Balancing and Reskinning
Encounter balance
The balancing loop is in @Missing file. Each character sheet shows its Character Power. It is built from stats, combined pools and Health, after species, archetype and gear bonuses. Add every member's Character Power for Party Power, multiply by the difficulty you want, and spend the result as Threat Points on monsters. Each rank has a Threat value. Both sides reduce to the same numbers, the hits you can take and the feats you can use. Content that raises those without touching the score, such as free healing or cost-refunding gear, is invisible to the balancer. It will make your fights easier over time. Aim that kind of content at story use, not combat.
Archetype budgets
Archetypes are priced in XP-equivalents. Use these tables when you write new ones.
| Rarity | Budget | Powers |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday Common | about 50 | 2 |
| Common | about 75 | 2 |
| Uncommon | about 105 | 3 |
| Rare | about 150 | 3 to 4 |
| Legendary | about 200 | 4 to 5 |
| Bonus | Price |
|---|---|
| +1 core stat | 20 |
| +5 Health or pool | 10 |
| +1 skill, save or Initiative | 4 |
| +1 Influence (all three) | 12 |
| +10 ft Speed | 5 |
| +1 Defense | 10 |
| One General Power | 8, 12 or 20 |
Each archetype file sets its rarity, genre, playsLike (how it plays and which feat branches it uses), description, archetypeBonus, generalPowers and every Increase field. The full rules are in @Missing file.
Species pattern
A species gives +2 in stats total, or +1 to a stat and +5 Health. It also gives two Species Powers. Humans are the exception. A plain Human gets no stat bonus and two Human Feats. A Human variant gets +1 to a stat (or +5 Health) and one Human Feat.
Reskinning to a setting
Work in this order.
- Pick your pools. All three, or drop one. This decides which feat branches and gear folders you keep.
- Write species and archetypes to the patterns above. Set each archetype's genre and point its playsLike at the feat branches it uses. Rename freely, but re-budget carefully.
- Replace the example world files. Characters, locations, lore, factions, and a game start that opens inside a real place with real stakes.
- Trim the catalogs to your genre. Add the few setting feats and gear items your concept needs, priced by the rules in this manual.
- Leave the GM instructions alone unless your setting changes procedure. They cover dice, damage and XP pacing, and they work in any setting.
The test
Before shipping, build one F-Rank character through the creation flow and one encounter at Standard difficulty, all from your content. Where you had to make up a number, a budget chapter above has the answer. Where you had to make up a rule, think again. The system almost certainly covers it already.