# Quick Reference

*Rome DCCIV AUC, The Edge of the Republic, Rome and the provinces in 50 BC. Source: https://exodusnds.com/era-books/rome/quick-reference*

Use this digest to find the rule you need. Each table points to the chapter that owns the rule, explains it and gives examples. If a figure differs here, use the owning chapter's figure.

Find Strength settings, kits, Pay and the Origin and Role entries in Character Creation and Roles. For the essential gear table and Source Book Map, use Gear and Prices. Adversaries holds the stat blocks and index. For distances, see Places and Campaign Tools. Find the timeline in The Era and the ready-to-play sheets in Pregenerated Characters.

## Making a Character

Character Creation and Roles, Creating a Character.

1. **Species.** Human.
2. **Characteristics.** Start all six at 2. Add 1 to one and subtract 1 from another. Keep each between 1 and 4.
3. **Origin and Role.** Take 4 profession skills, home tongues, a Strength and an Ordo from your Origin. Your Role supplies 6 profession skills, a kit, a Standing and favored talents. Check eligibility in Ordo and the Roles.
4. **Spend 110 XP.** Cap skills at rank 2. Buy talents at Tier 1 or Tier 2.
5. **Free talent.** One Tier 1 talent, Core or Era.
6. **Kit, Stake and derived values.** Take the free kit and your Standing's Starting Stake (Era Rules, Money and Credit). Use the Core Rules for derived values.
7. **Name and details.** Choose a tie to another player character and one to the world. If enslaved, name your owner. If freed, name your patron.

| Item | Cost |
|:--|:--|
| A characteristic | to 2: 20 XP; to 3: 30 XP; to 4: 40 XP |
| Profession skill, rank 1 / rank 2 | 5 XP / 10 XP |
| Other skill, rank 1 / rank 2 | 10 XP / 15 XP |
| Talent | Tier 1: 5 XP; Tier 2: 10 XP |
| A further spoken tongue; reading and writing it | 5 XP; 5 XP more (Skills and Talents, Tongues) |

Pay the usual XP for favored talents. Lettered Roles read and write Latin or Greek free. Otherwise, spend 5 XP for literacy in one tongue you speak (Skills and Talents, Tongues).

## Core Touchstones

| Core Rules heading | What this book does | Where |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Character Creation, Backgrounds; Careers; Starting Talent | Origins and Roles replace them; the free talent may be an Era talent | Character Creation and Roles |
| Character Creation, Languages and Literacy | No one reads by default; tongues cost XP | Skills and Talents, Tongues |
| Skills and Talents, Core Skill List; Operation Skill; Replaceable Skills | Adds Riding (Agility); Operate drives vehicles and ships, mounts use Riding; Lore has five named fields | Skills and Talents, Skill Changes |
| Building a Dice Pool, Adding Situational Dice | Dignitas, Attitude and Credits add dice | Era Rules, Patronage and Rank |
| Types of Checks, Extended Checks | The canvass; siege works; the chariot race (three checks) | Era Rules, Patronage and Rank; Legion Battles; The Arena and the Games |
| Types of Checks, Opposed Checks; Assisted Checks | The Clash between units reads net Successes only; Credits, preparation and a character's help keep the 2-die limit | Legion Battles; Era Rules, Patronage and Rank |
| Resolving Checks, Ties Fail | 0 net Successes divides a jury | Era Rules, Law and Courts |
| Resolving Checks, Assigning Difficulty | A Crisis Die out of season; a Calamity needs a Crisis Die or a Peril Point | Era Rules, Travel; How Era Rules Relate to the Core Rules |
| Recovery, Recovering Strain; Resolving Checks, Reading the Results | Illness Strain does not recover while ill; a Breakthrough on the daily check marks both even on a failure | Era Rules, Medicine and Illness |
| Structured Play; Critical Injuries; Combat Boon Spends | A bout ends at a yield or a second Critical Injury; the flourish; a pilum binds a shield | The Arena and the Games; Legion Battles, The Pilum |
| Adversaries; Structured Play, the default unarmed profile | A gladiator has 10 + Might Wound Points; Mobs; beasts' natural weapons | Adversaries |
| Structured Play, Quick Actions | Horseman's Seat makes mounting a Quick Action | Skills and Talents |
| *The Fantasy Armory*, Rescaling prices | 1 unit is ~1 HS for arms, armor, tools and drugs; ~3 HS for animals, tack and vehicles | Gear and Prices, Sourcebook Units |

## Patronage and Rank in Brief (Era Rules)

**Ordo:** Ordo can be Senatorial, Equestrian, Citizen, Freedman, Peregrine or Enslaved at creation. Only an event in play can change it (Terms: Ordo).

**Dignitas** starts at 3 Senatorial, 2 Equestrian, 1 Citizen, Freedman or Peregrine (among Romans), 0 Enslaved; the ceilings are in Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, Dignitas I.

- **Infamis** (gladiator, lanista, actor, brothel-keeper): Dignitas never above 1.
- **Using Dignitas:** When you roll Charm, Negotiation, Leadership, Deception or Intimidation openly as yourself and the audience knows you, add 1 Boon Die <span class="dice sm boon d6"></span> at Dignitas 2 or 3, 2 at 4 or 5, or none at 0 or 1. Skip these dice on Legion Battles unit checks.
- **Reaching up:** Make the Ask one step harder if the person is two or more Ordines above you, is neither your patron nor your owner, and your patron has not introduced you. Cap the difficulty at Severe, including the step for a letter.
- **Gain 1** (once a session): a trial or election won, games given, a decoration or public victory, a public service for a man of higher Ordo. **Lose 1:** a called Favor refused, a lost election after exposed bribery, a public Calamity on a social check, public shame. Condemnation sets Dignitas to 0.

| Attitude | Effect on social checks with that audience |
|:--|:--|
| Welcome 2 | Add 2 Boon Dice |
| Welcome 1 | Add 1 Boon Die |
| Neutral | None |
| Wary 1 | Add 1 Bane Die <span class="dice sm bane d6"></span> |
| Hostile 2 | Add 2 Bane Dice; no loan or Favor without a patron's word |
| Closed 3 | The door is shut, only where the law shuts it |

The GM names up to 3 markers. Add at most 3 Boon or 3 Bane Dice from Attitude alongside Dignitas. Skip Attitude on the canvass and verdict. A patron's word moves one marker one step toward Neutral, two with Patron's Seal (Skills and Talents). Each house moves once per scene. Read the Room with Average Savvy + Perception.

### The Petition and Calling In

| Ask | Difficulty | Example |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Small | Easy | A meal, a letter of introduction |
| Ordinary | Average | A loan, a recommendation |
| Great | Hard | A staff post, a block of votes, a defense in court |
| Very great | Severe | Backing for office, a pardon, citizenship, freedom |

| Step | Rule |
|:--|:--|
| Ask | Charisma + Charm or Charisma + Negotiation; by letter one step harder. Add Dignitas dice and up to 2 Credits |
| Success | Granted; owe 1 Favor. With 2 or more net Banes <span class="diceicons bane"></span>: owe 2 |
| Failure | Refused; owe nothing. With 3 or more net Banes or a Calamity <span class="diceicons calamity"></span>: no Ask heard until you do him a service |
| Debt cap | At 3 Favors owed, no Ask is heard |
| The call | Each session you owe 1 or more, the GM calls one in; the job clears 1 Favor (Average by default). Refusing costs 1 Dignitas |
| Credits | A service unasked while you owe nothing earns 1 Credit; at most 3 with one person; 1 Boon Die each, at most 2 a check |
| Support | Owing 2 Favors or fewer, the patron feeds you on salutatio days |
| Enslaved and freed | The owner is the patron; acting for the house, use the owner's Dignitas. A freedman's ledger never falls below 1; that standing Favor is a story call that clears nothing and does not bar Credits |

## Elections and Bribery in Brief

Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (Elections; Bribery); the sums are in Gear and Prices, Bribes by Office.

| Office | Places a year | Threshold | Months | One bribed month |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| Quaestor | 20 | 4 | 3 | ~10,000 HS |
| Tribune of the plebs | 10 | 5 | 3 | ~10,000 HS |
| Aedile | 4 | 6 | 3 | ~25,000 HS |
| Praetor | 8 | 7 | 4 | ~50,000 HS |
| Consul | 2 | 8 | 4 | ~100,000 HS |

- **Who stands:** a free-born male citizen of the office's age (quaestor 30, praetor 39, consul 42), not condemned, not infamis.
- **The canvass:** Make an Extended Check. Roll Hard Charisma + Charm once a month, using Leadership for soldiers' votes. Each month add up to 2 Boon Dice from Dignitas and up to 2 from Favors, Credits and helpers combined. A bribe or hired gang adds 2.
- **Scandal:** a Calamity removes 1 accumulated Success and costs 1 Dignitas.
- **Exposure:** If a bribed month ends with any net Bane, face prosecution for ambitus after the vote (Law and Courts). A gang costs as much as one month's bribes.
- **Odds** (Charisma 3, Charm 2, 2 Boon Dice, no bribe): quaestor 56.9 in 100, praetor 34.5, consul 23.5. About 7.5 in 100 exposure for each bribed month.
- **The lex Tullia:** no gladiator show within two years of your election (The Arena and the Games, The Editor).

## The Short Rules in Brief (Era Rules)

### Law and Courts

| Court's temper | Verdict difficulty |
|:--|:--|
| Friendly | Average |
| Fair | Hard |
| Hostile | Severe |

- **Preparation:** Add 1 Boon Die per useful Lore, Streetwise, Perception or Negotiation check, up to 2.
- **The verdict:** Roll the advocate's Charisma + Charm. Add up to 2 dice for Dignitas and up to 2 from preparation and Credits with jurors' patrons combined. Skip Attitude dice. There is no fee.
- **Result:** Success acquits. On 0 net Successes, try the case again next session. A second split acquits. Failure condemns.
- **Penalties:** bribery, ten years' exile and Dignitas 0; violence and treason, exile and Dignitas 0; extortion, restitution and loss of rank, and many condemned governors go into exile. A Calamity adds a second penalty.

### Medicine and Illness

**Severity:** Roll Might + Fortitude daily at Easy for Mild, Average for Serious or Hard for Grave. See The Illness Clock in Era Rules for Strain, Bane limits and Courses.

- **2 marks** end the illness. A Breakthrough <span class="diceicons breakthrough"></span> marks both on any result, with no Strain or Bane Die for that check. On any other failure, add 1 Bane Die to all checks, up to the limit.
- **Illness Strain** stays until recovery. A Mild illness cannot incapacitate. Only a Grave illness can kill, with at most one Critical Injury after incapacity.
- **Care:** Before the daily check, the physician rolls Medicine once. Roll Average with rest, clean water and food, or Hard on campaign. Add 1 Boon Die per net Success to the day's check, up to 2.

### Travel

| Traveler | Roman miles a day |
|:--|:-:|
| On foot, or with a cart | 15 to 20 |
| A legion on the march | 15 to 20 |
| A legion on a forced march | 25 to 30 |
| A hired carriage | 25 to 40 |
| A courier on relays | about 50 |
| A ship with a fair wind | 100 to 150 |

- **The sailing season** lasts roughly April to October. Under the old sailors' rule, **the closed sea** lasts about 11 November to 10 March.
- **By the sun (the default):** In 50 BC, the seasonal closure falls from late December to late April on the civil calendar. **By the calendar (GM option):** Close from 11 November to 10 March on the civil calendar (Era Rules, Travel, II).
- **Out of season:** Each leg, the master rolls Hard Agility + Operate (Sail), upgrading one Trial Die to a Crisis Die <span class="dice sm crisis d12"></span>. Failure doubles the time and costs all aboard 3 Strain. Calamity wrecks the ship. Each person rolls Average Athletics or suffers a Critical Injury.
- **Rome to Brundisium:** about 360 miles. Distances and days for each leg are in Places and Campaign Tools.

### Slavery and the Price of Freedom

Era Rules, Slavery; the prices are in Gear and Prices, Purchased People and The Price of Freedom.

| Person | Price | With the vicesima |
|:--|--:|--:|
| War captive at the army's sale | 20 to 500 HS | |
| Child, about 3 to 10 | 250 to 800 HS | |
| Unskilled adult | 800 to 2,500 HS | 840 to 2,625 HS |
| Skilled adult | 3,000 to 8,000 HS | 3,150 to 8,400 HS |
| Specialist | 20,000 to 150,000 HS | 21,000 to 157,500 HS |
| A gladiator | The lanista's price | The Arena and the Games, The Editor |

- **Status:** Ordo Enslaved, Dignitas at most 1, Standing Peculium. No property, marriage or suit in law; limits on the story, never dice.
- **A person bought** enters play as an NPC. The buyer is his owner and patron.
- **Freedom:** Buy it from the peculium, make a Severe Ask, receive it by will or earn it for a deed. If word gets out that an owner refused a fair price, he loses 1 Dignitas.
- **The vicesima:** Whoever buys the person's freedom pays 5 in 100 of his value. Formal manumission by a citizen makes the character a citizen of Ordo Freedman.

### Money and Credit

| Coin or sum | Worth |
|:--|:--|
| quadrans | a quarter of an as; a bath |
| as | a quarter of a sestertius |
| sestertius (HS) | the unit of account |
| denarius | 4 sestertii or 16 asses |
| aureus | about 100 HS as bullion |
| talent (a sum) | 6,000 denarii or 24,000 sestertii |

**Standings:** Peculium 25 HS, Wage 75, Trade 225, Professional 675, Equestrian 4,000 (Debt 2,000), Senatorial 12,000 (Debt 6,000); the credit limit is twice the Stake, none for Peculium (Era Rules, Money and Credit, Stakes).

- **Creation Debt** is due at the close of the second month of play.
- **Interest:** Pay a lender 1 in 100 monthly, compounded yearly, or a patron or friend of rank 4 in 100 yearly plus a Favor. Beyond the limit, pay 4 in 100 monthly and gain an antagonist.
- **A Debt past its day:** Add 1 Bane Die to Negotiation and Charm with anyone who knows. Debt can lead to enslavement for a Peregrine. Citizens are exempt.

## The Arena in Brief (The Arena and the Games)

| Step | What happens | Rule |
|:--|:--|:--|
| 1. Start | Core combat, Engaged from the first round; Crowd Favor 2, or 3 if Known (five victories in this city) | The Bout |
| 2. Yield | At the start of his turn. Honorable after a Critical Injury or at half Wound Points or more; otherwise it costs Crowd Favor | The Bout |
| 3. First Critical Injury | At the round's end, yield honorably or fight on for +1 Crowd Favor | The Bout |
| 4. End | A second Critical Injury, or incapacity; apply the round's Crowd Favor lines, then read the loser's | The Bout |
| 5. Decision | The editor, by the loser's Crowd Favor | The Editor's Decision |

| The crowd sees | Crowd Favor |
|:--|:-:|
| A Breakthrough on his attack | +2, in place of the next line |
| A flourish (2 Boons <span class="diceicons boon"></span><span class="diceicons boon"></span> from a hit), or a Critical Injury he inflicts | +1 |
| He fights on after his first Critical Injury | +1 |
| A Calamity on his attack | -1 |
| Every second round in a row with no hit either way (the second, the fourth, and so on) | -1 |
| He yields unhurt, unless at Crowd Favor 5 or 6 | -1 |

| Loser's Crowd Favor | The crowd | The editor |
|:-:|:--|:--|
| 5 or 6 | Shouts for release | Grants missio |
| 3 or 4 | Divided | Chooses; missio is the default |
| 0 to 2 | Calls for the sword | Gives the sword, unless the appeal succeeds |

- **The appeal:** Once per bout, the loser or his lanista can roll Hard Charm. Success grants missio.
- **The editor's standing:** against the crowd, -1 Dignitas; a winner at Crowd Favor 6, +1 Dignitas (the Dignitas V gain, once a session).
- **Injuries:** Core Recovery; the ludus's medicus always has supplies, time and a safe place. An untreated Critical Injury adds +10 to Critical Injury rolls.
- **The matched arena kit:** helmet and greaves give Resistance +1; a Samnite's Mail Shirt gives +2 instead.
- **Money:** a purse is 800 HS. Hire of a team fighter 2 purses (1 to 2); a single-combat fighter 4 (3 to 15); the lanista's price usually 10 (3 to 15), paid in place of the hire for a hired man given the sword; a raw recruit 1 to about 3; a free volunteer's signing sum 2; the winner's purse 1, or 2 and a palm at Crowd Favor 5 or 6 (The Editor).
- **The rudis:** a winner at Crowd Favor 6 with five or more victories may be granted it; discharge, not freedom.

### The Chariot Race

- **Three legs.** Roll Average Agility + Operate each leg. Total net Successes for distance. Farthest wins. Break ties on a six-sided die. The light Chariot adds 1 Boon Die (Handling +1).
- **The inside line:** Before the leg, upgrade one Trial Die to a Crisis Die and add 2 Boon Dice for the driver.
- **The wreck:** On a Calamity or 3 or more net Banes, roll Average Agility + Operate. On failure take one hit for 6 damage, less Resistance, and leave the race.

| Driver (Agility, Operate) | Wins, careful | Wins, pushing | Wrecks, careful | Wrecks, pushing | Odds against |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| Favorite (3, 3) | 46 | 44 | 1 | 7 | 6 to 5 |
| Contender (3, 2) | 35 | 34 | 1 | 8 | 2 to 1 |
| Outsider (2, 2) | 11 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 8 to 1 |
| Novice (2, 1) | 8 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 11 to 1 |

*Chances in 100.* Bets on bouts: even match evens; one Melee rank better 4 to 3; two ranks 2 to 1; heavier armor 3 to 2 (Bets).

## Legion Battles in Brief (Legion Battles)

| Unit rating | Values |
|:--|:--|
| Quality | Raw: 2 Mastery Dice <span class="dice sm mastery d12"></span>. Trained: 3. Veteran: 3 and 1 Boon Die |
| Strength | Full, Worn, Half, Shattered. Shattered breaks |
| Discipline | 0 to 6; starts 2 (Raw), 3 (Trained), 4 (Veteran). At 5 or 6, +1 Boon Die; at 1 or less, +1 Bane Die; at 0 the unit breaks |

**The Clash.** Oppose the units' Quality pools. More net Successes wins. A tie holds. Narrate the unit's Boons, Banes, Breakthroughs and Calamities without spending them.

| Step | What happens |
|:--|:--|
| 1. Discipline tests | A unit at Half or worse: leader's Average Charisma + Leadership, 1 Boon Die at Discipline 5 or 6, 1 Bane Die at 2 or less. Failure: -1 Discipline. Success with 2 or more net Boons: +1 |
| 2. Characters act | One Action each: **Fight** (Average Melee: +1 Boon Die to the next Clash); **Rally** (Average Charisma + Leadership: +1 Discipline, at most 1 a Clash); **Read the field** (Average Savvy + Perception: +1 Boon Die). At most 2 Boon Dice to one unit |
| 3. The roll | Win by 1 or 2: the loser drops 1 Strength step. Win by 3 or more: 1 step and 1 Discipline |
| 4. Results | First Clash: pila add 1 Boon Die, and a win by 2 or more costs a second step. Relief, once, at the first lost step of a unit in a line of cohorts: 1 Boon Die for the battle and 1 Discipline |

| Condition | Effect on the Clash |
|:--|:--|
| High ground or a river bank | +1 Boon Die to the holder |
| A fortified line | +2 Boon Dice to the defender |
| Numbers 2 to 1; 4 to 1 | +1; +2 Boon Dice to the larger side |
| A flank or rear attack | +1 Boon Die to the attacker, +1 Bane Die to the defender |
| Supply Short | +1 Bane Die; start 1 Discipline down |
| Supply Starving | +2 Bane Dice; start 2 Discipline down |

- **Supply:** Weekly, roll Average Negotiation to requisition or Survival to forage. Failure drops supply a step. Success with 2 or more net Boons raises it a step.
- **Hits in the press:** If your unit drops a step, every character who fought takes 5 damage plus the margin, less Resistance.
- **The break:** Roll Average Athletics, Hard if horse pursue. On failure the GM chooses capture, incapacity or rescue.
- **Losses:** About one in ten at Worn, one in four at Half, one in three at Shattered.
- **The pilum:** On a hit against a shield-bearer, spend 2 Boons to strip Defensive and Deflection until he cuts the shield free with a Maneuver.
- **The camp:** Average Might + Athletics Group Check. Success fortifies the line. Broken units rally inside at Discipline 1. Failure leaves low works (+1 Boon Die). At 3 or more net Banes, unfinished works give the defender +1 Bane Die.
- **Siege works:** Roll Hard Intellect + Craft, adding 2 Boon Dice with legion labor. Ramp: 6 threshold, 5 days per roll. Hill-town line: 8 threshold, 1 week per roll.
- **Horse archers:** A lost Clash costs them nothing. Without a camel train, arrows last 4 Clashes. Lock shields to give the screen 2 Bane Dice and halt your unit.

## Era Talents at a Glance (Skills and Talents)

| Talent | Tier | Activation | Effect in one line |
|:--|:-:|:--|:--|
| Shield Wall | 1 | Passive | With a shield and a shielded ally Engaged beside you, Ranged Defense +1, within the Core cap of 3 |
| Marcher | 1 | Passive | Remove 1 Bane Die from Athletics in full kit; your camp is never unfinished at dark; once per session a foot journey of two days or more ends half a day sooner |
| Horseman's Seat | 1 | Passive | Remove 1 Bane Die from Riding to stay mounted, bareback included; once per turn, mounting or dismounting a Scale 2 mount is a Quick Action |
| Vine Stick | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Leadership and Intimidation with your soldiers or recruits, and to your unit's Discipline tests and Rallies |
| Abacus Hand | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Lore (Trade) on accounts; 2 Boons find the hidden entry |
| Forum Voice | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Charm before ten or more, the verdict included, not the canvass; 2 Boons call out one named person |
| Temple Rite | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Lore (Rites) and Charm at a rite; 2 Boons: the audience reads the sign as you declare it |
| Hippocratic Training | 1 | Passive | Care on campaign is Average; one Care check tends two patients; 1 Boon Die to treat a Critical Injury or deliver a child |
| Crossroads Hand | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Streetwise in your named quarter; 2 Boons: who pays its hired men |
| Household Keys | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Perception and Streetwise about a house you know; 2 Boons: who came and went in the last day |
| Reins and Team | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Operate to drive, each race leg and save included; a panicking team is one step easier |
| Field Craft | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to tracking and to Stealth near a camp or lair; 2 Boons: number, kind and time, or a beast taken alive |
| Oarsman | 1 | Passive | Remove 1 Bane Die for a ship's motion; coasting in sight of shore by day is Easy Survival |
| Market Eye | 1 | Passive | Appraising goods, beasts or a person's price is Easy; 1 Boon Die to buy or sell at a market |
| Dinner Couch | 1 | Passive | Reading the Room at a dinner is Easy; 2 Boons at the table: a guest's debt, quarrel or wish |
| Workshop Hand | 1 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Craft at a workshop, site or estate; once per session a day's work is done by midday |
| Interpreter | 1 | Passive | Two more spoken tongues; no shared tongue is Easy; 1 Boon Die to one party's Negotiation |
| Hearth's Custody | 1 | Passive | Vestal only: what is lodged with you cannot be taken; citizens hold Vestal at Welcome 1 or better; once per campaign spare a condemned person met by chance (a custom Plutarch reports) |
| Client's Due | 2 | Once per Session | A Petition to your own patron is one step easier, and a granted Ask costs 1 Favor; the limit of 3 stands |
| Patron's Seal | 2 | Once per Session | Your word moves a marker two steps toward Neutral in place of one, or a Neutral to Welcome 1, for the scene; never Closed 3 |
| Front Rank | 2 | Once per Scene | One use: once a battle, when your unit loses a Clash it regains 1 Discipline, to at most 6, before the loss costs any, and still drops the Strength step; or, in other combat, take an attack aimed at an Engaged ally |
| Tribune's Commission | 2 | Passive | Lead a cohort or wing; 1 Boon Die to its Discipline tests and to Petitions to your general |
| Crowd's Favor | 2 | Once per Scene | A hit with exactly 1 net Boon is a flourish, or ignore one lowering line; before a crowd, a cheer worth 1 Boon Die on a canvass |
| Appeal to the Editor | 2 | Once per Scene | Losing at Crowd Favor 3 or 4, a GM's editor grants missio; at 0 to 2 the appeal is Average if you have a win in this city |
| Debt Ledger | 2 | Passive | 1 Boon Die to Negotiation and Intimidation against a debtor; once per session call a debt |
| Horse Archer | 2 | Maneuver | Ignore the moving-mount and no-stirrup Bane Dice; turn in the saddle: the enemy adds 1 Bane Die to attacks on you |
| Herald's Staff | 2 | Passive | With your letters and office known, no marker worse than Wary 1 except Closed 3; once per scene the first NPC who would attack you unordered hesitates; 2 Boons: heard first |

## Origins and Roles in Brief (Character Creation and Roles)

- **Origins:** 13 birthplace Origins and 2 status Origins (Freed, Enslaved); each gives 4 profession skills, home tongues, a Strength and an Ordo (Character Creation and Roles, Origins).
- **Strength:** once per session, 1 Boon Die on one check with either skill in the Origin's setting. A status Origin names a birthplace for one home tongue only.
- **Roles:** 23 Roles, each with 6 profession skills, a kit, a Standing and its Stake, and favored talents (Character Creation and Roles, Roles). **An enslaved character's Standing is always Peculium, 25 HS**, whatever the Role. Who may take each Role is in Ordo and the Roles and each Role's Open to line.

## Gear and Prices in Brief (Gear and Prices)

Read **~** as approximate. For stat lines, check the essential gear table and the owning sourcebooks.

| Item | ~HS | Item | ~HS |
|:--|--:|:--|--:|
| Shortsword (gladius) | ~90 | Toga | ~120 |
| Dagger (pugio) | ~70 | Tunic | ~16 |
| Knife (culter) | ~40 | Cloak | ~30 |
| Javelin (pilum) | ~40 | Wax tablets and stylus | ~6 |
| Kite Shield (scutum) | ~100 | Surgeon's kit | ~150 |
| Mail Shirt (lorica hamata) | ~400 | A physician's visit | ~20 |
| Open Helm | ~60 | Litter and bearers, a day | ~8 |
| Mule | ~600 | Sea passage, Brundisium to Dyrrachium | ~40 |
| Riding Horse | ~900 | A laborer's or ship's hand's day | ~3 |
| Riding saddle | ~270 | A single room in an insula, a year | ~480 |

| Keep | Per day | Per 30 days |
|:--|--:|--:|
| Poor | ~1 HS | ~30 HS |
| Modest | ~2 HS | ~60 HS |
| Comfortable | ~8 HS | ~240 HS |

- **A legionary's year** after Caesar doubled the pay: 900 HS, before deductions (Suetonius gives no year for the doubling; this book applies it in 50 BC). A centurion: twice the legionary.
- **A purse** is 800 HS (The Arena and the Games, The Editor).
- **A public bath** is 1 quadrans.

## Adversary Index (Adversaries)

Use the Adversary Index for each entry's tier, Resistance, Wound Points and section.

Pool Minion Wound Points across the group, using the listed value per figure. A gladiator has 10 + Might. For four player characters, an Easy encounter is one Minion group the party's size, surprised or on bad ground. Standard is 4 to 6 Minions in one group or one Elite. Hard is one Elite and a group of 4 Minions, or two Elites. Deadly is one Nemesis, one Minion group and one Elite (Adversaries, Sizing an Encounter).

## The Year 50 BC (Gods and Religion; Places and Campaign Tools)

Under Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Claudius Marcellus, the year has **355 days** and no intercalary month. Civil dates lead the sun by about five to seven weeks. Courts sit on *fasti*, assemblies may meet on *comitiales*, and *nefasti* bars legal business.

| Month | Nones, Ides | Season by the sun | Festivals and fixed days |
|:--|:-:|:--|:--|
| January | 5, 13 | Late autumn into winter | 1: new consuls |
| February | 5, 13 | Midwinter | 13 to 21: Parentalia; 15: Lupercalia |
| March | 7, 15 | Winter | The Salii; 1: the question of Caesar's successor; 19 to 23: Quinquatrus |
| April | 5, 13 | Late winter into spring | 4 to 10: Megalesia; 12 to 19: Cerealia; 21: Parilia; 28: Floralia begins |
| May | 7, 15 | Early spring | Floralia ends on the 3rd; 9, 11 and 13: Lemuria; 15: Merchants' day |
| June | 5, 13 | Spring | 7 to 15: the store of Vesta open; 9: Vestalia |
| Quintilis | 7, 15 | Late spring | 6 to 13: Ludi Apollinares; 23: Neptunalia; 30: Cicero leaves Cilicia |
| Sextilis | 5, 13 | Early summer | 21: Consualia; 23: Vulcanalia |
| September | 5, 13 | High summer; harvest | 5 to 19: Ludi Romani; 13: Banquet of Jupiter |
| October | 7, 15 | Late summer | 15: October Horse |
| November | 5, 13 | Autumn; the vintage | 4 to 17: Ludi Plebeii; 24: Cicero lands at Brundisium |
| December | 5, 13 | Late autumn | Bona Dea; 1: the Senate's vote; 10: new tribunes; 17: Saturnalia |

Place the Compitalia in late December or early January. Check the festival table in Gods and Religion for what happens and the seasons table in Places and Campaign Tools for how to use it.

## The Republic in Brief (Powers of the Republic)

| Office | Each year | Least age | Elected by | Power |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:--|:--|
| Quaestor | 20 | 30 | Assembly of the tribes | The treasury, or a governor's money chest |
| Aedile | 4 | — | Tribes; plebeian assembly | Markets, streets, grain, temples, the ludi |
| Tribune of the plebs | 10 | — | Plebeian assembly | Veto over any magistrate or the Senate |
| Praetor | 8 | 39 | Assembly of the centuries | Imperium; the courts |
| Consul | 2 | 42 | Assembly of the centuries | Imperium over Rome and Italy; armies; the Senate |
| Censor | 2, about every five years | — | Assembly of the centuries | The census, the rolls, the state contracts |

- **Lictors:** 12 for a consul, 6 for a praetor outside the city (2 in Rome) or a governor of praetorian rank, 24 for a dictator. Rome has no police.
- **Governors:** a former consul or praetor goes out as proconsul or propraetor, with legates, a quaestor and a staff, at least five years after his magistracy. He is checked only by the extortion court in Rome, after he comes home.

For the chain of authority from the enslaved to the tribune, see Powers of the Republic, Who Answers to Whom.

## Index of Rules

| Term | Chapter, heading |
|:--|:--|
| Adversary entries; stat blocks | Adversaries, Reading a Stat Block (122); Adversaries, Adversary Index (137) |
| Alexandria, the city and its districts | Alexandria, The City (43); Alexandria, The Harbors and the Pharos (42) |
| Anachronism Guard | Running the Era, The Anachronism Guard (152) |
| Appeal to the editor | Skills and Talents, Era Talents (74); The Arena and the Games, The Editor's Decision (109) |
| Arena venues and giving games | The Arena and the Games, Games in 50 BC (104); The Arena and the Games, Venues (105) |
| Arena, the bout | The Arena and the Games, The Bout (107) |
| Assemblies and elections | Powers of the Republic, The Assemblies (16); Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93) |
| Attitude, the petition, calling in | Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93); Quick Reference, The Petition and Calling In (187) |
| Auspices, omens and signs | Gods and Religion, Signs, Omens and the Auspices (27) |
| Bibracte and the Aedui | Gaul and the Provinces, Bibracte, the Oppidum of the Aedui (52); Gaul and the Provinces, The Aedui (51) |
| Bribery by office | Gear and Prices, Bribes by Office (83); Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93) |
| Calendar | Historical Reference, The Calendar in 50 BC (166); Gods and Religion, The Roman Year (27) |
| Campaign frame and variants | Places and Campaign Tools, The Campaign Frame (142); Running the Era, Campaign Variants (153) |
| Character creation, steps and Origins | Character Creation and Roles, Creating a Character (59); Character Creation and Roles, Origins (60) |
| Chariot race | The Arena and the Games, The Chariot Race (111) |
| Clients and patrons | Powers of the Republic, Patrons and Clients (17); Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93) |
| Concept-to-Role coverage | Character Creation and Roles, Concept-to-Role Coverage (68) |
| Courts and the trial | Powers of the Republic, The Courts (16); Era Rules, Law and Courts (97); Running the Era, Running a Trial (150) |
| Credit, Debt and Stakes | Era Rules, Money and Credit (101); Gear and Prices, Money in This Chapter (79) |
| Crowd Favor | The Arena and the Games, Crowd Favor (108) |
| Dates and timeline | The Era, The Timeline, 133 to 50 BC (9); Historical Reference, The Historical Anchors (155) |
| Dignitas and Ordo | Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93); Character Creation and Roles, Ordo, Standing and Dignitas (60) |
| Distances and travel times | Places and Campaign Tools, Part One: Distances and Travel Times (138); Era Rules, Travel (99) |
| Egypt, the Ptolemies and Rome in Egypt | Alexandria, Who Rules (44); Alexandria, Rome in Egypt (45) |
| Elections | Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93); Quick Reference, Elections and Bribery in Brief (187) |
| Enslaved characters | Character Creation and Roles, The Enslaved Person (61); Running the Era, Enslaved and Freed Player Characters (150) |
| Equestrians and the tax companies | Powers of the Republic, The Equestrians and the Tax Companies (16) |
| Era Talents | Skills and Talents, Era Talents (74); Quick Reference, Era Talents at a Glance (191) |
| Essential Gear Table | Gear and Prices, The Essential Gear Table (84) |
| Facts we do not know | Historical Reference, Facts We Do Not Know (170) |
| Failure states, battles | Legion Battles, Failure States (120) |
| Failure states, the arena | The Arena and the Games, Failure States (113) |
| Favor ledger | Places and Campaign Tools, The Favor Ledger Across Sessions (144); Era Rules, Patronage and Rank (93) |
| Freedom, the price of | Gear and Prices, The Price of Freedom (84); Era Rules, Slavery (100) |
| Gaul, peoples of | Gaul and the Provinces, The Peoples of Gaul (51); Gaul and the Provinces, Gaul in 50 BC (48) |
| Gladiators and their kit | The Arena and the Games, Gladiators and Their Kit (106) |

### Index of Rules *continued*

| Term | Chapter, heading |
|:--|:--|
| Glossary | Historical Reference, Glossary (164) |
| Gods of the city | Gods and Religion, The Gods of the City (23) |
| Great men in 50 BC | Powers of the Republic, The Great Men in 50 BC (18) |
| Hook generator | Places and Campaign Tools, Hook Generator (145); Places and Campaign Tools, More Hooks (146) |
| Hooks, by place and power | Rome, Hooks (40); Alexandria, Hooks (47); Gods and Religion, Hooks (31); Gaul and the Provinces, Hooks in Gaul (58); Powers of the Republic, Table Hooks (21) |
| Households and houses | The Era, Houses (7); Rome, The Palatine and a Senator's House (37) |
| Illness and medicine | Era Rules, Medicine and Illness (98); The Era, Medicine at a Glance (8) |
| Languages and literacy | Character Creation and Roles, Languages and Literacy (60); Skills and Talents, Tongues (74) |
| Legion battles, the clash | Legion Battles, The Clash (115); Legion Battles, Units (115) |
| Living costs | Gear and Prices, Living Costs (80) |
| Lore, fields of | Skills and Talents, Fields of Lore (74) |
| Ludus and lanista | The Arena and the Games, The Ludus and the Lanista (110) |
| Mobs | Adversaries, Mobs (123) |
| Money and measures | Historical Reference, Money and Measures (167); Gear and Prices, Money in This Chapter (79) |
| Narbonensis and Massilia | Gaul and the Provinces, The Old Province: Narbonensis (54); Gaul and the Provinces, Massilia, the Free Greek City (54) |
| Origins | Character Creation and Roles, Origins (60) |
| Parthia and the East | Gaul and the Provinces, The Eastern Frontier: Parthia (58) |
| Pregenerated characters | Pregenerated Characters, The Sheets (181); Pregenerated Characters, The Party at a Glance (180) |
| Prices, converting a sourcebook price | Gear and Prices, Sourcebook Units (79); Gear and Prices, Wages and Income (80) |
| Purchased people | Gear and Prices, Purchased People (83); Era Rules, Slavery (100) |
| Real people at the table | Running the Era, Real People at the Table (151) |
| Roles | Character Creation and Roles, Roles (63); Character Creation and Roles, A Role That Is Not Listed (68) |
| Rome, districts and places | Rome, The Hills and Districts (34); Rome, Places in Rome (35) |
| Running a battle, a munus, a trial | Running the Era, Running a Battle in Under an Hour (149); Running the Era, Running a Munus (150); Running the Era, Running a Trial (150) |
| Scene card; social scenes | Running the Era, Running Social Scenes (149) |
| Senate | Powers of the Republic, The Senate (15) |
| Siege works and marching camps | Legion Battles, Camp and Siege Works (118) |
| Skill changes | Skills and Talents, Skill Changes (73) |
| Slavery | Era Rules, Slavery (100); The Era, The Slave Economy (8); Running the Era, The Slave Economy at the Table (150) |
| Source Book Map | Gear and Prices, The Source Book Map (88) |
| Starter adventure | Starter Adventure, The Senator's Vote (172); Starter Adventure, GM Overview (172) |
| Sulpicia and the Vestals | Gods and Religion, The Vestal Virgins (24); Pregenerated Characters, Sulpicia and Papirius (184) |
| Temples and sacrifice | Gods and Religion, Temples and How They Work (25); Gods and Religion, Sacrifice, Vows and Oaths (26) |
| Travel by road and by sea | Era Rules, Travel (99); Places and Campaign Tools, By Road (139); Places and Campaign Tools, By Sea (139) |
| Truth and legend | Historical Reference, Truth and Legend (160) |
| Year 50 BC at a glance | The Era, The Year 50 BC (4); Quick Reference, The Year 50 BC (193) |