This book is your toolkit, not a textbook. You don’t need to read it cover to cover before you start playing. You can—but you don’t have to. Everything here is modular, and the game is designed to get you rolling fast.
Here’s how to get what you need when you need it:
Start Here if You’re New
If you’re brand new to roleplaying, Chapter 1: Playing the Game breaks down how the game flows at the table. It covers what players and Game Masters do, how dice rolls work (including D100 tests and degrees of difficulty), and what a typical session feels like. If you’ve played other games before, this section will show you how Alacrity keeps the pace sharp.
Making a Character?
Chapter 2: Creating a Character walks you through character creation. It’s straightforward: you’ll choose your ancestry, determine statistics, assign skills (including understanding skill baselines and advancement with starting XP), and shape a concept. The math is simple, and the process is designed to put a playable character in your hands in under half an hour—even faster once you know what you’re doing.
Need the Rules for Action and Combat?
The core rules for action and combat, including skill checks, difficulty ratings, actions in a round, initiative, how damage is tracked, and healing, are primarily detailed within Chapter 1: Playing the Game (specifically the sections on Combat, and Damage and Healing). Chapter 5: Special Actions and Circumstances expands on this with rules for specific maneuvers, cover, conditions, and various hazards. Combat in Alacrity moves quickly, but it still needs structure—and this is where you’ll find it.
Running the Game?
Guidance for Game Masters on building encounters, framing scenes, improvising with player choices, maintaining narrative rhythm, and worldbuilding aspects can be found in Chapter 8: Worldbuilding and Chapter 9: Creating Adventures. These chapters hand you the tools and let you use your judgment, rather than micromanaging your table.
Want to Add Magic or Gear?
Chapter 6: Equipment details weapons, armor, adventuring gear, tools, mounts, vehicles, and services. Chapter 7: Magic dives into how magic works, including learning and casting effects, mana, concentration, and enchanting items.
Just Need the Stats?
Appendix A: Generic Effects provides examples of magical effects and special abilities. Appendix B: Monsters and NPCs offers templates and statistics for various creatures and non-player characters. Game-altering conditions are detailed in Chapter 5: Special Actions and Circumstances. If you’re running a session, these sections are where your bookmarks should live.
You don’t need to memorize this book. You just need to know where to look when the moment calls for it. Alacrity isn’t about locking you into charts—it’s about supporting fast decisions, clean action, and unforgettable stories.
Read it. Reference it. Ignore it when the story demands something cooler.
That’s what it’s here for.
You are welcome to print a copy of pages from this book for your personal use. Please note that mass distribution, commercial use, or the creation of altered versions of the content for distribution are strictly prohibited. This permission is intended to support your individual gaming needs while maintaining the integrity of the material.
File Created: 04/30/2025 Last Modified: 04/30/2025