Combat Task
— FORWARD —
Intimidate Foe
Forego attack roll.
Roll Awe or Battle instead (TN 10 plus the
highest Attribute level among all foes).
Enemy loses Hate points accordingly:
• Ordinary success: 2 Hate points
• Great success: 3 Hate points
• Extraordinary success: 4 Hate points,
or a number of points equal to your
character’s Valour rating, whichever is
higher.
The Loremaster divides the Hate point loss
in any way he sees fit. You cannot intimidate
if you were just Wounded or Wounded
during the previous round.
Combat Task
— REARWARD —
Prepare Shot
Forego attack roll.
Spend an entire round preparing a ranged
attack instead, and get a clearer shot the
following round.
If you succeed in a ranged attack during the
following round, you are considered to have
successfully achieved a Called shot.
Combat Task
— OPEN —
Rally Comrades
Forego attack roll.
Roll Inspire or Song instead (TN 14).
All fighting companions (including you)
recover Endurance lost this battle
accordingly:
• Ordinary success: 2 Endurance points
• Great success: 3 Endurance points
• Extraordinary success: 4 Endurance
points, or a number of points equal to
your character’s Heart rating,
whichever is higher.
Combat Task
— ANY CLOSE —
COMBAT STANCE
Escape Combat
Forego attack roll.
Roll Athletics instead (TN 10 plus highest
Attribute level among all foes).
On a successful roll, you have escaped. A
great or extraordinary success is needed if
you are engaged by multiple opponents. If
your escape attempt fails, you remain
engaged and cannot attack when your next
turn to act comes.
If you were in a rearward stance the
previous round, you may escape combat
feely at the top of the round. No roll is
required to do so.
Combat Task
— DEFENSIVE —
Protect Companion
Announce the character you wish to protect
right after choosing your stance (they must
be in a forward or open stance).
When the protected character is attacked,
you may choose to spend 1 point of Hope
and become the target of the attack in his
place. The attack is resolved using your
stance (TN 12) to calculate the TN.
You may still attack this round.
Combat Option
— ANY STANCE —
Remove Helm
If you are wearing a helm, you can remove it
when your turn to act comes, as a free
action.
Removing a helm causes you to lower your
Fatigue score by 3 points (and, of course, to
lose the helm’s Protection bonus).
If you are already Weary, you do not gain
anything from lowering your Fatigue score
(as Weariness is normally removed only
after a prolonged rest).
Combat Option
— ANY STANCE —
Knockback
You literally ‘roll with the punches,’ and
reduce the force of an attack by stepping
back or to the side or by kneeling under the
force of a blow.
Halve the Endurance loss caused by a
successful attack against you (rounding
fractions up) by letting yourself be thrown
off-balance.
When you are knocked back, you cannot
change your stance and you spend the
following round recovering your fighting
position, unable to take any further action
that turn. If an adversary attacks you while
you are recovering from knockback, the
attack is resolved normally.
Combat Option
— ANY STANCE —
Called Shot
Announce a ‘called shot’ before rolling your
attack dice. If you succeed, a special attack
result occurs, depending on the weapon
used to attack.
A called shot hits only when the roll
produces a Great or Extraordinary success.
If not, the attack misses altogether.
If the roll fails with an C, the attempt fails
in a catastrophic way called a fumble.
Fumble: The next time you are attacked, the
difficulty to hit you will be equal to the basic
combat TN of your stance (you lose any
bonuses from attributes, Virtues or
equipment).
 Combat Task
— FORWARD —
Challenge Adversary
Name one adversary you are engaged with
at the beginning of the round after choosing
a forward stance. For the length of the fight,
you roll the Feat die twice, keeping the best
result, when making close combat attack
rolls against the challenged creature. The
challenged foe enjoys the same advantage
against you.
Combat Task
— DEFENSIVE —
Full Defence
Forego attack roll.
If you are carrying a shield, or fighting with a
one-handed, close combat weapon in each
hand, you may choose to devote your
attention fully to your own defence.
Raise your Parry rating by an amount equal
to the Encumbrance rating of your shield, or
the weapon with the highest Encumbrance
score among the two you are wielding. If the
Encumbrance rating has been modified by a
Quality, use the original Encumbrance rating
of the weapon or shield type.
Combat Task
— FORWARD —
Two-weapon Attack
You may declare an attack using a one-
handed close combat weapon in each hand.
One hand must wield a primary weapon
making use of your highest close combat
weapon skill, while your off-hand must hold
a secondary weapon making use of your
second-best close combat weapon skill. If
the two skills are tied, choose which weapon
is the primary one and which one is the
secondary.
Roll the primary attack first. If it succeeds,
make the secondary attack. This roll must
target the same adversary hit by the first
attack. You cannot attempt a Called Shot.
For this round, the TN to hit you is reduced
by the sum of your weapons’ Encumbrance.
Combat Task
— DEFENSIVE —
Stand Ground
If you are wielding a two-handed weapon,
you may profit from its superior reach to
keep multiple adversaries at bay.
You may choose to Stand Ground by
spending 1 point of Hope. All close combat
attacks targeting you must roll the Feat die
twice and keep the worse result until it is
your turn again.
Combat Task
— OPEN —
Enhearten Comrades
Forego attack roll.
Make an Inspire or Song roll instead. If the
roll is successful, all fighting companions
who are not Wounded ignore the effects of
being Weary for a number of rounds based
on the quality of the success:
• Ordinary success: 2 rounds
• Great success: 3 rounds
• Extraordinary success: 4 rounds, or a
number of rounds equal to your Valour
score, whichever is higher.
Combat Task
— REARWARD —
Harry Foes
Using a bow, you may hinder enemies
engaged with companions in a forward or
open stance. Make an attack roll against
TN 12 + the highest Parry among potential
targets. The number of enemies hindered is
based on the result:
• Ordinary success: 2 foes
• Great success: 3 foes
• Extraordinary success: 4 foes
Your attack does not inflict damage, but
reduces the difficulty to hit the affected
enemies for the next close combat attack
aimed at them: the TN to hit them is simply
their Parry rating (combat stance TN is not
taken into account).
Combat Task
— OPEN —
Sudden Attack
If you are unengaged at the start of your
turn, you may attempt a Sudden Attack
against a foe currently engaged with another
companion. You must first succeed at a
Stealth roll (TN 10 + highest Attribute level
among all enemies present). On a success,
you engage the enemy and add a number of
bonus Success dice to your attack:
• Ordinary success: 1 bonus Success
die
• Great success: 2 bonus Success dice
• Extraordinary success: 3 bonus
Success dice
On a failure, the opportunity for attack is lost
and your turn is over.
Combat Task
— REARWARD —
Seek A Mark
Forego attack roll.
Make an Awareness or Battle roll to
observe the enemies, looking for the best
opportunity to catch them when they lower
their guard. On a successful roll, any foe you
attack with a ranged weapon is considered
to be severely hindered (TN -4) against
those attacks, for a number of rounds based
on the quality of your success:
• Ordinary success: 2 rounds
• Great success: 3 rounds
• Extraordinary success: 4 rounds
 Called Shot Option
— AXES, MATTOCK —
Break Armour
If you are armed with an axe of any type or
mattock, you may damage the armour of an
enemy with a well-aimed swing, be it the
black chainmail of Orcs or the close-fitting
scales of a Troll’s hide.
If the called shot is successful, the target
rolls one Success die less on Protection
tests for the length of the fight. (This called
shot cannot affect the same adversary more
than once).
Called Shot Option
— BOWS —
Rain of Arrows
If you are using a bow (not a Great bow),
you may attempt to hit any two foes on the
battlefield. The targets must be chosen and
declared before the dice roll is made.
The attack roll result is compared first to the
TN of the first target. If successful, the target
receives damage normally, and the roll result
is compared against the TN of the second
target. If successful, then the second
opponent is hit too and suffers damage
normally. If the attack fails against the first
target, it also fails against the second target.
Called Shot Option
— CLOSE COMBAT —
Holding Back
If you do not wish to wound or kill your
opponents, you can hold back and refrain
from administering potentially deadly blows
with your weapons.
If the called shot attempt is successful, an
adversary hit by a Piercing Blow is
considered to automatically pass the
Protection test. (Any Endurance loss is
administered normally, but the blow cannot
Wound the target).
Called Shot Option
— CLOSE COMBAT —
Savage Blow
You may attempt to inflict greater harm on
an adversary.
If the called shot attempt is successful, you
inflict an additional loss of Endurance equal
to your close combat Damage rating. This is
in addition to the bonus Damage resulting
from achieving a great or extraordinary
success.
If any adversary succeeds at this called
shot, use their Attribute level to determine
additional Endurance loss.
Called Shot Option
— SWORDS —
Maiming Strikes
If you are wielding a sword of any type, you
may aim to reduce the fighting capability of a
foe, slashing at its arms, hands, or even
jaws. You must choose a weapon skill or
attack form to target.
If the called shot attempt is successful, the
adversary rolls one Success die less on
each roll made using the targeted ability for
the rest of the fight. (This called shot cannot
affect the same ability more than once).
Called Shot Option
— CLOSE COMBAT —
Swift Strokes
If you are engaged by at least two
opponents, you may attempt to hit two of
them. The targets of the attack must be
declared before rolling the dice.
The attack roll result is compared first to the
TN of the first target. If successful, the target
receives damage normally, and the roll result
is compared against the TN of the second
target. If successful, then the second
opponent is hit too and suffers damage
normally. If the attack fails against the first
target, it also fails against the second target.
Called Shot Option
— CLOSE COMBAT —
Pummelling Attack
You may attempt to violently throw an
opponent off-balance. If the called shot
attempt is successful, the consequences of
the attack are resolved normally and the
adversary is considered severely hindered in
attack until the end of the following round
(TN +4 to any attack rolls it makes).
If the unbalanced foe is the only adversary
facing you, then you may escape combat
without the need for a roll of Athletics.
You may try this attack only against
creatures no greater than human-sized;
unless you are mounted on a horse.
Called Shot Option
— AXES, MATTOCK —
Break Shield
If you are armed with an axe of any type or
mattock, you may smash the shield of an
enemy, be it the shield of a Great Orc or the
great shield of an Orc-Chieftain.
If the called shot is successful, the target
loses the benefit of having the shield.
 Called Shot Option Called Shot Option
— BOWS, SPEARS — — SWORDS —
Pierce Disarm
If you are using a bow or a spear, you may If you are armed with a sword of any type,
attempt to inflict a terrible wound on a foe by you may attempt to knock a weapon out of
piercing his armour or hide. an opponent’s grasp.

If the called shot is successful, the attack If the called shot is successful, the target
results in a Piercing blow, regardless of the drops his weapon.
outcome of the Feat die.

Taking Courage Earning Earning Invoking a Trait

At the beginning of each game session, if
you have fewer Experience points than the
hero with the most, you gain a point of
Courage for every full 10 total Experience
points difference. This amount cannot
exceed your basic Heart rating.
Courage points may be spent as follows:
• When about to spend 1 point of Hope,
you may spend 1 point of Courage
instead.
• At the end of a game session, spend 1
point (and 1 point only) of Courage to
gain 1 Experience point.
• At the end of a game session, spend 1
point (and 1 point only) of Courage to
gain 2 Advancement points.
Unspent Courage is lost; it cannot be saved.
Advancement Points
Advancement points are used to develop
your Common skill ratings during the
Fellowship phase. During the Adventuring
phase, you can earn up to 3 points in each
Skill group as follows:
• Earn the first point by succeeding on any
•
Skill roll.
Earn the second point by rolling a great
success or higher OR by reinforcing a
•
successful roll with a Trait invocation.
Earn the third point by rolling a great
success or higher AND reinforcing the
result with a Trait invocation.
When the Adventuring phase is over, all
points are accounted for and the check
marks are erased from your character sheet.
Experience Points
Experience points are used to buy ranks in
Valour and Wisdom, and to increase your
Weapon skills. Earn them as follows:
• Earn 1 point at the end of each gaming
session you attend.
• Earn 1 supplemental point at the end of a
session if you make substantial progress
toward your company objective.
• Earn up to 1 supplemental point for every
2 gaming sessions played during the
Adventuring phase. This final award is for
exceptional roleplaying and is given as a
bonus at the end of the Adventuring
phase.
There are three main reasons to invoke the
use of a Trait:
• Automatic Action: Invoke a Trait when
using a Common skill to succeed
automatically (an ordinary success).
• Unforeseen Action: Invoke a Trait to be
allowed a die roll in a situation normally
out of your control.
• Advancement Point: Invoke a Trait
when you succeed at something that
strongly reflects the feature described by
the Trait to gain an Advancement point.
You can invoke a Trait when you think it
applies to a situation. If no one at the table
objects, the Trait effect is applied; otherwise
the Loremaster adjudicates.
 Combat Role
and Advantage
Captain
Spend 1 Fellowship point at the start of
close combat to assign roles.
As you lead your warriors, you are targeted
by at least half of all ranged enemies who
wish to see you dead.
Combat Role Advantage
If you attempt the Rally Comrades combat
task and succeed, you may spend and roll
one Combat Advantage die to add the result
to the number of Endurance points
recovered by your companions.
Combat Role
and Advantage
Champion
Spend 1 Fellowship point at the start of
close combat to assign roles.
You make a display of personal prowess and
are engaged by the adversary with the
highest Attribute level in order to vanquish
them singlehandedly.
Combat Role Advantage
If you attempt the Intimidate Foe combat
task and succeed, you may spend and roll a
Combat Advantage die. The result is added
as bonus damage on any successful strike
plus the total Hate points your intimidation
cost the enemy. The bonus lasts a number
of rounds equal to your Valour rating.
Combat Role
and Advantage
Ward
Spend 1 Fellowship point at the start of
close combat to assign roles.
Your companions manoeuvre to safeguard
you so that you are only engaged by the
adversary with the lowest Attribute level and
avoid multiple opponents if possible.
Combat Role Advantage
If you are fighting in an open or defensive
stance, you may spend a Combat
Advantage die to carry out an attack AND
perform a significant action that requires a
skill roll, like breaking down a door, freeing a
tied captive, carry a wounded friend to
safety, and so on, but does not include
combat tasks.