Invoke - A role playing game of elemental power

7/25/2019 Invoke - A role playing game of elemental power

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Written by Luke PullarArt by Tyler Thull

A role playing game of elemental powerInvoke

k sabtato (order #7652835)



Table of ContentsIntroduction 3

The days of gods 3 The Elementals 5

About Invoke 6

Creating a character 7 The Character 7 Elements 7

Skills 7 Statistics 8 Epiphanies 8 Examples 9

The Rules 11 Performing Tasks 11

Overview 11 Selecting the Skill 11 Defining the Risk 11 Rolling the dice 12 Manifestations 12

Combat 15 Overview 15 1. Sequence 15 2. Action 15 3. Reaction 15 4. Resolve 15 5. Refresh 16

6. Renew 16 Weapons 16

Ranged weapons 17 Melee weapons 17

Health and Healing 18 Mortality 18 Mundane healing 18 Manifested healing 18

Skills 20 Creating 20

Reacting 21 Influencing 21 Understanding 21

Equipment 22

Genesis 23 Orth 23 Fior 24 Aga 24 Aer 25

A miscellany of rules 26 Advancement 26 Mere Mortals 26

The world 27

Quick Reference 28

Character sheet 29




IntroductionThe days of godsThe myriad of pantheons created by mankind have one thing in common: their gods embody some of the bestand worst traits of mankind. Whilst all of these created pantheons are products of the human mind projectingitself onto its creators, the true, original pantheon at the core of these myths has characteristics of bothmankind and the elements. There are but four deities that are fundamental to the very nature of all things:Orth, Fior, Aer and Aga.

Orth was the slowest of them all but his strength was greater than that of the others combined. His

solidity was used to form the mass of the planets and stars.

Fior was spontaneous and quick in her frustrations, but who was easily suppressed by her siblings.Her fleeting nature ignites all that lives in the gods’ creation.

Aer made up for his weakness with unknowable speed. His immaterial nature breathed life into all

the siblings created.

Aga was the placid but resolute sister. She used her fluidity to grow and sustain all that lives.

Somewhere in the distant past these gods strode the world and admired their creation. They felt a kinship likenone other and shared their powers freely amongst themselves. Their final masterpiece was the perfection ofhumanity; a man and a woman of such grace and beauty that the gods knew their work was done.

Humanity went forth with blessing and multiplied, learning how to use their intelligence to master theirenvironment. They understood the ways of nature and lived harmoniously for centuries, spreading out to all thecorners of the globe. During this time each of the gods walked, laughed and lived with them, travellingeffortlessly between locations before sojourning daily in their hidden abode.

Despite their purity and innocence, and entirely without intent, the fledgling civilisation managed to cause a rift

between the creators. Such was the perfection of these men and women that the gods themselves could notresist the temptations of love.

The brothers, Orth and Aer, both adored Eive, the first of the females. Fior and Aga longed for the embrace ofthe first male, Edm.

Unbeknownst to all, the emotional links that were forged between the gods and these two humans were thereason for their corruption. Eive and Edm found their attention wavering from each other and towards the gods,lust tearing at their defenceless souls. Lies and misdirection were formed to hide their fraying resolve.




For the first time in eternity the gods too suffered from discord. The competition between the siblings resultedin distrust and anger. Terrible words were spoken; unknowable to mundane life but formed of the purest powerthat were used to build the universe. Such was the clamour and spite that at least one of the gods cursed all ofhumanity.

The corruption of Eive and Edm spread rapidly upon the gods’ blight, tainting all who lived, with mortality, lust,greed and disease. For the first time people felt the grim touch of death, the cold pulse of violent intention, andthe gentle yet unceasing influence of unnecessary desire.

Even still the gods argued, unstoppable in their rage and unaware of the plight of their creation. The worldaround them shattered as ethereal words caused mountains to pierce the ground, climbing into the sky. Thevery ground beneath the feet of humanity split into continents, separating groups of people by immensedistances.

It wasn’t until Aga paused in her tirade against Fior that she saw what they had done. Her unexpected silencegrabbed the attention of her siblings and they watched their creation fall to ruin.

Fior was the first to react in anger, blaming Aga for the troubles. Aer, full of bile and lust for Eive followed hissister’s lead and threw insults at Orth. The most solid of gods finally snapped then, and a ponderous andunstoppable fist struck Aer. From that point there was no way to fix the rifts between the siblings.

For several decades this scene continued, untempered violence between brothers and sisters. Swathes of landwere destroyed simply by proximity to the unbound anger as the earth shook and the sky burned. It took asingle terrified human to break this deadlock. Somehow she had made her way into the gods’ home, fear anddespair etched across her face. The action of crossing the eldritch tempest outside had all but destroyed her butshe was resolute in her need to stop the gods from destroying the entire planet.

The gods were humbled as the unnamed woman wept and died before their eyes. Without a word they ceasedtheir fighting and solemnly buried her. Then they turned their backs on each other and left their home, never toreturn. As they departed, Aga caused the water surrounding their island to swallow it whole, sinking it to thebottom of the ocean.

The gods then wandered the world disguised as mortals. Without the benefit of kinship they were alone andunrestrained. They abounded in their newfound freedom and found a form of happiness they hadn’t knownbefore. Each had offspring with mortals, creating a bloodline that still persists.

For many centuries the gods travelled as humans, rarely using their powers. When they did manifest abilitiestheir siblings could feel it, and antagonistically each would inhibit their own elemental nature with the one theyargued with. Orth found he could not use Aer’s speed and Aer could not gather the strength of Orth. Fior’sresilience was lessened as Aga took away her nature, and in return Fior reduced Aga’s boldness and aggression.

After several centuries, humanity had grown to forget the gods’ conflict and turned it into myth. It was then thatthe siblings gathered. They had done this world an irreversible disservice and agreed to leave. With nothing buta nod they simply disappeared forever more leaving their creation to forge their own future.




The ElementalsBorn from the descended bloodline of the gods, you hold the power of the very elements. The nature of yourorigin means you suffer from no disability or illness. Despite this you are undeniably human. You still adhere tothe basic laws of physics so feel the effects of life just as a normal person.

Through accident or intervention you have learnt how to access a tiny part of the divine. You can invoke theaspects of each of the elements, enabling you to perform deeds not normally possible for humans. Yourfavoured element links you to your ultimate progenitor giving you more potency in that domain, however thelegacy of the gods’ conflict restricts the opposing element.

For reasons known only to themselves, there are Elementals who seek to perpetuate the schism between thesiblings. Often (but not always) organised into groups these hunters spend their lives destroying those they aretaught to detest. The Pillars of Orth seek out those who would associate with Aer. Valkyries return the favour todescendants of Orth. The Deluge of Aga deliver vengeance to those related to Fior, while The Ashes reciprocatein kind.

Rarely are these conflicts brought out into the open. As powerful as the Elementals are, they are outnumberedby humanity by hundreds of thousands to one. Should too many unintended casualties be caused by this hiddenwar, terminal retaliation would be assured.

However there are some who already undertake the dangerous mission of totally eradicating the Elementals. Nosingle organisation has ever been identified as the controlling force behind attacks on the Elementals, but thereis enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that it is more than an unrelated group of individuals. Often blame isattributed to special clandestine branches of the monotheistic religions, but proof is elusive and the accusationsare likely to be typical of simple anti-establishment sentiment.




About InvokeInvoke is a Role Playing Game where the players take control of a descendent of one of the primary elements.

The system used in this game is designed to give the players a simple framework to determine the outcomes ofactions and conflicts, and relies heavily on a story-telling approach to the game rather than providing rulesmechanics for every possible situation.

To play Invoke you will need several things:

1. First and foremost, a group of friends to play with. Whilst it would be possible to do so with just oneother, as with most RPGs the gaming experience is enhanced when in a group of four to six.

2. Next you will need the basic stuff to play an RPG: pens, paper and this handy little document. The dicerequired include the six sided variety (d6), eight sided (d8), ten sided (d10) and twelve sided (d12). It isbest if there are two of each dice type per player.

3. A good attitude to having fun. You’re playing a divinely touched human with the power andresponsibility that goes with it. Be as bad or as good as you want in the game, but don’t be a dick in reallife.

4. Snacks. I cannot imagine a gaming session without copious amounts of teeth destroying and diabetescausing foods and drinks.

One player takes the role of the Game Master (GM). If you want to keep in character of the game then feel freeto call him or her the Force of Nature. Because that’s what the role is: Everything within the game except for thecharacters is controlled by the GM, from the weather to the non-player characters (NPC) that are encountered.

Be nice to the GM because one who is annoyed at the players can bring incredible punishment to them. On the

flip side the GM really needs to understand and run the game with the “don’t be a dick” rule foremost in mind:doing cruel and unusual things to your players will end up in an unhappy group, and the end result of that is nogame at all.




Creating a characterCharacter creation consists of the following steps.

1. Imagine the character2. Select primary element

3.

Select skills4. Generate statistics5. Select one Epiphany (optional)

The CharacterFirst of all, the player must determine what sort ofcharacter to play. Do you want someone tough, ahacker with l337 skillz, a thinker who can solveproblems? Playing the right character for you is oneof the most important decisions to make.

Once you have your basic idea of what sort ofcharacter to play, define his or her life: What doesthe character do? What motivates him or her? Thispart to creating your in-game avatar is the mostcreative. The simplest way to build the character isto come up with a simple concept; something thatcan be explained in only one or two shortsentences.

ElementsEach element has a number of parts to it: a pair ofAspects (essentially adjectives describing strengthsand weaknesses), the related skill group, and anopposing element. The other elements are knownas related elements.

Aspects relate to the element’s nature and include a

positive and a negative. When calling that element,one of these words describes how it affects youraction. Most often you will select the positiveadjective, but it may be possible to spin thenegative into something useful.

Opposing elements are harder to invoke, andimpossible to manifest magic with.

OrthThe god of solids and the very ground we walk

upon.Aspects: Strong, slowSkill group: CreatingBonus: +2 HealthOpposing element: Aer

FiorThe goddess of flames, heat and volatility.Aspects: Aggressive, VulnerableSkill group: ReactingBonus: +1 to InitiativeOpposing element: Aga

AerThe god of the intangible atmosphere and the airof which we breathe.Aspects: Fast, weakSkill group: UnderstandingBonus: +0.5m movement rate

Opposing element: Orth

AgaThe goddess of liquids and all that brings life.Aspects: Resilient, passiveSkill group: InfluencingBonus: +1 to SpiritualityOpposing element: Fior

SkillsA player may choose to add a single rank to one skillgroup and four specialties (indicated by colouringone of the “dots” in that group on the charactersheet).

Explanations of the skills are explained later.




StatisticsDespite being related to a god, characters still havelimitations. For instance, being punched in the facestill hurts!

Spirituality determines how in touch with theintangible power of Genesis (magic) the characteris. Every character starts with 1 Spirituality.Characters who take the Aga element start with 2.

Health is a simple yet abstract method ofdetermining the physical resilience of the character.Every character starts with 20 Health. Characterswho take the Orth element start with 22 Health.

Movement rate indicates how fast a person movesin metres per round. Every character has a basemovement of 2 metres per second. Characters whotake the Aer element move at 2.5 metres persecond.

Jogging is equal to double the base rate, andsprinting is triple the base rate.

Initiative is how fast the character moves in combat(or other situations where it is important todetermine who goes first). Every Elemental startswith Initiative 5. Characters who take the Fiorelement start with 6.

EpiphaniesA further method of customising a character isthrough the use of Epiphanies. These give bonusesto actions, but some also come with penalties.Unless otherwise stated, each Epiphany may onlybe selected once. Epiphanies are an optional step.

CrankyQuick to anger, the character finds it exceedinglyeasy to enter into conflicts. In any situation that isstressful and capable of escalating into an argumentor fight the character must make an Interact testwith a base Risk of 10 (this may be raised or

lowered depending on the situation). Failure

indicates that the character instigates or escalatesthe situation.

When in combat however, the character unleasheshis or her rage with great abandon. All attackactions gain a +2 bonus.

FocusThe character has a particularly strong affinity toone element and gains +1 to Manifestationsinvolving that element.

Due to the increased connection to the chosenelement, any Manifestations using the opposedelement suffer a -1 penalty.

Focus may only be selected for a primary or relatedelement.

GnosticEither dumb chance or incredible dedication allowsthe character to activate Genesis powers morepotently. The character's starting Spirituality isincreased by 2.

This cannot be taken with the Separated Epiphany.

HealerThe character can pass on Manifested healing toother characters. This follows all the rules for thistype of activity, but one other person who is beingtouched can receive the benefits.

It's rapidly evident to the character performing the

healing that their own energy is being taken. Foreach three Health restored (or part thereof) thecharacter takes one Health damage. This effect isignored when healing yourself.

HiddenSomehow the character has managed to suppressthe physical changes that take place whenManifesting, but loses a small part of theconnection to the divine.




All Manifestations suffer a -1 penalty (whetherInvoking, Channelling or Forging) but the characterwill never Take Form, helping hide the true natureof him or herself.

Pure BloodThe character was born of two elemental parentsand feels a strong connection to his relatedelements. A second primary element may beselected by the player. The two elements cannot beopposed.

This Epiphany can only be taken during charactercreation and never with Symmetric.

RenewalThe character has luck on side and gains a singlereroll per scene. When using this ability, both diceare rerolled and the second result must be takeneven if the second result is worse. Lady Luck isn'talways nice!

This Epiphany may be selected up to three times.

SeparatedThe character’s connection to the elements is weakenough that he or she cannot use Genesis powers.Reduce Spirituality to zero, and this cannot beraised in any way. In addition the character suffers a-2 penalty to Manifested healing attempts. The upside is that he or she has become more reliant onmundane activities and doubles the number ofstarting skills available.

This Epiphany can only be taken during charactercreation and never with Gnostic.

SymmetricA rare twist of fate allows the character to invokeany element equally. Taking this Epiphany meansthat the character has no primary or opposedelements: all are considered to be related (soManifestations always roll a d10 and Genesispowers can be used from any element). One

element must still be selected as primary for thepurposes of Manifested Healing.

This Epiphany can only be taken during charactercreation and never with Pure Blood.

SpecialistThrough rigorous training or extensive experience,

the character gains +3 to tests to a single skillspecialty.

Due to the specific nature of the character's skills,upon taking this Epiphany one skill specialty not inthe same skill group is reduced by one rank (thismay not take it to below zero).

This Epiphany may be taken up to three times.

Examples

Sally wants to take a character who “...hatesconfrontations yet seeks to defend thosewho cannot defend themselves”. She canthen look at fleshing out how this may takeeffect in a game. Perhaps she is timid untilpushed to an extreme when she unleasheshell, or she may be extremely diplomatic inan attempt to diffuse hairy situations.

After thinking about what direction to take,she creates Michael, a criminal lawyer whodoggedly prosecutes those who prey on theweak. His primary element is Aga with onerank in the Influencing skill group, and onerank each to the Interact, Knowledge,Technology and Observe skill specialties.

She also selects the Hidden Epiphany.




Philip wants a characterwho can “...punch stuffuntil it stops moving...”.Whether he wants to

punch the good guys, thebad guys or innocentbystanders will be workedout when Phil startsplaying.

Jimmy is created: a bouncer at a dodgy stripclub where fights are aplenty. His primaryelement is Orth and he takes one rank of theReacting skill group, and one rank each to the

Combat, Dexterity, Observe and Outdoor skillspecialties. Given the nature of thischaracter, Phil notes down the CrankyEpiphany as it seems fitting.




The RulesPerforming TasksWhen doing something that has repercussions forfailure it may be relevant to roll a skill test. Forinstance you don’t need to check to see if your shoelaces are tied correctly (unless you’re playing ahyper-detailed game, there’s no penalty for havingthose laces undone), but you might want to checkto see if your crazy driving manoeuvre works(because crashes tend to hurt).

OverviewSelect Skill Determine Risk (GM)Define Manifestations

Mundane dice = d6Opposed element dice = d8Related element dice = d10Primary element dice = d12Select Aspect(s)

Roll Dice

Selecting the SkillMany tasks have a specific skill that relates to itsuch as Build when putting together or repairing amachine. Some are more vague though and it maybe possible to select from two or more appropriateskills. In this case the player may decide which skillthat will be tested, describing what they are doingand what the expected outcome will be.

Michael is trying to fix an engine that hasstopped working. He can choose to useTechnology (to do a theoreticaltroubleshooting process) or Build (todisassemble and check the components) todiagnose and fix the problem.

Philip’s character Jimmy is trying to hide apilfered jewel from a security guard. He cantry and fast talk his way out of the searchwith Interact, or use Dexterity to slip thepiece into a concealed pocket.

In some instances the GM may state that a specificskill can only be used.

The GM rules that the security guard is

implacable in his search and will not beswayed by words. She therefore rules thatJimmy needs to test Dexterity to hide that jewel.

Defining the RiskSkill tests have a Risk assigned to them. The Risk isthe number that must be rolled equal to or abovewhen doing a skill test. Most often the GM defines

the Risk to a test, but the below guidelines may beused:

The task is harder than normalModerate Risk = 8

The task is unusual or particularly stressfulDifficult Risk = 10

High stress or exacting tasks (or both)Extreme Risk = 12

You need to do this right nowOh God Risk = 14

Do or die: preferably the formerWE’RE DOOMED! Risk = 16 or higher

Tests that can be repeated (such as picking a lock)

suffer a cumulative +1 Risk for each failed attempt.




It’s a canny security guard who is searchingJimmy, and he’s thorough in his work. TheGM rules that the Risk is Extreme with arating of 12.

Rolling the diceA skill test is simply rolling two dice, totalling thevalues then adding skill modifiers and equipmentmodifiers. If the result is equal to or higher than theRisk then the test is successful and the effect takesplace.

For a normal test that involves no divine presence,such as for the vast majority of people, the diceused are d6’s. This gives a range between 2 and 12,before modifiers.

For each rank in a skill group or skill specialty, thetotal result is cumulatively increased by 1. Inaddition to this, if the skill group belongs to theprimary element of the character they gain anadditional +1 to the skill test.

A character with both a group and specialty of 4, aswell as has it in their primary element, gets a +9bonus to his tests!

Jimmy hurriedly tries to slip the jewel intothe seam of his coat. He chooses to do thisin a mundane manner (ie, he does not usehis elemental nature) so rolls 2d6.

The result of the roll is 4 and 5 amounts to9. Adding in his +2 bonus from Reacting andDexterity (+1 each), the test fails with atotal value of 11. The guard spots Jimmytrying to slip the jewel out of sight.

There are no critical successes or failures in thisgame, so go for gold.

Manifestations

Changing diceAs an Elemental you have access to great power.You can make yourself faster, stronger, morefocused and more resilient depending on whichAspect you invoke. When you do this one or both ofthe dice types change.

For an opposing element use a d8For a related element use a d10For the primary element use a d12

Gain AspectIn addition to the larger ranged dice being used, theplayer must determine what Aspect of the elementis being called forth. Whilst it seems obvious toalways select the most obviously powerful Aspectthere is one catch: on the following round theopposite Aspect from the same element must beused. For single round tests there really isn’t acatch, but for the player it might be pertinent towatch out for things that extend past theirexpectations! When Manifesting the player shoulddescribe how the Aspect helps (or hinders) the task.

Take FormWhen Manifesting power you take the element’sphysical features to a degree. Calling Orth will giveyour skin the appearance of being made of soil orstone. Fior causes a small yet perceptible halo. Aerresults in an almost immaterial look, while Aga

results in you losing physical details as featuresmerge into one another.

These changes are very brief (maybe half a secondin duration) and increase in severity as more effortis put into it. Each time a character Takes Form, itmay be possible to witness the change using anObserve test. The GM is to determine when this isappropriate to use, but it should be done sparingly.

Invoking produces minor effect and gives a baseRisk=14 to notice. Channelling creates a mixture of




changes based on two the different elements used(some of which can be quite disconcerting) withbystanders taking a base Risk=12 Observe test tosee. Forging is quite obvious and those around takea base Risk=10 Observe test to notice the changes.

Roll ManifestationWhen you Invoke, any one element may be used to

assist in a task. Before rolling, one of the d6’s in theskill test is changed to the element’s dice. Thatelement then provides one Aspect to the action.

Instead of taking the difficult route, JimmyInvokes Aga in an effort to hide the jewel.The skill test is now rolled using a d6 and ad8. In addition Phil says that Jimmy will beusing the Aspect Fast to make the actionquicker.

The roll amounts of 11, with a 4 and 7shown on the dice. Adding in his bonusfrom Reacting and Dexterity (+1 each), the

test succeeds with a total value of 13. Theguard doesn’t notice as Jimmy hides the jewel.

As he Invoked Aga however Jimmy’s facialfeatures lost a small amount of clarity for amoment. The GM decides that the guardwas too distracted to notice Jimmy TakingForm so no Observe test is necessary.

While invoking brings forth only a single element, It

is possible to Channel your bloodline. This allows

you to call any two different elements at the sametime. Combinations of the elements can producetruly amazing results. When doing this, both d6’sare changed before rolling: one for each elementselected. Each element then provides one of itsAspects to the action.

The jewel needs to be hidden, and hiddennow. Jimmy Channels Aga and Aer. The skilltest is now rolled using a d8 and d10. Inaddition Phil says that Jimmy will be usingthe Aspects: Fast and Passive to make theaction quicker but more subtle.

With the dice unluckily showing a 2 and a 6,even with his skill bonuses Jimmy fails tohide the jewel and the guard noticessomething awry.

As Jimmy was using the Passive Aspect, theguard knows something is up, but doesn’t

immediately realise what is happening. TheGM rules that another skill test is required,but this time the Aspects are changed toWeak and Resilient. Phil describes thatJimmy is going to be pushed by the guard(Weak) but recover his feet (Resilient) whileattempting to slip the jewel away.

By Channelling different elements, Jimmy’sappearance really suffers. His features both

blend a little and turn almost translucentfor a moment. As Jimmy failed his first rollthe GM rolls an Observe test for the guard(Risk = 12) to see if he saw the weirdness.Very luckily this if failed. On the secondround the features remain the same, butthe GM rules that the guard is distracted bythe sudden movement by Jimmy does notget to test to see the change.

The third way of gaining an aspect is to forge. By

focusing on just one element to the exclusion of allothers, you gain something akin to godhood. Priorto rolling the test, both d6’s are changed to that ofthe element being used and the player selectswhich Aspect to use (this may be the same one).




With the whole mission depending ongetting the jewel out, Jimmy Forges the Agaelement, choosing the Fast Aspect twice.Both dice now become d10’s.

With inhuman speed he pockets the object,the dice showing a 6 and 8, for a total of 14.Even without his skill modifiers he succeeds,the guard not noticing his movement.

By Forging Aga’s power Jimmy really feelsthe effects. For half a second his skinseems to be flowing off his flesh, his face abarely distinct puddle of bumps. The GMrules that the guard gets to take anObserve test to see if he notices thechange at Risk=10.




CombatAn extension of a series of skill tests, combat is theway to resolve physical confrontations. These caninclude ranged attacks (the use of guns, bows andthe like) or assault (hitting stuff with fists, baseballbats and so on).

As Invokeis a descriptive RPG, very little changes

from normal skill tests. The main difference in acombat is that each attack test is countered by adefence test from the target. If the target rolls ahigher result than the attacker no damage iscaused. If not all of the attacking result is counteredthen the extra is taken as Health damage.

OverviewDetermine Sequence First character takes an Action Defending character makes a Reaction Players Resolve attackRefresh to the next Sequence step

Renew to the next Sequence phase (if combatcontinues)

1. SequenceTo determine who acts first in a combat round, eachplayer rolls a d6 and adds his Initiative. The higherthe total, the earlier in a round the character acts.Manifestations may be used to improve this roll.

Jimmy, caught trying to steal the jewel, is ina fight with the security guard who bustedhim.

The GM rolls for the guard and gets a 4. Headds his Initiative of 4 for a total of 8.Jimmy acts first as Phil rolled a 6, and inconjunction with his Initiative of 5 he clearlyleads on 11.

Tied results simply means that characters act at thesame time. This may mean that two characters can

cause enough damage to each other to take themout of the fight!

2. ActionThe character(s) with the highest Sequence choosestheir action and target for the round. This can beanything from hitting someone (using Combat) orshooting a gun (using Observe), to running away(using Dexterity).

The associated skill test is rolled, andManifestations can be used as normal (often withsome brutal effects).

Jimmy lashes out at the guard. Phil statesthat this will be a mundane attack (noManifestations) using the Combat skill.

Jimmy rolls 2d6, scoring a 1 and a 3. Addingin his skill bonuses and the bonus for hisCranky Epiphany (a combined amount of+4), the total is 8.

3. ReactionThe target chooses a skill to react with. This may beanother attack but all the damage from theincoming attack will be applied.

The guard sees the blow coming andchooses to block it using his own Combatskill.

The GM rolls 2d6 (scoring 4 and 6) and addsa +1 skill bonus for a total of 11.

4. ResolveDeduct the defender’s total from the attacker’stotal. Any remaining value over zero is applied asHealth damage to the defender. Results of zero orless are ignored.




Ranged attacks only ever cause the amount listedagainst the weapon. See the Equipment section formore detail.

If the attack was a successful grapple/tacklehowever, the damage is halved (rounding down)but the target is held. A held character can only tryto break free of the grab while the holder canattempt further grapple tests to crush his victim.

The sum of the values comes out to lessthan one (Jimmy’s 8 minus the guard’s 11)as the guard easily defends the blow. Nodamage is caused.

5. RefreshOnce the character with the higher Sequence hastaken their turn, the character with the next lowestSequence takes his turn, going through the Action,Reaction, Resolve phases.

The guard tries to wrestle Jimmy to theground while Jimmy dodges out of the way.

For the guard, the GM rolls double 6! Afteradding the +1 skill bonus the attacking totalis 13.

Phil only rolls 3 and 5, completelyunprepared for the grab. With acomparatively dismal total of 10 (hisEpiphany gives no bonuses for defending),Jimmy is tackled to the ground and takes 1Health damage.

6. RenewOnce all characters have taken their turnperforming an Action, return to the Sequence step.

The combat continues, and advantagecontinues to serve the guard who rolls ahigher Sequence than Jimmy. Using anothertackle action, the guard fails to breakthrough Jimmy’s resistance. On Jimmy’sAction, he manages to extricate himselffrom the hold.

A third combat round takes place andSequence is rolled again. Phil sighs as theguard gets to go first again. Steppingforward and swinging a right hook, Jimmystands his ground and Reacts with his ownattack, backed by the Forge of Orth.

Jimmy takes 8 Health damage but punishesthe guard with a mighty blow of 18 damage(neither of which can be defended against),smashing the man to the ground withconcussion.

WeaponsWeapons provide extra hitting power in combat. Ifan attack is successful in close combat, add theweapon’s strength rating to the damage caused.This strength is not calculated to see if the attackhits or not, it is only to determine how powerful itis.

Some weapons also change damage to Slice. Thiswill be noted against the weapon’s profile, andapplies to all damage caused (not just that listed

against the weapon). See the next section fordetails on the different types of damage.




Jimmy is in a fight with a thug armed with aknife (normal quality). The thug attacks androlls 9, then adds his skill bonus (+2) for atotal of 11. The strength of the knife is notused in this calculation.

Phil rolls 8 for Jimmy and adds his skillbonus (+1) for a total of 9 which results inthe attack succeeding.

\Jimmy takes 2 Health damage from theattack as normal, but also suffers anadditional 2 damage from the knife. Alldamage applied is Slice.

Missile weapons have a further two attributes tothem. The first is Range and the second is Ammo .

Range indicates how far in metres a weapon can beused. Firing beyond this range will result in eitherautomatically missing the target, or having theprojectile’s impact reduced to an ineffective level.

Thrown weapons have a range equal to 20 metres

plus twenty times the character’s rank in Outdoors.

Ammo is how many bullets, arrows, or otherammunition the weapon has available before thecharacter needs to either reload or restock.

Our hapless hero Jimmy doesn’t want to bein a fight against someone armed with aknife so he starts running away. The thug isnot done though, and he grabs a rock tochuck at the fleeing man’s head.

With 2 dots in the Outdoors specialty, thethug’s maximum range of a thrown item is60 metres [20+(2x20)]. As Jimmy has onlyrun 30m away he’s well in range.

The rock is thrown and Jimmy is hit.Regardless of how much the thug rolledover Jimmy’s defence, the rock will only

deal a set amount of damage (in this case, 2Blunt).

Ranged weapons

Melee weapons




Health and HealingLike in most RPGs, characters take damage from awide variety of sources such as from fights and falls.Elementals are tougher than usual but otherwiseare able to be knocked out or killed just like normalpeople.

Damage comes in two types: Blunt and Slice. Bluntdamage is caused by swinging fists, cricket bats andfalls. Slice damage is the scary stuff caused byknives, bullets and wood chippers.

When a character takes Blunt damage, starting

from the left, mark one Health marker with a singleline for each damage caused (the below indicatestwo Blunt damage):

When a character takes Slice damage, starting fromthe right, mark one Health marker with a cross foreach damage caused (the below indicates two Slicedamage):

During or immediately after a combat a charactermay attempt to restore lost Health to either himselfor another character.

MortalityWhen a character has drawn through all Healthmarkers (ie, is reduced to 0 [zero] Health),regardless of whether it is Blunt or Slice damage, heor she falls unconscious. After ten minutes oneHealth point will be restored from the left and thecharacter can act normally (though probably verycarefully).

If a character is reduced to -5 Health, the mortal coilhas reached its final end. Even for descendants ofgods there's not a lot to do about this except make

another character.

Mundane healingThe mundane method of healing someone isthrough the Knowledge skill specialty. For basicimpact wounds (those with the Blunt attribute) this

will have Risk=10. For more critical damage such asbullet wounds and fractured bones (Slice damage)the test will go to Risk=14 or higher (as defined bythe GM).

When performing or receiving healing this way, thecharacter may not React in combat.

A successful test will restore a number of Healthequal to the amount that is rolled over the Risk.This damage doesn't just disappear, but it may befixed enough to get the character back onto his orher feet.

Immediately after the fight with the guardJimmy tries to apply first aid. Unfortunatelyfor him his Knowledge has no ranks, so he isrelying purely on dice rolls to beat Risk 10.

Luckily he rolls 11. Being 1 more than therisk, 1 Health is restored by this effort.

Even without this healing effort a characternaturally recovers one Blunt damage every 30minutes and one Slice damage every six hours.

Mundane healing removes Blunt damage first (sostart at the left side of the Health markers).

Manifested healingBeing related to a god certainly has its benefits.One of them is the fact that it is possible to healeven heavy wounds by immersing the damagedarea of the body into the primary element andManifesting the divine.

Manifested healing only works on the characterusing this ability; it cannot be used to heal someoneelse. The exception is a character with the HealingEpiphany.




Manifested healing removes Slice damage first (sostart at the right side of the Health markers).

Regardless of the element being used any healingdone in this manner is complete at the end of each10 second period of concentration. Broken bones,cuts and other tales of woe are restored thoughscars will be evident as appropriate.

To restore a character this way, they must Forgetheir primary element (related and opposite cannotbe used) with a Risk equal to the number of Healththey have remaining. This test follows all the normal

rules so failed attempts will have Risk modifiersapplied if attempted again.

Like with mundane healing, a successful test willrestore a number of Health equal to the amountthat is rolled over the Risk.

OrthThe affected part must be buried in soil, sand or thelike. It may even be into a pot of the stuff, but theManifesting roll suffers a -1 penalty if so.

FiorThe quickest and most dramatic method to watch,Fior elementals must douse the injured area in fireand immediately concentrate on calling forth theenergy within (so unconscious characters will justburn).

AerElementals of Aer simply need breathableatmosphere to regenerate Health, but ideally thiswill be in environments with rapid air flow (strongwinds etc). Doing this in still or slowly moving airsuffers a -2 penalty to the test.

AgaAga elementals heal by immersing their injuries inwater. Purity isn't too necessary so brackish and/orsalt water works fine, but corrosive liquids cannotbe used (and will hurt the character).

After getting back to his safe house, JimmyManifests a healing attempt. First he mustfind a patch of dirt to bury the woundedarea in (his face, which is as hilarious as itsounds).

He holds his breath and concentrates for 10seconds. As he has 22 Health normally andis suffering from 8 damage, he has 14remaining. This is the Risk of the test.

Forging Orth’s power, Phil rolls 2d12. Herolls excellently with a total of 18! This

restores 4 Health, substantially reducing thebruising.

If Jimmy wanted to use Manifested healingagain, the Risk would be equal to 18: theamount of his current Health.




SkillsSkills are how to get stuff done. Each skill specialty belongs to a skill group and each skill group belongs to one ofthe elements.

Each rank in a skill group or skill specialty gives a +1 modifier to related tests. Additionally if the group fallsunder the domain of the primary element of the character a further +1 is added to such tests (though this is afixed value and never increases).

CreatingThis skill group belongs to the element of Orth.

BuildThe character understands how to assemble anddisassemble objects and devices, and can fabricatethings out of timber and metals.

Often taken by characters who want to fix and buildphysical things. Carpenters, panel beaters, boilermakers and the like have multiple ranks in this skillspecialty.

OutdoorFor those characters who are inclined towards themore active activities, this specialisation covers

throwing, climbing, swimming and survivaltechniques. This is the skill to use when testing featsof strength that are otherwise not coveredelsewhere.

Taken by characters who favour robust deeds,athletes, soldiers and hunters have ranks in thisspecialty.




ReactingThis skill group belongs to the element of Fior.

CombatWhen you want to hit something up close you want

to tap into the passions that Fior ignited. This skillspecialty gives the character a knowledge of andcapacity to use strikes, blocks and grapples.

Taken by characters who wish to last through afight, a multitude of different people have ranks inthis specialty, though none more focused thanboxers, martial artists and street thugs.

DexterityThe ability to use your body in a quick and lithemanner, Dexterity covers actions such as acrobatics(including dodging attacks), contortion, sleight ofhand and using stealth.

This specialty is taken by a broad range ofcharacters including gymnasts, circus performersand thieves.

InfluencingThis skill group belongs to the element of Aga.

ObserveThe ability to notice and watch what happens

around a character, including the skill to fire aranged weapon, perceiving out of place people andthings, and searching for a lost or hidden item.

A very generalist skill specialty, higher ranks areoften found with police investigators, snipers andthe paranoid.

InteractThis specialty includes the ability to talk to people ina variety of ways and to perform for an audience.Ultimately it comes down to being able to influencea person’s actions or opinions.

Diplomats, interrogators, actors and merchants allhave high ranks in this skill specialty.

UnderstandingThis skill group belongs to the element of Aer.

KnowledgeHaving an understanding of the world around acharacter can be important for a variety of reasons.This specialty includes chemistry, physics, medicineand animal behaviour.

Researchers, scientists and doctors all have high

ranks in this skill specialty.

TechnologyPossessing the ability to use computers, electricaland electronic devices and understanding thetheory of how mechanical items function, thisspecialty covers a broad scope in the modern world.

Computer programmers and hackers, electronics

engineers and the like have high ranks inTechnology.




EquipmentRather than have long lists of things that thecharacters may use, equipment is instead reducedto a few simple mechanics.

A task may have the requirement for an item ofequipment to be available.

You can’t drive without a vehicle, hack aserver without a computer, or buildsomething without tools.

An item may have different qualities. Mostequipment is normal quality and provides no

modifier to tests. High quality equipment may givea +1 or +2 modifier to relevant tests, while lowquality may cause -1 or -2 penalties.

Improvised tools and weapons are poor quality. TheGM is to determine whether this equates to a -1or -2 modifier.

If trying to outrun the police, you’re morelikely to succeed in a street racer (+1) than

you are in a poorly maintained Goggomobil(-2). Even better, get a Lamborghini (+2) andwave goodbye to those troublesome boys inblue.

Changing the settingAn alternative to playing Invoke in the modern

world that may be appealing to to bring it into the

something that looks like the past.

When doing this, the obvious alteration is about theequipment that will be found. In addition to this,the focus of the Technology skill specialty willchange. Where it’s currently written with a strongleaning towards electronics, instead it should bemore about the workings of the machines that wereused in the olde days of yore.

This will potentially make the differentiationbetween the skill specialties Build and Technologyblurry, but it is easiest to see the former as theability to put your hands to good use where thelatter is knowing the theory on how things gotogether.




GenesisElementals are able to tap the more primal forces of nature, the very stuff that the world was created of. A

character with Spirituality of greater than zero can attempt to induce Genesis, though powers from an

opposing element remain out of reach.

When attempting to activate a Genesis ability, the character must make a Genesis test. This is exactly the sameas a Forged skill test (applicable to the element being used) adding their Spirituality value to the roll. Any totalthat equals or exceeds the below listed Risk has successfully activated the power. Using a power from yourprimary element gives a +1 modifier to the test.

Not all is safe though. On a roll of double 1 (before any modifiers are applied) the character suffers from aneffect known as Uncreation. When this happens, not only does the Genesis power fail, but the character loses10 Health of Blunt damage as the mind and body are assailed by primordial energies.

Conversely if a double 12 is rolled, the power becomes Uncontrolled. The benefit is that the Genesis attemptwill always succeed, but the effects are tripled in duration and area of which the character cannot determine. Inaddition, any effects that don’t normally interact with the character using the power, take their full force uponhim or her.

While Genesis powers are being activated a character can undertake no other actions. If interrupted, the powerautomatically fails.

OrthA character inducing Orth Genesis powers musttouch the substance until the power takes effect.Breaking contact means the attempt wasunsuccessful.

Orth powers cover an area of up to 0.5m³ per levelof Spirituality of the character. This may be in anyshape desired.

Hard substances include concrete, rock, glass andother similar materials.Soft substances include packed earth and naturallydried river clay.Loose substances include tilled soil, sand and thelike.

ShapeRisk=16This power allows the character to reshape softsubstances into any form that is self-supporting (sono arches!). This is a slow process though: each0.5m³ of material affected takes ten minutes to takeshape.

This power takes one minute to induce and theeffect lasts for thirty minutes. It may be used on

materials that have been softened by the Transitionpower.

TransitionRisk=18The character manipulates the nature of the earthand changes the bonds that hold together solids.Before inducing Transition the player shouldindicate whether the affected substance will softenor harden substances.




Depending on which effect the player states, asubstance will either move “up” from Loose to Softand Soft to Hard, or “down” in the oppositedirection. Only one step is made. Multipleapplications have no further effect.

As a substance weakens it will not deform unlesspressure is applied (such as pushing it). Walls willremain upright, though through a strange weave offate it will continue to support the roof above it.The appearance of a transitioned material changesslightly: softened substances look grittier as if it wasmade of sand; hardened substances becomeglassier and smoother.

This power takes one minute to induce and theeffect lasts for ten minutes. At the end of this time asoftened material will resolidify but retain theshape it held immediately prior to the powerwearing off. This may trap the unwary.

DeconstructRisk=20Any solid matter touched turns to sand and behavesaccordingly (so a wall will collapse etc).

This power takes five minutes to invoke and theeffect is permanent.

FiorA character inducing Fior Genesis powers can affectan area up to 2m² per level of Spirituality.

ControlRisk=16The character can alter the course, height orintensity (heat) of flames. An existing fire must bepresent (Control will not create fire) and any one ofthe factors can be either halved or doubled.Multiple uses of Control have no effect.

This power takes ten seconds to induce and theeffect is permanent, though the nature of firemakes this permanence questionable at best. A

character must be within five metres of the flame,and it must be visible for the power to work.

IgniteRisk=18The character can create a flame upon a flammable

object (dry paper, timber etc). This will be amundane fire and will thus be able to beextinguished by normal means.

This power takes thirty seconds to induce and ispermanent until the source of fuel is expended. Acharacter must be within two metres of the ignitionpoint, and it must be visible for the power to work.

FuelRisk=20A flame of almost unnatural heat is produced. Thiswill be somewhere in the vicinity of 2000°C –enough to melt most common metals (not specialiststuff like Palladium or Titanium).

This power takes one minute to invoke and willburn for one minute more unless given further fuel(at which point it is a normal fire). The flame may be

moved up to one metre in any direction during thistime. A character must be within two metres of theignition point, and it must be visible for the powerto work.

Aga

FlowRisk=16The flow of a liquid may be altered using this ability.This can turn anything from rain, hoses and rivers ina direction the character chooses. This direction canbe changed at will during the power's effect.

This power takes thirty seconds to induce and lastsuntil the first of: five minutes pass, the maximumvolume of water is affected (20 litres per level of

Spirituality), or the character stops concentrating onmaintaining the effect.




CondenseRisk=20The character can cause the liquid in any solid orgaseous material to condense into useable water.This can be quite disconcerting to watch if rocksstart weeping (and will get a few of the moredevout claiming a miracle of which it pretty muchis), but any taken from the air simply starts raining.

If the character wants to use the water he or shemust have a receptacle to catch it in. The stuff issafe to drink, though will taste pretty funky if it’sbeen squeezed out of some rocks.

This power takes one minute to invoke and will

continue until the first of: two minutes pass, themaximum volume of water is affected (2 litres perlevel of Spirituality), or the character stopsconcentrating on maintaining the effect

Aer

VoidRisk=16Any gaseous materials may be moved at will by thecharacter. The speed of the movement is equal to 2metres per second, per rank of Spirituality. Thedirection can be changed at will during the power'seffect.

This power takes five seconds to induce and lastsuntil either two minutes pass, or the characterstops concentrating on maintaining the effect.

If using the power to cause either intensecompression or a vacuum the effect only lasts one

second, but will disorient any within the affectedarea.

GustRisk=20The character can cause intense winds within anarea of air. The direction of travel must be declaredbefore the power begins and cannot be changed.The speed of the airflow is equal to 50 metres persecond (180 kilometres per hour, equivalent to acategory 3 tropical cyclone).

This power takes twenty seconds to invoke and willcontinue until either one minute passes, or thecharacter stops concentrating on maintaining theeffect. Unlike Void, a vacuum may not be createdusing this power.




A miscellany of rulesInvoke is designed to be a storytelling game, so rules mechanics for a variety of things that other RPGs include(encumbrance, visibility, burns and so on) are up to the gaming group to decide. Be sensible and apply modifiersto Risk when things get weird. Tell a story though, don’t turn everything into a dice rolling competition.

Remember that elementals are the offspring of gods. They don't suffer the effects of poisons, drugs (good andbad), disease and mental illness.

AdvancementThe more a person does, the better he or she getsat doing stuff. In Invoke, this is represented byExperience Points (xp). At the end of a gamesession, the GM should give each character 4xp.These points may then be spent on the following:

Skill groupImproves one skill group by one rank to amaximum of 4 ranks each groupCosts 12xp

Skill specialtyImproves one skill specialty by one rank to amaximum of 4 ranks each specialtyCosts 6xp

SpiritualityImproves spirituality by one rank to a maximumof 8 ranksCosts 14xp

HealthImproves Health by one rank to a maximum of30 ranksCosts 8xp

MovementImproves movement by half a metre per second

to a maximum of 4 metres per secondCosts 4xp

InitiativeImproves Initiative by one rank to a maximum of8 ranksCosts 5xp

EpiphaniesThe character may take any one Epiphany that isavailable after character creation, and does notbreak the listed restrictions. A character can

have a maximum of 4 Epiphanies.Costs 15xp

If the player has been particularly creative orsurmounted significant obstacles, the GM shouldfeel free to offer up to 2 extra xp for a gamingsession.

Alternatively should the player have been a dorkabout it all, played not in character, or beenthwarted due to poor decisions (very rarely shouldbad luck be punished), the GM should reduce the xphanded out by up to 2xp.

Mere MortalsAn elemental could live his or her whole life without

ever meeting another elemental. For those peoplewho don’t have this rare bloodline, the followinglimitations should apply.

Skill groups, skill specialties, movement andinitiative are the same as an elemental’s in bothstarting and maximum valuesSpirituality is always zeroHealth starts at 18 and can rise as high as 28Epiphanies can never be taken




The worldInvoke is set in the current day world though there’sno reason that it couldn’t work in any setting(though the Technology skill specialty would have

little use). Given the relatively tiny population ofelementals, and the capacity for humans to be totalassholes to anyone who is different, thedescendants of the gods typically shy away fromovert actions.

Those who do step forward and claim supernaturalabilities tend to be shunned by society as insane,called charlatans, or be accused of witchcraftdepending on what era and community is doing the

hysterical finger pointing.

For this reason there is very little change to the waythe game world works. Elementals have providedsome ground-breaking advancements in all areas ofhuman endeavour, but the few who have abusedtheir power to do so typically have suffered fromthe backlash of those who wish to keep the truthfrom being known.

Primary amongst the enemies of the Elementals iswhat is known simply as ”the organisation”. Enoughanecdotal evidence exists that indicates that theattacks on elementals are mostly a co-ordinatedeffort, but all investigations into the origin end upgoing nowhere. The organisation seems to work byidentifying an elemental (or group) and either killingthem in a way that looks accidental, or having themdisappear. Naturally nobody knows where the

disappeared go.

In addition to this is the ongoing conflict betweenthe agents of each element who seek out andneutralise their opposites. The goal of theseorganisations is simply to reduce the invocations totheir opposite elements, rather than outrightcarnage, in the (possibly mistaken) belief that eachtime an element is invoked it grows more powerful.

While each of these agencies have few limits totheir activities, they most often have a focus on onetype of method.

The Pillars of Orth use long term tactics against

Aer elementals, biding their time and collectingevidence (real and planted) before resorting toextreme blackmail to ensure Aer is not invoked.

In return the Valkyries use threats to ensure the

Orth elementals are subdued. These threats aremost often against loved ones of the elementals

themselves, where emotional ties end up beingmore powerful than the desire to invoke.

The Deluge of Aga works against Fior elementals,

and most often work to destabilise the mentalcondition of their opponents. This can take the formof bullying, public humiliation and constantharassment. Those who fall prey to this treatmentoften break and end up succumbing to their

aggressive temperament, causing harm tothemselves, their families and friends, andstrangers. Normal law enforcement agencies areleft to deal with this fallout.

The Ashes are the most violent of these hidden

sects, using grievous and often fatal attacks againstthe elementals of Aga. Obviously this is the mosteffective method of stopping their targets, but of allelementals, it is those from the Ashes who seem tofall prey to the organisation most often because oftheir obvious tactics.

Not all elementals belong to one of these agencies.Indeed, most are more interested in just gettingthrough their life like the rest of the population anddon’t see anything inherently dangerous or evennegative about their opposites.




Quick ReferenceElements

OrthAspects: Strong, slowSkill group: CreatingOpposing element: Aer

FiorAspects: Aggressive, Vulnerable

Skill group: ReactingOpposing element: Aga

AgaAspects: Resilient, passiveSkill group: InfluencingOpposing element: Fior

AerAspects: Fast, weak

Skill group: UnderstandingOpposing element: Orth

Skill testsSelect SkillGM to determine RiskDefine Manifestations

[Mundane dice = d6]Opposed element dice = d8Related element dice = d10Primary element dice = d12Select Aspect(s)Take Form

Roll DiceApply skill and equipment modifiers

Totals equal to or above the Risk are successful

CombatDetermine Sequence Attacking character takes an Action

Defending character makes a Reaction Players Resolve attack

Attacker total > defender total = success!Melee: Add weapon damage to differenceRanged: Use only weapon damage

Refresh to the next Sequence stepRenew to the next Sequence phase

Aspect effectsBelow are some examples of how Aspects may beresolved during the game. Players should describehow the Aspect manifests.Aggressive

Increase effectiveness of offensive actionsBonus to attack actions

FastBonus to rapid actionsBonus to initiative

PassiveEasier to knock overReduce effectiveness of offensive actionsBonus to stealthy actions

ResilientBonus to defensive actionsIgnore a portion of damage from attacks

Slow

Reduce initiativeOpponent gains bonus to defenceBonus to stealthy actions

StrongBonus to dominating interactionsIncrease damage dealt by an attack

VulnerableTake extra damage from attacksBonus to submissive interactions

Weak

Easier to grappleReduce damage dealt by an attack




InvokeCharacter sheet

Weapons Equipment

Spirituality

Health

Movement

Initiative

Character name:

Primary

Primary

Primary

Primary

Epiphanies

Invoke - A role playing game of elemental power

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