HeartHand Head

Hobgoblin

Goods and Services

GlossaryGe�ing StartedWelcome to Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin, a light role-playing game of fantasy adventure, ‘cause there weren’t enough of those already. To get playing as quickly as possible, just follow these �ve easy steps:0. Get prepped: �e very �rst thing to do is print this document, preferably double-sided. You’ll need one copy of this page and the next for the group, one copy of pages 3 and 4, and a copy of pages 5 and 6 for each person playing. You’re going to need at least one twenty-sided die, or d20, and some pencils too, so get those ready.1. Get together: Grab a few friends. Five to seven friends is ideal, but more or less is okay too. One of you will need to be DM, whose in charge of running the game, controlling its world, and refereeing in rules disputes. It’s an important role that is probably going to fall to the person that printed these things out, but maybe not. If no one volunteers, the most creative person is automatically selected. Once you have a DM, give them the copy of page 3 and 4. Everyone else is a player, and grabs a copy of page 5 and 6.2. Get familiar: Sit down around a table, if you aren’t already. Have the boldest player read “Playing the Game (pg.5)” aloud to the other players, while the DM quietly reads “Running the Game (pg.3)” to themselves and peruses the rest of pages 3 and 4.3. Get an idea: Discuss what kind of adventure everyone would like to participate in, what types of characters they’d like to play, and what sort of world they'd like it to be set in. Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin presupposes a fantasy adventure and fantastical world, but beyond that, it’s up to you and your group.4. Get set up: Each player makes their character, following the instructions listed in “Making a Character (pg.6).” �e DM should continue to familiarize themselves with pages 3 and 4, and answer any questions the players might have about the game’s world.5. Get started: Once all the players have go�en their characters together, go around the table once to introduce them, then begin your adventure. To start it o�, the DM announces “you �nd yourselves...”

You don’t need any of these, but they can be useful or fun to have.d20s for everybody: While you only really need to have one for the table to share, having a d20 for each player can make the game a li�le quicker, and allows them to become unreasonably a�ached to a tiny bit of plastic.Scratch paper or a white-board: Never underestimate the power of doodling. Useful for sketching out maps and images of the monster or item they just found. Atmosphere: A soundtrack playing so�ly in the background, lights turned low, candlelight if you’re feeling particularly intense. Set the scene in your playing area, and it’ll carry over into the game. Give everyone every opportunity to buy into the nonsense of the game.Time: While you can manage a session of Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin in as li�le as two hours, it’s o�en be�er served in long sessions - three to four hours or more. �e extended time gives the players longer to get comfortable and really sink into their characters and the adventure.�eatrics: You’re probably not a trained thespian, and you may or may not have ever even met a vocal coach, but don’t let that stop you. It’s like karaoke - it’s not really about how well your perform, it’s about how hard you commit.

Challenge: Any barrier to the players’ progress. Opponents and obstacles, puzzles and problems.DM: �e person running the game, controlling all aspects other than the player characters, including challenges, environment, and non-player characters. Stands for Dungeon Master, probably.Gold: Your liquid assets. Could also include other forms of currency and coins of di�erent metals.Equipment: Your implement, out�t, extra, and kit.Extra: Any tiny, but meaningful, trinket you never leave home without. Experience: A number representing all the life lessons a player has learned.Face: To confront or otherwise deal with. Speci�cally used to refer to any action a player takes to, in some way, overcome a challenge.Hand, Head, Heart: Your capacity for aggression, cunning, and charm, respectively and somewhat loosely.Hobgoblin: A noble species who ruled the realm before the elves, humans, and dwarves came and mucked it all up.Hurt: A numeric representation of all the damage, be it physical, mental, or emotional, you’ve su�ered.Implement: Weapons, divine symbols, musical instruments, your �sts or your smile - anything you wield to work your will on the world.Kit: �e various bags, packs, pouches, pockets, and satchels on your person and the things you keep in them.Knack: Any useful bit of talent or training which grants a mechanical or narrative bene�t.Modi�er: Any number you add or subtract from another number.Out�t: Armor, clothing, a series of ta�oos - anything you wear for style or protection.Overcome: Destroy, defeat, convert, escape, or otherwise make irrelevant. Speci�cally used to mean removing a challenge by achieving a skill higher than its rating, or reducing its rating to 0.Player: Anyone participating in the game by controlling a single character. �e heroes. See also: Not the DM.Power: A player’s ability to impact a challenge they have not overcome entirely.Rating: A general numeric representation of a challenge’s di�culty or danger.Result: �e number that appears on a rolled die, without any modi�ers.Scene: A portion of play taking place in a single area during a single a continuous span of time.Session: A unit of play, from the moment you sit down and get in character to the moment the DM calls it a night.Skill: A player’s ability to succeed with a given action when facing a challenge. �e result of a twenty-sided die with relevant modi�ers applied.Supply: An abstracted resource representing your pack’s fullness of useful things.Toughness, Composure, and Resolve: Your ability withstand physical, mental, or emotional trauma, respectively.

Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin is a light role-playing game system, designed for fantasy adventure for three to seven people.It is licensed under the Creative Commons A�ribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Modify and redistribute as you like, just be sure to give credit where credit’s due, and allow others the same privileges.System, Words, and Art by: Malachi SharlowSpecial Conceptual Consultant: Greg Manizza

Credits and things

www.mtwinterstar.com

Recommended but Not Required

1

Game Flow Example of Play FAQ

Standard Game-Play

Facing a Challenge

The End?

1st Session Starts HereTo give you an idea of what Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin looks like in play, the following �ctional example joins the adventure of four players, and their DM, already in progress. Angua the low-elf warrior, Smaeta the hal�ing theologician, and their hobgoblin �iend �asmuel have been traveling for weeks across some rather inhospitable terrain and have �nally reached the lost City of Onyx. “As you clamber over the �nal rise,” their DM, Emily, narrates, “onto a cli� overlooking a vast valley �lled with obsidian spires, you see smoke billowing �om the city, and �re racing through its streets.”Smaeta is shocked. “What? How? We’re the only ones who knew where it was!”Angua shakes her head. “You lost the map back in Grunswick,” Emily explains. “Anyone could have picked it up. Especially if they were following you. �e city is burning. What do you do?”�asmuel shrugs. “We’ve made it this far, let’s go see who started the �re.”Emily nods. “�ere’s an ancient bridge of black stone stretching across the sharp cli�s that separate the city �om the mountains around it. It’s damaged, but holding for now. You see a handful of �gures standing on its nearest end. Human, dressed in chain-mail and carrying short swords,” Emily says, posing a challenge: human raiders. It isn’t a di�cult one, she’s just se�ing up something grander. She treats the raiders as a single challenge, and gives them a rating of 30 - a decent challenge.Angua jumps to face the challenge. “I slide down the rise, kick dirt into the �rst guy’s face and spit in the next dude’s eyes before I jam my sword into the third one’s chest.” Angua calls herself a warrior, but she chose Guile as her hand class, so she gets to add her hand to her skill when �ghting dirty.“Alright, what’s your skill?”Angua rolls a d20, and it lands on a 13. Her hand is 3, but her implement is a big sword, which imposes a -1 skill, so, altogether, her skill is 15. �is is lower than the raiders’ challenge rating, so she doesn’t overcome them, but she does get to lower their rating by her power. In this case, given that she’s a�acking violently, her power is based on her hand. She’s using her big sword, which means she adds her implement’s +4 power to her total. �e raiders aren’t unaware, so her knack that grants her +6 power against unaware opponents doesn’t apply. She lowers the raiders’ rating by 7, knocking it down to a more achievable 23.Unfortunately, since her skill wasn’t higher than raiders’ rating, Emily also gets to in�ict an injury or a misfortune. She chooses misfortune, using it to spring her trap. She doesn‘t have to - she could have in�icted a misfortune and posed a new challenge, since she set it up, but she’s being nice. “You launch yourself at the raiders, and you manage to put a nice gash in one’s chest, but, as he staggers back, you feel the bridge ra�le.”Smaeta shakes his head. “Oh no.”“�e bridge shudders, dust rains down below it and cracks �ash over its surface. It’s coming down,” Emily says, posing another challenge: collapsing bridge. She gives it a rating of 25, and she gives it the Continuing and Limited A�empts knacks - overcoming it will just let the players across, not remove the challenge, and if they don’t overcome it in four a�empts it’ll collapse and they’ll have to �nd another way around.“Screw this, let’s just get to the city!” �asmuel shouts. “I run past Angua and the raiders, booking it for the other side. I weave through them, jump over the bigger cracks and don’t stop running ‘ til I reach the other side.” None of his knacks apply to this action, so he rolls a d20, and adding nothing to it, gets a 19. Good, but still not higher than the rating. He does have the basic knack “+2 power when dealing with ” and has �lled the blank in with “disaster.” Emily rules that this counts as a disaster, and this was an a�empt to out-maneuver, so his power is his head, 3, +2. He drops the bridge’s rating to 20, and Emily gets to in�ict another injury or misfortune. She chooses injury. �e challenge’s rating is now 20, so it raises �asmuel’s hurt by 2. He’s wearing light chain-mail as his out�t, so he only marks an increase of 1 hurt on his sheet.“You get about halfway across before you trip on a bit of rubble and face-plant onto the obsidian. You slide to a stop a few more feet down. �e bridge groans - it’s not going to last much longer.” �e players now have 3 more a�empts to face the bridge challenge before it collapses.“Alright, I guess I have to save you all,” Smaeta sighs. “I summon a torrent of �ame...”

In no particular order, here are some answers to questions that may come up.How do you �gure out who acts �rst?Everyone does, sort of. �e DM always acts �rst in that they set up the circumstances, but the players also always get to act �rst in that the DM always threatens danger, and follows through only when the players fail to overcome a challenge. As to which player gets to respond �rst, some knacks do allow players to “always act �rst” if they wish, but, barring those, players may act in whichever order they’d like.Can I face more than one challenge at once?Yes and no. You can’t simultaneously face more than one challenge, but, given that there’s no set turn order, you can, and may occasionally have to, face multiple challenges in rapid succession. �is is handled exactly as any other a�empt to face a challenge.What about rounding?If you ever need to round, round up. �e rules for challenges speci�cally use 1/5th and 1/10th of a rating a lot, and those values should always be rounded up, giving any rounded number a minimum value of 1.How quickly does time pass?Time within the game world, minutes, hours, days, and the like, pass as makes narrative senses, based on the DM’s discretion. Within a scene, it may pass at a rough approximation of real time, with actions �owing from one to the next without skipping forward in time or jumping ahead to a new area. Between scenes and sessions, any amount of time can have pass - weeks of travel can occur between one scene and the next, and months or even years can go by between sessions if you’re playing a game with a long-running story.Mechanical time, measured in scenes and sessions, has more concrete de�nitions. A scene begins when the players arrive at a location, and ends when the players leave the area or decide to rest or wait - whenever a movie would cut away or fade to black to pass time or distance. A session begins when everyone starts to play, and ends when the DM calls it a night.What happens when you die?You can keep playing if you’d like to. Just make a new character, using the steps on page 6, but starting with as much experience as it would have cost to gain your head, hand, or heart (whichever’s highest) before death. If you’ve kept track of the total experience you’ve gained, you get 2/3rds of that. You can jump back in once you’re done, as soon as you and the DM can �gure out a contrivance for your new character to appear.What if players try to a�ack each other?You shouldn’t. If you absolutely must, the defending player is treated as a challenge with a rating equal to their hand, head, or heart (whichever is most appropriate based on how they’re defending themselves) multiplied by 10. Overcoming another player means you get your way in whatever you were �ghting about - you take the emerald, you get through the inn door �rst, or you get to crush their skull with a rock. I hope you feel good about yourself.How do you kill a friendly or neutral non-player character?If you absolutely feel the need to murder an innocent, or even friendly, character, you certainly can. If they’ve got a decent chance of �ghting back, they become a challenge with a rating determined by the DM. If they can’t defend themselves, or if it wouldn’t reasonably do any good, then you simply o� them - remember, if it wouldn’t be challenging, it isn’t a challenge. �at isn’t to say your a�empt at murdering them might not cause new challenges to appear - even if the mayor is a defenseless old man, his swordswoman daughter might not be alright with your hands around his throat.

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Start with “Ge�ing Started”Run through the steps on pg. 1

DM announces where the players �nd themselves.

DM announces that something happens.

DM responds with the results of their actions

or answers to their questions.

Player declares how they will overcome

the challenge.

Determine Skill:player rolls 1d20

and adds all applicable modi�ers

to its result.

Skill is compared to the rating of the challenge.

�e playeris completely

successful.

�e player succeeded, but not completely.

�e challenge’s rating is lowered by the

player’s power, and...

�e player may face the challenge again.

...DM in�icts an injury, raising a player’s hurt by

1/10th the challenge’s rating.

...DM in�icts a misfortune and

describes its e�ects.

All players in the scene increase their experience by

1/10th the challenge’s original rating.

A B

C

C

A

A

Wrap it up. Recap the events of the session and call it a night. Tease the

next session if you’d like.

B

Players respond with their actions or ask questions

about the situation.

A player faces the

challenge.

Skill is equal to or higher.

Skill is lower.

�e challenge’s rating becomes 0.

�e challengeis overcome.

DM recaps previous sessions (if any.)

DM poses a challenge.

�e players are quiet, �dgety or

uncertain.

You’re at a decent cli anger, you’ve just accomplished a major goal, or the players are

falling asleep.

Running the GameIf you’re the DM, and you should be if you’re holding this sheet, your responsibility in the game is three-fold:

1. Keep things interesting for everyone: What this means will vary depending on your players, but try to learn what they �nd exciting, and steer the game that way.2. Play the world: You’re in charge of everyone and everything that isn’t one of the players’ characters. �at’s a lot to juggle, but do your best to make everything feel real. Keep character motivations in mind, and make sure things �ow realistically from event to event. 3. Go with it: Don’t plan too far ahead, and don’t get caught up in your own scheming. �e players are going to do things you won’t expect, and you should encourage that by taking what they give you and running with it, both with the story and the game’s world.

To those purposes, you have two major tools in your bag:1. Say the world: Just as players can accomplish most actions simply by saying they do, as the DM you control the world with your word. If you say it exists, it does. �is power comes with the responsibility that you must use that power for the good of the game. You could create a world that the players have no chance of surviving or comprehending , but it wouldn’t be very fun. Be mysterious, not obtuse. Be tough, not cruel. 2. Pose a challenge: When the players encounter an obstacle or opponent of note, or when they turn someone into an enemy of note or create an obstacle through their own blundering, make it a challenge. �is means giving it a rating (Compare it to the challenge ratings listed to the right and make a rough estimate. Try to stick to round numbers.) and selecting a couple of knacks for it. �ere’s no limit to how many knacks a challenge can have - just remember that you’re trying to challenge the players, not beat them.

Note that you can pose a challenge, but you can not act on it until the player has tried, and possibly failed, to deal with it. When you pose a challenge, the goblins “jump out, swords readied and eyes eager,” they do not “jump out and stab Micheal. Gain+2 hurt.” As the DM, a challenge posed is always a threat, and you only follow through on that threat if a player fails to overcome it.Should they fail to overcome it, you have two options: you can in�ict injury, increasing the hurt of the failing player or another player nearby, or you can in�ict misfortune, and make something terrible happen.Injury always increases hurt by 1/10th the challenge’s current rating, subtracting toughness, composure, or resolve, and adding any modi�ers from the challenge’s knacks. Note that non-challenging, non-player characters do not su�er hurt and have no rating, so their fate, be it a scratch or a fatal wound, is always determined as an e�ect of misfortune.Misfortune is more �exible than injury, and you can use it to bring about any negative consequence, other than injury to a player, that could possibly have stemmed from failing to overcome the challenge. Take away the warrior’s sword, put a cherished or needed non-player-character in harm’s way, have a king get really mad at them, etc. As long as it makes sense, you can do it. Some challenge knacks also take the place of a misfortune, allowing you to activate special consequences for failure.

A game-ending challengeA mythic challengeA legendary challengeA heroic challengeConsiderable challengeAverage challenge Li�le challenge

150100

7050302010

Challenge Ratings

Non-Player Characters

Rewards

Enhancements are modi�cations to the players’ equipment that improve or expand their abilities. �ere’s no limit to the number of enhancements any given piece of equipment can possess, but players cannot possess more than one of the same enhancement. Enhancements are automatically carried over should they swap out any of their equipment. As with equipment, if an enhancement contains a blank, they should �ll it in when they gain it, or you can �ll it in before giving it to them. �e following are just examples, as the DM, you should absolutely feel free to go nuts and make your own.

Example Lesser Enhancements:●Masterwork (Implement): +1 skill.●Luminous (Implement/Out�t/Extra): Glows brightly .●E�ective (Implement): +3 power.●Fancy (Out�t/Extra): +5 power in social interactions.●Camou�age (Out�t): +1 skill when hiding in .●Spiked (Out�t): +3 power to damage in close quarters●Reinforced (Out�t): +1 toughness.●Healer’s case (Kit): Spend 1 supply to reduce you or an ally’s hurt by 2.●Returning (Implement/Out�t/Extra): Will instantly return to

your person when you call for it.●Blessed (Extra/Out�t): +1 resolve.●Belt pouches (Kit): You may carry 2 more supply.●Sheath (Kit): Select another implement. You may swap between

this and your original implement as you wish.●Satchel (Kit): You may carry 3 more supply.

Example Greater Enhancements:●Perfect (Implement): +2 skill. Cannot be combined with Masterwork.● enchanted (Implement): Your implement is wreathed in ,

which does not harm you but a�ects others as normal. +4 power.●Hungry (Implement): -1 hurt when you kill a living being.●Adamantine (Out�t): +2 toughness. Cannot be combined with

Reinforced.●Crystal-lined (Out�t): +2 composure.● a�uned (Out�t): Your out�t is a�uned to , rendering

you immune to its e�ects.●Shi�ing (Out�t): Select a second out�t, your out�t can shi� into

this other form and back once a scene.●Lifeweave (Out�t): When dying, you die on a result of 5 or less,

instead of a result of 19.●Swi�silk (Out�t/Extra): You can move with unearthly speed. +2 skill

when facing a challenge with movement.●Selkieskin (Out�t/Extra): You can swim inhumanly quick and

hold your breath for hours.●Spidersilk (Out�t/Extra): You can cling to ceilings and walls.●Winged (Out�t/Extra): You can �y.●Mindstone (Extra): +1 head, and you no longer need sleep.●Bonegem (Extra): +1 hand, and you no longer need food or water.●Bloodgold (Extra): +1 heart, and you no longer need to breathe.●Trollskin (Extra/Out�t): -1 hurt each hour.●Portalrock (Extra): When you enter a , you may instantly

emerge from any other in the scene.●Maestro’s sigil (Extra/Kit): Inventory items give +2 skill or +4

power when used appropriately. ● bane (Extra/Out�t): -5 rating to challenges in the

scene.●Endless (Kit): +1 supply every day.●Holding pouch (Kit): You may carry 10 more supply.●Alchemist’s bandoleer (Kit): Spend 1 supply to toss an alchemical

solution that reduces the rating of challenge’s in the area by -5.

Enhancements: DM Edition

In most se�lements the players will be able to spend 5 gold for any of the following e�ects:●Lodging and food for a night●Stable and feed for a mount for a night●-2 hurt●+1 supply●Swap your implement, out�t, or extra for another●Repair or replace an implement, out�t, or extra●Slow passage to the nearest se�lements

In larger cities and towns, the players may also spend 20 gold for any of the following e�ects:●Fancy lodging and food for a night: +1 skill the next day●-6 hurt●Fast travel to the nearest se�lements●Slow travel to any se�lement●Gain a lesser enhancement from a selection of your choosing.

In massive cities, or certain other special se�lements, the players can spend 100 gold for the following e�ects.●Resurrection for an ally●Fast travel to any se�lement●Gain a greater enhancement from a selection of your choosing.

Goods and Services

3

One of your biggest responsibilities as a DM is taking on the role of the game world’s inhabitants. While the players only have to worry about being one character, you’ve got to worry about, potentially, millions. �eir interactions with you as these millions will be a big part of whether they buy into the game’s reality or not.Given the number of characters you’re going to have to play, you’ll never be able to make each of them a perfect, unique, and well-rounded individual. Just not going to happen. What you can do, however, is make them memorable. When you need a non-player character, think up a single quirk or mannerism, and run with it. Let yourself get silly with it - the blacksmith in town only has one eye, so keep it shut when you’re speaking as her. �e goblin king is always hunched, so you follow suit. Do a voice, do a strange speech pa�ern, wave your hands around to much. �e traveling merchant who started out as a bad Quentin Tarantino impression could become a beloved a recurring character two sessions down the line.

When the players accomplish things, you shouldn’t hesitate to reward them for it. Experience is the most obvious reward, and one already built into the system itself as an automatic reward for overcoming challenges, but there are other options.Gold is always appreciated. An average foe might have a handful or less of gold on them, while more ostentatious environments and enemies could lead to big payouts for the players. �ere’s no solid rule on how much gold is enough, but 1/2 the rating of the toughest challenge the players faced in the scene is a fairly good guideline.Interesting or useful items are good. Arcane tchotchkes , possibly valuable idols stolen from lost temples, gems, and the like promise further adventure or pro�t. Enhancements can be a great reward, especially ones you’ve restricted players’ access to in the game’s towns and cities. You can even link enhancements to forced changes of implement, out�t, or extra, forcing the players to choose - “�e orc king’s sword is wreathed in �re, but the magic is bound to it. You’ll need to swap out your quick hammer for his big sword if you want the enhancement.”Favors from powerful non-player characters can also serve as compensation for a job well done. It also puts more options into the players’ hands - sure the Wizard of Jade owes them a favor, but what will they ask of him?

●Absorbing: Whenever the challenge would have its rating lowered, its rating is instead increased by the same amount. �is knack should almost always be limited by action or damage type, such as magical a�acks, physical impacts, or elemental damage.●Area: On an injury, the challenge divides the hurt in�icted across all players nearby.

Non-player characters in the area may be injured or killed as you wish, as with a misfortune.●Bolster: As a misfortune, the challenge raises the ratings of other challenges in the scene by

1/5th its original rating. �is knack is almost always limited to a certain type of challenge, such as allied soldiers, magical e�ects, or environmental hazards.●Budding: As a misfortune, the challenge creates a new challenge with a rating of up to 1/2

its original rating. �is is o�en limited to certain types of challenges, such as traps, restraints, or summoned creatures.●Continuing: Being overcome does not remove or destroy the challenge, just allows the

player who overcame it to move beyond the challenge, and allows them to escape any injury or misfortune. �e challenge may continue to interfere, pose a threat, or block the other players as you wish, and may even renew its interference with a player who has just overcome it. �is knack is o�en paired with Unyielding. It’s usually a good idea to limit this knack by including a means that can permanently overcome the challenge, such as being stabbed with a stake, or hearing the ancients' word for “knock it o�.” �is challenge only grants experience once, no ma�er how many times its overcome.●Cruel: When this challenge would in�ict an injury or misfortune, it in�icts an injury and a

misfortune instead.●Dangerous: �e challenge is a constant threat, and will automatically in�ict an injury or

misfortune under certain circumstances. Dangerous is most o�en used to create challenges which in�ict an injury or misfortune when le� un-faced, allowing for challenges that will keep causing bad things to happen whenever the players ignore them or choose to face another challenge. �e circumstances under which Dangerous activates must be set when the knack is chosen.●Draining: Power is lowered by 1/10th the challenge’s current rating for all players in the

scene. �is knack should almost always be limited to a speci�c type of action, such as physical a�acks, appeals to logic, magic, etc.●Empower: �e challenge grants all other challenges in the scene a knack or knacks.

Granted knacks are most o�en defensive in nature, like Resistant, Unyielding, or Insurmountable, but others, like Vicious or Rising work just as well. �is knack should usually be limited to certain types of challenges within the scene, such as orc marauders, beasts, or magical e�ects. Empower does not grant its owner the chosen knack, and a challenge with Empower should rarely have the knack its Empower grants.

Challenge Knacks●Illusive: As a misfortune, the challenge escapes the scene, possibly leaving another

challenge in its place.●Immune: �e challenge cannot be overcome, nor have its rating lowered. Facing it

automatically in�icts an injury or misfortune. �is knack should always be limited to action or damage types, such as physical a�acks, social manipulation, or �re. Despite being very powerful, and potentially game breaking, many challenges will possess a limited form of immune, most o�en used to represent an inanimate or unaware challenge’s inability to be reasoned with.●Insurmountable: �e challenge cannot be overcome until its rating has been lowered to 0.

If a player faces the challenge and achieves a skill equal to or higher than the challenge’s rating, they lower the challenge’s rating by their power and do not su�er an injury or misfortune. �is knack can not be combined with Unyielding.●Limited A�empts: �e challenge can only be faced a speci�c number of times. If it is not

overcome in the allo�ed a�empts, it may not be faced again. �e players are permanently prevented from doing whatever the challenge wasn’t le�ing them do. It is best to limit the number of a�empts to between one and four.●Resistant: A player’s skill and power are halved when facing the challenge. �is knack is

almost always limited by action or damage type, such as physical a�acks, social manipulation, or unenchanted weapons. Limited Resistant can also be used to create challenges which are strong against everything but a certain type of action or damage.●Rising: As a misfortune, the challenge’s rating increases by 1/5th its original rating.●Trigger: Under certain circumstances, the challenge gains a knack or knacks. Common

circumstances include being exposed to certain types of damage, being in a certain environment, or having its rating lowered or raised beyond a certain number. Both the circumstances of the Trigger and the knack or knacks it grants must be chosen when the Trigger is selected. ●Unyielding: Must be overcome in a single roll. If a player faces the challenge and receives a

skill lower than the challenge’s rating, they su�er a misfortune, but do not lower the challenge’s rating. �is should never be applied to challenges with a rating higher than 25-30, and cannot be combined with Insurmountable.●Vengeful: When overcome, the challenge automatically in�icts an injury or a misfortune.●Vicious: On an injury, the challenge raises hurt by 1/5th its rating. Dangerous may be

limited to a speci�c a�ack from the challenge, or a speci�c type of hurt, such as social, intellectual, or emotional.

It can take a while to get the hang of creating challenges that are fun and interesting. Knowing when and how to use challenge knacks is a big part of it, so, to help you while you get your bearings, here a few examples of di�erent challenges and the knacks you might give them.

Brute: Rating 20-25. Dangerous.A very simple challenge, suitable to be an orc, a mercenary, or any other purely physical opposition. Dangerous here means they’ll keep causing damage if le� untended.Bad terrain: Rating 5-15. Continuing, Unyielding, Immune.Slippery �oors, rocky ground, or thin ledges. Continuing means you can’t get rid of it, only bypass or move beyond it, and Unyielding makes it impossible to lower its rating. Its immune to reasoning and emotional manipulation, due to being land.Mastermind: Rating 35-45. Dangerous, Budding, Illusive.A foe suited to be a recurring problem. �e high rating makes them harder to take down, Budding allows them to call in reinforcements, make traps or create hazards, and Illusive means that, when things get rough, they can get away clean.Barred door: Rating 10-25. Immune.An easy obstacle. It has Immune, limited to reasoning and emotional manipulation, on account of it being a door.Poison Gas: Rating 25. Draining, Dangerous, Continuing.Poison gas �lls the room, choking the players. Draining here lowers the players’ power on physical actions to represent the gas’ weakening e�ects. Dangerous here is set to cause an injury on a result of 10 or less, meaning any slip up will harm the players.

Annoying noble: Rating 45-50. Continuing, Budding.A nuisance with lots of pull. �ey’re budding is limited to social problems, but combined with the high rating they can prove quite a bother. Continuing allows them to keep coming back, even if the players overcome them in a scene. Continuing here is limited with the ability to permanently remove the noble by stripping them of power, though this might create a new “spurned exile” challenge.Angry mob: Rating 35-50. Dangerous, Area, Rising.A riled group of peasants or townsfolk. �e high rating is due to its size, not the individual threat of its members. Dangerous here means it’ll keep causing chaos when le� un-faced, Area allows it to a�ack multiple players at once, and Rising represents its ability to pull more people into itself.Rigged door: Rating 15. Immune, Vengeful.A door set with a trap. Immune here covers its inanimate nature, while Vengeful means a player overcoming it trips the trap. Vengeful is limited in this case to be bypassed by “carefully disarming.”Troll: Rating 35. Dangerous, Vicious, Rising, Continuing�e classical troll. Vicious and Dangerous make it a mean opponent, while Rising and Continuing cover its regenerative ability, with continuing limited with the bypass “burn the body.”

Examples Challenges:

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When thinking about challenges, always keep two things in mind:

1. A challenge is a barrier: A challenge is always, at its most basic level, a barrier to the players’ progress. A challenge is always stopping the players from doing something. If it isn’t, then it isn’t a challenge - a cli� is just scenery until it’s stopping the players from reaching the mountain kingdom of Grodellion. Remember that, as a barrier, a challenge is always e�ective. It’s very existence must, and thus does, prevent players from achieve whatever goal it interferes with. �e mayor’s swordswoman daughter doesn’t want to the players to o� her helpless dad, so, as long as she exists as a challenge, they cannot. She will always stop their a�empts until they overcome her. She is a challenge because she is capable of deterring them, because...

2. A challenge must be challenging: A challenge that could not reasonably prevent the players from achieving their goals is not a challenge at all. Anything that is not a di�cult barrier for the players to overcome is just part of normal game-play, and the players may move past it simply by saying they do. A closed door is not a challenge for the players, nor is a jammed or locked door the players could kick open without much e�ort. �e mayor’s daughter wouldn’t be a challenge if she were as helpless as her father - she’s a challenge because she can hold her own against the players and keep them from murdering an old man.

Challenges: The Golden Rules

○Hand: Your faith gives you strength.●Add hand to skill when using a holy weapon,

or striking an enemy of your calling.●+1 toughness when wearing plate or

chain-mail.○+6 power when striking an enemy of your calling.○You have a loyal steed, and gain +1 toughness

and +2 power when atop a mount.○When an ally nearby takes physical injury, you

may opt to take it instead.○Allies gain -1 hurt when you receive a result of

20 on an a�ack.

○Head: You are a student of the spirits.●Add head to skill when you interacting with

spiritual entities.●You can see spiritual entities and objects.○On a result of 20, a spirit owes you a favor.○You see in your dreams.○You can command lesser spirits to do your

biding, acting as servants or combatants. When commanding them, your power is head+3.○+2 skill when interacting with a spirit whose

true name you know.

○Heart: You are a servant of the gods.●You are a servant of and can invoke

their power to aid you in your service of them. Add heart to skill when you do so.○When you bless an ally, they gain +1 power

and +1 toughness for the rest of the scene.○You can invoke your deity to heal an injured

entity, lowering their hurt by your heart.○You can bless water and food, making it holy

and free of disease.○When you heal, lower hurt by heart+3.

○Hand: You move like a wild animal.●Add hand to skill when you move with feral

grace, climb, swing, or swim.●+6 power to strike or move when unarmored.○+5 power when a�acking or moving while

wounded or dying.○-2 hurt on a result of 20 when a�acking.○Once per scene, when you roar, all opponents

have their rating lowered by your hand+3.○Add hand to skill when asserting your

dominance.

○Head: You know the wilderness well.●Add head to skill when using the wilderness or

your knowledge of it.●You may easily �nd food, shelter, and water in

the wilderness. +1 supply each day in nature.○You may spend 1 supply to mix an herbal remedy

which lowers hurt by your head when consumed.○Your senses catch the slightest sound or sight,

and if a creature has le� any tail, you can track it.○You are never lost in nature.○You move swi�ly through any wilderness.

○Heart: You are one with the world.●You can communicate with and command the

wild and its inhabitants.○In nature, you may use your resolve as toughness.○You may heal with a touch, reducing hurt by

your heart.○You can wear the shape of any animal you have

touched. In animal form, add your heart to skill when acting in accordance with the animal’s instincts.○When in animal form, add your heart to

power.

Martial

Divine WildArcane

Guile○Hand: You’re a born �ghter.●Add hand to skill when �ghting, or performing

feats of strength or endurance.●+4 power in combat.○+1 toughness when using a shield.○+2 power when wielding .○Each result of 20, grants +1 toughness for the rest

of the scene.○You skill penalty for wearing a cumbersome

out�t is reduced by 1.

○Head: You’ve a mind for the ba�le�eld.●Add head to skill when using strategic

thinking, sizing up opponents, or defending.●+1 skill and +1 power when you strike a weak

point.○+1 skill when in combat while atop a mount. ○You can cra� or repair defenses or weapons.

Spend 1 supply to grant a weapon +2 power for a scene.○Enemies can never get the drop on you.○+5 composure when in combat.

○Heart: You’ve got a commander’s spirit.●Add heart to skill when evoking authority;

commanding soldiers or intimidating enemies; inspiring heroism or violence.●+5 resolve against fear, despair, or pain.○You possess a high rank and wealth or land.○+2 toughness and resolve when defending others.○Allies gain +1 skill when you lead them into

combat.○When directly pursuing your calling, add

heart to toughness.

○Hand: You’re quite good at bad things.●Add hand to skill when �ghting dirty,

exploiting weakness, slinking, or sneaking.●+6 power when striking unaware opponents.○A result of 20 when sneaking redirects enemies.○No one can see you in the dark.○+1 skill in the dark.○Add hand to skill when performing acrobatic

maneuvers.

○Head: You’ve got light �ngers.●Add head to skill when thieving, disabling

traps or locks, ge�ing in or ge�ing out.●+5 power and +2 toughness against traps,

locks, or other security measures.○You can create traps of your own, or use

others’ to your own ends.○You can create and use poisons. Spend 1

supply to create a poison that lowers an opponent’s rating by -5.○On a result of 20 the DM tells you a secret

about the scene or someone in it.○You’re never caught by surprise, and may

always act �rst.

○Heart: You’ve got a silver tongue.●Add heart to skill when lying, seducing,

manipulating, or carousing.●+5 power on when manipulating.○You have deep ties within .○You can play the like a master.

Add heart to skill when you do so.○If anyone knows who’s who, you do.○+5 resolve against slander or emotional turmoil.

○Hand: You possess a dangerous power.●You can evoke the elements, creating or

commanding them. You must speak words of power and have your hands free to do so.●+5 power when evoking the elements.○Each result of 20 when evoking grants +5

power for the rest of the scene.○You may form the elements into structures.○You may evoke by will alone, without

speaking or moving.○Add hand to skill when evoking with a roared

command.

○Head: You’ve mastered delicate energies.●You may cast all manner of useful spells. You

must speak words of power and have at least one hand free to do so.●Add head to skill when using subtle,

non-harmful magics.○Spend -1 supply to gain +1 skill when casting.○You may use your composure as toughness.○You always know the type of magic afoot.○Add head to skill when casting a spell while

wielding a wand, sta�, or tome.

○Heart: You hear the whisper of things.●You can cast illusions and read minds.○Add heart to skill when in�uencing others’

minds with illusions or telepathy.○You can control others’ minds and bodies, and

communicate silently with anyone you know across any distance.○Your illusions can create real injuries.○A result of 20 when in�uencing another’s

mind allows you to permanently implant one command they must follow.

Basic Knacks●Hand:○+1 toughness.○You have excellent night vision.○+2 power when striking .○-1 hurt a�er a full night’s sleep, minimum 0.○+1 skill when surrounded by .○+1 toughness when directly pursuing your

calling.

●Head:○You are trained to work as a . ○+2 composure.○+2 power when dealing with .○You’re always the �rst to know about .○+1 skill when directly pursuing your calling.○+1 skill when avoiding .

●Heart: ○You have connections with .○You speak and .○You can always tell how someone really feels.○+2 power when interacting with .○+2 resolve.○+2 power when acting to directly accomplish

your calling.

●Special:○You are immune to .○You move swi�ly through .○You can see .○You have an amazing sense of .○You don’t need or .○You’re inhumanly .

Implement:○Big : -1 skill, +4 power○Quick : +1 skill○Balanced : +2 power○Paired and : +1 power,

+1 toughness

Out�t:○ clothes: +1 composure○Light : +1 toughness○�ick : +2 toughness, -1 skill○Heavy : +3 toughness, -2 skill

Extra:○Cherished : +1 resolve○Elegant : +1 composure○ charm: +1 power when .○Icon: Sign of loyalty to

Kit:An adventurer must be prepared for anything, and, as such, your kit contains many useful things. You can carry up 5 supplies. Using your kit takes a few moments of rummaging, a�er which you spend 1 supply and choose an appropriate e�ect:●-1 hurt to you or an ally.●Produce rations or water for one day.●Set up camp.●Produce a torch or fuel a lantern,

providing light for one hour.●Produce a minor, useful item (mirror,

�int and tinder, rope, etc.). Note the item in your inventory.

d20 Result + Knack and Other Modi�ers

Hand/Head/Heart + Knack and Other Modi�ers

Hand + Knack and Other Modi�ersUse when su�ering physical injury

Head + Knack and Other Modi�ersUse when su�ering intellectual injury

Heart + Knack and Other Modi�ersUse when su�ering emotional injury

Hand

Head

Heart

Name: __________________

Looks: __________________

Calling:_________________

Your aggressive capability.Add to power when using brute

force or violence.

Your cunning and guile.Add to power when out-thinking

or out-maneuvering.

Your charm and conviction.Add to power when convincing

yourself or others.

Skill

Power

Gold

Resolve

Composure

Toughness

Hurt○Wounded

When your hurt is greater than your hand, you are wounded. On a result of 5 or less, stumble or fall, and take 1 hurt.

○AddledWhen your hurt is greater than your head, you are addled. On a result of 15 or less, you hallucinate or become disoriented. �e GM will tell you how.

○ShakenWhen your hurt is greater than your heart, you are shaken. On a result of 10 or less, you must lash out, cower, or �ee.

○DyingWhen your hurt is greater than your hand and heart combined, you are dying. On a result of 19 or less, you die.

Experience

Equipment Apply when using Inventory +1 skill or +2 power when appropriate.

Enhancements Apply to Equipment

Supplies

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Hand-Head-Heart: Hobgoblin plays like most other role-playing games, which basically means it is, in e�ect, a conversation between the DM (the person who volunteered to run the game) and the players (everyone else, henceforth “you”).�e DM leads the conversation, describing the environment and the inhabitants of the game world, and then you respond with your actions (or, rather, your character’s actions, but we’re not going to distinguish the two in most cases).You can do whatever you want, within reason. So long as nothing is opposing your action (including your enemies, allies, and the laws of physics as established in the game world) you can just do it by saying you do it. Not everything is so easy, however, and existence in Hand-Head-Heart is fraught with challenges. A challenge is anything that bars your path, keeps you from your goals, or generally threatens to ruin things for you or those around you. Marauding hordes, ancient traps, and the like.When you face a challenge, state the action you will take to overcome it, roll 1d20, and add any modi�ers that apply to the result. �e total you get from this is called your skill.Note that “result” always refers to the number rolled on the actual die, while “skill” always refers to the result with all modi�ers added to it.Many modi�ers are contextual, with “when,” “to,” or “against” listed a�er their number. �ese modi�ers only apply when their conditions are met.If your skill is equal to or greater than the challenge’s rating, you succeed on your a�empted action and overcome the challenge. �e obstacle is passed or destroyed, the opponent slain, etc.If your skill is less than the challenge’s rating, you gave it a good a�empt, but didn’t succeed, at least not entirely. Maybe you messed up, or maybe things just didn’t go your way. Whatever the reason, you su�er injury or misfortune, DM’s choice. It’s not all bad, though, you did accomplish something, and you lower the challenge’s rating by your power as a result. If a challenge’s rating is reduced to 0, it is overcome.

Playing the Game

A legendary challengeA heroic challengeConsiderable challengeAverage challenge Li�le challenge

70+50302010

Challenge Ratings

InjuryYou stumble, fail to defend yourself, or otherwise get hurt, though not necessarily physically. You gain hurt equal to 1/10th the challenge’s current rating, minus your toughness, composure, or resolve (minimum 0). Which you subtract from this hurt depends on the nature of the challenge, and not all challenges will trigger an injury. Particularly dangerous challenges might in�ict more damage.

MisfortuneYou’re not hurt, but you’re certainly not having a good day. Something bad has happened, as decided by the DM. Some challenges have special knacks which the DM may activate in place of, or in addition to, a misfortune.

Making a CharacterTo create a character, follow these steps:1. Place 3, 2, and 1 into your hand, head, and heart as you wish. �ink brie�y about what sort of role you’d like to play in the game. If you want to be an aggressive force in combat, having a high hand is a good idea. If you want to be clever or cunning, a high head is important. If you want to win minds and in�uence people, a high heart is key.2. Select one class (Martial, Guile, Divine, Arcane, or Wild) for your hand, head, and heart, mixing-and-matching as you like. 3. Choose two knacks. �ese may be class or basic knacks. You may only select class knacks from classes you have selected. Some knacks have blanks included in their descriptions. Fill these spaces in when you gain them. You may �ll them with whatever you feel suits your character, but make sure to run it by the DM �rst. If you want to play an elf, dwarf, or other inhuman, just choose the basic knacks which best suit your species.4. Select and �ll in your equipment. You may only have one implement, one out�t, and one extra. As with knacks, should your equipment feature a blank, �ll them in with whatever you’d like, with DM approval.5. You begin with 30 gold, 5 supplies, 0 experience, and 0 hurt.6. Fill in your looks and calling. Your looks are any adjectives you’d use to describe yourself (as the character). Lithe, burly, beautiful, harsh, or the like. Write three down. Your calling is what you (again, as the character) strive to do each day, either as a general principal or a grand quest. �ings like, “uphold truth and beauty” or “kill the Bard of Grunswick.”7. Give yourself a name. Make it good.

Total Experience Gained

As you go through the game and face challenges, you’ll gain experience. Experience allows you to improve your abilities. Whenever you overcome a challenge, be it in a single roll or by wearing down its rating, you gain experience equal to 1/10th its original challenge rating. At any time, you may spend experience to do any of the following:

●Increase Hand, Head or HeartYou can increase your hand, head, or heart by 1 point. Doing so costs 5 points for each point of hand, head, or heart you already possess. So increasing your hand from 3 to 4 would cost you 15 experience, while increasing your heart from 1 to 2 would only cost 5.

●Gain a Basic or Class Knack.You can gain a new knack, either from the Basic Knacks selection, or from any class you’ve selected for your hand, head, or heart. Doing so costs 5 experience.

Once experience has been spent, it’s gone. You may, however, wish to keep track of the total experience you’ve gained during the game, for bragging rights, or in case something kills you.

Self Improvement

In most se�lements you will be able to spend 5 gold for any of the following e�ects:●Lodging and food for a night●Stable and feed for a night●-2 hurt●+1 supply●Swap your implement, out�t, or extra for another●Repair or replace an implement, out�t, or extra●Slow passage to the nearest se�lements

In larger cities and towns, you may also spend 20 gold for any of the following e�ects:●Fancy lodging and food for a night: +1 skill the next day●-6 hurt●Fast travel to the nearest se�lements●Slow travel to any se�lement●Gain a lesser enhancement

In massive cities, or certain other special se�lements, you can spend 100 gold for the following e�ects.●Resurrection for an ally●Fast travel to any se�lement●Gain a greater enhancement

Goods and Services

Enhancements are modi�cations to your equipment that improve or expand their abilities. �ere’s no limit to the number of enhancements any given piece of equipment can possess, but you can not possess more than one of any given enhancement. Enhancements are automatically carried over should you swap out your implement, out�t, or extra.

Example Lesser Enhancements:●Masterwork (Implement): +1 skill.●Luminous (Implement/Out�t/Extra): Glows brightly .●E�ective (Implement): +3 power.●Fancy (Out�t/Extra): +5 power in social interactions.●Camou�age (Out�t): +1 skill when hiding in .●Spiked (Out�t): +3 power to damage in close quarters●Reinforced (Out�t): +1 toughness.●Healer’s case (Kit): Spend 1 supply to reduce you or an ally’s hurt by 2.●Returning (Implement/Out�t/Extra): Will instantly return to your person

when you call for it.●Blessed (Extra/Out�t): +1 resolve.●Belt pouches (Kit): You may carry 2 more supply.●Sheath (Kit): Select another implement. You may swap between this and

your original implement as you wish.●Satchel (Kit): You may carry 3 more supply.

Example Greater Enhancements:●Perfect (Implement): +2 skill. Cannot be combined with Masterwork.● enchanted (Implement): Your implement is wreathed in , which

does not harm you but a�ects others as normal. +4 power.●Hungry (Implement): -1 hurt when you kill a living being.●Adamantine (Out�t): +2 toughness. Cannot be combined with Reinforced.●Crystal-lined (Out�t): +2 composure.● a�uned (Out�t): Your out�t is a�uned to , rendering you

immune to its e�ects.●Mindstone (Extra): +1 head, and you no longer need sleep.●Bonegem (Extra): +1 hand, and you no longer need food or water.●Bloodgold (Extra): +1 heart, and you no longer need to breathe.●Trollskin (Extra/Out�t): -1 hurt each hour.

Enhancements

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