A mage flinging lightning and death spells faces off against an ancient dragon whose fiery breath has seared whole armies. A knight bedecked in bright armor rides forth with the sunrise and the kingdom's acclaim, sworn to a worthy quest that might last years. A party of travelers, swords sheathed and bows unstrung, enters a firelit inn just before the evening rain hits, drawn by the smell of roast beast and delicate notes from a song performed by an elven bard. A band of explorers descends into a sprawling, buried ruin left behind by vanished forerunners, eager to find treasure and magic.

The fantasy genre is an exploration of worlds where magic exists side by side with untamed forests and expansive mountain ranges that are home to elves, dwarves, and other mythical creatures. The mostly preindustrial settlements dotted across the landscape often feature newer, human societies, while much older humanoid species (and monsters of every sort) are everywhere else, save those that are long vanished, leaving behind their mysterious ruins to lure the curious.

Which means you can expect your character to embark on quests, confront supernatural threats, and grapple with themes of destiny, power, and good versus evil. And you'll do so wielding magic, enchanted tools and weapons, and extraordinary special abilities of your own.

Many fantasy subgenres exist, including fusions with other genres. This book focuses on three subgenres: dungeon fantasy, swords & sorcery, and epic fantasy.

A major distinguishing factor between these subgenres is the character types available for each. For instance, in a dungeon fantasy, you might play as a Paladin, Mage, Bard, or several others. In a swords & sorcery game, your options include Witch, Axe Fighter, Knife Fighter, and similar kinds of warriors. In an epic fantasy game, you might play a Noble Warrior, Burglar, Wizard, Swashbuckler, and similar.

Fantasy Skills

These skills are appropriate for dungeon fantasy, swords & sorcery, and epic fantasy games. Some of these skills are tier restricted, meaning there's a minimum tier requirement before you can become trained or specialized in them. When you have the option to choose skills, choose from the following.

Animal care

Athletics

Attacking (tier-restricted)

Charm

Crafting

Deception

Defending (tier-restricted)

Disarming traps

Disguise

Escaping

Farming

Gathering information

Gymnastics

Healing

History

Initiative

Intimidation

Lockpicking

Magic lore

Mining

Navigation

Outdoor survival

Perception

Performance

Pickpocketing

Psychic lore

Recognizing motive

Religious lore

Riding

Scribing

Stealth

Tracking

Woodcutting

A character in a dungeon fantasy adventuring party can expect to be challenged by a host of bizarre monsters and life-draining undead, traps and curses, and eventually, maybe even dragons or gods. Many of these challenges will come as you explore perilous places like dungeons, caverns, and ancient ruins. But the rewards are well worth the threats, because often they include treasures of gold, gems, jewelry, and---sometimes best of all---magic.

If you've played Dungeons & Dragons as it's normally presented, you've played in a dungeon fantasy setting.

Core Character: Begin with your core character and then select a type.

Skills: Refer to the Fantasy Skills list for skills you can choose from when creating and advancing your character. Your choice of background skill, and possibly the extra skill you might get if you also choose a meaningful inability, also come from the same list of genre skills.

Character Species: Nearly any of the (optional) fantasy species you can imagine are commonly part of a dungeon fantasy setting.

Dungeon Fantasy Character Species Options

Dragonfolk

Dwarf

Elf

Gnome

Halfling

Hellborn

Human

Orc

Foci: Any focus that has at least some possibility of being something a mighty hero or magic user might accomplish could be appropriate for your character. Which means weird foci like Rides the Lightning and Blazes With Fire that might seem a perfect fit for the superhero genre are also perfectly suitable for a dungeon fantasy game. For your character, it's a kind of magic you pursue, a birthright of your extradimensional parentage, magic channeled from your god, or something similar.

Suggested Foci for a Dungeon Fantasy Game

Abides in Stone

Blazes With Fire

Casts Spells

Commands Mental Powers

Consorts With the Dead

Controls Beasts

Crafts Illusions

Doesn't Do Much

Entertains

Explores

Fights Dirty

Fights Unarmed

Fights With Panache

Howls at the Moon

Hunts

Infiltrates

Leads

Masters Telekinesis

Masters Weaponry

Moves Like the Wind

Never Says Die

Performs Feats of Strength

Quells Evil

Reveres a Supernatural Force

Rides the Lightning

Sneaks Through the Shadows

Speaks for the Land

Strikes With Mystic Might

Tends to the Wounded

Wears a Sheen of Ice

Equipment: In addition to one set of clothing, you get to choose items from the Fantasy Equipment table; you start with six inexpensive items, five moderately priced items, one expensive item, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item. Instead of picking your own equipment, you can just choose the equipment bundle described in your character type, which has items already picked out for you.

Manifest Cyphers: These cyphers are usually in the form of potions, scrolls, runes, and charms.

Wound Treatment: Treatment to remove a wound in a dungeon fantasy setting takes one minute for a minor wound, ten minutes for a moderate wound, and one hour for a major wound.

Currency: The currency underlying price categories in a dungeon fantasy setting usually features several coinages minted from valuable metals, including copper, silver, gold, and platinum.

Background Options: Each type includes suggestions for your character's background. Choose one or create your own.

Genre Abilities for Your Fantasy Character: At tier 3, your fantasy character gains a mid-tier ability from the list of Fantasy Genre Abilities at the end of this section. At tier 6, you gain a high-tier ability from the same list. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier genre ability. See that section for additional stipulations that might affect your fantasy genre ability choice.

Barbarian

Bard

Cleric

Druid

Fighter

Mage

Monk

Necromancer

Paladin

Ranger

Rogue

For you, every day is another chance to spill blood, drink ale, or both---and pick up a scar or two to commemorate the day. Born an outlander and a wanderer at heart, you've become an adventurer more by accident than design. They say you're savage, but only behind your back, lest they face your fury.

Out of everyone in your group, you tend to draw the most attention from foes because you give up trepidation for rage. Fears fall away when your blood is up; all you see is red. Frenzy gives you strength, battle-minded purpose, and, more times than not, a path to victory. But when your battle fever passes, your lore of the wild places helps guide you and your allies through uncivilized lands where monsters, bandits, and other barbarians roam.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Frenzy (1+ Intellect): While in combat, you can enter a state of frenzy. While in this state, you can't use Intellect points, but you add +1 to your Might Edge and your Speed Edge. This effect lasts as long as you wish, but it ends if no combat is taking place within range of your senses.

Effort: Ease your allies' attacks against one foe of your choice for the rest of the combat.

Enabler.

Wilderness Survival: You know how to survive in unpeopled lands. After spending at least ten minutes in the wilderness and succeeding on a difficulty 2 outdoor survival task (or a difficulty your GM determines is appropriate to the area), you find something useful you were seeking. The useful thing might be shelter in the form of a cave or tree hollow, all the makings necessary to start a fire, a game animal you bring down with ease, or berries, mushrooms, root vegetables, or other food. You know how to best prepare any game or vegetation you find and are able to feed yourself and up to five allies.

Wounded Fury: While you have at least three moderate wounds or at least one major wound, you gain one free level of Effort you can apply to one of your attacks each round. Enabler.

At tier 3: The benefit increases to two free levels of Effort.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A greatsword, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a crowbar, a wineskin (full), three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You're an entertainer: a singer, dancer, poet, storyteller, or something similar. Naturally charismatic and talented, your diligence and study have only improved your art. You know old poems, songs, jokes, and stories, and you're skilled at creating new ones, too. Your seemingly beneficent nature puts others at their ease, and your performances lift spirits, ease mental burdens, and may even inspire.

Most characters on your team probably look to you for help, advice, and, if nothing else, a rousing performance to spark courage. Those same talents are useful when your group tries diplomacy. Whether you're relying on the truth or attempting a deception, your ability to flatter, smile, and delight others may open places that swords and spells can't.

As a Bard, who is focused more on Speed than Might, you probably prefer to make dodge defense rolls in combat; if so, you probably don't wear armor because that would hinder your Speed defense rolls to dodge.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Interlocuter: You are trained in your choice of charm, deception, or intimidation.

At tier 6: You can become an expert in that same skill if you are already specialized, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

Inspiring Performance (2+ Intellect): With a rousing speech or inspiring music, you lift the spirits of and inspire three allies who can hear and see you. While you continue to speak or perform each round as your action, affected allies gain an asset in a task you choose (combat or noncombat) related to your performance.

Even after the effect ends, affected allies are so inspired that they add +1 to their next recovery.

Effort: Affect three additional allies.

Action.

At tier 3: Affected allies add +2 to their next recovery.

A Smile and a Word: When you successfully interact with a creature by succeeding on a charm, deception, or intimidation task---even those having to do with calming animals or communicating with someone or something whose language you do not speak---you also learn one small useful or at least interesting bit of information. For instance, if you convince the guard to let you pass, you might also learn that their supervisor is due back in ten minutes. Action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A rapier, a gittern (a musical instrument also known as a guitar) and pick, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a stage makeup kit, three torches, three days of rations and water, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You follow a divine being and serve as their representative among mortals. The power of your deity (or deities) allows you to perform minor "miracles" on their behalf. How well or poorly you follow the teachings of your deity is up to you, but their main area of interest greatly influences how you see the world. For instance, a Cleric serving a god of fire may have different priorities than one who serves a goddess of the sea. But almost all deities agree on one thing: healing and blessing others is a good way to extend their influence in the world.

Your allies may see you as a vital support with your ability to bless their actions and heal their wounds after (or during!) a fight. But the truth is that you're a capable warrior in your own right, armed and armored nearly as well as front-rank fighters, and with the added capability of being able to turn away your god's most hated foes---usually the reanimated dead.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Combat Prowess: You add +1 damage to one type of weapon attack of your choice: melee weapon attacks or ranged weapon attacks.

Divine Radiance (1+ Intellect): You channel divine influence to gain one of the following effects.

Effort: Affect two additional targets.

Action.

Depending on the game, your GM may decide Turn Undead works on demons or creatures of similar ilk instead of (or in addition to) undead.

Effort: Affect two additional targets. Increase the maximum level of undead you can affect by 1.

Action.

At tier 3: Instead of causing affected targets to flee, you can make them unable to take actions for one turn.

When an ability or effect lets you attack multiple creatures on your turn, each attack after the first one is an extra action on your turn. An attack made as an extra action on your turn counts as a separate action for the purposes of modifying the task with Effort.

Healing Hand (1+ Intellect): With a touch, you reduce one wound's severity. A healed minor wound is gone completely, one moderate wound becomes a minor wound, or one major wound becomes a moderate wound. (If the character is at their limit of lower-severity wounds, you can't use this ability to reduce the severity of their wounds.)

Each time you use Healing Hand, the Intellect cost increases by 1. The cost returns to 1 after you take a recovery.

Last action.

An NPC recipient of Healing Hand regains 5 health.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A mace or hammer, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, extra bandages (eases four healing tasks before being used up), a book of prayers, two torches, three days of rations and water, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You have a magical affinity for animals and the landscapes they inhabit. Sometimes you serve as a protector of forests, grasslands, seas, or some other region natural creatures need to survive and thrive; other times you rely on your connection to such places to protect and empower yourself. You might be part of an ancient, far-flung priesthood or a self-taught celebrant channeling the magic of the forest, moon, storm, and beast.

Your expertise provides your group both offensive might and more discreet or tactful possibilities when you're traveling through or exploring wild environments. Your beast companion aids you and your allies in combat, and it also performs other tasks such as surveillance, distraction, tracking, reaching a location large creatures can't, and so on.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Beast Companion: You gain a follower that is a level 2 beast of your size or smaller that accompanies you and follows your instructions. You and your GM must work out the appearance and personality of your beast. Its movement is based on its creature type (avian, swimmer, and so on).

If your beast companion dies, you can use your resource points to revive them or (by hunting in the wild for a few days) locate and befriend a new one.

When working out the details of your follower, you might decide you'd like an animated plant companion rather than an animal.

Friend to Small Creatures (1+ Intellect): A type of small creature you name that exists in the surrounding environment (such as insects, rats, bats, or birds) comes under your influence if you succeed on a difficulty 2 Intellect task for outdoor survival. Affected creatures within short range will not harm you or those you designate as allies until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

This ability doesn't work against hostile swarms of creatures of level 3 or higher.

Your creatures---even common insects (level 0)---can swarm in large-enough numbers to hinder the attacks or defenses of a single target, or take some other action.

You can use this ability to calm or command vines, grass blades, creepers, roots, or branches of nearby plants instead of animals.

Effort: Your creatures collectively respond to your commands as an NPC ally.

Action.

An NPC ally can provide an asset to one task each round, like perception or defense, unless your GM decides the ally isn't capable of providing that kind of asset.

Seeds of Fury (1 Intellect): You throw a handful of seeds in the air that ignite and speed toward a target within long range, scorching the air with twisting smoke trails. A successful attack deals 3 damage and catches the target on fire, inflicting +1 damage per round until the target uses an action to douse the flames or until you've taken your next recovery. Action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A quarterstaff, a bow and quiver of 12 arrows, appropriate clothing, leather armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a tent, a candle, three days of rations and water, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

Weapon tightly gripped, you charge your monstrous foes. Anyone willing to hold a sword might be called a "fighter," but you're a cut above most. Less well-trained warriors may serve as soldiers, guards, and muscle in a tavern, but a Fighter truly understands conflict and battlefield control. You've trained in specific weapons and methods of defense, have scars from past fights, and probably look forward to your next descent into an ancient ruin or enemy's outpost, if only so you can match your weapon against a foe's blade or spell.

In your group, you're usually the most physically capable, the most durable, and the most ready to meet danger head-on. This attribute probably leads to a role as a protector of your friends---particularly the least sturdy among them. If someone has to take the lead when entering the monster's den, you're among the first to charge in.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks, such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Press Advantage: When your damage‑dealing attack roll is 17 or higher, you deal +1 damage with the attack. If you roll a 19 or 20, you inflict the extra damage regardless of whether you choose to deal additional damage or take a special minor or major effect.

Successive Attack (2 Speed or Might): Once per turn if you take down a foe, you can immediately make another attack on that same turn against a new foe within your reach as an extra action on your turn. You can use this ability with melee attacks and ranged attacks. Enabler.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, spikes and hammer set, two torches, three days of rations and water, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You cast spells of blasting fire, magical protection, and force at a distance. As a spellcaster, you're always on the lookout for new arcane secrets, magic lore, and spells you can add to your repertoire. You understand that the most powerful spells---those that can alter a creature's form, open pathways to other worlds, or kill with a single word---are jealously guarded secrets even among friendly spellcasters, including between master and apprentice. But that only makes you willing to brave nearly any threat to search for such things, even in dangerous locations far below ground.

You're happy to rely on the physical protection provided by others in your group who are more armed and armored, leaving more esoteric threats and puzzles to your elevated talents. And any time potentially enchanted loot or treasure is discovered, others in the group are likely hoping you, with your intelligence and experience, can explain their function. That's not to say you're not a threat in your own right---you know at least one spell capable of magically blasting foes, and if you survive, you hope to learn even more.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Blast (1+ Intellect): You emit a short-range blast of energy inflicting 4 damage on a target with a successful attack roll. Work with the GM to determine the type of energy comprising your blast.

You can tune the effect to make it hot enough to slice through material of up to level 5 that's no more than 1 foot (30 cm) thick if given a few rounds to concentrate on doing so.

If you have another damaging attack ability (from your focus or your type), you can use Blast to augment that ability, increasing its damage by 1.

Effort: Gain fine control over the effect until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery, varying the intensity as you wish within immediate range; for instance, you could use it to warm the area, cook food without burning it, provide bright light in the area, and so on. Increase the maximum level of material that you can cut through by 1.

Action to attack; Last action to initiate fine control; enabler to augment another attack ability.

The type of energy you release could be fire, in which case you might call this ability Blast of Fire. Alternatively, your focus might suggest the energy type. For instance, this ability could produce a ray of electricity---especially if your focus is Rides the Lightning---and be called Blast of Lightning.

Mage Armor (1 Intellect): An invisible field of energy surrounds you until you use a ten-hour recovery. This allows you to try blocking attacks with an eased Intellect defense roll instead of a Might defense roll; if you succeed, you reduce the severity of the wound by one step. Action.

At tier 3: Your Intellect defense roll to block an attack is eased by two steps total.

Prepare Spell: Each day you can pick a different magical effect and cast it as a spell. Choose a low-power manifest cypher. After spending ten minutes preparing, you gain that cypher's effect as a spell (a character special ability). You can cast that spell as an action, costing 2 Intellect. This spell does not count toward your cypher limit. Unlike when using a cypher, you do not lose this spell after casting it.

As part of making a ten-hour recovery, you can change which cypher you've taken as a spell. Changing which cypher you have prepared as a spell ends all of your durations of the previous prepared spell.

You can select this ability up to three times (as a character advancement or in place of a new focus ability), allowing you to choose one, two, or three cyphers each day as spells.

Ten minutes to prepare a cypher as a spell; action to cast a cypher as a spell.

At tier 3: You can use this ability to choose a low- or medium-power cypher as a spell. You can cast a medium-power cypher spell as an action, costing 4 Intellect.

At tier 6: You can use this ability to choose a low-, mid-, or advanced-power cypher as a spell. You can cast an advanced-power cypher spell as an action, costing 6 Intellect.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A dagger, appropriate clothing, a spellbook (which also serves as a field journal for taking arcane notes), pen, ink, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, matchsticks (10), a magnifying glass, three torches, three days of rations and water, two flasks of oil, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You don't use weapons---you are a weapon. With powerful punches, kicks, and full-body moves, you inflict incredible damage on your foes. By focusing your energy (sometimes called chi, ki, or just "grit"), you magnify your power and speed. You probably gained your skills through intense training, fighting in real-world tournaments against your peers and betters, and, more recently, putting your unique skills to use in adventuring.

Weaponless martial artists are both feared and revered, which means your role in your group is likely unique in one sense. However, you join any other frontline warriors on your team, using your weapons of hand, foot, knee, and elbow far more nimbly than someone swinging around a bulky slab of metal.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Flurry (2 Speed): After making a light unarmed attack, as an extra action on your turn you make another light unarmed attack against the same target or a different one. Action.

At tier 3: You can make a third light unarmed attack as a third action on your turn.

A few character abilities allow you to treat your unarmed attack as a medium weapon instead of a light weapon. You can't use Flurry with a medium unarmed attack.

Nimble (2 Speed): As a First action, you move up to a short distance and then can take another First action, such as attacking with a light weapon or opening a door (the movement happens before the First action, not the other way around). Unlike a normal situation of taking an action and moving a short distance, this movement doesn't hinder your tasks. Enabler.

No Need for Weapons: Your unarmed attacks (such as punches, kicks, elbows, or knees) inflict an additional 2 damage.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

Appropriate clothing, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a meditation mat, three torches, three days of rations and water, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy an expensive item.

Decomposing flesh radiates fading life force. You know how to siphon that power, twist and shape it, then reinfuse the dead with it to return them to ambulatory service. You can also draw that energy directly from them to heal your own rent flesh or anyone near you. In fact, your necromantic prowess gives you a degree of control over undead of all sorts, allowing you to daze and repel them, or even briefly command their service. Because your abilities are so directly tethered to death, many people fear and hate you regardless of your deeds and true motivation.

Your animated helpers can aid whoever you command, including any allies willing to accept help from a corpse. Likewise, your ability to drain life from your foes to heal your flesh can also provide balm to allies willing to accept it. And should your group face an external necromantic threat, you have the knowledge and power to help confront it.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Basic Necromancy (3 Intellect): You animate the body of a dead creature of approximately your size or smaller within immediate range, creating a level 1 follower that is an undead creature. It has none of the intelligence, memories, or special abilities that it had in life. The creature follows your verbal commands until you use a one-hour or longer recovery, after which it becomes an inert corpse. Unless the creature is killed by damage, you can reanimate it again when its time expires, but any damage it had when it became inert applies to its newly reanimated state.

If you use Basic Necromancy to animate a second body, any body you've already animated with this ability becomes an inert corpse again.

Action to animate.

Drain Life (1+ Intellect): You send forth an ashy tendril reaching up to short range, inflicting 2 damage to a living target with a successful Intellect attack roll. You benefit from their drained life, healing a minor wound from yourself or an ally within immediate range. Action.

At tier 3: If you apply two levels of Effort, a successful attack inflicts 5 damage and heals a moderate or minor wound from yourself or an ally within immediate range.

Tribulation (1+ Intellect): You conjure pure spiritual energy to blast up to five undead, demons, and creatures of similar ilk of level 2 or less within short range. If you succeed on a separate Intellect attack against each foe, you choose whether they spend their next turn fleeing or lose their next turn.

Effort: Increase the maximum level of the foe you can affect by 1. Specify some other action for the creatures to perform for one round, such as attacking a foe of your choice.

Last action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A quarterstaff, appropriate clothing, a book of necrotic lore, a backpack, a bedroll, incense (10 sticks), matchsticks (10), a lantern, three days of rations and water, three flasks of oil, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

By the power granted to you through righteous divine will, you protect and heal the innocent, drive out and destroy the servants of evil, and strive to live up to your oaths of honor and service. As witnessed before your god, you stand for justice and against the forces of corruption---usually delivered by the holy power you channel through your weapon.

You're among the first in your group to face your foes, seemingly fearless. You're most effective in situations where your presence can draw the attention of your foes away from your allies, especially as your gods-given power can serve as a proactive defense.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Combat Prowess: You add +1 damage to one type of weapon attack of your choice: melee weapon attacks or ranged weapon attacks.

Holy Succor (1+ Intellect): While an ally
within immediate range of you has at least three moderate wounds or at least one
major wound, you can extend your divine grace, granting them one free level of Effort they can apply each round to an attack or defense roll. The divine grace they are afforded lasts until the wounds are healed or they use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

Each time you use Holy Succor, the Intellect cost increases by 1. The cost returns to 1 after you take a recovery.

Enabler.

Sacred Smite (2 Intellect): Choose one creature you can see that you want to be punished for their transgressions. Until you attack a different creature, your attacks against that creature deal +1 damage from divine energy coursing through your melee or ranged weapon. If the target is an undead creature, a demon, or of similar ilk as designated by your GM, you choose whether your successful attack inflicts +2 damage or your foe must flee from you for one turn. Enabler.

At tier 3: The bonus damage against undead, demons, and similar ilk increases to +3.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A greatsword, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a holy symbol or portable shrine depicting the higher power you serve, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You're adept at traveling through perilous places. Hard experience has taught you that trust is something to be offered only rarely, and even then, might have to be traded for enmity. You know how to think like, track, and, if need be, bring down your prey, whether your quarry is wild game or someone you've determined must be hunted.

Your ability to navigate is important in any group where travel to distant unknown regions and/or through mazelike tunnels under the earth happens with any sort of regularity. Your skill in finding the right path makes you invaluable anytime your group needs to track a foe who's fled the scene and, once found, quickly dispatch them.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Tracker: You are trained in tracking.

At tier 6: You can become an expert in tracking if you are already specialized, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

Find the Way: When you are tracking a creature, have gotten lost, don't know the first step to take to begin a journey, or are attempting to choose between two or more routes to take, you can ask your GM one question about the task and get a very short, helpful answer. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until after your next recovery. Action.

Quarry (2 Intellect): Choose one creature you can see to be your quarry. You gain an asset on all tasks involving following, understanding, interacting with, attacking, or defending against your quarry. Your attacks against your quarry deal +1 damage. This benefit encompasses hunting-related tasks, if appropriate, such as skinning, dressing, the best way to prepare and preserve any resulting game meat, and so on. You can have only one quarry at a time. Action.

At tier 3: You can have two quarries at a time.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword or bow (plus a quiver of 12 arrows), appropriate clothing, a compass, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a wineskin (full), three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You're crafty; some might even say shady. That's because you survive risky endeavors with stealth, skill, and the grace that comes with quick reflexes. You size up the vulnerabilities of others with a glance, and when it's in your best interest, exploit opportunities to their fullest. What you lack in brawn you more than make up for in guile, furtiveness, and maybe a little bit of luck.

You prefer letting someone else in your group charge head-first into conflict, allowing you to slip past unnoticed, possibly so you can stick a dagger in an enemy's back. When danger isn't imminent, you're among the best suited to carefully examine a new location and, if necessary, remediate traps and unlock vaults.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Detect Traps (2+ Speed or Intellect): When you roll to find a trap and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) You retain your increased trap sensitivity until you use a ten‑minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3.

Action.

At tier 3: The minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12.

Expert Sneak: You are trained in stealth.

At tier 6: You can become an expert in stealth if you are already specialized, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

Sneak Attack (1 Speed): If you use a light weapon to attack a foe under one of the following conditions, your attack inflicts +5 damage. (This ability doesn't work with medium or heavy weapons.)

First action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

Two daggers, appropriate clothing, a bag of light tools (including lockpicks), a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a hand mirror, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

As a swords & sorcery player, expect a somewhat rawer "low fantasy" feel to the game. You and your fellow PCs are probably some variety of warrior, and magic ("sorcery") is usually a corrupting force generally in the hands of NPCs, especially sinister villains---it's more of a threat than a reliable tool for heroes. If you do choose to explore magic, you can expect it to take longer to pull off and for its effects to be less overt.

You'll face the aforementioned evil sorcerers and dark cults made up mostly of other humans, but with the occasional monstrous creature and sorcery-summoned demon thrown in. In a swords & sorcery adventure, you may have to rely more on yourself than on the goodwill of gods (who are mostly immoral, with little regard for humans). Rewards can include treasures like those found in dungeon fantasy games, but often include the simple satisfaction of saving the day and perhaps the adoration of those you liberated.

If you've read or watched Conan novels or movies or are familiar with Elric of Melniboné, you have a sense of the swords & sorcery genre.

Swords & sorcery is a heroic genre reflected not only in the kinds of adventures your character will experience, but also in how magic in the hands of your character is more difficult to wield; however, your ability to recover from wounds is equal to or better than characters in any other genre. Your character's ability to withstand wounds directly reinforces the theme that individual toughness and resilience, rather than powerful spells, are your best weapons against dark forces.

Core Character: Begin with your core character and then select a type.

Skills: Refer to the Fantasy Skills list for skills you can choose from when creating and advancing your character. Your choice of background skill, and possibly the extra skill you might get if you also choose a meaningful inability, also come from the same list of genre skills.

Character Species: Swords & sorcery settings usually feature mostly Humans in the role of heroes.

Foci: The list of suggested swords & sorcery foci is more restricted than the larger list of dungeon fantasy foci given that "low fantasy" settings are ones where magic is typically less pervasive. Perhaps other foci are also available in your game, but possibly only after your character has somehow proven themselves or unlocked a more overtly magical possibility through gameplay.

Suggested Foci for a Swords & Sorcery Game

Controls Beasts

Doesn't Do Much

Entertains

Explores

Fights Dirty

Fights Unarmed

Fights With Panache

Howls at the Moon

Hunts

Infiltrates

Leads

Masters Weaponry

Moves Like the Wind

Never Says Die

Performs Feats of Strength

Sneaks Through the Shadows

Tends to the Wounded

Equipment: In addition to one set of clothing, you get to choose items from the Fantasy Equipment table; you start with six inexpensive items, five moderately priced items, one expensive item, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item. Instead of picking your own equipment, you can just choose the equipment bundle described in your character type, which has items already picked out for you.

Manifest Cyphers: These cyphers are usually in the form of herbs, charms, and tattoos.

Wound Treatment: Treatment to remove a wound in a swords & sorcery setting takes one minute for a minor wound, ten minutes for a moderate wound, and one hour for a major wound.

Currency: The currency underlying price categories in a swords & sorcery setting usually features coinages minted from various valuable metals, including silver, copper, and gold.

Background Options: Each type includes suggestions for your character's background. Choose one or create your own.

Genre Abilities for Your Fantasy Character: At tier 3, your fantasy character gains a mid-tier ability from the list of Fantasy Genre Abilities at the end of this section, and at tier 6 you gain a high-tier ability from the same list. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier ability. See that section for additional stipulations that might affect your fantasy genre ability choice.

Archer

Axe Fighter

Barbarian (from dungeon fantasy)

Knife Fighter

Priest

Sorcerer

Sword Fighter

Thief

Two-Weapon Fighter

Witch

You're a War Arrow, a Hawkeye, a Death Whisper---or, as they sometimes call those like you, an Archer. You down your foes from afar with whistling bolts, one shot after another, before they have a chance to close. Even when foes bite, hew, and curse you in turn, your steady hand and long experience wielding a bow in combat allow your aim to remain true.

You excel at ranged support for your allies, or sometimes downing foes from afar before hostilities have a chance to truly begin. You're also adept at watching over an area for your next target, protecting others in your band with the threat of your nocked arrow.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Overwatch (2 Speed): You use a ranged weapon to target a limited area (such as a doorway, a hallway, or the eastern side of the clearing you're in); as soon as a viable target enters the area, you can attack them. This works like delaying, but you also negate any benefit the target would have from cover, position, surprise, range, illumination, or visibility. Your attack inflicts +1 damage. You can remain on overwatch as long as you wish, within reason. Alternatively, you can use this ability against a target already in the limited area on your turn. Action.

Quick Draw (2 Speed): Once per turn if you take down a foe with your medium or heavy ranged attack, you can immediately make another attack on that same turn against a new foe within short range as an extra action on your turn. Enabler.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A bow and quiver of 24 arrows, appropriate clothing, a bag of light tools (which include tools for fletching arrows and extra bowstrings), a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a tent, a hand mirror, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

When combat calls, your chosen weapon is a sturdy axe---maybe a handaxe, a battleaxe, or even a greataxe. Thus, they name you Deathhew, Axe Reaver, or maybe just what you are: an Axe Fighter. You've split many skulls with your axe, and if the gods continue to watch over you, many more will fall before you in the years ahead.

Like others in your band, you're ready for combat. You don't mind if an ally gets in the first blow against cursed creatures you often face, because you know you're more than capable of finishing the job with a final, sundering swing of your blade.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Axe Hook (1 Might): This is an axe attack that relies on your axe's "beard" (the portion of the blade directly below the axe's cutting edge) to hook a target's weapon or shield. A successful attack deals 2 less damage than normal but causes them to drop one or the other. To retrieve their weapon or shield, the target must use an action.

Alternatively, you can hook a limb to pull your target off balance. This attack deals 1 less damage than normal but hinders your target's tasks until your next turn.

Action.

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Split Skull (1 Might): You attack with an axe in a way that has a greater risk of making an error but gains an additional benefit. Your GM intrusion range for this attack increases by 2 (from 1 on a d20 to 1--3 on a d20), but if you hit you can choose one of the following additional effects:

Brute Force: The foe takes +2 damage.

Head Trauma: The attack inflicts 1 less damage, but the foe's actions are hindered until they use an action to recover.

Action.

Split Skull GM intrusions: Your axe flies out of your hand, landing a short distance away. Your axe head becomes stuck in the foe and pulls free of your grasp. Your axe haft splinters or breaks, making it unusable until repaired. Your axe ricochets and you inflict a moderate wound on yourself.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A greataxe and a handaxe, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a signal horn, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

The stats for a swords & sorcery Barbarian are the same as those for a dungeon fantasy Barbarian.

Adversaries (especially those who are sword trained) often underestimate someone armed only with daggers. If they challenge you, they learn their error when you flick a knife into their eye before they can even draw their oversized weapons. Maybe you prefer to be called a Quicksteel or a Shank, like some of your fellow students of the dagger, but in the end, Knife Fighter describes what you are as expeditiously as a knife thrust.

You're probably one more combatant in your group, though your ability to be among the first in a conflict to draw blood gives your comrades cover as they make their own attacks. It's especially useful if you can pin a foe to the wall or floor for a moment, because that could signal to your allies who they should attack next.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Gut Ripper (1 Speed): You attack with a knife in a way that has a greater risk of making an error but gains an additional benefit. Your GM intrusion range for this attack increases by 2 (from 1 on a d20 to 1--3 on a d20), but if you hit you can choose one of the following additional effects:

Deep Slice: The foe takes +2 damage.

Let Them Bleed: The wound bleeds; on your next turn, the foe takes 2 damage that ignores armor.

Action.

Gut Ripper GM intrusions: Your knife gets stuck in your foe and slips from your grasp. Instead of hurting your foe, you accidentally inflict a minor wound on yourself. Your knife sheath is empty and you can't complete the attack.

Hindering Throw (3 Speed): Your successful ranged knife attack sticks in the target, catching in their clothing, their flesh, the floor, or another adjacent surface in a way that deals normal damage and hinders their tasks on their next turn.

Action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

Five daggers, appropriate clothing, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a knife belt, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You propitiate the dark ones, ancient entities, or possibly a very real and present god who will punish you if you fail to continue singing their praises and offering sacrifices. But in return for your worship and idolatry, you can call upon their antediluvian aid, allowing you to manifest inexplicable powers to heal, enhance, cleanse, or punish.

Your allies count on you to interpret strange dreams, identify lost gods and their works, heal and ward them against malign influences, and, when it matters most, step into a fight with your magic or weapon. You've journeyed long and far enough to know that the capacity to strike a foe down with an axe or sword is just as much a blessing as magic, as long as thanks are given afterward.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Cypher Use: You can bear one additional cypher at a time.

Idol (3+ Intellect): At the conclusion of a ten-minute
ritual, you create an idol that persists until its magic is exhausted. The idol could be a symbol etched in stone, a figurine woven from twigs, a small carving, or something similar. The idol must be set on a solid surface with a nod toward being protected from the elements, such as being set in a tree hollow, at the base of a wall, or inside a structure.

The idol's holy connection to the ineffable provides your choice of one of the following fixed benefits. Whoever prays to the idol as their action gains this benefit whether you are present or not. The idol has a depletion of 1--2 in 1d6; roll each time it grants its benefit to someone.

Bestial Fury: The supplicant is infused with a latent spirit of bestial fury. The fury activates when the supplicant loses their temper or they choose to rouse it as an extra action on their turn.

When the fury emerges, the character visibly changes into a swollen, rage-filled version of themselves. While furious, they can't spend Intellect points for any reason other than to try to regain their composure. They attack any and every living creature within short range, rolling twice for each attack and taking the better result. The fury lasts until they use a ten-minute or longer recovery or they use an action to succeed on a difficulty 2 Intellect task. When the supplicant reverts to normal, the physical toll of the change deals two moderate wounds. (A furious NPC supplicant is effectively one level higher and takes 6 damage when the fury ends.)

Healing: The severity of one of the supplicant's wounds is reduced by one step.

Spiritual Cleanse: The supplicant is freed from one curse, demonic possession, or similar spiritual affliction of level 5 or less.

Effort: You can carry the idol with you.

Ten minutes to initiate.

Retribution (1 Intellect): You call forth the powers of a deity to assail a foe within short range that you can see. If your Intellect attack hits, the target takes
3 damage; they are also marked with an obvious sign
relating to that deity until you take a ten-minute or longer recovery. For example, if you call for the retribution of Thesk the Serpent Lord, the attack looks like ephemeral snakes twining around and biting your foe, and they are marked on their forehead or another obvious location with glowing fangs or a snake's head.

Last action.

At tier 3: The retribution increases to 5 damage.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A battleaxe, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a book of prayers, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You're one of the rare few. You have the aptitude, inborn talent, and capacity to confer with dark entities without losing your mind, allowing you to unlock and command magic. Most people gaze upon you with fear when they realize your abilities are not mere pageantry, but instead the secrets of a forgotten age reborn in you. When you open your inner eye, your mind expands, allowing you to see the unseen, bend others to your will, and lash their minds directly.

Your magic is useful in a fight, especially since you don't need to physically strike your foes to harm or sway them; however, you lean on others in your group to provide physical security lest you be overrun by mere force before you have a chance to shine. Outside a conflict, your deeper knowledge of ancient, sorcerous lore may spell the difference between a successful foray and an early grave.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Cypher Use: You can bear one additional cypher at a time.

Open Inner Eye (2+ Intellect plus 1 minor wound): After a ten-minute ritual that concludes by you or an ally puncturing your forehead with a blade (inflicting a minor wound), you can peer into the spiritual realm until you use a ten-hour recovery. While your inner eye is open, your perception tasks in physical reality are hindered, but you gain additional abilities.

While your inner eye is open, you can use any of the following abilities, paying the Pool point cost for each use.

Effort: Until your next turn you can pinpoint those presences in physical space.

Action.

Ten minutes to activate (one minute to activate at tier 3 and higher).

At tier 3: The time you need to activate the ritual is reduced to one minute and your perception tasks in the real world are no longer hindered.

Most types give you three abilities. Sorcerer only gives you two, but Cypher Use gives you additional options and Open Inner Eye is like three abilities wrapped in one.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A dagger, appropriate clothing, a book of lore, a backpack, a bedroll, incense (ten sticks), matchsticks (ten), a magnifying glass, three torches, two flasks of oil, rations and water for three days, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

In some lands, you're known as a Swordsworn, a Steelhand, or a Blade Master. You don't care about a showy name---you just prefer to fight with a sword. You've fought with your sword for thousands of hours while training, in war, on expeditions, and during desperate battles in forgotten places of the world. Maybe you fight as a mercenary, for yourself, or as part of a group of adventurers. As long as you've got your sword, nothing can withstand you.

You are up for a fight anytime, even when startled directly from sleep. Sword held high, you're ready to protect your allies, even if that means drawing your foes' attention. So be it; they'll meet you at your sword's edge.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Combat Prowess: You add +1 damage to one type of weapon attack of your choice: melee weapon attacks or ranged weapon attacks.

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Swing Through (1 Speed): You attack with a sword in a way that has a greater risk of making an error but gains an additional benefit. Your GM intrusion range for this attack increases by 2 (from 1 on a d20 to 1--3 on a d20), but if you hit you can choose one of the following additional effects:

Eat Steel: The foe takes +2 damage.

Slice and Step: You reposition your foe or yourself an immediate distance away, easing your attack on your next turn (whether against that foe or a different one).

Action.

Swing Through GM intrusions: Your sword chips or bends, reducing its damage by 1 until repaired. Your sword goes flying, landing a short distance away. Your foe deflects your attack, and you inflict a moderate wound on yourself.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a crowbar, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You'll cop to Thief, but you're also a finagler, a swindler, and someone able to perform tricks that go beyond mere sleight of hand (or so you tell everyone). More importantly, you're deadly with a blade when your tricks go wrong, but especially if you gain the drop on someone. You're no hulking warrior---rather, your feline grace allows you to slip into and out of danger with nary a scratch. The same can't be said of your foes.

You prefer to let others in your band jump headlong into a fight, allowing you to bypass the threat altogether, or perhaps deliver a decisive blow from behind. You're a natural when it comes to checking out new areas, disarming traps, and cracking open secure containers.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Detect Traps (2+ Speed or Intellect): When you roll to find a trap and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) You retain your increased trap sensitivity until you use a ten‑minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3.

Action.

At tier 3: The minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12.

Ferocious When Cornered: While you have at least three minor wounds, at least two moderate wounds, or at least one major wound, you gain one free level of Effort you can apply to one of your attacks each round. Enabler.

At tier 3: The benefit increases to two free levels of Effort.

Sneak Attack (1 Speed): If you use a light weapon to attack a foe under one of the following conditions, your attack inflicts +5 damage. (This ability doesn't work with medium or heavy weapons.)

First action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A rapier, appropriate clothing, a bag of light tools (including lockpicks), a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, an oilcan for quieting squeaky hinges, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

In some lands they call you a Twin Fang; in others, a Blade Dancer. These and other names illustrate your fighting style. A weapon clutched in each hand, you crash into your foes, attacking as if two people in one body. You deal out death to monsters of the wild lands and dark places, enemies, and whoever chooses to match themselves against you. So far, you've been the victor.

Your weaponplay is among the most conspicuous in your group, so foes may be drawn to you over the other warriors in your band. That's how you like it. You're a bit more specialized than they are, but that sacrifice in versatility means you're doubly armed and ready to meet whatever the fates throw your way.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Dual Wield: You can use two light melee weapons at the same time or one light melee weapon and one medium melee weapon at the same time. You can make an attack with either one as your action, then attack with the other weapon as an extra action on your turn. Enabler.

At tier 3: You can choose to use two medium melee weapons at the same time.

When using Dual Wield to attack twice on your turn, you can't use a First action to attack with a light melee weapon and then attack again with your other weapon as an action; instead, your two actions take place in regular initiative order.

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Weapon Switch: As an extra action on your turn, you change which weapons you're holding in each hand. This might entail swapping your left and right weapons, sheathing them and drawing new ones, flipping and catching one or both of them, dropping one to switch to a two-handed grip, or something similar. This maneuver is so startling, unexpected, and impressive that your next attack is eased by two steps. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until after your next recovery. Enabler.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword, a saber, a dagger, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

You are a master of potions, using herbs, minerals, and even bits and pieces such as frog eyes and dragon scales as your metaphorical canvas and paint. When you work with these materials to brew potions, you imagine and create new substances imbued with wondrous and magical effects. But your magical talents extend beyond potioncraft---you can call down curses on your foes with very real effects and, depending on your choices as you continue to study and explore, eventually learn all manner of other spells.

You are one of the most versatile members of your group, given that you can brew a potion for almost any need---healing, hiding, empowering, or straight-up blasting. When facing conflict, you prefer to let others take the brunt, but you're not inexperienced when it comes to weapons, and can give as good as you get if the need arises.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Brew Potion: You brew a potion. You can choose its effect from the Low-Power Manifest Cyphers table. Your brewed potion cypher counts toward your cypher limit (or to the limit of anyone you give the potion to), plus the allowance granted by Potion Cyphers. If you are already at your cypher limit, your choice of one of your current cyphers loses its magic so you can have the new potion cypher.

Ten minutes to brew.

At tier 3: You can choose a low or medium‑power manifest cypher as your brewed potion.

At tier 6: You can choose a low, medium-, or advanced-power manifest cypher as your brewed potion.

Evil Eye (1+ Intellect): You make the sign of the evil eye, targeting a creature within short range with your Intellect attack. On a success, they are afflicted by a spirit of misfortune until you use a one-hour recovery. During this period, the GM afflicts them by introducing (or intruding, if against a PC) inconvenient events such as tripping, losing an item, missing an appointment, and so on.

Effort: Increase the misfortune duration so it lasts until you use a ten-hour recovery. Inflict
2 Intellect damage per level of Effort on a 
successful attack (in addition to the misfortune aspect of the ability).

Last action.

At tier 3: You can use two levels of Effort to make the misfortune permanent; it is a level 4 curse for the purpose of abilities that remove afflictions.

Potion Cyphers: You can bear two additional cyphers at a time as long as they are cyphers you created with Brew Potion.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A quarterstaff, a dagger, appropriate clothing, a bag of light tools (including basic potion ingredients and brewing tools), a backpack, a bedroll, a book of lore, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

In an epic fantasy game, you can expect a grand scale and a sweeping narrative that propels your (perhaps unlikely) character into a wider world where the struggle between good and evil is undecided. Prophecy, destiny, and ancient evils are common themes. The initial threats you face may seem more mundane, though still dangerous enough to toughen and prepare you and your comrades for what lies ahead: epic final struggles, potentially pitting you against shadow kings, dragons, evil gods, and/or demon lords.

If you've read or watched any Lord of the Rings novels or movies, or are familiar with various stories, myths, and movies regarding King Arthur, you already have some familiarity with epic fantasy.

Epic fantasy is a genre demonstrated not only by the narratives explored, but also by how magic in the hands of characters tends to be slower to access but, when fully realized, more powerful. On the other hand, healing can take longer than in typical dungeon fantasy, which also helps tell a tale of the genre. Your character can take severe wounds and survive, but maybe only after getting direct and prolonged attention from a healer.

Core Character: Begin with your core character and then select a type.

Skills: Refer to the Fantasy Skills list for skills you can choose from when creating and advancing your character. Your choice of background skill, and possibly the extra skill you might get if you also choose a meaningful inability, also come from the same list of genre skills.

Character Species: Epic fantasy settings often feature Humans but could also include additional fantasy species.

Epic Fantasy Character Species Options

Dwarf

Elf

Halfling

Human

Orc

Foci: The suggested foci for an epic fantasy setting lie somewhere between the wide-open options of a dungeon fantasy and the severely magic-restricted choices of a swords & sorcery game. Viable prospects for your character include magical foci, but not some of the most extreme options.

Suggested Foci for an Epic Fantasy Game

Casts Spells

Consorts With the Dead

Controls Beasts

Crafts Illusions

Doesn't Do Much

Entertains

Explores

Fights Dirty

Fights Unarmed

Fights With Panache

Howls at the Moon

Hunts

Infiltrates

Leads

Masters Weaponry

Moves Like the Wind

Never Says Die

Performs Feats of Strength

Quells Evil

Reveres a Supernatural Force

Sneaks Through the Shadows

Speaks for the Land

Strikes With Mystic Might

Tends to the Wounded

Equipment: In addition to one set of clothing, you get to choose items from the Fantasy Equipment table; you start with six inexpensive items, five moderately priced items, one expensive item, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item. Instead of picking your own equipment, you can just choose the equipment bundle described in your character type, which has items already picked out for you.

Manifest Cyphers: Manifest cyphers are rare in this setting because magic is rare, profound, and powerful, not fleeting or easily used.

Wound Treatment: Treatment to remove a wound in an epic fantasy setting takes ten minutes for a minor wound, one hour for a moderate wound, and one week for a major wound.

Currency: The currency underlying price categories in an epic fantasy setting is usually silver and copper coins. Coins of other metals (gold, chiefly) exist but are not in common circulation.

Background Options: Each type includes suggestions for your character's background. Choose one or create your own.

Genre Abilities for Your Fantasy Character: At tier 3, your fantasy character gains a mid-tier ability from the list of Fantasy Genre Abilities at the end of this section, and at tier 6 you gain a high-tier ability from the same list. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier ability. See that section for additional stipulations that might affect your fantasy genre ability choice.

Archer (from swords & sorcery)

Burglar

Noble Warrior

Swashbuckler

Warrior

Wizard

The stats for an epic fantasy Archer are the same as those for an Archer making their way through a swords & sorcery setting.

Who would've thought that you'd one day be capably sneaking through goblin warrens and escaping dragons? Certainly not you. But necessity is the best teacher, and you've learned that shadows are your friends when you need somewhere to hide, sneaking is more than its own reward if you need to accomplish something quickly when no one's watching, and escaping a foe is almost always the right choice, even if it's so you can circle around and attack them by surprise.

You prefer letting someone else in your group begin conflicts, allowing you to slip past unnoticed, possibly so you can avoid the combat altogether. When danger isn't imminent, you're among the best suited to carefully examine a new location and, when possible, steal whatever isn't spiked down.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Burgle (2 Speed): When you succeed on a stealth task, you can also undertake one of the following tasks as an extra action on your turn, even if the task is usually a Last action: attempt to pick a lock, grab a loose object up to a fifth of your size and conceal it on your person, move up to a long distance, or attack a target in immediate range with a light weapon. Enabler.

Escape (2+ Speed): When you roll to escape (such as slipping your restraints, squeezing through the bars, breaking the grip of a creature holding you, or pulling free from sucking quicksand) and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) Action.

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3.

At tier 3: The minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12.

Slip Into Shadow: Even if in full view of a creature, your successful stealth task allows you to slip away from that creature and hide from view in a nearby shadow, behind a tree or furnishing, or in the next room as your action.

Effort: Attempt to slip away from one additional target looking directly at you (attempt a separate stealth task against each).

Enabler.

At tier 3: You can attempt to hide from two additional creatures, whether or not you use Effort.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

Two daggers, appropriate clothing, a bag of light tools (including lockpicks), a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a pipe and tobacco pouch, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

A life well-lived, you believe, is a life in service to others. Should glory and elevated status one day find you, you're confident you'll use that office to bring peace and aid to all who are in need of a protector. Until then, you're satisfied defending one ally at a time, pledging your weapon to their defense if their need be true.

You're excellent in a fight but equally concerned with aiding your allies. You have on several previous occasions even interceded, taking an attack that would've otherwise brought one of your fellows low. You're also adept at using the confusion such a sacrifice elicits in foes, returning the favor with the edge of your swift blade.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Noble Defender (2 Might or Speed): Choose one character you can see. That character comes under your protection. You gain an asset on all tasks involving finding, healing, interacting with, and protecting them. When you use the help action to aid their block or dodge, you give them two assets instead of one. You can use the help action to aid their Intellect defense (including direct attacks like fear and mind control and subtle influences like charm and intimidation) and give them two assets when you do so. You can only protect one character at a time.

First action.

At tier 3: Two characters at a time can be under your protection.

Noble Sacrifice (2 Might or Speed): When you take the attack meant for another character, you gain a benefit for your selflessness. The attack automatically hits you and inflicts its normal damage (plus the additional minor wound for taking the attack). You can immediately retaliate with an attack against a foe within range. If you took the attack for a person you are protecting with Noble Defender, this attack is eased. Enabler.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword, appropriate clothing plus an extra set of refined clothing, chainmail armor, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a field journal (including pen and ink), three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

Your skill, daring, and flamboyant style outshine most others. When battle beckons, you rely on agile swordplay rather than brute force. You're not afraid to leap onto tables, slide down bannisters, and otherwise gamble on using the environment to your advantage. That same reckless confidence imbues your dashing grin, your witty banter, and your almost-theatrical charisma, allowing you to charm and beguile as you please.

Among those in your company, you're probably one of the most ostentatious. If a fight is in the offing, foes are likely to focus on you for as long as you wish, thereby providing your allies a measure of protection. Of course, your fencing skills are amazing, so that's no sacrifice on your part. In fact, combat is just another stage on which you can show off your style and wit, aiding in your efforts to negotiate or woo.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Attack Flourish: When you attack, you add stylish moves, entertaining quips, or a certain something that entertains or impresses others. One creature you choose within short range who can see you gains an asset to their next task if taken within a round or two. Enabler.

Flamboyant Swordplay (1 Speed): You attack in a way that has a greater risk of making an error but gains an additional benefit. Your GM intrusion range for this attack increases by 2 (from 1 on a d20 to 1--3 on a d20), but if you hit you can choose one of the following additional effects:

Daring Lunge: The foe takes +2 damage.

Disarming Agility: The attack inflicts 1 less damage, but your foe drops something they are holding in one hand (such as a weapon or shield). To retrieve the dropped item, the foe must use an action.

Action.

Flamboyant Swordplay GM intrusions: Your foe's disarmed object strikes your ally for a minor wound. The tip of your weapon gets embedded in the floor or wall, requiring an action to free it. The attack impact jars you, hindering tasks with that hand until you use an action to shake it off.

A few abilities in this book include suggested GM intrusions because you're more likely to trigger an intrusion when using those abilities, and having some options here makes it easier for the GM.

Romantic Flair (2+ Intellect): Your accompanying exuberant charm, bold confidence, perfectly timed bow, or suggestive wink means if your roll to charm or impress is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.)

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3.

Action.

At tier 3: The minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A rapier, flamboyant clothing (for example, a ruffled shirt, a feathered hat, a long cape, ornate boots, fine gloves, and an elaborate belt, often vibrant in color), a backpack, a bedroll, a hand mirror, a writing set (quill, ink, and parchment paper), gaming dice, five candles, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

Strength. That's what you have. The familiar, comforting ache in your muscles is the echo of countless training bouts and bloody skirmishes. You have made yourself into someone that stories are told about; you are a Warrior of the realm, a slayer of those who would bring it down, and someone who would do anything to achieve your goals.

Strong and tough, you're usually among the first in your company to bring weapons to bear. Doing so means those with less strength of arms will survive to fight another day. Of course, you'd probably fight regardless; for you, it's as much about projecting power and building a legacy.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Combat Prowess: You add +1 damage to one type of weapon attack of your choice: melee weapon attacks or ranged weapon attacks.

Despite My Wounds: While you have two or more moderate wounds or one major wound, you get a free reroll on one action each round (as if you had spent 1 XP). Enabler.

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2: You can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally (such as from a character advancement).

At tier 6: You can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A sword, appropriate clothing, chainmail armor, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, spikes (six) and a hammer, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

Your conjured lightning, flashing displays, and wizardly spells are just part of what makes you a wizard. With your wisdom and knowledge, you have the opportunity to guide others to a larger goal, to learn ancient secrets, discover new truths, and maybe even become a major figure as history unfolds.

You may see your role as the voice of wisdom and reason in your company. More tactically, your spells aren't as quick as a flashing sword or swift-flying arrow, so you appreciate others in your fellowship who have the physical presence to keep aggressors away from you a few extra moments while you prepare one of your magical effects. And anytime enemy magic is found, you have the best chance to deal with and perhaps even counter it.

You gain all of the following benefits:

Lightning Bolt (1 Intellect): You unleash a bolt of lightning at a target within long range, inflicting 6 damage with a successful attack roll. Alternatively, work with your GM if you want your bolt to be composed of a different kind of energy or use the same energy type as that suggested by your focus. For instance, if your focus is Blazes With Fire, this ability could produce a ray of fire and be called Fiery Bolt. Last action.

At tier 3: The bolt branches and also attacks a second target in short range of the first target (make separate attack rolls for each).

Prepare Spell: Each day you can pick a different magical effect and cast it as a spell. Choose a low-power manifest cypher. After spending ten minutes preparing, you gain that cypher's effect as a spell (a character special ability). You can cast that spell as an action, costing 2 Intellect. This spell does not count toward your cypher limit. Unlike when using a cypher, you do not lose this spell after casting it.

As part of making a ten-hour recovery, you can change which cypher you've taken as a spell. Changing which cypher you have prepared as a spell ends all of your durations of the previous prepared spell.

You can select this ability up to three times (as a character advancement or in place of a new focus ability), allowing you to choose one, two, or three cyphers each day as spells.

Ten minutes to prepare a cypher as a spell; action to cast a cypher as a spell.

At tier 3: You can use this ability to choose a low- or medium-power cypher as a spell. You can cast a medium-power cypher spell as an action, costing 4 Intellect.

At tier 6: You can use this ability to choose a low-, mid-, or advanced-power cypher as a spell. You can cast an advanced-power cypher spell as an action, costing 6 Intellect.

Wizard's Cunning (2 Intellect): When you succeed on an Intellect roll for magic lore against a difficulty set by your GM, you identify and understand the purpose of something magical within short range (if any). In addition, you can attempt to immediately dispel one magical effect (such as an effect created by a character, creature, or item) within the same area by succeeding on another magic lore task against its level.

Alternatively, you can attempt to create a small magical effect within short range. The effect might be to create a firework-like display of light and sound, permanently change the color or basic appearance of a small mundane object, cause small objects to float through the air, ask a moth or other small creature to carry a message for you, mend a broken object, urge a little more alacrity from a mount (lasting until you use a one-hour or longer recovery), and so on. Using this ability offensively is possible with some ingenuity, but it can't inflict more than 1 or 2 damage.

Last action.

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A quarterstaff, appropriate clothing, a spellbook (which also serves as a field journal for taking arcane notes), pen and ink, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, matchsticks (ten), a pipe and tobacco pouch, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.

At tier 3, your fantasy character gains a mid-tier genre ability from those described below, and at tier 6 you gain a high-tier genre ability. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier ability.

However, the following stipulations apply:

A Bit of Magic (Magic): Each day you can pick a different magical effect and cast it as a spell. Choose a low-power or medium-power manifest cypher. You can cast that spell as an action, costing 3 Intellect for a low-power cypher or 5 Intellect for a medium-power cypher. This spell does not count toward your cypher limit. Unlike when using a cypher, you do not lose this spell after casting it.

As part of making a ten-hour recovery, you can change which cypher you've taken as a spell.

Ten minutes to prepare a cypher as a spell; action to cast a cypher as a spell.

At tier 6: You can use this ability to choose a low-, mid-, or advanced-power cypher as a spell. You can cast an advanced-power cypher spell as an action, costing 7 Intellect.

Cypher Use: You can bear one additional cypher at a time. You can gain this ability multiple times (as a character advancement or in place of a new focus ability). Each time you do, you can bear one additional cypher at a time.

Danger Instinct (3 Speed): If you are attacked by surprise, whether by a creature, a device, or simply an environmental hazard (such as a tree falling on you), you move an immediate distance before the attack occurs. If moving prevents the attack, you are safe. If the attack can still potentially affect you---if the attacking creature can move to keep pace, if the attack fills an area too big to escape, and so on---your defense against it is eased. Enabler.

Disappear Into Shadow: Even if in full view of up to three creatures, your successful stealth task allows you to slip away from them and hide from view in a nearby shadow, behind a tree or furnishing, or in the next room as your action.

Effort: Attempt to slip away from one additional target looking directly at you (attempt a separate stealth task against each).

Enabler.

Discerning Mind (2 Intellect): Your mind resists injury from one mental attack, psychic trauma, or similar effect, reducing its wound severity by one step (major to moderate, moderate to minor, minor to none). Enabler.

Elemental Protection (4+ Intellect) (Magic): You and every creature you designate within immediate range gains protection against one kind of energy damage (such as fire, electricity, or cold). The creatures reduce the severity of wounds from that energy by one step (major to moderate, moderate to minor, minor to none). This protection lasts for a creature until they use a one-hour or longer recovery; one individual ending the ability doesn't affect the duration for other creatures.

Effort: Reduce the wound severity by another step.

Action.

Enhanced Stat: You gain 4 points to one Pool of your choice.

Exceptional Follower: You gain a level 3 follower.

From the Shadows: Your successful attack against a creature that was previously unaware of your presence deals +3 damage. Enabler.

Fury (3 Might): Your melee attacks inflict
+2 damage. This ability lasts until you use a
ten-minute or longer recovery. Action.

Pry Open Defense (4 Intellect) (Magic): With a successful Intellect attack, you tear apart the defenses of a creature within long range. Any magic-based defenses they have (such as a warding spell) are negated. If the creature has no magical defenses, its armor is reduced by 2. If it has no magic-based defenses or armor, its defense tasks are hindered. This lasts until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery. Action.

Puncturing Attack: Your attacks ignore 2 points of your opponent's armor.

Snipe (2 Speed): You spend one action aiming at a foe. If you attack that foe on your next turn, your attack is eased, and if you hit you inflict an additional 5 damage. First action.

Strategize (4 Intellect): Having an action plan in place before facing a challenge improves the odds of success, even if that plan is eventually changed or discarded once it's put into play. If you and your allies spend at least ten minutes going over a plan of action and you try to enact the plan before you use a ten-hour recovery, your GM provides a useful piece of information about the situation, either immediately if you've missed something or as it comes up sometime during the execution of the plan. The plan of action must be something concrete and executable in order to gain this benefit. Ten minutes to activate.

Tough: You can take an additional minor wound.

Winning Smile (2+ Intellect): When you roll to charm or influence someone and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) Your increased influence persists until your next
ten-minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3.

Action.

Assassin Strike (5 Speed): If you successfully attack a creature that was previously unaware of your presence, you deal +6 damage. (If you also have From the Shadows, add the extra damage from both abilities.) Enabler.

Concussive Force (7 Intellect) (Magic): You cause a pulse of force to explode out from a point you choose within long range. The pulse extends up to short range in all directions, dealing 5 damage to everything in the area (make separate attack rolls against each). Even if you fail the attack roll against a creature in the area, it still takes 1 damage. Action.

Inspire Action (4 Intellect): If one ally can see and easily understand you, you can instruct that ally to take an action. If the ally chooses to take that exact action, they can do so as an additional action immediately. Doing so doesn't interfere with the ally taking a normal action on their turn. Action.

Invisibility (4+ Intellect) (Magic): You become invisible. This effect ends if you do something to reveal your presence or position---attacking, using an ability, moving a large object, and so on---or you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

An invisible character's attack is eased by two steps. Attacks on an invisible character are hindered by four steps or are nearly impossible if the attacker has no idea where they might be.

An NPC's invisibility lasts until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Use this ability on a creature you touch; that creature becomes invisible (instead of yourself), lasting until they use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

Action.

Jump Attack (5+ Might): You jump up to 4 feet (1 m) into the air and make a melee attack against a foe on the way up or down. If you hit, you inflict damage and can attempt a difficulty 4 Might roll to inflict an additional 4 damage and knock them prone.

Effort: Add 2 feet to the jump height and +2 damage to the attack (whether or not you knock the target prone).

Action.

Magic Portal (6 Intellect) (Magic): You create a tunnel through space that allows transportation to a location within long range. You must be able to see this location or know that it exists (such as beyond a closed door or an open space underground beneath you). This hole in reality is large enough to accommodate you and creatures of your size or smaller. Anything moving into the hole immediately emerges from the other side. The hole remains open until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery. Action.

Mask (5 Intellect) (Magic): You transform your body to become someone else. You can change any physical characteristic you wish, including coloration, height, weight, gender, and distinguishing markings. You can also change the appearance of whatever you are wearing or carrying. Your stats, as well as the stats of your items, do not change. You remain in this form for up to a day or until you use an action to resume your normal appearance. If using this ability as a disguise that comes under direct scrutiny or challenge, your disguise task is eased by three steps. Action.

Resilience: You can take one more moderate wound than normal.

Spellbreaker (4+ Intellect) (Magic): You immediately end one ongoing magical effect (such as an effect created by a character ability, cypher, or magical device) within immediate range if you succeed on an Intellect attack against it. If you target a cypher or magical device and succeed on your Intellect attack, it doesn't function until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Use this ability as an enabler, allowing you to use it in response to an attack when it isn't your turn.

Action (enabler if used defensively).

Spin Attack (5+ Speed): You stand in one place and attack up to five foes, each as an extra action on your turn. All of the attacks have to be the same sort of attack (melee or ranged attacks). Make a separate attack roll for each foe.

Effort: Attack one additional creature with this ability.

Action.

Will of a Leader (9 Intellect): You harden your allies' dedication and capabilities with an inspiring speech that lasts at least a minute. All allies within immediate range (including yourself) add +1 Edge to one stat (chosen by each individual). This lasts until they use a one-hour or longer recovery; one individual ending the ability doesn't affect the duration for other allies. One minute to complete.

In some fantasy games, one might encounter elves, orcs, and similar species. Maybe a player character could even be a member of such a species. The GM may decide to handle them with narrative description (and maybe advice on how to adapt the type and focus you already have) rather than introduce additional mechanics. For example, if you're a dwarf, that might not change your stats or skills---though it may have interesting roleplaying challenges and benefits.

However, the GM might decide to offer species choices that do grant mechanical benefits. In this case, choosing Dwarf as your species would change your stats.

If the GM uses species, they become the fourth element in the sentence "I am an adjective species noun who verbs." For instance, your sentence might be "I am a Jovial Dwarf Barbarian who Never Says Die" or "I am a Charming Human Cleric who Blazes With Fire."

If the GM decides that species with mechanical benefits are appropriate for their game, they may give you the choice to gain one described in this section and/or a species they've created to suit their setting.

Species offer a one-time package of characteristics for your character, much like a descriptor.

Fantasy Species

Dragonfolk

Dwarf

Elf

Gnome

Halfling

Hellborn

Human

Orc

Scaled and descended from dragons, you share a kinship with some of the mightiest creatures that ever winged their way across the world. You might have been born of dragonfolk parents, willingly transformed in a magical ceremony, or chosen by a dragon to be their agent or champion---or you might have no idea why you are the way you are. Some claim you have a great destiny, but whether you believe that is up to you.

You gain the following characteristics:

Work with your GM if you want your dragonfolk character to have a breath weapon. You can easily adapt one of your type or focus abilities, such as Blast, Shroud of Flame, Lightning Hand, or something similar, so the effect is produced from your breath instead of as presented in the ability description.

You're a stocky, broad-shouldered, bearded native of the mountains and hills. You're also as stubborn as the stone in which the dwarves carve their homes under the mountains. Tradition, honor, pride in smithcraft and warcraft, and a keen appreciation of the wealth buried under the roots of the world are all part of your heritage. Those who wish you ill should be wary of your temper. When dwarves are wronged, they never forget.

You gain the following characteristics:

You haunt the woodlands and deep, natural realms, as your people have for millennia. You are the arrow in the night, the shadow in the glade, and the laughter on the wind. As an elf, you are slender, quick, graceful, and long lived. You manage the sorrows of living much longer than most others with song, wine, and an appreciation for the deep beauties of growing things, especially trees, which can live even longer than you do.

You gain the following characteristics:

Half-elves gain either the Elf species characteristics or the Human species characteristics, whichever you decide when creating your half-elf character.

Standing about three and a half feet (100 cm) tall, you are curious and love discovering ways to turn found things into art, tools, or weapons. You might be a sculptor, smith, artist, chef, storyteller, or inventor. Alchemy, magic, and engineering fascinate you. Other beings may see you as a strange mix of a nature-loving elf and a craft-obsessed dwarf, but you and your kind are unique people with a passion for life, exploration, and creation.

You gain the following characteristics:

Three feet (1 m) tall and proud of every inch, you are fond of the comforts of home but itching for a little adventure now and then. Small and quick, you have a way of getting along with everyone. You might have been raised in a halfling village, a mixed community where humans and the small folk work and eat side by side as friends, or a less welcoming environment where your people get things done using deception and criminal activity. You and humans have a lot in common---you're just more compact and efficient about it.

You gain the following characteristics:

Part human and part something from another dimension, you might be the orphan of a supernatural dalliance, the result of a magical ritual gone wrong, a scion of a long-established bloodline, or just someone who spiritually "ingested" the demon that tried to possess you. Some of your kind have horns, tails, and pointed teeth. Others are more subtle or more obvious in their differences---a shadow of a knife edge in their face and a touch that withers normal plants, a little too much fire in their eyes and a scent of ash in the air, a forked tongue, goatlike legs, or the inability to cast a shadow. Work with the GM on your particular hellborn appearance.

You gain the following characteristics:

Work with your GM if you want your hellborn character to have an inherently magical ability related to your alternate-dimensional heritage. You can easily adapt one of your type or focus abilities, such as Seeds of Fury, Sacred Smite, Tribulation, or something similar, so the effect is something you personally manifest instead of as presented in the ability description.

Humans are among the youngest species, and perhaps that's why---when considered as a whole---they're more given to explore, conquer, and expand their communities, even if that means taking from other species or other humans. Individually, humans couldn't be more diverse. Which means you could be under 5 feet (150 cm) tall and barely 100 pounds (45 kg), or well over 6 feet (180 cm) tall and weigh in at 250 pounds (113 kg); have blue eyes or brown, black, green, or some other variation; have no hair, flowing golden locks, amazing dreads, a mohawk, or some other rakish cut; be all about your faith, exploring ancient places, keeping evil at bay, enriching yourself, or some other disposition; and so on. What's definitely true is that you are not afraid to strive for what you want and believe in.

You gain the following characteristics:

If you choose Human as your species, your character sentence "I am an adjective species noun who verbs" gains another element: your second descriptor. For example, your sentence might be "I am a Brash and Rugged Human Fighter who Masters Weaponry."

In a game where everyone's human, using the Human species option may not make sense. Your GM might grant you the option to choose Human as a species only if other species are also part of the game.

Other species are sometimes prejudiced against orcs, viewing them as misbegotten creatures destined to serve as fodder for more powerful evil overlords. Perhaps that's true of some; however, you know orcs are a proud (if aggressive) people with a sense of honor. Though they can be deadly enemies, especially to humans and elves, they have been known to ally with others against a larger threat. Whatever your particular upbringing, you've ventured out into the wider world looking for new opportunities. How much your heritage affects your outlook is up to you---it might color everything, or it might only come up when someone flinches from your visage.

You gain the following characteristics:

Half-orcs gain either the Orc species characteristics or the Human species characteristics, whichever you decide when creating your half-orc character.

If you want more type options than those presented in one fantasy subgenre, you can choose a type from another fantasy subgenre with little to no change to the characters as written. Work with your GM if you want to play a Witch, Priest, or Sorcerer in a dungeon fantasy game---those characters' access to magic is slower than in a dungeon fantasy game and less powerful than in an epic fantasy game. Perhaps your GM will give you access to a version of A Bit of Magic (one that lets you pick only low-power manifest cypher effects) in addition to your regular abilities to make your character more on par with a Mage or Druid, for instance.

It might also be possible to choose types from other genres completely. As usual, you'll want to work with your GM, though you may have to adapt or reskin the type a bit more comprehensibly. For instance, a Scoundrel or Noble from a space opera game might make an interesting fantasy character, but their possessions, background, and general description would obviously require an update.

Most abilities that a Cleric, Mage, Sorcerer, Druid, Wizard, and similar types learn could be described as "spells" or "rituals." In terms of game mechanics, these are identical to abilities from other types; however, calling them spells or rituals gives them a specific narrative feel appropriate to the fantasy genre. For instance, spellcasters might incant strange syllables and/or use accompanying hand gestures when using their spells. Alternatively, they could consult a grimoire; brandish a holy symbol; and/or rely on pack pouches or other containers filled with a variety of odd dusts, scales of strange beasts, or oils of suspicious origin.

Generally speaking, player characters---regardless of their species---can't see in complete darkness. The GM will let you know if they're handling things differently for their game.