Reference Sheet

The Rules
Difficulty Values Awareness Conditions
Simple 1 Percieved
You can clearly sense something that is Perceived to you
Average 2 and your interactions with it are not augmented.

Challenging 3 Obscured
You take a -1 Penalty on Awareness Checks and Checks
you make to physically interact with an Obscured item
Difficult 4
or character.
Master 5
Hidden
You can’t interact with Hidden items or characters. An
Heroic 6 enemy that is Hidden gains a +2 Bonus to physically
interacting with you but this makes them Perceived.

Modifiers
Ambushes
-1 Penalty +1 Bonus
When a group of characters tries to ambush their enemies
the character with the highest Stealth Skill Base must make
-2 Penalty +2 Bonus a Stealth Check against the Awareness Check of the enemy
with the highest Awareness Skill Base. If the Stealth Check
succeeds, the defending characters cannot take Actions
and treat the ambushing characters as Hidden during the
Use Inyo to... first Round of the combat.

Gain an additional Gain +3 damage on

Success on a Check an attack
Alert Levels
Once Inyo has been used it can’t be used again until
the Storyteller activates it against you to lower your Alert
Successes by 1 or deal an additional 3 points of Any attempt at using the Convince Social Actions against a
damage to you. civilian suffers a -1 Penalty unless the manipulating character
seems to be part of law enforcement. The local law enforcement
have been called and in 1d6 x 2 minutes, a number of Police
Officers (see System Book, page 43) equal to the players +2
Opposed Checks will arrive on the scene to investigate. These officers attempt to
detain anyone who looks to be involved with the disturbance
When making an Opposed Check, you roll the same as to question them. If anyone is doing anything illegal, they will
you would for a Check but the DV is equivalent to the try to arrest them and take them back to their headquarters. If
Check of the defender. the cops feel that the situation is getting out of hand, they will
call for backup, raising the Alert Level to High Alert.

High Alert
Initiative Unless a character appeals to the civilian’s need for safety and
appears to be part of law enforcement, all attempts to convince
To determine Initiative Order, the character with the highest a civilian of anything are at a -2 Penalty. The local news crew
Awareness Skill Base in each group of characters makes will be arriving on the scene in 1d6 X 2 minutes to record the
an Awareness Check and these results are ranked from events for later broadcast. The local law enforcement has sent
highest to lowest with ties falling in the favor of the players. a number of its Special Forces Operatives (see System Book,
Each time the Initiative Order comes around to a group, page 45) equal to the players to back up the law enforcement.
the group can decide in which order they take their Turns. They will arrive in 1d6 X 2 minutes.
 2
Social Actions Cover Materials
The Rules

Charm Bullet Proof Glass 6 Vitality per Inch

Using an Insight or Performance Check, you attempt to make
the target think more highly of you. If you beat the target’s
defense, you improve the target’s impression of you and gain Foiliage 1 Vitality per Inch
a +1 Bonus to Convince or Charm Social Actions against
them. Alternatively, you can take a -2 Penalty on your Check
to instead make a powerful positive impression on the target Glass 2 Vitality per Inch
and gain a +2 Bonus to Convince Social Actions against them.
Convince Metal 10 Vitality per Inch
Using a Manipulation Check, you attempt to make a target
agree with you or do something for you. If you beat the target’s Plaster 1 Vitality per Inch
defense, they are willing to agree with you or do what you
wish as long as you provide some proof or do something for
them in return. Alternatively, you can take a -2 Penalty on Plastic 2 Vitality per Inch
your Check to instead cause the target to agree with you or
do as you ask without prompting but they may change their
mind or won’t go out of their way. Stone 8 Vitality per Inch

Dishearten
Using a Manipulation Check, you attempt to make a target Wood 3 Vitality per Inch
question their own abilities. If you beat the target’s defense,
they suffer a -1 Penalty to Checks made with a Skill of your
choice. Alternatively, you can take a -2 Penalty on your Check
to instead lower the number of Actions the targeted character Damaging Items
can take on their Turn to 1.
The same rules can be applied when trying to damage an
Taunt item. If you want to destroy an item, you can usually determine
Using a Manipulation or Performance Check, you attempt to how much Vitality that item has by comparing it to the Cover
enrage a target and make them act without thinking. If you Materials chart.
beat the target’s defense, they take a -1 Penalty to all Checks
other than Melee and Marksmanship. Alternatively, you can
take a -2 Penalty on your Check to instead cause the target
Firing into a Crowd
to use all of their Actions to attack you until they recover from If a character is in a crowd they are considered Obscured.
this Mental State. Additionally, if a character gets no successes when trying
Threaten to hit an Obscured target within a crowd, their attack hits a
random person in the crowd. They must deal damage to a
Using a Manipulation, Strength, or Melee Check, you attempt
person in the crowd determined by the Storyteller.
to make a target fear you. If you beat the target’s defense,
they take a -1 Penalty to any Checks required to oppose
you. Alternatively, you can take a -2 Penalty on your Check
to instead force the targeted character to flee from you and Poisoning
stay away from you.
A vial of poison can be slipped into food or drink and a
character who consumes it is poisoned. A character who
Removing a Mental State attempts to check a food or drink for poison must make a
Challenging (3) Knowledge Check to notice the poison. If a
Removing a Mental State isn’t automatic. On their Turn, an character is trying to poison a large quantity of food or drink,
affected character can use an Action to attempt to roll an the Storyteller can call for them to use multiple vials of poison.
Average (2) Resistance or Focus Check. If the Mental State Alternatively, a vial of poison can be applied to a
the character is suffering from is the Advanced Form, the melee weapon, 3 ranged thrown weapons such as shuriken, or
Difficulty rises to Difficult (4). Penalties from Mental States 3 units of non-firearm ammunition at the Storyteller’s discretion.
never apply to the Checks made to remove a Mental State When that weapon deals damage, the poison is applied. The
and each Mental State must be removed separately. poison remains potent until the weapon deals damage to a
Alternatively, another character can take an Action to character. To affect a weapon with the Two-Handed Trait, a
make a Manipulation Check to attempt to remove a character’s character must use two vials.
Mental States. This Check is made at the same Difficulty as Damage from a poison is never lowered by armor.
the affected character’s Resistance or Focus Check.
 3
Conditions

The Rules
Asleep/Unconcious Greviously Wounded
You are unaware, cannot take Actions, cannot defend yourself, While Grievously Wounded, you take a -2 Penalty to all
and take a -2 Penalty to Awareness Checks. The Asleep Actions and must spend 10ft of movement for every 5ft you
Condition ends if you are touched, if any character within move until you regain enough Vitality to be above 3 points.
30ft fails a Stealth Check against your Awareness Check,
or if a loud noise occurs. The Unconscious Condition ends Hindered
after 1 hour. In both cases, any adjacent character can take You take a -1 Penalty to Athletics, Focus, Marksmanship,
an Action to end this Condition. Melee, and Stealth Checks. Additionally, you must spend
10ft of movement for every 5ft you move.
Blinded
You cannot see and take a -2 Penalty on Awareness Checks Intoxicated
and attack and defense Checks. You take a -1 Penalty to all Actions. The Intoxicated Condition
ends after 1 hour. When the character sobers up, they suffer
Bleeding the Drained Condition.
You take 1 damage at the beginning of each of your Turns
which is not lowered by armor. To end the Bleeding Condition, Nauseated
you or someone else must make an Average (2) Medicine You cannot ingest anything without vomiting including drugs
Check. and must make an Average (2) Endurance Check at the
beginning of each of your Turns or spend 1 Action on that
Burning Turn retching. To end the Nauseated Condition, you must
You take 2 damage at the beginning of each of your Turns. make an Average (2) Endurance Check.
To end the Burning Condition, you or another character must
spend an Action to put out the fire. Paralyzed
You are unable to take any Actions, defend yourself, or speak.
Drained
You lower your maximum Ki Reserve by 2 and must spend Pinned
two Actions to take a Recovery Action. The Drained Condition You and the pinning character are unable to take any Actions
ends after 1 hour. other than Recovery Actions, Social Actions, and Skill Actions
used to escape the pin. If either of you are attacked, you can
Grappled attempt to defend at a -2 Penalty. A successful defense ends
You cannot take Movement Actions, take a -1 Penalty to the pin regardless of who made it. Otherwise, to end the
all physical Actions except attempts to end the Grappled Pinned Condition you must make an Athletics or Strength Check
Condition, and are dragged along with the grappling against the pinning Character’s Strength or Athletics Check.
character when they move. To end the Grappled Condition,
you must make a successful Athletics or Strength Check against Prone
the grappler’s Melee or Strength Check. You must spend 10ft of movement for every 5ft you move and
take a -1 Penalty to attack and defense Checks. To end the
Prone Condition, you must take a Movement Action.

The Assassinate Action

If you are considered Hidden from your target or they do not suspect you mean them harm, you are within 50ft, and you are
unarmed or wielding a weapon without the Loud Trait, you can take an Assassinate Action to silently kill them.
To do so, you must roll a Stealth Check against the target's Awareness Skill Base. If you succeed, you instantly kill
the target without alerting anyone who wasn’t directly observing them. If you fail, you deal no damage and are Perceived
by the target and any characters in the area. Additionally, the scuffle begins to attract attention. If the combat isn’t ended in
3 rounds, any allies of the targeted character in the area arrive on the scene and enter the Initiative Order. At the Storyteller’s
discretion these characters might raise the alarm, alerting everyone in the area.
If a player character or an NPC with a Threat Rating above Rank 1 is the target of Assassination, the character
attempting to assassinate them must roll a Stealth Check against the target's Awareness Skill Base to initiate the assassination
with the same result for a failure. However, if they succeed, they must then immediately make a Marksmanship, Melee, or
Focus Check depending on their chosen weapon against their target’s Athletics or Melee Check. If this Check is a success
the targeted character is reduced to 0 Vitality. If this Check is a failure, the failure state of the standard assassination occurs.
If a character is suffering the Paralyzed Condition, you automatically succeed any neccesary Checks to take the
Assassinate Action.
 4 Traversing the InBetween
Death On each of a character's Turns in the Inbetween they can
The Rules

take their Movement Action to move forward or backward

If a character loses their last point of Vitality the character who by one “space.” The character must make an Challenging
reduced them to 0 Vitality has the option to either kill them or (3) Focus Check to control their movement. If they succeed,
knock them unconscious. If the one who dealt the killing blow they move one “space.” If they fail this Check, they start to
wants to keep their target alive, they can choose to knock drift off course. They don’t move and must immediately make
that character out instead of killing them. This reduces the a Difficult (4) Resistance Check to avoid witnessing Existence
character to 1 Vitality and causes them to suffer the Asleep/ (see page 25). The character’s other Actions can be used for
Unconscious Condition. If the one who dealt the final blow any Actions they could normally take.
chooses to kill the character, the character dies and they Other characters can take the Help Out Action to
become a wandering spirit. make the initial Focus Check or the resulting Resistance Check
easier for another character.
Being a Wandering Spirit Reckless Diving
When a character dies and enters the Spirit World they When they take their Turn a character can take Dash Actions
become a wandering spirit. They have access to none of the to move faster in the Inbetween. For each Dash Action used,
items they had in life but are able to take Actions in the Spirit the character moves one “space” further in the Inbetween.
World and have access to all of their Techniques and Mikkyo. However, they also take a -1 Penalty to their Focus Check
As a wandering spirit the character can perceive the Material for each Dash Action used.
World but cannot physically interact with it. They cannot be
sensed in any way by any characters without Spirit Sight and Falling into the Mosaic
are able to pass through solid objects and characters in the If a character fails 3 Focus Checks or is in the Inbetween for
Material World as though they were mist. more than 3 Rounds, they are pulled into a random world
determined by the Storyteller.

True Death
Witnessing Existence
A wandering spirit has no Vitality. Instead, their Ki Reserve
determines how long they are able to remain in the Spirit When a character fails a Focus Check to move through
World. If, at any point a wandering spirit has no Ki Points, the Inbetween they must immediately make a Difficult (4)
they pass on, beyond the Spirit World into the clutches of Resistance Check to avoid witnessing Existence as they
Yomi. Once this happens, their Spirit cannot be retrieved by temporarily lose control and drift through the Void. If they
any means. At the beginning of each of a wandering spirit’s succeed on this Check, the character is able to shut their eyes
Turns, they lower their current Ki Reserve by 1. Additionally, in time to avoid seeing anything dangerous. However, if they
any time a wandering spirit takes damage from a threat in fail this Check the character sees the entire Mosaic from the
the Spirit World they instead reduce their Ki Reserve by 1. outside. This momentary glance warps the character’s mind
as their brain struggles to comprehend what it’s seeing.
Spirits in the Inbetween Immediately upon witnessing Existence, a character
A wandering spirit that enters the Inbetween immediately has two options, they can try to look away and spare their
passes on and suffers True Death regardless of how many Ki mind or they can attempt to understand what they are seeing.
Points they have left.
Ignoring the Mosaic
To ignore what they see in the Mosaic, a character must make
Rift Diving a Difficult (4) Resistance or Focus Check. If they succeed, the
character manages to ignore the Mosaic long enough to tear
A character who knows the Rift Claw mikkyo, which is only their eyes away. They lose all other Actions on their Turn.
taught by members of the Hollow Eye Syndicate, can take If the character fails, they are too transfixed by the
an Action and spend 3 Ki Points to tear open a rift in reality. Mosaic to look away and their brain is forced to shut off
This rift remains open for 1 Minute unless stabilized with Rift their eyes in self defense, causing them to suffer the Blinded
Anchor Seals which are commonly used by yokai and Hollow Condition for 1 day.
Eye Syndicate members to create permanent portals.
When the rift is created the Storyteller rolls a die Making Sense of the Mosaic
and divides the result by 2 to see how far the desired world
The true nature of the Mosaic is entirely ineffable. A reality
is from their current world. They must then visualize that in
too massive and too alien for humans to make sense of it let
some way, for instance using hexes on a battle mat. This is the
alone truly explain it. To even begin to understand, one has
number of times a character will have to successfully traverse
to be a little bit crazy. In the full game of Shadow Scar, you’ll
the Inbetween to get to their destination. Anyone who looks
be able to try and decipher this mystery but for now it’s a bit
into the rift can see the destination how far away it is.
too much to tackle.