Core Rules

Whenever your character attempts to do something in the game, a dice roll is made to determine whether you succeed. Most of the time you can add a relevant skill or attribute to the roll to improve your odds. Forgelight uses a d20 for most rolls. There are three types of rolls you'll make.

Skill Checks

A Skill Check is a d20 roll that you would make, adding the appropriate Skill value. These are used to determine your chance of succeeding in performing a specific skill, such as making an Animal Control check to try and tame a wild wyvern. Simply roll a d20 and add the appropriate skill modifier. Your GM determines based on the total, how successful (or unsuccessful) your action was.

Attack Rolls

Whenever you attempt to hit someone with an attack, you make an Attack Roll — a d20 roll with an attack modifier added. The modifier depends on the type of attack:

• Weapon attack: use the attribute shown on the weapon's gear card (usually Precision or Athletics)
• Crystal action: use your Crystal Power Attribute
• Unarmed attack: use Athletics

If the total of your Attack Roll beats the target's Hit Score, the attack lands.

Damage Rolls

After a successful hit, you roll to determine how much damage is dealt. The card played indicates the damage dice to use. See the Damage section for more details.

Advantage & Disadvantage

Certain situations or abilities grant advantage or disadvantage on a roll.

• Advantage: If you have advantage on a roll, you can roll 2d20 and use the higher result.
• Disadvantage: If you have disadvantage on a roll, you roll 2d20 and must use the lower result.

These can apply to Skill Checks, Attack Rolls, and other d20 rolls as specified by cards, traits, or the GM.

Criticals

Rolling the extremes of the dice produces a critical result:

• Natural 1 — Critical failure. Even if bonuses would push your total high enough to succeed, you fail. The GM decides how things go wrong.
• Natural 20 — Critical success. Regardless of how difficult the task, you succeed — within reason. On an Attack Roll, the damage dealt is doubled.

Power Rolls

When you roll a 16 or higher on the dice itself (before adding bonuses) for an Attack Roll (not for Skill Checks or other d20 rolls), it is called a Power Roll. Many Action Cards grant bonus effects — extra damage, a status effect, or other benefits — when you land a Power Roll. It is also possible through certain traits and action cards to lower the threshold below 16, making Power Rolls more frequent.

Attributes are your character's core stats. They determine nearly everything about your character, including their Health, Stamina, Speed, Hit Score, and Skills. Each Attribute can range from a minimum of −2 to a hard maximum of +10.

When the GM asks for a Skill Check to see if your character can successfully perform some actions, you will roll a d20 and add (or subtract) the corresponding skill. The higher the total is, the better your chance at succeeding on it.

For example: Your character attempts to sneak past a sleeping guard. The GM may ask you to make a Stealth Check. This is a Skill Check using your Stealth skill. You would roll a d20 and add your Stealth skill value to the total. If it beats a certain threshold that the GM determines, you can successfully sneak by.

Traits are permanent qualities your character carries, either intrinsically or gained through leveling up and adventuring. They can be acquired through a number of different ways.

• Racial Traits: You get a racial trait based on which race you are playing as.
• Class Traits: You get a class trait based on the class you selected at levels 1, 5, and 10.
• Subclass Traits: You get a subclass trait based on the subclass you choose at levels 2, 4, and 7.
• General Traits: You get a general trait from the general trait list when you reach levels 1, 3, 6, and 9.

Health

Health (HP) is the primary measure of how alive your character is. It decreases when you take damage, and certain abilities can restore it. When Health reaches 0, see the Death section.

At level 1 with 0 Fortitude, this gives a base of 20 HP. Health increases by 10 per level, and by 5 for each point of Fortitude (negative Fortitude reduces it).

Stamina

Stamina represents your character's energy for playing Action Cards. Cards that cost Stamina require you to deduct that amount from your pool when played. When your Stamina runs out, you cannot play cards that cost Stamina.

Example: A character with Fortitude +2 has 8 + 2 = 10 Stamina.

Stamina is replenished by Resting.

Speed

Your Speed is how far you can move horizontally on your turn. Movement is free — it does not cost Action Points.

On a digital map, each tile represents 5ft, so a Speed of 25ft lets you move approximately 5 tiles per turn. Characters with the ability to fly can use their Speed to move vertically as well.

When things turn hostile, your GM will call for everyone to "Roll initiative!" This kicks off a combat encounter and establishes the order of play.

Initiative

Roll a d20 and add your Agility. All participants — players and enemies — roll initiative. The highest result acts first. Play then proceeds down through the order until everyone has taken their turn, at which point a new round begins.

On Your Turn

When your turn arrives in the initiative order, you gain 4 Action Points (AP). You can also move up to your Speed for free, without spending any AP. You can spend your AP on playing Action Cards. Once you've spent your AP and finished moving, your turn ends and play passes to the next character. Any AP or movement you do not use on your turn is forfeit - it does not carry over to your next turn.

Reactions

Some Action Cards can be played as a Reaction (R). Reactions can be used at any point — even outside your turn — as long as the triggering condition is met. You may only take one reaction per round.

Example: The Attack card can be played as a reaction when an enemy moves away from you — even if it's not your turn.

Forgelight uses an Action Point (AP) economy to govern what you can do on your turn. The rules are simple:

• You receive 4 AP at the start of your turn.
• Spend your AP to play Action Cards.
• Each Action Card specifies how many AP it costs to play.
• Movement is free — it does not cost AP.
• You have 1 Reaction per round, which also costs no AP.
• Unused AP do not carry over to the next round.

When a card you play makes an attack, resolve it by making an Attack Roll — roll a d20 and add the appropriate Attribute (shown on the card or your weapon card). If the total beats the target's Hit Score, the attack hits and you deal damage. A natural 20 on an Attack Roll is a critical hit and doubles all damage dealt.

Note: All ranged attacks are made at disadvantage while an enemy is within your melee range (5ft).

Area Attacks

Some attacks target a group or area rather than a single being. These types of attacks are unavoidable and automatically hit everyone in the area - including allies, so use them with caution. Conditions that would apply based on a Power Roll do not occur on Area Attacks.

Dual Wielding

If you have two weapons equipped and both have the 'Dual-Wieldable' trait, when you make an Attack action, roll a single Attack Roll as normal. When you calculate damage, roll the primary weapon's damage as normal, then roll half of the damage dice from the offhand weapon (rounding up) and add it to the damage dealt.

Example: At level 5, your character is dual-wielding a sword (dd8) in their primary hand, and a dagger (dd6) in their offhand. After rolling to attack, and succeeding, you roll damage. Since the sword is your primary weapon, you deal the full damage of the sword (3d8 at level 5). Since you are dual-wielding and the dagger is in your off-hand, add half of the damage dice from the dagger (rounding up), which would be 2d6 (3d6 becomes 1.5d6, rounding to 2d6) and add the two rolls together. The final damage amount would be 3d8 from the sword + 2d6 from the dagger + any other bonuses added once.

Note: Critical hits double the damage from the primary weapon only.

Your Hit Score (HS) is the number an attacker must beat on their Attack Roll to hit you. The higher your Hit Score, the harder you are to hit. When there is a tie, where the attack roll equals the hit score, the tie goes to the player.

If you are wearing armor, you use the armor's bonus rather than your Agility — unless the armor card specifically states otherwise. A shield in your wildcard slot adds its bonus regardless of whether you're wearing armor.

Once the attack hits, the damage dealt is determined by the card played or your equipped weapon. The card will indicate a dice value, using the 'dd' notation - such as 'dd6'. Anywhere this notation is present (dd4, dd6, dd8, dd12, etc), this indicates that you should roll a number of dice equal to your Level divided by 2 (rounding up).

Example: A sword deals dd8 sharp damage. At level 5, you roll 3d8 and deal that much sharp damage. At level 7, the same sword now deals 4d8 sharp damage.

Damage Types

There are 6 damage types in Forgelight. Certain enemies or characters may be especially vulnerable or resilient to specific types.

Resistances, Immunities, and Weaknesses

Resistances, Immunities, and Weaknesses can be gained by traits, gear, or certain Action Cards. They can be recorded on your character sheet and referenced each time you receive damage of that type.

Status effects are conditions — positive or negative — applied to a character that alter their capabilities. They are most commonly applied by Action Cards, typically when a Power Roll is rolled on the triggering attack. Below is a list of status effects and their effects.

Positive Effects

Negative Effects

When your character's health reaches 0, you are considered on the 'verge of death'. You do not die outrightly upon reaching 0, however things are pretty dire. Depending on how you want your character's story to go, you can choose one of three death options.

Resting lets your character recover Health, Stamina, and discarded cards. There are two types of rest. You can take each rest only once per day.

Companions are non-humanoid beings — animals, mechanical constructs, or other creatures that are bonded to your character. They follow you wherever you go, obey simple spoken commands, and can accompany you into combat. When you gain a companion, you can create a companion sheet for them containing their Attributes, Health, Hit Score, Speed, and Traits — all scaled to your level.

Companion Combat

When a companion joins you in combat, they act on the same initiative as you. They move freely up to their Speed and have 2 AP of their own to spend on cards from their own deck. Companions do not take reactions.

Companion Cards

Your companion has their own set of cards, just as you do. These are cards that your companion can play as you command them. Companions do not get the 'Attack' and 'Defend' cards and cannot use cards in your deck, just as you cannot use cards in your companion's deck. They have 1 'Active' slot which can be used for any active cards in their own deck.

Retreating

You can command your companion to retreat at any point during combat (on your turn or not). When ordered to retreat, or when their Health or Stamina drops to 0, they flee to safety automatically. Companions cannot die. If their Health reaches 0, they return after combat with 1 HP. They recover Health and Stamina by resting the same way you do.

Mounting

If your companion is large enough to be mounted at the discrection of your GM, you may ride on it. You move together using the companion's Speed. You can still both be targeted independently by enemies, and you both play Action Cards as normal.

Becoming attuned to one of Ardelûn's resonance crystals is a special and powerful feat. When you become crystal attuned, you gain a set of unique Action Cards tied to that crystal's domain.

Crystal Power Attribute (CP)

When you gain your first level of crystal attunement, you choose one of three Attributes to serve as your Crystal Power Attribute (CP). This is the Attribute you add to Attack Rolls made with Crystal Action Cards — the same way you'd use Athletics or Precision for a weapon attack. This choice is only made once when you gain your first level of attunement, and cannot be changed.

Choose from:

• Focus — Your attunement comes from sustained concentration and centering your mind with the crystal's energy.
• Instinct — Your attunement is natural and innate, almost like a second sense you were born with.
• Intellect — Your attunement was earned through intense study of the crystals' properties and scientific behavior.

For more lore on crystals and attunement, see the Resonance Crystals compendium article.