Tales
Tales are a fusion of magic and faith, requiring skilled Talemasters to channel the energies of magic around them to recall events from the past. As scholars of history, they hold the keys to collective memory, retelling stories that never truly reach finality, for new elements discovered in study and perspectives continuously shape them. The most powerful Talemasters are sometimes granted glimpses of the past in their dreams by the Gods, adding depth and vitality to the tales they weave.
Tales combine elements of both miracles and spells, demanding the expenditure of Miracle Points and a Chanting check to succeed. They are obtained from the development tree of a Talemaster and can be learned along the player’s journey. Similarly to spells, players decide on the difficulty of the Chanting check by setting the X value. It cannot exceed the Magic attribute value of the player, so with 2 Magic, one can choose their X to be 1 or 2. Unlike most spells, however, each Tale carries unique risks for the Talemasters, as the consequences of a failed Chanting check can vary significantly depending on the Tale’s nature. To perform a tale, the player uses the specified Miracle Points and rolls a D10, adding their Magic attribute and Chanting skill to the Chanting check.
Each tale has three distinct effects: the beginning effect, the failure effect, and the ending effect. The beginning and ending effects occur regardless of the outcome of a Chanting check, unless the failure effect is the interruption of the tale—then only the beginning effect is triggered. The failure effect depicts what occurs when the initial Chanting check fails. When the Talemaster receives damage the tale may be interrupted, so to continue it they have to roll another Chanting check. The difficulty of the chanting check is 5 + damage received. Tales take effect in the range determined by the Magic attribute of a Talemaster. Each Magic Attribute represents 5 yards (meters), so a Talemaster with 4 Magic attribute effects 20 yards (meters) around themselves.
| Mag difficulty | Miracle Points | Name | Beginning effect | Effect of a failed Mag test | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7X | 2 | Tale of Sisters reunion | For 2 rounds, each of the companions receives X rerolls per turn. | If a player fails the Magic check, companions receive -4 to rerolled tests. | Players receive X rerolls. |
| 15+X | 3 | Nomen’s banishment | For 2 rounds, the player banishes a demon or any summon. During this tale, the demon is immobilized during the second round. | If a player fails the Magic check, roll D10+X: 1-3 Player loses consciousness 4-6 Player takes D10/3 damage 7-10 The demon is not immobilized. | The demon is banished. |
| 8+X | 3 | Singi’s sight | Until the start of their next turn, the player chooses an opponent. The opponent makes a Decay resistance check on the difficulty of the Magic check. If they fail, they cannot move. | If a player fails the Magic check, the opponent does not disintegrate into dust. | The opponent takes D10+X damage. If the character hit by this effect fails a Pain Resistance, instead of losing consciousness, they disintegrate into dust. |
| 6+2X | 3 | Rass’s forgiveness | Until the end of their next turn, all companions are surrounded by a magical shield that blocks X spells directed at them in total. The spell is immediately dispelled. | If a player fails the Magic check, the effects of these spells instead of being dispersed affect the player. | Companions receive a delayed free block action. |
| 5+3X | 4 | Derzen’s wrath | All enemies participating in the battle receive D10/4+X damage for 2 rounds. | The player also receives this damage. | Enemies take D10/2+2X damage. |
| 5X | 3 | Aqui’s stroll | For the next 2 rounds, all companions recover D10/3+X hit points. | If a player fails the Magic check, they lose D10/2+X hit points. | Companions additionally regain D10/2+X Life Points. |
| 6X | 1 | Gardemon the Fearless | The player creates an aura around themselves that makes companions fearless. For 2 rounds, all companions in the vicinity of the player receive +5 to Bravery and +X to inflicted damage. | The player makes Bravery check at level 7+X, and if they fail, the tale is interrupted. | Companions regain 2X hit points. |
| 6+2X | 3 | Battle tale of forgotten days | For 2 rounds, all companions receive +X to attack and +X to inflicted damage. | The tale is interrupted. | X companions regain consciousness. |
| 4X | 1 | Tale of the undefeated Gardemon | For 2 rounds, all companions receive +2X resistance to pain. | The tale is interrupted. | X companions receive a delayed free attack action. |
| 4X | 2 | Tale of Ria’s travel | For 2 rounds, all companions receive +X Evasion. | The tale is interrupted. | The chosen companion receives +X evasion for several minutes. |
| 3X | 2 | Battle dance of Arret | For 2 rounds, the player can make X attacks miss a companion. The decision is made before specifying the damage number. | The player receives damage from the canceled hit. | Companion receives X rerolls. |
| 6X | 2 | Tale of the Sleeping Rass | For 2 rounds, all Spells cost 4X more magic points, and magical damage from Spells is nullified. | If a player fails the Magic check, each time someone casts a spell, the player loses D10/4 hit points. | All Spells and magical damage in the area are dispersed, and no Spells can be cast for this turn. |
| 9+3X | 5 | Heavenly fury | All enemies participating in the battle receive D10/2+X damage for 2 rounds. | The player also receives this damage. | Enemies take D10+X damage. |
| 5+2X | 4 | Tale of Ice/Mountain passage | For 2 rounds, the surroundings become increasingly cold, with strong winds, torches extinguishing, and a piercing cold affecting all characters (except the player). All characters make an Athletics test at 6+2X. If they fail, they take D10/3 damage and are knocked prone. Ranged attacks are made with a -5 modifier. | The player also makes an Athletics test, and if they fail, the tale is interrupted. | All enemies take D10/3 + X damage. |
| 6+2X | 4 | Tale of Izofira | For 2 rounds, the area begins to transform into lava. All characters holding non-magical metal objects make a resistance test at 6+2X. If they fail, they drop the held items or receive 5 damage each turn. If they pass, they take X damage each turn as long as they hold a weapon. | The player cannot speak for D10\2 minutes. | Enemies in armor or holding metal objects take D10+X damage. |
| 5X | 2 | Tale of the misty forest | For 2 rounds, the area is shrouded in thick fog, reducing visibility and making ranged attacks more difficult by 5X. | Instead of enemies, X random characters receive damage. | X enemies take 2D10 + X damage. |
| 5+2X | 3 | Mountain called Monkey | For 2 rounds, the ground trembles, slowing down all characters in the vicinity. All characters (except the player) make an Athletics test at 6+2X. If they fail, they are knocked down. Ranged attacks are made with a -5 modifier. | The player also makes an Athletics test, and if they fail, the tale is interrupted. | All enemies take D10/2 + X damage. |
| 4X | 3 | Tale of endless battle | For 2 rounds, all companions receive +X to inflicted damage. | The player receives X damage. | Until the end of this combat, all players receive +X to inflicted damage and +X to Toughness. |
| 6X | 3 | Tale of triumph | Before the battle, during rest, all companions gain X vigor points. | The player receives -X to all tests until the next rest. | – |
| 4X | 3 | Tale of silence before the storm | After the battle, during rest, all companions recover XD10 hit points. | The player receives -X to all tests until the next rest. | – |