Glossary

The Cypher Character Rulebook glossary is a term index: each game term points at the concept that defines it. Use it to translate table talk — "block", "area", "background skill" — into the rulebook's vocabulary. The concepts themselves are taught in the v2 player guide and at your table.

ability: Abilities
action: Action
action and adventure: Action and Adventure (genre)
…and there's magic: …And There's Magic (genre)
area: Range
area attack: Attack
armor: Armor
artifact: Artifacts
asset: Asset
attack: Attack
background skill: Core Character
block: Defend
building: Crafting
character: Character
character advancement: Character Advancement
character arc: Earning XP
combat skill: Skill
cooperative actions: Help
core character: Core Character
crafting: Crafting
crime thriller: Crime Thriller (genre)
currency: Currency
cypher: Cyphers
cypher crafting: Resource Points
cypher limit: Cyphers
damage to NPCs: Damage to NPCs
damage to objects: Damage to Objects
damage to PCs: Damage to PCs
defend: Defend
defense roll: Defend
depletion: Artifacts
descriptor: Descriptor
difficulty: Difficulty
distance: Range
distraction: Help
dodge: Defend
draw the attack: Help
dungeon fantasy: Dungeon Fantasy (genre)
duration: Time
earning XP: Earning XP
ease: Difficulty
Edge: Edge
Effort: Effort
epic fantasy: Epic Fantasy (genre)
equipment: Equipment
espionage: Espionage (genre)
experience points (XP): Experience Points (XP)
expert: Skill
explosive weapons: Weapon
extra action on your turn: Action
fantasy: Fantasy (genre)
First action: Action
focus: Focus
Follow-up action: Action
followers: Followers
freely use: Skill
genre: Genre
genre skill: Skill
GM intrusion: Earning XP
guarding: Defend
hard science fiction: Hard Science Fiction (genre)
heavy weapon: Weapon
help: Help
hinder: Difficulty
historical: Historical (genre)
horror: Horror (genre)
illumination: Illumination
inability: Skill
initiative: Time
Intellect: Stat
interacting with NPCs: Interact
Last action: Action
level: Difficulty
light weapon: Weapon
lucky shot: Spending XP
major effect: Roll
manifest cypher: Cyphers
medium weapon: Weapon
Might: Stat
minor effect: Roll
movement: Range
nonplayer character (NPC): Character
player character (PC): Character
player intrusion: Spending XP
Pool: Stat
postapocalypse: Post-Apocalypse (genre)
power shift: Power Shift
price category: Currency
rallying: Rallying
range: Range
ready action: Action
real world: Real World (genre)
recovery: Recovery
renew: Abilities
repairing: Crafting
reroll: Spending XP
rescue: Rescue (genre)
resource points: Resource Points
rest: Recovery
retrying: Roll
roll: Roll
round: Time
science fiction: Science Fiction (genre)
shield: Armor
skill: Skill
space opera: Space Opera (genre)
special damage: Damage to PCs
special rolls: Roll
specialized: Skill
Speed: Stat
spending XP: Spending XP
splitting XP: Splitting XP
stat: Stat
superheroes: Superheroes (genre)
swords & sorcery: Swords and Sorcery (genre)
take the attack: Help
target number: Difficulty
task: Task
tier: Tier
tier-restricted skill: Skill
touch attack: Attack
trained: Skill
treatment: Treatment
turn: Time
type: Type
weapons: Weapon
wound: Wound
XP: Experience Points (XP)