War and Aether: The Roleplaying Game

War and Aether: The Roleplaying Game is a Fantasy Tabletop RPG reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons, but with a more brutal and realistic take on game-play. Start from scratch as an ordinary peasant and build yourself into a hero using a wide, classless system. Develop your character using Skill Points, investing into the skills you need most and unlocking new Talents along the way. Use these abilities to fight off against dozens of different monsters, all with unique Strengths and Weaknesses, in a combat system where knowledge and preparation is well rewarded. When fighting such creatures, you can support your allies or take the fight to the enemy with a complex magic system. Using the Core Rulebook's Conjuration Magic System, every spell you cast is created by yourself from scratch, and spell strength is directly proportional to cast time. In an unforgiving world of swords and magic, start from nothing and build yourself into a legend!

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War and Aether: FAQ

What's special about War and Aether?

War and Aether uses a classless character building system. Professions and Advancements are used to help build your story, but the true strength of your character comes from how you invest Skill Points into your Skills. In addition, the game boasts a unique magic system where spell strength is tied directly to cast time; a list of over 70 monsters with their own strengths and weaknesses; and a realistic combat system that rewards strategy and preparation.

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What kind of Dice System does W&A use?

War and Aether uses a D20 System for the majority of rolls, but uses the entire polyhedral 7-die set.

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Is it easy to get into?

Yes! The game's been designed from the bottom-up to be simple enough for new players to pick up quickly and easily (even those who've never played tabletops before), while also being complex and deep enough to keep veteran players interested.

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​Is it hard to play?

One part yes, one part it depends on your party and Game Master. This game is less forgiving than others, but also streamlined and very easy to pick up. There are a lot of ways to die, get hurt, or even permanently lose your limbs. All in a day's work for a game with more realistic combat. But, this game rewards planning, strategy, and preparation. If you know what you're going into before you go into it, the chances of survival are pretty high. And at the end of the day, it's still a tabletop. The game is only really as hard as your Game Master makes it.

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How is it similar to or different from Dungeons & Dragons?

It uses a D20 dice system, as well as tile-based combat, but beyond that most of the systems and mechanics of War and Aether are separate from D&D. Classless gameplay, an entirely separate magic system where every spell is built from scratch in the moment, and combat economy that plays on a variety of "Primary" and "Secondary" Actions.

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As a Game Master, is it hard to learn or hard to run?

Nope! If you're familiar with other tabletop games, then its really just about figuring out the rules specific to this one. If you've never played or run a tabletop before, the book has two chapters dedicated to both teaching you how to run the game, as well as taking you through a pre-made adventure.

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What do I need to play the game?

A Polyhedral 7-die set (recommended one set per player), and a square-tile-based playmat.

That's what you'll really need to play the game, but I can go on endlessly with recommendations like a game-masters screen, dice trays, character pieces, and so on.

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Where can I get War and Aether?

• W&A is available at a variety of local game shops across the Minnesota Twin Cities. You can take a first-hand look in stores including Games by James and Source Comics & Games.

• Not from the Twin Cities? No problem, you can pick up the paperback at Amazon!

• On a budget or just prefer a Digital PDF? We've got you covered at DriveThruRPG!

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What about additional resources?

Here are direct downloadable files for War and Aether: The Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook!