TASK LEVELS EFFORT REMEMBER!

Level Target Difficulty ●

●
-1 Level per effort applied
3 points from stat pool = 1 effort 1. Sight
1 3 Trivial
2 6 Most people succeed 100%
● 2 points for each additional effort (limited by character
Effort stat)
2. Sound
3 9 Most people succeed 50% ● Edge takes 1 point (per edge) off total cost 3. Smell
4 12 Trained people succeed 50% OTHER MODIFICATIONS 4. Touch
5 15 Trained people often fail
Initial Cost: Price of attempting particularly taxing tasks (must be 5. Taste
6 18 Normal people usually fail
spent before even trying)

You are often too kind.

7 21 Impossible without skills, items, or
significant effort Retry: Must spend a level of effort on second attempt
8 24 Heroic, worthy of tales
9 27 Legendary, worthy of epics Asset (Max 2 per task): -1 level

GM Intrusion?
Inability: +1 level
10 30 Impossible for mere mortals Skill/Training: -1 Level
Specialization: -2 Levels
Advantage: 1 level in their favor
SPECIAL ROLLS Disadvantage: 1 level against DAMAGE TRACK

# Result Hale (Normal): No penalties

ARMOR PENALTIES
1 Free GM intrusion Impaired (1 stat pool at 0): Effort costs 1 extra point per level.
19 Minor effect Speed actions cost more per level of effort while armored: Rolls of 17+ only deal +1 damage. Ignore major/minor effects.
20 Major effect + no pool cost Light Medium Heavy Debilitated (2 stat pools at 0): Cannot take any action other than
to move/crawl immediate distance. (If Speed is 0, cannot move.)
1 per lvl 2 per lvl 3 per lvl
Dead (All stat pools empty): Character dies
RECOVERY ROLLS NPCS DAMAGING OBJECTS
1d6 + tier points, divided among stat pools NPC Health = 3x Level NPC Damage Inflicted = NPC level
Recovery Rest Needed Successful might attacks move object 1 spot on damage track.
First 1 Action Succeed by 2 levels for 2 steps.
BOSS PACKAGE
Second 10 Minutes Intact Fully functional
+10 health +1 Armor +3 damage
Third 1 Hour Minor Damage Object at -1 level
+1 level for attack/defense
Fourth 10 Hours Major Damage Broken, but reparable
Recovery can move up the damage track if pools above 0. Points in Destroyed Irreparable ruin
NPC vs. NPC - Roll for one of the NPCs
pool = auto move up.
XP MOVEMENT MODIFIERS
HEALING
Give 2 per intrusion (one goes to another PC) (may require task check in special circumstances)
Once per person/day.
Difficult Terrain: ½ round movement
Points of healing = level of difficulty Cost Result Climbing: Difficult Terrain + Might task
Modified by circumstances/supplies 1 XP - Reroll (use best result) Sneaking: Speed test vs. NPC, -1 difficulty for half speed
- Refuse an intrusion Swimming: ¼ movement, +1 difficulty
DISTANCE / MOVEMENT - Player intrusion (Introduce logical plot element Low Gravity: +1 difficulty
relevant to character) High Gravity: Difficult terrain
Immediate (10 ft.) Part of another action
2 XP Short term benefit (local or limited skill/ability) Zero Gravity: Might task, difficulty ¼ distance in feet
Short (50 ft.) 1 action
3 XP Long term benefit (home, ally, title/job, wealth, (continue moving ½ initial distance each round)
Long (100 ft.) Speed task, difficulty 4
powerful item)
Very Long (500 Ft)
4 XP Character advancement
 COMBAT ROLLS SPECIAL DAMAGE DELIBERATE MINOR/MAJOR EFFECTS

1 suffer +2 damage or free GM intrusion Dazed: +1 difficulty on all tasks Declare intent, attack normally. Reduce damage as follows (attack
17 +1 damage Inability: +1 difficulty step in tasks of that type must deal at least 1 damage after adjustment to work, but can use
18 +2 damage Paralysis: Unable to move, cannot take physical actions effort).
19 +3 damage or minor effect Stunned: Lose turn, defend at +1 difficulty -4 for a minor effect
20 +4 damage or major effect + no pool cost Weakness: Increase spend on task’s pool by Weakness -8 for a major effect
Lasting Damage: GM intrusion, heal at 1 point per day of full rest /
3 days of regular activity MINOR EFFECT EXAMPLES
SURPRISE! Permanent Damage: Never heals normally (Plot driven!)
Poison: Might defense, then special effect (Move on damage track, Deal +3 damage
Full surprise: Target at -2 levels stat pool damage, special damage types, unconsciousness, Damage an object the target is holding or carrying
Partial surprise (defender on guard): -1 level disability, or strange effects ) Distract – Target hindered for 1 round
Defender: Cannot use effort or action abilities Knock back – Push the target back a few feet
COMBAT ACTIONS Move Past – Get behind/around the target
INITIATIVE! Strike a specific spot – GM Decides benefit
COVERING FIRE: On successful covering fire attack roll, foe’s next
Initiative: Speed task. Success acts > NPCs >Fail acts. attack suffers disadvantage. Need ranged weapon. MAJOR EFFECT EXAMPLES

ATTACK DISTRACT: Foe’s attacks suffer disadvantage. (Multiple +4 Damage

distractions do not stack.) Extra action
Melee Attack (Light): Speed task Disarm opponent
Melee Attack (Med/Heavy): Might task DRAW THE ATTACK: Intellect task (GM Discretion), on success Impair – Hinder opponent for rest of combat
Ranged Attack: Speed task NPC focuses on you. Defense vs. them is 1 lvl harder. Knocked Down – (See Prone)
Special abilities: Intellect Task (Usually) Stun – Foe loses next action
GUARDING: Gain advantage on defense tasks. Can
AREA ATTACK attempt reactive Speed task (-1 difficulty) to prevent characters MISC ACTIONS
from getting past or taking the action they’re guarding against.
PC Attacker: Roll once against all targets in area, compare against CHASE: Speed task
(NPCs on guard force PCs to make Speed task (+1 difficulty) to
each target level.
attempt the action.)
PC Defenders: Set level of attack, each PC rolls. LONG CHASE: Must succeed on number of Speed tasks equal to
TAKE THE ATTACK: Speed task (GM Discretion), on success NPC’s level. Must get more failures than successes to win.
DEFEND
attack automatically hits you instead for +1 damage.
HELPING: Take an action to help another character. If assisted
Speed: Most attacks character has less training, they gain the benefit of the helper’s
Intellect: Mental defenses WAIT: Hold a defined action until stated condition is met.
training/specialization. If assisted character has equal or more
Shields: Act as an asset for Speed defense. training, they gain +1 bonus.
GRAPPLE (House Rule): Might action to initiate or break a
DAMAGE grapple. Grappled characters defend at Disadvantage. Physical
actions require might task to even attempt while grappled. COMPLIMENTARY ACTION: Two characters attempting different
CIRCUMSTANCES but complementary actions both gain +2 bonus.
Unarmed/Light Weapon: 2 damage, -1 lvl
Medium Weapon: 4 damage
High and Low: If both melee and ranged attack succeed on single JUMPING
Heavy Weapon: 6 damage, requires 2 hands
opponent in same round, opponents suffers +1 difficulty for next Long Jump: Might task, difficulty # feet jumped – 4
task. Running immediate distance = asset
Apply Effort: Add 3 damage
Running short distance = asset, difficulty ½ feet jumped - 4
Three-On-One: If three characters attack a single foe in melee, Vertical Jump: Might task, difficulty # feet jumped
Damage to PC: Subtract from pool (default might)
they all gain +1 bonus on attack. Running immediate distance = asset
Damage to NPC: Subtract from health

Multiple Enemies / Swarm: 4 creatures = 1 creature of highest MOVING HEAVY OBJECTS

Armor Reduces Damage
level + 1 level (minimum +2 damage bonus) Might task, difficulty +1 per 50 pounds to move immediate
Light -1 Medium -2 Heavy -3
distance. (If difficulty 0, they can move short distance as an action.)
 REMEMBER/IDENTIFY/UNDERSTAND
(INTELLECT) KNOWLEDGE
CRAFTING CYPHERS
0 Common knowledge
Intellect task = common item level SCAVENGING: Intellect task, difficulty 3 or 4 1 Simple knowledge
Intellect task = impossible/magical level + 5 Cypher: 15 minutes to 1 hour, 1d6 cyphers 3 Something a scholar probably knows
MATERIALS: Item requires materials equal to its Artifact: 10 minutes to 1 hour, 1 artifact
level and all levels below it. (Level 3 item requires 5 Something even a scholar might not know
level 3 material, level 2 material, and level 1 7 Knowledge very few people possess
IDENTIFYING NUMENERA 10 Completely lost knowledge
material.)
TRAINING: Reduce time, materials, or difficulty (at
 Cypher: Intellect task, difficulty 1 or 2,
GM’s discretion). o 15 minutes to 1 hour CLIMB (MIGHT) SURFACE
RETRY: Requires fresh supply of highest-level  Artifact: Intellect task, difficulty = artifact level
o 15 minutes to 3 hours 2 Surface with lots of handholds
material. Requires XP expenditure for artifacts.
3 Stone wall or similar surface (few handholds)
4 Crumbling or slippery surface
LVL Craft Time to Build USING UNIDENTIFIED NUMENERA 5 Smooth stone wall or similar surface
0 Simple. Tie a rope, find a A few minutes  Cypher: Intellect task, difficulty = cypher level 6 Metal wall or similar surface
stone  Artifact: Intellect task, difficulty = artifact level 8 Smooth, horizontal surface / climber upside down
1 Torch 5 Minutes +2 10 Glass wall or similar surface
2 Spear, shelter, furniture 1 hour
3 Bow, Door, Clothing 1 day USING ARTIFACT: Must make Intellect task, RIDING (SPEED) MANEUVER
4 Sword, Chainmail Vest 2 Days difficulty = to artifact level, first time using an
5 Common tech (light), 1 week 0 Riding
identified artifact. 1 Staying on in battle / difficult situation
art/jewelry
6 Uncommon tech, nice 1 month 3 Staying on when you take damage
art/jewelry
ARTIFACT DEPLETION: Make depletion check 4 Mounting a moving steed
7 Rare tech, computer, 1 Year each time item is used. If you roll the artifact’s 4 Making abrupt turn in fast-moving vehicle
masterwork art depletion number(s), the item stops working. 4 Getting vehicle to move twice as fast for 1
8-10 Otherworldly/lost tech Many years round
CYPHER DANGER: Once per day, if a character is 5 Coaxing a mount to move / jump twice as fast /
carrying more cyphers than their cypher limit, far
roll d100 + 10 per cypher the character is 5 Making long jump in vehicle not designed to go
carrying over their limit. (Subtract 10 for non- airborne and remaining in control
volatile cyphers like pills or simple mundane
items.)

Occultic Cyphers count as 2 cyphers against

limit.
 Increasing Capabilities: You gain 4 new Other Options: Players can also
points to add to your stat Pools. You can spend 4 XP to purchase other special
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT allocate the points among your Pools however options. Selecting any of these options
you wish. counts as purchasing one of the four steps
necessary to advance to the next tier. The
Progressing to the next tier involves four steps. Moving Toward Perfection: You add 1 to your special options are as follows.
When a character has spent XP on each of Might Edge, your Speed Edge, or your Intellect • Reduce the cost for wearing armor. This
the four steps, they advance to the next tier Edge (your choice). option lowers the Speed Effort cost by 1.
and gain all the benefits of that tier, both from • Add 2 to your recovery rolls.
their character type and from their character Extra Effort: Your Effort score increases by 1. • Select another focus ability available to
focus. Each step costs 4 XP. The four steps can you at tier 3. (You must be tier 3 or higher
be purchased in any order, but each can be Skills: Chose one skill other than to do this. Characters advancing beyond tier
purchased only once per tier. In other words, a attacks or defense, such as climbing, 6 can use this option to select their other
character must buy all four steps and advance jumping, persuading, sneaking, history, or tier 6 focus option.)
to the next tier before they can buy the same understanding numenera. You become trained • If you’re a Glaive, select a new fighting
step again. in that skill. You can even choose a skill move. The fighting move must be from
based on your character’s special abilities. your tier or a lower tier.
For example, if your character can make an • If you’re a Nano, select a new esotery. The
Intellect roll to blast an enemy with mental esotery must be from your tier or a lower tier.
force, you can become trained in using that
ability, easing the task of using it. If you If you’re a Jack, select a new trick of the
choose a skill that you are already trained in, trade. The trick must be from your tier or a
you become specialized in that skill, easing lower tier.
the task by two steps instead of one. If you
choose a skill that you have an inability in, the
training and the inability cancel each other
out (you aren’t eased or hindered in that
task). For example, if you have an inability in
understanding numenera, becoming trained in
that cancels out the inability.