For Genesys RPG Players and Game Masters

Exodus NDS for Genesys Players

If your table plays the Genesys Roleplaying Game, you already know how to play Exodus NDS. It is a free, open narrative dice RPG built on the same dice structure, and every setting, bestiary, starship, and weapon book on this site can be brought to a Genesys game with a short conversion.

Same dice language

Three positive dice, three negative dice, six symbols. Success and Failure, a second axis of side effects, and rare results that change the scene.

Free and open

The complete core rules are free to read and download, released under the ORC License. No starter box, no paywall, no account.

Settings ready to run

Five complete universes published in full: fantasy, space opera, occult horror, espionage, and cartoon comedy, each with adversaries and GM tools.

Genesys to Exodus NDS conversion table

Every Genesys term has one Exodus NDS equivalent. Read the left column in a Genesys book, the right column in an Exodus NDS book, and they mean the same thing at the table.

The dice

GenesysExodus NDSRole
Boost die (blue d6) Boon Die (d6) Added for a helpful circumstance
Setback die (black d6) Bane Die (d6) Added for a hindering circumstance
Ability die (green d8) Ability Die (d8) The base positive pool
Difficulty die (purple d8) Trial Die (d8) The base difficulty
Proficiency die (yellow d12) Mastery Die (d12) An upgraded Ability Die
Challenge die (red d12) Crisis Die (d12) An upgraded Trial Die

The symbols

GenesysExodus NDSHow it resolves
Success Success Cancels Failure
Failure Failure Cancels Success
Advantage Boon Cancels Bane
Threat Bane Cancels Boon
Triumph Breakthrough Counts as a Success; its effect is never cancelled
Despair Calamity Counts as a Failure; its effect is never cancelled

Characteristics

GenesysExodus NDS
BrawnMight
AgilityAgility
IntellectIntellect
CunningSavvy
WillpowerWillpower
PresenceCharisma

Derived values and table terms

GenesysExodus NDSNote
Soak (Brawn + armor)Resistance (half Might, rounded up, + armor)The one number to recalculate when you convert
Wound ThresholdWound Points (10 + Might)
Strain ThresholdStrain Points (10 + Willpower)
Melee Defense / Ranged DefenseMelee Defense / Ranged Defense
Story Points (player pool, GM pool)Story Points (Fortune for players, Peril for the GM)
Minion / Rival / NemesisMinion / Elite / NemesisAdversary tiers
BrawlUnarmedDefault combat skill
RarityAvailabilityOn equipment

Using Exodus NDS material in a Genesys game

  1. Rename as you read. Swap the terms using the tables above. Dice pools are built the same way: the higher of characteristic and skill sets the number of dice, the lower sets how many are upgraded.
  2. Recalculate Soak. This is the one number that differs. Exodus NDS Resistance is half Might (rounded up) plus armor. In Genesys, a character's Soak is full Brawn plus armor, as usual. An adversary's printed Resistance already includes half its Might, so add the other half (Might halved, rounded down) to get its Soak.
  3. Keep the stat lines. Weapon Damage, Critical ratings, range bands, and Encumbrance are written on the Genesys scale and carry over as printed.
  4. Treat Elites as Rivals. Exodus NDS adversaries come in three tiers, Minion, Elite, and Nemesis. Minions act in groups and share one pool of Wounds, Elites have Wounds but no Strain, and Nemeses track both and can spend the GM's Story Points.
  5. Spend results the way you already do. Boon and Bane spends are Advantage and Threat spends. A Breakthrough is a Triumph and a Calamity is a Despair.

Going the other way works too. An Exodus NDS table can use a Genesys adversary or weapon by renaming its terms and halving the Brawn part of its Soak.

Using Genesys dice

Each Exodus NDS die matches a Genesys die in size and role, so the dice your group owns will do the job. If you want the exact Exodus NDS faces, the free web dice roller has them, and the full face tables are in Chapter 1: The Dice.

Settings for Your Genesys Table

Five universes, free to read in full

Each universe has its own site with every chapter published: character options, setting, GM tools, and adversaries.

Dark fantasy

Ix

Three complete books, free to read online: a Player's Guide with eleven playable peoples, backgrounds and careers, and Arcane, Divine, and Primal magic from cantrips to High Magic; a GM Guide to the world of Dort, its gods, planes, and soul economy; and an Adversary Catalog of dragons, devils, demons, undead, and more.

In a Genesys game

  • Use the Adversary Catalog as a fantasy bestiary for Genesys. Every creature is a Minion, Elite (Rival), or Nemesis with narrative dice stat lines.
  • Drop the spell list into a Genesys fantasy campaign. Every spell is cast with a skill check and lists what extra Boons (Advantage) buy and what Banes (Threat) cost.
  • Run Dort as your Genesys fantasy setting: gods who hire mortal agents, planar rifts at crossroads markets, and a trade in souls.
  • Lift the species, careers, and talents as new options for a Genesys fantasy table.
Open Ix
Cartoon comedy

Ink & Mayhem

A complete cartoon universe: six Toon types (Bruiser, Brain, Zip, Charmer, Pro, Wildcard), Shtick-driven play, cartoon physics, signature gags, bottomless pockets, fourth-wall mechanics, a cast of ready-made adversaries, and printable skill, talent, and bit cards.

In a Genesys game

  • Run a cartoon one-shot at your Genesys table with dice your group already knows how to read.
  • Borrow the gag and fourth-wall rules as a comedy module for any Genesys game.
  • Use the Toon adversaries as Minions, Elites (Rivals), and Nemeses for a lighthearted session.
Open Ink & Mayhem
Spy thriller

Division 5

An espionage sourcebook in three fully supported eras, from occupied Europe to the Cold War to the digital present: six operative archetypes, a Cover and Legend system, a Compromise track, era equipment and vehicles, adversaries, and printable skill and talent cards.

In a Genesys game

  • Run a modern or historical espionage campaign in Genesys with era-specific gear, vehicles, and opposition.
  • Add the Cover and Legend rules and the Compromise track to any Genesys game about infiltration and tradecraft.
  • Use the three eras as ready-made campaign frames for a Genesys spy, war, or modern-day game.
Open Division 5
Modern occult horror

The Hollow

A modern occult investigation game: character options for investigators, rules for cursed objects, spirits, and bargains, the Wound Escalation Scale for pacing a case, a world of hidden factions, GM tools, and playable case files including a two-player introductory case.

In a Genesys game

  • Run the case files as modern horror investigations at a Genesys table.
  • Use the Wound Escalation Scale to pace dread and rising stakes in any Genesys horror or mystery game.
  • Take the demons, spirits, and cult adversaries as Minions, Elites (Rivals), and Nemeses for a Genesys monster hunt.
  • Adopt the occult rules as a horror toolkit for a modern-day Genesys setting.
Open The Hollow
Space opera

Void Drifters

Six complete books, free to read online: a Player's Guide with five playable species, a GM Guide, a Sector Atlas, a Vehicles Manual with ship construction, modules, and weapons, an Equipment Guide, and a Starter Adventure.

In a Genesys game

  • Run a crew-and-ship space opera campaign in Genesys with a full sector, five rival powers, and no single villain.
  • Use the Vehicles Manual as a starship construction and combat toolkit for a Genesys science fiction game.
  • Start with the Starter Adventure as a first job for a new Genesys crew.
  • Take the gear and the gravity, slipstream, and AI rules as modules for any Genesys sci-fi setting.
Open Void Drifters
Sourcebooks for Any Setting

Weapon books you can drop into a Genesys fantasy game

Crown Meridian Ship Catalog

Armored Hulls of the Irnan Directorate for Void Drifters

Eight ship lines and eighteen hulls from Crown Meridian Shipworks, the armored shipbuilder of the Irnan Directorate, from a marine boarding craft to a convoy carrier. Every generation of every line with validated stats and prices, two Classic older ships, eight components only Crown builds, and the rules for buying, servicing and upgrading them.

Read Online

Kharos Ship Catalog

Rebuilt Hulls of the Funtari Confederacy for Void Drifters

Eight ship lines and twenty-six hulls from Kharos Forge Cooperative, the rebuilding shipbuilder of the Funtari Confederacy, from a one-crew survey skiff to an industrial carrier. Every mark of every line with validated stats and prices, the Rebuild Plate, the four clan yards, and the rules for buying, rebuilding and refitting them.

Read Online

Openframe Ship Catalog

Modular Hulls of the Antaean League for Void Drifters

Eight ship lines and nineteen hulls from Antaean Openframe, the modular shipbuilder of the Antaean League, from a one-crew work pod to a container hauler. Every version of every line with validated stats, prices and license fees, two Classic older ships, eight components only Openframe builds, and the rules for buying, licensing and upgrading them.

Read Online

Safa Ship Catalog

Pursuit and Security Hulls of the Jaziri Caliphate for Void Drifters

Ten ship lines and twenty-five hulls from Safa Celestial Arsenal, the security and pursuit shipbuilder of the Jaziri Caliphate, from a one-pilot racer to a security cruiser. Every version of every line with validated stats and prices, two Classic older ships, twelve components, the Certification Seal, the Contractor Partners, and the rules for buying, certifying and refitting them.

Read Online

The Apothecary

Poisons, Drugs, and Chemical Agents for Exodus NDS

Poisons, drugs, and chemical agents for narrative dice games: a hundred and one substances in four periods, from hemlock and viper venom to truth serum, combat stims, and nerve gas. Every poison is a clock of resist checks with time to treat it, and nothing kills on a single roll.

Read Online

The Armourer

Armour for the Fantasy, Ranged, and Modern Armories

Twenty-eight armours, helms, and shields from the padded jack to the bomb suit, with two qualities that make damage types matter: mail turns an edge and gives way to a mace, and a concealed vest stops a bullet and parts for a knife.

Read Online

The Black Powder Armory

Firearms, Blades, and Armour for Exodus NDS, 1400 to 1938

Fifty-five weapons and nine armours from 1400 to 1938: matchlocks, the flintlock pistols and boarding weapons of the age of sail, the revolvers and repeaters of the frontier, and the trench gear of 1915. Every lock reloads at its own pace, measured in maneuvers.

Read Online

The Chrome Market

Near-Future Weapons, Cyberware, and Street Tech for Exodus NDS

Near-future and cyberpunk gear for narrative dice games: smart weapons, armour, thirty-eight implants and twelve pieces of bioware that cost Strain Points for good, hacking run as a clock, drones, a watched city with Coverage and Heat, and street prices for all of it.

Read Online

The Fantasy Armory

Eighty Melee and Thrown Weapons for Exodus NDS

Eighty melee and thrown weapons across ten families, each with a full stat line, price, availability, and qualities that make it play differently from the weapon beside it. Twenty-four new weapon qualities and a pricing model any GM can rescale to their own setting.

Read Online

The Heavy Armory

Siege Engines, Great Guns, and Vehicle Weapons for Exodus NDS

Sixty-five crew-served and vehicle weapons from the battering ram to the guided missile: siege engines, the great guns of the age of sail, artillery, tank guns, bombs, and torpedoes for narrative dice games. With rules for crews, broadsides, indirect fire, and sieges, and thirty-nine ships, tanks, and aircraft to use them on.

Read Online

The Modern Armory

Firearms, Explosives, and Ammunition for Exodus NDS, 1939 to Today

Eighty-three firearms and explosives in twelve families, from a .22 pocket pistol to a shoulder-fired missile, covering 1939 to today. Calibre sets damage, the heavy calibres need Might, and concealment is a number. With twenty-five ammunition loads and fifteen attachments.

Read Online

The Ranged Armory

Forty Launchers and a Quiver System for Exodus NDS

Forty launchers across five families, from a shepherd's sling to a counterweight trebuchet, and a two-axis ammunition system of nine shafts and nine heads combined into quivers. Switching quivers is a maneuver, so one bow covers several roles.

Read Online

The Stable

Mounts, Barding, and Mounted Combat for Exodus NDS

Seventy-one mounts for narrative dice games, from donkeys and warhorses to riding bears, raptor-runners, pegasi, wyverns, and hippocampi, with rules for riding, mounted combat, flying and swimming mounts, training, upkeep, and barding for every body plan.

Read Online

The Starship Armory

Vehicle and Starship Weapons for Exodus NDS

Forty-five vehicle and starship weapons for space opera games on narrative dice: kinetic, missile, beam, plasma, ion, and gravitic weapons in four mount sizes from fighter guns to capital batteries, with firing rules, point defence, personal and vehicle damage scales, and a chapter of defences.

Read Online

The Stellar Armory

Space Opera Weapons and Armour for Exodus NDS

Sixty-six personal weapons in six technologies (kinetic, beam, plasma, disruption, gravitic, and ordnance) and sixteen armours built to meet them. Every technology has an armour that stops it and an armour it goes straight through.

Read Online

Viridian Ship Catalog

Refined Hulls of the Shoiyan Concord for Void Drifters

Ten ship lines and twenty-two hulls from Viridian Lattice Yards, the medical, scientific and continuity shipbuilder of the Shoiyan Concord, from an executive shuttle to a continuity cruiser. Every revision of every line with validated stats and prices, two Classic older ships, eight components only Viridian builds, the Service Seal, and the rules for buying, servicing and upgrading them.

Read Online

Questions Genesys players ask

Is Exodus NDS compatible with Genesys?

Exodus NDS is its own game, but it uses the same narrative dice structure as Genesys: three positive dice, three negative dice, and six result symbols that pair off one to one. Characteristics, skills, talents, adversary tiers, and Story Points line up closely, so Exodus NDS settings, adversaries, equipment, and adventures can be run at a Genesys table with a short conversion.

Can I use my Genesys dice to play Exodus NDS?

Yes. Each Exodus NDS die matches a Genesys die in size and role: Boon is Boost, Bane is Setback, Ability is Ability, Trial is Difficulty, Mastery is Proficiency, and Crisis is Challenge. Read Advantage as Boon, Threat as Bane, Triumph as Breakthrough, and Despair as Calamity. The free Exodus NDS web roller uses the exact Exodus faces.

What do I have to change to use an Exodus NDS universe in Genesys?

Rename the terms using the table on this page, and recalculate one number: Exodus NDS Resistance is half Might plus armor, where Genesys Soak is full Brawn plus armor. In a Genesys game, a character has Soak equal to Brawn plus armor as usual, and an adversary has Soak equal to its printed Resistance plus half its Might, rounded down. Weapon damage, Critical ratings, range bands, and Encumbrance carry over as written.

Is Exodus NDS free?

Yes. The complete core rules are free to read online and to download, and they are released under the ORC License, so you can build on them. The universes and the armory sourcebooks are published in full on this site.

What settings are available?

Dark fantasy (Ix), space opera (Void Drifters), modern occult horror (The Hollow), spy thriller across three eras (Division 5: Classified), and cartoon comedy (Ink & Mayhem), plus weapon sourcebooks that work in any fantasy setting.

What is a narrative dice RPG?

A roleplaying game where one roll answers more than pass or fail. Custom dice show success or failure and, separately, side benefits and complications, so a character can succeed at a cost or fail with an opening. Genesys and Exodus NDS both work this way.

Genesys and the Genesys Roleplaying Game are trademarks of their respective owners. Exodus NDS is an independent, ORC-licensed system from Kaosweaver, Inc. and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the publishers of Genesys.