Nyora is a story-driven tabletop RPG system currently in development.

Nyora began as a homebrew patch for D&D 5e. A fix for character creation, and martial combat. Over the past year it evolved into a full-fledged TTRPG, focused on creating epic and fun moments at the table effortlessly.
It combines cinematic storytelling with tactical, environment-based gameplay and a focus on character depth.
Instead of starting from zero, characters in Nyora begin with a living past – professions, childhoods, and connections that shape who they are before the adventure truly starts.

What is Nyora TTRPG?

Story-Driven Character Creation

Creating a character in a new system can be overwhelming, the dreaded blank-page syndrome where you don’t know where to start.

Nyora turns that daunting process into an easy, step-by-step experience that feels more like play than paperwork.

You begin by choosing your character’s foundations: their profession, heritage, ancestry, and skills.
Each choice gives you clear examples, flavorful templates, and gentle guidance to help your ideas take shape quickly.

Every background element is mechanically meaningful: your upbringing influences how you think and interact with the world around you, your trade affects how you can solve everyday problems your way, and your ancestry shapes how the world sees you and what your body can do.

The system is built to be both structured and free. You can follow the framework for a smooth start, or break away entirely to create something truly unique.
It’s simple, flexible, and encourages you to design exactly the character you want, without turning creativity into homework.

Asymmetrical Class Fantasy

In Nyora, every archetype plays by its own rules.
Each class has a unique rhythm, its own resources, and a distinct fantasy that defines how it fights, survives, and interacts with the world.

The Berserker builds fury and unleashes it in brutal, momentum-driven attacks that crush bones and moral alike.
The Revenant feeds on suffering, drawing strength from the dying breath of foes and allies alike, fueling their cursed blade while forever being denied the rest they crave.
The Paladin fights beneath the ever-watchful gaze of their deity, drawing power from fleeting glimmers of hope that appear in the heat of battle.
The Wizard twists logic and mana alike, always finding a spell that solves problems in the most complicated yet elegant way possible.

Every archetype in Nyora offers a different way to think and play.
They are not just variations on the same formula; they are entirely different experiences.
With the Path system, players can specialize even further through a second layer of subclass-style options that refine their approach, mechanics, and personality.

We have also addressed one of the biggest frustrations in traditional TTRPG design: martial characters being reduced to simply striking again.
Through Archetype Abilities, every character, whether powered by magic, training, or pure will, gains access to expressive maneuvers that fuel combat, exploration, and roleplay alike.

Each archetype feels powerful, flavorful, and personal, not because of numbers, but because of its unique identity and playstyle.

Tactical, team-based combat

Combat in Nyora is fast, reactive, and built around the world itself.
Every battlefield tells a story. Shifting terrain, collapsing bridges, ravenous sandstorms, and burning oil lamps become just as important as weapons and spells.
You’ll kite, dive, sprint, slide, and chase – turning positioning and movement into one of your strongest tactical tools.

The goal isn’t to repeat a loop of “move-attack-end turn.”
Instead, Nyora’s Action Economy lets players chain actions together, reacting to allies and enemies in real time.
Turns flow naturally: you build on what others create, using timing and creativity to change the rhythm of the fight.

Rain hammers down as the market burns.
The creature is already inside the square, massive, fur matted with blood and ash, its growl echoing through the alleyways.
Somewhere beneath a toppled cart, a child sobs.

Kael (Warrior) moves on pure instinct.
Shoulders low and shield forward, he bursts through a half-collapsed stall, splinters flying.
The impact drives the beast sideways into a wooden post, a sickening crack as the frame gives way.

The monster wheels on him. A claw cuts through the air and connects with the shimmering sword of Seren (Paladin) as she slides across the wet cobblestone just in time to block the attack.
Her blade ignites, a line of gold in the storm, cutting into the creature’s flank.
It howls, spinning, bleeding light instead of blood.

Kael (Warrior) dives under its next swing, boots scraping stone.
He rolls beneath the beast, steel flashing once. The tendon parts, and the wolf crashes to one knee.

Lira (Verdant) drops to the ground, her hands in the mud.
The stones tremble. Roots surge through the cracks, vines cradle the crying child, protecting her and pulling her free from the wreckage toward safety.

The air shifts. Solmun (Sorcerer) raises both hands, his eyes glowing in a bluish white hue as the wind obeys.
Banners tear from their poles, whipping around the wolf’s head, blinding it in fabric and fury.
A bright flash fills the square, followed by thunder. A bolt of lightning strikes the creature, staggering it in pain.

Kael (Warrior) sees an opportunity and throws himself onto the creature, climbing up to its neck.
The beast thrashes, claws raking deep into his side, blood mixing with rain.
Teeth clenched, he drives his sword again and again into the creature, every strike feeding the light that Seren (Paladin) channels through her prayer.
Their blows merge, radiant heat meeting cold iron.

Lira (Verdant) lays her hands on the girl, weaving green light and golden particles to heal her grazed wound.
“You’re safe now, child.”

Solmun (Sorcerer) clenches his fist, and the flames crawling across the market stalls sputter and die, smothered by the sudden hush of wind.

For a breath, all is still.
Rain hisses on smothering flames, thunder hangs mid-roll.

The creature lies motionless, the clouds giving way to a bright dawn.

No pauses, no waiting for turns. Just a shared moment of controlled chaos and pure epicness.

A quick note for the tactically minded:
Nyora still features turns, action points, and resource management.
The difference is freedom. Almost every action can be used as a reaction, allowing the flow of combat to stay dynamic and responsive instead of stopping at the end of a turn.

Beneath that flow lies the Push and Pull System, a resource loop that rewards bold decisions and punishes recklessness.
Every spell, strike, and maneuver shifts the balance between risk and control, keeping the tension high without ever halting the game.

Encounters aren’t limited to violence.
Combat in Nyora can shift into negotiations, pursuits, or deceptions mid-scene, breaking predictable loops and rewarding quick thinking.
You can parry with words, bait with movement, or mislead with a gesture. Every skill has its place when seconds matter.

The result is that fights feel cinematic, alive, and deeply cooperative, more like storytelling through tactics than numbers on a grid.

Fun Exploration & Downtime Systems

In Nyora, the world itself is meant to be explored, not just crossed.
Every journey is a story in motion, shaped by choices, weather, and the people who walk beside you or those you run into.

Travel is not filler. It is where friendships form, fears surface, and the story catches its breath.
The road can test your endurance as much as your resolve through sudden storms, broken bridges, and strange lights beyond the treeline.
Exploration challenges players to think creatively, using skills, instincts, and even personality traits to shape how they overcome obstacles.

Between adventures, downtime becomes its own kind of storytelling.
Characters can study ancient languages, forge new weapons, train their bodies, or build something greater than themselves — from a simple cart to an airship or a network of spies.
These projects progress over time through small rolls and discoveries that make every rest feel alive.

Each of these systems ties back to your character’s story.
When you explore a hidden ruin, the environment might echo something from your past.
When you rest by a lake, memories can resurface.
When you craft, learn, or meditate, the choices you make define not just what you do but who you become, with each project honing your character’s skills through the Mastery System.

But keep in mind: Even when our heroes rest, the world keeps moving.

Lightweight Rules, Deep Choices

Nyora is designed to be easy to play and hard to master. Because we love replayability.
At the table, everything you need is right in front of you.
Combat flows naturally, without constant page-flipping or number crunching.
Every action, spell, and ability is written directly on your character sheet or represented through a few printable playing cards that accompany your archetype.

The goal is to keep the focus where it belongs: on the story, the choices, and your friends at the table.
You should not have to stop the flow of a scene to remember what your character can do or if a rule allows to have a fun moment.

Every mechanic in Nyora is designed to be modular.
You can learn new systems when you are ready, without ever feeling overwhelmed during play.

Outside of sessions, the depth unfolds.
During downtime or between adventures, players can explore their next steps – planning new projects, studying additional skills, or preparing the next path of their character’s growth.
This balance between simplicity in play and depth in preparation creates a rhythm that keeps Nyora fast at the table but endlessly engaging beyond it.

Rules should support storytelling, not slow it down.

What Nyora is not

Not About Endless Numbers

Nyora is not about endless numbers or rigid math.
The dice tell stories, not statistics.
Every roll in Nyora is built to create motion, not dead ends. Outcomes are rarely binary.
Success often comes with complication, and even failure can open unexpected doors.

Not a Turn-Based Waiting Room

Nyora is not a turn-based waiting room.
Players are encouraged to act, react, and build on each other’s ideas, both in combat and exploration.
Its systems make it not only possible, but rewarding, for groups to split, take risks, and pursue parallel goals without losing momentum.

Not a Murder Hobo Simulator

Nyora is not a murder hobo simulator.
Violence is an option, not the rule. The game rewards cleverness, empathy, and timing just as much as raw power.

Not the GM Against the Players

Nyora is not a game of the GM against the players.
It is a story told together. The GM creates consequence, not punishment, guiding tension and discovery rather than enforcing control.

Not a Fixed World or Safe Sandbox

Nyora is not a fixed world or a safe sandbox.
The world reacts, evolves, and remembers.
Actions shape landscapes, politics, and history itself.
Even when you rest, the world keeps moving.

Not Gatekept by Complexity

Nyora does not gatekeep through complexity.
The rules are clear, intuitive, and easy to learn.
Everything you need fits on your character sheet and a handful of cards.

Not a One-Size-Fits-All System

Nyora is not a one-size-fits-all experience.
Every table can tune the tone, realism, and danger to their own playstyle, from grounded survival-driven drama to mythic cinematic adventure.

Not a Dungeon Crawler

Nyora is not a dungeon crawler.
Its Push and Pull Resource System keeps the flow of each scene alive, allowing players to act dynamically instead of running out of options or spell slots.

But a word of caution: that freedom does not make the world safe.
Nyora is built on consequence.
Every action, large or small, carries weight.
There are no health sponges or endless resources to burn through, and carelessness can be fatal.

At the same time, danger is not punishment.
The goal is balance, to let players stay with their characters long enough to tell their story, while still knowing that reckless choices compound and someday, one might be their last.

My favorite stories are the ones where a major character dies in the first few chapters, because from that moment on, you know anything can happen.

Archetypes

In Nyora, we aim to make each archetype truly unique.
After reading hundreds of pages of rulebooks and playing dozens of systems, we realised that our vision could not be achieved through simple reflavoring.
To bring these archetypes to life, we had to design them from the ground up – to ask how each one would gain strength within our world, what they would draw power from, and which abilities would come naturally versus those earned through growth.

Every archetype in Nyora has its own internal rhythm and resource system.
There are no shared mana bars or generic cooldowns.
A Berserker builds and releases rage in violent bursts.
A Revenant feeds on pain and persistence.
A Verdant sustains balance through growth and renewal.
Each archetype regenerates and spends energy in its own way, encouraging entirely different mindsets and playstyles.

Every archetype also carries tools for every situation – mobility, burst damage, control, and utility – but distributed in completely different proportions.
Where one might dominate through timing and positioning, another thrives on risk and endurance.
Together, they form a living ecosystem of play, where cooperation and contrast matter as much as individual skill.

This approach ensures that no two archetypes ever feel the same.
Their mechanics, pacing, and decision-making all emerge from who they are, not from a shared template.

Long before heroes walked Nyora, the world itself forged ways of survival.
The archetypes are echoes of those paths, ancient instincts reborn through will and memory.

Each one channels a fragment of the world’s design:
The fury of storms, the patience of roots, the brilliance of fire, the burden of faith.
Through them, players don’t just use magic or might, they embody the world’s response to imbalance.

To master an archetype is to align with its truth.
To evolve it, is to change what that truth means.

Roadmap

Where we at?

The core rules are written and currently tested at our own table in weekly sessions.
Ten Archetypes are fully playable up to Level 6 of the planned 12, spread across two ongoing campaigns.
One campaign takes place in the original world of Nyora, while the other explores a more grounded, Eragon-inspired setting with custom mana rules and experimental balancing.

Among the current archetypes are old favorites with a distinct new twist, such as the Verdant, our take on the druid, or the Warrior, a refined vision of the classic fighter.
Alongside them stand two fully original designs – the Revenant and the Essence Reaper – each with their own subclass path.
The Witch and Wayfarer are currently in active development, exploring entirely new mechanics focused on spiritual connection, curses, and dimensional travel.

Our focus now is refinement: balancing mechanics, finalising the resource system, and preparing the first public demo in Spring 2026.

Current Archetypes (being playtested by our group)

• Berserker – Path of the Beast
• Revenant – The Fallen King
• Paladin – Oath of Flames
• Sorcerer – The Stormborn
• Verdant – The Bloom Warden
• Hunter – Beast Master
• Blood Hunter – Grim Blood
• Bard – Path of Whispers
• Essence Reaper – Two-Minded

In Development

• Warrior – A grounded fighter with years of experience on the battlefield, who masters multiple combat styles and adapts to any threat.
• Duelist – A precise blade master who shifts between elegant, stance-based techniques
• Monk – A fast, reactive archetype that grows stronger the more enemies surround them.
• Wayfarer – A traveler between the material and the spirit world.
• Witch – Familiar, weaver of blessings and curses, and master of alchemy.

Each archetype represents a different way to think, act, and survive, offering unique resource loops,
tactical roles, and emotional fantasies that make every story in Nyora feel personal.

Phase II: Early Access & Playtesting in Spring 2026

Nyora is still young, but the foundations are set.
The next chapters will focus on expanding both the world and the system – bringing more archetypes, regions, and stories to life.

The first, free public playtest will launch in Spring 2026, including the full player experience from Levels 1–6.
Community feedback will directly shape adjustments to core rules, archetypes, resources, combat flow, and exploration pacing.
Players who join the Early Access list will receive exclusive access to development logs, surveys, and behind-the-scenes insights.

Beyond that lies the long-term vision: a living, evolving world that grows through community feedback and creativity.
New regions like the deserts of Sethari, the volcanic islands of Nelyari, and the evergreen mountains of Han’Shira will become playable in dedicated supplements.
Each expansion will introduce new creatures, plants, environments, and mechanics that deepen both the lore and the gameplay.

We are also exploring digital tools to make Nyora easier to play and share – character builders, encounter generators, and interactive world maps.
The goal is to keep the barrier to entry low, while letting the imagination reach as far as it can.

This is just the beginning. The world of Nyora will continue to grow, shaped by the people who play it.

Ready to step into Nyora?

Join the free Early Access waitlist and be among the first to explore and shape the living world of survival, story and magic that is Nyora – the tactical and story driven TTRPG.

Right now, I’m preparing the first demo of Nyora – a story driven and tactical TTRPG born from countless playtests and late-night design sessions.

If you want to help shape the system from its earliest stage, you can join the Early Access waitlist for the free playtesting coming early next year.

Until the next time! Cheers, Jonas