Printable Rules Reference

Most of the time, controlling your Contractor is as simple as telling the GM what you'd like to do. When you attempt an action that is dangerous or might not succeed, the GM may call for a roll to determine the outcome.

• The GM declares an Attribute, an Ability, and the Difficulty.
  • If the Difficulty is not specified, it is 6 by default.
  • If you have no ranks in the relevant Ability, the Difficulty is increased by 1.

• Add up your ratings in the relevant Attribute and Ability and roll that many 10-sided dice.
• The number each die lands on contributes to the Outcome.
  • +2 for each 10 (some dice use 0)
  • +1 for each 6 (Difficulty) or higher
  • -1 for each 1

• The Outcome determines the result of your Action
  • 6+ Exceptional success
  • 4–5 Complete success
  • 1–3 Partial success, or a success with a complication
  • 0 Failure
  • -1 Botch, something goes horribly wrong.

Counting Outcomes

• Rolling 3 dice at Difficulty 6: [7, 5, 2], the Outcome is 1 (+1,+0,+0).
• Rolling 4 dice at Difficulty 6: [9, 6, 4, 1], the Outcome is 1 (+1,+1,+0,-1).
• Rolling 5 dice at Difficulty 8: [10, 9, 5, 5, 3], the Outcome is 3 (+2,+1,+0,+0,+0).
• Rolling 6 dice at Difficulty 6: [10, 10, 10, 10, 3, 1], the Outcome is 7 (+2,+2,+2,+2,+0,-1).

Common rolls

• Read the situation: Perception + Alertness
• Shoot to kill: Dexterity + Firearms
• Break down a door: Brawn + Brawl (or Crafts)
• Search the internet for information: Intellect + Investigation

• Sometimes two Actions are in opposition. For example, sneaking and watching for intruders. In contested rolls, the defender subtracts their Outcome from the aggressor's Outcome. If the Contested Outcome is 1 or greater, the aggressor's action is successful. There are no degrees of success in contested rolls.

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.

Stabilization

Temporary measures like applying pressure or a tourniquet can be performed by the injured character and are assumed for the half hour degradation time. Grossly ignoring a severe Injury makes them degrade quicker.

• Stabilization attempts are either Makeshift or Proper based on the equipment used.
  • For Proper Stabilization, Severity 4 Injuries require a medical kit. Severity 5 require a field surgery kit and a blood transfusion. Severity 6+ require a surgical theater.
  • Roll Intellect + Medicine. Difficulty is equal to the Severity of the Injury for a Proper Stabilization and higher for a Makeshift Stabilization.
• Makeshift Stabilization attempts can stop degradation, but any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain. Anything less than a full success worsens the Injury.
• Proper Stabilization attempts can stop degradation, and a complete success will also set the Injury to heal cleanly, meaning the Battle Scar will heal along with the Injury.

Battle Scars

Battle Scars are disabilities and disfigurements, for example, a severed hand, a lost eye, or a wheezing cough.

• The more severe the Injury, the worse the Battle Scar. See the guidebook for examples.
• The specifics of the Battle Scar are decided by the GM when the Injury is suffered.
• Unless the relevant Injury was stabilized properly, Battle Scars do not heal naturally and last until cured with a Gift.

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

Mind Damage

Similar to how Injuries deplete your Body, stressful situations can deplete your Mind. Unlike Body depletion, Mind Damage depletes your Mind linearly, like a traditional health pool.

Limits

Your Limits represent events or choices which could be traumatic for you.

• If you cross one of your Limits, you must make a Trauma Roll (roll Mind, Difficulty 8).
• Failing a Trauma Roll causes either 1 Mind Damage or a new Trauma (GM's choice).

Traumas

Traumas are long-term mental health issues such as phobias, delusions, compulsions, and other instabilities. Think of them as Battle Scars for the mind.

• Most Traumas outline some triggering circumstance where a Contractor may lose control of themselves.
• When this situation arises, the Contractor must make a Self-Control Roll (Mind, Difficulty 8) to maintain control.

Exertion

When the chips are down and the stakes have never been higher, a Contractor can Exert themselves, channeling their willpower into a single Action to improve its Outcome. Exerting Mind causes a single point of Mind Damage.

• Before rolling, you may Exert to gain +1 to the Outcome of the roll and ignore your Stress for the Round.
• Activating many Gifts requires Exerting your Mind or spending a point of your Source (which has a unique name for each Contractor).

It's my Turn

You get one Movement and one Action on your turn every Round of Combat.

Movement

• Movement is taken immediately before OR after your Action. It cannot be split.
• You may Free Move (Dexterity + 1 - Stress) × 5 feet. Minimum 5 feet.
• You may Dash up to an additional (Brawn) × 5 feet.
  • Dashing penalizes your Action -1 die per 5 feet.
• All-out Sprint: instead of using Free Movement or Dash, you may spend your Action and roll Brawn + Athletics. You move (Free Movement + Dash distance + 5) + (Outcome × 5) Feet.

Actions

• Attack with your weapon or hands.
• Evade by rolling to Defend or Dodge. Your Outcome is "spent" to reduce the Outcome of any incoming attacks until your next Action.
• Activate a Power or use an Ability as normal.
• Hold your Action by declaring an Action and a triggering event. If the event occurs before your turn on the next Round, you perform the Action.

I'm being attacked

If you have not yet spent your Action this Round, you may use it as a Reaction.

Reactions

• Dodge by rolling Dexterity + Athletics. Your Outcome is subtracted from the attacker's.
• Defend with your weapon by rolling its attack roll. Your Outcome is subtracted from the attacker's. Availability depends on weapon match-up.
• Clash with the attacker using the same roll you would use to Defend. The higher Outcome (not contested) is treated as the result of a successful, undefended attack roll against the loser.

Desperate Defense

• If you have already used your Action, you may Exert your Mind to perform a Reaction. Your next Round's Action receives a -2 dice penalty. You cannot Clash as a Desperate Defense.

Will to Survive

• Once per Contract, you may reduce the severity of an incoming Injury up to 4 Severity levels (to a minimum of Severity 4). You take a point of Mind damage and suffer a Major Battle Scar that lingers after the Injury is healed, even with proper Stabilization.

• You can list any equipment you would reasonably be able to acquire at the store, online, etc.
• You can carry up to Brawn x 15 pounds without it affecting your movement.
  • Most Playgroups only calculate how much equipment weighs if it seems like a Contractor is carrying too much.

Armor

• Type Armor (Penalty to physical Actions)
• Street clothes 0 (-0)
• Rugged clothes 1 (-0)
• Armored clothing 2 (-0)
• Flack jacket and helmet 3 (-0)
• Plate Armor 5 (-3)

Weapons

• Type Roll (Damage)
• Club or improvised weapon Brawn + Melee (+1)
• Knife or dagger (Dex or Brawn) + (Brawl or Melee) (+1)
• Full-sized edged (sword, axe) Brawn + Melee (+2)
• Edgeless thrusting (rapier, spear) Dexterity + Melee (+2)
• Greatsword, giant axe Brawn + Melee (+3)
• Handgun Dexterity + Firearms (+2)
• Rifle, Shotgun Dexterity + Firearms (+3)
• Anti-material sniper Dexterity + Firearms (+3, ignores 2 Armor) (Requires one Action to set up tripod)
• Rock or improvised thrown weapon Brawn + Athletics, Difficulty between 7 and 9 +0 – +1

See the guide for a full list of Weapons and Armor.