Nimble
Core RulesBest For
Groups who want class-based heroic fantasy with tactical grid fights and no separate to-hit roll. Also a good fit for a group whose GM is running a game for the first time.
Core Mechanic
Skill checks and saves roll a d20 plus the relevant skill or stat against a DC. A natural 1 always fails and a natural 20 always succeeds. Attacks skip the to-hit roll: roll the attack's listed damage and deal the total. On most attacks, a 1 on the leftmost Primary Die misses and a maximum on that die explodes into a critical hit. Advantage and disadvantage add dice of the same type and drop the lowest or highest.
Level 1 play centers on the d20 check, damage-dice attacks, and a three-action turn. Each class then adds its own signature mechanic and an ability menu as it levels. Most spellcasting classes also spend mana across nine spell tiers.
- Free to tryQuickstartA free starter you can actually play
- Get it nowSold newIn print or as a legal PDF
- –IndexNo back-of-book index or page-keyed reference tables
- ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
- ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
- ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
- ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page
4 of 5 book tools found in the core book
Highlights
Heroic Reactions such as Defend and Interpose normally cost one of a hero's three actions, so reacting on an enemy's turn leaves fewer actions for the hero's own turn. Assess spends an action on a skill check to ask the GM a question that must be answered honestly or to create an opening, bringing roleplay into combat turns. Legendary monsters act after each hero's turn and list HP per hero, so one boss scales to the size of the party.
Considerations
Movement, reach, and area effects are counted in grid spaces, so gridless play relies on one of the optional movement variants. Damage can swing widely because a single roll decides both whether an attack hits and how much it deals. Outside combat, social and exploration scenes run on skill checks and GM-built skill challenges rather than dedicated subsystems.
Third-Party Publishing
Original adventures, classes, subclasses, monsters, supplements, and other products based on or compatible with Nimble may use and reference any published Nimble text, current or future, and may be sold without prior approval. Products that mainly copy, restate, or summarize large portions of text do not qualify. Nimble art and the Nimble logo are excluded, though a Nimble compatibility logo may be used. Free online tools, wikis, apps, and VTT implementations may use all published text only if they are completely free to use, apart from optional donations, and show the prescribed support notice.
Products must carry the required independent-product attribution and must not appear official or endorsed by Nimble Co. The license is perpetual and irrevocable except upon violation, which requires ceasing distribution until resolved. It grants no trademark or other rights unless stated and is governed by Florida law.
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