Boundless Game Rules (SRD)

Introduction

You will find below the complete rules reference for Boundless v1.4.

You can also download the free PDF version of the game on itch.io:

• Download the free PDF version on itch.io
• See the rules changelog for recent text updates.
• Read the Boundless FAQ chapter for common questions and probability references.
• Check out the bestiary for ready-to-use creatures and monsters.
• Translations are available in several languages:
  • Français (French)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • Español (Spanish) - Soon​ ​​
  • Português Brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese)
  • Русский (Russian) - Soon​
  • 中文简体 (Chinese Simplified) - Soon​​​

Playing the Game

Basics

This game uses six-sided dice (or D). When rolling dice, each 5 or 6 is a Hit; all other results are Misses. If a rule tells you to roll 0D, roll 1D and count only 6s as Hits.

Characters

Attributes

Attributes represent how capable your character is when tackling risky actions or facing consequences. These are:

• Strength: Force, endurance, and resisting physical harm.
• Agility: Reflexes, stealth, and finesse.
• Presence: Awareness, instinct, and influence.
• Willpower: Resolve, magic, and resisting mental strain.

— At character creation, assign these scores to your character’s Attributes in any order: 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Hit Points

Hit Points measure your character’s ability to avoid life-threatening outcomes.

— At character creation, set your character’s Hit Points to 4 + their Strength score + their Agility score.

Slots, Items, and Conditions

Your character has 10 Slots. Slots track items in your character’s inventory. Most items take 1 Slot, small items take none, and large items take 2.

— At character creation, roll on the Kit table that matches your character’s highest Attribute score to get their starting belongings, or use this loadout: shortsword (1D+1 Damage), gambeson (1 Armor), shield, rope, bandages (P6 Uses), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), and torches (P6 Uses).

Conditions can also fill Slots. A Condition is a lasting hindrance, such as “Fatigued”, “Sick”, “Deprived”, or “Poisoned”. When your character gains a Condition, write it in an empty Slot; if none are empty, your character must drop an item to make room. Conditions limit your character and can affect their Position in the fiction. Some Conditions also worsen over time, filling additional slots.

Conditions are cleared only by actions in the fiction that address them, such as resting, or treating the underlying cause. Some Conditions are lasting and cannot be cleared.

Advancements

When your character reaches a major milestone, they gain an Advancement. Increase their maximum Hit Points by 2 and raise an Attribute score by 1, to a maximum of 6.

Core Rules

Checks

When your character faces a risky challenge, make a Check by rolling a number of dice equal to the most relevant Attribute score and interpret the roll as follows to determine whether the action succeeds or not.

• 2+ Hits: Your character succeeds at their action. The more Hits, the better the result.
• 1 Hit: Your character partially succeeds at their action or succeeds but there is a cost.
• 0 Hits: Your character fails their action and there is a cost.

— The cost of a Check could be a reduced effect, wasted time, taking Damage, suffering a new Condition, or something else.

PUSH: After a Check, you may have your character push themselves, rerolling all Misses. You must then add a new “Fatigued” Condition to one of your character’s Slots.

Damage & Critical Saves

When a threat harms your character, they lose a number of Hit Points equal to the Damage dealt or suffer a new Condition. When they reach 0 Hit Points, or when all their Slots are filled by Conditions, make a Critical Save by rolling a number of dice equal to the most relevant Attribute score to determine whether they stay standing or fall.

• 1+ Hits: Your character is wounded but endures.
• 0 Hits: Your character is taken out and dying. If helped in time, they wake after a Long Rest with all Hit Points restored.

After the roll, reduce your character’s Attribute score by 1 for every Miss, up to a maximum of 2.

— Attribute scores cannot go below 0. Taking Damage while at 0 Hit Points, or suffering a new Condition while all Slots are filled by Conditions, triggers another Critical Save.

Position

When the fiction makes circumstances more or less favorable for a Check, Critical Save, or other roll, set the roll’s Position and interpret the roll as follows:

• Absolute: With success assured, no roll is made.
• Good: With an advantage, a 4, 5, or 6 counts as a Hit.
• Standard: By default, a 5 or 6 counts as a Hit.
• Bad: With a disadvantage, only a 6 counts as a Hit.
• Impossible: With no chance of success, no roll is made.

— A strong plan, the right equipment, or exploiting a weakness can improve a roll’s Position. Haste, broken gear, hindering Conditions, or poor lighting can make it worse.

Combat

When combat begins, the initiating side usually acts first, in any order they wish, then the other side acts, and both sides continue alternating each round. On their turn, each participant can move a short distance and perform one action.

Attacks are detailed below, and for other risky maneuvers, the outcome is resolved by making a Check.

• Weapons: Weapons deal Damage to an individual’s Hit Points based on the Weapon’s listed Damage roll. Damage rolls usually range from 1D-1 to 1D+3.
• Armor: Armor protects its wearer by reducing Damage to their Hit Points by a fixed amount. Armor scores usually range from 1 to 3.
• Shields: Shields reduce Damage by 1 in addition to Armor. A Shield can be sacrificed to reduce one attack to 1 Damage.
• Enemies: Enemies have a fixed number of Hit Points, a set of attacks or Weapons with listed Damage rolls, and sometimes wear Armor or bear Shields.

— Weak enemy: 1-5 Hit Points • 1D Damage.

— Standard enemy: 5-8 Hit Points • 1D+1 Damage.

— Dangerous enemy: 8-13 Hit Points • 1D+2 Damage.

— Deadly enemy: 13+ Hit Points • 1D+3 Damage.

ATTACK: When a character or enemy attacks, roll the Damage listed for the attack or Weapon. If the defender wears Armor, bears a Shield, or both, calculate the total Damage reduction and subtract it from the incoming Damage. The defender loses a number of Hit Points equal to the remaining Damage.

— Attacking from a Bad Position always deals 1D-1 Damage, regardless of the Weapon used. Attacking from a Good Position always deals 1D+3 Damage.

— When an attack’s Damage is unclear, assign a fair value based on the situation and the established fiction.

Recovery

When your character takes a Short Rest of about 10 minutes, roll 1D and recover that many Hit Points. When your character takes a Long Rest of about 8 hours, they restore all Hit Points and 1 point to one Attribute score.

Magic

Whenever your character casts a spell, the spell takes effect immediately. Afterward, make a Willpower Check; with 0 Hits, the spell takes a toll and you must add a new “Fatigued” Condition to one of your character’s Slots.

Tools

Pools

A Pool is a set of dice that tracks an event, resource, challenge, or pressure that changes over time.

Pools usually start with 2, 4, 6, or 8 dice, written as P2, P4, P6, or P8. Whenever a Pool is rolled, reduce its size by 1 die for every Miss, up to a maximum of 2 dice per roll.

When a Pool is emptied, the fiction changes and the Pool is cleared.

Common Pool types include.

• Usage Pool: Abstracts an item’s remaining quantity, or durability, such as ammunition, rations, or gear under strain. Roll when the item is consumed, or put under pressure. You do not need to use these for every item. Use them when tracking each use would slow play, when gear is close to breaking after heavy use, or when an item wearing out would create an interesting consequence.
• Event Pool: Abstracts the time left before an event happens, such as danger closing in, a torch burning out, or a faction reaching its goal. Roll an Event Pool when time passes or when something in the fiction would bring the event closer to happening.
• Strain Pool: Abstracts how long a character can keep going under pressure, such as through exhaustion, fear, pain, or failing morale. Roll when that pressure bears down on them to see how long they can hold together before they give in, break, flee, collapse, or change course.

Fortune Rolls

When the outcome of an event or action is uncertain, make a Fortune Roll by framing the situation as a yes-or-no question, then rolling a number of dice based on how likely the outcome feels.

• If it feels very likely, roll 4D.
• If it feels likely, roll 3D.
• If the odds feel even, roll 2D.
• If it feels unlikely, roll 1D.
• If it feels very unlikely, roll 0D.

Interpret the result of the roll as follows:

• 2+ Hits: The answer is yes; extra Hits amplify the effect.
• 1 Hit: The answer is yes, but there is a twist or a setback.
• 0 Hits: The answer is no, and there is a twist or a setback.

— You can also use an Attribute score as the roll if a character’s abilities can influence the outcome.

Extras

Belongings

Match your character’s highest Attribute to one of the Kit tables below. Then roll on that table or choose an option to determine your additional belongings.

Kits

Strength Kits

Roll 1D

1D	Strength Kit
1-2	Greatsword (1D+2 Damage, 2 Slots), chainmail (2 Armor, 2 Slots), rope, whetstone, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
3-4	Spear (1D+1 Damage), brigandine (1 Armor, 2 Slots), traps (P6 Uses), crowbar, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
5-6	Mace (1D+1 Damage), shield (+1 Armor), healing herbs (P6 Uses), chain (10ft), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).

Presence Kits

Roll 1D

1D	Presence Kit
1-2	Crossbow (1D+1 Damage, 2 Slots), gambeson (1 Armor), bolts (P6 Uses), lantern, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
3-4	Throwing knives (1D Damage), shield (+1 Armor), disguise kit, poison (P6 Uses), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
5-6	Hand crossbow (1D Damage), shield (+1 Armor), bolts (P6 Uses), mirror, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).

Agility Kits

Roll 1D

1D	Agility Kit
1-2	Daggers (1D Damage), gambeson (1 Armor), lockpicks (P6 Uses), rope, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
3-4	Shortsword (1D+1 Damage), shield (+1 Armor), crowbar, caltrops, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
5-6	Daggers (1D Damage), shield (+1 Armor), poison (P6 Uses), smoke powder (P6 Uses), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).

Willpower Kits

Roll 1D

1D	Willpower Kit
1-2	Quarterstaff (1D+1 Damage), shield (+1 Armor), spellbook, holy symbol, 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
3-4	Dagger (1D Damage), gambeson (1 Armor), spellbook, reagents (P6 Uses), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).
5-6	Staff (1D+1 Damage), gambeson (1 Armor), spellbook, antidote (P6 Uses), 1D×10 coins, rations (P6 Uses), torches (P6 Uses).

Details

Use these tables to help flesh out characters or spellbooks.

Physique

Roll 1D6

1D6	Physique
1	Lean
2	Broad
3	Tall
4	Short
5	Muscular
6	Scarred

Look

Roll 1D6

1D6	Look
1	Calm
2	Sharp
3	Tired
4	Focused
5	Cold
6	Gentle

Physical Spell

Roll 1D6

1D6	Physical Spell
1	Flame
2	Frost
3	Stone
4	Storm
5	Blood
6	Bone

Ethereal Spell

Roll 1D6

1D6	Ethereal Spell
1	Shadow
2	Spirit
3	Dream
4	Mind
5	Light
6	Fate

Age

Roll 1D6

1D6	Age
1	Very young
2	Young
3	Adult
4	Middle-aged
5	Older
6	Ancient

Speech

Roll 1D6

1D6	Speech
1	Quiet
2	Rough
3	Clear
4	Warm
5	Fast
6	Slow

Effects

Roll 1D6

1D6	Effects
1	Burn
2	Freeze
3	Shatter
4	Push
5	Bind
6	Shape

Effects cont.

Roll 1D6

1D6	Effects cont.
1	Reveal
2	Curse
3	Charm
4	Drain
5	Silence
6	Veil

Community

Find other Boundless players and creators in the Fari RPGs’ Discord server! Come organize games, share ideas, and ask questions.

Join our community at farirpgs.com/discord.

This Game is Boundless

This game is available under an open license, as outlined below, enabling you to distribute and modify the text within the bounds of the license. To make your own Boundless game, please credit us as:

This product is based on Boundless, published by Fari RPGs (https://farirpgs.com/), developed and authored by René-Pier Deshaies-Gélinas, and is licensed for use under the Open RPG Creative License. This product is licensed under the ORC License held in the Library of Congress at TX 9-307-067 and available online at various locations including www.azoralaw.com/orclicense and others. All warranties are disclaimed as set forth therein.