Introduction Playing ELDRA Character Creation Game Mechanics Equipment Peoples of ELDRA Classes Skills Spells Stunts Bestiary

Game Mechanics

Stress and Consequences

In ELDRA, characters measure their endurance and mental stability through two main types of stress: Physical Stress and Mental Stress. Each type has its own Stress Pool (Physical or Mental) — a total number of stress points representing how much punishment a character can endure before suffering lasting harm or being incapacitated.

Physical Stress

Physical Stress is a measure of bodily harm—cuts, bruises, fatigue, and raw injury. Every character has a Physical Stress Pool, a total number of stress points determined by their Fortitude skill and People-specific traits. Your Physical Stress Pool is calculated as the triangular sum of your stress capacity: for a given number of base boxes n (equal to Fortitude + 2), your pool equals 1 + 2 + ... + n = (n(n+1))/(2). When a character takes damage, they subtract that damage from their remaining stress points. See the Fortitude skill entry for the table mapping Fortitude level to Physical Stress Pool values.

If you take more stress than you have points remaining in your pool, you must take a Consequence.

Mental Stress

Mental Stress represents your character’s willpower, focus, and sanity. It is primarily influenced by your Resolve skill and any special abilities granted by your People or class. Mental Stress is subtracted from your Mental Stress Pool when characters are subjected to fear, mind control, illusions, or other effects that strain their resolve. Your Mental Stress Pool is calculated the same way as your Physical Stress Pool, using your Resolve skill instead of Fortitude. See the Resolve skill entry for the table mapping Resolve level to Mental Stress Pool values.

Just like Physical Stress, if your Mental Stress Pool is reduced to 0 and you take further damage, you must take a Consequence.

Consequences

When your Physical or Mental Stress Pool is reduced to 0, you can absorb additional damage by taking a Consequence. Consequences are lasting effects that represent serious wounds, trauma, or psychological scarring. There are three levels of Consequences:

Consequences remain with your character until they are healed or recovered, which typically requires downtime, medical aid, or magical intervention. They are also exploitable by enemies, making your character more vulnerable in specific situations.

Default Consequence Slots

Every player character begins with the following Consequence slots:

Certain stunts, People-specific traits, or class abilities may grant additional Consequence slots. A character whose Physical or Mental Stress Pool is reduced to 0 and who has filled all available Consequence slots is Taken Out — incapacitated, killed, or otherwise removed from the scene at the GM’s discretion.

Each Consequence slot can only be used once. If a Consequence slot is already occupied by an unhealed Consequence, it cannot absorb additional damage until it has been fully recovered.

Recovery

In ELDRA, recovery is swift but dependent on rest. During a short rest (1 hour), your Physical and Mental Stress Pools are fully restored to their maximum values. You also regain an amount of Mana equal to your Magic skill level.

A long rest (8 hours) allows for deeper recovery. During a long rest, your Physical and Mental Stress Pools are fully restored, and you completely restore your Mana. During your long rest, your Consequences also heal, starting from the lowest severity. Mild Consequences heal at a rate of 1 Consequence per long rest, Moderate Consequences require up to two weeks per Consequence to heal, and Severe Consequences require from two weeks to a month per Consequence to heal if the injury or trauma is properly tended to and taken care of.

Combat Mechanics

Combat in ELDRA is fast-paced and reactive, with attack rolls and defend rolls happening in real-time exchanges. Every combatant has a choice to react to incoming attacks, making each encounter dynamic and engaging.

Attack and Defend rolls

In ELDRA, attacks are resolved through opposed skill checks:

Damage Calculation

Damage in ELDRA is determined based on the margin of success during an attack roll. If the attack is successful, the damage is calculated as follows:

Critical Hit

When you roll the maximum possible Fate result (four + on 4dF, or five + on 5dF with Advantage), the attack is a Critical Hit. A standard Critical Hit adds +2 to your final result and doubles damage. An Advantage Critical Hit adds +4 to your final result and triples damage.

Critical Hit applies to all kinds of rolls and the damage multiplications apply for all kinds of damage types.

Dual Wielding

When you are wielding 1 weapon in each hand, you can make a second attack with your off-hand in addition to your attack once per turn. When you do so, you make your second attack with a -2 penalty to your attack roll. You can not add your Might to the damage calculation for the off-hand attacks.

Size Categories

Creatures and characters in ELDRA are described by one of six size categories. Size affects movement, reach, what spaces a creature can occupy, and how some weapon techniques and abilities scale.

When an ability refers to a creature being “one size category larger” or similar, it counts the steps in this list (for example, Large is one size category larger than Medium).

Damage Types

In ELDRA, damage is categorized into different types, each with its own unique effects and interactions. Below are the defined damage types and their specific mechanics:

Physical Damage Types

Physical damage in ELDRA comes in three types: Bludgeoning, Slashing, and Piercing. Each type interacts with creature resistances and vulnerabilities as described in individual creature entries. Physical damage is reduced by Physical Defense granted by armor and shields.

A weapon’s physical damage type determines which Weapon Techniques and Mastery abilities are available to its wielder. See the Equipment and Weapon Techniques sections for full details.

Some weapons deal multiple physical damage types (e.g., a Halberd deals Slashing, Piercing, or Bludgeoning — the wielder chooses when attacking).

Armor Pierce

Some attacks, weapon techniques, abilities, and potions grant Armor Pierce. When you deal damage with an attack that has Armor Pierce, reduce the target’s Physical Defense by the Armor Pierce value for the purpose of calculating damage from that attack. Armor Pierce cannot reduce Physical Defense below 0.

Example: An attack with Armor Pierce 3 against a target with Physical Defense 7 treats the target’s Physical Defense as 4 for that attack only.

Elemental Damage

— When you cast an Elemental spell, choose one of the following elemental types. The spell deals that type of damage and also applies a corresponding effect:

Radiant Damage

Radiant damage is reduced by Elemental Defense but bypasses Physical Defense. Undead creatures have Vulnerability against Radiant damage.

When a creature takes Radiant damage, it emits a faint glow for 1 round. While glowing, the creature cannot benefit from invisibility, Stealth, or concealment of any kind. Attack rolls against a glowing creature do not suffer penalties from darkness or obscurement.

Necrotic Damage

Necrotic damage is reduced by Elemental Defense but bypasses Physical Defense. All living creatures have Vulnerability against Necrotic damage. Undead are healed by it instead.

When a creature takes Necrotic damage, its capacity for recovery is impaired. Until the end of its next turn, the creature cannot recover Physical Stress points from any source (potions, spells, abilities, or class features).

Fall Damage

You take 1d4 Physical damage for every 2 meters you fall. This damage ignores Physical Defense.

Armor, Shields, and Resistance

Armor and shields in ELDRA grant both Physical Defense and Elemental Defense. These defenses reduce incoming damage of the appropriate type, making it easier to withstand assaults in combat.

Resistance means that a creature takes only half damage (rounded down) from a specific type of attack, while Vulnerability means they take double damage.

Initiative and Turn Order

At the start of every combat, each participant rolls a Perception check. The highest result goes first, with turns proceeding in descending order of results. Ties are resolved by the highest base Perception value; if still tied, players may decide or roll off.

Cover, Advantage, and Disadvantage

In the chaos of combat, positioning matters. When a creature has Full Cover, it cannot be targeted by attacks or spells that require line of sight. If a creature is behind Half Cover, any attack rolls against it are made with Disadvantage.

Advantage and Disadvantage are mechanics that reflect situational superiority or difficulty. When you have Advantage on a roll, you roll one additional die and discard the lowest result. When you have Disadvantage, you roll one additional die and discard the highest result.

You can have multiple stacks of Advantage or Disadvantage; however, if you have both, they cancel each other out one by one. For example, if you have two sources of Advantage and one source of Disadvantage, you would roll with one Advantage.

Stealth in Combat

During structured scenes, a creature may attempt to enter Stealth by spending 1 AP and making a Stealth skill check. The creature must meet one of the following conditions:

The result of the Stealth check becomes the detection difficulty. A hostile creature may use its action or Perception skill (passively or actively) to contest the Stealth result. If a creature’s Perception meets or exceeds the Stealth result, the hidden creature is detected and Stealth ends.

Stealth ends immediately when the hidden creature:

Attacking from Stealth: When a hidden creature makes an attack against a target that is unaware of it, the attack is made with Advantage. After the attack resolves, Stealth ends unless a feature explicitly allows it to continue.

Conditions

Conditions in ELDRA represent various physical and mental states that can affect a character’s abilities in and out of combat. Below is the list of conditions and their mechanical effects:

Blinded

A blinded creature cannot see and automatically fails any skill check that requires sight. Attacks against the creature have Advantage, and the creature’s own attacks have Disadvantage.

Charmed

A charmed creature cannot attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects. The charmer has Advantage on any skill check to interact socially with the creature.

Dazed

The creature’s speed is halved. The creature can spend only 1 AP on its turn. The creature cannot take reactions.

Exhaustion

You have a -1 penalty on all of your skills per exhaustion level. If your Fortitude skill level becomes -2 with this penalty, you die.

Frightened

A frightened creature has Disadvantage on skill checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight. The creature must move away from the source of its fear by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. It cannot willingly move closer to the source of its fear.

Grappled

Your Speed becomes 0 and it cannot increase. You have Disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the grappler. The grappler can drag or carry you when it moves, but their movement is halved unless you are smaller than the grappler.

Incapacitated

The creature cannot take actions or reactions.

Paralyzed

The creature is Incapacitated and cannot move or speak. It automatically fails all defend rolls (Fortitude, Reflex, and Resolve). The creature cannot defend against physical, magical, or mental attacks, and attacks against it have Advantage.

Poisoned

The creature has Disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks.

Prone

The creature’s only movement option is to crawl unless it stands up, which ends the condition. The creature has Disadvantage on attack rolls. An attack roll against the creature has Advantage if the attacker is within melee range. Otherwise, the attack roll has Disadvantage.

Restrained

The creature’s speed becomes 0, and it cannot benefit from any bonus to its speed. The creature has Disadvantage on Reflex skill checks. Attack rolls against the creature have Advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have Disadvantage.

Stunned

The creature is Incapacitated, cannot move, and can only speak falteringly. The creature automatically fails all defend rolls (Fortitude, Reflex, and Resolve). Attacks against the creature have Advantage.

Crafting and Inventory

Crafting

Crafting in ELDRA allows players to create weapons, armor, potions, and magical items through dedicated time and resources. The crafting process is driven by a measure called Crafting Points (C.P.), which reflects the amount of work required to complete an item.

Workload: Each crafter can contribute to the total workload a number of Crafting Points equal to their Craft skill level per day. At least one crafter must have their Craft skill equal to or higher than the required Crafting level. Crafters that don’t meet the required Crafting level can still contribute, but with a 50% penalty (rounded down).

Masterwork: When an item is finished, the main crafter rolls a d100. If the roll is high enough according to the table below, the item is considered a Masterwork and gains bonuses accordingly.

Craft Level +1 +2 +3
1 - - -
2 1% - -
3 2% 1% -
4 3% 2% -
5 5% 3% 1%

Magic Item Crafting: Each magic item has unique material requirements and workloads. Consult the Game Master for specifics.

Weapon Crafting

Weapons in ELDRA are forged through dedicated craftsmanship and careful resource management. Crafting a weapon requires both raw materials and a number of Crafting Points (C.P.) determined by its complexity.

Melee Weapons Melee weapons are crafted with attention to both durability and power. The following table provides the required materials and workload for each weapon type:

Item Crafting Level Materials (Worth of Gold) Workload (C.P.)
Dagger 1 5 Gold 10
Staff 1 1 Gold 5
Whip 1 5 Gold 10
Javelin 2 10 Gold 10
Rapier 2 15 Gold 20
Short Sword 2 15 Gold 20
Battle-Axe 3 30 Gold 30
Long Sword 3 40 Gold 40
Morningstar 4 40 Gold 40
Spear 3 40 Gold 40
Halberd 4 100 Gold 90
Great-Axe 4 110 Gold 100
Greatsword 4 130 Gold 110
Siegebreaker 4 150 Gold 150
Warhammer 4 170 Gold 170
War Scythe 4 180 Gold 180
Colossus Maul 5 250 Gold 250
Void Cleaver 5 270 Gold 270
Soulpiercer 5 300 Gold 300

Improvised Weapons

Sometimes a character finds themselves without a weapon and must make do with whatever is at hand i.e. a chair leg, a bottle, a torch, a chain, or a heavy book. Any object can be swung, driven, or thrown as an improvised weapon.

Making an improvised attack costs 1 AP and uses the Fight skill for melee or the Shoot skill for a thrown object. The attack may suffer a –2 penalty to the roll. On a hit, an improvised weapon deals 1d4 Physical damage. An improvised weapon gains no Might bonus to damage and has no special properties.

Throwing an Improvised Weapon.

A character may throw an improvised weapon using their Shoot skill, with a range of 10 / 20 meters (normal / long). Attacks made at long range suffer an additional –2 penalty.

Breaking.

After an improvised weapon is used to make an attack, the GM may decide it breaks or becomes unusable depending on the object’s durability. Fragile objects (a bottle, a ceramic pot) break on use. Sturdy objects (a chair leg, an iron bar) may survive several uses at GM discretion. A broken object cannot be used again as a weapon.

Ranged Weapons Ranged weapons are designed for distance and precision, requiring different materials and expertise compared to melee crafting.

Item Crafting Level Materials (Worth of Gold) Workload (C.P.)
Hunting Bow 2 10 Gold 10
Short Bow 3 15 Gold 10
Bow 3 20 Gold 10
Long Bow 3 25 Gold 15
Composite Bow 3 125 Gold 45
Great Bow 4 125 Gold 30
Hand Crossbow 4 30 Gold 25
Hunting Crossbow 4 40 Gold 25
Light Crossbow 4 60 Gold 30
Heavy Crossbow 4 100 Gold 50
Siege Arbalest 4 120 Gold 80
Titan Arbalest 5 140 Gold 100
Pistol 5 500 Gold 200
Musket 5 1000 Gold 400
Arquebus 5 1800 Gold 700
War Cannon 5 2000 Gold 900

Armor Crafting

Armors in ELDRA are essential for protection against both physical and elemental damage. Crafting armor requires specific materials and a dedicated amount of Crafting Points (C.P.) depending on the complexity of the armor.

Armors The following table provides the crafting details for each type of armor, including the required materials and workload.

Item Crafting Level Materials (Worth of Gold) Workload (C.P.)
Robe 1 10 Gold 10
Gambeson 1 10 Gold 10
Leather Armor 1 15 Gold 30
Reinforced Leather 2 30 Gold 40
Brigandine 2 40 Gold 50
Chain Shirt 2 50 Gold 60
Padded Armor 3 90 Gold 70
Breast Mail 3 100 Gold 80
Scale Mail 3 120 Gold 90
Ring Mail 4 180 Gold 120
Chain Mail 4 190 Gold 140
Half-Plate 4 200 Gold 150
Reinforced Brigandine 5 250 Gold 200
Splint 5 300 Gold 250
Full Plate 5 500 Gold 300
Soulforged Mail 5 1500 Gold 500
Warlord’s Plate 5 1800 Gold 600
Abyssal Plate 5 2000 Gold 650

Crafting Considerations:

Masterwork Armor Bonuses: When rolling for a masterwork, consult the Masterwork table under the main Crafting section to determine if the armor gains enhanced properties.

Shield Crafting

Crafting a shield requires specific materials and Crafting Points (C.P.), determined by its size and complexity.

Shields The following table outlines the crafting requirements for each type of shield, including the necessary materials and workload.

Item Crafting Level Materials (Worth of Gold) Workload (C.P.)
Buckler Shield 2 2 Gold 5
Heater Shield 3 5 Gold 15
Kite Shield 3 20 Gold 35
Pavise Shield 3 25 Gold 40
Tower Shield 4 50 Gold 100

Crafting Considerations:

Masterwork Shield Bonuses. When rolling for a Masterwork shield, consult the Masterwork table under the main Crafting section. On a successful roll, choose one of the following bonuses:

Alchemy Crafting

Alchemy in ELDRA allows players to create potions, bombs and poisons with powerful effects. Alchemy uses two main components: Herb Pouch (HP) for herbal elements and Magical Powder (MP) for arcane effects.

A character can be under only one potion or poison effect at a time. Consuming a new potion or poison immediately ends any previous potion or poison effect.

Potions are divided into three categories:

If the alchemist’s Crafting Level is one level higher than the potion’s requirement, they may craft a Greater Potion. If their Crafting Level is two or more levels higher, they may craft a Supreme Potion.

Potions of crafting level 5 are referred to as Elixirs and represent the pinnacle of alchemical mastery. Only a crafter whose Crafts skill level is 5 or higher may attempt them.

Potion Table

Item Crafting Level Duration Materials Workload (C.P.)
Antidote 1 HP 1 4
Potion of Darkvision 1 1 h HP 2 4
Potion of Healing 1 HP 1 4
Potion of Protection 1 10 m HP 1 4
Potion of Steadiness 1 10 m HP 1, MP 1 4
Potion of Vitality 1 10 m HP 1 4
Potion of Animal Friendship 2 1 h HP 3, MP 1 12
Potion of Iron Skin 2 10 m HP 3, MP 1 12
Potion of Mana 2 HP 4 12
Potion of Mental Ward 2 10 m HP 1, MP 3 12
Potion of Reflex 2 10 m HP 2, MP 2 12
Potion of Water Breathing 2 1 h HP 2, MP 2 12
Potion of Courage 3 10 m HP 5, MP 4 36
Potion of Eagle Eye 3 10 m HP 4, MP 5 36
Potion of Elemental Infusion 3 10 m HP 3, MP 6 36
Potion of Giant’s Strength 3 10 m HP 7, MP 2 36
Potion of Speed 3 10 m HP 9 36
Potion of Vampiric Essence 3 10 m HP 4, MP 5 36
Potion of Arcane Surge 4 10 m HP 7, MP 9 72
Potion of Berserker’s Wrath 4 10 m HP 14, MP 2 72
Potion of Blurring 4 10 m HP 8, MP 8 72
Potion of Concentration 4 10 m HP 1, MP 15 72
Potion of Invisibility 4 10 m HP 9, MP 7 72
Potion of Regeneration 4 10 m HP 10, MP 6 72
Potion of Restoration 4 HP 15, MP 1 72
Elixir of Abyssal Might 5 10 m HP 18, MP 6 120
Elixir of Arcane Mastery 5 10 m HP 5, MP 20 120
Elixir of the Undying 5 2 h HP 15, MP 10 120
Elixir of Time 5 10 m HP 12, MP 12 120

Potion Descriptions

Potions in ELDRA come in three variants: Basic, Greater, and Supreme. Higher tiers offer stronger effects but require greater material costs and workload.

Antidote

Potion of Darkvision

Potion of Healing

Potion of Protection

Potion of Steadiness

Potion of Vitality

Potion of Animal Friendship

Potion of Iron Skin

Potion of Mana

Potion of Mental Ward

Potion of Reflex

Potion of Water Breathing

Potion of Arcane Surge

Potion of Courage

Potion of Eagle Eye

Potion of Elemental Infusion

When crafting this potion, choose one element: Fire, Frost, or Lightning. The chosen element is bound into the potion and cannot be changed after crafting.

Potion of Giant’s Strength

Potion of Speed

Potion of Vampiric Essence

Potion of Berserker’s Wrath

Potion of Blurring

Potion of Concentration

Potion of Invisibility

Potion of Regeneration

Potion of Restoration

Elixir of Abyssal Might

Elixir of Arcane Mastery

Elixir of the Undying

Elixir of Time

Bomb Crafting

Alchemical bombs in ELDRA are volatile consumables designed to break formations, deny space, and punish clustered enemies. Like potions, bombs are crafted in three categories: Basic, Greater, and Supreme. Greater bombs require twice the material costs and workload of Basic, and Supreme bombs require four times the material costs and workload of Basic.

If the alchemist’s Crafting Level is one level higher than the bomb’s requirement, they may craft a Greater Bomb. If their Crafting Level is two or more levels higher, they may craft a Supreme Bomb.

Using a bomb costs 1 AP. A bomb is thrown at a point within 10 meters. All creatures within 2 meters of that point must make a Reflex roll against your Crafts. On a failure, they suffer the bomb’s full effect. On a success, they take half damage (rounded down) and avoid any additional condition or secondary effect unless the bomb states otherwise.

Bombs affect all creatures in the area, including allies.

Bomb Table

Item Crafting Level Duration Materials Workload (C.P.)
Fire Bomb 1 HP 1, MP 1 4
Frost Bomb 1 HP 1, MP 1 4
Smokepowder Bomb 1 2 r HP 2 4
Shock Bomb 2 HP 2, MP 2 12
Shrapnel Bomb 2 HP 3 12
Flash Bomb 2 1 r HP 1, MP 3 12
Venom Fume Bomb 3 2 r HP 5, MP 2 36
Tarfire Bomb 3 3 r HP 4, MP 3 36
Thunderstone Bomb 3 HP 3, MP 4 36
Freezing Cask 4 2 r HP 7, MP 5 72
Grave Dust Bomb 4 2 r HP 5, MP 7 72
Voidglass Bomb 5 HP 10, MP 10 120
Sunshard Bomb 5 2 r HP 8, MP 12 120

Bomb Descriptions

Bombs in ELDRA come in three variants: Basic, Greater, and Supreme. Higher tiers increase damage, radius pressure, or duration in the same way that stronger potions offer stronger effects.

Fire Bomb

Frost Bomb

Smokepowder Bomb

Shock Bomb

Shrapnel Bomb

Flash Bomb

Venom Fume Bomb

Tarfire Bomb

Thunderstone Bomb

Freezing Cask

Grave Dust Bomb

Voidglass Bomb

Sunshard Bomb

Poison Crafting

Poisons in ELDRA are crafted and scaled in the same way as potions. They are divided into three categories: Basic, Greater, and Supreme. Greater poisons require twice the material costs and workload of Basic, and Supreme poisons require four times the material costs and workload of Basic.

If the alchemist’s Crafting Level is one level higher than the poison’s requirement, they may craft a Greater Poison. If their Crafting Level is two or more levels higher, they may craft a Supreme Poison.

Unless stated otherwise, applying a poison to a weapon, piece of ammunition, or a consumable costs 1 AP. Injury poisons last until the first successful hit or until the end of the scene, whichever comes first. Ingested poisons take effect when consumed. Inhaled poisons affect all creatures in a 2-meter radius and require a Fortitude roll against your Crafts.

Poison Table

Item Crafting Level Duration Materials Workload (C.P.)
Serpent Venom 1 1 r HP 1 4
Numbing Oil 1 1 r HP 1, MP 1 4
Blindworm Venom 2 1 r HP 2, MP 1 12
Crippling Toxin 2 2 r HP 3 12
Paralytic Venom 3 1 r HP 4, MP 2 36
Bloodrot Poison 3 3 r HP 5, MP 1 36
Mindfog Poison 4 3 r HP 3, MP 6 72
Widow’s Kiss 4 1 scene HP 7, MP 4 72
King’s Bane 5 1 scene HP 10, MP 8 120
Petrifying Resin 5 2 r HP 8, MP 10 120

Poison Descriptions

Poisons in ELDRA come in three variants: Basic, Greater, and Supreme. Higher tiers increase the severity, duration, or damage of the poison in the same manner that stronger potions increase the strength of their effects.

Serpent Venom

Numbing Oil

Blindworm Venom

Crippling Toxin

Paralytic Venom

Bloodrot Poison

Mindfog Poison

Widow’s Kiss

King’s Bane

Petrifying Resin

Inventory Management

Inventory in ELDRA is designed to be flexible and streamlined for faster gameplay. Characters can carry and access items logically without the need for micromanaging weight. Instead, the system is slot-based, representing logical storage and accessibility.

Item Slots: Each character is equipped with a limited number of item slots for quick and efficient access. These slots are divided as follows:

Backpack and Storage: Items that are not equipped remain in your backpack, accessible during exploration or with a dedicated action in combat.

Inventory Actions:

Magical and Rare Items: Magical items, despite their power, do not take up more space than their non-magical counterparts. They fit within the same inventory slots:

Example Inventory Layout: Below is an example of a typical adventurer’s inventory layout: