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Voyager: Tactics, Version 0.5

T H E T E A M

CREATED, DESIGNED & EDITED BY

SYTOkun

ARTISTS
SYTOkun

MARKETING LEAD
Joey

PLAYTESTERS
SYTOkun
Lettersandpunctuation
Pedalcoma99
Local Kaibi
Mattloki

BALANCING
SYTOkun
Joey
Joe/Twinky

WITH HELP FROM

The artists, writers and contributors of VNTAS Squad and the Switchback Server

Join the Voyager Discord server! (we have emotes)

discord.gg/xvgsE9u7ez

Follow @SYTOkun on Twitter for art and stuff

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Contents [WIP]
INTRODUCTION 006 - 012 III - FACTIONS 111
The Core Idea 11
114
Gameplay Selling Points 12 The Known World
115
Maps of the Known World
117
I - HOW TO PLAY 013 - 044 EXDUS
119
Expectations to Set 14 Aeden
121
Philosophy of Play 15 Cartograph Charter
123
Prologue 16 Shard Banners
125
The Liaison 17 Sol Empire
127
Skills & Action Dice 19 Dust
129
Skills 20 The Eyries
131
Origins 23 Skotos
Exploration 27 Sentinarium
Types of Actions 29 133 - 224
Action Dice & Loadouts 30
Initiative 31 IV - VENTURES 134
MOVE Die 32 135
SAVE Die 33 Ventures Explained 141
HIT Die 34 Heir 145
AIM Die 35 Gamblade 149
CAST Die 36 Jet Corps Trooper 155
Miscellaneous Actions 37 Venator 161
Strategies 38 Armsmaster 165
Techniques 39 Gundrifter 171
Conditions 43 Assassin 175
Progression 45 Field Medic 181
Rest & Downtime 46 Armiger 187
Miscellaneous Concepts 48 Drakenought 193
Danger & Death 49 Wahrsanguis 201
Money & Resources 51 Keybearer 207
Inventory Logist 213
Exsourcer 219
053 - 110 Elemancer
II - YOUR VOYAGER Invoker
54
225
Creating Your Voyager 55
Aedean 57 V - GM TOOLS 229
Shardlander 61
Amerusan 65 INSPIRATIONS
Magoi 69
Xylolith 73
Kaibi 77
Ruaya 81
Orzlaty 85
Síoraí 89
Drachéan 93
Feithean 97
Viemor 101
Kean 105
Variant Traits 109
Languages 111 - 132

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From the Old World...
The rumoured supercolony called Eld aestus was named such by one Dr. Connor Whitebrook, who first
studied the organism. While visiting his hometown of Norwich, England, he had already known of the
existence of the town’s famous White Tree. However, a construction project was intending to clear out the area
and determined themselves to remove it. They tried to use fire in an attempt to burn the stubborn plant, after
digging to chop its roots proved futile.

After pouring gasoline all over and around the tree, even in a ditch dug directly under its roots, Whitebrook
was told that the flames entirely consumed the tree. The locals laughed at the construction crews, who
watched in frustration as the tree didn’t appear to budge. However, after about 40 minutes of continual
burning, the flames directly in contact with the tree began to glow white, as the surrounding flames were
slowly extinguished. The tree then continued to burn in this white flame for the next 3 days. This happened
about 2 weeks before Whitebrook’s arrival.

Whitebrook would go to the site of the tree to investigate. A crowd began to gather around him as he made
known his intent to replicate the burning to confirm it himself, a story all his fellow townspeople swear is true.
Sure enough, after creating a localised fire at the base of the tree, after 31 minutes and 44 seconds, the flame,
in Whitebrook’s words, “appeared to climb the surface of the bark in an unnatural manner, like a spark along
gunpowder or the slow writing of chalk, as if the fire was tracing the surface of the bark in an invisible pattern
- turning yellow, then green, then blue, then a brilliant white within a few seconds.”

“As the flame transformed, it flashed with intense heat as it turned blue, almost burning me, before
turning white. Curious, I placed my hand near the flame, only to sense no heat. Placing a roll of paper in the
flame, the fire danced and swam across the roll of paper without burning it. I decided to place my hand into
the flame, in the presence of my family, friends and lifelong acquaintances. I swear to you, the fire felt cool in
my hands.”

“I beckoned to others to try. Fearful at first, they eventually did, starting with the children. They all felt a
flame, cool to the touch, and continued to burn this way for about 2 hours before disappearing. My mother,
who was religious, said this was an ‘act of God’.”

Whitebrook would go on and share his story, calling it a new species which he named Eld aestus, roughly
translating to “ancient flame”.

- Account of Dr. Connor Whitebrook, dated Anno Domini 2036;

from the Archives of Old World Printings, New Cambridge.

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...to the New.
Order and Chaos. The cycles of Life and Death and the transition from the World into the Beyond; Body to
Spirit. With the Emergence of Eld Aestus, these two opposites became One.

From what we could glean from the oldest possible sources, there was a concept deeply familiar to the Old
World: the Tree of Life; Yggdrasil; Ashvattha; Shajarat al-Khold; Aušros medis - all names from different
cultures embodying or evoking the idea of a World Tree - a cosmic pillar, even sometimes interpreted as a
sacred mountain, such as the fabled Olympus, Sinai and Kailash, that connects the cosmic circles and planes of
universe - the crossroads of all worlds above and below, meeting squarely in the world of the Known - what
our ancestors called Earth.

It is in the nature of humanity to Divide - people from people, chaos into order, essence from ideas; but it is
in the nature of the Tree to Unite. Its branches reach into the realm of gods and spirits; its roots reach down
into the darkness where dragons and shadowed waters course and rage. And who is to know what worlds lie
even beyond these that the Tree has reached, and the worlds beyond that?

A thousand years ago, the Tree manifested itself to the World, and in doing so, destroyed it. Death
flourished, and with none to experience it, Time itself died. Chaos reigned and made all equal within its dark
fold. But from the ashes erupted life, from the ruins emerged survivors who would once again redefine what
the World to come would be: Creation. And so, Time flowed once again. Order cleaved into Chaos, and from its
wound created the colours, names and sensations it yearned to experience.

Between the worlds of Perfect Order and Absolute Chaos... that is where we enter the stage.

Magic, a layered and fanciful word simply meant to define... Change. Through Chaos and Order and every
space in between, it flowed like water through the boughs of the Tree, permeating the air and changing the
New World, just as it did for the Old. Magic flowed within the blossom of every flower, the eruption of every
volcano, the tremble of every storm, the breath of every child, the stroke of every brush, the spoken word of
every thought. The Will of creation manifested into form, which we then manifested with every truth we made
reality. It was always there, but with the Emergence of the Tree, humanity finally understood - if but a little -
the reality of its all-encompassing presence. Of how vast our existence truly was.

This is the Apokálupsis - an Old World term meaning "the Uncovering": the laying bare of all things, both
known and unknown - till once again it is hidden, like a seed in the ground, a body awaiting its rebirth -
time and again until the day all things will be revealed, known and experienced. Thus we, the emergent souls
of this New World, animated into action, given the breath of life and driven to reveal, to know, to experience...
are the Beholders of this Apocalypse.

The Known World is before you, and beyond it is every World that has been and will exist. You cannot grasp
it, nor conquer it, nor even understand it - though you may try. But you will Behold it, like a scholar learns a
book, like a lover finds their beloved, like a person knows their name.

This is the Revelation. We Change what we Behold, and we Behold what we Change. To Live is not to search
out for the Revelation, nor is it to hope for the Revelation to show itself; to Live is the spirit and essence of the
Revelation itself.

Go forth, and good luck, my students. I'll see you again - in another form, another name... in a world to
come, where all dreams become reality, and where all realities become dream again.

- Final Lecture by Prof. Hinenni, Relic Academy, dated A.E. 1033

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 "The Earth as we know it is no longer; but by
our memory it shall remain."

The Emergence - Eld young empires, upstart rulers and powerful

groups want to be the ones to carve its
Aestus borders in stone. But there are those whose
goal is to unite the World and allow these new
Humanity is defined by the stories they tell.
forms of humanity to find and connect with
Tales and accounts of the great and noble
each other, not to divide and subjugate, when
that celebrate these heroes, lifetimes after
we barely even know our own place in relation
they are gone.
to each other, or our place in the world itself.

That was all nearly lost when a great

catastrophe called the Emergence destroyed The Commission -
the Old World. With nothing left but their
memory, the survivors clung to these stories, EXDUS
in hopes that these would empower them to
This led to the formation of EXDUS: a
rejuvenate this New World.
worldwide expeditionary commission, free
from borders or political allegiance. Named
A thousand years ago, Earth was suddenly
after an Old World term meaning "a going
and violently destroyed a massive
out", the commission calls for any skilled
supercolony emerged, uprooting the entire
individual from any walk of life to help map
world with it and piercing the heavens. The
the New World: explore new lands, discover
birth of the World Tree, Eld Aestus, forced a
old relics, mediate conflicts between factions
new world to emerge from the corpse of the
and brave the unknown beyond.
old.

Entire mountains and islands were thrown into The Journey - Voyager
the sky, suspended in the Tree’s strange
magic; these were called Shards. The Tree You are a Voyager. Whether you are driven by
changed the very makeup of the world, the promise of adventure and treasure, or
hyperevolving the local wildlife into new and truly believe in EXDUS' conviction of unifying
mythical forms, and even reshaped humanity the Known World, you come from one of
itself into new variants, from the animal-like many different backgrounds - a mercenary,
Kaibi to the sky-dwelling Síoraí - even researcher, or all folks in beteween - being a
creating a new form of intelligent life from its new organisation with lofty ideals, EXDUS will
own flesh: the Phytosapiens. take whoever they can get, and luckily, some
of the best around have answered the call.

The World Reborn - You yourself are an up-and-coming name,

far from an established hero but set on your
Revenir path to being one. You and a group of others
Just over a millennium has passed since the have gathered together as a party and are
Emergence, and the world is unrecognisable given assignments and jobs by EXDUS to help
from what it looked like in the past. The magic journey outwards into the world of Revenir,
of Eld Aestus permeates all of creation, and make the unknown known.
accelerating its growth at an unimaginable
pace - almost like the World was never The year is 1053AE - a thousand years After
destroyed in the first place. From digging up Emergence. Your Voyage begins.
old research and the memories of the past,
current day technology is almost at the level
of that of the Old World; more advanced in
some areas and less advanced in others.

But even so, conflicts still brew all across

Revenir. The map is not drawn yet, and many

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 "A new star watches over you."

Voyager: Tactics is a tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) that focuses on tactical anime-style action
and creative teamwork. Its gameplay is inspired from tactics and turn-based JRPG titles like Fire
Emblem and Persona, along with tile-based anime style games like Arknights.

About the Game Gameplay Pillars

In Voyager: Tactics, while you also play The main design philosophies of Voyager:
custom characters, you play many. Tactics' gameplay is as follows:

I created Voyager to be a game I myself

would want to play. As someone who, no Tactics, Tiles and Turns
doubt like many others, are intimidated by the Main Influence: Arknights, Fire Emblem
prospect of being a Game Master and the
social expectations towards a larger group, I Voyager: Tactics is built on the foundation of
wanted to create a system that even tactics games, where you are rewarded for
someone like me could run, that would take planning your turns and immersing yourself
the pressure of responsibility one might into combat through a tile map.
perceive from the GM role and instead make it
a fun group experience.
Reactive, Cooperative Combat
To this end, we will provide you the tools to Main Influence: Genshin Impact; Honkai: Star
conduct your Voyages: from creating its Rail
people to orchestrating its combat
encounters. Team synergies and tag-team attacks are a
main core of combat, allowing even the
unlikeliest characters to shine together,
Journey Together revealing surprising and exciting possibilities
You and a group of other players will be in battle.
creating a group of adventurers called
Voyagers, who you will then recruit and send
on missions, watching their journeys unfold. Anime-style Action
The Game Master becomes the Liaison: their Main Influence: RWBY
mission control and guide.
A fluid action system allows for minimal rules
preventing a Voyager from nearly anything
Build The World they put their mind to, from the simplest
While this happens, the Liaison will also be sword swing to the most complex aerial
narrating (and thus generating) challenges maneuvers and attack combos.
for the Voyagers to take on: puzzles to solve,
relics to recover and adversaries to overcome.

Fail and Flourish

Don't be afraid to make your Voyagers act to
their natures and make bold and unexpected
decisions; it is only through these choices that
the journey is made more perilous and
memorable.

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The Core Idea
Voyager: Tactics is a tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) that focuses on tactical anime-style action
and creative teamwork. Its gameplay is inspired from tactics and turn-based JRPG titles like Fire
Emblem and Persona, along with tile-based anime style games like Arknights.

How Voyager Began As A Tabletop Game

Voyager is a fantasy setting heavily based on This system is not setting-agnostic, meaning
anime aesthetics and character design, it's not a universal system that you can use to
combining my loves for both. play any setting. It is very much centred
around this specific world and very much
Besides being a big personal creative project influenced by anime-centric aesthetics and
and "kitchen sink" setting that has everything I physics from something you might see in
find cool in it, it was also meant to occupy a RWBY or Genshin Impact, but you're free to
niche I felt was somewhat missing from what I use it for your own settings.
wanted to see in media: a fully developed
modern fantasy world with sci-fi elements This game has tile-based combat and uses a
that ALSO had a cool anime aesthetic. full set of polyhedral dice. Due to its
underlying design philosophies, this system
As an RPG player I started like most did, may feel too "gamey" for you, though I think
playing 5th Edition, before branching out in this alone shouldn't be a barrier to roleplaying
search of different game systems. Working on or narrative-centric play.
Voyager has also been an constant
experiment in finding out my own tastes in Who This Game Is For
games and what sort of experience I wanted
to emulate. > Players used to purely sci-fi or medieval
fantasy and are looking for something with
The way Voyager: Tactics is structured is the flavour of both
meant to be a friendly experience for players
who are interested in tabletop games, but > Relative newcomers to TRPGs more
familiar with modern video games, its tropes accustomed to modern gaming tropes and
and mechanics - namely gacha games and mechanics
tactics JRPGs where you assemble your own
units and send them out on missions. > Gacha game players or fans or hero
collecting/recruiting games
I created Voyager to be a game I myself
would want to play. As someone who, no > Homebrewers and GMs who want easy tools
doubt like many others, are intimidated by the for enemies, or beginner GMs
prospect of being a Game Master and the
social expectations towards a larger group, I Who This Game Isn't For
wanted to create a system that even
someone like me could run, that would take > Players looking for longform narrative-
the pressure of responsibility one might focused TRPGs (this game is primarily
perceive from the GM role and instead make it scenario-based)
a fun group experience.
> Hardcore simulationist enjoyers who enjoy
managing resources like torches and food

> Fans of combat that is quick and seamlessly

flows from roleplay (this game has a
dedicated combat phase with its own rules)

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Feature Summary for the Discerning Tabletop Gamer
Tactical Reactive Combat The GM Plays
Use a pool of actions to strategise your party's The GM controls a Liaison: an actual character
moves on a grid-based map and execute who communicates with the party and
flashy tag-team attacks. discovers the world alongside them.

High Crunch, Low Bookkeeping Horizontal Progression

Lots of depth for strategy, but minimal use of Instead of gaining higher stats and modifiers,
numbers, modifiers and stats, with as little you gain power through acquiring new
need for the player to check books and rules abilities and tools to work with.
as possible.
Roguelite Elements
For Avid Character Makers Randomly assemble your Voyage party and
Create a wide range of PCs - mix and match encounter Simulacra relics on your journey
their abilities, shuffle them into teams and that grant your party buffs, disappearing at
send them out! Time to unbench that the end of each Voyage.
character sheet backlog.
West Marches Friendly
Episodic Adventures Multiple Liaisons may assemble huge game
Scenario-based adventures suitable for groups and freely "contract" different
oneshots or for transitioning into longform Voyagers in advance to explore the world,
narrative play. sharing your Voyage reports together in a
shared game world.
Death On Your Own Terms
No Voyager dies until they choose to; defeat TRPG With Cute Anime Girls
can often take on different forms such as Yes (and boys too).
retreat or mission failure.

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 CHAPTER I

THE VOYAGE

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Philosophies of Play
Idealistic Post-Apocalypse Narrative & Combat
The world has ended, but a new one blooms. Voyager: Tactics follow a distinct transition
Life moves on, new nations are formed, and between narrative/exploration and combat:
the slate of history is wiped clean; but these Narrative play is more freeform, where turns
growing pains still lead to conflict, and are not tallied and the Voyagers can freely
Voyager: Tactics is about settling these explore the world and use their actions in a
conflicts in the service of hopefully creating a less structured manner. Short bouts of
better world than the last one left itself in. combat can also be resolved this way.
However, once combat begins in earnest,
Short, Freeform Adventures Players and enemies will take turns attacking
Each adventure, called a Voyage, is usually and defending in a certain order, and will
built around 1-2 major setpieces with perform their actions on a grid map.
narrative play in between. Aside from the
main objective, how you approach the The Liaison Plays Too
problem and solve it depends on your party. During play, the "Game Master" will also be
When faced with a hostile group, does the controlling their own custom character called
party fight them all head-on? Sneak in and a Liaison - the questgiver and ally of the party
capture their leader? Or negotiate a truce? who stays behind at the home base while the
party goes out on adventures, chronicling
Worldbuild Together their exploits and helping them at key points.
While this book covers the main lore of There are also systems in place to easily
Voyager's world, it only covers the Known rotate the Liaison role between players,
World - what is currently recorded and allowing everyone the chance to play and to
archived in EXDUS. Everything else lies in the run adventures easily.
World Beyond, a total mystery to be woven
and discovered together. All the players at the This is to foster a sense of support and
table will help in populating the world with participation between the players as a single
people and cultures: from creating unique group, and to encourage the act of molding
clans to strange relics, which are then the outcomes of the game together.
scattered throughout Revenir, waiting for
Voyagers to unexpectedly encounter them. Post-Discrimination World
While you are free to explore all sorts of social
Narrate Your Experiences issues in Voyager, discrimination of race,
Your character is your own! This game is all culture, gender and others is not one this
about doing cool stuff (within the rules of game supports. Everything in this game is
course), so feel free to narrate how your centred around humanity evolvling into many
Voyager dispatches an enemy or succeeds a forms through magic yet still uniting together
task. Instead of a simple parry, talk about how despite their vast differences. I think there are
your Voyager perfectly times their blade to more thematic and fun conflicts to explore in
deflect another, taunting as they do so. this world without touching close to issues
Through your character, you help build up on many of us still encounter in our daily lives.
the world through your character's actions.
Don't Be Intimidated
Don't feel like you need to limit yourself to "the This is a thick book, but don't feel too nervous!
GM's talking, so I have no input and just listen"; The rules are fairly short, and the large
likewise, GMs shouldn't feel like the entire majority of the pages in this document are
burden of building the world is their own - feel simply lists of options for players, such as
free to add details to each other's playable races, classes and factions. Don't
descriptions, but respect the characters and worry too much about needing to read
who portrays them, as well. everything and just choose which options you
find the coolest or most interesting.

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Voyagers & Liaisons
VOYAGERS LIAISONS
Voyagers are the main playable characters Liaisons are the mission control and
Players control. They have their own character questgivers of Voyager, who is an actual
sheets, abilities and Skills that you would use person the Voyagers interact with regularly. As
to tackle problems, roleplay and engage in part of EXDUS, Voyage parties will meet up
combat. You are playing as the sci-fi + and receive missions from HQ through
fantasy equivalent of an adventurer, exploring Liaisons, who give briefings that set the stage
an uncharted post-apocalypse world and for the rest of the Voyage. From there, the
getting into adventures. Liaison's player would curate the Voyage's
events and the obstacles the Voyagers
While you will be creating your own custom encounter. Since they are a person and not an
Voyager, but you are encouraged to take omniscient observer over the world, the World
control of multiple Voyagers across different Beyond is just as much of a mystery to the
Voyage parties. These Voyagers are Liaison as it is to the Voyage party they
recruitable from a pool of premade coordinate.
characters that you can hire and place into
teams to tackle multiple missions at once. While the Voyagers are out there braving the
World Beyond, their Liaison is their link back to
the Known World - who helps the party
Roleplaying Voyagers conduct research, acquire clearance and
Roleplaying does not mean you need to be a assist them in dire emergencies from EXDUS
great actor, or have a detailed backstory. If Headquarters. It is a more hands-off but
you want to be a catgirl who slashes things nonetheless important character role.
with a katana because you find it cool, you
are free to do so, as long as you are having
fun with the rest of the table. The same goes Playing the Liaison
for the player who wants to play a deep and The Liaison is not obligated to be a master
involved character, as long as the game is fun storyteller or a master of lore. I wrote this
for you and for everyone else. game to be one I can easily play, so as a
player primarily and only an aspiring Game
You do not need a complex character to start Master, if I couldn't make a game that I can
a game, because your character's most easily run for others, then I have fallen short of
important moments are here and now, making an effective game.
alongside the other Voyagers. As long as you
have a solid idea or something cool you want If you can connect different missions one after
to play as, then that should be good enough the other; if you can grab a map and move
to know how to play your Voyager. around monsters, and have those monsters
make strategies and attack players, then you
Above all, remember that this is a group are already doing your job. Think of your bare
game, and while you play a protagonist in this minimal duties as being the "code" of the
game; the world - and the table - doesn't game. The players control the Voyagers and
revolve around you. Allow your allies to shine you control the world in response to their
when it's their turn to shine, and try to make actions, using the rules as a guide.
choices that overall benefit the group.

Respect the integrity of the world you create Anyone Can Be a Liaison
together. Appreciate and shine spotlights on Any players are free to make their own Liaison
each other's ideas, and if there's something in characters and volunteer to curate a session's
the game that you disagree with or find Voyage, switching the role to different players
uncomfortable, let the Liaison or table know in who may have an idea for a fun adventure.
the way you're best able to, so that you can Don't feel that only one person has to be the
best find a way to compromise and run the "designated" Liaison - if you have cool
game smoothly for everyone. adventure idea, this game wants to give you
the tools to run them for your group easily.

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Helping the Liaison
Several roles go into making a Voyage run smoothly. These roles can be fulfilled by multiple players
at once and are not solely done by the Liaison alone.

As a general rule for all players who do this:

Worldbuilding Do not take over a character for the express
While the Liaison is responsible for setting the
purpose of giving favours or making things
main stage for the Voyage, including the main
easy for your party. Instead, focus on making
locations and setpieces, they are not
them interesting and motivated by their own
expected to flesh out the entire world.
interests, which may or may not align with the
party's.
When encountering and interacting with new
locations, the Voyagers are encouraged to
comment on the world and recall memories
Liaison: "You encounter a group of Ruin Chasers,
they may have. Does a place seem familiar?
who are all Kaibi wearing modified school
What new thing do they notice right away?
uniforms. Tsuki, you're a Kaibi too. What kind of
To this end, the Factions in the world (Ch XX, impression are you getting as their leader
Pg. XX) all have a Worldbuilding section where approaches you?"
all players at the table help think up of
locations, factions and people to populate the Player 2: "Hm... Ooh! I know her. That's Arisa!
setting, which their party may encounter She's like, super fashionable, chewing
during play. bubblegum, and her weapons and stuff are all full
of seaquins and stickers. All her mates are dressed
the same way too, like a bunch of delinquent
Controlling Foes schoolgirls. I don't wanna play as her, though..."
The Liaison is in charge of presenting
adversity to the party when needed, usually in
Player 3: (puts on an exaggerated voice) "Oooh
the form of obstacles and combat
encounters. This mainly requires knowing the my gawd, Tsuki, you joined that EXDUS place,
basic enemy templates and laying them out f'real? You think you're some big shot now, huh?"
on battle maps.
Liaison: (laughs) "Right. So she's one of these
It's recommended that only the Liaison independent treasure hunters, and isn't a big fan
arbitrates the foes' actions. As a general rule of Voyagers in general and all your resources."
though, control the opposition forces with the
same level of strategy that the Voyagers Player 2: "Oh, but I can vibe with her, right? My
would use, in a way that is conducive to a fun
character's totally the same, and she takes out her
game experience (no ganging up on a
weapon and shows off her sword accessories."
downed Voyager, for example).

Liaison: (looks to Player 3) "How do you think

Playing Characters Arisa reacts to this? You have the reins with her
The Liaison is not expected to control and now."
portray every single character that are not the
Voyagers. While the Liaison may choose to Player 3: "Hm... maybe one or two of the others
directly control certain characters important there instantly recognise it, but Arisa isn't
to the Voyage, they are free to delegate the impressed. She blows a bubble and it pops on her
naming and playing of certain characters to mouth."
any other player that is enticed by them,
particularly if the player shares common
Player 3: (exaggerated voice) "Pssh, that
points with that character, like a Sapient or
keychain? Puh-lease! That's soo drab. I can get
Faction.
twelve of those from a capsule machine!"

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Worldbuilding
To set up the world the Players engage in, they will be having a Worldbuilding session to name and
create various aspects of the world.

Worldbuilding Session Phases of Worldbuilding

During character creation, the table can look There are three main phases when it comes to
at all the factions while making their Voyagers building your setting. These will all emerge as
and start creating factions and people for your game progresses:
those factions based on the prompts given
(Ch. XX, Pg. XX). These can then be peppered
around the world, to be met unexpectedly or 1. Build the Familiar
planted on the map through Points Of Interest During the pre-game, you will build the Known
(POIs). World that your characters are born into. All
the tools in this book will give you the
information needed to build the known
The Main Map cultures, people and factions in the world -
You will find a map of the Known World in things that your characters would know.
Page XX. The entire table can use this map
when planting POIs and other active parties. Each player will create at least one character,
who is a Voyager or Liaison, but they may very
The map is divided by a square grid 20 well end up playing more than one character
squares wide and 12 squares tall. Whenever throughout the game.
the Liaison or Voyagers plant a POI on the
map, you can either choose any of the
squares that make sense, or roll for it. Roll a 2. Reveal the Unfamiliar
twelve-sided die (1d12) and a twenty-sided Even within the Known World, your characters
die (1d20) together. The numbers rolled are don't know everything. There is always a new
the row and column the POI would be planted stranger to meet, a rumour to investigate or a
on. situation to encounter. This will be determined
through investigating Points Of Interest and
performing action rolls to investigate entities
Homebrewing Maps and factions whose existence is known, but
whose motives are unrevealed.
The world of Voyager is set in a post-
apocalypse Earth, so use it to your advantage!

Take locations from our world and convert

3. Discover the Unknown
As you go out into the World Beyond, or even
them into post-apocalyptic ruins. This can be
within the strangest recesses of the Known
a topographic map, city plans, shopping mall
World, everything else is a mystery. Players will
directories, or anything that can be used as a
take turns scouting the world, making
map. Then, turn them into ruins and populate
observations and rolling dice to determine
them with relics and monsters!
what the party uncovers: a howling ruin, a
sleeping creature or a vast ocean of stars.
From there, the party continues until another
mystery is found.

17
Setting Up Voyages
Voyages are your adventures that you play every session. Some Voyages may take only one session
to complete, while some take several.

The Mission Board speculate about the mission. Oftentimes, the

theories a group makes together are far more
At the start of each session, the Voyagers compelling than what a single person can
would arrive at EXDUS Headquarters and write in a vacuum!
consult the Mission Board, or look it up on their
Slates: tablet screens or phones powered by The Liaison is not the only one who makes
magic. The Mission Board is an interface missions and POIs. Voyagers can create and
where players can choose their Voyage for encounter POIs when they find rumours,
that session. artifacts and maps during their Voyages,
which may give them idea for a future
Points of Interest mission.
The map of the Known World can be used to
implant these missions as Points Of Interest Deadline
(POIs). These are points on the map that Many POIs have a deadline, where if the party
these missions point to, and the party must waits too long (in-universe) to take on a
choose one to pursue. mission, the lead is presumed to go cold, or
undertaken by a different Voyage party,
Note that Points Of Interest are rumours, hooks thereby locking the players out of it.
and ideas, not full-blown storylines; specific
enough to give details about the goals and To this end, players are encouraged to field
stakes involved, but vague enough to let multiple Voyage parties made up of other
everyone speculate about the why and how. Voyagers to take on multiple POIs, which is
Let the outcomes and discoveries emerge discussed on Page XX.
naturally from play, as the players start to

18
 Roll 1d12 for the column; Roll 1d20 for the row

19
20
Voyage Briefing
At the start of the session, the Liaison either creates a new mission, or chooses an existing POI planted
on the map. This Voyage may take place over a single session or multiple.

Once concluded, the Voyage party is always assumed to return to EXDUS. After a Voyage, a new
Liaison may volunteer, or the players may choose to field another party to tackle another mission.

Choosing a Voyage finding it lost for years.

If undecided, the table may discuss and Lastly, the Liaison details the nature of their
agree on which POI to undertake prior to that party's deployment - where they are assumed
session. A Liaison may then volunteer to to start their Voyage. They are typically
curate that mission, setting up the next dropped off via an EXDUS transport, such as
session's Voyage. an all-terrain mobile base or an airship. This
skips any unnecessary travel time, and the
All a Liaison needs to start a Voyage is an idea Voyage party is immediately assumed to start
or a good hook, which then the other Players at the location they need to proceed on their
can build on to form the foundation of the journey once the Voyage begins.
mission. They would also need a map as a
combat setpiece, if combat is expected. A When exploring the World Beyond, the party is
more involved Liaison may prepare several typically deployed at the nearest EXDUS
maps or enemies in advance. forward base, or the nearest allied location
friendly enough to receive the party. If you're
Voyage Briefings feeling particularly adventurous, you can have
At the start of each new Voyage, the Liaison an airship fly over the general area and have
gathers the Voyagers at EXDUS HQ and gives the party perform a skydrop from there. But
them their Voyage Briefing. from that point, the party is braving uncharted
territory and is completely on their own - their
Given that this is a matter the Voyagers need Liaison being their only reliable anchor to
to go out and solve, the Liaison only knows return to the Known World.
enough about the POI to give the Voyage
party enough to start. For example: a missing Upon deployment, the Voyage party
relic last seen at a certain location; a missing maintains regular contact with their Liaison,
person last seen by a certain witness; or a who communicates with and assists them.
hostile party last seen in a certain area at a
certain time. Forming Leads
During the Briefing, the Liaison asks each
Imagine yourself as the Liaison, giving out files Voyager if they have a Lead. A Lead is a clue,
or presenting a hologram to your party contact, or other source of information the
around a table, showing pictures and party can act on when the mission starts.
associated documents regarding the mission:
names to investigate, symbols of factions to For example, Tsuki's player may say she knows
look out for, and coordinates to key locations. a contact within the area who may know more
about the objective. Vesper's player may
The Liaison also presents the stakes of the instead know of a rumour about the nature of
mission, the consequences that may arise the objective.
should they fail. This could be a valuable relic
forever lost to the labyrinthine black markets The point of Leads is to create opportunities of
of Dust, possibly to be misused by some play for the party. Not all leads are meant to
upstart crime lord; an innocent person be reliable or even true. A contact may prove
remaining hostage to a band of raiders; or the to be unreliable, or a rumour may prove to be
trail to a once-in-a-lifetime discovery of a false. This can be arrived at through rolling the
sunken city going cold and all hopes of dice and through play.

21
Example Briefing Roll a Voyage (1d20)
Use the table below to roll an idea for your
Main Hook
next active Voyage or Point Of Interest:
"Greetings, team. I'm sure you've heard about
the hot new discovery EXDUS has found: an
1 - Spearheading a first expedition into
Old World monument that reaches into the
unknown and dangerous lands
sky, which everyone is now calling the Derelict
of Durj. They sent a few teams into it last
2 - A bounty to hunt a dangerous monster to
week, but they've gone silent - the tower has
neutralise or capture it
become their dungeon. We're part of the
second expedition wave, meant to rescue any
3 - Patrols to guard a certain outpost or
first wave survivors and explore the rest of the
territory
Durj, if possible."

4 - Recovering a stolen relic from raiders

Clues
"Here are a list of the 3 missing teams, their
5 - Infiltrations into a hostile faction to collect
members' names and IDs; I will also get in
information or extract a hostage
touch with their Liaisons to help gather the
info they sent about the Durj before they went
6 - Escorting important cargo such as relics
dark. The Durj is located far in a sparse-
explored region the Old World called the
7 - Mapping out a recently uncovered ruin
Emirates."
8 - A bounty hunt for a wanted criminal
Stakes
"The Durj has been battered by the sands
9 - An emergency rescue mission involving
across centuries, and the last audio
evacuation and disaster relief
broadcast from the first wave reported
strange animal-like noises from within its
10 - Escorting and overseeing a diplomatic
dark corridors. Reports suggest that it's highly
meeting between two or more factions
unstable, and partial or even complete
collapse is possible. Please exercise great
11 - Studying a recently uncovered relic of
haste in rescuing the lost teams, and - stars
mysterious origin
willing - recover what you can while the tower
still stands."
12 - Finding and classifying new species of
hyperevolved life
Deployment
"The second wave will send 3 teams: 13 - Investigating a string of rumours and
Capricorn Squad, Team Volans, and ourselves urban legends to a remote settlement
- each at different elevations of the Durj. Our
team will be dropped off at the top of the Durj 14 - Joining a gladiatorial tournament at the
and will descend from the spire. I wish you Sentinarium
the best of luck, and may the stars watch
over you." 15 - Guarding a vulnerable trade route

Leads 16 - Clearing out hostile forces from an area,

Player 1: "Hey, I know one of the guys who went such as raiders or monsters
missing! I should know what to look out if he
dropped anything." 17 - Garrisoning an area besieged by hostile
forces
Player 2: "I heard a rumour that the Durj is filled
18 - A research expedition requiring skilled
with horrible man-eating beasts that spread rust
linguists, archaeologists and scholars
and death. I hope that's not the case..."
19 - Investigating a lead telling of a powerful
Player 3: "The Durj is quite a high-profile find. artifact that's also being sought by other
It's possible the Ruin Chasers would have found it private groups
first and mapped a good deal of it, but I don't
know how accurate they would be." 20 - Protect and escort an important subject,
such as a noble or informant

22
Parties & Recruits
Recruits Using Recruits
There are several reasons why you would
It is assumed that the custom character your want to field another Voyage party instead of
make for this game is your Main Voyager, i.e. your main one. Among them are:
the player character you invest the most
attention on. This will usually be the person > Your main party is busy and unable to
you send on the most important missions. tackle an urgent mission happening at the
same time that the players are interested in.
However, there will arise times where multiple
POIs are on the map, that are too urgent or > A player is absent for that day's session and
too far apart for your main Voyage party to you don't want to continue the main Voyage
address, because they are currently in the without them.
middle of their own Voyage. To this end, the
players will be fielding additional Voyage > The POI is one that might greatly hinder or
parties. affect your main party (such as a storm,
migrating dragons or raiders that will cross
On Chapter XX, you will find a full list of fully paths with them), and another party must
written, premade Voyagers. These are people help them.
you can use to not only populate the world
and encounter on your games, but also > The main party is incapacitated, resting or
recruit and play as! This is called the recovering somewhere, and cannot return to
Recruitment Pool, and the Voyagers there are action yet. Perhaps their fate is unknown and
called Recruits. the second party is sent to search or
investigate the matter.
Once a player chooses to play as a Recruit,
the table may agree that the Recruit may only When you field a new Voyage party, you may
be controlled by that player from then on, or choose from the Recruits from the
agree that anyone that wants to play as a Recruitment Pool to play as. These Recruits are
Recruit can choose them on a different on standby at EXDUS HQ, and would move
session. Discuss with your table which from there once their mission starts. Some
approach everyone is comfortable with. Recruits would instead be already present on
the map as active parties nearby certain POIs,
Multiple parties are also a way for the Liaison and the table can choose to play as that party
role to rotate between players! This allows the instead, allowing them to play right away and
Liaison's usual player the opportunity to play reach the POI much faster.
as a Voyager on adventures, whether as a
premade recruit or a custom Voyager of their
own, while the other players may create their Recruit Availability
own Liaisons who will curate missions for that If you wish to add some further immersion into
session. your games, especially at the point your
players control multiple Voyagers and
Recruits, the table may determine that some
Recruit Rank Recruits may be "reserved" or busy, pursuing
Each Recruit has their own rank within EXDUS. other clients, missions or personal matters.
A Liaison or party is only able to hire Recruits You may have a "schedule" that means these
equalling their own rank or lower (see Page Recruits would be excluded from the
XX). Recruitment Pool on certain days.

This means that players can still field teams

with high-rank Recruits together and play as
them, but they normally would not share a
party with other Recruits at least two ranks
below them unless there's a reason for doing
so, due to the vast difference in skill and
experience.

23
Voyage Structure [WIP]
[WIP]

Voyage Size
Single Scene
Recommended for beginner Liaisons.
Normally resolved in the span of a day.

All you would need is the set up for the conflict

and a single map (if you're using one). The
party starts in the middle of the action and
eventually end up at the battle map where
they will fight.

Long Voyage
A longer Voyage taking several days.

24
Setting the Scene[WIP]
At the start of the session, a Player may be chosen, or volunteer to be the Liaison, who then proceeds
to set up the Voyage. This Voyage may take place over a single session or multiple. Once a Voyage is
concluded, the next Liaison may take over for the next session.

Timeslots Setting the Atmosphere

Time continues to flow for the world for many When arriving at a new scene, go back and
parties at once. To accomplish this, time is forth with each other and ask what sensations
measured in timeslots. your Voyager find.

There are 5 slots in a day: Morning, Noon, "We arrive at the Dust market, what do we see?"
Evening, Night and Midnight.
"What do I smell? See? Hear?"
The Party can typically get a certain thing
done per slot, typically:
"What stands out as familiar, and what catches
my attention as totally alien?" My Voyager taps
> Freeplay (interacting within the Known World
or low-risk situations) yours on the shoulder. "Hey, I see this weird
statue. Do you know what it is?"
> Exploration (mainly traversing the world and
using survival and investigative actions) "What is it here that specifically stands out to my
Voyager? Is the sound a song I heard as a child?
> Combat (mainly using combat actions and Have I ran through these streets before? Is the
abilities) smell of stew drawing me to a family restaurant
at the corner?"
Every time one of these activities concludes or
flows into another, the table agrees that the
day has progressed, and the Liaison moves
them forward by one timeslot.

Typically, the Liaison or a member of the party

would keep track of the days, especially when
tracking deadlines for their current mission or
those of other missions they are interested in
fielding a separate party for.

Voyaging the World

[WIP]
E.g. on a Scouting check, the player rolls to
find something. On a low roll, you may
encounter a hostile faction or monster.

At the start of each Timeslot, a Player's

Voyager performs a Scouting check. This
determines what the party finds at the start of
the scene, based on the context of your
location.

25
Pursuing Leads [WIP]

Pursuing a Lead &

Scouting Checks
Once the Players have established
themselves in the locale, they can begin
pursuing their objectives. This typically starts
by pursuing a Lead.

Tsuki
"Come on! My contact should be around the
corner somewhere."

At this point, the party would start with the

next phase of building out the world:
Revealing the Unfamilar. To resolve uncertain
situations, the Voyagers would roll their
Actions.

For more info on Actions, check Chapter II: XX.

something negative or unusual may appear.

The Player may choose to roll on the
Keywords, or make up something on the spot.

Tsuki
"Crap. I think I see a dragon flying overhead.
Nothing on the horizon looks as big from this far
away."

By default, a Player's observation should not

*throw* the party into the middle of conflict,
but reveal the *possibility* of one.

Such as spotting a Raider camp, spotting a

dragon flying overhead, etc. It is then up to the
party to decide how to tackle this
complication. Perhaps this hostile force can
be circumnavigated or even be turned into a
useful ally?

26
Relics [WIP]
As citizens of a renewed Earth and a member of EXDUS, we have a vested interest in the preservation
of the Old World and its artifacts.

Nearly everything from the Old World can be a relic: an alien circuit board, an abandoned
construction machine, or a strange bobble-headed toy. Some are obviously more useful than others,
but they are all nonetheless precious and worthy of preservation. Far be it for us, strangers of a
different age, to ascribe value to what those before held dear.

But this doesn't just apply to the previous world either. The deeds of heroes often become legend, and
soon our possessions too become relics: a hero's broken sword, a legendary cloak, or the manuscript
of an author's last work.

Relics Encountering Simulacra

Relics are, more often than not, the focus of Whenever your party leaves for a Voyage, they
much of your Voyages. These are items and can choose one relic to take with them as a
artifacts great and small than EXDUS would Simulacra, granting them its benefits. You can
charge your party with recovering. Some of also roll to take a random relic instead. This
these are but rumours whispered between relic would then take up slots in a party
scholars, while somes are veiled in legend member's inventory, based on its Bulk.
and sought after by many a treasure hunter.
After every Timeslot that passes during the
Voyage and a new one starts, a Simulacra
Simulacra may randomly appear to your party. Roll from
Whenever your party recovers a relic of great the Simulacra table three times and have
power, it is brought back to EXDUS for study them materialise before you, perhaps laying in
and preservation. Through the World Tree's a pile of treasure, nestled conspicuously on a
magic, the Phytosapien Magoi use their shelf or appearing randomly in your pocket.
magic to infuse and commit relics into the Your party can only choose one, before the
Dreaming itself - a vast well of memories and others phase out of your sphere of perception,
experiences. It is here that they can then draw off to visit others who would take them.
out Simulacra - magical replicas of these
relics, allowing them to be used and studied A Simulacra clings to its holder, and cannot be
without destroying the original. A list of known removed or transferred from the holder's
Simulacra can be found under each Faction's inventory until the Voyage ends or the
description, in Chapter XX. Simulacra destroys itself.

However, memories have a way of seeking All Simulacra then disappear at the end of
their own, and these Simulacra often shift in your Voyage, committing these new
and out of existence, appearing to those who experiences into their structure and before
would give them new life again beyond the they are gathered back into the Dreaming.
confines of glass cases and reliquaries.
For a detailed list of all currently archived
After completing a Voyage, any relics your Simulacra, see Chapter XX: Factions & Paths.
party recovered can be recalled as Simulacra.
These can be brought on your Voyage and
grant powerful boons. Whenever time passes,
New Relics
there is a chance these Simulacra may Besides the currently listed relics, feel free to
appear to your Voyagers, beckoning for you create your own, recover them on your travels
to grasp them and give them newfound and add them to the table.
purpose.

27
28
 C H A P T E R II

GAMEPLAY

29
Game Concept
Rundown [WIP]
Main Play
Most types of actions you can describe in
Voyager can be grouped into one of three
types: Fast, Medium and Slow.

Spheres
Dice System
Action System

30
Spheres
The Spheres, represent the type of attitude of outlook your Voyager may have for any given action
they may take. The same action performed by different people may be done differently and for
different reasons, which is represented through the Instincts.

31
 SUN SPHERE
POWER | CONVICTION | IMPULSE

To channel the Sun is to charge forward and commit without looking back.
Those who follow it act first, acting with emotion and explosive energy. They
rely on their inward principles and passions for guidance in their actions. Like
the sun heralds the day, they shine and blaze the path forward.

MOON SPHERE
FORESIGHT | WISDOM | KNOWLEDGE

To channel the Moon is to consider before acting. Those who follow it lean back
on their knowledge, learning and foresight to inform their decisions and solve
problems, whether through magic or academic erudition, working slowly but
methodically like the moon pulls the waves, reflecting the truth like water.

EARTH SPHERE
PROTECTION | RESILIENCE | HARMONY

To channel the Earth is to protect and preserve. Those who follow it keep others,
the community and its values safe and nourished, leaning on experience and
tradition. They are sturdy and safe - in guarding the individual, the whole is also
secured, like diverse creatures forming one ecosystem.

SKY SPHERE
INTENT | PRECISION | CONTROL

To channel the Sky is to watch closely, pinpoint with purpose, then act with
decisive intent. Those who follow it value focus and discipline, striking with the
far-reaching influence of wind and the precision of lightning.

STAR SPHERE
POTENTIAL | INNOVATION | SUBTLETY

To channel the Star is to adapt and react, constantly shifting between a duality
of dark and light. Those who follow it are subtle and value versatility, their
manifold talents hidden in darkness before brilliantly unveiling their potential
like the uncountable constellations.

32
Spheres & Actions
Sphere Alignment
Certain items, actions and abilities, including
magical spells, may denote the Sphere that
its nature most closely belongs to.

At character creation, your Voyager can align

with up to two Spheres of their choice that
best represents their personality and
disposition (Ch. XX, Pg. XX).

Whenever you take an action, spell, weapon

or ability and its description matches your
Spheres, you can add an additional die to
your action roll for each Sphere that matches.

If your Voyager's two Sphere alignments are

of the same Sphere (e.g. aligned to EARTH
twice, instead of EARTH + SUN), then you would
gain two dice from that action instead, but
only from that Sphere.

If there are overlapping effects, i.e. a SUN

ability used with a SUN attack, the extra dice
do not stack. However, if they are of different
Spheres, i.e. a SUN ability with a SKY attack,
you would gain dice if your Sphere is
applicable.

33
Actions
Whenever you perform an action, you roll dice. Instead of representing your Voyager's innate abilities
or stats, they more accurately represent their preferred choices during battle and how well those
choices play out.

All general activities fall into the 10 main Actions. All actions can be used in and out of combat, but
some will have more details when dealing with turn-based combat.

MOVE LORE
You use MOVE when you want to You use LORE is to recall your known
traverse the world, maneuver on experience and knowledge -
the battlefield and performs feats whether navigating certain types of
of movement such as running, familiar terrain or recalling the
jumping and dodging. cultural norms of a region.

DARE CAST
You use DARE for strenuous athletic Your CAST is used for casting various
feats, like resisting rushing rapids or forms of magic, and amplifying its
holding up a steel gate. This also power. This can also be used to cast
includes short bouts of action that magical rituals and to command
do not require turn-based combat, summons and arcane familiars.
or complex actions in combat not
easily explainable with abilities.
SENSE
Your SENSE is used when analysing
HIT the world and its inhabitants -
You use HIT for melee combat, whether it's deciphering carvings,
striking and engaging foes. This can finding tracks or studying someone's
be with your weapon, fists or other body language. This can be through
forms of martial training. your bodily senses or through a sixth
sense.

AIM
You use AIM when performing TOOL
ranged attacks during combat, and Your TOOL is used to determine
for performing actions involving success when using tools or actions
precise aim. Your ranged attacks requiring mechanical skill, such as
can be represented by physical lockpicking, hacking or pitching a
ammunition like bullets and arrows, tent. You would also use this for
or stores of offensive magical crafting and making items.
power.

FACE
SAVE You use FACE when interacting with
You use SAVE when you want to other Sapients in a social context to
avoid, block or otherwise negate a attain a desired outcome - whether
hostile action taken against you or negotiating entry into a restricted
an ally. This is also used for healing area or intimidating someone.
and restoring an ally's Resolve or
Break.

34
Action Duration Dice
The Action Duration Dice (ADD) system is the core dice system for Voyager, and is used for pretty
much anything, from using Skills to combat.

Action Types Active & Reactive

Most types of actions you can describe in During each round in combat, you have 3 AP.
Voyager can be grouped into one of three You can spend this AP to perform either:
types: Fast, Medium and Slow. - 3 Fast actions
- 1 Medium + 1 Fast action
During combat or exploration, allies and - 1 Slow action.
enemies may move, attack and use abilities.
You can take any combination of the actions All actions can be either Active or Reactive:
below. These actions have an Action Point
(AP) cost, but for the purposes of this
document, we will be calling them by their Active
duration types. Performed at the start of a turn.

Reactive
Performed in response to someone's action,
whether an ally or foe.

For example, you can choose to use your

weapon as a Medium action at the start of a
turn, allowing an ally to respond to it. Later, an
enemy attempts to shoot you. Since you have
one Fast action remaining, you can use it to
dodge out of the way as a Reactive action.

As such, you can use all your actions at once

to perform a series of actions, or you can
spend part of it and save the rest to follow up
on your allies or to stop enemies from acting.

Fast Action | 1 AP
Quick actions, such as dashing, using a light
dagger or catching an item.

Medium Action | 2 AP
Actions of normal duration, such as swinging
a sword, raising a shield or casting a simple
magic spell.

Slow Action | 3 AP
Actions that take focus or effort, such as
clearing thick vegetation, operating a
machine or charging a magical ritual.

35
Action Duration You would then roll your die, based on the
Action duration you want. This is called rolling
Each action has a certain dice value assigned an action. For example, Vesper rolls to HIT an
to it based on its duration. enemy, or rolls TOOL to hack a computer.

Fast actions have a die value of d4. In Voyager: Tactics, what you roll is what you
get. What you roll is how much you move, how
Medium actions have a die value of d8. much damage you deal, etc.

Slow actions have a die value of d12.

Opposing a Roll
The smaller die value represents how the Whenever you want to React or oppose
action is quicker and more precise, but less another action, such as blocking an attack,
powerful. A jab with a sword cannot normally you would roll your action die against the
deal as much damage as a mighty charged opponent's roll. If your number rolled is equal
strike. or higher than your opponent's, your action
succeeds. In the case of a tie, the Reacting roll
The higher die values represent how the always takes priority.
action is stronger, but more random and
prone to extreme results. The greatsword can
"I can choose to roll either a d6 or d8 for a
deal much more damage than a dagger, but
Medium action; or between a d10 or d12 for a
is prone to missing and only grazing targets,
Slow action. Which should I pick?"
dealing minimal damage.

That is up to you. If you pick a higher die, you

When you move, you can make it a Fast
are more likely to score a higher number, but
action to just dash a short distance, or as a
if you choose a smaller die, you are more
Slow action to build up a sprint and travel a
likely to score a Crit! See Page XX.
greater distance. The same action can be
imagined and used at different power levels
according to its duration type.
Optional Dice Rules
If you want, feel free to use choose between a
Declaring Action d8 or a d6 for your Medium actions, and
between a d12 or a d10 for Slow actions. This is
Whenever you wish to take an Active or
largely for a player's personal preferences
Reactive action, you would declare what it is.
and what dice you have available (or for
You may want to HIT to use your sword, AIM to
statistical reasons if you're a math person).
fire a gun, or SENSE to spot an enemy's
weakness.

36
 Reactions
Calculating Reactions Reacting to Allies
Whenever an entity uses an action, any ally or When you react to an ally's action with an
enemy can React to either help or hinder action of your own, your actions become
them. linked together. If an ally's action aligns with
one of your Origin's Spheres, you would gain
Each action has a reaction limit, meaning it any bonus dice from that Sphere for your
can only be reacted to by an equivalent or reactive action, even if your action itself does
faster actions equal to its AP cost. The not have that Sphere alignment.
maximum number of actions that can React
to that initial action is equal to its AP cost: Reaction Priority
Each turn, a When Reacting to any action, the
Fast Player's Reactions are resolved first, then any
A Fast action (1 AP) can only be Reacted by enemy Reaction.
another Fast action (1 AP).
For example, a Voyager Reacts to dodge out
Medium of the way of the dragon's breath, while an
A Medium action (2 AP) can be Reacted by enemy Reacts to cast a spell to amplify the
another Medium action (2 AP), or up to two dragon's breath. The Voyager's dodge will
Fast actions from a single source or multiple resolve first.
sources (1 AP + 1 AP).

Slow Liaison: "This enemy will fire at you. Medium

A Slow action (3 AP) can be Reacted by action."
another Slow action or any combination of
Medium and Fast actions equalling 3 AP. Player 1: "I'm gonna try to deflect it right away
with my Fast action."
Every time an action and its reaction limit is
resolved, a turn passes and a new entity can
Liaison: "Alright. This second guy is gonna use a
take an action. Once all entities have used
spell to amplify his buddy's shot. He's reacting to
their AP or cannot take any more actions, all
turns are resolved and the round ends, his ally's action, so that's 2 AP filled."
starting a new one.
Player 2: "What if I shoot to interrupt the caster?
My action would resolve first, right?"
Example
A dragon charges up its fire breath as a Slow Liaison: "Ah, your shot would be reacting to the
action (3 AP). Tsuki Reacts using a Medium caster then, not the marksman. So that would
action (2 AP) to try and stop it, while Vesper only be on the turn after this if you want to.
uses a Fast Reaction to dodge and find cover Unless you want to switch targets to stop the
(1 AP). marksman instead? You have to use a Fast
action."
Since the total actions used to React to the
dragon's action is equal to its duration, no
Player 2: "Yeah, I'll do that then."
more Reactions can be done. Tsuki's Reaction
fails to interrupt the dragon, and it unleashes
its fire breath. Liaison: "Alright. Player takes priority, so that's
the marksman's reaction limit filled up. The
caster can't react in time before you start firing,
and that'll be all the actions this turn."

37
Resolve & Break
Resolve and Break
You have two main bars to calculate health:
Resolve and Break. By default, your Voyager
has 20 Resolve for each Break bar.

Resolve represents your general health,

attrition and will to fight, as well as energy and
morale during exploration and interactions.

Break is reduced when you take too much

damage at once, when hit by a Brave attack
or if inflicted by a Condition like Stun or Blight.

Resolve and Break affect each other. If your

Resolve is reduced to 0, you Break, lose a
Break bar and your Resolve resets to full. If you
Break, all your current Resolve is lost
immediately and is reset to the next Break bar.

Damage Rules
> Normal damage can only reduce your
Resolve.
> Brave actions can immediately remove your
Break bar and resets your Resolve.
> If a Condition causes you to Break, you take
the effect from that Condition.
> If you roll more than one matching Brave die
(e.g. two 3s against a foe's 3), then your Brave
action removes multiple Break bars instead of
one.
> Any dice that roll higher than your Brave
number are then dealt to that target's Resolve
as overflow damage.

Healing, Armour & Rest

When not Resting, such as during combat or
exploration, healing can only restore your
Resolve, but not your Break bars.

Some effects or items grant Armour, which are

temporary Break bars and can exceed your
maximum Break bar number, but does not
reset your maximum Resolve. These must be
broken first through Brave actions and
Conditions before affecting Resolve. If your
Resolve is taken to 0, one Armour bar is
removed and your Resolve is reset.

When you take a normal Rest, your Resolve is

restored to full and you regain 1 Break bar. If
you Encamp, your Resolve and Break are all
restored to full.

38
39
40
Action Rolls
Resolving Actions
Any time you wish to resolve an action, you
would roll one die. There will often be times
where an opposing force rolls against you -
whether it's an enemy or a stressful situation.
This is generally called a Target Difficulty
(TD). This can also used for static obstacles
like traps and barriers, in which case the die
the Liaison chooses determines its maximum
Difficulty instead of its duration (d4 is trivial,
d12 is monumentally hard, etc.). By default,
you may use a d8 for an in-combat static TD.

If your roll is lower than the TD, the action

either puts you in a worse position or gives the
opposition an advantage. If your roll is higher
than the TD, the action becomes a regular
success and you resolve it as normal.

If your roll matches the TD, your roll becomes

a Brave action (see next page).

Multiple Dice
You can roll more than one die if your
particular action or ability was aligned to its
relevant Spheres. If there is at least one die
that rolls higher than the TD, then the action is
a normal success. If not, it becomes a
negative outcome instead.

If at least one die matches the enemy roll, it

automatically becomes a Brave action. This
typically causes a Break in the enemy. Any
lower dice are excluded from the result, and
any dice that roll higher than the Brave
number will provide a surplus effect to the
action, typically damage.

Multiple matching Brave dice rolled will

typically result in multiple Breaks, if able. See
Page XX for more information on Breaks.

Multiple Opposed Dice

More powerful foes can also roll multiple dice.
When this happens, compare the number of
your highest roll against their highest roll. If at
least one die matches against theirs, you
create a Brave action instead and succeed. If
the foe rolls multiple matching dice and you
wish to Brave, you must match or exceed the
foe's matching rolls with your own equally.

41
BRAVE Actions
A Brave action happens when your action matches a Target Difficulty. Through your innate potential,
burgeoning skill or fateful forces out of your control, your action perfectly aligns with that of the world
attempting to match you.

Brave Action
Given there are no true stats or modifiers in
Voyager, Brave actions are a method for you
to achieve superhuman feats. Whether it is
through your own spirit or through the bonds
you share with your allies, you must take every
advantage you can to overcome the
monumental challenges of the World Beyond.

Many things, from weapons to abilities, have a

Brave version of it. This is a more powerful
effect that triggers if you roll a Brave action.
This might be a gunblade shooting ballistic
fire when it strikes.

Your basic combat actions can also be

Braved. If you perfectly match your HIT action
with an enemy's attack, you perform a
Brave Parry, deflecting the attack entirely.
If you use MOVE to perfectly dodge, you
perform a Brave Dodge. Time slows
down as you enter a flow state and
quickly execute your next move.

After rolling a Brave action, you

also get a free additional action
roll at no cost, called Flow. This
Flow action is the same duration
as the Brave action, and would
use the same die type.

Flow actions cannot be

Reacted to in any way by
enemies, regardless of its
duration, but it can be
Reacted to by allied actions.
Your Flow action cannot be
Braved, but allies can roll
their own Brave actions if
their action roll matches
your Flow. This chain can
continue, creating a
sequence of allies tagging
in and overwhelming the
enemy.

42
Resolve & Break
Resolve and Break
You have two main bars to calculate health:
Resolve and Break. By default, your Voyager
has 50 Resolve and 5 Break.

Resolve represents your general health,

attrition and will to fight, as well as energy and
morale during exploration and interactions.

Break is reduced when you take too much

damage at once, or if inflicted by a status
effect like Stun or Blight.

Resolve and Break affect each other. If you

Break, your Resolve is also lowered to that
threshold. If your Resolve is reduced to one of
your Break thresholds (increments of 10), you
stop taking damage until you Break from
Brave actions or Conditions.

Damage Rules
> Normal damage can only reduce your
Resolve to your Break threshold.
> A Break bar and any Resolve below its Break
threshold can only be reduced using a Brave
action.
> If a Condition causes you to Break, you take
the effect from that Condition.

Healing, Armour & Rest

When not Resting, such as during combat or
exploration, healing can only restore your
Resolve to the closest Break threshold.

Some effects or items grant Armour, which are

temporary Break bars and can exceed your
maximum Break bar number, but does not
increase your maximum Resolve. These must
be broken first through Brave actions and
Conditions before affecting Resolve.

When you take a normal Rest, your Resolve

and Break are restored to the next Break
threshold. If you Encamp, your Resolve and
Break are restored to full.

43
Combat Actions
Every Voyager has access to a basic set of combat actions that they can use in battle. Many Voyager
archetypes would have skillsets that synergise well with certain combat actions, based on their
playstyle.

These Actions are available to all Voyagers at the start of the game, so use them well!

Dodge Parry
Fast Action | 1 AP Variable Reaction
MOVE HIT

Instantly dodge a hostile action aimed Instead of rolling to Block or to Dodge a foe's
towards you. Roll a single MOVE die, gaining attack, you can roll a HIT action to Parry it,
Movement equal to the amount rolled. If the crossing weapons with their strike. If this roll
hostile action has an area of effect and your exceeds the hostile roll, you deflect their blow
Dodge does not move you out of its area, you and take no damage.
will be inflicted by it after.
You trigger a Brave Parry if your Parry roll is the
You activate a Brave Dodge when your Dodge same as the foe's hostile roll, and enter Flow.
roll is the same number as the enemy's hostile This also Breaks the foe.
roll, and enter Flow.

Block
Variable Action
SAVE
Attempt to block a hostile action aimed
towards you. If this roll exceeds the hostile roll,
you successfully block their attack and take
no damage. If this roll is lower than the hostile
roll, you reduce its damage and effects by
that amount instead.

You trigger a Brave Block if your Block roll is

the same as the foe's hostile roll, and enter
Flow.

44
Liaison Actions [WIP]
The Liaison, like Voyagers, can also perform actios that assist the party in specific remote ways, using
their resources in EXDUS. A Liaison can perform one Liaison Action per timeslot. Some Actions will be
resolved within the same timeslot, while some will only be resolved and its results given in the next
timeslot.

When on the field, you can speak with your Liaison through either a special EXDUS communicator, or
a mental link if one of you is a Phytosapien Magoi.

MOVE avoid, block or otherwise negate a

You use MOVE when you want to hostile action taken against you or
traverse the world, maneuver on an ally. This is also used for healing
the battlefield and performs feats and restoring an ally's Resolve or
of movement such as running, Break.
jumping and dodging.
LORE
You use LORE is to recall your known
DARE experience and knowledge -
Emergency Backup whether navigating certain types of
If prompted by the party's actions, familiar terrain or recalling the
the Liaison may call on EXDUS cultural norms of a region.
support to directly help the party.
This can take the form of sending a
supply drop, an emergency CAST
evacuation or sending a Your CAST is used for casting various
reconaissance drone. The further forms of magic, and amplifying its
into unknown territory the party is, power. This can also be used to cast
the more limited the help the magical rituals and to command
Liaison is capable of giving - but summons and arcane familiars.
regardless, this cannot be used to
instantly solve the party's problems
or win their battles for them. SENSE
Your SENSE is used when analysing
HIT the world and its inhabitants -
You use HIT for melee combat, whether it's deciphering carvings,
striking and engaging foes. This can finding tracks or studying someone's
be with your weapon, fists or other body language. This can be through
forms of martial training. your bodily senses or through a sixth
sense.

AIM
You use AIM when performing TOOL
ranged attacks during combat, and Your TOOL is used to determine
for performing actions involving success when using tools or actions
precise aim. Your ranged attacks requiring mechanical skill, such as
can be represented by physical lockpicking, hacking or pitching a
ammunition like bullets and arrows, tent. You would also use this for
or stores of offensive magical crafting and making items.
power.

FACE
SAVE You use FACE when interacting with
You use SAVE when you want to other Sapients in a social context to

45
DARE LORE
Emergency Backup Consult Archives
If prompted by the party's actions, the Liaison If prompted by the party's actions, the Liaison
may call on EXDUS support to directly help the may spend time researching a matter,
party. This can take the form of sending a combing through EXDUS records, Relic
supply drop, an emergency evacuation or Libraries and other related databases. The
sending a reconaissance drone. The further number rolled determines how much
into unknown territory the party is, the more information was gleaned that the Liaison is
limited the help the Liaison is capable of able to find and provide - a low number
giving - but regardless, this cannot be used to suggesting that near to no information exists
instantly solve the party's problems or win regarding the topic.
their battles for them.

SENSE
TOOL
Scan Material
Infiltrate Systems If the party finds a material or object that can
If prompted by the party's actions, the Liaison aid in their Voyage, they can use specialised
may use EXDUS equipment to attempt to EXDUS equipment to scan the object, creating
infiltrate or hack equipment like security a digital replica of the object for inspection.
cameras and turrets. This can only be used on This is then sent to the Liaison to inspect for
technology familiar to the Known World. clues.

This activity may deactivate or disable the For example, it could be a bloodstained statue
target entirely, or with a low roll, cause it to go that could be the key to solving a murder,
berserk or alert its allies. where the Liaison can perform tests to identify
the blood's makeup and what sort of Sapient
it belonged to; an Old World relic that the
FACE Liaison can try to identify and trace back to a
certain culture or time period; or an EXDUS ID
Pull Strings
card scanned to check the person's details
If prompted by the party's actions, the Liaison
and current whereabouts.
may use their connections within EXDUS to
help the party, such as calling a nearby
A Phytosapien Magoi Liaison is able to project
faction for assistance, or gaining clearance to
their consciousness outward, able to remotely
access a normally restricted area.
survey alongside their allies in an ethereal
form, unable to touch anything.
The number rolled determines the success of
the deal struck - a zero outcome may be a
As with LORE, a low roll suggests no
simple refusal; a complication may cause the
information can be gleaned from the scan.
faction to accept but at some cost; and a
disaster may tip the faction off about the
party's intentions and tempt them into taking
the prize for themselves.

46
MOVE & DARE
Tiles Traps & Terrain
All distances in combat are measured on a You may occasionally encounter hazards and
square grid with tiles. During combat, tiles other interactable elements on the map. You
denote the position of allies and enemies; would typically use your DARE action to
there may also be various environmental circumvent these features. This includes:
hazards and objects that can be interacted
with, such as chasms and traps. > Chasms that enemies can be knocked into.
Depending on its depth, an entity that drops in
You will typically encounter single-Tile will take Airborne damage and may spend a
obstacles across the map, which are 1 Tile Slow action to climb out.
high and wide. These include walls, boulders,
holes and such. These obstacles can typically > Difficult terrain which Slows entities moving
be climbed or even destroyed. through them, requiring double the Movment
to traverse them, such as mud, rubble, thick
shrubbery, water and crags.
Movement Rules
The number rolled from your MOVE action > Motion-activated traps such as pressure
determines the amount of Tiles you can move. plates, sentry turrets and laser traps. These
This is called your Movement. For example, if can typically be disabled with a Slow TOOL
you roll a 6, you have 6 Movement and can action or by destroying them.
move up to 6 Tiles.
> Single-tile obstacles like blocks, trees and
You can only move orthogonally, meaning barricades. Depending on its toughness, an
you cannot normally move diagonally. entity can use their attacks or a Slow action to
However, certain abilities like Dodge allow you destroy it.
to do so.
> Locations on the map that may offer
If you want to climb an elevated Tile, you benefits to an entity that occupies it, like
spend 2 Movement for each Tile climbed ladders, tunnels to another area of the map,
instead of 1. If there is an accessible feature manned turrets or short-range teleporters.
like a ramp or ladder, this penalty doesn't
apply.

You can interweave Movement and perform

other actions like attacking, then continue
moving if you still have Movement remaining,
without needing to roll another MOVE action.

Dodge
When an enemy attacks you, you can react to
use your MOVE action and Dodge. This lets
you automatically evade any attack meant
for you. You would roll your action die and
gain Movement based on the roll, even
diagonally, but only in a straight line. If an
attack has an area of effect, you must fully
Dodge out of this area to prevent damage.

If your Dodge roll instead matches the

enemy's roll, you perform a Brave Dodge,
granting you Flow immediately afterwards.

47
HIT & AIM
You can roll your HIT action to instantly make a melee attack against a target. For Voyagers who
prefer close-quarters combat, this is your primary means of damage.

Conversely, you can roll your AIM action to make a ranged attack. This can be done using bullets,
arrows, elemental magic, commanding a familiar, etc. Rather than meticulously tracking how much
physical ammunition you're carrying, you are always assumed to have enough of it.

What Is HIT Used For? Your ranged attacks have range increments
based on your die's type. If you're firing as a
Damage Fast action, your maximum range is 4 tiles. If
You roll your HIT action to strike a it's a Medium action, its maximum range is 6
target occupying one of the 8 Tiles tiles (if rolling a d6) or 8 tiles (if rolling a d8),
surrounding you, dealing damage and so on.
based on the number rolled.
Think of it as an abstraction of your accuracy
If the target tries to SAVE or react to your - as a Fast action, you're firing from the hip
attack, you must exceed their roll to deal and off the cuff, so its accurate distance is
damage. Otherwise, they successfully greatly diminished. As a Slow action, you're
counteract your strike. If your roll matches carefully training your shot, and as such are
theirs instead, you deal a Brave attack, which fully able to maximise its effective distance
Breaks the target and activates your and accuracy.
weapon's Brave effect, if any.
If a target is behind partial cover and you
Parry attempt an AIM roll, the Liaison may roll a free
You can react to an enemy's melee or ranged die against your roll, representing the Target
attack using a HIT action to parry it. If your roll Difficulty of overcoming the cover. The enemy
exceeds theirs, you successfully deflect their does not spend any actions to do this. If they
weapon or projectile away, taking no are behind full cover, this becomes +2d
damage. If your roll matches the enemy's roll, instead.
this becomes a Brave Parry. This Breaks the
enemy if the parried attack was in melee. Hybrid Damage
Regardless of melee or range, a Brave Parry Some weapons, called hybrid weapons, use
also allows you to Flow. melee and ranged attacks simultaneously to
overwhelm opponents. Used this way, AIM is
usually used to repel the target to push them
What Is AIM Used For? back, or deal additional damage.
Damage
You roll your AIM action to hit a target at
range, dealing damage based on the number
Additional Concepts
rolled. Honed
Some effects grant your attacks the Honed
By default, the effective range is based on trait. This means all damage and effects are
your line of sight - if you can see it, you can doubled for that roll. Honed cannot stack
shoot it. You would resolve damage much like more than once.
you would a HIT action. You can even Parry
with a ranged attack as well. Truestrike
Some effects grant your attacks the Truestrike
However, two exceptions occur: when an trait. This means this attack cannot be
enemy is behind cover, and when an enemy is avoided by any means, even with Dodging or
a certain distance away. Parrying.

48
SAVE & SENSE [WIP]
SAVE Action SENSE Action
Block g
When an enemy uses a hostile action against
you, you can choose to roll a SAVE Die against
it. This typically is a block, using a shield or
magical barrier of some sort. If your SAVE
exceeds the enemy's roll, you successfully
prevent that action from damaging or
affecting you, describing how you do so.

If your roll matches instead, you perform a

Brave Block instead, and enter Flow. If you
have a shield or other equipment that
activates from your SAVE, you activate its
Brave effect.

If your SAVE roll is lower than the enemy's roll,

then you would still take damage. However,
your roll would reduce its damage and effect
by the rolled amount. This can only be done if
you specifically used a SAVE action to do this.

Heal
SAVE can also be rolled to heal an ally's
wounds or encourage them, replenishing their
Resolve by the amount rolled. During combat,
you can only heal an yourself or an ally's
Resolve, but not their Break bar.

Armour

Shields
Some Abilities allow you to grant a Shield to
yourself or allies. A Shield can fully negate any
one hostile instance of damage against you,
which also negates any Conditions it would
have inflicted. Shields cannot be stacked
more than once until the first Shield is
destroyed.

49
LORE & CAST
[WIP]

Casting
You can spend your CAST Die to harness the
World Tree's magic to perform different feats
and cast spells.

Upcasting
[WIP]

50
TOOL & FACE [WIP]
[WIP]

[WIP]

51
52
Starting Combat
Whenever your party enters combat, Initiative begins, where you, your allies and enemies take turns
engaging in battle.

Initiators Turn Order

Before combat begins, all Voyagers and foes "The next turn has started. Do you want to act, or
must each roll to determine their Initiators. do wish to wait and see?"

All Voyagers roll a single die of d6 value or There is no initiative order in Voyager: Tactics.
higher, while the GM rolls for the opposition. Instead, the Liaison regularly asks if the
Rather than individually rolling for each players wish to make a move. If not, an enemy
enemy, the GM rolls one die for each unique will act. Whenever someone acts during
group of enemies (i.e. one roll for a group of combat, the Voyagers are free to spend their
soldiers and one for a line of marksmen). Actions to react to their allies' or enemies'
Elites and bosses are always rolled separately. actions. Once an action has been fully reacted
to or no one else wishes to react to it, that turn
All Voyagers or enemies that roll a 5 or above ends. The next one begins and the Players can
are the Initiators. If there are any enemy decide if they want to act next, or let the next
groups that roll over the highest Voyager roll, enemy act and react to them. This happens
then that group goes first. Otherwise, the until all entities in combat spend their actions.
Initiating Voyagers go first. All entities who roll
below 5 will instead be reacting to whatever
the Initiators do.
Player 1: "I will take a Slow action to charge a
shielding spell over our group."
Opening Movement
All entities gain a free amount of opening Liaison: "The enemies are too far to
Movement equal to the number they rolled.
meaningfully react, so they will not react to your
Unless the narrative specifies, the party is
casting. Anything from the rest of you?"
assumed to start from roughly the same
position on the map. This starting position is
where the opening movement is determined. Player 2: "Nothing from me. I want to wait from
inside the circle when it casts."
For example: Player A rolls a 9 and is highest.
As an Initiator, they can act first and may Liaison: "Since no party has reacted, you
move up to 9 Tiles before combat starts. This successfully cast your protective circle. These
can be explained in various ways: they slip minions will spend their Medium actions to move
away to find a better vantage point; they towards you, and that's all they can do. Next, the
sprint forward; they vault over a nearby table, elite lumbers forward, and at this rate it will
etc. Meanwhile, Player B rolls a 2. Since they
surely reach you. This is a Slow action."
rolled below a 5, they are part of the "wait and
see" phase, but can move up to 2 Tiles
beforehand. Player 3: "I'm going to raise an earth wall to
block its advance. Medium action."
When all entities perform their opening
movement, the first Round of combat begins.
The first acting Initiator performs the first
action, which then any other entity on the Once all entities have fully used all of their
map can react to. actions, the Round ends and the next one
begins.

53
Linked Turns
Defeat & Retreat
Whenever two or more Initiators have their
For more information, see Page XX.
starting roll within 2 numbers of each other
(i.e. a 5 and 7), you can choose to Link your
Turns. This means that you may take your
turns simultaneously, coordinating your
actions together.

Momentum
Momentum is a tool the Liaison can use to
pace a combat encounter. Is is a counter that
represents the balance of power between the
party and the opposition.

The party gains Momentum whenever they

successfully Break a foe (+1 Momentum for
each Break bar removed). Conversely, the
opposition gains Momentum whenever they
remove the party's Break bars.

Think of it as a race, with each side trying to

gain as much Momentum as possible. To gain
victory, the party may either need to reach a
target Momentum number before the
opposition does - a shorter fight may only
need a Momentum count of 5-10, while a
prolonged battle may need a count of 20 or
more. Generally though, the maximum
amount of Momentum needed would be 5,
multiplied by the number of Voyagers in the
party.

The Liaison may also add certain

"checkpoints" in between. For example, if the
enemy side reaches 5 Momentum, they may
call in an additional wave of backup, or an
elite foe may enter the battle.

When the party gains the upper hand, the

enemy may immediately rout and retreat, or
they may ask to negotiate with the party,
finding you too much to deal with. As such,
victory is very much possible without having
to KO every enemy on the map.

This does need to only apply to combat. The

Liaison is free to utilise Momentum for other
situations, such as the party negotiating with
a hostile force, a chase scene or a race.
Momentum is then gained through successful
actions by the party instead.

54
55
Rest & Camping
Rest is necessary to maintain your health and energy while exploring and preparing for combat.
There are two types of rest in the game: Rest and Encampment.

Rest Downtime
Rest is a short period of recovery the party Downtime is a longer period of rest that your
takes. This would typically happen after after party takes between Voyages, which they can
every combat encounter or upon exploring a use to learn new skills and abilities. They are
new area. Rest takes up one timeslot. further explained in Page XX.

When Resting, the party restores one Break

bar and their Resolve to full. Time Progression + Calendar
After Midnight, the next day begins.
During rest, the Voyagers can report back to Depending on the mission, there may be a set
their Liaison, interact with each other, deadline to conclude a mission, lest the party
discussing the state of the mission, planning lose their lead or advantage.
their next course of action, or simply relaxing
and spending time on their hobbies. It can be After they finish a mission, the party stops
as casual as a campfire under the moonlight counting the time and they are assumed to
after a long day's journey, or as stress- make their way back to EXDUS HQ.
relieving as finding a safe room after braving
a treacherous, trap-laden labyrinth filled with
enemies.

It is not mandatory for the party to

immediately set up camp and rest after
combat, but taking time to recover and take
stock of your situation is always
advantageous. This may not always be
possible for a time-sensitive mission.

Encampment
After a day's worth of exploration, your party
can set up a more permanent rest point in the
wilderness or at a settlement. Your party is
then considered Encamped. Encamping
causes two timeslots to pass.

Encamping allows your party to fully recall the

day's events. After your party finishes
Encampment and leaves, your party's Break
bars and Resolve are fully restored.

56
Retreat & Defeat [WIP]
[WIP]

Retreat
The party should not worry about being able
to win every single fight they get into.

57
Danger & Death [WIP]
Endangered Death & Injury
Once your Voyager or a foe has their Break Depending on your choice, your Voyager may
bars and Resolve taken to 0, they become either die or take on a serious injury. The
Endangered: they remain conscious and nature of this death or injury is based on the
active, but their life now hangs on a enemy and attack that inflicted it.
precarious edge.
For example, if the enemy was a swordfighter,
Most foes who become Endangered typically they may have dismembered one of the
will flee battle or surrender - they know Voyager's limbs.
they've lost and will usually make a hasty
retreat. Their morale has been completely
broken and they lose the will to fight. When Recovery
this happens, they are removed from combat.
If your Voyager was Endangered at least once
during their Voyager, you may choose to use
While enemies retreat, Players are still able to
Recovery rules. This Voyager would require
interact with the fleeing foes. They could use
extended rest upon returning to EXDUS HQ to
their actions to pursue and capture them for
heal their wounds and recover to full strength.
interrogation, attempt to plant a tracker on a
This would be the length of one in-game day
foe running back to their hidden base, or kill a
for every time they became Endangered
dangerous creature before it can escape and
during the Voyage.
endanger others.
While Recovering, that Voyager cannot
When the player becomes Endangered, they
participate in any missions until fully healed.
can still choose to take actions. This means
This means the party may have a temporary
they can choose to withdraw to treat
Recruit fill in for them (which the recovering
themselves or in some cases, take on further
Voyager's player would control) or the group
dangers to help their allies.
may choose to play as a totally different party
of Recruits altogether.

Risk
If a Voyager chooses to withdraw upon being
Endangered, the GM may allow them to do so,
and that character leaves combat. They are
assumed to find safety nearby, and cannot
re-enter combat.

However, if they choose to stay and help in

spite of their dire condition, then their
character remains in combat.

When the character becomes Endangered

and stays in combat, they gain one last Break
bar. This forms a rush of adrenaline as your
body kicks into survival mode.

The Voyager ignores any damage to their

Resolve while in this state, but if anything
causes you to Break (a Condition, Blight or a
massive amount of damage), your luck has
run out.

58
Conditions
Conditions & Stacks DEBILITATION
Inhibits a target's actions. When a target is
You or an enemy can be afflicted with any
Afflicted by a Debilitation, it continues to take
number of debilitating status effects, called
effect even when cleared, until the end of the
Conditions. These can be crucial in turning the
round or until another Condition of the same
tide of a battle, and can often be followed up
or different type Afflicts or Breaks them.
by further attacks. Inflicting Conditions are
one of your consistent methods to Break foes,
besides Brave attacks and Reactions. Slowed
An entity that is Afflicted with Slow must
An entity can only be marked and inflicted expend double the Movement to move 1 Tile or
with one Condition at a time, but once they perform other movement actions. If this
recover, they can be marked and inflicted Breaks the target, it Roots them instead.
again.
Rooted
An entity Afflicted with Root has their
Condition Die Movement reduced to 0. They cannot be
Whenever an entity is marked with a Displaced or take movement actions while
Condition, they are given a Condition die. This Afflicted, but can still attack and use non-
is a die representing the chance of that movement actions.
Condition inflicting them.
Impaired
Whenever the entity rolls their action, they The entity is blinded, deafened or otherwise
must roll an extra die from that Condition: has their senses disrupted. When the target
rolls an action that also Afflicts them with
> Cleared. If any of their action or bonus dice Impairment, they must instead use the result
roll higher than the Condition, they clear its of the lowest die they rolled for that action. If
effects and nothing happens. The die is then this Breaks them, all their actions for their
removed. entire turn must use the lowest roll.

> Affliction. If the Condition rolls the highest Fear

among all their rolled dice, they are inflicted A target Afflicted with Fear cannot move
with it and the die is removed. towards or take actions directly against the
source of its Fear. If this causes the target to
> Break. If the Condition roll matches any of Break instead, they will spend all their actions
the rolled dice, it automatically afflicts the to move as far away from the source as
target and is removed. This also Breaks them possible. For certain weaker targets like
and cancels their intended action. Some Minions, this causes them to leave combat
Conditions like Blights will deal an additional entirely.
effect to the target when triggered this way.
Taunt
Whenever someone uses an action that An entity Afflicted with Taunt becomes hostile
inflicts a Condition, it will inflict a number of to the source and will spend all available
stacks based on the number rolled, such as actions to move to the source and attack (if
Displace +3 or Stun +1. This means when the melee) or to keep line of sight on the source
marked target rolls their action, they must roll and attack them (if ranged). Its attention will
all those Condition dice at once. Only one die be on the source and does not pay attention
can be cleared at a time, and the entity must to others even when attacked.
clear all of these dice to be free of its effects.
If this causes the target to Break instead, they
Condition Types become Enraged and will be hostile to all
entities near it, whether friend or foe.
There are three types of Conditions:
Debilitation, Blight and Miscellaneous.

59
BLIGHT MISCELLANEOUS
Blight is a Condition representing damage Conditions that do not fall under a specific
over time, such as burning or electrocution. category.
The type of Blight is based on the Sphere that
inflicted it. Feel free to apply the effect that Displaced
best fits the action that caused it. Displace and Airborne are resolved
immediately and cannot mark targets.
Whenever a target is marked by Blight and
they roll an Affliction, they take an effect Displace forces movement on the target, and
based on the Sphere that caused it. If they roll can cause them to hit a wall or solid obstacle.
a Break, the Blight explodes and Stuns them, If a target hits something this way, all
causing them to lose all their actions until the remaining Displace stacks are converted into 1
end of the round. This explosion also damage per stack upon impact, which can
damages all foes within 2 tiles of the target. Break. E.g. a target is Displaced +5 and hits a
wall 1 tile away. As such, they would take 4
SUN damage.
Represents burning from fire. If the Blight die
rolls an Affliction, the target takes additional Airborne
damage equal to the roll. On a Break, this A Displaced target can instead be moved
Detonates the target. vertically into the air, which can activate
certain other actions that synergise with it, like
MOON the Armsmaster's Air Juggle. The target takes
Represents the buildup of frost from ice. If the damage based on the number of tiles
Blight die rolls an Affliction, the target is travelled when they hit solid ground, as with
Slowed. On a Break, this Freezes the target. the Displaced condition.

EARTH You start taking fall damage once you are

Represents twisting vines ensnaring the Airborne 1, unless you have a trait that
target, or rocks clinging around their feet. If prevents this. By default, all entities that are
the Blight die rolls an Affliction, the target is Airborne in combat fall to the ground at a rate
Rooted and cannot move. On a Break, this of 6 Tiles per turn. This means an enemy that
Petrifies the target. is taken very high can be taken out of combat
for an entire turn, if not more.
SKY
Represents forceful wind or being shocked by Stealthed
lightning. If the Blight die rolls an Affliction, the A Stealthed entity is either concealed or
target is either Displaced backwards or unseen, such as in darkness. Their first
knocked Airborne based on the number rolled, successful Attack against an unsuspecting
or they are shocked, dealing additional target gains Truestrike, at which point they
damage equal to the roll (choose one). On a must be Stealthed again to regain this benefit.
Break, this Electrocutes the target.
Invulnerable
STAR An Invulnerable entity is temporarily immune
Represents scrying starlight encircling the to all instances of damage or Conditions.
target, or gnawing darkness. If the Blight die
rolls an Affliction, the target is Impaired by
blindness. On a Break, this Collapses the
target.

Bleed/Poison/Acid
Unaligned Blight types that can be afflicted by
certain weapons. They deal additional
damage upon an Affliction and can Break, but
have no further effects once cleared.

60
Progression [WIP]
Commendations Voyager Rank [WIP]
Every time your party completes part of their Each Voyager has their own rank, and gaining
Voyage, your GM gives you a number of Commendations allow them to climb higher in
Experience Points (EXP). This EXP can be used EXDUS' leaderboard, allowing them more perks
to purchase different forms of progression for and benefits.
your Voyager.
A Liaison also increases in rank. This allows
At the end of every Voyage, the Liaison gives a them to field more high-rank Recruits from the
report of their performance and their Recruitment pool. At the start of the game,
Commendation level based on how well they Liaisons can only hire Recruits equal to their
did. Think of it as a five-star rating system. own rank.
This is the main way of getting Experience,
and the party gains 1 EXP per Commendation
level. You gain one Commendation level for Personal Experience
each of this criteria fulfilled: [WIP]
> Portrayed EXDUS well (didn't do anything You may also earn up two 1-2 additional EXP
overly criminal or destructive to civilians or for pursuing your own Voyager's goals.
relic sites)

> Fostered good relations with another faction Abilities

(or thwarted another faction's ill intent) You can spend 10 EXP to learn a new ability or
feature from a chosen Venture.
> Preserved or protected the public

> Satisfied the needs or objective of the

mission, if possible

> Preserved or discovered knowledge or relic

of the Old World

> Prevented a major threat or showed great

heroism (the only way to get a 6 star
commendation)

EXP and Commendations are tracked for

Liaisons as well for the purpose of tracking
their rank. This would be tallied the same way
as for the Voyagers.

61
Downtime [WIP]
Voyagers can spend time between Voyages
to relax, pursue other interests, etc.

62
 Misc. Concepts [WIP]

Size Hybrid
Some portions of this book will mention Size, Weapons/Combat
which occasionally affect spacing and
positioning during combat. In most cases Hybrid weapons use state of the art
though, it is deliberately vague so as to not innovation to combine melee and ranged
overly limit Players from performing cool combat into a single dance of metal and
actions. munitions. This can also be an adept magus-
warrior who uses weapons and magic in swift
tandem.
Tiny
The size of a mouse, fairy or small bottle.
You can choose to give your Voyager a hybrid
Occupies 1 Tile. Can freely move and stop in
weapon during character creation. When
the same space as an entity or object of
doing so, choose a configuration for your
Small Size or bigger.
weapon, and two weapons to combine
together.
Small
The size of a cat, small dog or humanoid child.
Occupies 1 Tile. Can freely move and stop in
Hybrid Weapon Configurations
the same space as an entity or object of
A hybrid weapon can be found in multiple
Medium Size or bigger.
configurations. Some use simple munitions to
amplify their melee attacks; others can use
Medium complex mechanisms to transform between
The size of an average humanoid Sapient, melee and ranged forms.
and animals like large dogs. Occupies 1 Tile.
Synergy
Large A weapon that combines melee and ranged
The size of a horse or car. Occupies 2 Tiles. archetypes, weaving close-range attacks and
harrying fire seamlessly. This can be a
Huge gunblade, firing with each swing of the blade;
The size of a bus or elephant. a rocket axe using jet propulsion to increase
the heft of your swings, and so on.
Colossal
The size of a house. Shifter
A shifter weapon can transform between
multiple different forms during combat,
Companions allowing the wielder to adapt to different
You can choose to have your Voyager bring a situations. It can be a pair of giant scissors
companion on their travels, like a pet, that can merge into a singular giant blade, a
summon or familiar. During combat, the GM scythe that can also turn into a sniper rifle,
simply rules that any Action your companion and so on.
takes is spent from your Actions. However,
your companion would have their own Infused
Resolve, while Bravery is shared between you. An infused weapon is one that doubles as
both weapon and magical focus. The wielder
uses it to channel the World Tree's energy and
hone magic, like a staff or a sword made of
flames.

63
64
Money & Resources
Some lore and rules for usage regarding money and other forms of wealth in Voyager: Tactics.

Diny (Dn) Shelling (Sh)

Little is known about the first stories of society Also called Rounds, this is a currency brought
reemerging after the arrival of the World Tree, over by the Amerusan Colonies from the West.
but one story remains: that of the Diny The Colonists often had bullets in abundant
(pronounced dye-nee). supply, and used them as a system of trade,
arranging their order of value by the bullets'
During the first few years of Aeden's birth, Calibre. They were originally Old World
some traders reportedly came across a large munitions that used a substance called Black
cache of Old World treasures, among them Powder, but since the usage of Red Glass
being a large number of ancient dice made of became the preferred primer for Amerusan
copper, plastic and various other materials. firearms, these Black Powder Shellings
became a rare commodity and a subject of
While most people recognised them as collection and preservation.
trinkets for play and leisure, due to the scarce
resources at the time, they were used as a Empty shell casings were also used, and
makeshift currency to represent the bulk of represented a tenth of its bullet’s value. The
trade goods, the value of each piece easily standard value of one Shelling is measured by
discerned by the highest number it conveys. its most common Calibre, the Plinker, which
equals 1 Diny in value. Other increments of
Over time, the tradition stuck, and now the Shelling include the Gauger and Hander.
Aedean government mints these dice as
official coinage out of metals like copper and
silver, called the Diny, which spread to be Pego (Pg)
used all throughout the Known World that
Also called Bricks, Pego is system of currency
other currencies are measured against - the
brought over by the Kaibi, and is particularly
Roll Standard. The numbers on the die faces
loved by the Dust markets and the Kaibi for its
fell to disuse and were replaced by more
bright colours and cute appearance, so
decorative motifs; the shape of the dice as
named for its blocky shape, and the name
well as its minted material being the actual
Pego meticulously inscribed on every block’s
representation of its coinage value.
stud with fine precision, a name which was
assumed to refer to a deity of riches, masonry
and play.

65
 Equipment
These are items that the Party will regularly
use, such as weapons, apparel and magical
trinkets. These require Money to be supplied,
or can be crafted or traded with Materials.

Consumables
Based on a common Kaibi folk tale, use of Perishables or items meant for single-use,
Bricks became popularised after what the including food, potions and the like. They are
Kaibi call the Great Siege of Pegoland, in their bought with Money, or can be crafted or
far-off motherland. There, a group of survivors traded with Materials.
were cornered by a massive band of warlords
and raiders, and sought shelter in a place Materials
called Pegoland, where they found a vibrant Component items used to craft other items,
paradise filled with these dreamlike bricks. and are a very useful resource to barter with
They used these bricks to trade with the people who find little use for Money, such as
warlords, who also became enraptured by certain Shard Banners and Raiders. These can
them, believing Pegoland to be the sacred be grains, spices, ores, gems and harvested
realm of an Old World god - turning Pego into parts from monsters, such as scales, vials of
a popular currency ever since. blood or bones.

The most common Pego type are the 2x3 and

2x4 Bricks, and are often used
Writs
Representations of wealth given by Factions
interchangeably with the same value, with
or wealthy parties, and provide access to
more unusual shapes having greater value
goods. These can be a deed to a house,
(Pego Piece #26047 is one of particular
exclusive rights to access restricted resources
cultural significance sought after by many
and locations, or a written commendation by
collectors). One standard Pego is relatively
a Faction leader. While some Writs can be
equal to 1 Diny, and Dust traders are often
bought for Money, such as property deeds,
divided between which they prefer, treating
getting Writs mainly represents the Party's
them as rival currencies.
social standing and reputation, as riches do
not always translate to prestige.
Wealth & Spending
In this current game version, to keep
gameplay relatively free of bookkeeping, I've
decided not to add in a detailed list for prices
for objects. However, I'll list the different forms
of wealth that you may encounter in your
Voyages.

There are five types of resources used in

Revenir: Money, Equipment, Consumables,
Materials and Writs - each having different
uses in the world.

Money
This represents the Party's overall wealth. Any
money earned by the Party is not tracked
individually, but is added into the party's
Spending Money, or Hoard, which they can
use to buy any number of resources.

66
Inventory
During your Voyages, you may encounter objects of interest that you take along with you, usually a
relic or object needed for your objective that you bring back to EXDUS HQ for analysis, processing or
archival. For this purpose, a simple Inventory system is used to keep track of this.

Inventory Space Regular Bulk - 2 Slots

Every Voyager in your party has a basic Items of regular size and weight. E.g. a one-
exploration pack that they use to carry things, handed weapon or piece of equipment.
which constitutes your Inventory space. Each
person's Inventory has 10 slots that can be Heavy Bulk - 3 Slots
used to store items you find on your Voyage. Items of large size and bulk, which many relics
fall under. E.g. shields, helmets, stone idols.
Your Inventory is emptied at the end of every
Voyage. This is to minimise bookkeeping, and 4 Slots+
your acquired items are assumed to be Items of a high Bulk that occupy 4 slots or
stored at EXDUS HQ or distributed during above cannot fit in your pack. These include
Downtime. heavy stone tablets, computers and treasure
chests. To carry them, you need a LOQR.

Bulk
Each item has its own Bulk, denoting how
L.O.Q.R
many Inventory slots they occupy. The larger Every Voyage Team in EXDUS has clearance to
or heavier the item is, the greater their Bulk carry one LOQR (pronounced “Locker”) - short
and the more Inventory slots they occupy in for LOcalised Quasidimensional Reliquary. It is
your pack. Once your pack is full, you cannot a remote storage device used to facilitate
carry any more items. long-distance travel by EXDUS operatives and
to transport highly fragile and valuable Old
Light Bulk - 1 Slot World relics.
Any item small or light enough to fit in your
pocket. E.g. small figurines, vials, amulets, The LOQR is a small device that is normally
books and potions. attached to one’s shoulder via a shoulder
strap and is activated by a small wave of the
A purse of 100 Diny costs 1 slot. hand across the shoulder (1 Action). Any item
that is held in the caster’s hands is kept in an
astral pocket dimension until it is recovered
with another 1 Action hand gesture.

67
 to carry the LOQR, entrusting it and its
Any items inside the LOQR are weightless. The
contents to their care. This Player is called the
LOQR is bound to its user, so only the user is
Quartermaster.
able to access the LOQR’s contents unless
forced open by powerful magic or hacking.

The LOQR has 10 Inventory slots like your

Mission Items
Voyager pack. However, it can fit any objects When starting a Voyage, your party can stock
of Bulk 4 and above, storing them safely and up on certain provisions like healing salves
efficiently for transport. Any weight beyond and light sources from EXDUS HQ, or along
that disrupts the stability of the pocket their travels. These would take up space in
dimension, at which point all of its contents your pack, so be mindful not to fill your pack
are expelled and strewn randomly around the too much in the case you may need the
user. space for key items during your mission, like
relics or briefcases containing important
Quartermaster documents.
Since only 1 LOQR is allocated to each Voyage
party, your party would designate one Player

68
C H A P T E R III

ORIGINS

69
Creating Voyagers
[WIP]

Step-by-Step Chosen Every Voyage

SPHERE SIMULACRA
Create your Voyager's Sphere alignment, Your party may choose a Simulacrum to take
determining their general backstory and on your Voyage. This is a special magical relic
personality. that confers strange boons or effects to your
journey.
SAPIENT
VISAGE
FACTION Your party may choose the blessing of a
Choose your choice of Faction your Voyager Visage before starting a Voyage.
belongs to, and their Origin based on that
Faction. Feel free to also choose an Origin and
match it to the flavour of a different Faction -
they're meant to be quite general and open to
interpretation. This Origin would grant you an
additional Sphere alignment.

VENTURE
Choose 1 Core Training from a Venture and
another ability (2 total). This ability can be
learned from the same Venture, or you can
choose a Core Trait from another Venture.

This also gives you a starting selection of two

pieaces of standard equipment.

Checklist
By the time character creation is done, your
Voyager should have all these:

> Two Sphere alignments, one from your

general backstory and one from your Origin.
> Two Sapient traits based on your choice of
Sapient.
> Two starting Venture abilities, at least one
being a Core Training.
> Two pieces of starting equipment.
> 5 Break bars and 100 Resolve.

That's it!

70
Your Sphere Alignment
SUN SPHERE
POWER | CONVICTION | IMPULSE

Like the Sun, I light the way; but in its light I may blind myself to all else.
Like Fire, I burn brightly; but in its blaze I may destroy myself.

Personality I value...
1 - Fiery 1 - A passion for life
2 - Smoldering 2 - Ambition
3 - Bright 3 - Faith
4 - Attractive 4 - Romance and love
5 - Firm 5 - Justice
6 - Strong 6 - A legacy I must uphold

Appearance But I struggle with...

1 - A firelike mane 1 - Managing my emotions
2 - Eyes like the sun 2 - Slowing down
3 - Skin like burnished bronze 3 - Changing my beliefs
4 - A mighty stature 4 - Trusting others too easily
5 - A quiet strength 5 - Compromising my principles
6 - A pure countenance 6 - Defining myself

MOON SPHERE
FORESIGHT | WISDOM | KNOWLEDGE

Like the Moon, I scry the mysteries; but in its face

Like Water, I reflect truth; but in its tide I may drown in its depths.

Personality I value...
1 - Cool 1 - Gathering knowledge
2 - Icy 2 - Teaching others
3 - Transparent 3 - Knowing the truth
4 - Mysterious 4 - Understanding myself
5 - Distant 5 - Caution and consideration
6 - Wise 6 - Moderation in all things

Appearance But I struggle with...

1 - A wispy, flowing mane 1 - Understanding the real world
2 - Eyes like clearest water 2 - Admitting I don't know everything
3 - Skin like pale moonlight 3 - Sticking to a single idea
4 - A thin stature 4 - Considering others
5 - A quiet mystique 5 - Taking risks
6 - Slow mannerisms 6 - Indulging in life's pleasures

71
 EARTH SPHERE
PROTECTION | RESILIENCE | HARMONY

Like the Earth, I stand firm against all; but in its unyielding I may break into pieces.
Like Nature, I nourish and preserve; but in its life I may decay and lie

Personality I value...
1 - Sturdy 1 - Caring for others
2 - Charitable 2 - Protecting from harm
3 - Protective 3 - Tradition
4 - Experienced 4 - Serving a cause
5 - Unbending 5 - Cooperation
6 - Comforting 6 - Peace

But I struggle with...

Appearance 1 - Taking care of my own needs
1 - A firelike mane 2 - Self-sacrifice
2 - Eyes like a verdant garden 3 - Adapting to change
3 - Skin like burnished bronze 4 - Betrayal
4 - A sturdy stature 5 - Conflict
5 - A quiet giver 6 - Being complacent
6 - A comforting aura

SKY SPHERE
INTENT | PRECISION | CONTROL

Like the Sky, I watch over all things; but in its .

Like Lightning, I strike with piercing intent; but in i

Personality I value...
1 - Charismatic 1 - Caring for others
2 - Commanding 2 - Protecting from harm
3 - Precise 3 - Tradition
4 - Disciplined 4 - Serving a cause
5- 5 - Cooperation
6 - Comforting 6 - Peace

But I struggle with...

Appearance 1 - Taking care of my own needs
1 - A crackling 2 - Self-sacrifice
2 - Eyes like piercing 3 - Adapting to change
3 - Skin like burnished bronze 4 - Betrayal
4 - A lean stature 5 - Conflict
5 - A quiet giver 6 - Being complacent
6 - A comforting aura

72
 Optional Details [WIP]
Additional details you can add to your Voyager's backstory by rolling on tables.

Roll 1d12 three times

1| My parent... guides my way ...back home.

2| My sibling... gives me instruction ...from afar.

3| My best friend... comforts me ...in my dreams.

4| My role model... haunts me ...in my memories.

5| A trusted guard... watches over me ...through their stories.

6| My pet... pesters me ...from the grave.

7| My ambition... relentlessly pursues me ...unbeknownst to me.

8| A divine Visage... whispers to me ...whose name I don't know.

9| A lost relic... shaped my life ...towards a sworn duty.

10 | A single promise... makes me cringe ...

11 | A past name... will one day find me ...a future memory

12 | A vision of the future... ... ...

73
?

74
Visages [WIP]
Emanating from the World Tree is the Dreaming. Does the Dreaming proceed from the magic of the
Tree, or does the Tree proceed from the Dreaming, becoming a gateway into its mysteries?

From the Dreaming, all thoughts proceed from it and enter its fold, eternally born. It sleeps within air
and rages within the fire. It is the past, present and future.

The stars dreamed, and the world awoke. The world dreamed, and humanity awoke. Humanity
dreamed, and the Tree awoke. A new star watches over you.

Echoes of Myriad for your Voyagers to follow beyond the ones

mentioned here!
Worlds
From the Emergence, a sort of veil was Bless Your Voyage
opened to humankind, bringing the advent of
Magic and of the existence of numerous Before your Voyage starts, your party may
realities. The lines blur, whether these worlds choose to pay tribute to a Visage. Sometimes,
are dreamed, real or something else entirely. one may unknowingly do so through their
The arrival of the Tree made all stories real. All actions. You can also choose to randomly roll
myth became reality, and so reality becomes for a Gift/Miracle based on the table below,
legend. rolling again on the individual Visage's
Blessings to see which specific blessing is
Often, these manifest into a tangible form and gained.
affect the world. Scholars suggest that the
most powerful concepts and ideas of the past Roll a Visage (roll 1d12)
world survived through the World Tree and
affect the structure of magic, manifesting as 1 - Visage of the Fallen Flame
divine guardians, heroes and gods.
2 - Visage of the Hero
These phenomena are called many things.
Some mages called them Exemplars, others 3 - Visage of the Hearth
call them Echoes. Generally, us in EXDUS call
them Visages. 4 - Visage of the Storm King

5 - Visage of the Leviathan

Reach Into the
6 - Visage of the Creator-Destroyer
Dreaming
The following lists a number of the most 7 - Visage of the Three-headed God
prominent Visages: mythical archetypes that
manifest and exert influence over the World in 8 - Visage of the Wild Hunt
some form.
9 - Visage of the Gatekeeper
Many major Visages exist, and many more
minor ones exist. Though we wish to classify 10 - Visage of the Trickster
them, they defy convention in every sense,
overlapping with each other in numerous 11 - Visage of the Blade
ways. The major Visages are simply our way
of demarcating their phenomena in a way 12 - Modern Fiction (e.g. SCP Foundation)
that Voyagers will find useful, whether in
harnessing their manifest energies, or as
mages seeking to channel magic through it.

As such, feel free to create your own Echoes

75
 Visage of the Fallen
Flame
"I beheld a manlike form, angelic in countenance and enwreathed in flame. This man stole fire and gave it to
mortalkind; plucked a star from heaven and planted it upon the earth. For this he was punished, chained to a
rock to be eaten by eagles. For this he was cast to the earth, regarded as a traitor of order."

1 | Flamebearer
TBA

76
 Visage of the Doomed
Hero
I behold a champion, child between a god and a human, bathed in immortal waters by the heel. I behold as he
faces trials, plucking fruit from forbidden gardens and slaying great beasts. I watch as he seduces and seizes
death by the heel, until his hubris overtakes him, like death upon the aged.

O, how great are the hero's deeds! But greater still is the hero's fall! Hundreds will cheer at his triumph, but
thousands will weep at his undoing!

77
 Visage of the Hearth
TBA

Description

Miracles
1 | Cornucopium
Blessing
All members of the Voyage party have +10
increased maximum Resolve. +10 per rank.

2 | Health to the Strong

Bane
Elite foes regenerate 50 Resolve every Round.

3 | Rejuvena
Burst
g

78
 Visage of the Sky
Regent
I behold a great regent, sitting upon a throne of darkness hovering over the waters of old. I watch him cleave
the unborn world into two, slaying the serpent of deep waters and creating the world from its remains. He
takes its flesh, and with it he shall feed his children.

Description

Miracles
1 | Chain Lightning
Blessing
Whenever any entity in combat performs a
Critical, lightning bursts, striking the closest
entity within 2 tiles.

This lightning continues chaining as long as

there is an entity within 2 tiles of the previously
struck entity.

2 | Realm of Judgement
Bane
The entire Voyage will be plagued by storms
and inclement weather at any location the
Voyage party visits.

3 | Strike
Burst
At the start of every Round in combat,
lightning strikes a random area.

4 | Zehpyrus
Blessing
All entities' HIT or AIM actions also repel the
target by the full amount rolled.

79
Visage of the Leviathan
I behold a great endless serpent, winding around all creation and stirring up the waters - waters so black that
it swallows all. I behold it biting its own tail, for there was no other space for it to go, encompassing all things,
until it too, became nothing.

Description

Miracles
1 | TBA
Blessing

2 | Deluvian Manifestation
Break Event
Every Round in combat, a massive spectral
wave sweeps across the map, Slowing all
entities for one Round.

3 | TBA
Burst
g

80
 Visage of the Creator-
Destroyer
TBA

1 | TBA

81
 Visage of the Three-
Headed God
TBA

1 | TBA

82
 Visage of the Great
Hunt
TBA

5 | Chain Breaking Wolf

Description Break Event
T

Miracles 6 | Twilight Upon the Hunting

1 | Warhound Wind Grounds
Blessing Burst
All Initiators have +1 Movement during g
combat.

2 | Worthy Prey
Bane
At the start of combat, the entity with the
highest Resolve is marked by the Hunt.

3 | Beastwalker
Burst
Tannin will not attack you in Skotos.

4 | Sun Eating Wolves

Blessing
The last acting entity at the end of each
Round in combat conjures two ferocious
spectral wolves that attack the nearest entity,
dealing 20 damage each.

The wolves will prioritise attacking a single

entity. If there are multiple entities within the
same distance, they will split up and attack
separately instead.

If an entity is marked by Worthy Prey, they will

prioritise that entity over all others.

83
 Visage of Death
"I behold deep cave, where a lover's voice calls out. An opulent king, adorned with the riches of the earth, a
boatman ferrying me across a wailing river. My heart is measured on the scales.

Description

Miracles
1 | Liminal Space
Blessing

2 | TBA
Bane

3 | TBA
Burst

84
 Visage of the Fool
TBA

Description

Miracles
1 | TBA
Blessing
All members of the Voyage party have +10
increased maximum Resolve. +10 per rank.

2 | Simian Staff
Blessing
An ally's weapon extends indefinitely, striking
and stopping at the first enemy or obstacle hit
before returning to its normal length.

3 | TBA
Burst
g

85
 Visage of the Sword
TBA

Description

Miracles
1 | Battle
Blessing
All entities in combat deal more damage

2 | Bloodletter
Bane
All Brave attacks inflict Blight (bleed).

3 | TBA
Burst
g

86
 C H A P T E R IV

SAPIENTS

87
[WIP]
Move to Voyager creation Chapter.

Your Voyager graces and resources.

You may freely decide how unique your While your Voyager may not be loyal to their
Voyager looks, from their outfit to their gear. given Faction, it nonetheless is a defining pillar
Your Voyager is either an established figure in to who they are now. For some Voyagers,
their Faction or someone holding great joining EXDUS may be an amusing side gig
potential who was scouted or chose to join that promises new sights and a chance at
EXDUS. As such, they may usually have their glory. For others, the promise of exploring and
own gear that they're comfortable with. unifying a divided and untamed world
resonates deeply with your Voyager, and
This is based on the philosophy that you they've now made it their life's calling.
should be able to take any cool anime
character design you love (non-commercially The Voyager's Faction holds influence over
of course) and be able to play them here Revenir and can even affect the campaign,
without much problem, and shouldn't have to such as encountering soldiers from the Sol
limit yourself by trying to make your character Empire and a minor Shard Banner fighting
fit certain equipment or items. each other, or finding a lone researcher from
the Cartograph Charter camping outside a
cave.
Sapients
A Sapient is a broad term referring to any Here, a Voyager's loyalties may be tested: will
humanoid, intelligent species that have they end up assisting their kinsmen, or will
evolved to inhabit the post-Emergence world they see value in the principles of EXDUS and
of Revenir; some common and some rare. find a middle ground to mediate between two
Because more Sapients are being discovered battling groups?
day by day, this term was coined by EXDUS
and kept open-ended on purpose.
Ventures
The most that EXDUS knows is that a majority Ventures embody the many life callings the
of Sapients were once originally Humans Voyager may belong to, usually based on
themselves, but the magic of the World Tree their choice of Faction. The Factions outlined
combined with their highly demanding here are the ones that are 1) known within
environments caused a state of accelerated Revenir, with enough notable members to be
evolution across the world; and within just a recorded by EXDUS; and 2) typically friendly or
few generations these adaptations began to neutral to EXDUS. There are still many that lie
manifest and reshape their biologies. unknown in the World Beyond, waiting to be
created by the GM and discovered by the
This means that most (though not all) Players.
Sapients owe their origins to the humans of
the Old World: Earth.
Creating a Liaison
This is similar to creating a Voyager, but
Factions having a completed sheet is not necessary,
Every Voyager will have a different upbringing, only their Spheres and Origin. (add special
culture and allegiance prior to joining EXDUS. Liaison skills?)
This is exemplified by their Faction, which
embody the many cultures and organisations
in Revenir, some ancient and some young.
They have their own customs and often
hierarchies that Voyagers can choose to
participate with in exchange for their good

88
Choosing Your Sapient

Size Size: Large

Choice
Start by choosing your Voyager's Size. By
Common Sapients: Xylolith, Kaibi, Ruaya,
default, most Sapients are of Medium size,
Orzlaty, Drachéan
with the exception of the Kean, who are Small
by default.
Your height is anywhere from 7 to 12 feet tall.
You occupy 2 Tiles of space: a Head Tile for
your front side and a Back Tile for your back.
Size: Tiny Your Head Tile is counted as the source for all
Choice your actions when moving, attacking or
Common Sapients: Magoi, Kaibi, Ruaya, casting - unless using a tail, in which case you
Feithéan, Orzlaty use your Back Tile.

Your Voyager is no more than 8 inches tall. You either cannot or find difficulty interacting
Tiny entities can move through any Tile with features meant for Medium-sized
occupied by an obstacle or another entity of Sapients, such as doorways, chairs and
any Size. You must spend double the narrow corridors.
Movement to traverse 1 Tile, and require 3
Movement to climb 1 Tile.

If an ally or enemy within 1 Tile of you moves,

you can hitch a ride on them and move where
they go, landing on a Tile next to them. They
are not Slowed by doing this.

Size: Medium
Choice
Common Sapients: Any

Your height is anywhere between 5 to 6 feet

tall. The average size of a humanoid Sapient
in Revenir.

All Kean are smaller than the average Sapient,

but for gameplay purposes they are counted
as Medium entities.

Large Size Sapient

89
Optional Traits Mixed Parentage
There will be a limit to how many Variant You may freely play as a Voyager of mixed
Traits you can take for your Voyager. However, parentage, having parents from different
you can freely take any of these optional Sapient types.
Variant Traits, as they do not have a huge
mechanical impact on your character, and During character creation, when you choose
are moreso used to help flavour their two of your Sapient's Variant Traits, instead of
interactions with the world or how they fight. choosing both from the same Sapient, you
may instead take one trait from one parent
Bite Sapient and another trait from the second.
Optional Trait
Common Sapients: Kaibi, Ruaya, Orzlaty, Your Voyager may typically exhibit traits from
Drachéan both parents, or may look like a fusion of both,
perhaps leaning towards one more than the
You have sharp teeth or pointed beak with a other. For example, a Human-Síoraí person
powerful bite that you can use for attacking - may look entirely human, save for two pointy
rolling your HIT action as if attacking with it. ears. A Kean-Ruaya person may be a short
reptilian humanoid.

Claws/Talons
Optional Trait
Common Sapients: Kaibi, Ruaya, Orzlaty,
Drachéan

You have sharp claws that you can use for

attacking - rolling your HIT action as if
attacking with it.

Prehensile Tail
Optional Trait
Common Sapients: Kaibi, Ruaya, Drachéan

You have a dextrous tail that you can use for

various tasks, even attacking - rolling your HIT
or AIM action as if attacking with it.

90
Aedean
Also called Survivors, Homo sapiens or Proto-Sapients, Original Humans are some of the only people
who survived the Emergence of the World Tree largely unchanged genetically, and are the
prototypical template of sapient organism that would hyperevolve into numerous - though not all -
known Sapient species in the New World.

Aedean in life.

"Our ancestors were known for their fear of Aedean religion and collective thought is
death, and in a way we are scarcely different; we often centred around the Fear Of Death: an
fear for our collective fading away." innate sense of internal compulsion to leave
behind a lasting legacy or memory upon the
Origin: Pre-Emergence Original Human world, lest all memory of Earth perish with
them as a people.
Age: Humans reach maturity at about age 20
and live for up to 120 years. Most other Sapients are friendly with or
ambivalent to Aedeans, but largely hold
Prevalence: Common. The most well- respect for their powerful organisations and
documented Sapient in EXDUS records, vast influence over resources. A lot of others
numbering well in the hundreds of thousands. would say that Aedeans tend to always be
stuck in the past, poring over tomes and
Vibe: Vanilla human artifacts, or always in a hurry to accomplish
great things.

Playing an Aedean
As an Original Human, you are just as much of AEDEAN NAMES
an oddity as the other Sapients around you - Aedean names are largely derived from
your defining quirk being that your people are Eglaise, the closest equivalent to Old World
living remnants of the Old World, called Earth. English. Due to the passage of time, these
names may resemble names from the Old
For this reason, Aedean mythology and World, albeit spelled differently - or names
religion paint themselves as the "Chosen taken from words we don't typically use as
Survivors", as their oldest myths recall a small given names on Earth, such as surnames or
group of people being trapped within the place names.
boughs of the World Tree during the
Emergence, and so were sheltered and Vesper, Alma, Calder, Dawne, Emileigh, Soren,
cushioned from most of the cataclysms that Townes, Tenemant, Phileon, Darias, Treu,
harrowed the earth. Caldeneaux, Sterian, Gilhauder, Flo, Frau,
Senny, Tullwise, Ivernon, Pam, Delacourt,
Due to the safety afforded by the World Tree's Lyonessa
protection, Aedean cities, called Relic Cities,
tend to be the most prosperous within Revenir,
and many Aedeans are only familiar with the
comforts and luxuries of these idyllic places,
some calm and rural and some bustling with
activity - your Voyager seeking the hard life of
adventure being something of an anomaly.
These cities have also spread to the nearby
region called the Vinelands. As such, Aedeans
tend to be well-versed in the arts and
academic ventures, pursuing many interests

91
92
Aedean Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

1 | The Fear of Death

You carry the soul of one who has survived the
cataclysm that destroyed the Earth, and
emerged unchanged, a living relic of an
ephemeral past. The fear of fading away with
no trace of your memory is carved into your
deepest being. In moments of great need, you
are more likely to push yourself beyond what
most even think are capable of.

When your Resolve is reduced to 0 and you

become Endangered, you gain two temporary
Break bars instead of one.

2 | The Strength to Press Onward

You are motivated by an unusual
determination.

3 | Magical Anomaly
Your Earth genes makes you oddly resistant to
the World Tree's magic. All your rolls from your
CAST actions are halved. Conversely, any
magical action or effect on you also has its
effects halved, whether from an enemy or ally.
This includes elemental magic and magical
healing.

4 | Knife's Edge
You psych yourself up to keep fighting. Once a
combat, if your Resolve gets taken to 0, you
do not become Endangered until you finish
taking your Turn for that Round. You then
become Endangered at the end of the Round.

93
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94
Shardlander

95
Shardlander SHARDLANDER NAMES
Most Shardlander names have a given name,
"An earth carved into a thousand Shards; a sky followed by their surname - taking after their
apportioned to a thousand clans." father or mother - and then followed by their
Banner's name.
Origin: Pre-Emergence Original Human
Hroldr Hroldson Vangyr, Caewyr Elansson
Age: Humans reach maturity at about age 20 Droma, Kainvangr, Yngvir Merasdottir Graive,
and live for up to 120 years. Sorja Freasdottir Sponn, Aife, Bryn, Caradhrun,
Volstanga, Anvar, Stahl, Frakke
Prevalence: Common. While scattered
among the different Shards, the larger
Banners are quite populous, holding tens of
thousands of citizens.

Vibe: Sci-fi Vikings living on floating islands

Playing a Shardlander
Contrasting with the average Aedean,
Shardlanders are a hardy, rustic people. The
Emergence flung landmasses called Shards
into the sky, cutting them off from nearly all
traces of civilisation or knowledge of the lost
Earth.

As such, while they may be Original Humans,

they are largely divorced from the paradigm
of Deathly Fear that most Aedeans have. After
all, such abstract, existential trifles seem
hardly important compared to surviving the
next winter or dragon horde attack. Many
Shardlanders only know the goings-on of their
home Shard - in many cases, it's their entire
world.

A Shardlander would belong to a Shard, which

can be just small enough for a small hamlet
or the size of a small country. Each individual
Shard would also have its own clan, called a
Banner, or may owe fealty to a larger one.

Given that each Shard is its own little floating

world, differences in technology and customs
between Shards can vary wildly. Your
Shardlander may live on a Shard that is well-
connected to other Shards and has interacted
with many other Sapients, or they could have
been incredibly sheltered and never knew a
life outside of herding sheep, farming crops
and killing wyverns that try to destroy either.

96
Shardlander Variant
Traits
Choose up to two at character creation.

1 | Shardwalker
Acclimated to the Shardlands in your
formative years, you have natural
Shardlander toughness, and take half
damage from all Displace or Airborne stacks
(rounded down).

2 | Monster Slayer Initiate

You have +1d when fighting enemies that are
of Large size. This increases to +2 for Huge
foes and +3 for Colossal foes.

3 | Fighting Spirit
While you are Endangered, all Break effects
are halved when rolled, allowing you to
potentially prevent them.

4 | Tenacious Spirit
While you are Endangered, all your actions
gain +1d.

97
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98
Amerusan
Amerusan Hawkbrand's Soul
An Amerusan's body is pyrokinetically
A nomadic people of crystal, fire and flesh, charged - their hair is fire and the flesh a
hailing from a faraway land of choked ash and strange obsidian. These flames are warm but
spires of red glass. do not emit enough heat to hurt anyone who
touches you, unless you are under great
Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence emotional stress or choose to let loose your
Human inner flame.

Age: Amerusans reach maturity at about age You always glow while in darkness, but can
20 and live for up to 120 years. spend an Action to briefly suppress your
flames. You are also deathly repelled by large
Prevalence: Uncommon. All Amerusans are bodies of water and prefer dry, hot conditions.
those who went on a pilgrimage to the World
Tree and found their passage into the Known You can still eat food and drink water, but
World, a large majority passing through the eating anything that can be treated as
Vinelands and most making their homes at flammable fuel is equally as nourishing for
the Sentinarium and its surrounding regions, you. The more purely it burns without leaving
or at Aeden's outermost Relic Cities. much ash, the more nourishing and tasty it is
to you. Any residue is expelled as smoke and
Vibe: Nomadic fire elementals ash from your mouth - it's considered rude to
do so in good company except in controlled
puffs.
Playing an Amerusan
Amerusans originate from various colonies of When you are hurt, pieces of your skin break
pioneers, arms dealers and mercenaries, off in flecks of black glass and sparks of fire.
hailing from a land called Amerusa. Do note however that you still have something
Interestingly, a vast majority of Amerusans resembling human biology and organs
speak almost perfect Eglaise just like internally, but vastly evolved to adapt to your
Aedeans, suggesting a common Old World new physiology.
ancestry.

Tales of Amerusa say that it is a vast AMERUSAN NAMES

sunscorched wasteland covered in scarlet Amerusans have names based on old
ash and explosive Red Glass, which many monikers from their homeworld of Amerusa,
Amerusans use in their firearms. This fire- typically derived from ancient names
choked air caused its early inhabitants to inscribed on withered billboards or printed on
hyperevolve into beings with crystalline, random objects.
obsidian flesh and hair made of flames - now
a reflection of the very land they've survived They would also typically have their Colony in
in. their name; these Colonies are also similarly
named after strange, brightly coloured words
Amerusans tend to be austere, religious folk. found in the Amerusan ruins. As such, they
They learned to use the Red Glass that covers would normally refer to themselves as
their land to use in firearms, becoming "[Name] of [Colony]".
wanderering nomadic Colonies. A great many
of these Colonies boarded their caravans in Alberkirk, Gunkirk, Connor of Bucks, Priscilla,
search of the Fallen Firmament - their name Hollow, Mort of Realstate, Jillian of Camarrow,
for the World Tree, which from their homes Dwyre of Cocola, Shaft, Wheeler, Emerett of
looked like a pale flame that covered the Kafsee, Concordean, Michigan, John Smith of
entire horizon. Wessen, Tyler of Androyt, Didney of Whorl

99
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100
Amerusan Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

1 | Heartsflare
When attacking a target in melee, you can
spend a Fast CAST action to cause your inner
flame to flare out and burn a nearby entity.
This marks the target with 1 Blight (burning)
and also ignites nearby flammable materials.

2 | Volatile Flame
Whenever you Break, you instantly explode,
dealing 20 damage to all entities (including
allies) in a 3x3 Box around you.

3 | Smokebreather
You can spend 1 Medium CAST action to expel
smoke from your mouth (likely your lunch
from an hour back), covering 1 Tile in front of
you, which lasts until the end of the round. Any
entity standing within the smoke is Impaired.

4 | Cinderfeet
Your body was particularly adapted to the
harsh heat of Amerusa. When passing terrain
associated with fire, like magma or burning
Tiles, you do not treat these Tiles as difficult
terrain, and do not take damage from them.

101
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102
Phytosapien Magoi
Phytosapiens are a unique Sapient born directly from the World Tree itself. They are humanoids with
plantlike biology like leaves for hair and bark for skin. The two variants of Phytosapien here are the
magically attuned Magoi and their guardian brethren, the Xyloliths.

Magoi understand their own place in Revenir.

If you are a fairly young Magoi, chances are

The plantlike children of the World Tree, gifted you were born in Arborice: a research facility
with a transcendent connection with the flow of and nature reserve settled on the World Tree.
time and magic. There, EXDUS personnel carefully track the
growth of young Phytosapiens and facilitate
Origin: World Tree their growth within a controlled, safe
environment.
Age: Magoi mature in just a few weeks upon
budding and live for up to 500 years, though Once fully bloomed and emerged from the
some have been found over a millennium old. soil, Magoi will curiously learn everything
about the world around them, and the more
Prevalence: Rare. Only a few hundred named they learn cognitively and embrace their
Magoi are known, and most new ones are strange humanity by connecting with others,
meticulously raised and recorded in the the more they start to awaken their ancient
Arborice. memories and find passage into the
Dreaming: a mythical state said to be the
Vibe: Cute and innocent plant people collective consciousness of all things.
discovering their newfound humanity

The Dreaming
Playing a Magoi Magoi do not require sleep. When you rest,
The Magoi have been the subject of most you can choose to enter a state of collective
mystery and reverence in Aedean mythology, unconscious between all Magoi called the
with many Aedeans of ancient times seeing Dreaming.
them as otherworldly prophets or messengers
of the gods. Nowadays, they share a more While within the Dreaming, you are able to
equitable status with other Sapients, but are contact other Magoi who are also resting, and
nonetheless a subject of much are able to share information with each other
romanticisation in Aedean art and literature. through short conversations or mental
images. You are also able to telepathically
Some Magoi serve as mediators between reach non-Magoi whom you have a bond
Aedean society and the World Tree, with.
interpreting their visions as signs from Eld
Aestus. These often use their visions to seek Additionally, you may randomly gain visions,
out and beknight Heirs to wield the World namely of the past world, which was called
Tree's power in the form of Origin Weapons. Earth. These visions are flashes of memory
from the departed souls of the Old World.
Other Magoi work with EXDUS on a more
secular level, using their visions to help the Your Liaison may require you to roll your SENSE
commission unravel the secrets of the action against a certain TD, and the outcome
unknown world before them, and to glimpse of the roll would determine the clarity of the
into the lives of its bygone people. Others still vision and the amount of information gained
pursue a more individual journey, looking from it, which may aid you on your adventures
inward and using their visions to plumb the or simply add more interesting stories to
depths of the world's memories in order to collect.

103
Sundreamer
You become sluggish and lethargic when
separated from sunlight for too long. If you
spend more than 1 day separated from
sunlight, such as underground or travelling in
Skotos, your mind becomes dulled, becoming
sleepy and unfocused.

While in this state, any actions you roll are

Impaired, meaning you can only roll the
lowest result from your die. This does not
affect bonus dice given by allies through
Reactions or from other sources.

After 3 full days without sunlight or if you lose

consciousness, you enter a hibernative state
until you reach sunlight again, and cannot
take any actions.

MAGOI NAMES
Magoi prefer simple names without many
syllables, typically from words they learned at
the Arborice.

Niwa, Philo, Leaf, Meyri, Lumen, Io, Ninety-four,

Sprout, Sunny, Yomo

104
Magoi Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

Circadian Rhythm
Phytosapiens are also sensitive to sunlight
and water. When underground or somewhere
barren, you are able to sense the direction of
a source of either sunlight, moonlight or water
within a horizon's distance.

Weltengeist
You always know the direction of the World
Tree. You also can innately pinpoint the
location of any World Tree fragment or high
concentration of magic within a vast
distance. The range is roughly 1-3 days'
distance on foot.

Hide on Bush
You can spend 1 Fast DARE action to make
yourself Stealthed when standing on or near
thick vegetation, like trees or bushes.

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106
Phytosapien Xylolith

107
Xylolith sleepy and unfocused.

While in this state, any actions you roll are

Imposing guardians born from the World Tree's Impaired, meaning you can only roll the
bark, said to be its protectors. They are often lowest result from your die. This does not
found in the company of Magoi, having an innate affect bonus dice given by allies through
Reactions or from other sources.
protective instinct towards their more fragile
siblings.
After 3 full days without sunlight or if you lose
consciousness, you enter a hibernative state
Origin: World Tree
until you reach sunlight again, and cannot
take any actions.
Age: Xyloliths mature in just a few weeks upon
budding and live for up to 500 years, though
When underground or somewhere barren, you
some have been found over a millennium old.
are able to sense the direction of a source of
either sunlight, moonlight or water within a
Prevalence: Rare. It's believed that for every
horizon's distance.
Magoi that is born, a Xylolith likewise appears
fully formed from the World Tree's bark.

Vibe: Gentle giant tree/golem people XYLOLITH NAMES

Like Magoi, Xyloliths are likely to hail from
Arborice and take their names from random
words or names they learn there. In many
Playing a Xylolith
cases, they don't even bother with names,
Xyloliths tend to be stoic and reserved. They
relying on their Magoi half to give them some
often give the impression of silent bodyguards
form of moniker, if only for the sake of
or unsleeping sentinels, and have commonly
convenience.
been seen as such in Aedean mythology
since ancient times - their stonelike bark skin
Eade, Tronk, Kif, Yurathikboei, Arncha, Bela,
and towering appearance evoking the
Crush, Voron, Igrid
immortal, austere presence of a statue.

Xyloliths often find themselves in the

company of Magoi. Some offer their services
to Magoi communities or individuals, even
pledging their lives to protect them as loyal
guardians, while others are more
independent, interacting with Magoi often but
seeing them as equals no different from other
Sapients, but nonetheless have a steadfast
connection to the World Tree.

Treeguard's Soul
As a Xylolith, you have naturally tough bark
and a robust stature. Being a Phytosapien,
you do not require sleep, owing to your origins
as the ever-vigilant protectors of the World
Tree and its progeny. However, you are not
able to see into the Dreaming like your Magoi
siblings.

Sundreamer
You become sluggish and lethargic when
separated from sunlight for too long. If you
spend more than 1 day separated from
sunlight, such as underground or travelling in
Skotos, your mind becomes dulled, becoming

108
Xylolith Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

Bark Armour
Your Voyager has thick bark that shields them.
You have 1 Armour that regenerates every
time you rest. This cannot overlap with other
Sapient Traits that grant Armour.

Deep Roots
You can plant yourself in the ground and
create firm roots to lock yourself in place as a
Fast DARE action. When doing this, you are
considered Rooted and cannot move or be
Displaced except through teleportation.

After doing this, you can unroot yourself at

any time, or automatically at the end of the
round.

I Am Tree
You can spend a Fast DARE action to make
yourself Stealthed when standing next to a
large tree (large enough to be a physical
obstacle on the map) or parts of the World
Tree.

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110
Kaibi

Kaibi Ruaya and mercenary groups from the

Sentinarium coming from the outer edges of
the Known World.
An incredibly diverse variant of hyperevolved
human that have grown traits from other Their entire species being born as a result of
mammalian animals to better adapt to their adaptation to hardship, Kaibi are no strangers
to struggle, and often take life's challenges in
harsh surroundings.
stride. They tend to have a "live and let live"
mindset, and their shorter lifespans compared
Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence
to other Sapients lends themselves towards a
Human
life pursuing simple joys free from
attachments or burdens.
Age: Most Kaibi have quite short lives,
maturing at about 10-15 years of age and
Because of this, Kaibi are some of the likeliest
living up to 60 years.
people to pursue adventure. For them, no job
is too unappealing, gross or dangerous, and
Prevalence: Common. The second-most
you'd be able to find Kaibi in any field of work
well-documented Sapient in EXDUS records,
out in Revenir, even in unexpected places like
though they have many unknown and new
the Shardlands.
subspecies and clans beyond the Known
World.

Vibe: Designated anime animal people KAIBI NAMES

Kaibi share many of their names from their
local Kannata and surrounding Aedean
Playing a Kaibi cultures, being very closely intermingled with
Kaibi comprise one of the larger population of them, often mixing them with slang or
Sapients in Revenir, and can be found in strange, cool-sounding words they learned
numerous habitats, from the deserts and ruins from artifacts and structures in the Old World.
of Dust to the verdant Vinelands of Aeden.
They tend to have a naturally friendly Sura, Wisney, Evay, Toshi, Potato, Knives,
disposition, and are well-received in Aeden Konagi, Mimi, Dreamy, Listya, Anaki, Googal,
due to a very early shared history with the Barbiegirl, Ferrees, Oroe, Phanta, Shi-nie,
earliest Relic Cities, their ancestors forming Nottbutter, Baby Q, Uwoo, Telivari, Nonen,
bonds and alliances with these young Nibiru, Kalcha, X, Konnobun-Goomi,
settlements. Banhammy, Supacat, Nysoo, Avenger,
Metroline, Dee-Andee, Numenore, Marillion,
Most Kaibi, save for the more solitary types, Astaravista, Peggy Sixteen
tend to be very social and are able to
naturally mingle and coexist with other Kaibi,
despite the vast differences between them.

This sense of unified identity led to the

creation of the Alliance Clans, which was an
originally Kaibi confederation created to
represent and unify the hundreds of Kaibi
families and organisations across the Known
World, but now has grown to include almost
any group operating within their territories
regardless of Kaibi ancestry, including the

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112
Kaibi Variant Traits Ramming Charge
You have powerful horns, antlers or just a very
[WIP] tough cranium. Whenever you Displace a foe,
Choose up to two at character creation. you can also choose to move yourself as you
Displace the target at no cost, landing on the
Heightened Sense Tile next to them when they stop.
You have heightened perception from your
animal features, which can be an enhanced
eyesight, hearing or sense of smell. You and Carnivore
your Liaison would choose which makes the Due to your biology, you can eat raw meat
most sense for the type of mammal your Kaibi without problems. You can also crush bones
embodies. You can then use this as your and consume the marrow for sustenance.
SENSE action, such as sharp eyes to find
distant targets or enhanced sense of smell to
track someone's scent. You would gain +1d Herbivore
when using your senses this way. Due to your biology, you can eat raw
vegetation without problems. You can also
consume normally poisonous and irritating
Roar plants and shrug off its effects.
You can spend 1 Slow DARE action to perform
a fearsome growl or roar, marking all entities
within 3 Tiles of you with Fear. Righting Reflex
You do not take fall damage up till 5 tiles of
elevation, and for any height greater than this,
Sprint you can roll your SAVE action to reduce its
You can use a burst of stamina to run ahead, damage. You still take normal Displace
but become tired afterwards. Once a turn damage from being thrown against solid
when you use a MOVE action, you can choose walls and objects.
to double the number rolled. Afterwards, you
become tired and cannot spend any more
Movement until the start of the next round. Centaur Body
You may have the lower body of an animal.
Depending on the animal’s size (anything that
Pounce is the size of a horse or larger), then your Size
Your Voyager has strong jumping legs like is Large.
that of a cougar or gazelle. Once a turn when
you use your Movement, you can make that If you are a Large centaur, you can carry one
movement into a jump, becoming Airborne Medium size entity on your back (occupying
and flying over obstacles, chasms and Large your Back Tile), or two Kean (occupying your
or smaller entities. Head and Back Tile), and they follow your
Movement during your Turn. It costs a Fast
DARE action for them to climb on your back,
Thick Hide but dismounting has no cost.
Once a round, when you roll your SAVE to
Block against a physical attack, you can reroll Allies can also perform attacks and cast
one of the dice if the outcome was not to your magic while carried by you. Any hostile
liking. actions that hit Tiles you occupy also hit allies
occupying those Tiles.

Whenever you roll your MOVE action to sprint,

Musk
you also gain a bonus to your Movement
You can use a Medium DARE action to secrete
equal to half its maximum die value, but only
a pungent musk until the start of your next
if you use your full rolled Movement
turn. Any entity within 1 Tile of you is Impaired
beforehand. This benefit does not apply if you
while they remain near you.
are carrying someone at your full carrying
capacity.

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114
Ruaya

115
Ruaya RUAYA NAMES
Many Ruaya names are derived from Azka,
A variant of human with reptilian, amphibian one of their languages, which itself is a
and piscine traits that have adapted to living centuries-old conglomeration of different
along rivers and underwater. Southeast Asian languages, which is the
region most Ruaya have originated from
Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence along their sea routes and rivers.
Human
Esh-wai, Tilka, Surun, Hesh, Ezta, Ular, Kolel,
Age: Ruaya can be quite long-lived, maturing Matan, Renang, Sawa, Banya, Jalan, Soldek,
at about 12-18 years and living up to 240 Tathi, Mamar, Cichak, Salrash, Kopek, Soseli,
years. Barat, Duri, Ishbak, Sisik

Prevalence: Common. Ruaya populations

number in the thousands, but they are easily
found settled along rivers and lakes, and they
allude to greater numbers and settlements in
the waters below and far beyond.

Vibe: Lizard people, fish people and

amphibian people

Playing a Ruaya
The Ruaya have a storied history and are
some of the most well-travelled peoples in
Revenir, making their homes in and around
the great rivers and lakes, both charted and
undiscovered.

Due to this, most Ruaya tend to have very

uncomplicated personalities. They let their
troubles wash over them like water over their
scales, and don't often concern themselves
with petty squabbles or disputes.

The Ruaya have a great influence over any

territory near water, from fishing towns to port
cities. Their unmatched fighting skill in water
and knowledge of currents make them
perfect sailors and seaborne navigators. The
more self-driven Ruaya may offer their
services as mercenaries or even pirates, and
often the only conflicts they willingly join are
those for control over trade routes and straits
on behalf of trade companies and petty lords.

Though even amongst Ruaya, whose history

largely involves fresh water bodies, an
individual or group well-versed in oceanic
travel is rare. These rare Oceanborn are well-
respected by the common Ruaya for their
great knowledge of the greater waters that
even they know little of.

116
Ruaya Variant Traits
True Carnivore
[WIP] Due to your biology, you do not need to eat
Choose up to two at character creation. often, only needing to eat a large meal about
once a week. You can also eat raw meat
Hard Scutes without problems.
Your Voyager has a shell like a tortoise or
turtle. You have 1 Armour that regenerates Mucus
every time you rest. This cannot overlap with You can use a Medium DARE action a to
other Sapient Traits that grant Armour. secrete sticky mucus over your body, and are
covered in it until the end of the Round. Any
Setae attempts to physically restrain or grapple you
Your Voyager has sticky pads on their fail during this duration. Any entity that
extremities like a gecko. They can climb walls touches you also is Slowed until the end of the
and sheer surfaces. Your hands are occupied round unless they spend a Medium action to
when doing this. remove it.

Strong Tendons
Your Voyager has strong jumping legs like Sticky Tongue
that of a frog. Once a turn when you use your You have a long tongue that can be used to
MOVE action, you can make that movement catch things. It can grab any entity or object
into a jump, becoming Airborne and flying that is your Size or smaller. You can use a
over obstacles, chasms and Large or smaller variable AIM action to Displace the target,
entities. moving them towards you. If used on
something larger than you or is Rooted, you
pull yourself to it instead. The distance is
Venom
based on that action die's maximum value.
Once a round, you can make a melee or
ranged attack using your HIT or AIM action by
injecting, spitting or spraying venom. Choose
one effect for your venom: Centaur Body
You may have the lower body of an animal.
Corrosive Depending on the animal’s size (anything that
The target gains 1 Blight (poison). is the size of a horse or larger), then your Size
is Large.
Neurotoxin
If you are a Large centaur, you can carry one
The target's senses are assaulted, Impairing
Medium size entity on your back (occupying
them.
your Back Tile), or two Kean (occupying your
Head and Back Tile), and they follow your
Frenzy
Movement during your Turn. It costs a Fast
The target temporarily goes berserk and is
DARE action for them to climb on your back,
Taunted.
but dismounting has no cost.

Chameleon Allies can also perform attacks and cast

You can spend a Fast DARE action to blend magic while carried by you. Any hostile
into the surrounding environment, becoming actions that hit Tiles you occupy also hit allies
Stealthed as long as you remain stationary occupying those Tiles.
and do not take any highly conspicuous
actions. Whenever you roll your MOVE action to sprint,
you also gain a bonus to your Movement
Swimmer equal to half its maximum die value, but only
You have gills and a hydrodynamic body. You if you use your full rolled Movement
can move freely at normal speed in water and beforehand. This benefit does not apply if you
can breathe underwater. Additionally, you can are carrying someone at your full carrying
spend a Fast DARE action to immediately capacity.
submerge and become Stealthed when
standing on a water tile.

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Orzlaty
Orzlaty being able to adjust to new lifestyles and
customs incredibly quickly.

A race of avian feathered folk who travelled far

and wide across the sky, seeking a home to call
their own. ORZLATY NAMES
Orzlaty names are typically derived from their
Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence ancestral language Chmara, which closely
Human resembles the Old World family of languages
known as Slavic, i.e. Russian, Serbo-Croatian
Age: Most Orzlaty live for quite long, maturing and Polish.
at about 10-15 years of age and living up to
120 years. Stozy, Krylo, Anika, Anarocze, Tolyanskiy,
Marek, Lujik, Zaliszo, Mirokry, Zaczysa, Natja,
Prevalence: Common. Orzlaty can be found in Olan, Czelek
nearly every region and profession within the
Known World since their arrival around 150
years ago, but their overall population is
relatively low, in the thousands. This may soon
change as the rate of large migrations of
Orzlaty into the Known World have increased.

Vibe: Slavic birdfolk

Playing an Orzlaty
The Orzlaty come from far beyond the Known
World. They are highly valued as Voyagers not
only for their natural ability to fly, but also
because of their vast history of having
explored the World Beyond.

Be that as it may, Orzlaty have historically

been nomadic, taking their homes with them
into flight. It's only within the safety of the
Known World that many Orzlaty families
caught wind of this safe haven and made it
their new homes, with hundreds coming into
the New World with each year. One of the
common sights in current day Aeden is
looking up at the World Tree and seeing
humble yet wondrous traditional Orzlaty
houses, and even entire neighbourhoods built
along its marble-white surface.

Orzlaty tend to be quite traditional and family

oriented, having large family networks. While
they do have a writing system, they have a
very strong oral tradition as well, carrying the
tales and lives of their ancestors upon their
wings. They tend to have stoic, adaptable
personalities, taking life in stride and always

119
120
Orzlaty Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

Light Skeleton
Due to an Orzlaty's semihollow skeleton, you
are able to navigate the skies without much
harm.

If lifted Airborne for more than 1 tile, instead of

falling to the ground, you slowly float back
towards it at a rate of 3 Tiles per Turn and are
unharmed when you land. You are able to
take actions like attacking or casting this way.

However, because of your light bones, you

take twice as much damage from Displace
stacks.

Vestigial Wings
Cannot be taken with other traits giving
Wings. You have vestigial wings you can flap
to partially mitigate fall damage. You do not
take fall damage or Displace damage up to 4
tiles.

Functional Wings
Cannot be taken with other traits giving
Wings, and requires Light Skeleton. You have
fully functioning wings you can use to fly.
Once a round when rolling your MOVE action,
you can choose to fly, ignoring chasms,
obstacles and other entities, and are
considered Airborne.

Bright Plumage
You have bright feathers that can be used to
distract. As a Medium action, you can flare
your feathers to mark a target or group of
minions with Taunt, provoking a target to
attack you.

Your use of your feathers also grants you +1d

to your FACE action when trying to impress or
entice others.

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Síoraí
Síoraí survive at great heights, their skeletons are
very fragile and susceptible to damage,
making the rough-and-tumble life of a
A variant of human adapted to living in the Voyager quite unappealing for most Síoraí.
highest elevations in the sky, with light, You must have a really good reason for it,
semihollow bones and long, feathered ears. then!

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence

Human SÍORAÍ NAMES
Síoraí names are typically derived from their
Age: Síoraí mature at the same age as home language Avarrach, which bears
humans, around 20 years of age, but live resemblance to several Old World Celtic
longer, up to 150-180 years old. languages, namely Welsh and Irish.

Prevalence: Uncommon. Though it is known Velynn, Fflur, Ilwaith, Cimhair, Jaen, Hwyfen,
that the Síoraí have a sprawling monarchy Gwen, Eyvan, Alanna, Eogirn, Niachta, Lellandi,
numbering in the thousands, they are all Dearg, Aedh, Arthnael, Brionna, Corraidhen,
located in the nigh-unreachable Eyries, and Morgant, Tyndear, Druasta
the only representatives known are those who
have chosen to descend from their skybound
fortresses and interact with the rest of
Sapientkind.

Vibe: Sky elves, basically

Playing a Síoraí
Nearly all Síoraí live or come from the Eyries: a
lonely collection of Shards found in the
highest levels of the atmosphere. The Síoraí
are some of the only people capable of
surviving at such heights where the air is thin
and treacherous winds can fling any person
off for miles.

The government of the Eyries is the

Stormqueen's Court, where the noble houses
swear fealty to the titular Stormqueen: an
enigmatic but incredibly powerful Síoraí and
possibly the greatest sorceress in Revenir.

Typically, the only Síoraí who would descend

to the world beneath are either the Storm
Children - children handpicked to serve the
Queen as her legatees - or political fugitives
seeking to escape the Court's ever watchful
eye and its secret police.

This is further compounded by the fact that

the Síoraí's bodies are not made to live in the
lower world. Having grown avian features to

123
124
Síoraí Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

Light Skeleton
Due to a Síoraí's semihollow skeleton, you are
able to navigate the high Shards of the Eyries
without much harm.

If lifted Airborne for more than 1 Tile, instead of

falling to the ground, you slowly float back
towards it at a rate of 3 Tiles per Turn and are
unharmed when you land. You are able to
take actions like attacking or casting this way.

However, because of your light bones, you

take twice as much damage from Displace
stacks.

Stormblood
You have a heightened sensitivity to air
currents. Using the sensitive feathers on your
ears, you can sense the direction of any wind
or air current near you, no matter how subtle.

Your skin is also sensitive to changes in air

pressure and humidity, and can also sense
the arrival of rain, storms and unusual
weather even from afar off or several days
prior.

Magical Attunement
You have an unusual attunement with magic.
[WIP]

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126
Drachéan Drachéan
An enigmatic people descended from the original
seven Drachéan siblings, hatched from seven eggs
Blood Drachéan scattered from the fallen Dragon Star comet.

Origin: Descendants of the seven original

Drachéans

Age: Drachéans mature faster than humans,

around 10 years of age, but have lifespans
that vary depending on lineage. Given the
recency of Drachéans in history, there is no
conclusive data about their lifespan as most
are still alive today (except for Fire Drachéans,
who love to find new ways to die)

Prevalence: Common. While the entire

Drachéan population is only a few hundred,
their recent emergence as a Sapient, fast
spread through all the known regions and
ease of approachability makes them a very
well-documented people.

Vibe: Dragonfolk and sexy horned people

Playing a Drachéan
Drachéans are a young Sapient, only
emerging a little over 80 years ago when the
Dragon Star fell to Revenir. The original seven
Drachéans, hatched from seven eggs
scattered to the world from the Dragon Star's
detritus, mated with other Sapients, creating
every single Drachéan alive today. They've
quickly grown to populate every major culture
Fire Drachéan centre in Revenir due to their varied types,
remarkable adaptability and the other
Sapients' fascination with them.

Earth Drachéans tend to be either solitary or

highly social and non-confrontational. Steel
Drachéans are known for their hunger for
authority and commonly occupy positions of
power across the Known World. Fire
Drachéans are often found in the Shardlands
fighting monsters or other Sapients to fuel
their unending desire to prove their strength.

Because of their origins, all Drachéans save

for the original Seven have a mixed heritage
with other Sapients, but typically more
strongly exhibit Drachéan traits upon maturity.

127
Dragonstar's Soul DRACHÉAN NAMES
You are born under one of the seven dragon Drachéans name themselves based on the
lineages, originating from the eggs hatched cultures they choose to make their homes in.
from the fallen Dragon Star:
Duadrach, Tylvean, Estre, Gyllvean, Sirdh,
Earth Dragon of Life Ymbra, Vanagant, Ellavere, Cuidere, Dravona,
Earth Drachéans typically pursue peace, Vernach, Brunvair, Taevall, Druin
longevity and coexistence with nature. Your
horns are shaped like short stubs or spiraled
knobs on the top of your head.

Steel Dragon of Ambition

Steel Drachéans typically pursue positions of
social power, prestige and influence. Your
horns are adamantine tusks on the sides of
your head.

Fire Dragon of Power

Fire Drachéans typically pursue battle, self-
improvement and a good death to a worthy
challenge or adversary. Your horns are long
and vertical, growing from your forehead.

Water Dragon of Knowledge

Water Drachéans typically pursue wisdom
and knowledge, and value seclusion and
privacy. Your horns are blunt, resembling
short antlers.

Sky Dragon of Order

Sky Drachéans typically pursue positions of
order, management and administration. Your
golden horns are long and curved, forming a
shape like a crescent moon or halo.

Blood Dragon of Vengeance

Blood Drachéans are wildcards who pursue
vigilante justice and follow "an eye for an eye"
style ethics. Your obsidian or amber horns are
pointed and sharp, located on the sides of
your head.
Steel Drachéan
Shadow Dragon of Contracts
Shadow Drachéans are mysterious wanderers
who love making contracts and believe in true
equivalent exchange. Your black horns are
sharp and curve around your ears.

128
Drachéan Variant cannot Block, Dodge or Parry against. If this
damage causes them to Break, this damage
Traits [ WIP] heals your Resolve to full instead. If you Break
Choose up to two at character creation. from a hostile action, the attacker Breaks as
well.
All Drachéans except for the original Seven
have mixed parentage with other Sapients,
though typically their Drachéan genetics Umbral Scales
manifest more predominantly. You may freely Shadow Drachéan
choose a Variant Trait from any other Sapient You are always Stealthed while in total night
after choosing your Drachéan trait. or darkness. If you attack or take an action
that would reveal you, you become Stealthed
Hardened Scales again at the end of the round as long as you
Earth Drachéan remain in darkness.
Your Voyager has hardened scales and
scutes on their body. You have 1 Armour that
regenerates every time you rest. This cannot
overlap with other Sapient Traits that grant
Armour.

Draconic Charisma
Steel Drachéan
Your FACE actions gain +1d, denoting your
unusual charisma and magnetic aura.

Fearless Flame Shadow Drachéan

Fire Drachéan
You have 200 Resolve, but no Break bars. You
cannot gain Armour or Break bars through
any means. Any Conditions or actions that
would Break you instead deal 40 damage to
you immediately, but have no other effects.

Draconic Mind
Water Drachéan
Your LORE actions gain +1d, denoting your
unusual intelligence and capacity to learn.

Skylord
Sky Drachéan
Whenever you are Airborne, you can spend a
variable MOVE action to fly in a given direction
and landing safely if it is within a similar
height.

Blood Price
Blood Drachéan
You only have 3 Break bars. Whenever you
take Resolve damage, your attacker is
inflicted with the same amount of Resolve
damage they inflicted on you, which they

129
Shadow Drachéan Blood Drachéans Water Drachéan

130
Feithéan
Feithéan Your Feithéan may have been a survivor of
these collapsed cities who has fled to the
surface, or you may be one of the new
An insectoid variant of human, having emerged generations of Unhidden who have chosen to
from mysterious underground cities years ago. leave the darkness and see the world above.

Origin: Hyperevolved post-Emergence

Human FEITHÉAN NAMES
A Feithéan's real name would be in their
Age: Feithéans age differently from most original language, Feithid, which has sounds
Sapients, maturing from as early as 3 years that are physiologically impossible for most
and living up to 40-50 years. humanoids to replicate. As such, when
interacting with non-Feithéan cultures, they
Prevalence: Rare. Almost no information simply go by a simple nickname that they
about the Hidden Cities exists beyond fancy, or a distant approximation of their true
accounts from the few dozen Feithéans that name.
reach the surface, further exacerbated by
their unique biology making communication Gair, Spin, Biddle, Tom, Sylvea, Firefly, Eshrun,
more difficult. Viola, Illion, Seri, Celvean, Nymph, Tophy, Laice

Vibe: Mysterious insect people

Playing a Feithéan
Feithéans are former humans with largely
insectoid traits - a hyperevolved adaptation
after fleeing underground during the
Emergence. This led them to create vast
underground kingdoms connected by
labyrinthine tunnels, called the Hidden Cities.

If you were raised in the Hidden Cities, having

grown underground all your life, you tend to
shrink away from broad daylight, preferring
the shade and darkness. However, in
darkness, you become unnaturally drawn to
isolated sources of light, and often can't find
yourself pulling away from approaching them.

Many Feithéans are so far evolved that they

can no longer emulate human speech,
communicating instead with chirps and trills.
The Hidden Cities have a vast history, with
much of it lost to time as cities can be lost to
the collapsing earth and consuming dark as
often as they rise up. Sacred carvings and
stories of noble warriors and lithe, masked
knights, engraved in ephemeral, fading
pheromone trails are some of the only tales to
survive and live to be told by other Feithéans.

131
132
Feithéan Variant Traits inflicting Root on them immediately if they are
your Size or smaller.
[WIP]
You must stay within 1 Tile of the target to
Choose up to two at character creation. maintain this, and if you take any Movement,
you are Slowed and must drag the target with
you unless you let go.
Exoskeleton
Instead of wearing armour, you have natural
armour called an exoskeleton which acts as Venom
your defense. During Downtime, you undergo Once a round, you can make a melee or
a process called Molting in order to better ranged attack using your HIT or AIM action by
adapt your body. injecting, spitting or spraying venom. Choose
one effect for your venom:
Molting has remarkable regenerative powers.
While Molting, you are able to heal grievous
Corrosive
wounds, such as regenerating a lost limb.
The target gains 1 Blight (poison).
Larger injuries take a longer period to
regenerate across multiple periods of
Neurotoxin
Downtime.
The target's senses are assaulted, Impairing
them.

Swarmchild Frenzy
You are able to sense and read the traces of
The target temporarily goes berserk and is
pheromones left by other Feithéans and local
Taunted.
subterranean life that offer clues about their
location. These pheromone trails are encoded
with simple information about the current
location, its relation to other locations based
Scorpion Tail
You have a long tail you can use to fight. This
on the direction of the trail, cryptic words and
tail can be used to perform attacks using your
messages about its history, as well as
HIT Dice, and can be used to execute
surrounding local landmarks and life.
Techniques. This automatically gains the
Venom trait at no extra cost, but can only be
While your Feithéan would be able to naturally
used in melee.
perceive the general trail itself and where it
leads, deciphering detailed information from
it requires succeeding a SENSE check.
Vestigial Wings
Cannot be taken with other traits giving
Wings. You have vestigial wings you can flap
Multiple Limbs
to partially mitigate fall damage. You do not
You have multiple limbs that you use for
take fall damage or Displace damage up to 4
attacking - rolling your HIT or AIM Dice as if
tiles.
attacking with them. Having a different
weapon in each limb counts as separate
attacks from them.
Insectoid Wings
Cannot be taken with other traits giving
Wings. You have fully functioning wings you
Mantis Limbs/Pincers
can use to fly. When rolling your MOVE Dice,
You have the arms of a mantis or scorpion,
you can spend an additional Action Die of any
which you can use to attack and restrain foes.
type to fly instead when taking your
You cannot perform dextrous tasks that
Movement, ignoring chasms, obstacles and
require hands unless you take Multiple Limbs.
other entities, and are considered Airborne.
You can use your specialised limbs to perform
melee attacks using your HIT action. When
attacking, you can also choose to deal no
damage, but grab onto the target instead,

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134
Viemor
Viemor
A noble people whose unliving souls are bound to
Immortality
the vast land of Skotos, the Valley of Shadow. All Viemor are souls suspended in thanatotic
stasis, meaning they are functionally
Origin: Thanatotic pre-Emergence Human immortal. You do not need to sleep, eat or
breathe.
Age: Immortal. Your apparent age is that
when you originally died. Every Viemor is also bound to a Memento,
which is an object your soul is tied to while
Prevalence: Rare. Skotos is a dangerous and you were once alive. Your Memento can take
hostile uncharted land. However, the few the form of any personal item. It can be as
Viemor that venture outside Skotos speak of small as a necklace or book, or as large as a
vast underground citadels and armies of chair, vehicle or even an entire house.
spectral riders.
If you take fatal damage after being
Vibe: Zombies, skeletons, ghosts and Endangered and Breaking one last time, the
vampires physical shell of your body loses its form and
your soul returns to your Memento, wherever it
is located. While reforming within your
Playing a Viemor Memento, you are conscious and your voice
The Viemor, also known as the Unliving, are emanates from it. It then takes 1 day for your
citizens of the subterranean region of Skotos: body to reform itself.
a strange rift that appears to trap the souls of
all within it. This rift mysteriously opened If your Memento is destroyed within Skotos,
during the Emergence and swallowed up an your soul is bound to Skotos forever and you
entire nation of people, suspending them in a can never leave its borders again, on pain of
permanent state between life and death. oblivion. If your Memento is taken outside of
Skotos itself and destroyed, your soul has no
As such, the oldest Viemor in Revenir are tether left and is lost forever to an unknown
humans who were alive prior to the fate.
Emergence, and their knowledge of the World
Before is highly sought after by researchers
and archivists. Deathless Soul
Your character belongs to one of two Viemor
Since then, any soul who dies within the variants:
shadowed valleys of Skotos are reborn as
Viemor. If a non-Viemor Sepient happens to
Cadavre
die in Skotos, they are also reborn as a
Your body resembles that of a skeleton or
Viemor.
zombie.

The oldest Viemor maintain an aristocratic

society, dressing up in lavish, gothic clothing Spectre
and living within dark mansions. Your body is ghostly and ephemeral.

However, the younger Viemor - those whose Vampire

bodies fell into Skotos and became bound to You have deathly pale skin and fanged teeth.
it, are usually survivalists and hardened
warriors who constantly battle with the
bloodthirsty Tannin. As such, these are also
typically members of the Khaosjagd.

135
VIEMOR NAMES
Viemor mainly derive their names from either
Sangrais, the language of the tenebrean
nobility, or Nachtsprache, the speech of the
hardy Khaosjagd warrior folk.

Victorien, Silve, Longinaure, Gerhardt,

Wulfsmund, Rosenwind, Analette, Vespacia,
Eichel, Sombresoleil

136
Viemor Variant Traits Possession
[WIP] Spectre
You attempt to possess an entity within 1 Tile
Choose up to two at character creation. of you as a Slow action. The target can roll to
SAVE against this, and this effect is interrupted
Detachable Body if you Break or if you are no longer 1 Tile apart.
Cadavre
You can detach any of your body parts, and If you fail, nothing happens. If you succeed,
must spend a Fast DARE action to manually you enter their body and control them briefly,
reassemble yourself. until the end of the round. You forego any
actions on your turn, and instead use the
This can be used for tasks like throwing your target's actions when their turn begins.
body parts to certain areas, increasing your Otherwise, the target is Stunned.
weapon's reach by 1 Tile, detaching your head
to peer over walls, etc. When detaching your
body, you perform the detachment and the Blood-drinker
task it's for within the same action. Vampire
You require blood to maintain your physical
form. Whenever a timeslot passes and you
Fall Apart didn't drink any blood, you only have 5 Resolve
Cadavre when you set out. When within 1 tile of an
When a hostile physical action would damage entity or ally that has blood, you can spend a
you, you can choose to instantly collapse into Slow action to drink from them, dealing 15
a pile of bones or body parts upon impact at damage to them and restoring your Resolve
no action cost, which negates its damage to full.
and effects. However, you must then spend a
Slow action to reassemble yourself
afterwards. Torpor
Vampire
If a hostile action was sufficiently impactful,
such as a large explosion, your body parts Who disturbs my rest?!
may be blown to different places on the map,
up to 3 different parts and up to 3 Tiles away. Whenever you Rest or Encamp, you enter
You cannot reassemble yourself alone, but torpor, a state of undead sleep. Your next
any allies who pass by the Tile that body part action immediately after you exit torpor gains
is on automatically picks it up, but must a +3d bonus. You float over the ground, and
spend 1 Fast action to reassemble you your allies can carry you along whenever they
together. travel with no impediment to their movement.

If these allies are all within 1 Tile of each other, You can spend 1 Slow action to reenter torpor
this entire process only costs a Fast action at any time during combat. If you are harmed
from only one of these allies. and lose Resolve while attempting to enter
torpor, you gain all these bonus dice
immediately.
Ectoplanar Body
Spectre
You can spend a variable MOVE action to float
over, pass through and hide in solid terrain.
You can also use this to React to hostile
actions, causing weapons and magic to pass
through you. While in this state, you are
completely intangible and cannot touch or
interact with the physical world in any way,
and you must spend an action of equal
duration to become corporeal again.

137
[Page left blank for draft/formatting purposes]

138
Kean

139
Kean togethers.

Kean of mixed heritages are common, with

A strange but whimsical Sapient, easily their parental traits obvious in their biology: A
identifiable by their large pointy ears and short Kean with Síoraí heritage may have their
stature. telltale feathered ears, while one with Kaibi
heritage may have fur and tails.
Origin: Unknown

Age: Unknown Craftblood's Soul

You belong to one of two known Kean
Prevalence: Uncommon. Kean are quite well- variants:
documented due to their friendliness and
prevalence in numerous fields, but their Majikean
actual homelands are unseen by outsiders, Also called Magikin, they are known for their
and their first recorded appearance was less affinity for magic, and are sensitive to
than two centuries ago. It is estimated that fluctuations of magical flow that may
their entire population numbers in the low randomly affect their bodies. Many Kean can
hundreds. learn to control this to perform random
magical feats like teleporting. They tend to
Vibe: Designated short race encompassing have more bluish or pale skintones.
gnomes, halflings and goblins

Wylkean
Playing a Kean Also called Wilekin, they are known for being
The origins of the first Kean are unknown, more world-wise, preferring the sureness of
though it is agreed to be likely non-human in technology and systems. Where a Majikean
origin. This is a curious rarity as most Sapients may be more carefree and casual, a Wylkean
aside from Phytosapiens were formerly may prefer strict order and hierarchy, or
human in some form. This leads many to conversely, would be daring and prone to
suggest that they share a common origin with tempting fate, having a strange affinity to
Phytosapiens, or spontaneously birthed causal energies around them.. They tend to
themselves from the surplus of magical have more greenish or earthy skintones.
energy from the World Tree.

Kean, also sometimes called Kynlings, are KEAN NAMES

naturally talented in whatever path they Most Kean have names derived from Ayar-
pursue in life, be it magic, science and kena, a phonetic magical language. Their
sometimes even combat. They have a natural name construction is their given name
thirst for adventure and a healthy mirth for followed by a quality or trait they have. These
life. Their personalities range from are typically in Ayar-kena, but they also adopt
lackadaisical and mischievous, to serious and this naming scheme when using languages
composed. like Eglaise.

Kean are not born, but made. Every new Kean Aeya-Duarna, Madi-Valour, Saki-Neru, Lin-
individual must be specially handcrafted by Loros, Phenrare-Bis, Yuormo-Gadal
the community, using techniques that only
they know. This may explain their innate
propensity for magic and their sense of
artistic wit and community.

Kean can be found in any region of Revenir.

While some are adventurous loners, most do
eventually find their way back to their home
communities for festivals, weddings and get-

140
Kean Variant Traits
[WIP]
Choose up to two at character creation.

Miraculous Luck
Majikean
You have the Lucky trait. When you roll an
action and the number rolled is 1 number
within the Target Difficulty (e.g. a 3 vs. a 4),
then that counts as a Brave action without
needing to match exactly. This can be done
once a round.

Wild Warp
Majikean
Every time an ally or enemy uses a CAST
action or magic in any way, you can attune to
the surge of magic and blink in a slipstream
of magic, reappearing on any location within
3 Tiles of your initial position. If you used the
CAST action yourself, you blink up to 5 Tiles
instead. You are Invulnerable when
teleporting this way and cannot be Reacted
to.

Prodigious Luck
Wylkean
If an ally rolls their action and their rolled
number doesn't match the TD but is within 1
number of its range, you can spend a Fast
action to react and give their action the Lucky
trait, making it a successful Brave action. This
can be done any number of times as long as
it's applicable.

Fatewarper
Wylkean
If you or an ally roll a Brave action, you attune
to the strands of fate and become animated
with power from within. Your next action after
theirs gains the Lucky trait. This can happen
any number of times as long as an ally rolls a
Brave and you have actions remaining to act
after them.

141
142
 CHAPTER V

FACTIONS

143
NOTE: All Factions and Venture features are not finalised for
this Pre-release version. Some of the more completed ones
have been left here for reference, but don't expect anything
coherent or playable yet - there's a lot of images and icons
strewn around and incomplete/placeholder paragraphs.
If you plan to skim through though, there are some parts to
look out for:
- Faction Origins that would be chosen at character
creation. Each one grants a Sphere alignment.
- Ventures are now arranged according to the Faction they
belong to.
- Venture Core Trainings, as well as Paths (subclasses)
within some of these Ventures.

144
Languages
There are many languages spoken in the New World, some common and some rare. Your Voyager's
main languages are determined when choosing your starting Faction.

Learning Languages an Old World language called English. All

Voyagers know how to write, speak and
Besides the languages that the Voyager understand Eglaise by default.
already knows, they can also choose to learn
new ones. In order to fully learn a language, For more experienced roleplayers, you may
the Voyager must spend 3 EXP - 1 EXP across wish to follow a Voyager who understands
three different Levels - to fully master it. Eglaise, but may not speak it.

Mastery over a language has three forms: > AMERUSAN RIDER SPEECH
Understanding, Writing and Speaking. The first A rustic dialect spoken by the riders and
EXP is spent Understanding the language. The frontiersmen of the Amerusan Colonies.
second and third EXP spent are spent either Speaking their dialect will more easily gain
learning to Write or Speak the language. their trust, and entry through their territories.
Greet them with firm "Howdey"!
A Voyager may choose to fully master the
language or only know enough for practical
purposes - such as knowing enough to hear Melaidic
and speak Behru to get better deals at the
A poetic language found in Vinelands, and is
bazaars in Dust, but not its written form.
often used in art and literature. It evolved as a
mixture of Old World Romance languages,
During character creation, you may choose to
namely Italian. It is the local language used
spend your starting EXP to learn one new
by the citizens of the Sentinarium.
language of choice or dialects for a language
you already know - integrating them into your
character's background.
Shardlandic Common
Dialects The language spoken by most Shardlanders,
Some Languages span over vast regions that originating from the Icelandic languages of
have various dalects and creoles that share the Old World. Shardlandic Common is
the same origin, but will take time to fully spoken by Shard Banners who have a history
understand and communicate using them. An of cultural exchange with other nearby Shards
astute linguist or dedicated traveler is able to or even with Aeden. The further you go out, the
piece the words together and adapt to the more the language differs and evolves - more
dialects more easily than learning an entirely isolated Shards you find may speak a dialect
new language. of Shardlandic so vastly different from
Common that they are hard to understand.
If you know the parent language the dialect
belongs to, you only need to spend 1 EXP after When Worldbuilding Shard Banners for your
interacting with that dialect's speakers to Voyage, the Players may decide whether their
learn it. Otherwise, treat it as if learning a new custom Shard Banners speak Common or a
language. different dialect. If using the latter, here are
some examples to guide their creation:
The following are a list of languages in the
Known World, with any relevant Dialects listed > CRAG SPEECH
beneath it. Note that many strange, new A rough dialect spoken by the Craglanders
languages await in the World Beyond which who have no home, travelling from Shard to
your Voyager can decipher and learn, should Shard raiding and trading.
they wish to.
> ICEFALLERS
A dialect spoken by the northern peoples of
Eglaise the Icefall Shards, who can be found riding
The common lingua franca of the Known mammoths, trading pelts, ice and preserved
World originating from Aeden, derived from meats.

145
Kannata amount of time adapting their voices to even
replicate its sounds, as well as recognising
The language spoken by most Kaibi, and differentiating the minute differences in
originating from a faraway land they call its sounds.
Yongryun. It is an evolved version of Old World
Japanese. Sangrais &
> KURIN-JI
Nachtsprache
A strange pidgin between Kannata and Two distinct languages spoken within Skotos,
Eglaise using slang from both in combination one by its immortal Viemor nobility and the
with Old World phrases. Popular among the other by its wandering armies called the
Kaibi youth and Feralis street gangs! If you Khaosjagd, respectively. Sangrais has roots in
end up in trouble with them, just say Old World French while Nachtsprache is
"Sorrymasen". derived from Old World German. They must be
learned separately.

Azka
The common tongue spoken by the Ruaya
Machine Speech
living in the rivers, jungles and swamps of A language used by many Old World
Dust. Due to the Ruaya's vast migratory machines to communicate with each other in
patterns along seas and rivers, their language the form of beeps, whistles and whirs. A
has elements from Old World cultures as far person can understand Machine Speech, but
as the remnants of Southeast Asia, all the way cannot speak it without special equipment.
to the Pacific islands. Learning to convey Machine Speech requires
a sound synthesising tool that replicates their
precise mechanical tones.
Chmara
The common language of the avian Orzlaty.
Their language has elements from different
El-Aestra
Old World Slavic languages, such as Polish A celestial language understood and spoken
and Russian. by intelligent magical creatures like
Phytosapiens, powerful elementals and
dragons. El-Aestra is said to be a written and
Avarrach spoken form of the World Tree’s will. Many
Origin Weapons and Heaven’s Keys are
This language may require more EXP to
inscribed with El-Aestra words and phrases.
learn
El-Aestra cannot be understood inherently by
The proudly-guarded language of the Síoraí. any Sapient except for Phytosapien Magoi - it
Based on EXDUS linguistic studies, assisted by cannot be chosen as a starting language by
generous Síoraí dignitaries and diplomats, non-Magoi, only learnt. Even then, mastery of
Avarrach seems to have found its origins in an El-Aestra cannot come through pure
Old World tongue called Welsh. If you speak academic study, but a certain non-seeking
Avarrach in front of any Síoraí and you're not communion with the world. It cannot be
one of themm, be prepared to turn a lot of spoken by mortal means - the only way
heads, or even attract a visit from one of the Phytosapiens communicate using El-Aestra is
Stormqueen's secret police... through the Dreaming.

Feithid If a Voyager expresses interest in learning El-

Aestra, they may learn it by seeking the
This language may require more EXP to counsel and company of Phytosapiens and
learn powerful magical beings. To learn this
language is a vast investment of Experience
The secret language of the Feithéan people. It that will take years to even scratch its surface.
can only be spoken naturally by Feithéans,
requiring specialised insectoid biology to
replicate its clicks and chitters. However, a Ayar-Kena
non-Feithéan can speak it to some vaguely Apparently a lower form of El-Aestra, far
coherent degree, but must spend a significant diluted as to be spoken as a fairly
conventional language, mainly spoken by
lesser elemental and magical beings like
fairies, as well as the Kean.

146
147
The Known World
The Known World is the only fully-mapped and the famous martial cities of the
region in history so far. It is the goal of EXDUS Sentinarium.
to venture out of the Known World and find its
place in the wider universe, and see the true Dust
extent that the world has changed in the wake A vast, largely unexplored and ungoverned
of the Emergence of Eld Aestus. region beyond Aeden that heads out into the
wider uncharted lands of Revenir, dotted by
diverse locales such as jungles, swamps,
Eld Aestus deserts and wastelands covered with ruins of
The World Tree, Eld Aestus, is officially the Old World.
classified as a "metaphysical supercolony". It
is an anomaly in every sense of the word; in The Kaibi made their way through Dust and
spite of its name, it barely qualifies as a tree - met the first Aedeans centuries ago, forming
its bark is pure white, and appears to an early friendship.
resemble marble, granite or perlite in texture.
It is completely fireproof and appears to be
completely indestructible unless worked
Above Ground
through very specific rituals. On occasion, it Shardlands
sheds parts of its "bark", and these are Pieces of Earth that were uprooted and
sometimes used as materials for magical suspended in the sky through the World Tree's
study and refinement; notably used by strange magic, and the home of the
Armiger Orders as magically infused pieces of Shardlanders.
armour and weapons.
The Eyries
Eld Aestus is so massive that most Sapient A mysterious land in the sky - a group of
cultures that found their way into Aeden did Shards so high above the atmosphere that
so by following the World Tree, describing it as the air is thin and the world below seems to
a massive white wall or flame that spans the disappear entirely. It is the home of the Síoraí,
horizon and fades into the sky. who appear to be the only people able to
survive and live there.
The World Tree, Eld Aestus, appears to span all
of Revenir, from east to west and top to
bottom - its trunk reaches into the sky, to such Below Ground
a point where it's no longer visible from a
certain distance; while its roots reach deep far Skotos
below Revenir's crust. Besides mapping the A vast world underground where the World
World Beyond, one of EXDUS' goals is to Tree's roots twist and form vast pillars. Also
journey around the World Tree's called the Valley of Shadows, it has a strange
circumference and see how far it truly spans. aura that suspends the energies of life and
death itself, seemingly sapped of colour and
life, save for the immortal Viemor who either
Ground Level roam its dark lands or rest in their cthonic
castles.
Aeden
The most well-documented region of the Skotos is also populated by Tannin -
Known World and the location of EXDUS fearsome leviathans of the deep with black
Headquarters. Aedean settlements are called scales and glowing heartcores, irresistibly
Relic Cities. drawn with primal hunger to any soul that
bleeds or breathes within the realm of Skotos.
Vinelands
Considered a part of Aeden, though with their
own distinct culture that evolved at a
separate point north of Aeden, before joining
up via sea trade long ago. Most well known for
their verdant vineyards (hence the name)

148
E.X.D.U.S.
EXPLORERS OF A WORLD REBORN

Background Voyager Ideas

Formerly called the EXpeditionary Directive > Your Voyager is a professor from a Relic City
Towards Uniting Society (so many people only university studying Old World languages and
call it EXDUS nowadays that the acronym's artifacts. Their dream is to journey beyond the
origin is a quaint bit of trivia) and established Known World and create the first fully realised
only 20 years ago, EXDUS is at its core, an map of the New World.
expeditionary commission based in Aeden,
funded and backed by several academic, > Your Voyager is a new recruit of EXDUS,
mercantile, military and logistics originally a fishing boat captain with a
organisations in the Known World with a yearning for adventure and the feeling of wind
vested interest in its growth. in their face.

Having several active forward bases > Your Voyager is the newly-assigned pilot of
scattered throughout the Known World and an airship, ferrying other EXDUS members and
armed with the latest technology reverse- transporting cargo, and have encountered
engineered from Old World tech and imbued many stories in their airborne travels.
with the World Tree’s magic, the goals of
EXDUS are centred around exploring the world Faction Scenario Ideas
of Revenir and unifying its numerous > Your Voyager is tasked with delving into a
scattered peoples in the wake of the recently-discovered Old World military
Emergence. complex rumoured to have intact samples
and research documents into DNA research.
Every member of EXDUS who participates in However, the complex is occupied by Dust
forward expeditions and response teams are Raiders using it as a base of operations,
called Voyagers, which is the character you oblivious to the knowledge they’re sitting on.
play. Voyagers are scouted and recruited
from all across the Known World from all > Your Voyager is tasked with infiltrating a
walks of life. high-profile auction on Dust. A valuable Old
World artifact is at risk of being sold to the
While it is assumed by default that your highest bidder, one of them being a notorious
Voyager is a member of EXDUS, how involved crime boss. To complicate matters, one of the
they are in its main body operations is up to Eyries’ spies is rumoured to be present, and
you - whether they are simply temporarily undoubtedly will not hesitate to crash the
contracted, or if they are part of its permanent auction and kill everyone present in order to
on-call staff. seize the artifact for the Stormqueen. Deter
this spy at all costs; and destroy the artifact if
EXDUS' permanent staff are usually made up you absolutely must.
of Phytosapien consultants and liaisons, Kaibi
pilots, Human soldiers from the Armiger > The Bestiodus are planning a siege on a
Orders, and others. As a member of EXDUS, the helpless Shard House whose scout travelled 3
cutting edge of technology and research is at days without food to warn EXDUS of their
your Voyager's disposal. intentions. Your Voyage party are to infiltrate
a Bestiodus garrison, two days’ journey away
from the Shard, where they are outfitting their
war beasts with armour.

149
Worldbuilding the GM controls - they may cross paths with
your party from time to time, make camp with
Have each Player at the table help create and you for a fun night of stories and
name one or two of the following: marshmallows by the fire, and may even
come in as the cavalry during a desparate
1. EXDUS Staff moment.
Populate EXDUS with a regular staff that your
Voyage party can interact with between
missions. They could be a pilot that helps
Disposition
escort you to rendezvous points, a friendly > EXDUS is generally well-respected across
liaison of a different team - who in contrast most of the Known World, and most regions
see your party as rivals, or a mechanic that and groups around will view it in a friendly or
helps maintain and upgrade your weapons. at least an amicable manner, unless the
faction is outright hostile or criminal in nature.
2. Tech
Create some interesting gadgets or > EXDUS typically offers relief aid to places in
technology, which can be used to flavour the need, such as smaller Shards that are
world, and perhaps even introduced and understocked for winter or frontier Relic Cities
balanced by the GM for the party to use in a that are just starting to grow their roots. Given
future scenario, like an all-terrain buggy that their goals of unifying the New World, they
can climb sheer cliff faces, a portable railgun always seek to prevent and mediate conflict
that requires carrying around a heavy battery whenever possible, though there will often
pack, or a navigator's gauntlet that displays a come points where it's inevitable.
holographic map of nearby Relic Cities.

Faction Boons
> Most EXDUS facilities are readily open to your
Voyage party, such as weapon maintenance,
CHARACTER CREATION
training programs and air escorts, but
Take if your Voyager mainly identifies with
seniority within the organisation will grant
EXDUS over any other Faction option.
more reliable support, even to the point of
sending backup Voyagers to assist in
moments of need. Most new Voyagers can Freeborn
also call on an EXDUS transport to take an
incapacitated ally back for medical care, You are familiar with the history of EXDUS, the
though it may take them a while to arrive layout of its HQ and its operations, along with its
based on how deep your party is in uncharted general relations and standings with any given
territory. Faction or group within the Known World.

> Your Voyage party is able to take refuge in You know Eglaise and up to two other
any of EXDUS' forward bases, if one is nearby. languages of choice.
These are outposts that provide food, shelter
and suitable protection from the elements
and most conventional hostile forces.

> Sometimes, your Voyage party may

encounter a different party during their
travels. These would be friendly NPCs whom

150
EXDUS // ORIGINS

1 | Researcher 3 | Shipwright
MOON STAR

GOALS Defined by wanderlust.

1 | TBA
2 | TBA GOALS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
QUIRKS 4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA QUIRKS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA
2 | Operative
SKY
4 | Arborice Steward
GOALS EARTH
1 | TBA
2 | TBA GOALS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
QUIRKS 4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA QUIRKS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

151
152
EXDUS // EQUIPMENT

1 | Paladite Firearm 5 | Wayfarer Boots

Weapon - Light Apparel
Ranged - AIM Light

Rapid Fire Traverser

You can choose to fire this weapon as a Quick When moving, you always have Movement
or Medium action, laying down suppressive equal to half your MOVE action's die value.
fire. Any enemies within range that don't
dodge or take cover will take damage from
the number rolled. 6 | Paladite Jetpack
Apparel
Light
2 | Multitool Axe
Weapon - Medium Flight Burst
Melee - HIT Brave: When you MOVE, ignore any chasms,
Medium obstacles and any Large or smaller
Survival Tool entities between you and your destination.
Gain +1d when performing a TOOL check that This can also be used to travel vertically.
would use your axe, like cutting down trees or
clearing vegetation. You can permanently
remove wooden obstacles from the map this 7 | Elemental Ammo
way as a Slow action. Apparel
Light

When loaded as a Fast action, your ranged

3 | Attrition Rifle AIM attacks mark targets with +1 Blight of a
Weapon - Medium chosen Sphere until the end of the round.
Ranged - AIM
Standard issue weapon for the Jet Corps.

Gyroscopic Frame
Brave: You also gain the same amount rolled
as Movement, allowing you to move as you
fire.

4 | Sniper Railgun
Weapon - Heavy
Ranged - AIM

Scoped
Gain +1d for attacks with this weapon if you
have not moved or reacted at the start of your
Turn.

Brave: Pierces all targets in the same line, up

to the rolled range.

153
EXDUS // SIMULACRA

1 | Liaison of the Month Portrait

Your Liaison can perform 2 Liaison Actions per
timeslot.

2 | Defective Teleporter
At the start of each Round in combat, a player
besides the holder picks a spot on the map
that must be at least 6 Tiles away from them.
The holder must then teleport there.

154
Aeden
GARDEN BENEATH THE WHITE SHADOW

Background response strategies from the outset.

Aeden occupies a large region now identified
from the Old World as part of a larger
foregone realm called Europe. Named after
an ancient mythological Garden at the Voyager Ideas
creation of the World, Aeden is a wide > Your Voyager is an Heir, a soul blessed by
confederation of numerous city-states and the World Tree itself to carry an Origin
townships populated largely by native Weapon, a magical weapon formed from the
Original Humans. forge of their spirit.

These various settlements are called Relic > Your Voyager is an Armiger Knight, wielding
Cities: typically rustic and homely towns an energy-core longsword into battle.
unified by a common humanity and culture,
each governed by a Mayor or Governor. Its > Your Voyager is a member of the Jet Corps,
common language - which later would soldiers trained in the use of firearms and
become the lingua franca of the Known World highly mobile jetpacks who defend the
- is Eglaise, a language derived from Old scattered Relic Cities.
World English.
Faction Scenario Ideas
Aeden is a culture painted by its love for > A new Relic City was recently built 2 years
knowledge, heraldry and ritual. Its people ago after the discovery of a valuable artifact
venerate the World Tree as its great protector there, and its people are thriving in idyllic
- their earliest myths speaking of how Eld peace. However, news of a violently
Aestus enveloped the first Aedeans during the marauding band of Dust Raiders has put
destruction of the World Before, so that the them at unease, and your Voyage party has
memory of the First Humankind would never been sent to defend the town and investigate
be lost. this Raider gang.

Aeden has a long history of knighthood, with > A high-ranking Aeden official was found
many of its Armiger Orders, warriors who assassinated in his own home, with a dagger
helped guard and secure trade between the by his bedside bearing the insignia of the Sol
Relic Cities, adapting to modern technology Empire. Your Voyage party are to go directly
and equipment while still maintaining their to Sol Empire's capital Shard and investigate
code of honour and iconic heraldic symbols. the matter.
Typically, each individual Relic City has their
own local Armiger Order that presides over its > Your Voyager's sister, whom they grew up
defenses and protection. with and enlisted together into the Armiger
Order of Florentia their entire life, has
In recent times, the Orders have evolved to disappeared. Their superiors claim that she
adopt a more standardised system of training was last seen killing two of her squadmates
and tactics for all new Knights. This eventually and betraying the others to the Eyries' secret
led to the formation of the Jet Corps in police.
collaboration with EXDUS: a specialised
branch of the Armigers who are fitted with
modern jetpack technology and Attrition
Rifles, trained in modern tactics and threat

155
Worldbuilding > While there are many Armiger Orders
throughout Aeden, they are largely friendly
If your setting is expected to be set in or with each other as long their jurisdictions and
involve Aeden, have each Player at the table areas of expertise don't overlap too much.
help create and name one or two of the Most of them are unified through a shared
following: pride in their Aedean heritage.

1. Relic Cities
Define each Relic City with a certain
identifying trade or attraction. They may be
known for their beers, or for a popular family
bookstore. It may or may not have a museum
built there, but would most likely have a
school and branch of the Cartograph Charter
there.

CHARACTER CREATION
2. Armiger Orders
Define a Knightly Order with a heraldic symbol
and tenet. This symbol could be a lion holding
Relicborn
a rose, or a many-headed crane. Their prime
Your access to the Relic Cities and their relative
tenet may be focused on patrolling trade
safety often leads to a comfortable life to freely
routes, fighting monsters of the night or
pursue many hobbies.
escorting pilgrimages to the World Tree.

You have a leisurely hobby, such as a musical

Faction Boons instrument, art medium or obscure subject you
are very knowledgable in.
> Many Relic Cities look favourably on EXDUS
and Voyagers as heroes, and will likely offer You know Eglaise and one other language of
your party discounted or free room and board choice.
- doubly so if your Voyager is part of an
Armiger Order.

> Gaining the friendship of Armiger Orders and

Jet Corps is very useful as they handle many
logistics and defense operations across
Aeden, and are willing to escort your Voyage
party and even provide you assistance for
certain missions.

Disposition
> While most Relic Cities are friendly to
Voyagers as a whole, given the varied
backgrounds of different Voyagers, some
Cities are skeptical towards Voyagers known
for a criminal or morally dubious past, and
may also be inhospitable if they had a history
of rowdy Voyagers crashing their bars and
inns.

156
Aeden // ORIGINS

1 | Bright-eyed Youth 3 | Caretaker

STAR EARTH

You are a kind, dutiful soul who puts others

GOALS first. You may be a humble housewife or
1 | TBA househusband with a knack for the blades, or
2 | TBA a member of the Maid Knights Agency.
3 | TBA
4 | TBA GOALS
1 | TBA
QUIRKS 2 | TBA
1 | TBA 3 | TBA
2 | TBA 4 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA QUIRKS
1 | A wide knowledge of recipes
2 | Deadly with a broom, frying pan or slipper
2 | Veteran Knight 3 | Knows all the latest gossip
EARTH 4 | Great with children

GOALS 4 | Gourmet
1 | TBA EARTH
2 | TBA
3 | TBA You are a connoisseur of the culinary arts.
4 | TBA
Restorative Meal
QUIRKS While Resting or Encamping, you can spend
1 | TBA one Rest action to prepare a tasty, warm meal
2 | TBA for your party. When eaten, this meal restores
3 | TBA 1 additional Break bar for yourself and all
4 | TBA allies.

GOALS
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

QUIRKS
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

157
158
Aeden // EQUIPMENT

1 | Gunblade
Weapon - Medium
Hybrid - HIT or AIM

Hybrid Attack
This weapon can perform both melee and
ranged attacks.

Brave: Fire a blast of ballistic fire, repelling the

target. You Displace them a number of Tiles
equal to half the number rolled. If the target is
at least one Size larger than you, you may
propel yourself away from them instead.

2 | Tower Shield
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT, SAVE

Strong Defense
Brave: Doubles your SAVE against the hostile
action.

3 | Eldite Armour
Apparel

159
Aeden // SIMULACRA

1 | Lavalis' Broken Aegis

3 Slots

All allies gain 1 Shield at the start of each

combat.

2 | Elder Fruit

After each combat, restores 15 Resolve to all

allies.

3 | Prismlight Shield
When the wearer Breaks, the enemy side does
not gain Momentum.

4 | Mark of the Endurer

Every round, when the holder takes damage,
they become Invulnerable until the end of the
Round.

160
Cartograph Charter
THE GREAT ROYAL ARCHIVE

Background to the many Relic Libraries.

The Cartograph Charter originated in the Relic
Cities as a secular organisation that wished to Voyager Ideas
document all known Old World knowledge, > Your Voyager is a professor from a Relic City
and to safely preserve its many artifacts. With university studying Old World languages and
their head office based in the Relic City of New artifacts. Your dream is to journey beyond the
Cambridge, the Charter was established a Known World and create a lexicon of all its
few hundred years ago by Agnes and Reuel known languages.
Cho under the blessings of Aeden's monarch
(back when Aeden still had something > Your Voyager is a retired mapmaker who
resembling monarchy), and currently led by used to chart many Relic Cities on your past
their descendant, Jessique Cho. travels. On a whim, you decided to sell
everything and spend your golden years
The Charter's early life started with mapping seeking one last great adventure.
the nearby Relic Cities, building schools and
providing a standard curriculum to them, they > Your Voyager is a broke university student
eventually branched into many fields of from an obscure Relic City, hoping to go on an
studies, helping to uncover much of the Old adventure to write a career-launching thesis
World technology that runs the Known World on dragon flight patterns that would make
today. even your skeptic professor blush!

Eventually, they started preserving artifacts Faction Scenario Ideas

and other items of note from the Old World, > A band of relic thieves has been breaking
making a point to build museums and into and stealing artifacts from museums
conservatories on or near the sites where the throughout Aeden. You and your Voyage
relics are found, lest they remove these party have been asked to investigate these
important items from their cultural context, break-ins, with the first clue being their calling
driving tourism to help the local populaces of card: a note saying "We Steal From Thieves".
these fledgling towns thrive.
> A mysterious artifact in one of the museums
The Charter became the premier organisation has activated via a loud alarm, causing the
in the fields of archaeology, taxonomy and entire building to be closed to the public.
artifact preservation - a world of academics Called to investigate the matter, your Voyage
that has built a long legacy on accessible party notices that the artifact displays
education and ethical preservation. They've coordinates to 4 other locations: one pointing
established universities, schools, supply shops to a similar (though half-intact) relic in
and museums all throughout the Relic Cities another museum, and the locations of the
of Aeden. other three out in the unknown, with another
separate display on the relic showing... a
The Charter would later assist in the founding countdown, three days from now.
of EXDUS and was its first and most
passionate supporter during its founding. The > A great international exhibition showcasing
Charter itself has a large presence in EXDUS, the advancements of the Known World is
providing Voyagers with information to tackle being held in a month. Your Voyage party
the World Beyond: maps, research samples, decides to join the expo after one of your
archaeological records and universal access Voyager's friends, a sheltered academic,

161
Worldbuilding > Typically tries to foster a relationship of trust
with any locale populace when searching for
If your setting is expected to involve the artifacts. As a principle, most staff will try their
Cartograph Charter, have each Player at the best to act in a manner that is in the best
table help create and name one or two of the interests of the greater culture the artifact
following: was preserved in.

1. Relics
Have the Players each suggest a unique
artifact from the Old World, whether CHARACTER CREATION
impressive or humorous: a piece of a past war
memorial, a perfectly preserved handmade Schoolborn
wooden puzzle, or an unopened can of a rare
flavour of potato crisps. The GM can then You are familiar with the locations and
distribute them in different museums across operations of the Cartograph Charter's many
the Relic Cities, with perhaps some of them holdings, from its schools and supply shops, to
even being their main tourist attraction. its museums and their most well-known
exhibits.
2. Charter Staff
Create some representatives of the Charter You know Eglaise and up to 3 other languages
who may assist your Voyage party whenever of choice.
you need to conduct research or gain access
to something. This could be a kindly museum
curator, a sleep-deprived dean of a university
or a librarian who always sings to herself.

Faction Boons
> The Charter typically grants all EXDUS
members access to their facilities and
materials, but will be far more cooperative
and willing to go the extra mile the more you
prove yourself as a mainstay of the
organisation, and not just an adventure-
crazed new recruit.

> The Charter will reward and regard you

greatly if you find valuable artifacts for them,
or help them map dangerous key areas of the
World Beyond.

Disposition
> Well-regarded in nearly all of the Relic Cities
and is a close, trusted partner of EXDUS. You
can find someone almost anywhere who's at
least partially related to the Charter, from
teachers in schools to museum staff,
cartographers and field navigators.

162
Cartograph Charter // ORIGINS

1 | Bookish Academician 3 | Intrepid

MOON MOON

GOALS
GOALS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA
QUIRKS
QUIRKS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA

2 | Scatterbrained Student 4 | Eccentric Explorer

MOON MOON

GOALS
GOALS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA
QUIRKS
QUIRKS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA

163
164
Cartograph Charter // EQUIPMENT

1 | Book Bag
+1d on all LORE checks.

2 | Thermos

3 | Drill
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT

Digger
As a Slow action, you can dig into the ground,
becoming untargetable to any above-ground
entities. At the end of the Round, you reappear
at an unoccupied ground Tile up to 6 Tiles
away.

165
Cartograph Charter // SIMULACRA

1 | Midnight Oil

Encamping during Night or Midnight takes one

Timeslot instead of two.

166
Shard Banners
SKY OF A HUNDRED LORDS

Background rival Banners and monstrous wildlife alike.

Your Voyager is a member of one of the Shard
Banners, where monsters’ heads are either Voyager Ideas
mounted on their wall or fitted to be their next > Your Voyager is a Skardkriger House Thalor,
helmet. also known as a Beastreaver, wielding a
massive blade made of spines from a
The skies above Revenir are peppered with dragon’s back.
Shards: floating landmasses both large and
small. The Humans who populated them - > Your Voyager is an armored warrior,
back when the Earth was whole - somehow banished from their Banner alongside their
survived in the hundreds during the direwolf companion for the crime of trying to
Emergence, and have been stuck on the protect that direwolf's family from the lord's
Shards ever since, forming their own isolated hunting party.
societies over the past millennium.
> Your Voyager is the last surviving child of the
Because of limited access to resources and lord of the remote House Graive, which was
lack of communication with outsiders, most destroyed when a larger Shard unnaturally
Banners tend to be insular and strayed from its path and landed directly on
technologically behind other regions. its home Shard.
However, it's common for a Shard to have
remnants of Old World technology littered on Faction Scenario Ideas
or buried within the land, which were > The Sol Empire is threatening to forcibly
discovered, harnessed and often venerated subjugate your Voyager's home Shard. As one
as secret gifts from the gods, called Secrets. of their most skilled warriors, you choose to
These can be as simple as basic plumbing, or stay loyal to your Banner and enact a
as complex as military equipment that they campaign to liberate the neighbouring
reverse-engineered, which would determine Shards from House Sol and unite them to
that Banner's technology level. push back and fight.

Each Shard is ruled by a Banner, which may > Storm clouds loom on the horizon. A great
answer to another, stronger Banner, or may dragon migration is moving, and your
be part of a confederation or alliance. The Voyager's Shard is in the path of their bestial
manifold relationships and politics going on path. Worse still, the migration threatens to
between the Houses is like an asteroid field, raise a terrible Stormherald Elder Dragon from
constantly shifting and occasionally crashing its slumber, which will spell certain doom for
into each other, causing ripples throughout your Voyager's home. The Voyage party must
the other Shards. overtake the migration and somehow and
stop them from waking it.
Nearly every Shard Banner is proud and
fiercely territorial over their home - after all, > Your Voyager's father is dying of frostbite. As
it’s the only home they have. They proudly his daughter and last remaining heir, she
display their crests, mottos and creeds on must journey from her Shard, hundreds of
their heraldry and their raiment. Nearly all miles from home, and seek for either the Sol
Shards also have a strong martial culture and Empire or EXDUS to send food and supplies
sense of community, as all of them must work before winter, eventually encountering the
together to fiercely defend their homes from rest of the Voyage party.

167
Worldbuilding their own Shard's technology, they will likely
treat any different technology, and by
If your setting is expected to be set in or extension EXDUS, with a sense of novelty and
involve the Shardlands, have each Player at wonder.
the table help create and name one or two of
the following: > Typically either hate, fear or love the Sol
Empire, depending if they share the Empire's
1. Shard Banners same views of unification and expansion, or if
Define a few of the hundreds of Banners that they value their own Banner's pride, identity
populate the Shardlands, determining their and autonomy.
general size and their technology level or
what they're known for. It could be a tiny
Shard whose town hall is a half-fallen Old
World lighthouse, a small Shard who use
repurposed pre-Emergence military
exoskeletons to fight dragons, or a large
CHARACTER CREATION
Shard whose constant rainfall leads to it
having many beautiful waterfalls.
Shardborn
2. Hyperevolved Wildlife
You know how to navigate Shards well, and any
Let the Players come up with a quick and fun
tasks that need you to navigate them, discern
flora or fauna idea that may be encountered
their terrain or estimate their elevation.
while they explore the Shardlands, such as a
giant porcupine whose quills are harvested
You know Eglaise and Shardlandic Common.
for spears, a tiny dragon that camouflages as
local flowers, or a red berry that explodes
when touched.
Beast Steward

Faction Boons Any Shardlander worth their salt knows how to

handle wild game, from treating meats to
> Friendly Shards may allow you temporary tanning leather. You can also harvest bone, hide
food and lodging. Some may do so before or and other materials from a slain beast or
after you do favours for them. monster. These can be harvested for materials
to use for sale and crafting.
> If a Banner truly trusts you as one of their
own, they may allow you to freely take and If your Shardlander has a more pastoral
use some of their sacred technology. upbringing, then they would know how to
handle livestock, from shearing sheep to milking
cows. You would also likely know how to best cut
Disposition meat and checking animals for injury or
> How each Banner treats outsiders varies sickness.
wildly. Those less isolated will typically
welcome visitors, but smaller Shards may not
be hospitable, as they are very careful with
their resources. Isolationist Shards may or
may nor be aggressive, but will almost surely
treat your party as a weird and alien sight.

> Because they are only really familiar with

168
Shard Banners // ORIGINS

1 | Warrior 3 | Wanderer
SUN EARTH

You relish besting foes in single combat. GOALS

1 | TBA
GOALS 2 | TBA
1 | Fighting powerful foes and beasts 3 | TBA
2 | Avenging a lost home or life 4 | TBA
3 | A legendary death
4 | Becoming the best QUIRKS
1 | TBA
QUIRKS 2 | TBA
1 | A bottomless appetite 3 | TBA
2 | A trophy from a defeated foe 4 | TBA
3 | An unexpectedly gentle or refined hobby
4 | A rivalry with a named character
4 | Skald
STAR

2 | Shard Surveyor GOALS

SKY 1 | TBA
2 | TBA
GOALS 3 | TBA
1 | TBA 4 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA QUIRKS
4 | TBA 1 | TBA
2 | TBA
QUIRKS 3 | TBA
1 | TBA 4 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

169
170
Shard Banners // EQUIPMENT

1 | Greatsword/Warglaive
Weapon - Heavy
Melee - HIT

Lunge
Beave: Your attack range increases by +2
Tiles, hitting up to 3 enemies. If there are less
than 3 enemies, you instead strike an
additional time for each absent enemy.

2 | Great Hammer
Weapon - Heavy
Melee - HIT

Skullsmasher

3 | Spiked Targe
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT, SAVE

Thorns
Any melee damage you SAVE against is dealt
back to your attacker.

171
Shard Banners // SIMULACRA

1 | Calcified Dragon Tooth

2 Slots

2|
Weapon
Melee - HIT

3 | Lost Clan's Banner

Wearer gains +1d to all actions when below
half Resolve.

172
Sol Empire
BLAZING UNIFIER OF THE SHARDLANDS

Background can. Conversely, you may be an Imperial

The powerful, burgeoning Sol Empire is one of citizen who's started to doubt the Empire's
the most powerful Banners in the Shardlands, expansionist ways and are looking to EXDUS
commanding the power and resources of as a way out.
dozens of Shards large and small. Allied with Voyager Ideas
Aeden and EXDUS (for now), they intend to > Your Voyager is a Drakenought, an elite
spread their influence to all the Shardlands soldier of Sol outfitted with the fiery scales of
and unite all its disparate lords under one wyvern armour, sent to cull the fiercest
Banner. monsters and dragons.

Bearing the banner of the twin-headed > Your Voyager is an Iron Judicator, tasked
Phoenix, the Empire is young but spirited, and with smoking out rebel and barbarian forces,
is currently undergoing the peak of its first and quelling them, equipped to even take on
industrial revolution. Strange and fearsome members of the barbaric Bestiodus.
machines of war are constructed daily in their
factories, with cannons of bolt and fire that > Your Voyager is a member of the Phoenix
can fell the fiercest dragons and Shards alike. Watch, sent to guard the Sol Empire's capital
Shard or garrison its territories through
At its head are the Twin Imperators, a young intense martial training and perfect strategy.
and ambitious brother and sister pair who
currently share the throne. The twins, having Faction Scenario Ideas
witnessed the rampant division, isolationism > The Sol Empire is expanding further upwards,
and backwardness of so many Banners, preparing for conflict with the Eyries. In the
believe that a unified Shardlands is what their dead of night, your Voyager's brother-in-arms
people need for the promise of a better future is captured by the Síoraí. They tell your party
in the long run, even if it means they will face to either turn back or watch him die. Forced to
fierce opposition from those not prepared for stay your hand, you now journey in search of
change. Diplomacy is key, but where that him.
fails… dragon fire is a reliable last resort.
> A family of red drakes have been terrorising
While growing at a fast rate, the Empire still one of the Sol Empire's territories, and your
uses relatively outdated technology Voyager has been tasked with culling their
compared to EXDUS. Their armed forces rely numbers. However, your commanding officer
largely on incendiary weapons and orders you to find a nearby Khaosjagd
combustion engines that use Vehementium: a Willbreaker, in the hopes of controlling the
powerful but highly reactive crystal propellant. drakes for the Sol army. You must convince
They hope to more closely match EXDUS so as the Willbreaker to join their party while also
to reliably prevent their likely intervention into defending the Shard from drake attacks.
Imperial affairs in the foreseeable future.
> The plans for SIGUR, one of the Empire’s
As a member of the Empire, your Voyager's secret weapons projects, have been stolen by
purpose for joining EXDUS may hardly be a Shardland rebel who seeks refuge in the
simple. You may be well aware of the shaky Relic Cities. Your Voyager must apprehend
relationship the Empire has with EXDUS, and him without revealing the details of the plans
are using their genial relations with other to Aeden - and even your Voyage party,
Shards to gather intelligence while you still which is a source of conflict that constantly

173
Worldbuilding > Has some relations with EXDUS and Aeden,
usually trading resources and artifacts in
If your setting is expected to be set in or exchange for EXDUS' technology, but this
involve the Sol Empire, have each Player at the relationship is tenuous at best the more
table help create and name one or two of the EXDUS learns about the Empire's aggressive
following: expansion.

1. Lords or Military > Typically dislike the unpredictable wildlife of

Populate the Empire with some of the people the Shardlands, especially all types of
who occupy its vast list of nobles or its war dragons, and will seek to either cull them in
cabinet. It could be a short-tempered general great numbers or subjugate them to use in
whose home Shard is constantly prey to the war effort.
Shardlander rebels, a calculating strategist
who experiments on the creation of war
dragons, or a cowardly lord whose allegiance
to the Empire hangs by a thin thread and will
bow to anyone who can give him a bigger
CHARACTER CREATION
reason to be scared.
Shardborn
2. Vassal Shards
You know how to navigate Shards well, and any
The Empire has dozens of loyal vassal
tasks that need you to navigate them, discern
Banners. Have the table define some of them,
their terrain or estimate their elevation.
and the main benefit/resource they provide to
the Empire. Are they a moderately sized Shard
You know Eglaise and Shardlandic Common.
with a wealth of Vehementium ore deposits? A
valuable trade port connecting the capital to
other further Shards? Or a heavily fortified and
garrisoned site for one of their classified
projects?

Faction Boons
> Your accomplished deeds may impress the
Twin Imperators, who may ask your party to
present themselves for a tour of the Imperial
grounds.

> Doing favours for the Empire may grant you

free travel between their vassal Shards and
limited access to their resources, such as
Vehementium crystals.

Disposition
> A divisive force in the Shardland; most other
Banners either are fiercely loyal to them, hate
them or fear them. The only Shards neutral to
them are the ones so isolated they don't know
of their existence... yet.

174
Sol Empire // ORIGINS

1 | Soldier 3 | Machinist
SUN SKY

GOALS Skilled with war machines such as turrets and

1 | Glory for your faction cannons.
2 | Protecting your comrades-in-arms
3 | Defending your home GOALS
4| 1 | TBA
2 | TBA
QUIRKS 3 | TBA
1 | Brushed hands with deaths multiple times 4 | TBA
2 | Can sleep even in the worst conditions
3 | Doesn't mind dirty jobs QUIRKS
4| 1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA
2 | Imperial Officer
SKY
4|
GOALS SUN
1 | TBA
2 | TBA GOALS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
QUIRKS 4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA QUIRKS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

175
176
Sol Empire // EQUIPMENT

1 | Incendiary Rifle
Weapon - Medium
Ranged - AIM

Flamebreath Rounds
Brave: Adds +1 Blight (burn) to the target.

2 | Wyrmsplitter Lance
Weapon - Heavy
Hybrid - HIT, AIM

This weapon can perform both melee and

ranged attacks.

Brave: Embeds a stake onto the target,

tethering them to you.

3 | Portable Grenadier
Weapon- Heavy
AIM
Ranged attack with this weapon explode in an
area of a 1 Tile Star. This can fire over small
obstacles, and therefore does not require
pure line of sight to hit.

Brave: Explosion area expands into a 3x3 Box.

4 | Dragonskin Cloak
Apparel - Medium

Flamebreath Rounds
When you SAVE against an elemental attack,
this cloak halves all damage from that
element's Sphere, and you do not gain Blight
from it.

177
Sol Empire // SIMULACRA

1 | Sun Warrior's Sigil

Party is immune to Blight (burning).

2 | Ash Engine

The holder's Brave AIM and HIT actions will

add +1d Sunblight on enemies hit. This Blight
does not stack.

3 | Experimental Armour
The holder is always Slowed, but all damage
against them is halved.

178
Alliance Clans
GATE TO THE WORLD BEYOND

Background who dances in bright dresses with a group,

Your Voyager is a member of one of the who joins EXDUS to spread their music to
numerous Alliance Clans dotting the others.
landscape of Dust, either working by
themselves, or allied with the Relic Cities or > Your Voyager is an adventuring Scrapper
other, stronger Clans. surviving in the ruins of a metropolis, stripping
ancient machines that don’t work anymore
The Alliance Clans mainly populate the region and using the ones that do to fight off and
of Dust: a large area filled with Old World ruins, deter Old World Raiders.
and covers a wide array of locales from
deserts to swamps and badlands. It's an Faction Scenario Ideas
untamed, wild land that the local Kaibi have > Your Voyager's Clan is based in the ruins of a
skillfully adapted to. city that is not only home to a bustling trade
centre, but a constant target of Raider
Over the years, these Clans, big and small, attacks. Your Voyager hears of a massive
formal and informal, grew so numerous that a attack on the city is coming within the month,
need arose to keep track of everyone - and has to find the components to restore an
leading to the formation of the Alliance old artillery system that will be the only thing
around 50 years ago, which is headed by a capable of stopping the attack.
loose gathering of the leaders from the most
prominent, eldest Clans. > A new island has been discovered off the
coast housing a massive flooded
Whether they're trading fragments of an underground complex. Your Voyager's party
inscribed sigil stone with EXDUS, mining for oil and two other Clans need to work with EXDUS
to fuel their settlement’s new vehicles, or to conduct the largest-scale underwater
delving into the jungle ruins for the promise of expedition ever attempted.
treasure, the Alliance Clans live day to day
greeting adventure at every turn - the Old > Your Voyager's uncle and lifelong mentor
World is their playground. has been captured by a ruthless Raider boss
for a debt he owes. To win his freedom, the
The Clans are made up of various people: crime boss offers your Voyager a strange
engineers, treasure hunters, dungeon delvers, quest: to delve into the jungle ruins of an Old
streetsmart explorers and ragtag adventurers. World amusement park and gather for him a
They may be a small group of friends, large trove of unusual bobblehead figures with
organised family dynasties with numerous animal heads.
adoptees and vassals, or unsavoury crime
rings. They may not be EXDUS, but they know
the Old World - it’s their home.

Voyager Ideas
> Your Voyager is a Kaibi researcher based in
a peaceful abandoned university, working at
a recently restored greenhouse.

> Your Voyager is a local celebrity, a singer

179
Worldbuilding
Disposition
If your setting is expected to be set in or
involve Dust, have each Player at the table > Dust is a melting pot of different cultures
help create and name one or two of the and so would be quite welcoming to anyone,
following: but don't expect to find consistent order or a
head government there.
1. Clans
Define one of the many Clans of the Alliance,
their main trait and general disposition. They
could be a small Clan of hobbyist treasure
hunters, a large Clan with a strict family
structure, or a famous crime family whose
front is a reputable noodle stall franchise. CHARACTER CREATION

2. Contacts Dustborn
Create a Dust citizen who may help, Faction Origin
doublecross or otherwise intrigue your party,
which a Voyager may or may not know as a You know how to navigate the lands of Dust,
personal contact. This character would which regions to avoid which of the Clans are
normally be a Kaibi, Ruaya or Ozlaty. It could friendly with who.
be a smuggler who deals in dubious artifacts,
a wandering merchant who always crosses You know Eglaise and Kannata.
paths with the party to sell them overpriced
stuff, or a rival treasure hunter who's
constantly on your party's tail.

Faction Boons
> The Alliance Clans are filled with groups of
all sorts, all with interesting relationships and
rivalries with each other. Earning the esteem
of one may raise the ire of another, so be
careful with your dealings in Dust, and keep
your hand a secret from others.

> Many of the more powerful Clans - typically

family dynasties or crime syndicates - will
offer you classified information or access to
certain places if you prove useful to them.
Many powerful Clans own exclusive rights to
access certain locations in Dust, such as ruins
or resource-rich locales - not that it's stopped
rival Clans or raiders.

> The trade routes and bazaars of Dust are

always booming with activity, and it's
commonplace to buy and sell strange
artifacts and curios there - whether acquired
legally or not.

180
Alliance Clans // ORIGINS

1 | Retainer 3 | Ascetic
EARTH EARTH

GOALS You are a monastic monk or a devoted

1 | Defending your benefactor disciple to a certain faith.
2 | Keeping secret a forbidden romance
3 | Shepherding the lost GOALS
4 | Spiritual enlightenment 1 | Tranquility
2 | Preserving a lost teaching
QUIRKS 3 | Shepherding the lost
1 | Fealty to another player's character 4 | Spiritual enlightenment
2 | Knowledge of your entire clan history
3 | A love for romance novels QUIRKS
4| 1 | A temper that flares up when you're not
careful
2 | A tendency to sleep mid-meditation
3 | A regrettable love for drink
2 | Dust Merchant 4 | Can fight at full strength despite your
STAR blindness

GOALS
1 | Early retirement
2 | Making a profit 4 | Alliance Militia
3 | Being known for the finest wares SUN
4|
GOALS
QUIRKS 1 | TBA
1 | An item you would never put for sale 2 | TBA
2 | A seafarer with a knowledge of sailing 3 | TBA
3| 4 | TBA
4|
QUIRKS
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

181
182
Alliance Clans // EQUIPMENT

1 | Katanattha
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT

Crescent Slash
On Crit: You attack the 3 Tiles in front of you,
hitting up to 3 enemies. If there are less than
3 enemies, you instead strike an additional
time for each absent enemy.

Precise Dagger
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

Backstab
On Crit: Gains Truestrike, reducing the target's
Resolve regardless of SAVE.

Guitar
Weapon
Melee - HIT

Blade Cloak
Apparel - Light

Knife Compartment
When you make a Dodge action, you may roll
a Fast AIM action towards an enemy in range
at no cost.

183
Alliance Clans // SIMULACRA

184
Ruin Chasers
GATE TO THE WORLD BEYOND

Background who dances in bright dresses with a group,

Your Voyager is a member of one of the who joins EXDUS to spread their music to
numerous Alliance Clans dotting the others.
landscape of Dust, either working by
themselves, or allied with the Relic Cities or > Your Voyager is an adventuring Scrapper
other, stronger Clans. surviving in the ruins of a metropolis, stripping
ancient machines that don’t work anymore
The Alliance Clans mainly populate the region and using the ones that do to fight off and
of Dust: a large area filled with Old World ruins, deter Old World Raiders.
and covers a wide array of locales from
deserts to swamps and badlands. It's an Faction Scenario Ideas
untamed, wild land that the local Kaibi have > Your Voyager's Clan is based in the ruins of a
skillfully adapted to. city that is not only home to a bustling trade
centre, but a constant target of Raider
Over the years, these Clans, big and small, attacks. Your Voyager hears of a massive
formal and informal, grew so numerous that a attack on the city is coming within the month,
need arose to keep track of everyone - and has to find the components to restore an
leading to the formation of the Alliance old artillery system that will be the only thing
around 50 years ago, which is headed by a capable of stopping the attack.
loose gathering of the leaders from the most
prominent, eldest Clans. > A new island has been discovered off the
coast housing a massive flooded
Whether they're trading fragments of an underground complex. Your Voyager's party
inscribed sigil stone with EXDUS, mining for oil and two other Clans need to work with EXDUS
to fuel their settlement’s new vehicles, or to conduct the largest-scale underwater
delving into the jungle ruins for the promise of expedition ever attempted.
treasure, the Alliance Clans live day to day
greeting adventure at every turn - the Old > Your Voyager's uncle and lifelong mentor
World is their playground. has been captured by a ruthless Raider boss
for a debt he owes. To win his freedom, the
The Clans are made up of various people: crime boss offers your Voyager a strange
engineers, treasure hunters, dungeon delvers, quest: to delve into the jungle ruins of an Old
streetsmart explorers and ragtag adventurers. World amusement park and gather for him a
They may be a small group of friends, large trove of unusual bobblehead figures with
organised family dynasties with numerous animal heads.
adoptees and vassals, or unsavoury crime
rings. They may not be EXDUS, but they know
the Old World - it’s their home.

Voyager Ideas
> Your Voyager is a Kaibi researcher based in
a peaceful abandoned university, working at
a recently restored greenhouse.

> Your Voyager is a local celebrity, a singer

185
Worldbuilding
Disposition
If your setting is expected to be set in or
involve Dust, have each Player at the table > Dust is a melting pot of different cultures
help create and name one or two of the and so would be quite welcoming to anyone,
following: but don't expect to find consistent order or a
head government there.
1. Clans
Define one of the many Clans of the Alliance,
their main trait and general disposition. They
could be a small Clan of hobbyist treasure
hunters, a large Clan with a strict family
structure, or a famous crime family whose
front is a reputable noodle stall franchise. CHARACTER CREATION

2. Contacts Dustborn
Create a Dust citizen who may help, Faction Origin
doublecross or otherwise intrigue your party,
which a Voyager may or may not know as a You know how to navigate the lands of Dust,
personal contact. This character would which regions to avoid which of the Clans are
normally be a Kaibi, Ruaya or Ozlaty. It could friendly with who.
be a smuggler who deals in dubious artifacts,
a wandering merchant who always crosses You know Eglaise and a choice between
paths with the party to sell them overpriced Kannata, Azka or Chmara.
stuff, or a rival treasure hunter who's
constantly on your party's tail.

Faction Boons
> The Alliance Clans are filled with groups of
all sorts, all with interesting relationships and
rivalries with each other. Earning the esteem
of one may raise the ire of another, so be
careful with your dealings in Dust, and keep
your hand a secret from others.

> Many of the more powerful Clans - typically

family dynasties or crime syndicates - will
offer you classified information or access to
certain places if you prove useful to them.
Many powerful Clans own exclusive rights to
access certain locations in Dust, such as ruins
or resource-rich locales - not that it's stopped
rival Clans or raiders.

> The trade routes and bazaars of Dust are

always booming with activity, and it's
commonplace to buy and sell strange
artifacts and curios there - whether acquired
legally or not.

186
Ruin Chasers // ORIGINS

1 | Renegade 3 | Scrapper
STAR STAR

You may be an outlaw Raider, a disgraced Spontaneous Invention

Bladeguard, or a freedom fighter. You can spend a Medium TOOL action to
conjure a random invention of yours from
GOALS your pockets. This can be thrown or moved up
1 | Revenge to 8 tiles away, and
2 | Clearing your name
3 | Riches GOALS
4 | Uplifting the common people 1|
2 | Mechanical companionship
QUIRKS 3 | Restoring the old into something new
1 | Cannot stay out of trouble 4 | Collecting anything curious
2 | An orphan or street urchin
3 | A family member or childhood friend you QUIRKS
would do anything for 1 | Overly punctual
4 | Can eat straight out of a garbage can 2 | Loves drinking and karaoke
3 | Only friend is your cat
4 | A secret but financially unstable passion

2 | Performer
STAR
4 | Wage Slave
You gain +1d when using your TOOL action to STAR
improve or repair mundane armour and
weapons. You are a simple person simply trying to make
ends meet. If you
GOALS
1 | Being a household name GOALS
2 | Sharing your creations with the world 1 | Your own house
3 | Bringing joy to others 2 | A fulfilling work-life balance
4 | Becoming someone bigger than yourself 3 | A consistent friend group in your 20s
4 | Happy parents
QUIRKS
1 | Followed and recognised everywhere QUIRKS
2 | A mesmerising voice or performance 1 | Overly punctual
3 | A magnetic personality 2 | Loves drinking and karaoke
4 | Able to change personas on the fly 3 | Only friend is your cat
4 | A secret but financially unstable passion

187
188
Ruin Chasers // EQUIPMENT

1 | Boundless Boots
Apparel - Light

Dodge distance is doubled.

2 | Pierced Fedora
Apparel - Light

Take less damage from traps.

189
Ruin Chasers // SIMULACRA

190
The Eyries
REALM OF THE STORM

Background
Your Voyager is a citizen of the Eyries and a
subject of the Stormqueen, ruling from the
skies to claim the New World. The Stormqueen
Voyager Ideas
has never been seen except by the most
> Your Voyager is a Drachéan War Minister,
select of Her children - Her Court operating
skilled in both diplomacy and closely-
instead through Her War Ministers, secret
guarded magical secrets.
police and spies all throughout Revenir.
> Your Voyager is a Síoraí Gryphon Skyrider,
The Stormqueen is the undisputed and
riding their flying steed into battle.
supreme monarch of the Eyries and a large
majority of the Síoraí people. Her Court rules
> Your Voyager is a member of the
with an iron fist and the steadfast belief in the
Stormqueen’s secret police, spreading Her
supremacy of the Síoraí people as the
influence to the rest of the world below Her
inheritors of the greater incarnations of
through whisper and blade.
knowledge. To Her, she is a mother raising a
child, young and uncertain, but with amazing
talents and untold potential. Faction Scenario Ideas
> The Stormqueen's Court has sensed an
Your Voyager serves the Stormqueen likely ancient power lying deep underground in the
because they believe in those same tenets, Feithéan Hidden Cities, a relic of the ancients
serving as part of Her Court, her royal guard, that She greatly desires, currently used by the
one of her many avian-riding warriors, or even Feithéan to plot the movement of the World
as part of Her secret police. Tree's roots, which power their subterranean
city. Your Voyager must negotiate for its
The Eyries are a realm of intrigue and relinquishment while maintaining good
subterfuge. Sometimes direct military relations with our Feithéan subjects.
expansion happens, but the most effective
use of power is to use the enemy’s own petty > Two sisters from the edges of the Eyries have
earthly feuds against each other. been born under a blessed star and are to be
adopted by the Queen as her Stormchildren.
One known trait of the Eyries' citizens is that Your Voyager must gain their trust and bring
they appreciate beauty - specifically the them to the Celestial Chain for training before
austere, timeless beauty of the Old World and others seize them.
its monuments. It is said that many buildings
in the Eyries are ancient cathedrals and stone > The Stormqueen's Court has commissioned
buildings that miraculously remained upright your Voyager to oversee the acquisition and
during the Emergence. The people of the restoration of a newly-discovered Shard
Eyries place great spiritual significance to cathedral, which your Voyager finds is on a
these buildings and their contents - treating collision course with another Shard. Should
them as the few remnants worthy of standing you fail to divert its course safely or at least
eternal in the wake of the great raising of the recover some of its holy artifacts, the
world. consequences will be dire.

191
Worldbuilding Faction Boons
In a typical setting, most non-Síoraí Voyagers > Gaining the esteem of the Eyries, especially
would know very little if at all about the Eyries for a non-Síoraí is very difficult, though not
and their society. As such, if your setting is impossible. A trusted enough ally of the Storm
expected to be set in or involve the Eyries, Court may enlist the services of their nobles,
have each Player at the table help create and though keep in mind that these services are
name one or two of the following: rarely if ever rendered without some
underlying motive.
1. Rumour
The Storm Court operates on the trade of
secrets and information. Occasionally, their Disposition
highly trained assassins and secret police > Most citizens of the Eyrie are largely
descend from the Eyries and to the world distrusting of outsiders. Some are also
below in order to seize powerful relics or haughty, treating themselves as above
apprehend runaways and dissidents of their everyone else in every sense of the word. Their
rule. Have the Players create a rumour - a relations with EXDUS and other factions are
clue about an artifact, the name of a fugitive largely transactional in nature, usually forged
Síoraí or a secret magical manuscript - that out of necessity. Your character themselves
the GM may believe would rouse the Storm would likely need a good reason to be
Court's attention. cavorting around as a Voyager - perhaps a
sense of wanderlust, or a lasting bond you
2. Storm Court Member made with someone outside of the Eyries.
The only Síoraí who are allowed, or really
express any desire to leave the Eyries are
those with enough station to do so, to the
point where if a Síoraí is walking around in CHARACTER CREATION
Aeden, they are likely a big-shot there on
official business. Have the Players create and Skyborn
name some of these nobles. Note that since
these are public figures, this does not include Being a citizen of the Eyries, you are intimately
assassins or members of the secret police. If familiar with the various territories within the
they are, their clandestine identity is known Eyries, largely out of reach from all other
only to the GM. Sapients. You know their names, rough locations
and customs.
These nobles typically include: Storm Children,
noble children adopted from poorer families You know Eglaise and Avarrach, the closely-
to serve as the Stormqueen's scions; War guarded language of the Síoraí, rarely if ever
Ministers, strategists and military lords with a spoken or written in the presence of outsiders.
strong command over powerful magic; and
Skyriders, soldiers who fly gryphons and other
avian creatures who often patrol and guard
the Eyries, but who may occasionally be sent
outside the Eyries on escort or reconaissance
missions.

192
The Eyries // ORIGINS

1 | Noble 3 | Bodyguard
SKY SUN

GOALS GOALS
1 | TBA 1 | TBA
2 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA 3 | TBA
4 | TBA 4 | TBA

QUIRKS QUIRKS
1 | TBA 1 | TBA
2 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA 3 | TBA
4 | TBA 4 | TBA

4 | Mystic
2 | Scion MOON
STAR
GOALS
Stormchildren 1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
GOALS 4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA QUIRKS
3 | TBA 1 | TBA
4 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA
QUIRKS 4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

193
194
The Eyries // EQUIPMENT

1 | Dragonfly Glaive
Weapon - Medium
Hybrid - HIT, AIM

This weapon can be used for melee and

ranged attacks.

2 | Perlhide Cloak
Apparel - Light

3 | Sky Javelin
Weapon - Heavy
Melee - HIT

4| Poison Dagger
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

Backstab
Brave: Target gains 1 Blight (poison).

5 | Shadow Cloak
Apparel
Light

Shadow Dodge
When you succeed a Dodge technique, you
instantly become Stealthed.

195
The Eyries // SIMULACRA

1 | Thunder Dragon's Spine

When the holder attacks, lightning bursts from
their target and hits the nearest enemy within
2 Tiles, dealing the same damage. This can
happen a total of 3 times.

2 | Black Arrowhead
All the holder's AIM Actions gain +1d.

196
Skotos
VALLEY OF SHADOW

Background the Tannin, which always signals a new Hunt.

Within the shadowed depths of Skotos, you Might as well let the living run and cower in
will find either: eternally youthful nobles fear - it makes the Tannin more erratic and
having dinner parties in dark castles, using fierce for the glorious taking.
pomp and lavish decadence as simply a Voyager Ideas
means to pass the time; or bands of undying > Your Voyager is a Wahrsanguis, a rare non-
Viemor warriors who have learned to survive Viemor who uses their living blood to cast
in the darkness and use it for their own magic and fend off the Tannin that hunger for
purposes, the Khaosjagd. The roar of great them, divining the locations of other living
obsidian beasts constantly echo like the wind creatures and leading the Tannin away from
in their ears, and the march of both foot and them so that they may find safe passage out
claw shake the ground they walk. of Skotos.

The Khaosjagd are a roving army that learned > Your Voyager is a young initiate of the Hunt,
to hunt and dominate the shadowed determined to prove their strength by
creatures of Skotos called Tannin - defeating their master in combat and killing
supernatural beasts constantly born from the them, awaiting the day their master revives to
primordial oceans of Chaos around the World succeed them in turn.
Tree's roots, riding these creatures into battle.
The Tannin are wild creatures who are > Your Voyager is one of the immortal nobles
irresistibly attracted to the energy of blood of Skotos, used to living in beautiful gothic
and lifeforce, and will quickly pursue and kill edifices and finding romance in this dreary,
any soul unfortunate enough to fall into colourless underworld. The nobility of Skotos
Skotos, thereby creating more Viemor. are quite welcoming; they view every Viemor
as an immortal simply putting on a mask and
While surfacers who hear and tell bedtime playing a role. Some choose the eternal chase
tales to children think of them as vile, ghostly and warrior's charade of the Khaosjagd, while
riders who would rise from Skotos to wage war the more refined choose to live sumptuously
and pillage, the Khaosjagd are actually a and celebrate their eternal lives with dignity
morally ambivalent group at best. There is no and grace.
want or need in Skotos; no need for food or
money - the living have nothing they desire. Faction Scenario Ideas
> Your Voyager has prepared their whole life
While the nobles of Skotos live in their to defeat and kill their master in order to learn
darkened castles, eternally engaged in courtly a secret he has kept from them since they
games and dances, the Khaosjagd find were reborn as a Viemor. However, on the day
pleasure in the hunt instead, riding the vast of their Rite, their master was somehow found
wastes of the Valley of Shadow in search of outside of Skotos - along with his Memento -
new prey. They are not interested in hunting and dragged away by the Sol Empire, to be
feeble prey like hapless travelers and upstart executed in three days. Frustrated, you
adventurers who find their way in Skotos, and journey out to find him, stumbling into the rest
will in fact assist them in escape provided this of the Voyage party.
guest gives a good enough reason to garner
their respect. > Your Voyager was a researcher of EXDUS,
compelled to delve into the darkness of
Failing that, their living scent will always draw

197
Worldbuilding Disposition
If your setting is expected to be set in or > Outside of individual actions, the factions in
involve Skotos, have each Player at the table Skotos are largely unconcerned with the
help create and name one or two of the affairs of the living. There is no scarcity for
following: them to fear, and the fear of death has long
lost its power. However, this also makes them
1. Threshold unusually hospitable in spite of their initially
Being a vast underground world, Skotos is frightening appearances or strange customs.
typically hidden from the surface world, Anyone who asks them for help usually will
unless you know where to look. Have the find it, as long as it isn't too incovenient or
Players describe one of these entryways into contrary to their principles. Even the dead
Skotos: a jungle cave, an abandoned mine have standards, you know.
network or a giant sinkhole that famously
opened and ate an entire Relic City whole.
Depending on the entryway, the GM
determines whether such an entrance would
be publicly known or hidden to others. If the
latter, the Player simply gives the description CHARACTER CREATION
but only the GM knows its location. Choose between Timeless Noble or Eternal
Hunter.
2. Unliving Traveler
On occasion, many Viemor travel outside of Immortal Noble
Skotos, some for adventure, some for some You are familiar with the eccentric nobility of
greater purpose beyond the monotony of Skotos, whose various rules and etiquette can
their immortal lives, and others to satisfy change on a whim. You know about their
some eccentric curiosity. Have the Players favourite pasttimes and a good number of their
name and describe some of these travelers names, being good associates with them.
from below. They could be a wandering
headless merchant, a skeletal bookkeeper, or You know Eglaise and Sangrais.
a famous zombie performer known for
iconically wearing a single, bejeweled glove.
Eternal Hunter
As a member of the Khaosjagd, or simply a
Faction Boons wandering soul in Skotos, you are familiar with
the treacherous topography of Skotos, the
> Gaining the favour of a Skotos noble of territories of its various lords and hotspots of
Khaosjagd hunter may earn you enough Tannin activity, vaguely knowing which places
esteem that they are willing to lend their to steer clear of and safely navigate the
services or manpower. However, being darkness.
Viemor, they will almost never put themselves
in a situation where they would endanger You know Eglaise and Nachtsprache.
their Memento. Sharing information about a
Memento is a great secret each Viemor holds,
only shared with the closest of lovers, friends
and allies.

198
Skotos // ORIGINS

1 | Decadent 3 | Eternal Hunter

SUN SKY

GOALS
GOALS 1 | Obsession with a legendary beast
1 | Throwing lavish parties 2 | Immortality
2 | Making connections 3|
3 | Riches 4|
4 | Uplifting the common people
QUIRKS
QUIRKS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA

4 | Mentor
2 | Loyal Servant MOON
EARTH
GOALS
GOALS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TB
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4|
4 | TBA
QUIRKS
QUIRKS 1 | TBA
1 | TBA 2 | TBA
2 | TBA 3 | TBA
3 | TBA 4 | TBA
4 | TBA

199
200
Skotos // EQUIPMENT

1 | Ritual Dagger
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT

2 | Tannin Tooth
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

3 | Abzudian Blade
Weapon
Melee - HIT

4 | Blood Mantle

201
Skotos // SIMULACRA

1 | Martyr's Blood Vial

2 Slots

During combat, all enemies within 3 Tiles of

the holder are instantly Taunted.

2 | Warhound's Mane
2 Slots

+1 Movement for all allies in combat.

3 | Bugle of the Weir Horde

3 Slots

Start combat with +1 Momentum.

4 | Silent Shrieking Skull

2 Slots

Every Round in combat, allies all lose 5

Resolve and gain +1d on their first action.

5 | Selfish Doll

Reduces Simulacra that appear by 1.

6 | Canid Skull

After landing the final hit on a foe, the holder

gains +1d on all their HIT actions, up to a
maximum of +5.

7 | Ethereal Lantern
The holder becomes intangible.

202
SENTINARIUM
CITY OF GOLD & GLADIATORS

Background These Houses and their members usually

The Sentinarium is a chain of three city-states swear by a certain weapon technique or
known for two things: 1) its beautiful, scenic fighting style started by its founder.
canals; 2) its weekly battle royales.
Voyager Ideas
The Sentinarium is a line of battle-forged > Your Voyager is a warrior-poet who reports
arena cities populated by people from all over the great deeds of the Iron Fetes and records
Revenir, where the Warrior-King Marquel once them for broadcast, selling your records to
sought to ensure that each generation of the enthusiasts far and wide.
New World would be strong enough to secure
the next. Located in the an arcadian paradise > Your Voyager is an aspiring weaponmaster
called the Vinelands, the three cities and their whose entire diet consists of studying
connecting land bridges, along with an treatises and manuals day and night, in
apportioned area of ruins and forests, hopes of becoming the next Iron Fete
comprise a massive enclosed arena. Its champion.
martial citizenry play a weekly gladiatorial
game of survival where they constantly track > Your Voyager is the sibling of the current
and battle each other day and night, honing Marquel, whose unforgivable decadence and
their bodies and minds to the peak of mortal rigging of the Fetes has driven you to leave
limits. the cities and train to defeat him in the next
Feast of Tributes.
The Sentinarium is ruled by a Marquel, named
after its original founder, who helps run and Faction Scenario Ideas
manage its weekly tournaments. This regular > This week's great Iron Fete promises to be
tournament, called the Iron Fete, is celebrated one of the best as your idol, a famed warrior,
as a festival for the human body and spirit, is slated to return after a long pilgrimage.
where each weeknight, a winner is crowned However, the day your party arrives at
and made the head of a lavish banquet. Every Sentinarium, news arrives that the hero has
three years, an even greater battle called the gone missing!
Feast of Tributes (named after Warrior-King
Marquel's favourite Old World manuscript) is > A strange waterborne disease has swept
held, where the Marquel must return to battle over the Sentinarium, causing all of its
to prove their worthiness to hold office. toughest warriors to fall ill! Coincidentally, a
band of Dust Raiders have been spotted for
The citizens of the Sentinarium have a diverse the past few days, patrolling the outskirts of
culture of combat, treating it as an artform the city...
with many styles and movements. Many
would eventually leave the arena cities to > You've been called to the Sentinarium, your
prove their mettle against actual foes, old hometown. The Quartered Doge, a highly
becoming mercenaries or soldiers for hire. respected figure and sage who joined four
They are able-bodied warriors and survivors Feast of Tributes and lost a limb in each one,
with trained adamantine discipline and a mysteriously summoned you in a private
thirst for challenge. letter.

Gladiatorial Houses
Your Voyager may belong to one of the
Gladiator Houses. In the Sentinarium, its many
noble houses are descended from great
warriors or teachers who revolutionised the
art of combat, some being past Marquels.

203
Worldbuilding spokesperson to spread the word of their
superior martial techniques.
If your setting is expected to be set in or
involve the Sentinarium, have each Player at
the table help create and name one or two of Disposition
the following: > The citizens of the Sentinarium and the
Vinelands are largely welcoming - if you can
1. Gladiatorial Houses fight, you are as good as home. The walled
Create a House to populate the Sentinarium, cities of the Sentinarium houses a proud and
specifying their main martial identity and a strong people made up of Sapients all over
quirk about their founder. It could be a House the Known World. While many of them are the
focused on dueling whose founder famously most peerless warriors in the Known World,
died for refusing to duel their lover; a House many are also given to a sense of
whose still-living founder and followers are complacency, believing only a fool would ever
obsessed with overly long blades; or a House try to pick a fight with three nigh-unassailable
everyone hates, whose entire schtick is not cities populated almost entirely by warriors
about using weapons, but using misdirection, and killers.
cheap tricks and insane patience to run away
and wait indoors until they're the last
remaining competitors of the Iron Fete.
CHARACTER CREATION
2. Champion
Create a famous figure in Sentinarium, Steelborn
whether still living or deceased. They could be
Faction Origin
the head of a Gladiatorial house, a famous
master blacksmith, or a previous winner of the
You are well-versed in the history of the
Iron Fete or even the Feast of Tributes.
Sentinarium, its Marquels and Houses, along
with its three cities and the surrounding region
Faction Boons of the Vinelands. You also know the timings,
history and figures associated with the Iron
> The martial citizenry of the Sentinarium are Fetes and the triennal Feast of Tributes.
always looking for opportunities to improve
and test their martial skill. With enough You know Eglaise and Melaidic, the language of
compensation, they would be willing to work the Vinelands.
as mercenaries for nearly any cause - some
are crazy enough to do it for free, but they'll kill
you if you don't deliver them a good enough
challenge to undertake.

> Weapons and armour of every make and

type flow like water in the Sentinarium. A
warrior, grateful that you saved his life, may
offer you his prized blade as thanks. A
blacksmith, impressed by your feats, may
offer to craft you a masterwork of great
beauty and deadly form. An experienced
veteran of a Gladiatorial house may train your
Voyager in a new combat Technique after
seeing your potential, or simply to make you a

204
Sentinarium // ORIGINS

1 | Duelist 3 | Gladiator
SKY SUN

Pit fighter
GOALS
1 | TBA GOALS
2 | TBA 1 | Becoming the best
3 | TBA 2 | Fear and renown
4 | TBA 3 | Buying your freedom
4 | Uplifting the common people
QUIRKS
1 | TBA QUIRKS
2 | TBA 1 | TBA
3 | TBA 2 | TBA
4 | TBA 3 | TBA
4 | TBA

2 | Craftsman 4 | Builder
MOON EARTH

GOALS GOALS
1 | Creating a masterwork 1 | TBA
2 | Arming a new generation 2 | TBA
3 | Saving lives 3 | TBA
4 | Uplifting the common people 4 | TBA

QUIRKS QUIRKS
1 | TBA 1 | TBA
2 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA 3 | TBA
4 | TBA 4 | TBA

205
206
Sentinarium // EQUIPMENT

1 | Grand Rapier 7 | Parrying Dagger

Weapon - Light Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT Melee - HIT

Swordcatcher
2 | Cutter Brave: Doubles your SAVE against a hostile
Weapon - Light action involving a melee weapon.
Melee - HIT

3 | Buckler
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT, SAVE

Finesse Deflect
On a sucessful SAVE against a hostile action,
gain the same amount as Movement, moving
immediately.
Brave: Roll 1 HIT die against your attacker if
they are in range at no cost.

4 | Gladiator's Gauntlet
Apparel
Light

After defeating a foe, your next HIT action is

Honed.

5 | Pointed Dagger
Weapon
Melee - HIT

First Strike
When a foe attacks you in melee, you may
use a Fast action to HIT them before they hit
you at no cost.

6 | Precise Dagger
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

Backstab
Brave: The attack gains Truestrike.

207
Sentinarium // SIMULACRA

1 | Doge's Right Arm

2 | Torn Cape

3 | Contessa's Wine Bottle

2 Slots
Melee - HIT
A shattered wine bottle, its handle wrapped with
bloody cloth. Famously used by the Marquel
Contessa to win the 16th Feast of Tributes.

4 | Iron Fete Badge

Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

For every Timeslot that passes after obtaining

this relic, allies gain +1 damage on their HIT
actions.

5 | Gladiator's Gauntlet
Apparel
Light

After the holder defeats a foe, their next HIT

action is Honed.

208
Amerusan Colonies // Equipment

1 | Red Glass Revolver

Weapon - Medium
Melee - AIM

2 | Frontier Rifle
Weapon - Heavy
Ranged - AIM

3 | Greynox Gryphon
Weapon
Melee - HIT

Brave: Repels the target. The Displacement is

equal to the amount rolled.

4 | Gambler's Cloak
Apparel
Light

Shadow Dodge
When you succeed an AIM action, roll MOVE as
a free Fast action.

209
Amerusan Colonies // Simulacra

1 | Gun Saint's Phalanges

2 | Holey Scriptures
A black leatherbound book covered in bulletholes.
Once, these words not only saved the soul, but the
body too.

Divine Protection
If an action would Break you, this relic takes
the hit instead, which then disappears.

3 | "For Annie, My Love"

Party deals +5 damage to targets beyond a
range of 5 Tiles.

4 | Magic Bullet
Homing ranged attacks.

210
TRAVELLING TOWER
THE ARCANIST COLLECTIVE

Background
Sensei's Travelling Tower appeared a little
over 50 years ago. , the Tower is now the hub
of the Arcanists' Collective, a guild of mancers,
mages and logists from all over the Known
World.

Some of the older members of the Tower,

including Sensei herself, mention that the
Tower had arrived from a similar but different
world from Revenir, though of course such
claims are hard to substantiate.

The Tower travels by means of leyline,

transporting itself and its occupants to loci
where these leylines converge. These leylines
appear to be highways of magic emanating
from the World Tree's vast root network.
However, Sensei mentions that the Tower is
not operating at its full capacity, and as such
can only transport itself around the Known
World.

211
212
Travelling Tower // ORIGINS

1 | Familiar Caller 3 | Alchemist/Thaumaturge

STAR MOON

You have a small magical familiar of some GOALS

sort. You can spend your actions to have it 1 | TBA
execute a simple command, like scouting an 2 | TBA
area or picking up small objects. If attacked, it 3 | TBA
dissipates and returns to your side. 4 | TBA

GOALS QUIRKS
1 | TBA 1 | TBA
2 | TBA 2 | TBA
3 | TBA 3 | TBA
4 | TBA 4 | TBA

QUIRKS 4|
1 | TBA MOON
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
GOALS
4 | TBA
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
2 | Mousy Magus 4 | TBA
MOON
QUIRKS
You always have a collection of books or
1 | TBA
tomes on you. You can spend a LORE action of
2 | TBA
any duration to pull out a book and find out a
3 | TBA
detail about a given topic, gaining +1d for this
4 | TBA
task.

GOALS
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

QUIRKS
1 | TBA
2 | TBA
3 | TBA
4 | TBA

213
214
Travelling Tower // EQUIPMENT

1 | Wand
Weapon - Medium
Melee - HIT

This weapon can be concealed.

2 | Arcane Tome
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

3 | Staff
Weapon
Melee - HIT

4 | Catalyst
Weapon - Light
Melee - HIT

5 | Sigil Glove
Apparel
Light

6 | Magus Robe
Apparel
Light

215
Travelling Tower // SIMULACRA

1 | Godshadow's Tooth

2 | Astral Hourglass
Every Round, the first and last acting entities
switch places.

3 | Orb of Ambrosial Blood

4 | Strange Polyhedral
Replaces itself and all Simulacra in
possession with random ones.

216
 CHAPTER VI

VENTURES

217
Ventures Explained Venture Info
Ventures represent the different life paths a Standard Equipment
person in the world of Revenir may take: a The typical gear used by this Venture, which
bounty hunter from Dust, a studied Aedean you can choose at character creation.
mage or a warrior of the Shardlands. For your
Voyager, this is their main profession or life's Core Trainings
work at the time they joined EXDUS. Think of Choose 1 Core Training from one Venture and
them less as restrictive classes, and more as then another Training from the same or any
jobs or archetypes. other Ventures. To learn any other Venture,
you must learn its Core Training first.
Each Venture represents an actual profession
or pursuit in Revenir, with their own skillsets, Paths
equipment and approach to combat. Some Ventures will have branching Paths that
allow you to specialise into a certain playstyle.
For more experienced Players, you are freely To be eligible to walk down a path, your
able to mix and match other Ventures that Voyager must:
match your character's personality, life
decisions or just your desired playstyle for > Learn all Core Trainings of its main Venture
them. > Meet the Sphere requirement of that Path

However, you should discuss this path with

your GM, so that they can plan a way to Ability Types
believably have you pursue these differing
professions and philosophies from a different
culture or region, playing out this Attack
development in a Voyage or Downtime An enhanced version of your melee (HIT) or
session. ranged (AIM) attack.

Special
A unique ability to that Venture.

Assist
A unique Reactive action that this Venture can
use to catalyse or continue a tagteam
maneuver with your allies.

Ultimate
Highly powerful abilities that can be learned
when you learn a Path.

218
219
220
 Mizuno, Jet Corps Trooper of the
Order of Vigilant Flame

221
Jet Corps Trooper
Mobile Aerial Gunner
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
EXDUS SKY

Suggested Sapient Skill Specialty

Any Jet Corps

Lore released by striking it with an internal

You are a member of the illustrious Jet Corps, hammer mechanism, releasing a jet of blue
an aerial military task force charged with flamelike energy. This is used in your jetpack
defending the skies over the Relic Cities and to provide limited flight in short bursts, and is
other allies of Aeden. Armed with a Paladite the core foundation of your combat style.
jetpack and an Attrition rifle, the Jet Corps are Months of training are required to acclimate
known for being the quickest responders to to the G-forces from flying and to fire while in
any danger, able to reach the furthest Shards rapid aerial movement.
in record time.
Glider Cape
Playstyle Attached as part of the Jetpack is a Glider
A Jet Corps Trooper's main strength is their Cape, a cape made of a linen specially
insane mobility, able to use their jetpack to engineered by EXDUS. The Cape is activated
reach higher elevations or fly across great by a small electrical current that causes it to
distances without obstruction. They are able stiffen and extend into wings. Jet Corps
to freely fire their rifle in flight, letting them soldiers use their Capes to glide across long
harry enemies unopposed. distances, supplemented by bursts of flight, to
pursue foes and travel from Shard.
Play as a Jet Corps Trooper if you
As long as your Glider Cape is equipped,
like:
whenever you are Airborne, you fall at a rate
> Playing futuristic first-person shooters
of 3 Tiles a Turn, taking no damage when you
> Being able to fly and traverse the battlefield
land.
with ease
> Friggin' jetpacks!

This post-Emergence mineral has formed the

Strengths bases for not only modern firearms in Revenir,
Peerless mobility and ranged harassment but for all propulsion and flight systems as
well. It kickstarted a new scientific revolution
Weaknesses which eventually made the Jet Corps
Relatively vulnerable if left grounded possible.

Skill Specialty You enlisted in the Jet Corps to learn aerial

Jet Corps combat and threat response inside and out.
The Paladite crystal is a magically refined Crossing the sky, gyroscopic rifle in hand, you
core of glasslike mineral that glows a sky blue. have learned to make the jetpack and cloth
It appears to store energy over time, and wings on your back as much an extension
when struck with sufficient force, it releases all yourself as you can.
the stored energy at once.
LORE - Tactical training, jetpack construction
DARE - Flying through tight spaces and turns,
Your Paladite jetpack stores energy before it is tactical maneuvering

222
Jet Corps Trooper // Core Trainings

Standard Equipment Grenade

Paladite Jetpack
Special
Paladite Firearm (Attrition Rifle)
AIM

Jetpack Training You can throw one of three types of grenade.

It has an effect radius of a 3x3 Box.
Core Training
HE Grenade
Flight Burst Medium action
You activate your jetpack, which uses a Deals damage based on the amount rolled.
glasslike crystal imbued with magic called
Paladite to generate thrust. Flash Grenade
Medium action
You may use your MOVE action to perform Impairs all enemies directly in the blast area.
Flight Burst. Your Movement can ignore
chasms, obstacles and any Large or smaller
Smoke Grenade
entities. You are Airborne, and can AIM while
Medium action
doing this. You can only travel in a straight line
Creates smoke in the area which Impairs all
when using Flight Burst.
enemies standing inside.
Evasive Maneuvers
Whenever you Dodge, you may gain the
benefits of Flight Burst.

Rescue Flight
When you activate Flight Burst and there is an
ally 1 Tile next to you, you may carry them
along with you on your flight, and when you
land they also land in a Tile next to you. Your
Movement is halved when doing this.

Aerial Marksmanship
Attack
Variable Action
AIM

Whenever you MOVE or AIM, you can choose

to activate your jetpack's Flight Burst and fire
your ranged weapon as a single action, rolling
the same die for both your Movement and the
AIM actions' range and damage.

223
224
225
Venator
Weapon-shifting Wunderkind
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
EXDUS STAR

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Any Venator Academy

Lore Play as a Venator if you like:

Where the Heirs are viewed as highly versatile > Wielding your own fully customised weapon
wielders of magical Aestean weapons, into battle
Venators are the aspiring mechanical > Weaving elemental ammunition with
equivalent. Wielding state-of-the-art different effects into your attacks
equipment and transforming weapons, the > A Venture that lets you customise your own
Venator Program was first established around Action Loadout
the same time EXDUS was formed. With the
promise of exploring the wider world, Strengths
specialised fighters were needed who would One of the most customisable Ventures in the
take the best the Known World could offer to game, allowing you to interweave all your
bravely face the World Beyond. mechanical choices right into your Venator's
backstory. Their weapon customisations give
Most Venators are youths who join the them an early power boost in the early levels
Program under a specialised Academy on of the game.
EXDUS grounds. While they undergo the same
training in combat - utilising specially crafted
Weaknesses
elemental ammunition that even the least
Will be totally ineffective without their Weapon
magically gifted students can use well - it's no
until they awaken their Hunter's Visage, and
surprise that the highly passionate students
even then its use is fairly limited without
would go above and beyond, working
proper investment.
alongside EXDUS technicians to plan and craft
their own custom weapons, able to shift forms
with the press of a trigger or the flick of the Venture Origin
wrist. Venator Academy
You are a student or graduate of the Venator
Combine this with strange echoes of the Old Program, based in Scatterlight Academy,
World resonating with these young aspirants which closely works with EXDUS, sending out
and granting them great powers seemingly Venator students to gain experience. If you're
from the Dreaming itself, and it looks like the a fresh student, much of your knowledge
Venators are one of the most exciting up- outside of weapon training is purely
and-coming group to look out for in the World theoretical, needing field experience to
Beyond. temper it.

Playstyle LORE - Known World geography, combat

Versatility is in the Venator's DNA, literally. You training, sparring
spend character creation to customise your DARE - Teamwork dynamics and tagteam
Venator's weapon according to your unique attacks, improvised use of your weapon
tastes - finetuning your Action Loadout as you SENSE - Basic wilderness survival
do - as well as a selection of elemental TOOL - Advanced weapon maintenance and
ammunition to outfit yourself with. Create a construction
hard-hitting battleaxe + shotgun to decimate FACE - Interacting with Venator students and
foes up close, or a pair of dual sword guns to faculty, working with EXDUS staff, spreading
slice and rain fire with swift agility. your reputation as a Venator

226
Venator // Core Trainings

Standard Equipment Elemental Ammo

Hybrid Weapon (Iconic Weapon)
Special
Elemental Ammo
AIM

Iconic Weapon Your Iconic weapon is also manufactured to

use specialised elemental ammunition that
Core Trait deals additional effects when fired.
This automatically occupies one of your
equipment slots at character creation. You can spend 1 Fast action to load your
weapon with one of the following ammo
Your Iconic weapon is also manufactured to types, which grants your HIT or AIM Dice its
use specialised elemental ammunition that effects, and can stack Blight on enemies.
deals additional effects when fired. Refer to the elemental Blight types in Page XX
for its effects.
[Flesh out Weapon customisation options to
improve your Iconic Weapon]

Tagteam Strike
Aerial Weaponry Assist
Variable Reaction
Attack HIT or AIM
Variable Action
HIT, AIM When you perform a Linked Turn with an ally
and you both perform an attack on a foe, you
Your hybrid Iconic Weapon is able to grant can activate both your weapons' Brave effects
you increased mobility. regardless of the number rolled. You can do
this once per Linked Turn every on any Round
Blast Jump if you are the Initiator.
Whenever you perform an AIM action, you can
propel yourself into the air from the force of
the blast, in the opposite direction of where
you shoot. The number rolled is gained as
Movement, ignoring obstacles and chasms.
You are considered Airborne.

Landing Strategy
Whenever you are Displaced or launched
Airborne, you can perform Blast Jump as a
Reaction to recover yourself and change your
trajectory.

227
Venator // Master Abilities

Visage Actualisation
Venator's Visage [WIP] Potential II
As a Venator, you are not only taught the As with Visage Evolution, your GM determines
weaponsmithing arts at your Academy, but when you would awaken your Visage again.
also educated about the ancient tales of the
Old World - tales that no doubt inspired you to Your Visage awakens a second and final time,
take up the mantle of a Venator in the first growing into its full potential. You learn the
place. nature of your legend and its resonance with
you. You no longer walk as a mirror of its echo
Sometimes, the World Tree's strange on the New World, but in many ways become
ontological power reaches through time and that legend itself, reborn into the second
space, and your soul becomes intertwined world under a new name and body - yours.
with the legend of someone from the past,
whose name you may not recognise,
awakening you to your Visage.

You may select this Visage from one of list of

existing ones, though you may create your
own. When you choose this feature, you may
discuss with your Liaison who this legend is.
Your Venator may not know the person's
name, and will have to slowly uncover more
details about this legend, their name and
famous deeds across the events of multiple
Voyages.

When you first awaken to your Visage, you

gain a small amount of power associated
with that legend. Your Venator can then
invoke their Visage and draw from its power.

Visage Evolution
Potential I
You unlock more of your Visage's potential,
learning more about the legend behind its
power and granting it stronger effects.

You do not learn this Ability. Instead, your

Liaison decides an appopriate time during a
Voyage that you would awaken it. This special
awakening would be usually happen at a time
of great need or sacrifice in your Voyage,
pushing you to your limits. You learn the true
name of your patron legend.

After this initial awakening, it lies dormant

again, and you may spend your Downtime to
train it to the point you can consistently use it.

228
 Vesper, Heir of Voyage Team Aquila

229
Heir of Avalon
Chosen of the World Tree
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Aeden STAR

Suggested Sapient Skill Specialties

Any Origin Weapon

Lore Venture Origin

You are an Heir, a chosen soul from among Origin Weapon
the people of Revenir, wielding a powerful Heirs come from all Sapients and
weapon created from your soul bestowed to backgrounds, called by a Phytosapien to the
you by the World Tree. Kathedra: a sacred temple carved from the
World Tree, with tall white boughs and winding
Playstyle branches along its walls.
The Heir is a highly versatile fighter who can
specialise into almost any playstyle that best You wield a living weapon that appears to
facilitates the team, from a high-damaging breathe and resonate with the power of the
melee warrior, to a precise ranged attacker. World Tree. It was either formed
They can freely switch between multiple spontaneously from your soul in a ritual called
magical weapons on the fly and conjure the Claritas Immersio, or perhaps reforged
copies of them to attack enemies, even after the loss of its past wielder, making you
controlling their weapon with their mind. its inheritor.

Play as an Heir if you like: Sometimes, your weapon guides you towards
> Being a versatile jack-of-all-trades in fulfilling this greater purpose, usually through
combat a strange feeling of familiarity or a sense of
> Having a magical weapon that changes nostalgia, as you resonate with memories
forms within your hand that are familiar, yet not entirely your own.
> Commanding an arsenal of floating spectral
weapons that can fly and attack LORE - The Kathedra & Claritas Immersio
independently ritual
DARE - Remotely controlling your Origin
Strengths Weapon
Long distance spells and teamwide buffs SENSE - Meditating upon your Origin Weapon
TOOL - Flourishing weapon, using a sidearm
(pistol and/or dagger)
Weaknesses
FACE - Commanding respect as an Heir,
Requires heavy EXP investment to bring out
heroic presence
full potential

230
Heir of Avalon // Core Abilities

Standard Equipment
Sidearm
Wayfarer Boots
Starclimber
Attack
Variable Action
Origin Weapon HIT or AIM
Core Trait
Whenever you Brave using your Origin
You receive a unique, blessed weapon or tool Weapon, you generate.
given to you from the World Tree, along with a
Vision from the Weapon that alludes to its
past or true purpose. The Weapon is
indestructible, magical in nature and almost Weapon Warp
living, improving and growing as you do, Special
guiding you on your path. It is also the source
Variable Action
of your power.

"Answer my summons, my wielder."

An Origin Weapon can transform and change
its form to suit its wielder. Your Origin Weapon
You can throw your Origin Weapon towards
can alternate between different forms during
an enemy or target Tile and immediately
combat.
warp to it in a wisp of energy. The maximum
distance is equal to that action die's value.
Soul Wielder

"A sword of many facets encircles me."

Stellar Steel
Your Origin Weapon also can freely float
around you and can move independently of Assist
you. You can roll your CAST action to give your Variable Reaction
Origin Weapon Movement based on the CAST
number rolled. Make sure to have a sidearm Augmented Parry
handy when separated from it!
Whenever an ally is targeted by a hostile
Return action, you can use Soul Wielder to have your
Fast Action Origin Weapon dash to their location as a
Range: Global Parry. You can also immediately activate
Weapon Warp this way to teleport to your
Weapon.
"Answer my summons as your wielder."

Brave Parry: Your next attack against the

If separated from your Origin Weapon for
attacker when using your Flow launches them
whatever reason, you can call it to Return to
Airborne. The height is based on the number
your hand. Your Origin Weapon will fly and
rolled.
take the shortest route possible to you, with a
flying movespeed of 12 Tiles per turn. If
blocked by an inanimate barrier or solid
obstacle, it will attempt to go around or break
through it. Any enemy in its path takes
damage from its flight equal to 1 Fast HIT
action (no cost).

231
WEAPONCALLER
Heir // Path of the Soul Wielder

Revolution of the Cage of Burdens

Variable Action
Chosen MOVE
Medium Action If you have multiple spectral copies of your
CAST Origin Weapon active, you can independently
move them anywhere. These copies act as if
"Echo your soul and hear something new in the controlled by Soul Wielder, and you spend a
familiar." single action to move them all at once. They
all gain the same Movement based on the
You can use a Medium action to create four amount rolled.
spectral copies of your Origin Weapon,
causing them to float on the four Tiles around You are able to activate Weapon Warp to
you and spin around you. The copies can these copies. Doing so will consume the copy.
each take on separate forms and last until the
end of combat.
The Shape of Destiny
You can use a Fast HIT or AIM action to order
one of the spectral copies to perform an
CAST
When you roll to activate Weapon Warp, you
attack, which destroys the copy afterwards. If
dash in a bolt of semi-corporeal light,
a hostile action would hit you, you can spend 1
damaging all enemies between you and your
Fast action to have your spectral weapon
Weapon. The damage dealt is equal to the
deflect the blow, which destroys the spectral
number rolled.
weapon instead, and you take no damage
(this is treated as a Shield effect).

Starclimber
Variable Action
MOVE
When holding your Origin Weapon, you can
use a variable MOVE action to have it fly,
carrying you with it and ignoring terrain and
obstacles, gaining Movement based on the
number rolled.

232
233
Armiger
Heroic Standardbearing Knight
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Aeden EARTH, SUN

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Aedean Armiger Order

Lore Venture Origin

Throughout all of Aeden, the Armigers enforce Armiger Order
order and peace. Established since the You are a citizen of Aeden who has been
earliest days of Aeden's history, these heraldic accepted into one of its many Armiger Orders.
knights and warriors, devoted to the heroic Decide which Order you came from: its name,
ideal, stepped up to guard early settlements emblem and heraldry, as well as what they
from the elements, hostile creatures and specialise in: matters like monster-culling,
opportunists. Over time, these knights formed escorting trade caravans or garrisoning
Orders, each sharing jurisdiction over different towns.
Relic Cities and areas throughout the Known
World. With the formation of EXDUS and the Jet
Corps, the training of Armigers in recent times
Playstyle have been more standardised and updated
The Armiger hones in on the fantasy of a to modern technology and tactics. Now,
heroic warrior that rallies their allies into battle Armigers commonly fight with unique hybrid
using auras that grant them buffs. As such, weapons and using hologram-projecting
your Armiger can take varied appearances - gauntlets to track their surroundings and the
a heavily armoured knight with a tower shield location of their allies.
and mace, a warrior using a giant magic
sword, or a swift fencer from a noble family. LORE - Your Order: its names, heraldry,
unique customs and their jurisdiction, and
Play as an Armiger if you like: that of other Orders that are nearby or well-
> Playing as a heroic knight, paladin or fighter known. Location of Relic Cities, trade routes
> Rallying your party using powerful area of and known threats in and nearby your
effect buffs centred on yourself jurisdiction.
> Getting your party right into the fight and DARE - Protecting civilians, fighting in
finding strength in numbers formation, tactical callouts
SENSE - Using your nav gauntlet to locate
Strengths your allies, reading Relic City maps and city
Boasts some of the strongest, most consistent layouts, discerning the customs and callouts
teamwide buffs in the game. of a different Order.
TOOL - Maintaining armour and weapons,
documenting your Order's deeds and
Weaknesses
activities
Limited range, as only allies within a close
FACE - Interacting with other Armigers,
enough distance of you can benefit from your
gaining the trust of Relic Cities and their
abilities.
citizens

234
Armiger // Trainings

Standard Equipment
Tower Shield Dauntless Guardian
Eldite Armour Assist
Variable Reaction
TBA SAVE

Core Training Whenever an ally in your line of sight would be

Variable Action hit by a targeted hostile action, you can roll
HIT or AIM your SAVE action against the hostile roll to
immediately charge to their aid, pushing
yourself between your ally and the enemy to
take the hit instead, which may reduce the
Knightsblade hostile action's effects or block it entirely.

Attack The maximum range you can do this is based

Variable Action on the action die you use for this: 4 tiles as a
HIT or AIM Fast action (d4), 6 Tiles as a Medium action
(d6), and so on. This is considered a free
A target you attack, regardless if you hit or Movement, and you ignore any difficult terrain
miss, will take more damage. [WIP] and obstacles to get there. Describe how you
bound over pits and vault over walls to reach
your ally.
Battle Presence
Special Brave: When charging towards your ally, you
not only fully block the hostile effect when you
Medium Action
arrive, but any tiles with solid obstacles that
DARE
you pass through to reach your ally, such as
stone walls and trees, are instantly destroyed
"Great deeds are not accomplished alone!" and removed from the map.

The spirit of battle empowers

you and your allies, rallying
them bravely onward.

During combat, you can

perform a Medium DARE action to activate
your Presence, which is a 2 Tile Star area
around you, and lasts until the end of the
Round. Your Presence affects your allies, but
not yourself, and you can only have one
Presence active at a time.

If multiple Armigers are on the field, the

effects of the same Presence type do not
stack, but their areas can overlap, covering a
larger area of effect.

Battle Presence
Any actions that your allies roll from within
your Presence gains a +1d bonus.

235
AURA KNIGHT
Armiger // Path of the Standardbearer
I beheld as Joanna stood as a flag upon the battlefield, like an immortal maiden of old, come to redeem her
people. The spirits of all around me were lifted, and they rose once more, and the spears rose as her voice did.
"Not one more shall fall this day!"

Saintly Presence Rallying Presence

Core Training Special
Medium Action Medium Action
DARE DARE
You can activate a Presence that drives your
Your Battle Presence is greatly allies forward. If an ally would start their
expanded. Movement within your Presence or would pass
through it, they gain a bonus to their
Movement equal to the number rolled.

Courageous Presence
Special Battlefield's Anchor
Medium Action
SAVE For every point of Momentum that the party
You can activate a Presence that boosts the has, you gain an equivalent bonus to your
morale of others and lifts their hearts. All allies SAVE rolls.
in your Presence immediately restore 5
Resolve. At the start of every Round after
activation, your Presence grants
Regeneration, restoring the Resolve of all allies
by +5.

236
 [Page left blank for draft/formatting purposes]

237
Shinobi
Deadly Stealth Infiltrator
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Dust, Eyries SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Any Assassin Training

Lore Venture Origin

For as long as power structures began to take Assassin Training
root in the reborn world, so have its rulers Assassins are not merely thieves or contract
sought to enforce it through shadow and killers, but living weapons. This lifestyle has
blade. been impressed on you since childhood,
thrown into a world of intrigue and death.
You may be part of the Eyries' Storm Court as Through whatever circumstances it may be,
a member of its secret police, or a trained you've dipped your toes into the life of a
shinobi warrior in service to one of Dust's Voyager. Will you be able to recover - or
family dynasties. Both train young people, rather, discover - your humanity through this
typically orphans or members of vassal clans brief escape?
and realms, forming them into mortal
weapons to execute the will of the reign they LORE - History of your parent clan or rule,
answer to. assassin techniques and arts, along with the
names and details of your fellow assassins
Playstyle DARE - Infiltration, stealth, impersonation,
The Assassin specialises in single-target sneak attacks
elimination. Use a combination of stealth and SENSE - Listening for noise, searching for
mobility to find the perfect position, before entry and exit points
executing foes one after another. TOOL - Unlocking doors and windows, knife
throwing and handling, concealing weapons
Play as an Assassin if you like: FACE - Interacting with other assassins,
> Playing as a ninja or assassin in games assassin code words, blending in as a civilian
> Sneaking around unnoticed behind enemy
lines
> Deleting enemies with a single well-placed
strike

Strengths
Highly consistent single-target damage and
elimination, with a decent selection of survival
options for yourself.

Weaknesses
May end up vulnerable if caught far away
from allies without good options, and may
sometimes end up too far away from the
party to benefit from buffs or other forms of
help.

238
Shinobi // Core Abilities

Standard Equipment Distract

Precise Dagger
Dagger Cloak
Special
TOOL
You perform an animal call, toss a coin or
Vile Shade perform some other action to draw an
enemy's attention towards a specific spot.
Core Talent That enemy must not be actively engaged in
combat.
Slip Into Shadow
If you are the Initiator when you start combat, [WIP]
you always become Stealthed when taking
your opening movement, describing how you
do so.
Substitution Art
Suppress Presence Assist
When you take a MOVE Action, you can halve
Variable Reaction
the Movement gained from your MOVE Die roll
CAST
to gain the Stealthed condition.
"The attack hits a puff of smoke, and in the place
where your ally would be is...?"

Assassin's Strike "A wooden plank, with my face on it sticking my

tongue out."
Augmented Attack
Variable Action
Whenever you or an ally you can see would
HIT be hit by a hostile action, you can roll a
Reactive CAST action, using your shinobi art to
instantly replace them with a decoy, which
Gut and Pull takes the hit in their place. The target is then
When performing a HIT action while Stealthed teleported up to a distance equal to the
or on an isolated target, you can trigger Burst number rolled.
on this action regardless of the rolled result.
Roll all your bonus dice for the damage dealt. If the roll matches the opposing roll, the decoy
also explodes, dealing the rolled damage to
Vile Shade any enemies in the 4 surrounding Tiles. This
If you were Stealthed and you successfully success also counts as a Brave Dodge,
execute Assassin's Strike, you can spend a granting you Flow.
Fast DARE action to maintain the Stealthed
condition on yourself. If this reduces the
enemy's Break and Resolve to 0, this requires
no action cost.

239
KAGERYUU
Shinobi // Path of the Shadowraith

240
241
Skardkriger
Beast Reaver

242
 Jedaine, Drakenought of Voyage Team Aquila

243
Drakenought
Jet-propelled Artillery Fortress
Recommended Faction Favoured Spheres
Sol Empire SUN, EARTH

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Shardlander Dragon Hunter

Lore Venture Origin

The Sol Empire has numerous military Dragon Hunter
divisions to secure its growing influence; The Drakenoughts were formed by the Sol
among them are its monster-slaying division, Empire to efficiently cull the rampant
the Drakenoughts. Dressed in red regalia dangerous wildlife that harry the Shardlands.
adorned with dragon parts and armed with a Chief among these pests are dragons, prone
powerful Wyrmsplitter artillery lance, they are to razing entire swathes of land and starving
fitted like a walking flame engine in order to many Shard villages from their repeated raids
face bestial foes much larger than on livestock.
themselves, fitted with a powerful incendiary
core that lets them rocket upwards and Fortunately, the Empire has fitted you to deal
ground mighty drakes and bring them low. with these loathsome creatures. If you're
equipped to deal with the most dangerous
Playstyle prey, then certainly any other lesser creature
The Drakenought is a powerful frontline becomes child's play by comparison, as well.
fighter specialising against large foes. They
create zones of denial to prevent others from LORE - Types of dragons, their physiology
passing and can propel themselves and their and weaknesses
attacks using their rocket-propelled armour. DARE - Climbing and mounting wild dragons,
rocket jumping
Play as a Drakenought if you like: SENSE - Tracking dragons by their footprints,
> Playing an industrial dieselpunk shed scales, flame-marked territory, etc.
dragonslaying knight TOOL - Maintaining Igneous Armour and
> Defying massive foes with flaming rocket Wyrmsplitter cannon, carving and harvesting
lances dragon parts
> Charging into battle with rocket engines on FACE - Asserting dominance over beasts,
your back military discipline, intimidating posture

Strengths
Superior zone control and durability, amazing
against larger foes and bosses.

Weaknesses
Very slow-moving and cumbersome unless
you activate your rocket engines to move.

244
245
Phoenix Guard
Formation Riflemen
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Sol Empire EARTH, SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Shardlander

246
Phoenix Guard // Trainings

Standard Equipment
Incendiary Rifle
Portable Grenadier

Focus Fire
Augmented Attack
Variable Action
HIT

Firing Line
When you succeed an AIM action against a
target, any ally within 4 Tiles of you may
perform a ranged attack against the same
target. They would spend an equivalent
action that you spent on this attack, but their
attacks automatically hit, dealing the same
damage you dealt.

On Crit: All followup ranged attacks by allies

only cost a Fast action.

247
248
249
Iron Judicator
Silver-scaled Inquisitor
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Sol Empire SKY, SUN

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Shardlander

250
 Tsuki, Armsmaster of Voyage Team
Aquila

251
Bladeguard
Peerless Adaptive Blademaster
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Alliance Clan SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Kaibi Martial Combat

Lore Play as an Armsmaster if you like:

A type of warrior class originating with the > Finishing off waves of enemies with flashy
Kaibi. Historically, the wandering Yongryun attacks
clans of the Kaibi nobles faced many dangers > Playing the DPS in games
during their troubles - political enemies that > Playing a cool samurai-esque warrior
needed putting down and successors to
protect. This led to the creation of a warrior Strengths
class that served those noble families, owing Amazing damage and skill expression
them their lives and servitude. potential

However, since their arrival in Dust, many of

Weaknesses
these family clans were humbled from their
Requires a large EXP investment in Abilities
experiences in the hard wilderness - those
and Techniques to really shine; lacks
married to tradition often died with it. The
meaningful ranged attack options
warrior class began teaching their martial
skills to others - gaining much popularity in
the Sentinarium - and freely joined whichever Venture Origin
cause they most believed in, leading to the Martial Combat
Armsmaster we know today. You are well-versed in the art of melee
weapons. Much of your learning is spent
Armsmasters in Dust typically are the poring through martial treatises and
enforcers of their Clans or mercenaries, and a challenging fellow fighters to friendly duels
large majority of them tend to prefer the and sparring matches.
elegance (and sheer coolness) of wielding a
type of curved Yongryun sword called a LORE - Weapon and martial treatises,
Katanattha. different types of weapons
DARE - Duels (formal and impromptu),
Playstyle sparring matches
An Armsmaster is a self-sufficient damage SENSE - Discerning killing intent, finding weak
dealer who has many tools to dispatch points in armour
swathes of presumptuous foes and keep TOOL - Maintaining weapons and armour,
themselves safe. Their main focus is on disarming an opponent
learning martial Techniques and bringing out FACE - Psyching out an opponent,
their full potential. challenging to a duel

The Armsmaster has many tools specifically

for Taunting enemies, provoking them into
fighting so that they can prove themselves in
combat, thereby diverting attention from their
allies. They have Abilities to help their Instant
Dodges to better evade and punish their
would-be pursuers.

252
Bladeguard // Core Skillset

Standard Equipment Deflect Projectile

Katanattha
Parrying Dagger
Assist
Variable Reaction
CAST
Sword Stance
When a ranged projectile would hit you or an
Core Trait ally within 1 Tile of you, you can use a Reactive
HIT action to deflect it back to its source. This
[WIP] only applies to small projectiles like bullets
and arrows.

Iai Strike
Attack
Variable Action
HIT

Imperceptible Steel
"As you prepare your slash, the foe in front of you
tries to raise their shield in response, but your
blade flashes before they can even twitch their
muscle, striking them."

You sheathe your blade and await the

opportune moment. Whenever you perform a
HIT action and an enemy within melee range
tries to React to it, you unsheathe your blade
and strike them first.

Brave: The enemy's action is cancelled.

After-Image
Special
CAST

Whenever you perform a HIT action, you may

create an after-image that strikes again.

253
ECHO BLADE
Bladeguard // Path of the Steel Shadow

254
 Aestelle, Keybearer of Voyage Team
Aquila

255
Keybearer
Noble Skyborn Warrior
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Eyries MOON, SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Síoraí Storm Court

Lore Venture Origin

You are a privileged chosen among the Storm Court
people of the Eyries, handpicked from one of You were raised in the Storm Court, a hidden
the Stormqueen’s loyal citizenry to be palace high in the sky and shrouded within
adopted as one of Her many children, blessed dark clouds, constantly thundering with
to enter Her palace and be bestowed with a primordial magic.
Heaven's Key, the greatest tool Her Eminence
can bestow you. Compared to Heirs, Raised in the name of the godlike
Keybearers place greater focus on magical Stormqueen, you grew up in a life of courtly
ability rather than martial prowess. However, intrigue and etiquette, studying weapon skills
underestimating a Keybearer’s skill in single and magic with your fellow Stormchildren - all
combat is equally foolish. living within the same palace, all vying for the
approval of a Mother who is only ever known
Playstyle through her hundreds of officials, and heard
Wielding a masterwork of magic weaponry within the peal of thunder all around you.
called a Heaven's Key, a Keybearer is a
ranged archer-mage hybrid who assists allies LORE - Storm Court etiquette, court intrigue
by utilising long-ranged magic and area DARE - Riding aerial beasts
denial using magical mines and potent SENSE - Discerning deception and two-faced
Conditions, stifling all opposition with wide- meanings, identifying secret police
range storms, starlight shields or firing TOOL - Elemental archery, double-bladed
miniature black holes. glaives
FACE - Interacting with nobles, negotiating
Play as a Keybearer if you like: with the Eyries
> Playing as a ranged archer or spellcaster
> Utilising powerful elemental attacks of
lightning, starlight and void.
> Playing as a noble from a culture of elf-
adjacent sky people.

Strengths
Long distance spells and teamwide buffs

Weaknesses
Requires heavy EXP investment to bring out
full potential

256
Keybearer // Trainings

Standard Equipment Infuse Rune

TBA
Special
Medium Action
Heaven's Key CAST

Core Training "Such an underhanded trap... but I suppose it

You are given your Heaven's Key from the
suits the Court's methods just as well..."
Stormqueen, whom upon adopting you into
the Storm Court determines your calling from
You magically inscribe a magical
childhood.
rune on a tile or surface, which
acts as a trap covering a 1 Tile
Dimensional Sheath Star area, lasting until the end of
You can freely dismiss your Heaven's Key into combat, or if more than 4 are on
the arcane Aether, causing it to disappear in a the map, at which point you must
wisp of energy, and freely materialise it back choose which runes to dismiss.
instantly in your hand. Any time your Key The first enemy to pass the rune's
leaves your hand, is disarmed or is thrown area causes it to explode. Roll a
away from you, you can dismiss your Key and d6 or d8 die and deal damage to
materialise it into your hand the same way all enemies in the area if they do not take
from any distance. action to avoid or resist it.

You can also spend 1 Action Die to have your Brave: The rune explodes in a 3x3 area
Key materialise at an unoccupied Tile within 5 instead.
Tiles of you.

You start your training with your Heaven's Key

by learning the Ability called Infuse Rune: Astral Blink
Assist
Magus Mark Variable Reaction
CAST
Attack
Variable Action
"Get off me."
AIM
If an enemy uses a hostile action against you
"Take care of this ruffian for me." or an ally, regardless if they hit or miss, you
can immediately teleport them to a chosen
Magus Mark unoccupied Tile. Roll your action die for the
Whenever you fire a ranged attack at a foe, amount of Movement gained from this.
you mark them. Any number of allies (up to
the reaction limit) can choose to react to this This teleportation is instant and cannot be
as a Fast action and be magically teleported reacted to by normal means.
in front of the marked foe, regardless of
distance.

257
TEMPEST BEARER
Keybearer // Path of the Storm Archer
You were born to be as a storm, as strong as thunder and as potent as lightning. The Tempest School is
normally characterised by Stormchildren with sharp wits, a quick tongue and sometimes biting personality -
though the Court usually makes sure that misbehaviour gets weeded out...

Nevertheless, Tempestuous Stormchildren also tend to be quite independent and self-driven, sometimes to the
vexation of the Court's handlers. These children are, as the handlers would call them - "lightning straying
from the thunder".

Storm Rune Trial by Lightning

Special Attack
Medium Action Fast Action
CAST AIM

"Step lightly if you choose to approach." "Only the worthy may pass and be absolved."

Your rune evolves to contain the power of a You can fire multiple arrows that act as
miniature storm. When it explodes, it inflicts lightning rods, shocking all foes caught
Blight (choose wind or lightning) on all targets between them. When using a Fast AIM action,
in its area. you may fire a special storm arrow that
embeds itself onto a solid surface or an entity,
This Blight can be stacked multiple times at creating a pylon. These pylons last until
once if overlapped by multiple rune detonated.
explosions.
After firing your third arrow this way, lightning
arcs in a straight line between all of these
Oracular Gate - arrows, piercing and damaging all enemies in
Storm's Eye between. Additionally, this lightning instantly
supercharges and detonates any active
Burst Explosive Runes in its path.
Slow Action
CAST
Storm Key Attunement
"The Stormqueen judges you!" All hostile Displacement or Airborne effects
are halved against you.
You hold your Key and channel
a powerful ritual. While casting You can learn this ability a second time to
it, a thick cloud of turbulent wind enhance it: If a hostile Displacement or
and fog surrounds you in a 2 Tile Airborne effect fails to move you, you reflect
Star area, which makes the area difficult its effects onto the source instead.
terrain for all enemies.

At the end of your cast, you call forth a bolt of Skyspear

lightning to strike any open location on the
Requires Oracular Gate - Storm's Eye
map. This is a Burst action, and can Break,
The lightning bolt created from your Storm's
marking the target with Blight +3 (lightning).
Eye ritual is enhanced in power. It gains
Truestrike, and if a target struck does not
SAVE, Dodge or resist it in any way, its damage
is Honed.

258
STAR BEARER
Keybearer // Path of the Light Archer
You were born to be as the stars, clear in purpose and manifold in your talents. The Astral School is normally
the calling of Stormchildren who exhibit bright and/or energetic personalities, always eager to please the
Stormqueen, and quick learners who grasp many talents easily, including the intricacies of Court etiquette and
various noble hobbies such as skyriding and performing ceremonial dances and duels for the Court.

They tend to be a favourite among handlers due to their natural charisma and eagerness to learn, though the
other Stormchildren are quite well aware that not all of this of this enthusiasm is born out of genuine
passion...

Shield Rune
Special Stellar Key Attunement
Medium Action
You gain 1 Shield at the start of every round of
CAST
combat.

You rune creates a Shield around any allies

within its area, including yourself, which lasts
until the end of the Round. A prismatic Living Constellation
glasslike sheen appears on your skin,
shielding you from harm. The Shield absorbs Requires Oracular Gate - Divining Star
any one single instance of damage, after After completing your Divining Star ritual, you
which it is destroyed. and your allies' enhanced attacks each
explode with starlight and inflict Impair on the
If an enemy walks over it, it instead explodes first target hit.
in a burst of light, marking them with
Impairment.

Oracular Gate -
Divining Star
Burst
Slow Action
CAST

"The outcome is clear!"

You hold your Key and channel a powerful

ritual. While casting it, bright stars and
pinpoints of enjoined light surround you in a 2
Tile Star area. All enemy attacks in this area
cannot benefit from any bonus dice, Honed or
Truestrike.

At the end of your cast, you and all allies in

your ritual area gain 1 Shield.

259
VOID BEARER
Keybearer // Path of the Void Archer
You were born to be as the eclipse, subtle and cunning in all your ways. An arcane School born from studies
into void magic, Stormchildren who exhibit talent for the Eclipse School tend to be hyperfocused workers,
practical and composed in their thinking. They tend to also make excellent War Ministers due to their realistic
outlooks and quiet intelligence.

Ecliptic Stormchildren, perhaps as an accepted status quo of their school, tend to be private and secretive
individuals, with the ocassional Child given to stealth and mischief, stealing from the handlers or playing
tricks on them.

within the ritual area are teleported to any

Void Rune area on the map you can see that can fit your
group, up to 12 tiles away.
Special
Medium Action
CAST
Visitant Cloak
"Keep that presumptuous approach of yours in Reaction
check." CAST
Whenever you use Astral Blink on yourself, you
When your rune explodes, it creates a spacial are instead covered in ecliptic shadow. After
singularity, trapping all foes inside. All teleporting, you become Stealthed.
enemies in its blast area are marked with
Slow.
Eclipse Key Attunement
The singularity persists until the end of the
round, creating difficult terrain for all entities You are Stealthed whenever you are not
passing through it. moving. If you move, you become Stealthed
again after your turn ends. You also can see
perfectly in darkness.
Oracular Gate -
Ecliptic Pass
Burst
Darkness Scattered
Slow Action Requires Oracular Gate - Ecliptic Pass
CAST Ecliptic Pass' teleportation range is Global, but
still requires line of sight. After completing
"Fade... and appear." your ritual, each individual ally can choose
separate teleport locations. You and all
You hold your Key and channel a powerful teleported allies are also Stealthed upon
ritual. While casting it, dark shadows coalesce arrival.
around you in a 2 Tile Star area, causing all
light to be distorted and warped. While inside,
you and all allies are Stealthed, and any
enemy within is automatically Impaired while
inside.

At the end of your cast, you and all allies

260
 Rivaan, Wahrsanguis of Voyage Team Scorpio

261
Wahrsanguis
Blood Magic Healer
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Skotos MOON, EARTH

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Non-Viemor Blood Magic

Lore Venture Origin

You are a practitioner of blood magic from Blood Magic
Skotos - a living being who has learned to The core of the Wahrsanguis' gift is their sixth
survive in the land of the dead by sense for the flow of life in creatures, sensing it
manipulating your own life force. Whether as through walls and across horizons. It is akin to
a member of the Khaosjagd, or seeking a spiritual experience, a ritual that appears
acceptance or employment within the Known carnal and off-putting to the casual observer,
World, you can use your talents to heal others but to the Wahrsanguis, it is as sacred and
or fuel your magic from the life-force of your true as any sacrament.
foes. You even take hits head-on and
manipulate your life force, using your own The history of the Wahrsanguis is traced back
pain and wounds to make yourself and your to the first people to fall into Skotos. Rather
allies stronger. than dying and becoming Viemor, they
learned to safeguard their lives by
Playstyle manipulating their blood, concealing their
The Wahrsanguis is a martyr for their allies, presence from the carnivorous Tannin that
using their wounds to heal allies and damage dwell in Skotos, and guiding others who have
foes alike. They can manipulate life force in fallen into Skotos like them towards salvation.
strange and unsettling ways, and can even
speak with the souls of the dead outside of Eventually, their gifts were acknowledged by
combat. the Khaosjagd, who confer respect to them as
soothsayers and guides, as well as cunning
Play as a Wahrsanguis if you like: survivalists.
> Playing a blood mage
> Being a tank-healer hybrid who constantly LORE - History of blood magic, types of blood
teeters between life and death rituals
> Turning your foes inside out DARE - Forming blood weapons and
familiars, conducting blood rituals
Strengths SENSE - Sensing and tracking others via life
Amazing healing and tanking potential, which force
can even be converted to damage with TOOL - Conducting blood rituals, blood
certain Abilities. healing, blood concealment
FACE - Interacting with Khaosjagd members,
intimidating those who are disgusted by your
Weaknesses sacred duty
High risk and reward. Healing yourself and
allies can be inconsistent and risky because it
relies on your party receiving damage first.

262
Wahrsanguis // Trainings

Standard Equipment Absorb Wounds

Sidearm
Wayfarer Boots Special
Variable Action
SAVE
Bloodsense
"Put aside your disgust if you want to live."
Core Training
Bloodseer You touch an ally's injury or magically siphon
A Wahrsanguis is able to sense and track it from range, if you can sense them. Roll your
living creatures by sensing their lifeforce. You SAVE action and replenish their Resolve, while
can use your SENSE action to track someone reducing yours by the same amount.
or something by the signature of their blood,
learning vague information about how
recently the entity was present and the
direction its signature leads to. Depending on
how hard they are to find, you may require
several Skill checks to find them.

By using SENSE, you can also sense the

presence of any living creatures or newly
deceased corpses within line of sight, but not
nonliving entities like machines, elementals or
spirits.

You are always able to sense or smell the

drawing of blood or the passing of life. If a
living entity is injured, you can sense its exact
position on the map as a brief flicker of red in
your mind's eye. You can tell how far it is and
its precise location, but no specific details.

You can also sense the presence of spirits and

Viemor if they were formerly living creatures.

Conceal Blood
Using your basic control over blood, you are
able to conceal your living presence from
Tannin.

263
DEATHSEEKER
Keybearer // Path of the Blood Warrior
The Sword give life; the Sword takes away.

Vendetta Well
Vendetta
Every time you take or deal an instance of
damage, you store 1 stack of Vendetta, up to a
maximum of 5 stacks (you can represent this
using physical tokens on your character
sheet). This adds +1d to your next HIT action.

Cleave the Body

Unique Ability
HIT Action
You deal additional HIT damage based on
your missing Resolve.

Sever the Soul

Unique Ability
HIT Action
If you have Vendetta stacks and your HIT
action is a Brave action, it becomes a Burst
action. Roll all dice together as damage.

Siphon Blade
Fast Action
HIT
Consume Resolve to charge your Weapon.

264
 Isshou, Gamblade of Voyage Team Scorpio

265
Armsmaster
Daredevil Arena Fighter
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Sentinarium SUN, SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Any Weapondancing

Lore Venture Origin

You are a citizen of the Sentinarium: the Weapondancing
famous City of Mercenaries, where the entire Trained in the Sentinarium, the Armsmaster is
city is a colossal enclosed arena and its the perfect balance between an effective
citizens battle each other for prestige. Known fighter and a people-pleasing performer.
among them is the Armsmaster: a weapon
specialist and gladiatorial fighter whose flair They treat their battles as a performance - to
for showmanship is only matched by their be enjoyed by an adoring crowd and for their
peerless technical skill for switching weapons own pursuit of martial perfection. Your
on the fly. performance is akin to the Danse Macabre -
the grim reaper dancing along with souls
Playstyle doomed to die as it escorts them to the grave.
The Armsmaster strives for lethal style above
all. They are a versatile fighter, able to evade, LORE - Different types of weapons and their
attack and outwit enemies on the fly. The techniques
more you switch between styles, the greater DARE - Weapon performances, fighting
your flow state and therefore your power. multiple enemies
SENSE - Estimating risks
Play as a Gamblade if you like: TOOL - Maintaining weapons
> Playing a walking arsenal with multiple FACE - Stirring or impressing a crowd, warrior
signature weapons persona
> Stringing combos together in novel ways for
major style points
> Overwhelming foes in a dance of steel and
death

266
Armsmaster // Core Abilities

Standard Equipment Blast

Special
Variable Action
Prize Weapons
After a Weapon Switch, your next HIT or AIM
Core Trait action automatically activates your Prize
Weapon's Brave effect.
Armsmasters are celebrated warriors in
Sentinarium. Martial houses and blacksmith
families flock to offer them their best
weapons, some even wielding legendary Air Juggle
arms of renown.
Assist
Along your Voyages, you may encounter new Variable Reaction
weapons, be they loot from enemies, CAST
bestowed by a patron or a priceless artifact Augmented Parry
that has found itself in your hands.
Whenever an ally launches a foe Airborne
You start with two Prize Weapons at character within your line of sight, you can spend a
creation: typically a melee Weapon and a Reactive action to continue their combo using
ranged one, though you can have both of one one of your Prize Weapons.
type. Give these Weapons their names and
backstory befitting their reputation. You may If it's an AIM action, you shoot them regardless
store any additional Prize Weapons in your of distance, dealing damage and launching
Inventory. You do not need to spend any them further Airborne by the number rolled. If
actions to grab and equip one of your carried it's a HIT action, you immediately dash
Prize Weapons. towards the Airborne enemy, attacking them
in the air. When you land, you land 1 tile in
When you switch and attack using a different front of where the foe lands.
Prize Weapon, you increase your Rhythm by
one rank, even if it's the same type of Action - Brave: Attack and deal damage and effects
such as using HIT to strike with a sword and an additional time.
then using HIT again but with a different
sword. You would declare to the GM that you
are switching weapons when doing this.

Weapon Switch
Attack
Variable Action
HIT or AIM
Whenever you Brave with a Prize Weapon and
enter Flow, you may switch to a different Prize
Weapon and attack with it.

267
Armsmaster // Master Abilities

Rhythm
Whenever you take Actions, you build up
stacks of Rhythm. There are five ranks of
Rhythm, each represented by a letter and die
value. Your Rhythm starts at D rank, which is a
d4. C rank is a d6; B rank is d8; A rank is d10
and the highest, S rank, is a d12.

Whenever you take a different action after

another, such as using HIT after MOVE, or
using AIM after HIT, your Rhythm is increased
by one rank. Whenever you perform a new
action, you can roll an additional die based on
your Rhythm rank and add the result to your
Action Die's roll.

You can roll your Rhythm die multiple times in

a Turn, but only for every unique Action you
take - meaning if you HIT twice in a row, you
can only roll your Rhythm die once for that
sequence. Your Rhythm automatically resets
back to 0 at the end of each Round.

268
269
Gundrifter
Wandering Mystic Gunslinger
Suggested Faction Favoured Spheres
Sentinarium SKY

Suggested Sapient Venture Origin

Amerusan Firearms

Lore Venture Origin

You are a wandering warrior from the far-off Firearms
land of Amerusa: a legendary bygone land As a Gundrifter, you live and die by the bullet.
covered in red glass. You travel the world Your particular choice of firearms are
alongside arms dealer caravans and fellow powered by Red Glass, a mineral found in
Gundrifters, faithfully adhering to the Way of abundance in Amerusa.
the Bullet.
While less refined and stable than Paladite,
Playstyle which is used in most modern EXDUS firearms,
The Gundrifter loves guns, to the detriment of there is a primal power and raw volatility to
literally everything else. They fight with their Red Glass that many Gundrifters swear by.
guns, they travel with their guns, sleep with
their guns, treat their guns as a living soul... If It reminds you that the gun holds power over
there is a problem you can't solve with your life and death, and you are merely its
gun, then perhaps your faith is lacking, in custodian - always beholden to its favour,
need of trial by gunfire. judging if your character is true, whether you
wield its strength for justice or not.
Play as a Gundrifter if you like:
> Playing a fantasy cowboy LORE - History and classification of firearms
> Doing trickshots and cool stunts with old- and bullet calibres, wilderness survival
timey firearms DARE - Gun fights and duels, target shooting
> Guns. SENSE - Calculating trajectory, aiming across
long distances
Strengths TOOL - Firearm maintenance and smithing,
High damage, able to solve many enemy- handling Red Glass
related problems by utilising their ranged FACE - Passing from place to place as a
attacks. stranger, interacting with arms dealers and
Amerusan caravans/colonies
Weaknesses
Falls short with everything else; they are a
specialist in every sense of the word.

270
Gundrifter // Trainings

Standard Equipment Omen to Outwit Death

Red Glass Revolver
Gambler's Cloak
Assist
Variable Reaction
AIM
???
Liaison: "The colossus swings its massive club
Core Training towards your ally. It rolls a 3."
Player: "I roll to shoot the club. Also 3."
Steel Portent Liaison: "That's a Brave Parry. What happens?"
Player: "My shot rings with divine force and
Attack slams against the massive club, shifting its arc to
Variable Action the side and narrowly missing my ally."
AIM
If an enemy is out of line of sight but you are Whenever an enemy tries to swing a weapon
aware of their presence, you can fire a bullet or shoot a projectile, you can make a Reactive
that seems to impossibly find its mark. This AIM action to shoot the weapon or projectile,
can be done by ricocheting the bullet off disrupting its trajectory. Roll your Reactive
various surfaces, or by willing the bullet to action die and reduce the opposing action's
curve and fly around corners and through roll by that amount.
tight openings.
If this Reactive roll exceeds the opposing roll,
God Save the Lead that action or projectile is disrupted. If the
If you're rolling at least one additional die for Reactive roll matches the opposing roll, this
an AIM action, the Liaison does not roll any counts as a Perfect Parry, and you gain a free
Difficulty die for a target hiding behind partial action.
cover. If rolling at least two additional dice, full
cover is ignored instead.

Truthseeker
Special
AIM

When you make an AIM action that hits an

enemy or surface, you can have the attack
ricochet off them and hit another enemy or
surface within the same rolled distance, as
long as a straight line can be drawn between
them. The second target takes half damage.

Brave: The shot can ricochet and hit a new

target, as long as they are within the rolled
distance. This can only hit each unique target
or Tile once.

271
Chambersaint/Golden Penitent

272
 MINI-CHAPTER

GM TOOLS

273
Enemy Design Endangered Enemies
Once an enemy reaches 0 Break and Resolve,
The following is a quick example of enemy
they will remain on the map until the next
design and statblocks that you as a GM can
Round starts. Only when their Turn starts, you
use for your Voyages, to be fully expanded in
may have them spend their Actions to run
the full release version. Some general
away, surrender, etc. This also gives Players
approaches when designing enemies:
time to chase and restrain these enemies if
needed.

Not Just Damage In most cases, it's fair to assume that once an
Think of ways to affect Players other than just enemy is Endangered, the Players no longer
pure damage. Use Conditions against them, need to focus on that enemy and turn their
create temporary barriers that split them attentions towards the ones that are still
apart. You may choose to jeopardise their fighting, and should (most of the time) not
Voyage mission's sucess instead, like stealing have to worry about an enemy once they are
a key relic or kidnapping an escort. fully Broken.

If you don't want to arbitrate actions for

Give Enemies Roles certain Endangered enemies, you can just
Vary the types of enemies on the map who have them fall unconscious or perish instead,
will occupy different roles. Examples: and are considered to be removed from
combat immediately.
> Frontline fighters who will engage the party.
> Backline artillery who will shoot from afar.
> Supports who will heal or buff the frontline. Minions
> Skirmishers with high MOVE who will move
Certain enemies can be grouped together in
in, attack and run away.
groups of 3-5. They are always within 1 tile of
> Debuffers who focus on inflicting Conditions
each other and move as a single unit, but
on the party.
attack separately. Their main purpose in
> Elites who are Large size tanks that demand
combat is to swarm around Voyagers and
the party's attention away from other enemies
overwhelm them with attacks.

Minions only have 1 Resolve, and will become

Challenge, Not Kill Endangered as soon as they're hit with an
When designing a combat encounter, think of attack.
it less as throwing monsters at the party to
overwhelm them (though you can certainly
do so), and more like you're presenting them
with a puzzle. Make each encounter place
them into a situation that they need to solve
as a team. Some examples:

> There is a large chasm and a wall of spikes

separating the party and a fortified group of
gunners shooting them from afar.

> The boss is sitting on an elevated hill at least

8 Tiles off the ground, while waves of his
Minions pour out to block your path.

> The eldritch boss in the middle of the map is

unkillable unless you aim for the four cultist
healers, each at a corner of the map.

> A swarm of death worms will continuously

burrow underground and attack from below.
How do you stay off the ground while finding a
way to debilitate them in the brief moment
they surface?

274
Inspirations
masaki_hirooka
World v8turbocharger
ZhaoP
- RWBY Arcticcave
- Land of the Lustrous YUJIFantasia
- Destiny Erhong1111
- Alchemy Stars No33no/Susumu Maeya
- Arknights masaki_hirooka
- How to Train Your Dragon LIN+
- Horizon: Zero Dawn ovopack/Ryota Murayama
- Shardbound Anato Finnstark
- Guild Wars 2 Piotr Jablonski
- Final Fantasy XIV Omer Tunc
- NieR: Automata Akitsu Taira
- Anthem Masahiro Tsukuba
- Hollow Knight Ryota-H
- Recettear Taiki99
Toridamono
Yoneyama Mai
Games 7ZEL
- Arknights (Tactical tile-based format) IERotAK
- Fire Emblem (Tactical tile-based format) Shirow Miwa
- Etrian Odyssey (Exploration) _Chuzenji_
- Hades (Boons and gods) Kuroblood
- Persona 3 & 4 (Turn-based combat & telsonknife/knifedragon
personas) 68mo
- Devil May Cry ORiHiRA_
- Monster Hunter szmyu
- Genshin Impact SIXMOREVODKA
- League of Legends hizani_ya
- Legends of Runeterra
- Ruined King
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Degenesis
- Pathfinder 2nd Edition
- Fabula Ultima
- Lancer RPG
- Dungeons & Dragons 4th & 5th Edition
- Advance Wars / War Groove
- Ryuutama
- ICON RPG
- Fate/Grand Order
- Honkai: Star Rail
- City of Mist
- Potionomics
- Candela Obscura (Illuminated Worlds)
- Daggerheart
- MCDM RPG
- DC20 RPG
- Forbidden Lands
- Slay the Spire
- Final Fantasy 7 (Materia)
- Wilderfeast (Struggles)

Artists

275
Congrats, you made it to the end.

Checklist for future features below. I may not implement them, specifically because I'd
like to keep this system as streamlined as possible:

- Inventory system (either a tile-based one like Resident Evil, or a simplified slot-based
one like Fabula Ultima or Break!! RPG)

- Weapons that have special abilities and tile ranges (again, not implementing at the
moment for streamline reasons)

Thank you for reading and participating! Feel f ree to head down to our
D i s c o r d s e r v e r t o c h a t w i t h f e l l o w Vo y a g e r s a n d L i a i s o n s , o r l e a v e y o u r
t h o u g h t s t o h e l p u s i m p r o v e Vo y a g e r : T a c t i c s t o g r e a t e r h e i g h t s !

d i s c o r d . g g /x v g s E 9 u 7 e z

" A n e w s t a r w a t c h e s o v e r y o u ."

276