A comprehensive glossary of terms used in Nowhere Land
- The Count
- The enigmatic keeper of The Ledger, tracking debts and bargains made by those who traverse the domains.
- Traveler
- A person who has crossed through portals into Nowhere Land, either by accident or design. Player characters are Travelers.
- Trickster
- The game master in Nowhere Land. Like The Count, the Trickster wears many faces: worldbuilder, referee, narrator, and antagonist.
- Domain
- A pocket dimension or realm within Nowhere Land, each with its own rules, inhabitants, and mysteries.
- Portal
- A gateway between domains or from Earth to Nowhere Land. Portals can be natural, created, or facilitated by The Count.
- The Drop
- The core mechanic of rolling dice and selecting which results to keep for your action.
- Drop Pool
- The pool of d6 dice rolled when attempting an action, equal to your relevant Essence modified by skills.
- Veil
- The target number you must meet or exceed for a successful action. Calculated as Essence × Difficulty Multiplier.
- Exploding Dice
- When you roll a natural 6 on any die, it explodes—roll again and add the result (once per die).
- Forma
- The Physical Essence, representing body, strength, and endurance. Ranges from -5 to +5.
- Anima
- The Mental Essence, representing mind, perception, and willpower. Ranges from -5 to +5.
- Umbra
- The Social Essence, representing presence, charisma, and influence. Ranges from -5 to +5.
- Reverie
- The Imagination Essence, representing creative potential and wonder. Ranges from 0 to 10+.
- Drift
- Your connection to Nowhere Land—how it grows, what it costs, and the power it brings. A measure of how much the dreams of Nowhere Land have affected a Traveler's essence. Ranges from 0 (completely human) to 10 (lost to the dream). At Drift 10, the Traveler becomes an NPC creature of Nowhere Land.
- Sacrifice
- A maneuver where you discard dice before rolling to lower the Target Number by 4 per die.
- Reach
- A maneuver where you borrow dice from your future, risking Wounds on rolled 1s.
- Push
- A maneuver where you reroll non-1 dice after rolling, but can't Reach on your next check.
- Upend
- Spend Reverie to upgrade a die's size (d6 → d8 → d10 → d12...). Each step costs 1 Reverie point.
- Fortify
- Spend Reverie to establish a minimum result on a die. Natural 1s always fail regardless of Fortify.
- Echo
- The flexible character prototype system combining Essences, Careers, and Potentials. Characters are built as Echoes.
- Skill
- Specialized training that adds dice to your pool. Skills range from -5 (Abyssal) to +15 (Axiom).
- Career
- A character's profession or background that shapes their skills and grants unique abilities.
- Potential
- Supernatural powers tied to specific domains. Travelers can acquire Potentials through domain attunement.
- Wound
- Physical harm that reduces Forma. Caused by combat, environmental hazards, or rolling 1s on Reached Forma dice.
- Fracture
- Mental harm that reduces Anima. Caused by stress, fear, madness, or rolling 1s on Reached Anima dice.
- Scar
- Social harm that reduces Umbra. Caused by social defeat, betrayal, or rolling 1s on Reached Umbra dice.
- Ledger
- The Count's record of debts and favors. A meta-currency system that tracks bargains made across domains.
- Drift
- Your connection to Nowhere Land—how it grows, what it costs, and the power it brings. A measure of how much the dreams of Nowhere Land have affected a Traveler's essence. Ranges from 0 (completely human) to 10 (lost to the dream). At Drift 10, the Traveler becomes an NPC creature of Nowhere Land.
- The Abyss
- The final domain of Nowhere Land—a nightmarish rock swamp filled with insect swarms and the remains of lost Travelers. This is where those who die with maximum Drift end up, and where no Potentials function.
- Portal Drift Check
- A die roll required when passing through portals at high Drift. Starting at Drift 5+, Travelers roll decreasing dice (d100→d4) when entering portals. Rolling 1 sends them to the Abyss instead of their destination.
- Fountain of Abyss
- A legendary spring of pure dream-water hidden in the Abyss. Drinking from the true Fountain resurrects those who died with maximum Drift, restoring them at Drift 0 in the Outside. Many false fountains exist that trap seekers.
- Partizan Bond
- A certificate of debt issued by the Partizan Council that functions as currency in Partiz. Unlike money, bonds circulate—you receive them for services and pass them to others. Outsiders must rely on barter.
- Domain Hunt
- A civic duty in Partiz requiring each citizen to contribute Domain-harvested resources quarterly. Those who fail lose voting rights and bond access. Wealthy citizens often hire Travelers for this obligation.
- Alptrauma
- A nightmare creature born from traumatic events, deaths, or intense negative emotions. Alptraumas manifest from the psychic residue of suffering and often target those connected to their origin trauma.
- Swarm-Touched
- Humans in the Abyss who have been partially consumed by the insect swarms. They retain fragments of their memories but serve the Abyss, often acting as guides who lead seekers to false fountains.
- Light Rest
- A rest mode where you remain partially aware of surroundings. Can sleep but won't dream or nightmare. Allows activities like training, socializing, and crafting during rest. Safest but least recovery.
- Heavy Rest
- A rest mode requiring shelter where you sleep deeply and lose awareness. May dream or nightmare. Cannot participate unless attacked or woken with a roll. Better recovery than light rest.
- Deep Rest
- The most restorative rest mode (long rest only). Requires shelter and quiet. Full recovery of all resources but MUST dream or nightmare and gains +1 Drift. Duration is 6 hours plus exploding d6.
- Imagination Pool
- A resource pool powering supernatural abilities and creative solutions. Recovers on rest (1d6 exploding for light/heavy, full for deep). Pool expands permanently when granted more than maximum.
- Numbral Dice
- A countdown clock mechanic in the Abyss. Starts at 24, decremented by d6 rolls on triggers. Rolling 1 steps the die up (d6→d8→d10→d12→d20). When clock reaches 0, catastrophic Abyss events occur.
- Fauna and Flora
- A special skill (Umbra-based) for identifying, tracking, and studying creatures and plants of Nowhere Land. Used for finding resources, studying ecosystems, and recognizing dangers. Documenting 5 species reduces Drift by 1.
- Mapping
- A special skill (Umbra-based) for cartography in impossible spaces. Used for documenting domains, finding paths, and understanding territorial patterns. Completing a domain map reduces Drift by 1.