Overview

Over the many years of this games development we have struck a balance between the rules light system best suited for the live action environment and something with more granular, robust elements at home in the tabletop environment. This is something like the 5th or 6th iteration of the rules. It is the intention of the designer that is will be the final version.

Race

You must choose a Race for your character. Whatever you choose, it comes with one to four Racial Features which define abilities that come with that choice.

For example: Being a Dwarf comes with the Racial Features Delverdim (the ability to see in the dark), Telktar (the ability to speak the dwarven language) and Nonhuman (which means they can’t be raised, resurrected or returned from the dead by any means).

Note: In previous versions of the system, being Nonhuman was an Advantage and was coupled with the Nonhuman Disadvantage. This is no longer true. Simply choose a Race and any abilities and drawbacks are expressed as Racial Features.

Advantages

All Adventurers (and some Plot characters) have one Advantage - something exceptional about them that give them advantages that can’t be had any other way.

NOTE: Human characters have the “Advantaged” Racial Trait which allows them to take two Advantages (so long as they also take two Disadvantages).

NOTE: Most Advantages aren’t obvious but some will be displayed on your badge. Mighty, for instance, is one of those. Their unmistakable physique is on display for all to see and advertises thier gift. If an Advantage should be displayed on your badge the description will say so.

Disadvantages

All Adventurers (and some Plot characters) have one Disadvantage - something about them or their background that provides challenges that they will have to work to overcome.

NOTE: As mentioned above, Humans have the “Advantaged” Racial Trait which can allow two Advantages if two Disadvantages are also taken.

NOTE: Like Advantages, a few Disadvantages (such as “Infamous”) must be displayed on your badge. If a Disadvantage should be displayed on your badge the description will say so.

Skills 

Gateway characters are mostly defined by the Skills they have and their Rank in those Skills.

The nine Gateway skills are Athletics, Combat, Influence, Linguist, Lore, Pathfinder, Perception, Stealth and Tinker. The three "Saves" - Agility, Endurance and Resolve are also skills (bringing the total to 12). Magic is a 13th Skill only possessed by characters who have taken the Caster Trait.

NOTE: Someone who has just picked up a skill begins at 1 (Familiarity), a Novice is 2. Competence is a 3 or 4. Mastery is 5+. It is theoretically possible to have a Skill Rank as high as 8 but a score higher than 6 is very rare and indicates legendary ability.

You will assign Skill Ranks to your Skills during character creation. Most characters begin with a single skill at Rank 3 and a few others ranked 2 and 1.

Feats

In the Gateway Chronicles, Feats are special abilities that give your character special abilities that other characters do not have.

The difference between Advantages and Feats is Advantages are something your character was born with or acquired before starting play but Feats are things they have learned along the way. Most character start the campaign with two Feats. Others are acquired through play, usually between sessions (see the section on Campaigning for more).

Feats are are expansions of what skills can do and are the principal way you can expand your adventurer’s capabilities.

Most Feats have prerequisite skills and skill ranks. For example - Treat is a Feat that can be used to heal a Wound that you can only learn once you have at least Rank 2 in the Medicine Skill. There are also Feats that require that you have one or more other Feats (which works a bit like a crpg “Talent Tree”).

Magic

Only characters with the Chosen or Gifted Advantage can cast spells.

The rules for spell casting can be found in the Magic chapter.