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Downtime Projects

As a team, you and your fellow heroes can achieve great things. But the time between adventures gives you a chance to pursue your own individual goals: uncover forbidden lore in ancient tomes, forge weapons of great power, build ships that can sail the skies, and more. Draw Steel's rules for downtime projects allow heroes to use their time during respites to obtain important information, make new equipment, and engage in other activities to support their adventuring.

Tracking Projects

You start a downtime project during a respite. You can start as many projects as you like, but you can't work on more than one project at a time during a respite. Eventually, you'll be able to hire creatures who can work on additional downtime projects for you.

You track project progress on your character sheet. As you work on a downtime project, you might look over old books that you've found in your travels, perform experiments, converse with experts and scholars, or work with tools to create something.

Project Prerequisites

All downtime projects have prerequisites you must meet before you can undertake them.

Item Prerequisite

Many downtime projects have one or more special items you must possess or obtain before you can start the project. For instance, you can't build an airship without first finding a Wind Crystal of Quintessence, a rare and key component in that vehicle's construction. Other projects have a prerequisite that involves undertaking certain activities during the project process.

Project Source

To start a downtime project, you must have access to specific lore detailing how the project is to be undertaken. This can take the form of written information (a book, scroll, schematic, and so forth), an expert tutor with wisdom to share, a master artisan with skills to teach, a supernatural manifestation of the project's scope and secrets, or any other form of the Director's determination. This project-focused lore is referred to as a project source. Not only do you need project sources to start a downtime project, but you must have access to those sources whenever you make a project roll for that particular project (see Project Roll below).

Some project sources are relatively easy to find. Building a castle doesn't require tomes filled with ancient lore, but it's also not something every stonemason knows how to do. However, the location of the tomb of Ashrya, the mummified protector of one hundred slumbering

sorcerer-sovereigns, might exist only in a single tome that requires an accompanying adventure to unearth.

The language with which project sources are set down or can be shared is chosen by the Director. The sample projects below have suggestions using languages in Orden (see that section in Chapter 4: Background), though you might be able to find a version of a source in other languages as well.

Whenever the Director determines that a creature with needed knowledge can be used as a project source, another hero can serve as this source of knowledge. However, they must use a respite activity to be your project source whenever you make a project roll related to the project.

Search for Common Project Sources

If you need a project source for a particular project, ask your Director if the source is common enough that it might be found in a substantial library, among a group of sages or guild artisans, and so forth. If the Director says yes, then the next time you take a respite in a place with a library or access to creatures with the knowledge you seek, you can locate the project source you need as a respite activity.

Project Roll

As a respite activity (see Respite in Chapter 1: The Basics), you make a project roll for one of your own projects. Alternatively, you can make a project roll to contribute to another hero's project. A project roll is a test with a special outcome that isn't divided into tiers. The characteristic used in the test is determined by the project.

When you make a project roll, the total—no matter how low—becomes project points that are accrued by the project. Even if you have a penalty on a project roll, the minimum total for the roll is 1. If you obtain a critical success—a natural 19 or 20—on a project roll, this is called a breakthrough, and you can make another project roll for the same project as part of the same respite activity.

A downtime project is complete when it accrues project points equal to or greater than its project goal—the number of points it takes to complete the project, noted in each project's description.

As you work on a downtime project, the Director can add events that help form the narrative of your research, crafting, or other activities. These events might provide unexpected benefits or challenges as you work on your project, to help make the journey as dramatic as arriving at the destination. See For the Director: Project Events below for more information.

Project Roll Edges and Banes

Since project rolls don't use success tiers, they don't follow the usual rules for double edges and double banes. If you gain an edge on a project roll, you add 2 to the roll, as usual. But if you have a double edge, you add 4 to the roll. Likewise, you subtract 2 from a project roll that takes a bane, and you subtract 4 from a roll that has a double bane.

Skills and Project Rolls

You can apply skills from either the crafting or lore skill groups to project rolls that directly relate to a downtime project (see Skills in Chapter 9: Tests). For example, you could use the Tailoring skill for project rolls related to making a magic cloak, and you could use the History skill while attempting to research the location of an ancient battle where a magic crown was lost. At the Director's discretion, you can also use skills from other skill groups, but a skill used for a project roll must be directly related to the project.

Language and Project Rolls

If you know the language of a project source, you can make a project roll without any issues. If you don't know the language of the source but you know a related language, the project roll takes a bane. If you don't know the source's language or a related language, the project roll has a double bane.

Guides

Heroes sometimes find guides—special books, schematics, knowledgeable NPCs, supernatural recordings, and so forth—providing important and easy-to-understand information relating to a downtime project. Each guide has a knowledge value and a connection to a specific project

that greatly decreases the time required to complete the project. When a hero studies a guide as a respite activity, they gain the guide's knowledge value as project points toward its project. The guide can't be used with that specific instance of the project again, though it can be used for a different project of the same type.

Guides are awarded at the Director's discretion, usually as a tool that can be used to increase the speed of complex projects for campaigns with little downtime. For example, the Build Airship downtime project has a project goal of 3,000, requiring a fair bit of downtime. But if a hero finds a manual that describes how to craft an airship and grants them 1,000 or more project points toward the Build Airship project, the crafting time can be significantly reduced.

A guide must provide its information in a language you understand for you to gain its full benefit. If a guide uses a language related to one you know, you gain only half the guide's knowledge value (rounded down) as project points toward your project.

For the Director: Project Events

Project events are story events that present boons and challenges to heroes as they complete research and crafting projects. These events are entirely optional. If your group prefers a game where the heroes simply work toward their goals by making project rolls, that's fine. But using these events can help a Director inject more drama into the processes of research and crafting.

When To Use Project Events

Projects don't need an event every time a hero makes a project roll. If they did, the heroes would likely spend all their time trying to manage their projects and never do any adventuring. Instead, you as the Director pick one of the following methods to determine when an event occurs during a downtime project. You can always switch up the method you use during a campaign, doing whatever you think works best for the current situation.

Roll for Event

If you want events to be a surprise for you as much as for the other players, then once during any respite when one or more heroes makes a project roll, roll a d6. On a 6, an event occurs. This is a good option if you enjoy coming up with story on the fly during play.

Event Milestones

If you want to guarantee that events occur during a downtime project, use event milestones based on project points. When the project accrues a certain number of points, an event occurs the next time a hero wants to make a project roll. This approach works well if you want to plan your event in detail before it occurs.

You can use the Suggested Event Milestones table to determine when an event should occur during a project.

Suggested Event Milestones
Project Goal Milestones
30 or fewer None
31–200 One event halfway to the goal
201–999 Two events at one-third and two-thirds of the way to the goal
1,000 or more Three events at one-quarter, one-half, and three-quarters of the way to the goal
Whenever You Want

Whenever you think the heroes could use a little drama during a respite, throw in an event. This approach allows you to plan an event in detail when a downtime project starts, then deploy it at the most dramatic moment—or even throw it in during an encounter if you're feeling saucy!

Deploying Events

A project event occurs when a hero makes a project roll. You can roll for or choose an event from the appropriate events prompts table, or use the tables to inspire your own events. Each event entry on the table is a narrative prompt written for you as the Director, and which you can change and flesh out as you determine. Each event specifies whether it occurs before or after the project roll is resolved.

Automatic Breakthrough

If an event grants an automatic breakthrough on a downtime project, the project gains 20 project points and the hero can make another project roll for the same project as part of the same respite activity.

Crafting Projects

Crafting projects enable heroes to create vehicles, supernatural treasures, and more. When you start a crafting project, other creatures can also work on the project, using their respite activity to contribute a project roll in order to get the work done faster.

Unless a project has a event table of its own, the Director uses the Crafting and Research Events table for crafting project events.

Build Airship

Item Prerequisite: Wind Crystal of Quintessence

Project Source: Texts or lore in Low Rhyvian

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Presence

Project Goal: 3,000

When you start this project, you hire a crew of carpenters, mages, and shipwrights who work in the area where the project is undertaken, with these artisans building the ship for you. You can make a project roll whenever you are overseeing the project, which you might be able to do remotely through the use of magic or psionics.

When the project is completed, you have an airship. You and any creatures you designate can operate the ship by touching the ship's wheel. During combat, a creature touching the wheel can use a maneuver to make the ship move up to 10 squares. The ship can be moved only once per round. Out of combat, the ship has a speed of 130 miles per day.

An airship is an object (giving it damage immunity all to poison and psychic damage) and can take 200 damage before it is destroyed. If the damage the ship takes is not too severe (as the Director determines), as long as you have access to materials that can repair the ship, you can restore it back to its original condition as a respite activity.

Build or Repair Road Renown Table
Length Renown Earned
50 miles or less 1
51–100 miles 2
More than 100 miles 3

Build or Repair Road

Item Prerequisite: Three writs of approval, from an engineers' guild, a masons' guild, and a guards' guild

Project Source: Texts or lore in Caelian

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Presence

Project Goal: Varies

When you start this project, you hire a crew of masons, engineers, and guards who start work at the location where the project begins and build or repair the road for you. You can make a project roll whenever you are overseeing the project, whether you do so in person or remotely through the use of magic or psionics.

The number of project points required to complete work on the road equals 10 × the road's length in miles. The goal is cut in half if you are repairing an existing road, or if someone else starts work on a second road project that connects to your project.

When you complete the project, you earn Renown among people in the area where the road is built, depending on the length of the road.

Time spent traveling between locations on the road is cut in half. Access to resources and knowledge is improved in locations along the road, giving you and your allies an edge on project rolls to discover lore while you are in those areas.

Build or Repair Roads Events Table
d10 Event
1 Before the roll, crews uncover an ancient road following the intended route, crafted with remarkable techniques that make it a sturdy base on which to build. The project gains an automatic breakthrough and the project goal is halved if it was not already halved.
2 After the roll, the local population grows in excitement with each completed portion of the road. The name of the hero making the project roll spreads as a builder of bridges both literal and social. If the project roll is 12 or higher, the local community comes together to complete the project alongside the hero's hired crew. The hero doubles the renown earned at the end of the project.
3 Before the roll, a local religious or civic authority hears of the project and sends laborers to accelerate it—in exchange for a future favor. The hero gains an immediate 50 project points for the project if they accept the help.
4 After the roll, local hired hands and the project engineers find themselves at odds, hindering the project. If the hero can't help defuse the situation, the project requires an additional 50 project points to complete.
5 Before the roll, supply caravans are disrupted by bandits, requiring extra guards. If the hero can't deal with the bandit threat personally, the project requires an additional 50 project points to complete.
6 After the roll, word is heard that not everyone in the local area is happy about the road being built. The project is hindered by supernatural curses that cause stones to move, vines and overgrowth to reclaim sections already built, or churning earth to restore the road back to its previous form. The hero must make amends to the local supernatural community or have the renown earned by completing the project not extend to that community.
7 After the roll, ditchers working on the project hit an ancient well, retaining wall, or hidden stream that results in an immediate flood. The work is delayed, but the new water source ultimately provides a boon to local farming communities. Project points earned by this roll are halved, but upon the project's completion, the hero earns 1 additional renown.
8 Before the roll, a new engineer arrives with specialist experience such as building sturdy wooden bridges, using bilge pumps to keep rainwater from slowing the work, and so forth. They want to work on the project, but insist on receiving a consumable treasure first. If they are hired, the project gains an automatic breakthrough.
9 Before the roll, the proposed road touches on a supernatural intersection—a crossing place between multiple worlds that draws interest from a powerful devil. The completion of the project becomes the personal interest of this being, who offers to increase progress—but demands a future favor from the hero. If the deal is accepted, each project roll for the project is doubled until its completion.
10 After the roll, a guildmaster has it out for the hero. Whether from a past conflict or something about the way this project has unfolded, the guildmaster has made it their mission to hinder the project by dragging the hero's name through the mud. The hero's renown is treated as 1 less than usual while these rumors persist.

Craft Teleportation Platform

Item Prerequisite: One spatial navigator

Project Source: Texts or lore in Voll

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason

Project Goal: 1,500

When you complete this project, you end up with a 3-square-by-3 square teleportation platform activated by a supernatural password. The platform is permanently affixed to the ground in the location where you create it. Any creature with the password can use the teleportation platform to instantly teleport any creatures or objects on the platform to a location they know, including another teleportation platform whose supernatural password they know. You and any creature you designate upon completion of the activity can change the password as a respite activity.

Each time the teleportation platform is used, the chance of it malfunctioning and teleporting creatures or objects on it to a random platform increases by 1 percent (to a maximum of 50 percent). You can restore the platform back to its original condition and reset this chance of malfunction as a respite activity.

Craft Treasure

You can craft the items found in Treasures in Chapter 13: Rewards. Each treasure notes its item prerequisite, project source, project roll characteristic, and project goal.

Find a Cure

Item Prerequisite: Varies (see description)

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason or Intuition

Project Goal: Varies

You research a cure for a disease, curse, or supernatural affliction whose text states that it can be ended by the Find a Cure downtime project. If the affliction was caused by the innate feature of a creature, you need the remains of that creature or another creature of the same kind as an item prerequisite for crafting the cure. For example, you can research the cure for the affliction of a werewolf's Accursed Bite by studying the corpse of any werewolf, not just the one who did the biting.

The number of project points it takes to complete this project is equal to 50 times the level of the creature who caused the affliction. If the affliction was created by an environmental or supernatural effect, that effect notes the item prerequisite and project points required to complete this project.

When you complete this project, you craft one dose of an alchemical cure for the affliction. Once the project is completed, you can craft subsequent doses for the same affliction for half the number of project points required for the initial project.

Imbue Treasure

You can create leveled treasures by imbuing items with magic or psionic power. You must have a mundane version of the item you plan to imbue, such as a sword or shield, when you start this project.

You can imbue any item three times. The first time you imbue it, you pick a 1st-level enhancement. The second time you imbue it, you pick a 5th-level enhancement. The third time you imbue it, you pick a 9th-level enhancement. A hero using armor or a weapon can't benefit from an enhancement unless they are using a kit that includes the armor or weapon type, and their level matches the enhancement's level.

If an enhancement has a Roman numeral greater than I after it, such as the Phasing III enhancement, that enhancement can't be applied unless the item has all previous versions of the enhancement. This means you can't imbue armor with the Phasing III enhancement unless it has the Phasing I and Phasing II enhancements first. The effects of numbered enhancements are cumulative unless otherwise noted.

Enhancements are broken out by item type (armor, implement, or weapon) and level. Each item type and level features a table showing the name, item prerequisite, and project source language of each enhancement. Imbued items take the Magic or Psionic keyword (your choice) and are part of any kit categories appropriate to the type of item (light armor, medium weapon, and so forth).

Imbuing treasure with supernatural power as a downtime project typically means you undertake that project to make use of the treasure yourself. As such, all the features of imbuing refer to "you" as the user of the item. However, imbued items can be created for other creatures, or created by other creatures and found as treasure.

Imbue Armor

Armor imbued with an enhancement grants you special benefits while it is worn. Additionally, when your armor receives its 1st-level enhancement, it also grants a +6 bonus to Stamina. A 5th-level enhancement increases the Stamina bonus to +12, and a 9th-level enhancement increases it to +21.

Clothing as Armor Treasures

A hero who has a kit that provides no armor, such as the Martial Artist or Sniper kit, can create and make use of leveled armor treasures that imbue mundane clothing with supernatural power. At the Director's discretion, heroes who don't use kits, such as elementalists and nulls, can also benefit from such treasures.

1st-Level Armor Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: Varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Awe: When you start this project, choose either Charming or Threatening. If you choose Charming, you gain an edge on Presence tests made to win other creatures over or make a good impression. If you choose Threatening, you gain an edge on Presence tests made to intimidate, coerce, or bully.

Damage Immunity I: When you start this project, select three damage types. You have immunity 5 to those damage types.

Disguise: You can use a maneuver to cause this armor to take the form of any type of clothing that you have been in the presence of—a noble's dress, a guard's uniform, a cultist's robes, and so forth. The armor loses none of its protective qualities while transformed into other clothing.

Iridescent: When you are the sole target of an ability, you can use a free triggered action to reveal that the ability was targeting an afterimage of you in the same space as you. The power roll for the ability is treated as an 11. You can't use this enhancement again until you earn 1 or more Victories.

Magic Resistance I: Your characteristic scores are treated as 1 higher (to a maximum of 2) for the purpose of resisting the potencies of magic abilities.

Nettlebloom: Whenever you are grabbed by an adjacent creature, your armor sprouts toxic nettles. While that creature has you grabbed, they are weakened.

Phasing I: Once per turn, you can move through 1 square of solid matter. If you end your turn inside solid matter, you are forced out into the space from which you entered it and you take 5 damage that can't be reduced in any way.

Psionic Resistance I: Your characteristic scores are treated as 1 higher (to a maximum of 2) for the purpose of resisting the potencies of psionic abilities.

Swift: You gain a +1 bonus to speed.

Tempest I: As a maneuver, you infuse this armor with the essence of a storm. The first time an adjacent creature deals damage to you before the end of your next turn, they take lightning damage equal to your highest characteristic score and you can push them 1 square.

1st-Level Armor Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Awe A lock of hair from a fey, taken in amicable bargain for Charming or in violence for Threatening Khelt
Damage Immunity I Elemental sand left behind when an elemental enters Orden from Quintessence Zaliac
Disguise The blood of a lycanthrope Khelt
Iridescent Fur from a lightbender Hyrallic
Magic Resistance I A scale from a dragon The First Language
Nettlebloom A rose from the magical hedge of a hag Khelt
Phasing I Ichor from a destroyed wraith Szetch
Psionic Resistance I Rare crystals that resonate with psionic energy, often found at sites of psionic experimentation Voll
Swift The feather of a falcon slain as it was diving Yllyric
Tempest I A strip of starmetal struck by lightning Ullorvic
5th-Level Armor Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: Armor with a 1st-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Absorption: Whenever you are targeted by a magic or psionic ability that targets only one creature, you can use a free triggered action to cause this armor to absorb the ability after the ability's effects resolve. While the armor has an ability absorbed, you can't absorb another.

You can use an absorbed ability as if you knew it, making power rolls for the ability using your choice of Reason, Intuition, or Presence. You don't need to spend any Heroic Resource to activate the ability. Once you use the ability, the armor loses it, and you can absorb another.

Damage Immunity II: The damage immunity conveyed by the armor increases to 10.

Dragon Soul: When another creature causes you to be winded or dying, you can use a free triggered action to cause the soul of a dragon to emerge from this armor and hurtle toward the creature. Make the following power roll against the creature.

Power Roll + Your Highest Characteristic Score:

  • ≤11: 8 damage; push 3
  • 12-16: 12 damage; push 4
  • 17+: 15 damage; push 5

Levitating: On your turn, you can treat up to 5 consecutive squares of movement as flying movement. If you are still in midair at the end of your turn, you fall prone.

Magic Resistance II: Your characteristic scores are treated as 2 higher (to a maximum of 3) for the purpose of resisting the potencies of magic abilities. This benefit replaces Magic Resistance I.

Phasing II: When you use the armor's Phasing I enhancement, you can move through 3 squares of solid matter per turn.

Psionic Resistance II: Your characteristic scores are treated as 2 higher (to a maximum of 3) for the purpose of resisting the potencies of psionic abilities. This benefit replaces Psionic Resistance I.

Reactive: Whenever you take damage, you have damage immunity 2 until the end of your next turn after the triggering damage is resolved.

Second Wind: Whenever you become winded, you can use a free triggered action to spend a Recovery.

Shattering: Whenever an enemy scores a critical hit against you, they take 10 sonic damage.

Tempest II: When you use the armor's Tempest I enhancement, the affected creature takes 8 lightning damage and you push them up to 3 squares.

5th-Level Armor Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Absorption A mirror blessed by a priest of a god of magic The First Language
Damage Immunity II The essence of an elemental who is still alive Zaliac
Dragon Soul A scale from a dead dragon Vastariax
Levitating A palm-sized crystal grown in the subterranean lair of an overmind Zaliac
Magic Resistance II A scale from a mature dragon The First Language
Phasing II The remnants of a slain ooze Szetch
Psionic Resistance II A fresh crystalline scale from a gemstone dragon Voll
Reactive A complex, hand-engineered set of brass gears inscribed with runes in silver dust Zaliac
Second Wind The sweat of a troll Kalliak
Shattering A pound of volcanic obsidian, formed naturally as a single piece Zaliac
Tempest II The armor must be laid out under a clear sky as a comet passes over Ullorvic
9th-Level Armor Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: Armor with a 5th-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Devil's Bargain: You can fly. Additionally, if an effect would make you prone while flying, you can choose to not go prone by losing Stamina equal to the distance you would have fallen from becoming prone.

Dragon Soul II: While you are winded, your head transforms into a dragon's head and you have the following ability.

Dragon's Fire

You open your maw and unleash hell.

Area, Magic Main action
📏 5 × 1 line within 1 🎯 Each enemy in the area

Power Roll + Your Highest Characteristic Score:

  • ≤11: 5 fire damage
  • 12-16: 8 fire damage
  • 17+: 11 fire damage

Invulnerable: When an ability roll made against you obtains a tier 1 outcome, you can ignore its damage and effects.

Leyline Walker: Once per turn as a move action, you can spend any amount of your movement to instead teleport that distance.

Life: Whenever you would die, you can spend a Recovery to regain Stamina instead. If you have no Recoveries to spend, you die.

Magic Resistance III: The benefit of the armor's Magic Resistance II enhancement extends to each ally within 3 squares of you.

Phasing III: Your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks, and you can move through the space of any enemy as if they were an ally. You can't end your turn in an enemy's space.

Psionic Resistance III: The benefit of the armor's Psionic Resistance II enhancement extends to each ally within 3 squares of you.

Temporal Flux: Whenever you move out of a square, you can choose to leave an imprint behind that lasts until the end of the encounter, until your imprint takes 20 or more damage, or until you create a new imprint. The square is occupied by your imprint, and you can share that space with it.

On your turn, you can teleport to the imprint's space as a free maneuver. When you are targeted by an ability, you can use a free triggered action to teleport to your imprint, and the power roll for the ability is an automatic tier 1 result.

Unbending: You can't be subjected to forced movement unless you choose to be. Effects that ignore Stability also ignore this enhancement.

9th-Level Armor Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Devil's Bargain The wing of an archdevil Anjali
Dragon Soul II An offering of gems, coins, and art stolen from a dragon's hoard, sacrificed in ritual fire Vastariax
Invulnerable Repurposed metal plates from a servok war engine Rallarian
Leyline Walker A cutting from an ethereal tree that manifests in the mundane world only once a year Yllyric
Life The tear of a saint High Kuric
Magic Resistance III A scale from an ancient dragon The First Language
Phasing III Perfectly clear glass from a house that disappeared into the Ethereal Plane Szetch
Psionic Resistance III The skull of a voiceless talker at least a century old Voll
Temporal Flux An experimental temporal capacitor invented by the kuran'zoi Voll
Unbending A spearhead or other weapon broken off in the body of a stone giant, and ossified for a year or more High Kuric
Imbue Implement

Implements are jewelry, spectacles, orbs, staffs, tomes, wands, weapons, and other objects used by those who channel magic and psionic power to focus that power. You decide what object to imbue when you create an implement treasure, but it must be an object you can carry or wear. You must have a mundane version of the item you plan to imbue when you start this project.

An implement imbued with an enhancement grants you special benefits while it is wielded. Additionally, when an implement receives its 1st-level enhancement, it grants your magic or psionic abilities that deal rolled damage a +1 damage bonus. A 5th-level enhancement increases the bonus to +2, and a 9th-level enhancement increases it to +3. Censors, conduits, elementalists, nulls, talents, and troubadours benefit from using implements more than the other classes in this book.

1st-Level Implement Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: Varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Agility, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Berserking: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature must make an opportunity attack against their nearest ally if possible after the ability's effects resolve. This strike deals extra damage equal to the highest of your Reason, Intuition, or Presence scores.

Displacing I: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, you can teleport that creature up to 2 squares after the ability's effects resolve. If the creature started on a horizontal surface, they must end on a horizontal surface.

Elemental: Whenever you use an ability with the Air, Earth, Fire, Green, Rot, Void, or Water keyword, you can attune this implement to that element until the end of the encounter. While the implement is attuned, you gain an edge on power rolls with that elemental keyword. The implement can be attuned to only one element at a time.

Forceful I: Whenever you use a magic or psionic ability to push or pull a creature, you can move that creature an additional 2 squares.

Rat Form: As a maneuver, you transform into a rat. Your equipment transforms with you. As a rat, you have speed 5 and can automatically climb at full speed while moving, your size is 1T, and you can see in the dark. You can speak and keep your skills while in rat form, but your Might is −5 and you lose all your regular abilities, features, and benefits. You can revert to your natural form as a maneuver, and do so automatically if you take any damage.

Rejuvenating I: Whenever you use an ability that costs 1 or more of your Heroic Resource, roll a d10. On a 9 or higher, you gain 1 Heroic Resource.

Seeking: Your ranged magic or psionic abilities gain a +2 distance bonus. Additionally, if you think the name of a specific creature, place, or object to the implement, the implement points toward that target, provided you are on the same world.

Thought Sending: Your ranged magic and psionic abilities gain a +2 distance bonus. Additionally, you can telepathically communicate with any willing creature who knows a language and whose name you know, provided they are on the same world as you. You must initiate the conversation, but once you do, the creature can respond until you end the conversation.

Warding I: You gain a +6 bonus to Stamina.

1st-Level Implement Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Berserking The tusk of a feral boar Kalliak
Displacing I Slime from an ooze Khelt
Elemental Ashes or other leavings from a natural disaster The First Language
Forceful I A lead slingstone that killed a giant High Kuric
Rat Form One hundred rat pelts Khamish
Rejuvenating I A singing quartz crystal The First Language
Seeking An inch-long needle carved from a diamond Caelian
Thought Sending The brain of a psionic creature Variac
Warding I Three skulls from the same chimera Zaliac
5th-Level Implement Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: An implement with a 1st-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Agility, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Celerity: Immediately after using a magic or psionic ability that requires a main action, you can shift up to 3 squares, or you can use the Escape Grab maneuver as a free maneuver (see Maneuvers in Chapter 10: Combat).

Celestine: As a main action, you conjure up to three stars, which hover in unoccupied squares of your choice within 5 squares of you. The stars remain in place, and disappear if you create more stars. When an enemy enters any star's space, the star detonates and is destroyed, and the enemy takes 10 fire damage. If you have line of effect to the enemy, you can also slide them 1 square. Otherwise, the enemy slides 1 square in a random direction.

Displacing II: When you use the implement's Displacing I enhancement, you can teleport the creature up to 4 squares. Additionally, the creature takes a bane on their next power roll made before the end of their next turn.

Erupting I: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability that targets only a single creature and obtain a tier 3 outcome, each enemy within 2 squares of the creature takes 3 fire damage after the ability's effects resolve.

Forceful II: Whenever you use a magic or psionic ability to push or pull a creature, you can move that creature an additional 3 squares. This replaces the benefit of Forceful I.

Hallucinatory: As a maneuver, you create an area of sensory instability in a 2 aura centered on yourself. The area is difficult terrain for your enemies until the end of the encounter.

Lingering I: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 8 damage at the start of your next turn.

Rejuvenating II: Whenever you use an ability that costs 1 or more of your Heroic Resource, roll a d10. On an 8 or higher, you gain 1 Heroic Resource and you can spend a Recovery. This replaces the benefit of Rejuvenating I.

Warding II: The Stamina bonus for the Warding I enhancement becomes +12. Additionally, your characteristic scores are treated as 1 higher for the purpose of resisting potencies.

5th-Level Implement Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Celerity A dire falcon's beak Khelt
Celestine A still-warm piece of a meteorite Ullorvic
Displacing II The wing of a pixie Voll
Erupting I Obsidian from an active volcano Vastariax
Forceful II A marble stone giant's fingernail High Kuric
Hallucinatory A night hag's hairpin Variac
Lingering I Slow-acting poison refined from rare fungi Szetch
Rejuvenating II A still-growing bonsai tree at least 30 years old The First Language
Warding II A metallic dragon's horn Zaliac
9th-Level Implement Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: An implement with a 5th-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Agility, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Anathema: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature is also weakened (save ends). If the creature is within 10 squares when this weakened effect ends, you can use a free triggered action to make a free strike against them.

Displacing III: When you use the implement's Displacing I enhancement, you can teleport the creature up to 5 squares. Additionally, the creature takes a bane on their next power roll made before the end of their next turn.

Erupting II: The fire damage dealt by the implement's Erupting I enhancement increases to 6.

Forceful III: Whenever you use a magic or psionic ability to push or pull a creature, you can move that creature an additional 3 squares and that movement can be vertical. This replaces the benefit of Forceful II.

Lingering II: Whenever you damage a creature using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 15 damage at the start of your next turn. This replaces the benefit of Lingering I.

Piercing: Your magic and psionic abilities ignore damage immunities.

Psionic Siphon: Once per turn when you damage one or more creatures using a magic or psionic ability and obtain a tier 3 outcome, you gain Stamina equal to your highest characteristic score, and one creature you damage takes an extra 5 damage.

Rejuvenating III: Whenever you use an ability that costs 1 or more of your Heroic Resource, roll a d10. On a 7 or higher, you gain 1 Heroic Resource, and you or a creature of your choice within 3 squares can spend a Recovery. This replaces the benefit of Rejuvenating II.

Warding III: The Stamina bonus for the Warding I enhancement becomes +18. Additionally, you and each ally within 3 squares of you has their characteristic scores treated as 1 higher for the purpose of resisting potencies. This replaces the benefit of Warding II.

9th-Level Implement Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Anathema An olothec tentacle Variac
Displacing III The keystone from a gate used for crossing between worlds Voll
Erupting II A sealed geode containing explosive gas Vastariax
Forceful III A scale from the kraken High Kuric
Lingering II A venom gland from a mature dragon Szetch
Piercing Black iron harvested from a slain blood elemental Anjali
Psionic Siphon The frontal lobe of an overmind Variac
Rejuvenating III A live flower that blooms only once a decade The First Language
Warding III Heartwood from a two-century-old tree Zaliac
Imbue Weapon

A weapon imbued with an enhancement grants you special benefits while it is wielded. Additionally, when a weapon receives its 1st-level enhancement, it grants your weapon abilities that deal rolled damage a +1 damage bonus. A 5th-level enhancement increases the damage bonus to +2, and a 9th-level enhancement increases it to +3.

Unarmed Strike Treasures

A hero who has a kit that uses unarmed strikes, such as the Martial Artist and Pugilist kit, can create leveled weapon treasures that enhance their unarmed strikes by imbuing hand wraps, rings, shoes, or any other item worn on the body with supernatural power. At the Director's discretion, heroes who don't use kits, such as elementalists and nulls, can also benefit from such treasures.

1st-Level Weapon Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: Varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Blood Bargain: As a maneuver, you can harm yourself with the weapon, taking 1d6 damage that can't be reduced in any way. An ally within 5 squares can then spend a Recovery.

Chilling I: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 3 cold damage.

Disrupting I: Whenever you damage an undead using this weapon and leave that undead with 15 Stamina or less, they drop to 0 Stamina.

Hurling: Whenever you use a melee ability using this weapon, you can throw the weapon by treating the ability's distance as ranged 3 instead. When the ability is resolved, the weapon returns to your hand. Any ability used when you throw this weapon can't impose the grabbed or restrained conditions.

Merciful: Whenever you reduce a non-undead creature to 0 Stamina using this weapon, the creature falls unconscious and wakes up 1d6 hours later. A creature with the Heal skill can wake the unconscious creature early with 1 uninterrupted minute of medical treatment. Whenever the creature wakes, they regain 1 Stamina.

Terrifying I: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 2 psychic damage.

Thundering I: Whenever you deal rolled damage to a creature using this weapon, you can push that creature 1 square after the other effects of the ability resolve.

Vengeance I: Whenever you use a damage-dealing ability using this weapon against a creature who has dealt damage to you since the end of your last turn, the ability deals an extra 2 damage.

Wingbane: Whenever you damage a flying creature using this weapon, that creature is also bleeding (save ends). While bleeding in this way, the creature takes 1 damage per square they fly. If the creature starts and ends their turn on the same solid surface, the bleeding condition ends.

1st-Level Weapon Enhancements Table
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Blood Bargain The blood of a devil Anjali
Chilling I A piece of ice from Quintessence that never melts Yllyric
Disrupting I A vial of blood from a living saint Anjali
Hurling A magnet made from rare metals Variac
Merciful A sprig of dockwart, a rare plant with natural anesthetic properties Yllyric
Terrifying I The preserved, intact amygdala of a mindkiller Variac
Thundering I The heart of a lion, bear, or other large predatory animal Low Kuric
Vengeance I The crown of a usurper Kalliak
Wingbane The pinfeather of a giant hawk Yllyric
5th-Level Weapon Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: A weapon with a 1st-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Chargebreaker: While you wield this weapon, you have the following ability.

Stop Right There

Their momentum, your impact.

Melee, Strike, Weapon Free triggered
📏 Melee 1 🎯 One enemy

Trigger: The target willingly moves adjacent to you.

Effect: The target takes 5 damage.

Chilling II: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 6 cold damage and is slowed (save ends). This replaces the benefit of Chilling I.

Devastating: Whenever you make an ability roll using this weapon, the number you need to roll to score a critical hit is reduced by 1.

Disrupting II: Whenever you damage an undead using this weapon and leave that undead with 30 Stamina or less, they drop to 0 Stamina. This replaces the benefit of Disrupting I.

Metamorphic: You can change this weapon's shape and form as a maneuver, granting one of the following benefits of your choice:

  • Concealed: The weapon shrinks to the size of a piece of jewelry and can be worn as an earring, necklace, or similar accessory. While in this form, the weapon can't be used for weapon abilities.
  • Large: Abilities using this weapon gain a +1 melee distance bonus or a +3 ranged distance bonus.
  • Vicious: Whenever you damage a creature using this weapon, you deal an extra 1 damage on a tier 1 outcome, an extra 2 damage on a tier 2 outcome, and an extra 3 damage on a tier 3 outcome.

Silencing: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature also can't use magic abilities until the end of their next turn.

Terrifying II: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 4 psychic damage and is frightened (save ends). This replaces the benefit of Terrifying I.

Thundering II: Whenever you deal rolled damage to a creature using this weapon, you can push that creature up to 3 squares after the other effects of the ability resolve. If you obtained a tier 3 outcome, the creature is also knocked prone after being pushed. This replaces the benefit of Thundering I.

Vengeance II: Whenever you use a damage-dealing ability using this weapon against a creature who has dealt damage to you since the end of your last turn, the ability deals an extra 4 damage. This replaces the benefit of Vengeance I.

5th-Level Weapon Enhancements
Enchantment Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Chargebreaker An adamantine spearhead Zaliac
Chilling II Frozen bones from the lair of a white dragon Yllyric
Devastating A slaughter demon's horn High Kuric
Disrupting II A cutting from a century-old living tree in a graveyard Anjali
Metamorphic Oil from an olothec's liver Variac
Silencing An executioner's hood worn during the execution of a mage The First Language
Terrifying II Riverbed silt harvested from the Abyssal Wasteland Variac
Thundering II An iron rod charged by the death throes of an essence of storms Low Kuric
Vengeance II The remains of a sworn foe of the creature imbuing the item Kalliak
9th-Level Weapon Enhancement

Item Prerequisite: A weapon with a 5th-level enhancement; varies

Project Source: Texts or lore in a language determined by the enhancement

Project Roll Characteristic: Might, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: 150

Chilling III: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 9 cold damage and is slowed (save ends). This replaces the benefit of Chilling II.

Disrupting III: Whenever you damage an undead using this weapon and leave that undead with 50 Stamina or less, they immediately drop to 0 Stamina. If you instead leave the undead with 100 Stamina or less, they are frightened (save ends). This replaces the benefit of Disrupting II.

Draining: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature is also weakened (save ends). Each time you weaken a creature with this weapon, you gain 1 surge.

Imprisoning: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature is also restrained (save ends). While restrained in this way, the creature can't use magic or psionic abilities.

Nova: Whenever you damage a creature using this weapon, each enemy adjacent to you takes damage based on the tier outcome of the power roll—2 damage for tier 1, 6 for tier 2, or 10 for tier 3. Additionally, while you are winded, you have the following ability.

Nova

I am an eternal flame, baby!

Area, Magic Main action
📏 3 area 🎯 Each enemy in the area

Power Roll + Your Highest Characteristic Score:

  • ≤11: 7 fire damage
  • 12-16: 11 fire damage
  • 17+: 16 fire damage

Terrifying III: Whenever you damage a creature with an ability using this weapon and obtain a tier 3 outcome, that creature takes 6 psychic damage and is frightened (save ends). This replaces the benefit of Terrifying II.

Thundering III: Whenever you deal rolled damage to a creature using this weapon, you can vertical push that creature up to 5 squares and knock them prone after the other effects of the ability resolve. If the creature takes or deals damage as a result of this movement, they also take 5 thunder damage. This replaces the benefit of Thundering II.

Vengeance III: Whenever you use a damage-dealing ability using this weapon against a creature who has dealt damage to you since the end of your last turn, the ability deals an extra 6 damage. This replaces the benefit of Vengeance II.

Windcutting: Whenever you use a melee signature ability that usually targets one creature, you can take a bane on the ability to target each enemy in a cube 3 within distance. If your signature ability would usually cause its target to become grabbed or res trained, each target in the area is instead slowed until the end of their next turn.

9th-Level Weapon Enhancements
Enhancement Item Prerequisite Project Source Language
Chilling III The weapon must be dipped in the Glacial Forge in the coldest depths of Hell Yllyric
Disrupting III Wrappings from a mummy buried at least a century ago Anjali
Draining The intact, still-thinking brain of a voiceless talker Voll
Imprisoning A chain once used to restrain an angel Anjali
Nova A piece of metal touched by a sun Ullorvic
Terrifying III The central eye of an overmind Variac
Thundering III An oracle of storms must willingly bless the weapon with lightning while it is being wielded, and its wielder must survive this trial Low Kuric
Vengeance III The true name of a devil who hunts other devils Kalliak
Windcutting A feather from a bird, once thought extinct, who dwells at the eye of an ever-whirling tornado Yllyric

Research Projects

Heroes can undertake many different types of research downtime projects, which can involve seeking out new lore, improving existing knowledge with study, uncovering rumors or secrets, and more.

Unless a project has a event table of its own or a special event entry, the Director uses the Crafting and Research Events table for research project events.

Discover Lore

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: Texts or knowledge related to the subject you wish to research

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason

Project Goal: Varies (see the table)

If you want to track the location of a lost treasure, decipher a ritual, or trace the lineage of a royal family to find the next heir to the throne, you can start a downtime project to delve into whatever mysteries you seek to unravel. You might start a project to discover lore because the information can't be discovered through a single test, or you could do so because you failed a test to recall information and now want to learn it through research.

When you start a downtime project to discover lore, you choose the lore you want investigated and the questions you want answered. The Director tells you if the lore you seek amounts to common, obscure, lost, or forbidden knowledge. The more esoteric the knowledge, the more project points are required to find the answers you seek.

Discover Lore Project Goals Table
Project Goal
Common knowledge 15
Obscure knowledge 45
Lost knowledge 120
Forbidden knowledge 240
Common Knowledge

Common knowledge is generally easy to discover with a day or so of research. It's not known by every passerby and takes time to uncover, but with plentiful local sources for the information, you don't need to spend a lot of time searching. It could be that you need to question several members of a rumor mill to figure out who a noble is not-so-secretly courting, or you might need to spend a few hours in a temple to find the particular religious text that carries a seldom-used alternative name for a deity.

Obscure Knowledge

Obscure knowledge is known only to specialized sages and is typically of interest only to those scholars. As such, precious few tomes are written on obscure subjects. Finding the right expert to interview or the best book to read typically requires several days of research. Uncovering the details of a ritual used to open and close a portal to the Sea of Stars isn't easy information to come by, but there are people out there who know how to do it—and who wrote the instructions down.

Lost Knowledge

Lost knowledge is so esoteric that even among a field's most dedicated scholars, there might be only one or two individuals who have dug deep enough to know that lore. Lost knowledge could come from a time so long ago that only a single text in a dead language now holds the lore you seek. Such lore often takes more than a week to hunt down. The location of a legendary steel dwarf's workshop is most likely lore that is lost—except for one map hidden in a private collection.

Forbidden Knowledge

Forbidden knowledge is lore that a powerful individual or organization is attempting to keep secret. Those who know the secrets speak of them in whispered codes after passwords are exchanged, and write texts using ciphers. Hunting down leads and making sense of them typically takes weeks. The location of the dagger that slit the throat of the god of death is hidden behind layers of encoded text and written in a dead language known only to that god's most devout followers.

Crafting and Research Events Table
d100 Event
01–02 After the roll, a thief who wants the project source or an item needed for the project approaches the hero and pretends to be someone who wants to help. The thief might want to sell the project source or item, or use it to undertake the same project as the hero.
03–04 Before the roll, a traveler in need of food, shelter, or some other necessity happens upon the heroes and asks for their help. If the heroes show kindness, the traveler reveals themself to be an artisan or sage who can help with the project. The traveler can contribute one project roll to the project with a +3 modifier.
05–06 Before the roll, an NPC who is already friendly with the characters and has helped them before asks the hero to let them join the project. The NPC explains that they need the project source or the object being crafted for a personal matter of great importance (saving someone's life, righting a great wrong, and so forth). The NPC can contribute one project roll to the project with a +3 modifier, but the characters must commit to letting the NPC use the finished project before they can do so.
07–08 After the roll, the hero receives a mysterious note from a person who wants to exchange a treasure or other reward for the project source when the project is complete. The buyer could be someone with their own interest in a similar project, an enemy eager to exploit what the hero is working on, or a superfan who wants to emulate the hero.
09–10 Before the roll, a pest starts devouring important components of the project. This could be rats gnawing at alchemical components, moths eating rare silks, mites devouring a printed project source, and so forth. If the pests aren't dealt with quickly, some of the components will need to be replaced.
11–12 Before the roll, a powerful supernatural entity sends an agent or premonition to the hero, offering them knowledge that will let them complete the project immediately. In exchange, the hero must agree to do a favor for the entity, which might not be specified at the time of the bargain.
13–14 Before the roll, a rumor arises that the project is being worked on in service to an evil entity. People start showing up to the hero's place of respite, demanding that they repent their wicked ways. If the rumors aren't disproved, locals form a mob to stop the project.
15–16 Before the roll, the hero's rival comes to visit and shows off a guide for the project. The rival is willing to hand the guide over … provided the hero publicly humiliates themself by proclaiming that the rival is their better.
17–18 The project source is cursed. Before the roll, the hero must succeed on a hard Intuition test or become obsessed with the project. Until the project is complete, the hero can't use Victories to increase their Heroic Resource. The curse can be broken by slaying the creature who bestowed it, or by finding a priest to perform a holy ritual over the project source.
19–20 Before the roll, the hero finds that a significant amount of the project has been completed by a group of fairies. The fairies might have completed the job out of boredom, or they might want something from the hero in return.
21–22 After the roll, the hero realizes that the project source contains only half the information they need, and they must find the rest of the information to complete the project.
23–24 After the roll, the hero discovers a new bit of knowledge or a technique that allows them to immediately start and finish a second project with a project goal of 50 or lower.
25–26 Before the roll, the hero finds that someone has attempted to sabotage their project, resulting in damage to notes, the project source, or crafting components. The damage is negligible, but the creature responsible will strike again to worse effect if not discovered.
27–28 Before the roll, the project source is found to hold additional information, letting the hero treat the project roll as an automatic breakthrough. The note could have been left by a helpful visitor, or by someone who wants the hero's work to be finished for their own gain.
29–30 After the roll, the project draws the attention of a devil, who tries to subtly change the project source from the Seven Cities of Hell. If the hero doesn't notice, the devil is summoned the next time the hero makes a project roll, with goals of the Director's determination.
31–32 Before the roll, the hero stumbles upon a tool, expert, or book that helps them with the project, letting them treat the project roll as an automatic breakthrough.
33–34 After the roll, the project source suddenly becomes impossible to understand. A psionic NPC has used a mighty power to obscure or corrupt the project source to prevent a potential catastrophe they foresaw. If the heroes can help prevent the catastrophe in another way, the NPC will end the effect.
35–36 After the roll, the hero discovers that the project source contains a piece of helpful knowledge unrelated to the current project.
37–38 Before the roll, the hero learns that several sages working on similar projects have all mysteriously disappeared. Someone or something is abducting these experts for some nefarious purpose ... and the hero could be next!
39–40 After the roll, a group of scholars approach the hero and ask if they can review the project source, promising to help the hero complete the project in return. If the hero accepts, the scholars take the project source until the end of the hero's next respite. Three of the scholars then contribute project rolls during the following respite, each with a +3 modifier.
41–42 After the roll, a physical project source or crafting components come to life and attack the hero. Magic within these items has become corrupted! If the hero can fix the corruption without destroying the items, the project is saved, but doing so requires a special ritual.
43–44 After the roll, an otherworldly specter appears and warns the hero not to complete the project, explaining that they died attempting the same project and are now attached to the project source. If the hero can convince the spirit that they will not die similarly, the creature shares their knowledge, contributing one project roll to the project with a +3 modifier.
45–46 Before the roll, the servants of a dragon appear and demand that the hero hand over the project source. If the hero refuses, the servants warn that the dragon will come to claim the project source for themself.
47–48 Before the roll, the hero notices a contract written on a physical project source or other accompanying materials that appears only under certain conditions (in the presence of magic, in the light of a full moon, and so forth). The contract promises that anyone who signs it in blood will receive the true and full answer to three questions, in exchange for a week of service to the hag Corrine Withersnipe. The hag appears instantly if the contract is signed.
49–50 After the roll, an unexpected total eclipse of the sun occurs, lasting 1 hour. Once per respite when any creature makes another project roll for the project, another eclipse occurs and lasts twice as long as the previous. Some take this phenomenon as a sign of impending doom that will descend when the project is completed. Others believe that a powerful enemy is trying to scare the heroes into not finishing the project.
51–52 Before the roll, the hero gets a visit from an NPC who they helped in the past. The NPC has found a guide that relates to the project and gives it to the hero as a gift of thanks.
53–54 After the roll, a local officer of the law appears and tells the hero to stop working on their project. The nature of the hero's project has just become outlawed in the region, and the constable insists on locking up the project source and arresting anyone who gets in the way.
55–56 Before the roll, the hero determines that the research or crafting they are planning requires only part of their attention. They can either make two project rolls for their current project, or can make one for that project and one for another project.
57–58 After the roll, a component or tool the hero is using for the project suddenly reveals itself to be magic or psionic as it starts to hum with energy and glow red hot. If the item isn't quickly cooled, it explodes, and work on the project can't continue until a replacement is found.
59–60 Before the roll, the hero realizes they're at a critical point in the project, and can achieve more if they just shave off a few hours of rest. By choosing to lose some sleep, the character can make two project rolls for the project, but when they end the current respite, they do so with 1 fewer Recoveries than usual.
61–62 Before the roll, a sage approaches the hero and offers to help with the project. This NPC isn't really a sage, however—they're an assassin hoping to catch the hero off guard.
63–64 Before the roll, a sage approaches the hero and offers to help with the project. This NPC isn't really a sage, however—they're a bard who wishes to compose a song about the hero's deeds. The NPC is to ingratiate themself to the hero while contributing nothing to the actual project.
65–66 After the roll, a physical project source or a component of the project creates an unstable portal to another world related to the nature of the project. Tiny devils, elementals, or other creatures start clawing their way out of the item and causing mischief.
67–68 After the roll, the hero realizes that the project source also holds information regarding the location of another project source or certain items, which are needed for another project the hero or one of their allies wants to pursue.
69–70 Before the roll, a group of enemies working for the campaign's villain attacks the hero, intent on destroying as much of the project's source or other resources as possible.
71–72 Before the roll, a storm moves into the area that threatens to persist until the project is completed. The closer to completion the hero gets on the project, the more violent the storm becomes. It's possible that the storm is conscious, or that someone is controlling the storm to stand in the hero's way.
73–74 After the roll, the hero falls asleep. They go on to complete the project in their dreams, but they have no access to that progress while they're awake. The hero can rectify this by finding a way to physically enter into their dreams, where the completed project can be found.
75–76 Before the roll, a band of goblins barge in on the hero. If the hero has been fighting goblins on their recent adventures, the goblins attempt to run away with the project source. Otherwise, the goblins are merely curious about the project, and the hero can make two project rolls if they choose to explain it and have the goblins help.
77–78 After the roll, the hero watches as any progress made is reversed—as if the project were moving backward through time. Any character familiar with psionics recognizes the phenomena as a chrono-anomaly. The project loses the same amount of progress each successive night until the hero finds and stops the source of the anomaly, which restores the project's progress.
79–80 Before the roll, the hero hears a voice beckoning them into the nearest wode to work on their project. Each time the hero makes a project roll in the wode, they make three times the progress but feel more pressure to stay in the wode forever.
81–82 After the roll, the hero stumbles upon knowledge of an expert a day's travel away who could complete the project, and who possesses a project source or guide for another hero's project.
83–84 Before the roll, fire rips through the hero's project source or other materials and threatens to destroy the entire project. If the hero puts out the fire before everything is lost, they find that the fire activated secret notes that double each subsequent project roll for the project.
85–86 After the roll, a auteur NPC approaches the hero and asks if they would like to make the project “a little more exciting.” If the hero agrees, the auteur narrates the hero's progress on the project, prompting another project roll. If the second roll is lower than the first, the hero subtracts the second roll from the original roll. If it's equal or higher, the hero adds the second roll to the original roll.
87–88 Before the roll, the hero's rival reluctantly comes seeking the hero's help on their own project. If the hero agrees, the hero makes their project roll toward the rival's project, and the Director makes the rival's project roll toward the hero's project.
89–90 After the roll, the hero completes their work on the project earlier than expected, and can either relax or go carousing with other heroes who are free. The hero and every character who joins them starts the next encounter with 10 temporary Stamina.
91–92 Before the roll, the hero is approached by a wagoneer who needs help fixing their wagon. If the hero helps, they find out that the wagoneer is allied with the campaign's villain. If the hero doesn't attack or threaten the wagoneer, then in some future combat, an NPC of the Director's choice turns out to be a friend or relative of the wagoneer. They leave the battle peacefully when they recognize the hero.
93–94 After the roll, the project source and any evidence of the project disappear into thin air. Any investigation of the area turns up footprints fleeing the scene and traces of gnoll hair.
95–96 After the roll, the hero suddenly no longer understands or comprehends the project source after focusing on those materials for too long. If they continue with the project, they take a bane on its project rolls for the next two respites. If they leave the project alone for the next two respites, they'll be able to comprehend the research again, gaining an automatic breakthrough before the next project roll.
97–98 Before the roll, part of the hero's project source or other materials shrinks and is pulled through a mousehole. A group of radenwights sent magical mice to steal the resources so they can finish their own project. The radenwights are willing to negotiate if the hero doesn't approach them aggressively.
99–100 Before the roll, an elemental springs forth from the project source and pulls the hero into a duel. If the hero can survive 3 rounds of combat with the elemental on their own, the elemental vanishes and leaves behind a completed project. If the hero flees, falls unconscious, or gets help from an ally, the elemental destroys the project source as they disappear.

Go Undercover

Item Prerequisite: Special

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Intuition or Presence

Project Goal: 15

Going undercover to spy on a group of people is a cheap and easy way to find information you're looking for. Choose an organization when you undertake this activity. Completing this project grants you access to maps, knowledge about an organization's operations, or some other piece of knowledge that would be considered common or obscure (see the Discover Lore project).

At the Director's discretion, you must have a disguise, a signet ring, a special tattoo, or some other indication that you belong to the organization in order to start this project. Additionally, the Director can decide that the knowledge you seek can't be gained through this project, but must be sought out by infiltrating the organization as part of an adventure.

Complications

This project has its own special complications. The first time you complete this project for an organization, you have a 25 percent chance of being caught. Each time you complete this project again with the same organization, the chance of being caught increases by 25 percent and the project goal increases by 30. If you are caught while going undercover, members of the organization pursue you ruthlessly as the Director determines.

Additionally, while you work to complete this project, you might be called upon by the organization to complete a task you might not want to do. Failure to complete the task leads to you being caught. You can avoid the task by fleeing the organization, but this prevents you from completing the project and makes it impossible for you to undertake this project again with the same organization.

Hone Career Skills Events Table
d10 Event
1 Before the roll, an old colleague from the hero's past asks the hero to give up adventuring and come back to their former career. A hero who reaffirms their intent to remain a hero gains a hero token. However, if they do so—or if they lie to say they will return to their old career—the project goal increases by 50 points as their old colleague refuses to help them.
2 After the roll, the hero is hurt on the job. They end the respite with 1 fewer Recoveries than usual.
3 Before the roll, the hero stumbles upon an individual seeking guidance about entering the same career as the hero. If the hero forgoes their project roll to help this NPC, the individual becomes one of the hero's followers, which they gain in addition to any followers acquired through Renown or other means. The follower is an artisan or a sage depending on the hero's career, as the Director determines.
4 After the roll, the hero finds inspiration from their old life that helps out with a different project they or another hero are currently working on. The hero working on the second project can immediately make a project roll for that project.
5 Before the roll, the hero stumbles into a negative aspect of their career that they forgot was particularly grueling. If the project roll is 11 or lower, it is halved.
6 After the roll, the hero learns rumors of a treasure of the Director's choice that other members of the hero's previous career are seeking. If the hero doesn't seek the treasure ahead of time, they automatically determine where the treasure is to be found when they complete their project.
7 Before the roll, a vaguely familiar stranger in the same career asks if they can work with the hero on their project. If the hero accepts their help, the stranger makes one project roll for the project with a +2 modifier. Only afterward does the hero learn whether the stranger supports their motivation for working on the project or whether they work for the campaign's villain.
8 After the roll, the hero strangely feels 5 years younger. Any character familiar with psionics recognizes the phenomena as a chrono-anomaly. The hero grows younger each time they make progress on the project—but will cease to exist if they complete the project without first finding and stopping the source of the anomaly.
9 Before the roll, the hero stumbles upon an old memento from when they worked their former career. They can choose between gaining an automatic breakthrough on the project roll or gaining a hero token.
10 After the roll, the hero gets back into the rhythm of their former career. They can make two additional project rolls.

Hone Career Skills

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Intuition

Project Goal: 240 if your career granted you two skills, or 360 if your career granted you three skills

You revisit your previous life to freshen up on the experience it provided you. When this project is complete, you gain an edge on tests made using the skills provided by your career.

Learn From a Master

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: An NPC of a higher level, or records of such an NPC's teachings in a language you know

Project Roll Characteristic: Your highest characteristic

Project Goal: Varies

When you seek to learn from a master, you choose the goal you wish to work on as well as the benefit you would gain from it. The Director tells you whether the master or the materials they've left behind are able to teach you what you want to learn.

Learn From a Master Events Table
d10 Event
1 After the roll, the hero experiences a revelation and all their training snaps into place. The hero makes two additional project rolls for this project.
2 Before the roll, the master dies midway through training, or the lore they left behind is found to be incomplete. To complete the project, the hero must seek out another master who was trained by the first master, or find another copy of the records of their teaching. Before the roll, the hero discovers that although the master's knowledge is sound,
3 they are less adept at the teaching of that knowledge. The project requires an additional 50 project points to complete.
4 Before the roll, the master requires the hero's aid with manual labor before their training can begin. The hero must spend this respite completing that labor, earning a hero token for their efforts instead of making a project roll.
5 Before the roll, the hero must undertake the master's grueling training regimen. The hero rolls an additional d10 for the project roll during this respite, but at the end of the respite, they regain 1 fewer Recoveries than usual.
6 After the roll, the hero's relationship with the master deepens. In addition to the current project, the master provides information relevant to the hero's goals, another project, or a surprising connection to a mystery from the hero's past.
7 Before the roll, the hero discovers that the master has been working with an enemy of the hero by covertly providing them information about the hero's activities. The hero can continue learning from the master, but risks exposing themself and their allies to danger by doing so.
8 After the roll, an accident, fire, or other natural disaster disrupts the hero's training. The project points rolled for this respite are halved, but if the hero acts to stop the disaster, their heroism sees them earn 1 Renown.
9 After the roll, the master gifts the hero with an item prerequisite for a crafting project.
10 After the roll, the hero uncovers a secret in their studies, something that the master had never anticipated or that their teachings hadn't covered. The project goal is halved.
Learn from Master Project Goals Table
Project Goal
Hone ability 120
Improve control 500
Acquire ability 1,000
Acquire Ability

You gain one signature ability of your choice from the master's class (gaining a second signature ability if the master is of the same class as you). If the master is a tactician, you can gain the Strike Now ability instead. You can't gain this benefit again for the same class.

Hone Ability

You sharpen the effectiveness of one of your abilities of your choice. Choose between adding a +1/+1/+1 damage bonus to the ability, or improving the distance of a ranged ability by 2. An ability can be honed only once this way.

Improve Control

You learn to use one of your heroic abilities more efficiently, reducing its baseline Heroic Resource cost by 1 (to a minimum of 1). You can gain this benefit only once for any ability.

Learn New Language

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: Texts or instruction that teaches the language you want to learn

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason or Intuition

Project Goal: 120

When you start this project, choose a language taught by the project source. When the project is complete, you understand the language.

Learn New Skill

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: Texts or instruction that teaches the skill you want to learn

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason or Intuition

Project Goal: 120

When you start this project, choose a skill taught by the project source. When the project is complete, you have that skill.

Perfect New Recipe

Item Prerequisite: Varies

Project Source: A recipe in a language you know, or someone who can tutor you in that recipe

Project Roll Characteristic: Reason or Intuition

Project Goal: 100

When you start this project, you choose a recipe for a specific type of dish. The item prerequisite for the project is the ingredients required, which depend on the recipe and which might be difficult to acquire depending on the recipe and its place of origin. You gain a +3 bonus to the project roll if the recipe is one from your culture.

When you complete the project, you can make five servings of food from the recipe as a respite activity whenever you have access to the ingredients. You and other creatures taking a respite with you can eat a serving of the food and gain its benefits (see below).

A creature who eats a serving of food from a particular type of recipe gains one of the following benefits, which lasts until the creature takes another respite.

  • Comforting: When the creature fails a saving throw, they can choose to succeed instead. This benefit then ends.
  • Hearty: The creature increases their Recoveries by 1 at the end of the respite in which the food is consumed.
  • Supernatural Power: The creature temporarily increases one of their characteristic scores by 1 (to a maximum of 6).

A creature can benefit from the food of only one recipe at a time, and can't benefit from more than one serving of a recipe at a time.

Recipe Table
Type of Recipe Item Prerequisite Benefits
Modern Common ingredients (flour, carrots, beef, and so forth) Hearty
Vintage or home Key ingredients (starfruit, kindleseeds, oarfish, and so forth) Comforting
Ancient or lost Rare or extinct ingredients (honeylilies, steel apples, and so forth) Supernatural power

Other Projects

Not all heroes want to craft or research during their time between adventures. Some might wish to build organizations, reconnect with family or friends, or just go fishing.

Community Service

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Varies

Project Goal: 75

When you start this project, you must be in a settlement or other location where people gather, and you must be in that same place each time you make a project roll for the project. You can undertake several Community Service projects at the same time, but each one must be in a different community.

While undertaking this project, you provide help to people in need, doing odd jobs, tutoring life skills, cleaning streets or public spaces, finding lost valuables, and the like. The Director determines the characteristic that applies to the project roll based on the activities you undertake. When you complete this project, you receive a random consumable treasure of the Director's choice from someone in the community as thanks for your hard work.

Community Service Events Table
d10 Event
1 After the roll, the hero's service is recognized by the local nobility or authorities. Upon completion of the project, the hero earns 1 Renown.
2 Before the roll, a mysterious force hinders the work in an unfortunate way, with tools going missing, tutoring materials vanishing, cleaning supplies turning up already filthy, and so forth. The hero can't continue the project until the culprit—a maligned devil or spirit connected to the hero's past—is identified and dealt with.
3 Before the roll, the community is so excited by the project that they join in to lend a hand. The project gains an automatic breakthrough.
4 Before the roll, a sympathetic NPC—perhaps a friend or ally from the community or from the hero's past—offers to assist with the project. The hero gains a +3 bonus to the project roll.
5 Before the roll, work on the project unearths a previously lost detail of the community—a lost or hidden section of a settlement, a surprising historical detail, a secret regarding a prominent local, and so forth. The locals take a keen interest in the development, but the revelation threatens to tear the community apart. If the character can't take steps to undo this strife, they take a bane on the project roll.
6 After the roll, a seemingly benign action taken by the hero curses them with bad luck. Until they break the curse, all project rolls they make are halved.
7 After the roll, a saint blesses the hero's work. The hero feels supernaturally rejuvenated, increasing their Recoveries by 1 until the end of their next respite. If the character is a conduit, they also gain an automatic breakthrough on the project.
8 Before the roll, the hero becomes aware of a previously unknown radenwight warren within the community, which has the potential to become a point of tension and conflict. The hero must engage with the radenwights and other locals to create understanding between the two communities or take a bane on the project roll.
9 Before the roll, a local malcontent has turned their focus on the hero and roused the people against them. The hero must either contend with angry locals preventing them from resting (losing the usual benefit of the respite) or find the malcontent and win them over before proceeding.
10 Before the roll, a thief, assassin, or other criminal offers to assist the hero. They can offer 50 points toward the completion of the project, as long as the hero looks the other way if they ever cross paths again.

Fishing

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Agility, Reason, or Intuition

Project Goal: Varies

Whether for sustenance, relaxation, or bragging rights, you've gone fishing, provided you are near a body of water. The project roll for this project has the following changes:

  • The project points earned by your roll represent the relative size of the fish (or some other fishlike creature) you catch.
  • During each respite when you undertake this activity, you continue making project rolls until you obtain a tier 1 outcome (indicating that a fish got away, earning you no points) or a breakthrough.
  • When you obtain a breakthrough, the Director rolls on the Fishing Events table rather than you gaining points from the roll and making another project roll.
  • When you've made your last Fishing project roll for the respite, you can spend the project points you accrued on a reward from the Tackle table. Any points you don't spend during the current respite are lost.
Tackle Table
Reward Cost Effect
Hearty meal (1 serving) 50 A creature who eats a serving of a meal prepared with the fish caught during the project increases their Recoveries by 1 until the end of their next respite. A creature can benefit from only one serving of this meal or another like it (such as from the Perfect New Recipe project) at a time.
Great meal (1 serving) 100 A creature who eats a serving of a meal prepared with the fish caught during the project increases their Recoveries by 1 until the end of their next respite, and gains 10 temporary Stamina that lasts until the end of their next respite if it isn't lost first. A creature can benefit only from one serving of this meal or another like it (such as from the Perfect New Recipe project) at a time.
Better tackle 120 You gain the following title and benefit.
Angler: You gain an edge on Fishing project rolls.
Fishing event 200 You roll on the Fishing Events table.
Legendary fisher 300 You gain the following title and benefit.
Goldenrod: Each time you undertake the Fishing project, you can reroll one project roll.
Fishing Events Table
d10 Event
1 While fishing, the hero reels in a talking fish. The fish informs the hero of any events that have occurred within 10 squares of the body of water where they were caught over the last week, or provides one piece of Forbidden Knowledge (see the Discover Lore project), as the Director determines.
2 While fishing, the hero reels in a note in a bottle. The note is written in Anjali and binds the reader into a deal with a powerful devil if read out loud. This gives the devil ownership of the reader's soul in exchange for rolling an additional d10 on all future Fishing project rolls.
3 While the hero is fishing, passersby inform them of a rumor of a magic fishing rod that allows the fisher to double the size of the fish they reel in. The Director can decide whether the rumor is true, and if so, where the rod might be found.
4 While fishing, the hero reels in an angulotl day bringer (see Draw Steel: Monsters). The angulotl is insulted by the hero catching them, and threatens to summon heavy thunderstorms and drown the region in a flood. However, they can be negotiated with, and might provide the hero with one serving of an amazing meal if they stay on good terms. A creature who eats a serving of this meal increases their Recoveries by 1 until the end of their next respite, and gains 25 temporary Stamina that lasts until the end of their next respite if it isn't lost first. A creature can benefit only from one serving of this meal or another like it (such as from the Perfect New Recipe project) at a time.
5 While fishing, the hero reels in half of a mysterious ancient treasure of the Director's choice. If the other half is found, both halves magically meld together to restore the treasure.
6 While fishing, the hero is energized by fond memories of their life up to that point. They gain an edge on Presence tests until the end of their next respite.
7 The hero reaches a new fishing milestone, gaining the following title and benefit.
Master of Reels: Whenever you deal damage to a target who is 2 or more squares away from you and that target isn't also force moved, you can pull the target a number of squares equal to your Agility, Reason, or Intuition score (your choice).
8 While fishing, the hero engages in relaxing meditation that grants an automatic breakthrough on another project they're working on. Alternatively, they gain insight that grants an automatic breakthrough on another hero's project of their choice.
9 While fishing, the hero is pulled into the water by an ancient fish and must make a hard Might test. On a success, the hero reels in a humongous fish worth 100 points. On a failure, they end the current respite with 1 fewer Recoveries than usual. On a success with a complication, the hero obtains both outcomes.
10 While fishing, the hero notes what appears to be an underwater cavern. If the cavern is explored, it reveals a treasure of the Director's choice guarded by a revenant knight fulfilling their duty until their captain returns.

Spend Time With Loved Ones

Item Prerequisite: None

Project Source: None

Project Roll Characteristic: Presence

Project Goal: 60

You revitalize your spirit by spending time with people you love who you haven't seen in a long while. You must be able to communicate with those people to undertake this project or make project rolls for it. When you complete this project, your Stamina maximum increases by 12 + your level until the end of your next respite, and you can't start another Spend Time With Loved Ones project for a month.

Spend Time With Loved Ones Events Table
d10 Event
1 Before the roll, the hero is presented with an heirloom, artifact, or secret that aids another project they've undertaken or want to undertake. They can immediately make a project roll for that project as well as for this one.
2 Before the roll, the hero's people embrace their loved one's companions as their own. Additional party members can make one project roll each for this project without doing so as a respite activity. When the project is completed, each character who contributed a project roll gains the benefit of completion.
3 Before the roll, the hero's enemies track them to the home or community of their loved ones. These enemies immediately launch an attack, hoping to catch the hero off guard.
4 After the roll, the hero learns that a distant friend or family member has joined the cause of their enemies. Their loved ones plead with the hero to bring this person back home safely.
5 After the roll, a loved one gives the hero a consumable treasure to aid them in their travels.
6 After the roll, the hero's loved ones share that they have been subjected to a curse. The only way to lift the curse is by returning an heirloom to its place of origin.
7 Before the roll, the hero meets an old friend who is a more experienced adventurer. They offer to mentor the hero in exchange for a treasure or favor. If the hero accepts, they also complete the Learn From a Master project when this project is complete, with the Director choosing the NPC's class.
8 Before the roll, the hero discovers that by returning, they've put the community surrounding their loved ones in danger, either with the authorities or an opposing power in the region. To complete the project, the hero needs to earn the trust of that community.
9 After the roll, the hero learns that spending time with loved ones isn't always as rejuvenating as one hopes. Completing the project requires an additional 20 project points thanks to difficult friends or relatives.
10 Before the roll, the hero's loved ones ask if the hero would like to cook with them. If the hero accepts, they can apply their project roll both to this project and to the Perfect New Recipe project. If the hero is not currently undertaking the Perfect New Recipe project, they start that project and their loved ones provide the item prerequisite and project source.