Game Master Codex: Formulas & Mechanics

This codex contains formulas, probability tables, and mechanical calculations for Game Masters. References to this codex appear throughout the rules; here you will find the mathematical framework and scenario modifiers needed to run your game.

Contribution Points & Contribution Score

A Contribution awards Contribution Points. Add them to the current tier's Contribution Score; that bucket determines current Standing.

Records and defaults

Maintain one record for each unaffiliated Individual and each Affiliation. Every member shares the Affiliation's record; an affiliated Individual has no separate personal Standing record. Actions toward a member affect the shared Affiliation record only as that Affiliation's entry specifies. An Individual or Affiliation may love or hate a Character they have never met. A Character knows a record's tier or current Contribution Score only if they track it.

When no Culture default applies, initialize the record at Neutral with a Contribution Score of 0. Culture is distinct from Race. In an area associated with the Character's Culture, initialize matching Individuals and Affiliations at Liked with a Contribution Score of 0; initialize their listed Rivals at Disliked with a Contribution Score of 0. Neglect cannot lower either record below its Culture default, though direct actions can.

Contribution Point awards and Wrongdoing Point Losses

• Only a gift on the receiving Individual's gift list awards Contribution Points. Each gift lists its award. A gift to an Affiliation member changes the shared Affiliation record.
• Each quest lists its Contribution Point award and the record it affects. A quest involving an Affiliation member changes the shared Affiliation record.
• Gathering quests are seasonal and may be repeated no more than once per month. Rewards other than Contribution Points are received only on the first completion; later monthly repetitions award Contribution Points only.
• Quests other than gathering quests may not be repeated.
• Each Individual, Affiliation, or story entry lists the exact Contribution Point awards for its favors and the Wrongdoing Point Losses for its Lesser and Greater Wrongdoings, or a direct tier result. Set each value according to the action's weight to that specific target, including the scale and lasting effect of its benefit or harm. The same act may have no effect, a different award or loss, or a direct Hated result for different targets; one Affiliation may make murder of a member a permanent Hated result while another may list no loss. Murder has no universal point loss. Published gift and quest values are used as written on their entries. For a custom entry, establish its relevant values before play.

Module-scripted awards and the GM chart

Each Module scripts the exact Contribution Point award or Wrongdoing Point Loss and affected record for each event that changes Standing. Apply scripted values as written. For an action outside a scripted event, the GM decides whether it changes Standing and, if so, uses the chart to choose the Favor or Infamy level and point value. Judge the action's weight to the affected Individual or Affiliation; the same action can have different point consequences for different targets.

Favor Scale	Contribution Points awarded	Infamy Scale	Contribution Points lost
Token	+325	Negligent	−325
Considerable	+650	Deceptive	−650
Generous	+1,625	Spiteful	−1,625
Invaluable	+3,250	Malicious	−3,250
Lifesaving	+6,500	Treasonous	−6,500

Add Favor points to the current tier's Contribution Score; subtract Infamy points as a Wrongdoing Point Loss. Apply tier promotion or demotion using the bucket procedure below. In the Serein demo, select the Module's scripted level in Standing Contribution to apply and log its fixed value to the active bucket. Do not use the selector when a story outcome specifies a direct tier result.

Contribution Score bucket caps

Let XP(L) be the cumulative Character XP required at Level L, with XP(0) = 0. Each band is the XP gained across five Character Levels: B₁ = XP(5) − XP(0) = 6,500; B₂ = XP(10) − XP(5) = 57,500; B₃ = XP(15) − XP(10) = 97,300; B₄ = XP(20) − XP(15) = 245,400; and B₅ = XP(25) − XP(20) = 618,700. Each cap is assigned to the upward tier transition shown below. These are the standard values; a GM may adjust them for the campaign in Modular Rules. These bands are for GM-created Standing entries; published gift and quest awards are listed on their respective entries.

These gates measure upward progress within the current tier. Downward changes use the zero/half-cap demotion procedure below.

Current tier bucket	Promotion tier	Five-level Character XP band	Contribution Score gate
Hated	None (permanent)	—	—
Disliked	Tolerable	Levels 6–10 (B2)	57,500
Tolerable	Neutral	Levels 1–5 (B1)	6,500
Neutral	Liked	Levels 1–5 (B1)	6,500
Liked	Respected	Levels 6–10 (B2)	57,500
Respected	Adored	Levels 11–15 (B3)	97,300
Adored	Cherished	Levels 16–20 (B4)	245,400
Cherished	Exalted	Levels 21–25 (B5)	618,700
Exalted	None (highest tier)	—	No cap

Bucket tracking, promotion, and demotion

Keep one Standing record for each unaffiliated Individual and each Affiliation; affiliated Individuals use the shared Affiliation record. Track one active Contribution Score in the current tier bucket. All inactive tiers display an em dash. With no Culture default, start at Neutral with Contribution Score 0. A matching-Culture default starts at Liked with 0; a listed Rival Culture default starts at Disliked with 0.

Add an award to the current tier's Contribution Score. When it reaches that tier's cap, promote exactly one tier, set the new tier's Contribution Score to 0, and discard any excess award; points never carry upward. If an entry specifies a direct tier result, apply that result instead.

Subtract each Wrongdoing Point Loss from the current tier's Contribution Score. When the score reaches 0, demote one tier and initialize the lower tier's Contribution Score at half of that lower tier's cap. Continue applying any remainder of the same loss to the new bucket, repeating the demotion rule as needed. A direct tier result takes precedence over point subtraction. Once a record reaches Hated, lock it permanently; it cannot rise and later point changes do not alter it. Exalted has no cap, so its Contribution Score can continue increasing indefinitely.

Neglect cannot lower a record below its applicable Culture-based default. Direct awards, Wrongdoing Point Losses, or direct tier results can move it below that default.

Standing display example

Standing: Neutral
Contribution Score: 2,000 / 6,500
Other tiers: —

At a Neutral Contribution Score of 6,500, promote to Liked with a Contribution Score of 0. If a loss reduces a Liked score of 0, demote to Neutral with half the Neutral cap (3,250), then apply any remaining loss.

Attitude, defense, and access

Standing determines attitude and combat response only. Tolerable and Neutral Individuals and Affiliations do not initiate harm; they may retaliate when harmed or wronged. At Disliked or Hated, an Individual or Affiliation attacks when the Character enters its detection range. Affiliation members defend a Character who is attacked when its Standing is Liked or higher. Higher Standing tiers do not change that defense rule. Other social reactions are written on the relevant Individual, Affiliation, or story entry.

Standing does not grant services, quests, area access, or inventory access. List each interaction's requirements on the relevant Individual, Affiliation, or story entry, including any Level and/or Rank requirement.

Praise and Blowback states

Praise and Blowback are separate states, not Contribution Point modifiers. List each Individual's and Affiliation's Friends and Rivals on the relevant entry. The entry also defines the effect of each state. All Individuals in an Affiliation receive a state applied to that Affiliation; their own Standing records do not change as a result.

Affiliation threshold triggers: At Liked or higher with an Affiliation, its listed Friends receive Praise; its Rivals receive no threshold-triggered state. At Disliked or lower, its listed Rivals receive Blowback; its Friends receive no threshold-triggered state. These thresholds are triggered by an Affiliation's Standing, never by a standalone Individual's Standing. A threshold state ends when the source Affiliation no longer meets its trigger.

Relationship events: Helping an Individual gives Praise from their Friends and Blowback from their Rivals. Harming an Individual gives Blowback from their Friends and Praise from their Rivals. Helping an Affiliation gives Praise from it and its Friends; harming an Affiliation gives Blowback from its Friends. A death or other event changes no unrelated Affiliation's Standing unless a listed relationship applies; a target's own Standing changes only by the award or loss specified for that target. An event-triggered state ends when the Character's Standing with its source changes. If the source is an affiliated Individual, use that Individual's Affiliation record.

An Individual's or Affiliation's own Standing may change while a Praise or Blowback state is active. Those are separate tracks; do not add or subtract Contribution Points because of a state. A neutral target's death does not by itself make an unrelated Individual or Affiliation Hated.

Witness Probability Formula

The Witness Probability determines if a character's secret deed is discovered. The GM rolls privately and tracks cumulative probability. Success means the deed remains hidden; failure means witnesses exist and the GM may later reveal them or issue Shamed Titles.

Baseline Probabilities by Scenario

Scenario	Baseline Probability	Description
Desolate Area, Night, No Creatures	5%	A remote, isolated location with no magical creatures, wisps, or observers. Low light, late hour. Examples: abandoned ruins at midnight, empty forest clearing after dark.
Desolate Area, Day, Magical Creatures Present	15%	Remote location but wisps, spirits, or other magical entities may be watching. Daylight makes the act more visible if observers are present. Examples: magical forest during day, ancient altar with spectral guardians.
Sparse Area (1-5 NPCs nearby)	25%	A quiet area with a few people or creatures within potential earshot or sight. Examples: small camp, quiet tavern, lightly traveled road.
Populated Area (6-20 NPCs nearby)	50%	A moderately busy location where the deed could easily be seen or heard. Examples: crowded tavern, busy marketplace, guardhouse.
Highly Populated Area (20+ NPCs nearby)	75%	A very crowded or bustling location where secrecy is difficult. Examples: festival, main street, throne room with court.

Modifiers

Apply these modifiers to the baseline probability:

• Time of Day: Night -10%, Twilight -5%, Day +0%, Noon (bright sun) +10%
• Character Actions: Leaving obvious evidence +15%, Fleeing conspicuously +10%, Acting naturally -10%, Disguising self -15%
• Deed Severity: Minor (theft, minor deception) +0%, Moderate (assault, property damage) +10%, Severe (murder, betrayal) +20%
• Magical Creatures/Wisps: Per creature present +5% (stacks; wisps are supernatural observers)
• Character Reputation: Known criminal +10%, Known hero -10%, Unknown +0%

Cumulative Probability: Repeat Offenses

Each time a character commits the same deed type (or similar deeds) in the same location, the cumulative probability increases:

The multiplication represents increased magical, spiritual, or natural awareness in that location. Wisps remember. Spirits linger. NPCs share stories. The world grows smaller.

Cap: Cumulative probability caps at 95%. Even a skilled criminal may avoid absolute certainty, but persistence guarantees eventual discovery.

Game Master Process: Rolling Witness Probability

1. Determine the scenario and baseline probability from the table above.
2. Apply modifiers based on time, character actions, deed severity, creatures, and reputation.
3. Roll 1d100 secretly.
4. If the roll meets or exceeds the adjusted probability, the deed was NOT witnessed. Keep this result secret.
5. If the roll is below the probability, the deed WAS witnessed. Record this privately and reveal at an opportune story moment.
6. Increase cumulative probability if this deed repeats in the same location.

Revelation and Consequences

A discovered deed does not immediately result in consequences. The GM may:

• Hold the information and reveal it later when an NPC or faction brings it up.
• Allow the witness to demand payment, favor, or silence.
• Let the witness spread rumors or inform factions.
• Issue a Shamed Title reflecting the deed (see Titles, Appendix).

The GM controls when and how the deed is exposed. A character who commits murder in secret may never face consequences if no witness was rolled, or they may face them years later when an old witness reappears. This uncertainty is intentional.

Professions: Social Roles & Expertise

Professions represent specialized roles and expertise available in the game world. The framework distinguishes between Character Professions (player-accessible roles paired with Talent Trees) and NPC Professions (all available social roles for non-players). GMs use these systems to populate the world with believable specialists, craftspeople, officials, and service providers.

Character Professions

Structure: Thirty Character Professions organized into four categories: Crafting (9), Building (7), Automation (9), and Exploration (2). Each pairs with a specific Talent Tree to create synergy; combined advancement of both yields mechanical benefits beyond either alone.

GM Application: When player characters pursue a profession, allow them access to NPCs who can teach that profession (Profession Trainers) and to other NPCs who depend on or work with that profession (see Disposition Logic in each entry). Profession advancement is mechanical: Talent Expertise and Profession Expertise unlock higher-difficulty Skills.

Reference: Character Professions

Non-Player Character Professions

Structure: One hundred-one NPC Professions organized into thirteen categories spanning Commerce (12), Construction (7), Adventurer (11), Justice (15), Technology (12), Mysticism (11), Transit (8), Interactive (10), Restoration (4), Terraforming (3), Production (12), Administration (4), and Husbandry (2). NPCs pursue professions independent of Talent Trees, allowing flexible role assignment.

GM Application: Use NPC Professions to quickly populate settlements, organizations, and factions with believable specialists. An NPC's profession defines their social function, authority, and likely interactions with player characters. A Tax Collector NPC has legal standing to extract coin; an Auctioneer has access to wealthy patrons; a Bounty Hunter may pursue player characters if hired to do so.

Overlapping Professions: Some professions (marked with *) appear in both Character and Non-Player Character lists: Cooks, Architects, Artificers, Scientists, and others. When a player character enters these professions, they compete or collaborate with NPC professionals in that field. A player Blacksmith may apprentice under an NPC Master Blacksmith or rival a famous NPC forgemaster.

Reference: NPC Professions

Profession Disposition Networks

What It Is: Each profession entry (especially Character Professions) includes a "Disposition Logic" section explaining how that profession interacts with 1-3 NPC Dispositions. These are the professional relationships, patrons, and allied specialists that make professions mechanically and narratively functional.

GM Application: When a player character pursues a profession, introduce the associated NPC Dispositions early. An Alchemist synergizes with Chemists, Inventors, and vendors; introduce these NPCs as natural allies or competitors. A Cook works with Innkeepers and Vendors; let the player develop relationships with these NPCs through the profession's progression. Disposition networks create organic quest hooks and social bonds.

Profession Vs. Class

Professions are not the same as Classes (Clerics, Warriors, Artificers, etc.). A character's Class determines their combat capabilities and spell-casting abilities. A character's Profession determines their non-combat expertise, social role, and economic function in the world. A Cleric (Class) may be an Apothecary (Profession). A Warrior may be a Blacksmith. A Magic User may be a Scientist. Professions cross class boundaries and can be mixed freely; mechanically, a character advances one profession at a time, but narratively, many real-world people wear multiple professional hats.