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Important Terminology |
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To make best of this ruleset, you will want to familiarize yourselves with several key pieces of terminology and abbreviations. These terms and abbreviations are used throughout this work, and many are common to the hobby of tabletop roleplaying games. For a larger, more comprehensive list of terminology and abbreviations, please see the Glossary at the back of this book.
Alignment: This is on how one interacts with the larger macro- and (in some cases) the micro-factions of the Known Universe. Alignment is always in flux, and those who refuse to pay attention to what factions do, notice, and respond to will surely find themselves in serious trouble.
Ancestry: Who are your people? Where do they come from? Why do they matter?
Attribute: One of five (5) baseline character traits—Brawn (BRN), Agility (AGL), Stamina (STA), Intellect (INT), AND Moxie (MOX).
- Brawn (BRN) – the physical strength of one’s character. The ability to kick down doors, pull heavy weights and put a character’s physical body to the test.
- Agility (AGL) – the quickness or dexterity exhibited by a character. Balancing, martial arts, and even acrobatics might use this as a baseline attribute.
- Stamina (STA) – the mental and physical health of your character.
- Intellect (INT) – a character’s ability to reason, understand, synthesize, etc.
- Moxie (MOX) – a character’s practical social intelligence; ability to manipulate others through shrewd social-emotional assets.
Attribute Modifier: These are modifiers that temporarily modify dice rolls applicable to a given attribute. For example, blown eardrums might result in a lowered Agility (AGL) score modifier or -1. Modifiers are generally between -5 and +5, with some exceptions.
Attribute Score: The numerical rating of an attribute, which is applied to various checks while playing Primordial Debts. Attribute scores range from 1 (minimum) or 50 (maximum). The lowest an attribute score can go is 0. In most cases, 0 means death or serious (debilitating) injury, condition, etc.
Beliefs: These are those elements of a character’s agency. They are religious, philosophical, and political. These beliefs will be tested as the game progresses.
Check: A method of deciding the result of a character’s action (other than attacking and making saving throws). Checks are based on a relevant ability, skill, etc. To make a check, discuss with your Referee (REF) what modifiers come into play, along with skills and/or attributes. From there, you will add everything together and roll a 3d6, looking for anything equal to or lower than the target number to succeed.
Culture: This is a signpost for human activities and human existence. Culture describes our tastes, our beliefs, our languages, our historical relationships, and so much more.
Difficulty Modifier: This is a number added to or subtracted from the baseline target number, which is something players are trying to roll equal to or under using 3d6. Ranges from -5 (or lower) to +5 (or higher), all of which is determined by the REF.
Discord: This is the chaos that comes from leaning on one’s luck in-game. Discord always follows good or bad fortunes. Every time a token representing Fortune is used, discord comes into the picture.
DMG: The amount of damage a character can absorb, with the help of natural and/or synthetic defenses. Maximum damage absorption is capped at 100 points. Usually, characters cannot access armor or defenses that reach 100 points. Most protective items offer damage reduction of between 1 and 20 points.
Fortune: A manipulator that allows players to spend up to ten (10) tokens to sway the results of a given dice roll and/or roleplaying situation. Represented by poker chips or pennies on the game table. Fortune is capped at a maximum of ten (10) tokens. All players start with one (1) token for their Fortune.
Gifts, Burdens, & Feats: These are modifiers that impact dice roles and roleplaying situations, among other things. They include gifts (advantages), burdens (disadvantages), and Feats (special advantages).
Moral Code: This describes a player’s moral compass in the Known Universe. Are they neutral free agents, seeking to avoid being entangled in serious moral dilemmas? Or, are they the white knights, who hope to save people from themselves?
Personal History: What have you done? Why does it matter?
Referee (REF): The player who portrays characters not controlled by the other players (i.e., NPCs), helps make up the story and setting for the game, and serves as the referee or arbiter when it comes to interpreting dice rolls, rules/rulings, consequences, etc.
Reputation: This measures a character’s social standing within the Known Universe. A character’s reputation is worth a line of credit, helps with contracts, and secures certain rights in different societies across the entirety of human space. Reputation grows through roleplaying, exploration, interaction, and achieving things. A Referee (REF) might add a short descriptor to help describe one’s reputation in the Known Universe.
Sanity: This is the mental health of a player character. When this score hits zero (0), your character is in danger of serious breaks in their sanity. Anything below zero, the character has succumbed to insanity, meaning it will take considerable time to recuperate the character’s mental health, if possible. Average player characters cap between five (5) and six (6) points in sanity. The absolute maximum is 100 points, which is often well above what many characters have access to.
Target Number: This is the number a player attempts to roll equal to or lower on a d20. A target number comprises of the following: 1) the relevant attribute score; 2) added bonuses; 3) subtracted penalties; and 4) any other modifiers (added or subtracted), including difficulty modifiers, the REF believes are relevant to the situation.
Trained (Skill): Having knowledge of, and therefore ranks in, a skill. This is particularly useful for those skills that require training before use. There are five (5) levels of trained skills: Apprentice (+1), Trained (+2), Master (+3), Expert (+4), and Legend (+5).
Untrained (Skill): Having no ranks in a skill. Untrained skill rolls suffer from a -5 penalty modifier.
Wounds: This is the physical health of a player character. When this score hits zero (0), your character is dead. Anything below this number is permanent, meaning your character cannot be revived without severe bodily and mental consequences. Wounds for an average PC are between five (5) and six (6). Anything beyond this is considered extraordinary and quite hard to kill. Wounds max out at 100 points, but most characters are well below this maximum.
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