Grimhowl: Age of Beasts is a tabletop roleplaying game set in the world of Chondara—a place where
fantasy collides with steam and steel, where monsters stalk ancient streets and airships prowl cloud-
choked skies.
It’s a game built for players who want:
Heroes Should Feel Capable
Grimhowl is built around capable adventurers facing dangerous situations. Trained characters are
expected to succeed often, especially in the skills they specialize in. Failure still happens—but when it
does, it matters.
The tension in Grimhowl does not come from constantly missing attacks or failing basic actions. Instead,
danger comes from the enemies you face, the damage you suffer, the resources you spend, and the
consequences that follow when situations spiral out of control.
A skilled fighter should feel dangerous. A practiced cleric should feel dependable. A veteran hunter
should feel prepared. Grimhowl is designed so your character’s expertise feels real at the table.
When something survives your attack, the story is not that your hero became incompetent for six
seconds.
It’s that the enemy was strong enough to endure you.
Danger Without Incompetence
Grimhowl is built around capable characters facing dangerous situations.
When a character is trained to swing their weapon, they should usually hit. When a healer reaches for
magic, their allies should expect help to come. Characters in Grimhowl are not meant to feel clumsy,
helpless, or unreliable in the areas they specialize in.
The tension comes from surviving the world around them.
Enemies are deadly. Resources run low. Armor breaks. Monsters endure wounds that would kill ordinary
people. The danger in Grimhowl comes from pressure, consequences, positioning, and how long your
party can keep fighting when things begin to spiral.
Because of this, failure in Grimhowl tends to feel meaningful rather than routine. A missed attack, a
failed spell, or a disastrous roll becomes memorable precisely because it is uncommon.
When failure happens, the story keeps moving—but the emotional focus shifts. The problem is rarely
that your character suddenly became incompetent. More often, it means the enemy was strong enough
to withstand you, the situation became overwhelming, or fate simply turned cruel at the worst possible
moment.
Grimhowl is designed so your victories feel earned, your expertise feels real, and your enemies feel
terrifying for surviving you.
What You Need to Play
Getting started with Grimhowl is simple. You do not need a mountain of books or a table full of
accessories to begin telling stories in Chondara.
At minimum, you will need:
This book, the Adventurer’s Handbook
A set of polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20)
Something to write with
A character sheet, either printed or digital
A group of friends ready for danger, bad decisions, and unforgettable stories
While a single set of dice is enough to play, multiple sets can help speed up combat and larger skill
checks.
For the best experience, one player should also have access to the (GM Guide Name Pending), which
contains rules and tools for running adventures, building encounters, creating monsters, and guiding
players through the world of Chondara.
Printable character sheets, digital tools, and additional resources can be found online.
That’s it.
The rest is up to you.
Most actions in Grimhowl are resolved by rolling a pool of dice built from your character’s abilities and
training. These rolls determine not only whether you succeed, but how effective that success becomes.
Each successful die generates a Success (★). The more Successes you roll, the greater your impact. A
single ★ may accomplish the task, while additional ★ can strengthen effects, increase damage, trigger
abilities, or create new opportunities during play.
Because of this, Grimhowl uses a spectrum of success rather than a simple pass-or-fail system. Skilled
characters succeed more consistently, while exceptional rolls create the dramatic moments legends are
made from.
Every character in Grimhowl is defined by five
Core Attributes. These represent your natural
talents, physical abilities, instincts, and force of
personality.
Strength (STR) — Power, endurance, and raw force.
Agility (AGI) — Reflexes, speed, and finesse.
Intellect (INT) — Knowledge, reasoning, and magical aptitude.
Perception (PER) — Awareness, precision, and insight.
Charisma (CHA) — Presence, influence, and willpower.
Each Attribute is represented by a die size
ranging from 1d4 to 1d12.
These dice are more than numbers—they reflect the foundation of who your character is.
Your race determines your starting Attributes. A human’s balanced 1d6 values represent adaptability
across all areas, while an elf’s lighter frame may lower their Strength but enhance their Agility and
awareness. Over time, training, experience, and survival can improve your abilities, but your starting dice
represent your origins, instincts, and natural gifts.
Delianna’s Note
“Don’t get smug with that d8 Agility, elf—you still snap like a twig under a Firbolg’s fist.”
While Attributes represent natural talent, Skills represent training, experience, and learned expertise.
Each Attribute governs five Skills, for a total of 25 Skills across the game. Skills are measured in Ranks
from I to V. The higher your Rank, the more dice you add when attempting actions tied to that Skill.
Rank Dice Added
| I | +1 Attribute die |
|---|---|
| II | +2 Attribute dice |
III +3 Attribute dice
IV +4 Attribute dice
V +5 Attribute dice
Whenever you attempt an action, you
build a Dice Pool using:
All dice in the pool use the same die size
as the governing Attribute.
For example, a character with Strength
1d6 and Athletics Rank II would roll:
For a total Dice Pool of:
Each die that meets or exceeds the target Difficulty Class (DC) generates one Success (★).
Example: Climbing a Crumbling Tower
You attempt to scale a ruined tower using Athletics.
You roll:
Result:
You climb the tower successfully, reaching the top without slipping or losing your footing.
Delianna’s Note
“Remember, skill alone doesn’t make you stronger. If you’re built like a twig, you’re still rolling twigs.
Train that Strength if you want to swing big.”
In Grimhowl, greater expertise does more than improve consistency—it increases the impact of every
success you roll.
As your Skill Rank increases, each Success (★) becomes more powerful.
Rank Tier Skill Rank Success Scaling
Trained I-II Each ★ counts as 1
Each ★ counts as 2
Expert III-IV Each ★ counts as 3
Master V
This scaling applies whenever a Skill Check generates Successes unless a rule states otherwise.
A Trained character focuses on reliability. An Expert begins producing dramatic results consistently. A
Master can reshape entire encounters with a single exceptional roll.
Example: Expert Athletics
A character with:
Delianna’s Note
“Four successes at Expert? Gods, you practically flew. Try not to look too smug when the poor bastard
behind you misses the jump.”
Not every battle is fought on equal footing. In Grimhowl, Advantage and Disadvantage represent
favorable conditions, tactical positioning, environmental hazards, and shifting momentum during play.
Abilities, Skills, equipment, and circumstances can all grant Advantage or inflict Disadvantage. The GM
may also apply them whenever the situation calls for it.
Advantage
Every character begins with an Advantage Pool of 1. Certain Races, Paths, and abilities can increase this
value, though no character can have more than 3 Advantage dice at a time.
When you gain Advantage on a roll:
Example: Firing a Steambolt Musket
You fire a steambolt musket using:
Disadvantage
Disadvantage represents impaired movement, poor positioning, injuries, hostile conditions, or
overwhelming pressure.
For each point of Disadvantage:
Reduce your effective Skill Rank by 1.
Reduce your Move by 1 (minimum 1).
If your Skill Rank is reduced to 0:
You lose all Skill dice.
You still roll your Attribute die.
Your Expertise Tier does not change when suffering Disadvantage.
A Master reduced from Rank V to Rank II still counts as a Master for Success Scaling. Their Dice Pool
becomes smaller, but each Success (★) still gains the full Master bonus.
Disadvantage can never prevent you from taking actions entirely.
After each action you take:
Reduce your current Disadvantage by 1.
Some forms of Disadvantage are temporary, while others persist as long as the condition causing them
remains. For example, a prone character may continue suffering Disadvantage until they stand back up.
Advantage & Disadvantage Together
A character can have both Advantage and Disadvantage at the same time.
They cancel each other out on a die-for-die basis.
For example:
Example: Swinging While Blinded
You attack with a heavy sword using:
Your Skill Rank is reduced:
Your new Dice Pool becomes:
Even while heavily impaired, you still have a chance to fight back.
Delianna’s Note
“Advantage feels like destiny kissing your forehead. Disadvantage feels like Chondara shoving you down a
staircase. Roll anyway.”
Sometimes skill is not enough.
Sometimes the bridge is collapsing, the monster is closing in, and your only option is to throw caution
aside and trust fate to carry you through.
That is when you Tempt Fate.
Tempting Fate allows you to abandon your normal Dice Pool and gamble everything on a single roll of
fate itself. It is reckless, unpredictable, and often dangerous—but in desperate moments, it can achieve
the impossible.
How It Works
When you Tempt Fate:
On a Natural 20
You succeed spectacularly.
Treat the roll as though every die from your normal Dice Pool rolled a Success (★).
Success Scaling does not apply to these Successes.
On a Failure
The action fails, and the GM introduces a consequence, setback, or complication.
On a Natural 1
Disaster.
The attempt fails catastrophically, and the situation worsens significantly.
Momentum shifts hard against you.
Fate Points
Every character begins with a Fate Pool of 1 Fate Point.
Example: Desperate Leap
Delianna attempts to leap across a collapsing gorge to reach an ally before the bridge gives way.
The GM rules:
Athletics Check
DC 3
Requires 4 Successes (★★★★) to clear the full distance safely.
Delianna fears her normal Dice Pool may not generate enough Successes, so she spends a Fate Point to
Tempt Fate.
She rolls:
1d20 → 16
Success.
The leap automatically succeeds, and she gains 1 Success (★) to spend.
Because the action itself succeeds automatically, Delianna successfully clears the gorge. She spends the
additional ★ to push slightly farther, grabbing her ally before they fall.
However, the GM rules that the bridge fully collapses behind her. The path back is gone.
Delianna’s Note
“Tempting Fate isn’t skill, darling. It’s panic wrapped in confidence and thrown directly at the problem.”
Your Attribute dice do more than build Dice Pools. Each Attribute also provides an Attribute Modifier that
represents your character’s raw physical and mental impact on the world around them.
Attribute Modifiers affect:
Each Attribute die has a fixed Modifier:
Attribute Die Modifier
| 1d4 | +2 |
|---|---|
| 1d6 | +3 |
| 1d8 | +4 |
| 1d10 | +5 |
| 1d12 | +6 |
Defensive DCs
When another character targets you with a Skill Check, your relevant Attribute Modifier sets the
Difficulty Class (DC) they must overcome.
Examples include:
Example: Targeting Strength
An attacker swings at a character with:
Damage Bonuses
Attribute Modifiers also increase weapon damage.
Example: Melee Damage
A warrior attacks with:
Action Economy
Your Agility Modifier determines how many actions you can take each round during combat.
Faster characters act more often, react more easily, and control the flow of battle through speed and
momentum.
Action Economy is covered in detail in the next section.
Delianna’s Note
“Big modifiers make big problems, darling. A d12 doesn’t just hit harder—it changes the way everyone
around you survives.”
Combat in Grimhowl is not static. Fighters reposition, spellcasters react under pressure, and skilled
warriors turn defense into opportunity. Managing your actions correctly is often the difference between
victory and death.
Common Actions
Action Cost Description
Attack 1 Make a Skill check with a weapon.
Cast
Move 1 Use a spell or magical ability.
Interact
Special 1 Travel up to your Movement.
1 Draw a weapon, reload, open a door, etc.
1+ Us a Path ability or unique maneuver.
You may spend as many or as few actions as you wish during your turn. Any unspent actions remain
available for Reactions later in the round.
Reactions
Reactions allow you to respond outside your turn. After any other character takes an action—ally or
enemy—you may spend an available action to use a held action or a purchased Reaction, if it applies.
All Reactions cost actions from your current action pool.
Purchased Reactions
Purchased Reactions may be used whenever their trigger occurs, as long as you still have actions
remaining to spend.
To permanently unlock a Reaction:
Some abilities are listed as reactions. When these abilities are purchased they can be used as a standard
purchased reaction.
Held Actions
Any unspent action may be held during your turn for later use as a Reaction.
Held actions can be used for:
Example:
“I hold 1 action to Parry.”
“I hold 1 action to cast a spell.”
“I hold 1 action to move.”
Movement and Magic Reactions cannot normally be purchased as permanent Reactions unless granted
by a Path, ability, or special feature.
Example Reactions
Reaction Trigger Effect
Parry Targeted by a Melee Roll Parry. Each ★ removes 1★ from the attack. Negate all ★
attack. to full block the attack.
Dodge Targeted by a Ranged, Roll Dodge. Each ★ removes 1★ from the attempt. Negate all
Thrown, or Spell. ★ to avoid the attack completely.
Endurance Targeted by an Roll Endurance. Each ★ removes 1★ from the attempt.
Athletics skill or spell. Negate all ★ to resist completely.
No Infinite Loops
Reactions can never trigger additional Reactions.
Once a Reaction resolves, the chain ends immediately.
You also cannot interrupt a combined action until all parts of that action resolve.
Repeated actions become harder as combat continues.
Each repeated use of the same action during a round applies the Repeat Action Penalty (RAP), reducing
your Skill dice over time.
RAP is covered in detail in the next section.
Free Actions
There are some abilities that are listed as Free Actions. These abilities must be done on your turn, but do
not use any of your actions to be accomplished.
Delianna’s Note
“Spend all your actions too fast and you’re helpless. Hold too many and you die clutching a pocket full of
‘almosts.’ Timing is everything, darling.”
Repeat Action Penalty (RAP)
Combat in Grimhowl rewards adaptability, momentum, and creative decision-making. Repeating the
same action over and over gradually reduces your effectiveness, forcing combatants to adjust,
reposition, and think tactically as battle evolves.
This system is called the Repeat Action Penalty, or RAP.
How RAP Works
Each time you repeat the same action during a round, your Dice Pool suffers a cumulative penalty:
| Attempt | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1st | No penalty |
| 2nd | -1 Skill die |
| 3rd | -2 Skill dice |
| 4th | -3 Skill dice |
RAP only removes Skill dice. Attribute dice, Advantage dice, and other bonus dice are never reduced by
RAP unless a rule specifically states otherwise.
Success Scaling from Expertise Tiers still applies normally, even when suffering RAP penalties.
Movement & RAP
Movement is also affected by RAP.
Each additional Move action after the first reduces your Movement by 1.
This penalty is cumulative throughout the round.
Example: Repeated Attacks
You attack with a greatsword using:
Strength: 1d6
Melee Rank III (Expert)
Your normal Dice Pool is:
4d6
First Attack
Roll: 4d6
No RAP penalty
Second Attack
Roll: 3d6
(-1 Skill die)
Third Attack
Roll: 2d6
(-2 Skill dice)
Fourth Attack
Roll: 1d6
(-3 Skill dice)
Only your Attribute die remains.
Even under heavy RAP penalties, your Expert Success Scaling still applies normally.
RAP is designed to encourage dynamic combat without making skilled characters feel ineffective.
Repeating actions remains possible—but adaptability is often more rewarding than brute repetition.
Action Icons
Single Action
Two-Action Activity
Three-Action Activity
Reaction
Free Action
Delianna’s Note
“Keep swinging like a tavern drunk and eventually someone’s going to bury steel in your ribs. Mix it up,
darling.”