Some scenes have a goal beyond defeating enemies.
An Objective Clock tracks a danger, obstacle, negotiation, escape, ritual, pursuit, or other task that cannot be resolved with a single Check.
Use an Objective Clock when progress matters and several actions may be needed.
Examples include:
stopping a ritual
rescuing prisoners
sealing a portal
escaping a collapsing ruin
persuading an enemy to stand down
breaking a magical ward
crossing a battlefield
putting out a fire
holding a gate
outrunning pursuers
Not every scene needs an Objective Clock. Use one when it makes the scene clearer, tenser, or more dynamic.
Objective Clocks use three sizes.
Clock | Use For |
|---|---|
4 | Simple, urgent, or fragile objective |
6 | Standard objective |
8 | Major, difficult, or dangerous objective |
A larger Clock means the objective is harder, slower, or more dangerous to complete.
When a Clock is part of a scene, it should be visible to the table.
On their turn, a character may attempt to make progress toward the objective.
The player describes what the character does.
The Referee decides whether the action:
simply works,
is impossible without changing the fiction,
requires a Check,
grants a Boon,
suffers a Bane,
changes the TN,
or affects the Clock.
If a Check is needed, choose the Abilities and TN from the character’s approach.
On a success, reduce the Clock by 1.
On a Critical Success, reduce the Clock by 2.
On a failure, no progress is made and the Referee may introduce a consequence.
On a Fumble, no progress is made and the situation worsens.
When the Clock reaches 0, the objective is complete.
A Clock should describe the objective, not the method.
Good Clock:
Stop the Ritual — 6
Poor Clock:
Break the Candles — 6
The first Clock allows many approaches. The second only allows one.
A character might help stop the ritual by:
breaking candles,
scattering the salt circle,
silencing the chant,
reading the counter-rite,
spilling the blood bowl,
invoking a holy name,
dragging the victim from the altar,
or bargaining with the spirit being summoned.
The objective is the same. The approaches are different.
Never frame a Clock so narrowly that only one character can contribute.
A scene may have a main objective, side objectives, or both.
A main objective changes the outcome of the scene.
A side objective creates an advantage, removes a danger, protects something valuable, or changes the terms of the encounter.
Examples:
Objective | Clock |
|---|---|
Rescue the prisoner | 4 |
Put out the fire | 4 |
Open the sealed gate | 6 |
Stop the ritual | 6 |
Persuade the enemy to a truce | 6 |
Break the witch-circle | 6 |
Seal the portal | 8 |
Escape the collapsing tower | 8 |
Destroy the lich’s ward | 8 |
A Clock can also track an approaching danger.
Examples:
Danger | Clock |
|---|---|
Guards arrive | 4 |
Fire reaches the upper floor | 4 |
Bridge collapses | 6 |
Ritual completes | 6 |
Demon manifests | 8 |
Flood fills the chamber | 8 |
A Danger Clock may advance at the end of each round, when the characters fail a Check, when enemies spend actions, or when the fiction demands it.
When a Danger Clock reaches 0, the danger happens.
Some scenes may use two Clocks.
Examples:
Characters | Opposition |
|---|---|
Escape the hunters — 6 | Hunters corner the party — 6 |
Win the duke’s favor — 6 | Rival turns the court — 4 |
Seal the portal — 8 | Demon emerges — 6 |
Hold the gate — 6 | Gate breaks — 6 |
Use opposed Clocks sparingly. They create strong pressure but require more attention.
A clever plan, proper tool, sacrifice, risk, or strong fictional advantage may improve progress.
The Referee may reduce the Clock by an additional 1 if the action is especially fitting, costly, or decisive.
Examples:
holy water used against a grave-rite
a true name spoken during an exorcism
a crowbar used on a jammed portcullis
a character taking damage to hold a collapsing beam
a relic sacrificed to seal a portal
Reward good play through the fiction, not through small modifiers.
The characters enter a ruined chapel where cultists are opening a grave-gate.
The Referee creates two Clocks:
Stop the Ritual — 6
Grave-Gate Opens — 4
A Sellsword smashes the bone altar.
STR + STR Check.
Success reduces Stop the Ritual by 1.
A Mage reads the runes and speaks the counter-phrase.
LOR + LOR Check.
Critical Success reduces Stop the Ritual by 2.
A Priest invokes the name of the buried saint.
PRE + PRE Check.
Success reduces Stop the Ritual by 1.
At the end of the round, the cult leader continues chanting.
Grave-Gate Opens is reduced by 1.
The scene is no longer just a fight. The characters must decide whether to kill cultists, guard allies, stop the ritual, or flee before the gate opens.
Use Objective Clocks to make scenes active.
A Clock should create choices, not replace them.
Do not use a Clock when one clear action should solve the problem.
Do not use a Clock to make simple tasks take longer.
Use a Clock when the situation is tense, uncertain, and several different actions could change the outcome.
The player describes the action.
The Referee judges the fiction.
The dice decide uncertain progress.