Shattered Gods uses many terms that may beunfamiliar to those who are new to roleplaying. The following section provides definitions for the most common abbreviations and terms you’ll encounter.
Ability Score: Every character or monster has six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These scores represent basic attributes. The higher the score, the more talent the character has.
Action: An action refers to the choices a character can select from during a combat round. Casting spells or making an attack are good examples of an action. There are several different types of actions, including a standard, move, swift, free, and full-round action. These are further explained in the Combat Chapter.
Armor Class (AC): Armor Class provides the target number needed to successfully land an attack against that opponent. The attacker rolls a d20 plus their bonus to hit and attempts to overcome their target’s AC.
Aspect: A type of magic, either corresponding to one of the four Realms or one of the four Elements.
Base Attack Bonus (BAB): Base attack bonus represents raw skill in combat. As a character gains levels their base attack bonus improves by a certain amount depending on their character class. When their bonus reaches +6, +11, or +16, the character receives an additional attack when taking a full-attack action.
Caster Level (CL): Caster level determines the power of the caster’s spells. Variables, such as damage or number of targets are based on the caster’s level.
Catalyst: A Catalyst is the corpse of a god. Basking in the Catalyst’s divine energies will grant a catalization. Those who bear one or more catalizations become Godmarked.
Catalization: The act of gaining divine power from a Catalyst.
Class: Classes represent a character’s chosen profession. They determine the base abilities each character possesses such as casting spells or commanding beasts. These abilities increase as the character levels in that class.
Check: A check is a d20 roll plus any relevant bonuses or penalties. The most common types are skill checks, attacks, and saving throws.
Circle of Eight: The embodiement of all magic in the world of Argan. Magic is broken into eight different Aspects, which can be combined to form Greater Paths.
Combat Maneuver: This is a special attack, such as tripping, disarming, or grappling a foe.
Combat Maneuver Bonus (CMB): This value represents a character’s ability to perform a combat maneuver.
Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD): This value represents a character’s ability to defend against combat maneuvers.
Concentration Check: If a caster’s spell is disrupted during the casting they must make a Concentration Check or lose the spell. This is further discussed in the Magic & Spells chapter.
Damage Reduction (DR): Some characters or monsters are resistant specific types of damage. They are assigned a numeric value to represent how resistant they are. This number reduces any damage from a source matching their type of DR. Most DR can be bypassed by certain things such as magic weapons or spells. This is denoted by a “/” followed by the type, such as “10/cold iron.” Rare types of DR apply to all attacks. Such DR is denoted by the “—” symbol.
Difficulty Class (DC): Most actions require some sort of check (skill, attack or saving throw). The result must meet or exceed the Difficulty Class of the action performed in order for it to be successful.
Element: Air, Earth, Fire and Water are the elemental embodiments of magic.
Enhancement Bonus: Enhancement bonuses are added to checks and statistical scores. These bonuses do not stack unless the bonus specifically states otherwise.
Experience Points (XP): As a character completes scene objectives, overcomes challenges and exhibits exceptional roleplaying they gain experience points. When they achieve enough XP, the character gains a level.
Feat: A feat is a special ability that may allow creatures to circumvent certain rules or restrictions. Creatures may receive feats based off their level, class or race.
Focus Attribute: All mages select Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma as their focus attribute. This attribute will be used to determine the power level and effect of their spells, as well as how many spell points they begin play with.
Game Master (GM): A Game Master adjudicates the rules and controls the story and world that the players explore. It is the GM’s responsibility to make sure the game is both fair and enjoyable.
Godmarked: This refers to an individual who has gained one or more catalizations from a Catalyst. They are quite literally marked by a god.
Godtouched: Very similar to Godmarked, the Godtouched manifest divine abilities without needing to journey to a Catalyst. They can still gain catalizations as normal.
Greater Path: Each Greater Path is a potent type of magic. They require both an Element and a Realm to learn. See the Magic chapter for details.
Hit Points (hp): Hit points represent how tough a character is. The more hp they have the more damage they can take before dying. Each level a character gains a fixed number of hit points determined by their class. They may also gain bonus hit points by having a high Constitution, or from Catalizations. When a character takes a wound the total damage is subtracted from their hit points. If I character’s hp drop below 0 they fall unconscious. If their hit points reach a negative total equal to their Constitution score they die.
Initiative: At the beginning of combat all characters make an initiative check to determine the order in which they act. The highest result goes first, while lower results follow in descending order.
Level: A character’s level represents their overall power. They may have between 1 and 6 character levels, which can be divided amongst various classes.
Spell Level: Spells have a level between 0 to 5 that represent their power. Higher level spells are much more powerful than lower. As a spellcaster gains levels, he learns to cast higher level spells.
Monster: Monsters are NPCs that have Hit Dice instead of class levels for their powers and abilities. They may also possess class levels.
Nonplayer Character (NPC): These are characters controlled by the GM.
Penalty: Penalties subtract from checks or ability scores.
Player Character (Character, PC): These are the characters portrayed by the players.
Realm: Dream, Life, Spirit and Void are the four Realms. Each is also an Aspect of magic.
Round: Combat is measured in rounds. All characters have a chance to act in a given combat round, in an order determined by their initiative. A round is 6 seconds long.
Rounding: Any time you need to round a number, always round down.
Saving Throw: Characters that are targetted by a dangerous spell or effect often receive a saving throw to lessen or nullify the effect. These saving throws do not take a character action to initiate, but rather happen automatically when a spell or effect calls for them. There are three types: Fortitude (used to resist poisons, diseases, and other bodily ailments), Reflex (used to avoid effects that target an entire area, such as fireball), and Will (used to resist mental attacks and spells).
Skill: A skill represents a creature’s ability to perform an ordinary task, such as climb a wall, sneak down a hallway, or spot an intruder. The number of ranks possessed by a creature in a given skill represents its proficiency in that skill. As a creature gains Hit Dice, it also gains additional skill ranks that can be added to its skills.
Spell: Spells harness the divine power of the dead gods to perform a variety of tasks, from destroying whole groups of soldiers to invading someone’s dreams.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Spell-like abilities function like spells, but are gained through racial abilities or from magic items.
Spell Resistance (SR): Some beings are resistant to magic. When they are targeted by a spell, the caster of the spell must make a caster level check to see if the spell affects them. The DC of this check is equal to the target creature’s SR (some spells do not allow SR checks).
The Great Cycle: The Cycle is made up of three Realms: Dream, Life and Spirit. The three are surrounded by the Void, and work together to form the Great Cycle.
Turn: Every character involved in comabt receives one turn each round, during which they may perform a perform one standard action, one move action, one swift action, and a number of free actions.
