Glossary

The following terms are used throughout Exodus NDS and its Universes. Entries are listed alphabetically for quick reference.

Ability Die — A positive d8 representing untrained or partially trained capability. Forms the base of a dice pool before skill upgrades are applied.

Action — The primary activity a character takes on their turn in structured play. Each character may take one Action per turn. Examples include attacking, using a skill under pressure, or activating an ability.

Agility — One of the six core characteristics. Represents speed, coordination, and precision. Governs athletic movement, fine motor control, and reaction time.

Assisted Check — A check in which one character is the primary actor and another character provides concrete help. A meaningful assist adds one Boon Die to the primary pool. If the assistant has more relevant skill ranks than the primary actor, the assist adds one Ability Die instead of the Boon Die. No check can gain more than two assisting dice, and no more than one of those dice can be an Ability Die.

Average — Difficulty level: two Trial Dice . Standard challenges under pressure.

Background — A character's life before play began — where they grew up, what they did, who they trusted. Combined with Career, Background determines which skills are profession skills and therefore cheaper to advance. Universes provide their own Background lists; the core book offers generic examples.

Bane — A negative secondary symbol. Banes cancel Boons; remaining Banes after cancellation produce secondary negative effects in the narrative.

Bane Die — A negative d6 representing situational disadvantage. Added to a pool for unfavorable conditions, injury, or environmental hazards.

Boon — A positive secondary symbol. Boons cancel Banes; remaining Boons after cancellation produce secondary positive effects. Spend 1 Boon with no stronger use to recover 1 Strain.

Boon Die — A positive d6 representing situational advantage. Added to a pool for favorable conditions, superior equipment, or momentum.

Breakthrough — An exceptional positive result. Contributes one Success to the pool (which may be cancelled by opposing Failures) and triggers a significant additional effect that cannot be cancelled. Appears on one face of the Mastery Die only.

Bleeding — Condition. The character suffers ongoing Wounds at the time specified by the effect that caused Bleeding. If no amount is listed, suffer 1 Wound at the start of each turn. An Action and an Average Medicine check, or other appropriate aid, ends Bleeding.

Burning — Condition. The character suffers ongoing Wounds from fire, acid, corruption, or a similar effect. The amount is defined by the effect that caused Burning. The character or an Engaged ally may spend an Action to end Burning; the GM may require an Easy or Average check if the source is severe.

Calamity — An exceptional negative result. Contributes one Failure to the pool (which may be cancelled by opposing Successes) and triggers a significant negative effect that cannot be cancelled. Appears on one face of the Crisis Die only.

Career — A character's current trade, profession, or active role. Combined with Background, Career determines which skills are profession skills. Universes provide their own Career lists; the core book offers generic examples.

Catch Breath — A Maneuver, available once per encounter, that recovers 1 Strain. The Catch Breath talent improves the recovery to 2 Strain without changing the Maneuver type or the once-per-encounter limit. A character must be able to pause and steady themselves; a character who is Staggered, unconscious, or otherwise unable to recover cannot use it.

Charisma — One of the six core characteristics. Represents force of personality, social influence, and leadership. Governs persuasion, intimidation, and inspiring or commanding others.

Check — Any dice roll made to resolve an uncertain action. Involves assembling a pool, rolling, cancelling opposing symbols, and reading the result.

Conditions — Ongoing mechanical states affecting a character's capabilities. Standard conditions: Staggered, Disoriented, Immobilized, Prone, Silenced, Restrained, Bleeding, Burning, and Hidden. Conditions do not stack; if no duration is specified, a condition ends at the close of the affected character's next turn.

Cover — Physical protection between an attacker and a target. Light cover adds 1 Ranged Defense; heavy cover adds 2 Ranged Defense. Cover usually applies only against ranged attacks.

Crisis Die — A negative d12 representing upgraded or especially dangerous difficulty. Upgraded from a Trial Die. Contains a Calamity face.

Critical — A weapon profile stat (often abbreviated Crit) listing the number of net Boons that must be spent on an attack with that weapon to inflict a Critical Injury or Critical Hit. A Breakthrough may also be spent for the same purpose. If a weapon has no listed Crit rating, the default cost is 3 Boons.

Critical Hit — A significant damaging event applied to a vehicle, triggered when a vehicle is already disabled, at maximum System Damage, when Boons equal to the attacking weapon's Crit rating are spent, or when a Breakthrough is spent. If no Crit rating is listed, the default cost is 3 Boons. Resolved by rolling d100 and adding +10 per existing Critical Hit; that +10 remains until the specific hit is repaired.

Critical Injury — A lasting wound applied to a character. Triggered when a character is hit while incapacitated, when a Breakthrough is spent on an attack against them, or when sufficient Boons are spent on an attack to inflict one. Resolved by rolling d100 and adding +10 per existing Critical Injury; that +10 remains until the specific injury is removed through medical care.

Defense — A rating representing how difficult a target is to hit. Each point of Melee or Ranged Defense adds one Bane Die to attack checks against that target.

Difficulty — The number and type of negative dice added to a pool to represent task complexity. Levels: Simple (—), Easy (), Average (), Hard (), Severe (), Extreme ().

Disoriented — Condition. Add one Bane Die to all checks made by this character.

Downgrading — Replacing a higher-tier die with a lower-tier die. Converts a Mastery Die to an Ability Die, or a Crisis Die to a Trial Die. The reverse of upgrading. If no eligible die exists, the effect has no impact.

Easy — Difficulty level: one Trial Die . Routine tasks with minimal risk.

Elite — A mid-tier adversary acting as an individual. Has Wound Points but no Strain Points; Strain effects cause Wounds instead. Can suffer Critical Injuries. Cannot spend Story Points.

Engaged — The closest range band. Characters who are Engaged are within immediate reach for melee attacks and direct physical interaction.

Experience Points (XP) — The currency used to advance characters. Starting characters receive 110 XP. After play begins, the GM awards XP at the end of each session, typically 10–25 XP. XP is spent on skill ranks, talents, and (during character creation) characteristic increases.

Extended Check — A multi-roll check used for complex tasks. The GM sets a difficulty, a success threshold, a time unit per roll, and an optional attempt limit.

Extreme — Difficulty level: five Trial Dice . Near-impossible feats.

Failure — The primary negative symbol. Net Failures remaining after cancellation mean the check fails. A check with no net Successes is a failure regardless of Failures rolled.

Field Treatment — Urgent medical aid provided during structured play. The caregiver uses an Action to make a Medicine check (Average difficulty if no specific difficulty is given). Field treatment can stabilize, prevent worsening, or satisfy a Critical Injury entry that calls for medical aid. It does not remove a Critical Injury unless the entry or the GM specifically allows it.

Fortune Points — Player-controlled Story Points. Spent to upgrade a positive die, activate a Breakthrough effect, or introduce a favorable narrative detail. When spent, a Fortune Point becomes a Peril Point.

Full Rest - An eight hour rest time, sleeping or restful activities. Any skill use that requires physical involvement is generally not considered rest.

GM Slot — An Initiative slot generated by a GM-controlled Initiative roll. The GM chooses which adversary acts in each GM slot. See Initiative.

Handling — A vehicle characteristic representing agility and responsiveness. Positive Handling adds Boon Dice to Operate checks; negative Handling adds Bane Dice. Ranges from −5 to +5.

Hard — Difficulty level: three Trial Dice . Demanding tasks requiring real skill.

Hidden — Condition. The character is not currently detected by a relevant observer. Attacks against a Hidden character add 1 Bane Die, and the Hidden character may add 1 Boon Die to their first attack or escape check made from concealment. Hidden ends when the character reveals themselves, attacks, makes obvious noise, or is discovered.

Hull Damage — Structural damage sustained by a vehicle. When Hull Damage equals or exceeds Hull Points, the vehicle is disabled.

Hull Points — A vehicle's structural integrity rating. The maximum Hull Damage it can sustain before being disabled. Equivalent to Wound Points for characters.

Immobilized — Condition. The character cannot take Maneuvers involving movement. They may still act in place.

Incapacitated — A character is incapacitated when accumulated Wounds meet or exceed their Wound Points, or when accumulated Strain meets or exceeds their Strain Points.

Initiative — The system for determining turn order in structured play. Characters normally use Savvy + Perception when on watch or prepared, and Willpower + Readiness when surprised or under sudden pressure. Results are ranked by net Successes and divided into player slots and GM slots.

Intellect — One of the six core characteristics. Represents reasoning, memory, and analytical thinking. Governs knowledge, technical skill, and problem-solving under pressure.

Languages — The tongues a character can speak, read, or write. By default, every character knows the common tongue of the land they grew up in, fluently and literately. Additional languages, dialects, secret tongues, or technical jargon are defined by the active Universe.

Maneuver — A minor activity on a character's turn. Characters may take up to two Maneuvers per turn; taking a second requires giving up the Action or suffering 2 Strain. Examples: moving a range band, drawing a weapon, aiming, taking cover.

Mastery Die — A positive d12 representing expert-level capability. Upgraded from an Ability Die based on skill rank. Contains a Breakthrough face.

Might — One of the six core characteristics. Represents physical power, toughness, and endurance. Governs feats of strength and physical resilience. Contributes to base Resistance.

Minion — A low-tier adversary. Minions operate in groups sharing a single Wound pool. They do not have Strain Points — effects that would cause Strain remove Wounds instead. They do not suffer Critical Injuries and cannot spend Story Points.

Narrative Play — Free-form roleplay and lower-stakes action resolved through simple checks, without the structured turn-by-turn initiative system.

Nemesis — A top-tier adversary treated as a full character. Has both Wound Points and Strain Points. Can suffer Critical Injuries and spend Peril Points.

Opposed Check — A check in which two characters roll against each other. Both build their dice pools normally — including situational Boon and Bane Dice — but neither adds Trial or Crisis Dice for the other's opposition. The higher net Successes wins; ties favor the defender.

Peril Points — GM-controlled Story Points. Spent to upgrade a difficulty die, activate a Calamity effect, or introduce a complication. When spent, a Peril Point becomes a Fortune Point.

Player Slot — An Initiative slot generated by a player-controlled Initiative roll. Players choose which player character acts in each player slot. See Initiative.

Pool Construction — The process of assembling a dice pool for a check. Start with Ability Dice equal to the higher of characteristic or skill rating, then upgrade a number of those dice equal to the lower rating. Add situational Boon or Bane Dice as applicable.

Profession Skill — A skill that appears on a character's Background or Career list. Profession skills cost less XP per rank than out-of-profession skills. Skills appearing on both lists are still simply profession skills; the duplicate listing does not reduce cost further unless a Universe says otherwise.

Prone — Condition. The character is on the ground. Ranged attacks against them add one Bane Die; melee attacks add one Boon Die. Standing costs one Maneuver.

Quick Action — A minor reflexive activity requiring no significant time or effort. Examples: speaking briefly, dropping an item, pressing a simple switch. May be performed freely during a turn but cannot substitute for an Action or Maneuver, and cannot be repeated to generate mechanical advantage.

Range Band / Range Bands — An abstract system of distance used in structured play. From closest to farthest: Engaged, Short, Medium, Long, Extreme. Moving between Engaged, Short, and Medium costs one Maneuver per band; moving between Medium and Long, or between Long and Extreme, costs two Maneuvers.

Resistance — Damage reduction applied before Wounds are calculated. Equals half Might, rounded up, plus any armor or protection. Damage − Resistance = Wounds suffered (minimum 0).

Restrained — Condition. The character is physically bound, pinned, grappled, or otherwise held in place. They are Immobilized and add 1 Bane Die to checks that require free movement until they escape or the restraint ends.

Round — The basic unit of time in structured play. Each round, every participant takes one turn in initiative order.

Savvy — One of the six core characteristics. Represents perception, cunning, and situational awareness. Governs reading people and situations, practical instincts, and navigating the world effectively.

Scale — A characteristic representing physical size. Scale 1 = person-sized; Scale 6+ = capital-scale. A difference of 2 or more Scale is considered significant for combat targeting purposes.

Severe — Difficulty level: four Trial Dice . Expert-level challenges.

Silenced — Condition. The character cannot speak or communicate vocally. Checks requiring vocal communication automatically fail.

Simple — Difficulty level: no dice required. Success is automatic; no check is needed.

Simple Check — The standard check type. A character attempts a task against a GM-set difficulty. The first Success confirms the attempt succeeds; additional Successes improve the outcome.

Skills — Trained areas of knowledge and practice, rated 0–5. Each skill links to one of the six characteristics unless a Universe changes that pairing. Skill rank determines how many Ability Dice are upgraded to Mastery Dice when building a pool.

Speed — A vehicle characteristic representing maximum movement. Higher Speed allows covering more distance per Maneuver.

Staggered — Condition. The character cannot perform Actions this turn. They may still take Maneuvers. Ends at the start of the character's next turn.

Story Points — A shared narrative resource split between Fortune Points (players) and Peril Points (GM). Flow back and forth as each side spends them. Only one Story Point may be spent per check unless the GM allows otherwise.

Strain — A measure of mental and physical exertion. Suffered from pushing limits, harsh environments, or other sources. When Strain meets or exceeds Strain Points, the character is incapacitated. Recovers faster than Wounds.

Strain Points — A character's exertion capacity. The maximum Strain sustainable before incapacitation. Equivalent to System Points for vehicles.

Structured Play — A mode of play using initiative, turns, and rounds. Used when timing and action order matter — combat, chases, infiltrations. Contrasts with Narrative Play.

Success — The primary positive symbol. At least one net Success after cancellation means the check succeeds. A Breakthrough also contributes one Success that may be cancelled by opposing Failures; the Breakthrough effect itself cannot be cancelled.

System Damage — Operational damage sustained by a vehicle. When System Damage equals or exceeds System Points, the vehicle loses control.

System Points — A vehicle's operational capacity rating. The maximum System Damage it can sustain before losing control. Equivalent to Strain Points for characters.

Talent — A purchased ability that grants a clear, targeted mechanical or narrative effect. Talents are organized into five Tiers and may be Universal (available in every Universe by default) or Universe-specific. A talent should add or remove a Boon/Bane Die, upgrade or downgrade a die, change how Boons or Banes may be spent, interact with Breakthroughs, Calamities, Fortune, or Peril, change action economy in a narrow way, or grant clear narrative permission in a specific situation.

Tier — The rank of a talent on the 1–5 scale. Tier 1 talents are foundational and broadly accessible; Tier 5 talents are rare and character-defining. The Recommended Talent Cost Model lists default XP costs by Tier; Universes may adjust them.

Trial Die — A negative d8 representing base difficulty. The primary die used to express task difficulty levels. Can be upgraded to a Crisis Die for more volatile situations.

Universe — A setting or rules package built on Exodus NDS that defines a specific genre, world, and ruleset. Universes define equipment, expanded character options, species packages, magic, technology, and Universe-specific mechanics.

Upgrading — Replacing a lower-tier die with a higher-tier die. Converts an Ability Die to a Mastery Die (positive pool) or a Trial Die to a Crisis Die (difficulty pool). If no eligible die remains to upgrade, the effect has no impact.

Willpower — One of the six core characteristics. Represents mental fortitude, discipline, and resolve. Governs focus under pressure, resistance to stress, and recovery from exertion. Contributes to base Strain Points.

Wound Points — A character's physical damage capacity. The maximum Wounds sustainable before incapacitation. Equivalent to Hull Points for vehicles.

Wounds — Physical damage suffered by a character. When accumulated Wounds meet or exceed Wound Points, the character is incapacitated.