CHAPTER 3: CLASSES
A character's class defines their training before they became a mercenary, sellsword, or hired blade, taking contracts in the Known World. It is not destiny, and it is not identity, but the set of skills, disciplines, and learned capabilities they bring to a job that other people find too dangerous or too complicated to handle themselves.
Ten classes are available. They are organized into four groups, which share hit dice, attack bonus progression, and saving throw advancement. Within a group, individual classes differentiate through special abilities, requirements, and restrictions.
Class Groups
| Group | Classes | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Champion | d10 | +1 per level |
| Wizard | Mage, Sorcerer | d4 | +1 per 3 levels |
| Priest | Cleric, Druid | d8 | +1 per 2 levels |
| Rogue | Thief, Bard | d6 | +1 per 2 levels |
Hit dice are rolled at each level through the class's listed maximum. Beyond that level, the class grants a fixed hit point bonus per level instead. Warriors receive +3 HP per level beyond their maximum hit die, Priests and Rogues +2, Wizards +1.
Ability Score Requirements
All classes carry minimum ability score requirements. Characters who do not meet a class's requirements may not select it. If no scores qualify a character for any class, the GM should allow a reroll or targeted score adjustment before play begins.
Table 3.1: Class Ability Score Requirements
| Class | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paladin | 12 | — | — | — | 13 | 17 |
| Ranger | 13 | 13 | 14 | — | 14 | — |
| Champion | 12 | — | — | — | 13 | 17 |
| Mage | — | — | — | 9 | — | — |
| Sorcerer | — | — | 10 | — | 13 | — |
| Cleric | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Druid | — | — | — | — | 12 | 15 |
| Thief | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bard | — | 12 | — | 13 | — | 13 |
Characters who meet their class's prime requisite receive a +10% bonus to earned experience. Prime requisites are noted in each class entry.
Ancestry Restrictions
The following restrictions apply in addition to those established in Chapter 2.
| Class | Restrictions |
|---|---|
| Champion | Unavailable to Val'arian and Húldar |
| Sorcerer | Available to Human, Vartran, Húldar, and Aelár only |
| Druid | Available to Húldar and Aelár only. See The Druidic Compact, Chapter 2 |
| Paladin | Available to Human, Badaki, and Ûrgon only |
All other classes follow Table 2.3 restrictions.
WARRIOR GROUP
Warriors advance fastest in combat. They gain attack bonuses every level, fight with the broadest range of weapons and armor, and accumulate the most hit points. What they lack relative to other groups — spells, thieving skills, social abilities — they compensate for through sustained martial superiority.
FIGHTER
Fighters are soldiers, mercenaries, and trained combatants. They represent the broadest martial tradition in the Known World: disciplined, adaptable, dangerous across virtually any weapon and any terrain. Other warrior classes specialize; Fighters refine.
In the Known World, the distinction between a Fighter and anyone else with a sword is depth of training. A farmer who picks up a weapon becomes a combatant. A Fighter has spent years learning how to use weight, leverage, timing, and terrain — and it shows after the first exchange.
Warriors who follow the Way of Boros may seek entry to Duskhold in Gwan'tor — the highest available martial training in that tradition. See Book II, Chapter 5.
Prime Requisite. Strength.
Requirements. STR 9.
Hit Dice. d10, through level 9. +3 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons and Armor. All weapons and armor.
Advancement. → Table 3.3: Fighter Advancement.
Special Abilities
Weapon Specialization. Fighters may specialize in individual weapons. Specialization costs 2 Skill Points (SPs) and provides +1 to attack rolls, +2 to damage, and one additional attack per round at certain level thresholds. A Fighter may specialize in multiple weapons, but must meet the SP cost for each. Non-Fighters may not specialize.
Multiple Attacks. Fighters gain additional attacks per round as they advance. The full progression is detailed in Chapter 7: Combat.
Combat Maneuvers. Fighters have unrestricted access to all combat maneuvers and fighting styles described in Chapter 7.
Skill Points. Fighters start with 7 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
Table 3.3: Fighter Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d10 | +1 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 2d10 | +2 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 3d10 | +3 |
| 4 | 8,000 | 4d10 | +4 |
| 5 | 16,000 | 5d10 | +5 |
| 6 | 32,000 | 6d10 | +6 |
| 7 | 64,000 | 7d10 | +7 |
| 8 | 125,000 | 8d10 | +8 |
| 9 | 250,000 | 9d10 | +9 |
| 10 | 500,000 | 9d10+3 | +10 |
| 11+ | +250,000/level | +3 HP/level | +1/level |
PALADIN
A Paladin's authority comes from divine calling, not rank or appointment. They are answerable to their deity before any lord, contract, or comrade. This creates characters of genuine conviction and genuine inflexibility — properties that are useful in some situations and catastrophic in others.
In the Known World, Paladins exist in a complicated relationship with the Church of Tar'amaan. The Church has its own warrior clergy and regards independent Paladins as either assets to be recruited or problems to be neutralized, depending on whose deity the Paladin serves. A Paladin of the Three Sisters operating inside Cadman-held Norderenn is doing something the Church considers heresy. That this heresy involves healing the sick and protecting the poor does not improve the Church's position on it.
Paladins must maintain a code of conduct consistent with their deity's demands. A Paladin who violates this code loses all special abilities until they atone — through deeds determined by their deity's clergy, or through direct divine mandate if the deity communicates directly. Lost levels are not recovered.
Duskhold in Gwan'tor is the premier training ground for Boroite Paladins. Badakis enters by right; all others require a sponsor. See Book II, Chapter 5.
Prime Requisite. Strength and Charisma.
Requirements. STR 12, WIS 13, CHA 17. Lawful alignment.
Available To: Human, Badaki, Ûrgon. All Badaki Paladins serve Boros. Ûrgon Paladins nearly always do the same — the exceptions have histories.
Hit Dice. d10, through level 9. +3 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons and Armor. All weapons and armor.
Advancement. → Table 3.4: Paladin/Ranger Advancement.
Special Abilities
Lay on Hands. Once per day, the Paladin may heal a number of hit points equal to twice their level. They may use this on themselves or on a willing recipient they touch.
Detect Evil. At will, the Paladin may concentrate to sense evil intent or magical evil within 18 m. This requires one round of concentration and reveals presence, not identity or exact location.
Divine Aura. The Paladin radiates an aura of protection: all allies within 3 m gain +1 to saving throws. This functions constantly and requires no activation.
Saving Throw Bonus. Paladins receive an additional +2 bonus to all saving throws, stacking with the Divine Aura and any other modifiers.
Turn Undead. As a cleric, at two levels below their actual Paladin level.
Warhorse. At 4th level, the Paladin may call a warhorse of exceptional quality. The animal is loyal, responds to training beyond what normal horses accept, and shares some measure of the Paladin's divine protection. If the warhorse dies, a replacement cannot be called for one year.
Divine Spellcasting. At 9th level, Paladins gain access to divine spells drawn from the Cleric list, beginning at 1st level. They cast as a Cleric four levels below their Paladin level.
Restrictions. Paladins may not retain wealth beyond what covers basic expenses and equipment. Surplus must be donated to a religious institution or charitable cause within one month of acquisition. Paladins may employ no more than one henchman. They may associate with non-lawful party members but may not knowingly condone evil acts.
Skill Points. Paladins start with 7 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
RANGER
Rangers are trackers, wilderness guides, and hunters who operate at the edges of settled land — or well beyond them. In the Known World, the edges are consequential: the Dead Lands require people who know how to move through them, and most people who attempt this without a Ranger's skillset do not return. The Emerald Corridor's caravans hire Rangers to navigate routes and deal with what lives along them.
The combat training of a Ranger integrates terrain as a factor rather than an obstacle. They fight differently outdoors than they do in a tavern, and they know it, and they try to ensure the fight happens outdoors.
Prime Requisite. Strength and Wisdom.
Requirements. STR 13, DEX 13, CON 14, WIS 14.
Hit Dice. d10, through level 10. +3 HP/level thereafter. Rangers begin with only 1d8 at 1st level, gaining d10s from level 2 onward.
Weapons and Armor. All weapons. All armor, but stealth and tracking abilities function only in light or no armor.
Advancement. → Table 3.4: Paladin/Ranger Advancement.
Special Abilities
Two-Weapon Fighting. Rangers may fight with a weapon in each hand with reduced penalties: −2 to the primary hand and −4 to the off hand, compared to −4/−8 for untrained fighters. High Dexterity may further reduce these penalties.
Tracking. Rangers can follow trails through natural terrain. The player rolls 1d20 against the Ranger's Wisdom score; modifiers apply based on terrain, weather, passage of time, and the quarry's skill at concealment. On a success, the trail is followed; failure means the trail is lost and cannot be retried until conditions change.
Favored Enemy. Rangers choose a favored enemy category at character creation — goblinoids, undead, humans, magical beasts, and so on. Against favored enemies, Rangers receive +4 to attack rolls and +4 to damage.
Stealth. In natural terrain, while wearing non-metal armor, Rangers impose a −4 penalty on opponents' surprise rolls. In dungeons or urban environments, this ability does not apply.
Animal Empathy. Rangers can calm and communicate basic information to natural animals. This is not a magical ability; it reflects trained skill in reading and responding to animal behavior. It does not affect magical or undead animals.
Skill Points. Rangers start with 7 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
Ranger Paths
At 8th level, a Ranger chooses one of two paths. The choice is permanent and reflects the direction their career has taken over the preceding years.
Path of the Warden
Wardens are Rangers who have cultivated a genuine relationship with the natural world — and, more specifically, with the Hyerophancy's awareness of them. This is not guaranteed. A Ranger does not automatically earn Druidic approval simply by spending time outdoors. The relationship develops through play: acts of genuine stewardship, assistance rendered to Druidic interests, time spent in Alvengaard or with Húldar communities, and eventually a formal recognition from a Druid of at least 7th level.
When a Warden earns that recognition, they gain access to nature spells drawn from the Druid spell list, beginning at 1st level. Their spell progression begins at the level they receive recognition — which may be 8th or later — and advances from that point. Casting requires no investiture from the Hyerophancy; this is not Druidic magic in the institutional sense. What the Warden accesses is the natural attunement their years of wilderness work have produced, filtered through whatever teaching the approving Druid provides.
If no Druidic recognition is earned, a Ranger who intends to walk this path simply does not gain spellcasting. The path remains open as long as the Ranger pursues it. This is a design feature, not a gap — the approval mechanic exists to generate play, not to gatekeep a mechanical reward indefinitely.
GMs should treat the Druidic approval as a meaningful milestone that emerges from actual campaign events, not a formality to be resolved off-screen. The Ranger's effort to earn it, and the Druid's eventual decision about whether they have, can generate sessions on their own.
Path of the Scout
Scouts are pure operatives — marksmen, trackers, and infiltrators who have concluded that the wilderness is not a spiritual environment but a professional one. At 8th level, instead of pursuing spellcasting, Scouts receive the following permanent bonuses:
Master Archer. Scouts gain +2 to attack rolls and +3 to damage rolls with bows and crossbows. This stacks with all existing Dexterity modifiers and weapon proficiency bonuses.
Ghost Movement. The Scout's Stealth ability, previously limited to non-metal armor in natural terrain, now applies in any environment — including dungeons, urban settings, and underground passages — while wearing leather armor or lighter. The surprise penalty imposed on opponents increases to −6 in natural terrain.
Improved Tracking. When making a Tracking roll, the Scout rolls twice and uses the better result. In terrain the Scout has designated as a favored operating environment (chosen at this level), failed tracking rolls can be retried after one turn rather than waiting for conditions to change.
Table 3.4: Paladin/Ranger Advancement
| Level | XP (Paladin) | XP (Ranger) | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1d10 * | +1 |
| 2 | 2,250 | 2,250 | 2d10 | +2 |
| 3 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 3d10 | +3 |
| 4 | 9,000 | 9,000 | 4d10 | +4 |
| 5 | 18,000 | 18,000 | 5d10 | +5 |
| 6 | 36,000 | 36,000 | 6d10 | +6 |
| 7 | 75,000 | 75,000 | 7d10 | +7 |
| 8 | 150,000 | 150,000 | 8d10 | +8 |
| 9 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 9d10 | +9 |
| 10 | 600,000 | 600,000 | 9d10+3 | +10 |
| 11+ | +300,000/level | +300,000/level | +3 HP/level | +1/level |
* Rangers roll 1d8 at 1st level only.
CHAMPION
Champions are honor-bound warriors — not divine instruments, not mere soldiers. They follow a Code, and the Code defines them more precisely than any weapon or armor. The Code may derive from a religious tradition, a knightly institution, a nation's martial philosophy, or a personal oath sworn under specific circumstances. What it cannot be is vague. A Code with no specific tenets has no weight, and a Champion without a Code is an ordinary Fighter with better charisma.
In the Known World, Champions appear most visibly among the orders of the Emerald Corridor nations — Bellaria's sword-lodges, the disciplined dueling houses of Solara, the warrior cadres that Norderenn's resistance movements have formalized into something with ranks and oaths. A Badaki Champion is rare and striking. An Ûrgon who has taken vows of protection and repudiated the purpose the Darkness forged them for is something most people will only hear about secondhand.
Champions are not Paladins. They perform no miracles. They call on no deity. What they have instead is absolute clarity about what they will and will not do, and the skill to back that clarity with force.
The Code. At character creation, the player and GM establish the Champion's Code together — a set of specific, enforceable tenets that govern conduct. Three to five tenets are standard. Tenets should be concrete enough to create genuine decisions at the table: I do not strike an opponent who has surrendered is a tenet. I am honorable is not.
A Champion who violates their Code ceases gaining experience in the Champion class until they atone. The form of atonement is narrative — a quest, a sacrifice, a public act of amends — and its scope should match the severity of the violation. Minor infractions may require a single session's worth of effort. Fundamental betrayals of the Code may require significantly more. The class's abilities remain functional during this period; only advancement halts.
Duskhold trains Champions in the Way of Boros. For non-Badakis, entry requires a Badaki sponsor and demonstrated adherence to Boros's ethos. See Book II, Chapter 5.
Prime Requisite. Strength and Charisma.
Requirements. STR 12, WIS 13, CHA 17.
Available To: All. Húldar Champions exist, but rarely. Alvengaard's druidic traditions share little with the Champion's public oath-structure, and full plate in the deep forest announces itself before the wearer does.
Hit Dice. d10, through level 9. +3 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons and Armor. All weapons and armor.
Advancement. → Table 3.5: Champion Advancement.
Special Abilities
Disciplined Defense. Champions receive +1 to Armor Class at all times. This bonus applies whether armored or unarmored, conscious or incapacitated, and stacks with all other AC sources.
Weapon Mastery. At character creation, the Champion chooses one weapon and gains specialization in it for free, without spending CSPs. This reflects years of dedicated training before the character began adventuring.
Inspiring Presence. When the Champion is conscious and visible to allies in combat, those allies gain +1 to morale checks and saves against fear effects. This is passive and requires no action.
Steadfast. At 7th level, Champions become immune to magical fear and to non-magical fear from mundane sources. They may still feel fear — they simply cannot be compelled to flee by it.
Champion's Reputation. At 9th level, the Champion's adherence to their Code has accumulated enough witnessed history that their name carries weight. Their reaction modifier with NPCs who have heard of them improves by +2, for better or worse, depending on how their Code is regarded in that region.
Skill Points. Champions start with 7 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
Table 3.5: Champion Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d10 | +1 |
| 2 | 2,250 | 2d10 | +2 |
| 3 | 4,500 | 3d10 | +3 |
| 4 | 9,000 | 4d10 | +4 |
| 5 | 18,000 | 5d10 | +5 |
| 6 | 36,000 | 6d10 | +6 |
| 7 | 75,000 | 7d10 | +7 |
| 8 | 150,000 | 8d10 | +8 |
| 9 | 300,000 | 9d10 | +9 |
| 10 | 600,000 | 9d10+3 | +10 |
| 11+ | +300,000/level | +3 HP/level | +1/level |
WIZARD GROUP
Wizards advance slowly in combat. Their hit dice are small, their weapon and armor options are narrow, and their attack bonuses accumulate at one-third the rate of Warriors. These are not oversights — they are the cost of magic. A wizard at full capacity outranges and outscales most other classes in raw effect. A wizard who has spent their prepared spells for the day is a problem their party has to protect.
MAGE
Mages are scholars of arcane magic. They study the theoretical frameworks underlying spellcasting, fill grimoires with learned formulae, and advance through the painstaking process of formal magical education. What distinguishes Mages from the generically magical is that they understand what they are doing — they can examine a new effect, model it against known principles, and build from it. The actual casting of a spell is almost secondary to that architecture of understanding.
In the Known World, Mages are most concentrated around the Order of Magnus and the Chroniclers — the former because the Order has a direct interest in controlled magical research, the latter because magical knowledge is a category of knowledge that Chroniclers find professionally irresistible. Independent Mages exist in every major city. The Church of Tar'amaan makes this independence uncomfortable in Cadman-controlled territory.
Prime Requisite. Intelligence.
Requirements. INT 9.
Hit Dice. d4, through level 10. +1 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Dagger, staff, dart, sling. No armor.
Advancement. → Table 3.6: Mage/Sorcerer Advancement.
Special Abilities
Skill Points. Mages start with 6 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 6 and 7.
Spellbook. Mages record their spells in a grimoire. A Mage begins play with a number of 1st-level spells equal to their Intelligence modifier plus three, drawn from the Wizard spell list. Additional spells are acquired through study, copying from scrolls, or successfully learning from another Mage's grimoire. Learning a spell requires a percentile roll against the Learn Spell chance from Table 1.4. Failure means the spell cannot be attempted again until the Mage gains a level.
Spell Memorization. Mages memorize spells from their grimoire before rest periods and cast them from memory. A memorized spell is expended when cast. The number of spells memorized per level is detailed in the Wizard Spell Progression table in Appendix A.
Scroll Use. Mages can scribe spells they know onto scrolls, and can cast from scrolls of spells they have not yet learned. Scribing requires one day per spell level and consumes 100 gp per spell level in materials.
High Solaran. Mages learn High Solaran as part of their arcane education: the standard written language of the Order of Magnus and all formal arcane scholarship. Spellbooks are recorded in it. See Book II, Chapter 5. It does count on the total number of languages the character knows at character creation.
Schools of Magic. Mages choose at character creation whether to practice as a generalist or a specialist.
- Generalists have access to all schools of magic with no restrictions. They do not receive school-specific bonuses.
- Specialists choose one school of magic and dedicate their study to it. They receive one additional spell slot per spell level in their chosen school, a +15% bonus to their Learn Spell roll for spells of that school, and automatically know one additional spell of their school at each level they gain access to a new spell level. The trade-off: Specialists cannot learn spells from their opposing school and must spend two spell slots to memorize any spell from their secondary-opposed school. Opposing schools are listed in the table below.
Spell Components
Specialists develop such mastery of their school's underlying principles that material components become redundant for spells within it. A Specialist may cast any spell from their chosen school without material components and without penalty on the potency axis. This exemption applies only to their chosen school. Spells from other accessible schools require material components as normal.
A Specialist who chooses Illusion/Phantasm is colloquially called an Illusionist. The term refers to the specialization, not a separate class.
Schools of Magic and Opposition:
| School | Opposed Schools | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Abjuration | Alteration | Abjurer |
| Alteration | Abjuration, Necromancy | Transmuter |
| Conjuration/Summoning | Greater Divination | Conjurer |
| Divination | Illusion/Phantasm | Diviner |
| Greater Divination | Conjuration/Summoning | Oracle |
| Enchantment/Charm | Invocation/Evocation | Enchanter |
| Illusion/Phantasm | Divination, Necromancy | Illusionist |
| Invocation/Evocation | Enchantment/Charm | Invoker |
| Necromancy | Alteration, Illusion/Phantasm | Necromancer |
The Gauntlet
When the mage first joins the Order, at 1st level, they hold the status of the Apprentice - although he’s already free from their master’s will, they are considered in a probationary stage until reaching 2nd level, when they will attend the Trials of Magnus to receive their Gauntlet - if they succeed.
The Gauntlet is the sigil earned by mages who complete the Trials of Magnus, inscribed on the mage's dominant hand: perceptible to touch but invisible to non-magical sight. It cannot be transferred, removed, or replicated. After receiving the Gauntlet, the mage is now an Adept of the Order and has complete control and responsibility over their actions and studies. GMs and players must discuss these trials, and it’s something that will happen in-game.
Failing the Trials
If a mage fails their trial, they will be kept in Apprentice status and can attempt the trial again in the next season. The mage can still learn spells, acquire new levels, and go on adventures, but their access to the inner sections of Dolmas will only be allowed with express permission from the Mage’s master. A mage who fails the trials more than three times will be considered unfitted to become a full mage and be kept in Apprentice status forever. The player will need to multiclass their character, starting a new class for the character.
The Mage’s Name
Upon completing the Gauntlet, a Mage may choose a new name. The Order does not require it. What it recognizes is that the Adept who survived the Gauntlet is not the person who entered — the trial strips pretense from a mage's relationship to magic in ways that are hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been through it. A new name, chosen by the Adept alone, is one way to mark what changed. Some keep the name they were born with. Some spend years deciding. The Order files both and recognizes whichever the Adept prefers. What the Order does not recognize is the name being chosen by anyone other than the Adept.
SORCERER
Sorcerers do not study magic. They receive it — from a patron, a teacher, an entity with power and a reason to share some fraction of it. The distinction is philosophically significant in the Known World and practically significant at the table. A Mage who loses their grimoire can reconstruct it. A Sorcerer who loses their patron has lost the only channel through which they learn anything new.
The First Gift of Magic, in the theology of the Three Sisters, went to the Eymanarynn — the original dragonkin from whom the Vartran descend — and to the Húldar, through Ilya's direct intervention before the Second Era. Sorcery, for these ancestries, is reaching back toward something that was always theirs. Aelár carries that inheritance more tenuously — the same blood, the same ancient claim, attenuated by centuries of dispersal — and the Hyerophancy is less willing to acknowledge it from them than from Húldar. For Humans, it is reaching toward something they were never meant to have, acquired through the specific contract of a patron relationship.
A Sorcerer who cannot name their patron is not a Sorcerer. This is a practical rule as much as a philosophical one: the Known World has things in it that offer magical teaching for reasons of their own, and a Sorcerer who does not know what their patron is and what it wants has made a commitment they do not fully understand. The GM should work with the player at character creation to establish the patron's nature — it need not be known to other characters, but it should be known to the player.
Social position by ancestry.
Vartran Sorcerers are respected within Bal'mekh as the most direct inheritors of Eymanarynn's gift. The blood is there; the practice follows naturally.
Húldar Sorcerers face less stigma than Húldar Mages. A Mage learns from writings — from the accumulated notation of scholars who systematized something the Húldar received directly. A Sorcerer at least draws from a channel that has ancestral legitimacy. The remaining stigma is pointed: pledging yourself to a patron signals dependence, and Vengardian culture has no admiration for it. A Húldar Sorcerer can work within Alvengaard's political structures if they keep their patron relationship quiet. They simply cannot advance within them.
Aelár Sorcerers carry the same ancestral argument Húldar do — the First Gift touched their forebears too, however distantly — and the Hyerophancy is even less willing to hear it from them. An Aelár who practices Sorcery inside Alvengaard's territory does so with the full weight of Hyerophantic disapproval applied to Aelár generally, compounded by the additional insult of claiming a magical lineage the High Council considers Alvengaard's alone to steward. Outside Alvengaard, Aelár Sorcerers attract no more attention than anyone else practicing arcane magic in a world that already distrusts it.
Human Sorcerers carry no ancestral legitimacy and no ancestral stigma. They found an arrangement that works and are using it.
Prime Requisite. Wisdom.
Requirements. WIS 13, CON 10.
Available To. Human, Vartran, Húldar, Aelár only.
Hit Dice. d4, through level 10. +1 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Dagger, staff, dart, sling. No armor.
Cannot Multiclass With. Mage, Cleric.
Advancement. → Table 3.6: Mage/Sorcerer Advancement.
Special Abilities
Skill Points. Sorcerers start with 6 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 6 and 7.
Arcane Attunement. Sorcerers do not use spellbooks. They know their spells — taught and internalized through meditation. The number of spells a Sorcerer knows per spell level is determined by Wisdom rather than Intelligence (consult the Max Spells Per Level column in Table 1.5 in place of the Intelligence equivalent). Adding a new spell requires instruction from their patron or another Sorcerer who knows the spell, followed by a number of days of meditation equal to the spell's level. No Learn Spell roll is required; if the instruction and meditation are completed, the spell is learned.
Spell Memorization. As Mage. Sorcerers memorize from their internalized knowledge rather than a written grimoire.
Cannot Use Scrolls. Sorcerers cannot read magic. The written formula of a scroll represents a tradition of arcane scholarship — structured notation, theoretical underpinning, precise symbolic language — that a Sorcerer has never acquired. They can identify that a scroll is magical, and they understand what it does if they already know the spell. They cannot cast from it. This is not a limitation that can be trained away; it is a fundamental difference in how Sorcerers receive and hold magical knowledge.
Schools of Magic. Sorcerers practice as generalists. The specialization path is not available to them — Sorcerous knowledge is received, not architecturally constructed, and the patron determines what is and is not taught.
Arcane Surge. A Sorcerer may push beyond their memorized slots by drawing directly on their life force. When casting a spell from a memorized slot, the Sorcerer may choose one of two effects before rolling:
- Potency Boost: The spell is cast at enhanced effect — damage increases by one die step, or effect strength improves by one category, or the target's saving throw is made at −2. Cost: HP equal to the spell's level × 3.
- Double-Cast: The memorized slot is not expended on this casting. The Sorcerer may cast the same spell once more before their next rest, at which point the slot is expended normally. Cost: HP equal to the spell's level × 5.
The Sorcerer chooses which benefit to take at the moment of casting, before any dice are rolled. HP spent this way cannot reduce the Sorcerer below 0 — a Sorcerer at 3 HP cannot Double-Cast a 2nd-level spell. A Sorcerer reduced to exactly 0 HP by this cost falls unconscious immediately after the spell resolves.
The total number of surges per day — both Potency Boosts and Double-Casts combined — is determined by the Sorcerer's Wisdom score, using the same cap table as Mages (who use Intelligence in its place). The once-per-rest-per-spell restriction also applies: the same spell cannot be Double-Cast twice in a single day. See Chapter 13 for the full cap table. Sorcerers do not use material components for this purpose. The cost is themselves.
Patrons
Patron Bond. Once per session, a Sorcerer may meditate briefly to ask their patron a question. The patron is not omniscient, not always willing to answer, and not reliably honest. The GM plays the patron. This is not a mechanical ability with defined outcomes, but an established fictional relationship with ongoing consequences: the patron is a recurring NPC with their own agenda, their demands will arrive at inconvenient moments, and the obligations they create fall on the Sorcerer in ways the rest of the party did not sign up for and will have opinions about.
Patron Demand. Once every three sessions, the GM secretly rolls a d6. On a 1, the patron reaches out with a demand.
The nature of the demand reflects the patron's character and interests: an errand, a piece of information, a person located or eliminated, an object retrieved or destroyed, or something stranger, depending on what the patron is. The demand arrives through whatever channel fits the established fiction — a voice in a dream, a message that appears where no one put it, an intermediary who knows too much, a sudden and specific compulsion.
The Sorcerer may refuse.
If they do, the patron withdraws their teaching. The Sorcerer retains spells already known but cannot learn new spells until they fulfill the outstanding demand or formally sever the patronage relationship. Severing is possible but permanent — a Sorcerer without a patron cannot learn new spells. Establishing a new patron requires the same kind of campaign-level effort that produced the original, and a second patron will know the first relationship ended badly.
Repeated refusals escalate. Two refusals might mean the patron communicates displeasure directly; three might mean active interference in the Sorcerer's activities; a fourth might mean the patron calls in obligations of their own. A patron who considers the relationship definitively broken may strip the Sorcerer of previously learned spells.
The once-every-three-sessions default assumes a campaign where the patron relationship is a recurring pressure rather than the campaign's central focus. GMs running a campaign where the patron is central can increase frequency. The d6 roll is a prompt, not a mandate — if a 1 comes up at a moment that would derail rather than enrich the session, hold the demand for a better entry point.
Table 3.6: Mage/Sorcerer Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d4 | +0 |
| 2 | 2,500 | 2d4 | +0 |
| 3 | 5,000 | 3d4 | +1 |
| 4 | 10,000 | 4d4 | +1 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 5d4 | +1 |
| 6 | 40,000 | 6d4 | +2 |
| 7 | 60,000 | 7d4 | +2 |
| 8 | 90,000 | 8d4 | +2 |
| 9 | 135,000 | 9d4 | +3 |
| 10 | 250,000 | 10d4 | +3 |
| 11+ | +375,000/level | +1 HP/level | +1 per 3 levels |
PRIEST GROUP
Priests draw power from outside themselves — from the natural world, from divine entities, or from the accumulated spiritual force of their faith. They advance more slowly than Warriors in combat but considerably faster than Wizards, and their spellcasting draws from a pool that refreshes daily rather than a finite memorized list. Their restrictions are correspondingly significant: they answer to powers that have requirements.
CLERIC
Clerics are the institutional face of divine power. They serve a deity through formal religious organization — not private conviction, not personal relationship, but hierarchical membership in a church or temple structure that has its own politics, its own demands, and its own interpretation of what their deity wants.
In the Known World, a Cleric operating independently of their church is unusual and usually means something went wrong. Clerics of the Three Sisters in Norderenn are currently doing their work in basements and backrooms because the Cadman occupation considers their church a political liability. Clerics of the Church of Tar'amaan are among the most powerful institutional actors in the Cadman Empire. A Cleric's relationship with their institution is part of their character — it creates obligations, provides resources, and generates enemies based on whose prayers their god is receiving.
Prime Requisite. Wisdom.
Requirements. None beyond ancestry restrictions.
Hit Dice. d8, through level 9. +2 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Clerics are restricted to blunt weapons by the traditions of most religious orders. Specific faiths may permit edged weapons; this is established by tradition, not by the rules. The common default: club, flail, hammer, mace, staff. No bows or crossbows.
Armor. Any, including shields.
Advancement. → Table 3.7: Cleric Advancement.
Special Abilities
Divine Spellcasting. Clerics memorize and cast spells drawn from the Priest spell list. Spell slots are detailed in the Cleric Spell Progression table in Appendix A. Unlike Mages, Clerics do not maintain spellbooks — their prayers are addressed directly to their deity. Clerics also receive bonus spells based on Wisdom score, as detailed in Table 1.5.
Turn Undead. Clerics can turn or destroy undead creatures by presenting their holy symbol. The Turn Undead table determines the result based on the Cleric's level and the undead creature's HD. Results range from the undead fleeing to instantaneous destruction. See Chapter 12: The Undead.
Deity Requirements. A Cleric who acts against their deity's core principles loses all spellcasting ability until they atone in a manner prescribed by their faith. Unlike the Champion's Code, this atonement requires the intervention of a higher-ranking member of the clergy or, at the GM's discretion, a direct divine communication.
Skill Points. Clerics start with 5 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 6 and 7.
The Cleric’s Name
Clerics who serve institutional orders may receive an ordination name upon entering formal service — a name drawn from their faith's theological tradition, distinct from the one they were born with. The birth name does not disappear; it becomes private, used by family and in personal prayer. What that boundary means varies by institution and by the individual. The Church of Tar'amaan practices this formally, with a specific naming lexicon and multiple ranks of name-change at higher ordinations. Other faiths handle it differently or not at all. A cleric who gives their birth name to a stranger outside the family is making a choice, and it registers as one.
Table 3.7: Cleric Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d8 | +0 |
| 2 | 1,500 | 2d8 | +0 |
| 3 | 3,000 | 3d8 | +1 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 4d8 | +1 |
| 5 | 13,000 | 5d8 | +1 |
| 6 | 27,500 | 6d8 | +2 |
| 7 | 55,000 | 7d8 | +2 |
| 8 | 110,000 | 8d8 | +2 |
| 9 | 225,000 | 9d8 | +3 |
| 10 | 450,000 | 9d8+2 | +3 |
| 11+ | +225,000/level | +2 HP/level | +1 per 2 levels |
Cleric Weapon Allowances by Faith
The default permitted weapons for Clerics are: club, footman's flail, horseman's flail, footman's mace, horseman's mace, morning star, quarterstaff, war hammer. No bows, crossbows, or edged weapons unless a faith entry specifies otherwise. Faiths not listed here — including minor traditions and folk practices — use the default list.
| Faith | Permitted Weapons | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ilianism | Default list + sling | No edged weapons. |
| Church of Tar'amaan | Longsword, bastard sword, khopesh, spear, javelin, all polearms | No blunt weapons of any kind. No bows or crossbows. NPC Clerics only — see B02, Ch. 6. |
| Way of Boros | Default list + hand axe, battle axe, bastard sword (either grip), two-handed sword, all polearms | No bows or crossbows. |
| Druidic Tradition | - | Druids follow their class weapon list regardless of tradition. See Druid class entry. |
The Faith of the Nine does not produce Clerics. Val'arian divine casters are Sorcerers; the Nine serve as patrons. See B02, Ch. 6.
DRUID
Druids are the Hierophancy's sanctioned practitioners of natural magic. They are not nature lovers in a general sense — the Known World has plenty of those — but formally invested agents of a specific institution with a specific theological position about who has the right to channel the forces moving through the natural world, and who does not. The cycle they attune to — growth, death, renewal — is not merely doctrine. It reflects something older and larger than any institution, and senior druids feel its fluctuations before any instrument records them. The specific betrayal of that attunement, the rejection of the cycle's most fundamental law, is treated by the Hyerophancy as categorically distinct from any other transgression a Druid can commit. What that betrayal produces, the Hyerophancy does not discuss outside its inner council.
The Druidic Compact, detailed in Chapter 2, governs who can become a Druid and what happens to those who attempt it outside the Compact's terms. This chapter covers only the mechanical substance of the class.
Druids in the Known World function as protectors of natural spaces, mediators between communities and the land they depend on, and occasionally as intelligence assets for the Hierophancy, which has interests in everything that affects the forest and the forces running through it. An adventuring Druid is usually serving one of these functions in a context that requires moving beyond Alvengaard's borders.
Prime Requisite. Wisdom.
Requirements. WIS 12, CHA 15.
Available To. Húldar and Aelár only.
Hit Dice. d8, through level 9. +2 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Club, sickle, dart, spear, dagger, scimitar, staff, sling. No metal armor — Druids wear leather, hide, or wooden armor only, and carry wooden shields. Metal armor severs the attunement that their spellcasting depends on.
Advancement. → Table 3.8: Druid Advancement.
Special Abilities
Divine Spellcasting. Druids memorize and cast spells drawn from the Priest spell list, with an emphasis on nature-affecting magic. Full spell progression in Appendix A. Wisdom bonus spells apply as per Table 1.5.
Identify Plants and Animals. Druids automatically recognize all natural plants, animals, and pure water within the Known World. This requires no roll.
Pass Without Trace. In natural terrain, Druids leave no tracks and make no sound that can be detected by non-magical means. This ability applies to the Druid only.
Immunity to Woodland Charm. Druids are immune to charm and hold effects from woodland creatures — fey, dryads, treants, and similar natural beings.
Shapechange. At 7th level, Druids can assume the form of any natural animal three times per day. Each change may be to a different form. The Druid retains their own mental ability scores but adopts the physical characteristics of the chosen form. Equipment melds into the new form and reappears on return.
Hierophantic Rank. Druid advancement above 11th level is determined through contests with other Druids of equivalent power rather than through experience accumulation. The Known World supports a fixed hierarchy of high-level Druids; advancing beyond the 11th level requires displacing a Druid who holds a position above. The mechanics of this are handled narratively, not through combat alone.
Druidic Tongue. Druids learn the Druidic tongue at initiation: a secret language used exclusively for natural and spiritual discourse, taught to no one outside the tradition. See Book II, Chapter 5.
Skill Points. Druids start with 5 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 6 and 7.
Table 3.8: Druid Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d8 | +0 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 2d8 | +0 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 3d8 | +1 |
| 4 | 7,500 | 4d8 | +1 |
| 5 | 12,500 | 5d8 | +1 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 6d8 | +2 |
| 7 | 35,000 | 7d8 | +2 |
| 8 | 60,000 | 8d8 | +2 |
| 9 | 90,000 | 9d8 | +3 |
| 10 | 125,000 | 9d8+2 | +3 |
| 11+ | Contest-based | +2 HP/level | +1 per 2 levels |
ROGUE GROUP
Rogues advance at the same combat rate as Priests but depend on positioning and preparation rather than sustained martial capability. Their value is in what they can do that no one else can: penetrate defenses silently, extract information through social leverage, and make a single well-placed strike count for more than a Warrior's full engagement.
THIEF
Thieves are specialists in getting access to things that are supposed to be inaccessible. Locks, shadows, pockets, secured rooms, guarded information — these are professional domains, and what distinguishes a Thief from someone who has learned a few tricks is the breadth and depth of that professional skill set.
In the Known World, Thieves work across a wide operational range: guild operatives in the merchant cities, independent agents selling particular capabilities, spies embedded in political structures, and straightforward criminals whose professional distinction from any other category is primarily a matter of who is paying them and for what. Many end up adventuring because the work is irregular, the income unstable, and the skill set adapts well to contexts where legal distinctions have become largely theoretical.
Prime Requisite. Dexterity.
Requirements. None.
Hit Dice. d6, through level 10. +2 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Any.
Armor. Leather and lighter. Metal armor interferes with thieving skills.
Advancement. → Table 3.9: Thief Advancement.
Special Abilities
Thieving Skills. Thieves possess a suite of professional skills that improve with level. Each skill begins at a base percentage score determined by the Thief's Dexterity and ancestry, then advances as the Thief gains levels — the player distributes a pool of percentage points among skills at each level.
The thieving skills are:
- Pick Pockets — lift small items from worn locations without detection.
- Open Locks — defeat mechanical locks with tools. Magical locks require a spell or a separate method.
- Find/Remove Traps — locate and safely disarm mechanical traps. Requires concentration and time.
- Move Silently — move without generating detectable sound.
- Hide in Shadows — become effectively invisible in areas of shadow or darkness.
- Hear Noise — detect sounds through barriers at distances that defeat normal hearing. Requires quiet and concentration.
- Climb Walls — ascend and descend surfaces with minimal handholds.
- Read Languages — decipher written languages not known to the Thief, including codes and ciphers. Requires at least one week of work per attempt.
Thieving skill scores and advancement tables are in Appendix B.
Backstab. When attacking a target from behind who is unaware of the Thief's presence, the Thief receives +4 to the attack roll and multiplies weapon damage (before Strength modifiers) by their backstab multiplier. The multiplier increases with level: ×2 at levels 1–4, ×3 at levels 5–8, ×4 at levels 9–12, ×5 at levels 13+.
Thieves' Cant. Thieves know a professional argot intelligible to other Thieves and certain underworld figures. It conveys professional identity, intent, and basic operational information in terms that sound unremarkable to civilians.
Skill Points. Thieves start with 5 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
Table 3.9: Thief Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d6 | +0 |
| 2 | 1,250 | 2d6 | +0 |
| 3 | 2,500 | 3d6 | +1 |
| 4 | 5,000 | 4d6 | +1 |
| 5 | 10,000 | 5d6 | +1 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 6d6 | +2 |
| 7 | 40,000 | 7d6 | +2 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 8d6 | +2 |
| 9 | 110,000 | 9d6 | +3 |
| 10 | 160,000 | 10d6 | +3 |
| 11+ | +220,000/level | +2 HP/level | +1 per 2 levels |
BARD
Bards are the Known World's professional carriers of story. They collect accounts of significant deeds, negotiate their way through social situations that would stop other classes entirely, and move between factions in a way that no other profession manages — because information is a commodity that almost everyone values, and Bards hold more of it than they appear to.
In the Known World, the shadow of the Vithurian Orchestra falls over every practicing Bard. The Orchestra is not an institution that accepts members, but a standard of excellence at which the best Bards aim and against which all Bards are quietly measured. A Bard who has been immortalized in the Orchestra's annals is a different kind of person than one who merely calls themselves a Bard. Most Bards who take contracts alongside mercenary companies are doing so because interesting things happen around people who are paid to solve dangerous problems, and interesting things make better material than tavern gossip.
Prime Requisite. Charisma.
Requirements. DEX 12, INT 13, CHA 13.
Hit Dice. d6, through level 10. +2 HP/level thereafter.
Weapons. Any. Bards cannot wear metal armor while using their performance abilities.
Armor. Leather and lighter for performance. Any armor when not performing.
Advancement. → Table 3.10: Bard Advancement.
Special Abilities
Legend Lore. Bards accumulate historical and regional knowledge as a professional function. The Bard's player may ask the GM for information about a significant person, place, item, or event. The GM provides accurate information proportional to how well-known the subject is and how long the Bard has had to gather accounts. This is not magical, but the result of actually knowing things.
Inspire Competence. Once per combat encounter, a Bard who spends a round performing grants a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws to all allies within 9 m who can hear and understand them. This lasts a number of rounds equal to the Bard's level.
Bardic Charm. Bards receive a bonus to all Charisma-based reaction checks equal to half their level, rounded down. Social encounters with neutral or friendly NPCs start one step more favorably than they otherwise would.
Spellcasting. From the 2nd level, Bards access a small pool of Wizard spells. They do not use grimoires — their spells are learned through oral tradition and practical observation, retained in memory rather than written formula. A Bard's spell selection is limited to spells with verbal or somatic components; those requiring expensive material components are inaccessible unless the Bard can acquire the materials independently. Spell progression is in Appendix A.
Bards use material components for their wizard spells identically to Generalist Mages — full V + S + M dependency, no school-specific exemptions. Their knowledge is observational rather than architectural; understanding how a spell works in practice is not the same as understanding the sympathetic logic that makes the material anchor redundant. Expensive or specific components listed in spell descriptions remain inaccessible unless acquired independently.
Thieving Skills. Bards have access to a reduced set of Thieving skills: Pick Pockets, Hear Noise, Climb Walls, and Read Languages. These function identically to Thief skills but advance more slowly. Bards do not gain Backstab.
Reputation and the Orchestra. At the 10th level, the Bard's name is known beyond their immediate operational area. NPCs with access to bardic networks will have heard of them. At the GM's discretion, this may include agents of the Vithurian Orchestra, depending on what the Bard has actually done with their career.
Skill Points. Bards start with 5 Skill Points (SPs) that can be used to purchase Combat and Non-Combat Skills. See chapters 7 and 8.
Table 3.10: Bard Advancement
| Level | XP | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1d6 | +0 |
| 2 | 1,500 | 2d6 | +0 |
| 3 | 3,000 | 3d6 | +1 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 4d6 |