Adventuring and Conflict
Adventuring structure
Lethean Age play moves between settlements, dangerous places, and conflicts. Settlements provide shelter, trade, rumor, repair, faction contact, and social consequences. Dangerous places provide discoveries, threats, resources, and questions no one inside the walls can answer.
Time and turns
When exact order matters, play uses turns.
A turn has five phases:
- Wind Phase: the current Winds of Change update the local miasma.
- Environment Phase: the place asserts itself.
- Action Phase: characters and creatures act.
- Resolution Phase: outcomes apply.
- Upkeep Phase: expiring effects end and the turn advances.
The World Master may use this sequence strictly in combat and loosely during exploration.
Ability checks
When the outcome is uncertain and failure matters, roll an ability check.
Use the ability that fits the approach:
| Ability | Common uses |
|---|---|
| STR | Force, lifting, breaking, holding, climbing by power. |
| DEX | Reflex, stealth, balance, aim, escape. |
| CON | Endurance, poison, radiation, pain, hostile conditions. |
| INT | Repair, old-world systems, analysis, memory, pattern. |
| WIS | Perception, survival, medicine, instinct, substrate sense. |
| CHA | Presence, command, resonance, innate channeling, negotiation. |
If your character has relevant training, proficiency, tools, traits, or help, the World Master applies the appropriate modifier.
Contested checks
When two sides oppose each other directly, both roll. The higher result wins, or the World Master applies the regulation tie rule if exact resolution matters.
Examples:
- Sneaking past a guard.
- Holding a door shut against a charging creature.
- Bargaining with someone who wants to mislead you.
- Escaping pursuit through rubble.
Combat basics
Combat begins when opposition becomes immediate and dangerous.
At the start of combat:
- Combatants are registered.
- Current HP, AP, equipment, and active traits are noted.
- Initiative is determined.
- Combatants act in initiative order.
On your turn, your AP refreshes to your maximum AP. You spend AP to act.
| Action | Typical AP cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 1 | Make a basic attack. |
| Skill | Varies | Use a class or trait-based skill. |
| Item | 1 | Use a consumable or activated item. |
| Flee | 1 | Attempt to escape combat. |
| Wait | 0 | End your action for the turn. |
Attacks and damage
Most attacks roll against Armor Class.
- Melee attacks usually use STR.
- Ranged attacks usually use DEX.
- Psionic attacks usually use the relevant channeling ability or the rule named by the power.
- Finesse weapons may allow STR or DEX.
On a hit, roll the weapon or skill damage, add the relevant modifier, and apply damage. The regulations define exact formulas when needed.
Armor Class
Armor Class measures how hard you are to hit or meaningfully damage. It comes from your base defense, DEX, armor, shields, natural armor, traits, and other effects.
Heavy protection may keep you alive but limit stealth, motion, or channeling depending on class and equipment.
Incapacitation
When a player character reaches 0 HP, they are incapacitated, not automatically dead. They cannot act. In the current rules, an incapacitated character is revived at the nearest settlement with 1 HP after the encounter ends, though items dropped during the encounter may be lost.
Permanent death is reserved for specific extreme conditions defined by the World Master and regulations.
Fleeing
Fleeing is a legitimate action. In the current rules, a flee attempt is a DEX contest against the fastest or most relevant enemy. Success exits combat. Failure spends the action and leaves you in danger.
Parties
A party is a group of cooperating characters. The current regulations assume a maximum party size of four characters. Party members act as allies in combat, share objectives, and decide how loot is divided.
Before an expedition, agree on:
- Who leads when time is short.
- How loot is split.
- Whether the group risks rescue for an incapacitated member.
- What discovery is worth turning back for.
Quests and reputation
Quests are structured objectives offered by settlements, factions, NPCs, or discoveries in the world. They may reward XP, Scrap, items, traits, reputation, access, or information.
Reputation is faction-specific. A character can be loved by one faction and refused service by another. Mega-cities can contain hostile factions because The Law limits what they may do inside shared walls.