Arcanum Immortalis is a 2d10 fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. Players create their characters, embark on epic quests, and navigate the challenges of the fantasy world. The 2d10 system determines the success or failure of actions and checks, with players rolling the two ten-sided dice and adding relevant modifiers based on their character's skills and abilities.
At its core, Arcanum Immortalis is a storytelling game. While combat can certainly be part of a good story, at Zephyrstone Games we believe that players should have more options to resolve conflict. Arcanum has been built with mechanics that also support social intrigue, solving mysteries, thrilling chase scenes, overland exploration, crafting and building, and commanding subordinates.
The game is set in our original world of Marentis, but if you prefer, you can adapt it to your own setting. Keep in mind that the rules are designed with a specific level of technology in mind. Things like the printing press changed the world.
Imagine the personality, background, and motivations of your character.
Arcanum Immortalis was designed to be both simple and flexible. Detectives, sorcerers, monster hunters, archeologists, courtesans, seers, diplomats, inventors, martial champions-- all are viable characters in this system.
Distribute a set number of points across seven core stats: Strength, Fortitude, Agility, Intellect, Panache, Willpower, and Awareness. These attributes describe your character's raw capabilities.
| Strength | Muscle and raw physical power |
|---|---|
| Fortitude | Toughness, endurance, and resilience |
| Agility | Reflexes, speed, and flexibility |
| Intellect | Intelligence, education, and problem-solving |
| Panache | Charm, presence, and magnetism |
| Willpower | Tenacity, resolve, and force of will |
| Awareness | Innate observation and perception |
Select from a variety of species, each with their own unique advantages and abilities, such as orcs, elves, goblins, gnolls, dwarves, halflings, and more.
Pick from one of the seven available classes - Warrior, Mage, and Expert as core classes, and Templar, Arcanist, Skirmisher, and Jack as hybrid classes. Each class offers distinct abilities and guides the allocation of skill points.
| Expert | A versatile specialist in non-magical skills and utility. |
|---|---|
| Mage | A magic-focused class with a diverse range of specializations. |
| Warrior | A combat expert with exceptional physical prowess, skilled in various fighting styles. |
| Arcanist | A hybrid Expert/Mage, excelling in utility and magic. |
| Skirmisher | A hybrid Expert/Warrior, adept in both utility and combat. |
| Templar | A hybrid Mage/Warrior, proficient in both weapon and magic use. |
| Jack | A triple hybrid Expert/Mage/Warrior, well-rounded but not a master of any single discipline. |
Distribute your character's skill points based on their class, taking into account any category restrictions. More details on skills and specializations will be covered in the next session.
For characters capable of using magic, choose a magic source and determine the attribute used for casting. Your class will indicate your starting mana and spells. As magic system is a broad topic, and is covered in more detail further on.
Skills and Specializations represent a character's training, experience, and aptitude in various fields of expertise. They are one of the core mechanics of the system, as they encompass a broad range of capabilities that define a character's abilities and playstyle. Skills are integral to both roleplaying and gameplay, as they help determine a character's strengths and weaknesses, enabling players to navigate challenges and interact with the world around them in a meaningful way. From combat prowess to social finesse, skills form the backbone of character progression, allowing players to customize and develop their characters.
Skills represent broad areas of expertise that a character has trained in, such as athleticism, melee combat, or general knowledge. As a character progresses, they gain ranks in Skills, which are then applied to all associated skill tests. Whenever a player attempts a Skill Test, the Game Master (GM) decides which attribute is appropriate for the situation.
To perform a Skill Test, a player rolls 2d10 and adds the relevant Skill and Attribute values to the result. The total sum determines the outcome of the test, with higher values generally indicating greater success.
Specializations, on the other hand, reflect more specific areas of expertise within a parent Skill. For example, acrobatics would be a Specialization within the broader Athletics Skill. Each Specialization is tied to a parent Skill, and when a character uses a Specialization, they apply their ranks in both the Specialization and the parent Skill to the test.
Like with Skill Tests, the GM decides which attribute is appropriate for a Specialization Test. To perform a Specialization Test, a player rolls 2d10 and adds the relevant Specialization, parent Skill, and Attribute values to the result.
Skills and Specializations are organized into three categories: Warrior, Mage, and Expert Skills. These categories primarily influence character progression, helping players to build well-rounded or highly specialized characters based on their preferred playstyle.
Warrior Skills focus on combat, defense, and physical prowess. Characters who excel in these skills are often formidable in battle and can overcome physical challenges with ease.
Mage Skills center on spellcasting and disrupting other casters' spells. Characters with high ranks in Mage Skills can wield powerful magic and counter the abilities of enemy spellcasters.
Expert Skills encompass knowledge, perception, socialization, subterfuge, crafting, and professional abilities. Characters skilled in these areas can navigate complex social situations, decipher ancient texts, or craft valuable items.
Magic plays a crucial role in shaping the world and its characters. Players who choose to wield magic will have a diverse array of options and customization available to them.
All magic users have a source for their magical abilities. These sources include Academic, Bloodline, Cursed, Cymatic, Holy, Natural, and Pact Magic. Each source comes with its own unique properties and strengths, allowing players to create a character that best aligns with their desired playstyle.
| Academic Magic | Your magic comes from learning and scientific progress. |
|---|---|
| Bloodline Magic | Your magic courses through your very blood. It is an intrinsic part of you. |
| Cursed Magic | You suffer a terrible curse, but have gained power because of it. |
| Cymatic Magic | Magic has form and rhythm, if you listen closely. You can harmonize. |
| Holy Magic | Your magic is a gift and a responsibility from a deity. |
| Natural Magic | Your magic comes from your attunement to the earth itself, and nature is your ally. |
| Pact Magic | You made a deal. Perhaps you shouldn't have. |
Regardless of their magic source, all mages can learn spells from seven schools of magic: Conjuration, Divination, Illusion, Kineticism, Primalism, Transformation, and Vitalism. These schools provide a wide range of magical effects, from summoning creatures to manipulating life forces.
| Conjuration | Summon or banish creatures or objects, travel magically. |
|---|---|
| Divination | Sharpen senses, read minds, divine history, and commune with higher powers. |
| Illusion | Create false images, sounds, sensations, feelings, and memories. |
| Kineticsm | Manipulate movement, create force effects. |
| Primalism | Manipulate earth, stone, water, ice, fire, lightning, and wind. |
| Transformation | Transform a physical aspect of a creature or object. |
| Vitalism | Manipulate life forces, heal the sick, animate or resurrect the dead. |
School Specialization: Players can choose to focus their skill points on specific schools of magic, allowing them to create a versitile utility character, or a powerful specialist.
Spells are powered by a character's mana pool. Most spells cost mana to cast, with more powerful effects typically requiring more mana. However, small spell effects may not cost mana at all.
Increasing Mana: Players can increase their mana pool outside of normal level and stat progression by sacrificing skill points. Note that the mana pool is not a skill and has no associated Skill Tests.
Spell Flexibility: Spells in Arcanum Immortalis are versatile, allowing players to adapt their magic to different situations. For example, learning a fire spell enables a mage to summon a small flame or unleash a devastating fireball, with the only difference being the intent and mana cost.
Spells Known: Spells known depend on your class, magic source, level, and other factors. Like the mana pool, you can increase your spell list by sacrificing skill points.