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EVOCRAFT RPG

A Sandbox Stor ytelling Game


Designed by
Scott Hillsman

Evocraft RPG Version 0.7


Copyright © 2015 by Scott H. Wilson
Original version, 0.1, © February 1, 2014
All rights reserved.

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De a r P l a ye r,
Thank you for picking up a copy of this game.
Countless adventures lie within these pages.

Also,
Evocraft RPG is a growing project – We distribute
free content and new versions regularly. Our community
shapes this growth. Through your input, we can refine
and build this creative experience. Join us to help make
gaming history:

evocraftrpg.com

If you purchased this early version of the game,


you can expect free updates (via email.) If you find you
aren’t receiving Evocraft mail, or if you have other inqui-
ries, please contact the game’s creator, Scott Hillsman, at:

evocraftrpg@gmail.com

If you borrowed a copy of this game without pay-


ing for it, please enjoy it, but consider donating to sup-
port our project at:

evocraftrpg.com

3
CORE BOOK

S wi rl i n g, w h i rl i n g,
T h e m i st , s u r ro u n d i n g, c o m p o u n d i n g
A-m e r r y-g o- ro u n d
Fa c e s a n d p l a c e s
N u m b e re d
Hu n d re d s
T h u n d e r.

L i o n s f l y o n b u t t e rf l y wi n gs.

T h e w o rl d c h a n g e s, a r ra n g e s,
S o r t i n g t h e m i st s o f i n f i n i t e h o ri z o n .

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What is Evocraft RPG?
Evocraft is collective art. In this game, you imagine a world with a small group
of friends. You will create the story of this world through acting, writing and
drawing. Evocraft is a storytelling game, also called a role-playing game, where
everyone acts as characters within a fictional world. This is like a form of im-
provised theater with dice. The players will speak the words of their characters
and narrate their actions. When faced with a challenge, players will roll dice
to determine whether or not they succeed. There are many role-playing games
in existence: Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder and World of Darkness (to name a
few.) People who have played these will understand the basic concept behind
this game. However, if you are new, then you are in a good place – this game
is designed for beginners and veterans alike.
Unlike the games mentioned above, Evocraft has a unique feature: this
world is not yet created. Evocraft is a game about creating your own world.
You start with a blank canvas, and by using the processes in this book, you
add countries and oceans, animals and plants, and all other manner of life.
You are given a sandbox of toys (or tools, if you prefer) that you use to build
your own unique world. And everyone in
a group gets to participate in this process.
This is like writing a fantasy story, where
you create a universe from scratch, co-
writing with other people.
The only difference is that once you
create this world, you get to live in it. This
is an exciting part: you play as characters
within the world you create. One player
becomes the Storyteller (abbreviated as
“ST”) who narrates the story as a whole.
The other players become protagonists in
the story. They will face challenges and tri-
umphs. It is these protagonist’s decisions
that will shape the outcome of the story.
You never know what’s going to happen
next, because it hasn’t happened yet. This
makes role-playing a thrilling and often
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moving experience. After all, it feels a bit like living another life.
Within the Evocraft package, you will find four books, and some print-
able sheets. The first book is this one, The Core Book. Here you find material
to create everything for your world. There are also instructions on how to play,
and how to be a Storyteller. The other three books are called the Era Books.
These contain five different settings for your world, that are based on timelines.
For instance, some settings are archaic, such as the medieval age (Era 2), while
another is post-apocalyptic (Era 5.) As for the printable sheets, these contain
information about your characters and their abilities. More on that later.
You can play the story of a world from its
inception in Era 1 all the way to its death in Era
5. Or you can choose a favorite setting and begin
your world there. In the end, there is one golden
rule of Evocraft: there is no wrong way to play
Evocraft. This is an experience of collaborative
fantasy. It is not a game of precise rules. A new
player should read the section “How to Play”
and then the rest of the Core Book becomes
a resource. It’s not necessary to read this book
cover to cover in order to play a game.

A Note From the Creator :


All my life, I have designed games and written stories. I’ve enjoyed
many RPGs, but I’ve always felt a longing for something more raw. I wanted a
game that reflected the pure creative energy of writing a novel. That is why I
created Evocraft. In many ways it is a game for creative people – for artists. If
you write, draw, compose music or find another expression, I hope this game
will inspire you. If you aren’t an artist yet, then perhaps by the end of this ex-
perience, you won’t be able to say that anymore.
The best rpg experiences leave me electrified. After a great session, I
spend hours thinking about what happened. Games are fun, and I suppose
that’s why we play them. I’ve also found that role-playing games are fantastic
bonding experiences. Think about this: you will share an experience in another
world with other people. Unlike books and movies, RPGs allow you to mentally
travel to another place with friends, rather than alone. This creates a special
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experience, like a shared secret. I don’t even know how to describe it.
This is something that has to be experienced. Therefore, I encourage you
to find a few friends and try this game. As you play, I also challenge you to
meditate on what your game is about. The themes, motifs and content of this
story is generated by the people who play. Therefore, it may reflect something
about your internal life. You might come out of this experience with new in-
sight into who you are, or what this life is about. I find that games can be learn-
ing experiences as well as entertainment. Whatever you get out of, I hope that
you find Evocraft fulfilling.

Happy journeys, my friends,



Scott Hillsman
Creator of Evocraft RPG
Contact me: evocraftrpg@gmail.com

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THE GLORIOUS TABLE OF CONTENTS

5. What is Evocraft RPG?


9. How to Play
32. Terraforming: Create the Earth
51. Create Animals
72. Create Plants
83. Create Spirits:
88. Nature Spirits
100. Farlanders
106. Great Ones
109. Create Humanoids
117. Create Cultures
124. Ten Thousand Possibilities
125. Evolution (Optional)
127. Character Design
153. Spellwork Compendium
168. Spiritwork Compendium
180. Combat
194. Healing & Illness
200. Trade & Items
209. Persuasion
212. Storyteller’s Guide
227. Appendix I: Color Roll Charts
228. Appendix II: Terminology
232. Acknowledgments

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How to Play
You will need:

-Your imagination (Most important.)

-A copy of the Evocraft Core Book (This book!)

-One of the five Evocraft Era Books.

-At least 1 pair of percentile dice. (Preferably 1 pair per


player. Ask a local game store to sell you these, and ask
how to use them, if you don’t know.)

-At least 1 block of 36 six-sided dice. (Preferably 1 block


per player. Also found at game stores.)

-Three ten-sided dice (You only need one set of these.)

-Paper & a printer (for printing character sheets.)

-Pencils & erasers.

&

Players: Any number of people can play a game of Evo-


craft. However, the recommended group size is 4-6 players.
You can play with a lot of people, but the drawback to this that
every player will have less time to participate. You can also play
with 1-3 players, but more character dynamic is usually benefi-
cial to the story.
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Evocraft is played in two phases. These are:
1) The Creative Phase
2) The Storytelling Phase
During both phases, the players are divided into two roles:
1) The Storyteller (ST)
2) The Players of Characters (PCs)
It is important to understand both of these roles, before
the game can be explained:

The Storyteller (abbreviated ST) is both the narrator


and the minor characters. The ST is the center of a story,
who both prompts and responds to the players. The ST
represents the whole world, and guides the plot of the
story. There is one ST per group.

The Players of Characters (abbreviates PCs) act as


protagonists within the story. These players will inhabit
the mind and actions of a single character. The story will
follow these characters, responding to their input. A player
is in control of their character’s actions and words, like an
actor on stage. All other players (besides the ST) are PCs.

The two phases of Evocraft are like separate games that


work together to make a single game. You start by play-
ing the creative phase, and then move to the storytelling
phase.

The Creative Phase is where you make animals, plants,


spirits, geographies and other things for your world. This
is the sandbox, where players invent the universe. Every
player, regardless of their role gets to create things for the
world. After a round of creating, the ST will collect ev-
erything that the other players designed. The ST can then
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use these creations as props or actors for the story of your
world, which is told through…

The Storytelling Phase: Where you play as characters


living through a series of dramatic events. This is the phase
where you enter your world. The ST becomes the narrator,
and the other players act as the protagonists. This story
can be told through many sessions, where the group meets
on a regular basis to continue the story. Often, you will
continue to grow this world through multiple storylines
(referred to as “campaigns.”) You might watch your world
progress from the ancient times, to the medieval, all the
way up to futuristic Eras. In many ways, Evocraft is the
story of a world.

Evocraft is simple: you collaborate to create a world,


and tell its story. You do this by 1) designing your world
and its inhabitants, and 2) playing as characters within that
world. How to play both phases is described in detail be-
low.

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The Creative Phase
Your tools for this phase are:
-Percentile Dice.
-Pencil, Paper & Lifeform Sheets.
The Evocraft books contain processes that provide you with a series of
creative prompts. Some of these prompts are generated by rolling dice, while
others only require imagination or reflection. These prompts are divided into
three categories:

1) Roll Charts.
2) Word-Fills
3) Interpretation Questions

ROLL CHARTS
A roll chart is a table of possibilities. On the left hand column, you will
find a range of numbers between 1 and 100. On the right hand column, you
will find an assortment of words. You use a roll chart by rolling a percentile
dice (abbreviated as 1d100.) Find the row with the number that corresponds
to the number you rolled. The word directly to the right of this becomes
your creative prompt.
The best way to understand this is through an example. Take the roll
chart below. If you roll a 36 on your dice, then your color is “red.” If you
rolled a 51, then your color is “Blue.”

1d100 Color
1-50 Red
51-100 Blue

Most lifeforms, and other facets of the world, are characterized through
multiple roll-charts. For instance, if you are creating an animal, you will roll
a chart to determine animal size, another to determine environment, another
to determine behavior, and so on. It is this collection of randomly rolled
traits that provides a skeleton for your creation.
But this skeleton is only just the beginning. Once you’ve rolled for a
series of features, then you use your imagination to build a lush picture of

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this lifeform. On each of the lifeform sheets, you will see a box that says
“Interpret.” Here, you are able to write anything you want. Write a history
for the lifeform, draw how it looks, give it details that bring it to life.
Here is an example to illustrate:

1d100 Color 1d100 Texture 1d100 Attitude


1-50 Red 1-50 Soft 1-50 Angry
51-100 Blue 51-100 Spiky 51-100 Excited

Let’s say you rolled 39, which gave you “red,” 56, which gave you
“spiky,” and 3, which gave you “angry.” What’s red, spiky and angry? Per-
haps it is a red sea urchin that hates swimmers in the ocean? Or maybe it is a
red echidna with spiky hair and an attitude? The creator of a lifeform gets to
answer these questions. This is a lot of fun, because there is no end to what
you can get out of a single chart. There are often hundreds, or thousands, of
possibilities for a chart. Yet still, there are infinite more interpretations. You
could roll this chart again and get “blue,” “soft,” and “excited” (a puffy little
bluebird, perhaps?)
For many creations, especially lifeforms, there are additional qualities
that you bestow with the creation process. These are often statistical quali-
ties that allow your lifeform to interact with the PCs in the game world. For
instance:

-You give animals skillsets and powers. These allow your animal to make
dice rolls, to do things that would be natural to that animal.

-You give plants medicinal and nutritional value. They can be used to
make potions, and the like.

-You give spirits special powers or areas of knowledge.

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The extra qualities you give to lifeforms are covered in the individual
sections on those lifeforms.

One final note on role charts: sometimes you will come across a chart
that provides you with multiple options for a single roll. They will look
something like this:

1d100 Color
1-50 Red, Orange or Yellow (Hot Colors)
51-100 Blue, Purple or White (Cool Colors)

This means you have a choice! If you rolled a 75, you can choose to
write “blue,” “purple” or “white” on your lifeform sheet. Sometimes too,
you will see italics such as the “(Hot Colors)” in the example above. These
are simply notes, and you do not write them on your sheet.

WORD FILLS

A word fill is an incomplete story. This story has


blank spaces which are labeled with prompts.
These prompts are things like “noun,” “verb”
or “color,” which ask the creator to think of a
word that fits that category. That word is then
written in the blank space. You can print word
fills out using your computer and a printer (just
specify the page of the book you wish to print
out.) When a word fill is complete, it should
read as a (mostly) coherent story.
Here is an example:

SAMPLE WORD FILL


1. Adjective. The __________ __________ jumped
2. Animal 1 1 2

3. Color. over the ___________ ___________.


3 4
4. Animal 2

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To complete this wordfill, think of an adjective, color
and two different kinds of animals. The result could look
something like this:

The confused platypus jumped over the golden jaguar.

Like roll charts, word fills have thousands of possibili-


ties. It is only limited to your imagination. You don’t have to
read the whole paragraph to play a word fill. In fact, it’s often
more interesting to fill in the prompts without reading the
whole thing. Most word fills are heavily themed: they have
a purpose such as country histories, scientific discoveries or
mythological stories. Each of the Era books contain word
fills that may be used to develop a picture of that setting.
These are particularly useful if you starting your game in an
Era besides Era 1. This is because word fills can help you de-
tail the past of a world that you didn’t develop through game
play.
A note on word fills: If you see a numbered prompt,
this prompt will remain constant throughout the wordfill. In
other words, if a prompt reads “character name 1,” you will
create a name for character 1, but next time you see “char-
acter name 1” in the wordfill, you write down the name you
initially created. However, if you started a different word fill,
all the character names reset (character 1 might be someone
other than Ben.) The consistency of a character only stays
true within a single word fill.
One of the most fun ways to play a word fill is to have
all players contribute a word. You can play a word fill with
your group during the creative phase. One person reads the
prompts aloud, and everyone, moving in a circle, gets a chance
to fill a word into a blank. Finally, the person writing them
down reads the results aloud.
Finally, you will sometimes see word fills and roll charts
combined. In this case, the roll chart provides entries that
fill in blanks on the word fills. You’ll notice on the lifeform

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sheets, you will find a word fill that conveniently accepts all
the various results from your rolls for that life form. Other
times, you will find a simple word fill attached to the roll
chart box. These are intended to provide context and struc-
ture. Here is one example:

Fill: A (color) creature with (texture) hair


and a(n) (attitude) attitude.
1d100 Color 1d100 Texture 1d100 Attitude
1-50 Red 1-50 Soft 1-50 Angry
51-100 Blue 51-100 Spiky 51-100 Excited

One possible roll for this reads:

A blue creature with spiky hair and an excited attitude.

When you read the results, it reads like a coherent sen-


tence. There are many roll charts throughout the Era books
that make use of these simple word fills.

INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS
The third type of prompt is a simple question. These
questions are provided throughout the books as an opportu-
nity to think about your creation in a certain way. Often they
are attached to a roll chart, like this:

Fill: A (color) creature with (texture) hair


and a(n) (attitude) attitude.
1d100 Color 1d100 Texture 1d100 Attitude
1-50 Red 1-50 Soft 1-50 Angry
51-100 Blue 51-100 Spiky 51-100 Excited
Inter pret: ~Where does this creature live?
~What does this creature eat?

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You do not have to use interpretation
questions. They are provided as fuel for
thought. One can just as easily write their
own questions, or find another way to inter-
pret a roll.

THE WHOLE PROCESS


The ST guides the process of creation
for the group. She is encouraged to use as
much player input as possible. However, it
is the ST’s job to make a coherent world.
Therefore, the ST is a resource the other
players can use when creating. A player might
ask the ST questions to help make sense of
the bigger picture: “Is there a lot of tun-
dra in this world?,” “how would this culture
work?,” or “what type of plant medicines
have we already created?” The ST might also
set guidelines for creations: “All lifeforms
are able to survive in a desert,” or “no silly
monsters.”
The ST can also assign creation tasks
to their players. For instance, if the ST needs
to created medicinal plants for the world, he
might request that each of his players con-
tribute a plant. Or perhaps one player can
work on plants, while another designs spir-
its, and a third geographical features. There
are many ways one can organize the creation
process.

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The Storytelling Phase
For this phase, you need:
-36 six-sided dice.
-A character sheet for each PC (These are available in the
Evocraft folder. They are sheets with a format designed to orga-
nize information about your character. Evocraft uses 3 different
character sheets, depending on which Era you are playing in. The
title of the character sheet will specify which Era it is used for.)
-A set of 3 ten-sided dice for the ST.
-Pencils.

During this phase, the ST narrates the story and the PCs play as char-
acters in the world. Even though the story is told in real time, the ST usually
prepares part of the story before hand. If the ST doesn’t have to improvise
the whole story, it allows for a more coherent and lifelike experience (usu-
ally.) This prepared story is like a series of possibilities: threads that the ST
can weave together in real time. The ST might consider a range of possible
outcomes or paths, and prepare mentally for what she would do if the PCs
take those paths.
Because Evocraft worlds are built by the whole player base, it can be a
challenge to establish a story in a world that you are still developing in. Be-
low are three strategies for building a world. They each produce a different
experience, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Choose the
one you feel is best for your group.

BEGINNING YOUR STORY

METHOD 1, PROGRESSIVE: Every


time you meet, play both the creative phase and
the storytelling phases. In this way, you contin-
ue to add contributions to the world. Since you
are beginning a world in the first session, the
ST will need to have a developed picture of the
world already planned. The ST will likely cre-
ate a lot of cultures, humanoids and other life-

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forms before the other players begin contrib-
uting. Benefit: Start a game quickly. Downside:
The other players don’t contribute as much to
the foundation of the world. Or the world lacks
a deep context to begin with.

METHOD 2, DEEP DREAMING: De-


vote the first few sessions to building your
world. Only after the players work together
to make a solid foundation of the world, do
you begin the story. The ST may be planning
and preparing a story during the weeks that
the group spends world-building. The ST will
be able to look at player contributions as they
are made, and sculpt the story to accommodate
those contributions. Benefit: High player in-
put and rich context. Downside: Takes a large
amount of time and patience to set up.

METHOD 3, TASK-BASED: The ST


creates the basic framework of a world, but de-
liberately leaves parts of it blank for players
to create. Upon meeting, the ST gives these as
creation tasks for the players. This can occur
outside of meeting times as well. The ST can
correspond with the other plays using email or
social networking. When the group meets, they
can focus on playing the story, and while wait-
ing for sessions, they can work on their cre-
ative contributions. Benefit: Good for groups
that care more about telling a story than creat-
ing a world. Downside: One person (the ST)
has most of the control, and this might not be
what some players want. After all, Evocraft is
about creative collaboration.

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Before the ST can begin writing the story, she
must choose an Era setting. These are five different
time periods, which vary in their themes, environ-
ments, challenges, levels of technology and other
areas. The three other books that accompany this
core book contain the five Eras.

Book 1 contains Era 1, “The Ancient Days.”


Book 2 contains Era 2, “The Middle Ages,”
and Era 3, “The Renaissance.”
Book 3 contains Era 4, “Modern Times,” and
Era 5, “The Aftermath.”

The reason Eras are organized into three


books, rather than five individual books, is because
the Eras grouped together share some material in
common. For instance, the middle ages and renais-
sance share much of the same technology. The
modern times and aftermath (a post-apocalyptic setting) both share the abil-
ity to create robots and mutants. In book 2 and book 3, you will find this
shared content at the beginning, followed by Era specific content later.
For now, here is a brief description of each Era:

Era 1: Ancient Days. The oldest human civilizations. Hunter-gatherer


clans, early city states and early agriculturalists rule this time. Humans live in
a close relationship with nature and the world of spirits. Yet this old relation-
ship is threatened by a new upheaval – new ways of life begin to take over
the old. This era, is especially powerful for designing a history and mythol-
ogy for your world.

Era 2: Feudal Times. Human civilization organizes into kingdoms.


The first large countries arise, with cities, roads and trade networks. Society
organizes into estates, such as the nobility, clergy and peasantry. However,
under the surface, you will find thieves, magicians, rebels and other under-
ground factions.

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Era 3: The Renaissance. A time of expansion and innovation. New
technology allows for exploration of the whole world. You can now explore
new countries over the ocean. At home, society breaks off into factions of
new and old. New inventions and scholarly pursuits abound. The Renais-
sance is a time of constrasts; in this time you find the old and new mixed
together.

Era 4: Modern World. An industrial revolution forever changed hu-


man life. New inventions change the way humans work, live and interact.
Skyscrapers dot the horizon and people drive motorized cars. The world re-
jects the old and embraces the new. While many enjoy movie theaters and ice
cream parlors, something sinister stirs under the hidden layer of this period.
A world of shadows exists in the back alleys – a world of underhanded busi-
ness, hard boiled detectives and mysterious phenomena.

Era 5: The Aftermath. Catastrophe strikes, and the world falls apart.
There is no more stability for human civilization, and countries collapse to
give rise to small clans. This is a time of survival, lawlessness and finding
liberation. Perhaps through the rubble someone will rise up to find a new
paradise. Maybe it’s not too late to save planet Earth.

For an epic experience, start in Era 1, and


play through Era 5. This will create an incred-
ible history as you play. The characters, events
and challenges you play through will build on
the storylines that your group created. This is
one powerful way to make your story relevant.
The decisions your characters make will not
only influence their lives, but the course of
the future of the world.
At the end of each of the Era books, you
will find suggestions for how to end an Era.
These endings depend largely on the success
or failure of characters. In general, whatever
a character contributed to the story should
influence the world. If a character became a
successful merchant in Era 3, perhaps there
21
is a modern company named after him in Era 4. If a character fights off an
army in Era 1, she might be remembered as a hero for all time to come.
However, you are able to begin a game in any of the Eras. If you start
in an Era other than the first, you may want to spend extra time to build
a back story for the world. In the Era books you will find a section called
“Timelines, histories and other word fills.” These are intended for beginning
development in a later Era.

Those are the two decisions an ST needs to make before planning their
story: “how we collaborate to write this story?” and “what Era will we begin
in?” For information on how to plan or write your story, check out “The
Storyteller’s Guide” later in this book. For now, we’ll focus on how to play
characters.

22
HOW TO PLAY A CHARACTER
Playing a character is the most game-like element of Evocraft.
A character’s actions are measured in dice rolls. The storytelling
phase will use six-sided dice for this purpose. When a character
makes a decision they roll a number of dice (anywhere from one
die to thirty, or more.) Once rolled, you count successes. A success
is a “5” or a “6” on the face of a dice. If a character rolls five dice,
and gets the numbers, “1,3,5,3,6” they report “two successes,” to
the ST.
A success is a measurement of how well your character performed
on a challenging task. Players report their successes to the ST, and
the ST interprets how favorable or grim the outcome will be. The
ST then narrates the result of the character’s action. If a character
wanted to perform a back flip, and they rolled 1 success, the ST
might say, “you manage to flip around safely, but you lose your
balance slightly.” If the acrobatic character had rolled 3 successes,
the ST might report, “you back flip like a pro, silently and without
slipping an inch.” The more successes you roll equals a greater suc-
cess of your action.
The ST uses guidelines in this rulebook to interpret a character
action. Many of these guidelines are in the skills, spells and spirit-
work sections in the “character design” chapter. However, there is
one basic guideline that applies to all skills:

BASIC SUCCESS GUIDELINES


1 or More Passing The character succeeds,
Successes: at least a little bit.
No Successes The character fails at
their action.

A single success on a die roll can accomplish a lot


of things. Keep in mind, a character doesn’t have to
roll to do simple every-day actions. You don’t have to
roll to walk up the stairs or pick a flower.
23
Here is what a single success can accomplish:

SINGLE SUCCESS GUIDELINES


~Move an object past your normal lifting capacity.
~Cartwheel, dive and roll, dance gracefully, jump across buildings or oth-
er athletic feats of dexterity.
~Find a lost or desired item, or uncover useful information.
~Light a campfire with minimal tools.
~Remember a subtle hint given to you earlier.
~Speak a language with some degree of comprehension.
~See spirit phenomenon using psychic powers.

As for failures, the outcome of a zero success role depends on the


context. If a character fails to search for something in a non-threatening
situation, they simply do not find that thing. However, if a character fails
to search for an antidote to a serious poison, this could lead to dire conse-
quences.

A Terminology Note: For this game, “1d, 3d, 8d etc.” refers to a number of six-
sided dice. In this case, it means “1 dice, 3 dice, 8 dice.” This is a shorthand
for how many six-sided dice you roll to perform
a challenge.

CHARACTER SKILLS
Your character’s dice rolls are determined by
skills. On a character sheet, the skills are quanti-
fied powers – areas of expertise and knowledge
that can be directly translated into dice rolls.
This is not as complicated as it might sound to
a beginner. If you look on the character sheet,
“magic craft,” “fight” and “sense” are all skills
(along with many others.)
When creating a character, that PC will
choose its skills. These skills are purchased
24
using a currency called “skill points.” Be-
fore your character is created, you will have
a set number of skill points to spend (such
as 35 skill points.) You spend these points to
acquire a level in a skill. A level is one of the
small bubbles or boxes next to a skill. By ac-
quiring a level, you fill in that bubble or box
with a pencil, and your character has now
increased their proficiency in that particular
skill. The “character design” chapter covers
this process in depth. When creating a char-
acter, you will want to refer to that chapter.
Most skills make it easy to understand
how to roll dice:

Rolling Dice for Basic Skills


1 level in a skill = 1 dice for that skill roll.

If you have three levels in herbalism, represented by three filled-in


bubbles, then you roll 3 dice when using that skill. If you have 7 levels in
TrackNav, which will look like five filled bubbles and two filled boxes, then
you roll seven dice when using that skill. There is no difference between the
bubbles and boxes – they both equate to 1 dice. The only difference is in how
they are acquired, because you cannot purchase the boxes with skill points
(refer to character design section for info.)
Some skills are passive skills. You have three of these on your sheet:
Constitution, Magic Craft and Lore. These skills are never rolled for any
challenges. Instead, they provide a passive benefit. Magic Craft increases the
power of your spells and Lore gives you knowledge about a specific topic,
for instance.
Finally, there are only two skills that don’t follow any of the above
rules: spell work and spirit work. Each level in these skills gives you a special
magical power, which follows its own rules for dice rolls. All of this informa-
tion is available in the character design section.

25
CHALLENGES
Characters make a dice roll when something is at stake, or when their
task is difficult. This is called a skill challenge. The skill challenge is often
initiated by the ST. They may request that a player roll dice for a certain skill,
such as “roll your sense to see if you detect anything in this room.” A player
can also request to use a skill, such as “I want to search this room, to see if I
detect anything.” Either way, both the player and ST must communicate dur-
ing a skill challenge.

There are three different types of skill challenges: one-


shot, confrontation and cumulative. These are all really
different types of the same challenge. Each is explained
below:

One Shot: This is the most basic challenge. A player makes


a single dice roll for a skill, and the outcome in the story
is determined by how many successes they receive on that
roll.

Confrontation: In this challenge, the player is rolling against


another dice roll. This happens during combat, persua-
sion, mercantile and healing (and occasionally other situ-
ations.) Each of the common confrontation challenges
have their own section later in these rules, that contain
in-depth rules about those games. These confrontations
involve two or more parties that have a stake in the out-
come. For instance, two merchants who haggle over a
price both want to get the best deal. Therefore, they both
roll dice to see who wins.
To resolve a confrontation, both parties roll dice and
compare successes. Those with more successes wins, at
least for that moment. Many confrontations go on for a
number of dice exchanges, such as a battle that contin-
ues until one or more comabatants is disqualified. When
counting successes for a confrontation, only pay attention
to passing successes. A passing success is every success
the winner has over the number of successes the loser
26
has. If player A rolls 3 successes, and player B rolls 1 suc-
cess, then player A has 2 passing successes.

Cumulative: This is a challenge that is performed over


a period of time. This is represented by a series of dice
rolls, rather than a single dice roll. This situation occurs
during the story when a character may have a period of
time, a few hours, days or months to work on a task. Con-
struct is the skill that is most commonly performed over
a cumulative period, because it takes many rolls to build
most items. However, many skill challenges can be rolled
cumulative, such as rolling search multiple times for an
ongoing investigation. The ST is the judge of if and when
a skill can be a cumulative roll.
To make a cumulative roll, a character may roll once per
quarter of a day (or abbreviated as QD) while awake. A
QD is a measurement of time. The four QDs are morn-
ing, afternoon, evening and night. While on adventures,
time is often measured in QDs, and you will find this
term used throughout the rules. Since a character needs
to sleep at night to maintain there health, this leaves the
character with 3 QDs left to perform skill rolls. There-
fore, a character may make 3 cumulative skill rolls per day.

There are a couple additional things to know about skill rolls:

MERCY DICE
Sometimes a character roll for a skill that they have no levels in. In this
case, the player rolls a Mercy Dice. A mercy dice is actually two dice: a pair
of six-sided dice. You need to roll a success on both dice in order for it to
equal one success in-game. In other words, either both dice need to reads
fives, both sixes, or one five and one six. If you this is the case, then it counts
for one success. Anything else counts as a failure.

ROLEPLAY BONUSES
The ST is encouraged to reward player creativity. Whenever a player ex-
27
cels at their acting, thoughtfulness or ingenuity,
the ST should reward them with a bonus to their
skill roll. This is a one time addition to a chal-
lenge, not a permanent boost.

Use the following bonus guidelines:


+1d for lucid insight, solid strategy, or detail
rich acting.
+2d for major revelation, intelligent plan, or a
moving performance.
+3d for the most brilliant, profound and wildly
inventive actions.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER...


Here are a few final insights on how to play.

SESSIONS
A game may span any number of sessions. It is possible to run a game
in one night, but many stories require the group to assemble for 3, 8, 12 or
more meetings. The total sessions that comprise a single story-arc is called a
campaign. A campaign is like an overarching story that ties together a bunch
of smaller missions or stories. Think of a campaign like the whole trilogy or
TV season, rather than a single film or show episode.
Some groups may want to play one campaign for one Era, and continue
progressing through the future Eras by introducing new campaigns. This is a
neat way to experience the whole growth of a world. Other groups play mul-
tiple campaigns within a single Era. And some campaigns go on indefinitely.
It all depends on what the group wishes to experience.

BE WATER, MY FRIEND
There is no wrong way to play Evocraft. That is the only true rule. If
a group doesn’t like part of this book, they can substitute their own rules.
If the group doesn’t fully understand the rules before playing, that is fine –
they can work together to find similitude. You can also hack the rules: design

28
your own roll charts, tweak the ones that exist, create you own items…the
options are endless. Remember, Evocraft is about the experience, not about
the outcome. If your sessions make you feel enchanted, fulfilled and excited,
then you’re doing it right – the rules don’t matter beyond that.
That being said, these rules do intend to serve a purpose. The game ele-
ment of Evocraft (i.e. the dice rolling) is intended to add drama and arbitrate
during uncertainty. This arbitration is important, because otherwise players
would have to argue about who’s character was strongest during a fight, or
who made the best case in court. Representing character skills by a number
alleviates this burden. When you respect the dice, you can easily see which
character won the fight or court case. It also adds drama, because you never
know the outcome of a roll until it occurs.
Each group will find its own preferred play style. Every ST will sculpt
a different experience for that group. Play with what you’re given, and what
you’re not. Find what you like. And most of all, enjoy the ride.

29
D re a m i n g a W o rl d

A D rop o f Wa t e r,
I m p l od e s i n t h e I m m e n s e S e a .
W h e re d i d i t c o m e f ro m?

T h e wi n d s pi ri t s p l a y,
T h e y ru n a n d t u m bl e,
O ve r t h e e n d l e s s s k y.
Welcome to
The Creative Phase.
O u r b re a t h m i x e s
Wi t h t h e st a r s. Here you shape the land, and
populate it with creatures, plants,
spirits and humans.

30
A Creation Story
Many thousands of years ago, the world was made
of mist. No one knows how long it stayed that way.
No one knows where it came from, only that it swirled
about endlessly. One day, shapes began to appear.
Dark and swirling forms emerged through the endless
blue. They exploded forward with all the brightness of
stars. These were the spirit beings known as the Great
Ones. They oversaw the evolution of the rest of the
world.
The mists began to separate, and transformed into
six worlds. The Great Ones made a home on the fur-
thest world, Paradisio. There the Great Ones lived, and
observed the changing mists of the other five worlds.
In four of the remaining worlds, more types of spir-
its appeared. They sang and the high halls rose. They
danced and the rainbow pools flowed. They played,
and the far fields and dream lands became home to the
spirits.
Yet there was one world remaining, and this
world was quite different. It was dense and made of
thick mud and clay. Some spirits took an interest in
that world, and they shaped it into rocks and oceans,
skies and valleys. Lava exploded from the peaks, and
electricity shot across the sky. Over time, this cradle of
power gave birth to animals and plants. These physical
beings grew alongside the nature spirits of that world.
They evolved. After a long while, they became the hu-
mans and other creatures of today.
Within this cycle, there are many possibilities.
Everything is alive in this world, and all things are con-
nected. Your stories will explore these connections.
Some characters will forget that they are connected to
a living world. But the world itself, she is alive. And
over the Eras, the living channels of inspiration will
tell her story.
31
Terraforming:
Create Your World
In this section, you design geography. The
land is charted onto Evocraft Map Paper, which is
a form of graph paper that can be found in the
downloaded folder. There are many different kinds
of maps. Some detail ecological biomes, such as
forests, rivers and mountains. Others illustrate the
human world: country borders, towns, landmarks
and the like. There are also specialized maps: building floorplans, color-coded
neighborhoods, labyrinth charts, and many others. The ST will create maps as
needed for the story.
The most essential maps in the beginning are those that show the big
picture. Likely you will want a basic map of the whole world, or of the areas
in the world that the game is set. This establishes a sense of place. Below, you
will find a step-by-step process for making basic maps for a new world. You
do not need to adhere to these patterns like law. There are many successful
ways to map a world – the ST may find what works for them.
However, beginners and veteran RPers alike will find a clear walkthrough
in the following process. It will give you everything you need to start a new
world. Later in this section, you will find information on other types of maps.

Here is some Terminology for this Section:

Topography. The height of land. The elevation may be high, like a mountain,
or low like a valley. Topography can influence the biome through temperature
changes.

Biome. A natural ecosystem. These are broad categories of environments. Some


examples are jungles, tundras and swamps. Biomes have certain traits, and they
are determined by a ratio of rainfall and temperature.

World-Map. A map that shows the entire world on a single piece of paper.

32
Section. A 4x4 square within the world-map.

Procedural Generation. A method of using dice and charts to create a world,


rather than just your imagination. This process is explained below.

Area-Map. A map that details a smaller area on the world-map. Most often, this
is a map of a 4 x 4 section of the world map. It can also be a map of an entire
continent on the world map, or a small locality.

Rudimentary Map. A map that shows only landmass and water.

Detailed Map. A map that shows biomes or human civilization in addition to


landmass and water.

NEW WORLD WALKTHROUGH


Print a piece of Evocraft graph paper.
You will use this paper to determine where the
major landmasses of the world are located. During
your first group session, in the creative phase, pass
this piece of paper around. Each player fills in ten
squares, anywhere on the map. These filled-in squares
represent land, while the blank squares represent wa-
ter (i.e. the oceans.) Continue to fill this map until
400 squares are filled. Every player gets to continue
to add to it. You might do this while simultaneously
working on character sheets or lifeforms (this saves
a lot of time.)
Penciled sections that are large represent con-
tinents, while those that are small and scattered rep-
resent islands. Sometimes water can be found within
a continent, and this becomes a sea or major lake.
You will use this map to create other, more detailed
maps. This type of map is appropriately called a ru-
dimentary map.

33
Next, the ST is left with two important choices: do you want to begin
your story before detailing the map? Or do you want to create a more detailed
map, before you begin your story? If the former is true, then the ST chooses a
few places on the rudimentary map. He chooses areas on the rudimentary map
that he decides will contain the story he prepared. The group goes ahead and
plays the first session in that area, and the ST creates an impression of that
area of the world through narration. Later on, the ST will draw detailed maps,
including areas that he already introduced through play.
The other option is to create a detailed map before your first story ses-
sion. This is more easily achieved in groups that play a few creative phase only
sessions before jumping into the story. A detailed map contains information
about biomes, cities, borders, or any manner of other relevant topics.
The process of creating a detailing a map is the same, no matter when
you choose to do it.

There are two ways to detail a map:

1) THE SUPER SIMPLE METHOD:


IMAGINATION.
The ST arbitrarily decides where to place
everything. Using the rudimentary map as a
rough guideline, they draw the edges of the
landmasses. Then they add biomes or civili-
zation features where they feel it should go.
Put a forest here, and a lake there…this is a
method of raw invention. There are no dice
rolls or word-fills required.

2) THE RADICAL,
AWESOME METHOD:
PROCEDURAL GENERATION.
The ST uses a series of roll charts and guide-
lines to create the world. This is designed to
make a world with realistic biomes. It is good
for groups that want structure and consis-
34
tency in their universe. Biomes are created
in procedural generation by randomly gen-
erating rainfall, temperature and altitude for
each section of the map. After the biomes
are created, the ST will find areas that seem
appropriate for cities, towns, roads and other
features of civilization. See below for the
whole process.

PROCEDURAL GENERATION: Follow the steps below to create a world


with realistic biomes. You may use this process for the entire world, or for
smaller sections within the whole world.

1. Shoreline. What do the edges of the land look like? Are there coves, peninsu-
las, inlets or crags? The rudimentary map appears blocky and unrealistic. You
use it to interpret a basic shape of the continents, but not a precise shape. Real
shorelines are jagged or wavy. Below are two ways to draw realistic shoreline.

Creative Inter pretation of Shoreline (Recommended.) Simply use your creative eye
to determine how you want your coasts to appear. The shoreline is only
the beginning of this process, and the most important parts of systematic
generation come later. It is boring for many people to roll dice to create a
shoreline, so we recommended using only creativity.

But, if you prefer…


1d100 Random Shoreline Appearance (Optional) Put your pencil
anywhere to start.
1-10 Smooth line, moving straight.
11-20 Smooth line, rotating slightly counterclockwise.
21-30 Smooth line, rotating slightly clockwise.
31-40 Jagged line, moving straight
41-50 Jagged line, rotating slightly counterclockwise.
51-60 Jagged line, rotating slightly clockwise.
61-70 Radical Smooth lines moving into and away from land.
71-80 Radical Jagged lines moving into and away from land.
81-85 Create a peninsula (land jutting into water). Choose: smooth or jagged.
86-90 Create a cove, (a recessed area that allows water to flow inward.)
91-100 Create an island. Draw it next to the main continent.

35
2. Topography. These charts sculpt mountains and valleys. There are two
varieties of mountain: Fierce and gentle. Fierce mountains are towering peaks
(picture Mt. Everest, the American Southwest or Scottish Highlands.) Gentle
mountains are sloped hills. Gentle mountains can be climbed with little strife,
while fierce mountains can impede travel.
Flatland is neither tall nor low. Flatland may waver slightly, with some
slopes and valleys, but overall it is a level terrain. Finally, valleys are areas that
dip significantly below the standard level of land. A valley often gives the ap-
pearance of hills or mountains on either side of it. A dramatic and deep valley
is called a canyon. Canyons can often be found in places where rivers have
dried up.

The following symbols represent these different types of topography.


Use them on your map as shorthand:

Fierce Mountains. Encircled space with parallel lines.

Gentle Hills. Encircled space.

Flatland. Left blank - no symbol.

Valleys. Sparse black dots peppered.

Canyons. Line with a “bead string” of dots.

Use the following charts to generate topographical features.


Divide your map into four quarters. Roll each chart once for
each quarter. They will give you a number of mountains or
valleys, and you may draw these wherever you feel they are ap-
propriate. Roll each of these topography charts for each 4 x 4
section of the world map you are interpreting.

36
1d100 Add Mountains & Hills
1-10 Mostly flatland. Draw 0-3 hills throughout the land.
11-20 Lonely & Strange Rockfaces. Draw 1-6 mountains throughout the land. These
are strangely shaped or have unusual peaks (Mt. Fuji, Monument Valley etc.)
21-45 Peppered Hills. Draw 10-20 small hillocks throughout the land. You may add
1-2 mountain ranges if you desire.
46-65 Hill Country. Hills populate 50-75% of the map. These include big hills and
small hills, but they are all gentle in nature.
66-90 Subtle Mountain Zones. Draw 1-3 fierce mountain ranges. Gentle hills can
surround the mountains, if you wish.
91-100 Alpine. 90% of this land is dramatically inclined. Out of this, 30-40% is fierce
mountain, and 50-60% is hills or valleys.

1d100 Add Valleys & Canyons


1-10 No Valleys. Leave the space blank, denoting flatland.
11-20 Mountain-Bowls. In spaces spaces with mountains or hills, place valleys in
between. This makes the slope of land steeper at the base of a mountain.
21- 40 Low-Spaces. Pepper the land with 10-20% valleys. These can be anywhere.
41-60 Wavering Canvass. 20-40% of the land is valleys, creating a warped effect.
61-90 Spontaneous Ravines. Roll 1d6 and place that many canyons over the land.
Additionally 0-15% of the land may be covered in valleys.
91-100 Great Valleys, Great Canyons. Roll 2d6 and place that many canyons. Addi-
tionally 20-40% of the land is covered in valleys.

3. Water Sources. Here, you can add rivers, lakes and seas to your land. A river
is a large flowing body of water, while a stream is a small flowing body of
water. A lake is a still body of fresh water (no salt) and a sea is a large body
of inland water that has a salt content (similar to the ocean.) Divide your map
into four quarters, and roll this chart once for each quarter.

Shorthand symbols for water:

Rivers. Thick blue line.


Streams. Thin blue line.
Lakes. Blue border and filled with horizonal blue lines.
Seas. Blue border, filled with wavy blue lines.
Aquifer. Dotted blue line, but not filled in.
Ocean. Wavy lines beyond the shore.

37
1d100 Add Water Bodies
1-20 Dry. Add 0-3 small lakes, ponds or streams.
21-40 Streams. Draw 3-9 streams. You can add 0-2 lakes in addition to this.
41-50 Life-River. Draw one major river stretching across this area. Add 8-20 tributaries
off the river (thin, like streams). Optionally add 0-3 lakes.
51-60 Great Pools. Draw one to three giant lakes or seas. Add 0-7 minor lakes or small
streams.
61-80 Rivers & Lakes. Draw 3-6 rivers, and these may wind together somewhat. Add 4-7
lakes throughout the land.
81-90 Water-land. Draw 1-2 seas, 3-5 rivers, and 6-8 small lakes or ponds.
91-100 Aquifer. 1-3 underground water sources exist in this land. Roll this chart again to
generate another water-body type in addition to this one.

4. Generating Temperature. The temperature varies throughout


the land. It changes depending on where you are in the world,
and also where you are on the map. Some regions of the world
are generally cold, such as the arctic, while others are warmer,
such as the tropics. On a local level, when you stand on top of
a mountain, the air is colder. Some areas, due to atmospheric
conditions are naturally warmer or colder. Determining tem-
perature is one of the two steps in determining the biomes
present in a land.
To begin giving your land temperature, you must first
create base temperature of the whole world. The base tem-
perature is the big regional temperature (this is what makes the
arctic cold, and the tropics hot.) You do not have to roll for
base temperature. It is already determined based on longitude.
Longitude is a horizontal band stretching across the whole
world. In the case of Evocraft, longitude is measured by sec-
tions, and there are 8 longitudinal bands stretching across the
world map.
Before you assign base temperature, the ST must decide
if the world has a standard temperature, or if the world is ex-
periencing a fire age or ice age. A fire age is when the world is
exceptionally hot. There is less ice and more desert. An ice age
is the opposite: it is a time when much of the world is frozen.
The ST may want to use these ages to create a different sort
of world, but if they want to create a world like Earth, they
should use the standard base temperature.
38
That being said, here is the chart to determine temperature for each of
the longitudinal lines. A miniature world map icon is included on the right for
your convenience of viewing:

BASE TEMPERATURE GUIDELINES


Stand. Ice Age Fire Age Concept Longitude World Map (Sections)
Base Base Base
Temp. Temp. Temp.
1° 1° 3° Polar Zone (Freezing) 8
3° 1° 5° Far Reaches (Cold) 7
5° 3° 7° Temperate (Mild) 6
7° 5° 9° Tropical (Warm) 5
7° 5° 9° Tropical (Warm) 4
5° 3° 7° Temperate (Mild) 3
3° 1° 5° Far Reaches (Cold) 2
1° 1° 3° Polar Zone (Freezing) 1

Now that you know the base temperature of the world, you can assign
local temperature to your world sections. Take the map of the section, or area
of land you are working with. What longitudinal zone of the world does this
area fall within? Every square of the land will have that base temperature to
start. Then you will modify that temperature to get a unique temperature value
for each 4 x 4 square on this map.

DETERMINE THE LOCAL TEMP.


The first question is, are there hills or moun-
tains in the region? The air on a mountain is
colder than the air below. Any 4 x 4 square that
has a significant presence of mountains or hills
will have a lower temperature. They subtract one
or two degrees from the base temperature. Use
this guideline:

Mountain Modification of Temperature:


High Mountains: -2° from base.
Gentle Hills: -1° from base.

39
Next, you will randomly generate a temperature variance for each longi-
tude of your map (local longitude this time, not world longitude.) This vari-
ance will either add or subtract degrees from the existing temperature of an
area. You will use this to write the temperature of each 4 x 4 section of the
map. When you roll this chart, it will give you a few numbers, written like
this “Four changes: -2°, -1°, +1°, +2°.” This means you choose four sections
within that longitude, and modify the temperature using these four numbers.
You use each number once, in a section of your choice.
In between the sections you modified, close the gap with a number that
is between the two temperatures. Your goal is to create a smooth (or some-
what smooth) gradient of temperature, that doesn’t jump around erratically.
As you continue to create temperatures of longitudes that connect with one
another, you will want to keep this goal of smooth transition in mind. It cre-
ates the most realistic world in the end. Here is an example:

If you have a land with a base temperature of 5°, and you roll “Four
changes: -2°, -1°, +1°, +2°,” then you might modify your longitude’s tempera-
ture like this. This land had no mountains that modified the temperature. The
squares you chose to modify are highlighted in light grey:

6° 7° 6° 5° 4° 5° 6° 5° 4° 3°

In the above example, the temperatures form a smooth gradient. The


white spaces are temperatures that the creator used to “connect the dots” be-
tween the modifications he chose. The creator could have also chosen to make
a map like this:

6° 4° 5° 6° 7° 6° 5° 5° 5° 3°

This temperature does not form as smooth of a gradient. Take for instance,
the first and second space have a difference of 2°. This will likely create a
stranger environment, rather than a realistic environment.

40
Now you know how to create the temperature of an area. Here is the roll
chart to generate values that you can use to modify a longitude:

1d100 Temperature Modification


1-10 Four Changes: -2°, -1°, +1°, +2° .
11-30 Four Changes: +1°, -1°, -1°, -2°.
31-69 Two Changes: -2°, +2° .
70-89 Four Changes: -1°, +1°, +1°, +2°.
90-100 Six Changes: -1°, -1°, -1°, +1° , +1°, +1°.

Here is a summary of the whole process:


1) Base Temperature. What is the temperature of this
region of the world?
2) Mountain Modifications. Are there significant
mountains or hills? Subtract temperature in those local re-
gions.
3) Random Modification. Roll for random changes,
and select 4 x 4 sections within a longitude to apply these
changes. Write the temperature of each 4 x 4 section on the
map.

5. Generating Rainfall. Precipitation is the second of two el-


ements that determine the biome. To generate rainfall for
your local map, divide the map into four quarters. In each
of the four quarters, choose a 4 x 4 area near the middle
of that quarter. You will roll the base rainfall chart for each
quarter. This roll chart generates a unique value for each of
your chosen 4 x 4 areas. You only do this for a local map
area, and not for a world map section.

Symbolism: Drawing a circle, “③” around a number in-


dicates rainfall.

41
1d100 Base Rainfall
1-10 ①
11-25 ②
26-40 ③
41-55 ④
56-70 ⑤
71-85 ⑥
86-100 ⑦

Once you know your base rainfall numbers, you will generate surround-
ing area rainfall using another chart. This chart modifies the eight 4 x 4 areas
next to your base rainfall area. It takes the number associated with your base
rainfall area, and adds to it or subtracts from it. You receive eight modifica-
tion values from this chart. You choose which area each number modifies. You
need to roll this chart only once for each of your four quarters.

Note: Rainfall cannot exceed ⑦ or fall below ①. If a modification num-


ber asks you to do this, write ⑦ or ① instead.

1d100 Rainfall Modification


1-10 - ①, - ①, - ①, - ①, - ①, - ①, - ②, - ②.
11-20 - ②, - ②, - ①, - ①, - ①, - ①, + ①, + ①.
21-30 - ②, - ①, - ①, - ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ②.
31-40 - ①, - ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ②, + ②.
41-50 -0 , -0 , -0 , -0 , -0 , -0 , - ②, + ②.
51-60 - 0, - 0, - 0, - 0, - ①, - ②, + ①, + ②.
61-70 - 0, - 0, - 0, - 0, - ②, - ②, - ②, - ②.
71-80 - 0, - 0, - 0, - 0, + ②, + ②, + ②, + ②.
81-85 - 0, - 0, - 0, - 0, - ①, - ①, + ①, + ①.
86-90 - 0, - 0, - ①, - ①, - ②, + ①, + ①, + ②.
91-100 + ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ①, + ②, + ②.

Here is an example of how to generate rainfall for a quarter. If you


rolled ⑤ for your base rainfall value, and then rolled the set of modification
values between “51-60,” your rainfall for that area might look like this:

42
⑤ ④ ⑤
⑦ ⑤ ⑤
⑥ ⑤ ③

Key: Base Rainfall Rainfall Modification

CONNECTING THE DOTS


After you roll rainfall modification for each of your four quarters, you
fill in the remaining 4 x 4 spaces with rainfall values that are between the two
values they connect. You use your imagination and keen eye for this – there
are no more roll charts. The goal is to create a smooth gradient of numbers,
just like you did for temperature. Some areas may drop or rise sharply in rain-
fall, but the general idea is to show a transition, when possible.
After you have rainfall values for the whole map, you add one final modi-
fication. This is for areas that contain significant amounts of water, such as
lakes, streams or rivers. While not strictly rain, the extra moisture in these ar-
eas allows for more growth, and influences the biome. Use this as a guideline:

Areas containing water bodies: +①

6. Generate Biome. Now that you know the temperature and rainfall, you can
determine the biomes of your map by reading this chart. Draw the biome for
every 4 x 4 area. Use colored pencils or markers to indicate the different bi-
omes on your map. You may blend the edges of different biomes together in
ways that you find realistic or asthetically appealing (you don’t have each little
4 x 4 block like a coloring book – that map would look blocky and unrealistic.)

43
Rain: Biome Generation Chart
⑦ F Rf
⑥ Sw

④ Sv
③ W
② Pl
① Ar D
1° 2° 3° 4° 5° 6° 7° 8° 9° 10°

Key:
D Sv Pl W Rf F Sw Ar
Desert Savannah Plains Woodland Rainforest Forest Swamp Arctic

Understanding Biomes:
Rainforest. Massive trees, frogs croaking, birds of a hundred colors. The
rain pours all year long. Vegetation is dense, and one constantly walks over
tree roots or under ferns. This is a wellspring of life, overflowing and abun-
dant. The powers of nature, and all its spirits are strong here. Map Color:
Jungle green.

Forest. Trees like sentinels form canopies overhead. Wolves howl, berry
bushes dot the space below, and you can find plentiful water. These forests are
often frigid and found in the north, but some exist in more temperate lands
(often high in the mountains.) Map Color: Dark green.

Woodland. Rolling hills, grassy meadows, buttery flowers. The woods are
full of trees and a great variety of life. These trees and bushes interconnect
with open fields, and there is no canopy overhead. The seasons will be felt
strongly in a woodland, with warm summers and cold winters. Map Color:
lime or light green.

Swamp. Water everywhere. A synthesis of water and land provides for an


unusual array of animal and plant life. Boat-based cultures are common, be-
cause navigation on foot is difficult. Map Color: teal.
44
Savannah. Rolling fields, long grass, short grass, lots and lots of grass.
Lone trees or oases with water bodies are also occasionally present. Weather
can be hot and dry, or unpredictably rainy. Many animals adapt to a herding
and grazing lifestyle. Lumber is scarce, so mud, brick or tent houses are more
common. Map color: yellow.

Plains. Open space of scrubby vegetation. Very few trees, and a lack of
rainfall. However there is plenty of grass. Animals thrive by running, burrow-
ing, flying or herding. Similarly, nomadic human cultures are common. Map
color: Orange.

Desert. Harsh, hot and desolate. Here you find sand, rock and hardy plants
such as cactus. Lifeforms must be tough to survive. This often makes for
strange inhabitants: rattlesnakes, scorpions, wailing river spirits etc. Humans
often build adobe or brick homes, hoard water, and shelter themselves from
the sun. Map color: red.

Arctic. Frozen and isolated. This land includes tundra and glacial sheets.
The tundra is an expanse of sparse and cold land. Few trees, if any, grow here.
The glacial sheet is a space entirely covered in ice or snow. It is the harshest
atmosphere to live, and few humans can be found making their home upon
it. Arctic areas are home to powerful creatures and magic: grizzly bears, giant
penguins, northern lights magic etc. Map Color: purple.

OTHER TYPES OF MAPS:


The systematically generated map
provides you with a natural environment.
However there are many other types of
maps you can create for your game. You
create all of these maps through creative
interpretation, by placing elements of the
civilization in places of the world that you
feel are appropriate.

45
Country & Province Maps
This map shows the borders and land claimed by sover-
eign nations. These nations can be drawn at any scale: on a
world-map, continent-map, or a small area. Any of these are
possible. To draw this map, you draw the borders of the vari-
ous countries. Where is the dividing line between one country
and another? Consider that rivers, mountains, oceans and other
natural features often act as borders. Other times, a straight
line, such as one based on latitude or longitude, may be used
a country divider. Or you might just use imagination or story-
relevant information to determine borders.
Use colored pencils to color code countries to distinguish
them from one another. Also, write the name of each country
in the middle of their bordered land. These are tricks that make
your map easy to read. Also note that the colors on a country
map and a biome map are completely different. Just because
you used orange to color code a country doesn’t mean that it is
full of plainsland. These maps are separate, and that’s why you
need more than one.
Of course, there is more to a country than just a border.
Why does that country exist in the first place? What makes the
people in that land different from the people in the other lands?
These questions can be answered in the “Create Human Cul-
tures” section.

City Maps
A city map charts the neighborhoods, important buildings,
businesses and other things available in a city. These maps can
also provide an outline of streets and passageways. You can
make a city map as simple or as complex as you want. Some city
maps will detail every block, label every business, and maybe
even describe the style of architecture in different neighbor-
hoods. Other city maps may provide only a rough outline of
neighborhoods, perhaps even a crude drawing of a few lines.
Each game will require its own level of complexity.
Ideas for your city: Roads and pathways, town-squares or
46
central areas, taverns, guilds, other meeting places, shops, black
market shops, Inns, historic landmarks, city entrances and ex-
its, entertainment, and dungeons or mysterious places.
Things to think about: Where do the poor live? Where do the
wealthy live? What does the architecture look like? Is there a
central element to this city, such as: politics, merchants, college
students or mafia families? Which neighborhoods are danger-
ous, and which are safe?

Building Maps
These are maps of the floor plan of a structure. They detail
rooms, doors, hidden areas, and perhaps furniture, inhabitants
and other important elements. Draw this map as if you were
looking down from the sky. You may need to draw multiple
maps for the buildings with multiple stories, and indicate where
the stories connect. For fun, you can also draw the building
from the perspective of a person standing outside (to get an
idea of the asthetic of the place.) The ST may wish to keep
this map secret from her players, especially if it contains the
location of hidden treasures. The PCs often draw maps of a
building as they explore it, which can be one of the challenges
of exploring an unknown place.
Some questions: Where are the doors? Can you tell from your
map which rooms connect to which other rooms? What is the
purpose of each room (dining room, billiards room, ballroom
etc.)? Are there secret rooms? And an optional component:
you can then fill the building with furniture, art, important
items, treasures, inhabitants, monsters, books, traps and other
things one might find in a place.
Like other maps, the level of detail you need will depend on
the game. In a story with an important building, you might
draw the frescoes on the wall, or describe each chandelier on
the roof. However, many stories don’t need this level of char-
acterization, and some stories don’t need building maps at all.
In games focused on people without much need of places, the
building might be a simple ambient backdrop. You might give
47
it a few characteristics, such as a vase of flowers or a couch. But it might not
be necessary to know the precise location of the six bathrooms in a house.
Consider, that buildings and what they contain can become props used by the
players in a scene.

Dungeon Maps
A dungeon is a building that challenges and threatens the player charac-
ters. This is often a dangerous, dark or hidden place: a labyrinth, cave, aban-
doned building or mausoleum among others. Dungeons are explored in depth
in the Era 2 book.
A dungeon map is essentially like a building map. However, it becomes
more important to chart what is inside the building, and not only the floorplan
itself. Think about the location of traps, monsters, treasures and other impor-
tant inclusions. Make notes about what is hidden: the silver knife behind the
fallen statue, a secret door, or a monster lurking in the shadows. The PCs may
search for these things, or they may pass by them, unnoticed. It all depends.

OTHER INFORMATION:
Some final notes on Terraforming.

Assigning a Cartographer
The ST doesn’t have to draw the map. They may appoint a cartographer
amongst the other players. The ST will work closely with the cartographer,
placing elements he designed for the story on the map. Having an outside car-
tographer can have several benefits. It is less work for one person to create
everything, and other players will get to participate at an even greater depth in
the creation of a world. You can also have other cartographer systems, where
each player gets to contribute to the map. You can assign players their own
city, country or continent to design. Or each player could take turns adding to
the same country. Play with these methods if you are feeling adventurous.

The Art of Cartography


Sometimes you will have to transcribe one version of a map into a dif-
48
ferent version. For instance, when you turn a rudimentary map
into a detailed map, you must use the rudimentary map as a
guideline for the new map. Other times you may need to copy a
detailed map into another form of a detailed map, such as mak-
ing a map of countries based on a map of biomes. Sometimes
you will need to zoom in to a small section of map, or zoom
out to a bigger picture. Here are some guidelines for this art of
map drawing.
First, and foremost, don’t worry about making your maps
perfect – they will never be perfect. The idea is to make a ref-
erence. The more similarity between maps, the better, but ulti-
mately just having a map is what the game needs. Keep in mind
that maps in the old days were not always one-hundred percent
accurate. Your maps don’t need to be either.
While there is no perfection, here are some tips that help
you keep similarity in transcribed maps:

• Think about big shapes. You can’t perfectly replicate


every little line, but you can get the gist of the big curves and
edges. If the rudimentary map looks like a “T”, draw the shore-
line in the general shape of a T.

• Think about the shoreline. This acts as a guide for


the overall shape of the land. If you get the shoreline or coun-
try borders looking similar between the maps, the whole map
will feel recognizable. It is often helpful to start a transcribed
map by drawing the shoreline.

• Shorelines are often jagged or wavering. Draw with


a slight shake in your wrist or your fingers. This will create un-
even lines, which look more realistic than the blocky edges of a
rudimentary map. This technique can also be used for country
borders, rivers etc.

• Maintaining similarity is an art of observing ele-


ments relative to one another. Let’s say you started the replica-
tion by drawing a mountain, and now you need to draw a town.
49
You may look at the original and estimate, “how close to the mountain is this
town?” You can place your pencil on several areas and ask “would it look ap-
propriate here, here or here.” The mountain is your anchor that allows you to
see how far away the town should be placed. Again, you won’t find a perfect
placement, but thinking about objects in relation to one another is a good way
to keep things looking mostly the same.

• When zooming in on an area , remember that a closer perspective will


allow you to draw more detail. Maybe the mountains look different here, be-
cause you have drawn more of the minor hills. You can chart landmarks easier
this way: you can draw every mine, farming commune, abandoned tower etc.

• When zooming out to draw a bigger perspective map, you will lose some
detail. Don’t worry about putting every little thing in the picture. Here is a
good place to articulate big infrastructure: roads, towns, provinces etc.

• When drawing biomes, consider blending the biome borders for a more
realistic effect. Biomes can bleed together or overlap a bit. Mesh the edges,
pepper them together at the seams, draw biomes just beyond or below the
boundaries you rolled – these inconsistencies will feel more realistic than bi-
omes with blocky boundaries.

• When detailing islands (especially those on a rudimentary map) consider


that often there are many small islands next to large islands. These can only
be seen on zoomed-in maps, but they are likely present. Create an archipelago
for big islands seen on the rudimentary map. You don’t have to name or create
them all right away, but remember that they may exist.

50
Create
Animals

51
These are the running
beasts. They are the furred and
feathered, the scaly and skinned.
Mammals, fish, birds, reptiles,
amphibians and invertebrates are
all members of the animal king-
dom. Use the roll-charts below to
envision a new species of animal.
To create humanoid life, use the
“Create Humanoids” section.
After you roll to generate
your animals traits, you assign
powers and skillsets. These allow
your animal to interact with the
game world. They can make skill
rolls and influence the environ-
ment, just as their human coun-
terparts do. This is explained in
depth below.
Use the printable Animal
Sheets to record your informa-
tion.

1. Size. How large or small is the animal’s body?

1d100 Size
1-5 Tiny (Beetle, Newt, Chipmunk, Sparrow, Sardine)
6-20 Small (Snake, Rabbit, Dove, Bass, Crab)
21-55 Medium (Mule Deer, Anaconda, Coyote, Owl, Barracuda)
56-89 Large (Lion, Komodo Dragon, Carribou, Eagle, Bull Shark)
90-100 Massive (Mastodon, Rhino, Pterodactyl, Dragon.)

52
2. Structure. What type of build does 3. Frame. How many legs does your
your animal have? animal have?

1d100 Structure 1d100 Frame


1-19 Lean 1-5 Segmented, 8+ Legged
20-39 Robust (Spider, Centipede.)
40-60 Balanced 6-10 Segmented, 6+ Legged
61-80 Compact/Short (Scarab, Wasp)
81-100 Tall/Long 11-60 Four Legged
(Wolf, Cow)
61-80 Two Legged
(Bird, Monkey, Kangaroo)
81-100 Legless
(Fish, Snail, Snake, Jelly-Monster)

4. Color. A prominent color on your animal, but not necessarily the only color.
Find and roll “Nature Colors 1” under Appendix I. After you record that
color, return to these steps.

5. Exterior. What does the outside of the animal look like? What type of flesh
covers their body (skin, fur, slime etc.)?
SPECIAL: If you want to create a flying animal, you may skip the ran-
dom roll and automatically select “Feather, Quill or Plume.” If you want to
create a swimming animal, you may choose “Fish Scale” or “Blubber.” You
will bestow flying or swimming when you choose powers for your animal.

1d100 Exterior Example Note:


1-25 Fur, Fuzz, Fluff, Hair, or Wool (Mammalian)
26-45 Feather, Quill, Plume, or Down (Avian)
46-65 Scale, Fish Scale, Snake Scale, or Plated (Fish & Reptile)
66-70 Hide, Skin, Leather, or Bare (Hairless Mammal)
71-83 Shell, Exoskeleton, Hard, or Armor Plated (Insect & Arthropod)
84-93 Frog Skin, Slime, Blubber, Rubbery or Moist (Amphibean & Dolphin)
94 Spike, Stone, Vegetation, or Electric (Weird ones. Electric Eel)
95-100 Combine Two: Roll chart two more times and select two exteriors for the same creature.

53
6. Social Tendency. How does your animal relate
to other animals? Are they social or solitary?
SPECIAL: For tiny animals, such as in-
sects, you may skip rolling and select “Hive-
Minded” automatically.

1d100 Social Tendency


1-19 Solitary (No emotional need to relate with
others. Still might ally for gain.)
20-39 Partner Loyal (No community, but emotion-
ally bonds with a mate.)
40-59 Pack-Variable (Often solitary, but can travel
in small packs or bands.)
60-79 Pack-Forming (Lives in small communities
of 3-18 members. Roll 3d6 to determine.)
80-98 Herding (Big communities. Roll 2d100 to
determine members.)
99-100 Hive-Minded (Communities of thousands.
Individuality is not valuable – the hive is ev-
erything. The minds of individual members
may be linked.)

7. Positive Environment. The land that your animal thrives in. This is the type
of place where it prefers to live. You will find the animal commonly in this
environment.

-AND-

8. Negative Environment. An environment your animal dislikes. It is the op-


posite of its positive environment. Unless the animal is in captivity, it is un-
common to find them in their negative environment.

NOTE: The same roll is used to determine both positive and negative envi-
ronment. After you determine positive environment, look across on the same
line, at the right hand column, to determine negative environment. Positive
and negative environments are opposites (Cold environments are the inver-
sion of hot, etc.)

54
1d100 Positive Environment Negative Environment
1-10 Hot (Savannah, Rainforest, Woodlands, Summer) Cold
11-20 Dry (Desert, Plains, Arctic) Damp
21-30 Damp (Water, Rain, Lakes, All forests & Swamps) Dry
31-40 Cold (Arctic, Winter, Boreal Forest, Cold Plains) Hot
41-45 Underbrush / Trees Open Spaces
46-50 Open Spaces / Flat Lands Underbrush / Trees
51-55 Buildings & Caves (Includes Underground) Open Air
56-60 Open Air (Far away from civilization and buildings) Buildings & Caves
61-65 Mountains (High altitude regions on map) Valleys
66-70 Valleys (Low altitude regions on map) Mountains
71-74 Coastal (Includes islands & beaches) Inland
75-78 Inland (At least 4 region map squares in from coast) Coastal
79 Super-Adaptable (Able to live anywhere) n/a
80-92 Take-2. Re-roll twice to get two environment traits (re-roll if they contradict.)
93-100 Take-3. Re-roll three-times to get three environment traits (re-roll if they contra-
dict.)

9. Behavior. How does your animal act? What personality tendencies does it
exhibit?

1d100 Behavior
1-3 Calm Continued
4-6 Aggressive 51-53 Manic
7-9 Touchy Feely 54-56 Magical
10-12 Loyal 57-59 Protective
13-15 Easily-Frightened 60-62 Territorial
16-18 Secretive 63-65 Unpredictable
19-20 Brilliant 66-67 Goofy
21-22 Sun-Loving 68-70 Proud
23-24 Moon-Loving 71-73 Lonely
25-27 Watchful 74-76 Assassin
28-30 Resourceful 77-79 Companion
31-33 Nest-Building 80-82 Show-performing
34-36 Hungry 83-85 Caring
37-39 Curious 86-87 Melancholy
40-42 Vivacious 88-90 Quiet
43-45 Brave 91-93 Wandering
46-48 Commanding 94-96 Playful
49-50 Reclusive 97-98 Tenacious
99-100 Majestic

55
10. Trait Descriptor. An adjective that modifies your animal’s trait. You roll
for your animal’s trait during the next step.

1d100 Trait Descriptor


1-2 Invisible Continued
3-4 Enormous 51-52 Ectoplasmic
5-6 Glowing 53-54 Spiked
7-8 Intricate 55-56 Sleak
9-10 Patterned 56-57 Hollow
11-12 Silken 58-59 Shallow
13-14 Strong 60-61 Intense
15-16 Attractive 62-63 Narrow
17-18 Jittery 64-65 Thundering
19-20 Icy 66-67 Rasping
21-22 Firey 68-69 Clicking
23-24 Unearthly 70-71 Hissing
25-26 Stone 72-73 Shrill
27-28 Camouflaged 74-75 Baying
29-30 Ostentatious 76-77 Melodic
31-32 Sharp 78-79 Ancient
33-34 Delicious 80-81 Greasy
35-36 Adorable 82-83 Nightmarish
37-38 Hypnotic 84-85 Moist
39-40 Clean 86-87 Flat
41-42 Shrunken 88-89 Crystalline
43-44 Twisted 90-91 Rotating
45-46 Glamorous 92-93 Deep
47-48 Over-Abundant 94-95 Deranged
49-50 Fragile 96-97 Pleasant
98-100 Colorful (Roll Bright
Colors, pg. [EDIT
pg.])

56
11. Trait. Combined with the trait descriptor, these two words describe a unique
aesthetic feature of your animal.

1d100 Trait
1-2 Claws / Appendages Continued
3-4 Head 51-52 Saliva
5-6 Blood 53-54 Tongues / Inner Mouth
7-8 Spine / Center 55-56 Quills
9-10 Muzzle / Mouth / Snout 56-57 Wailing
11-12 Tail / Tail Feather 58-59 Gait
13-14 Jaws / Pincers 60-61 Laughter
15-16 Eyes 62-63 Skulls
17-18 Flippers / Webbed Hands 64-65 Caw / Cry
19-20 Breath 66-67 Howl
21-22 Heart 68-69 Footsteps
23-24 Tentacles 70-71 Warning Call
25-26 Teeth / Gums / Lips 72-73 Whistle
27-28 Markings / Patterns 74-75 Battle Cry
29-30 Decorative Plumes 76-77 Mating Song
31-32 Tusks / Canines 78-79 Eggs
33-34 Meat / Flesh 80-81 Body-Coating
35-36 Paws / Feet / Pads 82-83 Bone-Protrusions
37-38 Head-lure (e.g. Anglerfish) 84-85 Legs / Lower Extremities
39-40 Fur / Skin / Scales / Body 86-87 Beak / Bill
41-42 Nose 88-89 Skeleton / Exoskeleton
43-44 Antlers / Head Adornment 90-91 Neck
45-46 Sailfin (e.g. Sailfish) 92-93 Droning / Humming
47-48 Fur / Scales / Hair 94-95 Whisper
49-50 Young / Offspring 96-97 Celebration Song
98-100 Fins / Frills

57
12. Powers & Skillsets
You are finished rolling random traits for your animal. Now you select
powers and skillsets. These quantify your animals abilities into a language the
game can interpret. In other words, they give your animal skills and stats, just
like a character.
A power is a special technique or passive-benefit that belongs to the
whole species. Many of these are actions the animal can take: venomous bites,
flapping wings, spinning a web etc. Other powers are passive, such as hiberna-
tion. You can choose between 0-3 powers for your animal.
Skillsets provide stats and skills. Examples of these are: Evade, Track-
Nav, Sense etc. Not all animals have the same skills. When was the last time
you saw a gopher use mercantile? However some animals know skills that we
often think of as human talents. For instance, beavers know how to build
dams.
Unlike creating a character, you don’t pick and choose skills for your
animal. Instead, you select a pre-determined set of skills. This single choice
provides the numbers for you’re your animal’s stats and skills. These skillsets
are themed to represent various types of animals in the world. Some are for
darting and running creatures, such as deer, while others are for big, sturdy
animals such as oxen.
The section below on challenge level illustrates how to choose a skillset
for your animal.

CHALLENGE LEVEL
Challenge level represents how
difficult it is to fight, hunt, discover, or
otherwise encounter an animal. An ani-
mal’s challenge level is comparable to a
character’s skill level. A character with
a level 5 skill in TrackNav would be
competent to track an animal with CL 5
(Challenge Level of 5.) For fight skills,
consider the whole fight roll, weapons
bonus and all. A character with a total
combat roll of 8 dice would be evenly

58
matched against an animal with CL 8. Knowing the CL of an animal allows the
storyteller to give challenges that are fair for the character’s current level.
An animal’s CL is based on their skillset and powers. The skillset shows
the number for the animal’s CL at the top. Each skillset provides five different
options for CL, ranging from low to high. These five options are referred to
as “Tiers.” The Tier is chosen by the player, when creating the animal. Once
an animal is created, you can also make different versions of this animal by
giving it a higher or lower tier. The five tiers on a skillset are represented by
five columns, like this:

Base Level: (Tier 1) (Tier 2) (Tier 3) (Tier 4) (Tier 5)


Nickname: n/a “Fierce” “Dire” “Elite” “Legendary”
(Skill Example): 3 (Levels) 4 (Levels) 5 (Levels) 6 (Levels)
2 (Levels)

The nicknames above can be used by the ST to modify the names animals,
to create a new version of that animal. For instance, if an ST has a “wolf ” at
Tier 1, they may create a “Dire Wolf ” by moving it to Tier 3. Remember, Tiers
contain CL, and CL is what determines how skilled your animal is. A Tier, in
itself, is not the same thing as CL. A Tier is simply a way of organizing statis-
tics, containing CL and skills.
CL is also modified by powers. Each power adds +1 to the animal’s total
CL. This never moves an animal to a higher skillset tier, but only increases the
overall difficulty of encountering that animal. In other words, choose the tier
of your animal first, and then add the CL value of any powers. The term “Base
CL” applies to the challenge level of an animal before powers are added to it.
Some powers, such as “Horned” bestow benefits determined by base CL. For
base CL, simply look at the tier of your animal to see the correct number.

POWERS
CHOOSE: 0 – 3 Powers for an animal.
Each power adds +1 CL.

Amphibeous. Animal can breathe normally in water or on land. Howev-


er, it prefers one or the other. It can move extra-fast on whichever you choose:
59
water or land. In it’s preferred terrain, it receives +50% speed.
An amphibeous animal with a normal speed of 10, who prefers
water, will move at speed of 15 in water.

Aquatic. Animal lives underwater: in oceans, lakes or riv-


ers. If the creator chooses, the animal may appear above water
temporarily to engage with the land above. Aquatic gives an an-
imal +50% speed, when that animal is in water. An animal with
10 speed will have 15 speed when aquatic. Also, aquatic animals
receive a +2 Evade when combating land or air based oppo-
nents. SPECIAL: You may grant Aquatic to an animal with no
legs at no additional cost – It does not add an additional 1 point
to your overall CL score.

Armored. Bestows a protective plating on the animal that


has the same properties as human armor. This armor gives an
additional resist defense of CL +2 (with one exception below).
An animal with 5 CL would have an armor of 7. This armor
functions exactly as human armor, deteriorating with every
blow taken against it. Exception: If a tiny animal chooses ar-
mor, they have a flat armor rating of 2, with no additional CL
bonus.

Burrowing. This animal can dig holes, caves or networks


in the Earth. This power may be used to create a home, such
as ants digging a mound. Or it can be used to escape from
predators, like praire dogs jumping into a hole. Another use
is in tunneling to stalk prey from underground (ever seen the
movie Tremors?). However used, this power gives the animal a
special construct skill equal to the animal’s CL + 2. This con-
struct skill may only be used to dig in the earth, and never to
build with other materials. Additionally, the animal receives a
+3 TrackNav and an Evade bonus equal to their CL when un-
der the Earth (but not above ground.) A 3 CL animal will have
an evade bonus of +3d, and a construct of 5d. Every time the
animal digs new Earth, they must roll a new construct chal-
lenge.
60
Camouflaged. The animal blends in with the surrounding
atmosphere. Their patterns, markings, scent or movements dis-
guise them. This is useful in sneaking, tracking or hiding. In-
game this ability grants a +3 to TrackNav.

Clawed/Fanged. Animal has sharp claws or teeth that allow


it extra power in hunting and fighting. Adds a permanent +2d
to all fight rolls. In addition, this attack bonus is extra effective
against enemy armor. Imagine claws piercing through the links
and ties of chainmail. Against armor, this animal receives an
additional Fight bonus of +1d per 2 CL. An animal with 6 CL
will have a +3d Fight bonus against armor (in addition to its
+2d permanent bonus.)

Climbing. This animal can scale mountains like a bighorn


sheep, or swing on vines like monkeys, or scale the steep limbs
of trees like opossums. They can almost defy gravity with their
intense climbing prowess. This power bestows a +6 Agility to
all rolls that involve scaling walls.

Darting. This animal has rapid, zigzagging movement like a


rabbit, deer or mackerel. This allows it to escape from preda-
tors. This power bestows a base +1 evade. In addition, the ani-
mal receives a +1 evade per 3 range (or 30 feet) they stand away
from the attacker. A darting animal 6 range (60 feet) away from
the attacker would receive +3 Evade.

Dexterous. Animal has opposable thumbs/fingers/append-


ages like a human. This allows it to grasp objects, use tools and
manipulate the world with a degree of precision. This allows
animal to carry items and to throw things the way a human
could. You cannot grant this power to an animal with no legs.

Far-Sensing. Like the eyes of an eagle, or the nose of a wolf,


this power bestows a tremendous benefit to one of the animal’s
senses. You choose the sense: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing.
61
When the animal uses this chosen sense, they receive +5d to
the overall roll.

Fire Breathing. A special attack where the animal breathes


a jet of flame. This attack may not be dodged by Evade rolls,
and may only be blocked by shields, armor or Resist. Has range
equal to animal’s CL, and an attack roll based on animals size:
Tiny Small Medium Large Massive
Fight + 0 Fight +1d Fight + 2d Fight + 3d Fight + 4d
Every dice used for fire breathing depletes the animal’s
force by 1.
Alternatively, you may imagine a different type of breathe
attack: Acid breathing, Chemical breathing, lightning breathing
etc.

Flying. Your animal can explore the skies. They possess


wings or other mechanisms of flight. This makes travel easi-
er, removing obstacles on the ground. Your animal may fly at
5-Range above the ground for every CL. An animal with 5 CL
can fly at 25 range above ground (250 feet.)

Harvesting. Like a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter,


your animal stockpiles food. This is good news for your animal
when winter comes, but it is also good news for whatever ad-
venturer raids your animal’s nest! Animals stockpile different
amounts of food, depending on their size. Use the chart below:
Tiny Small Medium Large Massive
1 Yield 2 Yield 10 Yield 25 Yield 50 Yield
worth worth worth worth worth

Hibernating. Animal sleeps during one of the four sea-


sons. This gives the animal an additional +10 Force energy per
CL, because of the energy they collect during this slumber.
During the hibernating season, that animal won’t be found in
the wild.

Horned / Tusked. This animal has sharp bones protrud-


62
ing from its mouth or head. This bestows a permanent +2d to
fight. In addition, horns or turks apply a special fight bonus
against shields – like a battering ram splitting the wood apart.
This bonus is +1d to Fight for every 2CL. A horned animal
with 6 CL will have a +3d conditional bonus against shields (in
addition to its +2d permanent bonus.)

Leaping. This animal can make incredible jumps or athletic


feats. They are like a gazelle leaping above the grass or a cat
onto a windowsill. When running or jumping, double animal’s
agility level.

Nocturnal. Animal can see during the night as well as day.


The night world comes alive for them in brilliant detail. Con-
sequently, this animal is active mostly at night. Besides night
vision, Nocturnal animals get a +1d to all die rolls performed
at night (except skills in which they normally have 0 points.)

Scavenger. This animal steals things from other animals. This


bestows a special skill of Forage equal to animal’s CL, which
is used exclusively to raid other’s treasures. Animal may steal
from human world, taking from trash cans, chests or the like.
Or they may steal from other animals such as taking carrion of
a dead corpse. A human adventurer might find treasures inside
this animal’s nest.

Shelter-Building. This creature has the ability to build shel-


ters such as nests, dams, hives or hovels. The shelter can be
built out of anything in the native environment. The creator
may elaborate on the nature of this structure in their interpre-
tation. This power is represented by a Construct skill equal to
the animal’s CL. The animal may only use this ability to build
structures.

Venomous. Like rattlesnakes, poison dart frogs and stingrays,


this animal has the ability to envenomate a foe. This is a special
attack with the effect of poison (see poison in Combat section
63
on pg. EDIT) This poison attack has a base of 2d + 1d per
CL. A venomous chimera with a CL of 8 has a poison attack
of 10d. Every time this venom attack is used it depletes Force
energy equal to the amount of dice rolled.
Tiny creatures have venom attacks that Force energy be-
fore health. This is because small bugs, like wasps, don’t often
pose a serious threat with their venom. Small and larger animals
have venom that directly attacks the health.

Vocal. This animal can communicate in a sophisticated


way to others of its kind. These languages may resemble human
languages, or appear different like the sonar of dolphins or
high-pitched piping of bats. The creator may design the specif-
ics of this communication. This communication allows an ani-
mal to talk with others in its group in the way a human would
talk with another human.
This power also allows an animal to have a powerful per-
suasion skill, when communicating with humans that use spirit
techniques to talk to animals. See section on animal persuasion
below.

Web-Weaving. As a special action, this animal may spin a


web. This is like a spider’s web, and it can be used as an attack
or construct roll. Either way, the animal has dice equal to their
CL. Each dice used to spin a web depletes the animal’s force by
1 point. The web can have a maximum radius of 10x the size of
the creature. To get trapped in a web, one must be equal to that
animal’s size or smaller. The trapped character rolls their base
resist and compares it to the successes of the web’s construc-
tion. If they roll fewer successes, they remain stuck. However,
each of their successes depletes the web’s threshold, much like
depleting a shield or barrier. When the web has no successes
left, it is broken. Characters trapped in a web are treated as if
they were prone: they only roll resist against attacks.

64
Skillsets:
CHOOSE: ~1 Skillset per animal.
~1 Tier within that skillset.
(Tier determines CL.)

Stealth Hunter Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


3 CL 5 CL 7 CL 9 CL 11 CL
Speed 16 20 24 28 32
Evade 4 6 8 10 12
Resist 1 2 3 4 5
Fight 3 5 7 9 11
Strength 0 1 2 3 4
Agility 4 6 8 10 12
Magic Craft 0 0 0 0 0
Spellwork 0 0 0 0 0
Spiritwork 0 0 0 0 0
Sense 3 5 7 9 11
TrackNav 5 7 9 10 12
Health: 10 Base + 2 per Tier up Force: 10 & no level bonus
Concept: Large hidden predators, like jaguars or alligators.

Nimble Foot Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


2 CL 4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL
Speed 20 24 28 32 36
Evade 4 6 8 10 12
Resist 0 1 2 3 4
Fight 0 1 2 3 4
Strength 1 1 2 2 3
Agility 5 7 9 11 13
Magic Craft 0 0 1 1 2
Spellwork 0 0 1 1 2
Spiritwork 0 0 1 1 2
Sense 5 7 9 11 13
TrackNav 2 4 6 8 10
Health: 10 & no level bonus Force: 10 + 2 per Tier up
Concept: Deer, Dancing Fish & Jackalopes. Highly agile animals. Good for
creating game animals for characters to hunt.

65
World Walker Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:
3 CL 5 CL 7 CL 9 CL 11 CL
Speed 6 8 10 12 14
Evade 2 2 3 3 4
Resist 4 5 6 7 8
Fight 1 2 3 4 5
Strength 3 4 5 6 7
Agility 1 2 3 4 5
Magic Craft 1 2 3 4 5
Spellwork 1 2 3 4 5
Spiritwork 5 6 7 8 9
Sense 3 4 5 6 7
TrackNav 1 1 2 2 3
Health: 10 + 2 per Tier up Force: 20 + 10 per Tier up
Concept: An omen animal, or a creature known to cross between the
worlds. Often sacred in local cultures.

Rain Bringer Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


3 CL 5 CL 7 CL 9 CL 11 CL
Speed 14 16 18 20 22
Evade 4 5 6 7 8
Resist 2 2 3 3 4
Fight 1 2 3 4 5
Strength 1 2 3 4 5
Agility 3 4 5 6 7
Magic Craft 1 2 3 4 5
Spellwork 5 6 7 8 9
Spiritwork 1 2 3 4 5
Sense 0 1 2 3 4
TrackNav 0 1 2 3 4
Health: 10 + 2 per Tier up Force: 20 + 10 per Tier up
Concept: A mystical animal with the power to affect nature through magic.
Another possible sacred animal, and likely identified with natural phenom-
enon in the lore.

66
King Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:
4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL 12 CL
Speed 5 8 11 14 17
Evade 2 3 4 5 6
Resist 5 7 9 11 13
Fight 6 8 10 12 14
Strength 7 9 11 13 15
Agility 1 2 3 4 5
Magic Craft 0 0 1 1 2
Spellwork 0 1 1 2 2
Spiritwork 0 1 1 2 2
Sense 2 3 4 5 6
TrackNav 0 0 0 0 0
Health: 15 Base + 5 per Tier up Force: 10 Base + 2 per Tier up
Concept: The Apex Predator. Lions, Lizard Drakes & Land Sharks. A
threatening foe even to warriors.

Navigator Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


2 CL 4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL
Speed 18 20 22 24 26
Evade 6 8 10 12 14
Resist 0 0 1 1 2
Fight 0 1 2 3 4
Strength 0 1 2 3 4
Agility 4 6 8 10 12
Magic Craft 1 1 2 2 3
Spellwork 0 1 1 2 2
Spiritwork 2 4 6 8 10
Sense 2 4 6 8 10
TrackNav 0 8 10 12 14
Health: 10 Base & no Bonus Force: 10 Base + 5 per Tier up
Concept: Migratory and far-traveling animals. Good skillset for birds, bats
and bardic pixies.

67
Speed Freak Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:
2 CL 4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL
Speed 36 42 48 54 60
Evade 4 6 8 10 12
Resist 1 2 3 4 5
Fight 0 0 0 0 0
Strength 1 2 3 4 5
Agility 4 6 8 10 12
Magic Craft 0 0 0 0 0
Spellwork 0 0 0 0 0
Spiritwork 0 0 0 0 0
Sense 2 3 4 5 6
TrackNav 0 0 0 0 0
Health: 12 + 2 per Tier up Force: 10 Base & no Bonus
Concept: Fast animals. Horses, happy cheetahs and hell hawks. In Era 2 and
above, this is a good skillset for mounts.

Survivor Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


2 CL 4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL
Speed 14 16 18 20 22
Evade 3 5 7 9 11
Resist 2 4 6 8 10
Fight 2 4 6 8 10
Strength 2 4 6 8 10
Agility 2 4 6 8 10
Magic Craft 0 0 1 1 2
Spellwork 1 2 2 3 3
Spiritwork 1 2 2 3 3
Sense 3 5 7 9 11
TrackNav 2 4 6 8 10
Health: 10 + 2 per Tier up Force: 10 Base + 2 per Tier up
Concept: Well-balanced, well-rounded animals, such as wolves, badgers or
bear-raccoons.

68
Behemoth Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:
4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL 12 CL
Speed 4 6 8 10 12
Evade 0 1 2 3 4
Resist 10 12 14 16 18
Fight 3 5 7 9 11
Strength 10 12 14 16 18
Agility 0 1 2 3 4
Magic Craft 1 1 2 2 3
Spellwork 2 2 3 3 4
Spiritwork 0 0 1 1 1
Sense 1 1 2 2 3
TrackNav 0 0 0 0 0
Health: 20 Base + 5 per Tier up Force: 10 Base + 2 per Tier up
Concept: Giant creatures. Blue whales, Black Rhinos & Brontosaurus.

Stone Mover Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


2 CL 4 CL 6 CL 8 CL 10 CL
Speed 8 10 12 14 16
Evade 2 4 6 8 10
Resist 6 8 10 12 14
Fight 1 2 3 4 5
Strength 6 8 10 12 14
Agility 1 2 3 4 5
Magic Craft 0 0 0 0 0
Spellwork 0 0 0 0 0
Spiritwork 0 0 0 0 0
Sense 1 2 3 4 5
TrackNav 2 4 6 8 10
EXTRA: +2 Carrying Capacity per Tier
Health: 10 Base + 4 per Tier up Force: 10 Base & no Bonus
Concept: Pack animals and other sturdy creatures. Oxen, goats and giant
ducks.

69
The Shadow Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:
3 CL 5 CL 7 CL 9 CL 11 CL
Speed 12 16 20 24 28
Evade 3 5 7 9 11
Resist 0 1 2 3 4
Fight 2 4 6 8 10
Strength 0 1 2 3 4
Agility 2 4 6 8 10
Magic Craft 0 0 1 1 2
Spellwork 0 1 1 2 2
Spiritwork 0 1 1 2 2
Sense 4 6 8 10 12
TrackNav 5 7 9 11 13
Health: 10 Base + 2 per Tier up Force: 10 Base + 5 per Tier up
Concept: Sneaky and well-hidden animals. Snakes, Sandworms & Sylphs.
Good for creating venomous creatures.

Googly Goof Tier 1: Tier 2: Tier 3: Tier 4: Tier 5:


1 CL 2 CL 3 CL 4 CL 5 CL
Speed 8 10 12 14 16
Evade 2 3 4 5 6
Resist 0 0 0 0 0
Fight 0 0 0 0 0
Strength 1 2 3 4 5
Agility 1 2 3 4 5
Magic Craft 0 0 0 0 0
Spellwork 0 0 0 0 0
Spiritwork 0 0 0 0 0
Sense 1 2 3 4 5
TrackNav 0 1 2 3 4
Health: 10 Base & no Bonus Force: 10 Base & no Bonus
Concept: The animal that should have gone extinct, because it’s not good
at anything at all (except for ending up on a dinner plate.) Good for easy
hunts and other player challenges.

70
The Social and Magical
Dimensions of Animals
The animals of this world are a different form of people. They may have
a unique type of consciousness or a different perspective from humans, but
they are just as animate and alive as their homo-sapien counterparts. Animals
also have motives, emotions and relationships. Sometimes humans and ani-
mals can speak with one another using spirit work channels. Use the following
chart for guidelines on animal’s persuasion skills (based on CL). Animals with
the Vocal power have an increased aptitude for persuasion.

Base Animal Persuade Skill


CL: 3 CL 4 CL 5 CL 6 CL 7 CL 8 CL 9 CL 10 CL 11 CL 12+ CL
Persuade : 2d 3d 4d 4d 5d 5d 6d 6d 7d 8d

Persuade Skill for animals with Power “Vocal”


CL: 3 CL 4 CL 5 CL 6 CL 7 CL 8 CL 9 CL 10 CL 11 CL 12+ CL
Persuade : 3d 4d 5d 6d 7d 8d 9d 10d 11d 12d

For animals with levels in Spellwork or Spiritwork, every animal in the


species shares the same spells and spirit work techniques. The animal’s creator
selects these techniques from the lists on [EDIT pg.] Write these on the ani-
mal’s sheet. Prioritize them, calculating the dice value, just as you would for
any Player Character. Every member of the species will have these same magi-
cal gifts.

71
Create
Plants

72
Welcome to the kingdom of the growing and still. Here you find trees,
bushes, vines, mushroom, lilies, lichens – all manner of stationary life. Plants
provide characters with food, medicine, and other materials, such as lumber.
To create a plant, follow the numbered steps below. Fill in its characteristics
on the printable Plant Sheet found in the downloaded folder. First, use roll-
charts to build a picture of your plant. After that, assign medicinal, culinary
and other beneficial properties (explained in depth below.)

1. Type. What sort of plant is this?

1d100 Type
CATEGORY 1: FLOWERING
1-24 Tree
25-40 Bush
41-50 Grass or Stalk (e.g. corn or wheat)
51-60 Flower
61-70 Cactus
CATEGORY 2: NON-FLOWERING
71-80 Fungus
81-85 Fern
86-90 Vine, Kelp or Water Plant
91-95 Moss or Lichen
96-100 Ooze or Algae

2. Shape. What does the overall


body of the plant look like?

1d100 Shape
1-5 Whispy Chart Continued
6-10 Sparse 48-53 Mini
11-15 Balanced 54-59 Compact
16-20 Thick 60-64 Extended
21-25 Massive 65-69 Towering
26-30 Distorted or Twisting 70-74 Angular
31-36 Bottom-Heavy 75-82 Curved or Sleek
37-41 Top-Heavy 83-89 Pointed or Tapered
42-47 Lopsided or Irregular 90-96 Bulbous or Rounded
97-100 Fractal-like or Crystalline

73
3. Exterior. What is the texture of
this plant’s skin or bark?

1d100 Exterior
1-10 Unremarkable or Plain
11-17 Thorny or Spine Covered
18-22 Waxy or Coated
23-28 Multi-Layered or Heavy Coated
29-33 Paper-like or Fragile
34-38 Smooth-skinned
39-43 Patchy or Uneven
44-48 Stringy or Fibrous
49-54 Cracked or Gnarled
55-59 Tiled or Patterned
60-66 Bumpy or Knobbly
67-71 Sticky, Gooey or Moist
72-76 Sandpaper-like or Abrasive
77-81 Fluffy, Downy or Velvet
82-86 Vein-covered or Etched
87-95 Hardened or Armored
96-100 Bioluminescent or Spectral

4. Body Parts. Choose three body parts that belong to this plant. In the follow-
ing steps, you will characterize these body parts using other roll charts. For
now, think about what sort of parts belong to a plant like this. For instance,
trees have bark, roots and leaves, while kelp has tendrils and pods. Choose
three relevant parts and write them in the slots labeled “Body Part 1,” “Body
Part 2” & “Body Part 3”.
Note: If you are choose “flowers” or “fruit” for your plant, write this in
the slot, “Body Part 3.”

Sylvani Parts: Trunk, Body, Leaves, Roots, Bark, Skin, Cap, Tendrils, Branch-
es, Bouquet, Flowers, Gills, Fruit, Frond, Core, Center, Inside/recess, Stem,
Stalk, Spirit Aura, Canopy, Seeds, Spores, Spines, Petals, Pods, Pollen, Skel-
eton.

74
5. Characteristic. What makes the plant’s parts unique? Roll this chart twice; use
it once to modify “Body Part 1” and once to modify “Body Part 2.” It acts as
an adjective that describes a part of the plant.

1d100 Plant Part Characteristic


1-6 Ridged / Lined / Up & Down Chart Continued
7-11 Exponentially-Growing 53-58 Multiple / Sprouting
12-16 Striped / Zigzagged 59-63 Uneven / Warped / Wavy
17-21 Dew / Sap / Amber covered 64-68 Fragrant Smelling / Sweet Tasting
22-26 Dome-like / Rounded / Curved 69-73 Acrid Smelling / Bitter Tasting
27-31 Bending / Spiraling 74-78 Musty Smelling / Sour Tasting
32-36 Bouquet-like / Flourishing 79-84 Sun-Loving / Moon-Loving
37-41 Pointy / Jagged 85-89 Spotted / Pitted / Speckled
42-46 Wrinkled / Puckered 91-95 Covered in Vines / Bugs / Moss
47-52 Multi-colored (Roll Nature Colors 2) 96-99 Hairy / Filament / Stringy
100 Singing / Noisy

6. Color Characteristic. “Body Part 3” is characterized by a col-


or. Use the charts on pg. [EDIT: Appendix I] to roll a color.
For fruits and flowers, use “Bright Colors.” For other parts
of the plant, use “Nature Colors 2.”

7. Environment. What natural conditions does your plant flour-


ish in? This determines the biomes where your plant will be
commonly found.
SPECIAL: If you are creating a cactus, automatically
select dry and hot.
If you are creating a water plant (kelp, seaweed etc.),
automatically choose water.

1d100 Environment
1-20 Dry and Hot Places (deserts, plains, savannahs, woodlands)
21-40 Dry and Cold Places (arctic, deserts, plains, forests)
41-60 Damp and Hot Places (rainforests, swamps, woodlands, savannahs)
61-80 Damp and Cold Places (forests, swamps, arctic)
81-94 Water (Near or within lakes, rivers or oceans)
95-100 Any Environment (Found worldwide!)

75
8. Association. Something commonly found in relation to the plant. This thing
is often on, near, within, below or above the plant. Because of their closeness,
these two beings are likely to be associated with one another, (e.g. certain birds
associated with the trees they build nests in.)

1d100 Association
1-15 Birds, Bugs, Snakes or Tree-rodents
16-27 Water Source
28-44 Nature Spirits
45-60 Historical Events or Ancient Stories
61-68 Domestic Use (Culinary etc.)
69-80 Seasonal Changes or Weather Patterns
81-86 Chemicals, Minerals or Soil
87-100 Talking Personality (The spirit of the tree itself,
that can interact with humans without psychic
connection. A dryad, or tree person, perhaps.)

9. Association Adjective. This describes the asso-


ciated being or phenomenon in greater detail.
Write this in the space before “association.”

1d100 Association Adjective


1-5 Fierce / Ferocious
6-10 Friendly / Helpful
11-15 Mysterious / Misunderstood
16-20 Repulsive / Shocking
21-25 Dangerous / Deathly
26-30 Desirable / Attractive / Coveted
31-35 Abundant / Extreme
36-40 Sporadic / Unpredictable
41-45 Toxic / Poisonous
46-50 Awe-inspiring / Intimidating
51-55 Wistful / Romantic
56-60 Peaceful / Serene
61-65 Peculiar / Unordinary
66-70 Gigantic / Massive
71-75 Somber / Sad
76-80 Ecstatic / Joy-Inspiring
81-85 Sleepy / Subtle
86-90 Irritable / Angry
91-95 Mystical / Magical
96-100 Ancient / Timeless

76
Powers & Yield
Plants do not have skillsets like animals. They do not roll for skills like
mobile creatures. Plants are characterized by powers, but these powers are dif-
ferent from animal powers. They are mostly passive. A plant power contains a
potential benefit that can be activated. Herbalists use plants to make potions,
or chefs use them to make food.
Plant Powers are organized into three different tiers: Normal, Super and
Ultra. Each of these tiers grows more powerful, Ultra being the most power-
ful. Instead of having a CL, plants are measured by rarity. The rarity deter-
mines how easily the plant may be found in a certain biome.
Plants start with a base rarity of 0. Each power you choose increases the
rarity of the plant. A normal power adds +1 to rarity. A Super Powers adds +2
rarity, and an Ultra Power adds +3 rarity. You may select up to three powers
for the plant, and the plant creator chooses whether these are normal, super or
ultra powers. The plant creator must choose at least one power for the plant.
Each plant also has a yield value. This is a measurement of how many
units a character harvests from a single specimen. Think about how a banana
tree can give a person a lot of bananas, whereas a potato only yields a single
potato. The ST makes a dice roll to determine yield value when PCs find a
plant in the wild. Plants with a higher yield value also have a higher rarity.
Note that a plant cannot exist with a rarity above 10. You cannot give a
plant powers that would have its rarity go above 10.

77
UNCOMMON PLANTS
If you search for a plant outside of
its preferred biome, this adds +3 to
the rarity. If you search for it in a
biome where it would be near im-
possible to find, this adds +6 to the
rarity. This is like searching for an
arctic plant in the middle of the des-
ert.

11. Determine Yield Value. How many


dice does the ST roll when the PCs
encounter this plant? Note that an
increased yield increases the overall
rarity of the plant.

1d100 Yield
1-25 Yield 1, Rarity +0
26-50 Yield 1d6, Rarity +1
51-75 Yield 2d6, Rarity +2
76-100 Yield 3d6, Rarity +3

Step 12. Powers. Select powers for


your plants using the guidelines be-
low. Note: Using plant powers is
covered under Herbalism and Cook-
ing sections in the Character Cre-
ation chapter.

SELECT: ~1 to 3 Powers from the options below


~Choose between the three tiers for each of those powers
(This modifies the rarity of the plant.)

78
FOOD POWERS:

Nourish. This is a food plant. It sustains life, prevent-


ing starvation, but it does not supply vitamins. What
part of your plant is used for eating?
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) Provides 1 Food
SUPER (+2 Rarity) Provides 2 Food
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) Provides 3 Food

Vitamin. Vitamins act as shields for illnesses and spe-


cial attacks (see Herbalism section.) Add this power to
edible plants. You choose the element associated with
this vitamin.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) Provides 1 vitamin element:
water, fire, earth or air.
SUPER (+2 Rarity) Provides 2 vitamin elements:
water, fire, earth or air.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) Provides 1 light vitamin.
(can be used in place of any vitamin.)

HEALING POWERS:

Fire Medicine. Used to combat air based diseases.


NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +3d to potion per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +4d to potion per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +5d to potion per success on potion creation roll

Water Medicine. Used to combat fire based diseases.


NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +3d to potion per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +4d to potion per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +5d to potion per success on potion creation roll

Air Medicine. Used to combat earth based diseases.


NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +3d to potion per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +4d to potion per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +5d to potion per success on potion creation roll

79
Earth Medicine. Used to combat water based diseases.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +3d to potion per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +4d to potion per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +5d to potion per success on potion creation roll

Health Tonic. Upon drinking, bestows health into


character immediately. Does not cure disease or repair
wounds.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +1 Health per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +2 Health per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +3 Health per success on potion creation roll

Force Tonic. Upon drinking, raises the Force energy of


the consumer. Cannot be used to replenish force energy
of spell materials.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +2 Force per success on potion creation roll
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +3 Force per success on potion creation roll
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +4 Force per success on potion creation roll

Repair Wound. When a character has a wound, such as


a cut, bleed or other such injury to limb or body.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) Stops bleeding, and heals 1 Health per success on
potion creation roll. Can heal a maximum of 4
health this way.
SUPER (+2 Rarity) Fixes an injured limb and heals 1 Health per suc-
cess on potion creation roll. Can heal a maximum
of 6 health this way.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) Magically regenerates a severed limb or heals any
manner of physical injury, as well as +1 Health
per success on potion creation roll. No maximum
of health recovery.

80
OTHER POWERS:

Animate. The plant becomes mobile, like an animal.


Perhaps it is a tree person, or another animal with the
characteristics of a tree, or maybe it is a magically ani-
mated tree. Perhaps the tree comes to life at a certain
time, under the moonlight, or when a special song is
played on a flute. Or maybe the tree is alive all the time,
living in a little world of tree-people. This is for you to
choose. For game purposes, bestow upon your tree one
of the skillsets of a Faunitas (you choose the skillset),
using the guidelines below for Challenge Level.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) This tree creature’s CL is between 1 and 3
SUPER (+2 Rarity) This tree creature’s CL is between 4 and 6
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) This tree creature’s CL is 7 or higher.

Energize. This power is used in a potion. It raises the


speed of whoever drinks it for a short time, giving char-
acters a burst of energy.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll.
Effect lasts for 1d6 turns (roll when character
drinks potion.)
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll. Ef-
fect lasts for 2d6 turns.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll. Ef-
fect lasts for 3d6 turns.

Poison. A substance inside the plant is toxic to humans


(See poison in combat section). When assigning a poi-
son, select one of the four elements: Fire, water, air,
earth. The poison will carry this element. Can coat 5
arrows or darts.
NORMAL (+1 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll.
Effect lasts for 1d6 turns (roll when character
drinks potion.)
SUPER (+2 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll. Ef-
fect lasts for 2d6 turns.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) +1 Speed per success on potion creation roll. Ef-
fect lasts for 3d6 turns.

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Spirit Journey. This plant communicates with the spirit world. When
made into a potion, it allows those who drink it to open gateways to the
spirit realms. This allows anyone to travel into the spirit world, even if
they don’t have that spirit technique.

However, this power comes at a price. If a character does not have any
levels in magic craft, they must roll resist when entering the spirit world,
and every QD spent within the spirit world. If they fail this resist score,
they take 2 damage. This is because the plant upsets the balance of the
characters body and mind. If a character dies in this state, they simply
continue on in the spirit world, unable to return to their body.

NORMAL (+1 Rarity) Perform a Spiritworld Travel roll at: 1d per cre-
ation success.
SUPER (+2 Rarity) Perform a Spiritworld Travel roll at: 2d per cre-
ation success.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) Perform a Spiritworld Travel roll at: 3d per cre-
ation success.

Tranquilize. This plant contains a substance that slows, relaxes or


anesthetizes the user. This can be used to take a character out of pain, or
to put enemies to sleep. As an attack, this works the same way as poison.
Once the target is struck, roll against their resist every turn cycle. Instead
of damage to health or force, each passing success reduces the target’s
speed by 1 (temporarily.) If the target’s speed falls to 0 or below, that
target falls unconscious. If the tranquilizer poison is beaten (i.e. victim
rolls more successes on their resist than tranquilizer’s successes) then the
tranquilizer affects them no longer, and the character’s speed returns at a
gradual 1 point per turn, until back to normal.

One tranquilizer potion can coat 5 arrows or darts.

NORMAL (+1 Rarity) Tranquilize attack: 1d per success on potion cre-


ation roll.
SUPER (+2 Rarity) Tranquilize attack: Base 1d, and +1d per success
on potion creation roll.
ULTRA (+3 Rarity) Tranquilize attack: Base 2d, and +1d per success
on potion creation roll.

82
Create
Spirits

83
Here you create otherworld-
ly beings. These spirits are catego-
rized into three types: Nature Spirits,
Farlanders and Great Ones. Nature
Spirits live as a part of the world,
in streams and glaciers, in stars and
magma flows. They also inhabit the
worlds of dreams, playing with chil-
dren, or guiding adventurers. Nor-
mally invisible, these nature spirits
can appear at special times of year,
or when a person uses their psychic
sight. Even when unnoticed, they are
responsible for bringing blessings or
illness upon the inhabitants of your
planet.
Farlanders live in the distant
spirit worlds. There are six worlds, or
planes of existence, in the Evocraft
universe. These planes are structured
like an onion, where the planet is at the center, and each world is progres-
sively further away. One may interact with these worlds using spirit travel. In
between the planet and the furthest world, one will find the Farlanders.
Farlanders often appear surreal or uncanny. A Farlander might have sev-
en eyes, a cloud head, or a beard of snakes, to name a few things. The physics
of their worlds do not operate the same as Earth, and neither does their social
structure. However, Farlanders can develop a raport with humans. The two
parties can mutually trade. Humans provide information, because they have
long observed the ways of Earth. In addition, they can craft items from pow-
erful spirit world materials. All of these things they exchange for force energy
expended by humans (see following section.)
Great Ones are the oldest and most powerful beings in existence. No
one knows where they came from. Mythologies exist to explain their story, but
no one knows for sure how the world came to be. Some people say there are
Great Ones that created the Great Ones. Others have stopped believing alto-
gether.
The great ones act like stewards, overseeing the growth (or destruction)
84
of the many worlds. In addition, they are also patrons, overseeing the lives of
humans or other creatures that they have an affinity for. Great Ones have de-
veloped an inclination towards certain areas of human life. Some Great Ones
enjoy the arts, while others might know about healing. The Great Ones inhabit
a world called Paradisio, which is the furthest spirit world.

The Six Worlds


World 1 – Earth. The physical universe and the plan-
et your story takes place on. While the planet is the focus
of your story, this world actually includes all planets, stars,
comets and other astronomical bodies. The other worlds act
like parallel dimensions that are separate from this cosmos
entirely. The ST, or group, may assign a different name to
the planet besides “Earth.” The terms “Earth” and “The
Planet” are interchangeable.

World 2 – The Dream Chambers. This is where char-


acters see their dreams when they sleep. It is a place of in-
between. Parts of it are identical to Earth, and other parts
are surreal, or nonsensical. Stones move like clouds through
the sky, or grocery stores carry obsene amounts of lollipops:
these sorts of peculiar happenings are common here. The
character’s psychology also manifests part of this world. It
is a world linking the character’s mind with a spiritual cos-
mos. As such, their very thoughts can mold and shape the
dream world around them.
The land shifts in and out of existence. Time does not
pass in a normal during dreams. The geography of space
may be distorted, or nonexistent. The exception to this rule
is in the buildings and lands created by nature spirits. There
are plentiful roadways and doors used by spirits in the dream
chambers. They are used by spirits in the same way that high-
ways are used by humans, leading to Earth, or leading to the
further spirit worlds beyond. They consistently stay in the
dreamworld, even after the dreamer wakes up.

85
Any character may explore the dream chambers during
their dreams, if the ST provides them with an opportunity.
Upon waking, a character always safely returns to their body.
In addition, Spirit travelers can go to the dream chambers
deliberately.
When in the Dream Chambers, the chance of encoun-
tering: Farlanders is 10%, Nature Spirits is 75%, and Empti-
ness is 15% .

World 3 – The Fields


This world is another planet that resembles Earth in
some ways, yet is somehow twisted. The sky may be pink
instead of blue, the trees curl like moustaches or mountains
are made of glass. Unlike the dream chambers, this world
is a stable place. It feels physical, like Earth, even though it
follows a different set of physical rules. These rules will be
created by the ST. This is the home planet for many farland-
ers.
Encounter rate: 80% Farlander, 10% Nature Spirit,
10% Emptiness.

World 4 – Rainbow Lands


This is the realm of utter chaos. If physics exist in this
world, they are incomprehensible to human senses. Noth-
ing is stable. Images shift in and out of being, and a person
can have bodies in three places at once. Light and vortex-
es swirl about the character. Bodies can meld together, and
thoughts can flow between minds. A character’s mind and
willpower determines how they move around in this type
of atmospher. Characters will also be acutely aware of the
presence of other beings here. This realm is home to many
Farlanders, which are more powerful than the farlanders of
the fields.
Encounter chart: 90% Farlander, 10% Emptiness.

86
World 5 – The High Halls
A pleasant planet where everything is made out of light. It may appear
highly physical, like Earth, or abstract like the Rainbow Lands. This world
manifests differently for each type of character who interacts with it. There
are two areas to this world, that act like sides of a coin. One side is home to
the children of the great ones, guiding spirits, departed souls and other be-
ings of enlightened nature. On the other side are malicious and dangerous
creatures. These forsaken areas can be reached by going through holes in the
ground, back-alleys, boat rides or the like.
Many spectral castles, halls and towers dot the landscape, giving this
place its name. These are often home to the spirits which that aid the people
of Earth. There are the halls of heroes, where the departed drink, eat and
laugh. The flipside is home to the malefactors, as they are called. This is a
place for spirits that want to bring demise to human life. Their home is not a
prison, even though it separates them from Earth. Instead, it is a party land.
Their section is full of death and rot, but they enjoy it immensely.
Encounter Chart for High Halls: 30% Great Ones, 70% Helpful Far-
lander or Departed Human.
Encounter Chart for Prison Below: 75% Malefactor (spirits who have
been corrupted) or 25% emptiness.

World 6 – Paradisio
This world is the abode of the Great Ones. Like the
high-halls, this place is also constructed out of light. The
light is stronger than any other world. Because of this, it
can appear as pure white to many of the characters. Those
who can see, will find vibrant gardens, temples, oceans
and all matter of lush land. This world seems most real
of all worlds, even more real than physical earth. Yet it
is weightless. This sensation no mortal can fully describe
to another, but Paradisio also feels plain joyous to expe-
rience. While the Great Ones are intimidating to some,
every traveler will find a positive resource through inter-
acting with them.
They are aware of all who enter here. Encounter
rate: is a 100% Chance you will encounter Great Ones.

87
Create Nature Spirits
Nature spirits can have any sort of appearance. They can
look like animals, plants or humans. However, many look like ab-
stract shapes, much like micro-organisms. Follow the steps below
to create a nature spirit:

Step 1. Appearance. What does the nature spirit look like? This
chart will create an abstract type of body. If the nature spirit imi-
tates an animal or plant, use creation charts for animals or plants.

Appearance. Roll 3 Different words.


1d100 First Word (Color) 1d100 Second Word (Trait) 1d100 Third Word (Form)
1 Colorless 1-5 Winged 1-3 Bell
2-3 Blood Red 6-9 Shivering 4-6 Blossom
4-7 Aqua 10-12 Expanding 7-9 Strings of Bead
8-9 Sun Yellow 13-14 Meandering 10-12 Saturn-Ring Orb
10-12 Violet 15-18 Crawling 13-16 Sphere
13-16 Orange 19-20 Flickering 17-20 Jelly
17-22 Neon Green 21-22 Whistling 21-23 Turnip Shape
23-28 Emerald 23-25 Sweet-scented 24-26 Lantern
29-33 Lavender 25-28 Rot-scented 27-28 Jellyfish
34-38 Vermillion 29-30 Groaning 29-31 Star
39-43 Pink 31-32 Meowing 32-35 Sparkle Cloud
44-48 Lavender 33-34 Clicking 36-38 Swirl
49-53 Pale Blue 35-39 Dripping 39-42 Veil
54-58 Indigo 40-45 Cold 43-48 Mist
59-63 Silver 46-50 Hot 49-52 Grass Blades
64-68 Gold 51-52 Shapeshifting 53-56 Bush
69-72 Magenta 53-55 Beautiful 57-59 Tree
73-76 Color-Changing 56-57 Sun-Bright 60-65 Fireball
77-79 Green & Yellow 58-59 Crying 66-67 Donut
80-83 Purple & White 60-62 Laughing 68-69 Monstrous Twist
84-86 Blue & Purple 63-69 Burning 70-73 Raindrop
87-89 Light Grey 70-73 Musical 74-78 Honeycomb
90-91 Dark Grey 74-80 Trail-making 79-82 Vine
92 Black 81-85 Pulsating 83-84 Vortex
93-94 Red & Orange 86-89 Space-Distorting 85-89 Cloud
95-97 Green & Blue 90-91 Twisted 90-92 Arch (i.e. Rainbow)
98 Rainbow 92-94 Wall-Crawling 93-97 Worm-Shape
99 Pure White 95-99 Ceiling-Hanging 98-99 Anemone
100 Reflective/Chrome 100 Super-Fast 100 Shadow

88
Step 2. Environment. What area does your
nature spirit thrive in? If a spirit enjoys its
atmosphere, it is more likely to help peo-
ple. If it struggles in a place it dislikes, it is
more likely to harm people. Below are five
different charts that determine what plac-
es this nature spirit likes, and what place
it doesn’t. Write its preferred environment
on the line “Positive Environment” and
then read across to the other side to find
its “Negative Environment.” The opposite
of a season, is whatever lies on the other
side of a year (for instance, Autumn is the
opposite of Spring.)
Each of the following questions is a
separate roll.

Does it like buildings or wilderness?

Does it like buildings or wilderness?


1d100: (1-50) Buildings (51-100) Wilderness

Does it like water or dryness?


1d100 1-50 Water 51-100 Dryness

Does it like low or high places?


1d100 1-50 Low Places 51-100 High Places

Does it like light or darkness?


1d100 1-50 Light 51-100 Darkness

Which season is its favorite?


1d100 1-25 Spring 26-50 Summer 51-75 Autumn 76-100 Winter

89
Step 3. Personality. What tendencies does this spirit display when interact-
ing with humans?

1d100 Nature Spirit Personality


1-6 Unpredictable Chart Continued
7-12 Aggressive 51-57 Comedic
13-18 Jittery 58-63 Reckless
19-24 Somber 64-68 Trusting
25-31 Lighthearted 69-74 Melancholy
32-38 Grieving 75-80 Disinterested
39-44 Cautious 81-86 Playful
45-50 Ecstatic 87-92 Thoughtful
93-100 Curious

Step 4. Area of knowledge. What does this spirit know about? You may roll
this chart for individual spirits, as well as an entire species of spirits.

1d100 Area of Knowledge


1-20 Esoteric. Knows about things in the
world of spirits. Oblivious to the
outside world, and unable to help
humans with information about the
mundane.
21-40 Landscapes. Knows about the earth,
caves, trees, air etc.
41-60 Animals. Familiar with local animal
life. Knows animals as individuals
and groups.
61-80 Plants. Friends with trees, and knows
locations of uncommon flowers etc.
81-100 Dreams. Witness to events in the
dream world. May help as a spy to
look at people in their sleep.

90
STEP 5. ASSIGN ELEMENTS & POWERS
These are the helpful and harmful abilities of the nature spirits. When
nature spirits are in an environment that they like, they are more likely to
help the player. If they live in the opposite of their favorite environment,
they are more likely to attack the character and bring a disease upon them.
These ailments can have a number of effects on the character. Every ailment
is based in one of the four elements (fire, water, air, earth.) Write these pow-
ers in the “aid” and “ail” section of the nature spirit sheet.

Ailments Explained
Each element attached to a nature spirit gives them a disease attack to
roll against a character. This is rolled against a character’s Resist. For instance,
a Fire-Air spirit may have a pool of 6d for Fire and 5d for Air. The affected
character would have to roll their resist against a 6d fire disease, and against
a 5d air disease, unless that character has a vitamin or immunity. Vitamins are
consumed through cooked foods, and these prevent diseases. The vitamins
act like automatic shields that deflect disease. Once deflecting a disease, a
vitamin disappears. If the character affected has a vitamin or immunity, then
they immediately deflect that element of the nature spirit. They avoid sickness
for that round. If they have a vitamin, that vitamin is erased when used as a
shield. Immunities are like vitamins, except they act as permanent shields. You
receive immunities through leveling up your constitution skill.
If the nature spirit succeeds, a disease incubates inside the character. The
effects of these diseases are described later in this section.

Nature Spirit Elements


A nature spirit may have up to three elements. When a disease attacks a
character, all elements’ dice are rolled at once. So if a spirit has three elements,
it makes three rolls against the affected character. If a character becomes sick
with the illness, they will have to be healed by herbalism or magic (described
in their individual sections.)
A nature spirit has one aid power for every ailment power it contains. If
a spirit has 2 ailments, then it also has 2 aid powers. Therefore, every element
you grant to a nature spirit will give it an additional aid and an additional ail-
ment.

91
Challenge Level
A Nature Spirit has a Challenge Level (CL) just like an animal. The CL
determines how challenging the illness will be to cure using herbalism. The
base nature spirit has 1 CL. The spirit’s creator may grant more power or more
elements to the spirit, both of which increase the spirit’s CL. A more powerful
spirit has the same element, aid and ail powers, but rolls a greater number of
dice.
A spirit with two or three aid/ailment pairs will have a different dice
value to roll for each power. One of their powers will therefore be stronger
than their other powers. This is comparable to spellwork and spirit techniques,
where the character’s spell powers are ranked differently in power.

Elements: Choose 1-3 of the following elements for your spirit.


Fire Water Air Earth

Dice Values for Aids and Ailments


Assign dice values to your spirits aids and
ailments below. Dice values are ubiquitous: any
of the following dice values can be applied to
any of the aid or ailment powers. To make more
powerful aids and ailments, assign a dice value
further to the right. To aid a second or third
aid, observe the values in the second and third
row. On these charts, you will see guidelines
for CL in the gray shaded areas. When you pick
your powers, look both to the top row and the
leftmost column. Both of these CL bonuses
apply.
Example: If you assigned 11d to your
spirit’s first aid and ailment pair, you would as-
sign a base of 1 CL + 4 CL (running total 5.)
Then if you added a second pair with 9d, you
would add +2 CL for the second pair and an-
other +2 CL for the additional strength. Final
total of 9 CL .
92
Aid & Ailment Powers. (Spirits with second pair have two elements, those
with third pair have three elements.)
Add Power :
Add Element: Base +0 CL +2 CL +4 CL +6 CL +8 CL
First Pair 8d 11d 14d 17d 20d
(Base 1 CL)
Second Pair 6d 9d 12d 15d 18d
(+2 CL)
Third Pair 4d 7d 10d 13d 16d
(+4 CL)

NATURE SPIRIT AIDS


Each of the spirit’s aid powers can be rolled once per day that they are
encountered. Any of these powers may be combined with any of the four ele-
ments.

Orient
The spirit reveals a pathway, sought secret, hidden doorway or other di-
rection to the characters. This might be explicit, like a string of glowing pink
lantern marking the path. Or it could be subtle, such as a convenient breeze
blowing a signpost in the right direction.

Spring-Stem
Nearby plants expand at 3-7 times their normal rate of growth. Barren
fields suddenly sprout. A dry aquifer bubbles up. This power multiplies the
forces of nature that govern grow and prosperity. This may help the players to
find food in a desolate place, among other uses.

Specter-Shell
The nature spirit inhabits a (previously) inanimate body, such as a sea-
shell, bicycle or robot suit. The spirit can use this body as if it were an exten-
sion of itself. If the body has eyes or a mouth, it can see or talk as well. This
can create a flying carpet or a talking sword. This power is essential to the
creation of automata in Era 3. If the shell is destroyed, the nature spirit will
still live, but it cannot animate the same shell again.

93
Windmaker
This power allows the spirit to change the currents of weath-
er. They can transform snow to a clear sky, a playful breeze to
a gale, or bring lightning strikes out of nowhere. This power is
useful when characters want to manipulate the weather, such as
putting wind behind the sails of a ship.

Thermosight
This nature spirit can temporarily bond with a character’s vi-
sion, to allow them to see through walls and barriers. This is a
form of X-ray vision. While the Spirit Technique “Spirit Sight”
allows a character to see Auras and psychic phenomenon, Ther-
mosight allows that character to see through objects. It changes
their perception of the physical, allowing them to see potential
secrets.

Time Twister
The power to manipulate currents of time. This spirit can
slow, speed-up or distort time perception. If there are paral-
lel dimensions of differing timelines in this game, this power
will govern access to those other dimensions. No power can be
used to go back in time and change an event – what’s passed
is passed. However, a character may benefit from having this
spirit freeze time during a tense situation.

Hearth Breather
The spirit creates a fire that emanates from its body. This has
the same properties of a regular fire. One may use this fire in
a hearth or engine. However, characters would be wise to re-
member that this fire is alive. They may need to feed it from
time to time with wood, coal or other fuel.

Glowpath
Spirit lights illuminate a road. This looks like a series of glow-
ing blue mushrooms, or a doorway etched into an old tree.
This power illuminates spirit roads and doors with a physical
appearance. Useful for locating spots of magical power.
94
Cornerstone
This is a special enchantment for the foundation bricks
of a building. Cornerstone allows nature spirits to inhabit these
stones, which brings those within greater health and prosperity.
Give between +5% to the income of a business with healthy
spirits in the stones. Only give this power to nature spirits that
are not averse to indoor spaces.

Party Bug
Laughter, merriment and shenanigans abound. This nature
spirit plays up the energy of a party, creating the opportunity
for fun, romance and play. Yet this can also create drama and
trouble. This happens in subtle ways – perhaps the spirit casts a
mystique over the performer which compels everyone to fall in
love with her.

Shrink
Upon request, this spirit can cause a character to shrink.
The character becomes 10% of their normal height and weight,
allowing them to step into places they would not normally go.
The character’s resist and strength scores drop to 0, while their
agility doubles (affecting their Evade.) This effect lasts for up
to one whole day, or until the character wants to transform back
(Caution! You cannot shrink again at will, without the help of
this spirit.)

Veil
Upon request, a character is temporarily disguised as if
they were a cloaked spirit. This is a type of near invisibility that
is only broken by making noise, or encountering a character us-
ing spirit sight. This effect lasts for 1d turns x success of initial
roll.

Erode
This spirit has the power to chip away at boulders, moun-
tainsides or barricades of any variety. Typically, this spirit will
be responsible for the long-term erosion of landmarks, but this
95
power can also help characters in the short term by demolish-
ing obstacles.

Rollin’ Bones
This spirit can manipulate dice, cards or other instruments
to gamble with the characters. If the characters win, they will
earn money just as if they were gambling with another person.
Perhaps this money is hidden under a stone nearby that the
spirit will reveal. If the players lose, they must sacrifice that
amount of money to the wilderness (lest they face a terrible
fate of some sort.) The spirit always has a slight advantage in
the gamble, if possible.
An easy mini-game to play with your players: Each participant
bets and rolls 3 dice. Add the face value together. Whoever has
a higher number wins the pot. Give the nature spirit a +1 to the
result of every roll.

Fly
The character is held aloft in the air by the powers of this
spirit. Temporarily they bond, so that the character can control
his or her flight. The flight will last for up to 1 turn cycle per
success on the spirit’s initial roll. The spirit will (typically) set
the player softly on the ground, so this form of flying can be
relied on for safety.

96
NATURE SPIRIT AILMENTS
Each of the spirit’s ailment powers can be rolled once per day
that they are encountered. Any of these powers may be com-
bined with any of the four elements.

Fever. An internal heat burns the victim. This illness has a roll
equal to the nature spirit’s roll for this power. Once every QD,
roll the illness’ dice pool versus the victim’s resist. Every suc-
cess from the illness does 1 damage to victim’s force. When vic-
tim’s force is depleted, their health is attacked in the same way.

Freeze. The victim is paralyzed or frozen in place. A feeling of


icy cold accompanies this state. Every turn the victim may roll
their resist to try and break out of this hold. This ice illness
has a threshold of 2, 6 or 10 (easy, medium, hard) to break
free. The victim’s resist roll is cumulative – each success adds
towards breaking the barrier. Until broken, the victim cannot
move, evade or take any action (they may only roll resist for
defense.) Once the freeze is broken, it no longer affects the
character. Use these guidelines for other cases of freezing, such
as magical attacks.

Haunt. A poltergeist disturbs the victim’s environment. They


may be perceived as a dark presence, goblin, miniature ptero-
dactyl or other form. Every day the haunt receives a pool of
dice equal to their disease roll. These dice can be used as a spe-
cial strength or agility roll to move items in the environment.
This could be used to knock over furniture, open doors, or
cause plaster to fall on the characters’ heads. The spirit may use
this dice pool over any number of rolls, and the pool recharges
once per day.

Mania. The victim experiences great excitement and over-stim-


ulation. They can’t help but laugh at everything. Player must
roleplay this demeanor in their interactions. They must laugh or
make a joke in every sentence, even during serious situations.
After three days with Mania, the disease begins to attack the
97
character’s health, because the mania overstimulated their ner-
vous system and may cause a heart attack.

Shrink. The character becomes 1/10th the size of their normal


body, against their will. Their strength and resist temporarily
drop to 0, and their agility is boosted by double (thereby in-
creasing evade.)

Emaciate. All the victim’s strength is drained. Their strength


score drops to zero, and their speed is halved until cured.

Discombobulate. The victim’s hand-eye coordination is off-cen-


ter. Agility drops to zero, and speed is halved until cured.

Stomach Shock. The victim cannot eat food until cured. Every
day the victim goes without food, cross off one of their food
bubbles. When food reaches 0, the disease roll begins to attack
their health (each success doing one damage.)

Untethered. The victim loses the ability to stay on earth. Their


spirit leaves their body and cannot return until cured. Their
body is still alive, but in a coma. They are free to explore the
spirit world, but haunts and other spirits can now damage the
character’s physical health. If they die in this way, their body on
Earth dies as well. While in the spirit world, the character will
have all their equipment they have on Earth.

Metaphorius. Victim becomes obsessed with a random thing cho-


sen by the ST (such as chickens, beach balls or hedgemazes.)
Every time the character speaks, they must relate their sentence
to this object of fascination. This forces the character to make
a metaphor or simile with every sentence, otherwise they are
not understood. “Life is like a chicken flapping its wings, you
can never see what’s coming next.”

Silencio. The character cannot speak with their voice, and can-
not write coherent words. The player must use hand gestures
98
and pantomime to convey information to their fellow players.
These interactions need to be roleplayed, otherwise communi-
cation does not take place between the characters.

Dramaticus. Everything becomes hyperbole to the victim. Pleas-


ant situations become life-changing and awe-inspiring. Minor
frustrations become catastrophes. There is no more middle
ground. This must be roleplayed with an extremity of expres-
sion. Use expletives, displays of emotion and outlandish lan-
guage. “Oh my GAWD, this lollipop is AMAZING!”

99
Create Farlanders
Follow the numbered steps below to create a spirit of the beyond.

1. Singular or Collective. Is this farlander a unique being, or a member of a spe-


cies? Unlike Earth life, Farlanders can have bodies created by their unique
imagination. They don’t have to be a part of a species (a collective.) However,
many types of farlanders created common body types, and this is what the
term “collective” implies.

1d100 1-35: A Single, Unique Creature 36-100: A Collective

2. Appearance. What does this farlander look like? Roll the three separate charts
below to generate three words. These words combine into a phrase that de-
scribes the farlander’s appearance. Some features require you to roll additional
dice to determine number of features, such as 1d10 Eyes (roll 1 ten-sided dice,
and your creature has that many eyes.)

Farlander Appearance: Feature + Texture + Form


1d100 Feature 1d100 Texture 1d100 Form
1-5 1d6 Armed 1-6 Neon 1-4 Pile of Goo
6-9 Leaf-Skinned 7-10 Sparkling 5-10 Stone Tablet
10-15 Snake-Eyed 11-14 Smoky 11-15 Crystal
16-20 1d6 winged 15-20 Blue 16-20 Cloud
21-25 1d10 Eyed 21-25 Metallic 21-25 Door
26-30 1d10 Tentacled 26-29 Orange 26-30 Flames
31-34 Hairstyle Wearing 30-35 Whispy 31-36 Golem
35-38 Jewelry Wearing 36-40 Warm 37-41 Jelly
39-43 Intellectual 41-45 Cold 42-44 Mountain
44-48 Clothed 46-50 Skeletal 45-48 Sphere
49-55 1d6 Legged 51-55 Green 49-52 1d10 Sided Shape
56-60 Proboscis-nosed 56-60 Black 53-57 Book
61-65 Tall-Eared 61-65 White 58-63 Tree
66-70 Big-Mouthed 66-68 Checkered 64-68 Shadow
71-75 Singing 69-74 Fluffy 69-71 Humanoid
76-80 Miniature 75-79 Vibrating 72-77 Canine
81-85 Massive 80-84 Whispering 78-81 Rodent
86-89 Perfumey 85-89 Silver 82-87 Fish
90-94 1d6 Fanged/Tusked 90-93 Violet 88-93 Snake
95-97 Bouncing 94-98 Glowing 94-97 Horse
98-100 Alluring 99-100 Rainbow 98-100 Dragon

100
3. Area of Knowledge. What does the farlander know about? These are
like lore specialties that the farlander is versed in. They may use this knowl-
edge to aid humans.

1d100 Farlander Knowledge


1-12 Human Order and Chaos. Politics and the lives of humans are this spirit’s cup of tea.
Expect them to be knowledgeable and insightful, but also opinionated. They won’t have
all the answers, but they can share perspectives.
13-24 Psychopomp. This spirit is a tour guide for the other world. They know the lay of the
land, and can help a character navigate. They provide a helping hand to the dead, acting as
a bridge to the beyond.
25-36 Wish Granter. Like the genie in a bottle, this spirit wants to help humans make their
wishes a reality. For the right price of course.
37-48 Riddler. Able to provide hints to puzzles. This spirit likes to help solve enigmas, or per-
haps create them.
49-60 Fate-Eyes. This spirit can reveal details about a character’s potential future. Its predic-
tions are usually multi-faceted: they may provide multiple predictions that come true
based on the character’s choice of actions. In other words, there are no absolutes in des-
tiny. A character may see something in their future, and try to change it – sometimes with
success, and other times creating what they sought to avoid.
61-72 Muse. This spirit acts as a sidekick to the people they appreciate. They give their humans
artistic inspiration and help with other projects. A muse has their own goals, and chooses
humans who want to collaborate towards these ends.
73-84 Trickster. This one likes to cross boundaries, create jokes and havoc for the sake of
changing the status quo. Often wildly inappropriate and unpredictable, the trickster appre-
ciates humor, pleasure, and questioning all that exists.
85-100 The Archive. This one has seen many things come to pass. Thus they have the awareness
of thousands of years of human history. They may speak slowly, as they are not caught in
the rush of modern life, but this spirit can unveil many things about the past.

4. Interests. What in-


trigues this farlander? A far-
lander often has an obsession
with something in the Earth
world. Likely this is because
they don’t have regular access
to that force, and the mun-
dane world fascinates them.
These could become tokens
of trade, that humans could
sacrifice to the farlanders in
exchange for knowledge.
101
1d100 Interests
1-5 Rainfall, water, weather Chart Continued
6-10 Clothes & Fashions 51-55 Vehicles (chariots, cars etc.)
11-15 Acting, literature and theater. 56-60 Mountain tops
16-20 Jokes 61-65 Romance (in any sense of the
21-25 Money or Gambling word. You choose.)
26-30 The Ocean 66-70 Children & Families
31-35 Human food (Ice cream sundaes, 71-75 Buildings & Architecture
porkchop sandwiches etc.) 76-80 Bowling & Ball Games
36-40 Fire or Lightning 81-85 Dances and Night Clubs
41-45 Iron or metal sculptures 86-90 Mythology & Storytelling
46-50 Technology (whatever is modern.) 91-95 Sleeping
96-100 Poetry or song

TRADES & FORCE CONTRACTS


Farlanders trade goods with
characters. These items are alive on
both the spirit world, and the physi-
cal world. Characters can trade with
farlanders when traveling to the spirit
world. Once returning, these items
materialize out of thin air. They often
glow with a blue fire or spectral light.
Other trades provide powers and
services to the players. In exchange
for these trades, Farlanders require a
force contract. A force contract is where
a character spends a certain amount of
force every day to keep these goods or
services. At the same time, once a day,
the character must spend this force
energy. Otherwise, the contract will be
broken, and the item or power will dis-
appear.
The Farlanders want force, be-
cause they are nourished by this en-
ergy – it is a form of food for them.
A character may choose, at any time,

102
to break the force contract. Breaking a contract is not often a personal of-
fense. Sometimes it just happens, and farlanders understand that. However,
a contract cannot be set up again until the character travels back to the spirit
world.
The force cost depends on the power of the traded item. This is mea-
sured by a Farlander’s Trade Level. The higher the Trade Level, the more
force energy they will require. A farlander may offer up to three different
goods for trade. The farlander’s creator will choose how many goods the far-
lander offers. The more goods a farlander offers, the weaker each good will
be, but the more options a character will have to choose from.
Keep in mind, a player can always ask for a trade level below the far-
lander’s maximum trade level. It’s possible to ask for a level 4 blue fire torch
from a spirit who sells level 5 blue fire torches, but it’s not possible to ask
for a level 4 torch from a spirit who sells maximum level 3 torches.

If a Farlander offers:
3 different goods: Up to 3rd Trade Level in each.
2 different goods: Up to 4th Trade Level in both.
1 Trade good: Up to 5th Trade Level.

Characters may use their persuade or mercantile skill to attempt to low-


er the force contract. For each success against the Farlander’s roll, the force
contract will cost 1 less force per day. Use the chart below to determine the
cost of a trade. The trades themselves, and their effects, are listed in the fol-
lowing section. Keep track of Farlander Trades on the Condition line of a
character sheet.
A farlander will never give a trade for less than half of the standard
force cost. Example: A trade level 3 good cannot be gotten for less than 6
force. This half-price mark is listed in parentheses in the table below.

103
Force Contract Cost
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Force Contract Price: 4 (2) 8 (4) 12 (6) 16 (8) 20 (10)

Blue Fire Torches. Burns with an unearthly glow, and a


cold fire. Never extinguishes, even in water. Torch radius is
5 range per Trade Level (Trade level 4 torch has an incred-
ible 20 range of light.)
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: 5 Range 10 Range 15 Range 20 Range 25 Range

Ethereal Tools. This powerful tool (which is any type of


tool) gives the character a bonus to construct rolls that use
that particular tool (hammer, gas mask, lockpick etc.)
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: +2d +3d +4d +5d +6d

Enchant Or Construct Weapon. Weapon deals either


magical or regular damage (but behaves like a weapon, not
a spell. Thus, no curse points.) Each trade level also adds
either strength or agility to attack roll (decide athletic bo-
nus at time of weapon creation), as well as bonus.
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: +1d +2d +3d +4d +5d

Aura Shield. A mystical forcefield shields the character.


This is rolled as a shield and acts as magical armor. This
shield does not regenerate, and upon shattering, the force
contract is broken.
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: 10d Shield 14d Shield 18d Shield 22d Shield 26d Shield

104
Glamour. Gives a character an extra charisma bonus to
their persuade roll. This charisma bonus can exceed the
character’s natural charisma limit of three. However, each
dice of Glamour can only be used once per day. Think
about it as a pool that regenerates each morning, but dur-
ing the day, you can only use it once (divided, as you
choose, amongst your persuade rolls.)
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: +1d +2d +3d +4d +5d
Charisma Charisma Charisma Charisma Charisma

Mind Expansion. The Farlander opens the character’s


mind to new levels of reality. The character has magnifi-
cent bonuses to thought checks, as well as access to new
lore specialties. These benefits disappear as soon as con-
tract is broken: the character forgets. These bonuses may
exceed the character’s normal limits on these skills.
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: +2 +4 +6 +8 +10
Thought, Thought, Thought, Thought, Thought,
+1 Lore +2 Lore +3 Lore +4 Lore +5 Lore

Super Sense. The Farlander places an enchantment on the


character that opens their physical senses beyond human
capacity. Character can now see like an eagle or hear like a
dolphin (this bonus can exceed natural skill limit.)
Trade Level: 1 2 3 4 5
Effect: +2 Sense +4 Sense +6 Sense +8 Sense +10 Sense

105
Create Great Ones
Here you create the most powerful
spirits in existence.

Incarnations
Great Ones do not have a single
body. They have transcended this singular-
ity, and thus have numerous bodies or in-
carnations. Great Ones can incarnate into
different bodies on Earth. In the world’s
mythology, Great Ones are known to have
played a role in shaping the early years of
civilization.
Unlike other spirits, Great Ones are
played in the game exactly like human char-
acters. In many stories, the PCs will never encounter Great Ones. However,
in some special tales, the eldest spirits will walk the Earth in humanoid (or
animal-like) bodies. The difference between regular humans and great ones is
that Great Ones begin with 90 skill points for their sheet. See below:

Create a Great One Incarnation:


1) Use a character sheet
2) You have 90 skill points.
3) You may spend these on any skill (whether bubbles or boxes.)

If a Great One dies on Earth, their spirit returns to Paradisio.

Other Encounters
Great Ones are characterized by patron forces and mythologies. A patron
force is simply an area of life that the spirit watches over. Some watch over
the sun and moon, while others are involved in human affairs, such as black
smithing. You select these from a list in this section. A mythology is provided
below in the form of a word fill. It is one of many word fills or stories you
can use to understand the Great Ones. The ST can introduce other stories as
desired.
106
CREATE THE GREAT ONES
This process is designed for players to create Great Ones together. By
creating the Great Ones as a group, the players can forge a coherent mythol-
ogy for the universe. This activity is best done at the early stages of creating a
world.

1. Name your Great One(s) and assign them a gender identity.


2. Assign Patron Forces. Use the box below, and select one field you
would like your Great One to oversee. Then pass the chart to the next player
in the circle. They choose one trait, and pass the chart again. You go until ev-
eryone has chosen two forces for each Great One. When choosing forces, you
cannot choose a trait that has already been assigned. You cannot, say, have two
different Great Ones that are patrons of love.

GREAT ONE PATRON FORCES


Light Darkness Fertility Death
Love Chaos Healing Knowledge Fun
Magic Metalworking Children Elders
Time Home Ocean Sky Sun Moon
Weather Night Earth War Fate Animals

3. Add extra description to the Great One, if desired. Interpret their


character.
4. Now create a myth using all the player’s Great Ones. Use the word-
fill provided below, or introduce a different method.

Examples of Great Ones:


Brimorius. Male. Metalworking and Weather. Known as
Brimorius the Bearded, because of his long beard. (Created
by Scott Hillsman.)
Cijil. Male. Time and Home. (Created by David J. Fritts.)
Aconitum. Both Female and Male. Fate and Chaos. Mot-
to: “You can’t control the situation.” The Moirai are her chil-
dren. (Created by Luke Bednar.)

107
How Our World Came to Be
1. Basic Material or Element In the oldest times, the Earth was made of ____1____ .
2. Great One 1 ____2____ saw this planet and thought it was ____3____. Over time,
3. Adjective life emerged and ____4____ helped creatures everywhere find peace.
4. Great One 2 Humans experienced _____5_____ for years, until the catastrophe
5. Positive Emotion happened. A Great one named _____3_____ offended _____4_____
6. Great One 3 by _____7_____. Conflict tore paradise apart. _____8_____ tried
7. Type of Crime to fix the situation by subjecting _____6_____ to _____9____.
8. Great One besides 3 _____6_____ fought back and fled to Earth where he/she said want-
9. Type of Punishment ed to help humans by giving them ______10_____.
10. Useful Item or Power Many humans used this power, and unfortunately some abused
11. Negative Emotion it, creating untold _____11_____. Nowadays, mystical seekers de-
12. Positive Emotion. sire reconciliation with Great Ones like _____8_____ to achieve
13. Different Great One ____12____. Some people turn to other great ones like ____13____
14. Basic Human Need to fulfill their need for _____14______.
15. Emotion _____6_____ feels ____15____ about his/her past actions.
16. Adjective ending in “er” Still rejected by those in paradise, he strives to make the world a(n)
____16____ place. This is how the world came to be the way it is to-
day.

108
Create
Humanoids

109
Imagine the streets of a bazaar. All manner of human people converge into this
hive of commerce. A unicorn girl drops carries a basket of apples. A three-eyed troll stops
flashes a collection of golden watch. Amidst the chatter, a band of musicians plays in the
corner. They are eight foot tall men with frog-skin and wings...

A humanoid is a different sort of hu-


man being. Orcs, elves, goblins and tiger-men
are all humanoids. These humanoid types are
playable options. You can play a character
as a member of this humanoid species. This
likely bestows certain benefits as well as draw
backs. An owl woman, for instance, could see
well in the dark, but might not have an easy
time in the light.
A humanoid has (at least) two arms, two
legs and one head. They appear human, and
they are likely related to the other human
species on Earth. One humanoid race may be
able to have children with another humanoid
race, although this will vary from situation
to situation. Some humanoids are drastically
different from one another, while some hu-
manoids are the same but with slightly differ-
ent features. All humanoids are able to use
equipment and speak human languages.
Use the following roll-charts to assign traits to your humanoid. After
that, choose a skillset (only one.) This skillset determines the base traits that
all members of your humanoid species will share. This influences base Evade,
Carrying Capacity and Speed, among other things.
You do not have to create humanoids to play Evocraft. However, if you
choose to create them, we recommended that you do so before your first ses-
sion. This will give players the opportunity to select those species as playable
options.

1. Overall Size. What is your humanoid’s general height and mass? Are they
leprachaun sized, troll sized or something else?

110
1d100 Size
1-5 Tiny (Faerie size)
6-20 Small (Hobbit size)
21-70 Human-Sized (Elf size)
71-90 Large (Orc size)
91-100 Gigantic (Troll size)

2. Unique Body Properties. Here you modify the shape and size of certain parts
of your humanoid’s body. For instance, an elf has long pointed ears com-
pared to the normal human ears. First, select three parts of the body. You may
choose these from the list below, or roll randomly from the chart provided.
Write these in the three spaces labeled “body part”. Next, roll the Body Di-
mensions chart three times, and write those results just left of the body parts
under “body dim.”

“Body Trait” + “Body Part” combine to create a single concept.

Body Parts: Torso, Head, Eyes, Mouth, Nose, Ears, Limbs.

1d100 Body Parts 1d100 Body Dimensions


1-9 Torso 1-10 Small or Tiny Body Dimensions
11-20 Large or Gigantic
10-24 Head Continued
25-39 Eyes 21-30 Double, Triple or 73-76 Sparse, Slight or Skeletal
40-54 Mouth Quadruple 77-80 Oblong, Lozenge or
55-69 Nose 31-40 Smooth or Symmetrical Corn-shaped
70-84 Ears 41-45 Non-uniform or 81-84 Straight, Square or
85-100 Limbs Varying-sized Blocky
Create! Name a different 46-50 Angular or Jagged 85-88 Tapered, Pointed or
body part, and use that. 51-55 Wide, Expansive or Carrot-Shaped
Broad 89-91 Crescent or Banana-
56-60 Narrow, Thin or Shaped
Extended 92-94 Gourd-Shaped or Pear-
61-64 Rounded or Spherical Shaped
65-68 Sharp or Gaunt 95-96 Twisted, Wavy or
69-72 Robust, Meaty or Curved
Enlarged 97-100 Uneven or Distorted

111
3. Exterior. The skin, hide, fur, scales or other texture that covers this human-
oid. This exterior can cover most of the person’s body, all of their body, or
sections of it. A humanoid may combine two or more exteriors (roll the chart
multiple times if desired.
(See Appendix I for color charts.)

1d100 Exterior
1-40 Human-like Skin (Including the whole spectrum of human skin color)
41-50 Thick Hide (Roll Nature Colors 1 or Nature Colors 2)
51-55 Plated Skin (crab like or armor like) (Roll Nature Colors 1)
56-65 Scales (Roll Bright Colors or Nature Colors 2)
66-75 Fur (Roll Nature Colors 1)
76-85 Feathers or Quills (Roll Bright Colors or Nature Colors 1)
86-92 Frog-like Skin (Roll Bright Colors or Nature Colors 2)
93-97 Tree-skin (Leaf-like, Dryads etc.) (Roll Nature Colors 2)
98-100 Natural Element: Metal, Fire, Water, Light, Rock Skin

4. Characteristic and 5. Body Area. This gives a special appearance to a particular


part of the body. Roll “Characteristic” first, and write it left of “Body Area”,
like this:

Characteristic (Adjective) + Body Area (Noun)

If you roll Humanlike on Characteristic, you do not need to roll Body Area.
Instead cross that part of your humanoid sheet out, because that part of their
body looks like a standard human.

1d100 Characteristic
1-40 Humanlike (No special Accent) Characteristic Continued
41-44 Tattoo-like Marked 70-73 Camouflaged
47-49 Peppered / Speckled 74-76 Oily
50-52 Striped / Lined 77-80 Long-Haired
53-55 Swirly Patterned 81-83 Fin-Covered (Fish-Like Accents)
56-58 Two Toned (Two Different Colors) 84-86 Feather Crested
59-62 Light & Dark (Two shades. Same color.) 87-89 Hardened / Bony
63-66 Vibrant Color Marked 90-93 Soft / Flexible
67-69 Metallic / Shiny 94-96 Rough / Spiky / Bristled
97-100 Bald / Sleak

112
1d100 Body Area
1-15 Skin / Body
16-30 Chest / Torso
31-45 Sides / Flank
46-60 Lower Body (Including Legs)
61-75 Upper Body (Including Arms)
76-90 Back
91-100 Head (May also include Neck & Shoulders)

6. Eccentricity and 7. Body Part. This eccentricity alters a smaller part of the hu-
manoid’s body. This becomes a highly identifiable mark of the species. This is
another combined concept:

Eccentricity (Adjective) + Body Part (Noun)

1d100 Eccentricity
1-3 One / Double (whichever is unusual.)
Eccentricity Continued
47-49 Tattered / Calloused
4-6 Triple
50-52 Hollow / Empty / Recessed
7-9 Quadruple
53-56 Furry
10-12 Plentiful / Many
57-60 Scaly
13-15 Soft / Padded
61-64 Sleak / Smooth
16-18 Sandpaper-Like
65-67 Watery / Damp / Dripping
19-21 Hardened / Bony / Coarse
68-71 Thin / Whispy
22-24 Prehensile / Mobile / Flexible
72-75 Large / Robust
25-27 Spiked / Jagged / Bladed
76-79 Prominent / Elongated
28-30 Electric / Glowing
80-83 Shrunken / Miniature
31-33 Flower / Plant / Vine Covered
84-87 Intimidating / Scary
34-36 Shell-like / Plated
88-89 Grotesque / Disturbing
37-39 Delicate / Frail
90-94 Hot / Warm
40-43 Colorful (Roll Bright Colors)
95-97 Cold / Icy
44-46 Elegant / Majestic
98-100 Shedding / Re-growing

113
1d100 Body Part
1-5 Eyes / Eye sockets
Chart Continued
50-54 Ears
6-8 Head-Hair / Crown
55-57 Spine
9-11 Jaw / Mouth / Muzzle
58-62 Markings / Tattoos
12-15 Skull
63-66 Beard / Whiskers /
16-18 Throat / Voice / Neck
Mane
19-21 Upper Chest
67-69 Tongue
22-24 Ribcage
70-73 Teeth
25-27 Abdomen
74-76 Blood / Heart
28-30 Arm Muscles
77-79 Brain
31-33 Elbows
80-84 Hooves
34-37 Leg Muscles
85-88 Tail
38-41 Feet / Toes
89-91 Wings
42-45 Hands / Claws
92-94 Antennae
46-49 Fingers / Fingernails
95-97 Gills
98-100 Decorative Feathers

8. Skillset. The skillset determine base bonuses and penalties for


members of this species. Choose one skillset based on what you feel best
matches this humanoid. When using this humanoid as a basis for a character,
do not fill in the bubbles on the character sheet for species-based bonuses.
Instead, write “+X” or “-X” next to the skill. This allows characters to go
beyond the normal maximum for a skill. A normal human can only have eight
levels in Sense, at maximum. But if they have a species bonus of +2, they can
have a max ten levels in Sense. EXCEPTION: If the species skillset bonus
increases Magic Craft, you must fill in a bubble for that skill. No humanoid
character can have more than five levels in Magic Craft. All of these bonuses
are permanent, and add to every roll.
Note: Species bonuses to Agility and Strength only factor into skill chal-
lenges and weapon bonuses. They do not apply to Evade, Resist or Speed.

Default Human Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


No Skill Bonuses or Penalties 10 2 4
Concept: The base skills of standard homo-sapiens. You may also use this skillset for other human-
oids.

114
Giga Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.
+2 Strength, -2 Agility 8 2 6
Concept: Big, hulking types. Trolls, giants, rhino-men etc.

Whirlwind Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+2 Agility, -2 Strength 12 3 3
Concept: Lightweight, super-agile creatures. Cat-people etc.

Pixie Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+1 Magic Craft, -2 Strength, -2 Agility 10 2 4
Concept: Magical folk. Trade physical prowess for magic. Dryads, fairies, cookie-baking elves.

Wise Eye Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+5 Thought 8 1 4
Concept: Highly intelligent race. Cyborgs, vulcans, giant groundhog philosophers, etc.

Hardy Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+1 Strength, +3 Resist 8 0 5
Concept: Bulky, strong types with thick skin. Orcs, dwarves, crab-armored people, etc.

Echo Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+2 Sense, -1 Strength (or -1 Agility) 10 2 4
Concept: Super-sensory humans. Big-eared kobolds, three-eyed folks, clairvoyant elves, etc.

Lightfoot Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+1 Agility 14 1 4
Concept: Fast humanoids built for walking. Centaurs, thunder elementals, etc.

Edge Folk Base Speed Base Evade Base Carry C.


+1 Magic Craft, -2 Persuade 10 2 4
Concept: Magical folk at the edge of worlds. Frequent separation gives them a hard time with com-
munication and relation to other humanoids. Gnomes, Halflings, Paranoid Leprachaun Businessmen,
etc.

115
Optional Powers
You may bestow one of the following powers onto a humanoid: Flying,
Amphibeous, Venemous or Far-Sensing. Find the descriptions of these pow-
ers under the Create Animals section. Humanoids with a power start with -4
Skill Points at character creation.

Questions for Further Development:


~Where in the world do these humanoids originate?
~Do these humanoids generally share a culture unique to them? Or are
they part of a bigger culture?
~If they center around another culture, what is their native language
called?
~Do they share any myths, stories or histories?
~What preconceived notions or stereotypes exist about this humanoid?
Are these stereotypes completely outlandish, or did they stem from a long-
forgotten true seed?
~How prevalent are these humanoids in the world? Are they common to
the whole world, or found only in certain areas?
~What sort of dwellings do these people prefer?
~Do these humanoids have a life preference that is different from stan-
dard humans, such as nocturnal activity, multiple partners or pack-based life-
style?
~Can this humanoid have children with the other humanoid races (such
as a half-elf half-human?) If so, which ones can it have offspring with, and
what skillset will those children possess?

116
Create
Cultures

117
A culture is the environment of a human collective. Cultures
include social customs, art, architecture, food, common beliefs,
traditions and other elements shared by a group. A culture is often
rooted in geography. People living in a tropical archipelago will
likely have a different culture from those living on ice flows in the
far north. Cultures can also exist within cultures: pocket-neigh-
borhoods of immigrants, exclusive clubs, trendy teenage cliques
etc. A culture can be rooted in a common heritage, or in a com-
mon vision, just as it can be rooted in a geographical place.
The following charts generate various aspects of culture.
These are especially designed for the creation of a country. If you
are building a different type of culture, you might not want to roll
all of these charts. Pick and choose what is useful.

Distinguishing Feature. Something commonly found within this culture.


This includes two different charts, one for the adjective, and one for the noun.
Put these words together to describe your feature.

1d100 Feature Adjective 1d100 Feature Noun


1-5 Forbidden or Secretly Practiced 1-5 Theater or Performance
6-10 Wild or Creative 6-10 Cuisine or Table Manners
11-15 Shouting-Filled 11-15 Fighting Sports
16-20 Uniform or Methodical 16-20 Songs
21-25 Comedic 21-25 Debauchery
26-30 Competitive or Political 26-30 Games
31-35 Extensive or Long 31-35 Holidays or Celebrations
36-40 Communal or Inclusive 36-40 Government Meetings
41-45 Spontaneous 41-45 Neighborhood Gatherings
46-50 Cute or Charming 46-50 Households
51-55 Private, Unfriendly or Exclusive 51-55 Schools
56-60 Feared or Loathed 56-60 Healing Centers
61-65 Educational or Moralistic 61-65 Mythology or History
66-70 Dangerous or Death-Filled 66-70 Rites of Passage
71-75 Glamorous or Gaudy 71-75 Marriage or Courtship
76-80 Somber or Silent 76-80 Funerals
81-85 Commerce-Based 81-85 Laws
86-90 Outlandish or Flamboyant 86-90 Public Markets
91-95 Religious or Mystical 91-95 Language or Dialect
96-100 Zealous or Extreme 96-100 Prayers, Rituals or Magic
Interpret: What is the history behind this feature? Why do they do this?

118
Community Lifestyle. What is daily life like? How do people make a living?
What are the priorities of this group?

1d100 Community Lifestyle


1-5 Hunter-Gatherer. A traditional human society, living off of nature. Hunts animals and
gathers naturally growing crops. Common in Era 1. Low technology, and strong communal
bonds amongst a small group.
6-15 Pastoral. Shepherd communities. Life centers around herding animals. This can lead to sea-
sonal migration. Wealth is measured in the heads of a herd. The clan makes many products
out of animal materials.
16-25 Nomadic. Migratory people. They travel from place to place. This travel may depend on
seasons, trade patterns, hunting or other community needs. Mobile housing such as tents,
teepees or caravans are common.
26-34 Horticultural. Communities grow food in small-scale gardens. Small villages with rural life,
where everyone has land. These people likely hunt and gather as well. Large-scale agricul-
ture and big cities are not found in this society.
35-44 Clan-Based. Power is divided into small families. Each family acts with autonomy, although
the families live within the same village, province or area. Each family has a leader, and
often a council is formed of the leaders.
45-59 City-State. Country centers around a single metropolis, where the government and com-
merce is based. Outlying communities are included within the domain of this city’s power.
50-59 Agrarian. Large scale growing operations. Those in rural land grow massive amounts of
food to feed those who live in urban centers. This form of living allows for big cities to
form.
60-69 Merchant Society. Power comes from money and trade. Merchants, and the wealthy, rule
this society. These countries maintain connections with many other places to foster trade.
High technology and valuable possessions abound.
70-79 Warrior Society. Power is centered in those with military prowess. Strength is valued above
all else. Leaders are likely warlord dictators, distinguished generals, or other warrior types.
Borders are enforced strongly, and military is large.
80-84 Mage Society. Magic or the presiding religion rules over this land. Magic is prevalent in
this land, although likely policed by the government. Likely, this land allows for great
scholarly discourse and study.
85-94 Caste-Based Society. Your birth determines your rights. Some people are born into wealth
and privilege, while others are born into destitution. This society finds some justification
for these castes, and they are expected to be permanent.
95-97 Communist. Power is invested in the common people. This society strives to make every-
one equal. All are expected to contribute to the building of this community. Despite their
ideals, power may be strongly invested in a dictator or iron-fisted governing body.
98-99 Anarchist. A vacuum of power. There is no standing structure to this society. This chaos
allows anyone to act of their own will. Will this give rise to creative expression and per-
sonal liberation, or crimes and acts of hatred?
100 High-Tech Society. This community has access to the highest technology available in the
world. Likely run by democracy, with a president, council or parliament. Industry may be
important here, but people may have also transcended the need for basic labor, if their
machines are sophisticated enough.

119
Country Relations Chart. Roll this chart to understand the relationship
between two countries, clans or cultures. This gives you a current relationship
that could be used to develop a history of past exchange.

1d100 Interrelation Chart


1-5 Suppression. One party pretends to be superior, while the other is subjugated. Is this im-
balance strong? Or do social movements make progressive change?
6-15 Loathing & Intimidation. One party fears the other. Perhaps both parties fear one anoth-
er. Negative stereotypes are rampant. Both parties lack understanding of the other. They
also lack contact, except during war.
16-25 Historical Rift. A past war, betrayal or other slight created distance between these cul-
tures. The relationship between these two parties is strained, awkward or uncertain. What
happened to cause this hurt?
26-35 Isolationism. One country has closed off its borders to the other. It refuses any trade, im-
migration or assistance. What created this position?
36-55 Competitiveness. The two countries have a complicated relationship, infusing both rivalry
and respect. Strong differences exist between the two. This gives rise to frequent disagree-
ment. They won’t hesitate to prove their power or worth to one another. However, ex-
change is frequent between these parties.
56-65 Respect. Both clans appreciate one another. This opens up trade, travel and inter-marriage
opportunities. They are distinct clans, but encourage this interaction between one another.
66-75 Generosity. Both cultures have a strong system of exchange. They give to one another
in need, or foster trade in abundant times. Likely would go to war to help one another’s
cause. What is the history of this partnership?
76-85 Protector. One country has sworn to protect another. This is a strategic partnership that
benefits the protector country’s ambitions.
86-95 Assimilation. The two clans have grown similar after many years of exchange. This could
have occurred through close proximity, inter-marriage or common ancestry. Now, they
have grown more similar than they are different.
96-100 Familial. Both countries look at one another like brothers and sisters. They are different
countries, but watch over each. Diversity is appreciated. They enjoy an open-borders rela-
tionship, and a union of war-time strength.

120
Additional Questions for Interrelation Chart:
~What stereotypes do these countries have about one another?
~What is the history of each country? Who were the first set-
tlers? How did they establish their borders? What is the culture’s story
about their creation? Who are the major figures of the past?
~What distinguishes each country? What makes them differ-
ent from one another, besides culture? Here are some options: Natural
resources, money reserves, powerful armies, and plentiful farmland.

Traditional Attire. What are the common qualities of this country’s clothing?
Roll two times, once for “adjective”, and once for “clothing or adornment.”
Put these words together, to create a single concept.

1d100 Word 1 (Adjective) 1d100 Word 2 (Clothing or Adornment)


1-5 White or Black 1-5 Robes
6-10 Blue or Purple 6-10 Tattoos
11-15 Hieroglyphic 11-15 Ponchos
16-20 Straw, Leaf or Wreath-like 16-20 Crowns
21-25 Body-Concealing or Hooded 21-25 Robes or Tunics
26-30 Jewel Encrusted 26-30 Rings or Bracelets
31-35 Red or Orange 31-35 Body-Paint
36-40 Pastel or Flower-like 36-40 Veil
41-45 Curving, Flowing or Curled 41-45 Boots or Shoes
46-50 Spikey or Peaked 46-50 Hair-Style
51-55 Powdered or Pale 51-55 Eye shadow or Make-up
56-60 Waterproof or Fireproof 56-60 Undergarments
61-65 Long or Rope-like 61-65 Dresses or Kilts
66-70 Frilly or Bulbous 66-70 Shirts or Jackets
71-75 Feathered or Shell-Covered 71-75 Bonnets, Hats or Hair Pieces
76-80 Spidery or Thin 76-80 Gloves or Leg-Wear
81-85 Rectangular, angular or square. 81-85 Beards
86-90 Animal Skin or Animal-Like 86-90 Belts or Sashes
91-95 Gold or Silver 91-95 Earrings or Piercings
96-100 Towering or Mountainous 96-100 Sacred Vestments

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Architecture. What do buildings look like
in this land? What sort of homes do people
live in? Consider how the natural environ-
ment affects architecture. What materials are
available for people to build with? An island
might have hut built out of palm fronds,
whale bones and driftwood. However, you’d
be hard pressed to find an igloo in a tropi-
cal place like that. You might want to re-roll
this chart if you get something that doesn’t
make sense for environmental purposes. Roll
the two charts below: architecture style and
architecture. Put these two words together to
get a single concept.

Another Option: Roll these charts anytime you need a unique building. This
chart can create individual buildings as well as general architectural styles.

1d100 Architecture Style 1d100 Architecture


1-5 Misshapen or Lopsided 1-5 Mud Huts
6-10 Octagonal or Polyhedral 6-10 Tree houses
11-15 Low-lying or Flat 11-15 Adobe Pueblos
16-20 Domed or Spindled 16-20 Pit Houses
21-25 Naturalistic or Overgrown 21-25 Cliff Houses
26-30 Square or Rectangular 26-30 Timber Lodges
31-35 Walled-off or Fenced 31-35 Stone or Brick Houses
36-40 Towering or Many-Storied 36-40 Stilt-Houses
41-45 Uniform or homogenous 41-45 Long House
46-50 Colorful or Two-Colored 46-50 Tent or Pavillion
51-55 Airy or Expansive 51-55 Cement or Plaster Structure
56-60 Trash-Covered 56-60 Motley Shack
61-65 Circular or Round 61-65 Thatched Cottage
66-70 Steepled or Sloped 66-70 Straw or Leaf House
71-75 Clean or Pristine 71-75 Paper or Bone Walled Houses
76-80 Angular or Uncanny 76-80 Open-Air Buildings
81-85 Painted or Etched 81-85 Carriage or Mobile Home
86-90 Small or Compact 86-90 Ice Houses or Moss Houses
91-95 Well-Concealed 91-95 Cavern Structure
96-100 Interconnected or Many-Roomed 96-100 Glass or Crystal Structures

122
Further Definition
The Era Books contain other materials, such as word fills, that can be
used to articulate your cultures. Many of those materials provide more set-
ting-specific content. Look under the section “Timelines, Histories and Other
Word Fills” in each Era book for an assortment of options.

123
Ten Thousand Possibilities
Below you will find suggestions for different
types of lifeforms. These are useful if you are plan-
ning a new world, but have never played the game
before. They will give you a starting place with these
suggestions. Many suggestions contain instructions
on how to create a lifeform of that sort. Automati-
cally bestow those suggested traits on the lifeform
and roll the rest of its traits randomly.

Cover Your Bases


These are lifeforms that will give you a start-
ing base for your world. Put together, these life-
forms create a diverse ecosystem. The more diver-
sity you have, the more options the ST will have to
introduce into the game.

For Animals:
1) Large predator animal. High fight skillset.
2) Prey animal for hunting. High evade skillset.
(To make a more expansive ecosystem, create one predator and one
prey animal in each of the following categories: mammal, rep-
tile, amphibian, bird, fish and insect.)

For Plants:
3) Staple Food. Bestow the Edible power.
4) Fire Food. Bestow the Vitamin (Fire) power and Fire Medicine.
5) Water Vitamin Food. Bestow the Vitamin (Water) power and Water
Medicine.
6) Air Vitamin Food. Bestow the Vitamin (Air) power and Air Medi-
cine.
7) Earth Vitamin Food. Bestow the Vitamin (Earth) power and Earth
Medicine.
8) Health Healing Medicine. Bestow the Health Tonic power.
9) Force Boosting Medicine. Bestow the Force Tonic power.

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For Spirits:
10) Fire Nature Spirit. Choose fire element.
11) Water Nature Spirit. Choose water element.
12) Air Nature Spirit. Choose air element.
13) Earth Nature Spirit. Choose earth element.
14) Farlander Contact.
15) Great Ones. Create one for each player.

For Humanoids:
16) Humanoid Species. Create 1-5 new humanoids. Give a diversity of
skillsets.

Other Ideas:
Create an eel, leech, shark, dolphin, whale, amoeba, giant slug, nocturnal
hunter, canine pack animal, pterodactyl, arctic animal, horned animal, psychic
cow, eagle, hawk, giant sloth, scavenger, messenger bird, monkey, sea monster,
beaver-like builder, colorful bird, crustacean, pine tree, massive oak, banyan,
firs, cashew or other legume, fruit tree, slender mushrooms, river spirits, smoke
spirits, dancing cloud spirits, celestial guardians, snow-bringers, tricksters, ru-
in-dwelling phantoms, desert wanderers, messenger spirits, hearth watchers
and ectoplasmic puddles

Optional Module: Evolution


Evolution is a way of creating life forms using evolutionary classes.
Instead of creating all your lifeforms from scratch, you will create a basic
set of traits that many creatures share. This builds a consistency within the
world, where lifeforms often share patterns with one another. This is use-
ful in games where you have a lot of lifeforms. Evolution serves as a way to
classify life, as well as easily create new coherent forms of life.
To build an evolutionary class, use one of your lifeforms as the par-
ent this is the archetype that the whole class with derive itself from. Choose
one third of the parent’s traits. These traits will be the same for all creatures
within the class. For instance, let’s say you have a four-legged, scaly creature
that likes dry environments. You might choose “scale covered” as a shared

125
trait for this class. Next you might create a two-legged animal that lives in
the tundra, that will have share the scaly skin. Even though they are different
animals, they will share the core traits of the class.
The first plants, animals and other lifeforms you create are likely to be-
come the parents of future classes. It is easy to create many children out of
the parent classes, once you have them established. This is one way to quick-
ly populate an environment.

A Fun Challenge: Choose one of your evolutionary classes and make a


humanoid species derived from it.

126
Character
Creation

127
Every stage needs actors. The sto-
ry phase of Evocraft is played through
character personas. This persona is like-
ly different from the actor herself. They
have motives, personalities and histo-
ries that are crafted by the actor. And
through this experience, a character is
the player’s window into the world. Like
all good stories, characters in Evocraft
create drama. They want something. It
is through this unfolding of motiva-
tions that the story emerges.
The character sheet records vital
information about your persona onto
paper. There are two different things
you add to a character sheet: back story
and skill building. The back story is a
personal and individual history for your
character. You have a chance to write
about where your character has lived,
what they have done, and who they are.
Skill building is the stage where you as-
sign your character gifts, skills and powers. These are the quantifiable parts
of your character. The skills will allow your character to make decisions in the
game. Both aspects of character design are explained in detail below.
Following is also an encyclopedia of character skills. This sections de-
scribes what areas of life the skills govern, and also provides guidelines for
measuring successes in those skill rolls. The ST can refer to this section, if
they wish, to learn how to evaluate the results of a skill roll. However, in time,
most STs will develop their own understanding of skill successes, and won’t
need to adhere to the book.
One thing to keep in mind: The different Eras of Evocraft use differ-
ent character sheets. These sheets have assortments of skills that are relevant
to that time frame. A horse cart might be useful transportation in the middle
ages, but by the time you are in the modern world, people are driving cars. The
skills needed for success change with time. There are three different character
sheets used in Evocraft:
128
Era 1 : Uses a unique character sheet.
This one is the simplest and easiest to
learn.
Eras 2 & 3: Share a character sheet.
Eras 4 & 5: Share a character sheet.

Finally, you can create your charac-


ter’s back story, or assign skills first. It
doesn’t matter what order you do these
steps in. Feel free to begin conceptualizing
your character however you choose.

Back Story Design

1. Character Name
What is your character’s name? You get to invent this. Think of what
would fit in the setting. The ST may suggest guidelines for the sorts of names
that are found in this society. If the world is abstract and magical, an abstract
and magical name would be fitting. Something like “Enyth” or “Asara” would
fit in that setting, whereas “Bob” or “Willy” might feel out of place. On the
other hand, if the setting is reminiscent of 1950s America, you might find a
lot of Bobs and Willies running around.
Here are some naming ideas, if at a loss:
1) Cut up words, and arrange the syllables in a new way. If a character
reminds you of an “Ashen plain,” you might name her “Ashain.”
2) Name your character after a natural force, such as Rain, Eagle, Oak-
paw etc.
3) Find unusual names in Old English, or another language, and use
them. Names like “Alfric” or “Sigmund” could fit in a lot of settings.

Also: The line that says “player” at the top of your sheet is where you
write your real name. This keeps track of which character is personified by
which player.

129
2. Gender, Species, Clan
A player may choose any gender or sexual identity for their character,
regardless of the player’s personal identity (a male player can play a female
character, etc.) This is the first of three character identifiers that are written
in the upper left corner of your sheet.
Your character is born as one of the humanoid species. Select from the
available humanoid species that your group has designed. If you have no ad-
ditional species to choose from, then everyone will play a default human. A
default human is a human just like the people on Earth. Keep in mind that
selecting other humanoid species can give you new bonuses and penalties to
your skills.
“Clan” is your character’s nation, state, homeland or community. Where
do they come from? Often, members of a clan will share cultural characteris-
tics. Consider this in your roleplaying efforts: use the cultures you created as
a reference to how this character may act. At character creation, you may only
be able to select from a certain amount of available clan choices. Ask the ST
what options are available.

Prompts Explained

To understand the next three steps, read


the following section. A character prompt is a
question or requirement for your character’s back
story. Often the ST will give these prompts to
guide the players to creating a character that will
fit within the world. When phrased like a ques-
tion, these prompts allow the players to fill in
the blanks. When given as a requirement, these
prompts give the characters common ground. An
ST might say, “you are all members of a thieves
guild.” This already starts part of your character
creation process, but the rest is up to you! There
is plenty of opportunity to make unique charac-
ters with requirements. Some stories will give no
requirement prompts at all.

130
(Prompt Continued)
For basic character creation, there are three
prompts that you answer. They are each ques-
tions:

1) “What is your history?”


2) “What are your current motivations?”
3) “What relationships do you have with the
other characters?”

These questions are introduced over the fol-


lowing three steps.

3. History
What has your character done with their life up to this point? Where are
they from? How have their past actions lead to where they are now? What are
the most significant events in their life? What are their past successes and fail-
ures? What happened in their childhood? Was this character a different sort of
person in the past, and if so, how have they changed over the years? Was this
character involved in any historic events?
These are some questions you can ask to understand a character’s history.
You don’t have to strictly answer each question, you can free-write your whole
character’s history if you wish. Remember that this is a personal history. It is
about this individual, and what they have done, felt and experienced. It doesn’t
necessarily have to relate to the big events of the world, but sometimes you
can tie your character’s history into a bigger picture.
The ST and player will work together to some extent to make a charac-
ter’s history fit with the setting. The player usually writes their history, and
asks the ST how that can be worked into the world. If the ST finds that a
player’s request doesn’t work with the setting, then they should work together
to find a reasonable compromise. For instance, if a player says, “I want to fly
a spaceship,” and the ST says, “you can’t do that, because this is the medieval
age.” then the ST might suggest that the character can sail an ocean ship in-
stead.

131
4. Motive
What does your character want? What do they desire, right now, at this
moment? Your motivation will be the driving force behind your decisions. Any
time you think about what you will do in game, consider if it is in alignment
with your character’s motive. The important thing about this motivation, is
that it exists right now. This is not a past or future wish – it is a burning de-
sire. This is what builds drama and moves the story forward. That isn’t to say
that motives resist change. You will find as you develop certain characters, that
their motives can change and shift. Take note of this, and create equally as
passionate, if different, drives. A character can also have more than one mo-
tive, but choose at least one.

Here are some examples:


~“I want to take over my father’s
business, so that I can prove my financial
brilliance to him.”
~“I long to fall in love with an elf
princess before I die.”
~“I fight for my country, because
I’m afraid my village will be destroyed.”
~“I plan to assassinate the count,
because he kidnapped my family.”
~“I work on ships, because someday
I want to be captain of my own vessel.”

You can create any sort of motive – there is no rlist to choose from. You
can create motives that are externalized in a physical need, or motives that are
internal, emotional or subconscious. There are simple everyday motives and
grand, ambitious motives. Both can work to make a story, depending on your
situation. Whatever you choose, your motive will set your direction. It will
hook you into the story and give you something to fight for.

5. Relationship with Another Character


This is the last step of back story creation. You complete this step once
all players have written their histories and motives. Everyone shares what they
132
have created about their character thus far. Now, create one or more relation-
ship with these other characters. Evocraft games begin with people already
having a history together. This avoids meeting one another over the first few
sessions, (which often can become boring) and instead places the characters in
an exciting in medias res storyline. Drama already exists between the charac-
ters, and it will only intensify as they become involved in the plot of the story.
The ST often participates in this process of building relationships. Play-
er characters can also have relationships with an important NPC, at the ST’s
discretion. Otherwise, a PC will have a relationship with at least one other
PC. The two players discuss this and reach a consensus. Both players must be
happy with the relationship they create. Then they write this on their character
sheets.
There are an infinite number of possible relationships. Here are some
examples:

Lover, enemy, friend, acquaintance, business partner, parent,


grandparent, child, uncle or aunt, partner-in-crime, schoolmates,
student, rival, wartime leader, co-worker etc.

These relationships have a past and a present. When did you meet? What
was your original understanding? How has your relationship changed over
time? What is your relationship like today? Sometimes relationships change
dramatically, such as a marriage that fell apart or a wartime enemy that became
a friend. These changes can happen in history, and they can also happen as you
play.

133
Skill Building
During the other half of character design, you choose skills and gifts.
You will also calculate stats, and choose spells, spirit techniques, lore special-
ties and possessions. Here is a brief description of each of these things:

1) Gifts. Your inborn talents.


2) Skills. Powers or abilities that you learn over time.
3) Stats. A measurement of some aspect of your character.
4) Spells & Spirit Techs. Supernatural powers that you use as special ac-
tions.
5) Lore Specialties. Areas that your character is knowledgeable within.
6) Possessions. Items, equipment, tools, and material goods of all sorts.

Now let’s explore these categories in-depth:

Gifts & Skills Explained


During character creation you purchase gifts and skills.
These gifts and skills will be the primary determiners of how
many dice you will roll for an action. They are purchased by
gift points and skill points. These are like dollar bills that you
spend to acquire your desired choice. Next to each gift and
skill, you find a series of circular bubbles and square boxes.
Each bubble or box represents one level in that skill or gift.
When you spend your points, it allows you to fill-in one of the
circular bubbles.
Gifts are simple: each of the bubbles costs 1 gift point to
fill. Every character receives four gift points. A gift is a predis-
position you are born with. It is not something you can learn,
thus you cannot earn gift points over the course of the game.
You have four, no more, no less, and you spend them at char-
acter creation. Each of the available gifts bestows a powerful
benefit (described later.)
Skill points are little more complicated. Skills come in a
range of different costs. There are three different cost-catego-
ries of skills: those that cost 4 skill points, those that cost 2,
and those that cost only 1. These are referred to as “Cost-4,”

134
“Cost-2” and “Cost-1” skills. This cost is the price of each individual bubble
within that skill. One bubble in Constitution costs 4 skill points. Three bub-
bles in Fight cost 6 skills points (3 bubbles x 2 Skill Points each.)
A skill point is abbreviated as “SP.” A skill is a power or ability that you
learn. It is a practice, such as medicine, navigation or sailing that you grow and
cultivate. Most challenges require you to roll the dice associated with a skill.
This is explained in the “How to Play” section, but here’s a quick reminder: 1
level in a skill equals 1 dice you can roll towards that skill.
Depending on what Era you start within, you will begin with a different
amount of skill points. Follow these guidelines:

Era 1: 35 Skill Points


Era 2: 42 Skill Points
Era 3: 42 Skill Points
Era 4: 44 Skill Points
Era 5: 38 Skill Points

There is one major rule for purchasing skills: you cannot purchase the
square boxes with skill points. This means you can’t fill-in those boxes during
character creation (with the exception of charisma and talent bonus, explained
later.) These boxes are only filled by continuing to train your character over
the course of the story. Ultimately, the bubbles and the boxes are the same
measurement. They each represent one level in that skill, and they both func-
tion in the same way. They are only acquired by different means. You may
acquire the bubbles by spending skill points or by training, but you may only
acquire the boxes by training.
There is no right or wrong combination of skills. Different choices will
lead to unique play experiences. In each of the Era books, there are sugges-
tions for character archetypes. Those are provided mainly to give suggestions
to new players, who would otherwise feel lost. Evocraft is a classless rpg at
heart. This means that there are no pre-set designs for characters. You may use
any combination of skills that you choose.

135
Training Stripes
You do not earn more skill points over the course
of the game. Skill points only represent a purchasing
ability during initial creation. However, your charac-
ter continues to learn skills as they explore the world.
This “level up” process occurs through training stripes.
Training stripes allow you to gain the next level in a
skill, and therefore roll more dice towards a challenge.
One acquires training stripes through their char-
acter’s actions and studies. Generally, you gain training stripes through a pro-
longed study or through a single impressive act. If you roll all successes on an
intense challenge, this could be a reason to earn stripe(s.) On the other hand,
repetitive practice of a skill can justify additional stripe(s.) Every skill has dif-
ferent guidelines, which are illustrated in the following encyclopedia.
To advance a skill with training stripes, you need to earn three stripes for
every 1 SP that would be used to purchase the skill. In other words, you need
3 training stripes to advance a Cost 1 Skill. You need 6 stripes to advance a
Cost-2 and 12 stripes to advance a Cost-4 skill.

Gift Encyclopedia
Guidelines: ~All characters receive: 4 gift points
~All gifts cost one point per bubble.
~You may select any combination of gifts.

Health 3 Bubbles
Increase maximum Health Points by five points per level. This is the big-
gest health bonus available to a character.

Force 2 Bubbles
Increase maximum Force Points by ten per level. This is the most powerful
force increase available to a character.

136
Athletics 4 Bubbles
For each bubble filled, receive a free level in either strength or agility. Fill
in one of the circular bubbles (not a square box) on either strength or agil-
ity. You can acquire up to two levels in strength and two levels in agility
using the athletics gift. You cannot use athletics to gain 3 or more levels
in strength or agility. However, you can use your skill points to fill further
bubbles.

Charisma 3 Bubbles
This adds a permanent bonus to all persuade rolls. For each bubble, fill in
one square next to “Charisma Bonus.” Each square adds an additional +1d
to all persuade rolls. You can only receive a charisma bonus through gift
points.

Talent 1 Bubble (Introduced in Era 2)


This adds a permanent bonus to all Trade and Trade Specialty rolls. If you
spend a gift point in Talent, fill in the two stacked squares under “talent
bonus to all.” Each time you make a trade roll, add +2d to your whole roll.
You may only receive this bonus through this gift.

137
Skill Encyclopedia
Skills introduced in a later era have a note “In-
troduced in Era X.” If these skills do not exist on
your character sheet, then they do not exist in that
Era. You can ignore those skills if your game is set
in one of those Eras. Additionally, find information
about trade skills in the Era books.

Key:
Name of Skill # of Bubbles, # of Boxes
Description: What the skill is used for. These are areas of interaction governed by the skill. The ST
can use these guidelines when prompting the players to roll a certain skill.
Thresh: This describes the challenge threshold. This describes how dice successes translate to re-
sults in the story. The number of successes is printed like this: 3) In this example, “Three successes
equals this result…”
Train: How training stripes are acquired for this skill. Often include different guidelines for dif-
ferent levels of the skill. In other words, the first levels are easier to earn than the later levels. With
greater mastery comes greater challenge.

COST-4 SKILLS:
Constitution 3 Bubbles
Constitution provides a variety of benefits. For every bubble, receive 1 Immunity, +2 Health Points,
+2 Resist, and +2 Carry Capacity. Constitution is a character’s physical vigor. People with levels in
constitution have above average physical capabilities. This allows them to carry more items, fight
disease and take damage with a greater chance of survival.

Unlike most skills, constitution is never rolled for a challenge. Instead, for situations where you re-
sist illness, or certain other attacks, roll resist.
Thresh: n/a, not rolled for challenges. See “Resist”
Train: Earn stripe(s) for overcoming a strong illness, or avoiding damage on a substantial attack
with a resist roll. For long term training, earn 1 stripe for every 3 months spent exercising in a gym,
dojo or other health establishment.

138
Magic Craft 3 Bubbles, 2 Boxes
Magic Craft is knowledge and proficiency within the magical arts. This include herbalism, spell work
and spirit work. Every level in magic craft bestows additional power and benefits to all three magical
skills. Magic Craft is never rolled for a challenge by itself. It only aids in using magic.

For Spell Work and Spirit Work:


Each level in magic craft adds +2d to every spell and spirit tech.

For Herbalism:
You may add one additional ingredient to a potion for each level in Magic Craft.

Overall:
Every level in magic craft bestows +2 points to your max Force Points.

See sections on the skills above for further information.


Thresh: n/a . Not rolled for challenges. See “Spellwork,” “Spiritwork,” and “Herbalism.”
Train: Earn stripe(s) when rolling impressive successes on any of the magical skills. Long periods
of magical study bestow six stripes per year, up until level three is reached. Stripes past level three
should be more difficult to earn, as they represent mastery.

COST-2 SKILLS
Fight 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes
Your Fight score is added to all combat rolls. For hand-to-hand combat, roll your fight score without
additional bonuses. For combat with a weapon, add additional bonuses.

See Combat section.


Thresh: See Combat section.
Train: Earn stripe(s) when performing an outstanding roll in a fight, or successfully defeating a
major enemy. Or, during long periods of combat training earn up to 3 stripes per year.

Strength 4 Bubbles, 3 Boxes


Strength allows one to move physical weight. This includes acts of lifting, pushing, pulling, dragging,
breaking, opening or pressing. One uses strength to haul heavy objects, such as carrying an uncon-
scious body. With a strength roll, you can carry heavy loads over the short term. However, carrying
capacity determines how many items you can carry over a long time.
Strength also adds a bonus to evade, resist and many weapon-based attacks. You also take a
penalty to speed for each level in strength, because the character’s extra mass slows down their abil-
ity to move fast. See individual sections.
If either Strength or Agility could be applied to a challenge, the ST allows the player to roll
the highest of either skill. Here’s one example of this situation: A character wants to cross a chasm
using a rope. One could swing their body across the space, holding on to the rope with strength. Or
they could set up a tightrope and tip-toe across with agility. Depending on how they approach the
situation, will determine which skill they roll.

139
(Strength Continued)
Thresh: 1) Move ¼ of your body weight effortlessly. Or move a whole body weight with great
strain, and your speed drops to 1. 2) Move ½ of your body weight effortlessly. Or move your whole
body weight with some struggle, halving your speed. 3+) Move up to your body weight effortlessly.
Or in a burst of miracle strength, move up to 5 times your body weight with great strain, dropping
your speed to 1.
Train: Earn stripe(s) each time you perform an impressive feet of strength. Or earn 2 stripes for
every six months spent in a gym, heavy-lifting job, or other place of strength training. Only earn
passive stripes up until level four, and then you must earn strips through impressive feats.

Agility 4 Bubbles, 3 Boxes


Agility includes all aspects of physical dexterity. This skill governs precise and swift motions. This
is everything from throwing darts to tinkering with a clock. Conceptually, agility is the degree of
control and finesse a character has over their body. This is used for challenges of jumping, crawling,
rolling, aiming, fine movement, ducking and dancing. Agility is not used for challenges of sneaking,
tracking or hiding, as those talents are governed by TrackNav.
In cases where either Strength or Agility could be used, the ST allows the player to roll the
highest of the two.
Agility also adds a bonus to weapons that require finesse, such as bows, knives and guns. Agil-
ity also improves a character’s speed and evade. See sections.
Thresh: 1) Maintains steadiness or control over body, can jump between buildings, or throw a dart
onto a dartboard. 2) Can control the subtlest movement like a surgeon. Can jump and roll onto a
building, or throw a dart into the bullseye of a dart board.. 3+) Super-human dexterity. Could grab
an arrow as it shoots by, or jump from buildings like a Kung Fu movie star. Could throw a dart
through the bullseye of a moving target.
Train: Earn stripe(s) each time you roll for a miraculous feet of agility. If agility is under 4, earn 2
stripes for every 6 months of running, dancing, martial arts or other training.

Persuade 9 Bubbles, 3 Charisma Bonus Boxes


Persuade uses words to compel others to act in a certain way. All negotiations, debates, interroga-
tions, flirtations or other appeals are represented by a persuade roll.
Persuade is composed of nine different segments, which are called rhetorical strategies. Each
of these strategies has their own skill bubble. When you fill in the bubble of a strategy, it means that
your character is well versed in that rhetorical strategy. It becomes a strategy that they can use to
interact with other characters in the game.
When you make a persuade roll, you choose one of these strategies. Then you roll all dice as-
sociated with your persuade skill. Phrased another way: each strategy you learn adds to your overall
skill level. Thematically, this represents your character improving their overall persuasive power by
learning more about specific forms of communication. In game terms, this means you roll more dice
for having learned more rhetorical strategies. The various strategies are explained below.
See the section on Persuade for a full description of how that skill challenge operates.

140
(Persuade Continued)

CHARACTER CREATION NOTE: At the outside, you cannot purchase more than a 5 levels
of Persuade. A character cannot max out their levels in persuade at the beginning (even though all
persuade strategies are represented by a bubble.) One may select from any of the strategies in the
beginning, but they may not select more than a total of five.
RHETORICAL STRATEGIES
Intimidate. Inspires fear or respect. Use to coerce, threaten, or frighten.
Charm. Invite appreciation. Make yourself appear comfortable, suave, ac-
cepting, relatable, approachable, trustworthy.
Reason. Uses logic to prove a point (or make yourself seem logical.) Uses
proofs, information and definition to make an argument.
Affect. Appeals to listeners’ emotion. Ability to play on guilt, fear, joy, grief,
anger, insecurity or compassion.
Lead. Use to rally a crowd or speak as an authority. Confidence and resolve.
Use when trying to leverage your opinion by virtue of your expertise.
Praise. Appeal to others’ ego or sense of self-importance. Also use when
extolling the virtues (and not the vices) of a product or service, such as in
sales.
Entertain. Creates fun and enjoyment. Humor and also all forms of enter-
taining performance, such as mocking someone.
Seduce. Appeal to romantic attraction, or play on basic human desires. Tar-
get must be oriented to potential attraction in the first place (e.g. a man
must want to be in a relationship with a woman for a woman to be able to
use seduce.)
Deceive. Allows you to deliberately lie, conceal and cheat. You may use any
other rhetorical strategy alongside deceive. If you do not have the deceive
skill, you cannot make any maliciously false speech without halving your
dice roll.

Thresh: See Persuasion section.


Train: Earn stripe(s) for every incredibly successful performance.

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COST-1 SKILLS

Search 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes


Ability to uncover and discover materials. The desired object may be concealed or in the open. One
may search for a specific, known item, or for something general that falls into the category of what
a character desires. A character may search for both physical and non-physical goods with this skill.
Search can be used to find all stationary objects, including hidden rooms, doors, plants, and com-
puter files. This skill does not allow you to find moving objects, or to observe moving bodies. See
TrackNav and Sense for those skills.
Thresh: In searching for common items with a yield value, acquire 1 unit for each success rolled. If
you are searching for a plant that yields 1d6 fruit, and you roll 3 successes, then you find 3d6 worth
of fruit. However, if you are searching for uncommon plants, acquire 1 unit for every 2 successes
rolled. The same plant above, if uncommon, would yield only 1d6 fruit if you rolled 3 successes.

In searching for other things: 1) Find a common or barely hidden object, 2) Find an uncommon or
well-hidden object, 3+) Find a rare or nearly invisible object.
Train: Until level 3 is reached, earn stripe(s) for practicing your foraging skills. At level 4 and beyond,
earn stripe(s) for every time you find something rare or valuable.

Construct Era I Skill: 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes


Era 2 & Beyond: See Trades Sections
The ability to build tools, shelter, weapons, armor, clothing, baskets, boats or other man-made ob-
jects. Also includes the ability to make fire, which is an essential skill in Era 1. Levels in this skill
imply a knowledge tools and mechanical know-how.
Thresh: Items are built through reaching a certain number of successes. See Trade, Construct & Items
section.
Train: Until you reach level 3, earn stripes for making any rudimentary device that helps your situa-
tion. To earn level 4 and beyond, receive stripes for every innovative or refined item you build.

TrackNav 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes


This skill combines two talents: Tracking and Navigation. Tracking gives your character stealth,
enabling them to sneak around undetected. It also bestows the ability to chase or follow another
moving body, such as tracking an animal. One can do this by tracking a trail left behind, as well as
tracking the body itself. The Navigation skill allows a character to use the stars, maps, ocean cur-
rents, moon or other landmark to determine their correct direction for travel. This allows characters
to uncover pathways that lead to where they wish to go, or to create new pathways in that direction.
Each level in TrackNav applies to both tracking and navigation.

142
(TrackNav Continued)

Thresh: For tracking, sneaking and hiding, every success you roll becomes a threshold protecting your
visibility. To detect you, the opponent rolls a sense check, and must get more successes than your
successes on trackNav. Otherwise, it’s as if you were never there…

For navigating, characters on the correct path stay on the correct path as long as the continue
to roll successes on trackNav. If they don’t roll any successes, they may or may not be lost. When
they roll successes again, they determine where they are located. Usually, adventure parties will only
have to navigate once per day. But upon encountering a mountain, fog or other obstacle, they may
have to roll again to orient their direction.

Train: Until you reach level 3, earn stripes for attempting to follow or navigate. To earn level 4 and
beyond, receive stripes for every masterful act of stealth or navigation.

Sense 4 Bubbles, 4 Boxes


Allows one to detect movement, hidden foes, scents, smells, and other phenomena. While characters
can typically use their senses in a normal way, this skill allows one to use their senses to detect some-
thing subtle or obscured. It is used in situations where casual onlookers would not notice anything
unusual. You use Sense to detect a living or moving body, such as a snake in the grass, or a flock of
birds. When searching for inanimate objects, use a Search roll.

Note: Sense is not rolled to detect hidden meanings in conversation. For this, roll your persuade.
This is called a social detection roll. Persuade is used to understand all manner of human behavior,
including lies.
Thresh: Unless detecting a hidden character (see TrackNav’s challenge threshold), follow: 1) See, hear
or sense a vague picture or inclination that something strange exists. 2) Sense some relevant details
from or a brief image of the hidden body. 3+) Sense even small details. The body may be hidden,
but not to you.
Train: Until you reach level 2, earn stripes for trying to detect anything. To earn level 3 and beyond,
receive stripes for unveiling something hidden, especially if this is helpful to your party.

Cook Era 1: 3 Bubbles, 2 Boxes


Era 2-5 (Trade Skill): See Travel skill in Era books.
Ability to prepare food. Requires ingredients such as utensils, foodstuffs and a fire or other cook-
ing medium. Cooking food allows you to transform raw plants and meat into edible substances. You
need to use a cooking skill in order to extract nutritional value from food.
Thresh: For each success, add the vitamin and nutrition value of that ingredient to the meal. Every-
one in your party may partake of this meal. Two successes on a roll would double the ordinary con-
tribution of vitamins or nutrition. For instance, if the food provides 1 fire vitamin, then 2 successes
will add 2 fire vitamins to the cooked meal.
Train: Until you reach level 2, earn stripes for cooking for your party…To earn level 3 and beyond,
receive stripes for cooking a meal that prevents disease in your party.

143
Herbalism 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes
Herbalism extracts medicinal properties from plants. This allows one to create potions that heal, poi-
son or bestow another type of effect. The herbalism skill implies both a knowledge of plants, as well
as a practical ability of how to use them in potions.

Note: You may use this ability to search for herbal ingredients in the wild. You may roll the highest
of either Search or Herbalism when looking for ingredients.
Thresh: See herbalism section.
Train: Until you reach level 3, earn stripes for making and testing potions, or for every 6 months you
spend studying herbalism. To earn level 4 and beyond, receive stripes for every potion you make that
has a powerful impact on the story.

Spellwork 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes


A spell uses force energy to transform the surrounding world. Using willpower, a character crafts the
fabric of nature. They build, destroy, enchant or otherwise create the surrounding world.
Spellwork does not work like an ordinary skill, where each level equates to 1d. Instead, each level
in spellwork gives a character a spell power. A spell power represents an area of influence, such as
“inscribe” or “construct and conjure.” These powers are each unique, having a different effect on
the world, and the caster uses their imagination to apply that power to a situation. This is explained
fully in the spell work section.
Thresh: See spellwork section.
Train: Until you reach level 3, earn stripes for studying spells from a book or mentor, or practicing
with your spells. To earn level 4 and beyond, receive stripes for every spell you cast in an intense
situation that ends up helping you.

Spiritwork 5 Bubbles, 5 Boxes


Bestows psychic abilities that allow one to interact with spirits and the metaphysical dimension. Like
spellwork, spiritwork does not work like an ordinary skill. Each level in Spiritwork gives the charac-
ter a Spirit Technique (often shortened as “Spirit Tech.”) A spirit technique includes abilities such as
telepathic communication and otherworldy travel. These are used as special actions, which give the
player a benefit. A spirit can aid people with information, or even material trades. See full informa-
tion in the Spirit Work section.
Thresh: See spirit work section.
Train: Until you reach level 3, earn stripes for using spirit techs, or studying a book or learning from
a mentor. To earn level 4 and beyond, receive stripes for every spirit tech you use to dramatically aid
your party in an intense situation.

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Thought 5 Bubbles
A character’s ability to consider, compute, analyze, remember and decipher. The player’s mind con-
trols the mind of the character. Thus, the character thoughts are whatever the player wishes to
roleplay. However, occasionally a player will forget an important piece of information. The character
may then roll a thought check, and upon a success, the ST will provide that information again to the
character. Additionally, thought can be rolled in any situation where the character is trying to reach a
difficult conclusion about facts.
Thresh: 1) Able to remember or decipher information. 2) Able to remember or decipher, but also
learns an additional, highly valuable, tip. Note: You cannot roll the same thought check more than
once, unless the ST allows it.
Train: Before level 3, earn stripe(s) for each small moment of insight, successful conclusion or im-
pressive memorization. After level 3 is earned, receive stripe(s) for each great moment of brilliance.

Lore 3 Bubbles, 2 Boxes


Lore represents knowledge. Within this sphere is mythology, science, history, art, politics and all
other realms of human study.
Lore does not function like most skills – you never roll lore for a challenge. Instead, each level
in lore allows the character to obtain a lore specialty. This specialty is a field of knowledge that the
character will have a high proficiency in. Characters with lore specialties can request additional infor-
mation from the ST. For instance, if a character knows about animals, and they encounter a rabbit,
that character may learn something about the rabbit that others without the specialty would not
know.
The Eras each use a different set of lore specialties (Eras 2 and 3 share a set of lore specialties,
while Eras 4 and 5 also share a set.) This is because different areas of knowledge become valuable at
different times of human existence. In addition to earning specialties, each level in lore also repre-
sents the character’s overall knowledge level. Follow these guidelines:

Level 0. Knows only the body of knowledge most common to the community. Grade-school
level education.
Level 1. A student of the world, with one outstanding interest. High-school level education.
Level 2. A learned person, with a deeper familiarity of home culture, yet is in touch with other
world-views. Bachelor’s degree level.
Level 3. A teacher or expert, with expansive knowledge over several topics. Master’s degree
level.
Level 4. A wise-man. Knowledge of a tenured professor or village elder. Doctoral degree or
higher.
Level 5. A luminary or pioneer of their field. A vast ocean of information. The equivalent of a
Newton or Tesla.
Thresh: n/a
Train: Stripes should be challenging to earn, as they represent long periods of study. Before level 2,
earn 1 stripe per year. After level 2, earn 1 stripe per two years of study.

145
Character Stats
Stats are meters for vital areas. They de-
scribe the quality of your characters health, or
how fast your character can run. Most stats are
passive, where they are used as a reaction to an
event. Stats like Speed and Health are not rolled
as dice, but affect gameplay in other ways. Oth-
er stats, such as Evade and Resist, involve dice
rolls, much like a skill. The difference between
a stat and a skill, is that a statistic is not directly
chosen or purchased. Instead, stats are derived
from your character’s skills, gifts and species
bonuses.
Once you have chosen your skills, you can
calculate your character’s stats. This is described
under each category below.

Health
Health measures wellness. When this number is at its maximum, your
character is thriving and healthy. When it is lowered, your character is injured,
and when it reaches zero, your character dies. Every character starts with a
base of 10 health points. They may receive additional health points through
levels in, the gift “Health” or the skill, “Constitution.” Use this formula:

Calculate Health: (Health Gift x 5) + (Constitution x 2) + (Base of 10) = Max Health

Max health is the highest amount of health points a character can have.
Write this number in the box marked “max.” The rows of boxes and bubbles
are your temporary health, which fluctuates with your wellness level. When
you receive damage, you lose points from health. This damage applies to the
temporary health: you checking off the boxes or bubbles in your health rows
(you don’t subtract from max health.) If your character survives the conflict,
they can recover temporary health at a later date.
If temporary health reaches 0, this results in death. However, death may
or may not be permanent, depending on the game setting. See information on
resurrections under the heal spell in the spell encyclopedia. While still alive,

146
health may be regained through sleep, healing spells, or potions.

When sleeping: characters regain 1d worth of health per night’s rest.

Decreased levels of character health will result in a decreased condition:

Health Character Condition:


Points:
10+ Good Health. Homeostasis.
6-9 Minor injuries or sickness. Does not impede the character.
4-5 Serious condition. Large wounds or dire sickness. Stats and skills
roll as normal during challenges, but long-distance movement oc-
curs at half speed.
2-3 Critical condition. Character nears death. Until 4 or greater health
is reached, movement speed is halved (even in combat.)
1 Dying. Character falls prone on the ground, and their speed drops
to 1. They may only crawl. They may roll only resist and perform
one action during their turn.
0 Dead. Character’s spirit departs to spirit world. Healing potions
are no longer effective.

Force
Force is the vital energy that flows through
the entire cosmos. All things have Force energy:
animals, plants, rocks, ice cream etc. Magic is the
art of using force energy for a creative and practi-
cal purpose. Spell work uses force energy to cast
spells, and spirit work uses it to cast spirit tech-
niques. Force points are the representative of this
energy, and they are spent like money to cast the
techniques.
Every character has force energy stored within
their bodies. This is because force is present in all
living things. A magical person may learn to use the
force energy in their own body, or they may use the
force energy within an external tool. A humanoid
has a base internal force of 10 points. A character
147
also receives bonuses for levels in Magic Craft and the gift called “Force.” Fol-
low this formula:

Calculate Force: (Force Gift x 10) + (Magic Craft x 2) + (Base of 10) =


Max Force.

Max Force represents the limit of how much force ener-


gy a character can contain inside their body. Write that num-
ber in the box labeled “max.” When force is spent, it depletes
temporarily, but may be regained through potions, sleep or
force cultivation. Information on potions is found in the herbal-
ism section. As for sleeping:

Sleeping: restores ¼ of a character’s max force when in the wilderness,


and ½ of their force when sleeping in a comfortable home or inn setting.

Force cultivation is an exercise that the character does


to build internal force. This is an activity like meditation,
yoga, qi gong or dancing. This activity must be done by itself
for the purpose of cultivating force in order for it to be ef-
fective. Here are the rules:

Force Cultivation: Character may cultivate once per QD. Every time they
cultivate, roll 1d for each level they possess in magic craft. They recover
this much force.

Force is a mystery. Where did it come from? How does it work? These
questions are open for stories to explore, if they so choose.

Carrying Capacity
Carrying capacity determines how many items a character can have on
their person. A horse, storage unit or other means of transportation can also
carry items, so these things have a carry capacity value. Carry capacity is a
number, but it is best understood as a series of containers that your character
can fills with goods. These containers are depicted visually on the back of the
character sheet, as a series of satchels.
148
One carrying capacity: represents one conceptual container. It is one
satchel on the character sheet. This satchel can contain one large item, or
five small items.

Think of it this way: your character can haul around a few big things, like
large tools or weapons. Or they can carry a few large boxes or baskets, which
can contain smaller items, such as spell ingredients, food or books. You can
carry a mixture of items inside your lots. You can devote one slot to a weapon,
one to a shield and two to satchels full of small items (one combination of
many.)
Small items also nest into categories. This means that you can carry mul-
tiple units of the same item as if it was a single small item. You can have “5
mushrooms” written on your sheet, and this represents one slot out of five
within a satchel. If you had written “3 mushrooms” on your sheet, it still rep-
resents one slot out of five. Some items come attached together as well, such
as a bow comes with the arrows it shoots (together, they take up one whole
carry capacity, but not two.)
Default humans have a carrying capacity of four. This number may
change based on humanoid race. In addition, each level in constitution grants
an additional 2 carrying capacity to the character. You might need to print
multiple sheets to accommodate all your available slots.

Speed
Speed describes how fast a character can
move. This applies to two different situations:
short-term sprints and long term travels. Short-
term sprints occur in challenging situations
such as foot races or combat. On such occa-
sions, distance is measured in paces. One nor-
mal pace equates to three feet. This is, however,
a rough guideline. Some smaller humanoids,
with a shorter stride, will have a shorter pace
length.
The ST describes movement relative to
other objects in a scene. A character determines
where they want to move, and the ST informs
149
them how many paces away the target is. Each number on
your speed allows you to move one pace. You may move
your entire speed value worth of paces within a turn cycle.
To understand this, let’s say there are two characters in a
race. One has a speed of 13 and one has a speed of 11. Af-
ter the first turn cycle, the character with a speed of 13 will
stand two paces ahead of the other competitor. After the
third turn cycle, they will be six paces ahead.
Long-distance movement, such as travel during an ad-
venture, is calculated in terms of squares on the area map.
The group moves only as fast as the slowest character in the
party. Take the speed of the slowest character and divide it
by two, rounded up. This number becomes the amount of
mini-squares the party can travel in one day, given normal
atmospheric conditions and smooth geography. A charac-
ter with a speed of 9 will be able to progress 5 squares
across the mini-map. Parties that use horses, mounts or ve-
hicles will travel faster because of the modification to their
speed.
The ST may decide that calculating travel speed is ir-
relevant to the story. This depends on the needs of the
game.

Evade
Evade is a defensive maneuver where one avoids an
attack. This may take the form of a dodge, sidestep, roll,
jump, duck or other athletic maneuver. A successful evade
avoids the blow altogether. Because of this, evade is the
most common first line of defense against an attack.
Calculate Evade by adding:

Calculate Evade: Strength + Agility + Species Bonus

The Species bonus for default humans is 2. Other hu-


manoid races will provide a different bonus to evade. A
regular human with 3 strength and 2 Agility will have an
evade of 7. Every point in evade represents 1d when rolled.
150
For a complete explanation of defense patterns, see com-
bat section.

Resist
Resist intercepts an attack. It blocks, absorbs, grabs,
rolls-into or diverts the blow in by using the body. Resist
is often riskier than evade, because it brings a character
close to the attack. You also roll resist when evading an
attack is impossible, such as when prone, or held against
a wall. The combat section describes this in detail.
Resist also acts as the character’s shield to illness and
malign magic. It functions as the immune system of the
character. When sick, a character rolls their resist to re-
cover against an illness. When attacked by magic, evasion
is impossible, because magic can seek its target. Instead, a
character can only defend by using their resist power.

Calculate Resist: Strength + (Constitution x 2)

Example: A character with a strength of 2 and a consti-


tution of 2 will have a resist of 6.

Vitamin/Immunity
Vitamin and immunity act as shields against illness. There
are five different types of vitamins and immunities: fire,
water, air, earth and light. Each of the four regular ele-
ments defend against an illness of that element. A fire
vitamin defends against an air spirit that means to cause
illness (See herbalism section for full information.) A light
vitamin protects against any kind of illness, therefore it is
the most powerful and rare.
Immunity is a permanent shield and vitamins are tem-
porary shields. If one has a water immunity, a fire spirit,
poison or other status effect will never harm them. Ev-
ery level in constitution gives the character one immunity.
You can only choose one of the four regular elements for
immunity (you cannot have an immunity in light.) To indi-
151
cate immunity, shade that box on your character sheet completely black.
Vitamins are acquired by eating food that has been prepared by the
“Cook” skill. One vitamin acts as a shield against one attack from a pathogen.
This can be a poison, spirit or other status effect. Once the effect is absorbed,
the vitamin is destroyed. Additionally, vitamins expire 24 hours after con-
sumed. Because of this, it is wise for a party to cook food at least once a day.

Condition
Condition describes an illness or effect that has been placed upon a char-
acter. Illnesses are often caused by nature spirits, or poisons, but may come
from other sources, such as curses. The condition line is an open space where
the player write the names of whatever currently affects them. Next to the
name of their condition, they write the dice values or other statistical informa-
tion that concerns that condition.

152
Spellwork
Evocraft’s spell system has three components:
powers, specialties and materials. The ten Spell Pow-
ers govern broad categories of magic, such as heal-
ing, attracting or divination. The PC uses these powers
with cunning and imagination. They ask, “how could I
use this spell power help my situation?” For example,
say a character needs to fix their horse cart, and they
have no tools. They may use the power “Construct and
Conjure” to bake sand into glass, temporarily bind the
wheel back onto the cart. The spell system is an exer-
cise in creative thinking. There are endless possibilities
within each power.
Spell specialties are conditional bonuses to a spell roll. A spell specialty
governs a specific area of life. Some examples are “water,” “humanoids,” or
“stone.” You may add one specialty bonus to a spell roll, if your spell involves
that area of life. This bonus is a result of combining one of your powers with
one of your specialties. For instance, if you use “Divine and Decipher” while
gazing into a fire, and you have a specialty in fire, you receive a bonus to your
overall roll. You may involve specialties in any way that makes sense. They may
be the subject of your spell, or an object involved in making your spell work.

For Each Level in Spellwork:


~Choose one spell power.
~Roll one spell specialty. Characters do not control which specialties they
receive. They are random mutations. Roll the chart.

Each spell power and specialty has its own dice value assossiated with it.
Specialties are simple, because they have a uniform dice bonus described by
this rulebook. The dice value of a spell power works in a different way – it is
determined by the preference of the player. A player prioritizes their spells. To
prioritize, number your spells from least important to most important. Start
with the number “1”. Give the lowest numbers to the least important spells,
and the highest numbers to the most important spells. Then follow this pro-
cess, to know how many dice to roll for a spell power:

153
Spell Prioritizing:
1) Your spell powers receive a base dice value equal to their prior-
ity. If you have four levels in spell work, then you have a priority of spells
that includes the numbers “1, 2, 3, 4.” The base dice value of these spells is
1d, 2d, 3d, and 4d.
2) Your spell powers’ dice value also increases with levels in Magic
Craft. Receive +2d to each power for each level in Magic Craft. If a char-
acter has two levels in magic craft, and four levels in spellwork, their spells
look like this: 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d.

The third component of spell work is materials. These are items that
give your character extra force points towards spells. The caster must spend
1 Force Energy Point for every dice used in a spell. This includes dice from
specialties or other bonuses. The most direct way to pay force energy is to use
the force from within one’s own body. However, a character’s internal force
can deplete rather quickly. While it’s true that every spell requires force energy
to cast, you can also use the force energy of outside ingredients to cast a spell.
These are spell materials.
Materials could be anything, rat skulls, woodpecker feathers, a balloon
etc. While all living things have force energy, not all living things can be used
as force materials. Only special items with a secret magical quality can be used
in this way. These are the medicine dolls sold in bazaars or crystals found in
strange places – they are special magical items. And because they contain force
energy, they cost twice as much as their ordinary counterparts.
Like characters have limits on their natural force capacity, characters also
have limits on how many force materials they can carry. The total force in all
items a character carries cannot exceed a certain number. This number is de-
fined by the character’s levels in spellwork and magic craft. Explained in this
chart:

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Force Materials Capacity
Magic Craft Level:
1 2 3 4 5
Max Materials 10 Force 24 Force 40 Force 75 Force 120 Force
Force Content:

+2 Force Points to max materials force content for each level in Spellwork.

POWERS
These ten powers are like ten colors of paint. Combined with imagina-
tion, they can create thousands of different pictures. Each power has a de-
scription of the areas it governs (preceded by a short story for your enjoy-
ment.) Like skills, powers have a threshold for success on a dice roll. If one
rolls no successes on a spell, the spell is ineffective, and nothing happens.

SHAPESHIFT “I Tra n s f o r m”
The red-cloaked girl runs, ascending the stairs. A voice calls from behind, “you can’t
escape from me!” She reaches a landing with a single small window. By the time her captor
catches up, the window is open, and the red cloak lies on the floor amidst black feathers.
A single crow flies in the distance.
You transform into an animal, plant or other being of your choice. You
may choose a conventional animal, such as a wolf, badger or duck, or an ani-
mal species that you created for your world. This will be your unique trans-
formation for the rest of the game. You cannot transform into any form, but
only your chosen alternate form(s).
The shapeshifter may look exactly like the natural animal, or it may have
a special appearance (glowing tattoos, red eyes etc.) Additionally, the shape-
shifted animal will have similar powers and strengths as their natural coun-
terpart. A character who shapeshifts into a bear, for instance, will have an
improved strength. One can also get creative with their transformation, and
become a man-animal hybrid, such as a wolf-man.
When you choose this power, do not roll for a random spell specialty. In-
stead, select your chosen transformation, and write this on the spell specialties
line. You may also use this specialty in conjunction with other spell powers. It
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grants a +2d bonus whenever using a power that deals with that creature.

Thresh: For Animal Skills) Receive 1 dice towards an animal’s skill roll for every success you roll on
your spell. If you roll 3 successes when rolling your transform spell, you may roll up to 3 dice to-
wards a bear’s strength roll, or an eagle’s sense roll.

For Duration: 1) Transform for up to 5 turns during a challenge or 15 minutes otherwise. 2) Trans-
form for 8 turns during a challenge, or for 30 minutes otherwise. 3) 12 turns or 1 QD, 4) 20 turns or
2 QD, 5) Transform for up to three days. 7+) Transform indefinitely. You may transform back at any
time.

HEAL “I C u re”
The soldiers hauled their wounded brother into the banana leaf hut. The older healer
furrowed his brow and hovered his hands about the man’s bleeding stomach. A stream of
blue light flowed from the healer’s fingertips, and the wound was sealed.
This spell repairs and reverses wounds. It also may be used to combat
illnesses. Characters can describe the appearance of their healing magic. Do
you emit light from your hands? Or is it a gentle fire? Can you heal through
the songs of birds? Magical healing occurs instantaneously.

Threshold for Healing Lost Health: For every success you roll, the target recovers 1 Health. Spell has 2
range per caster’s level in Magic Craft. If the ST allows resurrections, you can use this spell to bring
the dead back to life. For characters who have died, you must roll seven successes to bring them
back. They return with one health point.

Threshold for Healing Illnesses: Roll against the illness counter roll. Each success you roll on your heal
spell depletes the illness dice pool by 1d (this is like depleting a shield.) If you roll more successes
on a heal spell than the illness, the illness is cured. Still follow the diagnostic guidelines in the Herb-
alism and Healing section.

ENCHANT & PROTECT “I B e st o w”


The king’s funeral pyre burned late into the night. At dawn, the prince ascended
the palace steps. The court magician placed a crown upon the prince’s head, and a sense of
warmth flooded over the prince’s body. A magical shield appear around the new king. The
same enchantment that had protected his father and his father before him…
This power governs two different, but related, fields: enchantment and
magical shielding. Enchanting allows a character to bestow properties onto an
object. This allows you to make brooms dance or torches glow with purple
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fire. This power is about adding a new power or element to an item, person
or place. If you have a normal torch, you can use enchantment to protect that
fire from extinguishment.
You cannot enchant something against its will or direction. You cannot
enchant someone to jump off a cliff, or otherwise harm themselves (unless
they want to.) Nor can you enchant a plow to not plow the ground. Enchant-
ment is an addition to the powers that an object already has. You might enchant
a plow to collect crystals in the ground as it moves by. Enchantment improves
on what already exists. Also note that enchantments can be disenchanted by
another spell, or through damage to the physical item.
Protecting allows the caster to create magical armor. Protection can be
placed upon any sort of item. You can protect a suit of armor, adding a magi-
cal armor bonus in addition to the regular armor bonus. You can also cast pro-
tection upon lockets, statuettes, pencil erasers or other trinkets. These tokens
cast a magical force field around those that carry them. They act as a non-
material aura of defense, that has all the same properties of magic armor.

Challenge Threshold for Enchant: An object receives 1d towards its enchantment power for each success
you roll when casting the enchantment. If you roll 2 successes to enchant an arrow with poison, that
arrow will have Poison-2. Another guideline: You cannot enchant multiple objects, rather only one at
a time (so you could only enchant one arrow, but not an entire quiver full.) If enchanting an object
with a more abstract quality, follow these guidelines: 1) Bestows a small benefit for a short time, 2)
Bestows a small benefit for a long time, or a substantial benefit for a short time, 3) A substantial
benefit for a long time, or a great benefit for a short time, 5) A great benefit for a long time, 7+) Be-
stows a substantial benefit permanently, and this cannot be disenchanted by a counter-spell.

Challenge Threshold for Protect: Every success rolled adds a +1d bonus to a character’s armor or resist
score. Magical armor has no weight, even if it is represented by a garment or other item. You cannot
continue to add your successes to existing magical armor. Instead, rolling to magically protect some-
one, replace their existing magical armor if you roll higher than what they currently possess. Magi-
cal armor is destroyed in the same manner as regular armor. However, unlike normal armor, magical
armor can be applied when rolling against magical attacks and illnesses.

INSCRIBE “I t i s W ri t t e n”
The army of skeletons charged across the bridge. The old man, on the other side,
knelt within a circle of white chalk. He lit a torch, and drew symbols into the circle,
shouting “you shall not enter.” One of the skeletons crossed this threshold, and burst into
flames, as if the space itself had become a torch.
Inscribe allows the user to write a spell into symbols or words. These
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words are placed on a location or item, such as floors, objects or the pages
of books. The magic activates when the inscribed item is touched, opened,
crossed or otherwise contacted. This spell serves to fulfill the command of
the caster. Those who cast an inscribe spell must write a statement of what
the spell does. Use the words “you shall” or “you will,” and then follow that
up with any command from the imagination. Another format is to think about
inscribe spells as “if you do X, then Y will happen.”
You can cast an inscribe spell to do any number of things when acti-
vated, “you will contain water,” “you will sound an alarm,” “you will record
information, and give it to me.” If one uses inscribe to attack, damage or harm
another living thing, they may receive curse points, just as if one used an at-
tack spell (see “curses” later in this section.) Inscriptions can be detected by
successes on spirit sight.
This spell is similar to Enchant, except that an inscribed power is some-
thing that activates once and is used up. An enchanted spell retains its power,
which is used over time. You can hide an inscription like a trap, but an en-
chantment is active all the time. Inscribe is also different from the Construct
& Conjure spell. You cannot use inscribe to create materials (which construct
& conjure allows you to do.) Rather, if you are inscribing physical items into
an container, you must first have all items you need, and then cast the inscrip-
tion. If you want to store food into graffiti art, you must first have food and
spray paint to perform this spell.

Thresh: Success works differently for quantifiable and non-quantifiable substances. A quantifiable
substance is a physical item (food, fire, bones, etc.) These have a dice value or statistic associated
with them. A non-quantifiable is an abstract non-physical entity, such as a command or security cam-
era.

For quantifiable inscriptions: Add one unit of the item to the inscription for every success on your
casting roll. Let’s say you want to inscribe lightning bolts. If you roll 3 successes, you can add up
to 3 lightning bolts to the inscription. The inscription has whatever power associated with these 3
lightning bolts. When the inscription is activated, the caster may choose how many lightning bolts to
bring forward (either all at once, or one at a time.) Once all dice associated with the lightning bolts
are rolled, the magic is exhausted.

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(Inscribe Continued)

For non-quantifiable commands: Roll to cast the inscribe spell. Multiply your successes by 2. This num-
ber becomes the number of dice associated with the non-quantifiable. If you rolled 3 successes,
then you have 6d that you can roll when activating the inscription. Any number of successes on this
activation roll will benefit the caster. More successes will give a greater benefit. Let’s say you create a
security camera inscription, were the caster sees an image of whoever steps on a certain tile. For 1)
success, the caster may see an outline of the subject. 2) Some details of the subject become visible.
3) The picture is highly clear. 5+) The caster can hear words and observe the subject for an extend-
ed time.

You cannot add more dice to an inscription that has already been placed. Adding an inscription onto
an inscription overwrites the first inscription.

ATTRACT “I WISH ”
A group of friends could not figure out how the town drunk had so much money.
One night, they followed him to his shack, and watched from outside. The old drunk looked
out his window, and babbled to the birds in the trees. The posse of friends laughed, but to
their amazement, a dove appeared carrying a sack of gold coins, which fell into the drunk’s
hands.
This spell brings the caster’s desires to life. The caster petitions the forc-
es of nature to provide them with something that is desired. This allows the
caster to receive material goods or opportunities. One can ask for a cheese-
burger or watch, but they can also ask for love, loyalty, travel or other non-
quantifiable benefits. When a character uses an attract spell, they must voice
their wish. Use the phrase, “I want to receive X.” Upon successes, the caster
will receive positive contributions in the future.
A character may not receive everything they ask for, but the more suc-
cesses they roll, the more opportunities the ST provides to them to reach their
goals. Attract is a spell that allows the caster to alter their future. This is the
way a character has a say in their fate. Some wishes will provide instant results.
Smaller, more trivial, wishes re likely to be fulfilled in instant payment. A large
wish that would change the game or the character’s life is likely to be fulfilled
in stages involving numerous challenges. Wishes provide opportunity, not en-
titlement.
The old adage “be careful what you wish for” is the cardinal rule of this
spell. It is important that players voice their wish very specifically, because ev-
erything within the boundaries of what they ask for is fair game. If a character

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declares “I want an opportunity to practice my climbing skills,” they might
find themselves falling through a trapdoor into a pit of spikes. They have an
opportunity to climb up, but at the risk of losing their life.
You cannot wish for the same thing, at the same time, more than once. If
a character’s circumstances change, or the nature of their wish changes, then
they can roll again.

Thresh: 1) An opportunity to realize a small wish, at a cost. 2) A small wish granted soon, at no cost,
or the opportunity to fulfill a large wish over a long time. 3) Challenges to fulfill a large wish occur
sooner, rather than later, 4) Abundant small wishes granted, or beginning to find the benefit of a
large wish 5) Character finds powerful tools or allies to help them in their large wish. 7+) A miracle:
a large wish is granted immediately.

TRANSPORT “M y R i d e”
A farmer stood on the cliff side, baskets of fruit at his feet. He whistled. A stun-
ning green bird appeared, with a thirty-foot wingspan. The farmer jumped on its back, with
his merchandise, and flew to market.
A transport is a loyal mount, or another method of transportation, that
is summoned by magic. There are three possibilities for transportation: ani-
mal mount, levitation or teleportation. For an animal mount, the caster has
developed a psychic bond with another creature. They are partners who com-
municate over long distances, and aid each other in time of need. The mount
appears when summoned. These creatures must be large enough to carry a
human, but they can be any type of animal. In other words, you don’t have
to have an ordinary horse or camel, but you could ride on a dolphin, dragon,
zebra unicorn or other type of creature.
The caster of this spell chooses their mount. This is their loyal mount
for as long as that animal is alive. The speed of a mount is the same as the
speed of that animal in the wild. If a magician’s mount is killed, the magician
will not be able to use this spell until they develop another bond with an ani-
mal in-game (or the first animal is resurrected etc.)
Alternatively, the creator may decide to have an inanimate form of levi-
tation. This could be a levitating object, such as flying carpets, floating cloud,
hovering nests of twigs etc. Or the magician could fly themselves. Either way,
this form of transportation allows the magician to fly at a range of 1-10 above
the ground.
Finally, a magician may learn teleportation. This is the most difficult
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form of transportation, but it allows the caster to travel instantly to another
location. The magician disappears from one place, travels through space-time,
and appears in another location. Upon adequate successes, they find them-
selves in their desired destination. Upon failure, they may become lost. The
caster can teleport with other people, if all are physically touching.
NOTE: Different game settings may choose to exclude forms of trans-
portation. Especially for teleportation. Some games will decide to allow tele-
portation, while others will not. This depends on what the ST feels fits with
their type of world.

Thresh. for Animal Mounts and Levitation: 1) The mount arrives in 1d6 turn cycles, but is moving slow
today. It moves at half normal speed. 2) Mount arrives in 1d6 turn cycles, but moves at normal
speed. 3) Mount arrives instantly, moving at normal speed. 4) Moves fast today, at 1.5 times its nor-
mal speed, 5+) Mount arrives instantly with a burst of energy, moving at twice its ordinary speed.

Thresh. for Teleport: 0) All are teleported to an inconvenient or dangerous location, 1) Teleport up to
five feet, in any direction. 2) May teleport across the room, 3) Teleport across the whole building or
structure, or up to 100 feet when outside 5) Teleport across the whole town or city, 7) Teleport any-
where in the local 4x4 section of the world map, 9+) Teleport anywhere in the world.

DIVINE & DECIPHER “I S e e”


Three travelers chanced upon a trail of pur ple slime. Per plexed, one stepped forward
and held his hand above the goo. An image of a giant slug flashed in his mind, and he
knew that this animal was dangerous.
With this power, the caster can uncover or unravel information. This
power allows the caster to receive hints, impressions, observations and other
perspectives. This is received by a mystical process of opening up to the sto-
ries contained within a place, object or tool. In order to do this, divine and
decipher must be cast upon a physical object: the scratches on a wall, petro-
glyphs on a rock, an old record player etc. One can use this power on anything,
but they cannot use it to communicate with spirits, plants or animals (spirit
work techniques govern those fields.)
Divine and decipher works well for mysteries. Within a story, there are
many hidden forces, both large and small. Sometimes there are hidden dan-
gers, as well as hidden opportunities: a saber-tooth tiger in the grass or a sword
hidden under the rocks. This power allows the character to become aware of
hidden things. They may learn this through partial information or hints. Yet
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this power provides a signpost.

Thresh.: 1) A small hint, brief image, or snippet of information. Highly cryptic, and revealing little.
2) Several small hints or fleeting images. The character will have to do a lot of mental work to piece
together the information. 3) One highly illuminating, significant clue, that the diviner feels confident
in. Lacks the full picture. 5) A huge clue that strongly informs the character. Often like watching
a full video play out in the diviner’s mind, with only the most secret details obscured 7+) Game-
changing revelation. Reveal a key detail to the character that they would not have known otherwise.

CONSTRUCT & CONJURE “I B u i l d ”


The blistering sun beat down onto the merchant. The man dismounted his camel
and took a sprig of grass from his pocket. Planting this leaf into the sand, the merchant
chanted around it. As if by a miracle, the little leaf conjured up a pool of water from
nowhere.
This power governs two different fields: construction and conjuring.
Construction allows the caster to build physical items using magic. One can
raise a palace of ice with their hands, fashion a boat oar from driftwood, carve
a statue into a mountainside, etc. Magical construction does require physical
labor like the construction skill. Instead, the caster directs their project with
willpower and concentration. Construction can be rolled as a cumulative series
of spell-castings to build something over time.
Construct spells can also be used to manipulate physical matter in a more
generalized sense. One can use this power as telekinesis. With construct, you
can throw objects around a room, bend metal bars, or expand the birdhouse in
a tree to a size that can accommodate human living. Construction is the power
that governs physical manipulation. All things built with magic contain traces
of magic.
The other half of this power, conjuration, allow the caster to summon
an item or substance. This is an item not found in the immediate area. Think
of this power as a form of telekinesis that allows you to move your desired
objects closer to you. If a wizard has their staff locked away in a tower, they
can use this power to call the staff towards them. The staff may fly out the
window, and into the Wizard’s hand. This spell is similar to Attract, except
that Conjure works immediately, and only on affecting physical goods.

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Threshold for Construct: Every success on a construct spell acts like a success on a construct trade roll.
Look at the “Trade, Construction and Items” section for guidelines on these rolls. You can roll con-
struct spells cumulatively. Unlike regular construction, you can use unusual materials such as lava, ice
or sand in your products.

Threshold for Conjure: 1) Summon an item within the same room, or a twenty foot radius if outdoors.
For telekinesis, you can move an item up to the weight of a book. 2) Summoning radius expands to
50 feet, or within the building you stand in. Telekinesis can move up to the weight of a watermelon
3) Summon within a radius of 500 feet. Telekinesis moves up to ¼ body weight. 4) Radius of 1200
feet, or move up to ½ body weight with Telekinesis. 5) Telekinesis can move up to your body weight.
7+) Summon item from anywhere in world, or Telekinesis can move a small mountain.

MULTIPLY & ENHANCE “I G ro w”


The old leprechaun laughed as he plotted his trick against the tax collector.
He stepped outside, and found a small daisy. Waving his hand over the flower, a wall of
daisies rose from the ground, consuming his house, covering it entirely. When the tax col-
lector appeared, he looked puzzled at the hill of flowers. He was certain that a house had
once stood there.
This spell grows, expands, intensifies or strengthens. Use this to make
an item harder, better, faster or stronger. This spell can also be used to grow
natural phenomena, such as plants, clouds, fire, water, ice or wind. The item
must exist to begin with. One cannot conjure flowers with this spell (see con-
struct and conjure or attract for that.) You must have the item within your
reach, and then you expand or enlarge it.
However, you may also use this spell to temporarily boost a skill roll.
You can cast this spell on yourself, or another player, to give them a one-time
bonus to a skill roll. Use the following charts for guidance:

Enhancing a Skill or Challenge Roll


Success Thresh: 1-2 3-4 5-6 7+
Bonus to Skill: +1d +2d +3d +4d

Threshold For Expanding an Item: 1) Expand item up to twice size or content. Effect lasts for up to one
day. 2) Three times items normal size or content. Effect lasts for up to three days. 3) Expand 5 times
size and strength for up to one week. 4) Accelerated growth. Expand up to 10 times temporarily, or
2 times permanently. 5) 25 times temporarily or 3 times permanently. 7) Radical growth. 50 times
temporarily or 5 times permanently. 9+) Exponential expansion. Expands 100 times instantly or 2
times daily, growing larger and larger into infinity (or until someone stops this insanity.)

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ATTACK “I De st ro y”
The Lich appeared extended its skeletal hand. Lightning shot from its fingertips.
Where the bolts hit the ground, fire erupted and the soldiers screamed, burned by the glare.
This spell uses Force energy as a weapon. The caster impedes, damages,
kills or destroys their target. This power can be used as a combat turn ac-
tion. Attack may be used to damage an enemy’s health, in the same way that
a weapon would. However, attack can also be used creatively, to set traps and
obstacles that impede an enemy or resolve a conflict without killing them.
Attack magic is powerful, and it comes at a great price. Any time magic
is used to harm another being, the caster receives curse points. Curse points
endanger a character’s wellbeing, and they are explained at the end of the spell
work section. Attack magic bestows a curse, because the forces of magic exist
help life flourish. When magic is used to diminish life, it reflects back nega-
tively on the life of the caster.
The caster may always choose how to use their attack magic. They don’t
have to use it to damage an enemy’s health, and thus receive a curse. They can
create traps that slow, impede or confuse an enemy instead. The caster also
chooses how much damage to deal with a spell, even after rolling successes
against an opponent.
The caster describes the shape and appearance of their attack, as well as
its intended effect. How does their spell appear? Flashing blue lightning, gey-
sers of fire, giant skulls of death – these are all options, and there are many
more.

Thresh: Only magical armor, magical shields and resist rolls can be used to defend against a magical
attack. This is because magic can seek its target. Every success on the spell roll acts as one success
for a fight roll. A magical attack has a normal range of 2. You may increase its range by one, for
removing one dice from your dice pool. Attack spells affect a single target.

If using attack spells to impede, trap or disarm enemies without damaging them, then each passing
success on becomes either a strength or agility barrier against the enemy. Each turn the enemy must
roll their strength or agility against the hold of the magic, which is broken like a shield.

Curses
A curse is a special sickness that affects a character’s destiny. A character
receives a curse only through using magic to deliberately damage the lifeforce
of another being. A curse cannot be healed through healing magic or herbal-
ism. Instead there are only two ways to resolve a curse:

164
1) Over time. The curse will activate.
2) Through a great deed of redemption.

A curse brings doom onto the character. It acts as a debt that the ST will
call out at an inopportune time. Curses are represented by curse points. The
more curse points a character has, the more likely something disastrous will
happen to them. Here is a guideline:

Curse Points: Acquire Curse When: Fate of Cursed Character:


1 A being is damaged, only superficially. They lose something important, valuable
or useful.
3 The caster kills a being with magic in Something catastrophic happens to the
self-defense, or uses magic to cause a character: burnt house, disabled leg,
long-term wound. haunting specter, etc.
10 The caster kills with malice. The caster dies a tragic death.

A character does not have to


face the dire fate of a curse. A char-
acter can heal a curse by a remark-
able, self-less deed. These actions
must be done without receiving a
reward, or wanting a reward, which
means one cannot do them with the
intent of resolving a curse. When a
character acts in a way that sincere-
ly changes another’s life for the bet-
ter, they may remove up to 3 curse
points at a time.

165
Spell Specialties:
1d100 Specialty (Chart Continued)
1-5 Fire and Heat +4d6 51-55 Death & Spiritworld +2d6
6-10 Water and Dampness +4d6 56-59 Nature Spirits +2d6
11-15 Earth and Dryness +4d6 60-63 Food +4d6
16-20 Air and Cold +4d6 64-67 Sickness & Venom +3d6
21-24 Humanoid Bodies +2d6 68-72 Sylvani & Wood +2d6
25-28 Human society/culture +4d6 73-76 Thoughts & Emotions +2d6
29-33 Metal +3d6 77-80 Time +3d6
34-37 Books & Scrolls +5d6 81-85 Stone +3d6
38-42 Four-legged Faunitas +2d6 86-90 Trails and Pathways +5d6
43-46 Swimming Faunitas +3d6 91-95 Artifacts & Treasure +3d6
47-50 Flying Faunitas +3d6 96-100 Character Skills +1d6

Materials
These are items that contain force energy that a spell caster can use. Here
are some ideas for different types of magical items:

Spring water, black sand, blue clay, meteors, stuffed animals, crystals, colored ice, shark teeth, alliga-
tor claws, ruby, rainbow feathers, magnetite wands, cell-phone chargers, blubber, badger hair, golden
rings, chalice, iron gloves, blue fire lantern, ancestor’s bones, eagle feather, jaguar hide, star stone, a
cloud in a bottle.

Force Content
A spell material holds a different amount of force
content depending on the rarity of the item. Use the
following chart to understand how much force energy is
contained within an item. Keep in mind a character has
a maximum level of force items they can carry on their
person. The chart containing that information is found
in the beginning of the spell work section.
Most materials have a temporary force content.
This means they are used once and thrown away. How-
ever, some materials contain a permanent force content.
They can be recharged, through force cultivation, and
used again and again. These are special items, like a wiz-
ard’s staff.

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Rarity: Temporary Permanent
Force Con- Force Con-
tent: tent:
1 2 0
2 3 1
3 4 2
4 6 3
5 12 4
6 15 5
7 24 8
8 36 12
9 60 20
10 90 30

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Spiritwork
Each level in Spiritwork gives you a
Spirit Technique, (or “Spirit Tech.”) When you
fill in a bubble or box, select a new spirit tech
from the following list. A spirit tech is a power
that your character can activate at will. This in-
volves a roll of dice. Spirit techs allow the char-
acter to interact with spirits or the spirit world.
Every technique has a different effect. Some al-
low a character to travel into the spirit world,
while others communicate with spirits or sum-
mon them onto the planet.
Some Spirit Techs can only be chosen at a
specific level. If a tech says “minimum level 5”
then you cannot select the tech at any level be-
low five. Upon learning your fifth level (or any
higher level than 5) you may select that tech-
nique. The following section contains informa-
tion about the individual techniques and their
benefits.

Using Spirit Techs


For each dice you roll, spend 1 Force Energy. You may use magical ingre-
dients to pay for this cost. You may also choose up to the maximum number
of dice (you are always welcome to roll less than your maximum.)

For Each Level in Spiritwork:


~Choose one spirit tech.

Prioritizing
Spirit Techs are prioritized just like spell powers. List them in order from
least important to most important. This series of numbers becomes the dice
values associated with them. Observe:

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Spirit Tech Prioritizing:
3) Your spirit techs receive a base dice value equal to their priority.
If you have four levels in spirit work, then you have a priority of techs that
includes the numbers “1, 2, 3, 4.” The base dice value of these techs is 1d,
2d, 3d, and 4d.
4) Your spirit techs’ dice value also increases with levels in Magic
Craft. Receive +2d to each tech for each level in Magic Craft. If a character
has two levels in magic craft, and four levels in spirit work, their techs look
like this: 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d.

TELEPATHY
Minimum Level: 1
You communicate with another through your mind. This happens be-
cause of a psychic link you build with other characters. These links are like
telephone lines that can be set up between different people. Thoughts can be
spoken as verbal sentences, or as images and emotional impressions. A master-
ful telepath can suggest a thought to a person without them realizing that the
thought came from elsewhere. Before Era 4, this power is an efficient way to
communicate over long distances.
If a character is stressed, such as in combat situation, it will be harder
for them to communicate via telepathy. It will also be harder to communicate
in a place that has magic wards set up to prevent magical powers. One cannot
use telepathy to communicate with animals and plants, but only other humans.
There are other powers that govern cross-species communication.

Thresh.: 1) Give a short impression, or a few words to another person. They understand, but cannot
reply. 2) You can have a short conversation with a person in a casual situation, or share a few brief
words with someone in a stressful situation. 3) You can telepathically wire-together a small group
(up to six people) for an hour, or have a conversation in a few sentences with a stressed person. 4)
You can converse for up to 1 QD with your small group, or communicate for five minutes with a
stressed person. 5) You can wire together a group of 100 people for 1 day, or have a conversation
with one stressed person for 1 QD. 6+) You can suggest thoughts or ideas to a person without mak-
ing yourself known. They have no idea where the thought came from.

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TRAVEL SPIRITWORLD
Minimum Level: 1
You can leave your body to traverse the spirit worlds. At will, the caster’s
spirit temporarily leaves Earth, and returns after a while. Their interactions
with the spirit world will be a real experience, just as if they were on another
planet. However, if they are hurt, enchanted or impeded, they only take dam-
age to their Force. When their Force runs out, they return to their bodies on
Earth, at no damage to their health.
Through these travels, they may gain insight, friends, or helpful items
from exchanges with farlanders. The options are endless, as the spirit worlds
are endless. The spirit traveler may take along a companion, if all are holding
hands when the spirit traveler uses this technique. One cannot perform ac-
tions with their physical body and their spirit body at the same time. See the
section on Spirit Creation for a description of the five spirit worlds.

Thresh.: 1) Travel to the Dream Chambers. 2) You may go to the Dream Chambers or The Fields. 3)
You may go to the Rainbow Lands, or any lower world. 4) Travel to the High Halls, or lower. 5+)
Enter Paradisio, or any other spirit world.

SPEAK TO NATURE SPIRITS


Minimum Level: 1
The caster can talk with ghosts, apparitions, the spirits of streams, and
other nature spirits. This technique also allows the user to sense nature spirits
in the surrounding area. The apparitions appear as long as the conversation
continues. This technique can help players ask for spirit aid, or to get informa-
tion about environmental conditions or other areas of knowledge that nature
spirits would be verse in.
Nature spirits often have abstract thoughts that are hard to translate into
human language. They may prefer to communicate in images or feelings rather
than coherent sentences. The ST might roleplay this with a lack of regular
structure in the conversation. In one situation, a character might ask, “how
are you doing?” a nature spirit might respond, “orange.” Perhaps “orange” is
a metaphor for the lava that is about to erupt from a mountain.

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Thresh.: 1) Achieve a short dialogue: one word or a few sentences. 2) Have a short conversation. In-
creased understanding. 3) Even if the spirit communicates in abstract symbols, you understand them
quite well. Conversation continues for a few sentences. 4+) What a nice day to converse with ethe-
real beings. Maintain a coherent understanding for several paragraphs.

SPEAK TO FAUNITAS
Minimum Level: 1
You can talk to animals. The barking of a dog becomes poetry. You know
all the words to a bird’s song. Wherever you find animals, you can use this
technique to understand them. When you reply, it is through a psychic tele-
pathic channel. The caster selects a target animal (or pack of animals) to use
this technique on.
Animals converse about what they know. A wolf knows a lot about hunt-
ing deer, but not a lot about celebrity gossip. A bat might know what strange
events happened in the night, but don’t expect her to know what is going on
below the ocean (you might want to go find yourself an octopus.) For fun, the
ST might try to mimic the mannerisms of each animal during this dialogue.

Thresh.: 1) Short dialogues. One-word answers or a simple call and response. 2) Converse for a few
sentences, but you don’t understand everything they say. 3) The animal is clear, but you can only ask
1-2 questions. 4+) Extended conversation. The raccoon is impressed by your knowledge of slang.

SPEAK TO SYLVANI
Minimum Level: 1
You can talk with trees, mushrooms, ferns and plant-folk of all sorts. The
caster can place their hand on a bush, or raise their arms to touch the leaves
of trees. A metaphysical language flows between the plant and the caster. The
caster interprets this language, and can reply to the plant through telepathic
communication.
Plants are slow and often old. A plant does not keep up with the rush
and wildness of animal life. They are passive creatures, content to enjoy the
sunlight and water around them. However, they are curious about humans and
other beings. A plant might have great wisdom, but can only share a small
amount of that with the characters. The plant may speak slowly, cut out words,
or forget what they are talking about.

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Thresh.: 1) Short exchange. One-word answers or two sentences. 2) A short conversation, but little
understanding. 3) The plant is clear in speech, but the conversation remains short. 4+) The flowers
sing. You may listen to the symphony for a long time.

SPIRIT SIGHT
Minimum Level: 1
You have a sixth-sense. This sense allows you to perceive metaphysical
dimensions. You can see auras surrounding people, nature spirits hiding, frac-
tal gateways in the sky, and all manner of otherworldly phenomena. This sense
can change your awareness of Earth, and it can also show you gateways into
the spirit worlds.
When looking at a person (animal, plant etc.) their aura shows you their
general emotional state. A master can also detect the nature of a person’s
thoughts by looking at the aura. You won’t be able to discern why that person
has this emotion or thought, only that they do.
You cannot use this technique to see statistics (see “Spec. Sight” below.)
You also can’t use spirit sight to see hidden areas, or obscured features (see the
nature spirit power, “Thermosight.”)

Thresh.: 1) See spirit-phenomena at 3-range. Lasts for 3 turn cycles. Cannot see emotions. 2) See at
10-range for 5 turn cycles. You can see strong emotions, but nothing subtle. 3) See at 25-range for
10 turn cycles. You can see surface subtle emotions, but not the ones that they wish to hide. You can
see complex subtle emotions. 4) See at 50-range, lasting for 12 turn cycles. 5+) See up to 100-range,
for 14 turn cycles. You can see all the subject’s emotions, even the ones they try to hide.

SPEC. SIGHT
Minimum Level: 1
You have an extrasensory power to observe technical information. This
allows a character to see the statistics of a targeted creature, plant or spirit. By
rolling successes on this skill, a character can learn how high a creature’s fight
or evade score is (to name two examples.) The caster chooses statistic(s) they
would like to learn, and if successful, will find that information.
While Lore specialties can also inform the PCs about lifeforms, they
don’t share precise statistics. Using Spec. Sight is the only way a PC can extract
information about stats and skills.

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Thresh.: 1) You may learn one statistic. 2) You may check up to three statistics. 3+) You may check
any and all of your target’s statistics (and you may ask to hear this information again at any time.)

FAMILIAR
Minimum Level: 1
You have a special companion. This familiar is an animal or other life-
form: a cat, owl, badger, imaginary friend etc. This companion can be sum-
moned to your aid. You have built a strong relationship with this beast, over
time. You are able to communicate, without rolling dice, even if you lack the
spirit techs to speak with animals or plants normally. You roll dice when you
wish to summon them to your aid.
Familiars can use their natural abilities to help their partner. A swallow
familiar can dart through the air to see on the other side of a castle. A mole
familiar can dig underground to search for gems. In addition to their physical
benefit, familiars also have an uncanny ability to remember information. They
can perform powerful thought challenges on behalf of their players.
If a familiar is inhibited, or killed, the character will have to save the
familiar, or find a new one. It is also possible for a character to continue relat-
ing with their familiar as a spirit creature. Or, in some games, familiars can be
resurrected. A character can only have one familiar at a time.

Thresh.: When asking a familiar to perform an action, spend one force energy for every dice that ani-
mal rolls. That animal has the same statistics that an animal of its sort has in the wild. Your animal
cannot roll more dice than the max dice you have in “familiar.” In other words, if a bear can roll up
to 8 dice for fight, and your familiar technique has only 6 dice, you may only have your bear roll up
to 6 dice when fighting.

When making a thought roll, follow these guidelines: 1) Roll 2d for thought. 2) 3d thought roll, 3)
4d thought roll, 4) 5d thought roll, 5) 6d thought roll, 7) 7d thought roll.

You must roll at least one success to summon a familiar. They stay for the duration of the scene.

SPEAK TO FARLANDERS
Minimum Level: 3
You can telepathically communicate with Farlanders. This communica-
tion occurs without leaving your body. Instead, you establish a connection with
a Farlander who you have befriended before. The more levels in Spirit Work
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you have, the more Farlanders you can befriend. These are called Farlander
contacts. The Farlander contact can provide other connections, information,
trades or friendship. Every Farlander contact will have their own personality,
and a price they will ask for services. Use these guidelines:

At Level 3 Spiritwork: You have one contact.


At Level 4 Spiritwork: Two contacts.
At Level 5 Spiritwork: Three contacts.
At Level 6 Spiritwork: Four contacts.
At Level 7 Spiritwork and Above: Five contacts.

Thresh.: 1) Short dialogues. One-word answers or simple sentences. 2) A short conversation, but with
little understanding. 3) The spirit is clear, but the conversation remains short. 4+) Extended conver-
sation. Sometimes your contact forgets that you are a human, because you speak their language so
well.

SUMMON NATURE SPIRIT


Minimum Level: 3
This technique calls a specific type of nature spirit to appear in your
immediate vicinity. The caster’s force energy acts like a bait that the spirit is
attracted to. The spirit may travel travel from afar, at lightning speed, just to
reach this bait. You can roleplay this bait thematically. Perhaps your character
has a flute or a drum that spirits are attracted to.
Keep in mind that nature spirits are happy (or unhappy) depending on
their environment. If a spirit is summoned into an environment where they are
happy, they will provide aid powers to the summoner. If they are summoned
to an environment where they are unhappy, they will ail the people nearby. The
caster can predict how a nature spirit will act, and then deliberately call them
into an area to experience their effect.
Besides force energy, nature spirits will require something additional
from the human. This is some form of offering or gift exchange. It does not
have to be a large gift, but it does have to be something that the spirit would
find useful. A fire spirit might enjoy firewood, while a water spirit might ap-
preciate a glass. A ball of cotton soothes an earth spirit, and an air spirit ap-
preciates leaves thrown on the wind…these are only examples, and each group
will create their own symbolism that works for the world.
If a caster fails to provide a nature spirit with a suitable gift, then there
174
is a risk that spirit will turn angry. If the gift is mediocre or absent, there is
a 25% the spirit will spontaneously ail the characters. If the gift is offensive,
such as pouring water on a fire spirit, then there is a 75% chance the nature
spirit will ail the characters.
A caster can call any nature spirit that they are familiar with. The player
of this character would be wise to take note of the types of spirits they en-
counter on their travels, and observe their effects. PCs are not entitled to
know everything about every spirit. Sometimes they have to learn in game.
However, Lore specialties regarding nature spirits often provide a wealth of
information.

Thresh.: You may fill one room or 10 foot radius with the spirits. You may add an extra room or addi-
tional 10 feet for setting aside an additional success on a dice. This success is spent solely on gaining
the extra range. In other words, that success does not apply towards getting a more powerful sum-
mon.

0-1) Nothing happens. More successes needed. 2) Summon spirits with 1 or 2 CL. 3) Up to 4 CL
summon. 4) Up to 6 CL summon. 5) Up to 8 CL summon. 6) Up to 10 CL summon. 7+) Up to 12
CL summon.

ALCHEMY
Minimum Level: 3
The caster transforms a material into a different material. They might
turn iron into steel, or lead into gold. Alchemy allows one to transform lower
quality substances into higher quality substances. This is useful if one wants
to build better items, but has no quality materials. This technique can also be
used to make necessary tools when none can be found.
To use alchemy, you need two materials, and both of these must share a
common quality. This quality must be significant. For instance, you can trans-
form a garnet into a ruby, because both of these things are gemstones. Yet
you couldn’t transform a piece of yarn into a ruby, because they have little in
common. However, feel free to get creative with finding these relationships.
You might be able to transform a lapis lazuli into a blue feather, because both
of these things share a color. The ST will standardize rules for alchemy based
on the world setting. What may be true for one world could differ for another
world.
There are two more rules to alchemy: 1) The transformed item will carry
some of the original item’s properties, and 2) alchemically crafted items have
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a lifespan. Materials created with alchemy will have flaws or noticeable differ-
ences from their naturally occurring counterparts. The blue feather may retain
the black lines of the lapis lazuli it came from. These differences can be dis-
tinguished by a keen eye.
Alchemical items will deteriorate entirely in 3 months + an additional 3
months for every level of magic craft the caster possesses. When deteriorating,
the item will go back to its previous incarnation. If multiple transformations
have been applied to an item, it will continue to degrade until it reaches its
original state. Because of this, merchants dislike items created with alchemy,
as it is often seen as a form of fraud.
You cannot stop the deterioration of alchemical goods. You cannot roll
an alchemical transformation again to maintain an item. However, you can
continue to try and transform that item to a higher state.

Thresh.: Alchemy allows you to create a material of a higher rarity from a material of a lower rarity.
1) New material can have up to rarity 3. 2) Up to rarity 4. 3) Up to rarity 5. 4) Up to rarity 6. 6) Up
to rarity 7. 7) Up to rarity 8. 8) Up to rarity 9. 9+) Up to rarity 10.

SUMMON FARLANDER
Minimum Level: 5
You can open a gateway into the spirit worlds, and bring a farlander to
Earth. The farlander incarnates into a body made of force energy. This is not
the farlander’s true form -- it is only a vehicle they inhabit for a short time, be-
fore dissipating and returning to their otherworldly abode. The summoner has
farlander contacts. These are spirits that they have befriended over the years.
They may call upon these spirits again and again. Your number of contacts
depends on your level in Spirit Work. Use the chart below:

At Level 3 Spiritwork: You have one contact.


At Level 4 Spiritwork: Two contacts.
At Level 5 Spiritwork: Three contacts.
At Level 6 Spiritwork: Four contacts.
At Level 7 Spiritwork and Above: Five contacts.

Each incarnated Farlander has three skills. They may be among any of
the skills that a player character could have. The summoner chooses the skills

176
associated with each of their farlander contacts. One might give their farlander
“fight,” “agility” and “sail” for instance. This can be any combination of skills,
cannot be more than 3 skills in total. These skills will remain constant for that
farlander. Whenever the summoner calls upon that spirit, they will provide
these skills. The summoner may ask their farlander to use these skills on their
behalf. Typically, they will work out an agreement or trade before hand, and
the farlander will be more than likely to help once summoned. A farlander has
the same health, force, speed, evade and resist that their summoner has.
Different farlander contacts will have a different number of skill points
that the summoner can spend on their skill creation. Follow these guidelines:

Level 3 Contact: 8 SP
Level 4 Contact: 10 SP
Level 5 Contact: 14 SP
Level 6 Contact: 21 SP
Level 7 Contact: 26 SP

Unlike creating a new character, you may fill both bubbles and boxes when
creating a farlander. Yet they cannot have skills higher than the number of
standard levels for a human (for example, a farlander cannot have more than 7
strength.) If you give levels in spirit work or spell work, the farlander has the
same spells and techs as their summoner (and no more.) A farlander cannot
summon other farlanders, or other spirits, but it can use other spirit techs.
The amount of help a farlander can grant depends on the successes
rolled on the summon spell.

Thresh.: 0-2) No effect. More successes needed. 3) Farlander performs up to two actions, and can
stay no longer than 3 turn cycles. 4) Three actions. 5 Turn Cycles. 5) Five actions. 10 Turn Cycles.
6) Eight actions. Stays for up to 1 QD. 7) Twelve actions. Up to a whole day. 8+) Incarnates into
the world permanently. Infinite actions. Will help fellow character only as long as its in their mutual
interest. May return at any time to spirit world.

SPEAK TO GREAT ONES


Minimum Level: 7
Telepathic communication, like communication with farlanders, except
now you can speak with Great Ones. You can dialogue with the inhabitants
of Paradisio. The great ones are powerful. They may see humans as weak or
177
insignificant, although they often look upon this weakness with compassion.
Basic tricks of persuasion seldom work on the Great Ones, as they are hyper-
aware. Characters would do well to be honest and appeal to their compassion
or individual motives.
Each Great One has specialties (areas of life that they govern.) The char-
acter will automatically speak with the Great One that has a specialty to help
them with their current need. A character may also request to speak with a
certain Great One.
Those on Earth may see characters with this ability as special or power-
ful. Few have the ability to connect to the most powerful beings in the uni-
verse.

Thresh: 0-2) No effect. More successes needed. 3) Short dialogues. One-word answers or simple sen-
tences. 4) A short conversation, but little understanding. 5) The great ones are clear and the conver-
sation is short. 6+) Extended conversation. You can tell jokes that amuse the great ones.

Summon Great Ones


Minimum Level: 9
You can bring a great one into an incarnated body on Earth. This is the
most powerful spirit summon possible. This works similar to Summon Far-
landers. Every summoner has a single patron great one (instead of farlander
contacts.) When you learn this technique, choose your patron from the avail-
able Great Ones. This is the Great One summoned when you cast this tech-
nique.
Just like a farlander summon, you purchase the skills associated with
your Great One summon. Choose three skills for this Great One. You have 41
skill points to spend amongst these three skills. A Great One may have up to
twice as many levels in a particular skill as their ordinary human counterparts
could. In other words, a Great One can have 14 levels in strength rather than
7. There is one exception: they cannot have more than the standard 5 levels in
Magic Craft. A summoned Great One has the same spells and techniques as
their summoner, and no more. They cannot summon other spirits.
They have 3x their summoner’s normal health and force, and 2x their
summoner’s evade, resist and speed. After a time, the Great One’s incarnation
will evaporate, and they will return to Paradisio. If a Great One dies on Earth,
they evaporate and return the same way.

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Thresh: 0-4) No effect. More successes needed. 5) Great One does not incarnate, but projects them-
selves into a single action (use of a single skill.) This could be crushing a mountain or causing an
eclipse – some monumental event. 6) Great One incarnates for up to three turn cycles. They may
perform up to three actions. 7) Five actions, five turn cycles. 8) Eight actions, ten turn cycles. 9)
Twelve actions, up to one day. 10+) Permanent incarnation. The Great One will act for one day to
help their summoner, but then gain autonomy. They may now act out their own will towards the be-
ings of Earth. Do this at your own risk.

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COMBAT

Combat in Evocraft is fast and deadly. This simulation is designed to


emulate high-stakes realistic battles where a single successful gunshot or slash
can determine victory. There are certain types of characters (those with high
points in Fight, Agility, Strength and Constitution) who are designed to per-
form better in battle than other characters. With armor and a shield, a charac-
ter like this has decent odds of winning many confrontations. Yet the tension
is still high, and this makes the story suspenseful and engaging. Not even the
ST knows who will win or lose. While many games call characters to battle
(some games more than others), there are many creative solutions to conflicts.
If you are not a fighting character, think of how you can use spell powers,
negotiation or other tactics to outmaneuver a deadly situation.
Evocraft combat differs from combat in video games. In video games,
fighting is often necessary to advance your character and the story. You need
to fight in order to play the game. Evocraft, on the other hand, simulates a
diverse range of stories. Not all stories, or character arcs, will make combat
necessary. The story may advance through a variety of challenges and solu-
tions.
Each groups will choose the amount of combat to include for their sto-
ries. Some campaigns will have large-scale wars, random encounters, and dra-
matic duels. This might appeal to gamers who enjoy deep levels of strategy
(and risk) along with their stories. Other groups will focus more on character
180
development, and include a fight during dramatic cli-
maxes. Some groups may include no combat at all
– although that is often best suited for campaigns
where all players choose non-combat oriented char-
acters.
This section introduces a unique challenge-
game for combat.

Initiative
During a fight, time is slowed down and each
player has enough time to choose their actions. Com-
bat takes place over turns. Turns are organized into
turn cycles, which is a repeating pattern of character
actions. During a character’s turn, they make actions
in the form of dice rolls. The fastest characters are
at the top of the turn cycle, and they act first. The
slower characters take their turns later, and they are
lower on the turn cycle.
Calculating this order of actions is called taking initiative. Character ini-
tiative is based on speed. The ST collects the speed values of all combat par-
ticipants, both PCs and NPCs. He writes these values onto a piece of paper,
or a printed Initiative Track Sheet. The Track Sheet has a handy format to make
it clear how the turn cycle operates.
Here is how you fill out the Track Sheet: Begin by writing each of the
combatant’s names in the top slots of the page. You can name your NPCs and
enemies generic words with numbers, such as “Bandit 1” or “Eye Monster 3.”
You can write these as abbreviations, such as “Mon 1” for “monster 1.”
Next, notice how the sheet has a series of numbered rows. These rep-
resent speed values, and you put a checkmark in the intersection between the
character’s column and the row associated with their speed. Begin by finding
the row associated with a character’s max speed and put a checkmark, bubble
or other marker there.
You’re not quite done yet. Most characters get multiple actions within a
turn cycle. You mark these actions by checking more spaces below the first.
Subtract 5 points from each of the combatant’s speed values, and check their
box associated with that number. Continue to subtract 5 points from each

181
character’s speed, checking that box, until each character’s colum reaches 0
or a negative number. Faster characters often have more boxes checked than
slower characters.
This is how the chart works: A character has a turn for every box checked.
Look at the top row, and the character with the highest speed acts first. If two
characters have the same speed, then the character who has waited the lon-
gest for their turn gets to act first. If this does not break the tie, roll 1d10,
and whoever rolled higher acts first. After that characters turn, move to other
characters who have actions on that same speed row (if any.) Then move down
to the next row with a checked box, and that character takes their turn. When
the cycle reaches 0, it resets again starting with the topmost row. It is possible,
and common, for fast characters to get two turns in a row.
This may seem complicated at first, but it is actually quite intuitive. This
visual example may help:

Chrono A Cloud Character Daxter Character


B C
12 x
11
10
9 x
8
7 x
6
5
4 x x
3
2 x
1

Above is an initiative track chart. Daxter has 12 Speed, Cloud has 9 and
Chrono has only 4. Starting at the top, Daxter acts first, followed by Cloud
and then Daxter acts again. Finally, Chrono gets his action, which is followed
by another move from Cloud. Daxter retaliates with the final action of that
turn cycle, but then immediately follows it up with his next action (because
the turn cycle repeats, which gives him the first move.) It pays to have a high
speed, as Daxter performed 3 actions in the time that it took Chrono to per-

182
form 1 action.
Think of the turn cycle like an old-fashioned film reel. This movie takes
place over a series of slides. As it clicks forward, each slide has a different
picture, where a different character gets to act. When the film reel finishes, it
rewinds, and you play it again.
Also consider that battle is context dependant. If a character success-
fully launches a surprise attack, they will act first even if they have the lowest
speed. From there, you would progress with the ordinary initiative.

Calculate Initiative (Summarized):


~Take speeds of all combatants. Check boxes associated
with these speeds.
~Subtract 5 points from each combatant’s speed value,
and check those boxes. Continue to do this until you get
to zero or a negative number.
~Start at the top row of the turn cycle, and progress to
the bottom row. Repeat upon completion.

ACTIONS ON A COMBAT TURN


On your turn, you may do one large action. Here are some common
choices:

On Your Turn You May:


-Attack.
-Retreat.
-Sprint
-Shout a short phrase.
-Cast a spell.
-Use another skill.

In addition to your ac-


tion, you may choose to move
one to two paces in any direc-
tion, such as stepping forward
with a sword strike. If you
don’t do any other action, you
183
may sprint or retreat, in which case, you may move longer distances. See be-
low:

Combat Movement:
On one turn, you may move 1 pace for every 3 points you have in
speed.

A character with 13 speed will be able to move 4 paces during a combat


turn. These paces are measured by the length of the character’s gait. So tiny
characters, such as pixies, won’t move as far as their taller human counterparts.

ATTACK & DEFENSE


Attack and defense rolls are the heart of combat. One can only make an
attack when it is their turn. However, they may defend at any time. The com-
bat game goes like this: the attacker makes a roll and the defender makes a
counter roll. The successes of each roll are compared. If the defense has equal
to, or more, dice than the attack, the defender avoids the attack and receives
no damage. If the attack has more dice than the defender, then they roll for
damage against the defender (explained below), unless the defender has the
ability to choose a second defense strategy (also below.)

Calculate Your Attack Roll:


Your attack roll is determined by your fight skill plus
weapon bonuses. Most weapons add a bonus to your overall
roll by adding dice equal to your strength or agility. Many
weapons also give an extra bonus on top of this. Thematical-
ly, blunt weapons, such as clubs, maces and hammers allow
one to translate strength into a blow. On the other end of
the spectrum, agile fingers can shoot a bow with mastery, or
slash a knife with precision. Some weapons, such as spears
and swords, allow you to add either strength or agility. The
Era books will contain guidelines for the various weapons
found in that age.

Summary: Fight + Strength or Agility (if using a relevant weapon)


+ Weapon Bonus

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Calculate Your Defense Roll
The defender has a variety of actions that she may take. These are called
defense strategies. She may evade to dodge the blow, use a shield or armor, or
resist the attack with a block. Each of these strategies is based one the Evade
or Resist skills, or on Armor and Shield bonuses. These strategies can be com-
bined in a couple of different patterns. For instance, one may try to evade an
attack, but if this fails, their armor may protect them before they take damage.
Here are the acceptable defense strategy combinations:

Evade > Armor. You first try to dodge the blow using an athletic maneuver. If that fails,
you still have armor to take the hit. If the attack pierces your armor, you
take damage.
Shield > Armor or Resist. Holding up a shield to stop the blow. If the shield shatters, then you
can use your armor or a block against the blow. You must choose either
armor or resist after a shield shatters. If that fails, take damage.
Armor > Resist. You take the full attack to your armor to begin with. If the attack breaks
through your armor, you still have a split second to block or absorb the
blow gently. If that fails, take damage.
Evade or Resist Alone You may also roll resist or evade without armor or shield. You must
choose between these two. You cannot roll a resist and then an evade, or
an evade and then resist. If you resist first, this implies you intercept the
momentum of the attack, and cannot evade. If you evade first, and fail,
then you take the attack in a way that harms, rather than finding a good
resist strategy.

Armor
Armor includes all manner of protective
devices worn on the body, such as breast-
plates, helmets and boots. Characters typi-
cally purchase a whole suit of armor, that
covers various parts of the body. In other
words, there is no need to purchase indi-
vidual components of armor, it is usually
purchased as a single unit in this game.
Armor sets have a score, which is com-
parable to a skill’s level. Like a skill, each
number on your armor score equates to 1d6
rolled for your defense. Fill in one of the
squares next to “armor” on your sheet for
point of the armor you are currently wear-

185
ing.
How armor works: Roll armor as you would an ordinary resist roll. Each
success of your armor blocks one success of the enemy attack. However, after
successes are calculated for both rolls, your armor suffers damage. For each
enemy success your armor successfully absorbs, your armor permanently loses
one point from its score. Next time you roll this armor, you will roll less dice.
It is possible to repair armor by taking it to a blacksmith or through enchant-
ing. Otherwise, armor breaks when its points reach zero.
An example: An attacker rolls three successes. The defender has an ar-
mor with a score of 12. They roll 12 dice, and receive five successes. The
defender blocks the attack and takes no damage. However, their armor suf-
fers some wear. The armor loses three points, and the defender erases three
squares from the armor space on their character sheet. When they use that
armor again, they now roll nine dice.
Armor is a sponge that absorbs the successes of enemy attacks. However,
sometimes an attack can pierce through armor. If the attacker rolls more suc-
cesses than the armor rolls, the defender only takes damage for each passing
success (the armor absorbs the rest.) Armor also only deteriorates for the suc-
cesses it absorbs. It does not deteriorate for the attacker’s passing successes.
A player can always choose whether or not they want to use their armor.
They may also choose to roll a certain amount of dice from their available to-
tal pool. Rather than roll the total number of points, they may choose to roll
only a certain amount (if their armor has a score of 20, they may choose to
roll only 5 dice for instance.)

Shield
Shields provide a substantial defense
bonus, but they are easier to destroy than
armor. Shields have a score, and function
just like armor. They give you dice to roll
towards defense. Also like armor, a shield
loses one points for every enemy success
that it absorbs. However, when a shield
fails to block a passing success, that shield
is destroyed. This is called “shattering a
shield.” The image is of a spear that suc-
cessfully splinters through the wood of a
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shield.
Here is an example: An attacker rolls five successes, and a defender only
rolls four successes on a shield. The shield absorbs four successes, protect-
ing the character from that damage, but the shield shatters because it fails to
protect against all the successes. The defender will either use a new defense
strategy or take damage for the one passing success.
If a shield rolls the same number of successes as the attacker, the shield
absorbs all the successes and does not shatter. Once you roll your shield, you
cannot choose to withdraw that roll if you fail to get enough successes. An-
other thing to note: unlike armor, a physical shield typically occupies one of
the wearer’s hands. The wearer will not be able to do two-handed actions, such
as holding two different items, or shooting a bow & arrow.
This same dice mechanic is also used when calculating the defense of
inanimate objects, such as barricades, ship walls or castle doors. When the at-
tacker gets more passing successes, the area is open or unlocked.

Magical Armor and Shields


Ordinary, physical armor and shields
cannot be used to defend against magi-
cal attacks. However, magical shields and
armor also exist. Sometimes these are or-
dinary suits of armor or shields that are
also magically enchanted. Other times,
magical armor is gemstone or other trin-
ket that casts a forcefield cast around the
character. Physical equipment (suits of ar-
mor, etc.) will have a separate score for its
magical protection. The equipment’s regu-
lar score only applies to physical attacks,
but its magical armor may defend against
either magic or physical attacks.

Damage
After the defender has exhausted all of
their options, they take one damage roll
for every one of the attacker’s passing
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successes. A damage roll is represented by three ten-sided
dice. You roll these together, and use a special process to
determine how much damage is dealt to the target’s health.
See below:

Regular Damage. This occurs if all three dice rolled are


different numbers. Choose the lowest number among the
three. That much damage is dealt to the target’s health. If
you rolled 9, 7 and 2, then that success inflicted 2 damage.

Critical Damage. This occurs when there are two com-


mon numbers among the three dice. Deal damage equal to
the number shared by the common dice. If you rolled 3, 7
and 7, then 7 damage is dealt.

Super-Critical Damage. This occurs when all three num-


bers are the same. In this case, add the face value of all dice
together and deal that much damage. Or think about this as
taking the common number and multiplying it by three. If
you rolled 7, 7 and 7, then deal 21 damage.

When calculating damage, remember that each passing


success is its own damage roll. Many successful attacks will
result in multiple damage rolls, so be prepared to keep a run-
ning total of damage dealt. Here is a summary of the calcu-
lation process:

Calculate Damage:
Roll 3d10:

1. Are any numbers the same? If yes, skip to the next step. If no,
then deal damage equal to the lowest number among those rolled.
2. Are two numbers the same, and the third different? If so, then
deal damage equal to the shared number on the two dice.
3. Are all three numbers the same? If so, then take the shared num-
ber and multiply it by 3. Deal that much damage.

188
Melee & Ranged Weapons
Some weapons are close-range (melee), such as a
sword, and other weapons, such as a bow and arrow, can
shoot at a distance (ranged.) Attack range is calculated by
a unit simply called “range.” Range is simple to under-
stand:

1 Range = 10 Feet (Or 3 meters if you prefer.)


6 Range = 60 Feet (18 meters), etc.

All melee weapons have a range of one. You can at-


tack ten feet in any direction. This doesn’t mean that ev-
ery sword is ten-feet long – this number accounts for the
space that one can gain by dashing or lunging forward,
with their strike.
Ranged weapons provide a number for the normal
range they can strike at. A crossbow might say “range 7”
which means that it can flawlessly shoot at 70 feet. How-
ever, ranged weapons can fire further than their normal
range number. The crossbow above can shoot at 90 feet
or further. However, this comes at a penalty:

Shooting Over Normal Range Penalty:


-1d for every 1 range above the normal threshold.

If a crossbow attack with a total dice roll of 9d and a range of 7 fired


at a distance of 90 feet, you would roll 7 dice (9d – 2d = 7d) Once you have
whittled down your dice pool to a mercy dice, you can shoot no further.

Special Situations
A lot of different circumstances can affect the battlefield. Evocraft al-
lows the ST to introduce new rules, situations and interpretations that influ-
ence combat. Your group may invent your own guidelines, but here are com-
mon situations and standard guidelines provided for them:

189
Retreating
Sometimes, characters want to run rather than fight. In
that case, play this mini-game to simulate running away:
Each person running (both those pursuing and those
fleeing) roll 2d6. Every character adds their number to their
speed value. This modifies the amount of paces that char-
acters can take during that turn cycle. On a good role, slow
characters can outrun faster characters. In a dense space, a
character escapes if they get 8 spaces ahead of their attacker.
In an open space, they must get 12 spaces ahead of their at-
tacker to successfully escape.
The character may still need to perform a TrackNav roll
to hide from the attacker once getting out of sight.

Poison
Venomous reptiles, poison arrows, spoiled food – many
things may poison a character. This is treated as a special type
of illness that consistently lowers the victim’s Health or Force.
Whenever there is a chance one might be poisoned, they roll
their resist against the poison’s score. They become poisoned
if they fail to get a greater number of successes.
When poisoned, the character suffers negative effects
every QD until cured. The poison rolls its score, and the char-
acter rolls their Resist. For each of the poison’s passing suc-
cesses, 1 damage is done to the character’s Force or Health
(depending on the nature of the poison.) If the character rolls
more successes on their resist, their immune system inoculates
the poison, and it ceases to affect them. However, until this
(or another form of healing) occurs, the poison will affect the
character. See “Herbalism and Magic Healing” for more ways
to treat poisons.
Additionally, all poisons are based in one of the four ele-
ments: fire, water, air or earth. If a character has an immunity
to one of these elements, then that type of poison will not af-
fect them. However, vitamins do not protect against poisons.
When attacked by a poisoned weapon, such as a poison arrow,
190
calculate all damage before doing this special poison-illness
roll.

Fire Damage
Each turn a character spends caught on fire, the fire dam-
age roll grows more intense. A small fire starts off with 2d at-
tack against the player. In each of the following turn cycles,
add +2d to the fire damage until the fire is extinguished.

2nd Turn Cycle 3rd Turn Cycle 4th Turn Cycle 9th Turn Cycle
4d 6d 8d 18d

A medium fire starts off with 4d and a large fire starts


off with 8d. A fire can be extinguished by a cumulative Evade
or Resist roll (with successes depleting the fire’s dice roll each
turn.) This represents rolling on the ground or otherwise
stamping it out. Jumping in water or using magic to extinguish
also works.

Shock or Paralysis
When attacked by certain special attacks, or when dam-
aged heavily, a character may enter shock or paralysis. In this
state, they lose the ability to perform an action on their turn.
They may fall prone. This happens for 1d6 turns. This may
occur if their health falls to 3 or below.

Called-Shots & Injuries


One sometimes wishes to attack the wrist in a sword
fight, aim for the head or take some other form of called shot.
If attacking a certain area of the target’s body, the attacker
will take a penalty to their dice roll. This penalty is a percent-
age of the character’s total dice pool, rounded down. Follow
these guidelines:

191
Attacking a Limb (Arm, leg , hand etc.): Roll 2/3rds of your normal attack
dice. If 5 or more damage is dealt to a limb, that limb is incapacitated.

Attacking the Head or Vital Area: Only roll 1/3rd of your total attack dice.
Every passing success deals super-critical damage.

Conditional Bonuses and Penalties


If the ST allows, you might receive a bonus to your
attack roll based on a strategic location:
High Ground. +2 Range to ranged attacks.
Low Ground. +1d to TrackNav or Evade when hid-
ing from ranged attacks.
Wall or Trees Obscuring Vision. -1d to -3d to Sense,
depending on depth of obstacle. To attack through a
wall, you must succeed on your sense roll, and then roll
¾ of your attack dice pool.
Darkness or Fog Obscuring Vision. -1d to -3d for Sense.
Must roll a sense check to make a ranged attack.
Camouflage. +2d to +4d for TrackNav.
Taking Cover. +1d to +4d towards TrackNav or
Evade for hiding from attacks. Bonus depends on qual-
ity of cover.
Size. Tiny creatures get 3x their ordinary evade
when attacked by a ranged attack. Small creatures get 2x
their ordinary evade when attacked by a ranged attack.
Massive creatures take a -2d to TrackNav when in the
open.

Strategies & Special Attacks:


Below are special situations that modify dice rolls. The ST does not need
to memorize all of these, but can refer back to the list every time a character
tries to employee a special strategy for combat.

Ambush. A surprise-attack. Often done by hiding behind a structure, or


using camouflage. This requires a TrackNav roll tested against the target’s
Sense roll. When launching the attack, the ambushers get a +1d to their attack
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roll for every passing success they received on their TrackNav roll.

Assassinate. Sneaking behind an enemy to perform a silent and deadly at-


tack. This requires the use of a weapon with the property “concealable.” This
property is found on knives, compact guns and other weapons of similar size.
First roll a TrackNav tested against the targets Sense roll to sneak up behind
them, and then roll another TrackNav roll tested against Sense to grab them
without them escaping. If you succeed on both rolls, double the agility or
strength bonus on the concealable weapon you are attacking with. This is a
one-time bonus (next turn, combat returns to normal.)

Push and Dodge. When the enemy is in the way of your movement, and
you wish to pass by, you must roll to push or dodge them. To push them out
of the way, roll strength checked against their strength counter-roll. To slip
past them, roll agility, which is checked against the enemy’s agility counter-roll.

Flank. When two characters are attacking on either side of the target,
sandwiching the target, the attackers each receive +2d when attacking..

Dueling. A special type of combat, reminiscent of cowboys ready to draw


their pistols at a signal. When two or more characters choose to duel, you use a
different initiative system. With dueling you never know who is going to attack
first: Each character rolls 2d6, and adds the face value of their roll to their
speed value. Now you calculate initiative, and the character with the highest
value gets to attack first.

Surround. When the target is completely surrounded, by four or more


characters, each of the attacking characters receives a 1.5 x their normal at-
tack roll. Also the target must roll a strength check to push aside one of the
attacking characters in order to escape (See Push and Dodge above.)

193
Healing & Illness
There are two steps to heal an illness:
Diagnosis and Treatment. Diagnosis is a
mini-game of guessing. The healer tries to
determine the nature of the illness by using
diagnostic tools, such as taking the patient’s
pulse or looking at the patient’s tongue. Di-
agnosis is important, because it gives the
healer clues about the nature of the illness.
Without this knowledge, the healer might ac-
cidentally harm the patient with the wrong
treatment. With proper diagnosis, a healer
can dispel the illness within an afflicted
character. Treatment is the art of curing the disease, and this is accomplished
through herbal potions or healing spells.
Unhappy nature spirits causes illnesses. Every nature spirit has environ-
ments they like, and environment they loath. When a spirit feels unhappy in a
certain place, it is likely to feel threatened by the other lifeforms nearby. Thus,
it will attack the characters with disease.
Sometimes, illness can be caused by other things, such as poisoned food,
rattlesnakes, or cursed arrows. These illnesses are diagnosed and treated in the
same manner as illness caused by nature spirits. All standard illness and status
effects have at least one element. Read below:

Elemental Correspondence
Every illness is based on the four elements. Many illness-
es have only one of the four elements: fire, water, earth or air.
Some have two elements, such as an earth-water or fire-air
illness. The most powerful diseases have three elements (such
as fire-air-earth.)
You cure a condition by using the element that counters the disease’s
element. Water puts out fire, fire consumes air, air erodes the earth, and earth
muddies water. In this way you use elements to defeat the prevailing element
of the disease, thus healing the disease. Use these guidelines:

194
Water beats Fire
Fire beats Air
Air beats Earth
Earth beats Water

However, if treat an illness with the same element as the element of the
disease, you will help the disease grow, and harm the player further. For in-
stance, if you use water medicine on a water disease, you will only add to the
disease’s power. This is why diagnostics are necessary. If you treat an illness
with two or three elements, you may treat both elements at once, or one at a
time. Sometimes, you might cure one element of the disease while strengthen-
ing another element. You can then use subsequent rolls to cure the remaining
illness. This is one method of treatment, although it is somewhat risky. It is
usually best to diagnose all elements, and, if possible, use a potion or spell to
treat the whole illness.

VITAMIN & IMMUNITY


If characters eat food containing vitamins, these vitamins will act as
shields against illness. Each vitamins acts as one-time shields against a single
disease attack. One vitamin blocks one element of the disease, and then the
vitamin is destroyed. Follow the elemental correspondences above (water vi-
tamin beats fire illness, etc.) Vitamins can only be used to combat illnesses
from Nature Spirits -- they cannot be used against poisons, and other illness.
Vitamins taken after the accumulation of the disease do not prevent against
that disease, but only against future diseases.
Immunities also protect against nature spirit illnesses, although immuni-
ties are permanent shields. An immunity protects against all attacks of that
element, and also protects against poisons and other status effects of that ele-
ment.

DIAGNOSIS
To make a diagnostic, the healer rolls their herbalism skill. In the story
the healer might take the patient’s pulse, check their temperature, read their
tongue, or perform another type of diagnostic. For game purposes, all of
195
those tools are included under the umbrella of “herbalism.”
To diagnose an illness, the ST compares the success of your diagnostic
roll to the following chart. This chart generates a percentage chance of cor-
rectly diagnosing an illness. This means that the ST rolls 1d100 and conceals
this roll from the healer. If they roll within the range of the correct diagnostic
chance, then they accurately report the illnesse’s element to the healer. If they
roll outside the range of correct diagnostic chance, then they report an incor-
rect element to the healer.
Two-Element and Three-Element illnesses are harder to diagnose. Each
element has their own diagnostic chance, and the ST must roll for each of
them. It is possible for a three element disease, that the ST will report two
correct elements, and one incorrect element.
A single character may not make more than one diagnostic roll on an ill-
ness per QD. However, multiple character may make diagnostic rolls and com-
pare their results. With a few competent healers, it is possible to discern truth
from falsehood by finding the common denominators in their diagnostics.
An Example: A character is sick with a fire-earth illness. The healer rolls
1 success on their diagnostic, and then the ST rolls a 72 (correct diagnostic)
and 94 (incorrect diagnostic) for both elements of the disease. The ST then
reports that the illness is a fire-air type illness, which is only half true.

Percentage Chance of Correctly Diagnosing Illness


Diagnostic 1 Element Disease 2 Element Disease 3 Element Disease
Roll:
0 Success: 50% 50% (1st), 33% (2nd) 50% (1st), 33% (2nd), 10% (3rd)
1 Success: 75% 75% (1st), 65% (2nd) 75% (1st), 65% (2nd), 55% (3rd)
2 Success: 90% 90% (1st), 80% (2nd) 90% (1st), 80% (2nd), 70% (3rd)
3 Success: 99% 99% (1st), 90% (2nd), 99% (1st), 90% (2nd), 85% (3rd)

Treatment
There are two ways to heal an illness: herbal potions or the heal spell.

Heal Spells are the easiest form of healing. The caster chooses one to
three elements to add to the healing spell. They then roll their healing spell
against the roll of the disease. If the spell has more successes than the disease,
the disease is cured. Otherwise, each success on the spell reduces the disease’s
196
dice pool (similar to attacking a shield.) You still need to fight an illness with
the appropriate element using spellwork, otherwise the illness will grow stron-
ger.

Herbal potions are a more intricate


art. It’s possible to buy medicine, but
many characters need to concoct their
own potions. To do this, an herbalist
must first collect ingredients. Ingredients
can be found anywhere: flowers on grassy
hills, roots buried in the swamp, saplings
growing through cracks in the pavement,
etc. The natural world is full of medi-
cines found in plants. To search for a po-
tion ingredient you may roll either Search
or Herbalism. Choose whichever skill is
higher, but follow the success guidelines
under the Search skill.
The herbalist needs one bottle, bea-
ker or other container per potion. Once they have ingredients, they blend
them into these bottles, thus making a potion. Plant ingredients each have
their own power or medicine power. These powers must be made into a potion
in order for characters to use them. In other words, a character cannot eat the
raw ingredient to use its medicinal power. They must be made into potions,
and that’s what the herbalism skill is for.
To extract an ingredients power, roll your herbalism skill. For every suc-
cess on an herbalism roll, add that power once to the potion. For instance, if a
plant has “+3d Fire Medicine,” and the healer rolls one success, then that po-
tion has 3d Fire Medicine. If the healer rolled three successes on that roll, that
one ingredient would give the potion 9d Fire Medicine! If you fail an herbal-
ism roll, nothing is added to the potion. That ingredient is still destroyed in
the process.
A character’s levels in Magic Craft determine how many ingredients they
may add to a potion. A character with no levels in Magic Craft can add only
one ingredient to each potion. However, each level in Magic Craft allows the
healer to add an extra ingredient. One may put different medicine powers in-
side a potion to treat multi-element illnesses. One may also add multiple units
197
of the same ingredient, to make a more powerful potion with a single type of
medicine.
Once the potion is created, you can use it as a counter-roll to a disease.
You roll the potion’s dice against the dice of the disease, following elemental
correspondence rules. If you get one success higher than an element of the
disease, that element is destroyed. If all elements of the disease are destroyed,
then the disease is cured. Successes that don’t destroy an element deplete dice
from that element’s dice pool (just like a shield.) This makes it easier to pro-
gressively cure a complex disease.

1. Find Ingredients. Roll a Search or Herbalism skill, whichever is higher.


2. Diagnose Illness. Roll your Herbalism skill, and compare successes to
chart above.
3. Make a Potion. Roll your herbalism skill for each ingredient. Every
success on your roll adds the power of that ingredient once (multiple suc-
cesses multiply ingredient’s power.) Add multiple ingredients, or duplicates
of ingredients if you have levels in magic craft:

Magic Craft Max Number of Ingredients:


Level:
0 1 Ingredient
1 2 Ingredients
2 3 Ingredients
3 4 Ingredients
4 5 Ingredients
5 6 Ingredients
4. Treat the Illness. Roll the dice of the potion against the dice of the
disease elements.

DISEASE PROGRESSION
Once a player contracts a disease, the illness will grow progressively
worse, unless it is beaten. The character’s immune system can also beat a dis-
ease. This is represented by a resist roll against the disease roll. Three times
a day, the disease will try to attack the afflicted character. The character will
roll their resist against the disease. If the character rolls more successes, the
198
disease is beaten. If a character fails to roll any successes on their resist roll,
then the disease grows stronger. The disease’s dice pool grows by 1d per suc-
cess rolled against the character on that turn. For instance, let’s say a player
fights a disease with a power of 7d. They character rolls zero on their resist,
and the disease rolls 3 successes. Next QD, that disease will roll 10d against
the character.

Other Afflictions:
Healing Wounds & Lost Force
Some potions can restore health and force energy. These potions work
instantly, but they cannot cure diseases and they cannot bring the dead back to
life.

Curses
This is a special category of illness that does not have an element, and
cannot be prevented. See a description of curses under the attack spell in the
spell work section of the character creation chapter.

Resurrections
The ST may include a way to bring the dead back to life. This depends
on the type of world they wish to create. The ST creates the rules governign
resurrections. Often resurrections involve paying a high-price (10,000 gold
pieces, perhaps), sacrificing something important, or losing six training stripes
worth of skills.
Other games may handle dead characters differently. The character could
continue to act as a spirit in the spirit world. Perhaps they could incarnate into
a different body. Or, if no resurrection is allowed, the player can make a new
character and introduce them into the storyline.

199
Trade,
Construction
& Items
Trade is the art of exchanging goods and services.
Trade operates differently depending on the culture in
which it occurs. Some cultures trade items for other items
directly (a chicken for three bags of flour, for instance.)
Other trade is based on a currency, which is a standard
form of payment, such as coins, bills or trinkets.
The value of goods is based on a rarity system. Ev-
ery item has a rarity between one and ten. This deter-
mines how readily available a material is in its natural
environment. Because scarcer materials are in greater
demand, rarity determines monetary value. In this way,
rarity acts as a shortcut for understanding how much a
category of items costs. Use this general guideline:
Rarity fluctuates, even for the same item. Orange
juice may not be scarce in a land full of fruit trees, but
it will be a hard to find delicacy in the desert. Often,
a merchant’s job involves buying items where they are
cheap, and selling them where they are expensive. The
following sections will illustrate guidelines for two forms
of trade.

Hand-to-Hand Trading (Era 1)


This is a form of trading where two items are directly exchanged. Usu-
ally this is a physical exchange, such as trading two bushels of carrots for one
bushel of peas. However, it is also possible to trade physical goods for ser-
vices, or services for services. Some cultures rely more on gifts than they do
trade: items may be given freely amongst people in mutual interest of main-
taining this reciprocity.
This form of trade is used in Era 1, because no form of currency exists
in the ancient days. Such societies are small and place importance on the bond
200
between traders. Some people grow things, while other hunt, and others craft.
Therefore people in this setting expect to make trades that are fair for all. It is
difficult to exploit and deceive with your trading in this society.
This form of trade is simple: both parties talk about what they want, and
reach a conclusion. If a fair deal can be reached that way, then no dice rolls
are necessary. However, if no compromise can be reached, then both parties
roll a persuade roll. The one with the most successes wins the compromise in
their favor. They may trade up to an item of 1 higher rarity for every 1 passing
success.
An example: A person wants to trade a rarity-1 pair of boots for a rar-
ity-3 helmet. The person with the helmet doesn’t want to trade unless the
other trades 3 pairs of boots. Both parties roll for their persuade rolls, and
the boot trader rolls 4 successes while the armor trader rolls 2 successes. The
boot trader has 2 passing successes, which means they can trade up to a rar-
ity-3 item. They are able to trade for the helmet.

Money-Based Trading (Era 2 and Beyond)


Era 2 introduces the Mercantile skill. This skill gives the characters
knowledge of marketplaces, and the ability to haggle for goods. Era 1 does
not have this skill, and uses Hand-to-Hand trading instead. Mercantile trading
uses currency to pay for items. Currency is the commonly accepted token of
exchange for a given culture. Different countries will have different forms of
money. Here are some options for different types of currency:

Types of Currency: Paper money, coins, diamonds, crystals, beads, sea


shells, clay figures, cattle or farm animals, land deeds, food certificates,
spices, magical ingredients.

The ST will set the standard value for the currencies they choose in game.
Currency can also be exchanged for other types of currency, and the ST will
set the exchange rate. However, for the purposes of this rulebook, Evocraft
will use a standard currency: The Silver Piece. One silver piece is 25 grams of
pure (or majority) silver. This is comparable to old silver dollars used in the
United States. In 2015, a coin like this would equal about 12 U.S. Dollars, or
10 Euros.

201
For your game, you may also want to add other denominations of the
same currency. Here are some options:

1 Gold Piece = 1 Silver Piece = 1 Copper Piece is the


10 Silver Pieces. 100 Copper Pieces lowest value coin.
(Approx $120 U.S.) (Approx $12 U.S.) (Approx $0.10 U.S.)

When buying an item, you can exchange money for it outright, or you
can haggle to get a better price. The merchant’s art is learning the appropriate
price for an item, haggling for something lower, and then making a deal.

Trading with Mercantile


There are two ways to convince another merchant
to lower the price of an item: a Mercantile roll or a Per-
suade roll. The Mercantile roll is an all-purpose haggling
tool. Using mercantile, both parties argue for what they
consider fair. This is considered a common practice in
the marketplace, so most merchants mark-up the selling
price of their goods. Haggling is expected.
Using a persuade roll appeals to the emotions, fears,
desires and other dispositions of the merchant. It is a
form of personal manipulation to leverage a deal. This is
risky, because some will feel exploited and failing at this
approach can endanger a trader’s reputation. However it
can also be effective at lowering the price of an item.
During a trade encounter, you may make both a mercantile and persuade
roll. Many times, you will make a series of mercantile rolls, to settle on a price.
After making mercantile rolls, if a trader is unhappy, they may choose to add
an additional persuade roll at their own risk.
The next section explains the value of goods. This value is marked in
low, medium and high prices. Sellers will typically set the value of their goods
at the high price, and buyers will typically argue for the low price. Normally,
they end up somewhere in the middle, around the medium price. However,
mercantile successes can sway the deal to one trader’s favor or another. Here
is an illustration of the trade process:

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1. The seller sets their price for the item (often the high price.)
2. The buyer argues for their desired price (often the low price.)
3. Unless they agree on the price outright, then both parties make mer-
cantile rolls. Count the passing successes and interpret them based on the
chart below.

Passing Successes: Result


Buyer has 2+ Seller must offer item at a low price. Must be at least
halfway between the medium price and the lowest
price.
Buyer has 1 Seller must offer item at no higher than median price.
Equal successes Re-roll or reach a new verbal consensus.
Seller has 1 Buyer can acquire item for no lower than median price.
Both roll another mercantile roll. If the buyer gets
passing successes, then they may acquire the item for
the median price. If the seller gets a success(es), then
the buyer must purchase the goods at a price at least
halfway between the median and high prices.
Seller has 2+ Buyer must purchase items at least halfway between
median price and highest price.

Value of Goods:
The value of a good is based on its rarity.
Many items can be found in a marketplace – any
type of tool or trinket can exist in Evocraft. There
is no definitive list of items, so items are grouped
into six categories instead: tools, weapons & armor,
mounts & vehicles, food & potions, human services
and trinkets. Pick the category you think is most
relevant to your item, and understanding the rarity
of your item, you can decipher how much it will
cost.
The left side of the chart contains rarity val-
ues. The other columns contain the six categories.
Every entry has three different price quotes: low,
medium, and high. When buying, expect to ask for
the low price. When selling, attempt to get the high
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price. You will settle somewhere closer to the middle price most of the time.

VALUE CHARTS:
Key: Low/Med/High (Price)
Priced in Silver Pieces

Rare: Tools Weapons & Armor Mounts & Vehicles


1 2 / 5 / 10 5 / 10 / 15 25 / 40 / 50
2 5 / 10 / 15 12 / 25 / 40 30 / 60 / 80
3 10 / 20 / 30 25 / 50 / 75 40 / 80 / 100
4 20 / 40 / 60 75 / 100 / 210 60 / 200 / 250
5 40 / 80 / 120 125 / 150 / 350 70 / 250 / 280
6 80 / 160 / 240 200 / 275 / 400 80 / 300 / 320
7 160 / 320 / 480 600 / 750 / 900 100 / 375 / 400
8 320 / 640 / 960 1000 / 1250 / 1400 120 / 400 / 425
9 640 / 1280 / 1920 8000 / 12,000 / 12,500 2400 / 10,000 / 12,000
10 1280 / 2560 / 3840 40,000 / 45,000 / 50,000 8000 / 80,000 / 100,000

Rare: Food & Potions Services Per Day Trinkets & Misc.
1 0.5 / 1 / 2 5 / 10 / 15 1/2/5
2 1/2/3 8 / 12 / 18 2 / 3 / 12
3 2/4/6 10 / 14 / 20 4 / 6 / 18
4 8 / 10 / 20 25 / 35 / 50 8 / 10 / 30
5 12 / 24 / 48 40 / 60 / 80 20 / 25 / 120
6 20 / 60 / 180 70 / 90 / 120 40 / 50 / 250
7 60 / 180 / 340 250 / 400 / 800 120 / 150 / 1200
8 200 / 400 / 1200 500 / 1200 / 2000 200 / 250 / 2400
9 1000 / 1200 / 4000 2500 / 4000 / 8000 400 / 600 / 25,000
10 10,000 / 12,000 /36,000 10,000 / 35,000 /50,000 800 / 1000 /40,000

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Additional Information
Starting Money:
The ST determines how much money each character starts with. This
is based on the story and the type of character an individual plays. A beggar
might begin with a handful of coins, whereas an aristocrat might have stacks
of gold. Often the ST will regulate the money characters can start with. They
will prevent characters from starting with too much or too little. If some char-
acters start with more money than others, the ST may want to give the lower-
economic characters a different starting bonus to compensate.
One way to determine starting money is to award it based on the mercan-
tile skill. Here is an optional module for just that:

Mercantile --> Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5


Starting $ --> 20-40 SP 80 SP 125 SP 200 SP 320 SP 450 SP

Item Availability
Sometimes the ST will make certain items unavailable. This often hap-
pens to prevent characters from getting goods that are too powerful for their
current level in the game. For instance, the ST won’t likely give the most pow-
erful sword to brand new characters in the first session. Remember that part
of the fun of a game is to build your character’s power over time. Merchants
often take a story arc of trading to higher and higher valuable goods, building
their wealth in-game (entire campaigns can be based off this pursuit.)
The ST may take items “on” and “off ” the market to accommodate these
game needs. Or, if they prefer, the ST may artificially inflate the rarity of
items. To do this, add +3 rarity to the item. If a Special Steel Shield is rarity-4
for experienced characters, the ST can offer it at rarity-7 to new characters.
This makes it available, but likely out of reach for most purposes.
Another aspect of availability is buyer-demand. Just because a character
has a pair of mythic barbeque tongs, doesn’t mean that they can automatically
sell them for 10,000 SP. They have to find a buyer who is willing to pay that
much money. Thus, some items cannot be bought or sold easily. This goes for
any item. If you are selling woolen coats in the summer, you might be lucky to
make any sales, even at a good price.

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Scarcity and Demand (Optional)
The rarity of an item can fluctuate. Naturally, if there is a demand for
an item, and more people are buying it, this reduces the available supply. That
item grows more scarce within a certain area. This means some items may be
more valuable when they popular.
Use the following optional simulation if you want to implement this
principle:

Item is uncommon in Item is rare in area, or Item is never naturally


area. It is found on oc- there is an obscene level found in this area, and
casion, or is considered of demand, such as a cannot be easily at-
a delicacy, or there is famine that killed 90% tained.
an atypical spike in de- of a crop.
mand, such as a yearly
festival altering prices.
+1 to Rarity +2 to Rarity +3 to Rarity

Currency Conversion (Optional)


When converting between two different types of
currency, sometimes you must pay a currency converter.
This is akin to bankers charging fees, or stockbrokers
taking a percentage of a sale. Like all business, this can
be negotiated with a mercantile roll. When transferring
between two types of currency (such as exchanging sil-
ver for gold) use the following guidelines. Roll mercan-
tile once, and this result is final (no further rolling.)

Mercantile Successes:
0 Success 1 Successes 2 Successes 3+ Successes
Charges a 10% Charges a 5% fee. Charges a 0% fee. Gives an ad-
fee. 10 gold be- 10 gold becomes 10 gold becomes ditional 5%. 10
comes 90 silver. 95 silver. 100 silver. gold becomes 105
silver.

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Gambling (Optional)
As a mini-game, the ST may wish to introduce a card game, dice game
or other game of chance to the table. The characters can bet their in-game
money for the chance of earning more money at these mini-games. The play-
ers play the actual cards and dice that their characters are playing.

Construction
To build an item, you first need to find
raw materials. These materials are things
like iron, wool, silk, copper, crystals and
any other substances required by an item.
The Era modules list materials guidelines
for items such as weapons. However, the
ST creates materials guidelines for most
items in the world. Ask the question, “what
would it take to build an item like this?”
and create a standard for your world. Here
is a selection of common materials:

Raw Materials: Tin, iron, bronze, cop-


per, steel, aluminum, gold, silver, wood,
stone, cotton, wool, reeds, diamond, silk,
bone, oil.

Most construct rolls are cumulative.


You work on an item over time, success-
fully building it if you roll enough suc-
cesses. There are often time limits placed
on construction projects. If you fail to roll
enough successes in that amount of time,
then you will fail to create the item. If you
roll enough successes, then you complete
that item. Follow these guidelines:

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Building Items and Small Projects
Rarity: Successes: Time Limit:
1 3 9 QD (9 rolls)
2 5 9 QD (9 rolls)
3 8 9 QD (9 rolls)
4 12 12 QD (12 rolls)
5 15 12 QD (12 rolls)
6 20 12 QD (12 rolls)
7 26 12 QD (12 rolls)
8 32 12 QD (12 rolls)
9 40 14 QD (14 rolls)
10 50 14 QD (14 rolls)

Building Big Projects: The ST may introduce different guidelines for build-
ing large structures, such as houses. These projects typically require a large
number of successes, and do not carry a time limit.

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Persuasion
Every time a character wants to win
something through communication, they
roll persuade. Persuade strategies and
thresholds are explained in the skills sec-
tion. There are two main ways to play a
persuade challenge: single encounter and
cumulative.
Before rolling dice, every persuade challenge should be preceded by role-
play. The ST asks the player to perform their argument. The player’s perfor-
mance should demonstrate their strategy, taking into account the biases and
disposition of the audience. The receiving party (often the ST) will gauge the
effectiveness of this argument, and choose how many dice to roll for a coun-
ter-roll against the persuading argument.
The persuading character should tailor their argument to the specific
audience they address. If they talk to a group of teachers, they might ap-
peal to importance of taking care of children. If talking to a group of bored
party-goers, they might stand on a table and make jokes. Consider the audi-
ence’s motivations and desires, and play to these for good effect. For the
receiving party’s counter-roll, follow this chart:

Disposition of Listening Character(s) Counter-Roll


Willing to accept, believe or go along with argument. Persuade +0d
Apathetic, skeptical, unmotivated, or regretful. Persuade +1d
Suspicious, annoyed, distrusting or prejudiced. Persuade +2d
Total rejection, offended, animosity, or disgust. Persuade +4d
Enemies, hatred, feeling threatened, sworn against Persuade +8d

The ST may also give roleplaying bonuses to character that spin particu-
larly logical, moving or emotional arguments. Follow these guidelines:

+1d for a sound argument or solid performance.


+2d for a powerful argument or moving performance.
+3d for a fantastic argument or legendary performance.

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SINGLE-ENCOUNTER PERSUASION
Most persuasion encounters are resolved over a single roll. One char-
acter wants something, so they try to convince other character(s) to let them
have it. Then they follow this process:

1. Acting character rolls persuade (plus any roleplay bonuses.)


2. Receiving character(s) counter-rolls persuade (plus any bonuses for
disposition.)
3. Compare successes

If the acting character has more successes, then they win at least in part.
Those playing the receiving character must go along with the argument in
some way, but they are also free to choose the specifics of how they respond.
They may grudgingly concede a little something, or they may enthusiastically
go along with the persuading character. The tone of their reaction is their
choice, even if they must let the persuading character win.
If the receiving character has more successes, then the acting character
does not get what they want. In fact, the receiving character may get some-
thing they want at the acting character’s expense. The acting character loses
their gambit, and the receiving character wins something instead. Or, if the
receiving character stands to gain nothing, life goes on as normal, and the act-
ing character doesn’t win or lose anything. Y
You cannot roll the same persuasion challenge more than once. Also, you
cannot persuade someone to deliberately hurt themselves or someone they
care about. Sometimes you can persuade people to do dangerous things. You
can persuade soldiers to fight in a war, but you can’t, say, persuade someone
to jump off a cliff for no reason.

COMPOUND PERSUASION
Some situations, such as courtroom dramas,
senate debates or crowd rallies, involve multiple
persuasion rolls. This is often the case when two
or more characters are arguing about a subject for
some time. In this situation, add an extra dimen-
sion to persuade challenges: an ongoing tally.
The tally is a list of successes that each party
earns through their argument. After each charac-
210
ter makes a point, they make a persuade roll. Like usual, this persuade roll is
checked against a counter-roll of their opponent. If the persuader wins, in-
stead of ending the argument, write their number of passing successes on a
tally. The other party now has their turn. Continue to record the number of
passing successes after each turn.
This game goes on for a set number of turns, such as 3, 5 or 9. At the
end, the ST calculates each character’s total number of passing successes.
Those with the most win the debate. This determines the fate of a defendant
in court, or the outcome of a bill in congress.
Often with compound persuasion, you are trying to persuade more than
one character. If persuading a crowd, the ST will control the crowd’s reaction.
The crowd earns a disposition bonus to their dice, if the speakers say some-
thing that disagrees with their worldview. In situations where a lot of people
are present, choose a character to represent each faction, and use their per-
suade values for counter-rolls.

211
Storytelling

212
This section provides helpful information for
how to play as an ST. If this is your first time Sto-
rytelling, then you may wish to read the “Guide
for Beginners.” That provides basic information
for how to run a group. If you are an experienced
ST, you may find the later section “Storytelling in
Evocraft” more helpful. That section contains in-
formation that is more unique to Evocraft specifi-
cally.

Guide for Beginners


Everyone is a storyteller, whether they know it
or not. You don’t have to have some special award
to become an ST. Instead, you simply need a sense
of inspiration and a willingness to learn. Inspira-
tion comes to everyone differently. You have your
own favorite movies, books, and shows. Think
about how these stories moved you. Do you find
yourself reminiscing about your favorite characters
and scenes? Does this compel you to orchestrate
your own characters and scenes? That is inspira-
tion.
Ask yourself, “what would I like to see in this story?” What would be
fun and exciting? If you’ve always wanted to play a game where dinosaurs
and aliens fight, now is your chance. Allow yourself to take risks. Bring your
interests into the world, and other people will feed off of your passion – you
will become an inspiration. Everyone creates differently. Some people plot
and plan with their minds, and others improvise from the heart. If you can’t
“think” of something, then feel it, and if you can’t feel it, then think about it.
What appeals to you?
Following are basic suggestions for ways to make a successful game.
These are not hard and fast rules. They are more like reflections that can serve
as sign posts to orient your group in a desirable direction.

PREPARING A STORY
The ST prepares part of the story before the session even takes place.

213
Of course, the story hasn’t been told, because it hasn’t been played. However,
many STs benefit from preparation. Think of this as a box of possibilities that
you can open and play with. Some of these possibilities are story threads. You
might plan some events that could perhaps happen, others that most likely will
happen and some that have already happened. Inside these story threads, leave
blank space. Remember that the characters in your game will fill this space
with their personalities and decisions.
As you prepare, consider:

-Use what you know. Think about your favorite books, movies and games.
Take them apart. Dissect the structure, themes and characters. If you find
something you like, steal it and put it in your game (of course, changed just
enough to make it original.)

-Use what you don’t know: perform thought experiments. Maybe you’ve
never sailed across the Caribbean, but you can imagine the salty tang of tropi-
cal air on your skin. Think about the small details to bring a big picture to
life. What do the birds sound like? What do the sunsets look like? Introducing
these details will make your world feel vivid and real, rather than flat. This is
true, even if its completely imaginary.

-Familiarize yourself with literary concepts. If you don’t know the mean-
ing already, research these ideas: Theme, motif, symbol, plot, setting, genre,
antagonist, protagonist, cliché.

You may begin your world any way you want to. You might start with cre-
ating geography, or you might start by building lifeforms or civilizations. You
might choose an Era setting before you even think about building a world.
Other times, you’ll have a bunch of ideas for a cool world, and then find an
Era setting to accommodate it. It’s up to you.

THE MINDSET
The goal of an RPG is to create an experience. You have to take the
game seriously, to a degree, in order to create this experience. This is hard to
explain, because often you don’t want to be too serious, and you don’t want to
be too silly. On one hand, this is a game, and people want to have fun. Humor
214
is often appropriate during many scenes. However, if you spend every inter-
action laughing and making fun of your characters, you may fail to create an
experience of immersion. It may feel like you are on the outside of an experi-
ence, never really getting into it.
One of the reasons people may have a hard time getting into character
is because of nervousness. Acting is strange for many people, who aren’t ac-
customed to it. Realize that feelings like this are often a shared experience,
and even veteran actors experience nervousness. Even in light of this, you can
create an immersive acting experience, if you create an atmosphere of respect.
Everyone needs to share a single goal: I will do my best to make this sto-
ry work. When a player is acting as a character, give them your respect and at-
tention. Treat them as if they were an actor on stage. Go along with the world
presented to you. Be open to feeling it, and doing something a little strange.
If everyone gives their best, you will create a lush experience. It doesn’t matter
if people are inexperienced or nervous. Mutual effort will make it work.

KEEP THE FLOW


A story is a dramatic series of events told over
time. As the Storyteller, one of your jobs is to moderate
that flow. You begin and end the scenes. You control the
flow between one place and the next. Your basic goal
is to make the scenes engage the players. You want to
describe with detail, while keeping player attention. It’s
a good idea to keep your notes and materials in a folder
that you can quickly access to avoid spending time look-
ing through books. Every bit of your story time is pre-
cious, because it holds your player’s attention.
You don’t have to refer to success guidelines for every roll. You also don’t
have to memorize the thresholds. They exist to provide support, but the ST ul-
timately determines what happens. For extremely challenging rolls, you might
refer to the guidelines to determine what is fair. But for many challenges, you
can understand that a success on the dice means a success on the action. You
can move the story forward without getting caught up in researching the book.
Another important aspect of keeping the flow is staying in character.
The ST plays a lot of characters, as well as the narrator. It is normal for the
ST to switch back and forth between these voices. The player characters, on
215
the other hand, typically have two voices: in-character and out-of-character.
As the ST, you want to keep players in-character as much as possible. Every-
one has a different mind and attention span. Some people want to interject
with a joke, or talk about their favorite TV show. In the middle of the story,
these distractions are not appropriate. Try to keep an atmosphere where these
distractions are minimized during play. Here are some ideas:
-Provide time before or after the session to socialize. People like to talk
and relate outside of character. If you set aside an appropriate time for this, it
will make it easier to focus on the story during game time.
-Provide a hand signal or other expression for speaking out-of-character.
Or you can verbalize, “Out of Character” or “OOC.” Unless a PC prefaces
their speech with this phrase, you can assume they are speaking in character.
This is more incentive to stay with the flow.
-Use creative tools to create atmosphere. Dim the lights. Turn on some
thematic music. Ring a bell. If you are acting out a scene at a bar, use a prop
glass (maybe with a real drink.) You can ask your players to mimic their char-
acters actions, and you don’t have to be limited to your chairs. You might stand
up and use the whole space for your acting.
-Use body language and theatrics. Narrating with your face concealed
behind a screen might not keep everyone’s attention. Find ways to shake up
your own performance to keep players invested.

CHALLENGE, DON’T COMPETE


Role-playing games are not the same as board
games. In an RPG, there is no goal to win at the
end. In a sense, the PCs win by surviving and solving
puzzles. However this is an ongoing success (and an
ongoing challenge.) There is no real competition in
an RPG. If you try to be competitive, it will always
be unfair, because the ST can grant himself infinite
power. The experience of competing against an un-
beatable opponent isn’t fun for most people.
Instead, the ST should focus on challenging the players. You are not try-
ing to beat them, you are trying to give them something to beat. Players want
to be stimulated. If the game lacks conflict, risk and danger, then players will
be bored. Instead you can give them all kinds of challenges, that range from
dice rolls to thoughtful puzzles.
216
From a story standpoint, either disaster or abundance can make an in-
teresting plot. A good challenge has the potential of either failure or success.
From the player’s perspective, they want to fight for success, because beating
these challenges is fun. However, everyone can recognize the dramatic beauty
of failure as well. Sometimes the PCs will die or lose something valuable, and
this becomes a moving part of the story.

SAY YES
Have you ever played the “say yes” game? This game is
simple: two people act in a scene. They improvise their own
dialogue, except with one rule. After the other person finishes
a sentence, the next person must begin with “yes, and…” The
game looks something like this:

“What a massive storm outside. Did you store enough food?”


“Yes, and are you going to light the fire?”
“Yes, and we should ask for the fire spirit’s help”
“Yes, and don’t burn your eyebrows off this time.”
“Yes, and don’t push me into the fire, you jerk.”

Role-playing is like this game. This is because you have to take what’s
given to you and do something with it. This is true whether you are the story-
teller or other players. You want to affirm what is happening as much as pos-
sible. Resisting or arguing with what is given to you will break the momentum
of the scene. Saying “yes” keeps the scene going and makes it feel real.
That being said, an ST will have to say “no” at times. Sometimes the
players will suggest something that doesn’t work for the setting of the game.
However, the ST doesn’t have to outright block them. There is an art to saying
no in story without making it into rejection. Instead of denying the player’s
idea and moving on, think about redirecting the player’s creativity into an out-
let that works. Instead of saying “no, we don’t have advanced machines in this
Era,” you might say, “you can’t have a chainsaw, but we can give you an old
fashioned saw.” Consider the alternatives.

217
THE HATS YOU WEAR & PROMPTS
The ST wears several hats. You can think about your
role as:

~Narrator & Lead Writer. Describe the scenery, histo-


ry, situations, geography and other facets of the world. You
also prepare the story in-between sessions, and tie player
contribution into your big picture.

~Non-Player Characters (NPCs.) You act as all the other inhabitants of the
world. You play both human and non-human forces, such as controlling the
actions of animals as well as the weather.

~Game Coach. You answer the players’ questions about the game, includ-
ing questions about the rules, in addition to questions about the nature of the
world.

During your narrating and acting roles, your basic job is to prompt the
players. This progresses in an ebb and flow of your output and the player’s
input. Every time you give the players a choice, or ask them what they do in a
situation, you are prompting them. Characters can also take initiative to make
their own choices, although your job as an ST is to give them opportunity for
choices if they don’t take it themselves. Here are some examples:

“You come to a crossroads, but the sign is faded. What do you do?”
“An old villager says, ‘In the old days, this volcano erupted almost every
week.’ Do you say anything to him?”
“The monstrous bat almost catches up to you. Do you keep running, or
what?”

There is no comprehensive list of prompts. As you get into the habit of


storytelling, you will come up with prompts that feel natural to the moment.

THIS IS OUR STORY


A campaign done correctly becomes a story for every-
one. Evocraft creates a sort of collective fable, a mythology
218
of the mind of its players. Everyone should have an opportunity to add their
color to the painting, to weave their threads into the tapestry. Some STs make
the mistake of believing that a campaign is “their” story. Just because an ST
moderates the experience doesn’t mean that they own the story any more than
the other players. If that were the case, players would feel like their input did
not matter, and they would grow detached from the story. That’s not neces-
sary, because everyone who wants to play the game wants to have some stake
in the story. With the mentality of sharing an experience, rather than possess-
ing it, you open the door to intriguing lands for everyone.

Storytelling in Evocraft
This section introduces ideas that are special to the Evocraft rules. You
will find suggestions on how to plan stories specifically for Evocraft.

PROPS OF EVOCRAFT
One unique challenge in Evocraft is uniting the Creative Phase and
the Storytelling Phase. In other words, how can you bring your cre-
ations into the story? The ST is encouraged to make player contri-
butions as relevant as possible. Often, the players will create things
that have a significant impact on the world (such as human cultures, countries
etc.) For the most creative experience, we recommend that the ST leaves a lot
of the world blank before the first session. Allow the players to create many
of the props for the world, and they will feel like the share the creative experi-
ence.

CHARACTER PROMPTS
In addition to the three basic aspects of character creation (back-
story, current motive and interrelation), the ST may introduce other
prompts. These prompts are designed to bring characters together.
They create a themed story. The ST can tell a focused tale where all
characters have something in common. Here are three examples of possible
prompts:

#1: You all begin as members of the same country.

219
#2: You may begin as a merchant or a thief.
#3: You are attending a dinner party at an old friend’s mansion. What is
your relationship like with this friend?

These prompts can be generalized or specific. They create lines that the
players fill in with their own ideas. For instance, in example #1, the players can
be any sort of person living in that country. They might choose to be a horse
racer, an acrobat, a warrior, etc. Even though there are guidelines, there are
also a lot of possibilities within those guidelines.
Wording is important when creating a prompt. Even subtle changes in
your phrasing can carry different implications. Play around with the wording
of your prompts before you give them to your characters. Observe the follow-
ing changes to the above prompts, and consider how they would make for a
different experience:

#1: You begin as a member of the same country. In the past, you served
in the military.
#2: You begin in a merchant guild or thief guild. You know everyone else
in your guild.
#3: You are attending a dinner party at an old friend’s mansion. How-
ever, this friend offended you at some point. What is the nature of this bad
blood?

There are no “bad prompts” or “good prompts.” Every prompt creates a


different experience. You may use multiple prompts in a story. It is not unusu-
al to use a few basic, generalized, prompts to establish commonality. However,
games that use no prompts are also fascinating, because they compel players
to use the broadest form of creative collaboration, where they have to invent
commonality from nothing.

HOOKS & CREATING DRAMA


At some point in your campaign, you will likely want to bring the
characters together. Evocraft uses the term “hook” to describe this
phenomenon of bringing the PCs into the same scenes. Consider
appealing to character motives when hooking them into a story. To
220
bring the PCs into a party, give each of them a personalized reason to be in-
vested in that party.
An ST will often write an adventure before the session, and brainstorm
ways to hook the players into this adventure. Often this is a crisis or dilemma
that the characters can’t help but confront. For example: A natural disaster
forces everyone into the same boat, or the mafia boss calls all the PCs together
for a meeting that they would be wise to attend.
Use the three basic components of characters to create drama. Your
player’s Back-story, motives and character relations are ways you can weave
together a story even without writing an adventure before hand. Evocraft is
designed to set up drama during character creation. Your session times will be
a matter of playing this drama out in interesting ways.
Back-story allows a character to have a past that can explain their current
dilemnas. The ST can use a character’s history as a beginning, and then pro-
cede to tell the middle and end of that story. If you have a story about a char-
acter who’s parents disappeared as a child, you could introduce a clue of his
parent’s wereabouts as a major plot item. Backstory also allows you to provide
little details for the world. If a PC owned a food truck once upon a time, you
could make a number of NPCs that are fellow food truck owners who have a
relationship with that character.
Character motives are a powerful tool to compel a PC to move in a cer-
tain direction. When you give character’s a personalized reason to do some-
thing, they are more likely to do it. However, this is only the beginning of us-
ing motives in a story. In many situations, you might give a character a choice
that conflicts with multiple motivations. These dilemmas are often interesting
because you have no idea which direction the PC will choose.
Character relations can be used to create character-based stories or
scenes. This is especially true if there is tension or strong emotions between
characters. Put two or more of these characters in a scene, with a few relevant
props or NPCs, and you have set the stage for an interesting act. Escalate the
drama, little by little. Like a good play, keep turning up the tension until things
happen.

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ERA SHIFTING
There are two ways to create an Evocraft world:

1) Where you play only in a single Era setting


2) Where the world evolves through multiple Eras.

In the second case, you will want to focus on how to make the future
Eras reflect the past. There are guidelines in each of the Era books for how
the end of an Era effects the beginning of the next. In general, the charac-
ters, events and places of the past should impact the future. Sometimes the
simplest things leave their mark on history. Perhaps there was a flute player
in the court of a king during Era 2. He might have been an NPC at the time,
but when the world moves to Era 3, that musician is remembered as a legend-
ary bard. Other times, large events, such as discoveries, wars and revolutions
determine the future.
Here are some basic questions to help you link together Eras:

-Who and what is remembered by history? And how are they remem-
bered? Are they glorified or despised?
-What elements of the world carry into the future? What family lineages,
stories, cultures, artifacts and institutions remain?
-What elements of the world disappear? What is erased by time?
-How do the player characters affect the future? What effect do their ac-
tions, both mundane and epic, have on the future world?

The future grows the seeds planted in the past. This is one reason why
player decisions matter a great deal. If the PCs fail at their quest, then the fate
of the future might be dire. If the PCs succeed, then the future will reflect
those character’s wishes in some way.

CAMPAIGN PLANNING
A campaign may last any number of sessions. Many last for months,
or years, but shorter ones can last for a few sessions or even a single
meeting. Before you begin, you might want to think about your de-
sired length of story. Here are some ideas:

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Short Campaign Rich Campaign Indefinite Campaign
One journey arc with Several journeys make This is an Epic. It is a
a unified goal or single up part of a bigger series of stories, and
conflict. Played over 1-5 picture. Each of these perhaps multiple char-
sessions with a begin- journeys has a different acters, within the same
ning, middle and climac- conflict and climax, but Era. You might stay in
tic end to the story. ultimately ties into the a single Era indefinitely,
same character’s story. weaving a grand story.
These journeys grow Goes on for 12-100 or
progressively more in- more sessions.
tense. Average of 4-12
sessions.

Within your campaigns, you might introduce stories based off of jour-
neys, or stories based off of characters. Here is a description of each:

Journey-Based Stories: Characters are hooked together by a plot or mis-


sion. This journey often compels characters to leave their normal realm,
and go beyond to resolve an issue. Outside forces and events have a strong
presence in this story. Conflict often focuses on PCs versus NPCs or mon-
sters, diseases, the elements of nature and the like.
Character-Based Stories: These stories center around player character
relationships with other player characters and NPCs. These stories are more
likely to take place in local areas familiar to characters. Conflict stems from
inter-personal tension and discord amongst motivations.

CHANGING STORYTELLERS
For a different experience, you might want to change storytellers at a
certain point. Here are two methods of alternate storytelling:

CANTERBURY STYLE: After one Storyteller finishes a journey arc,


another player takes over as Storyteller for the next journey arc. The first ST
leaves the next ST with their remaining notes and unfinished threads. The ST
begins with this, and fills in their own details from then on.

EPIC STYLE: Play through multiple Eras of a world. Give each era to a
different Storyteller. The new ST determines how they want to shift the Era
223
forward.

AWARDING TRAINING STRIPES


Give characters training stripes at the end of a session. The num-
ber of stripes awarded depends on two factors: campaign length
and character performance. In short campaigns, where you expect
to play only a few sessions, award more training stripes. In longer
games, award fewer training stripes per session. In any story, the characters
should grow, and so they need to grow faster during a short session. Observe:

Short Campaigns (3-7 sessions). Award 8-12 training stripes.


Medium Campaign (8-12 sessions.) Award 6-8 training stripes
Long Campaign (12+ session.) Award 3-6 training stripes.

Award training stripes based on the skills a character uses. If a character


does a lot of fighting, reward him with training stripe(s) in his fight skill.

224
ST CHECKLIST:
Preparation:
∆ Read the chapter “How to play Evocraft” if you haven’t, and at least
skim the rest of the book to gain a basic understanding.
∆ Start imagining what type of world you want. Decide what Era to play.
Think about things you would like to see in that Era, and use the correspond-
ing Era books for inspiration.
∆ Decide what world creating method you want: progressive, deep dream-
ing or task-based (see “How to Play Evocraft.”)
∆ Build a reservoir of story ideas, or a framework with blanks for char-
acter input.
∆ Get supplies: paper, pencils, character sheets, lifeform sheets, Evocraft
map paper, at least thirty d6, one percentile die per player, 3d10, chairs, snacks
etc.

Creative Phase:
∆ Do you have a rudimentary map? If this is your first session with this-
world, this will be a priority.
∆ Do you have humanoids? If you haven’t created characters yet, you
might want to create the playable humanoids, so that everyone has a selection.
∆ Prioritize the following: Cultures, animals (or monsters), plants, nature
spirits, farlanders, great ones. Assign these to the players to create based on
need. Or let the players choose what they want to create.
∆ Play word-fills with players. This might be especially useful after basic
lifeforms, cultures and maps have been established for the world.

Storytelling Phase:
∆ Review your story before beginning. If this is a continuing session, re-
cap with the players what happened last time.
∆ Think of ways you can add player creations into the story.
∆ Think of what scenes you want to set-up, then place those characters
in the scenes and begin.

225
Chorus Cards
A Chorus Card is a prompt that you give to
players that are not currently acting in a scene. This
card allows the inactive characters to contribute
to a scene somehow. Essentially, the ST delegates
some of their responsibilities to the inactive player.
This way, everyone stays engaged and continues to
contribute.
The term “chorus” is a reference to ancient
Greek plays, where a group of actors, the chorus,
narrated the events of the world, while other actors
played the main characters. For Evocraft, chorus
cards are useful for games where there are a lot of
players, or when you have players who are frequent-
ly in different scenes.
Below is a collection of stock chorus cards. You may also create your
own. Consider printing these, or getting a stack of index cards and handing
these to your inactive players when needed. You may distribute these cards in
secret, and the chorus player can activate it when they choose.

STOCK CHORUS CARDS:

Control this animal or monster: Create NPCs to inhabit this building:


(_______________) (________,__________,_________)

Control the Merchant who sells: Control this Nature Spirit or Farlander:
(________,__________,_________) (_______________)

Add an interesting prop or detail to the scene: Add a feature to the surrounding terrain or weath-
(__________________) er and control it:
(______________________)

Create items and traps. Distribute these through- Take control of the Tavern Keeper or other NPC:
out the scene, secretly: (_________________)
(_________,____________,__________)

226
APPENDIX I: Color Roll Charts
1d100 Bright Colors
1-4 Violet 36-39 Pastel Green 68-71 Blue-Green
5-9 Electric Blue 40-43 Pastel Pink 72-75 Gold
10-13 Neon Green 44-47 Pastel Blue 76-79 Aquamarine
14-17 Sun Yellow 48-51 Cream 80-83 Magenta
18-21 Neon Orange 52-55 Grape 84-87 Mint
22-26 Scarlet 56-59 Vermillion 88-91 Lapis
27-31 Sky Blue 60-63 Fuchsia 92-95 Canary Yellow
32-35 Pumpkin 64-67 Royal Blue 96-100 White

1d100 Nature Colors 1 (Best for Animals or Plants)


1-3 Black 33-35 Burnt Sienna 65-67 Dun
4-6 White 36-38 Silver 68-71 Dark Brown
7-9 Tan 39-41 Ochre 72-75 Grey-Brown
11-14 Burgundy 42-44 Blubber Blue 76-79 Blond
15-17 Gold 45-47 Mossy Green 80-83 Light Grey
18-20 Coffee 48-51 Beige 84-87 Medium Grey
21-23 Tawny Orange 52-54 Sepia 88-91 Dark Grey
24-26 Wheat 55-58 Ashen 92-95 Deep Red
27-29 Shell 59-61 Blue-Black 96-98 Steel
30-32 Earthen Yellow 62-64 Red-Black 99-100 Pearl

1d100 Nature Colors 2 (Best for Plants)


1-2 Emerald Green 32-34 Apple Green 68-70 Goldenrod
3-5 Forest Green 35-37 Chartreuse 71-73 Lavender
6-8 Dark Green 38-40 Ashen 74-75 Deep-Purple
9-10 Seafoam 41-43 Off-white 76-78 Crimson
11-13 Olive 44-46 Deep Grey 79-81 Magenta Rose
14-15 Lime Green 47-49 Black 82-84 Burnt Orange
16-17 Pistachio 50-52 Cyan 85-87 Autumn Orange
18-20 Moss-Green 53-55 Indigo 88-89 Light Pink
21-23 Marine Green 56-58 Blue-Green 90-91 Silver
24-25 Pastel Green 59-61 Blue-Grey 92-94 Beige
26-28 Fern Green 62-64 Grey-Brown 95-97 Burgundy
29-31 Cactus Green 65-67 Bronze 98-100 Dark Brown

227
APPENDIX II: Terminology
1d (3d, 8d etc.) This number refers to an amount of six-
sided dice. “8d” for instance, means eight individual six-sided
dice. These dice are rolled for challenges in the story.

1d100 & 1d10. The term 1d100 means one percentile dice (or one one-
hundred sided dice.) The number to the left of the “d” represents the number
of dice rolled. The number to the right of the “d” describes the type of dice.
In this way, 1d10 means one ten-sided dice. 3d100 means three one-hundred
sided dice.

Action Roll. When a character or force chooses to use a skill, they per-
form an action roll. This is done by rolling six-sided dice.

Campaign. The over-arching storyline of a series of stories. This term is


often vague, in that it can mean different things to different people. It may
mean the story of an entire world through all its Eras, or all storylines that are
told within a single Era.

Challenge. Any event that represents an uncertain outcome, typically with


stakes that could affect a character. Challenges are resolved by rolling dice, so
the word “Challenge” is used to describe a particular instance of rolling dice
(e.g. “Roll for your strength challenge.”)

Challenge Level. A number attached to animals, monsters spirits or other


NPCs that describe how powerful or skilled they are relative to humans.

Character. The imaginary figures in the story.

Chorus. An optional component for the game. Refers to all players who
are not currently acting in the scene. The ST may give them some task that
influences the environment or scene, while the other characters act.

Class. An evolutionary category for lifeform. A class shares common


traits among all its members.

228
CL. Abbreviation for “Challenge Level.”

Counter-Roll. Dice that are rolled to compete against the successes of an


opposing roll. A common instance of this is combat: one character attacks,
performing an action roll. The receiving character chooses a method of de-
fense, thus performing a counter-roll. A counter-roll can also be seen in other
challenges, such as rolling Persuade to resist another character’s Persuasion
attempt.

Dice Pool. The total number of dice that you can roll for a skill or power.
You may roll up to the number on the dice pool, but not over it.

Era. One of the five time periods an Evocraft world can be set in. Each
of these periods contains unique materials to build a setting.

Faunitas. Another name for animals (taxonomical.)

Hook. A compelling reason or scene that pulls multiple player characters


together on a single mission.

Lifeform. Any living being, whether human, animal, plant or spirit. More
generally, is used as a label for any creature, plant or spirit that players create
for the game.

Level. The number of bubbles and squares a character has filled in on a


specific skill. If a character has four filled bubbles on Fight, then that char-
acter has a level 4 fight skill. One’s level in a skill often corresponds with the
number of dice they roll when performing with that skill.

Materials. The ingredients used to cast a spell.

NPC. “Non-Player Character.” This is used to refer to any character that


is played by the ST. A typical game will have many NPCs.

Parent. A term for the optional evolution module. A parent is a lifeform


that an evolutionary class is based off of.

229
Party. A group of player characters when together and acting as a team.

Passing Success. This is used to describe a situation when there is an action


roll and a counter roll, when one party rolls more successes than the other.
Whenever someone rolls more successes than the other, each success above
the number than the other party rolled equals a passing success. This is com-
monly seen in Combat. If a character attacks, and rolls 5 successes, and the
defending monster rolls 2 successes, then the attacking character has 3 passing
successes.

PC. Abbreviation for Player Character.

Phase 1. The Creative Phase. This is where players collaborate to create


lifeforms and the world.

Phase 2. The Story Phase. This is where players act as Storytellers or


Player Characters and create a drama together.

Player. The actual human beings who gather to play Evocraft RPG. While
everyone is technically a player, the word also often implies every player be-
sides the ST.

Player Character. A player who is an actor for one of the major characters.
This player’s expressions reflect the expressions and actions of their charac-
ter.

Prompts. Creative suggestions given in the Evocraft books, or by the ST,


that can inspire creating material for the world. These are often phrased as
questions, or as challenges. Two examples: “What do the fashions of this cul-
ture look like?” or “Design an airship.”

QD. Quarter of a Day. One of the ways that can be used to track time.
The four quarters of a day equate to: morning, afternoon, evening, night time.

Reaction Roll. Sometimes a character is forced to respond to an event


without choosing to act (such as falling from a balcony, not getting blown into
a hurricane etc.) This is the same as an action roll, except that the ST prompts
230
a player to make the roll, rather than the player choosing this on their own.

Roll Chart. A chart, such as the ones used to create lifeforms, that have a
series of random possibilities determined by a dice roll.

Skill. Any of the character (or animal etc.) powers represented on their
character sheet. A skill is something that can be used, or something that aids
a character in a passive way.

SP. Abbreviation for Skill Points.

Spiridae. Another name for spirits (taxonomical.)

ST. Abbreviation for Storyteller.

Storyteller. The one who guides the flow of the story. The storyteller nar-
rates, orchestrates the game-session, plays various characters, and challenges
the other players.

Success(es). Dice determine the success (or failure) of a character’s ac-


tions. Rolling either a “5” or a “6” on the face of a dice is a success.

Sylvani. Another name for plants, fungus and algae (taxonomical.)

Threshold. When used to describe dice, a threshold is a number of success-


es that needs to be met for a specific effect. Many challenges have a threshold
of 1, but some challenges have a higher Threshold. A more common use of
threshold is in illustrating guidelines for the effect of skills (e.g. 3 successes
on a particular skill means “-X-.”)

231
Credits &
Acknowledgments
Game Created, Written
& Illustrated by

Scott Hillsman

Many Thanks To
My innumerable friends, family and supporters.
In particular, thanks to Luke Bednar and
Jake Fritts – you have been there from the begin-
ning. Thanks to Matthew Scrivner for teaching
me many games. And thanks to Joshua Quinn,
Toni Sarain, Steven Rokiski, Devon Reynolds,
Chris Bannon, Candice Bannon, Jason Clark,
Jamie Lilly, John Whittle, Jenni Schultz and the
Midnight Snack Club.

© 2015, All Rights Reserved


evocraftrpg.com

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