Roleplaying Is Magic

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My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic

Legal Disclaimer

My Little Pony: Roleplaying Is Magic - Season wo Edition is a derivative work o art; My Little Pony, My Lit-tle Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and all established characters therein are the intellectual property o Hasbro Inc.,Lauren Faust, and Studio B.

No copyright inringement, explicit or implied, is intended. My Little Pony: Roleplaying Is Magic - Season woEdition is presented or public use and enjoyment on a not-or-prot basis and may not be used or prot with-out the express written consent o Roan Arts LLC and the above-named parties.

My Little Pony: Roleplaying Is Magic - Season wo EditionCopyright 2012 Roan Arts LLC, all rights reserved.

Production Credits

System ramework by James Weimer and Samuel Hanson.

Layout and graphic design by Daniel Oakley.

Original illustrations by Caytlin Vilbrandt and Michael Simpson.Playtested by Kendra Buckmaster, Katherine Hanson, Raleigh Payne, and Hannah Rose.

Prooreading and editorial assistance by Kery de Grin and Hunter Henry.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Contact all ail at: [email protected]

Want more MLP:RiM?

Visit the MLP:RiM website at: http://mlprim.com

Pub v2
mailto:[email protected]://mlprim.com/http://mlprim.com/mailto:[email protected]


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Id like to dedicate this to all our ans, all the gamers who stuck with us

through our rst edition, and to the brony community.

Your love, tolerance, and unailing positivity continues to teach us allabout the magic o riendship.

~ all ail (James Weimer)

Tank you to all o the MLP:RiM team or bringing your talents togetherto make this wonderul game, and to Lauren Faust or introducing us to

the wide, wide world o Equestria.

~ Know-It-All (Samuel Hanson)

Tanks to David or getting me to go or this project, and to the wholeMLP:FiM community or being amazing.

~ Artsy Heartsy (Daniel Oakley)

I dedicate this to my husband, who encourages me in everything I do, and

whose love o MLP:FiM surpasses even mine.~ Pixel (Caytlin Vilbrandt)

Tank you to my riends or getting me into ponies, and my amily orsupporting me doing this project.

~ Sketchbook (Michael Simpson)


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Contents

Introduction 1

Welcome to MLP:RiM, Season 2 Edition (S2E) 2

What is this? 2

Hey! Isnt this just like [insert game system here]? 3

How do I read this book? 3

New Players: What is Roleplaying is Magic? 4

Returning Players: Whats new in S2E? 4

What do I need to play? 5

Who are you? 5

Who is best pony? 6

For Players 7

Te Magic o Friendship 8

Youre all my very best riends 8

Shes just being Pinkie Pie 9

Youve gotta share, Youve gotta care 9

I I cant nd a riendship problem 10

Ill make a riendship problem! 10

Stop it, Discord; Youre not playing air 10

You simply must stop reading those dusty old books 11

Make some riends! 11

Cutie Mark Crusader Character Creators! (Yay!) 12

Focus on what youre already good at 12

Anything you can do, I can do better 12


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Teres nothing we cant overcome! 13

Its a good thing Im so organised 13

All the dierent kinds o ponies 14

Earth Ponies 14

Pegasus Ponies 16

Unicorn Ponies 17

Dragons 18

I am a big pony 20

Foals 20

Fillies/Colts 21

Mares/Stallions 22

Hatchlings 23

Drakes 23

Tey all say that you will get your mark 24

Special Purposes 24

Cutie Marks 26

Blank Flanks 26

Dragonheart 27

A Steady Diet o Make Growth Speed 28

Ten, the Resulting Bigger Size 30

Prevent Him rom Practicing Greed 34

I am the Iron Pony! 34

Primary Attributes 35

Mind 35

Body 35

Heart 36

Secondary Attributes 36

Energy 37

Courage 37


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Fortitude 37

Willpower 37

It just comes naturally 38

What does everypony do? 40

Jobs 40

Creating a Job 41

What to Avoid 41

Skills 41

Creating a Skill 42

What to Avoid 42

A Part o Who You Are 43

Te Earth Pony Way 43

Quick Learners 43

Hard Workers 44

Down to Earth 44

Sky-Bound Soars and Daring Dives 45

Aerobatics 47

Weathercra 47Pegasus Pony Foals 48

Pegasus Pony Prodigies 48

Magic Makes it all Complete 49

Magic Kindergarten 50

Spellcasting 58

Unicorn Pony Foals 61

King o the Hoard 62Universal raits 62

Hatchling raits 63

Drake raits 64

Te Spark that Resides in the Heart o us all 65


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Te Elements o Harmony 65

Te Element o Kindness 65

Te Element o Laughter 66

Te Element o Generosity 66

Te Element o Honesty 66Te Element o Loyalty 67

Te Element o Magic 67

Te Power o Harmony 67

A Big Old Storm o Chaos 68

Flaws, Fears, Faults, and Failings 68

Never Lose Faith in Your Friends 70

Chic, Unique, and Magnique 70

Short ails are in this Season 70

In Te Eye o the Beholder 70

Te Rainbow Wig Just Kills it or Me 71

HE ROYAL CANERLO VOICE 71

Mine! 71

Tis is Smartypants 71

Go Gummy, its Your Birthday 72

Welcome to Carousel Boutique 72

We take Cash or Credit 72

Te Story o My Whole Entire Lie 72

Up Until oday 73

Not just another Jane Doe 73

Te Wide, Wide World o Equestria 74

Shall We? 74

Once Upon a ime 75

Giving Everyone a urn 75


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Playing With ime 76

Making Yoursel Known 76

We Aint Got All Day 77

Te urn Order 77

wists and urns 77Look Out! 78

Lets do this! 78

Consequences 78

Nice Work, Rainbow Crash! 79

Rectonning or Clarication 79

Retconning or Narration 79

Getting er Done 79

Can Bees Squawk? 80

Active asks 80

Reactive asks 81

Biting O More Tan You Can Chew 81

Conditionals 81

Complexity 82

I Was Busy Napping 82

Observation 82

Micromanaging 82

I Know What Youre Up o 83

Te Ideal Outcome 83

Secondary Outcomes 83

I Could Just Scream 84Pulled Punches 84

Overextending 84

All or Nothing 84

Fancy Mathematics 84


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en Seconds Flat 84

I Have to Figure this Out! 85

Primary Attribute Checks 85

Secondary Attribute Checks 85

Split Checks 85ough ask ahead I ace 85

Harmony Bonus 86

Spending Willpower 86

Situational Experience Bonus 86

ool Bonus 86

Attribute Bonus 87

Job Bonus 87

Skill Bonus 87

Spell Level Bonus 87

Dice Roll 87

alent Roll-Again 87

Special Purpose Bonus 87

Dragonheart Bonus 88

One Pony, Plus 88

Shoot! 88

Ill Save You! 88

Yay! 88

What Happened? 88

Critical Success 89

Critical Failure 89

Partial Success 89

Fighting amongst Ourselves 89

Quills and Soas 89

Ive Got Just the Ting 90


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Magic in the Dress 90

Useless 90

Makeshi 91

Appropriate 91

Superior 91Sets and Costumes 91

Items 91

Devices 92

Equipment 92

Vehicles 92

Locations 92

Not Baked Goods; Baked Bads! 92

Conusion! Evil! Chaos! 93

We can do it! 93

Tey Have Never Liked Us 93

Intimidation 94

Fatigue 94

Injury 94

I Just Cant 94

Becoming Sidelined 95

Group Deeat 95

We Must Not Fail 95

Getting a Second Wind 95

Restoring Faith in Friends 96

When Everything Works Out 96Proper Care and Sunshine 96

Perplexing Pony Plagues 96

Spike, ake a Letter 98

Dear Princess Celestia 98


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oday I Learned 99

A Valuable Lesson 99

About Friendship 99

Growing Up into a Better You 100

Im otally Using Tat! 100

Improvements 100

Developments 102

Special Abilities 102

Just Like My Book Said 108

A Leap o Faith 108

For GMs 109Starting with the Basics 110

What a GM is 110

A World Builder 111

A Writer 111

A Narrator 111

An Entertainer 112

A Number One Assistant 112

What a GM is not 112

A Dictator 112

Te Storyteller 112

Te Decision Maker 113

Te Center o Attention 113

Te Enemy 113What Makes a Good GM 113

Works Hard, Plays Well with Others 113

Organized and Prepared 114

Able to Develop and Alter Storylines 114


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Able to Develop Characters 114

Not too Generous or Strict; Fair 114

Able to Predict Characters 114

Flair or the Dramatic 115

Good at Setting the Scene 115Experienced 115

Why You Havent GMed Tis Beore 116

Not a Beginner System 116

Concept Heavy, Rules Light 116

Improvisation: Your Best Skill 117

Players, rust Ty GM 117

Assembling a Group 118

Getting the Right Players 118

Whos Best or the Litter 119

Bright Eyed and Scaly ailed 119

ied or Last Place 119

Newbies Beware! 120With Friends Like You 120

Knowing Your Mane Cast 120

Rainbow Dash, Te Go-Getter 120

Fluttershy, Te Reactionary 121

Rarity, Te Rules Lawyer 121

wilight Sparkle, Te Power Gamer 121

Pinkie Pie, Te Prankster 121

Applejack, Te Anchor 121

Spike, Te Assistant 121

Writing an Episode 122


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Basic Story Structure 122

Exposition 122

Rising Action 123

Climax 123

Falling Action 123Resolution 123

Advanced Concepts 123

one 124

Teme 124

Te Hook 124

No Railroading 124

Know Your Audience 124

Battles to Fight 124

Have a Way Out 125

Side Quests 125

Action, Reaction 125

o Be Continued 125

Playing an Episode 126Character Creation 126

Getting Started 127

Establishing one 127

Getting to Know You 127

A Scheduled Sprinkle 128

Picking Up Steam 128

Te Hook 128

o Do List 128

By the End o the Day 129

All Over Equestria 129

Keep on rottin 129


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Te Carrot 129

Te Stick 129

Te Right Ting to do 129

Just Over Tis Hill 130

asks and Challenges 130Te Diculty Scale 130

Tats Impossible! 132

Lie Lessons and Dragons Hoards 133

Consequences 133

Te Climax 133

Conict as an Adversary 133

Facing O 134

Conict as a Situation 134

Cue Teme Song, Roll Credits 134

Everything Worked Out Just Fine 135

oo Early or a Group Hug 135

Te Aesop 135

Spike, take a Letter 135What We Learned this Week 136

An Important Lesson 136

Awarding Experience 136

Next Week 138

Was it Fair? 138

Was it on Rails? 138What Happens Now? 138

What do I do next? 139

Tanks or Reading! 140


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Welcome to MLP:RiM, Season 2 Edition (S2E)Whoever you are, wherever youre rom, on one thing we can all agree:

Everything is better with ponies.

It is with this in mind that we set out to make My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. With manygame systems on the market ranging rom vampire intrigue, to cyberpunk dystopias, to dragon-slayingand the diving-into o dungeons, we elt that it was time or something bright and colorul to jointhese noble and distinguished ranks. Something positive. Something riendly. Something upliing andjust plain un.

Pen and paper roleplaying games occupy a unique place in modern society. For many o us adults,they provide one o the last sae places or our imagination to take ight; indeed, in some ways, theymay be the last bastion o our childhood. Unlike video and computer games, a good pen and paperroleplaying game doesnt just provide you with a choice o A or B and ask you to choose one; instead, itpresents you with a situation and asks, What doyou want to do?

We have tried to capture this ideal with My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. Te magical land

o Equestria is a wide, wide world o adventure, danger, wonder, and sel-discovery. It is a place that,while not sae, is ull o imagination; a perect setting or a pen and paper roleplaying game. We haveavoided complex math as much as possible, and have instead substituted narrative concepts and idealso communal storytelling, to emphasize the unique place pen and paper roleplaying games hold in theworld o gaming. Tis is not a game to be beaten, but rather a method o telling un stories together.

So, gather some riends and read on, my little ponies; and as you do, ask yoursel:

What doyou want to do?

What is this?

Tis is the Season wo Edition o My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, a tabletop pen and paperroleplaying game system based on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon created by LaurenFaust and Studio B, and owned by Hasbro Inc. Tis is provided ree or all to use and play, and is alabor o love and riendship or the brony community.

It is called the Season wo Edition, or S2E, due to the act that it is based as much as possible uponthe canonical inormation presented by the original cartoon up through its second season. Part o themission o this game system is to undergo revisions aer each season o the cartoon, and release a newedition each season to reect those revisions, thus staying constant with the inormation presentedby the show. We have done our best to design a game system which, while being as anon-riendly aspossible, is centered squarely on the canon o the original show.

Tis is a system or communal storytelling, designed or two to six players and one Game Master(or GM). It is played using a single twenty-sided die (or d20) per person, as well as pencils, thisrulebook, and assorted character sheets. Players are given a situation by the GM, describe the actionsattempted by their characters, and use the d20 and their character sheets to determine the results othese actions.

Above all, this is a vehicle or telling stories, making riends, and having un.


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Hey! Isnt this just like [insert game system here]?

Probably.

Experienced pen and paper roleplayers will undoubtedly recognize several aspects o My Lit-tle Pony: Roleplaying is Magic which are similar to other game systems, and that is not unexpected.While much o the game was developed to be as original as possible in concept and execution, as the

old saying goes, i it aint broke, dont x it. Te simple act o the matter is that good art stands on theshoulders o the giants who came beore, and that i someone beore you had a good idea, use itandi possible, improve on it.

We have altered almost every mechanic in the system enough to consider it ours rather than copy-ing or stealing rom someone else, and the core system is original work. Having said that, we wouldlike to take a moment now to give proper credit to the giants whose shoulders we stood upon to makethis game. Tese are only the inuences we are aware o; the world o gaming is a vast web o inuenc-es, and there are likely many we arent aware o enough to name. o those, we oer our simple thanks.

First and oremost, like many gaming systems, we owe a thank-you to Gary Gygax or his creation,Dungeons & Dragons. Without D&D, not only would this system not be possible, but we may not

have gotten into gaming at all.

Secondly, White Wols World o Darkness inuenced much o how skills are dened and howthe core o the game ows in a narrative style, as well as how part o the Dragon racial mechanics andWillpower mechanics were designed.

Tird, Giant in the Playground Games inuenced much o how the attribute and talent systemswere designed to aord players exibility without becoming overly complex.

Fourth, Atlas Games Ars Magica inuenced much o how the magic and spellcasting system wasdesigned to allow great customization, as well as how part o the Unicorn Pony racial mechanics weredesigned.

Finally, Gikrieg23s Te Savage World o My LittlePony isto usthe grandather o all My Little Ponypen and paper game systems. It blazed the trail this gamesystem ollows, and we owe him a brohoo or being thepioneer in this area. In particular, his system o Dauntsinuenced much o how the Energy/Courage/Fortitudesystem unctions.

How do I read this book?

Tis book is separated into our distinct sections.

Te rst section is this one, the Introduction. It isdesigned to give you some background on the game, andto ease you into the style and avor o the book. For theull experience, it is recommended that you read all theway through.

Te second section is For Players, and orms hal othe core content o the book. In this second section, the
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mechanics o the game are presented and explained, rom character creation, through gameplay, andon into character advancement and the spending o experience points.

Te third section is For GMs, and orms the other hal o the core content o the book. In this thirdsection, the duties and responsibilities o the GM are outlined and explained, rom creating an Epi-sode, through gathering a group o players, and on into running the game itsel.

Te ourth and nal section contains Character Sheets or players to use when creating their char-acters to play.

New Players: What is Roleplaying is Magic?

We have one word or new players:

Relax.

I youve played a pen and paper roleplaying game beore, you already know how to play My LittlePony: Roleplaying is Magic. Some o the mechanics may (and likely will) be new and dierent to you,but you already understand the core logic o how a game system works, and all youre going to nd in

this book is, perhaps, a new way to play.

I youve played in unmoderated, or reeorm, roleplaying beore, you already know many o theways in which My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic diers rom other pen and paper game systems.You understand the concept o narrative ow in roleplaying, and all youre going to nd in this book is,perhaps, a new way to codiy roleplaying.

I you have no experience with roleplaying at all, you have a lot to learn. However, we wrote thisbook or you, and within its pages, youll nd everything you need to sit down with a group o riendsand play a game o My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. Te best way to learn roleplaying is to sitdown and do it, and chances are good that i this game system is your rst, youre playing with the bestgroup o people to learn with: riends.

Regardless o your background or experience, youre likely to nd something new in this book,whether its how to play a game which is light on rules but heavy on concept, or how to use rules to tella story rather than simply play a game.

Returning Players: Whats new in S2E?

We have two words or returning players:

Tank you.

You stuck with us through our rough beginnings, and we hope that youll nd S2E to be a dierent,but also much better, experience in every acet o gameplay. We have redesigned almost everythingrom the ground up to improve on S1E; taking rom it many lessons and good ideas, and trimmingaway or replacing what didnt workor didnt work as well as we thought it would. I you were oneo the game groups who kept in touch with us and provided eedback, youre very likely to nd that aconsiderable portion o that eedback has been incorporated into S2E. Tis game is or you, and youhelped make it better. Tank you; we owe you a cupcake.


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Some o the changes youll nd include new mechanics such as Energy/Courage/Fortitudeareworked hit point type system which ocuses more on all aspects o becoming discouraged or dam-aged, an expanded spellcasting system or greater exibility, power, and customization or UnicornPonies, cool new and expanded ight- and weather-based abilities or Pegasus Ponies, a robust experi-ence reward system or Earth Ponies, new mechanics or utilizing Special Purposes and alents, newways to useand riskWillpower to push your character to new heights, Dragons as a playable race

with their own unique abilities and dangerous weaknesses, and lastbut certainly not leasta ullyrealized system or acquiring and spending experience points to advance your character across multi-ple Episodes.

You spoke, we listened. We think youll like what we came up with.

What do I need to play?

Te list o materials you need to play My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic is very short in comparisonto other pen and paper roleplaying games.

Each player needs a character sheet (ound in the back o this book), a pencil or pen, and one

twenty-sided die. Optionally, players may wish to bring paper to take notes on the story to help themremember key points. Players might also wish to bring a copy o this rulebook or themselves, thougha game group can get along ne with one copy or the group as a whole.

Te GM needs even less; a copy o this rulebook, a pencil or pen, paper, and their notes on theEpisode they are running. My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic - S2E seeks to be very GM-riendly,allowing GMs to ocus on the story, not enorcing the rules.

Aside rom that, everyone should bring a cooperative, riendly attitude to the table, and the desire tohave un and tell a good story as a group. Tats ityoure ready to begin!

Who are you?Te My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic team is composed o ve individualsone woman, ourmenand is published under the company header o Roan Arts LLC. Roan Arts LLC is a small com-pany ormed to create and publish artistic projects rom video games, to hobby games, to books andcomics. Apart rom My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, Roan Arts LLC is developing SAR, auniversal ramework system or pen and paper gaming.

James Weimer (all ail) is a co-ounder o Roan Arts LLC and the mind (genius or deranged, youdecide) behind My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. He is an avid gamer and passable writer rom thesouthern east coast with loy aspirations to become a proessional game designer. Hes also availableor bar mitzvahs and birthday parties.

Samuel Hanson (Know-It-All) is a brony rom Florida and a co-ounder o Roan Arts LLC. Te loveo games (and ponies) led to his joining the MLP:RiM team where he applies his (apparently) useulskills in developing game mechanics. When not trying to gure when to use a +1 or a -1, Know-It-Allenjoys playing video, computer, and tabletop games, ando coursewatching Friendship is Magic.

Daniel Oakley (Artsy Heartsy) is a geek living in Brisbane, Australia. He does a little o everything,ocusing on computers and graphic design.


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Caytlin Vilbrandt (Pixel) is a comic artist and designer rom the Pacic Northwest. She spends herdays ghting crime and saving puppies rom trees, but when she comes home at night, she draws a loto comics. And watches a lot o pony. Actually, thats a lie; i you ask any o her riends, theyll tell youshe spends 90% o her time drawing her comic, Walking on Broken Glass (http://www.brokenglasscom-ic.com). But be warned, its rated R or violence.

Michael Simpson (Sketchbook) is a visual artist who has worked in illustration, graphic design, and

3-D animation. A good portion o his ree time is spent doing artistic things or un (and prot). Healso has a passion or all sorts o games, rom those on his trusty (well, mostlytrusty) Playstation 3, togood old ashioned board games and tabletop games.

Who is best pony?

all ail: I have been a an o Pinkie Pie since day one (okay, maybe episode three). Her quirky hu-mor and out-in-the-open, positive liestyle helped me learn the value o being upbeat, straightorward,and optimistic in my daily lie. I credit Pinkie Pies lessons with being the reason I wake up happy inthe morning. And also, who doesnt love Gummy?

Know-It-All: Applejack is the best pony because she is honest and dedicated to doing the right

thing. Where other ponies get by with magic, antastic natural abilities, and reality-bending luck, Ap-plejack uses willpower and hard work to get things done.

Artsy: Fluttershy, because shes a year older than Pinkie Pie. Pipsqueak, Spike, and Pinkie come in aclose second though.

Pixel: Sweetiebot is best pony. Tats all there is to it. But i you make me choose a canon pony, Imsticking with Sweetie Belle. Shes my MBI pony, and I like her lots.

Sketchbook: I would have to say that the best pony is Fluttershy. I eel like she is the one that I canbest relate to, as well as being pretty darn cute. Even though she is timid and super-kind, she isntaraid o showing some backbone when the situation calls or it. You might even say she kills with

kindness; and I eel that thats the best way to be.
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Te Magic o FriendshipEquestria is a magical land o adventure, opportunity, wonder, and riendship; but it is also a land oaction, danger, old mysteries to unravel, and new challenges to overcome. From vanquishing righten-ing beasts rom the Everree Forest to learning lessons about the magic o riendship, as a player, youwill guide your character through any number o situations and rely on yoursel and your riends to

succeed.Perhaps your character maintains a dual identity as a mysterious masked hero, helping ponies be-

ore vanishing back into their mild-mannered alter-ego. Maybe your character is a talented artist, ormagician, or athlete, striving to become the best at what they do. Or your character might simply be anumber one assistant or another hard-working citizen o Equestria, making their way in the world asbest they can--but destined or greatness.

Whatever their persona, goals, ambitions, or talents, nopony goes through lie entirely alone. Eventhe most talented pony in Equestria benets rom having riends by their side, and a group o riendscan accomplish what nopony can on their own. In My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, riendshipmeans more than just a ew companions or an adventure; it is a powerul orce worth ghting or.

Youre all my very best riends

In My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, there are three main roles or the group o riends sittingaround the gaming table to ll: Players, Characters, and the Game Master. Its important to understandwhat these roles represent, and how they t together. Tis section o the book deals with players andtheir characters, going in-depth into the concepts and mechanics o roleplaying with My Little Pony:Roleplaying is Magic.

Players are the driving orce behind the action and adventure o the game, and it is the duty o theplayers to be creative and expressive in moving the story orward. At their core, players are responsible

or entertaining themselves and each other, and ultimately, they are the ones with the power to steerthe game in whatever direction they wish. Tis means that (despite appearances to the contrary) play-ers have the most responsibility among the game group to ensure that the game they are playing is aun, engaging, and rewarding experience.

Characters are the method o driving the story orward and o providing players with a vessel anda mechanism or making things interesting and un. I the players are the directors o a game o MyLittle Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, then the characters are the actors; they provide the avor and airwhich give the game a personal eel.

Te Game Master (or GM) is the writer, assistant, and supervisor or the game, and is responsibleor eshing out the world around the characters. While the players control only their characters, the

GM controls everything else--but they are not the driving orce behind the game, they merely assistthe players in various ways to create a good story. Where the players have the most conceptual respon-sibility (that is, to ensure the quality o the game), the GM has the most logistical responsibility; it isthe GMs job to ensure that the game progresses smoothly and that the players have the situations,resources, and challenges they need to make the game un.


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Shes just being Pinkie Pie

Many beginner roleplayers (and some experienced ones) have a tendency to all into one o a ewbehaviors which can negatively eect the gameplay experience. It is important to know these behaviorsso that they can be avoided, and help ensure that the group roleplaying is rich and enjoyable or every-one. Te rst and most prevalent o these behaviors is called Meta-Gaming.

Meta-Gaming is the use o inormation which a player knows but that their character would not, indeciding upon the actions o that character. An example o meta-gaming would be or a player whosaw in their GMs notes that a grion is coming to town, to have their character be looking or a gri-on or telling ponies that a grion is coming to town. Te reason this is meta-gaming is that, while theplayer has seen the GMs notes, their character has no way o knowing about a grion coming to town.

Meta-Gaming is one o the most undamentally dicult behaviors to avoid, as it seems to be sel-contradictory; a player controlling a character not using knowledge that player has, oen seemsstrange to players who engage in meta-gaming. Te reason it should be avoided is or the sake o im-mersion; pen and paper roleplaying is at its best when the players eel as i they are their characters,instead o simply controlling them. In essence, meta-gaming is like reading the ending o a book rst;it ruins the un o reading the story. In the case o the grion example above, it is more immersive

and un or everyone at the table i the player has their character act as i they do not know about thegrion coming to town, and thus act as surprised as everyone else.

Youve gotta share, Youve gotta care

Another behavior to avoid is called Main Charac-ter Syndrome. Main Character Syndrome is whena player acts as i their character is the most spe-cial or unique character, disregarding the impor-tance o the characters other players are playing.Most oen, this maniests itsel as unnecessarilyquirky or disruptive behaviors or the character,which serve to draw attention and make the gamemore un or the player controlling the character,but not or the other players in the game.

While a character is always very personal to their player, it is important not to hog the spotlight,so to speak, and to try to use your character (and sometimes step back rom the action) to make theroleplaying experience un or everyone. Oen, these kinds o character quirks seem to be a un idea,but end up being a disruptive element or an unnecessary speed bump to the ow o the game.

An example o main character syndrome would be or a character to be araid o sunlight; while this

might seem like an interesting and un quirk in theory, in practice it simply means that every time theother characters want to do something during the day, they have to rst deal with the ear--instead oocusing on the more important challenges at hand. Rather than adding to the un and avor o thegame, it becomes a tedious and unnecessary barrier to overcome beore the game group can get onwith having un.


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I I cant nd a riendship problem

It is not uncommon or a game session to hit a point where the action has slowed down. Usually, thishappens when the players didnt pick up on a clue the GM gave them, or when the players are tryingto do things one way, and the GM cant or wont tell them that they are ocusing on the wrong thing, orthat what they are trying to do wont work. Whatever the cause, this slowdown is no ones ault speci-cally, and can be easy handled i the players and GM cooperate.

In these lulls in the action (or bottleneck scenes) it is important or a player to nd something ortheir character to do, and not just get stuck--as that leads to boredom. I a door wont open, look or asecret switch, or a key. I a monster wont go away, look around or an escape route. I nothing is goingon, backtrack to see i there is something you missed. Oen, this provides the GM with a way to let theaction move orward, by improvising a potential solution or work-around or the situation at hand.

Ill make a riendship problem!

While it is important to keep the action moving, it is also important to be constructive when seek-ing methods o doing so, instead o starting trouble or the sake o entertainment. Being disruptive orcreating a problem in order to have something to do is yet another behavior to avoid, which is calledStarting Drama.

An example o starting drama would be or a character who, whereupon nding a barn door locked,decides to burn down the barn instead o look or another way in--or a character who doesnt have an-ything to do and who starts a ght to stir up some action. Oen, a GM will work with a player to helpthem nd a solution to a problem or nd something to do, but it is important to leave options open. Ia character sets re to a barn, as in the example above, it will orce events down a specic track, insteado giving the players and the GM some breathing room to work out more constructive solutions.

Stop it, Discord; Youre not playing air

It is the role o a GM to provide challenges or the players and their characters, and rom time to time,it is not uncommon or players to eel as though the GM is being unair in the diculty o a challenge.It is natural or players and GMs to lock horns over things rom time to time, but it is also importantthat ultimately, they trust each other. When a player decides that the GM is the enemy, they are allinginto another behavior to avoid, called Beating Te GM.

An example o beating the GM would be or a player to try to have their character go against theguidance o the GM, and try to do everything they can to use rules and technicalities to limit whatthe GM is able to do. Te reason this is a behavior to avoid is two-old. First, a GMs enjoyment o thegame is dependent on the players succeeding in their adventure, but also in truly earning their suc-cess and overcoming challenges; a good GM is not too lenient, not too strict, but air. Aer all, the GM

wants to have un just as much as the rest o the game group.Second, trying to limit the GMs abilities only leads to less overall un or the group. While it seems

like a good idea to make sure the GM isnt cheating, it also prevents the GM rom cheating to helpthe group when theyre stuck, or cheating to prevent an unlucky turn o events rom ending theadventure unairly. A GM needs a certain amount o leeway to improvise and react to the story as itunolds, so that the game remains un or the whole group. In short, the GM is not the enemy, butrather a riend and assistant to the players--whose job includes presenting challenges and hurdles toovercome.


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You simply must stop reading those dusty old books

Unlike many pen and paper game systems, My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic is not designed toeature a comprehensive system o rules, tables, and equations which cover every possible action andensure complete balance. Instead, it ocuses on the narrative, storytelling elements o roleplaying, andassumes that players and their GM will play air and work together to create a good story.

Tere are many ways in which this system could be abused to accumulate power or an individualcharacter, and in act it was designed with that kind o exibility in order to encompass many conceptsand allow the players and the GM to use their imagination as much as possible. Players seeking tomake characters who are powerul, or who seek to win a pen and paper roleplaying game are advisedto nd a dierent game to play. Players seeking to use their imagination to create a un story or every-one at the game table, however, are encouraged to keep reading.

Make some riends!

Now that some core concepts have been dis-cussed, and some disruptive behaviors have beenoutlined to be avoided, the next section will cover

character creation utilizing the game mechanicsthemselves. Character creation is best done (andis a lot o un) when done as a group, so gatheryour game group together, pass out charactersheets, and make some riends!


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Cutie Mark Crusader Character Creators! (Yay!)Character creation in My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic is designed to be a group activity, both withthe other players in the game group and with the GM. It deals more with interpretation, conceptual-ization, and denition o a character than with choosing options rom a list or allocating points. Assuch, while character creation can be done individually, it is better (not to mention more un) to worktogether.

Focus on what youre already good at

New players (and some experienced ones) oen tend to try to design a character in a pen and paperroleplaying game to min-max, or try to get the numbers to work beore coming up with a characterconcept. Tis is natural, as many times a player has to nd out what kind o character is possible beorethey know i a concept will work. In My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, however, there is signicantexibility in character creation to make or adapt a character concept, to allow players to think rstabout their character, then about the mechanics.

For this reason, players are encouraged to design their characters concept rst. Much o charactercreation in My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic asks the player to explain or dene their characters

concept, and adapts the mechanics to t--thus it makes character creation much more un and easywhen the character concept is already being developed.

Anything you can do, I can do better

Many roleplayers have a natural tendency to try to do everything right rom the start with their char-acters. In My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, this is called being a rixie. Character creation isdesigned to give players a large degree o reedom and exibility to make a well-rounded character, in-


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stead o being orced to ocus on one specic area o ability. However, there is still a trade-o betweenversatility and specialization, and the system is designed to have plenty o room or characters to growand evolve, and widen their scope o ability.

For these reasons, it is best during character creation to ocus on what is essential to your character,instead o trying to encompass everything you want them to have or do in the long run. A characterwho tries to do everything right rom the start, aer all, oen ends up not being able to do anything

very well.

Teres nothing we cant overcome!

A balanced character who ocuses on a reasonable number o areas is especially well-suited to MyLittle Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, due to the group nature o character creation. When creating char-acters, dont be araid to work together with other players to create a well-rounded group o riends.Unlike many game systems which assume that characters are strangers at the beginning o the game,My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic assumes that the players group o characters are already riends--or are at least destined to become riends.

For this reason, it is important to work together to create characters who compliment each otherin terms o their personalities as well as their abilities. For example, a character who is very shy mightwork well with a character who is very charismatic or adventurous, and vice versa. A character who isvery bold might work well with a character who is very artistic, and vice versa. Te important thing toremember is that temporary conict within a group o riends is natural, but that the group should notbe designed to be inherently adversarial with each other. Tere is a reason the characters are already(or soon to be) riends, and character creation is the time to develop the nature and origin o thatriendship.

Its a good thing Im so organised

Character creation ollows sixteen steps, rom beginning to end. Tese steps are as ollows:

Step One: Choose your characters race, whether pony or dragon.Step wo: Choose your characters age category.Step Tree: Dene your characters Special Purpose and Cutie Mark.Step Four: Determine your characters Primary Attributes.Step Five: Determine your characters Secondary Attributes.Step Six: Choose your characters alents.Step Seven: Dene your characters Job.Step Eight: Dene your characters Skills.Step Nine: Apply your characters Unique Abilities.

Step en: Choose your characters Guiding Element o Harmony.Step Eleven: Dene your characters Flaws (i any).Step welve: Determine your characters appearance and style.Step Tirteen: Determine your characters possessions and assets.Step Fourteen: Determine your characters background and history.Step Fieen: Determine your characters starting point into the game.Step Sixteen: Spend any experience points available to your character.


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All the diferent kinds o ponies

Te rst step o character creation is to choose yourcharacters race, whether it is one o the breeds oponies, or a dragon. In My Little Pony: Roleplayingis Magic, there are our playable races: Earth Ponies,Pegasus Ponies, Unicorn Ponies, and Dragons. Eachrace has its own strengths, areas o talent and skill,and signature abilities which the other races do not,making each and every character special.

Earth Ponies

Earth Ponies are the hard-working and stout-heartedeveryday residents o Equestria. While they lack theunique powers granted to the other breeds o ponies,Earth Ponies share a strong and deeply personal con-nection to the earth. By the virtue o not having theinherent abilities o the other breeds, Earth Ponies

are no strangers to hard work, ingenuity, determina-tion, and cooperation. Tey oen take lie lessonsto heart more readily than other ponies, and usuallyhave a deeper (albeit more common sense) under-standing o the world around them.

All in all, Earth Ponies tend to be very salt o the earth type ponies--rom bakers, to armers, tobuilders, to teachers and community leaders, Earth Ponies make the world go round and are alwaysready to do what is necessary. Tat is not to say that they are not just as varied and unique as the other


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breeds; indeed, Earth Ponies have been known to be world-renowned musicians, artists, designers,and even athletes. It simply means that Earth Ponies--whatever their vocation--are passionate, stead-ast, and connected to not only nature, but all the important and subtle things which make the worldgo round.

While it may appear that Earth Ponies are the least powerul o the pony breeds, in some ways, thereverse is true. While they do not gain the unique abilities o ight or magic that the other breeds do,

Earth Ponies have a signicant advantage when it comes to experience points and advancement. Earlyon, Earth Ponies tend to be all-around and versatile characters, able to ll a variety o roles within thegroup. However, as they advance, Earth Ponies have the potential to become better in more areas thanother ponies do. While the other breeds o pony may have aerial acrobatics or magical mysticism attheir disposal, Earth Ponies have the grit and determination to be the best at whatever they do.

Mechanically, Earth Ponies gain a +2 bonus to their Heart attribute, a +1 bonus to their Mind attrib-ute, and their unique racial ability called Te Earth Pony Way.

Notable Earth Ponies include:

Sapphire Shores, entertainer and the Pony o Pop

Ace, ourth-best tennis player in all o Equestria

Hoity oity, premier Canterlot ashion mogul

Cheerilee, Ponyvilles head schoolmistressPhoto Finish, amous ashion photographer


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Pegasus Ponies

Pegasus ponies are high-ying, athletic ponies gied with wings and the ability to interact with clouds.While not all Pegasus Ponies are sky-bound speedsters or aerial acrobats, all Pegasus Ponies can movethrough the air as quickly and easily as they can on the ground, making them overall a bit more natu-rally athletic and physically capable than the other breeds o ponies. Aer all, being capable o yingall day and carrying things while doing so is a great way or a pony to end up in outstanding physical

condition.In general, Pegasus Ponies tend to be very passionate about their goals and drives in lie; it is not un-

common or a Pegasus Pony to go out on a limb or take a risk to accomplish something important tothem. While this does not mean that Pegasus Ponies are reckless (indeed, some o them can be timid),it does mean that more oen than not they tend to be the trailblazer in a group adventure--whetherthrough an adventurous spirit or a curious mind.

Pegasus Ponies have the unique gi o ight, as well as the wondrous ability to interact with cloudsin ways no one else can--and even create weather eects themselves. I Earth Ponies have a uniqueconnection to the earth, Pegasus Ponies have a unique connection to the sky. From lightning strikes torainstorms, Pegasus Ponies can use clouds to create weather eects--and can even create certain eects

(such as whirlwinds, or contrails o lightning or rainbows) by themselves. Aside rom this, all PegasusPonies have some inborn talent or ight--even i they rarely show it. Tis talent can take time to de-velop, but it is always present to one degree or another.

Mechanically, Pegasus Ponies gain a +2 bonus to their Body attribute, a +1 bonus to their Heart at-tribute, and their unique racial ability called Sky-Bound Soars and Daring Dives.

Notable Pegasus Ponies include:

Rainbow Dash, only known practitioner o the Sonic Rainboom

Ditzy Doo, notoriously incapable avian migratory guide

Te Wonderbolts, Equestrias premier aerial acrobatic team

Derpy Hooves, amous paper-bag-wearing adventurer

Daring Do, heroic explorer and world traveller


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Unicorn Ponies

Unicorn Ponies are the most magical and intellectual o the pony breeds, capable o perorming magi-cal acts and casting spells by the virtue o the horn protruding rom their orehead. Unlike the otherbreeds o ponies, whose abilities are more subtle, Unicorn Ponies maniest their unique and magicalconnection to the world around them overtly. Unicorn Pony magic is dicult, i not impossible, tohide--and ew Unicorn Ponies would seek to hide it anyway, as it is their magic and spellcasting ability

which makes them unique among the breeds o ponies.By and large, Unicorn Ponies are a proud breed o pony, and take great pleasure in being a part o

important and interesting things. Whether it is seeking to be a vital part o high society, becoming thevery best in a chosen area o interest, taking on a dangerous mission or the ate o Equestria, or simplybeing a part o a wonderul riendship, Unicorn Ponies can oen be ound at the heart o importantevents. While not all Unicorn Ponies are prideul, and indeed humility is not an uncommon trait, allUnicorn Ponies are well aware that they are special--and that there is no hiding that act.

Unicorn Ponies have arguably the most powerul unique ability in their spellcasting and wielding omagic. From their ability to magically manipulate objects to the unique and varied ways in which theylearn to use their magical talents, Unicorn Ponies have a power that no other breed o pony can match

directly. However, it is the overt nature o their magic which is also its drawback; a Unicorn Pony hasno way to hide their magical power, and is oen in the proverbial spotlight whether they want to be ornot.

Mechanically, Unicorn Ponies gain a +2 bonus to their Mind attribute, a +1 bonus to their Body at-tribute, and their unique racial ability called Magic Makes it all Complete.

Notable Unicorn Ponies include:

wilight Sparkle, star pupil o Princess Celestia

Star Swirl the Bearded, ather o the amniomorphic spell

DJ Pon3, disc jockey and master o vinyl scratching

Prince Blueblood, royal nephew o Princess Celestia

Fancypants, the most important pony in Canterlot


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Dragons

Dragons are the mysterious and largely unknown reptilian race o re-breathing serpents. While theexistence o Dragons in Equestria has been known or a long time, not much is known about theirsociety, or how they age, or about their lie cycle in general. What little is known about Dragons comesmainly rom unconventional sources o lore and wisdom, and thus is not generally widely known tothe rest o the world.

Dragons have an inherently value-driven way o viewing o the world; they typically have a clear andinstinctual understanding o the importance o things. For this reason, Dragons struggle with tenden-cies toward possession or its own sake. On the one hand, a Dragons natural inclination is to gatherand protect things o value and importance. Tis is not limited to objects o monetary worth, but mayinclude anything a Dragon places value on, or anything a Dragon is aware that someone else placesvalue on. Tis can even be conceptual things, such as a riends eelings, the happiness o others, or thesaety o a love interest. Because o this, Dragons (especially those exposed to a group which reinorcesmoral behavior) can be among the most powerul and staunch allies to their riends and community.

On the other hand, a Dragon struggles withtaking this protective tendency too ar, into the

realm o becoming territorial or possessive. Forexample, a Dragon gains a new assistant ortheir job--one they eel is important; the Dragonmay become territorial over their job, viewingtheir new assistant as a threat and attemptingto remove them. Or a Dragon gains the abil-ity (or status) to accumulate objects o value;the Dragon may become possessive, trying toaccumulate everything o value they can. It isimportant to note that a Dragon who hoards in

this way is not evil, but is being guided by a deep,instinctual desire to ulll the role o a guardianto important things. Although they are taking ittoo ar, the Dragon is attempting to protect andsaeguard this perceived wealth.

Dragons are intrinsically magical creatures--just like ponies--though their magical natureis less immediately evident and overt; in manyways, they share traits with Pegasus Ponies andUnicorn Ponies more than Earth Ponies, thoughthey can certainly identiy with, and get along

with, anypony. Te key dierence is that, whileponies tend to have magical connections tothings, or may harness and wield magic, Dragonsembody magic with their very existence. Fromtheir ability to breathe ame, to the develop-ment o their wings, to their magical growth inresponse to their hoarding nature, Dragons areliving, breathing magical creatures.


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Mechanically, Dragons gain a +1 bonus to each o their Mind, Body, and Heart attributes, and theirunique racial ability called King o the Hoard.


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I am a big pony

Te next step o character creation is to decidehow old your character is, by choosing an agecategory. Oen, the age o the characters willdecide part o the tone o the story, as well as howit is approached by the game group. For example,

a given situation might be handled dierentlyby very young ponies than it would be by olderand more experienced ponies. While it is usu-ally best or all o the characters to be the sameage category, it can sometimes be interesting andun to vary the characters ages somewhat. I thisis done however, it is important to keep in mindthat a characters age category determines, to alimited degree, how powerul they are at the be-ginning o the story; varying the characters agecategories should be done careully.

Foals

Foals are ponies who have recently le their inancy stage and are beginning to explore the world.Tey are still considered youths, however, and ollow many o the same rules as children. Foals attendschool regularly, live with and are taken care o by a amily member or other guardian, and typically(in the case o Pegasus and Unicorn Ponies) are not capable o utilizing their unique racial abilities--orat least not to their ull extent. Tey do not support themselves by holding down a job, and are oennot required to perorm any jobs or tasks or their community. It is during their Foal stage o growthand development that a pony typically gures out their Special Purpose and thus gains their Cutie

Mark.It is important to note that Foals are not necessarily treated in exactly the same way that very young

children are; in human terms they can range anywhere rom elementary school to high school in theirexperience and social reedoms. It is not uncommon to see Foals out at recess or perorming in a tal-ent show during the school day, yet sometimes going out without parent or guardian supervision toa bowling alley. Likewise, sleepovers and tree-house an clubs are not uncommon things or Foals toengage in, yet some Foals occasionally go into the Everree Forest without supervision.

Because o these reedoms, it is not uncommon or Foals to have adventures together without thepresence o older ponies to supervise, but these adventures tend to be o a smaller scale and a morelimited scope. Where older ponies might go on an adventure to rescue a kidnapped riend or answer

the summons o Princess Celestia, Foals might go on an adventure to nd a missing chicken or gatherwhat they need to put on a musical number or a talent show. Whatever their adventure, however,Foals tend to approach situations with a wide-eyed innocence and a sense o child-like wonder andenthusiasm which older ponies sometimes lack--and likewise, Foals tend to lack the experience andability which older ponies have developed over time.


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Mechanically, Foals have one attribute point to spend during character creation, the ireless al-ent (as a temporary alent; see below), and the option to be a Blank Flank instead o beginning playwith a Special Purpose and Cutie Mark. In addition, Pegasus Pony and Unicorn Pony Foals may suerdiminished use o their unique racial abilities (or unique uses o their abilities), as detailed in the racialabilities section. Earth Pony Foals, whose age does not aect their unique racial abilities, gain 10 expe-rience points to use at the end o character creation to purchase character advancements.

Foals gain the ireless alent as a bonus to represent the energy and exuberance most childrendisplay. However, this is not a permanent gain; many Foals who grow up lose their boundless youth-ul energy, and a ew retain it into adulthood. o represent this, when a Foal character grows up intothe Filly/Colt age category, they are aced with a choice; they may purchase the ireless alent or 5experience points (a discount rom its normal cost), or lose it. A character who took the ireless alentduring character creation keeps it regardless o growing up, and i a character elects to lose it whengrowing up, they may always purchase it as normal later or its ull experience point cost.

Examples o Foals include:Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon, Diamond iara, Pip-squeak, wist, Sunny Days, Peachy Pie, Snips, and Snails.

ypically, stories eaturing Foal characters tend to be low-powered, light-hearted, and are reminis-

cent o the un and careree episodes eaturing the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Fillies/Colts

Fillies (emale) and Colts (male) are ponies who have le the Foal stage behind and have entered thebeginnings o adulthood. While no longer considered youths, Fillies and Colts nevertheless occupy aunique place in Equestria society somewhere between childhood and ull adulthood. It would perhapsbe most accurate to say that Fillies and Colts represent the young adulthood o the pony lie cycle.Some Fillies and Colts live on their own in this stage o lie, starting their own businesses, supportingthemselves independently, or even going to work or somepony else; however, others might still re-main a student, or apprentice themselves to another pony.

Fillies and Colts almost universally hold down one sort o job or another, though these can varywildly--rom leading a towns weather patrol, to running a arm, to being a bakers apprentice. In thisway, Fillies and Colts have grown up beyond the Foal stage in terms o their responsibilities and day-to-day activities, but oen retain elements o their childhood exuberance, curiosity, and wonder at theworld. While some older ponies can tend to be pragmatic or lead simple lives, Fillies and Colts usuallyhave an aspect o idealism and romanticism to them in approaching the world. In short, they are olderin body--but still young at heart.

Teir age brings a measure o experience which younger ponies lack, which makes Fillies and Coltsmore powerul and capable overall than younger ponies. However, Fillies and Colts tend to still be

somewhat diverse in their abilities and areas o skill, reecting their tendency to experiment and trynew things as they seek their place in Equestria. While they have ound their Special Purpose andgained their Cutie Mark, the world does not automatically provide a place or Fillies and Colts to callhome, or a way or them to express their passions and what makes them special. It is this experimenta-tion and wandering, learning, growing, and nding yoursel--at the young-adult level--which denesthe unique stage o pony lie which the Fillies and Colts age category embodies.

Mechanically, Fillies and Colts have two attribute points to spend during character creation, andgain 25 experience points to use at the end o character creation to purchase character advancements.


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Earth Pony Fillies and Colts, however, gain 35 experience points (instead o 25) to use at the end ocharacter creation to purchase character advancements.

Examples o Fillies and Colts include: rixie, wilight Sparkle, RainbowDash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Derpy Hooves, Heartstrings,Golden Harvest, Roseluck, and Braeburn.

ypically, stories eaturing Fillies and Colts tend to be medium-pow-ered, centering on sel-discovery and learning, and are reminiscent onormal slice o lie episodes eaturing the Mane Six.

Mares/Stallions

Mares (emale) and Stallions (male) are ponies who have progressed beyond the Filly and Colt stageand have grown into ull adulthood, both physically and in terms o their maturity and place in theworld. While Mares and Stallions tend to be less energetic and idealistic than younger ponies, this istypically because they have moved beyond the experimentation stage and have emerged with theirgoals and views on lie rened by their experiences. It would be unair to say that Mares and Stallions

are boring or are less un than younger ponies; they simply have nished their youth and now ocuson their passions and interests with the steadastness o maturity.

Mares and Stallions hold not only a job or vocation, but also tend to carry some measure o socialstatus, even i it is only on a local or personal level. For example, while one stallion might be the mostimportant pony in a major city, another might hold a minor but distinguished public oce; one maremight be a beloved teacher in a small town, while another might sway the opinions o the celebrityelite. Tis reects that Mares and Stallions tend to be recognized, on one level or another, by thosearound them as they have been making their mark on Equestria. A Mare or Stallion might not be anadvisor to Princess Celestia hersel, but it is a near-guarantee that somepony knows them.

Having lived and worked in Equestria well into their adult lie, Mares and Stallions are more expe-

rienced and capable than younger ponies. Tey have had time to not only accomplish more over thecourse o their lie, but also rene and ocus their eorts. Because o this, it is unusual to nd Mares orStallions who dabble in a little bit o everything; most have ound their preerred way to express andcultivate their Special Purpose, and have ocused themselves to work toward bettering themselves inthat area. While younger ponies tend to be more ocused on growth and development, Mares and Stal-lions tend to ocus more on the accomplishing o goals, making their mark on the world, and socialissues.

Mechanically, Mares and Stallions have three attribute points to spend during character creation,and gain 50 experience points to use at the end o character creation to purchase character advance-ments. Earth Pony Mares and Stallions, however, gain 60 experience points (instead o 50) to use at the

end o character creation to purchase character advancements. In addition, Mares and Stallions auto-matically begin play with the oast o the own character advancement or ree.

Examples o Mares and Stallions include:Mr. Breezy, Mr. & Mrs. Cake, Zecora, Fancypants, PrinceBlueblood, Big Macintosh, Hoity oity, Cheerilee, Aunt & Uncle Orange, and Sheri Silverstar.

ypically, stories eaturing Mares and Stallions tend to be high-powered, centering on accomplish-ing a task or goal, and are reminiscent o the two-part adventure episodes dealing with serious issues.


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Hatchlings

Te best-known kind o dragon which has beenencountered and is not already a massive size isHatchlings, sometimes called baby dragons.Tis term, however, can be misleading; a Hatch-ling is ully capable o growing into a ull-sized

adult in a very short span o time by indulging intheir possessive tendencies. Te danger o doingso is that it can cause a Hatchling to spiral out ocontrol and become a rampaging, eral monster;and a dragon who has grown in this way whothen resists their tendencies and keeps them atbay reverts back into a Hatchling. A Hatchling isroughly equivalent to somewhere between a Foaland a Filly or Colt character, and is best suited toadventures with those age groups.

Mechanically, Hatchlings have two attribute points to spend during character creation, and gain 15experience points to use at the end o character creation to purchase character advancements.

Examples o Baby Dragons include Spike, wilight Sparkles number one assistant.

Drakes

Dragons who have reached their teenage yearsare called Drakes. Drakes ound in dragon societyare typically brutish, cruel, uncivilized, and highlycompetitive, though certainly not all Drakes arealike. Physically, the Drake stage is when a dragonbegins to truly mature and grow some o thesignature eatures o dragons; most notably, theirwings. While a Drake still runs the risk o greed-induced growth into a eral monstrous dragon,they also gain considerable power rom theiradvancing age. A Drake is roughly equivalent tosomewhere between a Filly or Colt and a Mare orStallion character, and is best suited to adventureswith those age groups.

Mechanically, Drakes have three attribute

points to spend during character creation, gaina +1 bonus to their Body attribute, and gain 35experience points to use at the end o charactercreation to purchase character advancements.


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Tey all say that you will get your mark

Now that your character has their most basic inormation (breed and age) set, the next step in char-acter creation is to develop their Special Purpose and Cutie Mark. A ponys Special Purpose is poten-tially their most powerul mechanical asset, reecting that it is the central drive and core passion in aponys lie, as well as the area o ability in which they truly excel. From the moment they rst discoverit, a Special Purpose denes--and empowers--a pony in their eorts to shape the world around them.

Mechanically, when a ponys Special Purpose applies to a task, they get hal-again their roll result as abonus. Tis is explained in more detail later.

A Special Purpose is oen within a pony, waiting to be discovered, beore it ever maniests itsel asa Cutie Mark; young ponies usually nd that their Special Purpose--once discovered--turns out to berelated to something in which they already had exhibited a unique talent or special interest. Because othis, all ponies have skills and abilities which are largely in line with their Special Purpose; creating oneor a character sets the tone and theme or that character and is the rst major step in developing themand making them unique.

Dragons, on the other hand, do not have a Special Purpose or Cutie Mark; they instead gain a me-chanic called Dragonheart, which allows them to use their inborn, instinctive orce o will as a source

o power--but also as a risk actor, as letting that primal power build too high can cause a dragon tobegin to grow into a monster.

Special Purposes

Tere is no set and exact ormula or developing and dening a characters Special Purpose; they arejust as diverse, and vary just as widely, as ponies themselves. However, there are a ew guidelines whichcan assist with creating a characters Special Purpose. Oen, no one guideline sets a ponys Special Pur-pose; usually it is a combination o how a ew apply to them which provides the basis or their SpecialPurpose--though ponies can certainly embody a particular guideline almost exclusively. Tus, whencreating a character, it is best to use these guidelines as a way o measuring the validity o a SpecialPurpose; the more appropriately (or abundantly) the guidelines apply, the more justied the SpecialPurpose. O course, the GM has the nal say on all characters Special Purposes to ensure game bal-ance, and should work with players to help develop ones which are unique.

All Special Purposes can be expressed comortably in a single sentence beginning with My SpecialPurpose is I a Special Purpose is too long to t comortably into this one sentence, it is likely toospecic, or too complex; a Special Purpose is oen simple and straightorward. For example, to ndgems, make clothes, be beautiul and abulous and rened, and run a successul boutique in Ponyvilleselling dresses does not t comortably into the above sentence, and is an example o a Special Pur-pose which is ar too complex and specic. Something like to bring out the beauty in the world tscomortably into the sentence and is thus a much better Special Purpose, as it is broad enough to apply

to many specic things but is still narrow enough to relate to certain talents and areas o interest.

For a Special Purpose, as in many other things, it is best to keep it simple.

A ponys Special Purpose oen relates to one or more o the ollowing six dimensions o their char-acter concept: their Goals, their Passions, their Calling, their Convictions, their Heritage, and/ortheir Destiny.


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A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Goals has an end result, or a logical conclusion, whichthe pony strives to accomplish. While a pony may never reach that conclusion within their lietime, itremains as a well-dened end result to work toward. For example, a Special Purpose such as o be thebest ier in Equestria relates to a ponys goals because it has a stated end result, and because it can beachieved through eort. Although it may never be done, it still orms the basis or the Special PurposeTe best embodiment o this dimension o a Special Purpose is Rainbow Dash.

A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Passions is very personal to them, and involves a deepneed to express or embody an ideal or concept in their own unique way. It is usually artistic in nature,but doesnt need to be dened by any particular orm o art. For example, a Special Purpose such aso bring out the beauty in the world relates to a ponys passions because it involves the expression obeauty as a personal ideal which is interpreted individually. Te best embodiment o this dimension oa Special Purpose is Rarity.

A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Callingis oen in service to others directly, and in-volves concepts o selessness, compassion, and duty. While this lends itsel to nurturing and caringor others, it can easily be more bold; as it relates to service and duty, a Canterlot Royal Guard is likely

to embody this kind o Special Purpose as well. For example, a Special Purpose such as o care orthose in need relates to a ponys calling because it is in service to others. Te best embodiment o thisdimension o a Special Purpose is Fluttershy.

A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Convictions has to do with how that particular ponythinks the world should be, in relation to how it currently is, and what can be done about it. For ex-ample, a Special Purpose such as o bring joy to everypony relates to a ponys convictions because itassumes that the world is currently not joyous enough, and that the pony should strive to change thatby making others happy. Te best embodiment o this dimension o a Special Purpose is Pinkie Pie.

A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Heritage involves not just their amilial lineage, but also

their traditions, their roots, and their responsibilities. For example, a Special Purpose such as o runthe amily arm relates to a ponys heritage because it assumes the mantle o tradition and responsibil-ity according to their roots. Te best embodiment o this dimension o a Special Purpose is Applejack.

A Special Purpose which relates to a ponys Destinyis the hardest to dene, but has to do with aponys ate, their cognizance and aith in having a greater destiny, and actors which are largely out othe ponys control--but are tied into who they are at heart. Oen, a Special Purpose which relates to aponys destiny is unknown to the pony, or is at least nearly impossible or them to put into words, as itis more o a eeling than a statement and is generally only able to be dened in words when their lie islooked at in retrospect. For example, a Special Purpose such as o be a legendary magician relates toa ponys destiny because much o it has to do with actors outside the ponys control, yet it is tied to the

kind o pony they are at heart rather than guiding what they seek to accomplish, and is almost impos-sible or a pony to dene as a statement until aer the act. Te best embodiment o this dimension oa Special Purpose is wilight Sparkle.

Mechanically, a Special Purpose allows a pony to shine when they are attempting to do things whichare in line with it. Whenever a pony does something which is appropriate to their Special Purpose,they gain a bonus on the roll equal to one-hal (rounded up) the number on the dice aer it is rolled.


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Cutie Marks

A Cutie Mark is a mark on the anks o a pony which is always somehow indicative o a ponys SpecialPurpose, though the relation between them can be vague, symbolic, or even metaphorical. While thereis no set ormula or determining a Cutie Mark, as with the Special Purposes they represent, there area ew guidelines which can be helpul.

First, a Cutie Mark may relate to a ponys name in some way. For example, Applejacks Cutie Markinvolves apples, and Raritys Cutie Mark involves gems, which are rare. However, this is not a set-in-stone rule; Pinkie Pies Cutie Mark does not appear to relate to her name more than that pies are some-times ound at parties. While names are important, a pony gets their name well beore they discovertheir Special Purpose or Cutie Mark; the two may not correlate directly.

Second, a Cutie Mark may relate to a ponys personality in some way. For example, Fluttershys CutieMark uses so, shy pastel colors, and Rainbow Dashs Cutie Mark is very bold and prominent. Whilethis relation may be subtle, it is usually always present to some degree.

Tird, a Cutie Mark may relate to their unique method o ullling their Special Purpose. For exam-ple, Pinkie Pies Cutie Mark indicates parties, which is her particular unique method o bringing joy

and happiness to others and thus ullling her Special Purpose.Finally, a Cutie Mark is oen a play on words, or a clever symbol, rather than a direct and literal

representation o their Special Purpose. For example, Raritys Special Purpose is a trio o gemstones;gemstones are ound within rocks, which symbolizes bringing out the beauty in things.

Blank Flanks

At various times when they are Foals, poniesdiscover their Special Purpose and develop theirCutie Mark. However, or a period o time beorethey do, a pony is a Blank Flank. Being a Blank

Flank is an option or Foal characters, and istaken in lieu o having a Special Purpose andCutie Mark. A Blank Flank has a ew advantagesover a pony with a Special Purpose, due to theirlack o denition o that same Special Purpose.A Blank Flank might be good at anything, rombeing a amous scientist to an inuential artist.

Mechanically, this is reected by a special abil-ity. Once per scene, a Blank Flank character maychoose one roll and gain the normal bonus they

would gain as i that roll were in line with theirSpecial Purpose. Tis gives Blank Flank charac-ters much more exibility than a character witha Special Purpose.

However, being a Blank Flank is not a perpet-ual condition; eventually, everypony gets theirSpecial Purpose and Cutie Mark. Each time aBlank Flank character succeeds at a roll in which


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they used their special ability bonus as noted above, they earn one Crusade Point, and should notewhat the task was that they succeeded at (or later use, detailed below). Each time they ail at a roll inwhich they used their special ability bonus, however, they lose one Crusade Point. Once a Blank Flankcharacter has earned ten (or more) Crusade Points, they must discover their Special Purpose and gaintheir Cutie Mark. However, each time they earn a Crusade Point, i their roll was a Critical Success,they immediately gain Crusade Points enough to reach ten--and must discover their Special Purpose

and Cutie Mark accordingly.When a Blank Flank is orced to discover their Special Purpose and gain their Cutie Mark in this

way, their past actions should inorm the nature o their Special Purpose. For example, a characterwho, as a Blank Flank, earned several Crusade Points by deending their riends rom righteningmonsters, might develop a Special Purpose according to that kind o behavior or tendencies.

At the GMs discretion, this orced development may be put o until the end o a play session oreven the end o an Episode, but may not be put o any urther than that. I the GM does put o thisorced development, the character may continue to use their special ability bonus or being a BlankFlank until the GM decides they must ulll this orced development; potentially earning urtherCrusade Points and thus urther context to inorm their Special Purpose once the character discovers

it. However, aer reaching ten Crusade Points, a character can no longer lose them; in essence, theycannot negate their orced development by losing subsequent rolls while the development is beingpostponed.

Dragonheart

Dragons, the mysterious and powerul race o reptilian guardians, are known ar and wide or their rebreath; but in truth, that is only an indication o their true power. Dragons have a ery and passion-ate heart, which they can kindle in times o need to push themselves to heroic eats, or restore theirstrength o will. All dragons have this powerul will and strength o heart, but all too oen it turnsto pride, greed, and hatred. A dragons greatest danger is rom itsel, as a dragons heart is prone to

greedand once a dragon has started down the path o greed and selshness, it is dicult to stop.

Tis is reected by the dragons equivalent o a SpecialPurpose, which also serves as its main weakness. On theone hand, a dragon can kindle this instinctual strengthto accomplish eats normally beyond them; but on theother hand, the bestial nature o this strength can serveas their undoingcausing them to become ercely sel-ish more easily, growing in size and power, until theyare unstoppable and entirely out o control. A dragoncharacter thus must be aware o how powerul their in-

stinctual will is in comparison with their conscious will;letting either all out o balance can be dangerous.

Mechanically, a dragon character gains a pool oDragonheart Points, which they can either use to givethemselves a temporary bonus to their rolls or the dura-tion o a scene, or to restore lost Willpower. However,this pool o Dragonheart Points also serves as a measureo their instinctual will and power, and can cause them


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to lose control over themselves as they give into their instinctual desire to hoard things o value; theirtendency or greed.

During character creation, a dragon character gains a number o Dragonheart Points equal to theirHeart attribute score. How these points are gained and used, as well as what bonuses and penaltiesthey carry, is discussed in the ollowing sections.

A Steady Diet o Make Growth Speed

A dragon character gains Dragonheart Points in two ways: by spending experience points to gain themvoluntarily, or by gaining them involuntarily when exposed to situations in which they are tempted toindulge their greedy heart. Having too many Dragonheart Points is dangerous, as it can cause a dragoncharacter to start going out o control; however, having too ew deprives a dragon character o theirmost powerul abilitytheir deep, inborn will and strength o heart.

Any time a dragon character could spend experience points to gain character advancements, theymay choose to spend experience points to add Dragonheart Points to their pool. Tis reects a dragoncharacter who is getting in touch with their inner dragon through sel-discovery, reection, and dis-

cipline. For each experience point spent, the dragon character gains a number o Dragonheart Pointsequal to their Heart attribute score. Unlike involuntary points gained rom exposure to temptation,however, spending experience points to gain Dragonheart Points cannot increase a dragon characterstotal number o Dragonheart Points above their maximum Willpower score. Any extra DragonheartPoints which have been gained in this way instead become points o Willpower restored to the dragoncharacter, up to their maximum. I they are already at their maximum Willpower, any extra points aresimply lost.

For example, a dragon character has a Heart score o 4, a Willpower score o 8 (out o 10 maxi-mum), and 7 Dragonheart Points. Tey choose to spend one experience point to add DragonheartPoints to their pool. Tey add our Dragonheart Points (equal to their Heart score) to their total,

which would normally give them 11 Dragonheart Points total. However, as this voluntary gaining opoints cannot increase them above their maximum Willpower (10), they instead have 10 DragonheartPoints (not 11), and the extra point becomes a point o restored Willpowerincreasing their Willpow-er to 9 (out o 10 maximum). Tus, they end up with Heart 4, Willpower 9 (out o 10), and 10 Dragon-heart Points.

When a dragon character is exposed to a major temptation to indulge in greed (as explained later),they gain a number o Dragonheart Points equal to their Heart attribute score. Unlike voluntarilygaining points, however, this involuntary increase can raise their total number o Dragonheart Pointsabove their maximum Willpowerand it is then that a dragon begins to have trouble restraining theirdesire to hoard and indulge in greed (as also explained later).

For example, a dragon character has a Heart score o 5, a Willpower score o 10, and 7 DragonheartPoints. Tey are exposed to a major temptation to indulge in greed, and immediately gain ve Drag-onheart Points (equal to their Heart score), bringing their total to 12 Dragonheart Points. Becausetheir total number o Dragonheart Points (12) is higher than their maximum Willpower (10), they willbegin to struggle with their instinctual tendencies toward greed.


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Kindling Dragonheart

Tere are two ways a dragon character can use their pool o Dragonheart Points to their benet. Terst is by kindling their instinctual will and power, spending Dragonheart Points to gain a bonus toall o their rolls or the duration o a scene. Tis allows a dragon character to go into a heroic state,accomplishing dicult and dangerous tasks they would normally be unable to perorm. Kindling theirabilities in this way is taxing on a dragons will, requiring a conscious and ocused decision to harness

their inner power. For this reason, this ability may only be used once per play session.o kindle their ability in this way, a dragon character rst spends a point o Willpower. Tis point

o Willpower does not convey its normal bonus; it is simply the cost to use their ability, reecting theocused act o will it takes to tap into their instinctual power. Once the point o Willpower is spent, thedragon character may choose to kindle a number o Dragonheart Points up to their maximum Will-power. Each Dragonheart Point kindled in this way is lost, and the dragon character gains a bonus toall rolls or the duration o the scene equal to the total number o Dragonheart Points kindled.

For example, a dragon character has a Willpower score o 8 (out o 10), and 6 Dragonheart Points.o use their ability, they spend one point o Willpower (reducing them to 7 out o 10), and choose tokindle our Dragonheart Points. Tis reduces their total number o Dragonheart Points to 2 (their

previous total o 6, minus the 4 spent), and gives them a +4 bonus (equal to the number o Dragon-heart Points kindled) to all rolls until the end o the scene. Once they do this, however, they may not

use this ability again until the next play session.

Stoking the Flames

In addition to using their instinctual will andstrength o heart to empower their actions,a dragon character can harness their innerpower to bolster and restore their conscious

will. Tis reects a dragon character makingpeace with their inner dragon, reconcilingtheir bestial and instinctual will with theirconscious sel. In eect, they subsume theirinstinctual will to restore their consciousocus. Tis is costly, as it suppresses their in-stinctual power, but can serve a valuable pur-pose in maintaining their control and ocus.

o subsume their instinctual power andrestore their conscious will, a character may,once per play session, choose to sacrice anumber o Dragonheart Points to restore theirWillpower. Each Dragonheart Point sacricedin this way is lost, and restores one point oWillpower (up to the characters maximum).However, the instinctual will o a dragoncan never be entirely suppressed; a charactercannot use this sacricing o points to reduce


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their total number o Dragonheart Points below the number o their Heart attribute score.

For example, a dragon character has a Heart score o 5, a Willpower score o 4 (out o 10), and 8Dragonheart Points. Once per play session, they may choose to sacrice Dragonheart Points to restoretheir Willpower. Tey can sacrice up to three Dragonheart Points (lowering their total rom 8 to 5,but no urther, as their Heart score is 5), restoring three points o Willpower (bringing them rom 4 to

7 out o 10). Once they do this, however, they may not use this ability again until the next play session.

Ten, the Resulting Bigger Size

A dragon must always keep their instinctual nature in check; it is all too easy or them to succumb togreed and become a monster i their deeper instincts gain the upper hand over their conscious will.Tis is reected by a dragon characters number o Dragonheart Points, as it compares to their maxi-mum Willpower. For as long as a dragon character keeps their Dragonheart Points equal to, or lessthan, their maximum Willpower, they retain ull control over themselves. It is when their DragonheartPoints are above their maximum Willpower that they risk their instinctual nature taking over.

Te diculty with giving in to their instinctual power is that, the stronger it grows, the more pow-

erul the dragon grows; i caught early, a dragon losing control can be captured and restrainedbut aully grown dragon is almost impossible to deeat or all but the most powerul characters in Equestria.Tus, a dragon losing control over their inner power might be thought o as a snowball rolling down ahilleasily caught early on, but unstoppable once it has grown too large.

Whenever a dragon character is exposed to a situation in which they are tempted to indulge inhoarding, greed, and selshness, they gain a number o Dragonheart Points equal to their Heart score.In this way, a dragons passion and will can work against itsel. When exactly a tempting situationarises is up to the GM, though a player whose character encounters a situation in which they wouldbe tempted is encouraged to bring it to the attention o the GM, and let the GM decide i the situationwarrants adding Dragonheart Points to their total. Once a dragon characters total number o Drag-

onheart Points is higher than their maximum Willpower, they may begin giving in to their instinctualnature.

A dragon character goes through ve stages o giving in to their instinctual nature, rom the initialawakening o their greedy heart, through their growth and increase in power as well as aggressiveness,nally to the point where they lose control o themselves and become the rightening monster mostdragons are thought to be. Each o these ve stages is explained in the ollowing sections, includinghow they are encountered, what eects they have on the character, and how they can be reversed.

Stage One: Whats Happening o Me?

Te rst stage o a dragons growth, and subsequent loss o sel-control, is when their instinctual naturerst begins to assert itsel. During this stage, the dragon grows deceitul and sneaky, like a proverbialserpent. Tey may lie to their riends, act as i they are in ull control, and deceive others to get whatthey want. Because they have not physically grown during this stage, they tend to be non-conron-tational about accumulating things o value, rather relying on stealth, deception, and manipulationto get the things they want. It is only through a conscious act o will that they can rerain rom thisbehavior, though they may lack the willpower to overcome their instincts.


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When a dragon characters number o Dragonheart Points rst exceeds their maximum Willpower,they enter Stage One. A dragon characters player should let the GM know that they have entered StageOne, but i possible, should not let the rest o the play group know. It is not disastrous or the rest othe players to know, but the dramatic narrative o a dragon beginning to lose control can be more unor the group as a whole i the players must discover it has happened as well. While in Stage One, adragon character should change their behavior slightly, trying to ac

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