Core Rules

Whenever your character attempts to do something in the game, a dice roll is made to determine if you are able to do it. Most of the time, you can add your Skills or Attributes to the roll to increase your chances of success. Forgelight uses a d20 for most types of rolls in the game. There are 3 types of rolls you make in Forgelight.

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 are attempting to hit someone with an attack, you would make an Attack Roll. This is also a d20 roll that you can add an attack modifier to:

• Weapon attack: the weapon's gear card indicates which attribute it uses for making attacks (usually Precision or Strength).
• Crystal Ability Card: use your Crystal Attribute.
• Unarmed attack: use Strength.

If the total of your Attack Roll is higher than the target's Hit Score, you successfully hit them.

Damage Rolls

Damage rolls determine how much damage is dealt from an attack or such. See the Damage section for more details.

Power Rolls

When you roll a 16 or above on the dice for an Attack Roll, it is considered a Power Roll. Many Ability Cards grant extra damage, an applied status effect, or other bonuses if you roll a Power Roll on an Attack. Certain Traits or General Traits can also lower the number you need to roll a Power Roll, thereby increasing the chance to gain the additional effects.

Criticals

When you roll on the ends of the spectrum (either a 1 or 20), the roll is considered a critical failure or success. These rolls are called natural 1 or natural 20 to distinguish them from being 'unnatural', such as if you roll a 19, and add +1 for a total of 20.

• Natural 1 — on a Skill Check or an Attack Roll, this is a critical failure, even if you are able to add bonuses to your roll total. The GM will then tell you how your Skill Check goes wrong, possibly leading to further repercussions.
• Natural 20 — on a Skill Check or an Attack Roll, this is a critical success. Regardless of how difficult the task may be, you successfully accomplish your goal, within reason.

Advantage & Disadvantage

• Advantage: roll 2d20 and take the higher result.
• Disadvantage: roll 2d20 and take the lower result.

The first step in creating a character is determining who you want to be. The fun thing about an RPG is that you can be anything you want to be. Are you a fast and agile rogue with a witty personality? Or are you a hulking brute with a vocabulary of 3 words, but a heart for nature and your pet iguana? Or maybe you are a graceful archer of the woods who took a few science classes and developed your own grappling hook to navigate the forest easier? The choice is entirely up to you. Here are some things you may want to consider:

• Background: What experiences have shaped your character and led them to where they are today?
• Personality: Are they kind and compassionate, or stern and aloof? What drives them?
• Goals: What do they seek to achieve? Do they have a personal quest or a larger mission?
• Skills: What are they good at? Do they excel in combat, diplomacy, stealth, or something else?
• Alignment: Do they follow a code of ethics? Are they good or evil, ruled by chaos or order?

If your character doesn't all come together at once, that's okay. Just as in real life, characters learn and grow to change.

Step 1: Choose Your Race

In Ardelûn, there are a wide variety of races that populate the planet. Some are more common than others, but each is unique and has interesting qualities on their own.

• Write down your race on your character sheet.
• Add the Trait from your race to your Traits list on your sheet.

Step 2: Choose Your Class and Subclass

Your class defines what you are good at, and in a broader sense, what role your character plays. See Classes for the ten available classes.

When you select a class, you gain a Trait that defines your class (gain additional Class Traits at class levels 4 and 8) and 2 Ability Cards per class level (at class level 1, gain 2 of the 5 level 1 Ability Cards available for the class). Also, ensure that you have the 2 universal cards (Attack and Defend), regardless of which class or subclass you choose. All characters gain these cards to start.

Each class has 3 unique subclasses that enhance or shift the capabilities or features of the class to create unique playstyles. When you select your class, also select a subclass. You gain its first Subclass Trait at class level 2, and more at class levels 5 and 7 (see Leveling Up).

• Write down your class and subclass on your sheet.
• Write down the Trait associated with class level 1 of your class.
• Choose 2 Ability Cards from the level 1 cards of your class as your starting cards.

Step 3: Assign Your Attributes

Upon creating your character at character level 1, all eight of your Attributes begin at 0. This represents a new 'unskilled' character. You can increase or decrease your Attribute values as you'd like until the total sum adds up to 5. When doing this, each individual Attribute value must be between −2 and +2, excluding any bonuses from racial traits.

• Write down each attribute's value (−2 to +2) in the box for the associated attribute, including the "+" or "−" for ease.

Step 4: Choose a General Trait

All characters start at character level 1 with a free General Trait and gain 1 additional General Trait at class levels 3, 6, and 9.

• Add the effect of the General Trait to your sheet (varies based on the chosen trait).

Step 5: Choose Your Skills

Choose any 3 skills that you want your character to be good at, and add +2 to each of them.

• Copy the Attribute value associated with each skill to the skill's value on your character sheet. Add +2 to 3 of them.

Step 6: Choose Your Starting Gear

You can choose up to 3 Gear Cards to start with, as long as they all fit in the appropriate slots provided on your character sheet.

• Add your gear cards to your character sheet in the appropriate slots. Any that don't have a slot, you must leave behind.

Step 7: Fill in Remaining Character Details

Fill in your name and any other remaining calculated details.

• Write down your character's Name.
• Write down your character level and class level.
• Write down your Hit Score (10 + either your Agility OR your Armor bonus + any bonuses or deductions from other gear).
• Write down your Speed (25 + 5× your Agility + any bonuses or deductions from gear).
• Write down your Health and Max Health (37 + 3× your character level + 5× your Fortitude).
• Write down your Stamina and Max Stamina (8 + your Fortitude).
• Circle any damage Resistances, weaknesses, or immunities based on your traits and/or gear.
• Write down your Power Roll number (starts at 16+, +/− any traits).

Attributes are the primary stats for your character. They determine how good you are at Skills, as well as influencing other stats, such as your Health, Stamina, and Speed. Each Attribute can have a value between −2 at minimum and +10 at maximum and directly influences related Skills. When making a Skill Check, you add the Skill's modifier, which is affected by its associated Attribute.

Skills represent how good you are at specific skills your character can do. There is no minimum or maximum value for skills. A value of 0 would be considered being unskilled at a skill, while a value of −1 would be considered being particularly bad. A value of +2 would be considered being adept at a skill.

Skill Checks

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'. 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.

Your class defines what you are good at and what role your character plays. Each class lists the two Attributes it relies on most, which are the ones to raise first. Every class except the Bruiser has three subclasses.

Traits are permanent qualities that your character may have either intrinsically or through gaining class levels and adventuring. They can be gained from your race, your class, or from selecting one from a list of general traits at certain levels.

General Traits

You gain a free general trait at character level 1, and another at class levels 3, 6, and 9. General traits can be taken multiple times unless otherwise noted. They are very powerful ways to enhance your character. Taking a general trait could grant you an increase to your Attributes, new Ability Cards, new Crystal powers, a new Animal Companion, or a number of other perks.

Legendary Traits

Legendary traits are extremely beneficial traits that can make a character very strong. They are only acquirable at a class level of 10.

Leveling up is the process of gaining character levels and class levels, which makes your character stronger and lets them increase their Attributes. New characters start at character level 1 and can reach a maximum character level of 10. Each time your character level increases, you can do the following:

1. Increase one of your Attributes by 1.
2. Choose a class to gain the next class level in, and gain what that class level grants (see the table below), plus two new Ability Cards of your class level or lower in that class.
3. If you have a Companion, they can increase one of their Attributes by 1.
4. (Optionally) Replace any Ability Cards in your hand with other Ability Cards of the same class and card level.

Your first General Trait comes at character level 1, not with each new class you take.

Health is the primary indicator of how healthy a character is. It is reduced when you take damage, and when it reaches 0, you could die. Your Health can be restored when you Rest and by certain abilities that can heal.

To make it easier, you start with 40 Health at character level 1 and increase it by 3 each character level. You also increase it by 5 for each Fortitude you have (or subtract if you have negative).

Stamina is a representation of how much energy your character has to play Cards and perform actions. Ability Cards may cost Stamina to use; upon using such cards, you must deduct the amount of Stamina from your pool. Every being in Forgelight has a Stamina pool.

For example: a character with a Fortitude of +2 would have 8 + 2 = 10 Stamina. Stamina can be replenished upon Resting.

Your Hit Score determines what number an enemy needs to roll on their Attack Roll to hit you with an attack. All beings in Forgelight have a Hit Score, which represents how difficult they are to hit. An Attack Roll must beat the Hit Score of the target in order to hit them. The higher the Hit Score, the more difficult the being is to hit.

If a character is not wearing armor, they can instead add their Agility to their Hit Score. You can still add your Agility to your Hit Score if you are wielding a shield, but not armor (unless otherwise noted on the armor).

Your Speed is the distance that you can move horizontally in one turn.

On a digital map, each tile represents 5ft. This means that if you have a Speed of 25ft, your character can move approximately 5 tiles per turn. Moving does not require Action Points to perform. If a character can fly, they can use their Speed to move vertically as well.

Cards represent abilities and gear in Forgelight. Each player has a number of cards that make up their abilities. The cards in your hand make up your active abilities that you can play from.

Ability Cards

Ability Cards typically represent abilities that the player can perform, such as making an attack, summoning a fireball using a Pyrothyst crystal, or entering a battle rage. Ability Cards in your hand can be played, as long as you have the resources to use it (typically, a number of Action Points and Stamina are required). Upon playing an Ability Card, follow the instructions on the card to perform the ability. After performing the ability, the card might be returned to your hand, discarded, or left as 'active'. The icon and description on the bottom of the card will indicate which of these actions to take.

• Return: after playing the card, return it to your hand.
• Discard: after playing the card, discard it (add it to your discard pile). Discarded cards can be regained after Resting.
• Active: place the card in your active slot or your wildcard slot. The card remains active there until either you get stunned, critically hit, or you manually choose to end it. After being removed for any reason, discard it.

Gear Cards

Gear cards represent weapons, shields, or armor. These cards are not playable like Ability Cards. Instead, they can be 'equipped' in the appropriate slot on your character sheet in order to use or gain their benefit. Once equipped, they may grant special perks, similar to an 'Active' Ability Card, but will last as long as it's equipped and can't be forcibly removed. The description on the card will describe its function. Gear cards don't cost any Action Points or Stamina to equip.

• Weapon Card: equipped in either the weapon slot or the wildcard slot. Weapon cards have an associated Attribute that is used for wielding it (usually Precision or Strength), which becomes the attack modifier when you make an attack with it. Weapon cards also have a damage indication that determines which Damage Die and Damage Type to use when an attack hits.
• Shield Card: can only be equipped in the wildcard slot. Typically equipping a shield grants a bonus to your Hit Score.
• Armor Card: can be equipped in the armor slot. Typically equipping armor grants a bonus to your Hit Score. When not wearing armor, your Hit Score is equal to 10 + your Agility.

When things turn hostile in the game, combat may ensue. To ensure that combat happens in a way that's fair and gives each player a turn, your GM will ask all players involved in the fight to "Roll initiative!" This is what kicks off a combat encounter.

Initiative

This is a special d20 roll that adds your Agility. Rolling initiative determines the order of play in which combat occurs. All beings, including enemies in a fight, roll, and the highest rolling initiative starts the round. Proceeding down to the lowest rolling character in initiative, each character takes their turn.

On Your Turn

When your turn arrives in the initiative, you gain 4 Action Points that you can use on your turn to play Ability Cards. You can also move up to your Speed without spending any Action Points to do so. Once you've moved and spent all your Action Points, your turn is over and play proceeds to the next character in initiative. Combat continues in this way until the conflict is resolved.

Reaction

If you have cards in your hand that allow you to play them as a Reaction (R), you can do so at any point (even when it's not your turn) as long as the trigger is met. You can only take 1 Reaction per round.

For example: the Attack card can be played as a Reaction when an enemy walks away from you. If this happens, you can immediately play that card, even when it's not your turn.

Forgelight uses an Action Point economy system. Simply put, you have a number of Action Points to use during your turn in combat however you'd like.

• On your turn, you get 4 Action Points.
• You can spend those Action Points however you'd like, in whatever order you'd like.
• Once you've used all of your Action Points, your turn is over.
• Movement does not cost Action Points.
• You can also use 1 Reaction per round, which does not cost any Action Points.

When a card is played that makes an 'attack', the attack is resolved by rolling an Attack Roll: roll the d20 and add the appropriate Attribute (shown on the card). If the total from this roll beats the target's Hit Score, the attack succeeds and damage can be dealt. When the d20 rolls a natural 20, the attack is considered a critical hit (see Critical Hits).

Area of Effect Attacks

When an Ability Card causes an area of effect (AOE) attack, no attack roll is needed. AOE attacks automatically hit all beings in the area. By default, every single being, whether enemy or ally, in the area is hit by the effect, unless the card specifies otherwise.

Dual Wielding

If you have two weapons equipped and both have the Dual-Wieldable trait, whenever you make an attack with a weapon using any Ability Card, you can play the Attack card for 1 Action Point using your offhanded weapon.

Once the attack hits, the damage dealt is determined by the card played. The card will indicate a dice value, such as 2d8. This is the amount you would roll to determine the damage done.

For instance: you hit an enemy with a sword attack. The damage for a sword is 2d8 Sharp. You would roll 2d8 and deal that amount of Sharp damage to the target.

Extra damage dice: some cards and traits add extra damage dice. Roll additional dice of the same size as the damage they add to (a 2d8 hit with 1 extra damage dice rolls 3d8). If the roll mixes dice sizes, use the largest.

Critical Hits: when a natural 20 is rolled on the Attack Roll, it becomes a critical hit. On a critical hit, you roll your damage as usual, but also add the maximum roll of your damage to it.

For instance: if your damage was going to be 2d8 Force + 2d4 Ice, you would roll that as normal and add 16 Force and 8 Ice to it.

Damage Types

There are 6 damage types in Forgelight. Specific damage types may be either more harmful or less harmful to certain enemies or allies based on their Weaknesses, Resistances, or Immunities.

• Weakness: a weakness to a specific damage type. When a character has a weakness to a damage type, they take double the amount of damage from that damage type.
• Resistance: instead of taking the full damage, they only take half damage, rounded down.
• Immunity: a full immunity to a specific damage type. When a character is going to take damage that they are immune to, they instead take no damage from it.

For example: if you were to take 15 Fire damage, but you have Resistance to Fire damage, you would instead take only 7 Fire damage.

Status effects are conditions that give the affected being a boon or detriment to their abilities in some way. Status effects (whether positive or negative) can be applied in a number of ways; typically, it's the result of an Ability Card being played. Many Ability Cards specify that status effects are applied after rolling a Power Roll.

Stacking Status Effects

Status effects do not stack. If the durations of an existing status effect and a new status effect are different, the longer of the two is kept.

When your character's Health reaches 0, you are considered on the 'verge of death'. You do not die outright 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.

Drop Unconscious

You can choose to drop unconscious when you reach 0 Health. While unconscious, your turn in combat is skipped, as you are unable to move or play cards. You can be brought back to consciousness if you are healed within 5 turns (approximately 30 seconds in game). If you are not healed during this time, you can still be brought back to consciousness by being healed up to 1 hour later in game, but your character will receive a permanent scar. When you take a scar, you can determine where the scar is on your character's body and how it looks. The scar doesn't cause any lasting damage or debuff, but you can only take a scar like this one time per game. If you already have a scar and you choose to drop unconscious again after reaching 0 Health, you will die if you aren't healed after 5 turns. Additionally, if you are not healed after 1 hour of being unconscious, you die.

Risk It All

You've lived life on the edge and faced the consequences, but you've got one more gambit in you. You can choose to let your fate rest in the dice. When you take this option, you must roll a d20 with no modifiers. You cannot add to this roll in any way or gain advantage on it.

• 1–9: your character succumbs to death and their story comes to an end.
• 10–19: you immediately regain 50% of your Health and return to your feet. Once it's your turn, you can continue to play as normal.
• Natural 20: you regain all of your Health and immediately gain a free turn out of order in combat. Then, you can continue to play as normal on your turn.

Blaze of Glory

If you know that the end has come for your character, you can choose to go out in a blaze of glory. You can take one action — describe what you would like to do. At the GM's discretion, the action becomes an automatic critical success, after which you die.

Resting helps restore your character's Health, Stamina, and Cards. During the game, your characters may lose Health and Stamina from a combat or other encounter that left them a little worse for wear. When they rest, they can recover a little bit of that. There are two types of rest that your character can take.

Short Rest

You can take a Short Rest when you have at least 1 hour of 'downtime', where you are not doing anything physically or mentally demanding. An example would be taking a quick nap, relaxing at a friend's place, or hanging around the campfire with your party. You could also complete a Short Rest while you are traveling, as long as you are not walking or navigating. You can only take one Short Rest per day. Completing a Short Rest provides the following benefits:

• Recover 50% of your maximum Health.
• Recover 50% of your maximum Stamina.
• Draw 1 discarded Ability Card of your choice from your discard pile.

Long Rest

Long rests typically occur at the end of the day, when your party goes to sleep. A Long Rest represents a 'full night's sleep', or approximately 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Completing a Long Rest provides the following benefits:

• Recover all of your maximum Health.
• Recover all of your maximum Stamina.
• Draw all of your discarded Ability Cards from your discard pile.

These rules cover moving through the world: light, falling, climbing, swimming, and flying. They apply both in and out of combat.

Light and Darkness

Every area is in one of three levels of light.

• Normal light: daylight, a lit room, or the glow of a torch or lantern. There are no penalties.
• Dim light: shadows, twilight, or the edges of a light source. Perception Checks that rely on sight have Disadvantage.
• Darkness: no light at all. You cannot see into or within darkness. Attack Rolls you make against a target you cannot see have Disadvantage, and Perception Checks that rely on sight automatically fail.

Some traits and Ability Cards let you see in darkness or dim light. If you can, you ignore these penalties. Being in dim light or darkness does not make you Hidden on its own. You still need to succeed on a Stealth Check.

Falling

When you fall, you take 1d6 Force damage for every 10ft you fall.

Climbing and Swimming

While you are climbing or swimming, your Speed is halved. The GM may ask for an Athletics Check for a difficult climb or rough water.

Flying

If you can fly, you can use your Speed to move in any direction, including straight up or down. Some gear, such as Heavy Armor and Heavy Shields, prevents you from flying. If you become Restrained or Stunned while flying, you fall.

Companions are non-humanoid beings, such as animals or mechanical constructs, that are 'bonded' to you in a way. They will follow you wherever you lead them and obey simple commands spoken to them. They can also follow you into combat situations if you choose for them to.

When you gain a companion, work with your GM to create a companion sheet. Companion sheets are the same as character sheets, but do not have Weapon, Wildcard, or Armor slots. Companions carry the same Stats, Attributes and Skills that characters do. Companions are also built the same way as characters, but without a Class. Their character level should always match your character level.

Companion Traits

Companions also have their own traits that they can gain. Usually companion traits are selected at the time the sheet is created, and remain the same throughout the game. Companions cannot gain traits in the way that characters do.

Companion Combat

If your companion joins you in combat, they are able to take their turn on the same initiative as you. They can move a distance up to their Speed for no cost, similar to characters. Companions also gain 2 Action Points of their own that they can spend on their turn to play Cards in their 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 hand, just as you cannot use cards in your companion's hand. They have 1 Active slot, which can be used for active cards in their own deck. All Companion Ability Cards are available to any companion; choose what is thematically or mechanically right for yours, at your character level or lower.

Retreating

If you do not want your companion to fight, you can command them to retreat at any point during the fight. When you do so, they will flee to safety. When their Health or Stamina reaches 0, they do this automatically. You lose any benefits of having your companion in the fight. If their Health reaches 0, they flee and return to you after the combat with 1 Health. Companions cannot die, unless decided upon by the player. If their Stamina reaches 0 during a fight, they retreat and rejoin you after the fight with 0 Stamina. They regain Health and Stamina upon resting, just as you do (half on a Short Rest and full on a Long Rest).

Mounting

If a companion is capable of being mounted, you can ride it. The two of you move together, taking the Speed of the companion. You can still both be targeted by enemies individually and play Ability Cards as normal.

Becoming attuned to a crystal in the world of Ardelûn is a special and powerful feat. When you gain a crystal attunement, you will gain a number of unique new Ability Cards with crystal abilities based on the attunement type you chose.

For example: if you choose to attune to a Pyrothyst crystal, you will gain some Ability Cards that allow you to use fire-based abilities, thanks to your new powers.

Crystal Attribute

Your Crystal Attribute is an attribute you choose from either your Focus, Instinct, or Intellect to be the Attribute you use when making Attack Rolls with a Crystal Ability Card. You choose this Attribute when you gain your first Crystal Attunement.

When you play Ability Cards that require you to make an Attack Roll with a weapon, you usually use either your Strength or your Precision. However, when you gain a crystal attunement, the Attribute you use to make Attack Rolls with a Crystal Ability Card will be your Crystal Attribute, as it is not based on your physical abilities.