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The campaign field guide 01 / Resonance

Resonancethe 7th attribute

Build the kit. Fuel the kit.
Know when to hit the big switch.

Veins. Pulse. Barrier. Callings. Grab a drink. We’re going from “what does any of that mean?” to trying the rules for yourself.

Start with the ladder Let me build one
No rules knowledge neededTry every number
+1

Same character. Another layer. You still have your class, weapons, spells and ordinary rolls. Resonance adds to that character.

01 / A new stat

A six is just six.

You know the usual six attributes. Resonance is the seventh, but there’s no modifier to work out. Its number is your Rank: how well you understand the power and how much you can hold.

STR6Strength
DEX6Dexterity
CON6Constitution
INT6Intelligence
WIS6Wisdom
CHA6Charisma
RES6Resonance

Every card is showing a score of 6. Flip the switch to compare the ordinary modifiers with Resonance.

The sixes above are a comparison, not the crew’s character sheets. The beach crew’s Resonance Rank is 2. Rank is separate from class level.

02 / The whole thing

Follow the ladder.

Start at the top. Each step explains what the next one is for. Tap a rung.

The shape of the power

Same power. Different person.

Your Calling is the principle in you that Resonance recognises. It helps explain why Andross’s power looks different from Seris’s.

The Calling chooses the user. You don’t pick a fancy word and force yourself to fit it.

Build Points6 to allocate

Keep the upgrades.

Pulse2 free to start

Short rest refills it.

Resonance Points2 maximum

No refill on a rest.

03 / Calling

The power recognises something in you.

A Calling is the shape Resonance takes inside a person. The shared rules explain the numbers. The Calling explains why those numbers can look so different.

01 / Andross

Dismissal

He spent his life pulling shrapnel out of soldiers. Getting rid of what shouldn’t be there. Now a hit doesn’t have to stay with him: he can hold it and send it somewhere else.

A Calling we can name
02 / Seris

Unknown Calling

The dark metal. We’ve seen it defend him, form his staff and leave splinters he can reach with later strikes. That is how his Resonance manifests. His Calling’s name is still unknown.

What it looks like ≠ its name
03 / Threnos crystal

Power amplified

The crystal was Thalmion’s own innate Resonance, amplified by Aeterion power. The outside power strengthened something that was already his.

Innate Resonance + amplification

And the crew?

Tronald: Breaking is the working guess. Thrunk: Protection is the working answer. Saxy: maybe Structure. Raarh, Pervious and Thalmoon: not yet known.

There are no bonus points for the fanciest word. In the spirit of Ollivander: the Calling chooses the Resonance user.

04 / Build the kit

Six points. Your priorities.

Think of an Ability Score Improvement: you allocate points and keep the benefit. Here you get three Build Points per Rank, so the crew have six. Using an upgrade doesn’t charge you another BP.

Try this Pick Saxy. Then compare Raarh. Same budget, very different kit.

The workshop is loading. At Rank Two: Barrier costs 1 BP for 10, Armour costs 3 for +1 AC, Precision costs 3 for +1 to proficient attacks and class/spell DCs, Force costs 2 for +1d6 once on your own turn to one creature, and Pulse Reserve costs 1 for +1 maximum Pulse, up to four extra.

These are bonuses. Armour adds to your AC. Precision adds to proficient attacks and class/spell save DCs. The card isn’t your whole character sheet.

A workshop is for experimenting. In the game, a rest doesn’t rearrange your BP. Reallocation needs training, Rank advancement or a genuine story transformation.

When does Force actually happen?

Once on your own turn, choose one creature after you hit it or after it takes damage from a save-based effect. Add the purchased Force dice to that creature’s damage.

It doesn’t add to every swing or every creature caught in a spell. Andross’s prepared training targets can register Force; that doesn’t extend to every ordinary object.

05 / Fuel the kit

A bigger tank isn’t a faster tap.

Everyone starts with two free Pulse when they unlock Resonance. At Rank Two, you can spend only two Pulse per round, however full the tank is.

At Ranks 1 and 2, the free Pulse pool is 2. From Rank 3 onwards, it equals your Rank. Purchased Reserve adds to that pool. Your per-round spending cap also equals Rank, so Rank 1 can spend only one Pulse despite holding two.

1 Pulse: pierce Barrier. Infuse one attack against one chosen creature. Want to pierce several creatures’ Barriers? Pay separately for each. You still have to land the attack or resolve the save.

2 Pulse: Pulse Guard. When an attack hits, declare it before damage is rolled. Gain resistance against that attack’s eligible damage. No action or reaction required.

Try this Spend one Pulse to pierce. Now try Guard. The points left in the tank don’t override the round’s limit.

Guard has a hole in it.

Attacks that pierce Barrier also bypass Pulse Guard. Void bypasses both. That still applies if your Barrier is empty or you never bought any. The two Pulse are spent when you declare Guard; bypass doesn’t refund them.

Guard protects against one attack, not the whole round. It doesn’t cover a saving-throw-only area effect or falling damage. Other resistance doesn’t stack into repeated halving.

What about reactions and personal techniques?

Guard is available even if your ordinary reaction is already spent. It doesn’t grant another reaction. It still counts against your existing Pulse-technique use: one on your own turn, or the reactive use between your turns.

Pulse can also fuel personal techniques, once you’ve actually learned them. A successful training exercise isn’t a licence to invent an unrestricted new combat ability.

Thalmoon’s current doctrine permits Barrier specifically, but not Guard, ordinary temporary HP or Armour bonuses.

06 / Follow the hit

What takes the damage?

First, resolve the attack roll or saving throw. Apply applicable immunity, resistance and damage reduction. Then follow the remaining damage through the pools below.

BarrierTemporary HPHP

Try this Send 18 damage into 10 Barrier and 5 temporary HP. Only 3 reaches your HP. Turn on Pulse infusion and see what changes.

Piercing is a route, not a damage multiplier. It skips Barrier. Ordinary temporary HP and other applicable mitigation still matter. A closed Vein doesn’t pierce another closed Vein automatically; the attacker must have a Vein open.

07 / The big boy switch

Open a Vein. Pay for the moment.

Veins turn up your purchased upgrades. First Vein costs 1 RP and a bonus action. You get one minute: ten rounds. Advancing takes another bonus action, at most one step per turn, and never restarts that clock.

Try this Load Saxy, open First Vein, then close it. Watch the Barrier, Pulse and RP. Only two of those come back on a short rest.

Double the purchases. Not the whole character.

At First Vein, double purchased Force dice, Armour and Precision bonuses. Add another copy of your base Barrier to both its current value and maximum. Gain temporary Pulse equal to the extra Pulse Reserve you bought.

The free Pulse isn’t doubled. Saxy’s 20 Barrier and 6 Pulse become 40 Barrier and 10 Pulse, while his RP goes from 2 to 1. The round limit is still two Pulse.

Spend temporary Pulse first. When the Veins close, temporary Pulse disappears and Barrier’s maximum returns to its base. Current Barrier above that base is lost; damage below it stays. Spent RP stays spent.

Short rest

Barrier refills. Pulse refills.
RP does not. A long rest doesn’t restore RP either. Days, weeks, months: Joe tells you when a point returns.

08 / Put that in perspective

Why not open the top Vein straight away?

The beach crew02

Rank Two · up to 2 RP

Seris08+

At least Rank Eight

We saw Seris spend one RP and go from eight to seven. Maximum RP equals Rank, so he must be at least Rank Eight. That’s a lower bound, not his confirmed ceiling.

And going higher means paying for every step. First costs one; Second costs another two; Third costs another three. That’s six RP to reach Third from Veins Closed.

Why use a nuke to kill some rats if it might take months to restock the nuke?

That’s the decision. Spend enough to deal with the problem in front of you, or spend scarce power you might desperately need later. The big switch has a cost beyond this fight.

09 / The training month

Make it happen on purpose.

Each exercise asked a different question about control. Here’s the mechanical lesson from each one.

  1. 01

    Plate & bucket

    A strike and a distant weight can be linked by Resonance; the visible rig isn’t the whole connection.

  2. 02

    The hidden connection & Pulse

    Find what the power is acting through; spending Pulse to infuse an attack lets that attack pierce Barrier.

  3. 03

    The door wall

    Place protection where the swinging arm will hit, keeping the door open.

  4. 04

    The plank connection

    Build a route someone else can operate; the lamp reports that the connection works, it doesn’t power it.

  5. 05

    Keeper & breaker

    Keeping the brass in the circle and opening its gate are separate jobs; the bell decides the timed win.

  6. 06

    The sled

    Adapt a working connection to move passengers, then keep them upright through a shove.

  7. 07

    The shutters

    Find the real targets and hit them in order; accuracy alone won’t solve the exercise.

  8. 08

    The final plate

    Put the pieces together in the right order, on the face being defended.

This was Andross’s prepared course. Practice placements don’t give everyone an unrestricted wall spell or a permanent shield to pack away. Personal combat techniques need their own learned rules.

10 / Still got questions?

Good. Let’s untangle them.

Is Resonance a new class?

No. Your existing class still handles your attacks, spells, defence, movement, and choices. Resonance adds an outer layer and a few resources you can train.

If my Resonance is 6, do I get a −2 modifier?

No. Resonance uses Rank, not an ordinary attribute modifier. Rank 6 is Rank 6.

Are Build Points, Pulse, and RP the same thing?

No. BP buys the kit. Pulse fuels individual uses and refills on a short rest. RP opens Veins and returns unpredictably.

Do I spend BP every time Barrier blocks damage or Force adds dice?

No. You spend BP when you buy the upgrade. Barrier can then absorb damage and Force is available under its once-on-your-own-turn rule.

Does Barrier replace temporary HP?

No. They are separate pools that stack. Ordinary damage meets Barrier first, then ordinary temporary HP, then HP.

Does bypassing Barrier ignore my temporary HP or guarantee a hit?

No. The attack roll or save still happens. A piercing hit skips Barrier, then meets ordinary temporary HP and HP. Other applicable mitigation still matters.

Is every attack from a Resonant character automatically piercing?

No. You can spend 1 Pulse to infuse one attack against one chosen creature. An attacker's open Vein also pierces a defender in an equal or lower Vein. Void inherently bypasses Barrier.

Can I use Pulse Guard after I know the damage?

No. Decide after the attack hits and before damage is rolled. It costs 2 Pulse, uses no action or ordinary reaction, and protects against one eligible attack.

What if a piercing or Void hit comes through my Guard?

It bypasses Guard, even if your Barrier is already empty. You still spent the 2 Pulse when you declared Guard. Other resistance you may have is handled by its own rules.

I bought more Pulse. Can I spend more than 2 in one round at Rank 2?

No. Reserve makes your pool larger. Your Rank still limits how much Pulse you can spend in a round.

Does First Vein double my two free Pulse?

No. It grants temporary copies of Pulse Reserve you bought. Your two free Pulse stay two.

Can I jump straight to Second or Third Vein if I have the RP?

No. Open each earlier Vein, pay every step, and advance at most once per turn. You must also have learned each Vein.

Does opening a Vein refill Barrier I already lost?

No. It adds your purchased base Barrier to both current and maximum Barrier. Old damage is still there.

Does resting bring back RP?

No. Pulse and purchased Barrier refill on a short rest. RP recovery is unpredictable; Joe tells you when it returns.

Why doesn't Seris just use his strongest Vein every time?

Every step spends RP, higher steps cost more, and those points may be gone for a long time. He has to judge whether this fight is worth the cost.

Do we know everybody's Calling?

No. Andross's Dismissal is known. The crew labels are guesses or working answers, and Seris's Calling is still unknown.

Keep this bit handy

The words, in plain English.

Resonance
The seventh attribute and the power it measures. It adds to your existing character.
Calling
The personal principle that shapes what your Resonance becomes.
Rank
Your Resonance number, separate from class level. It sets BP, maximum RP, and Pulse spending per round.
Build Points / BP
Points you allocate to lasting Resonance upgrades. Three per Rank.
Barrier
A separate outer damage pool that ordinary damage hits before temporary HP.
Armour
A purchased bonus to AC. It makes hits less likely.
Precision
A purchased bonus to proficient attacks and class or spell save DCs.
Force
Purchased extra damage dice, applied once on your own turn to one creature.
Pulse / PP
Fuel for piercing, Guard, and learned techniques. Refills on a short rest.
Pulse Reserve
Purchased points that raise your Pulse maximum.
Pulse Guard
A 2 Pulse choice before one hit's damage is rolled, giving resistance to eligible damage.
Resonance Points / RP
Scarce points used to open and advance Veins. Maximum RP equals Rank.
Veins Closed
Your ordinary, untransformed Resonance kit.
First / Second / Third Vein
Successive transformations that amplify purchased output. Open in order and pay each step.
Piercing
A hit that skips Resonance Barrier, then follows ordinary damage rules for the remaining pools.
Void
An energy type that inherently bypasses Resonance Barrier and Pulse Guard.

Prefer the spoken version?

Watch the breakdown.

Resonance was taught on the beach in Volume II, Chapter 1. Watch the training episode on Patreon.

Raarh whispering to Thrunk: what is Joe talking about? Watch on PatreonVol. II | Chapter 1: First Claim Back to the ladder ↑