Glossary
Untold Epoch deliberately avoids borrowed TTRPG vocabulary — this is the canonical definition for every UE-specific term. Dual-purpose: an internal consistency check now (if a file uses a term differently than defined here, that’s a fossil-detection signal), and player-facing reference once the site’s built.
Status note: the core rules vocabulary below is confirmed. Profession-specific resource terms (Marshal’s Tempo, Arcanist’s Flux/Sparks, Harrower’s Toll, and others) are intentionally left as stubs — each gets a real, verified entry when that profession is migrated, not a guess written from memory now.
AP (Action Points) — the currency of the action economy. Base AP is 3 per Turn. Repeating the same action within a Turn costs +1 AP more each time (the escalating cost rule), applied universally across all three Moments.
Attributes — the six locked stats: Brawn, Agility, Vitality, Ego, Intellect, Spirit. Fixed set; nothing gets added or swapped.
Bane — a status effect category representing a negative condition (e.g., Surprised). See Status Effects catalog for the full list.
Block Rating — a defensive mechanic that gates before Resistance/Vulnerability adjustment. (Full rules text pending — see Open Design Questions: this doesn’t have a proper home in Core Rules yet.)
Boon — a status effect category representing a positive condition. See Status Effects catalog for the full list.
Creed — the nine-creed moral-philosophy wheel, replacing alignment. Three triads: The Bond (Order, Hearth, Honor), The Self (Necessity, The Wild, Ambition), and a third triad (Truth, Freedom, Mercy) whose name isn’t settled yet. No mechanical reward or penalty — roleplay compass only.
Defensive Ratings (DR) — Guard, Ward, and Mind: the three defense values a Trial is rolled against.
Edge / Strain — situational advantage/disadvantage. Roll 3d10, keep the highest 2 (Edge) or lowest 2 (Strain). Replaces Advantage/Disadvantage.
Hero Dice — the invariant cost for taking an action off your own Turn. Never granted free by Edge or anything else — Edge and Hero Dice are kept deliberately separate so one can’t devalue the other.
Mana Points — the resource spent to cast spells, by Tier (costs 1/3/6/10/15 for Tiers 1–5). Replaces spell slots.
Moments — the three gameplay pillars: Combat, Exploration, Social. Each has its own Moment type with its own pacing rules.
Phase — within a Round: Player Phase (self-ordered — players choose their own Turn order) followed by GM Phase (GM-ordered). There is no initiative roll.
Prowess — the trained-skill mechanic. Replaces proficiency bonus.
Rank — a character’s Mastery progression in a chosen skill, ability, spell, or perk. Base = Rank 1 (you can do the thing). Mastery = Rank 2 (you can do it better, differently, or in situations others can’t — new capability, not just a bigger number). There is no Rank 3. Distinct from Tier, which tracks a spell’s own power level, not a character’s proficiency in it.
Requisites — what a spell needs to be cast: Chant, Gesture, Medium. Deliberately not called “components.”
Round — one full cycle of Player Phase + GM Phase. In Combat, a Round represents 15 seconds. Exploration and Social Rounds are GM-paced rather than time-fixed.
Skill (Attribute) notation — the standard way a skill check is written, e.g. “Cunning (Intellect)” — the skill paired with the attribute it draws from.
Spell Facets — Channel, Flow, Focus, Empower, Magnify: the modifiers layered onto a base spell, distinct from Requisites.
Success Bands — Normal, Strong, Devastating. Replaces critical hits. Strong→Devastating is the load-bearing template for “committed action” mechanics throughout the system — most 2-AP actions use this upgrade path rather than a flat bonus.
Tier — the standard term for a spell’s own power level (1–5, tied to Mana cost: 1/3/6/10/15). Distinct from Rank, which tracks a character’s Mastery progression, not the spell’s inherent power. A single spell has both, independently.
Trial — the core resolution mechanic: roll 2d10, add relevant modifiers, compare against a target’s Defensive Rating. Replaces the d20 roll.
Turn — one character’s activation within a Phase.
Vision & Light — Strain-based visibility conditions. Creatures may have the Nightsighted or Blindsense traits. Not a D&D-style fixed darkvision range.
Profession resources (stubs — verify against source on migration)
- Tempo (Marshal) — pending verification
- Flux / Sparks (Arcanist) — pending verification
- Toll (Harrower) — pending verification
Adding to this glossary
Add a term the moment its defining rule text is confirmed current — don’t wait for the whole domain to finish migrating. A glossary with honest stubs is more trustworthy than one with confident-sounding guesses.