Yes/No Table

D66 roll
Odds Yes+ Yes No No+ Target Number
Near Certain 11-22 23-56 61-65 66 5
Likely 11-16 17-46 51-64 65-66 8
50/50 11-14 15-36 41-62 63-66 11
Unlikely 11-12 13-26 31-56 61-66 14
Near Impossible 11 12-16 21-53 54-66 17+

Random Events Table

Rolling doubles on the Yes/No Table triggers a random event.
Roll Random Event Focus
2-3 Remote event
4-5 NPC action
6 Introduce a new NPC
Change a story thread (Roll 1d):
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1-2 Advance, 3-4 Complicate, 5-6 End
8 PC Negative
9 PC Positive
10 Ambiguous event
11 NPC Positive
12 NPC Negative

Monster Table
Roll 2d once per column. AAL = Average Adventurer Level for the party.
Roll Monster Type Strength
2 Fairy
Minions: AAL -1 or -2
3 Mythical Beast
Number / Sections = (#PCs +1)
4 Undead
1d-4 Sword Shards in one unit
5 Humanoid
6 Animal Enemies: AAL +0 or +1
7 Barbarous* Number / Sections = (#PCs -1)
8 Plant 1d-3 Sword Shards in one unit
9 Magitech Mixed Group:
10 Construct (#PCs -1) Minions, (#PCs / 2) Enemies
11 Daemon 1d-2 Sword Shards in one Enemy unit
Boss: AAL +2 or +3
Reroll twice, automatic Mixed Group
12 (#PCs / 2) Bosses with (#PCs) Minions
(choose type if you roll this again)
1d+1 Sword Shards in one Boss unit
* Depending on location, swap “Barbarous” on this list with a monster type more likely to be found in the
immediate surroundings. For example, switch “Barbarous” with “Magitech” in a Magitech Era ruin,
“Construct” in a Magic Civilization Era ruin, “Daemon” in a Shallow Abyss, etc.
As an alternative to rolling for monster type, visit the Monsters by Habitat page at
http://sw25.wikidot.com/monsters:by-habitat and choose suitable monsters for the PCs’ location.

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Action Table
D66 Roll Action Subject Description
11 Attain Allies Artificial
12 Balance Animals Beautiful
13 Betray Balance Bleak
14 Break Bureaucracy Clean
15 Change Business Cold
16 Communicate Commoners Colorful
21 Compete Danger Damaged
22 Conclude Emotions Dangerous
23 Conflict Enemies Dirty
24 Control Environment Empty
25 Create Fame Extravagant
26 Danger Goals Feeble
31 Decrease Information Fragrant
32 Delay Innocence Frightening
33 Disrupt Inside Full
34 Divide Jealousy Healthy
35 Enhance Leaders Helpful
36 Free Liberty Important
41 Harm Love Incomplete
42 Help Magic Large
43 Imprison Military Mechanical
44 Increase Nature Mysterious
45 Inspect NPCs Natural
46 Leave Obstacle Official
51 Move Outside Perfect
52 Negotiate Pain Powerful
53 Progress PCs Rotten
54 Protect Peace Rough
55 Pursue Portal Ruined
56 Recruit Royalty Rustic
61 Spy Technology Simple
62 Start Vehicle Small
63 Stop Victory Strange
64 Travel War Stylish
65 Trick Weapons Valuable
66 Trust Weather Warm

NPC Battlefield Tactics Table

Roll Enemy Tactics
1 Everyone on the Frontline
2-3 Minions on Frontline, Commanders in Rearguard
4-5 Fighters on Frontline, Ranged/Support in Rearguard
6 Roll 1d for each unit: 1-4 Frontline, 5-6 Rearguard

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 SWORD WORLD MYSTIC GM
A hack/blend of Mythic GM Simulator, Ariadne & Bob, and some other things, for SW2.X
By Miriable

What is Sword World Mystic GM?

Sword World Mystic GM (hereafter called “Mystic GM”) is an “oracle” system for Sword World 2.X,
designed to help create and run role-playing game scenarios using dice rolls, tables, interpretation, and
critical thinking.

Who is Mystic GM for?

• Solo players: Mystic GM is a great way to run a limitless number of solo adventures within Sword
World 2.X.
• A group of players without a GM: At last, the Eternal GM gets to play! These sessions will usually
feature a lot of conversation between the players as they interpret the tables and build the plot
together.
• A group of players with a GM: For those sessions when the GM has nothing prepared, Mystic GM
provides a toolkit to help them create a narrative on the fly.

Using the Yes/No Table

When you come to a crossroads in your adventure, have a question about the current situation, or just
reach a spot where the next thing you should do is unclear, follow this procedure:

1. Couch your inquiry (What’s next? Is something there? etc.) as a Yes/No question.
2. Consider how likely it is, based on the current plot, surroundings, and common sense, that the
question you’re asking is true.
3. Roll on that row on the Yes/No Table.

Besides the usual Yes/No answer, you’ll notice the table also has “Yes+” and “No+” columns. These
answers go beyond simple positives and negatives, adding even more to the result.

Example: Tarrance is ambushed by shadowy attackers at a fancy dinner party, where he has no access to
his trusty sword. Tarrance’s player asks, “Is there anything nearby that I can use as a makeshift weapon?”
The group agrees the answer is Likely (lots of furniture and decorative metalwork in a ritzy house like this),
and his player rolls. Possible interpretations of the outcomes include:

• On a “Yes,” he finds something he can use as a club, though it’ll break on a fumble.
• On a “Yes+,” he discovers a display sword which is sturdy enough to fight with.
• On a “No,” he can’t find anything worthwhile within reach.
• On a “No+,” his clumsy, fruitless scramble for a weapon causes him to trip and fall prone.

Skill Checks
Sometimes a question can be resolved with a Skill Check. For instance, “Can I find the secret door where
the malfunctioning Zerlay exited the room?” can be answered with a Search Check.

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In this case, consider how likely it is that an average PC could perform that task, then use the number in
the “Target Number” column on the Yes/No Table as the TN for that roll.

Combining the Yes/No Table with Skill Checks

Suppose a player finds a chest and wants to check it for traps. There are actually two questions being
asked here: “Is the chest trapped?” and “If so, can I detect it?”

In these situations, it’s often more exciting to answer the second question first, having the player make
their Skill Check before discovering whether the situation they’re checking is in fact true.

For this example, choose a Target Number for the Spot Traps check. (If you can’t think of a reason for the
hypothetical trap to be well hidden, just choose the number on the “50/50” row, or 11.)

Next, the player rolls their Skill Check and either succeeds or fails. On a failure, they won’t make the
following Yes/No roll until they try to open the chest. On a success, make the next roll immediately.

Next, consider how likely it is that the chest is trapped, then roll on the Yes/No Table. “Yes” or “No” have
obvious outcomes. On a “Yes+,” not only is the chest trapped, but maybe it has a second hidden trigger
that requires an immediate Disable Device roll or it will go off in the player’s face. On a “No+,” not only is it
not trapped, it’s probably unlocked as well.

Using the Action Table

Sometimes you need help to understand an NPC’s motivation, or you need a description of a person or
place, or you just need an inciting incident to move the game along. For times like these, the Action Table
is your friend.

To generate an action, simply roll d66 once on the Action column and again on the Subject column, then
interpret the results in the context of the current scene. This interpretation is often more art than science,
but that’s okay! If you’re playing GM-less with other players, debate what the new action might mean. If
you’re playing solo, or if you ARE the GM, your interpretation will directly affect the story going forward.

The Description column can help answer questions like “What sort of person is this NPC?” or “We walk
into the room. How does it look?” or even “The NPC fled to a different region. What’s it like there?” This
column can also help give extra detail to an Action Table roll. Rolling multiple times can add more
complexity if you feel like the scene requires it.

If you can’t come up with a logical explanation for the result you get, don’t spend too much time worrying
about it. Just roll again.

Using the Random Events Table

If you roll doubles on the Yes/No Table, roll 2d on the Random Events Table and try to fold its result into
the ongoing narrative.

If the players feel like the plot is complicated enough already, or if the result doesn’t make sense for the
current plotline, feel free to ignore or reroll any result.

Remote Event: Something happens/has happened outside the PC’s knowledge that affects the plot.

NPC Action: An NPC does something unexpected or accidental which advances the plot in a new
direction.
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Introduce a new NPC: Someone new enters the narrative, as an ally, enemy, or a third party with their
own agenda. If the PCs are struggling by not having the correct skills for certain parts of the adventure, the
new person could be a Fellow who they can recruit.

Change a Story Thread: Something happens which significantly alters the ongoing story. Roll 1d. On a 1-2,
the PCs get one step closer to resolving a plot point. On a 3-4, an unexpected obstacle or swerve appears.
On a 5-6, an active plot thread abruptly ends, perhaps creating a new launch point for further threads.

PC Negative or PC Positive: Something bad or good happens, either to one PC or to the group in general.
This may or may not be related to the ongoing plot.

Ambiguous Event: Something happens which isn’t part of the ongoing plot. They might hear a mysterious
sound, or stumble across an NPC acting suspiciously. Depending on how the players respond, this event
could change nothing, start a new plot thread, or recontextualize a current one.

NPC Negative or NPC Positive: Like PC Negative/Positive above, but for one or more NPCs.

Other Tables
Monster Table
If nobody has any good ideas about who may be behind a major plot point (or around the next corner about
to jump out at the PCs), roll on the Monster Table to determine some likely candidates and (in case of a
combat encounter) their initial strength.

If the Strength calculations indicate zero or a fractional number of monsters, round up to the nearest
positive integer. On the other hand, if you roll a number of Sword Shards less than zero, treat it as zero. If
your party includes Fellows, count the first as 1 PC and any others as ½ each.

Note that the monsters rolled on this table aren’t necessarily enemies that you have to fight. You may
come across Fairies being mischievous who need to be convinced to move elsewhere, or herd animals
stampeding through town. Gauge your encounters according to the plot, and remember that you can
always use the Yes/No Table and/or the Action Table for inspiration.

NPC Battle Tactics Table

Meanwhile, when you do need to fight, roll 1d on this table to help determine the enemy’s Simplified
Combat setup and general strategy.

Miscellaneous Tables
For quick answers to “Which way did they go?” or “How much did that hurt?” type questions.

Tips for playing with Mystic GM

Characters live within the narrative: Each table result builds on what has gone before, based on
common sense and probability. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and nothing “just happens.” “Is there
something in this cell that I can use to pick a lock?” is nearly always a valid question. “If I open this random
cupboard, do I find a Geister Sword?” is very probably not.

Don’t be super specific: You’re asking a Yes/No question, not getting a wish from a genie. Save any
complicated, pinpoint questions for those rare occasions when the broader narrative requires them.
Unless the color of a particular Humanoid’s eyes is a major plot point, leave it to your imagination.
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Try not to Skill Check things into existence: You shouldn’t say “I Search for hidden doors,” make one
Skill Check, and assume they do or don’t exist based on that check alone. Remember to make the
requisite Yes/No roll afterward.

Rules matter: Mystic GM’s results shouldn’t override the rules of SW2.5. If a rule exists, use it first.

Live in the moment: It can be tempting to roll out the whole plot at the start: “Interesting, so why’d they do
that? Okay, so what do they do next?” then playing out that scenario like it’s set in stone. Resist that
temptation. Wait to roll until you can’t continue without that knowledge. Avoid spoilers.

Compromise is key: When playing GM-less with multiple players, disagreements may arise in how some
of the rolls are interpreted. Debate is encouraged but arguments are not. Talk about it for a minute or two,
let everyone make a case, then either put it to a vote or concede and move on.

Keep things moving … : Don’t dither too long. If you can’t come up with an interpretation of a roll within a
reasonable time frame, abandon it and roll again. There’s no shame in letting things go.

… but be ready to stop: If a story thread ends, let it end, even if it seems abrupt or unsatisfying. Often you
will discover that this opens new doors in the narrative. Or, if it’s close to being time to end the session, let
it stand as is, take your XP and growth, and reconvene fresh next time.

Be inspired by oracles, not bound by them: Most results generated by the tables are open to all levels of
interpretation. Your job is to turn those vague proclamations into concrete happenings. Don’t feel forced to
take them literally. Be creative. Think around the words. Embrace the weirdness. Run with it.

Starting a Session
Usually, a session will start where and when the players wish. If you want your campaign to involve the
Constellation of Colonies Cyrecode, for instance, there’s nothing wrong with proclaiming, “After a long
journey, we arrive in the Skyless City of Cyrec and are staring up in awe at the huge land masses floating
above us.” Roll on the Action Table for an inciting incident, and away you go.

If you really can’t come up with a compelling reason to start adventuring, the following table may help. Roll
2d or pick from each column to find both an action and a place or event which can be molded into a
suitable in medias res session opener.

Adventure Kickstart Table

1st Die 2nd Die Action Situation
1 Walking/Riding Into Populated Area
2 Arriving To/Leaving From Wilderness
3 On the Road To Building/Room
1-3
4 Waking Up In/Among Ruins
5 Summoned To Disturbance/Disaster
6 Ambushed/Surprised By Natural Feature
1 Exploring/Researching Monster(s)
2 Assisting Vehicle
4-6 3 Opposing People
4 Resting/Recovering In Magical Phenomenon
5-6 Roll another starter and combine (reroll or ignore this result when it gets silly)

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Ending a Session
When the adventure feels like it’s coming to a climax, suspend the “rolling doubles for a Random Event”
rule and start wrapping up plot threads naturally. Let the table brainstorm a good way to solve the
remaining open tasks. If you haven’t yet rolled a Boss encounter, your next fight can automatically create
one. Don’t be afraid to go out with a bang.

Random Damage Table

If a trap goes off, characters are hit by an unknown spell, etc., you can use this table to determine the type
and damage done. For damage type, start with the “Type A” column and continue rolling on the other
columns if you roll their name.

By default, traps will do 2d+AAL (Average Adventurer Level) damage. Roll for Bonus Damage to determine
the final amount.
Roll Type A Type B Elemental Bonus
1 Curse Fire
Bludgeoning +0
2 Disease Wind
3 Slashing Psychic Water/Ice
+1
4 Poison Psychic (Weak) Earth
5 Elemental Lightning +2
Elemental
6 Type B Energy +AAL
Random Humanoid Race Table
Roll 1-3 4-5 6
1 Human Lildraken Fluorite
2 Dwarf Runefolk Alv
3 Elf Meria Weakling
4 Grassrunner Tiens Soleil / Newman
5 Lykant Nightmare Shadow / Dark Dwarf
6 Tabbit Leprechaun Spriggan / Abyssborn
Random Treasure Table
Roll Treasure
2 B-rank weapon, armor, or shield of the player’s choice, up to (AAL x 500)G value
3-4 2d x (AAL x 100)G worth of class-specific items or ammunition
5-6 1d-2 (min 1) mako stones (5 pts)
7 2d x (AAL x 50)G
8-9 2d x (AAL x 50)G worth of potions or herbs
10-11 2d x (AAL x 100)G worth of consumable adventure tools
12 Any one accessory or special musical instrument up to (AAL x 750G) value
Directions Table
Roll Direction Roll Direction Roll Direction
1 Up/North 3 Left/West 5 Front/Central
2 Down/South 4 Right/East 6 Back/Beyond

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Adventure Replay: “A Fistful of Forms”
Brian, playing solo, has created an Elf Battle Dancer/Sorcerer magic warrior named Ivan and wants to run
him through a quick adventure. He knows he wants to play in the Granzale setting, but doesn’t really have
any great ideas beyond that.

He begins with the Adventure Kickstart Table. He rolls 21, “Walking/Riding Into,” and 33, “Building/Room.”
Not the most thrilling start. He decides that means Ivan enters the local Adventurer’s Guild location
looking for work. He asks himself, “What’s the mood like in the guild hall today?” and rolls on the
Description column of the Action Table, getting 24, “Empty.” Besides Ivan and the guild associates behind
the counter, the place is surprisingly dead.

Suspicious, Brian asks, “Is the place empty because something bad is happening here?” He figures that’s
Unlikely (or else the staff would be gone too), and rolls on the Yes/No Table. He rolls 45, “No.” So it’s just
a slow day then.

“Oh good,” one of the associates says, “we were starting to worry nobody would show up. We have
something that would be perfect for a solo adventurer like you.” She beckons Ivan over.

Time to create a task. Brian rolls on the Action Table and gets 55 – “Pursue,” 14 – “Bureaucracy.” Huh. He
takes a moment to mull that result over. An idea forms …

“This is a request from the guild itself,” the associate says. “One of our ace adventurers, a –” (roll 31 on
the Humanoid Races Table) “– Human named Maury Guzzo, has an outstanding payment which he hasn’t
signed for yet. We want to make sure our books are fully up to date for our audit next week, so we need
someone to find Guzzo and get him to finish his paperwork. Here’s the form and a sketch so you can know
him if you see him. We’ll pay our standard 1,000G rate if you can get the signed form back to us in six days,
with a 500G bonus if you can get it back within three. He was just in here yesterday, so we don’t think he’s
gone far. What do you say?”

Ivan shrugs. “Work is work.” He picks up the papers and asks which way Guzzo went.

Brian rolls 4 on the Directions Table. “He was last seen leaving town and traveling east,” says the
associate. Brian then glances at a map of the Burlight Region. He decides Guzzo is headed toward the
Ward of Magic Giant, but after only a day he’s probably still on the road. Ivan thanks the guild associate,
heads to the Riders Guild to rent a horse, and gallops off on the eastern road.

Brian rolls on the Description column of the Action Table to see what the area he’s traveling through is like.
He gets 35, “Helpful.” He decides that Ivan regularly meets people on the road who confirm that, yes, they
had just seen Guzzo going the other direction. He asks, “So is this trip going to be completely uneventful?”
Since this IS Sword World, that’s Unlikely. He rolls 65: “No+.” Not only will something happen, it’ll
somehow have extra negative consequences.

He then asks: “Is it a monster attack?” Deeming it Likely, he rolls 51. No. Okay. “Is it bad weather?” That
one’s 50/50, and he rolls 46. No again. Finally he decides it’s getting dark and asks, “Is there a village
nearby where I can stay the night?” That’s Almost Certain this close to Granzale, and he rolls 22, a Yes. He
figures that whatever bad thing is supposed to happen will happen there.

However! That last Yes/No Roll was doubles, so he gets to roll for a Random Event. He rolls 4: “NPC
Action.” The only significant NPC so far is Guzzo, so Brian decides Guzzo is somehow involved in his
future misfortune.

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Ivan rides toward the remote village. Brian rolls on the Description column and gets 21: “Damaged.” Oh
no! Is it a monster attack? Likely. His roll: 21. Yes! The town is currently under attack by (rolling on the
Monster Table: 7) Barbarous invaders. He leaps off his horse and readies his sword. Time to fight!

Brian now rolls for his opponent’s Strength, getting 8: (#PCs – 1) Enemies. Since Ivan is the only PC, that’s
just one bad guy, so for a challenge Brian chooses to make it +1 level higher than Ivan’s current Adventurer
Level of 3. He peruses the list of level 4 Barbarous. A Bolg Highlander would be the obvious choice, but
he’s also intrigued by the Deep Gremlin as an opponent. Also, a small town overrun by Gremlins reminds
him of one of his favorite ‘80s movies.

From this point forward, Brian runs the battle as a regular Simplified Combat encounter. He ignores the
Battlefield Tactics Table and just assumes both sides start on the Frontline. One surprisingly difficult,
mostly magical fight later, Ivan stands victorious but slightly bloodied and down about a third of his MP.

Brian decides it’s finally time to pay off that No+ from earlier. As he and the villagers together chase the
chittering Gremlins out of town, he sees a dark Humanoid figure seemingly fleeing along with them. The
figure turns and, just for a moment, Ivan gets a good look at his face in the light of the villagers’ torches.

It’s Maury Guzzo. Of course it is.

The game continues apace, with liberal use of prompts from the Action and Yes/No Tables. Ivan pursues
Guzzo into the nearby hills, tussles with some small-time bandits and a Giant Balloon Seed, and corners
Guzzo in a box canyon. Ivan learns that Guzzo held a grudge against the people in the village when his
former girlfriend ran away with the town’s mayor’s son, and he made a deal with the local Barbarous to get
revenge. In the final epic battle, Ivan defeats Guzzo in one-on-one combat.

Ivan stands over Guzzo. The former “ace adventurer” lies panting on his back. The point of Ivan’s sword
pricks Guzzo’s chin. “All right,” Guzzo says, desperately. “You got me. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have taken
my frustrations out on the whole town. I’ll go straight from now on, I swear.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” Ivan sneers, putting away his sword.

Guzzo’s eyes widen. “B-but ... then why come all the way out here? Why would you chase me down?”

Ivan coolly pulls out a sheaf of papers. He holds it out to Guzzo along with a pen. “Sign here.”

The confused Guzzo does so.

Ivan folds up the paper and slips it back into his pocket. He tips his hat. “Pleasure doing business with
you,” he says, returns to his horse, and rides off into the sunset.

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Links
The Sword World Translation Project is a free, unofficial, fan-based translation. Please support the
original creators by buying Sword World books and supplements.

Sword World 2.5 Translation Project

• Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tg3hNkIw7sgAI8PH8XTEyMy6jpUO-
thD?usp=drive_link
• Sub-Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SwordWorld/
• Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gDv8rYnDVw
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@guidedbycardia

Other Resources
• Sword World 2.5 Reference Wiki: http://sw25.wikidot.com
• Publisher Website (Japanese): https://fujimi-trpg-online.jp/game/sw25.html
• Bookwalker Store (Japanese): https://bookwalker.jp/series/188069/list/

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