OLD Official Rulings (before 1/20/2023 Update)
- Magic Item Guidelines

OLD Official Rulings (before 1/20/2023 Update)

Perks, Creature Abilities, Character Creation

30 stat set rolls is the cap for standard characters. We don't want such low stats that they are unplayable, we don't want dump max stats since it destroys balance. A good practice is 1-2 stats below 10, 2 16+ and rest around 11-13 for character creation as a guidance for helping newer players.
In general, when starting out in the system as a new player. It is expected you'll experiment with your EXP and buy stuff up and down as you explore the system. However, after a newbie campaign, if you buy something up and use it, you are unable to buy it down without a GM reward usually. However, there's an incant called Philter of Regression that refunds EXP. You get 1 free 4 rank to use on a character similar to you getting one free Res from Isis / one free attune. Once you use it you will have to pay for another one or get a GM reward to enable buying something down.
The Famous Perk increases a characters COM permanently by 4 points and is not considered a bonus.
Instead of removing dice, exceptional and inferior attributes will now provide a static bonus of plus or minus 2 to the associated attribute when making a check against the attribute and other things associated with the attribute (like calculating defense values, weapon requirements, the dice pool for contested checks, unit regeneration, etc.). This bonus will NOT apply to any caps associated with the attribute (such as number of groups a magic user can buy and caps for skills).
In addition, each point of exceptional in a particular attribute allows the creature to stress that attribute for a resistance or attribute check without losing a point in that attribute in a given day. Each time the attribute is stressed using this ability, the character loses a point of exceptional (and therefore the +2 bonus) until they get a night’s worth of rest.
The elven racial bonus to MMOD may instead be applied to LMOD.
Creature abilities Hasten, Rock exceeding 4 ranks and Scale exceeding 4 ranks, although not explicitly stated in the manual, are legendary creature abilities.
Ethereal is an inter-dimensional creature ability, and as such, can justifiably be prevented by a planar lock.
By default, Invisibility only hides the visible spectrum, the individual would still be seen under appropriate special visions.
Any ranks of Toxic Attack exceeding four is a legendary creature ability. Magic items that grant more than 4 ranks of toxic attack no longer function.
Regeneration only restores DP; permanent mutilation or body deformation is not something that regeneration can help fix.
Every player with at least one rate 100 character may create 2 rate 50 characters per calendar year. In addition to 50 rates, the newly created character gains 15,000 gc and small RP item.
- The character may use their starting gold to purchase items with the Crafting and Enchanting system, or magical rituals including Attunement and Mutation.
- The character must be written up as a CHR item and playtested/approved to be eligible for games.
At any point should for story reasons or lore reasons you decide to retire a character, you may make a new character at 1/3 the rate of your retired character up to rate 50. The retirement must be announced publicly in order for you to get the EXP. This retired character is no longer considered a legal character for club games and may no longer be played. Should this character ever be played or brought out of retirement, the character made using the EXPs from retirement is no longer a legal character until the previous character is retired or the EXP gained from retirement plus 10 rates (25 000) is cut off from the character. This is so no shenanigans is done for boosting a new character to high rate to get a powerful magic item and then brought back to newer rate levels without some cost. Any attempt to get free or game the system should be notified to the rules coordinator.
- In the cases your new character would get enough rates to go above 50 from the retirement EXP, discuss with the rules coordinators to potentially work out a fun RP starting magic items. This includes special starting races or strange forms of existence (i.e. a floating book).
There comes a time when your adventurer gets powerful enough to a point where many tasks or adventures are typically a breeze. A god becomes a worthy challenge and sea monsters are a past time hunt. Your ability and skills have reached your character in a place of incredible power, yet you feel there's more for them to do and explore.
- I find that this typically starts to happen around rate 200, but it can be earlier or later depending on the magic items you have and the skills you've bought. It is at this point I encourage you to “legendary” your character. This is not a retirement, but rather and acknowledgment of the skills and powers of the character. They can really make games hard for the GM to run and may not be fun to play with as a another player. A mountain becomes a molehill and as such it's only fair that we take the time to recognize the dedication and time you've spent on the character. As such you will get earning a rate 50, plus some sort of reasonable custom item if you wish. This can be a custom race or other things. In exchange GMs are more than welcome to say no to that character's signup to a game.
- Once you've legendary your character, you can continue to retire them, but for now the reward will be a lesser one which can be discussed as the case comes. Generally we'd like to see a story resolution instead of a complete hang up.
- In the case you decide to legendary a character, bring it up with an approvals GM or Story Coordinator and we will discuss if this is a reasonable decision. If approved, make a public announcement in the town action about some sort of reflection or acknowledgment of your character's action and perhaps insight personally why they may continue to adventure.
Clarification on Metamorphize creature ability: Metamorphize only lets you assume general shape of the creature, not any exact member of the species. This restriction can only be bypassed with the use of Drain Identity creature ability or spell (as per Doppelganger creature write-up).
- It does not grant any creature abilities apart from ranks of Damage (creature's “physical attacks”). The character using the ability retains all creature abilities of their own unless their new form prevents the ability from functioning. For example, if the character with physical Fly changes into a creature without wings, they cannot use their ranks of Fly without cancelling Metamorphize.

Spellcasting

Psions cannot buy a number of total ranks in a spellgroup exceeding twice the group's relevant attribute. (Ex: Psions cannot buy more than 2*HEA psychometabolism spells.)
Revoke can be finessed twice, to remove one round from the casting time.
Enchantments such as runes and weapon charm can only collectively be stacked to the power stat of the material being enchanted. (i.e. a weapon with three power can have 2 weapon charms and a rune of elements)
Isis res only counts itself, to see if it works. If someone has been resurrected with a non-Isis resurrect, it still works.
Miracle cure does not regrow limbs, or missing organs, but fully repairs damaged ones.
Magic fly is reduced to half effectiveness when in water. Other materials may vary.
Abate Fatigue borrows from the NEXT rest period. If the next rest gives no benefits, by being drained from prior casting of Abate Fatigue or other effects, it would give no regeneration (Abate Fatigue does not give infinite units).
Enmass Rework (Playtesting).
Chaos sword cares about permanent enchantments, and adding more weapon charm, does not impact the die size, only add 1 to damage and to hit.
Affinity field and convergence do allow instantaneous rateburners to be shared over large group, but not for free, each target effected, other than the original, must pay the xp cost needed to cast this spell on themselves after the affinity field ends if they wish to keep the benefit.
Total Devotion (rank 13) will function across planes in the following ways: if the character is able to sense the plane the linked creature is on (such as via Otherport, which can sense adjacent planes, or has other ways to identify a plane) they will know the plane (but not distance or direction) of the creature, otherwise, they will just know the creature is on another plane, the character will “always” (unless blocked by some type of magic) be able to sense the dominate emotion and danger status of the linked creature.
When the spell Temporal Acceleration is in effect, any other effect active on the target will also be accelerated. That means that when you are counting down the duration of magic, each round you get during the Temporal Acceleration effect will be a round of duration for a spell or effect active on you. This only counts effects that are directly impacting the target.
Many of the spells under the “Fabrications” group do not have a resistance check. Magical materials now get a 3d6 check versus their PWR attribute.
Currently, the spell “Conversion” allows elemental mages to turn spells with a low exp cost into spells with a high exp cost. As such, any time the mage attempts to turn a spell into one with a higher experience cost, they must first spend enough experience points to negate the difference.
The delayed damage from Keep Healthy is completely impossible to resist. Invincibility type effects prevent the damage from being added to the delayed damage pool, not prevent the damage from being received. Additionally, any combination that abuses interactions between Keep Healthy and damage prevention is to be immediately vetoed, and reported to the rules coordinator.
All magical effects that scale off a character's attributes, DP, and skills only account for the character's magically unmodified attributes. This includes spell effects which force contested checks, and applies to both parties of the contested checks.
Stave Death undoes the effect of the crit and the damage done, as if the critical attack never happened.
Stalwart allows access to share warrior skills, however, charged abilities will not have charges copied meaning that there is still only the original warriors' pool for the ability.
Water Magics refers to having a Forgings group; this just means they can buy access to the earth Forgings group at base cost.
Defer cannot be plugged using Spell Plugging skill. The original caster of the Defer can recast Defer while touching the object to refresh the 2-hour countdown on the duration, but cannot extend the duration beyond 2 hours.
You cannot magnify psionic spells from magic items or defers.
True Necromancy - Rank 13: Enhance Undead will only allow a permanent casting of one of each of the finesses. This means only one of each the finesses max will be allowed. This spell is different than the lower ranking spell, so you can still temporarily enchant an undead with a lower ranking spell while still under the effects of a Rank 13. Existing characters who have stacked their effects must note that they have this effect done before 05/22/2021 in their CHR number and it needs to be updated. They will be grandfathered in with having a max of 4 Ranks of DR from this specific effect.
You'd only get one source of magical DV bonus that affects the Magic DV slots (exception being Spirit Armor). If you have multiple, the highest for each kind of DV are taken. Additionally, if you dual-wield shields, one would fill the Shield slot and the other would fill the weapons slot. Also, all effects for DV bonuses scale off the armor's unmagical stats (i.e Matter Manipulation's bonus DVs scales off the base armor's DVs NOT armor DVs plus armor charm DVs.) Lastly any item that provides other forms of DVs still work as normal. The only thing is you can have only one source of Magic DVs if you dont have spirit armor.
All abilities granting extra attacks such as Quicken, Speed, or Hasten use the appropriate cumulative multiattack penalty for the weapon being used as per the multiattack option in the skill.
Only one instance of a psonic ability can be casted and upkept at a time. For example: if you already have a Telekinesis or Recall Torture active, you can't cast a second instance of that ability while upkeeping the ability.
- Abilities made effectively permanent with incarnate aren't considered to be upkept, as their duration is made permanent, thus they are not upkept as per the ruling of this spell.
- When using Split Personality, you can cast two instances of the same spell at once, but only one instance may be upkept. While upkept, you may not cast an instance of the same ability with your second mind, under the same restriction above.
If spell plugging is used on the effect with resistance check, the resistance check can be reattempted every time the effect renews its duration.
Graft Armor can be used on Natural Armor to remove its penalties.

Skills and Effects

Driving skill is base 100 CSE,it is base non-background so everyone buys it at triple.
When an effect would grant additional attacks to a weapon not allowed to multi, each subsequent attack comes at a cumulative -10 penalty to hit.
Things in the manual that refer to Multiattack (as a proper noun), only refer to things in the manual called Multiattack, with some adjective.
Multi has been buffed, and speed and hasten have been nerfed to match. All weapons with multi that previously split mod, gain a cumulative -5 to hit, after the first attack. This change also effects speed, hasten, and quicken even though they do not mention mod split.
Stunning Attack, under Hammers, now has a resist check, It starts at 3d6 vs. health, and dice against hammer skill can specifically be allocated to increasing this check.
The Increase Damage sub-skill of Brawling cannot increase damage to more than d12. If damage is already d12 or higher, the sub-skill does nothing.
Using a skill during a round (just like casting a spell) requires enough concentration to prevent the ability to thought activate a magic item. For example, using a weapon skill prevents the user from thought activating a magic item.
Dodging (Passive) grants +2 bonus per rank if no Armor DV sources are used by the character.
Clarification on warrior and marine passives. When picking a sub-class as a non-background, you'd get access to those sub-class's skills (including passives) at triple. Other sub-class's passives must be attuned to or be given out as a reward to be bought. Additionally, all other sub-class's skills are at double triple cost.
- For background warriors and marines, all sub-class's skills and passives outside of your own are double.
- All abilities granting extra attacks such as Quicken, Speed, or Hasten use the appropriate cumulative multiattack penalty for the weapon being used as per the multiattack option in the skill.
A character researching a Spell Group, Skill, Mastery, or any other supplementary material outside of their own background for public or private use does not automatically grant them an attune for that addition to the system.
Variant: Coup-de-Grace
- A GM can optionally utilize this rule to make combat, especially stealth-based dungeon crawls, more exciting and enjoyable. An adventurer can prepare to Coup-de-Grace any incapacitated creature they are standing within melee range of. If the creature remains incapacitated for the next 5 rounds (20 seconds), the adventurer can instantly bring the creature down to -HEA DP, killing it.
- If the creature recovers from its incapacitation in the interim 5 rounds, the adventurer can make a simple combat attack on the creature as a reaction, as they had prepared to attack it.
- Incapacitated creatures can include sleeping, paralyzed, stunned, petrified, and unconscious creatures.
Mishrites will receive one Linear Weapon Skill (W) (Light, Auto, Semi-Auto, Versatile, Revolver, Lever-Action, Heavy, Bolt-Action, Single-Shot) or Artillery (W) at double cost, instead of triple.
- Additionally, Mishrites get the following skills at base cost, within their background: Architecture, Arson, Barristry, Coopering, Military Construction, Pyrotechnics
- Items created with spells or through the Crafting and Enchanting system must be written up under NEW item code.
- Permanent or long lasting effects must be recorded in the character's CHR number. This includes Mutates, Attunes, Rituals and any permanent change to the character that is not a result of GM’s magic item. Out of game date must be written next to any new additions.
- Items made from materials in Playtesting, if deemed fine, are put into the playtesting category. If the spell(s) for the item are not in the final stages of Playtesting they need GM permission to be used on games.

Items

Amulet of Divine Protection contains a typo in the manual. It should provide 1 rank of resist divine per 2 ranks of the incant.
Amulets of Magical and Divine Protection do not stack with natural ranks of their respective creature abilities.
Using a skill during a round (just like casting a spell) requires enough concentration to prevent the ability to thought activate a magic item. For example, using a weapon skill prevents the user from thought activating a magic item.
The resistance check for “Zombie Plant” berries caps at 6 dice versus WILL. Additionally, zombie plant berries lose their magical energy within 10 minutes of being picked; no effects can stop this drain of magic. This is not something that is meant to be weaponized.
Any ranks of Toxic Attack exceeding four is a legendary creature ability. Magic items that grant more than 4 ranks of toxic attack no longer function.
Items that are made by casting spells from a PC, including but not limited to: Genesis, Otherworld, Incarnate, Bind Psionics, and the Magic Item creation system need to be done with a GM witness to ensure that all the math for EXP calculation is correct, and must be written up under the NEW item number for approvals. As a rule of thumb, if a spell creates an item of any sort, it should be written up and witnessed via #town-actions or #general if done outside of a game. If done during a game, it's the GM's responsibility to ensure EXP is spent correctly and the item is created. Additionally, it should be included in the adventure write-up.
- Additionally, any spells that have lingering effect on a character or permanent duration, including but not limited to Mind Store, Contingency, Theft of Opportunity, Rebirth, and Mutate need to be noted on a CHR number that is for the character. Any time these spells are cast outside the game, they need to be made so publicly so a GM can assist and create the CHR number. In the case of mutates, all creature abilities and ranks need to be noted. This is so the GM can assist in math calculations and rulings. If these are done during the game, it is the GM's responsibility to ensure that the exp calculations are done correctly and the CHR number gets edited. Include the date and spells/effects casted/refreshed if applicable (such as Mind Store). As a rule of thumb, if things are done on a town action that require EXP to be spent, it should be done publicly for people to witness (such as refreshing a Mind Store).
- This is so players can be held accountable. If the CHR or NEW item does not exist or does not state the spell has been casted, then it was never done (Thus it is also the player's responsibility to ensure that the GM gets everything updated).
- If for whatever reason, a charged effect of a spell is used, the CHR number needs to be updated to indicate such, include the date it was used. If the spell is recasted, feel free to remove the dates and include the new cast dates.
Items made from materials in Playtesting, if deemed fine, are put into playtesting catagory. If the spell(s) for the item are not in the final stages of Playtesting they need GM permission to be used on games.

GM Rulings

The first game you GM per week and submit the adventure writeup for the game (through the website), you receive a total of 3500 exp and 400 gold. 3000 exp amd 300 gold of this can be put on a character that has not been played that week (using the same reset at 7:00 PM Saturday at regular club meeting start time) or not already received GM exp that week. The remaining 500 exp and 100 gold can be placed on any of your characters. Any subsequent games GMed that week gain 3000 exp and 300 gold, which can be put on a different character that has not been played that week (using the same reset at 7:00 PM Saturday at regular club meeting start time). You should not be stockpiling exp over the course of several weeks to dump all on one character and should be putting the exp on a character each week, since this may lead to characters doubling up on exp when they shouldn't have. This GM exp also applies if you are coGMing.
- If you don't submit the adventure writeup, you do not receive GM rewards! It is difficult to enforce this, so it is held on honor system. If it is suspected that GM exp/gold fraud is occurring, the ~~IRS~~ Rules Coordinator and/or President may have to be notified to resolve the issue, checking through the adventure writeups and your exp budget. CoGM writeups should include a note on who was the coGM and GM of the game.
- Note: GM exp does not double for low rate characters. Only exp earned on playing games with low rate characters will be doubled
- GM exp cannot be placed on a character you have not played in a game at least once before. Once they have been played once, GM exp can be spent on them.
Rewards (including experience points) MUST ONLY be granted on games where all club members have been informed of, and reasonable efforts have been made to include all local members. Town actions where access is limited are not an appropriate time to reward players.
Club is now on the Gold Standard. 10 silver = 1 gold. Standard pay for a game is 300 gold, and maximum pay is limited to 500 gold (see ruling below). Less dangerous games may have a 200 gold pay.
When rewarding players in addition to standard reward of 2500-3000 exp and 300 gold, GMs have following options (should be notated in Adventure Writeup):
- Extra gold, any gold exceeding 500 gc must be a part of extra gold reward that should be given instead of other options.
- Extra experience
- Magic item
If a character's DP pool reaches an amount below zero equal to their maximum DP, their body is destroyed. If the damage doubles this threshold, there's nothing left but red mist.
Upon a character dying and is not savable by any means, the character is considered permanently dead. After which should the player make a new character, they may add 1/3 of the dead character's rates in addition to the starting rate for that new character. Should for whatever reason that announced perma-dead character be somehow resurrected, a new character made that gained the extra EXP loses that EXP upon the dead character being brought back. Any attempt to shenanigans this rule into getting free EXP should be reported to the rules coordinator.

Magic Item Guidelines

Modifications to an item should only be made if permission has been given from the GM who originall wrote the item. If that GM is inaccessible, then refer to the rules coordinator or an approvals GM.
Magic items that modify other magic items should be given out sparingly. In general, any modifications to an item should be made to the original item's writeup for the sake of simplicity. Alternatively, the original item should be deleted, and the GM modifying the item should write up a new item.
Weapon skill, and the Common Sense attribute overall, is a sacred cow. It should not be modified lightly, if at all. This is because most combat skills are under the umbrella of common sense.
Oversized weapons (weapons exceeding 1d12 damage) should only have access to oversized skill.
Weapons should not have enchantments exceeding the material of the item it's placed on, and the power stat of weapon material should not exceed 5.
Effects generally should not stack. This is because the gm giving them out can't control what others do, meaning your item can be broken if it's allowed to stack.
Combat NPCs should be avoided. These draw out combat with extra actions and undermine characters built similarly to the NPC.
While non-combat NPC's gaining xp allows it to scale with the player and continue to be used regardless, it produces an imbalance accelerating the growth of the player it's given to.
Recharging divine effects should be limited to exceptional cases, as they drain power from the gods. Magic items of T'or spells should not exist.
Avoid giving free rates to players. For example, free creature abilities should be minimized, and rates granted should be considered.
Rateburning items cannot be created by players, and should be taken seriously when items go out. This isn't to say that they shouldn't go out, but they should be /month for less powerful/temporary effects, and per year for more powerful/permanent effects. Alternatively they can require an appropriate xp cost, and be more frequent.
Items should not have absolutes that the gm in the moment cannot overrule. This puts the gm in a difficult situation, where they either overrule the item, angering the player, or have their plans spoiled.
All damage above 2d6 needs to have either a resistance check or a roll to hit.
Spells with duration less than 5 minutes are intended to be used in a limited combat, and should not be made into effect items.
Gods are npcs; any effect that makes you competitive with a god(i.e. ignoring flux) or gives you base or flux should force you to be an NPC. This should never be forced on a player.
There are inherent limitations to classes for a reason. An item shouldn't be given out that allows a priest to still be powered while breaking creed, nor should an item go out that allows psions to act while casting.
Legendary creature abilities do not go out, ever. Items that emulate them, such as area of effect revokes, should be avoided.
Skills specific to using items are allowable, but a new skill for general use is the realm of the rules coordinator and should be proposed to them for approval.
Creature abilities outside of standard limits of availability MUST be written up.
GMs are expected to give out magic items on no more than roughly half of their games. Use common sense for this one; thing like healing potions are fine to be given out more frequently, GMs could give out items to only half of party and then have them “roll off” for it, etc.
GMs are expected to tie the power of their magic items to the difficulty of the game they run. However, GMs should not run difficult games just for the sake of giving out better pay.
Limit GMs to only be allowed to give out custom items every three games. This will not have to follow an explicit pattern; it is just expected that no more than 33% of all characters going on a game are to get custom items. GMs would be expected to avoid showing bias here.
All magic items have a recommended word count of 100, and a word cap of 200. This will prevent the queue from being flooded with excessively complicated/long writeups. An “RP” section may be added to each item so GMs could go further into describing aspects of the item, but this section can have nothing that communicates any mechanical benefit. On rare occasions for momentous games (finales/legendary agems/etc.), a longer more complicated item can be written, but this must be denoted in the item and an adventure writeup attached.
All items that have already been given out must be tracked through some way, shape, or form if they are to be given out again. They could be included in the adventure writeup, resubmitted through the database, or the GM could contact the rules coordinator directly. This is to prevent GMs from giving out a frankly irresponsible quantity of items on one game by using old items to bypass the approvals system.
Any items with unclear formatting, mechanics, etc. will be hard vetoed.
Most items are now expected to be based off of spells, creature abilities, and skills within the manual. Alternatively, the item should be easy to interpret into AQ's mechanics. (Example: The amulet of Pokerface is a manual item, a 1/day Fly would be a standard spell effect, and an iron longsword that deals an extra d6 fire damage would be easy to interpret into an in-game mechanic.)
Magic items should not generally be able to create more magic items. Special care should be taken when writing up magic items that take the form of a living creature, such as a plant or creature, as they can easily get around this rule.
Effects that deal more than 12d6 damage should not be given out. Effects should never be able to “nuke” an area or kill everything within an area, regardless of how likely it seems that it will backfire on the player.
Effects that can repeatedly stun, incapacitate, etc. enemies should be given out extremely sparingly, if at all. In the rare case where these effects are given out, they should also be fairly limited or restricted in some capacity, such as having a relatively easy resistance check.
Items should only use contested checks for relatively minor effects. Characters can boost their attributes to extreme heights, and it is somewhat unreasonable to expect a target to resist a contested check against a character who has obtained an attribute score exceeding 20.
Effects that can instantly kill enemies should be given out extremely sparingly, if at all. These effects should also be limited in the amount of times they can be used or the strength of the effect.
If an item can provide beneficial effects to multiple targets, then the scale of the effect should be reduced appropriately.

Table of Contents

OLD Official Rulings (before 1/20/2023 Update)

Perks, Creature Abilities, Character Creation

Spellcasting

Skills and Effects

Items

GM Rulings

Magic Item Guidelines