1 VOYAGER: TACTICS

Voyager: Tactics, V0.7 Combat Ready! Playtest

THE TEAM
CREATED, DESIGNED & EDITED BY
SYTOkun

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
@SYTOkun @Aaron22Koh
@heromedley @Niques_dom
@ArtisticFeliXd @Mikururun
@saruissaART @guyhuyart
@RikuJe @_Zuuzu_
@charcooll @haonfest
@RewindzeVII @KhrnNfz
@LeviLagann @BELLARIS000
@_zhaop

MARKETING LEAD
Joey

PLAYTESTERS
SYTOkun _Kur0it3tsu
Lettersandpunctuation Djinn
Pedalcoma99 Concordat of Worms
Local Kaibi Kippie
Mattloki
Joe/Twinky
Goblin HBG
A Sir Will A/V Kid
perhaps a crab

WITH HELP FROM

The artists, writers and contributors of VNTAS Squad and the Switchback Server.

More tabletop game content at:

https://switchback-worlds.itch.io

Join the Discord server! (we have emotes)

discord.gg/xvgsE9u7ez

Follow @SYTOkun on Twitter for art and stuff.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 2
 QUICK REFERENCE
POTENTIALS COMBAT
You gain 1 Potential from your Sapient & 1 STARTING COMBAT: Every round, roll your
from your Epithet. You can activate one of Loadout dice, then set them aside. Use the
your two Potentials once per mission, rolled results to plan your Action
allowing an action relevant to your Sequences & react to the battle.
Potential to instantly succeed.
ACTION SEQUENCE: When you want to act,
declare your Action Sequence. Describe
COMBAT REMINDERS your intent & use your Loadout dice to
> Roll your Loadout dice every round. execute it. Resolve it, then add +1
Some actions spend the dice as tokens, Momentum.
others follow the number you rolled.
MOMENTUM: Spend 1 to reroll a Loadout
> Declare Action Sequence. die, or 3 while in EX State to convert a die
into a Brave result.
> Gain +1 Momentum for every Sequence
resolved. EX STATE: A special buffed state when you
reach 5+ Momentum. When below 5
> Take note that your Faction's Core Trait Momentum, the EX State only expires at
may allow you to gain or spend the end of the round.
Momentum in fluid ways.
MOVE: Spend a Wear die to gain Speed &
> You cannot act or take any more travel that many tiles. If not fully used, can
Sequences when you're out of Loadout be saved until the end of the round.
dice.
ATTACK: Spend a Wield die to deal
> Loadout dice of the same size can be damage to a foe based on your Wield
used interchangeably. gear's range.

> Defiance counts as a Sequence (gain +1 SHOOT: Attack from range.

Momentum after) but the attacker
continues acting immediately after. LOAD: Enhance your Attack with multiple
dice. Useful for dealing burst damage.
> If you Defy multiple times in a row, you
only gain +1 Momentum from all of them DEFIANCE: Spend a gear die to
combined, not +1 for each Defiance. automatically avoid a hostile action.
Cannot act again (unless to use Defiance
> Brave Defiance lets you continue the again) until the attacker finishes acting.
Sequence & interrupt the attacker's turn.
BRAVE: A special gear effect you can
activate if your Loadout die rolls the max
result.

HP: All Voyagers have 15 HP by default.

DESPERATE: At 0 HP, you become

Desperate. Remove all hostile Conditions.
Gain +2 Momentum from each Action
Sequence instead of +1. You KO when you
take any HP damage.

KO: You cannot fight, act or move. Can

only recover back at Base or a settlement
that is equipped to care for you.

3 VOYAGER: TACTICS
MAP ELEMENTS CONDITIONS
SIZE: Determines sizes of entities and
areas in combat. Size 2 occupies 2x2 tiles; NEGATIVE
Size 3 occupies 3x3 tiles, etc.
LAUNCH: Launched into the air unwillingly.
MOVEMENT: You can move through an Cannot take actions unless they have an
ally's space. You cannot move through a action that lets them act while Launched.
foe's space unless you're Airborne or
Unimpeded. DISPLACE: Forcefully moved along the
map. If target hits solid terrain or another
DIFFICULT TERRAIN: Costs -1 Momentum to entity, they take damage or reduce the
cross per tile. If at 0 Momentum, must obstacle's Toughness by a value equal to
spend 2x Speed to cross 1 tile. their respective Size.

OBSTACLE: Solid objects like rocks, trees, SLOWED: Lose Momentum or spend Speed
debris, etc. Comes in High or Low as though walking through difficult terain.
elevation. Provides cover & has Toughness.
IMMOBILISE: Lose -4 Momentum. If at 0,
ELEVATION: Ground level (Elevation 0) is you cannot move, but can attack & take
Low. Elevation I or higher is High. Low other actions.
obstacles be vaulted or jumped over, &
costs 3 Speed to cross. You must be STAGGER: You cannot act until the end of
Airborne to cross a High obstacle's space. the round & lose all Momentum & Loadout
While Airborne, it takes one action dice uses.
sequence to cross into a higher Elevation
level. BLIGHT: Target takes additional damage
at the start of the next 2 Action Sequences.
COVER: Provided by obstacles. Immune to
ranged attacks while behind cover until it's TAUNT: Target will always try to move in
destroyed. range & Attack the source.

TOUGHNESS: Simplified health for objects

& terrain. 3 Toughness = can take 3 POSITIVE
separate attacks before breaking, etc. UNIMPEDED: Can pass through any entity's
space. Can cross Low obstacles, chasms &
difficult terrain if it doesn't exceed your
Speed's range.

AIRBORNE/PROPEL: Willingly lifted midair,

or flying. Can pass & land on High
obstacles & terrain.

RUSH: Instantly move to target of Rush.

Can only be blocked by solid barriers &
terrain.

ADAMANT: All damage is reduced by -10,

and immune to forced movement like
Launched or Displaced. If you take more
than 10 damage, you take the remainder
damage to your HP & are Staggered.

STEALTH: Cannot be detected. The next

damaging Action Sequence removes
Stealth, but always hit & deals 2x damage.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 4
 ABOUT THIS VERSION
You are reading an early combat playtest of Version 0.7 of Voyager: Tactics.
Included are combat rules and about 70% of character creation. Rules for
exploration and base-building are still in progress and are not included here.

There are still unfinished elements throughout this book with incomplete
text and images, so pardon the dust.

5 VOYAGER: TACTICS
FEEDBACK WELCOME!
Help take Voyager: Tactics closer to the finish line! The core dice and game
systems feel more streamlined & complete than ever before.

Answer the Feedback Form, head on down to the Discord server, or drop a
comment on the Voyager: Tactics page if you have any and all feedback, or
even just stories! I love reading about other people's game groups &
experiences at their table. So even if it's about your players' characters or
cool stuff you did, or parts you find play smoothly vs. parts that feel clunky or
unintuitive, do send them our way.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 6
 INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS
Quick Reference......................3 II - HOW TO PLAY 51
The Core Idea..........................13
What You Need......................52
Inspirations..............................15
Loadout & Gear......................53
Action Sequences.................55
I - VOYAGER Momentum.............................56
CREATION 17 The Map....................................57
Conditions...............................59
Creating a Voyager...............18
HP, Damage & KO.................60
Time & Rest..............................61
//FACTIONS
Inventory..................................63
EXDUS Operatives.................19
Heirs of Aeden........................21
Heir of Avalon..........................21 III - GM Tools 65
Armiger Orders......................23 Running Foes.........................67
Venator Academy.................25 0. Personality.........................68
Rai-Musha Bladeguard.......27 1. Archetype............................69
Bladeguard..............................27 2. Role........................................70
Night Fang Resistance........29 3. Tier..........................................71
Henshin Corps.........................31 3. Tier.........................................73
Martial Disciples....................33 Minion Group..........................74
Storm Childer.........................35 Gunner......................................75
Warrior......................................76
//SAPIENTS Tank...........................................77
Human......................................37 Marauder..................................78
Shardlander............................38 Officer.......................................79
Magoi.........................................39 War Pillar.................................80
Xylolith.....................................40
Kaibi............................................41
Ruaya........................................42
Orzlaty......................................43
Síoraí.........................................44
Amerusan................................45
Viemor......................................46

//REMAINING STEPS
Potentials & Epithets...........47
EX State....................................49

7 VOYAGER: TACTICS
VOYAGER: TACTICS 8
 INTRODUCTION

The World we know has been destroyed by the World Tree.

In its place, a new World, Revenir, was reborn, changed by the Tree's magic.

You are part of EXDUS: an expedition commission determined to explore the

World Beyond and learn the secrets of humanity's past.

You are a citizen of the New World, evolved by magic but unchangeably
human, joining others in the great journey to draw the new atlas of creation;
you are a VOYAGER.

9 VOYAGER: TACTICS
Voyager: Tactics uses tactical anime-flavoured combat focused strongly on
teamwork and synergy as you take on the challenges of the New World.

Strategise and synergise with allies to execute dramatic

tagteam combos and chain attacks!

Spend time between your death-defying Voyages in the world of Revenir

alongside your allies!

VOYAGER: TACTICS 10
 INTRODUCTION

"The Earth as we know it is no longer; but

by our memory it shall remain."
The Emergence - Eld But even so, conflicts still brew all across
Revenir. The map is not drawn yet, and
Aestus many young empires, upstart rulers and
powerful groups want to be the ones to
Humanity is defined by the stories they tell.
carve its borders in stone. But there are
Tales and accounts of the great and noble
those whose goal is to unite the World and
that celebrate these heroes, lifetimes after
allow these new forms of humanity to find
they are gone.
and connect with each other, not to divide
and subjugate what little place in the
That was all nearly lost when a great
world we have assurance in.
catastrophe called the Emergence
destroyed the Old World. With nothing left
but their memory, the survivors clung to The Commission -
these stories, in hopes that these would
empower them to rejuvenate this New EXDUS
World.
This led to the formation of EXDUS: a
worldwide expeditionary commission, free
A thousand years ago, Earth was suddenly
from borders or political allegiance.
and violently destroyed when a massive
Named after an Old World term meaning
superorganism emerged, uprooting the
"a going out", the commission calls for any
entire world with it and piercing the
skilled individual from any walk of life to
heavens. The birth of the World Tree, Eld
help map the New World: explore new
Aestus, forced a new world to emerge
lands, discover old relics, mediate conflicts
from the corpse of the old.
between factions and brave the unknown
beyond.
Entire mountains and islands were thrown
into the sky, suspended in the Tree’s
strange magic; these were called Shards. The Journey - Voyager
The Tree changed the very makeup of the
world, hyperevolving the local wildlife into You are a Voyager. Whether you are
new and mythical forms, and even driven by the promise of adventure and
reshaped humanity itself into new variants treasure, or truly believe in EXDUS'
called Sapients, from the animal-like Kaibi conviction of unifying the Known World,
to the sky-dwelling Síoraí - even creating you come from one of many different
a new form of intelligent life from its own backgrounds - a mercenary, researcher,
flesh: the Phytosapiens. or all folks in between - being a new
organisation with lofty ideals, EXDUS will
take whoever they can get, and luckily,
The World Reborn - some of the best in the Known World have
answered the call.
Revenir
Just over a millennium has passed since You yourself are an up-and-coming
the Emergence, and the world is name, far from an established hero but set
unrecognisable from what it looked like in on your path to being one. You and a
the past. The magic of Eld Aestus group of others have gathered together as
permeates all of creation, accelerating its a Voyage team and tasked by EXDUS to
growth at an unimaginable pace - almost journey outwards into the world of Revenir,
like the World was never destroyed in the build a Forward Base of operations, and
first place. From digging up old research make the unknown known.
and the memories of the past, current day
technology is almost at the level of that of The year is 1053AE - a thousand years
the Old World; more advanced in some After Emergence. Your Voyage begins.
areas and less advanced in others.

11 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 "A new star watches over you."
Voyager: Tactics is a tabletop roleplaying game (TRPG) that focuses on anime-style
action and creative teamwork. Its gameplay is inspired from tactics and turn-based JRPG
titles like Fire Emblem and Persona, along with tile-based strategy games like Arknights.

ABOUT THE GAME GAMEPLAY PILLARS

Welcome to Voyager:Tactics, a game The main design philosophies of Voyager:
about adventure, lost mythology and Tactics' gameplay is as follows:
kinetic action scenes!

I created Voyager as a sandbox for my TACTICS, TILES & TURNS

creative impulses; attempting to replicate
my favourite action scenes and combat Touchstones: Arknights, Fire Emblem
styles from different media in one single
RPG, in a way that was complex enough to Voyager: Tactics is built on the foundation
chew on but intuitive enough to learn and of tactics games, where you are rewarded
remember. for planning your turns and immersing
yourself into combat through a tile map.
Tiles are kept specific in some places, such
as basic movement, while left flexible in
JOURNEY TOGETHER others, such as elevation.
You and a group of other players will be
creating a team of adventurers called
Voyagers, who you will send out to build a REACTIVE, COOPERATIVE
Base and conduct expeditions, watching COMBAT
their Base grow and their journeys unfold.
The Game Master plays the Liaison: their Touchstones: Hoyoverse games; League
mission control and guide. of Legends

Team synergies and tagteam attacks are

BUILD THE WORLD a main core of combat, allowing even the
unlikeliest characters to shine together,
While this happens, the GM will also be revealing surprising and exciting
narrating (and thus generating) possibilities in battle. One ally's action can
challenges for the Voyagers to take on: create a window for another to launch,
puzzles to solve, relics to recover and shove or group enemies together.
adversaries to overcome.

GROUNDED ANIME ACTION

COMMENTARY BUBBLES
Touchstones: RWBY

Throughout this document, A fluid action system allows for dramatic

you'll see chat bubbles like anime-style action, from the simplest
these. Yellow bubbles are sword swing to the most complex aerial
general tips from me, the GM. maneuvers and attack combos. Combat
is tactile and follows a heightened but
tangible sense of physics, where foes can
Grey bubbles with icons are
be launched into the air, then catapulted
players asking possible
questions about the rules and into a wall.
their context. That's me!

VOYAGER: TACTICS 12
 INTRODUCTION

THE CORE IDEA

Voyager's Roots As A Tabletop Game
Voyager is a fantasy setting where I put all This system is very much centred around
my favourite things into a single world. this specific world and very much
influenced by anime-centric aesthetics
Besides being a big personal creative and physics from something you might
project and "kitchen sink" setting that has see in RWBY or Genshin Impact, but you're
everything I find cool in it, it was also free to use it for your own settings.
meant to occupy a niche I wanted to see
more in media: a fully developed modern This game has tile-based combat and
fantasy world with sci-fi elements that uses multiple polyhedral dice. Due to its
also had a cool anime aesthetic & underlying design philosophies, this
attractive character designs. system may feel too "gamey" for you,
though I think this alone shouldn't be a
As an RPG player I started like most did, barrier to roleplaying or narrative-centric
playing 5th Edition, before branching out in play.
search of different game systems. Working
on Voyager has also been an constant
experiment in finding out my own tastes in Who This Game Is For
games and what sort of experience I
wanted to emulate. > Players who are used to purely sci-fi or
medieval fantasy and are looking for
The way Voyager: Tactics is structured is something with the flavour of both
meant to be a friendly experience for
players who are interested in tabletop > Relative newcomers to TRPGs more
games, but more familiar with modern familiar with modern gaming tropes and
video games, its tropes, terminology and mechanics
mechanics - namely gacha games and
tactics JRPGs where you assemble your > Gacha game players or fans or hero
own units and send them out on missions. collecting/recruiting games

I researched different TRPG systems > TRPG players who enjoy the tactile
across many genres to create Voyager: satisfaction of tactical grid combat, but
Tactics, taking elements from West not quite the bookkeeping & numbers-
Marches to GM-less games, and liberal tracking involved with it
inspiration from outside the TRPG medium
into the spheres of video games, anime > Homebrewers and GMs who want easy
and movies. tools for fighting lots of enemies at once

I created Voyager to be a game I myself

would want to play. As someone who, no Who This Game Isn't For
doubt like many others, are intimidated by > Players looking for longform narrative-
the prospect of being a Game Master and focused TRPGs (this game is primarily
the social expectations towards a larger scenario-based and characters are not
group, I wanted to create a system that obligated to undergo massive
even someone like me could run, that developments or arcs)
would take the pressure of responsibility
one might perceive from the GM role and > Hardcore simulationist/survival enjoyers
instead make it a fun group experience. who enjoy managing resources like
torches and food (this game has a more
casual & streamlined approach to
exploration rules)

> Fans of theatre-of-the-mind combat

that is quick and seamlessly flows from
roleplay (this game has a dedicated,
detailed combat phase)

13 VOYAGER: TACTICS
FEATURE SUMMARY FOR TABLETOP VETERANS
GEAR AS DICE, GEAR AS STATS DEATH ON YOUR OWN TERMS
No stats at all. Your gear determines the No Voyager dies unless they choose to do
dice you roll for damage, movement, etc. so; defeat can often take on different
forms such as retreat or mission failure.
ROLL FIRST, THEN PLAN
You don't roll to determine a result; you roll BASE BUILDING
all your dice first, then strategise your (to be added in full version) Create and
actions around the results rolled. manage your own party's base of
operations where they conduct their
DAMAGE AUTO-HITS missions from.
Attacks automatically hit; damage must
be actively resisted or reduced. ROGUELITE ELEMENTS
(to be added in full version) Assemble
MORE CRUNCH, LESS NUMBERS your Voyage party and encounter relics
The main source of complexity is your and divine visitations on your journey that
party's abilities and how they interact with grant your party buffs and even curses,
each other, rather than granular modifiers resetting at the end of each Voyage.
and stats.
WEST MARCHES FRIENDLY
MINION RULES GMs may assemble huge game groups
Enemies are made with simplified stats to and freely coordinate different Voyagers
be fought in the dozens. If they're getting to explore the world, sharing your Voyage
mowed down, then the game is operating reports together in a shared game world.
as intended. Send in another wave. Fairly static numbers lets beginner &
veteran Voyagers party up without insane
disparities in HP or damage.
EPISODIC ADVENTURES
Mission-based structure suitable for
oneshots or transitioning into longform
narrative play.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 14
 INTRODUCTION

INSPIRATIONS
WORLD
Base Building
> RWBY
> Arknights > Arknights & Arknights: Endfield
> Destiny > Hades & Hades 2
> Land of the Lustrous > Recettear
> Alchemy Stars > Potionomics
> How to Train Your Dragon > Minecraft
> Horizon: Zero Dawn > Fortresses, Temples & Strongholds by
> Shardbound WarlockHomebrew
> NieR: Automata > Idol Manager

Character Creation &

GAME DESIGN Progression
Tiles & Turns > Hades & Hades 2
> Arknights & Arknights: Endfield > Fabula Ultima
> Fire Emblem > Odyssey of the Dragonlords
> Persona 3 & 4
> Divinity: Original Sin 2 RPG Design & Layout
> Ruined King > Lancer RPG
> Pathfinder 2nd Edition > Blades in the Dark
> Dungeons & Dragons 4th & 5th Edition > Dragonbane RPG
> Panic at the Dojo > Break!! RPG
> Advance Wars / War Groove > Draw Steel (MCDM RPG)
> ICON RPG > DC20 RPG
> Honkai: Star Rail > LUMEN RPG
> Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy > Ryuutama
> Daggerheart > Shadowdark RPG
> Slay the Spire > Knave 2nd Edition
> Wilderfeast
Combat Feel > The Wildsea
> RWBY > Candela Obscura
> Monster Hunter
> League of Legends
> Zenless Zone Zero
> Genshin Impact
> NieR: Automata

Ability Design
> Overwatch
> Devil May Cry
> Blue Archive
> God of War
> Fate/Grand Order
> Legends of Runeterra

Exploration
> Etrian Odyssey
> Anthem
> Forbidden Lands

15 VOYAGER: TACTICS
ART DIRECTION PLAYLIST
Book Layout Chilling at Base
> Sekaiju no Meikyuu IV (Etrian Odyssey > shop (Arknights)
IV) Collection of Visual Materials > tech (Arknights)
> Destiny 2 user interface & PS4 skin > Take the Journey (Honkai Star Rail)
> BREAK!! RPG > Iwatodai Station (Persona 3)
> Heromedley's artwork
> Arknights user interface Exploration (Freedom)
> Pathfinder 2nd Edition Player Core
> Degenesis > Hills of Radiant Winds (NieR series)
> The Vagrant Path RPG > The End of One Journey (Frieren: Beyond
Journey's End)
> Downstream (Braid)
World Aesthetic > The Road of Trials (Austin Wintory)
> masaki_hirooka
> LIN+ Exploration (Mystery)
> Akitsu Taira
> Masahiro Tsukuba > Memories of Dust (NieR: Automata)
> ZhaoP > Copied City (NieR: Automata)
> Arcticcave > Maenam (Braid)
> Erhong1111 > Sis Puella Magica!(Yuki Kajiura)
> No33no/Susumu Maeya > Tartarus 1st Floor (Persona 3)
> Yoneyama Mai
> Anato Finnstark Combat (Regular)
> Piotr Jablonski Recommended for typical combat
> Omer Tunc encounters against regular foes and
> 68mo bosses.
> ORiHiRA_
> szmyu > King Vermin (Hades 2)
> SIXMOREVODKA > Basileus (Hiroyuki Sawano)
> hizani_ya > Unavoidable Battle (Persona 3)

Character & Sapient Design Combat (Dramatic)

> v8turbocharger Recommended for battles of great
> YUJIFantasia narrative, wordly or supernatural
> 7ZEL consequence.
> IERotAK
> Ryota-H > The Ultimate Weapon (NieR series)
> Taiki99 > Bios (Hiroyuki Sawano)
> ovopack/Ryota Murayama > The Ultimate Soldier (Shiro Sagisu)
> Toridamono > God's Gift (Hiroyuki Sawano)
> Shirow Miwa
> _Chuzenji_
> Kuroblood
> telsonknife/knifedragon

VOYAGER: TACTICS 16
 CHAPTER I

VOYAGER CREATION

17 VOYAGER: TACTICS
CREATING A VOYAGER
It's time to create Voyagers to answer the call for expedition!

You don't play as a nobody - you play as a great Voyager in the making, but who needs
experience to bring out their full potential. Picture yourself as your favourite character in a
gacha game or shounen anime: with your own individual quirks, fighting style and
appearance.

Recommended: make your characters together as a group, so you can discuss your
characters and how they relate to each other. Many of these options are recommended
to be taken by only one player each - making your Voyager the sole person with those
traits or skills, and therefore having a clear role within the group.

0. CONCEPT 2. SAPIENT
If you already have an idea for a Next, choose your Sapient, which is the
character, feel free ask your group with equivalent of your species or ancestry.
help to best represent them ingame. Each Sapient has its own Potential: a
special ability from your unique biology,
I want to make a badass
e.g. the Ruaya's Potential involves
samurai zombie girl who cuts swimming and moving in water; the fiery
things up with a katana! Amerusan's Potential involves surviving
and manipulating intense heat and flame.

A Viemor Cadavre is what As with your choice of Faction, each player

you're looking for if you want a should pick different Sapients from each
zombie. As for the Faction, other, unless you match your characters
take a look at the Rai-Musha for roleplaying purposes.
Bladeguard for a samurai type
class, including a katana-
esque weapon. 3. EPITHET
Your Epithet is an alias, title or nickname
that describes your accomplishments. This
1. FACTION grants you a second Potential.
Your Faction determines your general
culture, allegiance and abilities. It's also As with others, each Voyager's Epithet
the equivalent of your Voyager's class or should be uniquely different.
job. Choose the one you find coolest or
most interesting.
4. EX MODE
Each player should each pick a different Choose your EX Mode, which is an
Faction from each other. The exception is if empowered, powered up mode your
two or more players have an idea to relate Voyager enters during combat.
their Voyagers together: such as being
partners, siblings or colleagues. Your
group may also want to play as a party
entirely comprised of a single Faction. 5. FINISHING TOUCHES
Each Faction has its own Core Trait and After everything, decide your character's
three Loadout gear. Note them down on name, gender and other details for
your Voyager sheet. roleplay, if you haven't already!

VOYAGER: TACTICS 18
 EXDUS
FACTION
OPERATIVES
AEDEN

ABOUT
Others call you: Operative, Soldier,
Trooper

You hail from the Known World region of

Aeden, where EXDUS' main headquarters is
located.

Unlike many other Voyagers who do

freelance or contract work for EXDUS,
operatives are full-time employees of the
organisation and form the backbone of
most of its field operations.

Every Operative is held to a high standard

of training and survival skills, and are
expected to be able to work together with
nearly any other Operative in a tactical
setting, on top of having to work with the
many colourful characters who walk
through EXDUS' doors.

As a high-level Operative, you are either a

Jet Corps trooper, equipped with a
Paladite jetpack, or one its magic-wielding
riflemen, harnessing aether to rain
elemental ordnance alongside their trusty
firearm.

PLAYSTYLE
> Ally mobility & positioning
> Taunting foes away from allies

TOUCHSTONES
> Operators - Arknights
> Titanfall
> Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
> X-COM
> Warlock - Destiny

19 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You're an operative from EXDUS, specially trained to
tackle the wilderness of the World Beyond and
equipped with the most cutting-edge technology.

CORE TRAIT
TACTICAL POSITIONING
> Whenever you gain Momentum, give an ally you can see +4 Speed (Unimpeded). This
Speed must be used immediately or is lost.

> You may spend 1 Momentum to give both yourself & an ally +4 Speed (Unimpeded)
immediately.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Airborne: You can move over most things

on the map as long as you fully pass its
space.

Speed gained after you dodge must be

spent immediately or is lost afterwards.

Taunted foes target only you during

combat.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 20
 HEIRS OF
FACTION
AEDEN
AEDEN

ABOUT
Others call you: Heir, Spellblade,
Wielder, Eld's Chosen

You hail from the Known World region

of Aeden, where the Kathedra is
located.

Heirs are people of Revenir chosen to

wield a powerful weapon created from
the World Tree. Each were called by a
Phytosapien to the Kathedra: a sacred
temple carved from the World Tree,
with tall white boughs and winding
branches along its walls.

Heirs wield a living weapon that

appears to breathe and resonate
with the power of the World Tree.
Created in a ritual called the
Claritas Immersio, it was either
formed spontaneously from
your soul, or it was reforged
after the loss of its past
wielder, making you its
inheritor.

Sometimes, your
weapon guides you
towards fulfilling this
greater purpose,
usually through a
strange feeling of familiarity or a
sense of nostalgia, as you resonate with
memories that are familiar, yet not entirely
your own.

PLAYSTYLE
> Multiple Attacks
> Map-wide Attacks & mobility

TOUCHSTONES
> Noctis - Final Fantasy 15
> Eclair - Kritika
> Leviathan Axe - God of War
> Thor's Mjolnir - Marvel

21 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are chosen by the World Tree to wield an Origin
Weapon, a magical soul-bonded weapon forged from
its own bark.

CORE TRAIT
SOUL WIELDER
> Every time you gain or lose 2 Momentum, you generate a spectral copy of your current
Wield gear (must be Origin type). This adds +1 Wield die of that gear to your Loadout, and
carries over between rounds if not spent.

> You can spend 1 Wield die to instantly Rush to your Wield gear or a spectral copy of it on
the map. If there is a foe on or adjacent to that copy, Attack them, dealing damage.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Rush: Instantly dash, teleport or fly

towards a given target.

Speed gained after you dodge must be

spent immediately or is lost afterwards.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 22
 ARMIGER
FACTION
ORDERS
AEDEN

ABOUT
Others call you: Armiger,
Knight, Sentinel

You hail from the Known World

region of Aeden, where most
Armiger Orders originate from.

Throughout all of Aeden, the

Armigers enforce order and peace.
Established since the earliest days of
Aeden's history, these heraldic
knights and warriors, devoted to the
heroic ideal, stepped up to guard
early settlements from the
elements, hostile creatures and
opportunists. Over time, these
knights formed Orders, each
sharing jurisdiction over different
Relic Cities and areas throughout
the Known World.

With the formation of EXDUS, the

training of Armigers in recent
times have been more
standardised and updated to
modern technology and tactics.
Now, Armigers commonly fight
with modern Vehementium arms
alongside their more traditional
Eldite armour, forged from the World
Tree's fallen pearlescent bark and
enhanced with magical protective sigils.

PLAYSTYLE
> Reliable tankiness
> Resist crowd control

TOUCHSTONES
> Knights & paladins
> Reinhardt - Overwatch
> Titan - Destiny
> Defender - Arknights
> Warlord - Dungeons & Dragons 4th
Edition

23 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a knighted warrior hailing from one of the
numerous heraldic Armiger Orders of Aeden, always
charging into battle with valour.

CORE TRAIT
STALWART
> You have Adamant when you have 0 Momentum, and can spend 2 Momentum to gain
Adamant until the end of the round.

> You gain +1 Momentum for every Attack whose damage you fully negate with Adamant.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Adamant: Reduce all incoming damage

by -10, and are immune to forced
movement.

Blight: Target takes additional damage at

the start of the next two Action Sequences.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 24
 VENATOR
FACTION
ACADEMY
AEDEN

ABOUT
Others call you: Venator, Prodigy,
Weaponshifter

You hail from the Known World region of

Aeden, where Venator Academy is
located.

With the promise of exploring the wider

world, specialised fighters were needed
who would take the best the Known World
could offer to bravely face the World
Beyond. Wielding state-of-the-art
equipment and transforming weapons,
the Venator Program was born to meet
this demand.

Venator Academy is a shining tower

resembling a lighthouse, proudly
stationed over a waterfall cliff. Its
students go above and beyond in
their training, working alongside
EXDUS technicians to plan and craft
their own custom weapons, able to
shift forms with the press of a
trigger or the flick of the wrist and
utilising high-grade aetherised
elemental shells as ammunition.

Combine this with their top-

notch tactical training and
enthusiasm to prove
themselves, and it looks like the
Venators are one of the most
exciting up-and-coming
group to look out for in the
World Beyond.

PLAYSTYLE
> Air mobility & combat
> Air recovery

TOUCHSTONES
> RWBY
> God Eater

25 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a prodigy student of the Venator Academy,
wielding a massive transforming weapon to bravely
tackle any threat the World Beyond promises.

CORE TRAIT
LANDING STRATEGY
> You can Attack, Shoot or Load while Airborne, Launched or Displaced.

> You gain +1 Momentum whenever you become Airborne, Launched or Displaced.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Airborne: You can move over most things

on the map as long as you fully pass its
space.

Rush: Instantly dash, teleport or fly

towards a given target.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 26
 RAI-MUSHA
FACTION
BLADEGUARD
ALLIANCE CLANS

ABOUT
Others call you: Bladeguard,
Rai-Musha, Swordsman

You hail from the Known World region of

Dust, home of the Alliance Clans.

Historically, the Rai-Musha were a warrior

class who served the noble families of
Yongryun: a collection of nation-states
and clans across the varied ruins and
wilds of Dust - slaying their political
enemies and protecting their successors.

But Dust is a harsh place, and many of

these family Clans were humbled from
their experiences in the hard wilderness -
those married to tradition often died with
it. The Rai-Musha were no longer bound to
their Clans, and sold their services to
anyone who would have them, acting as
mercenaries or guards across the rest of
the Known World.

This collectively led to the formation of the

Bladeguard, a guild of sorts where the
venerated masters opened their doors to
the world.

PLAYSTYLE
> Parry & build Momentum
> Disarm melee & deflect ranged foes

TOUCHSTONES
> Yasuo & Yone - League of Legends
> Genji - Overwatch
> Longsword - Monster Hunter

27 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a retainer of the Alliance Clans, wielding blade
with mastery and noble intent to tame the World
Beyond.

CORE TRAIT
FORESIGHT
> When you have 0 Momentum, any Defiance you perform is automatically a Brave
Defiance.

> You gain +1 additional Momentum whenever you use Brave Defiance.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Rush: Instantly dash, teleport or fly

towards a given target.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 28
 NIGHT FANG
FACTION
RESISTANCE
ALLIANCE CLANS

ABOUT
Others call you: Shinobi, Assassin,
Night Fang

You hail from the Known World region of

Dust, home of the Alliance Clans.

Some shinobi are trained from birth, others

are secretly recruited from the ranks of the
Bladeguard. Historically, shinobi in the New
World arose as a disjointed profession of
spies and assassins whose services were
used by the powerful Clans to collect
intelligence on each other's affairs.

Over time, a fire was stirred in the shadows

as unrest grew among the Clans' retainers
and subjects, leading to the formation of
the Night Fang: a shadowy pseudo-Clan
that unified the shinobi as a profession,
creating a system of complex teachings
and techniques over the decades used to
cull and topple corrupt and tyrannical
structures from within.

While the Night Fang's ideals aim to

defend the people from tyranny through
cloak and dagger, the organisation is a
layered and grey one, with many
members offering their services to corrupt
Clans, or creating schisms of their own
due to their often hellish training methods.

PLAYSTYLE
> Mobility & evasion
> Stealth Attacks

TOUCHSTONES
> Ninja & Shinobi
> Naruto
> Jigokuraku/Hell's Paradise
> Assassin's Creed

29 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 The famed order of assassins and freedom fighters,
feared and hunted throughout the Alliance Clans,
opposing tyranny and injustice from the shadows.

CORE TRAIT
STEALTH
> You automatically enter Stealth when you have 0 Momentum, and can spend 2
Momentum to enter Stealth.

> If you KO a target while under Stealth, you may re-enter Stealth immediately at no cost.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Stealth: You are undetectable and

untargetable. Attacks from Stealth always
hit & deals doubled damage.

Speed gained after you dodge must be

spent immediately or is lost afterwards.

Rush: Instantly dash, teleport or fly

towards a given target.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 30
 HENSHIN
FACTION
CORPS
ALLIANCE CLANS

ABOUT
Others call you: Idol, Hero, Henshin

You hail from the Known World region of

Dust, home of the Alliance Clans.

Many sorts rise up seeking their fortune in

Dust, but none are more colourful and
evocative than the Henshin Corps: a
collection of agencies and freelancing
heroes. Regular hardworking civilians by
day and larger-than-life heroes by night, a
Henshin is often a regular person in the
Known World who dons a costume and
takes on freelance hero work.

The most prominent within the Henshin

Corps are those with actual powers -
whether from a strange artifact they wear
on their person or their own mastery over
magic, they are able to transform into a
more powerful form at a moment's notice,
donning bright armour or dresses made of
pure aether.

Despite this, a Henshin never forgets their

roots, and swear to always serve the
people, bringing joy and hope through
public performances, with many agencies
organising live shows, creating fervent fan
groups and followings around their
personas. They have now answered the
call for exploration, now hoping to spread
their legend to the World Beyond.

PLAYSTYLE
> Mobility & tankiness
> Avoid combat when needed

TOUCHSTONES
> Tokusatsu series
> Sam - Honkai Star Rail
> Magical girl anime
> Idols & Vtubers

31 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a celebrity hero and member of the Henshin
Corps, spreading justice and lifting people's hearts
wherever you soar.

CORE TRAIT
FORM SWITCH
> You start combat in either in your civilian form or Henshin form. You can switch forms
as an Action Sequence, gaining +1 Momentum afterwards.

> When in your Henshin form, all damage you take is always reduced by a number equal
to your Momentum. When in your civilian form, foes do not target or Attack you until you
perform a hostile action or something significant to hinder them, or if you Form Switch in
their line of sight.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Rush: Instantly dash, teleport or fly

towards a given target.

Stagger: Cannot take any actions until the

end of the round.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 32
 MARTIAL
FACTION
DISCIPLES
ALLIANCE CLANS

ABOUT of power and society, and so volunteer

their services to the great commission to
Others call you: Disciple, Martial Artist, explore the World Beyond, seeking a
Ascetic greater mastery of their bodies and
bringing fame to their discipline.
You hail from the Known World region of
Dust, home of the Alliance Clans. PLAYSTYLE
> Mobility & spamming Attacks
In the spaces between the Alliance's > Launching or Displacing priority foes
territory, criminal activity and banditry
often run rife and slip between the cracks.
TOUCHSTONES
Thus, the legend of the wandering hero
grew: martial artists turned vigilantes who > Martial arts movies
uphold peace in the wilderness of Dust > Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
where the Clans' enforcers fail. > Three Kingdoms
> Kung Fu Panda
These are practitioners from various
backgrounds: eager students studying
under famous martial disciplines, old
masters given to drink and merriment, and
even monks belonging to martial
monasteries. They know very well the
untamed nature

33 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a wandering warrior and disciple of the martial
arts, humbly training yourself and bringing justice
where the hand of law fails.

CORE TRAIT
TRANQUIL TEMPEST
> When you take an Action Sequence, you always have additional Speed equal to your
Momentum.

> You can spend Momentum to Launch an adjacent foe, or Displace them up to 6 tiles
away; to successfully do this, spend an amount of Momentum equal to that foe's Size. This
does not deal damage unless they collide with solid terrain or another entity.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Speed gained after you dodge must be

spent immediately or is lost afterwards.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 34
 STORM
FACTION
CHILDER
THE EYRIES

ABOUT World. Descending from the highly

secretive and isolated Eyries from up high,
Others call you: Stormchild, Arcanist, all Stormchilder were once children of the
Noble common Eyrie citizenry, hand-picked by
the Storm Court and lovingly plucked from
You hail from the Known World region of their lowly station to join the great Court.
the Eyries, realm of the Stormqueen. Their old family and birth are wiped clean,
born anew to serve the Stormqueen's will.
The Stormchilder are the representatives
of the Stormqueen throughout the Known Trained in courtly etiquette, political
intrigue, combat and arcane study,
Stormchilder are cultivated to represent
the Eyries' ideals to the world below.
Needless to say, you have answered the
commission to explore the World Beyond,
dutifully bound to spread the Court's
influence in realms yet unknown.

PLAYSTYLE
> Wide map control
> Area of effect damage & crowd control

TOUCHSTONES
> Magic archers
> Fantasy elves
> Destruction Runes - Skyrim
> Weiss Schnee - RWBY

By default, your Stormchilder's

Sapient would be Síoraí, as it's
the only Sapient able to
survive in the high altitudes of
the Eyries.

35 VOYAGER: TACTICS
 You are a childer of the Stormqueen hailing from the
highest Eyries, charged to spread Her esteemed name
to the untamed World Beyond.

CORE TRAIT
GLYPHS
> You can spend any Loadout dice to create a magical Glyph on any tile within your line of
sight. The Glyph is treated as a Low obstacle, grants cover and has Toughness 1.

> Any Size 1 foe on the Glyph's space is Immobilised until the end of the round, or if the
Glyph is destroyed.

PRESET GEAR
You may add the following gear to your Loadout.

Cover: Acts like a Low obstacle and blocks

any incoming damage.

Immobilise: Target cannot move.

Speed gained after you dodge must be

spent immediately or is lost afterwards.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 36
 HUMAN
AWOKEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
SAPIENT

Origin: Pre-Emergence Proto-Sapient HUMAN NAMES

Age: Humans reach maturity at about age Newly awakened Sleepers tend to choose
20 and live for up to 120 years. names that remind them of Earth, usually
words and names they find in books or on
Prevalence: Rare. Less than a few hundred artifacts of old. Due to the passage of time,
Sleepers have been documented since these names may be spelled differently or
the Emergence. names taken from words we don't
typically use as given names on Earth,
Vibe: Vanilla human such as surnames or place names.

Alma, Calder, Dawne, Emileigh, Soren,

Playing a Human Townes, Phileon, Darias, Treu,
You are a living remnant of the Old World, Caldeneaux, Sterian, Gilhauder, Flo,
called Earth. The others call you a Sleeper, Frau, Senny, Tullwise, Ivernon, Pam,
for you, like all other humans, awakened Delacourt, Lyonessa
from within the World Tree. The entire
world has totally changed in the wake of
the Emergence, yet you emerged POTENTIAL
unchanged - a relic from a distant age. Ancient Prana
As earliest legends say, during the World Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
Tree's rising, a population of humans were resist magic: You may take no damage or
scooped up in its branches and trapped effects from a single instance of magic.
within the great Tree, their bodies
sheltered from the cataclysms that
harrowed the Earth, but also untouched by
the magic that transformed everyone else
into the Sapients we know today.

You awakened from deep within the World

Tree's winding adamantine boughs,
reviving from within a cocoon of aetherial
amber. Lost and listless, you may have
found your own way out, or more likely
than not, a Phytosapien sensed your
awakening and guided you out, eyes
bleary, to a completely changed world.

You have no memories save for the

faintest glimmers seen in dreams or
flashes of deja vu. Phytosapiens are able
to help you regain some of these lost
memories, but some humans have little
interest in their past lives filled with
nothing but faint yearning and a gnawing,
hollow loss - instead embracing their new
lives wholeheartedly.

37 VOYAGER: TACTICS
SHARDLANDER
BANNERMEN OF THE CLOUDS

Origin: Pre-Emergence Original Human SHARDLANDER NAMES

Age: Humans reach maturity at about age Most Shardlander names have a given
20 and live for up to 120 years. name, followed by their surname - taking
after their father or mother - and then
Prevalence: Common. While scattered followed by their Banner's name.
among the different Shards, the larger
Banners are quite populous, holding tens Hroldr Hroldson Vangyr, Yngvir
of thousands of citizens. Merasdottir Graive, Sorja Freasdottir
Sponn, Aife, Bryn, Volstanga, Anvar,
Vibe: Sci-fi Vikings living on floating Stahl, Frakke
islands
TOUCHSTONES
Playing a Shardlander > Horizon Zero Dawn
> How to Train Your Dragon
While you look and feel human, you were
not encased in the World Tree during the
Emergence - your forebears were thrown POTENTIAL
into the air with their homes and families
as the sky filled with Shards: floating
True-Tested
landmasses. This upheaval cut the first Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
Shardlanders off from nearly all traces of resist, but not negate damage: Halve all
civilisation or knowledge of the lost Earth. damage received once, or survive a blow
that would your reduce your HP to 0 with 1
As a Shardlander, few things are more HP instead.
important than surviving the next winter or
dragon horde attack. Many Shardlanders
only know the goings-on of their home
Shard - in many cases, it's their entire
world.

A Shardlander would belong to a Shard,

which can be just small enough for a small
hamlet or the size of a small country. Each
individual Shard would also have its own
clan, called a Banner, or may owe fealty to
a larger one.

Technology and customs between Shards

vary wildly. Your Shardlander may live on a
Shard that is well-connected to other
Shards and has interacted with many
other Sapients, or they could have been
incredibly sheltered and never knew a life
outside of herding sheep, farming crops
and killing wyverns that threaten either.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 38
 MAGOI
PHYTOSAPIEN TELEPATH
SAPIENT

Origin: World Tree MAGOI NAMES

Age: Magoi mature in just a few weeks Magoi prefer simple names without many
upon budding and live for up to 500 years, syllables, typically from words or
though some have been found over a nicknames they picked up from
millennium old. interacting with other Sapients.

Prevalence: Rare. Only a few hundred Philo, Leaf, Meyri, Lumen, Io, Ninety-
named Magoi are known. four, Sprout, Sunny, Yomo

Vibe: Cute and innocent plant people TOUCHSTONES

discovering their newfound humanity > Sylvari - Guild Wars 2

Playing a Magoi POTENTIAL

Phytosapiens are a unique Sapient born Dream Witness
directly from the World Tree itself. They are
humanoids with plantlike biology like Trigger this Potential for a single feat
leaves for hair and bark for skin. Among involving telepathy: Look into a person's
them are the Magoi. memory; see into an object's past of
purpose; receive a vague vision of the
The Magoi have been the subject of most future.
mystery and reverence to Sleepers, with
many seeing them as otherworldly
prophets or messengers of the gods.
Some never leave this mindset, but many
grow to view them as reliable peers.

Some Magoi serve as mediators between

society and the World Tree, interpreting
their telepathic visions as signs from Eld
Aestus. These often use their visions to
form bonds with other Sapients, able to
communicate with them from any
distance. Most esoteric of all is their ability
to find passage into the Dreaming: a
mythical state said to be the collective
consciousness of all things.

Many Magoi work with EXDUS, using their

visions to help the commission unravel the
secrets of the World Beyond, and to
glimpse into the lives of its bygone people.
Others still pursue a more individual
journey, looking inward and using their
visions to plumb the depths of the World's
memories in order to understand their
own place in Revenir.

39 VOYAGER: TACTICS
XYLOLITH
PHYTOSAPIEN GUARDIAN

Origin: World Tree XYLOLITH NAMES

Age: Xyloliths mature in just a few weeks Like Magoi, Xyloliths and take their names
upon budding and live for up to 500 years, from random words or nicknames they
though some have been found over a learn from others.
millennium old.
Eade, Tronk, Kif, Yurathikboei, Arncha,
Prevalence: Rare. It's believed that for Bela, Crush, Voron, Igrid
every Magoi that is born, a Xylolith likewise
appears fully formed from the World Tree's
bark. POTENTIAL
Implacable Roots
Vibe: Gentle giant ent/golem people
Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
resist any forced movement: standing still
Playing a Xylolith on a capsizing ship, resisting an artillery
shockwave, an earthquake, etc. Allies
It's said for every Magoi born, a guardian
adjacent to you also gain this benefit by
made of white adamantine bark rises from
grabbing onto you.
the World Tree in turn - a transcendent
mind awakening an indestructible body.

Xyloliths tend to be stoic and reserved.

They often give the impression of silent
bodyguards or unsleeping sentinels, and
have commonly been seen as such in
tales and legends - their stonelike bark
skin and towering appearance evoking the
immortal, austere presence of a statue.

Xyloliths often find themselves in the

company of Magoi. Some offer their
services to Magoi communities or
individuals, even pledging their lives to
protect them as loyal guardians, while
others are more independent, interacting
with Magoi often but seeing them as
equals no different from other Sapients.

As a Xylolith, you have naturally tough

bark and a robust stature. Being a
Phytosapien, you do not require sleep,
owing to your origins as the ever-vigilant
protectors of the World Tree and its
progeny. However, you are not able to see
into the Dreaming like your Magoi siblings.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 40
 KAIBI
SURVIVORS OF DUST
SAPIENT

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergent KAIBI NAMES

Sapient
Kaibi take any sort of name, the younger
Age: Most Kaibi have quite short lives, ones often using slang or strange, cool-
maturing at about 10-15 years of age and sounding words they learned from
living up to 60 years. artifacts and structures in the Old World.

Prevalence: Common. They are likely the Sura, Toshi, Konagi, Barbiegirl, Phanta,
most populous Sapient in the Known World Shi-nie, Nottbutter, Baby Q, Nibiru,
with many still unmet subspecies and Konnobun-Goomi, Nysoo, Numenore,
Clans beyond. Astaravista, Peggy Sixteen

Vibe: Anthropomorphic animal people TOUCHSTONES

> Arknights
Playing a Kaibi
Kaibi evolved from humans to grow POTENTIAL
mammalian animal traits, as a
hyperadaptation to their harsh habitats,
Animal Adaptation
from the deserts and ruins to forests and Trigger this Potential for a single feat that
grasslands. Despite this, they tend to have involves your animal half: jumping a huge
a naturally friendly disposition, and are chasm with cougar legs; charging and
well-received due to their proliferation shoving a foe with your bull horns;
leading to a very early shared history with surviving a great fall using your feline
many Sapients. Most Kaibi, save for the reflexes, etc.
more solitary types, tend to be very social
and are able to naturally mingle and
coexist with other Kaibi, despite the vast
differences between them.

This sense of unified identity led to the

creation of the Alliance Clans, which was
an originally Kaibi confederation created
to represent and unify the hundreds of
Kaibi families and organisations across
the Known World, but now has grown to
include almost any group operating within
their Clan territories regardless of Kaibi
ancestry, including the Ruaya and
Sentinarium mercenaries coming from
the outer edges of the Known World.

Having evolved from humans to

adapt to their varied environs, Kaibi
are no strangers to struggle, and
often take life's challenges in stride.
They tend to have a "live and let
live" mindset, and their shorter
lifespans compared to other
Sapients lends themselves towards
a life pursuing simple joys free from
attachments or burdens.

41 VOYAGER: TACTICS
RUAYA
RIVER SPAWN

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergent RUAYA NAMES

Sapient
Many Ruaya names are derived from Azka,
Age: Ruaya can be quite long-lived, one of their languages, which itself is a
maturing at about 12-18 years and living centuries-old conglomeration of different
up to 240 years. Southeast Asian languages: the Old World
region most Ruaya have originated from.
Prevalence: Common. Ruaya populations
number in the thousands, with greater Tilka, Surun, Hesh, Ular, Kolel, Matan,
populations in uncharted waters beyond. Renang, Sawa, Banya, Soldek, Cichak,
Salrash, Kopek, Soseli, Ishbak, Sisik
Vibe: Lizard, dinosaur and amphibian
people TOUCHSTONES
> Lizardmen - Warhammer Fantasy
> Argonians - Elder Scrolls
Playing a Ruaya
The Ruaya have a storied history and are
some of the most well-travelled peoples in POTENTIAL
Revenir, making their cities in and around
Riverborn
the great rivers and lakes, both charted
and undiscovered. Trigger this Potential for a single feat
involving water or swimming: Survive
The Ruaya have a great influence over any where others would drown; conceal
territory near water, from fishing towns to yourself in water; swim upstream
port cities. Their unmatched fighting skill in effortlessly against rapids and floods, etc.
water and knowledge of currents make
them perfect sailors and seaborne
navigators. The more self-driven Ruaya
may offer their services as mercenaries or
even pirates, and often the only conflicts
they willingly join are those for control over
trade routes and straits on behalf of trade
companies and petty lords.

Though even amongst Ruaya, whose

history largely involves fresh water bodies,
an individual or group well-versed in
oceanic travel is rare. These rare
Oceanborn are well-respected by the
common Ruaya for their great knowledge
of the greater waters that even they know
little of.

Most Ruaya tend to have very

uncomplicated personalities. They let their
troubles wash over them like water over
their scales, and don't often concern
themselves with petty squabbles or
disputes.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 42
 ORZLATY
WANDERERS OF THE SKY
SAPIENT

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergent ORZLATY NAMES

Sapient
Orzlaty names are typically derived from
Age: Most Orzlaty live fairly long, maturing their ancestral language Chmara, which
at about 10-15 years of age and living up closely resembles the Old World family of
to 120 years. languages known as Slavic, i.e. Russian,
Serbo-Croatian and Polish.
Prevalence: Common. Orzlaty can be
found in nearly every region and Stozy, Krylo, Anika, Tolyanskiy, Marek,
profession within the Known World, but Lujik, Zaliszo, Mirokry, Natja, Olan
their overall population is relatively low, in
the thousands. This may soon change as TOUCHSTONES
the rate of large migrations of Orzlaty into > Ryota Murayama's artwork
the Known World have increased. > Guardians of Ga'Hoole
> Aarakocra - Dungeons & Dragons
Vibe: Slavic birdfolk

POTENTIAL
Playing an Orzlaty
Sky Nomad
The Orzlaty come from far beyond the
Known World. They are highly valued as Trigger this Potential for a single feat
Voyagers not only for their natural ability involving flight: Saving an ally mid-fall;
to fly, but also because of their vast history preventing fall damage; ascending an
of having explored the World Beyond. enemy watchtower or flying up to a
nearby Shard, etc.
Be that as it may, Orzlaty have historically
been nomadic, taking their families and
homes with them into flight. It's only within
the safety of the Known World that many
Orzlaty families caught wind of this safe
haven and made it their new homes,
with hundreds coming into the New
World with each year. One of the
common sights in current day Aeden
is looking up at the World Tree and
seeing humble yet wondrous
traditional Orzlaty houses, and even
entire neighbourhoods built along its
marble-white surface.

Orzlaty tend to be quite traditional

and family oriented, having large
family networks. While they do have a
writing system, they have a very
strong oral tradition as well, carrying
the tales and lives of their ancestors
upon their wings.

43 VOYAGER: TACTICS
SÍORAÍ
ZENITH DWELLERS

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergent SÍORAÍ NAMES

Sapient
Síoraí names are typically derived from
Age: Síoraí mature at the same age as their home language Avarrach, which
humans, around 20 years of age, but live bears resemblance to several Old World
longer, up to 150-180 years old. Celtic languages, namely Welsh and Irish.

Prevalence: Uncommon. Though it is Velynn, Ilwaith, Cimhair, Hwyfen, Gwen,

known that the Síoraí have a sprawling Alanna, Eogirn, Niachta, Lellandi, Dearg,
monarchy numbering in the thousands, Arthnael, Corraidhen, Morgant, Druasta
they are all located in the nigh-
unreachable Eyries, only descending for
specific reasons. POTENTIAL
Vibe: Sky elves Feather Frame
Trigger this Potential for a single feat using
your light frame: Running up and
Playing a Síoraí balancing on a large enemy's sword;
All Síoraí live or come from the Eyries: a walking across the surface of snow like a
lonely collection of Shards found in the gliding feather; preventing fall damage,
highest levels of the atmosphere. The etc.
Síoraí are some of the only people
capable of surviving at such heights
where the air is thin and treacherous
winds can fling any person off for miles.

The government of the Eyries is the

Stormqueen's Court, where the noble
houses swear fealty to the titular
Stormqueen: an enigmatic but incredibly
powerful Síoraí and possibly the greatest
sorceress in Revenir, whose face is barely
seen even by Her most powerful subjects.

Typically, the only Síoraí who would

descend to the world beneath are either
the Storm Childer - youths handpicked to
serve the Queen as her legatees - or
political fugitives seeking to escape the
Court's ever watchful eye and its secret
police.

This is further compounded by the fact

that the Síoraí's bodies are not made to
live in the lower world. Having grown lithe
avian features to survive at great heights,
their skeletons are very fragile and
susceptible to damage, making the
rough-and-tumble life of a Voyager
quite unappealing for most Síoraí.
You must have a really good reason for it,
then!

VOYAGER: TACTICS 44
 AMERUSAN
CHILDREN OF THE FIREGLASS
SAPIENT

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergent AMERUSAN NAMES

Sapient
Amerusans typically have their Colony in
Age: Amerusans reach maturity at about their name; these Colonies are usually
age 20 and live for up to 120 years. named after strange, brightly coloured
words found in the Amerusan ruins. As
Prevalence: Uncommon. All Amerusans such, they would normally refer to
are those who went on a pilgrimage to the themselves as "[Name] of [Colony]".
World Tree and found their passage into
the Known World, hailing from Amerusa. Alberkirk, Gunkirk, Connor of Bucks,
Mort of Realstate, Jillian of Camarrow,
Vibe: Nomadic cowboy fire elementals Shaft, Concordean, Michigan, John
Smith of Wessen, Didney of Whorl

Playing an Amerusan TOUCHSTONES

Amerusans originate from various > Novakids - Starbound
colonies of pioneers, arms dealers and
mercenaries, hailing from a land called
Amerusa. Tales of Amerusa say that it is a POTENTIAL
vast sunscorched wasteland covered in
scarlet ash and explosive Red Glass, which Inner Flame
many Amerusans use in their firearms. Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
This fire-choked air caused its inhabitants negate or create fire: Standing unharmed
to hyperevolve into beings with crystalline, in rocket or dragon fire; unleashing your
obsidian flesh and hair made of flames. inner flame to burn a nearby entity or
Many of them boarded their caravans and environment; surviving a volcanic
left Amerusa in search of the Fallen eruption, etc.
Firmament - their name for the World Tree,
which from Amerusa looked like a pale
flame that covered the entire horizon.

Your body is pyrokinetically charged and

emits flame, and you always slightly glow
in darkness. These flames are warm but
do not hurt anyone who touches you,
unless you are emotionally stressed or
choose to unleash your flame. You are
also deathly repelled by large bodies of
water and prefer dry, hot conditions. You
can still eat food and drink water, but
flammable fuel is equally as nourishing for
you. Any residue is expelled as smoke and
ash from your mouth.

When you are hurt, pieces of your skin

break off in flecks of black glass and
sparks of fire. You still have something
resembling human biology and organs
internally, but vastly evolved to adapt to
your new physiology.

45 VOYAGER: TACTICS
VIEMOR
SOULS OF ETERNAL LIMBO

Origin: Thanatotic pre-Emergent Sapient VIEMOR NAMES

Age: Immortal. Your apparent age is that Viemor mainly derive their names from
when you originally died. either Sangrais, the language of the
tenebrean nobility, or Nachtsprache, the
Prevalence: Rare. Skotos is a dangerous speech of the hardy Khaosjagd warrior
and hostile uncharted land, and few folk. These languages are derived from
venture outside to the surface. French and German, respectively.

Vibe: Zombies, skeletons & ghosts. Victorien, Silve, Longinaure, Gerhardt,

Wulfsmund, Rosenwind, Analette,
Vespacia, Eichel, Sombresoleil
Playing a Viemor
The Viemor, also known as the Unliving,
live in the subterranean region of Skotos: a
POTENTIAL
strange rift that appears to trap the souls Choose between Cadavre or Spectre.
of all within it. This rift mysteriously opened Cadavre are a skeletal and zombielike
during the Emergence and swallowed up variant of Viemor, while the Spectre are
an entire nation of people, suspending ghostly and ephemeral.
them in a permanent state between life
and death. Since then, any soul who dies Modular Flesh - Cadavre
within the shadowed valleys of Skotos are
reborn as Viemor. If a non-Viemor Sapient Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
happens to die in Skotos, they are also separate your body parts: Detach an arm
reborn as a Viemor. to extend your reach; spy on a meeting
using your disembodied head, eye or ear,
All Viemor are souls suspended in etc. You may also fall into a ragdoll-like
thanatotic stasis, meaning they are state, becoming Immobilised but immune
functionally immortal. You do not need to to all damage.
sleep, eat or breathe. Every Viemor is also
bound to a Memento, which is an object Ectoplanar Body - Spectre
your soul is tied to while you were once Trigger this Potential for a single feat to
alive. Your Memento can take the form of turn your body intangible: Phase through a
any personal item. It can be as small as a wall; avoid physical damage; possess and
necklace or book, or as large as a chair, move a single inanimate object, etc.
vehicle or even an entire house.

If you die, the physical shell of your body

loses its form and your soul returns to your
Memento, wherever it is. While reforming
within your Memento, you are conscious
and your voice emanates from it. Your
body then fully reforms after 1 day.

If your Memento is destroyed within

Skotos, your soul is bound to Skotos forever
and you can never leave its borders again,
on pain of oblivion. If your Memento is
taken outside of Skotos itself and
destroyed, your soul has no tether left and
is lost forever to an unknown fate...

VOYAGER: TACTICS 46
 THE VOYAGE

POTENTIALS & EPITHETS

POTENTIALS EPITHET ETIQUETTE
You have two Potentials, granted by your As a general rule, you cannot invoke your
choice of Sapient and Epithet. epithet to outright "win" an encounter, but
you can always make it more interesting
You can invoke a Potential to or fun for the party and GM to follow up
automatically succeed an action related on. Describe the daring thing you do, but
to that Potential. They always succeed not the end result; leave the outcome for
(with the GM's approval), but you can only your GM to narrate and bounce off you,
use your Potential once per mission. setting the stage for the rest of your party.

E.g. your epithet is Dragonslayer of Brune.

EPITHETS Instead of saying "I cut off the dragon's
Epithets are Potentials that represent your head before it flies off", describe how you
titles and nicknames that describe your attempt to slice apart its wings to ground
Voyager. They are what your Voyager is it, or how you climb onto its back to
most famous for, and help stoke your wrestle it down, leaving it vulnerable for
imagination when creating their backstory your party. Describe the open door, then
and claim to fame. let the rest of the group enter.

When you invoke your epithet, you are Invoke your epithet to boldly pursue the
signalling to the GM and the world, "look at story and add more tension and fun to it.
me, this is why I earned this title!". You're not invoking it to say "I win/I solve
the problem", you are invoking it to say "I'm
E.g. Tsuki has the epithet Fleetfooted Fox. going all-in". You are taking a risk, and
It's a nickname she has due to her taking brief control of the narration to get
upbringing as an elusive troublemaker, the ball rolling.
always getting in and out of trouble
without a scratch. During the scenario, a
negotiation with a crime boss goes
FAILING FOR FUN
horribly wrong and a firefight breaks out. Remember: invoking your epithet is your
chance to narrate something fun, not just
Outnumbered and outgunned, Tsuki's succeed. You can intentionally fail an
party agrees to run rather than fight. She action or make something go wrong. You
invokes her epithet to take the spotlight: can cause chaos in-game, but make sure
you're never annoying or undermining the
real people playing alongside you. Make
Don't you know who I am? I'm
sure everyone is on board with your plan,
the Fleetfooted Fox! I jump
over these goons' heads and
or willing to see how things play out.
onto the crate, leaping to the
second floor! I'm aiming to
dive out the window! DELAYING AN EPITHET
Instead of choosing an epithet at
character creation, you can choose to
"Shoot her, SHOOT her!" The
discuss with your GM to delay your
crime boss yells and the other
epithet. Perhaps you think your Voyager is
gangsters fire wildly at you.
One bullet whizzes past your still too fresh to earn a title. The GM then
ear, then another, but they all takes note of this and, during play, allows
miss. You dance in a firework the events of the game and your
show of bullets as you dive out accomplishments to build your fame.
the window. You hit the ground
hard with a loud, glass- Once your Voyager has accomplished
peppered CRASH, taking fall something of worthy note, like defeating a
damage. In the chaos, your boss or causing a memorable moment,
distraction allows the rest of
the GM can then naturally give you your
the party to go unnoticed.
first epithet ingame. I recommend not
What do the rest of you do?
waiting longer than 1-2 sessions for this.

47 VOYAGER: TACTICS
GAINING EPITHETS Captain of the True North
A player can earn multiple epithets over You bear this title as the captain of a
their game's lifetime, but very few of them seafaring vessel, crewed by your fellow
(generally, never more than 3 total). party of misfits and mercenaries.
Epithets should be reserved for a
Voyager's proudest achievements, and You invoked this title in a meeting between
nothing less. It's the type of thing your the various pirate lords, who are now
group would talk about whenever you voting for their next leader. Are your past
reminisce about your game, or the deeds as captain enough to sway their
strongest memory you associate with your vote? All you can do is slam the table,
character. jump on top and boast like you've never
boasted before.
While you may hold multiple epithets at
once, as with the rules for Potential, you
can only invoke them once per mission. Unlucky But Alive
Since you were a child, you always found
EXAMPLE EPITHETS yourself in the worst situations, yet always
find a way out.

Iron Liver of Aventarn You invoked this nickname when you call it
to mind as the war machine's guns aim at
You are known across your hometown of
you. Nearby, the stone pillar right behind
Aventarn as an avid pub-goer, able to
the machine cracks and falters on its
beat anyone in a drinking contest.
base, having been damaged in the battle
prior...
You invoked this title during a close
drinking contest. Your opponent is on his
last legs and you make one final push,
knowing you will be knocked out cold right Gryphon Whisperer
after, too. You earned this title as a young squire
when you tamed a wild gryphon that was
held captive in your lord's estate.
Raiderbane
You invoked this title as your party lay
You earned this title by defeating a
surrounded by a group of hungry, hungry
prominent boss of a band of Raiders
hippogriffs, facing their leader with a
during your first mission.
soothing word and calm hand. Surely
hippogriffs are close enough to gryphons,
You invoked this title when meeting a
right...?
band of rival Raiders, not knowing if you'll
scare them off or make them even more
bloodthirsty. Even if you successfully
intimidate them, they may commit your
name and face to memory...

Thunderbearer
You earned this title as the wielder of the
famous weapon, the Thunderlance.

You invoked this title, calling upon the

Thunderlance's power to rain lightning
upon your foes. Who knows what untold
destruction may follow?

VOYAGER: TACTICS 48
 THE VOYAGE

EX STATE
Choose one EX State (Pg. 56) at Voyager creation. Read and choose one (or discuss with
your table) that you think would best complement your group's dynamic in combat or
would best showcase the badass image you picture for your Voyager.

Do you want to be an unstoppable warrior throwing around foes like ragdolls? Choose the
Bull or Wyvern. Unkillable? Choose the Fortress or Immortal. A master of ranged combat?
Choose the Hunter or Gunslinger.

You do not need to choose one that directly matches your Faction's playstyle either; feel
free to mix and match! Take the Fortress as a Night Fang to increase your durability, or
the Shadow as a Bladeguard to benefit from Stealth.

49 VOYAGER: TACTICS
VOYAGER: TACTICS 50
 CHAPTER II

HOW TO PLAY

51 VOYAGER: TACTICS
WHAT YOU NEED
IN PERSON DIGITALLY

DICE DICE ROLLER

You will need several multi-sided dice: d4, You can use a digital dice roller app to
d6, d8, d10 and d12. Have at least a handful perform your rolls when playing or rolling
of each type, as you'll be rolling multiple of on tables.
them.
NOTE APP
PEN & PAPER You may use a digital note app for taking
You will need pen and paper for taking notes about the Voyage or characters you
notes during your Voyages. You will largely meet.
use these when writing on your printed
Voyager sheet, which every player needs SHEETS
at least one of.
You may use the digital Voyager or Recruit
sheets bundled with your game to keep
SHEETS track of your characters.
You will need a printed copy of your
Voyager sheet, as well as Voyager sheets MAPS
for Recruits if they are open for play.
A large number of battle and town maps
can be found through many tabletop
CARDS content creators, but you can also use
You may print out the reference cards for maps of actual Earth towns and cities, with
your Loadout and other abilities, and add edits as needed, to represent parts of the
them to the designated spaces on your world.
Voyager sheet.
CHARACTER ART
MAPS You may use artwork or images to
If you're a GM, you may need several represent your characters. This can be
maps give the Voyagers a sense of place artwork drawn by yourself or others, or an
in the world during their missions. For image you find online. If using an image
combat, you will need a square grid map you don't own and showing off your
to determine positions in combat. character outside of your personal games,
be sure to credit and source the artist!
TOKENS
You will need appropriately sized tokens to
play on physical maps, representing your
characters. You may use tabletop
miniatures or other items, such as game
pieces, meeples or other small objects like
coins.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 52
 HOW TO PLAY

LOADOUT & GEAR

At the start of every round in combat, you WIELD GEAR
roll your Loadout dice. Your Loadout dice
consist of your Wield, Wear & Mod dice, Your Wield Gear is anything you use to
aka your weapons & apparel. fight, like a weapon, shield or deployable.
Wield Gear allows you to Attack foes,
Let's look at each gear type and their dealing damage.
descriptions, starting with Wield gear. We'll
use the Operative's starting gear cards as E.g. you roll 2d6 from your Attrition Rifle,
an example: getting a result of 3 and 6. When you take
your action, you can spend either the 3 or
6 to deal that much damage to a foe
when you Attack.

RANGE
The Attrition Rifle is also a ranged weapon,
with its range listed on its description. It
has Range 6, meaning you can Attack
targets up to 6 tiles away.

WEAR GEAR
Your Wear gear is anything worn, like
armour, cloaks or pouches. Wear Gear
determines your movement Speed, as well
as your Defiance. This time, let's look at the
Operative's Glider Cape as an example:

First is the gear's name, followed by its

Loadout dice denoted on the right. The
Attrition Rifle's dice are 2d6.

Next is the gear's traits. This card's

description denotes it's a Wield gear type.
It is also a ranged weapon, using Ammo
when it fires.

Finally, there's a description of the gear's

effects, including any Brave effects.

BRAVE DICE
Whenever you roll the maximum number
on your Loadout dice, pay special
attention to them! Any gear may have a
special Brave trait, which is whenever you
roll a max result on the dice.
E.g. you roll 2d6 from your Glider Cape,
getting a result of 3 and 6. You can use
E.g. if you roll your Attrition Rifle's dice and
them the following ways:
get a max result of 6, you can use its Brave
effect to Taunt an enemy.

53 VOYAGER: TACTICS
SPEED GEAR MODS
All Wear gear gives you Speed. If the gear Mods are enhancements you can add to
specifies a specific Speed gain, you gain your Wield or Wear gear. Combine a
that much. If there's no Speed specified, ranged module to your sword to make it
you gain Speed equal to your roll. into a gunblade, or even to your boots to
create bullet-firing greaves! Let's look at
You can spend your Speed at any time this Mod as an example:
during the round. E.g. 3 Speed lets you
move up to 3 tiles. You may choose to only
move 1 tile, meaning you still have 2 Speed
that you can use later. All Speed expires at
the end of the round.

DEFIANCE
All Wear gear gives you Defiance, which is
a way to avoid damage.

Whenever you have unspent Loadout dice

and you are attacked by a foe, you can
spend one of those dice to automatically
Ammo Mods are modules that give your
avoid any one Attack or hostile effect!
Gear ballistic capabilities. They may have
the following traits:
Defiance counts as a temporary Action
Sequence, meaning you gain +1
SHOOT: Lets you spend this die to make a
Momentum after using it. However, you
ranged Attack with your Wear or Wield
cannot act again until the attacker
gear, even if it normally cannot.
finishes their own Action Sequence.
LOAD: Lets you add this die into the next
Some descriptions will denote if this
Attack. When you Attack, combine the
Defiance is a Dodge, Block or Parry.
damage from the Ammo die with your
Mechanically they all function the same
Wield die together. This can be used to
way, but their main purpose is inform you
create a big burst of damage to overcome
of the Defiance's flavour: Dodge is
a foe's Adamant.
avoiding damage with agile reflexes; Parry
uses that gear to deflect a dangerous
PROPEL: A propulsive blast from a weapon
blow; Block is taking a hit head-on and
that moves your Voyager. More info under
shrugging it off.
Conditions.
Some gear also gives you special forms of
Defiance if triggered. E.g. the Glider Cape INTERCHANGEABLE
lets you spend dice to land safely if you
are launched airborne or falling. DICE
If any dice in your Loadout are the same
BRAVE DEFIANCE size (e.g. your Wield & Wear both use d6
If you used a Brave Defiance to react to dice), you can interchangeably use these
an enemy's Sequence, you can continue dice.
acting as if it was a normal Action
Sequence, letting you act before the For example, you rolled a 3 from your
enemy and potentially defeat them. Wield gear & a 6 from your Wear gear. You
may use the 6 from your Wear gear to
Picture it as a perfect dodge or parry in an make an Attack with your Wield gear.
action game: the enemy is pushed back,
the world seems to slow down and your This is to minimise confusion when
reflexes are temporarily heightened - keeping track of your Loadout dice if you
essentially, you enter "bullet time". roll multiple dice of the same type.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 54
 HOW TO PLAY

ACTION SEQUENCES
Combat is divided into rounds. Players and ACTION SEQUENCE
foes do not act in a set turn order. The
player side always starts first, with some When you see an opportunity to do
exceptions: something and want to act, declare an
Action Sequence to the table and GM. You
> The party is surprised or ambushed. choose which Loadout dice to commit to
> The party is debilitated in some way. that Sequence, then execute it.

In such cases where the player side is Think of a Sequence like taking a "turn" -
disadvantaged, one foe the GM chooses you can even call Sequences as Turns if
always gets to perform a Basic or Special it's easier to picture that way. However,
Threat first completely uninterrupted, after you can take multiple Sequences per
which the players can act. round, not just one, so do take note of it.

The GM must accumulate Threat to act. I'm gonna walk up and attack!
Whenever the GM declares a Threat, the
players must let the Threat happen and
have their Voyagers react to them.
The guy is 6 tiles away, so you
need 6 Speed to reach him.
ROLL LOADOUT DICE
At the start of each round, all players take Yep, I'll just spend one of my
their Loadout dice and roll them. The Wear dice!
numbers rolled are then set aside and can
be spent as actions throughout the round.
Also, my Wield dice are a 5
and 8. I'm gonna use the 5 and
Alright, first round. Everyone Attack this guy! I'll save the 8
roll their Loadouts. Aestelle, do for later.
you have yours?

Yep, you defeat him with a

single swing. Is that the end of
My glaivebow is a 2d6. My
your Sequence?
cloak is 1d10 and the homing
module is 1d12. So I roll two 6-
sided dice and one of the other
Um...! Hold up, lemme move
two?
back behind this wall. I'm
gonna spend my other Wear
die for some extra Speed to get
Right. After rolling your there.
numbers, set them aside.

Alright, cool. That leaves you

with just your 8 left. Note down
*roll* A 3 and a 6 here... and
1 Momentum gained.
two 1s... Pah.

You can take as many Sequences as you

want in a round, as long as you have
Chin up! You might roll a
enough Loadout dice to execute them.
better Loadout next round.

Every time you complete an Action

Sequence, gain +1 Momentum and note it
Think about how you wanna
on your Voyager sheet. Sequences can be
use these numbers while
watching the fight. Look out as long or short as you want - you can use
for which foes are at low all your Loadout dice in a single long
enough HP to finish off with Sequence, or just a short Sequence to
your weapon dice. quickly move to a safer spot. Either one
gives +1 Momentum, regardless.

55 VOYAGER: TACTICS
MOMENTUM
EX STATE
When you reach 5 Momentum or higher,
your Voyager enters their EX State: Think of
Your Voyager can store and use it as an empowered "super mode" that
Momentum, which can be accumulated makes your Voyager more powerful. You
to increase your power during combat. remain in the EX State as long as your
Momentum is 5 or higher; this State ends
All Voyagers have a maximum capacity of when your Momentum falls below 5.
8 Momentum.
Your EX State is your buildup of power over
the course of a battle, which is expressed
GAINING MOMENTUM in different ways. Some Voyagers' EX State
Every time you finish an Action Sequence, lets them move faster, while others
you gain +1 Momentum. The more increase their damage. Use these effects
separate Action Sequences you take, the to roleplay your Voyager awakening to
more Momentum you build. their greater potential, entering their
unique, powerful flow state!
For example, you take a single long
Sequence and use all your Loadout Dice. While in your EX State, you can still gain
You can imagine by the end of it, running and lose Momentum. But if you spend a lot
and slashing everywhere without stopping, at once and fall below the EX threshold,
that by the time you finish, you've slowed don't worry too much. If your Momentum
down and need to recentre yourself. falls below 5, your EX State does not
Meanwhile, your ally instead has been disappear until the end of the round. This
taking short Sequences: they spend one to means you can still benefit from it for the
help you, one to reposition themselves entire round and take steps to regain
and one to attack, all at different points in Momentum to maintain it.
the round.

By the end of the round, you have only SPENDING MOMENTUM

gained 1 Momentum, while your ally has You may also spend Momentum instead
gained 3. Neither strategy is better than of building them up for your EX State. You
the other - you can accomplish more in a may spend Momentum on the following:
single long Sequence without being
interrupted, but by taking risks and > Spend 1 Momentum to reroll one of your
spacing your Sequences out, you gain Loadout dice results.
more Momentum as a reward, reacting to
the battle and building up your power > Spend 3 Momentum while in the EX State
slowly over time. to automatically turn any Loadout die
result into a Brave die (i.e. rolling its max
One strategy is simply more proactive and result). Use this if you need to use one of
immediate than the other, and both your gear's Brave effects in a pinch.
strategies need to work together to
achieve victory. I recommend not spending Momentum
too much on these, as your EX State is
often more worthwhile and impactful to
reach and maintain, or spending your
Momentum on your Faction abilities.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 56
 HOW TO PLAY

THE MAP
The following are rules and details for AIRBORNE
conducting combat on the battle map.
An Airborne entity can cross any entity's
space, chasms, difficult terrain, as well as
TILES obstacles of any height, both Low and
High.
All combat is conducted on a grid map.
This map is made up of square tiles, and Airborne entities can also end their
all horizontal movement is measured by movement on top of Low and High
tiles. obstacles.

Unless specifically stated, all Airborne

SIZE movement must be taken in a straight
An entity's Size determines how much line.
space they occupy on the map.

All Voyager's default Size is 1: they occupy 1 OBSTACLES

tile of space. Obstacles are map objects that occupy
space and block movement, such as:

> Natural features like rocks & trees

> Walls, fences & barricades
> Debris & rubble
> Large objects like tables & cars

Refer to the Elevation section for how to

calculate travelling over obstacles based
Above shows a Size 1 enemy next to a Size on their height.
2 enemy.

A Size 2 entity occupies 2x2 tiles of space; COVER

a Size 3 entity occupies 3x3 tiles of space,
and so on. Obstacles can also be used as cover; you
can hide behind them to protect yourself
Size is also used to determine areas of from harm.
effect, such as the blast radius of a
grenade or a magical cyclone, affecting When behind cover, your cover absorbs
all relevant targets in its area. any ranged Attacks meant for you,
decreasing the cover's Toughness instead.

MOVEMENT
TOUGHNESS
Any entity can move through their ally's
space without being blocked. They cannot All obstacles have a Toughness value,
move past an enemy's space unless they which is a simplified form of HP for
are either Unimpeded or Airborne. inanimate objects & structures. To destroy
an obstacle, you must Attack it a number
UNIMPEDED of times equal to its Toughness value.

An Unimpeded entity can move through E.g. a wall has a Toughness of 3. It must
any entity's space, even those of enemies. take damage from three different
You can also cross the space of any Low damaging Attacks (melee or ranged)
obstacles, chasms & difficult terrain with before it breaks. A destroyed obstacle is
no penalties. then removed from the map completely,
or the GM may choose to have it leave
In the case of obstacles & chasms, you behind difficult terrain.
must have enough Speed to cross its
space, otherwise you cannot do so. Use the following guide to decide the
Toughness of objects on the fly:

57 VOYAGER: TACTICS
Toughness 1: Weak structures like plaster ELEVATION
walls, rickety fences & crates.
Instead of calculating vertical distances
Toughness 2: Somewhat sturdy structures by tiles, height is divided into increments
like solid wood furniture, packed earth or called Elevations. They are fairly abstract,
thin concrete walls. but can be used to determine how high
anything on the map is.
Toughness 3: Hard structures like metal
barricades & machinery, or castle walls. The ground level relative to you is
Elevation 0. For higher Elevations:
Toughness 4+: Very hard, important or
dangerous structures, like load-bearing ELEVATION I: From the ground to the
pillars, power cores or turrets. ceiling, approximately 6-10 feet.

ELEVATION II: Up to the roof of a two-

DIFFICULT TERRAIN storey building, approximately 18-25 feet.
Difficult terrain reduces your Momentum
Each Elevation increment is approximately
by -1 for each tile crossed. If you have 0
10-15 feet higher than the last, or around
Momentum, each tile costs twice as much
the height of a building storey.
Speed to cross. E.g. 3 tiles of difficult terrain
cost 6 Speed to cross. Examples of difficult
terrain are:
LOW & HIGH
> Mud & sticky surfaces Any height that doesn't reach Elevation I is
> Rocky terrain considered Low, including most obstacles.
> Water & rapids Low obstacles can be climbed or vaulted
> Ice & slippery surfaces over. They require 3 Speed or 1 Momentum
> Debris & rubble to cross their space. An Unimpeded or
Airborne entity can cross it normally.
Some forms of difficult terrain may also
deal damage when crossed. In such Anything that is Elevation I or higher is
cases, they deal 1-2 damage (depending considered High. High obstacles take a
on which you think hurts more) for every long time to climb, like a cliff, high tree or
tile crossed: watchtower.

> Magma (2 damage) Only Airborne entities can cross a High

> Acid pools (2 damage) obstacle's space or end their movement
> Glass or metal shards (1 damage) on it. An Airborne entity can travel one
> Barbed wire & thorns (1 damage) Elevation level at a time per Action
Sequence.

Depending on its height, the GM may rule

that a High obstacle is climbable with
enough Speed or Momentum without
being Airborne, usually around 4-8 Speed
per Elevation level.

Some foes may be flying and therefore

count as being Airborne - they can only be
damaged by ranged attacks or, should
you get up and personal, an Airborne
Voyager engaging in melee.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 58
 HOW TO PLAY

CONDITIONS
The following are a list of Conditions: BLIGHT
status effects (positive or negative) that
can be gained or inflicted on entities. A Blighted entity is afflicted with a
damage-over-time effect, such as
burning, acid, bleeding, electric shocks,
NEGATIVE CONDITIONS etc. They take a set amount of damage at
the start of the next 2 Action Sequences.
LAUNCH
A Launched entity is lifted into the air
unwillingly. They are launched vertically TAUNT
straight up, then fall to the ground. While A Taunted entity will only target the
Launched, the entity cannot take actions, source during combat. Melee entities will
unless they have a trait or action that lets try to move to the source, then Attack;
them act while Launched. ranged entities will attempt to get in range
of the source and Attack.

DISPLACE
A Displaced entity is forcefully moved
along the map. This could be a shove that
POSITIVE CONDITIONS
pushes them away; a latch that pulls them AIRBORNE/PROPEL
towards the source, etc. The ability's
description will denote what direction a An Airborne entity is willingly lifted into the
target can be Displaced towards. air, such as when flying, jumping or using a
propulsive blast. A Propelled entity is also
When a Displaced enemy collides with an moved forward in a straight line, based on
obstacle, solid terrain or another entity, the Speed rolled.
they take damage. The damage is a value
equal to their respective Size. Colliding
with an obstacle reduces its Toughness RUSH
by a number equal to the colliding entity's An entity with Rush can instantly move
Size. towards the target of Rush, ignoring
entities, obstacles or chasms in the way,
as long as they are within line of sight. Can
SLOW be blocked by solid terrain or walls.
A Slowed entity loses Momentum or
spends Speed as though walking through
difficult terrain. ADAMANT
An entity with Adamant is reinforced with
armour, magic, etc. Adamant reduces any
IMMOBILISE instances of damage by -10, and the
An Immobilised entity loses -4 entity is immune to forced movement like
Momentum. If at 0 Momentum, they being Launched or Displaced. When you
cannot move, but can Attack and take are hit with damage that exceeds your
other non-movement actions. Adamant, any leftover damage is dealt to
your HP and you become Staggered.

STAGGER
STEALTH
A Staggered entity is temporarily stunned,
off-balance or shaken. They cannot take A Stealthed entity is invisible, hidden or
any actions that round. If a Voyager is undetectable via sneaking, cloaking
Staggered, their Momentum immediately technology, magic, etc. Any actions in an
falls to 0 & all their remaining Loadout dice Action Sequence while Stealthed
are lost. automatically hit their target & deals
doubled damage. Stealth is immediately
removed after the Sequence is resolved.

59 VOYAGER: TACTICS
HP, DAMAGE & KO
HP KO
All Voyagers have 15 HP. This remains the When you drop to 0 HP, you get KO
same for pretty much the entire game. (Knocked Out). How you KO is up to you:
The only way to increase HP is through you may fall unconscious, or are just too
certain rare gear or Base upgrades (to be injured to fight any more. Regardless, a
expanded in the full rulebook). KO'd entity cannot move or take
meaningful actions, and requires
The intent is twofold: One is to keep assistance to move.
combat consistently tense and
dangerous. Voyagers are glass cannons: A KO'd Voyager can only recover HP by
you can dish out tons of damage and take resting at their Base, or by getting proper
out tons of enemies, and in some cases medical attention in a settlement. The
like Adamant, you can even take a settlement must be adequately equipped
surprising amount of damage; but one to heal you - a city or thriving town would
wrong move can always shatter your work, but not a tiny fishing village or camp.
notions of invincibility.
A KO'd enemy is removed from combat.
The second is to keep progression fairly They may die, flee harmlessly or become
static and horizontal across the board. incapacitated.
You don't have hundreds of HP by the end
of your campaigns, in fact you'll have
mostly the same amount as when you DEFEAT & DEATH
started. This keeps enemy damage fairly Death is not a necessary problem in
consistent too - weak enemies deal Vogager: Tactics, and is more up to your
consistently low damage, and powerful game group. Whenever you KO, you
enemies always hurt. always have the chance to recover as
long as you return to Base. This is meant to
encourage each mission being an
DESPERATION "episode" in your Voyagers' lives.
When a Voyager drops to 0 HP, they
become Desperate. Think of it as taking a If your group is comfortable with killing
heavy blow - you're hurt badly, but your Voyagers, then be prepared to make a lot
fighting spirit and will to survive is higher of backup characters. Go out in a blaze of
than ever. You're a hair's breadth away glory, and when you become Desperate,
from falling, but you're also much more make every action count!
dangerous.
Defeat can also be used to spice up your
While Desperate, you instantly recover games, as long as the KO'd player is on
from any hostile Conditions. When you board and retains agency: A KO'd Voyager
take Action Sequences while Desperate, could be captured by the enemy and
you gain +2 Momentum from each taken hostage - while their teammates
Sequence, instead of 1. regroup and plan their rescue, the GM can
follow the captured player as they plan
When Desperate, you instantly KO when their own escape.
you take any damage directly to your HP
(not damage reduced by Adamant or Alternatively, the party may also lose an
other means). advantage if they are totally defeated in
battle: a mission-important item may be
damaged or stolen in the crossfire; they
may lose track of a target; they lose
several timeslots of progress for a time-
sensitive mission, etc.

And remember: fleeing is always an

option, even if it feels bad. Not every fight
has to be forced to the death.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 60
 HOW TO PLAY

TIME & REST

TIMESLOTS HEALING
These are basic rules for time progression You can spend one rest activity to fully
while roleplaying & exploring. They will be recover all your HP.
expanded in the main rulebook.

Each day is divided into five timeslots: ENCAMPMENT

Morning, Noon, Evening, Night & Midnight. After a day's worth of exploration, your
party can set up a more permanent rest
A timeslot passes when the party: point in the wilderness or at a settlement.
> Enters a new prominent location Your party is then considered encamped.
> Finishes a story-important scene Encamping causes two timeslots to pass.
> Finishes combat
When Encamped, you can perform two
Utilise the passage of time in your games: Rest activities instead of one. If interrupted,
some missions may have a deadline of a one will always be finished first, but if a
few days, or the party has to plan their time-consuming task that takes up two
missions around dangerous weather or activities is interrupted, it is only halfway
migrations that slowly count down to the completed or cut short.
day.
Two-activity tasks may include:

REST > Crafting a complex item like a weapon

Rest is a short period of recovery the party (smaller items like potions only use one
takes. This would typically happen after activity)
every combat encounter or upon > Performing surgery
exploring a new area. Rest takes up one > Translating a foreign document
timeslot.
If your party doesn't encamp, skipping one
During rest, the Voyagers can remotely night's of good sleep reduces your
report back to their Base, discuss the state maximum Momentum by -2 after
of the mission or simply relax and spend Midnight. Be careful not to skip too much
time on their hobbies. It can be as casual sleep, or you will be too fatigued to enter
as a campfire under the moonlight after a your EX State at all.
long day's journey, or as stress-relieving
as finding a safe room after braving a
treacherous labyrinth filled with enemies. DOWNTIME
After they finish a mission, the party are
It is not mandatory for the party to assumed to automatically make their way
immediately set up camp and rest after back to Base. The GM roughly decides how
combat, but taking time to recover and much time it would pass for them to
take stock of your situation is always return, and passes time accordingly.
advantageous. This may not always be
possible for a time-sensitive mission. Downtime is time spent inbetween
Voyages. After completing a Voyage, your
REST ACTIVITY party enters downtime and are free to
spend their time as they wish, usually at
You can choose to perform one activity
their Base.
during Rest, which is something that has
an impact on the story or gameplay. This
Take note though that time is always
can be anything from cooking food or
passing in Revenir. If one party is taking a
administering medicine to your allies to
much-needed rest, another is usually
heal them, scouting the area for clues or
always ready to take another job. Take this
studying up on the objective. Basically,
opportunity to let your main party rest and
anything that would meaningfully affect
field a group of recruits on another
your character or the journey ahead
mission instead!
would count as an activity.

61 VOYAGER: TACTICS
VOYAGER: TACTICS 62
 HOW TO PLAY

INVENTORY
During your Voyages, you may encounter objects of interest that you take along with you,
usually a relic or object needed for your objective that you bring back to EXDUS HQ for
analysis, processing or archival. For this purpose, a simple Inventory system is used to
keep track of this.

INVENTORY SPACE Light Bulk - 1 Slot

Any item small or light enough to fit in your
Every Voyager in your party has a basic
pocket. E.g. small figurines, vials, amulets,
exploration pack that they use to carry
books and potions.
things, which constitutes your Inventory
space. Each person's Inventory has 10 slots
that can be used to store items you find Regular Bulk - 2 Slots
on your Voyage. Items of regular size and weight. E.g. a
one-handed weapon or piece of
Your Inventory is emptied at the end of equipment.
every Voyage. This is to minimise
bookkeeping, and your acquired items are Heavy Bulk - 3 Slots
assumed to be stored at EXDUS HQ or Items of large size and bulk, which many
distributed during Downtime. relics fall under. E.g. large shields,
machinery and stone idols.

BULK 4 Slots+
Each item has its own Bulk, denoting how Items of a high Bulk that occupy 4 slots or
many Inventory slots they occupy. The above cannot fit in your pack. These
larger or heavier the item is, the greater include heavy stone tablets, computers
their Bulk and the more Inventory slots and treasure chests. To carry them, you
they occupy in your pack. Once your pack need a LOQR.
is full, you cannot carry any more items.

63 VOYAGER: TACTICS
L.O.Q.R The LOQR has 10 Inventory slots like your
Voyager pack. However, it can fit any
Every Voyage Team in EXDUS has objects of Bulk 4 and above, storing them
clearance to carry one LOQR (pronounced safely and efficiently for transport. Any
“Locker”) - short for LOcalised weight beyond that disrupts the stability of
Quasidimensional Reliquary. It is a remote the pocket dimension, at which point all of
storage device used to facilitate long- its contents are expelled and strewn
distance travel by EXDUS operatives and randomly around the user.
to transport highly fragile and valuable Old
World relics. QUARTERMASTER
The LOQR is a small device that is normally Since only 1 LOQR is allocated to each
attached to one’s shoulder via a shoulder Voyage party, your party would designate
strap and is activated by a small wave of one Voyager to carry the LOQR, entrusting
the hand across the shoulder. Any item it and its contents to their care. This
that is held in the caster’s hands is kept in Voyager is called the Quartermaster.
an astral pocket dimension until it is
recovered with the same hand gesture.
MISSION ITEMS
Any items inside the LOQR are weightless. When starting a Voyage, your party can
The LOQR is bound to its user, so only the stock up on certain provisions like healing
user is able to access the LOQR’s contents salves and light sources from EXDUS HQ, or
unless forced open by powerful magic or along their travels. These would take up
hacking. space in your Inventory, so be mindful not
to fill your pack too much in the case you
may need the space for key items during
your mission, like relics or briefcases
containing important documents.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 64
 CHAPTER III

GM TOOLS

65 VOYAGER: TACTICS
VOYAGER: TACTICS 66
 GM TOOLS

RUNNING FOES
The following is a quick example of foe CHALLENGE, NOT KILL
design and statblocks that you as a GM
can use for your Voyages, to be fully When designing a combat encounter,
expanded in the full release version. Some think of it less as throwing monsters at the
general approaches when designing foes: party to overwhelm them (though you can
certainly do so, and a good old horde
battle is more than welcome), and more
RUNNING COMBAT like you're presenting them with a puzzle.
Make each encounter place them into a
This playtest is mainly concerned with
situation that they need to solve as a
getting a feel for how combat feels, so
team. Some examples:
your test games don't have to be anything
more than that!
> There is a large chasm and a wall of
spikes separating the party and a fortified
Create a ragtag group using the preset
group of gunners shooting them from afar.
sheets and jump right in. Give the players
a basic rundown of the mission, cook up
> The boss is sitting on a hill high above
some basic enemies using the templates
the ground, while waves of his Minions
given, arrange them on a map and drop
pour out to block your path.
them right in the action!
> The boss in the middle of the map is
EXAMPLE SCENARIOS unkillable unless you first aim for its four
> Answer a Relic City's distress call to cult leaders, each at a corner of the map.
defend it from a band of Raiders.
> A swarm of deathworms will
> Respond to a new sighting of continuously burrow underground and
Godshadows before they start spreading. attack from below. How do you get them
to surface without getting hurt?
> Repel a group of Sol Empire soldiers
attempting to stake their claim on an
independent Shard. FOE STATS
Foe stats in Voyager: Tactics are designed
to be as minimal as possible, so that you
NOT JUST DAMAGE as a GM have minimal bookkeeping to do
Think of ways to affect players other than and have the freedom to add more
just pure damage. Use Conditions against quantities and varieties of foes into a
them; create temporary barriers that split combat encounter. You can accomplish
them apart; use difficult terrain and this through the step-by-step foe creation
obstacles to force smart positioning. You process in the following pages.
may also choose to jeopardise their
mission's sucess instead, like stealing a
key relic or kidnapping an escort. DEFEATED FOES
Once a foe becomes KO'd, they
Aim to challenge them, but don't actively automatically run away, surrender, etc.
try to screw them over either. This can be and cannot fight. This also gives Players
a fine line to walk, but if a challenge leaves time to chase and restrain these foes if
players feeling more annoyed or needed. Otherwise, you may simply have
argumentative rather than fruitfully them fall unconscious or die and
discussing what to do, then consider immediately remove them from the map.
repurposing a challenge to have less
annoying mechanics or solutions that are
too difficult - sometimes a solution would
be obvious to you as the maker, but not so
for your players.

67 VOYAGER: TACTICS
0. PERSONALITY
Before combat even starts, you may want to determine the foe's personality. Some foes
may not need to be foes at all, and can often be reasoned with.

And even if combat should start, knowing a foe's personality allows you to vary their
approaches to combat and make it more interesting than just enemies mindlessly
charging at the party.

PRAGMATIC TERRITORIAL
Pragmatic foes will fight until enough Territorial foes will not fight until engaged
enemies are defeated, or they notice a or harmed first, or if they perceive you're
sizeable difference in strength or harming them or things they care about.
advantage (typically achieved through
the party's outnumbering them or KOing They will only fight the party to the extent it
their leader). will dissuade them from advancing on
their turf or quarry. When overwhelmed or
They will then either escape or surrender injured, they may escape or retreat back
en masse, which may force the party to to a lair.
give chase or capture them.
Examples
Examples
Wildlife, dragons, most non-Sapient
Raiders, mercenaries, hired guns creatures

HOSTILE SUBVERSIVE
Hostile foes will fight tirelessly until killed or Subversive foes will not engage the party
incapacitated. directly, preferring to set traps, harass
from afar or use hostages to dissuade the
Typical of highly indoctrinated fighters party from attacking.
who are loyal to a cause, or mind-
controlled entities. Programmed machines They may immediately abandon their post
also fall under this. once routed, surrender or throw
themselves with abandon when left with
They may also fight because they feel they no other options.
have no choice, such as protecting
something they deem important, or they Example
feel they have nowhere left to run.
Raiders, criminals, assassin groups,
Examples militia and guerilla groups

Cultists, machines, fanatical warriors,

cornered fighters, Godshadows

VOYAGER: TACTICS 68
 GM TOOLS

1. ARCHETYPE
Firstly, choose your foe's Archetype. This is the type of lifeform or species the foe belongs
to, each with their own unique characteristics. Entities of a certain Archetype may
typically have traits that are shared between members of the same Archetype. For
example, all foes under the Elemental Archetype would use elemental attacks on players.

The following is a basic rundown of some main Archetypes. More detailed and expanded
Archetypes will be added to the rulebook over time.

SAPIENT DRAGON
Hostile humanoid foes that typically Intelligent, powerful creatures of the New
belong to any of the Sapient types and World, a cut above most hyperevolved
Factions in the Known World. These can be wildlife on Revenir. Dragons can be found
bandit Raiders, Sol Empire soldiers, Eyrie in many forms and habitats, from land-
assassins, etc. walking drakes, to aquatic wyrms and
flying wyverns.

WILDLIFE ELEMENTAL
Hyperevolved wildlife encountered in Magical, feylike creatures imbued with the
Revenir. These can range from pack living elements corresponding to certain
animals like wolves, to burrowing elements. Elementals of Tier I and above
deathworms and carnivorous plants. are able to inflict Blight on players using
their attacks.

GODSHADOW MACHINE
Chaotic manifestations of the Visages. War machines and automatons, many of
These can take almost any form, but are which are typically war instruments of the
recognisable by their amorphous, umbral Old World, reanimated by the World Tree's
appearance. These typically resemble magic or controlled by hostile factions.
humanoid, animal or other monstrous
forms, black as darkness with glowing Many war machines can reach large sizes,
eyes and exposed skeletons. such as spider tanks, and typically have
multiple parts like cannons and turrets
that can be targeted separately and
Broken in combat.

69 VOYAGER: TACTICS
2. ROLE
Secondly, choose your foe's Role. Being a tactics game, a battle shouldn't be just
composed of a bunch of melee fighters charging into battle, but, much like an army,
made up of multiple divisions and groups, each with their own specialties and roles in
combat designed to challenge the party in different ways.

FRONTLINE SKIRMISHER
Frontliners are straightforward: they Skirmishers are a varied, highly mobile
charge towards the closest party member role focused on disrupting the party and
and engage them head-on in melee. sowing chaos in their ranks. They can vary
from assassins who specifically aim your
Frontliners of the same type (e.g. ranged or wounded party members, or
swordsmen or spearmen) will prefer to cavalry that harass the party with hit and
stick together in close formation, i.e. on run tactics.
tiles next to each other. This makes them
tough to engage alone but very weak to Skirmishers will prefer to attack the party
wide sweeping attacks and areas of effect quickly, then retreating with their superior
like explosions. mobility, forcing the party to divide their
attention.
Frontliners have average stats for their
Tier, and are the yardstick other Roles Skirmishers have less defensive HP
will be compared to. They may KO in 2- than Frontliners, but more damage and
4 good hits. Speed.

BACKLINE TANKS
Backliners are artillery that shoot the The tank's sole goal is to force the party to
party from afar with ranged weapons, direct their attention and damage to
magic and other means. themselves, soaking up damage for their
weaker allies.
Backliners will prefer hiding behind cover,
far away from the party. If attacked or Tanks will prefer to get in the party's face
advanced on, they will often prefer to as much as possible and follow them
retreat to find a better position than to relentlessly, forcing them to choose
stay and fight. between getting away, or stay to fight and
risk being a target from other foes.
Backliners may have 10-20 HP less
than a Frontliner. On average, they KO Tanks have at least 2-3x the HP of a
in 1-2 good hits. Frontliner, and deal either equal or less
damage than a Frontliner. They would
also typically have different forms of
SUPPORT damage mitigation like Adamant,
Supports help their allies by making it regenerating HP or Shields.
harder for the party to defeat them. This
can be by healing and buffing them, or by
debuffing the party in various ways,
typically by inflicting Conditions.

Supports also fall under frontline or

backline, and will act according to their
type.

Supports' stats follow either Frontline or

Backline stats.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 70
 GM TOOLS

3. TIER
Thirdly, determine your foe's Tier. Higher Tier foes will have more HP and damage, and
access to more Threat abilities.

0. MINION I. SOLDIER
HP: 1 HP: 10-20 (around a Voyager's HP)
Average Damage: 1-4 Average Damage: 3-6
Tier I Abilities
Minions are extremely weak foes that are
meant to be mowed down by the dozens. Soldiers are rank and file foes that make
Throw them at the party to give a grander up the core of an opposition force. They
sense of scale and make their characters are typically slightly weaker than the party
feel powerful, cutting through waves and in HP and damage, and so you would build
waves of enemies to reach their them as simplified, weaker versions of
commander. player characters.

All minions have only 1 HP, i.e. they can be Soldiers are also normally Size I.
defeated with a single successful hit.
Soldiers gain access to Tier I abilities
Minions also spawn in groups. Typically, suiting that enemy type.
you would spawn them in groups of four,
all packed together (perfect for area of STAGGER: If Staggered, a Soldier cannot
effect damage). Whenever a minion group act or use any Threats until the end of the
takes their turn, they move and attack round. Players can utilise this to stun large
together as one unit, changing their crowds of foes to press their advantage.
formation if they need to fit into certain
spaces (i.e. through a 1 tile corridor).

Minions have 1 Action that they would use

to move, surround a target, then attack.

When a minion group uses an action,

apply that action to all minions in that
group: When moving, all minions move up
to their Speed; if Attacking, all minions get
one attack against a target in range,
dealing 1 damage.

STAGGER: If a minion group is inflicted with

Stagger, they're blown away like ragdolls
and immediately KO.

71 VOYAGER: TACTICS
II. ELITE III. BOSS
HP: 30-60 (3-6x party's average HP) HP: Varies
Average Damage: 4-8 Average Damage: Varies
Tier II Abilities Tier III Abilities

Elites form the big, bad foes. In early levels, All bosses should optimally be different.
you may use elites as commanders of Some may be extremely weak physically
groups of enemies, only for the elites to be but have immensely powerful spells, or
later shown to be working for a more one with extremely high endurance but
powerful boss. They typically have loads of weak attacks. Not all bosses are just a big
HP. enemy that hits hard and soaks up
damage.
However, in many cases, elites may simply
be large brutes who may not command Bosses often have the most effective
their group, but certainly lead the charge, Threat abilities, usually letting them
forcing the party to plan around them. summon or command groups of other
foes at once. As such, inflicting Conditions
Some elites may be larger than normal that make the boss waste their actions like
foes and would be Size II or bigger. All Stagger are highly effective to keep them
elites have access to Tier I and Tier II in check.
abilities.
While making bosses powerful is
STAGGER: If Staggered, an Elite cannot use important so that they are not defeated
Special Threats, but may still move and easily, do keep in mind that the players still
use Basic Threats. If they get Staggered have to face any number of the bosses'
enough times or take enough damage underlings as well. So try not to give the
(every quarter or half HP), they get boss summon foe groups too often if they
Staggered like a Soldier would. still have a lot of underlings on the map.

Players can utilise this to strategically All bosses have access to every ability Tier,
Stagger your Elites before they can meaning they can use highly powerful
perform powerful abilities. Reward them abilities and can typically do anything
with a full-on stun when they deal enough their underlings can do, as well.
damage to it, or do something especially
impressive to disable it. STAGGER: Same as Elites.

MULTIPLE BODY PARTS

Bosses can be any size, from powerful
Sapients to towering war machines,
occupying Size I to III and more. Some
bosses have multiple parts that can move
independently and each occupy their own
space.

These parts often give the boss access to

unique abilities, such as a mech having a
shoulder-mounted cannon. These parts
can be targeted and attacked separately
by the party. When a part is destroyed, the
boss is automatically Staggered and
cannot use abilities relating to that part
afterwards, pushing the party's advantage
forward.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 72
 GM TOOLS

THREAT
Since players always have priority for Action Sequences, what's stopping them from
acting all at once and decimating your foes? You use Threat.

Whenever the players gain or spend Momentum, the same amount is converted into
Threat for you, which you can spend to move foes and activate certain abilities, or even
cause environmental disasters to happen.

USING THREAT DAMAGE

You need Threat to make foes act. This All foes have a recommended damage
means the players usually go first, and value shown as two numbers: an average
their Action Sequences inform your number and a die roll.
decisions after - the stronger they fight,
the stronger your foes can retaliate. Use the average number if you're the type
of GM who dislikes rolling dice, especially
Threats can be used in between player when combat gets crowded with lots of
Sequences. There are two types of Threats: foes. If you like dice, use the
Basic & Special. recommended dice roll instead.

> Every time a player concludes an Action E.g. the average Warrior type foe's
Sequence that spends only 1-2 Loadout damage is 4/1d6. You can either have
dice, you gain one use of a Basic Threat. them deal 4 damage every time they
Attack (give or take, so it can be 3 or 5 too
> If a player concludes an Action on occasion), or roll a 1d6 every time they
Sequence that uses 3 Loadout dice or deal damage.
more, you gain one use of a Special
Threat.
NOTES
> You can combine two uses of Basic > Have multiple groups of the same foe
Threat to get one use of a Special Threat. type present. Many foes have Special
Threats that let all units of the same type
> You may decide to have some Threat move & attack together at once.
charges ready before combat starts. A
general rule is a number of charges equal > Take note of Special Threats that affect
to the number of Voyagers (plus any GM- all entities. This means the foe can end up
controlled allies) in combat. damaging both friend and foe alike - this
is good. Let your players notice this and
strategise around baiting your foes into
TRACKING THREAT damaging each other.
To track Threat, have a ready supply of
tokens that you can use, such as chips, > Players will be avoiding a lot of damage
coins, paperclips or even dice. Separate - this is intended. A lot of your foes' attacks
them into two groups: Basic and Special. will be Defied or negated by Adamant.
You can have your tokens be different Since player HP is low overall, every bit of
colours, sort them into different piles, etc. damage prevented by them is a mounting
victory in itself.

> For Elites and Bosses, telegraph their

Special Threats. Describe how they
prepare or charge their powerful abilities.
This allows the players to strategise and
attempt to Stagger or otherwise disable
your bosses before they can use their
strongest tools.

73 VOYAGER: TACTICS
MINION GROUP TIER 0

HP RANGE
1 6 (if ranged)

SPEED DAMAGE
6 1 Size 1, occupies
multiple tiles

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A standard minion. Comes in groups of 1- These are optional. Choose one or two
6, and always stand adjacent to each that best matches the flavour of the foe
other. Their purpose is to facilitate horde you're creating.
combat in a straightforward, easy
manner. Minions are expendable & fragile,
but dangerous in numbers if foolishly
ignored. If a fight needs some extra spice,
throw in an extra minion group or two!

BASIC THREATS
Each minion group can only attack in
either melee or range. Choose whether
they attack using Strike or Shoot. If Strike,
they can only attack adjacent targets. If
Shoot, they can only attack when behind
some form of cover - otherwise, they find
another piece of cover or they run away.

ATTACK
The entire minion group Moves as a single
unit, up to their Speed. They will then
attempt to Strike or Shoot a Voyager in
range.

Strike
Each unit in the minion group attacks a
Voyager if adjacent, dealing 1 damage per
hit.

Shoot
Each unit in the minion group attacks a
Voyager within range, dealing 1 damage
per hit.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 74
 GM TOOLS

GUNNER TIER I

HP RANGE
8 8

SPEED DAMAGE
6 3/1d4 Size 1,
occupies 1 tile

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A standard ranged foe. Flavour this as a These are optional. Choose one or two
Sol Empire soldier, an opportunistic Raider, that best matches the flavour of the foe
a rogue war automaton, etc. you're creating.

BASIC THREATS
Will seek cover and Shoot, prioritising the
frontmost Voyager. If engaged in melee or
cover is destroyed, they will retreat to the
nearest cover or attempt to run away
while firing.

ATTACK
The foe moves up to their full Speed &
seeks cover, if available, & Attacks a
Voyager within range, dealing damage.

BOLT
When forced into melee, the foe attacks
adjacently, then runs away. This damage
is weaker (reduce it by half, rounded
down), and they can only run away at half
their Speed.

75 VOYAGER: TACTICS
WARRIOR TIER I

HP RANGE
15 1 (melee)

SPEED DMG+VAR
8 4/1d6 Size 1,
occupies 1 tile

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A standard melee foe. Flavour this as a These are optional. Choose one or two
Raider with a rusty sword, a Sol Empire that best matches the flavour of the foe
pikeman, a Godshadow with bladed arms, you're creating.
etc.

BASIC THREATS
Will seek the nearest Voyager and Strike.
These guys are uncomplicated - they'll
keep attacking the same target until
commanded otherwise. They may fight
until defeated, or run away if they're the
more evasive/sneaky type.

ATTACK
The foe moves up to their full Speed,
seeking the closest Voyager. They then
Attack adjacently, dealing damage.

EVADE
The foe avoids a Voyager's melee or
ranged Attack. Any foes directly adjacent
may also benefit from this. Based on the
flavour of foe, they also perform an
additional action afterwards:

> Evasive: Moves/flies/teleports away up

to half their Speed (Unimpeded).

> Aggressive: Immediately counterattacks

with an Attack, if in range.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 76
 GM TOOLS

TANK TIER I

HP RANGE
30-50 1 (melee)

SPEED DMG+VAR
6 5/2d4 Size 2, occupies
2x2 tiles

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A melee tank. Flavour this as a roided out
Raider, Sol Empire walker mech, a large
Godshadow, a rampaging beast, etc.

BASIC THREATS
Will seek the largest group of Voyagers
and attempt to get as much of their
attention as possible. They will keep
fighting until felled, taking damage for
their weaker compatriots.

SWEEP
The foe moves up to their full Speed,
seeking Voyagers to fight, then Attacks in
melee.

Their Attacks damage all entities adjacent

to its main target.

RAM
The foe charges up to their full Speed in a
straight line. The first entity hit at the end
of its charge takes damage and is either
Launched or Displaced (4). Deals 3
Toughness damage to any obstacle it
collides with.

77 VOYAGER: TACTICS
MARAUDER TIER I

HP RANGE
16-20 1 (melee)

SPEED DMG+VAR
12 6/2d6 Size 1,
occupies 1 tile

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A melee berserker that harries with high
mobility and damage; highly dangerous if
left ignored. Flavour this as a Raider with a
chainsaw, a Shardlander with twin axes,
Sol Empire knights with flaming armour, a
Godshadow made of teeth, etc.

BASIC THREATS
Will seek any Voyager and attack. They
rarely stay stationary for long, often
retreating to target someone else after.
This is also to prevent any one Voyager
from taking too much damage at once.

ATTACK
The foe moves up to their full Speed,
seeking the closest Voyager. They then
Attack adjacently, dealing damage.

EVADE
The foe avoids a Voyager's melee or
ranged Attack. Any foes directly adjacent
may also benefit from this. Based on the
flavour of foe, they also perform an
additional action afterwards:

> Evasive: Moves/flies/teleports away up

to half their Speed (Unimpeded).

> Aggressive: Immediately counterattacks

with an Attack, if in range.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 78
 GM TOOLS

OFFICER TIER I

HP RANGE
18 8

SPEED DMG+VAR
8 3/1d4 Size 1,
occupies 1 tile

DESCRIPTION SPECIAL THREATS

A versatile foe that can command and These are optional. Choose one or two
rally its allies. Flavour this as a Sol Empire that best matches the flavour of the foe
officer, Raider boss, a Godshadow alpha, you're creating.
etc.

BASIC THREATS
Will hide behind other foes, giving them
orders. When engaged, they are still fairly
competent in combat and cannot be
underestimated.

ATTACK
The foe moves up to their full Speed &
seeks cover, if available, & Attacks a
Voyager within range, dealing damage.

SKIRMISH
When forced into melee, the foe can fight
in melee, dealing its normal damage. If
they successfully damage the target, they
can move up to their full Speed.

79 VOYAGER: TACTICS
WAR PILLAR TIER I

TOUGHNESS RANGE
4 Size 7 area

SPEED DAMAGE
0 N/A Size 1,
occupies 1 tile

DESCRIPTION ACTIVE FUNCTION

A stationary structure that grants benefits
to foes within its range. This could be an Turret
arcane runestone, a radio tower, a floating
artifact, an automatic turret, etc. Every round start
Deals 6 damage to a target Voyager, or 3
Choose a single function for the Pillar damage to all Voyagers in the area.
from either Passive or Active Functions. For
ease of running games, a Pillar shouldn't
have more than one Function. Abjure
Every round start
You may also change this to a foe that
Gives a single foe in its area Adamant.
can move & attack while buffing its allies;
This remains active if the foe leaves the
in such a case, use a Gunner's stats for it.
area.

PASSIVE FUNCTION
Propaganda
Empower Swords Every round start
All foes in its area can immediately Move,
Passive then Attack.
While in the area, foes' damage dealt are
doubled.
Replenish
Shatter Arrows Every round start
All foes in the area restore +10 HP.
Passive
Destroys all incoming projectiles in range.
Force Wave
Shield Aura Every round start
All Voyagers in the area are either
Passive Displaced 5 tiles away, or pulled 5 tiles
While in the area, non-minion foes take -5 towards the centre.
damage.

Evil Eye
Subjugation Aura
Every round start
Passive A target Voyager (usually the furthest)
Area is difficult terrain for Voyagers. takes 10 damage, regardless of distance
or line of sight.

VOYAGER: TACTICS 80