What is Talebound?
Talebound is an upcoming tactical, narrative-focused tabletop RPG built on bold actions, flexible character builds, and fast, skill-driven mechanics. It features a custom d20 system with unique damage resolution, dynamic reactions, and a streamlined resource economy that ties directly into your choices, both in and out of combat.
Whether you're casting spells, striking with precision, or shaping the story through social skill checks, every mechanic in Talebound is designed to keep the game flowing and the stakes high.
A New Take on Attributes
The T.A.L.E.S. System is a flexible approach to character building, built around five core attributes: Toughness, Agility, Luck, Expertise, and Smarts. Each attribute contains two unique Traits, which you advance individually, but boosting one means leaving the other lower, creating meaningful trade-offs that shape how your character grows and performs.
Traits directly impact key stats like defenses, resource pools, and spell limits, so every boost matters. Skills on the other hand are advanced separately, giving you full control over both what your character knows and how they operate.
Simple, modular, and deeply customizable, the T.A.L.E.S. System turns your stat sheet into a true reflection of your character’s story and style.
Define Your Playstyle
Character Classes shape how your character fights, survives, and stands out. Each class centers on a Core Ability and three distinct Pillars, offering unique passive and active talents to unlock as you grow.
You can focus on one Pillar to specialize or spread your progress across multiple Pillars for a more versatile playstyle, crafting your character’s strengths to fit your style.
You can also multiclass into any other classes and combine their abilities to create a character that fits your vision. without losing out on the class features you want to keep.
Classes aren’t about who your character is, they’re about the tools and tactics you choose to master.
Everyone Gets the Spotlight
Spells and Maneuvers make combat more than just rolling to hit, they’re signature Techniques that define how your character leaves their mark on the battlefield.
Every character in Talebound uses Techniques whether it’s a spell that twists time, a stance that turns defense into offense, or a devastating strike that finishes the fight. You’ll prepare a limited selection of Techniques each day, choosing carefully which tools to bring into the fray. Each one costs Effort to activate, making timing and decision-making far more important than just spamming the same attack.
Whether you're a spellcaster weaving illusions or a warrior who punishes overextensions, Techniques are how you express your build and shine during combat. Every turn feels like a moment to do something powerful, clever, or cinematic. In Talebound, it’s not about doing more damage it’s about doing something that matters.
NON-COMBAT SYSTEMS THAT MATTER
In Talebound, challenges outside of combat are just as structured and impactful as battles. Whether you’re navigating treacherous terrain, talking your way past guards, or smuggling contraband through enemy territory, the system provides meaningful tools and real consequences.
TRAVEL & HAZARDS
Travel isn’t just a background detail — it’s a tense, tactical part of the game. Players take on roles like Navigator, Scout, or Guard, and each day the party makes rolls to push toward their goal while managing Danger, Effort, and potential delays. Route difficulty, terrain, and planning all influence success, and failure carries weighty consequences — from exhaustion to getting lost in the wilds.
SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS
Persuasion is more than a single roll — it’s a dynamic exchange. The Banter System breaks social encounters into structured interactions where players use specific skills to target an NPC’s hidden Affinity. NPCs have dispositions, success thresholds, and react differently depending on your approach. You can always Press for another attempt, but at a cost.
SMUGGLING & BRIBES
Sneaking weapons into a gala or moving illegal magic past royal guards? This system handles stealth and social risk at security checkpoints. You can use your Crime skill to smuggle directly or bribe guards to avoid searches. The higher the security or item size, the greater the risk — and getting caught can lead to fines, social encounters with guards, or even imprisonment.
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