The Grinder

You have no natural magical talent. You survive purely on extreme study, calculation, and grit.

1. Attributes

Assign 2 to Mental, and 0 to Physical and Social.
Assign 3 to Calculation, and 1 to Willpower, Finesse, and Memory.

• Mental: [2]
• Social: [0]
• Physical: [0]
• Memory: [1]
• Calculation: [3]
• Finesse: [1]
• Willpower: [1]

Mana Track: 4 + Highest of (Calculation, Finesse, Willpower) = [7] Boxes

2. Health & Sanity

Physical Health: [ ] Bruised [ ] Hurt (-1) [ ] Injured (-1) [ ] Wounded (-2) [ ] Mauled (-2) [ ] Crippled (-4) [ ] Incapacitated
Sanity Track: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

3. Playbook Moves

Choose exactly 2 of the following Playbook Moves at character creation.

• Midnight Oil: When you push yourself to craft, calculate, or study without sleeping (saving a Time Slot), roll +Mental. On a 10+, you succeed with no penalty. On a 7-9, you succeed, but take 1 Wound from extreme fatigue. On a 6-, exhaustion catches up immediately and the GM makes a hard move tied to mistakes, delay, or collapse.
• Over-Analysis: When you recall knowledge to deduce a monster's exact geometric weakness, roll +Calculation instead of +Mental. On a 10+, you learn its vulnerability and take +1 ongoing against it for the scene. On a 7-9, you identify a likely weakness, but choose 1: it is situational, it costs extra setup time to exploit, or you expose your position while confirming it. On a 6-, you misread the pattern, give the threat an opening, and the GM makes a hard move.
• Scavenger: You know how to wring out every drop of magic. When you spend a moment to drain a magical object or ambient ward, roll +Calculation. On a 10+, clear 2 ticks from your Mana Track. On a 7-9, clear 1 tick, but draw hostile attention. On a 6-, the drain surges wrong and the GM makes a hard move from backlash, collapse, or magical contamination.
• Tutor Through It: When you coach an ally through a complex task while explaining each principle aloud, roll +Mental. On a 10+, they take +1 forward and you also clear 1 stress-related hesitation in the fiction. On a 7-9, they still take +1 forward, but choose 1: consume extra time, expose your method to observers, or owe that ally a favor for trusting you. On a 6-, your explanation misleads at the worst time and the GM makes a hard move.
• Cram Session: When you burn extra time to brute-force preparation for a known challenge, roll +Calculation. On a 10+, ask the GM 2 practical questions about that challenge, and take +1 forward the first time you act on the answers. On a 7-9, ask 1 practical question, but mark a personal cost: fatigue, missed obligation, or social friction. On a 6-, your prep focuses on the wrong problem, leaves you exposed, and the GM makes a hard move.
• Planned Advantage: When you execute a plan you documented earlier with clear steps and contingencies, roll +Calculation. On a 10+, choose 2: act before the opposition responds, create a clean opening for an ally, or avoid collateral consequences from your own method. On a 7-9, choose 1 and the GM introduces a new variable. On a 6-, your assumptions break, the plan collapses under pressure, and the GM makes a hard move.
• Ritual Efficiency: When you perform a studied geometric setup exactly as rehearsed, roll +Calculation. On a 10+, reduce the effort: clear 1 tick on your Mana Track after resolving the cast or avoid one minor strain consequence. On a 7-9, you still gain the efficiency, but choose 1: longer setup time, obvious magical signature, or temporary vulnerability while maintaining form. On a 6-, your precise setup is interrupted, backfires, and the GM makes a hard move.

Acquired Moves: (Modular Moves learned in the world)

4. NPC Connections & Bonds

Connections tie your Sanity to the world. A strong Bond acts as an anchor during the adventures.

Format: "I have a bond of [Emotion] with [NPC Name] because [Reason]."

• Someone here thinks I work too hard and tries to force me to relax because...
• Someone here is infinitely more talented than me, but I saved their life because...

Connection Move (Anchor): Once per week, when you spend a Time Slot reaffirming your Connection with an NPC, roll +Social.

• 10+: You heal 1 Sanity, and your Bond grants you a unique piece of insight/leverage for the current problem.
• 7-9: You heal 1 Sanity, but something unexpected creates a complication or demands your immediate help.
• 6-: They reject you or distance themselves. Take -1 ongoing to Social rolls against them for a week.

5. Memorized Spells & Grimoire

(You may hold a number of Memorized Spells equal to your Memory attribute).
1.