Using Adversaries¶

This section describes how to use each adversary's stat block, while the "Armed Conflict" section in chapter 3 presents general rules for running combat and tying these scenes into the larger story. Finally, the upcoming "Adversary Stat Blocks" section presents statistics for each adversary, grouped by tier to represent their general threat level.

Adversary Breakdown¶

Each adversary's stat block presents the statistics, or mechanical information, you need to use them in combat.

Name¶

Each stat block has a unique name—see the Jagged Knife Bandit stat block example below. Abilities that affect adversaries with a certain name include all adversaries who use that stat block, regardless of their in-story name.

Tier¶

Each adversary is designed to oppose PCs of a certain tier. You can use stat blocks from other tiers, but you might want to adjust their statistics as described in the upcoming "Improving Adversaries" section. Tier 1 adversaries are appropriate for level 1 characters, Tier 2 for levels 2–4, Tier 3 for levels 5–7, and Tier 4 for levels 8–10.

Type¶

The adversary's type represents the role they play in a conflict. When building encounters, utilising a mix of types helps create a dynamic and engaging challenge. The adversary types are as follows:

• Bruisers are durable and deliver powerful attacks.
• Hordes are groups of identical creatures acting together as a single unit.
• Leaders command and summon other adversaries.
• Minions are easily dispatched but dangerous in numbers.
• Ranged are fragile in close encounters but can attack from a distance.
• Skulks manoeuvre and exploit opportunities to ambush opponents.
• Socials present unique challenges to overcome through conversation rather than combat.
• Solos present a formidable challenge to a whole party, with or without support.
• Standards are rank-and-file adversaries representative of their fictional group.
• Supports enhance their allies and disrupt their opponents.

Description¶

A summary of the adversary's appearance and demeanour.

Motives & Tactics¶

Each stat block contains the adversary's motives and tactics. When in doubt, the bandit tries to escape (caring more for their own life than victory), profit (by any means necessary, including lying and stealing), and throw smoke (obscuring the battlefield and escape routes). These motives and tactics are suggestions rather than rules—feel free to improvise their choices as you would when playing any NPC.

Difficulty¶

Adversaries don't use Evasion like PCs—instead, all rolls against them use their Difficulty. The bandit has a Difficulty of 12, so a roll of 12 or higher succeeds against this adversary. If an adversary's feature doesn't specify a Difficulty (like an Agility Reaction Roll), it always uses the adversary's Difficulty.

Damage Thresholds, Hit Points, and Stress¶

"Thresholds: 8/14" represents this adversary's damage thresholds—so their Major threshold is 8 and their Severe threshold is 14. The bandit has 5 Hit Points and 3 Stress. These systems function the same way they do for PCs.

Attack Modifier¶

When you attack with the adversary, apply this bonus or penalty to your attack roll.

Standard Attack¶

Each adversary has a standard attack listed next to their attack modifier, which contains the attack's name (Dagger), its range (Melee), and its damage on a success (1d8+1 physical damage). You can use this standard attack as an action.

Experience¶

Like PCs, some adversaries have Experiences that make them especially capable in certain situations. This adversary's Experience is Thief +2, which can add them in rolls related to skulduggery. See the upcoming "Adversary Experiences" section for further details.

Features¶

Features represent the bandit's capabilities in a conflict. There are three kinds of features: passives, actions, and reactions. For example, the bandit has a passive called "From Above" that deals more damage when they're attacking from above—the 1d10+1 damage replaces their standard attack's 1d8+1. The upcoming "Adversary Features" section details how to use various features.

Example Stat Block¶

Jagged Knife Bandit¶

Tier 1 Standard

A cunning criminal or a cloak bearing one of the gang's iconic knives.

Motives & Tactics: Escape, profit, steal, throw smoke

ATK: +1 | Dagger: Melee | 1d8+1 phy

Experience: Thief +2

Features¶

• Climber - Passive: The Bandit climbs just as easily as they run.
• From Above - Passive: When the Bandit succeeds on a standard attack from above a target, they deal 1d10+1 physical damage instead of their standard damage.

Adversary Types¶

An adversary's type represents the role they play in a conflict. When building encounters, utilising a mix of types helps create a dynamic and engaging challenge. The adversary types are as follows:

• Bruisers are durable and deliver powerful attacks.
• Hordes are groups of identical creatures acting together as a single unit.
• Leaders command and summon other adversaries.
• Minions are easily dispatched but dangerous in numbers.
• Ranged are fragile in close encounters but can attack from a distance.
• Skulks manoeuvre and exploit opportunities to ambush opponents.
• Socials present unique challenges to overcome through conversation rather than combat.
• Solos present a formidable challenge to a whole party, with or without support.
• Standards are rank-and-file adversaries representative of their fictional group.
• Supports enhance their allies and disrupt their opponents.

Adversary Experiences¶

Adversaries tend to have fewer but broader Experiences than PCs. In situations where you think an adversary's capabilities would come into play, you can spend a Fear to apply an Experience modifier to their Difficulty, attack rolls, and reaction rolls as follows:

Difficulty¶

When a PC makes an action roll against an adversary, you can spend a Fear to add a relevant Experience modifier to the roll's Difficulty.

Adversary Attack and Reaction Rolls¶

When an adversary makes an attack or reaction roll, you can spend a Fear to add a relevant Experience modifier to the roll.

When you use an adversary's Experience, describe how it improves their odds at performing that action. Experiences feel more impactful if you save them for certain dramatic moments or situations, rather than applying them to most rolls.

While some adversaries specialise in combat, others do best in nonviolent situations, and their Experiences reflect that. For example, the Tier 1 Merchant has the Experience "Shrewd Negotiator +3" that can apply whenever a PC tries to haggle with them, increasing the Difficulty to 15 to reflect their keen business acumen.

Example Experiences¶

You can always adjust a stat block's Experiences to fit your story. Here are examples of Experiences you can use:

Adversary Features¶

The bottom of each stat block lists the adversary's features. Features can take three forms—actions, reactions, and passives. The following sections describe how to use these features and provide a few examples.

Tip: If an adversary stat block mentions an "ally," it's referring to a fellow adversary, not a PC.

Activating Features¶

For an adversary to use an action, they must have the spotlight. Passives and reactions typically don't require the spotlight. Some features require you to use additional resources, such as:

Marking Stress¶

Some moves call for you to "mark a Stress," meaning you mark 1 Stress on the adversary. Other, more powerful moves might tell you to "mark 2 Stress" or more. Each adversary's Stress is tracked individually; if one adversary marks all their Stress, they can't mark a different adversary's Stress to use that move.

Spending Fear¶

Some moves say to "spend a Fear." Other, more powerful moves might tell you to "spend 2 Fear" or more. To make one of these moves, you must spend Fear as described, even if you already spent a Fear to spotlight the adversary.

Adversary Tokens¶

Some adversaries require tokens to be placed on their stat blocks for certain features. These adversary tokens are used as counters similar to the players' character tokens.

Adversary Actions¶

Adversary actions can be divided into three categories:

Standard Attacks¶

Each adversary has a standard attack. This includes their attack modifier, the name of the attack, its range, and its damage. When you spotlight an adversary, you can always use their standard attack as long as they are within range or can move within range.

Unique Actions¶

Many adversaries have special actions listed on the bottom of their stat block. These represent their innate abilities, magical talents, and other combat techniques. Unique actions might allow the adversary to make an attack, force PCs to make a reaction roll, or even change the landscape. When you spotlight an adversary, you can choose to use one of these instead of making a standard attack.

Other Actions¶

Adversaries can do nearly anything a PC can, so if you want to do something that isn't in the stat block, feel free! The "Adversary Rolls" section in chapter 3 provides guidance for resolving other actions an adversary might take.

Unique Action Examples¶

The following features are examples of unique actions. In these examples, "X" represents a number that differs for each stat block.

• Hypnotist - Action: Make an attack against a target within Very Close range. On a success, deal X direct physical damage.
• Shredding Strike - Action: Make an attack against a target within Very Close range. On a success, deal X physical damage and the target must mark an Armor Slot without gaining its benefits (they can still use armor to reduce the damage). If they can't mark an Armor Slot, they mark an additional HP and you gain a Fear.

Adversary Reactions¶

Adversary reactions are features that don't take effect until their specific trigger occurs (such as taking damage or marking a certain number of HP). When it triggers, you can choose to immediately use the reaction, and you don't have to spend Fear to interrupt the PCs with this reaction (unless otherwise specified). The following features are examples of reactions. In these examples, "X" represents a number that differs for each stat block.

• Heavy Hitter - Reaction: When this adversary deals damage with a standard attack, you can spend a Fear to gain a +X bonus to the damage roll.
• Team-Up - Reaction: When another adversary within Very Close range of this adversary deals X damage to a creature, you can mark a Stress to make a standard attack against that same creature. On a success, combine the damage.
• Momentum - Reaction: When the adversary makes a successful attack against a PC, you gain a Fear.

Adversary Passives¶

Adversary passives always apply under the circumstances stated in that feature. Some are always in effect (such as the "Arcane Form" passive, which makes the adversary permanently resistant to magic damage). Others automatically come into effect when the stated trigger occurs (such as the "Horde" passive, which reduces the adversary's damage once their Hit Points are halved).

The following features are examples of passives. In these examples, "X" represents a number that differs for each stat block.

• Horde (X) - Passive: When the Horde has marked half or more of their HP, their standard attack deals X damage instead.
• Minion (X) - Passive: This adversary is defeated when they take any damage. For every X damage a PC deals to this adversary, defeat an additional Minion within range the attack would succeed against.
• Relentless (X) - Passive: This adversary can be spotlighted up to X times per GM turn. Spend Fear as usual to spotlight them.

Tip: The "Relentless" feature is useful if you want an adversary who can act multiple times between PCs. This is often the right solution for Solo or higher tier adversaries, or for adversaries who are likely to bottle the party on their own.

• Slow - Passive: When you spotlight this adversary and they don't have a token on their stat block, they can't act yet. Place a token on their stat block and describe what they're preparing to do. When you spotlight this adversary and they have a token on their stat block, clear the token and they can act.

Tip: The "Slow" feature is useful if you want an adversary who normally takes longer to act than others, like a giant slug or a lumbering ogre. This is usually most effective when the creature has powerful actions that justify the delay.

• Arcane Form - Passive: This adversary is resistant to magic damage.
• Armored Carapace - Passive: When this adversary takes physical damage, reduce it by X.

Fear Features¶

Fear Features are rare and powerful adversary features that require spending Fear to activate. These can take the form of passives, actions, or reactions. Each Fear Feature is a scene-defining effect that justifies the expenditure of this valuable GM resource.

• Explosion - Action: Spend a Fear to erupt in a fiery explosion. Make an attack against all targets within Close range. Targets the adversary succeeds against take 1d8 magic damage and are knocked back to Far range.

Summoning Features¶

Certain features summon additional adversaries on the battlefield. The summoned adversaries arrive at a specified range relative to the adversary who used the feature. In the following example, the Jagged Knife Lackeys would spawn at Far range from the Leader who summoned them. We recommend you use these features when you feel the fight needs to grow—either in duration or difficulty.

• More Where That Come From - Action: Summon three Jagged Knife Lackeys, who appear at Far range.

Spotlighting Features¶

Some features allow you to immediately spotlight one or more other adversaries. Unless otherwise specified, this doesn't require spending Fear. When a feature tells you to spotlight more than one adversary, you can choose the order in which they act. While an adversary is spotlighted in this way, you can't use another spotlighting feature.

• Tanthem - Action: Mark a Stress to spotlight this adversary and two allies within Close range.

Returning Rules¶

This section repeats a few rules from earlier chapters that are helpful to remember while running adversaries.

Targets and Groups¶

Often an effect asks you to choose a target within range. This means you choose a single creature to affect. When it makes sense in the story, you can target a single object in range, rather than a creature, adjusting the effects as needed.

To affect a group of targets, those targets must be clumped together in an area within Very Close range of a point you choose. Regardless of the number of targets, you only need to make one attack roll and compare that total to the Difficulty of each eligible target to determine which creatures you succeed against. When your attack deals damage to more than one target, roll damage once and apply the total to each target the attack succeeded against.

Attacking Multiple Targets¶

By default, an adversary can only hit one target with their standard attack. When an adversary's action lets you make an attack against multiple targets, you make one attack roll and ask if it hits any of the targets. If you're making individual attacks with multiple adversaries during the same GM move, make an attack roll for each adversary.