The Rules

This Guidebook contains the comprehensive rules for The Contract.

New Players can enjoy The Contract without fully understanding the rules. If you have a Playgroup and an experienced GameMaster lined up, we recommend learning as you play.

If you don't have a group and don't know anything about The Contract, start with the How to Play manual, which provides an overview of the game's structure and mechanics alongside a narrative that follows a typical play session. 

If you'd rather read the full, unfiltered rules, you can read this guide front to back.

Do I Need to Read This Entire Book to Play?

No.

The truth is, we've all played games like The Contract. We play them whenever we talk about hypothetical situations. How can I convince her to see things my way? How could we rob this bank if we really wanted to? If an armed intruder broke into your house, what would you do? 

The “rules” of those hypothetical situations are only what we deem plausible. It’s our limitations, the fact that we can’t rob the bank by phasing through its walls, that make exploring them fun. 

But these intuitive rules have their limits. You can’t know for sure whether or not you could sneak past that security guard; hypothetical people can’t surprise you with tactics you didn't anticipate; and everyone has a different idea of what’s plausible (6% of Americans believe they could defeat a grizzly bear in unarmed combat).

This is where the rules of The Contract and the GameMaster (GM) come into play. They transform these hypotheticals into a challenging, exciting game. 

The Players play characters with clearly-defined capabilities. The GM presents challenging situations for them to navigate. When your character attempts something that’s plausible but uncertain, the GM uses the rules to determine the outcome in a fair, impartial way.

You do not need to know all of the rules before you play because you have an intuitive understanding of what a person can do. 

To reduce the burden on the GM, we recommend Players read either the How to Play manual or Section 1 - The Basics, Section 2 - Rolling Dice, and start of Section 3 - The Character Sheet up through Creating a Contractor.  

We all like to believe we’re resourceful and clever—that if we were in that situation, we would have done the right thing. 

Are you ready to learn whether or not that’s true?

The Basics Link


The Contract is a tabletop roleplaying game about ambitious individuals who risk their lives in deadly missions for supernatural gifts and a chance to change the world. Those clever enough to survive are forged into some of the most fearsome and influential beings in existence.

These "Contractors" come from many backgrounds and are driven by their own, individual ambitions. In order to succeed, they must rely on their wits, resourcefulness, and even each other. 

Lucy Kate, the main Contractor from the How to Play guide

Primary Features

  • Unique Characters
  • Interesting Action:
    • The Contract is realistic and gritty, but light on number crunching. Advancement grants tools that enable novel tactics rather than simple dice bonuses. 
  • Solving Absenteeism
    • The Contract is great for inconsistent groups. Players can play and progress their Contractors regardless of who shows up to a given session.
  • Rotating GMs
    • The responsibility of the GameMaster (GM) rotates between sessions as desired, preventing "Forever GM" burnout. 
  • Useful Tools
    • This website offers extensive tools that make learning and playing The Contract easy.

Game Structure Link

Whenever a group of people get together to play The Contract, it is called a Session. Most Sessions require 3—7 people and last 36 hours, depending on the group's tastes. You can play with whoever shows up for each Session; it does not have to be the same group each time. 

Each Session, one person assumes the role of the GameMaster (GM), and the rest act as Players. 

Each Player controls a personal character known as a Contractor. Contractors are ambitious individuals who risk their lives in deadly missions in exchange for supernatural powers and a chance to change the world. 

The GM does not play as one of their Contractors. Instead, they act as a referee, controlling the world and the non-player characters (NPCs). They organize the Session, run the mission, and narrate the experiences of the Contractors based on their Players' choices. A different person may act as GM each time you play.

The missions that Contractors attend are called Contracts. Each Contract starts and ends in a single Session. At the end of the Contract, the GM declares whether each of the attending Contractors succeeded or failed.

When a Contractor claims victory on a Contract, they receive a Gift. Gifts take many forms and are custom-made to fit each Contractor's concept. They may be unique supernatural items, superpowers, or the ability to craft extraordinary equipment. Gifts are the primary means of advancement for Contractors. 

About one month of in-game time passes between each Contract. This is called Downtime. Contractors can make Moves on their Downtimes to impact the setting, pursue their ambitions, or resolve threatening Loose Ends from the Contracts. However, Contractors cannot earn Gifts or Experience during their Downtimes. 

Non-Contract Sessions that occur during Downtimes are called Hustles. They may have as few as a single Player and may even not require a GM. 

Setting: The Illumination Link

The Contract takes place in a setting called The Illumination

Not all supernatural beings hide. Some score great sponsorship deals.

The Illumination is an alternate version of modern-day Earth that is mostly the same as the world we live in. However, in The Illumination, unexplainable phenomena are not relegated to myths and legends. Werewolves actually exist, miracles sometimes happen, and aliens really did land in Roswell (unless you believe the government's story about the weather balloon). 

Phenomena that science cannotor has not yet—explained are collectively referred to as "supernatural." These incidents are exceedingly rare; most people go their entire lives without witnessing a supernatural event firsthand.

And that is where the story would end, if it weren't for the internet. 

The internet connected humanity, and smartphones put a camera in everyone's pocket. Starting in 2004, photos and videos of the supernatural started going viral online. Tales of paranormal encounters that would once have been written off as unhinged ramblings now come with video evidence. Despite the rarity of the supernatural, pictures and videos showcasing such phenomena go viral every week. When this happens, it's known as an "illumination."

But can those illuminations be trusted? Hoaxes are common, as are charlatan scam artists and would-be messiahs. The question of "what is real?" looms large in the zeitgeist, inviting everyone to ignore evidence and invent their own understanding of the world around them. 

You can read more about The Illumination in the Setting Guidebook

While The Illumination is The Contract's official setting, most of the game's content and systems work for any modern, urban fantasy setting. Each Playgroup may choose to play in any setting, whether it be The Illumination, something borrowed from other media, or even a unique world of their own creation.

Contractors Link

Players create and play characters known as Contractors. These are ambitious, competent individuals who willingly risk their lives on Contracts in exchange for power. They face the illicit and unexplainable each month for an opportunity to become something greater and change the world.

All Characters controlled by the Players are Contractors.

Five, a Contractor from the How to Play guide

Each Contractor is unique. They may be a witch that lives in the woods, a social media influencer with incredible persuasive skills, a stock broker who makes deals with demons, or anything else. Their supernatural Powers and Equipment are unique and tailor-made to fit their Character concept.

Any group of Contractors is a grab bag of big personalities, diverse backgrounds, and conflicting ambitions. They are united by a common goal, to survive and claim victory on each Contract. 

Contractors almost always start out as mundane humans with no supernatural abilities. Certain character-creation options for advanced Players allow Contractors to begin their first Contract with a Gift or a paranormal background, or even as another species.

When someone becomes a Contractor, they are Imbued. Imbuing alters how they learn, makes them more resilient to mental trauma, and gives them an uncanny ability to escape death (called Will to Survive).

Players fill out and maintain a Character Sheet for each of their Contractors. A Character Sheet defines its Contractor's status, capabilities, and weaknesses. For example, Contractors have Attributes that define their core competencies and Abilities that describe their skills and knowledge. Players assign numerical values to Attributes and Abilities during character creation.

Players often maintain several Contractors, but they can never play more than one at a time. No two Contractors owned by the same Player may ever meet or communicate with each other.

Contractor Status

Contractors are divided into several Statuses based on the number of Contracts they've won. 

  • Newbie: 03 victories
  • Novice: 49 victories
  • Seasoned: 10—16 victories
  • Professional: 17—24 victories
  • Veteran: 25+ victories

As a general rule, Contractors can only attend Contracts with Contractors of a similar Status. Only Veteran Contractors can play in solo Contracts.

Harbingers Link

Harbingers are the mysterious administrators of the Contracts. Their role is to find or create deadly challenges to test the Contractors, invite them to Contracts, lure them into accepting, and sometimes transport them to the site where the Contract takes place. 

"The Talent" is a great Harbinger for new GMs and Contractors

Harbingers pay in the form of extraordinary Gifts. However, like the monkey's paw, the Harbingers never offer full satisfaction nor directly solve a Contractor's problems (though they may sometimes cause them). 

Harbingers are as powerful as they need to be to accomplish these goals and aren't required to have pre-established stats or Gifts

Rules of Engagement

  • A Harbinger cannot attack a Contractor unless attacked first.
  • A Harbinger cannot force any Contractor to go on a Contract.
  • Harbingers must provide transportation to the location of a Contract for Newbie Contractors, if needed.
  • Harbingers never pay in advance.
GM Tip

GMs may have multiple Harbingers, and each Harbinger has their own story, modus operandi, and goals. They may bring a particular flair or complication to their Contracts. Perhaps a certain Harbinger runs gameshow Contracts that are televised, while another Harbinger only runs Contracts that involve hunting monsters.

The Powers That Be

The Harbingers themselves are organized by a shadowy conspiracy known simply as The Powers That Be. Even the Harbingers can only guess at The Powers' true identities or purposes.

What is known is that they reward a rare few and reward them well. How they select candidates is as large a mystery as why. Some think the Contractors are being prepared for an imminent apocalypse. Others believe the "Masters" are merely sadists.

GM Tip

Uncovering the secrets of The Powers That Be is not a recommended storyline for Contractors to pursue. They are best maintained as vague, spoken-of-but-never-seen entities that make the structure of The Contract possible. 

You could think of the GMs themselves as the actual Powers That Be. 

Contracts Link

Contracts are deadly missions organized by the Harbingers. Like the Contractors that attend them, each Contract is unique. Their locations, objectives, and complications vary wildly. Contractors may be asked to do anything from capturing a monster to performing corporate espionage—or even to simply survive.

Contractors are not selected to attend a Contract based on their specific skills and talents. Harbingers are distinctly not trying to form "the perfect team" for each challenge. Instead, Contractors must adapt, using their resources and wits to compensate for the shortcomings of their groups. 

Contracts are tests. Contractors who fail do not deserve Gifts. Contractors who die are unworthy.

Playing Contracts

Contracts are the primary unit of gameplay in The Contract. Each Contract starts and ends in a single play session. In order to play a Contract, you need one GM and at least two Players. 

Before the Contract begins, the GM declares which Contractor Status is permitted: Newbies (0—3 victories), Novice (4—9 victories), Seasoned (11—16 victories), Professional (17-24), or Veteran (25+ victories). The Players then select which one of their eligible Contractors to bring. 

The GM runs a Scenario where the Players' chosen Contractors are approached by a Harbinger (or one of their messengers), invited to participate in a Contract, briefed on their objective, and set loose to accomplish their task. At the end of the Contract, the GM declares which of the surviving Contractors succeeded or failed. 

Participating in Contracts is the main way to Advance a Contractor's stats and Gifts, although Players can also earn rewards for their Contractors by GMing, writing Scenarios, or writing in-character Journals.

Participation in a Contract is always voluntary for both Players and Contractors. However, once a Contractor accepts the Harbinger's invite, they may not find it easy to back out.

Scenarios Link

Scenarios are resources that describe how to run a particular Contract. Think of them like sheet music for a musical performance or a recipe for a meal.

GM Tip

Scenarios are tools, not rules. GMs should feel free to modify Scenarios when they run them as Contracts, including setting them in new locations, adding or removing NPCs, or changing other details as they see fit. 

However, just as modifying recipes requires skill, newer GMs are better off sticking close to the Scenarios' write-ups.

Spoilers

If a Player learns details about a Scenario—usually because they played in it—it is considered "spoiled" for them.

Players are not allowed to play in Contracts are spoiled for them. Depending on the specifics of the Scenario and the GM, they may have the option to play an NPC Ringer.

Discovering Scenarios

Any time you Play in a Contract, you "discover" it, and it is added to your Scenario Gallery

Discovering a Scenario has the following benefits:

  • You may view the Scenario's write-up and notes from GMs about their experience running it.
  • When acting as GM, you may run the Scenario as a Contract for any group of Players who haven't been spoiled.
  • You may read any in-character Journals that other Players have written about their Contractors' experiences on it.

Unlocking Stock Scenarios

Stock Scenarios are Scenarios written by The Contract's developers to get new Playgroups started. Here is a list of Stock Scenarios and how to add them to your Scenario Gallery:

  • Bobasaurus- is available to all Players for free, registered or not. Note that GMs can't rely on the website to determine if a Player is spoiled on Bobasaurus because Players may view it when logged out.
  • Sanctuary - Create a Playgroup
  • Passing the Hours - Play a Contractor in a Contract
  • Beware the Assassin - GM a Contract
  • Monster Hunter Island - Lose a Contractor on a Contract

Finally, the Scenario used in the How to Play guide, See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Smell no Evil, is available to everyone for educational purposes but should not be run because it is spoiled in the How to Play guide.

You can also discover Stock Scenarios by playing in them.

Writing Scenarios

GMs are encouraged to write their own Scenarios. There is an extensive guide in the GameMaster's Manual.

GMs who write up a Scenario that they've run (with at least 1,000 words) earn an Improvement for one of their Contractor's Gifts.

Gifts Link

New Contractors are not superheroes. Newbie Contractors get mugged, arrested, and kidnapped. They get in trouble for running their mouths. They lose track of their gear. They wear the wrong shoes.

Gifts are what elevate Contractors beyond the mundane.

A Contractor using one of her Gifts to commune with the dead

When a Contractor claims victory on a Contract, they are rewarded with supernatural abilities and/or equipment called Gifts. Gifts are the reason Contractors risk their lives on the Harbingers' missions and the primary means of advancement in The Contract.

A Contractor’s Gifts are an awakening of their latent potential and are unique to each individual. 

New Gifts can only be acquired from claiming victory on a Contract, but Improvements for existing Gifts can be earned in several other ways (see Gift Credits and Improvements).

The Gift Builder

Players construct their own Gifts between sessions using The Contract's unique Gift Builder.

The Contract's Gift Builder allows Players to create custom Gifts that are balanced AND behave consistently no matter who is acting as GM.

Each Gift has a specific, predetermined behavior, but their effects are drawn from a mind-boggling array of possibilities. This means that any Contractor can gain access to the sorts of powerful abilities you’d hope a character with their concept would have. This is as true for generic archetypes (e.g. sorcerers, ninjas, super-soldiers, werewolves) as it is for more unique concepts (e.g. stage magician, graffiti artist, plumber, basket-weaver, anything you feel inspired to create).

Examples of Gifts can be found on the Stock Gifts page. Stock Gifts can be customized or granted to a Contractor as-is. 

See Building Custom Gifts for more guidance on how to create custom Gifts. 

GM Tip

While the rest of The Contract's rules are relatively lightweight, Gifts have simple yet wordy and specific systems. 

This specificity ensures that Gifts work the same no matter who is acting as GM that day. It also keeps the action moving and refocuses the game's creative problem solving on utilizing Gifts instead of interpreting them. 

Downtime Link

Contracts don't happen immediately after each other. Instead, Contractors have time in between Contracts (generally a month) during which they can recover, train, and pursue their ambitions. This is called Downtime

During a Downtime, Contractors can train to improve their Abilities and Attributes (by spending Experience), open up to a therapist to treat their Traumas, Craft consumables and artifacts at their Crafting Location, tie up Loose Ends, or make Moves to realize their ambitions. Or they can simply hang around and wait for their next Contract. 

New or casual Players are often content with only playing their Contractors in the Contracts. However, experienced Players and Contractors often engage in extended, structured Downtime activities such as Moves and Loose Ends.

Hustles

Any roleplay that occurs outside of a Contract is called a Hustle.

Unlike the Harbingers' Contracts, Hustles vary widely and do not have any predefined structure. No Experience, Gift Credits, or Improvements are awarded to participants, and they do not need to be recorded.

While simple conversations between Contractors usually don't require a GM, a GM should be present any time Dice are to be rolled. In contrast, some Structured Downtime activities require substantial GM preparation and/or several Hustles to resolve. 

The Passage of Time

By default, about one month of in-game time passes between the Contracts run in a Playgroup. If a Contractor misses a Contract in their Playgroup (because their Player couldn’t make it or chose to play a different Contractor), then a single Downtime may last longer than a month.

This longer Downtime can be useful when it comes to healing, since Injuries heal two Severity levels per month. However, mechanics which are limited per-Downtime (such as Crafting or Journals) are still limited, regardless of how long a Downtime lasts.

Playgroup Leaders may adjust the passage of time to move slower or quicker for their Playgroup. Large Playgroups with 10+ active Players usually prefer to track time per-Contractor rather than per-Contract. 

Playgroups Link

A Playgroup is, intuitively, a group of Players who regularly play The Contract together. A Playgroup is also a group of Contractors that share a setting. 

Playgroup Leaders act as the head GM for their Playgroups, settling disputes, approving Gifts, and generally preventing shenanigans. They are empowered to edit the Character Sheets of the Contractors in their Playgroup, record or void Contracts, and define their Playgroup's setting. Some Playgroups opt to use a tribunal of the three most experienced GMs instead of a single Playgroup Leader.

The GameMaster's Manual includes a guide on Leading a Playgroup.

The Contract's website provides an extensive host of tools that Playgroup Leaders can use to build and manage their communities including configurable roles and permissions, a newsfeed-style record of World Events that occur in the world of the group, membership management, and links to external communities. 

Creating a Playgroup is as easy as filling out the form! You can create as many as you'd like.

Visiting Other Playgroups

Campaigns in other tabletop roleplaying games are treated like board games that last many sessions: you need the same group every session, and it's laughable to consider bringing your game piece to another group's game. 

You can certainly play The Contract in a similar way. However, The Contract's structure and Gifts make it easy to bring your Contractors to Contracts run by other Playgroups. Think of Contractors more like decks of Magic: The Gathering cards that can be played with whoever you find yourself with. This style of play is key for enabling large, online-only Playgroups.

Contractors live their lives in their home Playgroup's setting, but Harbingers from other settings may invite them to join Contracts in their Playgroups. If the Contractor accepts, they are transported to the Harbinger's setting to participate in the Contract and are returned to their home setting when the Contract concludes. Contractors may earn Gift Credits (or die) while visiting another Playgroup.

A Contractor visiting another setting is only guaranteed to have access to their base stats and Gifts. If your Contractor happened to find a spellbook during a Downtime that allows them to cast fireballs, they may not have access to it while visiting another Playgroup.

Downtimes are always spent in the Contractor’s home setting.

Contractors can visit vastly different settings and remain balanced

The Website Link

What Website? This one. The one you're on. 

TheContractRPG.com is far more than an online Player's Guide. It's The Contract's primary platform and a community hub. 

The website does three things:

  1. Make The Contract as accessible and easy to learn as possible. 
  2. Allow Players to craft custom Powers and Equipment (Gifts) for their Contractors that are balanced, flavorful, and behave consistently no matter who is GMing. 
  3. Empower GMs and Playgroup leaders to manage large, inconsistent groups.

Features that make the game easy-to-learn include this easy-to-search Player's Guide, the interactive How To Play guide, online Character Sheets, and looking-for-group pages. Players are notified when their Contractors have Experience and Gifts to spend, and contextual rule references and hover text make frequent trips to the Player's Guide a thing of the past. 

To empower Playgroup Leaders, we make it easy for Players to form their own groups with customizable roles and permissions, their own news feed for world events, and fully automated record keeping. In addition, GMs can easily vet Contractors they've never seen before, and Players can more easily find groups and Contracts that match their personal preferences. 

Finally, the crown jewel of the website is the Gift Builder. No other tabletop roleplaying game offers balanced, custom powers and equipment that behave consistently no matter who is GMing. 

The website can be utilized as much or as little as you'd like. The Contract can be played online or in person, and all Character Sheets and Gifts can be printed with the press of a button. 

Gameplay Link

Gameplay in The Contract is a lot like playing an intense game of “what if?” 

The GM places the Players’ Contractors into hypothetical situations with an objective. The Players can ask the GM for more details about what their Contractors see, declare how they'd like their Contractor to act, and have in-character conversations (using the words their Contractor would use, and sometimes even their voice).

After a Player declares what they’d like their Contractor to do, the GM narrates the results. When the stakes are high or the outcome of an action is uncertain, the GM uses the rules in this book to help them determine what happens in a fair, impartial way. 

The story is about the Contractors, but the gameplay challenges the Players.

Players direct their Contractors based on what they believe the character would do. Usually, the Players' and Contractors' motivations are aligned: both want to survive the Contract and claim victory. To do so, the Players must come up with inspired tactics that allow their Contractors to overcome the Contracts' challenges. Your cleverness as a Player often matters more than your Contractor's stats or your mastery of the system.

Although GMs usually run Contracts from Scenarios, the story of each session is not predetermined. Rather, it emerges from the unique ways that Contractors with big, clashing personalities navigate the challenges of the Contracts. Contractors are allowed to take any reasonable action, whether or not the GM anticipated or had a plan for it. Never fool yourself into thinking you’re “supposed to” do anything. Using clever or extreme tactics to side-step obstacles is the point of the game!

Into the Unknown Link

Knowledge is power. The key to handling the critical situations encountered on Contracts is knowing what the hell is going on. Learning what the hell is going on is part of the game.

Players are not entitled to any information beyond what their Contractors can learn in-game. They do not get to know details of upcoming Contracts nor the stats or systems of the NPCs, creatures, or phenomena they encounter.

Player: “Can that monster take my head off with a single bite?”

GM: “Looks like it.”

 

Player: “Is the blob-creature finally dead?”

GM: “Well, it’s not moving. Do you know how to take a blob’s pulse?”

 

Player: “I didn’t know it could do that!” 

GM: “Well now you do!” 

How would your Contractor deal with this situation?

Likewise, Players are not obligated to reveal anything about their Contractors to each other. They are not required to share their motivations or justify why they are taking any action. They don't need to make a character that is going to fit in with the group’s dynamic, and they don’t have to reveal their grand ambitions to a group of Contractors—each of whom has their own angle and may later become an ally, rival, or enemy. 

GM Tip

When Contractors share details about their strengths and Powers, we recommend they do so via an in-character discussion. Many GMs do not let Players side step transferring critical information with a “I tell them what I’m about” or a “I share that with the rest of the group.” 

Summarizing information and describing stats in-character is a great opportunity for characterization, it's quicker than you'd think, and sometimes the way information is shared makes all the difference.

Everything a Player knows that their Contractor doesn’t is considered out-of-character (OOC) information. While Players are not entitled to OOC information nor obligated to share it, such information does inevitably spread. Whether by choice, accident, or the rotation of the role of GM, people will learn things that their Contractors don’t know.

Some Playgroups and Players care more about the spread of OOC information than others. New Players and casual, trusting groups tend to not mind it, while more hardcore groups keep it as locked down as possible.

Using OOC tactics and information while playing is called metagaming, and it is against the rules.

If you would like to learn more about metagaming and how to avoid conflicts between Players and the GM, read this Conflicts in Gameplay article.

Content and Safety Link

Playing The Contract can be an intense experience.

When intense experiences are good, they're transcendent, but in the rare cases when they're bad, they're horrendous. To avoid having a truly bad time, Players must communicate when they need to take a break or step away from the game. The worst experiences occur when people-pleasing Players try to “power through” a bad time without telling anyone. 

The people playing The Contract determine its content. However, the system itself supports gritty violence, emotional trauma, and death.

Playgroups should discuss and agree upon their desired tone, deadliness level, and content limits before they play. We recommend employing one or more RPG Safety Tools when playing with new people, especially if you don't understand why such tools are useful.

If you're afraid of rainbow flags, you're not brave enough to be a Contractor  

Real Locations and People Link

It’s fun to set Contracts in locations everyone is familiar with. Who doesn't want to have a big action sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge or the Brooklyn Tunnel? 

When using real-life locations, the GM has the final say on the in-game reality. 

The in-game version of that location may be different from the real-life version. It may have different stores or different weather. Players should verify with the GM that any information they know about the real-life setting is true in-game. 

In short, your Contractors’ Google results are the canonical ones, not the ones on your real-life smartphone.

The same is true for in-game characters based on real people. They are completely separate entities with public and private lives that may be very different from their real-life versions. Similarly, some people who exist in real life do not exist in the game, and vice versa. 

Rolling Dice Link


When a Contractor attempts an action where the outcome is risky or unsure, the GM will call for a roll to determine what happens. 

The GM names one Attribute, one Ability, and a Difficulty (a number between 2 and 9, usually 6). The Player rolls a number of ten-sided dice (d10s) equal to the sum of their Contractor's ratings in the named Attribute and Ability. The number of dice rolled is called the dice pool. After they roll, they count up the Outcome.

The Outcome starts out at 0. Each die that lands on a number equal to or greater than the Difficulty gives +1 to the Outcome. A die showing '1' is called a "botch" and subtracts 1 from the Outcome. A die showing a '10' is called a "double" and gives +2 instead of +1 to the Outcome (some d10s may be numbered from 0 to 9 instead of 1 to 10; in this case, 0s are counted as 10s).

Based on the total Outcome, the action will either succeed or fail:

Outcome Result
<0 A botch. Something goes horribly wrong.
0 The attempt fails.
1—3 The attempt is partially successful or is successful but has a complication.
4—5 A complete success, things go as planned. 
6+ An exceptional success. The action is performed with grace and/or has an additional, positive effect.

 

The GM narrates the specific details of how the action occurs.

Example Roll (tap to expand)

 

The Contract also provides a Discord Dice-Rolling Bot to make it easier to run Contracts over the popular chat application Discord. Once the bot is added to your Discord server, say or direct-message the bot !!help to learn how to use it.

Contested Actions Link

When a character enters a contest of skill or their action is resisted, it is a Contested Action. Examples include sneaking past a guard, dueling, or competing in a race.

In Contested Actions, both the initiator and the defender make a roll. The defender's Outcome is subtracted from the initiator's, reducing it to a minimum of 0. Because of this, ties favor the defender.

The resulting value is the Contested Outcome. A Contested Outcome greater than 0 is considered a complete success for the instigator.

Each character may have a different roll. For example, sneaking past a guard would be Dexterity + Stealth versus Perception + Alertness. The default Difficulty for contested actions is 6, but this can be modified by the GM as normal, often resulting in Difficulties that are different for each participant. For example, if it is very dark or noisy, the guard might be asked to roll their Perception + Alertness check at Difficulty 7 or 8 while the intruder's roll remains at Difficulty 6.

Difficulty Link

If not specified, the standard Difficulty for all rolls is 6. Certain Weapons and Gifts may specify a different Difficulty. 

If a Contractor does not have any rank in a roll's relevant Ability, or if no relevant Ability exists, they may roll using only the relevant Attribute at +1 Difficulty. 

For example, if you are attempting to perform an emergency blood transfusion, you would normally roll Intellect + Medicine (Difficulty 6). If you had no ranks in Medicine, you may roll only Intellect, and the Difficulty will be 7.

Difficulty can be increased or decreased by situational factors at the GM's discretion. For instance, investigating a dark room with your cell phone's flashlight would be rolled at +1 Difficulty. Swimming to stay afloat with a life vest would be -2 Difficulty (though a swimming race might be at a higher Difficulty instead). 

The final Difficulty cannot be reduced below 4 or exceed 9. If the Difficulty of a roll would ever exceed 9, it remains at 9 and your total dice pool is reduced by the overage. For example, a Difficulty 12 roll with 6 dice would be rolled as a Difficulty 9 roll with 3 dice. 

Dice Pool Modifiers Link

Some Gifts, items, or Conditions may give characters a bonus to certain dice pools. Bonuses to the same dice pool do not stack. Instead, the highest value is used.

For example, let's say you have a Power that lets you transform into a werewolf and grants you +1 dice to Brawn rolls in that form, and you also have a different bonus that gives you +3 dice to Brawl attacks. When you roll to bite someone, your dice pool would be Brawn + Brawl + 3 dice (the higher of the two bonuses). 

All dice pools are also subject to the character's Penalty, which commonly results from Mind Damage and Injuries. Unlike dice bonuses, dice penalties DO stack, reducing the dice pool to a minimum of 2.

Probability Link

The more dice in your dice pool, the higher probability of success. The precise probability of a roll's success is purposefully obscure, and Players and GMs shouldn't concern themselves with such specifics at game time. However, the website does include a Dice Probability Calculator to promptly settle any probability debates.

The Character Sheet Link


A Contractor's Character Sheet is the one-stop shop for information about them. It tracks their stats, stock, and story.  

The Character Sheet is filled out during Contractor Creation and maintained over the lifetime of the Contractor.

At gametime, Players use Character Sheets to reference their Contractors' stats and track their well-being. 

Character Sheets also provide background information on Contractors and track their history, Experience, equipment, and Gifts.

Online Character Sheets

Fully-featured online Character Sheets make creating and maintaining Contractors as easy as possible. 

The online Character Sheets do all the necessary math for the Player. They track a Contractor's Contract and Gift history as well as all of their Experience earned and spent. They contain helpful mouseover text and expandable rules sections that are designed to be referenced at gametime.

Players may choose to mark their Character Sheets as private, which will hide its content from everyone except their Playgroup leaders and the GM currently running a Contract for them.

You can view an online Character Sheet for a near-Veteran Contractor here. You can fill out your own Character Sheet by clicking here.

An online Character Sheet

Physical Character Sheets

Online Character Sheets may be printed for in-person play using the "Print or Download" button at the top of the page. 

Creating a Contractor Link

Creating a Contractor is simple. First, a Player comes up with a character concept and fills out a Character Sheet. Next, their Playgroup Leader will approve the sheet or request changes before the Contractor can be played.

Filling out a Character Sheet is an easy process using the online Character Sheets. Simply visit the Create Contractor page and follow the on-screen instructions.

There is also a printable, blank Character Sheet that can be filled out. However, we highly recommend creating your Contractor with the online Character Sheet and then printing out the result using the "Download or Print" button at the top of the completed sheet.

Both the online and printed Character Sheets provide enough guidance that you should not have to read further to create a Contractor. Read on for deeper explainations of each element of the Character Sheet. 

Approving Contractors Link

Playgroup Leaders are responsible for approving Contractors created in their Playgroup. For Contractors attending a Contract in another Playgroup, the GM may allow or disallow their attendance at the start of a Contract at their discretion.

GM Tip

Playgroup Leaders should not approve Contractors with disruptive or anti-fun character concepts. 

Character Concept Link

Each Contractor should have a clearly defined character concept which informs both how they behave as well as the sorts of Gifts they will end up using. A good concept has three pieces: Archetype, Paradigm, and Ambition.

Archetype

Archetype is the Contractor's none-supernatural niche and style. Professions, dominant personality traits, and subculture memberships make good Archetypes. 

Click the "Random Archetype" button below for examples. 

Paradigm

A Contractor's Paradigm describes their latent supernatural potential. It guides the sorts of Gifts they will receive and defines how their Powers work, although Contractors can also receive Gifts related to their Archetype or Ambition. 

Click the "Random Paradigm" button below for examples.

Ambition

A Contractor's Ambition is their driving goal. Why do they risk their life for power? The best ambitions are lofty or impossible to achieve and put the Contractor into conflict with the setting's status quo.

Click the "Random Ambition" button below for examples.

GM Tip

Character concepts are not set in stone. They often change dramatically during their first few Contracts as they find their voice, and they continue developing over the Contractor's career. 

Filling out a Character Sheet Link

After coming up with a Character concept, it's time to actually fill out the Character Sheet. 

Filling in the Blanks

A series of blanks at the top of the sheet give critical at-a-glance information about your Contractor. These include their name, age, ambition, and archetype. Filling them in should be self-explanatory. 

Selecting Limits

Next, you must select three Limits for your Contractor. Limits define situations that test your Contractor's ability to cope. Normal humans have the following three Limits by default: Anguish, Atrocities, and Murder. Other options are provided to enable different Character concepts, such as psychopaths, zealots, and faeries. 

See the Limits section for details.

Attributes and Abilities

Attributes and Abilities define your Contractor's capabilities. The higher their values, the more likely you are to succeed at the Actions you attempt.

Attributes are rated from 1—5. A rating of 2 is average, and a rating of 5 is world-class. Although Attributes are expensive to increase, they are used in every roll, and their ratings are referenced in many mechanics.

Abilities are rated from 0—5. A rating of 0 means your Contractor is untrained, a rating of 3 is professional-level, and 5 is world-class.

You must use Experience (Exp) to increase your starting Attributes and Abilities. 

New Contractors start with 150 Experience.

The cost to increase an Attribute is its current rating x 5 (so buying the second level costs 5 Exp, and buying the third costs 10 more Exp for a total of 15 Exp). Abilities cost 2 Exp for the first level, and then 2x their current rating after that.

The costs to advance a stat when creating a Contractor remains the same after the Contractor has started earning Experience from participating in Contracts. 

All unused Experience is saved and can be spent during any Downtime.

Assets and Liabilities Link

During Character Creation Players may select various Assets and Liabilities to further customize their Contractors. Assets grant beneficial Conditions and Circumstances, while Liabilities grant negative Conditions, negative Circumstances, Battle Scars, and Traumas. 

All Assets and Liabilities have an Exp value. Taking an Asset costs its value in Exp. In contrast, taking a Liability credits its value in additional Exp. 

Assets and Liabilities are separated into three categories:
  • Physical, which represent specific physical capabilities or defects such as being double-jointed, deaf, or missing a leg.
  • Background, which represent aspects of the Contractor's backstory such as wealth, contacts in the criminal underworld, or having been raised by wolves.
  • Mental and Emotional, which represent the Contractor's mental or emotional state such as the ability to rationalize their behavior, an overriding belief in the sanctity of life, a jaded outlook that leaves them resistant to emotional control, or an innate trust of others.

Additionally, some Assets and Liabilities are Restricted, meaning that they can only be taken with the approval of your Playgroup Leader.

Most of the Conditions, Circumstances, Battle Scars, and Traumas granted by Assets and Liabilities can also be acquired during Contracts and Downtimes.

Changing Assets and Liabilities

Via Gameplay

The Battle Scars, Traumas, Conditions, and Circumstances granted by your Contractor's Assets and Liabilities are not "protected." They may be lost, mitigated, or changed by the events of Contracts and Downtimes. In such cases, the Experience you have spent/received from taking the relevant Assets and Liabilities does not change.

For example, let's say you start with the Rich Asset, which grants a Circumstance that makes you rich. If you later get caught breaking a bunch of laws or someone destroys the source of your wealth, then you may lose that Circumstance. The Experience you spent on that Asset will not be refunded when you lose it.

Similarly, if you start with the Liability One Eye, which grants a Battle Scar, a fellow Contractor may use a Gift to heal that Battle Scar. Doing so would remove the Liability at no Experience cost.

Via Editing your Character Sheet

Acquiring some Conditions and Circumstances don't demand the events of a Contract or making a Move; all they require is time investment. In these cases, Playgroup Leaders may approve Players to edit their Contractors' Assets and Liabilities after Character Creation, allowing them to purchase them with Experience. 

Experience Link

Experience (Exp) represents the time Contractors spend improving themselves during the Downtime between Contracts. 

All brand-new Contractors start with 150 Exp that they use to fill out their initial stats.

Earning Experience

When a Contractor accepts their first invitation to participate in a Contract, they are Imbued by the Harbinger. This Imbuing alters how Contractors learn, allowing them to advance at an incredible rate—but only after participating in a Contract. If they do not participate in any Contracts, they will likely stagnate, regardless of their efforts.

A Contractor receives Experience when they:
  • +3 Exp - Attend a Contract in their home Playgroup.
  • +1 Exp - Attend a Contract outside of their home Playgroup.
  • +2 Exp - Claim victory on a Contract. 
  • +2 Exp - Are the Contractor selected by the GM to earn additional Commission at the end of a Contract.
  • +1 Exp - Writing an in-character Journal at least 250 words long, describing a past Contract or the events of a Downtime.
    • Journals can award a maximum total of 2 Exp per Contract attended.

For example, if a Contractor attends a Contract in their home Playgroup and claims victory, they earn 5 Exp. If they are also selected for Commission, they receive a total of 7 Exp from that Contract. If a Contractor attends a Contract outside of their home Playgroup and fails, they receive only 1 Exp.

Earning Bonus Experience

You can earn Experience for your Contractors even when you're not playing them. Bonus Experience can be assigned to any of your living Contractors and spent as normal. You cannot grant Bonus Experience to a Contractor if their total earned Experience is greater than 10 + (number of victories x 12).

You may earn Bonus Experience for your Contractors by:
  • +6 Exp - GMing a Contract where one of the following conditions are met:
    • Into The Fold: It was one of the attending Players' first Contract ever (the first Contract entered into the website).
    • The Golden Ratio (optional): At least one Contractor dies and at least one Contractor claims victory. This is turned off for Playgroups by defaultbut your Playgroup can choose to enable it if they prefer a deadlier setting.
  • +4 Exp - Playing an NPC Ringer that fulfills their major purpose during a Contract.
  • +2 Exp - GMing a Move and then writing a summary of its events (at least 250 words).

Spending Experience

The cost to increase a trait by one level is as follows:
  • Attributes: current rating x5 Exp
  • Abilities: 2 Exp for the first rank, then current rating x2 Exp
  • Source: current rating x2 Exp

For example, if your Brawn is at 2 and you want to raise it to 3, you must spend 10 Exp. 

Experience may also be used to:
  • Purchase an Asset: point value x3 Exp. Requires Playgroup Leader approval after your Contractor's first Contract.
  • Remove a Liability: point value x3 Exp. Requires Playgroup Leader approval after your Contractor's first Contract.
  • Treat a Trauma with therapy: 3 Exp.
  • Craft a Consumable item from a Gift: 1 Exp.
  • Craft an Artifact from a Gift: Exp equal to 1 + the Gift Cost.

Contractors who do not have access to a means of training a particular Ability or other trait cannot spend Experience to advance it. For example, a Contractor in prison cannot train to increase their Firearms Ability, and a Contractor living in a cave in the wilderness may have trouble accessing therapy to treat their Traumas.

Journals Link

Contractors may write in their Journals for bonus Experience and Improvements. Writing an in-character Journal at least 250 words long for a Contract or for the Downtime between two Contracts rewards 1 Experience. Every fourth Contract Journal (not Downtime Journal) written awards an Improvement instead. 

When you post a Journal on the website, you may mark it as containing spoilers for the relevant Scenario. If you do so, only Players who have spoiled the relevant Scenario will be able to read them. On the flip side, once you have spoiled a Scenario (usually by playing in it), you can read all Journals ever written for it by any (non-private) Contractors. They are available to read on the Scenario's page in the "Contract Record" section.

As of February 28th 2023, Players of The Contract have written over 1900 Journals for their Contractors. The most recent ones can be found on the Community Journals page, and the rest can be found via Character Sheets or Scenarios. 

To write in your Contractor's Journal, go to the Character Sheet of a Contractor who has participated in at least one Contract and follow the blue link at the top of their sheet or in the Story tab.

Limits Link

Limits represent events or choices which could be traumatic to a Contractor. During Character Creation, Contractors begin with three Limits.

Normal, well-adjusted humans have these three Limits:
  • Anguish
    If you are ever tortured or made to experience an extended period of physical or mental agony, make a Trauma roll.
  • Atrocities
    Make a Trauma roll if you ever witness a humanitarian atrocity such as massacre, torture, extreme abuse etc.
  • Murder
    Make a Trauma roll if you ever kill someone for a reason other than immediate self-defense.

Contractors with abnormal psychology—such as sociopaths, zealots, or aliens—may choose from a selection of alternative Limits or create their own. Custom Limits are subject to Playgroup Leader approval.

Alternative Limit Examples (tap to expand)

Crossing Limits

Sometimes you must compromise your values to win.

If a Contractor crosses one of their Limits, their Player must make a Trauma Roll (roll Mind Difficulty 8, Penalty applies). Failing a Trauma Roll causes either Mind Damage or a new Trauma (GM's choice).

Attributes Link

A Contractor's Attributes represent their raw, intrinsic capabilities, absent any sort of knowledge or special training. The five Attributes are Brawn, Dexterity, Perception, Charisma, and Intellect.

Attributes have major gameplay implications. The number of dice a Player rolls when one of their Contractors attempts a risky or unsure action is determined by adding their rating in one Attribute and one Ability. All Attributes also have secondary mechanical benefits.

Increasing an Attribute's rating by one costs its current rating x 5 Exp. For example, increasing Brawn from 2 to 3 would cost 10 Exp. 

Attribute Ratings

The Attributes of humans are rated on a scale of one to five, with two being average and five being world-class. 

  1. Poor
  2. Average
  3. Above average
  4. Superb
  5. World-class

List of Attributes

Brawn

Brawn represents a character's overall strength and stamina. Athletes, bodybuilders, boxers, and similar sorts of people tend to have high ratings in Brawn. Children, the elderly, and nerds tend to have lower ratings. 

Brawn is often paired the Abilities Brawl (punching, grappling, absorbing blows, small weapons), Melee (use of swords, clubs, etc), and Athletics (jumping, dodging, sprinting, etc).

Mechanics Affected by Brawn
  • A character's rating in Body (physical fortitude) is equal to 5 + (Brawn / 2, rounded up).
  • Brawn affects Encumbrance.
    • A character may carry up to (15 x Brawn rating) pounds without being encumbered. Characters suffer a -1 dice and -5 feet Movement penalty every 15 pounds they carry over their limit. 
    • Even encumbered characters can still move slowly until they reach their lifting and hauling limit.
  • Brawn affects sprinting speed. In each Round of Combat, after a character has used their Free Movement, they may move an additional 5 feet and incur a -1 penalty a number of times up to their Brawn rating. 

Intellect

Intellect represents a character's overall capability to form new connections, remember details, and draw upon their knowledge. Professors, mathematicians, and innovators have high ratings. Petty criminals, suckers, and long-term addicts have lower ratings. 

Intellect is often paired with the following Abilities: Occult, Culture, Technology, Science, and Medicine.

Mechanics Affected by Intellect
  • A character's rating in Mind is equal to their Intellect + Charisma + 1, with a maximum of 9.
  • If a Player forgets a detail, the GM refers to their Contractor's Intellect when determining whether or not they remember it. 

Dexterity

Dexterity represents a character's overall speed, precision, and flexibility. Circus performers, pickpockets, and athletes are likely to have high Dexterity, while klutzes, sedentary people, and the elderly likely have low ratings. 

Dexterity is often paired with the following Abilities: Firearms, Athletics, Thievery, and Stealth.

Mechanics Affected by Dexterity
  • In each Round of Combat, a character may take "free" movement on their Initiative before or after their Action. They may travel (5 + 5 x Dexterity rating) feet during this free movement without incurring a dice penalty.
  • At the start of combat, a character's dice pool for their Initiative roll is calculated by adding their Perception and Dexterity. (This is the only roll that combines two Attributes). 

Perception

Perception represents a character's overall awareness and attention to detail. Investigators, survivalists, police officers, and thieves often have high ratings, while office workers, bookworms, and absent-minded people often have lower ratings. 

Perception is often paired with the following Abilities: Investigation, Alertness, and almost any other Ability when used to notice some domain-specific detail. 

Mechanics Affected by Perception
  • At the start of combat, a character's dice pool for their Initiative roll is calculated by adding their Perception and Dexterity. (This is the only roll that is a combination of two Attributes). 

Charisma

Charisma represents a character's overall social aptitude and intuition about people. Detectives, politicians, actors, and attractive people tend to have high ratings. Shut-ins, misanthropes, and people on the autism spectrum tend to have lower ratings. 

Charisma is not 100% analogous to how likable a character is. Some people with a great understanding of others simply don't want to be charming and approachable, even though they could.

GM Tip

When GMing, if a given action could fall under Charisma or another Attribute, you should require the Player to roll Charisma. 

Charisma is often paired with the following Abilities: Investigation, Alertness, Influence, Animals, and Performance. 

Mechanics Affected by Charisma
  • A character's rating in Mind is equal to their Intellect + Charisma + 1, with a maximum of 9.
  • Gifts that are in any way social (e.g. Emotion Control, Fascinate, Suggestion) must use Charisma in their rolls. 

 

Some melee weapons use Dexterity. Others use Brawn  

Abilities Link

Abilities represent a character's special training, honed skills, and learned knowledge. 

When a Contractor attempts an action that requires a roll, the number of dice is calculated by adding their rating in an Ability to a relevant Attribute.

The default Abilities are called Primary Abilities, and they are broader categories which cover most mundane actions a Contractor might take.  Characters who instead want to be very good at a specific thing should consider taking a Secondary Ability.

The Create Character page has full support for primary and secondary Abilities. The Character Sheet calculates Experience costs and tracks all Experience expenditures and stat histories, including for Abilities. Abilities show additional descriptive text when tapped on or hovered over with the cursor.

Rating

A character's rank in a given Ability is rated on a scale of one to five. Possessing even a single point in an Ability indicates some competence in the field. The numerical values of an Ability's rating represent the following:

0. No special training

1. A passing familiarity or minimal formal training

2. Hobbiest or novice 

3. Baseline professional

4. Leading professional

5. World-class

Seasoned, Professional, and Veteran Contractors may purchase an additional 6th rank in an Ability.  In addition to increasing the dice pool, a Contractor cannot Botch a roll made with an Ability at 6.  Any negative Outcome counts as a Failure instead.

Primary Abilities Link

Primary Abilities are the default set of Abilities listed on the Character Sheet. When a Contractor attempts an action that requires a roll, the GM must call for a roll that utilizes one of these Abilities.

The Create Character page lists all the Primary Abilities, and you can see them all there if you prefer (hover over the Ability to see a description), but they are also listed here, along with a brief summary of how they function.

Not all conceivable actions fit easily into one of the Primary Abilities. It is up to the GM's discretion what roll to use in such cases. If there is something a Contractor absolutely needs to be good at that isn't well-represented by a Primary Ability, consider coming up with a Secondary Ability. 

Melee lets you cut your enemies to ribbons
  • Alertness
    A trained vigilance of your surroundings, suitable for soldiers, police, assassins, etc.
  • Animals
    Knowledge of animals, including identification, training, zoology, and handling.
  • Athletics
    Used for swimming, climbing, running, dodging, jumping, throwing, sports, etc
  • Brawl
    Used for unarmed combat, grappling, and very small weapons.
  • Crafts
    Used for building, repairing, sculpting, tools, etc.
  • Culture
    Knowledge of humanities, history, languages, social sciences, etc.
  • Drive
    Used for driving cars, motorcycles, electric scooters, etc. If you drive regularly, you should have one point.
  • Firearms
    Used for guns and crossbows, firing and general knowledge.
  • Influence
    Persuasion, intimidation, lying, and trickery (usable only on NPCs or to avoid metagaming)
  • Investigation
    Forensics, tracking, research, scrolling intensely though microfilm in the city archives.
  • Medicine
    First aid, care, anatomy, surgery, etc.
  • Melee
    Close range handheld weapons, from knives to clubs to battle-axes.
  • Occult
    Knowledge of mythology, legends, religions, rituals, pop-culture magic, etc. This ability does not grant supernatural powers by itself.
  • Performance
    Acting, singing, dancing, working a crowd, etc.
  • Science
    Physics, math, chemistry, biology, etc.
  • Stealth
    Sneaking around, hiding things, misdirection
  • Survival
    Skills relating to obtaining food, water, and shelter as well as avoiding danger in natural environments.
  • Technology
    Knowledge of technology, including general use, programming, and hacking
  • Thievery
    Sleight-of-hand, lock-picking, pickpocketing, and other actions demanding manual dexterity.

Secondary Abilities Link

Secondary Abilities are Player-defined Abilities that are more specific than Primary Abilities. To balance their reduced scope, they offer a -1 Difficulty reduction any time they are rolled in place of a Primary Ability. You can invent as many as you'd like.

Secondary Abilities must be more specific than Primary Abilities. "Being Badass" is not a valid Secondary Ability. A Secondary Ability may not grant any supernatural power. 

Mechanics of Secondary Abilities

When a Secondary Ability is used for a roll, its rating is added to an Attribute's to determine the roll's dice pool. Secondary Abilities may be rolled in place of Primary Abilities in two circumstances.

  1. The Secondary Ability's specialization applies. In such cases, the roll is made at -1 Difficulty.
  2. The Secondary Ability's specialization doesn't directly apply, but it implies skill in the relevant action. In such cases, if the Player decides to utilize the Secondary Ability, the roll is made at +1 Difficulty.

It is up to GM's discretion whether or not, and how, a Secondary Ability applies to a given Action.

Secondary Ability Bonus Examples (tap to expand)

Example Secondary Abilities

These are a few examples of Secondary Abilities. There are infinite possibilities. 

  • Skating
  • Puzzles
  • Con Artistry
  • Knives
  • Hacking
  • Cooking
  • Swimming
  • Gymnastics
  • Physics
  • Demonology
  • Basket-weaving
  • Construction
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Being Pathetic
  • Climbing
  • Farming
  • Trapping
  • Tracking
  • Burglary
  • Piloting Aircraft

Conditions and Circumstances Link

Conditions and Circumstances are free-form character sheet elements that track a Contractor's status and situation, respectively. 

Conditions and Circumstances come with their own systems for how they affect a Contractor. Some are easy to get rid of, others last a lifetime.

There are no blanket mechanics that affect all Conditions and Circumstances. No Gifts directly grant or remove them. Instead, they're consequences of the events of Contracts and Downtimes.

Unlike stats and Gifts, there is no guarantee that a given Condition or Circumstance will travel with a Contractor if they attend a Contract in another Playgroup. 

Acquiring Conditions and Circumstances

Some Conditions and Circumstances are granted by Assets and Liabilities, but most are acquired over the course of gameplay during Contracts and Downtimes. 

Several stock Conditions and Circumstances are provided, but GMs, Scenario-writers, and Playgroup Leaders may also invent their own. 

Stock Conditions and Circumstances

Below are lists of premade Conditions and Circumstances. These are only examples, and GMs are free to create their own that are unique to their chosen setting.

Stock Conditions (tap to expand)

 

Stock Circumstances (tap to expand)

Equipment Link

Each Contractor's Character Sheet has a space to detail their Equipment in the Stock tab. Players manage the contents of this field and can bring anything their Contractor would reasonably have access to. Crafted Artifacts are tracked in their own separate space on the Character Sheet.

Restricted objects such as drugs or military weapons require special connections to obtain. These connections can be made via roleplay or with the Stockpile or Arsenal Assets.

Some GMs may be charitable, but in general if your Contractor doesn't have something written in their Equipment list, they don't have it.

Carrying a small amount of gear won't cause any dice penalties, but if you bring too many things, you will become Encumbered, and your ability to move will be reduced.

Equipment designed for combat such as Weapons and Armor often have additional stats and systems that can be found in those sections of the guide.

Equipment Denial

Some Contracts and Circumstances may dramatically restrict a Contractor's access to their Equipment. They may be teleported to the site of the Contract in their pajamas, for example. This is entirely fair and acceptable. Crafted Artifacts and Legendary Artifacts may be stripped or stolen just as easily.

Trophies

Trophies are special-- often supernatural-- items obtained during a Contract or Downtime. Unlike crafted Artifacts or standard equipment, Trophies may be assigned any system or significance the GM sees fit and are tracked separately on the Character Sheet.

Like Conditions and Circumstances, Trophies are only guaranteed to function within the Playgroup where they were obtained.

Stock Trophies (tap to expand)

 

Body Link

Body represents a Contractor's physical fortitude and overall health. Body is depleted by Injured, which can lead to an increased Penalty, or, in severe cases, death.

A Contractor's rating in Body is equal to 5 + (Brawn / 2, rounded up). A fit human will thus have a Body rating of 7, while hulking brutes will have 8 Body and weaklings 6.  The character sheet on The Contract website calculates this automatically, but here's a table:

Brawn rating Body rating
1 or 2 6
3 or 4 7
5 or 6 8
7 or 8 9

 

Rolling Body

GMs may call for a Body roll when a Contractor's physical endurance is tested, such as when resisting poisons, diseases, or air deprivation. This is one of the only three rolls in The Contract that is not made by pairing an Attribute and an Ability (the others are Mind rolls and Initiative rolls).

The number of dice rolled in a Body roll is equal to the Character's permanent Body rating (5 + Brawn / 2, rounded up) but is reduced by their Penalty, as normal. Unless stated otherwise, the Difficulty is the standard 6.

Depleting Body

The overall effect of a Contractor's current Injuries is summarized by depleting their Body. The amount of Body a Character has remaining is equal to the Severity of their worst Injury plus the number of other Injuries they have. A Contractor's Body will heal over time, depending on the Severity of their Injuries, but particularly brutal injuries can cause permanent and debilitating Battle Scars.

If a Character's Body is fully depleted, they are Incapacitated - they cannot move on their own, automatically fail any Actions that requires a roll, cannot activate any Gifts, and can only speak at a whisper. If they are Injured beyond Incapacitated, they die.

Injuries Link

Whenever a character takes Damage, they receive an Injury. Injuries deplete the character's Body, and taking too many Injuries causes Death.

An Injury's Severity rating determines how deadly it is, how difficult it is to stabilize, and how long it takes to heal. Injuries of Severity 4 or greater cause Battle Scars and will worsen until properly Stabilized.

An Injury's Severity is equal to the amount of damage taken when it was received. For example, taking six damage grants a Severity six, Critical, Injury.

Healing

Each time a month passes, all of your Injuries are reduced in Severity by 2 levels. If you have three Severity three (Threatening) Injuries, they will have all reduced to Severity one (Minor) Injuries after a single month.

How this healing rate manifests depends on how your Playgroup treats the passage of time. Usually, a month passes each time a Contract occurs in a given Playgroup.

Will to Survive

Once per Contract you may reduce an incoming Injury’s Severity by up to 4 levels (to a minimum of Severity 4). You take a point of Mind damage and suffer a Major Battle Scar that always remains after the Injury is healed, regardless of Stabilization.

You must use Will to Survive as the Injury is taken, after Damage is calculated and before the Injury is recorded on your sheet.

You cannot use Will to Survive against falling Damage.

GM Tip

Injuries in The Contract should feel significant and inconvenient. Don't be afraid to be brutal in describing deep lacerations, collapsed lungs, and broken bones. Remember: seven Severity-1 Injuries will kill most people. 

Severity Description
1 - Minor A deep cut, a small fracture, a sprain, extreme exertion. These Injuries can't be ignored, but they don't demand immediate attention. Wounds at this level may leave aesthetic scarring, though they need not be tracked as Battle Scars. 
2 - Moderate A deep gash, a small but severe burn, muscular blunt trauma. 
3 - Threatening A puncture, a medium sized burn, a fracture. 
4 - Serious Maimed hands, punctured lung, shattered ankle.
5 - Severe Lost fingers, multiple stab wounds, a nasty gunshot.
6 - Critical Critical injuries include severed limbs, multiple or severe abdominal stab wounds, body-wide injuries etc.
7+ - Deadly If you survive an Injury like this, it’s a miracle. Examples: being shot in the head / neck, body-wide compound fractures, severed arteries, etc.

 

Degradation and Stabilization Link

Degradation

All Injuries Severity 4 or greater require advanced medical treatment and will degrade, worsening in Severity by one level every half hour until Stabilized. 

GM Tip
This degradation rate assumes that the Injury is receiving basic care (such as applying pressure), and GMs may increase the rate of degradation if an Injury is grossly neglected. Basic care does not require a roll and can usually be performed by the injured character.

Stabilization

Stabilization represents a major treatment of a Severity 4+ Injury: closing wounds, setting broken bones, field surgery, etc. The amount of time stabilization takes depends on the treatment, and an Injury cannot degrade during a Stabilization attempt. Each Injury can only be successfully stabilized a single time.

An attempt at Stabilization is classified as either Proper or Makeshift depending on the supplies brought to bear:

Injury Severity Equipment Needed for Proper Stabilization
Severity 4 Advanced first aid kit (antiseptic, bandages, splints, stitches / staples, tape, etc).
Severity 5 Field surgery kit (splints, field surgery tools, morphine, donor blood, etc).
Severity 6 Requires surgery theater (vets / doctor’s office, hospital)

 

Proper Stabilization

To attempt a Proper Stabilization, the character performing the treatment must have the appropriate equipment.

Using appropriate medical supplies, Roll Intellect + Medicine, Difficulty equal to the Injury’s Severity.

Even a partial success will Stabilize the Injury and stop its degradation. Complete success (Outcome 4 or higher) puts the Injury on track for a clean heal, and any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will disappear when the Injury is fully healed.

Unsuccessful attempts can be retried at +1 Difficulty per failure, and each botched attempt increases the Injury’s Severity by 1. 

Makeshift Stabilization

Roll Intellect + Medicine, Difficulty higher than the Injury’s Severity, based on the tactics and supplies used.

A partial success will still stabilize the Injury and stop its degradation. However, any Outcome less than 4 worsens the Injury’s Severity by 1. Regardless of the treatment’s Outcome, any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will persist after it is fully healed.

Unsuccessful attempts can be retried at +1 Difficulty per failure, and botches also worsen the Injury’s Battle Scar.

Battle Scars Link

Not all Injuries heal cleanly. Battle Scars represent disabilities and disfigurements caused by Injuries. For example, a severed hand, a lost eye, or a wheezing cough. Battle scars that are not properly treated are permanent and can only be removed through relevant Gifts. 

Taking an Injury Severity 4 or greater causes a Battle Scar 
  • Severity 4: a Minor Battle Scar
  • Severity 5: a Major Battle Scar
  • Severity 6: a Severe Battle Scar 
  • Severity 7+: an Extreme Battle Scar

The specifics of the Battle Scar are usually decided when the Injury is treated (see Stabilization). However, GMs may choose to apply an untreatable Battle Scar immediately if the narrative demands it (for example, if a Contractor’s arm is run over by a steam roller). 

An Injury worsening in Severity does not cause a new Battle Scar or restart degradation.

Penalties from Battle Scars do not stack with wound Penalty. Instead, the highest penalty is used. 

A Contractor’s rating in Body is reduced by 1 for each Battle Scar after their fourth.

A missing eye is an example of a Battle Scar

Example Battle Scars

The online Character Sheets provide a helpful selector for pre-made Battle Scars complete with systems, however GMs may design custom Battle Scars as well.

Minor Scars (Severity 4)
  • Chronic Pain (Your Penalty is always at a minimum of -1.)
  • Disfigured (All social rolls are made at +1 Difficulty. The Asset Beautiful is suppressed as long as you have this Battle Scar)
  • Missing Fingers (You are at a -1 die penalty for any roll utilizing the affected hand.)
  • Tinnitus (You suffer a -2 dice penalty to any roll which benefits from hearing. You cannot distinguish the words of others in loud situations.)
  • Wheezing (You cannot shout or raise your voice above a whisper. After physical activity, you wheeze loudly and suffer a -2 dice penalty on Stealth rolls.)
Major Scars (Severity 5)
  • Enervated (Each tiring physical action you take causes a -1 Penalty that lasts 15 minutes and stacks with all other penalties (including itself).)
  • Limp (Your movement speed is reduced by half.)
  • Lost Hand (Any Actions requiring the affected hand fail automatically. You are -1 to -3 dice on any rolls to perform Actions which require two hands, depending on the Action.)
  • Missing Foot (Your movement speed is reduced by half.)
  • Mute (You cannot speak or sceam.)
  • One Eye (All Perception rolls utilizing sight are rolled at +2 Difficulty. Any Actions involving depth perception are rolled at +1 Difficulty.)
  • Soft Spot (A specific spot on your body was previously injured and is now extremely vulnerable to further attacks. Called shots against your soft spot do +2 damage. If an attack hits you which could conceivably hit your soft spot, roll 1d10 at Difficulty 6. If you fail, the attack hits your soft spot and does +2 damage.)
  • Vertigo (You suffer a -3 dice penalty to any rolls which involve balance or grace.)
Severe Scars (Severity 6)
  • Deaf (You automatically fail all rolls which require hearing and are at -3 dice for multisensory rolls.)
  • Missing Arm (You are -2 to -4 dice on any rolls to perform Actions which require two hands, depending on the Action. Athletics rolls are made at +1 Difficulty.)
  • Missing Leg (You move at one quarter movement speed with a prosthesis or aid. You cannot Dash or Sprint.)
Extreme Scars (Severity 7+)
  • Blindness (Any rolls which require sight are automatically failed, and any Actions which would be made easier by sight are rolled at between +1 and +3 Difficulty, depending on the Action.)
  • No Hands (You do not have functional hands. Any Actions which require manual dexterity automatically fail. Any actions which would be assisted by having hands are rolled at between +1 and +3 Difficulty.)
  • Paraplegia (You cannot effectively move without a wheelchair or other bulky mobility device.)

Death Link

When a character's Body is reduced below zero or they are otherwise killed, that character is immediately considered dead and cannot take any more Actions or use any more Gifts

GMs may allow dying characters to speak a few final parting words to their teammates before they pass on. There is no better send-off than cradling someone in your arms and listening to their dying wish, their largest regret, or offering support as they slip from this life to the next.

Resurrection

It can be tempting to meta-game or justify a Contractor death away, but Harbingers consider dead characters to be losers not worth the effort, regardless of what the players want. There are some Effects which can situationally prevent your death, but true resurrection is extremely rare, and when allowed at all, involve hefty penalties and terrible costs.

Coins of Charon

These are awarded when one of your Contractors dies in a Game. You may use a coin of Charon to start a new Contractor with a single Gift Credit

Death on the Website

You can declare the death of any Contractor you can edit via their Character sheet. They cannot be played in any Games while dead and will appear in the Graveyard. You can void a Contractor's death from the "Edit Obituary" page on the Character Sheet. Any Contractor who has had a death Voided will have a notice appear on their sheet informing prospective GMs of the Contractor's history, to help avoid shenanigans.

Mind Link

Mind represents your Contractor's mental and emotional fortitude.  Mind is rolled to cope with potentially traumatic events and to resist urges and outside influences. It also acts as a sort of "health pool" for short-term mental wellbeing.

A Contractor's rating in Mind is equal to Intellect + Charisma + 1, with a maximum of 9. An average human will thus have a Mind rating of 4-6, while the enlightened will have 8-9, and the especially weak-willed, 3.  The character sheet on The Contract website calculates this automatically.

Mental Damage

Mental Damage is caused by Exertion, failing a Trauma Roll, or certain supernatural attacks. A partially depleted Mind contributes to a Character's Penalty, and a fully-drained Mind is incapacitating.

Mind recovers at the rate of one point per night of restful sleep.

Rolling Mind

When a Contractor's mental fortitude is tested, they must roll Mind. This is one of the only three rolls in The Contract that is not made by pairing an Attribute and an Ability (the others are Body rolls and Initiative rolls).

The number of dice rolled in a Mind roll is equal to the Character's permanent Mind rating (Intellect + Charisma +1, maximum of 9) but is affected by their Penalty as normal. Unless stated otherwise, the Difficulty is the standard 6. 

A Trauma Roll is a special kind of Mind roll, which is made if a Contractor violates any of their Limits. A Trauma Roll is made at Difficulty 8. Failing or botching a Trauma Roll causes either one point of Mind damage or the development of a new Trauma.

A Self-Control Roll is another sort of Mind roll. Like Trauma Rolls, Self-Control rolls are made at Difficulty 8. However, failing a Self-Control roll compels your Contractor to behave in a certain way and does not grant Mind damage or Traumas. Self-Control Rolls are triggered by Traumas. 

Trauma Link

Traumas represent long-term mental health issues such as phobias, delusions, compulsions, and other instabilities.

Obtaining Traumas

Traumas are caused by crossing a Limit and failing the Trauma Roll or via supernatural attack. Think of them as Battle Scars for the mind. 

A Trauma Roll is triggered when a Contractor crosses one of their Limits, as well as by certain Liabilities and Gifts. They must make a Mind roll at Difficulty 8, standard Penalty applies. Failure or a botch results in either a new Trauma or a point of Mind Damage (at the GM's discretion). 

GMs and Players often work together to come up with the new Trauma, but the GM has the final say.

Impact of Traumas

Most Traumas outline some triggering circumstance where a Contractor may lose control. When this situation arises, the Contractor must make a Self-Control Roll (Mind, Difficulty 8) to maintain control. Failing a Self-Control Roll causes the Contractor to behave in a way they otherwise wouldn't, but it does not cause an additional Trauma or Mind damage.

A Contractor's Mind rating is reduced by 1 for each Trauma after their fourth. A Character with 6 Mind and 7 Traumas would effectively have 3 Mind. 

Curing Traumas

Due to the Imbued status of Contractors, Traumas can be cured by spending 3 Experience and engaging in therapy during a Downtime. Therapy involves opening up to a counselor about the circumstances that led to the Trauma. They may also be removed without an Experience cost using certain Effects.

Stock Traumas Link

Good Traumas can be tricky to invent. Ideally, they are related to the situations that caused them and have a systemed gameplay impact. Usually a Trauma will specify a situation in which a Player must roll Mind to maintain control of their Contractor. Failing a Trauma's Mind roll can have extremely dangerous consequences. 

Below are a few stock Trauma types that can easily be adapted.

Delusions

A delusion is type of psychotic disorder, manifested as a belief that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument. A Contractor with a delusion must roll Self-Control in order to recognize a fact over their delusion or to make any decision based on facts rather than their delusion.

Compulsions

A Compulsion manifests as a specific activity or behavior which the Contractor feels compelled to do, and is frequently unable to stop themselves. When the Contractor has an opportunity to fulfill their compulsion, they must succeed a Self-Control roll to resist the urge.

Phobias

A type of anxiety disorder which manifests as an overwhelming fear. Phobias are always unreasonable or are a rational fear taken to an unreasonable level. When the Contractor encounters the subject of their phobia, they must succeed a Self-Control roll or enter a fight-or-flight response.

Examples

Other
  • Nightmares: Your sleep is plagued with horrible nightmares. At the start of each Contract and each time you fall asleep, make a Self-Control roll. If you fail, you take one Mind damage.
  • Anti-social: You struggle with engaging in social interaction. In order to attempt to get someone's attention, or to speak to someone you have known for less than a day, you must succeed a Self-Control roll. If you become the center of attention in a large group, you must Exert your Mind to avoid fleeing or shutting down.
  • Vengeful: An insult to or an attack on your person simply cannot be tolerated. Each time someone wrongs you or disrespects you in a major way, you must succeed a Self-Control roll to resist taking revenge.
  • Pyromania: You are obsessed with fires and feel compelled to start them frequently. Any time you encounter a new flammable object, you must succeed a Self-Control roll to avoid attempting to set it on fire.
  • Kleptomania: You can’t help but take things that don’t belong to you. Whenever you move to a new location, you must succeed a Self-Control roll, or you must attempt to steal something in your immediate vicinity.
  • Technophobe: You don’t trust technology, and are constantly worried that it will betray you. Any time you use modern technology, you must succeed a Self Control roll. If you fail, you may Exert your mind to face your fear.
  • Delusions of Grandeur: You believe yourself to be the very best, one of the elite, superior to anyone else you meet. You must succeed a Self-Control roll in order to believe something or take an action which contradicts this delusion.
  • Substance Addiction: You are addicted to a specific substance. Any time you encounter that substance, you must roll Self-Control. If you fail, you must consume it, and if you botch, you will Overdose. You are unable to regain any Mind from resting unless you have consumed the substance that day.
  • Uncontrollable Anger: Your anger is powerful and hard to control. Any time you become angry, you must succeed a Self-Control roll or lash out aggressively.
  • Compulsive Liar: You have trouble with honesty and generally find it much easier and safer to make things up. Any time you are asked about yourself, or are offering information about yourself, you must succeed a Self-Control roll in order to tell the truth. If you are ever caught in a lie, you must Exert your Mind in order to come clean; otherwise you must attempt to justify the initial lie with more lies.
  • Paranoia: You have a natural distrust of everyone around you, and are always on edge looking for threats. You must roll Self Control in order to let another person remain in a position where they could easily hurt you, or to allow someone else to perform a task which is necessary to keep yourself safe. If you fail, you may Exert your Mind to face your fear.
  • Fear of the Dark: You are utterly terrified of darkness. You must succeed a Self-Control roll in order to leave a well-lit area. If you fail, you may Exert your Mind to face your fear. Take a Mind damage if you are ever surprised while it’s dark.

Exertion Link

When the chips are down and the stakes have never been higher, a Contractor can Exert themselves, channeling their willpower into a single Action at the cost of their mental state. 

Exertion comes at a cost. Exerting the Mind causes a single point of Mental Damage

Uses of Exertion

  • A Contractor may exert themselves to gain +1 to the Outcome of a roll AND to ignore their Penalty for the Round. Exertion cannot be used to gain +1 to the Outcome of Initiative or Trauma rolls.
  • Activating most Gifts requires Exertion. A point of Source may be spent in lieu of this cost, if available. 
  • Desperate Defense: If you have already spent your Action for a given Round and have not Exerted yourself, you may Exert your Mind to Dodge or Defend against an incoming attack. Your next Action is performed at a -2 dice penalty.

Limits of Exertion

  • A Contractor cannot Exert themselves more than once per Round in combat. That means that Exertion benefits cannot be stacked, and you cannot Exert yourself after activating a Gift if you Exerted yourself to activate it - though if you spent a point of Source on your Gift activation, you will still be able to Exert your Mind during that same round.
  • Whenever Exertion is used to gain +1 to an Outcome and to ignore penalties, the Player must declare that they are exerting themselves before they roll.

Penalty Link

A Contractor's Penalty is the sum of the Mind and Body penalties caused by taking mental and physical damage. All of a Contractor's dice pools are reduced by their Penalty, to a minimum of two dice. 

Penalty also affects movement in Combat. Free movement is decreased by 5 feet per point of Penalty to a minimum of 5 feet. 

A Contractor may ignore their Penalty for one Round by Exerting themselves.

Calculating Penalty

A Contractor's Penalty is automatically calculated by the Online Character Sheets and appears between their Mind and Body ratings. If you are using pen and paper, refer to the following tables and add the Contractor's Mind and Body penalty together to obtain their total Penalty. 

Body

The penalty from Injuries is as follows:

Body Remaining Physical Penalty
6+ - Bruised None
5 - Hurt -1 Dice
4 - Injured -1 Dice
3 - Wounded -2 Dice
2 - Mauled -3 Dice
1 - Maimed -4 Dice
0 - Incapacitated Unconscious or unable to move
<0 - Dead See you in the Graveyard

 

Mind

The Penalty from Mental Damage and Exertion is as follows:

Mind Remaining Mind Penalty
6+ - Distracted None
5 - Rattled -1 Dice
4 - Worried -1 Dice
3 - Alarmed -2 Dice
2 - Frantic -3 Dice
1 - Delirious -4 Dice
0 - Incapacitated Reduced to a sniveling wreck, fainted, or otherwise unconscious.  Can take no actions.

 

Source Link

Source is an additional resource all Contractors automatically receive when they get their first Gift. Points of Source can be spent in place of Exertion to activate any Gifts which require Exertion. 

Source pools start with a capacity of 1. This capacity can be increased by spending (current rating x 2) Experience Points during a Downtime. Source regenerates at a rate of one point per day. 

Each Contractor's Source pool can be renamed to match their paradigm. For example, a Pyromancer that fuels their Gifts with their inner rage may have a Rage pool, a Vampire might have a Blood pool, etc.

Gift Guide Link


Gifts are the greatest prize from The Contract. Gifts awaken a Contractor's potential, allowing them to do things most people could only dream of.

Each Contractor's Gifts are a unique reflection of their concept and created by their Player's using The Contract's unique Gift Builder. You can see many examples of Gifts on the Stock Gifts page.

Each Contractor's Gifts are a unique expression of their concept

Gifts can be innate Powers, the ability to craft powerful Artifacts or single-use Consumables, or a unique and often multi-functional Legendary Artifact.

Gift Credits and Improvements Link

Contractors receive Gift Credits as rewards, which can be spent to obtain a new Gift, or to increase the effectiveness of an existing Gift. Improvements are like Gift Credits, but they can only be spent to improve an existing Gift, not to unlock a new one.

Earning Gift Credits

  • Victory: A Contractor that claims Victory in a Contract gains one Gift Credit. 
  • Charon Coins: If a Contractor dies during a Contract, their controlling Player is given a Coin of Charon. A coin may be spent when creating a new Contractor to grant them a single Gift Credit before they've been invited to their first Contract.
  • Gifted: At Character Creation, Contractors may start with a single Gift Credit by taking the Gifted Asset.  This is restricted and requires Playgroup Leader approval.

Earning Improvements

  • Writing Game Journals: A Contractor earns an Improvement for every 4 Contract Journals they write. 
  • GMing a Contract grants one Improvement. The GM decides which of their Contractors receives the Improvement. 
  • Submitting Scenarios: A Gamemaster may earn an Improvement for submitting a completed Scenario write-up.  The Scenario must have been run as a Contract at least once, and the writeup must be at least 1000 words long. They may choose which Contractor this Improvement is assigned to.
GM Tip
The Golden Ratio is only intended to encourage GMs to kill Contractors when they deserve it. It is not necessarily a goal for all Contracts to have at least one Contractor death. Each group has their own lethality preferences.
Improvement Limits

A given Contractor is limited to a number of Gift Credits and Improvements equal to twice the number of Contracts they have won. For example, if your Contractor has been victorious 7 times, you may spend at most 7 Improvements on them, since they have already received 7 Gift Credits. 

Note, the Asset Gifted and Charon Coins count as Gift Credits towards this limit, so if you have won 7 Contracts but you started with a Charon Coin, you may spend at most 6 Improvements before you hit the cap.

Gift Cost Link

Every Gift you make has a Gift Cost associated with it. This is the primary method of ensuring that Gifts are generally balanced across all Contractors and Playgroups. The Gift Cost is displayed within the Gift Builder as you are creating a new Gift, and is also displayed alongside each Gift on a Contractor's Character Sheet.

Each Enhancement you add to a Gift will increase the Gift Cost by 1. Conversely, each Drawback will decrease the Gift Cost by 1. Increasing and decreasing the level of a Parameter will similarly increase and decrease the Gift Cost by 1. Finally, some Activation Styles will either increase or decrease the Gift Cost.

A Gift may only be given to a Contractor who has enough available Gift Credits and Improvements to match the Gift's Cost. Generally speaking, this means that when a Contractor completes a Contract and gets a new Gift, it must have a Gift Cost of 1, since Contractors only receive a single Gift Credit per Contract as a reward.

Crafting Link

Contractors who have appropriate Gifts may craft supernatural items during their Downtimes. There are two types of crafting available to Contractors, Consumable Crafting and Artifact Crafting, each of which has specific rules about crafting.

Every Downtime, Contractors receive 1 free Consumable for each of their Consumable Crafting Gifts. Additional Consumables cost 1 Experience each. Contractors get a single free Artifact when they gain a new Artifact Crafting Gift, but otherwise Artifacts cost an amount of Experience equal to 1 + its Gift Cost.

Spending a Gift Credit or Improvement to improve an existing Consumable Crafting or Artifact Crafting Gift will grant an additional free copy of that specific Consumable or Artifact.

Crafting Locations

A Crafting Location is a specially-prepared location where a Contractor performs their crafting, such as their home, laboratory, or wizard’s tower. If you do not have access to your Crafting Location (for example, if it is destroyed or you are imprisoned), you cannot Craft. If you have the freedom and materials, you may spend a Downtime creating a new Crafting Location instead of Crafting.

Each Contractor receives a single free Crafting Location with their first Artifact Crafting or Consumable Crafting Gift.

Building Custom Gifts Link

Creating a custom Gift is easy.

  1. Come up with an idea for a Gift that fits your Character Concept.
  2. Visit the Gift Builder page and select a Gift Type and Effect that matches the idea you just conceptualized.
  3. Select Enhancements and Drawbacks and adjust Parameters and Activation Style to customize the Effect to your liking.
  4. If the Gift costs more than one Gift Credit, add Drawbacks and adjust Parameters until it has a Gift Cost of 1 (it can be improved in the future).
  5. Fill out the Gift's Visual Description to establish its flavor and make it clear to any GMs how the Gift will look when it is used during a Contract.
  6. Name the Gift, and add a cool Tagline if you can think of one.

Congratulations, you just made a Gift!

Gift Types Link

The first thing you do when creating a Gift is select its Gift Type.

A Gift's Type represents the way it manifests. There are four different Gift Types to choose from. Not all Effects, Enhancements, and Drawbacks are available for each Gift Type.

Powers

Powers are a Contractor's bread and butter. They can represent something innate to the Contractor themselves, or the ability to channel power from the world around them. They may be obvious or subtle, arcane or technological, actively called upon or passively empowering.

Powers are the only Gift Type that doesn't always require some form of equipment, making them the most reliable.

Examples of Powers include:

  • Any superpower
  • Magical spells and divine invocations
  • Cybernetic implants and other bodily augmentations
  • Supernaturally honed Abilities
  • Mythical Brawn, Dexterity, Intellect, Perception, or Charisma
  • Beneficial effects stemming from your Contractor's otherworldly nature

If your idea for a Gift isn't obviously one of the other Gift Types, it's probably a Power.

Legendary Artifacts

Legendary Artifacts are high-risk and high-reward. They are unique, one-of-a-kind items, stronger on average than Powers or crafted items. However, they can be lost, destroyed, or even stolen by other Contractors, as well as temporarily stripped by the GM in some circumstances. While there are ways to protect Legendary Artifacts, some risk always remains.

As your Contractor progresses, you may invest multiple Gifts and Improvements into a single Legendary Artifact, granting it multiple activated and passive Effects

Examples of Legendary Artifacts Include:

  • Unique alien technology
  • Mythical relics
  • Family heirlooms
  • One-of-a-kind creations

Any Gift that is extraordinary equipment your Contractor did not create themselves is a Legendary Artifact Gift.

Excalibur is an example of a Legendary Artifact

 

Consumable Crafting

Mmmmm, magic powers

Consumable Crafting Gifts allow your Contractor to create single-use items that can be shared and traded around. Consumables grant an Effect once before being 'consumed', but they do not require any Exertion to activate.

Consumables can only be crafted during the Downtime between Contracts. Each Downtime, Contractors can craft one of each of their Consumables for free, and additional Consumables may be crafted at a cost of 1 Experience each. Spending a Gift Credit or Improvement to improve an existing Consumable Crafting Gift will also give you an extra free Consumable.

Examples of Crafted Consumables Include:
  • Potions
  • Specialty ammunition
  • Settable traps
  • Deployable super-tech
  • Magic makeup
  • Energy drinks that turn you into a mongoose

If it's supernatural, single-use items your Contractor makes, it's Consumable Crafting.

 

Artifact Crafting

Artifact Crafting Gifts allow your Contractor to create powerful, long-lasting items. Crafted Artifacts can be bartered and traded to other Contractors, rivaling even the Gifts they receive from the Harbingers. However, the cost to create these artifacts is steep.

Upon receiving a new Artifact Crafting Gift, you may craft that artifact once for free. You can also craft a free copy any time you improve an Artifact Crafting Gift by spending an Improvement or Gift Credit. Otherwise, Artifacts can only be crafted during Downtime, and it costs your Contractor an amount of Experience equal to 1 + it's Gift Cost.

Examples of Crafted Artifacts Include:

  • Extraordinary weapons and armor
  • Skunkworks prototype devices
  • Spellbooks
  • Alien technology
  • Super-suits for your team

If you're looking to rival Hephaestus or Stark, you want Artifact Crafting.

Deck your friends out in cool googles with Artifact Crafting

Effects Link

Effects are a fundamental building block of Gifts, and each completed Gift is built by starting from a single Effect. Each overall functionality a Gift might have (e.g. injuring someone, memory manipulation, investigating an individual) has a representative Effect. 

Effects are a generic starting point for a Gift which defines the core of what the Gift does. When building a gift, it is crucial to identify this element within your concept. For example, if your vampire assassin character wants to remain unseen while stalking their prey, the core thing which this Gift does is make them hard to detect, so you would use the Obscure Effect. If your alchemist wants to develop a lethal poison, the ultimate goal is to hurt some, so they might want the Injure Effect - however, if they prefer to slowly debilitate their target over time, Afflict might serve their purposes better.

Any given Effect can be used to create a vast number of mechanically and flavorfully distinct Gifts. There are currently over 90 unique Effects available in The Contract. Each Effect is further customized through using whichever Activation Styles, Parameters, Enhancements, and Drawbacks are available for it.

Activation Styles Link

Some Effects have different possible methods of implementation which are meaningful enough that they must be mechanically differentiated; these are called Activation Styles. There are four possible Styles an Effect can have:

  • Activated: An Effect with the Activated Style requires the user to do something, generally Exert their Mind and/or spend an Action, to activate the Effect. These generally impact the user directly, rather than the people around them.
  • Targeted: An Effect with the Targeted Style requires the user to select a target and do something, generally Exert their Mind and/or spend an Action, to activate the Effect. These impact the people and world around the user, though they can also sometimes be self-targeted.
  • Trap: An Effect with the Trap Style is placed by the user, and is then triggered later by something else.
  • Passive: An Effect with the Passive Style is always on, without requiring any Action or Exertion to activate. These generally impact the user directly, rather than the people around them.

Most Effects only have one or two Styles available, and it is chosen during Gift creation.

In some cases, changing the Activation Style of a Gift can either increase or decrease the Gift Cost.

Parameters Link

Many Effects have Parameters. These represent a linear progression of balance-relevant values. Examples include the range at which the Gift can be used, or the time it takes to activate. Increasing a Parameter by a level will also increase the Gift Cost by 1, and vice versa.

Parameter values are generally restricted based on Contractor Status to keep Gifts balanced at all levels.

Enhancements and Drawbacks Link

Enhancements and Drawbacks are the primary means of customizing the mechanics of your Gift.

Enhancements and Drawbacks can fundamentally alter the default behavior of an Effect. Each Enhancement you take increases the Gift Cost by one, and each Drawback decreases it by one. As such, their effects are significant. 

The generic effect that comes with each Effect can be underwhelming, but you can quickly increase the potency of the Gift by taking Drawbacks. Be careful about taking too many Drawbacks; an unusable Gift is not fun. We recommend taking no more than three on any given Gift.

Simple dice bonuses and roll modifiers are not common. We make an effort to supply Enhancements and Drawbacks that enable a variety of flavors and concepts, and cause interesting gameplay and story situations. 

Some Enhancements and Drawbacks are available on several Effects, but many are unique to a given Effect.

Gift Description Link

A Gift's Description is extremely important. Here you must describe, in non-mechanical terms, what the Gift is, what it looks like when used, and any other details you wish to establish. 

The text you enter here can have real, significant, in-game impacts. For example, when creating a Gift with the Injure Effect, you may choose to flavor it in many ways. If you put "hurls a ball of white-hot fire" in the Description, your Gift may behave very differently in-game than if you put "causes the target's internal organs to fail." The mechanics (dice, damage, etc) will be the same, but there may be significant secondary effects to using a fireball at, say, a gas station. 

Likewise you may establish additional limitations on your Gift, if desired. For example, if you specify "Preston must flourish his hands and shout 'Magic Missile!'", then a hand flourish and a shout are now officially required to activate the Gift. 

The amount of freedom provided by the Description field is limited balance-wise to what could intuitively be called less than a "Gift Credit's worth" of impact. Refer to the Effect's Enhancements and Drawbacks for reference. You can never specify mechanical modifiers in the Description. Playgroup Leaders have the final say as to whether or not a given Gift's Description goes too far. Players should act in good faith and not abuse the freedom afforded by the Description field. 

GMs must respect the Description text of a Gift, but they are free to use their discretion in the extent of its effect. A fireball-flavored Injure Gift can reasonably be expected to detonate an open can of gasoline, but the GM is well within their rights to say that it cannot light a building on fire. The only part of a Gift that is truly sacred and not subject to GM discretion is the System Text, which is derived from the Effect, Enhancements, Drawbacks, and Parameters.

Treat the Description field as you would your equipment list. If you want to establish something, do it up-front. GMs can fill in the blanks you leave at their discretion (though it is bad form to be malicious or go against the intent of the Gift). Providing more detail will always result in a more consistent, well-defined Gift. 

System Text, Tagline, and Gift Name Link

The final three elements of the Gift Builder are the easiest to fill out when creating a Gift.

The System Text describes the mechanical rules of a Gift. Each Effect has a default System Text, which is then modified through the various customizations you make. The Gift Builder will automatically populate the System Text for you, including any modifications from Parameters, Activation Style, Enhancements, and Drawbacks. It is useful to double check this text before saving your Gift, to make sure it has the mechanical impact you intended. 

Finally, your Gift needs a Name! This can be whatever you like, though it is helpful for anyone looking at your character sheet if the name is related to the actual Gift you've made. The Tagline field is optional but it can be useful to introduce the Gift in a fun and flavorful way.

Restrictions on Gifts Link

There are a few important restrictions on the Gifts that a Contractor can take.

1. They must be created using the Gift Builder

In general, winning in a Contract allows you to create a single Gift using the Gift Builder on this website. Playgroup Leaders can, if they wish, create House Rules which allow for alternate systems for making Gifts, or can even grant rewards which aren't Gifts at all, but a Contractor who has Gifts or rewards that are not created through the Gift Builder or are made using alternative systems will be locked to their own Playgroup.  This rule is very important for ensuring a balanced game and for allowing Contractors to be portable.

2. Your Character must be eligible to receive the Gift

A Contractor can only receive a Gift with a Gift Cost equal to the number of Gift Credits and Improvements they have available to spend.  The online Character Sheet keeps track of total Gift Credits and Improvements earned, as well as the total cost of all Gifts on a given Contractor, and an alert will pop up on any Character Sheets which are out of balance.

Some Effects, as well as some Enhancements and Parameter levels, are restricted to only Contractors who have achieved a certain Status.  This prevents Newbie and Novice Contractors from having access to overly powerful Gifts, and also restricts access to Effects and Enhancements which would significantly impact game design - for example, the Intangibility Effect is restricted to only Veteran Contractors (25+ wins), because the ability to walk through walls would make a large number of potential Scenarios much more difficult to design.

3. They must fit the Character's concept

Contractors should strive to take Gifts which fit within their Character Concept.  The Contract does not have a "class" system to restrict what Effects a character has access to; instead, players are free to match any Effect with any Character, as long as it can be justified in some way.  This rule is subjective and flexible, and exists primarily to encourage well thought-out, cohesive Contractors rather than prohibit experimentation and fun.

4. Playgroup Leaders can veto Gifts

Playgroup Leaders are responsible for checking on Gifts within their Playgroup to make sure players are following these guidelines.  Additionally, Playgroup Leaders can veto a Gift for any number of other reasons, and can even prohibit Contractors from other Playgroups from going on Contracts in their Playgroup if the Contractor's Gifts are problematic.  Some examples of this include:

  • The Gift violates a house rule
  • The Gift's Description has too many balance implications or was not created in good faith
  • The Gift abuses the freedoms afforded by the Gift Builder to nullify Drawbacks, create an infinite combo, or is otherwise unbalanced due to shenanigans
  • The Effect is restricted due to the Playgroup's chosen Setting (e.g. Hack may be restricted in a cyberpunk Setting)

Combat Link


Contracts have life-and-death stakes, and violence is common.

Combat in The Contract is quick and deadly. Its outcome is determined less by the raw stats of those involved and more by the circumstances of the fight. Running headfirst into every encounter will result in Death. Contractors should strive to be creative and create other advantages such as an ambush, a numbers advantage, better positioning, etc.

All established Contractors have some way of dealing with violence, but their options are not limited to simply winning a race of "who can kill who first." Combat has no direct reward (such as Exp), so avoiding unnecessary combat is a wise and often-successful strategy.

GM Tip

Players do not need to fully understand these rules before playing, but GMs must.

As GM, your goal is to teach your Players, not use their ignorance of the system against them. You should strive to inform newer Players of their options and help translate their intentions into the systems laid out in this guide.

Going in Turns

In critical situations where every second matters and all the Players want to act at once, the GM can opt to pause the realtime pace of gameplay and move into a turn-based mode of play called Combat

Each Round of Combat lasts approximately three seconds of in-game time. During a given Round, each character has a chance to act, taking turns in an order determined by rolling Initiative. This turn-taking helps make sense of the chaos of combat, but flavor-wise, these actions are all happening at roughly the same time.

When Players are in the sorts of tense, high-stakes situations, they want their Characters to do as much as possible on their turn. The Action Economy determines how much a given character can do in a given Round. 

In a given Round, each character gets one Action or Reaction, and one Movement. 

Some activities (such as buckling your seatbelt, drawing your gun, or standing up) take effort but do not require a full Action. These are called Quick Actions, and performing one subtracts two dice from your main Action or Reaction. You may take up to 3 Quick Actions per Round.

Speaking, making faces, and other effortless activities count as Free Actions. They do not cost any dice, but you are limited to three seconds of Free Action per Round. You can only take Free Actions on your turn.

GM Tip

Violent conflict is not the only situation where splitting the action into turns is useful. As a rule of thumb, you should use turn-based gameplay whenever multiple characters want to do different things all at once. 

Conversely, not all "combat" situations demand turns. If a Contractor is taking pot-shots at distant zombies or sneaking around a camp of sleeping enemies killing each one without raising the alarm, you do not need to roll Initiative or use turns.

Most combat resolves in two to four Rounds. If your Playgroup's combat regularly lasts more than five Rounds, GMs should re-evaluate how they are setting up encounters.

The Online Character Sheets have an expandable Combat quick-reference guide just below the Abilities section. It packages the rules outlined in this section so they're easy to use, and it calculates dice pools and Movement based on the Contractor's stats. 

Rounds Link

Time in Rounds

Each Round of Combat lasts approximately three seconds of in-game time. During a given Round, each character has a chance to act, taking turns in an order determined by rolling Initiative. This turn-taking helps make sense of the chaos of combat, but in-game, these actions are all happening at roughly the same time.

GM Tip

When narrating Combat, think about how action sequences are shot in movies. Lots of things are happening at once, but the camera can only focus on one interaction at a time. 

Combat in The Contract is similarly set up such that if two characters are interacting, their Actions for that Round are usually resolved at the same time, regardless of the turn order.

To avoid action narration feeling like a Final Fantasy fight, speak about the current Round's action in the pesent progressive tense. E.g. If a Contractor runs across the room on their turn and the next Player asks what's happening, narrate that the Contractor "is running" across the room instead of "ran" across the room. 

The Action Economy

When Players are in Combat, they usually want their Characters to do as much as possible on their turn. The Action Economy determines how much a given character can do in a given Round. 

In a given Round, each character gets one Action or Reaction, and one Movement. 

  • Actions: The primary thing a character does in the Round is their Action, whether they're attacking, activating a Gift, throwing a road flare, etc.
  • Reaction: When attacked, Defending yourself (or counterattacking with a Clash) uses up that Round's Action.
    • Desperate Defense: If you have already spent your Action for a given Round and have not Exerted yourself, you may Exert your Mind to Dodge or Defend against an incoming attack. Your next Action is performed at a -2 dice penalty.
  • Movement: Characters get a certain amount of Free Movement each turn. Moving farther or over difficult terrain can use up their Action. 
    • Characters can move before OR after their Action on their initiative. They cannot split their movement to move, attack, and then move more.
  • Free Actions:  Speaking, making faces, and other effortless activities count as Free Actions. They do not cost any dice, but you are limited to three seconds of Free Action per Round. You can only take Free Actions on your turn.

 

GM Tip

No Gifts, Conditions, or effects give Contractors the ability to take additional Actions each Round. This keeps turns short and prevents the Action Economy from dominating Contractor advancement.

Initiative Link

At the start of Combat, each character rolls Initiative to determine their place in the turn order. 

An Initiative roll is Dexterity + Perception, difficulty 6. This roll is affected by dice Penalties, and Exertion cannot be used to ignore the Penalty or to gain +1 to the Outcome. 

The result of the Initiative roll is used for the duration of Combat. Characters act in order of highest to lowest Initiative Outcome. Ties are broken by the size of the characters' Initiative dice pools, then by the GM's discretion. A negative Outcome on an Initiative roll has no result other than a poor position in the turn order. 

GM Tip

Characters that are not likely to do anything in the Combat (e.g. bystanders or characters who don't know anything is going down) do not need to roll Initiative or have a place in the turn order. 

The GM may roll Initiative for NPCs or opt to have them all go at the end of the Round, one after the other. 

 

Special Cases

  • Ambushes: A character who is ambushed or caught flat-footed automatically loses Initiative. For example, if you round a corner to find guards waiting for you with rifles leveled, you've been ambushed.
  • Sneak Attacks: If a character not in Combat makes an attack while undetected, it is considered a sneak attack. This always requires succeeding on a contested roll of the attacker's Dexterity + Stealth versus the victim's Perception + Alertness. A successful surprise attack grants a free Attack which takes place before Initiative is rolled.  A surprised target cannot make a Reaction.
  • Hostages: One character is holding another hostage with a weapon. If the hostage attempts to break free, roll Initiative as normal. If hostage-taker decides to kill their hostage, they get a Sneak Attack on the hostage at -2 Difficulty that cannot be reacted to. Then Initiative is rolled. 
  • Mexican Standoffs: Two or more characters have readied actions to kill each other. The first attack is considered a Sneak Attack and cannot be reacted to, then initiative is rolled. Any character that attacks the target they were already aiming for gets -2 Difficulty on their attack. 
  • Mass Combat: See the Mobs Article for guidance on how to manage Combats with many participants.

 

Actions Link

An Action is what a character does in a given ~3 second Round. 

The most common Actions are:

  • Attacking
  • Using equipment
  • Activating a Gift
  • Sprinting, driving, climbing, or performing difficult movement

However, characters can choose to take any Action they'd like. 

Actions that do not normally require a roll will often equire one in combat due to the time pressure and higher stakes. You may be able to climb a tree no-problem normally, but can you do it while the police are shooting at you?

Long Actions

Some tasks can't reasonably be performed in 3 seconds and so take multiple Actions. The GM informs the Player how many Actions their intended task might take. 

Because Combat tends to last only a few Rounds, it's not worth judging precisely how many Actions it will take to perform any task that takes longer than 9 seconds or so.

If a Contractor wants to pick a lock or make an omlette during Combat, they'll be doing that until Combat ends and for some time after that.

Attacking Link

An Attack represents an all-out attempt to kill your target.

To make an Attack, pick a target in range, specify how you'd like to hurt them, then roll. The relevant Attribute, Ability, Difficulty, and Weapon Damage is determined by your weapon.

Attacks are always treated as Contested Rolls. If your target does not React, the Outcome of their defensive roll is simply treated as 0. 

The Damage you deal to the target is equal to the Contested Outcome + Weapon Damage. All incoming damage is reduced by Armor. See the Damage section for details.

GMs may apply Difficulty modifiers at their discretion, depending on the circumstances. Shooting a stationary target is much easier than firing from a moving vehicle during a rainstorm.

GM Tip

Not every aggressive action is an all-out attempt to kill. If a Contractor slaps someone, tackles a target to the ground, or jams their knife into their prisoner's hand, don't have them roll for an all-out attack that might kill their target.

Attacking Multiple Targets

If a Contractor wants to Attack Two Targets with a single Action, they roll once at +2 Difficulty. The Outcome is split evenly between the two targets (the GM divvies any remainder at their discretion). Each target may Defend or Clash as normal. Weapon Damage applies fully to each target hit.

Because any target that choses to Clash has an extreme advantage, Contractors rarely opt to attack multiple targets with a single Action. 

Fully Automatic Firearms may also "sweep" an area. 

Called Shots

Inevitably someone will want to make a specific aimed attack targeting a hand, an eye, or a weak spot. When such attacks go beyond flavoring and assume strategic importance, the GM should call for a Called Shot

  1. A called shot must be declared before the dice are rolled.
  2. A called a shot must be within the maximum listed range of a weapon if applicable.

The Contractor then makes their attack as normal. A Contested Outcome of 4 or higher is required to hit a target the size of an arm, leg or larger. A Contested Outcome of 6 or higher is required to hit a target is the size of a hand, head, or smaller. If you score less than the required Contested Outcome, you still hit your target, but not in the chosen location, and your damage is cut in half.

A successful called shot levies benefits at the GMs discretion such as Battle Scars, armor penetration, or extra damage. When aiming at extremities, a successful Called Shot limits the maximum damage to a Severity 5 Injury. Additional damage is wasted.

GM Tip

Players often specify some detail about the manner in which they are attacking ("I take aim and fire" or "I slide under the creature's belly and stab upwards"). When these descriptions are flavorful instead of strategic, interpret them as standard all-out attacks without additional modifiers. Once the roll is complete and Damage has been determined, narrate the attack based on the Outcome. This a great opportunity to help Players feel badass.

Grappling and Choking Link

Grappling

  • You may Grapple a target with Brawn + Brawl, either as an Action or Clash. The target may dodge, Defend, or Clash as normal. If their Outcome is higher than yours, the Grapple fails. 
  • If your Outcome (not Contested Outcome) is equal to or greater than their Brawn, the target becomes Grappled. They take no damage, but they will not be able to use their Movement until they break free.
  • Grappled targets may use their Action to attempt to break free by rolling either Brawn or Dexterity + Brawl. If they do not, they remain Grappled.
  • While Grappling a target, you may contest any physical Actions they take as a Reaction by rolling Brawn + Brawl.
  • If your target attempts an attack with a weapon, you may opt to clash with them using that weapon. When you do so, both of you use Brawn + Brawl instead of the weapon’s standard roll. 

Choking

  • When grappling a target, you can attempt to choke your target instead of constraining their arms. The grappled target cannot speak or breathe until they escape the grapple.
  • While choking a target, you may use your action to choke the life out of them, cutting of blood flow and their airway.
  • This is a standard Brawn + Brawl attack. If the target successfully defends, they break the grapple.
  • You may count any successful attempt to maintain your grapple on the target as one of these attacks.

Garrotes

A Garrote is a melee weapon that may use Brawl or Melee in much the same way as a knife. They are Difficulty 8 to use, though that Difficulty drops by -2 if you are able to surprise a target from behind. A garrote operates like a chokehold above, however the attacker may maintain the original grapple roll if they wish. It is not generally possible to escape a successful Garrote Attack. To escape without a relevant Gift, one must defeat the person maintaining the garotte.

Damage done while choking with a Garrote does not suffer the -2 Damage penalty intrinsic to unarmed attacks.

Quick Actions and Multi-Tasking Link

If a character wants to do more than one thing during their Action, the GM determines whether or not they can multi-task and how.

Quick Actions

Simple tasks that are unlikely to fail and don't warrant a full Action can be taken as Quick Actions

Quick Actions do not need to be rolled and merely subtract 2 dice from the rest of that Round's Action (to a minimum of 0).

Examples of Quick Actions include drawing a holstered, accessible weapon, standing up, and buckling your seatbelt. 

If a Contractor wishes to take their main Action and then perform a Quick Action, their main Action's roll is still at -2 dice. If they didn't take a dice penalty, they'll have to wait until next Round to perform their Quick Action. 

Characters may take a maximum of 3 Quick Actions per Round.

Using Two Abilities at Once

If a Contractor attempts an Action that obviously involves two seperate Abilities (e.g. sword-fighting on horseback), the GM will generally call for a roll using the lower of the two relevant Abilities, and they may also increase the roll's Difficulty. The resulting Outcome determines the success of the attempted Action as normal. 

Committed Actions

Certain Actions are so demanding that anyone performing them cannot multi-task perform any Quick Actions at the same time. These are called Committed Actions.

In practice, these are limited to Gifts that state simply to "Spend an Action to activate" and do not require a roll. GMs may occasionally declare that other Actions are committed and cannot be split. 

Mental Actions

Can you think and act at the same time? It turns out, the answer is "not really."

Whether or not Mental actions require a roll is up to the GM's discretion. Generally any concerted thinking ("What do I know about this creature?", "How can I solve this door puzzle before the scarabs eat us?") is treated like a standard Action, and general awareness or "passive" mental actions (does the Contractor notice the shark swimming up behind them?) can be rolled with their own pools without subtracting from the rest of the Action.

Holding Actions Link

Characters may "hold" their Action by specifying an Action and a Condition under which the Action will occur. For example, they may say "I want to shoot the first person who turns this corner." or "I will slit the hostage's throat if they struggle." or "I will follow Jennifer and stab anyone who tries to attack us."

A held Action lasts until the Character's next Action, but actually following through on a held Action will use up the current Round's Action, regardless of when the Action was originally held. For example, Jeff declares "I will pull the lever on the electric chair if the convict starts to turn into a werewolf." The current Round ends and the next Round begins. The convict (whose initiative puts their turn before Jeff's) then begins to sprout fur and fangs. Jeff can pull the lever, but doing so will forfeit the current Round's Action. 

Held Actions resolve before the Action that triggered them unless the triggering Action cannot normally be reacted to.

Characters may make a Reaction, even if they are currently holding an Action. Doing so forfeits the held Action. 

Reactions Link

Reactions allow a character to take their Action prior to their placement in the turn order, so long as it is in direct response to another Action. Reactions are almost always defensive. The three main Reactions are Dodging, Defending, and Clashing.

Reactions will "use-up" the current Round's Action, essentially putting one Character on the defensive. Similarly, using your Action for a given Round means it will no longer be available to use as a Reaction during that Round.

You cannot React to surprise attacks that you have failed to detect with an appropriate contested roll, nor can you React if you're being held hostage and the hostage-taker opts to attack you. 

Desperate Defense

If you have already spent your Action for a given Round and have not yet Exerted yourself that Round, you may Exert your Mind to make a Desperate Defense. You may then Dodge or Defend as normal, but your next Action is performed at a -2 Penalty.

You cannot Clash as a Desperate Defense.

Dodging Link

To dodge an attack, roll Dexterity + Athletics. Dodging Contests the attack, subtracting its Outcome from the attack roll's. If the Contested Outcome is 1 or greater, the attack hits, but if it is 0 or less, the attack misses.

As always, the standard Difficulty is 6, but GMs may increase or decrease it depending on the situation. If you are laying on your back, it may be more difficult to dodge. If the attack is slow and ponderous, it may be easier. 

Characters may also Evade with their Action on their Initiative. Make a Dexterity + Athletics roll, difficulty 7. The Outcome of this evasion roll can be divided up and spread around to contest any incoming attacks. For example, if you get an Outcome of 3 on your Evade roll, and two attackers each have Outcomes of 2 on attacks against you, you can subtract 2 from the first attacker, bringing the Contested Outcome of their attack to 0, but do not have enough left over to reduce the second attack's Contested Outcome down to 0. You will evade the first attack but be hit by the second.

Defending Link

Sometimes, it's possible for a character to use their own weapon to Defend against an incoming attack. Defending in this way uses their weapon's standard attack roll and Difficulty. Defending is a Contested Action against their attack, so the Outcome of the defensive roll is subtracted from the Outcome of the attack roll, giving a Contested Outcome which determines whether the attack was successful. If the Contested Outcome is 1 or greater, the attack hits, but if it is 0 or less, the attack is stopped.

Unarmed characters may Defend against unarmed attacks. Characters armed with a melee weapon may Defend against unarmed, melee, or thrown projectile attacks. Firearms can be used as melee weapons to Defend and can only be Defended against by those in melee range. Weapon mastery Gifts grant the ability to Defend against firearms at any range.  

Characters may Defend against attacks targeted at others if they are within range. 

GM Tip
Defending favors the character with a range advantage. For example, Defending against unarmed attacks with a melee weapon is usually rolled at -1 Difficulty. 

Clashing Link

Clashing is type of a high-stakes Reaction that gives the defender a chance to deal damage back to their attacker.

A character in a position to Defend against an attack (and who could attack their attaker if they had the Initiative) may choose to Clash instead of Defending. Unlike Defending, Clashing is not handled as a Contested Action. The rolls are the same as for Defending, but instead of subtracting Outcomes from one another, both Outcomes are compared, and the Character with the higher Outcome deals full damage to their opponent.

In the event of a tie, both characters successfully deal full damage.

Note: you cannot Clash as a Desperate Defense. 

Movement Link

All characters get a chance to move each round on their Initiative. The distance they can move is determined by the Attributes Dexterity and Brawn, as well as by the Ability Athletics.

Characters may take their Movement either before or after their Action, but never before and after. This means you cannot run out of cover, attack someone, and run back behind cover. Characters that have already spent their Action (usually as a Reaction) may still move on their turn.

Free Movement

During their Movement, each character may move 5 + (5 x Dexterity - Penalty) feet without incurring a dice penalty. Minimum 5 feet.

Dash

A character may extend their Combat Movement by up to 5 feet per point of Brawn they possess. Doing so incurs a -1 dice penalty per additional 5 feet moved. If they have already taken their Action and did not save dice to dash, they can only use their Free Movement.

All-out Sprints

If a character commits their entire Action to sprinting, roll Brawn + Athletics. They travel 5 x (Outcome + Dexterity rating + Brawn rating + 1) feet.

When performing an all-out Sprint towards a target, excess sprint distance can be used to “follow” the target if they move before the sprinter's next movement.

Complications

Movement over difficult terrain is rarely free and may often require a roll. GMs may levy penalties to Movement based on the terrain at their discretion. 

Example

Jenny the Blade, a knife-fighter from the rough streets of Belfast, wants to charge the armed guards surrounding the vehicle she's trying to rob and slash at their throats.  She is 35 feet away, and has 4 Dexterity and 3 Brawn. She is able to move 25 feet for free thanks to her 4 points in Dexterity, and can move up to 15 more feet due to her 3 points in Brawn, so she can cover the full distance, but because she went 10 feet over her base movement speed, she loses 2 dice on her attack roll.

Encumbrance Link

All standard movement, Combat Actions, and rolls assume that a Contractor is carrying some amount of weight, such as a backpack or satchel.  If a Contractor is totally unencumbered (i.e. carrying nothing but maybe a small object in their hand, plus their clothes), they receive a +1 dice bonus to all physical Actions.

A Contractor can carry 15 pounds per point of Brawn with no penalty. Once they hit that limit, they are considered Over-Encumbered, and take a -1 dice penalty per 25 pounds over their limit.

GM Tip

Few GMs find it worthwhile to track fully-itemized, weighted equipment lists. These Encumbrance rules are best used as a reference in cases where a Contractor seems like they're carrying way too much stuff. 

If the Player complains, ask them to draw their Contractor carrying all their stuff. That almost always shuts them up. 

Lifting and Hauling

The amount you can lift and haul depends on your Brawn rating. Using an Action, you may lift any object up to this weight and still move 5 feet per Round as long as you maintain Concentration. Objects designed for easy lifting (olympic weights, etc) may count as less weight at the GM’s discretion. 

Brawn Rating Lifting Maximum
1 75 lbs
2 125 lbs
3 225 lbs
4 300 lbs
5 375 lbs
6 500 lbs
7 700 lbs
8 1000 lbs

 

Other Kinds of Movement Link

Jumping

A character can jump 1 vertical foot or 4 horizontal feet per point of Brawn without needing to make a roll. These numbers are assuming a running jump; for jumping from a standstill, they are cut in half. 

In Combat or when the stakes are high, jumping requires a Brawn or Dexterity + Athletics roll in order to successfully make the full distance.  

If a Character attempts a jump which is longer than they could ordinarily make, the Difficulty of the roll is increased by 1 for every extra foot they need to clear.

Climbing

Climbing always requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll. Characters may move 5 + (2 x Outcome) feet. The Difficulty is set by the GM, based on the surface they are scaling, with a ladder being difficulty 5, and a challenging cliff face at difficulty 9.

Swimming

Characters must roll Dexterity + Athletics to swim during Combat. They move (Outcome x 5) feet. Any amount of encumbrance at all - for example, if you are wearing a backpack - cuts this speed in half.  A character at full encumbrance who finds themselves stuck in the water is unable to swim, begins to sink down, and will eventually Drown.

Damage Link

If a character is hit by a successful Attack, they will take Damage.

Damage dealt = Contested Outcome + Weapon Damage - Armor. Weapon Damage can be increased through Gifts, but multiiple bonuses to Weapon Damage do not stack; instead, the highest bonus is used.

If the Contested Outcome is less than or equal to 0, that means the attack failed, and thus no damage is dealt (calculate this before Weapon Damage and Armor are taken into account). In a case where you have split your Outcome to attack two targets, the Weapon Damage is halved (rounded up).

When a character takes damage, they receive a new Injury with Severity equal to the total Damage dealt from that Attack. Minor injuries, while still serious, heal relatively quickly and do not impair the target much. Severe injuries can cause Battle Scars and are much more difficult to treat. 

Accumulated Injuries will degrade a character's Body, eventually leading to Death.

This section contains information on damage from equipment. See the Other Sources of Damage section for additional, situational rules. 

Weapons Link

When attacking, the relevant Attribute, Ability, and Difficulty for the attack roll, as well as the Damage modifier, all depend on the type of weapon. Described below are the most common classes of weaponry. The Difficulty of these rolls may be decreased or increased based on situational factors at the GM's discretion.

The specified rolls are for all-out attacks made with the relevant weapon. Weapons can be used in other ways with varying difficulties. For example, while the roll to actually Injure someone with a slingshot is Difficulty 8, merely hitting a person's body would be Difficulty 6 and wouldn't do any damage.  

Note that while Guns are quite powerful, they can be difficult to transport and obtain. With a couple of Gifts, Contractors can make effective use of any type of weapon. Using Secondary Abilities can also be very helpful in making the most out of your weapon of choice.

Firearms

All gun attacks are rolled with Dexterity + Firearms.

The effective range listed is not a maximum range.  Guns may be fired at targets beyond that range, with the Difficulty increasing by +1 for each increment of the listed range, up to a maximum of 3x the listed range.  For example, if a Contractor shoots with a handgun at a target 70 feet away, it is rolled at +1 Difficulty.  Once the target gets further than 100 feet away, the Difficulty will increase to +2, and the maximum distance at which they can be hit is approximately 150 feet (three times the listed effective range).

Contractors may reduce the Difficulty of a firearms attack by spending time aiming at a stationary or predictably-moving target. -1 Difficulty per Round spent aiming, to a maximum of -2 Difficulty. 

This bonus can only be gained if the shooter is standing still.

Weapon Base Attack Difficulty Weapon Damage Effective Range Reload After X Attacks
Handgun Difficulty 6 2 50 feet 6 attacks
Shotgun Difficulty 6 3 75 feet 1-3 attacks
Rifles Difficulty 6, +1 at melee range 3 300 feet 10 attacks
Heavy Sniper Rifles Difficulty 6, +3 without a tripod or at melee range. Tripods take one Action to deploy. 3, and penetrates 2 Armor 1000 feet 5 attacks

 

Note: Tracking reloads / ammo is an optional rule at the GM's discretion.

GM Tip
"What'd you say?" Firing unsuppressed firearms in enclosed locations can cause temporary hearing loss, and it is entirely fair to levvy temporary Perception penalties for affected characters where hearing is a factor.
GM Tip
Baptize that pistol. Firearms that have been fired underwater or submerged for a while generally need to be disassembled and cleaned before they can be fired reliably again. Bullets cannot travel effectively through water at any range, although you may allow for damage if the barrel is pressed against a target.

Melee Weapons

Weapon Attack Roll Weapon Damage Other Notes
Hand-to-hand, biting, choking Brawn + Brawl Difficulty 6 -1  
Knife or Dagger (Brawn or Dexterity) + (Melee or Brawl) Difficulty 6 1  
Edgeless thrusting sword (Rapier) Dexterity + Melee Difficulty 6 2  
Sword or Axe Brawn + Melee Difficulty 6 2  
Greatsword, Giant Axes Brawn + Melee Difficulty 6 3 Two-handed weapons
Club Brawn + Melee Difficulty 6 1 Most improvised weapons fall into this category

 

Other

Weapon Attack Roll Weapon Damage Range
Throwing knife / shuriken Dexterity + Athletics Difficulty 6 0 50 feet
Throwing axe / javelin Brawn + Athletics Difficulty 6 1 50 feet
Improvised Thrown weapon Brawn + Athletics Difficulty 7-9 (GM's discretion)  0-1 35-50 feet
Bow Dexterity + Athletics Difficulty 6, requires Brawn 3 to use 0 150 feet
Crossbow Dexterity + Firearms Difficulty 6 1 150 feet
Sling Dexterity + Athletics Difficulty 6 1, Requires a successful Called Shot to deal Damage. 150 feet
Slingshot Dexterity + Athletics Difficulty 6 0, Requires a successful Called Shot to deal Damage. 150 feet

 

Non-lethal 

Weapon System
Handheld Stun Gun Roll Dexterity + Brawl, Difficulty 7. The target may contest by dodging or Defending. If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target must roll Body, Difficulty 9, adding their Armor rating to the Outcome. If they fail, they are stunned and lose their next Action. Otherwise, they suffer a Penalty of 4 - Outcome to their next Action. If they Botch, they are stunned and take a Severity-1 Injury.
Ranged Stun Gun

Roll Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 8. Maximum range is 35 feet. If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target must roll Body, Difficulty 9, adding their Armor rating to the Outcome. If they fail, they are stunned and lose their next Action. Otherwise, they suffer a Penalty of 4 - Outcome to their next Action. If they Botch, they are stunned and take a Severity-1 Injury.

Target must re-roll Body for the next 3 Rounds or until the darts are removed or they gain an Outcome of at least 4 on their Body roll.

Mace / Pepper-Spray Roll Dexterity + Brawl, Firearms, or Athletics, Difficulty 8. The target may dodge or Defend. If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target is blinded for 10 Rounds (30 seconds). Blinded targets automatically fail any roll requiring sight and suffer up to a -3 dice penalty to any roll that would benefit form sight. A sight penalty of -2 dice lingers after the initial 30 seconds until the target can properly wash their eyes. Does no Damage.

 

Armor Link

Armor reduces incoming Damage from most sources. In the case of Attacks the Damage dealt is reduced by the Armor Value.

Armor from multiple sources cannot stack. Instead, the highest Armor Value is used. 

While bulkier Armors provide more protection, they also levy a dice penalty on any physical actions attempted by their wearer. Penalties from all sources stack. 

 

Armor Armor Granted Penalty Notes
Layered/rugged Clothing 1 0 Examples include tough leather jackets, layered denim, etc.
Reinforced Clothing 2 0 Technologically-advanced clothing designed as armor
Flack Jacket and Helmet 3 0 This armor is obvious and unusual, and may cause social issues depending on the area.
Bomb Suit 6 5 Movement is severely limited
Full Plate 4 2 Full Plate weighs 45 lbs.

 

Explosives Link

Bomb Delay System Notes

Frag Grenade

(2 lbs)

2 Rounds Targets within 5 feet take 15 dice of damage, decays by 1 die per 5 feet out, stopping entirely at 50 feet Effective throwing range of 100 feet

Stick of Dynamite

(0.5 lbs)

Fuse (variable) Targets within 5 feet take 10 damage, outside radius take 10 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 5 feet out Effective throwing range of 50 feet. Semi-volatile, risk if stored improperly

Brick of C-4

(1.25 lbs)

Detonator (variable) Targets within 5 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 5 feet out M112 demolition block, US military

Satchel Charge, WWII

(10 lbs)

Detonator (variable) Targets within 15 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 15 feet out WWII era, US Army M37 Demolition Kit

Satchel Charge, modern

(20 lbs)

Detonator (variable) Targets within 20 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 20 feet out US Army M183 Demolition Charge Assembly

Small IED (letter bomb) 

(10 lbs)

Fuse / Detonator Targets within 5 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 5 feet out Volatile, high risk of accident

Medium IED (package / container) 

(100 lbs)

Fuse / Detonator Targets within 20 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 20 feet out Volatile, high risk of accident

Large IED (car bomb)

(1000 lbs)

Fuse / Detonator Targets within 65 feet take 15 damage, outside radius take 15 dice of damage, decays by 5 dice per 65 feet out Volatile, high risk of accident

 

General System

High Explosives deal 15 flat damage within their Lethal Radius (covers a circle up to R feet from the center of the blast).  Outside the Lethal Radius, they instead do 15 dice of damage, and for every additional R feet outside the Lethal radius, the dice pool decreases by 5.

The radius R is calculated based on the weight in pounds of the explosive material, using one of the following formulas:

  • R = 4 x SQRT(W/2) for Secondary Explosives, which includes things like TNT and C-4.
  • R = 2 x SQRT(W) for Primary Explosives, which includes most homemade bombs

A High Explosive bomb can be detonated manually through a remote control, through a timer, or through a triggering mechanism such as a tripwire or a pressure plate.  The stats for damage are the same regardless of detonation method, and depend only on the weight of the explosive material.

Cooking off Grenades

You may "cook off" a frag grenade by holding it for a round and then throwing with a Perception + Athletics roll, Difficulty 7. Failure or partial success indicates a dangerous throw. A 2-round cookoff (explodes immediately, but may be reacted to) is rolled at Difficulty 9. 

Mobs Link

The more characters are involved in Combat, the slower it progresses and the more work the GM has to do. GMs and scenario designers should try to limit the number of characters in a combat to 8 or fewer. This mob system lets GMs “collapse” many similar enemies into a mob that acts and is tracked as a single character. 

Basics:
  • A mob is a group of similar creatures that are treated as a single entity in combat.
  • A mob makes a single initiative roll, takes a single Action, and has a single Body / health rating.
Mob stats:
  • A mob’s Body and Mind rating is equal to the highest amongst the members of the mob. 
  • A mob benefits from Armor or other statuses common to at least half its members.
  • Initiative: Mobs are slow to form up and generally go last in the turn order. 
  • Mobs move at the speed of the slowest member. 

Mob health:

  • Damage to mobs is tracked normally against the mob’s Body rating. 
  • The GM should describe the damage affecting one or more members of the mob, potentially killing one or two. 
  • When a mob’s Body rating is reduced to 0, its members are killed, scattered, or retreat at the GM’s discretion.
  • Mobs do not suffer Penalty from their injuries, but may have some members killed off before the whole mob is defeated, decreasing its effectiveness.

Attacking mobs:

  • Attacks that target a single member of the mob deal half damage.
  • Attacks that can affect the entire mob deal +3 damage.
  • Attacks that influence the Mind/Thoughts of the Mob are generally ineffective unless the entire mob can be targeted.
  • Mobs cannot defend or dodge (their defenses are accounted for in the “half damage” benefit they receive). 

Mob attacks:

  • When attacking, use the best attack roll amongst the mob and add Outcome equal to the number of members attacking (to a maximum of +5). 
    • This reflects a series of attacks as multiple attackers interfere with each other, inflicting a multitude of wounds. 
  • Mob attacks may be defended against normally.
  • A mob can attack more than one character in a given Round, but never the same target more than once. 

Structured Downtimes Link


New or casual Players are often content with only playing their Contractors in the Contracts themselves. However, dedicated Players want more from their Contractors' stories, and advanced Contractors want to actually DO things with their Gifts!

Structured Downtimes are a way to engage with between-Contract activities other than those implied when you spend Experience to improve their stats, craft items, and treat Traumas. 

The two main components of Structured Downtimes are Loose Ends and Moves.

Moves Link

The most effective Contractors are not content to sit back and relax during their Downtimes. They have grand ambitions and an unquenchable thirst for power, and so they spend their Downtime making Moves. 

Any Downtime activity initiated by a Contractor that has potential upside can be a Move

GM Tip
There is no requirement to record all Downtime activities and Hustles as Moves. It is an optional system that can be used as desired.

Moves always require a GM, but not all Moves require a Hustle, danger, or dice-rolling. Moves can range from an out-of-character conversation with a GM to grueling, deadly missions that are even more elaborate than Contracts. It all depends on the objective of the Move, the tactics used by the Contractor, and the preferences of the Playgroup.

Example Moves
  • Using your Gifts to make money.
  • Hunting for supernatural treasures.
  • Blackmailing a politician.
  • Stealing someone's identity and ditching your old one.
GM Tip

The Gamemaster's Manual section on Running Downtimes contains guidance on how to run a wide variety of common Moves that Contractors may try to make.

Rewards

Contractors make Moves for many reasons. The rewards of a successful Move are just as various and include tying up Loose Ends, eliminating harmful Conditions or Circumstances, acquiring allies or equipment, or pursuing their ambition to change the world.

Contractors may never gain any Experience, Gift Credits, or Improvements from making Moves.

GMs who run Moves for Contractors may gain Bonus Experience by writing up a summary of the Move's events and a public World Event that is viewable by anyone in the Playgroup. If their writeup is at least 250 words, they gain 2 Bonus Experience for one of their Contractors. 

Risks

Be warned: the status quo is powerful, and making Moves is risky. Sometimes even successful Moves have consequences such as new Loose Ends, injury, or even death.

If a Move would result in certain death for a Contractor (for example, a Newbie wants to assassinate the Pope who is under heavy supernatural guard), the GM must warn the Player beforehand. The Player may withdraw the request or opt to go through with the Move, knowing their Contractor will die. 

How to Make Moves Link

Making Moves always requires GM participation. Only the GM may grant rewards for Moves.

Step 1: Find a GM

To make a Move with your Contractor, you must determine the following:

  1. What is the goal of your Move? What are you hoping to achieve?
  2. How does your Contractor plan to execute the Move?

Next, find a GM in your Playgroup, share your plan, and ask if they will run the Move. If they feel the Move is in-character and setting-appropriate, they might agree to run your Move.

No GM is strictly obligated to run any given Move. However, it is considered poor form to refuse GMing a Move to tie up a Loose End that you granted. Doing so may void the Loose End. 

Step 2: Run the Move

If you find a GM to run your Move, they are in charge of designing and running your Move. Things may or may not go according to your plans. 

Some smaller Moves can be resolved through an out-of-character conversation between the Player and the GM. Other Moves require a Hustle complete with dice-rolling and danger. Some objectives (such as being elected president of the USA) can only be achieved by making a campaign-like series of Moves that requires significant GM involvement. 

GMs should coordinate with their Playgroup Leader to ensure their Moves are setting-appropriate. 

Step 3: Record the Move

Once the Move is complete, the GM should grant any rewards or consequences to the Contractor that they feel are appropriate. Typically this involves adding/removing Conditions, Circumstances, Trophies, and/or Loose Ends. 

The events of Moves are canonical and can only be voided by the Playgroup Leader.

Users of the website can also officially record the Moves they run. To do so, the GM should visit their Playgroup's homepage and click on the "Record Move" button or visit the Contractor's Character Sheet and click the "Record Move" button under the Story tab. 

When officially recording Move, the GM must provide a summary of the Move's events (which are viewable to anyone who can view the Contractor's Character sheet) and a World Event (which is visible to anyone who can view the Playgroup). If the combined word count of the summary and World Event is over 250 words, the GM earns 2 Bonus Exp for one of their Contractors. 

Loose Ends Link

Contracting is a messy business, and the events of Contracts and Downtimes can lead to Loose Ends

Loose Ends represent an enduring situation that poses a threat to a Contractor if it is not resolved. For example, the Contractor was filmed using their Powers, they made enemies with a powerful crime lord, or they must break a curse within three months or they will turn into a pumpkin. 

GM Tip

The GameMaster's Manual section on Running Downtimes contains many example Loose Ends.

GMs may assign Loose Ends to Contractors based on the events of a Contract or a Downtime. Some Liabilities taken at character creation also grant Loose Ends.

GM Tip

When you grant a Loose End, you are committing to follow through with running the Loose End, including any Moves the Contractor may make to attempt to tie it up. If you feel you cannot follow through on a Loose End, you should not grant it, even if it means the Contractor gets off easy. 

Loose Ends are an optional additional system and can be utilized as much or little as a Playgroup desires. Contractors' past actions may come back to bite them, even if there are no Loose Ends recorded on their Character Sheet.

 

Each Loose End has a Cutoff and a Threat.

 

Cutoff

A Loose End’s Cutoff counts down the number of Contracts a Contractor can attend before the Threat from their Loose End manifests. 

Cutoff values generally range from 1 to 5. They decrease by 1 every time a Contractor attends a Contract. This number is visible to GMs but cannot be seen by the Player who plays the Contractor. 

Once the Cutoff countdown hits 0, the Loose End’s Threat manifests. If that Threat requires a Hustle with a GM (for example, an assassination attempt), that Contractor may not attend Contracts until a GM has run the required Hustle. 

Contractors may make a Move to resolve a Loose End before its Cutoff. Doing so is often difficult and may be dangerous, but taking initiative on a Loose End should be less deadly or generally result in a better outcome than running down the Cutoff timer.

Threat

A Loose End’s Threat defines what negative outcome will befall the Contractor if they fail to deal with it in time. 

Threats can take many forms. They may cause new negative Circumstances, Conditions, Traumas, or Battle Scars. They may remove positive Circumstances, Conditions, or equipment. They may take the form of an event (such as an assasination attempt), or, sometimes, even directly cause the death of the Contractor. 

For example, if a Contractor gains a Loose End because they were filmed using super-strength, and they fail to address the growing buzz on the internet before the Cutoff hits 0, the Threat that manifests may be a new Circumstance where they are stalked by an army of internet sleuths.  

GMs must specify the Threat of a Loose End when they grant it. The Player can only see the general threat-level (Dangerous, Deadly, or Fateful) until the Cutoff hits zero. 

  • Dangerous:  The sort of Threat which may crop up for people in the real world. 
    • Examples: The loss of resources or equipment, imprisonment, infamy, having your family kidnapped, or mundane gang-level violence.
  • Deadly: A supernatural or extreme Threat that poses a significant risk even to Contractors.
    • Examples: An assassination attempt from a powerful foe or organization, being put into a coma, imprisonment on another planet, gaining a severe curse. 
  • Fateful: Reserved for Loose Ends which will cause certain or almost-certain death when the Cutoff hits 0. 
    • Examples: A chronic deadly disease, an implanted bomb exploding, an assassination attempt from a harbinger-level foe.
Be careful who you piss off on your climb to power  

Situational Rules Link


These rules cover additional edge cases and situations that may arise during a Contract. GMs and Players are not expected to be familiar with these rules, and any of the situations they describe can also be resolved through standard GM Discretion. As such they should be considered optional.

These systems are provided for Players and GMs who like extended, structured rules and as an example of what The Contract's developers would rule in these situations. 

Ringers Link

Players may also opt to play a Contract as an NPC Ringer instead of one of their Contractors. This is usually because the Scenario has been spoiled for them, probably because they've already played it.

Ringers can be any NPC in the Contract: an antagonist, a character central to the plot, or even an non-player Contractor.

All Ringers have an objective that they must fufill. This objective may be to help or hinder the Contractors, to die horribly to monsters, or anything else the GM desires.

At the end of the Contract, Players who played Ringers are given Bonus Experience to spend on one of their Contractors. They receive 4 Experience if they achieved their objective and 2 Experience otherwise. Ringers do not receive Gifts Credits or Improvements.

GM Tip
  • A Ringer is an opportunity to include a character that would normally be too much work for the GM to run. Make them important enough that the Ringer's Player doesn't get bored!
  • When you are GMing for a Ringer, discuss their role and objective with the Player before the Contract begins. 
  • Not every Scenario has room for a Ringer. 

Contract Cycles Link

In some cases, a Contract may be part of a Cycle, or a series of Scenarios which take place one after the other with no Downtime, similar to a traditional roleplaying campaign. Experience cannot be spent between the Contracts of a Cycle.

All Players should be told ahead of time if a Contract is part of a Cycle and how many Contracts long that Cycle is.

Voiding Contracts Link

If the events of a Contract are unfair or damaging to the setting or tone, the Playgroup may declare it Void. Any Contract that is voided never occurred and grants no Rewards.

Instead of voiding Contracts that introduce undesirable Setting elements, Playgroup Leaders often rule that the Contract's events happened in a similar-looking parallel dimension, or perhaps it was all a bad dream.

Voiding Contracts should be extremely rare.

Contracts may be Voided by the following means:

  • Playgroup Leaders can declare any Contracts in their Playgroup Void at their discretion.
  • If, after the conclusion of a Contract, all Players vote unanimously to Void.
  • If a Contract is split into multiple sessions, the Players may vote to void and require only a simple majority.

Attack Difficulty Modifiers Link

GM's may use their discretion to adjust the Difficulty on any roll based on situational factors, but here are some useful examples of potential Difficulty modifiers during Combat.

If your target is...

  • Behind cover: +2 Difficulty
  • Immobilized: -2 Difficulty
  • Running: +1 Difficulty
  • Roughly the size of
    • A normal adult human: normal Difficulty
    • A child: +1 Difficulty
    • A house cat: +2 Difficulty
    • A small mouse: +3 Difficulty
    • A horse: -1 Difficulty
    • A truck: -2 Difficulty
    • A house: -3 Difficulty 

If you are...

  • Behind cover: +1 Dfficulty
  • Firing blind: +4 Difficulty

If your surroundings are...

  • Dark: +1-2 Difficulty
  • Foggy / completly dark:  +3 Difficulty, down to +1 at melee range
  • Stormy (torrential rain, heavy snow, hail): +1 Difficulty
  • Underwater, and you are using a...
    • Knife, stabbing weapon, or unarmed: +1 Difficulty
    • Slashing melee weapon: +2 Difficulty
    • Bludgeoning melee weapon: +3 Difficulty
    • Throwing weapon: doesn't work
    • Firearm: Doesn't work, with the exception of harpoons and some specially designed pistols

Rate of Fire Link

A standard Offensive Action represents an all-out attack. This means that, for Firearms, you shoot a number of bullets equal to your Rate of Fire.  Some single-action revolvers and rifles have a rate of 1 bullet per 3-second round, but the vast majority of modern guns are semi-automatic, meaning they can fire 2 or 3 bullets in a span of 3 seconds without losing too much effectiveness.  The Difficulty and Base Damage for guns is based on using a semi-automatic rate of fire (when applicable).

GM Tip
Be sure you narrate with this rate-of-fire rule in mind, and keep your players abreast of this particular nuance of the system, especially if they are new.  For example, if a player simply says "I attack!", you'll depict the scene with multiple shots being fired.

Full-Auto Sweeps Link

Fully automatic weapons, such as machine guns and some rifles, are able to make a special type of attack. They may "sweep" an area with the weapon, covering an area of 5 square feet per 5 rounds expended, for a maximum area of 25 feet by 25 feet. The attacker must expend the rest of their clip when performing a sweep and rolls the attack at +2 Difficulty. This attack will damage anyone within its area of effect if they do not dodge or evade.

Other Sources of Damage Link

Falling 

Falling - and subsequently landing - deals 1 Damage per 10 feet fallen, up to a maximum of 20 Damage at 200 feet. Armor does not reduce this Damage. 

GMs may allow Athletics rolls, Gifts, or less-splatty surfaces to mitigate the severity of the damage somewhat.

Fire and Electricity 

Electricity and Fire Damage give an Injury that increases in Severity the longer exposure is maintained. 

Electrical Damage

The following table gives Damage per turn from electricity.  No attack roll is made; damage is automatic. Ordinary Armor will not apply to electricity damage, but specialized grounding Armor, can stop it entirely.

  • Minor: wall socket -   One level per turn  
  • Dangerous: electric prison fence -   Two levels per turn 
  • Deadly: junction box -  Three levels per turn 
  • Fatal; main feed line, subway rail -   Four levels per turn 

Fire Damage

The following table gives damage per turn from fire.  No attack roll is made; damage is automatic.  A character's Armor rating is "spent" as it reduces the damage from fire, meaning that if a Character as 2 armor, it will prevent the first 2 Damage from fire, but not subsequent damage on future rounds. 

  • Torch; a part of the body is exposed to flame:  One Damage per round 
  • Bonfire; half of the body is exposed to flame:  Two Damage per round 
  • Raging inferno; entire body is engulfed in flame:  Three Damage per round

Exsanguination

Normal blood loss is accounted for by the standard Injury system, but for cases where blood is specifically drawn (e.g. by a medical professional or a vampire), this system may be more suitable.

A character who has lost blood without taking Damage is given an Injury representing blood loss. This Injury’s Severity = twice the number of pints of blood lost. If a character loses blood once and then gives blood later, the existing Injury’s severity is increased. 

Unlike other Injuries, the recovery time for blood loss may be greatly reduced via a blood infusion. Each day a character receives blood, their blood loss Injury is reduced in severity by one level.

Drowning 

Characters can hold their breath for 35 seconds x Body rating. They may Exert their Mind for an additional 10 seconds. This assumes no strenuous activity. Characters then suffer a Severity 1 Injury every Round until they die.

Vehicles Link

Vehicles provide exceptional speed, protection, and power but are only usable in niche situations. This system covers common road vehicles such as motorcycles, ATVs, cars, trucks, SUVs, and semi-trucks.

Most of the time, GMs can handle scenes with vehicles without referencing these rules. However, they are useful if you are dealing with a vehicle-based Contractor, Scenarios with Mad Max-style road battles, or Combats that start on foot and turn into a chase. 

Entering and Exiting Vehicles

  • Entering or exiting a stationary Vehicle is a Quick Action. 
  • Buckling or unbuckling a seatbelt requires a Quick Action.
  • Getting into a stationary vehicle, turning it on, and putting it into gear requires a Full Action. Each part is a Quick Action if performed individually (ie if the car was already started and they just need to get in and put it in gear, that’s two Quick Actions). 
    • A vehicle effectively does not move on the Round it is readied, though its tires may squeal and it may inch forward a bit.

Vehicle Speed and Acceleration Link

Speed and Acceleration

A vehicle is traveling at one of the following speed levels at any given time.

Speed Level Distance / Speed Notes
0 - Stopped Stationary (0 mph)  
0.5 Technical Dex + Drive x 5 feet per Round (5 mph) Used only when traversing extremely difficult terrain such as stairs on a motorcycle or rocky, off-road terrain in an SUV. Skipped in standard acceleration.
1 Maneuvering 120 feet per Round (15-50 mph) Used when accelerating from a stop, when traversing difficult terrain, when performing tight turns, or when tires are damaged.
2 Highway 250 feet per Round (55-85 mph) Usable only when traversing ideal terrain, such as a highway. 
3 Top 500 feet per Round (90-120 mph) Extremely dangerous

 

In ideal conditions, drivers may use their Free Movement to move their current speed’s distance, or to accelerate or decelerate one speed level, in which case they use their target speed’s distance.

If skilled maneuvering is required (often the case in races or combat), the driver must use their Action on a Dexterity + Drive roll.

  • With an Outcome of 4, you travel the distance of your target speed. Otherwise, you traverse some distance between current and target speed
  • Failures may cause crashes, and Botches always cause crashes.
  • Difficulty can be modified by the relative speed of the vehicle, the terrain, and any obstacles present.

The higher the speed, the less maneuverable a vehicle is. A 180 degree turn must be performed at Technical speed or Maneuvering speed with a roll. 

Slow vehicles (semi trucks, mini vans) require 2 Rounds to increase their speed by one level. Heavy vehicles also require 2 Rounds to slow. 

Entering difficulty terrain at too high of a speed demands a Dexterity + Drive roll at a high Difficulty. A failure causes a Tumble, but any Outcome will result in significant damage to the vehicle.

Vehicle Crashes and Safety Link

A botch on any Drive roll causes a crash. A failure may cause a crash at the GMs discretion. There are two types of crashes.

Tumble
  • Sliding out on a motorcycle, rolling a car, a major collision with a significantly smaller vehicle, entering poor terrain at speed, or any crash that involves several small or indirect collisions.
  • Damage: Roll Speed rating x 2 dice, difficulty 6 and add 2 to the Outcome to determine Damage for each participant.
  • A Tumble may destroy or damage the vehicle at GM’s discretion.
Catastrophic Collision
  • Direct collision with a tree, the side of a building, or a vehicle same-size or larger.
  • Damage: Roll highest speed rating involved x 4 dice, Difficulty 6 and add 4 to the Outcome to determine damage for each participant.  
  • Destroys the vehicle.

Safety measures in crashes:

  • Armor: Any Armor the Contractor happened to be wearing applies in full.
  • Seat belt: +2 Armor (stacks with normal Armor).
  • Airbag: +1 Armor (stacks with Armor and seatbelt, requires seat belt to be worn).

Protection from Outside Attacks:

  • Standard civilian cars offer 3 Armor from exterior ranged attacks, which does not stack with other Armor. 
    • This represents both the materials of the vehicle as well as increased difficulty to get a good shot on a target in cover. 
  • Armored vehicles  
    • Damaging passengers requires an opening and a called shot for firearms
    • Against exterior explosives, armored vehicles grant 10 Armor to passengers.
  • Melee attacks from/against passengers in a moving vehicle are not generally possible. 

Damaging Vehicles Link

Vehicles are not video game monsters that take damage when any weapon collides with them. They have many components, only some of which are critical. If a critical component of the Vehicle (such as the engine or drive shaft) breaks, the vehicle stops. 

Vehicles that "cannot be destroyed" due to a Gift or other effect simply cannot be fully destroyed. Their windows may still break and their doors may be ripped off, but they'll keep going. 

  • Non run-flat tires that take any damage are destroyed.
    • +1 Difficulty to Drive rolls per tire destroyed
    • If half or more of a vehicle’s tires are destroyed, the vehicle can only move at Maneuvering speeds.
    • If all are destroyed, the vehicle can only move at Technical speed.
  • Engine damage
    • Damaging an Engine with an Attack requires a Called Shot (requiring Outcome 4). A standard civilian vehicle engine has 4 "Body" and 6 Armor. 
    • Sidearms and shotgun shot are unlikely to damage an engine enough to cause immediate catastrophic failure, but they may cause a broken windshield, loss of functionality, or eventual overheating.
  • A vehicle with damaged critical components cannot travel faster than Maneuvering speed.

 

Vehicle Maneuvers Link

Maneuvers

  • Traverse Obstacle (e.g. a parking lot, city streets, watermelon cart in the market).
    • Roll Dex + Drive Difficulty 6 + (depending on obstacle and speed). 
    • Full distance if Outcome is 4 or higher. Failure causes a crash.
  • Racing
    • On a flat straightaway, the outcome is determined by the vehicles.
    • If any maneuvering is required, roll a contested Dexterity + Drive
  • Positioning
    • Attempting to pass during a chase at same speed
    • Attempting to drive alongside the other vehicle
    • Attempting to out-maneuver during a chase
    • All require a Dexterity + Drive roll. 
  • PIT maneuver: an attempt to safely stop similarly-sized vehicle
    • Dexterity + Drive, Difficulty 7. The target may Defend at Difficulty 7.
    • Success reduces their speed to 0 and turns them around. Any failed rolls cause Tumbles and vehicle damage. 
  • Driver Multi-tasking
    • Non-challenging driving is considered a Quick Action and uses one hand. 
  • Drive-by (while moving at Maneuvering speed or higher, otherwise normal). 
    • Firing from inside a fast-moving vehicle is +2 Difficulty. 
  • Crashing into a target
    • Attack with Dexterity + Drive Difficulty 5 + speed rating. They dodge with Dexterity + Athletics (or Dexterity + Drive if driving).  
    • If targets are roughly the same size (pedestrian vs motorcycle, SUV vs sedan), both experience a catastrophic crash or Tumble, depending on Outcome and intent.
    • If one target is significantly larger, the smaller target experiences a Catastrophic crash.  While the larger one experiences a Tumble.
    • In cases with extreme size differences (bus vs pedestrian) the larger vehicle will not crash.
  • Bailing (leaping from a moving vehicle)
    • Roll Dexterity + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Complete success results in you taking a “Tumble.” Partial or a failure counts as a Catastrophic collision.

Difficulty Modifiers

Most modifiers are levied by the GM at game-time at their discretion. 

  • In general when working with contested rolls, if one vehicle should benefit from its speed, size, or versatility, this is done as a Difficulty modifier on any relevant rolls. 
  • +1 Difficulty to maneuver a large vehicle
  • -1 Difficulty to maneuver a motorcycle
  • -1 Difficulty to race in a sporty car
  • +1 Difficulty for difficult terrain (e.g. a trail for a dirt bike, a grassy field for an SUV)
  • +1 Difficulty per damaged tire
  • +1 Difficulty at high speeds for missing front windshield.

Drugs Link

Drugs designed for human consumption have minimal positive mechanical Effects. 

All drugs risk Addiction. If you would gain a Trauma while under the effect of a substance you are not already addicted to, that Trauma will be an addiction to the given substance.

Onset Time

No drug acts immediately. The quickest onset time available to a drug is 1 minute when administered intravenously (via IV or with carefully with a syringe directly into major vein). Drugs administered via snorting or muscular injection (i.e. a dart) have an onset time of 5 minutes. Drugs that are ingested have an onset time of one hour. 

Recreational drugs
  • Normal dose: Recreational drugs have no mechanical benefits. They give at least a -1 Penalty, which can increase depending on the specific drug and how much you consume, at GMs discretion.
Truth Serums
  • Despite what Vice News tells you about scopolamine and similar drugs, no effective truth serum exists. This is because effective doses for sufficiently reducing inhibitions also cause delirium, confusion, and memory loss, making the information gained extremely unreliable. 
Stimulants
  • Normal dose: Reduce Mind Penalty by 2 for the next 4 hours, but during this time all Mind rolls are at +1 Difficulty. You cannot fall asleep while under the effects of a stimulant, and you cannot have restful sleep until 16 hours after the initial dose. 
  • Overdose: You are affected by the following Traumas: hallucinations, paranoia, delusions of invincibility. All Wound and Mind Penalties are ignored. Mind rolls are at +3 Difficulty. 
  • Massive Overdose: After 2 hours roll Body, Difficulty 9. If you fail, you suffer a heart attack (Severity 7 Injury that cannot be reduced with Will to Survive). 
Painkillers / sedatives
  • Normal dose: Reduce Body Penalty by 2 for the next 4 hours, but you take 1 point of Mind Damage when you consume the painkiller.
  • Overdose: Take an additional Mind damage. You must roll Mind, Difficulty 8 to avoid falling asleep whenever you sit still. All physical Actions are performed at a -2 Penalty that cannot be reduced. Body Penalty is ignored.
  • Massive Overdose: Sleepless no longer prevents you from sleeping. If you fall asleep, you stop breathing. If you remain asleep for more than 3 minutes, you take a Severity 1 Injury that worsens every 30 seconds that you are not receiving artificial respiration.