Core Rules

The foundational systems of Einsol's Razor; how space, time, movement, actions, and dice rolls work in and out of combat.

Space & Time

Distance (Space)

Einsol's Razor uses the Metric System. 1 meter ≈ 3 feet.

On a Battle Map: 1 Square = 1 meter. A character with 12 m speed can move 12 squares. No measuring needed.

Mass

Mass is tracked in kilograms (kg). 2 lb ≈ 1 kg.

Push/Pull/Lift: 25 + (15 × Strength Stat) = Amount in Kg your character can lift.

Creature Sizes

Size	Tall × Wide	Examples
Tiny	.25 m × .25 m	Nanites, Old Forest Sprite
Small	.5 m × .5 m	Patrol AI, Gnome
Medium	2 m × 1 m	Human, Elf
Large	5 m × 3 m	Tetorlith Monstrosity, Task-AI
Huge	10 m × 6 m	Colossi, Ethereal Dragon
Massive	20 m × 10 m	Dreadnought

In-Game Time

Turn-Based (Encounter Time)

A Round represents 6 seconds in-game.
A Round ends when all PCs and NPCs have taken their Turns.
10 Rounds = 1 minute of in-game time.

Real-Time

Used in role-playing, travel, and chase scenes. Time flows continuously, and the GM determines movement and events.

Movement & Speed

Speed represents in-game movement in meters. Items, equipment, and abilities can modify Speed.

Climbing & Crawling

Takes twice your Movement Speed (rounded up).

Falling

Free fall: 50 m per Round. At the end, take 1d10 Bludgeoning Damage per Round fallen and land Prone.

Flying

Flying speed is generally the same as the creature’s base speed.

Running

In an Encounter: Run Action moves you at double your Movement Speed. Outside: run for minutes = 2 × Endurance Stat.

Swimming

Movement Speed is halved. Prolonged swimming risks Exhaustion (Fortitude DC 10 every 30 min).

Zero Gravity

Normal Base Speed in any direction. Changing direction requires a Parkour or Stunts Skill Check.

Jumping

Horizontal: Jump meters equal to your Reflex Modifier. Vertical: Based on creature size.

Size	Vertical Jump
Tiny, Small, Medium	.5 m
Large	1 m
Huge	2 m
Massive	5 m

Challenging Terrain

Rough terrain, steep inclines, and dense forests halve your movement speed. Navigation may require Skill Checks or specific tools.

Senses & Light

Characters use sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste to discern information. Visual senses depend on environmental light levels.

Bright Light

Vision is normal.

Dim Light

Vision distance halved. Only shades of gray.

Darkness

Vision lowered to 1 m. Only abstract shapes.

Magical Darkness

Vision useless unless you have Shadow Sight.

Vision & Sensory Types

Enhanced Auditory (Hearing)

30 m

Grants +2 to Awareness Skill Checks that rely on sound.

Enhanced Olfactory (Smell)

30 m

Grants +2 to Awareness Skill Checks that rely on smell.

Night-vision

45 m

Dimly lit areas are treated as if in Bright Light, and complete Darkness is treated as Dim Light.

Non-Visual Processing

20 m

The world is processed as electrical energy in varying vibrant blue colors, heat signatures are in reds and yellows, and shapes are sensed as an abstract, colorful overlay.

Partial Darkvision

20 m

Dim Light is treated as Bright Light and the visibility range when in complete Darkness is 5 m.

Superior Darkvision

30 m

Dim Light is treated as Bright Light and the visibility range when in complete Darkness is 10 m.

Shadow Sight

40 m

Complete Darkness is treated as Dim Light. Magical Darkness is treated as naturally occurring Darkness.

Action Economy

Each Round, players receive 4 Action Points (AP) to spend. Unused AP does not carry over.

2 AP

Core Action

(CA)

1 AP

Quick Action

(QA)

1 AP

Reaction

(R)

0 AP

Free Action

(FA)

Weaving Spells: Variable AP cost. Check each spell's description.

Communication: Speaking and non-combat Skill Checks don't cost AP but should be limited to maintain pacing.

Offensive & Defensive Actions

Action	AP	Type	Description
Attack	2	CA	Make an Attack against a target.
Additional Attack	2	CA	After making an attack, make an additional attack at −2 on the roll.
Brace	3	CA	Gain +3 to Fortitude Defense Rolls until the start of your next Turn or you take another Action.
Dodge	2	CA	Gain +2 to Reflex Defense Rolls until the start of your next Turn or you take an Offensive Action.
Focus	2	CA	Gain +2 to your next Attack and Will Defense Rolls until the end of the Round.
Grapple	2	CA	Make a Brute Force, Stamina, or Stunts Skill Check to restrain a target you can touch. On success: target suffers −2 to all Rolls, Speed is zero, cannot use two-handed weapons or Weave Spells requiring hands.
Opportunity Attack	1	R	When a creature moves outside your Melee Range, make a single attack with your held weapon.
Parry	1	QA/R	While wielding a Melee Weapon, gain +1 to Reflex Defense Rolls against Melee Attacks.
Prone	1	QA/R	Drop flat on the ground. Attacks against you from outside 5 m suffer −2. Height Advantage cancels this.
Shove	1	QA/R	Contested Brute Force Skill Check to knock a creature Prone or push them 1 m away (one Size larger or smaller).
Throw	2	CA	Hurl an object or weapon within Range and make an Attack Roll.

Movement Actions

Action	AP	Type	Description
Escape	2	CA	Make a Brute Force, Stamina, or Stunts Skill Check to break free from Grappled, Restrained, or otherwise immobilized.
Jump	1	QA	Leap up to twice your Agility Stat in meters. Make a Stunts or Parkour Skill Check to clear Challenging Terrain.
Movement	0/1	FA/R	Move up to your total Movement Speed on your Turn. Spend 1 AP as a Reaction to move remaining distance after your Turn. Moving through Occupied Spaces costs double.
Run	2	CA	Move at double your normal Movement Speed.
Withdraw	4	CA	Move up to your Movement Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

Utility Actions

Action	AP	Type	Description
Applying Toxicants	1	QA	Apply a dose of a toxicant to your weapon or ammunition.
Arming/Disarming Explosives	1	QA	Set or disable an explosive device or accessory.
Assist	1	QA/R	Aid another character within 1 m, granting +2 on a Skill Check or Attack Roll. Once per Turn per Player.
Delay	1	QA	Skip your current Turn and move to the bottom of Initiative order for the remainder of the Encounter.
Draw/Stow a Weapon	1	QA/R	Equip or stow one weapon.
Hide	1	QA/R	Creatures cannot detect or target you unless they make a Contested Awareness vs. your Stealth. Lasts until you move or take another Action.
Improvise	1	QA/R	Use an object in a creative or unexpected way. Outcome determined by a Skill Check at GM’s discretion.
Overcome	2	CA	Re-roll the Defense Roll of an active Effect, Debuff, or Condition to immediately end it.
Prepare	2	CA	Ready an Action with a specified trigger. If the trigger occurs before your next Turn, use a Reaction to perform the Prepared Action.
Reload	1	QA/R	Reload a Ranged Weapon.
Using a Potion/Concoction	1	QA	Consume a potion or use a concoction to activate its effects.

Checks & Rolls

When attempting something uncertain, players make Checks or Rolls measured against a Difficulty of Challenge (DC) set by the GM.

Difficulty of Challenge (DC)

The GM chooses a difficulty tier. The tier's Base plus a d4 roll is the DC.

Difficulty	Base	Example (Strength)
Trivial	d4	Forcing open a wooden drawer; tearing loose a cable restraint.
Easy	5 + d4	Kicking down a flimsy door; prying open a car trunk or cargo crate.
Moderate	10 + d4	Forcing open a sealed bulkhead; breaking free from heavy restraints.
Hard	15 + d4	Bending iron bars or holding a closing security gate open.
Very Hard	20 + d4	Punching through reinforced glass; toppling a heavy statue or street drone.
Extremely Hard	25 + d4	Forcing apart hydraulic doors; flipping a small hovercar.
Nearly Impossible	30 + d4	Ripping open an airlock with bare hands; catching a falling dropship cable.

Meet it to Beat it: If a Roll matches the DC, it succeeds. Always round down unless stated otherwise.

Skill Check

d20 + Core Stat + Aptitude Points + Aptitude Dice

Determines whether a character's Skill is sufficient to accomplish a task. Characters with Aptitude roll their Aptitude Dice alongside the d20.

Contested Check

d20 + Modifier + Bonuses/Penalties

Two characters compete by each rolling a d20 + relevant Modifiers. The higher roll wins.

Initiative

d20 + Reflex Modifier + Bonuses/Penalties

Rolled at the start of combat to determine turn order. Spells, items, and Feats may add or subtract modifiers.

Edge & Hindrance

Edge

Bonus from class features, Feats, magic, equipment, or favorable circumstances. Cumulative.

−2

Hindrance

Penalty from magic, environmental conditions, or negative status effects. Cumulative.

Critical Hits & Failures

Natural 20 (Critical Success)

Attacks: Automatically hits. Damage dice are doubled before adding Modifiers. Does not apply to Spells requiring a Defense Roll.
Skill Checks: Extraordinary success, even if the total wouldn't normally beat the DC.

Natural 1 (Critical Failure)

Attacks: Automatically misses, regardless of bonuses.
Skill Checks: Dramatic failure with a complication or setback.

Dueling Crits: If both attacker and defender roll a natural 20 or natural 1 simultaneously, both sides must re-roll.

Breakthrough

A Breakthrough is a single high-stakes roll that decides who narrates the outcome of a moment. It works in any Encounter: Combat, Social, or otherwise. One character or several can take part in the same Breakthrough.

Calling a Breakthrough

Either side can start one.

A Player Declares

A player declares a Breakthrough. They do not need GM permission.

The GM Calls It

The GM calls for a Breakthrough, or offers one as an option.

A Breakthrough is for moments with real stakes. The GM sets the difficulty, so trivial attempts are not worth the cost.

The Cost

Every character who takes part spends 1 Resonance Point. This is declared before any dice are rolled.
A character with no Resonance Points may take 1 Level of Exhaustion to gain 1 point, then spend it.
A character who does not pay does not roll and does not narrate.

Setting the DC

Standard

The GM sets the DC using the standard tier table (tier + d4). See Difficulty of Challenge above.

Contested

For a contested Breakthrough against an NPC or group, the GM rolls the opposition instead. That roll is the DC.

Rolling

Each participant picks a Skill tied to a Core Stat that fits how they are taking part, and makes a Skill Check. Describe the approach before rolling.

Take the highest Roll at the table. Add +1 for each character who rolled. The sum is the group total.

Example: Three characters take part. The highest roll is 18. Three characters rolled, so the group total is 18 + 3 = 21.

A bad individual roll never lowers the group total. Every participant only adds to it.

Resolving

Compare the group total to the DC. The difference decides who narrates and what happens.

Natural 20

A Natural 20 on the highest roll may raise the result by one band, at GM discretion.

Natural 1

A Natural 1 is a natural source for the consequence on a loss.

Conditions referenced in the table are listed under Conditions and Effects (Ch.2, p.33).

Narration & Injuries

Narration

On a win, every character who paid in shares the narration. The GM sets where any mechanical result lands: which target takes an Injury, who gains an advantage.

On a loss, the GM narrates and sets which participant takes the consequence.

Injuries

Injuries from a Breakthrough use the normal rules. The affected character may make a Durability Skill Check against the group total to avoid the Injury. The Injury type depends on the weapon or source.

Narrative Control Table

The difference between the group total and the DC sets who narrates and what lands.

Difference	Who Narrates	Combat	Social
10+	Player narrates	Inflict a Serious Injury on a valid target.	Full success and a lasting gain: a favor owed, a foothold, or +2 on a related follow-up.
+5 thru +9	Player narrates	Inflict a Minor Injury, or a Serious Injury if the target is already wounded.	Clean success. No strings.
+1 thru +4	Players, GM adds a wrinkle	The hit lands, or apply a Condition instead of an Injury.	Success with one complication.
0	GM frames, players soften	Trade blows. A participant takes a Minor Injury or a Condition.	Partial success that costs something.
-1 thru -4	GM, players add a detail	A participant takes a Minor Injury or a Condition.	Refused. A new obstacle appears.
-5 thru -9	GM, minimal player input	A participant takes a Serious Injury.	Serious fallout. Doors close.
-10 or lower	GM narrates	A participant takes a Serious Injury and a Condition, or enters the Death Spiral if the fiction supports it.	Lasting damage to standing, a relationship, or a faction.

Aptitude

Aptitude represents training and expertise. When your character has Aptitude, it allows:

Use of specific Armor, Weapons, and Toolkits
Aptitude Dice added as a Bonus to Skill Checks
Bonus to Crafting with a Toolkit
Bonus to Spell Weaving Checks

Armor Aptitude

Granted by Class and Background. Without Aptitude: armor THP is halved, cannot Weave Spells, and −8 on all rolls.

Weapon Aptitude

Granted by Class and Background. Without Aptitude: −8 to Attack Rolls and all Damage Rolls are halved.

Firearm Aptitude

One firearm at a time unless a Feat grants dual-wielding or both are Light. Dual-wielding without permission: −3 to all Attack Rolls.

Leveling Up

Characters grow through experience, hardship, and the weight of the choices they make. In Einsol's Razor, progression is driven by narrative milestones; meaningful moments in the story that reflect genuine character development rather than points accumulated from combat.

The GM determines when the party levels up based on the significance of what they have accomplished. Leveling should feel earned, not counted.

What Constitutes a Milestone?

Milestones are moments where the story meaningfully shifts or a character is fundamentally changed by their experiences. Examples include:

Completing a major story arc or campaign objective.
Surviving a pivotal encounter that changes the direction of the story.
Uncovering a truth that reframes everything the party believed.
Making a decision with lasting consequences for the world or its people.
Forging or breaking a significant alliance.
A moment of deep personal growth or reckoning for one or more characters.
Reaching a point of no return in the narrative.

When your character reaches Level 1:

Choose your Base Class.
Choose your first Feat.
Receive your Aptitude Dice (d4).
Increase your Maximum Hit Points and HP Dice.

Further guidance on leveling is located in the Character Codex.

GM Guidance

Not every session warrants a level. A good milestone feels like the end of a chapter; something has concluded, shifted, or been irrevocably changed. When the players look back and say “that mattered,” that's a milestone.

Level Progression Table

Level	Narrative Progression	Aptitude Dice
0		—
1–3	Has completed their first full mission or dungeon.	d4
4–7	Has achieved their first major goal or aligned themselves with a major faction.	d6
8–11	Has completed a large quest or campaign arc.	d8
12–15	Has meaningfully changed a civilization, plane of existence, or major world power structure.	d10
16–20	Has reached story-defining, world-altering events — final arcs, prophetic fulfillment, etc.	d12

Ready for Combat?

Now that you know the foundations, see how they play out in encounters.

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