S O R C

Experience and Rank

In SORC, your character's growth is guided by two parallel systems: Class Level and Rank.

Your Class Level represents accumulated experience (XP) and unlocks new combat abilities, talents, skills, and traits (TST) as you advance from Level 1 up to Level 30 and beyond. You'll earn XP from combat, exploration, roleplaying, crafting, and achievements — either shared with your party or awarded individually for notable actions. Campaigns may also use milestone leveling, where story events guide advancement.

Rank is measured by Rank Points (RP) and reflects your hero's reputation, achievements, gear, the strength of your Fellowships, and more. As you gain RP through exceptional actions and exploration, your Rank advances: Pauper → Peasant → Commoner → Adventurer → Hero → Elite → Master → Legend. Gaining or losing key armaments or fellowships can raise or lower your Rank.

Enemies and NPCs have Ranks too. Group challenges are balanced by averaging the Ranks of all participants. Creatures are classified in this ascending order: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Heroic, Elite, Legendary, Divine. Hosts Unique and above have fictional names and special abilities and gear. Characters cannot use items that are of a rank above their own.

Encounter balancing rewards you for taking on challenges that match your abilities. Defeating monsters of similar Rank awards standard XP. Overcoming far stronger opponents yields greater rewards, while easy or trivial encounters grant little or no XP.

Game Features

Home and Family

Buy plots of land as small as a hut or tent, and build as large as an estate or castle, even a town. Complete live quests and meet your love. Have children and create a family. Make sure they're safe at home by collecting fellowships and making friends with townsfolk. Retire and enjoy your home, continuing to play your character leisurely.

Module-Based Adventures

Unique campaigns where the worlds of SORC change at your party's hands and desires. Continue campaigns that ended with periodic expansions.

Turn Timer

Each player has 2 minutes to complete their turn once it begins. If the player does not act within this time, they forfeit their turn and play passes to the next participant.

Turn Forfeit

Failing to act within the allotted time results in the loss of the current turn, ensuring gameplay remains swift and engaging.

SORC Cards

Players use a comprehensive card-based system to track their abilities, equipment, fellowships, and more. Each card has its original base stats, conditions and rarity. Upgradable cards, such as armaments, are paired with a Reference Card (ref. card) for tracking enhancements, modifications, buffs, curses, and special traits, allowing characters to customize and adapt their gear over time.

The only way to officially acquire SORC Cards is by purchasing a box set and later its expansion. Every Box Set comes with Common rank punch-out SORC Cards. Ref cards can be downloaded digitally or ordered by mail.

Card Types Included in Each Box Set

  • Common Armaments, Equipment, and Special Items (potions, scrolls, artifacts, quest items) and recipes when applicable. Recipes are needed to craft items — each recipe has instructions, a lifespan, and a material list.
  • Uncommon Cards are included but more rare. For example: a Cleric proficient in 1h blunt weapons would find a basic 1h hammer and mace common, but a 1h flail (stronger, more exquisite) is uncommon and must be sought out.
  • Rare cards and above are random — they may or may not be in the box set. See Prize Cards below.
  • Common Fellowships — types depend on the module's premise. Fellowships require prerequisites before characters can utilize them (level, rank, class, and even race restrictions apply).
  • Creature Cards — includes all creatures: Monsters, NPCs, and more.
  • Action Cards — for all levels included in the box set. Three types:
    • Ability (combat, both martial and spell)
    • Talent (physical and intellectual characteristics characters learn)
    • Skills (craftsmanship — must have recipe, skill, and at least a makeshift workshop)

The Boneyard

The boneyard is where passing fellowships, broken gear, spent items, and other incapacitated cards go. Once resurrected, repaired, or re-stocked, the cards return to the table.

Acquiring SORC Cards

Cards come as cut-outs in each adventure module. Fellowships are acquired in different manners — Guardians are captured in the wild by beast masters, rangers, scouts, and hunters. Ling races may acquire Ling Companions. Temps are done through summons, hired, or other temporary possession.

Prize Cards

Box sets may include Prize Cards of various ranks, with the highest or rarest being the most exclusive. These cards can represent any category within the SORC Card system. Made from high-quality matte card stock, Prize Cards feature QR codes that provide access to digital versions. Players may trade cards not useful to them — for instance, plate armor when they can only wear leather. Any new owner of the card maintains digital access.

Character Story

Background

The character's history before the adventure begins, informing their experiences, upbringing, and motivations.

Mission Statement

The driving force behind the character's actions — whether it be a quest for revenge, pursuit of knowledge, or a desire to protect loved ones. Mission Statements shape the character's journey and demand for strategic stamina management, as overexertion causes fatigue.

Abilities & Training

  • Abilities (combat, spell, nature, miracles) are learned through leveling and trainers/books.
  • Spells and abilities have cooldowns (turns before reuse).
  • Choose abilities per level; master branches or diversify.

Vitality

The Vitality System encapsulates a character's life force, magical energy, immediate stamina, and long-term endurance — all tracked via stackable chips, each representing one unit of Vitality gained or lost. These core resources are color-coded and begin with base amounts influenced by the character's race.

Resource consumption occurs through actions like attacking, spellcasting, and moving, with regeneration driven by downtime and external factors. Each Vitality's chip count is capped by its Extent. When drained, it regenerates at a rate determined by the character's Spirit.

Vitality Progression

Relic attunement and level growth expand caps and regeneration. Relics can be discovered through special missions given by Attuners — often long Elite chain quests. To keep the game balanced, Vitality progresses slowly at lower levels, preventing characters from becoming overpowered too early.

Lifeblood — Life (Red / Purple Chips)

Determines how much damage a character can sustain before becoming incapacitated or killed. Remove chips as characters take damage; add them as they recover. Critical health may trigger penalties or incapacitation. Healing spells, potions, or natural regeneration restore chips over time.

  • When half of a character's life chips are depleted, the character moves at half speed.
  • When down to 0 chips, use purple chips to track the negative number. Characters may be resurrected but must go through the rejuvenation process if they reach -10 lifeblood (10 purple chips). See "Dying and Death."

Mana (Blue Chips)

A magical energy resource used to cast spells and perform magical abilities. Regenerates over time and is consumed when spells are cast. Stronger spells cost more mana. Attributes such as Intellect, Wisdom, or Artistry can modify spell costs or effects.

  • When half of these chips are depleted, the character deals half of the spell's power.

Stamina (Yellow Chips)

Manages physical actions during a character's turn. Each physical action costs stamina, some more than others. Combat Abilities vary in stamina cost as noted on their respective cards. Each turn has a cap of 3 full actions or 6 half actions. Stamina cost grows with each action taken at a rate that differs per character depending on various factors. When free of strenuous activity, Stamina begins regenerating after the turn is complete at a rate dependent on Spirit.

  • When half of these chips are depleted, the character gets half of their roll results to all physical actions.
  • Stamina penalties are incurred when characters are at or above 80% of their weight capacity.

Endurance (Green Chips)

Represents the number of turns or actions a character can perform in a day. Endurance rates recover slower than other Vitality, requiring extended rest or specific restorative actions. Characters with leftover Endurance at the end of campaigns can craft while the player is away, as long as they have the materials and recipes. Rolls will be made at the beginning of the next session to determine crafting outcomes.