Turns
Turns Core 468 Start your Turn Your durations measured in rounds decrease by 1; use one triggered action with a trigger of “your turn begins”; attempt a recovery check if you’re dying; regain your 3 actions and 1 reaction. Act Use your actions. End your Turn End anything that lasts until the end of your turn; take persistent damage and attempt to recover from it; use one triggered action with a trigger of “your turn ends”.
Basic Actions
Aid DC 20 check to give a +1 circumstance bonus to assisted skill check or attack roll (crit success: +2, +3 if master, +4 if legendary). Crawl [one-action] (move) Move 5 feet while prone. Delay [free-action] Select this when your turn begins; take your turn later. Drop Prone [one-action] (move) Fall prone. Escape [one-action] (attack) Attempt to get free when grappled, restrained, or immobilized. Use unarmed attack modifier, Acrobatics, or Athletics. Interact [one-action] (manipulate) Grab an object, open a door, draw an item, or do a similar action. Leap [one-action] (move) Jump horizontally 10 feet (15 feet if your Speed is 30 feet or more), or vertically 3 feet and horizontally 5 feet. Ready [two-actions] (concentrate) Prepare to take a single action or free action as a reaction with a trigger you designate. Release [free-action] (manipulate) Release something you’re holding without triggering reactions. Seek [one-action] (concentrate, secret) Scan an area for signs of creatures or objects using Perception. Sense Motive [one-action] (concentrate, secret) See if a creature is lying. Stand [one-action] (move) You stand up from prone. Step [one-action] (move) Move 5 feet without triggering reactions. Stride [one-action] (move) Move up to your Speed. Strike [one-action] (attack) Attack with a weapon or unarmed attack. Take Cover [one-action] Gain cover, or get greater cover if you have cover.
Speciality Basic Actions
Arrest a Fall [reaction] Use Acrobatics to slow your fall while flying. Avert Gaze [one-action] Get a +2 circumstance bonus against visual abilities. Burrow [one-action] (move) Move up to your burrow Speed. Fly [one-action] (move) Move up to your fly Speed. Moving upward counts as traveling through difficult terrain. You can move straight down 10 feet for every 5 feet of movement you spend. If you’re airborne at the end of your turn and didn’t Fly this round, you fall. Grab an Edge [reaction] (manipulate) Try to catch something to stop a fall. Mount [one-action] (move) Get on an allied animal bigger than you to ride it. Point Out [one-action] (auditory, manipulate, visual) Reveal unobserved creature. Raise a Shield [one-action] Put up a shield to get its bonus to AC.
Death and Dying
Knocked Out When reduced to 0 HP, move your initiative to directly before the creature or effect that reduced you to 0 HP. Gain dying 1, or dying 2 if the damage came from a critical hit or your critical failure on a save. A nonlethal effect makes you unconscious at 0 HP and doesn’t give you the dying condition.
Dying You are unconscious. If you ever reach dying 4, you die. Attempt a recovery check at the start of your turn to determine whether you get better or worse. If you ever have 1 HP or more, you lose the dying condition. Any time you lose the dying condition, increase your wounded value by 1. If you take damage while dying, increase the dying value by 1 (or 2 on an enemy’s critical success or your critical failure).
Recovery Checks At the start of your turn when you’re dying, attempt a flat check (DC 10 + your dying value).
- Critical Success Your dying value is reduced by 2.
- Success Your dying value is reduced by 1.
- Failure Your dying value increases by 1.
- Critical Failure Your dying value increases by 2.
Wounded Any time you gain the dying condition or increase it for any reason, add your wounded value to the amount you gain or increase your dying value. The wounded condition ends if you receive HP from Treat Wounds, or if you’re restored to full HP and rest for 10 minutes.
Doomed The maximum dying value at which you die is reduced by your doomed value. If your maximum dying value is reduced to 0, you instantly die. Your doomed value decreases by 1 each time you get a full night’s rest.
Unconscious
You can’t wake up from unconsciousness while you have 0 Hit Points. If you’re unconscious and have 1 or more Hit Points, you wake up in one of five ways. • You take damage, provided the damage doesn’t drop you to 0 HP. • You receive healing, other than natural healing from resting. • Someone nudges or shakes you awake with an Interact action. • If there’s loud noise, at the start of your turn attempt a Perception check against the noise’s DC, waking up if you succeed. If creatures are attempting to stay quiet, this uses their Stealth DC. • The GM decides you wake up either because you have had a restful night’s sleep or something disrupted that restful sleep.
Treat Wounds
| Proficiency | DC | Success Healing | Critical Healing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trained | 15 | 2d8 | 4d8 |
| Expert* | 20 | 2d8+10 | 4d8+10 |
| Master* | 30 | 2d8+30 | 4d8+30 |
| Legendary* | 40 | 2d8+50 | 4d8+50 |
*Rolling against a higher DC is optional.
Terrain
Difficult Terrain Each square costs 5 extra feet of movement. Greater Difficult Terrain Each square costs 10 extra feet of movement. Hazardous Terrain Moving through hazardous terrain deals damage. Narrow Surface Flat-footed and must Balance to cross. When you’re hit or fail a save, succeed at a Reflex save or fall. Uneven Ground Flat-footed and might need to Balance or fall prone. When you’re hit or fail a save, succeed at a Reflex save or fall. Incline You need to Climb to ascend an incline. You’re flat-footed while Climbing.
Cover
Draw a line from the center of the attacker’s space or burst to the center of the target’s space. Lesser Cover +1 circumstance bonus to AC if line passes through creatures but no objects. Cover +2 circumstance bonus to AC, Reflex saves against area effects, and Stealth checks to Hide or Sneak. You can use Take Cover (Core 471) to increase this to greater cover. Greater Cover As cover, but a +4 bonus.
Hero Points
Give out 1 Hero Point to each PC at the start of the session. Give out roughly 1 more per hour of play, for a heroic act or a moderate or major accomplishment. Hero Points can be spent in two ways. Spend 1 Hero Point to reroll a check and use the second result. This is a fortune effect. Spend all your Hero Points to avoid death. You can do this when your dying condition would increase. Lose the dying condition and stabilize with 0 Hit Points. Don’t gain or increase your wounded value from losing the dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition you don’t lose it or decrease it.
Skill Actions
E Exploration action, D Downtime action
-
Acrobatics (Dex, Core 240) Balance [one-action], Tumble Through [one-action] Trained Maneuver in Flight [one-action], Squeeze E
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Arcana (Int, Core 241) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Borrow an Arcane Spell E, Decipher Writing E (Core 234), Identify Magic E (Core 238), Learn a Spell E (Core 238)
-
Athletics (Str, Core 241) Climb [one-action], Force Open [one-action], Grapple [one-action], High Jump [two-actions], Long Jump [two-actions], Shove [one-action], Swim [one-action], Trip [one-action] Trained Disarm [one-action]
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Crafting (Int, Core 243) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238), Repair E Trained Craft D, Earn Income D (Core 236), Identify Alchemy E
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Deception (Cha, Core 245) Create a Diversion [one-action], Impersonate E, Lie Trained Feint [one-action]
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Diplomacy (Cha, Core 246) Gather Information E, Make an Impression E, Request [one-action] Intimidation (Cha, Core 247) Coerce E, Demoralize [one-action]
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Lore (Int, Core 247) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Earn Income D (Core 236)
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Medicine (Wis, Core 248) Administer First Aid [two-actions], Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Treat Disease D, Treat Poison [one-action], Treat Wounds E
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Nature (Wis, Core 249) Command an Animal [one-action], Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Identify Magic E (Core 238), Learn a Spell E (Core 238)
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Occultism (Int, Core 249) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Decipher Writing E (Core 234), Identify Magic E (Core 238), Learn a Spell E (Core 238)
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Performance (Cha, Core 250) Perform [one-action] Trained Earn Income D (Core 236)
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Religion (Wis, Core 250) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238) Trained Decipher Writing E (Core 234), Identify Magic E (Core 238), Learn a Spell E (Core 238)
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Society (Int, Core 250) Recall Knowledge [one-action] (Core 238), Subsist D (Core 240) Trained Create Forgery D, Decipher Writing E (Core 234)
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Stealth (Dex, Core 251) Conceal an Object [one-action], Hide [one-action], Sneak [one-action]
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Survival (Wis, Core 252) Sense Direction E, Subsist D (Core 240) Trained Cover Tracks E, Track E
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Thievery (Dex, Core 253) Palm an Object [one-action], Steal [one-action]Trained Disable a Device [two-actions], Pick a Lock [two-actions]
Simple DCs
| Rank | DC |
|---|---|
| Untrained | 10 |
| Trained | 15 |
| Expert | 20 |
| Master | 30 |
| Legendary | 40 |
DCs by Level
| Level | DC | Level | DC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 14 | 13 | 31 |
| 1 | 15 | 14 | 32 |
| 2 | 16 | 15 | 34 |
| 3 | 18 | 16 | 35 |
| 4 | 19 | 17 | 36 |
| 5 | 20 | 18 | 38 |
| 6 | 22 | 19 | 39 |
| 7 | 23 | 20 | 40 |
| 8 | 24 | 21 | 42 |
| 9 | 26 | 22 | 44 |
| 10 | 27 | 23 | 46 |
| 11 | 28 | 24 | 48 |
| 12 | 30 | 25 | 50 |
| Spell Level | DC |
|---|---|
| 1st | 15 |
| 2nd | 18 |
| 3rd | 20 |
| 4th | 23 |
| 5th | 26 |
| 6th | 28 |
| 7th | 31 |
| 8th | 34 |
| 9th | 36 |
| 10th* | 39 |
- 10th-level spells are usually uncommon or rare, so their difficulty should be adjusted accordingly.
DC Adjustments
| Difficulty | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Incredibly easy | -10 |
| Very easy | -5 |
| Easy | -2 |
| Hard (uncommon) | +2 |
| Very hard (rare) | +5 |
| Incredibly hard (Unique ) | +10 |
Specific Skill DCs
Craft Use a DC of the item’s level, adjusted for rarity. Earn Income Tasks The task level is typically the settlement’s level, and its DC uses the task level. Typical levels: village 0–1, town 2–4, city 5–7. Gather Information Set a simple DC based on the notoriety of the subject; adjust upward if the character seeks in-depth information. Identify Magic or Learn a Spell Use the DC for the spell or item’s level, adjusted by rarity; use the incredibly hard adjustment for cursed items. Recall Knowledge Set a simple DC; if the character tries again for more knowledge, adjust the DC one step higher each time until they fail or attempt an incredibly hard check. Sense Direction Pick a simple DC: trained in normal wilderness, expert in deep forest/underground, master or legendary in weird/surreal environments. Social Skills Use Will DC if known; if not, improvise a level. Track Select a simple DC, or a Survival DC if the quarry Covers Tracks.
Creature Identification
Use the creature’s level, adjusted for rarity and fame. Success recalls a well-known attribute; critical success adds something more subtle.
| Creature Trait | Skill |
|---|---|
| Aberration | Occultism |
| Animal | Nature |
| Celestial | Religion |
| Construc | Arcana, Nature |
| Ethereal | Occultism |
| Fey | Nature |
| Fiend | Religion |
| Fungus | Nature |
| Humanoid | Society |
| Montor | Religion |
| Ooze | Occultism |
| Plant | Nature |
| Spirit | Occultism |
| Undead | Religion |
Detecting Creatures
Observed A creature you’re observed by knows where you are and can target you normally. Concealed A creature that you’re concealed from must succeed at a DC 5 flat check when targeting you with a non-area effect. Hidden A creature you’re hidden from knows the space you’re in. It is flat-footed to you, and must succeed at a DC 11 flat check to affect you. You can Hide to become hidden, and Seek to find hidden creatures. Undetected When you are undetected by a creature, it’s flat-footed to you, can’t see you, has no idea what space you occupy, and can’t target you. It can try to guess your square by picking a square and attempting an attack. This works like targeting a hidden creature, but the flat check and attack roll are rolled in secret by the GM. Unnoticed A creature you’re unnoticed by is totally unaware of your presence. Invisible You’re undetected by everyone. You can’t become observed while invisible except via special abilities or magic.
Exploration Activities
You must move at half speed to use any of these activities. Avoid Notice Use Stealth to avoid being noticed. Defend Raise a Shield before your first turn begins. Detect Magic (concentrate) Detect magic at regular intervals. Follow the Expert (audible, concentration, visual) Gain bonus with a skill from an expert ally. Add your level if untrained, and get +2 circumstance bonus (+3 if ally is master, +4 if ally is legendary). Hustle Move at double Speed for up to Con × 10 minutes (minimum 10 minutes). Investigate (concentrate) Use Recall Knowledge to discover clues. Repeat a Spell (concentrate) Repeatedly cast the same spell, or continue Activation or Sustain a Spell. Scout (concentrate) Party members get +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls. Search (concentrate) Seek for hidden doors and hazards.
Falling Damage
When you fall more than 5 feet, take bludgeoning damage equal to half the distance you fell. If you take any damage, you land prone. If you fall into water or a soft substance, calculate damage as though the fall were 20 feet shorter, 30 if you intentionally dove in (up to the depth of the substance).
Structures
| Door | Climb DC | Hardness, HP (BT) |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | 20 | 10, 40 (20) |
| Stone | 30 | 14, 56 (28) |
| Reinforced wood | 15 | 15, 60 (30) |
| Iron | 30 | 18, 72 (36) |
| Wall | Climb DC | Hardness, HP (BT) |
|---|---|---|
| Crumbling masonry | 15 | 10, 40 (20) |
| Wooden slats | 15 | 10, 40 (20) |
| Masonry | 20 | 14, 56 (28) |
| Hewn stone | 30 | 14, 56 (28) |
| Iron | 40 | 18, 72 (36) |
| Portcullis | Climb DC | Hardness, HP (BT) |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | 10 | 10, 40 (20) |
| Iron | 10 | 18, 72 (36) |
Force Open
| Structure | Force Open DC |
|---|---|
| Stuck door or window | 15 |
| Exceptionally stuck | 20 |
| Lift wooden portcullis | 20* |
| Lift iron portcullis | 30* |
| Bend metal bars | 30 |
- Use the Thievery DC of the locking mechanism if it’s higher.
Travel Speed
| Speed | Feet per Minute | Miles per Hour | Miles per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 feet | 100 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 feet | 150 | 1-1/2 | 12 |
| 20 feet | 200 | 2 | 16 |
| 25 feet | 250 | 2-1/2 | 20 |
| 30 feet | 300 | 3 | 24 |
| 35 feet | 350 | 3-1/2 | 28 |
| 40 feet | 400 | 4 | 32 |
Environmental Damage
| Category | Damage |
|---|---|
| Minor | 1d6-2d6 |
| Moderate | 4d6-6d6 |
| Major | 8d6-12d6 |
| Massive | 18d6-24d6 |
XP Awards
| Accomplishment | XP Award |
|---|---|
| Minor | 10 XP |
| Moderate* | 30 XP |
| Major* | 80 XP |
- Typically awards a Hero Point as well.
| Adversary or Hazard Level | XP for Simple Hazard | XP for Creature or Complex Hazard |
|---|---|---|
| Party level – 4 | 2 XP | 10 XP |
| Party level – 3 | 3 XP | 15 XP |
| Party level – 2 | 4 XP | 20 XP |
| Party level – 1 | 6 XP | 30 XP |
| Party level | 8 XP | 40 XP |
| Party level + 1 | 12 XP | 60 XP |
| Party level + 2 | 16 XP | 80 XP |
| Party level + 3 | 24 XP | 120 XP |
| Party level + 4 | 32 XP | 160 XP |
Encounter Budget
| Difficulty | XP Budget | Character Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Trivial | 40 or less | 10 or less |
| Low | 60 | 15 |
| Moderate | 80 | 20 |
| Severe | 120 | 30 |
| Extreme | 160 | 40 |
Elite Adjustment
- Add 2 to AC, attack bonus, DCs, saves, Perception, and skills.
- Add 2 to damage for Strikes and offensive abilities, or 4 for abilities that can be used only a limited number of times.
- Increase HP using this table:
| Starting Level | HP Increase |
|---|---|
| 1 or lower | 10 |
| 2-4 | 15 |
| 5-19 | 20 |
| 20+ | 30 |
Weak Adjustment
- Subtract 2 from AC, attack bonus, DCs, saves, Perception, and skills.
- Subtract 2 from damage for Strikes and offensive abilities, or 4 for abilities that can be used only a limited number of times.
- Decrease HP using this table:
| Starting Level | HP Decrease |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | 10 |
| 3-5 | 15 |
| 6-20 | 20 |
| 21+ | 30 |