Mechanics

''Be an adventurer. Try. Fail. Do more. Tell your story. Realize that there’s a world of stories around you. You are the hero of your story. Own it. Your character sheet and dice are sacred—treat them as such.''

''Give your attention. Know the system. Don’t be a dick. The GM has final say. The Meta Owl warns, then attacks. These rules are guidelines. Story and plot trump dice. When the rules do not apply, make it up.''

Setting Up
To play Skies of Fortuna, you’ll need a few things, starting with some people. One among your group is going to act as Game Master (GM) who directs narration and controls adversaries and Non-Player Characters, while the others become Player Characters (PCs) who are the main actors of the story being told.

While not necessary, the following are useful:
 * Pencils
 * Character sheets
 * A copy of these rules
 * A set of gaming dice per person (a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20)
 * An idea of the character you want to play, or the story you want to tell

Be an adventurer.
A Player’s character is not one of the nameless townsfolk that populate random settlements. They are not the shopkeepers and militia guards. They are a step above, by action and intention. PCs are those who rise to the task at hand, who empower themselves, those who fight, who slay monsters and terrors, who are—more or less—heroes. They are those few who have the potential to rise to greatness, to become legends.

Try. Fail. Do more.
PCs act, and when they fail, they don’t go home. They try again. They try something new, something creative, something impossible or unimaginable. And sometimes it works.

Tell your story. Realize that there’s a world of stories around you.
Every hero has a backstory, as does every person who inhabits the skies. Every person has a quest to fulfill, a treasure to find, a love to pursue.

You are the hero of your story. Own it.
Don’t be a background character. Find a path and go after it, throwing obstacles out of the way if need be. Your character sheet and dice are sacred—treat them as such. You know your character, but your character sheet is a record of their existence. Your dice act as their ability and agency. Don’t abuse them—that abuse will be reflected in kind.

Give your attention.
Pay attention to the people that you’re playing with, to the story being told, and to the rules presented. No one likes repeating themselves or answering a question they answered three times over. Respect the players, respect the GM.

Know the system.
Take the time to skim the book and know the rules. You don’t have to memorize everything, but familiarizing yourself with the game helps play go smoothly.

Don’t be a dick.
This is the golden rule, for everyone sitting down to play. No one is exempt. Every instance of rules-lawyering, min-maxing, munchkin-ing, loophole building, power-playing, or other headache-inducing problem from either the GM or the PCs comes down to this. Are people at the table rolling their eyes or glaring at you? Are you hearing sighs of annoyance or grumbling? Are you playing with the other players to have a good time or trying to puff yourself up into a Mary Sue? Stop it. You’re here to play with people, to have a good time, to laugh, and cry, and rage TOGETHER. Don’t be a dick."Seriously, don’t be a dick."The GM has final say.

The GM is final arbitrator, judge, and omniscient, omnipotent god over the game. Whatever your GM’s ruling, that’s what goes. The corollary to that is, of course, the rule above. Call out the GM, but remember that you’re questioning the narrator and deity that has direct control over your PC’s life and livelihood. For GMs, see the rule above.

The Meta Owl warns, then attacks.

Metagaming is any action, strategy, or method that a PC takes informed by out of game knowledge. PCs should act as their characters would act given the limited information available to them in world. The Meta Owl is exactly what it sounds like: a large, violent owl that appears when characters metagame as a gentle reminder to play in character. In significant cases, it attacks. More on this in the Running Skies of Fortuna section (p.100).

These rules are guidelines.

Everything written here is a suggestion. If you don’t like something, discuss and homebrew what works to your liking. Have fun.

Story and plot trump dice.

Addendum to the above: when story and plot conflict with the dice, the story wins. If Rule of Cool beats out the mundane reality and everyone, GM included, thinks the cool thing should happen, the cool thing should happen.

Don’t be married to a specific plot, but to the flow of narrative. Dice should only be used when there is something significant at stake.

When the rules do not apply, make it up.
This is not a 400-page tome. Not every instance is covered. There are no rules for a great number of things, like cover, detailed weapon difference, hunger, encumbrance, and a lot more. This is intentional. If there are no rules that apply, it is up to the GM to make them up, and for the PCs to roll with whatever danger flies at their heads.

Rolling high is always better.
Regardless of the test or check, it is always mechanically better to roll high, and never better to roll low.

Trait checks
Your PC’s traits (Strength, Agility, Wit, and Spirit) are represented as pools of six-sided dice. PCs have a minimum of 1 in each pool, and dropping to 0 cripples, hobbles, maims, paralyzes, or otherwise affects them.

When making a trait check, 5s and 6s are considered successes, while 1s are considered Complications. It is possible to both succeed as well as complicate matters.

 Trait check:  Roll pools of six-sided dice; 5s and 6s are good, 1s are bad.

Infamy checks
Infamy is represented by a title and value (1 to 20). To be recognized from an Infamy check, roll above your infamy on a D20.

Infamy check: Roll d20; success is rolling equal or higher to your Infamy.

Skill checks
Skills are represented by a specific dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, or D12) plus a static modifier. An Untrained skill rolls a D12 + 0, while a Mastered Skill rolls D4 + 8. More developed skills have a smaller margin of error, represented by a smaller dice rolled.

To succeed a skill check, roll at or above an 8 using a skill’s respective dice and modifier. Rolling the highest value of the skill’s dice is considered a critical success, while rolling a 1 leads to consequences and/or complications.

Skill Check: Roll an 8 or higher (dice plus modifier, depending on your skill rank); Rolling the dice’s highest value is a critical success, 1s are complications.

Combat and actions
Combat in Skies of Fortuna is narrative-focused with light crunch. Story always supersedes rules. While miniatures can be used to give a visual sense, abilities are NOT designed around war game movement. Conflicts are represented as flexible, freeform, and as a natural extension of role playing. Combat and conflict is divided into player actions, with complications and misses prompting opponent actions.

If a PC wishes to use a skill or trait aggressively, it has the potential to damage if the skill check succeeds. The Skill check’s result determines damage severity (8-9, Scratches; 10-11, Wounds, or 12, Grave Injuries). If the highest value on the dice is rolled, the action is considered a critical hit, damage is dealt along with the weapon’s critical effect.

All skills may be used aggressively to attack, if justified in narrative. Turn order is free flow, dictated by narrative and complications.

Damage severity is determined by skill check result. Roll 8-9, Scratches; 10-11, Wounds, or 12, Grave Injuries.

Damage
A weapon’s quality determines its damage. Generally, Poor quality weapons deal 1 damage, Good quality weapons deal 2 damage, and Fine Quality weapons deal 4 damage. Modifications, detailing, and abilities may modify a weapon’s damage.

Each weapon has a Critical Effect, which is made up or chosen by the player and approved by the GM; these should be appropriate and rationalized in narrative.

Damage is kept track on the health track. Filling up a row (Scratches, Wounds, or Grave Injuries) imposes skill check penalties of the character. Damage rolling over (down) to the next row scars a character (permanently crossing off a health or armour box, which may kill a player.

Weapon Damage: Poor weapon = 1 dmg. Good weapon = 2 dmg. Fine weapon = 4 dmg.

Critical Effect: When a 12 is rolled, a weapon does something.

Filling up a Health row (Scratches, Wounds, or Grave. Injuries) imposes skill check penalties. Damage rolls over (down).

Stress
Characters subjected to mental strain and duress risk their mind. Sanity checks (WIT or SPI checks) prompt characters to act against their interests. If they fail their checks, they note down the situation they are in, which becomes a Stress. Stress works similar to physical damage. Characters who stress themselves too much risk insanity and mind break.

 Stress:  Mental strain is marked under Sanity, and mental damage is noted similar to physical, but on a different scale.

Healing
Characters heal one point of either Damage or Stress of their choice each day. Healing in the skies requires medical attention, rest, and time. Scars, either mental or physical, cannot be healed without an appropriate ability. There is no on-the-spot cure all, though various herbal and mineral remedies can combat pain and illness.

Heal one (1) point of damage (Health or Stress) per day.

Scars (crossed out boxes) cannot be healed without specific abilities.

Death and Insanity
Death is an all too common occurrence in the skies, either by attacking wildlife, combat, or most common of all, falling from a ship or a spire. Death is permanent and irreversible, though PCs may attempt to save against death (STR check). Insanity is likewise permanent, though marginally manageable—the GM takes control of all insane PCs."Death and Insanity are permanent."

Magic
Wild, untamed magic abounds through the skies, and some have learned to channel those powers to their purpose. There are three schools of learning specific to races in the skies: Avorals practice Windweaving, Ursas practice True Naming, and Humans practice Spellcasting. Those who find a natural talent in casting magic are known as Witches. There are also remnants of Old Magic, used by ancient gods that still linger in hidden pockets around the skies.

Casting magic, regardless of style, takes time, skill, and generally has an associated cost, either in wounds, stress, or some other compulsion. Magic is often dangerous for both those casting and those nearby. It is almost always more efficient to use mundane means to attack someone."Magic exists, but it is rare. Spellcasting is complex, and often not as efficient as mundane methods. Witches have the only immediate magic (Hexing); all other spells are minutes-long rituals."

Growth & Gold
Currency runs civilizations, from the individual up to the kingdom. Marked in gold pieces, silver flans, and brass coins, wealth is spent to train, grow, and improve a character’s traits, skills, abilities, and gear.

PCs do not not level up, but level out. Their abilities get more diverse, their skills become more developed, and they might get better at surviving conflict, but their raw power and strength rarely increases. The exception to this is magic, but using spells brings a steep price."Gold = XP = Growth"