Rules Reference

1d10 + Skill Base vs. Difficulty (DC)

Roll meets or beats the DC to succeed. A tie fails. If a character lacks a Skill Base, roll the die and add the governing Statistic instead.

Opposed Checks: both sides roll; higher total wins. On a tie, the defender (the one reacting) succeeds; if neither side is reacting, it’s a draw and the action must be repeated.

Percentile Rolls: roll 1d10 twice — first die = tens, second = ones. 0 & 0 = 100.

When a 10 is rolled on a Skill Check, add 10 to the total and roll again, adding that result too. Keep rolling and adding as long as 10s keep coming up.

When a 1 is rolled, roll again and subtract that result from the total. If the second roll is also a 10, subtract 10 and roll (and subtract) again. A Skill Check result can never drop below 1.

1s and 10s explode on Skill Checks only — not on damage or percentile rolls.

The GM sets the DC directly (DC:X) or from this table when none is given.

Bonuses and penalties for circumstance (tools, lighting, distraction, terrain, position) are added before comparing to the DC. Multiple modifiers stack.

Multiple attackers: Mild (−1) to Defense per enemy beyond the first in melee range.

1d10 vs. Save Stat

Used whenever a character risks being stunned or killed. Roll under the Save value to succeed; equal or higher fails (stunned or dying, per effect).

LUCK points may be spent to raise a Save by 1 each, or add a Mild (+1) to any Skill Check.

INT — Intelligence

Memory, perception, deduction

REF — Reflexes

Unarmed/melee combat, riding

DEX — Dexterity

Ranged combat, sleight of hand, stealth

BODY

Strength, endurance

SPD — Speed

Movement per turn

EMP — Empathy

Social skills, performance

CRA — Craft

Making/using things, medicine

WILL

Magic, intimidation, courage

LUCK

Pool spent for +1 bonuses or +1 Save

HP

Lethal damage pool

STA — Stamina

Non-lethal damage pool & spell fuel

VIGOR

Threshold of STA spendable per round on magic before it hurts you

SAVE

Target for Save Checks

REC — Recovery

HP/STA regained per rest period

LEAP

Movement in difficult terrain / climbing / swimming

Andras wows a crowd with lute playing: roll 1d10 → 6, + Performance Skill Base 14 = 20 total. If the DC was Average (14), that’s a clean success.

No matching Skill Base? Roll 1d10 + the governing Statistic instead (e.g. no Performance → roll + EMP).

Witcher

+1 Awareness; no penalty in dim light; no Courage Check vs. Intimidation but −4 EMP; +1 permanent REF & DEX (can exceed 10)

Human

+1 Deduction; Mild (+1) Charisma/Seduction/Persuasion vs. other humans; re-roll a failed Courage/Resist Coercion 3× per session

Dwarf

+1 Business; +1 Physique; reduce physical damage taken by 2 (after Armor, before location multiplier)

Elf

+1 Fine Arts; +2 Archery, draws/strings a bow free; beasts treat them as friendly

Every Profession also grants a unique Defining Skill — a special, class-specific ability rolled like a Skill Check (e.g. Witcher Training, Healing Hands, Busking, Practiced Paranoia).

Governing Statistic in the second column

Initiative = 1d10 + REF

A round represents about 3 seconds. Highest Initiative acts first; ties broken by higher REF. A character may voluntarily delay to act later, resetting their Initiative to that point.

Monsters and NPCs act on Rate of Fire (ROF) instead of Fast/Strong Strikes — ROF is how many attacks they get on their Attack Action.

Each turn: Movement (up to SPD in meters) + one Action, in either order (movement cannot be split around the action).

Attack

Fast or Strong Strike

Casting

Cast a Sign or Spell

Item

Draw, pick up, or use an item

Movement

Extra movement equal to SPD

Skill

Any Skill usable in ~3 seconds

Extra Action: spend 3 STA for one more Action; Skill Checks for it take a Moderate (−3) penalty. PCs only. Difficult terrain (climbing, swimming, squeezing through): move LEAP meters instead of SPD.

1d10 + Skill Base + WA

Weapon Accuracy (WA): add or subtract the weapon’s WA on every attack with it. Called Shot: target a specific hit location directly, at a penalty based on that location (skips the Hit Location roll on a hit).

One free Defense Action per round (first attack); each additional Defense costs 1 STA. Unwilling or unable to defend? The attacker just needs DC:10.

Block

Weapon (its Skill Base) / shield (Melee) / body (Brawling) — body part hit if it succeeds

Dodge

Dodge/Escape — move a few inches, avoid the hit

Reposition

Athletics — avoid and move up to LEAP meters away (not toward the attacker)

Ranged and thrown attacks can only be Blocked with a shield.

Attacking beyond a ranged weapon’s listed Range: Major (−5) penalty, up to double the listed Range (its hard max).

Ambush: attackers roll Stealth vs. targets’ Awareness. Against anyone who loses, one free Attack Action at Major (+5), before Initiative is rolled for the fight.

Damage code XdY[+Z]: roll X dice of Y sides, add Z. The figures above are representative examples, not a complete armory.

1. Roll damage dice (XdY[+Z]) and add the attacker’s BODY Damage Modifier (melee/thrown only).

2. Add Silver dice vs. monsters, if the weapon is silver.

3. Strong Strike: double the running total.

4. Subtract Armor SP at the hit location. 0 or less → attack repelled, stop.

5. Hit Location multiplier — apply once damage penetrates Armor; round down, minimum 1.

6. Resistance/Susceptibility: ×½ if the target resists the damage type, ×2 if vulnerable to it.

7. Apply the final total to HP (lethal) or STA (non-lethal).

Roll 1d10 after a successful hit (skip if it was a Called Shot).

* The penalty applies only when using a Called Shot to target that location.

Each Armor piece has a Stopping Power (SP) per location (Head/Upper/Lower). Subtract SP from incoming damage before the Hit Location multiplier.

Every time a hit penetrates Armor at a location, that piece’s SP drops by 1. At SP 0, it’s broken and useless.

Damage types: lethal (HP) is the default; unarmed strikes and some spells or creature abilities are non-lethal (STA).

Attack Check beats the Defense Check by 10+ → Critical Wound: +5 bonus damage (ignores Armor) plus an ongoing effect by location.

Treat: a Doctor spends 4 full rounds, DC:15 Healing Hands (or GM-approved First Aid). Heal fully after BODY-based days: 1–4 BODY = 5 days, 5 = 3, 6–7 = 2, 8+ = 1 day.

0 STA → Unconscious. 0 HP → Dying (Save Check now, and again each round or when hit again, with a cumulative Mild (−1) each time).

First Aid Check stabilizes: DC:10 (Unconscious) / DC:15 (Dying). Success ends the condition and sets HP/STA to 1.

STA: regain REC per hour rested (halved if any of that hour is strenuous).

HP: requires a DC:10 First Aid Check to begin treatment, then regain REC per day rested (halved by strenuous activity; +3/day if a Doctor uses Healing Hands instead of First Aid).

1d10 + Spell Casting Skill Base vs. target number

Cast as an Action or Extra Action (multiple casts per round possible). Beat the target number to succeed — the spell or Sign’s listed effect occurs; otherwise it fails, but STA is still spent.

Fumble: rolling a 1 on the casting roll fails and harms the caster — see the Fumble Table.

Direct

Hits a specific target adversely; Direct (Physical) can be Defended against normally, others use the noted Skill Check

Area

Fills a cone or radius; anyone inside when cast (or who enters) is checked; Area (Physical) uses any Defense Action

Defense: None

Cannot be defended against at all — success just requires not rolling a 1

Every spell or Sign has a Stamina Cost, paid from STA when cast. A witcher’s Sign STA cost is variable (1–7, the caster’s choice) — higher cost = stronger effect. Mage spells have a fixed cost.

Vigor Threshold: if total STA spent on casting in one round exceeds it, the caster takes 5 HP damage per point over the threshold — ignores Armor.

Active duration spells cost STA again each round to maintain (counts toward Vigor Threshold), but can be dropped anytime for free.

A spell or Sign cannot affect anything beyond its listed Range. Immediate duration resolves instantly; random durations (e.g. 1d10 rounds) are rolled and end at the end of the caster’s turn on the final round.

Roll d10 on a casting roll of 1

STA cost 1–7, which scales the effect.

Bleed

2 HP/turn until First Aid DC:15

Blinded

Moderate (−3) Atk/Def, Major (−5) Awareness

Dying

See Stabilization

Fire

5 damage/turn (Head/Upper/Lower), burns 1 SP/turn; douse to end

Freeze

Moderate (−3) SPD, Mild (−1) REF; DC:16 Physique to break

Poison

3 lethal damage/turn, ignores Armor; ends via DC:15 First Aid or Endurance

Prone

Moderate (−3) Atk/Def; stand via Movement or help

Stun

No move/Action/Defense; ends via Save (full turn) or being hit

Unconscious

Prone, no actions; ends via Stabilizing

% chance effects: roll percentile — a result ≤ the stated chance inflicts it.

1. Diagram/Formula: must be known or owned — it lists ingredients, time, and DC.

2. Components: gather or buy every listed ingredient (consumed whether the attempt succeeds or fails).

3. The Check: roll Alchemy (potions/oils/bombs) or Crafting (weapons/armor/items) vs. the formula’s DC, taking the listed time. Success = item made; failure = components wasted, try again with fresh components.

0 on a d10 = 10, not zero.

Effects of the same type don’t stack — reapplying refreshes, it doesn’t add.

Long Reach weapons hit targets 2m away in melee.

Armor-Piercing damage ignores resistances (except a monster’s non-silver resistance).

Falling: 1d6 lethal damage to upper body per 2m fallen.