Glossary

Action

Any discrete thing an entity does that requires resolution. Actions are categorized by Action Type and modified by Timing. See Document 5: Action Taxonomy.

Action Type

The category of an action. Determines which stats are used for resolution. Core types: Physical, Mental, Magical. See Document 5: Action Taxonomy.

Magnitude

How much happens when an action succeeds. Includes damage, duration, area, quantity. Magnitude is always resolved separately from Resolution. Luck never affects Magnitude.See Document 1: Dice and Document 4: Luck.

Resolution

Whether an action succeeds or fails. Determined by the core formula: d20 + (Your Stat - Their Stat) + Modifiers >= 11. Luck affects Resolution. See Document 3: Resolution.

Round

One full cycle where all entities act. Contains an Instant Phase followed by an Action Phase. See Document 6: Action Economy.

Scene

A continuous sequence of Rounds during active conflict. Armor durability and some effects reset between Scenes. A Scene ends when combat resolves (death, escape, surrender, etc.). See Document 6: Action Economy.

STR (Strength)

Raw physical force. Scale 0-100. Used for melee attacks, grappling, feats of strength. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

DEX (Dexterity)

Precision and coordination. Scale 0-100. Used for ranged attacks, stealth, fine manipulation. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

REF (Reflex)

Reaction time. Scale 0-100. Determines initiative order. Used for dodging, responding to threats. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

CON (Constitution)

Endurance and pain tolerance. Scale 0-100. Used for resisting poison, enduring hardship, staying conscious. Determines HP (Apparent CON × 5). See Document 2: Core Attributes and Document 8: Combat.

MOV (Movement)

Speed of locomotion. Scale 0-100. Used for chasing, fleeing, racing. See Document 2: Core Attributes and Document 14: Movement.

INT (Intelligence)

Reasoning and learning capacity. Scale 0-100. Used for arcane magic, knowledge, problem-solving. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

WIS (Wisdom)

Judgment and awareness. Scale 0-100. Used for divine magic, perception, resisting mental effects. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

CHA (Charisma)

Presence and influence. Scale 0-100. Used for persuasion, intimidation, deception. See Document 2: Core Attributes.

LUK (Luck)

Abnormal relationship with probability. Scale -10 to +10. Modifies resolution by setting floors (positive) or ceilings (negative) on success rates. See Document 4: Luck.

Ability

A learned or innate capability that modifies or enables actions. Base class for Skills, Spells, and Traits. See Document 7: Abilities.

Skill

A trained Ability with levels (1-8). Granted by Classes. Improves with use/investment. Formula: bonus = floor(level / 2). See Document 7: Abilities.

Spell

A magical Ability. No levels (fixed power). Uses Arcane (INT) or Divine (WIS) magic. Almost always has cooldowns. See Document 7: Abilities.

Trait

An innate Ability without levels. Binary (have or don't). Granted by race, creature type, or transformation. Examples: Darkvision, Venom Bite, Flight. See Document 7: Abilities and Document 11: Races.

Tier

The inherent power level of a Skill or Spell. Higher tiers unlock new capabilities. Tier 1 is basic, Tier 5+ is legendary. See Document 7: Abilities.

Cooldown

A limiter on how often an Ability can be used. Types: None (unlimited), Round (next round), Scene (next scene), Day (after long rest). See Document 7: Abilities.

Action (Timing)

The default timing. Occurs during the Action Phase in initiative order. 1 per turn, use or lose. See Document 6: Action Economy.

Instant

Pre-emptive ability that fires before normal turn order during the Instant Phase at the start of each Round. Ordered by the Instant's own REF stat. See Document 6: Action Economy.

Interrupt

Reactive timing. Fires in response to another entity's action. Requires skills/abilities to use. No free interrupts. See Document 6: Action Economy.

Concentration

Mental focus required to maintain certain ongoing effects. Taking damage may trigger a Concentration check. Failure ends the effect. Only one Concentration effect at a time by default. See Document 5: Action Taxonomy.

Initiative

The order in which entities act. Determined by: REF (higher first) → LUK (higher first) → d2 (coin flip). Not rolled. See Document 6: Action Economy.

Step

Free movement to an adjacent position. Once per turn. Does not cost an action. Does not trigger opportunity attacks. See Document 14: Movement.

Delta

The difference between attacking stat and defending stat. Delta = Your Stat - Their StatSee Document 3: Resolution.

Threshold

The number that must be met or exceeded for success. Always 11 in standard resolution. See Document 3: Resolution.

Natural 1

Rolling a 1 on the d20 before any modifiers. Always fails, regardless of math. Triggers critical failure check. See Document 1: Dice.

Natural 20

Rolling a 20 on the d20 before any modifiers. Always succeeds, regardless of math. Triggers critical success check. See Document 1: Dice.

Critical Success

A natural 20. Triggers a d4 roll for magnitude: 1 = normal success, 2 = minor bonus, 3 = notable bonus, 4 = major bonus. See Document 3: Resolution.

Virtual Stat

A stat assigned by the GM to represent difficulty when no defender exists. Example: A master lock might have Virtual DEX 15. See Document 5: Actions.

Luck Ceiling

For negative LUK, the maximum success rate possible. LUK -5 caps success at 25% regardless of other factors. See Document 4: Luck.

Luck Floor

For positive LUK, the minimum success rate guaranteed. LUK +5 guarantees at least 75% success regardless of other factors. See Document 4: Luck.

Play Range (Luck)

LUK -2 to +2. Normal play range where luck nudges outcomes without dominating. See Document 4: Luck.

Narrative Range (Luck)

|LUK| >= 3. Reserved for NPCs and special story circumstances. Dramatically affects every scene. See Document 4: Luck.

Triple 20 / Triple 1

Rolling three natural 20s (or 1s) in a row. Increases (or decreases) LUK by 1. Probability: 1/8,000. See Document 4: Luck.

Absorption

Damage reduction. The amount of incoming damage negated before applying to health pools. TDGS supports two absorption models (see Document 8: Combat):

• Deflection: Flat reduction per hit. Armor absorbs a fixed amount of damage from each attack.
• Ablative: Armor has its own health pool. Damage depletes armor before reaching the entity.

Content chooses which model to use. Both are valid implementations of absorption.

HP (Hit Points)

Total damage an entity can sustain before death. Calculated as Apparent CON × 5. Does NOT scale with level. See Document 8: Combat.

Apparent Stat

The effective value of a stat after all bonuses. Apparent Stat = Base Stat + all bonuses from items, skills, effects, and narrative sources. See Document 8: Combat.

Knockout

Rendered unconscious from damage. Occurs when HP reaches 5% of maximum (rounded down). Entity gains the Unconscious condition. See Document 8: Combat.

Ablative Armor

Armor with a damage pool. Absorbs incoming damage until depleted. Absorbs before deflection. No cap. See Document 8: Combat.

Deflection Armor

Armor that reduces incoming damage by percentage. Capped at 75% (always take at least 25%). Applies after ablative. See Document 8: Combat.

Minimum Damage

Every successful hit deals at least 1 damage, regardless of armor. "You hit? You scratch the paint." See Document 8: Combat.

Condition

A temporary state affecting an entity. Can be Buff (positive) or Debuff (negative). Examples: Stunned, Hasted, Poisoned, Invisible. See Document 8: Combat.

Entity

Anything that can take a turn in the game world. The test: Can it take a turn? If yes, it's an Entity. See Document 9: Entities.

Race

What an entity IS. Provides innate Traits, natural weapons, natural armor, base stat ranges, and Size. See Document 11: Races.

Class

What an entity has TRAINED to be. Provides Skills and Spells. An entity can have no classes, one class, or multiple classes. See Document 10: Classes.

Natural Weapon

A Trait that allows an attack. Using a natural weapon is an action. Cannot combine with held weapon in same attack. See Document 11: Races.

Power Tier

A measure of overall capability. Sum of 8 base stats divided by 8. LUK excluded. Used to compare entities. See Document 9: Entities.

Size

Physical scale of an entity. Categories: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, Gargantuan. Affects space occupied, reach, grappling modifiers, forced movement resistance, carrying capacity, and squeezing. See Document 9: Entities.

XP (Experience Points)

Currency for progression. Earned from combat, milestones, GM awards, and successful actions. See Document 12: Progression.

Level

Measure of experience within a Class. Unlocks Skills and Abilities. Range 1-100. Does not directly increase stats. See Document 12: Progression.

Difficulty Spectrum

A scale mapping challenge difficulty to XP rewards. The spectrum has 10 numbered tiers (1-10) plus Mythic as a category beyond the scale.

Note: Mythic is not "Tier 11"—it represents challenges that transcend normal difficulty measurement.

See Document 12: Progression for full XP values.

Legend Wall

The steep XP increase between Master bracket (400 XP/level) and Legend bracket (1,500 XP/level). Most characters never cross it. See Document 12: Progression.

Soft Cap

A limit enforced by escalating cost rather than a hard rule. Stats have no maximum, but increasing XP cost acts as a natural limit. See Document 12: Progression.

Range Band

Abstract distance measurement. Four bands: Adjacent (0-1 squares), Near (2-4), Far (5-10), Distant (11+). See Document 14: Movement.

Difficult Terrain

Terrain that costs extra movement. Half MOV (round down). Examples: mud, rubble, undergrowth. See Document 14: Movement.

Cover

Protection from ranged attacks. Partial (+2 REF), Half (+4 REF), Full (untargetable). See Document 14: Movement.

Opportunity Attack

A free melee attack triggered when an enemy leaves your adjacent square. Avoided by Step or Disengage. See Document 14: Movement.

Flanking

Positioning bonus when two allies are on opposite sides of an enemy. Both must be adjacent. Grants +2 to hit. See Document 14: Movement.

Slot

A location on an entity where equipment can be worn or wielded. Races define what slots an entity has. Items define what slots they require. See Document 15: Equipment & Slots.

Equipped

An item in a slot, actively worn or wielded. Equipped items grant their mechanical benefits (stat bonuses, absorption, damage bonuses). Contrast with Carried. See Document 15: Equipment & Slots.

Carried

An item in inventory, not slotted. Carried items provide no mechanical benefit until equipped. Counts toward weight but not slot limits. Contrast with Equipped. See Document 15: Equipment & Slots.

Encumbered

State when total carried weight exceeds carrying capacity. Encumbered entities cannot take the Move action. See Document 15: Equipment & Slots.

Weight Unit (WU)

The abstract unit of weight in TDGS. Content defines the scale (1 WU = 1 pound, 0.5 kg, etc.). The engine calculates in WU and is agnostic to measurement systems. See Document 15: Equipment & Slots.

Square

The abstract unit of distance in TDGS. Content defines the scale (1 square = 5 feet, 1.5 meters, etc.). The engine calculates in squares and is agnostic to measurement systems. See Document 14: Movement.

Delta Method

Stat generation formula using 4d6 drop lowest. Delta = Roll - 12. Final Stat = Racial Average + Delta, capped to racial range. See Document 13: Character Creation.

Base Pool

In point buy, the sum of all racial stat averages. Must be spent within racial ranges. See Document 13: Character Creation.

Heroic Pool

Optional bonus points (2d6 drop lowest) that CAN exceed racial ranges. Represents the spark that makes heroes exceptional. See Document 13: Character Creation.

Soft Minimum

Recommended stat for a class, not enforced. A Fighter recommends STR 10+, but lower is allowed. The system allows bad decisions. See Document 13: Character Creation and Document 10: Classes.