TEXT: 
  RULEBOOK
  
  
  Game Design
  Greg Christopher
  Artists:
  Layout Design: 
  Greg Christopher
  Alexandra Alvarsson: morphera.deviantart.com
  Inessa Kirianova: ines-ka.deviantart.com
  Art Direction:
  Greg Christopher
  Eren Arik: www.darkbrush.net
  Anton Kolyuhk: mantontheblog.blogspot.com
  Typesetting:
  Greg Christopher
  Mathia Arkoniel: www.mathiaarkoniel.com
  Ekaterina Kovalevskaya: edarlein.deviantart.com
  Cover Artist:
  Mathia Arkoniel
  Nicholas Avallone: www.angryfungus.com
  Camille Kuo: camilkuo.deviantart.com
  www.mathiaarkoniel.com
  Johannes Barte: www.johannesbarte.se
  Marcus Lindgren: marcodalidingo.deviantart.com
  Chan Delun: delun.deviantart.com
  Ben Lo: benlo.deviantart.com
  John Dotegowski: www.johndotegowski.com
  Matt Manard: umbrafox.deviantart.com
  Max Emmert: burnz08.deviantart.com
  Rod Mendez: rodmendez.deviantart.com
  Carolyn Gan: wredwrat.deviantart.com
  Gordon Napier: www.dashinvaine.co.uk
  Kip Hayes: xero-sama.deviantart.com
  Britt Newstead: daestwen.deviantart.com
  Christian Hecker: www.tigaer-design.com
  Phanou: phanou36.deviantart.com
  Jimmy Jacobsson: www.jimmyjacobsson.se
  Thomas R: formenost.deviantart.com
  Kaila Johnson: www.kailajohnson.com
  Alison Smith: lixiethedomedone.deviantart.com
  Norah Khor: wolfie-chama.deviantart.com
  Travis Wright: apneicmonkey.deviantart.com
  A Note about Contributors
  All of the artwork in this book has been donated by the artists. In addition to the above 
  credits, each image placed in the book links back to the artist’s gallery. Please take the time to 
  visit them and consider buying a print. This book would not have been possible without the 
  generosity of these artists. I am eternally grateful for their support. I am also grateful for the 
  constructive criticism of my friends and family. 
  Copyright Notice
  Except as otherwise identified, all written portions of this book ©2011 Greg Christopher, 
  all rights reserved. All artwork in this book is owned by its artist. The mention of, use of, 
  or reference to any company, trademark or product in this book is not a challenge to the 
  trademark or copyright in question. This book is not for sale. Download a free copy at   
  www.chubbyfunster.com.
  Dedication
  This book is dedicated to my friend Craig Brasco. 
  He has been a steady friend through the long 
  and treacherous path of writing a series of RPGs, 
  providing advice, insight, and opinion when 
  others left me hanging in the wind. As a graphic 
  designer, he has also provided me with invaluable 
  technical advice on a variety of issues over the 
  years. Thanks Craig, I cannot express how much I 
  appreciate your friendship.
  Additionally, this book is dedicated to my wife and 
  our two children. I will love you always.
  
  
  Table of Contents
  Basics
  Characters
  Equipment
  Campaigns
  Mechanics
  Magic
  Vaena
  Architecture
  Click to Navigate
  
  
  Novarium is a roleplaying game (RPG). It is typically played by a group 
  of four to six people, usually around a table. The goal of the game is to 
  participate in an interesting, collaborative story and to have fun doing it. 
  To tell the story, you roleplay a character. There are no winners or losers 
  because the game is about cooperation.
  One person, called the Architect, is in charge of managing the game 
  and establishing the basis of reality in the world. Every other person 
  around the table controls a single character in the world, similar to a 
  character in a book or movie. People who are controlling characters are 
  called players. The game involves using your imagination to determine 
  how your character will interact with an imaginary world. The world 
  and everything in it, including all of its non-character inhabitants, is 
  described by the Architect.
  The Architect describes where your characters are in this world and 
  in return each player tells them what they would like their characters to 
  do. Your decisions should be played out through improvisation based on 
  how you feel your character would react. The rules for adjudicating the 
  success and failure of these actions is contained in this book. The game 
  system uses dice – the same dice that you find in traditional board games 
  – to add the element of chance.
  Sometimes your characters will fail. Other times they will succeed. 
  The odds of success are based on your character design. The method for 
  creating a character is contained in the next chapter. Your character will 
  have better chances of success at some actions and poorer chances with 
  others based on the choices you make during this process. Elements of 
  your character not directly covered by game rules are open for you to 
  design however you wish. As a player, you are responsible for giving 
  them a personality, a unique flavor, and roleplay that at the table.
  Basics
  
  The Flow of Play
  The Architect controls the world. She has made notes about the 
  personalities of the other people in the world, such as the innkeeper, 
  sheriff, soldiers, and so on. She has also prepared challenges for the 
  characters, typically in the form of combat with some kind of enemies 
  who are working in opposition to the player’s goals. She has usually 
  created a dastardly villain with diabolical plans, which the players must 
  struggle to overcome. As the players take actions in the world, interact 
  with its inhabitants, solve problems, etc., the job of the Architect is to 
  fairly determine the outcomes of those actions, assisted by the rules.
  The game is often played out over 
  several months in game sessions of 
  several hours each, organized at a 
  regular interval such as once per week. 
  One session may be only one element in 
  a series of adventures that together make 
  up a campaign. The length of the game 
  and its complexity depends on both the 
  creative and management abilities of the 
  Architect and the contributions of the 
  players. 
  However, players are not passive 
  observers. They are the primary actors. 
  The game is like a novel whose pages are 
  blank until you read them. The future 
  is based on your real-time decisions, 
  not written ahead of time. The story is 
  dynamic, complex, and unpredictable.
  
  
  A game of Novarium involves you describing to the Architect what 
  you want your character to do. You might tell the Architect you want to 
  open a door, swing a sword, cast a spell, and so on. In general, we refer 
  to such requests as actions. We can sort actions into three types: simple, 
  standard, and opposed. 
  In the case of simple actions, no dice are used. You tell the Architect 
  that you want to walk forward a few feet and they nod agreement. You 
  tell them you want to open the door and, if it is unlocked, there should 
  be no reason why you can’t just open the door. No dice are thrown. 
  For the other two types, dice are used to determine the outcome. There 
  are several types of dice used in the game, all of which can be easily 
  acquired at a local hobby shop or through an internet retailer. These 
  dice have 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 sides. They are referred to using a shorthand 
  method of a lowercase d and the number of sides on the die. A d6 is 
  therefore a six-sided die. When you are rolling multiple dice, place a 
  number in front to denote that. For example, 3d6 represents rolling three 
  six-sided dice.
  What do the dice represent?
  Dice represent the nature of the task and all the little nuances that 
  make something difficult. Dice also reflect the components of the task 
  that are too minor to be quantified, but that add up. In a sword fight, it 
  might mean the uneven nature of the floor or the way in which the light 
  streams in through a small window to blur your vision. Dice represent 
  those things that you cannot predict, but that end up being very 
  important. Dice are the fickle hands of fate on your life’s thread.
  How many dice do you roll?
  There are guidelines presented throughout this book on how many 
  dice you should expect to roll for a wide range of potential actions. All 
  action resolution rolls rely upon ten-sided dice, including casting magic. 
  All damage rolls rely upon six-sided dice. However, ultimately the 
  Architect is the final arbiter of how many dice you must roll for a given 
  task. They use their judgement to determine how challenging something 
  is to accomplish.
  
  
  Opposed Actions
  Opposed actions are those where two entities are attempting to affect 
  the same outcome. I am trying to stab you with my sword and you are 
  trying to prevent me from doing so. Unlike a wall, I can change and react 
  to your behavior. I am fluid and dynamic, and so are you. In this case, we 
  both roll dice and we compare the relative outcomes. Thus our capacities 
  are not judged alone, but in opposition to each another.
  An opposed action is resolved by first making 
  a roll very similar to a standard roll; by rolling 
  a number of difficulty dice and comparing the 
  sum to a relevant attribute, with a potential trait 
  bonus. Once both sides roll, their margin of 
  success is determined and whoever succeeded 
  by a larger margin is the victor. Opposed rolls 
  can get really interesting because both sides can 
  be making their own rolls against a different 
  number of difficulty dice. 
  For example, you may be shooting an arrow at 
  me. However, I may be hidden in a dark doorway 
  and you may be standing in a well-lit street. I 
  can see your movements clearly and that makes 
  my dodge easier while you have a very hard time 
  seeing me and that makes your shot just a little 
  bit harder.
  With the Architect’s guidance, you roll three 
  dice and get a result of 13. This is a good roll and 
  it is less than your agility (15). You succeed by 2. 
  Unfortunately in this case, the Architect decides 
  that I only have to roll 1 difficulty die and I get a 
  result of 3. Even though I have an average agility 
  of 10, I succeed by 7. I notice the arrow in time 
  and snap back to avoid it. You missed.
  Standard Rolls
  Standard actions are situations where an average person faces a 
  significant risk of failure. Yes, you might fall down walking across the 
  room, but that is extremely unlikely. However, trying to pick the lock on 
  that door is something else entirely. Someone wants to keep you out of 
  there and they designed the lock to do so. The average person has a very 
  good chance of failing. As a consequence, you have to roll dice.
  A standard action is resolved by rolling a 
  number of ten-sided dice, called difficulty 
  dice, and comparing that number to a relevant 
  attribute. You may have a trait that gives you a 
  bonus in certain specified situations.
  For example, you say you want to climb a wall 
  to escape from some monsters and the Architect 
  tells you to roll your fitness attribute. They decide 
  that you must roll two difficulty dice to represent 
  the nature of the task. You roll two dice and get a 
  result of 12. This is lower than your fitness (15). 
  You are successful and make it to the top of the 
  wall without falling and/or injuring yourself.
  Saves
  When someone makes a standard roll with 
  the intention of avoiding a negative outcome, it 
  is referred to as a save. While it is mechanically 
  no different from a standard roll, this distinction 
  is important. Some traits give bonuses that 
  specifically apply to rolls, saves, or both. 
  Furthermore, you cannot take any preparatory 
  actions after you have been informed of a save. 
  Rocks falling down the hill are not going to 
  stop while you dig around in your backpack for 
  something to help you. 
  
  
  “Like a wolf,
  evil waits in the dark,
  watching,
  sniffing,
  plotting,
  for that moment
  when it can run down
  and snatch everything
  you have ever worked
  for and fought to protect,
  and devour it all.
  The wolf cannot be appeased.
  Someone must stand against him,
  to fight for what is good and right.
  Will it be you, Sister?”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	5:17
  
  
  ◊ Step 1: Attributes
  Roll up your attributes and assign them
  ◊ Step 2: Identity
  Choose an identity that represents who you are
  ◊ Step 3: Traits
  Choose the traits that make your character unique
  ◊ Step 4: Languages
  Decide which languages your character knows
  ◊ Step 5: Ambitions
  Decide what motivates your character
   ◊ Step 6: Magic
  If capable of magic, choose your talents
  ◊ Step 7: Equipment
  Buy some equipment using your starting gold
  ◊ Step 8: Attachment
  Integrate your character into the Novarium
  Characters
  
  Creation Process
  
  
  Agility
     Coordination, speed, and aiming ability
  Fitness
     Muscular physique and general health
  Knowledge
     Information known about the world
  Magnetism
     Passive social influence that affects others
  Perception
     Awareness of the environment around you
  Willpower
     Mental defense and determination
  Attributes
  Your character has six attributes that define their basic strengths and 
  weaknesses as a person. Attributes range from 3 to 18 and a 10 or 11 
  in an attribute is an average value. They represent the quirks of your 
  biological inheritance and your own efforts in life so far. 
  Attribute Generation
  There are three methods of generating attribute scores. Everyone 
  playing the game must use the same method. You should all decide as a 
  group on a method before you make any characters.
  Method : 
  The classic and recommended way of generating attribute scores is by 
  rolling 3d6 a total of six times and then assigning them to the attributes 
  you want. This gives you an average character that fits well into the 
  mathematical models of the game.
  Method : 
  If you want characters that have above average attribute values, you 
  can roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die. This is a significant enhancement 
  statistically, so be sure that it is what you want to do. The game materials 
  are often balanced based on the assumption of Method 1, so going with 
  this method can result in easier play.
  Method : 
  If you want the flexibility to determine your attributes so that you can 
  get specific outcomes, you can use this method. Each attribute has a 
  starting value of 6. You may then roll 8d6 and add the dice rolled to the 
  attribute of your choice. Dice may not be split between attributes.
  For example, if one of the dice rolled was a four, you could add that 
  to an attribute to raise it from 6 to 10, but you could not add 3 to one 
  attribute and 1 to another. You can add as many dice as you want to a 
  single attribute, but no attribute can be raised higher than 18. 
  
  0
  Agility
  Agility represents the speed at which information is processed in 
  the brain. It is integral to hitting your opponents in combat as well as 
  throwing and catching objects. It affects your reaction time, how quickly 
  you take actions both in and out of combat, and whether you can move 
  fast enough to get out of the way of incoming attacks. 
  Characters with a high agility value think faster than other people 
  and are capable of reacting at incredible speeds. They are graceful 
  and coordinated, thus making excellent archers and thieves. They are 
  dangerous opponents in combat because of their aim and speed.
  Characters with low agility are clumsy and uncoordinated. Injury 
  only makes them more so. If you are ever reduced to zero agility, your 
  character is completely physically incapacitated and unable to move.
  Fitness
  Fitness represents the health of your physical body. It is a measure 
  of your raw lifting, pushing, and throwing power. It also reflects your 
  cardiovascular ability under exertion and the resilience of your immune 
  system. It is also the attribute most often damaged.
  A character with a high fitness attribute rarely gets sick and easily 
  fights off the effects of poisons, diseases, and other dangers. They are 
  tough and resilient in a fight, capable of using brute force to solve many 
  of their problems, and can even be somewhat intimidating to others. 
  Higher scores mean they may survive a wound that might kill a lesser 
  person. They are often the last ones standing when the chips are down.
  Characters with low fitness are frail and weak. If you are ever reduced 
  to zero fitness, your character is completely physically incapacitated and 
  unable to move. 
  Knowledge
  Knowledge represents the information present in the character’s 
  mind. This dramatically impacts your ability to understand complex 
  information and draw the right conclusions, but it does not represent 
  your innate intelligence. Because it serves as the basis of thought, 
  knowledge is essential for working with advanced technology, creating 
  new equipment from parts, and higher-order thinking as a whole.
  Characters with a high knowledge attribute are respected by others. 
  While high values are usually correlated with greater intellect, simply 
  having a high value does not make the character particularly wise. 
  You may be very educated but lacking in common sense. It is your 
  responsibility to role play your character’s actual intellect. 
  Characters with low knowledge are ignorant and often foolish as a 
  result. Some extremely rare injuries result in knowledge loss, which 
  manifests as amnesia. If you are ever reduced to zero knowledge, your 
  character is mentally incapacitated and unable to think or act coherently 
  because they lack any sort of reference to make a decision.
  
  
  Magnetism
  Magnetism represents your innate appeal to others. This is a passive 
  effect that is uncontrollable and has probably resulted in a million small 
  favors throughout your life. People just have a certain feeling about you 
  and this attribute represents the strength of that. Magnetism is also 
  strongly correlated to how you assess your own worth as a person.
  Characters with a high magnetism have a strong passive effect on those 
  around them, that often is paired with strong leadership. However, it 
  must be remembered that magnetism is not leadership or even a moral 
  compass. While you might use your influence over others for good, you 
  might just as easily be a megalomaniac out for yourself. Such choices are 
  yours as the player, not determined by attributes.
  Characters with low magnetism are often outcast and ignored by 
  others. Some injuries, such as those which cause deformations or a loss 
  of confidence, result in magnetism loss. If you are ever reduced to zero 
  magnetism, your character is completely mentally incapacitated and 
  unable to think or act because they believe they are worthless.
  Perception
  Perception represents the ability to concentrate, notice things about 
  the world, and handle multiple tasks at once. Perception is often used 
  in the game to determine what you observe going on around you. It can 
  determine whether you see that gold earring lying in the dust or notice 
  the storm clouds forming on the horizon.
  Characters with a high perception are able to see things that others 
  might miss and create things that are too detailed for others to duplicate. 
  They are rarely surprised and generally able to perform tasks requiring a 
  steady hand and a clear mind.
  Characters with low perception are often physically defective, having 
  poor hearing, eyesight, or some other malady. Some injuries result in 
  perception loss, which manifests as loss of sensory capacity. If you are 
  ever reduced to zero perception, your character is completely mentally 
  incapacitated by virtue of having no input from the outside world.
  Willpower
  Willpower represents the ability to make decisions under stress. 
  Combat and injury can cause large amounts of stress and characters 
  unable to deal with it will have trouble functioning. Willpower is also 
  essential to how well you can resist fear and disorientation, as well as 
  many mind-altering magical effects. 
  In conversation, the Architect may determine that certain failures 
  on your part will result in willpower loss, such as if you try to seduce 
  someone and they are strongly disinterested. The shame of failure can 
  cause you to lose faith in yourself.
  Characters with a high willpower attribute are able to keep their cool 
  under stress and still perform necessary tasks. They can keep performing 
  actions and keep moving when their body is begging for rest. They can 
  push far beyond the point when a normal person would give up.
  Characters with low willpower are indulgent and disorderly. They 
  cause mischief and mayhem for others to deal with. Injuries resulting 
  in willpower loss are rare, but many monsters and spells can damage 
  willpower. If you are ever reduced to zero willpower, your character is 
  completely out of your control and surrendered to the Architect.
  
  
  Novaria
     A female magic user with incredible powers
  Tavaria
     A female knight with a mix of abilities
  Sculari
     A male warrior with strong combat abilities
  Rendari
     A male thinker with many non-combat abilities
  Elves
     A mystical demi-human race with mixed powers
  Dwarves
     A tough demi-human race that excels at combat
  Halflings
     A talkative demi-human race with healing powers
  Identity
  Identity is a composite concept that represents the remainder of your 
  biological inheritance, your life experience up to this point, and your 
  training or occupation. This choice will have a powerful impact on 
  the game experience that you have with your character. It defines your 
  character’s role in the world, frames what they are capable of doing, and 
  often what they aspire to be. 
  Weapon Training
  Each identity comes with a selection of weapons in which you are 
  trained. If you attempt to use a weapon without training, apply a -3 
  penalty to your attribute to reflect your unfamiliarity.
  Starting Gold
  Each identity comes with a number of dice rolled to determine starting 
  gold. Dice are rolled and multiplied by 10. For example, a Novaria rolls 
  5d10 and multiplies the result by 10. If they rolled a 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9, they 
  would start with 250 gold pieces.
  Attribute Bonus
  Every identity except Halflings grants a bonus to an attribute.
  Gender
  Some identities come with a gender requirement. For example, a 
  Novaria must be a female and a Sculari must be male.
  Identity-Specific Abilities
  Some identities come with abilities that make them unique compared 
  to the other choices. For example, Halflings have a powerful healing 
  ability which is unmatched except by a few very lucky Novaria. Be sure 
  to write down these abilities on your character sheet so that you don’t 
  forget them. You may also want to make a few notes about how they 
  work to avoid having to reference the book again.
  
  
  The Sigil of God: 
  The last step of a Novaria’s apprenticeship is to learn to draw a Sigil 
  of God. This is a magical rune that can be drawn on a stone tablet and 
  placed inside the pool surrounding a font. While in the pool, the magical 
  essence spilling into the Mortal realm cannot be twisted or tainted by a 
  demon. The pool is completely protected from demonic influences. This 
  rune is known only to Novaria and anyone caught desecrating a Sigil of 
  God is immediately declared a profligate.
  Literacy & Language: 
  Novaria are the only identity that is literate. They have access to 
  written languages as a result and share a certain sense of camaraderie. 
  This gives Novaria access to a world of knowledge stored in dusty tomes 
  and hidden libraries. Further, they recieve special treatment by authority 
  figures, consulted for their advice on unusual matters, and generally 
  respected by the population at large. This is a mark of distinction. 
  Novaria
  Novaria are talented female humans. They have endured a long 
  magical apprenticeship providing them with training in how to fully 
  tap into their gift. They are far more powerful magic users than the 
  average woman. In addition to their magical prowess, a Novaria is also 
  highly educated and socially respected. Novaria often assume leadership 
  roles due to their social standing and typically high intelligence. They 
  are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to fight evil and this is often 
  inspirational to those around them. 
  Weapon Training: 
  • Dagger 
   
  • Quarterstaff  
  • Club
  Starting Gold: 5d10
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Willpower 
  Magical Apprenticeship: 
  All human females have the Gift of Light. However, a Novaria is much 
  better than a normal woman due to extensive training and practice. 
  Where a normal woman has two talents for magic, a Novaria has 
  cultivated five additional talents through training for a total of seven. 
  Furthermore, Novaria can recognize magic that is being cast or in effect, 
  as well as to enhance magic through the use of essence. 
  Force of Will: 
  Novaria are able to literally demand magic to work as they desire 
  through force of will. A Novaria can choose to take 1 willpower damage 
  in order to remove the lowest difficulty die result from a casting roll. 
  They can use this ability multiple times, however it cannot remove the 
  last die from the roll. This is a powerful ability to force magic into being, 
  but it is very draining on the caster and must be used with great care.
  For example, if a Novaria rolled three dice and got a 3, 5, and 8, they 
  could spend 1 willpower point to remove the 3 and lower the result from 
  16 to 13. They could spend another willpower point to remove the 5. 
  However, they cannot remove the 8 by spending a 3rd point.
  
  
  Aggressive Parry: 
  Any character can stop an opponent’s 
  weapon from hitting them by placing 
  their weapon in the way, however doing 
  so may  cause the abandonment of 
  their own combat action. A Tavaria can 
  parry a single attack each round without 
  giving up their own action. They can 
  also parry after having made their own 
  attack earlier in the round.
  For example, in a battle with two 
  Gremlins, a Tavaria could attack one of 
  the Gremlins as a normal part of combat 
  and then be attacked later in the round 
  by the other Gremlin. She could then 
  parry this second attack. Alternatively, 
  if one Gremlin attacked her early in the 
  round, she could parry that attack and 
  still make her own attack later.
  The Mark of Knighthood: 
  All Tavaria receive a set of chainmail 
  and a longsword from their knight 
  patron when they have completed their 
  training as a squire. This is bestowed 
  upon them in a public ceremony that 
  affirms their oath of service to the Path 
  of Light and the human community. 
  These items are provided for free at 
  character creation and do not have to 
  paid for out of starting gold. Tavaria 
  often retain this armor long after they 
  have acquired more powerful protection 
  for the sentimental value it holds.
  Tavaria
  Tavaria are talented female humans that have a mix of combat strength 
  and diverse skill training. They are the knighted nobility in the human 
  kingdoms and the standard bearers of the political class. Tavaria 
  characters are unique in that they are errant knights who do not owe 
  fealty to any lord. Instead, they are loyal to only their Novarium.
  Tavaria are assigned to a fellow knight for tutelage when they reach 
  physical maturity and leave their birth home permanently to serve as 
  a squire to their knight. This results in extensive travel and Tavaria are 
  renowned for their worldly experience.
  Weapon Training: 
  • Longsword  
  • Spear  
   
  • Club
  • Bows 
   
  • Dagger 
   
  • Hand Axe
  Starting Gold: 4d10
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Fitness
  The Gift of Light: 
  All human females have the Gift of Light, granting them the ability to 
  cast spells. Tavaria are the same as any other woman in this respect.
  Well-Travelled: 
  Tavaria travel extensively as a result of their social station and can learn 
  an additional spoken language for free. They are assumed to be familiar 
  with the etiquette and customs of any region to which you travel, unless 
  the Architect specifically indicates that an area is isolated.
  Enforcer of the Light: 
  Tavaria take the Path of Light extremely seriously, believing it to be 
  the bedrock of social order. Unlike other characters who might note the 
  failings of others silently, Tavaria are quick to point out when the Path 
  has been broken and encourage the offender to make amends. This can 
  make them something of a pariah in certain circles.
  
  
  Aggressive Block: 
  Any character can stop an opponent’s weapon from hitting them by 
  placing their shield in the way or enjoy the passive damage reduction 
  afforded by a shield. However, a Sculari can block a single attack each 
  round without giving up their own action. This is adjudicated as if they 
  were performing a block action. 
  For example, in a battle with two Ogres, a Sculari could attack one of 
  the Ogres as a normal part of combat and then be attacked later in the 
  round by the other Ogre. He could then block this second attack, making 
  an agility roll to move their shield into place, and thereby negate that 
  attack completely. This is a powerful advantage in combat and gives the 
  Sculari a strong edge in small unit engagements.
  Combat Styles: 
  Sculari have access to specialized combat styles to assist them in 
  melee combat. Each style reflects the emphasis of one type of fighting 
  maneuver at the expense of another.
  When created, a Sculari can choose two combat styles. You can name 
  them whatever you wish and you can choose two combat statistics to 
  modify from the following list: damage, armor, and to hit. One of the 
  statistics is raised by an amount equal to twice your character level, the 
  other is lowered by half that amount (rounded down). A Sculari learns a 
  new style every level until they have every possible combination.
  Using a Style: At the beginning of one of their actions in combat, a 
  Sculari can activate a style (if none are active) or switch to a new style. 
  The statistical changes go into effect as soon as the change is declared, 
  affecting rolls made for the action(s) taken that turn. You can name your 
  styles however you desire.
  For example, a 2nd level Sculari who is using Angry Bear style might 
  get a +4 bonus to all damage dealt but suffer a -2 penalty to armor. 
  Alternatively, they might use Striking Falcon style to gain a +4 bonus to 
  hit and suffering a -2 penalty to damage.
  Sculari
  Sculari are talented male humans that have proven themselves and 
  received significant training in martial combat. This training is far more 
  comprehensive than any other identity. They are also physically more 
  powerful than their female counterparts, but suffer social drawbacks as a 
  result of their masculinity.
  A human male is treated very poorly in human society. They do 
  not enjoy the same legal rights as women and they are subjected to 
  moderate discrimination. Many women believe that men are stupid, lazy, 
  untrustworthy, promiscuous, and unable to act as responsible citizens. 
  This colors their interaction with them.
  Men are incapable of holding 
  titles to property, thus prohibiting 
  them from owning pretty much 
  anything that they cannot carry or 
  ride. A man’s word is worth less in 
  court than a woman’s and therefore 
  when they are victimized they have 
  great difficulty seeking redress. 
  Most women will not take a man’s 
  opinion seriously on almost any 
  subject matter unless the man 
  has a clear unambiguous claim to 
  expertise.
  A Sculari is typically in a position of minor subordination within the 
  party, either by serving under a Novaria or simply due to a culturally 
  conditioned reluctance to be assertive. 
  Weapon Training: 
  • All Melee Weapons
  Starting Gold: 3d8
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Agility
  
  
  Mechanical Aptitude: 
  A Rendari has enormous talent for performing precision work with 
  their hands, particularly on small machines or devices. Such work is 
  undervalued by women due to the prevalence of magic, but highly 
  valued in the male community.
  They gain a +5 bonus to any attempts to arm or disarm traps intended 
  to be sprung on people or animals entering an area or using an object 
  (such as a door). They also gain a +3 bonus on any roll or save that 
  involves interaction with a machine, automaton, or other complex 
  technological device that is not a trap.
  Streetwise:
  Rendari have an uncanny 
  ability to know where illicit 
  activity is going down and 
  how to take part in it. They 
  automatically succeed on 
  any Magnetism rolls or saves 
  made to talk to someone 
  about illicit activity. This 
  could be asking questions 
  around town to determine 
  who might be the local 
  crime boss or sweet talking 
  your way into a criminal 
  establishment to engage in 
  some illegal entertainment 
  like 
  gambling 
  or 
  prize 
  fighting. A Rendari knows 
  how to talk in a way that 
  doesn’t 
  startle 
  or 
  alarm 
  people who are trying to 
  keep their affairs secret.
  Rendari
  Rendari are talented male humans that have specialized non-combat 
  abilities. This makes them valuable resources to other characters. They 
  have unmatched utility in solving problems, but suffer social drawbacks 
  as a result of their gender.
  A human male is treated very poorly in human society. They do 
  not enjoy the same legal rights as women and they are subjected to 
  moderate discrimination. Many women believe that men are stupid, lazy, 
  untrustworthy, promiscuous, and unable to act as responsible citizens. 
  This colors their interaction with them.
  Men are incapable of holding titles to property, thus prohibiting them 
  from owning pretty much anything that they cannot carry or ride. A 
  man’s word is worth less in court than a woman’s and therefore when 
  they are victimized they have great difficulty seeking redress. Most 
  women will not take a man’s opinion seriously on almost any subject 
  matter unless the man has a clear unambiguous claim to expertise.
  A Rendari is typically in a position of minor subordination within the 
  party, either by serving under a Novaria or simply due to a culturally 
  conditioned reluctance to be assertive. 
  Weapon Training: 
  • Club  
   
  • Dagger 
   
  • Hand Axe
  Starting Gold: 3d6
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Knowledge
  Bonus Traits: 
  A Rendari has spent most of his time cultivating unique skills that 
  are extraordinarily useful and often illicit in nature. They can take two 
  additional traits during character creation to reflect this, so long as the 
  traits are not directly related to combat or weapons skills. The choice 
  of traits is yours, but you might want to talk with other players and see 
  what kind of special skills might be useful to have before you choose.
  
  
  Elves
  Several centuries ago, an Elven elder named Wodonaz made a pact 
  with a demon in an attempt to gain immortality for his people. The 
  demon granted his demands by inflicting a curse upon Elves that 
  required regular consumption of magical essence. So long as they 
  consumed essence regularly, their bodies would stay vibrant and young. 
  However, if they failed to do so, they would wither and die. 
  The Elves were an ancient race 
  that used to have a flourishing 
  civilization 
  with 
  advanced 
  technology, a robust culture and 
  strong physical form. Then the 
  curse spread throughout Elven 
  society like a virus and persists 
  today. There were too many 
  Elves and far too little essence to 
  sustain them. Unable to satisfy the 
  demon’s bargain, Elves perished 
  by the thousands. The few that 
  remain have wronged so many 
  while trying to acquire essence 
  that Elves have reputations as 
  thieves and ne’er-do-wells. People 
  are skeptical of them and keep an 
  eye on their valuables when an Elf 
  is nearby. 
  Weapon Training: 
  • Dagger 
   
  • Shortsword  
   
  • Rapier
  • Club 
   
  • Quarterstaff  
   
  • Spear
  Starting Gold: 4d10
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Magnetism
  The All-Seeing Eye: 
  Elves can detect the magical eminence radiating off of a font. It appears 
  to be a soft blue fog that hangs in the air. It can be very dense around 
  saturated fonts. Elves are completely immune to the illusory effect of the 
  eminence as well and do not have to make a perception save to resist it.
  Mind Reading: 
  Elves can open their minds to the internal monologues of other 
  individuals. This functions similar to reading someone’s thoughts 
  magically. However, for every one minute of contact, the Elf will be lost 
  in thought for ten minutes after the reading.
  Hallucinations: 
  Elves experience powerful hallucinations and visions, with a few days 
  between occurrences. These events have a 1 in 6 chance of occurring 
  while the Elf is awake, otherwise it happens while they are sleeping. 
  Sometimes these are manifestations of their own minds, sometimes they 
  channel the minds of nearby individuals, sometimes they are divine/
  demonic in origin. The Elf has a difficult time distinguishing these 
  visions from real life. Elves are enigmatic Cassandras that issue vague 
  warnings that tend to come true, but are often not understood.
  Shadow Life: 
  The Elvish curse makes Elves appear to be undead to other undead 
  creatures. As a result, they function as if invisible to undead for all 
  intents and purposes. For magical purposes, they are treated as undead 
  and not living beings. This means that most spells based on the Life 
  materia do not affect Elves. 
  Consumption: 
  The Elvish curse demands the consumption of one essence point per 
  season. It is for this reason that Elves often choose to throw their lot in 
  with the Novaria. A steady supply of essence is an Elf’s dream existence. 
  However, no Elf is guaranteed a free lunch. They must legitimately 
  acquire the essence they consume, just like anyone else.
  
  
  Dwarves
  Several millennia ago, Dwarven civilization was the height of their 
  technological prowess, a culture with extensive innovation including 
  steam power. Then they developed a method of replacing their blood 
  with a thick sap-like alchemical substance called Aguloin. This granted 
  them a number of advantages. An unexpected side effect was that over 
  time, it stripped them of their ambitions and drive to succeed. They 
  became a shadow of their formerly active selves. Reproduction rates 
  plummeted, innovation ceased, and a lack of passion caused society 
  to disintegrate. Further, it was discovered that babies born to mothers 
  with Aguloin blood had subtle defects in their physiology that did not 
  emerge until they reached puberty. Dwarves that exist today have been 
  genetically scarred by this effect.
  Dwarves retain a number of cultural 
  mannerisms that are off-putting to most 
  humans. They are largely non-superstitious, 
  believing that anything in the world can be 
  explained with adequate study. They have 
  no problem with examining dead bodies or 
  the wounded in order to figure out how the 
  body works. This is disturbing to Humans 
  and Dwarves suffer from social prejudice as 
  a consequence. Due to this inability to fit in, 
  they often find themselves in the company of 
  elite nobility that are willing to ignore these 
  foibles or as members of a Novarium where 
  they can find equitable treatment.
  Weapon Training: 
  • Battleaxe  
  • Warhammer  
  • Morningstar
  • Mace 
   
  • Dagger
  Starting Gold: 4d10
  Attribute Bonus: +2 to Perception
  Thick Blood: 
  Even though Aguloin use has now been abandoned, Dwarvish blood 
  is still thicker than a normal human’s (or an ancient Dwarf’s, for that 
  matter). It clots easily and this can form terminal clots in the heart once 
  a Dwarf reaches their thirties. Almost all Dwarves that exist today are 
  very young (average age in the early 20s). They are energetic and bold, 
  seeking to build a reputation quickly and leverage that into a family so 
  that they might leave a legacy. They are also very lusty and flirtatious. 
  A Dwarf bleeds more slowly due to their thick blood, taking only 1 
  point of fitness damage every 30 minutes instead of 15. They also have 
  a total immunity to intoxication from alcohol. They can also hold their 
  breath for twice the standard duration and drugs/toxins have twice 
  the standard duration of effect on a Dwarf (for good or ill). However, 
  Dwarves gain 3 age points for each failed aging roll, instead of only 1.
  Dwarven blood also grants them an extraordinary resistance to cold. 
  They take one-fourth damage from cold (magic or otherwise) and they 
  can stay in cold environments with very little hardship. A Dwarf can 
  operate normally in light clothing all the way down to a few degrees 
  below zero. In heavy clothing, they can operate normally in almost any 
  environment regardless of temperature. They are immune to frostbite as 
  well, unless suffering from magical cold damage.
  Surgeon:
  Dwarves can apply simple bandages, create and attach splints, carry 
  wounded individuals, and provide bedside care to the afflicted without 
  a roll. Furthermore, they can engage in a wide range of advanced actions 
  like accurately cutting through tissue with a blade, removing objects 
  thrust into the body (such as arrowhead shards), moving body parts 
  back into the correct place to maximize healing, and closing the body 
  back up after it has been cut open (either by the surgeon or a wound). 
  Once the work is finished, make a perception roll at a +3 bonus to see 
  how well you performed your duties. This results in attribute healing 
  based on the Architect’s judgment. However, a successful roll generally 
  heals 1 or 2 attribute points. You can retry a failed roll the next day.
  
  
  Halflings
  Halflings are a relatively new race, believed to 
  have emerged from a hunter-gatherer existence 
  at about the same time as Humans. They have 
  a number of quirks that make developing 
  civilization much harder for them, so they still 
  live in relatively isolated communities or as a 
  part of Human society. Halfling are very short, 
  only about three feet tall, and covered in thick 
  body hair in many areas. 
  Weapon Training: 
  • Dagger 
   
  • Shortsword
  • Club 
   
  • Spear
  Starting Gold: 2d10
  External Dialogue: 
  Halflings are essentially incapable of internal dialogue. They are 
  extremely impulsive and blurt out what they are feeling on an almost 
  constant basis. A Halfling that attempts to deceive someone in any 
  way has a 50% chance of failure due to blurting out something that 
  undermines the deception. Halflings also talk in their sleep, extensively...
  The Halfling player is strongly encouraged to not have any kind of 
  backstage conversation and always talk in-character at the table.
  Perfect Memory: 
  Halflings have near perfect memories. Any time the Architect 
  introduces information that would trigger a memory, they must alert the 
  Halfling, who will then promptly blurt out the information to everyone 
  else due to their external dialogue. For example, some people in a 
  town might mention someone named Aramon living in another town 
  who is really annoying. When they go to the next town, the Halfling is 
  introduced to Aramon and promptly says, “hey, this the guy that they 
  said was really annoying!”
  Diggers: 
  Halflings are excellent diggers, capable of digging at four times 
  the normal rate. They feel at home in the earth and never suffer from 
  claustrophobia. For centuries, they didn’t even build homes they just dug 
  small tunnels into the ground and slept in them. While travelling, this 
  remains the preferred sleeping accommodations for the halfling. Prior 
  to their using ponies for the job, Halfling farmers plowed their fields 
  by hand. Halflings are often able to bypass hazards or obstructions by 
  digging under or around them. 
  As a result of all this digging, they are nearly constantly dirty. The 
  social ramifications of this are limited only to offending members of 
  high society and people who are obsessively clean. Despite all this 
  digging, Halflings are not very adept at stone work because most of their 
  structures are temporary in nature and rarely made with stone.
  Healing Touch: 
  Azakriel also gave the Halflings a divine gift when he came to Earth. 
  This gift created an innate connection to the sun and the healing energy 
  of the heavenly realm. Every morning, if the Halfling prays while in the 
  direct light of the dawn, they gain a healing blessing.
  If expended before sunset, the blessing can heal a number of points of 
  attribute damage equal to three times their character level (this will stop 
  bleeding as well). After sunset, it fades to merely providing an amount 
  of healing equal to their character level. At the next dawn, it fades away 
  completely. Of course, it can be regained again if you perform the prayer. 
  Gift of Gab: 
  Halflings have a natural talent for language and can learn two 
  additional spoken languages for free. However, they have no form of 
  written language, nor can they learn one using the Literate trait. They 
  literally do not have the ability to really even understand what a written 
  language is, aside from being symbols that hold special value to other 
  races. Every Halfling community has it’s own spoken and Halflings use 
  other spoken languages extensively.
  
  0
  Traits
  Every character can choose four Traits. They represent aspects of your 
  personality, as well as the unique abilities and special talents that your 
  character possesses. Each trait has a simple and straightforward effect.
  Acrobatic
  Escape Artist
  Mimicry
  Acumen
  Fast Metabolism
  Mule
  Animal Friend
  Faster Recovery
  Naturalist
  Artisan
  Favored Enemy
  Negotiator
  Brute
  Fearless
  Obtuse
  Catcher
  Forger
  Ordained
  Catfall
  Gambler
  Orienteer
  Cautious
  Heir
  Pathfinder
  Climber
  Heraldric
  Pious
  Clarity
  Imposing
  Quick
  Common Sense
  Innocent Face
  Quick Draw
  Cunning
  Infernalist
  Rage
  Debonair
  Intimate
  Renowned
  Delinquent
  Investigator
  Sailor
  Digger
  Jumper
  Slippery
  Disguise
  Lawgiver
  Snatcher
  Drinker
  Leader
  Theologian
  Dual-Wield
  Light Sleeper
  Thief
  Duelist
  Light Step
  Tongues
  Eidetic
  Lip Reading
  Undertaker
  Elegant
  Literacy
  Weapon Training
  Engineer
  Literati
  Wrestler
  Equestrian
  Lucky
  Youthful
  Acrobatic: 
  You can perform amazing feats of balance where others would fall. You 
  can usually walk across narrow beams, tightropes, ice slicks, and surfaces 
  covered with liquid without falling. In most cases, you automatically 
  keep your balance on these kinds of surfaces. However, truly extreme 
  situations such as an oil covered log over a pit of flames may still result 
  in a save, subject to Architect judgment.
  Acumen
  You have the skills to manage a household, estate, farm, business, 
  or similar endeavor. This is very important for long term wealth 
  management and actual governance of territory, should you ever gain 
  noble title. Any rolls or saves made in relation to territorial or wealth 
  management gain a +5 bonus.
  Animal Friend: 
  You are received well by animals. Normal animals do not react 
  negatively to your presence, though if you are overly threatening they 
  may run away. This protection does not extend to anyone traveling 
  with you. Any rolls or saves to control a normal animal for work or as 
  a mount are done at a +3 modifier. Supernaturally large or aggressive 
  animals are considered monsters and are unaffected.
  Artisan
  An artisan is someone who creates things with their hands. This is 
  actually a number of related traits with the same concept. You must 
  specify a specialization when you choose this trait. For example, you can 
  take Artisan - Blacksmith or Artisan - Seamstress. When engaging in the 
  craft selected, you benefit from a +5 bonus. When engaging in a related 
  field (requires Architect approval), you benefit from a +2 bonus. You 
  may take this trait multiple times for different specializations.
  Brute: 
  You always seem to hit harder than most people. Add +1 to all damage 
  rolls using melee weapons.
  
  
  Catcher: 
  You have a knack for catching flying objects. You automatically catch 
  anything intentionally thrown to you. You also have a 50% chance of 
  catching anything thrown within reach of you. This ability does not 
  cover things thrown at you or someone near you. You cannot catch flying 
  daggers or arrows.
  Catfall: 
  You have a knack for landing on your feet. You take half damage from 
  all falls. If you fall over 250 feet, you are still doomed.
  Cautious: 
  You have a cautious way about you. Whenever the Architect calls for a 
  save to see if you set off a trap, roll twice. If you succeed on either save, 
  the trap doesn’t go off.
  Climber: 
  You are an adept climber. You can attempt to climb surfaces that most 
  people would simply write off as too difficult, such as a sheer rock face. 
  You make all rolls and saves involving climbing with a +3 bonus.
  Clarity: 
  You have a powerful intuition that allows you to see through some 
  of the distortions caused by a font’s eminence. You still need to make 
  perception saves to move through an area covered by eminence, 
  however you will make them with a +5 bonus. The bolstering effect that 
  the eminence has on spellcasting still affects you normally. Elves cannot 
  take this trait, since they already have a similar ability by virtue of their 
  identity. 
  Common Sense: 
  You just know the right thing to do. If you commit a social faux pas by 
  saying something that is socially awkward or inappropriate, the Architect 
  can allow you a magnetism roll to see if you can take back what you 
  said and replace it with an alternative statement. However, abuse of this 
  ability should eventually have consequences...
  Cunning
  You are a master of lies. You gain a +3 bonus to any roll or save with 
  the intention of deceiving someone. This covers lies of omission, 
  commission, and half-truths. It also covers long-term deceit with the 
  intent to undermine someone’s reputation, such as through courtly 
  intrigue or cleverly falsified evidence.
  Debonair: 
  You have a certain swagger in the presence of young people. There is 
  just some kind of special romantic air about you. They want to be around 
  you whenever possible and will sometimes foolishly follow you just to 
  see what you are doing. Any magnetism roll or save against a young 
  person gains a +3 bonus.
  Delinquent
  You are adept at interacting socially with the criminal class. You 
  can almost always find a fence for stolen goods, access black market 
  merchants, or find any similarly illicit contacts. You are a master of 
  etiquette, tact, dress, and paying proper respect to individuals that 
  deserve it within this community.
  
  
  Digger: 
  You have a special bond with the earth. You love to get dirty, either in a 
  garden or digging underground. You can dig through loose dirt and rock 
  at a rate equal to your fitness (instead of the normal half fitness) in cubic 
  feet per hour of work. Heavier materials with stones or metals will take 
  more time to dig through, but you still dig at double the rate of a normal 
  person. Halflings cannot take this trait, since they already have a similar 
  ability by virtue of their identity. 
  Disguise: 
  You have a knack for changing your appearance. With access to 
  adequate materials, you can change your appearance so thoroughly that 
  those looking upon you do not even get a roll to notice your ruse. With 
  improvised materials or when under time pressure, you still get a +3 
  bonus to any attempts to disguise yourself. 
  Drinker:
  You have a way of keeping your wits despite consuming large quantities 
  of alcohol. If there is a rumor to be learned in a social gathering where 
  alcohol is being consumed, you will hear it. 
  Dual-Wield: 
  You can use two weapons simultaneously in combat, provided each 
  weapon can be used in one hand. This does not give you two attacks, but 
  makes you more likely to land a blow. You gain a +3 bonus to hit and 
  if you hit you roll damage for both weapons. However, you deal 2 less 
  damage total because you are slightly off balance when swinging your 
  weapons in tandem.
  Duelist: 
  You are an expert swordsman. When using a longsword or rapier, you 
  get +3 to your parry attempts. You also can fight in light armor and gain 
  +3 to your armor result if you are using a shield.
  Eidetic: 
  You have a perfect photographic memory. You can ask the Architect 
  for any information they have previously told you and you will get a 
  reliable answer. Halflings cannot take this trait, since they already have a 
  similar ability by virtue of their identity.
  Elegance: 
  You are well received in the world 
  of the nobility. Any attempt to 
  interact socially with nobility and/
  or royalty enjoys a +3 bonus. This 
  covers matters of etiquette, tact, 
  dress, and paying proper respect to 
  individuals that deserve it within this 
  community.
  Engineering: 
  You are trained in construction 
  and design. You gain a +5 bonus to 
  any attempt to construct or modify 
  a large structure. This covers aspects 
  of masonry, carpentry, architectural 
  design, 
  and 
  defensive 
  strength. 
  You can build a house, palisade, 
  siege tower, bridge, fort, castle, 
  or even underground complexes. 
  Such actions are performed over 
  an extended period of time with 
  occasional checks to make sure you 
  are on the right track. The Architect 
  always makes these rolls in secret 
  and you must determine the quality 
  of the structure yourself.
  
  
  Equestrian: 
  You are at home on horseback. You are able to perfectly control your 
  mount in virtually all non-combat situations. Even when required to 
  make rolls or saves, such as guiding a mount in combat or engaging in 
  complex and dangerous maneuvers like jumping over a pit of lava while 
  being chased by a horde of orcs, you do so at a +5 bonus.
  Escape Artist: 
  Ropes and chains cannot hold you down. You can make an agility roll 
  every 15 minutes to escape from bonds of any kind. The Architect may 
  impose a penalty for really good bonds. 
  Faster Metabolism: 
  Your body processes occur at a much faster rate compared to others. 
  All time units that affect toxins and drugs are halved. They gestate faster 
  and they do not last as long. Dwarves cannot take this Trait, due to their 
  blood curse.
  Faster Recovery: 
  Your body is able to mend itself faster than most. You heal double your 
  roll to heal through inactivity for a season, instead of just the normal die 
  result value. 
  Favored Enemy: 
  You have a lot of experience fighting a certain type of creature. You 
  get +2 to hit and +2 to damage against one race, species, or monster 
  type of your choice. Examples include Orcs, Goblins, Giants, Dragons, 
  Elementals, Golems, Elves, Dwarves, etc. You may take this trait multiple 
  times for different specializations.
  Forger: 
  You have a talent for duplication. You can perfectly reproduce any 
  written document if you have an original copy, even if you don’t know 
  the language.
  Gambler: 
  You have a gift for games of chance. Any time you gamble, you come 
  out ahead in the end. Be careful though, sore losers may accuse you of 
  cheating and make claims against your honor.
  Heir: 
  You have just benefited from a sudden financial windfall due to 
  the death of a relative. It played a large role in your decision to go 
  adventuring. You inherit 10d10 x 10 gold.
  Heraldric:
  You automatically know the meaning of heraldric symbols from your 
  home region. When traveling, you pick up the differences quickly and 
  keep track of what is being used by each noble house. When identifying 
  heraldry you have never seen before, you get a +3 bonus. 
  Imposing:
  You are over six feet tall. You gain +1 to any social roll or save where 
  you would benefit from intimidating your conversation partner with 
  your physique. This also includes attempts at seduction. You cannot take 
  this trait if you have a fitness less than 13.
  Innocent Face: 
  You have cultivated a look of innocence. When suspicion exists, you 
  are overlooked. When evidence surfaces, it is mistrusted. You must be 
  caught red-handed to even be a suspect.
  
  
  Infernalist:
  You have extensive knowledge 
  about the infernal forces of devils 
  and demons. This information can 
  be very important in your efforts 
  to defeat evil. You gain a +5 bonus 
  to knowledge rolls and saves to 
  determine if you know information 
  about a particular demon, devil, or 
  some aspect of evil magic. 
  Intimate
  You are able to more easily 
  form deep personal connections 
  with others. You can form strong 
  relationships very quickly, whether 
  they are friendships, love affairs, or 
  even political alliances. Any attempt 
  to leverage such a relationship to 
  your benefit gains a +3 bonus.
  Investigator:
  You have a talent for getting information out of people and solving 
  mysteries. You gain a +3 to any attempts to determine the facts of a 
  situation based on evidence presented or through the use of probing 
  questions. The most common such use is in discerning truth from 
  falsehood. However, it can also be used to assist in making difficult 
  decisions such as choosing between several horses for purchase, 
  interpreting a letter written with innuendo and hidden meaning, or 
  determining the quality of a structure or item. 
  Jumper:
  You can jump farther and higher than a normal person. For most 
  jumps, you automatically succeed. Whenever the Architect forces a roll 
  to see if you leap a certain distance, you get a +3 bonus.
  Lawgiver:
  You have a natural air of authority. In a chaotic town hall meeting, 
  people look to you for guidance. Your word can stop a vigilante in their 
  tracks. Even legal officials occasionally seek your guidance in difficult 
  situations. You gain a +5 bonus to any attempt to convince a group of 
  people to follow your suggested course of action.
  Leader:
  You have a tactical ability in small unit combat. If everyone on your 
  side of a conflict acknowledges your leadership, they gain +1 to hit in 
  combat. You must be able to give orders in order to have this effect (e.g. 
  you cannot be magically silenced or gagged).
  Light Sleeper:
  You only need 4 hours of sleep each night to feel rested instead of the 
  usual 6 hours. You always wake up immediately if there is an audible 
  disturbance or if you are touched in any way.
  Light Step:
  You walk softly. Anyone trying to hear you suffers a -2 penalty. You 
  also do not leave tracks when you walk in the wilderness. Anyone 
  attempting to track you automatically fails. 
  Lip Reading:
  You can try to read someone’s lips if you cannot hear what they are 
  saying. The Architect will roll dice in secret to determine what you 
  think you see them say. You have a 40% chance of getting a good idea 
  of what is being said, a 40% chance of being unable to glean any useful 
  information, and a 20% chance of completely misunderstanding what 
  they are saying. 
  Literacy:
  You are able to read and write in a single written language of your 
  choice, except Solari. Novaria cannot take this trait because they are 
  already literate as a result of their training.
  
  
  Literati:
  You are an exceptional writer. Any studies that you write take one less 
  season than normal to compose. Any tracts that you write can be used to 
  compose scrolls without giving the reader an extra difficulty die to roll as 
  a consequence. You must already be literate to take this trait. This gives 
  no benefit whatsoever when copying a book.
  Lucky: 
  You have a knack for finding hidden treasures. Any time the Architect 
  rolls to see if anyone finds such things, you roll twice. 
  Mimicry: 
  You can imitate the voices of other people. This can extend to other 
  races if they are close to your vocal pattern. For example, a Human could 
  mimic an Elf or possibly an Orc, but not a Dragon. Anyone who is very 
  familiar with the person you are imitating can make a perception save 
  to detect your ruse. Dwarves gain a +2 bonus against you when you 
  attempt to use this trait.
  Mule: 
  You can carry more weight than an average person. You can carry up 
  to six times your fitness before becoming immobilized and you can carry 
  three times your fitness comfortably. 
  Naturalist: 
  You have extensive knowledge of the uses of plants and animal 
  products. You are a master of activities like hunting, gathering, 
  constructing simple shelters, skinning animals, and so on. You know 
  helpful information such as which parts of a fruit to avoid so that you 
  don’t get sick or how to extract a poison from the venom sacs of a snake. 
  You roll two extra dice when searching for food or water. 
  Negotiator: 
  You have a talent for negotiating with strangers in strange places. If 
  you are in front of the party and able to speak to those encountered, 
  subtract 1 from any result you have on the intentions table when starting 
  an encounter.
  Obtuse:
  You are unable to pick up on the majority of indicative body language 
  and social cues. As a result, you can rarely tell when someone is offended 
  or upset by something you have said unless they react in a way that 
  cannot be misinterpreted (e.g. punch you). Every failed social roll or save 
  appears to you to have only slightly failed. People eventually conclude 
  that you completely lack tact and social grace. However, you never lose 
  willpower from failing a social roll.
  Ordained:
  You are an ordained minister of the church. This grants you slight 
  reprieve from the law in certain circumstances as well as the benefit of 
  the doubt in conversations with authority figures. However, anyone 
  opposed to the church would transfer their opposition to you as well and 
  you may be called upon to occasionally perform public service.
  Orienteer: 
  You are an expert at land navigation. When moving in territory 
  familiar to you, you never have to make perception rolls or saves to stay 
  on track. In unfamiliar terrain, you gain a +5 bonus to such activities.
  
  
  Pathfinder:
  You have a talent for finding the best way through an unknown area. 
  Every time you move through a sizeable geographic area, you can make 
  a perception roll to find a natural game trail or path to follow through it. 
  If successful, you can locate this path on a future journey to pass through 
  without another roll. 
  Pious: 
  You have a deep and unabiding religious faith. This grants you a +1 
  bonus on any save to resist the magic of demonic forces and reduces 
  all damage from demons by 1, regardless of whether it is magical or 
  physical in nature. 
  Quick:
  You can move around faster than most. You can take a move and 
  attack or move combat action and move twice as far as someone with 
  your agility. This does not remove the to hit penalty of the move and 
  attack or improve your armor bonus while doing a move.
  Quick Draw:
  You can draw a weapon with incredible speed. You can take a draw 
  and attack combat action without the normal penalty to hit. 
  Rage:
  You are hot-headed with a loose temper. You tend to lose control of 
  yourself when discussions get heated. However, you do not have to make 
  morale saves when damaged in combat.
  Renown:
  You are well known to the common folk for past deeds. You must 
  craft a story for what exactly happened to you. You gain a +1 bonus to 
  all social interactions with someone who is aware of your reputation. 
  However, you suffer a -2 penalty to any attempt to conceal your identity, 
  whether through disguise or some other kind of subterfuge.
  Sailor
  You are a master of all possible activity aboard a naval vessel of any 
  size, from a lowly rowboat to a mighty galley. When navigating at sea, 
  you gain a +5 bonus to perception rolls or saves to stay on track. When 
  engaging in naval combat or risky operations, you gain a +3 bonus. 
  Standard naval operations can be conducted without a roll or save. 
  
  
  Thief
  You have spent a lot of time on the wrong side of the law. You gain a 
  +3 bonus to any attempt to steal or cheat by virtue of superior manual 
  dexterity, such as palming a coin when no one is looking, concealing a 
  playing card in your sleeve, or even picking locks. 
  Tongues:
  You are able to take an extra spoken language.
  Undertaker
  You have been exposed to the dead on such a scale that it no longer 
  bothers you. Perhaps you were an actual undertaker, served in a bloody 
  war and saw a lot of wounded, or maybe you are the one doing most of 
  the killing. Regardless, you are never shocked or frightened by the dead, 
  undead, or even shaken very much by threats on your own life. You have 
  seen the abyss beyond and it no longer scares you. 
  Weapon Training:
  You have learned how to use a certain weapon in combat. This can 
  even be with weapons that no identity has training in, such as crossbows. 
  You can also use this to learn how to use a normal weapon as a thrown 
  weapon, such as throwing daggers or axes. You can throw a weapon a 
  number of feet equal to your fitness. You can take this trait multiple 
  times, each time for a different weapon.
  Wrestler:
  You are experienced at grappling combat. Add +3 to all rolls made 
  while grappling.
  Youthful:
  You maintain your youthful vigor longer than the average person. You 
  automatically succeed on your first aging roll. You also get a +2 bonus to 
  every subsequent one.
  Slippery: 
  You are adept at concealing yourself in strange places. In mere seconds, 
  you can stuff yourself into barrels, pipes, chests, closets, and underneath 
  beds. Unless your pursuers are truly dedicated, they are unlikely to look 
  in the kind of places you pick. 
  Snatcher: 
  You are adept at knocking an 
  enemy’s weapon from their hand 
  during combat. You can make a 
  parry 
  against 
  someone 
  within 
  reach, even if they are not attacking 
  you. If they are not attacking you, 
  they can make an attack roll, but 
  only for purposes of adjudicating 
  the parry (i.e. it does not strike 
  anyone). If successful, you knock 
  their weapon out of their hand 
  and onto the ground nearby. Any 
  time you successfully parry with 
  a margin of success of 5 or more 
  while having a free hand, you grab 
  the weapon for yourself.
  Theologian
  You have extensive knowledge 
  of the Book of Azakriel and the 
  revealed information about the 
  Three Realms. This information can 
  be very important in your efforts 
  to defeat evil. You gain a +5 bonus 
  to knowledge rolls and saves to 
  determine if you know information 
  about a particular angel, divine 
  magic, or even God herself. 
  
  
  Written Languages
  Some languages that were used extensively in the 
  past now only exist in fractured remnants. Dwarves 
  and Elves used to have their own languages, now 
  lost to time as their people have been scattered and 
  settled in human territories. Goblins and Orcs are 
  the descendants of civilized cultures that existed 
  before the Dwarves and Elves. A vast richness of 
  ancient history exists in Vaena and artifacts may 
  still remain. For the most part, Novaria are the 
  only kind of characters capable of reading anything 
  written in these kind of languages. While literacy 
  used to be common in the ancient empires, it has 
  largely become a lost art known only to an elite few 
  and this makes such knowledge very valuable. 
  In addition to their normal language allotment, a Novaria begins 
  play with the ability to read, write, and speak in the angelic language 
  Solari. This was the language taught by Azakriel. For the most part, this 
  language is not used for conversational purposes, but instead for written 
  and religious oration. It is the written language for humanity.
  Languages
  Every character begins play with the ability to speak at least one 
  language. The exact number known varies based on your knowledge. 
  Due to the primitive education systems of the time period, all characters 
  are functionally illiterate except Novaria. Characters can become literate 
  by taking it as a trait, but that is unusual in the population at large.
  Someone who is illiterate may still be able to understand signs and the 
  meaning of some symbols. They may even be able to recognize a few 
  words such as the name of their King, religious terms, or their family 
  surname. However, they cannot read or write a letter, nor can they 
  understand a church liturgy given in Solari. Higher education is also 
  unavailable to them and they cannot seek many civil appointments.
  Spoken Languages
  A character begins play knowing the spoken language of their home 
  region. Unless the Architect provides strong guidelines for this, you are 
  free to create a name and brief description of your home region. Perhaps 
  you are from Aernik, the barbarian lands of the frozen north. Since 
  Novarium is designed to be played within an area called a Mark, there is 
  little danger of your choice undermining the Architect’s work.
  Groups of spoken languages are clustered under a common parent 
  language. If you know the parent, you may be able to understand a 
  portion of what is being spoken in each language in that group. When 
  you take a spoken language, you must also select/create a parent group. 
  You may take multiple languages that fall under the same parent. In fact, 
  it is more realistic if you do so. If you are choosing a language that is 
  provided in the setting material by the Architect, the parent group will 
  be specified already and you can just take note of it.
  You are strongly encouraged to collude with other players when 
  creating these languages, so that several characters may share the same 
  parent language while having their own vernacular beneath it. Maybe a 
  few characters share the same home region and this serves as a strong 
  bond between them.
  Elvish
  Dwarven
  Goblin
  Orc
  Giant
  Infernal
  Draconic
  Sylvan
  Elemental
  Knowledge
  Starting Languages
  3 - 12
     1 spoken language
  13
     2 spoken languages
  14
     2 spoken languages, 1 written language
  15
     3 spoken languages, 1 written language
  16
     3 spoken languages, 2 written languages
  17
     4 spoken languages, 2 written languages
  18
     4 spoken languages, 3 written languages
  Note that only Novaria will gain the written languages noted in this chart. 
  All other identities gain only their spoken language allotment.
  
  
  Solari 
  Solari is the celestial language taught to humanity by Azakriel during 
  the composition of his book in anticipation of the Gift of Light. Many 
  words are only understandable to someone capable of magic, as they 
  refer to emotions and sensations created by magic. Since the language is 
  primarily used to discuss magical concepts or to write out magical spells 
  on scrolls, almost everything written in Solari is incomprehensible to 
  anyone that is not a human female; including all demi-human races and 
  the male half of the human race. 
  Solari makes the extensive study of magic that has occurred in the 
  centuries following Azakriel’s death possible. The Order of Novus 
  has compiled huge libraries of texts on magical theory, practice, and 
  speculation. Solari allows a Novaria to write a magical spell down on a 
  scroll for use later without risk of failure (although without the speed of 
  improvisational casting).
  Older magical texts found in the world are unlikely to be written in 
  Solari because of it’s relatively recent appearance. However, before they 
  were cursed the Elves kept extensive libraries of magical texts that may 
  be of value to a Novaria, if they can read Elvish.
  While Solari can be spoken it is not common practise. Occasionally 
  the Novaria will use to hold privet conversations in public place or when 
  speaking to Angels. Angels materializing in the mortal realm are always 
  fluent in Solari and is the primary language they use for communication. 
  While they may speak other languages they do so to a limited extent.
  The Importance of Language
  The world is currently in a dark age of incredible proportions. The 
  civilization that remains is fractured and divided by rough terrain, 
  monstrous dangers, and the forces of evil. It is highly likely that you will 
  encounter people with whom you share little in common and who have 
  a very low level of trust. Being able to communicate with fearful and 
  paranoid people can be essential.
  The Importance of Literacy
  In the past several hundred years, both the Elvish and Dwarven 
  empires have disintegrated. This has left behind vast ruins and large 
  quantities of documents that may contain magical or technological 
  value. Such items are useless without the language skills to understand 
  them. Further, writing is the gateway to vast stores of information that 
  have been saved, as well as conducting any form of magical research or 
  writing magic scrolls.
  
  0
  Ambitions
  Every character has two types of ambitions; major and minor. 
  Ambitions represent what drives your character to take actions and 
  should serve as a useful method for shaping development over time. 
  They exist purely for your benefit as the player to provide a framework 
  for you to express what your character wants out of life.
  It is important to remember that ambitions should encourage the 
  growth of the character, not restrict them. If you feel like you are being 
  held back by your ambitions, change them.
  Major Ambitions
  At character creation, you must specify the major ambition of the 
  character. This represents an achievement which, if accomplished, would 
  cause the character to retire from the adventuring life. You gain a +3 
  bonus to any roll undertaken with a clear and direct linkage to your 
  major ambition.
  For example, you might decide that it is your major ambition to 
  acquire a castle overlooking a lake, all of which is contained within land 
  that you hold rightful title to, so that you may pass that to your heirs. 
  While money would ultimately assist in such a goal, any generic effort to 
  acquire money would not get a +3 bonus. However, a negotiation with 
  the Duchess to grant you a specific parcel of land overlooking a lake in 
  exchange for returning her son unharmed, would qualify for the bonus.
  The major ambition also shows the Architect what your character is 
  generally concerned about doing with their life. They can make efforts to 
  present opportunities to achieve those goals. 
  As a player, you should keep in mind that this is what your character is 
  really interested in achieving. If the group is spending too much time on 
  tasks that are not related to fulfilling this ambition, perhaps you should 
  try to get the other characters to help achieve your own ambitions.
  Major Ambition Examples
  Minor Ambition Examples
  Acquire a noble title
  Befriend a particular noble
  Find your true love
  Form a romantic relationship
  Rise to a political position
  Bend the ear of a politician
  Defeat an existential evil
  Defeat a minor evil
  Acquire a huge amount of money
  Establish comfortable savings
  Avenge a terrible wrong
  Avenge a minor slight
  Cleanse a region of monsters
  Drive away minor monsters
  Topple a powerful villain
  Depose a minor villain
  Establish a stronghold
  Acquire a small property
  Achieve quasi-deity power
  Interact personally with God
  Make a pilgrimage & return
  Travel to an isolated shrine
  Locate a powerful magic item
  Find a minor magic item
  Explore a large territory
  Travel to a distant place
  
  
  Minor Ambitions
  At any time during the course of play, you can create a minor 
  ambition. This represents a short-term goal that occupies the character’s 
  immediate thoughts. When created, you must negotiate an Experience 
  Point value with the Architect that will be given to the character if they 
  achieve the ambition. This value should represent the relative difficulty 
  of accomplishing the task. You can have up to three different minor 
  ambitions at one time.
  Example Minor Ambition Negotiations
  These are presented as guidelines to provide reasonable expectations 
  for both the players and the Architect.
  Example : 
  There is rumored to be a warlock that inhabits the forest along the 
  ridge line. Townsfolk have claimed that he has made some pact with a 
  demon for magical power and uses it to injure and maim hunters that 
  venture too far into his territory. Exactly what other vile affairs he 
  conducts within his sanctum are yet to be seen.
  You tell the Architect that you wish to make defeating this warlock 
  a minor ambition of yours. If defeated, you will be rewarded with 100 
  experience points. The Architect agrees, but offers to pay 250 instead as a 
  wicked grin begins to stretch out across her face. This may be more than 
  you bargained for...
  Example : 
  A rival Novarium is suspected of stealing essence from your fonts while 
  you were away adventuring. It is a risky political gamble to take them on, 
  as they possess more resources than you and are well positioned within 
  the church to defend themselves. 
  You tell the Architect you wish to take on the rival Novarium for the 
  reward of 500 experience points if you can shame them in front of the 
  order and perhaps get their title revoked. She agrees.
  
  
  Magic
  If your character is capable of casting magic, then they will have values 
  in two elements which combine to make magic possible: Methods and 
  Materia. Every kind of potential magic comes from the intersection of at 
  least one element from each of these categories.
  Methods & Materia
  Each method represents a way in which magic acts upon reality. If you 
  are good in a particular method, it means that you are good at shaping 
  reality in that way. It may be helpful to think of a method as a tool of 
  sorts. No tool is necessarily better than the others, they serve different 
  needs. For example, a hammer and a needle are both good at a particular 
  kind of task, but not at a task for which they are not suited.
  Each 
  materia 
  represents 
  an 
  aspect of the world which you are 
  acting upon with your methods. 
  When you combine a method with 
  a materia, you can create a spell. 
  For example, you might combine 
  negate and earth to cause a wall 
  to disintegrate. If you changed the 
  method to create, you might be 
  able to magically create a wall of 
  stone out of thin air. Alternatively, 
  if you changed the materia to 
  water, you could cause a stream to 
  dry up and disappear.
  For more information on the 
  nature of casting magic and the 
  full details for each method and 
  materia, consult the Magic chapter.
  Air
     Weather Forces
  Death
     Corpses & Souls
  Demon
     The Power of Evil
  Earth
     Soil & Rock
  Fire
     Flames & Lava
  Holy
     The Power of Good
  Life
     Animals & Plants
  Light
     Light & Dark
  Sound
     Hearing & Noise
  Thought
     The Mind
  Time
     The Flow of Time
  Water
     Water & Ice
  Materia
  Methods
  Control
     Controlling movement and trajectory
  Create
     Bringing something new into existence
  Imbue
     Enhancing something with a magical effect
  Negate
     Completely remove something from existence
  Protect
     Preventing things from injuring you or your allies
  Sense
     Detecting something that exists in the world
  Strike
     Causing damage to something with a materia
  Transform
     Changing the inherent nature of something
  Starting Values
  Each method and materia has a numerical value with a similar range 
  and mechanical function to an attribute. A normal woman has a starting 
  value of 5 in every method and materia. They may choose two in which 
  to be talented, raising those values to 9. A Novaria can choose five 
  additional talents to represent their training, for a total of seven. She may 
  also focus heavily on one particular type of magic if desired, selecting 
  one method or materia twice and rising to a value of 13.
  
  
  Equipment
  Every character begins play with an amount of gold pieces that may 
  be used to purchase whatever equipment they are carrying around with 
  them in the world. This value is determined by a number of dice based 
  on identity. Roll the appropriate number of dice and multiply the result 
  by 10 to get the total amount of gold to spend.
  You can spend this money however you wish, using the Equipment 
  chapter as a pricing guide, but it is likely to far exceed your needs. Most 
  heavier armor is outside of your price range (except a Tavaria, of course) 
  and your basic needs are fairly easy to provide. It may be useful to hold 
  a significant percentage of your starting wealth in reserve, in case you 
  need to put a plan in motion once the game begins and you need some 
  money to grease the wheels.
  The complete encumbrance rules are found in the Mechanics chapter. 
  However, for simple assessment at this point in the character creation 
  process, your character can comfortably carry twice their fitness score 
  in pounds. So if you have a fitness of 10, you should not purchase more 
  than 20 lbs of equipment unless you have some way to carry it around, 
  like a mule or a cart (or both).
  Attachments
  The group of all characters of all players is referred to as the Novarium. 
  The Novarium is it’s own character, in a sense, as it represents the 
  combined aspirations of the group. For more information on how 
  the Novarium is formed and maintained, consult the Campaign 
  Management chapter.
  However, as an essential final step for any character, you must choose 
  one other character within the Novarium that you do not control with 
  which to form an attachment.
  An attachment represents a strong interpersonal bond between the 
  two characters. It could be based in friendship, love, blood relation, or 
  a similar connection. Your character has a strong interest in seeing your 
  attachment partner grow and succeed at their ambitions in life. The web 
  of attachments between all characters forms the complex social bond 
  that keeps the Novarium functioning.
  Whenever your attachment partner is in danger, you gain a +3 bonus 
  to any direct action to save them. For example, attacking the person 
  threatening them. Also, whenever they achieve their ambitions, you 
  receive a portion of the experience points earned.
  Now you are
  ready to play!
  
  
  “There are few things more poisonous than coin.
  It corrupts a woman’s heart, twists her into foul deeds,
  and leaves the soul empty and destitute.”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	7:13
  
  
  Economic System:
  The world of Novarium is in a dark age. Market economic logic that 
  you may have from your personal life today does not apply to this 
  situation. There is no market to price goods and services accurately. In 
  the absence of these forces, the people have resorted to the classic store 
  of values; metal coins, precious gems, and commodities.
  There is no large-scale political system to provide a standardized 
  currency. The old empire are long gone. However, there are three basic 
  coin types that are in circulation; copper, silver, and gold. Exchange rates 
  are listed to the right.
  Additionally, some mercantile associations rely upon trade bars to 
  conduct their business. Trade bars typically represent 500 coins of the 
  same type, thus a Silver Trade Bar would have a value equal to 50 gold 
  coins, 500 silver coins, or 5000 copper coins.
  At a certain point, however, the weight of these metals becomes 
  prohibitive. Then it may become advantageous to switch to precious 
  gemstones as a store of value. There are no values listed in the chart to 
  the right because the value is dependent upon the size and quality of the 
  stone. Ultimately, the GM decides upon the exact value of any gemstone. 
  Whether you can get that price trying to sell it is another issue entirely. 
  The GM may call for knowledge roll to set a price.
  Finally, some types of goods retain their value when sold. They do 
  not depreciate in the process of the sale. These are called commodities. 
  Barrels of wine or rolls of linen are example commodities. While they 
  may be difficult to transport, commodities may be the best store of value 
  available in certain circumstances.
  Exchange Rates
  Copper
  Silver
  Gold
  Copper
  1
  1/10
  1/100
  Silver
  10
  1
  1/10
  Gold
  100
  10
  1
  Types of Precious Gemstones
  Agate
  Diamond
  Malachite
  Ruby
  Alexandrite
  Emerald
  Obsidian
  Sapphire
  Amber
  Garnet
  Onyx
  Tiger’s Eye
  Amethyst
  Jade
  Opal
  Topaz
  Aventurine
  Jasper
  Pearl
  Tourmaline
  Coral
  Lapis Lazuli
  Peridot
  Turquoise
  Equipment
  
  The Value of Magical Items:
  There are magical items that exist in the world. They are not found 
  in this book because their very nature makes them something that you 
  should not know about as a player. 
  The rules in the Magic chapter for imbuing magical items is just the tip 
  of the iceberg in terms of what is possible with magical enchantments. 
  In some cases, magic items introduced by the Architect appear to simply 
  break the rules of the game. 
  Magic items are priceless and anyone who would sell one is a fool.
  
  
  Weapon Type
  Damage
  Range
  Cost
  Weight
  Battle Axe
  2 dice
  -
  100 gp
  5 lbs
  Bow
  1 die
  50 feet
  60 gp
  1 lb
  Club
  1 die
  -
  -
  1 lb
  Crossbow
  2 dice
  100 feet
  250 gp
  4 lbs
  Dagger
  1 die
  -
  2 gp
  1 lb
  Flail
  3 dice
  -
  120 gp
  3 lbs
  Greatsword
  3 dice
  -
  130 gp
  4 lbs
  Hand Axe
  1 die
  20 feet
  10 gp
  1 lb
  Longsword
  2 dice
  -
  120 gp
  3 lbs
  Mace
  2 dice
  -
  60 gp
  3 lbs
  Morningstar
  2 dice
  -
  110 gp
  3 lbs
  Quarterstaff
  1 die
  -
  -
  1 lb
  Rapier
  1 die
  -
  80 gp
  2 lbs
  Scimitar
  2 dice
  -
  80 gp
  3 lbs
  Shortsword
  1 die
  -
  75 gp
  2 lbs
  Spear
  2 dice
  10 feet
  50 gp
  2 lbs
  Warhammer
  3 dice
  -
  140 gp
  2 lbs
  Armor Type
  DR
  Type
  Cost
  Weight
  Padded
  1d4
  Light
  35 gp
  20 lbs
  Leather / Hide
  1d4+1
  Light
  80 gp
  10 lbs
  Studded / Brigandine
  1d4+2
  Light
  120 gp
  15 lbs
  Scale / Ring
  1d6
  Medium
  260 gp
  30 lbs
  Chainmail
  1d6+1
  Medium
  370 gp
  40 lbs
  Splint / Banded
  1d8
  Heavy
  550 gp
  55 lbs
  Field Plate
  1d8+1
  Heavy
  900 gp
  60 lbs
  Full Plate
  1d10+2
  Heavy
  2200 gp
  75 lbs
  Buckler
  1d4
  -
  10 gp
  2 lbs
  Round Shield
  1d4+1
  -
  25 gp
  4 lbs
  Kite Shield
  1d6
  -
  80 gp
  7 lbs
  Tower Shield
  1d6+1
  -
  125 gp
  10 lbs
  Standard Items:
  There are far too many things in the game world to list them all here 
  and provide pricing. Exactly how precise you want to be with equipment 
  is up to the group. If you want to buy new clothes, a pickaxe, a shovel, a 
  torch, or some other random piece of equipment, ask the Architect for a 
  price and go from there. Your character is wealthy enough that for many 
  things, the Architect may not even require you to account for it. 
  However, there are two types of items that it is important to clearly 
  define because they play a role in combat; weapons and armor. These are 
  detailed in the remainder of this chapter.
  
  
  Weapons:
  Battle Axe: 
  The battle axe is a common weapon among barbarian tribes without 
  access to large quantities of high-grade iron. It functions normally in 
  combat, with no special modifiers.
  Bow: 
  A bow can be used to hit targets at a distance. This weapon is only 
  available to Tavaria because shooting targets at a direct angle is very 
  hard and requires extensive training. Most bows are used in mass combat 
  contexts, not close quarters. The range amount listed is considered the 
  reliable range of the weapon. Shooting beyond that distance always 
  carries a negative modifier determined by the Architect. This is a two-
  handed weapon.
  Club: 
  This is the most simple and basic weapon available, essentially a large 
  stick. Clubs have a 50% chance of breakage if used to parry, but this does 
  not affect the success or failure of that parry.
  Crossbow: 
  A hand-cranked mechanical weapon used to hit targets at a distance. 
  This weapon is only available to characters through the weapons training 
  trait, because it requires specialized training. The range amount listed 
  is considered the reliable range of the weapon. Shooting beyond that 
  distance always carries a negative modifier determined by the Architect. 
  This is a two-handed weapon.
  Dagger: 
  This serves as a standard basic weapon as well as an all-purpose tool 
  and utensil. Daggers cannot be used to parry, but they are completely 
  unaffected by the armor of your opponent. 
  Flail: 
  The flail is an unusual weapon with a special quality. If successfully 
  parried by an opponent or used in a successful parry by your own hand, 
  there is a 50% chance it will become entangled with the enemy weapon. 
  This renders both weapons useless in combat until untangled, a process 
  that takes a combat round of focused attention to complete. You can, 
  of course, simply drop the flail and draw another weapon while your 
  opponent struggles to free theirs.
  Greatsword: 
  This is a very large version 
  of a longsword. It is a symbol 
  of great power, but carries no 
  special modifiers other than 
  dealing a lot of damage. This is 
  a two-handed weapon.
  Hand Axe: 
  This serves as a standard 
  basic weapon as well as an all-
  purpose tool. It is common 
  among people who live in the 
  forest. Hand axes can be thrown 
  as a ranged weapon if you 
  have the appropriate weapon 
  training.
  Longsword: 
  The longsword is a classic heroic weapon. Longswords are not as useful 
  outside of combat as some other comparable weapons, such as an axe, 
  but they are superb dueling weapons. As such, they give a +1 bonus to 
  any roll to hit.
  
  
  Quarterstaff: 
  The quarterstaff is a simple weapon that can be acquired at no cost, like 
  the club. Quarterstaves have a 50% chance of breakage if used to parry, 
  but they can be used to parry without giving up a combat action during 
  that round. This is a two-handed weapon.
  Rapier: 
  A rapier is a sword specifically designed for parrying blows in combat. 
  It grants a +5 bonus to parry, but it’s thin design can result in a 25% 
  chance of breakage when used to block a weapon that deals three or 
  more damage dice.
  Scimitar: 
  This is a cavalry weapon that is sometimes used on foot.  It functions 
  normally in other circumstances, but grants a +3 bonus to hit and 
  damage when used on horseback.
  Shortsword: 
  A shortsword is a basic weapon of proven reliability. With a shorter 
  blade than a longsword, it is has slightly less reach and thus tends to deal 
  less damage than it’s larger counterpart. However, it is also quicker and 
  thus more useful in blocking blows as it can be maneuvered into position 
  faster. Users have a +2 modifier when parrying with it.
  Spear:
   The spear is a classic weapon that has a variety of uses in combat. 
  When used against mounted opponents, it grants a +2 bonus to hit and 
  damage. Spears have a 25% chance of breakage if used to parry, but this 
  does not affect the success or failure of that parry. This is a two-handed 
  weapon.
  Warhammer: 
  The warhammer is a knightly weapon that deals a huge amount of 
  damage, even against armored foes. The damage reduction gained 
  from wearing of medium or heavy armor is halved if you are hit by this 
  weapon. Shields are unaffected by this ability.
  Mace: 
  This is merely a metal version of the club, but the difference is striking. 
  The mace is a classic weapon that has no special modifiers. In addition to 
  it’s combat uses, it can serve as an improvised tool in many respects.
  Morningstar: 
  Essentially a mace with a spiked head, the morningstar is specially 
  designed to penetrate ring and chain-based armor. The damage 
  reduction gained from wearing of medium armor is halved if you are hit 
  by this weapon. Shields are unaffected by this ability.
  
  
  Armor:
  Some of this armor is unavailable to starting characters simply due to 
  extraordinary cost. In fact, acquiring an expensive suit of armor would 
  make an excellent minor ambition.
  All armors have a damage reduction value. This is a die that is rolled 
  each time damage is dealt and then subtracted from that damage before 
  it is resolved. For example, if someone hits you for 5 points of damage 
  while you are wearing Chainmail, you can roll 1d6+1 and subtract the 
  die result from those 5 points. It is possible you may completely negate 
  the damage dealt with your armor.
  Padded: 
  This kind of armor is made up of extra thick cloth layers and provides 
  minimal protection. It is common among the peasantry. If submerged in 
  water, quadruple the normal weight as the armor soaks up a lot of water.
  Leather / Hide: 
  This kind of armor is composed of hardened animal skins. It provides 
  decent baseline protection for a soldier.
  Studded / Brigandine: 
  This kind of armor is composed of hardened animal skins or cloth that is 
  covered with many small metal fittings. These fittings help deflect blows. 
  Scale / Ring: 
  This kind of armor is composed of overlapping pieces of metal and was 
  a precursor to chainmail armor. It lacks the higher protective value of 
  chainmail but also weighs a lot less.
  Chainmail: 
  This kind of armor is made from interlocking metal rings that together 
  form a dense mesh of metal that is extremely hard to penetrate with 
  weapons. This protection comes with a heavy weight and a steep price. 
  If assisted by someone else, you can put on or take off  your chainmail in 
  about a minute. Without assistance, it could take three to five minutes.
  Splint / Banded: 
  This kind of armor is made from riveting plates of metal onto a cloth 
  or leather base armor. It lacks the impenetrability of actual plate mail, 
  but comes close. However, it is fairly easy to put on compared to other 
  armors with similar protective ability.
  Field Plate: 
  This kind of armor is made from overlapping steel plates. Some 
  elements are missing so that it can be put on faster. If assisted by 
  someone else, you can put on or take off field plate in about three 
  minutes. Without assistance, it could take up to ten minutes.
  Full Plate: 
  This kind of armor is made from overlapping steel plates. All elements 
  are included. If assisted by someone else, you can put on or take off full 
  plate in about five minutes. Without assistance, it could take up to fifteen 
  minutes. Few opponents are willing to grant such a grace period.
  Shields: 
  There are four types of shields listed in the equipment charts, but the 
  choices for potential construction materials are numerous. Cloth, hide, 
  wood, bone, bronze, iron, steel, and so on. In a world with monsters 
  and magic, even more exotic materials exist than you can even imagine. 
  The Architect is responsible for determining the durability of your 
  shield based on the materials used. From a mechanical standpoint, the 
  assumption is that your shield is hard enough to stop a blow. 
  As a result, the true distinction between shields is size and shape. 
  Bucklers are small rounded shields designed to deflect blows and throw 
  the opponent off balance. Round shields are larger and used in a more 
  conventional way to simply absorb the impact. Kite shields are larger still 
  and with an elongated shape to protect the forward leg of the defender 
  as well as the upper torso. Finally, a tower shield is a huge rectangular 
  shield designed to stop almost anything from reaching your body.
  
  0
  Common Items
  Cost
  Weight
  Backpack
  3 gp
  2 lbs
  Bedroll
  1 gp
  3 lbs
  Bivouac / Tent
  5 gp
  10 lbs
  Block and Tackle
  10 gp
  1 lb
  Caltrops Bag (single use)
  20 gp
  1 lb
  Clothing (common)
  3 sp
  1 lb
  Clothing (wealthy)
  8 gp
  1 lb
  Clothing (winter)
  3 gp
  3 lbs
  Crowbar
  1 gp
  1 lb
  Fishing Pole 
  5 sp
  1 lb
  Flask / Bottle
  2 sp
  1 lb
  Flask of Lamp Oil
  2 gp
  1 lb
  Garlic Bulb
  4 sp
  -
  Grappling Hook
  4 gp
  2 lbs
  Ladder (10 ft)
  7 sp
  4 lbs
  Lock (exceptional)
  35 gp
  1 lb
  Lock (standard)
  3 gp
  1 lb
  Oil Lamp
  2 gp
  1 lb
  Parchment (per page)
  2 gp
  -
  Pickaxe
  3 gp
  2 lbs
  Pole (10 ft)
  6 sp
  1 lb
  Rope (100 ft)
  1 gp
  3 lbs
  Saddle & Tack
  40 gp
  8 lbs
  Scroll Case
  5 gp
  1 lb
  Shovel
  2 gp
  2 lbs
  Spellbook (Blank, 50 pages)
  120 gp
  2 lbs
  Tinderbox
  8 sp
  -
  Torch
  1 sp
  1 lb
  Writing Ink (vial)
  6 gp
  -
  
  
  “Time does not weep for your folly,
   nor take glee in your success,
  for you are but one raindrop
  in a mighty deluge.”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	8:11
  
  
  Unlike many other roleplaying games, Novarium actually intends 
  for each player to control multiple characters throughout the game. At 
  the beginning of the game, you can create multiple characters and then 
  choose which one to play at any given time.
  Seasons
  Gameplay is divided into seasons with the traditional four seasons 
  per year. During each season, you control one of your characters as they 
  move throughout the game world with the party. The other characters 
  will attend to a variety of things while they are off-season, including but 
  not limited to; resting to heal wounds, farming, crafting, travel, delivery 
  of correspondence, and magical research.
  Identity
  Each character has an identity. This defines what their dominant 
  features are and is very strongly based on biological factors like race and 
  gender. One kind of identity, the Novaria, is more powerful than the 
  others. It is intended for a Novaria to be your primary character which 
  you play for the majority of each year’s seasons.
  A Novaria is a special kind of character that has powerful magical 
  abilities far in excess of the potential of other characters. However, they 
  are not always physically impressive and can be vulnerable to physical 
  attack. As a result, you should not send your party out into the world 
  composed purely of Novaria. This is precisely why those other characters 
  exist; to allow you to build a well-rounded group.
  The Novarium
  The group of all characters of all players is referred to as the Novarium. 
  The Novarium is it’s own character, in a sense, as it represents the 
  combined aspirations of the group. This group is bound by an oath of 
  friendship and loyalty to one another and through attachments. 
  A Novarium can have collective ownership over property, such as a 
  powerful magical font or a fortified estate, and they can function as a 
  single unit politically. The goal of the game is to accomplish the shared 
  goals of your Novarium, by whatever means you choose.
  You may want to write out some minor ambitions for the Novarium, 
  negotiate the experience point value for them, and then pursue those 
  goals as a group. When the goals are completed, everyone gets rewarded.
  Campaigns
  
  
  
  Retainers
  In addition to your Novarium, you may have a number of retainers on 
  hand to assist you. These are paid servants in your employ. Whenever 
  you take on a retainer, you should assign the roleplaying of that character 
  to a player. They will play the retainer in addition to whatever active 
  character they are currently playing.
  The purpose of retainers is to facilitate taking risks in the game and 
  to take care of tasks that you don’t want to waste your character’s time 
  performing. Sometimes you are just incapable of handling a situation 
  with the resources you have within your group of characters. Perhaps you 
  need a skill that you do not have or you need help carrying something 
  too heavy for the characters in the group. Maybe you need someone to 
  build a home for you, paint it, or care for it while you are away. Retainers 
  exist to solve these kinds of problems.
  Retainers can be sent across vast distances as messengers while you 
  take care of tasks that are more important. They can pull levers that you 
  are a too afraid to pull yourself and carry torches so that your hands can 
  stay free to perform other actions. However, they are not suicidal. They 
  are real people and if you give them orders that are obviously dangerous 
  they will react accordingly.
  Architect
  Clockmaker
  Interpreter
  Sapper
  Armorer
  Cobbler
  Locksmith
  Scribe
  Arrowsmith
  Cook
  Mason
  Ship Captain
  Assassin
  Cooper
  Mercenary
  Shipwright
  Astrologer
  Farrier
  Messenger
  Skinner
  Barrister
  Fletcher
  Miner
  Soapmaker
  Blacksmith
  Furrier
  Minstrel
  Spy
  Bookbinder
  Gemcutter
  Navigator
  Tailor
  Bowyer
  Glassblower
  Painter
  Tanner
  Brewer
  Goldsmith
  Ploughman
  Teamster
  Butcher
  Groom
  Porter
  Torch-bearer
  Carpenter
  Guide
  Potter
  Trapper
  Cartwright
  Herald
  Saddler
  Vintner
  Chandler
  Herbalist
  Sage
  Weaver
  Clerk
  Huntsman
  Sailor
  Wheelwright
  Retainers are more than simple business associates. They are exclusively 
  in your employ. As a result, you must draw upon your personality to 
  keep them in your service. Any time you have a disagreement with your 
  retainer over any issue, the Architect should call for a magnetism roll to 
  maintain your control over them. If you fail this roll, they may simply 
  walk away from the relationship.
  The negotiation to hire a retainer should involve a magnetism roll, at 
  the very least to determine price, but also to determine how happy they 
  are about working for you in the first place. There is no standard wage in 
  Vaena, so everything must be negotiated and ultimately the wage that a 
  retainer demands is up to the Architect. If that job involves danger and 
  risk, the price will go up. If it involves going away for an extended period, 
  the price will go up. If you cannot pay the wage demanded, people will 
  not work for you.
  
  
  Marches
  The human empires are the only remaining civilization standing in 
  the face of evil. The Novaria exist parallel to these political systems, and 
  have organized themselves into Exarchates ruled by a Novaria leader 
  appointed by the Order, called an Exarch. Beyond the boundaries of 
  the Exarchates are the Marches, the wild lands of the earth inhabited by 
  monsters, the fae, and the servants of evil. Your Novarium is going to be 
  placed in the jagged edge of that boundary. 
  At the beginning of the game, the entire party is granted a Mark 
  (singular of Marches) by the Exarch under which they serve, in exchange 
  for an obligation which you negotiate with the Architect. 
  You may name your Mark whatever you wish. Real world examples are 
  extensive. Denmark was once the boundary land on the northern side of 
  the Holy Roman Empire and was thus designated as a Mark. There are 
  numerous other examples through real European history, and not just 
  on the northern edge of Christendom. 
  Your Novarium has sole territorial rights over the entire Mark, but 
  these rights are magical in nature, not political. The Mark will almost 
  always overlap with civil and possibly military jurisdictions. What you 
  really have authority over are magical fonts. 
  Fonts are places where the Three Realms intersect and magic flows 
  from the Divine Realm into the Mortal Realm freely, in the form of water 
  imbued with magical power called essence. Rumors has it that fonts are 
  the origins of life itself, bringing water from the Divine Realm aeons 
  ago when life began. They have now largely been corrupted, their magic 
  twisted to create powerful monsters and fae. 
  When the first font is discovered in a border region of an Exarchate, 
  the Exarch will declare it to be the Prime Font of a new Mark. The 
  Exarch will then issue a call for volunteers to tame the wildlands and 
  bring it’s magic under the control of the Order. 
  To start the game, the Exarch (i.e. the Architect) will make your 
  characters an offer to take responsibility for the Mark.
  The Exarch’s Offer
  The Exarch will make the group an offer that consists of four elements.
  Prime Essence
  The Prime Font generates a certain amount of essence per year, of 
  which the Exarch demands a very high percentage. The percentage is so 
  high that there is very little left for the Novaria. This is intentional, as it 
  creates an incentive for you to find more fonts.
  Secondary Essence
  The Exarch also demands a much smaller percentage of all other 
  fonts discovered in the territory. This is a kind of low-grade magical tax 
  of sorts. It isn’t enough to make you balk, but it is enough to provide 
  some additional resources to the Exarch as you bring more fonts under 
  your control. Note that this tax does not apply to wild essence extracted 
  directly from slain monsters and/or fae creatures.
  Indenture
  This is the amount of essence that can be paid as a lump sum to 
  permanently void the duties paid to the Exarch and end the relationship. 
  If you can afford to buy-out the Exarch, you get to keep all the essence 
  from all of your fonts for yourself. This number is typically very large, 
  but once paid you will become the ruler of your own destiny.
  Material
  The Exarch gives the Novarium a mix of coinage and property around 
  the font to help them establish themselves and begin the task of cleaning 
  up the threats in the region.
  The Novarium can collectively negotiate with the Exarch for more 
  or less material in exchange for more or less in essence duty paid. After 
  this negotiation, the game begins and the character move into their new 
  territory to begin play.
  
  
  Property
  The Novarium is not just a collection of characters; it is a shared 
  enterprise. Everything in the mark is considered communal property of 
  the Novarium, except any personal equipment a member is carrying on 
  their body and anything stored within their sanctum.
  Territory
  The Novarium is gifted a few acres of 
  land when they accept responsibility 
  for the mark. All land in Vaena is 
  measured in acres, a unit that denotes 
  the amount of land that a single ox is 
  capable of tilling in one day. Typically 
  this initial land grant will not exceed 
  a few dozen acres because the Exarch 
  making the grant must actually 
  purchase the land from the noble 
  holding title to the area and they will 
  not purchase much more land than is 
  covered by the eminence extending out 
  from the Prime Font. 
  The initial plot may be capable of supporting the Novarium through 
  small scale agriculture like one might see around a monastery, but 
  it will generally not be high quality arable land suitable for large-scale 
  agricultural development. Fonts are typically found in areas with rough 
  and uneven terrain and this makes the situation even more difficult from 
  an agrarian perspective.
  On rare occasions, a few buildings may exist on the territorial grant. 
  However, it is more likely the Architect is calculating the monetary 
  outlay in the offer to account for the need of the characters to pay for 
  the construction of buildings. All non-Novaria characters may live in the 
  same dwelling in close quarters. However, every Novaria will insist upon 
  having their own sanctum.
  Sanctum
  A Novaria’s sanctum is their home, their personal space, and the center 
  of their research and writing efforts. Typically this is a free standing 
  structure, similar in design to either a house or a tower. Alternatively, 
  it may be a part of a larger structure provided there is a clear boundary 
  that defines their space. For example, if the Novarium took up residence 
  in a castle, each Novaria may take a portion of the keep as their own 
  personal space.
  The sanctum is considered a personal 
  space and held sacrosanct by the 
  Novaria. Anyone who enters it without 
  permission is automatically considered 
  to have hostile intent. A Novaria is 
  always considered to be justified in 
  inflicting violence on anyone in their 
  sanctum. The only time anyone other 
  than the owner should enter a sanctum 
  is to strike down a Novaria that has 
  been declared a profligate by the Order. 
  Library
  The Novarium collectively owns a library of magical books that they 
  share for research purposes. This is typically the most well-defended 
  location under their control and access is highly restricted for anyone 
  that is not a Novaria. These books can be acquired from other Novaria 
  in the game world, if an agreed price can be reached, but the majority 
  of books in the library should ideally be unique works written by the 
  Novarium members. 
  A well-developed library eventually serves as a lure to attract Novaria 
  from other regions to study. The Novarium is free to demand a fee that 
  must be paid before another Novaria may research in their library, either 
  in coin or Essence. This may provide supplemental income to support 
  the Novarium.
  
  
  Fonts
  A font is a place where the Three Realms intersect and magic flows 
  from the Divine Realm into the Mortal Realm freely, in the form of 
  water imbued with magical power called essence. Every font has a value, 
  denoted as a number. The most powerful font ever discovered has a value 
  of 42, but it is possible that more powerful fonts exist beyond the current 
  knowledge of the Order.
  A font generates an amount of 
  essence every year equal to it’s value. 
  The essence is evenly distributed across 
  the year, so that a pool with a value of 
  four will generate a point of essence 
  roughly every season. All four points 
  would not be generated at once. 
  This magical energy is naturally 
  trapped in small crystal formations 
  at the bottom of a font’s pool. These 
  essence crystals glow softly and as 
  more of them are formed, the pool 
  takes on an incandescent quality. Once 
  the pool holds an amount of essence 
  crystals equal to the font’s value, it is 
  considered saturated. 
  At this point, no additional crystals will be formed and excess essence 
  accumulation begins to leak out of the pool and into the environment 
  surrounding the pool. This leakage causes mutations in animals, twists 
  souls into fae, triggers the formation of elementals, and causes a host of 
  other effects.
  Demons are capable of twisting the excess magical energy from a 
  saturated pool in a way that causes the creation of monsters, curses, 
  blights upon the land, and other negative effects. They are also capable 
  of extracting essence for their own purposes and using it in battle to 
  augment their abilities. 
  Eminence
  A font also radiates a powerful illusory effect called an eminence. 
  The eminence extends outward from the pool at a rate of one league 
  (about 3 miles) per point of value. Thus a font with a value of five has 
  an eminence that extends five leagues in every direction. Any intelligent 
  being entering the area covered by the eminence must make a perception 
  save with a penalty equal to twice the value of the font. 
  Failing this roll means that the subject becomes confused and loses 
  both their sense of direction and their ability to track the passing of time. 
  They may spend hours wandering aimlessly around the same meadow, 
  ending up right back where they started, yet believe that they have been 
  thoroughly exploring the whole countryside. This effect makes locating 
  fonts more difficult, but it also provides protection from disturbances 
  once you have found one.
  Additionally, anyone casting spells within the eminence is bolstered by 
  the radiating magic coming off the font. This manifests as a bonus to any 
  casting roll equal to the font value, so long as you are within the radius of 
  the eminence when casting. This makes it very advantageous for Novaria 
  to make their homes in such places.
  Extracting Essence
  Essence crystals can be harvested from a font with just a sharp knife 
  and a deep breath. This is the basic method of acquiring essence and 
  anyone can do it. The energy from essence crystals is generic and causes 
  no additional effects when used, aside from the normal bonus that 
  essence gives to a casting roll.
  However, a Novaria is taught to extract essence from the pool using 
  a different method taught very early in their training. They may select 
  a Totem, a small symbolic object into which the energy will be stored, 
  and place that in the pool. Typical totems include small wooden or stone 
  statuettes, gemstones, metallic jewelry, religious icons, parts of animals 
  like teeth, and similar objects. Instead of forming a new crystal, the font 
  will infuse it’s energy into the totem instead.
  
  
  Totems
  The choice of totem will give the essence a unique ancillary effect, 
  called a Favor. For example, if a claw infused with essence is used to 
  cast a spell that causes damage, two additional points will be inflicted. 
  There is a listing of known favor effects on the next page, but Novaria 
  are encouraged to experiment to find new ones. Keep in mind that any 
  totem you choose must be able to endure submersion for a time.
  When placed in a pool, a totem will serve as a focus for the essence 
  generated. Instead of creating a new crystal, when the time comes the 
  totem will be infused with the next essence point generated. It can then 
  be removed from the pool and carried by a Novaria.
  Wild Essence
  In addition to fonts, raw essence can be found in the world inside 
  the bodies of magical creatures. For example, a satyr is a magical fae 
  creature. When slain, their horns contain a point of essence. The horn 
  must be cut from the corpse and carried with the Novaria. This can be 
  used as if it were a totem and each type of creature has it’s own unique 
  favor to grant the caster.
  When such a creature is killed, a Novaria can place their hands on 
  the body and sense where the wild essence is being stored, so that they 
  extract the correct body part.
  Using Essence
  Novaria always carry their essence objects on a chain around their 
  neck, as a symbol of status and for ease of access for casting. When 
  tapping into essence to cast spells, the caster simply touches the object 
  holding the essence and it immediately disintegrates. No object survives 
  this process, so none can ever be recharged. You must always seek out 
  fresh stores of magical energy.
  For precise rules for how this channeling affects the casting process 
  itself, consult the Magic chapter.
  
  
  Totem
  Favor
  Amber
     Cleanse the nearby air of all insects
  Amethyst
     Caster is immune to intoxication for an hour
  Basalt
     Grants a +5 bonus to petrify something
  Bloodstone
     Causes target to bleed from any damage caused
  Brick
     Doubles the duration of the spell cast
  Cedar
     Caster is extremely buoyant for an hour 
  Claw
     +2 damage, if damage is dealt
  Coal
     Briefly causes target to become very hot
  Copper
     Grants +5 bonus to any attempt to affect metal
  Coral
     Causes significant drop in humidity in the area
  Cypress
     Causes deep sadness in target for a minute
  Diamond
     Damage ignores the first 5 points of armor
  Emerald
     Causes paralysis in target for 2 rounds
  Garnet
     Grants a +5 bonus to communicate with the dead
  Glass
     The Materia used becomes translucent for an hour
  Gold
     Heals two extra points, if healing is caused
  Granite
     Caster gains +2 armor for an hour
  Gypsum
     Grants a +5 bonus to duplicate something
  Hemlock
     Prevents the target from breathing for a minute
  Horn
     Knocks down the target of the spell
  Iron
     Deals double damage to fae, if damage is dealt
  Jade
     Grants +2 to Presence for an hour
  Lead
     Spell being cast cannot be sensed remotely
  Totem
  Favor
  Magnetite
     Caster intuitively knows which direction is north
  Marble
     Causes brilliant flash of light while casting
  Oak
     Grants +2 to Strength for an hour
  Obsidian
     Sharpens all blades carried by the caster
  Onyx
     Grants +5 to manipulate darkness or night
  Opal
     Randomly changes coloration of the target
  Palm
     Caster feels inner calm and serenity for an hour
  Pearl
     Caster can breathe underwater for an hour
  Peridot
     Grants +5 to deceive or confuse people
  Pine
     Grants +5 to any attempt to shape or create wood
  Quartz
     Causes strong vibrations in the environment
  Ruby
     Causes a very lucky event within a few days
  Sapphire
     Causes a great harvest next season in the area
  Seashell
     Caster can communicate with fish for an hour
  Serpentine
     Caster can see through falsehoods for an hour
  Silver
     Cures target and caster of any diseases
  Spruce
     Caster gains immunity to cold for an hour
  Tiger Eye
     Caster gains cat-like vision for an hour
  Tin
     Allows the addition of a 2nd medium at no cost
  Tooth
     Causes debilitating pain in the target for 2 rounds
  Topaz
     Grants +5 to any attempt to shape or create fire
  Turquoise
     Grants +5 to any attempt to shape or create water
  Yew
     Caster gains exceptional flexibility for an hour
  
  
  Seasons
  Game time is divided into the four seasons of the calendar; winter, 
  spring, summer, and autumn. During any given season, you are only 
  controlling one character. You will give general orders to the other 
  characters at the beginning of each season and they will follow those 
  instructions while your character is adventuring. You can also have them 
  perform a few minor tasks as needed throughout the season, such as 
  running to town to buy a keg of ale or a new cart to carry your treasure, 
  without disrupting their other work.
  The following options represent standard activities available to inactive 
  characters. If you work with the Architect, you may be able to come up 
  with your own innovative ways of using your time.
  Travel
  A character can travel to a distant location to deliver a message or 
  seek audience with anyone of their choice. Perhaps they need to ask a 
  question of their old mentor, seek reconciliation with a rival, or seek 
  to trade essence for a magical artifact or a rare book with another 
  Novarium. Long-distance travel in Vaena is a long and arduous process 
  and best handled in as abstract a manner as possible. However, if the 
  route is truly dangerous and the potential for a serious altercation with 
  locals is possible, it may be best role played with the active characters.
  Agriculture
  In general, it takes 10 people working year round on ten acres to 
  produce enough food to feed 11 people and pay the taxes. That means 
  that for every member of the Novarium who is not spending enough 
  time working the fields during the year (at least two full seasons), ten 
  laborers must be working on the land owned by the Novarium to provide 
  food for that person, or food must be purchased.
  Healing
  A character can spend an entire season resting and recuperating from 
  injury. No major tasks can be performed during this time or else it will 
  interrupt the process. Unless their injuries dictate it, they do not have to 
  be tended to and can get by just fine on their own.
  You do not have to make any rolls to represent this process, you simply 
  do nothing. However, your natural rate of healing is doubled.
  
  0
  Writing Scrolls
  A Novaria can spend a season writing scrolls. Scrolls are specific 
  writings that form a kind of short-hand version of a magical spell. Once 
  composed, they can be used without risk of failure, though reading a 
  scroll does take more time than improvisational casting methods.
  When a scroll is created, you must specify precisely what the spell 
  does. You must describe the spell to a level of detail that would satisfy 
  the Architect if the spell was being cast at that moment. “This reshapes 
  a piece of metal” is not a sufficiently detailed explanation. That could 
  describe any control-metal spell. “This twists a sword in a way that 
  makes it unusable” is far more precise and more like what you would 
  need to say to the Architect when you actually cast an improvised spell 
  that used control-metal. You must name every scroll that you are making 
  and feel free to make them highly personalized. “Sword Twister” is just 
  fine, but “Leah’s Blade Warper” sounds so much cooler. 
  You can write a scroll with the benefit of tracts, if you have access to 
  them, but your lack of mastery comes at a price. You can substitute your 
  own value in a particular method or materia for that of the tract author. 
  However, writing with a tract adds a difficulty die to the roll made for 
  that scroll equal to the number of tracts used. Thus if you needed both 
  elements of a control-metal tract, you would add two extra difficulty dice 
  to the roll.
  At the end of the season, you make the rolls for all the scrolls you are 
  writing in succession. The difficulties are determined exactly as you 
  would do so if casting the magic improvisationally. If you fail the roll, 
  you realize the scroll is damaged and burn it. Otherwise, it works.
  Writing Books
  A Novaria can spend a season writing books. There are two types of 
  books; Studies and Tracts. Composing a book takes a long time and 
  typically is not written in a single season. You may write a portion of a 
  book, go on an adventure, and so on for several years. Do not feel like 
  you have to stay focused on it completely.
  Once written, a book has a maximum value equal to the power of the 
  author who wrote it. The water study written by the author below would 
  have a water value of 10. The create-fire tract written by the author 
  below would have a create value of 6 and a fire value of 10. Someone 
  attempting to benefit from the work must be less powerful than the 
  author, else there is nothing for them to gain from reading the book.
  Studies: 
  Studies are general books that describe either a method or a materia. 
  They are used to teach those who are trying to learn more about that 
  entire style of magic. Writing a study takes a number of seasons equal 
  to your value in the method or materia being written about, minus half 
  your knowledge (rounded down). Thus someone with a water value of 
  10 and a knowledge of 11 could write a water study in 5 seasons of work 
  (10 minus 5). However, that same character could write the book in a 
  single season if they had a knowledge of 18.
  Tracts: 
  Tracts are specific books that describe a particular combination of 
  method and materia, such as create-fire. They are used as reference 
  texts when writing scrolls to make them more powerful. Writing a tract 
  takes a number of seasons equal to your combined value in the method 
  and materia being written about, minus half your knowledge (rounded 
  down). Thus someone with a create value of 6, a fire value of 10, and 
  a knowledge of 11 could write a create-fire tract in 11 seasons of work 
  (16 minus 5). However, that same character could write the book in only 
  seven seasons if they had a knowledge of 18.
  Rolling for Scrolls
  Within a single season of work, you can produce a number 
  of scrolls in a season equal to your character level plus 1d6. 
  They only take up a single page of text, but take several weeks 
  to compose as the Novaria must walk through every precise          
  element of the magic that they are using. 
  
  
  Copying Books
  A literate character can copy a book from the Novarium library in a 
  single season. At the end of the season, make a roll to see how well you 
  were able to duplicate the text.
  If you have made an error transcribing a study, then everyone who 
  learns from that study over time will acquire a quirk in their magic 
  abilities as they relate to the subject matter. A small margin of failure 
  on your transcription could result in something as minor as turning 
  the reader’s hands blue for a few hours whenever they cast magic of that 
  type. A large margin of error could result in horrific magical backfires, 
  such as intensifying a fire you were trying to extinguish or healing a 
  wound in a way that leaves the target crippled. 
  Once the reader realizes that something is wrong, they can usually 
  go back through the text and find the source of your errors. They 
  may or may not be so severe that they require rewriting the entire 
  tome. Ultimately, whether or not the book can be fixed without a 
  comprehensive rewrite is up to the Architect. 
  Keep these rules in mind when you are reading from a magical text 
  that you find in the course of the game. Perhaps you might not be failing 
  as much as you have learned something that is wrong.
  Rolling for Copying
  Copying the text seems fairly straightforward to the character, a 
  basic perception roll against one difficulty die, but the Architect 
  makes the roll in secret and adds the value of the book to the die 
  result. The water study with a value of 10 used as an earlier example 
  would result in 1d10+10 being rolled.
  You will never know the results of this roll, the Architect will keep 
  it in their notes. When someone attempts to use the book at a later 
  date, if you have failed in your transcription roll, the Architect uses 
  their judgment to determine the results for the reader based on your 
  margin of failure.
  Study
  A Novaria can spend a season reading a study repetitively in an 
  attempt to enhance their magical skills. At the end of the season, make a 
  roll to see how well you were able to study from the text.
  Rolling for Study
  At the end of the season, they must make a knowledge roll against 
  a difficulty equal to the number of seasons they have tried to learn 
  from that study (including the current attempt). If you succeed on 
  this roll, you gain 1 point in the subject studied up to the same value 
  as the author of the work. Once you reach the same competency as 
  the author, you cannot learn any more from re-reading the study.
  Thus someone will have a fairly easy time picking up some new 
  abilities when going through a study for the first time, but they can 
  only learn so much before it becomes very difficult to gain new 
  insights from the material. Eventually, a text will become useless as 
  everything of importance has been learned.
  
  
  Training an Apprentice
  A Novaria can take an apprentice under their wing and teach magic 
  to them. This work is performed in exchange for a fee, typically a large 
  financial donation to the Novarium from the parents of the prospective 
  apprentice. A Novaria is free to set any fee amount that they wish and, 
  based on their reputation and prowess, the Architect will decide if 
  anyone views it to be worth the cost.
  An apprenticeship takes five years and during that time the apprentice 
  will be a standard Novarium member. However, almost all of their time 
  in apprenticeship should be spent studying and learning, not adventuring 
  with the Novarium. 
  You can create an apprentice character as if you were making a new 
  Novaria, but do not give them their extra magic talents. As they undergo 
  training, they will build the character organically rather than as a single 
  event when you made your first Novaria. They gain an extra magic talent 
  once per year to represent their advancement through your tutelage.
  The older Novaria is expected to spend 
  one season per year directly teaching the 
  apprentice on a specific method or materia. 
  At the end of the season, the apprentice gains 
  a talent in that subject. The same method or 
  materia should not be taught multiple times 
  during the training process (with a single 
  exception, just as you had an opportunity to 
  specialize your Novaria) and the apprentice 
  cannot gain a higher value in the subject 
  being taught than the value possessed by the 
  teacher. 
  Once fully trained, the apprentice replaces that player’s Novaria 
  character and the Architect takes control of the old character. This does 
  not mean death, but the Architect will generally have the older Novaria 
  retire from the Novarium and pursue their own independent goals.
  Experimentation
  Eventually, a Novaria will find that their prowess in a particular 
  method or materia exceeds that of all the authors in their library. 
  There is no further path of advancement because they are the apex of 
  the available knowledge. In order to grow from this point on, they must 
  conduct their own experiments into the boundaries of the possible. 
  There is no way to explain exactly how this process works. In most 
  cases, a large amount of objects are found damaged at the end of 
  each day’s work. Chairs are broken, watermelon bits can be found in 
  the rafters, innocent wildlife is seen fleeing through the woods, and 
  sometimes the hairs just never grow back. Magical experimentation is 
  exactly what it sounds like. Things can go awry.
  Rolling for Experimentation
  At the end of the season, the process culminates in a single 
  willpower roll. The number of difficulty dice used is equal to the 
  next value beyond your current ability (i.e. if you have water 8, 
  the next value is a 9) minus your character level. Success means you 
  reach that next value. 
  Failure can be very problematic. Magic is an alternation of the 
  natural state of things, so failure means that you failed to manipulate 
  these states improperly. This often results in something becoming 
  permanently altered in a very negative way. For example, you might 
  turn your skin purple (or in the case of a powerful experiment, the 
  skin of all the inhabitants of the nearby town). 
  These consequences are often not immediately obvious to you. This 
  can be very dangerous. However, the Architect should not make 
  it easily avoidable, such as a failure with a tub of water resulting in 
  poison. No one is going to drink water that is the remnant of magical 
  experimentation gone wrong. A nearby stream however...
  
  
  Social Influence
  A character can spend a season in diplomatic service to the Novarium 
  by expanding their network of social contacts, making trades and deals 
  with nearby political factions, uncovering secret information, and 
  generally working to improve their reputation in the area.
  Examples of a standard 
  opportunity might be a formal 
  dinner held by a nearby 
  noble that offers a chance to 
  improve your social contacts 
  or a chance encounter with a 
  stable boy in the Duke’s army 
  that could be seduced into 
  revealing information on the 
  military’s movements in the 
  region. An opportunity that 
  holds negative consequences 
  if not pursued might be a 
  libelous 
  criminal 
  charge 
  against your Novarium being 
  pushed by a local magistrate. 
  If not addressed, it might 
  undermine your reputation. 
  Crafting
  A character with any kind of craftsmanship skills can spend a season 
  attempting to profit from their specialized labor. This can be done as 
  paid labor, so long as their craft could reasonably be transformed into a 
  wage-earning job. The advantages of being paid wages is that you do not 
  have to supply the raw materials yourself. No rolls are required to work 
  as paid labor, though being highly skilled should command a higher 
  wage when that is negotiated.
  Alternatively, you could do all the work yourself if you have the funds 
  to pay for the raw materials. If that is the case, the character should make 
  a knowledge roll every week to determine the result of that week’s labor. 
  The Architect can then use those results to determine the number of 
  pieces produced in that time frame and their relative quality. The task 
  of selling the products is also left to you. If you lack a pre-arranged 
  buyer, you will need to find a market for your wares. The actual sales are 
  covered by magnetism and roleplaying. 
  Administration
  Large estates and trading ventures do not manage themselves. If the 
  Novarium is involved in any kind of business venture employing seven 
  or more people, someone must be devoted to managing that enterprise 
  during any given season. 
  Rolling for Social Influence
  About once every two weeks (for a total of six rolls per season), 
  the Architect will present a scenario for the character to resolve 
  with a single magnetism roll. It is the character’s choice to 
  pursue the opportunity or let it pass. However, some of these events 
  may have negative consequences if not pursued or if pursued and 
  ultimately failed.
  The difficulty to roll is set by the Architect. They may give you a 
  bonus based on the actions you describe your character to be taking.
  Rolling for Administration
  About once every month (for a total of three rolls per season), the 
  Architect will present a scenario for the character to resolve with 
  a single knowledge roll. The Acumen trait can help on this roll. 
  This roll must be made, as even willful inaction is it’s own form of 
  management. The profit/loss of the enterprise is determined by the 
  Architect based on this roll. If there is literally no one to manage the 
  venture (i.e. everyone either dead or on an adventure away from the 
  business) , the Architect creates an attribute using 2d6 and makes the 
  roll. The difficulty to roll is set by the Architect. They may give you a 
  bonus based on the actions you describe your character to be taking.
  
  
  Advancement
  Experience points are used by the game to 
  measure the progression of your character’s 
  power and skill over time as a result of real 
  practical knowledge gained in the real world. 
  This is an abstract measurement, due to the fact 
  that precise measurements of personal growth 
  over time are difficult. However, it serves as a 
  useful benchmark for comparison.
  The Rewards of Essence
  The goal of all Novaria is the accumulation 
  of magical essence. When essence is extracted, 
  all characters in the Novarium gain an amount 
  of experience equal to 100 times the extracted value, regardless of who 
  extracted it or what extraction method was used. Exception: Essence 
  extracted from the Prime Font never results in experience point gains.
  Achieving Minor Ambitions
  Every time you accomplish a minor ambition, the Architect will award 
  you the experience points negotiated when the ambition was originally 
  created for the character. Additionally, you receive one half of the 
  experience gained by the character to which you have an attachment 
  whenever they gain experience points for completing their minor 
  ambitions. 
  Character Level
  A character has a character level that is an indication of just how 
  powerful they have become. Higher level characters have more resources 
  and abilities at their disposal than a lower level character. When a 
  character accumulates enough experience points to reach the next level, 
  they gain 1 point in an attribute of their choice. In order to advance 
  a level, you must rest in a safe, warm area for at least three days. Final 
  judgment of what is required is up to the Architect.
  Level
  XP Total
  1
  0
  2
  1,000
  3
  3,000
  4
  6,000
  5
  10,000
  6
  15,000
  7
  21,000
  8
  28,000
  9
  36,000
  10
  45,000
  +
  +10,000
  Age
  You can set whatever starting age for your character that you want. 
  There is an assumption that you will choose something in the 16-
  21 range, as that represents the beginning of adulthood. However, age 
  will ultimately come to matter very much to your character. Despite 
  the existence of curative magic, including the Halfling’s healing touch, 
  diseases are rampant and even a minor injury that goes untreated can 
  cause death. Poor living conditions also contribute to an early grave.
  The Aging Roll
  Once a character reaches 30 years old, they have to start making aging 
  rolls. The average person will fail the rolls most of the time, the odds are 
  simply too stacked against them. However, your characters are going to 
  have access to more medical care and a better lifestyle than the average 
  person. Each time you fail an aging roll, you gain 1 age point. When you 
  accumulate 10 age points, your character dies.
  Age Rolls
  Starting on their 30th birthday, a character makes an age roll 
  every year at the end of the Winter Season. This involves rolling a 
  single 10-sided die. If your result is 7 or less, you gain 1 age point. 
  If you roll a zero on the die, you gain 1 age point and you must roll 
  for an Affliction (see below).
  The only way to really live longer is to gain bonuses to the roll. 
  Anyone living a lifestyle equivalent to a member of a noble house 
  gains a +2 bonus to the roll. The Youthful trait gives you a +2 bonus 
  to age rolls and there are a few ways to get bonuses via magic.
  Affliction Rolls
  If you roll a zero on the age roll, you have to immediately roll two 
  10-sided dice. Instead of adding them together, use one of the dice as 
  the tens digit and the other as the ones digit to create a value from 00 
  - 99. Consult the table on the next page to determine what happens.
  
  
  Die Result
  Affliction
  00 - 25
     No Effect
  26 - 30
     Chronic Gout: Each attack lasts 1d6 days, recurrence every 2d6 months until death. Makes walking painful & limits mobility.
  31 - 35
     Greenworm: Painful green rash forms on the foot for 3d6 months. 40% chance of natural cure, otherwise foot is crippled.
  36 - 40
     White Pox: Nausea, fever, aches, and white pockmarks on body for 2d6 weeks. 5% chance of death if untreated.
  41 - 45
     Fromoldt: Painful urination and abdominal cramps for 2d6 weeks. 50% chance of permanent infertility
  46 - 50
     Durlonis: Fever, headaches, and painful swelling of neck and throat for 2d6 weeks. 5% chance of death if untreated.
  51 - 55
     Syndaroi: Lesions on body, rash on hands, fever, & hair loss for 2d6 weeks. 30% chance of dementia and seizures after 10 years. 
  56 - 60
     Brunich: Diarrhea, fever, chills, aches, and patches of red on body for 2d6 weeks. 15% chance of death if untreated.
  61 - 65
     Wenials: Cough, fever, aches, and rash that spreads to entire body for 2d6 days. 20% chance of death & 5% chance of blindness.
  66 - 70
     Blood Rot: 60% chance loss of foot due to infection, if not then loss of hand. If no amputation performed, death in 2d6 weeks.   
  71 - 75
     Molepox: Fever, chills, aches, and spots of brownish-green rash on body for 3d6 days. 25% chance of death if untreated.
  76 - 80
     Vexmak Fever: Extreme fever, vomiting, hallucinations, and wild convulsions for 4d6 days. 25% chance of death if untreated. 
  81 - 85
     Permanent Blindness: Due to injury or complications from existing disease or affliction.
  86 - 90
     Permanent Deafness: Due to injury or complications from existing disease or affliction.   
  91
     Devil’s Touch: Chills, fever, malaise, nausea, sore throat, cough, and confusion for 3d6 days. 50% chance of death if untreated. 
  92
     Dementia: Permanent loss of cognitive capacity. Character is rendered useless and surrendered to Architect control until cured.
  93
     Cruzata: Painful seizures and spasms, itching, & nausea. Attack lasts 2d6 weeks. 50% chance of death if untreated. 
  94
     Frostcough: Hacking cough, chills, chest pain, and difficulty breathing for 2d6 days. 50% chance of death if untreated. 
  95
     Plague: Fever, swelling, buboes form on body for 2d6 weeks. 60% chance of death if untreated.    
  96
     Dread Shakes: Violent spasms that last 2d6 minutes and deals 2d6 strength damage, recurrence every 2d6 months until death.
  97
     Molluxe: 3d6 days of severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes delerium. Ends in death if not cured.
  98
     Corphya: Muscular degeneration & painful skin anomalies. 5% chance of death & 10% chance of blindness each year untreated.
  99
     Fell Gasp: Heart function stops. Fatal if not cured within 2d6 minutes.
  
  
  “There are dark and twisted things in this world
  that lie in wait just beyond your torchlight,
  eager to reach out and rip the life right out of you. 
  Ye best be prepared!”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	3:18
  
  
  Mechanics
  
  The information on this page is a reprint of some of the information in the basic 
  chapter. It is provided for easy reference only, nothing has been changed at all.
  Standard Rolls
  Standard actions are situations where there is a significant margin of 
  error for the average person. Yes, you might fall down crossing that floor, 
  but that is extremely unlikely. However, trying to pick the lock on that 
  door is something else entirely. Someone wants to keep you out of that 
  room and they designed the lock to do so. The average person has a very 
  good chance of failing. As a consequence, you have to roll dice.
  A standard action is resolved by rolling a number of ten-sided 
  dice, called difficulty dice, and comparing that number to a relevant 
  attribute. You may have a trait that gives you a bonus in certain specified 
  situations.
  For example, you say you want to climb a wall to escape from some 
  monsters and the Architect tells you to roll your fitness attribute. They 
  decide that you must roll two difficulty dice to represent the nature of 
  the task. You roll two dice and get a result of 12. This is lower than your 
  fitness (15). You are successful and make it to the top of the wall without 
  falling or injuring yourself.
  Saves
  When someone makes a standard roll with the intention of avoiding a 
  negative outcome, it is referred to as a save. While it is mechanically no 
  different from a standard roll, this distinction is important. Some trait 
  bonuses specifically apply to only rolls, only saves, or both. Furthermore, 
  you cannot take any preparatory actions after you have been informed 
  of a save. Rocks falling down the hill are not going to stop while you dig 
  around in your backpack for something to help you.
  Opposed Actions
  Opposed actions are those where two entities are attempting to affect 
  the same outcome. I am trying to stab you with my sword and you are 
  trying to prevent me from doing so. Unlike a wall, I can change and react 
  to your behavior. I am fluid and dynamic, and so are you. In this case, we 
  both roll dice and we compare the relative outcomes. Thus our capacities 
  are not judged alone, but in opposition to each another.
  An opposed action is resolved by first 
  making a roll very similar to a standard roll; 
  by rolling a number of difficulty dice and 
  comparing the sum to a relevant attribute, 
  with a potential trait bonus. Once both sides 
  roll, their margin of success is determined 
  and whoever succeeded by a larger margin is 
  the victor. Where opposed rolls get interesting 
  is that both sides are making their own rolls 
  and each may be rolling a different number of 
  difficulty dice. 
  For example, you may be shooting an arrow at me, but I may be hidden 
  in a dark doorway and you may be standing in a well-lit street. I can see 
  your movements clearly and that makes my dodge easier while you have 
  a very hard time seeing me and that makes your shot a little bit harder.
  With the Architect’s guidance, you roll three dice and get a result of 13. 
  This is a good roll and it is less than your agility (15). You succeed by 2. 
  Unfortunately in this case, the Architect decides that I only have to roll 1 
  difficulty die and I get a result of 3. Even though I have an average agility 
  of 10, I succeed by 7. I notice the arrow in time and snap back to avoid it.
  
  
  Damage & Injury
  There are a wide range of things in the world that can injure you. 
  However, they all function mechanically in a very similar way. The 
  amount of damage a source deals is listed in terms of damage dice. For 
  example, a longsword has 2 damage dice. This is always a reference to 
  six-sided dice. Bonus damage is always a flat number that is added to the 
  die result after rolling (ex. +2). 
  When you are hit with damage, 
  it will always be to an attribute. 
  Typically it will be either agility or 
  fitness, but sometimes other injuries 
  do occur (most often through 
  magical means). Sometimes the 
  source of the damage will specify 
  what attribute is being attacked 
  (especially magical sources). 
  However, most damage is dealt by 
  weapons or the environment. These 
  sources are random in nature, with 
  the nature of the loss depending on 
  just how the injury was sustained. 
  For these purposes, you should roll 
  on the below table to determine 
  what was injured. If any attribute 
  drops below zero, the character dies.
  Morale Saves
  Whenever you are injured, you must make a willpower save (called 
  a morale save) at a penalty equal to the total of all attribute damage 
  suffered so far. If you fail, your character is overwhelmed by fear.  
  Exactly how they react to that fear is up for negotiation between you and 
  the Architect. In most instances, you should try to flee as fast as possible. 
  Bleeding
  A wound caused by a blow that dealt more than 3 points of damage 
  will bleed significantly. If the wound is not tightly bound using the 
  bandages or magically healed, such a wound will cause 1 point of fitness 
  damage every 15 minutes until either you die or receive treatment. Such 
  injuries are very serious and require you to act swiftly to survive.
  Crippled and Severed Limbs
  Any wound that deals more than 5 points of agility damage has a 50% 
  chance of crippling the limb. While crippled, you cannot use the limb for 
  any purpose. A wound that deals more than 7 points of agility damage 
  has a 50% chance of severing the limb completely and a 25% chance of 
  crippling it. Calculate these odds on the same roll so that there is only a 
  25% chance of escaping with just a really bad wound.
  Natural Healing
  Attributes heal naturally at different 
  rates. Some return very quickly and 
  others much more slowly. Consult the 
  chart to the right for the healing time 
  for each attribute.
  These rates assume that you are 
  doing 
  nothing 
  but 
  resting. 
  No 
  adventuring, no additional combats, 
  no research, and so on. For serious 
  wounds, you may be better off resting 
  an entire season to heal faster.
  Random Attribute Damage: Roll d0
  1-3
  Agility
  Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet
  4-8
  Fitness
  Chest, Stomach, Back
  9
  Magnetism
  Nose, Mouth, Cheeks
  10
  Perception
  Eyes, Ears, Skull
  Healing Rates
  Agility
     1 per month
  Fitness
     1 per month
  Magnetism
     1 per week
  Perception
     1 per week
  Knowledge
     1 per day
  Willpower
     1 per day
  
  
  Exploration
  In Novarium, the majority of gameplay will revolve around exploring 
  the world. This will bring your character into situations that most people 
  would avoid at almost all costs. An important element in the life of 
  adventure is a willingness not just to endure these kinds of situations but 
  to actively seek them out. 
  Encumbrance
  When traveling around the game world, you will need to determine 
  how much equipment your character can feasibly take with them. In 
  Novarium, weight is always denoted in pounds (lb or lbs).
  The most weight that any character can carry on their own and still 
  move is equal to seven times their current fitness. The most weight that 
  any character can carry comfortably is double their current fitness. 
  Therefore, an average person can carry about 20 lbs without having to 
  worry about getting tired and a maximum of 70 lbs before immobilized.
  Note the references to your current fitness. As you get injured, you 
  will be able to carry less and less equipment. Keep this in mind when 
  planning an expedition into dangerous territory.
  If you are carrying more weight than you can manage comfortably, 
  you lose 1 willpower per hour per multiple of your fitness above your 
  comfort limit. The average person in the example above would lose 1 
  willpower per hour carrying 21-30 lbs, 2 willpower per hour carrying 
  31-40 lbs, and 3 willpower per hour carrying 41-50 lbs. If your willpower 
  is reduced to zero, you lose the will to carry on and collapse to rest. 
  Willpower lost in this manner heals at twice the normal rate.
  Movement Speeds
  An unencumbered person can hike a number of leagues in a day equal 
  to their fitness, minus a penalty provided by the Architect to represent 
  the difficulty of the terrain. A league is a distance of about three miles 
  (or five kilometers). Mounts travel at double their fitness in leagues per 
  day. Remember, a party travels at the speed of it’s slowest member.
  Daily Sustenance
  The degree to which you track the demands of daily life is up to the 
  consensus of the group. You may decide that you want to keep track of 
  the source of every meal, the exact number of days spent foraging for 
  food, and exactly how much water you are caring in your support wagon. 
  The rules below are provided for guidance if you choose to track these 
  variables in your game. If you don’t want to use them, don’t feel obligated 
  to do so. They are here to help you if you want to track this stuff.
  Food: 
  Each character must consume at least one ration per day in order to 
  stay alive. You must consume a number of rations equal to one fourth 
  your fitness, rounded down, in order to heal normally. Rations can be 
  purchased for fixed costs or they can be generated by searching for food 
  in the wilderness.
  Water: 
  Each character must consume at least one drink per day in order 
  to stay alive. You must consume a number of drinks equal to one half 
  your fitness, rounded down, in order to heal normally. Drinks can be 
  purchased for fixed costs or they can be generated by searching for water 
  in the wilderness.
  Searching for Food & Water:
  The Architect will assign a die value to each region of the game world 
  to indicate the relative abundance of that area and another die value 
  to indicate the presence of water. A rich lowland might have a value of 
  d10 for both food and water while a frozen tundra might have a d4 food 
  value and a d12 water value. 
  Characters can search for food or water in a region by devoting an 
  entire day to the process and rolling the appropriate die. Their labor 
  yields a number of rations or drinks equal to the die result. Thus hunting 
  for food in that rich lowland would require you to roll 1d10. If you rolled 
  a four, you would get four rations as a result of the day’s work.
  
  0
  Sleep
  As with sustenance, the degree to which you track the demands of 
  daily life is up to the consensus of the group. You may decide to keep 
  track of every hour of sleep and exactly how long each party member 
  stays up on the night watch. These rules are provided for guidance if you 
  choose to track these variables in your game.
  A character needs 6 hours of sleep every day in order to function 
  effectively. Any time a character fails to meet this standard, temporarily 
  lower all attributes by 1 for the entire following day. If they fail to get 
  enough sleep for two days in a row, temporarily lower all attributes by 5 
  for the entire following day. Each successive day without sleep results in 
  another 4 cumulative penalty applied, so the third day reduce attributes 
  by 9, by 13 on the fourth day, and so on.
  If these penalties reduce any attributes to zero, the character falls 
  asleep despite the desires of the player. Anyone forced to sleep in this 
  manner will sleep for a number of hours as dictated by the Architect 
  unless forcefully roused. 
  Vision and Light
  The ability to see is vital to survival. Unfortunately, a large portion of a 
  character’s life is not spent in brightly lit open areas. They tend to go into 
  caves, dungeons, buildings, thick forests, or walk along foggy coastlines. 
  They frequently camp in the wilderness at night. As a result, they often 
  find themselves in situations where things within their normal range of 
  vision may be obscured, distorted, or completely hidden.
  What you actually see in the world around you, how far your torch 
  light extends, and whether you see that Ghoul hiding in the corner is 
  exclusively determined by the Architect. They may provide you with 
  guidelines, such as a torch’s light extends fifteen feet in every direction, 
  or they may set such distinctions aside and simply speak in vague terms.
  However, the Architect will call for you to make a perception save 
  when they want you to have a chance to notice something that most 
  people might miss. This might be a tripwire running across the floor, it 
  might be a monster hiding in the shadows, or just whether you notice 
  a coin lying in the dirt. Generally, you will only get one chance at this. 
  They may impose a penalty on this save to represent situational factors 
  like shadows or camouflage.
  The Effects of Darkness and Blindness
  As your vision becomes worse, the Architect will impose progressively 
  worse penalties on anything you do that requires vision, such as 
  attacking a target in combat or spotting an approaching monster. Some 
  magical effects may completely blind you as well. If you are completely 
  blind, the Architect may impose a very large penalty or simply decide 
  that the task is impossible to accomplish without sight.
  Some mechanical tasks like lockpicking may be accomplished 
  completely by feel, but also at a severe penalty imposed by the 
  Architect. Some tasks are obviously unaffected by darkness, such as 
  talking. Ultimately, what you can and cannot accomplish in the dark or 
  while blinded is up to the judgement of the Architect in regards to the 
  challenges of the situation.
  
  
  Encounters
  While traveling overland or moving about within a structure, the 
  Architect may inform you that you have encountered something out of 
  the ordinary. These situations are treated similarly in many ways, despite 
  each having their own unique flavor.
  An encounter could be running into a wild animal, coming across a 
  monster or it’s lair, or a holdup by local highwaymen. It could just as 
  easily be finding a small frontier homestead or a waystation that provides 
  sustenance for the King’s cavalry as they travel about the land. 
  Rolls for Encounters
  If such an encounter occurs, every party member must make a 
  perception save. The Architect makes similar saves for the other 
  side. The Architect will set difficulties for these saves based on the 
  nature of the terrain and what each side is doing. Spotting mounted 
  riders crossing an open field is easier than spotting people on foot in 
  a forest with thick underbrush.
  If someone is using concealment or stealth, their margin of success 
  is applied as a penalty to the difficulty die results for the other side. 
  Whoever succeeds on their save by the largest margin notices the 
  other side first. Depending on how the dice fall, this may give you an 
  advantage or it could result in your group running into an ambush. 
  The Architect can simply decide the intentions of those encountered 
  or they may roll randomly from the table to the right. The Architect 
  makes this roll in secret and as a character you will have to watch 
  those encountered to try and deduce what they intend. 
  The range of outcomes is shown here to reinforce that non-hostile 
  outcomes are strong possibilities. You do not have to greet everyone 
  you meet with swords drawn and magic at the ready. You may very 
  well find that diplomacy and kindness can open a lot of doors that 
  violence cannot break down.
  Intentions Table
  1
     Looking for assistance from you, very friendly and open
  2
     Eager to interact with you, curious and friendly
  3
     Cautious, but relaxed posture and trying to be non-hostile
  4
     Cautious and concerned, weapons drawn and at the ready
  5
     Worried by your presence and trying to slip away quietly
  6
     Disturbed by your presence and trying to retreat quickly
  7
     Terrified by your presence and bolting away at high speed
  8
     View you as a target, trying to stalk and ambush you
  9
     View you as a target, prepared for an immediate fight
  10
     View you as a target, charging to attack immediately
  
  
  Random Discoveries
  The Architect may have a treasure, item, clue, or any variety of things 
  hidden in various locations. These are used to bring life to the world, not 
  drive the plot. They are the little things that make the world feel alive 
  and remind you that you are not the first to ever see it. For example, a 
  book may have been hidden in a secret niche long ago. It remains there 
  for you to find, hopefully...
  Falling from Heights
  You may accidentally lose your footing and fall from an elevated 
  position. You will suffer 1 damage die per 10 feet of distance travelled. 
  A successful agility save will halve that damage. Any fall of 250 feet or 
  greater is automatically fatal unless you have magical protection.
  Locked or Stuck Objects
  You may encounter a door that has swelled in the heat and prevents 
  passage forward or a locked chest that might contain valuables inside. 
  You can make a fitness roll to simply force something open or you can 
  make a knowledge roll to bypass a locking mechanism. Some objects 
  may be locked in a manner than cannot be disabled, such as a door 
  being barred from the other side. The Architect may assess a penalty 
  to your rolls based on the challenge presented and/or give you a bonus 
  for having appropriate tools. Be advised that the use of extreme force to 
  open an object usually creates a lot of noise and may attract unwanted 
  attention from monsters or NPCs that are nearby.
  Traps
  Sometimes intelligent creatures can 
  set up traps to injure those who try 
  to sneak up on their lairs or hideouts. 
  These traps can range from simple 
  deadfalls and pit traps to intricate 
  mechanical triggers that can shoot out 
  poisoned darts. Anyone approaching 
  the trap can get a perception save at 
  the Architect’s discretion to notice 
  it. If detected, someone may disarm 
  the trap by making a knowledge roll. 
  Failure may or may not trigger the 
  trap mechanism. Some traps may 
  be undetectable and/or unable to 
  be disabled. Magical traps must be 
  detected magically. 
  Discovery Rolls
  If you are not actively searching for anything, just walking 
  through an area, the Architect may roll a six-sided die to assess 
  whether you found a random item hidden in a particular location. 
  On a result of 1, you accidentally find the object. For example, you 
  step on a coin lying in the dirt and it makes a noise.
  The Architect may sometimes roll a six-sided die out of the blue, just 
  to mess with your head. So don’t assume that if they are rolling dice, 
  something must be around to find.
  If you are actively searching for anything out of the ordinary, then 
  you should use your perception actively by searching an area 
  thoroughly. This increases your chances significantly, but keep in 
  mind that actively searching requires spending several minutes 
  engaged in that task and you may be making noises that attracts 
  attention from monsters or NPCs that are nearby.
  Digging
  You may discover structures above ground that have collapsed or you 
  may find collapsed tunnels in an underground location. You can dig 
  through loose dirt and rock at a rate equal to half your fitness in cubic 
  feet per hour of work. Heavier materials take more time to dig through, 
  based on the judgment of the Architect. This process also constitutes 
  searching that material as it is removed and you will be given the 
  appropriate chance to discover anything hidden within it.
  
  
  Drugs
  A drug is similar in many ways to a toxin but it does not always 
  damage you and it may provide some beneficial effects. Drugs can 
  affect the mind, the body, or both. Drugs can also create physical and or 
  psychological dependency. Alcohol is an example of a drug. 
  A drug has the exposure, gestation, and symptoms characteristics of a 
  toxin, but does not deal damage to you over interval periods. Instead, it 
  has a simple duration after which the effects expire. A drug can raise or 
  lower any aspect of your character; from attributes to magical methods 
  and materia. Exactly what a drug does is completely up to the Architect.
  A drug also has the potential to be addictive. The likelihood that the 
  user will become addicted to the drug is represented by an addiction 
  factor. This is a value which you must roll above with a ten-sided die in 
  order to avoid addiction. For example, an addiction factor of 4 means 
  that you must roll a ten-sided die and get a result of 5 or more. If you roll 
  a 4 or less, you are addicted to the drug. Someone who is addicted to a 
  drug must consume it every week or suffer withdrawal symptoms. 
  Withdrawal effects will intensify, plateau, and eventually fade over 
  a 1d10 day period for all drugs. The Architect can force stability rolls 
  to see if you can resist the temptation to consume the drug to stop the 
  withdrawal symptoms.
  Toxins
  The world of Vaena is the home to a wide range of noxious substances. 
  It is important to know how these substances affect your body so that 
  you can react appropriately if inflicted. A toxin is a substance that inflicts 
  attribute damage on the victim. 
  A toxin is introduced through the body via an exposure method. This 
  determines how you can become infected. For example, you cannot 
  inhale a respiratory toxin if you are holding your breath.
  The toxin will wait a period of time before becoming active. This 
  is called gestation. A toxin with a gestation of 1 minute would begin 
  affecting you 1 minute after exposure, however some toxins may have 
  gestation periods measured in days or even longer units of time.
  Once the gestation period is over, each toxin has symptoms that will 
  begin to express themselves. This may actually be your first indication 
  that you are even infected, so pay attention.
  A toxin will then inflict damage to one or more attributes. The amount 
  of damage dice and which attributes are targeted is based on the toxin, 
  but it will occur one damage die at a time at a frequency called an 
  interval. Once all the damage has been dealt, the toxin is considered to 
  have run it’s course and you are no longer affected by it.
  In the example below, you have to breathe in Whistleberry Powder to 
  be affected. After 3d8 minutes, you start to experience wild delusions, 
  become disoriented, and have your skin turn purple. Then you take 1 
  damage die every hour to your perception.
  Example Toxin: Whistleberry Powder
  Exposure
     Respiratory
  Gestation
     3d8 minutes
  Symptoms
     Purple skin tone, disorientation, wild delusions
  Damage
     5 dice to perception
  Interval
     1 per Hour to each attribute
  Example Drug: Goldenbrew Dwarven Ale
  Exposure
     Oral Consumption
  Gestation
     4d6 minutes
  Symptoms
     Drunkenness & Vivid Combat Hallucinations
  Effects
     -3 Agility, +4 Fitness, +6 Magnetism
  Duration
     4 Hours
  Addiction
     2
  Withdrawal
     Headaches & slight nausea
  
  
  Combat
  As a part of the game, you will find yourself in situations that may 
  become violent. In those circumstances, special rules apply to make sure 
  that the game is adjudicated fairly. You may wish to use miniatures in 
  combination with a battlemat to represent the conflict. You may not. 
  Ultimately it is entirely your choice to do so; the game doesn’t require it.
  Combat Rounds
  Combat is divided into combat rounds that 
  represent approximately six seconds of game time. 
  Within each round, everyone can take one combat 
  action. Actions are taken in order of agility with 
  the combatant with highest agility going first (ties 
  broken by perception). If you hit your opponents 
  and deal damage, roll the damage and apply it 
  before moving on. This can potentially result 
  in some low agility combatants being injured or 
  dying before they can act, therefore having a high 
  agility can be very advantageous tactically.
  Between Rounds
  Some spell effects can expire between rounds. 
  Otherwise, combat continues round-by-round 
  until only one side remains fighting. This may be 
  because everyone else is dead or it may be because 
  they have surrendered, run away, or become 
  incapacitated from sustaining injuries.
  Attack
  Draw & Attack
  Move & Attack
  Move
  Cast a Spell
  Move & Cast
  Parry
  Dodge
  Block
  Grapple
  Charge
  Hold
  
  
  Move & Attack: 
  Taking this action means you are moving closer to an opponent and 
  then attacking them. The opponent must be within a number of feet 
  equal to your agility to take this action. You must already have your 
  weapon in hand. This is adjudicated as if it were a normal attack, but add 
  one difficulty die to your to hit roll.
  Move: 
  Taking this action means you are only moving around on the 
  battlefield. This could be in any direction but you must remain a few feet 
  away from any enemy. If you want to move close to an enemy or through 
  their immediate area, you must use a Charge instead. You can move up 
  to twice your agility in feet. While moving about, you gain a bonus to 
  armor equal to one-half your agility.
  Combat Actions
  These are defined action types and do not represent everything you 
  can do in combat. However, if you want to attempt anything outside of 
  these guidelines, the Architect must determine how it is adjudicated.
  Attack: 
  Taking this action means you are spending the entire round attempting 
  to injure a targeted opponent with your weapon. The opponent must be 
  within range of your weapon. Attacking is always an agility attribute roll. 
  This is also called a to hit roll. 
  The difficulty is set by the Architect based on the nature of the terrain 
  and the situation. Shooting someone with an arrow across a fifty foot 
  chasm at dusk is much harder than hitting someone standing next to you 
  with an axe. Anyone aware that someone is trying to hit them also adds 
  one difficulty die to this calculation by virtue of taking obvious measures 
  to avoid being hit. They would not gain that benefit if someone was 
  attacking them from behind, for example. 
  However, when someone declares an attack, their target can also 
  choose to either parry or dodge. This will take up their action for the 
  round, but they have a much better chance of living through the 
  experience. If the opponent is benefiting from block, they could also 
  make rolls to stop the attack in that fashion.
  If you are successful, you hit your opponent and roll the appropriate 
  amount of damage dice for what was dealt. Armor is applied as a penalty 
  to any damage rolled. The Architect will reduce attributes accordingly.
  Draw & Attack: 
  Taking this action means you are either dropping your current weapon 
  and drawing a new weapon or that you began the round unarmed and 
  drew a weapon to attack. The weapon must be easily accessible to do this. 
  A spear strapped to your back or a sword in a scabbard is considered 
  accessible. A dagger in a pouch at the bottom of your backpack is not 
  accessible. This is adjudicated as if it were a normal attack, but add one 
  difficulty die to your to hit roll.
  
  
  Dodge: 
  Taking this action means you are attempting to avoid an incoming 
  blow from an enemy. You can dodge as a response to being attacked (if 
  you have not acted yet in the round) or you may preemptively dodge by 
  declaring it in advance. For example, “I am going to dodge any attacks 
  from the big Ogre in the center”. Note that you do not actually make the 
  roll until the target performs their attack.
  As with a parry, dodging involves making an opposed roll against their 
  attack with your own agility, plus any applicable bonuses you might 
  have. Magical attacks cannot be dodged. 
  Block
  Taking this action means you are attempting to stop all incoming 
  blows from your enemies using a shield. This is in addition to the normal 
  damage reduction that a shield provides. This is the abandonment of 
  attack in order to completely devote oneself to defense.
  Blocking allows you to make an agility roll every single time you are 
  attacked during that round, unless the attacker is attacking you from 
  behind.  Success means that you manage to get the shield in front of 
  the attack and completely negate it. Failure means the blow is treated 
  normally, including being affected by your shield’s damage reduction.
  Parry: 
  Taking this action means you are attempting to block an incoming 
  blow from an enemy. You can parry as a response to being attacked 
  (if you have not acted yet in the round) or you may hold until you are 
  attacked and then take your parry action. Note that you do not actually 
  make the roll until the target performs their attack.
  Parrying involves making a normal Attack roll in response to the 
  strike against you, but the situation has now become an opposed roll. 
  Despite making the roll as if it was an attack, you do not actually hit 
  the opponent with a parry. It is treated as a kind of save. Instead, if you 
  succeed you have stopped the blow from hitting you. 
  Cast a Spell: 
  Taking this action means you are casting a magical spell of some 
  kind. The mechanics of casting the spell described in the Magic chapter. 
  While casting a spell, you get no benefit from any armor you are wearing 
  because you are so wrapped up in casting the spell that you are not able 
  to take even basic steps to defend yourself from attack. If you are hit with 
  any kind of damage before the end of the round, the spell fizzles to no 
  effect unless you can make a willpower roll against a number of difficulty 
  dice equal to the amount of damage dealt.
  Move & Cast:
  Taking this action means you are moving a short distance while casting 
  a spell. You must add 1 difficulty die to the casting roll, but you can move 
  up to your agility in feet.
  
  
  Hold: 
  Taking this action means you are waiting to a more opportune time to 
  do something. You must declare what you are waiting for and what you 
  will do at that time. For example, you might say “I am waiting for him to 
  move out of the doorway and then I am going to attack with my sword”. 
  If the conditions are fulfilled before your next action, you will perform 
  your task. If not, you will have done nothing. If multiple combatants 
  hold, ties are broken by agility, if still tied then use perception.
  Grapple: 
  Taking this action means you are attempting to wrestle your opponent 
  to the ground. Your opponent can parry or dodge this attempt. In the 
  case of a parry, if they succeed you actually do take damage from their 
  weapon. In the case of a dodge, if they succeed you have to make an 
  agility save to avoid falling face first onto the ground. Note that you 
  don’t actually make the roll until the target performs their dodge.
  Resolve a grapple by making opposed fitness rolls. Every round that 
  you grapple, the difference between the two margins of success becomes 
  a penalty to all future rolls by the losing grappler. This penalty remains in 
  effect until the grapple is broken. Note that while grappled, an opponent 
  can still attack you with a dagger or other small weapon.
  For example, while grappling you succeed on your fitness roll by 5 
  and your opponent only succeeds by 1. The opponent now suffers a -4 
  penalty to all actions while you have them in your grip. 
  These penalties can be stacked and/or combined with the grappling 
  efforts of other combatants. If a grappling penalty becomes larger 
  than an opponent’s fitness, they are considered pinned and completely 
  unable to take actions. Thus a classic wrestling match would consist 
  of successive grappling rolls until one wrestler is slowly overcome and 
  eventually pinned. 
  Charge: 
  Taking this action means you are running into an opponent’s 
  immediate vicinity and using the force of your movement to aid in 
  the attack, such as when charging with a spear. The opponent must be 
  within a number of feet equal to twice your agility to take this action. 
  You must already have your weapon in hand. This is adjudicated as if it 
  were a normal attack, but it deals double damage. You are considered 
  stunned in the round immediately following a charge and cannot take 
  any actions.
  
  
  “Magic is the dividing line of power.
  Those without it tremble in fear
  while those with it unleash a mighty roar.”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	4:21
  
  
  Basic Casting
  Magic in Novarium is very simple. You choose a method and materia. 
  Add the values you have for those two elements together, then roll a 
  number of dice based on how powerful you want the spell to be. If you 
  roll a result less than or equal to the sum of the elements, you succeed. 
  If not, you take 1 point of willpower damage and the spell fails.
  It is really that easy. The only trick is figuring out how many dice to roll 
  to accomplish the effect you want. The other sections of this chapter are 
  dedicated to answering to that question.
  Using Essence
  Essence can be used to accelerate the flow of magical energy through 
  your body while you cast the spell. This removes a random number 
  of dice from the difficulty of the spell, making it much easier to cast. 
  However, you run the risk of overloading the spell and losing control.
  Magic
  
  Rolling for Essence Use
  First, you must decide exactly how many essence points you 
  intend to use for the casting. Your character touches the objects 
  containing the essence and they are immediately and irrevocably 
  disintegrated as the magic energy is released.
  Roll a six-sided die per point of essence used. Remove a number 
  of difficulty dice from your casting roll equal to this result. If this 
  reduces your difficulty dice to zero, the spell automatically succeeds 
  without a roll. If this would reduce your difficulty dice below zero, 
  you experience overload.
  Overload
  Overload is when you have tapped into more magical energy than 
  you need to cast your spell. This magical energy must be used. The only 
  question is whether you will be able to control it or if it will slip out of 
  your grasp. In the latter case, the Architect will describe how the spell 
  runs rampant and you gain a radiance point. Regardless of the outcome 
  of this roll, your character will also take damage from the overload.
  Rolling for Overload Control
  Roll 1 difficulty die for each extra die that could not be applied 
  to the original casting against your willpower attribute. If you 
  succeed on this roll, you can tell the Architect how you want the 
  extra dice used. If not, then the Architect will make the decision.
  The power of the spell must be increased in such a way to use up 
  the extra dice. This can be done by either increasing the power of 
  the method or materia being used or by adding additional methods   
  and/or materia into the spell.
  You will probably choose to increase things that have little chance of 
  causing negative consequences to your own group, such as making 
  your fireball deal more damage to the target instead of expanding it’s 
  damage radius and possibly injuring your friends as a consequence. 
  However, the Architect is encouraged to do the opposite for the sake 
  of balance. They will look for ways to make the spell problematic, 
  annoying, or costly to you. This is to make sure that you have a strong 
  interest in maintaining control of your own spellcasting.
  
  0
  Overload Damage
  When you experience overload, a larger quantity of magic is being 
  channeled through your body than you are able to tolerate. This causes 
  you to take a point of fitness damage for every extra die you overloaded. 
  This damage heals normally. Note that even if this damage is sufficient to 
  kill you, the spell still takes effect.
  Radiance
  Assuming you survive this process, if you failed your control roll then 
  you also gain a point of radiance. Radiance is a kind of residual magical 
  energy that builds up inside your body. It has three effects.
  First, radiance makes channeling essence easier. For every point of 
  radiance, you get an additional point when you roll for essence use. Thus 
  a character with 3 points of radiance would roll 2d6+3 if they tapped into 
  2 essence to cast a spell (instead of just 2d6). This makes your spells cast 
  with essence even more powerful, but also increases the risk of further 
  overloads and additional radiance accumulation.
  Second, radiance makes your body glow. The 
  chart to the right shows how powerful the glow is, 
  based on the amount of radiance points you have. 
  Once you accumulate 20 points of radiance, your 
  body becomes ethereal and you are considered to 
  be either an angel or a devil, depending on how 
  morally upright you are. Further radiance points 
  do not accumulate, instead you surrender your 
  character to the Architect for them to use as an NPC 
  and you shift to play another character. 
  Third, the glow effect described above extends into the ethereal realm 
  and makes it easier for it’s inhabitants to locate you. While this makes 
  it more likely for angels to contact you, it also makes it more likely that 
  devils will contact you as well. They delight in tempting powerfully 
  radiant beings into twisted bargains and into committing immoral acts. 
  They also enjoy consuming them, so stay on your toes.
  1
     Candle
  3
     Torch
  5
     Bonfire
  10
     Sunlight
  15
     Blinding
  20
     Ethereal
  
  
  Control
  Create
  Protect
  Negate
  Imbue
  Sense
  Strike
  Transform
  Demon
  Earth
  Fire
  Holy
  Life
  Light
  Sound
  Thought
  Time
  Water
  Death
  Air
  Basic Casting Examples
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Control + Earth
  While Alyssa is traveling through an old 
  underground structure, a wall gives way 
  and the ceiling suddenly collapses. As the 
  crumbling pieces of earth come cascading 
  down, she quickly mutters a few strange words 
  and holds out an outstretched hand.
  [Rolls 2d10] = 14 < 18 = Control + Earth
  The spell narrowly fires, stopping the 
  falling rock and soil in mid-air. She holds 
  concentration while backing out of the room 
  slowly. Once a safe distance away, her hand fell 
  and the spell faded. The room is quickly filled 
  with dirt and she let out a sigh. 
  “That is going to take a long time to dig out.”
  Imbue + Holy
  Alyssa has discovered a Demon living near a 
  powerful font and corrupting the animals of 
  the wood. Anticipating a difficult battle, she 
  decides to enchant her sword with the power 
  of the heavens. She places the sword on a large 
  rock and begins the incantation.
  [Rolls 3d10] = 23 > 14 = Imbue + Holy
  The spell fails and Alyssa loses one willpower 
  point. Disheartened by this setback, but 
  determined to succeed in her quest, Alyssa 
  continues deeper into the woods toward the 
  corrupted font. With or without the help of 
  magic, she was determined to vanquish him.
  “HELLION! God’s vengeance comes swiftly!”
  Strike + Thought
  As Alyssa was travelling along a road, a few 
  brigands emerged from the underbrush with 
  weapons drawn. Their leader called out, telling 
  her to drop her weapon and she would be 
  spared. Instead, Alyssa pointed her finger at 
  them and muttered a few words.
  [Rolls 3d10] = 16 < 18 = Strike + Thought
  They immediately fell to the ground, writhing 
  in pain. She calmly approached and collected 
  their coin purses. Then she wrapped their 
  weapons in a blanket and hoisted them over 
  her shoulder. Smiling, she turned to their still 
  writhing forms.
  “The local militia will really appreciate these!”
  
  
  Demon
  Earth
  Fire
  Holy
  Life
  Light
  Sound
  Thought
  Time
  Water
  Death
  Air
  Essence-Assisted Casting Example with Overload
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Original Casting : Negate + Life
  Alyssa is traveling through an ancient forest in search of a hidden font. She has come to an 
  impasse. One part of the forest is exceptionally overgrown and thick impenetrable brush prevents 
  her from advancing further. Knowing that she is going to have to call upon some really potent 
  magic to bypass this overgrowth and that she lacks prowess in the kind of magic needed to do it, 
  she decides to tap into some essence to fill in the gaps. She tells the Architect that she is casting a 
  spell to temporarily remove plants from the entire area in front of her [+3 difficulty dice] for an 
  entire day [+4 difficulty dice]. She taps into two essence points to ensure the spells succeeds.
  [Rolls 2d6] = 11!  
  Wow! That is 4 points of overload! The Architect tells her to make an overload control roll.
  [Rolls 4d10] = 32 > her 14 willpower
  She failed to control the spell. Alyssa takes 1 willpower damage from the spell failure, 4 fitness 
  damage from the overload, and gains 1 radiance point since she failed to control the outcome. 
  Now the Architect begins to narrate the outcome of the spell.
  Spell Results : Narrated by the Architect
  As the spell begins to take effect, you feel the 
  massive amount of energy unleashed from the 
  essence flow uncontrollably through your body. 
  Your skin feels like it is on fire as the energy of 
  the magic crackles around you and the pain 
  becomes almost too much to bear.
  The trees and overgrowth before you begin to 
  vanish as if being consumed by an invisible 
  wave. It seems to stretch out endlessly towards 
  the horizon. Within moments, you can no 
  longer see any form of life at all, everything 
  having been swept clean from existence. As the 
  pain fades and you regain your senses, you turn 
  around and see that the entire forest behind you 
  has vanished as well. You stand alone in the 
  middle of an empty sea of dirt. All is silent...
  Control
  Create
  Protect
  Negate
  Imbue
  Sense
  Strike
  Transform
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Control
  This method governs the use of magic to manipulate how something is 
  moving or behaving. A small amount of force can be used to accomplish 
  this, but it cannot be large enough to deal damage. For that, use Strike.
  Control could change the arc of an arrow in flight or to affect gravity’s 
  pull on an object. For instance, it could be paired with the life materia to 
  move someone’s arm or cause a turtle to pull within it’s shell. It could be 
  used with the death materia to cause a corpse to stand up off the ground 
  and move about or with the fire materia to cause a fire to spread outward 
  and ignite a nearby pile of leaves.
  With a single die, you can affect something within ten yards of 
  where you are standing for one minute, so long as you maintain 
  line of sight. Any form of counter-force dispels the effect.
  With two dice, you can affect something within one hundred 
  yards of where you are standing for up to ten minutes, so long as 
  you maintain line of sight. Someone must exert a damage-dealing level 
  of force to stop the movement, such as attacking it with a weapon.
  With three dice, you can affect something for two hours, 
  regardless of distance as long as you can see it clearly. Only a 
  magical counter-force can prevent you from acting upon the object.
  With four dice, you can affect something for an entire day simply 
  through concentration (i.e. you don’t even have to see it). Only a 
  magical counter-force can prevent you from acting upon the object.
  With five dice, the target falls under your permanent control and 
  can be effortlessly moved by instinct as if it were an extended part 
  of your body. Only a magic spell specifically tailored to sever the linkage 
  can prevent you from acting upon the object.
  Methods
  Each method represents a way in which magic acts upon reality. It may 
  be helpful to think of a method as a tool of sorts. No tool is necessarily 
  better than the others, they serve different needs. For example, a hammer 
  is good at a particular kind of task; hitting something repetitively. If 
  you try to use it to sew clothes, you will have a very hard time. Think of 
  methods in this way and choose one that fits the job. 
  The dice guidelines provided in this section are meant to serve 
  most purposes within the game. Once you move outside of the ranges 
  provided, the Architect must use their judgment to decide how many 
  dice you must roll to create an effect. Anything can be accomplished 
  with magic, the question is... at what cost?
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  Control
  Create
  Protect
  Negate
  Imbue
  Sense
  Strike
  Transform
  +5
  
  
  Create
  This method governs the use of magic to create a completely new 
  object from nothing. You cannot create something inside of an existing 
  object, only in open air. The object does not deal damage as it is created, 
  as anything that is in the way of it’s expansion is pushed aside gently. 
  However, once created the object can fall, roll, or be moved so as to deal 
  damage.  You must be highly familiar with the created object and the 
  Architect is free to impose penalties for complex items like a timepiece 
  or a work of art.
  Note that when used with death, dead objects are created. It does not 
  cause death in a subject. When used with time, additional time is created 
  for you. Everything else appears frozen in place while that time elapses. 
  When used with thought, the thoughts are created in the minds of a 
  target you designate (at least +2 dice).
  With a single die, you can create something that originates in your 
  hand. Your hand must be able to support it’s weight. It lasts for an 
  hour before fading away to nothing. You must concentrate to keep the 
  item in existence for the entire duration.
  With two dice, you can create something that originates within 
  five yards of your location. It lasts for a day before fading away to 
  nothing. You do not have to maintain concentration, just line of sight.
  With three dice, you can create something that originates within 
  your sight range. It lasts for a season before fading away to 
  nothing. You do not have to concentrate or keep line of sight.
  With four dice, you can create something that originates at any 
  location within your sight range. It lasts for a year before fading 
  away to nothing. You do not have to concentrate or keep line of sight.
  With five dice, you can create something that originates at any 
  location you have ever been to before. The object is permanent. 
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  Imbue
  This method governs the use 
  of magic to enchant an item. 
  Magical energy is transferred 
  into an object to cause some 
  sort 
  of 
  effect. 
  The 
  exact 
  magical effect created must be 
  negotiated with the Architect.
  For example, you might use 
  fire to make magical flames 
  burn off the surface of a sword 
  so that it ignites anything it hits. 
  The number of materia dice 
  used for the spell determines 
  how large of an effect is 
  generated by the spell and how 
  much damage it deals.
   
  With a single die, you can imbue a magical effect that lasts for an 
  hour. This can affect an object weighing up to twenty pounds.
  With two dice, you can imbue a magical effect that lasts for a day. 
  This can affect an object weighing up to fifty pounds.
  With three dice, you can imbue a magical effect that lasts for a 
  year. This can affect an object weighing up to a hundred pounds.
  With four dice, you can imbue a magical effect that lasts for 
  a hundred years. This can affect an object weighing up to five 
  hundred pounds. This deceptive permanence is the reason why there
  are far fewer “true” magical items than one might be led to believe.
  With five dice, you can imbue a magical effect that lasts forever. 
  This can affect an object weighing up to a thousand pounds.
  +5
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  
  
  Negate
  This method governs the use of magic to remove something from 
  existence. There is no damage dealt, the target is simply eliminated from 
  the universe. The die cost to use negate is often low, but the materia cost 
  must match the size and nature of the object affected and thus it will 
  likely balance out as a consequence.
  Negate is often the only recourse against objects too tough to damage 
  sufficiently to break or move. Things like piles of dirt or stone, huge foes 
  like giants or dragons, etc. Alternatively, it can be invaluable at stopping 
  intangible things like light, sound or thought. Finally, it can stop things 
  that are impervious to damage of almost any kind, such as fire or water. 
  With a single die, you can negate something you are touching. It 
  is removed from existence for ten minutes, then it reappears in it’s 
  former location as if it never even left.
  With two dice, you can negate something within one hundred 
  yards of your location. It is removed from existence for thirty 
  minutes, then it reappears in it’s former location as if it never even left.
  With three dice, you can negate something within your sight 
  range. It is removed from existence for an hour, then it reappears 
  in it’s former location as if it never even left.
  With four dice, you can negate something within your sight range. 
  It is removed from existence for a day, then it reappears in it’s 
  former location as if it never even left.
  With five dice, you can negate something within your sight range 
  or with which you are extremely familiar, such as an old book that 
  you have had for years. It is removed from existence permanently. It can 
  never be restored, not even through a create spell although it is possible 
  someone could create a new version. It is gone forever.
  Protect
  This method governs the use of magic to prevent damage or to prevent 
  something from affecting you. You must choose a materia to match the 
  source of the damage or effect you are trying to prevent. You must use a 
  number of materia dice to match the number of materia dice used in the 
  opposing spell or to represent the nature of what is attacking you.
  For example, you must use sound to stop sonic damage, fire to stop 
  incendiary damage, and so on. Injury from metal or stone weapons can 
  be stopped with earth. However, a wooden spear, a punch, or a charging 
  beast could only be stopped with life. Attempts to alter how time affects 
  you could be stopped with time.
  You can also protect someone else from an effect, if you can touch 
  them while casting.
  If stopping magical damage or effects, you must match the 
  method dice of the opposing spell. The materia must also match. 
  If stopping physical attacks or effects, you must use 1 method die per 
  damage die dealt by the objects or attackers. 
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  +X
  
  
  Sense
  This method governs the use of magic to detect the presence or status 
  of something at a distance. You can specify a few details of what you 
  are looking for to sharpen your search, such as only people thinking 
  thoughts about killing the king or only things to the north of here.
  The materia and the number of dice you choose will determine the 
  nature of what is detected.  For example, you might use life with only one 
  materia die. This will only allow you to sense a very small living being. If 
  you add more dice, you can detect larger life forms.
  With a single die, you can sense something within one hundred 
  yards of your location. You are only given the general direction.
  With two dice, you can sense something within five miles of your 
  location. You are given the general direction of the object as well 
  as a few minor details about it’s nature, such as that it is a fire that has 
  been burning for a few hours.
  With three dice, you can sense something within a hundred miles 
  of your location. You are given the general direction of the object 
  as well as the complete details of it’s nature, such as that it is a dead man 
  named Jack who died yesterday at noon.
  Strike
  This method governs the use of magic to deal damage or cause a 
  magical effect on a target. You must choose a materia to match the 
  source of the damage or effect you are trying to cause. The number of 
  materia dice determines the size of the effect you are causing, such as 
  only one fire die for a small blast or several dice for a big explosion.
  You must use 1 die per damage die dealt. You can strike anything 
  within your field of vision, so long as there are no obstructions 
  between you and the target.
  Transform
  This method governs the use of magic to change the inherent nature 
  of an object. You can be extremely detailed in what kind of changes you 
  are attempting to perform, so long as you stay within the boundaries 
  proscribed below. The number of materia dice used determines the size 
  and nature of the affected area/target and the number of transform dice 
  determines the degree of change created and how long it lasts.
  Minor changes are things like coloration, small variations in size 
  or shape, slight changes in texture, etc. Major changes are complete 
  alteration of parts of the whole, such as turning someone’s arm into a 
  sword or creating ice on top of a lake. Complete changes are just that, 
  metamorphosis into a totally different object, such as turning a dragon 
  into a sheep or a sword into a piece of bread.
  With a single die, you can change something which you are 
  touching in a few minor ways. These changes stay in effect for ten 
  minutes, then the object reverts to the original form.
  With two dice, you can change something which you are touching 
  in a several major ways. These changes stay in effect for an hour, 
  then the object reverts to the original form.
  With three dice, you can change something in your vision range in 
  a several major ways. These changes stay in effect for twelve hours, 
  then the object reverts to the original form.
  With four dice, you can change something in your vision range 
  into something completely different. These changes stay in effect 
  for a day, then the object reverts to the original form.
  With five dice, you can permanently change something in your 
  vision range into something completely different. 
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +X
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  
  
  Air
  This materia governs interaction with wind, air, vapors, and/or 
  breathing. It does not cover electrical discharges such as lightning (fire) 
  nor does it cover precipitation directly (water).
  However, it may be used by a clever caster to make such outcomes 
  more likely. For example, you might create a strong wind to blow a storm 
  cloud that already exists into a different area and thus cause rain to fall at 
  that location. This is not direct effect, but it can be useful.
  With a single die used for wind, the effect is strong enough to 
  move something weighing up to ten pounds. When used for 
  air or vapors, it can affect a volume up to 1 cubic yard. When used for 
  breathing, it can provide enough air to breathe for a one minute.
  With two dice used for wind, the effect is strong enough to move 
  something weighing up to a hundred pounds. When used for air 
  or vapors, it can affect a volume up to 10 cubic yards. When used for 
  breathing, it can provide enough air to breathe for five minutes.
  With three dice used for wind, the effect is strong enough to move 
  something weighing up to five hundred pounds. When used for 
  air or vapors, it can affect a volume up to 100 cubic yards. When used 
  for breathing, it can provide enough air to breathe for twenty minutes.
  With four dice used for wind, the effect is strong enough to move 
  something weighing up to a thousand pounds. When used for air 
  or vapors, it can affect a volume up to 250 cubic yards. When used for 
  breathing, it can provide enough air to breathe for an hour.
  With five dice used for wind, the effect is strong enough to move 
  something weighing up to ten thousand pounds. When used for 
  air or vapors, it can affect a volume up to 1000 cubic yards. When used 
  for breathing, it can provide enough air to breathe for six hours.
  Materia
  Each materia represents the substance upon which or through which 
  a magic spell acts. It may be helpful to think of a materia as the medium 
  upon which a piece of artwork is drawn, with the method serving as the 
  implement being used. Oil on Canvas will look a very different from a 
  Stylus on Clay. The logic of the pairing is important. 
  The dice guidelines provided in this section are meant to serve 
  most purposes within the game. Once you move outside of the ranges 
  provided, the Architect must use their judgment to decide how many 
  dice you must roll to create an effect. Anything can be accomplished 
  with magic, the question is... at what cost?
  Unlike methods, a spell can have more than one materia. Usually, this 
  is only done by a very powerful spellcaster or someone with a lot of 
  overload dice to use. The dice for all materia used are added together for 
  adjudication purposes. You must have a plausible explanation of how the 
  spell uses the additional materia. For example, you could cast a Strike-
  Demon-Fire spell that causes a fiery unholy tentacle to reach out and 
  strike your opponent for both demonic and fire damage.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  Demon
  Earth
  Fire
  Holy
  Life
  Light
  Sound
  Thought
  Time
  Water
  Death
  Air
  +5
  
  
  Death
  This materia governs the breach 
  between life and death. It can 
  be used to cause death outright, 
  manipulate those that have recently 
  experienced it, and it can reach 
  through the void to those beyond. 
  Note that negate does not bring 
  life back, it merely eliminates the 
  dead body.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with a non-
  sentient life, such as a plant or a mindless worm.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a single 
  non-rational sentient creatures, such as a dog or most monsters. 
  Alternatively, it can be used to interact with up to five different non-
  sentient lifeforms, such as a small grove of trees.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a single 
  rational sentient being, such as a human or an Elf. Alternatively, 
  it can be used to interact with up to five different non-rational sentient 
  creatures or up to twenty non-sentient lifeforms.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  five different rational sentient beings, such as a human hunting 
  party. Alternatively, it can be used to interact with up to twenty different 
  non-rational sentient creatures or up to fifty non-sentient lifeforms.
  With five dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  twenty different rational sentient beings, such as an entire village 
  graveyard. Alternatively, it can be used to interact with up to fifty 
  different non-rational sentient creatures or a nearly limitless number of 
  non-sentient lifeforms, such as entire hive of bees.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  Demon
  This materia governs interaction with evil and malicious forces in 
  the universe. It can interact directly with demons and devils, as well as 
  malevolent forces like curses, plagues, poisons, and other dangers. The 
  duration of penalties is determined by the method dice used.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  malevolent force that inflicts a -1 penalty to a specific kind of 
  action (such as using a sword). You can also interact with demonic 
  beings that are in the Mortal realm and have taken a physical form.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  malevolent force that inflicts a -3 penalty to a specific kind of 
  action. You can also interact with demonic beings that are in the Mortal 
  realm, even if they have remained immaterial.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  malevolent force that inflicts a -5 penalty to a specific kind of 
  action or that suppresses an attribute by 1 point. You can also interact 
  with demonic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any 
  form, including devils.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  malevolent force that inflicts a -7 penalty to a specific kind of 
  action or that suppresses an attribute by 2 points. You can also interact 
  with demonic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any 
  form, including devils.
  With five dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  malevolent force that inflicts a -9 penalty to a specific kind of 
  action or that suppresses an attribute by 3 points. You can also interact 
  with demonic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any 
  form, including devils.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  
  
  Earth
  This materia governs interaction with the substances of the earth. 
  It can be used to affect dirt, stone, metals, and gems. While it may be 
  tempting to imagine oneself using create to make oneself wealthy with 
  this materia, anyone familiar with the substances you created (such as a 
  merchant) will be able to see that they are magical in origin.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  10 cubic yards of dirt.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 25 
  cubic yards of dirt or 10 cubic yards of stone. Alternatively, it can 
  be used with a mixture of these materials, subject to Architect judgment 
  on the nature of the mixture.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  100 cubic yards of dirt, 25 cubic yards of stone, or 10 cubic yards 
  of metal. Alternatively, it can be used with a mixture of these materials, 
  subject to Architect judgment on the nature of the mixture.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  1,000 cubic yards of dirt, 100 cubic yards of stone, 25 cubic yards 
  of metal, or 10 cubic yards of gems. Alternatively, it can be used with a 
  mixture of these materials, subject to Architect judgment on the nature 
  of the mixture.
  With five dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  a nearly limitless amount of dirt, 1,000 cubic yards of stone, 100 
  cubic yards of metal, or 25 cubic yards of gems. Alternatively, it can be 
  used with a mixture of these materials, subject to Architect judgment on 
  the nature of the mixture.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  Fire
  This materia governs interaction with fire, lightning, and heat. Unless 
  used with strike, these effects do not cause damage to a person unless 
  they are created and then stumbled into by someone. Though a clever 
  caster could encircle someone in a ring of fire or a similarly devious 
  machination, the Architect is encouraged to strictly ensure the method 
  used reflects the actual intended outcome.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with up 
  to 10 cubic yards of fire or lightning, or interact with heat in the 
  amount necessary to cause damage to living tissue.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up to 
  100 cubic yards of fire or lightning, or interact with heat in the 
  amount necessary to melt malleable metals like copper, iron, or gold.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up 
  virtually any amount of fire or lightning, or interact with heat in 
  the amount necessary to melt stone. Keep in mind that it will be difficult 
  to work with heat at this level simply due to the danger to oneself.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  
  0
  Life
  This materia governs interaction with living objects. It can be used 
  to do a very wide range of things, as life is varied and complex. This 
  flexiblity makes it highly useful for a wide range of things. For example, 
  most of your opponents in combat will be living beings and can therefore 
  be affected by this materia. 
  Note that create can give the life created any form of intelligence, 
  however that also requires the use of thought as well.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with a non-
  sentient life weighing up to 100 pounds, such as an herb plant.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a non-
  rational sentient creature weighing up to 200 pounds, such as a 
  dog, or a non-sentient life of almost any size, such as a tree.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  rational sentient creature weighing up to 300 pounds, such as a 
  human or an Elf, or with a non-rational sentient creature of almost any 
  size, such as a grizzly bear. As before, it can interact with a non-sentient 
  life of almost any size.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with any 
  number of lifeforms that together weighing up to 1,000 pounds, 
  such as several humans in a group. Alternatively, it can interact with any 
  single lifeform of almost any size.
  With five dice,  the spell is strong enough to interact with any 
  number of lifeforms that together weighing up to 10,000 pounds, 
  such as several large herbivores. Alternatively, it can interact with any 
  single lifeform of almost any size.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  Holy
  This materia governs interaction with good and righteous forces in the 
  universe. It can interact directly with angels, as well as benevolent forces 
  like blessings or healing. Holy magic represents the direct interaction 
  with the divine and it is the only materia that can affect healing. 
  However, instantaneous healing is quite costly and will likely require a 
  powerful Novaria or one willing to take a chance with essence use.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  benevolent force that gives a +1 bonus to a specific kind of action 
  (such as using a sword). You can also interact with angelic beings that 
  are in the Mortal realm and have taken a physical form.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  benevolent force that gives a +3 bonus to a specific kind of action. 
  You can also interact with angelic beings that are in the Mortal realm, 
  even if they have remained immaterial.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  benevolent force that gives a +5 bonus to a specific kind of action 
  or that bolsters or heals an attribute by 1 point. You can also interact 
  with angelic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any form.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  benevolent force that gives a +7 bonus to a specific kind of action 
  or that bolsters or heals an attribute by 2 points. You can also interact 
  with angelic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any form.
  With five dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  benevolent force that gives a +9 bonus to a specific kind of action 
  or that bolsters or heals an attribute by 3 points. You can also interact 
  with angelic beings that are in the Mortal or Ethereal realms in any form.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  
  
  Light
  This materia governs interaction with light. Note that when paired 
  with negate, it can remove light to create darkness. If you negate light in 
  an area, it will not immediately refill from light as you might expect from 
  your understanding of modern physics. This is not the real world in that 
  sense, it is a fantasy version.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with light 
  as powerful as a torch or lantern.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with light as 
  powerful as a bonfire or the light of the full moon on a clear night.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up 
  virtually any amount of light, including broad daylight.
  Sound
  This materia governs interaction with sound. Note that when paired 
  with negate, it can remove sound and create silence. If you negate sound 
  in an area, new sounds will remain silenced for the duration of the spell. 
  Additionally, unless paired with strike, the sound does not injure the 
  listener no matter how much you know about ear drums. Again, this is a 
  fantasy world and modern knowledge should not creep into it.
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with sound 
  as powerful as one person speaking normally.
  With two dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with sound 
  as powerful as one person screaming, metal objects slamming 
  against something hard, or a monster’s roar. 
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with up 
  virtually any amount of sound in any kind of composition.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +1
  +2
  +3
  Thought
  This materia governs interaction with thoughts inside the mind of 
  sentient creatures. Unlike other materia, the subject matter is truly 
  insubstantial and you may need to be very specific when speaking with 
  the Architect to determine exactly what kind of thoughts you are going 
  to be affecting.
  With a single die, 
  the spell is strong 
  enough to interact with 
  a basic non-rational 
  thought, such as a desire 
  to eat or instinctive fear.
  With two dice, 
  the spell is strong 
  enough to interact 
  with a complex non-
  rational thought, such 
  as migratory instincts 
  or similarly detailed 
  movement pattern over 
  an extended distance.
  With three dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with a basic 
  rational thought, such as a simple falsehood.
  With four dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with 
  a complex rational thought, such as a sophisticated lie or a 
  philosophical belief system.
  With five dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with any form 
  of thought, even multiple highly complex rational thoughts. This 
  level of interaction is required to create sentience in a lifeform.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  
  
  Water
  This materia governs interaction with water. It does not cover electrical 
  discharges such as lightning (fire) or the movement of clouds and vapor 
  (air), but it would allow you to interact with any form of precipitation. It 
  also allows you to interact with movement within large bodies of water, 
  such as currents or waves.
  Additionally, unless paired with strike, the water does not injure the 
  target no matter how much you know about pressure and force. Again, 
  this is a fantasy world and modern knowledge should not creep into it.
  With a single die used for water, the spell is strong enough to 
  interact with a volume of up to 10 cubic yards. When used for 
  movement within water, it can move water around within a pond or a 
  small lake.
  With two dice used for water, the spell is strong enough to interact 
  with a volume of up to 100 cubic yards. When used for movement 
  within water, it can move water around within a large lake or an inlet of 
  a larger body of water, such as a bay or cove.
  With three dice used for water, the spell is strong enough to 
  interact with a volume of up to 1,000 cubic yards. When used for 
  movement within water, it can move water around within a large portion 
  of an ocean, such as a sea or a gulf.
  With four dice used for water, the spell is strong enough to 
  interact with a volume of up to 10,000 cubic yards (roughly all of 
  the water in a large pond). When used for movement within water, it can 
  move water around within an entire ocean.
  With five dice used for water, the spell is strong enough to interact 
  with a volume of up to 100,000 cubic yards (roughly all of the 
  water in a small lake). When used for movement within water, it can 
  move water around the entire planet.
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  +5
  Time
  This materia governs interaction with the flow of time. It is a unique 
  materia that is subject to unique rules. Time is an experimental materia 
  which has yet to be fully understood by the Order of Novus. To date, 
  no one has ever been able to successfully pair time with imbue, strike, 
  or transform. An enterprising Novaria may find such pursuits to be 
  fulfilling and exciting. Previous attempts have ended... badly.
  Time only affects rational sentient beings. When using time, disregard 
  all information from the method section that you are using. Instead, you 
  need 1 die for every individual that you are going to be affecting. They 
  must all be within your line of sight to be affected. 
  The spell affects how time is acting on those individuals. The amount 
  of time that can be affected is described in the list below. For example, if 
  you control 1 die of time for one person (i.e. a two dice spell), you would 
  be able change how that person acted during a single round of time. 
  If you had chosen to create time, they would have experienced one 
  additional round of time while everyone else is frozen. If you had chosen 
  to negate  time, they would have experienced nothing while everyone 
  else experienced one round of time. If you use protect, you can stop 
  another caster’s time magic so long as you match your opponent’s casting 
  die. 
  If you use sense, you can experience what they experienced during 
  a particular interval of time, whether that is in the present or the past. 
  However, you must be very specific about what time period you want to 
  experience. For example, you might say that you wish to experience the 
  moment of time beginning when they first met a particular person or 
  the moment of time right before their mother died. Be specific!
  With a single die, the spell is strong enough to interact with a 
  single round of time, as described in the combat rules.
  With two or more dice, the spell is strong enough to interact with 
  a minute of time per die used. 
  +1
  +X
  
  
  “Humanity stands alone on the brink,
  the final race to resist the call of evil,
  the last hope for a dying world.
  The Novaria must not merely resist the darkness,
  if there is to be any hope, they must push it back.”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	2:16
  
  
  For aeons, the inhabitants of the world of Vaena had suspected that a 
  divine being created them. Many religions and cults had developed to 
  worship some conception of a God or several Gods. However, these 
  religions were merely the products of creative minds and wishful 
  thinking. The true God had not shown herself to them, nor sent any of 
  her angels to reveal the truth to the people.
  The Coming of Azakriel
  One day, an angel appeared in the mortal realm. He called himself 
  Azakriel and despite having been weakened by the transition to this 
  world, he exuded such a powerful aura of holiness that his true nature 
  was obvious to any observer. Azakriel told the people of Vaena that he 
  had long been a protective angel assigned to the human race since their 
  creation. He had silently nursed them at their darkest moments. He had 
  lifted them up from barbarism and guided them through a world fraught 
  with peril into civilization. 
  Azakriel foretold that humanity was 
  in great peril and that action must be 
  quickly taken. He traveled throughout 
  the human lands and told them the 
  truth. Some received him but failed to 
  make significant changes to their lives. 
  In the Northern Kingdoms, Azakriel 
  was very well-received and so he chose 
  to live among them. A citadel was built 
  for him at Elkhammer and he quickly 
  assembled a team of scholars to transfer 
  his knowledge into a book.
  The Book of Azakriel
  Azakriel dictated a book to his followers in his citadel at Elkhammer 
  and this book was replicated by hand many times before his mortal 
  death. It continues to be replicated today by scholars and monks of his 
  holy order. The teachings of Azakriel continue to spread today.
  The Book of Azakriel is the revealed word of God. It contains the 
  only recorded truths about the three realms. It is also a guidebook for 
  the restoration of the world to the light of justice through a philosophy 
  called the Path of Light. 
  The Three Realms
  Azakriel describes the universe as consisting of three concurrent and 
  overlapping realms; the Heavenly realm, the Mortal realm, and the 
  Ethereal realm. Any single point in space exists in all three realms and 
  travel between the realms is possible only through powerful magic and 
  divine power.
  God is the prime mover; the only being capable of creating life where 
  none existed before. However, this new life has free will and God has 
  no power to control it once it has been created. She is unable to leave 
  the Heavenly realm, though She occupies it completely as if a gas in a 
  container. Some might say that She is the Heavenly realm.
  God can create Angels to perform her bidding, though they retain 
  free will. In the Heavenly realm, God trains and educates her Angels to 
  serve as agents of her divine plan. If God allows it, an Angel may enter 
  the Ethereal realm where they are able to interact with the mortal realm 
  and influence humanity. She must trust that once outside of her direct 
  control, they will stay true to Her word.
  Vaena
  
  
  
  The Ethereal realm lies between the Heavenly and Mortal realms. 
  Due to the influence of the Mortal realm, Angels in this realm are 
  in possession of free will. They are able to see and observe everything 
  occurring in the Mortal realm and they can communicate with mortals 
  directly through their conscience. 
  All mortal beings have a conscience, given to them by God, which 
  provides them with innate feelings about right and wrong. Angels can 
  shape and magnify the conscience of a mortal, pushing them to behave 
  in particular ways. 
  However, there are only so many Angels. Each time that God creates 
  an Angel, she drains away some of her own divine strength. Thus she is 
  hesitant to create more for fear of weakening herself to the point that she 
  loses control of her creations. The current situation is hard enough to 
  bear, the idea of further loss is terrifying.
  The Fall of Vastane
  There was once an angel of God who disagreed with God’s view of 
  good named Vastane. He accused God of being unjustly committed to 
  only one conception of morality. Intending to show him the error of his 
  ways, God allowed Vastane to go into the Ethereal realm to construct an 
  alternative view. However, this proved to be a horrible mistake. 
  Vastane was able to use his angelic powers to tempt mortals and thus 
  dramatically undermine God’s work. He could twist and corrupt the 
  virtues of all manner of beings and transform prosperous and peaceful 
  worlds into barren wastelands of hate and suffering. A furious God 
  ordered him to return to Heaven. Fearful of reprisal, Vastane refused.
  Over many years, Vastane was eventually able to convince a few other 
  angels to abandon God and join him in the Ethereal realm. These fallen 
  angles are referred to as devils. They are extremely powerful and pose 
  an enormous threat to good folk. Vastane also developed a method of 
  creating weaker versions of devils called demons that could go directly 
  into the Mortal realm itself. Using this army of demon servants, world 
  after world fell into his corrupting embrace. Evil is growing.
  Azakriel’s Mission
  God has initially allowed Elves and Dwarves to be the primary 
  combatants in this battle to drive out the darkness of Vastane. Vaena 
  used to be a thriving paradise with these two races having reached 
  ascendancy. Yet both managed to cripple themselves through greed and 
  foolishness. With her early creations having failed and with evil on the 
  march, God decided to intervene to teach humanity the skills necessary 
  to fight against it.
  Azakriel was chosen for this task, having been assigned to Vaena for 
  millennia in support of the human race. Azakriel volunteered to step 
  through the Ethereal wall and become a mortal. In the Mortal realm, 
  Azakriel would eventually die. However, he could preach directly to the 
  people and tell them about the fate that awaited them if they failed to 
  defeat the forces of evil. 
  In the face of this limited time line, God decided to create a moral 
  code that would endure beyond Azakriel’s death and hopefully ensure 
  humanity’s survival and eventually bring purity to the world. The Book 
  of Azakriel calls this code the Path of Light.
  
  
  The Death of Azakriel
  By the time the Book of Azakriel was completed and he had made the 
  impact on humanity that he desired, Azakriel was an old man. He retired 
  to his Citadel to compose his final chapters. It is unknown whether he 
  intended to write more, but the final words found written down on scroll 
  laying beside him on his deathbed read simply;
  The courage to fight for principles is the only measure of a soul. For 
  we are ultimately not judged by our greatest worldly triumph but by our 
  greatest moral failure. Leave none.
  So it came to pass that the great Angel died. A procession was held 
  that surpassed all that came before and his body was entombed beneath 
  Elkhammer Citadel. It remains a shrine to this day.
  The Gift of Light
  God infused a powerful magic into 
  Azakriel’s mortal form and when he died 
  this power was transferred to all human 
  women. Azakriel was aware of this condition 
  and referred it the gift of the Light. It would 
  grant all women the ability to cast magical 
  spells and radically transform the human 
  political system and culture.
  The Gift dramatically changed the balance 
  of power between the genders in human 
  society. Centuries of female oppression were 
  reversed within a few generations as the 
  physical power of women was dramatically 
  augmented by the gift. Once legal and 
  political equality was achieved, female 
  power began to exponentially increase until 
  their gender completely dominated the 
  social landscape.
  The Path of Light
  God knew that with the Elves and Dwarves in sharp decline, it would 
  only be a matter of time before humanity was sorely pressed. Therefore, 
  she created a moral code for humanity to follow that will provide them 
  with the virtues necessary to survive in the face of powerful evil forces.
  In the book of Azakriel, God dictates a Codex of Divine Commands 
  which all individuals would be judged against. This code would form 
  the basis of human law going forward and those who failed to live up 
  to its dictates would be punished. This system ensures that humanity is 
  constantly pushing back the tide of darkness. Social and political power 
  are thus paired with moral virtue.
  The Codex of Divine Commands
  1. Thou shalt treat all humans with respect and dignity.
  2. Thou shalt have courage in the face of mortal danger.
  3. Thou shalt care for the aged and the young with tenderness,
       for physical weakness is never a part of moral calculus.
  4. Thou shalt conduct thyself without frivolity in all matters.
  5. Thou shalt not harbor resentment towards others for past 
       wrongs, but thou shalt not forget them.
  6. Thou shalt have loyalty to your Liege,
       if thou has taken one as thy protector and guarantor.
  8. Thou shalt seek knowledge and experience out in the world,
       for revelation rarely occurs within the cloister.
  9. Thou shalt resolve differences of honor through combat,
         in accordance with the rules and regulations of such affairs.
  10. Thou shalt not delight in the suffering of others.
  
  
  Social Structure
  Since the death of Azakriel and the rise of feminine power in human 
  society, the conventional social order has been toppled. Women occupy 
  the top of the political food chain and have restructured the system to 
  serve their needs instead of those of men. 
  This culture is radically different from what you may be used to from 
  other roleplaying games and it is best to know in advance what to expect.
  Feudalism
  The feudal nature of society was maintained. The kingdoms which 
  exist are highly decentralized and wars are typically short and frequent 
  as a result of this. Borders between kingdoms can see sporadic warfare 
  over small issues such as the border between two baronies. 
  The basic economic unit has remained the manorial estate; a small 
  piece of arable land controlled by a single noble family. Peasants work 
  the land of the estate as a price of their tenancy. Technically, they are free 
  to leave at any time. However, the economics of the relationship make 
  doing so extremely hard. To maximize plowing efficiency using shared 
  animals, land plots are arranged in long sequential rows. Each peasant 
  family has rights to their rows and a portion of the shared animal assets, 
  out of which they pay a duty to the noble of the manor.
  Noble status is traced through the matrilineal line of inheritance. 
  The matriarch of each family is responsible for their progeny and lesser 
  nobility retain the rights of judgment and trial for law enforcement 
  purposes. There is no formal legal code as no political entity has the 
  power to enforce it. Instead, the Book of Azakriel is sometimes used as a 
  substitute for a legal code. 
  Conventional knighthood is also now in the hands of women and men 
  are only trained with weapons if they have proven themselves competent 
  beyond what one would demand of a woman. After all, they must suffer 
  the handicap of lacking the Gift of Light. 
  The Division of Labor
  Each family, both noble and peasant, is headed by a Matriarch who 
  is responsible for almost all important decisions. In most households, 
  several generations live under the same roof and thus the Matriarch 
  divest certain responsibilities upon her daughters. 
  Women with a stable home life are frequently pregnant, with a 
  preference for delivery occurring during the winter months when the 
  family is mostly inactive. Childcare is considered to be a very important 
  form of labor. Wet nurses, midwives, and other supporting laborers carry 
  high social status and are respected in their communities. 
  After childcare, the most important thing for a household is defense 
  and a woman is expected to be trained to defend her family should the 
  need arise. A noblewoman that has the privilege of supporting servants 
  can devote significant time to military training and the military elite 
  is drawn from their ranks. During times of war, villages transfer care 
  children to the oldest women and wet nurses. Males are generally viewed 
  as lacking the temperament or responsibility to properly care for a child.
  Men are expected to provide sustenance to the family and this is almost 
  the sole criteria by which they are judged. Noblemen are also expected to 
  be managers of other men, as that would be their role as a husband. Men 
  aspiring to be taken on as a courtesan by a prominent noblewoman are 
  expected to also be superb conversationalists. Many noble houses stress 
  this last element in their childcare of boys, sometimes to the detriment 
  of other activities. These men are resented by their peers, but gain 
  enormous advantages with women.
  Men of exceptional physical qualities are given military training and 
  taken to war, however they are primarily deployed as a defense of the 
  Novaria ranks rather than general purpose warriors. No nation wants to 
  risk their most productive resources in battle. Military conflicts are of 
  such low intensity that men only see combat during the most extreme of 
  pitched melees. Considering how infrequently that occurs now that the 
  world has fallen into a dark age and most conflicts are small engagements 
  between knights or with monsters, this is very rare. 
  
  
  Love and Marriage
  Marriages are arranged on the basis of political and economic 
  expediency, not love. As the Grand Duchess Dydara once said, “Love is 
  matter for poets, not the basis of a family.” Matriarchs of noble families 
  often arrange marriages for their children when they are very young and 
  for the aim of consolidating land holdings and titles. Peasant marriages 
  are often made on the basis of convenience, matching ages, and fertility. 
  Delaying marriage is seen to be irresponsible and wasteful of a woman’s 
  fertile years.
  A marriage is said to be good if it creates a strong family environment 
  for raising children. Men that are indolent and unproductive are seen 
  as a drag upon their families and looked down upon. Women that are 
  infertile, have a hard time breast feeding, are weak combatants, or have 
  children that are unruly are viewed the same way.
  Homosexuality
  In general, homosexuality is an accepted part of society. 
  Male homosexuals are looked upon with a glib sense of perversion by 
  elite female society. Their values as men are relatively unchanged. They 
  are just as productive in the field, perhaps even better conversationalists 
  due to their ability to relate to women’s desires. Intelligent and/or skilled 
  male homosexuals are common in elite circles as they pose no sexual 
  threat to a female’s family. They serve many noblewomen as advisors, 
  assistants, and confidants.
  Female homosexuals have a kind of flexibility that few possess. They 
  may choose to pursue a respected profession as wet nurse or midwife. 
  They may choose to have children of their own, with the ability to select 
  a young man of her choice for fertility and then live with a woman whom 
  she loves. Provided that the financial outlook is positive, such a life can 
  be peaceful and joyous.
  Hermaphrodite and transgendered individuals are exceedingly rare 
  and we leave such instances to the Architect to describe.
  Pawnage
  The teachings of Azakriel forbid slavery, however there are a number 
  of men trapped in a situation bordering on it. Men in this situation are 
  called Pawns and the condition is referred to as Pawnage.
  Pawns are unmarried men who lack the ability to support themselves 
  either through the death of a female provider, terrible poverty or just bad 
  luck. They sign an agreement with a Liege voluntarily, thus preventing 
  claims of slavery, in which they are adopted into the liege’s family. If 
  living, the pawn’s mother must also sign the agreement. 
  The pawn is granted a portion of the liege’s land and agrees to work 
  the land on their behalf. The liege is granted a portion of every harvest, 
  collected in kind. The ability of the pawn to consent to marriage is also 
  transferred from their natural born mother to their liege. Thus the pawn 
  surrenders their social freedom in exchange for land, protection, and the 
  freedom to live most of their life on their own time.
  In regions that have experienced widespread adoption of these 
  contracts, political power is incredibly concentrated in the hands of large 
  landholders. For very little cost, they can place huge tracts of land under 
  cultivation and keep those working it in a state of subjugation.
  
  
  The Law
  Law in this time is inconsistent, biased, and prone to corruption. The 
  people are subject to three overlapping systems of law; the political 
  authority of the feudal leaders, the spiritual authority of the Church, and 
  the magical authority of the Order of Novus. Mixed in between these 
  forces is a common consensus on family law built by precedent.
  There is no organized legal system to determine punishment, merely 
  the fiat of the applicable authority. For secular matters, this would be the 
  local lord or aristocrat. However, if the issue could potentially be subject 
  to more fantastical forces, you might be able to appeal to a local Exarch 
  or member of the Church for protection. However, even that is not firm 
  guarantee of fair treatment. 
  The Golden Rule applies most of the time. “She who has the gold, 
  makes the rules”. Be careful when traveling the land, lest you anger those 
  who have a modicum of power and will kill to keep it in their grip.
  For a legal perspective, the base unit is the family. The matriarch 
  represents this family and all legal consequences flow through her. 
  Matriarchs possess absolute control over violence at the familial level 
  and insolent males (regardless of age) can be beaten and abused with 
  virtually no legal recourse under the pretense that they were challenging 
  that authority. 
  After all, the moral rectitude of a man is the legal responsibility of his 
  matriarch. She is liable for any criminality or unwholesome behavior on 
  his part. Any corrective action is seen as justifiably reinforcing this and 
  protecting herself from dishonor.
  Male humans and all demi-humans have near zero property rights 
  or legal protection. Men are treated as the property of their wives or 
  mothers in most legal situations and protected by her political status 
  instead of their own. Male members of a Novarium are protected under 
  that aegis, not their own. There is no conception of human rights.
  The Order of Novus
  Parallel to the political and religious structures is a separate 
  organizational entity called the Order of Novus. This is the collective 
  self-government of the Novaria class. The Order has their own internal 
  code to regulate expected behavior and they try to coexist peacefully 
  with the political structure in place rather than attempt to take control 
  for themselves. 
  Novaria that are charged with criminal acts can request to be tried by 
  their Exarch. If the Exarch agrees to accept their appeal, the Novaria 
  is removed from civil jurisdiction and judged by their own peers. This 
  causes some minor friction with the nobility and the church. In extreme 
  cases, they may resist.
  The Order is primarily concerned 
  with taming the magical forces that 
  threaten human civilization. They 
  will do anything to move towards this 
  goal, even if that runs afoul of other 
  objectives. Towards this purpose, 
  they have divided into regions called 
  Exarchates, controlled by an elected 
  Exarch. Exarchs are expected to 
  choose and cultivate Marches on their 
  borders so that they can expand the 
  influence of the Order. 
  To a degree, this correlates with 
  the expansion of civilization, but not 
  always. Many times, people push 
  out settlements ahead of the Order’s 
  footprint and this can lead to conflict 
  with the wild magical forces in a 
  particular region.
  
  0
  The Church of Azakriel
  The Church has power above and beyond both the feudal political 
  structure and the Order of Novus. They are responsible for both 
  spreading the holy word and enforcing it where it has taken root. 
  Followers of the Church can be zealous to a fault, running far deeper 
  afoul with the other authorities than any other faction. This springs from 
  an overwhleming belief in the universality of their power.
  The Church is concerned about maintaining moral virtue and all of it’s 
  endeavors push toward this end. Every town is expected to raise it’s own 
  local church when it reaches the size to support it. As the town grows, 
  it is expected to build even greater edifices up to the point of building 
  massive cathedrals in the larger cities. The Church commands great 
  influence with the common people, which see them as the only true 
  source of moral values.
  The Church holds the Book of Azakriel to be law and seeks to impose 
  it’s standards on everyone. Individuals in flagrant violation of the Path of 
  Light will be dealt with swiftly by local priests. If that fails, they will be 
  quickly referred up the chain to the Church’s highest body, the Conclave. 
  Here they are judged as if by a court, and if found wanting are declared 
  profligates. This status denies the individual the rights to sanctification, 
  the blessing of the body so that it may not be resurrected as an undead, 
  and grants moral clemency to anyone who kills them. It also functions 
  as a kind of bounty that is placed on one’s head and can be applied to 
  anyone who crosses the church, whether commoner, noble, or even 
  royalty. The Church has also been known to abuse it’s power in this 
  respect on occasion to silence those that work against it’s vision, such as 
  stubborn feudal leaders.
  Working within the Church is also a chance for men to rise to powerful 
  political positions in society. Unlike what has occured in secular society, 
  within the Church men are treated as relative equals. After all, Azakriel 
  himself took a male form and preached that all humans were equal. 
  Males can hold positions in the Church without question, and there are 
  even a few men sitting on the Conclave.
  
  
  The Countryside
  Most cities in this time period are small by modern standards. A city 
  of 20,000 souls is fairly large for the time. The technology necessary to 
  support large concentrated populations is lost. Dwarven and Elven 
  civilizations have fallen into chaos and their people are currently 
  scattered throughout the human territories.
  In the wake of the Elven and Dwarven collapse, the populations of 
  uncivilized races like Orcs and Goblins have expanded and moved into 
  formerly developed areas. Without anyone to keep them at bay, monster 
  populations have grown into significant threats.
  In this chaos, Humans may be the last hope for civilized people 
  everywhere. Their cities are the only highly concentrated populations 
  left in the world. If there is a chance to roll back the darkness of the age, 
  it will be Human civilization that achieves it.
  Despite this optimism, Human society is diverse, aggressive, and highly 
  disorganized. Their political systems are fragmented feudal hierarchies 
  prone to infighting and conflict. Humans sometimes spend more time 
  fighting each other than on defeating the real enemies of civilization that 
  are hidden away in the wilderness.
  Time
  The world of Vaena is at a technological level where exact time-keeping 
  was extraordinarily difficult. At best, a town might have a few people 
  who keep track of the days of the year. It is probable that your character 
  may lose track of the exact day if they are away from civilization for an 
  extended period of time. 
  At a shorter scale, most people do not even attempt to keep track of 
  the passing of hours. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to 
  coordinate arrivals or meetings with other people. Be prepared.
  Long-Distance Movement
  Any maps that exist are exceptionally rare and extremely expensive. 
  Attempting to locate a reliable map could be a quest in it’s own right. 
  Roads that do exist are typically overgrown and poorly tended. Only 
  members of elite social classes will even know how to navigate these 
  roads. The common folk do not travel more than a few dozen miles from 
  their home in their entire life and thus know very little about the world.
  You may have very few actual details about the place you are trying 
  to reach. For example, you may be searching for the village of Canto. 
  There may be a handful of people in a major city that have even heard of 
  Canto, even fewer who can give accurate directions. As a result of these 
  constraints, reaching a location can be a significant challenge. There is 
  no danger of getting lost while travelling along a road, however if you 
  do not know where you are going then you may end up somewhere you 
  really didn’t want to go. Travel through the wilderness can leave you in 
  dangerous country with the difficult task of rediscovering civilization. 
  The Darkness of Night
  The world of Vaena is a dangerous and wild place. At night, apex 
  predators roam the land looking for easy prey. People tend to live in 
  small villages for safety in numbers. These villages may put up stone 
  walls or wooden palisades to protect them against these threats. 
  As darkness falls, vision ranges decline and dangers can creep close. 
  Common folk stay inside where it is warm and safe. Those who travel 
  at night are viewed with immediate suspicion and fear. Sounds carry far 
  and wide through the night air and the howling of a wolf or coyote may 
  be a frequent occurrence in the countryside.
  However, danger can come just as easily from those inside the walls as 
  those beyond. Thieves, brigands, smugglers, and other criminals prefer 
  to conduct operations under the cover of darkness. Anyone who comes 
  knocking on the door at night is presumed to be up to no good. If you 
  did not make friends during the day, don’t expect to be forming new 
  friendships talking through a barred door.
  
  
  “What reason have I
  to fear Almighty God.
  She cannot control me,
  for I have left her service.
  Her angels cannot touch me.
  She is powerless against me,
  by her own rules.
  If anything,
  she should fear me.
  I am Vastane.
  I stand resolute,
  blade drawn.”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	25:17
  
  
  This portion of the book is written only for the Architect. If you intend 
  on being a player in the game, it may improve your enjoyment to NOT 
  read anything from this chapter. Of course, the choice is completely up 
  to you, but consider yourself warned.
  The Role of the Architect
  The Architect has many tasks in the game, however they can be 
  organized into three broad categories. 
  • Designing the Mark and the challenges within it
  • Deciding how the world reacts to player choices
  • Adjudicating the game rules
  You may wish to assign yourself tasks beyond this simple list, such as 
  the emergence of a complex plot that is revealed through the discovery 
  of a series of clues. However, that is your choice and not required. This 
  text will focus on what is required and leave embellishment to you.
  Many people have been intimidated out of the management position 
  in a roleplaying game over the decades since their inception. There is a 
  lot of responsibility in running a game and that can be scary. I believe 
  that a lot of that fear comes from imagining that the tasks are harder to 
  perform than they actually are.
  However, if you focus on the core aspects of play and take a leap of 
  faith, you can perform the task successfully. Focus on what you need to 
  do to function at the basic level. You will get better over time. Some tasks 
  will become easy and free up your time for more complexity. If you have 
  already run a game before, you will be that much better next time.
  I have confidence that anyone can run a game as the Architect if they 
  focus on the basics, but you must have confidence in yourself. 
  Designing the Mark
  The game uses Marks for your benefit as the Architect. The Mark 
  functions as an adventure confinement zone. By investing the characters 
  with property in the form of their Mark, they are going to focus naturally 
  on that region to the exclusion of others. This means that you do not 
  have to design the entire world, just a single Mark.
  You can make the Mark as large or as small as you need it to be. If you 
  want the characters to be spending a lot of time in the wilderness, make 
  the region expansive and lightly civilized. If you want them to focus on 
  the politics of society, provide only a small wilderness around the edges 
  of a populated area. 
  The eminence that surrounds each font is 
  powerful enough to keep it concealed even 
  in more populated regions. Such fonts would 
  be the old growth forest where nobody dares 
  tread, the frosty mountaintop that looks down 
  on the valley below, or a similarly avoided 
  location. Simply give each font a value you 
  feel appropriate, make notes indicating their 
  location on your copy of the map, and then use 
  the next section of this chapter to design the 
  challenges for each font based on those values. 
  Several maps are included with Novarium. One of these is a possible 
  Mark that you can use as you see fit. The map is unlabeled so that you 
  can name every feature however you want. You can determine the size of 
  each town and the amount of commerce on the rivers and roads. Maybe 
  one castle icon indicates a large castle guarding the area. Then again, it 
  may indicate an old dilapidated keep that could be restored. You decide.
  Architecture
  
  
  
  Designing a Font
  The font is the basic unit of the game from a design standpoint. Each 
  one should pose a significant challenge to the players. 
  The nature of these threats is yours to decide. You may choose to have 
  the challenge match what you feel is within the capacity of the Novarium 
  to handle. However, you may also place a font into the Mark that is 
  beyond their abilities and encourages them to perform research and 
  train themselves for years before they attempt to tackle it.
  As a general rule, fonts should be saturated when the game begins. 
  Any fonts that are not saturated should have a reason for being that way, 
  such as a rogue Novaria or a demon that is harvesting the essence.
  Saturated Fonts
  Saturated fonts leak their magical energy out into the surrounding 
  land. This can cause any effect you desire, but we will describe three 
  possibilities here.
  First, it can cause normal animals to mutate into larger and more 
  aggressive forms. For example, you might create a pack of powerful 
  wolves that have been bolstered by the energy of the font. They may even 
  be terrorizing a nearby town, something that could serve as a clue to the 
  Novarium that there is a potential font in the area.
  Second, saturated fonts can cause the creation of fae. Whenever 
  anyone experiences extremely poweful emotions and then dies in the 
  vicinity of a font, their soul can become infused with magical energy 
  and trapped in the mortal realm in the form of a fae creature. Someone 
  filled with courage and vigor might have their soul twisted into a Satyr. 
  Alternatively, someone filled with hatred and deception who died while 
  laying an ambush might become a Will-o-wisp that lures travelers to 
  their deaths. 
  The names and types of fae creatures can be found in the folklore of 
  the people. They should be know of, but with few details and lots of 
  unanswered questions. Fae are mysterious and reclusive.
  Fae are often less dangerous than bolstered animals, but much more 
  difficult to track and/or ultimately destroy. Since they are made from the 
  souls of the dead, destroying their current form often only temporarily 
  removes them from existence, only to have them reform at a later date. 
  In order to truly destroy the fae, you must kill them with solid steel 
  weapons, such as a sword or axe. Arrowheads lack the heft to be of any 
  real danger unless used in massive quantities. Considering that fae often 
  possess great speed and cunning, this can be extremely challenging. They 
  are highly resistant to magic, much to the chagrin of the Novaria. You 
  are encouraged to raise the difficulty dice of any spell targeting a fae.
  Lastly, saturated fonts can cause the 
  creation of elementals. Elementals are 
  normally inanimate objects given the 
  gift of life through magic. They tend to 
  have minimal intelligence, but this does 
  not greatly detract from the danger they 
  pose to the characters.
  The size of an elemental should be 
  relative to the size of the font. A large 
  font could create an enormous stone 
  elemental that towers above the land 
  like a giant. A small font could create a 
  multitude of tiny fire elementals that set 
  everything ablaze and cause mischief. 
  Elementals generally do not leave the 
  eminence of the font that created them. 
  This makes their existence extremely 
  difficult to discover until it is too late to 
  effectively plan. An elemental should be 
  resistant to most magic and weapons, 
  only truly damaged by it’s counter-force 
  (e.g. a fire elemental should only be 
  greatly damaged by water).
  
  
  Unsaturated Fonts
  Fonts that are not saturated are being used by someone. In almost 
  every case, this should be for some powerful form of evil.  This can cause 
  be anything you desire, but we will describe three possibilities here.
  First, an unsaturated font can be corrupted by a demon. The demon 
  is harvesting the essence of the font and using it to create monsters and 
  use magical spells to corrupt the world nearby. Demons are powerful 
  opponents that should be able to overcome the Novarium if they do not 
  approach the situation with caution.
  By the time the characters arrive 
  on the scene, the demon should have 
  corrupted the landscape and twisted 
  it to suit their purposes. They may 
  have turned the surrounding woods 
  into a dark and terrifying place, 
  turned a verdant land into a swamp, 
  or otherwise fouled the goodness of 
  nature. This should serve as a strong 
  warning to the players to tread very 
  carefully in this area. They may fail 
  to heed that warning at their peril.
  Once cleared, the Novarium can 
  work towards bending the land 
  away from the demon’s evil will 
  and restoring it to it’s pristine form. 
  This process should take many years 
  and impress upon them the need to 
  continue such work elsewhere.
  There should be nothing preventing the demon from leaving the area 
  if significantly threatened by the Novarium. They are not mindless 
  monsters, but extremely clever and dangerous opponents. Do not 
  hesitate to play them this way.
  Second, an unsaturated font can be 
  in use by a non-Novaria spellcaster. 
  Again, almost always they should 
  be of an evil persuasion. Most such 
  spellcasters are Warlocks, human 
  males that have been tempted into 
  evil by a Devil and given the gift of 
  magic. However, some are Novaria 
  that have broken with the Order, 
  either on their own or by being 
  declared profliates. Either way, they 
  tend to specialize in necromancy 
  and the raising of undead.
  Necromancy 
  is 
  a 
  long-term 
  process of diligence and planning. 
  The necromancer must carefully 
  procure bodies of the fallen and 
  animate them, often using a lot of 
  essence in the process. For these 
  reasons, they take up residence near 
  fonts for a steady supply.
  Tales of the walking dead should be taken seriously by any Novaria, as 
  they are clear indications of magic powers at work that are twisted and 
  unnatural. Use these rumors to attract the characters to the font. The evil 
  resident should also be highly intelligent and aware of the Novarium if 
  they have been present for more than a few years. They should view the 
  Novarium as a threat and may even adopt tactics so as to throw them off 
  balance or send them in the wrong direction.
  For example, the necromancer might send some undead skeletons 
  to cause trouble for a town that is a good distance from the font. Since 
  almost all undead fight to the death and are incapable of speech, they 
  cannot give up their own origin. Make the Novaria use their magical 
  prowess to find such a font, do not make it too easy.
  
  
  Lastly, an unsaturated font can be in use by a Devil. Devils should 
  always be extremely powerful and essentially unapproachable by the 
  Novarium in a direct way. They employ powerful defenders to protect 
  their strongholds, some even capable to defeating the entire Novarium 
  in open battle. They should almost always have the most powerful fonts 
  in the Mark and pose the greatest challenge of in the entire area. A Devil 
  should be designed as the endpoint of the campaign to subdue the area.
  Devils are cunning and malicious, seeking to exploit every possible 
  opportunity for success. They employ numerous allies, send agents out 
  into the Mark to subvert the forces of good, and they should be aware 
  of the Novarium as their principal enemy at all times. Devils delight in 
  picking off members of the Novarium proactively, leaving the corpse to 
  be found in a most chilling way to sow confusion and give rise to terror.
  If you are a new Architect, you may want to make all other dangers 
  in the Mark static and defense-oriented while you use a Devil or two 
  as proactive agents to cause problems for the Novarium. Evil is not 
  monolithic, but often petty and wild. Perhaps there are several Devils 
  vying for control of the area and they are willing to play the Novarium 
  and maybe even the common inhabitants of the Mark against one 
  another in a game of power politics. 
  Other Opponents
  You may wish to have enemies in play that are not attached to a font. 
  They may pose a general danger to the people of the Mark, such as a 
  vampire that preys on the weak and defenseless. Alternatively they may 
  be relatively harmless unless provoked or sought out, such as a large 
  predator that lives in the sparsely populated highlands and preys on their 
  livestock. How you wish to deploy these threats to the Novarium is up to 
  you, as they would not be geographically dependent.
  
  
  Example Creature
  When an old hermit died filled with anger at 
  those who would disturb his isolation, his soul 
  was captured and transformed into a fae creature. 
  Resembling a cross between a warthog and a 
  turtle, the fae became known as the swamp troll.
  It strikes at opponents with it’s large arms for 2 
  damage dice and it can bit for 3 damage dice, if 
  the target is already grappled (otherwise, only 2). 
  When doing either of those tasks, when grappling, 
  or when trying to hide in the swamp, it gains a +4 
  bonus. The swamp troll breaks the rules in that it 
  does not have to make morale saves in combat.
  The swamp troll’s tusks contain 3 points of wild essence. When used, 
  they increase the caster’s fitness by 4 points. This effect lasts for an hour.
  Designing a Creature
  Whether you are going to be using a large wolf or a powerful Devil, 
  you will need to assign some numerical values to the creatures you use to 
  challenge the players. While there are many ways to do this, we suggest 
  you employ a fairly simple method designed to minimize your planning 
  time.
  First, assign the creature a set of Attributes just as you would for a 
  character. When they are injured, they take damage to these attributes 
  just like a character would. They function on that same basic level.
  Second, assign the creature a set of things at which it excels and give 
  those things simple numeric modifiers. For example, a supernaturally 
  large wolf should be very good at running, jumping, and biting. 
  Therefore, you could decide that when it engages in those things, it gains 
  a +3 modifier to it’s attributes. If any of these are non-weapon attacks, 
  assign a damage value. A normal wolf’s bite might deal only 1 damage 
  die, so you could raise that to two dice for the extra large wolf.
  Third, determine in what ways the creature “breaks the rules”. The 
  best way to imagine this is to think of what the player expectations of 
  any outcome might be and if you want the actual result to differ from 
  that, specify that. For example, you might want the wolf to be able to 
  bypass the normal grappling rules and automatically succeed on their 
  first grapple unless they are dealt damage. This would be so that the wolf 
  could be guaranteed to knock the person to the ground and bite them so 
  long as they make it through that first round of combat where the person 
  has their weapon drawn. This would be to make the classic wolf pounce 
  possible in the game.
  Fourth, if the creature can use magic, assign it values for Methods and 
  Materia. You can have it cast magic using the same rules as a character.
  Once you have all four of these things written down, you have 
  a creature to threaten the Novarium. You may wish to add some 
  embellishment in your notes to help you remember how to describe the 
  creature when you are running the game, but that is entirely up to you.
  Attributes
  Agility
     15
  Fitness
     23
  Magnetism
     10
  Perception
     12
  Knowledge
     10
  Willpower
     16
  
  
  Determining Reactions
  The Architect is responsible for determining how the game world 
  reacts to the actions of the players. Some of this is done on a large scale 
  and can involve using your judgment about human behavior, animal 
  instincts, and organizational dynamics. For example, when the Novarium 
  begins hiring a large number of carpenters in the region, the world 
  should react to that behavior. Maybe the carpenters start pushing for 
  higher wages since they are in demand. Maybe the local Duke is upset 
  about the dwindling labor supply for their building projects. Maybe the 
  price of lumber begins to rise in anticipation of a major building project. 
  The world should not be static, it should react to the player’s behavior.
  On a smaller scale, you should be representing each individual in the 
  world as realistically as possible. If several characters fail to show up for 
  a feast being held by a local noble, you should adjust the noble’s feelings 
  towards the Novarium to reflect this. Perhaps they become perceived as 
  haughty and aloof. Worse, that individual may begin to spread rumors 
  about it. When one of their friends holds their own feast, they may be 
  warned that the Novarium may not show up. However, you must also 
  take into account the social influence being exerted over time by 
  characters in the Novarium as well, deciding how those counter-forces 
  come to a resolution.
  This should also extend down to the animal scale. The dominant 
  predators in an ecosystem, whether they are monstrous or not, follow 
  fairly predictable behavior patterns. They leave carcasses around for 
  characters to find, they don’t take much care to cover their tracks unless 
  they have some kind of special ability, and they tend to run away rather 
  than fight to the death. 
  With all that said, there should be some aspects of the setting that do 
  not change at all no matter what the characters do. Mindless undead 
  should remain mindless. Some villains cannot be talked into changing 
  their ways. You have the prerogative to make those decisions too.
  Adjudicating the Rules
  The Architect is also responsible for determining what rules apply to a 
  given situation. You should be very familiar with the game text. Any new 
  players in your game will have questions and you should be prepared to 
  answer them.
  Some rules specifically require your input. You must often decide 
  how the environmental situation affects the action, such as when you 
  decide that the rain is creating a penalty to people trying to climb up 
  a cliff. You will be called upon to use your judgment to determine how 
  much magical power is needed to accomplish an effect. Sometimes your 
  judgment is called in on the backside of a problem, such as determining 
  how an overloaded spell goes out of control.
  Great faith is placed in your judgment. Use it wisely. Treat all the 
  players fairly and try to make the best decisions you can. However, know 
  that you will never be perfect at making these judgments. You will have 
  times when after the game is over, you realize that you probably made 
  a wrong decision with respect to something. That is natural. Just dust 
  yourself off and move on. Mistakes happen. Just keep your eyes on the 
  prize and do your best.
  
  
  “Go forth child,
  bend the world to your whim”
  	
  -	The	Book	of	Azakriel	21:6
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Novarium/Novarium - Rulebook.pdf