"A lonely scholar who seeks truth. The Ninth World awaits."
Numenera is a tabletop RPG from Monte Cook Games (2013, Discovery/Destiny 2018), set in the Ninth World — Earth a billion years hence, where civilizations have risen and fallen, leaving behind numenera (artifacts). The Cypher System: characters are built from the sentence 'I am a (descriptor) (type) who (focus)' — e.g. 'A tough glaive who rides the lightning.' d20 roll, but NOT the d20 system. The GM never rolls dice. Players spend Ability points (Might, Speed, Intellect) on Effort, lowering task difficulty.
The Ninth World — Earth a billion years after our era. The remnants of past civilizations are numenera: artifacts of incomprehensible power scattered everywhere. People live in a medieval state but use artifacts without understanding them. Three character types: Glaive (warrior), Jack (adventurer), Nano (scientist/witch).
Cypher System (d20)
Roll d20 vs target number (difficulty ×3). Players SPEND ability points to lower difficulty, rather than adding bonuses. The GM never rolls dice.
Sentence Creation
'I am a (descriptor) (type) who (focus).' Example: 'Tough Glaive who Rides the Lightning.' Three choices define everything.
Effort and Training
Spending points lowers difficulty by 1 step. Training lowers it further. Combined — down to 0 (auto-succeed).
GM Intrusions
The GM introduces a sudden twist. The player gets 2 XP (gives one to a friend). The GM gets freedom for drama.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.