Glossary

Terms worth knowing before you go through Character Creation. Scoped to what the walkthrough itself uses - combat-only vocabulary gets defined where it’s first needed, in rules.md.

Action Bracket — One of three timing categories (Fast, Normal, Slow) a character declares each combat round. Fast acts first but gets only one action; Normal acts second with two actions; Slow acts last but its single action is empowered (Advantage, called shots). Within each bracket, characters act in Initiative order before resolution moves to the next bracket.

Adder — A permanent, optional upgrade to a Gift you already have, unlocked once for a one-time point cost (Lesser or Greater). Separate from the Ki cost of actually using it in play, which is paid per the Gift’s own text each time.

Advantage / Disadvantage — Instead of the normal roll, you roll an extra die: Advantage rolls 3d10 and keeps the lowest two (better odds of success), Disadvantage rolls 3d10 and keeps the highest two (worse odds). Not a flat modifier to your roll.

Air — One of the five Attributes, the element of breath and motion. Covers agility, adaptability, and sharpness of mind - how fast you react, how well you keep pace with a changing situation, how clearly you think under pressure. Splits into Initiative and Psyche.

Atropos — One of Moira’s two sub-stats, named for the Fate who cuts the thread of life and cannot be turned aside. Determines your Defense (10 - Atropos) - how hard you are to hit in combat. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Elusive, Untouchable, Evasive, Uncanny, Slippery, Precognitive, Nimble, Fated, Slick, Ghostly, Unpredictable, Quick-Footed, Uncatchable, Foresighted, Cat-Like.

Attribute — One of the five elemental forces that shape who you are, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Moira, each a broad measure of natural capability drawn from the classical elements themselves. Assigned at character creation, each Attribute splits into two sub-stats.

Boon — A small, permanent advantage that doesn’t fit under Skills or Gifts - a grab bag of perks that matter in play through what they let you do or claim, not through added dice. No numerical bonus to rolls. Most have no levels; a handful are exceptions bought as one of two, three, or four tiers.

Bump Action Bracket — A direct Ki spend (1 Ki per step) to move a declared action up one Action Bracket - Slow to Normal, or Normal to Fast. 2 Ki moves two steps at once. No roll, no Fatigue Check.

Carrying Capacity — How much weight a character can lift, carry, or drag under ordinary conditions: Potence² x 10 kg. Squared rather than linear so low Potence stays mundane while high Potence scales dramatically.

Defense — A derived stat, 10 - Atropos. Becomes the attacker’s Difficulty when they attack you - how hard you are to hit.

Descriptor — A short, one or two-word adjective (Brutal, Brawny, Indefatigable, Headstrong) capturing a specific flavor of a sub-stat you’ve put points into - a core trait, free from the sub-stat point that earns it and never separately purchasable. The concrete hook you point to when challenging a Skill’s default Element in play.

Difficulty — A number from 0-10 the GM sets per roll, 0 nearly impossible, 10 trivially easy. Added to your Attribute to form the target number for the core roll. In combat, a defender’s own Defense stat becomes the attacker’s Difficulty.

Discretionary Points — A flexible pool (10, plus more from Flaws) spendable at character creation across Resources, Skills, Fate Tokens, Boons, Gifts, or Attributes.

Distracted — A condition triggered by losing a Health Level or being hit by a Kotodama effect while resolving a Slow Action Bracket. Requires an Atropos + Difficulty roll to hold focus, or the action downgrades to Normal (losing its Advantage/called-shot benefit).

Earth — One of the five Attributes, the element of flesh and stone, the unshaken ground beneath everything else. Covers raw physical power - how strong you are, how hard you hit, how much punishment your body shrugs off. Splits into Soak and Potence.

Everyman Skills — A GM-set list of baseline Skills every character gets free, at Trained, reflecting the competence any functional adult in the setting would have just from living in it.

Fate Token — The earn/spend currency, gained through Nature, voluntary Disadvantage, Flaws, daily regeneration, Milestones, or GM discretion. Spent on Kotodama or the standard Fate Triggers.

Fate Triggers — What a Fate Token can be spent on: Kotodama, Overcome a Flaw, Automatic Success, Boost a Check, or Shrug Off an Effect. Each spend triggers a Fatigue Check.

Ferocity — One of Fire’s two sub-stats, the ember of will made manifest. Boosts a Physical attack die when you spend Ki to push a strike (Ki Infusion). Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Brutal, Savage, Relentless, Feral, Merciless, Ruthless, Vicious, Predatory, Fierce, Aggressive, Bloodthirsty, Wrathful, Untamed, Cutthroat, Rabid.

Fire — One of the five Attributes, the element of drive and hunger. Covers aggression and force of personality - how hard you push, how much of yourself you bring to a confrontation, verbal or physical. Splits into Ferocity and Presence.

Flaw — An optional character-creation disadvantage, Boons’ mirror image. Each one lists its own point value, which feeds your Discretionary Points. A Flaw with no real effect on play grants no points.

Gift — A supernatural power a character can have - magic, psionics, mutation, divine blessing, or whatever fits the campaign’s genre. Each Gift is unique and narrow in scope, a specific named capability rather than a broad umbrella, and has 5 cumulative levels representing how big, strong, or wide its effect grows.

Gift Check — A resource-risk roll for using certain Gifts: 2d10 against current Ki + Stamina, roll-under. Success is free; failure costs 1 Ki.

Health — One of Water’s two sub-stats, the depth of the well you draw endurance from. Determines your Health Levels (5 + Health) - how many hits you can take before going down. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Hale, Vital, Resilient, Stalwart, Ironclad, Unbreakable, Durable, Tenacious, Hearty, Sound, Thriving, Hard-to-Kill, Long-Lived, Wholesome, Sturdy-Framed.

Health Levels — A count of discrete hit-boxes, not a numeric HP pool. 5 + Health. Each Level absorbs one connecting hit; at 0 you fall unconscious.

Initiative — One of Air’s two sub-stats, the spark of readiness that decides who moves first. Rolled once at the start of combat (1d10 + Initiative) to set turn order for the whole fight. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Alert, Reflexive, Twitchy, Vigilant, Quickened, Sharp-Eyed, Instinctive, Keen, Fleet, Snappy, Watchful, Attentive, Sharp, Nimble-Minded, Anticipatory.

Ki — The resource pool that fuels supernatural ability use. Average of Soak, Initiative, Ferocity, Stamina, and Atropos, doubled. Spent directly to preserve Health Levels, boost attack dice, or bump an Action Bracket; also the target number for the Fatigue Check.

Ki Infusion — Spending 1 Ki per die to add your matching sub-stat (Ferocity, Presence, or Psyche) to an attack die before rolling, pushing past a defender’s wall that would otherwise fully negate an unboosted hit.

Klotho — One of Moira’s two sub-stats, the thread being spun even now. Governs Ki Regeneration rate and sets your Lucky Number. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Charmed, Lucky, Fortunate, Blessed, Favored, Serendipitous, Providential, Recharged, Fateful, Auspicious, Golden, Star-Touched, Bountiful, Effortless, Timely.

Limiter — A permanent, creation-time restriction chosen for one specific Gift. Each one taken drops the cost of every Level of that Gift by 1 point, stackable with no ceiling but never below 1 point per Level.

Moira — One of the five Attributes, the element of fate and the threads no mortal hand can see. Governs the supernatural, luck, and destiny itself. Splits into Atropos and Klotho.

Movement Rate — 5 + Air, in meters. How far you can move as part of a Fast action’s one action or a Normal action’s move component.

Nature — A short archetype capturing a core drive or way of engaging with the world, chosen from a starter list or written custom. Playing to it at a dramatically appropriate moment earns a Fate Token.

Poise — Composure under Social attack, mirroring Health Levels. 5 + Presence. At 0 you become Flustered.

Potence — One of Earth’s two sub-stats, the weight of stone given to muscle and bone. Raw strength - carrying capacity, forcing/breaking things, contested strength. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Brawny, Herculean, Mighty, Strapping, Muscular, Titanic, Forceful, Robust, Hulking, Sinewy, Vigorous, Burly, Formidable, Stout, Iron-Armed.

Presence — One of Fire’s two sub-stats, the heat that draws every eye in the room. Resists Social attacks, and sets how many dice you roll when making one. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Magnetic, Commanding, Charismatic, Radiant, Imposing, Captivating, Dominant, Alluring, Striking, Charming, Bold, Regal, Magnificent, Unforgettable, Larger-Than-Life.

Psyche — One of Air’s two sub-stats, the current that carries a clear mind through the storm. Resists Mental attacks, and sets how many dice you roll when making one. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Steadfast, Composed, Disciplined, Unshaken, Focused, Resolute, Headstrong, Serene, Level-Headed, Calm, Iron-Willed, Grounded, Unflappable, Determined, Clear-Headed.

Resource — Material or logistical backing a character can buy - money, gear, a base of operations - distinct from Boons’ personal knacks and Gifts’ supernatural power.

Resource Check — A roll to push a Resource beyond what its Level normally covers for free: 2d10 against Resource Level + Difficulty, roll-under, standard critical results apply. Success is free; failure still gets the character what they were after, but the Resource’s Level drops by 1 (floored at 1) until a Month passes.

Sanity — Grip on your own mind under Mental attack, mirroring Health Levels. 5 + Psyche. At 0 you’re Overwhelmed; below 0, Shattered.

Skill — A learned, practiced competence. Every Skill has a default Attribute/Element; a player can challenge that default and pair the Skill with a different Attribute instead, provided they can argue the pairing to the GM’s satisfaction, grounded in one of their Descriptors.

Skill Training Tier — How trained you are in a given Skill, six rungs: Untrained, Novice, Trained, Adept, Expert, Master. Each tier changes how the core roll is built, from no Attribute at all up through Advantage and widened critical ranges.

Soak — One of Earth’s two sub-stats, the hide the world’s blows can’t quite get through. Resists Physical damage - the wall an attacker’s dice have to beat to hurt you. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Hardy, Rugged, Stoic, Weathered, Unyielding, Sturdy, Grizzled, Armored, Callused, Thick-Skinned, Leathery, Battle-Worn, Steeled, Resistant, Flinty.

Stamina — One of Water’s two sub-stats, the reserve that keeps a body moving past its limit. Caps how many Fate Tokens you can spend per Scene; also your endurance against non-combat exhaustion. Sample descriptors (examples, not a fixed list): Indefatigable, Tireless, Enduring, Hardened, Persistent, Unflagging, Dogged, Steady, Untiring, Unwavering, Gritty, Marathon-Bodied, Long-Winded, Driven, Unrelenting.

Surprised — A condition triggered when a character hasn’t noticed a threat before combat begins. While Surprised, you roll at Disadvantage on everything until the round ends.

Untrained Roll — A roll made with no applicable Skill. Your Attribute doesn’t apply - the target number is Difficulty alone.

Water — One of the five Attributes, the element of tide and undertow. Covers perception and empathy - how attuned you are to the world and the people in it, and how much you can endure before you’re worn down. Splits into Stamina and Health.