Welcome to your Savage Worlds quick reference! Think of this as your gaming GPS - all the essential rules and tables at your fingertips. No more flipping through books mid-combat!
Basic Rules Summary
graph LR
A[Roll Trait Die] --> B{Result?}
B -->|4+ Success| C[Success!]
B -->|8+ Success| D[Raise!]
B -->|Less than 4| E[Failure]
F[Ace!] --> G[Roll Again & Add]
A -->|Die shows max| F
Core Mechanics
Concept
Rule
Example
Target Number
4 for most rolls
Roll 4+ to succeed
Wild Die
Wild Cards roll d6 with trait die
d8 Fighting + d6 Wild Die
Aces
Exploding dice - reroll max results
Roll 8 on d8, roll again!
Raises
Every 4 over TN = 1 Raise
TN 4, roll 12 = 2 Raises
Trait Tests
Skill Defaults
Situation
Roll
Penalty
Have the skill
Skill die + Wild die
None
Don't have skill
d4 + Wild die
-2 penalty
Common Knowledge
Smarts + Wild die
None
Dramatic Tasks
Quick Rule: Need 4 successes in 3 rounds. Each raise counts as an extra success!
Combat Quick Reference
Initiative Order
Joker
Go whenever
+2 all rolls
Ace
Highest card
King-2
Descending order
Clubs ♣
Lowest suit
Combat Actions
Action
Effect
Special
Move
Up to Pace"
-2 Running die to run +1d6"
Attack
Fighting or Shooting
vs. Parry or Range TN
Defend
+4 Parry
No other actions
Test
Opposed roll
Success = Distracted/Vulnerable
Support
+1 or +2 to ally
Must explain how
Wild Attack
+2 Fighting, +2 damage
-2 Parry until next turn
Multi-Actions
Example: Shooting twice in one turn
First shot: -2 penalty
Second shot: -2 penalty
Three actions? -4 to each!
Damage & Wounds
graph TD
A[Roll Damage] --> B{vs Toughness}
B -->|Equal/Over| C[Shaken]
B -->|Raise| D[1 Wound + Shaken]
B -->|2 Raises| E[2 Wounds + Shaken]
B -->|3 Raises| F[3 Wounds + Shaken]
C --> G[Spirit Roll to Recover]
D --> H[Wound Penalties Apply]
Wound Effects
Wounds
Penalty
Status
0
None
Healthy
1
-1 to all rolls
Wounded
2
-2 to all rolls
Badly Wounded
3
-3 to all rolls
Incapacitated
4+
Dead
Make a new character
Soak Rolls
Spend a Benny: Roll Vigor. Each success and raise removes 1 wound!
Common Modifiers
Positive Modifiers
+2 The Drop
+2 Wild Attack
+1 per Support
+2 Joker
+4 Defend
Negative Modifiers
-2 Called Shot (Limb)
-4 Called Shot (Head)
-2 per Multi-Action
-1 per Wound
-2 Distracted
Range Modifiers
Range
Modifier
Example Distance
Short
0
Up to 12"
Medium
-2
13-24"
Long
-4
25-48"
Extreme
-8
49-96"
Cover & Visibility
Situation
Modifier
Notes
Light Cover
-2
25% covered
Medium Cover
-4
50% covered
Heavy Cover
-6
75% covered
Near Total Cover
-8
Only small part visible
Dim Light
-2
Torchlight, moonlight
Dark
-4
Starlight only
Pitch Black
-6
No light at all
Powers Quick Reference
Power Modifiers
Modifier
PP Cost
Effect
Additional Recipients
+1 each
Affect multiple targets
Armor Piercing
+1 to +3
AP 2 per PP
Damage
+2
+1d6 damage
Range
+1/+2
Double/Triple range
Selective
+1
Exclude targets in area
Backlash
Critical Failure on Spellcasting:
• All current PP lost
• Shaken
• Roll on Backlash table if GM uses it
Essential Quick Tables
Die Types & Advances
Current Die
Cost to Advance
New Die
Below linked attribute
1 point per die type
Next die up
Equal/above attribute
2 points per die type
Next die up
d12
1 point
d12+1
d12+1
1 point
d12+2, etc.
Status Effects
Status
Effect
Recovery
Shaken
No actions except free
Spirit roll or Benny
Stunned
-2 Parry, no actions
End of next turn
Distracted
-2 to all rolls
End of next turn
Vulnerable
-2 to resist attacks
End of next turn
Entangled
Can't move, -2 Parry
Str or Agility roll
Bound
No actions, -2 Parry
Str -2 to break
Size Scale
Size
Scale Modifier
Toughness Bonus
Example
-4
Tiny
-2
Cat
-2
Small
-1
Dog
0
Normal
0
Human
+2
Large
+1
Bear
+4
Huge
+2
Rhino
+8
Gargantuan
+4
Dragon
GM Quick References
graph TD
A[Scene Start] --> B[Deal Initiative]
B --> C[Players Declare Actions]
C --> D[Resolve in Card Order]
D --> E{More Actions?}
E -->|Yes| C
E -->|No| F[Scene End/New Round]
Golden Rules to Remember
Fast! Furious! Fun! - When in doubt, keep the game moving
Raises matter - Always reward good rolls with extra effects
Bennies flow - Give them out for good roleplay and clever ideas
Wild Cards are special - They get Wild Dice and Bennies