This is a sample rule book. Not everything is represented here. Examples are given of most skills and abilities to give you an idea of how some things work and a feel for the game. When you register as a player you will receive the complete rule book. For schedules and more information please visit our web site at www.dragoncrest.com.

If you are familiar with role-playing games, such as Dungeon & Dragons from TSR, you have an idea of what a live action role-playing (LARP) game would be. If you are not familiar with such games, then imagine yourself on stage, you have no script, no lines but the ones you make up, no character but the one you choose to create. Pretend you are a thief, careful not to get caught; or a Mage arguing with a colleague over the properties of a particular spell; or perhaps you are a warrior standing shield to shield with your companions holding off a horde of monsters. You can be anyone or anything. Who you are and how you act is up to you.

In a Dragon Crest game, you design your character. To help you and other players stay in character, you must have a costume. Costumes need not be expensive or elaborate. Sweatpants and a loose shirt, or boots and a simple tabard are all you need. Avoid things blatantly 20th century such as zippers, sneakers, printed T-shirts.

Class is like a career concentration. Characters can learn any skill regardless of class, but some skills are easier to learn and some are very difficult depending upon the class of the character.

Warriors: These are the fighters, the gladiators and the soldiers. Weapon skills are easier for them to learn and they have more body points. They can wear the maximum amount of armor (unless restricted by race), up to 45 points. Magic is very difficult for this class to learn. Some examples of the warrior class are medieval knights and samurai.

Rogues: These are the thieves, scouts and assassins. They can easily learn to set and create traps. Many rogues are expert alchemists. Assassinations and back-stabbing are their preferred combat methods. These are the scoundrels you guard your belongings against, even if you are one of them. Rogues may wear up to 25 pts of armor. One example of a character of the rouge class is The Gray Mouser.

Mages: Magic is the realm of the Mages. They can learn additional paths of magic rather easily. Mana, the source of magic power, is easier to accumulate and manipulate. Weapon skills, however, are very difficult to learn and they cannot wear much armor. They also have fewer body points. Mages may wear up to 20 pts of armor. Some examples of characters of the mage class are Merlin, Morgan Le Fey and Prospero.

Battle Casters: These are fighter/mages. Weapon skills are slightly more difficult to learn than for warriors, and magic is slightly more difficult than for Mages. The ancient Paladins, who were supposed to have magic power, would have been battle casters. Battle casters may wear up to 30 pts of armor.

Rangers: This class is a combination warrior/rogue. Not quite thief, not quite warrior, the ranger is someone who likes to fight and enjoys a lucrative side trade. This class should not be confused with a Ranger found in other role-playing games and LARPs. They do not get any bonuses for forestry or tracking. Rangers may wear up to 35 pts of armor. An example of a character of the ranger class is Robin Hood.

Bards: A bard is a rogue/mage. A dabbler in both the skills of stealth and magic, the bard finds it just as easy to pick a lock as to create a magic key. Also, bards are not necessarily musically inclined. Bards may wear up to 23 pts of armor.

The next step in creating a character is to choose a race. There are many races available in the Dragon Crest game. Some races are unique to this game, while others have been in folklore for centuries. Humans serve as the standard race. All the other races have some sort of advantages and disadvantages. Some examples of the race descriptions in the Dragon Crest rule book are shown below.

Solinari are a proud, long-lived race, who respect age, accomplishment and heredity. They have golden skin and pointed ears. The longest lived of the elfin races, Solinari live for more than 1,000 years. Solinari society is organized in a strict hereditary structure.

The next step in creating a character is to purchase skills using Character Points (CP). A beginning character starts with 25 CP that are used to purchase his initial skills and racial abilities (if any). Once a character enters a Dragon Crest event, such as a weekend event, that character earns a number of experience points (XP) equal to a portion of his or her current CP. On a weekend event, this is an amount of XP equal to his or her CP. At the end of the event, the character can turn in an amount of in-game money to pay for further training, which gains the character a number of XP equal to the amount of silver turned in. Once this is done, the XP is traded in for CP. A character begins to purchase CP with XP at a rate equal to that listed on the table below. Each subsequent CP bought increases the cost by a multiple of that rate. For example, a first level character turns in XP and money that equals 50 XP. The first CP bought in 5 XP; the second is 10 XP (5x2); the third is 15 XP (5x3), the fourth is 20 XP (5x4). This gives the character 29 total CP (25 initial +4 earned) with no XP left over. The rate of exchange is reset once per month for each character.

The base XP to CP rate increases as the character gains in level. For every 10 CP the character earns, the character increases in level. This increase in level is also accompanied by an increase in the character’s Body Points (this is the amount of damage a character can take before falling unconscious). The amount of Body Points the character gains depends on the character’s class.

Here is a listing of all the skills available and the costs for each class. The prerequisites are the skills, racial abilities or race you must have or be before you can buy the specified skill. The following abbreviations are used for the classes in the tables: W = Warrior; R = Rogue; M = Mage; BC = Battle Caster; RN = Ranger; B = Bard

This ability is a natural form of the spell Spirit Form. It functions as the spell in all ways while in effect. This ability cannot be used during daylight hours unless underground or in an area under a darkness effect. A character using this ability will be forced out of Cloak if he enters or is subjected to daylight. This ability is announced as "Cloak" and may be used once per day each time the skill is purchased.

By meeting another's gaze or touching the target the character is able to add his mental strength to another's. With this ability, the character can cure insanity and travel through the target’s consciousness. If used on someone under the influence of any power or spell, it can be used as a natural Awaken. It will function as the spell in all ways when used, but does not require an incant. This ability can also be used by the character to resist mind influencing magic and effects. The use of this ability is not blocked by an active Glamour Shield, nor is an active Glamour Shield used up. The character using this ability announces "Mind Touch" to his target. Using Mind Touch in any of these ways counts as a use. Mind Touch may be used once per day for each time the skill is purchased. Any use of the Mind Touch ability is a role-playing ability and can be resisted by anyone whether or not the target’s race can purchase a natural resist or not. The character can use a Mind Touch at each step to overcome this resistance and force his will upon the target. If resisted, it requires three mind touches to force someone to do something (it acts as a natural Command spell.)

This ability means that the character possesses a naturally tough hide, such as scales. Natural armor acts like man-made armor, protecting the character from a specified amount of damage. Once the natural armor takes damage equal to its rating, all subsequent damage is taken as Body damage. The natural armor can be refit or repaired just like regular armor. If the Natural Armor was breeched (an amount of damage was received that exceeded the value of the natural armor), the last three armor points must be repaired using healing magic or poisons. If the character has enough natural armor left to absorb all the damage of a waylay, the waylay has no effect except damage. Also, Natural Armor will protect a character from the effects of weapon delivered contact poisons, so long as the character has enough Natural Armor to absorb all the damage from the weapon (i.e. if the character has 5 pts. of Natural Armor and is hit with 5 Paralyze, the character will lose 5 pts. of Natural Armor but is protected from the Paralyze poison.) The maximum value of a character’s natural armor is limited to the character’s class.

This ability allows the character to throw bolts of natural energy from his body. This ability is delivered by as spell packet and acts as a spell, but is stopped by a shield or the appropriate magical defense, such as a Fire Shield for fire etc. The character can use any or all of his natural attack in one casting. The natural attack causes damage normally, to armor first, then body. This ability is announced as "Natural # <Attack>." For example, "Natural 5 Fire."

This ability allows the character to invoke one of the following spells upon himself without having to cast it: FIRE AURA, WATER FORM, STONESKIN or GASEOUS FORM. This ability can invoke one spell, chosen by the character at the time of use, per day for each time the skill is purchased. This ability is announced "Natural <Elemental Form>."

This skill allows the character to continuously inflict +2 damage with a specific type of weapon (i.e. long sword, hand axe, mace) in a specific hand (right or left) when attacking any opponent from the rear. This ability is cumulative with other skills in the same weapon.

Each level of a craftsman skill gives the character a different ability. In addition, it gives the character 5 copper pieces per level per game day.

This is a grouping of all miscellaneous craftsman skills. It includes any type of craft, such as baker, singer, tailor, cooper, mason, teacher, candle maker, etc.

This skill gives the character a knowledge of herbs, plants, fungi and other plant or animal products and how to property harvest them to produce alchemical substances, scroll ink, magical potions and other products. A character with this skill can determine if a substance is natural or magical.

This skill allows a character to dodge any one attack with a weapon or packet per day for each time the skill is purchased. This skill is used after the attack is landed. The player must announce "Evade!" to indicate the attack missed. This skill will use up a death strike or other skill that lasts for the duration of a combat.

This skill allows a person to assassinate someone. It is good for one strike only and must come from behind. If successful, it acts as a killing blow. A character using this skill announces "Execute." It is usable once per day for each time the skill is purchased. Any ability, spell or skill that negates an attack before it delivers damage will negate an Execute such as Parry, Evade, Magic Armor, Deflect Weapons or Fire Aura.

This skill allows the character to inflict +1 damage with a specific type of weapon (i.e. long sword, hand axe, mace) in a specific hand (right or left) for the duration of the battle or 5 minutes, whichever comes first. This ability is cumulative with other skills in the same weapon except other expert attacks.

This skill allows the character to find the most vulnerable point of an opponent’s armor and strike a natural attack or weapon blow through it causing damage directly to the body of the target creature. This skill works against creatures with natural armor. Feint works for a single strike per purchase, per day. The skill is used whether the strike lands or not. When using this skill, the player must announce "body" after his attack to signify use of the skill and that the opponent has taken body damage, which bypasses his armor. (i.e. 10 normal body.)

This allows the character to use the specified skill with any weapon he is proficient in, in his specific hand. E.g. Grand Master Weapon Skill is the same as Weapon Skill but can be used with any weapon the character is proficient in. This includes Grand Master Expert Attacks, Grand Master Weapon Skill, Grand Master Death Strike, Grand Master Disarm, Grand Master Greater Disarm, Grand Master Sever/Maim.

This allows the character to use the specified skill in both hands at once. This skill can only be used on one type of weapon (i.e. short sword, hand axe, mace). The same type of weapon must be used in both hands to gain the benefits of the skill. For example, if the character is using two short swords and possesses Paired Death Strike, he can use the ability in both hands until used, but not use it in each hand. (He cannot land two Death Strikes with this skill unless he has two.) If the character is using only one of his paired weapons (i.e. the short sword) he can still call all paired bonuses he has in that weapon only. This includes Paired Expert Attack, Paired Weapon Skill, Paired Death Strike, Paired Disarm, Paired Greater Disarm, Paired Sever/Maim.

This allows a character to research a particular area, and find information about people or objects within that area. The area of expertise can be on foreign nations, ancient weapons, magical artifacts, history, warfare, or any subject. (Plot will provide researched information upon request.)

Trade skills are a type of skill that allows the character to manufacture a particular type of item, such as poison, potions, armor or weapons. Each level of a trade skill, such as alchemy or scroll making, allows the character to produce any item listed under that particular skill at the level of skill he possesses or less. For example, a character who has 5 levels of scroll making is capable of producing scrolls of any spell he knows of level 5 or less, the level of a spell being the mana it takes to cast. He is incapable of producing a scroll of any spell level 6 or higher. The total number of items the character is capable of producing in a single day is a pool equal to 4 times his level of trade skill. In the example above, a character with 5 levels of scroll making is capable of producing up to 20 levels of scrolls, so long as each one is of a spell level 5 or less. Therefore, he could make 4 level 5 scrolls or 20 level 1 scrolls, or any combination up to 20 total levels.

To make a particular item, the character must procure the components necessary to make it. For alchemists, herbal components are required. For armor smiths and weapon smiths, ore components are required. For scroll and potion makers, magical components are required. Each of these components is rated from 1 to 3, 1 being the least powerful and most common, 3 being the most powerful and rarest. The higher the level of the item, the rarer the components needed to make it. These components can be found almost anywhere from plants to mines, from monsters to shops. So long as a character has enough components to make the item and enough levels both to make it and left in his pool, he can create the item. When manufacturing an item, rarer components may be substituted for more common ones but multiple common components cannot be substituted for rare components. For example, a level 3 herbal component can be used in place of 3 level 1 herbal components or a level 2 herbal component and a level 1 herbal component. The reverse is not true. Component types (herbal, ore and magical) cannot be mixed. All components are consumed in the process of making the item.

The following table lists some examples of the poisons that can be made, along with the level of the poison. Descriptions of the poisons and their effects are listed in the Dragon Crest rule book.

• Master Crafted Weapons: A character who has reached a master level of weapon smithing [level 15] can construct an unshatterable weapon by spending an amount of ore in Ore 3 components equal to the number of level 1 components necessary to make the weapon, while using a full forge. A character who produces a Master Crafted Weapon cannot produce any other weapons that day.
• Weapons of Quality: A character who has reached a master level of weapon smithing [level 14] can construct a non-magical +1 weapon by spending an amount of ore in Ore 3 components equal to the number of level 1 components necessary to make the weapon, while using a full forge. This weapon will break normally. A character who produces a Weapon of Quality cannot produce any other weapons that day.
• Venom Weapons: A character who has reached a master level of weapon smithing [level 13] can construct a weapon capable of storing up to 2 doses of the same contact poison by spending an amount of ore in Ore 3 components equal to the number of level 1 components necessary to make the weapon, while using a full forge. This weapon will break normally. A character who produces a Venom Weapon cannot produce any other weapons that day. A character with one of these weapons can decide on what strike he will use the poisons in the blade. Otherwise the poisons act as vorpals.

The only contact