Earthdawn (Game System)

This page is provided for player and fan reference. Readers are encouraged to also check out the official FASA Wiki or purchase their own copy of the Earthdawn Fourth Edition Player's Guide.

The Earthdawn game contains a relatively unique game system which has been updated over the various editions. This page documents the current working game system for Earthdawn Fourth Edition.

Publication History

The Earthdawn (Game System) has seen multiple publications, updates, and retcons. For legacy versions of this system, please see the following:

• Earthdawn (Game System) - First Edition
• Earthdawn (Game System) - Second Edition
• Earthdawn (Game System) - Third Edition
• Earthdawn (Game System) - Age of Legend Edition
• Earthdawn (Game System) - Fourth Edition

Game Mechanics (Fourth Edition)

Earthdawn is similar to many other TTRPGs, with Players through Player Characters working with a Game Master to navigate the world, encounters, combat, magic and more.

Dice

The Earthdawn game system uses D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, an D20 dice while rolling.

The Step System

Dice rolls in Earthdawn are made against a standard table, called the Step/Action Dice Table in actions called Tests. Key to the Step/Action Die Table comes from a player identifying their Step Number, then selecting the appropriate Action Dice. The Fourth Edition Step/Action Table is provided below:

Step/Action Dice Table

Step Number	Action Dice	Step Number	Action Dice
1	D4-2	21	D20+2D8
2	D4-1	22	D20+D10+D8
3	D4	23	D20+2D10
4	D6	24	D20+D12+D10
5	D8	25	D20+2D12
6	D10	26	D20+D12+2D6
7	D12	27	D20+D12+D8+D6
8	2D6	28	D20+D12+2D8
9	D8+D6	29	D20+D12+D10+D8
10	2D8	30	2D20+2D6
11	D10+D8	31	2D20+D8+D6
12	2D10	32	2D20+2D8
13	D12+D10	33	2D20+D10+D8
14	2D12	34	2D20+2D10
15	D12+2D6	35	2D20+D12+D10
16	D12+D8+D6	36	2D20+2D12
17	D12+2D8	37	2D20+D12+2D6
18	D12+D10+D8	38	2D20+D12+D8+D6
19	D20+2D6	39	2D20+D12+2D8
20	D20+D8+D6	40	2D20+D12+D10+D8

Step Number

Defining the Step Number can vary from task to task, but when in doubt, ask your Game Master. Common Step Number calculations are:

• Action Tests Step = Attribute Step + Talent/Skill Rank
• Damage Step (Weapon) = Strength Step + Weapon Damage Step

Step Modifiers

A Step Number can be modified in several ways, including:

• Bonuses: Many abilities, such as Winning Smile, which adds the Skill Rank to calculated Step Number.
• Penalties: Statuses such as Impaired Movement or being Knocked Down, can impact the calculated Step Number.

Tests & Rolling

Actions are resolved in Earthdawn via Tests and dice rolling using the Step Table, with the following supplementary rules.

Karma Dice

Adepts can spend a Karma Point to add extra die to their roles, with limitations in the Discipline features. In early game, this bonus is generally a D6, but can be modified through character progression, Horror marks, and Game Master discretion.

Bonus Dice

When a die is rolled with its maximum number, the player may roll the same die again, adding it to their test total. This additional die is called a Bonus Dice.

The Rule of One

When all dice rolled for a test produce a 1, the Action fails. This holds true even if the sum would be higher than the Difficulty.

Calculating Success

Success on an Action occurs when the dice sum excedes the Difficulty Number provided. Every amount of 5 by which the roll result exceeds the Difficulty Number counts as additional success. Additional Successes, as always, remain at the discretion of the Game Master in how they impact the action.

In older editions of Earthdawn, degrees of success have been provided, but are subject to Game Master approval:

• Average Outcome = 1 Success
• Good Outcome = 2 Success
• Excellent Outcome = 3 Successes
• Extraordinary Outcome = 4 Success

Character Creation

Character creation in Earthdawn, like other games, can be the most fun part of the game. Player characters are Adepts, Namegivers who have woven their fate with the setting's Disciplines, using a point-based system and references to racial attributes. The main steps are:

1. Choose a Race: The player selects one of the Namegiver races. Each race has a unique Attributes, bonuses, starting Karma Modifier, and Movement Rate.
2. Choose a Discipline: Players select their characters Discipline from their game-approved list, which is most commonly the core 15 disciplines. A Discipline provides the core rubric for advancement, Half-Magic, Talents, and archetype flavor.
3. Assign Attributes: The player assigns 25 points to their Attributes and Karma, using their Race Attributes as starting numbers.
4. Determine Characteristics: Secondary stats are generated from the assigned character attributes for Physical Defense, Mystic Defense, Social Defense, Initiative, Recovery Tests, and Death/Wound Thresholds.
5. Assign Talent Ranks: New players have a total of 8 points to assign to the Talents in their Discipline overview. Humans possess the Versatility talent, allowing them to learn Talents from other Disciplines. Magic using Disciplines; Elementalist, Illusionist, Nethermancer, and Wizard, also calculte their Starting Spells which is equal to their Perception.
6. Assign Skills: Players receive 2 Ranks in Knowledges, 1 Rank in Artisan Skills, 2 in Speak Language, and 1 Rank in Read/Write Language. The Adept may be further customized with 8 Rank points in Free Skills.
7. Equip Your Character: Often, Starting gear is selected using the equipment list and standard starting silver, or your Game Master may provide the Player with initial equipment.
8. Flesh Out Your Character: At some point, the Player will give their Adept a name, appearance, background, goals, personality, and connections to the world. As with other role-playing gams, this is good to at least think through.
9. Finalize: Review your character with your Game Master and get to killing Horrors!

Talents & Skills

Earthdawn is notable for having a complex system of character customization, and this is found in its Talents and Skills. While they may seem similar, and some have redundant presences in the Talent and Skill lists provided, they are fundementally different. Talents represent the abilities of Adepts to channel magic to accomplish super-human tasks, while Skills reflect their more mundane counterparts. Many Talents, like Air Dancing or Item History are unique to Air Sailors and magician Adepts, Skills like Forgery and Mapmaking rely on more mundane abilities.

The Combat Round

Combat in Earthdawn follows general expectations in modern TTRPGs, with players declaring actions, making rolls, and the Game Master doing the same for NPCs and the environment. There are some twists, though. Combat in the game is handled in turns called Combat Rounds, with each equal to six seconds of game time. Unlike other games, Initiative is checked every Combat Round, and can be changed.

The following is the Fourth Edition rules for Earthdawn combat.

1. Declare Intentions
2. Determine Initiative
3. Declare & Resolve Actions
4. Begin New Round

Further details are provided below.

Declare Intentions

Intentions declarations are an interesting and novel component of the system, where players can select a Combat Option from the table below, which modifies actions they take or are the receiving end of:

Combat Options Table
Combat Option	Strain	Effect/Modifier
Aggressive Attack	1/Attack	+3 Bonus to Attack and Damge tests, -3 penalty to physical and Mystic Defense
Attacking to Knockdown	0	May knock an opponent down with next attack.
Attacking to Stun	0	Damage inflicted is Stun damage.
Called Shot	1	-3 Penalty to Attack test, success hits target area.
Defensive Stance	0	+3 to Physical and Mystic Defense, -3 Penalty to all other tests, excluding Knockdown.
Jump Up	0	No movement allowed aside from standing up.
Setting Against Charge	2	Allows the player or character to dismount an opponent.
Shattering a Shield	0	What it says on the label.
Splitting Movement	1	Player or character can split movement to move before or after an action, gives the Harried condition.
Tail Attack (T'skraang Only)	0	T'skraang may make an additional Unarmed Combat attack, but gains a penalty of -2 to all tests

Determine Initiative

Ever Combat Round:

• Option #1: Initiative is rerolled based on Initiative Step, this is the Earthdawn Fourth Edition standard rule.
• Option #2: To expedite combat, Game Masters may choose not to make Initiative checks for NPCs, or may alternatively use their static Initiative Step.
• Option #3: This is a homebrew rule, which uses Initiative Step alone, with roll-offs if needed.

Declare & Resolve Actions

Several actions are available to both players and NPCs:

• Movement: A player or NPC can move up to their Movement Rate. As a Standard Action, they may move that distance again.
• Standard Actions: Players or NPCs may perform one Standard Action. NPCs have abilities that can be used as a Standard Action, as do Talents.
• Sustained Actions: Many actions require more than one round to accomplish many Talents and magical abilities require sustaining, and will be noted as "Action:Sustained."
• Free Actions: Free actions are simple tasks that do not involve Talents, Skills, or Movement, such as speaking a short sentence, or drawing/sheathing a weapon.
• Reserved Actions: Players and NPCs can define an action they want to take when a specific situation occurs, but when the action is triggered, all Difficulties during their turn are +2.
• Delayed Actions: Players or NPCs can delay their action until any time later then their current Initiative. If the player or NPC decides to act in the same round, they can do so, but cannot interrupt another action. If the Delayed player or NPC does not act in the current turn, their Initiative in the following turn is 1 higher.

Resolving Attacks

Combat in Earthdawn may not seem as simple as other TTRPGs, but there is a flow to it. The following flow is simplified from the Fourth Edition rules:

1. Make an Attack test: Attacks are rolled based on the relevant Player or NPC's Step, using the relevant Attribute + Talent/Skill. In the case of physical attacks, the Difficulty is often the target's Physical Defense.
2. Make a Damage test: A Damage Test is rolled, with a combined Step of relevant Attribute + Weapon Damage Step.
3. Resolve Damage: Damage is calculated for the attack recipient, with Physical or Mystic Armor's relevant rating subtracting from the damage total. If the attack's recipient receives damage greater than their Wound Threshold, they receive a Wound. If the Damage received exceeds the target's Wound Threshold by more than 5, they are knocked down. The damage recipient then checks their Unconsciousness and Death Ratings, to determine if they fall unconscious or die. Several Talents or first aid from a nearby ally can assist with unconscious or dying characters.

Magic

Like the Step System, use of magic in Earthdawn provides for unique gameplay. Earthdawn does not use a Vancian system, so leave your spells slots at home. In it's place, Spell Matrices are introduced. In the Earthdawn setting, the astral realm all magicians draw their abilities from has become polluted, and in some places even fully corrupted, making magic itself dangerous. The Horrors are also always watching for an errant novice to corrupt.

Adepts of the Fourth World also have access to a unique, and very cool, sub-system to support its magic that involves the weaving of arcane Threads to spells and Patterns, called Thread Weaving or Thread Magic. This system is Discipline specific, with Archers possessing Arrow Weaving, Warriors and War Weaving, etc. Further enriching the system is the power of some magicians to call on powerful spirits through unique, discipline specific summoning talents.

For a more in-depth look at Magic in Earthdawn, see the dedicated wiki page.

Progression

Player characters advance in ability and powers through a system by accruing Legend Points, a parallel to experience in other systems. During gameplay, through adventures, heroic actions, slaying foes, conquering hurdles, and more. Characters can spend Legend Points to improve attribute values, Talent/Skill Ranks, weave permanent Threads, learn new spells, and advancent to new Discipline Circles. For more details on progression, see the Progression wiki page.

Unique Game Systems

Damage System

Characters in Earthdawn have several mechanics for dealing with health. Damage is serious in Earthdawn, but contrary to Hit Points in other games where damage is subtracted from a total, Earthdawn players and NPCs accrue damage over time. All characters have an attribute for Wound Threshold, Recovery, Unconsciousness Rating, and Death Rating.

Strain

Strain is a very interesting mechanic that drives a strong sense of realism in the game. Actions taken by characters, from Talents to spellcasting, will cause the accrual of Damage Points, and reflect the effort to exert abilities. Accruing Strain does not cause Wounds, but it does contribute in the Damage Points calculated against Unconsciousness and Death Ratings.

Defense Mechanics

While other systems might use attribute checks for tasks like intimidation or hurling a fireball, Earthdawn provides characters with several defenses that action tests are checked against, specifically Physical Defense, Mystic Defense, and Social Defense.