In the lives of common folk becoming afflicted with a disease poses as great a threat as monsters or magic. Pestilence can ravage a population directly or it can destroy crops, sicken livestock, and foul sources of drinking water, leaving famine and political turmoil in its wake. A settlement in the grips of a plague might develop oppressive customs that last long after the outbreak has passed, and ghouls and other terrors often take advantage of the hardships diseases bring.

Even mighty heroes can fall victim to disease, particularly illnesses supernatural in origin. An evil mage might afflict adventurers with a sickness only magic can cure, or while exploring an ancient tomb the party might contract a plague that saps their strength. High-level PCs may even encounter diseases of extraplanar origin—for example, demon fever is an ailment from the realms infernal that night hags intentionally spread amongst their enemies.

The rules for handling diseases are unique to each disease. Whereas one affliction might have an incubation period of several weeks, others can prove lethal within minutes. Some diseases infect only certain types of creatures or affect their hosts in different ways. While victims of disease can sometimes recover naturally, supernatural diseases often require magic to cure (such as a lesser restoration spell). Particularly virulent diseases might resist even magical healing. Only rare medicines or the intervention of the gods can halt such plagues. 

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Treating Diseases

Treating a diseased creature over the course of a short rest with a successful Medicine check (tier 1: DC 10, tier 2: DC 14, tier 3: DC 18, tier 4: DC 22) grants advantage on its next saving throw against the disease.

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Sample Diseases

Each of the following example diseases includes a general range of adventurers it is intended to be used against: tier 1 (1st–4th level), tier 2 (5th–10th level), tier 3 (11th–16th level), or tier 4 (17th–20th level). Narrators that want to introduce a disease above or below the party’s current tier can adjust the specifics of the disease to match their resilience and capabilities. Such adjustments might include raising or lowering the saving throw DCs of the disease, changing the disease’s symptoms, or making the disease easier (or more difficult) to cure.

Adverse Ascension (Tier 2)

Being exposed to too much unfiltered godly glory is deadly to mortals, the simple matter of their flesh and their paltry souls too small to contain such radiance.  

The most common way to contract adverse ascension is by use of the commune spell, becoming afflicted once every time the caster does not receive an answer. A creature that takes radiant damage equal to triple its total hit dice from a celestial can also be afflicted. 

Any creature overexposed to the divine makes a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or becomes infected with adverse ascension. In the first phase of adverse ascension the infected creature’s dreams and daydreams start featuring more of the deity’s aspects and iconography. 

After 1d4 days of the disease’s first stage the infected creature makes a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or proceeds to the second stage of infection, gaining a short-term mental stress effect whenever it commits an act of devotion to any other god than the one worshiped by the celestial that afflicted it. On a success, the creature recovers from the disease.

At the end of each long rest, an infected creature makes a Charisma saving throw against a DC determined by infection stage (first stage DC 12, second stage DC 13, third stage DC 14). The saving throw is made with disadvantage if within the last 24 hours the infected creature witnessed divine spellcasting by any follower of the same deity as the one it is being drawn to. 

On a success while suffering from the second or third stage of infection, the infected creature regresses to the previous stage of infection. 

On a failure while suffering from the second stage of infection, the infected creature gains an ideal of, “All must know how great my deity is.” This can manifest in many ways, such as muttered whispered scriptures, or as proudly trying to convert everyone around, depending on the person. The infected creature begins to show a miraculous understanding of the Outer Planes that gives it advantage on Religion checks. An infected creature that fails a second saving throw progresses to the third stage of adverse ascension.

On a failure while suffering from the third stage of infection, the infected creature can cast shield of faith once between rests. For the spell’s duration, the infected creature begins to gently fade into the Astral Plane as it is drawn to the divine. At the start of each of its turns, the infected creature makes death saving throws as if dying. The infected creature still acts on its turn as normal, but after three failures it materializes into the heavens never to be seen again. Other creatures can use the Help action to grant the infected creature advantage on these saves by speaking encouraging words to it.

After a priest of the same or a similar faith has spent 7 days in one-on-one theology seminars with the infected creature, it makes a DC 12 Charisma saving throw, curing the disease on a success. 

Arcane Autophagy (Tier 4)

Magic takes a toll on even the most resilient mortal body. Arcane autophagy occurs when the energy of a powerful spell devours the consciousness of the creature casting it. Despite this disease’s name mages, the servants of the gods, and champions of nature are all vulnerable to arcane autophagy.

Whenever a creature casts a 9th-level spell, roll 1d20. On a result greater than the creature’s spellcasting level, it may become afflicted with arcane autophagy. The creature makes a DC 20 saving throw using its spellcasting ability. On a failed save, the creature becomes infected with arcane autophagy and suffers 1 level of strife , or 2 levels on a failure by 5 or more.

Once infected, the creature repeats the saving throw each time it finishes a long rest. The creature must also repeat the save whenever it casts the spell that triggered the disease. On a failed save, the creature suffers another level of strife, or 2 levels on a failure of 5 or more.

Lesser restoration has no effect on arcane autophagy. A greater restoration spell removes 1 level of strife from the afflicted creature but does not end the disease. To fully recover, the infected creature must purge all traces of the triggering spell from its mind. To do so, the creature must spend 24 hours without casting spells or cantrips, using class features or other abilities involving magic, or activating magic items. If these conditions are met, the next time the creature saves against the disease, it recovers on a success. A recovered creature no longer needs to make saving throws against the disease and can reduce levels of strife as normal. On a failed save, the creature’s condition worsens, although it can attempt to recover again by repeating the purging process.

Cackle Fever (Tier 3)

Also known as ‘the shrieks’, cackle fever can afflict any humanoids except gnomes, who are mysteriously immune to the affliction. The disease’s symptoms include fever, disorientation, and fits of laughter that are literally contagious.

A creature infected with cackle fever suffers 1 level of fatigue 1d4 hours after contracting the disease. Until the disease is cured, the creature cannot recover from this level of fatigue. Whenever the creature experiences stress (including entering combat or taking damage), it makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw . On a failed save, it takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and is incapacitated as it cackles maniacally for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, a cackling creature can repeat the saving throw to stop laughing and end the incapacitated condition.

When a creature starts its turn within 10 feet of a cackling creature, it makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it also becomes infected with cackle fever, or on a success it becomes immune to infection from that creature’s cackle fever for 24 hours.

A creature infected by cackle fever makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw whenever it finishes a long rest. On a success, the DC of this saving throw and the saving throw to avoid a cackling fit are reduced by 1d6. The creature recovers from the disease when the DC drops to 0. If the creature fails three such saving throws before the disease ends, it gains a long-term mental stress effect.

Gnolls are particularly susceptible to cackle fever and have disadvantage on saving throws made against the disease. However, a gnoll is not incapacitated while in the grips of a cackling fit and instead gains advantage on attack rolls.

Delver’s Lung (Tier 1)

Delver’s lung is caused by inhaling the spores of mold that often infest dungeons and other subterranean spaces. Though pernicious, delver’s lung is rarely fatal.

A beast or humanoid exposed to delver’s lung makes a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or it becomes infected. Whenever an infected creature takes the Dash or Sprint action, it repeats the saving throw or suffers 1 level of fatigue .

Each time an infected creature finishes a long rest, it repeats the saving throw, with advantage if the rest was completed in an environment with clean, fresh air. After succeeding on three consecutive saving throws, the disease ends. A creature that finishes a long rest on the Elemental Plane of Air automatically recovers from the disease.

Demon Fever (Tier 2)

Ghouls native to the infernal realms carry an illness known as demon fever in their bile. Night hags (who are immune to this disease) sometimes smear ghoul bile on their lips to infect their mortal lovers.

A humanoid exposed to demon fever makes a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or it becomes infected. Terrifying dreams plague an infected creature’s sleep. Whenever the creature attempts to take a long rest, it makes a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or it gains no benefit from the rest.

A protection from evil and good or magic circle spell cast on an infected creature prevents the nightmares for 24 hours, allowing it to benefit from a long rest. A heal spell or more powerful magic permanently cures demon fever. When afflicted by a night hag, the creature can choose to end the infection at any time.

Fey Longings (Tier 2)

The Dreaming is a wondrous realm, so enchanting that some start to long for it without ever having been there. After any personal, intimate interaction with a fey, a creature makes a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or becomes infected. Fey aware of this danger can take special precautions to prevent it using wards made from special plants and oils and though most know this, few care. Creatures with fey ancestry (such as elves, gnomes, and half-elves) are immune.

It takes 1d4 days for the symptoms of fey longings to take hold. The infected creature sees fey wherever they look. At first it’s the giggling sound of pixies just behind the next tree, but after several days it’s not uncommon for the delusions to include being surrounded by thick vines, glistening psychedelic rains, or riding a colorfully-feathered frog (while in fact the infected creature might be tangled in ropes, showered in blood, or standing on a swift-moving boat). While these vivid hallucinations are complete, they do not directly lead to a creature being harmed or put into harm’s way.

When the infected creature makes an opposed Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion check, it makes a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the infected creature is charmed by one random creature it can see. This creature cannot be an ally of the infected creature. If there’s no viable target, the infected creature instead has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks as it sees and tries to interact with a world beyond the veil. 

The best cure for fey longings is to bring the infected creature to the Dreaming to interact with its denizens and environment. At the end of each day spent in the Dreaming, an infected creature makes a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw to recover from the disease. Otherwise fey longing naturally fades after 1 month.

Fractured Rift Disorder (Tier 2)

Every being is tied to the plane it is native to, both the realm’s physical laws and the dimension’s place in the multiverse. On rare occasions that connection can weaken—and perhaps even be severed. Frequent travel beyond the Inner and Outer Planes dilutes a soul’s tether to its original plane of existence. Spells such as plane shift and well-made portals are generally safe, allowing for a smooth transition between dimensions, but journeying by other means can have ill effects. Whenever a creature travels between planes using a naturally occurring portal or dangerous magical item (like a well of many worlds), it makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or becomes infected with fractured rift disorder.

Whenever the infected creature suffers a level of fatigue or strife, its connection to the Material Plane is tested and it makes a DC 12 Constitution saving throw . On a failure, the infected creature is teleported 1d20 feet away in a random horizontal direction as its connection to the here and now shifts slightly.

Unless treated (see below) the rift continues to fracture and the infection worsens. At the end of every week during which a creature with a basic or mild infection does more than rest, it makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or the disease worsens as per Table: Fractured Rift Disorder. On a success, its infection is reduced by one stage (from mild to basic, or basic to recovered).

All of this disease’s effects manifest only while on the Material Plane. 

Restoration and similar magic have no effect on fractured rift disorder since the problem can’t be fixed with positive energy. Instead the infected creature needs to strengthen its connection to the world. A druid or similarly nature-oriented person can diagnose the disease with a DC 18 Nature check and prescribe a long-term treatment, usually requiring a month of peaceful meditation in an ancient grove or cave at the end of which the infected creature recovers.

There are legends about living with fractured rift disorder as well, the most popular claiming that an old dwarven hero infected with it crafted a pair of magical iron boots to keep himself grounded. 

Fracture Level	Cumulative Effect	Worsens when...
Basic	Make a DC 12 Constitution save after suffering a level of fatigue or strife , or teleport 1d20 feet in a random direction.	Failing a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of a week of adventuring.
Mild	Make a DC 12 Constitution save after scoring or taking a critical hit, teleporting 1d20 feet in a random direction on a failure.	Failing a DC 17 Constitution saving throw at the end of a week of adventuring.
Severe	Become ethereal (as the blink spell) whenever the infected creature rolls a natural 1 on a d20. Make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid dropping held items just before the transition.	Automatically worsens after several weeks not spent resting.
Deadly	When the infected creature has been targeted by a magical effect that changes its form or location within the last round and it makes a Strength check, melee attack roll, or attacks with a thrown weapon, it makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or it is transported to a random plane of existence.	—

Netherblight (Tier 3)

Being raised from the dead often has a deleterious effect upon a mortal’s soul. Netherblight is the term scholars use to describe this spiritual malady.

Whenever a dead humanoid is restored to life (via a raise dead spell, for example), roll 1d20. On a result greater than the creature’s level (or challenge rating), it may become afflicted with netherblight. The creature makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or it becomes infected.

Netherblight affects its victims in different ways. Whenever a creature infected with netherblight finishes a long rest, it makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw . On a failure, it gains a randomly determined malady as per Table: Netherblight.  If this would result in an effect the creature already suffers from, the victim’s malady does not worsen but it has disadvantage on its next saving throw against the disease.

Only powerful magic (such as a wish spell), a divine miracle, or the completion of a quest determined by the Narrator can cure a creature afflicted with netherblight.

Table: Netherblight (1d6)

1. The creature’s voice becomes flat and lifeless, and it has disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks made to influence living creatures.
2. The creature’s zest for life fades, and it becomes unable to gain inspiration or benefit from Bardic Inspiration.
3. The creature’s type changes to undead. At the Narrator’s discretion, mindless undead (such as skeletons or zombies) may ignore the creature’s presence.
4. The gods themselves shun the creature. Whenever a spell or magical effect would restore the creature’s hit points, the creature regains only half the hit points it would have normally regained.
5. The creature’s grip on life becomes tenuous and it has disadvantage on death saving throws.
6. Death calls for the creature’s return. The creature gains the doomed condition, dying at a time determined by the Narrator. A spell of 7th-level or higher (such as resurrection) can remove the doomed condition but does not cure the disease.

Pastrasite (Tier 3)

This chrono-active parasite is native to Limbo, a result of the ever-shifting environment in which even time is malleable. Unfortunately pastrasites are drawn to the Material Plane where the rigid temporal structure of past, present, and future provides an excellent foundation to cling to, akin to a caterpillar climbing up and down a tree’s bark. They are usually contracted in places of historical significance where they exist in a dormant state around the time of the event itself, looking into the future in search of visitors who have an especially interesting past—adventurers. 

There’s no certainty as to what a pastrasite looks like as they can only be detected by their symptoms. They never come in contact with the infected creature itself, instead consuming the creature’s background, subsiding on the temporal backlash that results when the timeline snaps back.

When an adventurer enters an area with pastrasites they make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw as their psyche instinctively tries to maintain their personal timeline. 

On a success, the pastrasite immediately retreats, choosing another adventurer to infect until there are none at which point it can no longer maintain its temporal existence, disappearing and leaving behind a strong sense of imminence within its would-be victims. For the next several hours the adventurers have advantage on Intelligence checks made to recall information.

On a failure, the adventurer becomes infected and the pastrasite immediately destroys several years of their past. The infected adventurer loses its background and gains a randomly determined background. This new background is now—and always has been—the adventurer’s past. The adventurer is vaguely aware of what happened with blurred recollection of things being somehow different than before becoming infected. Only spells that contact other planes can reveal information from the infected adventurer’s previous timeline. Most facts change as little as possible to remain consistent with the infected adventurer’s new past, but some friction remains. Whenever an inconsistency between the old and new timelines is first spoken of in front of the infected adventurer, it takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage. 

The new timeline gradually settles, and the true past can only be restored through powerful magic such as wish. Once a pastrasite has altered an adventurer’s timeline, although its effects remain the adventurer recovers from the disease. Spells like remove disease or features like a herald’s Lay on Hands have no effect on pastrasites.

Rotter Plague (Tier 1)

Some zombies are creations of magic but others are the spawn of an affliction known as rotter plague. Whether this disease developed naturally or is the result of some mad necromancer’s experiment is unknown.

Zombies infected with rotter plague hunger for living flesh. A rotter zombie has a Speed of 35 feet, advantage on initiative checks, and gain the following attack:

 Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) piercing damage. If the target is a living creature, it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 10 + the damage dealt) or it becomes infected with rotter plague.

A living creature infected with rotter plague suffers no negative effects from the disease and cannot transmit it unless it dies. An infected creature that dies rises as a rotter zombie after 1 minute. Sprinkling the creature’s corpse with holy water or dealing it at least 1 damage prevents this transformation. A gentle repose spell cast on the body also prevents it from rising as a rotter zombie for the spell’s duration.

Lesser restoration cures rotter plague. Casting lesser restoration on an infected zombie removes its ability to transmit rotter plague but has no other effect.

Scree Scale (Tier 2)

Prolonged exposure to the Elemental Plane of Earth sometimes results in the extraplanar malady known as scree scale. Though slow acting, an untreated case of scree scale can be debilitating.

A beast or humanoid exposed to scree scale makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or it becomes infected. After 1d10 days, an infected creature’s skin develops pebble-like growths that spread for as long as the disease persists. Every 1d10 days, the infected creature repeats the saving throw, curing itself of the disease after three successful saves. A lesser restoration spell also cures the disease.

An infected creature that fails the saving throw three times before the disease ends becomes a creature of living stone. In this form, the creature’s type changes to elemental, and it gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine. Once scree scale has progressed to this stage, only greater restoration or more powerful magic can reverse the effect.

A creature of living stone repeats the saving throw every 1d10 days. On a failure, the creature becomes petrified until the disease is cured. If the infected creature makes three successful saving throws before becoming petrified , the disease’s progression halts and it remains in its living stone form until cured.

Sewer Plague (Tier 1)

Unsanitary conditions give rise to all manner of pestilence generically referred to as sewer plague. Contact with rotting waste or stagnant water can transmit sewer plague, as can the bites of rats and other creatures that live amid such filth.

A humanoid exposed to sewer plague makes a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or it becomes infected. After 1d4 days, an infected creature experiences cramps and exhaustion. The creature suffers 1 level of fatigue, it recovers only half the normal amount of hit points when spending Hit Dice, and it regains no hit points upon completing a long rest.

An infected creature repeats the saving throw whenever it finishes a long rest . On a failure, it suffers an additional level of fatigue . On a success, the creature instead recovers from 1 level of fatigue. The creature is cured of this disease when it has no levels of fatigue.

Sight Rot (Tier 1)

A beast or humanoid that drinks water tainted with sight rot makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or it becomes infected. After 24 hours, an infected creature’s vision begins to blur, imposing a –1 penalty to attack rolls and sight-based ability checks. Each time the creature finishes a long rest, the penalty worsens by 1. Once the penalty reaches –5, the creature is blind for as long as it remains diseased.

A lesser restoration spell or similar magic cures sight rot, as does the application of an ointment extracted from eyebright (a rare flower found in some swamps). An hour of work with a single eyebright flower and a DC 14 herbalism kit check produces one dose of the ointment. Applying the ointment to an infected creature’s eyes during a long rest prevents the disease from worsening, and three applications of the ointment cures sight rot.

Spectral Thought-Worms (Tier 4)

Spectral thought-worms are tiny parasitic creatures native to the Astral Plane. Their prefered habitat is a conscious mind where they subside on thoughts and ideals. When a creature interacts with the Astral Plane (via the astral projection spell or magic item mishaps) without the protection of a mind blank spell, or when it suffers prolonged exposure to the less stable areas of the Astral Plane’s wild energies, roll 1d20. On a result equal to or less than its level (or CR), it may become afflicted with this disease. Spectral thought-worms can also be carried along a detect thoughts spell, telepathic connections, and similar effects. A creature exposed to a spectral thought-worm or an infected creature’s mind makes a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or it becomes infected. 

In 1d4 days the spectral thought-worm’s symptoms manifest in an infected creature. The parasite infestation spreads and they eat the infected creature’s psyche, creating a mental space into which they lay eggs. An infected creature has its memories altered (as the modify memory spell with no save), completely forgetting the events within 1d4 hours before and 1d4 hours after its affliction.

When an infected creature finishes a long rest , it repeats the saving throw. 

On a success, the infected creature’s mind fights against the spectral thought-worms and in the resulting struggle its memory is altered, forgetting the events within the last 2d4 hours. 

On a failure, the worm clears enough space to lay eggs that hatch in 1d4 days. These start eating the infected creature’s personality, reducing its Charisma by 1 at the end of each long rest. When an infected creature’s Charisma score is reduced to 0 and it dies, the spectral thought-worms escape to the Astral Plane through the tiny planar opening created by the departing soul.

Spectral thought-worms are susceptible to psychic damage (thus their penchant to hide within minds as a shield against astral energies). When an infected creature is targeted by lesser restoration, or takes psychic damage equal to or more than its Charisma score, the parasite goes dormant for 1 week. A dormant spectral thought-worm is destroyed when the infected creature takes psychic damage equal to or more than its Charisma score. Upon destruction a spectral thought-worm dissolves into stray thoughts that are expelled throughout the next day as semi-insightful sayings that float through the creature’s mind.

Troll Pox (Tier 2)

This virulent disease originated in trolls but has since spread to other creatures. Troll pox manifests as an outbreak of boils that are rapidly replaced by tumorous growths.

Whenever a creature infected with troll pox takes bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, each living creature within 5 feet of it makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or becomes infected. After 1d4 hours, an infected creature’s skin erupts with boils.

Though unpleasant, the initial stage of troll pox is harmless to the victim. However, each time the creature finishes a long rest, it repeats the saving throw. On a failure, the boils burst to reveal a host of fast-growing tumors. The creature’s hit point maximum is reduced by 5 (1d10). Each time the creature fails the Constitution saving throw , its hit point maximum is reduced by an additional 5 (1d10) points. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

In addition, the creature gains the following trait:

Regeneration. The creature regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the creature takes acid or fire damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The creature dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.

Infected creatures can live with troll pox for extended periods, but they never recover naturally. Only a greater restoration spell or similar magic can cure the disease.

Whether the party spends the night cavorting in the tavern, forging ahead through a furious storm, or subduing a camp of bandits they are having encounters. Each game session should be a mixture of three basic kinds of roleplaying that represent the pillars of Level Up: exploration encounters, social encounters, and of course combat encounters. 

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Challenge Rating

The difficulty of a fight against a monster, besting an exploration challenge, or overcoming an encounter element in either is measured by challenge rating, or CR. A challenge rating helps guide the Narrator in choosing appropriate challenges for a group of adventurers and denotes the amount of experience points to be rewarded afterward.

Challenge Rating	Experience Points
0	0 or 10
1/8	25
1/4	50
1/2	100
1	200
2	450
3	700
4	1,100
5	1,800
6	2,300
7	2,900
8	3,900
9	5,000
10	5,900
11	7,200
12	8,400
13	10,000
14	11.500
15	13,000
16	15,000
17	18,000
18	20,000
19	22,000
20	25,000
21	33,000
22	41,000
23	50,000
24	62,000
25	75,000
26	90,000
27	105,000
28	120,000
29	135,000
30	155,000

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Exploration Encounters

Exploration entails traveling from one location to another and overcoming whatever challenges the world throws at the adventurers. These are primarily encapsulated by Exploration Challenges (detailed in Chapter 5: Exploration ) and includes dozens of different scenarios which provide exciting and engaging obstacles provided by nature or circumstance.

Dungeons. What constitutes a dungeon can vary widely—adventurers may be trekking through catacombs and crypts, navigating a labyrinth of subterranean tunnels, or making their way through the body of a creature as big as a kingdom—but so long as there’s a floor beneath their feet, walls around them, and a ceiling overhead with danger lurking around each corner they’re exploring. 

Planar Travel. When a campaign gets the party beyond the realms material and into other dimensions they’ll encounter unfamiliar flora and fauna, denizens they may not even recognize as sentient beings, and wonders they’ll never forget. These journeys can be especially perilous and the powerful magic usually required for them will take adventurers far from their homes, but inspire tales that are retold for centuries.

Urban. Whether wandering through a village, making their way across the bustling streets of a metropolis, or sneaking in the sewers beneath a city there’s plenty of exploration for adventurers to engage in wherever civilization clusters. Settlements are also the primary places where social encounters occur, but can offer a number of challenges and obstacles that require more to be done than what a bit of sly talk can accomplish.

Wilderness. Most exploration roleplay happens between other types of encounters as the party makes their way through the world, whether by air, land, or sea. The weather and other obstacles that nature puts in the way of the adventurers depends on the regions they are journeying through, and some places can prove to be just as lethal as any dragon or fiend.

Combining Combat Encounters and Exploration Challenges

When battle breaks out in the middle of an exploration challenge as long as one complicates the other, to calculate the encounter CR add the challenge rating of each together just like multiple monsters. For example, if goblins attack the party while they’re crossing a rope bridge the encounter is complicated and increases the encounter CR, but if they can do the fight before dealing with the rope bridge each is treated as a separate encounter. Likewise, a party dealing with counterfeit goods that they’re using as armor or weapons has complicated combat encounters, but not if the counterfeit goods are jewelry or other items that have no impact on a battle. 

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Social Encounters

The most roleplay-intensive part of campaigns occurs between journeys and initiative checks in the halls of royalty, courts of import, amid the market, and in the streets of settlements. Whenever the adventurers are interacting nonviolently with NPCs (or maybe sometimes just a little bit violently) they are having some kind of social encounter. There are more kinds of social encounters than any other type of encounter, but they all generally serve a few different purposes.

Coerce. A fundamental reason for the party to interact socially with NPCs is because they want something—maybe it’s help with a monster, or some information, or permission into protected territory, or one of a thousand other reasons. The primary means of coercing others will be their actual roleplaying (what the adventurers say and do), and at the GM’s discretion the use of social skills like Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. This isn’t to suggest that other skills (like Arcana, Culture, History and so on) don’t have a role here, but unless it’s a specific situation (such as distracting a fellow mage, an aristocrat, or an historian) they are not the primary means of achieving what the party is after.

Develop. One of the most rewarding things about roleplaying is defining and learning who the characters in the game are! Every social encounter is an opportunity for players to make it clear who their adventurer is, what they're about, and to discover how they are changed by the world around them and the conflicts they’ve endured. When returning from a year on the road where they’ve slayed a dragon and saved a kingdom, how do the adventurers view their quaint hometown? What are the reactions of their friends and family? These interactions are vital in making a group feel like they have a stake in what’s going on in the campaign, and can provide narrative resources that might become powerful motivators for other important factors in the game.

Entertain. Of course sometimes a night in the tavern is just a night in the tavern and there’s nothing wrong with having fun. Social encounters don’t always have to have hidden motives or intended goals, and giving players the opportunity to simply exist in the campaign gives the experience a certain sense of realism. There are other stories being woven around them, not every conflict bears an imminent threat, and even for adventurers there can be pleasant lulls between lethal battles and deadly dungeon delves. This can also be a handy thing for the Narrator to keep in mind—when the material they’ve prepared has run its course and there’s still an hour of gaming left to do, a social encounter with no aim but to entertain is a good way to finish out a session without having to rely on too much improvisation.

Inform. Probably the most likely reason for social encounters is to provide information to the players. This information could be elements of a campaign’s story, or an investigation with clues and leads, or surprising revelations in the royal court, or a great many other things. The important thing is that the social encounter conveys the information to the party (a royal proclamation for example) or gives them access to it (finding a secretive note on their tavern seat left there by an unknown person).

Occlude. Just as there are times when the adventurers are trying to convince someone to do something, there are occasions where adventurers will need to act so that someone does not do something by concealing important information (thus removing the impetus to act). Typically this is a matter of Deception but might also be a Stealth check or opposed Investigation check to hide a crucial report amongst easily disregarded forms, using calligrapher’s supplies to forge a document and Sleight of Hand to put it into an official’s satchel, or making a perfect replica of a noble’s prized statuette using mason’s tool’s and then Persuasion to convince them it’s the original.

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Combat Encounters

There are two main ways to build a combat scene:

Challenge-Based Encounter. The Narrator may set out to prepare a fun, challenging combat encounter and chooses opponents accordingly. A set-piece battle in an important dungeon room or the climactic battle in a story arc are often built to challenge the adventurers.

Story-Based Encounter. Often the story and player actions determine the nature of a conflict. If adventurers antagonize the city watch they may have to fight guards , and if they anger an archmage they may be forced to battle the archmage. There’s no guarantee that a fight is winnable: the party must deal with the consequences of their choices. 

In either case, the Narrator will want to know whether a fight is likely to be trivial, unwinnable, or somewhere in between. In a challenge-based encounter, the Narrator wants to aim for a middle ground of difficulty. In a story-based encounter, the Narrator may want to signal to the adventurers when they’re about to bite off more than they can chew. It’s rarely fun when a crushing defeat or an easy victory is a surprise to everyone (including the Narrator).

To determine the likely challenge posed by a battle, compare its combat encounter difficulty and its maximum monster CR to the party’s capabilities.

For a short, easy-to-remember summary of these rules, judge a potential encounter by asking the following questions:

• Is the total Challenge Rating of all the monsters close to half the total character level? If so, the combat encounter will be hard. If the total CR is lower than this, the battle will be easier; as the CR gets higher, the battle gets harder. If the total CR equals or exceeds the total character level, the combat may be impossible to win!
• Are there any monsters with a CR 50% higher than the average character level? If so, the battle may be deadlier than anticipated.
• Are the adventurers level 4 or lower? Keep battles on the easier side, especially against many foes! For low-level adventurers, a few unlucky die rolls can turn a possible battle into an impossible one.

Combat Encounter Difficulty

Combat encounter difficulty is evaluated by comparing the encounter CR (the total CR of all opponents) to the total character level. The ratio of these two numbers determines the challenge presented by the matchup. 

Allies. If the adventurers have monster or NPC allies, add their CR × 3 to the total character level. 

Elites. When calculating the encounter CR, double the CR of elite monsters.

Encounter challenge ratings are flexible and can allow for many different types of battles. For instance, a CR 10 encounter could consist of one CR 10 monster, two CR 5 monsters, one CR 5 leader with five CR 1 minions, and so on.

 

Low Level Adventurers and Low CR Monsters

Tier 0 adventurers are not extremely tough yet. They have very few hit points and spell slots, as well as limited access to area attacks. A low level party can be easily swamped by large numbers of low CR monsters.

When determining encounter CR for Tier 0 or Tier 1 adventurers, treat any monster with a CR below 1 as if its CR were one step higher. Thus a CR 0 monster is effectively a CR 1/8 monster when calculating encounter CR, a CR 1/2 monster is effectively a CR 1 monster, and so on. For example, a group of three 1st level adventurers (total character level 3) against two goblins (effective CR 1/2 each, encounter CR 1) is a medium challenge.

Actual Monster CR	Effective CR
0	1/8
1/8	1/4
1/4	1/2
1/2	1

 

Party Optimization

The Combat Encounter Difficulty guidelines assume a party with a standard amount of magical treasure, a healthy but not overwhelming interest in tactics, and a balanced composition of classes that includes a spellcaster or two. 

If adventurers are more interested in story immersion and character than in combat, or they possess fewer magic items than usual, then they may prefer mostly easy matchups with a few medium ones thrown in. Similarly, some party compositions, like an all-rogue party, are best suited for easy combat challenges and difficult exploration and social encounters.

If a party is composed of highly experienced players looking for a combat challenge, and they’re playing optimized adventurers of 5th level or higher, the players may relish frequent hard and deadly matchups. They may even want to try their hands at impossible matchups. Similarly, battles can be made more difficult in a campaign rich with magical treasure.

Maximum Monster CR

An encounter’s maximum monster CR is the challenge rating of the single toughest opponent in the encounter.

Adventurers are rarely able to fight a satisfying battle against a monster with a CR that's much higher than a single adventurer’s level. Such a monster has a high chance of dropping an adventurer from full health to 0 hit points in a single hit, and its defenses and saving throw DCs may make it more deadly than expected. Even if a battle looks possible when comparing the total character level and encounter CR, it is an impossible matchup if the maximum monster CR is higher than 1.5 × the average character level.

For example, nine 6th level adventurers (total character level 54) have a total character level equalling three times the challenge rating of an adult green dragon (CR 18), suggesting a medium matchup. However a single blast of the dragon’s breath could potentially drop all 9 adventurers! Any number of 6th level adventurers will have a hard time with a monster of CR 10 or higher.

Character Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th	19th	20th
Maximum Monster CR	1	3	4	6	7	9	10	12	13	15	16	18	19	21	22	24	25	27	28	30
Easy battle for 2 adventurers	1/4	1/2	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	6	6	6
Medium battle for 2	1/2	1	2	3	3	4	5	5	6	7	7	8	9	9	10	11	11	12	13	13
Hard battle for 2	3/4	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Deadly battle for 2	1	3	4	5	7	8	9	11	12	13	15	16	17	18	20	21	22	24	25	26
Easy battle for 3	1/2	1	1	2	2	3	3	4	4	5	5	6	6	7	7	8	8	9	9	10
Medium battle for 3	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Hard battle for 3	1 1/2	3	5	6	8	9	11	12	14	15	17	18	20	21	23	24	26	27	29	30
Deadly battle for 3	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38	40
Easy battle for 4	3/4	1	2	3	3	4	4	5	6	6	7	8	8	9	10	10	11	12	12	13
Medium battle for 4	1	3	4	5	7	8	9	11	12	13	15	16	17	18	20	21	22	24	25	26
Hard battle for 4	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38	40
Deadly battle for 4	3	5	8	11	13	16	18	21	24	26	29	32	34	37	40	42	45	48	50	53
Easy battle for 5	1	2	2	3	4	5	6	6	7	8	9	10	10	11	12	13	14	14	15	16
Medium battle for 5	1 1/2	3	5	7	8	10	12	13	15	17	18	20	21	23	25	26	28	30	31	33
Hard battle for 5	2	5	8	10	13	15	18	20	23	25	28	30	33	35	38	40	43	45	48	50
Deadly battle for 5	3	7	10	13	17	20	23	26	30	33	36	40	43	46	50	53	56	59	63	66
Easy battle for 6+	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
Medium battle for 6+	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38	40
Hard battle for 6+	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	45	48	51	54	57	60
Deadly battle for 6+	4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	51	55	59	63	67	71	75	80

 

Example Combat Challenges

• Two CR 1/2 worgs (encounter CR 2) are a hard matchup for four or five 1st level adventurers (because the Tier 1 rule rounds up each worg to CR 1). An ogre (also encounter CR 2) is an impossible matchup for this same party, since its CR is above their maximum monster CR.
• A demilich (CR 18) is a medium battle for four 14th level adventurers. This same party will face deadly peril against the Skull of Medon, an elite CR 18 demilich.

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Using Elite Monsters

An elite monster is a powerful opponent designed to provide a tough challenge to a large group of players. Often, an elite monster is a variant of another monster: a leader, champion, or even a named individual. For example, Belethias, Commander of the First is an elite pit fiend .

An elite monster has approximately twice the hit points and deals around 50% more damage than a normal monster of its CR—and it usually becomes more dangerous as the battle goes on.

An elite monster poses the same challenge as two non-elite monsters of its challenge rating. For example, the tarrasque (an elite CR 30 monster) is as dangerous as two normal CR 30 monsters. It should provide an epic fight for four or five well-optimized adventurers of 20th level, or a hard fight for six or seven 20th level adventurers.

When determining encounter CR, double the challenge rating of an elite monster (for instance, an encounter featuring the elite CR 30 tarrasque has an encounter CR of 60). However, elite monsters have attacks, defenses, and saving throw DCs that make them suitable opponents for lower level adventurers. When determining the maximum monster CR of an encounter, use its actual CR (thus, the maximum monster CR of a tarrasque encounter is 30, so it’s an appropriate encounter for 20th level adventurers).

Using Legendary Monsters

A legendary monster is designed to be an interesting combatant for multiple adventurers. With up to 3 legendary actions, and possibly extra bonus actions and reactions as well, it has the extra turns it needs to keep up with as many as three adventurers.

As with any other monster, a legendary monster is at its best when its CR is, at most, 1.5 × the average character level. A maximally tough legendary monster like this is a hard matchup for 3 adventurers, a medium matchup for 4 adventurers, and will probably be easy for 5 or more adventurers.

When designing a climactic, set-piece battle against a legendary monster, make sure to provide it some allies or minions if it’s facing 4 or more adventurers. 

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The Adventuring Day

As a rule of thumb for how many battles a party can likely handle before it needs a long rest , use a daily budget of encounter points.

• A party at Tier 0 (1st–2nd level) has 1 encounter point.
• A party at Tier 1 (3rd–4th level) has 2 encounter points.
• A party at Tier 2 (5th–10th level) has 4 encounter points.
• A party at Tier 3 (11th–16th level) has 6 encounter points.
• A party at Tier 4 (17th–20th level) has 8 encounter points

For each encounter point it possesses, a party can face one medium encounter before needing a rest. An easy battle costs half an encounter point. A hard battle costs 2 encounter points. A deadly battle costs 4 encounter points.

A low level party can face four easy battles or two medium battles before needing a long rest, and a single hard battle could drain them of resources. A high level party could expect to win through a deadly battle and still have resources to spare, though a second deadly battle might put them in a perilous situation.

This encounter budget is an estimate, and is superseded by the Narrator’s experience with a particular gaming group—some adventurers may not have the resources to meet these benchmarks, and some may blow past them. There’s no rule that says that a party needs to fight a certain number of encounters before bedtime, and the pacing of the adventuring day should be based on the desires of the players and the needs of the story.

Simplified XP

Encounter points can also be used as an alternative to standard experience points. Whenever a party fights a battle, each adventurer gains XP equal to the encounter point cost of a battle (for example no matter their level, a medium battle is always worth 1 XP.) For every 15 XP that an adventurer accumulates they gain a level.

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Combat Encounter Types

One of the ways to keep combat fresh is to vary the types of battles that the players face. If a game session includes multiple combats their difficulty should be varied. A steady diet of hard encounters can be exhausting for adventurers so a few medium or easy battles should be included if the story allows for it. 

The composition of battles can vary too. Some class features and attacks (like a rogue’s Sneak Attack) are very effective against a single monster, while others (like a wizard’s fireball ) shine against large groups. Varied encounter composition gives everyone a turn in the spotlight and, conversely, forces everyone to improvise when their go-to moves aren’t optimal. Here are some typical combat encounter compositions. 

Solo Fight. Sometimes the story dictates that the players battle a single enemy, such as a dragon. It’s possible to make this a challenging and satisfying battle, though the opponent is starting off at a disadvantage—no matter how much damage a normal monster dishes out, it’s limited by the number of turns it can take compared to a party of heroes. Legendary and especially elite monsters make the best solo opponents.

A legendary monster with a challenge rating equal to or 50% higher than average party level can provide a medium to hard battle against three or four adventurers. For a larger party, an elite monster of this challenge rating is required to provide the same challenge.

For example, an elite great wyrm green dragon (equivalent to two CR 24 monsters) could be a hard fight for five 19th level adventurers.

Boss and Minions. If circumstances require a big showdown with a single tough opponent, it often makes a lot of sense for this tough enemy to be accompanied by lesser monsters. An archmage or a powerful demon will never let itself be caught alone.

A tough monster with a CR equal to the average party level can keep two or three adventurers busy. For each additional adventurer, add monsters with a CR of 1/3 the adventurer’s level.

For example, a vampire (CR 11) with two vampire spawn (CR 4 each) would be a hard to medium fight for four or five 10th level adventurers.

Commander and Troops. This is similar to a boss and minions battle, but the troops (not the commander) make up the bulk of the challenge. The commander may provide boosts to its allies.

A monster with a CR of up to 1/2 the average party level can match one adventurer. Each additional adventurer can handle two monsters with a CR up to 1/4 their level each.

For example, a boggard sovereign (CR 3) and four boggard bravos (CR 1/2 each) are a medium encounter for three 6th level adventurers.

Team vs. Team. In this type of battle the numbers of adventurers and monsters are roughly equal. Depending on the desired level of difficulty, the CR of the opposition could be between 1/3 and 1/2 average party level.

For example, a 10th level party of three to five adventurers can handle four elementals (CR 5 each), although the fight would be dangerous for only a trio of adventurers.

Horde. Sometimes a party finds itself wading through an army of lowly mooks. This kind of battle will be very easy for adventurers with access to area attack spells like fireball. On the other hand, it might overwhelm a party of rogues or other adventurers that specialize in damaging a single enemy.

Depending on its composition, a party might be able to deal with a force up to five times its size as long as the total CR of all enemies isn’t higher than half the total character level (remember that for Tier 1 adventurers, fractional CRs are doubled!)

For example, four 5th level adventurers are in good stead to defeat 20 hobgoblins (CR ½ each). If the party has two spellcasters, it’s likely they wipe the floor with the hobgoblins. If the party has only melee combatants like rogues or fighters however, they might have a tough time or even be overwhelmed.

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Combat Encounter Complications

There are many ways to vary combat encounters other than altering the number of combatants. Unique details of terrain, goals, and enemy strategies create story, add vividness, and unlock tactical options.

Alternate Goals. When an encounter isn’t a battle of attrition, the outcome is determined more by story and circumstance than by encounter guidelines and challenge rating. In a fight featuring a complex trap or other goal, the party is trying to perform some noncombat task while surviving an enemy onslaught.

For example, half of a party might be trying to protect the other half as they disarm a trap, or the party might be trying to survive long enough to convince their attackers that they come in peace. Two sides might be racing to reach the same objective—perhaps a magic jewel across the room, or an NPC on the other side of a city—while attacking and sabotaging each other. The party might be trying to steal something from their enemy, or guard an object from theft: a well-executed plan might avoid bloodshed altogether. Plenty of adventurers might desire a dragon’s treasure but have no stomach to fight the dragon itself!

Ranged Attackers. Ranged attackers, like archers and spellcasters, do best when they’re difficult to reach. Intelligent ranged attackers will arrange to fight behind a barrier, such as a wall or a melee bodyguard. If behind a wall or on a high ledge, bow-armed goblins can fight well above their weight class. The success of ranged opponents depends on party composition. Kobold slingers give melee fighters fits, but aren’t much good against bow-wielding rangers and spellcasting wizards. 

Shifting Alliances. Instead of two, a battle might be composed of three or more factions. The two weakest sides might form a temporary alliance in order to prevent the stronger side from reaching victory—but betrayal is likely. For example, the party and one of their old adversaries might band together to battle a demonic invasion, finishing their vendetta afterward.

Terrain and Hazards. Every conflict is set somewhere, and a vividly described location enhances a scene on a visceral and tactical level. A battlefield with high ground, obstacles, and difficult terrain allows both sides to seek advantage. Usable objects beg adventurers to interact with them. A boiling cauldron will inevitably be spilled, and a feasting table will probably be climbed on or tipped over.

Choke points like doors are tactically useful—so much so that they can come to dominate a battle, causing gridlock. When there’s a strategically important choke point like a door, it can be good to add an alternate route so that clever attackers can outflank defenders. As choke points go, bridges can be more fun than doors (creatures can be pushed off bridges).

Hazards like steep cliffs and lava pools can be treated like a combatant, boosting the encounter CR of the fight. See Encounter Elements for common combat hazards like frigid water, lava, and yellow mold.

Waves. When reinforcements appear halfway through a fight the overall combat is easier than if both groups had appeared together, but harder than two successive battles with a chance to rest in between. This technique can be used to calibrate the difficulty of a battle and to increase tension as the fight goes on. A second group might notice and respond to a conflict, or it might be scheduled to arrive as part of a regular patrol. Possibly an enemy rings an alarm bell or runs to call for reinforcements, and the second wave doesn’t arrive if the messenger is stopped.

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Failure in a Combat Encounter

When preparing a combat encounter—especially a challenging one—it helps to consider what failure might look like. Not every battle is a fight to the death with no quarter given, and while failure may lead to consequences and further difficulties for the adventurers, it doesn’t need to be bad news for the players. They’re playing Level Up because they want to overcome difficulties. 

  The Narrator probably has an idea of what will occur if the adventurers are triumphant in a battle. But if the adventurers lose, what happens next? 

• Do the adventurers escape but suffer a plot setback? What does that look like? If the party is pursuing an important item, it might mean that their enemies obtain it instead. A mission to retrieve it—perhaps a heist—could be a fun followup adventure. 
• Does the plot change course? Perhaps a party’s ship is attacked by pirates. On a failure, the adventurers might find themselves chained to oars in the pirate galley, and the next session’s mission is to escape and recover their equipment from the captain’s cabin.
• Are the stakes heightened? A failure may advance a villain’s plans, bringing the world one step closer to a cataclysmic event. Perhaps it results in danger to a valued NPC ally. A combat failure might give the adventurers a glimpse at what’s at risk, propelling the campaign towards a more dramatic finale.
• Are the adventurers killed? Death does happen. If the plot demands it, failure might result in death for an adventurer or even a dreaded total party kill. However, if a battle will be difficult and failure will result in death, make sure the players are aware of the stakes beforehand. Give them a choice about whether and when to engage in the battle. Unless everyone is on board, it’s unwise to stake the future of a campaign on a battle that’s unavoidable, deadly, and difficult to win. 

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Elite Monsters and Failure

A battle against an elite monster can be one of the riskiest and most taxing combat challenges in Level Up. In such a battle, consider alternatives to total victory or crushing defeat.

If a party manages to reduce an elite monster to half its hit points, they’ve already done very well. They’ve dealt enough damage to defeat a normal monster of its type. Their reward, of course, is that the monster starts hitting twice as hard. The battle becomes more dangerous just when the party may have used up its best resources—which heightens the tension, and not coincidentally, the danger of the encounter.

When adventurers are down to their last few hit points and spells, and an elite monster is bloodied but not beaten, consider whether the monster really wants to fight to the death. An intelligent creature may be ready to retreat or be amenable to a truce, perhaps even offering treasure if the party will leave it alone. After all, it’s been beaten half to death itself and it could probably use a rest! The adventurers may have earned its grudging respect, and it might want them alive as captives or even allies. There are many ways that a valiant but unsuccessful battle against an elite monster can lead to a partial victory.

Roleplaying games provide a chance at escapism, an outlet for creativity, and a unique opportunity for collaboration. They are also, however, often largely improvisational. Because of this players can be exposed to potentially upsetting or distressing scenarios. Safety tools give groups an easy way to cut these scenarios short or even avoid them all together.

The most important part of collaborative gameplay is communication. Disruptive players, uncooperative characters—the first step to solving every problem is almost always communication. When using safety tools it is the Narrator’s responsibility to educate the table on their importance and how to use them, and a player’s responsibility to make themselves heard and to utilize the implemented safety tools properly. Without proper communication and collaboration between players and the Narrator, safety tools cannot effectively do what they’re intended to do.

What Are Safety Tools?

During improvisational, collaborative play, situations may arise where one or more players and even the Narrator are stressed, uncomfortable, or just not having fun. Safety tools provide an easy way to check in with each other, learn where one another's boundaries lie, and can help navigate difficult situations when they arise.

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Consent and Boundaries

Everyone has their own personal boundaries, and those boundaries may be different for every table that person plays at. It’s important for the Narrator to learn where each player’s personal boundaries lie and to respect them. In some instances—such as when roleplaying difficult situations—the group may benefit from getting consent from each player individually before moving forward with the scene. Crossing a boundary without consent, whether intentional or not, can have devastating effects on the group as well as the players themselves and should be avoided.

Discovering each player's boundaries can be done in multiple different ways. Some players may be comfortable having a frank discussion, while some may appreciate the privacy of being able to fill out a form or survey instead (see the back of the book for the Consent Checklist form). Even seasoned players and table regulars can benefit from these methods as having their boundaries respected can greatly increase anyone’s enjoyment of the game. 

Respecting boundaries is an important part of group play for everyone involved. When boundaries aren’t respected or lines are crossed without consent, a group can quickly fall apart. While the reason behind a boundary might not be known, it is always best to assume that others have a greater understanding of their own lived experiences and mental health—pushing someone to explain the reasoning behind their boundaries is at best rude and at worst can potentially retraumatize someone.

Here are some topics that Narrators should consider when acquiring consent from players or determining boundaries: harm to animals, harm to children, blood/gore, body horror, insects, religious horror, possession, romance (on an individual basis, between PCs, between PCs and NPCs, sexual content, explicit scenes), pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, sex work, child abuse and exploitation, homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, terrorism, war, xenophobia, genocide, slavery, people trafficking, life-threatening illness, mental illness, suicide, physical abuse, substance abuse, psychological abuse, self-harm, starvation, dehydration, torture, natural disasters, gaslighting, police, government aggression, claustrophobia, paralysis or restraints, mind control, cults.

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How to Use Safety Tools

Implementing safety tools for the first time can be stressful, and Narrators may be worried at how other people in the group may react to them. It is important to remember that safety tools are here to increase the enjoyment of the game for everyone. If someone is distressed by certain content in the game, that can impact their fellow players; why not just avoid said content and keep the fun going, instead?

To ensure they can be as effective as possible, safety tools are best used in conjunction with other safety tools. This isn’t to say that they are ineffective on their own, only that using multiple safety tools helps ensure the group’s safety and enjoyment. For example, using Lines and Veils provides great groundwork for the game, while also using the X-Card allows a group to catch anything that might have fallen through the cracks during planning. It never hurts to have a backup plan, especially when dealing with sensitive content. 

The best time to implement safety tools is prior to character creation and the start of a game. Session zero is an invaluable safety tool which can provide the perfect opportunity to address and begin including other safety tools. The second best time to implement safety tools is now—the Narrator can do it before the next session, or even turn a mid-campaign session into something similar to the session zero. It’s never too early to introduce a group to safety tools, but it can be too late when situations that might have otherwise been prevented cause a group to break down. 

Safety Tools and Online Play

While most safety tools include information on how to use them in an in-person game, it can be difficult to figure out how to implement them in an online environment. To implement tools like the X-Card or Scene Change, groups can utilize a program's chat features or use a form of direct messaging to activate the X-Card or call for a scene change. Safety tools like lines and veils can be done through messages, private chats, or even online forms. 

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Types of Safety Tools

There are numerous different safety tools out there, some of which may work in similar ways. It is up to the Narrator to determine which safety tools are the best fit for their table, and to implement them properly. When the person running the game embraces safety tools themselves it can help their group warm up to the idea faster and make the experience go smoother! 

Session Zero

In roleplaying games a session zero is the equivalent of a job interview. It is one of the most useful safety tools, as it allows players to communicate what they expect from a campaign and what type of game they actually want to play. Below are just a few ways that a session zero can improve the game:

• Allows the Narrator to prepare a story that aligns with player expectations.
• Encourages collaborative character creation which can improve a party’s synergy in all pillars of play.
• Provides a great opportunity for players to introduce themselves, potentially for the first time, and can help determine if players are a good fit for the game. 

A session zero can take place at any point during a campaign, but is the most useful when done beforehand in conjunction with character creation. It can be used as an opportunity to address things like boundaries, preferred play styles, campaign flavor, and table rules. It can also be used as an opportunity for making a truly cohesive adventuring party, and for the Narrator to work the characters' stories into their world. 

Even if the Narrator feels like some of the subjects covered in a session zero don’t apply to their group, discussing things can yield surprising results that merit changes which make the game better. When planning to utilize other safety tools, a session zero is the perfect place to introduce them and lay the groundwork necessary for them to be successful. 

Open Door Policy

The safety tool that requires the least effort is something called an “open door policy”. What this means is that players are able to leave the table or game without judgment as long as they do so in a non-disruptive way. When using this policy, the Narrator should almost always do so in conjunction with other safety tools as this method does little to solve the root of the problem. 

When using an open door policy, it is best to make sure players understand exactly what that means. At some tables it may mean “feel free to leave, whenever, for whatever reason without explanation!”, while at others it may mean “let us know when you feel like you need to leave the table.”

Lines and Veils

The most effective method of determining boundaries is having lines and veils determined by each player, prior to the start of a game or campaign. Multiple checklists for determining lines and veils are available online, or the Narrator may even choose to customize a checklist for the group or the campaign. 

Lines. Lines are something that is a hard boundary for a player, and should be excluded from the game with no questions asked. 

Veils. Veils are often softer boundaries, which are something the player may be comfortable dealing with in game as long as it isn’t explicitly described. When dealing with veils, it is usually best to take a fade-to-black or fast-forward approach. 

When determining a group’s lines and veils it’s best to do so one-on-one to maintain each player's privacy, or through the use of private checklists. While this doesn’t have to be done prior to the start of a game, the earlier on it happens the better. The most common way to utilize this method is by asking players to fill out a form, marking various elements as a “line”, a “veil”, neither, or even as prefered content. This allows the Narrator to save their players’ answers to reference later during a game, or while plotting out the story in advance. 

The Narrator should never argue with a player on what they consider a hard line and what they consider a veil. If the lines and veils a player sets would greatly interfere with the planned game, it’s possible that campaign (or even group) isn’t the best fit for that player. Lines and veils aren’t set to ruin fun or make a game boring, they are set to protect a player, their enjoyment of the game, and their mental health. 

During the course of a game, a player’s lines and veils may change. This is normal as someone becomes more comfortable with a play group or their situation changes, and means it is important for Narrators to periodically check in with their players. 

The X-Card

Of the simpler options, the use of X-Cards is the most popular. This involves a card with a large X which is placed on the table in reach of all players. If someone at the table becomes uncomfortable, all they have to do is touch or raise the X-Card. After someone touches or raises the card, the Narrator and other players should immediately alter the scene by transitioning to a new one or changing what is happening. The player who activates the X-Card should never be questioned on their reasoning, and the game should continue as normal. 

When introducing the X-Card it is important to remember that the introduction can be as important as the card itself. The Narrator should make it clear that the goal is for everyone to play together, that the group is more important than playing the game, and that the X-Card is simply a tool that allows everyone to take better care of each other. 

The X-Card is not a replacement for communication, but a tool to help facilitate it. After the X-Card has been activated, the Narrator should always check in with the group as a whole. Is everyone having fun? Is it time to take a break to process what happened? 

The X-Card was designed by John Stavropoulos and is used here with permission (more information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg).

Script Change

Another popular safety tool is the script change, which involves the implementation of film ratings (or another rating system) to outline the “audience” the table is playing for, and uses tools based on media controls to influence the game. A player who expects an R-rated game is likely going to want to play very different scenarios than a player who expects a PG or PG-13 rating for their game. It is also one of the most in-depth safety tools, and comprises several different tools. 

Ratings. To utilize this method, the Narrator first determines what rating the game they plan to run would have, then asks the players what rating of game they’re wanting to play. If the ratings don’t line up, players are asked to elaborate on what boundaries they associate with the Narrator’s rating and their own, as people can have different ideas of what a rating like PG-13 or R implies. If the ratings fall too far apart, it may not be the best fit to play that game together. If they differ only slightly, the Narrator should modify the planned game so that it can be enjoyable for all of the players. 

Squicks, Icks, and Picks. Content that players absolutely do not want to encounter should be recorded in the Narrator’s notes as squicks, which are things that merely make a player uncomfortable, and icks, which is content that may be triggering, traumatizing, or distressing. Content or gameplay elements that players do want to encounter should be recorded in the Narrator’s notes as picks, which can help them shape the direction of the game. 

Change the Script. The core tools of the Script Change are fast-forward, frame-by-frame, pause, rewind, and resume, but additional tools can be included such as highlight reel, instant replay, and wrap meeting. To make things easier, each player should have an indeX-Card for each tool to be used in a similar way to the X-Card. To call for a script change, players can simply say “rewind”, “pause”, and so on, or they can tap or raise the appropriate script change tool.

When asking for a script change players can be as descriptive (“Could we rewind that statement? I don’t think my character would actually say that!”) or as vague (“I’d like to fast forward this scene.”) as they like. Like with other safety tools, there is no expectation to explain the reasoning behind requesting a script change. After resolving the script change, a player can simply say “resume” to continue the game as normal. 

Rewind. A rewind can be called for to help someone catch information they might have missed, or to address an issue that couldn’t be addressed during play. Rewind can also be used to rewind entire scenes, at which point the content that has been rewound is no longer considered canon and the group is creating a new story. 

Fast-Forward. A fast-forward can be called for when a scene has reached a logical conclusion, or a player wishes to skip difficult content. It can be used to end a scene or encounter, or for larger gaps when necessary and discussed with the Narrator.

Pause. A pause can be called for when a player needs a minute to process difficult content or an intense scene. A pause can also be called simply for bathroom breaks, snack breaks, or to discuss something that might have come up during play. When the player who called for the pause is ready to play, they should say “resume” to let the table know to continue. 

Frame-by-Frame. Frame-by-frame can be called for to let the Narrator and other players know to take it slow through a scene. It could be due to difficult content, or even just something a player is unsure about and would like to approach cautiously. Once the player is ready for regular play to resume, they should say “resume” or “play” to let the table know to continue. Topics that a player would like to handle frame-by-frame can also be addressed at the beginning of a game or privately with the Narrator.

Highlight Reel. Using the highlight reel tool takes place at the end of a session, and is intended to allow players to point out things they liked about the session. Each player should get the chance to mention something they enjoyed and the Narrator should as well. This tool is intended to be strictly positive and should focus only on the good parts of the session. 

Wrap Meeting. This tool provides an opportunity for the group to discuss the rest of the game that wouldn’t be addressed during a highlight reel, and also takes place at the end of a session. This can be used to get clarification on information, address problematic content, or even address problem table behaviors. While a wrap meeting does not need to be strictly positive, like the highlight reel, it should be a supportive environment where players can feel comfortable talking about issues that may have arisen during play.  

Bloopers and Outtakes. Like highlight reels and wrap meetings, bloopers and outtakes should be used at the end of a session. This tool focuses on constructive criticism, and self-improvement. Bloopers should have a funner, “whoopsie” vibe, while outtakes are more serious things like conflict or emotional harm. When using this tool, the Narrator should allow for 4 “reels” of sharing:

1. For the first round of sharing, players who share bloopers should use “I” statements. An example would be, “I overreacted to this scene.”
2. When sharing in this reel, players should continue to use “I” statements, but instead include statements about how the bloopers from reel 1 made them feel. 
3. During this reel, players should use “I” statements to address constructive criticism or conflict within the game. Let players state their thoughts and experiences, and remind everyone to use extreme care in how they might respond. 
4. Players should continue to use “I” statements, while trying to take special care to understand each other and owning any hurt they may have caused. 

At any point during the sharing of bloopers and outtakes, players and the Narrator can call for a pause. This can be used to take a break and allow people to cool off, or to address a situation that may have come up more in depth. 

The Script Change Tool was designed by Beau Jágr Sheldon and is used here with permission (more information can be found at briebeau.com/scriptchange).

Collective Understanding

With the variety of games available, even when only counting tabletop roleplaying games, it is inevitable that players from different backgrounds will have different ideas on how to best play any game. With this tool, the Narrator can ensure all of their players are on the same page and hopefully avoid the clashing of playstyles. 

The point of using this tool is to create a clear picture of the game being played, not to attempt to find a way to combine incompatible playstyles. Prior to the beginning of a campaign, the Narrator and players should get together, in real time, to ask questions and go over a checklist to define the campaign. This can be done around the table in person or digitally so long as everyone can discuss and make choices together. Once together, the group can work to determine which choices work the best for the game, and why. If two players, or the players and the Narrator, do not agree on the same fundamental things this tool will not help discover common ground that isn’t there—what it will do, however, is let the Narrator and players know prior to the beginning of a game whether or not this is the right group. For each choice, only one answer should be chosen. There is room for negotiation of course, but all choices should be made as a group as the results will determine the kind of game being played. 

For some choices there may only be one answer that works for the game being discussed. In these cases that should be made clear when discussing that question to ensure all players are comfortable with it. Checklists to use with this method can be found online, or the Narrator can make their own with options that are tailored specifically to the game. When making a checklist, make sure to touch on the following points;

• Is the point of playing to win?
• Are the players expected to work together? Pursue personal goals? Work against each other?
• Is the Narrator expected to wing it? Be prepared for anything? Provide a challenging game?
• Are the players' roles to follow the story? Make their own story? 
• Is the relationship between the rules of the game and this campaign important? Unimportant? “What rules?”

Another way to ensure players are on the same page with their playstyles is to include different scenarios, and responses to those scenarios, as choices and answers on the checklist. 

Did all of the players choose the same answers or at least agree on most of them? If so, great! If not, the Narrator may need to find another group, or find another game for this group to play together. If the Narrator finds that the tone of the game shifts dramatically after a couple of sessions, or several sessions down the line, consider running through the checklist with the players again. Just like with setting lines and veils, a player’s (or Narrator’s) preferences and playstyle may change over time. 

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Something Went Wrong—Now What?

Eventually, regardless of how well safety tools have been used, something will inevitably happen. Players don’t always get along, characters don’t always work together, and the Narrator doesn’t always have all of the answers. When dealing with these situations it is important to remember that the players are only human (we assume). 

If a difficult situation arises in a group, the Narrator should try to remember the following advice:

• When discussing difficult topics or navigating arguments, it’s best for all parties involved to use “I” statements. This involves saying things like, “I feel,” and, “I think,” rather than “You did,” or, “You said,”. This helps avoid placing blame and can help to keep situations civil.
• The Narrator should dissuade players from confronting others in front of the group, as it puts them on the spot and can make it harder to achieve the desired outcome. If the issue is relatively small, the Narrator may try approaching the other player privately to have a discussion about what happened. For bigger or more distressing issues, the Narrator’s role might be to mediate group discussions to address the problem in an oblique manner that doesn’t alienate anyone involved.
• Stepping back and taking a break, even during a session, can allow everyone time to calm down and let the group approach the problem with new eyes. 

Hidden away inside trapped chests in ancient and forgotten tombs, hoarded by monsters, and prized by societies that have been changed by their presence, magic items are an essential part of Level Up. Although it’s possible for a Narrator to mount an entire campaign without them, adventurers acquiring enchanted gear is a pivotal and fun part of the game, granting access to abilities and prowess that can help them change the very course of history.

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Category

Every magic item falls into one of the following categories: armor, potion, ring, rod, scroll, staff, wand, weapon, or wondrous item. In addition, some items are more particular and use a set of general rules specific to a subcategory like gear gremlins or patron tokens.

Charms

Charms are magic items that can be attached to a nonmagical item (like a bracelet or necklace) or worn as an earring. A charm attached to a magic item confers no benefits unless its rarity is greater, in which case the magic item the charm is attached to confers no benefits.

Gear Gremlins

Gear gremlins are Tiny magical quasi-real creatures summoned through technomancy to fulfill a purpose, and each is ethereal and unable to interact with objects on the Material Plane—except for their housing items and items they were specifically designed to interact with. A gear gremlin has Armor Class 10 and 1 hit point, though it can only be damaged by creatures on the Ethereal Plane or by creatures who can specifically affect creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Gear gremlins have limited intelligence and can speak Common, though they typically only converse about subjects that relate to their purpose.

Patron Tokens

Familiars, tomes, and weapons are among the most impressive gifts otherworldly patrons grant their servants—other things are simply baubles designed to delight or unsettle the recipient and those around them. Warlocks typically receive these tokens after completing a significant task, such as when they defeat the patron’s enemies or further its interests in the mortal realm. A servant may deliver it directly, or a gift may appear mysteriously among the warlock’s belongings while their attention is focused elsewhere.

Patron tokens function only for the warlock who receives them. Though the flavor of the items presented here suggests the type of otherworldly patron that might grant them, Narrators can adapt the descriptions to make them more suitable for characters of a different stripe. For example, a warlock with a fiendish patron may receive a confidante’s journal bound in demon flesh, while a fey might grant their servant a seven-sided coin stamped with images of fey creatures.

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Rarity

Magic items range from small things that are surprisingly useful to potent relics of unimaginable power. The availability of a magic item, as well as its lowest and highest possible price, are determined by its rarity. More common magic items might be found among the kit of many adventurers, while rare magic items can only be afforded by successful adventurers or wealthy nobles, and legendary magic items are just that—the stuff of legends. 

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Cost

Each magic item is also listed with a suggested cost for purchase, though the Narrator may choose to reduce or increase the price of any piece of enchanted gear depending on the campaign.

Magic Item Costs

Rarity	Low Price	High Price
Common	2 gp	100 gp
Uncommon	101 gp	500 gp
Rare	501 gp	5,000 gp
Very Rare	5,001 gp	50,000 gp
Legendary	50,001 gp	500,000 gp
Artifact	-	-

 

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Attunement

The magical properties of some magic items are locked away until they have linked to the creature bearing them, bonding the energies of both together into attunement. Certain pieces of enchanted gear have prerequisites that must be met before they can be attuned to, such as levels in a class. In the case of monsters attuning to an item, they must have spell slots and have access to the prerequisite class spell list. Any creature able to cast one spell qualifies as a spellcaster for the purposes of attunement.

Magic items that require attunement are treated as mundane unless they are described otherwise—a magic sword is still a magic sword, but if it requires attunement it does not deal magical damage or confer its other properties until the creature wielding it has attuned to the blade. 

The process of attunement requires a creature to finish a short rest where all it does is remain in physical contact with and focus upon the magic item. This could mean practicing with a magic weapon, concentrating on the details of a wondrous item, referencing arcane tomes, or praying for guidance. An interrupted short rest ruins the attempt to attune to the magic item. Once attuned the creature intuitively knows how to activate the magic item and any command words, but not if it is cursed (or how it is cursed).

Unless it has a feature or trait that allows it, a creature can be attuned to a maximum of three magic items at a time. Attempts to attune to additional magic items fail until the creature ends one of its attunements first. In addition, it is impossible to attune to two identical items at the same time—a creature can only attune to a single ring of protection. 

The most common method to end an attunement is by finishing a short rest focused on the item, but it can also be ended in the following ways: the magic item is more than 100 feet away from the creature for 24 hours, the creature no longer meets the attunement prerequisites, or the creature dies.

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Identifying Magic Items

A magic item that requires attunement can have its properties identified by a creature that attunes to it, but otherwise learning what a piece of enchanted gear is and what it can do is the remit of learned minds or magic like the identify spell. Identifying a magic item is similar to the process for attuning to one and requires just as much concentration. A creature can spend a short rest inspecting a magic item, making an ability check at the end against a DC based on the magic item’s rarity (see Table: Identifying Magic Items) after searching its memories for references as it scrutinizes the magic item for clues. The type of the ability check and any skills used for it are at the Narrator’s discretion, determined by the magic item and its origins, but often include Arcana, Culture, History, Nature, or Religion. On a success, at the end of the short rest the creature recognizes what the magic item is and remembers any command words it might require. Whether or not a magic item is cursed requires a success by 10 or more.

Recognizing Artifacts. Extremely potent relics are literally items of myth and even when it might not be immediately recognized for what it is, the countless tales about an artifact make it easy to recognize without all of its secrets laid bare. 

Identifying Magic Items

Rarity	Check DC
Common	10
Uncommon	13
Rare	16
Very rare	19
Legendary	22
Artifact	Special

 

Curses

Remember that most methods of identifying magic items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal an item's cursed properties so they offer an opportunity to surprise adventurers when the curse is revealed. When describing the items, it’s important for Narrators to highlight their extraplanar connections as the party may be justifiably wary of items with aberrant, fiendish, or otherwise questionable connections.

The curses included with certain magic items in this chapter focus on story possibilities rather than mechanical consequences, and the Narrator can choose to ignore them if their implementation would distract rather than engage the party. Likewise, these items are specific to the adventurer that acquires them and they cannot be sold (even if they were bought).

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Wearing and Wielding Magic Items

In order for a magic item to function properly it must be worn or wielded as the item intended: feet in boots, hands in gloves, heads under hats or inside helmets, fingers in rings. Magic armors and shields only work when they are donned, weapons have to be wielded, and cloaks fastened around a creature’s shoulders. 

Unless noted otherwise, a worn magic item automatically stretches or shrinks to match the size and shape of the creature wearing it. When a nonhumanoid creature attempts to wear a magic item, it’s up to the Narrator whether it works or not—a merfolk can certainly use rings and amulets, but probably not a pair of enchanted boots.

Multiple Magic Items of the Same Type

Most creatures have only two legs and one head so usually a creature can only make use of a single pair of boots and one hat or helmet. Whether or not more than one item can be worn in the same spot is at the Narrator’s discretion. For example, an ettin (which has two heads) might be able to wear two magic hats, or a half-elven mage may be allowed to wear a magic circlet beneath an enchanted helmet.

Paired Magic Items

When a magic item is described as a pair—boots, bracers, gauntlets, gloves—any properties it grants only function when the full set is worn. For example, an adventurer wearing one half of bracers of defense and one half of bracers of archery doesn’t gain the benefits of wearing either. 

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Activating Magic Items

There are magic items that require something special to function, like speaking a command word while holding it. Each magic item’s description provides details on how it is activated, otherwise using the following rules.

Note that the Use an Item action does not apply to magic items—any item that requires an action to activate is treated as its own separate action, not the Use an Item action.

Charges

Magic items often have charges which must be expended to activate one or more of their properties. How many charges the magic item has is revealed either when a creature attunes to it or after a casting of the identify spell. In addition, when an attuned magic item regains charges the creature attuned to it knows how many charges have been regained.

Command Words

Command words are specific words or phrases that when spoken cause a magic item to use one of its properties. Magic items that require a command word to be spoken can’t be activated in the area of a silence spell or other circumstance where sound is prevented.

Consumables

Magic items can also be used up when activated—elixirs and potions have to be swallowed, oils applied to an item or creature’s body, arcane or divine script disappearing as it is read from a spell scroll, and so on. A consumable magic item loses its magic after being used.

Spells

Many magic items grant the creature using them the ability to cast one or more spells. Unless stated otherwise, a spell cast from a magic item is cast at the lowest possible spell level, and it requires no components or spell slots. The spell uses its normal rules unless the item describes a change to how the spell functions, and if it requires concentration the creature must maintain concentration on the spell. Some magic items (like potions) simply grant the benefits of a spell, with its usual duration, without requiring the spell be cast or for the creature to concentrate. 

When a staff or other magic item requires a creature to use its own spellcasting ability and it has more than one spellcasting ability, it chooses which to use. A creature without a spellcasting ability that uses such an item cannot use its proficiency bonus and it treats its spellcasting ability modifier as +0.

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Enchanted Trinkets

Level Up has a plethora of common and uncommon magic items that cost 150 gold or less. Narrators shouldn’t be afraid or wary of rewarding the adventurers with these innocuous enchanted trinkets—they are perfectly suited for enhancing the roleplaying experience without introducing an unbalancing element to the game. Unless the party are in a metropolis known for its arcana or divinity, most shops specializing in magic items will only have a few more expensive pieces but plenty of enchanted trinkets.

The world is vaster than anyone could explore in a lifetime with mysterious corners that promise wonder and peril, yet there are other dimensions far stranger and deadlier, called planes. Many claim to have read the truths of those other realms in books or learned them from religious dogma, or even boast that they’ve visited in person. Their accounts may not be trustworthy, but they all tell of places that pose unique challenges and offer rewards unlike anything one could find at home. 

A Planar Primer

Everyday people know legends about strange pathways in remote forests that lead into the dream-like land of the fey. Their tales warn of bleak ruins where one can step across the threshold to a place where all joy, sound, and light have been leached away. In the dark of night they gaze at the stars and share stories of ancient heroes and gods who gave the Heavens their shape. In times of crisis they curse their enemies to Hell, and pray to gods they’ve never seen.

Adventurers eventually come to understand more about the nature of existence. Clerics and scholars study the true names of demons and devils and the differences between the two. Learned wizards and theurgists research the metaphysics that provide the arcane energies of their spells. Druids and worshipers of nature perform incantations to ward against interplanar incursions. Warlocks form pacts with horrors born of the spaces between worlds, the lower planes, or even the fey.

Common folk are superstitious, seeing danger in mundane shadow, but perhaps adventurers and their ilk don’t understand the nature of reality as well as they think—the fell entities that warlocks pledge themselves to might even just be clever monsters from the next county over having a good laugh. While people aren’t entirely sure of the truth of the multiverse, it is undeniable that these planes exist, and that the nature of reality elsewhere isn’t quite the same as here. Fools who stumble upon another world unprepared are unlikely to survive. Interplanar monsters are often more powerful and magical than average wild beasts, and the native intelligent beings have strange ways of thinking. They are seldom swayed by the same threats or persuasion that work on normal humanoids.

Types of Planes

The so-called ‘real’ world where most humanoids and nations exist is known as the Waking, or the Material Plane. Closely linked worlds referred to as Mirror Planes have the same general shape as the realms material—the same landforms, same structures, perhaps even the same people—but differ in character or the nature of magic.

Two other types of planes are easily codified. Elemental Planes (sometimes called Inner Planes) are defined by some overriding physical trait, while Moral Planes (sometimes called Outer Planes) each reflect a central ideology or philosophy of being.

Magic to travel between worlds makes use of the Transitive Planes, which connect multiple planes but have few noteworthy landmarks or residents. Amidst these are innumerable Demiplanes that range from lifeless pocket dimensions for bags of holding, to drifting shards that support the vestiges of dead worlds, to realms as large as continents created as prisons, crucibles, or palaces. Beyond them all exists the Far Realm, a place so alien to the minds of mortals that few can understand it or glimpse it without risking insanity.

The same plane may have different names in different cultures. Explorers might erroneously think two locations on the same plane are separate dimensions entirely, or model them as different nested ‘layers’ that have the same essence but take different forms. Some planes even actively resist efforts to map them, morphing to vex codification and categorization.

Travel Between Planes

Monsters from other dimensions can be summoned to the Material Plane but sometimes adventurers must face strange outsiders in the realms where they originated.

Spells. A handful of metal with the appropriate resonance and several hours of smithing with arcane treatments can produce the rod necessary for a plane shift spell, though discovering the proper formula might require an adventure itself. The esoteric astral projection spell lets people explore in a spiritual form, protecting their bodies at the risk of their very souls. The mighty gate spell permits immediate and precise travel, but the rare magic users capable of such powerful magic are seen as threats by many extraplanar powers.

More obscure magic can also breach the veil between worlds, often through great rituals and terrible costs.

Transits. Planar transits take three main forms: portals, pathways, and tides. Portals have a clear threshold between worlds, like a carved stone dragon maw that leads to the Prison Plane of the Great Pyromancer. Pathways offer a gradual transition that must be completed in full to reach the destination plane, such as the shadow labyrinth that leads to the demiplane of Phorros Irrendra, last bastion of the Taranesti elves. Tides cause a given area to shift between worlds, taking those within with it, like the shores along Bosum Strand where on the Night of the Mirror Moon those who dive into the waters holding a mirror emerge in the fey realm known as the Dreaming. By dawn however the magic fades, stranding any who haven’t found their way home.

Many planar transits are ephemeral and cannot be relied on to still be there for a return trip. Some appear and vanish without discovery, brought forth by little understood conjunctions of place and planar energy—and those that are discovered often provoke fear rather than exploratory fervor.
The rare permanent portal is highly valued and closely guarded. It is said the hierarchs who built the Gates of Dawn and Dusk hoped to unite their world with Heaven and Hell, but angels and devils united to punish their hubris. The hierarchs’ continent was carved out into a prison plane known as Daemonforge where the souls of the dead can never reach the afterlife.

Overlays. While a planar tide carries creatures in an area between worlds, sometimes the elemental or moral energy of a plane bleeds into the Material Plane, such as the haunted peak of Cauldron Hill where the veil to the Bleak Gate is thin. Overlays—also called coterminances or manifestations—can vary greatly. One might be temporary, linked to some celestial convergence, or permanent, perhaps the result of a great magical cataclysm, and its borders might simply mark a return to normalcy or could serve as a way to travel to another plane.

Mirror Planes

Like a reflection or echo of the realms material, Mirror Planes take the familiar and imbue it with a sense of fascination or repulsion. 

The land called the Dreaming is a verdant, shifting landscape where time and distance conspire for the sake of dramatic events, ensuring travelers reach their destination at the moment that will yield the greatest conflict or catharsis. The fey population’s strange behaviors make a whimsical sort of half-sense, even if their goals are cruel. Promises made in the Dreaming are dangerous to break, and accepting gifts can oblige their recipient to the giver. 

The most famous figures of the Dreaming are the lords of the Unseen Court—served by the implacable riders of the Great Hunt—who threaten war but can be appeased with offerings of songs and riddles. But the fey vary based on the cultures and myths of the lands they reflect. Around temperate farmlands pixies cavort with leaves in their hair and hags lure children into the woods with tempting sweets, while in vaunted cities of high art the pixies might take the shape of figures from famous paintings and hags call gullible schoolchildren down into sewer drains.

In opposition to the vibrant life of the Dreaming is the somber emptiness of the Bleak Gate. Here buildings sit hollow and abandoned, and even the brightest magic cannot illuminate much farther than a stone’s throw. The air lies still and windless. The only sounds are the scattered whispers and lonely moans of the recently dead, whose souls linger for a time before passing on to some final reward. Without sun or stars time here becomes almost meaningless, unconsidered by the beings of shadow and decay that reside within. Uneasy spirits haunt their old houses, cursed mortals and condemned penitents roam in caravans seeking absolution or simply a way home, and exiled fey of the Bleak Court trade in souls, their servants often seen at the sites of great tragedies to enslave the recently slain.

Other Mirror Planes are possible. Some conceptions of Hell depict it as the Material Plane in the aftermath of some fiery cataclysm. Temporal magic that flows around a crux of fate might create two splinter realities branching from different outcomes of a pivotal event—perhaps in that world, an adventurer’s double longs for everything that their counterpart has, and would kill to get it.

Transitive Planes

If you were to write down details of each plane, the Ethereal Plane is like the page the words are written on, and the Astral Plane is the book itself. Both dimensions have little in the way of interesting landmarks or natives, and even most planar travelers pay them no mind. But certain magic relies on them.

Thought reigns in the Astral Plane—disembodied souls navigate by will and distance means nothing, the world fading to silvery gray in every direction. Most of the dimension is empty, though errant ideas can sometimes manifest crude matter. The personal mindscapes of dreamers may form links to the Astral Plane, and those trapped in perpetual sleep may create permanent dream bodies that eventually degenerate into monsters. Ur-ideas can take the form of leviathans that swim the astral like a psychic sea, and it is rumored an entire empire of psychic beings has learned to control these creatures. Magic like dream and astral projection can untether the soul from the body, using the astral to reach other minds and other worlds. Travelers can move to other planes through convergences, which mortal minds often perceive as swirling pools of color or other sensations that evoke the feeling of the destination. 

The Ethereal Plane is what allows incorporeal creatures to move through solid objects, and nearly every plane has its own ethereal. Beings in the ethereal usually are invisible to those in the plane they originated from, but can perceive a small swath of the dimension they left. Matter and energy from that world cannot affect them, nor even gravity, but other ethereal beings can interact with or harm them, and spells like wall of force extend into the Ethereal Plane. Usually the only thing for a traveler to do in the ethereal is to watch their plane of origination, explore, and emerge at some other spot in that same world, though sometimes two dimensions abut the same Ethereal Plane, and a creature can slip between them like poking a hole in a sheet of paper. It is also possible for ethereal travelers to metaphysically wander away from their origination plane—they find themselves swept up in mists, and might become lost forever or emerge in a random dimension.

Elemental Planes

Most magical traditions define four cardinal elements—air, earth, fire, and water. These are often depicted as vast wedge-like realms floating together in a roiling Elemental Chaos. 

The cores of the Elemental Planes are simple expanses of pure elemental energy. Some regions are almost like the Material Plane just with an exaggerated presence of one element—huge flocks of birds might nest on islands that float through storms in Caeloon, the Plane of Air, gems might rain as hailstones upon endless mountain ranges of Urim, the Plane of Earth, city-sized forges might gather ore from molten seas on Jiese, the Plane of Fire, and luminescent kelp might support civilizations of fish folk in deep benthic gorges in Ostea, the Plane of Water. 

The cardinal elements are sometimes categorized alongside four esoteric elements—death, life, space, and time. Amrou, the Plane of Death has dark grottos, vacuous expanses of drifting asteroids, and rivers of negative energies that awaken undead. Av, the Plane of Life thrums with positive energy, nurturing light, endless tangles of jungle, and rains that cause animals to sprout from rich soil. Mavisha, the Plane of Space is known for geometric palaces and platforms of pure force that orbit, interlink, and fold upon themselves in mind-bending tesseracts and optical illusions brought to life. Sphinxes watch over Ascetia, the Plane of Time, a place where mirages of the past and flickering glimpses of possible futures cause travelers to forget when they are, and the only signs of civilization are enigmatic monoliths and bones upon bones of fallen empires.

Moral Planes

The Moral Planes are the homes of gods, or at least things that claim that title. As with the Elemental Chaos, the great majority of these planes are hard for mortals to conceive and exist more as ideas than as places. Even so certain regions can be explored and visited, and are home to creatures that are motivated by strong ideologies or overpowering impulses. Deities may claim domain to some regions where they can shape the world and set the rules.

Goodness elevates the heavens and other Upper Planes while evil seethes in Hell and similar Lower Planes, but from those generalities each dimension’s texture is nuanced with diverse philosophical manifestations of that core morality. On a single plane that is suffused with lawful essence, one divine domain might be a gallery garden that shifts to fulfill a visitor’s every hedonistic pleasure, another a stolid yet vaunted bureaucracy working to ensure a stable price for diamonds and pearls across the cosmos, and a third a holy bastion under constant siege by demons. 

Mortal souls are thought by most to find their way to Moral Planes after death where they may be transmogrified into servants or receive rewards for their service. Others wait in purgatory, endure punishment for sins, or are simply absorbed into the plane’s spiritual core where perhaps the choices they made with their free will in life will help shift the scales of the moral multiverse.

Otherworldly Oddities

Most dimensions are not so neatly codified as the Elemental, Moral, Mirror, and Transitive Planes.

Planets

The Material Plane has other planets orbiting other stars, and some are suffused with a different mix of elemental and moral energies. 

In the ZEITGEIST setting travel to most planes is nearly impossible, but plane shift and planar transits allow some journeys between worlds around the same star. Each has a supernatural influence on the primary world, Amsywr—the planet Jiese, the Fire of Industry has spurred technological innovation, the influence of Mavisha, the Mysterious Deep means divinations do not work well on islands or at sea, and Caeloon, the Paper Wind lifts spirits in the face of tragedy and produces magic to help with graceful flight.

Mindscapes

Psychic magic can draw energy from the Astral Plane to create small ephemeral dimensions where one’s thoughts can shape subjective reality almost like a god. Here the limits of flesh and physical laws bend to a strong will, and weak minds can be overwhelmed and forget that what they see isn’t real. 

These planes are almost always temporary, but in the BURNING SKIES setting a perpetual and massive mindscape exists deep underground, guarded by dragons. The dreamborn beings within (called trillith) reflect various desires and fears of some great sleeping entity called the Mother of Dreams that is trapped in the depths of the mindscape. Within this world one must have the right mindset to reach their destination, and those who find common purpose with a trillith might bond with it and receive occult powers.

Pocket Dimensions

Mortal magic can attempt to emulate the divine power necessary to create planes, but few can create more than mere pocket dimensions a few score feet across. Without a true divine spark, most of these artificial planes cannot support life. Inanimate objects made of wood or fabric can endure for weeks or years, but still degrade rapidly. Food is sapped of its nourishing essence and becomes tasteless within hours if not faster. Creatures placed within might die within minutes. Water, even in sealed vessels, becomes infused with energies that makes it undrinkable.

The Gyre and The Far Realm

In some distant reach of the multiverse floats The Gyre, a graveyard of planes where the last vestiges of dead worlds are drawn into a churning cloud and ultimately obliterated. Perhaps their energies are then used for the creation of new worlds, or maybe the whole of the multiverse will be consumed one day, but those pieces of worlds that survive long enough to reach the Gyre are homes of the most dreadful and powerful beings–often those who brought about their own apocalypses.

How many of those worlds have been destroyed by corruption from the Far Realm? Few even begin to understand the alien concepts of that place, and those with the insight can become threats themselves. To most the aberrations birthed by contact with the Far Realm are terrifying, yet some come to see that very unnaturality as something be desired and shared with others. Adventurers should be careful when staring into that maddening abyss—lest they become like the monsters they fight.

The Nature of Reality

One theory sees other planes as wellsprings of elemental essences and morality that underpin reality. The elemental energies mingle to create the diverse physical form of the realms material, and the balance of moral energies ensure that free will is innate to the mortals native to the Material Plane. No shortage of theories disagree. Some think other planes are simply places like any other, and that they exert no sway on reality. Others claim the planes are actually created by mortals and their beliefs, and that there was no Hell before there were people to consider the nature of evil, no Plane of Earth until there were mortal minds to think of rocks as being distinct from water. This may seem a distinction without a difference, but it has ramifications for the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. Perhaps mortals are fairly inconsequential relative to the vast scale of the planes, their actions drowned out by forces far greater than them—yet if the planes are shaped by belief, then a person with the right idea can remake the multiverse.