Wrath, Glory and Ruin

Overview

Wrath, Glory, and Ruin are the three meta-currencies in Wrath & Glory that allow players and the GM to influence Tests and the narrative. They function as a three-way economy of dramatic tension.

Session start defaults:

Resource	Starting Amount
Wrath (per PC)	2
Glory (group pool)	0
Ruin (GM)	= number of players

The Wrath Die

Every dice pool includes one special Wrath Die (a different colour or size d6). It counts as a normal die for Icons and Exalted Icons, but also triggers two additional effects:

Wrath Die result	Effect
6 — Wrath Critical	Add 1 Glory to the group pool. On a successful Attack, also score a Critical Hit.
1 — Complication	A narrative prompt: "Yes, but…" or "No, and…" — something unexpected happens. If the group doesn't want to narrate it, the GM may take 1 Ruin instead (optional rule).

Note: If you have only one die in your pool, that die is the Wrath Die. The GM may decide not to activate Wrath Criticals or Complications on a specific Test.

WRATH (Players)

Wrath Points represent heroic drive and the Emperor's favour — personal currency for each player character.

Gaining Wrath

2 Wrath at session start (does not carry over between sessions).
GM may award Wrath for good roleplaying, character development, glorious deeds, or completing your session Objective.

Spending Wrath

Spend	Effect
Reroll Failures	Reroll all dice showing 1, 2, or 3. Once per Test. Cannot reroll a Wrath Die that showed a Complication.
Narrative Declaration	Add a minor narrative element to the current scene. GM has final say; if declined, the Wrath Point is not spent.
Restore Shock (Action)	Recover Shock equal to your Rank + Tier. Must be conscious. Costs 1 Action.

GLORY (Group Pool)

Glory is a shared group resource representing the power of camaraderie and collective determination.

Gaining Glory

Any player may Shift an Exalted Icon to add 1 Glory to the pool — once per Test.
Wrath Critical (Wrath Die = 6) always adds 1 Glory.

Pool Limits

Starts at 0 each session.
Maximum: 6, or number of players + 2, whichever is higher.
Excess Glory is lost (use-or-lose).

Spending Glory

Any player may spend from the shared pool. The book recommends asking the group first.

Spend	Effect
Increase Dice Pool	+1 bonus die per Glory spent. Usable after initial roll and any Wrath reroll. Bonus dice cannot be rerolled. Once per Test.
Increase Damage	+1 damage per Glory spent. No limit on amount spent.
Increase Severity of Critical Hit	Improves the result of a Critical Hit.
Seize the Initiative	Immediately take a Turn before the next person in Initiative order. Costs 1 Glory.

Optional Rule — Glorious Greed: If a player spends Glory without the group's permission (or without asking), they gain 1 Corruption per Glory spent.

SHIFTING

Shifting lets you remove an Exalted Icon (a die showing 6) from your Test results to gain a special benefit.

Rules

You may only Shift an Exalted Icon if enough Icons remain to still meet or exceed the DN.
No limit on the number of Exalted Icons you can Shift, provided the DN is still met.
A Wrath Critical (Wrath Die = 6) may be Shifted like any other Exalted Icon. Its Glory/Critical Hit effects still trigger even when Shifted.

What a Shift Can Do

Shift use	Effect
Gain Information	1 answer to a question related to the Test, per Shift.
Improve Quality	The result is better than a bare success — work out the specifics with the GM.
Improve Speed	The action takes less time. Rule of thumb: halve the time per Shift.
(Other narrative benefits)	Work with the GM to advance a storyline, interact with the environment, or enhance the scene.

RUIN (GM Only)

Ruin is the GM's counterpart to Wrath, representing the malevolence and corruption of the 41st Millennium. Its current total is visible to all players.

Acquiring Ruin

Starts at = number of players at the beginning of each session.
Maximum: 2 × number of players.
Does not carry over between sessions; excess is lost (use-or-lose, like Glory).

Ruin is gained when:

A player fails a Corruption Test → GM gains 1 Ruin.
A player fails a Fear Test → GM gains 1 Ruin.
The GM rolls a 6 on the Wrath Die for an NPC Test → GM gains 1 Ruin.
(Optional) A player rolls a Complication and the group opts for the mechanical consequence.

Spending Ruin

Spend	Effect
Reroll Failures	Reroll failures (not Complications) on any NPC's Test.
Seize the Initiative	Take a Turn for a Threat before the next Agent. Once per Turn.
Restore Shock	Restore 1d3 + 3 Shock to an NPC. Counts as that NPC's Action.
Roll Determination	Make a Determination roll for an NPC (p.196).
Activate Ruin Actions	Trigger special Abilities on powerful enemy stat blocks.

Ruin Actions

Certain powerful enemies (Champions) have special Ruin Actions — abilities that cost Ruin to activate and work outside the normal Initiative order.

Normally only one Champion per scene.
Ruin Actions are triggered at the end of any Agent's Turn.
A Ruin Action does not count as a normal Turn.
The same Ruin Action cannot be used twice in a Round, unless otherwise stated.
Mob leaders: The GM may spend 1 Ruin to redirect an attack targeting a Mob leader to one of their Troops instead.

Quick Reference: Symmetry of the Three Currencies

	Wrath (per PC)	Glory (group)	Ruin (GM)
Session start	2 per PC	0	= no. of players
Maximum	—	6 or players+2	2 × no. of players
Carries over?	No	No	No
Visible to all?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Primary use	Reroll failures, narrative, Shock recovery	Extra dice, bonus damage, Initiative	Reroll NPC failures, Shock, Initiative, special abilities
Generated by	Good play, Objectives	Shifting, Wrath Criticals	Failed Fear/Corruption Tests, NPC Wrath Criticals

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