Core Rules

Executive Producer
Tony Pettersen
Creative Director
Tony Pettersen, Matthew Lee
Game Design Team
Tony Pettersen, Dave Sealy
Additional Game Concepts
Matthew Lee
Background Writing
Matthew Lee, Tony Pettersen
Editing
Matthew Lee
Graphic Design
Dave Sealy, Matthew Lee, Margo Zakharova, Craig Lee
Cover Art
Margo Zakharova
Illustrations
Craig Lee, Margo Zakharova
Community and Marketing
Matthew Wellings, Denzil Hussain, Tony Pettersen

Bloody Quest Core Book 3.0

Copyright 2017 Bloody Quest, All rights reserved, visit www.bloodyquest.com
Copyright 2017 Hammercore Productions and Tony Pettersen, All rights reserved,
worldwide.
All rights reserved, worldwide, under Universal Copyright convention, No part of
this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any forms or any means, without
permission from the IP holder @Tony Pettersen, except for brief quotes for in
reviews. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments, rules and people are
fictional and any similarity, without satiric intent, of characters or persons living or
dead, is strictly coincidental or done through unintentional second hand influence.
No part of this Publication can be sold or distributed in any way, via paperback or
electronic publication on the web/internet or any other medium unless authorized
in writing by @Hammercore Productions or Tony Pettersen.
Bloody Quest RPG, produced by HammerCore Productions.

 Contents
Introduction 4 Allocation and types of hits 35

Concepts and Definitions 5 Follow-up 35

Common Terms 5 Attack types and effects 36

Resources 7 Power Attack 37

Non-miniature Play 7 Cavalry 37

Falling 38
The Basics 8
Injury and Death 38
Measuring 8
Injuries and Knocked Down 40
Statistics (Stats) 8
Saves and Defending 10 Combat Phase Quick Reference 44

Initiative 13 Magic 46
Attacks and Attack Actions 13 Casting in the Combat Phase 46
Equipment 14 Major and minor spells 46

Game Phases 15 Magic Dice and Magic Points 46

Exploration Phase 15 Dispelling and Saves 47

Statistic Tests 20 Spell classes 48

Perception and spotting 21 Magic in the Exploration Phase 48

Combat Phase 24 Effects and special rules 49

Creature Types 24 Playing without Miniatures

and Terrain 53
Warbands 25
Zones 53
Size 25
Additional Terms 54
Initiative 26
Movement 54
The Phases 26
Actions 27
Standard Actions 27
Move Actions 28
Utility Actions 29
Proximity 30
Attacking 30
Roll to Hit 32
Calculating Damage 32
Defending and Saves 34

 Introduction
Greetings traveller and welcome to
the exciting game of Bloody Quest. If
this is your first foray into the world of
RPGs and the heroism that is Bloody
Quest then you are set to discover
an exciting new realm of tabletop
gaming and adventure. We have taken
considerable care to make sure that
Bloody Quest is NOT your standard
d20 RPG. It offers new and old players
alike a fast, fun and engaging way to
play RPGs with their friends.
You and your hero will experience
thrilling adventure and brutal combat,
in a fraction of the time of other
roleplay systems. Explore the Bloody
Quest world of Somnium, a troubled
place where classic roleplay ideas are
given new twists to create a fresh and
original gaming experience.

Inside these books you’ll find
everything you need to learn how to
play, organise sessions with friends,
create your own PCs and NPCs, and
build your own adventures for the
Bloody Quest system.
What are you waiting for? Get started
by reading through these tomes of
knowledge, and prepare yourself for
the excitement and fun that follows.
You have been called, but will you
survive your Bloody Quest?
If you are familiar with role playing
games some of the concepts and
ideas in Bloody Quest will be familiar
to you, while others may not. But the
general idea is the same, a cooperative
encounter based game that revolves
around player interaction with the
environment and smashing any nasty
critters that get in your way.
If you’re new to roleplay games and
tabletop gaming, the rules may seem
overwhelming at first. But have
no fear, brave soul. Once you have
played your first few games you will
be lopping off heads and saving the
world in no time. Your familiarity with
the rules will grow as you play, but if
you make a few mistakes along the
way, so be it. The object is to have fun
so don’t be too hard on yourselves. As
you get to know the rules the game
will become fast and intuitive, and
playing will become more natural.
A typical encounter in Bloody Quest
should not last any longer than an
hour. In one night of play you could
get through a series of encounters
and adventures, a much quicker
experience than a lot of other roleplay
systems currently available.
Concepts and Definitions
Common Terms
Miniatures
Bloody Quest uses miniatures to
represent the heroes and their
enemies. Miniatures are small scale
models that can be sourced from a
variety of places to meet your gaming
needs.
Play Area
You will need locations or
environments for your players to
explore and battle in. There are two
different types of play areas that you
can use in your Bloody Quest game,
3D or 2D. 3D play areas use small
scale models to create features and
terrain. These could be as intricate as
realistically detailed woods, to as basic
as tissue boxes placed to simulate
buildings in a village.
2D play areas, in contrast, are flat
sheets of paper or mats. Details
can be sketched down onto a piece
of paper to make a rough map. Or
players may decide to use beautifully
illustrated mats.
Bloody Quest does not use grids
during play, which makes constructing
your own 3D or 2D terrain a lot
simpler.
Creatures
Every model in the game is referred
to as a Creature, from shambling
skeletons, to humans, or even farm
pigs. All are referred to as a Creature
for the purpose of game mechanics.
Even some things that may not
normally be considered alive or have a
model to represent it, will fall into this
category. For example a sentry gun or
a magic seal.
Allied Creature
Allied Creatures are your immediate
allies, such as another hero in your
party or a town guard aiding you in
combat. Any Creature who is not
acting hostile towards you, or is
actively fighting in support of you, is
considered to be an Allied Creature.
Enemy Creature
Enemy Creatures are hostile towards
you and your party. More often than
not you will encounter these Creatures
on the field of battle and they must be
dealt with. Enemy Creatures are those
that are hostile towards you or those
who support you.

 Most of the time in Bloody Quest
when rolling multiple dice they are
being rolled individually, meaning each
dices result will be counted separately.
Sometimes you may need to add one
or more dice together to raise a total
number over 6. For example, when
rolling to cast magic spells.
It will also be quite common to roll a
“D3”. D3 rolls are still using a D6, but
the result is divided by half (rounding
up any fractions) to determine the
number rolled. So when rolling a D6
use the following example to get the
result:
• 1 and 2 = 1
• 3 and 4 = 2
• 5 and 6 = 3

Inches
Inches is the unit of measurement you
use when determining distance, such
as how far a Creature can move or if
a missile weapon is within range. This
can be measured with a tool like a
tape measure or ruler.

PC
PC stands for Player Character. A
Player Character is just that, the
character the player controls. Whether
it be exploring a cave or fighting
hordes of skeletons, it will be a human
player controlling its actions (i.e. you).

Dice
In Bloody Quest you will regularly
need to roll dice to determine the
outcome of your actions. Bloody
Quest only uses six sided dice,
referred to as D6. More often than
not you’ll be called to roll multiple
D6 at once. When this arises it
will be written as “roll XD6”, “X”
being replaced with a number that
represents the amount of dice. For
example, 2D6 means to roll two six-
sided dice.

 Resources
To start running Bloody Quest here
is a rundown of what you will likely
require:
· A collection of fantasy miniatures
· A table top with either 2D mats or
3D terrain.
· Tape measure/ruler
· A n assortment of D6s of various
colours
· Attack effect templates
· Paper, pencils and eraser
NPC · Character sheets, Skill references
and Spell references
Non-player Characters are those not
· Players
under the charge of the player, and
are instead controlled by the GM. · Someone to act as Game Master,
NPCs can be characters who are and an adventure to play though
enemies, neutral or friendly, and that · Creature Cards to go with the
the players will engage with. From adventure.
a common barmaid to the wounded
Fa’uwn Watcher that seeks a PC’s
assistance, they are all referred to as
NPCs.

GM Non-miniature
Game Masters are the most important Play
part of a roleplaying game. They
It is recommended, to gain the full
are humans who take on the role
experience, to play Bloody Quest with
of content creator, story writer and
miniatures and scenery. But this isn’t
“artificial intelligence”. They control
the only way to play. There is a section
all the NPCS, both enemies and allies
at the back of this document that will
of the PCs, plots. They ultimately
show you how to run Bloody Quest
control if the players succeed or fail.
with nothing but pens, dice, paper and
your imagination. This is advised for
The Party those looking for a classic role playing
We refer to the players PCs as a whole game experience.
as the ‘Party’. This can be taken to
To find the rules to convert Bloody
mean war party, war band, or any
Quest to pen and paper go to page 53
other collective name the players and
of the Core Rules.
GM wish to give the Party.

Caster
The Creature who created a Spell.


 The Basics
Bloody Quest runs much faster than a
lot of typical role playing games, while
still possessing a lot of depth within
its rules. However it still has a few
moving parts to it. This section of the
rules will teach you how to understand
what you will encounter when looking
at your Player Characters sheet or
Creature cards, and how to make
sense of it. We will start with the most
common elements.
Measuring
When measuring distances in Bloody
Quest with a tape measure it is
important to remember this golden
rule; anyone may pre measure in
advance before casting, moving,
shooting or committing to any type of
action.
This is so players and GMs can
be as informed as possible when
strategizing. However this is a
cooperative game, so you don’t need
to be 100% accurate with measuring.
If a Creature is 1 or ½ inch out of
range to do its chosen action, let it go
through.
It doesn’t need to be a precise affair,
more a general guideline to follow.
The important thing is to have fun,
and a bit of give or take will help you
enjoy the game a lot more.
Statistics (Stats)
Each Creature in Bloody Quest has
a set of Statistics (Stats). These are
used to resolve related actions, such
as hitting in combat or reading an
ancient tome. You will find entries for
these on the Character Sheet, as well
as on the Creature Cards.

Movement: This is how far a Creature
can move in inches in a single turn.
Every Creature will have an M
value, dictated by their race, and
in some instances altered by their
class. Sometimes an M entry may
read 0. These are Creatures which
cannot move, but can still affect
their surroundings, like turrets or
aggressive plants.
Melee Skill: This indicates a Creature’s
ability to engage in Melee combat. The
higher the Creatures MS is the better
it is in close combat. MS is also used to
determine a Creature’s Parry Defence
Save. A high MS also can modify
defenders saves by Out matching
them in melee combat.
Shooting Skill: This indicates a
Creature’s ability to aim missile
weapons. The higher a Creature’s SS is
the more accurate it is hitting targets.
A high SS also can modify defenders
saves by Out matching them with
precise shooting.
Power: This indicates the strength of
a source or Creature. All Creatures
will have a P statistic, the higher the P
statistic the more Damage a Creature
is likely to do.
Damage Modifier: This is the modifier
for Damage to melee attacks you gain
for higher or lower than usual Power
or levels. All outgoing Melee Damage
made is modified by this.
Constitution: This is the measure of
a Creature’s natural endurance. C
modifies incoming Damage either
negatively or positively.
Fortitude Modifier: This is the
natural modifier Creatures have for
either a higher or lower than usual
Constitution, all incoming Damage is
modified by this statistic.
Dexterity: This is a Creature’s natural
reflexes. The higher a Creature’s
Dexterity the harder to hit with
ranged attacks they are, and the
more likely for them it is to be able to
break from combat or dodge incoming
blows. Dexterity also modifies a
Creature’s Dodge Saves.
Initiative: is a Creature’s natural
reaction time. This is generated as a
modifier of your D stat to add a bonus
when rolling for turn order in combat.
Intelligence: This represents a
Creature’s ability to recall or formulate
complex information. It is used to
gain additional spells or abilities and
plays a role in determining how likely a
Creature is to be hit by a magic attack.
Attack Dice: Each time a Creature
makes an Attack Action this is how
many extra dice adds to its dice pool.
Defence Dice: Whenever Damage is
incoming a Creature rolls a Defence
Save against it. This is how many extra
dice they add to their pool when rolling.
Magic Dice: Arcane and Divine casters
will have one or more of these to use
to cast Spells each turn.
Damage Capacity: This represents
the amount of Damage a Creature, or
part of a Creature’s anatomy, can take
before being rendered useless or the
Creature is Killed.
Damage: The amount added to
an enemies Damage Capacity on
successful Rolls to Hit.
Hitbox: This is the term used to
describe the system in Bloody Quest
which represents a Creature’s various
hit locations. There are three areas on
every Creature; Critical, Vital and Light
Wounds.
Hitbox refers to a section of a
Character Sheet or Creature card. This
is an area with a figure silhouette or
Creature illustration which displays
3 boxes. Each individual box is
associated with a Damage Capacity,
and represent a collection of areas or
locations on a Creature’s body.
For example the Critical area
represents locations like the head
and throat. Vital is around the torso
and groin area, and Light Wounds
represent arms, legs or cuts and
bruises. If any one of them reaches
Damage Capacity the Creature is
Knocked Down or Killed.

 Saves and
Defending
In Bloody Quest, when a Creature is
struck it doesn’t have to just stand
there and take the hit, nor does it
wear all that armour just for show.
When Damage is dealt to a Creature it
may attempt to negate the hit using
saves.
Defence Saves are performed by
rolling a D6 and beating or equalling a
target number. For example, a human
wearing medium armour has an
armour save of a 5+. Whenever there
is incoming Damage he may roll a d6,
and if he rolls a 5 or more the Damage
is blocked by the armour save. So the
lower the save the better the chance
of avoiding Damage.
Defence Saves
A Creature performs a Defence Saves
by taking a D6 for each source of
Damage incoming from an Attack
Action. These are known as defence
dice. They then add any bonus defence
dice to that pool, generated by
equipment or skills, then roll all the
dice at once to try and equal or beat
their own save scores.
There are 3 types of Defence Saves
available, and some Creatures will
be better at certain ones depending
on their equipment and stats. Every
Defence Save has an effect that a
Creature can cause if it successfully
passes the corresponding save. A
Defence Save can never be modified
below a 2+ under any circumstances.
10
When Damage is incoming a Creature
will roll all their defence D6s first, and
assign the results to whatever saves
they are eligible to. Remember to roll
first, then assign.
The three Defence saves are:
·A
 rmour: An Armour save can be
granted through wearing armour,
spells or even a Creature’s natural
defence. Armour has both a
front value and rear value, some
Creatures will have stronger
armour when being attacked from
their front facing and lower when
being attacked from behind. There
are no follow-ups when armour is
used.
·P
 arry: Parrying is a Creature
actively trying to deflect the
attack with its weapon. A Parry
Save is tied to a Creature’s Melee
Skill. The higher a Creature’s MS
the lower the target roll required.
Parry follow-ups are called Counter
Attack and Slam.
·D
 odge: Dodging is a Creature
actively trying to move out of the
way of an attack. A Creature’s
Dodge Save is tied to its DEX stat.
The higher a Creatures DEX the
lower the Dodge save roll required.
Dodge follow-ups are called a
Tumble and Shift.
Magic Resistance
Some Creatures have a resistance to
magic. This is a special save that the
Creature can use immediately once
targeted or affected by any magic
source. Before any to hit rolls are
made the Creature can roll 1D6 and if
they pass their save the spell or effect
is wasted. This even applies to attacks
with the “unsavable” special rule.
Follow Ups Figuring out your
When a Creature successfully passes a saves
Defence Save with either of the parry To figure out your saves you need
or dodge saves, after any Damage has to convert your relevant stat to its
been applied and resolved, they can relative save, using the following
immediately do what’s called a follow chart. All Creatures are covered
up. These are actions that help a by these charts so when making
Creature react after avoiding Damage. characters or Creatures you will use
After all, the enemy is now off guard these to find their saves.
and it’s time to make the most of the
opportunity. Both your dodge save and you parry
save are determined by the same
After any unsaved Damage is applied chart using the following stats.
to the defender, the defender “if still
conscious” can use any follow ups. DEX/MS
Follow ups are all free Actions and can 1 -
be resolved in any order the defender
2 6+
wishes.
3 6+
There are 4 types of follow ups that a
player can do: 4 5+
5 5+
·C
 ounter Attack: Counter Attack
is done after passing a Parry 6 4+
save. The attacking Creature 7 4+
immediately suffers a Graze (one 8 3+
point of Damage) to their Light
Wounds (see areas below). This 9 3+
graze has the Unsavable special 10 2+
rule, and so cannot be saved
against.
·S
 lam: Slam is done after passing a
parry save, the attacking Creature
is immediately knocked prone. This
can only happen if the attacking
Creature is the same size or one
size larger than the defender. Once
knocked prone the attacker cannot
stand or reposition.
·S
 hift: Shifting is done after passing
a dodge save, you may move to the
Creature’s rear facing immediately.
After the defender has used Shift
the attacking Creature may not
reposition by pivoting.
·T
 umble: Tumbling is done after
successfully dodging an attack, you
may make a free Move Action as if
you had successfully disengaged.
This applies even against ranged
attacks.
11

Natural Modifiers
Creatures with higher or lower than
normal power or constitution modify
all Damage made or generated from
hits. Check the following chart to
see if and what modifies Damage
positively or negatively.
Out Matched
Creatures with a high Melee or
Shooting Skill can modify their
opponents rolled saves. We call this
being outmatched. For each point
of Melee skill over 3 an attacking
Creature can modify any rolled
defence dice by -1, higher their MS the
more modifiers they have to apply.
Note that these each modifier can only
be applied to one rolled defence dice
each, it does not modify all defence
dice rolled. So having 2 save modifiers
means you can modify up to 2 rolled
defence dice.

Fortitude modifier MS/SS Modifier

Constitution Modifier 1 -
1 +2 2 -
2 +1 3 -
3 - 4 -1
4 -1 5 -2
5 -2 6 -3
6 -3 7 -4
7 -4 8 -5
8 -5 9 -6
9 -6 10 -7
10 -7

Damage modifier
Power Modifier
1 -2
2 -1
3 -
4 +1
5 +2
6 +3
7 +4
8 +5
9 +6
10 +7
A note on modifiers: Damage can
never be modified below 1 no matter
the Creature’s modifiers.
12
Initiative
When rolling for Turn Order you need
to add a Creature’s INI bonus total
to each group roll it is part of. The
method to figure out a Creatures INI
score is as follows. For each point of
DEX over 3 the Creature gains a +1
bonus to their INI score. For example,
if a Creature has a DEX of 4 it will gain
a +1 bonus. A Creature with a DEX of 5
will be a +2 bonus, and so on.
Here’s a chart to help simplify the
process.
Initiative
DEX
Bonus
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 +1
5 +2
6 +3
7 +4
8 +5
9 +6
10 +7
Attacks and
Attack Actions
Each time a Creature makes an Attack
Action it generates 1 Attack Dice to
use against its target. It then also adds
any bonus Attack Dice it gains from
equipment, skills and their current
load out. Each Attack Dice represents
an individual strike against the target.
The higher the Attack Dice the more
individual attacks a Creature can make
with an Attack Action. Each turn a
Creature has one Standard Action with
which to make an Attack Action with.
For example a Creature makes an Attack
Action, and also has a combat Skill that
grants the Creature a +1 Attack Dice
modifier, meaning it has 2 attacks when
making an Attack Action.
Free attacks
Sometimes a Creature may be given
a free attack. Note that this is only a
single Attack Dice with an equipped
weapon. This will only be one attack,
and not a full complement of attacks
with any bonus dice.
13
 0 or below
Some effects which Creatures may
suffer decrease the availability of
Attack Dice. If at any point this brings
a Creatures Attack Dice to 0 or below
it can still choose to Attack as a
Standard Action. However it must
perform the Roll to Hit on 2D6 and
discard the highest result.
Damage Counters
Each attack that scores a hit generates
a source of Damage. So whenever a
hit is scored you immediately generate
Damage for it. Use a D6 to record the
amount of Damage each hit creates
based off of weapon and power
bonuses. Essentially using the D6 as
Damage counter for each hit. Note
that misses will still cause a graze and
should be counted on a D6 also.
Equipment
Equipment in Bloody Quest comes in
a variety of shapes and sizes. Swords,
shields, magic scrolls, camping gear,
rope, it all falls under the category
of equipment. To gain the benefit of
most equipment you need to equip it
to the relevant slots. Weapons need to
be equipped in your hands, armour on
your body etc. Some equipment may
modify your base Stats, such as adding
attacks or decreasing Dexterity.
Weapons: When equipping weapons
there are 2 distinct types, ranged and
melee. The difference between the
two being how to calculate to hit and
Damage for each type.
Melee weapon Damage: To calculate
Damage for equipped melee weapons
use the power modifier of the
Creature, and add it to the weapons
base Damage. The total is the Damage
14
generated per hit. At certain levels
you will add a level bonus modifier to
Damage as well.
Ranged weapons Damage: Ranged
weapons and spells do not add
any statistic bonus to the weapons
Damage, it is a static number that at
certain levels will gain a level bonus
modifier to Damage as well.
Weapon Loadouts: Depending on
what you equip in your hands it can
add to your Attack and Defence Dice
modifiers. Some might take both
hands to use and give you another
type of bonus instead.
Dual wielding: When a Creature has
a weapon equipped in each hand
they add an additional Attack Dice.
This applies to one handed ranged
weapons also. When rolling to hit
while dual wielding you may assign
each dice result to either weapon
after you have rolled. Just make a note
of which Damage counter represents
what weapon.
One hand melee/one hand ranged: If
a Creature has a one handed melee
weapon and a one handed ranged
weapon equipped the ranged weapon
gains the “spitfire” special rule. They
do not gain an additional attack
however.
Shields: When a Creature equips
a shield in their offhand they gain
an additional defence dice, heavier
shields can lower armour saves as
well.
Two-handed weapons: Two-handed
weapons require both hands to use.
They often have a higher Weapon
Damage than their single handed
counterparts, or offer some other
bonus.
A Creature may have up to two
different loadouts to offer flexibility
in a pinch. They may only have one
load out equipped at once.
 Game Phases
Bloody Quest uses two distinct
phases, the Exploration Phase and
the Combat Phase. The Exploration
Phase is where the players are free
to explore their environment. A large
portion of the players time will be
spent in this phase, as they follow up
quest leads, go to shops and generally
do whatever it is that comes into their
minds. The game shifts to the Combat
Phase when confrontations need to
be resolved. Here players can engage
in melee or ranged combat and cast
spells.
Exploration
Phase
It is in this phase that players make
use of their non-combat Exploration
Skills to manipulate their surroundings
and engage with NPCs. They might
find themselves in a dusty old tomb
or roaming a busy city, and it’s up
to the players to deal with whatever
situation presents itself to them.
There is no specific order for players
to follow in this phase. They declare
what they are doing at any given time.
The GM will resolve what order, if any,
needs to be applied. If the situation
turns to a violent confrontation the
game switches to the Combat Phase.
Meaning as soon as steel is drawn it’s
time to move to the combat.
For example, the GM might inform the
players that they have woken up in a
room with an unopened chest in the
middle and a rotted door preventing
them from leaving. The player, James,
says he is going to try to open the
chest, while Bob says he will try to kick
the mouldy door down. The GM tells
Bob he will need to pass an Athletics
Skill Test to kick the door down. The
GM will also decide how James’ task will
be resolved and take into account the
skills James’ Character has to work out
his chances of success. Once the players
have all nominated their actions the GM
assigns an order to them. Each action
is resolved, and any consequences
played out. Bob for example may
succeed in kicking down the door and
the party can be on their way. However
James’ haphazard opening of the chest
releases a dozen Giant Spiders, which
immediately set upon the party. At
this point the game switches to the
Combat Phase. Once the Combat Phase
is played out, the game returns to the
Exploration Phase and the adventure
continues.
During the Exploration Phase the
Game Master runs the world around
the players. For instance, the Game
Master will know if there is a mob
of thugs around the corner about to
jump out and ambush the players. It is
up to the players to explore, hopefully
detecting the thugs, talk them down
or scare them off by using their
Exploration Skills first. If that fails
then try and fight their way out.
15
 Using Exploration
Skills
Every Creature in Bloody Quest
has, and is able to use, Exploration
Skills. Exploration Skills are used for
taking actions and interacting with
the environment during both the
Exploration Phase and Combat Phase.
Exploration Skills come into play when
a player declares an action on the part
of the character and the outcome of
the action is subject to opposition,
challenge or chance. If the action is
of a routine nature, and there are no
additional factors that intervene to
make it more difficult then there is no
need to make a skill roll.
If a roll is required then the following
steps should be followed:
· Declare action and intent
· Determine the appropriate Skill
(GM)
· Set the Difficulty (GM)
· Call for Help
· Roll the Skill Check
· Succeed or Fail
Declare Action and
Intent
First a player should declare what
action their PC is attempting to take,
and what they intend to achieve by
that action. The action is the how the
character will get what they want,
while the intent is what the character
wants. A player must declare both
action and intent before a roll can be
made.
16
The reason for declaring both action
and intent is twofold. Firstly, it allows
the GM to choose the appropriate
difficulty (as any given action may be
more effective at achieving one intent
rather than another) and, secondly, it
helps to clarify what should happen on
a success or a failure.
If a roll is ultimately successful, then
the PC should be judged to succeed
at both the action and get what they
intended. If the GM agrees to a roll
based on the declared intent and the
roll is a success then the GM is bound
to give effect to the player’s intent in
good faith.
For example, Steven is playing Sven,
a human fighter. Sven has cornered a
thug in an alley and declares that he is
going to try and use his imposing size
and aggressive demeanour to frighten
the thug, by threatening to beat him up
if he doesn’t do what he wants. Tony,
the GM, asks Steven what Sven wants to
get out of scaring the thug.
Steven thinks about if for a few seconds
and decides that Sven wants to frighten
the thug into running away, so that he
doesn’t have to enter combat. Steven
could also have chosen other intents,
such as getting the thug to give him
information or to get the thug to put
his weapon away so that Sven could
attack him without resistance.
Determine the
Appropriate Skill
Bloody Quest has a small set of Skills
that cover a wide variety of different
situations. Usually the appropriate
Skill for a given task will be fairly
obvious. The Skill descriptions in
the Player’s Guide will help provide
guidance if there is confusion. A player
may suggest what Skill they think is
appropriate but the final decision
rests with the GM.
In many cases an action may still be
attempted even if the PC does not
possess the appropriate Skill, they
simply receive no bonus to their roll.
However the GM may determine that
some tasks may not be attempted by
a PC with no training in the relevant
Skill.
If a PC has trained in the relevant
Skill, they get that number as a bonus
modifier to their roll. If they have
is for tasks that someone with proper
improved the Skill when advancing
training would succeed at around half
in level then they will get additional
the time. Tasks with a Difficulty of 8
bonuses in accordance with the taken
are tasks that a trained person would
improvement.
generally need help or favourable
For example, Sven is trying to scare the circumstances to succeed at. Tasks
thug and get him to run away. Steven with a Difficulty of more than 12 are
and Tony both agree that this is an impossible for even a trained person
obvious use of the Intimidate Skill. Sven of normal skill (tests of this difficulty
has trained in Intimidate twice and will generally arise as a result of the epic
get a +2 bonus to his roll. challenges faced by high level Bloody
Quest characters).
Set the Difficulty
MS/SS Modifier
Once the GM knows the action, the
3 Simple
intent and the Skill being tested they
can then set the Difficulty. Difficulty 4 Easy
in Bloody Quest is generally between 5 Average
3 and 12 (see the table below). If an 6 Challenging
action would have a difficulty of 1 or 2
7 Hard
it isn’t worth rolling for, and succeeds
automatically. 8 Very Hard
A Difficulty of 3 is a routine task that 9 Heroic
someone trained enough in the area 10 Epic
of Skill would always succeed at in 11 Legendary
normal circumstances. A Difficulty of 6
12 Impossible
17

If there are additional circumstances
surrounding the action that would
make it more difficult than normal,
then the Difficulty is increased by one
for each of those factors. Such factors
should be relatively significant and
this is not an opportunity for the DM
to look for every possible downside
imaginable.
If there exist any circumstances
around the action that are particularly
favourable to the PC then the PC
gets a +1 to their roll. A PC only gets a
single +1 bonus, no matter how many
favourable factors exist.
For example, Sven is using his Intimidate
Skill to try and get a cornered thug to
give up on fighting and run away. Tony,
the GM, consults his notes and sees
that the thug has been hired by a major
villain to attack and mug Sven, but he
doesn’t work for the villain and will only
lose out on his payment if he cuts and
runs.
Tony determines the Difficulty should
be an average test with 5 Difficulty.
However, Sven was out drinking earlier
in the evening and still a bit groggy
and probably slurring his words. Tony
decides that this is a negative factor for
Sven as it makes him appear comical,
rather than frightening. He increases
the Difficulty to a challenging 6.
18
Call for Help
Player characters in Bloody Quest
generally work together, and should
aim to Help one another out. If a
PC is attempting an action that
requires a skill check then they may
be helped in that check by another
PC. Generally only one other PC may
Help on a check, although the GM has
the discretion to allow additional PCs
to Help if it makes sense and seems
appropriate (this should be relatively
rare).
In order to Help another character
must offer their aid and the acting
character must accept it. The helping
character must describe how they
are helping with an appropriate
Exploration Skill. In order to provide
any mechanical bonus the helping
character must be trained in the Skill
they are using to Help. The helping
action must make sense and logically
be able to confer assistance to the
acting PC
A helping PC confers a +1 bonus to
the acting PCs roll. The price they pay
for providing their Help is that if the
acting PC fails, and there are negative
consequences, then the helping PC
exposes themselves to the negative
consequences as well.
For example, Sven’s ally, Durgan the
dwarf rogue, is lurking in the shadows
while Sven Intimidates the thug. When
Sven reaches the Call for Help step
Durgan’s player, Margo, offers to Help
by having Durgan step out the shadows
and tell the thug some made up stories
about the unpleasant things Sven has
done to people after beating them in a
fight. Margo says that this Help is using
Durgan’s Deception Skill, in which he is
trained, and Tony, the GM, agrees. Sven
will get a +1 to his roll for Durgan’s gory
tall tales.
Roll the Check
Once the action and intent have
been declared, the appropriate skill
determined, the difficulty set and
any Help offered, it is time to roll the
dice. The player of the acting PC rolls a
single D6 and adds any bonus for skill
training, favourable circumstances and
Help.
For example, Sven’s player, Steven,
grabs a D6 and rolls it. It comes up with
a 4. Steven then adds +2 for Sven’s Skill
level in Intimidate and a further +1 for
Durgan’s Help. There is no bonus due to
favourable circumstances. The total of
the roll is therefore a 7.
Succeed or Fail?
Once the die has been rolled, and a
total result for the check calculated, it
is compared against the Difficulty of
the task. If the total of the roll equals
or succeeds the Difficulty then the
action is successful and the character
achieves their intent.
If the result of the roll is less than the
Difficulty of the test then the PC fails.
The GM must then determine what
happens as a result of the failure,
being guided by the PC’s intent (see
Fail Forward below).
For example, Steven rolled a total
of 7 for Sven’s Intimidate check. The
Difficulty set by Tony, the GM, was 6.
Sven succeeds in his task and achieves
his intent of scaring the thug into
running away. The thug, for his part,
goes running off into the night grateful
to have survived.
Fail Forward
Bloody Quest encourages GMs
to embrace a concept that has
sometimes been referred to as ‘fail
forward’.
The concept of fail forward is
simply this: a failure on a test does
not necessarily mean that the PC
completely failed at their action, only
that they did not achieve their whole
intent; a failed roll should not bring
the action of the game grinding to a
halt.
The process of having a player
declare both action and intent is a
significant asset in following this
approach. For example, a player may
declare the intent of unlocking a
door. While similar, this is a different
intent to unlocking the door without
anyone being able to tell the lock was
tampered with. In the latter example
a potential result of a failed roll is
that the door is successfully unlocked
but the PC was not careful enough.
Anyone examining the lock will know
it was tampered with.
Even in the situation where the
declared intent was simply to open the
lock, that does not mean that a failed
roll must simply mean that the door
stays locked, particularly if that would
mean that the action in the game
would be stopped dead. Instead it
might be that the lock is opened, but
it takes more time than expected. In
this way the failure is not to perform
the task at all, but a failure to perform
it optimally. The GM might also offer
a twist or complication, rather than
outright failure. In this case the failed
roll might mean that a lot of noise
was made, and the rogue who was
picking the lock is surprised when the
door swings open from the other side
revealing an alerted guard.
Applying these techniques is not
necessary for every roll, sometimes
a failure is just a failure. But it is a
useful technique for keeping the game
moving and adding interest and colour
to your game. Make the best use of it
you can.
19
 Statistic Tests
Statistic Tests (also known as Stat
Tests) are different to Skill Tests as
they rely on the Creatures raw physical
and mental abilities as opposed to
a test of learnt knowledge. Statistic
Tests are more a test of endurance
for the Creature being required
to perform one, and can both
be used in both the Combat and
Exploration Phases, depending on the
circumstances and action indicated.

Modified or unmodified: In most cases

To perform a Statistic Test a Creature
uses the relevant Statistic entry
(selected by the GM) on their profile.
The relevant number is halved,
rounding up any remainders. This
number will be the modifier added to
their rolled result. The Creature then
rolls a D6 and adds the modifier to the
amount rolled. Just as in a Skill Test
the GM will generate a target score to
beat.
Most of the time a Statistic Test will
be a forced upon a Creature by an
effect or an involuntary action. But
sometimes in combat a Creature may
be required to perform a voluntary
Statistic Test, for instance if they
wished to move behind an opponent.
For example, Sven the fighter is Locked
in Combat with an orc. He wishes to try
and move behind the orc by performing
a “switch” Move Action, which requires
a Dexterity Statistic Test to be passed.
Sven has a Dexterity of 3, which he
halves to 1.5 and the rounds up for a
total modifier of 2. This will grant him a
+2 to the result rolled on the dice for his
Statistic Test.
20
when called on to perform a Stat
Test caused by an effect it will state
if it is unmodified or not. Remember
that some items will affect your stats
and it might not always be clear what
should be used. In which case the GM
can make a judgement call as to if
they test is against an unmodified or
modified stat.
For example, a Creature trying to land
when falling in full armour would
most likely be a modified Dexterity
Test. Whereas someone trying to hold
their breath underwater might be an
unmodified Constitution Test.
The difference
between Stat Tests
and Skill Tests
The difference between how Stat
Tests and Skill Tests are performed is
easy to remember. If a player wishes
to interact with the environment it
is usually a Skill Test. If there is some
unforeseen effect or consequences
to an action or event which the GM
wishes to test the players for, it should
be a Stat Test.
As always it’s up to the GM what
applies but as a rule of thumb, Skill
Tests are made for choices players
make, Stat Tests for effects imposed
on Creatures.
Perception and
spotting
Perception is very important as it
determines what a Creature is aware
of. This covers awareness in a number
of situations such as realising other
Creatures are nearby, a trap is just
about to be sprung, or detecting
environmental clues.
In order for a Creature to spot
something the GM must first take into
consideration any factors that make
the target harder or easier to spot. For
instance, a trap that is tucked away in
a tomb wall is hard to see. In this case
the GM may decide to add +1, or more,
to the Skill Test needed to spot the
trap.
To successfully spot something a
player must pass a Perception Skill
Test. This means they must roll equal
to or higher than number generated
by the GM.
For example, the player Robbie wants
to search a treasure chest for traps.
The GM knows that the box is indeed
rigged with a poison arrow trap that
will activate when opened, but Robbie
doesn’t have a torch in this dark room.
So the GM adds a +2 to a typical search
roll of 5 for a total of 7 needed. Robbie
performs his Perception Skill Test and
rolls a 3. He can add +2 to the roll, for
being trained for a total of 5 as a result.
The GM informs Robbie that he does
not detect anything out of the ordinary.
21
 Spotters
Every party or encounter of enemies
will have a Creature who is the
nominated Spotter. Spotters are the
groups eyes and ears, responsible
for keeping a lookout for any danger.
Spotters Statistics are used when
rolling Perception for the entire group,
when Creatures or objects are near
them.
Usually you want the player or
Creature with the highest Perception
Skill to be the Spotter. Whenever the
GM calls for a ‘Spot check’, rather than
the whole group rolling it is up to the
party’s eyes and ears, the Spotter,
to perform the roll. This is to help
streamline the game and not have so
many checks happening at once.
Sometimes there won’t be a group
with a Spotter, or the group comprises
of one Creature, or there might be
several individual Spotters in an area
(for example, sentries).
Sentries should all get a chance to
spot, as well as any groups Spotter.
They use their own Perception training
for each roll. If it is just an individual
then they use their own Perception
training as well.
Note that there might be times when
there are multiple Creatures using
stealth in a 10” radius. Some may
have the Stealth ability, while others
do not. In this case still roll a Spot
check, but add the Stealth Creatures
Thievery or Survival bonus to the
difficulty to be spotted. This might
result in some Creatures being spotted
and others remaining hidden. If this
should happen the Creatures that are
undetected receive a free turn at the
beginning of the first round, with a
full count of actions like a normal turn.
If there isn’t a nominated Spotter then
use the group’s highest Perception
skill as a default.
22
Stealth
Using Stealth in Bloody Quest is
straight forward. Any Creature can
nominate to Sneak. All it has to do
is declare that it is. While a Creature
is Sneaking any enemies will have
to perform a Spot check to see
them, instead of just spotting them
automatically.
While in Stealth a Creature is subject
to the following rules:
• A Creature can never run or
charge when Sneaking. They
always move at their base Move
rate.
• A Creature cannot nominate to
use Stealth while in combat.
• If a Creature who is using Stealth
attacks an enemy in melee that
has not spotted it then they
gain the bonuses +1 to hit and
+1 Damage. The defender can
only opt use their armour save,
and must reroll successful saves,
accepting the second roll. If the
defending Creature survives the
attack it immediately spots the
attacker.
• Ranged attacks performed by
a Creature using Stealth are
treated the same as melee
attacks performed while using
Stealth, with the exception that
the defending Creature can only
immediately spot the attacker
after the attack if they are within
4” (20 feet) of each other.
Proximity
When rolling to spot it is important
to take into account the proximity
(range) of the Creature from the
target. For instance the further
away something is, the harder it is to
see. The position and visibility of a
Creature should be considered when
applying difficulty to a Spot check.
Proximity plays an important role
when a Creature is trying to sneak,
and will dictate how many chances
a group gets to roll to spot it. For
example, when a PC is sneaking up on
a group of bandits, the bandits get the
opportunity to spot the PC on their
approach.
The standard range for a Creature
to spot something is 10” (50 feet).
Meaning that when something comes
within 10 inches of a Creature or its
party, and they are unaware of its
approach, the designated Spotter
begins making Spot checks.
Every time the Creature using Stealth
performs a Move Action within 10”
of an unaware group or individual
the Spotter may make a Spot check.
The Move speed of most Creatures is
4”, so on average a Spotter will have
two or three attempts at spotting a
Creature using Stealth.
Sometimes it might be appropriate to
do a Spot check outside the 10” range.
A loud explosion or the cries of battle
might give away a Creatures position.
If that is the case, the Spotter makes
a Spot check taking into account long
range and any other facts the GM may
decide are relevant.
Long range Spot checks are made
for every 10 inches further than the
standard perception distance on 10
inches. For each 10 inches the Creature
adds a +1 modifier to the difficulty of
the Spot check. Sometimes it might be
appropriate to add bonuses to Spot
checks, for instance, a PC spotting
a Creature out in the open in broad
daylight and within 10 inches might
grant a free perception reroll.
Whenever a Creature attacks or
attempts to manipulate something
the enemy group will get a free Spot
Check after the action has been
attempted. If an attacker does not
successfully kill their target, when
the target is part of a group that has
not spotted the attacker, the group
automatically spots the attacker.
For example, Terry is playing a ranger,
and decides to scan the wooded area
ahead the players are in for enemies.
The GM checks the notes, and sees that
there are some bandits hiding in a bush
30 inches away from the players.
This means that the GM adds a +2
difficulty modifier to the Spot for long
range, and a +4 modifier because of the
bushes obscuring his vision, making a
total of a 6 to beat . Terry has +2 to his
perception skill through training, he
needs to beat the target number of 6
to succeed at the Spot check.
Terry rolls and scores 4 and adds his +2
modifier for his training for a total of
6, and the GM informs him about the
bandits hiding in the bushes.
The players decide they wish to sneak
up on the bandits and take them by
surprise. The players move towards
the bandits using Stealth. As soon as
they are within 10 inches the bandits
designated spotter performs a Spot
check, which it fails to pass.
The players continue to move using
Stealth, and move their full 4 inches
towards the bandits. The bandit spotter
gets to make another Spot check after
they have moved. The bandit spotter
fails again to detect the players.
Again, the players move using Stealth.
This time they move behind some
rocks, so the GM decides that the
bandit spotter check will now be at
+2 to difficulty to spot the players
now hidden behind the rock. Again
the bandit spotter fails to hit its
target number, and the players ready
themselves to strike the unaware
bandits.
23
 Combat Phase
The Combat Phase is the other mode
of play that the game switches to
when entering an in game fight. It is
the most complex and important part
of the game, and is the meat of Bloody
Quest. At first there is a lot to take
in, but it is all there to make combat
faster, engaging and urgent. Once you
have learnt the basics of the combat
system and played a few Encounters
it will become second nature and
intuitive.
This section will run you through all
the basics of combat, and expand
upon some of the ideas already
presented in the rules. It will cover
how to start a combat, and everything
needed to bring it to its bloody
conclusion.
Creature Types
All Creatures fall into a type. A type
is a rough guide for how powerful or
challenging a Creature is. There are six
types:
Henchmen: Henchmen are the
weakest Creatures. They are easy to
kill, but can be lethal if left unchecked.
Threats: Threats usually have Stats
comparable with the players. They
have more Hit Points than Henchmen,
and come with better Equipment and
Skills.
Heroes: Heroes are leaders, or people
of importance. They have more Hit
Points than Henchmen and Threats,
and come with Skills and Equipment
to make them a real danger to the
players.
24
Lords: These are the strongest
humanoid Creatures which can
be encountered. They are usually
reserved for the major characters or
‘boss battles’ in an Encounter. They
come stacked with offensive and
defensive powers as well as large
amounts of health.
Monsters: Monsters are usually big
nasty brutes that can be a challenge
all on their own. They possess high
amounts of health and a variety of
abilities. A Monster should never be
taken lightly in combat.
Legendary Monsters: These Creatures
are the stuff of myth and dread.
Fighting a Legendary Monster is a
last resort, their attacks being able
to instantly kill many hard-bitten
warriors. They are used usually
reserved for Encounters which
culminate Campaigns.
Players Characters: PCs are the
characters which represent the
players. They are considered their
own type of Creature, and share their
turn with the other PCs in a round of
combat.
Non-player Characters: NPCS are
friendly or neutral Creatures. Much
like the PCs, they can cover a wide
variety of individuals, such as farm
animals or town guards. Being an NPC
does not automatically mean that
the Creature will fight on the players
behalf.
Minions: Minions are Creatures under
the control of other Creatures. They
are unique in the sense that they
perform their turn at the same time
as their master. They also don’t have a
multiple hitboxes like other types.
Warbands
Every Creature in Bloody Quest is
broken up by type into a Warband.
Each Warband acts independently, and
rolls separately when determining the
Initiative Order for the Combat Phase.
There may be instances where there
are multiple Warbands of one type, or
a Warband which consists of a single
Creature.
When it is a Warbands turn to act all
Creatures within the Warband activate
together. Each Creature in the group
takes their turn, and may do so in any
order. When the players Warband
activates, they elect amongst
themselves who goes first, second,
and so on.
Size
Each Creature will have a size
assigned to it. The size of the
Creature will determine certain rules
and characteristics it is subject to,
namely its size, what diameter base
it should be mounted on, and how
many Creatures it takes to Outnumber
them. The bigger the Creature, the
more smaller Creatures they can
handle in one combat. If a Creature is
Outnumbered it is considered to also
be Flanked.
A Creature is considered Outnumbered
if they are Locked in Combat with:
• 2 or more Creatures of the same
size or larger.
• 3 or more Creatures of one size
smaller.
• 4 or more Creatures two or more
sizes smaller.
Small: Small Creatures do not have
any base assigned to them. These are
usually very minor Creatures such as
rats, cats, fairies and the like. They
can never be Locked in Combat or
Outnumbered.
Normal: This is the size of all
humanoid Creatures, such as humans,
dwarves or katsai. They are mounted
on bases between 25mm-40mm bases.
Cavalry: Cavalry Creatures which are
slightly larger than humanoids, such as
animals able to be ridden on. They are
mounted on 25mm x 50mm or 40mm
to 50mm bases.
Large: Large Creatures are
considerably larger than humanoids.
These include trolls, kenturi and
seynire. They are mounted on bases
40mm to 60mm. Large Creatures can
reroll any failed Disengage tests when
Locked in Combat with Creatures of a
smaller size category
Gigantic: These are the biggest
Creatures there are, and include
mundane animals like rhinosaurs
as well as legendary figures such as
dragons. They are mounted on bases
60mm-100mm. Gigantic Creatures
can choose to automatically pass any
Disengagement rolls when Locked in
Combat with Creatures of a smaller
size.
These base sizes and scale are
guidelines. People should feel free
to amend the sizes to suit their own
miniature collection. As long as the
size entry in the Creatures profile is
followed, along with any associated
rules, then the physical size and scale
of the miniatures is adaptable.
25
 Initiative
Before the Combat Phase is started
the Initiative order needs to be
decided. Each Warband involved in
the phase rolls for initiative, and this
creates the turn order in which the
Warbands activate during the phase.
See the Warbands section for rules on
what constitutes a Warband.
Each Warband rolls a D6, and adds
all of its members INI bonuses to the
result. Scores are organised from
highest to lowest, with the Warband
which scored the highest going first in
the action phase, the Warband which
scored second highest second, and so
on.
If the player party total score is equal
to another Warbands total score, the
player party gets preference and is
placed before the other equal scores
in the turn order (they are the heroes
after all!).
For example, the Combat Phase is
initiated with the player party facing
2 Heroes, 2 Threats and 1 Henchman.
The 2 Heroes together are treated as
a single Warband, the 2 threats are
treated as a single Warband, and the
lone Henchman is also treated as a
Warband.
One of the players is nominated by the
group to roll for the party. They roll a 4,
but the players gain +1 for the Rogues
INI bonus, bringing them to a total of
5. The GM rolls a 3 for the Heroes, who
possess no INI bonus. Next the GM
decides to roll for the Henchman, rolling
a 5, and adding the Henchman’s INI +1
for a total score of 6.
26
Lastly the GM rolls for the Threats,
who also have no INI bonus, and
scores a 1. Coming into the Combat
Phase the initiative order now looks
like; Henchman (6) going first, Player
Characters (5) going second, Heroes (3)
going third and Threats (1) going last.
Record this down on paper some where
to keep track of combat.
The Phases
The Combat Phase revolves around
two sub phases, the Action Phase
and the End Phase. One full cycle of
the phases, that is one Action Phase
and one End Phase, is referred to as a
Round.
Each Round always has the Action
Phase first, followed by the End Phase.
Once a Round is completed, it begins
again, The Rounds, and Combat Phase,
stops when a resolution is reached,
such as all enemies being slain or
giving up.
Action Phase
This is when Warbands, and the
Creatures therein, take their turn to
perform actions such as moving and
attacking.
End Phase
During this phase players or GMs
resolve any lingering effects, be it on
a Creature or environmental. These
will be any effects which have not
been activated through Creature turns
during the Action Phase. An example
of this is a fire consuming a building,
or Creatures affected by a poisonous
cloud created by another Creature in a
previous Round.
Creatures which take Damage during
the End Phase can perform Saves or
Stat Tests to negate them as normal.
Actions
Actions are how Creatures interact
with the world and each other. These
include attacking enemies, climbing
obstacles, and operating levers.
Actions are divided into three types,
Utility, Move and Standard.
Each type performs specific outcomes.
Every Creature starts their turn with
one of each of the three types of
actions, which the player can utilise as
they see fit. After an action is used it
is unavailable until the next Round. At
the start of each Round each Creature
gains all their actions back.
A Creature can use their actions in any
order they choose, so they can choose
to use their Move Action and then
their Attack action one Round, then
swap them the next Round to use
the Attack action first and the Move
Action second.
Utility Action: Utility Actions are used
on small decisions that don’t require
that much time or energy to perform.
These can be the casting of minor
spells, the use of items, or changing
equipment loadouts.
Move Action: Move Actions are
used to move Creatures in their
environment. For more on moving see
the Movement and Moving in Combat
sections.
Standard Action: Standard Actions are
used to cast Major spells, or perform
Attack Actions using their current
equipped weapon load out. They are also
used to attempt to activate Exploration
Skills during the Combat Phase.
Free actions
Under certain circumstances a
Creature may be given a free action. It
may be a general action, like Attack, or
specific selections such as Run. Either
way these actions are free to use as
the receiver sees fit.
Swapping actions
A Creature can swap their starting
Standard Action or Move Action for
another utility action. Free actions
cannot be swapped for another action
type.
Exploration Skills in
the Combat Phase
Player Characters in the Combat
Phase can use their Exploration Skills
just as they would in the Exploration
Phase. As with the Exploration Phase
the exact actions and their required
Skill Tests it will be up to the GM’s
discretion. To use a Skill during the
Combat Phase it takes a Standard
Action, and the player must declare
what skill they are using as well as the
intent.
Standard Actions
Each turn a Creature can make use of
their Standard Action. Standard Actions
are the main source for Creatures to
act and attack during their turn. From
attacking, to casting spells, to using
Exploration Skills in combat, it is all
done with a Standard Action.
The three main selections for the
Standard Action are Attack action,
Cast Major Spell and Use Exploration
Skill. There is also a fourth catch-all
classification of Generic.
Attack Action: The Creature will use
their currently equipped weapon load
out to engage an enemy. This can be
with either a melee or ranged attack
depending on equipment.
Cast Major Spell: Mages can use their
Standard Action to cast any Major
Spell they wish. This action can also be
used to cast a Minor Spell, if the player
wishes.
27
 Use Exploration Skill: The Creature
can use any Exploration Skill they wish
to as a Standard Action. This works
in exactly the same as it would if the
player was using the Exploration Skill
in the Exploration Phase.
Generic: A Generic action is when
a player or Creature attempts
something which seems to fall outside
of the descriptions of the other
selections.They might be actions like
picking up a enemy and throwing
them, or grappling and pinning an
opponent. In these cases it is up
to the GM to decide if the action
is feasible and how to resolve it,
whether that be through tests, using a
Roll to Hit, or any other system the GM
wishes to institute. In some cases the
GM may decide that it requires the use
of a Standard Action in combination
with a Move Action or Utility Action,
or maybe all three. Again it’s up to the
GMs discretion.
Move Actions
The Move Action allows a Creature
to travel from one point to another.
There are many different selections
that can be made with a Move Action,
from walking to a point, running,
charging or even disengaging from an
enemy. Remember that any Creature
can pre measure distances before
performing a Move Action. A Player
should declare what they are doing
before any movement is made.
A Creature can change their facing
or direction as many times as they
like before, after or during moving.
However they always move in a
straight line. Essentially models are
moved in a zigzag pattern, rather than
arcs. You may move through friendly
Creatures freely, but not enemies. In
order to move through an enemy the
Creature must first pass a Skill Test to
dodge, jump or otherwise avoid the
enemy in some way.
28
The Move Actions that a player can
select are:
Walk: The Creature moves their base
MOV value.
Shift: This can only be used while
Locked in Combat. The Creature
attempts to maneuver into an enemy
Creature’s rear facing. In order to
do this the Creature performing the
action must pass a Dexterity Test.
Run: The Creature doubles its MOV
value and adds +1D6. This combined
total is the number of inches the
Creature can move. Selecting Run uses
both the Creature’s Standard Action
and Move Action for this Round. If the
Creature has already used its Standard
Action, then it cannot select Run as
its Move Action. While using Run a
Creature can attempt to pass as many
Exploration Skill Tests as necessary
to avoid obstacles and terrain.
These tests must be performed as
the Creature reaches the relevant
obstacle. Should the Creature fail the
Exploration Skill Tests, its movement
is immediately stopped in front of the
obstacle.
Charge: Charge uses both the
Creature’s Standard Action and Move
Action. When a Creature Charges they
are committing to a headlong assault,
their adrenaline is pumping and the
rush of battle is in full effect. First the
Creature must declare what enemy
they are Charging. The Charging
Creature is moved up to double their
MOV value in inches in a straight line
towards the target. They may not
stop, change course or change facing.
While using Charge a Creature can
attempt to pass as many Exploration
Skill Tests as necessary to avoid
obstacles and terrain. These tests
must be performed as the Creature
reaches the relevant obstacle. Should
the Creature fail the Exploration Skill
Tests, its movement is immediately
stopped in front of the obstacle. If the
Charging Creature makes it into base–
to-base contact with its target they
must attack using all their Attack Dice
immediately. A Creature who has used
Charge receives a +1 Damage bonus to
all attacks that hit.
Disengage: This can only be used
while Locked in Combat. When a
Creature is Locked in Combat they
may attempt to break away by using
Disengage. The Creature will need
to perform a Dexterity Stat Test. If
it passes it may move up to its MOV
value in inches. If it fails any enemies
that the Creature is Locked in Combat
with causes an immediate Graze with
one equipped weapon. If an enemy
possesses multiple active weapons the
controlling player or GM may choose
which weapon is used. These attacks
cannot be defended against. If the
Creature is Knocked Down or Killed
as a result of the Graze they do not
move.
Stand: When knocked Prone a
Creature can use Stand to return to an
upright position.
Mount: A Creature may mount
another Creature, making both subject
to the rules of Cavalry. Creature’s can
only mount other Creatures who grant
permission, or in cases where it seems
reasonable to do so. Creatures cannot
mount other Creatures which are
smaller in size.
Utility Actions
Utility Actions are minor or incidental
tasks that don’t require much effort
or time to perform. As such they can
be done in conjunction with other
actions, like running, attacking or
casting powerful spells.
The Utility Actions that players can
select are:
Activate environment: This allows
a Creature to interact with the
environment. Possible actions include
opening doors, pulling levers and
searching for traps.
Use an item: Any items on the
Creature can be consumed.
Unless otherwise stated in the
item description, the effects are
instantaneous.
Pick up item: If there is an unclaimed
item near the Creature, usually within
1 inch, they can pick it up and add it to
their inventory.
Cast Minor Spell: Mages and Exarchs
can cast any Minor Spell in their
repertoire.
Activate ability: This allows the
Creature to use any ability which it
possesses, as long as its description
allows it to be used as a utility action.
These include abilities granted by
Class, Skill or Equipment such as magic
weapons. Abilities which do not have
Utility Action listed in their description
cannot be selected.
Activate Power Attack: Creatures
can convert one attack dice in the
Creatures next Attack Action into a
power attack, the power attack will
differ from Creature to Creature.
Swap load out: This allows the
Creature to change their currently
selected loud out with an alternative
one.
29
 Proximity
Proximity during the Combat Phase
operates differently than in the
Exploration Phase. The positioning,
facing and distance of all Creatures
plays an important part. Having
terrain and miniatures will help
drastically during this phase.
Facing: Each Creature has a front
facing and rear facing. The front
facing of a Creature is wherever seems
logical on the model, while the back is
the opposite side. Commonly the front
is considered the side where the face
and chest of the model are. Look over
the miniature and draw an imaginary
horizontal line through the middle of
it. The section with the face and chest
is the front, with the rear being the
other section. Where the face and
chest is not apparent the front facing
is up to the GMs decision. Only Rear
Armour Saves can be selected when
defending against attacks made in a
Creatures rear facing.
Locked in Combat: Whenever two
miniatures are in base to base contact,
they are considered to be Locked
in Combat. While Locked in Combat
they cannot move away until either
one combatant dies, or one Creature
tries to Disengage as a Move Action.
Creatures can only select melee Attack
actions when Locked in Combat.
Movement: Creatures move their MOV
statistic in inches. When measuring,
use the front of the miniatures base.
The front of the miniatures base
is placed at the point the Creature
moves too, when it is moved. The
Creature can move in any 360o
direction, and can change facing and
direction as many times as they like
when moving.
Line of Sight: Line of Sight is an
important aspect of combat in Bloody
Quest. In order to target a Creature
with an attack or spell the attacker
30
must be able to see it. So a Creature
behind a solid castle wall cannot be
attacked, even if the attacker is aware
of its presence. To determine Line of
Sight draw an imaginary line between
the two miniatures. If there are
obstacles obstructing more than half
of the Creature then they cannot be
targeted.
Obscured: When a Creature is
Obscured any attacker suffers a -1 to
hit with ranged attacks. Creatures are
Obscured when they are blocked by
terrain which can be seen through,
such as if a Creature is behind a
fence or bush. On occasion while
determining Line of Sight there will be
Creatures in the way. Creatures do not
block Line of Sight, be they allied or
enemy. However enemy Creatures in
Line of Sight between an attacker and
its target make the target Obscured.
Attacking
In order to attack a target a Creature
must select an Attack action as their
Standard Action. Creatures must be
Locked in Combat to choose melee
selections, or be within range of their
equipped weapon to shoot. When
attacking a Creature always uses their
currently equipped load out. When
making an Attack Action, 1 Attack
Dice is automatically granted to the
attacking Creature. Additional Attack
Dice are added to the pool from skills,
effects or equipment. After Attack
Dice are generated the Creature Rolls
to Hit.
Attacking and defending are the most
complex systems in the game, and
work hand in hand. There are three
different attacks in Bloody Quest;
Melee attacks, Ranged attacks and
Magic attacks. The type of attack
is will dictate what saves targeted
Creatures can perform and what stats
to compare.
Melee Attack
Melee attacks can only be targeted
against those the Creature is Locked in
Combat with. When defending against
Melee attacks a Creature may use
Parry, Dodge or Armour saves.
Sometimes a Creature may only
have his fists or shield left to bash
with. These are considered Unarmed
attacks, and will have a weapon
Damage of 1.
Shooting Attack
Shooting attacks are done at the
range of the Creatures equipped
weapon. When defending against
shooting attacks a Creature may use
Dodge or Armour saves. Shooting
attacks cannot be selected while
Locked in Combat.
Magic Attack
Magic attacks vary in how they
are performed. Refer to the spell
description for details on how a spell
is performed, and what kinds of saves
the target Creature can perform.
Attack Sequence
All attack selections follow the same
sequence, which is:
• Declare eligible target
• Generate Attack Dice
• Work out modifiers
• Roll to Hit
• C alculate Damage, and apply
Damage modifiers.
• Defender rolls saves
• Attacker modifies rolled dice
• Defender assigns dice to
appropriate save options
• Defender uses successful saves to
cancel out attacks.
• Damage saved against is
discarded
• Remaining Damage is applied
to the target Creature by the
attacker to the appropriate
hitboxes.
• Defender initiates Follow-up if
able.
31
 Roll to Hit
To perform a Roll to Hit the attacking
Creature and defending Creature
relevant STAT entries are compared. If
the attacking Creatures STAT is higher
than the defending Creature STAT
then the target role is 3+, and if the
attacking Creatures STAT is equal to
or lower than the defending Creatures
STAT the target roll is 4+. This is
the Roll to Hit Value. The attacking
Creature takes all the Attack Dice
generated and rolls them. Any which
meet or exceed the Roll to Hit Value
are considered to have hit, and will do
Damage.
Hit
Situation
Threshold
Stat Attacker > Stat 3+
Defender
Stat Attacker = or < Stat 4+
Defender
Depending on the type of attack being
performed different STAT values are
compared.
Melee Attack: To perform a melee
Roll to Hit, compare the MS of the
attacking Creature and defending
Creature, remembering to take into
account any modifiers or bonuses.
Ranged Attack: To perform a ranged
Roll to Hit, compare the SS of the
attacking Creature and Dex of the
defending Creature, remembering to
take into account any modifiers or
bonuses.
Magic: Refer to the spell description
for details on how to hit with a spell.
To find out more check the Magic
section on page 46.
Miss
Whenever rolling to hit, a roll of a
natural 1 is always considered a miss.
This is even if modifiers applied would
mean that a 1 should be a successful
Roll to Hit.
32
Hit
When a hit is landed it generates a
Damage value equal to the Creature’s
weapon or spell Damage. Modifiers,
such as from skills or weapon abilities,
are added to this for a final Damage
value. Unsaved hits are applied to the
defenders Vital area of their Hitbox.
Critical Hit
When a Creature performs a Roll to
Hit, any dice that result in a 6 are
designated as a Critical Hit. Modifiers
can be applied to make a roll a Critical
Hit. Critical Hits generate the same
Damage as normal hits, but allow that
Damage to be allocated to either the
Vital or Critical area of the targets
Hitbox. Remember to make note of
any criticals scored.
Graze
Any attack that misses counts as a
Graze. Grazes generate 1 point of
Damage and cannot be modified.
Unsaved Grazes can only be applied to
the Light Wound area of the Hitbox.
Modifiers
Roll to Hit modifiers are applied to
the dice roll, not the target number.
For example, if a Creature with a +1
modifier had a target of 4+ for its Roll
to Hit and rolled a 3 on the Attack
Dice, the +1 will increase the 3 rolled to
a 4 and make the Roll to Hit a success.
Flank
When a Creature is Outnumbered they
are considered flanked, any attackers
gain a +1 modifier on their Roll to Hit.
Calculating
Damage
The next step in combat is calculating
the Damage of each Roll to Hit. It is
recommended that a Damage tally
is kept during the process. Marking
Damage down on paper, or keeping
track on spare dice, are two options.
Each successful Roll to Hit scored
creates a Damage source equal to
the Weapon Damage of the equipped
weapon, plus any modifiers the
weapon may have. To this value
add any additional modifiers which
will increase the total, such as from
Charging or Spell effects. Then
subtract any modifiers granted to the
defender, such as for their CON STAT
or armour reductions. Damage cannot
be reduced below 1, so any hit will
always do at least 1 Damage. This final
number is the Damage Total for the
hit.
The defender is now free to perform
saves against each hit and graze.
Attacks cause the Damage Total to the
relevant area of the Hitbox.

Melee weapon Damage Equipment modifiers

All Melee weapons add the Creatures
PWR modifier stat to the Damage
entry of the weapon. This combined
value is the total Weapon Damage.
For convenience there is a spot for
Weapon Damage to be recorded on
Player Character sheets, and Weapon
Damage plus modifiers should already
be listed in Creature descriptions.
Ranged weapon
Damage
All Ranged weapons, and those Spells
which act as Ranged weapons, use
the Damage entry of the weapon as
the Weapon Damage. No additional
Creature STAT modifiers are added.
Equipment modifiers applied by the
defender can only be used once per
turn. For example, a shield which
provided a -2 Damage modifier can
only be applied to one hit of a series
of successful Rolls to Hit. It is up to
the defender to choose which hits
Damage the modifier is applied too.
For example, Sven the fighter has
Charged a Creature and landed two
hits, with one being Critical. He records
the Weapon Damage of 3 for each hit
individually, making a note of which hit
is the Critical one.
He then adds the modifier for Charging
to both hits, making the total 4 Damage
for each individual hit. The defender
has a Damage reduction of -1 for
wearing scale mail.
They decide to apply this to the Critical
hit, bringing that hits Damage Total to
3. The defender is now looking at two
hits, one regular hit with 4 Damage and
one Critical hit with 3 Damage.
33
 Defending and
Saves
After Damage has been generated
the defending Creature is given the
opportunity to negate the incoming
Damage. The defender takes dice
equal to the number of Rolls to Hit
that were made against them to
create a Defence Dice pool. Additional
Defence Dice, such as from Skills or
equipment, are then added to the
pool.
The defender rolls the pool of Defence
Dice and compares the results to the
available save listed on the Creatures
STATs. Defence Dice which meet or
exceed any of the Creatures save
values can be allocated that save type,
and used to remove one of the Rolls Modifiers to Defence
to Hit, thus cancelling the Damage
Dice
generated by that hit. The Defender
chooses which hits to cancel. In some cases rules may modify rolled
Defence Dice. These modifiers are
applied to the result of the Defence
Dice rolled, and not to the save target
number.
For example an attacker has performed
a Melee Attack and made two Rolls to For example an attacker has landed
Hit, scoring a Critical and a Graze. The two hits, each causing 3 Damage. After
Critical hit has generated 3 Damage, and modifying the Damage the defender
the Graze will do 1 Damage. rolls their two Defence Dice. The result
is 4 and a 5. Checking their STATs the
The defender adds two dice to its
defender indicates they have two 5+
Defence Dice pool, one for each Roll
saves, and so can allocate the 5 roll to
to Hit. An additional Defence Dice is
cancel a hit.
added as the defender is equipped with
a shield, bringing the Defence Dice pool The attacker has a high Melee Skill of 4,
total to three dice. which lets it modify one Defence Dice
by -1. The attacker chooses the dice
The defender rolls all three Defence
which rolled 5, reducing it to a roll of 4.
Dice, getting the results 1, 4 and 6.
This means the defender now cannot
Checking their STATs the defender has
allocate either Defence Dice to a save.
two 6+ saves; Parry and Armour. So the
Both hits, 6 Damage in total, is applied
defender discards the rolls of 1 and 4.
to the defender.
The roll of 6 is allocated to the Parry
save, which is in turn used to remove Natural 1s and 6s:
the Roll to Hit which caused the Critical
Whenever rolling Defence Dice, a roll
hit. The Graze hit goes unchallenged,
of a 1 is always considered a fail and a
and the attacker is free to assign the 1
roll of a 6 is always a pass, no matter
Damage caused by the Graze.
what modifiers apply.
34
0 or below
Some effects which Creatures may
suffer decrease the availability of
Defence Dice. If at any point this
brings a Creatures Defence Dice to 0
or below it can still perform a save.
However when rolling saves they must
add an addition D6 to the pool, and
discard the highest result rolled.
Allocation and
types of hits
Once saves have been made the
attacker applies any unsaved Damage
to the defending Creature. There
are three different Hitbox location
areas that Damage can be allocated
too. Which location Damage can be
allocated too depends on what kind of
hit was made.
Graze: Can only be assigned to Light
Wounds area of the Hitbox.
Hit: Can be assigned to Vital area of
the Hitbox.
Critical: Can be assigned to the Critical
or Vital areas of the Hitbox.
Recording Damage
When recording Damage onto a
Creature, any Damage applied to
the Vital and Critical areas also gets
recorded in the Light Wounds area
as well. All Damage pools in this box
to represent attrition through small
injuries like bleeding, cuts and bruises.
Prone
When a Creature is Prone incoming
hits may be applied to the Creature’s
Critical area. Even if the Roll to Hit was
not a natural 6.
Spells and Criticals
Some spells will require Roll to Hit on
the Creature just to apply an effect.
In these cases Critical Rolls to Hit are
ignored, and treated as a Hit.
Follow-up
If a defender is still alive after Damage
has been applied, they can choose to
use a Follow-up. A Follow-up is created
when a Defence Dice succeeds in
meeting a save requirement. It doesn’t
necessarily have to have been used to
cancel a Roll to Hit however.
The defender can perform up to one
more Follow-ups then there were Rolls
to Hit against them. For example, if a
defender had two Rolls to Hit against
them, but managed to make four
successful Defence Dice rolls, then the
defender could only use three Follow-
ups.
All follow ups are instantaneous and
do not require any further rolls.
There are four types of Follow-ups.
Each corresponds with particular
types of successful save rolls.
Counter Attack: A successful Parry
save allows the Creature to choose
Counter Attack. A Counter Attack
generates a Graze on the attacker,
which is applied as normal. The
attacker cannot defend against the
Graze.
35

Slam: A successful Parry save allows
the Creature to choose Slam, however
it requires a shield or two handed
weapon to be equipped. This Follow-
up immediately makes the attacking
Creature Prone. The attacking
Creature must be Locked in Combat
with the defender, and of the same
same size or smaller. The attacker
cannot choose to stand until the next
turn.
Tumble: A successful Dodge save
allows the Creature to choose to
Tumble. This allows the Creature
to move as if they had passed a
Disengage Move Action.
Shift: A successful Dodge save allows
the Creature to choose Shift. The
Creature is moved to the attacking
Creature’s rear facing. The attacker
cannot choose to pivot until the next
turn.
36
Attack types and
effects
Spells, weapons and equipment can
do more than just stab or shoot.
Some explode, or rain down from
above. Others send volleys of blasts to
pepper their foes. If a Spell, weapon
or item does a particular attack type it
will be listed in its entry.
Spindrift: An attack which uses
Spindrift is done with either a cone
template, or straight line. The Spell
or item details will say which. Unless
otherwise stated, a Spindrift has a
point of origin from the caster or
equipment holder. All Creatures within
the effect area of a Spindrift are
counted as having a successful Roll to
Hit against them.
Explosion: An attack which is listed as
an Explosion uses a round template.
The centre of the template is placed
anywhere within range of the attack.
Perform one Ranged Attack Roll to
Hit against each Creature partially or
completely under the template. Roll
for each Creature individually.
Discharge: Discharges come from the
user as a point of origin. Every enemy
Creature between the point of origin
and the range of the spell is targeted.
Refer to the Spell or equipment
description for details on whether a
Roll to Hit for each target is required.
If performing a Roll to Hit, roll for
each Creature individually.
Volley (+X): A Volley grants additional
Attack Dice to the attacker. In the
description of the Spell or equipment,
after the Volley entry will be a number.
This is the amount of additional Attack
Dice the Volley provides. These Attack
Dice will still need to make Rolls to Hit.
Power Attack
Some Creatures have access to a
Power Attack. Before attacking in a
combat, a Creature can nominate to
use a Utility Action to convert one
Attack Dice into a Power Attack. A
successful Roll to Hit with the Power
Attack brings the Creatures listed
Power Attack rules into effect.
When using a Power Attack in combat,
it is recommended that the players use
a distinct dice to identify which attack
is the Power Attack. Alternatively, the
Power Attack can be rolled after all
the standard Attack Dice are.
Cavalry
Creatures often ride upon the backs
of beasts such as horses, giant wolves,
erbexs or even dragons. Most Cavalry
are Minions that a Creatures rides
upon. The Creature being ridden is
referred to as the mount, while the
Creature (or Creatures) on the mount
are referred to as the rider. Together
they are referred to as Cavalry.
Cavalry are considered to be one
Creature for the purpose of targeting.
They occupy the same space, and
when they move it is as one, using the
mounts Move value.
While part of a Cavalry unit the mount
does not have access to its own Move
Action, though does still gain both
Standard and Utility Actions. The
Cavalry uses the riders Move Action
to perform movement. If the Cavalry
charges, the mount will count as
using its Standard Action as well. Both
mount and rider gain the appropriate
Charge bonuses. Cavalry that is
Locked in Combat uses the mounts
unmodified Dexterity STAT when
choosing to Disengage as a Move
Action.
When performing Rolls to Hit against
Cavalry use the highest Melee Skill or
Dexterity of the two. While a rider,
a Creature can only add its defence
dice and not those granted by abilities
or equipment of the mount. Also, all
Defence Dice, save types and save
targets are those of the rider.
Incoming Damage is modified by
the highest constitution modifier of
the two. Damage done to Calvary
by Hits or Grazes must be assigned
to the rider. Damage caused by
unsaved Criticals may be applied to
the mount or the rider. Should the
mount be Killed the rider is flung from
the saddle and becomes Prone. The
Cavalry model is replaced with the
rider Creature model, and the Creature
is now no longer considered Cavalry.
While mounted riders are immune
to being knocked Prone by the Slam
Follow-up.
In combat rider and mount make
their own attacks using their relevant
STATs and equipment. Both rider and
mount attacks are performed at the
same time. Keep track with different
dice, or perform the rider and mount
attack Rolls to Hit separately, before
calculating Damage and allowing
saves.
If the rider dies or forcibly dismounted
and the mount is left alive it can still
act under the control of the mounts
owner and uses its own saves and
modifiers.
Dismount: Unique
Cavalry Move Action
Cavalry can choose Dismount as a
Move Action. This removes the Cavalry
from play and places the separate
rider and mount Creatures back into
play.
37
 Falling
Creatures can take Damage when
falling from heights. A failed jump, or
being lifted into the air and dropped,
can send even the lightest Creature
falling to its doom. To represent this
here are a few guidelines for both
Exploration and Combat Phases.
When a fall is a distance over 4 inches
(20 feet) the Creature is considered
to be free falling. For each 4 inches
(20 feet) they fall, they must pass a
modified Dexterity Stat Test. Roll all
the tests at once for the total height
fell. For each one failed the Creature
takes an automatic hit. The Damage
taken is equal to the 5 times the
number of tests taken, and added to
the Light Wounds area of the Hitbox.
No saves can be taken to cancel
Damage caused by falling.
For example a Creature is falling 16
inches (80 feet). They perform four
Dexterity Stat Tests, one for each
4 inches fallen. One is passed and
three are failed. The Creature takes 15
Damage in its Light Wounds area.
38
Injury and Death
Fighting in Bloody Quest is not for the
weak hearted. Once steel has been
drawn and the soldier’s heart stirred
there is always bloodshed. Victory
and death are on the mind of the
combatants, and no mercy shall be
given nor any expected.
During the Combat Phase it is quite
common that Creature’s arms and
legs are savaged to the point where
they cannot be used. A solid blow to
the head is a fast way to put a warrior
out of commission. There is a safety
net for players however, should death
come for them.
Hitbox
The Hitbox represents a Creatures
overall physical health. A Creatures
Hitbox has three areas, which
represent the various locations on
their body. When an area takes full
Damage it will either kill the Creature,
or have some negative impact on it.
The different types of locations are
broken into Critical, Vital and Light
Wound.
Critical
The Critical area represents the
most vulnerable part of a Creature’s
body, like the head or heart. This
area has a lower Damage capacity
total compared to the Vital area. The
Critical area is a small portion, overall,
of a Creature and thus harder to hit.
Damage can only be applied to the
Critical area if it comes from a Roll to
Hit which is a Critical Hit. If this area
reaches full Damage capacity the
Creature is Knocked Down or Killed.
Vital
The Vital area is important to
a Creature’s survival. It usually
represents the torso, groin, shoulders
or other large portions on a Creature’s
body. Successful Rolls to Hit are
allocated to the Vital area. Once the
Vital area has taken Damage capacity
the Creature is Knocked Down or
Killed.
Light Wound
Light Wounds is the maximum total
amount of Damage that a Creature
can take before succumbing to his
wounds. Even if a Creature has taken
no Damage on his Vital or Critical
areas, if it suffers enough Grazes it
will eventually be Killed. Any Grazes
that are unsaved are all recorded here.
In addition, when a Creature takes
Damage in its Critical or Vital areas
that amount of Damage is also applied
to the Light Wounds area. When a
Creature has suffered over half their
capacity for Light Wounds they are
subject to an Injury. The type of Injury
is selected by the player or GM who
dealt the Damage. When the Light
Wound Damage capacity is reached,
or exceeded, the Creature is Knocked
Down or Killed.
For example, a Creature has a Light
Wound Damage Capacity of 10. It takes
4 Damage from a successful Roll to Hit
and also 1 Graze from an unsuccessful
Roll to Hit. The Creatures player marks
4 points into the Vital area of its Hitbox
for the successful Roll to Hit.
The player then marks 5 points into
the Light Wounds area of the Hitbox, 4
for those that went into Vital and the
additional 1 caused by the Graze.
Damage Overflow
In some cases a Creature will take
a massive amount of Damage to a
Hitbox area, far above the areas
capacity. Damage which exceeds
an areas capacity is referred to as
Damage Overflow. Damage Overflow
should be recorded next to the
corresponding area, and is used to
calculate if a Creature suffers instant
death.
39

Injuries and
Knocked Down
Injuries
When a Creature suffers over half
of their total Light Wounds Damage
capacity they succumb to an Injury.
This represents the ongoing physical
trauma suffered by the Creature,
and includes ailments such as broken
bones or the rupture of internal
organs. The Injury comes into effect
after the Damage which brought the
Light Wounds Damage capacity to
over half is recorded. The attacker
who caused the Damage chooses
where the Injury is placed, the Arms
or the Legs. If the Damage is caused
by environmental effects in the End
Phase, then the affected Creature may
choose where the Injury is sustained.
40
Injury Locations
Arms: If the Creature suffers an Arm
injury it generates one less Attack
Dice with its equipped load out. If
this brings the Creature to 0 or below
Attack Dice, refer to the Attacks and
Attack Actions section.
Legs: When a Creature suffers an
Injury on its Legs it immediately
becomes Prone. The Creature also
loses 1 Defence Dice. It generates one
Defence Dice with its equipped load
out. If this brings the Creature to 0
or below Defence Dice, refer to the
Defence Dice section.
Killed
When a Creature reaches Damage
capacity on an area of the Hitbox,
it is considered Killed. The Creature
has perished, can no longer perform
any actions, and is removed from the
game.
Knocked Down
This is what happens to Player
Characters when an area of the Hitbox
has reached Damage capacity. Rather
than immediately being considered
Killed, the player has a small window
of opportunity to recover.
On reaching max Damage capacity
the Player Character is immediately
considered Knocked Down. The
Creature Prone as well. The Creature
also does not have access to its
Standard, Move or Utility Actions.
To recover from being Knocked Down
the player must pass a Death Save.
Alternatively, if the Knocked Down
Creature has healing performed on it,
and all areas of the Hitbox are brought
below capacity, then it is subject to
Back From The Brink.
Death Save
As soon as the player’s Warband
activates all Player Characters who are
Knocked Down must perform a Death
Save. Each player roll 1D6. A result of 6
allows the Player Character to activate
Legendary Resolve. On any other
result the player marks off one entry
in the Player Characters Death Strike
box, on their Character Sheet. If the
last Death Strike box is marked, the
Player Character is considered Killed.
Marked Death Strikes remain, even
after a player performs Legendary
Resolve. To remove the marked Death
Strikes the Player Character must rest.
For each 8 hours of uninterrupted rest
the player can remove one marked
Death Strike.
Legendary Resolve
Legendary Resolve allows a player to
remove enough Damage to bring each
area of the Hitbox to one point below
capacity. The Player Character regains
access to their Standard, Move and
Utility Actions again, though they are
still subject to being Prone however.
Instant death
If a Creature takes double the Damage
capacity to any of their Hitbox areas
they are immediately considered
Killed. Their bodies are in a complete
ruin, never to be healed.
41

Healing
Creatures can be healed in Bloody
Quest through a variety of methods,
usually by using Skills, Magic or
potions. When a Creature is healed
they choose which area of the Hitbox
to remove Damage from. When a
Creature removes Damage from
either the Critical or Vital areas that
amount is also removed from the Light
Wounds area. Any Damage Overflow
that is healed on a Creature who is
Knocked Down is removed for free
before applying the Damage reduction
to the area. A Creature cannot choose
42
to heal an area which has sustained
no Damage, and cannot heal past zero
capacity.
Daily Healing Limit
A Creature’s Daily Healing Limit is how
many times it may be healed in a day
before fatigue catches up with them.
Once the Daily Healing Limit is reached
the Creature cannot be healed
again. The Daily Healing Limit can be
recouped when the Creature rests. For
each 4 hours of rest the Creature can
remove regain one Daily Healing Limit
space. A Creatures Daily Healing Limit
is double its Con STAT.
Performing First Aid
A friendly Creature can choose to
heal an ally. This can be done to
any friendly Creature, even if they
are Knocked Down, but not if they
are Killed. The Creatures need to
be in base contact. The Creature
performing the first aid can choose to
do so with an Exploration Skill as part
of a Standard Action.
In order to successfully administer aid
the Creature must pass a First Aid Skill
Test. If the test is passed the target
Creature can remove at least 1 point of
Damage from any area of the Hitbox.
Depending on the skill of the Creature
performing the first aid, what is
happening around them, or many
other factors, the GM can choose for
more Damage to me removed.
Where multiple Damage is being
removed this can be spread over
different areas of the Hitbox. When an
area is healed, any Damage Overflow
is removed for free before applying
the Damage reduction to the area.
When a Creature has had first aid
performed on it, the player must put a
mark in the Daily Healing Limit area of
the Character Sheet. First Aid cannot
be performed on a Creature if its Daily
Healing Limit is full.
For example Bjork the fighter has
suffered Damage Overflow and been
Knocked Down. The Critical area of his
Hitbox has a capacity of 4 Damage, but
has sustained 7 Damage.
Pic the rogue attempts to perform first
aid. Pic possesses First Aid training,
so the GM declares that 2 Damage can
be removed if the First Aid Skill Test is
passed. Pic passes the test, and Bjork
opts for the Damage to be removed
from the Critical area.
The Damage Overflow on the Critical
area is removed, as well as 2 Damage
points from both the Critical and Light
Wound areas. Bjork is now no longer
Knocked Down.
Back From the Brink
A Creature under the effect of Back
From the Brink gains a Move and
Utility Action, but no Standard Action.
The Creature is affected by Back From
the Brink for one full Round and may
otherwise act normally.
Resting
When a Creature rests they may
remove Damage from areas of
the Hitbox. For each 2 hours of
uninterrupted sleep the Creature can
remove 1 point of Damage from any
area of the Hitbox. If the Creature has
First Aid training, or access to another
Creature with First Aid training, they
can remove an additional point of
Damage for each level tier they have
reached. When removing more than
1 Damage it does not all have to be
taken from the one area.
Spells and potions
Some Spells grant healing far more
effective than standard first aid. How
these are applied to a Creature, and
the amount of Damage they remove,
will be detailed in the Spell or item
description.
43
 Combat Phase
Quick Reference
Overview Creatures
• A Round consists of one Action • A Creature can allocate a
Phase (page 26) and then one End Standard Action to activate one
Phase (page 26). of its Combat or Exploration
• A ll Creatures are sorted into Skills.
Warbands (page 25) according • Models have two zones to them, a
to their type (page 24). Each Front facing (page 30) and a Rear
Warband rolls Initiative (page 26) facing (page 30).
and adds any INI bonuses (page • Creatures attacked in their Rear
13) it may have. The Warbands facing can only choose Armour as
and their totals are ordered from their Save selection.
highest to lowest. This is the • A Creature needs to have
Initiative Order for the entire Line of Sight (page 30) to a
Combat Phase target in order to attack it. If
• Warbands activate in Initiative environmental objects or enemy
Order during the Action Phase. Creatures are in the Line of Sight
Creatures can take their turn then the target is Obscured (page
in any order, but must perform 30).
all the Actions (page 27) they • To perform a Stat Test (page
wish before moving onto the 20) the GM indicates a target
next Creature. The players elect number and STAT (page 8). The
at which point each will have Creature rolls a dice and adds any
their turn when their Warband Stat bonus the GM grants. If the
activates. The GM dictates what resulting number is equal to or
order the Creatures in other more than the target number the
Warbands take their turns in. The Stat Test is passed.
order Creatures activate in does
not have to be decided until the
Warband activates.
• Creatures can choose from Move
(page 27), Standard (page 27)
or Utility (page 27) Actions. A
Creature can opt to swap either
their Move or Standard Action for
an additional Utility Action.
• Once all Creatures in a Warband
have had a turn, the next
Warband in the Initiative Order is
activated. Once all Warbands have
activated play moves to the End
Phase.
44
Movement
• Creatures move in a straight line,
but may change direction as many
times as they wish (page 28).
• Move Action choices are Walk
(page 28), Shift (page 28), Run
(page 28), Charge (page 28),
Disengage (page 29), Stand (page
29) and Mount (page 29).
• To choose Charge as a Move
Action the Creature must have
Line of Sight (page 30).
• A Creature can pivot on the spot
at any time without having to use
an action (page 28).
Combat
• A Creature must be Locked in
Combat (page 30) with the target
to perform a Melee Attack (page
31) using its Standard Action to
make an Attack action (page 27).
• A Creature cannot be Locked in
Combat with any other Creature
to perform a Ranged Attack (page
31) as its Attack option.
• T he attacker creates an Attack
Dice pool (page 30).
• T he attacker and defender
compare the relevant STAT (page
32), and then reference the Roll to
Hit table (page 32).
• Roll all Attack Dice first, and then
apply modifiers (page 32).
• A natural roll of 1 misses, and will
cause a Graze (page 32). A natural
roll of 6 is a Critical (page 32).
• If a Creature is attacking with
multiple weapons, they nominate
which Attack Dice are associated
with which weapon after rolling
(page 14).
• Generate Damage (page 32), apply
modifiers (page 33) and record
Damage of each Roll to Hit (page
33).
• T he defender creates a Defence
Dice pool (page 34).
• T he Defence Dice are rolled and
Saves are allocated (page 34),
after which the attacker can
modify the values (page 34).
• Rolls to Hit are removed by
successful saves (page 34).
• Damage is allocated by the
attacker (page 35).
• If still alive, the defender can
perform a Follow-up (page 35).
45
 Magic
Magic in Bloody Quest is versatile
and lethal. It can manipulate enemies
to act against their will, animate the
dead, blasting apart foes, and much
more. However it can be fickle. From
round to round the magic users ability
to cast Spells will wax and wane. Each
round Creatures will need to think
strategically about what they cast and
when.
There are two distinct types of magic;
Arcane and Divine. Arcane magic
finds its source in the world around,
plucked from reality by those that
can manipulate it and weave it into
spells. Divine magic is drawn from the
Gods themselves, channelled by their
servants to fulfil their deity’s wishes.
In Bloody Quest the power used to
cast spells is called Magic Points.
Casting in the
Combat Phase
Combat is a dangerous time, especially
for those attempting to conjure
otherworldly powers. Some Spells
are powerful and deadly, but take a
lot to manifest. While other Spells are
particularly weak, but extremely easy
to summon in the heat of battle.
Major and minor
spells
There are three types of Spells
that casters have access too. They
represent the speed and ease with
which they can be created and how
much, or little, strain it puts on the
caster. The three Spell types are Major
Spell, Minor Spell and Free Spell.
46
Major Spell
A Major Spell is complicated or energy
draining spell, and so requires a
Standard Action to cast
Minor spells
A Minor Spell is quick to create or isn’t
a huge energy drain. These can be
cast using either a Standard or Utility
Action.
Free Spells
Some casters are so adept with
certain spells that they can conjure
them without even thinking. A Free
Spell requires no action to cast,
though the caster still must spend
Magic Points. Free Spells are more
prevalent in Divine Magic.
Magic Dice and
Magic Points
Magic Dice are what Creatures trained
in either Arcane or Divine magic
receive to cast their spells with. To
determine how many Magic Dice
a Player Character has check the
relevant Class entry. Other Creatures
will have their Magic Dice listed in
their Bestiary description.
Generating Magic
Points
When a Warband activates all casters
immediately roll their Magic Dice. The
result on the dice is how many Magic
Points the caster has to spend that
turn.
Casting a Spell
To successfully cast a Spell the caster
must be able to fulfil equal to or above
the Spells Casting Cost. This will be
listed in the Spells description. The
caster subtracts the Casting Cost from
the total Magic Points generated.
If the caster does not have enough
Magic Points it may not cast the Spell.
Arcane Spells in
combat
Arcane spells can never be cast while
Locked in Combat. However, while
Locked in Combat an Arcane caster
may spend Magic Points to keep spells
in play.
Divine Spells in combat
Divine spells can be cast in while
Locked in Combat.
Keeping spell effects
in play
Some Spell effects can be kept in play
after they have been cast. Any Spell
which can be kept in play will have a
second negative number next to the
Spells Casting Cost. In order to keep
a Spell effect in play this number is
subtracted from the Magic Points
total generated by the casters Magic
Dice each Round.
If the caster does not generate
enough Magic Points to fulfil this
requirement, or simply does not wish
to continue the Spell effects, then the
Spell is immediately removed from
play. Keeping the Spell effect in play,
or letting it lapse, is considered a Free
action.
Dispelling and
Saves
Spell effects that persist on the field
can be a serious threat. Mages can
attempt to remove an enemy Spell
effect from play by Dispelling it.
Arcane magic users are the only mages
who can perform Dispelling.
Dispelling
To perform Dispelling on a Spell, a
caster may use a Standard Action to
try and negate it during their turn.
To dispel a D6 is rolled. If the result
is equal to or higher than half the
Casting Cost of the Spell the Spell
effect is immediately removed from
play. A roll of 6 is always successful.
Magic Resistance
Some equipment or abilities might
grant a save from Spells or Spell
effects. This is referred to as Magic
Resistance. Magic Resistance is used
when the Creature will be effected by
a Spell. The Creature immediately rolls
1D6.
If the Creatures Magic Resistance
score is equalled or exceeded then the
Spell has no effect on the Creature.
Creatures with Magic Resistance
caught in the area of effect of a Spell
may still make a Magic Resistance
save. However the save only affects
them. Any other Creatures are
affected by the Spell as normal.
47
 Spell classes
Spells fall into different classes.
The Spells class is how the Spell is
delivered into the game.
Blast
A Blast acts exactly the same as a
Ranged Attack made from a Ranged
Weapon. It generates 1 Attack Dice
when cast.
Conjuration
A Conjuration is a spell that requires a
Roll to Hit. The Spells description will
provide which STATs the caster and
target should compare. The caster
requires Line of Sight of the target.
Curse
A Curse affects a Creatures STATs
or abilities in a negative way. It
automatically affects the target
Creature without requiring any kind of
roll. The caster requires Line of Sight
of the target.
Blessing
A Blessing affects a Creatures
STATs or abilities in a positive way.
It automatically affects the target
Creature without requiring any kind of
roll. The caster requires Line of Sight
of the target.
Summoning
A Summoning Spell brings forth a
Creature known as a Minion. The
Minion is under the control of the
caster, and has its turn as part of
the casters Warband activation. A
Summoning Spell must have Magic
Points spent on it each Round to keep
the Minion in play (see Keeping Spell
Effects in Play). Casters can only have
one Summoning Spell active at a time.
If the caster with an active Summoned
Minion is Knocked Down or Killed then
the Minion is removed from play.
48
Summoning Spells fall into two sub-
types; Creature and Totem.
A Summoning: Creature spell conjures
a Minion which may act exactly like
a Player Character. When summoned
they must wait one Round before they
can act.
A Summoning: Totem is an inanimate
object that grants effects within a
certain range. Once cast their effects
are instantaneous. As with Creatures,
Totems can be targeted and Killed.
Magic in the
Exploration
Phase
Magic works the same in the
Exploration Phase as it does in the
Combat Phase, with one exception.
How Spells are cast.
When attempting to cast during the
Exploration Phase the mage can roll
one of their Magic Dice and use the
resulting Magic Points to immediately
cast the Spell. However, for each
15 in game seconds they wait after
declaring to cast, they may add an
additional Magic Dice to the roll. They
can continue to do this until they
reach their Magic Dice limit.
The longer a mage waits to cast the
more vulnerable and visible they
become. The GM should take this
into account in regards to the mages
surrounding environment.
Mages Arcane Skills
Player mages will have access to
special Exploration Skills granted
to them by their relevant schools of
magic. These special abilities are used
through passing an Arcane Skill Test.
These are performed just like a regular
Skill Test, and it is up to the GM to
generate difficulty and success as
usual.
Effects and special rules
There are many effects and special
rules throughout Bloody Quest. This
section will provide explanations on
the most common keywords, special
rules and effects that you will find in
the game.
Accessible: Equipment that has this
keyword means that it does not need
to be part of a load out to be used in
an action. For instance, a throwing
dagger does not have to be in a
Creatures active load out to be used in
a Ranged Attack action.
Anon: The Creature gains an additional
turn after all Warbands have
activated. They gain all their actions
as normal. If multiple Creatures have
Anon they take their turns in the
current Initiative Order.
Armour Piercing: A Roll to Hit made
with Armour Piercing is converted
to a Graze if it is saved against. The
defender can allocated one of their
unused Defence Dice rolls to save
against this Graze. A Roll to Hit which
has resulted in a Grazes does not
benefit from Armour Piercing.
Auto Hit: All Attacks automatically
hit the target. There is no need to
perform a Roll to Hit.
Bane: Force a defending Creature to
Reroll one defence dice result.
Berserk: Berserk may be selected as
a Utility Action. The Creature gains
an additional Attack Dice for its next
Attack Action, but can only opt to
use their Armour Defence Save when
defending. Berserk lasts until the
beginning of the Creatures next turn.
Bleeding: During the End Phase a
Creature which has taken Damage
from a successful Roll to Hit with the
Bleeding special rule must add a point
of Damage to its Light Wounds area.
This Damage is cumulative; multiple
hits from attacks with the Bleeding
rule will result in multiple Damage
being applied to the Light Wound
area in the End Phase. The affected
Creature can attempt to remove
Bleeding by passing a Constitution
Stat Test, and will remove all Bleeding.
This is to be done after the effects of
Bleeding are applied each End Phase.
Blinded: While a Creature is affected
by blinded they are at MS 1 and SS 1.
Also any failed Roll to Hit does not
generate a Graze.
Blocker: Grants an additional Defence
Dice when active. (note this will
already be included on a Creature
profile on their loadouts)
Brittle: Creatures who take any
Damage from a source with Brittle
have their Armour Defence Save
raised by 1, up to a maximum of 6+,
until the end of their next turn.
Confused: When a Creature is
confused they must pass an
Intelligence Test at the beginning of
their next turn, should they fail they
will move to attack the nearest target,
be it friend or foe.
49

Damage Reduction: The Creature
chooses a source of Damage. Damage
from this source causes 1 less Damage
point, to a minimum of 1 Damage.
You cannot modify a single source
of Damage more than once. Damage
Reduction can be used in conjunction
with natural modifiers.
Darting: The attacker can remove
one Defence Dice roll by the defender
after they roll. The attacker chooses
which Defence Dice to remove.
Defender: Weapons with this special
rule lower the Creature’s front armour
save -1 bonus.
Despise (Creature): The Creature
can Reroll one Roll to Hit against any
Creature listed after their Despise
entry.
50
Ethereal: Rolls to Hit against the Creature
only ever succeed on a result of 6.
Flanked: When performing Rolls to
Hit against the affected Creature
attackers gain a +1 modifier.
Flying: The Creature doubles its MOV
Stat whenever it is used and can
Reroll failed Disengage Move Actions.
The Creature also lowers its Dodge
Defence Save by -1. When moving the
Creature can choose to Fly, which
allows it to pass over terrain and
Creatures without making any Stat
or Skill Tests. Whether the Creature
can fly in a location is up to the GM’s
discretion.
Fortitude: Fortitude affect all Damage
generated by successful Rolls to
Hit. This can affect Damage results
positively or negatively depending on
a Creatures Constitution Statistic.
Freedom: Can ignore the special rules
Rooted, Hold and Frozen.
Frozen: The affected Creature may
not perform any Move Actions, and
all incoming Damage is increased by 1.
When the affected Creatures Warband
activates it may perform a Con Stat
Test to remove the effects of Frozen,
if successful frozen is removed and
they can act as normal.
Greater Magic Resistance *+: This acts
the same as Magic Resistance, except
the Creature rolls 2D6 and keeps the
highest result.
Great Weapon: Always causes 2
Damage on a Roll to Hit which results
in a Graze or Hits. Damage done with
Great Weapon cannot be modified
below 2 under any circumstances.
Heavy: -1 to the Creatures MOV Stat.
Creatures cannot use Flying.
Hidden: Enemy Creatures suffer a -1
Roll to Hit when performing Melee or
Ranged Attack actions.
Hold: Characters suffering the effects
of Hold must perform a base Power
Stat Test at the beginning of their next
turn. If they fail they are unable to
choose Move Actions, or Dodge as a
Defence Save. They may still pivot on
the spot.
Ignore Blow *: After Defence Saves
have been allocated and resolved roll
1D6 for each source of Damage the
Creature will suffer from unsaved
hits. Any results equal to or over the
Creatures Ignore Blow number cancel
one of the points of Damage. The
defending Creature chooses which
Damage to remove, if it comes from
multiple sources. Ignore Blow is not a
Defence Save and so does not activate
a Follow-up.
Long Reload: A Generic Standard
Action is required to be spent before
this can be used again.
Magic Resistance *+: The Creature can
ignore a Spells effects by rolling equal
to or above their Magic Resistance
number. This roll is made with 1D6,
and is performed before any other
rolls are made.
Mind Rot: The affected Creature
must perform an Intelligence Stat
Test whenever they cast a Spell (of
any type). If the Stat Test is failed the
Creature suffers D3 Damage Points,
allocated to an area of the Hitbox
selected by the Creature.
Move or Shoot: Requires both an
available Move and Attack action to
use.
Never Die *: When this Creature
is Killed mark or note the location
where it perished. At the start of each
Round, if the Creature can roll equal
to or over it’s Never Die number on
1D6, it may immediately be placed
back in play in the marked location. All
Damage Overflow is removed, and half
the Damage Points are removed from
all the Creatures Hitbox areas.
Nimble: Can ignore the rules for being
Locked in Combat.
Obscured: Enemy Creatures suffer a -1
Roll to Hit when performing Ranged
Attack actions.
One Use: Once the item is activated
it is removed from the Creatures
inventory. This is even if the items
effect ultimately fails.
Out-matched: This allows an attacker
to modify a defenders rolled Defence
Dice. For each point of MS over 3,
the attacker has they may select
one rolled Defence Dice and apply a
-1 modifier to it. A naturally rolled 6
cannot be modified by this rule.
Outnumbered: See page 25.
Paralyse: An affected Creature must
pass an INT Stat Test at the beginning
of their next turn or suffer Stunned.
Poison *: During the End Phase a
Creature affected by Poison must
roll a dice. Any result which is under
the Poison number (provided after
the Poison title, on the source of the
Poison effect) means the Poison has
run its course and no longer affects
the Creature. A result which is equal
to that of the Poison number causes 1
Damage the Light Wounds area of the
Hitbox. For each number rolled higher
than the Poison number an additional
1 Damage is added to the effect. For
example, a Creature is affected by
Poison 4. It rolls 1D6 during the End
Phase with a result of 5. The Creature
takes 2 Damage.
51
 Prone: A successful Roll to Hit may be
applied to any area of the Creature’s
Hitbox. The Creatures Move Stat is
halved, and it may not select Run or
Charge Move Actions.
Rear Attack: Defence Saves
performed against Rolls to Hit made in
the Creatures rear can only select the
Rear Armour option.
Rejuvenate *: During the End Phase
the Creature can roll 1D6. If the roll is
equal to or higher than the Rejuvenate
number they remove 1 Damage
point from any Hitbox area. For each
number rolled above the Rejuvenate
number they may also remove an
additional 1 Damage point.
Reroll: Either allows a Creature to
choose to roll a dice again, or to force
another Creature to roll a dice again.
A dice that is rolled again due to the
Reroll rule cannot be made to Reroll
again, under any circumstance.
Rooted: When rooted a Creature
cannot use their move action or dodge
save. They may still pivot and use
Attack Actions.
Scolded: The affected Creature does 1
less point of Damage with all attacks
made, to a minimum of 1. When the
affected Creatures Warband activates
it may perform a Con Stat Test to
remove the effects of Scolded.
Silence: Any Creatures suffering the
effect of Silence cannot give verbal
commands (such as a Warlords
shouts), cast Arcane Spells or engage
in dialog.
Sixth Sense: Treats being attacked in
the rear arc as if it was being attacked
in the front arc for the purposes of
Parry and Dodge Saves.
Spitfire: Can be used to perform a
Ranged Attack action when Locked
in Combat. The target must be a
Creature that the Creature with
Spitfire is currently Locked in Combat
with.
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Steady Aim: -1 on any Roll to Hit with
a Ranged Attack if the Creature used a
Move Action before firing.
Steely Mind: Can ignore the special
rules Confuse, Blinded, Stunned and
Paralyse. Also they can never be Mind
Controlled by any source.
Stunned: When a Creature is Stunned
they lose all their actions during their
next turn, and can only choose to do
use its Armour Defence Save.
The More You Suffer: The Creatures
gains 1 Attack Dice for the rest of the
Encounter whenever they cause an
enemy to be Knocked Down or Killed.
Thrown: This can be used for a Ranged
Attack, and has a range of 10 inches.
Two-handed: Must be equipped using
both hand slots.
Unsavable: This attack cannot have
any Defence Saves made against
it. Magic Resistance can be used as
normal.
Venom: A Creature affected by Venom
suffers D3 Damage in the Light Wound
area of its Hitbox during the End
Phase. This effect can be removed by
passing a Constitution Stat Test by the
Creatures after any Damage has been
dealt from the Venom.
Vicious: Generate additional Damage
if a Roll to Hit results in a Critical. This
additional Damage is considered its
own Roll to Hit, and does Damage
equal to half the Damage (rounding
up) of the original attack. It can be
saved against as normal.
Volley *: Adds Attack Dice equal to the
Volley number.
 Playing without
Miniatures and Terrain
By default Bloody Quest relies on
the use of miniatures and terrain,
with measurement of distance and
movement in inches. Many players
prefer to play without the use of
miniatures and terrain in what has
come to be called a “theatre of the
mind” style play.
The simplest way to do this is to
do away with the miniatures and
terrain and have everyone picture the
battlefield in their heads. The Game
Master will need to clearly describe
the scene and ensure that the players
have a clear understanding of their
surroundings. When converting
distances for this mode of play, treat
an inch on the tabletop as 5 feet of
real world distance.
This approach to miniature-less
roleplaying has been common since
the early days of the hobby. It can
have some downsides though,
particularly when playing a game with
a tactical element like Bloody Quest.
With no physical map the onus is on
the GM to keep a clear mental map of
what is occurring, and many people
have difficulty in understanding the
scale of distance in their imagination.
In addition many questions can arise
as to precisely where a given Creature
is positioned, whether they have Line
of Sight, and other similar issues.
If your group is comfortable with
dealing with these sorts of challenges
then go ahead and play the way that
works for you.
With that in mind we have developed
as set of guidelines for Bloody
Quest, so that you can play without
miniatures. We believe it makes the
Bloody Quest system more compatible
to this style of play, is easier to handle,
and helps to retain a degree of the
tactical depth and granularity that we
believe the miniature and terrain rules
offer.
This mode of play can still benefit
from using miniatures, small maps
and index cards to act as visual
cues and reminders, but they are
used only to track relative position
and not required to track precise
measurements.
Zones
When questions of distance become
important (primarily during the
Combat Phase) the GM should take the
area in which the action is occurring
and divide it up into one or more
Zones. A Zone is an abstract division
of the Encounter area and usually
represents an area of roughly 8 x 8
metres (26 x 26 feet or 10 x 10 inches
in standard play). Generally a Zone is a
distinct and easily described section of
the Encounter area.
53

Use the Zones to conceptualise the
spaces. If the area is a single room
then it may only need to be a single
Zone. If the action is occurring on
two sides of a ravine connected by a
bridge, then it might make sense to
divide the area into three Zones. A
battle in a throne room might take
place over two Zones, the front of
the throne room by the main doors,
and the back of the room around the
throne itself.
One method to keep track of Zones
is to write the name of each onto
separate index cards and lay them on
the table as a reminder of the area
layout. Notable features of a Zone can
also be recorded on the index card.
Additional Terms
The following terms are introduced in
this mode of play.
Face to Face: Base to base contact is
now referred to as face to face.
In the same Zone: Creatures that are
in the same Zone as each other.
Nearby: Creatures that are in the same
Zone as each other, but relatively close
together.
In an adjacent Zone: Other Creatures
that are in a Zone next to the
Creature.
54
X Zones away: If a Creature is further
away from you than In an Adjacent
Zone, count the number of zones
between you and it, not counting
your own zone but counting the
other Creature’s zone. The Creature is
considered the number of zones away.
For example if there are two zones
between you and a naga warrior (not
counting your own, and counting the
naga’s) the naga is Two Zones Away.
Movement
Pivot: Even without miniatures facing
is important in Bloody Quest combat
and regard to should be had to the
direction which a Creature is facing
when it ends its turn. Often this will
be a matter of common sense based
on the action the Creature took on its
turn, but any player who wants to be
facing a definite direction should state
as much during their turn, otherwise
it will be up to the GM to determine
what direction the Creature is facing.
Note: using these rules it become
somewhat easier to get behind an
opponent due to the freedom of
movement within zones, this means
that any Creatures who rely upon
getting behind their target may see a
boost in power with these rules.
Move: When in combat, or otherwise
acting in initiative order, a Creature
with a move value between 1-5 may
use its move action to move anywhere
within its own zone, so long as there
is nothing obstructing it from doing
so. While this method of play is more
abstracted than miniatures based
play, elements of terrain and other
battlefield features are relevant.
Movement may require a Creature
to make Skill Test to overcome that
obstacle as described in the combat
rules. A Creature can use a standard
move to move into an adjacent zone
but not interact with anything in it. If
a Creature has a move value between
6-10 it may move and interact freely
in its current zone and any adjacent
zone.
Run: If a Creature sacrifices both their
move action and their standard action
they may move to anywhere up to Two
Zones Away. If the Creature has an M
of 6-10 or greater (or that is flying)
may move to anywhere up to Three
Zones Away when running.
Charge: When a Creature with a move
value between 1-5 charges they must
nominate a target in their own zone. If
a Creature has a move of between 6-10
it may charge a Creature in its current
zone or an adjacent one. They must
then move in a straight line (i.e there
must not be any obstacles in the way,
or they must clear them as described
in the combat rules) towards the
target of their charge until they are
Locked in Combat.
Disengage: The rules for disengaging
are the same as in the combat rules,
but a Creature that successfully
disengages is simply no longer
considered to be Locked in Combat,
and instead Nearby the Creature/s
from which it disengaged.
Flanking: These rules remain
unchanged.
Stand: These rules remain unchanged.
Prone: These rules remain unchanged.
Line of Sight: Without miniatures
line of sight become more difficult to
determine with precision. It will be
up to the GM to determine whether
line of sight exists based upon where
Creatures are positioned and what
obstacles are in the way.
Range: When determining who can be
hit by a ranged attack or spell use the
following guide to convert distances:
• 10” or less: may affect any target
or point in the acting Creature’s
own zone
• 11” - 20”: may affect any target or
point in the acting Creature’s own
zone or an adjacent zone
• More than 20”: may affect any
target or point in the acting
Creature’s own zone or up to two
zones away.
Area of Effect: When determining
how many Creatures are with an area
of effect use the following guide to
convert area/number of targets.
Spindrift/Cone: Affects 1d6 targets in
the acting Creature’s zone who are all
nearby each other
Explosions: Affects 1d3+2 targets
within range who are all nearby each
other.
Discharge:
• 2” or less: affects 1 nearby target.
• 3” - 9”: affects 1d3+1 targets in the
acting Creature’s zone
• 10”: effects 1d3+2 targets in acting
Creature’s zone
A Note on Targeting
If you roll a number of targets greater
than the number of Creatures that
can be affected then the extra targets
rolled are ignored. If a spell or effect
only affects enemies then determine
the number of targets by counting
only enemies. Likewise if a spell or
effect only affects allies determine
targets by counting allies only. If the
spell or effect affects all Creatures,
first determine how many targets can
be affected, and then the GM should
randomly determine which of the
potential targets are affected.
55
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