RQ

Introduction Stats

How to get started

The Heroes
Skills

You’ll need

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Skill Checks & Saves

Advantage/Disadvantage

Heroes and Saves

Resting

Hit Points & Dying

Wounds Leveling p
U

Death

Hit Dice

Speed, Range, & Reach

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Starting Combat Heroic Reactions
A combat encounter begins when the GM tells the party to “Roll Initiative!” Each Reactions cost 1 action and are performed when it is not your turn. A hero can per-
hero rolls 1d20 and adds their Initiative bonus. The result determines how many form each reaction no more than 1/round, and they will start their turn with fewer
actionsaherostartscombatwithontheirrstturn: actions.Thereactionsare:
•1 digit initiative = 1 action.
•2 digit initiative = 2 actions.
Defend
Reduce damage from any single attack by your Armor whenever you use this reac-
•20+ (or a natural 20) = all 3 actions! tion. At the GM’s discretion, some damage may not be avoidable (e.g., psychic
Regardless of what a hero rolls on Initiative, at the end of their first turn they damage, or some areas of effect).
gain all 3 actions back.
Interpose
Whencombatbegins,heroesgorst.Whicheverplayerisready rst
If a creature goes
within rst(or
2 spaces would be struck with an attack, you can push them
whoever makes the most sense story-wise), with play proceeding around the table out of the way and become the new target of the attack. You enter their space and
clockwise. Monsters will typically act last, though some may be fast enough to act move them to an adjacent space of your choice.
sooner in the round.
Interpose AND Defend? Yes! As long as you have enough actions to spend, you can
Be Flexible. If players want to strategically switch their turns for one round to facil- Interpose and Defend at the same time. However, you won’t be able to do either reaction
itate teamwork or execute a tactical plan, the GM can allow this at his/her discretion. again until your next turn is over since each of those is limited to 1/round.

Heroic Actions Opportunity Attack

Heroes get 3 actionstoattack,movearoundthebattleeld, - A cast
melee attack
spells,made with
etc.disadvantage
Gen against an adjacent enemy as it willingly
erally doing any single thing in combat costs 1 action. Some very strong spells or moves away. Monsters do not make opportunity attacks, only heroes can.
special abilities may take more time (and thus cost more actions). All 3 actions
recharge at the end of your turn, so there’s no need to save them up. Spend them Help
all on your turn and when you’re done, you get them all back! Grant an ally advantage on a roll if you can reasonably explain to the GM how you
couldhelpinagivensituation(limit:oneHelpreactionf
Attack call for a skill check or grant advantage automatically, depending on how good
Roll the die listed on the spell, weapon, or ability, and deal that much damage. the idea is.
However, if you roll a 1, you miss, and the attack has no effect (for attacks with
multiple dice, the leftmost die is called the Primary Die, it determines whether Teamwork! Help as a Heroic Reaction is a fantastic way to bring teamwork, role-playing,
the attack is a hit or a miss). and creativity into a combat encounter. Did your buddy fail? Maybe not! Think quickly and
see if you can help them succeed.
Exploding Critical Hits.RollingthemaxonaPrimaryDieisacriticalhitcrit) ( roll
:
the Primary Die again, and add it to the total. Repeat this each time you roll the maxi-
mum—there’s no limit, except your luck! Crits also ignore monster armor! (see pg. 4) Free Actions. These do not cost an action or any other resource (e.g., mana) unless otherwise
specied.Heroescandosimpletasks(openanunlockeddoor,shouta
an item, end concentration, etc.) for free 1/ turn.
Rushed Attacks. A hero may attack more than once on their turn, but additional
attacks are rushed, imposing cumulative disadvantage for each additional attack
afterthersthincreasingthechancetomissandloweringtheaveragedamage
for subsequent attacks. Saves. For attacks that trigger a save, monsters roll with
increasing advantage instead.
Spells
Casting a spell requires a hero to have 1 hand free (or a held spellcasting focus),
the ability to speak, and may require mana as well. A spell’s mana cost is equal to
Move its spell tier; cantrips cost no mana
A character can move up to their speed (typically 6 spaces). This movement can
be broken up with other actions if desired, and a hero can use multiple actions to Upcasting Spells. Some spells have a greater effect for each additional mana
Move multiple times in one turn. spent on them. A hero can upcast a spell only up to the tier they have unlocked.

Assess Upcasting. You can spend additional mana on tiered spells (up to the tier that you
A great way to include creativity and role-playing in combat. Choose one of the fol- have unlocked) to make them stronger for each additional mana spent.
lowing and then make a DC 12skillcheckto: There are 6 main schools of magic. Each school has its own basic spells called can-
trips and 9 tiers of progressively more powerful spells that can be unlocked as heroes
•Ask a Question. About a weakness, ability, or immediate plans of enemies, level up. Heroes can cast any spell from the schools that they know within the tiers
the environment, story, etc. The GM will answer honestly. they have unlocked.
•Create an Opening. Increase the next Primary Die Roll against a target by
1 this round. Secret Spells. Some spells have been hidden or lost through the ages. Whether they are
•Anticipate Danger. Reduce all Primary Dice rolled against you by 1 this round. too dangerous to be common knowledge or for other reasons, adventurers can sometimes
stumble upon new spells (or wrench them out of the undead hands of a defeated Lich).

Which Skill To Use? Whatever skill you use must make sense based on the circumstances!

Monsters Are Smart! You cannot assess using the same skill more than once in a single
encounter, as your foes adapt to your tactics. You’ll need to stay creative!

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 Starting as a GM
GMing isn’t that ah rd! as that! This conversation goes back and forth, whenever a situation is uncertain,
It’s actually fairly easy, and WAY more rewarding than being a player. The players you may want to call for a roll of the dice. The intro adventures are designed to be
only get 1 character, YOU get hundreds —you get entire ROW LDS at your command. easy to pick up and contain all the guidance you should need to get started.
Sound cool? Yeah it does. A bit intimidating? Also, yes.The good news is you can
start very small. Jump Right In!

Don’t expect to remember all of the rules perfectly.Therstfewtimesyou

play, expect to forget some rules, that’s okay. The adventure will help teach the rules
as you play. hW en in doubt, rule in favor of your players and keep the game moving.
Wa
h t If They…!?
Prepping an Adventure Yes, sometimes your players will try to go so far off the adventure path that you
It’s easy to get started running an iN mble TTRPG session. All you need to do is spend don’t know what to do. Be honest and feel free to say “Hey, I’m new at this.” Ask
5–10 minutes to quickly read through an adventure to get the feel for what’s hap - your players to stick to the story you’ve got prepared for now. In time, you’ll be able
pening, then you’re ready! Once everyone is settled in and ready to get started, to let them wander off and do anything they can imagine, but for now, let’s play
describe what’s happening and ask your players what they want to do—it’s as easy the adventure that’s at hand.

Running Monsters
The GM controls the monsters during combat. Monsters do not use Heroic Actions/ )orexample,withthisGoblinstatblock:1ospeed,armor,ors
Reactions. They can move, use the actions listed on their stat block, and their turn usethedefaults.,fheevertakesatotalofor 1 moredamage
ends. Monsters die when they reach 0 HP. means
3/1 goblins
3 areaboutasstrongasalevelhero.
1 Ontheits
uptospaces
6 andstabor
( shoot)ineitherorder.Whenmissed
Monster Armor. While most monsters are unarmored, some creatures are
tougher to take down:
Goblin Lfl¥‹ƒ¥¥
,/ 15
• Medium Armor: Just the Dice. Monsters with Medium Armor (M) ignore all
Haha, Missed Me! Whenever an attack misses you, deal 1 psychic damage in return.
damagemodiersfromstatsandothereffects,takingdamage fromthesumof
the dice only. Stab. 1d6+2 (or Shoot, Range 8).
• Heavy Armor: Half the Dice. Monsters with Heavy Armor (H) ignore damage
modiersandtakehalfthesumofthedice(roundingup).
Minions
Tell oY ur Players! Minions are low-threat monsters that are easy to kill but dangerous in numbers.
They add dynamic movement and excitement to battles without bogging down
gameplay.Minionshave:

Default Monster Stats • No HP to Track. Any damage kills a minion.

Unless otherwise noted, monsters are nu armored , have speed 6 can ( replacean • Easy Attacks. Each minion attacks with a single damage die, cannot crit, and
attack to move again), attacks have Reach 1, and roll 1d20 for all saves (though missesonarollof1.
somemonstersmayhaveadvantaged/disadvantaged •
- savesorcheckswhen When multiple minions attack a single
appro
priate)Reading
. astatblock: damage is combined and countsasasingleattack,sohe
,nterposeagainstthemallatonce.
The creature’s Hit Points. Act Together!
The creature’s Armor (M or H).
The creature’s Speed (ty,burrow,etc.).

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 A Tiny Rescue
The Garden of Death, Chapter 1: A introductory adventure for LEVEL 1 heroes (and GMs) to learn the ropes!

ahW t’s Going On? Skill Checks. -

The heroes are at the
Valley’s Rest , a cozy inn located in the humble town of -
ceed! If your heroes have good ideas for searching, give them advantage on the skill check.
Merivale . Goblins have snuck into town to kidnap the towns’ beloved fairy,
Moon -
blossom . Read or paraphrase:
Misleading Footprints. Thegoblinshaveleftmultiplesetsofd
suJ t as oy u are sitting down for dinner rg( iffon stew), a tiny scream sends the inn’s prints.Onlyonepathiscorrecttheothersleadtohid
patrons into a hush. They look at the door, then to you—the only ones capable of isinfrontmustmakeaDC1aturecraft
12 checkortakedama
2
handling anything scarier than a stray sheep. What do you do? trap..eeprollingtondtherightpathuntilsomeonesu
at the woods tomorrow.
Encourage questions! This starting info is intentionally minimal to get your heroes
involved and asking euq stions asap! W
“ ait—Where are we?” W
“ hat do we see?” D“ id we hear Resting. If the heroes make camp for the evening, remind them that they can take a Field
anything else?” They’ll get more out of the game the more questions they ask!

Did We Hear Anything Else? DC 10 Perception check: The sound of a dozen The Elderwild
orsosmallfeetshuftingoutsideinthedark,ordersbeingwhispershouted.
eB A Hero! 6omeplayersarenaturallyhesitanttofacedanger,eggthemon,f
they’re hesitant: Marla, the innkeeper can offer “Free dinner to whoever deals
withthatmAveryelderlyoldmanslowlystandsup,armed hums with
with maga
ical energshuftes
fork, y.)
toward the door.When the heroes go to investigate:
Distant Laughing. Loud,boisterouslaughsechothroughthefor
Opening the door, you are facing down a pack of goblins who clearly look like thesoundrevealsagoblinencampment.1Goblinisridin
they’ve been caught red-handed. A goblin in the back riding on top of a giant rat giantratothergoblinsarepeltinghimwithrocks,tr
arelaughingmaniacally.
as he yells “get’em boys!” He, and a few others take off into the night.
Theremaininggoblins 2 goblin minions/hero
( face
) youdown,lthy,crooked Planning! Allow the party time to observe, ask questions, and plan how to deal with the
daggersdrawn,andlookreadytoleap “ROat
LL INITIATIV
youEand situation. This can be some of the most fun oy ru heroes will have! If the party takes too long,
!” attack.
the rat sniffs the air and growls suspiciously.
Todothis,eachherorolls1d20andaddstheir,nitiativebonus.,fthetotalisa
singledigit,theystarttheirrstturnwithMustaction 1 digits,
2 actions
2 anda
result of 20+, all 3 actions. Roll Initiative! ThisencounterkicksoffwhenthepartyMump
theyMretakingtoolong,thegiantratbeginssnifngthe
Regardlessofwhattheyend rolled,
oftheir
atthe
turn,eachplayerdirectiongetsall3 andgrowling.Goblin 1 )lunkie/heroandGoblin 1 R
actionsback.Whoeverisreadyrstcangorst,andthenplay will
is at half HPgo ifaround
there are 3the or fewer heroes).
tableclockwisethemonsterswillgolast.
Defend & Interpose. This is a more challenging encounter designed to teach the Defend
Minions. Any damage kills a minion, they all move at the same time, they can’t crit, and

Moving & Attacking.

AftermathL
/ oot
A curious map. )ound on a goblin,odd symbols (will need to as
in town). On the back, a note: “Tell Pinky he better not come back without my
ingredientsW(HA9(A1AGR((M(1T,.ROGGmhGreenthumb.
Moonblossom. MuftedlPardonme"Alittlehelpwould Atiny
belovel
The u
Q est fairy,lockedinacrudecage.6heMseagertoreturnhomea
Afterthegoblinsaredispatched,encouragetheheroes giftas tothank
lootthem youwhen theygetthere.6heMllofferaheali
asvillagers
pour out into the town square. ofthemostinMuredhero,restoringallHPandremovinga
Goblin Loot. Chipped/rustydaggers,rope,pocketfullofteeth, What Shenice
nK ows. rocks.
Thegoblinswerehiredbysomeonebad.,tsounde
The Quest. Thepartyisaskedtohuntdowntherest were arguing
rescue ofthegoblinsand aboutwhichbosstodeliverherto.Apparent
Moonblossom They . arewellprovisionedbeforeleaving(steamed Back in Merivale. Moonblossomgiftsthepartyagoldenacornfr
potatoes)
andpromisedgp 20 eachuponhersafereturn. Treeasatokenofthanks.time (1 use:rerollanydie) 1 .
Level Up. TheheroesalsoadvancetoLevel2uponrestingba
Additional Info lLeveling8pmonpg.2.
The aF iry Tree. AlargegoldenoakstandsproudlyinthetownsTuare,asym
bolof hopeandgoodluck.,tfeelswarmandcomfortingtothetouch,giving Goblins
goosebumps.Arcana ( orLoreCheck:fairiesareoftenkeptfor Haha,the
Missedblessings
Me! Whenever anthey
attack misses you, deal 1 psychic damage in return.
bestow, but more sinister forces use them
ingas
redients.)
The Goblins. Peopleareshockedgoblinswould The
come
Elderso
- farGoblin
from Minion Goblin Flunkie 15
wild into the valley. Stab. 1d6 (follows minion rules). Stab. 1d6+2 (or Shoot, Range 8) can’t crit.

Goblin Ratrider 30 10
Traveling Encounters
CHAAARGE! If you(DC
Old aC ravan. Anransackedsupplywagon.6ignsofarecentstruggle move
10 at least 4 spaces in a straight line, attack with advantage once.
(xamination:bloodandgoblintracksallaroundalso 12+: nd d1
1 gp)
0 .
Bite & Stab (x2).d61 On. 2 + crit:Prone.

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 Goblins of the Crystal Crag
ahW t’s Going On? Adventure Locations

Back in Town

Travel Encounters

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 • Pinky claims there is an dreadful force that iw ll soon terrorize the region (unsure
Goblin what that means).
Haha, Missed Me! Whenever an attack misses you, deal 1 psychic damage in return.
• If the party has taken a large amount of damage and is in need of healing, Sprig
Stab. 1d6+2 (or Shoot, Range 8) can’t crit. 15 can offer some slop. Tastes terrible but very nutritious. Eating one healsbowl
2 Hit Dice worth of HP. Eating more than that will not heal them any further,
• Unless the heroes made a lot of noise in the previous room, they can havand e may cause awful vomiting.
advantage on their Initiative roll. • .rogg (abugbear)isinthenextroomawaitinghisslop.9eryme
• A Collapsed Tunnel to the left, a barricaded tunnel straight ahead (to the Goblin’ • "Oh, before
s you go?" Sprig asks to stab one of you (just a little stab), in case
Den–removing the barricade is easy enough, but will alert the goblins on theyoulosehso.roggknowsheatleastputupa ght.Willoffe
other side to your presence: automatic 1 on Initiative), and an open tunnelpunch to him in return, but quickly drops it if heroes seem unwilling. "It’l- l prob
the right, covered in spider webs (to the Spider Chamber). ablybenev

Collapsed Tunnel. A passageway blocked by rubble. Krogg, Goblin King.

• Another Rootbreaker (motionless, but alive) is visible under the collapsed - rub
ble along with a shiny object (1d4 amber crystals, 5gp each). Will take 30 min
to get to the loot.
Krogg’s Quarters.
• The Rootbreaker attacks the closest creature if the rubble is cleared, then dies
(1d12 damage).
• A very large creature sits behind a wooden desk scrawling something, growls
without looking up:
Spider Chamber. Passageway obstructed by dense layer of webs.
• ,TM6A%O8TT,M(,,MM6TAR9,1G.GOTA.(TH,6L(TT(RTO<O8%ROTH(R,TH(
• Giant Spiders (1/hero) hide amidst the ew bs. Will attack if the ew bs are disturbed.BETRAYER—"
• Krogg is happy to reveal any info he knows about "GREETOM" before attacking.
Giant Spider Lfl¥ M 27
• Web.Range
( d8
1 On
) .6 2 + hit:Restrainedescape
( DC
or
, 2 1 anyslashing/firedmg)OR:.
• Bite. (Restrained target) 2d8+4, Poisoned (dissadvantage on rolls, healing ends). Level 2 Solo Angry Bugbear STR+, DEX+
75 M
Krogg, Goblin King
Drill Room. A dozen holes drilled into the walls. ACTIONS:AftereachheroMsturn,chooseone:
• A large mechanical drill (broken) is lodged in the wall. • Manglemaul.Move2d6 6. damage,
+3 Grappled(escapeDCOR: 10).
• (Examination: DC 10, with a diamond-tipped drill bit 25gp). Moving the drill • Crack Skulls. Move 6. Swing a Grappled creature at another creature.
(DC 16 Might) reveals a secret passage to the Goblin’s Den. Both take 2d6+3 damage, ending the Grapple.
• Ado]enholes(2ft.indiameter,36ft.deep)boredinthewallsandtoor.The
rstholelookedintohasasmalltreasure.Lookinginadditional BLOODIED: At 35 HP, Krogg’s
holes, damage
roll 1 :2 increases to 2d8+3.
d1
• 1–5: AGiant6pider(itattacksrst). LAST STAND: Krogg is dying! If he takes 20 more damage he dies. Until
• 6–10: Bones wrapped in spider webs. then, he has Heavy armor.
• 11: A small treasure.
• 12: A big treasure!
Treasure
Don’t punish curiosity or bravery! • Scrawled Letter. Sloppy handwriting outlines a deal with "GREEETOM" who
instructed Krogg to steal the amulet and a fairy for a strange ritual. In exchange
the goblins were to receive 10 wagons of pigs and rats. "10" is crossed out, "30"
is written in big bold lettering.
Goblin’s Den. • Manglemaul. (Rare, 2-handed Maul). 1d6+STR bludgeoning damage.
On hit: you may Grapple a creature smaller than you (escape DC 10). Action:
You may swing a creature Grappled this way at another creature within Reach,
• Goblins are here (2/hero), sleeping, picking their toenails, or playing cards damaging both of them and ending the Grapple.
at a stump.
• Abacus with beads made of bone, silver and gold (30 gp). Used by Krogg to
• Crude drawing of a goblin named P " inky" on the aw ll used as target practice for keep track of his ledgers.
thrown daggers and darts. Known as a traitor amongst the goblins.
• Golden Heart Locket. Opens to reveal small (not ev ry good) paintings of Marla
Slop Hall. HomebrewMschildren.6heMlldenitelywantthisback
• A grumpy goblin (Sprig, wearing an old, stained white chef’s apron full of
ahW t’s Next?
wooden spoons) stands on a stepladder stirring it lazily. Grumpily mumbling:
When the heroes make it back to Merivale to Safe Rest (2–3 day journey) they will
• "Stupid KROGG, make me stir this stupid slop, it’s not MY fault my stupid
brother…" level up to level 3 and be ready to start the next adventure! The the next chapter of
this adventure is available in the full GM’s Guide, as ew ll as an entier sandbox-style
• Whenheseestheheroes:AHDO1MT.,LLM(,MLLT(LL<O8(9(R<TH,1Gsetting <O8 and a bunch more adventures!
WANT TO KNOW IT WAS MY BROTHER, PINKY! HE DID IT"

What Sprig Knows:

• He was put on slop duty as punishment for his brother Pinky’s crimes. He ran
off to serve some "hack" wizard called "Greenthumb."
• Pinky has been secretly visiting his brother Sprig using some magical item to
comeandgoinvisiblya ( CloakofLesserWindform)He . wantstoconvince6prig
to join him in service to Greenthumb.
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TC
SUBCLASSES

— TOOLS OF THE —
SILENT BLADE

— TOOLS OF THE —
SCOUNDREL

N
U DERHANDED ABILITIES

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H
SUBCLASSES

— KEEPER OF THE —
SHADOWPATH

— KEEPER OF THE —
IW LD HEART

THRILL OF THE HUNT

9
M
SUBCLASSES

— INVOKER OF —

CHAOS
— INVOKER OF —

CONTROL

SPELLSHAPER

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 CONTROL TABLE CHAOS TABLE
I INSIST. Cast a cantrip for free, ignoring all disadvantage; it cannot miss.
Where’s the Chaos Table?ItMsasecretfortheGMonly!Sufceitto really
say,rollinga
ELEMENTAL AFFLICTION. A creature of your choice within 12 spaces gains bad, but rolling a 20 is AWESOME—but if you’re sure you want to spoil it, ask your GM to share
it with you, it’s at the end of this document. Let chaos reign!
the Charged, Smoldering, or Slowed (half speed on next turn) condition.
NO. Choose a creature; it cannot harm a creature of your choice on its next turn.
LOSE CONTROL. Do ALL of the above, but the GM chooses each time.

FIRE SPELLS

ICE SPELLS

LIGHTNING SPELLS

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O
SUBCLASSES

— OATH OF —
E
V NGEANCE

— OATH OF —
REFUGE

SACRED DECREES

12
RADIANT SPELLS

CHAOS TABLE

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14
 Get the Full Rules!
Core Rules: Game Master’s Guide:

Heroes:

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