Apprentices SRD

Apprentices - System Reference Document (SRD)

Quick rules for players and GMs during live play — the compact Reference sheet.

Use this as table reference. For full detail, see 01 Core Mechanics, Character Creation, and Magic System. Term definitions: Glossary Index. Abbreviations: SP = Study Points, IP = Insight Points.

Character Creation Snapshot

Core Resolution

  • Roll when fiction triggers a Move: + relevant attribute
  • 10+ Strong Hit: full success
  • 7-9 Mixed Success: success with cost/complication
  • 6- Miss: GM makes a hard move

Combat is fiction-first. No rigid initiative track. Enemies usually hit/escalate as consequences of player rolls.

Magic Casting Quick Rules

  • Casting uses Shape the Matrix and related magic moves.
  • Typical casting stat:
  • +Finesse for precision/defensive shaping
  • +Willpower for force/destructive shaping
  • Use declaration format: Intent -> School -> [Anchor] + [Form] -> Scale -> Tags. Name only the glyphs that do work — no glyph is mandatory.
  • Anchor glyphs deliver or hold the spell (Stoss, Faden, Puls, Hall, Gitter, Anker); Form glyphs shape how it manifests (Wacht, Kreis, Siegel, Spiegel, Fluss, Schleier, Band, Hohl, Schmiede).
  • Every caster starts with their school-native starter glyph (see the school's Tier 0 table).
  • Glyph stacks: you may combine glyphs in one declaration — each glyph beyond the first costs +1 Mana Track tick; stacking beyond your Calculation pushes the matrix (see Magic System).
  • Declare intended Effect, Range, Area, Duration before cost is finalized.
  • If your structure exceeds safe complexity, expect strain/harm even on partial success.

Mana Track and Strain

  • Magic is constrained by a Mana (ticks), not a classic MP pool.
  • Typical costs:
  • Trivial: 0 ticks
  • Standard: 1 tick
  • Hard/Complex: 2 ticks
  • Miracle: 4+ ticks
  • Pushing beyond safe limits inflicts physical consequences (Wounds/Channel Strain) and narrative fallout.

Ready Glyphs

Spell Mastery Loop

  • In danger, improvise with Shape the Matrix.
  • Cast the same declaration successfully and mark its Spell Clock (4 segments) — fill it and the spell is Mastered (always ready, -1 tick, silent, reaction-capable).
  • Between scenes, accelerate or design spells with Research Matrix.
  • Tune Mastered spells via Research Matrix (1-2 SP): shave a tick, add/swap a tag, rewrite the risk signature, or erase a flaw — the player's choice.
  • Mastered spells reduce repeat negotiation and make advanced students feel distinct.

Support Schools (Alchemy and Artifice)

  • Alchemy (Brew Alchemy): roll + Mental during downtime with an Alchemical Material Cache.
  • Artifice (Engrave Artifice): roll + Finesse or + Calculation during downtime with an Anchor Material Cache.
  • Artifice = Inscription: draw any stabilized formula into any object (discs, rings, foci, parchments, weapons). Mastered spells inscribe cleanly (one Complexity tier lower); triggering = no roll, 2 Mana ticks (1 with Combat Artifice).
  • Hybrid crafting model: Complexity 1 resolves in one roll; Complexity 2+ uses Progress toward a complexity clock.
  • Artifice activation: no casting roll when triggering a finished item; activation costs 2 Mana Track ticks.
  • Support schools share the same level cap as core schools, but they grant crafting/reliability permissions rather than Technique Glyph tiers.

GM Adjudication Card

When in doubt:

  • Confirm fictional positioning and glyph logic.
  • Confirm declared Effect/Range/Area/Duration, then set Mana Track cost from scale/risk.
  • Roll move.
  • On 7-9, offer two fitting complications and let the player pick one.
  • On 6-, make a hard move that follows from School + Glyph + Scale fiction.

Canonical References