Chapter 1: Playing the Game

Imagination is the name of the game! Monsters & Magic is a collaborative storytelling game where the players and the game master play together, sometimes with the dice, sometimes against the dice, to tell a story that everyone at the table can enjoy.

Player or Game Master?

Player characters, or PCs Game Master, or GMs.

Dice

Dice are what you roll with! They’re what add randomness to the game and help you determine whether what you’re trying to do will be successful or not. While you may be used to thinking of dice as little six-sided cubes, dice can come with many different numbers of sides!

Dice Notation

When you’re asked to roll dice, what dice (the number of sides the dice has) is indicated by a d followed by a number—a d6, for instance is a six-sided die, a d10 is a 10-sided die. The number of dice you should use is indicated by a number before the d—if you’re asked to roll 2d10, you’ll be rolling 2 ten-sided dice.

If you have a modifier, you’ll add it after the dice you’ve rolled. If you’re rolling 2d6+5, you’ll roll 2 six-sided dice, then take that result and add 5 to it; 1d12-2, and you’ll roll 1 12-sided die, then subtract 2 from it.

Sometimes, you’ll be told to increase or decrease a die size. Changing a die size by one step should change the average you can roll with it by about 1. If you need to decrease the size of 1d6, for instance, you’d instead roll 1d4. Sometimes, though, you’ll need to change the number of dice you roll, not just the number of sides the dice has—increasing 1d12 would become 2d6 instead of 1d14 (which is fairly uncommon). With a typical set of dice, the you’ll generally use the following scale:

11d41d61d81d101d122d63d4

Percentile Dice

Some rules may refer to a d100 or a d%; this is a percentile roll. You’re unlikely to find a die with 100 sides, so instead, you should roll 2d10, designating one as the “ones” digit, with two 0s as 100. You may be able to find a d10 that is numbered in increments of 10 to make percentile rolls easier.

Odd Dice Faces

Dice with an odd number of faces, like a d3, are typically hard to find as well. In these cases, if you can find an even faced dice thats twice the odd number you need, in this case a d6, roll that instead, divide the results by two, and round up.

What are Dice Used For?

The most common uses of dice in Monsters & Magic are:

Ability Checks

A pair of 10-sided dice (2d10) is the most common roll you’ll make while playing Monsters & Magic—it’s what you roll when you make an ability check, the mechanism to determine whether a creature succeeds or fails when they attempt something.

Damage Rolls

The second most common roll you’ll be making. Instead of rolling 2d10, you’ll be rolling with a die (or dice!) based on what you’re attacking with. Weapons all have a damage die associated with them, as do damage dealing spells. When attacking with a weapon, add the ability you used to make the attack roll with to the weapon’s damage.

Random Tables

Sometimes you’ll be asked to roll on a random table, for instance to determine what kind of loot you’ll find from a monster, or what items a store has in stock. These will each have their own dice associated with them.

Percentage Chances

Rarely, instead of using ability checks or random tables, a rule will say that something has a certain percent chance of happening, for instance a 5% chance. In those instances, roll d% and if the result is equal to or less than what you rolled, you’ve succeeded.

Abilities & Prowess

Every creature in the game has four abilities:

Focus

Your ability to think deeply about a subject, strategize, and connect disparate pieces of information.

Power

Your strength of body and mind. You make a power roll when you attack with weapons.

Cunning

Your decisiveness and ability to think and act quickly.

Luck

How often fortune swings in your favor.

In addition to adding these scores to narrative-relevant rolls, Power is used when making a weapon attack roll, is added to your hit point total, and determines how much you can carry, Cunning is used when making attack rolls with agile weapons and is added to your armor when wearing light or medium armor, and Focus is used when making attack rolls with precise weapons. Luck is also used to determine how many Luck Points you have.

Finally, creatures also have a Prowess score. For PCs it describes a their overall knowledge and experience, and is equal to their current tier of play plus 1, so a Journeyman character has a Prowess of 2, whereas a Legendary character has a Prowess of 5. A PC’s ability scores can never be higher than their Prowess.

Ability Checks

In Monsters & Magic, like other TTRPGs, you make rolls to determine the outcome of narrative events where success is not guaranteed. This is called an ability check. M&M uses a threshold system for ability checks—you roll 2d10, add the appropriate ability and modifiers, and check it against success thresholds: a 10 or below is a miss, an 11-15 is a weak hit, and a 16+ is a strong hit. If you roll doubles and the result after adding your ability is a miss, that becomes a critical miss. Rolled doubles and its a strong hit? That’s now a critical hit! Here’s what that looks like:

Result	Total	Description
Critical Hit	≥ 16 with doubles	You succeed with some additional benefit
Strong Hit	≥ 16	You succeed without issue
Weak Hit	11-15	You succeed, but with complications or trouble.
Miss	≤ 10	You fail—the GM decides what happens. Gain 1 XP
Critical Miss	≤ 10 with doubles	You fail, and there are complications. Gain 2 XP

When both your dice show the same value, you’ve rolled doubles. Doubles always grant +1 luck point, regardless of outcome. Doubles whose total lands in the strong-hit range (≥ 16) are also a critical hit; doubles whose total lands in the miss range (≤ 10) are also a critical miss.

Ability checks sometimes go by more specific names depending on what modifiers you add and their given context:

Skill check

Ability check with an applicable talent, if you have one.

Attack roll

Ability check targeting a creature or object within your weapon’s or spell’s range

When making a skill check with a talent, instead of the normal roll, replace one d10 with one d12—if you have expertise, you instead replace all d10s with d12s. When making a skill check, treat all 11s and 12s on the d12 as 10s for the purposes of critical hit doubles.

Group Checks

When a group’s success is determined not by an individual’s actions but how they work together, like finding their way out of a jungle, they make a group check. Each creature in the group makes an appropriate ability check, then determines the group’s success by:

1. Treating a critical miss as two misses and a critical hit as two strong hits
2. For each strong hit, remove one miss
3. Add up each result:
   • If there are more total hits than misses, the group succeeds
   • On a success, if there are more strong hits than weak hits, it’s a strong hit

Advantage & Disadvantage

You’ll sometimes be asked to roll with advantage or disadvantage—when you do so, you roll an additional 1d10. With advantage, take the 2 highest results, or a set of doubles that would result in a critical success. Disadvantage is the opposite: take the 2 lowest results or a set of doubles that would result in a critical miss. Advantage and disadvantage don’t stack, so 2 advantages and 1 disadvantage don’t work out to 1 advantage, the advantage and disadvantage just cancel each other out. If you wind up rolling triples, gain an additional luck point on top of the one you get for rolling doubles.

Effect Steps

If an effect happens at +1 step or -1 step, take the result that’s been rolled and change it by that many steps in, or against, the roller’s favor. Unless otherwise specified, this cannot turn a strong hit or a miss into a critical hit or a critical miss.

Ongoing, Forward, and Hold

Throughout the game, techniques, spells, or feats may tell you to take ± ongoing or forward to a roll—that’s a bonus (or hindrance) that you add to the provided ability check; ongoing is continuous until cleared, forward is for the next roll of that time. For example, if you rolled really well to try and influence a town’s mayor, you may get +2 ongoing to rolls to convince them to help you while you stay on their good side. If, however, you came into the mayor’s office and immediately called them the wrong name before getting to know them, you may take -2 forward to your roll as you start to interact with them.

Ongoing/forward and advantage/disadvantage can stack, and any ongoing/forward you get from multiple sources stacks as well, however, you can never have more than +2 total on a given roll from any combined ongoing/forward.

Ongoing

A modifier that is applied until the condition described when it was received is met.

Forward

A modifier that ends after it is used, or until the condition described when it was received is met.

Hold is similar—you’re given a pool of things to hold onto that you can spend to do something later down the line. You may be given a cache of fire arrows that you can use to deal fire damage with a ranged weapon, for example, and told to hold 3-firearrow. Whenever you use one of your hold, you reduce your count by 1, until you reach 0. Hold expires when you have no more of it left, until the hold’s end condition is met, or a long rest.

Hold

A tracker of charges to be spent that lasts until the condition described when it was received is met or you take a long rest. Whenever you gain hold, it will be of some type (like arrows); hold of the same type stacks when you receive it.

Luck Points and Doom

Luck Points are a way for your character to change the narrative of the game. Each character has a base pool of Luck Points equal to 1 + LUCK (minimum of 1). You can spend luck points to do one of the following:

Feeling Lucky

Roll a check with advantage

Bend Luck

Move a roll you make, or one made against you, one step in your favor.

Lucky Find

Add something helpful to the current narrative that you would have been lucky to stumble across, like the key to a locked door or a cipher for an ancient script. The GM may ask you to spend multiple points depending on your suggestion, or may veto your suggestion (in which case you don’t spend your Luck Point)

Change of Luck

Take the spotlight from the current team during combat

Whenever you spend a Luck Point, though, the GM gains a Doom. the GM can use Doom like PCs can use Luck Points, as well as to power monster abilities and advance fronts more quickly. GMs also gain temporary Doom equal to the total amount of luck their monsters have at the start of combat.

At the end of a long or extended rest, PCs gain 1 Luck Point if they have fewer Luck Points than their base pool. Any Luck Points above your base pool that you have get transferred to the GM as Doom. They also gain one Doom per player.

Health & Fatigue

In Monsters & Magic, you have two tracks that represent your resilience: your hit points and your fatigue. Hit points represent how much physical damage you can take before you start dying, and fatigue represents how much you’ve pushed yourself.

Hit Points & Armor Class

Hit Points (HP) represent how much physical damage you can take before you start dying. Hit points are determined primarily by your class: fragile classes like Wizards have 12 HP, typical classes like Rogues and Rangers have 15 HP, strong classes like Fighters have 21 HP, and brutish classes like Barbarians have 27 HP. To each of these, you also add your Power, even if it’s negative, so a Wizard with a -1 Power would have 11 HP, and a Barbarian with 2 Power would have 29 HP.

To determine how much damage you take when attacked, characters have an Armor Class (AC). AC is based on a threshold system—you have your base AC, a low threshold, and a high threshold. Compare the damage rolled against your character to your AC: if it’s below your low threshold, you mark 1-fatigue, greater than your low threshold but less than your median threshold, you lose 1 HP, greater than your median and less than your high, 2 HP, greater than or equal your high, 3 HP. For every 5 damage above your high, take another HP.

All armor gives its median threshold and it’s level of protection: light, medium, or heavy. To calculate your low and high thresholds, subtract 4 or add 5 for light armor, subtract 3 and add 6 for medium armor, and subtract 2 and add 7 for heavy armor.

When you are attacked, you’ll defend with one of your four abilities, adding that ability to your AC (even if the ability is negative). If you aren’t wearing armor or you’re wearing Light armor, you add the full value of your ability. If you’re wearing medium armor, you can add up to 2 points from the defending ability. Heavy armor, you can’t add any. If you aren’t wearing any armor, you calculate your AC with light armor thresholds.

If a creature has resistance or vulnerability to the type of damage being dealt, they move the calculated threshold up or down one step in their favor: resistance to fire damage would move a 2 HP hit down to a 1 HP hit, vulnerability would move it up to 3 HP. If you resist a damage type and it deals damage below your low threshold before applying your resistance, you’re unaffected.

When a creature is at or below 50% of its maximum health, it’s said to be bloodied. Some feats, traits, techniques, or monster abilities trigger when a creature is bloodied. GMs are encouraged to let players know when a monster is bloodied.

Fatigue & Exhaustion

In addition to getting marked when you take small amounts of damage, fatigue is used to power you techniques, spells, feats, and more! Think of it as a “giddyup” pool—you typically don’t need to spend any to do basic things, but spending them can let you deal more damage, make combat move faster, apply conditions, get out of tricky situations, and the like. It’s not a bottomless resource, though!

PCs have 5 fatigue per level of exhaustion, which represents how far a creature has pushed itself, and 5 levels of exhaustion. Whenever you need to mark more fatigue you have in an exhaustion level, spend 1 to raise your exhaustion level by one, resets your fatigue tracker to 0, then continues marking fatigue. For instance, if you had 4 fatigue and 1 exhaustion and had to mark 3 fatigue, you’d mark 1 to get to 5 fatigue, 1 to update your exhaustion to 2 and reset your fatigue tracker, and then 1 on your new reset fatigue tracker.

If you need to mark an exhaustion and can’t, you’re knocked unconscious for 8 hours, at which time your exhaustion is reduced by 1 and you wake up. If you’re dying, you instead die.

Temporary Hit Points

You may be granted temporary hit points. Temporary hit points are a hit point pool you reduce from first when taking damage instead of your normal hit point pool. Think of them as an extra boost of vitality. Temporary hit points do not stack, so you cannot gain them from multiple sources. Any temporary hit points you have are removed at the end of a long or extended rest.

Death & Dying

If your HP total is reduced to 0, you fall unconscious and prone and start dying. Your goal is to stabilize, which you can do by rolling a strong hit or a critical hit on a Luck roll, or accumulating 3-deathsave. When you stabilize, you remain unconscious until you’re healed at least 1 HP or until you’ve finished a long rest. This is called a death save

On your turn, or every 6 seconds, make a Luck roll. On a weak hit, hold 1-deathsave, on a strong hit, you stabilize immediately, and on a critical hit you stabilize, heal 1 HP, and recover from being unconscious. On a miss, you mark 1-exhaustion.

If you take damage wile dying, mark 1-exhaustion. If you are healed while dying, your HP is reset to 0 plus the amount you were healed, you stabilize, and you are no longer unconscious. When you stabilize, reset your held deathsave.

While dying, if you need to mark exhaustion and you can’t, you die.

When you die Death themself come to bargain with you. The GM will give you with a deal—a path you need to take, a change you need to make, or something of the like. Either accept the bargain and stabilize, or refuse, seal your fate, and pass on.

Talents

A talent is something you’re known for. There’s no set list of talents, instead, you answer the following questions to build a talent:

• What skill, background, or experience do you have?
• How did you acquire it?

Combine them into a title someone may refer to you as, and you have a talent!

Talents can’t grant mechanical character benefits, like spells or techniques, special abilities, or senses, like “Invincible” or “One-Hit Killer”. They also can’t be too broad, applying to virtually every roll, like “Supergenius” or “Omniskilled”. Talents need to be specific and either earned, through hard work or your station in life, or learned, something you could teach others.

Each of your talents has a proficiency tier:

Trained

When making a skill check that draws on this talent, swap one of your d10s for a d12.

Expert

When making a skill check that draws on this talent, all of your d10s for d12s.

Talents are used to make skill checks.

Equipment

Every character starts with proficiency with simple weapons, with some traits, heritages, and feats granting you additional weapon and armor proficiencies. Gaining a spellcasting feat grants you proficiency with spellcasting conduits. If you do not have proficiency with a weapon you’re wielding or armor you’re wearing, you make attack rolls at disadvantage, and you cannot cast spells that require somatic components.

Loadouts

Each character also has two loadouts—sets of equipment that they can quickly and easily swap between. Equipment loadouts can include:

• Either a single primary weapon, secondary weapon, or conduit, optionally with a shield
• A primary and a secondary weapon
• Two secondary weapons
• A conduit and a secondary weapon
• Two conduits

In addition, you have an item loadout with a number of small items (potions, spell scrolls, handheld tools, adventuring gear) equal to your Prowess available for easy access. Swapping between equipment loadouts, or using a small item in your item loadout, can be done with the Use Item technique. Armor does not change with loadout, and equipment your loadout cannot require the use of more than two hands.

Weight & Carrying Capacity

While adventuring, you’re going to pick up stuff, and that stuff has weight. How much weight you can lug around is your carrying capacity, and how much you’re currently carrying is your load.

Each 1 weight weighs approximately 5-10 lbs. There are some items, though, that have a negligible effect on your load; they have 0 weight. Other items only have an effect on your load when you’ve got a bunch of them, those are marked as light weight—10 light weight items, in any combination, weighs 1 weight. Some equipment, like a backpack, make it easier to carry more; their weight is negative. Any combination of 1000 gold and gems that don’t have their own weight has 1 weight.

Your carrying capacity is the most you can carry before becoming encumbered and is equal to your +POWER plus 10. When you’re encumbered, you speed is halved and take you take -2 ongoing to all rolls until you’re no longer encumbered. Your load can never be more than your carrying capacity +3.

Techniques

Techniques provide creatures with moves they can make, typically in combat, and are divided into three categories: Basic Techniques, which all creatures know, Advanced Techniques, which an adventurer or creature may have access to and are available from the start of the game, and Rare Techniques, which are very powerful and can only be gained at higher levels or through the course of your story. Martial characters typically get a pool of techniques to use instead of spells to cast.

Techniques are powered by two things: Action Points and fatigue. Different techniques cost different amounts of both depending on how powerful they are or how much time and effort it takes to do, for instance, the Help basic technique costs 2 AP, whereas the Move technique costs only 1. Unless a technique says otherwise, you can only use it once per turn. Some techniques will call for you to use another technique, for instance, do something, then strike a creature—this does not count as a usage of the named technique.

Combat

When all else fails, it’s time for combat!

When in combat, there is no prescribed turn order, instead, who’s going is determined by what side of combat has the spotlight. Combat typically has a natural narrative beginning—someone flips a chair, throws a punch, or triggers an ambush. When there’s a clear instigator, that side starts with the spotlight, otherwise the players start with the spotlight.

The Spotlight

Combat happens in rounds, with each round lasting approximately 6 seconds. A round starts when the first creature involved takes its turn and ends when the last creature involved takes its turn. Whoever is taking their turn holds the spotlight. Combat is dangerous: in addition to the normal rules, the following also applies:

Critical Hit

Double the damage die you roll, or increase the duration of an applied condition by 2 rounds

Strong Hit

Normal damage roll or condition duration

Weak Hit

Normal damage roll or condition duration. The creature(s) being attacked can use its reaction to make a 1 AP move

Miss

The spotlight will switch sides at the end of this turn. The creature(s) being attacked are unaffected, and can use its reaction to make a 1 AP move.

Critical Miss

The spotlight immediately switches sides

Passing the Spotlight

The spotlight switches to the opposing side at the end of a creatures turn if an offensive action has no effect on any target. If the spotlight hasn’t switched sides:

• A creature on the current side chooses who goes next.
• PCs may spend a Luck Points or the GM may spend a Doom to seize the spotlight and immediately take a turn. This can happen only once per turn.

Once a creature has taken a turn, it cannot take another turn until all creatures in combat have taken one

Action Points

On a creature’s turn, they have a set number of Action Points (AP) that they can spend to do things with—move, attack, help another creature, etc…. PCs typically have 3 AP per turn, whereas monsters, especially more dangerous ones, may have more. You can’t spend more AP in a turn than you have, and unused AP doesn’t carry over to your next turn.

Reactions

Unless otherwise specified, creatures can also take one reaction. Unlike AP, which you can only use on your turn, reactions can be taken whenever their trigger condition is met. Once you take a reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of your next turn.

Ready an Action

You can also choose to ready an action; when you do so, you choose a specific trigger and spend the appropriate AP for the action you want to make, but wait to resolve it (mark any fatigue or take the action) until the trigger is tripped. In response to the trigger being tripped, you then resolve it. This uses your reaction. If the trigger is not tripped by the start of your next turn, it ends without resolving.

Basic Techniques

Every creature can take use one of these basic techniques as an action on their turn. provided they meet any prerequisites (like being able to cast spells). You may gain other techniques as you progress throughout the game. See Techniques for full list of techniques.

Reach & Range

Some actions will use a phrase like “within your reach” to describe a distance; this is the range of your equipped weapon and, if unspecified, refers to your equipped melee weapon. If it’s used as a trigger for a reaction and the action has you make an attack, it must be with the equipped weapon, unless otherwise specified. If you do not have a melee weapon equipped, it’s within touch range of yourself (5 feet).

Melee weapons cannot be used at a distance further than touch range, and spells can’t be cast further than their stated range. Ranged weapons, however, can; you can try to attack a creature up to twice your ranged weapon’s range away, making your attack roll with disadvantage if it’s beyond normal reach. Anything further away than twice your ranged weapon’s range cannot be targeted.

Flanking

While two or more allies are adjacent to, and on opposite sides of, an enemy, they flank the enemy. This grants the flanking allies +2 ongoing to melee attack rolls against that enemy.

Mounted Combat

A willing creature that is at least one size larger than a rider and has the appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount. You can use the Mount or Dismount technique to get on and off of a mount. If you’re on a mount and an effect would force you off of it, make a Cunning roll—on a miss, you’r thrown from your mount and knocked prone in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the mount, on a weak hit you can either mark 2-fatigue to stay on your mount or be knocked from your mount to an unoccupied space within 5 feet but land on your feet. You make the same roll if you or your mount are knocked prone.

If a mount has been trained to accept a rider, the rider can control it. A controlled mount’s acts on the same turn as its rider, and it can only use the Move, Dodge, or Disengage techniques. An independent mount—one that lets you ride but ignores your control—acts on its own turn and can move and act as it likes.

Underwater Combat

While underwater, everything has resistance to fire damage. Attacks with are made with disadvantage unless the creature has a swim speed or is riding a mount with a swim speed, and the range of ranged weapons is halved.

Conditions

While adventuring, you may be subject to a condition, a positive or negative state that has an effect on you. Conditions stack, and you can have one that cancels another. Unless otherwise specified, a condition lasts until the end of the next round, or after 6 seconds. Whenever the same condition is applied again to the same creature, its duration is increased by 1 round.

Blinded

You cannot see—ability checks that rely on sight automatically miss, attack rolls against you are made with advantage, and your attack rolls are made with disadvantage.

Charmed

You're enthralled—you can't attack the charmer or target them with damaging abilities or magical effects, and the charmer has advantage on ability checks to interact with you socially.

Doomed

You're in grave danger—mark 1-fatigue at the start of every turn.

Empowered

You feel stronger than ever—ability checks are made with +2 ongoing

Encumbered

Your load is greater than your carrying capacity—your speed is halved and you take -2 ongoing to all rolls.

Frightened

You're scared for your life—you are weakened while you can see, hear, or feel the source of your fear, and you cannot move closer to the source of your fear.

Hastened

You've got a pep in your step—movement speed is doubled

Impaired

You can't exert much energy—lose 1 AP at the start of your turn

Inspired

You're ready to shape your destiny—clear inspired to gain a luck point and use it immediately. Inspired lasts until it's used or until you complete a long or extended rest.

Invigorated

It's tough to tire you out—recover +1 fatigue at the start of your turn

Invisible

You, and everything you're wearing or carrying, is hidden from sight—you become undetected and have advantage on attack rolls.

Petrified

You've been turned into a solid object—you're Stunned, Blinded, and Protected, but can't move or speak, and are unaware of your surroundings. You gain resistance to all damage and immunity to poison and disease not already in your system—those are suspended.

Prepared

You're ready for what comes next—take +2 forward on an appropriate roll

Prone

You've fallen to the ground—you become slowed, can only crawl to move. You have disadvantage on attack rolls. Attack rolls against you have advantage if the attacker is within touch range of you and disadvantage if they're further away. You can end this condition by taking the Move technique to stand up, spending ½ your maximum Speed.

Protected

It's harder to hurt you—you gain +2 AC while protected.

Quickened

You're ready to go—gain +1 AP at the start of your turn

Restrained

You're being held back—you're immobile and can't spend AP, except to teleport out of the restrained, until you mark 3-fatigue on your turn to free yourself. If you're being restrained by a creature, they can mark the same to prevent you from freeing yourself.

Slowed

It's harder for you to move—movement speed is halved

Stunned

You're dazed and unable to act—you're immobile and you can't spend AP or take reactions.

Sundered

Your armor is less effective—take -2 to your AC.

Unconscious

You're out—you become prone and stunned and are unaware of your surroundings

Weakened

Your strength has been drained—rolls are made with -2 ongoing

Combos

Many conditions represent escalating danger or power. These chains allow players, and the GM, to coordinate attacks to produce bigger and better results, comboing off of each other. For conditions in these chains, applying the same condition again behaves a little bit differently—instead of increasing the duration by 1 round, you can upgrade it to the next item in the chain.

Chains

• Slowed→Impaired→Stunned
• Doomed→Weakened
• Hastened→Quickened
• Invigorated→Empowered

When you get to the end of the chain, you have one of two options when you apply the same condition again: either extend its duration by 1 round, or “detonate” it, removing the condition immediately in exchange for a boon. Detonating Stunned or Weakened deals the target 3 HP of damage of whatever type caused the explosion (or physical, if no damage type specified)—if the attack specifies marking fatigue based on wounds taken, like the Mind Spike cantrip, that happens based on the 3 HP. This entirely bypasses armor thresholds (but not resistance or immunity). Detonating Quickened or Empowered instead immediately recovers 3 fatigue.

Rest & Recovery

There are three kinds of rests you can take as you adventure: a short rest, a long rest, and an extended rest. Each rest takes a certain amount of in-game time, during which time you can swap items in your loadout and take certain downtime activities. You can only rest if you’re in an area of relative safety. Several recovery options spend supplies—a unit of rations and remedies you can buy for 5g, gather during a rest, or earn as treasure.

Short Rest

A short rests takes 1 in-game hour during which you can choose two of the following downtime activities—you cannot take more than 3 short rests in a row before taking a long or extended rest:

Tend Wounds

Spend up to 2 supplies to heal yourself or an ally 1/4 of their max HP per supply spent

Clear Fatigue

Clear 2 fatigue

Gather Supplies

Search the area for supplies. Make a Focus roll—on a weak hit, gain 1 supply, on a strong hit, gain 2.

Prepare

Complete a number of tasks available when you prepare equal to your Prowess. One of those tasks can be to prepare yourself for the path ahead—when you do so, describe how you prepare yourself for the path ahead and become prepared for that scenario before your next long rest. If multiple party members prepare for the same thing together, they instead each hold 2 prepared, which can be spent 1

to become prepared for a relevant roll.

Long Rest

A long rest lasts 8 in-game hours and cannot be interrupted by more than 1 hour of strenuous activity (such as combat), during which characters typically eat and sleep. You can choose two of the following downtime activities:

Tend Wounds

Spend supplies to heal yourself or an ally 1/4 of their max HP per supply spent

Clear Fatigue

Clear all fatigue and optionally spend supplies to recover 1 exhaustion per supply

Gather Supplies

Search the area for supplies. Make a Focus roll—on a weak hit, gain 1 supply, on a strong hit, gain 2.

Take Watch

Spend 2 hours watching for danger. Make a Focus roll—the GM will tell you what you notice based on the result

Prepare

Complete a number of tasks available when you prepare equal to your Prowess. One of those tasks can be to prepare yourself for the path ahead—when you do so, describe how you prepare yourself for the path ahead and become prepared for that scenario before your next long rest. If multiple party members prepare for the same thing together, they instead each hold 2 prepared, which can be spent 1

to become prepared for a relevant roll.

Work on a Project

With GM approval, pursue a long-term project, such as deciphering an ancient text or crafting a new weapon.

Daily Preparations

Complete a number of tasks available during your daily preparations equal to your Prowess.

Extended Rest

An extended rest lasts for 12 in-game hours and cannot be interrupted by more than 1 hour of strenuous activity (such as combat), during which you can choose one of the following downtime activities:

Recuperate

Heal all HP, clear all fatigue, and recover 2 exhaustion

Level Up

Reflect on your adventure and advance to the next level, provided you have enough experience to do so

Work on a Project

With GM approval, pursue a long-term project, such as deciphering an ancient text or crafting a new weapon. Countdown twice, with +2 forward for each roll you make towards it.

Get a Job

Find work to earn some gold. This is typically a day job and the amount you earn is up to the GM’s discretion.

Daily Preparations

Complete a number of tasks available during your daily preparations equal to twice your Prowess.