SORC Cards Overview

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

SORC emphasizes active exploration and discovery, as players seek out new Cards and forge relationships with guardians, mounts, and other fellowships. The GM manages the distribution of card sets, item states, and modifications, creating a dynamic and evolving gameplay environment where equipment and alliances change based on player choices and in-game events.

Acquiring SORC Cards

The only way to officially acquire SORC Cards is by purchasing a box set and later its expansions. Every box set comes with the essential SORC Cards in both Common and Uncommon ranks, along with stats, lore, and a reference code for looking each Card up in books or online. Cards come as default punch-outs in each adventure module. GMs can distribute default Cards in any manner they see fit, though each Card is paired to its own card quest as a guide.

Lost Common and Uncommon Cards can be re-downloaded for free using your box set code, or ordered through the catalog for a fee. Cards of Rare rank and above cannot be re-issued — they must be earned in play.

Characters cannot acquire a Card of higher rank than their own level allows. The table below shows which Card ranks are associated with each module level range. This system discourages cheating since there is no other way to acquire Cards packaged in a specific box set.

Digital Access & QR Codes

Digital versions of SORC Cards are online only. Players keep the physical cards they acquire at home, but digital access — including linking cards to uploaded character profiles — is tied to the server record, not the physical card.

Lore Cards are made from high-quality matte card stock and include a QR code that links to the card's digital version. The QR code must be refreshed periodically to maintain digital access. Players should keep track of their Lore Cards and avoid losing them.

When a card is traded through the Trading Post on SORC Beyond, digital access transfers to the new owner and the original card's QR code is permanently invalidated. The physical card may still be kept, but it can no longer be used to refresh digital access or link to a character profile.

You must have the box set and its code to access anything related to that box set digitally. Digital access is primarily used for uploading character stats and achievements, downloading printable content, and refreshing card data. Paper versions of ref. Cards and common cards can also be re-ordered through the catalog included in the box set.

Cards and Ref. Cards

Each card has its base abilities, stats, conditions, and rank. Upgradable Cards — armaments in particular — are paired with a ref. Card (reference card), a standard index-sized card where players note special details, enhancements, and modifications including temporary buffs and curses. Cards and ref. Cards serve as the primary physical means for recording character abilities and gear.

The Enhanced Stats Card functions as the comprehensive, real-time record of an item's or character's current capabilities after all modifications and upgrades. It consolidates the base card's original stats with all attached ref. card notes, providing an at-a-glance view of effective stats. Whenever a character upgrades or modifies an item, the ref. card is updated, and the Enhanced Stats Card reflects the total combined result — defense, attack, resistances, special properties, and so forth.

As modifications change — temporary buffs, curses, enhancements — the player updates the ref. card. Players can go through as many ref. cards as they like during their adventures, provided the text remains legible to the GM.

Characters will acquire items through many methods — looted, discovered, crafted. Items may wear down and lose stats over time. Until repaired, they can be used, traded, or sold to NPCs. The GM tracks all items and their corresponding ref. cards. Items remain in the SORC world as cards unless destroyed, and stats may fluctuate at the GM's discretion.

Example:
A +1 Ogre's base sword card, with a ref. card granting +2 fire damage, is sold to a merchant in Alvon. The card is sold with the ref. card attached, giving it +3 total damage (1 base + 2 fire). At the GM's discretion, this ref. card may be modified further — raising its stats and value. The item could be hidden, sold to another vendor, in another location, or on another planet. If not destroyed, it remains in the SORC world; if destroyed, its materials stay in the world.

Players may own several cards but must choose which to begin adventures with. Through fast travel — teleportation and similar methods — characters can access other cards from storage or a vendor, as long as they meet proficiency requirements and have carrying capacity.

Card Types

• Character Card: ID #, photo or symbol, name, race, class, background, and other profile details.
• Stat Cards: Attributes and Survivor Traits.
• Action Cards: Combat Abilities, Spell Cards, Nature-Drawn Abilities, Spell-Drawn Abilities, Miracles, Talents, Skills.
• Consolidation Card (Con Card): An index card with all stats for one area consolidated. As character stats change, the Con Card changes — including temporary buffs and debuffs. The GM holds a copy for each character and may request to view it at any time. Players hold a copy as well.

Armor Cards

Armor Cards represent individual pieces or full sets of armor, displaying base stats such as Armor Score (AS), movement penalty, type, rank, quality, and condition. The physical card features artwork and essential details; the paired ref. card tracks upgrades, magical enhancements, temporary buffs, and physical modifications. Set bonuses, resistances, and special traits are also noted on the ref. card.

Armor Quality

The quality of armor directly affects its value and potential for enhancements. Quality is determined by rolling d100 when the armor is received.

Armor Rank & Armor Score Bonuses

A card's rank indicates its origin, craftsmanship, or discovery status and determines its base Armor Score bonus and eligible quality levels.

Divine armor is obtained only through Lore Quests and very rarely discovered or dropped. Characters must meet Proficiency of Divine Armor and have it unattuned from its original bearer before attuning it to themselves.

Armor Condition

Armor condition is calculated when the character receives it, and every level thereafter. Roll d100 to determine condition. Condition affects the cost of repairs.

Armor's rank and condition determine both its effectiveness and eligibility for upgrades or enchantments, with only certain ranks and qualities able to be improved. All changes — wear, upgrades, replacement of set pieces — are recorded on the ref. card.

Weapon Cards

Weapon Cards track the full range of armaments available to characters. Each card shows a weapon's base attack, damage dice, speed, type, rank, and special effects. The ref. card is updated with enhancements, enchantments, socketed gems or runes, curses, and temporary buffs. Weapon cards are limited by character rank and proficiency and can be acquired through crafting, loot, quests, or purchase.

Armament Cards come in sets of 4 for each basic armor and weapon type, accommodating up to 4 players choosing similar main classes. One-handed weapons (1h) are main hand by default; offhand versions are available upon character proficiency. Weapon cards require class proficiency to equip. For example, a one-handed magic dagger can only be used by certain classes at certain levels, such as a level 1 main class mage.

The GM oversees distribution and management of weapon cards, ensuring the history, upgrades, and current condition of each weapon remain clear and consistent.

Action Cards

Action Cards represent a character's abilities and talents across three categories:

1. Ability Cards — Combat abilities, both martial and spell (combat, spell-drawn, nature-drawn, specials, and miracles).
2. Talent Cards — Physical and intellectual characteristics characters learn (non-combat skills and proficiencies).
3. Skill Cards — Craftsmanship abilities. Require a recipe, the relevant skill, and at least a makeshift workshop to use.

A module designed for characters between levels 1 and 3 would include Combat Ability Cards for each main class at levels 1–3. Each card displays the base effect, prerequisites, and any custom enhancements; ref. cards note upgrades, buffs, or temporary effects gained during play.

Players choose and manage their Action Cards according to class, rank, and experience. Only equipped abilities and talents count in encounters. All changes are recorded on the relevant ref. card.

Trait Cards

Trait Cards track a character's twelve core traits, each representing a specific form of defensive resilience or offensive advantage — strength, agility, courage, resistance, willpower, luck, and others. Each card details how the trait is used to resist effects or boost attacks, aligned with one of the character's core attributes. When traits are used, players roll the relevant die, add bonuses, and compare the total to a DC; results are recorded on the ref. card for ongoing effects or development.

Traits directly influence talents and abilities — improving a trait card enhances related skills and combat effectiveness. Players may specialize and develop traits over time, unlocking new bonuses or resistances.

Lore Cards

Lore Cards are special, high-quality matte cards that may be included in a box set. They are not guaranteed in every set, but if a box set includes them, they can represent any category within the SORC Card system — armaments, fellowships, items, and more — at the rank corresponding to the module's level.

Lore Cards open up Lore Quests — special Elite-tier quests already built into the module that are difficult to find without the card. The GM holds Lore Cards until the party earns them through the quest. The card's element — a monster, NPC, or location — guides the quest. If the source is gone (for example, an NPC already killed), the GM will begin a new narrative or use the module's alternate path to deliver the card.

All Lore Cards are tradable at the Trading Post. Each Lore Card includes a QR code for digital access. The QR code must be periodically refreshed. Once traded on the server, the original physical card's QR code is permanently invalidated and digital access moves to the new owner.

Example:
Rare: Igor's Helm (of STR) — Igor the Ogre Chief
The party must retrieve the helm from Igor, an ogre chieftain buried deep below the snowy forests of Mt. Olympiad. The party is led to a rogue Vanwa camp hidden between tight canyon slots above the mountain's base. The Vanwa are at war with the ogres and offer handsome rewards for proof that Igor is dead. Upon defeating Igor, the helm drops. All members who can wear plate roll for it; if no one can, everyone rolls. The winner is empowered by the helm. Players whose characters cannot wear plate may trade it at the Trading Post or save it for potential future use.

Prize Cards

Prize Cards are always included in the box set, but the specific items are random. They are tradable at the Trading Post. The rank of a Prize Card cannot exceed the aligned level of its box set.

Basic Item Cards

Basic Item Cards can be obtained through discovery, purchase from vendor NPCs, trading, gifting, and other means. Each box set includes a variety of item cards relevant to the module and its designated levels. Items like consumables (healing potions, Vitality fortification, materials) and collectables (hobby items, artifacts, rune stones, quest items, trophies, hunter's skins, and more) are each represented by individual cards.

A healing potion card might say it contains 10 potions rather than carrying 10 separate cards — players can stack or combine them as long as their character has the strength or space to carry them. Drafts, wagons, and hirelings can help with carrying capacity. Items can also be stored in storage, vaults, or your character's home.

Players track the use of stacked item cards using an Item Tracker Book. Each time you use one, mark it down. When all boxes are marked, the card returns to the GM. Multiple stacked cards can be carried if strength and space allow.

Special Item Cards

Special Item Cards represent Unique and often Rare objects that influence your character or the game world. These include event tickets, quest items, appearance-altering items, powerful artifacts, scroll spells, buff potions, and specialized armaments. They often carry lore, special effects, or functions that can significantly impact adventures or character customization.

Encounter Cards

Encounter Cards represent the various beings that populate the game world — monsters, NPC quest givers, faction leaders, creatures, critters, and beasts, including flora and fauna. They contain the essential stats, traits, abilities, and characteristics that define these beings, much like character profile sheets do for players. Encounter Cards help GMs manage and reference the stats and special traits of creatures and NPCs during gameplay. Each box set has its own unique Encounter Cards included in the GM kit.

For dynamic encounters, the GM uses attached ref. cards to track ongoing changes — injuries, buffs, debuffs, or temporary abilities — ensuring each being's current state is up to date during combat and narrative scenes.

Fellowship Cards

Fellowship Cards represent the allies, companions, pets, mounts, and guardians that accompany a character throughout their journey. Each card details a fellowship member's base attributes — health, abilities, skills, rank, and any special traits. Alongside each card is a ref. card where players and the GM track modifications, temporary buffs, evolving relationships, equipment, and status effects.

Characters start with three fellowship slots: Behemoth, Large, and Small. Behemoths can reach colossal sizes and are extremely rare. Large fellowships range from standard humanoid size up to the size of a Centyr (4 spaces). Small fellowships are creatures typically the size of a rodent or small bird — but can be as tiny as an insect.

Mounting restrictions apply by race: Small races have no mounting size restrictions and can even mount their pets. Goliath races can only mount Behemoth sizes, or Standard if strong enough. Standard races can mount Behemoth and Standard sizes. Certain fellowships — such as Angelics — cannot be mounted.

If a Common or Uncommon fellowship dies, it is lost permanently. Fellowships of Rare rank and above can be resurrected the same way characters can. Until resurrected, passing fellowships go to the boneyard.

Fellowships need rest, care, and proper nourishment. Their performance is influenced by their overall condition across three tiers: Basic (standard capabilities), Improved (enhanced abilities and resilience), and Elite (peak performance with maximum effectiveness in travel, combat, and support).

Fellowship Variants

• Pets (small or tiny) — Rodents, mammals, marsupials, critters, and bugs. From most rare to most common. Small races may use pets as mounts.
• Angelics (hover) — Powerful winged beings that shift between radiant, shadowy, and physical forms, embodying both Divine and infernal traits. Revered or feared as protectors and adversaries throughout the realms. Cannot be mounted.
• Drafts — Working animals and haulers used for hauling loads, plowing fields, or carrying supplies. Dependable animals that support daily life and labor, commonly kept on farms, homesteads, or in stables.
• Ruminants — Animals like cows, sheep, or geese that provide resources such as milk, wool, and eggs. Characters can raise and harvest these resources on their farms or homesteads. Rumor has it, some geese lay golden eggs.
• Guardians — Larger fellowship allies that can be mounted and fight alongside their owner. They must be fed and cared for — a neglected guardian will not respond. Restricted to certain classes such as rangers and beast masters.
• Companions — Humanoid races that accompany small race characters. They provide support and assistance, working closely with small characters as they face challenges.
• Temps (size null) — Summoned creatures, magic constructs, hirelings, or other temporary allies that assist the party for a limited time. Versatile resources for supporting the party's needs. Scrolls or other magical methods may be used for temp summons; hirelings may be rented from various hosts throughout the world and expect pay per day.

Each fellowship type is restricted to specific classes in some cases. Prerequisites must be met before a character can utilize a fellowship card, even if they own it. There are level, rank, class, and even race restrictions. For example: only small races can use companions, only rangers and similar classes can take guardians, and a character must meet farmhand proficiency and own a plot with a barn to keep ruminants.

Common and Uncommon fellowships always come as punch-out cards in box sets. Fellowships of Rare rank and above are paired with a quest or other method of obtaining them.

Mechanical Cards

Mechanical Cards are non-organic cards representing vehicles, machines, and technologically advanced constructs. They can be discovered as Lore Cards, purchased, or crafted — for example, an engineer crafting a helicopter, ground vehicle, hovering racer, or mech, or a scientist building a spacecraft.

Different races and cultures have different advantages with certain mechanical items. Gnomes excel with modifiers, tinkering, and gadgets. Dwarves are naturally suited to mechanical constructs like mechs. Humans native to Zail are the most versatile, having inherited the ability to manufacture Technologically Advanced Gear (TAG) after being introduced to it — prior to that, dwarves and gnomes had invented steam and gunpowder-driven equipment, but nothing as advanced as TAG. Humans from planets further from Adoria, the magic-emitting sun, are experts with advanced technology such as spacecraft.

Players choose their own human backgrounds and cultures and, while these do not grant mechanical bonuses, they affect what materials and recipes are found more commonly. Rare recipes and exclusive materials may only appear in specific regions due to cultural or geographic ties — for instance, rare food recipes found only in certain regions, or war ship timber native to Nordkin territory.

SORC Card Demo

SORC Card demo: Wild Chimassu