven’t been explored in games. The Imperial Library’s Map of
Tamriel is another excellent resource, as is this scale map.

153 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Sample Difficulties
Many challenges the players will encounter won’t be solved by any of their
individual skills, but with a Might, Sorcery or Cunning check. Here are some
example difficulties for such checks - if a player’s roll exceeds the difficulty,
they succeed.

Difficulty Examples
Easy (10) Break down a rotted wood door (Might), Spot a poorly
hidden object (Cunning), Identify a simple magic effect
(Sorcery)

Challenging Shift some light rubble (Might), Spot a distant landmark

(15) (Cunning), Decipher a Daedric script (Sorcery)
Difficult (20) March for 24 hours without rest (Might), Detect a hidden
door (Cunning), Identify a rare creature (Sorcery)
Hard (25) Recall knowledge of an ancient hero (Might), Identify a
forged document (Cunning), Identify the properties of a
lesser-known artifact (Sorcery)
Very Hard Bend open prison bars (Might), Determine the function of a
(30) complex, unknown magical mechanism (Sorcery), Track a
creature in poor conditions (Cunning)
Punishing (35) Break down a reinforced door (Might), Identify a spy in a
crowd of people (Cunning), Recall obscure, forbidden lore
about a Daedric Prince (Sorcery)

Near Lift a closed castle portcullis (Might), Climb the White-Gold

Impossible Tower unaided (Cunning), Read and understand an Elder
(40) Scroll (Sorcery)

154 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Advancement Table
The below table lists the total available perks of each rank (including trained)
and the recommended gold for a character by level. This value represents the
total gold value of all their possessions such as weapons, armour, and
enchantments, as well as gold spent on spell tomes and training. This value is
useful if you want to introduce characters beyond starting level or as a general
guide when rewarding treasure.

Perks
Level Gold
Novice < Apprentice < Adept < Expert < Master Trained

1 3 0 0 0 0 0 150

2 3 2 0 0 0 0 300

3 3 3 0 0 0 1 550

4 3 5 0 0 0 1 800

5 3 5 1 0 0 2 1000

6 3 5 3 0 0 2 1200

7 3 5 4 0 0 3 1500

8 3 5 6 0 0 3 1700

9 3 5 6 1 0 4 2000

10 3 5 6 3 0 4 2200

11 3 5 6 4 0 5 2300

12 3 5 6 6 0 5 2400

13 3 5 6 7 0 6 2500

14 3 5 6 7 1 6 3000

15 3 5 6 7 3 7 3500

155 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

Random Loot Generator
When players receive treasure from pillaging a dungeon or completing a
quest, it can often be best to specifically tailor the loot to the party. This way
you get to have some control over how powerful the party is and can ensure
everyone gets a fair share of items useful to their character. Some players and
GMs prefer to randomly generate loot, so this table is designed to help them
with that. Roll once on each table, using the Item Type as a starting point.

Item Type
Roll once on this table to determine the type of the item, then roll on the table
in the Next column.
Range Item Type Next

1-3 One-Handed Weapon Type

Weapon

4-6 Two-Handed Weapon Type

Weapon
7-9 Marksman Weapon Weapon Type

10-12 Apparel Apparel Type

13 Potion Alchemy Type

14 Poison Alchemy Type

15 Bomb Alchemy Type

16 Staff Spells
17 Scroll Spells

18 Spell Tome Spells

19 Soul Gem Consult Quality table and flip a coin for
filled/empty

20 Enchanting Tome Enchantment

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Item Quality
Each time you consult this table, roll a d20. On a 1-12, use the row for the level
of the party. On a 13-16, use the row above (a lower level item). On a 17-20,
use the row below (a higher level item).
Level Weapons Armour Soul Energy Alchemy Spells

1 Iron/Wood Tier 1 30 (Petty) Weak Level 1

2-4 Steel Tier 2 40 (Lesser) Weak Level 2

3-5 Silver Tier 2 60 (Lesser) Standard Level 2

5-7 Dwarven Tier 3 80 (Common) Standard Level 3

7-9 Elven Tier 3 100 (Common) Standard Level 3

9-11 Glass Tier 4 150 (Greater) Potent Level 4

11-14 Ebony Tier 5 200 (Grand) Potent Level 4

15+ Daedric Tier 6 250 (Grand) Ultimate Level 5

Weapon Type
Roll on this table to determine the type of weapon, and then roll a d20. On a
13 or above, the item is enchanted - roll on the Enchantments table. Roll on
the Item Quality table to determine the quality of the weapon.
Roll One-Handed Two-Handed Marksman

1-5 Dagger Spear Light Thrown

6-10 War Axe Battleaxe Heavy Thrown
11-15 Sword Greatsword Bow

16-20 Mace Warhammer Crossbow

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Apparel Type
Roll on this table to determine the type of Apparel, and then roll a d20. On an
11 or above, the item is enchanted - roll on the Enchantments table. In the
case of shields, flip a coin to determine if it has a weapon or apparel
enchantment. Roll on the Item Quality table to determine the quality of the
armour/shield.

Roll Apparel

1-5 Light Armour

6-10 Heavy Armour

11-14 Light Shield

15-17 Heavy Shield
18 Basic Accessory
19 Fine Accessory

20 Exquisite Accessory

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Alchemy Type
Roll on the Quality table to determine the grade of potion/poison/bomb, and
then roll here to determine the variety of item.
Roll Potion Roll Poison Roll Bomb

1 Healing 1-3 Poison 1-4 Shrapnel

2 Stamina 4 Paralysis 5-8 Silver

3 Magicka 5 Magicka 9-12 Smoke

4 Warrior 6 Stamina 13-14 Poison Cloud

5 Defender 7 Breathstealer 15-16 Blast

6 Toughness 8 Ravaging 17-18 Elemental

7 Extra Magicka 9 Weakness to Magic 19-20 Restorative

8 Efficiency 10 Severing
9 Invisibility 11 Tiring

10 Sneak 12 Sleep
11 Nimble Fingers 13 Lingering

12 Speech 14 Elemental Oil

13 Recovery 15 Silver Oil

14 Keen Senses 16 Terror

15 Quickness 17 Madness
16 Stasis 18 Slow

17 Waterbreathing 19 Weakness

18 Cure Poison 20 Disease

19 Cure Disease

20 Levitation

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Spells
Roll on the Item Quality table to determine the level of the spell. If creating a
scroll, increase the listed level by 1. If creating a Staff, roll twice on the Item
Quality table - once to determine the level of the spell and once to determine
the Soul Energy (for the number of charges). A staff will always have at least 1
charge. Then roll on this table to determine the spell school, and select a spell
of that school of the level determined from the Item Quality table.

Roll School

1-4 Destruction
5-8 Restoration

9-12 Conjuration

13-16 Alteration
17-20 Illusion

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Enchantments
If rolling for an item enchantment, first roll on the Item Quality table to
determine the Soul Energy available, and then roll on this table to determine
the enchantment applied. Use the highest rank available for the given Soul
Energy. If there’s insufficient Soul Energy for a Rank 1 enchantment, roll on
the Enchantments table again (but not the Item Quality table). If rolling for an
Enchanting tome, first flip a coin to determine if the tome is for a weapon or
apparel enchantment, and then roll on the Enchantment table to determine
what Enchantment the tome is for.

Roll Weapon Enchantment Apparel Enchantment

1-3 Flaming Health

4-6 Frost Magicka

7-9 Shock Stamina

10-11 Force Spellcasting

12 Paralysis Wielding

13 Vampiric Stealth
14 Exhausting Element Resistance

15 Magicka Burn Elemental Resistance

16 Holy Magic Resistance
17 Conjurer’s Poison Resistance

18 Dread Disease Resistance

19 Accuracy Enhanced Recovery
20 Keen Spell Preparation

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Sample Traps
Here are some sample traps you can include in dungeons. Keep in mind the
party when placing traps - powerful traps can be extremely punishing to a
party without a Security expert.

Spike Trap
Trigger: Pressure Plate or Tripwire
Detection: 15 Cunning
Attack: +5 vs. Dodge
Spikes deploy from the floor or walls and impale creatures caught in the trap,
dealing damage equivalent to a Power Attack from a Spear.

Bolt Trap
Trigger: Pressure Plate
Detection: 20 Cunning
Attack: +5 vs Dodge
Bolts (often tipped with poison) launch from holes in nearby surfaces to strike
targets caught in the crossfire. Count it as a Crossbow attack. Some Dwemer
designs use explosive bolts, greatly increasing their effectiveness.

Swinging Trap
Trigger: Proximity or Pressure Plate
Detection: 15 Cunning
Attack: +10 vs Dodge
Swinging blades or battering rams are often used to hold corridors, and swing
intermittently until disabled. Count a strike as a hit from a Warhammer Power
Attack.

Spell Trap
Trigger: Proximity
Detection: 20 Cunning or Sorcery
Attack: +5 vs Dodge or Magic Resistance
Launches a spell when targets come within range - this could be an offensive
spell (such as Fireball) or even a powerful summon or buff spell to aid those
controlling the trap. Any spell can be used in a Spell Trap, and some may be
able to trigger multiple times (within reason).

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Sample Diseases
Occasionally players will be infected with nasty diseases from the
environment or a creature. Diseases impede character statistics by a small
amount. Listed here are some examples and their effects.

Disease Effect Potency

Astral Vapors Cannot Recover Magicka (but can regain it via 18

other methods).
Rockjoint -2 to Hit with all attacks, -1 Dodge 5

Helljoint -2 Speed 18

Witbane -20 Maximum Magicka 14

Droops -20 Maximum Stamina 14

Swamp Fever -20 Maximum Health 18

Porphyric -20 Maximum Health, advances to Vampirism 20

Hemophilia after 3 days (see Creature Codex).

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Just Guidelines
Always remember that the contents of this book are just guidelines - it’s
ultimately up to the GM if they’d like to make any modifications to suit their
specific game and group. If you encounter a situation this book doesn’t cover,
it’s up to the GM to decide what needs to happen to keep the game going.
Remember that GMing is about telling a story with your players, so don’t be
afraid to institute a ‘house rule’ to resolve an argument between players or for
the sake of expediency.

164 | The Elder Scrolls: D20

 Chapter 7:
Glossary
Here you can find some of the key terms used in TES:D20 and their meanings.

Damage Reduction (DR): The amount of damage you resist from physical
attacks, such as swords and arrows.
Elemental Resistance: The amount you reduce elemental damage by.
Sometimes it only applies to a specific element (the Dunmer’s Fire Resistance
for example) - these bonuses stack additively.
Magic Resistance: The chance for you to resist spells and effects that don’t
deal damage. When others try to affect you, they have to roll against your
magic resistance.
Poison Resistance: How much you reduce the effects of poison. Each point of
poison resistance decreases the damage you take from poisons that deal
Health, Magicka or Stamina damage. For other poisons, reduce the duration by
1 round for every 5 points of resistance.
Disease Resistance: How good you are at resisting diseases. Roll 1d20 + your
disease resistance against the Potency of diseases you would be affected by.
Staggered: When a character is Staggered, they can only make a single
Standard action on their next turn.
Prone: Prone characters cannot use Bows and have a -2 penalty to hit with all
melee weapons. While prone, your Speed is halved.
Paralyzed: A paralyzed character cannot act, falls prone, and their Dodge
becomes 5.
d20: A twenty-sided die used in many tabletop RPGs. If you don’t have one,
you can use a random number generator or online roller instead.
Flanking: If you and an ally are on opposite sides of an enemy in melee
combat, you both gain +2 to hit.

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 Credits
A free Elder Scrolls fan project created by Michael Ponticello
The Elder Scrolls series is created and owned by Bethesda Softworks

A very special thanks to all of my playtesters: Dan, Jacob, Brodie, Tim, Josh,
Kailey, Rhys, Nathan, Aaron, Raine, James, Ben, Dallas, Lydia and Chris –
thanks for helping me make my dream a reality!

166 | The Elder Scrolls: D20