Welcome to Anima Prime!
This is a fast-paced, spontaneous roleplaying game inspired by the Final Fantasy series of video games as well as Avatar: The Last Airbender and other animated shows and movies. The game works best with groups of 3 to 5 players.
Anima Prime combines narrative freedom in character scenes and combat maneuvers with elemental powers, APR removed Soulbound weapons. Soulbound Weapons, and the summoning of eidolons to allow you to create your own stories and action scenes rivaling those usually seen in video game cut scenes and anime battles. A flexible goal system lets you infuse any fight with meaningful story decision points and unlimited tactical options. I very much believe in customizing a game to your likings. APR removed powers. The setting has been excluded for brevity. The setting and powers provided are just examples, and the game includes guidelines on how to create your own.
While I suggest that you start out playing with everything that’s provided in this game, I think sooner or later you’ll feel the itch to make it your own, and I hope I’ve provided enough guidance to make that an easy task.
This game text is Creative Commons licensed. The complete text — rules, setting, powers, eidolons, and everything else — will always be available for free. You can distribute the free version as you like. AP's licensed content won't be hosted on this site. However, the images in the commercial versions are licensed only for use in the game, so please respect the rights of their owners and distribute neither the game with the illustrations nor the images on their own without the artists’ permission.
Check out www.AnimaPrimeRPG.com, the game’s website. There, you can download the character sheet, more example characters, drafts of add-ons (including rules for items and faction battles), and more. AP's forums seem to be gone. If you’ve created a cool setting, with or without special powers, factions, and so on, it would be great if you could post about it in our forums.
CelStyle is defunct. Head over to www.celstyle.com, where you’ll find a bunch of other great anime-inspired games from indie designers.
This is the second alpha version of the Resurgence edition of Anima Prime. Consider it an advanced edition (in the tradition of AD&D), or maybe a sequel. It’s currently incomplete and has a bunch of ideas in it that will not all work out.
This site exists to answer this paragraph. I’ve also cut out most of the sections that would be the same as in the original Anima Prime to save you ink (and help focus on what’s new). That means, on the other hand, that familiarity with the original Anima Prime will be helpful in understanding how to run this thing. Though I think it can stand on its own.
Rule Zero for Anima Prime has always been “People First.” When in doubt about any of the rules, adjudicate in a way that lets the players have the most fun. When a player asks “Can I do this weird thing,” 95% of the time your response should be “You totally can” If necessary, followed by “Let’s figure out together how to do that in a way that doesn’t break the game for anyone else at this table.”
Feedback on the rules themselves should go to C.W. Griffen, but feedback on this patchwork document should go to the developer of this website. I don't have a contact page set up yet. If you have any feedback, please tag me on Twitter (@xenopulse), email me at chgriffen@gmail.com, or comment at cwgriffen.itch.io.
Enjoy!
C.W. Griffen
If you’re familiar with the first edition of Anima Prime, here’s a list of the major changes in Resurgence:
Anima Prime includes several chapters discussing roleplaying basics and etiquette in an essentially system-agnostic manner. They've been extracted out to this page for brevity here, but should be read!
The setting story seeds are listed in the premade setting or created by the GM. Setting story seeds are occurrences in the setting that go against the usual events. They can range from the blatantly obvious and aggressive (an invading force) to the subtle (the water from the river has started to taste metallic) to the weird and ominous (a black skyscraper just appeared in the middle of the city, and most people act as though it’s always been there).
Feel free to create more than one if you want to give players lots of choices of what to look into during the game, though that might make your game less focused. Just be aware that this is not a group seed—it cannot be something that directly and only affects the PCs like the other story seeds. It’s something that makes the whole setting dynamic and changing and allows the players to choose whether they want to help shape those changes.
The GM tells us that the story seed for our wasteland setting is as follows: Someone has started gathering demons and human followers in a large ruined city. No one knows why they group up or what they’re planning, but something’s about to happen.
Even the GM doesn’t know yet why this is happening. I’m sure there’ll be ways to tie it into our group seed and the events of our story later on. Until our PCs actively get involved, there’s no need to flesh it out any further than this. We may never get to that city and ignore the seed, or we may set out to walk right into the middle of it — that’s up to us.
The group story seed is created by all players (except for the GM) for their group of PCs. It’s an event that changes the circumstances of the group and keeps them together. It can be a simple mundane thing (our group of elite soldiers was just given a new commanding officer, and we don’t trust him), a mystery (we all woke up with matching crimson tattoos on the back of our necks), a disaster (the organization that protected our identity and allowed us to live a normal life was just wiped out), or anything that the group as a whole needs to address.
Use this as a tool to make sure the group has a good reason to stick together and find common ground to act upon. Usually this seed is created before the characters, so that you can create the PCs to fit into the seed. But you can also create it afterwards, which requires some tinkering and a willingness of each player to alter their PCs a bit to make it all fit.
The group story seed works as the “crucible” for the PCs. It is the reason they stick together even if they have diverging interests or have personality issues with each other (which makes for good dramatic roleplaying during character scenes). The stronger the seed is, the more the PCs can struggle within it (all in good fun, of course). Examples for strong group story seeds often have one or more of the following ingredients:
When your group story seed comes to a close, such as when the PCs escape their situation or defeat their common enemy, you should all consider together whether you want to make a new one with the existing characters or just start over with a new group of PCs. Sometimes their shared experiences will keep the characters together from here on out, and they can help each other with their character story seeds. But other times you’ll need something new to keep them together, and that new group story seed needs to be developed by the PC players as before. You can always decide to skip ahead a year or ten before something brings the group back together.
Our group seed is that we’re all part of a caravan across the wasteland when it gets nearly wiped out by demons, and now we need to find and rescue the people from our caravan who got kidnapped by the demons.
This seed kicks us into action. We’ve got a goal right from the start, something to do that involves our PCs directly. All of the PCs that we create need to have a reason for being on the caravan as well as for sticking with the group when we’re setting out to find the survivors. It is each player’s responsibility to make sure their PC fits those criteria.
For all of the players except the GM, their protagonist character (“PC”) is the tool with which they contribute to the story. As such, PCs need to be well suited to be protagonists, like the main characters of other stories, novels, shows, movies, and so on.
The most interesting protagonists often have several aspects to them. They are at least in some way likeable and ultimately good at heart, even if they are grumpy or sometimes mean (otherwise they end up being antagonists). They care about things. The characters with the most potential are those who care about one particular thing (person, issue, goal) more than they care about themselves. They try hard and are active instead of hanging back and letting things happen. And they are affected by the events around them, instead of being emotion- ally cut off from the world and other characters.
You can express the personality and issues of your character through your character’s passion, traits, links, and character story seed. But first, you need some basic components to build your protagonist character around. Use a character sheet from the website (or a sheet of paper) to keep track of your PC as we go through this creation process, starting with name, concept, and mark.
I’m going to create a new character as this chapter goes on. We’re playing in the post-apocalyptic setting that we developed in the previous chapter. My PC needs to fit the mood (gritty, but not gory, and with hope) and the group seed (the attack on the caravan).
Characters in Resurgence have the following mechanical aspects:
Pick a name. It should fit the mood, the setting, and your vision of your character. You’re probably stuck with the name for a while, so make it something you’ll still like after a few sessions.
For our example character’s name, I’m going to pick Zadie. It sounds nice at first, but it also has a certain zing to it.
Make up a concept. An overall concept could be something like Spirit Warrior, Biomechanoid, Vengeful Ninja Bunny, or whatever. You’ll find that having a 2- or 3-word concept in mind helpsAPR removed powers. when picking powers. The mood, setting and group story seed should give you a good idea on the kind of concepts that are available and a good choice. The setting has been excluded for brevity.If you’re at a loss for ideas, the factions in the Ghostfield setting (Chapter 10) provide a good starting point for concepts.
Zadie is a survivor. She scavenges what she can. But she doesn’t like going hand-to- hand against demons, so she’s going to rely on keeping them at bay and picking them off from a distance. I’m picking “Hardened Scavenger” as her concept.
Anyone APR removed powers. Editorializing to replace 'non-human' with 'supernatural'.with powers has some non-human at this power level has some supernatural aspect to them, which is called their mark of power. In settings where powerful characters live among regular people, marks can be something that can be disguised, but usually it’s more fun if it’s something obvious. Examples of marks range from the subtle (birth marks, stars hidden deep in the pupils) to the flamboyant (sparks crawling over the PC’s skin, clouds of shadows flowing around her, flaming red eyes, skin made of rock, animal tails or horns). You also should have an idea about how the character acquired Generalized phrasing because APR removed powers.their powers, if it’s an uncommon thing in your setting. While you’re at it, figure out the rest of your character’s appearance as well.
Zadie has no hair, and her scalp looks like a mosaic; that’s her mark. Other than that, her eyes and skin are dark like most people’s who live by the wastelands. She is usually covered in wide layers of sand-colored Kevlar strips, with only her eyes showing, and with leather and metal reinforcements at her joints, throat and chest and a metal breathing filter thing over her mouth area. Her powers are a result of demonic blood running through her family line, but she’s not necessarily advertising that fact.
Pick one from the list of backgrounds later in the document (also provided in the attachments). The language here about backgrounds, cultures, and genetics is confusing. It seems that the backgrounds weren't originally named for various dispositions, but instead for various cultures in Ghostfield.The backgrounds are cultural rather than genetic. This means that a human who grew up among Tigerfolk would have the Tigerfolk background, with all that entails. A character's background choice should reflect the culture they came from. This means that a human who grew up among Tigerfolk might take the Dominating background.
You get one ability from the background. You also receive a list of skills, which provide a bonus die to tests in character scenes (for example, you might gain a bonus die when you’re trying to intimidate someone if your Background is Tigerfolk, an environment where intimidation is commonDominating).
Selecting the Background is just half of the deal, though. You should think about how your character fits into this culture, what their personal upbringing was like, and what motivated them to set out on adventures. Just because intimidation is common among Tigerfolk doesn't mean every Tigerfolk's personality matches well with that mode of interaction. You might be really good at something, and have been brought up with certain values, but that doesn’t mean you have to act on it. You could be someone who never fit quite in, who refuses to intimidate people even though – or because – you know it would make it easy to get what you want.
Carrying through the example character.Zadie’s always lived by the wastelands, since her parents were also scavengers. I'm picking the Survivor background, which can help me sneak around in character scenes and keep my distance in conflicts.
You start with a basic profession of your choice. Take a sheet for your profession and make a mark by the "Basics" box of the advancement grid, which unlocks that box. This gives you starting Defense and Wound Circles, the number of Action Dice you start a conflict with, and your training, which can grant a bonus die to scene tests in the same way skills do.
When a character advances, they unlock a box on their advancement grid that is linked to any box they already have unlocked. This can raise their stats, earn them resistances to specific damage types, or grant them new abilities.
Eventually they unlock one of two specialization categories for that profession, which makes them more unique and gives them a new advancement grid. For example, a Martialist might turn into a Tactician is Cunning, not Alacrity. APR A02 doesn't have Conjurer. Channelers have no options in APR A02 besides Elementalist, so they're a bad example. APR A02 also has no masteries.Tactician Dancer or a Knight, while a Channeler might specialize as an Elementalist or a ConjurerGunner might specialize as a Pistolier or a Tactician. The choice of specialization is permanent. At the end of their specialization grid, they have the choice of two mastery categories. The aforementioned Martialist turned Knight could become a Sentinel or a Dragoon, while the Channeler turned Conjurer could choose the path of a Summoner or an Abyssalist.
When a character has filled out their mastery advancement grid, they’ve fully developed their potential. Their adventure should soon come to a close.
This playtest version doesn’t have all of the specializations or any of the masteries. The demo scenario at the end suggests going up three steps after each conflict (that is, unlocking three new boxes), so each character unlocks their whole profession grid by the end of the scenario. This allows them to experience all of their basic profession's abilities during the demo. If you're playing your own scenario and want to go longer, you can simply grant one advancement step for each conflict, or at the beginning of each game session. The chapter on Professions talks about this in more depth.
The passion describes the profound emotional state of the character, the one driving force that permeates everything they do. It tells you something about the character, thereby allowing you to roleplay them in interesting ways.
The passion also lets the player earn charge dice when certain conditions are triggered. Those conditions are listed with each passion. If the triggering of a passion would earn more charge dice than fit in the character’s Charge Pool, the remaining dice are turned into strike dice instead. You can change your passion at any time between conflicts, but it should be a rare story-driven change.
Zadie’s passion is Vengeance. I’m going to have to figure out who wronged her, but I’m leaving that open for now.
The passions are listed later.
Characters have 3 traits, which describe who the character is. The traits indicate what the character cares about, the special abilities that define her, the goals in her life, the unrequited love that drives her mad, the flaw that always makes her flustered, and so on. A trait can be focused on another character, or it can be general. Traits guide play and fuel the character’s actions.
Making up a trait can be easy or hard, depending on how much practice you have with it and how strong your vision of your character is. A trait can come in many shapes: it can be your character’s trademark battle cry, a fact about the character’s personality, or an attitude. Here are some example traits:
You can gain a mark on a trait for playing it out during a character scene. You can then use those marked traits to reroll dice during conflicts. This mechanic is described in the conflict and character scene chapters.
You can save up one or two of the traits and fill them in during play (and you can change them later, anyway — see the Chapter 9on character development). This allows you to get a feel for the character first, and you can more easily connect the traits to the other PCs this way. In fact, for the most satisfying play experience, I suggest tying at least one of your traits to one of your fellow PCs at all times. And for maximum enjoyment, make it something that complicates both of your lives.
For Zadie, I’m making up two traits that express who she is and what her life is like as a scavenging scout. I write down “I can use anything for any purpose” and “Don’t test my patience.” I’m leaving the third trait empty so I can tie it to another PC later.
Characters can have backgroundstory items and links listed on their character sheets. If you’ve ever written a character backgroundstory with important events in the character’s past, made a list of the character’s NPC contacts, and so on, you know what kinds of things to list here.
There is one big difference between backgroundstory items and links: backgroundstory items are the domain of the player to give their character depth, whereas links are provided as tools for the GM.
If your character has a long-lost brother, and you list him in your backgroundstory, the GM is not going to bring him up in play. The brother plays a role for who your character is, but he won’t be used by the GM for plot purposes.
If you list your brother under links, however, you are giving the GM the green light to have your brother show up in the game as an NPC. Or maybe you’ll find clues to his whereabouts. Or you may find his corpse. How the link is used is up to the GM (though you should feel free to make suggestions, of course). You can add or change backgroundstory items and links later on as well, just make sure to inform the GM so that the GM can use the new links (or stop using ones you removed).
First, Zadie’s backgroundstory. Her parents were scavengers, too. I’m putting them in the backgroundstory section because I don’t want to deal with my character’s parents in the game, but they’re still alive somewhere and I might move them into links at some point.
Most of the stuff about her, however, I put down as links because I like my characters to be personally tied into the events of the game. I’m listing a younger sister, who’s a priestess somewhere; an unreliable band of smugglers who buy stuff Zadie finds; an old enemy named Locust who used to be her partner; and the fact that Zadie once uncovered the entrance to an old underground system in the wasteland.
I have no idea what most of these mean or what their details are. I’m leaving that up to the GM and our developing story. What I do determine (and tell the GM and other players) is that her vengeance passion is aimed at Locust, though I haven’t figuringSpellcheck.figured out yet what exactly happened there.
The character story seed is created by each player for his or her own character. It is an event, mission or personality issue that pushes the character into action. It could be a personal loss, falling in love, discovering a mystical item, swearing vengeance, being exiled, dealing with the character’s self-loathing, and so on.
You shouldn’t plan out a whole story arc—you don’t even have to know who or what caused the event. As long as there’s something going on that gives your character a goal to pursue or a mystery to explore, or something that complicates her life and makes for good dramatic character scenes, you’re on the right track.
Depending on your playstyle, your character story seed may or may not conflict with your group story seed. For most players, I would suggest that they should be intertwined in a way that they support each other or are completely independent. For example, if your group seed is that all of the PCs are stuck together in unknown territory after an airship crash, your character story seed could be proving your newfound love to one of the other PCs, overcoming your fear of the unknown, delivering that urgent message despite your crash, etc.
Advanced players can have character story seeds that conflict with the group story seed. This is great fodder for dramatic choices: the GM can put the PC in a position where she has to choose between one and the other and figure out what’s more important to her. But it can also tear the PC group apart if you’re not careful, which is why I only suggest it if you’re up for that kind of tension.
Our group seed ensures that we’re sticking together for a while, and I know my fellow players well enough to know that we like to play some tension between our characters. I talk to a fellow player, and we decide that my character story seed is that his character Rasheem is wearing a necklace that I know belongs to my old nemesis Locust. In fact, I know that because I gave it to him when we were still partners and I had a crush on him. It’s made from something unique I found in the wasteland ruins.
How did Rasheem get the necklace? Is he on Locust’s side? Is my nemesis involved in the attack on the caravan? Those questions will be answered during our game. Notice that this is only a seed: I’ll find out the answers soon enough, but it will hopefully lead to a whole story arc that involves one or more confrontations with my nemesis. By making this my seed, I’m telling the GM and other players that this is one of the things I’d like the game to focus on.
At this point, I also fill out my final trait: “Distrustful of Rasheem.” It turns out that Rasheem’s player picks “Grudgingly attracted to Zadie.” That should be fun to play out.
Every PC has one passion from the following list. You only have one passion at a time. You can change it once per session, during a character scene, in between scenes, or even during a conflict.
You have a lot of stored-up aggression and react powerfully to attacks against you.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time a character makes a strike roll against you with at least 5 dice.
The character has a lot of stored-up aggression.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time an opponent makes a strike roll against you, whether it’s successful or not, and every time an opponent inflicts one or more conditions on you.
You revel in dealing out pain, mostly for the sake of seeing your opponent suffer.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die whenever you make a strike roll with at least 6 dice.
The character revels in dealing out pain
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die for every wound you inflict on an opponent.
You care deeply about other people. You put others first and feel their pain.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice every time one of your fellow PCs sustains a wound.
The character cares deeply about other people. She puts them first, even if that places her in danger.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time one of your fellow PCs takes 1 or more wounds from a strike. You still gain this bonus if you took a wound that another PC would have suffered (using Awesome Tokens or Guard, for example).
You revel in victory and applause. Why do anything if you’re not getting praised?
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die each time you defeat a character, destroy a hazard, or accomplish a goal.
This character revels in victory and achievements.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice each time you inflict a defeating wound on an opponent. In addition, if you are the one who inflicts the defeating wound on the last enemy in a conflict, you get to keep all of your charge dice instead of just half (including the 2 you just earned). You do not gain these benefits for your eidolons’ actions, if you have any.
This passion is aimed at a particular other person. It can be a romantic interest, a family member, or a very close friendship (but it must be with another PC). The feeling does not have to be requited.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time a character (but not a hazard) makes a strike roll against your loved one.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time an opponent makes a strike roll against your loved one, and another charge die for every wound that that character receives. You still gain this bonus if you took wounds or were the target of strikes that your loved one would have suffered (using Awesome Tokens or Guard, for example).
You’ve done something awful, and now you’re trying to make up for it.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time you add at least 4 progress dice to a goal or successfully achieve a goal.
You hate some part of yourself, but you don’t necessarily have a death wish. You purposely put yourself in dangerous situations and revel in pain.
Trigger: Gain 3 charge dice for each wound that you take.
The character hates some part of herself, but doesn’t necessarily have a death wish. She purposely puts herself in dangerous situations and revels in pain.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice for each wound that you take.
The character has a problem with low self-esteem. He feels like he needs to prove himself in his own eyes and those of others.
Trigger: Whenever you spend charge dice on charge powers for a Strike or Achievement, and that Strike or Achievement fails (after using traits, if any), you get to keep those charge dice rather than discarding them.
The character is driven by fear. She is afraid of getting hurt and tries to avoid being a target, but the more she gets cornered, the more she will lash out.
Trigger: At the beginning of a conflict (or at the beginning of any of your later turns if you forgot to do this), determine the enemy you’re most afraid of. Gain 1 charge die every time this enemy either earns an Awesome Token with a Maneuver or makes a Strike roll against you or any of your allies.
The character has been wronged by someone and seeks revenge. You need to name a specific NPC against whom you’ve sworn vengeance (your nemesis), and the faction to whom he or she belongs (such as Kanissian Guard, Loyalists, Enendian Rebels, Hidden Blade Crime Syndicate). This is a powerful drive for the character.
Trigger: You gain 1 charge die at the beginning of any conflict and 1 charge die for every wound that you take. If one or more of the enemies you face belong to your nemesis’ faction, your gain instead is 2 charge dice at the beginning of the conflict and 2 charge dice for every wound that you take (this includes fighting your nemesis with other PCs on your side). If you face your nemesis all by yourself, you gain 3 charge dice at the beginning of the conflict and 3 charge dice for every wound that you take.
Every character gets a Background. It usually represents the cultural training that the character received, which is expressed through rituals, taught by parents, codified into laws, and even baked into a region’s very language.
That said, cultures are never monolithic: in every state, region, city, and so on, there are a multitude of groups and subgroups. For example, in the Ghostfield setting, while the Tigerfolk community as a whole, with its language, gestures, ways of settling conflicts, and so on generally expresses and reinforces the values of the Dominating background, many Tigerfolks’ personalities don’t match up, and they either find a way to adapt, become more involved in a subculture that expresses different values (like Serene communes or Nomadic families), or move out of the community altogether.
Similarly in Ghostfield, there are Muroids, Humans, and others living with the Tigerfolk who fit right into the mainstream Dominating culture and adopt those values and traits.
When picking a Background, you should figure out whether your character was part of a comfortable cultural majority, grew up as an outsider, is fond of the values they were taught or strives against them, and so on.
By picking this background, you determine that being a rebel shaped you more than being part of a traditional cultural community. The Enendian Coalition, a hodgepodge of resistance fighters in Ghostfield, is the prime example of this Background. Maybe you grew up at a rebel camp or under the tutelage of a small rebel cell, or even just one personal mentor, trained to fight for freedom and the safety of those who cannot defend themselves. About a third of all Enendian rebels are humans, while the rest are Tigerfolk, Muroid, or other sentient animalfolk.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you try to ally against a common foe, appeal to someone’s better nature, sabotage war equipment, or stand your ground.
| Subvert | 0 | Add or remove a progress die from any side of any goal. If the goal is localized, you must be in its zone. |
You believe that strength and willpower should settle disputes. In Ghostfield, tThe Tigerfolk are the largest culture that expresses these values. Maybe you grew up in one of their enclaves, though groups of this Background exist pretty much anywhere.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to intimidate others, apply strength to an obstacle, chase someone, or inspire others.
| Hunt | 0 | Once per round, when an enemy in your zone moves to an adjacent zone, you can move along with them. |
In Ghostfield, tThe Muroid most commonly express this Background, as they have mostly stayed out of the chaos by hiding in tunnel systems, ruins, catacombs, and so on. In addition, survivors exist in solitude in the wilderness as well as within subcultures among all larger settlements of all peoples.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to sneak, climb, distract someone, hide, or escape
| Scurry | 0 | Remove a threat die from yourself. Optionally, move into an adjacent zone. |
Many cultures, as well as groups as small as families, are fundamentally mobile. In Ghostfield, tThis is especially common among the tribal lands north of Enendia, which have been invaded by the Unending Legion. Several of those tribes still remain, fighting off the undead and surviving as best they can.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to impress strangers, resist fatigue or harsh conditions, engage in a competitive event, or interact with working animals (including mounts).
| Grandstand | 0 | Gain a threat die. Then Gain 2D: 1-2 None, 3-6 SD. |
You practice kindness, temperance, and humility, but also believe in courage to stand against those that would hurt the innocent. In Ghostfield, tThe monastic order of the Flowing Stream is one of the larger communities expressing this Background.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to calm others, focus, perceive truth or hidden things and meanings, endure stress, or tend to plants or animals, or other living creatures.
| Safeguard | 0 | Remove one threat die from an ally in your zone. |
You might be an undead creature, you (openly or secretly) grew up among them, within Ghostfield'sthe Unending Legion or a smaller enclave of independent undead, or you otherwise had a fascination with the cycle of life and death, birth and decay. You feel most at home when it’s cold and dark.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to interact with or predict the actions of undead, resist fear, suddenly appear or disappear, scare or unsettle others with dark prophecies, or help or interfere in sorcerous rituals.
| Abnormal | 0 | Whenever a condition would be inflicted upon you, you can choose to roll a die. On a 5 or 6, you do not gain that condition. |
Maybe you grew up among the energy-bodied Beyonders of Ghostfield, are the fusion of a Beyonder and a corporeal creature, or just never really fit in with the world around you. What seems logical or obvious to you often seems strange to other folks.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to navigate difficult or alien territory, glide through the air, move in unpredictable ways, or converse with Beyonders, Torrent creatures, or those cast out from society.
| Glide | 0 | Move into an adjacent zone or stay in the Air zone. |
| Using this ability allows you to avoid crashing down from the Air zone. It does not allow you to enter the Air zone (you're gliding, not flying). | ||
Maybe you were raised as a prodigy by clockwork engineers, are one of their creations, have clockwork parts (such as a mechanical heart), or your extreme rationality has always set you apart from everyone around you. You have a soul, even if your emotions or their expression don’t always align with what others expect.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to stay detached or unaffected, interact productively with machines, discern patterns, or do something requiring incredible precision or timing.
| Analysis | 0 | Add a threat die to one enemy in your zone. |
You have committed a vile act in your past, and you’re searching for redemption. You sought out Old Hundred Eyes and donned a mask from the Pillar of Souls, which is unremovable but will shatter the moment you find your karmic debt repaid (which is entirely up to your judgment).
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you are trying to help the meek, question authority, gather information, prevent the kind of act you’re guilty of, or take on someone else’s burden.
| In Harm’s Way | 0 | Gain 3 threat dice and 1 charge die. |
You were raised as a savior of humanity (most likely in theperhaps in Ghostfield's Kanissian Empire), a soldier taught to see compassion and mercy as weaknesses that could lead to the eradication of all human life. But you’ve started to doubt your upbringing and are seeking a better way.
Skills: Gain a skill die to tests when you follow through on someone else’s plan, display ruthlessness, socially interact with soldiers or other militants, or act against the innocent or weak for the greater good.
| Follow Orders | 0 | Ask a fellow PC what to do this turn. If you generally follow what they say, gain a bonus die to that action. |
When you choose a profession, you gain the training and stats shown in the green box. Whenever you advance, you gain the ability or upgrade from a box linked to one you already have unlocked. Each box can only be unlocked once. Following a link to a specialization or mastery gives you access to a new advancement grid, where you start in a new green box (you retain all your previous stats and abilities).
For example, take a look at the Martialist profession. You start in the green box on the left, gaining Martialist Training, Defense 5, 2 Action Dice, and 2 Wound Circles. Your first advance will either unlock the Direct Attack ability (following the link to the right) or raise your Defense by one (following the link below).
At the end of the grid, you gain a Specialization from one of twoUnless you're a Channeler. available categories, which will provide you with a new advancement grid. That one, in turn, will lead to a choice of Mastery grids.
The categories of Specializations allow some crossover. For example, both the Martialist and the Healer can choose a Specialization from the Bravery category. This means that two characters could become APR A02 doesn't have Ascetic.Ascetics Knights even though they started from different approaches (and will have different stats and Profession abilities). This allows for a variety of character builds and combinations.
There are two axes for advancement: speed and completion. First, the speed:
The completion requirement is either:
Your game’s choice of speed and completion should be based on how many sessions you intend to play. You can use Fast/Partial one- or two-shots to quickly try out different character builds and introduce new players to the game. For a standard campaign, I recommend Moderate/Full. If you have two or three conflicts per session, you could reach full Mastery after about a dozenthe limit of your specialization in less than ten sessions.
On the other hand, if you’re planning on having a long campaign, you should go with Slow/Full, which will last you for approximately 30 sessions.
You can always adjust advancement to suit your needs during a campaign.
Below is a listing of the abilities provided by and basic details of each profession. The advancement grid layouts are too particular to represent on this site, so for more detail, please reference APR_Professions_A02.pdf on APR's itch.io page.
Martialists start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 5, and 2 Action Dice.
| Martialist Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you rely on your stamina, withstand physical hardship, or show respect to traditions and elders. |
| Direct Attack | 1 CD | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1D+2 | Physical |
| Limit Break | 1 CD | Raise the SDL of your Strikes by 4 this turn. |
| 1 CD | 7D | 1 None, 2-6 SD |
| Warmed Up: | At the end of a conflict, you can keep up to 2 Strike Dice that are left in your pool and carry them forward into the next conflict. |
Martialists may specialize into Alacrity or Bravery.
Channelers start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 4, and 3 Action Dice.
| Channeler Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you identify strange occurrences, create small amounts of heat or cold, or rely on your willpower. |
| Frostbite | 2 CD | One target in your or an adjacent zone gains 2 threat dice and the Slowed condition. |
| Eidolon (D): | Add one eidolon (Rank D) to your collection of summonable eidolons. You have to use the Summon I ability to bring the eidolon into a conflict. Eidolons move along with you. They only act when you use your Activate Eidolon ability; they do not get their own turn. |
| Summon I | 2 CD | Summon one eidolon of rank D or C to your side. You can only have one eidolon summoned at a time with this power |
| Activate Eidolon I | special | Use this ability to have a summoned eidolon of rank C or D take their listed action (at the cost of that action). |
| Channeling | 1 CD | 5D | 1-2 None, 3-6 CD |
Channelers may specialize into Sorcery or Summoning.
Gunners start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 4, and 2 Action Dice.
| Gunner Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you maintain firearms, perceive details at a distance, or rely on patience. |
| Weapon: | Choose one of the following weapons. The qualities of the weapon apply to all your strikes that list a Range of “W” (for Weapon) and to Basic Strike. Pistol(s): Range 0-1. Blunderbuss: Range 0, +1D to Roll dice. Longrifle: Range 1, +1 to Roll Modifier. With each subsequent Weapon ability, you gain an additional weapon from the list above. At the start of each conflict, pick which weapon is readied. |
| Direct Shot | 1 CD | 1 | W | 4 | 2D+1 | Physical |
| Spray | 1 CD | Add 1 Target to a Strike. All targets must be in the same zone (an enemy squad counts). |
| Switch Weapons | 0 | Switch from one of your weapons to another. |
| Aim | 0 | Gain 2D: 1-5 SD, 6 CD. |
Gunners may specialize into Ballistics or Cunning.
Scouts start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 5, and 2 Action Dice.
| Scout Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you rely on speed or reaction time, survive in the wilderness, or blend in with a crowd. |
| Recon: | At the beginning of a conflict, before anyone takes any turns, you can use one Extra ability that has a cost of 0. |
| Positioning | 0 | Move into an adjacent zone. After you move, gain 2D: 1-2 none, 3-6 SD. You can gift any of the gained dice to any of your allies. |
| Flanking | 1 CD | When an ally attacks an enemy in your zone, add 2 bonus dice to the strike. |
| Rushing Attack | 1 CD | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2D | Physical |
| If you moved into your current zone during this turn, add 2 bonus dice to this strike. | ||||||
Scouts may specialize into Alacrity or Cunning.
Healers start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 4, and 2 Action Dice.
| Healer Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you treat wounds, help the sick, or prepare a delicious and nutritious meal. |
| Caretaker: | If you were present in one or more character scenes for which another PC chose the “heal a wound” scene benefit, and you played out taking care of their injuries, you start the next conflict with a Charge Die. |
| Recovery | 2 CD | Remove up to four threat dice from an ally in your zone. |
| Protect | 2 CD | One ally of your choice in your or an adjacent zone gains the Shielded condition. |
| Channeling | 1 CD | 5D | 1-2 None, 3-6 CD |
Healers may specialize into Bravery or Sorcery.
Tinkerers start with 2 Wound circles, Defense 4, and 3 Action Dice.
| Tinkerer Training: | Gain a training die to tests when you fix machines, build little gadgets, use your dexterity on tiny items, or figure out how something works. |
| Trapping: | You can lay a trap in your current zone by activating a Trap power ability. Only one trap can exist per zone. They don't activate on their own, but rely on your Spring Traps “Spring Trap” ability to be triggered (this uses up the trap). |
| Minefield: | If you have the opportunity to prepare an area, you can place one trap (or more with GM permission and lots of time) for free before the conflict starts. |
| Spring Trap (on Move) | 1 CD | When another character moves into a zone, trigger the trap in that zone and apply the effect. |
| Glue Mine (Trap) | 1 CD | Inflict the Immobilized condition on one enemy target in this zone. |
| Launch Pad (Trap) | 1 CD | Move one target individual to the Air zone. |
| Zapper (Trap) | 2 CD | Strike 2D, Damage: Electric, Range: 0, Targets: area. |
Tinkerers may specialize into Curiosity or Ballistics.