The Drop System (also called the NOWHERE System) is the universal dice-pool engine that powers all resolution in Nowhere Land. Roll dice equal to your Essence, sum them, and compare the total against a Veil (Target Number) to determine success or failure.
The Drop System
Characters use five Essences — Forma, Anima, Umbra, Reverie, and Drift — as the foundation for all checks. When a task's outcome is uncertain and dramatic, the Trickster calls for a roll.
Core Resolution
To resolve a check, assemble a dice pool of d6s equal to the relevant Essence rating (modified by skill). Roll all dice, sum the results, and compare the total against the Veil (Target Number). Meeting or exceeding the Veil means success.
Every character possesses five Essences — core attributes that define their capabilities. Four Essences (Forma, Anima, Umbra, Reverie) are rated from -5 to +5. Drift scales from 0 to 10.
Forma (Physical)
-5 to +5Your body's integrity and power. Physical strength, endurance, combat, and manual dexterity. Damage reduces Forma. At -5, you are incapacitated.
Skills: Athletics, Brawl, Craft, Stealth
Anima (Mental)
-5 to +5Your mind's coherence. Intellect, perception, knowledge, and problem-solving. Stress, fear, and mental attacks reduce Anima. At -5, you break.
Skills: Lore, Insight, Survival
Umbra (Social)
-5 to +5Your presence and influence. Charisma, deception, persuasion, and social standing. Social defeats reduce Umbra. At -5, you are exiled.
Skills: Persuasion, Conviction, Deception
Drift (Reality)
0 to 10Your anchor to the real world. Measures supernatural transformation from domain exposure. High Drift makes you more powerful but less human.
Skills: Used to resist domain influences
✨ Reverie (Imagination)
Reverie is unique among the Essences. Rated 0 to 10+, it is not rolled for tests. Instead, Reverie is a pool of points spent to manipulate dice through Upend (upgrade die size) and Fortify (set minimum results), and to activate Potentials. It represents creative energy, imagination, and the power to reshape reality.
🧭 Drift — Thresholds
Drift measures how much a Traveler has been transformed by the domains of Nowhere Land. As Drift increases, characters gain power but lose their connection to the Outside world.
| Drift | Status | Max Gaps | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Grounded | 0 | Safe in the Outside, no domain influence |
| 1–2 | Displaced | 2 | Caught between worlds, beginning to change |
| 3–6 | Adrift | 4 | Losing your anchor, deep transformation |
| 7–10 | Lost | 6 | Forever bound, native to Nowhere Land |
The Veil (Target Numbers)
Difficulty in Nowhere Land is measured in Veils — barriers to success. The Trickster sets the Veil based on the situation's difficulty and the character's relevant Essence.
Difficulty Table
| Difficulty | Multiplier | Example (Forma +3) |
|---|---|---|
| Trivial (Routine) | × 1 | TN 3 (auto-success) |
| Easy (Simple) | × 2 | TN 6 |
| Moderate (Standard) | × 3 | TN 9 |
| Challenging (Hard) | × 4 | TN 12 |
| Daunting (Extreme) | × 5 | TN 15 |
| Epic (Legendary) | × 6 | TN 18 |
| Impossible | × 7+ | TN 21+ |
Edges & Banes (Context)
Situational modifiers are handled through Context. Rather than adding or subtracting from the total, they affect the dice pool or the Target Number.
🟢 Edges (Advantages)
Favorable conditions — high ground, help, proper tools. Each Edge allows you to reroll one die for free, or lower the TN by 2.
🔴 Banes (Disadvantages)
Hostile conditions — darkness, injury, pressure. Each Bane increases the TN by 2 or removes one die from your pool.
Stacking Rules
- Advantages: +2 dice each, cumulative. Maximum bonus: +6 dice.
- Disadvantages: -2 dice each, cumulative. Maximum penalty: -6 dice.
- Cancel out 1-for-1: If you have both, they cancel. Example: +2 and -4 = net -2.
- Common sources: Flanking (+2), Prone target (+2), Size (±2–4), Aimed Shot (+3), Hinder (-2).
Tactical Maneuvers
Three tactical maneuvers let players manipulate their dice pools for risk-reward tradeoffs. Each has a cost and a restriction. Choosing between them is a core skill of play.
⚔️ Sacrifice (The Tithe)
Timing: Before rolling. Discard any number of dice from your pool. Each discarded die lowers the Target Number by 4. You trade potential for reliability — taking extra time, using perfect technique, or expending resources. Limit: Cannot reduce TN below Essence × 2 (minimum challenge).
Vesper (Forma +5) climbs a sheer cliff (TN 20, Epic). She Sacrifices 3 dice, lowering TN by 12 to 8. Rolling her remaining 2d6, she gets 4 + 6 = 10 — success! She climbs slowly but surely.
🎯 Reach (The Debt)
Timing: Before rolling. Borrow dice from your future. Add extra dice to your current roll, but subtract them from your next roll using the same Essence. Debt accumulates if you Reach again.
- ✓ Add +1d6 now, lose -1d6 from your next roll (stackable)
- ✓ Debt carries over to subsequent rolls if unpaid
- ⚠️ Critical Risk: Any 1 rolled on a Reached die inflicts a Wound (Forma), Fracture (Anima), or Scar (Umbra)
- ⚠️ If Essence is negative (-1 to -5): max 1 Reach die, each costs upfront harm, cannot Reach on next check
Corvus (Anima +2) decodes a cipher (TN 12). He Reaches for 2 extra dice, rolling 4d6 total: 3 + 5 + 6 + 1 = 15 — success! But the 1 on a Reached die inflicts a Fracture. His next Anima check uses 0 dice (2 - 2 debt).
💥 Push (The Echo)
Timing: After rolling. Reroll any number of non-1 dice. You may Push dice equal to your original Essence rating (minimum 1). This is your final chance to change the outcome.
- ✓ Cannot reroll 1s — they are locked failures
- ✓ Cannot Push after Reaching on the same roll
- ⚠️ Debt: After Pushing, you cannot Reach on your next Essence check
Bram (Forma +4) attacks with a sword (TN 16). Roll: 2 + 3 + 4 + 6 = 15 (failure). He Pushes 3 dice (rerolling 2, 3, 4), getting 5, 5, 1. New total: 5 + 5 + 1 + 6 = 17 — success! But his next Forma check cannot use Reach.
Reverie Maneuvers — The Architect's Gift
Spend Reverie points to manipulate dice in extraordinary ways. Reverie represents the power of imagination to reshape reality itself.
✨ Upend (Die Escalation)
Spend 1+ Reverie to upgrade a die's size: d6 → d8 → d10 → d12 → d16 → d20 → d24 → d30 → d36 → d50 → d100. Cost: 1 Reverie per step (10 Reverie to reach d100). Describe how your imagination reshapes reality.
🛡️ Fortify (Minimum Results)
Spend Reverie to establish a die's minimum result: 1 point = minimum 2, 2 points = minimum 3, and so on up to 10 points = minimum 11. Limit: Natural 1s always fail — reality's backlash cannot be overridden.
⚠️ Restriction
Cannot combine Reverie with Reach or Push in the same check. Imagination requires focus — no desperate tactics allowed.
Exploding Dice — Echo Surge
When you roll a natural 6 on any die, it explodes — roll it again and add the result. This happens only once per die (no infinite loops). A single 6 becomes 6 + (new roll).
Resolution Flow
Step-by-Step Procedure
- 1. Trickster sets Difficulty (Veil) based on the task
- 2. Player decides: Sacrifice dice? (Lower TN by 4/die)
- 3. Player decides: Reach for extra dice? (Risk Wounds on 1s)
- 4. Player decides: Spend Reverie? (Upend or Fortify)
- 5. Roll remaining dice, check for explosions (6s)
- 6. Player decides: Push to reroll non-1s?
- 7. Compare total to TN: Meet or exceed = success!
- 8. Apply consequences: Reach debt, Push restrictions, harm from 1s
Degrees of Success and Failure
The system uses a tiered outcome structure. Results aren't simply pass/fail — the degree of success or failure shapes the narrative outcome.
Outcome Table
| Outcome | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Great Success | TN+8 or more | Exceptional achievement with extra benefits |
| Success with Bonus | TN+4 to TN+7 | Goal achieved with additional advantage |
| Normal Success | TN to TN+3 | Goal achieved as intended — no automatic bonus or penalty |
| Partial Success | TN-4 to TN-1 | May accept a constrained success: achieve your goal but accept a cost. Or treat as normal failure. |
| Failure | Below TN-4 | Goal not achieved. Trickster may introduce fictional complications. |
| Critical Failure | All 1s | Catastrophic outcome — the worst possible result |
Harm System (Quick Reference)
Three types of harm, each linked to an Essence. Harm reduces the linked Essence rating. When an Essence reaches its minimum, the character is incapacitated in that domain.
Wounds (Physical)
Essence: Forma
Combat, environmental hazards, rolling 1s on Reached Forma dice
Fractures (Mental)
Essence: Anima
Stress, fear, madness, rolling 1s on Reached Anima dice
Scars (Social)
Essence: Umbra
Social defeat, betrayal, rolling 1s on Reached Umbra dice
Three maneuvers. One choice. Every roll matters.
— Core Design Philosophy