Your Traveler is composed of five Essences. These are not just numbers; they are the health bars of your body, mind, soul, and connection to reality.
The Five Pillars
Forma
Physicality • Force • Endurance
Used for fighting, running, lifting, and enduring pain.
- Skills: Athletics, Brawl, Craft, Stealth
- At 0: Incapacitated (Physical Death)
Anima
Intellect • Will • Perception
Used for thinking, noticing details, resisting fear, and magic.
- Skills: Lore, Insight, Survival, Arcana
- At 0: Broken (Madness/Coma)
Umbra
Presence • Charm • Luck
Used for lying, leading, gambling, and social maneuvering.
- Skills: Persuasion, Deception, Conviction
- At 0: Exiled (Social Death/Hollow)
Reverie
Imagination • Creativity • Flux
Used for domain weaving, sensing magic, and dreaming true.
- Skills: Domain Weaving, Flux Channeling
- At 0: Mundane (Cannot use Imagination)
Drift
Transformation • Reality • Gaps
Measures how much Nowhere Land has changed you.
- Status: Grounded, Displaced, Adrift, Lost
- At 10: Fully Transformed (NPC)
Reverie: The Spark
Reverie (Imagination)
Reverie is your capacity to impose your will upon reality. It is a resource pool, not a static stat.
- Starting Reverie: Usually 3-5.
- Max Reverie: 10.
- Regain: Long Rest (1d4), fulfilling an Anchor (1), or achieving a major victory.
- Upend: Upgrade a die size (d6 → d8) for 1 point.
- Fortify: Set a minimum roll value (1 point = min 2).
- Activate Potentials: Fuel supernatural abilities.
Essence Failure States
When an Essence drops to 0, you suffer a catastrophic failure. This is the "Game Over" state for that aspect of your character.
Forma Failure: Death
Your body gives out. You are dying. Unless stabilized immediately (Medicine TN 15), you perish. Even if saved, you gain a permanent physical Scar (lost limb, organ failure).
Anima Failure: The Break
Your mind shatters. You enter a catatonic state or a psychotic break. You become an NPC under GM control until healed (requires high-level magic or deep therapy). You gain a permanent Trauma.
Umbra Failure: The Hollow
You lose your sense of self. You become a "Hollow"—a faceless background character. People forget you exist immediately after looking away. You fade from the story. This is often irreversible.
Derived Stats
| Stat | Formula | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Initiative | Forma + Anima | Reaction speed and tactical awareness. |
| Wound Cap | Forma + 5 | Physical damage you can take before dying. |
| Stress Cap | Anima + 5 | Mental strain you can endure before breaking. |
| Defense | 10 + Forma | Base difficulty to be hit in combat. |