Glossary

Absorption

Absorption represents a state beyond immunity where exposure to something strengthens you. If you have absorption with a damage type, you suffer no effect from effects of that type. In addition, when you would take damage of that type, you instead regain hit points equal to the damage you would have taken. If you have an absorption value, your healing through absorption is limited to that number per turn. For example, if you have fire absorption 5, when you would suffer fire damage, you instead regain hit points equal to the damage you would have taken, up to a maximum of 5 hit points per turn.

Adjacent

A creature is considered adjacent to another creature if it is in the square (or 5' space) beside it.

Blindness

Blindness represents an inability to visually perceive. While blind, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot see.

You cannot take actions that require sight, such as tracking.

Your attempts that utilize sight, such as movement skills, perception attempts, and defenses, suffer disadvantage and unreliability.

You cannot target creatures or objects to interact with them, unless you possess another precise means by which you can locate them, such as with blindsense, tremorsense, or infravision.

When you target an adjacent space (or a space at a distance if you have means of targeting it) for an attempt, such as attacking that space with a weapon, you suffer disadvantage and unreliability on the attempt. If this attempt would reveal the absence or presence of something in the space, your DM will make the attempt for you.

Boon

Boons are powerful options you gain at certain levels that allow you to determine the features of your hero. When you gain a boon, you can do one of the following:

Learn a new Skill.
Become Trained in a new Proficiency.
Increase one of your ability scores by 2.
Increase two of your ability scores by 1.
Select a boon option granted by your class or another source.

Concealment

If a visibility issue exists between you and something you intend to interact with, the target of your interaction has concealment. Concealment often occurs in areas of dim light or fog. In example, a vampire on the other side of a mist-cloaked graveyard would have concealment. If some effect blocks visibility altogether, your target has total concealment. A hippogriff flying on the far side of a smoke plume from a massive tavern fire has total concealment.

If your target has concealment from you, you have disadvantage on any interaction that sight affects.

If your target has total concealment from you, you cannot see it, and interactions that require site are usually ineffective.

When something has total concealment from you, you can target a space you think it is in for some attempts, though you are treated as blind when doing so.

Cover

When a barrier exists between you and something you intend to interact with, the target of your interaction has cover. If only half or more of the target is blocked from your interaction, it has cover. For example, a knight looking out a castle window would have cover from your longbow attack. If all of your target is behind a barrier, it has total cover. A street urchin that has stepped inside a shop and closed the door behind him has total cover from your pickpocket attempt.

If your target has cover from you, you have disadvantage on any interaction that can be hindered or blocked by line of sight.

If your target has total cover from you, you usually cannot see it, and interactions that can be blocked by line of sight are blocked.

A creature can provide cover to anything behind it.

Damage Reduction

Damage reduction represents a base level of protection against peril. If you possess damage reduction of a damage type, you reduce the damage you take of that type by your damage reduction value. If your damage reduction value exceeds the damage you would have taken, you take no damage.

Dazed

When a trauma sets your head spinning, you are dazed. If you are dazed, you cannot act if it is not your turn and can only do one thing on your turn— either move, take an action, or do one thing as part of your turn, such as dropping your sword.

Deafness

When something prevents you from being able to hear, you are deafened. While deafened, you suffer from the following effects.

You cannot hear.

You have disadvantage on defenses against multiple attacks.

You have disadvantage on arcane defense, divine defense, and Perform attempts.

You must succeed on a Constitution (Endurance) check to cast a spell with a verbal component

Devastating Effect

Devastating Effects

The critical success is the pinnacle of heroic combat, with success beyond expectation accomplished in glorious, cinematic effect. Your attempt either deals maximum damage or prevents you from suffering any ill effects and you can apply one of the following Devastating effects.

Additional Damage Die: If you employed something possessing damage dice in the critical success, such as a weapon or damaging spell, you can deal an additional die of damage.
Knock Back: You can push the foe you interacted with 5'.
Knock Initiative Back: You can knock the foe you interacted with down one initiative success level.
Weapon Maneuver: If you employed a weapon with a martial maneuver feature against a foe in the attempt, you can use the weapon's maneuver on the foe at a normal success. If this attempt was a maneuver using a weapon, you can instead deal your weapon's attack damage.
Two Hampering Effects: You can employ two Hampering effects.

Enraged

Certain features, magical effects, poisons, and diseases are capable of driving you into a mindless rage. When you become enraged, something in you snaps and you are consumed by reckless ferocity. Enraged conditions usually end if you fall unconscious. While enraged, you experience the following effects.

When first enraged, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your maximum, which last until the enraged condition ends.

Your maximum hit points increase by half their maximum

You gain advantage on non-finesse melee attacks, martial maneuvers, Endurance and Strength attempts, and defenses against mind-affecting attacks other than enrage effects.

You cannot concentrate, cast spells, or use arcane defense or divine defense.

You must use your actions to make attempts this condition grants you advantage on or move toward an enemy.

You suffer disadvantage on dodge and parry attempts and cannot use arcane defense or divine defense.

If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, you die

Falling

Adventuring through forgotten catacombs, up mountain passes, or into crumbling ruins often carries the risk of a fall. When you fall onto an unforgiving surface, you take 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage for each 10’ you fall. If suffer damage in a fall, you are left prone.

Fatigue

Sustaining taxing activities for long periods can be draining, as can exposure to the elements and lack of food, water, or sleep.
If you undergo intense activity such as sprinting or swimming in a storm for a number of rounds exceeding your Constitution score, your DM may ask you to make a Constitution/Wisdom (Endurance) check. On a critical success, you automatically succeed on your next fatigue check. On a major, you gain a +1 rank bonus on your next fatigue check. On a limited, you suffer fatigue but gain a +1 rank bonus on your next fatigue check. On a critical failure, you suffer two fatigue stacks. Fatigue from exertion ends after getting a good night's rest.
If you are exposed to adverse elements or do not eat or rest for a day, at the start of the next day (unless you eat, rest, or fully escape those elements) you must make a fatigue check. If you go without water for a day (or half a day in adverse elements), you automatically suffer fatigue. Fatigue from hunger, elements, or dehydration can only be relieved by appropriately countering the effect.

While fatigued, you suffer a -1 rank penalty to all attempts.

Fatigue can affect you multiple times. Its effects stack.

If fatigue reduces your Constitution rank below Doomed, you die.

Hampering Effect

Hampering Effects

When you achieve major or limited success in combat, your attack is effective enough or only effective enough to apply one of these effects.

Break Up the target's Attack: You break up the target's next attack, preventing it from attacking with its allies or splitting an attack off its multi-attack to make it easier to defend against.
Brutal Damage: If you rolled damage dice with the effect, you can reroll one damage die until you get a higher result.
Rank Penalty: The target suffers a -1 rank penalty on its next attempt of your choice before the end of the next round. This effect can be applied multiple times. Its effects stack.
Move 5': You can move yourself or a creature you interacted with 5' without triggering movement-triggered attacks or effects. This move cannot force an unwilling creature into environmental harm, such as off a cliff, or into spikes or lava.

Helplessness

In dire situations, you may find yourself, completely immobilized, paralyzed, or even unconscious. While helpless, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot defend yourself.

Attacks against you will usually be rolled by your DM.

Effects that impact the area you are in will usually automatically succeed against you.

Attacks that target you specifically have advantage and reliability.

As a full-round action, a creature can concentrate on an attack against you to execute a coup de grace, treating their attack as if it were made with a roll of 20, or causing it to deal their maximum hit points in damage.

Higher Ground

Whenever you find yourself interacting with a creature from an elevation of half their height or higher, you gain a +1 rank bonus on attacks and defenses, except with Trip attempts.

Immunity

Immunity represents a state of complete invulnerability. If you are immune to a damage type, you suffer no damage or effect from effects of that damage type.

Invisibility

Certain spells and supernatural abilities can render a creature or object invisible. When interacting with something invisible, you consider yourself blind to it.

Muteness

When you are gagged, under the effects of a silence spell, or otherwise rendered unable voiceless, you are mute. While mute, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot speak.

You cannot cast spells with verbal components, use voice-based bardic music, or voice-based countersong.

Paralysis

Certain creatures, poisons, and spells are capable of inflicting paralysis. While paralyzed, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot move, speak, or take any action except attempts to end paralysis effects.

You are helpless.

Polymorphed

When a powerful magic effect alters your body to the physical form of another creature, you are polymorphed. When polymorphed, you experience the following effects.

You use the speed, movement types, and hit points of the new form.

You use the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form.

You lose the physical features of your old form.

You gain the physical features of the new form, such as a prehensile tail, claw attacks, or breath weapon.

You become constrained by the physical limitations of the new form, such as the inability to speak, manipulate objects, or utilize physical features you had in your previous form.

Prone

Sometimes a slip, fall, attack, or dive out of the way of danger will leave you prone. When you are prone, you are not standing and experience the following effects.

You must crawl to move.

Creatures can move through your space.

You suffer disadvantage on attacks with non-mechanical weapons and Martial Maneuvers.

Ranged attacks from adjacent creatures and melee attacks against you gain advantage.

Ranged attacks made against you by non-adjacent creatures suffer disadvantage.
You can end a prone condition by standing up. Standing up uses 15’ of movement for a medium creature and 10' for a small creature. Decrease the amount of movement used by 5’ for each size you are under small and increase it by 5' for each size you are over medium, up to a maximum movement cost equal to your speed.

Resistance

Resistance represents the ability to partially ignore peril. If you have resistance to a damage type, you reduce damage you take of that type by half.

Silenced

Certain spells and powers are capable of rendering you unable to make a sound. While silenced, you experience the following effects.

You are mute.

Your actions produce no sounds.

You gain reliability on stealth attempts.

Slowed

Certain poisons, spells, and arrows to the knee can make it difficult to move. While slowed, you halve your speed for all movement forms you possess except teleportation.

Stunned

Sometimes an attack, spell, or revelation will cause you enough trauma to leave you stunned. While stunned, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot take any actions except attempts to end stun effects.

You suffer disadvantage on all defense attempts.

Suffocating

A danger of swimming, entering areas without a breathable atmosphere, or contests involving holding your breath, is suffocation. While engaged in any physical activity, you can go without breathing a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score. At the end of every round after that point, you must make a Constitution/Wisdom (Endurance) check. On a critical success, you automatically succeed on your next suffocation check. On a major, you gain a +1 rank bonus on your next suffocation check. On a limited, you lose a hero's surge but gain a +1 rank bonus on your next suffocation check. On a failure, you lose a hero's surge. On a critical failure, you lose two hero's surges.
If you are not physically active while unable to breathe, you can last twice as many rounds before facing suffocation, and only need to make a check at the end of every other round after that point.

Temporary Hit Points

TEMPORARY HIT POINTS

Temporary hit points reflect a measure of exceptional fortitude you possess. Temporary hit points are tracked separately from your normal hit points. When you take damage, temporary hit points are lost first.

Unless specified otherwise, temporary hit points do not stack.
If you receive temporary hit points from two different sources, you keep the larger pool.
If you gain temporary hit points that lack a duration, they last until you take a long rest.

True Damage

True damage represents an effect that exists beyond any form of mitigation. True damage cannot be reduced, ignored, absorbed, or resisted in any way.

Unconciousness

Spells, powerful blows to the head, and sleep can leave you in an unconscious state. While unconscious, you suffer the following effects.

You cannot take any actions except attempts to end unconsciousness effects.

You are unaware of what is taking place around you.

You are helpless.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability represents a weakness to peril. If you have vulnerability to a damage type, you double any damage you take of that type.

Weakened

A weakened state represents infectivity in your attacks. When you are weakened, the damage you deal is halved.

Advantage

When you have advantage on a roll, you roll the die twice and take the more favorable result.

Concentration

Certain spells, magical powers, and attempts require concentration to maintain. When you concentrate on something, you give the majority of your mental attention to it.

You can only concentrate on one thing at a time.

You cannot use arcane defense or divine defense while concentrating.

If you take damage equal to or exceeding your level while concentrating, you must succeed on a Constitution/Wisdom (Endurance) check or lose concentration. You must also do so when faced with overwhelming distraction, such as a being dazed, grappled, in the midst of a violent storm, or sinking underwater.

Being stunned or falling unconscious ends concentration.

You can choose to end concentration at any time.

Creature Type

All creatures have a type by which they can be identified. Creature types that are outsiders, or not native to the world, are identified by an asterisk.

Type	Subtypes
Aberrant*
Animal	Aquatic, Bird, Insectoid, Mammal, Reptile
Celestial*	Angel, Archon
Construct	Animated Object, Golem
Dragon	Chromatic, Gem, Metallic
Elemental*	Air, Earth, Fire, Water
Fey*	Beast, Courtesan
Fiend*	Demon, Devil
Giant	High, Low, Ogre, Troll
Humanoid	Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Goblin
Monstrosity
Ooze
Plant
Undead*	Corporeal, Incorporeal

Die Size

Some spells or abilities change an effect's die size. Use the following method to adjust dice.
1<->1d2<->1d3<->1d4<->1d6<->1d8<->1d10<->1d12<->2d8<->2d10<->2d12<->3d8<->3d10<->3d12<->4d8<->etc

Difficult Terrain

Moving through difficult terrain hinders your movement.

Disadvantage

When you have disadvantage on a roll, you roll the die twice and keep the less favorable result.

Hindered

Hindered movement costs twice the distance of normal movement. For example, to travel 10' through difficult icy terrain, you must use 20' of movement. When movement is difficult or tricky, such as when crossing icy surfaces or clambering over overgrown terrain, your movement is hindered. It is also hindered when you are focusing on something else, such as while sneaking, searching, or tracking.

Improvised Weapon

When you use an object not designed for combat as a weapon or a weapon in a fashion for which it was not designed, it is considered an improvised weapon. You can become proficient in improvised weapons. Improvised weapons deal 1d2 damage if small (a fist-sized rock, a frying pan, a dagger’s pommel), 1d3 damage if medium (the flat of a longsword, a torch, a table leg), and 2d3 damage if large and two-handed (a stout chair, a manhole cover, the haft of a glaive).

Physical Damage

There are three physical damage types: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing.
Physical damage can usually be dodged, parried, and defended agianst with with arcane and divine defenses.

Reliability

When you have reliability on an attempt, you increase your result by one success level, except on a roll of 1:
Failure->Limited->Normal->Major->Critical Success

Size

Creature sizes, from smallest to largest, range from diminutive, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, gargantuan, and colossal.
Diminutive: Creatures smaller than 6 inches in size are diminutive and take up 1 foot or 1/5 a square of space.
Tiny: Creatures between 6 inches and 2 feet in size are tiny and take up 2 ½ feet or half a square of space.
Small: Creatures between 2 feet and 4 feet in size are small and take up 5 feet or 1 square of space.
Medium: Creatures between 4 feet and 8 feet in size are medium and take up 5 feet or 1 square of space.
Large: Creatures between 8 feet and 16 feet in size are large and take up 10 feet or 2 squares of space.
Huge: Creatures between 16 feet and 32 feet in size are huge and take up 15 feet or 4 squares of space.
Gargantuan: Creatures between 32 feet and 64 feet in size are gargantuan and take up 20 feet or 6 squares of space.
Colossal: Creatures greater than 64 feet in size are colossal and take up at least 30 feet or 8 squares of space.

Unreliability

When you have unreliability on an attempt, you decrease your result by one success level, except on a roll of 20:
Critical Failure<-Failure<-Limited<-Normal<-Major<-Critical Success

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