Conditional Effects
Some effects occur only if specified conditions are met. Conditional statements (represented by italic text and beginning with “if”) state the specific conditions required for the effects to occur.
If multiple conditional statements are given and the requirements for multiple conditions are met, only the effects of the first conditional statement will occur.
An “otherwise” statement will indicate what effects occur if none of the previous conditional requirements are met.
Conditional effects are not decisions. They do not require you to make a decision nor do they cause your activation token to be exhausted.
Entry
An entry is a short passage of narrative text usually relating to a single event or decision.
Each entry has a unique, four-digit entry number.
Each entry contains one or more effects (represented by italic text preceded by an arrow). At least one effect in each entry instructs you to read another entry and/or completes the current quest or encounter.
Some such effects occur only if specified conditions are met. Conditional statements (represented by italic text and beginning with “if”) state the specific conditions required for the effects to occur.
An “otherwise” statement will indicate what effects occur if none of the previous conditional requirements are met.
Some entries include a decision point-a collection of options (represented by white text on a dark-red background) and their effects.
Game Elements
This section describes the various components.
The rulebook and the character creation book will assist you with setup and character creation. While playing, you should refer to the rulebook if you have any rules questions.
The six quest books and one village book contain all of the stories and adventures you will experience while playing. You should not read from the quest books or village book unless you have been instructed to do so.
Likewise, while reading an entry in one of these books, do your best not to read other entries on the same page unless instructed to do so. The last step of setup will instruct you to begin reading from the “To New Roads” quest book.
You will be instructed to read the letter from Celyse during the first adventure. You may refer back to and reread the letter any time that you wish.
Your adventure will take you to Dragonholt, a sleepy farming village. You will receive a map of Dragonholt after you arrive in the village.
Later in your adventures, you might find Sonia’s journal. Do not examine this component until you are instructed to do so. It might hold the key to solving a mystery, resolving some issue, or completing a quest.
The twenty item cards should be kept in a facedown deck while playing. You will be instructed to gain some of these cards during your adventures. Do not examine the front face of any card until you are instructed to gain that card. The back of each card indicates its unique identifier (“A”, “B”, “C”, etc)..
If playing with multiple players, you will use activation tokens to track which players have made decisions.
The six blank character sheets can be used to record information about your character during character creation.
Items
Some effects cause you to gain items. Items are cards and are kept in a facedown deck.
When an effect instructs you to gain an item, record the item’s name on your character sheet, then find the specified item card. Keep the card faceup with your character sheet.
While searching the deck for a card, look at only the backs of the cards to find the unique identifier of the specified card.
You may give any number of your items to another hero at any time. However, you may do so only if your activation token is not exhausted. Doing so does not exhaust your activation token.
You can gain more than one of certain items (such as potions). However, there is only one copy of each item card, which should be shared as a reference among all players.
When you lose an item, remove that item from your character sheet. If no other hero has more of that item, also return the item card to the deck.
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Time
Each unit of time represents an abstract amount of time, which could be anything from a few minutes to multiple hours, depending on the current quest. It is used to track how long your actions have taken. Time is recorded on the tracking sheet for the current quest.
Time is referenced throughout your adventures.
When one or more time passes, mark that many boxes of time on the tracking sheet for the current quest.
Time in the “Dragonholt Village” book is divided into seven days.When an effect causes two or more time to pass, mark time only for the current day. Do not mark time for the next day if all boxes for the current day have been filled.
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Object of the Game
Legacy of Dragonholt is a cooperative game. That is, if you are playing with more than one player, all of you are on the same team. However, unlike other games, Legacy of Dragonholt is not about winning or losing.
Legacy of Dragonholt is a game about storytelling. As you play, your decisions will weave a narrative tapestry that tells the story of your adventures in the village of Dragonholt.
You take on the role of a hero, a brave adventurer who seeks fame and fortune either by performing acts of good and honor or simply by seeking out monsters to battle or villagers to save.
While playing Legacy of Dragonholt, you will tell a continuous story related to your adventures. When one adventure ends, another can begin. The game comes to an end when you reach the story’s natural conclusion. What that conclusion is, however, depends entirely on the decisions you make on your adventures.
Unlike some other games, winning and losing in Legacy of Dragonholt is not black and white. The decisions you make will have far reaching consequences that ultimately affect the outcome of the story. You might fail to find a fabled treasure or to save an innocent victim, but if you enjoy the story, that is a victory.
Multiple Players
If you are playing alone (one player), you will make all decisions. However, if you are playing with two or more players, you will each take turns making decisions. The following rules apply only if playing with two or more players.
Each player has an activation token.
When you reach a decision point, one of the players will make that decision. Determine who will make each decision as a group.
When you make a decision, exhaust your activation token (turning it facedown). You cannot make another decision until your activation token is refreshed.
When all players have exhausted their activation tokens, all players refresh their activation tokens (turning them faceup).
When you make a decision, you become the active player. You remain the active player until another player makes a decision.The word “you” in an effect refers to you, the active player. The words “you each” refer to each hero individually.
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Dragonholt Village
The rules above apply while reading from any of the quest books. These rules also apply while reading the “Dragonholt Village” book, except as stated below:
You each take turns choosing a location to visit. Determine who will choose a location as a group.
When you choose a location, exhaust your activation token (turning it facedown). You cannot choose another location until your activation token is refreshed.
When you choose a location, you become the active player, and you remain the active player until the corresponding encounter is complete.
All decisions made during an encounter should be made as a group. You do not exhaust your activation token when you make a decision, and requirements on options can be fulfilled by any of you.As the active player, you have the final say on those decisions.
Decisions
During your adventures, you will decide how you react to situations and how you act in general. Options (seen in the example below) are easy to identify by their white text on dark-red background.
When you reach a decision point-a set of two or more options-you will read each of the available options and choose the one you prefer.
When you choose an option, you resolve each effect found below that option. Each effect is preceded by an arrow.
In the above example, if you choose the “Knock on the door” option, you are instructed to read entry 2979. However, if you choose the “Break down the door” option, you are instructed to mark story point N5 and then read entry 7363.
Some options require you to have a specific skill or some other condition to be true. You cannot choose an option if its requirements are not met.
In the above example, the “Pick the lock and sneak inside”. option cannot be chosen unless you have the thievery skill.
Skills
Skills represent your inherent talents and the training you have received. Each skill corresponds to some talent or set of tasks. Having a particular skill means that you have a certain level of training or expertise with that task.
Your skills provide you with additional options when making decisions and improve your chances of success while attempting to perform a task related to your skills.
Disabled Skills
When your current stamina is reduced to zero, choose one of your skills. The chosen skill is disabled, then you recover one stamina.
While a skill is disabled, you are treated as if you do not have that skill.
When an effect instructs you to recover a skill, choose one of your disabled skills. The chosen skill is no longer disabled.
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Learning New Skills
As you progress through the campaign, you will gain experience that you can spend to learn new skills.
On the “Dragonholt Village” tracking sheet, there are several effects that allow you to spend experience to learn new skills as long as enough progress has been made in related training.
Stamina
Stamina is a measure of how much you can push yourself or resist strain or damage. Excessive amounts of physical labor, prolonged exposure to harsh conditions, and physical damage suffered in combat all cause you to lose stamina.
Your maximum stamina is determined during character creation.
Whenever you lose stamina, subtract that amount from your current stamina, recording your current stamina separate from your maximum stamina.
Whenever you recover stamina, increase your current stamina by the amount specified by the effect that causes you to recover stamina.
Your current stamina cannot exceed your maximum stamina, nor can it fall below zero. If your current stamina would be reduced to below zero, it is reduced to zero instead.
Falling to zero stamina
When your current stamina is reduced to zero, choose one of your skills. The chosen skill is disabled, then you recover one stamina.
- While a skill is disabled, you are treated as if you do not have that skill.
- When an effect instructs you to recover a skill, choose one of your disabled skills. The chosen skill is no longer disabled.
Form Your Identity
Legacy of Dragonholt presents players with the most intriguing question in gaming: who will they become? Heroes can be one of the six humanoid races that populate Terrinoth, each of which comes with their own traits and talents. Hailing from the baronies, heroes may play as short-lived but resilient humans who learn new skills quickly and are adept at both empathy and deception. They could also play as clever gnomes who may be small of stature, but with nimble natures and cunning minds to make them strong allies. Outside the walls of the baronies, orcs are the largest and most physically powerful of the civilized races. They are practiced in athletics and brawling which builds their endurance to a level surpassing all other races. Similarly separate from most mortal races, dwarves are slow-aging people whose willpower is second to none, and harbor a deep pride in their lineage that equips them with a talent for any skill involving history. On the other hand, with a history that stretches even further than the dwarves’, elves are a graceful race that almost exclusively remain within the Aymhelin forest, though the youthful elves of Dawnsmoor are the committed stewards of the mortal races. The last of the civilized races, Hyrrinx catfolk are small in number, but spread far across the world. They are proficient in agility, awareness, and survival.
Each hero also has a class gained from their training prior to their involvement with Dragonholt. This defines how each player contributes to the party. Knights and brawlers are physically imposing and can take a great number of blows before falling at the feet of their enemies. But a character does not need to be physically strong to be a hero. An apothecary uses craftsmanship to brew potions that can act as either medicine or weapons, while a thief is the unbridled master of deception. The key strategy for any team is to form a well-balanced party. A band of bards will not last long against an Uthuk warband, while a team of intimidating knights may find that there are few villagers willing to help them in their quests. Diversity makes a group strong and ensures that they are prepared to face any obstacle they may face in the secluded county of Dragonholt.
Your Journey Begins
Legacy of Dragonholt is a narrative adventure game, the first to utilize the new and innovative Oracle system. This unique game captures the experience of a roleplaying game all without the need of a game master. The intuitive, user-friendly gameplay of Legacy of Dragonholt throws players into the action almost immediately and is designed to engage both new and experienced players, welcoming them to the world of Runebound. Every decision that players make weaves a complex narrative of their adventures at the edge of the civilized world. With six exciting quests, Legacy of Dragonholt draws players into a fully realized fantasy world filled with magic, mystery, and mischief.
Players’ stories begin with the To New Roads quest, which takes these brave heroes to a small farming county where the heir has recently died under suspicious circumstances. Her tutor, Celyse, suspects that the young lady was murdered and asks for your help bringing the killer to justice. But more is at risk than justice here. The heiress had a younger brother, the new rightful successor, who now stands in the way of his jealous uncle’s ascension. To aid players with their mission, the quest book contains sidebars throughout to help first time players more easily learn the rules. These are also described in more detail in the included Legacy of Dragonholt Rulebook, which contains a glossary for quick reference at any point during gameplay.
As adventurers’ stories progress, they mark their advancement on the track sheet included in the back of each quest book. This records the entries they have read and the subsequent decisions they have made. Sometimes an early choice can have unforeseen consequences later in the story. This track also determines how each hero grows over the course of their journey, what they learn and how their identities may change. The progression of the heroes’ quest and characters comes about organically through storytelling as they explore the many vistas of the quests before them. Their adventures may be influenced by which roads they take, who they speak with, and even which day it is. The realm of Terrinoth is a fully realized fantasy world that continues to breathe regardless of the adventurers’ involvement, and the Oracle system allows for this living world to be ever present. Depending on how players choose to interact with Dragonholt via the Village Book, they may find that they encounter people and creatures who directly influence their quest, or they may never meet them at all.
Heart of a Hero
However, a hero is much more than their race and class. Each adventurer of Terrinoth is an individual with their own personality, interests, and story to tell. Once players have chosen a race and class, they define details such as their name, physical description, personality, and history. These choices will influence which skills a hero is most adept at, which may lend them an edge or a limitation during their quests, just as they would in real life. A hero who has spent much of their time in the forest and drapes themselves in earthy hues may be a master of stealth and survival, but such a hero has likely spent little time in cities and might lack any innate ability to navigate the twisting alleys of an urban environment.
Once the heroes of Terrinoth unite, they will encounter terrible dangers, investigate clues, gain potions, encounter colorful characters, and gain fame and fortune. Heroes become stronger as they complete quests, gaining experience and learning new skills. Throughout their campaigns, players will find that each quest offers multiple conclusions depending on how players complete their journey, and which story points they mark throughout the quest books. The world is too expansive to explore during a single playthrough, inviting heroes to return to Terrinoth and the mystery of Dragonholt for multiple replay opportunities. By strengthening their understanding of their trades, their world, and one another, the heroes of Terrinoth can bring peace to this troubled place on the edge of the realm.
Setup
To begin a new game, perform the following steps in order:
Create your Hero(es)
The first step is to create your hero-an avatar that represents you in the story. The character creation book gives the full rules for creating a hero. Th at book also includes an example of creating a hero from beginning to end.
Read through the character creation book and follow the steps for creating a hero.
If playing with two or more players, each player takes one activation token. Activation tokens are used to track which heroes have acted during your adventures.
Prepare The Story Tracking Sheet
On the story tracking sheet (located on the back cover of this document), record the following information:
You begin the game with 100 gold. Gold can be used to purchase items and pay for training during your adventures. If you are playing with multiple heroes, gold is shared among all heroes.
You begin the game with two fame. Your fame increases as you become more well known or your efforts are acknowledged by the nobility or townsfolk. Like gold, fame is shared by all heroes.
Leave all story points unmarked. Story points will be marked during your adventures to track the decisions you’ve made.
Begin The First Quest
During your adventures, you will be instructed to read specific entries in a quest book.
When instructed to read an entry, you might wish to record the entry number on the tracking sheet for that quest. You may reread any entry that you have previously read at any time.
To complete setup and begin the first quest, find the “To New Roads” quest book and read entry 1000.
