Humanity, Blessed

Character Sheets

All characters in this game have a character sheet, which tracks:

• Your identifying information, like your name, age, and pronouns
• The Stat Dice you'll use for each of the Stats your GM has chosen for the campaign
• A description of your Backstory, including your current Lifestyle and Ethic
• A list of Aptitude areas related to your Backstory
• A list of Specializations that grant additional effects to your Aptitudes
• And other descriptive information, like your items and appearance

You can find a blank Character Sheet form at the end of this book.

Stat Dice

Each of a character's Stats is represented by a Stat Die.

In general:

• Die Sizes: A Stat Die can be one of five sizes, ranging from to , as described in the Stat Dice Notation table below.
• Stat Dice "Bump": Stat Dice in this game "bump." This means that when you roll a on a Stat Die, roll it again and add the new result to the previous result. As long as you continue to roll a on the die, you continue to roll again and add this way.
• Skill and Determination: Success and victory without bumping represents natural or trained ability, while doing so with bumping represents a character's extra determination or focus on the action.
• Balanced Stats: When two Stats use the same size Stat Die, they are "balanced."
• Unconventional Stats: Whenever an effect has you use a Stat, you may instead use any other Stat you have balanced with it, referred to as using an "unconventional Stat."
• History Stat: You may always choose to use your History Stat in place of another Stat when the action or effect is related enough to your Backstory or Aptitudes (described later in this chapter).
• Sparking: You may "Spark" two balanced Stats together to create a more powerful effect (described in the Playing the Game chapter).

Stat Dice Notation

Also note:

• Bumping Dice Groups: Some effects will ask you to roll a group of dice, denoted such as . When rolling a group of dice, if you roll a on either die, then you roll all dice in the group again and add to the previous result. And as long as you continue to roll a on either die, you continue to roll the group again and add this way.
• Explicit Dice Grouping Only: Note, is different from . Only when an effect explicitly groups dice together are they considered a group for bumping. For example, both dice of the group are rerolled when either rolls a . However, the dice of the are considered separate groups, so rolling a on one of the dice only affects that one die.

Backstory

Each character has a Backstory, a list or description of narrative elements from their background that help define the scope of their History Stat, connect them to other characters and events in the story, and set the stage for their Aptitudes and Specializations.

What makes up a Backstory is determined by the players and the GM working together to craft the seeds for a good story. However, in general:

• Unique: Your Backstory should define unique skills, connections, events, traits, and other narrative elements that your character brings to the story.
• Variety: Your Backstory should have enough variety that not all or most of your Backstory would already be covered by a single Stat.
• History Stat: You may always choose to use your History Stat in place of another Stat when the action or effect is related enough to your Backstory or Aptitudes (described later in this chapter).

Non-Human Characters

If your game's setting allows you to play non-human characters, there are generally two approaches for how to represent it.

The choice depends on the variety of non-human backgrounds among players:

• High Variety: If each player character has a different non-human background, then the simplest option is to use each character's Backstory to cover one or two simple actions, within reason, that characters of their background could perform unaided that humans couldn't.
• Low Variety: If the player characters come from just a few non-human backgrounds, the GM may expand the scope of two or three Stats to cover one or two simple actions each, within reason, that characters of their non-human backgrounds could perform unaided that humans couldn't.

Aptitudes and Specializations

Characters in this game may have a number of unique effects based on their Aptitudes and Specializations, described below. The Session Shop chapter lists sample Specializations, which refer to rules described in the Playing the Game chapter. However, for now you should know:

• Aptitudes: Your Aptitudes are the important and often unique narrative areas you are "apt" in.
• Aptitude Effect: When you would fail a Check or lose a Contest related enough to your Aptitudes, receive in aid.
• History Stat: You may always choose to use your History Stat in place of another Stat when the action or effect is related enough to your Backstory or Aptitudes.
• Specializations: Your Specializations are the Aptitudes you have "specialized," which grant you unique effects depending on the nature of the specialization.
• Specializing an Aptitude: You may specialize your Aptitudes in the Session Shop. An example is given on the next page.
• Specialization Limits: You may not specialize the same Aptitude more than once or choose the same Specialization more than once.

Example Specialization:

1. Starting Aptitude: Dave is a rookie cop. During his time in training, he became apt at Obstacles Courses.
2. Choosing Specialization: Then over the course of the story, he specialized his Obstacles Course Aptitude further, with an interest in taking the Friendly Specialization.
3. Explaining Specialization: Dave's player explains how Dave has a close relationship with his sneakers, which should be able to grant him bonuses on his Checks and Contests beyond just running through Obstacle Courses, due to the storied history he shares with his shoes and the power of their bond.
4. Customizing Specialization: The GM agrees, and adjusts the Friendly Specialization to fit the setting and the new Backstory elements about Dave and his sneakers. The GM specifies how much aid Dave's "sneaker companion" provides to which Stats and adds this customized effect to Dave's character sheet.
5. Shared Storytelling: Finally, the GM and Dave's player chat further about the flavor of this Specialization to help the GM prepare for the next session.

Checks

Most situations in this game can be resolved by performing a Check or a Contest (described later in this chapter).

To perform a Check:

1. GM Discretion: The GM will let you know which Stat is normally associated with the action and a target number you will need to hit based on the difficulty of the action, as described in the Check Targets table below.
2. Choose Stat: Choose a Stat to roll. Your options are the Stat normally associated with the action, any Stat you have balanced with that Stat, or History if the action is related enough to your Backstory or Aptitudes.
3. Roll: Roll your Stat Die for the chosen Stat.
4. Outcome: If the result of the roll meets or beats the GM's target number, then the Check succeeds. Otherwise, it fails.

Check Targets

Also note:

• Medium Difficulty: A "Medium difficult" target is considered the average for rolls in most situations the players will get themselves into.
• Adjusted Difficulty: For situations where the GM surprises the players and they don't have the chance to prepare for before reacting, it is recommended the GM lower the difficulty by to because such Checks are more likely to use characters' lower Stat Dice.

Blessing Dice

Some effects cost "Blessing Dice" to activate.

In general:

• Pool of Blessing Dice: Each character has a pool of Blessing Dice, representing resources they can draw upon when the moment calls.
• Gaining Blessing Dice: The GM will award you Blessing Dice for various achievements, described in the Blessing Dice Opportunities table below. When you gain a Blessing Die, roll a then add that die to your pool of Blessing Dice.
• Spending Blessing Dice: When you spend a Blessing Die, remove it from your pool of Blessing Dice. An effect may require you to spend a Blessing Die of at least a certain size. An effect may also require you to spend multiple Blessings at the same time. The Blessing Dice Notation table below provides a few examples of how Blessing costs are notated.
• Blessing Dice Bump: Like your Stat Dice, Blessing Dice also bump, but in a slightly different way. When you roll a on a Blessing Die, instead of rolling again to increase the value of the roll, gain an additional Blessing Die. As long as you continue to roll a on the die, you continue to gain an additional Blessing Die.
• Gain One at a Time: If you gain multiple Blessings from a single effect, gain each of those dice separately. They do not form a group for the purposes of bumping.

Blessing Dice Notation

Blessing Dice Opportunities

Recharge

Some effects list a recharge Blessing cost. Once activated, these effects cannot be activated again until they have been recharged by paying that cost.

Helping

Characters may spend their Blessings to attempt to Help one another complete Checks and Contests.

To provide Help:

1. Note the Success/Victory Gap: Make note of how much higher the character needs to roll to achieve their goals: to succeed the Check or win the Contest (described below) with at least a certain outcome size (also described below). This amount is the "success/victory gap."
2. Pay Help Cost: Once per roll, whether your own or another character's, when your character could reasonably assist with the action and is not currently engaged in another action, you may attempt to Help by spending Ⓧ, where is the success/victory gap.
3. Attempt Help: Then, the character you Helped performs their roll again. If the new roll is higher than their position roll, their roll takes the new value or the value they were originally trying to reach, whichever is lower.
4. Additional Help: The Help gained above can lower the success/victory gap, reducing the cost to Help the character further, if there are additional characters nearby who have not Helped them yet and are willing to pay the cost.

Receiving Situational Aid

While you and your allies may spend Blessings to attempt to Help one another, in certain situations your effects, items, environment, careful planning, or so on can provide you situational aid of a different sort—for free!

• Receive Aid: Situational aid effects describe a possible failed Check or lost Contest and say to "receive in aid" in response. When you do, you gain a bonus to the roll, possibly turning the failure into a success or loss into a win.

Also note:

• One Aid at a Time: You may only receive situational aid once per roll. If multiple effects would provide situational aid during the same roll, you choose which one to use.

Spark Rolls

A pair of balanced Stats and can be "Sparked" together, representing hints of magic, ability to achieve amazing feats, surprising wins, and so on. Sparks are what allow characters to perform far beyond what is normally possible by the laws of nature, limited only by their imagination—and ability to control powerful and strange forces!

In general, Spark rolls work by grouping Stat Dice and rolling them, increasing the odds of bumping. To perform a Spark roll:

1. Spark a Roll: Before rolling a Stat Die, you may spend ⊜⊜ to perform a Spark roll instead, which combines the dice of two balanced Stats into a single group, such as formed from two balanced Stats using a each.
2. Apply Usual Bonuses: Any bonuses or effects that would apply to either of the balanced Stats used in the Spark roll also apply to the Spark roll itself.

Alternatively, you can upgrade an existing roll into a Spark roll:

1. Roll Normally: Roll one Stat Die, bumping and applying bonuses as usual.
2. Upgrade to Spark: Then, you may spend ⊜⊜ to add a second Stat Die to the roll that is balanced with the first. Roll the second Stat Die, add the result to the first, and if the second one bumps, both bump as a group.

The second approach rolls lower on average, but doesn't require you to commit to the cost up front.

Overcharged Stats

Lifestyle upgrade options overcharge one or two of a character's Stats, which provides situational aid.

• Overcharged: When you would fail a Check or lose a Contest while performing a Spark roll using an overcharged Stat, receive in aid, where is half the size of the die used in the Spark roll.

Coming Prepared

You may perform a Home Check to see if you already came prepared with just the item you need.

The target needed for such Checks is up to GM discretion. However, in general:

• Suspension of Disbelief: The target you will need to reach may depend on details such as how common, niche, specialized, rare, or unique in the world the desired item is; how probable it would be to already have that item; and how many items your character already has listed. These sorts of details greatly affect the suspension of disbelief that your character really could have the item in question.
• Risk of Failure: When you fail a Check to see if you already came prepared with an item, you may be unable to perform these Checks again until the end of the scene or session. And if you fail by a large amount, you may drop or break other items in your possession while digging around in your bag, alert others to your location, or so on.

Shopping

Performing Home Checks to shop, trade, or so on is similar to performing Home Checks to see if you already came prepared with an item.

In general for shopping:

• Stocked Shops Provide Aid: If you are shopping in a place where it would be reasonable to find the desired item, and if would be reasonable for you to have the money or goods to trade for that item, then you may receive situational aid on the Check.
• Risk of Failure: Like coming prepared, if you fail a Check to shop, you may be unable to do so again until the end of the scene or session, you may lose one of your other items in a bad deal, you may anger shopkeepers or be accused of shoplifting, or so on.

Crafting

Crafting new items from your surroundings, tools, and supplies is a long action. This is because crafting usually requires a number of tasks that span the scope of multiple Stats:

For example:

• Home: Gathering high quality supplies.
• Head: Gaining knowledge of how to construct the desired object.
• Hand or Home: Gathering or constructing the necessary tools.
• Hand: Constructing the desired object, which can involve multiple steps depending on the complexity.
• Heart: Improvising adjustments when tools or supplies break or when one's initial plans were imperfect.
• Hex, Ham, Hologram, or so on: Meddling with the forces of the universe (for settings that have a Stat for the "magic" of the world).

In general:

• Quality: The target you will need to hit for this craft long action will depend on the intended "quality" or effect of your desired item, as described in the Crafted Item Quality table below. Items that would require Trial-level difficulty usually require substantial roleplay, effort, or "quests" beyond performing Checks.
• Flaws: Crafted items may come with flaws, even if you succeed overall. How flaws are introduced depends on how the GM chooses to resolve the craft long action.
• Simple Flaws: The GM may provide two targets for you to hit. To succeed you will need to hit the lower target, but to succeed without flaws or limitations you will need to hit the higher target.
• Thorough Flaws: The GM may require you to make multiple Checks. To succeed at crafting you will need to succeed on at least half of the individual Checks, with each failed Check introducing the chance for a flaw or limitation.

Crafted Item Quality

Setting Out

You and your fellow players may propose plans that could direct how you set out on a series of scenes, sessions, or whole campaign. When you do, the GM may ask for a set of rolls similar to a group long action.

• Making Plans: Each roll in this group long action will correspond to a different necessary step of your group's plans.
• Gather Information: Then, based on the results, the GM may provide different amounts or types of information to set you off on your "quest," representing your group's capabilities at planning and preparation.

Luck Checks

Some situations require characters to have luck or karma on their side beyond mere skill or to have "made" their own luck by coming prepared, such as deactivating a complex trap, finding a hiding spot during pitched combat, or passing through a ghostly portal.

To perform a Luck Check:

1. Blessing Cost: The GM sets a Blessing cost for an action, according to the Luck Costs table below.
2. Gain Temporary Blessings: Then perform the relevant Check for the action. Gain a number of temporary Blessings equal to half your roll, rounded down.
3. Pay Blessing Cost: Then, if possible, pay the Blessing cost and succeed the Luck Check. If you are unable or unwilling to pay the cost, the Luck Check fails.
4. Lose Temporary Blessings: Finally, any remaining temporary Blessings disappear.

Luck Costs

Contests

Contests are similar to Checks, but performed against another character. There are two types of Contests: violent and non-violent.

• Violent Contest: A violent Contest is when a character performs an action against another character's will using Hurt. All Contests involving Hurt are potentially dangerous. Unexpected things can happen and things can get out of hand quickly.
• Non-violent Contest: A non-violent Contest is when a character performs an action against another character's will using any Stat besides Hurt.

To perform a Contest:

1. Attack: The Attacker rolls the appropriate Stat.
2. Defense: The Defender chooses a Stat to roll, according to the Stat used by the Attacker and the Defense Options table below.
3. Help Effects: If the Attacker, Defender, or either of their allies have Help effects, resolve these effects one at a time, first "receive aid" effects, then Defender Help, then Attacker Help.
4. Outcome: The action's effect is only successful if the Attacker rolls higher than the Defender. The size of the effect is determined by the difference between their scores according to the Outcome Sizes and Contest Effects tables below.
5. Defender Victory: In some Contests, at GM discretion, when the Defender wins by enough, they may receive an outcome as though they were the Attacker instead. By default however, Defender victory simply nullifies the Attack's intended effect.

Defense Options

Outcome Sizes

Contest Effects

Also note:

• Checks vs. Contests: Checks use the terms "fail," "succeed," and "target," while Contests use "lose," "win," "Attack," "Defend," and "outcome size" instead. When an effect only mentions failing or succeeding Checks, it does not affect losing or winning Contests. And when an effect only mentions losing or winning Contests, it does not affect failing or succeeding Checks.

Group Checks and Contests

Sometimes characters want to complete actions together as a group. There are two general approaches:

• Provide Help: One way is to provide Help to one roll that leads the group's action. Some members of the group may decide not to roll and instead wait for the group leader to roll, then provide Help to the leader by spending Blessings to let the leader reroll.
• Median Roll: Another way is for each character to roll for the action, using the median of their rolls as the group's shared result. If the group roll had an even number of individual rolls, then the higher of the two median rolls is used. The Group Median Rolls table below provides a quick reference.

Group Median Rolls

Also note:

• Mixing Group Strategies: These two approaches may be combined, with some members rolling and taking their median, and the other members providing Help to let the lower-rolling members attempt their rolls again. However, a group member cannot both roll and Help for the same action.
• Staying Grouped: In general, once characters become a group as part of a Check or Contest, they remain a group until the end of the Check or Contest and are treated as a single character for the sake of the rules, sharing benefits and risks.
• Opponent Groups: Also note, a character cannot force other characters to become a group of Defenders, unless an effect, item, or situation would allow.

Complex Attacks

Sometimes a character's Attack is itself a complex action normally requiring a Check, such as striking a foe while also jumping over a wide chasm.

1. Complex Attack Threshold: In complex Attacks, the GM may set a threshold the Attacker needs to clear. The Attack's effect is only successful if the Attacker rolls higher than both the Defender's roll and the GM's threshold. This way, even if the Defender rolls low, they still win the Contest if the Attacker fails to clear the threshold.
2. Adjusted Outcome Size: If both characters roll lower than the threshold, the outcome is determined as though the Defender had rolled that threshold instead.

Delayed Attacks

Sometimes Attacks are made that are Defended against at a later time, such as setting traps or sending letters.

Such delayed Attacks are performed as Contests as usual with the following adjustments:

• Delay: The Attacker performs their roll, decribes what condition would activate the Attack, and writes these both down.
• Activate: The Defender rolls against the Attacker's roll whenever the Attack would be activated.

Also note:

• Limited Attacker Aid: The Attacker cannot activate "receive aid" effects if they are not present when the Attack is activated. The Defender can still activate "receive aid" effects as usual.

Long Actions

A long action is any action that is multi-step, spans a longer period of time than most other actions, and involves the scope of multiple Stats. For example, formulating a plan for a heist, engaging in political intrigue, piloting a crewed vessel, or running a business.

There are two approaches the GM may take to resolve long actions:

• Simple Long Action: The GM may ask for a single Check or Contest, using only the single Stat that the long action's success or victory most turns on. The bar for success or victory without difficulties or complications may be higher than usual in this case.
• Thorough Long Action: The GM may ask for multiple Checks or Contests using the various Stats involved in the long action. For overall success or victory, at least half of these rolls will need to win or succeed. However, each failure or loss may incur difficulties or complications on top of that success.

Scrambling Contests

Some Contests are fast and chaotic, with both sides rapidly changing their plans and the Stats that would be involved—yet without amounting to the level of tension covered by Eneavors described later in this chapter. For example, quick bouts, fisticuffs, cartoonish outbreaks of "violence," and short and dramatic card games.

To perform a scrambling Contest:

1. Half-Baked Attacks: Quickly choose a Stat to roll, as though you were Attacking. The narrative for your Attacks do not have to be fully formed—just what Stat to use. The GM may limit which Stats may be chosen for this Contest.
2. Scramble: If you rolled highest, you choose how to "scramble" the Contest. Choose which Stats everyone uses for the next roll, and you may choose different Stats for different characters. You just can't choose a Stat for a character that the character has already rolled this Contest.
3. Repeat: Repeat the above step until a character has no Stats left to roll.
4. Final Round: If you rolled the highest during the final round of rolls, you win the overall Contest. But if you rolled very low on any of your rolls in previous rounds, then your victory may have complications.
5. Outcome Size: Narrate and determine the final outcome of the Contest. The outcome is determined using your final roll as an Attack and everyone else's rolls as a group Defense.

Also note:

• Scrambling Sparks: If a character Sparks a roll during a scrambling Contest, the Spark roll must involve the Stat chosen for the character to use, it may not involve a Stat the character has already rolled for that Contest, and for the sake of the scrambling Contest it uses up both Stats involved.

General Endeavor Rules

Sometimes, the player characters will need to race to be the first to reach some destination, to be the first to acheive some action, to escape without being caught, to advance an objective before time runs out, or so on! Many such scenes where the tension is drawn out can be run as Endeavors.

There are several different types of Endeavors depending on the scenario. However, all Endeavors build on these same general rules:

• Rounds: Endeavors are carried out as a number of rounds in which the characters attempt actions and perform Contests and Checks to drive the narrative tension, progress themselves, and slow their opponents.
• Position Roll: At the start of each round, choose a Stat to roll to get yourself in position for the actions you plan to take this round. The narrative for your action does not have to be fully formed, just what Stat to use. The GM may limit which Stats you can choose from in certain situations.
• Temporary Blessings: Like a Luck Check, gain a number of temporary Blessings equal to half your position roll, rounded down. Any remaining temporary Blessings disappear at the end of the Endeavor.
• Turn Order: Characters take turns in order from lowest to highest position roll, with the GM resolving ties.

Continued on next page.

• Actions: Each round during your turn, choose and perform one action from the set of actions available for that Endeavor. Some actions use your position roll, some ignore it, and some cost Blessings. The GM may limit the actions you can choose from in certain situations. You may also activate effects from your items, specializations, and so on as normal.
• Special Actions: Some actions have the Special Action label. Special actions cannot be used during the round. Instead, at the end of the round after all normal actions are complete, whoever has the highest number of Blessings chooses a special action to perform, with the GM resolving ties.
• Movement: Endeavors use "tracks" to record character positions, scores, progress towards goals, or so on. Tracks begin at and go up by whole numbers as high as needed. The Endeavor's setup instructions will describe its tracks.
• Group Movement: If a group moves together an amount, they only move a total of that amount. How the group distributes this movement among its members is up to the group to decide: they may distribute the movement evenly, give it all to one member, or any other arrangement the group agrees on.
• Buttons: Endeavors add a number of buttons to the track. There are two types of buttons, personal and global. Personal buttons can only be activated by the character associated with them, whereas global buttons can be activated by any character. If an Endeavor uses buttons, it will describe how each is activated and the effect that happens as a result.

Also note:

• Increasing Rolls: Before you use your position roll as part of an action, you may Help yourself and Spark as usual to increase its value. Whenever you do, gain a number of additional temporary Blessings equal to half the increase, rounded down. Use this to your advantage to jump ahead of your opponents to nab the special action for the round!
• Decreasing Rolls: If your position roll ever decreases, you do not lose temporary Blessings.
• Shifting Turn Order: If your position roll increases or decreases before you take your turn, the turn order may change so that whoever has not acted yet and holds the lowest position roll goes next.

Monstrous Endeavors

Some campaigns or sessions may involve the player characters and their allies facing off against Monstrosities, like zombies, robots, or the manifestation of someone's fear!

• Setup: You and your allies begin at position . Your opponents begin higher up, each add defeat buttons at position , and each add recovery buttons somewhere else. Stronger opponents begin further from , may have Abilities, and may enter the Endeavor with Blessings of their own.
• Goal: To win, move all your opponents to position to remove them from the Endeavor. However, if the Monstrosities put three wound buttons in a row on your track they'll remove you from the Endeavor first!
• Actions: The actions available are described in the Allied Actions and Monstrosity Actions table below. Some Monstrosity's Abilities grant them additional actions.
• Movement: You and your allies care about movement along the tracks. Movement for you and your allies represents "cool points" that your side can use to perform large combos. Movement for your opponents represents their remaining stamina.
• Buttons: Your opponents care about buttons on the tracks, described in the Monstrosity Buttons table below. They will enter the Endeavor with a number of buttons on their own tracks, and they will attempt to add buttons to yours.

• Tracks: Though it varies, most Monstrous Endeavors have three types of tracks: melee, ranged, and retreat. You can move from melee to ranged, from ranged to melee or retreat, or retreat back to ranged. If you remain in retreat long enough without an opposing character there, you successfully flee. Otherwise, when an opposing character enters your retreat track, it becomes a new melee track and the retreat effort must begin again.

Allied Actions

Monstrosity Actions

TODO here

Monstrosity Buttons

Conditions

Some events challenge your resolve, throw you off your game, cause you great embarrassment, or so on, beyond mere injury. When these happen, you may become Disarmed, Surprised, Uncool, or any of the other Conditions described in the Condition Effects table below.

In general however:

• Conditions Tell Stories: At minimum, Conditions provide effects. However, they also represent small story arcs where you face obstacles and, in spite of the Condition's effects, overcome those obstacles. When you fail a Check or lose a Contest and gain a Condition as a result, consider how your character feels about the situation and what the Condition means to them beyond mere effect.
• Conditions Build Connections: Gaining and removing Conditions, and facing and overcoming obstacles, happen with other characters around. Consider, and take notes for the development of your character: Who else is around that saw the failed Check happen? How would your Hero feel about the lost Contest? And how could your connections to other characters help you remove the Condition later?

Condition Effects