STORYTELLING REDEFINED

RULEBOOK
Version 2018.1
 TABLE OF
TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 MECHANICS 12

OVERVIEW 2 PLAYING AN ENTICEMENT 12
OVERVIEW
SETUP 3 MAKING AN ENTICEMENT 12
STARTING A NEW SEASON 3 ACCEPTING AN ENTICEMENT 12
THEME 3 REFUSING AN ENTICEMENT 12
LOCATION 3 REDEEMING AN ENTICEMENT 12 SETUP
BOSS 3 PLAYING STORY CARDS 13
INVITING PLAYERS 4 LOCATION 13
INVITE BY USERNAME 4 NPC 13
CREATE A LOCAL CHARACTER 4 ENEMY 13 PLAYING

CREATING A CHARACTER 4 PLOT TWIST 13

FOCUS SUIT 4 ITEM 13
BACKSTORY 5 MAKING SKILL CHECKS 14
MECHANICS
TALENTS 5 CONSTITUTION CHECK 14
FLAWS 5 PERCEPTION CHECK 14
SIGNATURE MOVE 5 KNOWLEDGE CHECK 14
ITEMS 5 PSYCH CHECK 14 QUICK REF
COMPLETING A CHARACTER 6 QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 15
FINISHING SETUP 6
PLAYING 7
PLAYING A SCENE 7
PLAYING AN ENCOUNTER 7
DECIDING WHO GOES FIRST 8
TAKING AN ACTION 8
NON-PLAYER ACTIONS 8
ENDING AN ENCOUNTER 8
PLAYING A CHALLENGE 8
CREATE THE DICE POOL 10
APPLY QUALITIES 10
DETERMINE SUCCESS 10
RECEIVING STRIKES 11
EPIC PASS 11
EPIC FAIL 11
AUTO-PASS 11

TIPS
This is an interactive PDF. You can click on
the right navigation to jump around the
document.
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 TABLE OF
OVERVIEW CONTENTS

Weave is an easy to learn, high-improvisation storytelling platform. The idea is that

not only can you tell a single story over the course of a night, but you can have
characters go through episodic adventures, where previous decisions affect future OVERVIEW
actions.

In this rulebook you will find the 2018.1 ruleset, which has been updated to reflect the
feedback from our community, as well as important clarifications. While rules make SETUP
the game, the story is what defines it, therefore please use these rules as a guide,
however don’t let them get in the way of the story.

Personally, I want to say thank you to the mods and everybody in our discord PLAYING
community for their encouragement and postive nature. If you have any questions or
concerns, please feel free to reach out to us using the following link below:

Weave Discord Community Server

MECHANICS

QUICK REF
Thank you for playing!

Kyle Kinkade

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 TABLE OF
SETUP CONTENTS

STARTING A NEW SEASON

Before starting a new season, if you are the Storyteller, separately shuffle both the OVERVIEW
Challenge deck and the Story deck. Pull out one Challenge card of each suit and
place them aside. These represent a Focus suit that each character will have. Then
draw the top 3 cards from the Story deck and place the cards face down in front
of you. SETUP

To begin a new season, navigate to the Playsets menu from the home screen, select
STARTING A SEASON
a Playset, and then scan in 3 story cards. These will give you options for the Theme,
Location, and Boss for the first episode.

INVITING PLAYERS
THEME
The first Story card represents the Theme of the episode. This decides the overall
plot for the episode. Themes are intended to be open to interpretation.
CHARACTER CREATION

EXAMPLE
FINISHING SETUP

The Dawn card in the Gloomies Playset tells of a ghost

that is inhabiting a character’s home. It’s up to the
characters to determine how to address this issue. PLAYING

LOCATION
MECHANICS
The second Story card is the Location. This can either be the where the episode
starts off or the location the characters need to work towards to get into the action.

EXAMPLE QUICK REF

The Owl card in the Gloomies Playset offers a small

shack as a location. This can be where the game starts,
with the characters holding a secret meeting, or it could
be where they need to go to get the story started.

BOSS
The third story card symbolizes the boss is the person central to the story, the
person whom all other aspects of the story revolve around. All roads should
eventually lead to a confrontation with this person, who stands in the way between
the players and the completing the Theme’s goals for the episode.

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Once you have created and named your new season, you will be taken to the TABLE OF
CONTENTS
home screen. Here the new season will be displayed at the top of the list, with
“STORYTELLER” displayed on the top. Tapping on the season will take you to the
current episode, which has Theme, Location, and Boss listed in the timeline.
OVERVIEW
INVITING PLAYERS
After creating a season, the Storyteller can invite up to 4 players by selecting the
“CAST OF CHARACTERS” section from within the season. Tap the “+ ADD / INVITE” SETUP
below the header and choose whether you want to invite a player or add a local
character.
STARTING A SEASON

INVITE BY USERNAME
If the player has their own device with the Weave app and has created an account, INVITING PLAYERS
you can invite them to the season by typing in their username. The player can then
use their device to create their character, which will show up on the Storyteller’s
screen when they are complete.
CHARACTER CREATION

CREATE A LOCAL CHARACTER

Alternatively, if the player does not have their own device the Storyteller can add FINISHING SETUP
the character for them. The player can still create the character but it will only be
accessible from the Storyteller’s device

PLAYING
CREATING A CHARACTER
When creating a new season, each player will create a character to explore the
story. Characters are made up of several qualities that help define the character and
MECHANICS
create interesting situations that they may excel at or have trouble with. Qualities
can be used to help a character during a Challenge, influence a specific outcome,
or lead to unforeseen complications.

To create a character, each player takes one of the face down Challenge cards, QUICK REF
draws 4 Story cards, and then scans them in during character creation.

FOCUS SUIT
The Focus suit defines what a character is naturally good at. Each suit represents
a generalized area of skill, and any time a character performs a Challenge of the
same suit, they gain an extra die.

The suit of the Challenge card you scan becomes your Focus suit.
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 TABLE OF
BACKSTORY CONTENTS
A Backstory is an event that explains why the character acts the way they do.
These can be good or bad, and can also be used to explain why the character
has a natural ability during a challenge. Backstories often revolve around a past
experience that the character had. OVERVIEW

Players choose 1 Backstory from each of the 4 Story cards you scan.

TALENTS SETUP

These are qualities that help a character throughout the story. They might be
training, past experiences, or just the type of person they are. Talents range from STARTING A SEASON
martial arts training to help in a fight or being a curious person who naturally finds
clues.
INVITING PLAYERS
You will choose 2 Talents each from the first and third Story cards you scan and 1
Talent each from the second and fourth Story card you scan.
CHARACTER CREATION
FLAWS
This type of quality gives more flavor to a character. While Flaws are almost always
bad, they can be used to make the story fun and interesting as well as adding FINISHING SETUP
new complexities to a Challenge. Flaws can also used by the Storyteller to entice a
character into making interesting or complicated decisions. You will choose 1 Flaw
each from the second and fourth Story card you scan.
PLAYING

SIGNATURE MOVE
This move is an extremely powerful effect that allows the character to bring their
greatest strength to bear on a situation. This move allows players to add dice to MECHANICS
a challenge, ignore strikes, or otherwise modify the rules of the game. A Signature
Move can only be used once per episode.

You will choose 1 of 4 Signature Moves obtained from each of the Story cards QUICK REF
scanned.

ITEMS
Finally, you will choose 2 useful items to start with. These are also determined by the
4 Story cards you scanned, and you will have 8 options to choose from. Some of
these items will have apparent usefulness, like tools or weapons. Sometimes though
the items are more vague in terms how they’ll be used in the game, like a canoe or
a backpack full of snacks.

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 TABLE OF
COMPLETING A CHARACTER CONTENTS
After scanning all 4 Story cards, your character will have a total of 4 Backstories, 6
Talents, 2 Flaws, a Signature Move, and 2 items. The last thing you’ll need to do is
name your character. This can be anything you like but could also be descriptive of
the character. OVERVIEW

EXAMPLE

SETUP
Your character is a captain of a pirate ship, but
previously was a doctor. The name “Dr. Healthbeard,
the Dread Pirate Captain” would fit nicely.
STARTING A SEASON

FINISHING SETUP INVITING PLAYERS

After players have completed their characters, all Story and Challenge cards are
returned to the Storyteller. The Storyteller keeps the Theme, Location, and Boss
CHARACTER CREATION
cards in front of them, and shuffles all other Story cards together, placing them into
a new Story deck. The Storyteller then shuffles the 4 Challenge cards back into the
Challenge deck.
FINISHING SETUP

The Storyteller then selects four Challenge cards from the top of the challenge deck,
and two story cards from the top of the story deck, creating the ‘Storyteller’s Hand’.
The Storyteller uses this hand to create Challenges for the characters as well as PLAYING
adding new story elements like locations and plot twists during the episode. After a
card is played, the Storyteller draws a new card from the appropriate deck.

Each player then takes a turn describing their character. This should include their
MECHANICS
Backstory, Talents, and Flaw, but can also include other character traits the player
has decided on. Both the Storyteller and players are encouraged to help provide
suggestions for how all the qualities of the character fit together to form an
interesting and believable character.
QUICK REF

While players are describing their characters, the Storyteller should ask how each of
the characters knows each other, if at all.

EXAMPLE

Dr. Healthbeard, the Dread Pirate Captain, can talk

about how they went from an established doctor to
a captain of a pirate ship, why they’re skilled with a
blaster pistol, and how they first met Lady Skycloud
during that heist that went wrong.

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 TABLE OF
PLAYING CONTENTS

PLAYING A SCENE
A scene is a moment in the story that helps build toward the characters’ ultimate OVERVIEW
goal. A scene could be the moment when players discover who is behind the
conspiracy or obtaining a relic to help on their adventure. Scenes usually stick to a
single location but can move around if that makes more sense.
SETUP
As the storyteller plays cards in a scene; they are essentially creating a tarot spread
that tells the story about what is going on. While we have our own tarot spread,
Storytellers should feel free to create a layout that best fits their style.

To create a spread, place the Theme, Location, and Boss cards vertically facing PLAYING
the storyteller, making sure the boss card is placed face down. These three cards
are called the foundation and represent the current episode. Above the foundation,
place any played story card horizontally above the left-hand side of the foundation, PLAYING A SCENE
and any played challenge cards horizontally above the right-hand side of the
foundation. These two columns above the foundation are the cards played during a
single scene. ENCOUNTERS

At the end of a scene any challenge or story cards that were played (minus the
foundation), should be shuffled back into their respective decks. CHALLENGES

PLAYING AN ENCOUNTER
MECHANICS
Encounters are incidents of conflict in the story that happen inside of scenes. They
usually last upwards of 5 to 10 minutes inside of the story, but will most likely take
longer at the playing table. Examples of encounters can include:
QUICK REF
ÊÊ A brawl outside of a bar

ÊÊ Dance battle against rival dance team

ÊÊ Outrunning the law in your parent’s car

ÊÊ Escaping a crumbling building

These moments are fast-paced and require that each player roll to see who goes
first before taking turns in a clockwise fashion. Each player’s turn must include
actions that can be completed within 10 seconds inside of the story.

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 TABLE OF
DECIDING WHO GOES FIRST CONTENTS
The character that caused or started the encounter goes first, but it is up to the
players and storyteller to agree on the order, with the storyteller having final say.

OVERVIEW
TAKING AN ACTION
Actions are what a character does during an encounter, and should take no longer
than 10 seconds to complete inside of the story. Depending on the action taken,
the storyteller may issue a challenge to see if they were successful (see playing SETUP
challenges).

NON-PLAYER ACTIONS
There are characters in the story that are not controlled by players, and there are
events (such as plot-twists) that are only in the control of the storyteller. The actions PLAYING

they generate are called non-player actions. These actions can occur in between
player actions, and are described by the storyteller. These actions are treated the
PLAYING A SCENE
same as any other action, including issuing challenges.

ENDING AN ENCOUNTER
ENCOUNTERS
An encounter is finished when an outcome has been determined for each character
or event in the scene.
CHALLENGES
PLAYING A CHALLENGE
At any point during a scene, if the Storyteller feels that the characters’ actions might MECHANICS
be met with resistance or complications, they can begin a Challenge. This offers a
framework to determine how the characters will respond to an obstacle and if they
are able to overcome it. Talents, Items, and all aspects of a character can be used
to complete a Challenge. QUICK REF

A challenge can be played at any time and does not require a card to be played.
All challenges start out with a challenge level of one. A storyteller may increase
the level of the challenge by placing a challenge card of the same suit type of the
challenge played. The value of the challenge card replaces the challenge level of the
card.

TIPS
You can also find this information in the
Quick Reference Guide if you just need a
refresher.
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Challenge cards put all challenges into one of four suits, which represent any action TABLE OF
CONTENTS
a user may want to do:

OVERVIEW

SETUP
STONES FLAMES

Physical challenges, throwing, lifting or Intelligence, knowledge, and memory.

physically attacking. Additionally, stones Used for seeing if a player remembers
also represent constitution, or how well the name of someone they met, casting PLAYING
a character takes a physical injury. magic spells, hacking a mainframe, or
knowing gossip about the cheerleader
character.
PLAYING A SCENE

ENCOUNTERS

CHALLENGES

BROOKS GALES
MECHANICS

Charisma and charm, Intimidation Dexterity, and agility. Challenges like

and coercion. Brooks challenges are this include dodging a fist or attack,
social, and include trying to interrogate climbing a wall, or being a crack shot
QUICK REF
someone for knowledge, convincing at a ranged weapon. Additionally, gales
someone to stop a fight before it starts, are used for perception checks, such as
or charming a non-player character to detecting a presence in a room, or if
get what you want. you are aware of your surroundings.

Any challenge played must first be stated as a particular suit.

EXAMPLE

A player wants to kick down a door, but the storyteller

believes that they may not automatically succeed. So
the storyteller states that this action is a “one of stones”
challenge. They then play a stones challenge card
with a challenge level of two, which becomes the new
challenge level

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Once a Challenge has been established, the Storyteller and player involved carry TABLE OF
CONTENTS
out the following steps:

CREATE THE DICE POOL

OVERVIEW
For any Challenge, the player starts with 3 dice. If the character’s Focus suit is the
same as the Challenge suit, the player receives an additional die. If the character
has a strike in the same color as the challenge suit, they receive one less die.

SETUP
APPLY QUALITIES
For each character quality that both the Storyteller and the player feel applies to
the Challenge roll, the player adds or removes a die from the pool. Items can also
be considered here.
PLAYING
Additionally, the Storyteller might feel that the way the character is trying to solve
the Challenge is awesome enough that they want to see it happen. In this case, the
Storyteller may add an additional die to the pool. PLAYING A SCENE

Once the final dice pool has been established, the player rolls all the dice and
determines if they are successful in overcoming the Challenge. ENCOUNTERS

EXAMPLE
CHALLENGES

Because Dr. Healthbeard, the Dread Pirate Captain, is

trying to perform surgery, they may gain an additional
die from their past as a doctor. However, because they MECHANICS
have the impatient flaw, they might rush the operation,
which could remove a die.

QUICK REF
DETERMINE SUCCESS
Any die rolled that matches the suit of the Challenge are counted as a success
towards the Challenge. Any Weave symbols rolled also count as a success and can
be re-rolled to see if additional success can be made. If a Weave symbol is rolled
again, it counts as another success and can be re-rolled as well.

If the number of successes meets or exceeds the Challenge level, the Challenge was
successfully completed. The player describes how they succeeded and there is much
rejoicing.

If the number of success is less than the Challenge level, the challenge is failed. The
character is unable to complete the Challenge on their first attempt, but they can try
again if they want.

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RECEIVING STRIKES CONTENTS
If there is one or more Strike symbols rolled and the player fails the Challenge, they
receive 1 Strike to their character. This Strike is applied by the Storyteller and affects
a particular suit.
OVERVIEW
If a character receives 3 Strikes during a scene, the Storyteller removes the character
from the scene appropriately for the situation. The character will come back in a
subsequent scene. All Strikes are removed after the scene is completed.
SETUP
EXAMPLE

Dr. Healthbeard receives their final strike after failing

to dodge a disgruntled patient’s attack. The storyteller PLAYING
declares that Healthbeard has been knocked
unconscious, and is out for the remainder of the scene.

PLAYING A SCENE

EPIC PASS
If the dice roll had two or more successes than the challenge level, the player has ENCOUNTERS
more influence in how the action is performed, and if they had previously used their
signature move, it is considered refreshed and available for use again.
CHALLENGES
EPIC FAIL
If the failed dice roll had a challenge level that was two or more above the
MECHANICS
successes rolled, the character is considered to have performed an “epic fail”. In
addition to any potential strike that may have been received, the character may also
receive a consequence. A consequence is a negative quality about the character
that can last for the remainder of the game unless the Storyteller and players agree
QUICK REF
on a proper way to remove it. (e.g. If a character dives out of the way of a car, but
epically fails the dive, they may receive a broken leg as a consequence).

AUTO-PASS
If a storyteller doesn’t like the challenge cards that are in their hand, they may make
a challenge automatically pass, which will let them redraw all their challenge cards,
holding onto any, up to the hand amount. If they want to auto-fail, they can try to
play an enticement (see Mechanics section).

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 TABLE OF
MECHANICS CONTENTS

PLAYING AN ENTICEMENT
One of the best tools a storyteller has, enticements add flavor to the story and the OVERVIEW
characters themselves. During an episode, a storyteller might not always have the
right challenge card in their hand. The storyteller may want to see more depth in a
character, or decide that a challenge may require a bit more than what they have
in their hand. SETUP

This is where enticements come into play. Enticements are both a reward for the
player who leans into their flaws and an opportunity for the storyteller to put more
drama in the plot.
PLAYING
MAKING AN ENTICEMENT
Enticements can be played by the storyteller after a player announces their intent
for an action, but before the action resolves. The storyteller selects a flaw from the
MECHANICS
character (or a backstory if it fits in) and explains why it could affect the outcome.
They then choose a challenge card of any suit from their hand an place it face
down. The player then has a choice of whether to accept the enticement and fail ENTICEMENTS
their action or try to resist it to continue their action.

ACCEPTING AN ENTICEMENT STORY CARDS

Should the player accept the enticement, the challenge immediately fails without any
strikes or consequences. The character receives the challenge card to hold onto,
which can be redeemed in any future action. SKILL CHECKS

REFUSING AN ENTICEMENT QUICK REF

If a player refuses the enticement, the storyteller flips over the face down challenge
card to reveal the challenge suit and difficulty. The player must make a challenge roll
on the card before rolling against the initial challenge. If the enticement challenge is
successful, the character succeeds in resisting the enticement, then immediately rolls
against the initial challenge, receiving any strikes or consequences that should incur
should the initial challenge fail.

REDEEMING AN ENTICEMENT
On any action, a player may redeem an enticement by handing the card back to
the storyteller to do any of the following:

ÊÊ Heal a strike from their character

ÊÊ Add an additional die to another challenge roll.

ÊÊ Reduce a challenge of the same suit by the amount shown

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 TABLE OF
PLAYING STORY CARDS CONTENTS

Story cards contain useful suggestions for the Storyteller that come in multiple
forms. You can play a card immediately, face down (choosing to play it at the right
moment), or let one of the players choose one of the two story cards you have for OVERVIEW
any situation (e.g. selecting which one will give them an item, or will take them to the
next location). There are many attributes of story cards which are locations, NPCs,
enemies, plot twists and items.
SETUP
LOCATION
A scene generally takes place in a single location. The usual course of action after
completing a scene finds the characters moving to a new location
PLAYING
NPC
An NPC, which stands for Non-Player Character, is a character that is controlled by
the Storyteller. NPCs can be used by the Storyteller to communicate information with
the characters or aid them in their endeavors. MECHANICS

ENEMY
ENTICEMENTS
Sometimes the story needs a bad guy to help move it along. Enemies are used by
the Storyteller to add extra complexity to the story and may not even be related to
the Theme or Boss at all. A Challenge is usually required to overcome or circumvent STORY CARDS
Enemies.

PLOT TWIST SKILL CHECKS

These events are designed to throw a wrench into the characters’ plans or to
provide a window of opportunity to progress into the next scene. Plot Twists can
QUICK REF
range from a hindrance to a character, a location becoming inaccessible, or a
large-scale event impacting the characters’ progress.

ITEM
Whether they’re just for fun or serve a functional purpose, Items are a great way
to throw props into the story for the characters to use. They may serve only to
overcome a Challenge or they could be central to the plot in their own way

TIPS
Think of story cards like helpful prompts
to point you in a direction. You can be as
vague or descriptive with the results as you
want. It’s your story!
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MAKING SKILL CHECKS CONTENTS

A storyteller may want to spice up the story at some point by making characters
perform a skill check. Skill checks help decide the outcome of an event that is either
happening or about to happen. Skill checks come down to the style of the storyteller OVERVIEW
and how they want the dice to work for them, however here are some standard
checks that a storyteller makes.

CONSTITUTION CHECK SETUP

Used for events that could potentially affect the physical safety of every
character (including NPCs) at once. (e.g. a water main bursts in a room,
possibly spraying extremely hot water on any or all of the characters,
which could injure them).
PLAYING

PERCEPTION CHECK
Perception checks are used when the storyteller wants to see who notices
something first, or if someone notices at all. They are great for using when MECHANICS
an enemy is about to be played, or if a crucial plot device is in a room,
out in the open for the characters to discover.
ENTICEMENTS

KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Great if you want to see who remembers a non-player character the most STORY CARDS
when they enter a scene, or if you wish to for a winning player to select a
story card from your hand (e.g. Remembering the location of a significant
artifact, which could require a location story called to be played).
SKILL CHECKS

PSYCH CHECK
QUICK REF
If a moment in the story could potentially affect any or all of the
characters, a psychological check can be made to find who handles it
well. (e.g. a ghost could try to haunt a room, possibly scaring them away,
or an NPC or enemy attempts to intimidate the cast or characters.)

All skill checks are of a challenge level of one, and start out with three dice. Only
a character’s focus suit can add an additional die. If multiple players are doing a
perception check, the highest result usually aids the winning player in a chance to
go first or provide some advantage over the other characters.

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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE CONTENTS

STONES FLAMES
Constitution Checks Knowledge Checks OVERVIEW
Physical Challenges Intelligence Challenges

GALES BROOKS
Perception Checks Psych Checks SETUP
Dexterity, Agility Charisma, Intimidation,
Challenges Persuasion Challenges

PLAYING
CHALLENGES ROLLING FOR OUTCOMES

ÊÊ Start at 1 ÊÊ Start with 3 dice

MECHANICS
ÊÊ Storyteller can play a card ÊÊ Storyteller can remove or add dice
from their hand to increase based on Players backstory, talents,
difficulty. Must be same suit. or flaws. This should be a discussion
New number becomes the between the Storyteller and Player.
Challenge difficulty QUICK REF
ÊÊ Roll the same # of Suits matching
Challenge/Check = Success

ENTICEMENTS ÊÊ Weave Symbol = Match + Reroll

ÊÊ If you Fail and rolled a strike, 1

ÊÊ Used by Storyteller to strike is added to your sheet.
persuade Players to do or
not do something ÊÊ Strike consequence is determined
by Storyteller. Think of it as an
ÊÊ Storyteller plays card from adjective.
their hand facedown. If the
Player accepts, they get the ÊÊ Lose 1 die for Challenge suits you
card to use for: have a strike in

ÊÊ Healing a strike ÊÊ 3 Strikes = Removed from Scene

ÊÊ Add an additional die to ÊÊ 2+ above Challenge number = Epic

another challenge roll Pass. Player dictates outcome.

ÊÊ Reduce a challenge of the ÊÊ 2+ below Challenge number = Epic

same suit by the amount Fail. Storyteller assigns a large
shown consequence.

ÊÊ If they resist, they must roll

against the Enticement card
and original Challenge card
to pass

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