Question 1

What is Acrobatics?

Accepted Answer

Tumbling, balancing, and agile movement.

Question 2

What is Action Points?

Accepted Answer

The currency of combat. You earn 1 AP per step; a round has 3 steps, giving you 3 AP total — but one at a time. AP accumulates toward multi-step actions: a 3 AP action declared at Step 1 receives 1 AP each step and resolves at Step 3. Unspent AP disappears at the end of each step.

Question 3

What is Aidron?

Accepted Answer

A private cabinet or small room within a communal Oios, used to store personal valuables. The only genuinely private space most outer-district residents have access to.

Question 4

What is Alertness?

Accepted Answer

Noticing danger, ambushes, and hidden details.

Question 5

What is Anchors?

Accepted Answer

Prepared people, places, and pressures that can move to wherever the players are going. Anchors, not rails — prep that travels is prep that compounds.

Question 6

What is Andros?

Accepted Answer

A mandatory middle name assigned to high-caste men who have no father, no spouse, and no children. Derived from an archaic term meaning 'The Disconnected.' Dropped the moment circumstances change — a marriage, a recognised child, a father found living.

Question 7

What is Animal Handling?

Accepted Answer

Working with animals, including riding.

Question 8

What is Appeal?

Accepted Answer

Physical grace, aesthetic presence, and the quality of being compelling to perceive — whether or not you're trying.

Question 9

What is Archery?

Accepted Answer

Bows, crossbows, and similar ranged weapons.

Question 10

What is Armor Absorption?

Accepted Answer

The number of points of physical damage absorbed by worn armor before it reaches the character's health.

Question 11

What is Armor Piercing?

Accepted Answer

Weapons with this property reduce the target's combined armor and shield absorption by a flat number of points (e.g., Mace reduces by 30 points, Warhammer reduces by 45 points). This reduces armor effectiveness but does not add extra damage. Physical Toughness is not affected.

Question 12

What is Background?

Accepted Answer

A character's formative life environment before play begins. Each background grants 7 bonus skill dots spread across relevant skills, with no single skill above 2. Background dots are applied before XP spending.

Question 13

What is Background traits?

Accepted Answer

Riches, Class, and Fame. These are set at character creation and cannot be raised with experience — they represent where you started, not how far you've come.

Question 14

What is Bao Beer?

Accepted Answer

The most common alcoholic drink in Soltherra, brewed from the seeds and husks of the Bao fruit. Inexpensive, widely available, and found on tables throughout the outer districts and most of the middle city.

Question 15

What is Bao Fruit?

Accepted Answer

The primary agricultural staple of Soltherra. Orange-brown skin, limited reddish pulp, and large seeds ground into flour for bread and baked goods. Grown on the elevated Roof Gardens of the outer and middle districts.

Question 16

What is Bao Wine?

Accepted Answer

A fermented wine made from the red pulp of the Bao fruit. Deep red in colour, with natural bitterness typically masked by added sweetness.

Question 17

What is Beon Wine?

Accepted Answer

A spirit distilled from Bao wine. Heavy sweet aroma. A luxury item in the outer districts; more refined variations are standard in inner-caste households.

Question 18

What is Body?

Accepted Answer

Raw physicality — strength, endurance, and the capacity to do things with your body that others politely decline to attempt.

Question 19

What is Brawl?

Accepted Answer

Unarmed fighting — fists, grappling, tackles.

Question 20

What is Caste?

Accepted Answer

A character's social standing in Soltherra's hierarchy. Determines access to social circles, job opportunities, and how others perceive you. Not a measure of talent or skill.

Question 21

What is Casteless?

Accepted Answer

Those with no formal position in the caste system, which is itself a position — just not one that comes with rights, protections, or much hope of improvement. Disproportionately Marked; exiled beyond the walls rarely survive long.

Question 22

What is Central Tower?

Accepted Answer

The fortress atop Soltherra's central mountain. The oldest surviving structure in the city and the administrative seat of the High Caste families. Not open to visitors.

Question 23

What is Channeling?

Accepted Answer

Magical aptitude — your ability to work with and through the forces that most people prefer to leave alone.

Question 24

What is Charm?

Accepted Answer

Winning people over with warmth and likability.

Question 25

What is Climbing?

Accepted Answer

Scaling walls, cliffs, and other vertical surfaces.

Question 26

What is Coercion?

Accepted Answer

Intimidation, threats, and pressure.

Question 27

What is Concealment?

Accepted Answer

Hiding objects, evidence, or intentions.

Question 28

What is Condition band?

Accepted Answer

One of four health ranges that impose escalating penalties. Uninjured (75-100): no penalty. Wounded (50-74): no penalty. Badly Hurt (25-49): -1 AP, -1 FM. Crippled (1-24): -1 AP, -1 FM (cumulative with Badly Hurt). All values are playtesting values.

Question 29

What is Damage pipeline?

Accepted Answer

The fixed sequence that converts a successful hit into health points lost: (1) degree of success, (2) multiply by weapon damage factor, (3) subtract Physical Toughness reduction, (4) subtract armor absorption, (5) apply to health. Every step happens in order.

Question 30

What is Deception?

Accepted Answer

Lying, misdirection, and disguise.

Question 31

What is Defending?

Accepted Answer

Active defence against incoming attacks — blocking, evading, and shielding.

Question 32

What is Degree of success?

Accepted Answer

The margin between the attacker's and defender's success totals in an opposed roll. A larger margin means a more decisive result, and it feeds directly into the damage pipeline.

Question 33

What is Dia Bean?

Accepted Answer

A poisonous, pea-like legume used as a local anesthetic, muscle relaxant, and sleep aid at controlled doses. Higher doses cause respiratory distress and death. Used in the Arena for medical purposes.

Question 34

What is Distraction?

Accepted Answer

A social or performance action that rattles enemies in combat. Costs 2 AP. Roll a social skill — enemies whose Resolve + Mental Resistance falls below your success count are distracted. Each distracted enemy grants +1 bonus success to any ally who attacks them. Does not steal AP or deal damage. The bonus lasts for the remainder of the current round only.

Question 35

What is Dot?

Accepted Answer

One level in a Gift or Skill. When someone says "3 dots," they mean level 3. Gifts run from 1 to 5 dots; Skills run from 0 to 5.

Question 36

What is Dying?

Accepted Answer

The state below 0 health. A dying character is unconscious, loses 5 points per round, and cannot act. At -100 they are dead. A character with the Medicine skill can attempt to stabilize them.

Question 37

What is Electricity?

Accepted Answer

Channeling and controlling electrical energy.

Question 38

What is Empathy?

Accepted Answer

Reading emotions, motives, and unspoken intent.

Question 39

What is Enchant Item?

Accepted Answer

Imbuing objects with magical properties.

Question 40

What is Enchant ceiling?

Accepted Answer

The maximum spell level a character can create. Equals Channeling gift + Enchant Item skill (max 10 for a solo caster).

Question 41

What is Etiquette?

Accepted Answer

Navigating social norms and formal settings.

Question 42

What is Experience Points?

Accepted Answer

The currency used to purchase skill dots during character creation and progression. Earned through play and awarded by the GM.

Question 43

What is Facing?

Accepted Answer

The direction a character is oriented in grid combat. Facing determines positional bonuses for attackers. Deliberate rotation is free — it costs no AP. Optional rule — see Positional Tactics.

Question 44

What is Fame?

Accepted Answer

A measure of how widely known your character is. Higher fame means more people recognize you — for better or worse.

Question 45

What is Fire?

Accepted Answer

Creating and manipulating flames.

Question 46

What is Floating pairing?

Accepted Answer

The principle that any Gift can pair with any Skill for a roll. A player describes their approach, proposes the pairing, and the GM approves or suggests an alternative. There is no fixed list.

Question 47

What is Force?

Accepted Answer

Telekinetic and concussive magical effects.

Question 48

What is Free Movement?

Accepted Answer

Movement a character can take each round without spending Action Points. The pool is 1 + Physical Speed dots (minimum 1, maximum 6), and resets at the start of each round. A character may spend at most 2 FM per step.

Question 49

What is Fumble?

Accepted Answer

A fumble occurs when every die in the roll shows a 6. It applies a flat −1 to the success total. More dice means fumbles are harder to trigger, not easier.

Question 50

What is Fun Rule?

Accepted Answer

A principle from the GM Guide: if something would be more fun, that is a valid reason to allow it. The rules serve the game, not the other way around.

Question 51

What is Gift?

Accepted Answer

One of six innate aptitudes (Body, Wits, Presence, Resolve, Channeling, Appeal). Every character has all six, rated 1-5 with a minimum of 1. Your Gift rating determines how many dice you roll.

Question 52

What is Grit?

Accepted Answer

Pushing through pain, fatigue, and hardship.

Question 53

What is Guns?

Accepted Answer

Firearms and gunpowder-based weapons.

Question 54

What is Heavy Lifting?

Accepted Answer

Carrying, dragging, and sustained physical exertion.

Question 55

What is High Caste?

Accepted Answer

The uppermost tier of Soltherra's caste system — near-immortal, centuries old, and sustained by channeling in ways the other castes do not fully understand. They know something about the Corruption. What that is, they have not said.

Question 56

What is Interruption?

Accepted Answer

A spell release is interrupted when the caster takes damage in a previous step — before the spell has resolved. Same-step damage does not interrupt. An interrupted spell explodes, dealing spell level × 20 points of damage to the caster. The item is destroyed.

Question 57

What is Lore?

Accepted Answer

Historical, arcane, and scholarly knowledge.

Question 58

What is Medicine?

Accepted Answer

Diagnosing and treating injuries and illness.

Question 59

What is Melee?

Accepted Answer

Fighting with handheld weapons — swords, axes, spears.

Question 60

What is Mental Resistance?

Accepted Answer

Resisting magical influence, fear, and mental intrusion.

Question 61

What is Mentality?

Accepted Answer

Telepathy, mental communication, and psychic effects.

Question 62

What is Meticulousness?

Accepted Answer

Careful attention to detail and thoroughness.

Question 63

What is Middle Name?

Accepted Answer

In Soltherra, men carry their father's first name as a middle name while the father lives. When the father dies, it is dropped. In the high caste, losing the middle name marks full household responsibility. In the low caste, it simply means the father is dead. Women never carry middle names.

Question 64

What is NPC?

Accepted Answer

A non-player character — anyone in the world who is not controlled by a player. Most NPCs do not need stats. They need a personality, a motivation, and one detail the players will not stop talking about three sessions later.

Glossary