Introduction ..

1 
 
 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2 
The story so far… ..................................................................................................................... 3 
Controls .................................................................................................................................. 4 
Modes of play .......................................................................................................................... 4 
Our Point of Light campaign setting .......................................................................................... 4 
Places and people ................................................................................................................... 7 
Rules .................................................................................................................................... 10 
Credits .................................................................................................................................. 32 
Technical support and feedback ............................................................................................ 33 
 
   

Introduction

Welcome to Dawnsbury Days!

This is a turn-based tactics RPG: a genre that combines a character-based storyline and

character building with tactical combat based on the rules of PF2E, the second edition of a

powerful tabletop OGL ruleset. In the main adventure path, you lead a group of four colorful

characters through a campaign of encounters, fighting against kobolds, undead and eventually

even demons, you acquire loot, you level up and improve your abilities and you learn more about

your enemy, until eventually — hopefully — you save the town of Dawnsbury from all threats.

I’ve been creating video games for a long time – since the early 2000’s – and it has never ceased

being fun. The feeling of writing code into your editor’s text box followed by the computer screen

manifesting exactly what you wrote is something I’ve always loved. And I love collaborative

projects like Dawnsbury Days even more: the only thing I’ve had more with than coding is

interacting with the many artists, voice actors, patrons, designers and testers who contributed

to the game.

Dawnsbury Days is based on Quest for the Golden Candelabra, a project I developed in the

spring of 2023, but is substantially larger and was much more difficult to develop. It is my first

commercial project, and I’ve done many things for the first time here. I’ve had a lot of even if the

fact that I had an audience, fans, and people eagerly awaiting the game’s release also proved

stressful. There are certainly subtle mental health risks to having a full-time job and then

spending your free time on still more development, and I did not account for all of them.

But I think I’ve dealt with them effectively, and I hope the end result of game development here is

a fun game that you’ll enjoy, too, perhaps even as much as I enjoyed creating it. So please, open

up the game and enjoy the adventure! And if you do, your game doesn’t need to end there. There

are more difficult encounters ready outside the main adventure path, and even more on the

Steam workshop and beyond!

Good luck,

Petr Hudeček,

Designer and director

The story so far…

Our Point of Light.

Plane floating through the endless Void, bearing a blossoming civilization.

Until seven years ago when during a single night, thousands upon thousands of rocks and

stones smashed into the surface of Our Point of Light. This was the Night of the Shooting Stars

and the beginning of this latest time of danger and turmoil.

The Night passed but its consequences did not. From the rocks that fell onto the Western

Reaches emerged otherworldly monsters who began to conquer and consume our lands.

The Kingdom mobilized and we assembled great armies for the first time since ages to hold the

line against these outsiders. We have been only partly successful.

A front line emerged between the demons and our lands, and the war came to a stalemate, with

men and women siphoned off the Kingdom to reinforce the defensive line, leaving precious few

to protect towns like Dawnsbury from the more ordinary threats of marauding orcs and kobolds.

Perhaps worse still, the volcano in that corner of the world has started erupting with a terrifying

regularity. The citizens of Dawnsbury are afraid and time has come for heroes take up the burden

of responsibility and save this beautiful town from the sinister clouds gathering over it.

(Our Point of Light art by Dummyleech)

Controls

In general:

• Left click to take action.

• Right click to close an open submenu or cancel the targeting of a spell or ability.

In character editor and inventory screens also:

• Left click to select or deselect a feat or character option.

• Items:

o Drag-and-drop to move items between characters.

o Drag-and-drop an item from the shop to a character’s inventory to buy it, or put it

in the shop to sell it for half price.

• Spells:

o Left click to select or deselect a spell for a spontaneous spellcaster.

o Drag-and-drop a spell from the spell list onto a slot to prepare it in that slot for a

prepared spellcaster.

o Drag a spell out of a slot and into empty space to remove it from the slot.

• Inventory:

o You start the encounter with up to 2 items in your hands and an armor. The rest of

the items are in your inventory, and you can draw them during the encounter.

o Some items in the inventory can be “worn” which happens automatically. For

example, if you put “+1 handwraps of mighty blows”, they will become worn

automatically and improve your unarmed attacks.

In main battle screen also:

• Middle click or press Space or Enter to end the turn. (This can be configured in Settings.)

• W, S, A, D or move mouse to the edge of the screen to move the map around.

• You can use the cheat code Ctrl+Shift+V to immediately kill all enemies on the map.

Modes of play

There are two ways to play:

• In story mode, you build your party and then play the encounters in the main adventure

path at your chosen difficulty one-by-one, gaining items and levels as you go. In this

mode, each level has an opening and closing cutscene and you must play as Anna,

Tok’dar, Scarlet and Saffi — but you can choose their ancestries, classes, feats, spells

and items!

• In free encounter mode, you can choose and play any encounter you want, including

many encounters that don’t exist in the main adventure path. Some of them are easy and

some are very difficult. You begin each encounter fully refreshed with all of your powers.

Here’s also where you’ll find any encounters you download from the Steam workshop or

elsewhere or that you create yourself.

Our Point of Light campaign setting

Points of Light

The Void is a scary infinite nothingness.

But through this incomprehensible expanse float hundreds of worlds just like ours: the Points of

Light. We've catalogued them all: seven hundred and thirty-seven stars in our night sky, and a

further seven hundred and sixty-two visible from the mythical Other Side of our plane. Together,

a grand total of 1,499 worlds. Including our own, this makes for an even 1,500 Points of Light, the

tiny specks of life in the vast universe.

Each Point of Light, we imagine, is just like our own: a large rectangular plane with a landmass

surrounded on all sides by a narrow ocean that falls down in an eternal waterfall into the Void

where the water seemingly ceases to exist. Each Point of Light, we think, is then accompanied

by its own sun and moon, orbiting around it and providing for day and night for its two sides.

Each of these worlds, we infer, must, much like ours, also have its own gods and goddesses to

guide it through its endless journey.

But for what purpose have these 1,500 worlds been floating through the infinite Void? Only the

gods may say, and they're not telling.

Our Point of Light

The plane we're inhabiting, Our Point of Light, has been fully mapped-out from the Western

Reaches through the Frozen North and Blooming South, out towards the Eastern Dawnlands

where, in the very most south-eastern corner of the continent lies the small town of Dawnsbury.

Each morning, citizens of Dawnsbury can look to the horizon and see the waters of the sea fall

off in a giant waterfall into the Void and observe the sun as it rises from the endless nothingness

to begin the new day.

Each of the four regions is further divided into three subregions, and it's these twelve subregions

which each nominate a councilmember to sit on the High Council which oversees the Kingdom.

Dawnsbury is a relatively minor town but it enjoys a privileged position due to being the

birthplace and home of Archibald Dawnbringer, and the councilmember from the south-eastern

region thus traditionally comes from Dawnsbury.

The Kingdom, while welcoming all peoples, is essentially human-led, with both the king and ten

of the twelve councilmembers belonging to this ancestry. But the king himself has a largely

ceremonial role, and even the High Council's power is limited as subregions are quite capable of

self-administering. Despite the weak central administration, wars between towns and peoples

are rare, and soldiers are trained more to fight dire wildlife, magical beasts and bandit tribes

than organized armies.

Many deities make their presence known on Our Point of Light and divide between themselves

the natural portfolio of our world. The most worshipped deity is The Oracle, who is unique

among deities in that she communicates with us through words, often clearly and with their

meaning plain, and thus also serves as the mouthpiece for all the deities. But even if the Oracle

often speaks with us and gives advice, on many points she remains silent and in particular is

adamant that we never venture into the Void or try to learn the purpose of Our Point of Light,

which of course didn't stop many from foolishly trying anyway.

Many, for example, believe that the answers to these great questions lie on the Other Side of our

plane, and they try to reach that mythical place: some with magic, others digging through

underground dungeons, and still others try to sail down the great waterfalls. Some even claim to

have been to the Other Side and describe a desolate, inhospitable landscape, but their reports

are questionable. Perhaps the Oracle is right, and we're just not meant to go there.

Time of the Broken Sun

Perhaps only one man's account of the Other Side could be trusted: that of Archibald

Dawnbringer who ended the Time of the Broken Sun.

As we have seen, the sun and the moon revolve around Our Point of Light in an infinite day-night

cycle, but one night, a hundred and twenty years ago, the moon froze in the night sky, and didn't

set, and the sun didn't dawn. That was the beginning of the Time of the Broken Sun, with the

moon hanging eternally, unmoving just over the horizon.

This was a harsh era of war and darkness where old empires crumbled, alliances broke down

and monsters surged into our lands. The accounts from this time are heart-wrenching. Many

tried to turn to the gods for help or solace, but all of our deities fell silent, and our clerics could

cast no spells even as we experienced one crop failure after another. And without clerics, we

couldn't even well defend against the roving undead who seemed only empowered by the long

night. But — somehow — we lived through this night that lasted fifteen years.

We lasted long enough for Archibald Dawnbringer and his expedition to the Other Side.

Archibald Dawnbringer

Archibald from Dawnsbury became a celebrated hero long before his expedition. In his travels

through the darkness covering Our Point of Light, he managed to reestablish contact with a sliver

of The Blooming Flower, the goddess of spring, and with this, he ordained the first spell-

empowered clerics since the beginning of the Time of the Broken Sun. With clerics, we could

start turning the tide against the undead and reclaim land and we could start summoning food to

help with the worst of starvation.

But Archibald and his party grew even more powerful. In his Grand Tour, he cleared a path to all

four corners of the world and built a guard post at each corner, for a purpose that he wouldn't

say. And then, finally, it came time for his expedition to the deepest layers of the deepest

underground dungeon, and from there even further, to the Other Side where the sun had been

stuck for fifteen years.

Neither he nor his party ever revealed what they saw or did on their expedition, but they came

back just in time to experience the first dawn after the long darkness.

He became Archibald Dawnbringer instantly. He was not done with great works — after ending

the Time of the Broken Sun, he laid the foundation of the Kingdom and its High Council, and he

wrought the wondrous Golden Candelabra into existence and many other deeds besides, but

none could ever match that he was the person who brought back the sun.

And all was well for a hundred years.

Night of the Shooting Stars

All was well until seven years ago, when during a single night thousands upon thousands of

rocks and stones smashed into the surface of Our Point of Light. This was the Night of the

Shooting Stars and the beginning of this latest time of danger and turmoil.

The Night passed but its consequences did not. While most of the fallen rocks were harmless

debris, many of them posed more active danger. Some poisoned the surrounding landscape,

and some warped magic, gravity or the very air around them. But the greatest danger ultimately

came from the rocks that fell onto the Western Reaches, from which emerged otherworldly

monsters who began to conquer and consume our lands.

The Kingdom mobilized and, guided by the gods, we assembled great armies for the first time

since ages, to hold the line against these outsiders. We have been only partly successful. These

monsters, which we came to call "demons", have not so far managed to break through the

defensive lines along the mountain range on the edge of the Western Reaches, but neither have

we managed to push the demons back.

And even as the war is at a stalemate, men and women are being siphoned off the Kingdom to

reinforce the defensive line, leaving precious few to protect towns like Dawnsbury from the more

ordinary threats of marauding orcs and kobolds. Perhaps worse still for Dawnsbury, the volcano

at the corner of the world has been erupting with a terrifying regularity since the Night of the

Shooting Stars and the citizens of Dawnsbury now live in a constant fear that one day, the

volcano might unleash its full might and end Dawnsbury forever.

The Dawnsbury Four

It is at this time that four young adventurers have assembled in Dawnsbury. Calling themselves

the Dawnsbury Four, they have been training dutifully under the tutelage of their mentor, the

retired adventurer Roderick, and they declared and pledged that they will do whatever they can

to protect their precious town of Dawnsbury from all dangers, and they will save it if necessary.

These four loyal friends are proud of their hometown, full of optimism, and eager for adventure,

and Roderick already has a plan for their first quest. Now, after years of preparation, they may

finally be ready for it.

And it's nothing less than to recover the Golden Candelabra, the protective artifact of immense

power wrought by Archibald Dawnbringer himself. With the artifact, our friends would bring hope

back to Dawnsbury and strength to its citizens that they may withstand kobold raids, rising of the

undead and any other dangers that may appear to threaten it.

I wish them good luck.

Places and people

The main Dawnsbury Days adventure path follows the first quests of the Dawnsbury Four, a

young adventuring group, and takes places in and around the beautiful town of Dawnsbury.

Dawnsbury

Dawnsbury is the settlement at the edge of the world – literally: Each morning, citizens of

Dawnsbury can look to the horizon and see the waters of the sea fall off in a giant waterfall into

the void and observe the sun as it rises from the endless nothingness to begin the new day.

Except that since the Night of the Shooting Stars seven years ago, the sky has been darkened

and faded by the ceaseless volcanic eruptions and even on clearer days, such cosmic

spectacles as the rising of the sun prove of little value to the people of Dawnsbury who worry

every day that their settlement might be raided by the kobolds the next day…

Abandoned temple

Dawnsbury has long been protected by the Golden Candelabra, an artifact stationed in its

temple nestled against the mountains. However, shortly after the Night of the Shooting Stars, the

temple was overrun and the Candelabra was lost. Dawnsbury built a new replacement temple,

the Temple of the Dawnbringer, right next to the town itself, but the important artifact was never

recovered.

And thus, the very first quest of the Dawnsbury Four is to go again into the abandoned temple

and retrieve the Candelabra.

Volcanic island

Dawnsbury faces many threats and many of them can be killed, but some are more insidious:

After the Night of the Shooting Stars, something went wrong on the volcano just off the coast of

Dawnsbury and it has been erupting ever since. After seven years of ash-filled skies, the hopes

of Dawnsbury citizens are muted and the town is ever so slowly dying down.

A successful return of the Golden Candelabra would raise hopes once again, but if the skies

aren’t cleared, it will ultimately be only a temporary reprieve.

Archibald

Archibald Dawnbringer was a master wizard who once put an end to everlasting night. After he

brought back the sun, he was instrumental in the creation of the Kingdom and he wrought the

Golden Candelabra, a magical artifact linked inextricably with the town and people of

Dawnsbury, and through generations this artifact has empowered the town where Archibald

himself grew up.

Archibald’s sanctum

During his time, Archibald created many caches and hidden safehouses throughout the plane,

including one in Dawnsbury itself. Often these sanctums are not only hidden but also locked

and protected by guardians, and Archibald himself was quite secretive about what they contain,

including to his friends.

Roderick

Voice actor: Robert Eccles

Roderick is a retired adventurer who was one of the few capable warriors who

stayed behind in Dawnsbury when the stars fell. Over the past seven years, he

taught the Dawnsbury Four all they could learn and now he’s finally ready to let

them out into the world on their own.

The Dawnsbury Four

The Dawnsbury Four are our heroes, a group of inseparable friends who are determined to save

their town from all the dangers that might beset it.

Annacoesta

Voice actor: Stephanie Scaturro

Annacoesta (often shortened to Anna) is the leader of the Dawnsbury Four.

She is wise, contemplative, mature, motherly and confident. She knows how

to speak to each party member and how to bolster the team’s morale.

Scarlet

Voice actor: Skylar Artaggat

Scarlet is quiet, introverted, analytical and perceptive. She speaks little and

tersely but everything she says matters. And while she prefers to sit in silence,

she enjoys the company of her friends immensely and will fiercely defend

them in case of need.

Saffi

Voice actor: Michelle Goff

Saffi is the youngest member of the team. He is inexperienced and excitable,

but ready to prove himself and quite capable of both holding his own in

combat and supporting his allies with powerful buffs.

Tok’dar

Voice actor: Jeff Rosenau

Tok’dar is the newest member of the team who abandoned his orc tribe to

become a Dawnsbury citizen and a member of the Dawnsbury Four. Like his

tribemates, he is proud and enjoys battle. But unlike them, he is noble, cares

for his friends and conducts himself with the highest respect.

Foes

In the Dawnsbury Days adventure path, you will come across a variety of enemies, such as the

following.

Kobolds and orcs

Kobold bandit groups and marauding orc tribes have plagued the

surroundings of Dawnsbury even before the Night of the Shooting Stars but

with most of humanity’s soldiers gone from the area, their threat is now ever

more present. And it looks like some of them may have now allied with even

darker powers…

Kobolds and orcs are intelligent foes who will try to flank you and may even use spells and

advanced powers.

Undead

Dark dungeons inherently attract negative energies that give rise to the

undead — zombies, skeletons, and worse. Individually, undead can

sometimes be weak but they can overwhelm you. They are, however, often

vulnerable to the positive energies that a cleric can summon, and especially

to the spell heal, which harms the undead.

Elementals

Elementals are outsiders — creatures not from this plane, and they come

through via portals or summoning. Some of them are weak — such as

mephits — while some of them are ancient guardians and fearsome opponents.

Elementals themselves start out unaligned, but summoned elementals obey their summoner

completely, and ancient elementals take on a mysterious intelligence and purpose known

perhaps only to the gods.

Demons

Demons are outsiders that have only recently appeared on our plane. They

came out of the meteors that crashed during the Night of the Shooting Stars.

Demons are dangerous and evil opponents, destroying everything in their path.

Starborn

The most powerful demons are the starborn, also called “demon lords”. These

powerful demons are leading the war in the Western Reaches, and while there

appear to be only six of them in total, we have not yet succeeding in defeating

even a single one.

Character options

The game features the following ancestries, classes, feats and spells. This manual doesn’t give

the description of what all of these do, but you can find in the System Reference Document

accompanying this game or you can search for these names on the internet or in the official

rulebooks of tabletop game.

• Ancestries: Dwarf, Elf, Human, Orc

• Backgrounds: Free Background, Natural Leader, Protégé of Dawnsbury, Quiet Explorer,

Ward of Dawnsbury

• Classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Fighter, Kineticist, Magus, Psychic, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer,

Strategist, Wizard

• Feats: Ablating Spell , Abundant Spellcasting, Abundant Spellcasting, Abundant

Spellcasting, Abundant Spellcasting, Abundant Spellcasting, Abundant Spellcasting 2,

Abundant Spellcasting 2, Abundant Spellcasting 2, Abundant Spellcasting 2, Abundant

Spellcasting 2, Adopted Ancestry, Adrenaline Rush, Aerial Boomerang , Ancestral

Paragon, Animal Companion, Arcane Fists, Armor in Earth , Armor Proficiency (Heavy),

Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Assisting Shot , Athletic Strategist,

Avenge In Glory , Bespell Weapon, Brutal Beating, Burning Jet , Canny Acumen, Cantrip

Expansion, Cantrip Expansion, Cantrip Expansion, Cantrip Expansion, Cantrip

Expansion, Combat Grab , Communal Healing, Crossbow Ace, Dangerous Sorcery,

Deadly Simplicity, Detective's Readiness, Diehard, Disrupt Prey , Domain Initiate, Double

Shot , Double Slice , Dread Striker, Dwarven Weapon Familiarity, Elven Weapon

Familiarity, Energy Resistance, Exacting Strike , Exploit Weakness, Fast Movement,

Feather Step, Fleet, Force Fang, Forlorn, Four Winds , Fresh Produce , Furious Finish ,

General Energy Resistance, General Training, Gravity Weapon, Greater Focus, Hail of

Splinters , Hardwood Armor , Harming Hands, Healing Hands, Heavy Weapons Expert,

Hunted Shot , Hunter's Aim , Improved Perception, Improved Shared Stratagem,

Improved Untrained Improvisation, Incredible Initiative, Intimidating Glare, Intimidating

Strike , Lesser Fire Shield Stance , Lesser Levitation Stance , Magnetic Pinions , Magus's

Concentration, Mental Buffer, Metal Carapace , Mobility, Multiple Persons of Interest,

Natural Ambition, Natural Skill, Nimble Dodge , Nimble Elf, Ocean's Balm , Orc Ferocity ,

Orc Superstition , Orc Weapon Familiarity, Poison Resistance, Power Attack , Psi Burst ,

Psychic Rapport, Quick Draw, Raging Intimidation, Raging Thrower, Rapid Response ,

Reactive Shield , Reach Spell , Safe Elements, Sap Life, Scalpel's Point, Scorching

Column , Second Wind, Shake it Off , Shard Strike , Shared Stratagem, Shield Block ,

Snagging Strike , Subtle Shaping, Sudden Charge , Swipe , Teach Weakness, Tidal Hands ,

Timber Sentinel , Toughness, Tremor , Tremorsense , Turn Undead, Twin Feint , Twin

Takedown , Unbalancing Blow, Unburdened Iron, United Assault , Versatile Blasts,

Weapon Proficiency: Martial Weapons, Weapon Proficiency: Orc Necksplitter, Weapon

Proficiency: Repeating Hand Crossbow, Widen Spell , Winter's Clutch , Wounded Rage ,

You're Next

• Arcane spells: Acid Splash, Ancient Dust, Daze, Electric Arc, Gale Blast, Chill Touch,

Needle Darts, Phase Bolt, Produce Flame, Ray of Frost, Shield, Telekinetic Projectile,

Warp Step, Burning Hands, Color Spray, Command, Fear, Fleet Step, Friendfetch, Grease,

Grim Tendrils, Hydraulic Push, Kinetic Ram, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon,

Shocking Grasp, Summon Animal, True Strike, Acid Arrow, Blood Vendetta, Blur, Bone

Spray, Flaming Sphere, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Loose Time's Arrow, Mirror Image,

Obscuring Mist, Resist Energy, Summon Elemental, Telekinetic Trip, Touch of Idiocy, Web,

Fireball, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Slow, Confusion, Dimension Door

• Divine spells: Ancient Dust, Daze, Disrupt Undead, Divine Lance, Forbidding Ward,

Guidance, Haunting Hymn, Chill Touch, Needle Darts, Shield, Stabilize, Bane, Bless,

Command, Fear, Harm, Heal, Magic Weapon, Protection, Sanctuary, Blood Vendetta,

Bone Spray, Calm Emotions, Resist Energy, Sound Burst, Spiritual Weapon, Sudden

Blight

• Occult spells: Daze, Forbidding Ward, Guidance, Haunting Hymn, Chill Touch, Needle

Darts, Phase Bolt, Shield, Telekinetic Projectile, Warp Step, Bane, Bless, Color Spray,

Command, Fear, Friendfetch, Grim Tendrils, Kinetic Ram, Mage Armor, Magic Missile,

Magic Weapon, Protection, Sanctuary, True Strike, Blood Vendetta, Blur, Calm Emotions,

Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Loose Time's Arrow, Mirror Image, Resist Energy, Sound

Burst, Spiritual Weapon, Telekinetic Trip, Touch of Idiocy, Haste, Slow, Confusion,

Dimension Door

Rulebook

You can also view all of these rulebook entries in the in-game rulebook.

PF2E rule system

Dawnsbury Days has a combat system based on the PF2E rule system, which also underpins

the second edition of a popular tabletop roleplaying game. This rulebook explains the core

concepts of this combat system, but if you prefer, you can also read an introduction to the

system at the Archives of Nethys or read through the full PF2E System Reference Document.

However, those websites also contain additional rules that Dawnsbury Days don't implement.

Open Game License

The Open Game License is a license that the PF2E ruleset is distributed under. The license also

covers many monsters, items, feats, spells and other game features.

The license is a weak copyleft license and essentially assembles a worldwide collection of

"Open Game Content" which anyone can use in their own products, as long as they distribute

that content under the Open Game License. While the license doesn't say it outright, over the

lifetime of its existence, it has become expected of each such creator to contribute their own

Open Game Content when using it.

Dawnsbury Days thus also contains Open Game Content and contributes its own Open Game

Content. You can find the full list of this content in the game folder as Dawnsbury Days System

Reference Document.html.

Traits

A trait is a keyword that conveys additional information about a rules element. Often, a trait

indicates how other rules interact with an ability, creature, item, or another rules element that

has that trait.

Some but not all traits have an inherent meaning.

Attack. For each attack you make beyond the first on your turn, you take a multiple attack

penalty. Abilities without the attack trait don't apply or increase your multiple attack penalty,

even if they are harming your opponents.

Flourish. You can use only 1 action with the flourish trait per turn.

Incapacitation. Spells with incapacitation are hard to use on powerful characters. Any creature

of more than twice the spell's level treats the result of their check to prevent being incapacitated

by the spell as one degree of success better, or the result of any check the spellcaster made to

incapacitate them as one degree of success worse.

Manipulate. Manipulate actions trigger attacks of opportunity from enemies who can take them.

Casting a two-action or three-action spell is always a manipulate action.

Mindless. A mindless creature, like a zombie, is immune to mental damage and can't be

targeted by mental abilities and spells.

Open. You can use an open only if you haven't used an action with the attack or open trait yet

this turn.

Press. An action with the press trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple

attack penalty.

Visual. Visual spells don't affect blinded or unconscious creatures.

Weapon and armor traits (Bulwark, Disarm, Fatal, ...) have various meanings but they're

explained on the rules block of each such weapon or armor.

Arcane, Divine and Occult are spell traditions. Each spellcaster knows one spell tradition and

can use scrolls that are of that spell tradition (or that they otherwise have access to, such as via

a deity's granted spells). Non-spellcasters and spellcasters of a different tradition cannot use

such scrolls.

Dice notation

The d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20 are notations for different sizes of dice. The d20 is a twenty-

sided die, for example.

A dice formula is written using dice notation and produces a number.

For example, "3d6+4" means "roll three six-sided dice, and add the flat bonus 4".

Dawnsbury Days rolls all dice silently for you using a random number generator.

Modding

You can add custom portraits, maps and adventure pathsx to Dawnsbury Days. With extra effort,

you can make even deeper changes.

Custom portraits. To add your own portraits to be used in Dawnsbury Days, place them in the

CustomPortraits folder if you want them to be wrapped in a golden ring. Or, you can place them

in the CustomPortraitsWithCustomRing folder so that they are used exactly as they are. You will

then be able to select these portraits in the Identity page of the character builder.

Custom maps. To add your custom encounters into Dawnsbury Days, you will need to install

the Tiled map editor. With it, you can then create your own maps and encounters. The guide on

how to create new encounters is in the folder CustomMaps. These new encounters will then be

available to play in the random encounter mode.

Custom adventure paths. To add custom adventure paths into Dawnsbury Days, you'll need to

specify them as XML files. The guide on how to create new adventure paths is in the folder

CustomMaps. These adventure paths will be available to play in story mode.

Advanced modding. If you want to do more advanced modding, such as adding new feats,

spells, classes or other game functionality, you would need to create an assembly to interact

with the main Dawnsbury Days assembly, which is written in .NET. If you'd like assistance, you

can join the official Discord server and use the channel #mod-support.

Character creation

In Dawnsbury Days, you control a party of four characters who work together to defeat

monsters. In the main adventure path, you can't change the names and the basic identity of

each character, but you can customize their abilities. In random encounter mode, everything is

up to you!

To create or customize a character, you will:

1. Customize your identity.

2. Choose an ancestry and heritage.

3. Choose a background.

4. Choose a class.

5. Determine ability scores.

6. Select feats.

7. Select spells (if spellcaster).

8. Choose starting equipment.

Some classes will need you to make additional additional choices.

Ancestry and heritage

Your character's ancestry determines which people they call their own, whether it's diverse and

ambitious humans, insular but vivacious elves, or traditionalist and battle-focused orcs. A

character's ancestry and their experiences prior to their life as an adventurer—represented by a

background—might be key parts of their identity, shape how they see the world, and help them

find their place in it.

A character has one ancestry which you select during character creation.

Ancestries express the culture your character hails from. Within many ancestries are heritages—

subgroups that each have their own characteristics. An ancestry provides ability boosts (and

perhaps ability flaws), Hit Points, ancestry feats, and sometimes additional abilities.

Hit Points. This tells you how many Hit Points your character gains from their ancestry at 1st

level.

Speed. This entry lists how far a member of the ancestry can move each time they spend an

action (such as Stride) to do so.

Ability boosts. This lists the ability scores you apply ability boosts to when creating a character

of this ancestry. Some ancestries provide two ability boosts, some ancestries provide three

ability boosts but also include one ability flaw.

You select a heritage at 1st level to reflect abilities passed down to you from your ancestors or

common among those of your ancestry in the environment where you were born or grew up. You

have only one heritage. A heritage is not the same as a culture or ethnicity, though some cultures

or ethnicities might have more or fewer members from a particular heritage.

At 1st level, you also select an ancestry feat which represents is a special ability granted to you

by your ancestry.

Classes

The rules within each class allow you to bring a wealth of character concepts to life. Perhaps you

want your character to be a muscle-bound swordswoman who becomes as immovable as a

mountain when she hoists a shield. Maybe they'll be a hot-tempered sorcerer whose

gesticulating fingers pulse with light from an angelic ancestor. The choices you make for your

character within their class—such as a cleric's choice of deity, a fighter's choice of weapon, or a

sorcerer's bloodline—bring these visions to life within the context of the rules and the world.

Your class defines what your character can do in combat. A class provides Hit Points, initial

proficiencies, class features, class feats and additional features at higher levels.

Hit Points. This tells you how many Hit Points your character gains from their class at each level.

To determine your character's starting Hit Points, you add together the Hit Points they got when

you chose their ancestry and the amount listed in this entry, which equals your Constitution

modifier plus a fixed number.

Initial proficiencies. Proficiencies measure your character's ability to perform tasks, use

abilities, and succeed at checks. In each weapon, armor, skill, saving throw or other statistic,

you can be Untrained, Trained or Expert. If you're Trained, you get a proficiency bonus to all

checks in that statistic equal to 2 + your level. If you're Expert, your proficiency bonus is 4 + your

level.

Class features. A class gives you some special abilities called 'class features' that distinguish

your class from other classes, such as a rogue's Sneak attack or a sorcerer's spellcasting. These

class features often improve at higher levels.

Class feats. Your character gains class feats—special feats that only members of that class can

access. Class feats are granted beginning at 1st or 2nd level, depending on the class. Class

feats represent additional abilities that your character has.

As you level up, you grow stronger—you gain additional hit points, your proficiency bonuses

increases and you gain additional feats and class features.

Ability scores

One of the most important aspects of your character is their ability scores. These scores

represent your character's raw potential and influence nearly every other statistic of your

character. Determining your ability scores is not done all at once, but instead happens over

several steps during character creation.

Ability scores are split into two main groups: physical and mental. Strength, Dexterity, and

Constitution are physical ability scores, measuring your character's physical power, agility, and

stamina. In contrast, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are mental ability scores and

measure your character's learned prowess, awareness, and force of personality.

Each ability score starts at 10, representing human average, but as you make character choices,

you'll adjust these scores by applying ability boosts, which increase a score, and ability flaws,

which decrease a score:

Ancestry boosts and flaws. Each ancestry provides ability boosts, and sometimes an ability

flaw.

Background. Your character's background provides two ability boosts.

Class. Your character's class provides an ability boost to the ability score most important to

your class, called your key ability score.

Free. You get an additional four more ability boosts of your choice.

An ability boost normally increases an ability score's value by 2. When your character receives

an ability boost, the rules indicate whether it must be applied to a specific ability score or to one

of two specific ability scores, or whether it is a "free" ability boost that can be applied to any

ability score of your choice. However, when you gain multiple ability boosts at the same time,

you must apply each one to a different score.

Your character's class has a key ability: one of the six abilities which is the most important for

your character. The PF2E rule system is balanced around the expectation that you will have an

ability score of 16 or 18 in your key ability.

Your ability score determines your ability modifier: A score of 10 gives you a modifier of +0. A

score of 12 gives you a modifier of +1. A score of 14 gives you a modifier of +2 and so on.

Skills

While your character's ability scores represent their raw talent and potential, skills represent

their training and experience at performing certain tasks. Each skill is keyed to one of your

character's ability scores and used for an array of related actions. Your character's expertise in a

skill comes from several sources, including their background and class.

Each skill is tied to a key ability. You add your modifier for this ability to checks and DCs when

using that skill. For example, hiding behind an obstacle with Stealth uses your Dexterity modifier,

knocking your opponent on the ground uses Athletics, and so on.

Some actions call on you to make a "skill check". To make a skill check, you roll a d20 and add

your skill modifier. To determine this modifier, add your ability modifier for the skill's key ability,

your proficiency bonus for the skill, and any other bonuses and penalties. You then compare the

result to the target DC much like if you were making an attack roll to determine the results of

your action.

Feats

Feats are special abilities that you can choose during character creation. They're generally either

passive abilities that function always, or action options that you can invoke in combat.

General feats are abilities that can be learned by anyone. You gain a general feat of your choice

at level 3.

Ancestry feats are abilities reserved to members of your ancestry. You gain an ancestry feat at

level 1.

Class feats are abilities reserved to members of your class. You gain class feats at levels

determined by your class.

Spells

Characters of some classes can cast spells. A spell is a discrete magical effect that a character

can manifest by casting it.

When building your spellcaster character, you will need to choose what spells you'll be capable

of casting. How exactly this works depends on whether your class has prepared spellcasting or

spontaneous spellcasting.

Equipment

Your character starts out with 15 gold pieces to spend on items to buy from the shop. If you play

a martial character like a fighter, you should use this money to buy a weapon and armor. If you

play a sorcerer, you don't have any immediate need of this money because you don't need

weapons and you can't wear armor, so you can buy consumable items like scrolls or potions

instead.

In the main adventure path, you earn additional gold as you go through encounters.

In random encounter mode, you can select any equipment you want, and you don't need to pay

for it, though the game still keeps track of the total worth of your equipment and warns you if you

are too rich for your level.

To use a weapon or armor effectively and gain its proficiency bonus, you must be proficient with

it. Using a weapon or armor you're not proficient with is possible, but not recommended: you will

almost never hit with a weapon you're not proficient with, and armor you're not proficient with

will almost always make your total AC less than if you didn't wear armor at all. Different classes

are proficient with different weapons and armor.

Level up

In the main adventure path, you begin at level 1 and then advance to higher levels later. As you

level up, your HP, proficiency bonuses and other abilities improve. During each level up, you

must make additional choices, especially to select new feats that your character will have.

Encounter structure

An encounter is played out in a series of rounds, during which the player characters, adversaries,

and other participants in the encounter act in a sequence of turns. Each round represents 6

seconds of time in the game world.

A round begins when the participant with the highest initiative roll result starts their turn, and it

ends when the one with the lowest initiative ends their turn. The process of taking a turn is

detailed below. Creatures might also act outside their turns with reactions.

An encounter usually ends when all participants on one side are dead or unconscious, though

some encounters have other victory or defeat conditions.

A creature's turn consists of several steps:

1. Start your turn. Effects you created that last for a certain number of turns count down, and

you regain your 3 actions and 1 reaction. If you haven't spent your reaction from your last turn,

you lose it—you can't "save" actions or reactions from one turn to use during the next turn.

2. Act. You can take any combat actions you want in any order, any number of times, but you

only have 3 actions total to spend, and some combat actions, such as casting spells, cost two or

three actions to use. The most common combat actions are Stride (an action that lets you move

up to your speed) and Strike (an action that allows you to make an attack with your equipped

weapon).

3. End your turn. Effects that last until end of turn end, spells that require sustaining but weren't

sustained end, persistent damage applies and your roll a recovery check, and you lose any

unspent actions.

After that, it's time for the next creature in the initiative order to take its turn.

Anatomy of a stat block

When you mouse over a character or a monster, you can see their statistics and abilities:

(1) Name.

(2) Level is a rough estimate of the creature's power.

(3) Traits are sometimes referenced by spells or effects.

(4) Perception is added to a d20 roll at the beginning of combat to determine the creature's

initiative. Creatures with higher Perception more often go first in combat.

(5) Skills determine the success chance of some actions such as Trip or Demoralize. If a

creature isn't trained in a skill, it uses the skill's key ability instead.

(6) Abilities. A creature's Str is added to its melee attack and damage. A creature's Dex is added

to its ranged attack.

(7) Defenses. AC (Armor Class) determines how hard it is to land a Strike on a creature. Fort,

Ref and Will are "saving throws". A creature that would be affected by a magical effect often

needs to make a specific saving throw to resist.

(8) HP. When a monster's HP reaches 0, it dies. When HP of one of your characters reaches 0, he

or she begins Dying.

(9) Speed. In a single Stride, a creature can move this distance. One square of the battlemap

corresponds to 5 feet, and most creatures have a speed of 25 feet, so most creatures can move

5 squares in a turn. Moving diagonally is more costly.

(10) Attacks. A creature can make a Strike with any of its weapons. To do so, it makes an attack

roll, and if it hits, it deals damage.

(11) Abilities. All heroes and many monsters have special abilities listed here.

(12) Reactions. Some creatures can take reactions in response to various events. They are listed

here. A creature can only take one reaction per round.

Movement and speed

Each creature has a speed measure in feet that determines how far it can move with a single

Stride action. Each square of the battlemap is 5 feet wide, so a creature with a speed of 25 feet

can move up to 5 squares away.

Because moving diagonally covers more ground, that movement counts differently. The first

square of diagonal movement you make in a turn counts as 5 feet, but the second counts as 10

feet, and your count thereafter alternates between the two.

There are five different actions you can use to move to a different square: Stride, Step, Crawl,

Tumble Through and Sneak. The game automatically picks the best possible action for you.

Normally, if you click to move to another square, you Stride: You move a distance up to your

speed.

If you only move 5 feet (1 square), you Step: A Step doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity from

enemies. You can't normally Step into difficult terrain.

If you're somehow prone, you can only move around with Crawl: You move one square only.

If you're currently hiding from another creature and you move only up to half your speed, you

Sneak: You have a chance to become or remain undetected.

If the only way to reach your target square is to pass through one enemy creature, you Tumble

Through: You roll an Acrobatics check against the enemy's Reflex DC. If you succeed, you move

through the enemy. If you fail, your movement ends on the square before you'd enter into the

enemy's square.

Anatomy of an action

When you mouse over a combat action (an attack, spell or ability), you see how it works:

(1) Name.

(2) Number of actions. Each combat action costs between zero and three actions to use. You

must spend that many actions to take that combat action. Some combat actions are reactions:

they happen automatically in response to certain triggers and don't cost an action to use.

However, you can only use one reaction each round.

(3) Traits are sometimes referred to by spells or effects.

(4) In italics, a flavorful description of what the spell looks like.

(5) Target, if present, shows how many creatures you can affect with this spell or action.

(6) Range, if present, shows the maximum distance from you that a target can be.

(7) Area, if present, shows the area-of-effect of the spell. This could be a burst or emanation (like

a fireball), a cone (emanating from you) or a line (also emanating from you).

(8) Saving throw, if present, shows the saving throw the target of the spell will make to attempt

to reduce the effect of the spell

(9) A rules description of the spell or action

(10) A rules description of what happens if the result of the main check or saving throw is a

critical success, success, failure or critical failure. If a failure isn't mentioned, it usually means

the spell or action does nothing on a failure. If critical success isn't mentioned, it usually means

the spell doesn't have an additional effect on a critical success. In any case, if the spell has a

"basic" saving throw, the rules of basic saving throws apply.

Basic actions

There are some actions that each creature always has access to:

- Movement actions such as Step, Stride, Crawl and Sneak.

- Item and attack actions granted by the items the creature is holding, such as weapons, shields,

scrolls or potions.

- Inventory actions such as picking up items from the ground, dropping them on the ground,

stowing them in your inventory or taking them up from your inventory.

- Maneuvers, which are split into attack maneuvers such as Disarm which apply and increase

your multiple attack penalty, and other maneuvers such as Demoralize which don't apply your

multiple attack penalty.

Reactions

At the beginning of each of your turns, you regain your reaction. By default, a creature doesn't

have any way to use the reaction but some feats, spells and monster abilities give you ways to

use your reaction. In any case, you can only use your reaction once, and then you can't use

reactions until the beginning of your next turn when you regain it.

The most common reaction characters and monsters have is attack of opportunity. If you have

attack of opportunity, then whenever a creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a

move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it's using, you can

make a free melee Strike against the provoking creature as a reaction. In addition, if your attack

is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action.

The d20 check

Many times in Dawnsbury Days, you need to make an attack roll, a saving throw, a skill check, a

flat check or a recovery check. All of these are d20 checks, or just "checks" for short. To make a

check:

1. Roll a d20 and identify the modifiers, bonuses, and penalties that apply. Some checks are flat

checks — they are a pure d20 roll and no modifiers apply.

2. Calculate the result.

3. Compare the result to the difficulty class (DC). Each action states what DC its check is

compared to. For an attack roll, this will usually be the defending creature's Armor Class (AC).

For a saving throw, this will usually be the spell save DC of the spell you're trying to defend from.

4. Determine the degree of success and the effect. A check can have one of four results:

critical failure, failure, success, and critical success. Each action defines what happens on each

of these results.

If your result is equal to or greater than the DC, the check is a success, otherwise it's a failure.

If your result meets or exceeds the DC by 10 or more, it's a critical success. If you fail a check by

10 or more, it's a critical failure.

If you rolled a 20 on the die (a "natural 20"), your result becomes one degree of success better

than it would be by numbers alone. If you roll a 1 on the d20 (a "natural 1"), your result becomes

one degree worse. This means that a natural 20 usually results in a critical success and natural 1

usually results in a critical failure. However, if you were going up against a very high DC, you

might get only a success with a natural 20, or even a failure if 20 plus your total modifier is 10 or

more below the DC. Likewise, if your modifier for a statistic is so high that adding it to a 1 from

your d20 roll exceeds the DC by 10 or more, you can succeed even if you roll a natural 1!

If a feat, magic item, spell, or other effect does not list a critical success or critical failure, treat

is as an ordinary success or failure instead.

Attack roll

When you use a Strike action or any other action with the Attack trait, you attempt a check called

an attack roll. There are three main types of attack rolls: melee attack rolls, ranged attack rolls,

and spell attack rolls.

Your melee attack roll is: d20 roll + Strength modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses +

penalties.

Your ranged attack roll is: d20 roll + Dexterity modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses +

penalties.

Your spell attack roll is: d20 roll + ability modifier used for spellcasting + proficiency bonus +

other bonuses + penalties.

When attacking with a weapon, whether melee or ranged, you add your proficiency bonus for the

weapon you're using. Your class determines your proficiency rank for various weapons.

Sometimes, you'll have different proficiency ranks for different weapons. It is almost never a

good idea to attack with a weapon you have no proficiency with because you will have no

proficiency bonus.

Other bonuses and penalties come from a variety of sources, the most important of which is the

multiple attack penalty.

Armor class

Attack rolls are compared to a special difficulty class called an Armor Class (AC), which

measures how hard it is for your foes to hit you with Strikes and other attack actions.

Your Armor Class (AC) is 10 + Dexterity modifier (up to your armor's Dex Cap) + item bonus +

proficiency bonus + other bonuses + penalties.

Use the proficiency bonus for the category (light, medium, or heavy) or the specific type of armor

you're wearing. If you're not wearing armor, use your proficiency in unarmored defense.

Other bonuses and penalties come from a variety of sources, the most important of which is the

flat-footed penalty which is most often caused by flanking.

Bonuses and penalties

There are three types of other bonuses that frequently appear: circumstance bonuses, item

bonuses, and status bonuses. If you have different types of bonus that would apply to the same

roll, you'll add them all. But if you have multiple bonuses of the same type, you can use only the

highest bonus on a given roll—in other words, they don't "stack." For instance, if you have both a

circumstance bonus and an item bonus, you add both to your d20 result, but if you have two

status bonuses that could apply to the same check, you add only the higher of the two.

Circumstance bonuses typically involve the situation you find yourself in when attempting a

check. For instance, using Raise a Shield with a steel shield grants you a +2 circumstance bonus

to AC.

Item bonuses are granted by some item that you are wearing or using, either mundane or

magical. For example, using a magic sword gives you a +1 item bonus to attack rolls.

Status bonuses typically come from spells, other magical effects, or something applying a

helpful, often temporary, condition to you. For instance, the spell bless grants a +1 status bonus

to attack rolls.

Penalties work very much like bonuses. You can have circumstance penalties, status penalties,

and sometimes even item penalties. Like bonuses of the same type, you take only the worst all

of various penalties of a given type. However, you can apply both a bonus and a penalty of the

same type on a single roll. For example, if you had a +1 status bonus from a bless spell but a –2

status penalty from the sickened condition, you'd apply them both to your roll—so bless still

helps even though you're feeling unwell.

Unlike bonuses, penalties can also be untyped, in which case they won't be classified as

"circumstance," "item," or "status." Unlike other penalties, you always add all your untyped

penalties together rather than simply taking the worst one. For instance, when you use attack

actions, you incur a multiple attack penalty on each attack you make on your turn after the first

attack, and when you attack a target that's beyond your weapon's normal range increment, you

incur a range penalty on the attack. Because these are both untyped penalties, if you make

multiple attacks at a faraway target, you'd apply both the multiple attack penalty and the range

penalty to your roll.

Multiple attack penalty

The more attacks you make beyond your first in a single turn, the less accurate you become,

represented by the multiple attack penalty. The second time you use an attack action during

your turn, you take a –5 penalty to your attack roll. The third time you attack, and on any

subsequent attacks, you take a –10 penalty to your attack roll. Every check that has the attack

trait counts toward your multiple attack penalty, including Strikes, spell attack rolls, certain skill

actions like Shove, and many others.

The multiple attack penalty applies only during your turn, so you don't apply it if you perform an

attack of opportunity or a similar reaction that lets you make a Strike on someone else's turn.

The multiple attack penalty means that it's almost never a good idea to make three attacks in a

turn because your third attack would take the crippling -10 penalty and would almost certainly

miss. If you can, try to find a better way to use that third action, such as a noncombat maneuver

like Demoralize or a tactical repositioning using Stride.

Flanking

When you and an ally are flanking a foe, it has a harder time defending against you. A creature is

flat-footed (taking a –2 circumstance penalty to AC) to creatures that are flanking it.

To flank a foe, you and your ally must be on opposite sides or corners of the creature. A line

drawn between the center of your square and the center of your ally's square must pass through

opposite sides or opposite corners of the foe's space. Additionally, both you and the ally have to

be able to act, must be wielding melee weapons or able to make an unarmed attack, can't be

under any effects that prevent you from attacking, and must have the enemy within reach.

Flanking is a common way to increase your accuracy in combat.

Cover

Creatures may have cover, which increases their defenses.

When you attack, to determine whether your target has cover from your attack, choose a corner

of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target's square passes through a

square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a

creature, the target has cover.

- If all four lines are blocked only by a creature, the target has lesser cover which grants it a +1

circumstance bonus to AC.

- If 1 or 2 lines are blocked by an obstacle, the target has standard cover which grants it a +2

circumstance bonus to AC, to Reflex saves against area effects, and to Stealth checks to Hide,

Sneak, or otherwise avoid detection.

- If 3 lines are blocked by an obstacle, the target has greater cover which grants a +4

circumstance bonus to those defenses.

- If all 4 lines are blocked, you don't have line-of-effect and can't target that creature.

A creature with standard cover or greater cover can attempt to use Stealth to Hide, but lesser

cover isn't sufficient.

Dawnsbury Days automatically selects the origin corner of your square when you make an

attack. You may hold the Tab key to open the cover overlay which shows what target squares

have cover from what origin squares.

Concealment

Some effects and terrain features can cause a creature to become concealed. When you target

a creature that's concealed from you, you must attempt a DC 5 flat check (80% success chance)

before you roll to determine your effect. If you fail, you don't affect the target.

Some effects can cause a creature to become invisible, but unless that creature is also

Undetected, you still have at least a vague sense of where it is. When you target a creature that's

invisible, you must attempt a DC 11 flat check (50% success chance) before you roll to

determine your effect. If you fail, you don't affect the target.

Saving throw

There are three types of saving throws: Fortitude saves (Fort), Reflex saves (Ref), and Will saves

(Will). In all cases, saving throws measure your ability to shrug off harmful effects in the form of

afflictions, damage, or conditions. You'll always add a proficiency bonus to each save. Your

class might give a different proficiency to each save, but you'll be trained at minimum. Some

circumstances and spells might give you circumstance or status bonuses to saves.

Your Fortitude save result is: d20 roll + Constitution modifier + proficiency bonus + other

bonuses + penalties

Your Reflex save result is: d20 roll + Dexterity modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses +

penalties

Your Will save result is: d20 roll + Wisdom modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses +

penalties

Sometimes you'll need to know your DC for a given saving throw. The DC for a saving throw is 10

+ the total modifier for that saving throw.

Sometimes you will be called on to attempt a basic saving throw. This type of saving throw

works just like any other saving throw—the "basic" part refers to the effects. For a basic save,

you'll attempt the check and determine whether you critically succeed, succeed, fail, or

critically fail like you would any other saving throw. Then one of the following outcomes applies

based on your degree of success—no matter what caused the saving throw.

Critical Success You take no damage from the spell, hazard, or effect that caused you to

attempt the save.

Success You take half the listed damage from the effect.

Failure You take the full damage listed from the effect.

Critical Failure You take double the listed damage from the effect.

Damage

When you hit an enemy, you often deal damage by rolling a damage roll. A damage roll is

seperate from an attack roll or saving throw and is rolled afterwards like this:

1. Roll the dice indicated by the weapon, unarmed attack, or spell, and apply the modifiers,

bonuses, and penalties that apply to the result of the roll.

2. Determine the damage type.

3. Apply the target's immunities, weaknesses, and resistances to the damage.

4. If any damage remains, reduce the target's Hit Points by that amount.

Specifically:

Melee damage roll = damage die of weapon or unarmed attack + Strength modifier + bonuses +

penalties

Ranged damage roll = damage die of weapon + Strength modifier for thrown weapons only +

bonuses + penalties

Spell damage roll = damage die of the effect + bonuses + penalties

If your target has a weakness to the damage type of your damage, the damage is increased by

that weakness. It can also be reduced by the target's resistance or ignored altogether if the

target is immune.

A creautre whose Hit Points are reduced to 0 dies if it's a monster or becomes Dying if it's one of

your characters.

Damage types

Damage dealt by weapons, many physical hazards, and a handful of spells is collectively called

physical damage. The main types of physical damage are bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing.

Many spells and other magical effects deal energy damage. The main types of energy damage

are acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic, positive, negative and force.

Two special types of energy damage specifically target the living and the undead. Positive energy

often manifests as healing energy to living creatures but can create positive damage that withers

undead bodies and disrupts and injures incorporeal undead. Negative energy often revivifies the

unnatural, unliving power of undead, while manifesting as negative damage that gnaws at the

living.

Weapons and effects keyed to a particular alignment can deal chaotic, evil, good, or lawful

damage. This is called alignment damage and these damage types apply only to creatures that

have the opposing alignment trait. Chaotic damage harms only lawful creatures, evil damage

harms only good creatures, good damage harms only evil creatures, and lawful damage harms

only chaotic creatures.

Some effects, such as Sneak attack, allow you to deal precision damage as extra damage.

However, precision damage is not a damage type, it instead increases the amount of damage

you would already take, without changing its type.

Other types of damage are mental, poison, and bleed. Mindless creatures, such as zombies, are

immune to mental damage.

Persistent damage

Persistent damage is a condition that causes damage to recur beyond the original effect. Unlike

with normal damage, when you are subject to persistent damage, you don't take it right away.

Instead, you take the specified damage at the end of your turns, after which you attempt a DC 15

flat check (30% recovery chance) to see if you recover from the persistent damage.

Persistent damage of the same damage type doesn't stack: instead you only take the worst

persistent damage.

Dying

Your characters resist death better than monsters. When your character is reduced to 0 Hit

Points:

- You become Unconscious.

- You immediately move your initiative position to directly before the creature or effect that

reduced you to 0 Hit Points.

- You gain the dying 1 condition. If the effect that knocked you out was a critical success from

the attacker or the result of your critical failure, you gain the dying 2 condition instead. If you

have the wounded condition, increase these values by your wounded value.

When you're dying, instead of taking your turn, you must attempt a flat check with a DC equal to

10 + your current dying value to see if you get better or worse. This is called a recovery check.

The effects of this check are as follows:

Critical Success Your dying value is reduced by 2.

Success Your dying value is reduced by 1.

Failure Your dying value increases by 1.

Critical Failure Your dying value increases by 2.

If your dying value ever reaches 4, you die and immediately lose the encounter and you will need

to repeat it.

If you lose the dying condition by succeeding at a recovery check and are still at 0 Hit Points, you

remain unconscious. You lose the dying condition automatically and wake up if you ever have 1

Hit Point or more. Anytime you lose the dying condition, you gain the wounded 1 condition, or

increase your wounded value by 1 if you already have that condition.

Conditions

The results of various checks might apply conditions to you. When you're affected by a condition,

its effects last until the stated duration ends, the condition is removed, or the encounters ends.

There are many conditions in the game, such as Blinded, Clumsy, Dying, Frightened, Flat-footed,

Slowed or Stunned. When you're affected by one of these conditions, its description shows up

on your token on the battlemap.

Some conditions, such as Frightened, become less powerful each round until they elapse and

go away completely.

Spells

Some characters and monsters are spellcasters and can cast spells. Casting a Spell is an action

where you select a spell, select the spell's targets, expend any resources the spell consumes

and then cause the spell's effect.

Some spells have the Attack trait. When you use an attack spell, you make a spell attack roll

against the target's DC to determine how much your spell affects the target. Most spells don't

have the Attack trait, however, and instead offer the target a saving throw. When you cast such a

spell against a target, that target makes a saving throw against the spell save DC or your spell

and its result determines how much your spell affects the target.

Your spell save DC is: 10 + your spellcasting ability modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses

+ penalties.

There are five kinds of spells, categorized by what resource you must expend to cast them:

cantrips, innate spells, focus spells, spontaneous spells and prepared spells.

Cantrips

A cantrip is a special type of spell that's weaker than other spells but can be used with greater

freedom and flexibility.

Casting a cantrip doesn't use up any resources; you can cast a cantrip at will, any number of

times per day. If you're a prepared caster like a cleric, you have a number of cantrip slots that

you use to prepare your cantrips every morning. If you're a spontaneous caster like a sorcerer,

you can cast any cantrips you know.

A cantrip is always automatically heightened to half your level, rounded up. This means the

cantrip is spell level 1 when you are level 1 or level 2, and the cantrip is spell level 2 when you are

level 3 or 4.

Innate spells, much like cantrips, are spells you can cast at will without limitation, but they don't

heighten automatically, and instead you have them at a specified level. Usually only monsters

have innate spells.

Spell slots

Characters of spellcasting classes can cast a certain number of spells each day; the spells you

can cast in a day are referred to as spell slots. At 1st level, a character has only a small number

of 1st-level spell slots per day, but as you advance in level, you gain more spell slots and new

slots for higher-level spells.

A spell's level indicates its overall power, from 1 to 10. In Dawnsbury Days, spells can only have

spell level 1 or spell level 2. Spellcaster gain access to 1st-level spells at character level 1 and to

2nd-level spells at character level 3.

Heightened spells

Both prepared and spontaneous spellcasters can cast a spell at a higher spell level than that

listed for the spell.

This is called heightening the spell. A prepared spellcaster can heighten a spell by preparing it in

a higher-level slot than its normal spell level, while a spontaneous spellcaster can heighten a

spell by casting it using a higher-level spell slot, so long as they know the spell at that level (see

Heightened spontaneous spells below). When you heighten your spell, the spell's level

increases to match the higher level of the spell slot you've prepared it in or used to cast it. This is

useful for any spell, because some effects, such as counteracting, depend on the spell's level.

In addition, many spells have additional specific benefits when they are heightened, such as

increased damage. These extra benefits are described at the end of the spell's stat block. Some

heightened entries specify one or more levels at which the spell must be prepared or cast to gain

these extra advantages. Each of these heightened entries states specifically which aspects of

the spell change at the given level. Read the heightened entry only for the spell level you're using

or preparing; if its benefits are meant to include any of the effects of a lower-level heightened

entry, those benefits will be included in the entry.

Other heightened entries give a number after a plus sign, indicating that heightening grants extra

advantages over multiple levels. The listed effect applies for every increment of levels by which

the spell is heightened above its lowest spell level, and the benefit is cumulative. For example,

fireball says "Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 2d6." Because fireball deals 6d6 fire

damage at 3rd level, a 4th-level fireball would deal 8d6 fire damage, a 5th-level spell would deal

10d6 fire damage, and so on.

Heightened spontaneous spells. If you're a spontaneous spellcaster, you must know a spell at

the specific level that you want to cast it in order to heighten it. You can add a spell to your spell

repertoire at more than a single level so that you have more options when casting it. For example,

if you added fireball to your repertoire as a 3rd-level spell and again as a 5th-level spell, you

could cast it as a 3rd-level or a 5th-level spell; however, you couldn't cast it as a 4th-level spell.

Many spontaneous spellcasting classes provide abilities like the signature spells class feature,

which allows you to cast a limited number of spells as heightened versions even if you know the

spell at only a single level.

Focus spells

Focus spells are a special type of spell attained directly from a branch of study, from a deity, or

from another specific source. You can learn focus spells only through special class features or

feats, rather than choosing them from a spell list.

Furthermore, you cast focus spells using a special pool of Focus Points—you can't prepare a

focus spell in a spell slot or use your spell slots to cast focus spells; similarly, you can't spend

your Focus Points to cast spells that aren't focus spells.

Focus spells are automatically heightened to half your level rounded up, just like cantrips are.

Casting any of your focus spells costs you 1 Focus Point. You automatically gain a focus pool of

1 Focus Point the first time you gain an ability that gives you a focus spell. You replenish all the

Focus Points in your pool during your daily preparations. You also regain up to 1 focus point at

the end of each encounter.

Some abilities allow you to increase the Focus Points in your pool beyond 1. Typically, these are

feats that give you a new focus spell and increase the number of points in your pool by 1. Your

focus pool can't have a capacity beyond 3 Focus Points, even if feats that increase your pool

would cause it to exceed this number.

Spontaneous casting

If you're a spontaneous spellcaster—such as a sorcerer—you choose which spell you're using a

spell slot for at the moment you decide to cast it. This provides you with more freedom in your

spellcasting, but you have fewer spells in your spell repertoire, as determined by your character

level and class. When you make your daily preparations, all your spell slots are refreshed, but

you don't get to change the spells in your repertoire.

For example, a level 1 sorcerer has three level 1 spell slots. During an encounter, she might cast

a magic missile, then realize she needs to switch to area-of-effect spells and cast two burning

hands spells.

Prepared casting

If you're a prepared spellcaster—such as a cleric—you must spend time each day preparing

spells for that day. At the start of your daily preparations, you select a number of spells of

different spell levels determined by your character level and class. Your spells remain prepared

until you cast them or until you prepare spells again.

Each prepared spell is expended after a single casting, so if you want to cast a particular spell

more than once in a day, you need to prepare that spell multiple times.

For example, a level 1 cleric can prepare two level 1 spells. He chooses to prepare heal and

harm during his daily preparations. During an encounter, he uses heal to restore Hit Points to an

ally, then the next round he would still like to restore more Hit Points but he no longer has any

heal spell prepared so he can't. Instead, he uses the harm to deal damage to an enemy.

Proficiency

When attempting a check that involves something you have some training in, you will also add

your proficiency bonus. This bonus depends on your proficiency rank: untrained, trained, expert,

master, or legendary. If you're untrained, your bonus is +0—you must rely on raw talent and any

bonuses from the situation. Otherwise, the bonus equals your character's level plus a certain

amount depending on your rank. If your proficiency rank is trained, this bonus is equal to your

level + 2, and higher proficiency ranks further increase the amount you add to your level.

Untrained: Your bonus is + 0.

Trained: Your bonus is + 2 + your level.

Expert: Your bonus is + 4 + your level.

Master: Your bouns is + 6 + your level.

Legendary: Your bonus is + 8 + your level.

Difficult terrain

Difficult terrain is any terrain that impedes your movement, ranging from particularly rough or

unstable surfaces to thick ground cover and countless other impediments. Moving into a square

of difficult terrain costs an extra 5 feet of movement.

You can't Step into difficult terrain.

Stealth and hiding

Observed and Hidden. Each creature has a hidden status towards all other creatures:

Observed or Hidden. If a creature is Hidden to you, it means "You are flat-footed to this creature."

and "You have a 50% miss chance when targeting this creature."

Detected and Undetected. Each creature can be Detected or Undetected. If a creature is

Undetected, it means: (1) Creatures on the other side can't target this creature. (2) If the other

side is computer-controlled, each creature will act as though the player-controlled Undetected

heroes didn't exist — they won't count as targets for the purpose of determining the action to

take, and the computer-controlled creatures won't pathfind around the Undetected heroes. (3) If

a creature plots a path through an undetected creature's square, an attempt to move into that

square will fail, provoke an attack of opportunity, terminate that move action, and cause that

undetected creature to become Detected.

Hide. You can Hide.

1. To Hide, make one Stealth check against the Perception DCs of each enemy creature you're

Observed to, and you have cover or concealment from.

2. On a success, you become Hidden to that enemy creature.

Step. You can Step.

If you're currently Hidden from all enemies, and you would continue to remain Hidden from all

enemies in the new square, you automatically become Undetected just before you take the step.

Sneak. You can Sneak.

If you're Hidden to at least one enemy creature, you can Sneak. To Sneak:

1. Choose a square you can Stride to while using half your Speed or less.

2. If you're currently Hidden from all enemy creatures, you become Undetected.

3. Roll a Stealth check.

4. For each enemy creature you were Hidden from at the start of your Sneak:

- If you wouldn't have cover or concealment from that creature in the target square, you become

Observed by that creature, and you become Detected.

- Otherwise, you compare your Stealth check result against the enemy creature's Perception DC:

- On a failure, you become Detected.

- On a critical failure, if you're invisible, you become Detected. Otherwise, you become Detected,

and you become Observed to that creature.

5. Now, you make your movement.

Losing Hidden.

Whenever you don't have cover or concealment from an enemy creature (other than during a

Sneak), you become Observed to that creature and you become Detected.

Whenever you take an action other than Hide, Step or Sneak, you become Observed to all

creatures at the end of that action.

Invisibility

Some effects can cause you to become Invisible.

Becoming invisible immediately makes you Hidden to all creature who can't see invisible, but it

never changes your detection status on its own — your enemies can't see you, but they still

know that you're in the same square until you move somwhere.

An invisible creature can never be Observed by creatures that can't see invisible. (If an invisible

creature would somehow become Observed to you, instead it remains Hidden to you.)

An invisible creature counts as having concealment from all creatures who can't see invisible.

Effects that make you invisible usually end when you take a hostile action. An action usually

counts as hostile if it's an action that targets or affects an enemy, such as Striking the enemy or

casting a spell that affects the enemy. Some purely mental actions, such as the ranger's Hunt

Prey, don't count as hostile even though they target an enemy.

Initiative

At the beginning of each encounter, each creature rolls for initiative to determine its place in the

initiative order, which is the sequence in which the encounter's participants will take their turns.

Rolling initiative marks the start of an encounter. Typically, to roll for initiative, you make a

Perception check—the more aware you are of your surroundings, the more quickly you can

respond.

Unlike a typical check, where the result is compared to a DC, the results of initiative rolls are

ranked. This ranking sets the order in which the encounter's participants act—the initiative order.

The character with the highest result goes first. The second highest follows, and so on until

whoever had the lowest result takes their turn last.

If your result is tied with a monster's result, the monster goes first.

Tumble Through

You can normally move unimpeded through your allies but you can't easily move through enemy

creatures. The exception is Tumble Through.

When you Stride, you can try to move through the space of at most one enemy. If you do, attempt

an Acrobatics check against the enemy's Reflex DC as soon as you try to enter its space.

Success You move through the enemy's space, treating the square it occupies as difficult terrain.

Failure Your movement ends.

The game automatically plots a path for you that avoids using a Tumble Through if possible.

Inventory during encounters

You should generally pick out what items you'll be holding in each hand before each encounter.

However, if you need to change what you're holding in the middle of an encounter, it is possible

using inventory actions.

You can drop whatever you're holding on the ground as a free action.

You can stow whatever you're holding into your backpack with a single action.

You can take something from your backpack into your hand with a single action.

You can also pick up something from the square you're standing on with a single action.

Temporary Hit Points

Some spells or abilities give you temporary Hit Points (temporary HP). These are tracked

separately from your current and maximum Hit Points; when you take damage, reduce your

temporary Hit Points first.

Most temporary Hit Points last for the rest of the encounter and then go away.

You can't regain lost temporary Hit Points through healing, but you can gain more via other

abilities. You can have temporary Hit Points from only one source at a time. If you gain temporary

Hit Points when you already have some, you retain only the higher amount of temporary Hit

Points from among these two sources.

Weapons

Most characters carry weapons.

When you make a Strike (a basic attack), your attack roll gets a proficiency bonus only if you're

proficient with the weapon you're holding. Almost all characters start out trained in unarmed

attacks and simple weapons.

Weapons have a damage die, which indicate how much damage a Strike with that weapon deals.

Ranged weapons can have a range increment. Shooting at targets beyond the range increment

is possible, but inflicts a -2 range penalty for each range increment beyond the first.

Many weapons also have special traits, which are described on the weapon itself.

In general, advanced weapons are stronger than martial weapons, and martial weapons are

stronger than simple weapons, and simple weapons are stronger than your unarmed attack with

a fist. However, you should only use a weapon if you're proficient with it because otherwise you

won't get the important proficiency bonus.

Magic weapons

Some weapons are +1 weapons which means they are magic and give you a +1 item bonus to

attack rolls with those weapons.

Some weapons are +1 striking weapons which means that they are +1 weapons and in addition,

that you roll two dice for damage instead of one, and sum up the results.

Armor

Armor increases your defenses but hampers your movement. Any character can wear any armor

but you should never wear armor you're not proficient with because you won't get the

proficiency bonus. Sorcerers, for example, aren't proficient with any armor so usually don't wear

it.

Your Armor Class determines how difficult you are to hit, and it is: 10 + Dexterity modifier (up to

your armor's Dex Cap) + proficiency bonus + item bonus + other bonuses + penalties.

Armors have some properties:

AC Bonus. This is the item bonus you add for your armor when determining Armor Class.

Dex cap. This number is the maximum amount of your Dexterity modifier that can apply to your

AC.

Check penalty. While wearing your armor, you take this penalty to Strength– and Dexterity-

based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait.

Speed penalty. While wearing your armor, you take the penalty listed in this entry to your Speed.

Strength. If your Strength is equal to or greater than this value, you no longer take the armor's

check penalty, and you decrease the Speed penalty by 5 feet (to no penalty if the penalty was –5

feet, or to a –5-foot penalty if the penalty was –10 feet).

Scrolls

Scrolls are magical scriptures that hold the necessary magic to cast a particular spell without

using your spell slots.

Casting a spell from a spell scroll consumes the scroll which disintegrates after the casting.

To activate a spell scroll, you must be a spellcaster of the same magical tradition as the spell on

the scroll. For example, a fighter can't activate any scrolls and a cleric can only activate divine

scrolls, not arcane scrolls.

Potions

Potions are magic items you drink to gain a variety of benefits.

For example, you can drink a healing potion to regain HP.

You can also administer a potion to an adjacent ally which will cause them to gain the benefits of

that potion. You can even administer potions to unconscious allies, possibly waking them up.

Credits

Dawnsbury Days is a game by Dawnsbury Studios.

Design, direction and programming: Petr Hudecek

Original art: QwertTheWert

Additional design: Jacob Dehkordi (Beets)

Special thanks to: Jachym Tousek

Voice artists: Stephanie Scaturro (Annacoesta), Jeff Rosenau (Tok'dar), Skylar Artaggat (Scarlet),

Michelle Goff (Saffi), Jasmin Bartlett (Morning Dewdrop), Robert Eccles (Roderick), Callum

Sanders (narrator), Josh Smith (kobolds), Mike De La Morte (orcs), Maia Harlap (tiefling

commando leader), Ray O'Hare (mephits), Mia Paige (avatar of the Heart of Fire), Kylie Brielle

(merfolk children), Mary-Anne Stanek (orc ranger), Jay Silver (demon pest), Nick Bean (dark

poets), Tim Winters (the Final Dusk), Kiyana Morgan ("Forest Canopy"), Christopher J. Kalen

(citizens), Brennen Blotner (Archibald's construct), Mithun MK (skeletal champion), Daniel Byrne

(Archibald Dawnbringer), Erik de Vries (monsters)

Patrons: Alexandra Wuori, Pawel Buczek, Marshall Harck, Alexandre Prata, Casimir Lawnicki

(Caz), Mikko Karkkainen, Marc-Antoine Arseneault, Tim DeLeon (the Forlorn Knight), Justin

Babonneau (juauke), Cameron Nicholls, Robin Sving, Matthew Cook, John Jones, Cassandra

Sawdon-Smith, Siobhan Sullivan, Samuel Munro, Selig Freeman, Odor Nandor, Mark Ramirez,

Flaviu Bulzan, Marcus Uchytil, Michael Renninger, Liam Hamill, Justin Jackson, Aiden Kadoch,

Mirael Maya, Cehis Artenie, Ronald (The Rules Lawyer), Demonic Duck, Neurolancer, El, macniel,

Clemking, Joe Z, Rice, Necrotic Toaster, BobbyPeanut, Telwyn, Tenellum, Repas, SirConferenza,

Zappastuff, Demaix, Alexander Callos, Fred Targaryen, Pageicus and others

Core playtesting: Marshall Harck, Mark Seager

Additional playtesting: Scott Alton, FlamingPeach787 (Kobold Adopter), Nicholas Tursi,

Matthew Ogg, Antoine GL (Darrak), Arte Abstrata, Caleb Meyer

Licensed art, sound effects and music: See the file CREDITS.TXT in the game's main folder.

This game uses Open Game Content from the PF2E reference document under the terms of the

Open Game License 1.0a. See the file 'Dawnsbury Days System Reference Document.html' in

the game's main folder for the text of the license and definitions of Open Game Content and

Product Identity.

This game uses open-source software under the terms of the MIT license. See the file

CREDITS.txt in the game's main folder.

This game uses the audio engine FMOD Studio by Firelight Technologies Pty Ltd.

This game and all its assets were created entirely without artificial intelligence assistance. We

thank all artists whose work is included in this release.

Technical support and feedback

If you need help with running or playing the game, please feel free to send an e-mail or make a

post using any of these contact options.

And if you simply liked the game and are willing to share your excitement, comments or ideas on

further improvements with me, please I’ll be happy if you send an email or make a post, too!

• Email: dawnsbury@gmail.com

• Steam forums: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2693730/discussions/

• Discord server: https://discord.gg/MnPp8z2epk

• Feedback form: https://forms.gle/WXsy2HNzcQUsPtqt5