Encounters
The term 'encounter' refers to any living creature (or collection of creatures) with which the players will have meaningful interactions such as combat or communication. Encounters come in all shapes and sizes, and each exhibit unique behaviours and abilities. They may be hostile, oblivious, friendly, cooperative or ambivalent towards a player's presence. While their behaviours and abilities as they are written in the compendium provide context, it is the job of the GM to control their actions on a minute-by-minute basis. Most encounters are unique to their homeworld, and they might also be restricted in terms of the habitats that players may find them in. All encounters come into one of the following categories - each have a variety of unique characteristics that are covered in their own articles:
- Cryptids - Creatures of myth and folklore that embody natural phenomena, driving the worlds' environments
- Beasts - Dangerous animals that have undergone extreme evolution that form key parts of the worlds' ecosystems
- Natives - Sapient species of humanoids indigenous to the different worlds
A single encounter may consist of any number of the creature it describes - each with individual stats. This is not true of encounters that describe groups that act in a unified manner (e.g. swarms), who stats represent the collective.
Attributes
Visible to players; they describe surface level details about the encounter, that a player's character would be able to surmise just by looking at them. All encounters have these stats and they serve as a reference for a variety of interactions. They also may be referred to as prerequisites or modifiers in abilities and environmental effects.
- Rank - The rank of an encounter must be equal to or less than the to appear. Additionally, the NAT & PRAC stats of the encounter both receive bonus points, to be distributed by the GM.
- Size - This is the number of tiles that the encounter's body covers and it can be used to help visualise it for players. The arrangement of tiles covered may change in some circumstances - for example, if it is moving or splits into parts.
- Weight - The mass of the encounter. Measured in kilograms (kg), weight is the modifier for the (strength) cost if trying to move the encounter in any way. If the encounter consists of many members acting as a single entity (e.g. a swarm), the weight refers to an individual member.
The preset values for these in the compendium act as guidelines, but may be tweaked by the GM to serve a given purpose or to add narrative flavour to an encounter. This is especially true if you have a group of the same species with varying characteristics, for example age or gender. Some encounters may have "lairs", "hideouts" or otherwise preferable locations. If you want to up the difficulty, you can double the bonus that the encounter receives in these locations!
Natural (NAT) Stats
Representing an encounter's capacity to act, they are used as a resource for abilities and spent if taking damage (DMG). Their base value is equal to the , and receive a bonus (shared) equal to their . They are each written as a fraction in the form 'Remaining / MAXIMUM', where the remaining value is 0 or more. An encounter dies if their stamina is 0 and they take any unblocked/unabsorbed DMG. While they are all restored naturally by specific means, they may all be restored by the various effects of abilities, items and environments. They are not visible to players.
- Spirit / SPR - Spirit is the measure of the psionic capacity of the encounter - also acting as a sort of "morale", causing it to be temporarily increased/decreased by certain social events. It can be spent to perform elemancy and absorb elemental DMG. Spirit is restored naturally by drinking beverages. SPR (maximum Spirit) denotes the range of most elemancy abilities.
- Stamina / STM - Stamina represents an encounter's health and endurance. It is reduced upon taking unblocked or unabsorbed DMG of any kind. At 0 stamina, the encounter can no longer move or dodge. Stamina can be restored naturally by resting (See Exploration, though this will rarely apply to encounters). An encounter can move up to STM (their maximum Stamina) metres in a single action - capped at 10.
- Strength / STR - Strength is the physical capability of an encounter. It is spent to perform physical abilities and absorb physical damage. Additionally, it is spent when moving heavy entities (1 per 100kg, rounded to nearest 100) and is restored by eating food. An encounter can carry up to STR * 10kg passively, after which, dash distance is reduced by 1 for every extra 10kg (rounded to nearest 10).
While these stats are not available to players, they should inform the GM's description of their condition and influence the actions they take. For example, if a creature has absorbed a lot of physical damage, they may appear bruised and bloody. Equally, a creature that has lost little vitality may act more aggressively or brashly. You can, of course, reveal these values to your players if the narrative is less important to you and your players.
Practical (PRAC) Stats
The measure of skill in many actions is based on an encounter's PRAC stats. They are added to dice rolls and compared against external forces to determine success. Their base value is equal to the , and receive a bonus (shared) equal to their . They are not visible to players.
- Willpower (WILL) - The measure of an encounter's non-physical influences, such as presence, elemancy and luck. Instruments, attacks with traps and defending against undetected attacks also use willpower.
- Perception (PERC) - An encounter's ability to detect details or movements, as well as understand complexities and anticipate events. In combat, it is used when making an attack with a ranged or thrown weapon, or when blocking an attack.
- Dexterity (DEXT) - The technical control of an encounter's own body in actions requiring finesse or speed. In combat it is used for making any melee attack or attempting to dodge any form of damage.
These stats have less impact on the appearance and behaviour of an creature - though they can still be helpful in conveying to the player that they are possibly outmatched or that they are using a method of engagement that is proving futile. For example, you could describe how it "easily sidesteps the sword swing" or "doesn't even flinch at the attempt at intimidation".
Abilities
An encounter may have specialised physiology, equipped items or other characteristics that provide powerful abilities or bonuses. These generally come into play in combat - though some also may be useful outside of combat. In some cases, they may also incur penalties or weaknesses to certain effects and DMG types. The kinds of abilities that encounters might have are found in the category-specific sections: Beasts, Critters, Cryptids & Natives. The mechanics of abilities can be seen in the Interactions section of the guide. Show SpoilerIt should be noted that the abilities are the primary method through which difficulty is increased and players gain mastery of the game. Upon tackling a newly discovered encounter, the players will not know what it is capable of, and thus it is more dangerous. Then, the more the species is encountered, the more that is learned about its behaviours, strengths & weaknesses. This knowledge is a key asset to the players, as they retain this information permanently - even following a Time-Crash.
Ecology
Each encounter differs considerably from one to the next - from their anatomy to their social habits to their behaviour. These characteristics do not usually have any mechanical effect and their main purpose is to serve as narrative flavour to create believable encounters.
- Bonds - friends, family, rivalries etc.
- Titles - names, aliases, or positions of status
- Interests - likes, hobbies and fandoms
- Aversions - dislikes, fears and enemies
- Appearance - skin colour, build, markings etc.
- Demeanour - personality and temperament
- Narrative - backstory, heritage and goals
- Variations - e.g. young, leader, female etc.
When an encounter appear in a scene, the GM may want to make a note of any relevant characteristics of its ecology beneath/by the side of the individuals it affects.
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