Multiverse TTRPG Core Rules

Traits

GM: Alright Robin, let’s work through your character’s traits. I want you to think about what makes your gunslinger unique. What do you feel is your character’s strongest characteristic? Are they super smart? Not necessarily book smart, but good at quickly solving things and coming to conclusions? Are they super fast, flexible, and good at ranged attacks? Are they a good fighter with any weapon, or charming and able to talk their way out of trouble, or is their biggest strength that they never give up no matter what?

Robin: Oh definitely fast and good at ranged attacks. They’re quick on the draw, you know? That classic gunslinger who can outdraw anyone in a fair fight or sometimes not fair fight.

GM: Perfect! Then you may want to consider putting your d20 in Agility. That represents not just speed, but precision, hand-eye coordination, and all those lightning-fast reflexes that make a legendary gunslinger. We now have d4 through d12 to work with for your other traits. On the flip side, where do you feel your character is weakest?

Robin: I would say fighting. Like, hand-to-hand combat. I can see them being deadly with guns, but give them a sword or make them throw punches and they’re horrible at it.

GM: That makes sense! A specialist who’s put all their training into firearms. So Fight gets the d4. That’s your weakest trait. Now we have d6, d8, d10, and d12 left to distribute among Athleticism, Brains, Charm, and Spirit. What’s next strongest after that lightning-quick draw?

Robin: Hmm, I’m thinking they’re pretty charismatic. Like, they have that confident swagger that comes with being really good at something dangerous. People respect that, you know?

GM: That “don’t mess with me” presence. So Charm gets the d12. That leaves d6, d8, and d10 for Athleticism, Brains, and Spirit. How do you see those playing out?

Robin: Well, they’d need to be in decent physical shape. You can’t be a wandering gunslinger if you can’t handle long rides or chase down outlaws. So maybe Athleticism gets the d8?

GM: Makes sense. A gunslinger needs stamina and physical conditioning. So that’s d8 for Athleticism. Now we’re down to d6 and d10 for Brains and Spirit. Which way are you leaning?

Robin: Spirit should be higher, I think. They’ve got that inner steel, that determination that keeps them going even when things look bad. But they’re not necessarily the smartest person in the room often getting themselves into situations they probably should have thought first about.

GM: So Spirit gets the d10 and Brains gets the d6. They’re not dumb, just more intuitive than analytical. Let me read back what we have: Fight d4, Athleticism d8, Agility d20, Brains d6, Charm d12, Spirit d10. How does that feel?

Robin: That sounds perfect! They’re incredibly fast and precise, confident and determined, in good physical shape, but not great in a fistfight and more likely to shoot first and think later.

GM: Exactly! And remember, that d6 in Brains doesn’t mean they’re stupid. It just means when they need to solve problems quickly, they’re more likely to rely on instinct and experience than careful analysis. Now, does this character have any specific motivation that drives them to adventure?

Robin: I’m thinking they’re seeking redemption for something in their past. Maybe they used to work for the wrong people and now they’re trying to make amends.

GM: That’s a great motivation. And for a flaw, what gets them into trouble despite their better judgment?

Robin: Pride, definitely. They can’t back down from a challenge, especially if someone questions their skill with a gun. Even when they should just walk away.

GM: Perfect! This character is really coming together nicely!

This example demonstrates how GMs can help players connect their character concepts to mechanical choices through guided questions and collaborative discussion. The process focuses on narrative logic first, with mechanics serving to support the player’s vision.

Character traits form the mechanical foundation of who your character is and what they can accomplish in the world. These numerical representations capture both your character’s natural talents and their learned skills, serving as the primary tools for determining success and failure in crucial moments. Every action that carries risk or requires skill will call upon one of these traits, making them central to how your character interacts with the challenges they face.

Your character’s traits are organized into two complementary categories: primary traits and secondary traits. The six primary traits represent your character’s fundamental capabilities across the core areas of human potential:

• Fight - Your ability to engage in combat with weapons of any type, from fists to poleaxes.
• Athleticism - Your overall physical conditioning, endurance, and natural athletic prowess.
• Agility - Your capacity for quick movement, evasion, and precise motor control in high-pressure situations.
• Brains - Your intellectual acuity and analytical thinking, encompassing both book learning and street smarts.
• Charm - Your force of personality and ability to influence others through persuasion, deception, or inspiration.
• Spirit - Your inner strength, determination, and refusal to surrender when faced with overwhelming odds.

These primary traits serve as the foundation for most skill checks in the game. Whenever your character attempts something where the outcome is uncertain, whether that’s swinging a sword, solving a puzzle, or convincing a guard to let you pass, you’ll roll one of these traits to determine success or failure.

Secondary traits build upon this foundation, adding layers of depth and mechanical complexity that bring your character to life. Some secondary traits, like Resilience, are derived from your primary traits and represent your character’s capacity to endure punishment. Others, Motivation and Flaws, are personal characteristics you select during character creation. These traits create opportunities for compelling roleplay while providing mechanical rewards for embracing both your character’s strengths and their vulnerabilities.

Primary Traits

At character creation, you’ll assign a die type to each of your six primary traits, choosing from the following options: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Each die represents a different level of capability, from the d4 indicating significant struggle in that area to the d20 representing truly exceptional skill. The middle values d6, d8, d10, and d12 represent the range from below average to considerably above average. Importantly, you may only use each die type once, forcing you to make meaningful choices about your character’s strengths and weaknesses.

This system ensures that every character has a unique profile of abilities. No character can be exceptional at everything, and even the most capable heroes will have areas where they struggle. These limitations aren’t flaws in your character design—they’re opportunities for interesting roleplay and collaborative problem-solving with your fellow players.

Concept-Based Selection: Many campaign settings provide pre-designed character concepts that offer suggested trait distributions as starting points. These concepts such as “Scientist,” “Soldier,” or “Street Performer” give you a mechanical framework that matches common character archetypes while still allowing for customization.

For example, if you choose a “Scientist” concept, your setting might recommend the following distribution:

This distribution creates a character who excels at intellectual challenges (d20 Brains) while struggling in physical confrontations (d4 Fight). The other traits fall somewhere in between, suggesting a character with average athletic ability, decent agility and social skills, and solid determination.

However, these suggestions are just starting points. As you develop your character’s background and personality, you might decide to adjust these assignments. Perhaps your scientist isn’t the stereotypical socially awkward academic, but rather someone who became brilliant through adversity. Maybe they were a talented water polo player whose sports career was cut short, leading them to channel their competitive drive into scientific pursuits. In this case, you might redistribute the traits like this:

This version creates a very different character—one who maintains their intellectual brilliance but trades social grace for physical capability. This scientist might be somewhat bitter about their derailed athletic career, struggling with interpersonal relationships while excelling at the physical demands of fieldwork. Both versions are valid “scientists,” but they’ll play very differently and create distinct storytelling opportunities.

Oops, I played it different than I thought…
Character creation is as much art as science, and sometimes the character you envision isn’t the one who emerges during actual play. A suggested rule allows players to redistribute their traits after the first or second session, once they’ve had a chance to see how their character actually behaves in the game world.

This adjustment period recognizes that theoretical character concepts don’t always survive contact with the collaborative storytelling process. Your initially shy, intellectual character might reveal a surprising talent for leadership, or your planned social butterfly might turn out to be more introspective than expected. These early-game adjustments should be minor typically swapping adjacent die types rather than completely restructuring your character and are subject to GM approval.

Skill Checks

Every primary trait generates a range of common skill checks that represent the various ways that trait might be tested during play. When the GM calls for a skill check, you’ll roll your trait die along with any modifier dice from abilities, then add or subtract situational modifiers based on equipment, circumstances, or GM judgment. The final total becomes your skill check result.

Example: The GM asks you to make an Athleticism check for your scientist character, who is attempting to chase an unknown creature across a muddy field at night. You don’t have any abilities that modify this type of roll, but the GM assigns a -2 penalty due to the treacherous footing. You roll your d12 Athleticism die and subtract 2 from the result. This final number is then compared against either a difficulty target set by the GM or the result of a contested roll made by your opponent.

Skill difficulties typically range from 2 to 20, though these are guidelines rather than absolute limits. The GM selects difficulties based on the narrative situation, the stakes involved, and the dramatic needs of the story. In contested situations—such as arm wrestling, debates, or chase scenes—both participants roll, and the higher result wins.

Heroic Tokens: Failure, while disappointing, is never the end of your story. Whenever you fail a skill check—regardless of how badly you fail—you earn a Heroic Token. These tokens represent the role that fate plays in the lives of heroes, acknowledging that temporary setbacks often set the stage for dramatic comebacks.

You can also earn Heroic Tokens by embracing your character’s personal traits during roleplay, particularly when acting on your motivations or being hindered by your flaws. These tokens serve multiple purposes: they can be spent to add +1 to any roll (announced before you learn the outcome), they fuel certain character abilities, and they represent your character’s growing experience with adversity.

You can never hold more than five Heroic Tokens at once, encouraging you to spend them rather than hoard them. This creates a natural rhythm of struggle and triumph that drives dramatic storytelling.

Exploding Dice: When you roll the maximum value on your trait die, that die “explodes”; you roll it again and add the results together. If you roll the maximum value again, you roll once more, continuing until you roll anything other than the maximum. This mechanic ensures that even characters with modest abilities can occasionally achieve spectacular results when luck favors them.

For example, if you’re rolling a d12 and get a 12, you roll again. If that second roll is also a 12, you roll a third time. If the third roll is a 7, your total result is 12 + 12 + 7 = 31—an extraordinary outcome that could turn failure into dramatic success.

Critical Success and Failure: Unlike many game systems, rolling a 1 on your trait die isn’t automatically a critical failure in Multiverse. Instead, critical successes and failures are determined by comparing your final result to the difficulty of the task. This relative system means that rolling a 1 plus a small modifier might still represent success on an easy task, while rolling high numbers might still fall short of truly challenging objectives.

The specific ranges for critical results depend on how your roll compares to the target difficulty:

Advanced Skill Check Types: Beyond the standard roll-and-compare skill check, the GM has additional tools for handling complex or extended challenges:

Tiered Checks require multiple successful rolls over time, representing sustained effort or complex tasks that can’t be resolved with a single attempt. The GM might ask for multiple rolls at the same difficulty, or create escalating challenges where each subsequent roll becomes more difficult.

Snap Decisions occur when characters must act instantly without time for careful consideration. For these checks, you roll only your trait die without any ability modifiers, representing pure instinct and natural talent overriding training and preparation.

What types of skill checks apply to each trait varies greatly depending on the situation and the GM’s interpretation. The trait descriptions below provide examples and guidelines, but creative applications are encouraged when they serve the story.

Don’t forget the roleplaying!
While traits provide the mechanical framework for resolving uncertainty, they should never replace the collaborative storytelling that lies at the heart of roleplaying games. Before rolling any dice, take a moment to describe what your character is trying to do and how they’re attempting to do it.

This description serves multiple purposes: it helps the GM determine appropriate modifiers for your roll, it provides inspiration for other players, and it ensures that the mechanical resolution serves the narrative rather than replacing it. Your description doesn’t need to be perfect or elaborate, even experienced players sometimes struggle with this aspect of the game, but the effort to engage with the fiction will enrich the experience for everyone at the table.

After your roll is resolved, give the GM permission to elaborate on the results, describing how your success or failure plays out in the game world. This collaborative approach to narration creates the shared story that makes roleplaying games unique among entertainment mediums.

Fight

Combat Prowess & Physical Aggression

Fight represents your character’s mastery of violence in all its forms, from the brutal simplicity of a bar brawl to the elegant lethality of a master swordsman’s blade work. This trait encompasses far more than mere weapon proficiency—it includes combat awareness, tactical positioning, the ability to read an opponent’s intentions, and most crucially, the psychological capacity to inflict harm when necessary.

Fight is about raw effectiveness in violent encounters. It’s the difference between a trained soldier who has learned to kill efficiently and a gymnast who might be more physically capable but lacks the killer instinct. A character with high Fight doesn’t just know how to use weapons, they understand violence as a language, speaking it fluently when peaceful alternatives have been exhausted.

While some specialized weapons or unique situations might allow characters to substitute other traits (such as using Agility for certain thrown weapons or Brains for tactical advantages), Fight remains the cornerstone of martial prowess. A high Fight score represents not just training and experience, but an intimate understanding of combat that transcends any single weapon or fighting style. It’s the trait of warriors, soldiers, and anyone who has learned that sometimes survival depends on being better at violence than those who would do them harm.

Example Challenges

Example characters who embody combat mastery and martial prowess

• Rambo (First Blood series) - The ultimate soldier
• John Wick (John Wick series) - Precision combat specialist
• Goku (Dragon Ball) - Pure fighting instinct and power
• Conan the Barbarian - Raw combat effectiveness
• Aragorn (Lord of the Rings) - Skilled ranger and warrior
• The Bride (Kill Bill) - Deadly martial artist
• Inigo Montoya (Princess Bride) - Master swordsman seeking revenge
• Kratos (God of War) - Brutal warrior god

Athleticism

Physical Fitness & Athletic Prowess

Athleticism represents the foundation of physical capability; your character’s overall conditioning, endurance, and natural athletic ability. This trait encompasses cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, coordination, and most importantly, your body’s capacity to perform under stress. Unlike more specialized physical traits, Athleticism covers the broad spectrum of activities that require stamina, conditioning, and general bodily control.

Think of Athleticism as your character’s physical versatility. It’s what allows them to sprint across rooftops during a chase scene, hold their breath while swimming through flooded tunnels, scale cliff faces during a mountain expedition, or endure a grueling forced march through hostile territory. This trait represents not just raw physical capability, but also the training and conditioning that allows your character to push their body to its limits when the situation demands it.

A character with high Athleticism has developed their cardiovascular system, built muscular endurance, and honed their body awareness to excel in a wide variety of physical challenges. They’re the person who can run a marathon, then immediately help move furniture, then go dancing all night. This trait frequently comes into play during environmental hazards, pursuit scenes, endurance challenges, and any situation where pure physical conditioning determines the difference between success and failure.

Example Challenges

Special Rule - Breath Holding: The maximum time your character can hold their breath is determined by your Athleticism die type. Take the maximum value and multiply by 30 seconds. A character with d4 Athleticism can hold their breath for a maximum of 2 minutes, while someone with d20 Athleticism can manage an impressive 10 minutes. Each check required beyond this maximum time increases in difficulty, representing the mounting strain on your character’s system.

Example characters known for physical conditioning and endurance

• Captain America (Marvel) - Peak human physical condition
• The Flash (DC Comics) - Ultimate speed and agility
• Tarzan - Natural athletic ability in the wild
• Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) - Adventurer and acrobat
• Rocky Balboa (Rocky series) - Endurance and determination
• Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean) - Blacksmith turned pirate
• Wonder Woman (DC Comics) - Amazonian physical prowess
• Usain Bolt (real person) - World’s fastest human

Agility

Speed, Precision & Finesse

Agility represents your character’s mastery of movement, dexterity, and precise motor control. This trait encompasses quick reflexes, fine manipulation skills, and the ability to move with grace and precision even under extreme pressure. While Athleticism focuses on endurance and raw physical capability, Agility is about finesse. It’s the difference between a powerlifter who can move tremendous weight and a gymnast who can place their body exactly where they want it, exactly when they need to.

The applications of Agility are diverse and often crucial to character survival. In combat, this trait determines how effectively your character can dodge incoming attacks, strike with surgical precision, or position themselves advantageously on a chaotic battlefield. Outside of combat, Agility governs activities requiring steady hands and perfect timing: picking locks under pressure, walking across narrow ledges, performing sleight of hand, executing acrobatic maneuvers, or moving silently through dangerous territory.

A character with high Agility moves like liquid lightning, fluid, precise, and impossibly quick when the situation demands it. They’re the person who can catch a falling glass, slip through a crowded room without disturbing anyone, or thread a needle while riding in a bouncing wagon. This trait often determines success in situations where being fast and precise matters more than being strong or tough.

Example Challenges

Example characters who excel at speed, precision, and finesse

• Spider-Man (Marvel) - Acrobatic web-slinger
• Catwoman (DC Comics) - Stealthy cat burglar
• Nightcrawler (X-Men) - Teleporting acrobat
• Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed) - Master assassin
• Black Widow (Marvel) - Spy and infiltration expert
• Westley (Princess Bride) - Dread Pirate Roberts, master of finesse
• Solid Snake (Metal Gear) - Stealth operative
• Robin (DC Comics) - Acrobatic sidekick

Brains

Intelligence, Wit & Mental Acuity

Brains represents your character’s raw intellectual power, analytical thinking, and ability to process complex information rapidly under pressure. This trait encompasses far more than academic intelligence. It includes street smarts, intuitive leaps, pattern recognition, and the capacity to understand and navigate complex situations quickly. Unlike formal education or specialized knowledge, Brains is about natural mental ability and adaptability.

Think of Brains as your character’s mental agility. It’s what allows them to spot the logical flaw in an enemy’s argument, deduce the real motive behind someone’s seemingly innocent actions, remember crucial details from weeks ago, or devise a brilliant solution to an immediate problem with only moments to think. This trait represents the difference between someone who memorizes facts and someone who can connect disparate pieces of information to reveal hidden truths.

A character with high Brains doesn’t just think quickly. They think effectively, seeing connections and possibilities that others miss entirely. They’re the person who can analyze a crime scene and reconstruct what happened, solve complex puzzles through logical deduction, or read between the lines in social situations to understand what’s really going on. This mental acuity often proves just as valuable as physical prowess when navigating the challenges that face adventuring characters.

Example Challenges

Example characters who embody intelligence and analytical thinking

• Sherlock Holmes - Master detective
• Batman (DC Comics) - World’s greatest detective
• Light Yagami (Death Note) - Strategic mastermind
• Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Marvel) - Scientific genius
• Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones) - Cunning strategist
• L (Death Note) - Brilliant investigator
• Vizzini (Princess Bride) - Self-proclaimed genius strategist
• Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) - Academic brilliance

Charm

Charisma, Influence & Force of Personality

Charm represents your character’s ability to influence, persuade, and captivate others through the sheer force of their personality. This trait encompasses much more than smooth talking or physical attractiveness. It includes the magnetic presence that makes people want to listen, the emotional intelligence to understand what others need to hear, and the confidence to project authority even in uncertain situations.

The applications of Charm span the entire spectrum of social interaction, from honest persuasion and inspiring leadership to cunning deception and subtle manipulation. It’s the trait that determines whether you can convince a guard to let you pass with a smile and a story, rally a group of demoralized allies for one last desperate charge, or lie your way out of trouble with such confidence that your targets believe you completely.

A character with high Charm doesn’t just speak. They command attention, inspire confidence, and leave lasting impressions on everyone they encounter. They understand that communication is as much about reading their audience as it is about having something to say. This force of personality can open doors that no amount of money, threats, or technical skill could budge, making it an invaluable tool for characters who must navigate complex social situations.

Example Challenges

Example characters who excel at influence and force of personality

• James Bond - Suave secret agent
• Tony Stark (Marvel) - Charismatic billionaire
• Han Solo (Star Wars) - Smooth-talking smuggler
• Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones) - Silver-tongued diplomat
• Loki (Marvel) - God of mischief and lies
• Ferris Bueller - Master manipulator of people
• Westley (Princess Bride) - Charming farm boy turned pirate
• Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) - Roguish pirate

Spirit

Willpower, Grit & Fighting Spirit

Spirit represents the indomitable core of your character—their raw determination, unshakeable willpower, and absolute refusal to surrender even when facing overwhelming odds. This trait encompasses mental resilience, emotional fortitude, and the deep-seated grit that drives someone to keep pushing forward when everything seems hopeless. Spirit is what separates those who break under pressure from those who dig deeper and find reserves of strength they never knew they possessed.

The manifestations of Spirit are as varied as the characters who possess it. It might appear as the wounded soldier who continues fighting despite grievous injuries, the detective who refuses to give up on a cold case even when everyone else has moved on, the prisoner who endures torture without breaking, or the leader who stands firm and projects confidence when everyone else has lost hope. This isn’t mere stubbornness. It’s having an unshakeable core that adversity cannot touch.

Spirit is what drives characters to achieve the seemingly impossible through sheer force of will, transforming potential defeat into miraculous victory. When skill fails and luck runs out, Spirit is what makes heroes rise to meet challenges that should destroy them. It’s the trait that turns ordinary people into legends, not through superior ability, but through absolute refusal to accept defeat.

Example Challenges

Example characters who embody willpower, grit, and fighting spirit

• Asta (Black Clover) - Never-give-up attitude
• John McClane (Die Hard) - Refuses to quit
• Guts (Berserk) - Survives impossible odds
• Deku/Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) - Heroic determination
• Ellen Ripley (Alien series) - Survivor against all odds
• Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings) - Loyal and determined
• Inigo Montoya (Princess Bride) - Driven by vengeance and honor
• Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean) - Transforms from lady to pirate king
• Sarah Connor (Terminator series) - Unbreakable will to survive

Trait Substitution and Equipment
The relationship between traits and actions isn’t always rigid. Creative problem-solving often involves finding ways to apply your character’s strengths to challenges that might initially seem to require different abilities. Equipment, in particular, can change which trait applies to a given situation.

For example, picking a lock traditionally requires an Agility check, representing the fine motor control needed to manipulate the mechanism. However, if your character has an electronic lock-picking device, the challenge might become a Brains check instead, as the task shifts from manual dexterity to understanding and operating the technology.

Many pieces of equipment explicitly offer trait alternatives. A dagger, for instance, might allow you to use either Agility (for precise, quick strikes) or Fight (for aggressive close combat) when making attacks. As a player, you can choose which trait to use based on your character’s strengths and the tactical situation, unless specific circumstances limit your options.

This flexibility encourages creative thinking and ensures that characters can find ways to contribute meaningfully even when facing challenges that don’t align perfectly with their strongest traits.

Secondary Traits

While primary traits define your character’s fundamental capabilities, secondary traits add depth and nuance that brings your character to life. Secondary traits fall into two categories: derived traits that are calculated from your primary traits, and personal traits that you select to define your character’s inner drives and vulnerabilities. The derived trait, Resilience, represents your character’s ability to endure physical and mental punishment; how much fight they have left when the world seems determined to break them. Lasting Effects are lasting damage affects that come from combat or other situations that may harm your character physically, mentally, or spiritually. AP Max or Ability Point Maximum is determined by your milestones. The personal traits: Motivation and Flaws create the emotional core of your character, providing not just roleplaying opportunities but mechanical rewards for embracing what drives your character forward and what holds them back. These traits transform your character from a collection of dice into a living person with hopes, terrors, and imperfections that make their story compelling.

Resilience

Resilience represents your character’s capacity to absorb punishment, both physical and emotional, before reaching their breaking point. This isn’t just about how much damage your character can take; it’s about their fundamental toughness, their ability to keep functioning when others would collapse, and their refusal to quit even when their body and spirit are pushed to their limits.

Your Maximum Resilience is calculated using a simple formula based on your Spirit trait:

$$\text{Max Spirit} - \text{Lasting Injuries} = \text{Max Resilience}$$

For example, if your character has a d6 Spirit die, their maximum value is 6. At character creation, this would be their Max Resilience since they haven’t yet accumulated any lasting injuries. As your character takes damage during adventures, you subtract that damage from their current resilience. If your character takes more damage than their Max Resilience allows, they don’t simply fall unconscious—they enter a critical state where they must make crucial decisions about their survival.

This system creates a meaningful relationship between your character’s spiritual strength and their physical endurance. A character with unshakeable determination (high Spirit) can continue fighting longer than someone who gives up easily, regardless of their physical conditioning.

Doing and Taking Damage When the action is one that can damage another person such as punching them, using a weapon, or maybe using an ability to attack their mind, you can do damage to the opponent (or object if attempting to break an object). The amount done is based on the difference from the difficultly and the value of the success.

For example, you throw a punch at someone which requires a Fight contested roll against Agility. You roll a 6, and they roll a 5. You have successfully struck them, doing 1 point of damage. Since they do not have anything that can reduce that damage (armor for example may reduce damage), they take 1 point of damage against their Resilience.

Consequences of Dropping to Zero Resilience
When your character’s damage equals or exceeds their Max Resilience, they enter a critical state that represents the razor’s edge between heroic perseverance and complete collapse. In this state, your character faces severe limitations but also dramatic opportunities:

Immediate Effects:

• Your character can no longer move normally or take most actions, limited only to the options described below
• Anyone attacking your character gains a +5 bonus to their attack roll
• All attacks against your character become contested rolls against your Spirit. It’s only your characters determination keeping them conscious

Critical Action Options:

Blaze of Glory: Sometimes heroes find their greatest strength in their darkest moment. You can declare a Blaze of Glory before taking any action, drawing on reserves of power you never knew you had. This action receives a +20 bonus to the roll, making success almost automatic. However, immediately after completing this action, your character dies. Only supernatural abilities can bring them back from this fate. This should be roleplayed as the epic culmination of your character’s story—their final, greatest act before passing into legend.

Heroic Surge: By spending 1 Heroic Token, you can surge back into action with 1d4 points of resilience restored. Any attacks against you that turn automatically fail as fate intervenes to keep you fighting. This doesn’t make you safe, lasting effects like poison or bleeding continue to threaten you, but it gives you another chance to affect the outcome. You can only use this option once per scene.

Let Fate Decide: You can roll your Spirit die against a difficulty of 5 (or as a contested roll if being attacked). Success restores 1 point of resilience, but you automatically gain a Minor Lasting Injury from pushing your body beyond its limits.

Giving Up: Your character can choose to surrender, immediately falling unconscious. If they take no additional damage, they’ll wake up in a few hours with 1 resilience. However, ongoing effects like bleeding or poison continue to cause damage, potentially leading to lasting injuries or death.

Receiving Help: The support of allies can mean the difference between heroic recovery and tragic loss. If someone heals you through magical or technological means, you immediately regain those points as resilience. During turn-based combat, this healing takes effect on your next turn. If you had already declared the use of a Heroic Token for a Heroic Surge, receiving healing allows you to save that token for future use.

More mundane assistance also proves valuable. An ally can spend time providing medical care, helping bandage wounds and stabilize your condition. This extended care allows your character to recover without automatically gaining a Lasting Injury when they wake up at least a few hours later or after the scene has concluded.

Preventing Recovery: When someone reaches zero resilience, opponents can choose to ensure they stay down. By declaring a knockout attack, a contested roll against the target’s Spirit, a successful attacker can render the victim unconscious, preventing them from taking any of the critical actions described above.

Regaining Resilience: After a long rest (at least 6 hours of sleep in safe conditions), characters regain their full Max Resilience. This represents the body’s natural healing processes and the mind’s ability to recover from stress, though lasting injuries continue to reduce the maximum until they heal properly.

Lasting Injuries

While resilience represents your character’s ability to keep fighting in the heat of battle, some wounds run deeper than what can be shaken off after a good night’s rest. Lasting injuries represent the accumulated toll that violence, trauma, and supernatural forces take on both body and soul. These persistent wounds don’t just affect your character mechanically—they become part of their story, shaping how they move through the world and interact with others.

Every lasting injury carries weight beyond its immediate effects. A warrior’s scarred sword arm might ache before storms, a scholar’s fractured psyche might flee from certain memories, or a cursed adventurer might find that shadows seem to follow them wherever they go. These injuries create opportunities for rich roleplaying while serving as tangible reminders of the dangers your character has faced and survived.

Lasting injuries are categorized along two dimensions that determine their impact and recovery. First, they are classified by their nature: Physical injuries affect the body directly, Mental injuries target the psyche and emotional well-being, and Spiritual injuries (often caused by curses, divine wrath, or supernatural forces) wound the very essence of who your character is. Second, they are ranked by severity: Minor, Major, or Severe, each requiring different approaches and timeframes for healing.

When Lasting Injuries Occur:
Lasting injuries typically result from combat, though exceptional roleplaying situations may also warrant them at the GM’s discretion. The severity of the injury depends on the magnitude of the trauma inflicted, whether from a single devastating blow or the accumulation of punishment that finally breaks your character’s defenses.

The most common triggers for lasting injuries are tied directly to the violence of combat and the desperation of survival:

It’s important to understand that lasting injuries are determined by the full damage amount, regardless of your current resilience. Your character’s toughness might prevent them from dropping below 0 resilience, but it cannot fully shield them from the traumatic impact of truly devastating attacks.

For example, imagine a character with 6 Max Resilience facing a massive explosion that deals 20 points of damage. While their resilience drops to 0 (rather than -14), the full force of that 20-point impact still traumatizes their body, automatically inflicting a Severe Injury. If they then choose to use “Let Fate Decide” to get back up, they would gain an additional Minor Injury on top of the Severe one. Upon recovery, their Max Resilience would be reduced to 4, a reminder of the day they barely survived annihilation.

This system ensures that truly catastrophic attacks leave lasting marks on characters, creating both mechanical consequences and storytelling opportunities that persist long after the immediate danger has passed.

Death and Early Retirement:
Heroes are not invincible, and even the most determined spirit has limits. When the accumulated weight of lasting injuries exceeds your character’s core resilience—specifically, when you have more lasting injuries than your maximum Spirit die value—your character reaches a breaking point from which there may be no return.

At this critical juncture, death or retirement becomes inevitable. The exact nature of this ending depends on the types of injuries sustained and should be determined collaboratively between player and GM. A warrior overwhelmed by physical trauma might die from their wounds, while someone broken by mental injuries could be institutionalized, and a character consumed by spiritual corruption might fall into an irreversible coma or become something no longer recognizably human.

This moment represents the natural conclusion of a character’s story; not necessarily a failure, but the recognition that some battles leave scars too deep to continue fighting. The GM has final authority in determining the specific outcome, but the goal should always be to create a meaningful and appropriate end to the character’s journey, one that honors both their struggles and their ultimate humanity.

Ability Point Max (AP Max)

This trait is determined by the milestone. See Section on Advancing Your Character. For most starting characters (who start with 0 milestones), your starting AP Max is 5.

Motivation

You should select one Motivation for your character either using the examples below or coming up with a similar broad category.

Every compelling character is driven by something deeper than mere survival or personal gain. Your character’s Motivation represents the core principle, belief, or driving force that compels them to act heroically, take risks, and push forward when others might give up. This isn’t just a personality quirk or background detail—it’s the fundamental aspect of who your character is that transforms them from an ordinary person into someone capable of extraordinary deeds.

Motivations serve both narrative and mechanical purposes in Multiverse. From a storytelling perspective, your motivation provides a lens through which to view situations and make decisions. It helps you understand how your character would react in challenging circumstances and gives you guidance when facing moral dilemmas or difficult choices. Mechanically, when you act in accordance with your motivation—especially when doing so creates complications, requires sacrifice, or leads you into danger—the GM may award you a Heroic Token, recognizing that your character’s principles are driving the story forward in meaningful ways.

The key to a good motivation is that it should inspire action rather than passivity. A motivation should compel your character to get involved, take stands, and make choices that matter. It should be something that occasionally conflicts with the easy path, pushing your character to do what’s right rather than what’s convenient. When your motivation guides you toward actions that create interesting complications or dramatic moments, you’re playing your character exactly as intended.

Your motivation doesn’t need to be perfectly noble or traditionally heroic. While many characters are driven by classical virtues, others might be motivated by personal codes, emotional needs, or even seemingly selfish desires that nonetheless lead them toward heroic actions. The important thing is that your motivation is genuine to your character and provides clear guidance for how they approach the world.

Example Motivations

Justice - Your character believes deeply in fairness, righteousness, and ensuring that wrongs are made right. They cannot stand to see the innocent suffer or the guilty escape consequences. This might manifest as a paladin’s divine calling, a detective’s unwavering pursuit of truth, or a vigilante’s personal war against corruption. Characters motivated by justice often find themselves standing up to authority figures, defending the helpless, or pursuing dangerous investigations because it’s the right thing to do.

Compassion - Driven by genuine care for others’ wellbeing, your character acts to alleviate suffering wherever they find it. They’re moved to help not by duty or obligation, but by deep empathy for those in pain. This could be a healer who can’t ignore the wounded, a teacher who sees potential in every student, or a revolutionary fighting to improve lives. Compassionate characters often sacrifice their own resources, safety, or goals to help others, even strangers.

Courage - Your character possesses an inner fire that compels them to face danger head-on, especially when others are at risk. They’re driven not by recklessness, but by the conviction that someone must stand against the darkness. This might be a soldier’s duty to protect their comrades, an explorer’s drive to venture into the unknown, or a common citizen’s refusal to be intimidated by threats. Courageous characters volunteer for dangerous missions and refuse to back down from threats.

Temperance - Balance, moderation, and self-control guide your character’s actions. They believe that excess and extremism lead to suffering, and they work to bring harmony to chaotic situations. This could manifest as a diplomat seeking peaceful solutions, a monk practicing mindful living, or a leader who refuses to abuse their power. Characters motivated by temperance often serve as mediators and voices of reason, sometimes frustrating more impulsive allies.

Prudence - Wisdom and careful judgment drive your character to seek the best outcomes through thoughtful action. They’re motivated to gather information, consider consequences, and make decisions that serve the greater good in the long term. This might be a scholar seeking dangerous knowledge to prevent future catastrophes, a strategist willing to make hard choices for ultimate victory, or an advisor who speaks uncomfortable truths. Prudent characters often take on thankless but necessary tasks.

Fortitude - Your character is driven by an unshakeable determination to persevere through any hardship in service of their goals. They refuse to give up, no matter how dire the circumstances become. This could be a parent searching for a lost child, a survivor bearing witness to atrocities, or a guardian maintaining their watch against ancient evils. Characters motivated by fortitude keep going when others despair and inspire others through their example.

Hope - Your character maintains an unwavering belief that things can and will get better, and they’re driven to make that belief reality. They see potential where others see only problems and work tirelessly to nurture positive change. This might be a community organizer building bridges between hostile groups, an inventor creating solutions to seemingly impossible problems, or a storyteller preserving culture and dreams. Hopeful characters often take on seemingly futile causes because they believe every small victory matters.

Redemption - Whether seeking to atone for past mistakes or help others find their path to redemption, your character is driven by the belief that everyone deserves a second chance. They might be working to make amends for their own dark past, or they might be someone who sees the potential for good even in apparent villains. This could manifest as a reformed criminal now fighting crime, a priest offering sanctuary to the desperate, or a mentor helping troubled youth. Characters motivated by redemption often put themselves at risk to save people others have written off.

Knowledge - Your character is compelled by an insatiable hunger for understanding, truth, and discovery. They believe that knowledge itself has value and that understanding the world leads to the power to improve it. This might be a researcher pursuing dangerous secrets, an explorer mapping unknown territories, or a student of magic seeking to understand arcane mysteries. Characters motivated by knowledge often venture into perilous situations because they must know what lies beyond, sometimes prioritizing discovery over personal safety.

Legacy - Your character is driven by the desire to leave something meaningful behind, to ensure that their life makes a lasting positive impact on the world. They think beyond immediate concerns to consider how their actions will affect future generations. This could be a leader building institutions that will outlast them, an artist creating works that inspire others, or a teacher shaping young minds. Characters motivated by legacy often make personal sacrifices for long-term benefits and take on responsibilities that won’t pay off in their lifetime.

Using Your Motivation

Your motivation should influence your character’s decisions throughout the campaign, but it shouldn’t become a straitjacket that limits your options. Real people are complex, and motivations can sometimes conflict with immediate desires or practical concerns. The most interesting characters are those who struggle with their motivations, who sometimes fail to live up to their ideals, or who must find creative ways to honor their principles in complicated situations.

When your character acts in accordance with their motivation—especially when doing so creates interesting complications, requires personal sacrifice, or drives the plot forward. These moments of principled action are opportunities for Heroic Tokens to be awarded, recognizing that your character’s beliefs are making the story more engaging for everyone at the table.

Flaws

No character is perfect, and in many ways, it’s our imperfections that make us most human and interesting. You should select one Flaw. Your character’s Flaw represents a significant personal weakness, character defect, or self-destructive tendency that creates complications in their life. Unlike motivations, which drive characters toward positive action, flaws are the internal obstacles that make success more difficult and create dramatic tension in your character’s story.

Flaws serve a crucial role in collaborative storytelling by ensuring that characters face internal as well as external challenges. They create opportunities for character growth, generate interpersonal conflict that drives narrative forward, and prevent characters from being too perfect or powerful. A well-chosen flaw makes your character more relatable and provides built-in story hooks that your GM can use to create compelling personal stakes in the campaign.

From a mechanical standpoint, when you roleplay your flaw in a way that creates genuine complications, obstacles, or interesting dramatic moments—especially when doing so makes your situation more difficult or dangerous—the GM should award you a Heroic Token. This system rewards players for embracing their character’s weaknesses and using them to enhance the story rather than trying to minimize or ignore them.

The key to a good flaw is that it should be something your character struggles with but doesn’t necessarily want to overcome entirely. It should create interesting internal conflict and present genuine temptation. The best flaws are those that sometimes lead to positive outcomes through unexpected paths, or that create meaningful choices where your character must decide between their desires and their better judgment.

Your flaw shouldn’t completely define your character or make them unplayable, but it should be significant enough to create regular complications. It should be something that other characters might notice and react to, and something that influences how your character approaches challenges and relationships.

Example Flaws

Pride - Your character has an inflated sense of their own importance, abilities, or worth, leading them to refuse help, ignore good advice, or take unnecessary risks to prove their superiority. They might be unable to admit mistakes, refuse to acknowledge others’ contributions, or take on challenges beyond their capabilities simply because backing down would wound their ego. This could manifest as a noble who can’t accept criticism from “commoners,” a warrior who refuses healing because it shows weakness, or a scholar who dismisses others’ ideas without consideration.

Greed - Your character is driven by an excessive desire for wealth, possessions, or material gain, often at the expense of relationships and principles. They might demand larger shares of treasure, make dangerous deals for profit, or prioritize monetary gain over the group’s safety. This doesn’t necessarily mean being evil—they might justify their greed as providing for family or funding important causes—but their desires create complications. Examples include a merchant who can’t resist a profitable but questionable deal, an adventurer who hoards magical items, or a noble obsessed with maintaining their lavish lifestyle.

Wrath - Your character struggles with anger management, responding to frustration, insults, or setbacks with disproportionate fury. They might start fights over minor slights, make threats they later regret, or let their temper override their judgment in crucial moments. This could be a berserker who can’t control their rage in combat, a diplomat whose anger ruins negotiations, or a leader whose fury alienates potential allies. The key is that their anger often makes situations worse rather than better.

Envy - Your character is consumed by resentment toward others’ success, abilities, or possessions, leading them to act in ways that undermine both themselves and others. They might sabotage allies out of jealousy, make poor decisions to compete with rivals, or become obsessed with surpassing someone else rather than focusing on their own goals. This could manifest as a mage jealous of their mentor’s power, a warrior envious of their comrade’s reputation, or a noble bitter about their sibling’s inheritance.

Gluttony - Your character has an excessive appetite or compulsive behavior regarding consumption—whether food, drink, magical power, or experiences. They struggle with moderation and self-control, often indulging even when it’s inappropriate or dangerous. This might be an adventurer who can’t resist trying every magical potion they find, a noble who continues feasting while others starve, or a spellcaster who drains themselves casting unnecessary magic. The flaw lies in their inability to recognize when enough is enough.

Sloth - Your character tends toward laziness, procrastination, or taking the path of least resistance, even when more effort would yield better results. They might avoid responsibilities, delay important tasks, or look for shortcuts that create bigger problems. This could be a talented but unmotivated student, a guard who neglects their duties, or a leader who makes decisions based on convenience rather than necessity. The dramatic tension comes from situations where their laziness conflicts with urgent needs.

Lust - Your character is driven by powerful desires that override their better judgment—whether for physical pleasure, romantic conquest, or emotional connection. They might make poor decisions to pursue attractive individuals, betray commitments for momentary passion, or become distracted by their desires at inappropriate times. This could manifest as a spy whose emotions compromise their mission, a leader whose affairs create political complications, or an adventurer whose romantic pursuits endanger the group.

Cowardice - Despite potentially being capable of brave acts, your character’s default response to danger or conflict is to avoid, flee, or let others take risks while they remain safe. They might abandon allies in dangerous situations, refuse to take necessary risks, or make decisions based on fear rather than logic or morality. This creates tension when their self-preservation instincts conflict with their responsibilities or the needs of others.

Addiction - Your character struggles with a compulsive dependency—whether on substances, activities, or even magical effects. They might risk everything to obtain their addiction, make poor decisions while under its influence, or suffer withdrawal symptoms that impair their abilities. This could be a warrior addicted to combat stimulants, a mage dependent on magical energy, or an aristocrat who gambles compulsively. The flaw creates regular complications as they balance their needs with their responsibilities.

Guilt - Your character is haunted by past actions or failures, leading them to make decisions based on misplaced responsibility or self-punishment rather than current circumstances. They might take unnecessary risks to “atone,” refuse rewards they feel they don’t deserve, or sabotage their own success because they believe they deserve to suffer. This could be a former soldier tormented by wartime actions, a healer who lost a patient, or a leader whose past decisions led to tragedy.

Gullibility - Your character is overly trusting and easily deceived, readily believing what others tell them without sufficient skepticism or verification. They might fall for obvious lies, trust people who clearly have ulterior motives, or make decisions based on information that others would immediately recognize as suspicious. This could manifest as a naive noble who believes every sob story they hear, an adventurer who trusts obviously shady merchants, or a scholar who accepts questionable sources without proper research. Their trusting nature often leads them into traps, bad deals, or dangerous situations.

Recklessness - Your character acts impulsively without considering consequences, often putting themselves and others in unnecessary danger. They might charge into situations without planning, make snap decisions without consulting others, or take risks simply for the thrill. This differs from courage in that it’s not motivated by protecting others but by an inability to properly assess or care about risks. Examples include an explorer who ventures into obviously dangerous areas alone, a socialite who makes provocative statements without considering political ramifications, or a warrior who abandons tactics for the excitement of combat.

Embracing Your Flaw

The goal isn’t to overcome your flaw completely; that would eliminate a major source of character development and dramatic tension. Instead, embrace it as an integral part of who your character is. Let it create complications, drive interesting decisions, and generate conflict both internal and external.

When your character acts according to their flaw in ways that create genuine obstacles, complicate the current situation, or generate interesting dramatic moments especially when doing so makes your character’s life more difficult. These moments of flawed but compelling roleplay are exactly when Heroic Tokens can be awarded, recognizing that you’re making the story more engaging by embracing your character’s humanity rather than trying to play them as a perfect hero.

Remember that flaws often lead to some of the most memorable and meaningful character moments in any campaign. They’re not punishment. They’re opportunities for great storytelling.

What’s Next? - Bloodline

With your character’s concept, traits, motivation, and flaw established, the next step is defining their bloodline.