“And thus did our journey end…”

After 4 years of development, the full version of Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition is finally upon us! We would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the continued support throughout the course of this project’s development; your feedback, critique, suggestions, and overall enthusiasm for our game is what’s kept us going, even through the toughest of times. It is our sincerest hope that you’ll enjoy our system; we can’t wait to hear about the incredible adventures you have with it! 

What’s new with 1.0?

Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition Version 1.0 completely revamps the core book. Aside from mechanical, grammatical, and syntax fixes, the layout has been rearranged to facilitate a smoother reading experience. Huge blocks of text have been broken up to better compartmentalize information, and empty spaces have been filled with some of Final Fantasy’s most stunning artwork. Navigating the document is now easier than ever thanks to the tireless efforts of our design staff, maintaining a fine balance between form and function.

Form-Fillable PDFs

We’ve heard the requests, so we delivered! Each of the Character Keeper and Party Tracker sheets now have full PDF form-filling functionality. While the fillable fields should work on most browsers, we recommend using a dedicated PDF reader so that you can make copies and save your changes. 

Quick Reference & GM Screen Sheets

To make the lives of GMs and players alike easier, we made some printable reference sheets to provide a quick rundown of Legend Edition’s most important formulas and mechanics. The GM Screen sheets are US Letter size (8.5x11 in) and are designed to fit most portrait orientation screens. We also included 4 cosmetic sheets featuring the key art of our 4 Classes for those who like to decorate the exterior of their screens!

Introducing Chapter XI: Advanced Rules

The new changes in the core book are accompanied by the inclusion of an all-new chapter: Advanced Rules. With a franchise featuring gameplay styles as varied as Final Fantasy, it would be nearly impossible to create a universal set of rules that cover all bases. This chapter contains expanded and alternative rules for character creation, advancement, and gameplay that pull from various corners of the console games to help circumvent this issue and supplement Legend Edition’s setting-agnostic approach. It should be noted that these rules expand the metaphorical sandbox that our game uses, and while it is possible to mix and match some of them, it is not advisable to use them all at once. Chapter XI adds the following rulesets:

Expanded Equipment

These rulesets expand the potential Equipment options available to players:

• Cybernetics: Rules for installing and maintaining cybernetic implants.
• Item Synthesis: Rules for creating different types of Items through harvesting resources for elemental “Essence”. This Essence has different applications for Alchemical Arts, Culinary Recipes, Forging Weapons & Armor, Magical Rituals, and Mechanical Tinkering.

Alternative Character Creation & Advancement

These rulesets feature alternative approaches to character creation and advancement, replacing the Class/Job system for more free-form styles inspired by various Final Fantasy titles: 

• Magicite: An alternative method of learning magic, inspired by the Espers in Final Fantasy VI.
• Materia: An alternative method to learning magic and Features through “Materia Slots” gained from Equipment, inspired by the system in Final Fantasy VII. 
• Para-Magic and Junction: An alternative method to learning magic and Features through Junctioning with Eidolons. In addition, this system introduces Spell Charges instead of MP, used through a new Draw mechanic, and the transformation of these charges into Items or Ability enhancements. This system is inspired by the mechanics from Final Fantasy VIII. 
• Sphere Grid: An Item-based form of character advancement using “Spheres” which fall within three categories: Mana, Power, and Skill. Inspired by a combination of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X and the License Board from Final Fantasy XII.

Combat Variants

These rulesets provide alternative options to Legend Edition’s Combat system:

• Tactical Points and Skillchains: This system introduces Tactical Points (TP) which are generated by successful Weapon Attacks, as well as a Skillchain Condition that rewards focusing on one target for successive Actions. Both of these mechanics are inspired by the mechanics in Final Fantasy XI.
• Digital Mind Wave: A slot-machine-like alternative to Limit Breaks, inspired by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
• Warcasting: An alternative Spellcasting system treating Spells as a type of weapon. Inspired by the Altocrystarium system used in Final Fantasy Type-0.
• Elemancy: A Consumable-based use of Spellcasting and Spell customization, inspired by the magic system used in Final Fantasy XV.

We hope those looking for different styles of Final Fantasy gameplay will get a lot of mileage out of this inclusion! However, Chapter XI isn’t the only new addition to Legend Edition…

The Ultimania is an expansion for Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition that adds new mechanics, examples, and advice on implementing various Final Fantasy series staples into your campaign.

Discover a myriad of exciting character options with the inclusion of 28 new Races, 4 new Jobs, and over 300 pieces of sample Equipment. Explore new campaign avenues with 4 new special Skill Games and 6 sample Affiliations for players to engage with. Take your roleplaying to new heights with the all-new Airship and Mecha creation systems. 

It goes without saying; this is the ultimate companion for the avid Final Fantasy fan!

Additionally, new sheets for tracking Airships and Mecha have been added. We hope you look forward to exploring all that the Ultimania has to offer!

The Road Ahead

While the core book is in its completed state, this is far from our final fantasy. Here’s a look at what to look forward to in the future:

Errata Logs

With nearly 800 pages of content across all 3 of our books, there’s bound to be an unironed issue or two. This is where our incredible community comes in. Many of you have already done an outstanding job of catching errors, suggesting changes, and providing homebrew content for the game and we want to encourage you to continue doing so. To make future changes to the game easier to keep track of, we’re also launching public Errata Logs for the core book and Ultimania so that you can keep up to date with new changes before patches are rolled out. With life responsibilities and new projects on the horizon, there’s no telling how often we’ll be able to maintain the game; this allows us to release updates at our own pace without leaving our community in the dark! You can find links to both Errata Logs in our Downloads section.

Jams & Challenges

Now that we have access to Legend Edition’s full range of tools, it’s about time we got some challenges underway! During an event period, there will be a pinned post in #ffle-jams-and-challenges on our Discord server detailing the guidelines and requirements for the current challenge/jam. Be sure to join our server and follow #ffle-updates so you know when we will be hosting these fun events!

Words from the Development Staff

Before we take our leave, we’d like to share some of our final thoughts on the project:

Mildra the Monk | Project Lead, Writing, Game Design

“It all started May 17, 2021. That was the day that a single episode of my GeekWatch podcast series spawned a particularly stubborn idea. At first, I didn’t think that it would get that far, especially since the podcast has played host to numerous world-building and theory crafting ideas that have been in the “to expand later” folder. In hindsight, perhaps I should have known better, given the numerous times someone has told me in interviews that a game they were developing started with them homebrewing their way into making a full game. It would seem even those who know their history are just as susceptible to repeating it. 

I certainly did not expect that the final book would be as vast as it would become, nor that so many people would ride a hype train for it. Above all, I credit the other people in this project for helping bring out the best ideas. I may have handled much of the writing, but having people like Xanatrix, Matt, and Nami along the way to keep me grounded certainly helped. Having people to bounce ideas off of will always be a gift from the heavens. It may be a bit on the nose given my namesake, but researching and developing this project helped a great deal in seeing the bigger picture for how I viewed Final Fantasy, game design, and much more. Over four years, I discovered a lot, had many debates on the matter, gained and lost friends, and all the while sharpened iron with iron to develop the vision you see here. 

But when I look back at everything, I consider the fact this book is the culmination of people from different walks of life coming together for a common cause, even if it’s one they didn’t know they’d share at the time, all come out the other side transformed. If that’s not reflective of Final Fantasy... I don’t know what is.”

Xanatrix Zadare | Editor in Chief, Writing, Game Design

“A project like this doesn't come born from the aether. It's sort of a funny set of serendipities or coincidences that all coalesced into an ambitious and grueling undertaking, one where two friends decided that a one-shot idea for an episode of a podcast needed to expand. We certainly shot for the moon, and at some points I'm sure we probably thought we may have reached further than we could grasp. Years of research, meetings, calls, constantly asking all the questions we were using to determine whether elements should be included, debates regarding edge cases that we always kept civil and never let impact our professional or personal relationship. Being of very similar temperament and behavior helped us a lot, to be honest; I don't think Mildra and I would have continued with the project if we weren't both logical, reasonable, stubborn as hell bastards.

At first, it really was just us two. Once we had taken our rough ideas, attached them to our central core pillars, ground down all the edges and made a smooth system, the bulk of much of our initial work was done, but we still had so much more ahead of us, especially considering neither of us specialize in graphic design or document layouts. Some friends helped us out in smaller ways at first, such as helping with proofreading, and others helped us out in much larger ways, such as making some damn good commissioned artwork. It was when we really needed the help with document layout and graphics that two very, very good friends joined the core team. Matt and Nami became not only an indispensable part of the team, they also became two of my very best friends that I would honestly get in fights for, so if anyone has any beef with them, I'm first in line, and I *will* put you into the asphalt.

Much of my input has been done for a while; due to later personal issues, I couldn't contribute as much to the Ultimania, but I am always proud of what we have done, and what coals and embers this project has reawakened in me. My imagination and my writing had been in a drought for years, and this project brought me rivers in the desert. For that, I will always be eternally grateful to Mildra, Matt, and Nami. As for those of you who have graced us and taken our project into your digital vault, I hope you have amazing, astounding, heart-wrenching, gut-busting, depressing, triumphant times with the system we have put so much love and care into.”

NamiNomi | Book Design, Layout, Editing

“530 pages. A mere number to you, but to me each one represents hours spent battling this Behemoth. Numerous days poured into crafting a layout fit to do this system (and the franchise it was born from) justice. It was painful. So you may wonder - why? Because all creative endeavors require dedication and a bit of your own blood. In this case my dedication is to Final Fantasy, the tabletop hobby, and to my team - my friends. Final Fantasy has always held a special place in my heart ever since I was a young child, and I’ve been playing tabletop RPGs for nearly as long. To help realize this insane dream was to unify these passions. To do so with such a wonderful team has been an astonishing adventure.

Then came SAGE 2024. The world could finally see what we had created, and yet we could now see the project fully, with all its cracks and flaws. The feedback was invaluable, but just as burdensome. Technical issues, organizational problems, and numerous challenges were set before us. My passion began to wane and I started to question things. Why bother? It was good enough, right? I denied such an easy answer. This journey had tempered my resolve as a creative, it emboldened my ambition and I realized: it could be incredible, not just good enough. For me, this project is a love-letter to the individuals who built Final Fantasy, and a gift to the fans that I am happy to count myself among.

In a bizarre way, it feels as if we’re a party of Final Fantasy heroes: we’ve shared in our downfalls and triumphs, we’ve bickered and argued, but we’ve also been united to bring this game to you. I hope you and your friends experience the same kind of fantastical journey at your table.”

Matthew Schuff (TheMemorySlot) | Graphic Design, Layout, Editing

“When I joined the project back in early 2024, I had come fresh off the heels of an entirely separate Final Fantasy TTRPG project; an attempt at making a 5th Edition of the Returners series of games. That project fell through due to personal reasons, but I had made a ton of graphic design assets, and Legend Edition provided a great outlet to not only put what I had made to use, but also as a reason to create more. 

Mildra had initially requested my assistance in making the sheets for Legend Edition, and while I had considered it a one-and-done project at the time, it would soon evolve into something much, much greater. I met some amazing friends and found a system with so much promise that I just couldn’t look away. While the work has been difficult at times, and personal sacrifices have been made, the positives I’ve been able to extrapolate from working on the game more than make up for it. I’ve learned so many valuable skills and lessons from this project. I went from zero layout skills to being incredibly confident in my ability to create stunning visuals. 

I experienced the trials and tribulations associated with managing such an ambitious project, and I hope to take these experiences with me as I continue to seek out new horizons in the future. I am incredibly proud of what I and my peers have accomplished with this project; I hope readers and players enjoy running the game as much as we had creating it.”

Until next we meet!