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USING ADVERSARIES

ADVERSARY STAT BLOCKS

All the information required to run an adversary is contained in their stat block. An adversary’s stat block includes their:

NAME

Each stat block has a unique name. Abilities that affect adversaries with a certain name include all adversaries who use that stat block, regardless of their in-story name.

TIER

Each adversary is designed to oppose PCs of a certain tier. If you confront the party with an adversary from another tier, adjust their stats.

TYPE

The adversary’s type appears alongside their tier. An adversary’s type represents the role they play in a conflict. The adversary types are:

  • Bruisers: tough; deliver powerful attacks.
  • Hordes: groups of identical creatures acting together as a single unit.
  • Leaders: command and summon other adversaries.
  • Minions: easily dispatched but dangerous in numbers.
  • Ranged: fragile in close encounters but deal high damage at range.
  • Skulks: maneuver and exploit opportunities to ambush opponents.
  • Socials: present challenges around conversation instead of combat.
  • Solos: present a formidable challenge to a whole party, with or without support.
  • Standards: representative of their fictional group.
  • Supports: enhance their allies and disrupt their opponents.

DESCRIPTION

MOTIVES & TACTICS

DIFFICULTY

The Difficulty of any roll made against the adversary, unless otherwise noted.

DAMAGE THRESHOLDS, HIT POINTS, AND STRESS

These systems function the same way they do for PCs. The numbers listed after “Threshold” are the adversary’s Major and Severe Thresholds.

ATTACK MODIFIER

When you attack with the adversary, apply this bonus or penalty to your attack roll.

STANDARD ATTACK

A description of the adversary’s primary mode of inflicting harm on the PCs. It includes the attack’s name, its effective range, and the damage it deals on a success. Using an adversary’s standard attack is a GM move.

EXPERIENCE (OPTIONAL)

The GM can spend a Fear to add an adversary’s relevant Experience to raise their attack roll or increase the Difficulty of a roll made against them.

EXAMPLE EXPERIENCES

  • Acrobatics
  • Ambusher
  • Bartering
  • Blademaster
  • Bodyguard
  • Commander
  • Hunt from Above
  • Intimidation
  • Intrusion
  • Keen Senses
  • Magical Knowledge
  • Nature’s Friend
  • Navigation
  • Nobility
  • Quick Reflexes
  • Socialite
  • Stealth
  • Tracker

FEATURE(S)

There are three kinds of adversary features: actions, reactions, and passives. Note: each adversaries stress is tracked individually. If a feature requires the GM to spend Stress to activate it, the Stress must come from the adversary whose feature is being activate. If a feature has a Fear requirement, it must be spent in addition to any Fear already spent—for instance, to interrupt the PCs and put the spotlight on the adversary.

  • Actions: a special attack or other unique action that the adversary can perform when the spotlight is on them.
  • Reactions: special effects that take effect when their trigger occurs, regardless of whether the spotlight is on the adversary.
  • Passives: special abilities that remain in effect by default and require no resources or triggers to activate.

FEAR FEATURE(S)

High-impact effects that cost a Fear to activate.

EXAMPLE ADVERSARY FEATURES

ACTIONS

Haymaker - Action: Make an attack against a target within Very Close range. On a success, deal X direct physical damage.

Shredding Strike - Action: Make an attack against a target within Very Close range. On a success, deal X physical damage and the target must mark an Armor Slot without gaining its benefit (they can still use armor to reduce the damage).

More Where That Came From - Action: Summon three Jagged Knife Lackeys, who appear at Far range.

REACTIONS

Heavy Hitter - Reaction: When this adversary deals damage with a standard attack, you can spend a Fear to gain a +X bonus to the damage roll.

Team-Up - Reaction: When another adversary within Very Close range of this adversary deals X damage to a creature, you can mark a Stress to make a standard attack against that same creature. On a success, combine the damage.

Momentum - Reaction: When this adversary makes a successful attack against a PC, you gain a Fear.

PASSIVES

Horde (X) - Passive: When the Horde has marked half or more of their HP, their standard attack deals X damage instead.

Minion (X) - Passive: This adversary is defeated when they take any damage. For every X damage a PC deals to this adversary, defeat an additional Minion within range the attack would succeed against.

Relentless (X) - Passive: This adversary can be spotlighted up to X times per GM turn. Spend Fear as usual to spotlight them.

Slow - Passive: When you spotlight this adversary and they don’t have a token on their stat block, they can’t act yet. Place a token on their stat block and describe what they’re preparing to do. When you spotlight this adversary and they have a token on their stat block, clear the token and they can act.

Arcane Form - Passive: This adversary is resistant to magic damage.

Armored Carapace - Passive: When this adversary takes physical damage, reduce it by X.

FEAR FEATURES

Explosion - Action: Spend a Fear to erupt in a fiery explosion. Make an attack against all targets within Close range. Targets the adversary succeeds against take 1d8 magic damage and are knocked back to Far range.

BUILDING BALANCED ENCOUNTERS

When planning a battle, start with [(3 x the number of PCs in combat) + 2] Battle Points and make the following adjustments:

  • -1 for an easier or shorter fight
  • -2 if you’re using 2 or more Solo adversaries
  • -2 if you add +1d4 (or a static +2) to all adversaries’ damage rolls
  • +1 if you choose an adversary from a lower tier
  • +1 if you don’t include any Bruisers, Hordes, Leaders, or Solos
  • +2 for a harder or longer fight

Then spend your Battle Points to add an adversary to the encounter:

  • Spend 1 point for each group of Minions equal to the size of the party.
  • Spend 1 point for each Social or Support adversary.
  • Spend 2 points for each Horde, Ranged, Skulk, or Standard adversary.
  • Spend 3 points for each Leader adversary.
  • Spend 4 points for each Bruiser adversary.
  • Spend 5 points for each Solo adversary.

DEFEATED ADVERSARIES

When an adversary marks their last Hit Point, they are defeated: incapacitated, tied up, routed, killed, or anything else the table decides makes sense.

ADVERSARY STAT BLOCK BENCHMARKS

ADVERSARY STATISTIC TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 TIER 4
Attack Modifier +1 +2 +3 +4
Damage Dice 1d6+2 to 1d12+4 2d6+3 to 2d12+4 3d8+3 to 3d12+5 4d8+10 to 4d12+15
Difficulty 11 14 17 20
Damage Thresholds Major 7 /
Severe 12		 Major 10 /
Severe 20		 Major 20 /
Severe 32		 Major 25 /
Severe 45

ADVERSARIES BY TIER

This section contains the following stat blocks:

TIER 1 (LEVEL 1)

TIER 2 (LEVELS 2–4)

TIER 3 (LEVELS 5–7)

TIER 4 (LEVELS 8–10)