Amber Accelerated

Version 1.4

Introduction
Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber provide a magnificent setting for a role-playing game. This vast story
contains an infinity of worlds, mystical powers, complex intrigue, and characters who are mythic yet believable.

The first five Amber novels (the Corwin series) will be the basis for this adaptation. It does not draw
anything from the second set of Amber novels (the Merlin series) or short stories—they are excellent in
their own way, but are thematically quite different. The biggest variance in terms of game rules is with
powers related to Chaos and Sorcery.

The non-Zelazny Dawn of Amber novels are, of course, dead to us.

Credits
● The Chronicles of Amber are by Roger Zelazny.
● This adaptation is by David Rourke. (You might also be interested in my Star Wars adaptation for Fate
Core or my storefront at itch.io.)
● For the game engine, I am adapting Fate Accelerated, with elements from Fate Core. These are all by Evil
Hat Productions. Here is the system reference document for Fate Accelerated. A familiarity with Fate
Accelerated is necessary to play this adaptation.
● There are several influences on this version of an Amber RPG, including the Amber Diceless
Roleplaying Game by the late great Erick Wujcik. Fate originated with Fred Hicks’ adaptations of the
Fudge system to Amber. If you’d like to see other takes on Amber done with Fate, take a look at this
version by Tom Moore and this one and this one by Scott Acker.
● I am thankful for feedback on an earlier version of this adaptation from Fred Hicks.

Permission
Permission is granted to use any of the information contained in this document for private, non-commercial
purposes.

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The Amber Multiverse
Player characters will have the blood of the royal houses of Amber or Chaos, giving them the power to
travel the multiverse of Reality and infinite Shadow.

Amber
Long ago, the madman Dworkin Barimen fled Chaos with the stolen Jewel of Judgment, using it to
inscribe the Pattern and create Amber. This created a multiverse of two places of true reality, separated
by infinite shadow worlds.

The world of Amber is primeval forest, mountain ranges, and vast oceans. It is sparsely populated except
for the city of Amber, ruled by an ancient royal family. The royals, descendants of Dworkin through his
son Oberon, have the ability to walk the Pattern beneath Castle Amber and thereby acquire the power to
travel in Shadow. The city of Amber is vibrant and beautiful, with ships coming from nearby shadow to
provide all manner of goods and people.

Most forms of high technology (electricity, gunpowder, etc.) are ineffective in Amber, although there is a
special substance discovered by Corwin and exploited in The Guns of Avalon that functions equivalently to
gunpowder. Amber and nearby shadows are also resistant to magic.

Few know that at a higher level of reality from Amber is the Primal Pattern. The world of Amber, and its
Pattern, are a shadow cast by Dworkin’s Primal Pattern.

Near Amber are two reflections of its Pattern. One lies in an undersea city called Rebma. The other is Tir
Na Nog’th, a ghostly city that appears in the sky on moonlit nights. Amber royals can walk any of these
Patterns to attune themselves.

The Courts of Chaos

Far from Amber, through a vast distance in Shadow, past the tree Ygg that marks the boundary with
Order, lie the Courts of Chaos. The Courts are a place of broken and continually changing pieces of
shadow surrounding an infinitely deep pit called the Abyss. The inhabitants of the Courts have the ability
to adapt to constant change by shapeshifting their own bodies. The Courts are ruled by noble houses,
members of which possess an affinity for travel in Shadow, advanced shape shifting, and powerful
sorcery.

Shadow
Shadow is infinite.

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If you can walk in Shadow, you can find any place, person, or thing you desire. Within the game, this
means that you can take a Create Advantage action to generate an aspect, whenever that is useful, such
as My Loyal Battalion Of Flying War Monkeys or Friendly Garrulous Shopkeeper. The aspect can describe
a whole world, such as Kinoth, High Tech Land of the Undead. As with all aspects, an aspect like this is
true; it describes what’s happening in the shadow and is available to you to use or invoke for as long as it
is part of the fiction. If it is destroyed, killed, banished, or you just leave it behind, it goes away. To move
through Shadow quickly or against opposition will require Overcome rolls.

Examples:

After a hundred years of feuding with his half brother Jak, Tornal decides he has had
enough. Leaving Amber behind in a fury, he walks in Shadow, gradually approaching the
place of his desire: a world where the inhabitants adhere to a cosmology indicating that
Tornal the Redeemer will one day arrive and lead them in a righteous war against his evil
brother Jak. When he gets there, the large, red eyed, fanged, humanoid locals quickly
recognize him as the Anointed One for whom they have been waiting for all these long years.
Rejoicing, they assemble a vast army of fanatically devoted warriors. He leads them on a
march through Shadow, determined to finally defeat his vile brother.

Jenev has walked the Pattern beneath Castle Amber for the first time. Being young,
self-indulgent, and filled with newfound power, she imagines a place of her desire and is
instantly transported to the Land of Beefcake Boys. She spends a couple of months satisfying
her appetites there, then selects three of her favorite Boys, outfits them with matching
motorcycles and leather jackets, and sets off through Shadow for further adventure.

Defeated by a dark stranger and left for dead somewhere in Shadow near Ygg, Delilah
awakens coughing blood from a punctured lung. Calling upon the mastery of Shadow she
learned from her elders in the Courts of Chaos, she imagines a cottage with a friendly
hermit, reaches out through Shadow, and stumbles forward to find it. The hermit nurses her
back to health, amazed at how quickly she heals. Leaving him with her thanks and a
fortune in silver coins, she continues on, imagining a saddled horse, lost and looking for its
master. Reaching through Shadow, she finds the horse, tames it, and begins her hellride,
determined to find and confront the one who bested her.

Campaign Creation
First, choose where and when the campaign is set.

The default campaign is set a few years after the end of the events of The Courts of Chaos, centering on the
royal family of Amber. Oberon, Eric, Brand, and Dierdre are dead. Random, having been chosen by the

—3—
Unicorn, sits on the throne with his wife Vialle. Corwin has not been heard from in some time and is
presumed to be exploring his own Pattern. Various children of the royal family were either known but not
mentioned in Corwin’s chronicle or are making themselves known now that the political situation
appears to have stabilized.

The GM and players can establish current and impending issues related to various events, such as:

● The PCs are sent on a diplomatic mission to Chaos.

● An Amber royal has been assassinated or kidnapped by unknown parties for unknown reasons.
● The Unicorn has appeared to one or more PCs in a series of dreams, bleeding from a grievous
wound.
● Something has exacerbated Dworkin’s madness, which is affecting the nature of reality in
disturbing ways.
● A mysterious stranger has just walked the Pattern under Castle Amber and transported herself
away.
● Someone has stolen the Jewel of Judgment and is using it to corrupt Shadow in the Golden Circle
near Amber.
● There is a new corridor in the tunnels under Castle Amber that no one remembers having been
there before.
● A fleet of black ships appears on the horizon, heading toward the port of Amber.
● Two important Golden Circle allies are experiencing a diplomatic crisis and threaten to go to war
with each other.

In addition to the default campaign, here are some possible alternate campaign settings:

● The PC’s have grown up in the multiverse of Corwin’s Pattern and know nothing of Amber or
Chaos. Only Pattern stunts are available at game start.
● The PCs are part of a delegation from Chaos to the court of Amber. They will need to adapt to very
strange customs and an environment in which their powers are somewhat limited. Pattern
stunts might be unavailable to PCs, at least at game start.
● The Early days of Amber. Oberon is king. Some of his children from the Corwin saga have yet to
be born, while others who are long dead in Corwin’s saga (such as Osric and Finndo) are still
alive. The world of Amber and surrounding shadows have yet to be fully explored. The true nature
of Pattern and Shadow may be unknown to most members of the royal family. Available power
stunts will be limited—all or most could be initially unavailable.
● The Middle days of Amber. The campaign could focus on historical events mentioned in the
books, such as the invasion of the Moonriders of Ghenesh or the search for Corwin while he is an
amnesiac on Shadow Earth. Chaos powers might be unavailable, at least at game start.
● The PCs are Moonriders of Ghenesh, raised from birth in a culture that believes itself destined to
conquer and destroy Amber. The invasion is imminent. A different set of powers will need to be
established.

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 ● The Far future of Amber. Most of the royals we know may be dead or missing. Amber might be in
ruins or changed unrecognizably. The GM and players could work together create a whole future
history of what happens after the end of Corwin’s Chronicles.
● The game is centered on the Courts of Chaos at some point in the chronology. Amber might be an
enemy or perhaps mostly forgotten. There are many noble families vying for dominance. Pattern
power stunts are unavailable, at least at game start.
● All of the PCs are of unknown parentage, living in Shadow and unaware of Amber or the nature
of the multiverse. They discover their heritage and gain access to powers during the first few
sessions of the game.
● The PCs are characters from the books—Corwin, Fiona, Dierdre, etc. They have Scale 3 (see
below) instead of Scale 2. This could be combined with an early or middle period setting. The
powers they have are as described by Zelazny.
● The PCs form an alternate royal family of Amber. All or most of Zelazny’s characters do not exist.

Character Creation
Player characters are created according to standard Fate Accelerated rules, with exceptions noted below.
Summary:

● Choose background and lineage.

● Choose aspects (High Concept, Trouble, Family aspect, and two personal aspects).
● Choose approaches (one at +3, two at +2, two at +1, one at 0) from Beast, Charmer, Mage, Rogue,
Traveler, and Warrior.
● Choose stunts (in this version you get Blood of Amber or Blood of Chaos and three additional
stunts). You can have standard Fate Accelerated stunts or the power stunts presented below.
● Determine refresh (start at three but you can reduce by one or two to get one or two additional
stunts).
● Each PC has three stress boxes and three consequence slots.

Character backgrounds
There are several kinds of characters who are appropriate for play, as described below. The GM might
make some of these off limits or add new options. Your background should be reflected in both your
aspects and the powers (stunts) you take. It will also help to determine your parentage.

● Child of Amber: One (or both) of your parents is a scion of the Amber Royal family (Corwin,
Bleys, Flora, Random, Fiona, Finndo, Dierdre, Gérard, etc.). This is the most straightforward
character background for the default Amber campaign (see above).
● Child of Chaos: One or both of your parents is a Lord or Lady of Chaos (of the royal or ducal
houses). You have the full benefits of an education in the Courts of Chaos and access to all powers
that require a Chaos background. Note, however, that the power of Chaos is lessened in the

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 region of Amber, while Amberite powers work almost anywhere; you may therefore be at a
disadvantage some of the time.
● Mixed Amber/Chaos Blood: You are the product of a union between a royal of Amber and a noble
or royal of Chaos. Depending on where you were raised, you will have access to most of the
powers in the game. While this is the most flexible back­ground, it can also be very difficult, since
powerful non-player characters may have incom­patible expectations of where your loyalties
should lie.
● Unknown Parentage: While you have the blood of Amber or Chaos, your actual parentage is
unknown. Perhaps you are the product of some unacknowledged dalliance, or your parent has
tried to protect you from the cutthroat machinations of the royal court by keeping his or her
identity secret even from you. You may have grown up in Shadow and have little idea of how
things really work in the multiverse. Somehow you have become known in Amber or Chaos,
probably needing to learn the rules very quickly in order to have a chance of survival.

Lineage
This is a world of dynasties and inherited power, so parentage is supremely important. Each PC has one
(or perhaps two) parents of royal Amber or noble Chaos blood. Who your bloodline parent is will be a
significant part of your identity, powers, social status, allies, and enemies.

The GM will make a list of available bloodline parents for each background (with player input if
appropriate to how the group wants to play). There are three methods for determining parentage:

● Player choice: The player chooses the PC’s bloodline parent from the list of those available who
are consistent with the character’s background. This method provides the greatest player control
and fewest surprises.
● GM choice: The GM chooses the bloodline parent of the PC in a manner consistent with the
character’s background. This method allows the GM to fit the PCs most easily into any secret
plots or conspiracies that will help drive the plot. It is especially suitable for PCs who do not
know (or have been mislead about) their parentage.
● Random draw: The GM prepares cards with names of parents for each background. These are
drawn at random by each player to determine the name of his or her bloodline parent. Once a
card is drawn it is put back again, since PCs can be siblings or half siblings.

The group should either agree on the method for choosing parentage, or each player can pick whichever
method he or she prefers.

Whichever method is chosen for determining the bloodline parent, the player can fill in the details of the
other parent (if the PC knows them). The non-bloodline parent may be a minor detail or very significant
to the PC’s background and the plot. It is also possible to have two bloodline parents, if that fits the
character’s background and the plot of the game.

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Aspects
● High Concept: This should include your character background (Amber, Chaos, mixed, unknown)
and possibly your parentage. You could be a Lost Princess of Amber or Proud Demon Lord of
Chaos, for example.
● Trouble: Almost any source of problems or complication is appropriate here. Troubles that are
especially thematic can include family issues (a meddling parent, a rival sibling), a mystical
compulsion (for example, in The Guns of Avalon, the demon Strygalldwyr must ask and be denied
four times before he may enter a dwelling with hostile intent), some unknown enemy, a desire
for revenge, or youth and inexperience around treacherous relatives who are hundreds of years
old.
● Family aspect: Pick an aspect that reflects the most important thing about your relationship to
one to your family. Is your relationship good, bad, or complicated? Do you have a secret
protector? Has someone taught you about powers and court intrigue? Do you have a sibling you
are close to? Do you have a rival for your parent’s attention and patronage?
● Two personal aspects: These can be any other truths that are important to your character
(including additional family aspects if appropriate). These aspects can show your relationship
with other PCs, with enemies, with your history, your personality, your assets, etc. As with any
aspects in Fate, aspects are best chosen with the idea of being good for both invocations and
compels.

Approaches
Approaches describe how you accomplish tasks. There are six approaches in Amber Accelerated, based on
six archetypes.
● Beast: Address problems through physical strength, dominance, and prowess. Gérard is an
exemplar of the Beast.
● Charmer: Address problems by persuading, seducing, and deceiving. Florimel is an exemplar of
the Charmer.
● Mage: Address problems by employing mystic powers, manipulating reality, and perceiving the
true nature of things. Fiona is an exemplar of the Mage.
● Rogue: Address problems by sneaking, stealing, and pushing your luck. Random is an exemplar
of the Rogue.
● Traveler: Address problems by moving from one place to another, adapting to the unknown, and
enduring difficult conditions. Corwin is an exemplar of the Traveler.
● Warrior: Address problems through combat, strategy, and leadership. Benedict is an exemplar of
the Warrior.

Each PC has +3 in one approach, +2 in two, +1 in two, and +0 in one.

—7—
Using approaches
Use standard Fate Accelerated rules (the four actions and four outcomes) to determine what happens
when a character takes action. It is not always possible, or a good idea, to just use your highest approach
all the time.

Some approaches just don’t work for some problems. Trying to pick a lock with the Charmer archetype
isn’t going to work unless you can persuade it to open of its own volition. You can break a lock open with
Beast, but probably not pick it. In other cases, you can rationalize using an approach that is of marginal
applicability, but the GM may set a higher passive difficulty. In any event, your approach will help
determine what failure or success with a cost will look like.

Scale
The ability of entities to affect or influence each other, throughout the multiverse, depends on how much
their substance partakes of the true reality of Order and Chaos. Real is always stronger than Shadow and
Primal Reality is the strongest of all. The degree of Reality inherent in any entity is represented
mechanically through Scale, as follows:
5 Primal (Unicorn, ancient powers)
4 Ancient (Oberon, Dworkin)
3 Elder (Corwin, Fiona, Benedict)
2 Scion (Merlin, Dara, player characters)
1 Primary (associates of a person or place of higher reality; non-royal inhabitants of Amber and the
Golden Circle; non-noble residents of the Courts of Chaos)
0 Shadow (any mundane entity in infinite Shadow)

For each level of scale advantage, on any roll, you can flip one die from – to 0 or to + . The maximum
roll will always be +4, but each level of scale advantage significantly reduces variability in your favor. This
applies to all of the four actions in Fate (Attack, Defend, Overcome, Create Advantage) when two entities
of different scale are acting in opposition to one another.

Example:

● Melisande (Scale 2) is acting against a creature of Shadow (Scale 0). She rolls + – – 0 Because she
has two levels of scale advantage, she can change the result to + + + 0 , bringing her die result total
from -1 to +3.

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Stunts
By default, PCs begin with the Blood of Amber or Blood of Chaos stunt (or equivalent) and three
additional stunts. Gain more stunts by reducing Refresh.

Aspect-Based Stunts
Standard Fate Accelerated stunts, tied to aspects, may be taken as appropriate. Standard stunts are
worded according to one of two basic templates:

● Because I [Aspect], I get +2 to [Attack, Defend, Create Advantage, or Overcome] with [Approach]
under specific circumstances. You can modify this to get +1 in broader circumstances or +1 with
two different actions instead of +2 with one action.
● Because I [Aspect], once per session I can [do something awesome that would normally violate
the game rules]. The awesome thing you can do must be something the group agrees is not
excessive or game breaking (the GM gets a veto). If it’s especially strong, it can cost a fate point to
use.

Examples:

● Because I am a Lost Prince Of Amber, I get +2 to Overcome with Traveler when I hellride through
Shadow.
● Because I am Lord Of The Outer Shadows, once per session I can unexpectedly show up
anywhere my powers allow me to reach, even in the middle of a scene.
● Because I Grew Up in an Advanced Spacefaring Society, I get +2 to Attack with Warrior when I
use high tech weapons.
● Because My Sister And I Are As One, I get +2 when I Defend with Warrior to protect her from
harm.
● Because A Talisman of Protection is Embedded Within My Soul, I get +2 to Defend with Mage
against mystical powers.
● Because My Father is Warden of Arden, once per session I can summon and command a pack of
Scale 1 hellhounds or flock of scouting birds for a scene while in Amber or the Golden Circle.
● Because I Have Begun to Comprehend Dworkin’s Secret Notebook, once per session I can spend
a fate point to cancel up to two levels of an opponent’s scale advantage over me for one scene.
● Because I Have Practiced the Arts of War For Centuries, I get +2 to Create Advantage with
Warrior when I command soldiers.
● Because I am Expert In The Subtle Art Of Shapeshifting, I get +2 to Create Advantage with Rogue
when disguising myself.
● Because I am a Rider Of Shadow Storms, I get +1 to Overcome or Create Advantage with Traveler
when dealing with any kind of barrier to travel in Shadow.

—9—
 ● Because I am a Master Duelist, I gain +2 to Attack with Warrior in a 1:1 physical fight with swords
or similar dueling weapons.
● Because I Always Have a Plan, once per session I can concede a conflict when I would otherwise
be taken out.

Power Stunts
The mystical powers of the Amber multiverse are addressed via power stunts, listed below. These stunts
are necessarily worded more broadly than stunts in standard Fate and will require some collaborative
interpretation during play. They are intended to provide mechanical structure while still reflecting the
ambiguous and symbolic nature of the elemental powers presented in the Amber novels.

Depending on the campaign, some power stunts may not be available, at least at game start. For
example, the advanced versions of powers may be unavailable to starting PCs, or the art of making new
Trump cards may not be known. Amber or Chaos powers may be disallowed if the game is to be focused
on one pole of reality or the other. Consult the GM for details.

Alternate Form
On your non-bloodline side, you come from a people who are able to change into a single specified
alternate form. For example, Eric’s allies, the Wiermonken, can shift between human and wolf forms.
Changing forms takes one exchange. Clothing and equipment do not shift. Unlike Shapeshifting, this
power is not associated with Chaos.

● Choose any two approaches that switch with each other in your animal form to best reflect the
creature you become.
● When you change, gain an Animal Form personal aspect which can give permission for actions
such as flying (if your form is a bird, for example) or climbing (if your form is a monkey). You can
talk in your animal form but you can’t hold or manipulate things if your form doesn’t have
hands. Your form aspect can affect the difficulty of actions, might forbid certain actions that a
human could perform, can be invoked when appropriate, and can be compelled to require you to
act according to the nature of the creature you have become.
● Identify a separate Trouble aspect for your beast form that can be compelled. The Wiermonken
are vulnerable to silver, for example. Other troubles could include a compulsion to change when
the moon is full, a tendency toward rage when injured, instinctive loyalty to a clan, loss of control
when scenting blood, or inability to interact with civilization and technology.

Blood of Amber
Requires Amber, mixed, or unknown background. You are the child of an elder of the Royal house of
Amber. You have the blood, but you may or may not have grown up aware of your birthright, the identity
of your bloodline parent, or even that Amber or Shadow exist. If you are of mixed Amber/Chaos

—10—
parentage, the choice of this stunt will reflect that you were raised in Amber or nearby shadows
(including Shadow Earth) and that your Amber nature predominates.

● Provides Scale 2 (Scion).

● Although your powers are undeveloped, you can follow established paths through Shadow on the
Amber side of Ygg, even if you have no other shadow walking powers.
● You are physically tougher and more capable than creatures of Shadow; your default physical
abilities are at the top of human capacity (you could compete in the Olympics); you do not age,
you heal from injuries more quickly, are resistant to poison and disease, and can slowly
regenerate any missing body part.

Blood of Chaos
Requires Chaos, mixed, or unknown background. You are a child of one of the noble houses of Chaos, the
product of breeding for affinity with the powers of Chaos. You may have grown up within a noble house
or in some other place, but the bloodline runs true in you. If you are of mixed Amber/Chaos parentage,
the choice of this stunt will reflect that you were raised in Chaos or in nearby shadows; or that your
Chaos nature predominates.

● Provides Scale 2 (Scion).

● Although your powers are undeveloped, you can follow established paths through Shadow on the
Chaos side of Ygg.
● You have a basic, unconscious shapeshifting ability that allows you to switch between a human
form and a primal demon form, and to physically adapt rapidly to changing environments. Your
mass cannot change from one form to another. Your adaptability will tend to reduce the
difficulty of rolls related to survival in hostile physical environments.
● If you do make your way to Amber or the shadows surrounding Amber, passive difficulty for use
of any Chaos powers will be increased unless you also have Pattern Attunement.
● You are physically tougher and more capable than creatures of Shadow; your default physical
abilities are at the top of human capacity (you could compete in the Olympics); you do not age,
you heal from injuries more quickly, are resistant to poison and disease, and can slowly
regenerate any missing body part.

Command of Shadow
Requires Blood of Chaos or, with narrative justification, Blood of Amber. Through mentorship and
agonizing experience, you have learned the secret arts of shadow walking known (and jealously guarded)
by the noble houses of Chaos.

● You can travel through Shadow by reaching out to some element you desire and pulling yourself
toward it by the force of your will. For the most part, slow progress through Shadow is simple for
you. Moving more quickly, or against resistance, becomes more difficult and may require an

—11—
 Overcome roll. On the Amber side of Ygg, travel is extremely difficult and going all the way to
Amber is not possible.
● You can lead others through Shadow, up to and including an army or fleet if they follow in your
path.
● Even if you do not have the Shapeshifting stunt, your Chaos nature adapts you to each shadow as
you enter it, allowing you to travel without difficulty through places others cannot hope to enter
without special preparation.

Pattern Attunement
Requires Blood of Amber or, with narrative justification, Blood of Chaos. You have survived walking one
of the Patterns and it has remade you into something greater than you were.

● You can walk in Shadow, imagining and instantiating one small change after another until you
have reached a place of your own desire. For the most part, slow and comfortable progress
through Shadow is simple for you. Moving more quickly, or against resistance, becomes more
difficult and may require an Overcome roll. On the Chaos side of Ygg, travel is extremely difficult
and going all the way to the Courts of Chaos is not possible.
● You can lead others through Shadow, up to and including an army or fleet if they follow in your
path.
● If you walk a Pattern again, from the center you can command it to send you instantly to any
location, anywhere.
● By focusing your mind on the Pattern, you can take a Full Defense action to give you +2 against
any use of mystical powers against you.
● When in fullness of your ire, generally just as you believe your death is upon you, you can
pronounce a Blood Oath. This creates a curse aspect against a person, place, or nation which can
be invoked as usual. It is generally understood that this power should not be used except in utter
extremis (arguably, Corwin misused this power in Nine Princes in Amber), since it should be
expected that the GM will compel it against you (as Zelazny did, in effect, against Corwin).

Personal Shadow
One shadow is special to you. You’ve spent much time there, invested your blood and tears there, loved
and hated the people who live there. It has become a part of you and you a part of it. A personal shadow
has its own evocative aspect (The Silver Towers of Avalon, for example). You can flesh it out in as much
detail as you like, with its own NPCs, environment, natural laws, etc.

● You negate one level of scale advantage over you while in your personal shadow.
● Your personal shadow is a place of refuge for you, allowing you to recover from consequences
there without needing any kind of Overcome roll.
● You can bar entry to others or block Trump access to your shadow if you wish; this provides
passive resistance equal to your Mage score.

—12—
 ● Native inhabitants of your personal shadow are Scale 1 (Primary) while in this place, but revert to
Scale 0 if they leave.

Resource
A resource is a creature or object (or multiple creatures or objects) tied to your destiny, partaking of the
reality inherent in your birthright.

● Give the resource an aspect that describes what it is and how it is related to you. That aspect can
be invoked or compelled—if it is compelled against you, you get a fate point as usual. Sample
resource aspects:
○ My Band of Loyal and Rowdy Myrmidons
○ Gethsemane, My Golden Rune-Covered Battle Ax
○ My White Raven Temur and Red Raven Hurgel
○ Space Patrol In Every Star System
○ Mystical Bracers of Protection
○ Friends with the Tiny People
○ Ithaka, the Silent Assassin
● If appropriate to the resource’s nature, it can act instead of you in any exchange, using your
approach scores. For a fate point, a resource can act in the same exchange as you or appear in a
scene when you are not present.
● Choose one benefit that your resource provides:
○ When you make a physical attack with the aid of your resource, upon a hit you do +1 stress.
○ When your resource helps defend you and you take a physical hit, subtract -1 stress from the
attack. If that brings total stress to 0, the attacker gets a boost instead of a hit.
○ When your resource helps you resist the effects of a power stunt, get +2 to all Defend
actions.
○ Your resource is of a kind that exists throughout Shadow in one specific environment
(cities, star ports, swamps, seashores, etc.). When in that kind of Shadow environment,
your resource is always available to you.
○ Your resource can scout or spy for you, traveling in Shadow independently. When you
concentrate, you can see and hear what it perceives.
○ Invent another benefit of similar value. Get the GM’s approval.
● If you invest an additional stunt in the same resource, you can either (1) invoke the resource’s
aspect once per session for free and choose one additional benefit; or (2) choose two additional
benefits.
● A resource can be damaged, lost, stolen, crippled, slain, imprisoned, or otherwise made
unavailable to you. If so, that’s a temporary problem because it is tied to your destiny. It, or
another like it, will always be restored to you within a couple of scenes as long as you are in
Shadow. You and the GM can narrate how that happens. Alternately, you can consider that
resource lost to you and replace it with another one, or a different stunt.

—13—
Shadow Binding
Requires Command of Shadow and a Mage score of Average (+1) or higher. The Noble Houses of Chaos
have mastered the art of binding creatures of Shadow to their will. Anyone who can walk in Shadow can
find people and creatures who will do their bidding. Shadow Binding is something more.

● Bind a creature by succeeding in an Overcome action against an entity of Scale 0 or 1. It is now

yours. If you can shapeshift, you can force it to change shape just as you could your own body. It
will follow any commands you give it and has a psychic connection to you. By concentrating you
can reach out to it psychically, even through Shadow, to communicate with it, command it, and
see what it sees.
● You can bind no more creatures at a time than your Mage score.
● A bound creature has an aspect describing who it is now that you own it. That aspect can be
invoked or compelled as normal. If compelled against you, you get a fate point.
● A bound creature has one approach at +2 and two others at +1.
● If you wish, you can use a bound creature as an imposter, pretending to be its old self while
acting in your interests. Detecting the subterfuge is always an active Overcome roll against you.
● If aiding you, a bound creature can act in your stead in any exchange. For a fate point, it can act
in the same exchange as you or appear in a scene when you are not present.

Shadow Mastery
Requires Pattern Attunement or Command of Shadow. You have a deep knowledge of Shadow, using the
power of Pattern or Chaos in ways that mere practitioners do not comprehend. Shadow Mastery allows
easier movement on the other side of Ygg, all the way to the opposite pole of reality (although such travel
is still harrowing).

● In Shadow, once per scene, you can “nudge” the world you are in slightly without moving to a
different Shadow. For example, you could find a convenient amount of local currency in your
pocket or encounter a friendly person who can provide you with shelter. Additional uses of this
ability costs a fate point.
● You can create paths through Shadow that others can follow at a later time. You can destroy such
paths that you or others have made.
● You can destroy a shadow completely. Because Shadow is infinite, there will be others out there
that are very similar, but never quite the same.
● You can set traps, blocks, and shadow storms that interfere with movement into or out of a
specific shadow or zone of Shadow (such as the Golden Circle around Amber). Such movement
allows you to present active opposition to movement in Shadow.
● You can spend a fate point to create a Destiny To Meet aspect. This declares that you or someone
(or something) else in your presence is destined to encounter some specific person or thing,
somewhere in Shadow. Within the next several scenes, if those intertwined people or things are
in Shadow, they will meet.

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 ● Once per session, while in Shadow, you can spend a fate point to negate one level of scale
advantage vs. a specified opponent for one scene.

Shape Shifting
Requires Blood of Chaos. While all of the people and creatures of Chaos have a basic unconscious shape
shifting ability, you have learned to control it. As with most disciplines acquired in Chaos, learning to
shape shift is long, arduous, and painful.

● Changing your shape takes time—more time if the shape is physically very different from your
current form, more if you are unpracticed with the form you are taking—up to about a half hour.
You can only change shape, not mass. Changing back to your normal human form, or to a
predefined demonic “primal” form, takes only one exchange.
● You can disguise yourself as a different person, as Oberon disguised himself as Ganelon in The
Sign of the Unicorn. Copying a person is a Create Advantage action that establishes a Disguised As
[Identity] aspect, which can then potentially be Overcome by another character.
● You can change your shape to acquire some physical ability such as flight, the capacity to breathe
water, the ability to survive in a vacuum, etc.
● You can change your shape to switch two of your approaches.

Sorcery
Magical energy, in some form, exists in most shadows. Although it is often possible for local mages to
manipulate magic in their home shadows, their skills don’t generally translate from one shadow to
another.

A true sorcerer, on the other hand, under­stands more primal principles of magic and can make use of
whatever magical energy is available in any shadow. In the novels, sorcery is not a flashy power. Instead,
it is depicted as being useful in certain circumstances.

● Compulsion: Sorcery can be used to impose a compulsion on another character. A compulsion is

an aspect that limits the target’s scope of action. For example, Fiona casts a spell on Brand in The
Courts of Chaos that keeps him stuck in one spot. Corwin unsuccessfully attempts to banish the
demon Strygalldwyr in The Guns of Avalon. Thus, a compulsion can banish the target (force it to
move away from the sorcerer as quickly as possible) or hold the target (keep it from moving out of
its zone). Casting a compulsion is an opposed Create Advantage action that results in an aspect
limiting or imposing movement. Once in place, the compulsion allows the caster to present
active resistance to any action the target attempts that is not allowed by the spell. If a
compulsion is imposed on a character of equal or higher scale, the sorcerer must maintain the
spell by concentrating on it and may otherwise only take incidental and defend actions as long as
it is in effect.
● Create path: Sorcery can be used to open a path to a nearby shadow. Paths can be opened only to
nearby shadows that are similar to the one you are in, although a more complex spell (with

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 higher difficulty) will increase your range. Generally, it’s far easier and quicker to move through
Shadow using Pattern or Chaos powers, but in some cases sorcery provides a viable alternative if
using a more primal ability might be blocked or too noticeable.
● High magic shadows: In shadows with an aspect indicating that magic is strong, a character
with the sorcery power can achieve a variety of other magical effects. These effects are described
ad hoc, influenced by the specific kinds of magical power present in the current shadow. All sorts
of magical effects might be possible, such as throwing fireballs, flying, or creating illusions.

Sight
Requires Blood of Chaos. Some denizens of Chaos have the ability to directly sense mystical and symbolic
connections between people, objects, and actions. These abilities are not always reliable, but a sufficiently
intuitive person can gain considerable advantage.

● Once per scene, you can make an Overcome roll with Mage to sense the connection between a
person, place, or action and another. Passive resistance is generally +2, but may be lower if you
have a strong connection to the elements you are divining. If you succeed, the GM will describe
some piece of imagery that represents the connection (or lack thereof). If you succeed with style,
the GM will give you an image that shows the relationship with great clarity (or shows the
complete absence of connection, if that is true).
○ Example: Alonys encounters someone who claims to be his missing father’s bodyguard.
He uses Sight, gains a success with style, and sees an image of the purported bodyguard
stabbing his father in the back. He knows this does not (necessarily) mean that the
bodyguard literally stabbed his father, but that some sort of betrayal has occurred and
the bodyguard is not what she seems.
● The GM can give out a free or unasked for instance of Sight if it is especially apt or if it helps get
the story moving.
● Additional attempts within a scene cost a fate point.
● You can create one story detail per session without having to spend a fate point, as long as you
narrate it as something that came to you with Sight.

Trump Artistry
Requires Blood of Amber or Blood of Chaos and Trump Deck. Through talent and practice, you have
learned to create Trump cards and drawings.

● See the Trump Deck stunt for details on using cards.

● Creating a Trump card or drawing requires an Overcome roll, with difficulty set at +1 if the
subject is posing for you; +2 if you are very familiar with the subject; +4 if the subject is one you
are only vaguely familiar with. If you are simply imagining a place or person in Shadow to
connect with, the difficulty is +2.
● Making a full Trump card takes special materials and several days of dedicated work.

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 ● A Trump drawing is much more fragile than a Trump card, but works the same and can be done
with simple materials in only a few hours. If you move a Trump drawing from one shadow to
another, it will lose its power.

Trump Deck
Requires Blood of Amber or Blood of Chaos. You possess a deck of Trump cards. These cards contain
uncannily evocative portraits of people and places. Decide how you acquired the deck, how much you
know about their nature, and collaborate with the GM to determine the subject of each card. Depending
on the source of your deck, you might know all the subjects on the cards, but some might be mysteries to
you.

● If you concentrate on a Trump, you open a connection to its subject, even across infinite Shadow.
Extreme distances, such as from Amber to the Courts of Chaos, may require an Overcome roll.
Various kinds of mystical blocks might also impose passive or active resistance to making or
maintaining a Trump connection.
● If you connect to a place, you can see what is happening there and, if you wish, step through to
that location.
● If you connect to a person, he or she feels a connection forming, but doesn’t know who it is from.
He or she can block the connection or accept it. If the connection is opened, you can
communicate with the person and can see what’s happening in the background. If the two of you
cooperate, one of you can step through to the other’s location.
● Trump cards are magical artifacts that are very hard to damage or destroy.
● You can give one or more cards to a character who does not have this stunt. However, a character
without this stunt must spend a fate point to use a Trump card.
● Individuals of Scale 0 cannot normally use Trumps to open a connection (they can receive Trump
connections normally, but cannot block). Those of Scale 1 may attempt to open connections and
block connections, but must Overcome at a difficulty of +2.
● Some locations in Shadow are resistant to Trump connections and may require an Overcome roll
to use Trump into, out of, or within that shadow.

Trump Mastery
Requires Trump Artistry. This is a higher level of skill in making and manipulating Trumps

● When receiving a Trump connection from someone you know, you can identify the caller before
deciding whether to accept the connection.
● If you make a connection to someone without Trump Mastery and they attempt to block, you can
take an opposed Overcome action to override the block.
● When you have an open Trump connection with someone, the connection is physical and you can
attack them if you wish.
● It takes only a few minutes to make a Trump drawing and a few hours to create a Trump card.
Difficulty is +0 if the subject is posing for you; +1 if you are very familiar with the subject; +3 if the

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 subject is one you are only vaguely familiar with. If you are simply imagining a place or person in
Shadow to connect with, the difficulty is +1.
● If you have a Trump card, you can spy on the subject, sensing their surface thoughts and what is
happening around them.
● If you have a Trump card, you can prevent the subject from being contacted by or connecting
with Trump. Any attempt to do so requires an Overcome roll which you can actively resist.
● When in a shadow, you can choose to block all Trump access to or from it; this provides active
resistance using your Mage score. If you spend a few hours in a shadow, you can create a Trump
barrier that continues even after you leave it.

Other powers
There may be new power sources out there, waiting for intrepid player charac­ters to discover their
secrets. If you’d like to have nonstandard abilities or have your character based on some nonstandard
source of powers, discuss that with the GM.

Building NPCs
PCs will be stronger than any creature Shadow. In most scenes, they exist in the background, or for local
color, unless their actions are controlled by someone with more power. The most important allies and
adversaries will be those who are Real—from Amber, Chaos, or places unknown. Even in Shadow, almost
any truly threatening encounter will involve someone or something Real, although the actual adversary
will often be unclear.

Elders
One critical feature of an Amber campaign is the relative capabilities of the PC’s generation vs. their
parent’s generation. This is something to discuss among the group. Should elders be just a bit more
experienced and competent than the PCs, or should they be vastly more capable?

The scale mechanic gives elders an inherent advantage with every die roll. Elders have one level of scale
over PCs, which gives them a +1 or +2 on almost all die rolls, with a die roll range of -2 to +4.
● To build elder NPCs as impressive but not overwhelmingly so, just having scale and a few extra
stunts is all that is required. They will have the same spread of approaches as the PCs. If so, two
or three PCs working together can easily best an elder.
● To build elder NPCs who are more intimidating, give them a greater advantage in approaches. A
member of the elder generation who is a few hundred years old, such as Corwin, could have his
highest approach at +4. An even older NPC, such as Benedict (whom Corwin says he fears) could
be at +5. An elder could also have several more stunts than a PC, with access to power stunts that
PCs don’t.

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The sample Amberite elders presented below are just one version of each character. Everyone who reads
the Amber novels closely is likely to envision a different version of each memorable character, which
would be reflected in aspects, approaches, etc.

Corwin
Lineage: Oberon and Faiella

High Concept: Prince of Amber and Lord of His Own Pattern

Trouble: Enemies Always Appear
My Silver Sword Grayswandir
It Always Comes Down to Family
Does Macy’s Tell Gimbels?

Approaches: Beast +2, Charmer +1, Mage +2, Rogue +3, Traveller +4, Warrior +3

Power stunts: Blood of Amber, Pattern Attunement, Resource x2 (Grayswandir, +1 stress on hit, +2
defense against power stunts, 1 free invoke per session), Shadow Mastery, Sorcery, Trump Deck, Trump
Artistry

Fiona
Lineage: Oberon and Clarissa

High Concept: Mystical Princess of Amber

Trouble: No One Trusts the Redheads
Plots and Conspiracies Are My Heritage
Dworkin’s Best Student
Innocent Of All But Malice

Approaches: Beast +1, Charmer +1, Mage +4, Rogue +3, Traveler +3, Warrior +1

Stunts:
● Because I am a Mystical Princess of Amber, once per session I can spend a fate point to act at +1
scale for a scene.
● Because Plots and Conspiracies Are My Heritage, I get +2 to Create Advantage with Rogue when I
am preparing a secret plan.

Power stunts: Blood of Amber, Pattern Attunement, Shadow Mastery, Sorcery, Trump Deck, Trump
Artistry.

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