How to Play

1. Characters and attributes

Heroes have four attributes:

Each attribute has two mechanical pieces:

1. A modifier (for example from −1 to +5) used for damage, spell effects, DCs and anything the game ties directly to attribute scores.
2. A Boon/Bane rating 🎲 from −3 to +3 that affects how many dice you roll on tests.

Each class also has:

• Key attributes — usually two attributes that power most of its class features.
• Attack die type 🎲 — the die size they roll when making attacks (e.g. d6, d8).

2. Core resolution: Attribute tests with Boons and Banes

Any non-trivial action with an uncertain outcome uses an attribute test 🎲.

2.1 Building the dice pool

1. Pick an attribute — STR, DEX, INT or WIL, whichever matches what they are doing.
2. Start at 1d6 — every test starts with a pool of one die.
3. Add Boons and Banes ⚖️
   • Start from the attribute's own Boon/Bane rating.
   • Add Boons ✅ for things that help: strong positioning, good tools, help from another hero, class advantages, clever plans, favourable conditions.
   • Add Banes ❌ for things that hurt: bad footing, darkness, rushing, being outnumbered, conditions like Frightened, hostile environment.
4. Cancel out — Boons and Banes cancel one-for-one. Only the net result matters.
5. Set the pool size
   • Net 0: roll 1d6, keep that result.
   • Net +N: roll 1 + N d6 and keep the highest single die. ⬆️
   • Net −N: roll 1 + N d6 and keep the lowest single die. ⬇️

2.2 Reading the result

2.3 Optional: Position and Effect

Each action can have:

• Position — Controlled, Risky, or Desperate. Guides how hard consequences hit on 1–2 or 3–4.
• Effect — Limited, Standard, or Great. Guides how big the success is on 5–6.

These do not change the die result — they guide narration.

3. Grit

Grit is a meta-currency that rewards brutal failures and improves your odds on later rolls. Each hero tracks Grit from 0 to 5.

3.1 Gaining Grit

You gain 1 Grit when:

• You make an attack, attribute test, save, or Initiative roll
• The kept die (the single result your pool is judged by) shows a 1
• You are not already at 5 Grit

You gain at most 1 Grit per roll, even if several dice show 1. You cannot spend freshly earned Grit on the same roll.

3.2 Spending Grit: Steady the roll

Cost: 1 Grit Timing: Declared before rolling

Effect — choose one:

• Add 1 Boon to the roll, or
• Cancel 1 Bane from the roll

Rules:

• You choose which effect each time.
• You can only use Steady the Roll once per roll.
• You cannot use Grit on the roll that just generated it.

4. Saves

When the world acts on a hero and they try to resist (poison, fire, fear, charms, traps, etc.) they make a save — which is just an attribute test aimed at resisting an effect.

• Pick STR, DEX, INT or WIL depending on how they resist.
• Build the dice pool with Boons/Banes as normal.

Each hero has:

• One advantaged save type — starts with +1 Boon ✅
• One disadvantaged save type — starts with +1 Bane ❌
• Two neutral save types

Situational Boons/Banes stack on top of this.

5. Initiative

Initiative uses a DEX attribute test and determines how many actions you start with in the first round.

From the second round onwards, everyone gets 3 actions at the start of their turn, regardless of Initiative.

Ambushes and surprise are handled with Boons and Banes on the Initiative roll. If the heroes are clearly ambushing, give them extra Boons or just decide they all count as 5–6.

Turn order — heroes act in table order, then all enemies, unless you want a more detailed order. In case of ties, heroes act before enemies; ties between heroes are resolved by table order.

6. Actions and reactions

6.1 Actions

On your turn you get 3 actions ⚡ (modified by Initiative on the first round).

Some strong effects cost 2 or 3 actions. Multi-action effects can be stretched across turns if you maintain Concentration or the rules for that effect allow it.

6.2 Reactions

Reactions are powerful off-turn moves taken during someone else's turn. Each reaction costs 1 action from your unused actions this turn. If you have no actions left, you cannot react.

Core reactions:

Each type of reaction can be used at most once per round.

7. Attacks and combat

7.1 Making an attack

1. Confirm what you are using (weapon, spell, class ability). That entry tells you which attribute it keys off and which attack die type you roll.
2. Identify the Primary Die (normally rolled separately or marked before rolling).
3. Check the Primary Die:
   • Shows 1 → the attack misses entirely ❌
   • Shows its maximum value → critical hit 💥
   • Otherwise → the attack hits ✅
4. On a hit: sum the damage dice, apply any flat modifiers, then apply armour rules.

7.2 Critical hits

On a critical hit:

• Explode the Primary Die — add its maximum value, roll it again, keep adding if you roll the maximum again.
• Critical hits ignore armour completely.
• Any riders (conditions, pushes, extra effects) can be boosted on crits at GM discretion.

7.3 Multiple attacks and rushed attacks

• The first attack each turn is normal.
• Each additional attack in that same turn is rushed 💨.
• Rushed attacks: roll your attack dice with +1 Bane (roll an extra die, keep the lowest).
• Enemies get +1 Boon on any saves against a rushed attack's effects.

Disadvantage stacks if you attack three or more times in one turn.

8. Armour and damage

Critical hits and vulnerabilities ignore armour.

• Resistance 🛡️ — halve damage after armour.
• Vulnerability 💔 — double damage, or treat the hit as an automatic crit.

9. HP, Wounds and dying

9.1 Hit Points

Hit Points (HP) represent your capacity to take physical punishment. Damage reduces HP but HP cannot go below 0.

9.2 Wounds

When your HP drops to 0:

1. Set HP to 0.
2. Gain 1 Wound 🩸.
3. Gain the Dying condition ☠️.

6 Wounds = death (or a lower cap for a grittier game).

9.3 Dying

While Dying:

• You can only take 1 action per turn.
• You lose Concentration on ongoing effects.
• Strenuous actions may force a STR save; on failure you gain 1 extra Wound.

If you take damage while Dying:

• Gain 2 Wounds — or 3 Wounds if the hit is a critical.

This makes it very dangerous to stay on the ground while enemies are still active.

9.4 Rests and healing

Field Rest (short rest) ⛺

• Spend Hit Dice to restore HP.
• Hit Dice spent are gone until a Safe Rest.

Safe Rest (long rest in safe conditions) 🛏️

• Restore all HP.
• Restore all spent Hit Dice.
• Restore all spell resources.
• Heal 1 Wound 🩹.

Magical healing and class features restore HP or remove conditions according to their own rules.

10. Movement, range and conditions

10.1 Movement

• A typical character has Speed 6.
• Spending 1 action to Move lets you move up to your Speed.
• Difficult terrain usually halves movement for that path.

10.2 Range

Weapons and spells list their effective ranges in either system.

10.3 Conditions

11. Monsters and minions

Monsters use the same core mechanics:

• Attributes (and Boon/Bane ratings if desired)
• HP, Wounds, armour type, conditions
• Attacks with their own damage dice and riders
• Saves as attribute tests

Minions are simplified enemies:

• Any hit that deals damage kills a minion.
• Minions do not gain Grit and usually do not crit.
• Groups of minions can be removed in batches when heroes deal big area damage.

Elite monsters can be given Grit and heroic reactions to feel closer to PCs.