THE STUFF OF HEROES
Heroes are created as the game is played: through casual conversation. Players answer
a series of questions about their Crew and their Hero, and in most cases their answers
become part of their character. Beyond a personal history, here’s what makes up a Hero:
ATTRIBUTES (each ranging from 2 to 6 dice)
Physique: Physical fitness and speed, including strength, agility, and endurance
Charm: Natural charisma and social skills, including appearance and ability to lead
Wits: Intelligence and insight, from wisdom to raw knowledge to resourcefulness
STANDING (each ranging from 2 to 10 dice)
Resources: Wealth, privilege, and financial might
Influence: Political power, contacts, and ability to call in favors
Spirit: Fate, connection to the metaphysical, and ability to survive against the odds
TRAITS (each granting a bonus die with applicable rolls)
These are player-defined characteristics like Drive, Profession, Specialty, Feature, and
Personality. They can also cover skills, knacks, quirks, relationships, and more.
POWERS (each with a rating used as dice, or determining its effects)
A few Heroes also have superhuman or metaphysical abilities, which can include:
Allomancy: Mistborn and Mistings can consume and burn metals for various effects.
Feruchemy: Feruchemists can store physical, mental, and emotional aspects of their
being within “metalminds,” and then tap them for dramatic boosts to the same aspects.
Hemalurgy: Certain characters drive metallic spikes used to slay Allomancers and
Feruchemists into their bodies, gaining great power but also sometimes hearing voices,
hallucinating, and even losing control of their actions.
Mimicry: Kandra can mimic the forms of those whose bones they consume.
Stunts can be learned for many Powers, enhancing them for a wide range of uses.
PLAYING THE GAME
The Mistborn Adventure Game focuses on character-oriented roleplay, with dice rolls
reserved for risky maneuvers with high stakes. Even when danger’s afoot and the bones
come out, story remains the very heart of the action.
All rolls are made with a pool of 2 to 10 dice. The Narrator chooses one of your
Hero’s Attributes, Standings, or a Power rating that most fits your action, and you...
...add 1 die for each Trait that applies.
...add 1 die if you have a helpful item, or subtract 1 die if you’re missing a critical one.
...add 1 die for favorable conditions, or subtract 1 die for adverse conditions.
Again, you can only roll 2 to 10 dice. Each die above 10 grants a bonus Nudge, and
each die below 2 worsens your Outcome by 1 (keep reading).
The Narrator assigns a Difficulty of 1 (simple) to 5 (near impossible) and you roll,
immediately putting any 6’s aside. If the numbers on two or more of your dice match, the
highest number shown on any matching set is your Result.
• If your Result equals or beats the Difficulty, the roll (and action) succeeds.
• Otherwise, your roll (and the action) fails.
Optional: Subtract the Difficulty from your Result to obtain your Outcome, which
may be positive or negative and defines how well you succeeded (positive) of how badly
you failed (negative). The Narrator describes all Outcomes.
Contests: Sometimes an action is resisted by another character (in a chase, or during
an arm wrestling match). In these cases, the highest numbered set wins (with ties broken
by the highest number of Nudges, or continuing as a stalemate if Nudges are also tied).
COMPLICATIONS & NUDGES
For each point of negative Outcome, your Hero suffers a Complication (a Narratordefined setback or problem). If your Outcome is –3 or worse, the Narrator may alternately
apply a single Complication to your Hero and all Crewmates and allies in the area.
Each 6 you roll is a Nudge and may be used to barter with the Narrator to “nudge”
your success (e.g. boost a jump’s distance by a few feet per Nudge). If you roll 3 or
more Nudges, you can forego bartering to instead increase your Outcome by 1.
CONFLICTS
When characters fight (physically, socially, or emotionally), they declare actions from lowest Wits to highest, forming Action Pools as they go. Turns go from biggest Action Pool to smallest. When it’s your turn, you may roll 2 or more dice to act, and any leftover dice become your Defense Pool. Your target may defend by rolling 2 or more dice from his Action or Defense pool, and if his roll succeeds you must also beat his Result to injure him.
If you attack and succeed (scoring a match and beating any opposing Defense roll), one
of the target’s Resiliences (determined by the Narrator) drops by 1 + any extra from equipment + 1 per Nudge you apply. When any Resilience drops to 0, the target is incapacitated (unconscious at 0 Health, shamed at 0 Reputation, or fleeing at 0 Willpower).