This is a super simple Fantasy RPG designed for "beer and pretzels" gaming or running with children. It is designed to occupy mostly the same narrative niche as D&D.
Players have no character sheet and instead have a small hand of cards. These indicate what they are able to do, magical equipment, or what status effects such as injuries are on them. characters are otherwise assumed to be well prepared for, trained in, and physically suited to the roll they are taking
To accomplish basic actions the players will discribe there intent to the GM. The GM will then state what skill this uses and what their Target Number (TN) is, and the player will roll the dice they have available for that skill, and keep the best die. If that die, plus or minus any modifiers, is equal to or greater than the Target Number, then the character succeeds. If the resulting roll is below the Target Number, then the GM assigns some sort of consequence.
players will also start with a number of special action cards, based on their heritage or profession, in there hand. These can be played instead of taking a basic action, and tend to do something amazing and heroic. Unless otherwise specified on the card, playing it means that the card is used for the rest of the adventure, and should be handed over to the GM for keeping. In general cards which are expended are quite powerful, and should dramatically change the state of play, often solving entire encounters in one action.
Characters choose one profession from the grid below. Professions are organized by approach (Prepared, Passionate, Pious, Primal) and focus (Mischief, Might, Magic). Each profession determines which skills you're good at and what special power cards you receive.
| Prepared | Passionate | Pious | Primal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mischief | Rogue | Performer | Inquisitor | Trapper |
| Might | Fighter | Berserker | Paladin | Hunter |
| Magic | Wizard | Sorcerer | Cleric | Shapeshifter |
All players start with a profession card, which indicates how many dice they roll for each skill. The skills names are intended to be fully descriptive, but I have included a bit more description for each below
Animal Handling: Getting animals, or non-intelegent monsters to do things, or guessing what they might do. This includes distracting them, baiting them into eating something, calming them down, or figuring out what their general goal is, or what their next action is.
Conviction: This is used when the primary challenge is emotional or pain related. This is typically used when trying to do something terrifying, or trying to push thru pain, magic, or enchantments.
Climb: In addition to climbing things, this covers balance, contortion, and flexibility related checks.
Deceive: The broader espionage and "web of lies" skill. This covers lying, misdirection, and finding the truth behind them. It also extends to forgery, forensic accounting, spotting faked documents, and understanding how deceptions are constructed and maintained.
Endurance: Physical limits and bodily resilience. This covers long marches, going without food or sleep, resisting poison and disease, and not bleeding out from wounds. Endurance decides when you die - your body giving out despite your will. Compare to Conviction, which lets you choose to keep going (or stop) despite what your body wants.
Instinct: Gut feelings, reflexes, and primal awareness. This covers danger sense ("this person is going to stab me"), acting first in sudden situations, and noticing things through smell, taste, or texture rather than sight and sound. Instinct reads emotional relationships and immediate physical threat, but doesn't do well with abstraction - it won't catch most lies, but it will catch hostile intent.
Intimidate: Making others afraid of you. In many cases this can be used as an alternative to violence with lesser foes to making them flee. It can also often be used as alternative to persuasion.
Jump: This covers all sorts of acrobatics and high speed mobility. Things like catching a rope while falling, or snatching a falling necklace out of the air. This can also be used for a race or chase on foot.
Knowledge: Knowing things. This includes languages, history, how magic works, who specific people are, what magical items and nearly any other question the player might ask. If the player is asking for any information about the world that might be found in a book then there is a good chance this is the right skill. It overlaps with Mechanisms, Medicine, and Survival in many cases.
Mechanisms: Setting up and operating complex devices. This might mean getting a mine-car system running, firing a catapult, or activating a complex magical machine. This also includes rigging sails and navigation equipment. Once things are moving and you're just hanging on, that's Ride.
Medicine: Used to treat injuries and ailments, generally this lowers the negative effects of them. For instance "Broken Leg" might reduce movement to 1/4, until it gets a successful Medicine check, and then it only reduces movement to 1/2. Medicine can also be used for diagnosis, understanding poisons, and general knowledge of anatomy.
Observe: Used whenever the player is actively or passively looking for something. This can also effectively be used to "look for a clue", or ask a specific hard question, including memories. For instance "Does nocturn have the same number of rings as the last time we saw him" In general this skill bias's towards sight and sound. Smell, taste, and texture tend to use Instinct instead
Persuade: Convincing others through reason, charm, or emotional appeal. This includes negotiation, diplomacy, haggling, inspiring others, and making requests. Unlike Intimidate, Persuade relies on the target wanting to agree rather than fearing the consequences of refusal.
Pick Locks: Note that many professions do not have access to this skill. This covers Picking locks, escaping from bonds, picking pockets, and covering up evidence that any of that has been done.
Ride: Hanging on and steering. This covers mounts (horses, griffins, dragons) but also vehicles - minecarts, chariots, sailing ships, or anything else where you need to stay in control while things get rough. Think Indiana Jones minecart chase. Care and bonding with living mounts falls under Animal Handling instead.
Stealth: Not being detected. This covers sneaking past guards, hiding in shadows (whether moving or perfectly still), moving silently, and setting up ambushes. Disguise falls under Deceive instead.
Survival: Thriving in the wilderness and general resourcefulness. This covers finding food and water, building shelter, starting fires, navigation, predicting weather, and identifying dangerous terrain or creatures. It also serves as knowledge about nature and can step in for basic medicine in a pinch. Beyond specific skills, Survival captures that get-it-done spirit - the scrappy determination that just won't say die. Tracking prey or quarry also falls under Survival.
Swim: Swimming, staying afloat, and moving underwater. This overlaps with Endurance for holding your breath - use whichever is better for the character.
Violence: Attacking others. This covers unarmed, melee, ranged, and magical attacks. Wether you are attempting to wrestle your buddy to the ground without hurting him, shoot an arrow at the zombie, or fire a magic wand at the kobold it's violence. Characters are assumed to be well equipped with both a ranged and close up weapon. The types of weapon can be left to "flavor"
Below find details, clarification, suggestions, and edge cases for all of the profession powers. When a player plays a class power it always means it is used up for the remainder of the session unless the card specifically says otherwise. In general as a GM you should allow nearly any creative use of class powers to work out. They are intended to be very powerful since the are all one use. As a rule of thumb: if it completely defeats an encounter, allow it. If it completely defeats the entire adventure consider preventing it.
Accuse (inquisitor) : Roll Deceive to magically accuse a target. They will be presumed guilty by all, even if you are the opponent of all involved. Keep card on failure.
This is magical persuasion, closer to Possession than a normal Deceive roll. Even totally unreasonable accusations will fly - you could accuse a beloved king of treachery in front of his loyal guards and they'd believe you. This is the inquisitor's signature move and often their only big combat option. It should very reliably "flip" one opponent. Point at one goblin of five: "He's secretly going to betray you all" and the other four will turn on him. More plausible accusations and knowledge of the culture allow for even larger effects - you might turn an entire faction against their leader.
The effect is permanent - that mistrust lasts forever, or until they go through enough evidence to talk themselves out of it (which takes significant time and effort). Accuse the BBEG and his minions will distrust him for the rest of the campaign.
Animal Buddy (trapper) : At game start, specify your animal buddy. Play to have your buddy do something incredibly helpful but possible. The animal buddy should not be limited to helping when this card is played, but should be restricted to more basic levels of help, including being ridden, when the card is not played. GMs should be quite generous with the help provided when this card is played. A cat might cross a dungeon and a desert, and lead friends to the rescue. A raccoon might pick a lock. A raccoon cannot smash thru a brick wall, or write a sonnet. If the player opts of "violence" as the help, allow it to fight along side of them thru the adventure, until it is injured or killed by failing a roll. The most deadly animals (Tiger, Elephant, Boa Constrictor, Etc) are a D12 for violence.
Yes, your buddy can be: a swarm (bees, rats), an extinct animal (dodo, mammoth), a baby dragon, or a dinosaur. Go wild.
Arrow Storm (hunter) : Fire up to 6 shots in sequence: D20→D12→D10→D8→D6→D4. Each die needs a different target. Ignore failure consequences.
This is the hunter's "room clearer" - devastating against groups of weaker enemies. The decreasing dice mean early shots are more reliable. You can stop early if you run out of targets. No consequences means even a miss is just a miss, no friendly fire or wasted ammo. You nominate targets as you go - if someone dies mid-storm, pick a new target for the next die. You can't loop back to hit the same target twice.
Banish or Exorcise (cleric, inquisitor) : Banish an unholy or undead being forever (not merely evil ones), or lift all curses from one target.
This ability frequently simply beats an encounter. Don't begrudge the players this! For two classes with few combat abilities this is their chance to shine! This can work on a whole horde of creatures (20 zombies), but not multiple distinct challenges. Against 20 skeletons AND vampire lord Nocturn, choose one or the other.
Note: "unholy or undead" is the key - merely evil creatures (evil dragons, corrupt kings) are not valid targets. Demons, ghosts, zombies, vampires - yes. Evil but living and non-supernatural - no.
The curse-lifting option is new and valuable - it can remove all curses from one target without needing an undead foe present.
Banished entities leave but are not destroyed. Vampire Nocturn might be banished from Castle Duskmorn forever, but his plan for eternal darkness continues, and he may take hostages or artifacts as he flees.
"Forever" means forever - this persists across adventures and campaigns. You can banish a possessing spirit without harming the host.
Become Bird (shapeshifter) : Play to transform into any bird until you choose to revert, the scene ends, or the GM reverts you as a consequence. Most forms can't speak.
The GM can revert you as a consequence for failed rolls - this replaces the old "death causes reversion" rule. Scene ending is typically "after combat ends and there's a change of venue".
Your equipment transforms with you and returns when you revert. Injuries do NOT carry between forms - if you're injured as a bird, you're fine when you revert (and vice versa).
For combat effectiveness, a "terror bird" is excellent - these flightless apex predators from the Cenozoic can add a D12 for violence. No mythical creatures - you cannot become a phoenix, roc, or other magical bird. Extinct birds (terror birds, dodos, archaeopteryx) are fine.
Become Mammal (shapeshifter) : Play to transform into any mammal until you choose to revert, the scene ends, or the GM reverts you as a consequence. Most forms can't speak.
Equipment transforms with you; injuries don't carry between forms. Tigers, bears, and elephants are strong combat options (D12 violence). Mice, bats, and cats are excellent for infiltration. Wolves and horses provide mobility. No mythical creatures - no unicorns, no griffons. Extinct mammals (mammoths, sabertooths) are fine.
Become Reptile (shapeshifter) : Play to transform into any reptile, including dinosaurs, until you choose to revert, the scene ends, or the GM reverts you as a consequence. Most forms can't speak.
Equipment transforms with you; injuries don't carry between forms. Dinosaurs are explicitly allowed and this is where the shapeshifter gets to shine. T-Rex or Triceratops is easily a D20 for violence - let them enjoy it! Raptors are devastating and mobile. Snakes are great for stealth and constriction. Crocodiles excel in water. No dragons - they're magical creatures, not reptiles. Extinct reptiles (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mosasaurs) are fine.
Blademaster (fighter) : After rolling a Violence check, turn it into a success, make a second Violence roll immediately, and make Intimidate rolls against everyone who can see you, with no consequences on fails.
This is an extremely potent combat ability - you get a guaranteed hit, a bonus attack, and free intimidation. The intimidation effect can cause lesser foes to flee or surrender, potentially ending encounters quickly.
Bless (cleric) : Make a person you touch holy. They heal one injury, become immune to curses, may re-roll 1s, and gain a D12 to intimidate unholy and undead creatures.
The bonuses last for the rest of the adventure, not just the scene - this is a big deal. The tactical tension is between using it early to maximize those bonuses across many rolls, or holding it as an emergency heal when someone goes down. There's no wrong answer, but the decision matters.
Divination (wizard) : Play to ask one question to the GM and receive a detailed, high-quality, non-cryptic answer. GM may decline if it would ruin the adventure, but you keep the card.
This is a "skip the puzzle" card. Use it when stuck, or to get critical information about a boss's weakness, the location of a prisoner, or the truth behind a mystery. The GM should give genuinely useful answers - this isn't the time for riddles. If it would spoil the adventure ("who's the murderer?"), decline and let them keep the card.
Elemental Blast (sorcerer) : Play to shoot a stream of any 'element' from your fingers, automatically succeeding at a Violence check. Options include fire, lightning, acid, water, moonlight, gravity, etc.
The element choice is flavor but can matter - fire might ignite things, water could short out mechanisms, gravity could pin someone down. "Moonlight" and similar exotic elements are encouraged for creative sorcerers. The line is very loose (gravity is explicitly allowed) - Time, Sound, Void, Shadow all work. The only limit is it fundamentally does damage; you can't blast "healing" at an ally. This is a guaranteed hit, making it reliable for finishing off a tough enemy or starting combat with a bang.
Enchanting Performance (performer) : Play to perform music that inspires an overwhelming emotion of your choice in those who hear it. Options include Compassion, Exhaustion, Paranoia, and Fear.
This is a soft mind control option. The listed emotions are examples - Rage, Lust, Loyalty, Grief, and others all work too. Important: you don't pick the target of the emotion. You can make someone feel lust, but not who they lust after - it usually goes the obvious way. The emotion lasts as long as the song plays naturally, but most emotions tend to self-maintain afterward. Targets can't resist feeling the emotion, but what they do with those feelings is up to them - a guard filled with Fear might flee, freeze, or attack wildly depending on their personality.
Frenzy (berzerker): For the rest of the scene, substitute a D20 for one violence die in melee.
This replaces one of your dice rather than adding to them, but a D20 is still excellent. Note this only works in melee - the berzerker needs to get up close. There's no "rage blindness" - the berzerker can distinguish friend from foe just fine. No mechanical downside, just pure combat power.
Greater Restoration (cleric) : Play to heal one person you touch of ALL afflictions, both natural and supernatural, including death.
This is the cleric's ultimate heal - it fixes everything. Injuries, curses, possession, petrification, death itself. The only limit is you need to touch them. Hold this for emergencies - when someone dies or gets hit with something no other ability can cure. This is why you bring a cleric.
Resurrection limits: Anything past a day dead is a "GM approval" situation. No body = no resurrection. "Healing" undead to death is also GM approval territory - it might work on some undead, but don't count on it.
Grow or Shrink (wizard) : Make a Knowledge roll to change the size of anything you touch, affecting its strength and weight. Retain this card on a failed roll. You can dismiss this effect at any time.
This requires a Knowledge check, but you keep the card on failure so you can try again. When it works, it's an encounter-changer. GM's should give big bosses "Resistance" cards or have multiple threats.
A pro move: bring a jar with a lid. Miniaturize a non-intelligent monster, then later throw it and dismiss the effect to cause havoc with other opponents.
Combo with Throw: Shrink a boulder to pebble size, have the berzerker pick it up, dismiss the shrink mid-throw. Yes, this works and is awesome.
Making someone giant can raise their violence die to a D12 (not D20 - strength gains are offset by lost finesse).
Hidden Truths (inquisitor) : After rolling a Knowledge, Observe, or Deceive roll, play to succeed and discover one extra hidden weakness or secret.
You don't need to fail first - you can play this proactively for important checks. The bonus discovery makes this particularly valuable for investigation and finding enemy vulnerabilities.
Holy Smite (paladin) : Automatically succeed on one violence roll. This attack is infused with holy energy that allows it to wound anything regardless of immunities.
This bypasses ALL immunities - ghosts, creatures that can only be hurt by silver, demons immune to mortal weapons, anything. Save this for enemies that seem invulnerable, or use it as a guaranteed kill on a dangerous foe. The holy energy aspect is thematic but the mechanical power is the immunity bypass.
Illusion (performer) : Create a visual and auditory illusion for 10 minutes. It can move, but cannot be touched, tasted, or smelled. It can disguise someone or make them invisible.
10 minutes is a long time - enough to sneak through a dungeon level, have an entire conversation with fake participants, or maintain a disguise through a social encounter. The "invisible" option is powerful for scouting or escape. Remember it fails if touched, so invisible characters should avoid crowds.
Yes, you can create darkness (absence of light). The illusion can speak and hold conversations, but it's mindless - the performer must mentally control it. If you can't hear what's being said to your illusion, holding a convincing conversation gets complicated.
Know a Guy (performer, rogue) : Play to encounter someone you know who is willing and able to help with your current challenge.
This can be played anywhere - mid-dungeon, mid-fight, anywhere. One of those goblins? Your brother's ex-cellmate. The dragon's minion? Old drinking buddy. This bends narrative into the highly implausible, and that's the point. The GM and player should collaborate on who this person is and how they know each other. The contact is willing and able to help, though they may ask for favors in return.
Leadership (fighter) : Play after making any check. Allies may make the same check using your results.
This is fantastic for group challenges - everyone needs to jump a chasm, sneak past guards, or climb a wall. The fighter makes one good roll and everyone benefits. It also works for combat - if the fighter hits, allies can use that result for their attacks too. Timing is key: play it after you see a good roll. Yes, if the fighter has buffs (Centuries of Experience, magic items, Bless) and rolls high, everyone gets to use that buffed result - but they need to actually roll, not just auto-succeed.
Magical Herbs (trapper) : Apply an herb to cure up to three Injuries, Ailments, or Curses.
This is powerful healing but has limits - you can spread it across multiple targets or use all three on one badly injured character. It does not cure death or psychological conditions.
Master Thief (rogue) : Play to steal anything, from pickpocketing to complex heists. GM may allow this to be used as a retcon, or decline if it would ruin the adventure, but you keep the card.
The retcon option is powerful - "actually, I stole the key earlier when we passed him in the hallway." This lets the rogue solve problems retroactively. For forward use, "anything" means anything physical - the crown off a king's head, the weapon from an enemy's hand mid-combat, a dragon's favorite treasure. You cannot steal abstract things (someone's courage, the light from a room, a creature's ability to move). If it would ruin the adventure (stealing the MacGuffin that's supposed to drive the plot), the GM can decline - but the player keeps the card to try something else.
Perfect Shot (fighter, hunter) : Play to make any shot with a ranged weapon. This can auto-succeed a Violence check or perform incredible trick shots.
The "trick shot" option opens creative possibilities beyond just hitting someone. Shoot the rope holding the chandelier, pin someone's cloak to the wall, shoot a key off a guard's belt, hit a tiny target at extreme range. Yes to ricochet shots, shooting through small gaps, and extreme distance. Shoot out the lamp with a toothpick through the keyhole? Sure. If it could theoretically be done with a ranged weapon and incredible skill, this does it.
Poison (trapper) : Play to use a plant poison. Deliver via food, weapon, or contact. Choose effect: sleep, poor judgment, illness, paralysis, or death.
"Poor judgment" is underrated - a poisoned guard might let you pass, a poisoned negotiator might agree to bad terms. Sleep is non-lethal and great for infiltration. Paralysis and death are for when you need someone stopped permanently. Contact poison can be applied to door handles, weapons, or anything the target will touch.
Death poison works on things that can die - it won't work on undead, constructs, or immortals. Powerful creatures may have Resistance cards. Poisoning multiple people with one use requires GM approval - maybe possible with food/drink, probably not with a weapon.
Possession (sorcerer) : Look into a person or creature's eyes and roll Persuade to take possession of their body while you fall asleep. Keep card on failure.
Your body is vulnerable while possessing someone - allies need to guard you. You gain access to the target's physical abilities but keep your own mind. Possessing a guard gets you past security; possessing a flying creature gets you flight; possessing a boss mid-fight turns their strength against their allies. The eye contact requirement means you can't possess someone from hiding.
Yes, you can possess undead, constructs, or animals. If your body dies while possessing, you have until the end of the scene in your possessed body, then you're toast.
Radiant Aura (paladin) : For the rest of the scene, allies who can see you are immune to Curses, may ignore Curses they have, and may re-roll 1s.
This is a strong support ability - it both protects against future curses and lets allies ignore existing ones. The re-roll 1s effect is a consistent combat bonus that helps the whole party.
Restoration (paladin) : Heal one person you touch of up to two Injuries, Ailments or Conditions.
More limited than Greater Restoration but still valuable mid-combat healing. Use this to get a badly injured ally back in the fight.
Silent Stalker (hunter) : After failing Stealth or Survival, play to succeed instead and slip from sight. You may then track one target until you catch it; you count as hidden from it until you attack.
You don't have to wait for a failure - you can just "go stalking" by making a Stealth or Survival roll and playing this regardless of the result. This combines escape with pursuit - you vanish from sight and can then track your quarry while remaining undetected. Perfect for hunting dangerous prey or setting up the perfect ambush.
"Hidden until you attack" means exactly that - non-combat actions (stealing, tying shoelaces, setting traps) will generally break your hidden status. The power is about the hunt and the ambush, not about being an invisible pickpocket.
Smash (berzerker) : Play to break one object up to 10x your size. This includes smashing through doors and walls, or bursting out of chains.
The berzerker gets to play the Incredible Hulk fantasy. 10x your size is enormous - a human berzerker could smash through a castle gate or demolish a small building. This solves "locked door" problems permanently and enables the classic Kool-Aid Man entrance through walls. It also works for escape (burst out of chains, cage, or a monster's grip). The object is destroyed, not just damaged.
Magical barriers and force fields: Generally no, but GM approval possible. You can smash through a floor to the level below, but not the ground itself to create a pit - the earth is too massive.
Telekinesis or Fly (sorcerer) : Play to move an object you can see with your mind, including yourself or a willing person for flight. Once chosen, you can't switch objects. Effect lasts until the end of the scene.
Scene-long duration makes this very versatile. Weight limit is 3x your personal weight. Flight is obvious - scouting, bypassing obstacles, aerial combat. Telekinesis on an object can disarm enemies (yank their weapon), grab a MacGuffin, manipulate things at range (pull a lever across a trapped room), or move something heavy. Yes, you can TK an enemy directly (subject to weight limits) - though powerful creatures may have Resistance cards. The "can't switch" rule means choose wisely - once you're flying, you can't switch to grabbing something else.
Teleport (wizard) : Play to move yourself and one person or object you're touching to any place you can see.
Line of sight is required - you cannot teleport to remembered locations. This limits range but still allows dramatic escapes, repositioning in combat, or reaching otherwise inaccessible places within view.
Throw (berzerker) : Play to hurl an object or person up to 10x your weight up to 500 feet, with moderate accuracy.
More Incredible Hulk fantasy - between Smash and Throw, the berzerker can Kool-Aid Man through a wall and then hurl an enemy through the hole they just made. Throw an enemy at another enemy. Throw a boulder. Throw an ally to a high ledge or across a chasm. "Moderate accuracy" means you'll hit a building but might not hit a specific window. 500 feet is surprisingly far - nearly two football fields.
Wind in the Trees (rogue) : After rolling a Stealth or Climb check, play to make it a success and slip from sight. You may reappear anywhere else on the map you could reasonably reach this scene, unseen and unheard.
This is essentially short-range teleportation combined with stealth. "Reasonably reach" is inherently a GM conversation, but as a rule of thumb: if you'd need to pass a TN 8 or lower challenge to get there normally, yes. Through a wall or into a vault you can't access? No. Across a courtyard, through an unlocked building, up to a rooftop you could climb to? Yes. The rogue vanishes and reappears elsewhere.
Each character also has a heritage (race) that provides two additional power cards. Like class powers, these are typically one-use-per-adventure unless the card says otherwise. Heritage powers tend to be somewhat less dramatic than class powers but provide useful utility and flavor.
Heirloom of the Forge (dwarf) : Play at the start of the session. Draw three 'dwarfish heirloom' magic item cards and keep one as your heirloom.
This should be played at session start before the adventure begins. The three options let the player pick something suited to the adventure ahead. There are seven Heirloom items in the item deck:
Iron Constitution (dwarf) : Play to count any Injury or Ailment as if it has been treated immediately, without using any actions.
This is instant first aid without needing a Medicine check or taking time. Use it when you're injured mid-combat and can't spare the action, or when no one in the party has good Medicine. It doesn't remove the condition, just treats it - so a "Broken Arm (untreated)" becomes "Broken Arm (treated)" with reduced penalties.
Nature's Wisdom (elf) : Play to auto-succeed on an Animal Handling, Knowledge, Medicine, Observe, or Survival roll.
Five different skills means this is very flexible - save it for a critical moment when failure would be disastrous. The skill list reflects elven lore: communion with nature, ancient knowledge, keen senses, and healing arts.
Centuries of Experience (elf) : Roll a D6 along with all of your rolls. Do not discard this card.
This is a permanent bonus - the card is never discarded. The D6 applies to everything: skill checks, powers that require rolls, even rolls from items. Since you keep the best die, this particularly helps with skills where you only roll 1D10, giving you a safety net against low rolls. Over an adventure, this adds up significantly.
Adaptive Recovery (human) : Play to recover a previously used profession card and play it immediately, then take two consequences from the strain.
This is pushing yourself past your limits - nosebleeds, shaking hands, the cost of doing something your body wasn't meant to do twice. The GM chooses the two consequences, which should reflect the strain: passing out, confusion, injury, exhaustion.
Important for scene-duration powers: If you recover a power that lasts a scene (like Frenzy or Telekinesis), you get the full use of that power for the scene. The two consequences hit when the scene ends and the power fades. So a berzerker who rages a second time fights at full strength, then collapses unconscious and confused when the battle ends.
Generic (human) : Play to blend in with any group of NPCs and avoid suspicion for the rest of the scene unless you act wildly out of character.
Humans are everywhere and look like everyone. This lets you infiltrate almost any social situation - palace guards, cult meetings, merchant guilds, servant staff. "Wildly out of character" gives you some leeway for minor mistakes, but drawing a weapon or casting obvious spells would break the effect.
Lucky (halfling) : Play to re-roll any die for yourself or an ally. If the re-roll fails, keep the card for future use.
Low risk, high reward - if the re-roll works, great. If it doesn't, you keep the card to try again later. This makes it safe to use on borderline rolls. You can also use it on allies, which is great for supporting the party's key rolls.
Sane and Charmed (halfling) : Play on yourself to remove a curse or psychological condition such as Confused.
Halflings are famously resistant to corruption and madness. This self-only cure handles things that Greater Restoration would fix, but doesn't require a cleric. Particularly valuable against enemies that inflict fear, confusion, or curses.
Master Tinkerer (gnome) : Succeed on any Pick Lock or Mechanisms check. You may use this even without the Pick Lock skill.
The "even without the skill" clause is key - gnomes can pick locks even if their profession doesn't grant Pick Locks. This makes them valuable in any party for getting past locked doors and complex devices. Save it for locks or mechanisms that really matter.
Gnomish Tactical Response (gnome) : Play to intercept an injury aimed at an ally with a Violence check. On a success you protect them and hurt the attacker; on a failure you both take consequences.
This is a bodyguard move with offense built in. On success, you negate the attack AND deal damage back. On failure, both you and your ally suffer - so consider your Violence skill before jumping in. Best used to protect fragile allies (wizards, injured party members) from big hits.
Iron Stomach (orc) : Eat any object up to your size, no matter how dangerous, magical, indigestible, or gruesome with no harmful effects to you.
This is surprisingly versatile. Eat poison to remove it from play. Eat a cursed item to destroy it. Eat evidence. Eat the MacGuffin before the villain can get it. Eat your way out of a net or ropes. The "magical" clause means enchanted items can be disposed of this way. The only limit is size - you can't eat a building. Yes, you can eat treasure to smuggle it out - retrieval is your problem.
Walk it off (orc) : After first aid, remove an injury card.
This completely removes an injury, not just treats it. First aid is required first (a Medicine check or Iron Constitution), then this card makes the injury disappear entirely. Orcs are tough - a wound that would cripple others is just a scratch to them.
Infernal Nature (tiefling) : Play to become immune to fire for the rest of the scene or auto-succeed on an Intimidate roll.
Two very different options. Fire immunity is situational but completely negates fire-based enemies and hazards - walk through flames, ignore a dragon's breath, handle lava. The intimidate auto-success reflects the tiefling's demonic heritage making them genuinely terrifying when they embrace it.
Speak with Dead (tiefling) : Play on a corpse to get honest answers from its spirit. GM may decline if it would ruin the adventure, but you keep the card.
Murder mysteries become much easier when you can ask the victim who killed them. The spirit is honest but only knows what it knew in life. The GM protection clause prevents this from short-circuiting carefully planned mysteries - but if it would just skip a step, let it work.
Fire Breath (dragonborn) : Play to release a blast of fire breath, affecting up to three enemies in a cone each with a 1D8 Violence roll. Take no consequences on failures.
The D8 replaces your normal Violence dice for this attack (normally 1D10 or 2D10-keep-best). You're trading raw power for area effect and safety. Three targets at D8 each with no consequences on failure is efficient for softening groups of weaker enemies. Also useful for non-combat purposes - lighting things on fire, intimidation displays, clearing brush.
Glide (dragonborn) : Play when leaping from a tall structure to fly for the rest of the scene. Gaining altitude requires an Instinct check.
The trigger is specific - you must leap from somewhere high first. After that, you can fly for the whole scene. Gaining altitude requires a check, but maintaining height or descending is free. This encourages dramatic rooftop escapes and diving attacks from towers.
Illusory Double (foxfolk) : Create an illusory double of yourself. The double must appear to flee the scene, drawing attention and pursuit away from you.
This is specifically an escape tool - the double flees, enemies chase it, you slip away in the other direction. It won't work for combat tricks or impersonation because the double must flee. Perfect for breaking away from pursuit or creating a distraction during infiltration.
Nimble (foxfolk) : Play to auto-succeed on a Climb, Jump, or Swim roll.
Three physical mobility skills covered. Use this when failure would be catastrophic - jumping a chasm over lava, climbing to escape a flooding room, swimming through dangerous currents. Foxfolk are quick and agile; this represents that supernatural grace.