Warbands

Each player begins with four to six characters for their Warband. (The Referee will say how many.) Each character should be either named or given a title, and each must be classed as one of the following types, with initial game statistics as indicated. (Lower ratings for Skills are better!)

All Throws involve rolling a single six-sided die and comparing it to a relevant score. Generate one Hit for each point that the throw exceeds the Skill's rating. (The number of Hits may also be called the "Margin" or "Magnitude.") Any Hits that you generate are typically spent to better achieve the character's aim.

Skills

When you attempt a risky action under pressure, throw and compare the result to the relevant Skill.

Example: For a Skill 3 test, a throw of "5" yields two Hits.

Saves

Saving Throws ("Saves") are used to avoid hazards or blunders, and are based on throws against the most relevant Skill:

• Warfare for toxins, paralysis, petrification, and exhaustion.
• Sorcery for most magical effects including charms, curses, mind-affecting magic, and advanced technology.
• Exploration for evasion, surprise, instinct, and feats of strength or agility.

Hits from Saving Throws are frequently compared to another's Skill test (to see whether the Save succeeds well enough to ameliorate/avoid the initial effect), or else are used to mitigate non-combat HP loss (often on a Hit-for-Hit basis).

Save scores are capped at 2 (even if the associated Skill is reduced to 1).

Combat

When one character attacks another, throw Warfare. Each Hit rolled inflicts one attrition against the target's Hit Protection (HP).

When a character's HP are reduced to zero, that character is immediately incapacitated and can no longer act.

When an incapacitated character receives first aid, the patient has a 50% chance of surviving (regain 1 HP). Otherwise, they are removed from play.

Special Combat Actions

When one character protects another, they may suffer [Warfare Hits] of damage per round on behalf of the protected character.

When a character spends their turn aiming with a ranged weapon, they may add +1 to their attack throw the following turn.

Each warband is commanded by a Leader, who always has access to the following Special Abilities:

• Favored by the Gods: Whenever you make a Save, treat the relevant Skill as a "2."
• Leadership: You may activate Rerolls (on a per session basis) for any member of your warband. (Starting/Default: 2 Rerolls)

When you create a new warband, select one member to be the group's Leader. Then, for that first Leader only, the character gains +3 HP and then benefits from an entry on the list below four times (repeating items as desired) to directly improve their statistics:

• Resilience: +1 HP
• Experience: Improve a Skill (by one point)
• Wizardry: +1 Spell
• Authority: +1 Reroll

Spells can each be cast once per day and always take effect when they are cast (although unwilling targets are granted a Save to ameliorate or avoid the effect). By default, spells affect one target (person, item, etc.) and either take effect instantaneously, or else persist for one Exploration Turn (roughly ten minutes in fiction).

Any Hits rolled on a Sorcery test when the spell is cast may be spent to improve the spell's effect:

• Extend the duration by one Turn per Hit.
• Designate an additional target per Hit.
• Increase the potency of the spell’s effect (as indicated in the spell descriptions).

All of a character’s spells are randomly determined from the same spell list (by default either Order or Chaos, though advanced spell lists may be available to certain specialist classes).

Order Magic (1d10)

1. Heal (2+Hits HP)
2. Tongues (plants, animals, & the dead)
3. Sculpt Elements
4. Command (one word, +1 word/Hit)
5. Charm
6. Sleep (4 HP, +4/Hit)
7. Hologram
8. Levitate
9. Shield (pool of 2+Hits temporary HP)
10. (Player’s Choice)

Chaos Magic (1d10)

1. Lightning Bolt (5+Hits in long line)
2. Fireball (3+Hits in nearby burst)
3. Skinwalker
4. Zombify (1+Hits corpses reanimated)
5. Elasticity
6. Invisibility
7. Golems (1+Hits small golems)
8. Elemental Wall (10 ft, +10/Hit)
9. Goo
10. (Player’s Choice)

Each character begins with their class's listed starting kit. In addition, roll on the tables below and distribute the gear among your Warband.

Random Starting Gear (1d30)

Roll FOUR times.

Small obscene artwork
Manacles
Set of Powerful Magnets
Box of Small Silver Bells
Pouch of Caltrops
Pouch of Ball Bearings
Jar of Strong, Fast-Acting Glue
Fishing Pole and Net
Hallucinogens
Bottle of Strong Spirits
Vial of Strong Acid
Alchemical Lubricant
Pack of Strong Incense
Flask of Strong Animal Scent
Bundle of Fireworks
Animal Snare
Pickax
Grappling Hook
Spyglass
Wooden Drum
Tin Penny Whistle
Medical Instruments
Lavish Attire (1 Set)
Hand Mirror
Smoke Bomb
Trained Dog
Hunting Bird
Bag of Baby Snakes
Goat
Three Chickens

Random Starting Minor Magic Items (1d4)

Roll TWO times.

1. Minor Health Potion (restores 1d3 HP)
2. Major Health Potion (restores 2d3 HP)
3. Spell Scroll (Order)
4. Spell Scroll (Chaos)

In addition to narrative accomplishments and rewards, characters may advance mechanically. It is also possible to recruit rare types of characters (specialist classes) in the course of the company's journeys.

Experience

At the end of each session, for each surviving character in your warband, choose one score and then gamble for the chance to improve it by one point:

• Hit Protection: 2d6 > [Max HP]
• Skill: d6 ≤ [Current Score] (Score Limit: 1)
• Spells Known: d6 > [No. of Spells] (Leader rolls d10 instead, for greater max spells)
• Rerolls: d6 > [Current No. of Rerolls] (Leader Only)

Designating a New Leader

If your Leader has been killed or chooses to retire, you may promote any surviving character in your warband to Leader. They immediately gain the "Favored by the Gods" (max Saves) and "Leadership" (rerolls) Special Abilities.

Training and Recruitment

You may spend treasure during Downtime (in-fiction time spent in a safe haven) to further upgrade your warband:

• Improve: Spend 100 Coin to make a bonus gambling attempt to improve one character.
• Recruit: Spend 100 Coin to recruit for (fill) an open spot on your Warband's roster with a basic class (Warrior, Adept, Explorer).
• Expand: Spend 1k Coin to increase your warband cap ("Manpower") by one (maximum: 12).