Arium Discover v1.3b Digital [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

ARIUM: CREATE CREATE THE WORLD AND SEEDS OF YOUR STORY TOGETHER. ARIUM: DISCOVER DISCOVER YOUR GROUP’S BEST IDEAS THROUGH ROLEPLAYING. ARIUM: EVOLVE (FORTHCOMING) EVOLVE YOUR CHARACTERS, WORLD, STORY, AND EVEN GAMEPLAY.

Arium:  Discover Authors: William Munn, Natasha Ence, Drew Gerken, Diogo Nogueira

Arium Logo Designer: Heather Gerken

Editor: Charlotte-Mae R. Irrgang

Adept Icarus Logo Designer: K. M. Alexander

Sensitivity Advisor: Mariam Ahmad

Designers: Natasha Ence, William Munn Cover Artist: Andreas Rocha Publishing/Art Direction: Book Designer: William Munn David Miessler‑Kubanek Playtesters: Emily Earhart, Chase Ingraham, Katie Young, Dalton Obray, Frank Earhart, Daniel Yocom, Rashelle Yeates, Adam Clayton, Patrick Tracy, Wade Edwards, J . C. Chambers III, Jonathan Bowen, Katie Rinda, Alex Tulley, Robert Smith, R. Jon Rock, Meri Munn, Remmi Munn, Emma Munn, Marina Nye, Tyler Rollins, Brent Girard, Jacob Ward, Tim Ryan Scully, Steve Davit, Michael Mahony, Jeremy Wilde, Chame Dalton, Steven Estep, Holli Gowers, Kevin Gowers, Brielle Gowers, Tori Fica, Erika Startup Additional Thanks: Again, to our friends and families who’ve been both patient and supportive as we worked for untold hours writing and playtesting Arium. We really can’t thank you enough!

To all of the people we haven’t mentioned here. We know you’re out there, and we appreciate you! Published by Adept Icarus, 2021 ISBN 978-1-953128-06-5

To Emma, who asked to play Arium every day for at least a year.

All rights reserved. Reproduction without the publisher’s written permission is expressly forbidden, To our 1179 Kickstarter backers! We’d except for the purpose of reviews. list you all here, but then we’d have to The blank Arium character sheets change the book’s format just to fit you! and quick reference guides, amay Thank you for your faith in us. We hope be reproduced for personal use you’re pleased! only. Interior art images by Tithi To all of our newfound streamer friends Luadthong are used under license who took a chance by putting Arium from Shutterstock.com. on Twitch, Facebook Live, YouTube, and elsewhere. Thanks to Level 1 Geek, Friends Who Roll Dice, Peih-Gee Law, Penny for a Tale, and Weave the Tale! Heart-hands to you. All the heart-hands.

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Arium: Discover

Table of Contents Arium:  Discover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What Is A Roleplaying Game? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 What Stories Will We Tell? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Game Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discovery Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Health & Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12 14 14 14 15 15

Creating Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Create A Character Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Determine Character Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assign Primary Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calculate Derived Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calculate Health and Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purchase Extra Qualities/Goodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name and Assign Qualities and their Effects . . . . . . . . . . Assign Discovery Token(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 19 20 22 23 23 24 31

Dice and Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Dice Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Tests & Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4

Discovery Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Using Discovery Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Running/Playing Arium: Discover . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Resting/Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Social Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Hunting/Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Tracking Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Magic, Tech, Companions, Wealth, and The Unexplained . . . 50

Gamemaster Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Good Practices for an Arium Gamemaster . . . . . . . . . . . . Enemy Combatants and Critters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stars & Wishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . More Optional Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52 53 56 56

Quality Naming Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Character Boons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goodie Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Character Banes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goodie Flaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59 63 66 69

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Find Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Sample Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Other Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 5

Arium: Discover

Introduction Hello, to the adventurous soul who chose to try an unknown tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) by an indie company with no reputation. No, really. You’re pretty brave. If you’re one of our Kickstarter backers, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Want us to say it more? WE WILL! THANK YOU!

OPTIONAL RULES We’ve scattered some optional rules throughout the game. Our intent has always been for Arium to provide ways for groups to tell the type of stories they want. Make sure the group agrees before including an optional rule in your game.

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Let’s get the big question out of the way: What, in the name of the stars, is an Arium? It’s the concept of an overarching world, universe, setting, and story/adventure seeds. An Arium contains the collection of places, people, and things that exist within it. Arium: Discover is a standalone roleplaying game streamlined for telling stories in any Arium you can imagine. It’s designed to be fast, fun, and easy to learn. We also added enough substance to keep your game interesting over time. Most importantly, Discover is for roleplaying in worlds where anything is possible. • Want to play a character stuck in a romantic comedy of errors, where the Greek gods will make you an instrument of their will if you don’t hurry up and get married?

• Maybe you’d like a shot at figuring out what ancient, dragon-run civilization lies beneath the western frontier towns where magic equals mutation and the Dust Girls rule? • Would you like the chance to stop the world from unraveling by traveling through time as an acolyte of the Weaving Pantheon? • Perhaps folks would prefer to settle down in the Cavendish province, the only part of the planet not covered in an eldritch-magic-steeped amusement park? • You could even take a run at playing nerdy monsters in a slice-of-life university newspaper club set in the center of an endless building that shifts and changes around a vast, mystical tree. With Arium: Discover, you can play in worlds of infinite possibility. RPGs have a reputation for involving a lot of reading, and we think that’s fair. Honestly, we like to read. Still, we know many people prefer to learn by watching! We’ve posted some handy videos that demonstrate the fundamental concepts of Arium: Discover over on the Adept Icarus YouTube channel. Quick link available from the Game Resources page at https://adepticarus.com/gameresources

WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME? By 2020, there have been countless pop-culture references to tabletop roleplaying games. Have you seen E.T.? Freaks and Geeks? Gravity Falls? Community? Stranger Things? Each references roleplaying games. We believe people new to the idea of tabletop RPGs will have fun with Arium: Discover. An RPG is simply a bunch of friends collaboratively telling an entertaining story while having a fantastic time. Yeah, there are rules that add strategy and randomness and help keep the game fun for everyone, but the story is the star of the game. Grab some adventurous friends and give it a try!

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Arium: Discover

Requirements THE SHORTLIST • One to six friends • A gamemaster (GM) to facilitate • Blank paper or printed character sheets (see page 74) • Pencils (or pens if you have a fatalistic world-view) • Six to ten Tokens per player (e.g., poker chips, glass beads, pocket lint) • Ten six-sided dice per player (the kind that come in classic board games)

1. Some time. Arium: Discover sessions can last as long or as short as your group desires. We think two to three hours is the sweet spot, but if your group likes marathon game sessions, that’s great too! 2. To play in person, you will need pencils, character sheets (printable at the end of this book), and something to use as Discovery Tokens. You’ll also need nine or ten six-sided dice (Ok, go with ten). Note: We’ll refer to a standard six-sided die as a “D”, “die”, or “dice” in the rest of the book. So ten six-sided dice is written as 10D. If there is only one die, 1D is the same as a D or a die. Grab 10D for luck! 3. The Arium: Discover Quick References for players and gamemasters will be handy! 4. Oh yeah, you also need people. Groups of three to six seem to work the best, but we’ve playtested with as many as eight. 1. One person will need to act as the facilitator for the group. We’ll refer to them as the gamemaster or GM from here on. This person should always work to gain consensus among the group first, and they are the final arbiter of the rules if there is a disagreement that cannot be resolved another way.

ONLINE PLAY Running Arium: Discover with a distributed group is easy. We recommend using video conferencing software that allows screen sharing (Zoom, Skype, Discord) and either an online dice roller, or physical dice for each person. Virtual tabletops such as Roll20.net or FoundryVTT are also a handy way to share visuals and roll dice.

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WHAT STORIES WILL WE TELL? Arium: Discover shines in a few specific areas: 1. Groups moving from a more traditional RPG system into the narrative style who want to take it slow. Discover is streamlined yet familiar, with a bent toward great stories. 2. Helping groups who struggle with indecision when they try to play traditional story game systems. 3. Creating cross-genre scenarios and mashups of things you always wished you could see in mainstream games and media. If it doesn’t feel like a good fit for a system you already play in, give Arium a try. Odds are, it will work!

A NOTE ABOUT CONTENT RATING AND GAME SAFETY TOOLS First off, at Adept Icarus, we believe in safety for the entire group first and foremost. We use safety tools in our games, and we recommend everyone do the same. There is plenty of useful guidance out there for making your RPG a safe and fun place for all. The practice is simple, it’s essential, and we can’t think of a good reason to ignore these tools. That said, we aren’t going to recap them here except to say two things: • Be kind to your fellows first, and everything will probably work itself out. • We link to a great page detailing safety tools on our Game Resources page at https://adepticarus.com/gameresources. Please review it if you aren’t already familiar.

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Arium: Discover

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Overview Groups playing Arium: Discover start out by selecting a Game Mode that best fits the type of story they want to tell. Then, they create characters and roll dice to resolve Tests for the characters when they want to perform an action that is risky or narratively important. The gamemaster determines when a Test is necessary and sets the Target (number of Hits) required to succeed. The results will tell whether or not you accomplished the task, and also if there’s the possibility of a story twist called Control or Complication. When rolling for a Test, the roller is trying to roll a number of Hits (successes) equal to or higher than the Target set by the GM. A Hit is any die that rolls a 5 or a 6.

EXAMPLE 1. A player states that their character is taking an action that could be complicated or important to the narrative. 2. The gamemaster asks a player to roll a Test for an Attribute and sets the Target. 3. The player has an Attribute score of 3 and no Qualities apply, so the player rolls 3D. 4. The result is a 1 (Miss), a 3 (Miss), and a 5 (Hit) for a total of one Hit. 5. If the GM had set the Target of the Test at one Hit, the player succeeds in the action they were trying to perform. 6. If the Target was two or more Hits, the Test fails.

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Arium: Discover

GAME MODES Because we aim for groups to tell any kind of story they fancy, there are three types of game modes in Arium: Heroic, Normal, and Hardcore. The choice mainly impacts character creation by adjusting the power level of the characters.

Heroic

Normal

Hardcore

Arium uses game modes to help groups match the type of game they want to play. The group decides on the game mode together before creating characters.

THE THREE MODES A Heroic game might be an epic fantasy or superhero game where the characters undertake a tremendous and meaningful quest against impossible odds. Heroic characters could also engage in a slice-of-life story where they often visit the local tavern and tell stories of past conquests while lamenting the dangerous things they are always asked to do. Normal is the game mode where your average adventurers exist. Maybe you’re just a group of folks who are investigating strange happenings, or you’re trying to steal back a friend’s missing rug. After all, it really tied the room together. Looking for a typical meatgrinder? Hardcore is here for you. This mode is where your red-shirted ensigns, kobolds, and down on their luck street vigilantes live. Additionally, anyone in a highly lethal world would fall into this category. We’re looking at you, George R. R. Martin.

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Arium: Discover

ATTRIBUTES In Arium, Attributes are the measure of how good a character is at something. There are two types of Attributes: Primary and Derived. Players are given a number of points to assign as values to the four Primary Attributes. Derived Attributes are then calculated by averaging the scores of the two related Primary Attributes (round up). In most cases, Derived Attributes are what are used to roll Tests.

DISCOVERY TOKENS Discovery Tokens are a way for your character to impact the world around them without necessarily having to succeed at a Test. They are also the fail-forward mechanic of Arium: Discover. You’ll often get more of them when you fail a Test, which makes failure rewarding to play into.

GOODIES A Goody is typically something your character owns, like a unique charm, a cool piece of tech, a mighty sword, or even a speedy means of transport. However, a Goody could also be a contact or friend who helps your character when needed, or even a hangout, hideout, or a particular organization. Anything that lends them additional benefits, but is not part of the character themself makes a great Goody.

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HEALTH & RESISTANCE The two final numbers are Health and Resistance. Mainly used in combat, these two values are unique in that they are based on two of the Derived Attributes.

QUALITIES Both Characters and Goodies have positive and negative aspects called Qualities. Characters have Boons & Banes, and Goodies have Features & Flaws. Each of these Qualities has a Name and one or more mechanical Effects that may modify Tests the Character makes. The descriptive Names of the Qualities determine when they will come into play. PRIMARY

(Mind, Body, Spirit, Heart)

ATTRIBUTES

DERIVED

(Awareness, Defense, Offense, Personality, Stamina, Willpower)

HEALTH/ RESISTANCE

NAME

QUALITIES

(Boons/Banes) EFFECT(S)

CHARACTER

NAME

QUALITIES

(Features/Flaws) EFFECT(S)

GOODIES

NAME

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Arium: Discover

Creating Characters So enough about the basics; let’s create your first character! Arium: Discover character creations is, like the rest of the game, simple at its core. There aren’t many steps and, if you’re entering the game with Character and Goody concepts already completed as part of an Arium: Create session, you’ve got a head start.

0

7

Create Character Concept

Determine Discovery Token(s)

Determine Character Points

6

Name & Assign Qualities and Their Effects

5

Purchase Extra Qualities/ Goodies 16

1

2

CHARACTER CREATION STEPS

4

Calculate Health & Resistance

Purchase Primary Attributes

3

Calculate Derived Attributes

PRIMARY

(Mind, Body, Spirit, Heart)

DERIVED

(Awareness, Defense, Offense, Personality, Stamina, Willpower)

CREATE A CHARACTER CONCEPT The first step is labeled 0 because it’s a prerequisite more than a step. You need a character concept that meshes with the other characters and the type of game your group is planning to undertake. Are you planning to roleplay as nerdy monsters who are part of the university newspaper club? Great, then character concepts could include a ghost, a nameless horror, a werewolf, or something more– unusual. Here are the five key questions that make up an Arium character concept: 1. What is your name? 2. Who are you? 3. What is your personality? 4. How do you look? 5. What goodies do you have? It’s OK for the answers to these questions to be a bit fluid as you make your way through the character creation process. Just try to have them all solidified before you start playing.

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Arium: Discover

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? The first question is both the easiest and the most difficult. Take the necessary time to choose a name that embodies your character concept if possible. Monty Python jokes are also acceptable at this stage.

WHO ARE YOU? Question two is deceptively simple. Here are some sample clarifying questions that can help determine who your character is: What does your character like to do? What are their pronouns? Do they come from a rich family? Are they an orphan? Do they have a fancy job? Do they live in their car? Do they sleep snuggled up with their pets? Do they follow a particular ideology? What makes them — them?

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONALITY? Think of what another person might notice about your character’s personality after interacting with them in different situations. How do they deal with disappointment or success? Do they inherently trust new acquaintances, or are they suspicious by nature? How do they treat those close to them? Do they take them for granted, or do they treat them with love and respect? Are they kind, grumpy, loving, deceptive, a goody-two-shoes, diplomatic, humble, quirky, uninhibited, etc.?

HOW DO YOU LOOK? Looks may be the most straightforward to describe. What is your character’s outward appearance? Are they attractive? Are they intimidating? Do they chew with their mouth open? How is their hair styled? Do they wear jewelry? Have tattoos? Use any affectations?

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WHAT GOODIES DO YOU HAVE? A Goody is ultimately something helpful, with its own Qualities (Features – and possibly Flaws). However, since it’s not an innate part of a character, it’s also something they could possibly lose, break, or otherwise sever their connection to if the story calls for it. A character’s Goodies should be narratively relevant and perhaps tell us something interesting about them. By default, every character receives at least one Goody, according to the Game Mode (page 12). Decide what kind of Goodies your character might have and give each of them a name that fits. If you have the One True Sword of Ultimate Power, maybe that’s its name... or perhaps its name is Charlie. Names have power, so be sure to pick something that evokes the type of story your group is going for. You’ll be swinging Charlie at the BIG BAD before you know it. Look out, BIG BAD!

DETERMINE CHARACTER POINTS What are these Character Points (CP)? Well, we’ll tell you! Each player gets a set number of points to distribute as they see fit. They can be spent on Primary Attributes and on additional Traits or Goodies. Note: You should have no CP remaining after you Assign Primary Attributes (page 20) and Purchase Extra Qualities/Goodies (page 23). Use ‘em or lose ‘em!

HOW MANY POINTS? The number of points is determined by the Game Mode:

Heroic: 15 Normal: 13 Hardcore: 11

OPTIONAL IF YOU USED ARIUM:  CREATE Each character gets points equal to their remaining Creation Tokens. They also receive the following, according to the Game Mode. The rules in Create make it possible for a player to arrive with

anywhere between zero and five or more Creation Tokens and additional Goodies for their character.

Heroic: 13 Normal: 11 Hardcore: 9

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Arium: Discover

ASSIGN PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES ZERO-POINT PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES This may seem strange, so here are a couple of examples: A character with zero Body may be a ghost with little or no ability to impact the physical world. A character with zero Mind may be a zombie who does as told by another group member and rarely speaks. We don’t recommend zero-point attributes for players who are new to Arium.

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The Primary Attributes are Mind, Body, Spirit, and Heart. They represent the core of your character.. Mind – Mental abilities. It includes how clever a character is, how strategically they can think, and so on. Body – Overall physical capabilities. It includes how athletic, nimble, strong, etc., they are. It also contains a portion of how attractive they are (depending on a potential partner’s preferences, of course). Spirit –The connection between the character and something more than themself. The connection might be to an ideal of faith, purpose, luck, magic, tech, etc. Heart – Passion and determination. We could have called it stick-to-it-iveness, but it just didn’t roll off the tongue. Assign points to the four Primary Attributes as you like, or start with one of the Character Templates below. Any CP you don’t assign here will be used in the next step. 1. Assign your CP to Primary Attributes on a onefor-one basis. We recommend at least 1 point in each Primary Attribute, but you may set one to 0 if you chat it over with the group and it makes sense. 2. The maximum for any Primary Attribute during character creation is 6.

CHARACTER TEMPLATES TEMPLATE

HEROIC (15 CP)

NORMAL (13 CP)

HARDCORE (11 CP)

Tank/ Protector

Mind 4 Body 4 Spirit 2 Heart 3

Mind 3 Body 4 Spirit 2 Heart 2

Mind 2 Body 4 Spirit 1 Heart 2

Damage Dealer

Mind 2 Body 5 Spirit 4 Heart 2

Mind 1 Body 5 Spirit 3 Heart 2

Mind 1 Body 4 Spirit 3 Heart 1

Heartbreaker/ Negotiator

Mind 4 Body 2 Spirit 3 Heart 4

Mind 4 Body 1 Spirit 2 Heart 4

Mind 3 Body 1 Spirit 1 Heart 4

Sage/Scholar

Mind 6 Body 1 Spirit 3 Heart 3

Mind 5 Body 1 Spirit 2 Heart 3

Mind 5 Body 1 Spirit 2 Heart 2

Note: Each template has 2 unspent CP so you can customize your character by buying additional Attributes, Goodies, or Qualities.

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Arium: Discover

CALCULATE DERIVED ATTRIBUTES This and the following step contain the only real math in the game. For you clever math whizzes, this is easy: take the ceiling of the average of two Primary Attributes to get a Derived Attribute. (Now in English: add the Attributes together, divide by two, and round up!) The Derived Attributes are Awareness, Defense, Offense, Personality, Stamina, and Willpower. Their values are modified when changing a Primary Attribute. To calculate a Derived Attribute, add the two related Primary Attributes, divide by two, and round up. This is the mathiest part of the game. Here’s an example: a player creates a new character with a Body of 5 and a Heart of 2, that character’s Stamina Attribute is 4 (5+2 = 7; 7/2 = 3.5; Round up to 4). Awareness: (Mind + Spirit)/2 – The character’s natural ability to absorb information and notice things from their surroundings. It is tied to each of the senses. Defense: (Mind + Body)/2 – How well a character can protect themselves or others in a fight. Offense: (Spirit + Body)/2 – How well a character can attack in varying types of combat including high tech weapon use and magic. Personality: (Mind + Heart)/2 – The character’s ability to interact with people and their natural ability to command a room or attract attention. Stamina: (Body + Heart)/2 – How long a character can naturally withstand hardship, pain, or weariness. Willpower: (Spirit + Heart)/2 – The character’s natural resistance to manipulation and other forms of trickery. It is also tied to the healing arts.

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CALCULATE HEALTH AND RESISTANCE These values are the easiest yet. Don’t forget to round up when you divide! Health: (Stamina * 2) – Health represents the thin line between your character and the end of their existence. Unlike other Attributes, Health has a permanent value and a temporary value. The permanent value is this one, and it acts as your maximum Health. The temporary value will go down (and hopefully back up!) from being hurt and healing. Think of it this way: if your health is full, you’re healthy, and if it’s not… Well, you get it. Resistance: (Defense / 2 (round up)) – Resistance represents your ability to resist damage under specific scenarios. It is also the default Target (number of Hits) a foe needs to roll to hit you. That’s it. You’re finished with all of the math!

PURCHASE EXTRA QUALITIES/GOODIES EXTRA BOON/FEATURE You can buy additional beneficial Qualities (Boons for your character or Features for a Goodie) with any remaining Character Points. These purchases are in addition to the defaults outlined on page 25. • Boons cost 2 CP • Features cost 1 CP

OPTIONAL RULE: EXTRA GOODIES Goodies cost 2 CP and come with one extra Feature in addition to the default Qualities for the Game Mode (see Game Mode on page XX for details). A Goody purchased this way can also be exchanged for only its set of Qualities. These can then be distributed to other Goodies as you see fit. Note: be sure to give your new Goodies a name! (see page XX or probably in Diogo’s toolkit) If you used the optional rules in Arium: Create to purchase extra Goodies for your Character, Your Goody will be improved depending on how many Creation Tokens you spent to purchase it. 1 CT: Goody with the default number of Qualities for the Game Mode 2+ CT: Goody with the default number of Qualities for the Game Mode + one additional Feature per Creation Token spent after the first.

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Arium: Discover

GAIN FOR ADDITIONAL BANE/FLAW Bane: 1 Boon or 1 Goody with 2 Features Flaw: 1 Goody with 1 Feature Note: Players can also choose to add these Features to their existing Goodies.

EXTRA BANE/FLAW You may take a single Bane to exchange for one Boon or a Goody with two Features. You may also take one additional Flaw to earn a Goody with one Feature. A Goody purchased this way can also be exchanged for only its Qualities, without the Goody itself. These can then be distributed onto other Goodies.

NAME AND ASSIGN QUALITIES AND THEIR EFFECTS Okay. Second to last step, and it’s arguably the best one! If naming isn’t your thing, though, we’ve got a handy-dandy toolkit for assigning/ naming Qualities available on page 58. As mentioned in the Overview section, there are a couple of steps to completing Qualities. 1. Note the number of Qualities (for the Character, and for their Goodies). • The number of Qualities a Character/Goody gets by default is based on the Game Mode. • Add any additional Qualities you’ve purchased. 2. Then we’ll move on to their Names and Effects. These will need to be undertaken together due to the following interactions: • Names have power, and they help determine when Qualities come into play. • The way you apply Effects impacts the number of names you’ll need. Let’s walk through it: Each player receives Goodies and Qualities as appropriate to the game mode: Boons and Banes for their Character; Features and Flaws for their Goodies 24

STARTING GOODIES AND QUALITIES PER GAME MODE CHARACTER & GOODIES

HEROIC

NORMAL

HARDCORE

2 Boons 1 Bane

1 Boon 1 Bane

1 Boon 2 Banes

# of Goodies

1-2 Goodies*

1 Goody

1 Goody

Goody Qualities (each)

1-2 Features*

1 Feature

1 Features 1 Flaw

Character Qualities

* The Gamemaster determines these numbers in collaboration with the rest of the players.

If you added additional Qualities while spending your Character Points, this is where you’ll distribute them. You’ll also add any extra Goodies.

NORMAL MODE EXAMPLE During the Assign Character Points step, Zimi decided to add both a Bane and a Flaw so they could get extra Qualities. They also have two extra Character Points to spend on this step, since they weren’t assigned to Primary Attributes. They exchanged the additional Bane for a Boon, and the additional Flaw gives them a Goody with one Feature. They spend their two CP on an extra Boon. They remember they still have to assign the additional Bane and Flaw (nothing’s free, as they say!), so they assign the Bane to their Character, and the additional Flaw to their new Goody. Since Zimi is playing in a Normal game, they get one Boon, one Bane, and one Goody with one Feature by default. This gives them the following when all is said and done: • 3 Boons and 2 Banes

• A Goody with 1 Feature

• A Goody with 1 Feature and 1 Flaw

Zimi knows they could consider exchanging one Goody for its Qualities, giving them one super-powered Goody with two Features and a Flaw. However, they like the idea of spreading out their Effects and so decide not to exchange either. 25

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NAME HINT During our games, we’ve found that descriptive and fun phrases often make the best names.

NAME QUALITIES POSITIVE QUALITIES Boons and Features are the positive Qualities. When naming them, work with the gamemaster to ensure you both have an understanding of how and when they might be used in Tests.

SAMPLE BOONS • Just a Fly on the Wall: The character is difficult to notice when trying to avoid attention.* • I Have a Plan: The character has a knack for coming up with plans when times are rough. • Hard to Touch: The character has an uncanny ability to dodge during hand-to-hand combat. * This one could also be a Bane, depending on the context. SAMPLE FEATURES • I’ve Got What You Need: A Goody that holds useful things. Adventurer’s pack anyone? • This Thing Really Flies!: For a Goody mode of transportation. It’s fast! • Who’s a Good Boy?: A Goody pet who might like to fetch. Dog? Turtle? Dragon? Turtledragon?

NEGATIVE QUALITIES Banes and Flaws are the opposite, but naming them is similar. Again, work to fit the story and character. Here are a few examples: SAMPLE BANES • Just a Fly on the Wall: The character has a tough time being noticed when they want to be.* 26

• Decision Indecision: The character has a difficult time making decisions under pressure. • Big Target: The character is hard to miss, and may not be able to dodge attacks well. * See, we told you this could be a Bane! SAMPLE FLAWS • Now Where Did I Put That…: For the Goody that holds useful things you can never seem to find amidst the clutter. • This Thing Really Flies?: For a Goody mode of transportation with reliability issues. • Don’t Eat the Nice Person!: For a Goody pet who might have stranger aggression issues. If you’d like more examples, we’ll again direct you to the Quality Naming Toolkit on page 58.

APPLY QUALITY EFFECTS Effects are the mechanical aspects to a Quality, and they can be found on the chart below. Every named Quality must have at least one Effect. There are a couple of things to note in general. First, a Test is modified by all of the Effects of any Qualities that apply to it – both positive and negative. However, while different Effects always apply to the Test, any positive Effect can only be applied once per Test, no matter where it comes from. On the flip side, negative Effects DO stack with themselves, so be careful! Understanding this, you’re ready to know how you can have multiple Effects on a single Quality. This is accomplished by exchanging a Quality for its Effect(s) which can then be applied to another Quality in similar fashion to exchanging a Goody for its Qualities. Thus instead of having two Boons, for example, you could have one Boon with two Effects.

MULTIPLE EFFECTS If you have a +2D Effect on Boon, and a Goody with the Receive Advantage Feature Effect, both of those could apply to the same Test. Or, maybe you have the +2D to Dice Pool Feature Effect on a Goody and the same Boon Effect. If they both apply in the current situation, you only add two extra dice to your dice pool for the Test, not four. No double dipping!

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The same principle does not apply to Bane/Flaw Effects. Different Effects can take place on the same Test, and each Effect stacks. Let’s get into the details of the different effects. EFFECTS AND COSTS POSITIVE EFFECTS Cost: 1 Boon/Feature

NEGATIVE EFFECTS Cost: 1 Bane/Flaw

• +2D to Dice Pool

• -2D from Dice Pool

• Receive Advantage

• Receive Disadvantage

• Add a 6 to Test Results

• Add a 1 to Test Results

POWERFUL POSITIVE EFFECTS Cost: 2 Boons/Features

POWERFUL NEGATIVE EFFECTS Cost: 2 Banes/Flaws

• Reroll Ones*

• Reroll Sixes**

* Makes a Complication nearly impossible.

** Makes a Control nearly impossible.

POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR BOONS AND FEATURES

CONTROL & COMPLICATION Control and complication are narrative effects that can be the result of very good or bad rolls. For more detail, see page 35.

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+2D to Dice Pool (1 Boon/Feature): add an additional 2D to the dice pool of any Test that it applies to. Receive Advantage (1 Boon/Feature): Hit with a 4, 5, or 6 on a die. Learn more about Advantage in the Tests & Targets section on page 33. Add a 6 to Test Results(1 Boon/Feature): This acts like an extra 1D that resulted in a 6 added to the dice pool. Either physically or mentally, place it next to the other dice results with the 6 side up. Reroll Ones (2 Boons/Features): This costs double because it is powerful. Reroll any dice that come up as a 1 in the dice pool. This reroll only happens once per Test, and it makes it nearly impossible for the character to get a Complication.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS FOR BANES AND FLAWS -2D to Dice Pool (1 Bane/Flaw): remove 2D from the dice pool of any Test that it applies to. Receive Disadvantage (1 Bane/Flaw): Hit only on a 6. Learn more about Disadvantage in the Tests & Targets section on page 33. Add a 1 to Test Results (1 Bane/Flaw): This acts like an extra 1D that resulted in a 1 added the dice pool. Either physically or mentally, place it next to the other dice with the 1 side up. Reroll Sixes (2 Banes/Flaws): This costs double because it is a significant hardship. Reroll any dice that come up as a 6 in the dice pool. This reroll only happens once per Test, and it makes it nearly impossible for the character to get Control. 29

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NORMAL MODE EXAMPLE CONTINUED ZIMI HAS: • 3 Boons and 2 Banes • A Goody with 1 Feature • A Goody with 1 Feature and 1 Flaw Note: Remember that Boons, Banes, Features, and Flaws are all types of Qualities. Let’s say they decide their first Boon is “Just a Fly on the Wall” (Our example from the naming section). They assign the Effect “Receive Advantage” because they want to have a better chance of getting Hits when they roll to go unseen. If Zimi wants their character to be a master of stealth, they can enhance “Just a Fly on the Wall” by exchanging any number of their remaining Boons for their Effects, at the expense of having multiple Boons which would apply in different situations. These Effects can then be applied to the existing Boon.

to create normally. Use the extra Effect to: ■■ Buy “Reroll Ones” instead of “Receive Advantage,” (1 Powerful Effect) ■■ Add “+2D to Dice Pool” or “Add a 6 to Test results,” (2 Effects) • Exchange two extra Boons for their Effects, combining them into one super-Boon: ■■ Add both “+2D to Dice Pool” and “Add a 6 to Test Results,” (3 Effects) ■■ Add the Powerful Positive Effect “Reroll Ones” (1 Effect, 1 Powerful Effect) Ultimately, Zimi decides they want their character to be absolutely incredible at going unnoticed, so they exchange both extra Boons to end up with both “Reroll Ones” and “Receive Advantage”.

Zimi decides to keep their two Banes separate. They name the first one “Just With two unused Boons, Zimi a Fly on the Wall” (We’re sticking with could enhance “Just a fly on the this example!) and assign the “Add a 1 wall” the following ways: to Test results” Effect that will impact their rolls when they are trying to be • Exchange one extra Boon noticed. They also take a second Bane for its Effect, leaving one Boon with a new name “Not the Brawniest”

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and apply the Effect “Receive Disadvantage” which will impact their characters chances to perform Tests when their strength is a major factor.

gives inside information to Zimi’s character. With this in mind, Zimi considers what to name a Feature and a Flaw, and which Effects fit best.

Now the Goodies. Zimi has decided that their character’s first Goody is called “The Blade of Night”. It has one Feature that they name “The Element of Surprise,” and decide to apply the “Add 1D with an automatic 6” Effect. They want the better chance of getting Control on rolls involving the blade.

For the Feature, they have, “Hot with the Tips,” because Reff really comes through with useful information, particularly when it can be helpful to their family and harmful to a rival. Zimi decides to assign the Effect “+2D to Dice Pool.”

The Flaw, they decide, will be called, “Family First,” because Reff For their second Goody , Zimi goes doesn’t often give information with a connection and names it: “Reff that will incriminate his own Felcins, The Insider”. They chat with family, so rolls for information the group about how they’d like Reff that might do this are subject to be a member of a local organized to the negative Effect “Receive crime family who sometimes Disadvantage.”

ASSIGN DISCOVERY TOKEN(S) Each character is assigned discovery tokens based on the game mode. That’s all there is to it. Consult the table below and mark the correct number on the character sheet. HEROIC 3 Discovery Tokens

AVERAGE 2 Discovery Tokens

HARDCORE 1 Discovery Token

That’s it for character creation!

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Dice and Tests Arium uses six-sided dice exclusively. We made this choice for a few reasons. First and foremost, we like them! They go clickity-clack when we roll them. Yessssss. Secondly, Arium requires very little that you wouldn’t find in an average home, office, or home office. Most folks have at least one or two of these dice clanking around somewhere from old board games, and if not, they are cheap and easy to find in your local convenience store. We like the idea that you could just pick up and play somewhere randomly with some dice, paper and pencils, and a PDF of Arium: Discover on your mobile device.

DICE POOLS A dice pool is simply a set of dice that you roll at the same time. There can be anywhere from one die to some number approaching infinity in your pool (in theory, at least!)

CONSTRUCTING A DICE POOL Arium’s dice pools generally range from one to ten dice. Here’s how to decide how many to roll: • When the GM asks for a Test (meaning they want you to roll dice to see if you “do the thing”), they’ll tell you an Attribute to Test against. • Pick up a number of dice equal to your score in that Attribute. • Check to see if any of your Qualities apply. • If any of your Qualities apply, modify the number of dice to match the new total.

STACKING EFFECTS Note the rules for stacking Effects in the previous chapter on page 36. You can essentially stack all of the Qualities you like that apply to your situation, but you can’t stack more than one of the same positive Effects. Negative Effects can stack for days. 32

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re asked to roll a Test to convince someone of something. The GM invites you to roll Personality, and your score is 3. You pick up three dice in your hand and prepare to roll. Then you remember you have the Boon, “All the Attractiveness of Aphrodite,” and you think the person you’re trying to convince would naturally be attracted to your character. You ask the GM, and they say, yes! So you add the effect of your Boon, “+2D to Dice Pool”, and pick up two more dice. Then you also remember your Bane, “Shy Like a Mouse”, and you ask the GM if it should apply, and they concur again. You add a final die to your pool, this time an automatic 1, which you set on the table already showing that 1. You roll the other five dice and check your results from all six dice!

TESTS & TARGETS At any point during roleplay, the gamemaster may ask for a Test. Under normal circumstances, this happens when your character is trying to do something that is difficult, or could be opposed by another person or force. Tests are an opportunity to bring out your shiny pool of dice and put them to work on the table (or digital dice roller). A Test has two components: the Attribute it’s based on and a Target (number of Hits needed to succeed). The GM determines both of these, but you can always ask them to clarify, or ask if another Attribute might be more appropriate for the task at hand. The gamemaster may tell you the Target in advance of your roll or not. It’s up to them.

SAMPLE TARGETS HITS

DIFFICULTY

1

Easy

2

Average (this is the default)

3

Difficult

4

Very Hard

5

Nearly Impossible

6

Are You Kidding Me Right Now?

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HITS & MISSES In Arium: Discover, a standard Hit is any die that comes up with a 5 or a 6. If you roll 5, 5, 6 on your Test, you’ve achieved three Hits! Misses are any dice that don’t Hit – a 1, 2, 3 or 4. They don’t matter in most cases except for Complications. More on that momentarily.

ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE Now that you know the defaults for Hits & Misses, let’s explain the exception to that rule! When you have Advantage, you Hit with a 4 in addition to 5 or 6 on a die. When you have Disadvantage, you only Hit when you roll a 6. There are certain situations where Advantage and Disadvantage can come into play on a Test. The first situation you’ve already learned! It’s when you have the Receive Advantage or Receive Disadvantage Effect on a Quality that applies to the current Test. Next is when there is a story-related advantage or disadvantage to “do the thing.” As a player, describe the character’s actions, speech, attitude, relationships with others, and any items or other things in the scene that may give Advantage or Disadvantage. The GM, meanwhile, can similarly describe actions and attitudes of NPCs, or circumstances in the world that may apply. Considering all of this, the GM will make the final decision on if there is one, the other, or neither. One final note. When Advantage and Disadvantage would both apply, they cancel out – no matter how many of either may apply from various sources. For example, two Advantages and one Disadvantage still cancel out to be neutral.

SUCCESSES & FAILURES A successful Test is determined by rolling dice. If there are enough Hits on the roll to meet or exceed the Target, the result is success. If there are fewer Hits than the Target, the Test fails.

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WHEN FAILING A ROLL INVOLVING  A QUALITY A special circumstance comes into play when failing a Test involving a Quality. A character gains a Discovery Token when this happens. Tokens can be gained up to a number appropriate to the Game Mode. For more information on Discovery Tokens, see their chapter on page 41.

CONTROL & COMPLICATION The final thing to know about Tests is that it’s always possible to gain narrative control of a situation or for a complication to arise for a character. Note that Control and Complication sit outside of successes and failures for a reason. They exist to add interesting twists to the story and drive it forward in new ways. Note: For those familiar with critical successes and failures in other RPGs, Control is not a critical success, and Complication is not a critical failure. They instead allow a Player or GM to narrate a positive or negative twist.

CONTROL EXAMPLE

COMPLICATION EXAMPLE

ZImi’s rolls 2, 6, 6 on a Test to break down a reinforced locked door. The Target was 3, so Zimi’s character does not break down the door, but they do have Control. They think for a moment and narrate the following: “I wince and rub my shoulder, but looking up I notice that the door’s hinges are rusted and worn. With a pry bar or another tool, we might be able to get this door open after all!”

Zimi rolls a 5 and two 1s on a Test to break down a reinforced locked door. The target number was 3, so Zimi’s character does not break down the door, and they also have a Complication. The GM, asks Zimi what might have happened to complicate the situation, and ZImi narrates: “I wince and rub my shoulder, and don’t have long to consider the pain. We hear the sound of armed guards headed this direction!”

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Control happens when someone rolls two or more 6s (boxcars) on a Test. When a person has Control, they can narrate how something went well, gave an advantage, or was somehow interesting, regardless of the Test’s overall success or failure. Complication happens when a player rolls two or more 1s (snake eyes) on a Test. When a person receives a Complication, the GM may narrate how something went wrong or unexpectedly. (They may defer this duty to the roller as well if they like.) Again, this is independent of success or failure on the Test.

STACKING CONTROL & COMPLICATION ON SUCCESS OR FAILURE It is possible to have Control, Complication, AND fail on a single Test. Conversely, Control, Complication, and success can coexist on the one Test!

EXAMPLE OF CONTROL/ COMPLICATION STACKING 1. The GM asks for a Test with a Target of two Hits. 2. The player rolls four dice due to their Attribute and any applicable Qualities. 3. The results come up: 6, 6, 1, 1. 4. The outcome? The character successfully “does the thing,” and the player receives Control to narrate some additional positive details. The Player and GM discuss who will narrate the Complication, and determine it’s the GM.

ASSISTANCE One character can assist another whenever they like, as long as they can narrate how they are doing so in the story. If the task is particularly demanding and well-suited for multiple hands, the group may decide it’s appropriate to allow more than one character to assist, however each assisting 36

character must have a score of at least 2 in the Attribute required for the Test. Assistance grants an extra die to the Test pool. Note: Assisting a character during combat requires a Minor Action.

OPPOSED TESTS Sometimes two Characters/NPCs oppose each other directly. This is called an Opposed Test. Opposed Tests are pretty simple. Control and Complication apply as usual, and do not impact the result of the Test. Each participant rolls using the appropriate dice pool and Qualities. • Success: Side with the most Hits • Failure: Side with the least Hits • Failure for both: Neither side has enough Hits • Player vs GM tie: Player succeeds • Player vs Player tie: Both succeed or fail, as agreed by the players. Opponents rolling a Control or Complication resolve them as usual without impacting the result of the Opposed Test.

EXTENDED TESTS Sometimes doing a thing takes time. Perhaps a character wants to craft something of great beauty, travel through an unknown area, or disable an elaborate trap/defuse a bomb. An Extended Test can be a great opportunity to narrate this type of activity. Discuss what the character is doing and how it goes as part of each roll. Here’s how it works: The GM sets one or more Attributes and Targets to Test with multiple rolls representing working on the project over a long period. Depending on the story, the Attributes can change between Tests. The three phases of an Extended Test are described below.

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PLANNING AND PREPARATION This initial Test is to prepare for the following Tests. Note that it’s possible to stack as many as three of these effects (Control, Complication, and either Success or Failure). Normal stacking rules apply. Here are the possible results: • Success: +1D to all future dice pools for the duration of the Extended Test.

• Control: +1D to all future dice pools for the duration of the Extended Test.

• Failure: -1D to all future dice pools for the duration of the Extended Test.

• Complication: -1D to all future dice pools for the duration of the Extended Test.

If planning and preparation leave a character without a dice pool for the rest of the Test, they aren’t sure where to start and fail to complete the Extended Test.

ONGOING The GM determines 1-3 rounds of Ongoing rolls next. For each round: • Success: Advantage on the next test (including the resolution step).

• Control: Add a true positive thing to the final result, if resolution is successful.

• Failure: Disadvantage on the next test (including the resolution step).

• Complication: Add a true negative thing to the final result, if resolution is successful.

Be sure to narrate these as you go.

RESOLUTION To resolve the Test, the GM assigns one final roll. Everything hinges on this! They may want to consider how the process has gone along the way and narrate what must be done to achieve success.

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EXTENDED OPPOSED TESTS Sometimes, a situation may call for a more extended interaction than a single opposed Test. Perhaps you are tracking or hunting someone or something that doesn’t want to be found. Maybe you are trying to haggle for a better price on a fancy new vehicle or home. You could also resolve a duel this way … or an eating contest. There are many possibilities! The gamemaster chooses the appropriate Test Attributes for each opponent (they may be symmetrical or asymmetrical). Like other Extended Tests, this is an opportunity to tell the story of what happens at each step of the way.

OPENING MOVE The opening move can have a dramatic impact on this type of Test. Both parties roll against a Target of 1. • Success: Advantage on the rest of the Tests.

• Failure: Disadvantage on the rest of the Tests.

ONGOING 1-3 ongoing rounds follow. The GM determines how many. Each player rolls against a Target of 1. • Success: Add one die to their dice pool for the remainder of the Extended opposed Test.

• Control: Add a true positive thing to the final result, if resolution is successful for the person who rolled.

• Failure: Nothing.

• Complication: Add a true negative thing to the final result, if resolution is successful.

RESOLUTION To resolve the Test, the parties roll an Opposed Test using all the consequences of the opening move and ongoing rounds. This is the big moment. We hope you win!

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Discovery Tokens Every character in an Arium game arrives complete with Discovery Tokens! The number a character receives varies depending on the game mode (see chart below, left). GAME MODE

HEROIC

NORMAL

HARDCORE

# of Discovery Tokens

3

2

1

Max Tokens per Session

4

3

2

Characters may also gain an additional Discovery Token when they fail a Test involving one of their Qualities. These gains are limited per gaming session as follows (see chart above, right).

USING DISCOVERY TOKENS Discovery Tokens have several uses, but mostly they are helpful when you want a character to succeed at something. Spend Discovery Tokens in the following ways: TOKEN USE #

RESULT

NOTES

1

Add 1 die to a dice pool

You can do this even after failing a Test. If so, narrate how the character discovered something they didn’t initially notice that may help them succeed.

2

Automatically succeed standard tests, add 1 Hit to opposed tests, or add one success to a long-running test.

Complication and Control do not apply to this result.

2

“Yes, and” anything in the Arium

“Yes, and” isn’t used to completely override something that already exists. It can add or change facts about the Arium that don’t conflict with existing canon. For example: the security guard you’re trying to sneak past may have a partner in need of assistance elsewhere at an opportune moment.

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Running/Playing Arium: Discover Like any roleplaying game, there are practically limitless ways to play and run Arium: Discover. You could have combat every session or in none. You could spend every session of your game around a campfire or feast table discussing life, love, and the finer points of medieval cuisine in-character (and some of us have!) Arium aims to enable the most common scenarios with clear, concise rules, not to cover EVERY possibility. A group may decide to take or leave any part of these rules, homebrew their own additions, and generally do whatever works best for them. That’s the ultimate rule of our physical and virtual tabletops: Do what works best for the people you’re playing with. Of course, we hope the rules will only aid in your group’s enjoyment.

COMBAT Combat in Discover is considerably simpler than in some RPGs. If your group loves deep, tactical combat with miniatures and measurements and hit locations, you’ll probably want to stop right here. Arium combat is strictly theater of the mind and, although it can be deadly, it’s streamlined to keep fights from taking over the narrative.

COMBAT ORDER 1. Roll Initiative for the entire combat. 2. Take turns in initiative order until everyone has had one. 3. If opposing combatants remain, begin the next begin the next round of combat, starting with step 2.

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INITIATIVE (WHO GOES FIRST?) 1. Everyone rolls an Awareness Test 2. Turn order will proceed from most Hits to least. In short, whoever gets the most Hits on an Awareness Test when the GM asks for an initiative roll goes first. Continue down the list until you’ve included anyone who had zero Hits. Ties go to players. When multiple players have the same number of Hits, they can decide amongst themselves who goes first – they’re actually going at the same time, story-wise. That said, an initiative roll may not always be necessary. If you want to coldcock the mouthy jerk who made fun of your purple pantaloons, maybe you do just that. Of course, if that leads to a big bar brawl with multiple people involved, you may end up rolling Initiative anyway! The group should talk through situations like this. Just remember, if players make a habit of this, then the Gamemaster’s characters may behave the same way!

SURPRISE If a character wants to deliberately surprise a foe, the GM will pick an appropriate Test and the player rolls an Opposed Test versus the opponent’s Awareness Test. Resolve as any Opposed Test. If the surprise is successful, the character (or characters, if multiple succeed on a surprise Test) gets a complete turn before everyone rolls initiative.

ON YOUR TURN When it comes to you, you can take one major and one minor action, or two minor actions. Note that if a specific action isn’t listed, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Decide what category it fits into, and keep going!

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ACTIONS An Action describes basically anything a character can do. Some take more effort, concentration, or time than others; those are Major Actions. Minor Actions are simple and usually do not directly affect other people with a couple of exceptions. Speaking does not take an action at all. MAJOR ACTIONS Most anything requiring a Test: attacking a foe, climbing a slippery stone wall, healing a friend, stabilizing a fallen companion, using an object that requires focus/concentration (most Goodies fall into this category). MINOR ACTIONS Declaring Defense, Assisting an ally (see page 36), and most anything that does not require a Test. Examples: walking or running on normal terrain, picking up dropped weapons, and drawing a weapon. MOVING A few notes about movement in combat. Remember, we do not measure anything here. It’s all theater of the mind. The group should keep in mind what is thematic and appropriate from a movement standpoint. If the GM decides to require a Test for a type of movement, that is the threshold for it to become a major action. If they do not require a Test, your movement is a minor action. It is possible to split up a minor movement action around a major action, as long as a player outlines their intentions in advance. For example, an opponent could position themselves behind Noppi on their turn. Noppi could turn around (movement - a minor action), attack (major action), and move away from the enemy perhaps seeking cover (continuing the minor movement action). As long as neither movement is overly long or complicated, it’s great!

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ATTACKING All attacks use an Offense roll against the target opponent’s Resistance unless the target is Defending or being Defended by someone else. When Attacking: 1. Roll Offense and count Hits 2. Compare Hits to the target character’s Resistance (or Resistance plus their Hits on a Defense Test if they were defending). If the Hits equals or exceeds this number, your attack succeeds. 3. Determine Damage Note: An attack is an attack is an attack. Using a gun, a sword, martial arts, or a Boon that allows you to conjure a ball of fire straight from the surface of the nearest star all count. Another way to think of it is: any action intended to do damage to an opponent requires an Offense Test. DEFENDING Defending is trying to avoid damage by dodging, preparing to meet a foe with arms or a shield, or whatever is narratively appropriate. You can use the Declare Defense minor action on your turn to prepare to defend one person until your next turn. This can be your character or someone else, but not both. Two Discovery Tokens (a “yes, and”) could also be used to change the person you’re Defending in the middle of the round. No Defense Declared: 1. The default Target to hit any person or creature is their Resistance. Defense Declared: 1. Roll Defense 2. Add any Hits to the Target’s Resistance for that attack. 3. Reroll Defense for any subsequent attacks on the target. Like anything, the situation may impact when the attacker has Advantage, Disadvantage, or even a higher or lower Target. For example, if a character is hiding behind good cover, it may give the attacker Disadvantage to shoot them. However, if that cover is hard to maneuver in, it might provide Advantage to an attacker with a grenade. Defense does not change this. 46

DAMAGE Assuming that an attack is successful... 1. Divide the attacker’s Hits by 2, rounding up. 2. Subtract the result from the target’s current Health. HEALING In combat, healing granted by any means, whether magical, technical, or simple first-aid, is treated the same. The healer makes a Willpower Test vs. a Target of 2 • Success: Roll one die, and divide by 2, rounding up. Add the result to Health. • Failure: Target is not healed. • Control: Roll one die. Add the result to Health. • Complication: The current damage cannot be healed until combat ends. STABILIZING If a character falls to 0 Health, they must be Stabilized or risk dying. Stabilizing a fallen ally also uses a Willpower Test. However, the difficulty increases depending on how many rounds have passed since they fell to zero (or lower) health. Note: Round 0 is the round during which the ally was brought to 0 Health. Make a Willpower Test. The Target is (the number of Health below 0) + 1. ROUND 0/1

ROUND 2

ROUND 3+

Test with Advantage

Standard Test

Test with Disadvantage

A Stabilized ally returns to 1 Health but may not regain more without significant medical assistance out of combat.

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WHAT ABOUT THE REST? We hear you in our heads. You’re asking about fighting with two weapons, taking cover, using non-lethal damage, and a dozen other possibilities. These things are all possible. Simply put, the GM should adjust Test Targets or apply Advantage/Disadvantage as they see fit to account for any of the myriad situations that may occur.

DEATH Not every story needs to have the risk of death. As such, we recommend groups discuss if they want the risk of character death to be a part of their story. If you do, this section is for you. If you do not want to consider death but still want combat, a character is simply exhausted/ unconscious when they reach 0 Health. If you want death in your game, here’s how it works: 1. Once a character’s Health reaches 0 or less, they are unconscious and unstabilized. They may not be healed until the character is stabilized and combat is over. 2. Every round after reaching 0 Health, until an ally stabilizes them, they must make a Stamina Test with a Target equal to (Health below 0) + 1. 3. If they succeed, they make it through the round, and difficulty increases according to the chart below. 4. If a character fails their Stamina Test, or four rounds pass without Stabilization, they are no longer for this life.

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ROUND 1

ROUND 2

ROUND 3 & 4

ROUND 5

Test with Advantage

Standard Test

Test with Disadvantage

Death

RESTING/HEALING After finishing a combat scenario, some of the stress of combat lifts, and characters each regain 1D3 Health. If they can rest for a few hours (preferably overnight), a character returns to full Health. An unconscious character regains Health the same way and regains consciousness once their Health is in the positive. A Stabilized character will need significant medical attention to move above 1 Health. If there is someone in the party with a Quality for healing/medicine, this is sufficient. Otherwise, they will need treatment from someone who does.

SOCIAL CONFLICT Use the Extended Opposed Test rules on page 39 with Personality Tests.

HUNTING/TRACKING Use the Extended Opposed Test rules on page 39 with Awareness and/ or other appropriate Tests.

TRAVEL Use the Extended Test rules on page 37. GM should determine the appropriate Tests.

TRACKING INVENTORY In Arium: Discover, we handwave material items that don’t have narrative value. If you need something, we assume you have it, up to three times per session. Check off one of the three boxes on your character sheet and move on. Clear them at each session’s end. This is the extent of inventory management in Arium! Anything with significant ongoing mechanical/narrative impact should be represented as a Goody. 49

Arium: Discover

MAGIC, TECH, COMPANIONS, WEALTH, AND THE UNEXPLAINED You may be saying to yourself: but what about magic? How do I represent the benefit of a valued companion, a cool piece of technology, or something else I haven’t thought of yet? The answer is simple. If it’s part of the character, it uses any related character Qualities. If it’s not, those things are Goodies. Goodies can be items, people, a fortune in cabbages (wealth), a connection to a guild or secret society, cool cyberware implants, magic items, or anything else external to a character that can be lost, stolen, or have its connection to them broken. Boons always represent the things intrinsic to the character. Magical ability falls into this category as easily as the skill of a brutal fighter, smooth romancer, or sticky-fingered pocket lightener. The difference is in the Attribute used for Tests. Magic or “The Unexplained” Tests normally rely on the Spirit Attribute. A powerful illusionist might have one or more Boons tied to their abilities with associated Effects. Perhaps one might be “I Am Not as I Seem” and the character can use it to make themselves appear disguised, weaker, stronger, or even invisible. A second Boon could be named “Now You See it, Now You Don’t” and give the owner the ability to make inanimate things disappear. Get creative with it. Anything you imagine can be possible.

50

51

Arium: Discover

Gamemaster Section This section of the book lives on in infamy in some circles. We could write a bunch of advice here. Honestly, there are many wonderful resources out there for new and aspiring GMs. We couldn’t contribute anything new and exciting on that front, so we’ll keep our Gamemaster section mainly filled with tools and advice specific to Arium. However, we’re linking to a few resources we like on our website https://adepticarus.com/gameresources

GOOD PRACTICES FOR AN ARIUM GAMEMASTER Hmm, other than being kind and working with the group to tell a great story? There are a few things. Arium doesn’t lend itself well to “on the rails” games. Stay flexible. Practice those improv skills. Learn to say “yes, and” instead of “no.” Find a way to make the group’s ideas combine with your own to make something even better than you’d imagined! We think that if you give this flexible method at least a few sessions, you’ll see that the entire group tells better stories together than they do just following a planned series of events! How do experienced Arium GMs recommend you accomplish this? • Build plot points that can take place anywhere or with any player or GM character. • Create hooks tied to the player’s characters that are modular (slip in the person/place/thing on a just-in-time basis.) • Know the tone of the adventure you’re taking the group on, and keep tying back to it in different ways. If the tone is dark and mysterious, and the group wants to join the flying circus, introduce a new Skymaster who is dark and mysterious. Make someone disappear. Introduce strange glowing lights coming from the repair hangar on Thursday nights at 3:16 AM. In as few words as we can manage, we’re saying: Don’t contradict the group. Add to what they create. Did we mention you should avoid acting like a jerk? Let us expand on 52

this a bit. When you are running Arium: Discover at a convention, or with a new group, or with people whose life experiences are unlike your own, it’s easy to be mistaken in your assumptions about what a “jerk GM” might act like. We find honest dialog with everyone at the table is best facilitated by remaining open to feedback, even when it can be difficult to hear. Remember, we always recommend the use of Safety Tools (see page 9) and also Stars and Wishes (page 56).

EXPLORING TONE & THEME Sometimes, Arium Gamemasters will find themselves running a game they don’t have significant context for. The likelihood of this occurrence increases a bunch if you built the Arium you’re playing in using our worldbuilding toolkit, Arium: Create (but remember, you’re part of the creation too!) Maybe your group wants to play something inspired by a noir movie, and you’ve never seen one. The first and easiest step would be to seek out Arium: Flash (coming soon). It’s full of ideas to get you started with all kinds of story seeds ready to fill in the specific details of your Arium! Barring that, stream, rent, or buy some of the content that the players recommend. Take to the Interwebs and do a little research on what makes that kind of story stand out. This kind of challenge can stretch a GM in the best way possible. You might find something new you can add to your repertoire for future games. It’s also worth mentioning that marginalized communities should be avoided if you aren’t part of them. The use of safety tools can help ensure everyone at the table is enjoying the tone and theme.

ENEMY COMBATANTS AND CRITTERS Here, we aim to continue our trend of keeping things streamlined for you, dear Arium GM. We don’t believe every person that your group decides to fight, trick, convince, romance, or otherwise interact with, needs a complete character sheet. Now don’t get us wrong, if that’s your favorite part of being a gamemaster, we won’t take it away from you. Build out folks and critters to your heart’s content! Just remember, if you get tired and need a nap, don’t blame us! In Arium: Discover, you have three primary types of opponents for the players to interact with. Fodder, Named Fodder and Real People/Boss Critters. 53

Arium: Discover

FODDER Per the name, Fodder are cannon fodder. They are easy to create on the spot when the story veers far from anything you’ve planned. Fodder doesn’t follow the Derived Attribute rules for characters. They have set Health, Resistance, and Attributes, where one Attribute is better than the rest. Some have specific Boons/Banes. The rest may have some Boons/Banes you’ll need to choose for them. Goodies are even rarer. They don’t have Discovery Tokens. Threat

Puny

Weak

Average

Tough

Incredible

Deadly

Health

1

2

3

5

8

12

Resistance

1

1

2

3

4

5

Best Attribute

2

3

4

5

6

6

The Rest

1

1

2

3

3–4

5

Follower

Follower Listener

0–1

1–2

1–3

2–4

Coward Fumbler

Coward

0–1

0–1

0–1

0–1

0

0

0

0–1

0–2

1–2

Boons Banes Goodies

You only have to determine a few things to run the group into some Fodder: 1. How many are there of each threat level? 2. What’s the best attribute of each? 3. Are there any boons/banes/goodies for the really beefy ones? 4. If any are critters where some Attributes may not apply, note them. (Slimes are not notable for their Personality.)

SPECIAL FODDER BOONS • Follower: Advantage on any Test when someone tries to run them off when they are in the company of an Incredible or higher Fodder. • Listener: +2D when accompanied by an Incredible or higher Fodder.

54

SPECIAL FODDER BANES • Coward: Disadvantage on any Test when someone tries to run them off. • Fumbler: Add a 1 to Test Results on any roll when it matters.

NAMED FODDER These opponents have two key factors that the standard Fodder don’t. A name, and at least one Boon and Bane. Some might have a Goody, but that’s still going to be uncommon.

NON-PLAYER CHARACTER/ BOSS CRITTER Their plot-relevance differentiates the final group. The more likely it is the characters will continue to interact with a person or critter, the more likely they are a member of this group. These are complete characters with their own sheet of Attributes, Goodies, Discovery Tokens, description, and history.

PROGRESSION The groups of opponents aren’t static. A real person could start out as some jerk in a gang of thugs hired by a “big bad” to put the hurt on your players. Let’s say they have a creative name like Jerk 3. But in the course of fending off this band of ruffians, a character does something that gets Jerk 3 thinking about their life choices and begging the group to spare them. Now Jerk 3 tells the group their name is R’ogett, and they have twelve starving kids at home. R’ogett is now named fodder with narrative importance. At least a little. So if they were to appear again, you should probably take the time to convert them to a more advanced person with at least a Boon and a Bane. Take it a step further, and say that R’ogett gets a lucky break and comes into some inheritance. They parlay their fortune into control of a local art museum and invest heavily in beautiful pieces (and security). The museum was their dream! Should the characters have reason to visit the museum and run into Rogett again (perhaps they have a job to retrieve 55

Arium: Discover

a stolen piece of art from among the museum’s collection), R’ogett should now be a fully realized character with their own sheet of stats, Goodies, Discovery Tokens, and description/history.

STARS & WISHES We recommend gamemasters ask the group for Stars and Wishes at the end of each game session. This narrative gaming feedback tool will help you continue to tailor the game to what’s engaging and ensure everyone is having a great time. It’s a very meta-game exercise, so that’s why we leave it to the end of a session. The simplest way to do this is to go around and have everyone in the group take a turn with Stars followed by a turn with Wishes. Write them down for reference, and posterity!

STARS A Star is something you liked about the session. It could be the way a player handled a situation, an accent someone at the table was using, or a particularly fun puzzle the GM set before the group. Anything they liked!

WISHES A Wish is simply something that someone would like to see in a future game. It could be a particular piece of character development or really anything – including favorite snacks!

OPTIONAL RULE Give a player a Discovery Token if they receive more than one Star for a moment in-game.

56

MORE OPTIONAL RULES Here are some optional rules for Arium: Discover groups to play with!

GROUP TESTS Sometimes, there’s nothing like a group challenge that requires multiple participants to make it a success. Here’s how to structure this kind of activity. Tests get Targets. Group Tests have Objectives in addition to Targets. An objective is the number of folks who need to pass the Test to succeed. The gamemaster sets this value.

BUFF/DEBUFF Characters under the effect of something external (ice/heat/poison/ webbing/haste potion/resistance potion/an ally or foe’s spell) can be buffed or debuffed. They receive Advantage or Disadvantage for every Test affected by the thing for a limited time.

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT/REWARDS First and foremost, a “big bad” should have Goodies the characters can claim. There may be other narrative ways for characters to expand their access to Goodies as well. This is often preferable to rote character advancement. If you want to go beyond Goodies, we are including a simple version of character advancement below. Keep an eye out for Arium: Evolve, which expands significantly on downtime activities, including character advancement. After the group completes a story arc (an arc may be shorter or longer than a game session, but it should involve the resolution of a plot point), give each character the following: Choose one: • An additional point to add to one Primary Attribute (not to exceed 8 in any one Attribute). • A new Feature (or Feature Effect) for use on an existing Goody. • A new Goody with Qualities matching the current Game Mode. • ½ of a new Boon (or Boon Effect). It will take two Character Advancements to achieve a benefit from this. 57

Arium: Discover

Quality Naming Toolkit Sometimes it is not that easy to come up with unique Qualities for Characters, NPCs, or Goodies. To help with the task, we present the following tables. You can use them by taking two 6-sided dice and designating one as the tens digit and the other as the ones digit. Roll both, and read them as if they formed a two-digit number together, giving you a result between 11 and 66. We’ll refer to this as a d66 in the tables below! . Remember, however, that these are to be used as inspiration, and you are more than encouraged to alter the results a little, or just pick directly from the tables if it suits your concept better.

58

CHARACTER BOONS PHYSICAL BOONS These are innate capabilities related to physical strength, constitution, agility, reflexes, and other similar capabilities. These are particularly useful for action-oriented characters. d66

Physical Boons

d66

Physical Boons

11

Imposing Stature

41

Flexible Limbs

12

Mesmerizing Eyes

42

Iron Jaws

13

Rarely Tired

43

Charming Smile

14

Large Strong Hands

44

Long, Precise Fingers

15

Unbreakable Bones

45

Feline Reflexes

16

Eyes like an Eagle

46

Mighty Physique

21

Light-Footed

51

Perfect Tone

22

Barely Needs Sleep

52

Fast Runner

23

Perfect Balance

53

Can Hear a Needle Falling

24

Distinguishing Appearance

54

Can Smell Anything in the Air

25

Barely Feels any Pain

55

Melodic Voice

26

Intimidating Look

56

Small Enough to Fit Anywhere

31

Strong Jump

61

Booming Voice

32

Strong Arms

62

Drop-Dead Gorgeous

33

Scary Looking

63

Iron Muscles

34

Heavy Build

64

Thin and Lean

35

Graceful Movement

65

Tough as Nails

36

Cast-Iron Stomach

66

Rarely Gets Sick

59

Arium: Discover

ABILITY BOONS These are innate ability advantages that character can possess, related to critical thinking, logic, perception, force-of-will, persuasiveness, and other similar traits. They are particularly useful to characters that focus on well-thought-out solutions instead of resorting to action. d66

60

Ability Boons

d66

Ability Boons

11

Iron Will

41

Quick Thinking

12

I’ve Read About This

42

I Never Forget a Face

13

I’m Good With Numbers

43

I Know Just the Words

14

My Determination Never Falters

44

Eidetic Memory

15

I Never Lose My Temper

45

Incredible Focus

16

Attention to Details

46

I Can Clear My Mind Completely

21

Learns Quickly

51

Quick Comebacks

22

A Mind for Science

52

Good With Faces

23

Can Read People Like a Book

53

Lying is Second Nature to Me

24

Knows the Right Questions

54

Scientific Curiosity

25

Simply Understand Machines

55

Convincing Arguments

26

Inquisitive Mind

56

Rational Mind Like No Other

31

Fear Won’t Stop Me

61

Contagious Confidence

32

I Get Tougher In Rough Times

62

Natural Leader

33

I Can Smell Lies a Mile Away

63

Restorative Empathy

34

I Can Pick Up Any Language

64

I Just Understand Computer Logic

35

I Can Make Anyone Laugh

65

Can Think Like Others

36

Great Self-Control

66

People Just Love Me

SKILL BOONS There are traits that are learned either in a school or academy, through a master, or simply by living in a reality that forces this knowledge and training on them to survive. d66

Skill Boons

d66

Skill Boons

11

The Way of the Fist is My Path

41

Expert in Linguistics

12

I Studied a Bit of Everything, Back in the Day

42

Master of Swords

13

Military Training

43

An Eye for Body Language

14

Ph.D. in Astrophysics

44

I Know The History of the World

15

I Hacked my First PC When I was 7

45

Black Belt in 7 Martial Arts

16

I’ve Been Training for This!

46

I Know the Way of the Sea

21

I Can Fly Anything!

51

I’m the Best Driver in the World!

22

I Trained Under the Greatest Magician Alive

52

Best Student in the Spy Academy

23

Expert at Dynamic Reading

53

I’ve Practiced Parkour since I was 8!

24

Master in Influencing People

54

I am Good With Money

25

I Know the Law Like the Palm of My Hand

55

I Grew Up in the Streets

26

I Know How to Cause Pain

56

There is No Injury I Cannot Treat

31

I Just Understand the Human Psyche

61

I Can Build, Repair or Destroy Any Machine

32

I Studied All the Dance Moves

62

I’ve Can Concentrate No Matter What

33

Biology Is My Life

63

Physics Is My Obsession

34

I Drink, and I Know Things

64

Olympic Athlete

35

I’ve Read All the Forbidden Books in the Dark Library

65

I Know My Chemistry, Ok?!

36

I Know ALL About Conspiracies!

66

I Know This City Like I Know My Heart

61

Arium: Discover

SUPERNATURAL BOONS Some boons are magical or confer abilities that others could only dream of. These often originate from supernatural sources, advanced technology, mutations, or magic. Remember that Boons are always a part of the character themself – whether they were born that way, developed themself spiritually, or got something technologically implanted! d66

62

Supernatural Boons

d66

Supernatural Boons

11

I Sense a Disturbance

41

Shadows Speak to Me

12

Animals Are My Friends

42

Fire is in My Blood

13

My Touch Heals the Soul

43

I Control all the Cold Hearts in the World

14

The Weather is my Under My Mood

44

I am the Fastest Person Alive

15

I Make Illusions as Real as You

45

I Hear Your Thoughts

16

I Can Move Things with a Thought

46

Blink and I’m Gone!

21

I See Dead People

51

Laser Eyes!

22

I Heal 100 Times Faster Than Anyone

52

I Can Turn Into a Giant Monster

23

I Can Alter My Appearance Any Time

53

Powerful Suggestions

24

I Believe I Can Fly

54

Demon Companion

25

Super Strength

55

Premonition

26

I Project My Consciousness

56

I Can See Through Walls

31

I Can Go Back In Time

61

I Have a Sixth Sense

32

I Can Hear the Gods

62

Nothing Can Kill Me

33

Skin Like Steel

63

Muscles Like Rubber

34

I am a Werewolf, a Good One

64

One With the Darkness

35

I Control Death

65

I Have the Power of Magnetism

36

I Can Shape People’s Luck

66

I Can Create Copies of Myself

GOODIE FEATURES ASSET FEATURES These are relationships with people in the world, whether contacts, friends, allies, or family. Relationships go both ways, and you shouldn’t be surprised if an Asset comes to you for help (which is a great story hook!). d66

Asset Features

d66

Asset Features

11

I Know People At The Top

41

I Got Pals in the Underbelly

12

I Might Have Something For That

42

My Computer Can Calculate the Odds

13

My Shield Is Unbreakable

43

These Glasses Can See the Unseen

14

My Friends Are Always on My Side

44

Your Love Gives me Strength

15

This Card Can Do Amazing Things

45

This Leather Jacket is my Lucky Charm

16

I Know A Guy… Who Knows a Guy...

46

The Mayor Owes Me a Favor

21

I’ve Got Fans

51

My Pals at the Academy Can Help

22

More Money Than I Can Count

52

This Person Opens Doors

23

Highly Experimental Laser Weapon

53

Intelligence Boosting Pills

24

Highly-Advanced Tools

54

Watch Super Computer

25

This Book Tells the Future

55

These Maps Will Save Us Some Time

26

Loyal Guard Dog

56

Powered Armor

31

Rocket Boots!

61

I am Stronger When I am Down

32

My Master Will Know the Answer 62

I am Just that Lucky

33

Imposing Clothes

63

Contacts in the Docks

34

Augmented Vision Goggles

64

Repulsion Generator

35

Calming Prayer Beads

65

Hypnotizing Pendulum

36

These Spiked Gloves Will Hurt Like Hell

66

Stimpack Ready to Roll

63

Arium: Discover

OBJECT FEATURES Sometimes your gear and equipment will be your greatest resource. These boons are related to special objects, gear, and consumables. d66

64

Object Features

d66

Object Features

11

Flies Super Fast

41

Processing Power of 100 Computers

12

Anti-Gravitational Jumps

42

Augmented Strength

13

Lets You See in the Dark and Provide Information

43

Close Wounds Rapidly

14

Stuns and Knock Out Opponents

44

Projects Realistic Holograms

15

Powered by Energy

45

Sticks to Anything

16

Causes Tremors

46

Creates Super Resistant Webs

21

Makes Impervious Field

51

Drains Life Force

22

Controls Fire

52

Sense Energy Nearby

23

Alters Appearance

53

Can Never Be Lost

24

Blends With the Environment

54

High Maneuverability and Speed

25

Suppress All Sounds in the Area

55

Imitates Any Sound

26

Contains an Almost Infinite Database

56

Perfect to Hide From Others

31

Augments the Senses

61

Makes Time Go Slower

32

Improves Reflexes

62

Controls Electricity

33

Can Grow and Shrink at will

63

Hypnotizes Those Who Look at It

34

Improved Engines

64

Contains More Tool Than You Can Count

35

Can Reflect Attacks

65

Makes You Ethereal

36

Indestructible

66

Controls Things From Afar

COMBAT-RELATED FEATURES These Features are appropriate for weapons and armor, providing them with special characteristics, properties, and powers. d66

Combat-Related Features

d66

Combat-Related Features

11

Can Cut Through Anything

41

Attacks Twice As Fast

12

Impact Causes Earthquakes

42

Unbreakable

13

Augments Wielder’s Strength

43

Perfect to Demolish Walls

14

Augments Wilder’s Reflexes

44

Force Strike

15

Has Extra Sensory Perception

45

Returning Weapon

16

Bane of Sorcerers

46

Absorbing Powers

21

Super Precise

51

Makes Me Fly

22

Causes Bleeding Wounds

52

Can Deflect Attacks

23

Slow Down Opponents

53

Can Hit Ethereal Enemies

24

Entangle Enemies

54

Infused with Holy Power

25

Can Attack on its Own

55

Empowered by the Forces of Chaos

26

Is Imperceptible

56

Stronger If Used in the Dark

31

Hard to Defend Against

61

Can Paralyze Enemies

32

Flaming Attacks

62

Instill Fear On Enemies

33

Freezing Aura

63

Forged in the Stars

34

Shoots Lighting

64

Can Change Shape

35

Burning Sun Rays

65

Bypass Armor

36

Especially Effective Against Evil Foes

66

Can Be Called From Afar

65

Arium: Discover

CHARACTER BANES PHYSICAL BANES These are things the character can’t get rid of, forcing them to deal with these issues regularly. d66

66

Physical Banes

d66

Physical Banes

11

Weak Constitution

41

I am Alway Hungry

12

I’m Just Slower

42

Addicted to Drugs

13

Trust Issues

43

Addicted to Gambling

14

My Memory is Faiing

44

Terrible Liar

15

I am Cursed With Bad Luck

45

I Stutter When Nervous

16

I am Just Clumsy

46

I’ve Always Been Naive

21

I am Not Good With Words

51

Compulsive Liar

22

Weak Punch

52

I Have a Tell

23

I Have a Hard Time Focusing on Things

53

Easily Recognizable

24

Walk on a Limp

54

Sensible Stomach

25

Can’t You See I am Blind?

55

Recurring Migraines

26

No Sense of Smell

56

Small Bladder

31

Confidence is not My Strongest Suit

61

I am Always Getting Lost

32

I Always Look Suspicious, I Don’t Know Why

62

I Crack Under Pressure

33

Bad at First Impressions

63

Shortage of Breath

34

Continuous Nightmares

64

I Act Without Thinking More Often than I Would Like

35

Bad Temper

65

Can’t Make Big Decisions on the Spot

36

Animals Hate Me

66

Dyslexia

CIRCUMSTANTIAL BANES These issues are potentially temporary or something the PCs can solve in the long run by working on it within the story. They still interfere with life, nonetheless. d66

Circumstantial Banes

d66

Circumstantial Banes

11

I Had a Poor Education

41

Hiding a Dark Secret

12

I Am Being Followed

42

Hunted by Assassins

13

Problems at Home

43

Wanted by Authorities

14

Hopelessly in Love

44

Amnesiac

15

Obsessed With Something

45

Watched by Special Agents

16

Being Investigated by the Authorities

46

Pursued by Evil Sibling

21

Hunted by a Rival

51

I Always Attract Weird People

22

Banished from their Home

52

Still Learning this Computer Stuff

23

In Debt With a Crime Lord

53

Too Much On My Mind

24

Owes Favors to Politics

54

I Just Can’t Get it Right Lately

25

I am Out of Money

55

I’ve Lost My Touch

26

Problems at Work

56

Followed by a Stalker

31

Owes Money to Bad People

61

Sore Wound

32

Fish Out of Water

62

My Gear is Malfunctioning

33

Obligation with my Master

63

My Weapon is Broken

34

Obligation with an Organization

64

Influential Enemies

35

Rival Won’t Leave me Alone

65

Friends in Danger

36

Being Blackmailed

66

Strange Flashbacks

67

Arium: Discover

WEIRD BANES Some of these are supernatural or simply weird. Sometimes, a Weird Bane’s cause is unknown or has an origin that is difficult to explain. Other times, the character knows exactly how they got the Bane, but it’s either part of who they are, or something they’ve accepted in pursuit of something greater. d66

68

Supernatural Banes

d66

Supernatural Banes

11

Cursed by Demons

41

I am Turning Into a Monster

12

Marked by Witches

42

My Shadow Has its Own Will

13

Forbidden to Lie

43

Evil Can Sense My Presence

14

Haunted by Evil Spirits

44

The Dead Seek Me

15

Death Follows My Steps

45

Things Burst into Flames Near Me

16

Electronics Malfunction Near Me

46

Others Can Hear My Thoughts

21

Rotting Touch

51

My Blood gives Magicians Power

22

Aura of Restlessness

52

Debt to a Supernatural Entity

23

Uncontrollable Rage

53

Marked by a Dreadful Prophecy

24

Followed by an Imp

54

Enemies Always Show at the Worst Moments

25

Weird Winds Follow Me

55

Everything I Touch I Break

26

Accidents Always Happen Nearby

56

Everything Takes Longer for Me

31

I Attract Insects and Vermin

61

I Was Sure It Was This Way...

32

I Always See Images of a Terrible Future

62

A Vampire Can See Through My Eyes

33

Strange Coincidences Happen Around Me Constantly

63

My Fears Manifest in Reality

34

Time Behaves Strangely When I’m Around

64

Hunted by Serpent Folk

35

I Can Hear Voices Teasing Me

65

An Evil Being Lives Inside Me

36

My Nightmares are Contagious

66

A Terrible Fate Awaits Me

GOODIE FLAWS ASSET FLAWS Sometimes your relationships come with… some downsides. Maybe you’re indebted to the Mob Boss for the minor favors he gives you. Or you have a really annoying sister. A friend who’s always down on their luck or just plain bad for you, particularly because they know a laundry list of curses. These examples illustrate the difficulties your Assets give you. d66

Asset Flaws

d66

Asset Flaws

11

Always Asks For Too Much in Return

41

Talks Too Much

12

Often Too Busy

42

Quite Lazy

13

They Do the Bare Minimum

43

Constantly Sleeping

14

Very Jealous of You

44

Speaks Incoherently Sometimes

15

Strict Personal Code of Conduct

45

Freeze Up in Tense Situations

16

Asks Too Many Questions

46

Incredibly Clumsy

21

Asks for Return Favors at the Worst Possible Moments

51

They Have the Worst Possible Luck

22

Terrible Procrastinator

52

Substance Abuser

23

You Owe Them Too Many Favors

53

In Trouble with Dangerous Folks

24

Constantly in a Bad Mood

54

They Always Leave Something Behind

25

Jokes Around Too Much

55

Never Completely Sincere

26

Always Hungry

56

Often Forgets Important Details

31

Too Needy

61

Always Speaks in Riddles

32

Easily Distracted

62

Never Lies

33

Quickly Angered

63

They Are Very Ill

34

Highly Secretive

64

Extremely Boring

35

Constantly Lying

65

Forgetful

36

Can’t Keep Secrets

66

Impossible to Please

69

Arium: Discover

OBJECT FLAWS Sometimes your gear won’t function as intended or may malfunction unexpectedly. Some items also require very specific conditions to recharge or properly function. Guns may jam, Armor may only protect against one type of damage. d66

70

Object Flaws

d66

Object Flaws

11

Takes a While to Recharge

41

Highly Imprecise

12

Losing its Potency

42

Makes Loud Noises

13

Requires Special Fuel

43

Produces a Lot of Smoke

14

Ineffective At Night

44

Bulky and Hard to Transport

15

Requires Focus to Operate

45

Held Together by Duct Tape and Wires

16

Must Recharge Before Use.

46

Sought by My Enemies

21

It Might Explode!

51

Requires Assembly for Each Use

22

Not Totally Reliable

52

Too Advanced for You!

23

Effects are Sometimes Reversed

53

It Didn’t Come with a Manual

24

Still Experimental

54

Overheats Easily

25

Hard to Fine Tune the Controls

55

It’s Falling Apart

26

Has a Very Stubborn AI

56

Cannot be Used Discreetly

31

Takes Too Long to Turn On

61

Only 50% Effective

32

Needs Constant Maintenance

62

Crashes a Lot

33

Always Malfunctioning at the Worst Possible Moment

63

Made with Outdated Technology

34

Replacement Parts are Very Hard Find

64

Needs More Than One Operator

35

Very Hard to Master

65

Hard to Control if Overused

36

Fragile

66

Must Be Pumped to Work

SUPERNATURAL FLAWS Magic Items are more fun when they’re not perfect. Maybe an item that functions great in combat has downsides outside of it, or the reverse. This is where cursed items and those hunted by an evil sorcerer can be found. d66

Supernatural Flaws

d66

Supernatural Flaws

11

Requires the Pronunciation of Strange Words to Use

41

Negative Side-Effects When Used...Who Knows What?

12

Losing Its Magic

42

Bound to a Demon with a Guttural Voice

13

Requires Arcane Ingredients

43

Failed Use Creates a Small Egg

14

Ineffective At Night

44

It Makes You Age Faster!

15

Be at Peace to Use

45

It’s Very Fragile

16

Weakens You When You Use It

46

People Witnessing Its Use Becomes Obsessed

21

Weakens a Friend When You Use It

51

Your Spirit Must Stay Aligned with It

22

Infused with Chaotic Energies

52

Causes Nightmares

23

Sometimes the Effects are Reversed

53

Ghosts of Previous Owners Haunt You

24

Made by an Inexperienced Sorcerer

54

Burns the Hand of the Wielder if Misused

25

It’s Powers are Hard to Control

55

Makes the Wielder Overconfident

26

Infused with an Old Stubborn Soul

56

Sometimes Something Important Disappears

31

Must Gather Arcane Energies After Use

61

Constantly in Need of Reforging

32

It’s Seeks Its Old Master

62

It Slowly Turning You into a Monster

33

Powers Vary with an Unknown Pattern

63

Burns Your Hands When in Use

34

Its Power Varies with Your Mood

64

Fueled by Your Memories, Which are Consumed with Each Use

35

Requires a Ritual to Use

65

Sometimes, It’s as if the Artifact is Controlling You

36

It’s Powers can be Easily Stolen

66

Requires Fresh Blood

71

Arium: Discover

72

Resources FIND US We maintain contact info on our website. Feel free to ask us anything. We’re nice! You can find the info there to @ us on social media, join our Discord server, or even send us an email through the contact form: https://adepticarus.com

SAMPLE CHARACTERS Sample characters are provided on our website at https://adepticarus.com/gameresources We’ve put together a few there and may add to the list over time. We hope this will help to show the variety of possibilities to explore with Arium: Discover.

OTHER RESOURCES The following pages contain a blank character sheet. It is also available on our website. For the sake of space, we’ve made a few abbreviations in the character sheet as follows. POSITIVE QUALITIES

NEGATIVE QUALITIES

+2D - +2D to Dice Pool

–2D - –2D from Dice Pool

++ - Receive Advantage

–– - Receive Disadvantage

A6 - Add a 6 to Test Results

A1 - Add a 1 to Test Results

R1 - Reroll Ones

R6 - Reroll Sixes

73

Arium: Discover

[Printable character sheet (should be printable as 8.5” x 11” (or 5.5” x 8.5”)]

BOONS

+2D ++ A6 R1

BaNeS

-2D – – A1 R6

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 





 

74

Name:

HEALTH TOTAL

CURRENT

INVENTORY DISCOVERY TOKENS

  

Character Name: Game Mode Who are you?

What defines your personality?

How do you look?

Goody – Name: Features

Goody – Name: +2D ++

A6

R1

Features

+2D ++

A6

R1

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Flaws

-2D – –

A1

Flaws

-2D – –

A1

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

Name:





 

R6

Goody – Name: Features

R6

Goody – Name: +2D ++

Name:





Name:



Name:



Flaws Name: Name:

A6

R1

Features

+2D ++

A6

R1

 

Name:





 



 

Name:





 



 

Name:





 

-2D – –

A1

Flaws

-2D – –

A1





 

Name:





 





 

Name:





R6

75

R6

 

Welcome to Arium: Discover, a streamlined roleplaying game with infinite possibilities. This RPG will enable your group to play in any world, especially one you built from scratch with Arium: Create. You’ll find everything you need to guarantee everyone, whether in person or virtual, has a great time and gets to tell their part of the story. Arium: Discover was custom-designed to work with our worldbuilding toolkit, but you can bring your own setting too: a favorite series, movie, book, or whatever you like. Simply put: the game will work with your story. All you need is some friends, six-sided dice, pens, and paper. A few minutes is all it takes to create characters, and you’re off to the races! If you haven’t looked at Arium: Create by Adept Icarus, it’s the perfect companion for any roleplaying game group who wants to take collaborative storytelling to its ultimate pinnacle: group worldbuilding! Finally, keep an eye out for our upcoming title, Arium: Evolve. You’ve created and discovered. Now it’s time to change everything. Evolve your character, your story, and even your world. Coming soon!

AI-1002