Conflict

A conflict occurs when a character faces an opponent in a challenge, where both risk harm, and sometimes even death. It is an extension of the challenge that helps determine if someone takes harm, if so, who takes it, and how much. An opponent, or opposition, is defined as a dangerous foe or force that will cause harm to the character unless that character does something about it. It can be anything from an armed enemy trying to harm or kill you, to an agitator at a town square trying to belittle you, to an occurring destructive force such as a landslide, an avalanche, or just a body of water in which you risk drowning.

A conflict is an abstraction of a real fight – it doesn’t count or take every move, lunge, swing, or step into account. It is assumed that both characters and opponents are swinging at each other, both risking harm and health along the way – all resolved with one single dice roll. What matters is the narration around it – the player must describe what it looks like, and the GM should mitigate and facilitate the outcome when needed.

A conflict progresses through the following steps:

Resolve the Challenge – See challenge above.
Determine the Outcome – See outcome above.
Determine the Harm Inflicted – From the outcome, note what harm type the character and opponents take.
Compare Attack & Protection Type – Compare the attack and protection type for both the character and the opponent.
Adjust Final Harm Type – Adjust the final inflicted harm for both parties.
Determine Any Conditions – If anyone has received a condition, evaluate the weapon’s attack types or qualities, and define the condition in writing as a facet.
Adjust Health Tracks – From the inflicted and sustained harm, adjust the health tracks for both PC and opponent accordingly.

This is done for every character participating in the conflict. Several conflicts can develop in parallel, depending if the PCs are engaging the same or different opponents. When that happens, each involved PC should face each respective opponent. If a conflict isn’t resolved (by defeated opponents or PCs) after all PCs have had the opportunity in the fiction to act, it starts all over again, repeating the process, turn after turn.

Distance & Range

If a part in a conflict possesses an attack with the ranged capability (an equipment quality facet, which is a scale facet), the challenge can take place over the distance the range specifies. Range is a scale facet determining within what distance something works, an attack for example, with a close / near / medium / long / far / distant facet, it determines the maximum distance over which it can be used. If so, and the outcome allows for it, they can still inflict harm, and if the PC or opponent can’t face the challenger with an attack or weapon with at least the same range, that part can not inflict any harm during the conflict, or until the distance has changed for the shorter. For polearms, the range is medium in the first turn of a conflict while becoming a disadvantage once the opponents close in.

Range	Distance Examples	Weapon Examples
*Distant*	Somewhere in the horizon, across a fief	Siege Weapons
*Far*	A valley away, across a town	Longbows, Heavy Crossbows
*Long*	A field away, across a castle yard or town square	Regular Bows, Crossbows
*Medium*	A throw away, across a building or bridge	Most throwing weapons
*Near*	A stride away, across a room	Most melee weapons
*Close*	Touch or Contact	Bare knuckles, Kick

Opponents

When confronting enemies or opposition, their facets will present disadvantages for the PC, just as for a normal challenge. An opponent can have a wide range of facets at their disposal that work in opposition to the PC and include traits, skills, abilities, equipment, or other similar things, just as a PC would have. The GM can choose to present an opponent’s capabilities at the beginning of a conflict, or make them known after a few rounds of confrontation, depending on what the PC is aware of or not.

Opponents are classified into lesser, mundane, or greater kinds, depending on the weight they carry in the narrative. Lesser and more mundane make up the bigger lot of the opponents met during play, while greater tend to get important roles in the fiction.

Lesser Opponents – The lesser ones are seldom important for the story and won’t pose a very big problem, some have one facet that describes their skill or capability. Lesser opponents also have shorter health tracks and are usually taken out by a condition way before the PC. Examples would be drunkards in taverns provoking brawls, goblins in the shadows stealing equipment, or ill-equipped and freshly recruited foot soldiers coming the PCs’ way.
- Lesser Opponents – They might have one or two facets to counter the PCs, such as a trait or skill, but no abilities. Their summed up facets never amass to more than one facet in a given challenge.
Mundane Opponents – These are people in the story, much like the PCs, with more facets that can stack up and create notable problems. They also have a health track similar to characters, being able to withstand a blow or two and even take a condition. If an opponent has either a trait or a skill relevant to facing the character in the challenge, each one of them counts as a disadvantage and subtracts one die from the dice pool. Not every opponent has a trait or skills, and can still challenge the character as if they did, they just don’t deduct any dice from the character’s dice pool in the attempt.
- Mundane Opponents – Might have three to five facets in the form of a trait or skills that can counter the PC’s. It can also have an ability with special rules that will work against the PCs and work as a disadvantage. Their summed up facets can amount up to between 2-3 facets in a given challenge.
Greater Opponents – Sometimes, more powerful enemies have other unique facets that act in conjunction with skills, like swordmaster, trick shooting, or bestial strength. Certain unique opponents and very powerful ones, such as the main antagonists or their most dangerous servants, might have even more facets at their disposal, in the form of unique attributes like flight or a scale facet that describes its gigantic size, items with rare qualities like spiked heavy armor or demonic soul-drinking axe, or mystical powers bestowing them with additional might like flaming breath.
- Greater Opponents – There might be between six and ten (or more) facets that can be used to thwart the PCs, consisting of a number of traits, skills, or other unique expertises. They usually have more than one ability of various kinds. Often, their summed up facets can amount to between 3-6 facets at a given situation.

Attack and Protection Type

A conflict introduces the concept of attack and protection type which are compared in every challenge, without any extra dice roll. It uses the harm type described under the outcome as the base, which is then adjusted after comparing the weapon and protection type between the parties involved. If an outcome

Type	Attack Examples	Protection Examples
*Large**	A *large* monster’s weapon	Dragon Scale
*Massive*	Lance, Halberd, Arbalest	Full plate with Chainmail
*Heavy*	Two-handed sword, Battleaxe	Partial Plate, Scale, Brigandine, Wyvern Scale
*Regular*	Broadsword, Handaxe	Chainmail, Studded Leather, Ogre Hide
*Light*	Dagger, Club	Padded Leather, Heavy Fur,
*None*	Bare knuckles, Kick	Clothing

* A large type is treated as a heavy attack or protection on top of being a scale facet during the challenge, before comparing the attack and protection type. Read more about scale differences when facing a challenge, here.

Comparing both opponents’ attack and protection type results in someone being superior to the other. If the PC:

Win the comparison, the harm type increases one severity step.
Lose the comparison, the harm type decreases one severity step.
Has an equally heavy attack or protection as the opponent, the severity stays unchanged.

The comparison affects the opponent the same way – a comparison is made for all parties involved. One can assume all conflict participants take harm, and if not, that person is usually lucky.

Kim (GM): “You find yourself face to face with an enormous three-eyed giant, double the size of a human, clad in tattered hides, ropes, animal and human bones and skulls, with its large club raised menacingly above its head. What’s your next move, Mason?”

Mason (Player): “I quickly draw my sword and shield, preparing to defend myself against the giant’s attack by ducking and trying to flank it, while I scream for my companions to help!”

“Come on, folks, wake up, a GIANT!!!”

Kim (GM): “Alright, summarize your traits used with any facets that apply. As disadvantages, the forest is dark, and you only have a weak light from that campfire a few feet away. Also, the giant is battle-hardened and has a polearm reach while swinging the club. Additionally, it is fast for its size. That’s four dice of disadvantages on the first turn when the club’s reach counts in, after that only three. Roll your dice!”

Mason (Player): “Okay, normally, I get to use five dice for a situation like this. Three for my Agility, one for my skill in Melee, and one from my ability Protector (and I’m protecting my friends). But with four disadvantages, I guess I’m only left with one die.”

[Rolls it] “I got a 6! A success, wow!!!”

Kim (GM): “Lucky you! Okay, let’s compare your attack and protection types based on the outcome. For a start, with a success, you inflict a wound on the giant while you avoid any incoming harm. But before I let you describe what it looks like, let’s compare your weapons and armor. Your broadsword counts as a regular attack, and the giant’s hides count as light. That means your attack wins that comparison and increases the harm you inflict. The giant’s club is large, which is also a scale facet. Your armor is only chainmail, right? That provides regular protection. That means the giant’s large club first wins the comparison and increases the harm you sustain by one step.”

Mason (Player): “I see. No harm for me initially, but then increased to a scratch due to the comparison, right? And my inflicted wound from the success… turns into what?”

Kim (GM): “Well, almost. If it was a human-wielded, normal-sized club, you’d manage to escape with a scratch. But as I mentioned, this club is large, which is a scale facet one step above yours, worsening the harm type one more step. That means the scratch turns into a wound which affects your health track. However, as you’re successful, you can choose to block the hit with your shield instead. Decide which way you want to go.”

“But, in the same moment the giant swings at you, grunting, you find your balance enough to lead your sword through an opening, causing the giant to roar in pain, staggering. Thanks to the comparison you won, the wound turns into a wound with an attached condition, which means a really serious injury that will leave it at a disadvantage. Please describe what it all looks like!”

Mason (Player): “Ok. First I thwart my shield against the incoming blow, shaking when deflecting the power behind it, all while seeing wood splinters fly in the air from the block. Then, from its right flank, I thrust my sword at its exposed belly, cutting deep and drawing heaps of dark blue blood, while the giant tries to retaliate with a powerful swing, which I duck.”

“I want the condition to be ‘In excruciating pain,’ or something similar. Does that work?”

Kim (GM): “Oh yeah, for sure. The giant bellows in anger, in excruciating pain, quickly looking at its deep gut injury but remains determined to crush you. Before your next turn, the rest of the group may try to act. The condition you inflicted will last the scene out as an advantage for you, as long as the giant fights you.”

Bigger Foes

Facing a bigger opponent in conflict can increase the potential harm. Each step’s difference between the PC and the opponent either increase or decrease the harm one step, depending on if the PC wins the comparison or not.

Kim (GM): “The unchained dread wolf throws itself over you, eager to tear you apart. Its enormous, bigger than a horse, and all you can glimpse and reflect on before it falls over you is the broken arrow ends that protrudes from its thick fur.”

Mason (Player): “Ehh… damn. I’m only a normal-sized human.”

Kim (GM): “Since the wolf is two steps bigger than you, any harm it inflicts marks two extra steps on the health track.”

More Numerous Foes

Facing opponents more numerous than you in conflict also increases the potential harm. Each step’s difference between the PC and the opponent either increases or decreases the harm one step, depending on if the PC wins the comparison or not, just as with bigger foes, above.

Kim (GM): “The vengeful peasants move towards you, armed with pitchforks and torches, screaming and cursing your name. They count as a group, consist of a handful of people, and are more than you could handle in a fair fight.”

Mason (Player): “Okay. As an individual I’m cleary outnumbered, right?”

Kim (GM): “Yeah, you’re at a disadvantage since the group of peasants are one scale step above yours. Any harm they inflict on you, or you on them, will be adjusted one step in respective direction.”

Harm

In a challenge in which risks of harm are present, the harm inflicted or sustained scales over three harm steps, which each affects the character’s health in different ways:

Severity	Harm	Recovery time
Condition	1 health track step and one *condition*	3 months
Wound	1 health track step	1 month
Scratch	1 scratch slot	1 week
No Harm	None	–

Wound types require different recovery times, requiring various amounts of resting time. The recovery time above indicates the times needed when resting, which means no other activity than sleeping and eating. If resting is not possible, the recovery time is doubled. A step on the health status is always counted

Health Track

A character’s health track consists of 6 steps, from healthy to dead. Taking harm means a number of steps to reduce the health track, and if you push your luck too far, you’ll die. Taking harm and marking the health progress track means taking stress, getting a generic injury, or just being beaten up.

Health Status	Explanation
Healthy	You’re all good and well, with nothing to complain about. This is the default state unless you suffer from some kind of harm or illness.
Bruised	You’re so beaten up you can’t move more than crawling, and you’re on the brink of losing consciousness.
Injured	You’ve taken a blow. It hurts, but function fine. You can walk it off fairly easily.
Mauled	You’ve taken several blows, bad ones too, and suffered really bad from it. The pain is constant, and it takes all the effort you can muster to keep going.
Incapacitated	You’re so beaten up you can’t move more than crawling, and you’re on the brink of losing your consciousness.
Dead	When you’re health track reaches dead, you’re so badly wounded you have to face death (see below).

Scratches

In addition to the health track, a character also has scratch slots. If a character takes light harm, the player can always choose to make it a scratch instead if the character has any scratch slots available. If all slots are filled, light harm always affects the health track.

Condition

Triumphant and catastrophic outcomes also add facets to the subject (character or opponent) in the form of conditions. Which condition is inflicted depends on the attack type and affects the narration heavily. If the character takes serious or critical harm, the player can always choose to make it a condition instead. The conditions from physical conflicts and their narrative consequences are:

Condition	Type	Fictional Effect
Broken Bone	*Crushing*	Useless body part in pain
Deep Cut	*Slashing* or *Piercing*	Open wound prone to infection
Bleeding Wound	*Slashing* or *Piercing*	Open wound prone to infection
Burned	*Fire* or *Heat*	Extremely painful, prone to infection
Frozen	*Ice* or *Cold*	Stiffness, prone to amputations
Sick	*Disease*	Feeble and feverish
Poisoned	*Poison*	Weak and in pain

Emotional and social conflicts can bring different types of conditions suitable for the given narration and outcome. For example, fear and horror could make a PC apathetic or hysteric, while public humiliation, perhaps regretful or ashamed. Any type of harm can take someone out, as unconscious (including drugs and diseases). Conditions are long-lasting effects, taking that need special care and treatment to heal.

Harming Numerous Foes

If you engage a unit of opponents and cause them harm, the scale facet will work as a cushion. The same goes if you lead a group of allies into conflict, their numbers will help you survive.

Scale Comparison – Just as with the attack and protect type comparison, the scale facets for numbers are compared as well. If you win (are more numerous), the harm type you inflict increases by one step. If you lose (are less numerous), it decreases one step. The same goes for the opponents’ inflicted harm as well.
Reduction of Numbers – In conflict groups of combatants are reduced over time, due to injuries, fatigue, or death. A scale facet can be reduced in two ways:
- By Inflicted Conditions – When a group’s health conditions slots are filled up, instead of dying, the scale facet is reduced by one step.
- Health Track Reaches Dead – When the health track is reduced to dead, the scale facet also reduces one step. When this happens, the health track slots are reset, but not any scratches or conditions sustained.

Face Death

If a character’s health status is reduced to dead, you are forced to face death, as a challenge. When that time comes, the inevitable could provide a few moments of drama, closure, and even some long-term effects on surviving friends. When so, you should announce it. Then, ask the rest of the players to describe how they react and what they do, as friends. You can then pick the suggestion you find most appealing and set a scene for it as soon as the GM deems it possible. It could be right there, on the spot, or afterward, or whenever the fiction allows for it.

The dying character then face death, which is dealt with the same way as a challenge. But the dice pool is not built on traits of facets, instead, it is based on the number of unresolved arcs the character still has, and should therefore consist of somewhere between one and three dice. If no arcs remain unresolved, the confrontation is made with a disadvantage (roll two dice, keep the lowest). The outcome results in the following:

Die	Outcome	Consequence
> one 6	Triumph	Life truly returns. Your character miraculously survives but gains a terrible scar. Until proper care is had with accompanying rest, the character is *mauled*.
6	Success	Life Returns. Your character miraculously survives but gains a terrible scar. Until proper care is had with accompanying rest, the character is *incapacitated*.
4-5	Costly Success	A lingering soul. Your character dies, but not without purpose. The other character with the chosen suggestion gains an insight (see Character Development below) if they also take a new character arc tied to the character’s death. The player must describe how the experience affected the chosen character.
1-3	Failure	Final death. Your character dies, despite any help. You may describe what it looks like.
> one 1	Catastrophe	Final humiliating death. Your character dies, despite any help. You may describe what it looks like. At the same time, an enemy learns about it, and use the occasion to spread false rumors of the deceased, affecting the ones left behind.

NPCs die if their health track is filled up, or if they sustain conditions enough to fill up their conditions slots, whatever comes first. They never get a second chance when facing death as a PC, unless the GM determines it necessary for the story. If so, the player causing death, or playing the PC which was involved with the NPC, may roll the dice to determine the outcome.

Scars

If you face death but survive, you get a scar. A scar is a terrible thing that marks you for the rest of your life and is treated as a condition that never heals properly. As such, it occupies one of your condition slots permanently and inflicts a disadvantage every time it comes into play. Describe it and write it down under your health in your playbook.

Dangers

Some conflicts are indirect or passive, and can be seen as dangers rather than active confrontations. These threats usually have facets describing them if challenged, which works not only disadvantages, but also as qualities or scale when determining inflicted harm. Unless stated, most harm is of regular attack type.

Bleeding

Bleeding is a serious consequence taken from harm or sometimes diseases and poisons, and occur once you receive a bleeding condition. It leaves messy tracks behind which are hard to cover up.

Bleeding Over Time – If not treated over time, the bleeding counts as light harm taken again every scene due to blood loss, which reduces the health track one step. If a second bleeding condition it sustained, both affects you and doubles the harm effect, and so on.

“As you clash swords with the rival bandit and fail the challenge catastrophically, his blade finds a gap in your armor, slicing your arm deeply. You’ve now incurred a bleeding condition. The trail of blood you’re leaving will be easy to track, and the bleeding will be dangerous for you if not tended to. Next turn you will sustain additional light harm from the blood loss.”

Falling & Crushing

If a character faces a challenge with risk a of falling or being crushed, the GM determines the appropriate harm scale, by either using the crushing object’s size scale facet as a comparison, or a similar scale facet for the fall height.

Attack Type – First, falling or being crushed on rocks and stone is treated as a heavy attack, while falling on earth, mud, or water as light. Second, the falling distance or crushing object size apply its scale facet during comparison as well.
Harm Type – All fall harm has the crushing quality, but sometimes also piercing or slashing, depending on the material crushed by or into.

“As the ground gives way beneath you, you find yourself plummeting towards a mountainside filled of jagged rocks. This fall is going to count as a heavy attack due to the lethal combination of height and hazardous landing.”

Heat & Cold

Heat and cold are treated in similar ways during play. First, it requires exposure from a source, which can be either naturally occurring elements, like fire or a blizzard, or created and used with intent, for example as hitting someone with a flaming torch or pushing someone into a frozen icy sea. Sometimes, magic or beasts with cursed powers can afflict heat or ice harm as well. These types of dangers can both inflict harm over time and increase its harm type, depending if the exposure continues or not (fire and heat ignites some materials and spread fast, while ice and cold increase its intensity slower, if not a heat source is found to counter it).

Attack Type – Heat and cold increases its attack type one step in severity (heat increase every turn, while cold every scene) until the elements are extinguished, countered, or removed somehow. Only certain types of facets and qualities protect against fire (wet, moist, or unignitable) and cold (insulated or warm).
Harm Type – All fire harm has the burned quality, while ice has frozen.

“Crossing the blistering salt desert under the noon sun, you and your party start to feel the harsh effects of the sun’s and the desert’s salty reflections, burning your skin and eyes. If you don’t find a way to cool down, shade or something similar, the situation will escalate into a dangerous challenge that you need to face. The heat starts out as a light attack, intensifying one step for every scene you can’t get away from it.”

Poison

A poison is either ingested or dispensed upon someone, either forcefully, such as on a weapon, or in secret, like through food or drinks. It’s potency describes how dangerous it is, as a set of condition facets used as disadvantages when facing the challenge to resist it. If it is used on a weapon, the extra facets works against you during the conflict and allows the user to inflict an extra condition on the target (picked from the potency facets). If ingested or taken in a non-violent way, it requires you to face a challenge separately, using only vigor to resist, modified by the potency facets. If you fail or get a costly success you suffer harm as if it was a conflict, but taking one additional conditi0ns (again, picked from its potency facets).

Poison Potency – A poison’s potency is described by between one and five potency facets, one being the weakest and five being the most potent there is. Common potency facets are agonazing, bleeding, delirious, mortifying, and paralyzing, but there are countless of other types as well.

“Shortly after the meal concludes, you begin feeling the unmistakable signs of being poisoned – a sharp agonizing sensation courses through you. You’ll need to quickly resist the poison’s potency with your vigor successfully to avoid its debilitating effects.”

Disease

Diseases are treated the same way as poisons, and are described by one or more potencies. The difference is that they are contagioius, so instead of being ingested it is enough of being exposed to, physically (touch) or in the near vicinity (air). Any exposure has to be faced as a challenge, using only vigor, modified by the potency facets.

Disease Potency – A disease’s potency is, just like poison’s, described by between one and five potency facets, one being the weakest and five being the most potent you can encounter. Common potency facets are feverish, bleeding, delirious, pox-spreading, and paralyzing, but there are countless of other types as well.

“After spending days and nights in the damp, rat-infested dungeon, you have a feeling that symptoms start to manifest – you’re showing signs of a feverish condition. You’ll have to face the disease’s potency with your vigor, or it’ll probably start taking a toll on your health.“

Suffocation

Being suffocated over time is a lethal threat, and includes strangulation and drowning. Every second turn you are not able to breathe, you are suffocating. It works similarly to bleeding, but harm you much faster. The only thing you can do is to either try to thwart the cause of your suffocation by facing a challenge using brawling, or in another way try to get hold of fresh air again. Every turn you cannot break the hold keeping you from breathing, you will take harm.

Suffocation – If not broken free, the suffocation counts as light harm taken again every second turn, which reduces the health track one step. If not countered in some way, you will die.

“Caught in the ogre’s vice-like grip, you struggle for air. You’re facing suffocation; unless you can break free within the next turn, you’ll start to suffer harm from the lack of oxygen.”

Traps

A trap is treated as an attack in a conflict, dealing harm in the form of an attack type and various harm types, depending on its construction and nature. A man-made trap, made to catch or kill an animal, usually has a regular or heavy attack type, and a piercing or grappling harm type. Sometimes they also have a scale facet, if they are made to catch bigger prey. A trap is often hidden, but can be revealed in time by skilled potential victims triggering it.

Attack Type – Anything from light types and upwards. Sometimes also scale facets in parallel.
Harm Type – Depending on the trap and its purpose, it can have anything made to make the prey survive, such as capturing, immobilizing, or grappling, or instead crushing, piercing or slashing. If a PC runs into a trap, they must face a challenge to reveal it, or suffer a surprise attack with all its facets working as disadvantages.

“As you carefully attempt to navigate through the temple, a misplaced step, or something you accidentally nudged, triggers a hidden trap, sending a barrage of piercing darts flying towards you. You’ll need to face a challenge successfully to avoid the sudden, but luckily, light attack.”

Fear

Encountering entities or situations that evoke fear, which is dealth with like a danger, and has to be faced like a challenge. Fear has a potency similar to poisons and diseases, carrying facets like terrifying, bestial, hideous, or demonic, which affects the challenge as disadvantages to be resisted using the spirit trait.

The potency of fear, akin to poison potency, is determined by condition facets that hinder resistance efforts. Failing or costly succeeding in this challenge leads to suffering conditions based on the fear’s intensity, ranging from panic-inducing to soul-shaking. Catastrophic failures add an extra condition.

Fear Potency – An entity’s fear potency is described by between one and five potency facets, one being the least and five being the most terrifying you can be exposed to. Common sustained conditions from fear is apathic, enraging, panicking, shaking, and transfixed, but there are countless of other types as well.

“The sudden appearance of a terrifying and supernatural specter sends a shiver down your spine. You can only use your spirit to face this challenge, and you need to do it successfully to not suffer a fear condition from this ghostly threat. Deduct two dice from your spirit trait and make the roll!”