numenera players guide

8/20/2019 Numenera Players Guide

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TABL OF COTTS

THE NINTH WOD

NUMENE OVERVIEW

CEATING YOUR CHACTER

CHACTER TPE

CHACTER DESCPTOR

CHACTER FOCUS

EQUIPMENT

2

4

10

16

34

38

61

For a ee downloadable copy of the ocial Numenera character sheet and a step-by-step

guide to character creation using this sheet, visit www.numenera.com/charactersheet.

CDITS

Writer/Designer Monte CookRul e Developers Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynold s

Additional Writing Shanna Germa in

Lead Editor Shanna Germa in

Editor Ray Val ese

Prooeader Mi chele Carter

Cover Designer and Lead Artist Kieran Yanne r

Graphic Designer Sarah Rob inson

Artists

Ja son Engl e , Gu ido Kui p , Patr ick McEvoy, M att Stawicki , Adr ian Wi lk i ns , Kieran Yann er

Cartographer Christopher West

Alpha Playtesters Shan na Germain , Ray Va l ese , Co l i n M cComb, James Be l l , Er ik Mona , Dan ica K ing ,

Sean Reynolds , Stan! , Hyrum Savage

© 2013 ont Cook Gms, LLC

NuMEERA nd its logo tdmks of ont Cook Gms, LLC in th U.S.. nd oth contis. ll ont Cook Gms chcts nd chct nms, nd th distinctiv

liknsss thof, tdmks of ont Cook Gms, LLC.


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�LME NE

The older man stokes the re, stirring the embers, some of which oat into the night sky. The young girl's

gaze follows them as the sparks join the panoply of stars."Our world is very young, the man says. He leans heavily on his gnarled wooden sta and adjusts his

tattered cloak with one hand. "But it is built upon the bones of anothe much older world.

The girl nods.

"Many worlds, actually. Most people say eight, but it could be more. They say eight so that they can call

our world the Ninth World.

She nods again, but he can see that she doesn't truly undetand. Does he? Can anyone comprehend

such a passage of time? The face of the world had shed so much. Even the stars were not untouched by

the changing aeons.

"The people that came before us, people they were, commanded great powers. He pulls from his

leather pouch a thing made of metal and the light, smooth material called synth. He uses his thumb totouch the clear panel in well practiced, not entirely understood, ways. The air arund the device lls with

light that dances and moves in symbols and pictures that mean nothing to him. The girl gasps and then

laughs in delight.

"Some of their ancient powe remain, even though the people do not, he tells he "And some bring wonder

and beauty. But othe bring deaths for which we have no name. Their legacy is a blessing and a cue.

"Magic, the girl whispe.

The man smiles. "We call it the numenera.


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elcome to the N inth World, where technol ogy is

magic and even ou r most distant future is sti l l very

much the past. The N inth World is the setting ofthe roleplaying game NMEE™. This book is the Numene

Player's Guide, not the ful l ru lebook. The Player's Guide oers

a b rief overview of the settin g and the rules of the ga me, and

it provides al l the i nrmation you nee d to create a character

so you can pl ay Num enera, explore the N inth World, a nd

di scover its wonde rs and d angers r yoursel

In a ro lep l aying game, the p layers take on the ro les of

people in a ctional world. Each player creates a character

to portray, an d togethe r, the p layers create a story. I n the ir

ima ginat ion, the p l ayers exper ience the same chal lenges

and rewards that their characters experience. cil itate

th is , the ru les of the game govern whether characterssucceed or il at what they try to do. Thi s book someti mes

refers to the p layer cha racters as PCs.

In addit i on to the p layers who are the cha racters in the

story, the re is another p layerthe ga me m asterwho

is not only the arbiter of the ru les but a ls o the craer of

the narrative. The game master (sometimes referred to

as the GM) int roduces compl icat ions , enemies , a l l i es ,

twists , and s urpr ises into the story. He or she sho uld have

a copy of th e fu ll corebook, wh ic h i nc lu de s

al l the inrmation om this book, p l us mu ch more. As a

PLAYR'S GD

pl ayer, you can read through th e corebook if you wish , but

everything you need is here.

Nu menera is a ll about discovery. I n the game, your characterwil l d iscover wonders of the prior ages (our own world' s r

distant future) and a technology so advanced that, as author

Arthu r C. Clarke wrote, it is i nd istin guis hab le om magic. You

wil l d iscover mysteries to solve and meet interesting people who

popul ate this strange world. You wil l d iscover dangerous es

in the rm of eraterrestrial s, robots, m utants, o r the genetic

experiments of the past. You wi ll dis cover technology called the

nu menera that wil l aid in your endeavors.

The key to playi ng N um enera i s the story. The way to "win

thi s gam e is t o come away with a great tale. Always remember

that your character is one of the m ain heroes in a bul ous

science-ntasy narrative. The Ninth World is a weird andwondrous place, an d the trials a nd tribu lations you ce are

part of that story. T hrough your ch aracter, you wil l d iscover

thi ngs un l i ke anythi ng you've dreamed of, and in so doing

cra a tale wi th your iends that you' l l always remember.

Read through the N umen era Overview (page 4) , an d

then j ump r ight i n and make a character. You don' t have

to read th rough every character option right awayju st

choose a type, descriptor, and cus that sound interesting,

and get goin g!

A whol e new world awa its you .


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LME NE

NUMENE OVERVIEny suciently advanced technology is

indistinguishable om magic.-Arhur C Clarke

The key to playing Numene is the stoy. Theway to "win this game is to come a way with

a great tale.

There have been e ight p revious worlds . You ma y refer

to them as ages , aeons , epochs , or eras , but it ' s not

wrong to th i nk of each as its own i nd iv idua l wor ld .

Each rme r wor ld s t retched across vast mi l lenn i a of t ime .Eac h p l ayed host to a race whose civ i l izat ion s rose to

sup remacy but eventual ly d ied or scattered, d i sappeared or

transcended . Dur ing the t ime that each wor ld our ished ,

those that ru led it spoke to the stars , reengineered their

phys ica l bod ies , and mastered rm and essence, a l l i n the i r

own u ni que ways .

Each left behin d remna nts .

The N inth World is b ui lt on the bones of the previous

eight , and in part icu lar the last ur. Reach i nto the

du st , and you' l l nd that each part ic le has been worked,

man uctured, or grown, and th en grou nd back into a

ne, articial soi lby the rele ntle ss power of tim e. Look to

the hor izonis that a mounta in , or part of an im poss ib l emonu ment to the rgotten emperor of a lo st people ?

Feel that su btle vib ration b eneath your feet and k now that

ancient enginesvast machines the s ize ofkingdomssti l l

operate in t he bowels ofth e earth .

The N inth World is about d i scover ing the wonders ofthe

worlds that came bere it , not r their own sake, but as

the means to im prove the present and bu i ld a ture.

Each of the pr ior e ight wor lds , in its own way, is too

distant, too dierent, too incomprehensible. Life today

is too dan gerous to dwel l on a pa st that cann ot be

un derstood. The peop le excavate and study the marvels of

the pr ior epochs just enough to help them survive in theworld they have been given. They know that energies and

knowledge are suspend ed invi s i b ly in the a ir , that resha ped

continents of iron and glassbelow, upon, and above the

earthhold vas t treasu res, an d that secret doorways to

stars and other d imens i ons and rea lms prov ide power and

secrets and death. They sometimes cal l i t magic , and who

are we to say that th ey're wrong?

More oen, however, whe n they nd leovers of the

old wor ldsthe devices , the vast machi ne compl exes ,

the a ltered land scapes , the changes wrought upon l iv ing

creatures by anc ient energ ies , the i nv is ib le nano-sp i r i t s

hover in g in the a i r in c louds cal led the I ron Wind , the

inrmation transm itted into the so-cal l ed datasphere, and

the remnants of v is itors fom other d ime ns io ns and a l ienplan etsthey cal l these th i ngs the numene. I n the N inth

World , the nu menera is both a boon and a bane. I t makes

l i fe very dierent om any other tim e on Earth.

In a southern part of the vast, s ingu lar cont inent of

the N inth World l ies a c l uster of sett led l and s col lect ively

cal led the Steadst. Although each of the ki ngdoms a nd

pr inc ipa l i t ies ofthe Steadst has its own ru le r, a l eader

known as th e Amber Pope gu ides th e Order of Truth, an

organizat ion of Aeon Pr iests that command s a great deal

of respect i n the reg ion . Th us , the Amber Pope i s l i ke ly the

most powerful ru ler i n the Steadst even though he does

not govern a s in g le squa re ot of land. The Order of Truth

reveres the peop le of the p ast and their k nowledge on aquas i re l ig i ous level of adorat ion and ith. I t is a re l ig ion

devoted to scien ce.

Deeper in the wi lds l ies a region cal led the Beyond, where

vi l lages and commun it ies are iso lated and rare. Here, Aeon

Pr iests st i l l st udy the secrets of the p ast , but they do so

clo istered in remote c laves . These pr iests do l i tt le more

tha n pay l i p service to the Amber Pope , if that, a nd a re not

cons idered part of the Order of Truth. L ike the regions in

which t hey l ive, an d the c laves i n which they work, they are

iso lated, is lands unto themselves .

THE PEOPLE OF THENINTH WODI n the youth of an age, people use the resou rces they have

on ha nd, cou pled with whatever und erstand ing of the ir world

they can ma ster, to carve out a l ife r th ems elves . In th e

N inth World, the resources are the n ume nerathe detritus

of the pr ior erasand the people 's understanding of these

resources is crude and incomp lete. The Aeon Priests possess

just enough di scernment and knowledge to suggest poss ib le

uses r th ings , but so much remains to be d i scovered. Even


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the creatures and p lants of the Ni nth World a re strange by

products of the prior ages; the past le beh ind ora, un a,

and machines , some des igned by lore or nature, others

transplanted om distant stars or dimensions.

The people of the N inth World c lothe themselves in

newly spun brics but weave the art icts of the p ast i nto

each garmen t. They rge armor, weapons, and tools om

materials recovered om ancient structures and devices.

Some of these m ateria l s are metals , but others a re (or

appear to be) g lass , stone, bone, e sh, or su bstances that

de categor izat ion an d u nderstandi ng.Those who r isk the myster ious d angers to recover the

re l ics of the past provide a valu abl e service. Typical ly these

brave soul swarr ior g la ives , sc ien ce-wie ld in g nanos , a nd

wi ly jacksbring thei r ndings to the Aeon Pr iests , who use

the art icts to shion tools , weapons , a nd other boons r

the growing c iv i l i zat ion . As t ime passes , more in d iv idua ls

lea rn to use the nume nera, but it st i l l rema ins a mystery to

most people.

Who, then, are the people ofthe N inth World? M ost are

hu mans, a lthough not al l that cal l themselves huma n truly are.

There are l i kewise the abhum ans: some mutants, crossbreeds,

genetical ly engi neered, and t heir ospring. And then there arethe vis itants, who a re not n ative to the earth b ut who now cal l

th e Ni nth World home, an d wh o have no more unde rstand ing

ofthe past (even their own) than a nyone else.

THE NUMENEPeople with knowledge of the re l ics of o lder wor lds d iv ide

them into three types : art icts , cyphers , and oddit ies .

ARTIFACTS are large devices that typical ly can be used

more than on ce to produce the sam e resul t. An artict

PLAYR'S GD

mi ght be a belt that creates a shi eld of inv is i bl e rce to

protect the wearer or a yin g ski that carrie s peop le a nd

cargo om one p lace to an other. The ter m is a lm ost always

used r an item that has an obvious purposea weapon,

a defen se, a mode of tran sport, a mea ns of comm un ication

or learn ing new inrmat ion , a means of obta in ing od or

other necess it ies , a nd so rth. Art icts make thei r users

more powerful, or they make life easier or better.

CYPHERS are usual ly sma l l , mi nor devices that most

characters can coax a single eect om bere they aredepleted and become cur ios it ies or decorat ions . They

might inc lude a qu ick i n ject ion des igned to repa i r phys ica l

damage i n a l iv i ng creature or a hand held object that , when

manipulated properly, becomes a weapon that explodes

with tremendous rce. However, cyphers are dangerous

when gathered together because they create radiation and

harmo nic equencies that are in im ical to human l ife .

ODDITIES are the rel ics that are neither cyphers nor

articts. They serve no obvio us pu rpose but h ave strange

functions that are at least curious, if not downright

entertain ing. Examples i nc lu de a p iece of g lass in a metalame that shows pecul iar i mages or a box with three bel l s

that r ing at u npredictable t ime s . Not everythi ng om the

pr ior wor lds can be und erstood. In ct, m uch of it cannot.

LOOKING AT THE NINTH WOD

FROM THE 21 ST CENTURYThe Ni nth World is a sc ience-ntasy sett in g approximately

a b i l l ion years i n the future. The people of the wor ld dwel l

amid the otsam of imposs ib l e u l t ratech ofe ight p r io r


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LME NE

c iv i l i zat ions and ca l l i t magic . U n i mag inab ly huge mach ines

l ie be neath the earth, a nd sate l l i tes orbit h ig h above,

tran sm itting a web of data an d fee energy. Na notech,

gravit ic technology, genet ic engi neer ing, spat ia l warpin g,

and s uperdense polymers a l lowed the in ha bitants of the

previous wor lds to reshape the p lan et . Mas s and energy

were theirs to command .

In man y ways , the N inth World is a medieval ntasysett in g without the h istor ic ity. When people who h aven't

done a lot of homework on the da rk ages run a tradit ional

ntasy game , they oen in sert modern sens ib i l i t ies or

developens suh as deoay, hygiene, o ahes . Bu

in the N i nth Wor ld , these th ings , and more , make sense .

Characters can have ra in s l ickers , in k pens , z ippers , and

plast ic bags , a l l left over om the pr ior eras (or sh ioned

om leavin gs of the past) . They can u nde rstand h ow

i l lnes ses are trans mitted or how socia l i sm works . They can

know that the earth revolves arou nd the sun a nd be aware

of other "ana chroni st ic b its of knowledge.

On the other hand , characters in N umen era don't referto weapons as "gun s or vehic les as "cars . The technology

in the N inth World is too advanced and too a l i en r such

termin ology to have endu red. Us in g 21 st-century terms r

weapons and vehi c les is as ina ppropr iate as us i ng medieval

terms . The nu men era is weirdmuch of it wasn 't created

by humans or r huma ns . I t i sn ' t des igned or presented

in any way that mi ght be mi l i ar to the p layers or the

characters . Only through exper imentat ion, p layer ins ight ,

and character ski l l can the PCs ident i, and poss ib ly use,

what they nd.

Perhaps even more i mportant , the art icts , cyphers , a nd

oddit ies that characters use probably aren't serving the ir

or ig in a l purpose. The explos ive cypher that a ch aractertosses at an ene my migh t have been the power source r

a vehic le . The rce eld the enemy uses to protect herse lf

om the b last might h ave been des i gned to contain the

radia tion of the fuel rods in a m in iatu re nucl ear reactor.

Welcome to the N inth World, where every di scovery mi ght

save youor kil l you. But you won't know u ntil you try.

TASK DIFFICULT

Throughout th is book you' l l nd p laces wherewe suggest you ask your G M r additi onalinrmation. The GM can nd this inrmationin the Nu menera corebook.

RULES OVERVIEWN umen era uses a twenty-s ided die (1 d20) to determine the

resu lts of most actions . When ever a roll of any k ind i s ca l ledr and no die i s specied, ro l l a d20.

The game m aster sets a dculty r any given task. Th ere

are 1 0 degrees of di fculty. T hus , th e d ifculty of a task can

be aed on a sal e of 1 o 1 0.

Each d i culty has a target number associated with it . The

target n um ber is a lways three t imes the task's d iculty , so a

di fculty 4 task h as a target num ber of 1 2. su cceed at the

task, you mu st ro l l the target nu mber or h i gher .

Character ski l l s , vorable c i rcumstances , or excel lent

equ ip ment can de crease the difculty of a task. For

examp le, if a character is tra ined i n c l i mbi ng, sh e turns

a d iculty 6 c l im b into a d iculty 5 c l im b. This i s ca l leddecreasing the d culty by one step If she is specia l ized i n

c l i mbi ng, sh e tu rn s a d iculty 6 c l i mb i nto a d ifculty 4

c l im b . Th is i s ca l led decreasing the d culty by two steps

A skill is a category of knowledge, ability, or activity

re lat ing to a task, suc h as c l imb ing , geography, or

persuasiveness. A character who has a ski l l is better at

complet in g re lated tasks than a character who l acks the

ski l l . A character 's level of ski l l is e ither trined (reasonably

sk i l l ed) or specialized (very ski l led).

If you are tra ined in a sk i l l re lat ing to a task, you decrease

the d ifculty of that task by one step. If you are spe cial ized,

you decrease the di fculty by two steps. A sk i l l can never

decrease a task's diculty by more than two steps.Anythi ng e lse that reduces d iculty ( he lp om an a l ly, a

part icu lar p iece of equi pment, or some other advantage) i s

referred to a s a n asset Assets ca n never decrease a task's

di fculty by more tha n two steps.

You ca n al so decrease the diculty ofa given task by

appl yin g Ert. (Eort is described in more detai l on page 1 1 .)

TASK DI FFIC U LTY DESCRIPTION TARGET NO. GU I DANCE

0 Rout ineS imp le

2 Standard

3 Demand ing

4 Dicult

5 Cha l l eng i ng

6 In t im idat i ng

7 Formidab le

8 Heroic

9 Immorta l

1 0 Imposs ib le

03

6

9

1 2

1 5

1 8

2 1

24

2 7

3 0

Anyone can d o this bas ica l ly every t ime.Most people can do thi s most of the t ime.

Typ ica l task requ i r ing cus , but most peop le can u sua l ly do th is .

Requi res l l attent ion; mos t people have a 50/50 chance to succeed.

Trai ned peop le h ave a 50/50 chan ce to succeed.

Even tra ined peopl e oen i l .

Nor mal peopl e a lmost never succeed.

Im poss ib le without sk i l l s or great eort .

A task worthy of tales told r years aerward.

A task worthy of legen ds th at last l ifetime s.

A task that normal h uma ns couldn 't consid er (but one that doesn't

break the laws of physics) .


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su m up , three th ings can decrease a task's d iculty :

sk i l ls , assets , an d Eort.

If you can decrease a t ask' s d icu lty to 0, you

automatical ly succeed and don't need to make a ro l l .

WHEN DO YOU ROLL?Any t ime your character attempts a task, the G M ass ig ns

a d ifculty to that task , and you ro l l a d20 agai nst the

associ ated target num ber.When you jum p fom a burn in g veh ic le , swi ng a batt leaxe

at a mutant beast, swi m across a ragin g river, id enti fy a

strange device, convi nce a merch ant to give you a lower

price, craft an object, use a power to control a e's m in d,

or use a heat-beam em itter to carve a ho le i n a wal l , you

make a d20 ro l l .

However, i fyou attempt something that has a diculty

of 0, no rol l is neededyou automa tical ly succeed. Ma ny

act ions h ave a d ifculty of. Examp les in c lu de walk ing

across the room and open in g a door, us in g a specia l abi l i ty

to negate gravity so you can y, u si ng an ab i l ity to protect

your iend om radi ation , or activatin g a device (that youalready understand) to erect a rce eld. These are al l

rout ine act ions and don ' t requ i re ro l l s .

Us i ng sk i l l , assets , and Eort , you can decrease the

difculty of potent ia l ly an y tas k to 0 and thu s negate the

need r a ro l l . Walk ing across a na rrow wooden beam i s

tr icky r most people , b ut r an exper ienced gymnast , i t 's

routin e. You can even decreas e the d icu lty of an attack on

a e to 0 and succeed without ro l l ing .

If there's no ro l l , there's no chan ce r i lu re. H owever,

there's a l so no chance r remarkable success ( in

PLAYR'S GD

Nu menera, that usu al ly means ro l l in g a 1 9 or 20; see

Specia l Ro l ls on page 8) .

COMBATMa ki ng an attack in com bat works the sa me way as any

other ro l l : the GM ass igns a d ifculty to the task, an d you

rol l a d20 against the associated target number.

The d icu lty of your attack rol l d epe nds on how powerful

your oppone nt is . Ju st as tasks have a difculty om 1 to1 0, creatures have a level om 1 to 1 0. Mos t of the tim e,

the d ifculty of your attack ro l l is the same as the creature's

level. For exampl e, if you attack a level 2 ba nd it, it 's a level 2

task, so your target nu mbe r is 6.

It 's worth n oting that players make al l di e rol ls . If a character

attacks a creature, the p layer makes a n attack roll . If a creature

attacks a character, the pl ayer makes a defense roll .

The da mage dealt by an attack is not determined b y a

rol lit's a at number based on the weapon or attack used.

For examp le, a s pear a lways does 4 points of damage.

You r Armor cha racterist ic reduces th e da mage you take

fom attacks directed at you. You get Armor om wearingphys ica l armor (such as a s turdy leather jerk in or cha i nmai l )

or fom specia l ab i l i t ies . L ike weapon dam age, Armor is

a at num ber, not a rol l . I f you' re attacked, su btract your

Armor om th e damage you take. For example, a leather

jerki n gives you 1 poin t of Armor, mean in g that you take

1 less poin t of da mage om attacks. If a ba ndi t hits you

with a k nife r 2 poi nts of da mage whi le you' re weari ng

a leather jerkin , you take only 1 poi nt of damage. If your

Armor reduces th e dama ge om a n attack to 0, you take no

da mage om that attack.


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LME NE

When you see the word "Armor capital ized i n the game

rules (other than a s the nam e of a specia l abi l i ty) , i t refers

to you r Armor cha racterist icthe nu mbe r you s ubtract

om incomi ng dam age. When you see the word "armor

with a l owercase "a, it rers to any physi cal ar mor you

mi ght wear.

Typical phys ica l weapons come i n three categor ies : l ight ,

medi um and heavy.

LIGHT WEAPONS in ict only 2 points of dam age, but they

reduce the d ifculty of the attack rol l by one step becau se

hey ae s and easy o use. L igh weapons a e punh es ,

k icks , c lu bs , kn ives , hand axes , rapiers , and so on. Weapons

that are part icu lar ly smal l are l ight weapons .

MED IUM WEAPONS in ict 4 points of damage. Medi um

weapons in c lud e swords , batt leaxes , maces , crossbows,

spears , and so on. Most weapons are medi um . Anythi ng

that coul d be used i n one ha nd (even if it ' s often used i n

two han ds , su ch as a quartersta or spear) is a medi umweapon.

HEAVY WEAPONS in ict 6 points of dam age, and you

mu st use two hand s to attack with them. Heavy weapons

are huge swords , great ham mers , mas s ive axes , ha l berds ,

heavy crossbows, and so on . Anythi ng that must be used i n

two ha nd s is a heavy weapon.

BONUSESRarely, an ab i l ity or piece of equ ip ment does not decrease

a task's d ifculty but instead adds a bon us to the d ie ro l l .

Bon uses always ad d togethe r, so if you get a +l bonus

om two dierent sources, you h ave a +2 b onu s. If you geteno ugh b onu ses to add up to a +3 bonu s r a task, treat

it as an asset : i nstead of addi ng the bonu s to your ro l l ,

decrease the d ifculty by one step. Therere, you never add

more than + l or +2 to a d ie ro l l .

SPECIAL ROLLSWhen you ro l l a natura l 1 9 ( the d20 shows " 1 9 ) and the

rol l is a success, you also have a minor eect. In combat,

a mi nor eect in icts 3 addit ion al poi nts of da mage with

your attack, or, if you'd prer a special resul t, you could

decide i nstead that you knock the e back, d i stract h im,

or somethin g s i mi lar . Whe n not in combat, a mi nor eectcould mean that you perrm the act ion with part icu l ar

grace. For exampl e, when jump ing down om a l edge, you

land smoothly on your feet, or when tryin g to persuade

someone, you convince h er that you' re smarter than you

real ly are. In other words , you not on ly succeed but also go

a bi t furth er.

When you ro l l a n atura l 20 (the d20 shows "20) a nd the

ro l l i s a success , you a lso have a major eect. This is s imi lar

to a min or eect, but the resu lts are more rema rkable .

In com bat, a major eect in i cts 4 addi tion al po ints of

You don't earn XP r ki l l ing es or overcomingstandard ch al l enges i n the course of p lay.Discovery is the soul of Nume nera.

damage with your attack, but agai n , you can choose in stead

to introduce a dramatic event such a s knockin g down your

e, s tunn i ng h im , or tak ing an extra act ion . O uts ide ofcombat, a major eect means that something benecial

happ ens based on the c ircumstance. For example, whe n

cl i mbi ng u p a c l i wal l , you make the ascent twice as st .

When a ol l gan s you a ajo ee, you an hoose o

use a m in or eect i nste ad i f you p refer.

I n combat (and only in combat) , if you ro l l a natura l 1 7

or 1 8 on your attack ro l l , you add l or 2 addit iona l pointsof da mage, respectively. N eit her rol l has any special eect

optionsjust the extra damage.

Rol l i ng a natura l l i s a lways bad . I t means that the G Mintroduces a new compl icat ion i nto the encounter.

NGE AND SPEEDDistance is s i mpl ied into three categor ies : im mediate,

short , and long.

I MM EDIATE DISTANCE om a cha racter is withi n reach or

with i n a few steps . I f a character stands in a sma l l room,

everythi ng i n the room is with i n i mmed iate d istance. At

most, im mediate d istance is 1 0 feet (3 m).

SHORT DISTANCE i s anythi ng greater than im mediate

di stance but les s than feet l m) or so.

LONG DI STANCE i s an ything greater than short d istancebut less than l 00 feet (30 m or so. (Beyond that range,distances are always specied feet [l 2 m], a m i l e [l . 6km] , and so on . )

The idea is that it 's not necessary to measu re precise

di stances . I mmedi ate d i stance is r ight there, pract ica l ly next

to the character. Short distance is nearby. Long distance is

rther o

Al l weapons and specia l a bi l i t ies use these terms r

ranges . For examp le, a l l mel ee weapons have immedi ate

rangethey are close-combat weapons, and you can use

them to attack anyone with i n im mediate d i stance of you. Ath rown kni fe (an d most othe r th rown weapo ns) h as sho rt

range. A bow has long range. A nano's On s lau ght abi l i ty

a lso ha s short range.

A character can move an immediate distance as part of

anoth er action. In oth er words, he can take a few steps over

to the control pa nel a nd act ivate a switch. H e can lu nge

across a sm al l room to attack a e. He can op en a door

and step through.

A character can m ove a short di stance as h is ent ire

action r a tur n. He can a lso try to move a lon g dista nce


11/66

as h i s ent ire act ion, but the p layer might h ave to ro l l to

see if the cha racter s l i ps, tr ips, or stu mb les as the resu lt of

moving so r so quickly.

For exam ple, if the PCs are ght ing a group of abh uma ns ,

any character can l i ke ly attack any ab huma n in the genera l

meleethey're a l l with i n i mmed iate range. Exact pos it ions

aren't i mportant . Creatures i n a ght are a lways moving,

sh iin g, and jost l i ng, anyway. H owever, if one ab hum anstayed back to use h is cross bow, a character mi ght have to

use her ent ire action to move the sh ort di stance requ ired to

attack that e. It doesn' t matter if the ab hum an is 20 et

(6 ) o 40 fee (1 2 ) awayi's s i p ly ons id eed sho

di stance. It does matter if he' s more tha n 50 feet (1 5 m)

away because that distance would require a long move.

EXPEENCE POINTSExperience points (XP) are rewards given to players when

the GM i ntrudes on the story (th i s is ca l led GM i ntrus ion)

with a new and unexpected chal le nge. For example, in the

mid dle of combat, the GM mi ght inrm the p l ayer thathe drops h i s weapon. However, to intrude i n th i s ma nner ,

the G M m ust award the player 2 XP. The rewarded pl ayer,

in tu rn, mu st imm ediate ly g ive one of those XP to another

player and ju st i the g i (perhaps the other p l ayer had

a good id ea, told a n ny joke, perrmed a n action that

saved a l ife, an d so on) .

Alternat ive ly, the p l ayer can refuse the G M i ntrus ion . f he

does so, he doesn 't get the 2 XP om the G M, and he mu st

also spend XP that he already has. If the p l ayer has no XP

to spend , he can ' t rese the int rus ion .

The GM can a lso g ive p layers XP between ses s ions a s

a reward r recovering interesting articts or making

di scover ies d ur in g an adventure. You don' t earn XP rk i l l i ng es or overcoming s tandard cha l lenges i n the

course of p lay. Discovery is the s oul of N umen era.

Experience points are

used pr ima r i ly r character

advancement (r detai ls ,

see Cha pter 3: Creat ing Your

Character, page 1 0) , b ut a p l ayer

can a lso spend 1 XP to rero l l any

die ro l l and t ake the better of the

two ro l ls .

CYPHEAs expla ined in Ch apter 2 :N ume nera Overview, cyphe rs

are a type of nu men era that

have a s ing le m inor use. A

cha racter can carry cyphers an d

use them du r ing the game. You

can' t bear man y cyphe rs at a

t ime because a l arge num ber of

these weird items emit radiat ion

or dangerous chemica ls that

PLAYR'S GD

I n N umen era, players make al l die rolls . If a characterattacks a creature, the player makes an attack roll.If a creature attacks a cha racter, th e pl ayer makes adefense roll.

don't mi x wel l . Gather in g cyphers together in one p l ace is

extraordi nar i ly un healthy.

Characters wi l l nd new cyphers equent ly i n thecourse of p lay, so p layers should n't hes itate to use their

cypher abi l it ies. Because cyphers are always dierent, the

cha racters wil l al ways have new speci al powers to try.

Thee ae wo kinds of yphes anoetic and occultic

ANOETIC CYPH ERS are simple to use: a pi l l to swallow, a

small handheld device with a switch to ip, or a bomb to

throw.

OCCULTIC CYPHERS are more compl ex and more

dangerous, but they often have better and more interesting

eects. An occulti c cyph er counts as two cyphe rs r thepurpose of determini ng h ow many you can bear at the

same t ime .

OTHER DICEI n addit ion to a d20, you' l l need a d6 (a s ix-s ided di e) .

Rarely, you' l l need to rol l a n um ber between and 00

(oen cal l ed a d or d% ro l l ) , which you can do by ro l l in g

a d20 twice, us in g the las t d ig i t ofthe rst ro l l as the " tens

place and the la st d i g it ofthe second ro l l as the "ones

p lace . For example , ro l l i ng a 1 7 and a 9 g ives you 79 , ro l l i n g

a 3 and an 18 g ives you 38, and ro l l in g a 20 and a 10 g ives

you 00 (also known as 1 00) . I f you have a d 0 (a ten-si ded

die) , you can use it in stead of the d20 to ro l l nu mbersbetween and 1 00.


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LME NE

CAING YOURCHACER

This section eplains how to create charcters to play in aNumene game . r a ee downloadable copy of the ocial Numene

chacter sheet and a stepbystep guide to chacter creation using this sheet,visit www.numene. comchactersheet.

CHACTER STATS

Every p layer character ha s th ree denin g cha racter ist ics ,which are typical ly cal l ed "stat ist ics or "stats . These stats

are Might, Speed, and Intel lect. They are broad categories

that cover many d ierent b ut rel ated as pects of a ch aracter.

MIGHT Mi ght denes how strong and du rable your

character i s . T he concepts of strength, endurance,

constitut ion, ha rdiness , a nd phys ica l prowess are a l l lded

into this one stat. M ight isn 't relative to size; instead, it 's an

absolute measurement. An e lephant has more M ight than

the mi ght iest t iger, which has more M ight than the might iest

rat , which has more Mi ght than the might iest sp ider .

M ight governs action s fom rcing doors open to

walk i ng r days without od to res ist ing d i sease. I t 's a ls othe pr i mary means of determini ng how much da mage your

character can sustain i n a dangerous s ituat ion. Phys ica l

characters, tough characters, and characters interested in

ght ing shou ld cus on M ight .

SPEED Speed descr ibes how st and phys ica l ly

coordin ated your character is . The stat embodies q uicknes s ,

movement, d exterity, and reexes. S peed govern s such

divergent act ions a s dodgin g attacks , sneaki ng around

qu iet ly, and th rowing a bal l accurate ly. I t he lp s determi ne

whether you can move rther on your turn . N i mb le , st , or

sneaky characters wi l l wan t good Speed stats , as wi l l t hoseinterested i n ranged combat.

INTELLECT Thi s stat determines how smart ,

knowledgeab le , and l i kab le your character i s . I t in c ludes

inte l l igence , wisdom, char i sma, educat ion , reason ing , wit ,

wi l lpower, and charm . I nte l lect governs so lv ing puzzles ,

remember ing cts , te l l i ng conv inc ing l i es , and us in g

mental powers . Characters interested in commu nicat ing

eect ively, be ing lea rned scholars , and wie l d i ng the

nu menera shou ld stress thei r Inte l l ect stat .

POOL, EDGE, AND EFFORT

Each of these stats ha s two components: you r Pool an d yourEdge. Your Pool represents your raw, i nn ate abi l ity, and your

Edge represents knowi ng h ow to us e what you have. A third

eleme nt ties into thi s concept: Eort. When your cha racter

really needs to accomplish a task, you apply Eort.

PoolYou r Pool is the most b asi c measu rement of a stat.

Compa rin g the Pool s of two creatures wil l give you a

genera l sens e of wh ich creature is s uper ior in th at stat. For

examp le, a cha racter who has a M ight Pool of 1 6 is stronger

( in a b as ic sense) tha n a character who has a Mi ght Pool

of 1 2. Most characters start with a Pool of 9 to 1 2 in most

statsthat 's the average range.When your character is inj ured, s ickened, or attacked,

you temporar i ly lose points om one of your stat Pools . The

nature of the attack determin es whic h P ool loses points .

For example, physical damage om a sword reduces your

M ight Pool , a poison th at makes you c lumsy reduces your

Speed Pool , an d a ps ionic b l ast reduces your I nte l lect Pool .

You can a l so spend poi nts om one ofyour stat Pool s to

decrease a task' s dicu lty (see Eort, next page). You can

rest to regai n lo st points om a stat Pool (ask your G M

r add i t iona l inrmat ion) , and some spec ial ab i l i t ies or

numenera might al low you to recover lost points quickly.

EdgeAlthou gh your Pool is the bas ic meas urement of a stat, your

Edge is a lso i mportant. When somethi ng requi res you to

spen d poi nts om a stat Pool, your Edge r that stat reduces

the cost. It al so reduces th e cost of appl yin g Eort to a roll .

For example, let's say you have a mental blast ability, and

activating it costs 1 point om your I ntellect Pool. S ubtract your

I ntellect Edge om the activation cost, and th e result i s how

many points you mu st spend to use the mental bl ast. If usi ng

your E dge reduces the cost to 0, you ca n u se the abi lity r ee.


13/66

You r Edge can be dierent r each stat. For examp le ,

you cou ld have a Might Edge of , a Speed Edge of , and

an I nte l lect Edge of 0. You' l l a lways h ave an Edge of at

le ast 1 in one stat. You r Edge r a stat redu ces the costof spen d in g points om that stat Pool, but not fom other

Pools . Your Mi ght Ed ge reduces the cost of spend ing points

om your Mi ght Pool , but it doesn't aect your S peed Pool

or Intel lect Pool. Once a stat's Edge reaches 3, you can

apply one level of Eort r fee.

A character who has a low Mi ght Pool but a h i gh

M ight Edge has the potent ia l to perrm M ight act ions

cons istently better tha n a character who ha s a M ight E dge

of. The h igh Edge wi l l let her reduce the cost of spend ing

points om the Pool , whi ch mea ns she' l l have more points

avai lab l e to spend on ap ply ing Eort .

EortWhen your cha racter real ly needs to accompl ish a task, you

can ap ply Eort. For a begin ni ng cha racter, app lyi ng Eort

requires spen di ng 3 poi nts om the stat Pool app ropr iate

to the act ion. Thu s , if your character tr ies to dodge an

attack (a Speed ro l l ) and wants to increase the chance r

success , you can app ly Eort by spendin g 3 points om

your S peed Pool. Eort lowers the d ifculty of the task by

one step. Thi s is cal led ap plyi ng one level of Eort.

You d on 't h ave to app ly Eort if you do n't want to. If you

PLAYR'S GD

choos e to ap pl y Eort to a task , you m ust do it be re you

attem pt the rol lyou can' t rol l rst and t hen d ecid e to

apply Eort if you rolled poorly.

Apply i ng m ore Eort can lower a task' s d ifculty rther :each ad dit ion al level of Eort reduces the d ifcu lty by

another step. Apply i ng one level of Eort lowers the

difculty by one step, ap ply i ng two levels lowers the

difculty by two steps , and so on. However, each level of

Eort aer the rst costs on ly 2 points fom th e stat Pool

in stead of 3. So ap ply i ng two level s of Eort costs 5 points

(3 r the rst leve l p lus 2 r the second leve l ) , app ly i ng

three leve ls costs 7 po ints (3 p l us 2 p lu s 2) , and so on .

Every character has a n Eort score, wh ic h in d icates th e

maximu m num ber of leve ls ofEort that can b e app l ied

to a rol l . A begi nn in g (rst-tier) cha racter has an Eort of

, mea nin g you can apply only one level of Efrt to a ro l l .A more experie nced cha racter ha s a h igh er Eort score

and c an ap ply mo re levels of Eort to a rol l . For exampl e, a

cha racter who has an Eort of 3 can a ppl y up to three levels

of Efrt to red uce a ta sk 's d icu lty.

When you a ppl y Eort, subtract you r relevant Edge om

the total cost of app lyi ng Eort. For exampl e, let's say you

need to make a Speed rol l . To in crease you r cha nce r

success , you decide to ap ply one l evel of Eort , which wi l l

reduce the d ifculty ofthe task b y one s tep . Normal ly, that

woul d cost 3 po ints om you r Speed Pool . H owever, you


14/66

LME NE

have a Speed Edge of 2, so you su btract that om the cost.

Th us, a ppl yin g Eort to the rol l costs on ly 1 poin t om your

Speed Pool .

What if you appl ied two levels of Eort to the Speed ro l l

i ns tead of ju st one ? That would reduce th e d ifculty of the

task by two steps. Norm al ly, it would cost 5 poi nts om

your Speed Pool, but after subtractin g you r Speed Edge of

2, it costs on ly 3 points.Once a stat 's Edge reaches 3, you can appl y one level of

Eort r ee. For examp le, if you have a S peed Edge of 3

an d you app ly one l evel of Eort to a Speed rol l , it costs you

0 poins o you Speed Pool . (Noa l ly , apply in g one

level of Eort woul d cost 3 po ints , b ut you su btract your

Speed Edge fom that cost, reduci ng it to 0.)

Ski l l s and other advantages a lso decrease a task's

d icu lty , and you can use them in conjunct ion with Eort .

I n add i t ion , your character might have spec ia l ab i l i t ies or

equi pment that a l low you to apply Efrt to accompl i sh a

speci al eect, such as knocki ng down a e with an attack

or aect ing mu lt ip l e targets with a power that norma l lyaects only one.

Eort and DamageI n stead of app lyi ng Eort to red uce the di culty of your

attack, you can app ly Efrt to i ncrease th e amou nt of

damage you inict with an attack. For each level of Eort

you ap ply in t h is way, you in ict 3 addi t ional points of

da mage. Th is works r any ki nd of attack that i ni cts

damage, whether a sword, a crossbow, a mind blast, or

someth in g e lse .

When usi ng Eort to in crease the dama ge of an a rea

attack, such as the explos ion created by a nano' s F l ash

abi l i ty, you in ict 2 addit i onal points of dam age insteadof 3 poi nts. However, the add iti ona l poi nts are dealt to

al l targets in the a rea. F urther, even i f one or more of the

targets in the area res ist the attack, you st i l l i n i ct 1 point of

dam age to them .

Multiple Uses of Eort and EdgeIf your Eort is 2 or hi ghe r, you can ap ply Eort to mul tip le

aspects of a s i ng le act ion. For example, if you ma ke an

attack, you can a pply Eort to your attack ro l l and app ly

Eort to i ncrease the d amage .

The total amount of Eort you apply can 't be h igh er tha n

your Eort score. For examp le, if your Eort is 2 , you ca napply up t o two levels of Eort. You could apply one level

to an attack rol l an d one level to its dam age, two level s to

the attack and no levels to the da mage, or no levels to the

attack and two levels to the dam age.

You can use Edge r a part icu lar stat only once per

action . For exampl e, i f you app ly Eort to a M ight attack

ro l l and to your damage, you can use your M ight E dge to

reduce the cost of one of those use s of Eort, not both. If

you spen d 1 I nte l lect point to act ivate your mind b last and

one level o f Eort to decrease the di fculty of the attack ro l l ,

you can u se your I nte l lect Edge to reduce the cost of one of

those th ings , n ot both.

STAT EXAMPLESA beginning character is ghting a creature cal led a broken

hou nd. She stabs her spear at the broken houn d, which is

a level 2 creature and th us has a target nu mbe r of 6. The

character stands atop a boulder and strikes downward atthe beast , and the GM ru les that th is he lpl tact ic is an

asset that decreases th e di culty by one step (to di fculty

1 ) . That l owers the target nu mbe r to 3. Attacking with a

spea is a M igh a ion he ha ae has a M igh Pool

of 1 1 and a M ight Edge of 0. Bere making the ro l l , she

deci des to a pply a level of Eort to decrease the d ifculty

of the attack. That costs 3 poi nts om her M ight Pool ,

reduc ing the Pool to 8 . But they appear to be po ints we l l

spent . Apply i ng the Efrt lowers th e d iculty om 1 to 0 ,

so no ro l l is neededthe attack automatica l ly succeeds .

Another cha racter is attempti ng to convince a gua rd

to let h im into a pr ivate oce to speak to an in u ent i a lnob le . The GM ru les that th is i s an I nte l lect act ion . The

character i s th i rd t ier and ha s an Eort of3 , an I nte l lect

Poo l of 1 3 , and an I nte l lect Edge of 1 . Bere mak ing

the ro l l , h e mu st dec id e whether to app ly Eort . He can

choose to appl y one, two, or three l evels of Eort , or app ly

none at a l l . Th is act ion i s i mportant to h im, so he dec ides

to app ly two l evels of Eort , decreas i ng the d ifculty by

two steps . Th an ks to h is I nte l l ect Edge, apply i ng the Eort

costs on ly 4 points fom his I nte l l ect Pool (3 poi nts r the

rst level of Eort p lus 2 p oints r the second l evel mi nu s

1 po int r h i s Edge) . Spen d in g those po ints reduces

h i s I nte l lect Poo l to 9 . The GM dec ides that conv inc in g

the gua rd is a d ifculty 3 (dem and in g) task wit h a targetnu mbe r of 9; a pply i ng two levels of Eort reduces t he

d ifcu l ty to 1 (s im p le) and the target nu mber to 3 . The

p layer rol l s a d20 and gets an 8 . Because th is resu l t i s at

least equa l to the target nu mber of the task , he succeeds .

However, if he ha d n ot appl ied so me Eort , he would have

i l ed because h is ro l l (8) wou ld h ave been less than the

task 's or ig in a l target num ber (9) .

CHACTER TIE AND BENEFITSEvery character starts the game at the rst tier. Tier

is a meas uremen t of power, tough nes s , an d ab i l i ty .

Cha racters can advan ce up to the s ixth t ie r. As yourcharacter advances to h igher t iers , you ga in more

ab i l i t ies , in crease your Eort , and can im prove a stat 's

Edge or increase a stat. Gene ral l y speaki ng, even rst t ier

cha racters are a l ready qu ite capa ble . I t ' s safe to assu me

that they've a l ready got some exper ience und er thei r be lt .

This is not a "zero to hero progress ion , but rather an

in stance of competent peop le ren i ng and hon i ng the i r

capab i l i t ies and knowledge . Advanc ing to h igher t iers i s

not rea l ly the "goa l of Nu menera characters , but rather a

representation of how characters progress in a story.


15/66

Every cha racter starts the game at the rst tie r.Tier is a measurement of power, toughness, andab i l ity. Characters can advan ce up to the s ixth tier.

To progress to the next tier, ch aracters earn experi encepoints (XP) by goin g on adventures and di scover ing new

thi ngsthe Ni nth World is about d iscovery of the past an d

what it means r the future. Experience points have many

uses , and one u se i s to purchase cha racter benets . Aer

your character pu rchases ur cha racter benets , he or she

goes up to the n ext tier. Eac h ben et costs 4 XP, and you

can pu rchase them in any order, but you mu st purchase

one of each kin d of benet (after which you advan ce to the

next tier be re you can purch ase the same benet again .

Th e ur character benets are as l lows.

I NCREASIN G CAPABILITI ES You gai n 4 poi nts to add toyour stat Pools . You can a l l ocate the points a mong the

Pools however you wish .

MOVIN G TOWARD PERFECTION : You add 1 to your M ight

Edge, your Speed Ed ge, or your I nte l lect Edge (your choice) .

EXTRA EFFORT: You r Eort score in creases by 1 .

SKILLS: You become t ra i ned i n one s k i l l o f your cho ice,

other than attacks or defense . As descr ibed i n the Ru les

PLAYR'S GD

Overv iew (page 6) , a character t ra in ed i n a sk i l l t reats the

d ifcu l ty of a re lated task as on e s tep lower than norma l .

The s k i l l you choose r th i s benet can be anyth i ng

y ou w i s h , s u c h a s c l i m b i n g , j u m p i n g , p e r su a d i n g , o r

sneak i ng . You can a l so choose to be knowledgeab le i n a

certain area of lore, such as history or geology. You caneven choose a sk i l l based on your character ' s spec ia l

ab i l i t ies . For example , i f your character can m ake an

I nte l lect ro l l to b las t an ene my with menta l rce , you can

become tra ined in us i ng that ab i l i ty, t reat in g i ts d ifcu l ty

as one s tep lower than n ormal . I f you choose a sk i l l that

you are a l ready t ra ined in , you become spec ia l ized in that

ski l l , redu ci ng the d ifcu lty of re lated tasks by two steps

in stead of one .

P layers can a lso spen d 4 XP to purchase other spec ia l

opt ions in l i eu of ga in in g a new sk i l l . Se lect ing any of these

optio ns counts as the s ki l l benet necessary to advance to

the n ext t ier. The s pecia l opt ions are as l lows: Reduce the cost r wear ing armor. Th is opt ion lowers

the M ight cost by 1 and lowers the Speed red uction by 1 .

Add 2 to your recovery rol ls .

If you' re a glaive, select a new ghting m ove. Th e move

mu st be fom you r tier or a lower tier.

If you' re a na no, select a n ew esotery. The esotery must

be om your tie r or a lower tie r.

If you' re a jack, s elect a n ew trick of the trade. The trick

mu st be fom you r tier or a lower tier.


16/66

LME NE�

SKILLSSometimes your character gai ns tra in in g in a specic ski l l or task. For examp le, your cus mi ght mean that you' re

tra ined in sneak ing , i n c l i mb in g and jum ping , or in soc ia l interact ions . Other t imes , your character can choose a sk i l l

to become tra ined i n , and you can p ick a sk i l l that re lates to any task you th ink you might ce.

The game has no den it ive l ist of ski l ls . However, the l l owing l i st oers ideas :

Astronomy Hea l i ng Perception

Ba l anc i ng History Persuas ionBiology Ident i ing Ph i losophy

Botany In it iat ive P ickpocket ing

Carrying Int imidat ion Repa i r ing

C l imb ing u m p i n g R id i ng

Deceiv ing Leatherworking Smash ing

Escap ing Lockpicking Sneak ing

Geography Metalworking Swimming

Geology Numenera Woodworking

You cou ld ch oose a sk i l l that incorporates more than one of these areas ( interact ing might i nc lude dece iving ,

int i m idat ing , and persuad in g) or i s a more specic vers ion of one (h id i ng might be sneak i ng when you ' re not

moving) . You cou ld a lso ma ke up more genera l , profess iona l sk i l l s , such as baker, sa i lo r , or lumber jack . I f youwant to choose a ski l l that 's not on th i s l i st , i t 's probabl y best to run it past the GM rst , but in gen eral , the most

im portant aspect is to choose ski l l s that are app ropr iate to your ch aracter.

Remember that if you ga in a s k i l l that you ' re a l ready t ra ined in , you become spec ia l ized i n that sk i l l . Because

sk i l l descr ipt ions can be neb u lous , d etermin ing whether you ' re t ra ined or spec ia l ized might take some th in k ing .

For exampl e , if you ' re t ra ined in ly ing and later ga in an ab i l i ty that grants you sk i l l w i th a l l soc ia l interact ions , you

become spec ia l ized i n ly in g and t ra ined in a l l other types of interact ions . Be ing t ra ined three t imes i n a sk i l l i s no

better than be i ng t ra ined twice ( in other words , spec ia l ized i s as good as i t gets ) .

Only sk i l l s gained th rough character type abi l i t ies , su ch as the g la ives ght ing moves cus abi l i t ies , or other rare

in stances a l l ow you to become s ki l led with attack or defense tasks .

I f you gain a s pecia l abi l i ty through your type, your cus , or some other aspect of your character, you can ch oose

it in p lace of a ski l l a nd become tra ined or specia l ized in that abi l i ty. For examp le, if you have a mind b last , when it 's

t ime to choose a ski l l to be tra ined in , you can se lect your m ind b last as your ski l l . That woul d reduce the d ifculty

every t ime you used it . Each a bi l i ty you have counts as a sep arate ski l l r th i s pu rpose. You can't se lect "a l l min dpowers or "a l l esoter ies as one s ki l l an d become tra ined or specia l ized in s uch a broad category.

CHACTER DESCPTOR,

TPE, AND FOCUSTo create your character, you bu i l d a s im pl e statemen t that

descr ibes h im or her. The statement takes th i s rm: " I am

a [ l l i n an adject ive here] [ l l i n a n oun here] who [ l l i n a

verb he re].

Thu s : " I am an adjective noun who verbs" For example ,you might say, " I am a Rugged glaive who Controls Beasts

or " I a m a Charmin g nano who Focuses M ind over Matter.

I n th is sentence, the adject ive is ca l led your descriptor

The noun is your character type

The verb is ca l l ed your focus

Even thou gh ch aracter type is in t he mi ddl e of the

sentence, that 's where we' l l start th is d isc uss io n. (J ust as in

a sentence, the no un provides the un dat ion.)

Character type is the core of your cha racter. In some

roleplayi ng games, it might be cal led your character class .

Your type he lps d etermine your character's place i n the world

and re lat ionsh ip with other people in the sett ing. I t 's the

noun of the sentence "I am an adjective noun who verbs"

You can ch oose om three character types: gl aive, jack,

and nano .

Descr iptor denes your c haracterit avors everything

you do. Your descr iptor p l aces your cha racter in t he

s ituat ion (the rst adventure, which starts the campaign)and help s provide motivat ion. I t 's th e adjective of the

sentence " I am an adjective noun who verbs"

You can c hoose om twelve cha racter descri ptors.

Focus is what your character does best . Focus g ives your

character specicity and provides interest ing new ab i l i t i es

that mi ght come i n ha ndy. Your cus a lso helps you

un de rstand h ow you relate with the othe r player characters

in your group. It ' s the verb of the sentence "I am an

adjective noun who verbs"

The re are many cha racter ci to choose om.

1


17/66

SPECIAL ABILITIESCha racter types and ci grant PCs speci al a bi litie s at each new

tier. Usi ng these abi l it ies usu al ly costs poi nts om your stat

Pools; the cost is listed in parentheses aer the ability name.

You r Edge i n the ap propriate stat can reduce the cost ofthe

abi l ity, but remembe r that you can app ly Edge only once per

action. For example, let's say a nano with an Intellect Edge of

2 wants to use his On sla ught ab il ity to create a bolt of rce,whic h costs 1 I ntell ect point. He also wants to increase the

dam age om the attack by us in g a l evel of Eort, which costs

3 I ntell ect point s. The total cost r his action is 2 points om

hi s I ntell ect Pool (1 point r the bolt of rce pl us 3 poi nts r

usi ng Eort minu s 2 points om h is Edge).

Sometimes the point cost r an a bi l i ty has a + s ign after

the n um ber. For examp le, the cost might be g iven as "2+

I nte l lect points . That means you can spend more points or

more l evels of Eort to im prove the ab i l ity rthe r.

Many speci a l a bi l i t ies grant a character the opt ion to

PLAYR'S GD

perrm an act ion that she coul dn't no rmal ly do, such as

project in g rays of cold or attacking mu lt ip l e es at once.

Us ing o ne of these ab i l i t ies is an act ion u nto itse lf, and th e

end of the ab i l i ty's descr ipt ion says "Act ion to remin d you.

It a l so mi ght provide more i nrmation about when or how

you perrm the action.

Some spec ia l ab i l i t ies a l low you to perrm a mi l ia r

actionone that you can a lready doin a d ierent way. Forexampl e, an a bi l ity mig ht let you wear heavy armor, reduce

the d ifculty of Speed defens e rol ls , or add 2 poi nts of re

damage to your weapon da mage. These ab i l i t ies are cal led

enab lers . U s i ng one of these abi l i t ies is not cons idered an

act ion. Ena blers e ither funct ion constant ly (such as bein g

able to wear heavy armor, whic h i sn 't an act ion) or hap pen

as pa rt of another act ion ( such a s add ing re damage to

your weapon d amage, whi ch happ ens as part of your attack

act ion) . If a specia l abi l i ty is an en able r, the end of the

abi l i ty 's descr ipt ion says "En abler to remind you.


18/66

LME NE

CHACER PE

Chacter type is the core of your chacte In some leplaying games, it m ight be calledyour chacter class. Your type he lps determine your chacter's place in the world and relationship with other people in the setting. It's the noun of the sentence "I am an adjective

n o u n who verbs."You can choose om three chacter types: glaie, nano, andjack.

GLAIVEGla ives a re the e l i t e war r io r s of the N i n th Wor ld , u s i ng

weapons and a rmor to ght the i r enem ies . Hu nte r s,gua rd i ans , and so ld i e r s cou ld be g l a i ves . Somet imes

scouts , war lords , ban d i ts , a nd even ath letes are

g l a i ves . "G l a i ve i s a common s l ang te rm used a lmos t

everywhere in the Steadst and the Beyond r any

person sk i l l ed with weapons or a mart ia l a r t, but in

t ruth , i t app l ies on l y to the best of the best . G la ives are

warr iors who comma nd a b i l i t ies r beyond those of a

typical person with a sword.

Most g la ives are e ither strongusi ng the heaviest armor

and weapons avai la b le and h aving a h igh M ightor st,

s t ick ing with l ight weapons and armor and hav ing a h igh

Speed . A few attempt to use both Mi ght and S peed and stay

somewhere in the midd le . Gl a ives a lso use ranged weaponssuch as bows or darts. Some don 't re ly on weapons at a l l ,

preferr ing to use the ir bodies i n ha nd-to-hand combat

punching, k icking, grabbing, throwing, and so on.

Glaives in Society: I n mo st ci t ies and v i l l ages , peop le ho ld

gla ives i n great esteem. Although a g la ive could just as

l i kely be a thug as a nob le warrior, those who h elp p rotect

thei r fe l l ow hum ans om the d angers of the Ni nth World

are always treated with respect. There is no shame in

gett ing paid r the use of one's sk i l l s , so bein g a b lade r

hi re is a perct ly acceptable pross ion. Restr ict ions on

carry ing weapons openl y are rare, a nd most g la ives wearthe too ls of the i r t rade with pr ide .

Not surpr i s i ng ly, g l a ives oen get a long best with other

g la ives, or at least so ld iers , guards , or s imi lar comrades

in arms . Nanos , scho lars , and peop le who aren ' t terr ib ly

phys ica l are les s l i ke ly to mix wel l with g la ives , but obvious ly

not every gla ive is the same. They cus on th eir bodi es, but

that doesn't mean they don't valu e more cerebral p ursu its

as wel l . A g la ive need n ot l low the stereotype of the d um b

bru ise r with a sword or an axe.

GLAIVE STAT POOLSStat

MightSpeed

Inte l lect

Pool Starting Value

1 11 0

7

You get 6 addi t ional points to d iv ide amon g your stat Pools

however you wis h.

Glaives in the Group: I n a group ofexplorers , g la ives

typical l y take the lead . They're us ual ly the most phys ica l ly

capable , th e most durabl e , an d the most ready to meet

da nger head -on . Someti mes th ey act protectively toward

thei r compan ions ; other t imes , they're more se lf- i nterested.

Eit her way, a gl aive' s pl ace is often i n the mid dle of the ay.

Glaives and the Numenera: When it comes to the

nu menera, most g la ives are interested in weapons , armor,

or devices that a id the m i n combat. The ancients produced

al l sorts of incredi b ly du rable su bstances , man y of which

can be made into armor that is l ighter and more protective

than steel . Sometimes , g la ives can scavenge a suit of armor

composed of these a dvanced materia ls , but more often they

nd the mater ia ls a nd the n as k a crafter or smith to ma ke

the arm or. Of course, th e probl em is that a substa nce th at

is dicu lt to damage is als o hard to work.

As var ied as armor ing mater ia l s might be , nu menera

weaponry i s in n i te ly more so . These items in c lu demelee weapons that sh ock , s tun , or bu rn whatever they

touch ; an d ranged weapons that b las t p ro ject i l es with

incred i b le power or bursts of s t range energ ies . There are

a l so bombs , d amag ing energy e lds , po i sonous gases ,

and r s t ranger weaponry, but some g l a ives nd th at

suc h com pl ex objects are better o in the ha nd s of a

nano . Ma neuverab i l i ty i s ju s t as im portant as attack or

defens e, h owever , so an it em that a l l ows a g la ive to move

qu ickly or negate gravity is a great pr ize.

As r cyphers, glaives prefer physical ly en hanc ing or


19/66

restorative objects, such as i njections of chem ical s that

imp rove reaction time or pi l ls with microscopic repai r devices

that heal wounds and restore tigued muscle tissue. They

use the n ickname " boost r any cypher that enh ances their

strength, stamina, reexes, or other physical as pects, whi le

one that repairs damage or al leviates tigue is cal led a "treat.

Advanced Glaives: As they progress , gl aives become bettercombatants , oen fel l in g mu lt ip l e es in a s in g le stroke.

They gain s peci al types of attacks and learn to use armor

more ecientl y to get the most out of the protection it

oes.

GLAIVE BACKGROUNDGl aives are no mere band its or town gua rds. They stand

head and shou lders above ordi nary soldiers and brawlers.

Something in your backgroundwhether intensive trai ni ng,

in born traits, or biomechan ical modicationhas made

you more than th e others around you . Choose one of those

three options (described below) as the so urce of your ski l ls ,strength, reexes, and stamina. It wil l provide the undation

of your backgroun d a nd gi ve you an idea of how you can

imp rove. The GM can use this inrmation to develop

adventures an d que sts that are specic to your cha racter and

play a role i n your advancement.

Intensive TrainingYou a re strong, st, or both, but what real ly separates you

om the crowd is you r trai ni ng. Pe rhap s you ascended

the h ighest peak of the B lack R iage or sought the deepest

sewers beneath Qi to nd teachers who coul d sh ow you

how to move, ght , and en du re beyond no rmal h um an

l i mits . You know a thousand ways to ki l l a e, most of themsecret to al l but a chos en few. You 're p rivy to techni que s

and ght in g sty les that most people i n the N inth World

have never seen. You have learned that the i mposs ib l e is

poss ib leas lon g as you know the secret. You r body is a

weapon , an d your weapon i s part of your body. You have

stud ied with the master s, and now you carry that regime n

as you ventu re into the world .

Advancement: You need to tra i n a nd pract ice constant ly

to hone your sk i l l s and deve lop new techn iques , bu i l d ing

on what you've been taught . Perh aps at some point you wi l l

return t o your secret masters r further i n it iat ion or nd

new teachers or les sons t hat can take you to the next step.When you gain addit ional points r your stat Pools , an

in crease to a stat's Ed ge, or an increase i n the l evel of Eort

you can a pp ly, the be net comes as the res ul t of rigorou s

exercise and perso nal developmen t. When you gai n a new

ski l l or glaive abi l ity, it 's the resu lt of the ma rtial arts you h ave

studied.

Inborn TraitsYou've tra ined und er excel lent in structors and have

exper ience in many dangerous s itu at ions , but what

PLAYR'S GD

makes you dierent is deep ins ide, entwined i n your

genet ic her i tage . Maybe i t was the lu ck of be in g born t .

Maybe you' re a hul k in g brutea mountain ous gure who

comma nd s attention when you enter a room. Or maybe

your strength is more subt le ; you might be the descendant

of a b ioengi neered race bred ( or des igned) r perfect ion.

Perhaps you're a mutant with psychi c abi l i t ies that augment

your phys ica l n ature; you gu ide an d en han ce your attackswith te leki nes i s , or you use a natura l mutat ion in your

brain to contro l matter on a molecul ar level to res ist b lows

and in ict harm. Perhaps you' re somethin g whol ly new:

an abe aion o a hu an so pefe ha you 'e beyond

hum an. You m ight be a posth um anthe next step toward

the true dest iny of the people of the Ni nth World .

Advancement: You h ave talents of whic h you are only

di mly aware. You mu st practice and experime nt to nd your

l i mitation s, if any. At some point i n the future, you migh t

have to seek out someone who can hel p you master your

in herent a bi l it ies. You were born with great powernow you

need to learn how to use th at power, even if the ed ucatio ntakes a l ifetime .

When your stats i mprove, i t 's because you're tapping

deeper into the un known reserves withi n you. When you gai n

a new glaive abi l ity, it 's the result ofyour superhu man traits

as m uch as it is a bout your study, practice, or knowledge. You

can do thin gs that other people si mpl y can not, no matter how

hard they train.

Biomechanical ModicationYou m ight be a ghter, b ut you're no archa ic stereotype

thi s is the N inth World , after a l l . A lthough you tra i ned and

gained your sha re of pract ica l exper ience, you have the

nu menera on your s ide as we l l . Some of your knowledge ofght ing techn i ques i s im p lanted in your bra in an d sp ine ,

wired i nto your nerves and mu scles . Your jo ints h ave

surgical ly implanted servo motors . Subdermal p lat ing

makes you tougher than shou ld be poss ib le . Your musc le

t issue i s augmented with art icia l bers .

Perhaps your genet ic code has been rewritten by

engi neered viruses , or the t issues in your body have

been reworked by nan otech, turn in g you into an efcient

battle machine. Or maybe you've been altered by strange

scie nceradioa ctive treatments of biza rre energies ,

chemica l compounds and drugs , or extrad ime ns iona l

en ha ncemen tsthat m akes you stronger, ster, tough er,and more procient i n attack and defense tha n anyone

around you .

Whatever the case, you're the result o fancient knowledge

made ma nifest in the present, and now you're sha pin g the

future. Perha ps your modications are obvious and vis ible ;

perhaps they're not. Regardless , you know that you're more than

merely human.

Advancement: You r body is an on goin g project. In a way,

it 's a work of art, al thou gh its beauty comes not fom its

ap pearance but om what it can do . As you go rward,


20/66

LME NE

you sho ul d keep an eye out at al l t ime s r new parts and

systems t hat can be in corporated into your body, or new

doses of drugs and supp lements to mainta in your ab i l i t ies .

You m ight need to seek out surgeons , mecha nics , or

bioen hancement s pecia l i sts to take you to the next level .

Perhaps the Aeon Pr iests can h elp . Perhaps the pa rts you

need can be und o nly in the ru in s of the past or the

da ngerous bl ack ma rket of a raway city.When your stats imp rove, i t 's because you l i tera l ly h ave

added someth in g new to your body. When you gai n a new

abi l i ty, i t 's the d irect result of a tangib le cha nge in your own

phys ia l be ing .

GLAIVE TIE

First-Tier GlaiveFi rst-t ier g la ives have the l lowing ab i l i t ies :

Eort: Your Eort is 1 .

Fighter: You h ave a M ight Edge of 1 , a Speed Edge of 1 ,

and an I nte l lect Edge of.Cypher Use: You ca n bear two cyphers at a ti me.

Practiced in Ar mor: Gla ives can wear armor r long

per iods of t ime without t ir ing and can compensate r

slowed reactions om wearing armor. You can wear any kind

of armor. You reduce the M ight cost per hour r weari ng

armor and the Speed Pool reduct ion r wear ing armor by 2.

Enabler.

Practiced With All Weapon s: You can use any weapon.

Enabler .

Physical Skills: You a re trai ned in you r choice of one of

the l lowing : ba lanc ing , c l imb i ng , jumpin g , or swimm ing .

Enabler .

Starting Equipment: You start with cloth in g, two weapo ns(or one weapon and a s h ie ld ) , l ight or med i um armor, an

explorer 's pack, two cyphers (chosen r you by the GM ),

one odd i ty (chosen r you by the GM ) , a nd 5 s h i ns (co ins ) .

If you start with a ran ged weapon that requ ires am mu niti on

(arrows, r examp le) , you start with 1 2 of that type of

am mun it ion. Bere se lect in g your weapons , armor, and

other gear, you might wan t to wait unt i l after you've chosen

your ght in g moves , descr iptor, an d cus .

Fighting Moves: You have a speci al tale nt r combat

and can perrm feats that others can barely i magi ne.

These ats are cal led . Some ght in g moves are constant ,

ongoing eects , a nd others a re specic act ions t hat us ual lycost poi nts om one of your stat Pools .

Choose two ofthe ghti ng moves descri bed bel ow. You

can't choose the same ght in g move more than once

un less its descr ipt ion says otherwise.

• Bash 1 Might point): This is a pu mme l in g melee attack.Your attack inicts 1 less point of damage than normal ,

but dazes your target r one round , dur in g wh ich t i me

the d icu l ty of a l l t asks i t perrms i s mod ied by one

step to its detr iment .

• No Need r Weapons: When you make an u narmed

attack (such as a punch or k ick) , i t counts as a medi um

weapon instead of a l i ght weapon. En able r.

• Pierce 1 Speed point): This is a wel l -a imed, penetrat ingranged attack. You make an attack and in ict 1 ad dit ional

point of dam age if your weapon has a sha rp poi nt. Action.

• Thrust 1 Might point): This is a powerful melee sta b. Youmake an attack and in ict 1 addit io nal point of damage if

your weapon h as a s harp edge or point . Act ion.• Trained Without Armor: You are trained in Speed defense

act ions wh en not wear ing ar mor. Enab ler .

Second-Tier GlaiveSecond-t ier g la ives have the l lowing ab i l i t ies :

Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack i n wh ich

you are not a l ready tra ined : l ight bash ing , l ight b laded , l ight

ranged , med iu m bash i ng , med ium b l aded , med ium ranged ,

heavy bashi ng, he avy blade d, or heavy ranged. You are

tra ined in attacks us i ng that type of weapon. Enab ler .

Fighting Moves: Choose one of the l lowing ght ing

moves (o r a move om a lower tier) to add to yourreperto i re . In add i t ion , you can rep lace one ofyour rst-t ier

ght ing moves with a d ierent rst-t ier ght ing move.

• Chop (2 Might points): Th is i s a heavy, powerful s l ice

with a b l aded weapon, probably overha nd. You m ust gr ip

your weapon with two hands to chop. When making th is

attack, you take a 1 penalty to the attack ro l l , a nd you

in ict 3 add it ional points of dama ge. Act ion.

• Crush (2 Might points): This i s a powerl pummel ing

attack with a bas hi ng weapon, probably overhan d. You

mu st grip your weapon with two han ds to crush . ( If

ght in g unarmed , th i s attack is made with both sts or

bot h feet together.) When mak ing th is attack, you take a

1 penalty to the attack ro l l , and you in ict 3 addi t ionalpoints of damage. Act ion.

• Reload 1 Speed point): When us ing a weapon thatnormally requires an action to reload, such as a heavy

crossbow, you can reload and re (or re and reload) in

the same act ion . Enab ler .

• Sk ill With Dense: Choose o ne type of defens e task

in whic h you are not a l ready tra ined : M ight , Speed, or

I ntel l ect. You are trained in defens e tasks of that type.

Un l i ke most ght ing moves , you can se lect th is move up

to three times. Each time you select it , you must choose

a di erent type of defens e task. Ena bl er.

• Successive Attack (2 Speed points) : If you take down ae, you can im med iately make anoth er attack on that

same turn again st a new e with i n your reach. The

second attack is part of the sa me act ion. You can u se th i s

ghting move with melee attacks and ranged attacks.

Enabler .

Third-Tier GlaiveThi rd -t ier g la ives have the l lowing ab i l i t ies :

Expert Cypher Use: You can bear three cyphers at a time.

Sk il l With Attacks: Choose on e type of attack in which


21/66

PLAYR'S GD

GLAIVE CONNECTIONRoll a d20 or choose om the llowi ng l ist to determi ne a specic ct about your backgroun d that provides a

conn ection to the rest of the world . You ca n a lso create you r own ct.

Roll Background

1 You were i n tle mi l i ta! an lave iens wlo st i l l serve. Your rmer commane r rememers ylo w

l ___

2 You were the persona l gua rd of a wealthy merchant who accused you of the. You left her service in di sgrace.

3 You were tle ou ncer in a local ar r a wli le, an tle patrons tlere remem er you.

4 You trai ned with a hi ghl y respected mentor. He regards you well , but he has many ene mie s.5 You train ed in an isol ated monaste r awa . The mo nks thi nk of you as a brother, but you're a stranger to all others.

6 You have no rmal tra in ing. Your abi l i t ies come to you natura l ly (or un natura l ly) .

7 You s nt t ime on the streets and even were in r ison r a whi le .

8 You wee onsi ped ino i l i ay sevie, bu you dese ed bee lon g.

9 You served as a bodygu ard to a owerful cri mi na l who now owes you h is li fe.

1 0 You worked a s a constable . Everyone knows you, but thei r opin ion s of you vary.

1 1 Your o lder s ib l ing i s an inmous g la ive who has been d isgraced .

1 2 You served as a caravan guard. You know a smatter ing of people i n many cit ies and towns.

1 3 Your best iend i s a sage and a scholar . She i s a great source ofknowledge.

1 4 You and a iend both smo ke the same kin d of rare, expens ive tobacco. The two of you get togethe r weekly to

chat and smoke.

1 5 Your uncle runs a theater i n town. You know al l the actors and watch a l l the shows r ee.1 6 Your b lacksmith iend sometimes cal ls on you r hel p at the rge. However, h e pays you wel l .

1 7 Your mentor wrote a book on the martial arts. Sometimes other warriors seek you out to ask about its stranger passages.

1 8 A man you ught a long s ide i n the mi l i tary i s now the mayor of a nearby town.

1 9 You saved the l ives of a mi ly when their hou se bu rned down. They're inde bted to you, and th eir nei ghbors

regard you as a hero.

20 Your old tra ine r st i l l expects you to come back and sharpen her b lades and c lean up aer her c lasses , but when

you do, she occas iona l ly shares interest ing rumors .

you are not a l ready tra ined: l ight bashi ng, l ight b laded, l i ght

ranged , med iu m bash i ng , med ium b l aded , med ium ranged ,

heavy bashi ng, h eavy bl aded , or heavy ran ged. You are

tra ined in attacks us i ng that type of weapon. Enab ler .Fighting Moves: Choose one of the l lowing ght ing

moves (or a move om a lower t ier) to add t o your

reperto ire . I n addit ion, you can a lso replace on e of your

lower-tier ghtin g moves with a d ierent ghtin g move

om the sa me l ower tier.

• Experienced With Armor: The cost reduct ion om your

Practiced in Armor abi l ity im proves. You now reduce the

Mi ght cost per hour and the Speed Poo l reduct ion by 3.

Enabler .

• Lunge (2 Might points): Th is move requi res you to extend

yoursel f r a powerful stab or sma sh. T he awkward l un ge

increases the d ifculty of the attack ro l l by one step. Ifyour attack is successl , i t in icts 4 addit i onal points of

dam age. Act ion.

• Slice ( 2 Speed points): Thi s is a q uick attack with a b laded

or pointed weapon that is hard to defend again st . The

diculty of the attack ro l l is decreased by one step. If the

attack is successful , i t deal s 1 less p oint of damage than

normal . Act ion.

• Spray (2 Speed poi nts): I f a weapon has the ab i l i ty to

re rapid s hots withou t re loadin g (us ual ly cal led a

rapid re weapon, such as the crank crossbow), you

can sp ray mu lt ip l e sh ots around your target to in crease

the chance of hitt ing. Th is move uses d6 + 1 rounds

of ammo ( or a l l the ammo in the weapon , i f i t has less

than the nu mber ro l led) . The diculty of the attack ro l l isdecreased by one step. If the attack is su ccessful , i t dea ls

1 less po int of damage than n ormal . Act ion .

• Trick Shot (2 S peed points): As part of the s ame act ion,

you m ake a ran ged attack agai nst two targets that are

with in im med iate range of each other. Make a separate

attack rol l aga in st each target. The dicu lty of each

attack ro l l is increased by one step. Act ion.

Fourth-Tier GlaiveFourth-t ier g la ives have the l lowin g abi l i t ies :

Ski ll With Attacks: Choose on e type of attack in wh ich

you are not a lready tra ined: l ight bashing, l ight b laded, l ightranged , med iu m bash i ng , med ium b l aded , med ium ranged ,

heavy bashi ng, he avy blade d, or heavy ranged. You are

tra ined in attacks us i ng that type of weapon. Enab ler .


moves (o r a move om a lower tier) to add to your

reperto i re . In add i t ion , you can a l so rep lace one of your


fom the same lower tier.

• Capable Warrior: Your attacks deal 1 addit ional point of

damage. Enabler .


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• Experienced Defender : When wear i ng armor, you gai n + 1

to Armor. Ena bl er.

• Feint (2 Speed points): I f you spend one act ion creat in g a

mis di rect ion or d ivers ion, in th e next round you can take

advantage of your opponent 's lowered den ses . Make

a melee attack rol l against that opponent. The difculty

of the rol l is decreased by one step. If your attack is

successful , i t in icts 4 addit ional points of dam age.Act ion.

• Minor to Major: You treat ro l ls of natura l 1 9 as ro l l s of

natur a l 20 r Might attack ro l ls o r Speed attack ro l l s

(you hoie when you gain h is a bi l i y) . Thi s a l l ows you

to gain a major eect on a nat ural 1 9 or 20. E nab ler.

• Snipe (2 Speed points): I f you spend one act ion a imi ng ,

in th e next round you can m ake a precise ran ged attack.

The d iculty of the attack ro l l is decreased by one step. If

your attack is successl , i t in icts 4 addit i onal points of

dam age. Act ion.

Fih-Tier GlaiveFih-t ier g la ives have the l lowing abi l i t ies :Adept Cypher Use: You can bear ur cyphers at a time.

Ski ll With Attacks: Choo se one type of attack, even one

in wh ich you are a l ready t ra ined : l ight bash ing , l ight b laded ,

l ight ranged , med i um bash i ng , med iu m b laded , med i um

ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You

are trained in attacks us in g that type of weapon. If you' re

al ready trai ned i n that type of attack, you i nstead become

speci al ized i n that type of attack. Ena bl er.


moves (or a move om a lower t ier) to add t o your

reperto ire . I n addit ion, you can a lso replace on e of your

lower-tier ghtin g moves with a d ierent ghtin g moveom the sa me l ower tier.

• Arc Spray (3 Speed points): If a weapon has th e ab i l ity to

re rapid shots without re loading (usual ly cal led a rapid

re weapon, such as the crank crossbow) , you can re your

weapon at u p to th ree targets (al l next to one a nother) at

once. Make a separate attack roll against each target. The

dicu lty of each attack is i ncreased by one step. Action.

• Jump Atack (5 Might points): You attem pt a dicu lty

4 M ight action to ju mp h igh into the ai r as part of

your mel ee attack. If you su cceed, your attack ini cts 3

addi tiona l poi nts of dam age and knocks the e down.

If you il , you sti l l m ake your no rmal attack rol l , but youdon 't in ict the extra damage or knock down the opponent

if you hit. Action .

• Mastery With Armor: Whe n you wear any armo r, you

reduce the armor's penalt ies (Might cost and S peed

reduction) to 0. If you select this ghti ng move and you

already have the Experienced With Armor move, you

shou ld replace Experienced With Armor with a di erent

th ird-tier move because Mastery With Armor is better.

Enabler.

• Mastery With Defense: Choose one type of defens e

task in which you are tra ined: Mi ght , Speed, or Inte l lect.

You are spec ial ized in defens e tasks of that type. Un li ke

most ghtin g moves, you can sel ect th is move up to

three t imes . Each t ime you se lect it , you m ust choose a

di erent type of defens e task. Ena ble r.

• Parry (5 Speed points): You can deect inco mi ng attacks

qu ickly. When you activate th is move, r the next 10

rounds you reduce the d ifculty r a l l Speed defensero l ls by one step. En abl er.

Sixth-Tier GlaiveSixh- ie g la ives have he l lowing ab i l i ies

Skil l With Attacks: Cho ose one type of attack, even one

in which you are a lready tra ined: l ight bashi ng, l i ght b laded,

l ight ranged , med ium bash ing , med ium b laded , med ium

ranged, h eavy bash ing, heavy blad ed, or heavy ranged.

You a re trained in attacks us in g that type of weapon. If

you're a lready trai ned in that type of attack, you i nstead are

speci al ized i n that type of attack. En abl er.

Fighting Moves: Choose one of the l lowing ght ingmoves (o r a move om a lower tier) to add to your

reperto i re . In add i t ion , you can a l so rep lace one of your


fom the same lower tier.

• Finishing Blow (5 Might points): If your e is prone,

stun ned, or somehow help less or incapacitated when

you strike, you in ict 6 addit ional poi nts of da mage on a

successful h it . Enab ler .

• Slayer (3 Mi ght points): When you successl ly str ike an

N PC or creature of level 5 o r lower, m ake anot her rol l

(us ing wh ichever stat you u sed to attack) . If you su cceed

on the second ro l l , you ki l l the target outr ight . If you

use th is ght ing move again st a PC of any t ier and yousucceed on the second rol l , the character moves down

one step on the da mage track. En able r.

• Spin Attack (5 Speed points): You stand st i

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