🚧 Work in Progress 🚧
This section is still under development.
The Bounded
Power Through Covenant, Duty, and Debt.
"My strength is not solely my own. It is loaned, earned, and anchored by a promise that demands everything I have, and more."
What is The Bounded?
The Bounded archetype is built for characters whose power is tied to an active, unyielding tether to an external entity, cause, or bargain. You might be a Cleric drawing holy light from a divine domain, a Warlock bound by a ravenous eldritch contract, a Paladin anchored to a sacred vow, or a Guild Thief owing an unpayable blood-debt to an underworld syndicate. Your story is not just about what you can do, but what your power costs and who holds the leash.
TODO
What is the Bond Track, what are tags and how are they resolved.
Foundation: Bound by Devotion to a Deity
You are a living conduit for the divine. Whether you serve the Dawn Bringer, the Sovereign of Storms, or the Lady of Quiet Graves, your strength comes from an active, lived relationship with your holy ethos. When you act in accordance with your deity's domain, the tap opens wide; when you compromise your tenets, the divine light flickers.
Setting up your Bond Track
Your Bond Track represents the active, living connection between you and your deity. It is not a static meter, it measures divine resonance in the moment.
Start by labeling the left side of your Bond Track as "Wrath". This end of the track represents heretical tension and divine friction. You are demanding divine power while actively violating your god's ethos, or channeling holy energy through a body and mind wracked by doubt or sin. As your bond moves closer to Wrath, you lose access to the beneficial dice your Deity bestows and begin to incur additional Pressure Dice. This could feel like your veins are burning, the air getting heavier, ominous thunder, flickering light, or devine judgment looming directly over your shoulder.
Continue on by labeling the right side as "Favor". This end of the track represents unclouded alignment and sacred grace. Your actions resonate so strongly with your Deity's domain, that they actively reach down to bolster your presence.
Then add tags to the positions across your Bond Track as shown in the diagram below. As your character's bond moves between each of the positions you'll add various Action Dice and Pressure Dice to your rolls when calling upon your deity's powers.
W +1d +1d +1d +2d +2d +3d F R ┌─┐ ┌╨┐ ┌╨┐ ┌╨┐ ┌╨┐ ┌╨┐ ┌╨┐ A A | ├───┤ ├───┤ ├───┤■├───┤ ├───┤ ├───┤ | V T └╥┘ └╥┘ └╥┘ └─┘ └╥┘ └─┘ └─┘ O H +3p +2p +1p +1p R
Lastly, your character begins the Bond Track at the middle position. This position only contains a single +1d tag, which means you get to add one addition d8 dice to any action roll that specifically calls upon your deity's power.
| Descriptor | Essence | Form |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. | 2. |
The Shifted
Power Through Adaptation, Stances, and Modular Form.
"No single tool fits every threat. I bend, adapt, and shift my shape until the world breaks against my design."
What is The Shifted
The Shifted archetype is built for the ultimate tactical Swiss Army Knife. Instead of locking into a single playstyle, your power lies in pivoting between distinct operational "gears." You might be a Moon Druid shapeshifting between a dire bear, a hunting falcon, and a stone titan; a Weapon Master switching between Archery, Dual-Blade, and Shield Stances; an Alchemist chugging volatile mutagens; or an Archmage toggling between Evocation and Abjuration wards.
The Unleashed
Power Through Volatile States and Unfiltered Focus.
"There is a moment when safety filters shatter, composure slips away, and the true, terrifying shape of my potential takes control."
What is The Unleashed?
The Unleashed archetype is designed for characters who "flip a switch" to step out of their normal boundaries and enter an extreme operational state. You might be a Barbarian surrendering to primeval fury, a Wild Sorcerer funneling raw arcane overload, an Assassin slipping into an ice-cold shadow trance, or a Monk entering total empty-mind resonance. You do not negotiate for power—you open the floodgates and let it consume the room.
Foundation: Unleashed through the composure of [TOUCHSTONE]
Touchstone What Triggers Your Focus? What Does the Table See/Hear? Silence Absolute stillness, deep breathing, filtering out noise. Symmetry Clockwork logic, geometric balance, finding the pattern. Sovereignty Absolute confidence, unyielding entitlement, dominance. Solitude Total mental detachment, stepping outside your body. Scrutiny Dissecting every detail, hyper-awareness of flaws. Subversion Misdirection, bending perception, identity-warping. Savagery Raw predatory instinct, animalistic sharpness. Serenity Pure zen, flow state, complete peace in a burning room.
Foundation: Unleashed through Arcane Chaos
"Some mages memorise long, tedious formulas. Me? I just open the floodgates, catch the threads of raw chaos floating through the air, and weave whatever hits my hands"
You do not study spell books, nor do you pray to distant deities. You are a weaver of the arcane flux, a living conduit who reaches directly into the unfiltered streams of ambient magic. For you, casting magic isn't about rigid rote memorisation; it's an interactive drafting process where every spell is composed right in the heat of the moment.
The Arcane Matrix
When you selecting this foundation, your Unleashed Matrix transforms into you personal Arcane Matrix. Instead of shifting standard die numbers, your matrix gird contains Spell Components broken into three distinct rows:
- Descriptor: How magic behaves.
- Essence: What element of force it draws upon.
- Form: How the spell physically manifests.
ARCANE MATRIX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ╔═════════════════╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╗ ║ Descriptor (d8) | | | | | | | | ║ ╠═════════════════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╣ ║ Essence (d8) | | | | | | | | ║ ╠═════════════════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╣ ║ Form (d8) | | | | | | | | ║ ╚═════════════════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╝
During character creation you fill in the 8 slots across each row to build your personal lexicon of touchstones for casting magic.
Alternative Way To Play
For a truly chaotic experience, randomise the selection of the spell components on your Arcane Matrix. Instead of filling in all the spell components during character creation, leave all the die faces blank. Then whenever a blank die face appears when making a spell casting roll, randomly select a spell component to fill in the blank space.
Casting Magic
Cantrips
When you want to cast a minor, low-stakes spell such as lighting a campfire, causing a soft neon spark to dance across your fingers, or making a gentle gust ripple your clock, you don't roll any dice. Instead, select any two spell components (each from a different group/die) from your Arcane Matrix to form the keystones of the Cantrip you want to cast. Success is automatic, provided the spell works within the narrative and current environment (ie, you wouldn't be able to light a campfire underwater).
Example
You're currently in a heated exchange at the local tavern. You look at your Arcane Matrix and select the Prismatic Descriptor and Lightning Essence to make a harmless, crackling arc of static electricity dance between your fingers while making your point in the argument.
Standard & Potent Spells
When you cast a spell that alters the scene, harms an enemy, or solves a major problem, your draft your magic from the raw slipstream. Start by rolling your Arcane Matrix dice, resolving them from left to right, with the left-most die mapping to the Descriptor component, the centre die mapping to the Essence component and the right-most die mapping to the Form component. Once the dice are rolled consult the results from your Arcane Matrix and select 2 of the 3 rolled components to forge your spell on the spot!
Now that you have your spell defined within the fiction, describe your intent to the table and make your attribute based Action Roll as normal to resolve the cast. It's at this point, just before you make the Action roll, that you can decide on whether to up-cast to a Potent Spell or just resolve it as a standard spell.
Example
Your party is cornered within a narrow stone corridor by a heavily armoured warden charging straight for you. You open your connection to the arcane flux around and roll your Arcane Matrix dice.
Your dice land on:
- Descriptor: Phantom
- Essence: Fire
- Form: Chains
Fire & Chains -> Molten Shackles
"I weave searing, white-hot iron links that burst out of the stone walls, wrapping around the warden's ankles and pinning him in place while scorching through his armour."
Your attempting to bind the adversary's physical momentum with burning force. You could then make a Dominion (DOM) action roll to forcefully anchor the enemy or Ingenuity (ING) to trap them at a specific choke point within the corridor.
Phantom & Chains -> Ghostly Shackles
"I manifest spectral, translucent chains that pass right through his physical armour without leaving a scratch, binding his soul and freezing his body in terrified psychic paralysis."
Your attempting to target the adversary's mind or spirit. You could make a Conviction (CON) action roll to project your magical will or Ingenuity (ING) to exploit a gap in his mental fortitude.
Phantom & Fire -> Spectral Pyre
"I ignite an eerie, roaring wall of blue ghost-fire right in his face! It doesn't burn stone, but it fills their mind with agonizing heat, forcing them to throw leap backward in panic."
Your attempting to create a terrifying, heatless illusion of flame to panic the adversary. You could make a Harmony (HAR) action roll to smoothly project the illusion or Dominion (DOM) to intimidate the adversary into breaking their charge.
Magical Surges
Because your power comes from the unfiltered chaos, bad luck doesn't just sit ideally by, it leaks out into the room. However, you can turn that volatility into a tactical defense.
Alongside your Arcane Matrix, you also have a Surge Matrix. The Surge Matrix follows the same setup as your Arcane Matrix, but instead of selecting 8 spell components for each of the dice, you select only 6.
SURGE MATRIX 1 2 3 4 5 6 ╔═════════════════╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╤═══╧═══╗ ║ Descriptor (d6) | | | | | | ║ ╠═════════════════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╣ ║ Essence (d6) | | | | | | ║ ╠═════════════════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╪═══════╣ ║ Form (d6) | | | | | | ║ ╚═════════════════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╧═══════╝
Any time you cast a spell and the Action Roll generates a Tension Token you (or the GM) may choose to force a magical surge to occur. As this magical surge occurs you force the GM to spend the newly generated Tension Token plus one additional token from either the scene or your character sheet (choose wisely). Once the tokens are spent, roll 3 Pressure Dice and lookup the results on your Surge Matrix, working from left-to-right as you normal do when casting a spell. The GM then selects 2 of the 3 rolled spell components to instantly create a chaotic environmental hazard that alters the scene for everyone.
Example
You just cast a spell that generates a Tension Token. You trigger a forced magical surge, burning 2 Tension Tokens on the spot. You roll 3 Pressure Dice and look up the results, which turn out to be:
- Descriptor: Volatile
- Essence: Gravity
- Form: Rain
Volatile & Gravity -> Anti-Grav Shockwave
"The ambient magic violently detonates into a localized zero-gravity pocket. Benches, scattered cobblestones and anything not tied down are hurled three feet into the air. Everyone in the corridor needs to brace themselves or risk tumbling out of position!"
Raw momentum and physics break down in an explosive flash. This surge creates a chaotic, weightless battlefield. Melee movement becomes clumsy, but ranged attacks or aerial repositioning get a wild opening.
Gravity & Rain -> Heavy Downpour
"The humidity drops to a suffocating level as a dense, localized downpour of heavy, hyper-dense water collapses over the hallway. Footing becomes nearly impossible as five inches of muddy water instantly pools across the floor."
Atmospheric pressure shifts, making movement grueling. Corridors turn into difficult terrain. Moving quickly or maintaining balance may now require a Grace (GRA) or Harmony (HAR) check.
Volatile & Rain -> Caustic Storm
"A sizzling, superheated mist flashes into existance, raining down acidic sparks that hiss against armour and stone. The air fills with acrid smoke that burns the eyes and cuts off line-of-sight down the hall."
Chemical or elemental instability ignites the air. Vision is obscured, and taking cover become a priority. Characters without face protection or heavy shields might take a mark in Endurance if they linger in the fumes.