The Boy is a Gasp designed by René-Pier Deshaies of Fari RPGs inspired by God of War, for use in Breathless. It introduces a solo companion system where your character’s “son” is represented by a separate stat die, reflecting his mood, energy, and ability to help.

Rule

• Your companion is tracked as a separate stat die (d10, d8, d6, d4), representing his current mood, energy, and willingness to assist.
• As the adventure progresses, you can use the Boy die to tackle tasks instead of using your normal stats. When you do, roll the Boy die and interpret the result as a normal check.
• Each time you use the Boy die for a check, it steps down one level (d10 → d8 → d6 → d4), just like your normal stats. The Boy die cannot go lower than d4.
• The Boy die resets to its original rating when you Catch your Breath, just like your other stats.
• As you explore the world and want to know how your companion reacts, match his current die level with one of the following tables. Each table represents a different level of mood or energy.

Designer Notes

This Gasp models the emotional and physical toll of adventure on a close companion, inspired by the dynamic between Kratos and Atreus in God of War. The Boy Die creates narrative variety, introduces new complications, and encourages scenes of rest and connection. Adjust the prompt tables to fit your game’s tone or the specific relationship between characters.

Attribution

This game uses mechanics based off The Boy Gasp, designed by René-Pier Deshaies of Fari RPGs.

d10 — Confident

Roll	Prompt
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

d8 — Curious/Investigative

Roll	Prompt
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

d6 — Tired/Cranky

Roll	Prompt
1
2
3
4
5
6

d4 — Extenuated/Withdrawn

Roll	Prompt
1
2
3
4