Amber DRPG 2.

Amber DRPG 2.0

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INTRODUCTION

The rules laid out here are intended to be used as an alternate or modified version of the Amber
diceless RPG rule system. This document does not contain a complete role-playing system in itself, but
rather is intended for use in conjunction with the published game system designed by Erik Wujcyk.
Honestly, this document is fairly useless by itself. Go buy the Amber DRPG book first, then modify it with
this.
These rules seek to achieve the following goals:
● To be clear, providing straightforward guidelines for handling game situations.
● To be simple, with as few charts, tables or mathematics as possible.
● To be comprehensive, using the same values and methods for most or all of the elements of the
game.
● To be versatile, allowing the GM and players the freedom to further simplify or extend the game in
whatever direction they like.
● To retain and hopefully build on the many innovative RPG concepts introduced by the original
Amber DRPG.

Flexibility
More than just about any other successful roleplaying game ever written, the Amber DRPG requires the
gamemaster to make a lot of decisions about how things are going to work. This is partially due to the
free-form playing style characteristic of diceless roleplaying as invented by Eric Wucjik, and partially due
to the open-ended nature of Zelazny’s multiverse. In order to be consistent (and therefore fair) many
GMs resort to making copious notes about how to handle certain game situations as they come up.
These notes very often become extensive rule systems and addendums in their own right.
The system below attempts to create a somewhat more structured framework of rules upon which the
players and GM can hang their own innovations. Although it makes no attempt to completely describe
every potential aspect of the game, it does allow the play group to extend their own customizations further
without lapsing into paradoxical or insoluble problems.

Consistency
Every important statistic in the game which can have a value is rated using five broad levels of increasing
orders of magnitude. Although this is not necessarily any more or less useful than any other arbitrary
scale, in many cases different kinds of statistics can be compared to each other to help give one an idea
about the degree of power, usefulness or control represented by that value. These statistics also have
descriptive terms for each level.
Nearly every element of the game has an associated character point value, whether characters have to
“buy” them or not. If nothing else, this serves as a measure of the relative usefulness of each game
element.
New terms introduced in this method/system are used consistently throughout. Certain words or phrases
used to describe specific elements of the game will mean the same thing in nearly every context, and will
be capitalized whenever used. See the glossary at the end for the list of such terms.

Differences
Rather than merely extending the Amber DRPG and filling some blanks, this system unavoidably
redefines or replaces a few fundamental elements of the game. The intention in doing so is mainly to
clarify a number of points of confusion that have come up from time to time. Whenever possible, the
more innovative methods of the Amber DRPG (which are many) have remained intact, or at least
presented to the GM as an available option.

Attributes

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One point of confusion that many people had with the original system is that of attribute ranking
“ladders.” Although fundamental to most aspects of the game, attribute rankings tend to be
misunderstood and misapplied as often as not. Once a ranking ladder has been determined for the
starting PC's, what happens if a new PC enters the game? What about NPC's introduced later? If
someone can come into the game with an arbitrary number of points, how important is ranking to begin
with? These difficulties go back to Zelazny's books themselves: often, a potential conflict is described as
inevitably one-sided, but almost as often events end up going the other way for a variety of reasons.
In addition, many attributes seem to grant additional abilities at vague and undetermined levels. At what
degree of Warfare do you get to parry invisible surprise attacks? Just when does Psyche grant you
telepathic powers?
To settle these points of confusion (and others), attributes as presented here have been broken up into
broad “ranges” which each represent a given “playing field” within which a character might be the best,
but when compared to a higher range is insignificant. The character points required to purchase a given
range and specific ranking still transfer across equally, but the focus is shifted from a straight comparison
of numbers covering all possibilities at once to ranking the characters within easily understood ranges of
ability, then comparing ratings within that range. Although this system still allows the player characters to
determine their attribute rankings relative to one another, it does not preclude that other characters may
exist or turn up later who are even better at a given attribute.
Rather than a 15-point “Chaos” level, a 10-point “Real” range is used here; to be consistent: the point
span of each range should increase with every level up from the lowest.

Powers
One of the most common alterations that play groups make to the Amber DRPG is to break down the
purchase of powers from wholesale groups into smaller pieces. This allows characters to invest partially
in these powers without entirely cleaning out their pool of character points, which are frequently drained
following the attribute auction. This system does the same thing, but organizes the abilities granted by
each power into five successive and increasingly useful levels of “mastery.”
The point costs for each level of mastery in a power get progressively higher as the levels go up, which
has the effect of making it cheaper to get a number of powers at a lower level then to specialize
wholesale in a single power. This makes a significant change in tone from the original system, which
required a heavy expenditure in any power purchased. On the other hand, the abilities granted get
considerably more useful and unique at each successive level of mastery, so characters would want to
invest heavily in fewer powers if they want to perform more impressive feats.
Certain of the powers and abilities have been changed in terms of where they go under the rules. Some
of the extended psychic abilities supposedly granted by higher levels of psyche have been moved to a
separate “telepathy” power. This allows the system to clearly spell out what mental abilities can and can’t
be performed by a given character. “Power words” have been moved from their own power to the lowest
level of mastery in the Sorcery power. There is reasonable justification for treating them as such, and
making them such a prerequisite makes them a more significant part of the game.
In all cases, I've tried to match as closely as possible the point costs of “simple” and “advanced” powers
in the original game to useful mastery levels. Thus, Expert in Pattern costs 50 points, and Master of
Pattern costs 75. Expert in Trump costs 40 points, and Master of Trump costs 60. Other powers are
typically within 5 points of the original costs, if not matched exactly.

Conjuration
“Conjuration” is no longer treated as a power in and of itself, but rather describes a set of rules for using
any power to obtain creation/control of people, creatures, artifacts, magical effects or shadows. In the
original system, it was unclear just what “conjuration” represented in the game. Although it was
presented as a power, it was also stated that other powers could functionally substitute for it. In pont of
fact, most of the powers could be used to “conjure” (i.e. obtain) something in one way or another.
Furthermore, the implication was that conjuration was essentially another form of magic, somehow
adjunct to sorcery. It would seem reasonable that a character should either be able to perform magic or
not, regardless of the purpose, and that “magic” (e.g. sorcery) should its own singular power in any case.
The artifact, spell and shadow design rules have been reworked as well, using consistent elements
between them wherever appropriate.

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Mechanics
The free-form method outlined in the original system for handling conflicts and combats is a very
interesting and even desirable way to roleplay. However, many GMs are not up to the task of treating
game mechanics as a fluid art form. Other GMs prefer to justify their rulings with more detailed
procedures as a matter of personal style.
Although this system does not present a complex replacement of the original guidelines, it does provide a
framework for handling open-ended relevant factors in complicated situations, and presents a consistent
method for taking such factors into account. These might also be used as a basis for ambitious GMs to
further extend the precision of the rule system.

Terms
A few of the terms in the original system have been changed here. This is either to reflect similar
changes in their uses, to eliminate restrictive connotations, or simply because the new term seemed more
appropriate.
The “Chaos” attribute range has been supplanted with “Real,” and the “Amber” range is now referred to
as “Royal.” It is very possible (likely even) that certain nobles of Chaos might have attributes in or above
the “Amber” range. It is also possible that a rare few shadow-dwellers might have attributes in either
range. Campaigns might be played which do not involve Amber (or even Chaos) at all. For these
reasons, such Amber-centric terms can seem inappropriate. Furthermore, some Amberites (and possibly
Chaosians or others) might have at least some attributes which are so far above the “Amber” range as to
make the designation meaningless. In fact, the “Shadow Knights” sourcebook contains a number of such
examples. The very notion of “chaos ranked” abilities is extremely underwhelming when faced with a
Mandor, Jasra or even a Suhuy.
“Good Stuff” is here referred to as “Destiny,” and “Bad Stuff” is now “Doom.”
Some of the terms for specific power uses have been altered or redesigned, so that they can fit the
assignment of abilities to the levels of mastery while still adding some flavor to the definition of the power.

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Characters

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CHARACTER CREATION

Although most of the methods given here tend to come down to a dry assignment of values, characters
should be much more rich and complex during play. The method outlined here for describing a
character’s abilities are meant to be used solely as a framework upon which the player fleshes out and
colors her character with as much detail as possible. For example, a character should not just have a
generic magic sword, even if it is not particularly powerful. There's no such thing as a “+1 sword” in
Amber. Rather, it should have a name, physical description and even a long and storied, specific, history.
Such details are not merely window dressing; they are the very point of Amber roleplaying.

Overview
In terms of the rule system itself, characters are defined by their attributes, advantages, powers and
investments. Attributes represent inherent capabilities of the character. Advantages represent
circumstances of birth, or other extraneous circumstances they may have. Powers are special abilities
they have access to, and investments represent resources that they own and can utilize freely.
Each of these ability groups are obtained by spending character points. This sort of “expenditure”
character creation style is usually good for allowing players to create a wide variety of different types of
characters who may nevertheless be considered equally powerful overall.
Under this system, each character starts with 200 points to spend; however, 100 of those points are
normally assumed by default to be spent on attributes before actual character creation even begins.
Occasionally, a GM might design a specific campaign which initially grants its characters a lower or higher
starting allotment.
As the campaign continues, players can earn additional character points which can be spent in the same
way that they were at character creation. This represents the characters’ growth in the use of their
abilities as the story progresses.
Attributes are the primary means of measuring how good a character is in four overarching fields of
ability. Most attempts to do anything should rely on a comparison of attributes to determine success or
failure, before looking at any other factors, whenever possible. Accordingly, attributes usually the most
expensive things to buy.
Advantages represent some general facts about the character which might be useful, such as any
circumstances relating to their background. There are also Disadvantages representing harmful
circumstances as well. Advantages come cheap, and some of them may change radically over time.
Nevertheless, they can make an excellent starting point for coming up with a character description.
Powers describe any special abilities that the character might have. Whereas most attribute ranges often
represent exaggerations of normal abilities, powers are fields of ability which “normal” people lack to any
degree whatsoever. These can be expensive at higher levels of mastery, but are well worth it for the
variety of interesting and useful abilities they can bestow.
During play, characters can develop inspirations representing customized or unique uses of a power.
This makes them somewhat open-ended in the game, such that no player can never be completely
certain regarding what is and isn’t possible with a given power.
In addition to these, characters might have Investments, representing control of certain other people,
places, things or ready spells. These also have character point costs associated with them, which
describe how useful or powerful the thing is in general. Conjurations refer to useful items or people, such
as troops or their weapons.

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Outline
Here’s how the character design process works, step by step.

1. Decide what sort of character you want. It helps to have at least a general plan of how you might
want to allot your character points. Is your character a more straightforward fighter heavy in
attributes, a deep thinker with advanced knowledge of a few powers, someone who has full control of
mighty arms, equipment and underlings, or a jack-of-all-trades with a little bit of everything?
2. Bid on (or assign) attributes. This can be one of the more difficult parts. While you want your
attributes to be competitive with the other players, you also will also want to save enough points to
buy some of the other things that come next.
3. Buy advantages. Some of these are at the core of your character conception, such as being a Prince
of Amber. Others are more useful as starting points for potential conflicts and details about the
character.
4. Buy levels of mastery in powers. At the lower levels, many of the powers can seem functionally
similar, and can be somewhat limited. If you want to pull off some truly cosmos-shaking effects it
might be a good idea to spend very heavily in at least one power, though this is much more
expensive.
5. Design any conjurations (artifacts, shadows, creatures or spells) the character might have access to
at the start. The character might want access to magical or high-tech items, pets or even kingdoms in
Shadow. You don't have to pay for these; you should design any that your character knows about
and might call upon for help. However, if you want to be certain you can rely on them, it is a good
idea to buy Investments in them.
6. Balance the character design. You may be a few points over or under your allotment, so take another
look over the advantages and see if anything looks helpful. You might want to adjust your levels in
the powers as well. At the end of the character design process, any remaining point variance will be
added to the “Destiny” advantage or taken from the “Doom” disadvantage by default.
7. Flesh out the details. Your character will need a name, gender, age, and some sort of background
history. You should also describe your character’s appearance, attitude and personal style.
Furthermore, nearly every game element purchased or designed for the character will suggest or
require some descriptive details to be filled in.

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ATTRIBUTES

The four attributes are the primary measure of how good any character is at doing most anything he or
she might attempt to do. Regardless of what they can do, the primary measure of their facility at doing it
is usually based on an Attribute. Considering that much of any Amber story involves characters going up
against each other, these are clearly the most important facets of any Amber character. The level of
ability of a character in each attribute is determined by a combination of range and rating, both described
later.

Ranges
The ranges described here define broad categories of ability that a character may apply to each of their
attributes. Each range represents an order of magnitude above the one preceding it, in terms of power
and sheer capability, and is the primary indicator of what a character may do in any given sphere of
ability.
No character should begin the game with any two attributes which are greater than one range apart, in
order to avoid highly unbalanced “min-max” characters which are designed for game success but
unrealistic even in a story setting. The players should also bear in mind that GM can also accomplish this
end by intentionally creating situations which are designed to exploit the characters’ weaknesses.
Each range has a base point cost associated with it, which is the cost in character points to buy any
attribute to within that range of ability.

Range Cost
Human 0
Real 10
Royal 25
Elder 100
Ancient 500

Human: This is the range of ability of the “normal” denizens of Shadow, probably including you and me.
Real: Residents of the Golden Circle, Black Zone, or those who live near other unique sources of primal
Power tend to have abilities in this range.
Royal: Members of the Royal House of Amber, as well as those of the more direct bloodlines of the Lords
of Chaos often show natural aptitudes in this range.
Elder: Some of those of Royal heritage who have built up and practiced their abilities over centuries
(usually trying to kill each other) have attained this plateau of ability in at least some of their attributes.
Ancient: Characters with attributes in this range of ability have been around damn near forever, and show
it. Only a handful of such entities are presumed to exist in the Amber multiverse, and might never appear
in your campaign at all. If you're lucky.

Endurance
This is a measure of health, recuperative abilities, physical persistence and sheer force of will to keep
going. It determines how long you can keep up any power use or other strenuous activity (such as
sustained combat) without rest. It also indicates how much physical or psychic damage you can sustain,
as well as how fast you recover from it afterwards.

Human: You may get tired within a few hours or less of any sustained physical activity. Any physical
damage you sustain could be potentially life threatening. It can take months to heal even moderate
wounds.
Real: You could exert yourself for most of a day before getting tired. You’re pretty tough, and you heal
surprisingly quickly.
Royal: You can keep up strenuous activity for a few days straight before tiring. You can survive
apparently fatal wounds and can heal most kinds of damage in a mere week or two, tops.
Elder: You could keep up extremely strenuous activity for untold days on end. You can survive massive
damage to your system. Major flesh wounds heal in but a few days, and given enough time you could

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regrow almost any damaged or missing tissue.

Ancient: You can do whatever is possible for as long as you want. You can all but heal, cure or ignore
most kinds of damage to your system, and can survive and even recover from ridiculous degrees of
bodily mutilation.

Strength
This value describes the sheer strength and power of your physique. It determines how much brute
physical force you may apply, how much damage you deal when you strike others in combat, and how
well you resist or reduce physical damage when struck. It also indicates how far or high you can jump, or
how fast you can run.

Human: You can probably lift your body weight, give or take. You can hit things, but getting hit hurts.
Real: You could lift a motorcycle over your head. You can run and jump just slightly better than Olympic
record holders.
Royal: You can lift a small car. You can punch into concrete. You can get hit by a baseball bat and keep
going without missing a beat. You can run at speeds of up to twenty miles per hour and have a running
jump of about forty feet.
Elder: You could lift and throw a dump truck and jump over tall buildings with a single bound. Your
combats tend to look like comic-book superhero slugfests.
Ancient: You can move, destroy or shrug off just about any mass or force imaginable.

Psyche
This attribute describes your sheer mental force of will, and how quickly you may bring that will to bear. It
determines the strength of your psychic defenses. It also indicates your degree of intuition. Depending
on your degree of psyche, you might receive hints from the GM about whether NPCs are being honest
with you, or whether a person, place or thing is particularly significant to the plot.

Human: Your mind is an open book to wielders of Power. Occasionally, you might win something when
gambling.
Real: Your mind is somewhat resistant to mental attack. Your first impressions regarding people or
situations tend to be on target more often than not.
Royal: You have developed a strong psychic shield against mental attacks. Your intuitive guesses are
often surprisingly accurate.
Elder: Your mind is a formidable tower against psychic assault. Your intuition is so keenly developed, it
almost qualifies as prescience.
Ancient: Your mind is so strong it can’t even be detected, much less touched by lesser beings. You are in
touch with the inner workings of the universe.

Warfare
Warfare is a generalized attribute describing how quickly you think on your feet when the Primal Chaos
hits the fan, as well as the ability to analyze the best immediate course of action. It determines how
quickly and how often you may take action in any standard combat situation, as well as your degree of
physical agility. It also indicates a broad general knowledge of weaponry and fighting styles, as well as
tactics and leadership, such as those involved in leading troops or armies.

Human: You can react to what’s going on around you. You can walk and chew gum. You might be able
to get drafted.
Real: You have well trained combat reflexes. You are extremely agile, and could lead a unit of soldiers
effectively.
Royal: You don’t react to situations; you create them. You can perform impressive feats of agility and can
effectively lead a great army.
Elder: You can defend against attacks you normally should not even be able to detect. You can move in
a variety of astounding ways and can lead armies to victory against impossible odds.
Ancient: You can probably accurately predict the tactics of people you’ve never even heard of. You don’t
move; you dance with the universe. Your weapons and troops are as much extensions of your will as are
your own thoughts.

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Ratings
Whereas ranges represent the magnitude of raw ability a character possesses in any given Attribute, a
rating is a specific point value representing a more precise degree of training and discipline that character
has applied to the attribute in order to gain an advantage over others who may share that range. The
main use of ratings is to determine which character will prevail when they directly oppose one another
and share the same range of a given attribute. Ratings are also used to clarify more specifically what you
can do within a given range of ability.
Within each range, characters may spend points to specify their relative degree of ability. This
expenditure is usually done through the “bidding system,” but may also be a simple purchase if, for
example, a character enters a campaign mid-stream. The number of points spent specifies the rating, on
a one-for-one basis. A character with a strength range of royal who then bids 23 points on it can be said
to have a strength of "Royal+23," which would cost a total of 48 character points.
Characters might not have any points in a given rating, in which case they are considered to be “unrated”
within that range. This would indicate that the character has only the natural aptitude of his or her range,
without having much special training, experience or study to improve it further. Only actual characters
can have ratings; “conjured” items or beings are always considered to be unrated within any range.

Ranks and auctions

In cases where a two or more players are creating starting characters at the same time, a good method to
assign their attribute ratings is the “auction” system outlined in the Amber DRPG rulebook. Auction each
attribute separately within each purchased range of ability.
Among other things, auctions set the tone for competition between the players, which can lead to all sorts
of starting points for intrigue and plots without the GM having to do any plot design at all.
A traditional Amber game should assume that all characters are starting with ranges of Royal in each
attribute, and then hold an auction between them to determine their relative ratings for that attribute.
GM's may forbid allowing any player to bid more than 74 points for any attribute, leaving the ranges
above “Royal” exclusively for powerful NPC's such as Benedict, Fiona or Oberon. If higher ranges are
allowed, then any player who bids 75 points in the auction would move their range for that attribute up to
“Elder.” Other players may temporarily match that bid. Another separate auction would then be held
between those players within the “Elder” range for that attribute. Any player who makes no bid in a given
attribute auction may then opt to buy it down to the next lower range for that attribute instead. Another
auction would then be held between those choosing the “Real” range for an attribute, with a maximum bid
of 14 points. If the GM decides to allow two-range separation, players may then buy down to the “human”
range and (if more than one of them did so) auction the respective attribute again, with a maximum bid of
9 points.
All bids are non-refundable; players who come in 2nd (or 3rd, etc) get a rating equal to the points they
bid. At the end of each auction, any player may privately spend further character points to raise their
rating, up to the next highest auctioned rating minus 1.
If the GM feels that such an auction system is too troublesome, she may choose to allow players to have
identical ratings in attributes by purchasing their ranges and ratings directly. Because of the variety of
factors which may be applied to given combat situations, having two characters oppose one another with
identical ratings is not necessarily an insoluble problem. However, GM's should note that any difficulty
saved by skipping the auction process might be more than made up for later on when trying to adjudicate
combat.

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ADVANTAGES

General character circumstances which may be considered substantially valuable or detrimental are
counted as “advantages” (or “disadvantages” in the latter case). For example, having a friend or
confidant, a powerful heritage, or a certain degree of status can be a very useful thing, and should be
worth at least a few points. Certain advantages are prerequisites for having certain other powers.
Advantages can also give characters good “hooks,” making it easier for the GM to get them into the
action. They flesh out who the character is, and what their place is in the world.
Advantages should only be applied during character creation. Any further events that create
circumstances for or against the character during play should not be reflected with any official statistic,
but should definitely be recorded for reference.
The GM may likely assign minimum requirements for “Blood” advantages; it may be difficult to
integrate a character with none of these, as there would be little reason to involve someone so
unimportant. The GM might also want to avoid dealing with game material from the Courts of Chaos or
other reality nexuses, and therefore disallow those “Blood” advantages entirely.
It might be possible that the character is unaware of the specifics of any “Blood” advantage purchased at
the start. They may have been fostered in Shadow and raised in an uneventful and uninteresting
environment before the start of the campaign. Their parent(s) may not be interested or willing to
acknowledge them as yet, although they still might watch out for their welfare from “behind the scenes.”
Thus, players can purchase these advantages and leave the details to the GM, if they wish. However, it's
always safer to specify as much about your character as possible; you may not like the answers that the
GM fills in for you.

Blood of Amber
You hail from Amber, or at least the Golden Circle. This rating indicates both the strength of your
bloodline and your importance to Amber politics.

Citizen (1 point): You were born and raised in Amber, or in the Golden Circle around it, but you aren’t
related to the royalty, except perhaps in your daydreams.
Servant (2 points): You are the valued servant of a noble or royal family, and may even hold a position of
some authority.
Noble (3 points): You are a member of the nobility of one of the Golden Circle nations.
Royal (4 points): A less-important member of the royal house of Amber, at least a few generations
removed from Oberon. The Pattern itself is your birthright.
Prince (5 points): You are a major player in Amber royal politics, possibly a child of Oberon himself. The
GM must OK this; she may want you to be less important at the start of the campaign.

Blood of Chaos
You are a spawn of the Courts of Chaos, or at least the Black Zone. This rating indicates both the
strength of your bloodline and your importance to Chaosian politics.

Citizen (1 point): You were born and raised in Chaos, or in the black zone around it, but you aren’t related
to the nobility, except perhaps in your daydreams.
Servant/Lesser Noble (2 points): You are related to valued servant of a major noble house, or indirectly
related to a lesser noble house of the Black Zone.
Greater Noble (3 points): You are a direct descendant of a lesser ruling house of the Black Zone, or
indirectly related to one of the great noble houses of Chaos. Probably both.
Royal (4 points): You are a direct descendant of one of the great noble houses of Chaos, and may be in
line for the throne.

Blood of Reality
Your heritage may be from a focus of reality - a source of primal power similar to Amber or Chaos, but
probably not as mighty. This also often represents being a member of a unique race of some sort. There
are a great number of different kinds of “Blood of Reality” advantages, and each is considered to be

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different from the rest. Thus if a character is of mixed Reality heritage, she may have to buy this
advantage multiple times.

Citizen (1 point): You were born and raised in a powerful shadow, and/or are a member of a unique and
interesting species
Noble (2 points): You are a member of an important noble lineage in Shadow, and/or a noble member of
a great species.
Royal (3 points): You are a member of the ruling lineage of a powerful shadow, and/or a royal member of
a powerful species.

Destiny
This advantage can act as a minor or major edge whenever the character’s life is in danger or whenever
the character is about to do something extremely important to the story. It also colors the descriptions
given by the GM to the player, and influences the initial impressions that many NPC’s get about the
character. If all else is equal, a destiny always acts as the edge of last resort in determining “coin-toss”
outcomes.
Should a character have any unspent points at creation, these will be placed here by default. With GM
permission, Destiny can be tapped during the campaign for character point expenditures, acting much like
a “reserve pool” of unspent character points.
Unlike other advantages, Destiny can be expressed as a negative number, in which case it is referred to
as "Doom" and acts as a disadvantage; one cannot have both Destiny and Doom ratings.

Wild Card (1 to 5 points): The character may contribute to some grand scheme, but will most likely do it
from the sidelines. This can act as an edge in certain situations. Downtrodden strangers often look to
you to help them out.
Hero (6 to 10 points): The character is destined to do something great. This can act as an edge in many
situations. Village elders tend to call you things like “chosen one.”
Champion (11 or more points): This character is basically at the center of the story. The GM should cut
you every possible break if your life is on the line or if you’re about to attempt something immensely
important at the last minute. There are ancient prophecies about you all over the place.

A character can expend their remaining Destiny points to invoke a “blood curse” at any time. This uses
up all of your Destiny points, which is why most characters save it until they are about to die. If the
character has any “Blood” advantage, they may spend that many points, even if that puts them into
negative Destiny (i.e. Doom). Whatever is highest of their Blood advantage points goes into the curse to
fuel it. Whatever the curse may be, it should create a new story arc for the GM to use.
Should the character survive after calling a “blood curse,” its point rating is subtracted from their Destiny
rating, possibly creating (or increasing) their Doom rating. Any character must rebuild a positive Destiny
rating before they can call a blood curse a second time.

Expertise
All player characters in the Amber game system are assumed to be knowledgeable in all common or
somewhat “normal” areas of expertise - driving a car, swinging a sword, etcetera.
Nevertheless, characters may describe specific skill areas as an Advantage, in order to reflect skills that
should not be common knowledge among all players, and which help make the character who has them
more unique. These skills should be fairly broad. The means by which the character learned these
should be reflected in her history. Medicine, computer programming, genetic engineering, general areas
of history and culture are all good candidates for skill areas. Such areas of expertise cost 1 point each,
and provide complete mastery of the subject.
Performing an action in which a skill area applies may count as an edge in the character’s favor.
An alternate way to come up with these is to write a detailed history of how many years the character has
spent in what kinds of shadows, performing what kinds of activities. Using this method, there is no cost;
however, the character will be older and have more detailed history behind them, which may lead to more
problems. In this case, it's entirely up to the GM whether a skill area that covers the situation has been
learned by the character based on their resume.

Friend
You know someone (a non-player character) to whom you can turn for information, assistance and

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advice. This may be a member of the courts of Chaos, the house of Amber or anywhere else from which
helpful aid might spring. At different point costs, this “friend” might represent a useful contact, a tutor or a
protector of some sort.
A friend purchased as an advantage is typically more reliable than friends made during a campaign,
although the GM might or might not allow a character to “invest” (i.e. spend) points in a newly introduced
NPC to use them as a friend thereafter.
The character can trust that her interaction with such a friend is genuine and not based on any hidden
agendas or plots.
A given point value might also represent a quantity of less useful friends, often referred to as “contacts.”
Add 1 to the cost based on each quantitative level.
The GM may furthermore decide that you might not initially know who your “friend” is or even know that
you have one.

Confidant (0 points): Someone of no particular power or importance, but who can lend a sympathetic ear
in times of trouble and perhaps give some common-sense advice (aka. GM hints).
Assistant (1 points): Someone less powerful than you, but who may be very loyal.
Ally (2 points): You can usually rely on someone approximately as powerful as you for information or
assistance.
Protector (3 points): Someone more powerful than you, who is looking out for your interests. Not
necessarily in the way that you expect, however.

Inheritance
The character might start the game with artifacts, creatures or shadows of significant value, even if she
doesn’t have the means to create or otherwise obtain them herself. See the “conjuration” section for how
to determine the point value of these. Such conjurations should be purchased under this advantage
category, and are therefore considered fully “invested.”
Starting the game with a named and numbered quantity of Trumps (i.e. a deck) costs 2 character points.

Other
The above categories are only starting points. If you can think of other advantages which are worth
recording, feel free to work them out with the GM. Players should be encouraged to be creative in this
area. Even any number of 0-point “advantages” can help to define a character, and may even come in
useful later on.

Disadvantages
Disadvantages describe specific circumstances which make life considerably more difficult for the
character. Disadvantages gain characters some number of points in addition to the initial allotment.
The GM might wish to set a maximum total number of points that can be gained through disadvantages
by any one character. Or it might be more satisfying to make sure to exploit any excessive quantity of
disadvantages taken as much as possible...

Doom
Doom is an alternate term for negative Destiny.
A character with the doom disadvantage is basically a villain, a tragic anti-hero, or at least has a knack for
getting in to things way over his head. With higher levels of Doom the character is likely to buy the farm in
extremely hideous circumstances at any time, and probably will do just that at the most climactic moment
of any story. Not only does your Doom make things tend to go against you, the GM will be actively
thinking up new ways to make you miserable. At lower levels, the character is just somewhat dark and
dangerous-looking. Doom also colors descriptions that you get from the GM, painting things in the most
negative light possible. It furthermore affects the initial reactions of NPC's to your presence, making them
wary of you at least, and actively hostile of you at the most.
Should a character have spent too many character points at the end of the character creation process,
any such “overdraft” will be applied to this disadvantage by default.

Trouble (1 to 5 points): This can act as an edge against you in many situations. Perceptive folks can tell
that you bring trouble with you, and try to deal with you as little as possible.
Wicked (6 to 10 points): On the outside, you’re tough as nails, but inside you should be desperate to rack

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up some advancement before the GM remembers to bring the hammer down. This usually means
coming up with schemes to trash as many people as you can, as fast as possible. Common folk shutter
their windows as you pass by.
Tragic (11 or more points): Your situation should make you pretty nihilistic. After all, you’ve got a big
cosmic bulls-eye painted on your backside, so the best you can hope to do is to take as many people with
you as you can before you go down in flames. Those who know what’s good for them flee at your
approach.

Enemy
Right from the bat, someone is out to get you. Revenge tends to be priority number one in the Amber
universe, so don’t think you can ignore this one for very long. Be paranoid at all times.
An enemy purchased as a disadvantage is considerably more committed than the usual enemies that a
character acquires during the campaign. Most enemies gained during play can potentially be persuaded
against pursuing the character.
The GM might decide that a given point value can also represent a quantity of less dangerous enemies.
The character might be unaware of who this enemy is, or even that he has one.

Nuisance (1 point): An individual somewhat less powerful than you, but who is still determined and
dangerous. Especially since you probably underestimate them. A determined and careful nuisance-level
enemy can still end up creating some extremely powerful revenge scenarios over time, as Julia
demonstrated throughout the first four books of the Merlin saga.
Threat (2 points): Someone roughly as powerful as you, except that they have dedicated themselves to
eventually spitting on your corpse. Just another day in Amber.
Conspiracy (3 points): One or more individuals more powerful than you, with blood on their mind and time
on their hands. Take it as a compliment.

Physical disability
These are the most obvious of disadvantages. They can make many of the things you might want to do
in the game much more difficult. A character should not be able to “heal” this disadvantage normally or
overcome it easily, at least not without paying the points back or shifting them to Doom.

Feature (0 points): Some kind of noticeable distinguishing feature, such as a large scar.
Nuisance (1 point): Having a limp, being blind in one eye.
Minor (2 points): Missing a hand, arm or leg, being deaf, leprosy.
Major (3 points): Complete blindness, paralysis.

Mental disability
Less obvious but perfectly applicable are serious mental disadvantages. These should be used with care
- the GM may invoke the effects of these by overriding the player’s control of the character and decreeing
different behavior. This might also represent some form of post-hypnotic suggestion implanted deep in
the character’s mind.
Failing to roleplay this correctly as the GM sees it can cost the character significantly in experience point
awards.

Tic (0 points): Some kind of very noticeable eccentricity.

Minor (1 point): A strong phobia or fetish of some sort.
Major (2 points): Multiple personality disorder, total amnesia, schizophrenia.

Other
The above categories are really only starting points. If you can think of other disadvantages which are
worth recording, feel free to work them out with the GM. Players should be encouraged to be creative in
this area. Even any number of 0-point “disadvantages” help to define a character. And the better a
character is defined, the better your chances are of gaining experience for roleplaying him or her.

Background Packages
In order to get things rolling ahead of time, the GM can opt to prepare “pre-made” dis/advantage
“background” packages to offer the characters, then assign (or even auction) each one to the players,

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after giving its general description and describing the dis/advantages involved.
This can provide a handy way to get the characters involved in the storyline, since the GM can work on
integrating the characters into a campaign even before its characters have been created. For example, if
you know that a major NPC's nephew becomes the enemy of another NPC, you can begin designing the
story before the players even show up. All that's needed to begin is for a PC to take on the role defined
by those dis/advantages.
Such backgrounds should be general enough to allow the players to fill in most of the details, and useful
enough to be enticing. The GM might even want to give a 1-to-3 point “bonus” for taking such pre-made
packages.

Expiration
During play, circumstances of the character’s life might dictate that an advantage or disadvantage no
longer applies. Supernatural healing could take place, and friends or enemies might be killed during the
course of the story.
When this happens, the GM might allow the character to “pay off” the dis/advantage, transferring the
appropriate character points to or from the character’s balance. Or the GM might come up with a
reasonable related dis/advantage to replace some or all of the character points involved (perhaps an
enemy you killed has a close family member who now wants revenge). Of course, the points involved
can always be subtracted from or added to unspent experience, Destiny, or Doom as applicable.
As a final option, the GM may just decide to not sweat the points and let you cross off the disadvantage
for free (not likely).

Contributions
In addition to making contributions to the campaign once it is under way, players may start out with extra
points at the time they create their characters by making initial contributions. If players just fill out their
character sheets, they should get no points for this - well, except for the 200, which is a lot. However, if
they come up with additional details, ideas and materials significantly above and beyond the “call of duty”
they should be rewarded further for doing so.
Each contribution is worth 1 point. The GM might wish to set a maximum allowable amount of points that
can be gained through initial contributions by any one character. Whether a submission qualifies as a
valid contribution should be determined on a case-by-case basis by the GM. However, try not to get too
much into the business of judging the players’ talents, as that can lead to hurt feelings or accusations of
favoritism. Rewarding contributions should be based on how much of the work it takes off the GMs
shoulders, either for setting the mood or for providing useful plot material to work with.

Backstory: A general description of the character’s background should be provided by every player
for free. However, if a player creates a really thorough and well-described original background for
her character, the GM should award a point for this, especially if he might be able to make use of
this information later, either as backdrop for other plots or as “hooks” to create or involve the
character in further plots. A backstory is often written up in short story form or as a diary portion.
NPCs: Original non-player characters that the character is acquainted with, including statistics,
backgrounds, history, etcetera.
Prelude: If the GM allows, a player may outline a preliminary plot for his character to be involved in,
preceding the actual campaign. This allows the character to hit the ground running, rather than
wandering around from shadow to shadow looking for something worthwhile to do. This also
allows the player to get his characters’ feet wet, giving the character a chance to define herself
through play before joining the main plot the GM has prepared. The main reason GMs should
give players points for this is that she doesn’t have to deal with awkwardly integrating characters
into the main plot line (“You’re all sitting in a tavern somewhere when you notice...”). It’s always
easier to weave in a new story line when something specific is already going on. The GM might
even get away with running an enjoyable first session or two with no overall plot prepared at all!
OK, let's admit it; this entire system is just a cheap method of exploiting player labor so the GM
can take it easy...
Shadows: Thorough descriptions of one or more original shadows with which the character is familiar.
The more colorful the better. Physics, complete history, local politics and players, etcetera.
Basically put together a location sourcebook for the GM to work with.
Trump: A pretty drawing of the character is always nice. Whether a player wants to do this or not, they
should definitely consider what their character looks like. It's worth mentioning here that most major

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characters in Amber at the very least give themselves a representative color scheme, and all new player
characters should do so as well.

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POWERS

Powers represent capabilities that characters might have which are exceptional in that they are somehow
abnormal or supernatural. Unlike attributes, these are not mere exaggerations of “normal” human
abilities, but rather things that regular folks can’t even do a little bit.
The powers defined for the game are Pattern, Logrus, Trump, Shapeshifting, Sorcery, and Telepathy.

Significance
Each of the powers themselves are assigned overall levels, representing that power’s degree of
“significance” relative to the others. This statistic describes the power’s “pecking order” in the Amber
cosmology, sometimes referred to as how “real” it is.
Whenever the energies of two different powers come into direct contact with one another (a power attack
vs. a power defense, for example) the significance levels of the powers involved will be the primary factor
in determining which will prevail; how good each character is at using their respective powers then
becomes irrelevant. When characters fight one another by using major powers, the implication should be
that they aren’t the actual combatants, but merely available conduits though which the real fight is taking
place, between the powers themselves.

Mundane: This is a run-of-the mill power, spawned in Shadow and probably recently at that. It might be
based on the nature of a lesser species, upon a minor power source, or upon the laws of an individual
shadow. While it can be useful in the appropriate circumstances, it won’t help you much in any major
conflicts.
Minor: This power is useful in many circumstances, but is not a major player. It is probably based on a
local source of power, upon the nature of a more powerful species or upon laws which span a great
number of shadows.
Major: This power is versatile and useful in most situations. It should be based on a strong source of
power, the nature of royal-range characters or upon certain laws intrinsic to most, if not all shadows.
Great: This power might very well predate nearly everything else in its universe (including all nearby
shadows), and should come in handy in nearly every situation. It should be based on either a primal
source of power, or upon laws of reality which span nearly all of shadow.
Cosmic: This power is itself one of the major players determining the outcome of all events in the
multiverse. It wins against almost any other power, and can potentially accomplish almost anything
whatsoever.

Basis
Although treated very much the same in game terms, certain powers are of a different kind than others.
Whereas Pattern is based around the unique sigil of order in Amber, shapeshifting merely involves
controlling abilities intrinsic to your body. While such differences rarely matter to how a power is used in
the game, it can often be useful to note which sort of power it is when comparing them or determining
some of the ramifications of their use.

Primal Source: Such a power is based upon a centralized, unique source from which it draws its
significance and which is reflected throughout the makeup of Shadow. Usually, gaining this power
involves some sort of “initiation” ritual which changes the character's physical being at a fundamental
level. Such powers tend to produce a lot of “brute force” energy, and are often massive sources of mystic
might. Pattern and Logrus are the quintessential primal source powers, the veritable anchors of the
multiverse itself.
Universal Law: Such powers merely represent knowledge of “meta-laws” which are prevalent throughout
Shadow in one form or another. Like primal sources, these are reflected in the structure of all shadows
everywhere. Unlike them, they don’t have a unique locus of power and tend to be versatile, relying
entirely on their ubiquitous nature for their abilities. Gaining such powers typically represents a great deal
of study and practice in learning how to take advantage of universal laws. Trump and Sorcery represent
examples of this type of power.
Personal Ability: In this case, the character is taking advantage of her own natural assets, either

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extending an attribute well beyond its “normal” functions or manifesting intrinsic abilities native to her
species or heritage. Such powers tend to be extremely reliable - you can always count on yourself, if
nothing else. That is to say, these powers will usually work regardless of the rules or significance of the
local shadow. Shapeshifting and Telepathy are both based on personal ability.

Prerequisites
Most powers have prerequisites which are usually specific advantages or minimum attribute ranges. A
character must first have all of the prerequisite advantages or attributes required for a power in order to
get it. The reasoning behind the prerequisite requirements varies with each power. For some powers
you simply have to have the latent ability in order to be able to grow in its use. For others, lacking the
appropriate attributes or advantages would simply result in death while trying to gain the power.
Depending on the campaign, other things might substitute for the listed prerequisites for gaining a given
power. However, the players should not be aware of such alternate possibilities during character
generation, and must stick to the prerequisites listed. For example, the GM might decide that since
Amberites and Chaosians are closely related, 4 points in “Blood of Chaos” is sufficient to allow Pattern
initiation. Of course, there’s only one way to find out...

Mastery
Each character has a level assigned to each power that she possesses, representing her capability in and
control of that power. At each level of mastery, the character gains new abilities, as she learns to apply
the principles of the power in new ways. There are five levels of mastery. Anything a character does with
a power beyond and apart from that represents their personal improvisation.

Novice: You have been initiated into the power, or have a grasp of the basics. However, you can’t do
much with it besides the simplest of these applications, and even that takes a lot of your concentration.
Student: You are beginning to grow in your understanding of what the power can do and can use some of
the more obvious applications.
Adept: You have a decent understanding of what the power is and does, and can employ its most
important abilities.
Expert: You begin to truly realize what the power represents, and its place in the multiverse. You can
now use some of its more advanced abilities.
Master: If the power can do it, then so can you. You have complete mastery over all of its known
principles and applications.

The cost for each successive level of mastery in a power is equal to the new level being purchased (1 to
5) times the level of significance of the power (1 to 5). Each level must be bought separately; thus, the
total point cost for any level is equal to the cumulative level costs up to it.

Inspirations
Inspirations may be used to represent the advanced, unique or customized applications that characters
can do with their powers - what Merlin referred to as “personalized magic.”
Types of inspirations may include...

Special Abilities: An effect that the power might potentially be able to achieve at a certain level of
mastery, but which does not strictly fall under any of the “standard” abilities listed for the power. Such an
ability should be somewhat similar in nature to a listed ability, so that it can be justified as a variation on it.
Combined Powers: Creating a single ability that combines the effects of two or more powers. Two
powers which are both based on primal sources can never be combined, as their energies tend to react
strongly against one another.
Exalted Abilities: A Master of a power can functionally extend it well above the highest level normally
allowed, designing new abilities which are completely beyond the scope of those listed here. Creating –
conjurations which are imbued with a power is also considered an exalted ability of that power.

Each inspiration costs between 1 and 5 character points, usually equivalent to the highest level of
mastery required for the power(s) involved.

All inspirations are completely subject to GM approval. If allowed to run rampant, the use of inspirations
could potentially cause defined powers to lose their “flavor,” allowing any power to do anything that every

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other power can. As a loose guideline, each power has a general sphere of relevance associated with it.
Use these descriptions to help determine if a given inspiration should be allowed for a power:

Pattern: The underlying structure of and relationships between shadows.

Logrus: The randomness and change within all substance across shadow
Shapeshifting: Form, life and growth
Trump: Connecting people, places and things anywhere across Shadow
Sorcery: Complex and versatile mystical energy structures
Telepathy: Mental connection and manipulation
.

Variants
Some people learn to use their powers in nonstandard ways from the beginning. In these cases, define
the alternate ways in which each ability is used. Someone might learn how to use Trump only with the
written word or with sculpture, for example. In this case, subsequently learning to use a power in the
"normal" way should require an Inspiration.
Often such abilities are more limited in how they can be used, but should be more effective within their
limited scope. For example, "true vampirism" could be a variant of shapeshifting which only allows
certain kinds of forms, but which can switch to those forms more quickly.
All proposed variant powers are subject to GM approval. Usually powers with a Primal Source basis
cannot have variants.

Dangers
Most abilities of the powers have certain associated dangers. If a character seems to be over-using a
power, using it recklessly or thoughtlessly, or if the GM is merely looking for yet another way to mess up
their lives (often due to carrying a Doom rating), using an ability's dangers can be a great way to make
things go horribly awry. Attempting inspirations which are then denied by the GM as being untenable are
possible dangerous situations as well.
In general, wise characters should use their powers conservatively, only when necessary, and then make
sure to take enough time to prepare them carefully.

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Pattern
Significance: Cosmic
Basis: Primal Source
Prerequisites: Blood of Amber (4 points), Royal+1 Endurance

One is initiated into the Pattern by walking along the tracery of its image beneath Castle Amber. This is
an extremely dangerous undertaking. If one lacks the prerequisite advantage, can’t afford the character
point expenditure or fails to stay on its path, a flashy death is the inevitable result. Whatever the
character’s attributes, walking the Pattern is always an incredibly strenuous undertaking requiring all of
the character’s concentration and effort.
The energy of Pattern tends to appear as a brilliant silver light which gives off sparks when used or when
it reacts with another power. However, most uses of Pattern are innate and do not manifest any visible
energy to normal senses.
Representing universal order, the Pattern acts as an anchor to the infinite realms of Shadow, aligning
them in a fixed relative order to one another. It also tends to cause people, places and circumstances to
be reflected from Amber out to the furthest shadows, as if it were a light casting shadows across reality.
In fact, far throughout Shadow significant persons or events in one shadow will often “reflect” similar
circumstances to its neighbors. Initiation into the power of the Pattern ultimately represents gaining
control of the very underlying fabric of the multiverse itself.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 5 5 Summon Sign
Student 10 15 Shift Shadow
Adept 15 30 Influence Shadow
Expert 20 50 Alter Shadow
Master 25 75 Pattern Lens

Summon Sign
The novice calls the Pattern to mind, meditating on its image. Once brought to mind, the body of the
character becomes infused with energies of the Pattern itself. This requires a great deal of concentration
from the wielder, precluding her from taking other actions.
This Pattern energy grants no particular abilities, but does act as an excellent defense against power
attacks of any kind. As the ultimate symbol of order, Pattern tends to be very good at defending its
initiates, even against attacks from other powers of cosmic significance. The strength of the defense is
not based on any attribute, but solely on the significance of the power. However, if an attribute is called
for with a use of this ability, it would likely be Endurance.
As inspirations, a character might wish to bring the effect about more quickly (perhaps in response to an
attack), or to be able to take other actions while maintaining it. Possibly viewing her surroundings through
this state of heightened perception may provide insight. Also, anything that might require that the
character’s being be infused with such a high degree of organized energy might be useful for other
effects.

Shift Shadow
A student of Pattern can move freely through and across Shadow. The use of this ability relies on paying
attention to one’s surroundings, altering them through incremental details, and traveling in physical space.
The character may either go somewhere she knows well by altering more and more details until they
precisely match, or go to new places by making up the details as she goes along.
A character moving through shadow using this ability tends to leave behind a “shadow trail,” a wake of
slightly altered reality which can be followed by certain other characters. Shadow trails normally fade
within a few hours. Shadow trails can be helpful (such as when you’re leading an army) or a hindrance
(such as when you’re trying to escape that army). Someone traveling with or closely following a shifter
might cross Shadow with them without any special ability, or even without realizing that they are doing so.
Although usually less significant, shadows can be dangerous places to travel through. Always expect
evil-minded GMs to use every opportunity to create conflict and place potential dangers and obstacles in
the way of the characters. However, the characters themselves can also play a part in determining how
troublesome their quest may be.
Moving through Shadow more recklessly while only focused on a final goal or destination is referred to as

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“Hellriding” and can halve the normal time it takes to get to something or somewhere. However, the
character is much more likely to run into some serious obstacles and threats along the way. Unless the
character is particularly formidable, dealing with such obstacles might take as long as any time saved.
Traveling more carefully while paying greater attention to such things as safety and comfort is referred to
as taking “the Royal Road.” Although this method doubles the amount of time normally required, the
player is much more free to dictate the circumstances of the journey, including non-interference from
incidental threats. This method of travel can also represent “sneaking” through Shadow while trying to
avoid interference from other major characters or NPCs as well.
When conjuring, the character uses this ability to either go directly to a desired shadow, or seeks a
shadow most likely to contain or produce the desired conjuration, then seeks or creates it there through
mundane or other means.
Inspirations including this ability might involve granting some cross-Shadow functionality to another
power, provided that it only involves adjacent or nearby shadows.

Influence Shadow
With this ability, the Pattern adept can alter the circumstances of the specific shadow she is in, rather
than merely going to another one which better suits her tastes.
This usually takes the form of altering the “odds” of the shadow, in order to get what you want without
violating the shadow’s internal laws of consistency. A character can achieve any effect which is not
patently ludicrous for the place she is in, however unlikely it may be. The more likely an event already is
there, the easier it is to bring about. Large-scale, complicated effects such as political upheavals may
take more time and subtlety to pull off.
Psyche is the attribute usually used to determine the effect of this ability, since so many factors must be
balanced against each other when making such complex adjustments.
Characters should use this power with some care, since even inconsequential changes to a shadow’s
circumstances can have unforeseen consequences. If the character does not take the time to fully
incorporate all of the ramifications of such a change into the causality of a shadow, it can cause a
snowballing chain of cause and effect, leading to some kind of unpredictable major upheaval. If such an
event is serious enough, it can often be reflected in nearby shadows as similar kinds of troubles. On the
other hand, the character just might not give a damn about what happens to a few shadows when she’s
done playing with them.
When conjuring, this ability is most effective used in conjunction with Shift Shadow. Not only can you go
to the shadow where a conjuration is likely to be, you can make it a near-certainty that you will all but trip
over it when you get there.

Alter Shadow
At this level, the Pattern expert can completely redesign the very structure of a specific shadow, rather
than merely changing the circumstances within it. The character can now produce any effect she desires
from the contents of the shadow, since she can also determine what is and is not logically consistent. For
example, one can actually change the laws of physics within a given shadow.
Like “Influence Shadow,” above, Psyche is usually the primary attribute used to determine success with
this ability.
The dangers of this ability are similar to those of “Influence Shadow,” but magnified to a much higher
level. Without carefully balancing the consistency of the shadow’s physical and metaphysical laws, it can
be too easy to entirely eradicate the biosphere, or even disintegrate every scrap of matter in the shadow
(note: this may include you). Even worse, a character can cause a shadow’s very fabric to become
unstable, causing a collapse that can spawn shadow storms across the nearby cross-shadow “region.”
Such poorly considered meddling with the structure of Shadow can cause some very powerful people to
come looking for you with very big sticks, particularly if you just accidentally deleted their vacation home
and/or loved ones from existence.
Conjuration with this ability is obvious and powerful. You can redesign whatever shadow you’re in, or
decide that the spontaneous creation of a given conjuration is not only plausible, but logically necessary.
Inspirations of this ability are ridiculously powerful and often deal with changing a shadow’s relationship to
adjacent shadows – one might fold up an entire shadow into a “pocket universe,” construct impassable
between-shadow barriers or gaps, gradually merge shadows together to increase the local Significance,
or move a shadow somewhere else entirely.

Pattern Lens

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A master of Pattern can use the sign like a kind of lens, to search or scry throughout all of Shadow from
any location. If she already knows where a shadow is, she can view it instantly, otherwise she'll have to
move her point of view to that location through shadow. However, this ability is not as effective as Shift
Shadow for seeking a “shadow of desire,” or for finding lost items or answers.
She can also move an object from a viewed location to her, travel there instantly or use another power
from a distance.
Furthermore, she can use any Pattern ability at a distance, influencing or altering shadows at will. This
could be used to turn any other character's attempt to Shift Shadow into an effective hellride or royal road
from a distance, hindering or helping them on their journey, or possibly directing them to encounter a
specific shadow.
Inspirations at the Mastery level include creating a conjured artifact imbued with the power of Pattern
itself, such as the swords Greyswandir, Werewindle and their siblings.

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Logrus
Significance: Cosmic
Basis: Primal Source
Prerequisites: Novice of Shapeshifting, Real+1 Psyche

Initiation into the Logrus can only be gained by standing on its sigil somewhere deep beneath the Courts
of Chaos, and surviving the experience with one’s mind at least somewhat intact. If one lacks the
prerequisite power, can’t afford the character point expenditure or fails to adapt to the pure Chaos
contained therein, complete insanity or even death is the only possible result. Whatever the character’s
attributes, initiation into the Logrus is always an incredibly strenuous undertaking requiring all of the
character’s concentration and effort.
The energy of Logrus tends to appear as a black tracery of lines, which writhe and twist according to no
predictable pattern or law known to Shadow. However, many uses of the Logrus are invisible to normal
senses.
Most uses of Logrus abilities are marked by side effects involving gloom and decay. This is merely due to
the increased amounts of entropy/change given off by the presence of primal Chaos. For this reason, the
naive tend to see Logrus initiates as somehow particularly scary or evil, even though they are frequently
far more honorable and organized than that family based around the Pattern.
Representing absolute Chaos, the Logrus acts as the first cause to all change throughout Shadow,
stirring and agitating all things with its influence and allowing them to change, grow, and die everywhere
throughout the multiverse.
Initiation into the power of the Logrus ultimately represents gaining control of the very source of the
eternal cycle of creation and destruction.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 5 5 Eye of the Serpent
Student 10 15 Tendril Reach
Adept 15 30 Black Trail
Expert 20 50 Call Chaos
Master 25 75 Manipulate Shadow

Eye of the Serpent

The novice meditates on the symbol of the Logrus, until it fills her body with its wild power. This requires
a great deal of concentration from the wielder, precluding her from taking other actions.
The Logrus energy does nothing of itself, but can act as an active defense against direct power attacks.
Any manifestation of power touching the character is instantly destabilized and disintegrates before it can
cause harm. This normally uses only the significance of the power of Logrus for its effect. If an attribute
is otherwise required, it would be Endurance.
Viewing her surroundings through this state of heightened perception may also provide a variety of
insights regarding their true nature.
As inspirations, a character might wish to bring the effect about more quickly (perhaps in response to an
attack), or to be able to take other actions while maintaining it. And anything that might require that the
character’s being be infused with such a high level of destructive energy might be useful for other effects.

Tendril Reach
At this level of mastery, the Logrus adept can now manifest the uncountable tendrils of the Logrus and
send them out through shadow. These continue until a random tendril locates the object of a search. It
can be then used to spy on that person, place or thing.
Not only can the adept locate something across shadow, she can also attack it with the tendrils
themselves, or use them to manipulate various objects.
Strength is almost always used to determine the effect of a tendril strike, unless it is being resisted by
another power. In that case use the significance level of the powers involved to settle the conflict.
This power should be used with some caution. If the tendrils are successfully resisted, there is normally a
kind of psychic backlash that can damage the wielder, even if the resistance was entirely passive. One
should never strike at an unknown quantity unless one is willing to suffer the consequences of failure.
Furthermore, using a Tendril Reach across Shadow can leave a Black Thread (see below).
Inspirations of this ability could include transmitting the effects of another power to another Shadow.

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Black Trail
At this level of mastery, the Logrus expert can now use its power to travel quickly across Shadow. This
involves weakening the cross-Shadow fabric between you and your target, then using a tendril to pull you
immediately to that location. This can be done so quickly as to give the appearance of teleportation, or
may be left as a temporary gateway between the two locations.
Using a Black Trail usually leaves at least a tiny area of unnatural decay in each shadow between the
wielder and target. Sometimes called “Black Threads” these effects can potentially be used to trace an
effect back to its author. The area and degree of decay depend on the strength of the effect attempted,
from a few blades of dead grass to a large region filled with black and twisted flora and fauna. Black
Threads can linger for hours or days after the effect occurred.
Characters traveling at full speed down a Black Trail are not visible or corporeal in the shadows through
which they pass. Travel is extremely quick and unnerving, though not exactly instantaneous. The Black
Trail is also effective for conjuring. Items can be "dragged" with tendrils from anywhere across Shadow.
Inspirations of this ability usually involve establishing or extending a mostly permanent “Black Road“ for
use by others. It might also be possible to merely weaken the shadow fabric locally, or over a wider area.

Call Chaos
At this level, the Logrus Expert can make the pure Chaos of the Logrus into something physically real.
One method is to separate tentacles from the Logrus and form them into a conjuration that uses the
Logrus' significance. Such a method of conjuration also takes about half the time as searching for
something via Tendril Reach.
However, conjurations created with this power decay fairly quickly into nothingness, typically lasting for
less than a day (Called Chaos conjurations traditionally elapse at the next sunrise).

Manipulate Shadow
A Master of Logrus can use her fine control of the chaos inherent in all things to produce a wide variety of
“magical” effects, by directly manipulating the chaos inherent in the substance and energies of the local
shadow. Nearly anything can be created, destroyed or transformed at will. It is far easier to destroy
something than to create or change it, as the character is relying on the chaotic instability of the thing to
influence its form. Characters can also cause a number of other effects by manipulating various kinds of
energy directly.
Psyche is usually the attribute involved with this ability, as manipulating shadow stuff is almost always a
delicate and complex operation.
Things made or modified through this ability tend to be somewhat warped and unstable. Unless great
care is taken when creating them, they can be rather unreliable for all but the simplest of purposes.
Furthermore, they are often hideous in appearance, exuding the marks of the chaos which made them.
Using this ability to destroy something should also be done with some caution. Unthinkingly releasing the
chaos pent up within something can cause a release of unpredictable amounts and kinds of energy.
Unless carefully controlled, such energies might have disastrous side-effects.
Conjuration with this ability is simple: just create what you desire, or add modifications to a similar form.
Inspirations might include using this ability at a distance across shadow, or creating artifacts imbued with
the power of Logrus itself.

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Trump
Significance: Great
Basis: Universal Law
Prerequisite: Royal+1 Psyche

Anyone with a Real or better Psyche can use a trump card. Merely meditating on the image activates an
hallucinatory visual link with its subject. If it is a card of a person, then the link tends to be communicative
in nature. In that case, one can normally only travel through it with the consent of the other, generally by
joining outreached hands. If it is a card of a thing, then the card holder can reach through and take it from
wherever it may be. If it is a place, then the card holder can “step” through to that location at will.
The subject of a Trump contact can always refuse to take a call. This does require a certain amount of
concentration at lower ranges of Psyche and can be nothing more than an insignificant nuisance at the
higher ranges. This is due only to the fact that it can be easy to accidentally answer the call if one is not
mentally focused on avoiding it. Trump contacts cannot (normally) be “forced” on an unwilling subject.
While in a Trump contact, the holder of the card can normally cut off contact merely by passing her hand
over it or otherwise losing visual contact with the image.
When looking or passing through a Trump contact, things seem to have a sort of rainbow-like halo.
The Trump power represents some advanced ways of using trumps, and ultimately the ability to create
them. Although this power doesn’t have much in the way of “big gun” effects, it almost always comes in
ridiculously handy. An Expert in Trump can write her own ticket, especially among the other player
characters, who will usually want a variety of custom cards made right off the bat. Don’t sell cheap.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 4 4 Trump Loop
Student 8 12 Trump Recognition
Adept 12 24 Sketch Trump
Expert 16 40 Draw Trump
Master 20 60 Trump Memory

Trump Loop
By holding a trump card containing her own image and activating it, the Trump novice can resist the
effects of other powers with that of Trump. Normal Trump use precludes anything so paradoxical as
contacting oneself, but it can be done with considerable practice. While maintaining a Trump Loop, the
character can essentially float in a "holding pattern" as she continuously passes through the Trump to
herself.
This ability nearly always uses the significance of Trump for effect. If an attribute were called for, it would
most often be Psyche. In order to maintain the defense, the character must keep looking at and
concentrating on the card continuously.
Inspirations of this ability might include taking other people with you through a Trump, or "hitchhiking"
along with another person passing through Trump.

Trump Recognition
At this level of mastery, the character can now recognize who is on the other end of a Trump contact
without actually answering the contact. This requires that the character have the trump card of that
person for comparison. After feeling the contact, the character rifles through her cards until she finds the
one that “feels like” the caller. If she does not find a matching card, then all she knows is that the caller
is not in her deck.
Inspirations with this ability can include anything that involves similar “third party” effects regarding Trump
contacts without actually being part of one. Characters might fan their decks to find out who’s contacting
whom, to eavesdrop on those calls, or even to jam or otherwise interfere with them. They might also seek
to fake their calling signature to fool someone else trying to use this power.

Sketch Trump
The character can create trump “sketches.” These are simple drawings which operate for only a limited
number of uses, and which are more difficult to activate than a standard Trump. Generally sketches don’t
need to be as fully detailed as a permanent Trump, and don’t need to be colored (which saves on art
supplies).

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Trump sketches are difficult to activate to begin with, and become more so with each use. Treat any
initial attempt to activate a sketch as a being opposed by Real Psyche, taking any appropriate edges into
consideration. With each successive use, increase the opposing Psyche by one range, to Royal, Elder
and finally to Ancient. After that the sketch is useless as a Trump. Copying a Trump sketch counts as
one activation of that sketch.
As inspirations, a character might try drawing a sketch with improvised materials.

Draw Trump
The character can create her own custom-designed Trump cards at this level. Actually, any colored two-
dimensional image, such as a portrait, can be made. Creating a working Trump requires only the
appropriate art supplies, a sitting subject (or another Trump to copy), and some time. A trump card takes
longer to create than a comparable sketch.
The following table shows the number of hours required to sketch or draw a normal trump:

Mastery Sketch Draw

Novice
Student
Adept 4
Expert 2 4
Master 1 2

As inspirations, the character might make other forms of Trumps, such as statues, written pages or
business cards. Or character might create a variety of Trumps which work in nonstandard ways, such as
Trumps which activate with only a glance or those which transport the holder somewhere immediately on
activation. Trumps which bear a different image than their actual subject are another possibility. Such
“Trump Trap” tactics used by anyone in the game can help to keep all of the players on their toes, and
prevent them from taking Trumps for granted.

Trump Memory
At this level, the Trump master gains the ability to see things as they are, and to memorize their intrinsic
natures. So much so that effective trumps can be drawn of them later on from memory.
The character can also memorize caller signatures for use with Recognition, and memorize her own true
nature to establish a Trump Loop without even having to look at the appropriate card.
Characters can now also create working trumps entirely based on their own imaginations for use in
conjuring. Such trumps would contact appropriate similar subjects across Shadow. These subjects are
not just similar in appearance; they can have their abilities and backgrounds completely specified.
As an inspiration of this ability, the character might “draw” a Trump in her head from memory. Or create a
“repeater” trump of a non-unique conjuration, which contacts another copy of it with every activation. An
exalted inspiration would also be required to imbue an artifact or spell with the power of Trump itself.

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Shapeshifting
Significance: Great
Basis: Natural Ability
Prerequisite: Blood of Chaos (1 point)

Shapeshifting is a natural ability practiced to some extent by many of the residents of the Black Zone,
commonly referred to as “demons.” Affinity with the primal chaos inherent in the region surrounding the
Logrus makes their very bodies changeable. Although this ability is somewhat common among all
demons, mastery of it is rare, occurring primarily in the elders of the noble houses themselves.
With this power, a character can reshape their own body at will, granting themselves a variety of special
abilities and forms of defense.
On the one hand, this is one of the more reliable powers in existence; should a primal source be
destroyed or the workings of the universe altered, your ability to control yourself is unlikely to be affected.
On the other hand, the ramifications of misuse are very personal and often tragic, affecting your own body
from within. As such, it is generally impossible to avoid paying the costs of making a mistake when using
this power.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 4 4 True Form
Student 8 12 Shift Form
Adept 12 24 Shift Power
Expert 16 40 Shift Blood
Master 20 60 Shift Other

True Form
The character has a “true form” which represents her true self in some way. Depending on the
character’s style and background, such a form may be appear as a demon, avatar, totem or anything
else. The appearance of a character's True Form is a defined part of the character, and does not change
once acquired.
When in this form the character can automatically “translate” her being to suit the current environment.
This usually does not mean a gross change in shape; more often the substance of the character becomes
something which is naturally likely to survive there. For example, if the character found herself in the
center of a star, she might turn into some sort of plasma but might roughly retain the shape of her true
form. When in true form, the character is assumed to be immune from any environmental damaging
effects, such as heat, cold or vacuum.
Direct attacks which are not evenly applied to the body still deal damage as normal, but the True Form
also has some ability to regenerate damage. In order to do this, the character should be concentrating
entirely on healing, while taking no other actions. This may be used to recover from any normal wounds,
poison, disease or other damaging effect, given time.
When applicable, this ability is based on the Endurance attribute. However, it rarely requires a
comparison of statistics to succeed; the force level of a threat is not normally a factor in determining
whether the True Form can survive or recover from it. Attacks inflicted by an artifact or power use which
has a greater significance than that of Shapeshifting may not be resisted or healed using this ability.
Reverting to True Form is reflexive and cannot always be consciously controlled. It is common for a
shapeshifter to revert to True Form when suffering any form of serious shock, whether she wants to or
not. Furthermore, when in True Form the character may sometimes revert to an instinctive fight-or-flight
state of mind, seeking only immediate survival. Psyche and/or Destiny (or Doom) are commonly used
factors for determining how well a character can resist or control her True Form.
Possession of this ability is the only known way to survive Logrus initiation.

Shift Form
The character can now change her physical form into nearly anything she desires. All such changes
must be based on a known mimicked subject.
Any form shifted at this level can not use creature abilities which go against the physics of the local
shadow. Essentially, the character can assume only those forms which are physical and biological, and
whose abilities are not based on any kind of "supernatural" phenomena. Use the spell/artifact functions
list to determine the special creature abilities which might go with a given form. The force level for such

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functions is nearly always equal to the character's Strength range.

The character can mimic up to a Named & Numbered quantity of "practiced" forms relatively quickly.
Maintain a list of these forms on the character sheet. The character can shift into any practiced form in a
single round.
Additional forms are possible as well, but take considerably longer. Use the times given under
conjuration to determine how long this takes. Assume that any form at all requires a minimum of 1 point
worth of conjuration.
New forms can replace those in the character's list of common forms with some practice. Time spent
practicing such a form involves conjuring it at twice its standard point value, with a minimum of 10 points.
Behavioral patterns and instincts often must be embedded into the form to better make use of these
abilities and traits. If used carelessly, this can often cause a character to "lose herself" and live convinced
she is the subject (or subject creature type) indefinitely.

Shift Power
At this level, the character can take on forms which can ignore the local laws of reality. Any physiological
or supernatural ability is possible. A character might become naturally intangible or invisible, be made of
smoke or fire, or use forms with any kinds of abilities whatsoever. Any power produced by this ability
uses the significance of Shapeshifting itself, should it come into conflict with another power.
As with "Shift Form" above, the form assumed should be based on some specific kind of creature or
individual. However, given the incredible variety of examples available in Shadow, that restriction is
somewhat academic; the character is pretty much free to use anything at all, provided she has
encountered it somewhere before. At this level, the character can also use shapeshifting to move
through Shadow simply by becoming a creature that has the innate ability to do so.
As inspirations, the character might use her shapeshifting to copy the "Blood" advantages, physical
attributes or other game-defined characteristics outside of the conjuration functions.

Shift Blood
The shapeshifter’s body now is naturally somewhat homogeneous - although it can maintain the
appearance of organs, the brain is not necessarily the seat of thought, nor is the heart particularly
required for blood circulation. Nor is blood circulation necessary, for that matter. The character’s
essential functions may be spread throughout her body in a holistic way, and her form can flow from one
form to the next like water. Mimicked forms and functions can be completely extemporaneous and don't
have to copy any known creature.
The character is also capable of shapeshifting separated parts of her body as if they were still attached.
This may be used to conjure from drops of your own blood, or to achieve such effects as coming apart
into a cloud of smaller creatures which may re-form elsewhere later on. The smaller the part separated,
the less of the character’s personality it contains. A piece with the equivalent mass of a small animal is
not likely to have much more intelligence than one, but may also be programmed with complex instinctual
responses for preservation and reintegration elsewhere. Small parts which are not re-formed will begin to
decay and become unrecoverable after a period of hours or days.
A character who loses a significant portion of her mass will be wounded upon reforming, commensurate
with the amount lost. Since a part of her essence was contained in the missing tissue it cannot be quickly
or easily replaced, although she may appear whole. Shapeshifting cannot help her heal this type of
damage.
Experts of shapeshifting can be incredibly difficult to actually kill. Even beheading does not necessarily
qualify as a critical wound to such a being, and they can regenerate while in any form. However, special
forms of damage caused by higher-significance attacks may impair any ability to survive them.

Shift Other
The Master of shapeshifting can not only completely control her abilities, but also recognize and call out
to the latent traces of chaos inherent in all living forms. At this level, the character can inflict
shapeshifting on others, healing or molding them at will. If applicable, compare the wielders' and target's
significance to determine effect. If these match, or if significance doesn't apply, use the wielder's Strength
vs. the target's Endurance instead.
Use the conjuration rules for what you want to turn someone into, assuming a minimum of 1 point. It is
also possible to conjure creatures directly from the bodily fluids of another person. If this method is used,
that person may immediately invest in the conjuration, linking it to her destiny.
As with "shift power," the forms you can force on another being are not necessarily restricted to

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physiological forms. As with "shift blood" a being can be made "fluid" without having specific vulnerable
organs.
The original form of any altered thing is still latently retained in the being. Therefore it is always at least
hypothetically possible to reverse the effects of this power, usually through another application of the
same power. Creatures made through this ability can sometimes be unstable; if it is used too quickly or
carelessly, they might either revert to their original form, or die as amorphous blobs of goo after some
period of time.
Inspirations of this ability might involve extracting someone's "soul," possibly for use with another power.
Imbuing something with the power of Shapeshifting also requires an exalted inspiration.

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Sorcery
Significance: Minor
Basis: Universal Law
Prerequisite: None

Commonly referred to as “magic,” sorcery is fundamentally a study of complex structures in certain kinds
of energy and information. Such forms of energy naturally occur in one form or another nearly
everywhere throughout Shadow, and often flow between shadows much like ocean tides. Thus, spells
can potentially be cast from nearly anywhere, provided that the character makes sufficient effort to
“translate” it to match the energies of its current location.
Although it can produce an incredibly versatile and powerful range of effects, this power does not carry
much in the way of significance. Therefore, even its most grandiose effects can often be easily nullified
by many of the simplest applications of greater powers.
Most of Sorcery involves the casting of spells. See “conjuration” section for further details about spell
effects and summoning.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 2 2 Power Words
Student 4 6 Ritual Magic
Adept 6 12 Linchpins
Expert 8 20 True Casting
Master 10 30 Far Casting

Cantrips
A Named & Numbered quantity of cantrips are assigned to the character at the novice level of sorcery.
Cantrips (or “power words”) constitute the building blocks of sorcery; spells themselves are actually
constructed of a large number of such power words, strung together to form a complex structure. Most of
the words of this magical language only make subtle alterations to sorcerous energy, and only a few are
useful for other effects.
The player must define both the effect and the description of her character’s cantrips. A cantrip can
usually be a single word, a particular gesture or some combination. If another character has Sorcery and
also knows the specific cantrip being used, then he may be able to “counter” the use of that cantrip,
nullifying its effect.
Cantrips take only a moment to invoke. The effects of cantrips also usually last for only a moment, and
should always be minor. Something which disrupts or boosts some kind of existing process is usually an
appropriate effect for a cantrips. Other cantrips might have a minor effect which could be generated by
trace amounts of personal or environmental energies.
What follows is only a short list of examples. Players should feel free to devise new minor effects, subject
to GM approval.

Aura: Creates a visible aura of magical energy around the caster - glowing eyes, ionized air, etcetera.
Not that useful per se, but impressive to look at.
Burst of Magic: Creates a flare of raw magical energy, which may activate an item.
Burst of Psyche: Acts as an edge in your favor for any Psyche-based action.
Burst of Strength: Acts as an edge in your favor for any Strength-based action.
Chaos Negation: Used against yourself, protects you from harmful effects of Chaos.
Defensive Luck: May cause a momentary lucky break to go your way.
Induce Fear: If successful, fills the target with irrational momentary fear, creating a temporary edge.
Life Force: Makes the person feel very good for just a moment; may help to wake someone up, recover
from shock or disrupt a destructive anti-life process.
Light Strobe: Releases a “strobe” burst of light, which may temporarily blind opponents.
Magic Negation: Causes the disruption of gathering magical energies.
Neural Disrupt: Causes your opponent to twitch or flinch, throwing off their coordination for a moment.
Pain Attack: Gives a distracting jolt of pain to the target.
Pattern Negation: Used on yourself, momentarily defends against a Pattern-based effect targeting you
(requires Novice of Pattern).
Process Snuff: Momentarily dampens some physical process.

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Process Surge: Momentarily creates a surge in a physical process.

Psychic Defense: Creates a burst of defensive willpower to resist mental intrusion.
Psychic Disrupt: If successful, this directly affects the mind of a target creature, temporarily throwing off
their concentration, and acting as an edge against them in situations involving complex mental activity
(requires Novice Telepathy).
Reach: Grabs any small object (about 1 pound or less) and pulls it to your hand.
Resume True Form: Turns something that has been altered into its true form. Characters using the
Shape Shifting power may resist, but it will cost them some effort (requires Novice Shapeshifter).
Shade: Makes the area's shadows darker and spookier.
Spark: Creates a brief flaming spark, like that generated when a match is struck.
Thunder: Creates a loud clap of white noise.
Trump Disrupt: Blocks or halts an active Trump connection (requires Novice Trump).
Weaken Structure: Temporarily weakens the molecular structure of an object, acting as an edge against
its ability to resist damage.
Whisper: Transmits sub-vocalized communication to the ear of another person within line-of-sight.

Ritual Magic
At this level, the Sorcerer can create any effect they wish, using the Conjuring rules. Objects or energies
can be created out of thin air; local reality itself can be completely manipulated. However, it takes a
significant amount of time to build and cast each spell. At the end of that time, the spell takes effect
immediately.
Like artifacts, spells have a Significance rating (normally equal to that of the Sorcery power itself), a Force
rating, plus a cost for a variety of functions. The total point cost of the Force plus the functions
determines how long it takes to cast the spell.
Spell effects are temporary and usually last for only about a single scene, whether it be long or short.
After a modest time period, all conjurations and spell effects rapidly decay, unraveling into nothingness.

Linchpins
At this level, a Sorcerer can cast their spell with “linchpins” left out, and store the almost-completed spell
in a sort of a “holding pattern” until later use. Later on, they can “complete” the spell simply by naming
the remaining linchpin words, making spells useful in combat or other immediate situations.
A Sorcerer can normally keep one spell “prepared” in this way, leaving it in a holding pattern on their
personal aura. However, they can use inspirations of most other powers to prepare a named and
numbered quantity of spells, “hanging” them on the power itself. They can also use any artifact that has
the ability to store spells.
Other than merely allowing a spell to hang, linchpins also allow variable pieces of information to be
supplied to the spell at the time it is released. By filling these missing pieces, the caster "completes" the
construction of the spell, allowing it to take effect.
How long it takes to “cast” (release) a hung spell depends entirely on the number of linchpins in the spell,
regardless of the actual point cost of the spell. Casting a hung spell normally counts as a single action;
the more linchpins involved the more complex the action, or the more actions it takes.
Any spell must have at least one linchpin in order to be hung and released. If it needs no others, then
give it the “completion” linchpin by default.

Binding: This linchpin makes the spell effect last longer, by connecting it to something else (most often
the life of the caster) which it uses as a source for its reality. However, a bound spell effect can't cross
into a different shadow without degrading.
Completion: Use this linchpin only if the spell requires no others, and you want to hang it.
Control: This linchpin allows the spellcaster to continue to control the effects of the spell after it is
released. For example, a telekinesis spell would require continued control to know how to move
something it has “grabbed.”
Magic of Shadow: This linchpin allows the spell to be “translated” to work in accordance with the laws of
the shadow where it is released. If the spell has greater significance than the shadow where it is
released, then this linchpin is not required. In any case, this linchpin allows spells to be released and
function anywhere, ignoring local shadow laws or significance.
Mode: This linchpin is used to select which "mode" is to occur from a set of predefined variations
embedded in the spell's definition. See the "mode" function group for spell/artifact functions for further
details.

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Target: The spell may be “aimed” at specific people or areas. Without this linchpin, a spell can only target
the caster, or use a less precise targeting method such as "whoever I touch next" or "whoever I'm pointing
at." Such methods can run the risk of misfiring or missing their intended target.
Trigger: This linchpin makes the spell's effect lie “dormant” in the released location until another specified
event occurs. The trigger linchpin specifies the event. All other linchpins must be specified at the same
time. The spell will require some degree of the Sense function to recognize the event once it occurs.
Until activated, the spell can be sensed or affected as if it were still hanging.
Other: Other linchpins might specify how long the spell lasts, what event might dispel it or any other
variables or “switches” that might be involved in specifying how the spell works when it is released, if not
specified in the original casting.

True Casting
At this level, the character can create and cast spells the effects of which can last indefinitely and can be
taken to another shadow without automatically degrading. Everything produced by a “True” spell should
be treated as “real,” rather than as something made out of magic (“ephemera”). For all intents and
purposes, they are as good as the real thing. The significance of a conjuration is normally that of the
Sorcery power. True spell effects cannot be dispelled by their caster.
As an inspiration of this level of mastery, the character may combine her Sorcery with another power she
has and use its significance rating instead for her spells.

Far Casting
Normally, spells cast or released must take place in the same shadow, and can only affect that shadow,
or adjacent ones at best. At this level, the sorcerer can cast spells which may reach across other
shadows for their powers or effects. Such spells are increased in their potential range or scope.
Inspirations of Far Casting might involve using the significance of a given shadow to increase that of a
spell or conjuration.

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Telepathy
Significance: Minor
Basis: Natural Ability
Prerequisite: Real+1 Psyche

Characters in a Trump contact normally have a very basic version of the “Mind Link” ability listed below,
even if neither of them has the Telepathy power. Any character with a Real or better Psyche can initiate
a Trump connection; any character with a trump drawn of them can receive one; either character can
initiate a psychic connection once a trump contact is established. Other powers may have effects or
inspirations which establish such a mental connection as well.
Normal psychic combat causes fatigue, takes considerable time and concentration, and ends in
unconsciousness (or possibly death) for the loser.
This power represents the ability of a character to use their Psyche to affect the minds of others in other
ways or to gain information directly from them. Most uses of this power require an opposed action of
Psyche, but defenses provided by other powers may come into play as well.

Mastery Level cost Total cost Ability

Novice 2 2 Mind Sense
Student 4 6 Mind Link
Adept 6 12 Read Mind
Expert 8 20 Insinuation
Master 10 30 Compelling

Mind Sense
The character can rely on her own mind for sensory impressions; this can be used to locate people in her
general vicinity or to “hear” surface thoughts, provided that the target's thoughts are unguarded or that
their Psyche is less than that of the character.
Using this ability normally requires at least some of a character’s concentration, depending on her Psyche
attribute and the degree of information desired. Characters with higher ranks of Psyche may be able to
use this ability while maintaining normal conversation and/or taking other actions. This can be a highly
effective technique for subtly gathering information, particularly if the conversation touches on sensitive
topics.
If used in a well-populated area, it can often cause some disorientation as the character is bombarded
with unfiltered mental impressions from all the minds around her.

Mind Link
At this level, the character can establish a mental contact with anyone within her line of sight. This is
similar to a Trump contact in that two-way mental communication is possible. Unlike a Trump contact,
this connection can be forced on an unwilling recipient, provided that the telepath’s Psyche is better than
that of her subject (or close with at least one edge). Using this power on the unwilling typically initiates a
Psyche vs. Psyche combat.
As with Mind Sense, using this ability normally requires a good deal of concentration. When involved in a
mental combat, taking any other physical actions counts as an edge against you in the Psyche battle. At
the same time, maintaining the Psyche battle counts as an edge against any other actions you might
take.
Inspirations might involve protecting the mind of someone else with your own Psyche, linking up three or
more people in a telepathic “conference call” or combining this with another power to establish or force a
mind link across Shadow.

Read Minds
With this ability, the character may “read” buried thoughts or memories from their victim. Should her
subject lose a contest of Psyche, he can be placed into a trance-like state, giving the character full access
to freely read his mind.
If the thought or memory sought is buried deeply or otherwise protected, a greater amount of success or
time may be required.
People often remember the same events differently; characters would do well to bear in mind that
someone’s memory of an event may be colored by his own perceptions or ego. It is very possible to pick

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up false information from someone’s mind if they are misled about a subject. Often, it takes careful
delving and consideration to get at the truth buried under layers of self deception.
Even just reading a few thoughts from someone runs the potential risk of creating a kind of "ghost image"
of them within your own mind. The strength of this entity depends on the victim's Psyche, as well as the
amount of information stolen from them. If this power is over-used, the wielder may find herself becoming
partially or completely controlled by these suppressed stolen personalities whenever she is fatigued or
distracted.

Insinuation
As with “read minds” above, the character can use partial or total victory in a psychic combat to achieve
other effects. In this case the character may plant false memories, beliefs or suggestions in the mind of
her subject. The character may also suppress other memories, locking them away from the subject’s
conscious mind. Greater changes to the subject’s mind or personality would require more time and/or a
greater degree of success.
No change made to a subject’s mind is ever completely irreversible, and no information is ever completely
lost; if a character is trying to undo (or find) the Insinuation of another, compare the Psyche of the
telepaths involved, ignoring that of the hapless subject.
Characters should be careful when using this ability, as subjects under a poorly constructed Insinuation
can often become unpredictable or even psychologically unstable. Even well designed alterations may
sometimes cause strange dreams or thoughts in a subject, as his subconscious personality or memory
fights to restore itself. Eventually, subjects are likely to overcome the effects of such a change by
themselves, though it may take months or even many years, depending on their Psyche.

Compelling
Anyone who has lost a psychic combat to a Master of Telepathy can be read, insinuated or even directly
controlled by her later on through hidden "backdoors" established in their natural psychic barriers. The
character has free and unrestricted access into her victim's mind at any later time.
The character can also completely fuse the abilities of Mind Link, Read Minds and Insinuation to "take
over" someone else's mind directly. This normally requires line-of-sight to make the connection, but can
be continued anywhere after that, provided they're still in the same Shadow.
Once established, such Compelling allows the wielder to influence or directly control someone's actions
and to see and know everything they think or do. A victim of Compelling often is not aware that they are
a subject of such "mindriding" and can act normally with only occasional nudges from their possessor.
As with Insinuation above, it is possible for another telepath to notice and/or reverse these alterations.
Maintaining a Compelling link requires a certain amount of concentration from the user. It is also not
possible to use Telepathy for anything else while performing this ability.
As an exalted inspiration, it might be possible to store a complete record of everything someone is and
knows, either within your own mind or within some kind of artifact. In this case, the character might use
such "engrams" to mimic mental attributes, advantages or even certain powers – and perhaps to implant
them in the minds of other individuals.

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ADVANCEMENT

As the characters become more developed and begin to rack up achievements, all good GMs should
reward them with further character points to build them into the epic heroes they think they are.

Awards
Most character point awards should be given either at the end of each session. Awards based on
achievement should be applied to the characters’ point balances at the time that a goal is met. The
following are a loose guideline for how many points to award characters.

Achievement (1 or more points): The character helped to overcome a dangerous foe or achieve an
important goal. This award should be handed out only for important victories - you get nothing for
thrashing the drunkard in the bar for insulting your mother. "Victory" in this sense can be fairly open
ended. It can include defeating someone in battle, discovering important information, or anything else
which furthers an important long-term purpose. At the top end of the scale, this award represents the
achievement of multiverse spanning goals or victories over vastly powerful foes, or both. “If it’s Friday, we
must be saving the universe...”
Contributions (1 point each): A staple of Amber roleplaying, players can earn points for their characters by
contributing story write-ups, poems,drawings, pictures, dioramas, websites or anything else to the
gaming group which helps to enhance the experience for everyone involved. All contribution awards are
subject to GM approval, natch.
Participation (1 point): This simply reflects that the character was involved in the story. If the player sat in
the corner and pouted while her character hid in Shadow, then by all means skip it. Same thing if the
character spent all her time on completely irrelevant pursuits with no story-related purpose (“Look - I’m
building pyramids!”)
Roleplaying (1 point): This rewards the player for acting “in character” and helping to bring the story to
life. Sitting back and just saying what your character does is OK, but making an extra effort to act out the
part is more fun for everybody and worth a reward.

All awarded character points go into a “free point” or “experience” rating to keep track of them until they
are spent.

Purchases
The GM might determine that a given time during or between sessions is inappropriate to allow the
characters to spend their earned points, such as when a session ends in a “cliffhanger,” or when
characters still have some mop-up work to do after a goal has been reached. In this case, the balance of
unspent character points is saved and recorded with the character.
Points spent from Destiny should be available at any time - especially when the characters are in the
middle of a tough situation.

Attributes
If a character advances their rating equal to or beyond the higher rank of another character, that
character should be informed by the GM so that they have a chance to buy up their own rating and stay
“ahead,” at least for now.
If any character has reached the maximum possible rating for an attribute range, there is an extra cost for
advancing to the next range, equal to the base cost of that range divided by 5. This additional “margin
cost” represents the fact that an attribute at its maximum rating is still far less effective than an unrated
attribute which is one range higher.

Range Max rating Margin cost

Human +10 1
Real +15 2
Royal +75 5
Elder +500 20

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Ancient Infinite N/A

Powers
Gaining new powers should always require a story-based explanation for how the character acquired it.
This may require a specific initiation ritual, tutoring, extended research and practice, or some other
method. Obtaining the means to acquire a new power may even be the basis for an adventure of its own.
A character may only begin a new power at the “novice” level. A character should not be allowed to
increase more than one level of mastery in any power at any one time. Increasing further will require at
least one new adventure and a completely different story-based explanation than was used for the last
increase.
Inspirations on the other hand, should be available at any time. In fact, having a character pay to attempt
to invent a new inspiration in a pinch is a great way to encourage them to get creative during combat
situations, and to expand their powers in more unique and interesting ways.

Investment
Investing points into artifacts and shadows may also be done during or between game sessions. as
circumstances allow. The GM might require a story-based explanation of how the points become
invested - the character may be spending a lot of time in the shadow, “working” on or with the artifact, or
could be using a specific power-based ability to do this.

Destiny
Initially defined as an advantage, Destiny can also act as a back-up character point pool for making
purchases. If the character really needs some extra points for a purchase, those can be provided by
reducing the Destiny rating by an equivalent amount. As always, dipping into "negative" Destiny should
be recorded as the Doom disadvantage.
The GM may decide that an attempt to spend points in a certain way fails if the character is already
maintaining a balance of Doom, specifically because of its influence on the attempt. For example, if a
character with Doom tries to walk the Pattern for the first time, the GM would be well justified in letting him
fail and die rather than spend points he doesn’t actually have. New inspirations are even less likely to
work.
Although bought at 1 character point per Destiny point during character creation, Destiny costs 2
character points per Destiny point to increase during advancement; Similarly, Doom costs 2 character
points to reduce by 1 point.

GM Maintenance
One often-used method for maintaining character statistics and advancement is to have the GM keep
track of the player characters herself, making all expenditures on behalf of the players and giving them
updated copies at the beginning of each session - omitting the number of available character points that
have been earned through experience. This helps the GM to balance significant abilities gained from the
events of the story with abilities the players would like their characters to have. It also encourages
players to focus on playing the character and discourages them from engaging in too much “number-
crunching” to maximize their characters’ abilities.
In order for the players to purchase or improve their characters’ abilities, they should submit a prioritized
“wish list” of point expenditures they would like to make down the road. They should also include what
range of destiny points that they would like to try to maintain, or what level of Doom they're willing to take
on in order to buy a given ability. When the GM determines that the character has a sufficient number of
points for the next item on the list, he buys it for the character and checks it off the “wish list.”. At regular
intervals throughout the campaign, the GM should give the players opportunities to alter or add to their
characters’ wish lists.

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Conjuration

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CONJURING

“Conjuring” is not a power in itself under this version of the rules, but rather describes the process of
using any power (or combination of powers) to obtain a useful magical effect, item, trained animal,
underling, or location. Conjuring might refer to the process of casting a spell, forging an artifact under
unique circumstances or seeking out a particular shadow far off in the multiverse.
GMs should use these design rules for all artifacts, spells, shadows and even minor characters.
At the initial level of mastery required to conjure an artifact, find a given shadow, or cast a given type of
spell, it takes 4 minutes per point. What that base level is for each power depends on the lowest level of
mastery that provides an ability useful for conjuring. At each level of mastery the character has above
that base level, the time required is halved. Characters can break this time up in order to sleep or
whatnot, but they cannot use the same power for any other purpose until the conjuration is complete.
The number of minutes per point required to conjure a given artifact or find a shadow is given in the
table below for each kind of power commonly used.

Mastery Pattern Logrus Trump Sorcery Shapeshifting

Novice
Student 4 4*
Adept 4 (min 1 4 (min ½ 2 2*
hour) hour)
Expert 2 2 1 1
Master 1 1 (4 hours) ½ ½

Pattern: Shift Shadow to go find it. Since Shadow is theoretically infinite, whatever you want has got
to be out there somewhere; it's just a question of going and getting it. Halve the required time if
Hellriding, and double it if using the Royal Road. At higher levels of mastery, the character can
locate something similar and then Manipulate it further into the place or thing she wants. The
significance of items conjured by Pattern is typically equal to that of the shadow from which they
came.
Logrus: At the Adept level, a Logrus user can use Tendril Reach to locate the place and/or retrieve
thing she seeks; the significance of such items is equal to that of the shadow from which they
cam. At the Expert level, a Logrus user can create it from pure chaos energy, but it will wither
within a day. A Master of Logrus can warp local shadow substance into whatever he wants; such
conjurations are still temporary, but do last somewhat longer.
Trump: Draw a Trump of the shadow or artifact you desire, then activate it. This method requires
Trump Memory, since the artist is creating the image from her mind, rather than copying it from
sight. If you already have a Trump of the thing, then conjuration isn't an issue. A Trump alwys
takes 4 hours to create regardless of the point cost of the artifact. The significance of items
conjured by Trump is equal to the shadow from which they came.
Shapeshifting: At the student and adept level of mastery, a shapeshifter can only conjure artifact
abilities or functions into her own body. An expert of this power could use Shift Blood to create
other creatures from drops of his blood or separated body parts. A master can conjure directly
into or from other living things. The significance of such items is equal to that of the
Shapeshifting power.
Sorcery: Spells can bring just about any conjured effect into being, either immediately or by conjuring
artifacts that have the effect. The significance of such items or effects is normally equal to that of
the Sorcery power.
Telepathy: There is no known method for conjuring with telepathy. If the GM allowed some sort of
exalted inspiration that could do so, then use the same times as for Sorcery.
Other: There are all sorts of ways to get a hold of useful things; roleplay it out. The timelines above make
good benchmarks for how long it should take compared to these methods, but on the other hand the
characters should perhaps be rewarded for making a full-blown adventure out of it. Assume that any time
requirements are open to negotiation, and get creative.

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Significance
Spells, artifacts and shadows all have degrees of significance, in the same way that powers do.
Whenever a power is used directly to affect something, or whenever two powers come into direct conflict,
their levels of significance should be compared rather than any force or attributes which might be
otherwise involved. As physically mighty as that dragon or death star might be, when push comes to
shove it is its significance level which will determine whether or not it can resist the use of a power.
Furthermore, the significance of spells, artifacts and shadows might be compared against one another in
order to determine what "works" in given situations. In particular, relative significance is often used to
determine if an artifact functions (or can even exist) in a non-native shadow.
An artifact can have a higher than normal degree of significance by being "imbued" with a power. In order
for an artifact to use a power per its description, it would also have to be imbued with that power. Imbuing
an artifact with a power requires an exalted inspiration by its creator, costing 5 points (1 point per level of
mastery in the power). Artifacts may never use inspirations themselves.
An artifact may also gain greater significance by being connected to a higher-significance shadow from
which it draws its power. The significance ratings of shadows is intrinsic and never requires explanation.
However, shadows with higher degrees of significance are extremely rare and valuable. These should be
carefully moderated by the GM, who should decide how many of such shadows might be found or
controlled during the campaign. Amber and the Courts of Chaos themselves are considered shadows of
Cosmic significance. No others can be considered to exist unless introduced by the GM. Shadows of
Great significance are rare, highly sought after, and almost always contested. Shadows of Major
significance are uncommon, but still hard to find and not easy to gain control of. And so forth.
It is possible that there might be other explanations for increasing the significance of artifacts, but these
are rare and generally introduced by the GM as well. For example, the swords Werewindle and
Greyswandir would be imbued artifacts of Cosmic significance.
Spells normally may only have significance up to that of the Sorcery power itself. Higher degrees of spell
significance might be possible through the use of inspirations that combine them with other powers or
sources of energy.

Force
Both artifacts and spells also have “force” levels, describing the amount of sheer regular power that they
can apply to their functions.
Shadows do not have force levels; presumably, any single shadow universe can contain any amount of
immensely powerful phenomena (ask any astronomer).
Force roughly corresponds to the attribute ranges of characters. Whatever an artifact or spell does, it
usually uses its force level to determine how well it does it.
This is different from how powerful it is in terms of the "grand scheme" of the multiverse, or when
compared to the powers. Completely mundane things or events can have very high levels of force
associated with them. For example, dump trucks, quasars, dinosaurs and meteor strikes can all be
incredibly powerful and dangerous, yet they still rank low in the cosmic pecking order.

Functions
Artifacts and spells use defined functions to describe the ways in which their force can be applied to world
around them. Basically, anything that they can do constitutes a function.
Since the process is almost identical for both things and spells, the definition of functions is presented in
its own section (below).
Shadows do not have functions, per se. Rather they have a set of descriptive specifications which
determine how they interact with other shadows, based on their significance.

Quantity
Artifacts and shadows can be defined as quantities, representing a collection of similar things. Although
spells themselves don’t come in quantities, their effects often can. Quantities can range from an
individual thing to billions or more instances of it.

Investment
The point costs of artifacts and shadows may be paid by a character. Investing points enhances the
character’s control and ownership of the thing in a variety of ways. It also helps to prevent GMs from
using those things against you. Players should always be wary of powerful artifacts that they didn't pay

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character points for.

Since spells are always disposable, their points are never invested. However, something conjured by a
spell could be.

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ARTIFACTS

“Artifacts” is a catch-all term which may include powerful or mundane items, trained animals, technology,
minions or anything else which the characters might find, use or keep to meet their ends.
Artifacts are primarily defined by their levels of significance and force, as well as by their functions. A
common-sense description of what they are and how they work is extremely important to determine what
they are capable of in given situations. Artifacts may occur in quantities representing groups of similar
things.

Creature or Item?
Whether an artifact represents a “creature” which can use its functions on its own behalf or an “item”
which allows a character to wield its functions is up to the person who constructs the artifact, and is part
of its definition. There is no point cost for either, since both have potential advantages and drawbacks.
A creature (or computer, or the like) is assumed to be able to communicate and understand orders. It can
follow simple instructions and take obvious courses of action, and might be even more intelligent than
that, depending on its nature and Force. Creatures typically use their functions on their own behalf.
An item allows its wielder to use its functions on his own behalf, usually through manipulating the object in
obvious ways - for example, swinging a sword or wearing some armor. If the functions can be wielded in
less obvious or “special” ways (such as a ring of flight or a cybernetic computer chip implant) then it will
cost more than otherwise.
Some artifacts may more or less constitute borderline cases between creature or item construction. A
suit of powered armor or a symbiotic life form are examples of cases in which it is less clear whether the
artifact uses its functions on its own behalf or that of the character. While such cases can be more
versatile, they can also have nastier side-effects should the GM decide to make trouble with the artifact.
Having an enemy implanted in your brain could be very, very bad for your health.
Since artifacts include sentient beings, many perfectly interesting people might find themselves labeled as
artifacts under these rules. The lieutenant of your army might have a variety of fascinating opinions and
personality quirks, and would probably be insulted to find out that he was defined using the same rules as
his horse or his sword. In these cases, it depends on what’s easiest for the GM to manage. Artifact rules
are easier to handle than full character creation, and the GM has a lot of NPCs to juggle during the
campaign. If a minor character starts to become more interesting or significant to the story, the GM might
redefine him using the character creation rules rather than those for artifacts.

Force
The Force of an artifact is the primary statistic to determine how well the artifact can perform any of its
functions. It is the primary measure of sheer might that the artifact can bring to bear. In most cases, all of
an item’s functions will use the force level of the item in order to determine how effective they are when
they are used.

Force cost
Normal 0
Strong 3
Mighty 6
Eldritch 10
Immense 15

Normal: Common but handy tools, weapons, people or creatures such as a sword or horse.
Strong: A powerful and very useful personal artifact such as a handgun or a horse.
Mighty: Things of really impressive power, such as a rocket launcher or high-performance race car.
Eldritch: Items and beings of awe-inspiring power such as a battleship or a dragon.
Immense: Artifacts of reality-shaking might. For example, an enormous space station which can destroy
entire planets.

Significance

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Some artifacts may be “imbued” with one or more powers. This means that not only was the power used
in that artifact’s creation, but that the power continues to inhabit the substance and/or structure of the
artifact, lending its significance to the artifact. Alternately, an artifact might maintain a connection to one
or more exceptional shadows from which it draws its abilities and significance (also known as a
“construct”).
The GM might want to limit the number of high significance artifacts available in the game, or treat them
as plot devices. Characters should not be allowed to conjure artifacts with very high levels of
significance, except as an exalted inspiration of a power.
The significance of any artifact must be less than or equal to its force; high-significance artifacts should
be powerful in whatever they do, and are never trivial.

Significance cost
Mundane 0
Minor 3
Major 6
Great 10
Cosmic 15

Functions
See the "Artifact/Spell Functions" section below for the description of what artifacts or spells can do.
Artifacts can use all functions except the "Summon" and "Mode" groups.

Quantity
Once a “prototype” of the artifact has been designed, including all point costs involved, you may add a
quantity value to the total point cost of the artifact. This quantity rating will determine how many of the
thing you end up with, allowing characters to create armies or collections of artifacts.
Quantity ratings can also be used to represent an artifact which can reproduce itself: define the quantity
at a higher level, and then describe it as a single thing which will gradually increase its numbers up to the
maximum. The GM may allow a cost reduction if such reproduction takes a long time or is less than
certain.
The maximum allowable quantity for any conjured artifact should be determined as follows, based on its
force: an immense artifact must be unique; eldritch artifacts may be up to named and numbered, mighty
artifacts may be up to a horde, strong artifacts may be up to populace quantity, and only normal-force
artifacts may be ubiquitous.

Quantity cost
Unique 0
Named & Numbered 3
Horde 6
Populace 10
Ubiquitous 15

Unique: There is one of the thing. This one here.

Named & Numbered: There are roughly up to about twenty or so.
Horde: Numbered in the hundreds or thousands.
Populace: Numbered in the millions, or possibly billions.
Ubiquitous: Nigh-infinite. These will be found spread thinly throughout Shadow, such that they seem to
be very uncommon in any given place, although some rare shadows may have higher concentrations. No
more than a “Populace” quantity will ever be able to be assembled in one place at any one time, and it
can take quite a long while to get even that many of them together.

Investment
A character does not have to pay the character points defining an artifact, but it helps. Any character who
has possession of an artifact can pay its cost in character points (some limitations may apply). Such
points are said to be “invested” in the artifact, and extend the character’s ownership and control of it.
Investing points in an artifact gives the character greater direct control over its special abilities.

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Uninvested artifacts can be uncontrollable or unreliable, or perhaps the character does not know how to
activate some or all of its functions. If an invested artifact can make decisions then it is more likely to
obey that character’s commands above all others, and make smart choices regardless. This can help to
determine the amount of loyalty it displays and the degree to which it correctly interprets instructions. The
character can also usually locate or summon the artifact quickly and easily using a trivial application of
most of the powers. If an invested artifact it is lost or given away, it can eventually be recovered almost
as if by chance (“it will find its way back to me in time”).
If any characters seem to be relying too heavily on “free” (uninvested) artifacts, the GM may decide to
take them away or have them destroyed through circumstance. A more mischievous GM might also
decide to use the artifact as a “hook” to get the character into greater trouble. The artifact might be
previously owned by a more powerful entity who wishes to reclaim it, or who is using it to track or even
manipulate the character. Or the artifact might develop a will of its own and become a troublesome NPC
in its own right. In any case, continued reliance on powerful “free” artifacts will likely become increasingly
problematic for the character, especially if they're carrying a Doom balance at the same time.
Note that such problems generally don't apply to artifacts obtained or created to achieve a limited goal,
such as assembling an army to fight a specific battle, so long as their use continues to further that
purpose. Continuing to use the same army as a standing force for a series of other wars might lead to
complications. If an artifact seems to become a regular part of a character’s conception, then the GM
should vigorously “encourage” her to invest character points in that artifact.
How unreliable or troublesome an artifact might be should be based on its (uninvested) cost. The GM
should feel free to modify these ranges to alter the impact of uninvested artifacts, and/or to prevent the
players from getting complacent.

Normal (0 to 5 points): The item isn’t particularly dangerous when used properly. Just remember to hold
the end that isn’t pointy.
Wild Card (6 to 10 points): There may be some bugs that need to be worked out, or some question over
ownership, particularly if the GM is starting to look bored. Just don’t take it for granted.
MacGuffin (11 to 20 points): An unknown and potentially dangerous entity. Handle with extreme caution,
and plan to get rid of it as soon as you’re finished using it for the thing you wanted it for.
Deus Ex Machina (21 or more points): “It’s evil I tell you - evil! It’s controlling you! It’s controlling
everything you do!”

As noted later on, defined Shadows may also be invested.

Inspirations
Certain functions of an artifact might be developed or discovered during game play. Treat these in a
similar fashion to power inspirations. A character should only be allowed to attempt an artifact inspiration
if it is fully invested. The GM may also require that the item be imbued with a particular power, or have a
minimum level of significance, in order to apply a given effect. The GM then assigns the new ability an
appropriate point cost, from 1 to 5. If successful, the artifact gains the new function, and the character
may invest that many points in it.

Description
The form of any artifact must be defined as well, so that its functions make some sense for what sort of
thing it is. The GM will often use the form of the artifact to assign certain limitations to the effects of its
use. For example, a sword used normally cannot destroy an entire castle wall no matter what its Force,
although it might easily cut a small hole in it.
Artifacts are far more interesting if they are given thorough descriptions, possibly including a name and a
detailed background history (contribution point opportunity!)

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SPELL / ARTIFACT FUNCTIONS

Functions represent the basic abilities that an artifact or spell can perform, and act to apply its Force level
to the world around it. They describe what the spell or artifact can do, as opposed to how well it can do it.
Functions are purchased within categories which describe varying degrees of similar abilities. In addition,
they may have modifiers which may extend the range or area of effect of an ability. They may also use a
modifier which makes the use of a function less noticeable than otherwise. Finally, these functions along
with their modifiers might be defined in groups to separate between the different ways in which they might
occur within a spell or artifact. The final character point definition of an artifact or spell can be
represented in a shorthand form which is used for most of the examples given here.
Regardless of the shorthand definition of a spell or artifact, it is important to describe how it performs
each of its functions, and exactly what abilities each of them represent. Many of the function levels
described below include multiple possibilities, and therefore require more specific descriptions of what the
thing does and how it does it. Furthermore, the GM will often use these descriptions to apply edges for or
against their use, as well as to determine whether a given function requires a significance comparison to
work in certain non-native shadows; a sword works almost anywhere, a cell phone not so much.
Some functions cost 0 points. That does not necessarily mean that every artifact or spell automatically
gets all of those functions; they should still be included in the definition. If not, the GM will make a
determination based on the description of the thing as to whether or not it has a given 0-point function at
all. For example, you can't normally hop on a bracelet and ride it into the sunset, at least without a really
interesting explanation.
Many common things have a total function cost of 0, including armor, horses, swords and people.

Function Categories
Function categories group specific kinds of abilities into similar purchasable statistics, as well as defining
successive levels of effectiveness for each of those abilities.
If a spell or artifact has multiple abilities which fall under the same function category, charge the highest
cost involved within the category, +1 for each other ability that costs at least 1 point. Additional 0-point
abilities within the function category are always free, but should be specified.

Manipulate
This function category refers to changes that target the surrounding environment, rather than attempting
to affect a specific opponent directly. If any kind of Manipulate function deals damage, a True Form
shapeshifter can ignore it.

0 Lift or move something about. Used with the Range modifier, this could represent telekinesis.
1 Slight background changes to the environment, such as those which might set a mood at most.
While not damaging, this can be effective in intimidation or seduction.
2 Minor environmental elements may be controlled, such as lighting or appearances. Good for
generating illusions, creating areas of complete darkness or temporarily blinding foes.
3 Undefined (0-point) objects may be created, destroyed or transformed. If an item is defending
itself with a defense function of 0 or more, this will fail. However, earth may be moved about,
waves could sink ships, or trivial items such as food can be created from nothing.
4 Major environmental effects may be controlled, such as temperature, weather, or gravity. These
effects are often damaging.
5 Space or time itself can be warped or otherwise manipulated.

Attack
These abilities inflict (usually) unwanted effects on a target character or artifact. Points spent here help
define the nature of an attack, as well as the effect should it succeed.

0 Deal physical damage to a target through the direct application of kinetic force.
1 Additional effects such as poison, drugs, disease or radiation are dealt in addition to normal

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damage.
2 The attack uses a nonstandard attack form such as electrical or gas which may penetrate or
bypass common forms of defense.
3 Initiates and conducts a psychic attack.
4 Inflicts a minor transformation on the target. Limited changes may be made to the target, though
its basic definition is not changed. For example, someone's mouth may cease to exist.
5 Inflicts a major transformation on the target. Fundamental changes may be made to the target's
definition. For example, someone might be turned into a toad.

Defend
This function category determines what kinds of attacks can be resisted. These correspond to the Attack
functions described above. Normally an artifact must physically cover anything it wants to defend.

0 Defense against physical attacks

1 Resistance to additional effects of certain attacks, such as poison, drugs, disease or radiation
2 Defense against nonstandard attack forms such as electrical or gas
3 Psychic defense
4 Defense against transformation, both minor and major.

Move
These are ways by which an artifact or spellcaster might get from any point A to point B. Use the Area
modifier to determine how many passengers might be carried. Use Force to determine the speed or
distance moved.

0 Walk, roll, run, skip or slither. Any form of movement which requires contact (or near-contact)
with the ground.
1 Swimming, tunneling, gliding, swinging or extended leaping. A specific form of special
movement for dealing with normally impassable obstacles or terrain.
2 Aeronautic flight. Requires constant lateral movement to maintain altitude, as well as extended
space for landing or takeoff.
3 Powered flight. May make sharp turns or hover in place.
4 Point-to-point teleportation.
5 Crossing into an adjacent shadow.

Sense
This describes what kinds of information are obtained from the surroundings. This normally works in line-
of-sight in the immediate vicinity. The force determines how much information it can gather. The Area
modifier may be used to extend it or to see "through" surrounding terrain, and the Range modifier may be
used to define "scrying," or perception of specific locations at a greater distance.

0 "Normal" senses: see, hear, feel, taste and/or smell.

1 Enhanced normal senses, such as infrared vision or high-frequency hearing.
2 Limited supernatural senses such as mild ESP, or detecting local power use.
3 Extended supernatural sense such as prescience.

Communicate
This function category determines how much information can be transmitted to others, both the speed of
communication and the depth of it. Use with the Range modifier to extend communication beyond the
immediate vicinity.

0 Speech, or any other form of communication with a limited vocabulary.

1 Can communicate large amounts of complex information very quickly, as in a computer signal.
2 Can transmit perfect full-sensory impressions. These could potentially be used to draw a
Trump.
3 Can form a gestalt or hive mind. Anything known by one in a quantity is known by all. If within

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range of one another, these always get a quantity bonus in combat.

Form
This function category is only used with artifacts. It allows an artifact to take on other forms, changing its
description. Changing forms does not necessarily mean changing other abilities. However, the
"variation" function group may be used to define alternate sets of functions for different forms.

0 One normal form.

1 Regeneration or self-repair
2 Named & numbered alternate forms.
3 Any number of "fluid" forms, but without precise mimicry
4 Fluid forms with mimicry.
5 Special forms (intangible, invisible, etc.)

Other
Some functions don't fall into a single grouped "category;" others might be determined as a campaign
progresses, or as individual inspirations. Specific functions in this category must always be purchased
separately, rather than taking the highest cost for the category.

1 Capable of storing exact information. This may represent eidetic memory or digital recording
1 Capable of storing Named & Numbered hung spells
1 Capable of storing Named & Numbered Trump images
1 Capable of storing Named & Numbered power words

Function modifiers
Function modifiers extend the effectiveness of functions in certain ways. Like function types, modifiers
also have varying point costs, which are added to the total cost of the function. If a modifier type applies
to more than one function of the artifact, charge the highest cost, +1 for each additional function that it
applies to after the first.
Not all modifiers are appropriate for all function types, but if the GM agrees, they may allow a creative
combination of functions and modifiers other than those assumed here.

Range
This modifier allows a function to be usable at an extended range. It is appropriate for use with the
Attack, Manipulate, Defend, Sense and Communicate functions.

0 Within reach (about two meters)

1 Limited range (about 100 meters)
2 Line-of-sight (to the horizon)
3 Anywhere in the same continent or planet
4 Anywhere in the same shadow
5 Anywhere in an adjacent or very near shadow.

Area
This modifier allows a function to operate over an extended area, and is also used to describe a quantity
of targets. It can be used with the Attack, Manipulate, Defend, Move and Sense functions.

0 A single individual
1 A limited area of a few meters in diameter. This may include an individual or a named &
numbered quantity of closely grouped targets.
2 An extended area, such as a city block. This may include a named & numbered quantity of
targets or even a closely grouped horde.
3 A very wide area, such as a large city or small country. This may include a horde or a populace
depending on the local population density.
4 An entire continent or planet. This may include a horde or a populace of targets, depending on

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the population level of the region.

5 An entire shadow.

Subtlety
Normally, the use of most functions is clearly obvious whenever they are used. Even if these are defined
as being "supernatural" in some way, they will always produce visible and/or audible side-effects. This
modifier allows the use of a function to be less conspicuous than otherwise. See the Sense function for a
description of the kinds of senses that might be required to detect any given level of subtlety. This
modifier is sometimes used with the Attack, Manipulate, Defend or Communicate functions. Movement
and changing Forms is always obvious. Sense is never obvious. Other functions are determined on a
case-by-case basis.

0 The use of this function is obvious to anyone in the vicinity.

1 It is difficult to notice the use of the function. However, it can be detected with normal senses, if
someone is paying close attention at the time.
2 The function is only detectable with enhanced senses.
3 The function is only detectable with supernatural senses.

Function groups
Function groups come in a few types. One is to separate any immediate functions of a spell from those of
something that it also conjures (e.g. the puff of smoke from the demon). Others describe variable abilities
between multiple items in a quantity, variable abilities of a shapeshifting artifact, or linchpin modes of a
spell. Grouping functions together helps to clarify how they might work in a relatively complicated spell or
artifact.
Some function groups may contain other groups. You could have a spell with multiple modes, one of
which (among other things) summons a quantity of creatures of different types, only some of which have
multiple forms they can take with further ability variations. In this case, you would have used all four
function groups, each inside the next.
However, no function group may contain the same kind of group. You may not have a spell with multiple
modes, one of which has multiple modes. That is, each kind of function group may only be defined once
for any spell or artifact.

Summon
This function group is only appropriate for spells.
For those spells that conjure an artifact, place all the artifact's function points into this group in order to
separate any of the spell's other immediate effects from those of its conjuration, or to separate it from
other conjurations also involved. The total cost of the conjuration's functions may be considered the cost
of the Summon function of the spell. The conjuration's functions must still be defined individually as part
of the spell definition.
For example, a spell might create an illusion and conjure a monster at the same time. The Manipulate
function for the illusion is not part of the monster's abilities, and should be noted as such. Here's how
such a spell's definition might look: Nightmare - Significance: Minor [3], Force Powerful [6],
Manipulation/illusion [2], Summon: (Attack 2 [3], Defend 1 [1], Move 0) [4] = 15 points

Mode
This function group is only appropriate for spells.
It allows a variable "pool" of points to be grouped in order to be defined differently among functions within
a spell. It is used to design a spell which can operate in different modes based on a specifying linchpin.
Each mode after the first adds 1 point to the defined cost.
Group the variable points into some different ways that a hung spell might operate. When released, the
appropriate mode will be specified using a linchpin. Specifying a spell mode uses its own kind of linchpin,
and must be used in addition to such linchpins as "control" or "trigger" as applicable.
Depending on the spell description, the GM might require that such variations are somehow similar, or at
least stick to a "theme" of some sort.

Variation
This function group is only appropriate for artifacts.

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Used in conjunction with the "Form" function, this group allows you to spend a common pool of points
differently for alternate forms. With fluid forms, come up with some functional variations that might be
applied to one sort of form or another. In any case, all variations should be defined ahead of time.
Each variation after the first adds 1 point to the defined cost.
For example, a creature might have one form with flight, and an alternate form that can spit poison. Such
a nasty critter might be defined thusly: Night Stalker - Significance: Minor [3], Force: Powerful [6], Form
[1], Variation: (Move 2 / Attack 1 + Range 1) [2+1=3] = 13 points.

Type
This function group is only appropriate for artifacts.
You may use this kind of group to spend some points differently between some of the individual items in a
quantity. If one item uses more points than another, use the higher of the two ratings for the overall cost.
Each type after the first adds 1 point to the defined cost.
For example, a pair of magic rings might have some dissimilar functions. If one ring shoots lightning bolts
for 3 points and the other ring puts up a defensive shield for 2 points, then the total cost for the difference
in types is 4 points (3 max points +1 additional type). Such a set might be defined as: Rings -
Significance: Minor [3], Force: Powerful [6], Qty: N&N [3], Types: (Attack: 0 + Range: 1 + Area: 2 /
Defend: 2) [3] = 15 points

Special Functions
It's worth noting that some conjurations under these rules might in turn have the ability to use Powers. In
order for a conjuration to use a Power, the same Power must have been employed in its creation, and the
conjuration itself must have a Significance equal to that of the Power.
Conjurations can never use inspirations of a Power. The function cost to be able to use the Power is 1
per level of mastery in it. The level of mastery of a conjuration may not be greater than that of the
conjurer.

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SHADOWS

Like artifacts or spells, shadows are defined using character point values, representing how powerful or
useful they are. Use the same rules for using powers to find certain shadows as that for conjuring
artifacts . Also like artifacts, characters may invest their character points into the shadows to enhance
their ownership and control of them (with many of the same potential risks for declining to do so).
Shadows are defined by their level of significance, and by a set of specifications and descriptions
outlining their internal workings and external relationships. Shadows may also be purchased in
quantities, defining a contiguous and inter-related grouping of shadows.

Significance
This is the primary factor determining how “powerful” the shadow is overall. Shadows with high levels of
significance are prime real estate, and often act as common settings for major events.
The higher a shadow's significance, the more likely it is to behave in bizarre ways, at least relative to
Amber. This is specifically because of the Pattern's reflective influence on all lesser shadows; a shadow
has to be pretty strong to buck the trend of “normalcy” created by Amber's archetypal influence. This only
affects the shadow's fundamental specifications; even the most common shadows can yet contain a
wealth of strange and useful details (see Earth, our). Nevertheless, significance determines nearly
everything in terms of the more advanced or powerful features that can be made available by controlling a
shadow.
The GM will want to restrict the number of high-significance shadows introduced through game play, as
the discovery of even a great-significance shadow is grounds for an entire campaign in itself. Restrictions
on shadow significance should also be somewhat higher than the those placed on artifact availability.

Mundane (5 points): A common shadow, one of an infinite number of similar realms. Such shadows and
their contents are often considered disposable.
Minor (15 points): This shadow is unique, and potentially somewhat powerful.
Major (30 points): A singular and very valuable shadow, a locus of interdimensional power.
Great (50 points): This shadow represents a great confluence of mighty forces, and could act as a source
of great primal power. The Keep of the Four Worlds is one such.
Cosmic (75 points): A potential source of infinite cosmic power. The raw, primal real estate of the Gods,
so to speak. Amber and the Courts of Chaos are such. These should only be introduced by the GM;
player characters can neither design nor purchase them.

Quantity
For an additional point cost, shadows may also be purchased in quantity. This represents a related group
of shadows, or a “cluster” of closely connected realms. All shadows purchased within a quantity may be
considered "adjacent" to one another for spell/artifact purposes.
Shadow quantities are limited by significance in a similar way to that of artifacts: cosmic and great
shadows must be unique; major shadows can be named & numbered; minor shadows can be a horde;
and mundane shadows can come in populace quantity.
You may not buy a shadow in ubiquitous quantity.

Unique (free): A single shadow

Named & Numbered (3 points): Roughly up to about a dozen or so
Horde (6 points): Numbered in the hundreds or thousands
Populace (10 points): In the millions or billions

Investment
Investing character points in a shadow makes it much more likely to act as a safe haven for you when you
need to get away from the battleground, and should offer it some protection from GM meddling while
you’re away. Regularly hanging out in a “free” shadow might make it ground zero for the next ambush
that your enemies have planned for you. Or you could return to your girlfriend’s house where you
stashed all your stuff only to find it at the center of a radioactive crater.

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The specifications of any shadow also outline certain benefits granted to their owner. In many ways, the
“owner: of a shadow may be said to have some natural control of it. Therefore, it’s an extremely good
idea to invest enough points to ensure that such control belongs to you and not someone else. These
might not even be external NPCs that you have to worry about: shadows may naturally manifest their own
entities to rule them, if no one else claims them through point investment. These entities are typically
referred to as “gods” and can be rather tough customers on their home turf.

Ways and Realms

Although the vast majority of Shadow is similar in its underlying structure, those shadows near the Courts
of Chaos or near Castle Amber have some specific things to bear in mind due entirely to their proximity to
these poles of reality.
“Ways” usually refer to those areas near chaos, within a region known as the "Black Zone." These
constantly shift in relative geography and appearance. Technically, a Way is not really a place per se, but
rather refers to a somewhat fixed set of relationships through which the substance of shadow itself flows,
constantly altering any or all of its apparent specifications. A castle in a Way might find itself on top of a
mountain one day, by an ocean the next, and on a desolate plane some time after that. Or it might
become a ten-story office building. If this sounds confusing, it should. Such is Chaos.
“Realms” customarily refer to those shadows near Amber, a region known as "The Golden Circle." These
can be extremely resistant to manipulation through any means, unless the Pattern itself were to be
somehow destroyed, damaged or altered. Unlike most other shadows, the orientation of the Realms is
absolutely fixed such that it is actually possible to maintain accurate cross-shadow maps within this
region. In fact, many trading agreements rely on this.
A character would have to have the appropriate Blood advantage in order to invest character points in
either a way or a realm. Many of its major specifications will be determined by the GM and thus cannot
be changed, either through ownership or power use.

Shadow specifications
Unlike the functions for artifacts or spells, shadow abilities are not purchased to specific point levels.
Rather, they must be described in each of five areas, with their effects based on the significance of the
shadow, as well as the particulars of the description. The degree to which each of these specifications
can diverge from those of Amber must also generally correspond to the significance of the shadow,
particularly if it's considered to be “near” it.

Laws
Regardless of significance, all shadows vary in how their local "physics" works. Precisely describing the
physics of every shadow that might become involved in a campaign would be a ridiculously arduous task,
so trying to figure out what “works” where is one of the most difficult problems in dealing with Amber
cosmology. One can make general statements about a shadow's laws, primarily based on its “genre.”
For example, a given shadow might have combinations of technology, arcane sorcery, hedge magic,
miracles and/or other sorts of causal laws which its residents make use of.
Shadow laws can be modified with the Alter Shadow ability of Pattern. The owner of a shadow can also
make modifications to its laws over time, or create specific exceptions to them as needed.
The primary game effect of a shadow's laws is in determining whether a given power or non-native artifact
can function there. Therefore, a good starting point in defining these laws is to look at the list of available
artifact/spell functions and describe how they might be performed locally or whether they are possible at
all. Describing some of the artifacts which are locally available also helps .
If the GM determines that a non-native artifact makes sense within the local shadow's laws, it should
function normally. The GM might also introduce explicit exceptions to apparent laws merely as a plot
device (e.g. Avalonian jewelers' rouge). If an artifact is found to be incongruent to the shadow's physics,
what happens depends primarily on the relative significance between the shadow and the artifact.
An artifact with greater significance than a shadow can defy a its laws and function normally anyway.
Such artifacts may be said to carry a piece of their reality with them. Artifacts with equal significance may
function but be somewhat hindered, applying edges against their use.
Artifacts with lesser significance may be nonfunctional or even destroyed. What happens in these cases
depends largely on the description of the artifact. It may be reduced to only 0-level functions (a magic
sword is still a sword), it may lose its functions entirely (your force-field generator just doesn't work) or it
may be destroyed (a hologram can no longer sustain its integrity). Any functions lost may return on
moving to another shadow, or may require that the artifact be repaired (you drove your motorcycle into a

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shadow where gasoline becomes water).

Some shadows also affect certain powers as well. Part of a shadow's definition should include which
powers it opposes and which powers it aids. For aided powers, apply an edge for their use based on the
shadow's significance. For opposed powers, apply an edge against their use according to the
significance of a shadow. Potentially any shadow can help or hinder a power to some extent.

Contents
This includes a description of what sort of things can be found in the shadow, and involves the bulk of a
shadow's surface description. It should include at least general descriptions of the local astronomy,
geography, flora and fauna, as well as the history, economy, civilization, political structure and culture of
its residents, if any. Furthermore, most shadows often have their own internal conflicts to be dealt with.
At nearly any time, a given shadow may be plagued by wars, local heroes and villains, political
upheavals, ecological disasters, or all of the above. Any character who would master a shadow should
be prepared to settle its scores first.
Shadow contents can be modified directly to some extent with the Influence Shadow ability of Pattern.
The owner of a shadow can also make modifications to its contents over time by her mere presence or
through active participation. Even without intending any changes, any owner will tend to benefit from
good "luck" within an invested shadow. Barring outside interference, it will at least tend to be a pleasant
and safe place for her.
Both the significance and available contents of a shadow have an effect on the difficulty of accessing
higher levels of force or more elaborate functions. While any shadow can produce incredible degrees of
force or fantastic effects, the significance of the shadow helps to directly determine how easy or difficult it
can be to control them. High-significance shadows can often produce powerful artifacts and effects
relatively easily, if their laws allow them to exist.
In many shadows of lower significance, one can access or create such things only by having a somewhat
advanced society or similar structure in place. For example, in an advanced civilization, you might be
able to steal the keys to a starship from someone, or buy a tactical nuclear warhead on the black market.
Without such assistance, you would theoretically have to build your own starship or nuke from raw
materials by hand; local conjuration would largely be limited to "Robinson Crusoe" levels of technology.
In general, you can gain access to artifacts of maximum force levels or (function costs - 1) equivalent to
either the significance of the shadow or the quantity of natives, whichever is greater.

Significance/Population Force Functions/Modifiers

Mundane/None or Unique Normal 1 point
Minor/Named & Numbered Strong 2 points
Major/Horde Powerful 3 points
Great/Populace Eldritch 4 points

Time
The flow of time varies somewhat from shadow to shadow. In some shadows, entire ages can pass while
only a few days go by in others. The time-flow of a shadow can be changed using Alter Shadow or can
be gradually modified by its owner. If a shadow has some irregular type of time flow, its irregularities
might be altered or other exceptions made. The flow of time in a shadow will impact descriptions of its
myths, legends, cosmology and history.
Fast-time shadows are those in which local events transpire at a considerably quicker rate than
elsewhere. Many characters like to use these kinds of shadows as workshops, factories or breeding
grounds to develop spells and conjurations, or to recover from any damage they might have sustained.
However, these shadows can be subject to unwanted circumstances while the character is away from it.
Upon returning, you may find that empires have risen and crumbled, and that all you have worked for or
cared about upon your last visit has long since passed into dust. Having to start from scratch every time
you return can possibly lose you as much time as you gain by being there. Any fast-time shadow is likely
to have an enormously rich and complex background, with its residents continually laying down age upon
age of civilization and legend into its history.
Slow-time shadows are those in which events progress much more slowly than they do in Amber. While
spending much time there can get one seriously "out of the loop" of campaign events, such shadows at
least are consistent: whatever you leave there is much more likely to be the way you left it upon your
return. Therefore, these can make excellent armories or prisons. Use of extremely slow-time shadows

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can also make for a wickedly effective method of trapping someone, removing them from events
regardless of how “powerful” they are – provided you can get them to fall for it.
Slow-time shadows usually have a somewhat "raw" or "fresh" feel to them, being newly sprung from
creation (at least from their point of view).
The rate of time itself within a shadow might also fluctuate over... time. For example, at certain times
relative to Amber, shadow X might be moving relatively quickly, at others it might be moving relatively
slowly. The fluctuation pattern might be simple or complex, regular or random depending on the
description of the shadow's time flow. It is also theoretically possible for time rates to fluctuate internally,
depending on specific locations within a shadow.
Some shadows might even allow a kind of time travel. It is important to be clear that going backwards in
time inside a shadow does not necessarily mean that you went back in time from the point of view of any
other shadow, or of Amber. Think of it as "resetting" conditions in the shadow to be exactly like a past
moment. Time travel within a shadow might even be a naturally occurring effect. Some shadows may be
based on existing entirely within an eternal loop of time within which they play out their history over and
over again. Other shadows might regularly generate paradoxical time loops, or constantly jump into
alternate local timelines.
The GM may want to place some restrictions on what's allowable regarding time flow; effects which are
too difficult to referee or even understand should be disallowed. The GM might also decide that a given
effect requires higher degree of significance than that available. The maximum possible ratio of time-flow
between a given shadow and Amber roughly corresponds to the significance of the shadow. Low-
significance shadows progress at roughly the same rate as in Amber. The time flow of shadows of
greater significance may differ by higher rates in either direction.
The following table shows the maximum time differentials of a slow or fast time shadow, by giving the time
period equivalent to one day in Amber.

Significance Slowest Fastest

Mundane 6 hours 1 week
Minor 1 hour 1 month
Major 5 minutes 1 year
Great 1 minute 5 years
Cosmic Any Any

Access
This refers to the connections between the shadow and any adjacent shadows it may have. The number
and nature of these connections can be changed using Alter Shadow. The owner of a shadow also may
change them over time. Furthermore, the owner may bypass any access restrictions as needed.
Normally any shadow has at least a Horde quantity of adjacent shadows through which someone may
pass into or out of by using an appropriate power, artifact or spell. Depending on the significance of a
shadow, the number of connecting shadows may be increased, decreased or otherwise altered from this
norm. Any number of shadows within a defined quantity may be considered adjacent to one another. A
shadow (or group of shadows) with no external adjacencies cannot normally be entered or exited, but the
owner or a master of Pattern may attempt to breach the gap.
When one enters the shadow from elsewhere, they normally find themselves in a location analogous to
wherever they were in the last shadow. The available entry or exit locations are infinite, or at least nearly
so. These locations may be restricted according to the significance of the shadow. In these cases, a
character still might enter from anywhere, but would find themselves in one of a limited number of places
when they arrived. A shadow with adjacencies but with no available entry points can be difficult to find,
much less enter: any attempt to enter it normally sends you directly to another shadow adjacent to it.
Some shadows may allow passage into specific adjacent shadows without any particular special ability;
the ability to cross over is part of the definition of the shadow itself. This may be represented by a mystic
gateway, a local form of technology or magic, or a time of year when one can walk straight across without
noticing.
This might also represent a set of natural relationships between a quantity of shadows. For example, one
shadow might serve as the Heaven or Hell of another - “dying“ in that shadow would instead send your
spiritual essence to the next, unless perhaps you were killed by something of higher significance than the
shadow. Quantities of shadows are often arranged in such an interrelated cosmology. Such
arrangements can occur regardless of significance.

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Based on the significance of the shadow, the following table shows the minimum number of adjacent
shadows under "Disconnected," the maximum under "Joined" and the minimum number of entry locations
under "Junctures."

Significance Disconnected Joined Junctures

Mundane Horde Horde Populace
Minor N&N Horde Horde
Major Unique Populace N&N
Great None Populace Unique
Cosmic None Ubiquitous None

Fate
The relative positions of shadows within the entire Amber cosmos isn't necessarily fixed. Outside of the
Golden Circle and the Black Zone, shadows do tend to reposition themselves or "float around" somewhat
over time, while otherwise retaining their integrity and relationships within defined quantitative sets. The
"rules" by which they do this often seem related to fate or destiny. Many shadows simply seem to put
themselves where certain people are more likely to stumble into them, or to try to avoid other people
entirely.
The relative speed with which a shadow may move into or away from the path of any other person, place
or thing is based on its significance. Mundane shadows barely move at all, while shadows of higher
significance may seem to appear wherever or whenever they are needed, in order to fulfill some purpose.
The details of what a shadow seeks or avoids can be influenced from within by its owner or by using the
“Alter Shadow” power of Pattern. The owner of a shadow can always find it, wherever she may be.
Depending on the nature of shadow access, the "right" people or things may find themselves in it without
using a power at all.
Shadows can be designed to attract certain situations, things or people. For example, one shadow may
collect lost socks from throughout the cosmos, while another can be designed to serve as an occasional
resting place for wanderers everywhere. Still another shadow may be designed to serve as the battlefield
for a cataclysmic war foretold in ancient prophecies.
Using more precise control, a shadow might be set as a trap for a specific individual, or to prepare a well-
timed rendezvous between two or more persons. Using the fate of a shadow to hunt someone is tricky
business. If the rendezvous is likely to harm the person, then the significance of the shadow must
overcome any Destiny advantage they might have. If the shadow is likely to be helpful to them, then it
must overcome their Doom, if any.
Less commonly, shadows can use this ability to avoid other people, things or circumstances. Such an
effect might be overcome with the determined use of certain powers, but it can still be a definite
hindrance. More often, shadows try to avoid types of people or situations which are incongruous with
their nature. If someone is not specifically looking for such a shadow, they're pretty much guaranteed not
to find it.
The table below shows how long it takes a shadow to "get in front of" a target, in Amber time. It also
shows the maximum number of Destiny (or Doom) points that can be overcome in order to locate an
individual.

Significance Time Destiny

Mundane 100 years 1
Minor 10 years 5
Major 1 month 10
Great 1 day 20

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SYSTEMS
& RULES

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COMBAT

"Coward!" he cried. "You flee combat! Is this the great warrior of whom I have heard so
much?"
I reached up and unfastened my cloak. At either hand, the culvert's lip was level with my
shoulders, then my waist.
I rolled out of the saddle to my left, stumbled once and found my footing. The black went on.
I moved to my right, facing the draw.
Catching my cloak in both hands, I swung it in a reverse-veronica maneuver a second or
two before Borel's head and shoulders came abreast of me. It swept over him, drawn blade and
all, muffling his head and slowing his arms.
I kicked then, hard. I was aiming for his head, but I caught him on the left shoulder. He was
spilled from his saddle, and his horse, too, went by.
Drawing Grayswandir, I leaped after him. I caught him just as he had brushed my cloak
aside and was struggling to rise. I skewered him where he sat and saw the startled expression
on his face as the wound began to flame.
"Oh, basely done!" he cried. "I had hoped for better of thee!"

- Roger Zelazny, The Courts of Chaos

Actions
Actions may be considered “unopposed,” in which case the GM simply determines the necessary
attribute range, or “opposed,” in which case the GM adjudicates between opposing attributes.

Unopposed Actions
For any unopposed action, the GM determines what range is required to accomplish it. If you have a
high enough tange in the required attribute, then you can do it. The GM might also decide that a given
tange plus at least one edge is necessary to do something. If success is still in question after that, then
consider the character's Destiny/Doom rating to determine the result.

Opposed Actions
Actions are considered "opposed" if the success of either character's action would prevent the
success of the other character's action.
The active attribute usually starts as Warfare for most situations. If the characters agree or if
circumstances allow, it might be changed to another attribute.
All opposed actions occur in a “round” in which each acting character takes a “turn.” The character
with the lowest acting attribute (most often Warfare) declares their action first; each other character
declares their action in turn.
Powers directly opposing one another compare their Significance, with no edges allowed.
A character with a higher range in the acting attribute always wins, regardless of edges.
Each player declares his actions in ascending range/rank order, from lowest to highest. Typically the
GM gives a description of what any NPC's are doing first, but if the NPC has a higher rank, then that
description may turn out to be entirely inaccurate.

Edges
“Edges” refer to any situations or considerations that might be relevant to some form of combat or
other attribute comparison.
The GM may decide not to use edges for a particular combat or at all. Normally, the "tentative"
combat descriptions given by the original system don't immediately end in any serious wound or death,
unless one of the characters repeatedly ignores warnings that they're outmatched. Of a character does
call for specific edges then (at the GM's option) they're committing themselves to deadly combat, and the
consequences for losing may be much more dire and immediate.
Within the same range, whichever opponent has the most total edges is said to have “the edge.” If

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that character has a lower rank than their opponent (within the same range), then nothing happens for
that round; they're at a temporary standstill. Otherwise, the higher-ranked combatant succeeds.

Complexity
Whichever character is attempting a less “complex” action against another, gains 1 edge. If one
character is trying to dive through incoming fire and roll to cover while returning fire, than the other
character just trying to shoot them once is considered to be performing a less complex action, and
therefore gains an edge

Factors
These factors always apply; if edges are being used, they don't need to be specifically invoked.

Complexity: +1 edge if the complexity of your action is lower than that of your opponent.
Fatigued: -1 edge if your fatigue points exceed your Endurance attribute.
High Ground: +1 edge if you have a notable positional advantage of some sort against your
opponent. However, if your opponent is higher ranked, they can almost always remove this edge
within a single round.
Wounded: -1 edge if you've suffered a major wound of any kind.

Actions
You can only do one of these in a turn:

Attack: if you win, you damage your opponent.

Defend: +1 edge; if you tie or win, you deal no damage; nothing happens this round
Delay: if you win, combat slows down, change the active attribute to Endurance
Grab: if you win, change the active attribute to Strength
Move: Run a significant distance
Setup: -1 edge this round; if you survive, then your opponent gets a -1 edge the next round. This
may represent taking careful aim, performing a feinting maneuver, giving your opponent a false
opening or setting them up for a dirty trick or low blow.
Other: define what happens if you win, with GM approval. This may represent some miscellaneous
action like grabbing an object or flipping a switch.

Additional
These can be combined with Actions, typically for an increase in complexity of the overall “action.”

Move: +1 complexity (can move a slow walk for free)

Called Shot: +1 complexity; if you win, treat your opponent as unarmored
Power Word: +1 complexity to use a power word while taking another action
Sorcery: +1 complexity per linchpin involved in releasing the spell
Other Power: +1 complexity for using another power while taking another action, per point of
mastery required to perform it.
Charge/Lunge: +1 edge, +1 complexity
Invoke Destiny: compare Destiny/Doom ratings; whichever is higher gains an edge. This factor is
usable once per adventure. It does not need to be declared at the beginning of combat.

Adjudicating Combat
A GM can handle any opposed situation by following a simple procedure:

1. Whichever character has the higher range wins.

2. Within the same range, whichever character seems to be performing the simplest action gets the
“complexity” edge.
3. Count any other edges that apply; whichever character has the most total edges gets “the edge.”
4. If the lower-ranked character has “the edge,” then nothing happens this round.
5. Otherwise, the higher ranked character “wins” (i.e. achieves their objective)

Unit Combat
Treat a quantity of similar creatures all attempting to do basically the same thing as a single combatant

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with an increase in their acting attribute range equivalent to their quantity: named & numbered gets an
increase of one range, a horde is increased by two ranges, and a populace increases their range by
three.
More than a horde quantity of troops can't participate in any single engagement of any kind.
It is also not normally feasible for a quantity of troops to effectively engage another quantity that's more
than one step removed from it, limiting the Range bonus gained from this rule to 1. For example, a horde
can't directly engage a single individual, nor can a populace quantity directly engage a mere named &
numbered quantity of combatants.
Special circumstances might apply to allow a quantity to engage another quantity up or down by two
steps (e.g. long-range attacks with precision aiming from planetary orbit) or to limit a quantity from using
its entire advantage, such as a narrow choke point that limits how many people can fit and fight in that
location at one time (e.g.the battle of Thermopylae, the Stairs of Kolvir).
Groups of characters should not be treated as a single unit unless they have similar attributes and tactics,
are able to communicate with each other, and customarily train together as a team using well-practiced
cooperative tactics.

Damage
Compare the Force rating of the victor's weapon vs. the Force rating of the target's armor or Strength,
whichever is greater.
If this comparison is equal, then the victor gets a marginal success. The target may be fatigued,
wounded, or stunned for one round. If the comparison is greater by 1 or more, then the target may be
incapacitated or killed.
Typically which effect takes place for each result is at the victor's option, but the GM may decide to pick
the result in certain circumstances, particularly if the victim has a higher Endurance range or rating than
that used in the attack.

Recovery
Characters should not be able to do any significant natural healing during a combat scene, even if they’re
really, really good at it. Characters with Shapeshifting may heal one wound level as a specific dedicated
action. Minor levels of wounds or moderate fatigue might be healed between scenes (“By the time you
get to Amber...”) but greater levels should require an extended period of rest or hospitalization, depending
on the character's Endurance.

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NEW POWERS

Creating new powers can go a long way to give the game versatility and flavor. Continually discovering
new facets to the workings of the Amber multiverse is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the novels
themselves. Players and even their characters might also want to work to develop new powers of their
own, although the GM should be able not only to veto these, but to alter them as she sees fit. GMs
should carefully consider how many new powers to allow, and how powerful to make them, as overuse of
such powers can (and will) completely change the tone of the Amber universe in your campaign.
However, this is not always a bad thing, especially when dealing with a jaded group of players who think
they already know everything there is to know about the Amber multiverse. Introducing new powers can
be a great way to maintain the constant sense of discovery so prevalent in the novels.

Basis
The first consideration in designing a new power is its basis. This is usually obvious, but not always. The
basis should also include some rather complex detail of who, what and/or where the power comes from.
Primal Source powers are typically centered on a higher-Significance shadow. That will need a full
description, and will probably be the center of its own set of problems, politics and game hooks. Primal
Source shadows tend to be in constant conflict with one another, by their very nature.
A new Universal Ability power represents discovery of a previously unknown property of the multiverse
itself. But just because the power is “new,” don't assume that its use is that limited. More NPC's than the
players are aware of may have already made the same discovery themselves, but just kept quiet about it.
New Personal Ability powers are most commonly tied to a particular race to define their special abilities.
But they may also represent a special discipline or regimen that can grant intrinsic powers to the
dedicated.

Significance
Once the basis has been decided, consider the significance level of the power. The current list of powers
gives a good range of examples to compare your new power with in order to determine where it stands.
Note that introducing a new Cosmic (or even Major) power will completely change a lot of underlying
assumptions about the workings of the Amber multiverse according to your campaign. The GM may want
to restrict higher-significance powers unless they can be somewhat easily understood in relation to
existing Amber metaphysics. The existence of such new powers might entirely change the GM's plans for
the campaign. Shadow- or minor-significance powers may be relatively common, and can be less
carefully regulated.
One way to help determine significance is to consider who would be capable of gaining the power. If it is
something that can only be accomplished by a select few in the universe, then it’s probably of a much
higher significance than a power that commonly occurs throughout fantasy literature.

Mastery
You probably had some idea of what kinds of thing you wanted the power to do at the outset.
Determining how to break that up into a series of successively useful abilities and assigning each to a
level of mastery can be considerably more difficult.
Make the earlier levels of mastery relatively basic. Many of the existing powers present a method of
defense at the novice level and a method of detection at the student level. In most cases your power
should probably do something similar. Imagine a martial arts master teaching your power to an impatient
student; first he would teach them to fall, then to block, and only once they mastered those steps would
he show them how to hit. What useful abilities might such preliminary steps represent in your power?
The adept level of mastery is where the primary ability of the power should probably be introduced. This
should introduce the “signature” ability of the power: shifting Shadow with Pattern, reaching out with
Logrus tendrils or creating working Trump cards.
The expert and master levels are where the more elaborate abilities come in. Compare these to each
other and to the adept level, in order to determine where to place them. The final level might also be a
variation that modifies most or all of the previous abilities, expanding their effectiveness enormously.

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Once the abilities have been assigned and described, the GM should very carefully go over the list and
make any necessary alterations in order to prevent the power from making any of the other powers less
desirable, compared to the point cost. Then she should consider whether the abilities match the
significance level of the power. Since character point costs for the levels of mastery are based on the
significance rating, it’s important to match what you get to how much you spend. Either the usefulness of
some abilities, or the significance rating itself might have to be adjusted to bring the power into balance
with the rest of the game.
The cost for mastery in any power is based directly on its significance. Multiply the significance level (1-5)
by the values in the following table to determine the cost for each level of mastery as purchased
separately, and then for any given level of mastery as a whole:

Mastery Level cost Total cost

Novice x1 x1
Student x2 x3
Adept x3 x6
Expert x4 x10
Master x5 x15

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GLOSSARY

Artifact: Any useful item or creature. Stock NPC’s such as troops might referred to as “artifacts” even
though they are people, since they often use the same rules. Artifacts have force levels and abilities, and
may have imbued powers
Attribute: A statistic describing a character’s degree of innate ability in one of four basic areas. The
attributes are Endurance, Psyche, Strength, and Warfare. Each attribute is determined by its range and
rating.
Conjuring: The process of obtaining immediate control over artifacts, shadows or spells by using the
appropriate powers.
Edge: Any influence or factor that the GM should take into account when judging the outcome of a
specific situation.
Force: How strong or effective an artifact, shadow or spell is. The five levels of force are Normal, Strong,
Powerful, Eldritch and Immense.
Function: Used in reference to designed artifacts and spells. This refers to a specific ability that it might
possess or bestow. Functions also have "modifiers" and can come in "groups."
Imbue(d): An artifact which has the essence of a power implanted in it is said to be “imbued” with that
power.
Inspiration: A “customized” ability of a power, or a "special" function of an artifact.
Investment: Spending character points on artifacts or shadows.
Mastery: How well a character can wield a Power. The five levels of mastery are Novice, Initiate, Adept,
Expert, and Master.
Power: A supernatural capability a character might have. The powers include Pattern, Logrus, Trump,
Shapeshifting, Sorcery, and Telepathy. Powers have significance ratings, and different abilities learned
at each level of mastery.
Range: A broad generalization of how powerful a given attribute is. The range levels are Human, Real,
Royal, Elder and Ancient.
Ranking; The relative set of rankings within a given range.
Rating: A more specific numeric value of how powerful a given attribute is within its range. Ratings are
expressed as numbers and are used for comparing attributes between characters.
Significance: A measure of how powerful an artifact, spell, power or shadow is in itself. Regardless of
how mighty its effects may be, this determines its place in the grand “pecking order” of the Amber
cosmology. The five levels of significance are Mundane, Minor, Major, Great and Cosmic.

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