THE WORLD KEEPS SPINNING. THESE ARE ITS GEARS.
every rule on this page, bound and printable — free
The lessons teach. This governs. Every section cites its page —
and if this page and the book ever disagree, the book wins.
DICE & ROLLS
One die, one grammar — ties lose.
| The die asks | Roll | Against |
|---|---|---|
| Can I hit them? (Attack) | d20 + Dex + Martial/Weapon skill + specialty | Defense |
| Can I do this? (Difficulty) | d20 + Attribute + Skill | Difficulty — Simple 5 · Average 10 · Challenging 15 · Hard 20 · Nearly impossible 25+ |
| Can I pull it off? (Accomplish) | d20 + Accomplish Ability (AA) | Preset difficulty (10 is the lowest) |
| Can I avoid it? (Save) | d20 + Save Defense (SD) | Preset difficulty (10 is the lowest) |
The damage roll rides its own d20 mood: natural 1–4 half damage · 5–19 normal · natural 20 roll your damage dice one additional time and add — modifiers are never doubled.
Learn it in Lesson III — The Dice ►📖 Core Rule Book — Rolls, p. 12–13; Damage Outcomes, Combat v1.2, p. 16.
ATTRIBUTES & DERIVED MECHANICS
Eight pillars; the sheet computes itself.
Eight attributes define every Guardian: Strength · Dexterity · Stamina · Intelligence · Wisdom · Perception · Charisma · Appearance. A normal adult sits at 3–4; the table climbs to 12 (Godlike) — but player Guardians cap at 10.
| Derived | Formula |
|---|---|
| Life Points | 15 + Sta + Toughness skill + (Athletics ÷ 2) + abilities |
| AP per Round | 10 + Chosen Speed Attribute (Dex/Int/Per) + Action Skill |
| Speed Bonus | ⌊(Dex + Per) / 2⌋ + Action Skill |
| Body Save | Str + Sta + modifiers |
| Reflex Save | Dex + modifiers |
| Mind Save | Best of Int / Wis / Chr (by context) |
| Mana Pool (Magic) | ⌊(Int + Wis + Chr) / 2⌋ + highest attribute + Σ Mastery Ranks |
| Psychic Pool | (Int + Wis) + Σ Focus attributes (Int/Wis count double if Focused) |
| Techno Score | Computer Use + Science (Robotics) + Science (Computer) + Int |
📖 Core Rule Book — Attributes, p. 9–11; Derived Mechanics Summary, p. 11. Playable cap 10 per the designer's ruling.
ALIGNMENT — TWO AXES
Tendencies, not a cage.
Two independent bars, each running −10 to +10 (0 = neutral): Good ↔ Evil (morality & intent) and Order ↔ Chaos (behavior & method — discipline and vows on one side; spontaneity, passion, and love on the other). You can act outside your alignment; your actions will shift it. The GG awards points after notable acts — typical scenes move a bar 1–2, major turns 3–4.
| Band | Reads as | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| +7 to +10 | Paragon (Good / Order) | Strong resonance; social shifts; 1/scene surge |
| +3 to +6 | Leaning | Minor boons |
| −2 to +2 | Neutral | No boons, no bans |
| −3 to −6 | Leaning (Evil / Chaos) | Minor boons, for that side |
| −7 to −10 | Monstrous / Unbound | Strong resonance; social shifts; 1/scene surge |
Gates: some spells and abilities require a minimum alignment rating. Cap: only one alignment boon can affect a single action. At the forge: new Guardians get 2 points to place on the bars — either side, or none. Summoning keys on alignment distance (squared-difference on both axes; Harmony within ±1 on both eases the price).
📖 Core Rule Book — Alignment: Two-Axis, p. 34–36; creation points p. 33; Alignment Gates p. 36; summoning distance, Summoning & Attunement, p. 38–43.
THE ROUND — TIME, INITIATIVE & AP
Five seconds. Lowest acts first.
Initiative is a running time track: after your action resolves, add its AP to your clock — next to act is whoever now sits lowest. Ties: lower Speed Bonus, then higher Per, then roll-off. As long as AP remains, you keep acting — three light strikes, or a strike, a vial, and a step; each action rolls its own initiative. Unspent AP banks: subtract it from your first action next round (minimum 1 AP).
| Action | AP cost |
|---|---|
| Unarmed attack | 6 |
| Armed / Ranged attack | 5 + weapon speed |
| Spell | 5 + cast time (Snap 0 · Quick 1 · Standard 2 · Lengthy 3 · Ritual 4–5) |
| Move | 1 m per AP — never modified by the AP Roll |
| Defense stance | 2 AP → +1 Defense (capped by Dex; ends if you take any other action, persists if you don't) |
| Drink vial | 10 |
| Use item / device | device speed |
The AP Roll (optional; declared before your first action, once per round; the GG may call a Tempo Shift making everyone roll). It never touches movement-by-meter or per-AP investments; reactions use your current round's result. Three tables, all canon:
- Combat: 1: +3 · 2–4: +1 · 5–16: as listed · 17–19: −1 · 20: −3
- Casting: 1: +4 · 2–4: +2 · 5–15: as listed · 16–19: −2 · 20: −4 — the casters' harder swing
- Reverse Gambit (optional variant): 1: −4 · 2–6: −2 · 7–15: as listed · 16–19: +2 · 20: +4 — for tables where a low roll should mean lucky tempo. Label it clearly at your table.
📖 Core Rule Book — Combat v1.2, p. 15–16 (Core Loop; AP Roll; costs; Reverse Gambit variant); Casting AP Roll, Magic & Psychic v1.2, p. 24.
ATTACKS & DEFENSE
The wall has two faces.
Defense is one number — built, not given. Your defensive rolls add into the TN:
Dodge = (Dex + Martial skill) / 2 − armor bonus + Martial Dodge skill Parry = (Dex + Weapon skill + weapon bonus) / 2 − armor bonus + Weapon Parry skillArmor subtracts from Dodge and Parry (plate is hard to dance in) and pays you back on the damage side. In play, raise the finished number only via Defense stance or abilities.
| Attack | Damage |
|---|---|
| Melee | Weapon + Strength − armor |
| Martial (unarmed) | Weapon + Strength − armor |
| Ranged | Weapon − armor (no Strength behind a bolt) |
At range, the world taxes the shot before the die lands — bands: Point-Blank 0 · Short −2 · Medium −4 · Long −6 · Extreme −8; moving targets −2, sprinting or evading −4 (steadied aim can negate). Tables preferring meters use the granular ladder (−1 / −5 / −10 / −15 / −20).
See it land in Lesson I, Beat 05 ►📖 Core Rule Book — Rolls, p. 12 (Defensive & Damage Rolls); Defense & Saves, p. 16; range & movement, p. 12, 19.
MAGIC — MANA, CASTING & RESISTANCE
Where will reaches law.
Regen: 5 Mana/hour active · 10/hour resting · full on 6 hours of sleep. Every spell lists a Minimum Mana and an Invest scaling. Sustained effects hold committed Mana while active. Short at the worst moment? Overchannel: 2 HP per missing Mana (or Strain, GG's option), then answer for it — backlash check d20 + Magic Skill + Int vs 15.
Casting = d20 + Focus Stat + Path/Skill + specialties vs DC or Resistance · fail by 5+ → Backlash · beat by 5+ → Heighten (+25%)Magic Resistance: MR value = 10 + Mind Save + MR Skill + Natural MR. Guardians start with Natural MR 1, Psychics 0. If Natural MR ≤ 14 you may toggle it at will; at ≥ 15 it is always on — and may block beneficial spells. Your own spells always affect you (self-cast bypass), even at Natural MR ≥ 20.
Spell power rides its own d20 on invested Mana: 1: −50% · 2–4: −25% · 5–15: as invested · 16–19: +25% · 20: +50%. Below the spell's minimum = botched. Backlash (Table M-B, d12) ranges from Wild Surge (the spell picks its own target) through Mana Leak, Shorted Focus, and Feedback — the full table lives in the book.
Cast your first in Lesson V ► The full Magic Rules ►📖 Core Rule Book — Magic & Psychic v1.2, p. 24–25 (Mana; Overchannel §2.3; Resistance & toggling §2.4; Backlash §2.5); Magic Rolls, p. 14.
PSYCHIC — FOCUS, POOL & TETHERED LAW
The mind bends the self.
Psychics walk no Paths — they wield life-tethered power from a separate pool:
Psychic Pool = (Int + Wis) + Σ Focus Attributes · Int/Wis count twice if chosen as FocusFocus ladder: 1st Focus free at creation (any attribute ≥ 4) · 2nd requires ≥ 6 · 3rd ≥ 8 · 4th ≥ 10 — four at most, each unlocking powers tied to its attribute.
Three categories: Sustained (reserve points while active, often 2 AP/turn to maintain) · Singular (one-off; costs Pool or Strain) · Mundane (free, tiny, flavorful — no rolls).
The Tethered Law: psychic effects travel living tendrils from the self. They can shape the body, extend reach, propel and deflect, reinforce, perceive, influence linked minds. They cannot create detached explosions, permanent creations, weather, autonomous constructs, or summon new beings. Psychic battle runs on Momentum (−3…+3); at +3 the Drain lands — 2d6 Life and 2d6 from a resource pool, Mind save to halve. Psychic backlash has its own d12 (Table P-B).
📖 Core Rule Book — Psychic: Focus, Pool & Tethered Law, p. 26–28 (§3.1–3.6).
TECHNOMANCY & INSECTOBOTS
Magic, science, and living code.
The Technomage Path (Magitech Engineer) runs its own Tech Mana Pool = Int + Per, and its signature is the InsectoBot: a semi-living construct, an insect embryo bound into a mechanical shell. The ethics are Gaia's own — embryos ethically harvested (≤ 1% of any cluster, never adults), joined through Gaia's pact; a destroyed bot is not a dead insect. Forms follow the insect: spiders excel at agility and perception, beetles tank, scorpions sting. A Psitech Adept may substitute Psychic Pool for limited Mana.
The full doctrine — creation, caps, frames, enhancements, commands — lives in The Book of Paths.
Take the Book of Paths (PDF) ►📖 Core Rule Book — Derived Mechanics Summary, p. 11; Psitech Adept, p. 48; The Book of Paths — Path: Technomage (pool, lore & ethics, forms).
CONDITIONS & RECOVERY
The round leaves marks.
Conditions: Shaken −1 AP · Staggered −2 AP · Stunned lose all AP · Prone (stand 4 AP) — the quick list rides the player handout. Recovery: rest, medkits, rites, and device work clear what the round left behind; Mana returns at 5/hour, 10/hour resting, full on 6 hours of sleep; Psychic reserves release when Sustained powers drop; Strain and Overchannel debts are the GG's to price.
The handouts live in the Armory ►📖 Core Rule Book — conditions quick list, p. 20; Mana regeneration, p. 24.
QUICK REFERENCE
The whole system in one breath.
- Rolls: d20 + modifiers vs a target — ties lose. Attack vs Defense; tasks vs Difficulty (baseline 10).
- The Round: 5 seconds · AP = 10 + Speed Attribute + Action Skill · initiative per action, lowest first · act while AP remains · bank the rest.
- Damage: nat 1–4 half · 5–19 normal · nat 20 extra dice. Melee/martial add Strength; ranged doesn't; armor carves both.
- Magic: one Mana pool · casting with degrees (±5 margins) · MR toggles below Natural 15 · spell power surges ±50%.
- Psychic: separate pool · Focus ladder · Tethered Law · Momentum battles.
- Alignment: two bars, −10…+10 · tendencies, not a cage · one boon per action · gates and summoning distance.
Print-ready versions of everything above: the Armory.