If You Are New to Exodus NDS
Go to Chapter Twelve (Core Rules Primer) before character creation. It explains the dice pool system, how characteristics and skills combine, and what success and failure mean at the table. Once you understand the core structure, return here and start Chapter Three. You do not need the full Exodus NDS Core Rules book to play; this primer covers what you need for a player.
If You Know Exodus NDS
Start at Chapter Three. Note two things specific to Ix: the skill list in Chapter Six is expanded from the core 22 to 34 skills, reflecting the distinct disciplines that matter in Dort; and Ix uses three casting skills (Arcana, Divine, Primal) that are new if you learned the game on a non-magical setting. Everything else runs on the same foundation you already know.
What's in This Book
Chapter One; Welcome to Ix introduces the world of Dort: what it looks, feels, and functions like, and what kind of stories the setting is built for.
Chapter Two; Using This Book is this chapter.
Chapter Three; Character Creation in Ix walks through the full process of building a character, from characteristics to starting XP to finishing touches.
Chapter Four; Species of Dort covers the core playable species for this book, their traits, and lineage options.
Chapter Five; Backgrounds and Careers defines the two choices that determine your character's profession skills and social context.
Chapter Six; Skills lists all 34 Ix skills, their linked characteristics, and how skill ranks work at the table.
Chapter Seven; Talents and Advancement covers the talent system, what talents do, and how XP works over the course of a campaign.
Chapter Eight; Equipment, Services, and Flargons covers weapons, armor, tools, and what things cost in flargons, Dort's standard currency.
Chapter Nine; Magic in Ix covers what magic is in this world and contains the complete casting system: traditions, spell list from cantrips through master spells, and casting mechanics.
Chapter Ten; Gods, Faiths, and Public Cosmology covers the active pantheon, the faiths built around them, and the cosmological facts a resident of Dort would know.
Chapter Eleven; Player-Known Factions and Places introduces the organizations, guilds, cults, and locations characters are most likely to deal with.
Chapter Twelve; Core Rules Primer is the condensed mechanical foundation: dice pools, checks, characteristics, and the basic structure of play.
Chapter Thirteen; How to Fight covers the combat rules players need: initiative, actions, defense, and damage.
Chapter Fourteen; Pregenerated Characters provides ready-to-play characters for groups who want to get to the table quickly.
Chapter Fifteen; Player Quick Reference is a condensed rules reference for the table, designed to fit on two pages.
Chapter Sixteen; Glossary and ORC Attribution defines terms used in the book and satisfies the ORC license requirements.
An Index follows the glossary: every skill, talent, tree, spell, species, career, deity, faction, place, and rule, mapped to its chapter.
What's Not in This Book
This book is one piece of a larger library. It does not contain the full dice system (Exodus NDS Core Rules) or any of the GM-facing material: adversaries, hidden faction agendas, campaign procedures, or the other half of the world's cosmology (Ix GM Guide). The complete spell list and casting mechanics are in Chapter Nine of this book. If your GM seems to know things that are not in this book, that is where they are.
Companion Books
| Book | Contains | When You Need It |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus NDS Core Rules | Full mechanical foundation | If you want the complete rules behind the Primer |
| Ix GM Guide | GM tools, hidden truths, campaign procedures | Your GM's book; you can read it, but it contains spoilers |
Dice and Symbols
Dice notation and table symbols are explained in Chapter Twelve (Core Rules Primer). If you see a die expression you do not recognize, that chapter is the reference.