Hits, Spirit, & Dying

HP and Armour

HP represents your character's grit, toughness and resolve to keep on fighting regardless of injury.

Your maximum HP starts at 2.

Every time you are struck in combat you lose 1 HP (except when indicated by a special call). This happens regardless of where you are struck.

You can only lose 1 HP per second from multiple attacks from one enemy.

If you lose all your HP you cannot act and are dying. You cannot be reduced below 0 HP.

Your maximum HP can be increased by wearing armour or by magical effects:

• • Heavy (e.g. rigid leather, chain, plate): +6 HP

  • Light  (e.g. leather, fur, padded cotton, mage regalia): +4 HP

To gain the benefit of wearing armour you must wear it as part of your costume. As long as your physrep is suitably convincing then it counts as armour regardless of the material it is made of e.g. cheat chain, poly plate etc. Armour should cover approx 50% or more of the body.

If you remove your armour your maximum and current HP are reduced by the amount the armour would increase it by, to a minimum of 1. If you are already dying you remain dying and your maximum is lowered. If you put on a suit of armour when not at your full HP then your maximum HP is increased, but your current HP remains the same.

HP can be restored by healing magic, potions and other effects. If you spend an hour resting somewhere comfortable you regain all your missing HP. Healing cannot increase HP above its maximum amount.

Dying

• When you reach 0 HP you fall over and start dying.

• You do not fall unconscious while on 0 HP.

• You stop dying if you regain HP for any reason.

• You die after 5 minutes of being on 0 HP or if a character roleplays hacking apart your body for at least 30 continuous seconds.

• You must roleplay that you are dying.

• You cannot not take any action other than slowly crawling, talking or screaming. You cannot use Lesser or Greater Magics; spend Spirit or Ribbons; or activate magic items, Enchantments or abilities in your Tome.

• You cannot Resist effects.

• You are automatically considered Unresisting.

Spirit

Characters draw upon their Spirit to cast combat spells and use magically empowered attacks.

Your Spirit starts at 5.

Spirit is usually expended to cast a spell, use a magically empowered weapon blow or resist hostile powers.

Abilities cost 1 Spirit unless otherwise stated.

Spirit is restored to full by a Spiritual Renewal. Some abilities may be “x times per renewal”. Such abilities are refreshed whenever a Spiritual Renewal occurs.

Lesser and Greater Magic

You can use a spell, attack or resistance that is a Lesser Magic up to once per minute without expending Spirit. You may use these additional times at the cost of 1 Spirit unless otherwise stated.

If you have more than one ability that is a Lesser Magic then you can use only one of them per minute for free.

A spell or attack that is a Greater Magic always costs at least 1 Spirit to cast. Some Greater Magic may cost more than 1 Spirit.

If you are wearing Heavy Armour all Ranged and Mass spells count as Greater Magics for the purpose of spending Spirit. If you gain an ability that grants a Ranged ability as a Lesser Magic then it now counts as Greater Magic instead.

Spiritual Renewal

Spiritual Renewal is the mechanism by which a character regains spent Spirit. A Spiritual Renewal restores a character’s Spirit to its maximum amount. This can occur in the following ways:

• By completing a Rite of Renewal at certain places of power, such as The Unfinished Tome. Normally these places will be sites of potent magical energy that you can tap into, refilling your own reserves. In the vast majority of situations the player’s home base will be somewhere you can perform the Rite of Renewal. This site will be marked by a special item stating that you may cast a Rite of Renewal here.

• By fulfilling the roleplay trigger for a Spiritual Renewal on one of your Lores. You may only trigger this ability once before you must complete a Rite of Renewal. If you have more than one Lore that provides you a Spiritual Renewal trigger you may only use one of them before you must perform the Rite of Renewal to benefit from them again.

• Some magical events may cause Spirit to be restored. In this case a referee will call “Renewal” or “Mass Renewal”.

• After resting overnight you gain the benefits of a Spiritual Renewal.

The Rite of Renewal

All Awakened can cast the following Lesser Rite that allows them to regain their magical abilities:

This rite may only be cast in a place with a magical object that explicitly allows the Rite of Renewal to be cast. The Unfinished Tome is one such place.

Cost: None

Time: 1 minute

Actions: The caster meditates, draws power or in some other way renews their Spirit from the well of power in the location of the Rite. This process is personal to each character and may be influenced by the lore they carry or recent events. You are welcome to interpret this process as appropriate for your character.

You may not be engaged in combat during this time. If you attack or are struck then you must begin the Rite again.

Effect: You complete a Spiritual Renewal.