Basic Rules

Character Creation

Every adventure in Howl of Eternity begins with one essential step: creating your own character. This is not just a bundle of numbers, abilities, and filled-in fields. It is the beginning of a story you bring with you into the world. Who was your character before they entered their first tavern, their first guild, or their first battle? What shaped them, what drives them, and where might they go next? All of that begins to take shape during creation. As you create a character, you choose a race, which defines their natural traits, innate abilities, and basic advantages. Then you distribute points among stats that describe strength, dexterity, resilience, intelligence, wisdom, and the other pillars of how the character functions. These choices directly affect how you perform in combat, social scenes, and all kinds of problems outside battle. After that come skills, abilities, and possibly spells. This is where a general foundation starts becoming a real playable identity. One character may become a durable front-line warrior, another a quiet hunter, another a supportive healer or a destructive mage. To keep the process clear and accessible even for new players, Howl of Eternity includes a web character builder that guides you step by step, calculates values automatically, and helps you understand the links between stats, skills, abilities, and the rest of the system. Once your character is finished, they are no longer just a game unit. They become a living part of the world. Every choice in creation defines not only what the character can do, but also what kind of story they will tell during the campaign.

Character creation in HoE is intentionally detailed because it sets the foundation for the entire play experience. The better a player understands their character from the beginning, the easier it is to navigate that character later and play them naturally.

The Web Character Builder

Howl of Eternity expects character creation to be demanding for new players. That is why the system includes a web character builder that makes the whole process much clearer. The player moves through the steps one by one, choosing race, subrace, class, distributing stats, selecting skills, abilities, and possibly spells. The system also calculates final values automatically and helps catch mistakes that could easily appear during manual creation. The builder is useful not only because it is convenient, but because it makes the links between different parts of the character easier to understand. A player can see why a choice is strong, where a weakness appears, and how different parts of a build connect. Even experienced players get a faster and safer path to the final version of their character.

The character builder is not a replacement for the rules. It is their practical tool. It turns theory into something usable and shortens the distance between reading the rules and actually playing.

When a Character Takes the Wrong Direction

Howl of Eternity expects that, especially early in a campaign or during a player's first contact with the system, players may not always choose ideal attributes. Some choices may sound good on paper, but in play it may turn out that a stat, ability, or spell is barely used, or that another party member already covers that role much better. That can reduce the fun, so HoE leaves a way to gradually adjust parts of a character. The world therefore contains a special potion that allows a character to remove one ability, one skill level, one spell, or three points from stats. Those three points may correspond to one, two, or three actual stat increases, because raising stats does not cost the same in every range. Such a potion should never be cheap. It should cost a meaningful amount of gold, possibly experience as well, and its price should rise over time. The higher a character's level becomes, the more likely they are to discover that older choices no longer serve them as well and that they would rather grow in a different direction. That is why change should be possible, but never free. Race, subrace, and class cannot be changed this way. These choices form the core identity of the hero, and changing them would effectively mean creating a different character rather than adjusting an existing one.

The goal is not to encourage constant rebuilding for the best current advantage. It is meant to protect players from losing long-term enjoyment because of one bad early choice.

Unused Points and Planning Ahead

In Howl of Eternity, a player does not have to spend every available point immediately during character creation or level up. A character may keep points in stats, skills, or abilities for later levels and use them once the player has a clearer sense of where they want to go. This is especially useful with abilities, because they are limited not only by points but also by character level. Sometimes it makes more sense not to take a less interesting ability at the start just to fill a slot, and instead keep one or two points for level 5, where much stronger or more thematic options may become available. That choice always trades away immediate power. A character who does not spend their points will be theoretically weaker in the moment than one who invested everything right away. HoE gives players the freedom to plan ahead, but asks for a price in the form of less power in the present.

This system gives players more control over long-term character growth and helps avoid rushed choices. It also preserves the important principle that power saved for the future does not help immediately.

Session Zero and Shared Character Creation

When first approaching the rules of Howl of Eternity, it is strongly recommended to run a session zero. This is a meeting that does not serve the story itself yet, but prepares for it. During it, the Game Master explains the rules, introduces the world, agrees with the players on the style of campaign, and begins creating characters with them. Character creation in HoE is fairly detailed and time-consuming, so it is good to plan for that and not treat it as something that can be rushed through a few minutes before the first real session. Session zero is the best place for questions, uncertainty, and shared decisions. If players do not know the rules, it is useful to read them properly first and discuss unclear parts before the campaign truly begins. Shared creation also has a major advantage: players can notice overlap and complement each other. It is useful to proceed in layers: first decide the foundation together, meaning race, subrace, and class, then stats, then skills, abilities, and possibly spells. When everyone sees what the others are taking, it becomes easier to know what they do not need to focus on and where the party is missing something. It is also highly recommended to include a short practice scene during session zero. This could be the first day in a guild, a training fight, or a simple scene where both players and the Game Master try the basic mechanics in practice. This is valuable not only for the players, but also for the Game Master, who can see how the world and rules work in motion and whether anything needs adjustment before the real campaign begins.

Session zero is one of the best tools for preventing confusion, poor builds, and misunderstandings inside the party. The better this beginning is handled, the smoother the actual game becomes.

Party Composition and Team Balance

When creating characters, it is useful to think not only about what sounds interesting to each individual, but also about how the whole group will function together. HoE does not stop players from creating a party made entirely of mages, for example, but in practice such a group can quickly run into problems. If the team lacks someone who can survive on the front line, someone who can heal, or someone who can handle social and exploration situations, the adventure may become much harder or more one-sided than expected. That is why players should talk to each other during creation about what they want to play. They do not need to divide roles like in a classic MMO, but they should know where their characters overlap and where gaps appear. This helps not only combat balance, but also the story, because each character then has a better chance to find their own value.

A well-functioning party does not happen by accident. It does not have to be perfect, but it should at least account for the fact that different parts of the game reward different strengths.

Rules as a Foundation, Not a Cage

Player Note

Game Master Note

Character Profile

Once your character is created, their real life in the world of Howl of Eternity begins. From this point on, they are no longer just a draft. They become a living part of the story, changing, growing, and reacting to the events around them. The character profile serves as their memory. It stores every important detail: stats, skills, abilities, spells, and equipment. It also records what happens during the adventure, including injuries, effects, items gained, and new experience. To make tracking all these changes as simple as possible, you can use the web character sheet. It keeps everything clearly in one place, handles changes automatically, and helps you respond to your character's development during play. Level-ups, new equipment, and ability changes stay under control. A character profile is not just a technical tool. It is a record of your journey. Every decision, every wound, and every victory gradually becomes part of it.

Character Backstory

Every character has a story. Where do they come from, what have they lived through, and why did they set out on the road of adventure? A backstory gives the character meaning and anchors them in the world. It does not have to be long or complicated, but it should feel believable. A character's skills and abilities should fit what they have actually experienced. Someone who spent their life as a warrior will fight differently from someone raised among scholars or on the streets. A well-made backstory also gives the Game Master space to weave your character into the story and create moments that feel personal and memorable.

Development and Balance

A character keeps developing throughout the game. They gain new abilities, equipment, and experience that move them forward. This growth should feel natural and match what the character has truly lived through in the world. At the beginning, characters should not be overly powerful. Gradual development is what makes the game interesting: every new step, every improvement, and every decision carries weight. The Game Master watches over the game to keep it balanced and fun for everyone. At the same time, players should actively track their character's development and keep the profile up to date. That way, you always have a clear picture of who your character is... and where they can still go.

Roll Basics

Rolls in Howl of Eternity are not only about luck. They combine a character's stats, skills, and abilities.

Unlike many classic tabletop RPGs, several factors shape the final result here. That makes specialization and long-term character planning worthwhile.

Stat Roll

Skill Roll

Critical Success

A critical success is a moment when a character does something exceptionally well. It is not just completing the task; it is doing it so well that it may grant an advantage, speed up the action, or create another positive effect.

Critical Failure (Skills)

A critical failure is a situation where a character fails in a particularly meaningful way. It is not just failure, but a complication that can worsen the situation or introduce new problems.

Combat Rolls

The Game Master's Role

The Game Master sets roll difficulties and their context.

Rule Flexibility

Rules are guidance, not a cage.

Conversations as Part of the World

In the world of Howl of Eternity, adventure does not happen only in combat and in the exploration of dangerous places. A large part of the game emerges through conversations, decisions, and relationships between characters. During a campaign, you will meet a wide range of personalities: ordinary villagers, merchants, guards, nobles, guild leaders, priests, and dangerous manipulators. Each of them may have their own goals, motivations, and worldview, which affects how they respond to the players. Social interactions often decide whether the party gains allies, avoids conflict, obtains important information, or creates a problem that grows into a fight or a long-term conflict. Conversations are not just a supplement to action. They are a full part of the game and can change the direction of the whole campaign.

Social interactions connect story, world, and mechanics. A well-played conversation can matter as much as a won combat.

Roleplay Style and Approach

Every group has a different communication style. Some campaigns are more atmospheric, slower, and focused on detailed roleplay. Others move faster and lean more toward action, with shorter and more practical conversations. Each Game Master also handles NPCs differently, changing voice, speaking pace, vocabulary, or behavior to make individual characters feel alive and distinct. Howl of Eternity does not restrict this approach. It supports flexibility and adapting the style of play to the specific group. What matters is not exactly how conversations are performed, but that they feel natural, fit the world, and are fun for everyone at the table.

There is no single correct way to play social interactions. Consistency of style and shared agreement within the group matter most.

When to Roll and When Not To

Rolls during social interactions are a tool, not an obligation. If the outcome of a situation is clear, well roleplayed, or follows logically from the circumstances, there is no need to roll dice. In other cases, rolls can help determine how strongly the character's words landed, whether the other side believed a lie, or how successful the negotiation was.

Rolls should add tension and uncertainty, not slow the flow of the game.

Diplomacy, Manipulation, and Pressure

Diplomacy is the basic tool for influencing other characters. It is not only persuasion. This skill covers a wide range of approaches: calming a conflict, negotiation, gathering information, manipulation, intimidation, and lying.

These levels are guidelines. The Game Master's decision always matters.

Reputation and Relationships

A character's behavior in the world has long-term consequences. Over time, they build a reputation that affects how others react to them. Some factions may see them as allies, others as a threat. Reputation may differ by region, organization, or individual NPC.

Reputation gives the world memory and connects individual campaign events.

Repeated Attempts

Failure does not mean the end, but it does change the situation. Players may try a different approach, but it must make sense within the story.

Consequences of Decisions

Every social interaction should have consequences. Success can open new possibilities, while failure can complicate the situation, change relationships, or create a new conflict. The world should respond to what players say and do, not only to how well they roll dice.

Consequences give decisions weight and make the world believable.

Player Note

GM Note

Money as Part of the Adventure

The economy in the world of Howl of Eternity is not just a side system. It is a full part of the game that affects progression speed, character strength, and the decisions of the whole party. Gold is not just a number in the inventory. It represents options: better equipment, stronger potions, access to unique services, or influence in certain parts of the world. A well-tuned economy creates a natural sense of growth. Early on, players must think carefully about every larger investment. Later in the game they work with bigger sums, but also face much more expensive possibilities. This balance between income and spending is what keeps the game tense even at higher levels.

The economy determines how quickly characters grow stronger. If it is not tuned well, the game can lose its challenge or slow players down unnecessarily.

Gold and the Value of Money

The basic currency in the world of Howl of Eternity is gold. It is the main medium of exchange between characters, merchants, and other NPCs. The value of gold should feel realistic in the world. An ordinary person handles it carefully, while adventurers treat it as a tool for growth.

Money gives players freedom of choice. The better the economy works, the more meaningful their decisions become.

Trading and Daily Discounts

Trading in Howl of Eternity can strongly affect the economy of the whole party. Instead of repeated negotiation with every merchant, it is recommended to use a simple and clear system of daily discounts. Each morning, one party member makes a roll using the Trading skill. The final value, meaning dice plus bonuses, determines the percentage discount the whole party receives from all merchants for the rest of the day. For example, a player with Trading at level 3 and a +8 bonus rolls three dice. If the dice total is 9, they add the +8 bonus and get a final result of 17. That means the whole party has a 17% discount on all purchases that day.

This system supports teamwork and gives the economy a simple but functional frame.

Selling and Economic Balance

Selling items should always be less profitable than buying them. Players should not be able to earn money easily by reselling goods without risk. The economy should motivate adventure, not commercial exploitation of the system.

The economy should support decision-making, not easy ways around the system.

Banks and Storing Money

In some parts of the world, especially in larger cities and within the empire, players can use banking services. These allow them to store money safely and protect it from loss during adventures.

Banks add strategic decisions between access to money and its safety.

Economic Events and the World's Influence

The world's economy is not static. Events such as wars, famines, political changes, or the discovery of new resources can affect prices, the availability of goods, and merchant behavior. The Game Master can use these elements to make the world feel alive and create new play situations.

A dynamic economy makes the world feel more alive and less predictable.

Guidelines for the Game Master

Player Note

Combat in the World of Howl of Eternity

Combat in Howl of Eternity is not just a simple comparison of strength between two opponents. Every clash combines tactics, equipment, abilities, and correct timing. Combat is designed to reward thoughtful decisions, cooperation within the party, and the ability to adapt to what is happening on the battlefield. Even an apparently simple encounter can quickly become very dangerous if one side underestimates defense, mistimes a spell, or lets the enemy gain an advantage at the very start.

The combat system in HoE emphasizes flow while leaving enough room for tactical planning. Players should feel that every decision in combat matters, and that the way they approach a clash can influence the outcome just as strongly as the character's stats.

Attack and Defense

The foundation of every clash is the relationship between attack and defense. A character can attack only with a weapon currently prepared in their hand. If they want to switch to another weapon during combat, such as a secondary blade or a different piece of gear, they must first move it into their hand, which takes one full turn. Changing equipment is therefore always a tactical decision and cannot be done without risk. Before the attack itself, the character may use various abilities or spells that do not require casting time. This can create better conditions for the hit, strengthen the attack, or weaken the opponent's defense. Once the attack is resolved, the attacker rolls dice and adds all relevant bonuses. The defender chooses a defense style - either Defensive Maneuvers or Dodge - and then calculates their final defense value. If the attacker's final value beats the target's defense, the attack hits. If the defender succeeds, the attack is deflected and no damage is dealt. On a tie, the attacker wins so that combats keep their pace and do not stall in endless exchanges with no result.

Attack and defense in HoE are not separate worlds, but two sides of one direct clash. A player therefore considers not only how hard they can hit, but also which defense style is best against the specific attack at that moment.

What Enters Attack and Defense Rolls

To keep combat readable, it is important to know what the final attack and defense values are made of. The attacker does not use only a simple die roll; they add every advantage and disadvantage relevant to the situation. The same applies to the defender. On an attack roll, the attacker adds the weapon's advantage or disadvantage against the chosen defense style, bonuses from enchantments, potions, and weapon upgrades, bonuses from spells, abilities, and other effects, and the skill bonus for the weapon type used. The defender adds the shield and armor advantage or disadvantage for the chosen defense style, bonuses from enchantments and potions, bonuses from spells, abilities, and other effects, the skill used for Defensive Maneuvers or Dodge, and points in the corresponding stat - Constitution for Defensive Maneuvers and Dexterity for Dodge. The formula for defensive skills (Armor, Defensive Maneuvers, Dodge): skill tier bonus + (Constitution or Dexterity) / 3, rounded down. If the relevant stat is a hybrid stat for the class, add +1 for every 5 points in that stat. Example: a character with Dodge at Trained level (+4) and Dexterity 13 has Dodge 4 + 13/3 = 4 + 4 = 8. If Dexterity is also a class hybrid stat, the result is 4 + 4 + 13/5 = 4 + 4 + 2 = 10.

Once a player understands what their attack and defense are built from, they gain much more control over how to build their character and how to make decisions during combat.

Damage

A successful hit does not automatically mean full injury at the complete strength of the attack. Final damage in Howl of Eternity is calculated in several steps so that both the attacker's strength and the quality of the target's defense matter. First, take the weapon's base damage. Add the stat bonus - Strength for melee weapons or Dexterity for ranged weapons. Then add bonuses from spells, abilities, enchantments, and other effects currently strengthening the attack. From this final value, subtract the target's defense rating, which is made up of armor, shield, and other defensive effects. Only then is percentage reduction based on the target's Constitution applied to the remaining damage. This lets well-equipped or durable characters significantly reduce even very strong hits. Special situations, abilities, or some attack types can modify this basic process, but in general damage follows this principle.

This system makes sense both mechanically and narratively. A hit must first get through physical protection, and only then does it become clear how well the character's body handles the actual injury.

Round and Turn

In Howl of Eternity, it is important to distinguish between a round and a turn. A round is one complete cycle in which all participating sides - players and enemies - take their turns. A turn is the specific moment when one character acts. This distinction is very important for spells and abilities whose duration is expressed in rounds. For example, if an effect lasts 3 rounds, it begins during the turn of the character who created it and lasts for the rest of that turn plus their next 2 turns. It ends before their fourth turn. In the first round, the character who attacked first begins, or the one who succeeded with a surprise attack. The party of heroes then decides its own internal order. If only some characters are part of the surprise, those characters begin, then the defenders act, and finally the rest of the team that has not yet acted in that round. In later rounds, the same order is used unless an effect changes it.

The distinction between round and turn is crucial mainly for abilities with duration, cooldown, and party coordination.

Spellcasting and Concentration

Not all spells in Howl of Eternity work instantly. Stronger magic often requires casting time, during which the character focuses on guiding energy correctly and completing the effect. This means the spellcaster or other magic user is more vulnerable during this time and must carefully watch for anything that might disrupt their focus. If a spell has, for example, a casting time of 2 rounds and the character begins casting it in round 5, they first roll Magic on that turn to see whether the casting begins successfully. Their turn then ends. On their turn in round 6, they continue casting and cannot use any other main action. On their turn in round 7, the spell effect automatically takes place at the start of the turn, its cooldown begins, and the character can continue with another normal action. If the character is hit during casting and fails to defend against the attack, they must roll Concentration. On success, the spell continues; on failure, casting is interrupted and the spell is considered failed. In that case, cooldown begins from the moment of interruption.

Spellcasting adds an important layer of risk to combat. Strong magic is very powerful, but it requires time, protection from the team, and correct timing.

Critical Hit

A critical hit is a special form of critical success that occurs in combat when an attack greatly exceeds the opponent's defense. It is not a random reward for a specific number on a die, but a situation where the attacker's advantage is so significant that the opponent's defense fails completely. A critical hit occurs when the final attack roll, including all bonuses, is at least double the opponent's total defense. In that case, the damage value is doubled. A critical hit represents an exceptionally precise, hard, or perfectly timed attack that the enemy could not read or deflect in time.

A critical hit in HoE is not based on the luck of one number, but on real superiority in the clash. This makes it feel fairer and more reflective of the quality of the attack.

Surprise

Surprise is a mechanic that can decide the beginning of a fight before the enemy even realizes they are in danger. If a character can quietly approach an opponent and attack from an advantageous position, they can create a very strong opening to the clash. Surprise is resolved by comparing the attacker's Stealth against the target's Perception. If the attacker wins, the enemy is surprised, meaning they take a -3 penalty to attack and defense for the first 5 rounds of combat. If surprise fails and the defender notices the situation in time, the defender begins combat. Each character rolls separately, so it is possible that only part of the group gains the surprise advantage while the rest enters combat normally.

Surprise rewards caution, stealth, and good planning. It is one of the main tools for starting combat from a better position.

Dual Wielding

A character can fight with two weapons at once, allowing quick and aggressive attack combinations. This combat style is demanding on coordination and significantly changes how the character functions in combat. Because both hands are occupied by weapons, the character cannot use a shield in this style and loses an important part of their defense. In addition, simple and exotic weapons are the only weapons that can be used effectively this way, and their roll and damage bonuses are reduced by 50% to reflect the difficulty of synchronizing both attacks. This style is therefore for players who want to maximize offensive pressure and are willing to sacrifice part of their protection. If the character gains special abilities focused on dual wielding, they can gradually reduce or remove these penalties.

Dual wielding is not automatically stronger than a classic style. It is a different approach that trades defense and stability for pressure, speed, and aggression.

Escaping Combat

Escaping combat is a risky decision that can save the entire party's life, but can also easily turn against them. It is not a normal action that can be attempted every round without consequences. An escape attempt represents a conscious decision to give up one's turn and focus entirely on getting away. The character does not attack or perform another main action during their turn. Instead, they roll Stealth, with the difficulty set by the Game Master according to the environment, number of enemies, distance, battlefield chaos, and other circumstances. If the roll succeeds, not only that character escapes - the whole party escapes. Combat ends immediately. If the attempt fails, the character remains in combat and loses their turn. Other team members must continue fighting or find another way to resolve the situation. If the characters later return to the fight and the Game Master allows it, the new clash is treated as a separate combat and the previous flow is reset. A critical success on an escape attempt can bring an additional advantage, such as gaining an item or important information about the enemies. A critical failure means the character loses their turn and cannot defend during the next defense, because they were thrown off balance, caught by an enemy, or forced into an extremely bad position. Another escape attempt after a failure is possible only after 20 rounds.

Escape is not a simple emergency brake, but a full strategic decision. At the right moment it can save the whole group; at the wrong moment it gives the enemy another opening for pressure.

End of Combat

Combat ends with the victory of one team - either the party of heroes or the enemies. If the players win, they gain experience, gold, and possibly items left behind by the enemies. If they lose and their characters die, they face the consequences of death: loss of part of their experience and gold according to the death rules. Escape is another possible way to end combat. It always depends on correct timing, the roll, and the Game Master's decision about how exactly the escape works in that situation.

The end of combat should always feel like a significant moment. It is not only about who remained standing, but also about what the clash gave the party or took away from it.

Game Master Note

Exhaustion, Recovery, and the Cost of Mistakes

Adventuring in Howl of Eternity is not only about victories, new abilities, and stronger equipment. Every journey also requires rest, careful timing, and accepting that some mistakes can carry a real cost. Characters become exhausted during play, spend their strongest actions, take risks in dangerous situations, and sometimes end up standing on the very edge of death.

This section explains how recovery works, why cooldowns matter for the rhythm of combat, and what exactly happens when a character falls. The goal is not to punish players for the sake of it, but to create a system where decisions have weight and survival is not guaranteed.

Cooldowns

Most spells, abilities, and special actions in Howl of Eternity use cooldowns. In most cases, however, those cooldowns matter only in combat. That means a character enters each new fight with their abilities fully ready and can use every action available to them from the start. A cooldown starts counting only when the specific action is actually used or interrupted while being cast or prepared.

Cooldowns give combat a rhythm. They make players think about when to use their strongest actions, while also ensuring that each new fight starts without unnecessary bookkeeping from the previous encounter.

Rest

Rest is the basic point of recovery in Howl of Eternity. It is not just a short pause between scenes, but the moment when a character truly recovers, restores strength, and prepares for the road ahead. Safe rest is therefore important both for the players and for the rhythm of the whole campaign.

Rest matters not only mechanically, but also narratively. It is a moment when the party can breathe, plan the next steps, divide loot, replenish supplies, and prepare for the next unknown danger. The Game Master may also set the price of lodging or define how comfortable and effective the rest will be.

Death in Combat

A character's death during combat is a serious moment, but in Howl of Eternity it does not always mean the immediate end of everything. If a character falls in a fight, their fate depends mainly on how the rest of the encounter ends and whether their allies can finish the battle in their favor.

Death in combat carries tension, but it also gives the party a chance to turn the situation around. One fallen member does not automatically mean disaster if the rest of the party can hold out and finish the encounter.

Death Outside Combat

The second type of death is death outside combat. It is much more direct and less forgiving than falling during a fight. If a character dies outside combat and no special spell, ability, or item is available to revive them immediately, their death is treated as final for that moment and the standard penalties follow.

This system keeps death meaningful while still allowing play to continue without requiring a new character after every fatal mistake. Even so, death should feel like a serious event that encourages players to act with more caution.

Revival and Exceptions

Player Note

GM Note

Character Growth

Every adventure leaves a mark on a character. Sometimes it is a new scar; other times it is valuable experience that moves them forward. In Howl of Eternity, a character does not grow only through combat, but through everything they truly live through in the world. Every overcome clash, solved problem, important quest, or strong interaction can be a step toward the next level.

Leveling in Howl of Eternity is not just a technical reward for time played. It expresses that the character is changing, growing stronger, and understanding the world around them better. With each level, new development options open up, while the obstacles ahead become more demanding.

How a Character Gains Experience

Experience points, or XP, are awarded for situations that move the story forward or prove the character's abilities. Most often this means winning combats, completing quests, overcoming dangers, or successfully playing through important interactions. How much experience a character gains always depends on the Game Master's decision and on the importance of the specific situation within the campaign.

This approach supports varied play. A party can grow even when it avoids combat, as long as it handles the situation cleverly, bravely, or in a story-rich way.

Advancing to the Next Level

To advance to the next level, a character must gather enough experience points. The first threshold is set at 1000 XP to reach level 2. Each later level requires twice as much experience as the previous one.

With this system, early growth is fairly quick, while later levels become major milestones. Each new level feels more significant and reflects the character becoming an experienced and exceptional hero.

What a Higher Level Means

A higher level does not mean only bigger numbers. It also means the character has traveled a long way. They have survived danger, handled difficult situations, and learned to use their strengths better. As their level rises, an ordinary adventurer becomes someone with greater weight in the world.

Higher levels bring access to stronger upgrades, new development options, and greater specialization. At the same time, they mean the world begins to demand more from the character. The stronger the hero becomes, the greater the challenges that should stand in their path.

Leveling Pace

Player Note

GM Note

Magic in the World of Howl of Eternity

Magic in Howl of Eternity is not an ordinary tool available to every adventurer. It is a rare and powerful force controlled by only a minority of characters, which is exactly why it feels exceptional in the world. Spells can destroy, protect, heal, weaken opponents, or completely change the course of combat. At the same time, magic is never without risk. Stronger spells require time, focus, and the ability to withstand the pressure of the battlefield, because even a single failure can ruin the entire casting. Magic in HoE is therefore powerful, but never automatic. A good spellcaster is not just someone with access to the strongest spells, but above all someone who knows when to use them and how to avoid losing concentration while casting.

This page explains how spellcasting works, how spell effects are calculated, which magic archetypes exist, what role elements play, and how scrolls and runes work for characters who want to interact with magic in a different way.

Casting Spells

Most spells in Howl of Eternity do not work instantly. Stronger magic usually requires casting time, during which the character focuses on guiding the energy correctly and preparing the effect itself. This means the spellcaster is more vulnerable while casting and must rely not only on their own abilities, but often also on protection from the team. When a character starts casting a spell, they must first succeed on a Magic skill roll. This roll determines whether they manage to begin the casting correctly at all. Each spell tier has a clearly defined minimum value this roll must meet. If the roll fails, the spell fails before it has a chance to take effect. If a spell requires multiple rounds to cast, the character continues casting during that time and cannot use other main actions. If they are hit during casting and fail to defend, they must roll Concentration. Success means the spell continues. Failure interrupts the casting and the spell is considered ruined.

Casting time is one of the main reasons magic in HoE feels powerful but fair. A spellcaster can decide an entire fight, but only if they create enough space and handle the pressure that comes with it.

Spellcasting Example

Imagine a spellcaster who has a spell with a casting time of 2 rounds. If they begin casting it in round 5, they first roll Magic on that turn to determine whether the casting begins correctly. Their turn then ends. In round 6, they continue casting and cannot use another main action. If they are hit during this time and fail to defend, they must roll Concentration. If they succeed, the spell continues. If they fail, the entire casting is ruined and cooldown begins. If everything goes correctly, the spell effect automatically takes place at the start of their turn in round 7. Cooldown begins, and the character can then continue with a normal action.

This system gives magic a clear strength and a clear weakness. Spells can be very strong, but casting them requires time, good positioning, and protection.

Spell Damage and Effects

Spells in Howl of Eternity are not all resolved the same way. For offensive spells, final damage is usually calculated as the spell's base value plus the character's Intelligence, the Magic roll from the successful casting, and any additional bonuses from abilities, equipment, effects, or enchantments. For other spells, especially those from the Wisdom archetype, there may be no fixed base damage value at all. In those cases, the effect is determined directly by the spell description. It may be healing, support, enemy debuffs, battlefield manipulation, or another specific effect. If a spell says its damage is split, first calculate the full final effect including all bonuses, then divide that value among the targets as described by the spell.

This lets magic in HoE work in many different ways. Some spells are purely destructive, while others are built around control, support, or clever manipulation of the situation.

Magic Archetypes

Players do not choose spells only by what sounds strong or interesting. Every spell belongs to an archetype that reflects its overall style of working with magic. Howl of Eternity distinguishes two basic archetypes, Intelligence and Wisdom, and some characters can gain access to both through abilities or special exceptions. The Intelligence archetype focuses mainly on offensive, control, and debuff magic. Such a spellcaster tends to be more technical, direct, and oriented toward the raw strength of effects. The Wisdom archetype focuses instead on support, healing, and manipulative magic. Its strength is not necessarily immediate damage, but long-term influence over the situation, protection of allies, and control over the tempo of combat.

A magic archetype is not just flavor. It affects the character's playstyle, spell selection, and what the spellcaster will excel at during the campaign.

Archetype Overview

Each archetype represents a different approach to magic and a different role within the party.

Some abilities, classes, or special rules can allow a character to cross normal archetype boundaries and open broader magical options.

Magic Elements

Every spell is also assigned to a specific element. The element determines not only the theme and character of the spell, but also which abilities, bonuses, or special effects it can interact with. At higher levels of play, some abilities, items, or passive effects may react specifically to a spell's element and significantly change its strength or use. An element is therefore not just a descriptive label, but a full part of the magic system.

Elements give magic in HoE a stronger identity and create space for synergy between spells, equipment, and abilities.

Spell Tiers

Spells in Howl of Eternity are divided into several tiers based on their power and difficulty. Higher-tier spells place greater demands on the character who wants to cast them. It is not only about when the character gains access to a spell, but also about how high their Magic or Concentration roll must be during casting. This lets magic grow naturally with the character, and stronger spells feel like real milestones in their development rather than just another item on an ability list.

Higher spell tiers do not mean only greater power, but also greater demands on the player. Stronger magic in HoE requires preparation, experience, and correct timing.

How Characters Gain Spells

Players choose spells according to their archetype and the level their character has reached. Each class clearly defines when it gains access to each magic tier and how many spells it can learn. This system is not completely closed, however. Some abilities, items, or special exceptions can change normal progression and open paths the character would not normally have.

This gives magic in HoE a strong sense of growth. A character does not begin as a master of everything, but gradually builds their own relationship with magic and expands their repertoire as they develop.

Scrolls and Runes

Scrolls and runes containing stored spells can also be found in the world of Howl of Eternity. These items provide a special way to access magical effects even without normal spellcasting. To use them, however, a character must know the rune-use ability. Using scrolls and runes is intentionally less stable than working with one's own magic. The character takes a -3 penalty to both the casting roll and Concentration when using them. The advantage is that scrolls do not require the user to be able to cast spells normally, making them an interesting tool for non-spellcasters or characters who want something outside their usual combat style in reserve.

Scrolls and runes add another layer of flexibility to the game. They are not as reliable as personal magic, but at the right moment they can be extremely valuable.

Player Note

Game Master Note

Effects That Change the Flow of Battle

Not every fight in Howl of Eternity is decided only by weapon strength or an attack roll. A major role is often played by different effects that can strengthen, weaken, restrict, or completely disrupt a character's tempo in combat. These effects can come from spells, abilities, potions, traps, enchantments, or other special parts of the world. Some last only briefly and serve as an immediate advantage or complication, while others may stretch across several rounds and gradually change the whole battlefield.

Effects in HoE are one of the main layers of tactics. They make it important not only how much damage a character deals, but also how they can affect enemies, protect allies, or change the rhythm of combat.

How Buffs and Debuffs Work

Buffs and debuffs are temporary effects that change a target's properties for a set time. They may increase strength, defense, accuracy, or speed, but they may also lower stats, restrict actions, cause damage over time, or disrupt concentration. Every effect has a source, strength, and duration. Once applied, it remains on the target for a set number of rounds or until it is removed, interrupted, or naturally expires. Positive effects, or buffs, represent different forms of support. They can empower a character, improve defense, add damage, improve roll quality, or grant another advantage that helps them survive or take control of the situation. Negative effects, or debuffs, do the opposite. They can slow a character, prevent actions, damage them over time, or reduce their chances of success.

In practice, one well-timed effect can be as valuable in combat as a powerful attack. Sometimes it is better to weaken or stop an enemy than to try to kill them immediately.

Resistance and Endurance Against Effects

Two important elements closely tied to buffs and debuffs are resistance and endurance. These skills do not work the same way, and it is important to understand the difference. Resistance focuses mainly on the strength of a negative effect. If a character is resistant to poison, magical weakening, or another harmful influence, the resulting impact may be weaker, shorter, or in some situations completely suppressed. Endurance, on the other hand, represents the ability to withstand and overcome an unfavorable state. In many cases, endurance shortens the duration of a debuff or gives a character a way to break free over time. While resistance often helps when the effect first hits, endurance matters most once the effect is already active on the character.

Resistance and endurance mean debuffs in HoE are not automatic certainty. Even a strong effect can be less effective against a prepared or experienced character. As with the core HoE rule, percentage reductions are rounded up in favor of the larger effect whenever decimals would appear. HoE avoids decimal values for simplicity.

Positive Effects

Positive effects, or buffs, are all states that temporarily help a character. Most often they increase stats, strengthen attack or defense, improve roll quality, add damage, or provide another advantage useful in the current situation. They may be a magical blessing, battle inspiration, a potion effect, a protective shield, or a benefit from enchanted equipment. A buff does not have to be just a numerical bonus. Some positive effects may give a character a special exception to a rule, protect them from a specific kind of attack, or open a tactical option they would not otherwise have.

Positive effects matter because they let players prepare for danger in advance. A well-timed buff often decides a fight before the sides truly collide.

Negative Effects

Negative effects, or debuffs, are all states that weaken a character or directly prevent normal functioning. Some debuffs only reduce certain values, others deal damage over time, and the strongest can completely stop a character's action or defense. Debuffs are one of the main ways to influence combat in HoE without dealing pure damage. Instead of only attacking, a character can slow, weaken, stun, or otherwise disrupt an enemy's plan. That gives combat more depth and supports more play styles.

Debuffs can be extremely powerful at the right moment, but their strength should always be balanced by duration, possible defense, and how easily they can be applied.

Common Effects

Although the Game Master or specific abilities can create many unique states, a few core effects appear most often in combat. These effects form the backbone of most buffs and debuffs, so players should understand them early.

These effects are among the most common building blocks of the combat system. Once a player understands them, most abilities, spells, and items in the game become easier to read.

Grapple and Stun as Key Debuffs

Among all negative effects, grapple and stun stand out as some of the most dangerous states in the whole game. The reason is simple: both strongly disrupt a character's basic ability to act. While ordinary weakening only worsens numbers and bleeding removes health gradually, grapple and stun change control of the fight itself. Grapple is powerful mainly because it locks an enemy in a bad position. Stun goes even further and takes away their ability to respond entirely. These effects should feel strong, but they should also be balanced by how often they can be used and how easy they are to apply.

If the Game Master or players use these effects often, combat becomes more controlled and tactical. It is important, however, that they do not become an automatic win with no counterplay.

Stacking Effects

In more complex fights, multiple effects may be active on one character at once. One ability may increase attack, another may add a protective shield, while an enemy applies weakening or bleeding. Because of that, both the Game Master and players need to track which effects are active and how they interact. As a general rule, effects of the same type should either not stack, or the stronger effect should be used, unless a specific rule says otherwise. Effects of different types can usually combine if they do not contradict each other.

Good effect tracking is the difference between tactical combat and chaos. Buffs and debuffs have real power in HoE, so they need to be handled clearly.

Additional Effects and Custom Variants

Beyond basic buffs and debuffs, the world of Howl of Eternity can support many other states. Some may be unique to specific spells, classes, bosses, legendary items, or unusual regions of the world. They may affect movement, perception, magic, regeneration, interaction, or even the conditions of the battlefield itself. The system is intentionally open so the Game Master does not have to stay limited to a few fixed states. What matters is that every new effect is understandable, has clearly defined strength and duration, and has a way to resist, remove, or otherwise answer it.

This openness lets HoE support creative ability design and atmospheric special situations without needing a closed list for everything in advance.

Player Note

Game Master Note

Danger Is Not Always Visible

The world of Howl of Eternity is dangerous not only because of enemies with swords in hand. Many threats are quieter, more treacherous, and often arrive at the moment a character feels safe. A hidden trap under a stone, a poisoned needle in a lock, an infected wound after a clash with the undead, or dirty water in an abandoned village are all dangers that can make an adventure much more complicated.

Howl of Eternity uses danger so players have to think about their steps. Not every door should be opened without thought, and not every chest should be unlocked without checking first. Traps, poisons, and diseases make the world more believable while rewarding caution, preparation, and a suitable party composition.

Danger Is Created by the Game Master

Traps

Traps are among the oldest and most reliable ways to discourage intruders. They can be simple and brutal, like a pitfall in the floor or a falling grate, but they can also be subtle and sophisticated: a hidden rune, a poisoned mechanism in a chest, or a sound snare that calls the guards. It always depends on who built the trap, what resources they had, and what exactly they wanted to protect.

Traps are not just a way to injure a character. They can slow exploration, raise an alarm, split the party, drain supplies, or bring more enemies into play. A well-designed trap gives the world logic and gives players a reason to act carefully.

How Traps Work

In most cases, players have a chance to discover danger before it activates. If they move carefully, inspect a suspicious place, or explicitly examine a door, chest, or corridor, the Game Master may call for an observation roll. If the trap is discovered in time, the party can decide what to do with it next.

Traps should be part of the environment, not random obstacles without context. Players should be able to search for them, understand their logic, and decide whether to disarm, avoid, or risk them.

Critical Results with Traps

Traps are one of the classic places where critical results can meaningfully change the situation. A critical success when detecting or avoiding a trap can mean more than personal survival. A critical failure can turn an ordinary mistake into a disaster.

Poisons

Poison is a fast, quiet, and treacherous enemy. Unlike ordinary injury, it often does not act at full strength immediately, but disrupts a character gradually. It can weaken the body, slow reactions, reduce combat performance, or steal precious health at the exact moment it is needed most.

Poisons can come from traps, weapons, drinks, natural creatures, and alchemical substances. In play they serve as short-term but often very unpleasant debuffs that can change the course of combat or exploration.

How Poisons Work

Poisons can be applied in many ways. A character may encounter them when triggering a trap, during combat, while carelessly drinking an unknown liquid, or after contact with a venomous creature. The exact form of a poison is always decided by the Game Master, but at its core it is usually a negative effect that worsens the character's state for a short time.

Poisons are designed to punish carelessness while still leaving room for defense, preparation, and clever reactions. A party benefits from someone who can work with resistance, endurance, or healing tools.

Resistance and Endurance Against Poisons

Howl of Eternity treats some skills not only as a one-time chance to succeed, but also as long-term protection against negative effects. This applies especially to resistance and endurance.

Resistance is better at protecting against the strength of the initial hit, while endurance mainly helps with how long that hit lingers. Characters who can handle both are best prepared.

Infections and Diseases

Unlike poisons, diseases usually do not act quickly. They are slower, more persistent, and often far more insidious. A disease may settle into the body quietly, with almost no symptoms at first, and only later reveal its true strength. That is why diseases are often among the most underestimated dangers in the game.

A character may become infected through contact with a sick person, infected animals, rats, undead, or dirty environments. Diseases are essentially long-term effects that may last whole days, and in extreme cases much longer, if the party cannot find a way to treat them.

How Diseases Work

Diseases should feel gradual in the world. In the first phase, a character may not even realize they are sick. Only over time do stronger symptoms appear, along with stronger negative effects.

Diseases work best when they are not just a number in a table, but part of the atmosphere. A weakening character, rising fever, worsening fatigue, or fear of an unknown infection can create very strong story moments.

The Difference Between Poison and Disease

Player Note

Game Master Note

Items as Part of the Adventure

In the world of Howl of Eternity, equipment is not just a technical add-on to a character, but one of the most important parts of the whole adventure. During a campaign, players find all kinds of items - from weapons, armor, shields, potions, plants, and ingredients to precious metals, artifacts, or ordinary objects that are not useful on their own but still have value. Some items are used directly in combat, others are useful for crafting, further upgrading, or selling, and some may matter only in one specific situation. This variety gives inventory in HoE real meaning and makes it more than a list of things in a backpack.

Players can gain items from defeated enemies, completed quests, exploration of interiors and wilderness, or trading. Every item has some value, which means even an apparently useless find can become money the party uses to buy something more useful.

How Inventory Works

Inventory in Howl of Eternity is designed to be clear, functional, and not slow the game down with unnecessary administration. A player distinguishes between what they actively have equipped and what they carry in inventory as supplies, materials, or reserves for later use. Actively equipped items are the items the character actually uses during the adventure and especially in combat. The inventory holds everything else that may be useful later but is not currently worn or held in hand.

This system gives players enough freedom while still setting boundaries so inventory does not lose meaning. The player must always decide what they truly want to carry and what matters most for their character right now.

Using Items During Play and Combat

Items in Howl of Eternity are not only passive equipment. A player can actively use them during the adventure and directly in combat. The basic rule is simple: any active use of an item costs one turn. This means that if a character decides to drink a potion, activate a rune, switch weapons, use a special consumable, or work with another item from inventory, they cannot normally attack, cast a spell, or use another main action on the same turn.

Inventory and equipment in HoE are therefore not only about what a character owns, but also when and how they can use it. Correct item timing can be just as important as a strong attack.

Ranged Weapons and Ammunition

Ranged weapons have a special position in Howl of Eternity. Unlike simple and exotic weapons intended for dual wielding, they cannot be combined with another weapon in an active offensive style. Like polearms and heavy weapons, they are built for a different kind of combat and require full control of both hands or at least a significantly different way of handling. They can be combined with a shield, but in that case the shield has a slightly negative impact on ranged combat.

This approach keeps ranged weapons flexible and tactically interesting without slowing combat down with unnecessary counting of every individual draw or reload.

Item Types

Items in Howl of Eternity are divided into several main categories. The most important include weapons, armor, shields, necklaces, and rings, because these equipment types directly shape a character's combat style, defense, and long-term strength. Alongside them is a broad group of other items such as potions, food, enchantments, consumable materials, precious metals, plants, artifacts, traps, and many other things whose importance depends on the campaign style and the Game Master's decisions. This variety gives inventory the feel of a real world. Something may be valuable for combat, something for crafting, something for trade, and something only for one specific situation. The Game Master can therefore decide how deep and detailed the item system should be in their game.

The main equipment types have their own special rules and attributes worth knowing, because they simplify character sheet notation and make inventory much easier to navigate.

Weapons

Weapons are the basic tool of survival, attack, and combat identity for every character. Each weapon belongs to a specific type that can be developed through the corresponding skills, and each has its own base damage. This damage is then combined with an attribute-derived bonus - Strength for melee weapons and Dexterity for ranged weapons. A weapon in HoE is not just a damage number. It can be enchanted, upgraded, and customized to match a specific playstyle. In general, the larger or more complex a weapon is, the more possible enchantments it can carry. Enchantments add special magical properties, while upgrades increase the weapon's pure combat performance.

Weapon notation may look longer at first, but that is exactly what lets it carry a large amount of information in a readable, repeatable form. Players can see precisely what their weapon does, what it is good against, and how much room it still has for further development.

Shields

Shields are one of the main tools for players who want to maximize defense and survive longer on the front line. They are not without drawbacks. They improve Defensive Maneuvers and help reduce direct damage, but they also limit mobility and worsen the chance to Dodge. Some shield and weapon combinations also worsen attack rolls. This compromise is balanced by higher defense and better ability to survive direct enemy pressure. Shields are therefore ideal mainly for defenders, tanks, and characters meant to protect themselves and others.

Shields in HoE are not just passive items with a number. They are full building blocks of a defensive style and can significantly change how a character functions in a direct clash.

Armor

Every adventurer needs armor that fits their playstyle while giving them the protection needed to survive. Armor in HoE is not only about how much damage it absorbs. It also affects defense, Dodge, sometimes work with Dexterity, and overall determines how the character feels on the battlefield. Each armor provides a defense rating, which is subtracted from damage before Constitution reduction is applied. This means the right armor choice can be absolutely crucial for survival. Like shields, armor can be enchanted, upgraded, and eventually worn down.

Armor in HoE is not just a protective layer. It is a key part of character identity that decides how well the character survives, how freely they can move, and what role they can fulfill in combat.

Necklaces and Rings

Necklaces and rings are a special type of equipment that, unlike weapons, shields, and armor, usually does not directly add or subtract base combat values. Their strength lies mainly in effects. They can increase certain skills, expand magical options, protect against selected debuffs, support a specific build, or add completely unique advantages unavailable elsewhere. Because this is a very flexible item category, their specific strength and design are always up to the Game Master. This type of equipment is ideal for thematic rewards, quest artifacts, or fine-tuning a character's style without changing their main gear.

Necklaces and rings work best when they expand a character's identity rather than simply adding more raw bonuses. They are ideal for interesting and distinctive effects that are about style as much as strength.

Equipment Distribution and Item Balance

How to Create Interesting but Safe Items

Other Equipment and More Detailed Systems

More detailed information about individual equipment types and other items, such as potions, enchantments, consumable materials, or ingredients, can be found in the Systems and Equipment section. That is where their basic effects, common uses, and balance recommendations are described in more detail. It is also worth remembering that Howl of Eternity is a system that may evolve over time. In future patches or adjustments, some items, their strength, or their distribution may therefore change so that the overall game balance remains as strong as possible.

This page serves as a basic overview of inventory and the main equipment types. More detailed lists, specific items, and deeper systems continue in other parts of the rules.

Player Note

Game Master Note

Not Everything Is Clear at First Glance

The world of Howl of Eternity is full of items, artifacts, and old relics whose true nature is not obvious at first glance. What looks like an ordinary ring may hide powerful magic. A dusty scroll may contain forbidden knowledge. And a seemingly worthless object may be the key to something much greater.

Identification is a mechanic that lets characters uncover the true nature of things they encounter during play. It is not only about numbers and effects, but also about understanding what they are actually holding.

Perception Roll

To learn information about an item, character, or document, the party can make a perception roll based on Wisdom. This roll represents a character's ability to understand the unknown, recognize hidden properties, or connect information that is not visible at first glance.

A perception roll is not only about numbers, but also about interpretation. The Game Master can reveal information gradually, describe it indirectly, or place it in the context of the world so discovery becomes part of the experience.

Risk and Decision

Every unidentified item presents a choice. Use it immediately and risk unknown consequences, or take time to learn more and be prepared? Some items may help, others may harm, and some will do both.

This mechanic adds tension to the game and makes players think. Not everything needs to be obvious immediately, and not every decision is free of risk.

Player Note

GM Note

A Language That Is Not Heard

Not all communication in the world of Howl of Eternity happens through words. Animals perceive the world differently than people do: through instinct, scent, movement, and emotion. For most characters, their reactions are hard to read. But for those with a feel for nature or experience with animals, a different level of understanding opens up.

Animal communication does not necessarily mean a normal conversation. It is more about understanding behavior, responding correctly to signals, and in some cases influencing the animal.

How the Ability Works

A character who understands animal communication has a better chance to read animal behavior, estimate intent, and try to influence the creature. This is not precise information exchange. It is about working with instinct, trust, and the reactions of the creature in front of them.

This ability is about sensitivity and interpretation. It is not only about numbers, but about how the character approaches the animal and how the Game Master describes its reaction.

Practical Use

Animal communication has broad use both in combat and outside it. Used well, it can prevent conflict, reveal important information, or open new ways to solve a situation.

Animals often notice things people miss. With this ability, they can become a valuable source of information or an unexpected ally.

Limits and Interpretation

It is important to remember that animals are not people. Their motivations are simple: survival, food, territory, or protecting their young. Even if a character can communicate with them, that does not mean they will always be willing to cooperate.

The Game Master has a lot of freedom in deciding how animals react. The same request can lead to different outcomes depending on the creature's nature, environment, and current situation.

Player Note

GM Note

Adventure as a Journey

Every adventure in Howl of Eternity is built from quests. They are not just random events, but individual steps that shape the story of the characters and the world. Quests give the game direction, motivation, and meaning. They determine where the characters go, whom they meet, and what challenges they must overcome.

Quests are not only a mechanic. They are story tools that connect players to the world. Through them, ordinary travel becomes a real story.

Main Quest

Every party shares one main quest that forms the backbone of the whole campaign. This quest sets the direction of the adventure, connects individual events, and gradually reveals the larger story of the world.

The main quest is the shared goal of all players. Even if the characters step away from it for a time, they always return to it as the main line of their story.

Side Quests

Side quests are larger challenges that can be just as demanding as the main story line. Players receive them from NPCs: merchants, nobles, mages, or ordinary people who need help.

Side quests give players freedom. They can choose how their character develops and what stories they want to experience.

Opportunity Quests

Opportunity quests are short, spontaneous challenges that arise directly during play. They often involve unexpected situations: helping the wounded, making a quick decision in a crisis, or seizing a chance to gain something extra.

These quests add momentum to the game. They make players react to the situation here and now, without lengthy planning.

Major Arcana - Fate Cards

In the world of Howl of Eternity, mystical cards known as the Major Arcana exist. These cards are not only symbolic. They truly affect the fates of characters. Each card represents a certain force, idea, or archetype that manifests in reality.

Major Arcana cards add an element of fate to the game. Players do not have full control over what happens. Sometimes the world helps them; at other times it puts obstacles in their path.

Major Arcana Card Mechanics

Each side quest can be connected to a Major Arcana card that affects its course. This card is drawn at the start of the quest, and its effect lasts for the whole time the quest is being pursued.

Cards are not just bonuses or penalties. They are story catalysts that change the course of the adventure.

Strategy and Decision-Making

Major Arcana cards bring risk into the game. Players must consider how many quests they want to accept and how much fate they are willing to carry.

Example in Play

The party draws The Tower, a card that symbolizes collapse and chaos. During the quest, their plans begin to fall apart: they lose an important item, allies fail them, and the situation gradually worsens.

The Meaning of the Cards

Player Note

GM Note

Major Arcana Cards

Each Major Arcana card represents an archetypal force that affects the course of a side quest. A card's effect is not only mechanical. It also changes the atmosphere, decisions, and development of the story.

The World Between Battles

Howl of Eternity is not built only on combat, quests, and character growth. The journey between those moments matters just as much. Travel, discovering new places, and moving through the world create a large part of the atmosphere of an entire campaign. Players experience not only the destination, but also the road toward it: forests, ruins, villages, mountains, swamps, guilds, taverns, abandoned roads, and unexpected detours. Any of those spaces may be only a short stop, but it may also become an important part of the story. Howl of Eternity intentionally leaves a lot of freedom here. Characters can travel in basically any way that makes sense for a medieval fantasy RPG. They can move on foot, on horseback or another mount, use wagons, ships, and sometimes magical forms of travel such as teleports, portals, or other rarer magic. How common, rare, or dangerous each form of travel is in the world belongs mainly in the hands of the Game Master and the tone of the campaign.

This chapter closes the basic rules and also acts as a bridge between the purely mechanical part of the game and the actual running of adventures. It does not deal only with movement across a map, but also with campaign rhythm, quest flow, location preparation, and the general style of how the world should feel to players.

How the Party Can Travel

Howl of Eternity does not try to lock travel into one correct template. The world of Oia is wide and varied enough for every Game Master to decide how movement through the world should feel. In some campaigns, travel will be slower, rougher, and more dangerous. In others, the game will be more heroic, fluid, and fast. What matters is not that every journey has the same length or level of detail, but that travel matches the tone of the campaign. Travel on foot is usually the most common and natural form of movement. It offers the most room for random events, side discoveries, small interactions, and a real sense of distance between places. Travel on a mount or with a caravan can speed movement up and give the party more comfort, but it also creates new concerns, because animals must be protected, fed, and sometimes healed. Magical travel is usually rarer and more significant, because it can skip large parts of the world and shorten a journey that might otherwise have been an adventure on its own.

Travel should not be just a technical movement of a token across a map. Even a short stretch of road can build atmosphere, relationships between characters, and a better sense of the world itself.

Keeping the Party Together

In larger groups, it is strongly recommended to play as a team and keep characters together as much as possible. This is not because splitting the party is forbidden or inherently bad, but because in practice it often creates dead spots. Once every player starts doing something different in a different place, it is very easy for one or two people to receive long minutes of attention while the others only wait for their turn to return. This can make part of the group feel outside the game even though everyone is physically at the table. That does not mean characters must never separate. Short scouting scenes, secret conversations, or divided roles inside one location are fine and often very fun. It is simply better if that is not the campaign's default state. HoE generally works best when the party travels, discovers, and solves situations together. Not only because of mechanics, but mainly because of game rhythm and the shared experience.

The larger the player group is, the more important it becomes to make sure nobody is left without space for too long. A shared road and shared problem-solving are among the simplest ways to achieve that.

Open World or Guided Story

It is very useful to clarify in advance what type of campaign you actually want to play. Some groups enjoy free play: open movement through the world without a fixed path. Players decide where to go, what to focus on, which areas to explore, and which to ignore entirely. Other groups prefer a stronger story line, where the path is more guided and quests and locations connect with a clearer direction. Howl of Eternity supports both approaches. The world of Oia is large enough for the Game Master to use a prepared story from the author of HoE, create their own story inside the world, or even take only the rules and use them in a completely original setting. What matters is that the group understands from the beginning whether it will follow a clearer story axis or move toward a more open sandbox game.

This is not about which style is better, but which will work better for a specific group. Well-set expectations at the start of a campaign prevent many later problems.

Party Rhythm and Shared Rules

Alongside large systems, it is often just as important to agree on small practical routines that keep the game together. HoE includes many activities players may do outside the main combat and quests: trading, storing money in a bank, managing inventory, stealing from NPCs, crafting, repairing equipment, or handling smaller personal actions. If every such thing begins immediately the moment someone thinks of it, the game can quickly lose rhythm and part of the group may once again be waiting. That is why it is strongly recommended for the party to agree on a basic routine. For example, buying and selling equipment might always happen after a rest or just before it. The same can apply to banking, inventory management, or other actions that do not involve the whole party at once. Such agreements reduce dead space and help keep the flow of play readable.

These rules are not restrictive. They help a large and complex game run more smoothly and more fairly for the whole group.

Keeping Quests Under Control

With quests, it is highly recommended to keep some line of direction that does not suffocate players, but also does not allow the story to collapse into chaos. A pile of unfinished tasks, unresolved side lines, and constant jumping between motives can quickly create confusion for both players and the Game Master. This is especially true when you use Major Arcana cards or other long-term effects tied to active quests. The more open lines the party drags along at once, the harder it becomes to track all consequences. It is perfectly fine to gently and naturally encourage players to actually finish some quests instead of constantly opening more and more. This does not have to be a hard limit on freedom. Time pressure, consequences of inaction, changes in the world, or situations that naturally resolve themselves if ignored for too long are often enough.

Quests should create direction and motivation, not chaos. Even a more open game needs some order, or it collapses under the weight of its own possibilities.

Exploring Dungeons and Preparing Locations

When exploring dungeons, ruins, caves, old fortresses, or other dangerous places, it is very useful to have at least a basic plan prepared in advance. Not because everything must be written down to the last detail, but so the location has its own logic. It is useful to know where traps are, where a treasure chest might be, where enemies wait, which parts of the location matter, and where something may go wrong or change. Players almost always invent at least a few actions the Game Master did not expect. That is natural and part of the fun. This is exactly why it helps to have a skeleton for the place. When you know how the location works, it is easier to respond to their ideas and keep the story flowing instead of stopping. The same applies to quests in general. You do not need every possible branch prepared, but it is very useful to have at least a basic axis along which events can move.

A well-prepared location does not feel like a list of rooms. It feels like a real place with its own purpose, rhythm, and danger.

The Main Story and Player Expectations

The main story should be prepared before the players arrive at the first session. It does not need hundreds of pages or every future detail solved, but it should have a clear foundation, momentum, and several strong points the campaign can lean on. The main plot very often creates the largest part of long-term motivation and fun. At the same time, the Game Master needs to remember that they never know in advance exactly how active players will be in pursuing the main line. Some parties enjoy wandering the world, taking in the environment, looking for side content, and leaving the main plot for later. Others follow the first clues straight to the heart of the problem. That is why it is useful for the main story to be interesting but not overly complicated, and to account for the fact that some important confrontations may happen earlier than originally planned. A typical example is a boss or key antagonist. If they are prepared only as an enemy for level 10+, but the players somehow reach them at level 5, a problem can appear. In that case, the Game Master should either adjust the boss or create a natural story barrier that leads players elsewhere without making them feel pushed away by force.

A good main story is not only about what happens. It also needs to survive different player pacing and different levels of interest in the world. Game Master preparation makes a huge difference here.

When to Play the Journey and When to Skip It

It is strongly recommended not to use fast travel always and everywhere. When players move between important places, it is often much more interesting to let them actually experience the road. A forest, meadow, mountain path, cave tunnel, or forgotten road between villages can offer small adventures, side interactions, atmospheric moments, and surprises that would vanish during instant movement. These stretches often create the feeling that the world is alive and that the journey itself means something. On the other hand, there is no need to play every single route again and again. If players have already taken a road, nothing new is prepared there, and no twist or new decision awaits them, fast travel can be very useful. It saves time and helps focus attention where something is actually happening.

A good Game Master does not only ask how far the party travels, but whether the journey itself is interesting at that moment. If it is, play it. If it is not, there is no shame in shortening it.

Keeping Combat Alive During Travel

During random encounters, road ambushes, or dungeon fights, it is useful to avoid combat that is unnecessarily long and repetitive. Instead of enemies with enormous health and weak attacks, it is often much more fun to create opponents who are fragile but have an interesting ability, dangerous effect, or force players to cooperate differently. Such a fight feels more dramatic, and players feel that they actually need to do something instead of repeating the same attack for several rounds. The goal is not necessarily to kill players in every encounter, but to create situations where they have reason to use as many tools as possible. If you can put the party in a situation where they have to cooperate, cover each other, time buffs correctly, and use abilities thoughtfully, you usually get some of the most fun and memorable fights of the campaign.

Combat should not be filler between locations. Even a smaller encounter on the road can become a strong scene if it has a clear idea, pace, and a reason to happen the way it does.

Oia as an Open Space for Stories

Howl of Eternity is built on the world of Oia, which is broad enough to support different campaign styles, different provinces, different levels of familiarity, and different kinds of stories. Some regions will be well known and firmly described in play, while others will remain more suggested, giving the Game Master room to fill them in. That is part of HoE's strength: the world is specific enough to have its own identity, but open enough for every Game Master to run a somewhat different experience inside it. For some groups, Oia will be a place for classic heroic adventure. For others, it may be a stage for political intrigue, dark survival, ruin exploration, or a travel campaign full of cultures and regions. Exploration and travel are therefore not just a technical layer on top, but a natural part of the world's identity.

This chapter closes the basic rules because it points back to one important thing: rules give the game shape, but the world, the journey, and the way characters truly exist inside it give the game life.

Player Note

Game Master Note