You’re a picaroon, a rogue who relies on your wits and skills to get into and out of trouble.

Basics #

This section details everything you need to know to get playing.

Hit Dice and Hit Points #

You have hit dice (HD) which represent vaguely how lucky and resilient you are. The bigger your HD, the less likely you are to get yourself killed on your adventures. HD have a die size and count, and marks. You start play with 1d6 as your HD.

Roll your HD to set your current hit points (HP). Your HP is a counter to how close you are to your luck running out. For more information about what happens when you hit 0 HP, see At 0 HP.

Domains #

Domains are free-form and represent an area you’ve chosen to focus in. They may be skills, topics, backgrounds, special items, whatever. Domains have a die size, marks, and trick slots. Domains always start as d6 with 0 marks and 1 trick slot.

Your starting HP determines the number of domains you have:

Tricks #

Each trick slot holds one single trick. Tricks are always specific to their domain. They make the probable automatic, the unlikely probable, or the impossible possible. Tricks have a die size and count, marks, and uses per scene. Tricks start at 1d6 with 0 marks and 1 use per scene.

You don’t need to fill trick slots for your domains immediately, you may pick or create them later. For more information, see Tricks.

Debt #

Picaroons start out broke. To take on debt to a patron, faction, or institution, roll 2d6. The lower result die is the number of domains you get from your guarantor. The higher result die is how many d6x100 silver of debt you need to clear.

Picaroons can always seek more debt.

Tests #

When an outcome is uncertain, test by rolling 1d6. On a result of 5 or higher, unless otherwise stated, you succeed.

When an outcome is contested, all sides test by rolling 1d6. Higher results beat lower results.

If any domains are relevant to the uncertain or contested action, you may roll the die for one of your relevant domains and take the best result.

Marks #

Whenever you roll your HD, domain die, or trick dice, mark the appropriate section for every die that shows its maximum (e.g. 6 on a d6, 8 on a d8). You can spend your marks when you rest. For more information, see Resting.

Details #

The remaining sections cover topics you may find useful in play.

Resting

Mechanisms for resting and advancement between adventures

Tricks

Special abilities for picaroons

Action & Combat

Mechanisms for handling action scenes and combat

Companions & Hirelings

Secondary characters in Picaroons