Drifter Basic Rules

Led by the Cartographer (narrator), in the Travel Phase you and your
companions set out to explore the world, traversing breathtaking vistas,
beautiful landscapes, and a ruined civilization, all marked with the scars of
the past. During this phase, you and your companions travel great distances
using a montage and, optionally, a hex-map to facilitate this phase.

MONTAGE

A montage is a narrative tool that summarizes a long journey into a series
of quick and interesting events. The events of the journey are all born from
the contributions of the players. Each player takes a turn in the montage,
picking a skill that would contribute to the journey in some fashion, and
making a roll against that skill. Then, the players create a narrative about
what happened during the journey, either connecting events together or
framing separate events that occured along the way.

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The full process of the montage is as as follows:
1. Determine the number of rounds of player contributions.

If you’re using a hex-map to track distance, we recommend one or two
rounds of contributions per hex traveled.
We also suggest only travel around 1–3

2. (optional) Establish whether there will be a resource cost for each
round of contributions.

If you implement a resource cost, it should only be around 1–2 Energy. Be
sure everyone knows before starting.

3. (optional) Establish if there are any mechanical consequences that
will be triggered for this montage.

Normally montages don’t trigger Consequences. However, if you’re looking
to mix things up or make the journey more perilous, a Consequence can be
more fitting to the theme or tone you’re going for.

4. Player Contributions: Each player in turn makes a contribution to
the journey using the following steps:
• Pick any skill from the skill list and describe how it contributes
towards the journey.
• (if any) Pay the resource cost for the contribution.
• Make a roll to determine the outcome of the roll.
• (if any) Determine any mechanical Consequences to the
outcome, allowing the player the chance to mitigate the outcome.
• Narrate and incorporate the results.

5. Repeat: We recommend at least two rounds of contributions from
each player for a montage when traveling.

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SAMPLE TRAVEL

In this secion, you'll read an a sample montage where the players are trav-
eling a long distances (a few hexes on the world map).

SETUP
• Narrator decides that a long term trek/exploration would be best
served using the Travel Phase.
• Narrator decides that each player contribution will have a resource
cost (1 energy), but no mehcanical consequence.
• Since the group isnt using a world map, the players will perform a
total of two rounds of player contributions to the montage before
arriving at their destination.

Narrator: wYhoyu'tvheedweacitdeerdhaths asttowpependeefdlotwointrga. vTelo tgoetutphienreto, lmetos umnatakientshtios
investigate
a montage, two rounds, no consequences, but because its an uphill journey,
1 energy per contribution.

Narrator: So who wants to go first?

K[Niraitnu:reA] ltroighhetl,psuossifnorceecwaset'rfeavgoorinagblienwtoeaththeemr ionunotradienrstIo'mavgooidinrgutnonuinsge
into any storms.

Pay the 1 energy, and roll.....oof a 2.. whelp so much for good weather.

Narrator: That is rough, so perhaps on this journey you run into a storm
of sorts? or do you want something else to happen?

Kirin: Yeah, lets go with a storm that we encoutner on the way. Perhaps,
instead of misjudging it, lets have the origin of the storm be caused by
unnatural forces at play.

Narrator: Awesome, we'll go with that and work it into the other contri-
butions. Ok, next up, Sera.

Sera: Ok, I really like this unnatural storm, perhaps when we get stuck in
the storm we're forced to take shelter, and I'll use [Access] to get us inside
some sort of ruin.

Narrator: Love it, pay the 1 energy and make a roll.

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Sera: 14...only one off from a Fortune!! Oh well, that's alright I can live
with that, since there are no consequences in this montage.
Narrator: Right, so from this crazy storm you two are running for shelter
and come up aganist this facility. Sera easily opens it up and you get inside,
dry and safe at last, at least for now...
Narrator: Now, we're halfway there, we have one more montage round left
until we arrive. Kirin, do you want to start again? Same rules as before.
Kirin: Since we're underground, perhaps we can rest a bit, then make our
way forward using this underground facility. From Sera's Temperance, lets
say that her unlocking the door alerted some robot defenders to our position,
so I'll use the the [Fight] skill to fight them off.
Kirin: Lets pay that 1 energy, and roll...12, ok, thats a Temperance.
Narrator: Alright, so although you dispatch the robot defenders, you do
take a hit to the knee, which slows down your progress. Remember in this
montage there are no mechanical consequences so this is just cosmetic for
the montage, unless you want to include it later.
Narrator: Last contribution from Kira, what do you want to do? You can
choose to continue this facility exploration, leading you to the base of the
mountain. Or, we can move past the facility and have a new experience
along the way.
Sdoer[aS:wLimet]'s. PueserhaanpsexwpelocraantieosncaspkeillfrtoombrtihdegefatchielitgyapbysisnwceimI'mminagntohtrtoeur,glhetas
flooded portion and pop out at a lake at the summit of the mountain.
Narrator: Sounds good.
Sera: Pay the 1 energy, and roll...19, well that's definatly a Fortune!
Narrator: Awesome! So from the combat encounter with the robot
defenders, the two of you get away, but as more and more bots start
appearing, you spot a water way that according to your earlier mapping
should be connected to a dam of sorts. The two of you jump into the channel
as it whisks you away. With Kirin's injured leg, Sera works extra hard to
keep the two of you together in the same channel and breathing, but due to
their awesome swimming skills, this is no sweat for Sera. The two of you
pop out of a waterfall into a lake, and you arrive at the foot base of the
mountain.

From this point the players continue on in their adventure.

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Downtime
Phase



Led by the Quartermaster (narrator), whenever the drifters need to rest
or spend time in a sanctuary, they enter the Downtime Phase. During
this phase, each player gains Downtime slots that can be spent on special
actions only during this phase. In the Downtime Phase, drifters can take
time to heal injuries, swap out Talents, cook up meals, take care of allies,
or even craft tools and upgrades.

DOWNTIME SLOTS

The number of Downtime slots available to the drifters is determined by
the narrator of this phase. These resemble the amount of time that char-
acters have to rest from their ordeals, recoup their resources, and prepare
for any trials ahead. Below are a few guidelines to how many slots to grant
for the phase, though special circumstances can always modify these:

• A brief respite (1–2 hours): 1 slot
• A campfire evening (3–5 hours): 3 slots
• A day of work (8–12 hours): 6 slots

TYPES OF DOWNTIME ACTIONS

Downtime allows you to perform a number of activities that fall into the
following rough categories:

• Restore: Activities that recover Health, Energy, or Woe for yourself
and your party members.

• Prepare: Activities that give bonuses or advantages to you or your
allies against future challenges.

• Craft: Activities that use Components and Ingredients to create
items that can be equipped in your equipment slots.

• Build: Activities used to create and enhance installations, or just to
create a safe space to later return to where the drifters can rest.

PARTIAL WORK
Some crafting activities may happen over the course of multiple Downtime
Phases. Some Downtime activities can be put on “pause” between
Downtime Phases. When you contribute slots and resources towards a
Downtime activity that is not completed within the one Downtime Phase,
keep track of which activity was started and how many resources has
been put into it. The remainder of the cost can be paid in a subsequent
Downtime Phase to complete the activity.

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ADVANCEMENT

When you return to the safety of a sanctuary, you are able to spend
your gearbits on equipment, gear, and most importantly advancements.
Advancements are the way in which your drifter will grow and become
more powerful and be more resourceful.
Each advancement costs 4 gearbits, and can be purchased using the
[Advance] downtime activity (page 160). This action costs 0 Downtime
slots, but must be durring the Downtime Phase in a sanctuary.
ADVANCEMENT OPTIONS
There are a few options in which your character can grow

• Increase a boost score by 1.
• Add a new talent to your Talent List.
• R educe one of your thresholds by 1.
• Increase your max Health by 1.
• Increase your max Energy pool by 1.
• Add +1 to one of your Drives or add a new one.
• Add an additional dash charge (max 4).
• Add an equipment slot (max 6).
FORM OF ADVANCEMENTS
When you 'purchase' these advancements, they don't have to be the result of
actual purchases. Rather, they can be representative of training, non-tan-
gible upgrades, realizations, cybernetics, or any other form that you thing
fits with your characters story and development.

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DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES

Below is the list of activities that can be performed during the Downtime
Phase. Each activity will list the number of Downtime slots needed and any
additional costs to perform that activity (such as gearbits or Ingredients).
0-SLOT ACTIONS

Swap Talents
0 DOWNTIME SLOTS

Effect: Swap any number of Talents between your Talent List to your
Ability Bar.

Swap Loadout
0 DOWNTIME SLOTS

Effect: Rearrange any equipment from your backpack into your equipment slots.

Advance

0 DOWNTIME SLOTS + 4 BITS
Must be at a Sanctuary or Basecamp

Effect: Spend your gearbits to gain a character advancement. An [Advance] can
take the form of personal growth, equipment tweaks, training, or some
revelation about the world or the drifter themself.

Choose from the following:
- Increase a boost score by 1.
- Add one talent to your Talent List.
- Reduce one of your thresholds by 1.
- Increase your Health by 1.
- Increase your Energy pool by 1.

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RESTORATION

Break Bread

1 DOWNTIME SLOT + 2 INGREDIENTS

Effect: Share a meal with your allies. Distribute 4 points between yourself and
your party, with each point the recipient recieves they can choose to
recover one point of Health or one point dof Energy.

Hearty Feast

3 DOWNTIME SLOTS + 4 INGREDIENTS
Must be at a Sanctuary or Basecamp.

Effect: All party members are restored to full Health and Energy. If an ally
has a burden, collaborate with that player to narrate how this activity
resolves it.

Indulge

1 DOWNTIME SLOT + 2 BITS
must be at a Sanctuary

Effect: If you have a burden, narrate how this Downtime activity helps resolve
it. Otherwise, recover 3 points of woe.

Relax

1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Take the time you need to refocus and re-energize. Recover 4 Energy.

Take in the View
2 DOWNTIME SLOT
must be at a Delve Discovery or wonder

Effect: Recover 2 Health, 3 Woe, and 4 Energy. If you have a burden, narrate
how this Downtime activity helps to resolve it.

Tend to Wounds
1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Take the time to mend minor injuries. Heal 2 Health for yourself or
one ally.

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PREPARATION

Buff
Weapon Damage

1 DOWNTIME SLOT + 2 COMPONENTS

Effect: Pick a weapon equipped in your equipment slots and increase its base
damage by 1. This effect lasts until the next Downtime Phase.

Coordinate
1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Pick an ally. The next time you use helpful assist on this ally, increase the
total contribution by 2. This effect lasts until the next Downtime Phase.
If that ally has a burden, collaborate with that player and narrate how
this activity resolves it.

Encourage

1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Grant one ally a reroll token that lasts until the next Downtime Phase.
This token can be spent to reroll any of that drifter’s die rolls, and they
may keep either roll result. If that ally has a burden, collaborate with
that player and narrate how this activity resolves it.

Exercise Drills
1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Pick a Talent that you swapped onto your Ability Bar during this phase.
Gain a reroll token that you can spend to reroll any die roll involving
this Talent, keeping either roll result. This reroll token lasts until the
next Downtime Phase.

Reflect

2 DOWNTIME SLOTS

Effect: Pick a skill or Talent that recently resulted in a Temperance or Judgment
outcome. The next time you use that skill or Talent, choose to upgrade
the threshold as if you had spent an Intervention Point. This effect lasts
until the next Downtime Phase or until the threshold upgrade is used.

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BASEBUILDING

Make Camp

1 DOWNTIME SLOT + 3 COMPONENTS

Effect: Establish a basecamp where the drifters can return to and rest before
setting off on their journey again. If you return to your basecamp and
enter the Downtime Phase there, increase the number of Downtime slots
gained by 1.

Break Camp
1 DOWNTIME SLOT

Effect: Tear down a camp that you have constructed and recover the 3
Components used to create it.

CRAFTING

Craft:
Personal Deflector

2 DOWNTIME SLOTS + 4 COMPONENTS

Effect: Create a portable def lector device that projects energy, intercepting
incoming attacks for a brief time. The def lector has the following details:


Def lector (1 equipment slot): You can activate this device using the [Use Simple

Item] action. When activated, the def lector provides 4 points of bonus
Armor that can be split between your Protection or Resistance pools
as you see fit. When these points of Armor are used up, the def lector is
destroyed. If the points are not spent by the next Downtime Phase, the
def lector will break down and you recover 1 Component.

Craft:
Trail Mix

1 DOWNTIME SLOT + 3 INGREDIENTS

Effect: Create two trail mix consumables that you can distribute between your-
self and your allies. The trail mix has the following details:

Trail Mix (1 equipment slot): Take the [Use Simple Item] action to consume
trail mix and recover 2 Health or 2 Energy.

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Craft:
Weapon Deflector

8 DOWNTIME SLOTS + 8 COMPONENTS + 4 BITS

Effect : Create a small def lector device that augments Dash capabilities. The
def lector has the following details:

Dash Def lector (1 equipment slot): When using [Last Second] to reduce damage
in the Combat Phase, redirect that amount of damage to an adversary
within Range 1.

Craft:
Charged Spin Attack

8 DOWNTIME SLOTS + 8 COMPONENTS + 4 BITS

Effect: Create a small device that augments your weapon attack.
Spin Attack Augment (1 equipment slot): When using [Cleave], increase it's

damage dealt by 1. In addition, gain the following action.
Spin Attack (1 Dash | Close).
Effect: Deal 1[w] to all adversaries in your tile.

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165

Session
Zero

166

Before adventuring in a game of Drifter, it’s essential for all players to be
on the same page about the social rules and etiquette of play. This way
everyone knows what kind of experience they’re going to have once they
dive into the game. Whenever a group gathers to chat about these topics,
this is known as a Session Zero. It’s often valuable to have a Session Zero
whenever you start a new campaign or introduce a new player to the group.

A Session Zero can cover a lot of topics and usually it’s best to do so
prior to the first game session. You might cover topics such as:

• Safety checklist
• Content rating
• Gameplay style
• Lines and veils
• House rules
• Rules of the table
• Character planning and relationships
Some topics require the group to come to a consensus (like content rating,
house rules, and character relationships), while others will be information
for the group to remember (like lines and veils and safety checklist).

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TOPICS TO COVER

CONTENT RATING

Much like checking the rating of a movie before watching it or a video
game before you play it, everyone involved in the game should help to frame
the kind of content they want to see in a game of Drifter. This will be a
starting point as you discuss with the group in the next step. Guideline
ratings include:

• All Ages: May contain mild language and fantasy violence, but no
swearing or nudity.

• Young Adult: May contain violence, infrequent use of strong
language, and suggestive themes or situations.

• Mature: May contain violence, infrequent use of strong language,
and suggestive themes or situations.

• Mature Plus: May contain intense and graphic scenes of violence,
nudity, sexual content, and substance use.

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GAMEPLAY STYLE

There are countless ways to play Drifter, and it can be important for you
and the other players to know what kind of play environment to expect.
What kind of story do you want to be told through a game of Drifter?
What do you or your character want to achieve in the game?

Your game of Drifter might decide to focus on one of the following styles
of play:

• Social: Social problem-solving, political maneuvering, high intrigue,
or interpersonal drama

• Combat: Back-to-back fighting, or gritty or heroic battles.
• Exploration: Artifact research, resource expeditions, or

survival mode.
• Other: Bleak or cosmic horror
If the group has trouble figuring out a balance between these options,
another way is to mark a triangle, with each point representing “social,”
“combat,” and “exploration.” Then have everyone pick a point where their
preferred balance lies. This helps to better understand the balance of
action everyone in the group wants.
If you haven’t figured out what kind of story or adventure you want to
experience yet, that’s totally fine. The more you play, the more you’ll learn
about what you do and don’t like.

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LINES AND VEILS

Although the content rating provides a general sense of what content may
appear in your game, The use of lines and veils provides you with a specific
understanding of what content is okay for particular players, those that
could be problematic, and which areas to avoid.

To help facilitate the sorts of content that might appear in your game,
you can use a content checklist like that below. You can also find a similar
content checklist available on our website.

The content checklist might look something like the following, though
it’s not limited to just these areas of concern:

• Horror: Eyes, spiders, blood, harm to children or animals.
• Relationships: Romance, gas-lighting, sex.
• Social and cultural issues: Racism, real-world religion, sexism.
• Mental and physical health: Cancer, claustrophobia, freezing to

death, genocide, natural disasters, pandemic, police aggression,
sexual assault, terrorism, torture, or starvation.
If you’re looking for more in-depth resources about safety tools and dealing
with problematic content—or consent—we highly recommend reading
Consent in Gaming by Monte Cook Games, and the TTRPG Safety
Toolkit by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk.

HOUSE RULES

Sometimes, you want to let loose and experiment with the mechanics of
Drifter. Be it testing out a class you made up, limiting or adding character
options, tweaking rules, or even utilizing third party content—all of these
adjustments to the base rules are considered house rules, and just about
every group has their own house rules they develop.

If there are deviations to the rules-as-written for a particular game or
campaign of Drifter, it’s best to communicate this to everyone who’s playing
and make sure everyone is okay with the rule tweaks.

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RULES OF THE TABLE

Now with the theme and content in toe, let’s ensure everyone agrees on
the rules of the table. These are entirely up to you and the people you are
playing with, and while Drifter does not dictate table manners, there are a
few topics that you should keep in mind while the campaign is being set up.
SESSION ATTENDANCE
When and where will sessions take place? How will the time and location
be decided? What happens when people are either late or don’t show up?
What will be done in case a member of the group needs to leave early? How
does this affect their character within the story, and does the narrator
continue the session at all?
ELECTRONICS
Are cellphones, tablets, or laptops allowed at the table? What happens if
those become a distraction from the game?
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Are food and drink allowed at the table? When ordering food, who pays,
and how will repayment work? What happens if a rulebook is sullied or
damaged? May rulebooks only be touched with washed hands?
ALCOHOL
Is alcohol tolerated at the table and, if so, to what degree? Does the
group appoint a supplier, or does each player bring their own? Is excessive
drinking an issue? What will be done in case a player gets out of hand?
OTHER SUBSTANCES
Is smoking (cigarettes or other substances) allowed at the table? If yes, may
people only smoke outside?

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Appendix 1

CHARACTER CREATION

PICK AN AFFINITY.

Non-mechanical. Any anthropomorphic creature.

SELECT YOUR CLASS.

Mechanical. Your class provides you with the your starting ability scores
(health, energy, boost) as well as determining your specialized discipline,
helpful assist, and class special.

• Warrior (Combat discipline)
• Versifier (Social discipline).
• Wielder (Manipulate discipline).
• Delver (Exploration discipline).
• Wayfinder (Survival discipline).

SET THRESHOLDS.

Mechanical. All Fortune thresholds start at 18 and all Temperance
thresholds start at 10.

• Your Fortune threshold is always larger than your Temperance
threshold.

• Your specialized discipline reduces both thresholds by 2.
• Distributed 8 points amongst your thresholds. Each point applied to

a threshold reduces that value by 1. You can not reduce a threshold
by more than 4 points.

PICK TALENTS.

Mechanical. Pick three talents from the Talents section. Write them on
your ability list, and slot them into your ability bar.

You can only slot up to two talents from each discipline, unless they are from
your specialized discipline.

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CHOOSE EQUIPMENT SET.

Mechanical. Pick an equipment set. Then proceed to build your weapons
in the equipment section.

PICK A CHARACTER FEATURE.

Mechanical. Pick any skill from the Discipline/Skill List. When making a
roll with this skill, reduce your Temperance threshold by 2.

CHOOSE A CHARACTER TRAIT.

Non-Mechanical. Something unique about your drifter.

NAME YOUR DRIFTER.

Non-Mechanical. Name your drifter.

CREATE CHARACTER DRIVES.

Mechanical. A short sentence that encapsulates your drifter's goals or
motivations. As you advance you can call upon these Drives to grant you
a bonus.

CREATE CHARACTER BOND.

Non-Mechanical. Share your drifters with members of your group and
create a bond with at least one of them. Bonds are usually phrased as

• Someone I admire:
• Someone I owe:
• Someone whose respect I want to earn:
• Someone I disagree with:

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Appendix 2

DISCIPLINES & SK ILLS

EXPLORATION
DISCIPLINE

Skills that encompass overland travel and navigating the environment.
• Awa reness
• Balance
• Cartography
• Climb
• Jump
• Lift
• Ref lex
• Swim

SURVIVAL
DISCIPLINE

Skills that are used for camping and surviving in the wilderness.
• Cook
• Craft
• Forage
• Fortitude
• Heal
• Nature
• Sneak
• Track

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SOCIAL
DISCIPLINE

Skills that used to interact with other creatures and characters.
• Empathy
• Handle Animal
• Inf luence
• Intimidate
• Lead
• Negotiate
• Per for m
• Resolve

COMBAT
DISCIPLINE

Skills that are used in combat or for fighting.
• Aim
• Assess
• Fight
• Ma neuver

MANIPULATE
DISCIPLINE

Skills that are used to interact with remnant technology.
• Access
• Build
• Repurpose
• Salvage

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Appendix 3

ACTION RESOLUTION

When there is something you want your drifter to do, and that action
requires effort or, the outcome will yield an unknown or interesting result,
you might be asked to pay a resource and/or make a roll.
Resources you might use:

1. Energy: Your tenacity and ability to exert extra effort.
2. Woe: Stress and bad luck that you accumulate.
3. Dashes: A useful device primarily used for movement.
4. Ingredients: Harvested organic materials.
5. Components: Collected technological pieces.
Making A Roll.
1. Narrator determines the Consequence Level (CL)
2. Pick the Discipline the player rolls against.
3. Spend resource cost (if applicable)
4. Roll the dice and determine resulting threshold.
5. Opportunity to mitigate (if the player wants)
6. Finalize outcome.

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DETERMINE
CONSEQUENCE LEVEL
This indicates the worst possible outcome that can happen from a roll and can be narra-
tive or mechanical.

As a frame of reference, 1 CL is equivalent to 1 health damage, and scales
accordingly the higher the number, the more severe the potential outcome.

DISCIPLINE
A discipline is a broad category to group various skills. There are five disciplines, pick
the best discipline that matches the action you are performing:

• Combat: For fighting skills and actions.
• Survival: For camping and survival skills.
• Exploration: For movement and traversal skills.
• Social: Interaction skills with others and other creatures.
• Manipulate: For tinkering with and working on technology.

READ THE RESULT
On your character sheet each discipline has two values, Fortune and Temperance.
After you roll, compare your roll result to these values. You must meet-or-beat to get
that roll threshold.

If you fail to beat your Temperance threshold, you get a Judgment result.
All outcomes succeed in their actions in one way or another. However, Temperance
and Judgment results trigger consequences. The level of the consequence triggered is

marked by this symbol (◈), and is commonly followed by a modifier.

OPPORTUNITY TO MITIGATE
If you don't like your roll result you can:

• Boost your roll (to increase the roll result)
• Use an Intervention Point (to upgrade the threshold)
• Use a Dash (to reduce incoming health/energy damage in half )

FINALIZE OUTCOME
With the narrator and the group, figure out how the action comes to be resolved. If a
consequence is triggered, worth together to think of a fitting consequence (mechanical
or narrative) and weave that as part of the outcome.

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