Currency
= 100 Copper
= 100 Silver
Health Points
Quick Access Items
Welcome to the Ashfall chronicles
This page contains the essential rules for your first session. You will find the core mechanics explained here in clear, practical terms.
Ashfall chronicles is designed to emphasize exploration, team dynamics and combat beyond having the bigger dice. The mechanics exist to support the narrative and define the spells, equipment, and abilities to build a character around, not to overshadow the roleplay. The clear priority is diversifying roles, allowing creative solutions, and creating scenarios that are not resolved with some repetitions of everyone's "standard actions".
Before your session, review the sections below. Your Dungeon Master will answer questions, and do not worry if something remains unclear at first, or does not fit your character plans. It will become apparent once play begins, and the ruleset is build for easy expansion.
How Play Works: The Core Loop
Exploration and roleplay is in real time. You can move your character to any position it can reach, but it is recommended to move your character with small increments, so others can understand what you are doing, and the DM can intervene (for example with locked doors, encounters, traps or narration of extra details).
For everything that requires precise timing, like stealth and combat, the turn based mode is used instead. Anyone can request turn based mode, but it will always be globally active or inactive. If the party is ambushing someone or starting from a position where time does not matter, every member starts with full Action Points.
Encounters demand careful tactics and positioning
Action points are the main resource in the turn based mode. You can run your full Movement/AP distance, or walk or sneak half of it. You can also spend your AP for weapon actions, spells or one of these generic actions:
- switch to a one-hand weapon: 1 AP
- pick up an item: 1 AP
- place an item: 1 AP
- use a potion: 1 AP
- jump (Movement/AP - 2m): 1 AP
- throw an item: 2 AP (if no other value is given for the item)
- push an enemy: 2 AP.
Enemy is pushed by 3 meters unless countered by spending 1 AP as a reaction. - search an enemy (to see items available for pickup)
- switch to a two-hand weapon: 2 AP
- lie down: 2 AP
- stand up: 3 AP
- put out fire: 3 AP
- get something from your backpack or store it there: 3 AP
- use first aid: 5 AP
- Reload from somewhere that is not your ammo pouch: listed AP + 1
The AP per turn are regenerated from your Stamina. At the beginning of your turn, if your current AP plus the AP per turn are less or equal to your max AP, you will receive your full AP per turn, and it will be removed from your stamina. When your Stamina drops below zero, your AP per turn will be reduced by 2. When your Stamina drops below -100%, your AP per turn will be set to 2 and you cannot run anymore. With a default character, you will reach 0 Stamina after 10 turns, and -100% after 20 turns when spending your full AP per turn.
If you manage to catch a break and regenerate up to your max AP, every AP per turn "voided" will regenerate two Stamina instead. Especially if your enemy is chasing you in this time and further burning through his stamina, this will definitely turn around combat and chases.
While fitness grants you more action points per turn to spend, there is another way to be effective in combat: Increasing your max AP and movement speed. If you are faster than your enemy or manage to hide consistently, you can prepare defenses, traps and a huge pool of AP to overwhelm in a single turn. If your enemy does not know where you are anymore, you can spend all the amassed AP with advantage.
If you don't have enough AP to finish an action this turn, you can spend as many as you want, and continue spending AP on it next turn. Loading heavy weapons and spell rituals are intended to be used like this. A turn is meant to represent 5 seconds.
The only actions you can do during the enemy turn are reactions, and regular actions that are "prepared" (AP already fully spent, but not executed yet). Reactions can only be used against enemies you are aware of. Preparing an action to execute it in the enemy turn always gives you advantage, but you cannot use reactions or different actions anymore until your prepared action is completed, or cancelled without "refund".
A rogue character has 4 AP per turn, and starts with his 7 max AP (after spending skill points to increase them) for a stealth section.
In his first turn, he spends 6 AP sneaking, resulting in
(6 Movement / AP) / 2 (sneaking) * 5 AP = 15m Movement.
He keeps two AP for reactions.
As enemies do not spot him in their turn, he just keeps it along with his 4 AP per turn for his next turn, resulting in 6 AP available.
This turn, he sneaks for 6 more meters (2 AP),
pushes an enemy out of a nearby window (2 AP),
and uses the dagger weapon action "Opportunity attack" (2 AP) against a second remaining guard.
With the attack dice he rolls, the guard is still barely alive. The guard starts with his 4 AP per turn, and attacks twice.
The rogue cannot use defensive reactions since he is out of AP, but since the guard has already taken a lot of damage and only has 4 AP himself, he manages to win the fight.
Survival & Consequences
Safe havens to rest and resupply
In your adventures, you will commonly venture far from human civilization, and your party will have to tend to their own needs. For every party, the following items are strongly recommended:
- Bedrolls, to improve comfort and isolate from the ground during sleep
- Tents, to provide visual cover from wild animals, further improve comfort, and for sleeping through rain.
- Some way to start a fire, through fire magic, a firestarter in the cooking supplies (which further improves comfort) or other ways
- One or multiple reliable sources of light. Otherwise you cannot work after dark, and it helps with exploring caves and abandoned buildings.
- First aid, to treat basic injuries
Sleeping and passing time while well fed is also one of the few ways to restore health. Per night of sleep, you restore:
| Rations + Water | Comfort level | HP restored |
|---|---|---|
| below 1 + 1 | 0 | -2d6 |
| below 1 + 1 | at least 1 | -1d4 |
| 1 + 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 + 1 | at least 1 | 1 |
| 2 + 2 | at least 1 | 3 |
| 2 + 2 | at least 2 | 1d4 + 2 |
| 3 + 3 | 2 | 2d4 + 3 |
| 3 + 3 | 3 | 2d8 + 5 |
Other than sleeping, HP can be restored with bandages on physical (non-magical) wounds, but only 1d4+1 per open wound. Applying more will not help. There are also small magical remedies and restoration boosters, but sleeping and resting well will remain crucial.
This is done to make characters re-think engaging every enemy just because they think they would win. A more stealthy or diplomatic approach is therefore rewarded, especially for conserving HP in long fights and missions that don't allow for excessive resting time.
Hit Points & Injury
A standard character starts with a maximum of 25 HP. Hitpoints are meant to represent how physically ready a character still is to take a fight. This also means that beeing reduced to 0 HP does not mean death, just that your character is not conscious anymore. The best way to conserve your HP are staying out of fights, fleeing, wearing adequate armor, or staying out of your enemies reach.
A character dies when it is reduced to -100% HP. Most enemies will not attack anymore once you are reduced to 0 or below HP, unless they want to eat you or have other motives to keep "attacking". You can also be overkilled or overkill yourself, by inflicting at least 100% of HP damage in one turn. This is most easily done by traps, chain reactions, or cannons, so try avoid these as best as possible. Beeing overkilled means instant death and destroyed armor, no matter what HP you land on.
Death & Continuation
Death is not reversible in any way, but you can always re-join the action with a different character once the party reaches a civilized place or human road.
Resource Management
To keep your character running well, you should keep stocked on rations, ammunition, first aid, and consumables for combat, if you rely on them. If wizards expect to operate in a region that does not hold a lot of potential, or a fight against a wizard of the same school, they should stock matching spices as a reserve.
To improve your character, complete missions for level-ups, collect crafting materials, and improve your relationship with influential or skilled NPCs. If you crave a unique upgrade, you can also hunt down higher powers or uncover world secrets. These activities require exceptional preparation and execution though, and are not part of the regular game flow.
Rations, Ammunition and consumables are tracked on your inventory tab. There is no spoilage, mandatory equipment maintenance, nutrient micromechanics or additional complications.
The reasoning behind this resource and HP management is putting more weight on "conservative" (as opposed to confrontational) behavior, and allowing for certain spells and weapons to shift the battlefield situation, without making them the answer for every situation. Resting and regenerating after a big fight in a peaceful area or with some NPCs you met along the way also gives opportunity for roleplay, replenishing stocks and enjoying the peaceful side of the world, and can make building and equipping a home feel more satisfying.
Armor & Damage Reduction
Quality armor is your best defense against harm. The interaction between weapons and armor is straightforward once understood.
Armor Classes & Damage Reduction
There are 5 base armor classes:
- Armor class 0: No armor (self explanatory?)
- Armor class 1: Padding - can stop slashes and glancing hits but mainly for damage reduction
- Armor class 2: Chainmail or equivalent - can stop most attacks that are not specifically made to pierce armor
- Armor class 3: Plate armor or equivalent - offers serious protection, even against dedicated armor piercing weapons
- Armor class 4: Exceptional protection through flawless defense work. Barely anything can fully pierce this.
However, wearing medium or heavy armor comes with debuffs.
On the other hand, wearing no armor makes you slightly more agile and conserves stamina better. A tower shield also improves your armor class. Through all the layers of armor you wear, the highest armor class is taken for your final armor rating. Your armor class cannot be higher than 4.
Damage reduction, as opposed to armor class, controls the amount of damage your armor can reduce. From all the pieces of armor you wear and your skills, your magical damage reduction and (physical) damage reduction is added up to calculate your final armor rating.
Armor Piercing Mechanics
Weapons possess an armor piercing (AP) class that determines their effectiveness against armored opponents. When attacking, compare your weapon's AP to your opponent's armor class:
- AP exceeds armor class: Opponent's damage reduction is reduced to their armor class value
- AP equals armor class: Opponent's damage reduction is halved (rounded up)
- AP is lower than armor class: Full damage reduction applies
For magical damage, there is no armor class. The full damage reduction always applies.
Your opponent wears chainmail (class 2, 6 damage reduction) and a gambeson underneath (class 1, 2 damage reduction).
• You attack with a longbow (AP 2): Their damage reduction is reduced to 4.
• Your ally attacks with a short sword (AP 1): Full 8 damage reduction applies.
• An enemy with an arquebus (AP 3) attacks: Damage reduction reduced to 2.
Convenient note: Your character overview automatically calculates your total armor class and damage reduction based on your equipped armor and applicable skills. During play, you need only declare your action; your Dungeon Master handles damage reduction calculations for opponents.
Magic & Spellcasting
Spices: the lifeblood of modern magical warfare
In this world, magic is cast using Potential. Potential is divided into four schools: Fire, Water, Growth and Death. Potential can occur naturally: Imagine a forest fire or an active volcano yielding fire potential, an ocean or heavy rain yielding water potential, a jungle or farm being rich with growth potential, or a cemetery or recent battlefield, with death potential lingering over it.
Natural potential becomes global potential in combat. To a wizard concentrating on his resonance or a measurement tool, the global potential at a place will be known.
Wizards and alchemist that rely on potential in combat have discovered an alternative source for potential: Special plants called Spices, that absorb magical potential during their growth. What began as a rare wild plant for ritual use is now a large industry with cultivated plants, and has become crucial in modern warfare.
Each spice plant can be processed into two units of powder (making the magical potential accessible to a caster), one unit of oil (with two units of oil crystallizing into a "sugar" variant with 1 extra maximum potential), or two units of seeds may be extracted, to replant in an area with matching potential and fertile soil.
What Magic Can Accomplish
Magic can accomplish many things today. You can find a list of common applications in the spell tab, but these are only the spells taught in the university of magic. There are still many more ways to harness the potential in this world, and some of them may be found within the worlds secrets, in duel or in exchange with higher powers or gifted wizards.
Casting & Resource Recovery
To cast a spell, you have to know the spell, have a matching spellcasting level, and enough potential to cast it. Each spell lists the minimum level of potential to be present, and by how much the spell will decrease the potential temporarily. If the global (natural) potential is high enough, it may be used to cast the spell without additional cost. If the potential is not high enough, a caster can use a spice to increase the level, up to the maximum that the specific spice can provide, and by a (usually different) amount of levels. At the start of each teams turn, the global potential grows back by 1 level, up to its original level. If personal spice reserves are used, they are consumed and returned to nature. They do not recharge.
You are a fire wizard with spellcasting level 3, duelling another fire wizard of the same spellcasting level. The global Potential at the start of the fight is 4.
You begin combat by casting fireball, which works because your spellcasting level matches the spell level (3), and global potential is high enough (4) for the spell requirement (3). The spell consumes 2 fire potential, you spend 4 AP, and the turn ends.
At the start of your enemies turn, global potential regenerates to 3. He casts a fireball aswell, spends 4 AP, and consumes 2 potential, decreasing it to 1.
In your next turn, potential regrows to 2. You cannot cast a fireball without using your reserves, so you spend a chili sugar to increase it to 3. You can cast another fireball, but your spice is consumed.
In a different scenario: You are a fire wizard and a dark and moist tomb. Without any tools, the global potential would likely be 0, which would require you to spend reserves for every single spell you cast. Lighting a small fire in the middle of a large central room increases the global Potential to 1, and makes cheap spells readily available, especially with 1 potential regrowing for every single turn you start.
Summoning
Summons are magical creatures created by a Summoner. You can either let them act at their own will, or spend one AP per turn and creature to control their movement and action. Summoning uses potential, and summons usually disappear after some time without their summoner giving them direction.
Tactics & The Spirit of Play
Even the mightiest threats can be outsmarted
This system rewards creative thinking, innovative problem-solving, and effective coordination. A well-executed strategy consistently outperforms lucky dice rolls. Repeating actions invites enemies to find counters, and a change of biome (of the current mission) usually benefits from change of equipment. Convincing arguments or coherent strategies can enable a follow up that is not defined in the rules.
Boundaries & Expectations
Sabotaging the efforts of the player party as an individual is not protected or endorsed by the DM. If it leads to permanent separation of the group or death of the sabotaging character, the character is no longer playable. You can have your differences as players and as characters, but the story is about the one (singular) party.
Sabotage of the game world, NPCs and locations as a joined party effort is fun and will be supported by the DM. While entities in game will try to stop you, this is a valid playstyle.
The ruleset is homemade and not rigorously tested. Certain "builds" or actions may be stronger than intended and fun for a few sessions, but expect follow up missions to biomes or with enemies where it does not work anymore. Great power usually also attracts great challengers. Underperforming skills and weapons can be reassigned, uncrafted or exchanged in correspondence with the DM.
Sexual (as opposed to romantic) game contents will not be moderated by the DM, but can exist between consenting players, moved to a private audio channel or post-session.
In the introduction missions, success is achieved through reaching the defined mission objectives. In the following adventures, character development and goals are more in focus, and the party can decide what to achieve in the world, which areas to explore, or even track down a higher power or secret as an endgame goal.
Roleplay & Handling Unusual Situations
Rules exist to support the narrative, not to constrain it. Should your character attempt something narratively compelling that does not fit the mechanics perfectly, we will resolve it together.
In intense combat, risky stealth plays or heated discussions, a decision timer can be enforced.
Randomness & Fate
Players are required to roll in a way that makes fudging impossible. Examples are the Roll20 dice roller, rolling on camera or in open sight (for in person sessions). DM roles might be fudged in favor of the party, but never to their disadvantage.
If an encounter or puzzle was supposed to be hard but possible but was close to trivial, reinforcements, second steps or other improvisations might be used, but still with the intention to be possible. The goal of this is to achieve a feeling of accomplishment, rather than having the finale of a mission feel anticlimactic. If an encounter or puzzle was intended not to be possible with current knowledge or equipment but is cleared by the party, the win will always be granted regardless.
Before Your First Session
Character Creation
Designing a full character usually takes around one hour in correspondence with the DM. There are premade characters available, especially for introduction missions.
Player characters are human, and must include personal goals and identities.
Prepare a loadout, and know your options for the turn based mode.
What to Bring
If you were not specifically asked to bring anything to a session, just a character sheet is enough to play. You can bring your own dice (if online: with a way to stream your rolls), but online dice rollers are available. Important notice: When using this online character sheet, don't forget to export your character after every session, or changes will be lost.
Higher Powers & The Unknown
This closing section consists of folk lore and will never be central to any campaign, but the awareness that these concepts are somehow part of the ruleset shapes how characters perceive their world. Your party may choose to believe that this section is nothing more than stories. Choosing so will guarantee that the party will never come into touch with any of it, but it is highly unlikely anyways.
Higher Powers: The corruptors
This group of higher powers is believed to be evil, and after destroying everything that is good and healthy. Common stories include the reaper, that is tracking people that somehow cheated death, the dancer, challenging exceptionally rich tradesmen and renowned warriors to fight in his domain, And the gardener, spreading rot and causing rapid withering among plantations that he considers weeds.
Signs of Influence: Having dreams of beeing alone in infinite spaces, disappearing or being found in a place where you could not have gotten. Outbreaks of illnesses that were considered extinct, rapid aging or withering. Many influential places used to have shrines for the reaper, but the reason why has been lost to time.
Higher Powers: Friendly entities
Not every higher power is trying to destroy the world, or after their own business. Some tales about entities helping out humanity include: Lazarus, a humanoid soldier in plated armor carrying a lance, with impressive wings with a golden shine. He rescues soldiers that are dying to their wounds after large battles, in exchange for a few years of service after their life on earth. The mechanic, that is believed to have created various great machines that have been found in ruins scattered across the continent. Sometimes, if he is inspired by a human invention, he appears to study the mechanism, and usually leaves some improvements, before returning to his work.
Higher Powers: Dragons
Dragons are a classic tale that has been around since the beginning of civilization, maybe even before. According to an old "classifying and describing" dragons, they spend most of their life gathering incredibly expensive, rare and labor-intensive resources to grow their scales. Perfect armor in their eyes, and while juvenile dragons are "just" a formidable foe for even expert hunters, adult dragons are fully deserving of being called a higher power. The book names seven types of dragons:
A painters illustration of a swamp dragon
- Forest dragons, with scales made from the very core of petrified ancient spice trees and silk lining.
- Swamp dragons, with scales made from refined shellfish carapaces, gemstones and rare spices. While their armor is the easiest to break, they are surprisingly stealthy and can hit hard before vanishing back into cover.
- Mountain dragons, with scales made from steel forged in extreme heat treatment. The plates are bound in a ice conglomerate, and the temperature of his lair alone is enough to kill most of his adversaries.
- The truly gargantuan ocean dragon, with scales made from pearls and diamonds that form in the pressure of the deep ocean. While this is the only dragon that cannot permanently fly, it swims faster than anything humans have ever build to travel the ocean.
- The shadow only appears in nights with thunderstorms. While some believe that its visible bones surrounded by pure darkness are nothing more than a lightning forming over the night sky, others have claimed seeing it feed on corpses not buried in time, or livestock that was killed by lightning.
- The bone dragon barely has any skin or scales, and grows only by killing and tearing apart other dragons.
- The fire dragon, with scales made from pure pink crystals (of what is now produces as vulcanite), is the most devastating type of dragon. Its breath is blinding even more intensively than the sun itself, and it commonly lays waste to dense forests, collecting charcoal for his forge. It is believed that volcanos erupt when a fire dragon sheds his skin.
Signs of Influence: Some "dragon scales" are traded as rarities or have been refined into (human) armor plates, but there are not enough to indicate that dragons might actually exist. Sometimes, far away from human influence, dragon cultists will pile the previously mentioned incredibly expensive materials as an offering. Some claim, that their gift has been accepted when leaving the pile unguarded for a few days. However, any treasure hunter would happily accept such expensive offerings aswell, and some claim this is where the "dragon scales" that are currently traded come from.
Hidden Mysteries
There are many places left, even on this small continent, that are not explored yet. Some hold the secret to great power, others unique items and equipment, or useful structures. Some might be extremely dangerous, or hold the potential to cause a global crisis, but you will get a feel of what you are tracking down once you are on the right track.
A secret discovered will stay available to a player, even when the character dies. Some regard the entire party, or are transferable.
Potential Clues: Some puzzles have multiple solutions. At times, thinks are not what they look like. Challenging the rules and boundaries of the game can lead you on a new path. Many things have not been found yet because they are far away from paths and roads humans regularly take.
You need not solve these mysteries. You need not even discover them. But knowing they exist transforms your perception of the world.
Ready to Begin?
You now possess all essential knowledge. Your Dungeon Master will answer any additional questions. Remember that the rules serve the narrative, not the reverse. Bring your imagination and creativity.
See you at the table.
Spells, Rituals & Summons
Skill Points
Choose Your Class (grants 2 bonus points for that attribute)
Class stat modifiers:
Soldier:- Stamina Pool +12
- Maximum HP +5
- Melee Bonus +1
- Summoning disabled
- Maximum AP +2
- Base damage reduction +2
- Crafting level +1
- Stamina pool -8
- Movement per AP +1
- Ranged Bonus +1
- AP per turn +1
- Alchemy +1
- Maximum HP -3
- Spellcasting level +1
- Movement per AP +1
- Stamina pool +8
- Magic damage reduction -3
- Summoning level +1
- AP per turn +1
- Maximum HP -7
Skill tree
You can spend your skill points in this tree.
For each (red) negative effect picked,
you receive the number of skillpoints in the circle.
For each regular skill point picked, you spend the amount of skillpoints in the circle.
In each column, you can pick up to two skills.
The first one will be regular price and unlock the next column,
the second one will cost one additional skill point and block all other skills in the same column.
Equipment & Inventory
Weapons
Armor
Light Armor
Light armor is the base for every character, and is therefore balanced without modifiers.
Medium Armor
With medium armor, you cannot increase max AP beyond 10, and your stamina pool is decreased by 8.
Heavy Armor
With heavy armor, you cannot increase max AP beyond 7, and your stamina pool is decreased by 15. Your ranged modifier is decreased by 1.
Without any armor, your AP per turn is increased by 1, your max AP is increased by 2, and your stamina pool is increased by 15.
General Inventory (2x4)
Ration Backpack (3x4)
Special Backpacks (Choose 2)
Camping equipment. Comfort +1.
Sleeping gear. Comfort +1.
Ingredients, Pans and Pots and a firestarter. Comfort +1.
Repair & craft
Healing items
Potions & ingredients
Arrows & bolts
For spellcasting
Weapons Reference
All weapon actions list their AP cost, damage dice, and whether they scale with
Melee Bonus or Ranged Bonus (set in your skill tree).
An armor piercing (AP) class is also listed.
If the armor piercing class of your weapon is higher than the armor class of your opponent, his damage reduction is reduced to his armor class.
If the armor piercing class of your weapon is equal to the armor class of your opponent, the total damage reduction is halfed (rounded up) instead.
Example: Your opponent is wearing chainmail armor (class 2) with 6 damage reduction as medium armor, and a gambeson (class 1) with 2 damage reduction.
You are shooting with a longbow (armor piercing 2).
Your opponent's damage reduction is reduced to -4 damage (because the highest armor class is 2, and 8 total damage reduction divided by two is 4).
The full damage reduction is applied against a short sword,
but against a arquebus (armor piercing 3), the damage reduction is set to 2.
Magic damage reduction only reduces damage from magical attacks, and is never affected by armor piercing classes.
This might sound complicated at first, but your total armor class and damage reduction is already calculated for you on the overview tab, from the armor you wear in the inventory tab and skills that might be affecting armor in the attributes tab. When attacking, you just name the action on the weapon you want to use and roll your damage. The DM will handle damage reduction for your opponents.
With advantage (through knocking down your opponent, flank or backstab, element of surprise or similar), your armor piercing class is increased by one.
If an opponent has an advantage on you (= disadvantage for you), it is decreased by one instead.
If an enemy is not in melee range yet but you expect them to pass through somewhere you want to hold or come into melee range in their turn, you can prepare one of your weapon actions by spending the full AP cost. It will automatically trigger once an enemy enters into your Reach. For ranged weapons, actions are prepared for in the regular range. If you get attacked from outside of your reach (with a weapon that has higher reach than yours), you can only block if you give up your prepared attack. This makes holding ground and preparing actions much more viable with high Reach weapons like a spear. As a bonus for the preparation, successful prepared attacks always have advantage.