Classic Rulebook

First Edition
June, 2019

Copyright 2019 NERO World, LLC

v1.22

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Forward ............................................................... 3 Formal Magic (In-Brief) ...................................... 43
CHAPTER ONE: GETTING STARTED .............. 4 Cantrips Overview ............................................. 52
The 4 Most Important Rules ................................ 4 CHAPTER FIVE: SPELLS ................................ 54
Introduction.......................................................... 4 Spells Chart by Level ........................................ 54
Rules Overview ................................................... 4 Spell Descriptions .............................................. 55
Being a Successful Player ................................... 6 Spells Charts .............................................. 73 - 76
CHAPTER TWO:THE BASICS ........................... 8 CHAPTER SIX: GAME PLAY ........................... 77
Character Creation .............................................. 8 The Hold Rule ................................................... 77
Character Classes ............................................... 8 Counted Actions ................................................ 77
Character Races ................................................. 9 Conducting Combat ........................................... 78
Cultures ............................................................. 12 Shields ............................................................... 79
Non-Player Characters (NPCs) ......................... 12 Delivery Methods ............................................... 79
Matters of Life & Death ...................................... 13 Effect Types ...................................................... 81
Hit Points ........................................................... 13 Protection Hierarchy .......................................... 82
Life & Death....................................................... 14 Negating Attacks ............................................... 83
Killing Blow ........................................................ 15 Special Abilities ................................................. 83
Spirits and Resurrection .................................... 15 So You Want to Be a Thief? .............................. 87
First Event Resurrections .................................. 16 Searching .......................................................... 88
Character Advancement .................................... 16 Traps & Locks ................................................... 89
Advancement Chart ........................................... 17 Marshals ............................................................ 92
CHAPTER THREE: THE SKILL SYSTEM ....... 18 Cheating & Metagaming .................................... 92
Standard & Limited Reset ................................. 18 Code of Conduct ............................................... 93
Magic Spells & Spell Slots ................................. 18 Safety ................................................................ 93
Skill Costs Charts ....................................... 19 - 21 CHAPTER SEVEN: ADVENTURING GEAR .... 95
Racial Ability Descriptions ................................. 22 Armor ................................................................. 95
Racial Feature Descriptions .............................. 25 Smithing Charts ................................................. 96
Skill Descriptions ............................................... 27 Weapons ........................................................... 97
Crafting Skills .................................................... 36 Weapon Combat ............................................... 97
Crafting Examples ............................................. 38 Weapon Construction ........................................ 99
CHAPTER FOUR: MAGIC ................................ 39 Weapon Safety Guidelines .............................. 101
How It Works ..................................................... 39 Weapon Construction Chart ............................ 104
Spell Memorization & Cast-on-the-Fly ............... 39 Shield Construction ......................................... 105
Casting Spells ................................................... 39 Alchemy, Potions, Scrolls ....................... 105 - 106
Spell Disruption ................................................. 39 Alchemical Effects ........................................... 106
Touch-Casting ................................................... 40 Alchemical Descriptions .................................. 107
Schools of Magic ............................................... 40 Crafting Charts ....................................... 109 - 110
Stacked Effects ................................................. 40 CHAPTER EIGHT: ATMOSPHERE ............... 112
Blade Spells ...................................................... 40 Roleplaying...................................................... 112
Charm Effects.................................................... 41 Costumes ........................................................ 112
Targets & Sub-Target Effects ............................ 41 Taking Damage ............................................... 113
Spell Defenses .................................................. 41 Playing Fair ..................................................... 113
Visible Effects .................................................... 42 Anachronisms .................................................. 113
Eldritch Power ................................................... 42 The Society of NERO ...................................... 115
Reversible Spells ............................................... 42 Societal Conventions ....................................... 116
Necromancy ...................................................... 42 REVISION NOTES .......................................... 117

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 Forward
The Early Days of NERO For the Love of the Game
30 Years ago, a merry band of gamers decided to NERO means a great deal to many people. It has
run an event. become so much more than anyone could have ever
imagined, from its humble beginnings, to where it
It wasn’t like any event we had heard of before. It
finds itself today after three-decades of life.
was a challenge that we were in no way ready for.
We had no idea what it would take to run a LARP. In When I was approached by Ford Ivey to re-work and
fact, we had never heard the word “LARP” before. update these rules, I felt incredibly fortunate and
We were not the first to run a live version of the table humbled with the trust bestowed upon me. It was
-top games we ran. We had heard of a game in NH something I had longed to do, despite (or perhaps
that ran short adventures with few rules. We decided because of?) its daunting stature. I love this game -
to try it and came away with a thousand ideas. We it’s a game I have played since 1996, traveling all
decided to make those ideas real. over the United States, playing hundreds of live-
action games - as many of its thousands of players
We invented LARP. There may have been others
have also done.
working on the same things at the same time, but we
didn’t know about them. We invented our game in a Every game needs rules of some form or another - a
vacuum of knowledge, coming up with solutions as foundation on which all the rest of the world is built.
we came up with new problems. Most of those solu- Although the words in this book are mine, the con-
tions have managed to survive, and many are con- cepts, history, and its very core are a tribute to the all
sidered to be just the way you do things. those countless hours dedicated by so many others
who have had a hand in its shaping. This book would
The big thing we did was invent Episodic LARP.
be simply impossible without them. This is how I
Before NERO, events were what we now call
know there is still life in these old bones yet… the
“Modules”, which are adventures centered on one
real magic within this game of fantasy and make-
group of Characters. They didn’t exist in a larger
believe.
world. All the resources of the game centered on
that group for the time they were in the game world. These rules comprise a new First Edition of the
Then they left, and another group came in. NERO World Classic Rules. They are similar to the
rules we have been playing with for years with all the
Don’t get me wrong: we have run a lot of adventures
existing corrections, errata, rulings, changes, and
like this, and they can be a lot of fun. But we wanted
updates included into the core rulebook. This book
the feel of a greater world out there, one that you
has been re-written from the ground up, with an eye
could venture into, so we let all the Characters occu-
towards what is familiar, while trying to trim down
py the world at the same time.
duplicate areas and needless bloat, keeping all the
We wanted to give the Characters a history that they core concepts the same.
could share in the game with other Characters. And
It has been my privilege to contribute to this game
we did: you can sit in the Tavern and share your sto-
and its ongoing legacy, but mostly, I did it for the love
ries in the game with other Characters. And now,
of the game. Now, are you ready? Three… Two…
some of those characters have 30 years of stories.
One… Lay on!
After all these years, we find that we not only
brought the initial spark of life to shared world, but
Jason Mote
shared a game across an entire continent, and in-
June 15, 2019
spired the birth of many more communities.

Turned out to be flawed, but pretty cool.

Ford Ivey
June 15, 2019

3
 CHAPTER ONE:
GETTING STARTED
THE 4 MOST IMPORTANT RULES Sneaking & Theft
There are many rules in this book, however there are four Sometimes you may want for your character to engage in
rules which are so important we want to make sure you some in-game law-breaking or thievery, which is permit-
understand them right up front. These rules are mandato- ted, however there are some tight controls on this activity.
ry and all players are required to follow them without ex- You must first get a Marshal (an official or staff member
ception or debate. Players should let a Marshal or staff who will witness and monitor your actions) before you are
member know about and violations to these rules. allowed to sneak into any building (including a tent, or oth-
er sleeping area) where there another players’ personal
property might be present. The Marshal is there to ensure
Body Contact personal property is not accidentally taken and that all
game rules are observed. You are never allowed to steal
You are not allowed to touch another person without their personal property or break a real-world law. See So You
express consent. Melee combat takes place only with ap- Want to Be a Thief? on page 87 for expanded rules.
proved weapons. You may never use any hand-to-hand
attacks, kick, grab or grapple other players. Participants
are not allowed to strike certain areas of the body with INTRODUCTION
melee weapons for safety reasons, these invalid areas
are: head, throat, groin, and hands from the wrist down. The first thing to realize when you play any type of game
Melee weapon hits to these locations do not count against is that everyone is a “new player” at some point. NERO
the character. This limitation does not apply to ranged World is no different. You’re going to make a few mis-
attacks (such as packets or thrown weapons) which are takes, forget things, or get them wrong, and this is ex-
still counted if they hit any part of the body. Still, you may pected. This rulebook has a lot of information within it and
not intentionally target these locations even with ranged learning every part of it is daunting. Some concepts pre-
attacks (occasional accidents will happen). See Chapter sented in these pages will reference other areas of the
6, Combat on page 77 for expanded rules. book or rely on other rules in such a way that you might
find it confusing until you understand all the rules encom-
passed in the concept (this kinds of things are called rules-
Alcohol & Illegal Substances dependence and rules-synergy). Just do your best. You’ll
gain more understanding and confidence with the game
You are forbidden from using any alcohol or illegal drugs system in time and learn how the game is played the more
at any gathering or event. You are never allowed to partic- you participate. Ask lots of questions!
ipate while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs
regardless of where you consumed them (even off-site). If
you are impaired you are not safe, even if you think you RULES OVERVIEW
are. This is never ok.
NERO World is a Live-Action Roleplaying Game (LARP).
You will portray a character during a game event and con-
Hold trol the actions of that character within the game world.
This is statement is used to stop the game immediately, Before you can play, you need to make some choices in
usually for safety reasons or concerns. When you hear order to create your character. First, you need to pick from
someone yell “Hold” you must immediately stop all com- one of the approved Races, such as Dwarf, Elf, or Human.
bat or anything else you are doing, drop to one knee, and Each Race has certain advantages associated with them,
stay silent until the situation is resolved. A Hold should and most have costume or makeup requirements which
never be called to check a rule or to confirm if you hit must be adhered to when playing a member of that Race.
someone with a spell or ability, except in the most critical For a full list of each of the different Races and their de-
situations where clarity is vital because it would impact tailed description, see Races on page 9.
everyone involved. A Hold is over and game-play re-
sumes, when you hear the person who called the Hold (or Next, you’ll need to pick a Class for your character. Your
Marshal) ask everyone to stand and resume their previ- Class determines all of your Skill costs, starting Body
ous positions. They will then yell “Three… two… one… Points, Body Point increases each time your character
Lay-On!” See Chapter 6, Combat on page 77 for expand- gains a level, and the maximum number Armor Points you
ed rules. can wear by default. For a full list of each of the different
Classes and their detailed description, see Classes on
page 8.

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 CHAPTER ONE:
GETTING STARTED
Your character has game-related skills, abilities, and pow- To track which character skills, abilities, and spells you
ers which allow them to do things in-game. Some skills have used, you have a character sheet and also a Battle
may be used whenever you want (like weapon skills), Board or Spell Tags. A Battle Board is a list of your per-
while others have a limited number of times you can use day abilities which you can cross off when used. Spell
them (such as spells). You will gain more skills as you Tags are small tags you remove from your spell ring when
play the game and as your character gains Experience they are cast.
Points (XP).
Now we’re going to put it all together and see how your
XP is gained by attending official game events. You may first event might look.
decide to participate in a game event in one of two ways:
as a Player-Character (PC) or as a Non-Player Character
(NPC). As a PC you will gain a base of experience equal BEFORE YOU PLAY
to half your Build Points rounded down each event day
(more on Build Points below), but can increase your total It’s a good idea to check out our website’s New Players
event experience in some additional ways. You may turn section (www.nero.world/new-players) – here you’ll find
in game money (called Maxing-Out or Max-Out), volun- three documents you need to print, fill out, and bring with
teer for a few hours of NPC duty (check with your local you to your first event: Legal Release/Consent Form, Med-
chapter for more information about this), or your local ical History Emergency Contact Form, and Photograph &
chapter might use a rule called Auto Max-Out, which Publicity Release Form. These will also be available onsite
grants every PC the XP increase but without the need to at your local chapter event, but it’s best to have them
turn in coin or volunteer as an NPC. If you are attending ready so you don’t have to spend time filling them out at
the event as a NPC you are rewarded with the maximum the event.
amount of XP for your volunteer service to the game; you
choose which character will get that XP award. Being an Login to the NERO World Character Database, register to
NPC is a great way to advance in the game and learn the create a new account, and create a character before the
rules, plus it helps everyone have a great time! event at www.nerodatapage.com – this will allow you to
jump right in. Don’t worry, you can change things around
Earned XP is then converted into Build Points (BP), which at the event before you play and if you need help making
you can then spend to buy new skills for your character. a character, your local chapter staff can assist you. You
The XP to BP rate changes as you gain character levels can reset your character in the database as often as you
so more XP is required to get one BP thereby slowing the like, up to level 10.
rate you increase in power. Every 10 BP will increase
your character level by one. Remember to Pre-Register for the event through the
NERO World Character Database. This lets you pre-order
Combat is an integral part of the game. When you swing a crafting production and other similar requests, and lets the
weapon, such as a sword, you will announce to your op- local chapter know you’re planning to attend. Print your
ponent the amount of damage dealt by that weapon if it character sheet and bring it with you.
hits them. The standard damage for a long sword is 2
points of damage; this is known as the Base Weapon
Remember to check out the local chapter’s website for any
Damage. When you are hit by a weapon, you will subtract
local policies, announcements, or special optional rules
the damage amount called out by your opponent from
being used. All this information will be posted for players
your remaining Armor Points (if you have any), and any prior to the event.
remaining damage will then be subtracted from your Body
Points. While you’re doing all that, so will your opponent.
For more information, see Combat on page 77. YOUR FIRST GAME EVENT
Magic Spells are physically represented by birdseed-filled Once you have your character set, have packed all your
cloth fabric balls, or approved soft foam balls (check with costuming and gear, and arrived at the game site, you’ll
your local chapter for approved materials). When casting head to the Logistics area to get checked-in. Your charac-
a spell you must clearly and accurately recite the verbal ter sheet will be validated by the local chapter staff. Weap-
incant for the spell you are casting and then throw the ons and armor will also be evaluated by a local staff Mar-
packet (or ball) and hit the target with the spell. If you hit, shal for safety and armor point values, and you’ll be is-
the target is affected and must call a defense or take the sued safety tags. You’ll also get starting tags for weapons,
effect. You will need to be familiar with spells to under- armor, and other gear based on your character, as well as
stand what they do and roleplay the different types of ef- a small amount of starting coins. If the site has buildings,
fects. you might get a cabin assignment at this time; if the site

5
 CHAPTER ONE:
GETTING STARTED
has tent-camping, you might be assigned a location to around or come up with something all your own. Be crea-
pitch your tent. The local staff will give you all pertinent tive!
information for how this works.
Remember that you’re not the hero yet, you’re just starting
After going through Logistics, you’ll don your white head- your adventuring career. You’re not powerful, well known,
band (letting others know you are out-of-game) and pro- or rich, the daughter of a King, or any of the other all-to-
ceed your cabin/room to get into costume. Everyone often used tropes. That’s not to say you can’t write your
wears a costume at the event and your costume will allow character history to include these things, but you might get
you to get into your character and fit into the game atmos- overruled by the local Plot Team. Your character history
phere. should contain lots of challenges and things that can be
used to create drama and story in the game.
The start time of the event will be announced and will vary
depending on the local chapter. There may be an Open- Who were your influences? Who were your heroes? Who
ing Ceremonies where important things are discussed or did you despise growing up? Where did you go to school
the game might just get started at the designated time (if you even went)? Who are you parents? Any siblings?
(weekend events often start between 8pm to 11pm Friday Where did you live? Did you travel? Do you have any
night). fears or phobias? What are your ambitions? Do you have
a trade skill? How did you learn it? Do you have any
The staff will be portraying Non-Player Characters (NPCs) strong opinions? Think of your life and everything you
to represent townsfolk, nobles, monsters and creatures, have done – pick some highlights and include them. Your
under the control of the local staff Plot Team. They will be character history should be about a page long (or less),
driving the story forward and running all the adventures easy to read, and leave a few things unresolved. You’ll
that the Player Characters (PCs) will be encountering. If find it easier to get into character and stay there longer if
you want to play an NPC, you’ll have a great time! Report you’re well acquainted with your character persona.
to the NPC “Monster Town” area to be given your assign-
ments.
MULTIPLE CHARACTERS
Weapon combat is conducted with safe foam weapons.
These are padded and soft so they don’t cause injury A player is permitted to play one character at an event
when used. NERO provides players with some basic in- (unless you are participating in the event as an NPC) even
structions for how to use these weapons safely. You can if they have costuming, makeup, and a completely differ-
make your own weapons or buy them from other players ent character in the NERO World online database. It is
or online. NERO has construction guidelines (found within simply too confusing to everyone else at the event be-
this rulebook). It is always the responsibility of the person cause they will not know for sure which character you are
using the weapon to use it safely and keep it in good playing (especially at a distance in the dark). The only ex-
working condition. ception to this rule is if you are at an event and the charac-
ter you are playing happens to be permanently killed. In
that case you are permitted to make a new character or
BEING A SUCCESSFUL PLAYER switch to a secondary for the remainder of the event (the
event XP is applied to this character after the event). If you
Before you even start actually playing your character, create a new character, we strongly suggest that you
you’ll need a character concept. It might be something as make a character of a different race and class than the
simple as “pirate” or “gladiator” or “wizard”, but you can do one you might normally be playing. Again, this is to pre-
a lot more even with these basic concepts. Flesh out your vent them getting mistaken for your other character(s).
background. You should know your character like you Costuming is sometimes expensive, but please try and
know yourself. How will they react when faced with choic- take whatever steps you can to add to or change up your
es? A character background provides you with answers old costume. Your characters may never know one anoth-
before you’ll need them in-game when faced with choices er or interact with each other, just as one character will not
or situations. A written history is helpful, but not required. know the same information or have the same past adven-
If you do write a character history, you can submit it to tures as the other. They should be as distinct as possible.
your local chapter Plot Team. This gives them information
to work with to help them work you into the existing story.

It’s best to avoid all the clichés. We’ve all read books and
watched movies. Your character name should be some-
thing original, even if you love a character from a fantasy
story, you’re not playing that character. Change letters

6
 CHAPTER ONE:
GETTING STARTED
PLAY-TESTS & OPTIONAL RULES
SUPPLIMENTS
All NERO World chapters and games agree to accept the
Core Rules in this book and are not allowed to change,
alter, omit, or invalidate anything within these pages.
Some chapters might be testing out new official rules, but
if they are, a full copy (or a link) will be made available on
their website for players to download and read before the
event.

Play-Test Rules are works-in-progress and might change

frequently to accommodate feedback and alterations
made to the system by the rules team. Chapters are per-
mitted some flexibility in testing these rules, however
changes must be fully documented and submitted after
the event for evaluation. This must be done each event
where any change is made.

Optional Rules Supplements are rules which a chapter

can choose to use in addition to the rules in this Core
Rulebook (there are a few optional rules in these pages
as well). They are fully tested and balanced by the time
they get to this stage. Just like the Core Rulebook, all
chapters agree that if they choose to use any of the avail-
able optional rules, they will use them as written and will
not change them in any way.

RULES UPDATES, ERRATA, &

CORRECTIONS
These rules are not perfect and neither are we. From time
to time there will be updates needed to the rules, changes
to correct a loophole or a fix to prevent an exploit. These
will come in the form of official documents posted on the
NERO World website (www.nero.world) and will have a
date and a version number. These documents take prece-
dence over this book and other documents as the official
rule. When those documents get a full review and update,
the changes will be folded into the core material to bring it
fully up to date. If you discover an error, a loophole, or an
exploit, you should report it right away so it can be cor-
rected. Using a known error or exploit to your advantage
is no better than cheating. Help us to keep the game fair
for all participants.

7
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
CHARACTER CREATION Racial Comparison Chart
Table 2-1

Characters can differ wildly from each other within this

framework of rules. It depends largely on the desires of
the player, the roleplay quirks you give to them, their RACE TRAITS RACE FEATURE
background story, mannerisms, costuming, and a hun- NAME ABILITY
dred other things that make up this character who is more
than just numbers and skills listed on a sheet of paper. Baljar Survivor, Dagger Mastery, Hex
Your character doesn’t have to be a copy of you, even Tradesman
though you are representing that character, they can be
vastly different if you want. You are acting a part, playing Barbarian Strong, Two Handed Weapon
a persona, telling your character’s story by living it. Make Wild Mastery
it memorable!
Biata Telepathic, Mentalist
CHARACTER CLASSES Willful

Your character Class is the method used to describe the Drae Fast, Willful Crossbow Mastery
types of skills and abilities your character has a knack for,
although it might not have anything to do with their actual Dwarf Tough, Hammer Mastery
in-game profession (although it might). Every player must Tradesman
choose one class for their character and can choose from:
Fighter, Rogue, Templar, or Scholar.
Elf Fast, Bow Mastery
Willful
FIGHTER
Fighters are physical masters of weapon combat. They Half Ogre Strong, Two Handed Weapon
are often strong, sturdy, have the most starting Body Tough Mastery
Points (gaining them faster than the other classes too),
and wear the most armor.
Half Orc Strong, Axe Mastery
Wild
ROGUE
Rogues are masters of dexterity and quickness. They are Hobling Fast, Short Weapon Mastery
often fast, resourceful, and are the best with Alchemy. Tough
They have less body points and wear less armor than
fighters, but this allows them to be sneakier, which is how Human Choice of None
they like it. One

SCHOLAR Mystic Tradesman, Break Charm

Scholars are experts the art of magic and rely on their Wood Elf Willful
mental skills over their physical prowess to win the day.
They wear the least amount of armor and the least body Sarr Fast, Claw Mastery
points of any class. Survivor

TEMPLAR Scavenger Survivor, Claw Mastery

Templars are a mix between a scholar and a fighter. They Tough
are less adept at magic than scholars, but superior to
fighters and rogues at it. However, they are also less tal- Stone Elf Telepathic, Mentalist
ented at combat skills than fighters. It is a delicate bal- Willful
ance between the mental and physical worlds; too much
time in study takes away from time training with the sword Wild Elf Fast, Bow Mastery
after all. They have less body points and wear less armor Wild
than fighters, but their studies give them the edge to sur-
prise their opponents.

8
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
Each of the various different races have certain ad-
CHARACTER RACES vantages called Traits and Features. Some races have an
affinity to a specific weapon type or group of weapons,
Our game world is based in fantasy, and as such humans and/or an ability which is restricted to members of that
find themselves in the company of mythical and fantastic race. Traits are groups of similar skills and abilities which
races like Dwarves, Elves, Sarr, and many others. are available to the specific race at standard cost. Any
race may purchase any racial ability available, however
Only the approved races listed in this section are allowed the cost is doubled if the race does not possess the Trait.
to be portrayed as a PC race. The PC races are not the Each of the Racial Abilities is detailed in the Skills section
only races which exist in the world and your will encounter on page 18 and the costs for races with the appropriate
many strange and mysterious creatures; these are all por- Trait and those without it are listed in the Skills Chart on
trayed by NPCs and are not available to play as a player pages 19-21 (see charts 3-1 through 3-8). The character is
character race. limited to one Racial Ability per Character Level.
Each of the character races is culturally different from
each other in order to encourage roleplay and give the RACIAL DESCRIPTIONS
game a fantasy feel. There are certain specific character-
istics, mannerisms, and costume requirement which you The flowing is a basic overview of each of the playable
must adhere to when playing one of the non-human rac- races. Your local chapter might have a Local Culture
es. We hope you will find yourself embracing these cultur- Handbook for your chosen race.
al and societal differences as you roleplay a member of
your chosen race. Some of the races are loosely based Baljar
on the real-world societies and cultures we are already
familiar with (such as humans and barbarians). This The Baljar wander from place to place enjoying life as it
makes them easy to jump into and understand their moti- comes. They are a fiery, passionate people who are larger
vations. Other races are based on mythology, legend, and than life and love a good party. They have an enormous
folklore (such as elves and dwarves), allowing us to pre- loyalty to their people, as a large extended family. They
tend to live the long lives of these people. Some of the often refer to each other as “brother” or “sister”. Usually
races found here are unique to our fantasy world (such as the family is further divided into “Kiths” which is made up
Biata and Sarr). of immediate family members and can have their own col-
ors or markings.
If you are portraying a non-human race, you must follow
all the requirements for that race including wearing appro- Baljar follow a Code of Honor which requires them to be
priate makeup, prosthetics (such as elf ears) and specific completely honest and trustworthy to fellow family mem-
costuming at all times, to make it clear you are a member bers and to do whatever is required for support. They pre-
of that race to anyone who sees you. This allows other fer to handle justice within the family, and avoid figures of
players to make certain assumptions about your charac- authority from the outside. Anyone who wrongs a Baljar
ter, such as Racial Abilities, cultural attitudes, and other might find themselves at the wrong end of a Hex, until
characteristics. such time as honor is restored through recompense. Baljar
don’t take the Hex lightly and reserve it for a truly worthy
Anyone not following the racial requirements will be transgression
warned by the local chapter staff. If after being warned,
they still fail to comply with minimal standards, their char- Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
acter may be stripped of their race and they will become a Thick accent, flashy colorful clothing, boisterous, extro-
human. The penalty of having your race stripped is being verted, and larger than life. They love a party and follow a
shunned by members of your former race in-game. specific Code of Honor.
Racial Traits: Survivor & Tradesman
There are no half-races in our world. You are a member
of one race or another, even if your mother was human Racial Features: Dagger Mastery & Hex
and your father an elf, you are either an elf or a human,
not a half-elf. You only get the benefits from one race,
although you can certainly roleplay and tell everyone you
are a half-elf.

Each of the races has a cultural uniqueness. You’ll need

to know and understand these advantages in order to get
into the role you’ve chosen.

9
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
Barbarian Drae
Barbarians are a race of savage nomads who live natural- Drae, also called dark elves, are a shadowy people who
ly off the land roaming where they please. They are not live mostly underground and tend to avoid sunlight. The
accustomed to “civilized” society and customs, they have most important thing to a Drae is honor, and they value it
their own ways. They are a superstitious people, deeply to such a high degree, they will commit suicide if they feel
entrenched in ceremonies and traditions. They are uncul- they have lost honor, in order to regain it. Drae, even the
tured and, to a certain degree, primitive, but they are not most evil one, will keep their word once given. Disgrace
stupid. and dishonor and always at the forefront of the thoughts
and actions of a Drae.
Barbarians are often organized into tribes, usually named
after animals, and are competitive with other such tribes. Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
Barbarian tribes lean heavily on the natural aspects of Pointed ears, dark grey skin tones (can have dark high-
earth and earth magic. There is still a lingering distrust of lights), white or silver hair. Emphasize honor to highest
celestial magic as “not natural” and was unheard of until degree, generally keep to fellow Drae, feeling of superiori-
introduced to the Barbarians by the “civilized” races. ty.
Some Barbarians distrust celestial magic so much, they Racial Traits: Fast & Willful
dislike having Celestial Defensive spells cast upon them. Racial Feature: Crossbow Mastery
This is entirely up to the player how they choose to view
celestial magic and is not a roleplay requirement; it’s part
of the lore of the people. Dwarf
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: Dwarves live in mountainous regions, sometimes deep
Dress in furs, leathers, and “primitive” looking clothing. within them. They are tough and pride themselves on their
Speak in gruff, low-octave, simple speech. beards. They are friendly and have a great appreciation
Racial Traits: Strong & Wild for food, drink, laughter, and fine craftsmanship. They tend
Racial Feature: Two-Handed Weapon Mastery to take a longer view of history due to their long lifespans,
and a long memory for allies and enemies alike. They love
to tell stories and tales of their adventures, sometimes
Biata taking several hours or even days to tell them (with many
The lore of the Biata suggests they are descended from a side stories along the way). Their history and ancestors
lost Barbarian tribe, however they do not behave or re- are important to them and will recount legends and lore
semble Barbarians in any way. They often act with a pur- from memory.
pose, are sometimes stubborn, and have their own per-
sonal code of ethics which they adhere to. They are a Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
secretive people about their origins and view non-Biata Long beard (females can have a long goatee), apprecia-
races and “outsiders” as those who must earn their trust. tion of craftsmanship, extreme hatred of Trolls.
Racial Traits: Tough & Tradesman
Biata often find Celestial Defensive spells cast upon them Racial Feature: Hammer Mastery
to be uncomfortable and often will refuse them. Some will
refuse to sleep behind a Ward or even use celestial magic
items. This is entirely up to the player how they choose to Elf
view celestial magic and is not a roleplay requirement; it’s Elves consider themselves the oldest and most civilized of
part of the lore of the people. all the races. They have the most beautiful cities and the
oldest historical society, and the most knowledgeable aca-
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: demics. They have a longer lifespan than most other races
Large upturned feathery eyebrows, feathers in hair, act and often view the other races as “children” or barbaric.
with purpose (not whimsical), orderly, goal orientated, They are friendly but can be viewed as aloof or conde-
code of ethics. scending at times.
Racial Traits: Telepathic & Willful
Racial Feature: Mentalist Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
Pointed ears, smug attitude.
Racial Traits: Fast & Willful
Racial Feature: Bow Mastery

10
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
Stone Elf originally, or something else. They are not very intelligent
and have a hard time understand complex situations and
Stone Elves are a very serious people that have spent subjects. They are a strong people and rather die in battle,
years honing their mental abilities. They tend to be logical, than of old age. They are confident in their strength and
methodical, and analytical. They never show emotions seek to make a name for themselves, but will not throw
and never smile. away their life if the battle is overwhelmingly against them.
They have a relatively short lifespan compared to the oth-
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
er races, but mature very quickly.
Pointed ears, upturned eyebrows, white skin. Show no
emotion, humorless, serious, and intense (If you cannot Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
keep a straight face and act in a serious manner at all Green skin, large protruding lower fangs, low intelligence,
times, then you should consider playing another race). willing to die in battle instead of by old age.
Racial Traits: Telepathic & Willful Racial Traits: Strong & Tough
Racial Feature: Mentalist Racial Feature: Two-Handed Weapon Mastery

Hobling
Wild Elf
Hoblings love working with their hands, whether it’s craft-
Wild Elves are a race of savage nomads who live natural- ing, baking, building, or other work. The cheerfully go
ly off the land and forests, wandering from place to place. about most tasks, seeking the fun and humor in every-
They are similar to Barbarians in look, except they are thing. Hoblings are business-minded people, they are hon-
Elves, and so have pointed ears. They often have “tribal” est, hardworking, and generous, but not naïve – they’re
markings on their face and body. Wild Elves are not treat- not going to do something for nothing and expect fair com-
ed as “true elves” by the rest of the elves, and often feel pensation for their work. They love to enjoy food, drink,
like they often feel looked down on as second-class within fine clothes, and mementos of their life and exploits of ad-
the social structure. They live for the hunt and tracking. venture.
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
Pointed ears, dress in furs, leathers, “primitive” looking Large bushy sideburns and eyebrows, furry hands and
clothing. Often have “tribal” markings on their face and feet, cheerful and full of humor, hardworking, love of fine
body. goods (especially food and drink), charismatic.
Racial Traits: Fast & Wild Racial Traits: Fast & Tough
Racial Feature: Bow Mastery Racial Feature: Short Weapon Mastery

Human
Half-Ogre
Humans are known as the “jack-of-all-trades” people.
Half-Ogres are not hybrids or a half-race, they are a race They are the most plentiful of all the races and can be
which very closely resembles Ogres in look and tempera- found in every aspect of life, in nearly any profession, all
ment. They are not very intelligent and have a hard time across Tyrra, even in the harshest environments imagina-
understand complex situations and subjects. They are a ble. Human are a diverse people which have the capacity
tough people and they love to prove themselves, but have adapt and excel at nearly anything, however they have
an innate fear of undead creatures, and must summon up nothing they all do exceptionally well.
the courage to fight even the lowliest zombie. They have
a relatively short lifespan compared to the other races, but Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
mature very quickly. There are no standards for human behavior and no cos-
tume guidelines to follow. Players must avoid duplicating
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: the characteristics and mannerisms of any of the other
Yellow skin, large protruding lower fangs, low intelligence, races, but are otherwise free to dress, speak, or act how-
ready to prove themselves. ever they choose.
Racial Traits: Strong & Tough Racial Traits: Choice of any one Racial Trait
Racial Feature: Two-Handed Weapon Mastery Racial Feature: None
Humans have no set the Racial Traits. Instead, they are
required to choose any one Racial Trait from the list and
Half-Orc gain the full benefits of that trait. Humans do not gain any
The exact origins of the Half-Orcs is something of a mys- Racial Feature option.
tery, they may have been a hybrid of humans and orcs

11
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
Mystic Wood Elf thing similar, but may not choose magical creatures such
as Unicorns, Drakes, Gryphons, or the like. They have no
Mystic Wood Elves are a race of people originally from
society of their own and no specific culture.
the Mystic Wood. Even though they are inaccurately
viewed by other races as “elves”, they are not actually Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements:
elves. They’re society is structured into three major clans. Makeup and roleplay specific to the animal type chosen.
They often hide their “real” name from other and adopt a Racial Traits: Survivor & Tough
“road” name which they use commonly when dealing with Racial Feature: Claw Mastery
outsiders, only sharing their real name with their most
trusted friends. They are secretive about their motivations
and personal lives except to those who have earned their
trust. They hold oaths as extremely important and will
Cultures
hold others to their word, just as they hold themselves to Cultures represent the differences of in-game areas and
theirs. regions. Your local chapter may have developed cultures
specific to your game-area, and they may be different from
Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: another member of your same race from another area.
Pointed Ears, small horns on the forehead, distaste of This allows local chapters additional flavor. Local chapters
(and in some cases, hatred of) all forms of forced subjec- are not allowed to alter the racial structure outlined in this
tion including slavery, kidnapping, charms, and enslave- rulebook, or grant races additional racial abilities, traits,
ments. They will attempt to free others from captivity, ser- features or requirements.
vitude, and magical / alchemical charming effects. They
are often seen as eccentric by the other races. They have If you want to create your own culture, you should submit
a love of travel and adventure. your write-up to your local chapter and work with them to
Racial Traits: Tradesman & Willful get it approved for use. Characters cannot be from anoth-
Racial Feature: Break Charm er planet, plane, or another time. If your culture is based
on real-life culture, be careful about how you portray them
Sarr and be respectful. Do some research and be very knowl-
edgably about the culture you are using, otherwise you’re
Sarr are race of humanoids which resemble large hunting likely to play stereotypes and caricatures instead of a true
cats (also known as “Felinoids”). Their society is divided representation of the culture. We never want anyone to
into a clan-like structures (sometimes called “Prides”), play a culture which is offensive or insulting, even if unin-
each with different mannerisms, leaders, beliefs, and his- tentionally. Therefore we suggest it’s best for players cre-
tory. Sarr are an independent, curious, and proud people, ate a fresh new culture no one has ever seen or heard of
which places tradition in high regard. Sarr form strong before (even if you borrow a little from elsewhere). This
attachments to others and are very loyal once trust is about what you’re doing and about how others might see
earned. They have long memories and never forget an it.
enemy, no matter how long their revenge might take.

Costuming & Roleplaying Requirements: NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCs)

Makeup or prosthetics to appear as a member of one of
the large hunting cats. Bottom of the nose must be dark. Within the game there are other characters besides the
Whiskers are optional. If you are playing a “Black Pan- PCs. They are the townsfolk, monsters, mythic creatures,
ther” you must wear a prosthetic nose, cat ears, and mix and other members of the playable races, however all
your makeup so it has a dark purple (or dark blue) hue; these characters are NPCs controlled by the game staff.
you may not be solid black. Peppermint sometimes acts They are managed and coordinated by the Monster Mas-
as a kind of “catnip” for Sarr (entirely as roleplay, the ter who assigns each NPC player their roles and character
player decides if and how this works). cards. The Monster Master reports to the Plot Team who
Racial Traits: Fast & Survivor directs them on who is needed. The Plot Team reports to
Racial Feature: Claw Mastery the Event Director who is in charge of the weekend event
and making sure everything runs smoothly.
Scavenger NPCs are given tasks, goals, and instructed how to com-
The term “Scavenger” is a general term which refers to plete these (including combat). When an NPC completes
any kind of humanoid mundane animal. Players may only their goals (including death) they will return to Monster
choose a mundane land animal or reptile (no birds, fish, Town (an out-of-game area which is off-limits to PCs)
insects, or the like) which is not covered by another race where they will get a new NPC role and set of instructions,
(no cats because there is a Sarr race, no birds because then sent out again to interact with the PCs. NPCs are
there are Biata). Players are free to choose things like limited and required to follow all instructions given to them
dog, skunk, raccoon, turtle, lizard, rat, badger, or some- by the game organizers and cannot just make up skills or

12
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
powers not listed on their character card; they must follow cused from the game. You should make every attempt to
the rules. They are there to fill a specific purpose – to help go out-of-game in such a way that it will not disrupt the
entertain the PCs and further the game plot and action. game and do so in as much seclusion as possible. You
may never go out-of-game while in combat unless there is
Not all NPCs are monsters, some are merchants, towns- a medical need.
folk, other races, town leaders, knights, nobles, or a hun-
dred other things. All of your in-game items must remain in-game at the loca-
tion where you went out-of-game. For this reason, it’s best
Players who wish to volunteer their time to be an NPC will to go out-of-game is a secure area such as your cabin or
get compensated for their hard work and dedication. tent so your gear remains safe from in-game theft.
NPCs are the backbone of the game.
Bathrooms and similar areas are always out-of-game.
Sometimes during the game, a PC might wish to help out However, you may not go out-of-game or into an area des-
too. PCs are allowed to volunteer for NPC-shifts and do- ignated out-of-game if you are being pursued in-game by
nate their game time. They then stop playing the PC char- another player (PC or NPC). The game-area is limited and
acter, go to Monster Town and report to the Monster Mas- as such certain limitations are placed to when you can go
ter for role assignments just like regular NPCs. PC per- out-of-game. If you do go out-of-game while being pur-
forming NPC-shits are also compensated for their hard sued, the fate of your character may be reviewed by a
work. Sometimes when your in-game PC is doing some- Marshal and you must accept the outcome.
thing like traveling to a remote area or doing research to
divulge the secret answer to a forgotten tomb, it might Sleeping out-of-game is allowed as a courtesy. However
require game time to accomplish – this is a great way to all in-game items must still remain in-game. Sometimes
do both and serve the local chapter by helping out. you might be pulled back into the game if there is a suffi-
cient reason to do so, however reasonable accommoda-
tions should be permitted to you if this is required by a
MONSTER SIZE Marshal.
NPC characters and monsters are physically represented
by the player portraying them, therefore they are the size HIT POINTS
of the player. If a creature requires something to be 10
feet tall there needs to be a person who is actually 10 feet The character you are portraying has Body Points, repre-
tall or a costume which makes it possible. senting their health, and Armor Points representing the
physical defenses against weapon damage – these are
collectively referred to as Hit Points.
MATTERS OF LIFE & DEATH
You character starts with Body Points based on your char-
A player has three Standard States of Existence while at acter Class. As your character advances on level, they will
an event: gain additional Body Points (also based on your chosen
Class). Your base Armor Points are also assigned by your
1. Out-of-Game (OOG) – not visible to in-game charac-
Class, but these do not increase, but are increased by
ters, cannot interact with the game or environment. Not spending Build Points to buy the skill Wear Extra Armor
participating in the game. (see page 36 for more information).

2. In-Game – visible to in-game characters, able to in in- When you are in combat you will need to keep track of hits
teract with the game and environment. Active participant. against both your armor and health. Armor Points are usu-
ally lost first when you suffer damage and when your ar-
mor is reduced to zero points, its protection is exhausted.
3. Spirit – In-Game but as a spirit. Not visible to in-game Further damage is then applied to your Body Points. There
characters, cannot interact with the game or environment. are additional considerations, such as magical effects and
Must proceed to an Earth Circle for resurrection. protections which can change how damage is applied to
your character, but this is the basics (see Protection Hier-
OUT-OF-GAME archy on page 82 for more information).

Sometimes players will need to remove themselves from Body Points don’t regenerate over time and you must get
the game, either for convenience or necessity. Before you some form of healing in order to restore them. You can
make go out-of-game you must first don a white head- never have more Body Points than your maximum, and
band which signifies to the other participants around you any additional healing beyond your maximum is lost.
(and who might be able to see you) your desire be ex-
Every character starts each new game event with full Body
Points.
13
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
After combat, you will need to adjust your Armor Points, is interrupted. If the process is interrupted, the dying char-
Body Points, and skills used. You will do this by marking acter must resume their count at the point they paused it.
your Battle Board, Character Card, or adjusting your tags. First Aid is also interrupted if the recipient or the person
There is no method by which any character can be dis- administering the First Aid suffer any Body Point damage,
membered by another character in the game. You cannot if the person stops giving First Aid, or if they are more than
have your arm or finger severed or your head cut off. an arms-length away from each other. You cannot use
Likewise, it is impossible to burn or destroy the body of First Aid if either person is in motion, such as while walk-
any character, speed up a character’s dying-count or ing, running, being dragged, or carried. When the one-
death-counts, or force a character to resurrect earlier than minute First Aid count is completed, the character using
normal (except where specifically allowed in the rules). the skill must state the verbal phrase “Stabilize” to signify
This might seem unreal because in real-life you could ob- the First Aid has completed successfully.
viously do these things (no this is not real life). There is no
way to adequately represent these actions because you, If you receive any healing or cure effects, you will immedi-
the player, will still have these appendages out-of-game. ate become Alive again, conscious, and able to act. Your
These limitations are in place for fair play. character will have their total of Body Points restored
equal to the amount of healing, minus one (-1 Body Points
plus healing amount). Remember you may never have
LIFE & DEATH more Body Points than your maximum.
This section of the rules is very important and covers im-
portant information about many things pertaining to life, Dead
death, and everything in-between. You may need to refer
If your character does not receive healing or First Aid be-
back to this section after you have read further and
fore the one-minute dying-count elapses, your character
gained understanding of certain concepts.
had died. Death may also come from a spell or effect, or
from a Killing Blow (see below). Upon a character’s death
Alive all active spells, alchemical effects are other affects are
removed from the character. The only exception are Hex,
Your character has at least one Body Point. Forget-Me-Not, Forget-It-Well, Enslavement, Curse of
Transformation, Infection, and certain Formal Magic ef-
Unconscious fects.
If your character has exactly zero Body Points, they are Once your character is dead, you must begin your silent
Alive but are unconscious. After one-minute of being un- five-minute death-count. Your character will be forced to
conscious, they will automatically gain one Body Point, resurrect if they don’t receive Life spell or effect before the
and then wake up. While unconscious, the character is five-minute count is up. If the five-minute death-count
oblivious to their surroundings and will not remember any- elapses and your character does not get a Life spell, then
thing while they are unconscious. the body of the character dissipates and they become a
spirit (see Sprits & Resurrection below).
Dying
If your character takes Body Point damage which would MOVING INCAPACITATED CHARACTERS:
reduce them below zero Body Points, they are instead
reduced to -1 Body Points, but not any farther than that. Sometimes a character will want to drag or carry another
No matter how much damage a character suffers, they character who is incapacitated (meaning they cannot
may never fall below -1 Body Points. Your character is move on their own). It is not safe to actually carry or drag
now dying and you must begin your silent one-minute dy- a person, so you must roleplay doing it (no touching). To
ing-count. Your character will be dead if they don’t receive do this you will place your hand near the torso of the recip-
First Aid or healing before the one-minute count is up. ient and inform them “I am carrying you.” The recipient will
then stand. Both your hands must be free and placed near
First Aid is a skill which allows one character to pause the their shoulders to indicate you are carrying them. You both
dying-count of another character. After one uninterrupted can only move at a normal walking pace, either forward
minute of First Aid the recipient is brought to zero Body (carrying) or backwards (dragging). If either person is
Points and is unconscious (see above). To begin First more than arm’s length away from the other person are hit
Aid, the character administering the aid must first have with any effect (damage, spell, Alchemy, etc.), the person
learned the skill, then state the verbal phrase “First Aid.” hit with the effect must take the effect (following all normal
That character may do nothing but concentrate on the rules), you must both stop moving, and the person being
recipient or roleplay bandaging the wounds of the recipi- carried must be dropped. If you cast a spell upon yourself,
ent and may not use any other game skills or the First Aid the carried person is not included in the effect (such as an
Imprison spell or become a gaseous form); the body will

14
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
be dropped. You may not carry or drag the same person
again until they have stopped moving after being dropped. SPIRITS & RESURRECTION
Having an Endow, Strong Arm, or Superhuman Strength
bonus does not allow you to pick up a person faster or to After a character dies because they didn’t get a Life spell
run with them – nothing special is granted by these spells or effect in time to save them, their body dissipates and
or abilities. they become a spirit. All in-game items are left where the
character died, the player dons their white headband to
signify they are no longer there, and they must immediate-
KILLING BLOW ly travel to an Extended Earth Circle to seek Resurrection.
Spirits are completely invisible to the world and characters
This is an attack which immediately causes the death of around them. Spirits may not interact with other characters
the victim, bypassing the dying state and placing them or the game world in any way (no talking, noises, cha-
directly into the dead state. You may only deliver a Killing rades, or anything at all). Spirits move at normal walking
Blow to a character who is incapacitated or helpless. A pace (no running) to the resurrection point where the play-
helpless character is unable to defend against the attack er will record the death of their character with a Marshal or
because they are unconscious, dying, paralyzed, affected other official.
by a Web or Confine, or are “physically bound” by ropes
or chains as a prisoner (don’t actually restrain people, Once your character arrives at an Extended Earth Circle
that’s against the safety rules). In these cases it is easy to (created via Formal Magic) and enter it, any character who
deliver a coup de grâce in order to finish them off. is Invested in that specific circle and who is nearby will
“sense” a presence within the circle. They will enter the
To issue a Killing Blow, place your weapon on the torso of circle and concentrate for three-seconds to determine if
the victim (or touch them with a packet you are holding in that spirit is familiar to them (they will quietly ask the play-
your hand) and remain there while stating the verbal er if they know their character or not). The invested person
phrase “Killing Blow one, Killing Blow two, Killing Blow may then decide to attempt resurrection of the spirit within.
three <damage type>.” The delivery of a Killing Blow is a
Counted Action and must take at least 3-seconds no mat- The resurrection process may involve concentration, story-
ter how fast you say it. If anyone hits your weapon away telling, or other role-play to signify drawing the spirit back
during the Killing Blow count, then it is interrupted and is into the physical world (remember to follow the rules and
unsuccessful. You cannot prevent a Killing Blow by saying decorum of good-taste). Once resurrection has begun, the
“I stop you” - you must actually do it (within safety). You process may be passed to any other character within the
cannot deliver a Killing Blow to an arm, leg, or shoulder of circle so long as that character has the Healing Arts skill.
the victim, only on the torso. A Killing Blow can be deliv- The spirit can resurrect on its own without any guidance
ered by anyone even if they don’t have a weapon or the once the resurrection process is started if no other charac-
skill to use a weapon. ters with Healing Arts are available, but this causes emo-
tional anguish to the spirit and is unpleasant in-game.
A Killing Blow is not an attack in the normal sense, but is
a special attack. It bypasses physical armor and most If the spirit of the character is also Invested in the Extend-
magical protections such as Magic Armor. Even though ed Earth Circle they are in, they may instead choose to
there is a three-count to deliver the Killing Blow to the vic- resurrect themselves without any aid from others. This is
tim, it is only considered a single attack. also unpleasant in-game.

Some creatures have special abilities or conditions which The spirit must accept the person attempting to resurrect
must be met in order to deliver a successful Killing Blow. them and may reject any specific person attempting to
They might be immune to certain weapon damage types resurrect them, preventing the resurrection from starting.
or might require a very specific damage type in order to They may not specify why or give any indication who the
be successful. For example: a werewolf might be immune spirit is waiting for. The rejected character will be aware of
to “normal” damage but be affected by “silver” damage. the rejection, but nothing else.
These conditions would make delivering a Killing Blow
with your hand impossible, but even a character with no Spirits will normally be drawn to the closes Extended Earth
weapon skill could still use a silvered or magic weapon to Circle to resurrect, even if they are unaware in-game (or
deliver the Killing Blow and have it be successful. out-of-game) where that circle is or may have never seen
it (check with a Marshal). Characters cannot make prior
A successful Killing Blow means the character is dead plans to resurrect in specific circle based on method of
and that player must begin their silent five-minute death- death or if someone specific killed them.
count (see Dead above).
A player who is aware of a specific circle they do not wish
to use, may choose to go to a different circle which is not
hostile to them. It is the choice of the Player (not the char-

15
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
acter) to decide if a specific circle is “hostile”. Reasons corpse. The body of the character will reform in the exact
might include that the circle is owned by evil NPCs, is spot where they permanently died and will remain there
owned by an enemy or rival seeking to do them harm, or until found by someone else. All your gear will remain in
any reason the player decides. Even after the resurrection that spot (unless already claimed) and any Spirit-Lined
has stared, but before it is completed, the spirit may aban- magic items your character had will be Spirit-Linked to the
don the circle and go elsewhere for resurrection. next person who touches them, if possible.
Resurrecting at a circle other than the official in-game We understand that lying in the woods by yourself all
circle (often located in the Healer’s Guild) may require you night might not be the most fun thing to do for a lot of
to be out-of-game for a period of time to represent the players. It is perfectly reasonable to leave a note to speci-
travel time needed to get there and back to the game area fy that your permanently dead corpse is lying there.
(remember spirits move at normal walking pace). You will
need to seek a Marshal to record you death and outline Any problems with your resurrection should immediately
your plans to them. No character may never resurrect in be reported to a Marshal.
another chapter from where they suffered the death.

It takes five uninterrupted minutes to complete resurrec- FIRST EVENT RESURRECTIONS

tion of a spirit, after which the body of the character will
reform in the physical world. The body reforms at the end If you have never played NERO World before and are a
of the five-minutes and the player must state the verbal first-time player, there is a special rule to accommodate
phrase “I reform one, I reform two, I reform three.” Noth- your inexperience with the game and rules.
ing can affect the reforming character until the count is
completed. This count must take at least three-seconds. If you are unlucky enough to die and be forced to resur-
After the body forms, the character is Unconscious for rect during your first event, we’re not going to count it
one-minute, after which they will awaken automatically. against your character. This is a courtesy to new players
and should not be abused. This is not a way for you to be
A successfully resurrected character is restored back to reckless with your character and the resurrections should
life with their maximum Body Points and all daily skills will be roleplayed just like normal. Any person deemed to be
be renewed as if they had not been used, with the excep- abusing this rule will face disciplinary action and have the
tion of Crafting skills, Trade skills, or used magic item full amount of deaths applied to their character. Experi-
charges. Characters reform without any gear, unless such enced players will not gain any benefit from this rule.
gear is Spirit Linked or Spirit Locked to them, and form
with basic clothing.
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
Any active spells or effects are still lost. Lingering effects
such as Hex, Curse of Transformation, and Infection, will
be removed (unless otherwise noted on your character
Experience Points
card). Some special plot effects will remain even through
When you attend a NERO World event you will earn Ex-
resurrection and require specific remedies in order to re-
perience Points (XP) for your character. Each game day
move them. Forget-It-Well and Forget-Me-Not effects are
of the event your character gains a one-half “blanket” of
not removed, nor are the lost memories restored upon
Experience Points. A “blanket” is equal to the current
resurrection. It is not possible to determine how a
Build Point total of your character (rounded down). This
character died.
method is used because some events have different
lengths and it allows for the most flexibility. A one-day
Every time a character dies and seeks resurrection, a
event is called an “Adventure Day” will get your character
Marshal will add one death to their Death Total on their
0.5 blanket, a standard two-day “Weekend Event” gets
character card. At character creation, each new character
you 1 blanket, a three-day “Extended Weekend Event” is
starts the game with two free guaranteed resurrections.
1.5 blankets, and so on. So a long event which is five-
After those two free resurrections are used up, the player
days will get you 2.5 blankets (your get the idea).
must draw from the Bag of Chance. Inside the bag are ten
stones; one Death Stone for each time your character has
You can double the amount of XP awarded to your char-
resurrected beyond the two free resurrections. Life Stones
acter by turning in coins to “train your character” – this is
are added to bring the total to ten. The player draws and
called “Maxing-Out” (because it’s the most XP you can
the resulting pull is what happens next: Life Stone, the
get). The cost to max-out is one silver coin per additional
character will resurrect successfully or Death Stone, the
XP point you want to get, up to the total earned for the
character has suffered permanent death.
event (you can pay less, put you will also get less XP).
If you draw the Death Stone, your character is now a
If you are helping out your chapter by playing as an NPC,

16
 CHAPTER Two:
THE BASICS
you will automatically get the maximum amount of XP
Advancement Chart Table 2-2 allowed. Some chapters allow PC players to volunteer for
NPC shifts and reward them with their max-out, so no
coin is required to be turned in at the end of the event to
LEVEL Total XP per Body Points get the XP doubling for your character. Some chapters
Build Build use an optional system called “Auto-Max-Out” and this
F R S T means that every single player gets double XP without
needing to turn in coin. Auto-Max-Out also means that the
1 50 - 59 18 12 7 5 7
local chapter must reduce their treasure output to com-
2 60 - 69 25 14 8 6 8 pensate for this optional system (so less treasure will be
available for the event). Check with your local chapter for
3 70 - 79 33 16 9 6 9
what they allow.
4 80 - 89 42 18 10 7 10

5 90 - 99 52 20 11 8 11 BUILD POINTS
6 100 - 109 63 22 12 8 12 Experience Points get converted into Build Points (BP)
7 110 - 119 75 24 13 9 13 automatically. These Build Points are used to buy skills
and abilities for your character. The XP to BP conversion
8 120 - 129 88 26 14 10 14 rate is based on your character level and as you gain lev-
9 130 -139
els it takes more and more XP to equate into one BP.
102 28 15 10 15
Every 10 BP you earn raises your character level by one.
10 140 - 149 117 30 16 11 16 All new characters start the game with 50 BP (Level 1
with zero XP).
11 150 - 159 133 32 17 12 17

12 160 - 169 150 34 18 12 18

13 170 - 179 168 36 19 13 19

14 180 - 189 187 38 20 14 20

15 190 - 199 207 40 21 14 21

16 200 - 209 228 42 22 15 22

17 210 - 219 250 44 23 16 23

18 220 - 229 273 46 24 16 24

19 230 - 239 297 48 25 17 25

20 240 - 249 322 50 26 18 26

21 250 - 259 348 52 27 18 27

22 260 - 269 375 54 28 19 28

23 270 - 279 403 56 29 20 29

24 280 - 289 432 58 30 20 30

25 290 - 299 462 60 31 21 31

26 300 - 309 493 62 32 22 32

27 310 - 319 525 64 33 22 33

28 320 - 329 558 66 35 23 35

29 330 - 339 592 68 36 24 36

30 340 - 349 627 70 37 24 37

For levels beyond Level 31, check the online database.

17
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
of magic. This represents the essential understanding of
The Skill System how channel magic power and deliver the magic effect for
This is a fantasy game which allows players to simulate the spell. A Spell Slot is essentially an empty vessel by
doing things which they might not be able to do in real-life. which your character may memorize any one magic spell
Your real-life skills and abilities often don’t relate to what of the same level and school of magic as the Spell Slot.
your character is ble of doing in-game. If there is a skill or Characters chooses one spell to memorize which is stored
ability used by the game, your character must first have within that empty slot, filling it until it is cast and used up.
learned it before they may use it. If they don’t have the Once a spell is cast, the Spell Slot is empty and remains
skill to use a weapon, you may not pick up a weapon or unusable again until the next Standard Daily Reset (or
use it in any way (even to block with it), regardless of your Limited Reset if your chapter is using this optional sys-
out-of-game ability to use a weapon. Your character is tem), or it can be refilled again in some other way allowed
simply unskilled in its use and their feeble attempts to per- by the rules (such as by the Meditation skill).
form an action relating to that skill will result in abysmal
failure. This simulated skill system also allows your char- Spell Slots are learned in a pyramid structure. This means
acter to do things better (and safer) than you could per- you must have two Spells Slots of a lower level before you
form that same feat in real-life or to do impossible things can by the next higher level of the pyramid, and there can-
such as create Alchemy and Potions or to cast magic not be more than one Spell Slot difference between a
spells. higher level spell and the layer below it.

For Example: your character has one first level spell and
Some skills and abilities may be used continuously
wants to buy a second level spell. They must first buy an-
throughout the day, while others are limited to the number
other first level spell which will support the purchase of the
of times per day. Certain skills may be purchased multiple
second level spell they want to learn. They need the foun-
times, improve an existing skill, or allow you to perform
dation to build the new layer of spells upon.
the related ability more times per day. Read the specific
skill or ability for the full details on each one.

Standard Reset
Resource management is part of the game. Characters
will have skills and abilities which can only be used a lim-
ited number of time per-day (such as spells or Dodges),
and when they are used, they are expended for the rest of
the day. All per-day skills reset at 6 PM each day of the
event. Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Once you have four Spell Slots of a specific level, you do

Limited Reset (optional rule) not need to buy more to support the next level. At this
point the “pyramid” will then start to resemble an obelisk; a
Local Chapters may choose to use an optional system long column block with a pyramid at the top (or a brick
called a “Limited Reset”. This is a special skill reset which wall where you are adding bricks to only one side). As you
happens at 6 AM each day of the event. This limited reset buy more spells, you will still need to expand the bottom
does not restore Crafting skills, Tradecraft skills, Formal spells to support the ones above it, but do not need to
Magic skills, Cantrip levels, or magic items already ex- keep the “true pyramid” progression – although you could
pended for the day. If your Local Chapter is using this op- certainly continue this way (called “bottoming out”). Re-
tional system, they will announce it before the event and member there can never be more than one Spell Slot dif-
remind players during check-in or during the game Open- ference between adjacent levels.
ing Ceremonies.

MAGIC SPELLS & SPELL SLOTS SKILLS COSTS CHART

The following charts and table list each available Racial
Before your character can learn to cast magic spells, they Ability, Racial Feature, and Skill. There are four columns
must first learn the associated prerequisite skills, which associated with each of the four Classes: Fighter (F),
are the foundation for the school of magic they want to Rogue (R), Scholar (S), and Templar (T). The costs might
cast. The prerequisite skills are listed in the skill chart and be dramatically different between the classes. This simu-
also detailed in the skill description. lates the strengths of each (lower costs) as well as the
difficulties (higher costs). Be sure you have chosen a
Once your character has the necessary prerequisite skills, class which fits within the character concept you have
they may then buy Spell Slots associated with that school chosen.

18
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Table 3-2
Racial Abilities
Table 3-1
Magic Skills
SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE
ABILITY NAME TRAIT COST COST
TYPE WITH WITH-
SCHOLARLY SKILLS
TRAIT OUT
TRAIT Read and Write 6 6 3 3
Adept Dodge Fast 10 20 Read Magic 8 6 4 4 Read and Write
Light Touch ∞ Fast 2 4
HEALING SKILLS
Sneak Attack Fast 8 16
First Aid 4 3 2 2
Mighty Slay Strong 10 20
Healing Arts 4 3 2 2 Read and Write
& First Aid
Rip From Binding ∞ Strong 4 8

Strong-Arm Strong 10 20 HARMONICS SKILLS

Detect Poison ∞ Survivor 3 6 Manifold 9 3 2 2 Prepare Hearth

Ready Armor ∞ Survivor 4 8 Prepare Hearth 6 4 2 3 Level 1 Spell Slot

Will to Live Survivor 10 20

Table 3-3
Awaken ∞ Telepathic 3 6
Trades & Crafts
Break Charm Telepathic 5 10
SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE

Alchemy ∞ 6 3 4 5 Herbal Lore

Calm ∞ Telepathic 2 4
Craft Potion ∞ 6 5 3 4 Any 4th Lvl
Resist Physical Tough 5 10
Earth Spell
Resist Poison ∞ Tough 4 8
Craft Scroll ∞ 6 5 3 4 Any 4th Lvl
Celestial Spell
Toughness ∞ Tough 4 8
Craft Trap ∞ 6 3 4 5 Disarm/Arm Trap
Harvester Tradesman 5 10
Disarm/Arm Trap 9 3 4 5
Merchant Tradesman 5 10
Evaluate Item 6 3 6 6
Production Master Tradesman 10 20

Battle Rage ∞ Wild 2 4 Herbal Lore 6 3 4 5 Read and Write

Detect Magic Wild 4 8 Pick Locks 9 3 9 9

Dispel Magic ∞ Wild 4 8 Smithing ∞ 3 4 4 4

Tradecraft <type> ∞ 3 3 3 3
Remove Fear ∞ Willful 2 4

Resist Charm ∞ Willful 3 6

∞ This Skill may be bought multiple times.
Resist Sleep ∞ Willful 3 6
∞ This Racial Ability may be bought multiple times.

19
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Table 3-4
Weapons & Armor
Table 3-5
Fighting Skills
SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE

Archery 6 10 15 12
Critical Attack ∞ 3 4 6 3 A weapon skill
One Handed Blunt 3 4 8 5
Weapon 3 4 6 6 Critical
One Handed Edged 5 5 10 7 Proficiency ∞ Attack x4

Polearm 8 10 12 10 Critical Slay / Parry ∞ 10 15 20 13 Weapon /

Master
Shield 5 10 15 7 Proficiency x2

Small Weapon 2 2 2 2 Master Critical 3 4 6 4 A weapon skill

Attack ∞
Staff 4 4 4 4
Master Proficiency ∞ 5 8 10 6 Master Critical
Thrown Weapon 4 4 4 4 Attack x4

Two Handed Blunt 6 8 12 8 Master Slay / Parry ∞ 13 18 25 15 Master

Proficiency x2
Two Handed Sword 8 12 16 12

Florentine 6 6 12 8 A weapon skill One Handed Block 0 0 0 0 Two Handed

Weapon skill
Style Master 10 15 20 15 A weapon skill Stop Thrust ∞
Two Weapons 2 4 4 4 Florentine 1st Purchase 0 0 0 0 Two Handed
Melee Weapon
Weapon Master 15 18 20 18
Additional 2 2 2 2 Weapon
One Handed 8 9 14 10 Purchase
Weapon Master / Master
Proficiency x2
Two Handed 12 14 18 14
Weapon Master Table 3-6

Dexterity Armor ∞ 3 3 3 3
Stealth Skills
Wear Extra Armor ∞ 3 3 4 3
SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE

Waylay

1st Purchase 6 3 6 6 Short / Small

Weapon skill

Additional 6 3 6 6 Character
Purchase Levels x5

Back Attack* 6 3 6 6 A weapon skill

Backstab* 6 3 6 6 Back Attack x4

Assassinate / 20 10 20 20 Backstab x2
Dodge*

∞ This Skill may be bought multiple times.

20
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Table 3-7 Table 3-8
Primary School of Magic Secondary School of Magic
SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE SKILL NAME F R S T PREREQUISITE

Level 1 Spell 3 2 1 1 Celestial: Read Magic ∆ Level 1 Spell 6 4 2 2 Celestial: Read Magic ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞ Earth: Healing Arts ∆
Earth: Healing Arts ∆

Level 2 Spell 3 2 1 1 Level 1 Spell Slot Level 2 Spell 6 4 2 2 Level 1 Spell Slot
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 3 Spell 6 4 2 2 Level 2 Spell Slot ∆ Level 3 Spell 12 8 4 4 Level 2 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 4 Spell 6 4 2 2 Level 3 Spell Slot ∆ Level 4 Spell 12 8 4 4 Level 3 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 5 Spell 9 6 3 3 Level 4 Spell Slot ∆ Level 5 Spell 18 12 6 6 Level 4 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 6 Spell 9 6 3 4 Level 5 Spell Slot ∆ Level 6 Spell 18 12 6 8 Level 5 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 7 Spell 12 8 4 5 Level 6 Spell Slot ∆ Level 7 Spell 24 16 8 10 Level 6 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 8 Spell 12 8 4 5 Level 7 Spell Slot ∆ Level 8 Spell 24 16 8 10 Level 7 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Level 9 Spell 15 10 5 6 Level 8 Spell Slot ∆ Level 9 Spell 30 20 10 12 Level 8 Spell Slot ∆
Slot ∞ Slot ∞

Formal Magic ∞ 12 8 4 6 Level 9 Spell Slot Formal Magic ∞ 24 16 8 10 Level 9 Spell Slot

∆ This Skill requires “Pyramid-Style” purchase.

∞ This Skill may be bought multiple times.

21
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Some skills have Prerequisite Skills you must buy before Feature is allowed. The character gains the Mastery at no
you can buy at specific skill. Be sure that you understand cost (0BP).
this when designing your character and spending Build
Points. Any Assassinates, Backstabs, Blade Furies, and Weapon
Proficiencies the character learns for any weapon, are
Ability treated instead as Master Weapon Proficiencies/Slays/
Blade Furies for the purposes and may be used in con-
An Ability is an innate action the character may perform junction with the Racial Feature Weapon (including hand-
and may even be used if they cannot use game skills edness if applicable). If the character also has the skills
(such as if they are affected by Taint Blood). Florentine, Two Weapons, or Weapon Master, then Mas-
ter Weapon Proficiencies/Backstabs may be applied to
both weapons as appropriate when used (regardless of
Magical Ability normal handedness). If the character is using a two-
handed weapon, then Master Weapon Proficiencies/
The character has an innate power which allows them to Backstabs may be combined as appropriate when used
generate an effect which mimics an existing spell or effect, (regardless of normal handedness). Backstabs and As-
but does not require any of the normal required prerequi- sassinates must still follow the normal rules when they are
sites to cast. The use of the Magical Ability is delivered by used.
the character speaking the verbal phrase “Magic <spell
name or effect> <option or number>”, even if the charac-
ter is bound (such as in a Bind or Web), may be used if RACIAL ABILITY DESCRIPTIONS
they cannot use game skills (such as if they are affected This section details the available Racial Abilities your
by Taint Blood), but they must still be able to speak character can gain. Racial Abilities may never ne used to
(cannot be used when Silenced). All other standard rules qualify as a Prerequisites for any other skills, it is a stand-
for casting spells must be followed. The Magical Ability alone ability. Abilities listed with a ∞ symbol may be pur-
spell or effect matches the school listed in the spell de- chased multiple times. Remember you can only have one
scription. If the spell is normally able to be cast as Celes- Racial Ability per Character Level.
tial or Earth (either school) the Magical Ability is also con-
sidered to be ”both schools” for the purposes of Spell De- Adept Dodge
fenses, Detect Magic, and removal. If the Magical Ability
normally has no school, it is considered “both schools”. A The character has the ability to Dodge once per-day. The
lingering Magical Ability is removed by any means which ability functions exactly as the Dodge portion of the As-
would normally remove the spell or effect. A Dispel Magic sassinate/Dodge skill in every respect (see Assassinate/
remove any Magical Ability effect unless it is a Cantrip or Dodge on pages 27-28).
Formal Magic type effect (in which case a Destroy Magic
will remove it). Magical Abilities are subject to Spell Dis- Awaken ∞
ruption just like standard spells. A Magical Ability may
never be used to qualify as a prerequisite for any other The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to
skills, it is a stand-alone ability. cast one Awaken spell per-day for each time this ability is
purchased.
Evoked Battle Rage ∞
This is a special form of Magical Ability. This ability grants
one or more effects simultaneously to the character them- The character may deal five-points of bonus damage for
selves (personal) and may not be used on another char- five consecutive swings with a melee weapon. The char-
acter. To evoke the effect(s), the character must speak acter must have the skill to use the chosen weapon(s) and
the in-game verbal phrase (the ability may not be used if all attacks must be delivered within one-minute of evoking
Silenced). Evoking is not subject to Spell Disruption and Battle Rage. If the character has the skill to wield a weap-
may be used while skilless. on in each hand, each weapon gains the bonus damage
(maximum of +5 damage per weapon). This skill does not
grant any bonus to ranged weapons (bow, crossbow,
Racial Feature Ability: thrown weapon, etc.). The character may use this skill
once per-day for each time they have purchased it. To use
<type> Weapon Mastery this skill, the character must state the in-game verbal
phrase “I evoke Battle Rage” after which the skill is ex-
The specified race has an aptitude for using certain weap- pended. The verbal phrase is in-game and may not be
on types or groups of weapons. The character is required done if the character is Silenced or is unable to speak, but
to learn any weapon skill (not necessarily one included in is not subject to Spell Disruption.
the Racial Mastery) before their Weapon Mastery Racial

22
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
The character may expend this skill to Resist one Berserk lyze blood or determine any information about a person or
effect. After Resisting the Berserk effect, the character creature. This ability may still be used even if the charac-
may immediately evoke Battle Rage without expending ter has no uses of Detect Poison remaining for the day.
another use of the skill. To use the ability in this way, the
character must state the in-game verbal phrase “Resist. I In addition, the character may expend Detect Poison to
evoke Battle Rage”, after which the ability is expended. cast one Purify Blood spell. Detect Poison be expended
once per-day for each time this ability is purchased. The
Break Charm spell functions exactly as the Earth spell Purify Blood in
every respect (see Purify Blood on page 67, except it
The ability allows the character to remove Charm effects must be touch-cast to the target (including on them-
on another character (but not themselves). This ability selves).
may be used by the character an unlimited number of
times each day without being expended. Break Charm will Dispel Magic ∞
remove any of the follow effects on the recipient: Vampire
Charm, Fear, Charm / Charm Animal, Shun / Shun Ani- The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to
mal, Calm / Calm Animal (one at a time). To use this abil- cast one Dispel Magic spell per-day for each time this
ity, the character must be close enough to touch-cast, ability is purchased. The spell functions exactly as the
must have the full attention of the recipient, and spend spell Dispel Magic in every respect (see page 61).
one-minute role-playing (this is a Concentration action).
The attempt to Break Charm fails if either character is Harvester
attacked (even if they suffer no Body Point damage), ei-
ther character uses any other in-game skill, or the conver- The character is able to gather their own “raw materials”
sation ends before the one-minute elapses. for use with Crafting Skills at no coin cost. The character
may still choose to pay the coin cost for “raw materials”
The character may expend the Break Charm ability for the and if they do, they gain a second Materials Bonus for
day (until the next Standard Reset, even if the optional Crafting Levels (see Crafting on page 36). This ability may
rule Limited Reset is used) to remove an Enslavement only be purchased once.
effect on another character. If the recipient is not En-
slaved or the attempt is not successful for any reason, the Light Touch ∞
Break Charm is not expended. Break Charm is not a spell
and will not trigger Spell Defenses. This ability may only This ability may be used in one of the following four ways
be purchased once. for each time it is purchased: Pick Locks, OR Disarm /
Arm Trap, OR use any one Alchemy poison (regardless of
Calm ∞ level or type), OR use the character’s purchased
Backstab bonus damage or Assassinate skill at range
The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to with a Thrown Weapon for a single attack (the character
cast one Calm spell per-day for each time this ability is does not need the Thrown Weapon skill and the rear
purchased (see Calm on page 56). requirement is temporarily removed for this single attack).
When using this ability to Pick Locks or Disarm / Arm Trap
Detect Magic the player must state the out-of-game verbal phrase nam-
ing the chosen option (for example “Pick Locks”) after
The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to which the character temporarily gains the named skill for
cast a Detect Magic spell at-will. The spell functions ex- a single attempt for up to one-minute (see the specific skill
actly as the spell Detect Magic in every respect, except descriptions for the full details on how these skills work).
must be touch-cast on the target. This ability is not ex-
pended when used, but may only be purchased once (see Merchant
page 61).
The character is able to use any number of Master Craft-
Detect Poison ∞ ing Levels they have in any Crafting skill they have pur-
chased to produce any item able to be crafted by the skills
This ability allows the character to detect the existence of Alchemy, Create Potion, Create Scroll, Create Trap, or
poisons and Alchemical substances and to identify them Smithing. This ability may only be purchased once.
on a target, as if they had the Herbal Lore skill (see page
30). This ability may be used by the character at-will each Mighty Slay
day without being expended. To use this ability, the player
must spend three-seconds role-playing the detection pro- The character has the ability to deliver a Master Slay once
cess and then speak the verbal phrase “I evoke Detect per-day. The ability functions exactly as the Slay portion
Poison.” This ability does not allow the character to ana- of the Master Slay/Parry skill in every respect (see Master
Slay/Parry on page 31).
23
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Production Master Resist Physical
The character gains the Workshop Bonus Crafting Levels The character has the ability to Resist one weapon attack
even if they don’t have access to a workshop. The char- or attack with the word “physical” in the delivery, regard-
acter may still use a workshop (if they have access to less of delivery method, once per-day for each time this
one) and if they do, they gain a second Workshop Bonus ability is purchased. Spell Defenses are expended before
for Crafting Levels (see Crafting on page 36). This ability the character may use the Resist ability (see Protection
may only be purchased once. Hierarchy on page 82). To use this ability, the character
must be conscious and the player must state the verbal
Ready Armor ∞ phrase “Resist” within three-seconds of being affected. It
is obvious to any observers the character was not affected
The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to by the effect if they say “Resist”.
evoke the effects of one Shield spell and one Eldritch
Shield Cantip upon themselves once per-day for each Resist Sleep ∞
time this ability is purchased. The spells function exactly
as the spells of the same names in every respect (see the The character has the ability to Resist one Sleep effect or
specific spell descriptions for the full details on how these attack with the word “sleep” in the delivery, regardless of
spells work). To use the ability, the player must spend delivery method, once per-day for each time this ability is
three-seconds role-playing, then state the in-game verbal purchased. Spell Defenses are expended before the char-
phrase “I evoke armor.” acter may use the Resist ability (see Protection Hierarchy
on page 82). To use this ability, the character must be
Remove Fear ∞ conscious and the player must state the verbal phrase
“Resist” within three-seconds of being affected. It is obvi-
The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to ous to any observers the character was not affected by the
cast one Remove Fear spell once per-day for each time effect if they say “Resist”.
this ability is purchased (see page 68).
Rip from Binding ∞
Resist Charm ∞
The character has the ability to “rip free” from any Binding-
The character has the ability to Resist one Charm effect Group effects, regardless of delivery method, once per-
or attack with the word “Charm” in the delivery, regardless day for each time this ability is purchased. This ability re-
of delivery method, once per-day for each time this ability quires the player to perform a three-count action with the
is purchased. Any of the following effects may be Resist- verbal phrase “I rip free one, I rip free two, I rip free three”,
ed: Enslavement, Vampire Charm, Fear, Charm / Charm after which all binding effects are removed (Pin, Bind,
Animal, Shun / Shun Animal, Calm / Calm Animal; no oth- Web, and Confine). While the character is performing the
er effects may be Resisted using this ability (including three-counted action, they are vulnerable to attacks. The
Berserk or Feeblemind). Spell Defenses are expended effect fails if the character stops the counted-action or us-
before the character may use the Resist ability (see Pro- es any other in-game skill before the completion of the
tection Hierarchy on page 82). To use this ability, the count, and is still expended. Ripping free does not cause
character must be conscious and the player must state any damage to the character.
the verbal phrase “Resist” within three-seconds of being
affected. It is obvious to any observers the character was Sneak Attack
not affected by the effect if they say “Resist”.
The character may deal two-points of bonus damage
Resist Poison ∞ when attacking from the rear, following all the require-
ments per the Backstab skill (see Backstab on page 28) in
The character has the ability to Resist one Alchemy or every respect, except with the following changes. This skill
poison effect or attack with the word “poison” in the deliv- is not hand-specific and if the character is using two-
ery, regardless of delivery method, once per-day for each weapons, the bonus damage is applied to each weapon.
time this ability is purchased. Spell Defenses are expend- This ability does not count toward pre-requisites for any
ed before the character may use the Resist ability (see skill. This ability may only be purchased once.
Protection Hierarchy on page 82). Resist Poison cannot
be used to resist any of the following: Alchemical Solvent,
Liquid Light, Paste of Stickiness, Oil of Slipperiness, or
Vorpal Coatings. To use this ability, the character must be
conscious and the player must state the verbal phrase
“Resist” within three-seconds of being affected. It is obvi-
ous to any observers the character was not affected by
the effect if they say “Resist”.
24
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Strong Arm Claw Mastery
This ability allows the character to deal one-point of bonus This feature bestows the character with the ability to wield a
damage with any weapon they have the skill to wield. If claw as a melee weapon. If the character has the skill to
the character is using two-weapons, the bonus damage is wield a weapon in each hand, they may also use a claw in
applied to each weapon. This ability does not count to- their off-hand. The claw weapon phys-rep must be recog-
ward pre-requisites for any skill. This skill does not grant nizable as a “claw” and not may not look like a “sword”;
any kind of strength bonus, only bonus weapon damage. standard “boffer” weapons must be red in color, plastidip or
This ability may only be purchased once. latex style weapons must look like a claw. Claws are con-
Toughness ∞ sidered “weapons”, but are a special weapon type called
“body weapons” (which are part of the character) and as
The character has a Magical Ability which allows them to such may not be targeted by Destroy, Fumble, or Shatter
evoke the effects of one Bless spell and one Eldritch effects. Claws may be retracted when not in use (so the
Bless Cantip upon themselves once per-day for each time player may stow them away), however a Hold may not
this ability is purchased. The spells function exactly as the called to pull them out. If the player accidentally drops their
spells of the same names in every respect (see the spe- claw phys-rep or it is knocked away, they must retrieve it
cific spell descriptions for the full details on how these before they may use it again (consider it retracted until re-
spells work). To use the ability, the player must spend trieved).
three-seconds role-playing, then state the in-game verbal
phrase “I evoke toughness.” Claws may be affected by Sharpening (see the Smithing
special ability), but may not be Silvered or enchanted by
Will to Live Formal Magic or Cantrips. The character may use Blade
Effects (Endow, Delayed Endow, Elemental Blade, En-
This ability is only used when the character is close to chanted Blade, and Silver Aura) in conjunction with claws.
death. If the character is Dying and the player is perform-
ing the one-minute Dying Count, this ability may be used Crossbow Mastery
at the end of the count to bring the character to 0 Body
Points, and Unconscious, instead of becoming Dead. To This feature bestows the character with the skill to use a
use this ability, the player must state the out-of-game ver- Crossbow (see Archery on page 27), but not a Bow.
bal phrase “Will to Live, Stabilize” and expend the ability.
The character is affected by Stabilize (per the spell effect Dagger Mastery
on page 71). The choice is made out-of-game by the play-
er (not the character). This ability may not be used if the This feature bestows the character with the skill to use a
character is Dead (such as from a Killing Blow or Death Dagger and a Throwing Dagger, but no other types of
spell). This ability may only be purchased once. Thrown Weapons are included in this feature.

RACIAL FEATURES DESCRIPTIONS Hex / Remove Hex

This section is complex and must be carefully understood
Axe Mastery to be effective. This ability has three options: Hex, Remove
Hex, and Curse (see below).
This feature bestows the character with the skill to use all
axe melee weapons. The weapons included are: Hatchet, Hex (option one) - This ability may be used bestow one
Short Axe, Long Axe, and Two Handed Axe (Polearm). Hex upon a victim. The character may only have one Hex
Thrown Weapons are not included in this feature. active at any time and if they already have one active, they
must first Remove Hex on the first victim. The Hex will per-
Bow Mastery sist on the victim until it is removed or the character resur-
rects (it is not removed by the resurrection of the bestowing
This feature bestows the character with the skill to use a character). This ability may be used at-will, but the charac-
Bow (see Archery on page 27), but not a Crossbow. ter must wait five-minutes between uses. The bestowing
character may stipulate a duration for the Hex if they wish,
Break Charm after which it is automatically removed. The allowed dura-
tions are: 5-minutes, 1-hour, 1-day (until next Standard Re-
This feature bestows the character with the Break Charm set), 5-days, 30-days, 90-days, 1-year. If no duration is stip-
ability for free (0 Build Points). ulated, the Hex lasts for 5-days. The Hex may be removed
earlier if the character uses Remove Hex (see below). The
Hex, the name of the bestowing character, and its duration
are noted on the victim’s character card.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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Bestowing a Hex should only occur if the character feels very long pink hair, or something similar.
they have been offended or wronged by the victim in
some substantial way. The Hex is intended to be enter- Phrase: “<personal prefix> if you do not <deformity op-
taining and humorous, not overly oppressive or hindering tion>. I bestow this Hex upon you. <optional duration>.”
on the player of the victim out-of-game. The player receiv-
ing the Hex may ask for a different Hex if they think it is Personality Changes: The Hex causes the victim to alter
too embarrassing or difficult out-of-game, however must the way they behave or act. It is the choice of the victim of
eventually accept the Hex effect. Hex effects are roleplay the Hex how this is role-played. The victim must behave in
only effects and my not hinder any game ability or skill in an opposite way than they normally would. An example of
any way and may not affect combat or the ability of a some options are: help those less/more fortunate than
character to conduct combat. you, be cowardly/brave, be forgetful, be aggressive/
pacifist, or something similar. The victim can pick anything
The Hex may be used through a Circle of Power, Ward, or they want about their character, so long as they act in the
if the character cannot move but can still speak and see opposite way than normal.
the victim. The victim must also be able to hear the Hex
as it is being delivered. A Hex is not a magical effect and Phrase: “<personal prefix> act in the opposite way than
is not blocked by Spell Defenses, may not be Dodged, normal. I bestow this Hex upon you. <optional duration>.”
Phased, Resisted, or otherwise avoided in any way; it is
not removed by a Dispel Magic or by Destroy Formal Remove Hex (option two) - To remove a Hex, the char-
Magic. acter must be close enough to touch the victim and say
the in-game verbal phrase “I remove your Hex.” Only the
The Hex takes effect only once the verbal is completed character who bestowed the Hex may remove it or their
and the victim is given the details and any required props clan superior (usually a Bandoleer). Removing a Hex
by the caster. A Hold may not be called for this. should include some form of ceremony, spectacle, or party
To bestow a Hex, the character must speak the in-game which may include the victim making amends for the
verbal phrase “<Personal Prefix> <Hex option>. I bestow wrongdoing. This should not be ridicule, but should be fun
this Hex upon you.” (Hex options are listed below). for everyone involved.

The characters personal prefix is something unique to the Curse of Destruction (option three) - The character has
character and they may make it anything they wish (“May a Magical Ability which allows them to cast one Curse
I lose all my teeth if…” or “May my wagon fall down if…” spell. The character must expend the Hex ability for the
or similar) but should be colorful. day (until the next Standard Reset, even if the optional
rule Limited Reset is used) to use the Magical Ability.
The following Hexes are permitted (and nothing else):
Hammer Mastery
Uncontrollable Action: The Hex causes the victim to
perform some action and may be any of the following: This feature bestows the character with the skill to use all
bark, burp, cough, cry, laugh, limp, jump, oink, rhyme, hammer melee weapons. The weapons included are:
skip, sing, sneeze, spin, stutter, trip, whistle, or something Bludgeon, Short Mace, Long Mace, Short Hammer, Long
similar. Hammer, and Two Handed Hammer (Two Handed Blunt).
Thrown Weapons are not included in this feature.
Phrase: “<personal prefix> if you do not <action option>
with everything you do and say! I bestow this Hex upon
you. <optional duration>.” Mentalist

Deformity: The Hex causes the victim to gain some form This feature bestows the character with certain mental
of physical appearance change, usually of an outlandish abilities. This ability has two options: Cure Insanity and
or ugly fashion. The player must supply whatever is need- Magical Ability: Inspiration (see below).
ed to the victim for the deformity (makeup, prosthetics,
whatever). The player of the victim may refuse if there is a Cure Insanity (option one): The character may cure role-
hazard or safety concern, such as allergies or hindrance playing based “Insanity” and “mental damage” of another
to combat or spell casting. In such cases, the Hex must willing character. This ability may be used at-will, but the
be changed to accommodate or choose a Personality character must wait five-minutes between uses. To use
Change or Uncontrollable Action instead. A Deformity this ability, the character must be close enough to touch
may not alter the appearance to make the victim appear the recipient, both characters must be concentrating on
as any monster race, or to disguise the victim, or make each other (this is a Concentration action for both), and
them unrecognizable as that character. Allowable options must spend at least one-minute role-playing the “cure”
are: grow a pig’s nose, grow warts upon your face, grow process (although it may take as long as both players
want). The process may include conversation between

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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both characters, their eyes may be open or closed, and drink. Alchemy 1 is required. The Alchemy tag must be
either character may end the process at any time. This attached to the bottom of the cup or plate for this to be
ability may not be used to tell if another character is lying effective, or having a Marshal witness the pouring roleplay
or telling the truth, to alter memories in such a way that requirements.
the recipient has false memories, to restore lost memories
from Forget-Me-Not or Forget-It-Well effects, or to circum- The character may utilize alchemical Gas Poisons up to
vent any game rule. their level in this skill. If the Crafting Level for a Gas Poi-
son is higher than your skill level, you may not use it. Al-
Inspiration (option two): The character has a Magical chemical Gas Poisons (gas globes) are represented by
Ability which allows them to touch-cast one Inspiration orange-colored spell packets in order to set them apart
spell onto a willing recipient (they may not use the Inspira- from magic spell packets (which may not be orange in col-
tion upon themselves). The character must expend the or), and are in-game items, unlike spell packets.
Mentalist ability for the day (until the next Standard Reset, To use a Gas Poison, the player must have an orange
even if the optional rule Limited Reset is used) to use the packet in their hand (or an approved soft foam phys-rep),
Magical Ability. The recipient must be able to receive the and must state the out-of-game verbal phrase “<type>
Inspiration effect and if they cannot, the ability is not ex- Gas Poison” before throwing the alchemy. The verbal rep-
pended. See the spell Inspiration for how the effect works. resents the time it takes the character to prepare the gas
for use, and Gas Poisons may be used even if the charac-
Short Weapon Mastery ter is unable to speak. If the verbal is not stated correctly,
or the Gas Poison is thrown before the verbal is complet-
This feature bestows the character with the skill to use all ed, then it is not valid (it was not prepared properly) but is
hammer melee weapons. The weapons included are: still expended. If the packet hits the target or any of their
Sap, Bludgeon, Dagger, Hatchet, Short Axe, Short Ham- possessions, they will be affected (defenses apply as nor-
mer, Short Mace, and Short Sword. Thrown Weapons are mal). A Gas Poison will only affect a single target, regard-
not included in this feature. less of if they are indoors or outdoors.

Two-Handed Mastery Alchemy Gas Globes are in-game items and may be tar-
geted by spells and effects (such as Fumble or Shatter),
This feature bestows the character with the Two-Handed and they may be stolen. When stealing a Gas Globe, the
Weapon Master skill at no cost (zero Build Points). player must take the orange packet, not the tag (see So
You Want to Be a Thief on page 87 for more information of
in-game stealing). Alchemical Gas Poisons are also used
SKILL DESCRIPTIONS in some Traps (see Traps & Locks on page 89).
This section details the available skills your character can
learn. A skill listed with a ∞ may be purchased multiple Assassinate / Dodge ∞
times, allowing the character to either improve the existing
skill or allow them to use that skill more times per day. Prerequisite: 2 Backstabs each
Read each skill description carefully so you fully under- This skill may be used in one of two ways, either as an
stand them. Some skills have Prerequisites which your Assassinate or as a Dodge (but not both) and may be
character must have before they can learn the new skill. used for either option once for each time the skill is pur-
chased. The two different options are outlined below.
Alchemy ∞ Assassinate: This attack may only be delivered from be-
hind your opponent and you must be able to clearly see
Prerequisite: Herbal Lore
the area of their shoulder blades. You must attack the rear
This crafting skill allows the character to craft non-magical
-side of the opponent and may not attack from the front or
elixirs, poisons, coatings, oils, and solvents. This skill can
sides. If your attack doesn’t hit on the back side (if your
be purchased multiple times and each purchase gains the
opponent turns for example), the attack fails. Once you
character one Alchemy Crafting Level. The full list of what
deliver the attack it is used up, even if it missed the target
can be made with this skill (and their associated Crafting
or was defended against. This attack deals 100 points of
Level Costs) is found in the Adventuring Gear chapter on
damage if successful (this damage may not be increased
page 95.
in any way). To deliver an Assassinate attack the player
must state the verbal phrase “100 <weapon
Any character may drink an elixir, activate an alchemical
type><damage type> Assassinate” and then swing your
Liquid Light, or apply a Vorpal Coating to a weapon; you
weapon at an opponent.
do not need the Alchemy skill to perform these actions.
Every fourth Assassinate is upgraded to a Bladefury,
The character may mix an ingested Alchemy into food or
which deals 200 damage instead of the standard 100

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
damage for an Assassinate. To deliver a Bladefury attack tack, they may choose to exchange them and instead use
the player must state the verbal phrase “200 <weapon those Build Points to purchase a Backstab (see Backstab
type><damage type> Assassinate” and then swing your for more information). They may then buy more Back At-
weapon at an opponent as outlined above. tacks.

An Assassinate and a Bladefury are not reduced by Backstab <weapon> <hand> ∞

Threshold or Damage Cap and will bypass those special
abilities, dealing full damage to the opponent. Prerequisite: Back Attack x4 (exchanged)
The character may deal two additional points of weapon
If you are properly behind your opponent and you have damage while they are behind an opponent. This skill may
started your weapon swing (and announced your dam- only be used from behind an opponent and you must be
age) but your opponent turns so you are not behind them able to clearly see the area of their shoulder blades; you
anymore, you are permitted to complete the current weap- may not attack from the front or sides and reach around to
on swing against them even though your orientation has strike the back.
changed so you might not hit them in the rear as normally
required. However, after the current weapon swing is This skill is accumulative and may be purchased multiple
completed (successful or not), you must reposition your- times. The player must designate which hand this skill is
self behind your opponent again before you may attack applied to when it is first purchased. The additional dam-
again. age may be added to any weapon the character has the
skill to use.
Dodge: This defense is used to completely avoid an at-
tack which hits the character. To use this skill, you must If you are properly behind your opponent and you have
say the verbal phrase “dodge” after being hit with an at- started your weapon swing (and announced your damage)
tack (weapon or packet). This skill may not be used if your but your opponent turns so you are not behind them any-
character is incapacitated, completely immobilized (such more, you are permitted to complete the current weapon
as Web or Paralyze), and cannot be used to protect your swing against them even though your orientation has
character against a trap or against a Killing Blow. changed so you might not hit them in the rear as normally
required. However, after the current weapon swing is com-
Back Attack <weapon> <hand> ∞ pleted (successful or not), you must reposition yourself
behind your opponent again before you may add the addi-
Prerequisite: A weapon skill tional Backstab damage to your attack.
This skill may be used once per-day for each time it is
purchased, to a maximum of four purchases. The charac- Celestial Magic Spell Slot <level> ∞
ter may add two additional points of damage against a
single chosen opponent for the remainder of the current Prerequisite: Read Magic, spell pyramid structure
battle, so long as they remain within Line of Sight of the The character gains one Celestial Magic Spell Slot of the
chosen opponent (see Line of Sight on page 55 for more appropriate level as outlined under the section Magic
information). The player must designate which hand this Spells & Spell Slots on page 18.
skill is applied to when it is first purchased. The additional
damage may be added to any weapon the character has Craft Potion ∞
the skill to use.
Prerequisite: Earth Magic Spell Slot (level 4)
This additional damage may only be added when you are This crafting skill allows the character to craft magical
behind an opponent and you must be able to clearly see Potions. This skill can be purchased multiple times and
the area of their shoulder blades; you may not attack from each purchase gains the character one Potion Crafting
the front or sides and reach around to strike the back. Level. The character must already an Earth Magic Spell
Slot equal to the level of the Potion to be crafted. Not eve-
If you are properly behind your opponent and you have ry Earth Magic spell is available to be made into a Potion.
started your weapon swing (and announced your dam- The full list of what can be made with this skill (and their
age) but your opponent turns so you are not behind them associated Crafting Level Costs) is found in Chapter Five:
anymore, you are permitted to complete the current weap- Spells on page 73.
on swing against them even though your orientation has
changed so you might not hit them in the rear as normally
required. However, after the current weapon swing is
completed (successful or not), you must reposition your-
self behind your opponent again before you may add the
additional Back Attack damage to your attack.
Once the character has purchased their fourth Back At-

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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Craft Scroll ∞ Class and the Wear Extra Armor skill (see Wear Points on
page 95).
Prerequisite: Celestial Magic Spell Slot (level 4)
This crafting skill allows the character to craft celestial Because this skill provides armor protection without the
magic Scrolls. This skill can be purchased multiple times need to actually wear physical armor, the player is re-
and each purchase gains the character one Scroll Craft- quired to be “well costumed” (see Costumes on page
ing Level. The character must already a Celestial Magic 110), otherwise they may not gain the armor benefits of
Spell Slot equal to the level of the Scroll to be crafted. Not Dexterity Armor.
every Celestial Magic spell is available to be made into a
Scroll. The full list of what can be made with this skill (and Dexterity Armor is damaged only after physical armor the
their associated Crafting Level Costs) is found in Chapter character is wearing is breached to zero points. This skill
Five: Spells on page 73. may not be used if your character is incapacitated or com-
pletely immobilized (such as Web or Paralyze), but other-
Craft Trap ∞ wise functions exactly as if it were physical armor is every
respect.
Prerequisite: Disarm/Arm Trap
This crafting skill allows the character to craft traps. This To Refit Dexterity Armor, the player must roleplay continu-
skill can be purchased multiple times and each purchase ously for one-minute by stretching and loosening up their
gains the character one Trap Crafting Level. The full list of muscles (in a similar way you would stretch before a
what can be made with this skill (and their associated workout). Refitting Dexterity Armor may be done simulta-
Crafting Level Costs) is found in Chapter Five: Spells on neously while refitting physical armor and Arcane Armor.
page 73. Also, see Traps and Locks on page 89 for addi- This is a Concentration action and once completed, all
tional information and rules about Traps and how they Armor Points are restored.
work.
Disarm / Arm Trap
Critical Attack <weapon> <hand> ∞
Prerequisite: None
Prerequisite: A Weapon Skill The character is able to make an attempt to disarm a set
This skill may be used once per-day for each time it is trap or to set an unarmed trap. The character must have
purchased, to a maximum of four purchases. The charac- Disarm / Arm Trap in order to even make such an attempt;
ter may add one additional point of damage against a sin- you may not cut strings or tripwires, even if they are obvi-
gle chosen opponent for the remainder of the current bat- ous. You may not interact with the trap in any way unless
tle, so long as they remain within Line of Sight of the cho- you have the Disarm / Arm Trap skill. If you set a trap with-
sen opponent (see Line of Sight on page 55 for more in- in or around your cabin or sleeping area, the traps must be
formation). The player must designate a specific weapon noted on the Marshal Notes. Characters with this skill of-
and also choose which hand this skill is applied to when it ten have a kit containing simple tools such as a candle,
is first purchased. ball of string, probe, or small knife (see So you want to be
a Thief? on page 87).
Once the character has purchased their fourth Critical
Attack, they may choose to exchange them and instead Earth Magic Spell Slot <level> ∞
use those Build Points to purchase a Weapon Proficiency
(see Weapon Proficiency on page 35 for more infor- Prerequisite: Healing Arts, spell pyramid structure
mation). They may then buy more Critical Attacks. The character gains one Earth Magic Spell Slot of the ap-
propriate level as outlined under the section Magic Spells
Dexterity Armor ∞ & Spell Slots on page 18.

Prerequisite: None Evaluate Item

The character has learned the art of nimble combat, al-
lowing them to tuck and roll to absorb damage. This skill Prerequisite: None
may be purchased a maximum of ten times, with each The character is able to make a relatively accurate esti-
purchase granting the character two points of Dexterity mate of the value of certain in-game tagged items. These
Armor. items have either an Evaluate number stating the value or
an Evaluate Code which can be deciphered by the player
The protection afforded by Dexterity Armor is distinct from to reveal the monetary value of the item being examined
physical armor, but is stacked together with both physical (you might get an out-of-game reference sheet when you
armor and Arcane Armor (if the character has them) and buy this skill). Characters without this skill are not permit-
the entirety is counted towards the total maximum armor ted to look at the tags or sheets associated with the sys-
allowed by your Armor Limit, as dictated by your chosen tem.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
First Aid skill takes as long as it takes the player to ask the ques-
tions, but must be at least three-seconds.
Prerequisite: None
The character knows how to stop bleeding and stabilize a It is impossible to perform Healing Arts on a conscious
dying person. The First Aid skill may only be used on a target without their knowledge, and the target knows that
creature which has a metabolism. If First Aid will not affect the “diagnosis” is being undergone. They may easily pre-
a target that player must call “no effect” to indicate such at vent it by saying the out-of-game statement “I stop you” at
the start of the use of First Aid. The full details of First Aid which point no questions may be asked of the target. An
are outlined in the section Life & Death on page 14. incapacitated or helpless target may not prevent the use of
Healing Arts.
Florentine
Specifically disallowed questions which may not be asked:
Prerequisite: A weapon skill What are your maximum Body Points? What level are
The character may use one weapon in each hand. One of you? Were you killed by celestial/earth/chaos/poison?
the weapons may be a long weapon (such as a sword), Who killed you?
however the other weapon must be a small weapon (such
as a dagger). Damage must be announced fittingly for Healing Arts also allows the character to identify any
each weapon separately with regard to its base damage magical Potion by examining it for three-seconds.
and any applied skills or bonuses. Two-handed weapons
may not be used in conjunction with this skill. Herbal Lore
Formal Magic <school> ∞ Prerequisite: Read and Write
The character is familiar with plants and herbs used in the
Prerequisite: <school> Level 9 Spell Slot creation of Alchemy. This skill may be used to detect the
The character has mastered magic to such a degree that existence of alchemical substances and to Identify them.
they may read Formal Magic Scrolls and perform Formal The player must spend three-seconds roleplaying the pro-
Magic castings of their specific school of magic (celestial cess of identification, and then a further one-minute
or earth). Formal Magic allows for the creation of magic roleplaying to remove the alchemical poisons from any
items and other high-magic effects through the use of For- food or drink (destroying the poison in the process). This
mal Magic Components (the reagent ingredients for the skill does not allow the character to analyze blood to de-
casting). Characters with one level of Formal Magic are termine any information about a person or creature.
able to Identify Formal Magic Components.
Manifold
In addition, the character gains one Cantrip Level which
they may expend to cast Cantrip spells (along with Formal Prerequisite: Prepare Hearth
Magic components as fuel) for each time this skill is pur- The character is able to perform certain spells so they may
chased. A Cantrip is a type of formal magic effect. The full affect multiple targets with a single spell casting (the per-
details of Formal Magic and of Cantrips and how they formance of the spell). Before beginning, the character
work are found in the NERO World Formal Magic Rule- and all recipients must be within a Hearth (see Prepare
book (see also Formal Magic on page 43 and Cantrips on Hearth on page 31), which is what allows the character to
page 52 for additional details in this rulebook). Manifold the spell casting throughout the performance. All
characters must be close enough to the caster so they
Healing Arts may readily see and hear the performance.

Prerequisite: Read & Write, First Aid The Manifold performance may be done through song,
The character has an essential understanding of medicine litany, chanting, or recital of verse. The performance must
allowing them to examine another character to determine include original works of lyrics or poems prepared ahead
their condition and precise scope of their wounds. To use of time by the caster, each spell must be distinct, and writ-
this skill, the character must be close enough to touch the ten in their songbook. The piece must be in English and
target and roleplay an examination. The player must state make sense as it relates to the spell being performed.
the verbal phrase “Healing Arts <question>.” The condi-
tions which may be determine are: dead, diseased, dying, Multiple casters are permitted to use the same lyrics and
paralyzed, sleeping, regenerating, unconscious, or faking it’s natural that some songs might be written so well they
injury. The character may also ask questions related to are adopted by many players (you should ask permission
time remaining on conditions, “Who long until you <die, from the composer first). Players are encouraged to create
resurrect, become unparalyzed, wake up, or complete their own unique performances to deepen the roleplaying
regeneration>?” These questions are out-of-game and the experience.
Players are not permitted to mimic popular song structure

30
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
(“Hey Jude” for example) or familiar classical music (such Master Pro iciency <hand> ∞
as “The Barber of Seville”) as they are too familiar and
break immersion of roleplaying. Prerequisite: Master Critical Attack x4 (exchanged)
This skill functions exactly as the skill Weapon Proficiency
The piece must have a stanza structure of at least four except the additional damage is applied to any weapon
lines per level of the spell, with each stanza taking at a the character has the skill to use. The player must desig-
minimum of two-seconds (although it may be longer if the nate which hand this skill is applied to when it is first pur-
character wishes). The entire performance is in-game. chased. Any Weapon Proficiency the character already
has may be upgraded to a Master Proficiency if the player
The performance should match as closely as written in
chooses by paying the cost difference.
the casters song book, however reasonable deviation is
permitted so long as the performance flows properly and Weapon Proficiencies and Backstabs will stack with Mas-
correctly. Obvious errors, poor performance, speed sing- ter Proficiencies when determining weapon damage.
ing, or incorrect spell incants will all cause the perfor-
mance to fail (the spell is still used up however).
Pick Locks
Upon the completion of the performance, the caster must
touch-cast the spell by full spell incant repeatedly to each Prerequisite: None
individual character receiving the effect. The character knows the intricacies and mechanisms of
how locks function and how to disable them. Having this
The total number of recipients allowed by a single Mani- skill does not guarantee success. The player will need to
fold spell is equal the total Spell Slots of the same school provide their own set of tools (or props) which will be used
of magic as the spell which was cast, with a maximum of during the process.
six. The caster may add one additional recipient if there is
music accompaniment. They may also add one additional The “lock” might be an actual simple lock (such as a diary
recipient if there is at least one other character singing lock) or some other kind of lock. The character must have
along or reciting in chorus. The grand total limit of recipi- both hands on the lock phys-rep during the process.
ents is eight targets.
This is a game of theater and the locks being “picked” are
If a character leaves the Hearth area, is unable to hear chosen for this purpose. If it is illegal to own or use tools
the performance, or who does not receive the touch-cast (lock picks) for mock lock picking, your local chapter will
spell, will not gain the spell effect. Manifold spells are sub- use an alternative method to determine success results
ject to Spell Disruption per normal spell rules. This applies (such as rolling dice, pulling beads from a bag, or solving
to all participants in the casting, but not passive recipients a simple puzzle). We never want to violate local, state, or
(see Spell Disruption on page 39). Federal laws, so check with your local chapter.
Manifold spells are designated in the spell description for Prepare Hearth
each spell.
Prerequisite: <school> Level 1 Spell Slot
Master Critical Attack <hand> ∞ The character is able to attune a room so it may be used
to Manifold spells (see Manifold on page 30). Attuning a
Prerequisite: A weapon skill room has strict requirements which must be followed.
The character is able to perform a Critical Attack using
any weapon they have the skill to use. The player must The room to be attuned must have well-defined immobile
designate which hand this skill is applied to when it is first borders (such as walls or rails), must have a roof capable
purchased. Any Critical Attacks the character already has of keeping out rain which extends to the borders, and must
must all be upgraded to Master Critical Attacks when this have an entryway (such as a door or frame). Multiple char-
skill is purchased. If you cannot pay the Build Point cost acters may use Prepare Hearth on the same room or area,
difference for the upgrade, then you cannot buy this skill but each much attune the area individually.
yet.
The character must pace the boarders of the room while
Master Slay / Master Parry <hand> ∞ holding out their arm, staying within arm’s reach of at least
one of the “walls”, with the palm of their hand outstretched.
Prerequisite: 2 Master Proficiencies each The character may only move at normal walking speed
The character is able to perform a Slay using any weapon while pacing the room and may not use any other game-
they have the skill to use. The player must designate skills during this attunement process. The process re-
which hand this skill is applied to when it is first pur- quires the character to spend at least 60-seonds pacing
chased. Any Slay / Parry the character already has may the area. The process is interrupted if the character suffers
be upgraded to a Master Slay / Parry if the player choos- Body Point damage and they will need to start over from
es by paying the cost difference.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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the beginning. If the character is unable (or unwilling) to true-to-life, it is how they work in the NERO World game
follow the requirements for any reason, then Prepare system. There are strict limitations placed upon shields
Hearth cannot be used in that area. because they are very powerful defensive item. Charac-
ters may not carry or hold any in-game items in the hand
The Prepare Hearth attunement expires if they leave the or arm used to hold a shield, including weapons, Alchemy,
confines of the defined area, are affected by Dispel Mag- Potions, Scrolls, magic items, or any in-game item (tagged
ic, or die. or untagged); spell packets are not in-game items. Holding
another in-game item in the same hand or arm as the
Read and Write shield with render the shield ineffective to attacks. Any
weapon hit to the shield during this time is counted as if it
Prerequisite: None were instead a valid hit to the character. Characters are
The character is able to Read and Write any language permitted to wear armor, gloves, and jewelry (such as
that the player out-of-game is also able to read and write. bracelets and rings) as long as they are actually worn and
Any character without the skill Read and Write may not not simply carried in the hand. Shields cannot be used
read even the most basic writing, including signs, num- with two-handed weapons.
bers, maps, pictograms, or Scrolls.
Items may be attached to the rear side of the shield (the
This skill does not convey the ability to read magic writing, side facing you) only so long as they do not extend be-
read languages the player doesn’t know, or to decode or yond the outer edge of the shield and may never augment
translate messages. the effectiveness of the shield itself.

Read and Write is a passive skill and is allowed to be Any weapon hit or attack with the delivery phrase
used even if the character may not use other game-skills. “physical” in the verbal which hits the shield is blocked by
Reading will not disrupt concentration or any other skill, the shield’s protection. The shield will not protect the char-
ability, or power. acter from traps, massive damage, spells, or Spellstrikes.
A Shatter or Destroy effect which hits or targets the shield
Read Magic will completely destroy it, leaving it unusable by anyone.
See Shields on page 79 for more information.
Prerequisite: Read and Write
The character is able to read celestial magic Scrolls. They Slay / Parry <weapon> <hand> ∞
may only read Scrolls up to their highest level celestial
magic Spell Slot plus four. Prerequisite: 2 Weapon Proficiencies each
This skill may be used in one of two ways, either as a Slay
For example: if your character has a 4th level celestial or as a Parry (but not both) and may be used for either
magic Spell Slot, they will be able to cast up to 8th level option once for each time the skill is purchased. The two
celestial Scrolls. If your character has no celestial magic different options are outlined below.
Spell Slots at all, they my still cast up to 4th level celestial
Scrolls. Slay: This attack deals 100 points of damage if successful
(this damage may not be increased in any way). To deliver
When casting from a celestial magic Scroll, you must a Slay, the player must state the verbal phrase “Prepare to
have enough light to see and read the Scroll, speak the die!” followed by “100 <weapon type> <damage type>
spell verbal incant correctly while touching a spell packet Slay” and then attack their opponent with their weapon.
to the Scroll, and then deliver the spell as normal (see “Prepare to die!” is an out-of-game statement and may still
Magic on page 39). be stated even if the character is Silenced or otherwise
cannot speak. Once the verbal phrase is stated, the Slay
This skill also allows the character to Identify any celestial is expended, but will remain active until a successful hit or
magic Scroll by looking at the Scroll. until five minutes has passed. Once the Slay has landed, it
is used up.
Celestial magic Scrolls are created via the skill Craft
Scroll using the Crafting System (see page 36 for more If you engage another opponent before the Slay is ex-
information). pended, you must inform them with the verbal phrase
“Slay Active” (this statement is also out-of-game).
Shield
If the Slay lands against an opponent, that player should
Prerequisite: None acknowledge the hit through roleplaying, by falling down,
The character is able to use a shield in melee combat. by calling an appropriate defense, or my simply saying
Shields are not damaged or torn up by weapon damage “got it” or “hit”. This acknowledgement informs the attacker
and physical blows inflicted upon them. While this is not they successfully hit and need to return to calling their nor-
mal damage amount.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
If the character has an active Slay, they may still use a whole quiver of arrows or bolts costs five silver. The char-
Parry by expending another per-day use of this skill (if acter may silver a Strengthened, Improved, Rendered, or
they have one). Using a Parry will not cancel an active Magical weapons. The character must have a tag which
Slay. indicates the presence of the Silvering on the weapon.
This Special Ability does not require the character to use
Every fourth Slay is upgraded to a Bladefury, which deals Base Smithing Levels for the Silvering.
200 damage instead of the standard 100 damage for a
Slay. To deliver a Bladefury you must state the verbal Special Ability: Strengthen an Item
phrase “200 <weapon type><damage type> Slay” and The character is able to apply a hardening agent which
then swing your weapon at an opponent. allows an item to Resist Shatter/Destroy effects and explo-
sive traps. The item to be Strengthened may not be larger
A Slay and a Bladefury are not reduced by Threshold or than a normal door (approximately 7 feet by 4 feet). The
Damage Cap and will bypass those special abilities, deal- character must expend four Smithing Levels and use a
ing full damage to the opponent. Shatter Resist component (found in-game), granting the
item two times-ever charges of Resist vs. Shatter/Destroy.
Parry: This defense is used to completely avoid any Up to three total Shatter Resist components may be used
physical attack which hits the character. To use this skill, in the process (granting six total resists). When the weap-
you must have a readied weapon in your hand and must on is affected by a Shatter or Destroy effect, they charac-
say the verbal phrase “Parry” within 3-seconds being hit ter must call “Resist” to announce that the item was not
with a weapon attack. A weapon attack might be a melee affected; this expends on of the limited uses each time it is
weapon (such as a sword), arrows, a thrown weapon used. The character must have a tag which indicates the
(such as a throwing dagger), or any attach containing the presence of the Strengthing and how many uses remain.
delivery phrase “physical”. A Parry may not be used to The player must track uses on the tag. The character may
defend against a Spellstrike. Strengthen a Hardened, Improved, Rendered, or Magical
This skill may not be used if your character is incapacitat- items (including armor and weapons). This Special Ability
ed, completely immobilized (such as Web or Paralyze), does not require the character to use Base Smithing Lev-
and cannot be used to protect your character against a els for the Strengthening.
trap or against a Killing Blow.
Special Ability: Enhanced Armor
If you are close enough to touch your weapon to another The character is able to craft a suit of armor so it grants
character, you may use your Parry to defend that charac- additional points of protection than the phys-rep of the ar-
ter from an attack, as if that attack hit you instead. You mor worn would normally allow. The character must ex-
must state the verbal phrase “Parry for another” and des- pend double the normal Smithing Levels required to make
ignate the target by pointing your weapon at them (or tap- the suit of armor and use one Shatter Resist component
ping them lightly with your weapon). The attack is negated (found in-game) per armor location Enhanced, granting
against that character and your Parry skill is expended. those locations one additional Armor Point. There are
eleven total armor locations, but the character may choose
Smithing ∞ to use fewer Shatter Resist components if they wish (for
less bonus points). The character must have a tag which
Prerequisite: None indicates the presence of the Enhanced Armor and how
This crafting skill allows the character to craft weapons many locations were Enhanced.
and armor. This skill can be purchased multiple times and
each purchase gains the character one Smithing Level. For example: the tag would read “20 point Suit of Armor
The full list of what can be made with this skill (and their (Armor Enhanced 5)” meaning the suit phys-rep worn
associated Crafting Level Costs) is found in the Adventur- must be at least a 20 point suit, but the suit provides 25
ing Gear chapter on pages 96 and 110. Wear Points worth of armor (see Wear Points on page 95
for more information).
Instead of using this skill for crating, the character may
hold back their Smithing Levels for Special Abilities asso- This Special Ability does not require the character to use
ciated with this skill. Some Special Abilities require Base Base Smithing Levels for the Enhance Armor.
Levels to be used. The Special Abilities are listed below:
Special Ability: Weapon Improvement
Special Ability: Silver a Weapon The character may grant any weapon a temporarily dam-
The character is able to apply a permanent costing of sil- age bonus until the next Standard Reset by using Weapon
ver to an existing weapon, altering the weapon type of the Improvement. The character must expend an amount of
weapon from “normal” to “silver”. The character must ex- Base Smithing Levels equal to the desired bonus amount:
pend four Smithing Levels and use one silver piece per three Base Levels for +1 damage, nine Base Levels for
length of the striking surface of the weapon. Silvering a +2, and eighteen Base Levels for +3 (maximum bonus

33
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
amount). The character may Improve a Strengthened, Tradecraft: <type> ∞
Rendered, or Magical weapon, however this bonus is not
added with any other damage bonus on the weapon; only Prerequisite: None
the highest amount is applied. This Special Ability re- The character knows and practices some form of trade
quires the character to use Base Smithing Levels only for which provides them with an income. The Tradecraft type
the Weapon Improvement. must be a profession and it may never be used to grant
any additional skills, abilities, powers, or traits to a charac-
Special Ability: Rapid Refit ter. It may be used to gather or impart information to the
The character is able to quickly refit any physical armor, character at the sole discretion of the local Plot Team.
restoring the full Armor Point value to the recipient. The
character must have remain stationary, have one hand Each time this skill is purchased the character gains two
free, and spend at least three-seconds roleplaying the silver per-day. When the character has purchased the
repairs. If either the smith or the recipient are attacked in same specific Tradecraft type ten (or more) times, they are
any way before the three-seconds is concluded, the Rapid considered a “Master” and gain five silver per day instead
Refit fails and the Base Smithing Level is still used up. of two.
Upon the successful completion of the ability, the smith
must call “Physical Refit Armor”. This Special Ability re- A few examples of Tradecraft types include: Actor, archi-
quires the character to use Base Smithing Levels only for tect, artist, astrologer, baker, bard, blacksmith, brewer,
the Rapid Refit. butcher, calligrapher, candle-maker, carpenter, farmer,
farrier, forester, furrier, game warden, grave robber, histo-
rian, hunter, jeweler, masseuse, merchant, musician, rat
Stop Thrust ∞ catcher, sailor, scout, scribe, tanner, tailor, tavern keeper,
1st Purchase Prerequisite: 2-Handed Weapon and undertaker. This is not any exhaustive list of Trade-
Further Purchase Prerequisite: 2x Weapon/Master Pro- craft types.
ficiencies each
A character wielding a Staff, Polearm, Two-Handed Two Weapons
Sword, or Two-Handed Blunt may use Stop Thrust to pre-
Prerequisite: Florentine
vent their opponent from advancing towards them. To use
The character may use one weapon in each hand. One of
this skill, the character must say the verbal phrase
the weapons may be a long weapon (such as a sword),
“Physical Stop Thrust” and hit their opponent with their
however the other weapon may not be longer than a short
weapon attack. The opponent may defend against the
sword. Damage must be announced fittingly for each
attack normally (including Magic Armor and Resist Physi-
weapon separately with regard to its base damage and
cal), but may not block the attack with their shield or
any applied skills or bonuses. Two-handed weapons may
weapon. If the attack is successful, the opponent suffers
not be used in conjunction with this skill.
no damage, but may not advance towards the character
for five-seconds. The opponent may still defend them-
selves and attack, or they may retreat away from the
Waylay ∞
character. 1st Purchase Prerequisite: Small Weapon or Short
If the character has a two-handed weapon skill or the Weapon
Weapon Master skill, they may learn this skill for free (0 Further Purchases Prerequisite: 1x per 5 Character
Build Points), and are able to purchase it again once for Levels each
every two Weapon/Master Proficiencies they have in the The character is able to deliver an attack which, if suc-
approved weapon type. Stop Thrust may not be used in cessful, deals no damage but leaves the opponent
conjunction with ranged weapons. knocked-out (unconscious) for five-minutes. The opponent
may be restored to consciousness before the five-minute
time if they receive an Awaken or a Remove Physical Af-
Style Master ∞ fliction. While unconscious, the opponent is obvious to
Prerequisite: A weapon skill their surroundings and will not remember anything while
This skill bundles the skills Florentine, Shield, and Two they are unconscious.
Weapon in to a single skill called Style Master. If the char-
This skill may only be delivered with a Short or Small
acter already has any of the skills included in Style Mas-
Weapon and the character must have the skill to wield that
ter, they are exchanged for this skill and any remaining
weapon. This skill may not be delivered with a ranged
Build Points are returned to the character as “Free Build
weapon. A Waylay attack does not need to be a surprise
Points”.
to your opponent.
The player must attack the rear-side of the opponent and
may not attack from the front or sides. If the attack doesn’t

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
hit on the back side (if your opponent turns for example), simulated by yellow spell packets and must be accompa-
the attack fails. Once the attack is delivered it is used up, nied by a Quiver phys-rep where they are stored (holds up
even if it missed the target or was defended against (it to 30 each).
may not be held “active”). To deliver a Waylay attack, the
player must state the verbal phrase “Physical Way- One-Handed Blunt
lay” (regardless of weapon type) and then swing their
weapon at an opponent as outlined above. This skill bundles together all One-Handed Blunt weapons
together in a single skill: Bludgeon, Sap, Short Hammer,
The character may purchase this skill once at any level, Long Hammer, Short Mace, and Long Mace. The charac-
but additional purchases are limited to one for every five ter may wield any of the weapons included in this skill,
total Character Levels (rounded down) the character has. with either hand. Blunt weapons may never be used for
thrusting.
Weapon Master
Prerequisite: None One-Handed Edged
This skill bundles most Weapon Skills into a single skill
This skill bundles together all One-Handed Edged weap-
called Weapon Master. If the character already has any of
ons together in a single skill: Dagger, Hatchet, Short
the skills included in Weapon Master, they are exchanged
Sword, Long Sword, Short Axe, Long Axe, and One-
for this skill and any remaining Build Points are returned
Handed Spear. The character may wield any of the weap-
to the character as “Free Build Points”. This skill does not
ons included in this skill, with either hand. Spears are
include Archery, Florentine, Shield, Two Weapons, or
thrusting weapons only and may not be used for slashing.
Thrown Weapon.

Weapon Pro iciency <weapon> <hand> ∞ One-Handed Weapon Master

This skill bundles together all One-Handed Edged and
Prerequisite: 4x Critical Attacks (exchanged)
One-Handed Blunt weapons together in a single skill:
The character may add one additional point of damage
Bludgeon, Dagger, Hatchet, Sap, Short Hammer, Long
with one weapon. This skill is accumulative and may be
Hammer, Short Mace, Long Mace, Short Sword, Long
purchased multiple times. The player must designate the
Sword, Short Axe, Long Axe, and One-Handed Spear.
weapon type associated with the skill and which hand this
The character may wield any of the weapons included in
skill is applied to when it is first purchased. The character
this skill, with either hand. Spears are thrusting weapons
may purchase Weapon Proficiency in multiple weapons
only and may not be used for slashing or thrown (even if
and may designate either hand when purchased, however
the character has Thrown Weapon).
they remain separate which calculating damage amounts;
Weapon Proficiencies in different hands or weapon types If the character already has any of the skills included in
may not be added together (even with the Florentine and One-Handed Weapon Master, they are exchanged for this
Style Master skills). Any Weapon Proficiency may be up- skill and any remaining Build Points are returned to the
graded to a Master Proficiency if the player chooses and character as “Free Build Points”.
has the Build Points for the upgrade.

When using this skill, the player adds all appropriate addi-
Polearm
tional damage to weapon damage call with each attack. The character may wield any type of two-handed hafted
weapon with an edge on one end. The forms of weapons
Weapon Skills included in this skill are Halberd, Two-Handed Axe, and
Spear. The look of the Polearm can vary widely.
This section is a complete list of Weapon Skills which may
be purchased by characters. Each of the Weapon Skills is Small Weapon
outlined in the description for the skill (see Adventuring
Gear on page 95 for additional information about weap- This skill bundles together all Small Weapons together in a
ons and combat). single skill: Bludgeon, Dagger, Hatchet, and Sap. The
character may wield any of the weapons included in this
Archery skill, with either hand. A Bludgeon and Sap are blunt
weapons and may never be used for thrusting.
The character may use a bow or crossbow phys-rep in
combat. All bows and crossbows must be approved, safe, If the character purchases the skill One-Handed Weapon
and may not be actually fired; they may not have a real Master, the Small Weapon skill is exchanged and any re-
draw string attached to the weapon. Arrows and Bolts are maining Build Points are returned to the character as
“Free Build Points”.

35
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
Staff holding a Shield or weapon in their other hand. One use of
One-Handed Block is automatically gained by every char-
The character may wield a two-handed hafted Staff in acter who has a two-handed weapon skill. The One-
melee combat. The Staff may not be used trip opponents Handed Block skill is expended once the first weapon hit
or used as a thrusting weapon. Like all two-handed weap- occurs; no call is made by the player blocking.
ons, the player must keep two-hands on the weapon
when attacking. A Staff is held in the middle of the weap- Wear Extra Armor ∞
on and each end of the weapon may be attacked with. A
Staff is the only weapon which can have a Vorpal Coating Prerequisite: None
on each end. The character may wear and benefit from five additional
Armor Points above their Class limit. Five additional Wear
Thrown Weapon Points are gained each time this skill is purchased
(maximum 40 points). See Wear Points on page 95.
The character may use specific types of missile-weapons
by hand-throwing them at an opponent. All throwing
weapons must be made so they are soft foam with no CRAFTING SKILLS
core of any kind is allowed. They must be soft-sculpted
foam without any sharp edges (including from tape) or be Character create basic in-game items such as Potions,
an approved foam-latex crafted weapon. The form of a Weapons and Armor, Alchemical Elixirs and Poisons, and
Thrown Weapon may only be a throwing dagger, throwing Scrolls, through a system called Crafting Skills. Characters
axe, rock, or javelin. Rocks must be between six inches must first purchase the appropriate skill with Build Points.
and eight inches in diameter. A javelin may be made of
pipe foam, but must have a soft-sculpted foam tip as the The Crafting Skills are: Alchemy, Create Potion, Create
striking surface. Spell Packets may never be used as Scroll, Create Trap, and Smithing; the skill descriptions
Thrown Weapons. explain each skill (see Skill Descriptions for each for more
information).
Two-Handed Blunt
Each item has an associated Crafting Level which is re-
The character may wield any Two-Handed Blunt weapon. quired to make it. More difficult items require more Craft-
Remember that all two-handed weapons require both ing Levels to create, which requires characters to have
hands on the weapon when attacking or blocking. Blunt higher levels of Crafting Skill. See The Crafting Tables on
weapons may never be used for thrusting. page 110 shows the costs for each.

Two-Handed Sword Crafting Skills, and their associated Crafting Levels, may
be used only once for each game-day of the event. They
The character may wield any Two-Handed Sword. Re- are not reset during a Limited Reset (if the chapter is using
member that all two-handed weapons require both hands this optional rule, see page 18), or if the character Resur-
on the weapon when attacking or blocking. rects. They are consumed for the day when they are used
Two-Handed Weapon Master for Crafting or for a Crafting Special Ability.

This skill bundles together all Two-Handed Weapons to- Crafting Levels purchased with Build Points are called
gether in a single skill: Polearm, Staff, Two-Handed Blunt, Base Levels. These levels are equal to the Crafting Levels
and Two-Handed Sword. Remember that all two-handed and skill type associated with the skill (For Example: Al-
weapons require both hands on the weapon when attack- chemy skill equates to Alchemy Crafting Levels).
ing or blocking. If the character already has any of the There are additional methods to increase total crafting
skills included in Two-Handed Weapon Master, they are output: Trade Mastery, Workshops, Materials, and other
exchanged for this skill and any remaining Build Points augmentation abilities such as Harvester, Production Mas-
are returned to the character as “Free Build Points”. ter and Merchant. The Base Levels of the character may
never be increased except through the purchase of addi-
One-Handed Block tional crafting skill levels with Build Points.

The character may wield a two-handed weapon to defend Crafting is handled on a per-logistical-day basis and craft-
themselves by blocking blows while having only one hand ing levels from different days may not be combined togeth-
on the weapon, for two hits. On the third hit, the weapon er. Players will submit their Crafting Requests using the
is Fumbled (per the spell on page 63). Placing both hands NERO World database when they preregister for the event
on the two-handed weapon before the third blow will pre- they plan to attend. They can request each day separate-
vent the Fumble and reset the One-Handed Block hit ly, in advance. Some chapters will give you all your crafted
count. The character may not use this skill while using or

36
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
tags at the same time for both days requested, and if they Harvester
do, you can use them all right away (you don’t need to
wait for the next day). The character is able to gather their own “raw materials”
for use with Crafting Skills at no coin cost. The character
Each crafting item produced must have an expiration date may still choose to pay the coin cost for “raw materials”
of 24 months from the date of creation. This expiration and if they do, they gain a second materials bonus for
date represents how long the item is functional in-game Crafting Levels (see the Harvester racial ability on page 23
and is known by any character exanimating the item (the for full information and skill cost).
player reads the associated item tag). When an item tag
expires, it may no longer be used. In-game expired items Production Master
are broken, worn-out, inert, or has lost its ability to func-
tion. There is no method to “maintain” items to prevent The character gains the “workshop” bonus Crafting Levels
expiration. even if they don’t have access to a workshop. The charac-
ter may still use a workshop (if they have access to one)
Trade Mastery and if they do, they gain a second workshop bonus for
Crafting Levels (see the Production Master racial ability on
A character who has purchased ten or more levels in a page 24 for full information and skill cost).
single crafting-type skill is regarded as a “Master” of their
craft. The character automatically gains Trade Mastery Merchant
Levels (or “Master” levels) equal to their Base Level of
skill. The character is able to use any number of Master Craft-
ing Levels they have in any Crafting skill they have pur-
Workshops chased to produce any item able to be crafted by the skills
Alchemy, Create Potion, Create Scroll, Create Trap, or
A Workshop is a place where the character has access to Smithing (see the Merchant racial ability on page 23 for
all the tools associated with their craft and has enough full information and skill cost).
space to work unimpeded, thus increasing their productiv-
ity. If the character has purchased a Workshop or has Goblin Crafting
access to a Workshop they gain Workshop Levels equal
to their Base Level of skill. Workshops are specific to Any player may use their earned Goblin Points to craft
each Crafting skill and are only usable for that craft-type. items, but they may not be used to add Special Abilities
Workshops are location specific and a character may only (such as Silvering a weapon or Enhancing armor). Goblin
access it while in the local chapter where it is located. Crafting must be requested before the game event when
They are purchased or found in-game and are completely you pre-register for the event so the local chapter has
controlled by the local chapter. Often, local Guilds or No- enough time to prepare them for you. The exact details of
ble Houses will have workshops. The types of Workshops what can be produced and the costs for each is outlined in
are: Alchemical, Potion, Scroll, Smithing, and Trap. Some the NERO World Goblin Policy located on the NERO
Local Chapters might allow larger sized workshops be- World website (and might also be listed on the local chap-
yond Personal to be available, such as Group (Team), ter’s website).
Guild, or Town workshops. Check with your Local Chapter
for how these work, costs, and upkeep information. SPECIAL ABILITIES
Materials Some Crafting Skills have an associated Special Ability
which characters may use instead of expending their skills
A character may purchase additional materials which they for crafting items. Certain Special Abilities require Base
may use to increase their productivity at a rate of one Levels of the accompanying Crafting Skill to be expended
silver per Crafting Level, equal to their Base Level of skill to use the Special Ability, so pay close attention to this.
(they may spend less than the maximum if they wish). In
addition, character might find materials as in-game treas-
ure if the local chapter wishes. These might come in the CRAFTING EXAMPLES:
form of drops from monster kills, or quests to gather mate-
rials at specific locations or quests. These treasure mate- Example One
rials are substituted for the silver cost and are consumed
when used. Whether the character is using coin or treas- Gwendella, a character played by Jenny, has the following
ure materials, they may never exceed the total Base Level relevant skills: Craft Potion (12 Levels). This results in her
of skill of the associated Crafting skill they are used for. Base Crafting Levels being 12 Levels of Craft Potion. She
has over 10 levels in Craft Potion so she also automatical-
ly gains 12 additional Craft Potion Master Levels she can

37
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE SKILL SYSTEM
use. Gwendella has access to a Potion Workshop at her Quivers (20 levels), 5 Short Swords (20 levels), and 14
location and gains an additional 12 Potion Workshop Lev- Throwing Daggers (14 levels). He then makes the follow-
els. She decides to buy additional Materials and pays the ing Scrolls: (3) Shield Magic (15 Levels).
12 silver coins to gain a further 12 Materials Levels. Her
total for the first day of the event is 48 accumulated Lev- The next Standard Reset period he will have another 80
els of Craft Potion. Levels of Smithing and 15 Levels of Craft Scroll (assuming
he pays the coin costs for Materials and still has access to
Looking at the chart on page 110, Jenny decides her the Workshop). Svundar can choose to make the same
character Gwendella should craft the following Potions: things or craft something else.
(3) Awaken (12 Levels), (3) Flame Bolt (12 Levels), (2)
Lightning Bolt (4 Levels), (2) Release (10 Levels), and (2)
Silver Aura (10 Levels). She has expended all her Craft
Potion levels for the day.

The following day at the Standard Reset period she will

again have 48 Levels of Craft Potion and can choose to
make the same things or something different if she wants.

Example Two
Svundar, a character played by Dave, has the following
relevant skills: Smithing (l5 Levels), Craft Scroll (3 Lev-
els), Harvester, and Production Master. This results in his
Base Crafting Levels for each skill being: 15 Levels of
Smithing and 3 Levels of Scroll.

Svundar has over 10 levels in Smithing so he also auto-

matically gains 15 additional Master Levels he can use for
crating armor and weapons. Sadly, he has less than 10
levels of Craft Scroll (only 3 levels), so he does not gain
any Master Levels for that skill.

The Production Master racial ability grants Svundar a

Workshop Bonus for each crafting skill (another 15 Smith-
ing Levels and 3 Craft Scroll Levels). Fortunately, he also
has access to a Smithing Workshop at his location and
gains an additional 15 Smithing Workshop Levels; he
does not have access to a Scroll Workshop however, so
gains no Workshop Levels for that skill.

The Harvester racial ability automatically grants him a free

Materials Bonus for both his Smithing (15 Levels) and
Craft Scroll (3 Levels) skills. He decides to spend coin as
well for Materials (spending 18 silver coins total), and
gains the Materials bonus a second time (15 Smithing
Levels and 3 Craft Scroll Levels).

Svundar’s totals for the first day of the event look like this:
Smithing 80 accumulated Levels (15 Base, 15 Master, 15
Workshop (location), 15 Workshop (Production Master),
15 Materials (coin), and 15 Materials (Harvester). Craft
Scroll 15 accumulated Levels (3 Base, 0 Master, 3 Work-
shop (location), 3 Workshop (Production Master), 3 Mate-
rials (coin), and 3 Materials (Harvester).

Looking at the charts (on page 110), he decides to make

the following for the first day of the event: 5 Long Swords
(10 levels), 2 Polearms (8 levels), 2 Bows (8 Levels), 10

38
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
You may not use rice or any filler which expands when
How Magic Works wet. Rubber balls are not allowed as they are too dense
and the impact too hard when thrown.
Magic effects can be created is one of two ways. Charac-
ter may learn Spell Slots of a specific school of magic, Traditional Spell Packets can be easily made from cloth
which are them used by saying the verbal spell incant. squares (cut 6”x6”) with about one and one tablespoon of
Characters may also the capacity to generate a spell-like birdseed in the center, then folded into a ball, and tied with
ability, which functions exactly as if they had memorized a rubber band. Be careful not to pack the seed too tightly
that spell. Another way is from a Magic Item which has – they can hurt when thrown! Spell Packets which are ob-
the spell or effect stored within it and activated to deliver viously too large, cannot be used.
that spell when the character chooses (see Magic Spells
& Spell Slots on page 18.) Spell Packets may be made in any color you like, but can-
not be orange (Alchemy) or yellow (arrows and bolts). You
Spell Memorization are allowed to personalize your packets with distinctive
markings and writing or use of patterned cloth (avoid mod-
Characters with Spell Slots will most often be required to ern patterns such as sports teams etc.)
choose the spells they will have access to during the
standard game day period. The spell memorization pro-
cess is as simple as the player designating one spell of
Casting Spells
the appropriate school and level from the full spell list for Once a character has learned a Spell Slot and have mem-
each Spell Slot the character has. The chosen spell is orized a spell to fill that spell slot, they are able to cast that
then placed within the empty Spell Slot, filling it until the spell and deliver the magical effect it will generate in-
character casts the spell (or the next reset period). game.

Cast-On-The-Fly (optional rule) Spellcasting requires the player to have a spell packet in
their hand and their hand must be able to move freely
Some chapters use an optional rule called Cast-On-The- without restrictions. The caster may not be holding any
Fly. This means the character does not use Spell Memori- other in-game items in that hand when they begin casting
zation but is instead able to designate any spell from the the spell; this is called a “free hand”. The caster then
full spell list of the appropriate school and level from the speaks aloud the verbal spell incantation (incant) correctly
full spell list when the spell is cast. Cast-On-The-Fly al- in a voice loud enough for players nearby to hear them.
lows casters more versatility but also makes casters The spell incant is recited in English and must be exactly
slightly more powerful because they choose the best spell as it is written in the spell description, or it will fail. These
available given the need of the moment. words are in-game and represent the caster uttering the
magical sounds required to bring the energies needed for
the spell and form them into the desired spell in order to
Spell Aura deliver the “magical effect”. Other players around you will
know and understand the spell cast by listening to the
When a character is preparing to cast a spell, they must spell incant, so they know how to react to it. No player is
have a physical representation of that energy, this is allowed to “fake” a spell incant or pretend to cast a spell,
called a Spell Aura. This is represented out-of-game by a or say part of an actual spell incant without the ability to
traditional spell packet or by an approved crafted soft- actually cast it (this is cheating). Once you start the spell
foam ball (a Spell Ball). Check with your local chapter for incant, you have begun casting that spell and it is still ex-
approved types. pended even if you don’t speak the spell incant correctly,
change your mind about casting that spell, miss with the
The manufactured soft-foam Spell Balls are no larger than spell, or the spell is disrupted (see Spell Disruption below).
a tennis ball, with dimensions at least two inches and no
larger than five inched in diameter. A few major manufac-
tures have options available which fit these guidelines Spell Disruption
(NERF soft form tennis balls, and Wilson soft-flight balls).
You may also use soft-foam crafted balls covered in latex, A spell is disrupted if the caster begins to state a spell ver-
but each must be approved before use. bal and they suffer any loss of Body Points before the in-
cant is completed and the spell is delivered. Some attacks
Spell Packets are constructed using cloth fabric and bird- can cause Spell Disruption in specific conditions and they
seed (or other soft bio-degradable filler). The seed used is are noted in their respective effect descriptions.
small sized without sunflower seeds or corn which could
make them sharp on impact (finch seed is a good choice). Spell Disruption can be prevented if the character has pro-

39
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
tection through physical armor, Dexterity Armor, Arcane memory (Spell Slots) as if the character had not cast them
Armor, or spell protections such as Bless or Shield spells for the day.
and Eldritch Bless and Eldritech Sheild cantrips. Spell
Disruption only occurs is the caster takes Body Point In order to Meditate, the player must remain as still as
damage to their actual total (not temporary points). If the possible, at rest, while role-playing a deep concentrative
damage dealt to the caster is less than their remaining state for at least one-minute. The meditating character
Armor Points, the spell is cast without disruption. The may not speak, move, use any in-game items (including
player must state “armor” after the completion of the spell activating a magic item), perform any other Concentration
incant to indicate to the attacker they were not taking actions (such as maintaining another spell which requires
Body Point damage. concentration or refitting Armor), suffer any damage, have
any Spell Defense triggered, or use any other in-game
If the character has the Focus ability (see Focus on page skill, ability, or power. Simply put, they may do nothing and
85), they are immune to Spell Disruption but must still say anything which distracts them before the completion of the
“Focus” after the completion of the spell incant. one-minute count is enough to break their concentration
and the Meditation fails with nothing recovered. Meditation
will not restore effects used from magic items, Craft Skills
Touch-Casting (Alchemy, Craft Potion, Craft Scroll, Craft Trap, or Smith-
ing), spells or skills defended against by any method other
Instead of throwing a spell (which might miss the target), than “Return”, or spells you intentionally missed with.
the caster may deliver the spell by touch. To touch-cast a
spell, the caster must have a spell packet in their hand to
touch that packet to the recipient while incanting the spell Schools of Magic
verbal. The caster must follow all the rules for casting
spells (see Casting Spells above). The recipient of the When a character learns their first Spell Slot they must
touch-cast spell must choose to allow the spell cast upon choose which school of magic they will pursue, Celestial
them by stating the verbal phrase “accept” to indicate they Magic or Earth Magic. The one you learn first is called
are agreeing. In-game the recipient is not fighting the spell your Primary School of Magic. If you learn the other school
and is allowing it to pass through any Spell Defenses they (whichever one remains), that is your Secondary School of
may have active, the most common being a Shield Magic, Magic, and will be more difficult for your character to learn
Reflect Magic, or Elemental Shield. Only touch-cast spells (costing more Build Points). Any character may learn ei-
may be allowed to bypass Spell Defenses in this way and ther or both schools, however each is separate with its
no one may “accept” a thrown effect, even if they would prerequisites and separate Spell Slots.
prefer to be affected by the spell. The act of acknowledg-
ing and “accepting” the touch-cast spell is made in this
way to prevent the recipient from being tricked by what Stacked Effects
spell they are about to receive. A character may choose
not to accept the effect by stating the verbal phrase Identical spells and effects do not stack (unless it specifi-
“refused”. This means the target is not affected by the cally says it does). If the target already has an effect upon
spell and the spell is still used up. This refusal can take them and they are hit with a matching effect of the same
place at any time before or during the casting of the spell, name, the first one is immediately replaced by the new
and may still be refused within three-seconds of the com- version and the new version of the effect is applied to the
pletion of the spell incant, even if the target had previously target as if it were just cast on them. A player will never
“accepted” that spell. A touch-cast spell which is refused call “no effect” when hit with these kinds of spells or ef-
by the target will still trigger that target’s Spell Defenses (if fects. Certain types of Group Effects are excluded from
they have any). Touch-casting must follow all established the general Stacked Effects rule, while others modify it
rules, safety guidelines, and common sense. slightly. The differences are outlined below:

Meditation Blade Effects

Every character has the ability to Meditate. Upon the suc- A Character may not have more than three Blade Effects
cessful completion of the Meditation, the character recov- upon them at any time. These effects alter weapon dam-
ers all expendable and limited-use (times-per-day) skills, age or type: Endow, Delayed Endow, Elemental Blade,
spells, and abilities which were defended against by a Enchanted Blade, and Silver Aura. Blade Effects may not
Return ability (see Return on page 86). In addition, the be combined to function together and must be used one at
character will also recover all spells they cast from a time.
memory which missed a valid target or spells for which
the character failed to recite the spell incant correctly
(miscanted) and those spells will be restored to their

40
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Charm Effects For Example: Svundar gets hit with a Wither Limb spell
and the sub-target designated by the caster is “right arm”.
Poor Svundar’s right arm is now useless because he had
These are effects which alter the perceptions and/or be- no defenses against the attack. If he were hit with another
havior of the victim causing them to act according to the Wither Limb spell targeting his right arm, Steve (the player
conditions of the effect description. The Charm-Group portraying Svundar) would say “got it” however no addi-
encompasses many named effects which act in a similar tional effect is generated because his right arm is already
(but not identical) way, and each has a hierarchy of affected by Wither Limb. Now, poor Svundar is hit by a
strength. A less powerful effect is overridden by a more third Wither Limb spell, but this time the caster doesn’t
powerful effect if there is a conflict, however both effects make any designation for the sub-target of the spell. So
are congruent (because they are not identically named). now it now falls to Steve (the player) to make a valid des-
The most powerful effect in the Charm-Group takes prec- ignation for the effect. Steve cannot pick “right arm” be-
edence and is considered first, then then next powerful, cause it is not one of the remaining limbs he can choose
and so on. If the commands or orders of a higher Charm- from, so he must choose another limb as a valid target.
Group effect is completed or is changed so there is no Steve decides to pick “left arm” and drops his shield as
longer a conflict, then the next existing Charm-Group ef- Svundar’s left arm falls to his side.
fect is considered in the chain, and its commands must be
applied next (overriding effect less powerful than itself).
Higher value Charm-Group effects may never make a Spell Defenses
character immune to lower Charm-Group effects in the
chain; they all coexist simultaneously. Commands may Some spells are cast upon a character in advance as pro-
not circumvent game rules or stats effects in any way. tection against certain types of attacks, these are called
Spell Defenses. Spell Defenses are automatically trig-
The hierarchy is as follows (from most to least powerful): gered by the next attack of the appropriate type which hits
Enslavement, Vampire Charm, Control Undead, Fear, the character (Automatic Spell Defenses), even if the char-
Charm / Charm Animal, Shun / Shun Animal, Calm / Calm acter is immune to the attack, regardless of how the attack
Animal. is delivered. Each Spell Defense remains active until they
are “triggered” by an appropriate spell or effect, is dis-
pelled, or the character dies (requires a Life spell), unless
Target Speci ic & Sub-Target Effects specifically noted in the duration. If the character dies, all
active Spell Defenses immediately expire and are lost.
Certain spells and effects may require the character to When a Spell Defense is triggered, the player must state
designate a specific option for the effect (sometimes the the out-of-game verbal phrase associated with that de-
designation may be optional); this is called a “sub-target”. fense (such as “Magic Armor” when hit with a weapon at-
If the caster does not make any designation, then the sub- tack). Each verbal phrase is listed in the spell description
target designation is made by the receiving character, for the defense. The Spell Defense is a Visible Effect in-
however the designation must still be a valid option from game when triggered. The verbal phrase let’s everyone
the remaining sub-target options for the effect. The target around you the attack was not effective and which de-
character may never choose a sub-target already under fense was triggered by the attack. Once a Spell Defense is
the same effect, they must choose any other available triggered, it is expended. If a player does not call a de-
sub-target which fits the criteria. The receiving character fense within three-seconds of being hit, they must take the
must always choose an option which can be affected, if effect and the Spell Defense is still expended (even if they
possible. forget to call it). A character may only have one Spell De-
fense of each type (see Stacked Effects on page 40).
For Example: the character is hit with a “Shatter Weapon”
and has a basic longsword and an Indestructible long- The caster of a spell is not immune to the effects of their
sword. “Weapon” is the designated sub-target. The target own spell (in the case of Reflect Magic or Bane). A caster
character must choose a weapon which can be Shattered, may not simply dismiss a spell simply because they origi-
the Indestructible longsword cannot be Shattered, but the nally cast it, unless the spell description specifically says
basic longsword can be. The target character must they can.
choose that weapon, and it is destroyed.
Certain Spell Defenses, such as Bless or Shield, tempo-
If the designated sub-target does not exist or no options rarily add Body Points or Armor Points to the recipient.
are available, the receiving player calls “got it” because These temporary points are always lost before the Body
even though there was no resulting effect, the attack still Points or Armor Points of the character, and do not need
occurred but was ineffective. Calling “no effect” would be to be announced when they are used.
misleading because the target was not immune to the
attack, it simply resulted in nothing happening (but will still The types of Spell Defenses are: Displacement (“Phase”),
trigger spell defenses). Elemental Shield, Guardian of the Four, Magic Armor, Poi-
son Shield, Reflect Magic, and Shield Magic.

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 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Other types of Defenses exist which allow the character to
choose to activate them when desired or needed. These Necromancy
are call Activated Spell Defenses and they are specific to
one type of attack (in a similar was to Resist). Activated Not every person on Tyrra agrees that Necromancy is
Spell Defense are: Cloak and Bane (see Formal Magic on “evil”, some cultures even prefer it, however it is illegal in
page 43). most parts of the in-game world (see your local chapter in-
game laws). Many people believe that Necromancy spells
are “unnatural” because it derives its magical power from
Visible Effects chaos, allowing for the creation of undead creatures, caus-
ing disease, and other harmful effects on the living, which
A Visible Effect is any effect which is recognizable to goes against the “natural order” of the world. Other schol-
characters in-game who take the time to observe them. ars argue that “chaos” is a natural opposite to “order” and
Out-of-game these effects are not visible to players un- that you cannot have one without the other, and thus is an
less they ask and the time it takes to ask is the in-game extension of the nature flow of energy and cycle. Ultimate-
act of the character observing to determine what is going ly, you must decide how your character feels about it, but
on. Players might be able to determine based on cues remember, laws are laws and you must abide the conse-
they notice or behaviors of other players. When asking, quences of law-breaking regardless of your philosophical
you must be a short distance away, close enough to see choice on Necromancy.
what is going on, and ask in a normal speaking voice. You
may not yell or call a Hold to determine Visible Effects.
The Elemental Planes
The Visible Effects are: Berserk, Bind, Confine, Fee-
blemind, Hallucinoid, Imprison, Nausea, Paralyze, Pin, There are other dimensions of existence besides our own
Silence, Sleep, Taint Blood, Vertigo, and Web. Barrier here on the world of Tyrra. Our dimension is called the
Effects, such as a Circle of Power, Glyph, Mystic Lock, Prime Plane, but there are twelve other known planes of
and Ward are also visible effects if the player takes the existence, called the Elemental Planes. Each of the twelve
time to observe them (a rope circle, symbols on a door, planes is associated with an elemental type, and a corre-
“W” on a chest or a building). sponding elemental damage type. The planes are listed
and the damage is in parentheses: Life (Essence), Death
Other Visible Effects include: Resist, Return, or when any (Destruction), Order (Order), Chaos (Chaos), Dream
Spell Defense is trigged or activated. (Dream), Reason (Reason), Light (Light), Darkness
(Darkness), Earth (Stone), Air (Lightning), Fire (Fire), and
Water (Ice). Each of the Elemental Planes are detailed in
Eldritch Power the NERO World Cosmology document located on the
NERO World website.
Some Celestial spells draw upon a type of magical energy
called Eldritch Power. This magical energy only affects
creatures and does not affect inanimate objects, normal
Forbidden Abilities, Skills, and Powers
plants, or anything which is not alive or animated. You The NERO World game does not allow characters to gain
cannot cast a Flame Blast spell to burn a tree or house or use any method of learning or gaining information about
down. other Player Characters past actions. There are no means
of scrying, ESP, or clairvoyance allowed within the game
Reversible Spells system; you cannot use a Dreamvision to gain information
about another Player Character’s actions, history, or past.
Some Earth magic spells may be cast by characters in Information may only be gained by players by first-hand
one of two forms, earth or chaos, these are called Re- witness or by finding out in-game from someone else who
versible Spells. Earth spells deliver curative and healing might have been a first-hand witness (of course they may
effects, whereas chaos spells focus on curses and harm- be lying too). This is to prevent any player (including plot-
ful effects (necromancy). Earth casters automatically controlled NPCs) from learning any in-game information
know both effects and when they memorize one, they also about the actions of any character, whether good or bad,
memorize the other; they cannot be separated to memo- after the fact.
rize only one side. Casters decide at the time they cast a
Reversible spell which of the two they will deliver, and
must state the verbal incant correctly for the one chosen
(see Necromancy below).

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 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Formal Magic (In-Brief) Delimit
There is a lot to Formal Magic and a full detailed explana- Any item which has a Delimit will only be able to be used
tion of all the ins-and-outs of that system are available in by a character if they meet one of the conditions of the
the NERO World Formal Magic Rulebook located on the Delimit. The item will also note exactly what the Delimit is.
NERO World website. This is just a short introduction to An item might have multiple conditions, but the character
that system and some of the most common effects. must only meet one of them. For Example: a longsword
which has a Delimit: Elf and a Delimit: Rogue may be used
Once a character has learned the skill Formal Magic by an Elf or a Rogue; the character does not need to be
<school> Level 1 they gain access to this system. Formal an Elf, Rogue.
Magic is cast from Formal Magic Scrolls which each have
level requirements and casting costs in the form of Formal Obliteration
Magic Components which are found as treasure or ac-
quired in-game. Character sometimes style themselves Usually reserved for heinous crimes and punishments, this
with titles (such as “Wizard” or “Sorcerer”) when they hour-long Formal Magic rends the Spirit of the victim, add-
reach this plateau, however these are not official titles and ing three resurrection deaths to the character card of that
are largely for vanity. player. If successful the character dies at the end of the
Formal Magic casting, although they may still be saved
from resurrection by a Life spell or effect. If they receive a
Common Formal Scrolls Life within the five-minutes the character is not forced to
resurrect. If they are not saved, they must seek resurrec-
Formal Magic Scrolls are a type of in-game magic item tion in an Earth Circle (see Spirits & Resurrection on page
and if a Detect Magic is cast upon them, will reveal that 17 for more information). The player draws only once for
they are magical. Reading a Formal Magic Scroll requires the resurrection.
that the character have the appropriate Formal Magic skill
of the correct school (Celestial or Earth) as the same
school as the Scroll. Without that skill a character would
Spirit Link
just see strange writing on the Scroll without the ability to This Formal Magic creates a magical bond between the
decipher it in any way. target item and the character’s spirit. The item must al-
ways be touching the linked character, making it unable to
Some Formal Magic scrolls may be cast upon items, be stolen from them. The linked-item does not need to
causing them to become magical, and which may be used physically make direct skin contact, just be in contact with
by characters. The following is a list of the most common the character and their immediate possessions; holding a
types players might encounter. spirit linked sword through a gloved hand is fine. If the
character dies and is forced to resurrect, them item travels
Bane with them to the Earth Circle. If the item is a container,
only the container travels with them, the contents are left
When activated by a character, the effect allows the char- behind with their other gear in the spot where their body
acter to defend against the stated effect type (regardless dissipated. If the character permanently perishes, the item
of delivery method), sending the attack back upon the returns to where the character’s body dissipated along
attacker (in the same way as a Reflect Magic spell de- with the body of the character. The Spirit Link will then
fense). A Bane effect is a specific defense and only the bond with the next character able to receive the effect.
stated type may be used against a matching attack type.
When triggered, the character must state the verbal
phrase “Bane <type>” after which it is expended.
Spirit Mark
This Formal Magic places a specific mark designated by
Cloak the caster onto a body location on the character. The Spirit
Mark may not be removed for the duration of the Formal
When activated by a character, the effect allows the char- Magic but it may be covered up by the character as nor-
acter to defend against the stated effect type (regardless mal by clothing or gear. The Spirit Mark must be drawn by
of delivery method), canceling the entire attack (in the the player of the marked character each event.
same way as a Shield Magic spell defense). A Cloak ef-
fect is a specific defense and only the stated type may be
used against a matching attack type. When triggered, the
Weapon Auras
character must state the verbal phrase “Cloak <type>” Certain Formal Magic casting allow the caster to place a
after which it is expended. specific aura upon a weapon, allowing the weapon type to
change to match the aura type. More than one Weapon

43
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Aura may be placed upon a single weapon and it is the the effect. So a Scroll which says P5, C2, D2, E1, V1
choice of the wielder of such a weapon which aura is ac- would be a 5th level Scroll requiring 5 Power, 2 Creation,
tive. Only one aura is usable for any one attack. Allowable 2 Destruction, 1 Elemental, and 1 Void. Any combination
auras are listed below: of strengths may be used to reach the required total
amount. If the Formal Magic Scroll needs anything specific
Silver Aura: The weapon deals Silver damage instead of it will be listed on the Scroll. For Example: P5 (requires
Normal damage. P2) means you must use a Power 2 but the remaining 3
can be anything so long as everything adds up to at least
Magic Aura: The weapon deals Magic damage instead of P5.
Normal damage.
Formal Magic Components each have an expiration date,
Damage Aura: The weapon deals Magic damage instead after which they may not be used anymore and crumble
of Normal damage, and the damage of the weapon is in- into dust (the magic is gone).
creased to match the bonus of the Damage Aura (+1, +2,
or +3). No weapon may have more than +3 damage.
Extended Circles of Power
Elemental Aura: The weapon deals damage of the same
type as the designated aura. The types are as follows: Extended Circle of Power allow those characters Invested
Essence, Destruction, Order, Chaos, Dream, Reason, in them to utilize the special powers of that circle. Investi-
Light, Darkness, Stone, Lightning, Fire, or Ice. ture happens in one of two ways: when the circle is creat-
ed or afterwards using an Investiture Formal Magic. This
acts as a kind of recognition between the circle and the
Vengeance character, allowing them to enter or leave the circle freely
This Formal Magic places a powerful magical effect upon anytime they want, and to use the associated powers of
the recipient which is only triggered if the character is giv- the circle. Invested character who are Unconscious (or
en a Killing Blow. The Vengeance is only triggered upon a unwilling) will not pass through the circle boundary.
successful Killing Blow against the character and inflicts a
retributive attack of magical energy which may not be An Invested character may also allow other characters to
avoided in any way. When triggered, the player must state enter or leave the circle by saying the out-of-game verbal
the verbal phrase “<number> Arcane Vengeance.” phrase “the Circle recognizes you.” Each character must
be “recognized” one at a time and each character recog-
nized will know they are being allowed in or out. Recog-
Formal Magic Components nized character must immediately enter or exit the circle
within three-seconds and this recognition is one-way only.
Before you can cast any Formal Magic, your character is Recognition is out-of-game and may be done event if the
going to need to get the reagents needed to do the de- Invested character is Silenced.
sired casting. These reagents are called Formal Magic
Components and each Scroll will have their own specific All combat must take place either fully within or fully out-
requirements listed on them. The Formal Magic Compo- side the Circle. Players may not start weapon swings in-
nents themselves are represented by tags or sticks with side the Circle, step out, and hit an opponent, then step
tags attached to them. Characters will acquire as treasure back in (even if recognized). The player may step out,
or by other means in-game. start their attack, deliver their attack, then retreat to the
Circle. Players may not start a spell incant inside a Circle,
Every character is able to recognize a Formal Magic then step out to deliver the spell.
Component if they see one, no special skill is needed.
Formal Magic Components will detect as magical if a De- While in combat, if a character enters or leaves a Circle,
tect Magic is cast on them. Characters with Formal Magic whether they are Invested or “recognized”, they must wait
1 may determine the variety and its strength rating. three-seconds before they may enter or leave that same
Circle again. This delay is to limit situations where partici-
Formal Magic Components have the following varieties: pants cannot conduct combat due to quick exit and re-
Creation (C), Destruction (D), Elemental (E), Power (P), entry into a Circle (called “Circle-hopping”).
Spirit (S), Time (T), and Void (V) - and have one of three
Strengths: 1, 2, or 4. The higher the value the harder it is You must have a Marshal witness your actions if you plan
to get one because they are more rare. So to put the to raid a Circle, just like you would if you were sneaking
whole thing together: You have a Power 1 Formal Magic into a cabin or sleeping area (see Searching a Cabin on
Component, you would have a P1. page 95).

The Formal Magic Scroll lists the casting requirements for

44
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Special Circle Power: Identify Magic Items
Extended Celestial Circles allow Invested characters to
Some objects in the game world have magical properties
use its Special Circle Power to perform an Identify any
and effects of them. Magic Items may be found as treas-
person or item fully within the Circle by touching the target
ure, acquired by the character, or created through Formal
with a spell packet and saying the out-of-game verbal
Magic.
phrase “Identify”.
Until an item is Identified (see above) the character may
not use it unless they have first been properly informed by
Objects are Identified by the player looking at the out-of-
the previous owner how to activate its magical powers.
game item tags in their possession. The player must have
Having the phys-rep and item card is not enough to use it
the item tag and the phys-rep for the item (if one exists) to
until it is Identified if you have not been told how it works.
properly Identify the item. Information revealed will be on
the item tag, including its expiration, Formal Magic effects,
or additional information. It takes as long to Identify an Activating Magic Items
item as it takes the player to read the card.
Some Magic Items contain spells or other effects the char-
Characters and creatures may be Identified and will re- acter may trigger when they decide to use it. Any charac-
veal active spells, Formal Magic effects, and Magic Items ter, regardless of their character level, character race, or
on their person, and the properties of said items (including which class they are, may use these items (unless the
Formal Magic effects and how to activate them). If the item has a special Delimit effect on it. See Delimit on page
target character has a Transform active (or a Transform 43 for more information). The Activation of a Magic Item
Affinity), it will also be revealed, along with its level and requires that the character have sole possession of that
school. item, be touching the item, and say the verbal trigger
phrase “Activate <full spell incant>” and follow all the nor-
At the discretion of the Plot Team or Marshal, additional mal rules for casting spells (see Casting Spells on page
properties may also be revealed to the character doing 39).
the Identification. It takes as long to Identify a character
as it takes the target player (or the Plot Team/Marshal) to For Example: if the character wanted to use a Web spell
provide the information to the identifying person. Identify from one of their magic items, they would say “Activate,
cannot reveal a dormant Transform (or Transform As- With Mystic Force I Web You.”
pect).
Activating a Magic Item is not an in-game skill and charac-
A character may not be Identified against their will, if they ters may still activate a Magic Item when they would other-
are conscious and not incapacitated; an incapacitated wise not be able to cast a spell (such as if they were af-
character may not refuse to be Identified. fected by a Taint Blood).

Only the character performing the Identification receives

the information, although anyone nearby will know that an Magic Item Slots (optional rule)
Identification is taking place, if they take the time to ob-
serve. The Identification process is in-game and may be Some chapters may limit the number of Magic Items a
interrupted in the same way as Spell Disruption or it the character may have readied for use. The local chapter will
character and the target are no longer touching. define the number of Magic Item Slots characters are al-
lowed from 0 to 5 during the event. This information will be
Using Identify on an Extended Circle of Power, Glyph, readily available for players on the local chapter’s website
Mystic Lock or Ward will reveal the remaining duration of and at logistics check-in.
the effect and the names of characters Invested (the spell
held in a Glyph will also be revealed to the character). The character may have any number of Magic Items in
their possession, however only the ones readied are able
to be wielded or activated. This process is done by assign-
Special Circle Power: Resurrection ing a single item to one of the available Magic Item Slots
Extended Earth Circles allow Invested characters to use the character has. The player needs a method to keep
its Special Circle Power to perform the Resurrection of a track of which of their carried items is Active and which are
Spirit fully within the Circle by touching the target with a Inactive. It takes one-minute to replace one of the items
spell packet and saying the out-of-game verbal phrase with another Magic Item assigned to a Magic Item Slot.
“Begin Resurrection” (see Matters of Life & Death on Loss of the Magic Item tag automatically makes it Inactive
page 14 for additional details about Spirits and Resurrec- and the character must assign it again to a Magic Item
tions). Slot before it can be used by the character. During the
process of magic making an item Active, the character

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 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
must be conscious, any have at least one hand free. They Table 4-1
may not use any in-game skills while making the changes.
FORMAL SUCCESS
Roll Outcome %
Some Formal Magic effects are continuous and will still
function even if a magic item is inactive: Delimit, Render 1 Success 10
Indestructible, Extend Formal Magic, Greater Extension,
Spirit Link, and Spirit Lock. Inactive items may still be 2–5 Flaw 40
used while they are inactive, however only the above
listed effects will be active, the rest remain inactive. 6–9 Failure 40

10 Backlash 10
Spirit as Magic Item
and result are then recorded into the Formal Magic Log.
Characters with Formal Magic castings in their Spirit The odds to determine the result of success are as follows
Slots, count their Spirit (and all castings on it), as a single (this is the preferred method): 10% Success, 40% Flaw,
“Magic Item” which can be made active, with regard to 40% Failure, 10% Backlash.
their Magic Item Slots limit (if the chapter is using the op-
tional rule). Only the following Formal Magic effects count
as the “Magic Item” for the purposes of the Magic Item Batch
Slot: Bane, Bane (Minor), Cloak, Cloak (Minor), Enchant,
Multiple castings of the same school of magic on a single
and Expanded Enchantment. Spirit Link and Spirit Lock
target is called a “Batch”. All the castings are grouped to-
are always active and may not be made inactive; they
gether and cast one after the other with no longer than
don’t count against Magic Item Slots.
one-minute between castings. If any casting has a gap
longer one-minute, the batch ends and the Formal Magic
A character is always aware of all Formal Magic effects
locks, preventing further castings in the Batch (usually
upon their Spirit (including school, type, duration, and how
ruining the work because the item was not extended yet).
to activate effects).
All casters participating in the casting of the Batch must be
DEFINITION OF FORMAL MAGIC TERMS within the Platform Circle during the entire Batch casting.
No additional casters may be added to a Batch once the
Formal Marshal castings have started.

A Marshal with special certifications allowing them to ob- A Glyph of Protection Formal Magic must be the first cast
serve Formal Magic castings (requirement in some chap- in the Batch. All Formal Magic castings in a Batch are
ters only). counted as the same day it was started, even if the actual
castings extend into the next Standard Reset period.
Caster
Unrestricted
The Formal Magic Caster (Primary Caster).
Any items created with only using “Unrestricted” treasure.
Secondary Caster All Formal Magic Scrolls, Formal Magic Components, and
Crafted Items must each be designated “Unrestricted”. If
Any other caster involved in the Formal Magic casting not any of the items used in the construction are otherwise,
designated as the Primary Caster. the item is created with the matching (or most restrictive)
classification; it cannot be Unrestricted.
Levels
Local Chapter Only (LCO)
The number of Formal Magic skill of the appropriate
school of magic purchased by the character. Special plot-related items or effects which are only accept-
ed in the chapter which issued them. Also includes items
Dark Territory created using Formal Magic where LCO items were used
in the creation (such as LCO Formal Magic Components
Any Formal Magic which has a chance of failure. The re- or Scrolls). They may not be used or permitted to be used
sult is determined by the Marshal using a random method, in any other chapter under any circumstances.
explained to the caster(s), and done fully in the view of
everyone involved in the caster as a witness. The Marshal
is never allowed to use methods which are not truly ran-
dom (such as “Pick a number” or similar). The method

46
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Pyramid pending on chapter. A character may only have one
Transform at any time, and if they gain a different one, it
Formal Magic castings which are cast an in incremental overrides the first one, replacing it on the characters Spir-
way so that each subsequent tier increase requires one it.
additional casting than the previous.
If the character permanently dies, the character becomes
For Example: the first casting (tier 1) requires one casting, an NPC under the control of the Plot Team of the chapter
the second (tier 2) requires an additional two castings where the chapter died. The Transform of the character
(total of 3), the third (tier 3) requires three more (total of may activate immediately or make take as long as the Plot
6), the fourth (tier 4) needs four (total of 10). Team decides (including weeks or months). As an NPC,
the player must play the character as directed by the local
The Formal Magic Scroll will inform the caster of how chapter.
many tiers are allowed for a specific effect, and no Pyra-
mid casting may ever have more than ten castings (4 ti- If the Transform is temporarily activated by the local chap-
ers). For Example, a Damage Aura may only be cast six ter Plot Team prior to the permanent death of the charac-
times (tier 3) for a maximum bonus allowed of +3. Each ter, the player is given some autonomy, but must still fol-
effect tier counts as one “effect” for determining effect low directions from the local chapter Plot Team. Transform
slots on a target (5-effect limits apply). powers should not be directed at other player characters
unless specifically allowed by the local chapter. There is
no assurance that the Transform of any character will be
SPECIFIC TYPES OF FORMAL MAGIC activated prior to their permanent death, and all such deci-
sions are the final ruling of the local chapter.
Scroll Speci ic
Transforms last for five-years or until removed. If a charac-
Some Formal Magic Scrolls have special limitations on ter has a Transform and it expires, they will still have a
the exact types of effects they create when cast, even Transform Aspect listed on their character card (see be-
though there may be many different effects possible un- low).
der the larger group heading, the Scroll allows only the
named one to be cast, and school specific. For Example:
a Celestial Bane Binding Scroll could only create that ef-
Transform Aspects
fect and could not create a Bane Fire, even though it is A Transform Aspect is a placeholder effect which denotes
also a Bane effect. You would need a Bane Fire Scroll that the character had a previously cast Transform, what
specifically to create the effect. type it was and casting level (Transform tier). The charac-
ter may re-cast the same level they previously had, or up-
Transform grade the Transform level (if applicable) to the next tier.
Transform Aspects are revealed by a Celestial Identify and
A Transform is a Formal Magic which alters the physical are be destroyed via Formal Magic. If the character gains
form and abilities of the character into some variety being a different Transform they lose the aspect and gain one
of power when activated. Transforms are always inactive matching the Transform just received. Transform Aspects
and dormant until the permanent death of the character or never expire.
until activated temporarily by the local chapter Plot Team.

Inactive Transforms are not revealed if the character is

Creation & Summoning
Identified in an Extended Celestial Circle of Power; if the Before any player may cast a Creation-type or Summon-
Transform is active, its existence will be revealed. type Formal Magic, they must notify the local Plot Team in
advance, and get their approval. The local chapter will
When Transformed, the character gains the listed abilities supply a Creature Card to be used for the Created or
for the creature, as listed on the Transform Character Summoned creature. The caster might need to provide the
Card provided and approved by the local chapter Plot NPC to play the creature, but the NPC remains under the
Team. The stats are based on the Formal Magic Trans- direction of the Plot Team at all times. The local chapter
form to <type creature> and the level of the Scroll used to may refuse the NPC provided by the player and provide
cast the Transform (7th, 8th, or 9th – see Transforms in their own NPC instead. Check with your local chapter for
the NERO World Formal Magic Handbook). Only the local the full policy on this.
chapter can provide an official stat card, and cards issued
in other chapters are not acceptable (unless approved). A Upon the successful completion of the Formal Magic for
new stat card or approval is required for every event and the Creation or Summoning of a creature will appear in the
the creature stats may rise or fall at the discretion of the circle with the caster.
local chapter; some Transforms are vastly different de-

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 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Unintelligent creatures cannot be issued complex com- the body of the creature are magically placed within it. The
mands and only understand simple commands or 25 Formal Magic Scroll will also require one silver piece for
words or less, with a single objective or condition. The each Body Point of the Golem created. The coins are con-
creature is under the sole command of the caster and this sumed in the casting along with the other required Formal
control may not be reassigned to another character, even Magic Components. In some cases, part (or all) of the sil-
if the caster commands the creature to obey another char- ver pieces used during the creation may be recovered
acter; the command is ignored by the creature. Examples when it is destroyed.
of simple commands are: “Follow me and search any Simple animals are always considered “willing” and may
creature I kill”, “Follow me and attack anyone who attacks be placed within the Golem easily by the caster. Simple
me”, “Guard this room and attack anyone who tries to en- animals leave the Golem an unintelligent automaton inca-
ter it, except anyone wearing a blue tabard.” Commands pable of independent thought or action. The Golem will
are subject to local chapter approval. only able to perform simple commands issued by the cast-
er (see Creation & Summoning rules, above).
Intelligent creatures are more powerful and resist being
controlled. Such creatures might be friendly or hostile Intelligent creatures (such as characters) placed within the
when summoned. The caster may need to bargain with Golem are not controlled by the caster but are able to fully
the creature before it will agree to be commanded, or to control the Golem from within and are recognizable as the
perform tasks for the caster. character within.

Players must get permission before they may bring a Cre- The Golem lasts five-days after the first directive it per-
ated or Summoned creature from one chapter to another, forms and may not be extended by any means beyond five
and either chapter may deny such requests. If the crea- -days. Golems are generally immune to Life and Death
ture is permitted into the new chapter, that chapter will effects, Alchemy and poisons, earth healing and chaos
supply a new stat card for the creature. The types of crea- spells, and have No Metabolism, unless specifically noted
tures allowed to be Created or Summoned is at the sole on the stat card provided by the local chapter. No Golem
discretion of the local chapter, and may choose to deny may ever be immune to a Killing Blow. They are immedi-
any creature type designate on a Scroll or replace the ately destroyed (dead) the moment it reaches zero Body
creature listed with one which is allowed. Points or is issued a Killing Blow. Upon the destruction of
the Golem the spirit immediately proceeds to an Extended
Special Note for Creating Undead Earth Circle for resurrection.

The Earth spell Create Undead will create only a Lesser When the Formal Magic ends (after five-days) or a
Undead Zombie. The Earth Formal Magic Create <X> Destroy Celestial Magic cast upon the Golem (destroying
Undead may never be used to create a Greater, High, or it), the inhabitant will be harmlessly expelled from within.
Master level undead creature, and are reserved for Trans- The character reappears and will maintain any effects (if
form to <x> (Greater, High, Master) Creature. applicable) and any wounds present on the Golem when
the magic ended. For Example: if the Golem had a Magic
Special Rules for Pantherghast Armor spell on it and had suffered 20 points of damage,
then when the character reappears, they too will have a
These creatures are always genocidal against one specif- Magic Armor and be down 20 Body Points (minimum of
ic race, named by the caster, and are bent on the com- one Body Point). An expelled character will emerge with-
plete annihilation and extermination of that race. Panther- out any death or resurrection occurring.
ghasts are intelligent creatures and may choose to bar-
gain or negotiate with the caster before they set off to See the NERO World Classic Formal Magic Rulebook for
begin the hunt for the named race. If their negotiations expanded rules on Golems and how they work.
fail, they might refuse service to the caster.

Golems CASTING RULES

Any character who has learned one level of Celestial For-
A caster seeking to create a Golem must follow the nor- mal Magic or Earth Formal Magic is able to read and cast
mal requirements and methods outlined in the Creation & from Formal Magic Scrolls of the same school as their
Summoning rules (above), as well as the rules in this spe- skill. The Formal Magic Scroll will detail the effects to be
cific section. generated, the level of the Scroll, the castings cost
(detailing the Formal Magic Components required for the
This Formal Magic creates a Golem Body as specified by casting, and other requirements), the school (celestial or
the Formal Magic Scroll and allows the caster to bind a earth), and allowed targets – all of which, must be within
willing Spirit to the body, placing it within the shell. When the Platform Circle during the casting. The Formal Magic
the Spirit is bound within the Golem, both the spirit and

48
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Scroll may also include “Special Instructions” which the
character must follow to the letter. You should always fully Duration
read the Formal Magic Scroll so you understand every-
thing which must be done and any requirements needed. The Duration is the length of time the effect lasts before it
A character may only cast one Formal Magic at a time. expires. Most effects require them to be Extended or they
will expire five-days after being cast (see Batch on page
43), others have specific Durations listed such as Instant,
Platform Circle Requirements 5-days, One-Year, or Two-Years. The Duration is listed on
the Formal Magic Scroll. No Formal Magic Effect may last
Formal Magic is always cast within a Platform Circle, rep- longer than two-years, except for Transform which lasts
resented by a circle with a “V” on the outside (sometimes five-years.
called a “Fishtail Circle”) to denote that the circle is not
protective in any way. The circle must be created (or Unlimited, Limited, & Times-Ever Scrolls
drawn) in such a way that there are symbols, sigils, runes,
and other similar decorations and props to signify the Formal Magic Scrolls are marked “Unlimited”, “Limited”, or
magic to be cast within it. A Platform Circle is not magical, “Times-Ever” (with the number of charges (uses) allowed.
but is a focus for the magic to be cast. If two more simul- Unlimited means the Scroll may be used over and over
taneous castings occur in the same Platform Circle, all again every day without restrictions. Limited means the
castings become Dark Territory castings (see Dark Terri- Formal Magic Scroll may be used only once-per-day. A
tory on page 46). Times-Ever Formal Magic Scroll may be used over and
over, but each time it is used it expends one use from the
Casting Time Scroll, and the Scroll expires when all the uses are ex-
pended.
Formal Magic castings take five-minutes each, except in
cases where the casting is harmful to another character
(see below). Some special plot-related Formal Magic
Game Day
scrolls (LCO) might have longer or shorter casting times, The Game Day is one standard reset period (6:00PM to
or other special requirements, such as unique Formal 5:59PM, or the end of the event, whichever is shorter).
Magic Components or additional casters required for the The duration includes the current day (or portion of) and
casting to begin, or specific location where it must be expires at the start of the next Game Day regardless of
cast, or similar conditions. how many hours remain in the current Game Day.

Casting Time When Harmful Item and Character Transferability

Some Formal Magic effects are noted as “harmful” to In order for items created using Formal Magic to be able to
characters (usually PCs), or may be determined to be so be used in other chapters, those resulting items must be
by a Marshal. In these cases the casting time is not five- labeled “Unrestricted”. This means the item was created
minutes, but is instead one-hour. This additional time re- by the player using only Unrestricted Formal Magic Com-
quirement is to allow for time to prevent the casting from ponents, Formal Magic Scrolls, and other required items. If
occurring by other characters who might want to do so. any portion of the items used are LCO (Local Chapter On-
Harmful effects include casting Destroy Celestial Magic ly), the item itself may not be Unrestricted and must be
on a Ward, destroying a Circle of Power, placing a Circle LCO. LCO effects may not be used or permitted to be
of Power around a Warded Building, or attempting to used in any other chapter other than the one they were
escape pursuit by means of Formal Magic. Any character created in under any circumstances (see Local Chapter
within the Platform Circle when the casting starts, may Only.
inform the Marshal that they contesting the casting as
harmful for any reason they want (or no reason), causing The Spirit of a Player Character is always Unrestricted.
the casting to be one-hour. Likewise, a character receiv- Any LCO Formal Magic effects upon the Spirit of a charac-
ing the harmful casting, may waive the one-hour casting ter will count towards the Magic Items Effect Limit, but will
time increase, allowing it to be five-minutes instead. The be inactive when outside the chapter where the LCO effect
decisions to waive the time or to contest the casting are was created.
make out-of-game by the player, not the character. Oblite-
ration is always a one-hour casting. The Marshal will de-
termine if castings are harmful when dealing with NPCs, Target Effect Limits
and can assign any amount of time between five-minutes
and one-hour under these circumstances. Items and Spirit may only ever have five concurrent For-
mal Magic effects at any time. If the target already has five

49
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
-effects and a sixth effect is attempted, the casting fails
(and the casting cost is still consumed). Some Formal Magic castings may not be refused: Oblite-
rate, Create Mark / Destroy Mark, and Investiture / Divesti-
The following Formal Magic Scrolls are not included in the ture.
five-effect limit: Create <x> Golem, Create High Horo-
scope, Dreamvision, Extend Enchantment, Extend Formal
Magic, Greater Extension, Investiture, Render Indestructi- Effects of Hex upon Formal Magic
ble, Interplanar Travel, Planar Asylum, Spirit Walk, or
Whispering Wind. The racial ability Hex may not affect any Formal Magic
casting in any way.

Success versus Failure Flaws and Backlash Effects

When casting Formal Magic, the caster is permitted to
cast a total of Levels of Formal Magic Scrolls equal to Flaws are usually a “Success Plus”, meaning the Formal
their Formal Magic <school> skill as standard auto- Magic succeeded but something else also happened too
success castings. The caster is permitted to cast double (might be good, might be bad). Flaws can change the way
their Formal Magic skill levels or attempt to cast a Scroll items work or add effects (which count towards the five-
above their levels of skill, but anything beyond their levels effect limit). A Backlash is almost always a “Critical Fail-
is cast in Dark Territory (see Dark Territory on page 46 for ure”, meaning the Formal Magic failed dismally and some-
more information). thing bad also happened. These effects are “Formal Mag-
ic” effects and lingering effects may be Identified in an Ex-
tended Celestial Circle of Power. Flaws and Backlash ef-
Tags fects are Arcane and cannot be avoided.

Any item created using the Formal Magic rules will have Pre-Event Formal Magic Use (optional rule)
an associated tag for the item. When possible, the tag
should be affixed to the item or kept with it. Some chap- Some chapter might allow characters to pre-cast certain
ters use a two-tag system for magic items, one for the Formal Magic. These are called “Logistical Castings” be-
item description and a matching tag which includes the cause there is no in-game element to them. The player
item description along with the effects on the item. All lets the local chapter know in-advance that they plan to
magic items tags must state whether the item is Inde- perform the casting(s), the chapter approves them (or dis-
structible (immune to Shatter and Destroy effects) or De- allows them). If approved, the player bring their character
structible (not immune) and the item transferability, Unre- card, the Formal Magic Scrolls to be used, all casters in-
stricted or LCO (see Item and Character Transferability volved in the casting, all Formal Magic Components, and
above). No local chapter may re-tag or reissue any tag anything else needed for the completion. The casting hap-
created by another chapter. Tags may not be modified or pens off-board and the results are determined by the Mar-
marked by players, except to note expended charges. shal or by the logistics staff. Everything is expended from
Expired tags may never be used. those involved and Formal Magic levels are noted on char-
acter cards.
Targets Dark Territory castings my never be performed Pre-Event
Formal Magic castings and must be done in-game. The
At the start of the Formal Magic casting, the primary cast-
final decision to allow or disallow any Pre-Event Formal
er must declare the target of the casting which will receive
Magic casting lies with the local chapter.
the effect(s). If multiple targets are allowed or required,
they must each be declared.
Finding a Marshal
Spirit castings may be refused by the target, however the
character immediately dies and becomes a Spirit, and The player performing the castings is responsible for in-
must then seek resurrection. The Marshal is required to forming the local chapter staff of their request for a Mar-
explain these consequences to the target character and shal and their desired time slot for the casting. The time
verify with them they understand the results; the target slot request is not a guarantee that the staff will be able to
may change their mind about the refusal at that time. The accommodate the player, but should make reasonable
target may refuse the casting at any point before the com- attempts to schedule time.
pletion of the formal magic, but before the outcome suc-
cess/fail results are determined. The choice to refuse is
made out-of-game by the player of the target, and the
character does not need to be conscious or able to speak
to make the choice.

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 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
Casting Walkthrough: Materials Checklist casting(s)
 Be fair and impartial in your duties
 Notify the Formal Magic Marshal and let them know  Examine all materials to be used in the casting: Scroll,
your preferred time slot components, items, and requirements
 The Formal Magic Scroll(s) to be used. Read and fully  Ensure all materials have valid expiration dates and
understand each Scroll none are expired – inform the caster if anything is
 Formal Magic Components required for each casting found so they may correct it
 The physical representation of the Platform Circle to  Fully read each Formal Magic Scroll – note any Flaws
be used during the casting on the Scroll in the logbook
 The Primary Caster  Determine the transferability status based on the ma-
terials of the resulting casting(s) (Unrestricted or LCO)
 Any Secondary Casters (if any) and inform the casters
 The target for the Formal Magic  Secretly make notes of any castings which do not
 White Headband have the proper components (the formal magic cannot
 The Marshal to witness and record the casting begin without the proper casting cost fulfilled) – this is
especially important if the casting is a batch but one of
the castings has the incorrect formal magic compo-
Casting Walkthrough: Marshal Checklist nents for the casting. It is not the duty of the Formal
Magic Marshal to inform the caster why the casting
 White Headband cannot begin
 A NERO World Rulebook and a NERO World Formal  Determine of the casting is Auto-Success or Dark Ter-
Magic Rulebook ritory, and if the casting is “Harmful” – inform the cast-
 Formal Magic Component Identification Chart (to veri- ers of the determination
fy all components)  Notify the caster(s) when you are ready and they may
 Local Chapter’s Formal Magic logbook and a pen (to begin casting
record the results)
 Flaw & Backlash charts The Casting of the Formal Magic
 A percentile dice (2 ten-sided dice of different colors)
 The Formal Magic casting starts when the Marshal is
ready and the caster says the verbal phrase
Caster Preparation “Beginning Formal Magic”
 The Marshal will secretly ask each caster participating
 Gather all required materials (Scroll, components, in the current casting if they are waiving auto-success
items, and requirements for the casting(s) to be done. (hindering the casting), this will cause the casting to
It is preferred that players bundle requirements to- be in Dark Territory
gether to make the process go quickly and smoothly  If the casting does not meet the casting cost require-
(called “getting your ducks in a row”) ments or any other requirements as stated on the For-
 Double-check everything mal Magic Scroll, the Marshal will inform the casters
 Submit the request for a Marshal and request a time- that “the Formal Magic does not begin”. Because the
slot for the casting casting has not started, nothing is consumed. It is the
duty of the caster(s) to determine the reason why the
 Be ready at the agreed upon time and ensure all cast- casting didn’t begin. The Marshal keeps track of the
ers are present and all materials are on-hand ready to one-minute casting gap if the casting is part of a
go Batch. If the casting is not the first casting in the
 Inform the Marshal if the item will be Unrestricted or Batch, the Marshal informs the casters when the one-
LCO based on the materials you will be using minute elapses and that the Batch has terminated and
the item is locked.
Marshal Preparation  If the casting meets all the casting cost requirements
and other requirements as stated on the Formal Magic
Scroll, the Formal Magic begins. The Marshal informs
 Be on-time at the agreed upon time-slot at the agreed the casters “the Formal Magic begins”
upon location
 The caster declares the target of the Formal Magic
 Have all required items for the Marshalling of the casting. If the target is a Spirit, the Marshal informs
the player they are the target, and asks them if they

51
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
are rejecting the casting. If they reject the casting, the  The Marshal collects the expended resources used in
Marshal informs them of the consequences, and veri- the casting. Tags and sticks must be torn or broken so
fies their answer (see Target Specific & Sub-Target they may not be reused. Times-Ever Scrolls are
Effects on page 41) marked to reduce one use
 During the casting, all casters must roleplay the cast-  After all castings are completed, the Marshal fills out
ing of the Formal Magic by whatever means they and gives the caster the receipt or temporary tag for
wish, such as movement or spoken elements relating the item created (the temporary tag expires at the end
to the casting. All casters must be able to see and of the weekend, and should be turned in to the chap-
read the Formal Magic Scroll at all times, and must be ter at check-out so they can issue a standard tag).
able to move freely. None of the casters may engage The Marshal records the used Formal Magic skill lev-
in conversation unrelated to the casting of the Formal els on each casters character card and any expended
Magic and any conversation may only be between the skills used during the castings and the date.
casters themselves
 The Marshal may issue a warning if they feel it rea-
sonable and appropriate, but must explain the reason CANTRIPS OVERVIEW
and how the players can rectify the situation and con- Cantrips are fully detailed in the NERO World Formal Can-
tinue the casting. If the Marshal issues two warnings trips Rulebook located on the NERO World website.
in a single casting, the casting immediately fails, and
the Formal Magic Components are consumed. NOTE: Cantrips are a kind of Formal Magic which are performed
again, the Marshal should be fair and impartial allow- without Formal Magic Scrolls or Platform Circles. Casting
ing the players the ability to accommodate the situa- Cantrips requires the character to have at least one level
tion. If the players feel the reason is not reasonable, of Celestial Formal Magic or Earth Formal Magic skill. The
the Marshal and players should work together to re- character may cast one Cantrip of the appropriate school
solve the situation (the Marshal should allow reasona- for every corresponding Formal Magic skill level they pos-
ble time for the players). Abuse of this by the Marshal sess. Skill levels from different schools may not be com-
should be reported by the players to staff bined together; each is completely separate.
 Backlash occurs during the casting if any of the fol-
lowing happens: any of the participating casters suf- The character must have a Cantrip Tome containing the
fers Body Point damage from any source, any of the Cantrip they will cast in their possession at all times, which
Formal Magic Scrolls or components being used for may contain up to ten Cantrips within it. The Cantrip Tome
the casting are destroyed, the target of the Formal is an in-game tagged object and its phys-rep must be at
Magic casting is injured, dies, or is destroyed, any of least 6” x 4” in order to be valid. A Cantrip Tome is created
the participating casters is unable speak, move their by Enchant Cantrip Tome (which is itself a Cantrip).
hands, is incapable of seeing the Formal Magic Scroll
or is unable to readily reposition themselves so they If the character loses possession of their Cantrip Tome(s)
can see the Formal Magic Scroll, any of the participat- at any time, all active Cantrips on the character immedi-
ing casters uses in-game skills other than as required ately expire, and they may not cast any Cantrips until they
by the Formal Magic casting (except for Dexterity Ar- obtain another Cantrip Tome. Only one character may use
mor, Read/Write, or Wear Extra Armor) a Cantrip Tome at a time and requires sole possession of
 Determine the results of the Formal Magic casting the Tome to use it. Giving another character your Cantrip
and inform the casters Tome constitutes “loss of possession”, causing all active
Cantrips on your character immediately expire.
 When the casting time has elapsed, the Marshal is
inform the players by stating “Formal Magic Ends”
and the result: Succeeds, Fails, Flaws, or Backlashes Casting Cantrips
 Determine Flaw or Backlash results (if required). The
For every level of Formal Magic skill the character has,
Primary Caster may roll the dice and the results are
they also have an equal number of Cantrip Levels to be
shown to all casters. In-game, each caster will be
expended for the casting of Cantrip spells. Cantrip levels
aware of the results
reset during a Standard Reset only, not during a Limited
 The Marshal records the result in the Formal Magic Reset (if the chapter is using the optional rule).
logbook
 If the casting is part of a Batch, the Marshal begins 60 Casting requires the character to have a Cantrip Tome
-seond count waiting for the casters to start the next containing the spells they wish to cast, expends one Can-
casting by saying “Beginning Formal Magic” (return to trip level, breaks or tears the Formal Magic Components
top of this list and start the process again, step-by- casting cost as designated by the Cantrip, states the ver-
step bal incant for the Cantrip, and delivers the spell. In addi-

52
 CHAPTER FOUR:
MAGIC
tion to the rules outlined here, all normal rules for casting Spirit
spells and Disruption apply to casting Cantrips (see Cast-
ing Spells on page 39). The Cantrip may only target the Spirit of the recipient. The
Cantrip must be touch-cast (see Touch-Casting on page
Cantrip spells are never Memorized and are always Cast- 40).
on-the-Fly, chosen at the time of casting by the character.
Broad
The casting cost of each Cantrip is detailed in its spell
description. Some cantrips have a 0 casting cost, which These Cantrips create a wide variety of effects which re-
means only the Cantrip Levels of the caster are expended quire the permission of the local Plot Team. Broad Can-
when casting a Cantrip of that cost. Most cantrips cost trips affect large areas, large structures, war machines, or
one Formal Magic component, while others might cost 2 groups of soldiers. They are not often relevant or practical
Formal Magic components, but the character only ex- at game events. They may never be used to affect PCs or
pends one Cantrip Level for each Cantrip cast. Using a NPCs directly at a game event.
Strength 2 Formal Magic component (For Example: a
Creation 2 (C2)) will allow the caster to fuel two consecu-
tive Cantrip castings so long as they are cast one after the Cantrip Durations
other and no longer than three-seconds passes between
the end of the casting of the first Cantrip and the begin- Hour: the Cantrip expires after one hour.
ning of the casting of the second Cantrip; the same ap-
plies for Strength 4, all four castings must follow these Day: the Cantrips expires at the next Standard Reset or
same casting requirements. the end of the game event (whichever is shorter).

Formal Magic components must be expended before the Instant: the Cantrip effect is immediate and the effects
cantrip incant is started. Formal Magic components used may be lasting. The Cantrip description will provide all the
to pay the casting cost may not be Strength/Resist (S/R) details.
components. The components must be valid (not expired)
and are to be turned over to a Marshal after use (usually Concentration: the Cantrip requires the caster to actively
after the completion of a module). maintain the effect. The character may not maintain more
than one Concentration action at a time (such as refitting
Cantrips may not be Extended in any way, may not be Armor or casting another spell or Cantrip which requires
stored in an item, and may not be Spell Stored. Concentration).

If the character dies (requires a Life spell) all Cantrips Year: the Cartrip lasts for one year from the date it was
immediately expire on the character (just like regular cast or until it is removed.
spells), even if they receive a Life spell, the active effects
are still lost. In the case of the Cantrip Contingency Life, 2 Year: the Cartrip lasts for two years from the date it was
where the Trigger State is Death, the Cantrip triggers be- cast or until it is removed.
fore the character needs a Life spell, therefore no loss of
active effects occurs. Invoked: The Cantrip grants the caster five charges
(uses) of the specified effect. To use a charge, the caster
must state the verbal incant “I Invoke <cantrip name>
Cantrip Types against you” so the opponent understands. The effect
may only be used against an opponent once, but multiple
Personal opponents may be targeted one after the other, expend-
ing one charge each time. Invoking the effect requires the
The Cantrip may only target the caster themselves and character to speak the in-game verbal incant, and the
may never target another character. The effects of the caster may not Invoke Cantrip effects if they are Silenced.
Cantrip spell may allow the delivery of specified effects to Invoking is subject to Spell Disruption rules, just like nor-
other characters. mal spells (see Spell Disruption on page 39).

Item
The Cantrip may only target an item; the item may not Cantrip Spells
contain a Spirit.
The list of available Cantrips are fully detailed in the
NERO World Formal Cantrips Rulebook located on the
NERO World website.

53
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
CELESTIAL EARTH CELESTIAL EARTH
Endow Bless
LEVEL 1

Release Purify / Taint Blood

LEVEL 5
Fumble Calm Animal L Shield Magic Release
Illumination Cure / Cause Light Wounds E
L V Silence Shield Magic
E Improved Hearth Fumble E Silver Aura Silence
V L
E Magic Missile Illumination Stone Bolt Tarry
L 5
Shield Improved Hearth Web Web
1
Shun Animal

LEVEL 6
Circle of Harmony Cure / Cause Critical Wounds
Stabilize Destroy Circle of Harmony
L
Trap / Free Undead E Elemental Shield Destroy
V
Delayed Endow Cure / Cause Wounds
LEVEL 2

E Enchanted Blade Elemental Shield

L
Detect Magic Detect Magic Enflame Remove Physical Affliction
L
E 6
Lightning Bolt Empathic Healing Lightning Storm Sleep
V
E Magic Armor Magic Armor Sleep
L
Pin Pin
LEVEL 7

Charm Charm
2
Repel Repel Extended Hearth Destroy Undead / Create Undead
L
Turn / Control Undead E Guardian of the Four Curse / Remove Curse
V
LEVEL 3

Ice Bolt Cure / Cause Disease E Ice Storm Extended Hearth

L L
E Refit Armor Charm Animal Lesser Investiture Remove Drain
V 7
Shatter Harm / Help Undead Lesser Divestiture Wither Limb / Restore Limbs
E
L Shatter Mystic Lock
3 Weakness / Remove Weak-
LEVEL 8

Confine Cure / Cause Mortal Wounds

ness
L Dispel Magic Confine
E
LEVEL 4

Awaken Awaken
V Displacement Dispel Magic
Bind Bind E
L Dragon’s Breath Paralyze / Unparalyze
L Calm Calm
E 8 Reflect Magic Regeneration / Corruption
V Cure / Cause Serious
Elemental Blade
E Wounds Reflect Magic
L Flame Bolt Poison Shield Banish Banish
LEVEL 9

4 Shun Remove Fear L Circle of Power Circle of Power

E
Sanctuary / Desecrate V Eldritch Blast Death / Life
E
Shun L Imprison Inspiration

9 Magic Storm
Ward

54
 CHAPTER Five:
Spells
All of the Spells found in this section are available to all Base 10 Celestial Damage (optional rule)
characters and at every local chapter. Each of the spells
has a Name, a Level (1-9), a School (Celestial or Earth), Local Chapters may choose to use an optional system
Duration (see below), if the spell has an option to being called a “Base 10 Celestial Damage ”. This optional rule
crafted as a Potion or Scroll, and if the spell may be used alters the damage for all Celestial spells from five points of
with the Manifold skill. damage per spell level (standard) to ten points at each
respective level. The spell incant must reflect the correct
Spell Defenses damage amount when the spell is cast for it to be valid.
For example: “I call forth a Magic Missile, 10.” or “I call
Some spells are cast upon a character in advance as pro- forth a Dragon’s Breath, 80.”
tection against certain types of attacks (see CHAPER
FOUR Spell Defenses on page 41 for the full details). The spells affected by this optional rule are:
Magic Missile (10), Lightning Bolt (20), Ice Bolt (30),
Spell Durations Flame Bolt (40), Stone Bolt (50), Lightning Storm (60), Ice
Storm (70), Dragon’s Breath (80), Eldritch Blast (90), En-
flame (40), and Magic Storm (10).
Concentration
The spell effect requires the caster to be conscious and
actively maintain the effect. The character may not main-
SPELL DESCRIPTIONS
tain more than one Concentration action at a time (such Awaken
as refitting armor or casting another spell or Cantrip which
requires Concentration). Concentration immediately ends Althena’s Mental Clarifier
if the character is unconscious, dying, or dead. Level: 4
Duration: Instant C, E, S, P, M
Timed Incant: “I command you to Awaken.”
This spell immediately removes all of the following effects
The spell or effect lasts for only a specified amount of on the recipient: Silence, any Sleep effect, the Charm ef-
time before it expires. The times are listed in each spell fects Calm, Calm Animal, Shun, Shun Animal, Charm,
description and are one of the following: 5-seconds, 1- Charm Animal, Fear, and Vampire Charm. This spell will
minute, 5-minutes, 10-minutes, 1 hour, or 5 days. not remove Berserk, Control Undead or Enslavement.

Instant Banish
The spell effect occurs immediately. Lititia’s Elemental Banishment
Level: 9
Inde inite Duration: Instant C, E
Incant: “With mystic force I Banish you.”
The spell effect lasts until used by the character, or until This spell immediately expels any extra-planar creature
the character dies. from Tyrra, forcing it to return to its plane of origin, and
prevent it from returning to Tyrra for 24-hours. Any treas-
Enduring ure or items in the possession of the extra-planar creature
is left behind on Tyrra (except for Spirit Linked/Locked
The spell effect is permanent until cured, or until the char- items). This spell noes not allow any character or creature
acter dies. to return to Tyrra from any other extra-planar realm.

Line of Sight Bind

The spell effect continuously lasts until the victim could Lasset’s Mystic Binding
not see the caster or the caster could not see the victim. Level: 4
Large structures or immobile obstructions may block Line Duration: Line of Sight C, E, S
of Sight. When in doubt, draw an imaginary line straight to Incant: “With mystic force I Bind you.”
the character, then they are in line of sight. Closing your This binding spell forces the arms of the victim straight
eyes or hiding behind another player is not sufficient to down to their sides, holding them in place for the duration
end the spell effect. If Line of Sight is broken from view of the spell effect. The victim may still speak, walk or run,
longer than 10-seconds, the effect ends. If Line of Sight is or leave the area if they wish. The victim may not use their
reestablished between the two characters, then the effect arms to use a weapon or shield, cast spells, use Alchemy,
continues. The spell effect immediately expires if the cast- or use any in-game skill which requires a “free hand” or
er dies, becomes Unconscious, or the victim dies. The use of their arms. The victim is not considered Incapacitat-
maximum length of time for a Line of Sight effect is 1-day. ed.
A new casting on a target will reset the duration.
55
 CHAPTER Five:
Spells
Bless Cause Critical Wounds
Bearkiller’s Protection Morgin’s Enhanced Aberration
Level: 1 Level: 6
Duration: Indefinite E, P, M Duration: Instant E, P, M
Incant: “I grant you the power of a Bless 5.” Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Critical Wounds 30.”
This protection spell grants the recipient five temporary This spell deals 30 points of damage directly to the Body
Body Points. The additional Body Points are applied be- Points of the victim, bypassing all armor. If this spell is
yond the normal Body Points of the recipient, and are ex- cast upon an undead creature, it will instead heal up to 30
pended before normal Body Points when damage is tak- Body Points lost to damage, bypassing all armor, but will
en. This spell does not restore lost Body Points and may not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body Points.
not be used to revive an Unconscious character. This This spell is a reversible spell of Cure Critical Wounds.
spell will not damage undead creatures. A Bless will pro-
tect the recipient from Spell Disruption. Cause Disease
Calm Korac’s Demise
Level: 3
Golem’s Charm to Sooth the Savage Duration: Enduring E, P, M
Level: 4 Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Disease.”
Duration: 5-minutes C, E This spell infects the victim with a non-contagious disease
Incant: “I command you to be Calm.” which prevents them from running. The victim may still
This spell is a Charm effect which alters the behavior of attack and defend themselves normally, while moving at a
the victim so they are passive and non-aggressive for the normal walking pace. Some creatures with No Metabolism
duration of the effect. The victim may not take any threat- may not be affected by this spell. Purify Blood does not
ening or hostile actions, may not participate in combat, aid remove the Cause Disease effect. This spell is a reversi-
other in combat (including healing them), or make any ble spell of Cure Disease.
attempt to remove the spell. They are uninterested in any-
thing except relaxing or resting. The effect immediately Cause Light Wounds
expires if the victim is attacked in any way. This spell is
less-powerful than any of the other Charm-Group effects Suvina’s Minor Aberration
in the hierarchy (see Charm Effects on page 41). Level: 1
Duration: Instant E, P, M
Calm Animal Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Light Wounds 5.”
This spell deals 5 points of damage directly to the Body
Xavier’s Bestial Soother Points of the victim, bypassing all armor. If this spell is
Level: 1 cast upon an undead creature, it will instead heal up to 5
Duration: 5-minutes E Body Points lost to damage, bypassing all armor, but will
Incant: “I command this animal to be calm.” not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body Points.
This spell is a Charm effect which alters the behavior of This spell is a reversible spell of Cure Light Wounds.
one ordinary animal creature so they are passive and non
-aggressive for the duration of the effect. The animal may Cause Mortal Wounds
not take any threatening or hostile actions, may not partic-
ipate in combat, aid other in combat (including healing Tali’s Greater Aberration
them), or make any attempt to remove the spell. They are Level: 8
uninterested in anything except relaxing or resting. The Duration: Instant E, P, M
effect immediately expires if the animal is attacked in any Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Mortal Wounds 40.”
way. Only ordinary animals are affected by this spell and This spell deals 40 points of damage directly to the Body
it will not affect magical animals, animal-men, or any of Points of the victim, bypassing all armor. If this spell is
the character races (it will still trigger spell defenses how- cast upon an undead creature, it will instead heal up to 40
ever). This spell is less-powerful than any of the other Body Points lost to damage, bypassing all armor, but will
Charm-Group effects in the hierarchy (see Charm Effects not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body Points.
on page 41). This spell is a reversible spell of Cure Mortal Wounds.

56
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Cause Serious Wounds are provided (or none at all), the effect might be broken
(this is decided by the player of the victim). The effect im-
Accolon’s Corrupter mediately expires if the victim is attacked by the caster
Level: 4 directly.
Duration: Instant E, P, M
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Serious Wounds 20.” Once the Charm is broken or expires, the victim will no
This spell deals 20 points of damage directly to the Body longer be under the effects of the Charm and will remem-
Points of the victim, bypassing all armor. If this spell is ber everything except the casting of the Charm spell. They
cast upon an undead creature, it will instead heal up to 20 might still not realize they were Charmed however, de-
Body Points lost to damage, bypassing all armor, but will pending of the situation.
not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body Points.
This spell is a reversible spell of Cure Serious Wounds. This spell is more powerful than a Calm or Shun effects in
the Charm-Group, but less-powerful than Control Undead,
Cause Wounds Fear, Vampire Charm, or Enslavement in the Charm-
Group hierarchy (see Charm Effects on page 41).
Suvina’s Lesser Aberration
Level: 2 Charm Animal
Duration: Instant E, P, M
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Cause Wounds 10.” Xavier’s Animal Friendship
This spell deals 10 points of damage directly to the Body Level: 3
Points of the victim, bypassing all armor. If this spell is Duration: 5-minutes E
cast upon an undead creature, it will instead heal up to 10 Incant: “I command this animal to be Charmed.”
Body Points lost to damage, bypassing all armor, but will This spell functions exactly as the spell Charm, except it
not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body Points. only affects an ordinary animal and with the following su-
This spell is a reversible spell of Cure Wounds. perseding rules:

Charm Animals do not normally understand language, however

the spell creates trust in the caster (as their “best friend”)
Dalton’s Mystic Befriending so the animal will be “friendly” towards the caster. The
Level: 7 animal will stay by the side of the caster and follow them
Duration: 5-minutes C, E around, defending the caster if they would normally do so
Incant: “I command you to be Charmed.” for other members of their species in the wild. If the animal
This spell is a Charm effect which alters the behavior of has been trained to follow commands, the caster may is-
the victim so they view the caster as their “best friend” for sue the commands known by the animal, and the animal
the duration of the effect. The victim may not be con- will do their best to follow them as if the caster were the
vinced in any way or by any means that they have been one who trained them. The effect immediately expires if
Charmed or that the caster is not their best friend. The the animal is attacked by the caster or the allies of the
victim will not make any attempt to remove this spell and caster directly.
will be completely unaware of the casting of the Charm
spell until is wears off or is removed. Only ordinary animals are affected by this spell and it will
not affect magical animals, animal-men, or any of the
The victim must stay near the side of the caster and listen character races (it will still trigger spell defenses however).
to the “suggestions” of their “best friend”. They will not This spell is more powerful than Calm, Calm Animal,
mindlessly obey orders or commands issued which are Shun, Shun Animal in the Charm-Group, but less-powerful
contrary to their nature, but might be convinced into doing than Control Undead, Fear, Vampire Charm, or Enslave-
such things by the caster (if they are cleaver enough). ment in the Charm-Group hierarchy (see Charm Effects on
The victim must be able to understand the caster and page 41).
speak the same language in order for the caster to con-
vey their “suggestions”. Certain creatures designated as Circle of Harmony
“mindless” (such as lesser undead) or other creatures
such as Golems or insects either don’t have a mind or Edgar’s Symbolic Hearth
have a hive-mind, which the Charm spell cannot target, Level: 6
causing them to be immune (their monster card will deter- Duration: 1-hour C, E
mine if they are). Incant: “With eldritch force, I build a Circle of Harmony.”
Before this spell may be cast, the character must have a
If the victim is attacked by characters siding with the cast- circle constructed with similar requirements as a Platform
er (the caster’s party members), the victim will question Circle (see Platform Circle Requirements on page 48),
why the caster is not stopping them. If insufficient reason except there is no “V” but must be two concentric circles,

57
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
one inside the other. The maximum radius of the outer Con ine
circle cannot exceed six feet. The caster then casts the
Circle of Harmony spell on the phys-rep and places a per- Mannaria’s Advanced Eldritch Binder
sonalized “H” in the center of the circle to denote it as a Level: 8
Circle of Harmony belonging to the caster. The “H” mark- Duration: Line of Sight C, E
ing is out-of-game. Incant: “With mystic force I Confine you.”
This binding forces the arms of the victim straight down to
The Circle of Harmony acts as a Prepared Hearth allow- their sides and completely immobilizes the entire body of
ing the Manifolding of spells cast within the circle, of the the victim, holding them in place for the duration of the
same school of magic as the circle, without the need to be spell effect. The victim may still speak, but cannot us any
indoors. The caster may use the same circle for casting in-game skills requiring movement and are unable to move
spells of either school (celestial or earth) but each re- any part of the body or head; they are rooted to the spot
quires a separate casting of this spell from the appropriate and my not be moved by others. No amount or Superhu-
school for each. Only the caster may use the Circle of man Strength will break the Confine effect.
Harmony; every character must have their own Circle of
Harmony specific to them. The victim retains items and weapons held in the hands,
but these items may be removed if they are searched (see
The Circle of Harmony lasts for one-hour and remains Searching a Person on page 88). The victim is completely
active even if the caster exits the circle. If the Circle of helpless (but not incapacitated) and is unable to prevent
Harmony ends if the circle is targeted by a Dispel Magic being searched or issued a Killing Blow.
or if the circle phys-rep is removed, erased, partially
erased, or significantly disturbed. Control Undead
Circle of Power Ylivik’s Sphere of Coercion
Level: 2
Lania’s Power Circle Duration: 5-minutes E
Level: 9 Incant: “I call upon chaos to Control Undead.”
Duration: 10-minutes C, E This spell is a Charm effect which allows the caster to
Incant: “With eldritch force, I build a Circle of Power.” command one lesser undead creature for the duration.
Before this spell may be cast, the character must have a Lesser undead are “mindless” creatures without intelli-
circle phys-rep, or draw one on the ground in dirt or other gence or sentient thought, and as such they may only be
physical method so it is clearly visible and the circle is in- issued simply commands. Simple commands might be
game. Shields may not be used in any way for the phys- “follow me”, “guard this”, “stay here”, “kill that person”,
rep, even if there is a circle drawn upon it or string at- “search everything I kill”, or the like. The undead creature
tached to it. The maximum radius of the circle phys-rep is cannot perform tasks that require them to use reason, log-
six-feet. Any object in the path of the circle will obstruct ic, or higher intelligence (such as “count these coins”, “go
the casting of this spell, causing it to fail (and still be ex- collect these mushrooms”, or “go find <specific person>”).
pended). Characters not fully inside the circle when it is If the undead creature doesn’t understand or the com-
cast are expelled to the outside of the circle boundary. mand is too complex, they sill stand and do nothing until
The caster must be inside the circle when it is cast. A cir- issued a command they can fulfill.
cle and a Ward may never overlap or intersect, but may
coexist with either fully inside the other. This spell will not affect any living creature (but will still
trigger Spell Defenses normally). A new casting of Control
When the spell is cast upon the circle phys-rep it be- Undead on the undead creature will overwrite an existing
comes a circle used for protection. Nothing outside and Control Undead effect, replacing it.
nothing inside may pass the circle while is it active, includ-
ing Alchemy, items, or effects (except Hex and gaze at- This spell is more powerful than Calm, Shun, Charm, or
tacks such as Vampire Charm). Fear effects in the Charm-Group, but less-powerful than
Vampire Charm or Enslavement effects in the Charm-
The Circle of Power lasts 10-minutes or until ended by the
Group hierarchy (see Charm Effects on page 41).
caster. The caster may choose to end the spell at any
time by touching the circle phys-rep and saying the out-of-
game verbal phrase “circle down”. Anyone who hears the
phrase is aware the circle has ended. The Circle of Power
will also end if the caster leaves (Spirit Walk, Rift, or an-
other method in-game) or the caster dies. A Dispel Magic
cast on the circle will have no effect on it, but a Destroy
<school> Magic of the same school as the circle will de-
stroy it.

58
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Corruption tion, Harm Undead, Help Undead, Trap Undead, Free Un-
dead, Destroy Undead, Earth numeric healing spells
Balvar’s Corrupting Touch (harmed by), Chaos numeric harm spells (headed by), and
Level: 8 Sanctuary. The Zombie may be the recipient of Spell De-
Duration: 1-minute E fenses (such as Magic Armor), protections (such as Bless
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Corrupt you.” or Shield), and Blade Spells (such as Endow or Enchanted
This spell completely heals an undead target to their max- Blade).
imum Body Points. The undead target must able to be
healed by chaos/necromancy to be affected by this spell. The Create Undead effect ends if the Zombie is reduced
Once affected, the undead target to sit at rest or stand to zero body points, is affected by Destroy Undead, or is
completely still while they Concentrate (this is a Concen- affected by Dispel Magic. When the Create Undead effect
tration action) during the Regeneration process. The pro- ends, the character starts their Death Count for Resurrec-
cess is interrupted if the undead creature suffers Body tion from the point they left off. The character by not be the
Point damage or if they use any in-game skills or abilities target of Create Undead again until they are given a Life
for the duration of the spell. If the process is interrupted, spell. Characters never remember time spent as a Zombie
the effect fails with no Body Points regained. This ability while affected by the Create Undead effect. This spell is a
does not remove any additional effects. reversible spell of Destroy Undead.

This spell will not affect any living creature (but will still Cure Critical Wounds
trigger Spell Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible
spell of Regeneration. Morgin’s Enhanced Restorative
Level: 6
Create Undead Duration: Instant E, P, M
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Critical Wounds 30.”
Necro’s Re-animator This spell restores 30 Body Points to the recipient, up to
Level: 7 their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char-
Duration: 5-minutes E acters affected by this spell will be restored but it will not
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Create Undead.” affect a dead character (because they need a Life spell). If
This spell only functions on a target which is dead (not this spell is cast upon an undead creature, it will instead
dying) and will not affect any living creature (but will still cause 30 Body Points of damage, bypassing all armor.
trigger Spell Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible spell of Cause Critical Wounds.

This spell animates the body of the target dead character Cure Disease
as a Zombie under the command of the caster (per the
Control Undead spell). There is no visible change in the Korac’s Eldritch Infusion
appearance of the character when they are created as a Level: 3
Zombie and are recognizable to anyone who knows them. Duration: Instant E, P, M
If the character was performing their Death Count (until Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Disease.”
resurrection) they must pause it upon being created as a This spell removes the effects of Disease on the recipient.
Zombie (resuming from where they left off if the effect This spell is a reversible spell of Cause Disease.
ends).
Cure Light Wounds
The created Zombie will act as if it were under the effects
of Berserk when created, attacking at normal speed any- Suvina’s Minor Restorative
one nearby, unless commanded to stop by the caster. Level: 1
The Zombie has the same maximum Body Points as the Duration: Instant E, P, M
character has when they were alive and is created at full Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Light Wounds 5.”
health. The Zombie will have all the armor and gear the This spell restores 5 Body Points to the recipient, up to
character had on them when they were created. They their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char-
move at normal walking speed (they may not run), may acters affected by this spell will be restored but it will not
not speak, has no in-game skills except Weapon Master, affect a dead character (because they need a Life spell). If
and deals damage based on the weapon they are using this spell is cast upon an undead creature, it will instead
only (no character skills). The Zombie is Immune to all the cause 5 Body Points of damage, bypassing all armor. This
following effects: Alchemy, poisons, Disease, Death, Life, spell is a reversible spell of Cause Light Wounds.
Paralyze, Sleep, Taint Blood, and the Charm-Group ef-
fects Calm/Calm Animal, Shun/Shun Animal, Charm/
Charm Animal, and Fear. The Zombie is affected by any
effect which specifically states it affects undead: Corrup-

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Cure Mortal Wounds Death
Tali’s Greater Restorative Angelica’s Spirit Evictor
Level: 8 Level: 9
Duration: Instant E, P, M Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Mortal Wounds 40.” Incant: “I grant you the gift of Death.”
This spell restores 40 Body Points to the recipient, up to This spell immediately causes the death of the victim, re-
their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char- ducing them to -1 Body Points and the Dead state. The
acters affected by this spell will be restored but it will not victim must receive a Life spell within 5-minutes or they
affect a dead character (because they need a Life spell). will resurrect (see Life & Death on page 14). This spell is a
If this spell is cast upon an undead creature, it will instead reversible spell of Life.
cause 40 Body Points of damage, bypassing all armor.
This spell is a reversible spell of Cause Mortal Wounds. Delayed Endow
Cure Serious Wounds Midtguard’s Delayed Ogrestrength
Level: 2
Accolon’s Aberration Duration: Indefinite C, S, M
Level: 4 Incant: “I grant you the power of a Delayed Endow.”
Duration: Instant E, P, M This spell allows the recipient to deal two additional points
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Serious Wounds of damage for one attack with a melee weapon. The recip-
20.” ient decides when to use the Delayed Endow and once
This spell restores 20 Body Points to the recipient, up to triggered, it is expended even if the attack misses.
their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char-
acters affected by this spell will be restored but it will not The Delayed Endow may instead be expended to Rip from
affect a dead character (because they need a Life spell). Pin and Bind effects (see the Racial Ability Rip from Bind-
If this spell is cast upon an undead creature, it will instead ing on page 24 for how this works).
cause 20 Body Points of damage, bypassing all armor.
This spell is a reversible spell of Cause Serious Wounds. Delayed Endow may not be used in conjunction with Su-
perhuman Strength +2 or higher and a Delayed Endow will
Cure Wounds only grant +1 to a character with Strength +1 (the maxi-
mum bonus damage is +2, see the monster ability Super-
Suvina’s Lesser Restorative human Strength on page 24).
Level: 2
Duration: Instant E, P, M Delayed Endow is part of the Blade Effects Group and
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Cure Wounds 10.” may be stacked with other Blade Effects (three maximum).
This spell restores 10 Body Points to the recipient, up to Blade Effects may not be combined to function together
their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char- and must be used one at a time (see Blade Effects on
acters affected by this spell will be restored but it will not page 40).
affect a dead character (because they need a Life spell).
If this spell is cast upon an undead creature, it will instead Desecrate
cause 10 Body Points of damage, bypassing all armor.
This spell is a reversible spell of Cause Wounds. Hector’s Vilification
Level: 4
Curse Duration: Indefinite E
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Desecrate you.”
Trisilia’s Curse This spell protects the character from all melee attacks
Level: 7 delivered by living creatures. This spell will not protect the
Duration: Enduring E, P character from any ranged attack (such as spells or
Incant: “I Curse you with destruction.” thrown weapons) or area of effect attacks or damage
This Curse spell creates a temporary vulnerability which (such as an explosive trap).
causes all attacks against the victim to deal double-
damage. The attack must be of a type which would nor- When this spell is cast, the character must cross their
mally affect the victim. This spell does not alter the vic- arms across their chest so their hands are positioned to-
tim’s Threshold level (if they have one), however the dam- wards the opposite shoulder of the hand (right arm to left
age is doubled before it is applied to the Threshold or any shoulder and left arm to right shoulder), forming an “X”.
other defenses. The Curse effect is removed by a Dispel The Desecrate effect will continue if the character keeps
Magic or a Remove Curse. their arms crossed in this manner. The spell immediately
ends if the character suffers Body Point damage, is affect-

60
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
ed by Sleep, falls Unconscious, is affected by Dispel Mag- pouch) will prevent the contents from being destroyed
ic, dies, attempts to pick something up, or lowers their (because the container was immune to the target effect.
arms from their chest. While the Desecrate is active, the Targeted items which are specified by the attack but are
character my not use in-game skills aside from touch- within a Rendered container may still be targeted sepa-
casting spells upon themselves, activating magic items on rately and will not be protected simply because the con-
themselves (falls under touch-casting), or using Racial tainer is immune.
Abilities.
For Example: A rendered pouch which contains a Cantrip
If the player is unsure if the attacker is a living creature or Tome inside it, means the Cantrip Tome is a valid target to
not, they must take the melee damage from the attacker, be specified by the Destroy effect, and would not be pro-
ending the Desecrate spell in the process (you may not tected even in a Rendered pouch.
call a Hold to determine this). This spell is a reversible
spell of Sanctuary. Any tagged item which is Destroyed must have its tag de-
stroyed/discarded because the item is no longer usable in-
game (the tag is now expired). Armor targeted will Destroy
Destroy the entire suit and associated tag. Non-physical armor
Zalinarik’s Improved Shattering Force such as Dexterity Armor or a Shield spell defense are un-
Level: 6 affected by the Destroy effect.
Duration: Instant C, E, S
Incant: “I summon a force to Destroy <item>.” Destroy Undead
This spell causes the targeted item to become useless Necro’s Abomination
and unusable. The target may be up to the size of a nor- Level: 7
mal door (approximately 7 feet by 4 feet) and will not af- Duration: Instant E
fect any target it cannot Destroy in its entirety (it will not Incant: “I call upon the earth to Destroy Undead 70.”
put a door-sized hole in a wall, for example). The phys- This spell immediately causes the destruction of one less-
rep prop of the item Destroyed item remains but is not a er undead creature. If this spell is cast upon a greater un-
usable in-game item until it has an accompanying item dead creature, it will instead cause 70 Body Points of
tag. damage, bypassing all armor. This spell only functions on
an undead creature and will not affect any living creature
The caster may declare a specific item as the target (such (but will still trigger Spell Defenses normally). This spell is
as a “longsword”, “shield”, “armor worn”, pouch on your a reversible spell of Create Undead.
belt” or “cantrip tome”) or may be more generic (such as
“weapon”, “armor”, “pouch”, or “item”). If the caster does
not specify the target, the delivery of the effect is by Carri- Detect Magic
er Attack, or the character has multiple items matching a
Shalizar’s Enchanted Magesight
generic description, it is the decision of the target player
Level: 2
which non-rendered item is targeted, but the target must
Duration: Instant C, E, S
be a valid item which can receive the effect, if possible
Incant: “I call forth mystic power to Detect Magic.”
(see Target Specific & Sub-Target Effects on page 41 for
This spell reveals to the caster (and only the caster) if any
the full details on how this works).
magic exists on the target. The area of the spell effect will
If the target item is Rendered (either though Formal Magic cover a single person or an area up to the size of a normal
or the Cantrip effect) it is Indestructible for the duration of door (approximately 7 feet by 4 feet) and all visible items
those effects and may not be Destroyed by this spell. If will be revealed. Items hidden when the spell is cast are
the target item is Strengthened it will Resist the effect to not revealed.
defend against the attack (see the Smithing Special Abil-
ity: Strengthen an Item on page 32). If cast upon a person, the target must reveal to the caster
all visible magic items, what the schools of those items are
Any item which has other items within, attached to, or (celestial earth, both, or other), any active effects and
suspended from, will also all be Destroyed by this effect. Spell Defenses.

For Example: Destroying a Shield with several celestial If cast upon a Circle of Power or Ward, it will reveal to the
Scrolls attached to the back of it will destroy the shield caster the school and duration it was when it was cast (10-
and all the Scrolls. Destroying a pouch with items inside it minutes, 1-hour, 1-year, or 2-years), but will not reveal
such as coins, gems, tools, or other items, will destroy all who is invested or the time remaining of the duration.
items within the pouch. Destroying a lock on a treasure
box, will destroy the box and all the contents of the box. A
Rendered container which is targeted (such as a box or

61
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Dispel Magic Eldritch Blast
Killraven’s Diabolical Disrupter Diranda’s Energy Expeller
Level: 8 Level: 9
Duration: Instant C, E, S, P, M Duration: Instant C, S
Incant: “I call forth mystic power to Dispel Magic.” Incant: “I call forth a(n) <flame, ice, lightning, or stone>
This spell immediately removes all magical effects on the Blast. 45.”
target, regardless of delivery method. If the target has a This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical fire, ice, light-
Shield Magic or Reflect Magic, they will be expended but ning, or stone which deals 45 points of damage to the tar-
no other effects are removed. If the character drinks a get. The caster decides which one option to choose at the
Dispel Magic Potion, a Shield Magic or Reflect Magic will time of the casting by designating either fire, ice, lightning,
not prevent the effect and they will be removed as well. or stone in the verbal spell incant. This spell may also
Dispel Magic will not work against any of the following: known as <Fire, Ice, Lightning, Stone> Blast when deliv-
Circle of Power, Mystic Lock, Ward, any Cantrip effect, or ered by Magic Deliverance, magic items, monster abilities
any Formal Magic effect, unless specified in the descrip- or similar circumstances.
tion of the effect.
Elemental Blade
Displacement
Arcevol’s Improved Elemental Conjuration
Rigalinion’s Camouflage Level: 4
Level: 8 Duration: Indefinite C, S, M
Duration: Indefinite C Incant: “I grant you the power of an Elemental Blade.”
Incant: “I grant you the power of a Displacement.” This spell allows the recipient to deal five additional points
This spell may only target the caster themselves and may of damage for one attack with a melee weapon. The recip-
never target another character, be Imbued to another ient decides when to use the Elemental Blade and once
character, Spell Stored, or stored into a Magic Item triggered, it is expended even if the attack misses. The
through Formal Magic or any other means. recipient decides which one option to choose at the time of
the casting by designating either fire, ice, lightning, or
This protection spell bestows upon the caster an automat- stone when the weapon swing is delivered. An Elemental
ic Spell Defense which is triggered by any attack which Blade will not damage a creature which is only damaged
hits them, causing them to momentarily become incorpo- by Silver or Magic damage types.
real, negating the attack or effect. When triggered, the
Displacement is expended. This Spell Defense is the al- Elemental Blade is part of the Blade Effects Group and
ways triggered before any other automatic Spell Defenses may be stacked with other Blade Effects (three maximum).
such as Magic Armor, Shield Magic, Elemental Shield, Blade Effects may not be combined to function together
Guardian of the Four, and Poison Shield. The character and must be used one at a time (see Blade Effects on
may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or Dodge before Dis- page 40).
placement, but may not use Resist or Return. The player
must say the out-of-game verbal phrase “phase” within Elemental Shield
three-seconds of being affected.
Peldin’s Elemental Barrier
Touch-Cast spells may be “accepted” through this Spell Level: 6
Defense normally (see Touch-Casting on page 40). Dis- Duration: Indefinite C, E, S, P, M
placement is not triggered against a Vengeance effect or Incant: “I grant you the power of an Elemental Shield.”
a Formal Magic Backlash effect. See Spell Defenses on This protection spell bestows upon the recipient an auto-
page 41 for more information on these rules. matic Spell Defense which is triggered by any attack with
the word “Elemental” in the delivery phrase, regardless of
Dragon’s Breath the delivery method, which hits them. When triggered, the
Elemental Shield is expended, negating the attack. The
Arcevol’s Draconian Enchantment character may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or Dodge be-
Level: 8 fore Elemental Shield, but may not use Resist or Return.
Duration: Instant C, S The player must state the out-of-game verbal phrase
Incant: “I call forth a Dragon’s Breath. 40.” “Elemental Shield” within three-seconds of being affected.
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical fire which See Spell Defenses on page 41 for more information on
deals 40 points of damage to the target. these rules.

62
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Empathic Healing age is +2, see the monster ability Superhuman Strength
on page 84). Unlike Delayed Endow, the character may
Oleander’s Self Sacrifice not use Endow to Rip from Pin or Bind effects.
Level: 2
Duration: Instant E Endow is part of the Blade Effects Group and may be
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Transfer <effect name>” stacked with other Blade Effects (three maximum). Blade
This spell transfers one harmful effect from the target to Effects may not be combined to function together and
the caster themselves. The caster must know and specify must be used one at a time (see Blade Effects on page
the effect to be transferred by this spell. Spell Defenses 40).
will not be triggered by the effect transfer, nor can the
caster use Dodge, Phase, Cloak or Bane to defend En lame
against the effect being transferred. The caster may only
use Racial Abilities to Resist the effect, if applicable. If the Bester’s Stumbling Flame
caster is immune to the transferred effect, this spell fails Level: 6
and is still expended. Upon the successful transfer of the Duration: 5-Seconds C
effect, the duration begins as if it were just cast on the Incant: “I summon a force to Enflame <item>. 20.”
caster. This spell creates an eldritch fire effect which enshrouds
every part of the item named for five-seconds, dealing 20
Only the following effects may be transferred to the cast- points of fire damage to the target touching it (see Target
er: Curse, Disease, Drain, Drain Life, Feeblemind, Hallu- Specific & Sub-Target Effects on page 41). The target is
cinoid, Intoxicant, Nausea, Paralyze, Silence, Sleep, Taint also simultaneously affected by a Fumble effect if they
Blood, Weakness, Wither Limb, and Vertigo. were affected by the fire damage (see the spell Fumble).
The spell is negated by any defense which defends
Enchanted Blade against fire (such as a Fire Shield or Cloak vs Fire).

Turing’s Aura of Enchantment Extend Hearth

Level: 6
Duration: Indefinite C, S, M Edgar’s Overlying Hearth
Incant: “I grant you the power of an Enchanted Blade.” Level: 7
This spell allows the recipient to alter the damage type of Duration: Indefinite (5-days) C, E
one weapon they are wielding to deliver “Magic” damage Incant: “With eldritch force I build an Extended Hearth.”
(instead of “Normal” or “Silver”) against a single opponent This spell may only be cast upon an existing Circle of
(following the same rules as Critical Attack) for a single Power or Ward, and my not be thrown at a target. When
combat encounter. The recipient decides when to use the cast, the Circle of Power or Ward will cause the target to
Enchanted Blade effect, and may choose to end the effect act in the same manner as a Prepared Hearth, and will be
anytime, by returning to their original damage or by using the same school as this spell cast upon it. The effect lasts
a different aura type (if they have one); this causes En- for the same duration as the target or five-days, whichever
chanted Blade to expire. is shorter. See the skill Prepare Hearth on page 31 for the
full details of how it works.
Enchanted Blade is part of the Blade Effects Group and
may be stacked with other Blade Effects (three maxi- Fumble
mum). Blade Effects may not be combined to function
Ganmarek’s Limited Curse of Clumsiness
together and must be used one at a time (see Blade Ef-
Level: 1
fects on page 40).
Duration: 5-seconds C, E, S
Incant: “I summon a force to Fumble your <item>.”
Endow This spell will cause one item held by the victim to become
Barantur’s Charm of Ogre Strength unusable for five-seconds. The caster must name one
Level: 1 hand-held item and only items held by the victim may be
Duration: Indefinite C, S, M designated (see Target Specific & Sub-Target Effects
Incant: “I grant you the power of an Endow.” on page 41), but the option may be generic (such as
This spell allows the recipient to deal two additional points “weapon”). If the victim is holding two items matching the
of damage for their next attack with a melee weapon, after designation, the victim chooses which is affected. For the
which it is expended even if the attack misses. purposes of this spell, a Shield is considered a “weapon”.
Spell packets are not “items” and cannot be targeted.
Endow may not be used in conjunction with Superhuman
Strength +2 or higher and an Endow will only grant +1 to
a character with Strength +1 (the maximum bonus dam-

63
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Flame Bolt Help Undead
Folson’s Elemental Flamestrike Doria’s Boon of the Doomed
Level: 4 Level: 3
Duration: Instant C, S Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I call forth a Flame Bolt. 20.” Incant: “I call upon the chaos to Help Undead. 30.”
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical fire which This spell immediately restores up to 30 Body Points of
deals 20 points of damage to the target. damage to an undead creature, bypassing all armor, but
will not heal the creature beyond their maximum Body
Free Undead Points. This spell only functions on an undead creature
and will not affect any living creature (but will still trigger
Morien’s Malignant Mistake Spell Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible spell of
Level: 1 Harm Undead.
Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Free Undead.” Ice Bolt
This spell immediately releases an undead creature from
a Trap Undead spell and removes the effects of Turn Un- Swansona’s Cold Strike
dead. This spell only functions on an undead creature and Level: 3
will not affect any living creature (but will still trigger Spell Duration: Instant C, S
Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible spell of Trap Incant: “I call forth an Ice Bolt. 15.”
Undead. This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical ice which
deals 15 points of damage to the target.
Guardian of the Four
Ice Storm
Janos’ Specific Protection
Level: 7 Kalliestro’s Elemental Maelstrom
Duration: Indefinite C, S, M Level: 7
Incant: “I grant you the power of a <fire, ice, lightning or Duration: Instant C, S
stone> Shield.” Incant: “I call forth an Ice Storm. 35.”
This protection spell bestows upon the recipient a specific This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical ice which
automatic Spell Defense of the type designed by the cast- deals 35 points of damage to the target.
er. The defense is triggered by the next appropriate weap-
on or any attack with the named option, regardless of the Illumination
delivery method, which hits them. When triggered, the
protection is expended, negating the attack. The caster Alva’s Illuminator
decides which one option to choose at the time of the Level: 1
casting by designating either fire, ice, lightning, or stone in Duration: 5-days C, E
the verbal spell incant. Incant: “I grant you the power of Illumination.”
This spell creates a glowing light wand, which anyone can
An Elemental Shield will be triggered before a Guardian of use after the creation. This spell may not be thrown at a
the Four defense. The character may choose to use target and must be cast upon an out-of-game phys-rep
Cloak, Bane, or Dodge before Guardian of the Four, but which will produce the light (such as a glowstick). The light
may not use Resist or Return. The player must state the must be dim or diffused in some way (a small flashlight
out-of-game verbal phrase “<fire, ice, lightning, or stone> covered by cloth for example). Do not shine the light in a
Shield” within three-seconds of being affected. See Spell person’s face.
Defenses on page 41 for more information on these rules.
The light wand will last for five-days or until affected by a
Harm Undead Dispel Magic. Illumination may not be cast upon any item
which does not produce light for the effect (such as a per-
Doria’s Bane of the Doomed son or tree).
Level: 3
Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Harm Undead. 30.”
This spell immediately causes 30 Body Points of damage
to an undead creature, bypassing all armor. This spell
only functions on an undead creature and will not affect
any living creature (but will still trigger Spell Defenses nor-
mally). This spell is a reversible spell of Help Undead.

64
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Imprison This spell may target any single ability or skill (such as a
Resist Poison, Dodge, or a single Spell Slot) but may not
Midtguard’s Forceful Imprisonment be used on Crafting Skills, Tradecraft skills, or magic
Level: 9 items. If Inspiration is used to renew a Formal Magic skill
Duration: 10-minutes C level, it may only be used for casting Cantrips, not for cast-
Incant: “With eldritch force I build a prison.” ing additional Formal Magic. If Inspiration is used to re-
This spell encases the target within an unbreakable form- store as Assassinate or Slay, only base 100 skills will be
fitting magical shell. The target may not move, speak, or renewed, unless only Bladefury has been used, then it will
use any in-game skills, activate a magic item, use Racial renew the Bladefury. This spell may not be used to renew
Abilities, or Racial Features. While within the Imprison, any Transform ability, skill, or power in any way.
the target is immune to all spells, effects, damage, cannot
be searched, and they not be moved in any way. The tar- The recipient may only be affected by a single Inspiration
get is aware of their surroundings, unless they are uncon- each reset period (Standard Reset and Limited Reset, if
scious, dying, or sleeping. used). Additional castings are wasted with no renew ef-
fect.
If the target is affected by a Dispel Magic, the Imprison
effects immediately ends, but no other effects on the tar- Lesser Divestiture
get are affected by the Dispel Magic (only the Imprison
itself). Raveloch’s Sundering Eldritch Forge
Level: 7
The Imprison will last for 10-minutes. The Imprison effect Duration: Instant C
may be Dispelled anytime by the caster if they touch the Incant: “With eldritch force I remove your Investiture.”
target and state the out-of-game verbal phrase “Imprison This spell allows an Invested caster to immediately Divest
down.” Anyone who hears the out-of-game verbal phrase a person from a Mystic Lock or Ward; it cannot be used to
is aware the Imprison is no longer active. Divest a person from an Extended Circle of Power. The
The target may not be issued a Killing Blow by anyone caster and the target must both be touching the Mystic
other than the caster (see Killing Blow on page 15) and Lock or be within the Ward during the casting of this spell.
once the three-counted action is completed, they must Cabin Notes or Marshal Notes must be immediately updat-
state the out-of-game verbal phrase “Imprison down.” If ed following the casting to reflect the changes made. This
the creature is immune to the Killing Blow for any reason, spell may not be thrown at a target.
it fails and the Imprison still ends. Imprison is a Visible
Effect. Lesser Investiture
Improved Hearth Raveloch’s Attuning Eldritch Forge
Level: 7
Edgar’s Enhancing Area Duration: 5-days C
Level: 1 Incant: “With eldritch force I grant you an Investiture.”
Duration: 1-hour C, E This spell allows an Invested caster to immediately Invest
Incant: “With eldritch force I build an Improved Hearth.” another person into a Mystic Lock or Ward; it cannot be
This spell may only target an area made ready by the Pre- used to Invest a person from an Extended Circle of Power.
pare Hearth skill. This spell may not be thrown at a target The caster and the target must both be touching the Mys-
and must be cast upon an out-of-game phys-rep of the tic Lock or be within the Ward during the casting of this
Hearth. See the skill Prepare Hearth on page 31 and spell. Cabin Notes or Marshal Notes must be immediately
Manifold on page 30 for the full details of how these work. updated following the casting to reflect the changes made.
This spell may not be thrown at a target.
This spell extends the Hearth to one hour in duration and
the Hearth will last even if the character leaves the bound- Life
aries. The spell expires if the Hearth is affected by Dispel
Magic. Angelica’s Death Bane
Level: 9
Inspiration Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I grant you the gift of Life.”
Oracle’s Rite of Renewal This spell immediately restores a dead character to Life
Level: 9 with one Body Point (see Life & Death on page 14). This
Duration: Instant E spell only functions on a dead target and will not affect any
Incant: “I grant you the gift of Inspiration.” living creature or undead creature (but will still trigger Spell
This spell renews any one expended per-day ability or Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible spell of
skill the recipient has purchased, so it may be used again. Death.

65
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Lightning Bolt cast, the caster must plant both feet firmly and may not
move them for the duration. The caster must maintain this
Hanson’s Thunderbolt Generator spell through Concentration (this is a Concentration action,
Level: 2 see page 55), allowing the caster to continuously state the
Duration: Instant C, S in-game verbal incant “Magic Storm 5” before throwing a
Incant: “I call forth a Lightning Bolt. 10.” spell packet. Each packet thrown counts as an individual
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical lightning spell cast.
which deals 10 points of damage to the target.
Mystic Lock
Lightning Storm
Andraya’s Dimensional Box
Hanson’s Maelstrom Effect Level: 7
Level: 6 Duration: 5-days C
Duration: Instant C, S Incant: “With eldritch force I build a Mystic Lock.”
Incant: “I call forth a Lightning Storm. 30.” This spell magically enchants a single container or chest,
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical lightning making it Indestructible and preventing anyone who is not
which deals 30 points of damage to the target. Invested from opening it or accessing the contents. This
spell may not be thrown at a target and must be cast upon
an out-of-game phys-rep container, no larger than 3’x3’x6’
Magic Armor in total size. This spell will not affect any container which is
Robalyn’s Mystic Protection Field already magical (such as by Cantrip or Formal Magic) or
Level: 2 which is too large. The container may not be moved from
Duration: Indefinite C, E, S, P, M the spot where it is located by anyone (including the cast-
Incant: “I grant you the power of a Magic Armor.” er) after the spell is cast. It may not be positioned in a way
This protection spell bestows upon the recipient an auto- that it hinders movement or prevents a door from normal
matic Spell Defense which is triggered by the first weapon operation.
attack or any attack with the word “Physical” in the deliv- Once the Mystic Lock spell is cast, the caster must place
ery phrase, regardless of the delivery method, which hits an obvious and visible “W” to signify to others that the con-
them. When triggered, the Magic Armor is expended, ne- tainer is protected by a Mystic Lock spell (in a similar way
gating the attack. Magic Armor will be triggered by a to a Ward spell).
weapon attack even if the attack does “zero” damage. A
Magic Armor will not protect against any trap, except a The caster and any other person touching the container
weapon trap, and may not be used to defend against a when this spell is cast, will be Invested to the Mystic Lock,
Killing Blow. The character may choose to use Cloak, allowing them to open it and remove or add to the con-
Bane, or Dodge before Magic Armor, but may not use tents of the container. The container may never have any
Resist or Return. The player must state the out-of-game creatures (alive or dead) within it. After the casting, the
verbal phrase “Magic Armor” within three-seconds of be- Cabin Notes or Marshal Notes must be immediately updat-
ing affected. See Spell Defenses on page 41 for more ed to reflect the who is Invested in the Mystic Lock.
information on these rules. Mystic Lock is not affected by Dispel Magic and is de-
stroyed by a Destroy Celestial Magic effect which targets
Magic Missile the container.
Cornelius’ Mystic Projectile
Level: 1 Paralyze
Duration: Instant C, S Nyrina’s Nerve Blocker
Incant: “I call forth a Magic Missile. 5.” Level: 8
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical energy which Duration: 5-minutes E
deals 5 points of damage to the target. Incant: “I curse you with Paralysis.”
This spell curses the victim so they are unable to move
Magic Storm any part of their body or even speak. The victim must have
Amalyzix’s Mystic Bombardment a metabolism for this spell to affect them. The victim is
Level: 1 helpless (but not incapacitated) and is unable to prevent
being searched or issued a Killing Blow. If the victim is
Duration: Concentration C, S
Incant: “I call forth a Magic Storm 5, Magic Storm 5, Mag- moved by an outside force (such as by another character),
ic Storm 5. . .” is knocked unconscious, or is affected by Sleep, they will
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical energy which collapse to the ground, but the Paralyze effect will remain
deals 5 points of damage to the target. When this spell is active. The effect ends if the victim receives a Remove

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Curse, Unparalyze, or Dispel Magic; this spell is not re- Re it Armor
moved by Release. This spell is a reversible spell of Un-
paralyze. Win's Smithing Surrogate
Level: 3
Pin Duration: Instant C, M
Incant: “I summon a force to Refit this armor.”
Peranore's Minor Binding This spell immediately restores one suit of physical armor
Level: 2 to its full Armor Point value. This spell will have no effect
Duration: Line of Sight C, E, S on Dexterity Armor or Arcane Armor (because they are not
Incant: “With mystic force I Pin you.” physical), but may be used to refit Natural Armor. This
This binding spell immediately forces the right foot of the spell will not restore temporary Armor Points granted by
victim to be fixed in place. The victim may pivot in a 360 Shield or Eldritch Shield spells.
degree arc around the pinned foot, buy may not lift it or
move it from that spot. Re lect Magic
Poison Shield Kincaid’s Enchantment Reflection
Level: 8
Klarissa’s Poison Protector Duration: Indefinite C, E, S, P, M
Level: 4 Incant: “I call forth mystic power to Reflect Magic.”
Duration: Indefinite E, M This protection spell bestows upon the recipient an auto-
Incant: “I grant you the power of a Poison Shield.” matic Spell Defense which is triggered by the first spell,
This protection spell bestows upon the recipient an auto- Spellstrike, or magical effect (such as a Magic Deliverance
matic Spell Defense which is triggered by any attack with spell or a Glyph), regardless of the delivery method, which
the word “Poison” in the delivery phrase, regardless of the hits them. When triggered, the Reflect Magic is expended,
delivery method, which hits them. When triggered, the protecting the recipient by bouncing the spell back upon
Poison Shield is expended, negating the attack. If the the original caster. The caster of the spell or effect is not
character is aware they are consuming an Elixir, they may changed when it is Reflected.
“accept” the effect in the same way they accept a touch-
cast spell, allowing the elixir to bypass the defense. If they The recipient may only have either a Shield Magic or a
don’t accept the effect, the Poison Shield is triggered nor- Reflect Magic active at any given time (not both). If the
mally. The character may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or character already has a Shield Magic active and they ac-
Dodge before Poison Shield, but may not use Resist or cept a touch-cast Reflect Magic spell, it will immediately
Return. The player must state the out-of-game verbal cause the Shield Magic spell to expire and will be replaced
phrase “Poison Shield” within three-seconds of being af- with the Reflect Magic on the recipient (see Touch-Casting
fected. See Spell Defenses on page 41 for more infor- on page 40). You may not accept a packet-delivered spell
mation on these rules. or effect.
The character may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or Dodge
Purify Blood before Reflect Magic, but may not use Resist or Return.
The player must state the out-of-game verbal phrase
Vorin’s Antidote “Reflect Magic” within three-seconds of being affected.
Level: 5 See Spell Defenses on page 41 for more information on
Duration: Instant E, P, M these rules.
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Purify your Blood.”
This spell will remove all Alchemical effects on the recipi- Regeneration
ent, as well as the effects of Berserk, Feeblemind, Hallu-
cinoid, Intoxicant, Nausea, Paranoia, Vertigo, and any Balvar’s Healing Grace
attack with the word “Poison” in the delivery phrase, re- Level: 8
gardless of the delivery method. It will also remove and Duration: 1-minute E
negate the effects of Forget-Me-Not and Forget-it-Well Incant: “I call upon the earth to Regenerate you.”
effects if cast on the recipient within ten-minutes of being This spell completely heals the recipient to their maximum
effected. Purify Blood will not trigger a Poison Shield or Body Points. The recipient must able to be healed by
heal any damage to the Body Points of the recipient. Puri- earth/healing to be affected by this spell. Once affected,
fy Blood will not remove or effect any of the following: Al- the recipient must sit at rest or stand completely still while
chemical Solvent, Enslavement, Liquid Light, Paste of they Concentrate (this is a Concentration action, see page
Stickiness, Oil of Slipperiness, or Vorpal Coatings. 55) during the Regeneration process. The process is inter-
rupted if the recipient suffers Body Point damage or if they
use any in-game skills or abilities for the duration of the

67
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
spell. If the process is interrupted, the effect fails with no Remove Physical Af liction
Body Points regained. This ability does not remove any
additional effects. Daniel’s Invigorating Corporeal Restoration
Level: 6
This spell will not affect any undead creature (but will still Duration: Instant E, P, M
trigger Spell Defenses normally). This spell is a reversible Incant: “I rid you of your Physical Affliction.”
spell of Corruption. This spell immediately removes any active “physical” ef-
fects, regardless of the delivery method, which are affect-
Release ing the recipient. Only spells or effects with the word
“physical” in the delivery phrase are removed by this spell.
Hiro’s Splendid Unbinding This spell does not remove any other Curse effects.
Level: 5
Duration: Instant C, E, S, P, M Remove Weakness
Incant: “With mystic force I Release you.”
This spell immediately frees the target from the effects of Tyrr’s Damage Restorer
the binding effect Pin, Bind, Web, or Confine. Release will Level: 3
also free the target from the effects of all active Paste of Duration: Instant C, E
Stickiness alchemical effects, or a target which is held by Incant: “I rid you of Weakness.”
non-magical means (such as rope, manacles, stockades, This spell immediately removes any active Weakness ef-
or grappled by a creature). This spell may not be used to fects, regardless of the delivery method, which are affect-
remove Paralyze or Imprison effects, or to open a door or ing the recipient. This spell does not remove any other
lock. Curse effects. This spell is a reversible spell of Weakness.
Remove Curse Repel
Trisilia’s Charm Jondar’s Force of Repulsion
Level: 7 Level: 2
Duration: Instant E, P, M Duration: Concentration C, E, S
Incant: “I rid you of your Curse. Incant: “With mystic force I Repel you.”
This spell immediately removes the Curse spell and any This spell creates a force which pushes the victim away
active effects with the word “curse” in the delivery, regard- from the caster so they are ten-feet away and prevents the
less of the delivery method, which are affecting the recipi- victim and the caster from moving any closer to each oth-
ent. Remove Curse will not restore lost Body Points and er. Once this spell is successfully cast, the caster must
will not remove a Hex. hold out their hand, palm out towards the victim (as in a
“stop” gesture) for the duration of the spell. The held-out
Remove Drain hand must be the same hand used to throw the spell and
the caster may not use this hand for anything else while
Enigma’s Restorative the spell is in effect. The caster must maintain this spell
Level: 7 through Concentration (this is a Concentration action, see
Duration: Instant E, P page 55) and the spell will continue as long as the caster
Incant: “I rid you of your Drain. holds out their hand.
This spell immediately removes all active Drain spells or
effects, regardless of the delivery method, which is affect- If the victim cannot increase the distance between them-
ing the recipient. This spell does not remove Drain Life or selves and the caster (because of physical obstructions,
any other Curse effects. Binding effects, or any other reason), this spell instead
pushes the caster away from the victim so that they are
Remove Fear each ten-feet away from the other. If neither can increase
their distance to the required ten-feet, they must each stay
Elder’s Spine of Steel the maximum distance possible. Only forward motion is
Level: 4 prevented by this spell and the victim and caster may back
Duration: Instant C, E away from each other if they wish (if possible). This spell
Incant: “I rid you of your Fear. is not part of the Charm-Group of effects.
This spell immediately removes any active Fear spells or
effects, regardless of the delivery method, which are af-
fecting the recipient. This spell does not remove any other
Curse effects.

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Restore Limbs as a “longsword”, “shield”, pouch on your belt” or “cantrip
tome”) or may be more generic (such as “weapon”,
Thorna’s Entropy Disrupter “pouch”, or “item”). If the caster does not specify the tar-
Level: 7 get, the delivery of the effect is delivered by Carrier Attack,
Duration: Instant E, P, M or the character has multiple items matching a generic
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Restore your Limbs.” description, it is the decision of the target player which non
This spell removes all Withered Limb effects on the recipi- -rendered item is targeted, but the target must be a valid
ent, regardless of the delivery method, restoring them so item which can receive the effect, if possible (see Target
they may be used normally. Specific & Sub-Target Effects on page 41 for the full de-
tails on how this works).
Sanctuary
If the target item is Rendered (either though Formal Magic
Hector’s Aura of Protection or the Cantrip effect) it is Indestructible for the duration of
Level: 4 those effects and may not be Shattered by this spell. If the
Duration: Indefinite E target item is Strengthened it will Resist the effect to de-
Incant: “I call upon the earth to grant you Sanctuary.” fend against the attack (see the Smithing Special Ability:
This spell protects the character from all melee attacks Strengthen an Item on page 33).
delivered by undead creatures. This spell will not protect
the character from any ranged attack (such as spells or Any item which has other items within, attached to, or sus-
thrown weapons) or area of effect attacks or damage pended from, will also all be Shattered by this effect.
(such as an explosive trap). For Example: Shattering a Shield with several celestial
When this spell is cast, the character must cross their Scrolls attached to the back of it will destroy the shield and
arms above their head so their hands are positioned to- all the Scrolls. Shattering a pouch with items inside it such
wards the opposite shoulder of the hand (right arm to left as coins, gems, tools, or other items, will shatter all items
shoulder and left arm to right shoulder), forming an “X”. within the pouch. Shattering a lock on a treasure box, will
The Sanctuary effect will continue if the character keeps destroy the box (if it is not larger than a shield) and all the
their arms crossed in this manner. The spell immediately contents of the box. A Rendered container which is target-
ends if the character suffers Body Point damage, is affect- ed (such as a box or pouch) will prevent the contents from
ed by Sleep, falls Unconscious, is affected by Dispel Mag- being shattered (because the container was immune to
ic, dies, attempts to pick something up, or lowers their the target effect.
arms from above their head. While the Sanctuary is ac- Targeted items which are specified by the attack but are
tive, the character my not use in-game skills aside from within a Rendered container may still be targeted sepa-
touch-casting spells upon themselves, activating magic rately and will not be protected simply because the con-
items on themselves (falls under touch-casting), or using tainer is immune.
Racial Abilities.
For Example: A rendered pouch which contains a Cantrip
If the player is unsure if the attacker is an undead crea- Tome inside it, means the Cantrip Tome is a valid target to
ture or not, they must take the melee damage from the be specified by the Shatter effect, and would not be pro-
attacker, ending the Sanctuary spell in the process (you tected even in a Rendered pouch.
may not call a Hold to determine this). This spell is a re-
versible spell of Desecrate. Any tagged item which is Shattered must have its tag de-
stroyed/discarded because the item is no longer usable in-
Shatter game (the tag is now expired).

Zalinarik’s Shattering Force Shield

Level: 3
Duration: Instant C, E, S Almrood's Protective Field
Incant: “I summon a force to Shatter <item>.” Level: 1
This spell causes the targeted hand-held item to become Duration: Indefinite E, P, M
useless and unusable. The target may be any item up to Incant: “With eldritch force I grant you a Shield. 5.”
the size of a shield and will not affect any target it cannot This protection spell grants the recipient five temporary
Shatter in its entirety (it will not put a shield-sized hole in a Armor Points. The additional Armor Points are applied
wall, for example). The phys-rep prop of the Shattered beyond the normal Armor Wear Points of the recipient,
item is not a usable in-game item until it has an accompa- and are expended before normal Armor Points when dam-
nying item tag. age is taken. This spell does not restore lost Armor Points.
A Shield spell will protect the recipient from Spell Disrup-
The caster may declare a specific item as the target (such tion if the damage dealt does not exceed the current Ar-
mor Points the recipient has.

69
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Shield Magic Shun Animal
Tyler’s Improved Protection From Enchantment Xavier’s Bestial Repulsion
Level: 5 Level: 1
Duration: Indefinite C, E, S, P, M Duration: 5-minutes E
Incant: “I call forth mystic power to Shield Magic.” Incant: “I command this animal to Shun me.”
This protection spell bestows upon the recipient an auto- This spell functions exactly as the spell Shun, except only
matic Spell Defense which is triggered by the first spell, an ordinary animal will be affected. It will not affect magi-
Spellstrike, or magical effect (such as a Magic Deliver- cal animals, animal-men, or any of the character races (it
ance spell or a Glyph), regardless of the delivery method, will still trigger Spell Defenses however).
which hits them. When triggered, the Shield Magic is ex-
pended, protecting the recipient from the spell. This spell is more powerful than a Calm or Calm Animal
effects in the Charm-Group, but less-powerful than Charm,
The recipient may only have either a Shield Magic or a Charm Animal, Control Undead, Fear, Vampire Charm, or
Reflect Magic active at any given time (not both). If the Enslavement in the Charm-Group hierarchy (see Charm
character already has a Reflect Magic active and they Effects on page 41).
accept a touch-cast Shield Magic spell, it will immediately
cause the Reflect Magic spell to expire and will be re- Silence
placed with the Shield Magic on the recipient (see Touch-
Casting on page 40). You may not accept a packet- Turing’s Mystical Muzzler
delivered spell or effect. Level: 5
Duration: 5-minutes C, E
The character may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or Dodge
Incant: “I command you to Silence.”
before Shield Magic, but may not use Resist or Return.
This spell immediately prevents the victim from speaking,
The player must state the out-of-game verbal phrase
including any sound made using the mouth (such as whis-
“Shield Magic” within three-seconds of being affected.
tling, coughing, humming, clicking their tongue, etc.), or
See Spell Defenses on page 41 for more information on
casting spells which require incants. The player may still
these rules.
speak out-of-game calls and verbal phrases (such as call-
ing damage, Parry, Dodge, or Spell Defenses), including
Shun using any ability which does not require the character to
Jondar’s Charm of Avoidance speak an in-game verbal. Silence is not a Charm-Group
Level: 4 effect.
Duration: 5-minutes C, E, S
Incant: “I command you to Shun me.” Silver Aura
This spell is a Charm effect which alters the behavior of
the victim so they feel immense discomfort when near the Nataal’s Argent Aura
caster and a desire to avoid them. The victim will not at- Level: 5
tack the caster in any way, must immediately move to a Duration: Indefinite C, S, M
distance of ten-feet from the caster, and will stay at least Incant: “I grant you the power of a Silver Aura.”
ten-feet away for the duration of the spell effect. This spell allows the recipient to alter the damage type of
one weapon they are wielding to deliver “Silver” damage
The victim may not be “forced” to move by the caster in (instead of “Normal” or “Magic”) against a single opponent
any way which would cause direct harm or endanger (following the same rules as Critical Attack) for a single
themselves (such as forcing them off a cliff or through a combat encounter. The recipient decides when to use the
Gate). The victim is permitted to approach closer to the Silver Aura effect, and may choose to end the effect any-
caster only to escape and increase the distance between time, by returning to their original damage or by using a
them and the caster if there are no other options available different aura type (if they have one); this causes Silver
to the victim (but may still never attack the caster). Aura to expire.

This spell is more powerful than a Calm or Calm Animal Silver Aura is part of the Blade Effects Group and may be
effects in the Charm-Group, but less-powerful than stacked with other Blade Effects (three maximum). Blade
Charm, Charm Animal, Control Undead, Fear, Vampire Effects may not be combined to function together and
Charm, or Enslavement in the Charm-Group hierarchy must be used one at a time (see Blade Effects on page
(see Charm Effects on page 41). 40).

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Sleep and a recipient may be affected by this spell multiple times
during the same rest period (Standard Reset or Limited
Folson’s Somnolent Vapors Reset) . However, if a new game reset period occurs and
Level: 6 the recipient was already affected by a Tarry effect during
Duration: 5-minutes C, E, S, P the previous period, they may not be affected by further
Incant: “I command you to Sleep.” castings of this spell; they will have only the remaining
This spell immediately causes the victim to fall into a deep duration of their current five-minute Death-Count before
sleep for the duration of the effect. The effect is removed they must seek Resurrection.
if the victim is affected by an Awaken or if another charac-
This spell may not be used in conjunction with the Formal
ter forcefully shakes them while shouting loudly for one-
Magic Obliterate effect or in any way allow for the charac-
minute (remember the Body Contact rule).
ter to suffer the effects of multiple castings of Obliterate.
Stabilize The player of the recipient under the effects of Tarry may
choose at any point to end their Death-Count and seek
Vendar’s Saving Touch Resurrection. This decision is made out-of-game regard-
Level: 1 less of effects on the character (such as Vampire Charm
Duration: Instant E, M or Enslavement).
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Stabilize you.”
This spell immediately heals a Dying (but not Dead) recip- Trap Undead
ient so they have zero Body Points (instead of -1 Body
Points) and are Unconscious as if they were given First Morien’s Malignant Magnet
Aid (see Unconscious on page 14). If the recipient is not Level: 1
affected by First Aid, this spell fails. Duration: Instant E
Incant: “I call upon the earth to Trap Undead.”
Stone Bolt This spell functions exactly as the spell Pin with the follow-
ing superseding rules:
Derros’ Disapproving Glare
Level: 5 This spell only functions on an undead creature and will
Duration: Instant C, S not affect any living creature (but will still trigger Spell De-
Incant: “I call forth a Stone Bolt. 25.” fenses normally). Once affected, the undead creature may
This spell creates an eldritch bolt of magical stone which not Rip Free from the effect. This spell is a reversible spell
deals 25 points of damage to the target. of Free Undead.
Taint Blood Turn Undead
Vorin's Venom Blast Ylivik’s Lesser Sphere of Banishment
Level: 5 Level: 2
Duration: Enduring E, P Duration: 5-minutes E
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Taint your Blood.” Incant: “I call upon the earth to Turn Undead.”
This spell immediately causes the victim to be unable to This spell immediately forces a lesser undead creature to
run or use any in-game skills. Some creatures with No turn away from the caster and flee the combat area. If the
Metabolism may not be affected by this spell (see the Turn Undead effect is removed, the creature may return to
monster ability No Metabolism on page 85). This spell is a combat. Once affected, the undead creature may not Rip
reversible spell of Purify Blood. Free from the effect.
Tarry This spell only functions on a lesser undead creature and
will not affect greater undead creatures or any living crea-
Pale’s Dying Denial ture (but will still trigger Spell Defenses normally). This
Level: 5 spell is a reversible spell of Control Undead.
Duration: 5-minutes E
Incant: “I grant you the gift of Tarrying.” Unparalyze
This spell only functions on a dead target and will not af-
fect any living creature or undead creature (but will still Nyrina’s Nerve Restorer
trigger Spell Defenses normally). Level: 8
Duration: Instant E, P
This spell immediately restarts the Death-Count of a dead Incant: “I rid you of Paralysis.”
recipient from the beginning so they have five-minutes This spell immediately removes a Paralyze effect, regard-
before they must Resurrect. A recipient may must be able less of the delivery method, which is affecting the recipi-
to be affected by a Life spell to be affected by this spell ent. This spell does not remove any other Curse effects.
This spell is a reversible spell of Paralyze.

71
 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Ward This curse spell immediately causes the victim to deal five
points less damage with a weapon (minimum of zero) for
Elenaro’s Astral Displacement the duration of the effect. All weapon damage dealt by the
Level: 9 victim is affected regardless of type or hand. This spell
Duration: 5-days C does not reduce the strength of the victim, only the damage
Incant: “With eldritch force I build a Ward… Ward Up.” they are able to deal. This spell is a reversible spell of Re-
This spell magically enchants a single structure or room move Weakness.
within a structure, protecting it from damage, sealing it and
preventing anyone who is not Invested from entering or Web
leaving for the duration of the spell effect. This spell may
not be thrown at a target and must be cast upon an out-of- Arakin’s ldritch Binding Force
game phys-rep such as a building, tent, or some such im- Level: 5
mobile structure. Duration: Line of Sight C, E, S
Incant: “With mystic force I Web you.”
To cast this spell, the caster must have their hand upon the This binding forces the arms of the victim straight down to
primary portal (door or entry way), state the in-game verbal their sides and completely immobilizes the entire body of
spell incant, and continue to touch the primary portal for the the victim, holding them in place for the duration of the spell
entire five-minute casting time. At the end of the five- effect. The victim may still speak, but cannot us any in-
minutes, the character states “Ward Up.” game skills requiring movement and are unable to move
any part of the body or head; they are rooted to the spot
All characters inside the area to be affected by the Ward and my not be moved by others. No amount or Superhu-
spell when the casting starts, will be aware there is a Ward man Strength will break the Confine effect.
being cast and will be awoken by the sensation if they are
sleeping normally (but not if they are under a Sleep effect The victim retains items and weapons held in the hands,
or if they are knocked Unconscious). but these items may be removed if they are searched (see
Searching a Person on page 88). The victim is completely
The caster and any other person fully inside the area when helpless (but not incapacitated) and is unable to prevent
this spell is completed will be Invested to the Ward, allow- being searched or issued a Killing Blow.
ing them to enter and leave at-will. Any Invested character
may also allow others to enter or leave the Ward by saying Wither Limb
the in-game verbal phrase “The Ward recognizes you (in/
out)”; the phrase “you” may also be specified as the charac- Thorna’s Accelerated Entropy
ter’s name. For Example: “The Ward recognizes Sir Ha- Level: 7
drick in”. Duration: Enduring E, P
Incant: “I call upon chaos to Wither your <Limb>.”
Nothing outside and nothing inside may pass the bounda-
This spell immediately causes one of the limbs of the victim
ries of the Ward, including Alchemy, items, effects, or char-
to become aged, infirm, and completely useless. The victim
acters (except Hex and Gaze attacks such as Vampire
may not use the affected limb at all (including items, weap-
Charm), except a character who is Invested or
ons, or movement).
“recognized”.
This spell has sub-target options which may be designated
After the casting, the Cabin Notes or Marshal Notes must
by the caster (see Target Specific & Sub-Target Effects
be immediately updated to reflect the who is Invested in the
on page 41 for how this works). The victim may be affected
Ward.
by up to four Wither Limb effects, one for each limb (right
While in combat, if a character enters or leaves a Ward, arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg). If an arm is targeted,
whether they are Invested or “recognized”, they must wait no item or weapon may be used with that arm. If a leg is
three-seconds before they may enter or leave that same targeted, the victim must kneel on the ground (unless the
Ward again. This delay is to limit situations where players player is medically unable), you cannot hop on one leg. No
cannot conduct combat due to quick exit and re-entry into a other body parts may be targeted with this spell (no head,
Ward (called “Ward-hopping”). or tongue, etc.). If a victim has all four limbs affected, they
may not receive any new Wither Limb effects, but they must
A Ward is not affected by Dispel Magic and is destroyed by still continue to say the out-of-game verbal phrase “got
a Destroy Celestial Magic effect which structure. it” (see Stacked Effects on page 40). A creature with unusu-
al “limbs” such as tentacles, wings, or similar appendages
Weakness are considered “arms” for the purposes of this effect (but
Tyrr’s Damage Reducer may still only be affected by four Wither Limb effects). This
Level: 3 spell is a reversible spell of Restore Limbs.
Duration: Enduring E, P
Incant: “I curse you with Weakness.”

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
SPELL C E S P M DURATION SPELL C E S P M DURATION
4 Awaken Instant 6 Destroy  Instant

9 Banish  Instant 7 Destroy Undead  Instant

4 Bind  Line of Sight 2 Detect Magic  Instant

1 Bless   Indefinite 8 Dispel Magic Instant

4 Calm  5-Minutes 8 Displacement  Indefinite

1 Calm Animal  5-Minutes 8 Dragon's Breath   Instant

6 Cause Critical Wounds  Instant 9 Eldritch Blast  Instant

3 Cause Disease  Enduring 4 Elemental Blade   Indefinite

1 Cause Light Wounds  Instant 6 Elemental Shield Indefinite

8 Cause Mortal Wounds  Instant 2 Empathic Healing  Instant

4 Cause Serious Wounds  Instant 6 Enchanted Blade   Indefinite

2 Cause Wounds  Instant 1 Endow   Indefinite

7 Charm  5-Minutes 6 Enflame  Instant / 5-sec

3 Charm Animal  5-Minutes 7 Extended Hearth  Indefinite

6 Circle of Harmony  1 Hour 4 Flame Bolt   Instant

9 Circle of Power  10-Minutes 1 Free Undead  Instant

8 Confine  Line of Sight 1 Fumble  5-Seconds

2 Control Undead  5-Minutes 7 Guardian of the Four    Indefinite

8 Corruption  1-Minute 3 Harm Undead  Instant

7 Create Undead  5-Minutes 3 Help Undead  Instant

6 Cure Critical Wounds    Instant 3 Ice Bolt   Instant

3 Cure Disease    Instant 7 Ice Storm   Instant

1 Cure Light Wounds    Instant 9 Imprison  10-Minutes

8 Cure Mortal Wounds    Instant 1 Illumination   5-Days

4 Cure Serious Wounds    Instant 1 Improved Hearth   1 Hour

2 Cure Wounds    Instant 9 Inspiration  Instant

7 Curse   Enduring 7 Lesser Divestiture  Instant

9 Death  Instant 7 Lesser Investiture  5-Days

2 Delayed Endow    Indefinite 9 Life  Instant

4 Desecrate  Indefinite 2 Lightning Bolt   Instant

KEY C = Celestial E = Earth M = Manifold P = Potion S = Scroll

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
SPELL C E S P M DURATION SPELL C E S P M Duration
6 Lightning Storm  Instant 4 Sanctuary  Indefinite

2 Magic Armor      Indefinite 3 Shatter    Instant

1 Magic Missile   Instant 1 Shield    Indefinite

9 Magic Storm  Concentration 5 Shield Magic      Indefinite

7 Mystic Lock  5-Days 4 Shun    5-Minutes

8 Paralyze  5-Minutes 1 Shun Animal  5-Minutes

2 Pin    Line of Sight 5 Silence   5-Minutes

4 Poison Shield   Indefinite 5 Silver Aura    Indefinite

5 Purify Blood    Instant 6 Sleep     5-Minutes

3 Refit Armor   Instant 1 Stabilize  Instant

8 Reflect Magic      Indefinite 5 Stone Bolt   Instant

8 Regeneration  1-Minute 5 Taint Blood   Enduring

5 Release      Instant 5 Tarry  5-Minutes

7 Remove Curse    Instant 1 Trap Undead  Line of Sight

7 Remove Drain   Instant 2 Turn Undead  5-Minutes

4 Remove Fear   Instant 8 Unparalyze    Instant

Remove Physical
6    Instant 9 Ward  5-Days
Affliction

3 Remove Weakness    Instant 3 Weakness   Enduring

2 Repel    Concentration 5 Web    Line of Sight

7 Restore Limbs    Instant 7 Wither Limb   Enduring

HEALING / CHAOS Table 5-2 BATTLE MAGIC Table 5-3 Table 5-4
DAMAGE CHARM EFFECTS † VALUE
PROGRESSION PROGRESSION DAMAGE
Light Wounds 5 Magic Missile 5 Clam / Calm Animal 1

Wounds 10 Lightning Bolt 10 Shun / Shun Animal 2

Serious Wounds 20 Ice Bolt 15 Charm / Charm Animal 3

Critical Wounds 30 Flame Bolt 20 Fear 4

Mortal Wounds 40 Stone Bolt 25 Control Undead 5

Lightning Storm 30 Vampire Charm 6

BLADE EFFECTS Table 5-5 Ice Storm 35 Enslavement 7

Endow 1 Dragon’s Breath 40 † See Charm Effects on page 41 for how the effect‐hierarchy
works.
Delayed Endow 2 Elemental Blast 45

Elemental Blade 4 Magic Storm 5 each

Silver Aura 5

Enchanted Blade 6

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Spell Verbals Lists
“I call upon the Earth to…” Table 5-6 “I call upon Chaos to…” Table 5-7

“…Cure Light Wounds 5.” 1 Cure Light Wounds “…Cause Light Wounds 5.” 1 Cause Light Wounds

“…Stabilize you.” 1 Stabilize “…Free Undead.” 1 Free Undead

“…Trap Undead.” 1 Trap Undead “…Cause Wounds 10.” 2 Cause Wounds

“…Cure Wounds 10.” 2 Cure Wounds “…Control Undead.” 2 Control Undead

“…Transfer <Effect>.” 2 Empathic Healing “…Cause Disease.” 3 Cause Disease

“…Turn Undead.” 2 Turn Undead “…Help Undead. 30” 3 Help Undead

“…Cure Disease.” 3 Cure Disease “…Cause Serious Wounds 20.” 4 Cause Serious Wounds

“…Harm Undead. 30” 3 Harm Undead “…Desecrate you.” 4 Desecrate

“…Cure Serious Wounds 20.” 4 Cure Serious Wounds “…Taint your Blood.” 5 Taint Blood

“…Grant you Sanctuary.” 4 Sanctuary “…Cause Critical Wounds 30.” 6 Cause Critical Wounds

“…Purify your Blood.” 5 Purify Blood “…Create Undead.” 7 Create Undead

“…Cure Critical Wounds 30.” 6 Cure Critical Wounds “…Wither your <Limb>.” 7 Wither Limb

“…Destroy Undead.” 7 Destroy Undead “…Cause Mortal Wounds 40.” 8 Cause Mortal Wounds

“…Restore your Limbs.” 7 Restore Limbs “…Corrupt you.” 8 Corruption

“…Cure Mortal Wounds 40.” 8 Cure Mortal Wounds

“With Eldritch Force I…” Table 5-9
“…Regenerate you.” 8 Regeneration
“…Grant you a Shield 5.” 1 Shield

Table 5-8 “…Build an Improved Hearth.” 1 Improved Hearth

“I Summon a Force to…”
“…Build a Circle of Harmony.” 6 Circle of Harmony
“…Fumble <item>.” 1 Fumble
“…Build an Extended Hearth.” 7 Extended Hearth
“…Refit this Armor.” 3 Refit Armor
“…I remove your Investiture.” 7 Lesser Divestiture
“…Shatter <item>.” 3 Shatter
“…Grant you Investiture.” 7 Lesser Investiture
“…Enflame <item> 20.” 6 Enflame
“…Build a Mystic Lock.” 7 Mystic Lock
“…Destroy <item>.” 7 Destroy
“…Build a Circle of Power.” 9 Circle of Power

“I Rid you of…” Table 5-10 “…Build a Prison.” 9 Imprison

“…Weakness.” 3 Remove Weakness “…Build a Ward.” 9 Ward

“…your Fear.” 4 Remove Fear

“I Curse you with…” Table 5-11
Remove Physical
“…your Physical Affliction.” 6
Affliction “…Weakness.” 3 Weakness

“…your Curse.” 7 Remove Curse “…Destruction.” 7 Curse

“…your Drain.” 7 Remove Drain “…Paralysis.” 8 Paralyze

“…Paralysis.” 8 Unparalyze

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 CHAPTER FIVE:
Spells
Spell Verbals Lists (continued)
“I grant you the gift of…” Table 5-12 “I grant you the power of …” Table 5-14

“…Tarrying.” 5 Tarry “… a Bless 5.” 1 Bless

“…Inspiration.” 9 Inspiration
“…an Endow.” 1 Endow
“…Death.” 9 Death

“…Life.” 9 Life “…Illumination.” 1 Illumination

“…a Delayed Endow.” 2 Delayed Endow

“I Call Forth a(n)…” Table 5-13
“…a Magic Armor.” 2 Magic Armor
“… Magic Missile 5.” 1 Magic Missile
“…an Elemental Blade.” 4 Elemental Blade
“…Lightning Bolt 10.” 2 Lightning Bolt
“…a Poison Shield.” 4 Poison Shield
“…Ice Bolt 15.” 3 Ice Bolt

“…Flame Bolt 20.” 4 Flame Bolt “…a Silver Aura.” 5 Silver Aura

“…Stone Bolt 25.” 5 Stone Bolt “…an Elemental Shield.” 6 Elemental Shield

“…Lightning Storm 30.” 6 Lightning Storm “…an Enchanted Blade.” 6 Enchanted Blade
“…Ice Storm 35.” 7 Ice Storm “…a <fire, ice, lightning, or stone>
7 Guardian of the Four
Shield
“…Dragon’s Breath 40.” 8 Dragon’s Breath
“…a Displacement.” 8 Displacement
“…<flame, ice, lightning, or stone> 9
Eldritch Blast
Blast 45.”

“…Magic Storm 5” 9 Magic Storm “I Command…” Table 5-16

“…this animal to be Calm.” 1 Calm Animal

“With Mystic Force I…” Table 5-15
“… this animal to Shun me.” 1 Shun Animal
“…Pin you.” 2 Pin
“…this animal to be Charmed.” 3 Charm Animal
“…Repel you.” 2 Repel
“…you to Awaken.” 4 Awaken
“…Bind you.” 4 Bind

“…Release you.” 5 Release “…you to be Calm.” 4 Calm

“…Web you.” 5 Web “…you to Shun me.” 4 Shun

“…Confine you.” 8 Confine “…you to Silence.” 5 Silence

“…Banish you.” 9 Banish
“…you to Sleep.” 6 Sleep

“…you to be Charmed.” 7 Charm

“I Call Forth Mystic Power to…” Table 5-17

“…Detect Magic.” 2 Detect Magic

“…Shield Magic.” 5 Shield Magic

“…Reflect Magic.” 7 Reflect Magic

“…Dispel Magic.” 8 Dispel Magic

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 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
you may say “Hold! Medic!” to alert staff and others there
Combat is a dire emergency and someone has been hurt.
We must all consider Safety First as our primary concern
while participating in the game. Combat can be fast-paced Caution
and chaotic at times, so all participants must take extra
care and me aware of their surroundings and of other “Caution” is an out-of-game phrase which can be used
people involved or nearby. when someone sees a potentially dangerous situation or
hazard, which another player might be unaware of. A Hold
The Hold Rule is not needed, simply alert the other player to the hazard
by saying “Caution, there is a tree behind you.” or whatev-
We mentioned The Hold Rule at the beginning of this rule- er is warranted, and allow them a few seconds to avoid
book under The 4 Most Important Rules (on page 4), how- the hazard. Then you can resume play.
ever it is the single most important rule in this book, so
we’re going to go into greater detail here. Counted Actions
Any player may call a Hold at any time to stop the action Certain activities are either unsafe or cannot be performed
should they see an unsafe situation or a danger to anoth- in real-life because it is simply impossible, or may require
er player which could result in injury out-of-game. Yelling a pre-determined amount of time to perform (usually 3-
“Hold!” loud enough so that everyone nearby will hear you seconds, but may be longer if specified). A Counted Action
will stop all game play immediately. If a Hold is called all allows players to perform these actions by using a specific
players must follow this process: out-of-game verbal phrase to indicate to those around
them what is actually occurring.
 Stop immediately and stay where you are
 Drop down to one knee (unless you have a medical The phrase is always related to the specific activity and is
reason) in the form of “<action> one… <action two… <action>
 Do not move and stay quiet unless questioned by a three…(or longer as required).”
Marshal
For Example: a zombie rising from a grave might say “I
While in a Hold, the game has stopped. You may not look tear myself from the ground one… I tear myself from the
around, ready weapons, check to see if someone is an ground two… I tear myself from the ground three.”
NPC, talk to the person next to you, or wander around the
game area. You need to stay silent and stay where you While performing a Counted Action, the character is com-
are until the Hold is resolved. Someone may have lost pletely vulnerable to attacks and may not use any in-game
their glasses or may be injured. Staying quiet and not skills, abilities, or powers except Dodge, Phase, Return, or
moving allows the staff to deal with the situation without Resist. If these abilities are used, the count is halted, the
additional distractions and chaos if keeping track of where action fails, and the character must start again from the
someone is. You are permitted to collect any spell pack- beginning. Spell Defenses and other out-of-game calls will
ets in your immediate area (not in-game items however), not interrupt a Counted Action.
but should not get up from your kneeling position to do so.
You may take this time to adjust your character records Players will often use Counted Actions for functions such
and bookkeeping (such as spells and skills used). You as issuing a Killing Blow. It’s important to remember it
should not be gathering in-game information of any kind must take at least three-seconds to perform any Counted
during a Hold. You are expected to play fairly. Action, regardless of how fast the player can say the
words or phrase associated with it. If two identical Count-
When the Hold has been resolved, a Marshal, or the per- ed Actions are taking place at the same time, the player
son who called the Hold, will announce the end of the who started first is the only thing that matters. Only actions
Hold by asking all participants to rise from the kneeling defined by the game rules should be Counted Actions.
position and resume their original positions. They will ask There is no need to perform a count for actions which may
if everyone is ready and then end the Hold by saying “3… be safely performed by the player, such walking through
2… 1… Lay On!” then play resumes normally. an obvious prop being used as a Gate or Portal, just walk
through it.
Sometimes you may not hear a Hold called, others will be
repeating the “Hold!” phrase, or dropping to one knee. Likewise, some actions which take a certain amount of
You should also drop at this time and assume a Hold was time but which are safe to do (such as drinking a Potion or
called. If you come upon a group of players kneeling, they Elixir, which each require at least three-seconds) are silent
are likely in a Hold and you should avoid the area. and should not be verbalized; just roleplay the action dur-
Remember a Hold is for emergencies and should be tak- ing the time requirement.
en with all seriousness. If someone is obviously injured,
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 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
Pinning and Trapping Weapons Conducting Combat
Our combat system places restrictions or prohibits certain Our system relies on the honesty and integrity of each
kinds of combat moves and styles because the moves player to play fairly and obey the rules, on an Honor Sys-
would require players to perform unsafe actions (such as tem. Counting your hits and taking spells and effects
pushing or kicking your opponent). which hit you are important to this system. Even if your
character is the most evil person to ever walk Tyrra, you,
“Pinning” is when one player holds another player’s weap- the player, must still play by the rules.
on against a wall, tree, or other immobile object, capturing
it there by the force of their own weapon. The opponent is NERO World game uses a “lightest-touch” fantasy combat
not able to free their weapon in the way you normally system. You are expected to strike your opponent only
would without resorting to illegal force, so this kind of hard enough for them to feel the hit, so they can count it.
“pinning” is never allowed. We never want to hit too hard or injure a fellow player, so
we compromise realism for safety.
Players are permitted to pin weapons only outdoors and
only using their weapons. Your opponent may attempt to It is a good idea to give your opponent the courtesy of ac-
pull their weapon straight back to free it, if they are able, knowledging successful hits by them against you. If there
but if they can’t then it is stuck there. You may not pin is a doubt if an attack hit you or not, saying “got it” or
weapons in this way while indoors because of the possi- “ouch!” or “blocked” will allow your opponent to know if you
bility of injury. were hit or if you considered the attack blocked by a
weapon or shield.
“Trapping” is when a weapon is used to grab or hold an-
other weapon in such a way that it becomes useless.
Weapons may never be constructed or shaped in such a Baseball Swing
way that they will trap weapons and such weapons will be
rejected by a Marshal. You may not swing harder than you need to for your oppo-
nent to acknowledge they were hit. Do not rear back and
swing with full-force at your opponent because that player
Charging might be wounded by such a forceful attack. Unarmored
opponents will feel your hits easily. An opponent wearing
All participants must keep a safe distance in combat and physical armor might need to be hit a bit more firmly in
must never come into physical contact with their oppo- order to feel it. If your opponent tells you that you are hit-
nent. No one should ever be able to reach out with their ting too hard, simply adjust your swings so they have less
hand and touch their opponent’s torso, if they can, they impact; there is no need to argue or become upset (on
are too close. If you are close enough to your opponent either side), a simple reminder should be able to defuse
that they need to step back away from you to engage you the situation.
in combat, you are too close. It is the responsibility of eve-
ryone involved to be mindful of safety first and foremost. If
a player has moved too close, they must retreat to a safe Machine Gunning
combat distance before they may engage in combat
again. Combatants are allowed to approach close enough You must keep control of your weapon at all times, includ-
to strike their opponents with their weapons when circum- ing speed. Each weapon swing should have a progress of
stances exist due to a difference of size or arm reach, but between 45 and 90 degrees. You are not allowed to swing
only if the combatant still cannot touch the torso of their so fast that you cannot announce your damage (even if
opponent (even if their opponent could touch their torso). the optional Silent Combat rules are used); clearly state
the damage verbal and swing your weapon. If you are not
clearly annunciating you damage verbals, your opponent
Unskilled Weapon Use may remind you to do so, and may ignore hits if they feel
you are Machine Gunning attacks against them. It is a
No player may use any weapon their character doesn’t good practice (not a requirement) to pause for at least two
have the skill to wield. If the character is carrying a weap- -seconds after three attacks.
on and the weapon is hit, they must drop the weapon im-
mediately or take the damage as if it hit their body. If the Combat gets adrenalin and blood pumping, and things can
character is unable to use in-game skills, and damage get chaotic and fast-paced, however your desire to “win”
which hits their weapon or shield is counted as a valid should be kept in check so that safety is not sacrificed.
body hit, and they must take the damage.

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 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
when your character is in fact not dead or dying, in order
Shields to fool opponents into not attacking you, so you can later
spring up and take actions. This is permitted within strict
A shield is a defensive weapon and may never be used limits.
offensively. You are not allowed to hit an opponent with
your shield, push them, or use it to gain a physical ad- If you are going to Possum, you may not inform your op-
vantage against your opponent; this is called “Shield ponent by saying “I’m down” or “I’m dead” when you fall
Bashing” and is a serious offence against our safety rules. down or are hit with an attack. This is because if you are
telling your opponent out-of-game that you’re down and
If a player is warned by a Marshal against excessive you’re telling them you’re not taking additional damage
Shield Bashing, they may lost the ability to use the shield (which would be a lie). If you are Playing Possum and not
or be removed from combat entirely. Players may not hold actually dying you should continue to take attacks as nor-
anything in their shield arm, including another weapon in mal saying “got it” or saying nothing (or calling other de-
the hand or tucked under their shield arm, or it will negate fenses). Even though your character is pretending, they
their ability to wield a shield (causing them to take dam- are still being attacked and are still suffering damage.
age from attacks).
The reasons for this are simple: There are limitations of
A “buckler” is a small shield which is strapped to the arm the game environment for how other players determine out
to allow for more free movement of the arm and hand. -of-game if your character is dead or dying (or not a threat)
Bucklers still follow all shield rules, even though they are versus how in-game characters might see the same situa-
smaller. tion. Out-of-game there are less visual clues to allow play-
ers to determine the difference between a character not
“Turtling” is when a player uses their shield in such a way moving because they are dead and a player lying still pre-
that their opponent cannot hit any valid targets (such as tending to be dead while waiting for an opportunity to act
only having your head exposed). This is not allowed be- (especially in the dark). The other participants must be
cause of safety, again because the moves to counter able to take your word when you make out-of-game calls
such combat styles would normally require the opponent that your character is actually down and out of combat. In
to knock them over, push them, or kick the shield, none of addition, if you are going to Possum you must actually
which is allowed. Your shield should be proportionate to “play dead” and may not just stop moving and take a knee.
your size and a small or short player with a large shield You must fall over and lay on the ground (if it is reasona-
will cover too much of their body in combat, leaving only ble and safe to do so). If you cannot fall down due to medi-
illegal targets available to their opponent and causing cal reasons or safety, then you may not Possum.
them to be Turtling.

See the Shield skill on page 32 for additional information DELIVERY METHODS
on how they work.
Characters may be affected by damage or effects in many
different ways in-game. These are call Delivery Methods
Throwing / Tossing Items and may be any of the following: Area of Effect, Contact,
Gaze, Ingested, Packet, Touch, Weapon, and Vengeance.
Only weapons specifically designed to be thrown weap-
ons may be thrown at other players. You are not allowed
to throw any weapon, shield, or item not specifically ap- Contact
proved for throwing. You may not throw an item to avoid a
spell or effect. Weapons or items thrown, tossed, or The effect is delivered when the character makes contact
dropped are still the possession of the character until it with an object or surface. Any applicable Defenses may be
comes to a full stop and is at rest. If an attack or effect used. An Alchemical Contact Poison is an example of this
hits a player (such as Shatter or Fumble) or hits the weap- type of effect.
on (such as any packet attack or weapon hit) while it is in
uncontrolled motion, the attack will still count against that
character. For Example: you cannot toss your weapon
Gaze
into the air, be hit with a Fumble spell, then catch your The effect is delivered through continuous eye-contact for
weapon and continue combat. The Fumble still affects a specified time (usually ten-seconds). The attack will by-
you and the target weapon. pass Barrier Effects such as a Circle or Ward. The effect
may not be Dodged or Phased and will not trigger Spell
Playing Possum Defenses. The character may still use Resist, Cloak or
Bane against the effect, if applicable. A Gaze attack is
This is the practice of pretending to be dead or dying, delivered as “<spell name or effect> Gaze”. This is an out-
of-game call which may be used while silenced, but any-

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 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
one who hears the call might recognize an ability was
used. Vampire Charm is an example of this delivery meth- Area of Effect
od (see Special Abilities on page 83).
The effect is delivered by a Trap, Glyph, or an Environ-
mental Hazard and might affect multiple characters simul-
Ingested taneously.

The effect is delivered through consumption. The effect If the source is a Trap, the effect is delivered when the
may not be Dodged or Phased and will not trigger protec- Trap is triggered. The result is either delivered directly to
tions and Spell Defenses. The character may still use Re- the character who triggered it (such as a poison) or to any
sist against the effect, if applicable. character within a specified radius centered on the Trap
(such as an explosive trap). A Hold may be called by Mar-
Packet shal to measure distance and determine who is within the
Area of Effect and who is not. The effect may not be
Dodged or Phased but will trigger protections and Spell
The effect is delivered through a thrown packet-attack.
Defenses. The character may still use Resist, Cloak, and
The attack is successful if the packet hits the character,
Bane against the effect, if applicable. A Bane defense may
their clothing, or carried possessions. This type of delivery
be used, but will simply negate the effect (because the
includes gas globes, spells, and specified NPC abilities.
source was not a person). Explosive Traps are considered
The effect is delivered even if it hits an Illegal Target
Fire effects.
(such as the head), but you should still not purposely tar-
get these areas (accidents will happen sometimes howev-
If the source is a Glyph, each character breaking the plane
er). The effect will trigger protections and Spell Defenses,
of the doorway is affected individually each time they enter
and may be Dodged, Phased, Resisted, Returned, Re-
or leave the area. No character may be healed by the
flected, Cloaked, or Baned, if applicable. Arrows are
function of the Glyph. The effect may not be Dodged or
weapons and not packets, even though they use yellow
Phased but will trigger protections and Spell Defenses.
packets.
The character may still use Resist, Cloak, and Bane
against the effect, if applicable. A Bane defense may be
Touch used, but will simply negate the effect (because the source
was not a person).
The effect is delivered by Touch-Cast. The recipient must
choose to “accept” a Touch-Cast for the effect to be deliv- If the source is an Environmental Hazard, all characters
ered. The effect will not trigger protections and Spell De- who hear the out-of-game verbal phrase recited by a Mar-
fenses, and may not be Dodged, Phased, Resisted, Re- shal or NPC are affected, unless specifically limited by the
turned, Reflected, Cloaked, or Baned (see Touch-Casting Marshal or NPC. If limited to include only a specific targets
on page 40). Acceptance occurs after the effect is deliv- or targets, the verbal must include the designated targets,
ered to the recipient and may still be refused once cast if and only those targets are affected. If limited to exclude a
the recipient wishes (within three-seconds). specific targets or targets, the verbal must include the des-
ignated targets, and only those targets are not affected.
Designations may be by character name, race, class, skill,
Weapon ability, active effect, transform, mark, spirit mark, or item.
The effect is delivered by safe foam weapons hits, The effect may not be Dodged, Parried, Phased, or Re-
Thrown Weapons, or Arrows/Bolts (yellow packets). turned but it will trigger protections and Spell Defenses.
These are physical attacks and are blocked by armor. The The character may still use Resist, Cloak, and Bane
effect will trigger protections and Spell Defenses, and may against the effect, if applicable. A Reflect or Bane defense
be Parried, Dodged, Phased, Resisted, Returned, Reflect- may be used, but will simply negate the effect (because
ed, Cloaked, or Baned, if applicable. the source was not a person).

Vengeance The out-of-game verbal phrase for an Area of Effect is

"Area Effect <number> <spell name or effect> <damage
This unique effect targets the person who issued a Killing type>.”
Blow against the character. Vengeance is an Arcane ef-
fect and will bypass all protections and Spell Defenses, The Marshal or staff member must announce any Area of
and may not be avoided by any means (see Vengeance Effects with specific or special conditions before the en-
on page 44). counter starts. Information presented may be general
enough to so players are not given advance knowledge of
how to solve the challenge. The goal is that the players
understand they may be subject to in-game effects deliv-
ered by voice, instead of by packet or weapon.
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 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
Examples of Announcements Arcane
 “Touching specific objects or stepping on specific are- The effect is raw potent magical energy which mimics a
as within the room may trigger effects.” (all characters spell or effect. Arcane will bypass all protections and Spell
are affected because no specifics were designated) Defenses, will not trigger any defenses. The victim may
 “Characters with Transforms or Transform Affinities not use Resist, Cloak, Bane, Dodge, or Phase or defend
may take specific effects on this encounter.” against the effect in any way, even if it would be normally
 “If you are an Elf or Dwarf may take specific effects applicable. Arcane effects do not require the caster to be
on this encounter. Any other race is not affected by able to speak (they may still be used while Silenced) and
the area.” may be used even if the character is bound (such as in a
 “The character wielding Grabthar's Hammer may take Bind or Web); all other standard rules for casting spells
specific effects on this encounter. No one else is af- must be followed. The effect is delivered as “Arcane <spell
fected by the area.” name or effect> <option or number>.”
 “Anyone who enters the building may take specific
effects on this encounter.”
Magic
Examples of Environmental Hazard Delivery The effect is a magical effect which mimics a spell or ef-
fect. The magic will trigger protections and Spell Defenses
 The characters uncover a rotting tree in the dark for- (such as Shield Magic and Reflect Magic). The character
est. Svundar the Barbarian sees a sword sticking out may use Dodge, Phase, Resist, Return, Reflect, Cloak, or
of it and grabs the sword by the hilt to try and free it. Bane, to defend against the effect, if applicable. Magic
The Marshal says “Svundar, Area Effect Arcane Deliverance follows all the same rules as spells, except
Cause Wounds 10.” the caster does not need to have a hand free (they may
 The characters are within Castle Fellmore and find a still be used while in Bind or Web). The effect is delivered
room with an open treasure chest on a pedestal. as “Magic <spell name or effect> <option or number>.”
Three characters enter the room and approach the
chest, leaving two characters at the doorway. The
Marshal says “Area Effect room, Magic Sleep.” One Elemental
of the characters in the room falls asleep, one of the
characters calls “Shield Magic”, and the third charac- The effect draws power from the Elemental Planes and its
ter calls “Resist”. The two characters outside the energy is elemental rather than magical. The elemental
room are not affected by the sleep effect. effect mimics a spell, effect, or damage and will trigger
protections and Spell Defenses (such as Elemental Shield
 The characters open a Gate to the Elemental Plane of or Guardian of the Four). The character may use Dodge,
Fire because they heard they could find “Fire Essenc- Phase, Resist, Return, Reflect, Cloak, or Bane, to defend
es” for a Formal Magic spell they wish to cast later. against the effect, if applicable.
Upon entering the Gate, the Marshal says “Area Ef-
fect Elemental Fire 10.” All the characters says
“Elemental Shield” to negate the effect. After one mi- Physical
nute, the Marshal says “Area Effect Elemental Fire
10.” All the characters take the Fire Damage and flee The attack is a physical force which mimics a spell or ef-
back to the Gate to return to Tyrra, realizing they are fect (such as a gust of wind acting as a Physical Repel, a
in deep trouble if they stay there without protection. large rock for Physical Stone Bolt 25, a spider shooting out
a sticky string of Physical Web, or a creature breathing fire
for a Physical Flame Bolt 20). If the Physical effect dupli-
EFFECT TYPES cates a spell or effect with a number, the verbal delivery
phrase must also include the number. The Physical effect
Effect Types work in conjunction with Delivery Methods to
will trigger protections and Spell Defenses (such as Magic
designate what kind of attack it being delivered. Effect
Armor). The character may use Dodge, Parry, Phase, Re-
Types determine which protections and Spell Defenses
sist, Return, Reflect, Cloak, or Bane, to defend against the
may be used to defend against the effect. Once the effect
effect, if applicable. Physical attacks which hit physical
is delivered, it is removed by anything that would remove
Shield of a character are defend against in the same way
the effect, regardless of how it was delivered to the char-
as a blocked weapon blow.
acter.

Poison
The effect is a toxin which mimics a spell or effect (usually
represented by claws or spittle). The poison effect will trig-

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ger protections and Spell Defenses (such as Poison
Shield). The character may use Dodge, Phase, Resist, Calling Weapon Damage
Return, Reflect, Cloak, or Bane, to defend against the
effect, if applicable. Every player using a weapon must call out their damage
using the correct out-of-game verbal phrase to indicate to
their opponent the attributes of the attack. The player may
Spell always call less than their full damage amount if they wish
(minimum of 0). This will still trigger automatic Spell De-
The effect is a spell, following all rules for casting spells fenses.
(see Chapter Five: Spells on page 54). The spell will trig-
ger protections and Spell Defenses (such as Shield Magic Each attack has at least two attributes which are required,
and Reflect Magic). The character may use Dodge, but may have as many as four attributes, in certain circum-
Phase, Resist, Return, Reflect, Cloak, or Bane, to defend stances. The attributes are: <damage amount> <weapon
against the effect, if applicable. type> <damage type> <effect>.

All weapon damage verbal phrases are out-of-game and

Spellstrike are made by the player (not the character). They are made
regardless of character effects or if the character is Si-
The effect is a spell which is delivered through a special lenced. Any character who hears these calls is aware that
form of weapon hit (the weapon is the Delivery Method) combat is taking place.
and follows all rules for spells (above). The effect will not
trigger a Magic Armor and the character may not Parry or
use Resist Physical to defend against it, because the ef- Damage Amount
fect is a spell and not a weapon attack. The character
The total amount of damage being dealt by the attack is
must have the skill to use the weapon which is delivering
verbalized as a numerical value.
the Spellstrike spell. The attack is delivered as “Spellstrike
<effect>.”
Weapon Type
Protection Hierarchy The “flavor” of the weapon is its Weapon Type. Only the
following Weapon Types are allowed: Normal, Silver, Mag-
The following list is how Protections and Defenses are ic, and Massive. Some spells and weapon auras will allow
applied in order of protection. Each layer of Defenses characters to change their weapon type, either temporarily
forms a barrier between the character and appropriate or permanently (see Weapon Auras on page 43).
attacks, with layers on top of layers (sort of like an onion)
until the all layers are exhausted at the center, where the
character resides.
Damage Type
This is an additional qualifier which may determine if cer-
1. Dodge*, Parry*, Phase*, Cloak*, Bane* tain characters or creatures alter the amount of damage
2. Displacement they take from attacks. Some creatures are vulnerable to
3. Elemental Shield, Magic Armor, Poison Shield, Shield certain damage types, others might have a reduction to
Magic, Reflect Magic certain damage types, and some creatures might be im-
4. Guardian of the Four, <Effect> Shield mune to certain damage types altogether (these are
5. Shield (spell), Eldritch Shield (cantrip) spelled-out on their stat card). Damage Types are wide
6. Physical Armor, Natural Armor** and varied and under the purview of the local Plot Team,
7. Dexterity Armor but may never duplicate a game effect. The most com-
8. Arcane Armor monly encountered Damage Types are elements (fire, ice,
9. Immunity** lightning, stone, essence, destruction, etc.) but never
10. Resist <Option>*, Return * “Magic” or “Spell”. If no Damage Type is specified in the
11. Damage Cap**, Reduced Damage** delivery phrase, the default Damage Type is “Physical”.
12. Threshold**
13. Bless, Eldritch Bless (cantrip) Effect
14. CHARACTER / CREATURE
If the character suffers Body Damage, the attack also
* Defenses with (*) are by choice, all other defenses are causes second specific effect to the character, known as a
triggered by the next appropriate effect/attack which hits “carrier attack”. The spell or effect name must be designat-
the character. ed in the delivery verbal phrase of the attack. The carrier
effect is ignored if the character does not suffer Body Point
** Monster Ability Only. damage, or if the damage is taken but the character is fully

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protected by armor points or Bless, Eldritch Bless, Shield, their ability. Functionally, it is identical to the spell Control
or Eldritch Shield; the character always takes damage Undead except that the creature does not cast the spell,
part of the attack unless it is negated by a Spell Defense they simply issue commands. Each command spoken is
or other protection. If the character is already affected by considered a new Control Undead effect. This effect is
an Enduring effect, they still take the damage of the attack more powerful than a Calm, Charm, or Fear, but less pow-
(see Stacked Effects on page 40, see also Target Specific erful than a Vampire Charm or Enslavement in the Charm-
& Sub-Target Effects on page 41). Group hierarchy (see Charm Effects on page 41).

Conversational Combat (optional rule) Curse of Transformation

In order to reduce combat noise from melee damage Certain creatures have the ability to afflict their victims with
calls, some local chapters use Conversational Combat. a powerful curse which will cause the victim to change into
This means that melee damage is announced once to a version of the creature under appropriate conditions.
your opponent and once they acknowledge that damage, When the trigger conditions are met, the character be-
it no longer needs to be stated over again with each comes a lesser creature of the same type that cursed
swing. If the damage amount or type changes, the attack- them. The local plot team will supply the character with a
er must announce the new damage amount or type. stat card which indicates the trigger conditions and the
Slays, Assassinates, and other such combat calls must creature stats while changed. The character cannot use
still be made normally. Ranged attacks must be an- Resist, Cloak, Bane or any protection or Spell Defense to
nounced for each attack (Conversational Combat cannot negate this special curse effect. The Curse of Transfor-
be used). Check with your local chapter to see if they are mation is removed by a specific plot cure or by the resur-
using this optional rule. rection of the character; the effect is not removed if the
character dies and receives a Life spell.
Negating Attacks
The most obvious examples of this ability are Werewolves
If any portion of an attack is negated or defended against, and Vampires.
the whole attack is prevented and no effects or damage
are conveyed to the character. Some attacks target both Drain
the character (damage) and an item in their possession.
In these special cases each part of the attack is applied to The victim of not able to run or use any in-game skill or
only the target it is actually affecting. For Example: “10 ability. The effect lasts five-minutes and is removed by a
Normal Shatter Weapon” would target the character for Remove Drain or a Life spell. The effect is not removed by
the damage portion of the attack (“10 Normal”) and the Dispel Magic.
item for the Shatter effect (“Shatter Weapon”). Negating
the Shatter effect does not prevent the damage to the
character, neither would preventing the damage to the Drain Life
character negate the Shatter Weapon effect; they are
separate attacks with one delivery phrase. The victim is not able to run or use any in-game skill or
ability. The effect is Enduring and is removed by a Life
spell or the resurrection of the victim. The effect is not re-
Special Abilities moved by Dispel Magic or Remove Drain.

Base Claws & Body Weaponry Fear

The creature has special body weaponry which functions The creature has the ability to invoke Fear. This effect is a
exactly like a weapon, except it cannot be Fumbled, Shat- Charm effect which alters the behavior of the victim so
tered, or Destroyed (unless specifically noted on the mon- they feel immense Fear when near the creature and a will
ster stat card). The weaponry might be claws (swords), have desire to flee as far from the creature as possible, in
fists (hammers), bites (two-handed weapons), or spiked an attempt to break Line of Sight. The effects last for five-
tails (polearms or axes). See Claw Mastery on page 25 minutes and do not end even if Line of Sight is broken. If
for additional information. the victim is cornered in such a way that it is impossible to
flee except to move closer to the creature (due to obsta-
Control Undead cles or space limitations), they must instead only cower in
place unable to move. The effect ends if the creature dies,
Certain powerful undead creatures are able to command or the character is affected by an Awaken, Remove Fear,
less powerful undead creatures at-will by voice. The af- or the character dies.
fected creatures must obey the commands to the best of
This effect is more powerful than a Calm, Calm Animal,

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Charm, Charm Animal, or Control Undead effects in the spells for full details). Superhuman Strength does not au-
Charm-Group, but less-powerful than a Vampire Charm, tomatically confer the ability to Rip from Binding-Group
or Enslavement in the Charm-Group hierarchy (see effects. These must be noted separately on the Monster
Charm Effects on page 41). Stat card.

Infection Vampire Charm

The creature has the ability to infect a helpless victim with The creature (usually a Vampire) can override the will of
a contagion which will cause the victim to change into a the victim through a powerful Charm effect which lasts
version of the creature. Only the physical form of the vic- 5-minutes. The Delivery Method is often a Gaze attack,
tim is changed but the victim loses all memory of their but some powerful creatures might deliver it using a pack-
former life (they temporarily become an NPC), until they et attack or other delivery method. The Vampire Charm
are dead. Once dead, the victim may be saved by a Life effect gives the creature complete control over the victim
spell as normal which also cures the infection. The local and the victim must obey every command issued unques-
plot team will supply the character with a stat card which tioningly, even if they are commanded to commit suicide.
indicates the creature stats while changed. The character Vampire Charm is an Enduring effect with a maximum
cannot use Resist, Cloak, Bane or any protection or Spell duration of 1-year. If the victim is subjected to a second
Defense to negate this special Curse effect. The Curse of Vampire Charm, it is replaced by the new effect (the old
Transformation is removed by a specific plot cure or by one immediately expires).
the resurrection of the character; the effect is not removed
if the character dies and receives a Life spell. The delivery This effect is more powerful than a Calm, Calm Animal,
of the Infection is performed by the NPC stating the verbal Charm, Charm Animal, Control Undead, or Fear effects in
phrase (Counted Action) “I infect you one… I infect you the Charm-Group, but less-powerful than an Enslavement
two… I infect you three.” in the Charm-Group hierarchy (see Charm Effects on page
41).
Lesser <effect>
Special Defenses & Vulnerabilities
The creature has an ability which mimics a spell or effect,
but which lasts only 10-seconds instead of the normal
duration (if the duration is longer than Instant). The verbal
Damage Cap <X>
phrase of delivery of the attack must start with “Lesser” to The creature has a maximum amount of damage they will
indicate the duration change. The effect automatically suffer from any weapon attacks which are able to affect it.
expires after 10-seconds or is removed by any means All damage above the maximum is reduced to the maxi-
which would remove the effect. mum instead (any remaining amount is discarded). The
NPC monster stat card will state the number of “x”. The
Massive verbal phrase for this ability is “Cap x”, where “x” is the
damage amount. The Damage Cap of a creature will nev-
The creature is very powerful and may use the Massive er affect Assassinate, Slay, Bladefury, or spell damage;
weapon type to deliver attacks. The Massive attack is not they will always do full damage to the creature.
blocked by weapons or shields, and physical hits to them
are counted as valid body hits against the victim. The at-
tack is Physical and will trigger protections and Spell De-
Double from <damage type or effect>
fenses (such as Magic Armor). The victim may use The creature suffers double damage from the specified
Dodge, Parry, Phase, Resist, Return, Reflect, Cloak, or spell, effect, or damage type. The NPC monster stat card
Bane, to defend against the effect, if applicable. will document the vulnerability. The damage is doubled by
the NPC when they take the damage or effect (not by the
Superhuman Strength player dealing the damage).

The creature is extremely strong and is able to deal more

damage with weapons they are wielding. The Superhu-
<Effect> Shield
man Strength is noted as “plusses” on the monster stat The creature has a specific defense against one type of
card, and the bonus damage is divided between each spell or effect. The defense is triggered by the next appro-
hand (the full bonus is applied to creatures wielding two- priate weapon or any attack with the specific option, re-
handed weapons). Endow or Delayed Endow have limita- gardless of the delivery method, which hits them (in the
tions for creatures with Superhuman Strength (see those same way as a Shield Magic). When triggered, the protec-

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tion is expended, negating the attack. Spell Defenses will
be triggered before the <effect> Shield defense. The NPC Harmed by <damage type or effect>
monster stat card will state the effect type.
The creature suffers damage when hit by specific spells or
The creature may choose to use Cloak, Bane, or Dodge effects instead of its normal effect.
before the <effect> Shield, but may not use Resist or Re-
turn. The NPC must state the out-of-game verbal phrase Healed by <damage type or effect>
“<effect> Shield” (replacing the word “effect” with the des-
ignated effect listed on the stat card) with the within three- The creature is healed when hit by specific spells or ef-
seconds of being hit. fects instead of its normal effect. The creature is not
healed by weapon attacks of the specified type, but is im-
Focus mune to the entire attack. They are healed by packet at-
tacks and Spellstrikes of the specified type. If the creature
The creature is immune to Spell Disruption. This ability is immune to the attack the NPC must say the verbal
might be limited to one or more of their spells or might be phrase “No Effect” to inform the attacker they were not
for all spells cast by the creature. The NPC must state the affected.
out-of-game verbal phrase “Focus” after the delivery of
the spell or effect (See Spell Disruption on page 39 for Immune to/from <damage type or effect>
more information).
The creature is immune to specific spells, effects, or
Gaseous Form groups of spells or effects. The NPC must say the verbal
phrase “No Effect” to inform the attacker they were not
The creature is able to turn into a Gaseous Form making affected by the attack.
them immune to all attacks and effects except for Solidify.
The creature may not use any other in-game skills, abili- Immune to <Type> Weapons
ties, or powers while in a Gaseous Form (except to Solidi-
fy themselves). They may not speak, may not move ob- The creature is immune to specific weapon types and at-
jects, and may only move at a normal walking pace. The tacks against the creature with these weapons causes no
Gaseous Form does not allow the creature to pass damage or effects when the hit the creature. Other weap-
through solid objects or obstacles. All personal posses- on types deal full damage and/or effects. The NPC must
sions carried by the creature will also become gaseous say the verbal phrase “No Effect” to inform the attacker
with them, however the creature will drop any other char- they were not affected.
acters they are carrying upon becoming a Gaseous Form.
To use the ability, the player performs a three-count ac-
tion with the out-of-game verbal phrase “I become gase-
Natural Armor
ous one… I become gaseous two … I become gaseous The creature has hardened skin (such as a carapace) or a
three.” (see Counted Actions on page 77). The creature shell which acts like armor. The Natural Armor has Armor
may end the effect at-will by performing another three- Points and functions exactly like Physical Armor in every
count action with the out-of-game verbal phrase “I be- way except it cannot be Shattered or Destroyed. It may be
come solid one… I become solid two… I become solid refit just like regular armor and affected by the spell Refit
three.” If the creature is forced into a Gaseous Form when Armor or the Smithing Special Ability: Rapid Refit.
they are killed, they drop all their possessions and treas-
ure.
No Metabolism
Gate The creature has no Metabolism and is immune to the
following effects: Death, Disease, Drain, Drain Life, First
The creature is able to open a Gateway to another place Aid, Life, Nausea, Paralyze, Poisons (including all Alche-
or plane. The Gate should be a prop, clearly defined door- my), Sleep, Stabilize, Taint Blood, Waylay, and Wither
way, or some other form of phys-rep used to define the Limb. The NPC must say the verbal phrase “No Effect” to
Gate. If there is no prop, the NPC must perform a three- inform the attacker they were not affected by the attack.
count action by stating the out-of-game verbal phrase “I
open a Gate one… I open a Gate two… I open a Gate
three” (if a prop is used, there is no three-count needed). Non-Corporeal Form
Other characters may enter the Gate while it is open.
Usually the creature may close the Gate at-will. The creature has no physical form and is made entirely of
energy or magic. The creature is immune to the Weapon
Type “Normal”, and all Binding-Group effects (Pin, Bind,
Web, and Confine).

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ability, but some power creatures might be able to use it
Phase when they choose. The Monster stat card will detail the
conditions and number of times it may be used each day.
The creature is able to momentarily become incorporeal, Conditions could be anything including: entering an area,
negating one attack or effect which hits them, even if they using a skill or ability, concentration for a specific amount
are completely immobilized (such as in a Confine or Para- of time (similar to refitting Armor), holding an object, being
lyzed). The creature will have a specific number of times affected by a specific spell or effect, etc. Certain very pow-
they may use the ability each day. When the ability is erful creatures might Renew All, meaning all their abilities
used, the NPC must say the out-of-game verbal phrase and skills are reset as if they had not used them for the
“Phase” to inform the attacker they were not affected by day. The Renew ability does not refresh it’s own daily uses
the attack. The Phase ability may not be used to negate a and an Inspiration may not be used to reset a Renew abil-
Killing Blow, Vengeance, Formal Magic Backlash effects, ity. This ability will not renew Formal Magic levels, Cantrp
Arcane, or any effect which automatically hits and which levels, Crafting or Tradecraft skills.
cannot be defended against.

Reduced Damage Resist <effect>

The creature has the ability to Resist a specific spell or
The creature suffers less damage from certain attacks effect a limited number of times per-day. The designated
than normal. The NPC must say the out-of-game verbal effect may be any specific spell, effect, or group of spells
phrase “Reduced” when hit with an appropriate attack. If or effects (such as Resist Magic or Resist Binding). The
the attack is reduced to 1 point of damage, the NPC must creature decides when to use the ability. Spell Defenses
state “Minimal”. This ability cannot reduce the damage are expended before the creature may use the Resist abil-
below one point. ity (see Protection Hierarchy on page 82). To use this
ability, the creature must be conscious and the player
Regenerate must state the verbal phrase “Resist” within three-seconds
of being affected. It is obvious to any observers the crea-
The creature is able to heal themselves to their full Body ture was not affected by the effect if they say “Resist”.
Points over time (usually one-minute, but could be any
amount of time dictated by the Monster stat card, includ-
ing Instant). They must sit at rest or stand completely still
Return <type>
while they Concentrate on Regenerating (this is a Con- The creature has the ability to Return a specific spell or
centration action). The process is interrupted if the crea- effect directed at it a limited number of times per-day. Re-
ture suffers Body Point damage or if the creature uses turn works exactly like Resist except the effect is restored
any other in-game skills or abilities while they Regener- to the origin of the effect instead of the being expended.
ate. If the process is interrupted, no Body Points are re-
stored and they must start over from the beginning (if they If the origin effect was generated by a character ability or
are able). This ability does not remove any additional ef- skill (such as a Slay or Assassinate), the Returned ability
fects. The Monster stat card will designate the amount of or skill (or spell) may not be used by the original character
time, conditions, and number of times the ability may be until they Meditate (see Meditation on page 40 for addi-
used. tional information).
Some powerful creatures can Regenerate at zero Body If the origin effect was generated by an item (such as Al-
Points instead of becoming Dead; they are not reduced to chemy or Scroll), the item is not consumed and is restored
-1 Body Points, but instead have zero Body Points and to the original state it was before it was used (if the tag is
automatically begin to Regenerate without the need for still valid). The item may not be used again for ten-minutes
them to Concentrate or be conscious. (it is temporarily inert).
NOTE: The Monster ability Regenerate is slightly different If the origin effect was generated by a Magic Item (such as
from the spells Corruption and Regeneration (see the spell or effect), the effect is not consumed and is restored
those spell descriptions for more information) and is re- to its original state before it was used (if the tag is still val-
served for NPC monsters only. id), but is suppressed. The character must spend one-
minute concentrating on the item (in the same way as refit-
Renew <option> ting Armor) before the Returned effect is restored and can
be used again. This must be done for each item separate-
The creature is able to reset one or more of their expend- ly (but not each effect on a single item).
able abilities or skills so they may use them again (in a
similar way to Inspiration). The Renew ability usually has To use this ability, the creature must be conscious and the
a specific set of conditions which allow for the use of the

86
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player must state the verbal phrase “Return” within three- on attacks which are equal to or less than its Threshold
seconds of being affected. It is obvious to any observers protection rating; all weapon damage above the Threshold
the creature was not affected by the effect if they say does full damage. The creature’s Threshold only applies to
“Return”. Body Point damage and other protections or Spell Defens-
es will be triggered first (Threshold is last in the Protec-
tions Hierarchy; see page 82). The NPC must announce
Revive “Threshold” to each opponent if the damage dealt is less
than the rating (once acknowledged, they are not required
The creature has the ability to enter a state of temporary to state again). The NPC Monster stat card will state the
pseudo-death. The creature does not fall below zero Body number value of the Threshold. An Assassinate, Slay, or
Points and instead lies “dead” for five-minutes and then Bladefury will always do full damage regardless of the
returns to life with full Body Points. The Monster stat card Threshold protection rating. A Killing Blow will always by-
will detail the number of times the creature may use the pass a Threshold.
Revive ability each day. Some powerful creatures must be
killed in a special way or with a specific Weapon Type
(such as issuing a Killing Blow with a Silver Weapon) to So You Want to Be a Thief?
prevent them from Reviving.
Sometimes you may want for your character to engage in
some in-game law-breaking or thievery, which is permit-
Rift ted, however there are some tight controls on this activity.
You are never allowed to steal personal property or break
The creature has the ability to step into another place and a real-world law.
appear elsewhere later. The NPC must perform a three-
count action by stating the out-of-game verbal phrase “I
rift out one… I rift out two… I rift out three.” after which, Stealing an Item
the NPC will don their white headband to designate they
are no longer there. They Rift back in by stating the out-of Only in-game items with tags attached or associated with
-game verbal phrase “I rift in one… I rift in two… I rift in them may be “stolen” in-game. Each player must be very
three.” careful that they are not taking someone’s personal prop-
erty. The out-of-game prop must never be damaged or
Some powerful creatures are able to take others with destroyed (but in-game items might be destroyed by Shat-
them through the Rift or to cause others to Rift out against ter or Destroy effects, which also destroys the tag). Play-
their will. It is the decision of the Rifting character to ers may never “pick pocket” another player (remember the
“accept” another into their Rift. Physical Contact rule). Each player is required to know
these rules, ignorance is not a defense of improper steal-
ing. “Stealing” is permitted only with the following stipula-
Solidify tions:

The character has the ability to force a Gaseous Form to

instantly become solid. To use this ability, the character Game Money, Items, & Jewelry
must say the in-game verbal phrase “Arcane Solidify”.
This ability is also used by “Stake of Woe” (see the NERO Our game coins and valuables (such as jewelry, gems,
World Classic Formal Magic Rulebook). This ability does and trade bars) are props used to simulate the “real mon-
not prevent the target from becoming a Gaseous Form ey” of the in-game world. You are always allowed to take
immediately after they we Solidified. in-game coins. Gems, trade bars, and jewelry will either
have embedded or attached official tags to demote their
validity, or will have an associated tag. If it has an embed-
Suicide Ability ded or attached tag, the item is fair game. If there is not
tag, that item is “worthless” and has no game value, be-
The creature is able to end their own life. The creature cause it is just a prop and not actually in-game, just a part
may have conditions or be able to perform the act at-will. of costuming or decoration.
The effect might reduce the creature to -1 Body Points
and Dead (such as a Killing Blow) or might immediately The prop for an item, jewelry, or magic item which is
destroy the creature entirely, causing them to dissipate “stolen” must immediately be turned over to a Marshal as
immediately without a Dying Count or Death Count. soon as possible so they can return the item to the player
who owns it out-of-game. This must be done no later than
Threshold one hour or the end of the game event (whichever is short-
er). The prop may be turned in at a specific area
(designated by local staff) or may be returned to Monster
Th creature suffers only one point of damage from weap-
Camp.

87
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“Stealing” a weapon requires the player to actually take in that area. The items must actually be located where you
the weapon. Sometimes a tag might not be affixed to it say they are and you cannot claim something is in your
because doing so would damage the prop. When you boot if the item is in your belt pouch. The described search
steal a weapon and return it to a rules Marshal, they will takes longer and helps players to slow down the searching
go collect the tag for the item when they return the prop to process. No one may completely hide something on their
the player who owns it, and give you the tag. If the weap- body which cannot be found by a search and nothing may
on is a recognizable magic item, you must have a prop for be withheld no matter how well it is hidden. You may not
it which resembles the original as closely as possible. You hide something in a place on your person which is not
may not keep the prop because it is personal property. “decent” (no one should have to describe a full-body cavity
search in order to find what you have hidden). Remember
In certain cases the local chapter has provided the prop that if a character resurrects, all in-game items are left
associated with the item. That prop always belongs to the behind (no matter where they are hidden) because the
local chapter and they are loaning it out to be used by body dissipates (see Life and Death on page 14).
players. If the prop is owned by the local chapter, the item
tag and associated prop stay together until they expire or
are destroyed, and the prop is returned to the local chap- Searching a Cabin
ter to be reused later. The tag (and possibly the item) will
make note that the chapter provided the phys-rep prop. This always requires a Marshal to be present and may
never be done otherwise! Entering a cabin without a Mar-
Some local chapters use a two-tag system for Magic shal is considered Breaking and Entering and is against
Items. The first tag only has basic information and a num- real-world laws. You need a Marshal to witness your ac-
ber or code for the associated second tag, which has the tions in order to ensure you are only searching in-game
item properties. In these cases the first tag should stay areas and no personal items are disturbed.
with the item and if lost or stolen, the second tag is sur-
rendered to a Marshal; it will be reunited with the first tag The cabin will have “Marshal Notes” which detail any pro-
when the item is Identified (see Special Circle Power: tections (such as Circles, Mystic Locks, and Wards, and
Identify on page 45 for additional information). who is Invested in them), Glyphs (and what the effect is),
Traps, or specific out-of-game areas. Before the players
open the door to enter the building, the Marshal needs to
Other In-Game Items review the notes so they understand them. The Marshal
must be inside the cabin while any player inside a cabin is
Certain items are props used by the local game and might searching it (even if they are sleeping there). Items
not have a tag attached to them (such as books, maps, marked “personal” or out-of-game areas designated by a
skulls, bones, or the like). Some of these might be in- curtain may not be opened or entered. The Marshal is
game objects, while others might just be decorations. If there to witness and ensure game rules are followed (such
you find these items on an adventure or module, ask a as disarming traps, picking locks, destroying Wards, etc).
Marshal if you may take them prior to doing so. Nothing in the cabin may be physically damaged and win-
dows, screens, or hinges cannot be removed in order to
enter; you may only enter a cabin through a door.
Searching a Person
If a character is dead, unconscious, incapacitated, or Securing your Cabin
helpless, they may be searched. The searching player
must be close enough to touch the target of the search Keeping your cabin secured through in-game means is a
and the player must say “I search you.” The player being good idea to keep your in-game valuables safe.
searched must turn over all in-game items to the search-
ing player as quickly as possible. You must still perform Some chapters might have simple lock props players are
the search if the player is holding something in their hand permitted to use to “lock” the door of the cabin. If an actual
or the something is visible because you are not allowed to lock is used, it must be affixed next to the door (do not
physically touch another player or their gear. You may ask actually use the lock to lock the door, do to safety). If a
for specific items first if you know a player has such an prop lock is used, the prop must be constructed in such a
item, and they must turn it over (for example a sword held way that it is clear it is “locked” or “unlocked” and should
in their hand). have a “key”. Anyone with the Pick Locks skill can attempt
to open a lock.
The player being searched has the option to require the
player doing the search to “describe their search” in detail. If the character has the Disarm / Arm Trap skill, they may
This means the searching player needs to ask specific set Traps in their cabin following the rules for Traps. Any-
questions such as “I search you belt pouch” or “I search one with the Disarm / Arm Trap skill can attempt to disarm
your boots” and the player must hand over items located the Trap. See Traps & Locks (below) for additional infor-
mation.

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Characters may use a Mystic Lock to secure a box or
chest which will only allow characters Invested in the spell Traps must have a physical trigger and be constructed so
to open and access the contents of the chest. See the that they have a visual or auditory cue when they are trig-
spell Mystic Lock on page 66 for additional information. gered, such as a noticeable sound or light which occurs
when the trap is set off. The trigger must be connected to
A Glyph of Protection Formal Magic may be placed upon the trap for it to be a valid trap. All Traps and Locks must
a door which will trigger its effect when any character or have an affixed Item Card to be valid. The trigger may be
creature who is not Invested in the Glyph breaks the plan simple or complex, but there must be a method to prevent
of the door. See the NERO World Formal Magic Rulebook the Trap from triggering, so it may be disarmed by charac-
for additional information. ters with the Disarm / Arm Trap skill (although it doesn’t
have to be easy, it must be possible).
A Ward may be used to magically secure the cabin or a
room within a cabin. If the character does not have the The trap trigger can be something simple like a wooden
ability to cast the spell themselves, they might find anoth- spring clothespin, two tacks (tops inside clothespin so they
er character in-game to cast it for them. This kind of pro- touch when closed, with wires attached to a buzzer and
tection allows characters who are Invested to enter and battery. Put a small piece of cardboard with a hole thread-
leave freely, but will prevent other characters from enter- ed with string between the tacks (so the contacts don’t
ing (unless they are “recognized” by an Invested charac- touch) and use the other end of the string as a tripwire.
ter). Destroying a Ward requires Formal Magic and takes Tripping the string pulls the cardboard, allowing the
a full hour. See the Ward spell on page 71 for additional clothespin to close and make contact with the tack heads,
information. completing a circuit, and powering the buzzer. The trap is
sprung!
Similarly, an Extended Circle of Power Formal Magic may
be used to secure a cabin or area within a cabin. It’s more Traps my never be used like a weapon; you cannot throw
costly to cast (but lasts longer) and also requires Formal a trap at another player or use it as a weapon in combat.
Magic to destroy it (again, taking an hour). See CHAP- There are no “grenades” in NERO. The Marshal has the
TER FOUR: MAGIC under the section for Extended Cir- final say to approve any trap.
cles of Power on page 44 for additional information.
Some chapters might have simple lock props players are
Areas under bunks or beds is always out-of-game. Any- permitted to use to “lock” the door of the cabin. If an actual
thing placed there is considered personal and may not be lock is used, it must be affixed onto the door (do not actu-
disturbed by any player except the owner. Players are not ally use the lock to secure the door, or barricade an exit
allowed to store any in-game items under their bed (this is for safety reasons). Physical Locks must be simple locks
cheating). (such as diary locks or similar) and should be possible for
any player to pick with minimal tools. If it takes the Mar-
Any protections placed on the cabin must be entered into shal longer than five-minutes to pick the lock, it is too com-
the Marshal Notes (sometimes called “Cabin Notes”) so plex. Combination locks may never be used my players in-
that a Marshal can view them if needed. If you forget to game, but may be used for out of game totes or footlock-
add things to the Marshal Notes, the missing protections ers, or by the local staff on a module. Players are never
will be invalidated by the Marshal, so be thorough about allowed to actually lock a door or chest with a lock; attach
keeping it updated. No player may read the Marshal it to the door or chest so it may be picked in-game.
Notes except players residing in that cabin, and then only
if they need to add or remove notes from the Marshal Some local laws prevent people from owning “lockpicks”
Notes because they are out-of-game and restricted. or performing actions which disable locks (check with your
local chapter). In such places, a prop lock is used to signi-
Remember that if you are sleeping in-game, you must be fy there is a lock present. If a prop lock is used, the prop
outside of any out-of-game partitions or curtains. It must must be constructed in such a way that it is clear when it is
be clear which areas are out-of-game and players sleep- “locked” or “unlocked” and should have a “key”. Chapters
ing out-of-game should be wearing a white headband (if using a prop lock which cannot be actually picked will also
possible). have a system to simulate the picking of the lock (puzzle,
wire-ring system, or something else). Check with your lo-
cal chapter for what they use.
Traps & Locks
Characters must have the Craft Trap skill in order to make
a Trap. Crafting skills are detailed in the Crafting Skills
section of page 36. Each Trap must be approved each
event by a Marshal before it may be used.

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Trap Types Fire & Acid Traps
Each of the seven Trap Types are different and have dif- This type of trap showers the damage and effect in a five-
ferent construction requirements. The rules for each are foot radius area centered on the trap. When the trap is
listed below: triggered, everyone in the Area of Effect takes the damage
plus any additional effects as described below (See Area
Weapon Traps of Effect on page 80).

This type of trap uses a NERO-approved weapon to deliv- Acid Traps deal “<damage> Physical Acid” and Fire Traps
er damage to a character. The trap must be mounted to a deal “<damage> Physical Fire” when triggered. The speci-
secure stable object, such as a wall, door, chest, or tree fied effect will damage armor, but certain protections may
and may involve a spring mounted device. The weapon also be used to negate the effect (such as Cloak Fire /
must not swing with such a force that it will hurt a person Bane Fire against a Fire Trap). Applicable Spell Defenses
in the path of the weapon. Weapon Traps may never be (such as Guardian of the Four: Fire) will also be triggered.
used on a character’s body. The trap delivers a weapon The character may use Resist abilities (if relevant) but
blow which functions just like a weapon attack. they may not Dodge or Phase the effect.

The crafting cost is one Level of Craft Trap for every two The trap construction must have a trigger, a detonator at-
points of damage the trap will deal (maximum of 40 points tached to a phys-rep, and a container for the oil or acid,
of damage). The effect will damage armor and will also which must be at least 216 cubic inches in size. These
trigger protections and Spell Defenses (such as Magic Traps cannot be reset and are destroyed when triggered.
Armor). The character may Dodge, Parry, Phase, Resist
Physical, or block the Trap with weapons and shields. The The crafting cost is one Level of Craft Trap for every three
damage type delivered during the attack is based on the points of damage the trap will deal (minimum of 12 points
weapon used. of damage and maximum of 60).

Weapon Traps may be reset by any character with the

Disarm / Arm Trap skill without the need to pay the craft-
Explosive Traps
ing cost again (see Trap Mechanics below). This type of trap is an explosive which causes fire damage
in a five-foot radius area centered on the trap. When the
Massive Mechanical Traps trap is triggered, every character in the Area of Effect
takes the effects as described below (see Area of Effect
This type of trap represents rock falls, collapsing ceilings, on page 80).
giant weapons, or other similar mechanisms. The trap
must have a minimum size of 3 square inches (3” x 3” x The explosive effects are delivered as “Area of Effect
3”) and cannot be moved. A character hit by any part of <damage> Physical Fire” and “Area of Effect <damage>
the triggered trap will take the full damage of the trap. Physical Destroy <item>” as two separate attacks to every
Massive Mechanical Traps cannot be reset and are de- character and item within the five-foot blast radius area
stroyed once triggered. The construction of the trap must centered on the trap (fire damage first, then Destroy ef-
include a trigger and a conveyance method, such as a fect). Armor will protect the character up to its remaining
prop which consists of pillows, plastic garbage bags filled Armor Point value from the fire damage before being de-
with newspaper, or other harmless soft items. Nothing stroyed (if it is not rendered). See Area of Effect on page
heavy or sharp may be used. 80, also see the spell Destroy on page 61 for more infor-
mation.
The crafting cost is one Level of Craft Trap for every four
points of damage the trap will deal (minimum of 16 points The explosive fire damage will bypass all automatic Spell
of damage and a maximum of 80). The effect will damage Defenses (including Magic Armor, Guardian of the Four,
armor, but will bypass Spell Defenses (such as Magic and Displacement). Certain protections (such as Cloak
Armor). The character may use Displacement or Phase to Fire or Cloak Destroy) may be used to negate the fire
avoid the attack, but cannot use Dodge, Parry, Resist damage and the character may use Resist abilities (if rele-
Physical, or block the Massive Mechanical Trap with vant), but they may not Dodge or Phase the effect. Cloak
weapons or a shield. The damage done by the attack is Shatter will not protect items from the effects of an Explo-
“<damage> Massive.” sive Trap. Strengthened items will expend a Resist Shat-
ter/Destroy to negate the attack on the one item only.

The trap construction must have a trigger, a detonator at-

tached to a container phys-rep, which must be 216 cubic

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GAME PLAY
inches in size. These Traps cannot be reset and are de-
stroyed when it explodes. Back ire
The crafting cost is one Level of Craft Trap for every two The trap will be triggered by the character arming it if they
points of damage the trap will deal (minimum of 30 points remove either hand from the trap or they are hit by a
of damage and maximum of 60). weapon or packet attack. When the trap backfires, the
character arming it is automatically hit with the damage
and/or effect(s). A backfiring trap does not deliver an Area
Gas Traps of Effect (even if it normally would).

This type of trap contains a poison gas effect which is

released when the trap is triggered, affecting every char- Setting off a Trap
acter in a five-foot radius area centered on the trap, deliv-
ered as an Area of Effect. The attack will trigger protec- There are three ways a trap will be set off:
tions and Spell Defenses but the character may not use
Dodge, Displacement, or Phase to negate the effect. A Being Moved
Poison Shield or Resist Poison will negate the entire at-
tack, even if multiple gas traps are chained together or If the trap is armed (set), it may not be moved more than
are set off at the same time (within 3-seconds). five feet from its position, even if the character has the
Disarm / Arm Traps skill. If a character is touching the
The trap construction must have a trigger and a container trap, they are automatically hit.
phys-rep, which must be 216 cubic inches in size. Gas
Traps are not destroyed when triggered, but the poison Destroyed
gas is expended and will need to be replaced. Gas Poison
from the container of a disarmed Gas Trap cannot be sal- If the trap is armed (set), it will trigger if hit by a Shatter or
vaged or reused, but can be used in the same trap if it is Destroy effect before being destroyed. If the trap is not
reset or replaced with another applicable gas if desired armed, it is simply destroyed.
(the removed gas is rendered useless and inert when re-
moved). Triggered
Up to three Alchemical Cause Damage gas poisons may When the armed trap is set off, a noise, buzzer, or notice-
be combined into a single container to deliver them as a able light will occur and the damage or effect will be deliv-
single attack, but is still limited to the trap level (9 levels is ered.
the maximum, 30 points). No other Alchemical Gas poi-
sons may be combined.
Dealing Damage
The crafting cost in levels is based on the highest level
Alchemical Gas to be placed in the trap, in addition to Some traps have an Area of Effect. The area is a five-foot
needing the Alchemy Gas to be placed within the trap. radius measured from the center of the trap and only char-
acters within (or partially within) that area will be affected
by the trap. When positioning the trap, be sure you are
Alarms & Noisemakers including the area you want to be affected. If the tripwire is
ten-feet away when it’s triggered, it is outside the five-foot
This type of Trap does no damage but will set off loud radius of the Area of Effect. Players may use long cords to
alarms, bells, or other noises. The trap must make its own trigger traps from a safe distance on purpose, similar to
noise and has no construction requirements or minimum / how a claymore works.
maximum size. The Disarm / Arm Trap is required to dis-
arm or disable an Alarm trap or Noisemaker. The crafting
cost is one Level of Create Trap.
Disarming Traps
Only characters with the Disarm / Arm Trap skill may at-
Trap Mechanics tempt to disable a trap. See the Disarm / Arm Trap skill on
page 29 for additional information.
Arming a Trap The character can attempt to disarm the trap using any
It takes time to arm (set) a trap. The character sets the reasonable method which does not physically destroy the
trigger and must then keep touching the trap for an addi- trap prop phys-rep itself. Physical damage to the trap is
tional one-minute afterward. any damage which cannot be repaired by a Marshal within
ten-minutes with no tools. Players cannot cut electrical

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GAME PLAY
wires, but may cut strings, tripwires, or remove a battery
clip to disable the buzzer or light. Cheating & Metagaming
Once disarmed, the trap will not be triggered, even if is Cheating
destroyed, or if other traps trigger in a chain-reaction. The intentional disregard or misuse of game rules in order
Traps may be reset later after they are disarmed. to gain an unfair advantage. The use of known errors,
loopholes, and exploits to gain an unfair advantage.
Marshals
Unintentional Cheating
Marshals are officials acting as the referees, arbitrators,
and witnesses who aid the running of the game in various Not knowing a rule or not understanding a rule can create
ways. They will be there watching you perform Formal a situation where a player is cheating, but they are not
Magic, witnessing you as you try to sneak into a cabin, aware they are doing so. It is the duty of all players to
and a variety of other official actions. know the rules, but also to help correct those less ac-
quainted with how the rules work. Polite conversation in-
Your local chapter may have one type of Marshal which volving a Marshal should be engaged so that the offending
can handle any type of request, or may have specialized player understands how the rule works.
Marshals who can be consulted for their assigned duties
only (such as Rules Marshals, Formal Magic Marshals, Metagaming
Rogue Marshals, Module Marshal, Trap Marshals, etc.).
The ruling of a Marshal is final. If you disagree with a rul- The use of player knowledge gained out-of-game by the
ing, you may calmly state your case, but if they still disa- character they are playing, thereby bringing knowledge
gree it is your responsibility to accept the ruling and con- that character would not otherwise know, in-game. Occa-
tinue play. The Marshal may be aware of information you sionally, players may misremember where they learned
are not privy to or something you missed or how a rule is information or if that source was in-game or out-of-game.
intended to work. That is their responsibility to ensure the When in doubt, you should assume it was learned out-of-
game is fair and runs as smoothly as possible. If you still game until you can confirm you know it in-game. If you
disagree later, you can appeal the decision to the local don’t want someone to know information, the best way to
staff or an Adjudicator. Don’t let a ruling against your favor do that is to keep your secrets to yourself, even after the
ruin your fun or the fun of others around you. game ends.
Intentionally using (or arguing) specific wording of a rule NERO is an honor-based system and when any player
or using an error, misprint, loophole, or exploit is Poor engages in rule-breaking, they harm everyone involved
Sportsmanship. No rules system is perfect and there will and the larger game as a whole.
always be times when players disagree.
Any player caught cheating or metagaming may face disci-
Marshals are by appointment of the local game organiz- plinary action, depending on the severity of the cheating. If
ers. Impersonating a Marshal, even if you are a Marshal severe enough, players may be asked to leave or even be
in another chapter, is not allowed and is cheating. This is banned from play.
a serious rules violation and you will face disciplinary ac-
tion. If a player suspects another player of cheating, they
should immediately report the situation to a Marshal for
Some chapters allow trusted players who might be in-play investigation. If someone makes an accusation against
as their characters at an event, to also be a Marshal. That another player to a fellow player, it’s fair to ask them how
player steps out of character when required to perform they know that situation and if they have reported it to a
their Marshal duties and then may step back into the Marshal.
game as their character. No Marshal may ever Marshal
their own character actions, and should avoid Marshaling Do not let Peer Pressure allow you to overlook the cheat-
the actions of their friends, team, or party members due to ing of your friends or teammates. Cheaters are nearly al-
the appearance of bias. The honesty, integrity, and judge- ways eventually caught and you will be assumed to be a
ment of a Marshal should be unquestionable and trust- cheater as well.
worthy. Avoid “casual cheating” which is when players choose to
ignore a rule or system because they don’t like it or be-
cause it is inconvenient, or “such a small thing”.

Gossip and rumors can be spread quickly in a community,

especially accusations of misconduct and cheating. This
can swiftly ruin our game. We all gripe or complain at

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GAME PLAY
times, but be very careful what you say and how you say Chapter when you are running events. Be professional
it – that is how hearsay, rumors, innuendo, and gossip are and unbiased.
spread and these have no place in our game or our com-
munity.
Code of Conduct
You are expected to cooperate to the best of your ability 1. All members are expected to act responsibly and
with all Marshals and game staff. If someone asks a ques- abide by all NERO World rules and policies.
tion, don’t take it as a personal attack on you or others, 2. NERO World has no tolerance of physical violence
just answer truthfully. towards others out-of-game, threats of violence out-of-
game, dangerous, destructive, and lewd behavior,
When we all work together, guiding, coaching, listening, disrespect of others, vandalism, damage or theft of
and trusting each other we build a community which helps personal property, the display of pornographic materi-
things to run as smoothly as possible. You are a crucial als, or consumption of illegal drugs or alcohol at any
part of ensuring that by controlling your own actions and NERO World sponsored event.
playing fairly, everyone else will have a fun gaming expe- 3. NERO World does not condone out-of-game discrimi-
rience. nation or bigotry, including race, gender, gender iden-
tity, religion, ethnic background, ancestry, ideology,
Build Cheating beliefs, sexual orientation, physical appearance, afflic-
tions, handicap, disability, age (although certain
This is a very serious form of cheating. Any player who games may have a minimum age requirement for par-
knowingly falsifies their character levels, build, skills, ticipation) or any other protected status.
awards, any character record, or counterfeiting game tags 4. All participants are responsible for knowing the rules
or items will face disciplinary action of suspension from all of the game and to follow them during play.
NERO World Chapters for a minimum of six months. In 5. References to explicit sexual behavior, concepts, or
addition to the suspension, their character Build Points depictions or sexual acts, particularly violent one, are
will be reduced by half their total Build Points and a full expressly forbidden. This is a family game where chil-
audit of their character will be performed. If the cheating is dren may be present.
severe enough (or a clear pattern of cheating is present), 6. NERO World reserves the right to remove any partici-
players may be banned from play for longer periods of pant from play or limit participation if they are deemed
time or even banned permanently. to have disobeyed NERO World rules or policies. Eve-
ry reasonable effort will be made to inform participants
of rules changes, updates, errata, and corrections.
NERO World Sportsmanship Policy
All participants in NERO World are expected to: Safety
1. Follow the “spirit of the rules” first, as well as the letter
of the rules. Play fairly and honestly.
2. Contribute to the enjoyment of all players and be con-
Alcohol
siderate to others. Everyone should be able to enjoy It cannot be stressed enough that alcohol is forbidden at
the game. our games. Anyone caught with any controlled substance
3. Avoid play styles which detract from the chance for will face severe disciplinary action of suspension from all
other participants to enjoy the game or fun. When in NERO World Chapters for a minimum of six months. We
doubt, error on the side of fun. take this with the highest level of seriousness. If you see
anyone with alcohol or illegal drugs it is your duty to report
Marshals, Staff, Game Organizers, etc. are expected to: that person or group to a Marshal or game staff.
1. Help run the event as your primary concern. The
game is not about you versus the players and every-
one’s enjoyment at the event is of paramount im- Real Weapons
portance.
2. Treat all participants with respect and equality. No No one may never bring real weapons to a NERO World
player is more important than another and everyone game. Small knives or daggers may be carried only for
deserves an equal opportunity to participate. Favorit- eating or utility purposes and must be “peace-bound” into
ism will not be tolerated. their sheath except during meals. Small knives, tools,
3. Communicate in a respectful and timely manner. Swiss Army Knives, or other similar items may be carried
4. Uphold the authority of your fellow staff members and with extreme care.
avoid in-fighting or overturning decisions without care-
ful investigation.
5. You are representing NERO World and your Local

93
 CHAPTER Six:
GAME PLAY
less intrusive to the game atmosphere. Players can use a
Page Status light-stick for a Liquid Light Alchemy or for an Illumination
spell
A “Page” is a person who cannot engage or be engaged
in melee combat. The Page must wear an Orange Head-
band (similar to a White Headband) which denotes they
are non-combat. They may never be hit with weapons.

Some adults might have a medical condition which makes

combat uncomfortable, difficult, or even dangerous. Some
local chapters might allow children under the age of 14 to
play the game as a Page. Playing as a Page allows them
to participate in the other aspects of the game. A Page is
just like every other character, they have a race, class,
and skills, but engage in combat or throw packets to at-
tack others (but may touch-cast spells, with chapter per-
mission). Children must be carefully monitored by an adult
at all times.

Never strike a Page with a weapon. Attacking a Page is

simulated by simply pointing your weapon (or a packet) at
them and saying the verbal phrase “I down you Page!” (-1
Body Points, dying) or “I kill you Page! (Killing Blow, dead)
or similar actions. You must be close enough to actually
hit them to do these actions. Any character within five-feet
of the Page who has a weapon or shield, may defend
them by saying “I defend you Page” and then roleplaying.

Smoking
Smoking cigarettes and “Vaping” is restricted to designat-
ed areas and never indoors. We discourage players from
smoking in public common areas for the consideration of
others (some people have medical conditions), fire safety,
and local regulations. Some campsites are non-smoking
and don’t allow any smoking on site. Check with your lo-
cal chapter policies and requirements.

Torches & Flames

Torches, flame candles, or any form of open flames are
generally not allowed unless expressly stated that are
permitted. Camp sites have leaves, logs, dried plants and
grass which can easily catch fire. Most campsites have
strict regulations about fire and open flames (even can-
dles). Even if they are permitted, flames are never to be
left unattended, even for a moment. Check with your local
chapter policies and requirements.

Flames may be simulated with props such as battery op-

erated “flameless” candles (they come in a variety of sizes
from tea lights to full candles). A diffused flashlight (using
cloth, or a red filter, or both) may be used if someone
casts an Illumination spell. Remember not to shine into
anyone’s face and should always be pointed at the
ground or up in the air. We would prefer flashlights not be
used at all, as there are better options available which are

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
ADVENTURING GEAR
Physical Representations Maximum Armor Points
A Physical Representation (phys-rep) is a prop used to The total maximum Armor Points any character may have
embody an in-game tagged item of some kind. All players is 40 points, plus the Costume Bonus for an additional 5
should have one appropriate phys-rep for every tag they Armor Points, allowing for a grand total of 45 Armor
are carrying and the tag should be attached (if possible Points. The Shield spell and Eldritch Shield Cantrip are not
and reasonable). Any item which does not have a phys- counted against your maximum Armor Points because
rep may not be used. The associated tag is the official out they are “temporary points”.
-of-game record of the item, but the phys-rep is the in-
game item itself. A character cannot “drink” a paper tag, For Example: Svundar the Fighter has a Class base of 20
but the player can pretend to drink from a vial containing a Armor Points. His Costume Bonus gives him the ability to
Cure Light Wounds Potion. The phys-rep may be lost or wear 25 Amor Points total. He purchases the Wear Extra
might be stolen by other character, the player then turns Armor skill twice, giving him an additional 10 points (5
over the tag to a Marshal (see So You Want to be a points each purchase). Svundar can wear a maximum of
Thief? On page 87 for more information on in-game steal- 35 Armor Points.
ing).

In-game items take up space, they must be carried, and Physical Armor
accounted for. It’s not easy to find exactly what you’re
looking for in a bag containing 100 tags and 100 phys- There are three types of Physical Armor: Leather, Chain
reps – this is just like real-life. Carrying around 100 Potion Mail, and Plate. Each location is counted separately based
phys-reps is going to be a bit cumbersome, but carrying on the type of armor worn. The point values for each body
100 tags is easy because they have no weight and take coverage location are as follows: Leather Armor (1 point),
up little space. Chain Mail Armor (2 points), and Plate Armor (3 points).
Chest and Back locations are each three-times the type
rate: Leather Armor (3 points), Chain Mail Armor (6
Armor points), and Plate Armor (9 points), because they cover
large areas of the body.
Armor Points protect your character from most damage
effects. There are three kinds of Armor: Physical Armor, Armor types can be mixed and used in conjunction with
Dexterity Armor, and Arcane Armor. All armor types may each other, however only one type of armor is counted at
be used in conjunctions with each other, adding their col- each body location. Coverage must be at least three-
lective Armor Point values together, for one amount of quarters covered to get armor points for that location. You
total Armor Points. may later armor types, however only the highest level ar-
mor type is counted. The entire value of the suit is added
together for one total. Armor should “look real” but does
Wear Points not have to be authentic real materials for a player to get
Armor Points for it.
Characters are limited by the amount of maximum Armor
Points they may have, which is based on the Class and Players must have a phys-rep for the actual armor worn.
skills the character has. These are called your “Wear The Armor tag allows the character to gain armor points of
Points.” Players may costume themselves in more armor up to the Armor Point value of the tag, and multiple tags
than their character can benefit from, but they don’t gain may be combined and used together; even though they
any additional Armor Points beyond their Wear Point max- are separate tags, they are considered one suit of armor
imum. Starting Class limits: Fighters 20, Templar 15, for game-mechanics reasons. Characters may not benefit
Rogue 15, and Scholar 10. from more armor points than their phys-rep is rated for by
a Marshal, even if their tags are worth more points. If a
Wear Bonuses player has an armor phys-rep worth 20 Armor Points, they
may use a 30 point Armor tag, but may only claim 20
The skill Wear Extra Armor grants the character the ability points of value in-game; the armor points above the al-
to benefit from five additional Wear Points each time it is lowed phys-rep are simply ignored and the armor is treat-
purchased. Players may also gain a Costume Bonus of ed as a 20 point suit of armor (the other 10 points are ig-
five additional Wear Points for being fully in costume fit- nored).
ting with the in-game atmosphere. A Marshal must evalu-
ate your costume to validate if it merits granting you the Physical Armor must be evaluated by a Marshal for safety,
Costume Bonus and this must be done at each chapter and may be rejected for things like sharp edges or points,
you play at because some chapters may have specific points, protrusions, and unsafe construction or materials.
requirements.

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Leather SMITHING SPECIAL Table 7-3

The material may be any natural or synthetic, but must ABILITIES COSTS LEVELS
look like leather hide.
Silvering a Weapon 4
Chain Mail
Strengthening an Item 4
The material is made of interlocking metal or metal-
looking links, but the gaps should be large enough that Enhance Armor X2
they cannot put a finger through them.
Improve a Weapon +1 * 3
Plate
Improve a Weapon +2 * 9
The material is made of ridged material such as metal,
bone, or other such hard substance or created so that it Improve a Weapon +3 * 18
looks like such materials. It must not be easily deformed
by reasonable pressure. Rapid Refit * 1
* Requires Base Levels of Smithing to be used.
Table 7-1
ARMOR VALUES BY LOCATION Re itting Physical Armor
CHAIN When armor points are lost to damage in combat, it may
BODY LOCATION PLATE LEATHER
MAIL be reset to its full armor point value, even if the armor was
reduced to zero points (but not if it is affected by a Destroy
Head 3 2 1 spell). To refit armor, the character must spend one-
minute of uninterrupted time roleplaying the repairs
Chest 9 6 3 (tightening straps, adjusting armor position, etc). Players
do not need to remove armor to perform a refit, and only
Back 9 6 3
the character themselves may refit armor worn; no one
Left Arm 3 2 1 can refit another character’s armor or “help them” to re-
duce the time requirement. Refitting your Armor is a Con-
Right Arm 3 2 1 centration action.
Left Forearm 3 2 1 Refitting Dexterity Armor may be done simultaneously
while refitting physical armor and Arcane Armor. This is a
Right Forearm 3 2 1
Concentration action and once completed, all Armor
Left Thigh 3 2 1 Points are restored. The longest roleplay time requirement
is used when refitting multiple armor sources.
Right Thigh 3 2 1
Rapid Refit (Smithing ability) and Refit Armor (celestial
Left Leg 3 2 1 spell) may be used to refit physical armor to full value.
These may be used on the character themselves or on
Right Leg 3 2 1 another character.
TOTAL POINTS 45 30 15
Summer Armor (optional rule)
Table 7-2
ARMOR COSTS LEVELS This optional rule exists for safety to prevent Heat Exhaus-
tion or Heat Stroke in hot weather. Wearing layers of cos-
1 - 10 1 tuming or armor (especially metal armor) can be danger-
ous in weather, where players are exerting themselves in
11 - 20 2 combat. If the local chapter deems that conditions warrant
it, they may institute Summer Armor for that event (or por-
21 - 30 3 tion thereof). This means players will still gain the full ben-
efit from wearing their normal costuming and armor with-
31 - 40 4 out actually needing to wear it. They simply show a Mar-
shal their normal phys-reps and the Marshal will validate it
41 - 45 5 by giving them a Summer Armor Tag with an amount

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listed in large bold text. This tag, which should look similar
to a sporting event number, is pinned to the middle back Sculpted Foam Weapons
of their costuming to inform other participants that their
character is wearing armor points. The Costume Bonus These weapons are created by players or small business-
still applies if the character is in qualifying costume. es and must each be evaluated individually for safety and
construction. These types of sculpted weapons (AKA
“PlastiDip” weapons) must follow all the NERO World con-
Weapons struction guidelines for such weapons, including length
requirements, safety, thrusting tips (if possible), materials,
and cores. If the weapon construction does not include a
WEAPON SAFETY CHECKS & MAINTENANCE thrusting tip, the weapon may never be used for thrusting
or stabbing attacks (just like Latex weapons). These
All weapons must be checked for safety before each weapons might qualify for the Weapon Costume Bonus
NERO World event, and approved by a Marshal. Weap- optional rule (if your chapter is using it). See Weapon Con-
ons deemed unfit and unsafe may not be used. Weapons struction below for additional information.
break down over time and proper care and maintenance
is required. Even if a weapon passed safety inspection at
a previous event, it must still be checked and approved. Blunt Weapons
NERO World reserves the right to disallow any weapon
which is deemed unsafe. All blunt weapons should have a “head” on the end and if
it does not, the base damage is reduced by one point.
It’s a good idea to bring supplies needed to repair your Blunt weapons may never be used for thrusting attacks.
weapons and to have a backup weapon in case you main You may only strike with the “head” or padded area of the
weapon fails inspection. weapon. Blunt weapons must have a padded thrusting tip
to prevent injury to other players. Blunt weapons may not
If you are unsure how to correctly construct a “boffer” type have any hard “spikes” or protrusions on the head where it
weapon, bring the supplies with you and a Marshal will creates a small striking surface which might cause injury.
instruct you on the methods to create safe weapons,
when they have time to do so. Some weapons are more
advanced, such as Latex or PlastiDip style weapons. In
Bows & Crossbows
these cases, a Marshal may not be able to show you, but NERO World uses a simulated archery system, which em-
there are other players who might be willing, outside of ploys yellow packets as arrows and bolts instead of other
the game event (they take much more time and skill to more realistic systems. The Bow or Crossbow phys-rep
construct). Latex weapons should be maintained with a may not have a usable taught “string” (but are allowed a
protective layer of silicone spray to keep them from break- loose string for sling carrying the weapon). Players are
ing down quickly (be sure you wipe off extra spray before never allowed to fire any projectile from a bow or cross-
use). See the section Weapon Construction (page 98) for bow, even padded-tipped arrows. NERO World has
more information. deemed them unsafe for our game, even if other games
allow them. Real bows and Crossbows are never allowed.
WEAPON COMBAT
Bows and Crossbows are two-handed weapons. To cor-
When constructing a weapon, the primary consideration rectly “fire” them they must be held in the off-hand in front
must always be for safety first. Even the safest weapon of the archer at arms-length, aimed at the target in the
might cause an injury in certain circumstances or if wield- direction the packet will be delivered. The archer draws a
ed improperly or recklessly. This section outlines the re- single yellow packet from their quiver (or bag) with their
strictions of specific weapons, their construction, and use. main hand, then touches the packet to the hand holding
the bow. The packet is then pulled straight back towards
their ear, the player states the weapon damage call, and
Latex Weapons the packet is thrown forward in the direction the bow is
facing, as a natural flight path for the arrow or bolt. The
These pre-made manufactured weapons often have no weapon damage call must be fully completed before the
soft tip points (no trusting tip), therefor they may never be packet is in motion to be thrown forward. Players are not
used for thrusting or stabbing attacks. You may only strike allowed to throw around corners.
with the “edge” of the weapon. These weapons might
qualify for the Weapon Costume Bonus optional rule (if The hand throwing the yellow packet determines damage
your chapter is using it). See Weapon Construction below with regard to handed weapon prophecies; Master Proph-
for additional information. ecies are applied to the Archery skill and the Racial Abili-
ties Bow and Crossbow (respectively). Blade spells func-

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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tion just like any weapon and all Vorpal Coatings tags  Short/Long One-Handed Weapons & Staff :
must be attached to the weapon phys-rep in some way in +1 Base damage (base 3 instead of base 2)
order to be valid. Bows and Crossbows enchanted with an  Bow/Crossbow :
Aura (such as Magic Aura, Elemental Aura, or Damage +2 Base damage is applied to the Arrow (base 5
Aura) function normally for each yellow packet attack instead of base 3)
thrown. Arrows cannot be enchanted by spells, cantrips,  Two-Handed Weapons :
Formal Magic, or enhanced with Smithing abilities. +2 Base damage (base 5 instead of base 3)
Bow and Crossbow phys-rep props may never be used to
 Javelins: No bonus damage
directly strike an opponent, only yellow packet attacks are
valid. Characters may block a weapon attack with their  “Boffer” style weapons: No bonus damage
Bow or Crossbow, however this type of blocking causes
the bowstring to break or become “unstrung” requiring the Putting a nylon sock over a traditional boffer weapon and
player to spend at least three-seconds of roleplay fixing it applying some Latex or PlastiDip over top is not sufficient
so it can be used again in combat. Players do not need to to get the weapon Costume Bonus. No weapon “boffer”
carry replacement bowstrings, this is roleplay only. weapon or weapon which uses duct tape / kite tape can
gain the bonus. The goal is for our weapons to look better
and more realistic than “boffer” weapons.
Arrows & Bolts Without Tags (optional rule)
Check with your local chapter to see if they are using this
Local Chapters may choose to use an optional system to
optional rule.
reduce tags needed for Quivers of Arrows and Bolts. The
tag is not required but the character must still have a
Quiver phys-rep and the number of Arrows/Bolts they Weapon Tags
have at the start of any combat encounter is the number
they are limited to. They are not permitted “unlimited am- Each weapon used in the game must have two tags, a
mo” with this optional rule. There is no difference between Safety Tag and an Item Tag. The Safety Tag certifies that
“tagged” Quivers, arrows, or bolts or untagged ones. the weapon has been inspected by a Marshal and is ap-
proved for the game event. These tags will have a date
Spears and each weapon must be certified for every event they
are used (weapons break down over time with use). This
These weapons must have a soft safe foam tip eight- tag must be affixed to the weapon in some way.
inches in size in order to be valid. They may only be used
The Item Tag is the official record of the item in-game.
for thrusting or stabbing attacks and they may never be
When players craft or purchase a weapon in-game, they
used as a Thrown Weapon. Only strikes with the tip of the
will receive an Item Tag, which must be kept with them
spear count as valid hits and if an opponent is hit with any
other part of the weapon, it is invalid and does not count. while they are using the weapon phys-rep prop. For every
weapon Item Tag a player is carrying they must also have
a phys-rep prop for that weapon. No player can claim to
Two-Handed Weapons have another weapon which doesn’t have a phys-rep
prop, they must always have an actual prop.
These weapons must be used with both hand on the
weapon at all times. If you cannot use both hands (one If players receive a weapon Item Tag as treasure, the local
arm is affected by Wither Limb for example), the character chapter may not have a prop for them to use. In these cas-
cannot use the weapon. es, the player may carry the tag, but may not use it until
they have a suitable phys-rep prop for the weapon. It’s up
to the player to find a phys-rep for their weapon.
Damage Bonus for Latex & Sculpted
If their weapon is stolen in-game, the player must turn
Foam Weapons (optional rule) over the weapon Item tag to a Marshal (see So You Want
to be a Thief? on page 87 for additional information).
Some local chapters reward players for their effort and
expense to improve the look, feel, and immersive environ-
ment of the game, with regard to Latex and Sculpted
Tag Changes
Foam Weapons. Approved quality weapons, coupled with Weapons and Items might change during the course of
the player’s full costuming, may afford their weapon a play. A weapon might be enhanced by a character with the
Costume Bonus of additional bonus to the base damage Smithing skill such as being Silvered or be Strengthened
of the weapon. The increases are outlined below: to be able to Resist two (or more) Shatter/Destroy effects,
 Small Weapons & Thrown Weapons: or be enchanted through Formal Magic. If the effects of
+1 Base damage (base 2 instead of base 1) the weapon or item change, you will be issued a new tag
to reflect the changes.
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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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as you maintain all requirements. Different styles and
Weapon Construction shapes are allowed for weapons, even if they are not
Melee combat is an important part of our game. Proper standard to our system, however they must be categorized
weapon construction and use are necessary to insure the as one of the following: One-Handed Blunt, One-Handed
safety of all participants during combat. This section out- Edged, Polearm, Small Weapon, Staff, Thrown Weapon,
lines how to make your own basic “boffer” style weapon, Two-Handed Blunt, or Two-Handed Sword. No weapon
how to choose a suitable pre-made Latex weapon, and may have more than one weapon type; you cannot have a
requirements for Sculpted Foam weapons made by play- weapon which is a one-handed blunt on one end or side
ers. and one-handed edged on the other and expect the weap-
on be counted as both types. A weapon is one type or the
other, even if it has both types present.
Pre-Made Weapons
Check with your local chapter marshal on your ideas for
There are many companies which make a variety of man- design before and during construction to make sure every-
ufactured weapons. It is each player’s responsibility to thing is proceeding correctly and you don’t end up wasting
ensure that the construction of such weapons falls within time, effort, and money on a weapon which will not be al-
the safety requirements. You must know what the core of lowed. Even once you’re done, that weapon must be eval-
the weapon is made of, what type of foam is used, and its uated by a Marshal and approved.
thickness at striking points. These weapons might not fall
exactly within minimum and maximum length require-
ments, so a small allowance is granted because players Weapon Parts
cannot control manufacturing processes. A manufactured
weapon with is a little too long can still be permitted, how- This section describes the terms used when constructing
ever an obviously long weapon which is too long (or short) the various parts of a weapon so players can understand
is not allowed. the different parts being discussed.

These pre-made manufactured weapons often have no Thrusting Tip

soft tip points (no trusting tip), therefor they may never be
used for thrusting or stabbing attacks. You may only strike The thrusting tip is added for additional safety when the
with the “edge” of the weapon. Be aware that some manu- weapon is used for thrusting, stabbing, or poking oppo-
factures might produce weapons which are not suitable nents. It involves adding at least two inches of open cell
for our game because they may be intended for a more foam extending past the end of the pipe insulation of the
“sport” or “battle” type LARP (we are a light-touch sys- blade or shaft. The tip should be large enough that it can-
tem). These weapons may fail our safety requirements not easily fit into an eye socket, but not so large it folds
and standards if they are too hard, have protrusions, or over or breaks off. The tip must be at least the width of the
the foam compression is not sufficient to prevent injury. weapon and must collapse 50% when pressure is applied.
Check with your local chapter for their guidelines or lists A weapon with a head (such as a club or hammer) may be
of manufacturers and styles. incorporated with the thrusting tip. So long as the require-
ments are met and the weapon is safe. Weapons with two
striking ends (such as a staff), a thrusting tip is required on
Make Your Own both ends of the weapon. Thrusting tips do not count to-
wards the overall length of the weapon.
Making your own weapon can be done in a variety of
ways. They can be simple functional “boffer” weapons or Blade / Shaft
nice-looking more complex sculpted foam or latex style
weapons. The design of your weapon and the materials This part of the weapon is located above the grip. The
used must conform to safety and construction require- length requirements are measured from the end of the
ments or your weapon will be failed. These types of thrusting tip to the end of the grip. The Blade/Shaft length
sculpted weapons (AKA “PlastiDip” weapons) must follow must be covered with a continuous piece of 5/8” closed
all the NERO World construction guidelines for such cell foam (pipe foam insolation wrap).
weapons, including length requirements, safety, thrusting
tips (if possible), materials, and cores. If the weapon con-
struction does not include a thrusting tip, the weapon may
Head
never be used for thrusting or stabbing attacks (just like If the weapon has additional sections, such as an axe
Latex weapons). It’s recommended you construct a sim- head (for a polearm), a hammer head, or spear tip, it must
ple weapon first, especially if you have never made a positioned near the top of the shaft, and extend outward. It
weapon at all. must be at least six inches connecting to the shaft and be
at least one inch thick open-cell foam, with a maximum
All weapons should be in-period to fit within our medieval size of two cubic feet. Any covering may not have hard or
fantasy game, but you are allowed to be creative so long sharp corners on the striking surface.
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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Crossguard uncontrolled and can be batted away with high-velocity,
causing an elevated chance of injury (just like hitting a
Some weapons have a crossguard which runs perpendic- baseball).
ular to the weapon shaft and is used as a blocking mech-
anism so blades don’t hit the players hands while in me- Quiver
lee combat. The crossgurad must be constructed of foam
and may not have any type of core or weights within it. Every Archer must have a Quiver to carry their Arrows/
The maximum length of the crossguard may not exceed Bolts. The Quiver phys-rep prop must be capable of hold-
18 inches across. ing 30 packets and should resemble an actual Quiver in
Grip look. A character may have as many Quivers as they can
carry, but must have a separate phys-rep prop for each
This part of the weapon is where the player will hold the one. A Quiver holds a maximum of 30 shots. Once a char-
weapon. The grip is not a striking surface and does not acter fires a shot, even if they miss, the Quiver loses one
need to be padded. The grip is measured from the inside shot use. Arrows/Bolts are not recoverable and are not in-
part of the pommel to the end of the blade, excluding the game items once they are fired (although the packets can
crossguard (if present). still be collected). A player may not carry tags for more
Pommel than 30 Arrows/Bolts per Quiver phys-rep prop they are
actually carrying. See Arrows & Bolts Without Tags
The part of the weapon is located at the bottom end of the (optional rule) on page 98.
grip at the butt-end of the weapon. The pommel must ex-
tend an inch past the end of the core and must be made
of closed-cell foam and should be sturdy. The pummel
Dagger / One-Handed Sword /
area is not a striking surface.
Two Handed Sword
Weapon Speci ic Requirements These types of weapons all have the same basic construc-
tion requirements. Each weapon has a blade, grip, and
pommel. No gaps in foam coverage are allowed between
Bow & Crossbow the thrusting tip and the grip. Most should have a
crossguard, but some weapons are permitted to lack one
As stated before, real Bows and Crossbows are not al- (such as a katana) if the design lends itself to that style. In
lowed to be used. When constructing a Bow, it must be the case of sculpted foam weapons, if the weapon con-
curved in a “C” shape, so it resembles a Bow. Each end struction does not include a thrusting tip, the weapon may
of the Bow must have a thrusting tip in case of accidental never be used for thrusting or stabbing attacks (just like
striking of other participants. The length from end to end Latex weapons).
can range between 34 inches and 58 inches.
Mace / Axe / Hammer
A Crossbow must be constructed in a “T” shape, so it re-
sembles a Crossbow. All ends of the Crossbow must These types of weapons all have the same basic construc-
have a thrusting tip in case of accidental striking of other tion requirements. Each weapon has a shaft, grip, and
participants. The stock length (shaft) of a Crossbow can pommel. No gaps in foam coverage are allowed between
range between 12 inches and 24 inches and cross of the the thrusting tip and the grip. The head must be construct-
“T” cannot be smaller than half the length of the stock ed of open-cell foam material (see Head above). Weapons
(maximum of 24 inches). may not be designed to trap or catch an opponent’s weap-
on. A Bludgeon is a type of Mace, a Hatchet is a type Axe,
Arrows & Bolts and a Sap is a type of Hammer.

Arrows and Bolts are yellow packets, which are in-game

items usable for all types of Bows or Crossbows and there Polearms & Spears
is no in-game difference between the two. These in-game
items cannot be held in the hand when casting spells, These types of weapons have five parts: thrusting tip,
using a Shield, or a Weapon. Arrows and Bolts are physi- head, shaft, grip, and pommel. The thrusting tip may be
cal weapon attacks, just like a weapon blow, and are integrated into the head of both Polearms and Spears. A
blocked by a Shield or Weapon. Arrows/Bolts are not re- crossguard is permitted for either a Polearm or Spear if
coverable once used (see Quiver below). desired, but is not required. Spears are thrusting weapons
only, whereas a Polearm is a thrusting and striking weap-
Players may not “swat” packets out of the air with their on (see Head above).
weapon for safety reasons; packets which are swatted are

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
ADVENTURING GEAR
more than about 6 inches when moderate force is
Staff used which the weapon is held level.
This type of weapon is a simple shaft with a thrusting tip
on each end of the weapon. The core should be such that
the weapon does not flex or “whip” when used, and must
Construction Materials
be covered with half-inch thick closed-cell foam.
Core
Thrown Weapons The core is the bones of the weapon, it’s the internal ma-
terial which gives the weapon firmness and strength.
These types of weapons are made specifically to be There are various types of cores which are allowed such
thrown. The construction may never contain a core or as PVC, CPVC, Kitespar tubes, graphite tubes, carbon
weight of any kind. Rocks must be between 6 inches and fiber, and fiberglass tubes. Wood and heavy metals may
10 inches of open-cell foam on any side. Throwing Dag- never be used as a core of a weapon, they are too dan-
gers, Throwing Axes/Hammers, or stars (shuriken) made gerous.
of closed-cell foam with a minimum length of 6 inches and
a maximum of 18 inches. Each of these types may be The types of suitable cores will depend on the weapon
covered with fabric, duct tape, kite tape, or latex (or simi- being made. The following is a list of suggested cores,
lar) material, but may not contain sharp edges or corners thicknesses, and when they may be used.
which could cause injury. You should avoid making them
small enough to fit into an eye socket.
PVC/CPVC (Standard)
Javelins must be 3 feet long closed-cell pipe insulation
foam. They must have a thrusting tip at each end and The most basic type of core is PVC. The white PVC is
may not contain a hard core or weight of any kind. used in most plumbing work and the grey or beige PVC or
CPVC which is used for electrical work. Schedule 20
All thrown weapons must be approved by the local chap- CPVC has a thin wall, so you need to use one higher than
ter Marshal before they may be used, just like any weap- you would for PVC. For longer weapons you’ll need a
on. Thrown Weapons may never be used for melee com- thicker core to prevent excessive flexing or “whip”.
bat; they must be thrown to be effective.
1/2 inch PVC
Weapon Safety Guidelines This is material suitable for most one-handed weapons but
avoided for weapons over 46 inches in length. Even still,
Every weapon must follow these basic guidelines. maximum length weapons might still flex too much. If
 All weapons must be approved by the local chapter you’re using CPVC, use 3/4 inch instead.
Marshal before they may be used.
 All player constructed weapons must have a thrusting 3/4 inch PVC
tip.
 Weapons with a core must be have 5/8 inch thickness This is material suitable for two-handed weapons. CPVC
of closed-cell foam from the tip of the weapon, cover- should be avoided, but 1 inch is suitable if it must be used.
ing the blade/shaft, and all the way to the grip. There
may not be any gaps or splits in the coverage. If a
Marshal can feel the core, the weapon will fail. Ultralight Cores
 Weapons with a core must have between a minimum
As previously noted above, you can also use kitespar
of half-inch and a maximum of 1.5 inches of closed
tubes, graphite tubes, carbon fiber, and fiberglass tubes
cell-foam beyond the core, before the thrusting tip is
as cores.
attached.
 All tips and ends of a weapon must be padded for
safety, and covered with fabric, duct tape, kite tape, 0.414 inch
or latex (or similar) material. Accidents occasionally
This material is suitable for one-handed weapons but
happen in melee combat, so all parts of a weapon
should be avoided for weapons over 46 inches in length.
which could hit another player must be as safe as
Even still, maximum length weapons might still flex too
possible.
much.
 Weapons should be ridged enough that they don’t flex
excessively in melee combat, but must have some
give so they are not too ridged. The weapon should
not “whip”, meaning the weapon tip should not flex

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0.610 inch Gaffer Tape
This material is suitable for two-handed weapons and This tape is made of a dense cloth outside and is good for
spears but should be avoided for weapons over 46 inches securing weapon components together or covering areas
in length. Even still, maximum length weapons might still such as a crossguard, but cannot be used for striking sur-
flex too much. face because it is too dense. Usually found online or near-
0.745 inch ly any music store.

This material is suitable for all two-handed weapons but Kite Tape
should be avoided for weapons over 54 inches in length.
This tape is made of nylon with a self-adhesive side. It is
strong and very lightweight. It comes in rolls just like duct
Closed-Cell Foam tape. Usually found online or at a kite shop.
This material is suitable for all weapon construction and is
water-resistant. Common forms of closed-cell foam in-
clude: pipe foam insulation, camp pad, pool noodle, etc. Strapping Tap
This tape has threads of string running the length of the
Pipe foam Insulation tape so it is strong and sturdy. This tape is good for secur-
ing weapon components together, but cannot be used for
This material is closed-cell foam which must be 5/8 inch striking surface because it is too dense.
wall thickness and is the most common form used in
boffer-type weapon construction. They may be found at
your local home improvement stores or online. Packing Tape
This tape is not suitable for weapon construction. It is
Pool Noodle made of plastic and cracks easily, creating areas which
can cut opponents. This kind of tape may not be used on
This material is closed-cell foam which is thicker than any portion of a weapon.
standard pipe foam. Be sure the inner diameter will fit the
core you are using and they you are following thickness
requirements (some pool noodles are very thick and may Weapon Sock
be too heavy to wield).
This is a sleeve of cloth or nylon which sheathes the
weapon. This is often used instead of tape because it
Camp Pad doesn’t damage the weapon foam, it’s lightweight, and
easily replicable.
Used for more advanced sculpted foam weapons. Most
types come in 1/4 inch thickness and layering and gluing
may be required to build the correct thickness. Be sure RESOURCES:
you are following all the thickness requirements.
One-Handed Weapon Core
Open-Cell Foam (www.goodwinds.com)
Filament Wound Epoxy Tubing
This material is suitable for thrusting tips, weapon heads, MODEL NUMBER: FWETFL4140545
and thrown weapons. The foam must not be too dense Length: 54”, Outer Diameter: 0.414”, Inner Diameter:
and should compress 50% when squished. These are 0.337”
easily found in most fabric stores, old couch cushions, or
online. Car sponges are readily available and easy to find. One-Handed Weapon Foam
Tapes (www.mcmaster.com)
Unslit Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation Tube
MODEL NUMBER: 4530k161
Duct Tape 3/4” Wall Thickness, Inner Diameter: 3/8", 6 Feet Long
This tape is the most widely used kind of tape for boffer
weapons and shields. Some brands and varieties are too Open-Cell Foam, Thrusting Tip
thick and stiff to be used in weapon construction. Avoid
any kind of tape with a rough outside or metal tapes (such (www.foamorder.com)
as aluminum). Found online or at home improvement Custom Cushion - Cylinder seat cushion 2x2 measure-
stores. ment. PART NUMBER: Everflex V44

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Grip ONE: The Weapon Core
(www.walmart.com)
Once you have chosen the core material (see above), you
Wilson Cushion PRO Comfort Replacement Grip
can measure and cut it to the desired length. Mark the
core where you’ll be cutting.
Pommel
When cutting, remember to cut the core about three inch-
(www.mudhole.com) es shorter than the overall length desired (five inches for
Tapered-EVA-Butt-Caps weapons which require thrusting tips on each end). If
MODEL NUMBER: EB 4 (smaller) or EB 3 (larger) you’re cutting fiberglass or carbon tube be sure you are
wearing closed eye protection and gloves. Getting these
Kite Tape dusts and slinters on your skin is an irritant and very harm-
ful if you get it in your eyes. Wrap a piece of tape around
(www.goodwinds.com) the area you plan to cut to keep the material from splinter-
Black (Nylon, 3” wide, sold by the yard) – many other col- ing to fraying too much.
ors available
PART NUMBER: INSBK3INY After cutting, you’ll need to clean up the edges to remove
burrs and edges. You can cut them away or use a metal
Two-Handed Weapon Core file to shape the end. Cover the ends of the core with tape
so the ends are closed.
(www.goodwinds.com)
Filament Wound Epoxy Tubing
MODEL NUMBER: FWETFL745065 TWO: Pad the Striking Area
Length: 65”, Outer Diameter: 0.745”, Inner Diameter:
0.670” Measure, mark, and cut the foam to the desired length,
taking into account the required half-inch overhang and
Two-Handed Weapon Foam the thrusting tip. Slide the foam over the core, leaving a
half-inch overhang on the end. The foam must be snug
(www.mcmaster.com) against the core so it does not rattle. Add foam if needed
Unslit Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation Tube to make it snug. Fill the hole at the top with some of the
MODEL NUMBER: 4530K163 same closed-cell foam you’re using and cover the hole
3/4” Wall Thickness, 5/8” Inner Diameter, 6 feet long with tape to secure it there.

How to Make a Weapon THREE: Add a Crossguard (optional)

You can add a crossguard by simply cutting a hole in the
Making a weapon is not difficult to master, once you’ve side of a piece of closed-cell foam (the same kind used for
had some experience. Don’t be discouraged by early set- the blade will work) and sliding it up from the bottom until it
backs of failures. Just make a few basic weapons to start meets the bottom of the blade. Again, the crossguard
out with and you’ll be a pro in no time. should also be snug against the core. Take some tape
and secure it in place. Shape it and fill as needed. Cover
Here’s a list of things you’ll need: with tape.

Tools FOUR: Add a Pommel

Tape measure, marker, saw, knife/xacto, metal file, and
scissors. Electric carving knives are wonderful cutting/ Cut a three-inch piece of the closed-cell foam and place
shaping tools if you have one available (optional). on the butt-end of the weapon core so it overhangs by one
-inch. Fill the hole at the top with some of the same closed
-cell foam you’re using and cover the hole with tape to
Materials secure it there. Tape the pommel to the core (on the grip
side), making sure it is snug and will not wobble or fall off.
Weapon core material, closed-cell foam, roll of tape, and
block(s) of open-cell foam. Weapon sock (optional).

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Table 7-1
Weapon Construction
Blade / Shaft Total Base
Weapon Name Head Core Size Grip Length
Length Length Damage

RANGED

Bow x x 34” – 58” 1/2 “ 5” – 14” x

Crossbow x x 12” – 24” 1/2 “ 1” – 8” x

MISSLE

Arrow / Bolt x x x x x 3

Javelin x x 36” – 40” x x 2

Throwing Dagger x x 6” – 10” x x 1

SMALL

Bludgeon 8" – 17'' 6" – 12" 12” – 26” 1/2" 1” – 6” 1

Dagger 8" – 17'' x 12” – 26” 1/2" 1” – 6” 1

Hatchet 8" – 17'' 6" – 12" 12” – 26” 1/2" 1” – 6” 1

Sap 8" – 17'' 6" – 12" 12” – 26” 1/2" 1” – 6” 1

SHORT

Short Axe 18" – 24" 6” – 8” 27” – 34” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Short Hammer 18" – 24" 6” – 8” 27” – 34” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Short Mace 18" – 24" 6” – 8” 27” – 34” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Short Sword 18" – 24" x 27” – 34” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

LONG

Long Axe 25” – 36” 6” – 18” 35” – 46” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Long Hammer 25” – 36” 6” – 18” 35” – 46” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Long Mace 25” – 36” 6” – 18” 35” – 46” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Long Sword 25” – 36” x 35” – 46” 1/2" 1” -14” 2

Spear 20” – 45” 8” 48” – 58” 3/4" 1” – 30” 2

TWO-HANDED

Polearm 38” – 44” 18” – 24” 60” – 72” 3/4" 1” – 36” 3

Staff 24” – 32” (x2) x 60” – 72” 3/4" 0” – 9” (x2) 2

Two-Handed Blunt 40” – 48” 18” – 24” 48” – 62” 3/4" 1” – 36” 3

Two-Handed Sword 40” – 48” x 50” – 62” 3/4" 1” – 22” 3

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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FIVE: Add the Thrusting Tip Shield Construction
Cut a two-inch cube of the open-cell foam so it is large Shield construction allows for a lot of personalization with
enough to cover the entire tip of the weapon; there should regard to size, shape, style, handles, and materials. Play-
be about a half-inch overhang on all sides, which will be ers are allowed to use almost any material they want
flush once taped in place (because it will compress a lit- (wood, plastic, aluminum, foam) however there are some
tle). Be sure to trim any sharp corners/edges for safety. requirements which must be followed.
Cover the entire thrusting tip with tape and them poke
some holes into it so air can move freely, allowing the tip Safety is the primary concern. All edges of a shield must
to expand and compress with use. If a Marshal can feel be covered by 5/8 inch pipe insulation. No part of the
the core when pressing any part of the tip, it is not safe. shield may have sharp edges or protrusions which might
cause injury to another person (including the wielder).
SIX: Cover the Blade/Shaft The dimensions of the shield may not exceed 36 inches in
any direction (including the pipe around the edges), with a
Cover all exposed closed-cell foam on the striking surface maximum area of 531 square inches (26 inches in diame-
with tape (or a weapon sock). The tape must run vertically ter). The area includes gaps, recesses, holes, or other
along the length of the weapon, not spiral around the such design features. The shape can be anything you like
blade/shaft (this makes weapons hard and heavy with (kite, teardrop, oval, round, etc).
extra tape. The vertical tape should overlap slightly to grip
to itself, but not every so (we’re trying to avoid as must Pick a handle which is large enough for your hand and
tape as possible). If you’re using a weapon sock, just slide comfortable. You can wrap the handle in nylon rope, ten-
on and secure. nis grip tape, or anything you like. Make sure any hard-
ware, such as nuts and bolts, used in the construction are
SEVEN: Add the Grip padded and covered. You should use flat-end bolts on the
outside face of the shield so they don’t protrude at all
The final step of making the weapon is to cover the ex- when attaching hardware.
posed core of the weapon handle (grip). You can use any-
thing you like, simple duct tape, electrical tape, hockey If your shield does not follow the size restrictions or if it is
grip tape, tennis grip, in a spiral within the grip area. You unsafe, the Marshal will fail it during the safety check.
want the weapon to be comfortable in the hand. If the
core is too thin for your liking, you can add padding be-
neath, or build up a layer a tape.
Potions
A Potion phys-rep prop is not valid unless it has an ac-
Maintaining Your Weapon companying official tag attached to the phys-rep. A Potion
tag is not valid unless it has an accompanying phys-rep
Weapons require regular maintenance and care in order prop. It is the responsibility of the player to ensure they
for them to last a long time and remain safe to use. Latex, have a proper prop for the tag. If a Potion is received as
injected foam, and sculpted foam weapons usually need treasure, but does not have a Potion prop, it may not be
to be sprayed with a silicone spray to keep them from dry- used until the player has a proper prop for it. The phys-rep
ing out and cracking. Do not expose your weapons to ex- prop for a Potion must be large enough to appear to hold
treme cold or heat for long periods of time (such as your a minimum of one-quarter ounce of liquid but does not
car). Store them in a cool dry place where temperatures need to contain actual liquid.
don’t fluctuate much. It’s best to hang weapons by the
pommel with the blades pointed down, but not touching To use a Potion, the player must have a Potion vial phys-
the floor. It’s a good idea to sleeve latex-type weapons in rep prop in their hand and roleplay drinking it for at least
cloth so they are further protected and don’t stick to other three-seconds. No verbal count should be done, just count
weapons or surfaces while storing them. Do not rest or silently to yourself. Potions may not be attached to a
lean on your weapons, which puts weight on weapon tips shield or shoulder location to “bite” and drink while bound
or pommels, causing them to compress or break off. Re- or restrained (such as if in a Web).
member, weapons are checked every single event they
are used at. Proper care will keep then in usable safe A Potion may not be mixed into food or drink, nor can mul-
condition, saving you time, effort, and money in the pro- tiple Potions be combined in any way. Two or more Po-
cess. tions mixed together destroys both Potions. Potions may
not be mixed with Alchemical Elixirs.

Potions affect only the character drinking them. The drink-

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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ing of a Potion will bypass Spell Protectives in the same Detect Magic is used or if Identified in an Extended Celes-
way as “accepting” a touch-cast spell. One character may tial Circle of Power. They are not removed by Dispel Mag-
“force feed” a Potion to an unconscious, sleeping, or dy- ic unless the effect description specifically states other-
ing character, which also takes three-seconds of roleplay- wise or the effect duplicates a spell effect which is re-
ing. moved by Dispel Magic. Removal of effects is not depend-
ent on the Delivery Method (see Delivery Methods on
A Potion is an Earth magic effect and will detect as magi- page 79). The entire Alchemy must be used to be effec-
cal if Detect Magic is used or if Identified in an Extended tive. Alchemical substances are created using the Alche-
Celestial Circle of Power. Potions are created using the my skill (see page 27).
Craft Potion skill (see page 28).
Alchemical Effects
Scrolls
Alchemical effects are not magical. The damage from a
A Scroll phys-rep prop is not valid unless it has an accom- “Cause” poison bypasses armor and does direct Body
panying official tag attached to the phys-rep. A Scroll tag Point damage. The damage from an Alchemical effect is
is not valid unless it has an accompanying phys-rep prop not removed by an Antidote, but may be healed normally.
(sometimes the Scroll is printed in such a way that it is the
phys-rep and the tag). It is the responsibility of the player The effects Berserk, Feeblemind, Hallucinoid, Nausea,
to ensure they have a proper prop for the tag. If a Scroll is Paralyze, Sleep and Vertigo are Visible Effects (see
received as treasure, but does not have a Scroll prop, it Visible Effects on page 42 for additional information).
may not be used until the player has a proper prop for it.
The phys-rep prop for a Scroll must be at least 16 square Many Alchemical substances may be removed by the spe-
inches in size (Example: 2x8, or 4x4, or larger). cific Antidote for the type of Alchemy used (Antidote: Con-
tact, Antidote: Gas, or Antidote: Ingested), Purify Blood, or
To use a Scroll, the player must have the Scroll phys-rep prevented with Resist Poison. A Poison Shield Spell De-
prop, hold it out in front of them, have sufficient light to fense will be triggered by a Gas Poison, Contact Poison,
read the Scroll, touch a spell packet to the Scroll, say the or any attack with the word “Poison” in it regardless of the
verbal incant while reading the actual Scroll, and lastly, Delivery Method. A Poison Shield will not be automatically
throw the spall packet at the target. If a Scroll is attached triggered if the character drinks an Alchemical Elixir, if the
to a shield, it may not be used while you are blocking or character is conscious. If the character is aware they are
swinging your weapon; you must have a free hand to cast consuming an Elixir, they may “accept” the effect in the
from a Scroll (just like any other spell). same way they accept a touch-cast spell, allowing the elix-
ir to bypass the defense. If they don’t accept the effect
A Scroll is a celestial magic effect and will detect as magi- (such as poisoned food or drink), the Poison Shield is trig-
cal if Detect Magic is used or if Identified in an Extended gered normally (see Poison Shield on page 66).
Celestial Circle of Power. Scrolls are created using the
Craft Scroll skill (see page 29). Alchemy use is subject to Disruption (see Spell Disruption
on page 39).
Alchemy
Mind Effect Restrictions (optional rule)
Alchemy requires different types of phys-reps depending
on the type of Alchemy; Contact Poisons require a physi- Some chapters may restrict the following effects in one of
cal substance (petroleum jelly, water, honey, etc), elixirs two ways: Enslavement, Forget-Me-Not, and Forget-It
require a vial (with the same requirements as Potions), Well. The chapter may choose to make these effects only
and gasses are represented by orange packets (exactly usable against NPCs or may disallow their use at all
like a spell packet). against any character (PC or NPC). If the local chapter
uses this option rule, they must make the information
Any character may drink an elixir, feed an elixir to another available on their website prior to the event and make an
character, or apply a Vorpal Coating to a weapon. In order announcement at the start of the event.
to apply a Contact Poison, the character must have at
least one level of Alchemy skill. In order to use a
Gas Poison the character must have at least the amount
of Alchemy skill levels to craft it (Alchemy 9 allows the use
of all standard gas poisons). See Types of Alchemical
Substances (below) for additional information.

Alchemy is not magical and will not detect as magical if

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Types of Alchemical Substances Alchemical Descriptions
Elixirs Alchemical Solvent
The effects of these Alchemical substances are delivered Level: 2
by drinking them. An Elixir may be placed into food or Duration: Instant Type: Contact
drink, affecting the first character who eats or drinks them, This Alchemy removes an Oil of Slipperiness or a Paste of
after which the Elixir is expended. The character may mix Stickiness from an area up to one square foot.
an ingested Alchemy into food or drink. Alchemy 1 is re-
quired. The Alchemy tag must be attached to the bottom Antidote
of the cup or plate for this to be effective, or having a
Marshal witness the pouring roleplay requirements. If two Level: 2/4/5
or more Elixirs are present, they are triggered on the first Duration: Instant Type: Elixir
drink or bite. The effect-chain order of delivery to the vic- An Antidote is a cure for a specific type of Alchemical ef-
tim is the order they were applied to the food or drink fect and comes in three stages, each with different skill
(tags should be stacked in order). A single Poison Shield level requirements: Antidote: Contact (2 Levels), Antidote:
or Resist Poison will defend against all Alchemy effects. Ingested (4 Levels), and Antidote: Gas (5 Levels). The
proper Antidote must be used to remove the effect and is
Gasses based on the Alchemy Delivery Method (For Example: an
Ingested Sleep requires an Antidote: Ingested to remove
The effects of these Alchemical substances are delivered it, an Antidote: Gas would not be effective). Antidote does
by an orange packet. The character may utilize alchemi- not affect Carrier Attacks or any effects which are not Al-
cal Gas Poisons up to their level in this skill. To use a Gas chemical, even if they duplicate an Alchemy effect.
Poison, the player must have an orange packet in their
hand, and must state the out-of-game verbal phrase Berserk
“<type> Gas Poison” before throwing the packet.
Level: 10
Contact Poisons Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir
This effect causes the victim to enter a mindless killing
The effects of a Contact Poison is delivered on physical frenzy. While under the effects, the victim will attack any
contact. The phys-rep of a Contact Poison requires a creatures or characters they can see, to the best of their
physical substance (petroleum jelly, water, honey, etc) in ability (including melee, spells, gas globes, etc.) for the
order to be effective. A single Poison Shield or Resist Poi- duration of the effect, regardless of the target being friend
son will defend against all Contact Poison effects. A Con- or foe. Berserk is not a Charm-Group effect. This effect is
tact Poison may not be applied to a weapon (see Vorpal removed by Purify Blood.
Coatings below).
Cause Damage
Vorpal Coatings Level: 2 (Gas: 3)
The effect of a Vorpal Coating is only effective when Duration: Instant Type: Elixir, Gas
applied to a weapon and is used to increase the damage The victim suffers 10 points of damage directly to their
delivered by the weapon for a specified number of hits, Body Points.
adding 5 additional damage (for one, three, or five hits
depending on the Vorpal applied). A Vorpal Coating is Cause Light Damage
used on the next weapon attack and is only expended if
the weapon hits the target (even if it is defended against). Level: 1 (Gas: 2)
Applying a coating must take at least three-seconds of Duration: Instant Type: Elixir, Gas
roleplay and the tag must be affixed to the weapon in The victim suffers 5 points of damage directly to their Body
some way. If the tag is not affixed or falls off, the coating Points.
is not valid. A new coating must be used each time and
only one coating may be used at a time (even if they are Cause Serious Damage
different ratings).
Level: 4 (Gas: 5)
See the skill Alchemy on page 27 for the full details of Duration: Instant Type: Elixir, Gas
Elixirs, Gasses, Contact Poisons, and Vorpal Coatings. The victim suffers 20 points of damage directly to their
Body Points.

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Charm powerful than an Enslavement in the Charm-Group hierar-
chy (see Charm Effects on page 41).
Level: 8
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Gas Enslavement Antidote
This effect functions exactly as the spell Charm (see
Charm on page 57). Level: 9
Duration: Instant Type: Elixir
Cure Light Damage This effect removes all Enslavement effects on the charac-
ter. The character remembers everything during the time
Level: 1 Enslaved and knows who they were Enslaved to. If the
Duration: Instant Type: Elixir character was also affected by a Forget-It-Well or Forget-
This effect restores 5 Body Points to the recipient, up to Me-Not, they will still not remember anything during that
their maximum Body Points. Unconscious or Dying char- time.
acters will be restored but it will not affect a dead charac-
ter (because they need a Life spell). Feeblemind
Death Level: 6 (Gas: 7)
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas
Level: 9 The victim’s intelligence is reduced to that of an idiot,
Duration: Instant Type: Elixir causing them to be unable to use any in-game skills for
This effect functions exactly as the spell Death (see Death the duration of the effect. The character will not be aware
on page 60). they were under the effects of Feeblemind, even after the
effect ends or they are cured.
Enslavement
Forget-It-Well
Level: N/A
Duration: Enduring Type: Elixir Level: 10
This Charm effect causes the victim to be completely un- Duration: Enduring Type: Elixir
der the control of the character which delivered the effect. The victim suffers complete amnesia, forgetting everything
The victim must obey every command issued unquestion- which happened in the past hour, there is a blank spot
ingly, even if they are commanded to commit suicide. where the memories once were. The victim will not imme-
A character may not administer an Enslavement to them- diately be aware of the blank spot in their memory, but
selves. No character may be enslaved to “behave normal- circumstances might arise which cause them to question
ly” but the character does not act in a way which is abnor- the gaps and reach the conclusion they were poisoned.
mal unless commanded to do so by the character which The effect may be removed within the first ten-minutes of
delivered the effect, and the resulting compulsion of the delivery if the character receives an Antidote: Ingested or
Enslavement effect. a Purify Blood. The amnesia becomes permanent if not
cured within ten-minutes of delivery, after which nothing
If a character is already Enslaved, a new Enslavement will restore the lost memories (including Resurrection).
effect will replace the first one (see Stacked Effects on
page 40). If the victim’s body dissipates before the ten-minute time
period, the Forget-It-Well effect is negated and the charac-
This substance may not be crafted by player characters ter’s memories are restored. Forget-It-Well cannot be used
and no player character may ever be enslaved to another on a dead character (neither can any other poison).
player character in any way. No effect in the game may
duplicate the effects of Enslavement (even LCO effects). Forget-Me-Not
This effect has a great potential to ruin the fun of a player
at a game event, extra care and thought should be given Level: 7
to its use. Duration: Enduring Type: Elixir
This effect functions identically to Forget-It-Well (above),
Enslavement is an Enduring (permanent) effect which is except the memory loss is everything in the last fifteen-
cured only by an Enslavement Antidote Elixir or by the minutes (instead of one-hour).
Resurrection of the affected character.

This effect is more powerful than a Calm, Calm Animal,

Charm, Charm Animal, Control Undead, Fear, or Vampire
Charm effects in the Charm-Group. There is nothing more

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Hallucinoid
Level: 2
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir Table 7-4
This effect causes the victim to hallucinate and see things ALCHEMY COSTS
which are not actually there, for the duration of the effect. CONTACT ELIXIR GAS
The victim might be aware they are poisoned but will not Alchemical Solvent 2
be able to ignore the effects even if they know they are
not real. The character retains all abilities and skills, but is Antidote (Contact) 2
likely to use them against the hallucinations. The player
should roleplay the effects of seeing strange things while Antidote (Gas) 4
the character is under the effects of this poison. Antidote (Ingested) 5

Intoxicant Berserk 10
Cause Damage 2 3
Level: 1
Duration: 1-hour Type: Elixir Cause Light Damage 1 2
The character becomes extremely drunk for the duration
Cause Serious Damage 4 5
of the effect, as if they consumed a strong alcoholic drink.
This has no other in-game effect and the character retains Charm 8
all abilities and skills.
Cure Light Damage 1
Liquid Light Death 9

Level: 1 Enslavement Antidote 10

Duration: 5-days Type: Contact
Feeblemind 6 7
This effect functions exactly like the spell Illumination,
except it is non-magical in nature. In order to use a Liquid Forget-It-Well 10
Light Alchemy, the character must have at least Alchemy
Level 1, but once activated, it can be given to another Forget-Me-Not 7
character to use. A Liquid Light is not affected by a Dispel Hallucinoid 2
Magic but is destroyed if affected by a Shatter or Destroy
effect or an Alchemical Solvent. Intoxicant 1
Liquid Light 1
Nausea
Nausea 5 6
Level: 5 (Gas: 6)
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas Oil of Slipperiness 5
This effect causes the victim to become nauseous and fell Paralyze 8 9
ill, causing them to be unable to use any in-game skills for
the duration of the effect. Paranoia 2 3
Paste of Stickiness 5
Oil of Slipperiness
Poison Shield 4
Level: 5
Duration: 1-hour Type: Contact Sleep 6 7
One dose of this slippery substance will affect an area up Vertigo 5 6
to one square foot or one hand-held object. If spread on
the ground, it will prevent any character from standing in Vorpal Coating 1 1
that area, or even to crawl out of the area without help or Vorpal Coating 3 3
something to hold on to. If spread on a hand-help object,
the object becomes impossible to hold or even pick up. Vorpal Coating 5 5
Multiple doses may be used to cover larger areas or big-
ger objects. An Alchemical Solvent or a Paste of Sticki- Weakness 3 4
ness will remove the effect (larger areas will require more
doses).

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 CHAPTER SEVEN:
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Table 7-5 Table 7-6 Table 7-7
POTION COSTS LEVELS SCROLL COSTS LEVELS WEAPONS COSTS LEVELS
Awaken 4 Awaken 4 Bludgeon 1
Bless 1 Bind 4 Bow 4
Cause Critical Wounds 6 Confine 8 Crossbow 4
Cause Disease 3 Delayed Endow 2 Dagger 1
Cause Light Wounds 1 Destroy 6 Hatchet 1
Cause Mortal Wounds 8 Detect Magic 2 Javelin 2
Cause Serious Wounds 4 Dispel Magic 8 Long Axe 2
Cause Wounds 2 Elemental Blade 4 Long Hammer 2
Cure Critical Wounds 6 Enchanted Blade 6 Long Mace 2
Cure Disease 3 Endow 1 Long Sword 2
Cure Light Wounds 1 Flame Bolt 4 Polearm 4
Cure Mortal Wounds 8 Fumble 1 Quiver (Arrows/Bolts, 30) 2
Cure Serious Wounds 4 Guardian of the Four 7 Sap 1
Cure Wounds 2 Ice Bolt 3 Shield 2
Curse 7 Ice Storm 7 Short Axe 2
Dispel Magic 8 Lightning Bolt 2 Short Hammer 2
Elemental Shield 6 Lightning Storm 6 Short Mace 2
Magic Armor 2 Magic Armor 2 Short Sword 2
Purify Blood 5 Magic Missile 1 Spear 3
Reflect Magic 8 Pin 2 Staff 1
Release 5 Reflect Magic 8 Throwing Dagger 1

Remove Curse 7 Release 5 Two-Handed Blunt 4

Remove Drain 7 Repel 2 Two-Handed Sword 4

Remove Physical Affliction 6 Shatter 3

Remove Weakness 3 Shield 1
Restore Limbs 7 Shield Magic 5
Shield Magic 5 Shun 4
Sleep 6 Silver Aura 5
Taint Blood 5 Sleep 6
Unparalyze 8 Stone Bolt 5
Weakness 3 Web 5
Wither Limb 7

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Paralyze Vorpal Coating
Level: 8 (Gas: 9) Level: 1/3/5
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas Duration: Indefinite Type: Elixir
This effect functions exactly as the spell Paralyze (see This weapon coating increases the damage dealt by a
Paralyze on page 66). weapon it is applied to by five points for a specified num-
ber of hits. Vorpal Coating 1 (one hit), Vorpal Coating 3
Paranoia (three hits), and Vorpal Coating 5 (five hits). See Vorpal
Coatings on page 111 for additional information.
Level: 2 (Gas: 3)
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas
This effect causes the victim to be completely convinced Weakness
people they normally dislike are in fact out to kill them.
Paranoia is not a Charm effect. Level: 3 (Gas: 4) Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir,
Gas
Paste of Stickiness This effect functions exactly as the spell Weakness (see
Weakness on page 72). It is not removed by a Purify
Level: 5 Blood.
Duration: 1-hour Type: Contact
One dose of this sticky substance will affect an area up to
one square inch or one hand-held object. If enough doses
are spread on the ground, it will act as a Pin effect to any
character standing in that area. If spread on a hand-help
object, the object becomes impossible to drop and will
stick to the character. Multiple doses may be used to cov-
er larger areas or bigger objects. An Alchemical Solvent
or an Oil of Slipperiness will remove the effect (larger are-
as will require more doses). A Release spell will also re-
move the effect.

Poison Shield
Level: 4
Duration: Indefinite Type: Elixir
This effect functions exactly as the spell Poison Shield
(see Poison Shield on page 66). It is not removed by a
Purify Blood.

Sleep
Level: 6 (Gas: 7)
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas
This effect functions exactly as the spell Sleep (see Sleep
on page 66). It is not removed by a Purify Blood.

Vertigo
Level: 5 (Gas: 6)
Duration: 5-minutes Type: Elixir, Gas
This effect causes the victim to become dizzy and unable
to stand, causing them to be unable to use any in-game
skills for the duration of the effect.

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 CHAPTER Eight:
Atmosphere
required to portray a specific race, such as a Dwarf or Elf.
Roleplaying They are dead languages, discarded and largely forgotten.
In a Live Action Role-playing game (or LARP) the players
create and assume the roles of characters, often with dif- Even though it would be understandable that another cul-
ferent personas than their own. The character is not the ture of people might have different names for things like
stats and skills you have, but the roleplay you do as that months, years, days, or different names for things like
character. You should try to behave as the character trees, it’s just not practical for our game. It needlessly
would, to move and think as they would, what your char- complicates the vernacular if you need to remember that
acter will say or how they will react. Don’t shy away, even Wednesday is called something else in-game. It would be
if there are consequences in-game. You are the player confusing and not add much (if anything) to the in-game
and your character is your role. A LARP is similar to im- setting. As a result, we just use the English names of
provisational theater, you dress in costume to look the things. We don’t speak in “Olde English” of the Shake-
part, take on the mannerisms of the character to become spearian era either (all those “thees” and “thous” are too
them for a short time. difficult on communication), instead we use modern Eng-
lish, even while trying to avoid specific words which might
Our game is set in a fantasy medieval-style world. There break immersion and remind us we’re playing a fantasy
are monsters, fantastic creatures, swords, and magic. game. Certain old documents might have archaic lan-
Your character knows this world, they live it. Your charac- guage elements, but those are only used for effect.
ter doesn’t have to be a carbon-copy of yourself. They
can be vastly different, doing things you would never do in
their place. Some players might be more comfortable with
Costumes
a character similar to themselves, and that’s fine too. We The costume you wear as your character will help you to
encourage you to explore the roleplaying and challenge stay in character more easily. Your costume does not
yourself. have to be elaborate or expensive. Most players start out
slow and add to their costume over time. Your costume
Be sure that when you are playing and roleplaying with should also be functional and comfortable. Try to avoid
other players that you are considerate to them as players, modern accessories such as zippers, logos, and technolo-
even if your character is rude to their character. We’re all gy such as watches and phones. Eyeglasses have been
players and participants in a game. Everyone should have around for a long time and we don’t expect players to have
a fun time at the event and no one is entitled to intention- a special pair just to be more authentic – you need to see!
ally ruin the fun of anyone else.
To allow for a deeper game experience, players are ex- We do have some minimum costume requirements which
pected to be in-game as much as possible. Always avoid should be followed. We don’t allow jeans, printed t-shirts,
modern-day topics or references. Speak in ways your baseball caps, and sneakers with corporate logos. These
character would being from the world they come from. things immediately look out of place and remind people
Ever player can add to the overall enjoyment of all partici- around you of the real world and it breaks the immersion
pants, it doesn’t take that much effort. to the game.

Darkvision & Low-Light Vision You should have at least a solid colored shirt and a pair of
sweat pants. You need to put a little effort into trying to fit
Unlike a tabletop RPG, a LARP relies on what the player into the atmosphere of a fantasy medieval-style world.
can actually do. There are no special gifts bestowed upon
Dwarves or Elves as they would in games of pure imagi- We do not allow obvious religious symbols such as cross-
nation. There is simply no such thing in our game as es, pentacles, or the like. There is no religion in our game
Darkvision – players see what they can see. Players are or our world. If you wear one of these symbols of faith,
not allowed to use modern gadgets or equipment to allow please keep it hidden. We don’t want to ever accidentally
them to see in the dark. insult someone’s religious beliefs or sensibilities, which is
why there are no “gods” or “deities” in our game world.

Languages Disguises
There are no required languages in our game other than
English, which all the races speak as the common lan- Players may never disguise their character through the
guage. If you, the player, knows how to read, write, and use of makeup in order to pass as another character, race,
speak another language, you may certainly do so. You or to hide themselves so they are not recognizable as that
cannot say “I’m speaking Italian”, you must actually speak character. Players may not mimic the costume require-
in Italian. ments of another race or to use a disguise to remove the
Ancient languages may exist in our world, but they are not costume requirements of the race they are playing

112
 CHAPTER Eight:
Atmosphere
(Barbarians must look primitive, Dwarves must have a tation. Once discovered by NERO World, that player will
beard, etc.) A human wearing makeup to look like an Elf face severe disciplinary action.
would be easy to spot by anyone.
All skills, abilities, powers, magic items, etc. are fully docu-
Players are allowed to use costumes, mannerisms, and mented on a character sheet or an item card. If you sus-
speech in order to try and fool others. You can wear a pect a player of cheating, bring it to the attention of a Mar-
hood to hide your ears or your face, or wear a simple shal so they can investigate the matter. See Cheating &
mask to hide your appearance (in a similar way to a su- Meta-Gaming in Chapter 6 on page 92 for additional infor-
perhero or Zorro would), but cannot wear a mask that mation.
makes you appear so something or someone else (no
monster masks). Even after all the disguises, if you are
asked out-of-game if the character you’re playing looks Marshals
like your player character, you must reply with “yes” so
they don’t think you’re portraying an NPC. Marshals are officials acting as the referees, arbitrators,
and witnesses who aid the running of the game in various
ways. They will be there watching you perform Formal
Taking Damage Magic, witnessing you as you try to sneak into a cabin,
and a variety of other official actions. See Marshals on
Combat is a frequent part of our game. You should contin- page 92 for additional information.
ue to roleplay while in combat, especially when you take
damage from attacks. If you get hit in the arm be a weap-
on, grunt a little or say “ouch!” If you suffer enough dam- Anachronisms
age that you’re out of Body Points and dying, fall down on
the ground and pretend to be dying instead of saying “OK Our game makes every effort to avoid the trappings of
I’m down”. Act the part and roleplay the actions, events, modern society was much as possible. You should avoid
and woes that are befalling your character. This adds to painting smile-faces on your shield, or clothes with corpo-
the enjoyment of combat and those players around you. rate logos, and leave your modern gadgets in your car or
That’s not to say you should overact the scene, but feel locked away in your cabin (do you really need your
free to stumble and fall down with a grunt or gasp to add a phone?). This includes soda cans and candy wrappers.
little performance to it. Players are not allowed to use gadgets such as night-
vision goggles, infrared seeing devices, or any other such
device; they don’t fit into our in-game world and provide an
Magical Effects unfair advantage to those players. Play fair and follow the
rules.
Our in-game world is a fantasy medieval-style place of
wonder and magic. Your character has grown up in and
witnessed this world first hand. Roleplay your character Justifying Anachronisms
how they would react to these fantastic magical things.
Getting hit with a Lightning Bolt spell would be jarring and Some kinds of anachronisms are allowed in order for play-
painful, clutch at the area here it hit you, or let out a shout ers to be comfortable or as needed for medical reasons.
of pain – don’t just say “got it”, immerse yourself in the
battle and act as your character should when confronted Eyeglasses
by the realities of magic. Those around you will feel more
immersed in the atmosphere of the game we’re all trying No one is expected to have a second pair of prescription
to enjoy. glasses which look authentically in-period. Eyeglasses
have existed for a long time and even though they were
more primitive than today’s glasses (easily broken), we
Playing Fair accept that they exist in our game world. No player may
be forced to remove their glasses in order to handicap
The NERO World game relies on the honesty and integri- them.
ty of each player to follow not only the letter of the rules
but the spirit of the rules too. Our game is purposely de- Matches
signed so players don’t require constant supervision, in
order to allow for more freedom, flexibility, and ease of You don’t have to carry a flint and tinder around with you
play. A player who unscrupulously cheats or abuses the in order to have a source of flame. Matches are known
freedom we have allotted, hurts everyone by doing so. and understood in our game world (likely created by Al-
When a player cheats, eventually others will take note chemists). Matches are a fine addition to atmosphere are
and avoid interacting with them. A player who doesn’t lighting candles or whatnot. We ask that you try to avoid
count hits against them or over casts spells, or seems to lighters, but understand the need for them as well (try and
always have a Spell Defense will quickly gain a bad repu- hide them as much as possible).

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 CHAPTER Eight:
Atmosphere
Bathrooms NERO World does not condone out-of-game discrimina-
tion or bigotry, including race, gender, gender identity, reli-
Bathrooms and such areas are always out-of-game. gion, ethnic background, ancestry, ideology, beliefs, sexu-
Showers, toilets, changing areas and the like are never in- al orientation, physical appearance, afflictions, handicap,
game because of safety and privacy. Bath Houses have disability, or age (although certain games may have a min-
been around for a long time, since the days of the Roman imum age requirement for participation). See the NERO
Empire. In our game world, only the very rich have indoor World Code of Conduct in Chapter 6 on page 93.
plumbing. It’s a good idea to make use of these facilities
during an event – we’re all running around and getting The in-game world is not a perfect paradise of acceptance
sweaty and dirty (no one likes to smell bad after all). Play- however. Discrimination and prejudices in-game can hap-
ers are not allowed to run into the bathroom in order to pen and are allowed. There are Kingdoms and Countries
avoid combat or avoid capture if being pursued in-game. which have story-driven elements to them. Characters
Likewise, if you’re already in the bathroom, you should may also discriminate as long as it is completely in-game
stay there until the current combat scene going on outside and based on character traits and not a players protected
is completely finished (within reason). It’s a bit cheesy to statuses. We’d prefer to stay away from the topic altogeth-
run out of the bathroom where you have been safe, to join er, but we leave it to players to decide how their charac-
combat and save your friends. Also, please wash your ters act and think. Just be careful it doesn’t cross the line
hands! into out-of-game bigotry.

Clocks & Watches For Example: A Dwarf might not like Elves. Maybe he
thinks they are pompous and arrogant people. Maybe he
Clocks do exist in our game world, however only the very overcharges Elves at his Smithing shop, or maybe he’s
rich can afford them. There might be a single clock in a always rude to them when he sees them. These kinds of
large town, so they would be a very rare sight indeed. things are fine because they add believability to the world.
They are run by gears, cogs, springs, and levers (or by Not everyone is going to get along, even in a fantasy set-
powerful magics) because there is no batteries or electric- ting.
ity as in the real world. A Timepiece is a watch or pocket
watch and would be even more expensive to own. Science
Time Generally speaking, science is in its infancy, mostly be-
cause magic exists. Science technology and understand-
The passage of time in-game happens at the same rate ing are considered to be at the near-end of the Dark Ages,
as it does in the real world. Minutes, hours, days, months, close to the brink of the Renaissance period. There are
and years all tick by. If it’s been a month between events, such things as compasses, lenses, telescopes, yet they
then it has also been a month within the in-game world. remain of poor quality and are expensive. Academics un-
derstands that Tyrra is a planet (one of many), that there
What year is it in-game? The most common calendar is are real elements in existence, but also understand that
the Evendarr Reckoning (ER). To figure out the current in- there are “Elemental Planes” and other things unknown.
game year, you just subtract 1400 years from the current
date (for example: 2019 -1400 = 619ER). The timeline of Magic
Tyrra is much different than our real world and our date
system is not meant to imply that the in-game world is In a world of magic and spells, characters would be able to
similar to the Seventh Century AD of Earth’s timeline. It’s do a lot more things than are represented in our rules sys-
possible that some local chapters may use other date sys- tem. Limits are placed on what spells and magic can do,
tems or methods, so check with your local chapter to see largely for playability; it’s a game system mechanic.
what they are using. Even if they are using another date
system, the common date would still apply to most chap- There are no teleportation or invisibility spells, and no fly-
ters (often does for ease and to have consistency). ing or levitation spells. Why? Because you can’t do these
things in real life and it would be too much of a suspension
Discrimination of disbelief to allow them in our game. Likewise, there are
no “Truth” spells or Scrying and Divination spells because
Our in-game world is a psudo-medieval-style world which they removed from our game as problematic or unplaya-
is loosely based on the medieval era of the real world. ble. There is simply no way to accomplish some kinds of
We’ve recreated the setting in a legendary way, but not as spell effects in-game. What is “Truth” anyway? How can
it actually was. The cultures and systems of government, you tell out-of-game is someone is telling the truth, lying,
even though they are Monarchies, are noticeably different or omitting facts? You just can’t do it, because sometimes
in their attitudes and egalitarian ways. truth is subjective, even if all parties are actually telling the
truth as they understand it.

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 CHAPTER Eight:
Atmosphere
Healing The feudal society is held together by a very strong hierar-
chy system. It’s a system of lieges and vassal, where one
Magic can’t fix everything. Sometimes if a character is person or group has sworn fealty to serve another, and it’s
near death or are injured, there might not have been heal- the duty of the liege to protect and support those below
ing spells available and the character healed naturally them, in return for their obedience and loyalty. At the top
over time. This helps to explain scars and old injuries of the hierarch sits the monarch (usually a King) who owns
such as limps, missing fingers or other body parts. all the lands within their realm.

Some scholars believe that when a person is healed, their The king appoints vassals to run a portion of his kingdom,
body is being restored to a time before the injury oc- which is divided up into one or more Duchies. The ap-
curred, prior to any chance to heal naturally. Characters pointed person is granted a Noble title (Duke/Duchess) in
still age and have the ailments associated with getting recognition of the appointment, and commands the re-
older (mostly because we, as players, are ageing too). spect of those beneath them. They are granted land over
Other scholars believe that it’s the psychological aspect of which to govern, raising an army to defend it, collecting
the will of the character. They know they have a scar, and taxes, and whatever other duties the king requests. Each
so when they resurrect or are healed, that scar remains. Duke or Duchess might further divide the lands of the king
There are any number of in-game explanations and theo- into smaller parcels or land, and in turn appoint others to
ries which can be concocted to fit an explanation and it’s govern those lands, and granting them Noble titles, and on
up to each player to decide what their character might down the line Counts, Barons, and Lords are appointed,
believe. and swear fealty. The Oaths of Fealty bind each person to
the person above them in a liege/vassal relationship.
Religion
Each person is a Noble on the hierarchy. Anyone who is
It’s true that religion played a large part in how the medie- not a “Noble” is a commoner, the base of a feudal society.
val society worked. However, NERO World does not have They are the bakers, fisherman, soldiers, merchants, farm-
any form of religion and we specifically try to avoid it. We ers, craftsmen, blacksmiths, etc. They are the root of soci-
do not allow obvious religious symbols such as crosses, ety and are under the protection of the Noble to who they
pentacles, or the like. There is no religion in our game or serve, and ultimately to the king, whose land it is. Unlike
our world. If you wear one of these symbols of faith, the real world, Nobility in the world of Tyrra is bestowed, it
please keep it hidden. We don’t want to ever accidentally is earned, not usually granted by birthright or bloodline.
insult someone’s religious beliefs or sensibilities, which is
why there are no “gods” or “deities” in our game world. Between commoners and Nobles are the adventurers.
They are given respect because they often have a drive to
seek fortune and their deeds are often noteworthy. The
The Society of NERO player characters are other adventurers and Nobles, not
commoners. No one wants to play a character who is bor-
The main campaign of the NERO World game takes place
ing, ordinary, tending to fields, cleaning stables, or doing
on the world of “Tyrra”, which is not unlike Earth in many
the hard work. It’s safe to assume commoners are always
respects. Tyrra has its own land masses, polar ice caps,
out there going about their daily tasks, occasionally char-
seas, mountains and other geographic features. Our
acters might run into a few in need of help, or who have
game takes place on a continent on Tyrra called Avalon,
information, but these roles will be played by NPCs to help
and is primarily based on the feudal structure of Europe,
the story along.
but your character could be from anywhere in the world,
or based on another culture entirely (real or imagined).
Commoners are protected by the Nobles of the land they
are residing upon. These Noble hear concerns, provide
Government walls to towns, punish criminals, and have soldiers to keep
invasions at bay. The Noble is the leader and is expected
The very concepts of democracy are largely unknown to to improve the lives and circumstance of the commoners
the people of Tyrra. Most Kingdoms are Monarchies ruled over time. In turn, these commoners have the responsibil-
over by a King or Queen, and there are a few Empires ity to pay the Noble in the form of goods and taxes, report
with Emperors or Empresses. Some countries might be crimes, help defend the land in times of need by joining a
organized in a limited form of democracy where the No- militia, defend the good name of their liege, and address
bles vote on certain issues or proposals, which then go to them with respect due to their station.
the Crown for approval or veto. Even in the case of revolt
or revolution, the people never really consider another
form of government, and simply install a new monarch to
rule over them (one who is more fair hopefully).

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 CHAPTER Eight:
Atmosphere
Societal Conventions
There are some basic behavioral customs which all peo-
ple are expected to follow as members of society, regard-
less of their social standing or position. These tenants are
ingrained into society, having been observed for so long,
they are seldom challenged or even questioned.

Hospitality
Any invited person, who accepts your hospitality, has cer-
tain expectations as a guest. It is implied that you will treat
that person with respect due to their station and social
standing. It’s the host’s responsibility to ensure their guest
is reasonably protected from by you and other guests or
household members. The guest is expected to give re-
spect where it is due, to follow the rules of etiquette, and
not take advantage of the hospitality given.

Loyalty
Any person who swears an oath of fealty to another as
their liege must obey their orders and be loyal to them. In
turn, the liege will support their vassal and protect them.

Kinship
Members of your family are expected to be loyal to each
other, because they are family and there is an implicit lev-
el of trust that is inherent of family members.

Honor
Every person is able to defend their honor by means of
respectable use of arms or magic. The rules for honor
combat differ from region, culture, and race, and even
between nobles and commoners. You should learn the
rules for honor combat before you invoke them or agree
to an honor duel.

Medieval Society
THIS SECTION IS UNDER REVIEW. IT HAS BEEN
EXCLUDED.

116
 Revision Notes

changed to Purify Blood as a touch-cast magical abil-

Overview ity. The effect is the same and there is no catch-all
While performing this update, I have tried to keep track of Antidote effect in Alchemy (Contact/Ingested/Gas).
any changes made, but it’s likely I missed a few, despite This was needlessly complex when an existing effect
my best efforts. I have numbered the changes to allow for already covered the desired function.
discussion and easy reference.
13. Racial Ability: Dodge renamed to Adept Dodge to sep-
1. All existing errata additions, corrections, clarifications arate further, in the same way as Mighty Slay
have been rolled into these rules throughout without
14. Racial Ability: Will to Live - evoked ability now acts as
further note. These should be already well-known.
a Stabilize effect. Verbal changed to “Will to Live, Sta-
2. Some names of things were changed, notably rules bilize”
sections and crafting.
15. Racial Feature: Hex – If no time is specified when the
3. Gypsy race name changed to Baljar. Hex is used, the default is 5-days.
4. Details about how effects are removed (cured) or re- 16. Back Attack, Backstab, Assassinate – Added wording
sisted as previously listed in some of the spell and to allow for completion of one attack if the target turns
effect descriptions were largely removed and are now while you are attacking and are no longer “behind”
listed in the defense or remove description only. them, when the attack was already started. Being be-
hind a target to properly start the attack is still re-
5. Removed most duplicate places were identical infor-
quired. It caused confusion in combat. Waylay is
mation was presented (such as Spell Defenses). This
excluded from this change.
was done to slim the rulebook size and viewed as
unneeded bloat. 17. Craftsman (other), renamed to Tradecraft: <type>
6. When possible, I formatted to keep rules text together 18. Critical Slay/Parry - Renamed to Slay/Parry.
on a single page. This means, there are some blank
19. Master Critical Slay/Parry - Renamed to Master Slay/
areas.
Parry.
7. Spirits & Resurrection – Added that an Invested Char-
20. Production Skills: Create Potion, etc. Renamed to
acter in an Extended Earth Circle can resurrect them-
Craft Potion, etc. In addition the word “production” was
selves after having their death officially recorded. So
removed from lexicon throughout and replaced with
fewer players need to wait out-of-game for resurrec-
“Crafting” or similar. Except the skill Production Master
tion if no one is available.
which was not renamed.
8. Fixed and Adjusted the Level Advancement Chart. All
21. Crafting: Special Abilities - Corrected the wording from
characters start at Level 1 (0XP), formerly level 4,
a previous version of these rules (v1.0). It implied all
310XP and 50BP. Racial Abilities are also impacted
Special Abilities required Base Levels, which is untrue
by this change because the maximum number of Ra-
cial Abilities your character may buy is limited by 22. Arrows & Bolts Without Tags (Optional Rule) - Quivers
Character Level. no longer require tags. There are some limitations on
use. Added from existing play-test.
9. Magical Ability - Corrected some wording from previ-
ous version of rules (v1.0) to clarify removal meth- 23. Cantrips: REMOVED Cantrip Pages – No method to
ods. create a cantrip page existed except through Goblin
Points, which was never intended. The rules for pages
10. Racial Abilities: “Invoke” changed to “Evoke” to further
and how they worked caused issues, game balance
separate them from Cantrip Invoked effects, which
problems, exceptions, and was confusing to players
are completely different.
and staff.
11. Racial Ability: Detect Magic – roleplay requirement
was removed. The effect must still be touch-cast.
12. Racial Ability: Detect Poison – “Natural Antidote”

117
 Revision Notes
(continued)

24. Cantrips: Formal Magic Components must be broken 34. Tarry moved from Earth level 7 to Earth level 5. For
BEFORE the incant for the Cantrip is started, instead balance and usability.
of after (zero cost cantrips see no change). The rea-
35. Manifold - change in previous version of these rules
son is that fuel is required prior to casting, compo-
(v1.0) was rolled-back and removed. It prevented
nents are still consumed if casting is disrupted (Spell
Manifold spells from being Spellstored.
Disruption), and to ensure fluidity and consistency in
the rules wording. 36. Playing Possum – added clarification for permitted
methods. This is a new addition.
25. Magic Item Slots are now an Optional Rule chapters
may use and is not a requirement. 37. Spell Disruption - Bless/Eldritch Bless and Shield/
Eldritch Shield will prevent Spell Disruption. The char-
26. Durations: Added Enduring for effects which only end
acter must suffer actual Body Point loss (not tempo-
when removed or character death; these were former-
rary points or protections) for disruption to occur
ly Indefinite effects. Indefinite is now reserved for ef-
(existing errata, special note due to magnitude of
fects which expire when used (Shield Magic, Delayed
change).
Endow, etc.)
38. Delivery Methods: Arcane cannot be blocked by any
27. Durations: Removed Continuous as a Duration. Only
defense and will not expend any defense. Added from
one spell, Stabilize, had this duration in the system
existing errata (existing errata, special note due to
and continuous casting is already covered in the Man-
magnitude of change).
ifold skill. Changed Stabilize duration to Instant.
39. Delivery Methods: Gaze added as a delivery, because
28. Base 10 Celestial Damage (Optional Rule) - Base 10
of Vampire Charm.
instead of base 5 damage for Celestial spells. The
spells affected by this optional rule are: Magic Missile 40. Charm-effects Group: Clarified that commands cannot
(10), Lightning Bolt (20), Ice Bolt (30), Flame Bolt circumvent game rules or status effects.
(40), Stone Bolt (50), Lightning Storm (60), Ice Storm
41. Effect Types: added Spellstrike.
(70), Dragon’s Breath (80), Eldritch Blast (90), En-
flame (40), and Magic Storm (10). Added from exist- 42. Line of Sight: lasts for a maximum of 1-day before ex-
ing play-test. piring. A new casting resets the duration.

29. Delayed Endow: may be used to Rip from Pin and 43. Smithing Special Ability: Rapid Refit - a change in pre-
Bind effects (previously only Pin). vious version of these rules (v1.0) was rolled-back and
removed. Roleplay timed requirement is 3-seconds.
30. Guardian of the Four: Corrected placement in the
Protection Hierarchy because it is the same as 44. Extended Circle of Power and Ward changes: While in
<Effect> Shield. combat, if a character enters or leaves a Circle or
Ward (invested or recognized), they must wait 3-
31. Prepare Hearth: Small system change when attuning
seconds before they may enter or leave that same
room – characters must be within arm’s reach of one
Circle/Ward again. This is to restrict step-out, strike,
wall instead of all walls (as was previous and impossi-
step-in, tactics which slow combat, and create confus-
ble).
ing situations. No restriction when not in combat.
32. Refitting Armor: All armor types may be refit simulta-
45. Regeneration monster ability renamed to Regenerate
neously as a single Concentration action. Physical
- because it is different from the spell effect slightly.
Armor, Dexterity Armor, and Arcane Armor. All armor
points are restored when completed. The longest 46. Return monster ability was revamped to make it
roleplay time requirement is used. friendlier. Items (Scrolls and Alchemy) are not con-
sumed but are returned as if they were not used, but
33. Read and Write is now a passive skill and may be
become unusable for 10-minutes. Magic items require
used even if the character may not use other game-
60-sec concentration (like attunement) to regain Re-
skills. Reading will not disrupt concentration or any
turned effect.
other skill, ability, or power. It is impossible to enforce
if a player out-of-game reads something.

118
 Revision Notes
(continued)

1. Monster Ability: Rip from <pin/bind/web/confine> was order).” Due to non-harmful elixirs such as Poison
removed as it duplicates Racial Ability Rip from Bind- Shield or Cure Light Damage potentially being in the
ing. Monster cards may still limit what monsters may mixture effect chain.
rip from and how often by specifying on the card.
7. Pin was listed in the table on page 74 as 1st level in-
2. Vampire Charm – Clarified it is an Enduring effect stead of 2nd level. Corrected.
with a maximum Duration of 1-year. A new Vampire
8. Refit Armor was listed as 5th level instead of 3rd level
Charm replaces an existing one (due to Effect-
in it’s spell description on page 37. Corrected to 3rd
Stacking).
level.
3. Armor Crafting Costs: Added Armor values 41 - 45 to
9. Several spells had incorrect “true names” listed (copy/
chart with a cost of 5 levels of Smithing.
paste errors). All names, spell levels, incants, etc have
4. Added “Medic” as term when calling a HOLD for seri- been corrected and verified.
ous injury to alert staff of importance.
10. Protection Hierarchy (page 82): Added Eldritch Shield
5. Added “Caution” as an out-of-game phrase to lessen and Eldritch Bless to the hierarchy.
use of Hold. Used to alert other players of hazards
UPDATE v1.21 and v1.22
without stopping play for all participants.
1. Silence (page 70): Incorrect incant was fixed. Addi-
6. Added Summer Armor rules as an Optional Rule.
tionally, it was listed as earth only in the spell descrip-
7. Corrected tables data throughout rules. tion. Corrected to Celestial and Earth.
8. Updated weapon construction section. 2. Release: (page 68) was listed as 8th level instead of
5th level. Corrected to 5th level.
9. Updated ToC and all page number references from
previous version of these rules (v1.0). 3. Remove Weakness (page 71) was listed as 4th level
instead of 3rd level. Corrected to 3rd level.
10. Note that throughout the document Silver coins are
still used instead of Copper for costs such as training 4. Unparalyze (page 71): corrected the incant. Table on
(max-out) and crafting costs. This may change in a page 75 is correct.
future update.
5. Weakness (page 72): Corrected incant.
UPDATE v1.2
6. Web (page 72): Corrected the incant. Table on page
1. Concentration: Added “Concentration immediately 75 is correct.
ends if the character is unconscious, dying, or dead.”
7. Table 5-17 (page 76): listed Detect Magic as 3rd in-
2. Web spell description incorrectly had the spell level stead of 2nd level. Corrected to 2nd level.
as 8th level instead of 5th level. Corrected to 5th level
8. Enslavement Antidote (page 108): Effect Description
throughout.
was missing for the effect. Added rules entry.
3. Taint Blood spell description incorrectly had the spell
9. Table 7-5 (page 110): Corrected Bless cost in table.
level as 1st level instead of 5th level. Corrected to 5th
level throughout. 10. Table 7-6 (page 110): Corrected entries for Elemental
blade, Enchanted Blade, Endow, Flame Bolt. Correct-
4. Alchemy: Death effect description was missing from
ed costs in table.
the section. Corrected.
5. Poison Shield (page 67) Incorrectly showed the Ele-
mental Shield incant instead of the proper incant for
Poison Shield. Corrected.
6. Alchemy Elixirs (page 107): Added “The effect-chain
order of delivery to the victim is the order they were
applied to the food or drink (tags should be stacked in

119
 Revision Notes
(continued)

KNOWN BUT OUT OF SCOPE IN THIS UPDATE

 The NERO World Classic Formal Magic Rulebook is

forthcoming which contains the full rules for Formal
Magic. It will be posted to the NERO World website
when completed.

 Transforms, Golems, and Summoning systems will be

addressed in the NERO World Classic Formal Magic
Rulebook.

DISAVOWED ERRATA, UPDATES, & PLAY-TESTS

 Any additional or existing corrections, errata, updates,

and/or play-tests not already included in this rules
version are no longer valid and are disavowed by NE-
RO World. Any new corrections, errata, updates and/
or play-tests may be created as we move forward and
will be posted on the NERO World Website if/when
they are approved.
~ Jason Mote

120