Introduction
Thēria is a role-playing adventure game for multiple players, one of whom moderates (the Guardian), while the others are the players.
The players become animals fighting to restore the balance of nature on our planet, devastated by human actions.
This game goes beyond the boundaries of imagination to make a real impact on the planet. Thēria is free, but in return, I ask that you consider donating to organizations that protect the environment.
Special thanks to Yochai Gal for Cairn.
A Planet in Danger
The world has been devastated by human greed and negligence. Our planet lies in ruins due to uncontrolled resource exploitation and disregard for nature. Once lush landscapes have turned into waste dumps, ecosystems are heavily polluted, and hope is fading.
Yet, nature has awakened to this cry for help. To restore the lost balance, it has granted animals incredible powers. These creatures, imbued with elemental forces and a mystical connection to the natural world, rise as protectors of the environment, determined to heal the planet's wounds and safeguard what remains.
In Thēria, players take on the roles of these extraordinary animals, embarking on epic missions to confront the destructive forces threatening to consume what's left of our home. Through thrilling adventures and challenges, the heroes will battle against ruthless corporations, face the deadly consequences of pollution, and resist the attacks of corrupted creatures that dominate the world.
The Guardian sets each session on this ailing planet, exploring its darkest and most beautiful corners. Together, players forge alliances, uncover ancient secrets, and challenge those who seek to obliterate the remaining threads of life on Earth.
How to Play
Thēria is a narrative role-playing game that takes place in the players' imagination. These are the steps to follow to play:
Preparation
Gather a group of friends to play. One person takes on the role of the Guardian (or Game Master), who will be responsible for guiding the story and controlling non-player characters (NPCs).
Equipment
The materials you need are:
- Character Sheet
- Pencils and Erasers
- Dice Set: At least one set.
- (This) Game Rules Set
- Campaign: The campaign will include its own booklet and may recommend additional materials.
- Any Additional Materials: Anything that helps bring the adventure to life, such as maps, miniatures, videos, music, etc.
Story development
The Guardian sets the stage for the adventure, describing the environment the players find themselves in as well as the options available to them.
Next, the players describe what they want to do. When a player attempts an action with uncertain consequences, a dice roll is performed to determine the outcome (see Healing and Recovery)
Finally, the Guardian narrates the consequences of the players’ actions and advances the story to the next turning point. The Guardian then describes this new scenario, repeating the same mechanics to progress the narrative.
Characters
Character Creation
Firstly choose the animal you want to play from the 
Character List or roll the dices to create a new one with the table Character Traits.
Choose the creature size or roll a the sizes table.
Set Attributes and Other Characteristics
Next, roll a D20 for each of the 6 Attributes. The player may then swap any two of the results a maximum of two times.
Then roll a D6 to determine the protection.
See Attributes and Other Characteristics.
Choose Instinctive abilities
Elemental and special abilities are not available until the character is inducted.
See Abilities.
Character Traits
ㅤ | |
1 | 🐘 Mammal |
2 | 🦢 Bird |
3 | 🐍 Reptile |
4 | 🦎 Amphibian |
5 | 🐠 Fish |
6 | 🐙 Invertebrate |
ㅤ | Trait |
1 | Horn |
2 | Wing |
3 | Pincer |
4 | Tusk |
5 | Antenna |
6 | Trunk |
7 | Shell |
8 | Ear |
9 | Tail |
10 | Claw |
ㅤ | Colour |
1 | Blue |
2 | Green |
3 | Yellow |
4 | Orange |
5 | Red |
6 | Pink |
7 | Violet |
8 | Black |
9 | White |
10 | Brown |
ㅤ | |
1 | Tiny |
2 | Small |
3 | Medium |
4 | Large |
5 | Huge |
6 | Enormous |
ㅤ | Habitat |
1 | Artic |
2 | Aquatic |
3 | Coastal |
4 | Desert |
5 | Wetlands |
6 | Forest |
7 | Grassland |
8 | Tundra |
9 | Steppes |
10 | Deep ocean |
ㅤ | Skin |
1 | Nude |
2 | Fur |
3 | Feather |
4 | Scales |
5 | Exoskeleton |
6 | Plaques |
Kingdoms
Each kingdom determines some attributes and passive abilities of the creatures.
🐘 Mammal
Large or bigger mammal: +1 Strength, +1 Protection
Medium or smaller mammal: +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Perception (choose 2)
Passive: Warm blooded (+2 Dexterity)
🦢 Bird
Bonus: +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Perception (choose 2)
Passive: True sight (+2 Perception)
🐍 Reptile
Large or bigger reptile: +1 Strength, +1 Protection
Medium or smaller reptile: +1 Willpower, +1 Protection
Passive: Hard skin (+2 Endurance)
🦎 Amphibian
Bonus: +1 Intelligence, +1 Willpower
Passive: Water breathing
🐠 Fish
Large or bigger fish: +1 Intelligence, +1 Strength, +1 Willpower (choose 2)
Medium or smaller fish: +1 Intelligence, +1 Perception
Passive: Water breathing
🐙 Invertebrate
Bonus: +1 Willpower, +1 Endurance, +1 Intelligence (choose 2)
Passive: Exoskeleton (+2 Protection) or Intimidation (+2 Willpower)
See Size.
Elements
Creatures can be induced in on these elements. After induction the creature can use elemental abilities of that type of element.
Elements interact differently with each other. Some elements are weak or resistant against others. For instance, a creature induced on water is resistant to air abilities, but vulnerable to plant or thunder abilities.
See Elemental Abilities.
🔥 Fire
Weakness: 💧 Water, 🪨 Earth
☀️ Light
Weakness: 🌑 Shadow
💧 Water
Resistance: 💨 Air
Weakness: 🌱 Plant, ⚡ Thunder
🌑 Shadow
Weakness: ☀️ Light
🪨 Earth
Resistance: 🔥 Fire
Weakness: 💨 Air, 💧 Water
🌱 Plant
Resistance: ☀️ Light
Weakness: 🔥 Fire, 🌑 Shadow
💨 Air
Resistance: 💧 Water
Weakness: 🌱 Plant, 🔥 Fire
⚡ Thunder
Weakness: 🪨 Earth,
⏳ Time
Weakness: 🌀 Psyche
🌀 Psyche
Weakness: ⏳ Time
Elements Interaction
ㅤ | 🔥 | ☀️ | 💧 | 🌑 | 🪨 | 🌱 | 💨 | ⚡ | ⏳ | 🌀 |
🔥 | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
☀️ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
💧 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | 🟢 | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ |
🌑 | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
🪨 | 🟢 | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
🌱 | 🟠 | 🟢 | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
💨 | 🟠 | ㅤ | 🟢 | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
⚡ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟠 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
⏳ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟢 |
🌀 | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | 🟢 | ㅤ |
Read the table horizontally.
The 🟠 icon means that the element on the y axis is vulnerable to an attack of the element on the x axis.
On the other side, the 🟢 icon means that the element in the y axis is resilient to attacks from the element on the x axis.
Attributes
Characters have 6 attributes that define and condition them throughout the adventure:
Strength
Measures physical power and attack damage.
Used for instinctive ability rolls and saving throws that require physical strength or resistance to damage.
Dexterity
Measures agility and the damage of skills.
Used for saving throws that require agility, reflexes, or stealth.
Willpower
Measures self-control and influence over others.
Used for saving throws to persuade, provoke, intimidate, etc.
Speed
Measures the distance covered in one turn.
Used to calculate travel and movement speed during combat.
Perception
Measures the ability to perceive the environment through any sense.
Used for perception rolls to recognize the environment and discover things hidden in plain sight.
Intelligence
Measures knowledge and mental capabilities.
Used for saving throws that require logic, deductive reasoning, or world knowledge.
See Saving Throw.
Other Characteristics
Protection
The protection is basically the character armor. This value is always subtracted to the damage taken by the character.
Endurance
The endurance is your damage resistance.
Once the endurance is reduced to zero, the character health is compromised.
See Death.
Energy
The energy represents the capability to perform actions. It is consumed when using abilities and performing strenuous activities. Resting or certain abilities can restore energy points.
Size
As creature can vary in form and shape, the weight is the reference parameter to calculate the character size. The size increase the endurance of the character.
See the creature approximate size range in the table below.
Size | Ref. | Kgs | Lbs | End. |
Tiny | 🐿️ | <5 | <10 | ㅤ |
Small | 🐕 | 50 | 100 | ㅤ |
Medium | 🐻 | 100 | 200 | ㅤ |
Large | 🦓 | 350 | 750 | +1 |
Huge | 🦏 | 700 | 1500 | +2 |
Enormous | 🐘 | >1500 | >3300 | +3 |
An enormous character may be difficult to play due to the map space limitations or entrances size.
Past Life
The character's past life or lives, along with their unique story, can influence their behavior and decisions during the adventure. This backstory can provide additional motivations and even explain their fears and desires.
Saving Throw
The dice roll determines the outcome of an action with uncertain consequences. The player rolls a d20 and compares the result to the attribute most relevant to the nature of the action. If the roll is equal to or less than the attribute's value, it is a success. Otherwise, it is a failure. A roll of 1 always results in success, while a roll of 20 is always a failure.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Some special circumstances may modify the results of dice rolls. Advantage represents a positive circumstance, while Disadvantage is the opposite. In both cases, the player rolls two d20s. Use the lower value if you have advantage, or the higher value if you have disadvantage.
Healing and Recovery
Resting
To heal, characters must rest. A short rest (one hour) allows them to regain a small amount of energy, while a long rest (eight hours) enables full recovery of energy and endurance.
Healing
Characters can heal others in and out of combat by using specific abilities that grant healing effects. Successful use of the ability will restore endurance and/or energy points to the target, aiding them in recovery.
Non-Player Characters
A non-player character (NPC) is any character not controlled by a player, but by the guardian instead. NPCs can be either neutral, ally or enemy.
An NPC may join the party and the guardian can transfer control to the players. The NPC acts as party member and could become a main character if any player’s character dies.
NPC Creation
Use the NPC template and follow the principals below:
- Kingdom: some creatures may not belong to any animal kingdom, like a fire elemental. Note that humans are mammals.
- Attributes: 3 is deficient, 6 is weak, 10 is average, 15 is noteworthy, and 20 is legendary. Is it strong? Give it a high STR. Is it nimble? Give it high DEX. Is it charismatic? Give it high WIL.
- Protection: average creatures 3, hardy ones 6, and serious threats >10.
- Abilities: choose 2 or 3 from the Abilities List. Assign special abilities only to important NPCs.
Combat
Combat takes place in rounds. Each round, every character can take one turn.
Actions
On their turn, a character can move up to the distance in meters equal to their speed and take a single action, which can include casting or using an ability, taking a second movement or another appropriate action.
Speed
The speed is the maximum distance that the character can move by turn. Speed is measured in meters and can influence the character's ability to dodge attacks and reach targets quickly.
If playing on a grid, one meter is equivalent to one square.
One meter equals 3 feet (3.28 feet if more precision is required).
Cast or Use an Ability
During the turn, each character may perform only one action unless the ability itself or another element of the combat indicates otherwise.
Instinctive abilities can be used infinitely, while elemental and special abilities consume energy. As a general rule, elemental abilities consume 1 point of energy, and special abilities consume 3 points of energy.
Attacking and damage
The attacker rolls their ability die and subtracts the target’s protection, then deals the remaining total to their opponent’s endurance.
Blast
Attacks with the blast quality affect all targets in the noted area, rolling separately for each affected character. Blast refers to anything from explosions to huge cleaving onslaughts to the impact of a meteorite. If unsure how many targets can be affected, roll the related damage die for a result.
Detachments
Large groups of similar combatants fighting together are treated as a single detachment. When a detachment takes critical damage, it is routed or significantly weakened. When it reaches 0 STR, it is destroyed.
Attacks against detachments by individuals is disadvantaged.
Attacks against individuals by detachments are advantaged and deal blast damage.
Morale
Enemies must pass a willpower save throw to avoid fleeing when taking their first casualty and again when they lose half of their number. Some groups may use their leader’s willpower instead of their own.
Lone foes must roll a save throw when their endurance points are halved.
Combat order
The turn order is determined by the characters' speed. However, a player may voluntarily reduce their speed during that round to allow another player to take their turn before theirs.
Retreat
Running away from a dire situation always requires a successful Dexterity save, as well as a safe destination to run to.
Size and Space
Death
Once the endurance is reduced to zero, the character life is compromised. See the table below to determine the consequences based on the damage points still to take when after endurance is finished.
- 0 points. The character is injured. It´s only able to crawl for shelter and requires healing or resting to recover. See Injured.
- Half of the max. endurance points or less. The character is seriously injured and unconscious. Immediate care is required to recover the vital signs. If not healed in the same or next round, the character will be mortally wounded. See Unconscious and Mortally Wounded.
- More than half of the max. endurance points. The character is mortally wounded. Intensive care is required, only healing at least half the endurance points in total will stabilize the character. In the meanwhile the character will fight for his life making a special death saving throw if the healing was not enough yet. See Mortally Wounded and Death Saving Throw.
- More than the max. endurance points. The character dies on the spot.
See Conditions.
Once the character is fully recovered, character receives a scar.
See Scars.
Death Saving Throw
Roll this special save throw when:
- At the start of the turn, if the character is mortally wounded and has not been healed to at least half of their maximum resistance points.
- Whenever the character takes damage and has 0 resistance points.
Roll a d20. If roll is 10 or higher the character remains alive. On a failure, the character dies.
Rolling a 20 will stabilize the character no matter the healing received.
See Mortally Wounded.
Scars
The injuries and mortal wounds leaves sequels in the characters when fully recovered. Roll a d6 if the part of the body damaged is not clear. Then roll a d20 with advantage, the result is the new value of the ability related to the scar.
ㅤ | Scar | Attribute Affected (d20) |
1 | Neck | Dexterity |
2 | Limb | Speed |
3 | Eye / Ear / Antenna | Perception |
4 | Chest | Endurance |
5 | Ear or Tail | Perception |
6 | Face / Head | Willpower |
Conditions
Exhausted
An exhausted creature speed is halved and is only be able to attack with instinctive abilities but makes half of the damage.
All saving throws from an exhausted creature are disadvantaged.
See Saving Throw.
Injured
An injured creature can’t attack and can hardly move, just crawls.
Unconscious
An unconscious character cannot move or take any actions.
If their resistance is greater than zero, they can make a saving throw using Strength or Willpower.
Mortally Wounded
The character can only fight to stay alive by making a death saving throw each turn.
See Death Saving Throw.
Abilities
An ability is a special move or attack. Abilities can be used both in and out of combat.
A character can simultaneously master a maximum of one instinctive ability, two elemental abilities, and one special ability. You can choose the instinctive ability during character creation and the elemental abilities right after induction.
On the other hand, special abilities can only be learned during the adventure. You can learn them in various ways: perhaps a friendly NPC is willing to teach you, or by acquiring an item looted from an enemy.
See Cast or Use an Ability and Induction.
Instinctive Abilities
Instinctive abilities are those not linked to any element. Characters begin the game with an ability that they know through their animal instinct.
These abilities are always available, even after induction.
Elemental Abilities
Elemental abilities are those linked to an element and are learned when the character is inducted into an element. When a character undergoes induction, they learn two elemental abilities related to the element they are inducted into.
If the character decides to undergo induction into another element, they learn two new abilities from the new element and can no longer use abilities from other elements.
Special Abilities
Special abilities are more powerful than elemental abilities and can only be learned through an item or with the help of an NPC. A character can only learn special abilities from the element they are inducted into.
For example, if a character is inducted into the fire element, they can only learn a fire-based special ability.
Passive abilities
Passive abilities are moves, attacks, or attribute enhancements that generally do not need to be activated. They may be related to the realm the creature belongs to or an item they are wearing.
A player can have as many passive abilities as they are granted.
See Kingdoms to see each kingdom passive ability.
Abilities List
Induction
A character's induction into an element grants them control over that element. When a character undergoes induction, they acquire two elemental abilities from the same type of element. From this moment on, the character can begin using these new elemental abilities throughout the adventure, in addition to continuing to use their instinctive abilities.
Induction occurs when a character uses an item that allows them to master the new element. If the Guardian deems it necessary, they may require a dice roll to determine the success of the induction.
A character can switch elements and undergo induction into any other element. They will learn two new abilities from the new element and will no longer be able to use abilities from other elements in which they are not inducted.
Items and Food
Characters can consume and use the items they find. They can also wear up to a maximum of two items, which can be clothing or accessories.
Items that are not consumed or worn cannot be carried. They also cannot be traded.
Item List
Campaign
Missions table
ㅤ | Type | Description |
1 | Rescue | Rescue the NPC |
2 | Find | Find the item |
3 | Explore | Explore an area |
4 | Escort | Roll the dice again for the mission you escort the NPC to |
5 | Defeat | Defeat an enemy |
6 | Capture | Capture and return an enemy |