Worlds Without Number Beta 0.

12
TALES OF THE LATTER EARTH
The stars gutter and the skies fade and the earth grows Yet we are not content to struggle with the past and
weary with years. Ages of men and of Outsiders have its changed children. We must also war against each oth-
ascended and been forgotten, and only the bones of their er in the present, princes and lords vying over rulership
cities and the dust of their dreams remain upon this tired of some miserable spit of land or patch of blood-soaked
world. The Legacy of their laws is woven deep now, the earth. Some fight over the rich tombs of the ancients,
edicts of dead gods and fallen sorcerer-emperors made while others bloody each other out of pride, ambition,
to trace patterns of power we no longer understand. We or the simple pleasure of conquest. A strong king brings
are heirs to their unseen empires. peace to his people, but his neighbors will ever be jealous
Yet our kings are beggar-princes at best, and our sag- of that strength. Heroes are needed to fight in defense of
es but stumbling children. So deep is the past of Latter their homes and their lords.
Earth that no one truly understands what has gone be- We have heroes still. Men and women graced with
fore or can lay sure hands on the Legacy we have inher- no more than courage and resolve may yet rise to light
ited. We wield strange powers we no longer comprehend a new age with the fire of their example. Some may yet
and summon forces that were never meant for our petty even rise to become Legates, blessed with a direct link
purposes. We live in a world haunted by those who came with the Legacy and the gift of its superhuman powers.
before us, and we suffer for the sins of their dead. A Legate may be wicked or just, selfish or compassion-
Our kingdoms struggle to survive in this mismade ate, but they all bear the strength of the ancients. The
world. We toil with muscle and the work of beasts rather warriors among them strike like the fury of the storm
than the strange devices of sorcery our ancestors wielded, and Legate-sorcerers invoke marvels out of a forgotten
and our lives are ones of simple labor. Sages have pre- age. The greatest among them might cleave armies with
served inscriptions of the ancient mechanisms, but their their naked blades or call up cities from a barren waste.
subtle arts no longer work in this decayed age and the Yet one need not be a Legate to be a hero, nor wield
Legacy has changed from the days when they were still the powers of the ancients to give precious help to the
of use. Nothing is sure any longer save for the strength present. Throughout the Latter Earth there are countless
in a human arm and the sharpness of an iron blade. Our lands and people in need of help. Defense against the
armies grip spears where our ancestors wielded suns. depredations of monstrous beasts, protection from the
Humanity has not always been the master of the anger of the Outsiders, wisdom to defeat wicked lords
Latter Earth. In former ages Outsiders came from the and mend bloody quarrels… a brave heart and a strong
skies to be lords over us, changing our world to better suit arm can never be useless in this world.
their purposes. We were forced below, into the earth to Even those who care little for the troubles of others
dwell within the Deeps, and the world was made hollow will find profit in daring the black delvings of the Deeps
with our delving. Only after long ages were our sorcerers and bringing up the treasures of the past from the grip of
and heroes able to drive out the interlopers. The remnants the once-men who yet hold them. Terrible wildernesses
of their rule remain on the surface, pockets of strange of alien beasts and strange flora still shroud the ruined
plants and terrible beasts and wastes that choke a man cities of the Outsiders, and brave explorers can weight
with their noxious vapors. Sometimes these Outsider their horses with gold if they can find safe paths through
lands still hold a scattering of the old lords, bitter and these desolations. The world is wide, and strange won-
hateful against their usurping slaves, and sometimes they ders await over each new horizon.
come out to punish our lands. This is the Latter Earth but it is not the end of days.
We, too, have changed with the eons. Both the Our ancestors rose and fell ten thousand times, and we
Outsiders and ancient sorcerer-kings worked changes can rise yet again. Our lands are impoverished and our
on humanity, forming some among us into other beings people are hard-pressed by their own folly and the shad-
more suitable to their ends. Some of these changed ones ows of a bottomless past, but we have courage still. There
remain allies to their human cousins, while others nurse have been ages of darkness worse than this, and dawn
only the fury of ancient instinct or present bitterness. came again when they passed. The stars gutter and the
Some have their own kingdoms and domains in distant skies fade and the earth grows weary with years, but it
parts of the world, and some hide in nighted places where has not ended yet. There is time enough for new heroes
they can better prey on us. They are the hands of the past, to rise from the ashes we have inherited.
the living relics that often work us woe. Will you be among them?
 CHARACTER CREATION
The first step in playing Worlds Without Number is to In this world, your hero seeks adventure. Whether
roll up each player’s character, or “PC”. While it’s possible fighting against the constant peril of monstrous creatures,
to play the game with just a single player and a game defending communities from the depredations of their
master, or “GM”, it works best with a group of three to neighbors, delving into the ancient Deeps that humanity
five players and a GM. A solitary hero is hard-pressed to once occupied, or exploring the trackless wilderness of
survive the myriad perils of Latter Earth, and a number an Outsider-altered Latter Earth, there is treasure, glory,
of trustworthy companions are needed if a hero is to have and terrible death to be found by the brave.
much chance of victory. Your hero may have had a very mundane past. Per-
It’s generally best to make characters together with haps they were no more than a peasant girl who tired of
the others in your group, so as to make sure everyone’s her little village, or a young sailor who wants better pay
hero is the sort to play well together. PCs don’t always for his courage than a sea captain can offer. Yet your hero
have to like each other, but if they can’t trust each other has some sort of knack or capability that marks them
to watch their backs, their adventures are apt to end in out as being fit for adventure, whether that’s a gift for
swift and unhappy ways. violence, exceptional talent at a skill, or some modicum
The character creation below assumes your heroes of magical prowess.
will be adventuring in the world of Latter Earth, as de- Your hero must, however, have a purpose. They must
scribed in the chapter starting on page XX. Readers who have some goal or direction for their ambitions, because
have an interest in the setting’s particulars can page for- Worlds Without Number is a sandbox-style game where
ward and look it over before continuing. For those who the PCs will be the ones to decide what kind of adven-
just want to get started creating their adventurer can just tures are sought. If you don’t have a goal, you won’t be
continue on below. able to contribute to that direction.
And not least of all, your hero must be able to coop-
What Players Need To Know erate with the rest of the group. Loners and troublemak-
Your character is an adventurer in the ruins of the Latter ers work well in novels but terribly at the table; be good
Earth, a world set unfathomably far in the future. Un- to the other players, and make someone who will actually
told eons of human and alien development have come participate usefully with everyone else. Adventuring is
and gone, and you and your companions are natives of dangerous, and going it alone is a recipe for swift death.
a now-savage and primitive world built on the grave of With these things said, it’s time to start making your
the past. character.
Magic exists in the form of ancient relics, enigmatic
powers that respond to the correct rituals, and creatures Legates
fashioned by inexplicable sciences. Sorcerers cultivate the
scraps of understanding that they have preserved in order The rules in this section describe the creation of
to wield these powers, and the occasional eruptions of normal PC heroes. They might be gifted swords-
ancient, twisted magic are a hazard in many places still. men, capable young wizards, or talented thieves
Most nations on Latter Earth are feudal or monar- and explorers, but they are fundamentally normal
chic, ruled over by some tyrant with the strength to main- human beings. They lack the link with the Legacy
tain order or some military elite capable of protecting that makes for the superhuman powers of a Legate.
their charges from the perils of monstrous foes and jeal- In the example campaign world of the Latter
ous neighbors. Some dynasties are ancient bloodlines of Earth, a heroic PC can hope to become a Legate
magically-blessed nobles, while others are no more than only after reaching the peak of their potential. Only
this season’s bandit king and his henchmen. The com- after exhausting the limits of normal human capac-
mon folk survive as best they can, making the bargains ity can they gain the recognition of the Legacy and
they must with their lords in exchange for protection and inherit its gifts.
some semblance of law. In other campaign settings, superhuman he-
Technology is primitive, with brute force and the roes such as Legates may not exist at all. In a sword
occasional windmill or water mill powering the little in- & sorcery pulp setting, it might be entirely inap-
dustry that exists. The natural laws of physics have been propriate for heroes to ever become so personally
so corrupted by prior eons of meddling and their ac- mighty, while a high fantasy setting might make
crued changes known as the Legacy that more advanced such divine strength more available to PCs.
technology is unreliable at best. This capriciousness has Assuming Legates exist in your campaign, the
all but extinguished scientific curiosity or technological rules for advancing in their powers appear in the
advancement among the people of Latter Earth, as what deluxe version of Worlds Without Number on
use are such studies when the subtler laws of nature are page XX.
always uncertain?
CGSPLASH
W 6.34 in
H 9.67 in
4

Summary of character

creation spread
5
6

Attributes
A hero’s native capacities are their attributes, each mea- Attribute Affects…
sured on a scale from 3 to 18. A score of 3 is as deficient Strength Lifting heavy weights, breaking things,
as it’s possible to be while still being functional as an melee combat, carrying gear
adventurer, while an 18 reflects a degree of development Dexterity Speed, evasion, manual dexterity,
that’s close to a human’s peak potential. reaction time, combat initiative
To generate a hero’s scores, roll 3d6 six times, assign-
ing them in order to the character’s Strength, Dexterity, Constitution Hardiness, enduring injury, resisting
Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You poisons, going without food or rest
may then change one attribute of your choice to 14, be- Intelligence Memory, reasoning, intellectual skills,
cause your adventurer has to be unusually good at some- general education
thing to have made it this far in life. Wisdom Noticing things, making judgments,
Clement GMs may optionally allow players to put reading situations, intuition
their rolled scores in any attribute they wish. Other
Charisma Force of character, charming others,
groups may prefer to let the rolls stand in order, to en-
attracting attention, winning loyalty
courage players to try out unexpected character concepts.
If you dislike random generation of your hero’s
scores, you may instead put the following scores wherever
you wish: 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 7. If you assign scores, you
cannot replace one of them with a 14. Attribute Score Attribute Modifier
Once you’ve generated your ability scores, record 3 -2
the modifier for each of them. Thus, a score of 5 would
have a -1 modifier and a score of 18 would have a +2. If 4—7 -1
your attribute changes later in the game through rolls on 8—13 No Modifier
your background’s Growth table or development as you 14—17 +1
advance in experience, remember to change the modifier
if necessary. 18 +2

Rolling a Hero’s Attributes

 7

Skills
Your hero’s particular proficiencies are called skills. Every
hero can at least attempt to do almost anything, whether Skill Checks
or not they’re particularly expert at it, but a hero with the When a hero attempts to pull off some feat of exceptional
right skill will have a much easier time finding success expertise, they must make a skill check. The player rolls
with their efforts. Of course, some particularly esoteric 2d6 and adds their relevant skill level to it and the mod-
challenges, such as magic theory or advanced mathemat- ifier of their most pertinent attribute score. If they have
ics, might be impossible to attempt without the right skill. no relevant skill at all, they subtract 1 from their roll.
Skills are measured on a ranking from level-0 for If the total is equal or higher than the check’s diffi-
ordinary practitioners up to level-4 for the best of the culty, the attempt is a success. If less, then either they fail,
best. Novice adventurers will begin play with skills of they succeed in a way that doesn’t help them, or cruel fate
level-0 or level-1 as determined in the next section, where intervenes to spoil their effort.
you pick or roll your hero’s background. The particular attribute used with a skill check will
vary with the situation. Lifting a heavy rock might be a
Skill Levels Str/Exert skill check, while running a marathon might
be more a Con/Exert check. The GM decides when the
Level-0 An ordinary competence at the skill as
case is ambiguous. In rhe same fashion, if two different
might be had by a common practitioner
skills might be applicable to a check the player can choose
Level-1 A veteran professional at the skill, one which of the skills to use.
noticeably better than most Some skills can’t even be attempted without at least
Level-2 One of the best in the city at the skill, a level-0 skill, if they’re particularly obscure or specialized
veteran and talented master of it. undertakings. Any hero can climb a cliff or try to fashion
Level-3 One of the best in the kingdom, an a good wooden spear, but only someone skilled in Craft
inspirational master at the skill could hope to forge a complex suit of armor.
Skill checks are only meant for unusual or excep-
Level-4 One of the best in the world, able to tional challenges to a hero. Tasks that are common to
push the skill to its physical limits their background never require a skill check.

Difficulty Type of Challenge

6 A relatively simple task that is still more
than the PC would usually be expected
to manage in their regular background.
Anything easier than this isn’t worth a
skill check.
8 A significant challenge to a competent
professional that they’d still succeed at
more often than not.
10 Something too difficult to be expected
of anyone but a skilled expert, and even
then they might fail.
12 Only a true master could expect to carry
this off with any degree of reliability.
14+ Only a true master has any chance of
achieving this at all, and even they will
probably fail.
8

The Skill List

Administer: Keep an organization running smoothly, Notice: Notice small details, impending ambushes, hid-
scribe things well, plan out logistics, identify in- den features, or concealed objects. Detect subtle
competent or treacherous workers, analyze records smells, sounds, or other sensory input. Notice can-
or archives, or otherwise do things that an executive not be used simply to detect a lie, but keen attention
or middle-manager would need to do. can often discern a subject’s emotional state.
Connect: Find or know people who are useful to your Perform: Sing, act, dance, orate, or otherwise perform
purposes, make friendships or social acquaintances, impressively for an audience. Compose music, plays,
know who to talk to to get favors or services, and writings, or other works of performance art. Most
call on the help or resources of organizations you performers will have a particular field they excel
belong to. Connect covers your PC’s ability to find at, though polymaths might exist if the PC’s back-
the people you need, though convincing them to ground is appropriate for such versatility.
help may require more than this. Pray: Peform the clerical rites of your religion, and be
Convince: Persuade a listener that something you are familiar with the gods, demons, and taboos of major
saying is true. Naturally, the more implausible the and minor faiths, identify iconography and persons
claim or more emotionally repugnant it is to them, of religious importance. Pray also helps you know
the more difficult it is to persuade them. Further- the state of local faiths and the important persons
more, how they act on their newfound conviction is in their hierarchies.
up to them and their motivations, and may not be Punch: Fight unarmed or with natural body weaponry.
perfectly predictable. Punch, kick, grapple, or otherwise brawl without
Craft: Craft or repair goods and technology appropri- the benefit of man-made tools. This mode of fight-
ate to the PC’s background and society. The Craft ing is inefficient at best without some special Focus
skill can be used for a wide range of artisan pursuits, to improve it, but it’s reliably non-lethal.
though a GM is within their rights to keep the PC Ride: Ride an animal, drive a cart or carriage, or other-
from building complex things that are too far away wise deal with land transportation. This skill also
from their past background and experience. includes competence at mount care and tending,
Exert: Run, swim, climb, jump, labor for long periods, basic cart or carriage repair, judging good horse-
throw things, or otherwise exert your physical flesh, and other skills appropriate to a beast-rider
strength, stamina, and coordination. Even a PC of whatever society the PC comes from.
with poor physical attributes might have a good Sail: Sail or repair a ship, build small craft, navigate by
Exert skill reflecting athletic training and expertise the stars, read sea weather, manage sailors, and oth-
in making the most of their available talents. erwise conduct the business of a professional mari-
Heal: Treat wounds, cure diseases, neutralize poi- ner. This skill may apply to more esoteric means of
sons, diagnose psychological health issues, and oth- vehicular travel in some societies.
erwise tend to the wounds of body and mind. The Shoot: Fire a bow or crossbow or throw a hurled weapon.
Heal skill cannot cure lost hit points directly, but it’s Maintain ranged weaponry and fletch arrows.
a vital skill in stabilizing Mortally Wounded allies Sneak: Move silently, hide in shadows, avoid notice, pick
or ensuring clean recovery from grievous injuries. pockets, disguise yourself, pick locks, defeat traps,
Know: Know matters of history, geography, natural sci- or otherwise overcome security measures.
ence, zoology, and other academic fields appropriate Stab: Fight with melee weapons or throw a hurled weap-
to a sage or scholar. While some sages might special- on. Maintain and identify weaponry.
ize in particular fields, most learned men and wom- Survive: Hunt, fish, navigate by the stars, mitigate envi-
en in this age have a broad range of understanding, ronmental hazards, identify plants and wildlife, and
and will rarely be unable to even attempt to answer craft basic survival tools and shelter. A PC’s Survive
a question relevant to this skill. skill is most pertinent to the environments in their
Lead: Inspire others to follow your lead and believe in background, but the basic principles can be applied
your plans and goals. Manage subordinates and in all but the most alien environments.
keep them focused, loyal, and motivated in the face Trade: Buy and sell at a profit, identify the worth of
of danger or failure. A successful leader will keep goods or treasures, deal with merchants and trad-
their subordinate’s faith and confidence even when ers, find black-market goods and services, and know
reason might make the leader’s plan appear ques- laws regarding smuggling and contraband.
tionable at best. Work: This skill is a catch-all for any profession that
Magic: Cast or analyze magic and know things about might not otherwise merit its own skill, such as a
famous mages or notable magical events. Classes painter, lawyer, farmer, or herdsman. The precise
that can’t cast spells obtain only intellectual and skill it represents will vary with the PC’s back-
scholarly benefits from this skill. ground.
 9

Backgrounds
Every hero comes from somewhere, and the particular
past of your PC is their background. Very few heroes Training Skills and Attributes
come immediately to their ultimate calling of sorcery or When you roll or pick a skill, you gain it at level-0, re-
swordplay, and even the most resolute hero is likely to flecting a basic, ordinary proficiency at the skill. Level-0
have had some more mundane place in life before taking is sufficient to earn a living with a skill or be counted a
up their grand ambitions. In this section, you’ll deter- normal practitioner of it, but it’s no particularly remark-
mine what this past might have been. able talent.
A background is simply a thumbnail description of If you roll or pick the same skill again, it becomes
the kind of life your hero led before becoming an adven- level-1. Such skills are well-honed and mark you out as
turer. Each entry on the table below offers a different a veteran with noticeably superior talent to the ordinary
possibility, and you can either roll or pick from the list. run of those who use the skill.
Within these categories you should feel free to decide You cannot pick a skill a third time. If you roll it
how exactly they relate to your hero. a third time or are forced to take it by some Focus or
For example, someone who rolls or picks a “Scholar” other trait, you may instead pick any other skill you wish,
background might decide that they were an unsuccessful gaining it at level-0 or improving it from level-0 to level-1
apprentice mage, frustrated with their uselessness until if you already have it.
they took up a sword. Another player might decide the No novice hero can have a skill above level-1. Only
same roll means that she was a meek scholar-scribe at a experienced adventurers can develop such mastery.
holy monastery before it was burnt down by a marauding If you roll randomly on the Growth table and get
invader. The specific details of your past background are an attribute bonus, you may use it to raise an attribute
up to you, provided the GM finds them reasonable. and potentially improve its modifier. Bonuses to Physical
The specific interpretations of your background will attributes may be applied to Strength, Dexterity, or Con-
depend on the campaign setting you’re using. If you’re stitution, and bonuses to Mental attributes can be added
playing in a desolute desert kingdom, a Sailor back- to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. No attribute can
ground might not make much sense. Talk with your GM be raised above 18, but a +2 bonus can be split between
about such details when you make up your hero’s past. two different attributes.
If you want a background not listed here, work with
your GM to choose Growth and Learning tables that fit d20 Background
your concept and use those as you would a listed back-
ground. 1 Artisan, blacksmith, tanner, carpenter
2 Barbarian, savage hermit, wild man
Backgrounds, Skills, and Growth 3 Carter, hauling goods or riding post
Once you’ve rolled or chosen your background, you get
several related benefits. 4 Courtesan, harlot, artful companion
First, you get the free skill associated with the back- 5 Criminal, thief, con man, burglar
ground at level-0 proficiency. 6 Hunter, trapper, lone hermit, or recluse
Second, you choose whether to pick two additional
7 Laborer, skilled or unskilled urban worker
skills from the Learning table, or make three random
rolls divided between the Learning and Growth table. If 8 Merchant, trader, peddler, or shopkeeper
you can’t decide on either, you can just take the two quick 9 Noble, spare son, exile, black sheep
skills listed with the background to reflect talents usually
10 Nomad, raider, tribal wanderer
possessed by an average member of the profession.
If you decide to pick your skills, you can make two 11 Peasant, farmer, rural laborer, serf
picks from the Learning table listed with each back- 12 Performer, bard, dancer, singer
ground. If it says “Any Combat”, you can pick either
13 Physician, village healer, healer-monk
Punch, Shoot, or Stab as the skill to gain. You are allowed
to pick the same skill twice, if you want to start play with 14 Priest, monk, nun, holy hermit
a greater degree of proficiency in it. 15 Sailor, bargeman, fisherman, pirate
If you decide to randomly roll for skills instead, you 16 Scholar, sage, apprentice mage
can make three rolls divided up as you wish between the
Growth and Learning tables for the background. Heroes 17 Slave, indentured laborer, runaway prentice
who allow themselves to accept the risk of an unusual 18 Soldier, bandit, mercenary, guardsman
mix of skills thus have a little extra benefit, and might 19 Thug, ruffian, gang member, village bully
be able to increase their attribute scores by rolls on the
Growth table. 20 Wanderer, exile, explorer, traveler
10

Artisan
Your hero was a crafter of some variety, whether a Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
blacksmith, carpenter, shipwright, weaver, or a maker
Craft-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Connect
of more exotic goods. In humble villages an artisan
is most likely to make the bulk of their living by the 2 +2 Physical 2 Convince
same subsistence farming as their neighbors, but in Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Craft
towns and cities they might be full-time profession- Trade-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Craft
als, perhaps belonging to some guild or brotherhood
specific to their craft. While an artisan’s Craft skill Connect-0 5 Exert 5 Exert
is chiefly applicable to those works related to their 6 Any Skill 6 Know
background, they often know enough or can impro- 7 Notice
vise sufficiently to make competent efforts at other
types of work.
8 Trade

Barbarian
Your people or past were counted savage even in a Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
world as brutal as this one. Primitive hill tribes, hard- Survive-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
pressed jungle clans, or simple frontiersmen too long 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
out of contact with a more sophisticated civilization
might all qualify for this background. You know Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Exert
how to live without the comforts a softer and more Any Combat-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Lead
pacified people might require and you have a ready Notice-0 5 Exert 5 Notice
acceptance of violence that can keep you alive where
6 Any Skill 6 Punch
others might perish. Still, the material privation of
your life does not mean you are necessarily stupid 7 Sneak
or unadaptable, nor that you lack your own forms 8 Survive
of culture.
 11

Carter
Overland transport is hard and dangerous, and it Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
requires an equally hard breed of men and women
to carry it out. Carters might be caravan workers Ride-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
hauling precious goods over hundreds of miles, or 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
independent shippers running a cart between isolated Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Craft
hamlets, or they might be messenger riders risking
Connect-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Exert
grave peril to deliver small packages. A carter may
be a low-born peasant, but he might end up seeing Any Combat-0 5 Connect 5 Notice
more of the world than the gentry of his homeland. 6 Any Skill 6 Ride
These far-traveled haulers commonly learns quickly 7 Survive
how to handle themselves in perilous circumstances.
8 Trade

Courtesan
Your hero made a profession of companionship, Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
whether carnal or otherwise. Common street harlots
or rented boys are by no means unknown among ad- Perform-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
venturers, but there are also exquisitely polished cour- 2 +2 Mental 2 Connect
tesans and graciously platonic artists of song, dance, Quick Skills 3 +2 Mental 3 Convince
and cultured companionship. Some have wearied
of the particular strains of their work, while others Notice-0 4 +2 Physical 4 Exert
mean to take advantage of their special talents in Connect-0 5 Connect 5 Notice
smoothing the social interactions of an adventuring 6 Any Skill 6 Perform
party with an often-suspicious world.
7 Survive
8 Trade

Criminal
Some would argue that all adventurers are criminals
Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
sooner or later, but your hero made it their profession
from an early age. Con men, charlatans, fraudulent Sneak-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
merchants, pickpockets, sneak thieves, impostors, 2 +2 Mental 2 Any Combat
footpads, and ne’er-do-wells of every description
Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Connect
often filter into the adventuring lifestyle, if only to
ensure that their travels take them well away from Connect-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Convince
the sites of their former activity. Given the general un- Convince-0 5 Connect 5 Exert
scrupulousness, quick wits, and daring required of a 6 Any Skill 6 Notice
successful criminal, many make excellent adventurers.
Other, less gifted examples, make excellent corpses. 7 Sneak
8 Trade

Hunter
Both primitive tribals and bored nobles require hunts Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
for their table and their pleasures, and such efforts
Shoot-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
often require professional hunters to help in the work
Hunger or greed has also been known to send poor 2 +2 Physical 2 Exert
peasants into the game preserves of their lords or Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Heal
deep into dangerous wilderness. A few hunters are Survive-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Notice
actual gamekeepers employed to ward off poachers,
and a few are simply hermits who have no love for Sneak-0 5 Exert 5 Ride
any company but their own. The marksmanship and 6 Any Skill 6 Shoot
stealth of a well-practiced hunter tend to be useful 7 Sneak
skills in an adventurer’s line of work.
8 Survive
12

Laborer
In the villages and rural regions of the world, the vast Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
majority of the populace are simple peasants. In the
cities, the great mass of unskilled workers are laborers Work-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
instead, day-workers and unskilled help employed by 2 +1 Any Stat 2 Any Skill
the artisans and craftsmen of the town. Their lives are Quick Skills 3 +1 Any Stat 3 Connect
hard, precarious, and unpromising, but the chance
Connect-0 4 +1 Any Stat 4 Convince
to live in a city and the opportunities for wealth and
status it offers are enough to beguile many poor vil- Exert-0 5 Exert 5 Craft
lage lads and lasses. In the absence of a lucky break or 6 Any Skill 6 Exert
fortuitous apprenticeship, some laborers find them- 7 Ride
selves willing to risk the life of an adventurer rather
than endure their poverty meekly. 8 Work

Merchant
Merchants range from the gilded merchant-princes Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
of the great trading cities to the humble peddlers
who roam between villages with packs full of sewing Trade-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
needles, tin pans, belt knives, and other household 2 +2 Mental 2 Any Combat
needs. Trade is a dangerous thing in this world, con- Quick Skills 3 +2 Mental 3 Connect
stantly subject to the rapacious demands of lords or
the brutal exaction of bandits, and few cowards take Convince-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Convince
up the work. Merchants with a particular fund of Connect-0 5 Connect 5 Craft
courage and an exceptional appetite for gold might 6 Any Skill 6 Know
even become adventurers, the better to obtain capital
7 Notice
and contacts for their work.
8 Trade

Noble
Nobility is a quality that varies from culture to cul-
Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
ture, some bestowing it for personal virtue, others to
particular bloodlines, and some to those who fulfill Lead-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
specific roles in the culture. Whatever the particulars, 2 +2 Mental 2 Any Combat
your hero was of the noble caste of their home, one
Quick Skills 3 +2 Mental 3 Connect
of the elites who governed and ruled. Alas, some cir-
cumstance has driven you out of your former place, Connect-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Convince
forcing you to seek companions in adventure and Administer-0 5 Connect 5 Know
make your own way in the world. You may no longer 6 Any Skill 6 Lead
have the dignities and advantages of your former rank,
but you at least have the benefit of its education. 7 Notice
8 Ride

Nomad
Some peoples are forced to travel far to find their Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
sustenance, whether they are beast-riders, drivers of
Ride-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
great wagons, or simple masses of people walking
from one waystation to another. Their native land 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
may not be rich enough to support them and their Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Exert
herds for long at any one place, or some shifting per- Survive-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Lead
il might require them to be constantly on the move.
Nomads are often mistrusted by settled folk, as it’s Any Combat-0 5 Exert 5 Notice
all too easy for them to commit some depredation 6 Any Skill 6 Ride
before moving out of reach of reprisal, but their skills 7 Survive
at riding and surviving harsh environments are of use
8 Trade
to any adventurer.
 13

Peasant
A peasant’s life is never easy, though in some lands it’s Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
a kinder fate than others. Even in the richest states,
Exert-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Connect
however, a peasant’s life is often marked by hunger,
poverty, and a constant struggle to obtain the very 2 +2 Physical 2 Exert
minimal necessities for life. Most are accustomed to Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Craft
a world in which anything they can’t personally grow, Sneak-0 4 +2 Physical 4 Notice
make, scavenge, or steal is something they won’t have.
Such ruthless resourcefulness and tolerance of pain Survive-0 5 Exert 5 Sneak
and toil are useful qualities to any adventurer… and 6 Any Skill 6 Survive
there are enough of them that a few who perish in 7 Trade
some trackless waste are no grievous loss to their
lords.
8 Work

Performer
Singers, dancers, musicians, poets, orators, and all Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
other entertainers and edifiers might be found in Perform-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
this background. In a world such as this one, there 2 +2 Mental 2 Connect
are precious few who can earn more than the barest
living off their art, and those who prosper are inevi- Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Exert
tably the ones who can cozen and beguile some rich Convince-0 4 +2 Physical 4 Notice
patron into favoring their efforts. Even a wandering Connect-0 5 Connect 5 Perform
bard reliant on the generosity of taphouse keepers
6 Any Skill 6 Perform
and bored yeomen must have a way with people, and
this skill at managing their affections is often useful 7 Sneak
for an adventurer. 8 Convince
14

Physician
Healers are needed in any society, and your hero Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
was one such physician. In a town or city, they might
have been a classically-trained professional, versed in Heal-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
subtle arts of medical horoscopes, therapeutic gem- 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
stones, and the imbibing of precious metals, while Quick Skills 3 +2 Mental 3 Craft
a village healer might simply know the proper use
Know-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Heal
of herbs, sutures, and splints. Adventuring bands
always prize the help of a trained healer, whatever Notice-0 5 Connect 5 Know
their background, and many consider it an essential 6 Any Skill 6 Notice
to have someone in the party capable of patching up 7 Convince
a bleeding ally or treating a fevered friend.
8 Trade

Priest
Priests range a wide gamut in this world. Some live Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
as moral exemplars for their flock, teaching them of
the ethical demands of their religion and encouraging Pray-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
them in their faith. Others are simple spiritual techni- 2 +2 Mental 2 Connect
cians, performing rituals to propitiate and coax their Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Know
god with no concern for anything but the correct ex-
ecution of the rite and the timely receipt of payment. Convince-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Lead
Adventuring priests often tend more toward the latter, Know-0 5 Connect 5 Notice
assisting their companions with their prayers and ex- 6 Any Skill 6 Convince
pertise in handling people. A few priests even have
7 Pray
magical powers, either given to them by their deity
or learned as part of their youthful training. 8 Pray

Sailor
Your hero was a sailor, a voyager on the salt tides or
Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
deep rivers of their home. They might have be captain
of a ship of their own, or a bargeman on the great riv- Sail-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
ers, or a simple seaman willing to take ship with any 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
craft that would have him. Some nations might even
Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Craft
have ships of a more than nautical nature, aircraft or
stranger things in need of a trained crew. Whatever Exert-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Exert
their usual berth, sailors are accustomed to lives of Notice-0 5 Exert 5 Heal
sudden peril and hard labor, and the self-sufficien- 6 Any Skill 6 Notice
cy forced by a life on the waves is often useful to an
adventurer. 7 Perform
8 Sail

Scholar
Dedicated scholars are few and far between in this Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
world, but your hero is one of those rarities. Either
Know-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
through noble birth, a wealthy background, or ded-
ication to some institution of knowledge, your hero 2 +2 Mental 2 Connect
has had the opportunity to become immersed in a life Quick Skills 3 +2 Mental 3 Craft
of study. You may have a particular field of focus, but Connect-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Know
scholarship in this age is a broad undertaking, and
every scholar is expected to know something of the Administer-0 5 Connect 5 Notice
natural sciences and the nations surrounding their 6 Any Skill 6 Perform
home. Given this education, those scholars with the 7 Pray
daring to become adventurers can find themselves
8 Convince
called upon to perform highly perilous field research.
 15

Slave
Slavery in this world varies from the pampered life of Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
some favored house slave to a short, brutal existence
in the mines and manufactories. It’s not unknown for Sneak-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Administer
the same slave to experience both ends of the spec- 2 +2 Physical 2 Any Combat
trum as their charm fades or financial need forces Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Any Skill
a slimming of the household staff. In some lands a
Survive-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Convince
former slave can have hope of attaining honor and
status, while in others they might expect an even Exert-0 5 Exert 5 Exert
worse state, without even the assurance of sufficient 6 Any Skill 6 Sneak
bread for their labor. Runaways, rebels, and ex-slaves 7 Survive
are all well-represented among the desperate class of
adventurers. 8 Work

Soldier
Mercenary, regular soldier, temple knight, monastic Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
defender, village militiaman, or savage raider; what-
ever the specifics, your hero made their living by war. Any Combat-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
You may have wearied of the endless killing, or lost 2 +2 Physical 2 Any Combat
your former employer, or simply became dissatisfied Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Exert
with the meagre rewards offered for your shed blood,
but whatever the cause you have decided to take up Exert-0 4 +2 Physical 4 Lead
an adventurer’s life instead. Every group values the Survive-0 5 Exert 5 Notice
help of a strong sword arm, even if you may have 6 Any Skill 6 Ride
developed skills far different from that in pursuit of
7 Sneak
your trade.
8 Survive

Thug
A soldier belongs to some larger organization, where-
Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
as you were simply a thug. Whether a village bully,
street ruffian, assassin, bandit, outlaw, or neighbor- Any Combat-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
hood enforcer, you got what you wanted through 2 +2 Mental 2 Any Combat
the strength of your right arm. Not every ruffian is a
Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Connect
simple criminal, however, and it may be you were a
protector to your family or gang, or a defender of your Convince-0 4 +2 Physical 4 Convince
neighborhood against hostile outsiders or an oppres- Connect-0 5 Connect 5 Exert
sive lord. Necessity or ambition has turned you to an 6 Any Skill 6 Notice
adventurer’s life, however, and your combination of
raw violence and calculated social expertise is likely 7 Sneak
to be useful in the trade. 8 Survive

Wanderer
Some people simply have no home, and your hero Free Skill d6 Growth d8 Learning
is one such unfortunate. You may have been driven
Survive-0 1 +1 Any Stat 1 Any Combat
into exile by hostile neighbors, or a turn of political
fortune, or a crime you may or may not have commit- 2 +2 Physical 2 Connect
ted. Your former home might have been destroyed by Quick Skills 3 +2 Physical 3 Notice
enemies, or transformed by events until it no longer Sneak-0 4 +2 Mental 4 Perform
had a place for you. Whatever the particulars, you
journey for your own reasons and seek whatever it Notice-0 5 Exert 5 Ride
is you hope to find in this world. Adventurers often 6 Any Skill 6 Sneak
have a tolerance for such vagabonds that is not to be 7 Survive
found in more settled society.
8 Work
16

Choosing a Class
While a hero’s background defines their upbringing and Warriors fight, using sword or bow or fist to over-
common profession, a class determines what special skills come their enemies and survive the violence they might
and abilities they use to succeed in their adventuring. Not inflict. Combat is a dangerous undertaking in this game,
everyone has a class; most people are just ordinary men and death comes easy to every hero. A Warrior has the
and women who might be soldiers, thieves, nobles, or tools to survive mistakes that would prove lethal to other
other ordinary professions. A PC is rare in that they have classes and to overcome foes in combat that might other-
the seeds of true greatness within them, and the potential wise prove too much for less martial heroes.
to vastly exceed the power of their ordinary peers. Adventurers are the class for those players who can’t
There are four classes available in the game. You quite decide, or who have a concept that mixes elements
should pick the one that provides the kind of tools you of more than one class. An Adventurer can choose two
want your hero to use while adventuring. of the other classes above and mix them together, gaining
Experts are masters of non-combat skills, such as some of the benefits of both at the cost of never being
stealth, medicine, diplomacy, and other practical talents. quite so capable with either sphere as a full practitioner
While any hero can become quite skilled in such under- would be.
takings, an Expert learns these skills faster and can use Each class comes with a table that indicates the
them more effectively than other classes, often succeed- class’s hit dice, attack bonus, and which Focus picks they
ing where a different hero would surely fail. gain. Your novice hero will usually begin the game at first
Mages include not only classical wizards but also level, so you’d use the first line on these tables to mark
those heroes who rely on supernatural powers for their down your hit points and attack bonus and to indicate
usefulness, such as magical healers, ascetic unarmed how many Foci you can pick. Each of these details is
combatants, and supernaturally wise sages. Each Mage explained later in the chapter, on page XX.
belongs to a specific magical tradition which defines their When picking a class, don’t feel obliged to choose
powers and indicates any special taboos they must re- one that fits naturally with your background. Instead,
spect. While their arts are powerful, mages tend to be choose one that suits how you want to play. You can al-
frailer and less combat-capable than other heroes. ways explain later how your hero came to the new trade.

The Expert
Your hero is an expert at some useful skill. Thieves, dip- the Expert can reroll a failed non-combat skill check,
lomats, healers, scholars, explorers, artisans, and other gaining a second chance to yank victory from the jaws of
such heroes should pick the Expert class if they wish to otherwise certain failure. Their natural focus on personal
focus on developing their special skills and performing development and determined refinement of their skills
tremendous feats of mastery with them. Experts gain the bleeds through even into those talents they don’t make
widest variety of non-combat skills and are the quickest their special domain.
to learn more of them. Experts are also capable combatants, fully able to
An Expert has an uncanny knack for wielding their hold their own in the midst of a murderous fray. It’s not
skills successfully at a crucial moment, whether or not unknown for some Experts to specialize in professions
it’s a skill they’ve taken for their specialty. Once per scene, related to martial pursuits, such as an assassin who relies
heavily on their superb powers of stealth and deception
Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks to reach their unwary foes.
1 1d6 +0 1 Free +
1 Expert Special Ability: Masterful Expertise
2 2d6 +1 +1 Free Once per scene, the Expert may reroll any non-combat
skill check as an Instant action. This allows the Expert
3 3d6 +1
to make a roll and then immediately use this ability if
4 4d6 +2 the resulting total isn’t good enough to succeed. In cases
5 5d6 +2 +1 Free where it matters, the better of the two rolls may be used.
6 6d6 +3
Special Ability: Quick Learner
7 7d6 +3 +1 Free When you advance a character level, you gain an extra
8 8d6 +4 skill point which may only be spent on gaining or im-
9 9d6 +4 proving non-combat skills. You may save this point to
spend later if you wish.
10 10d6 +5 +1 Free
 17

The Mage
Your hero wields arcane powers and otherworldly arts in
the service of their ambitions. Some Mages are taught in
formal sorcerous schools, while others gain their educa-
tion from the careful instructions of a wizened master.
A few who practice more primal traditions might even
awaken spontaneously to their power, obtaining strange MAGECLASS
abilities without any formal education at all. 2.92 W
Every Mage belongs to a particular magical tradition, 5.04 H
one which describes the nature of their powers and the
breadth of their capabilities. The Magic chapter begin-
ning on page XX lists the various traditions described in
this book, but more doubtless exist and several might be
specific to the particular campaign world you are playing
in. If playing a Mage, consult with your GM to find out
which traditions exist in your campaign setting.
Not all magical traditions necessarily involve classi-
cal spell-flinging and conjury. Some traditions are much
more physical in nature, granting the practitioners re-
markable bodily prowess or unique magical gifts they can
exercise. Some Mage traditions involve no spellcasting at
all, restricting their focus entirely to the strange arcane
gifts their forebears have developed.
While these spells and occult powers are impressive,
they tend to come at a cost. A Mage must spend so much
time focused on their studies and training that they have
little time to master any other art. They are notably weak
combatants with little ability to survive hardships that
would merely wound or weary a Warrior.
In addition to this, many traditions have their own Special Ability: Arcane Tradition
specific limits on practitioners. Initiates of the High The Mage may pick one magical tradition to represent
Mage tradition, for example, cannot cast their spells their occult powers, as listed in the Magic chapter on
while wearing anything heavier than normal clothing, page XX. This tradition may give them a number of ad-
thus making it impossible for them to wear armor and ditional benefits and restrictions.
still wield their spells. The hindrances of some traditions
extend beyond physical limitations to social penalties or
difficulties in dealing with mundane humanity; a necro-
mancer may have impressive powers of magic, but they
are often unwelcome in civilized lands and are sometimes
subject to the panicked justice of frightened locals and
their lords.
Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
1 1d6-1 +0 1 Free
2 2d6-2 +0 +1 Free
3 3d6-3 +0
4 4d6-4 +0
5 5d6-5 +1 +1 Free
6 6d6-6 +1
7 7d6-7 +1 +1 Free
8 8d6-8 +1
9 9d6-9 +1
10 10d6-10 +2 +1 Free
18

The Warrior
The Warrior is a hero born to the blade, a man or woman Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
gifted with a superb capacity for physical violence. Sav-
1 1d6+2 +1 1 Any +
age barbarians, hardened mercenaries, courageous young
1 Warrior
farm boys, and ordinary laborers who just happen to
have an undiscovered capacity for massive bloodshed all 2 2d6+4 +2 +1 Any
might qualify as Warriors. 3 3d6+6 +3
Warriors have more hit points than heroes of other
4 4d6+8 +4
class, and are capable of surviving wounds and hardships
that would kill an ordinary man. They’re also gifted with 5 5d6+10 +5 +1 Any
a superior attack bonus, and a native ability to inflict 6 6d6+12 +6
more damage than other PCs. They even have the abil- 7 7d6+14 +7 +1 Any
ity to ensure a hit or force a miss by an enemy once per
scene, making them lethal foes to common combatants. 8 8d6+16 +8
9 9d6+18 +9
Special Ability: Killing Blow 10 10d6+20 +10 +1 Any
Whenever a Warrior inflicts damage with any attack,
spell, or special ability they may add half their character into a miss, also as an Instant action. Only one exercise of
level, rounded up, to the damage done. This damage is this ability is possible in a scene, either to force a miss or
also added to any Shock they may inflict. ensure a hit on a foe; both options may not be exercised
in the same fight.
Special Ability: Veteran’s Luck A Warrior may use this ability with crew-served
Once per scene, as an Instant action, the Warrior may weapons they are assisting in firing. This ability cannot
turn a missed attack they have made into a hit. Alter- be used to negate environmental damage or damage done
nately, they may turn a successful attack against them to a vehicle or mount they are riding.

WARRIORCLASS
6.34 W
5.04 H
 19

The Adventurer
Not every hero is perfectly reflectd by one of the three Partial Expert/Partial Warrior
main classes, even with the wide latitude of concepts each
one allows. For those heroes that straddle the roles, there Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
remains the class of Adventurer. 1 1d6+2 +1 1 Expert +
An Adventurer picks two of the three main classes 1 Warrior +
to reflect their own particular talents. A spell-slinging 1 Any
swordsman might choose to be a Partial Mage/Partial 2 2d6+4 +2 +1 Any
Warrior, while a stealthy assassin might be a Partial Ex-
3 3d6+6 +2
pert/Partial Warrior, and a grifting mountebank-wiz-
ard might be a Partial Expert/Partial Mage. The player 4 4d6+8 +3
should pick whichever pairing serves best. 5 5d6+10 +4 +1 Any
The adjacent tables provide the hit dice, attack bo-
6 6d6+12 +5
nus, and foci picks gained by each of the three possible
pairings. Thus, a first level Partial Expert/Partial Warrior 7 7d6+14 +5 +1 Any
would roll 1d6+2 for their hit points, have a +1 attack 8 8d6+16 +6
bonus, and pick three Foci: one expert, one warrior, and 9 9d6+18 +6
one free pick.
Adventurers tend to have a wider range of abilities 10 10d6+20 +7 +1 Any
than a more focused PC, and the extra Focus pick can
make a significant difference at low levels. The absence Partial Expert/Partial Mage
of the strongest class abilities of Experts and Warriors Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
make a difference in the longer run, however, and a Par-
1 1d6 +0 1 Expert +
tial Mage will never attain the same magical power in
1 Any
their tradition as a focused specialist.
2 2d6 +1 +1 Any
Partial Experts 3 3d6 +1
A Partial Expert is treated just as a full Expert, including 4 4d6 +2
gaining the benefits of the Quick Learner ability. They
do not have the Masterful Expertise ability, however, as 5 5d6 +2 +1 Any
they lack the determined focus of a specialist. 6 6d6 +3
7 7d6 +3 +1 Any
Partial Mage 8 8d6 +4
A Partial Mage is treated as a Mage, and gains the Ar-
cane Tradition ability, allowing them to pick a magical 9 9d6 +4
tradition for their powers. That tradition’s abilities will 10 10d6 +5 +1 Any
be more limited for Partial Mages, however, as described
under each of the arts.
It’s even possible for a PC to pick the Partial Mage Partial Mage/Partial Warrior
class twice for two different magical traditions, gaining
portions of both arcane powers. They then use the usual Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
full Mage chart for hit dice, attack bonus, and Foci, and 1 1d6+2 +1 1 Warrior +
the table on page XX for their magical powers. 1 Free
A Partial Mage must adhere to the restrictions and 2 2d6+4 +2 +1 Any
limits of their magical tradition in order to use its abili-
3 3d6+6 +2
ties, regardless of whatever other partial class they may
have. 4 4d6+8 +3
5 5d6+10 +4 +1 Any
Partial Warrior 6 6d6+12 +5
A Partial Warrior gains many of the benefits of a full
Warrior, including the improved hit die and a somewhat 7 7d6+14 +5 +1 Any
improved attack bonus. They do not have the Veteran’s 8 8d6+16 +6
Luck special ability or the Killing Blow power, however, 9 9d6+18 +6
and must trust to their own talents to land blows and
crush their enemies. 10 10d6+20 +7 +1 Any
20

Choose Foci
Once you know your hero’s class, you can choose their
Foci, special knacks or talents that your hero has devel- Armsmaster
oped. Foci generally come in two levels; the first time You have an unusual competence with thrown weapons
you pick it you get the first level of the Focus, and the and melee attacks. This focus’ benefits do not apply to
second time you choose it you gain the benefits of the unarmed attacks or non-thrown projectile weapons. This
second level. Focus’ bonuses don’t stack with Deadeye or other Foci
Once a Focus has been bought up to its maximum that add a skill’s level to your damage or Shock.
level, it generally can’t be picked again. Sometimes the Level 1: Gain Stab as a bonus skill. You can draw or
same Focus can be taken more than once to apply to sheath a Stowed melee or thrown weapon as an
different skills, such as taking Specialist twice to apply Instant action. You may add your Stab skill level to
to both Sneak and Know skills. a melee or thrown weapon’s damage roll or Shock
Many Foci grant a bonus skill. You gain this skill damage, assuming it has any to begin with.
at level-0 if you don’t already have it, or level-1 if you Level 2: The Shock from your melee attacks always treats
already have it at level-0. If you already have it at level-1, the target as if they have AC 10. Gain a +1 bonus
pick any other skill except Magic. If you earn a Focus to hit with all thrown or melee attacks.
later in your adventuring career, you instead improve the
skill as explained on page XX. Artisan
Every PC can pick one Focus of any kind repre- You have considerable gifts as a crafter and know nu-
senting past experiences or native talent. This free Focus merous secrets for employing arcane salvage and magical
doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with your materials. You are able to create mods for equipment even
class; a Mage might actually be a vicious knife fighter if you are not an Expert, as per the rules on page XX.
with the Close Combatant Focus, or a Warrior might Level 1: Gain Craft as a bonus skill. Your Craft skill is
be exceptionally Cultured. treated as one level higher, up to a maximum of
Aside from this free Focus, a Warrior or Partial 5, for purposes of crafting and maintaining mods.
Warrior can pick one Focus related to their martial Mods you build require one fewer unit of arcane
background, and an Expert or Partial Expert can pick salvage, down to a minimum of one.
one Focus related to something other than combat. In Level 2: The first mod you add to an item requires no
ambiguous cases, the GM decides if the Focus really does Maintenance and only half the silver piece cost usu-
relate to their class. ally required. This benefit is in addition to the bene-
fits of installing a mod in masterwork gear you build.
Alert You automatically succeed at any attempt to build
You are keenly aware of your surroundings and virtual- masterwork gear appropriate to your background
ly impossible to take unaware. You have an instinctive or past practice.
alacrity of response that helps you act before less wary
persons can think to move. Assassin
Level 1: Gain Notice as a bonus skill. You cannot be You are practiced at sudden murder, and have certain
surprised, nor can others use the Execution Attack advantages in carrying out an Execution Attack as de-
option on you. When you roll initiative, roll twice scribed in the rules on page XX.
and take the best result. Level 1: Gain Sneak as a bonus skill. You can conceal an
Level 2: You always act first in a combat round unless object no larger than a knife from anything less in-
someone else involved is also this Alert. vasive than a strip search. You can draw or produce
this object as an On Turn action, and your point-
Armored Magic blank attacks made from surprise with it cannot
Usable only by Mage heroes who would otherwise be miss the target.
prevented from casting spells or using arts while armored, Level 2: You can take a Move action on the same round as
this Focus reflects special training in channeling magic you make an Execution Attack, closing rapidly with
through the obdurate and hindering materials of con- a target before you attack. You may split this Move
ventional armor. action when making an Execution Attack, taking
Level 1: You can cast spells or use arts while wearing part of it before you murder your target and part of
armor that has an Encumbrance value of no more it afterwards. This movement happens too quickly
than two. You can use shields while casting, pro- to alert a victim or to be hindered by bodyguards,
vided you have at least one hand free to cast with. barring an actual physical wall of meat between you
Level 2: You can cast spells while wearing armor of any and your prey.
Encumbrance weight. You’ve also learned to cast
spells while both your hands are full.
 21

Authority Cultured
You have an uncanny kind of charisma about you, one Through wide travel, careful observation, or extensive
that makes others instinctively follow your instructions study, you’ve obtained a wide experience of the cultures
and further your causes. At level 1, this is a knack of of your region and an ability to navigate their customs,
charm and personal magnetism, while level 2 might sug- laws, and languages. You know what to do and say to
gest latent magical powers. Where this focus refers to impress others with the reasonableness of your wishes.
followers, it means NPCs who have voluntarily chosen Level 1: Gain Connect as a bonus skill. You can speak
to be in your service. PCs never count as followers. all the common languages of your native region and
Level 1: Gain Lead as a bonus skill. Once per day, you convey at least basic information in the uncommon
can make a request from an NPC who is not openly or esoteric ones. You can learn a new language with
hostile to you, rolling a Cha/Lead skill check at a only a week’s practice with a native speaker. Once
difficulty of the NPC’s Morale score. If you succeed, per game day, your polished ways automatically gain
they will comply with the request, provided it is not a modest favor from an NPC that would not put
significantly harmful or extremely uncharacteristic. them to significant expense or risk, assuming the
Level 2: Those who follow you are fired with confidence. NPC isn’t hostile to you.
Any NPC being directly led by you gains a Morale Level 2: Once per game session, reroll a failed social skill
and hit roll bonus equal to your Lead skill and a +1 check as you use your cultural knowledge to push
bonus on all skill checks. Your followers and hench- your interlocutor toward the desired result.
men will not act against your interests unless under
extreme pressure. Die Hard
You are surprisingly hard to kill. You can survive injuries
Close Combatant or bear up under stresses that would incapacitate a less
You’ve had all too much practice at close-in fighting and determined hero.
desperate struggles with drawn blades. You’re extremely Level 1: You gain an extra 2 maximum hit points per lev-
skilled at avoiding injury in melee combat, and at level el. This bonus applies retroactively if you take this
2 you can dodge through a melee scrum without fear of focus after first level. You automatically stabilize
being knifed in passing. if mortally wounded, provided you have not been
Level 1: Gain any combat skill as a bonus skill. You can incinerated, dismembered, or otherwise torn apart.
use knife-sized thrown weapons in melee without Level 2: The first time each day that you are reduced to
suffering penalties for the proximity of melee at- zero hit points by an injury, you instead survive with
tackers. You ignore Shock damage from melee as- one hit point remaining. This ability can’t save you
sailants, even if you’re unarmored at the time, but from large-scale, instantly-lethal trauma.
invoking this benefit disrupts any spellcasting you
might do that round due to the need for violently Deadeye
active evasion. You have a gift with ranged weapons. While this talent
Level 2: The Shock damage from your melee attacks most commonly applies to bows, it is also applicable to
treats all targets as if they were AC 10. The Fight- thrown weapons or other ranged weapons that can be
ing Withdrawal combat action is treated as an On used with the Shoot skill. For thrown weapons, you can’t
Turn action for you and can be performed freely. use the benefits of the Armsmaster focus at the same
time as Deadeye.
Connected Level 1: Gain Shoot as a bonus skill. You can draw or
You’re remarkably gifted at making friends and forging ready a Stowed ranged weapon as an On Turn
ties with the people around you. Wherever you go, you action. You may use a bow or two-handed ranged
always seem to know somebody useful to your ends. weapon even when an enemy is within melee range,
Level 1: Gain Connect as a bonus skill. If you’ve spent at albeit at a -4 hit penalty. You may add your Shoot
least a week in a not-entirely-hostile location, you’ll skill level to a ranged weapon’s damage roll.
have built a web of contacts willing to do favors for Level 2: Once per round, you can reload a crossbow or
you that are no more than mildly illegal. You can other slow-loading ranged weapon as an On Turn
call on one favor per game day and the GM decides action if it takes no more than one round to reload.
how far they’ll go for you. Gain a +1 bonus to hit on all ranged attacks.
Level 2: Once per game session, if it’s not entirely implau-
sible, you meet someone you know who is willing to Dealmaker
do modest favors for you. You can decide when and You have an uncanny ability to sniff out traders and find
where you want to meet this person, but the GM good deals, licit or otherwise. Even those who might not
decides who they are and what they can do for you. normally be disposed to bargain with you can sometimes
be persuaded to pause and negotiate, if you have some-
thing they want.
22

Level 1: Gain Trade as a bonus skill. With a half hour of Henchkeeper

effort you can find a buyer or seller for any good or You have an distinct knack for picking up lost souls who
service traded in the community, legal or otherwise. willingly do your bidding. You might induce them with
Finding a marginally possible service, like an assas- promises of money, power, excitement, sex, or some other
sin willing and able to target a king, or some specific prize that you may or may not eventually grant. A hench-
precious ancient artifact, may require an adventure man obtained with this focus will serve in loyal fashion
if the GM allows it at all. until clearly betrayed or placed in unacceptable danger.
Level 2: Once per session, target a sentient who is not Henchmen are not “important” people in their society,
just then trying to kill you or your allies and make and are usually marginal sorts, outcasts, the desperate,
a request of it that it can comprehend. If it’s at all or other persons with few options.
plausible for it to make terms, it will do so for a price You can use more conventional pay or inducements
or favor you are able to grant, though the price for to acquire additional henchmen, but these extra hirelings
significant favors might be dear. are no more loyal or competent than your pay and treat-
ment can purchase.
Developed Attribute Level 1: Gain Lead as a bonus skill. You can acquire
Your hero has a remarkable degree of development to one henchmen within 24 hours of arriving in a com-
or more of their attributes. This may be derived from an munity, assuming anyone is suitable hench material.
eldritch bloodline, native brilliance, or sheer, stubborn These henchmen will not fight except to save their
determination. This Focus cannot be taken by heroes of own lives, but will escort you on adventures and risk
the Mage or Partial Mage classes, and has only one level. great danger to help you. Most henchmen from a
Level 1: Choose an attribute; its modifier is increased by civilized society will be treated as Peaceful Humans
+1, up to a maximum of +3. The actual score does from the Bestiary section of the book. You can have
not change, but the modifier increases, and may one henchmen at a time for every three character
increase again if later advancement improves the levels you have, rounded up. You can release hench-
attribute enough. You can choose this Focus more men with no hard feelings at any plausible time and
than once to improve different attributes. pick them back up later should you be without a
current henchman.
Diplomat Level 2: Your henchmen are remarkably loyal and de-
You know how to get your way in personal negotiations, termined, and will fight for you against anything
and can manipulate the attitudes of those around you. but clearly overwhelming odds. Whether through
Even so, while smooth words are versatile, they’ll only natural competence or their devotion to you, they’re
work if your interlocutor is actually willing to listen to treated as Martial Humans from the Bestiary sec-
you. tion. You can make faithful henchmen out of skilled
Level 1: Gain Convince as a bonus skill. You speak all and highly-capable NPCs, but this requires that
the languages common to your region of the world you actually have done them some favor or help that
and can learn new ones to a workable level in a week, would reasonably earn such fierce loyalty.
becoming fluent in a month. Reroll 1s on any skill
check dice related to negotiation or diplomacy. Impervious Defense
Level 2: Once per game session, shift an intelligent Whether through uncanny reflexes, remarkable luck, su-
NPC’s reaction roll one step closer to friendly if pernatural heritage, or magical talent, you have natural
you can talk to them for at least thirty seconds. defenses equivalent to high-quality armor. The benefits
of this Focus don’t stack with armor, though Dexterity
Gifted Chirurgeon or shield modifiers apply.
You have an unusual gift for saving mortally-wounded Level 1: You have an innate Armor Class of 15 plus half
allies and quickening the natural recovery of the wound- your character level, rounded up.
ed in your care. Level 2: Once per day, as an Instant action, you can shrug
Level 1: Gain Heal as a bonus skill. You may attempt off any single weapon attack or physical trauma
to stabilize one mortally-wounded adjacent person inflicted by a foe. Environmental damage, falling
per round as an On Turn action. When rolling Heal damage, or other harm that couldn’t be forfended
skill checks, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die. You by strong armor cannot be resisted this way.
heal twice as many hit points as usual when apply-
ing first aid after a battle, as described on page XX. Impostor
Level 2: Your curative gifts are little short of magical. You You are exceedingly skilled at presenting yourself as
can heal 1d6+Heal skill in damage to an adjacent something you are not, including disguises, voice mimicry,
wounded ally as a Main Action. Each such applica- and lightning-fast wardrobe changes. Some impostors
tion of healing adds 1 System Strain to the target, rely on the acting skills of Perform, while others lean
and the gift cannot be used on targets already at more to the nefarious tricks of Sneak.
their maximum System Strain.
 23

Level 1: Gain Perform or Sneak as a bonus skill. Once poisoned food is a Wis/Notice skill check against 10, or
per scene, reroll any failed skill check or saving 12 if they’re not suspicious. One dose can poison up to
throw related to maintaining an imposture or dis- a half-dozen diners.
guise. Create one false identity of no great social Level 1: Gain Heal as a bonus skill. Gain a reroll on any
importance; you can flawlessly pretend to be that failed saving throw versus poison. Your toxins inflict
person, such that only extremely persuasive proof 2d6 damage plus your level on a hit or Shock, with a
can connect you with it. You can change this identity Physical save for half. Your incapacitating or hallu-
with a week’s worth of effort in building a new one. cinogenic toxins do the same, but those reduced to
Level 2: You can alter your clothing and armor such that zero hit points are simply incapacitated for an hour.
a single Main Action lets you swap between any Level 2: You are immune to poison and can apply an
of three chosen appearances. In addition to your antidote to any poisoned ally as a Main Action. Any
original false identity, you can establish a new false attempt to detect or save against your poisons takes
identity in each city or significant community you a penalty equal to your Heal skill. Your toxins roll
spend at least a week in. damage twice and take the higher total.

Lucky Polymath
Some fund of remarkable luck has preserved your life at You’ve done so much in the course of your life or studied
least once in the past, and continues to give you an edge so many different topics that you’re never entirely at a
in otherwise hopeless situations. This luck does not favor loss when called upon to do something. Note that the
the already-blessed; this Focus can only be taken by a PC phantom skill levels granted by this Focus don’t stack
with at least one attribute modifier of -1 or less. with normal skill levels, nor do they make buying a new
Level 1: Once per week, a blow or effect that would oth- skill any cheaper.
erwise have killed, mortally wounded, or rendered Level 1: Gain any one bonus skill. You never take the -1
helpless the PC somehow fails to connect or affect penalty for attempting a skill check untrained, and
them. The PC makes any rolls related to games of you can attempt even those skills that would be im-
chance twice, taking the better roll. possible for an untutored person to essay. You never
Level 2: Once per session, in a situation of need or peril, suffer the -2 hit penalty for lacking an appropriate
the PC can trust to their luck and roll 1d6. On a 2 combat skill.
or more, something fortunate will happen to further Level 2: Once per day, you can remember some trick
their goal, provide an escape from immediate peril, or knack relevant to the task you are attempting,
or otherwise give them an advantage they need, if allowing you to roll a skill check as if you had level-2
not immediate victory. On a 1, the situation will skill in the relevant ability.
immediately grow much worse, as the GM sees fit.
Rider
Nullifier Anyone with any level of Ride skill can fight competently
Something about your hero interferes with easy use of on horseback or keep their mount healthy. You have an
magic on them. It may be a strangely powerful birth almost supernatural bond with your steeds, however, and
blessing, a particular supernatural bloodline, or simple can push them beyond normal limits.
occult incompatibility. This Focus cannot be taken by Level 1: Gain Ride as a bonus skill. Your steeds all count
Mages or Partial Mages. as Morale 12 in battle, use your AC if it’s higher
Level 1: You and all allies within twenty feet gain a +2 than theirs, and can travel 50% further in a day than
bonus to all saving throws against magical effects. normal for their kind. You can intuitively communi-
You can feel the presence or use of magic within cate with riding beasts, gaining as much information
twenty feet of you, though you can’t discern details from it as its intellect can convey.
about it or the specific source. The first failed saving Level 2: Once per scene, negate a successful attack against
throw against a magical effect you suffer in a day is your steed as an Instant action. Once per scene, re-
turned into a success. roll any failed Ride skill check. You can telepath-
Level 2: Once per day, as an Instant action, you are sim- ically send and receive simple warnings, thoughts,
ply not affected by an unwanted magical effect, even and commands to and from your steed so long as
if it wouldn’t normally allow a saving throw. it’s within two hundred feet. You can so bond with
one steed at a time, taking an hour to do so.
Poisoner
You are a skilled poisoner, capable of compounding tox- Shocking Assault
ins out of readily-available flora and minerals. It takes You’re extremely dangerous to enemies around you. The
an hour to brew a poison, and you can keep as many ferocity of your melee attacks stresses and distracts ene-
doses fresh as you have levels. Blade venoms take a Main mies even when your blows don’t draw blood.
Action to apply and last for ten minutes or until a hit Level 1: Gain Punch or Stab as a bonus skill. The Shock
or Shock is inflicted, whichever comes first. Detecting damage of your weapon treats all targets as if they
24

were AC 10, assuming your weapon is capable of the trap or hazard, cast at twice your level, with any
harming the target in the first place and the target relevant skill check being Int/Notice or Dex/Notice.
is not immune to Shock.
Level 2: In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to the Shock Unarmed Combatant
damage rating of all melee weapons and unarmed Your empty hands are more dangerous than swords in
attacks. As usual, regular hits never do less damage the grip of the less gifted. Your unarmed attacks are
than this Shock would do on a miss. counted as melee weapons when it comes to binding up
opponents wielding bows and similar ranged long arms,
Sniper though you need at least one hand free to do so.
You are an expert at placing a thrown knife or arrow on Level 1: Gain Punch as a bonus skill. Your unarmed at-
an unsuspecting target. These special benefits only apply tacks become more dangerous as your Punch skill
when making an Execution Attack with a bow, hurlant, increases. At level-0, they do 1d6 damage. At level-1,
or thrown weapon, as described on page XX. they do 1d8 damage. At level-2 they do 1d10, level-3
Level 1: Gain Shoot as a bonus skill. When making a does 1d12, and level-4 does 1d12+1. At Punch-1 or
skill check for a ranged Execution Attack or target better, they have the Shock quality equal to your
shooting, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die. Punch skill against AC 15 or less. While you nor-
Level 2: A target hit by your ranged Execution Attack mally add your Punch skill level to any unarmed
takes a -4 penalty on the Physical saving throw to damage, don’t add it twice to this Shock damage.
avoid immediate mortal injury. Even if the save is Level 2: Even on a miss with a Punch attack, you do an
successful, the target takes double the normal dam- unmodified 1d6 damage, plus any Shock that the
age inflicted by the attack. blow might inflict on the target.

Specialist Unique Gift

You are remarkably talented at a particular skill. Wheth- Your hero has some unusual ability or magical knack that
er a marvelous cat burglar, a famed athlete, a brilliant can’t be adequately described by an existing Focus. This
scholar, or some other savant, your expertise is extreme- choice is a catch-all meant to represent a special power
ly reliable. You may take this focus more than once for that’s in some way worth a Focus pick.
different skills. The exact effect of the ability should be defined by
Level 1: Gain any skill as a bonus, except for Magic, Stab, the player and the GM together, working out some re-
Shoot, or Punch. Roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die sult that seems fair and reasonable. This will vary from
for all skill checks in this skill. table to table and from campaign to campaign; an innate
Level 2: Roll 4d6 and drop the two lowest dice for all ability to breathe water is little more than a novelty in a
skill checks in this skill. desert setting, while a campaign based on piracy in an
endless archipelago might make it far more significant.
Trapmaster As with any power, the group should be willing to
You have uncommon expertise in handling traps and reconsider the gift if it turns out to be exceptionally weak
snares, both mundane ones and the magical perils some- in play or a stronger power than was anticipated.
times found in Deeps or the lairs of sorcerers. You know
how to quickly improvise traps with materials you com- Valiant Defender
monly carry. You are a bodyguard, shieldbearer, or other gifted defend-
Level 1: Gain Notice as a bonus skill. Once per scene, er of others, accustomed to the roil of bloody battle and
reroll any failed saving throw or skill check related desperate struggle.
to traps or snares. Given a scene’s work you can trap Level 1: Gain Stab or Punch as a bonus skill. Gain a +2
a portal, container, passageway, or other relatively on all skill checks for the Screen Ally combat ac-
narrow space with foot snares, caltrops, toxic nee- tion. You can screen against one more attacker per
dles, or other hazards. Non-lethal traps cause the round than your skill would normally allow.
first victim to trigger it to lose a round of actions Level 2: The first Screen Ally skill check you make in
while dangerous ones inflict 1d6 damage plus twice a round is always successful. Gain +2 AC while
the character’s level, with an appropriate saving screening someone. You can screen against foes as
throw for half. Only one such improvised trap can large as ogres or oxen.
be maintained at a time. More fearsome traps may
be laid with congenial circumstances and the GM’s Wayfinder
permission. You have an astonishing sense of direction and spatial
Level 2: You know secrets for unraveling even magical intuition, one that never leads you astray.
traps or arcane hazards that would normally require Level 1: You are always aware of your location and the
a wizard to dispel them. Once per scene, your ef- direction of north, assuming north exists in your
forts count as an Extirpate Arcana spell against context. You never become lost and can always find
your way back to a place you have been. You can
 25

always find your way to any city or place that you

have some form of directions to. If you are teleport-
ed against your will, you don’t know your location
until you can find a landmark you recognize.
Level 2: Your acuity allows you to ignore difficult ter-
rain, moving through debris and climbing at your
full movement rate. You maintain a perfect mental
map of your known surroundings, one sufficient to
navigate them blind. When traveling overland, your
group’s movement rate is 50% faster than normal.

Whirlwind Assault
You are a frenzy of bloody havoc in melee combat, and
can hack down numerous lesser foes in close combat…
assuming you survive being surrounded.
Level 1: Gain Stab as a bonus skill. All enemies adjacent
to you at the end of your turn whom you have not
attacked suffer the Shock damage of your weapon
if their Armor Class is not too high to be affected.
You must have attacked some target that round to
gain this benefit.
Level 2: The first time you kill someone in a round with a
normal attack, either with its rolled damage on a hit
or with the Shock damage it inflicts, instantly gain a
second attack on any target within range using any
Ready weapon you have.
26

Final Touches
(Full text later)

Pick one skill of your choice to reflect your hero’s

past interests, talents, or professional work, gaining it at
level-0 proficiency. If you already have this skill at level-0,
it becomes level-1. You cannot use this free pick to im-
prove a skill that’s already at level-1.
Spellcasting Mages begin play knowing a number
of first-level spells equal to two plus their Intelligence
modifier. These spells may be chosen from any spell list
available to them. A novice High Mage, for example,
would pick two first-level spells from the High Magic
spell list, while a new Elementalist could pick them from
either the High Magic or Elementalist spells.
Characters begin with the knowledge of their na-
tive language, Trade Cant, and fluency in additional ones
based on their Connect or Know skill levels. Level-0
in either grants one more language and level-1 grants
two. Thus, a PC with Connect-1 and Know-1 skills
would start fluent in five languages. Increasing Connect
or Know skills later can allow them to learn one more
language for each level they gain, as can spending a few
months immersed in a culture. Page XX gives a listing
of the tongues common to the Gyre region of the Latter
Earth.
 27

Equipment Packages
To determine your hero’s starting equipment you may hero’s Encumbrance, as explained on page XX, though
pick a suitable package from the selections below. Op- a spare set of clothing kept in a backpack would do so.
tionally, you can roll 3d6 x 10 to find out your PC’s The equipment packages include the Encumbrance
starting silver and purchase items individually from the cost of each item. Remember that armor must be worn
section starting on page XX. As a matter of simplicity, it’s Ready in order to do any good, and weapons that are kept
often easiest to simply pick a serviceable package and per- Stowed will take an extra Main Action to get ready for
haps swap out an item if the GM thinks it’s reasonable. use. Backpacks and other storage gear generally counts
PCs are assumed to have an ordinary suit of cloth- as Stowed unless the hero wants to tie it loosely and thus
ing and such small personal effects as anyone would carry be ready to drop it at a moment’s need… such as when
on their person. Such things do not count against the they may need to outrun a slower compatriot.

Adventuring Peasant Enc Ranger or Archer Enc

War Shirt (AC 11) 0 Buff Coat (AC 12) 0
Large Shield (AC 14 when held) 1 Bow, Large (1d8 damage, no Shock) 2
Light Spear (1d6 dmg, Shock 2/AC 13) 1 20 arrows & quiver 1
Dagger (1d4 dmg, Shock 1/AC 15) 1 Dagger (1d4 dmg, Shock 1/AC 15) 1
Backpack 1 Hand Axe (1d6 dmg, Shock 1/AC 15) 1
Rations, 2 weeks 2 total Backpack 1
Mule and small cart - Cooking utensils and 2 weeks of rations 3 total
Tinder box and 3 torches 1 Waterskin 1
Tinder box and 3 torches 1
20 silver pieces in cash -

Armored Warrior Enc Roguish Wanderer Enc

Pieced Armor (AC 14) 2 Buff Coat (AC 12) 0
Large Shield (+1 AC when wearing armor) 1 Small Shield (+1 AC when wearing armor) 1
Short Sword (1d6 dmg, Shock 2/AC 15) 1 Short Sword (1d6 dmg, Shock 2/AC 15) 1
Dagger (1d4 dmg, Shock 1/AC 15) 1 Throwing Blades, 5 (1d4 dmg, no Shock) 1
Backpack 1 Backpack 1
Tinder box and 3 torches 1 Rations, 2 weeks 2 total
Waterskin 1
Tinder box and 3 torches 1
Grappling hook and 50’ of rope 2 total

Gentry Wayfarer Enc Mage, Healer, or Scholar Enc

Buff Coat (AC 12) 0 Daggers, 2 (1d4 dmg, Shock 1/AC 15) 2
Small Shield (+1 AC when wearing armor) 1 Staff (1d6 dmg, Shock 1/AC 13) 1
Short Sword (1d6 dmg, Shock 2/AC 15) 1 Backpack 1
Backpack 1 Lantern, tinder box, and 2 pint flasks of oil 3 total
Rations, 2 weeks 2 total Writing kit & 20 sheets of paper 1
Waterskin 1 Rations, 2 weeks 2 total
Fine suit of clothing carried in the pack 1 Waterskin 1
Writing kit & 20 sheets of paper 1 Healer’s pouch 1
20 silver coins in cash - 80 silver pieces in cash -
28

Example Character Creation

 29

Blank Character Sheet

30• 

Equipment, Armor, and Weaponry

There are countless different currencies in the Latter
Earth, some familiar enough and others largely incom- Purchasing Equipment and Services
prehensible to outsiders. In most regions, however, some The following tables give the common prices for assorted
variety of metal coinage is used. While it lacks the flexi- goods, weapons, armor, and services of interest to adven-
bility of Outsider scrip or the occult power of crystallized turers. These prices are usually significantly higher than
logoi it can be minted by any local lord with a furnace and those that would be paid by a reasonably well-connected
a hammer. Many do, and the finer points of coin purity, local or native; adventurers and other wayfarers tend to
weight, and value are of keen interest to merchants the pay a premium for their gear. A prudent, patient native
world over. might pay half as much for many of these things.
For most adventurers, however, a coin is a coin. Cop- Most of the equipment listed can be acquired in any
per coins are the daily-use money of urbanites, where decent-sized market town or city. Truly costly items of
village folk more often trade goods and services through several thousand silver pieces or more may require spe-
a complex but well-understood balance of favors done cial contacts to purchase in a timely fashion, or else the
and owed. Silver coins are for larger purchases, while patience to wait out the equipment’s construction.
golden coins are the currency of rich merchants, nobles, In villages and other rural areas, much of this gear
and others who deal with great affairs. will be unavailable at any price. The village guardians
Silver is the usual currency of record, with the prices might have a few spare spears or battered buff coats to
of most expensive goods given in silver pieces. Amounts sell at a stiff mark-up, but hurlants, war-horses, chain
in gold are often considered more honorable, and so a hauberks, and other expensive, specialized gear is unlike-
lord’s income or a king’s reward will often be phrased in ly to be available save by pure luck and much silver.
terms of gold coins, even if ultimately paid in silver. Hirelings and other servants are most easily found
in towns and cities as well, though a village may have a
Common Exchange Rates few strapping lads willing to risk their necks for more
1 gold coin is 10 silver coins silver than they’ll see in half a life. If those lives are cut
1 silver coin is 10 copper coins short, however, don’t expect replacements to step forward.

Encumbrance
There is a limit to the amount of gear that a hero can time to draw them, dig them out of a pack, or get them
comfortably carry. While a GM is perfectly justified in ready for use. Thus, a hero with a sheathed sword that
deciding to handle the matter loosely, and to just eyeball is Ready can draw it as part of the attack they’re making,
a reasonable maximum for the party’s allowed gear, some and a hero with a Readied magical potion can quaff it
prefer a more organized system. without spending any extra time finding it in his pack.
Encumbrance is measured in items. Most ordinary A hero can carry a number of Stowed items equal to
objects that can be comfortably carried in one hand count their full Strength score. Stowed items are tucked away
as one item. Two-handed weapons, heavy objects, or un- in packs, carefully organized in pouches, and otherwise
wieldy things count as two, or sometimes even more in stored so as to be as compact as possible. A hero who
the more extreme cases. wants to use a Stowed item needs to spend a Main Ac-
Very small objects do not count as items unless tion digging it out before they can employ it.
carried in unusual numbers. Normal clothing does not Characters can push their limits by carrying more
count as an item. Gems, jewelry, and other small objects than is comfortable. An extra two Readied or four
usually aren’t tracked as items, though every full 100 Stowed items can be carried, but this slows them down;
coins counts as one item. their Move action allows them to move only 20 feet in-
Bulk goods such as rations, torches, oil flasks, or the stead of 30. A further two Readied or four Stowed items
like can be bundled together, with three of them count- can be carried beyond that, but that slows them down to
ing as one item. Such carefully-packed bundles require a 15 feet per Move action.
Main Action to break open if the PC wants to get at the It’s assumed that the heroes have sufficient packs,
contents, however. sacks, pockets, and pouches to actually carry all of their
A hero can carry a number of Readied items equal gear. While a PC might have enough Strength to cart
to half their Strength attribute, rounded down. Read- around a dozen pieces of adventuring gear, if they don’t
ied items include worn armor, carried shields, weapons have a backpack or some other way of actually storing
sheathed or at the ready, or anything else the PC wants these things, the GM may not allow them to do it.
immediate access to. PCs can use Readied items as part
of whatever action they’re doing without taking any extra
 •31

Adventuring Gear Gear Bundles

Most of the equipment listed below is largely self-explan- Depending on the tastes of the group, some parties might
atory. The prices given are average for adventurers in most enjoy tracking every torch and carefully weighing their
urban areas, though acquiring some of the objects may be resource expenditures on perilous expeditions. Others
more costly in less prosperous surroundings. prefer to gloss over the details. The “gear bundle” op-
Some groups prefer to have less fine-grained track- tions below cover all the non-weapon, non-armor gear
ing of a party’s resources and would rather not record expected of a particular role and the usual encumbrance
each torch and flask of oil. Those who would prefer to weight of it all. The specific contents of each bundle are
be a little more general can instead use the adjacent gear as broad as the GM finds reasonable for the role. A GM
bundle options, assuming the GM permits it. who prefers exact accounting can disallow bundles.

Adventuring Gear Gear Bundles

Item Cost Enc Item Cost Enc

Arrows, 20 2 sp 1 Artisan’s Equipment 50 sp 5

Backpack 2 sp 1§ Criminal Tools 100 sp 3
Boots 2 sp 1§ Dungeoneering Kit 200 sp 6
Candle 1 cp * Noble Courtier Outfit 1,000 sp 2
Cart, one-horse 50 sp N/A Performer’s Implements 100 sp 3
Clothes, common 5 sp 1§ Wilderness Travel Gear 100 sp 5
Clothes, fine 50 sp 1§
Clothes, noble 500 sp 2§
Beasts and Transport
Cooking utensils 4 sp 1 The animals below are generally similar to those known
Crowbar 4 sp 1 in contemporary Earth, though subtle changes in behav-
Firewood, one night's fire 2 cp 3 ior or physiology are common. Some nations have access
to exceptionally swift flying beasts or remarkable airships
Flask, metal, one pint 3 sp 1 surviving from former days, but the availability of such
Grappling hook 5 sp 1 exotic modes of transport is at the GM’s discretion.
Hammer or small tool 2 sp 1 Beasts and Transport
Healer's pouch 5 sp 1 Item Cost
Hurlant bolts, 20 20 sp 1 Horse, riding 200 sp
Iron spikes, 10 1 sp 1 Horse, draft 150 sp
Lantern 10 sp 1 Horse, battle-trained 2,000 sp
Mirror, hand 10 sp * Mule 30 sp
Oil, one pint 1 sp 1# Cow 10 sp
Paper, 10 sheets 1 sp * Ox, plow-trained 15 sp
Rations, one week 5 sp 4 Chicken 5 cp
Rope, 50' 2 sp 2 Pig 3 sp
Sack 1 sp 1 Dog, working 20 sp
Shovel, pick, or similar tool 4 sp 2 Sheep or goat 5 sp
Tinder box 1 sp *
Torch 2 cp 1# River ferry, per passenger 5 cp
Waterskin, one gallon 1 sp 1 Ship passage, per expected day 2 sp
Writing kit 3 sp 1 Carriage travel, per mile 2 cp
* the item is effectively weightless in modest numbers
§ the item doesn’t count for encumbrance purposes
while being worn Rowboat 30 sp
# can be bundled in units of three for the same Small fishing boat 200 sp
encumbrance, with a Main Action to break open a Merchant ship 5,000 sp
bundle to get at the contents
War galleon 50,000 sp
32• 

Hirelings and Day Labor Services and Living Expenses

The party may find it useful to employ temporary labor in Heroes who are sufficiently established as to have their
their adventures, either for extra warm bodies in combat own homes or businesses can live comfortably on their
or for the special talents the hireling might bring. own resources. Other PCs, however, must pay for their
Adventuring hirelings will demand at least a half- keep when not out adventuring.
share of treasure in addition to their daily pay and will Impoverished lifestyle costs cover only the bare
undertake no risks that their employers don’t share. Their minimum of food and a mostly-dry squat to sleep in.
combat statistics will be as normal for their type, usually Heroes who can afford nothing better suffer a -1 penalty
equal to a common human soldier for most. After a par- to all social skill checks due to their unkempt state and
ticularly dangerous adventure, the hireling must make a must make a Physical saving throw each night to benefit
Morale check; on a failure, they decide the adventuring from the usual nightly decrease in System Strain.
life is too risky, and will no longer accompany the party. Common lifestyle fees for an adventurer usually
On the rare occasions that a competent mage can cover adequate food and a shabby private inn room. No
be found willing to hire out their services, they almost penalties or benefits are granted by living this way.
never have spellcasting abilities beyond that of a first or Rich lifestyle costs generally include a rented town-
second level Mage. house, a small staff of servants, and social entree into high
Most communities have a limited number of men society circles that are forgiving of the noveau riche… at
and women willing to risk an awful doom while adven- least, as long as their coin remains good.
turing. If the party makes a habit of returning without Noble lifestyles provide the very best the communi-
their employees, the GM may well decide that no further ty can offer in fine lodging, luxuriant food, sycophantic
locals are willing to sign on. servants, and the provisional friendship of useful para-
Non-adventuring hirelings who are employed to sites. Once per game session, the PC can ask a favor of
guard the party’s residence, haul their equipment on ex- a hanger-on in their retinue, who will perform it if it is
peditions, work on their behalf, and otherwise conduct not more than mildly humiliating, dangerous or illegal.
normal business will require no more than their daily Aside from these weekly lifestyle costs, some other
wage. If they can’t go home at the end of the day, food services often required by adventurers are listed. Individ-
and fit lodgings must be provided as well. ual circumstances and the quality of the help hired may
Where it matters, common hirelings can be assumed drastically increase these fees, and bribes are not always
to have a total +1 bonus on relevant skill checks. successful in buying forbearance.

Hirelings and Day Labor Services and Living Expenses

Item Cost/day Item Cost
Bard of Small Repute 2 sp Impoverished lifestyle, per week 5 sp
Common Prostitute 2 sp Common lifestyle, per week 20 sp
Dragoman or Skilled Interpreter 10 sp Rich lifestyle, per week 200 sp
Elite Courtesan 100 sp Noble lifestyle, per week 1,000 sp
Farmer 1 sp
Guard, ordinary 2 sp Magical healing of wounds 10 sp/hp*
Guard, sergeant, for every ten guards 10 sp Magical curing of a disease 500 sp*
Lawyer or Pleader 10 sp Lifting a curse or undoing magic 1,000 sp*
Mage of Minor Abilities 200 sp Casting a minor spell 250 sp*
Mundane Physician 10 sp
Navigator 5 sp Bribe to overlook a minor crime 10 sp
Sage, per question answered 200 sp Bribe to overlook a major crime 500 sp
Sailor 1 sp Bribe to overlook a capital crime 10,000 sp
Scribe or Clerk 3 sp
Skilled Artisan 5 sp Hire someone for a minor crime 50 sp
Street Thug 2 sp Hire someone for a major crime 1,000 sp
Unskilled Laborer 1 sp Hire someone for a capital crime 50,000 sp
Veteran Sellsword 10 sp * These services are rarely available without
Wilderness Guide 2 sp personal connections or doing special favors, and
many communities may lack them entirely.
 •33

Armor Armor
While some martial adepts or tradition-bound sorcerers Light Armors AC Cost Enc
shun armor, most adventurers find it necessary to put
War Shirt 11 None 0
something solid between them and their enemies.
Armor must be worn as a Readied item, counting Buff Coat 12 50 sp 0
against the hero’s encumbrance limit. Each type of ar- Linothorax 13 20 sp 1
mor grants a different base Armor Class to the wearer,
War Robe 14 50 sp 3
making it more difficult for enemies to land a telling blow.
This Armor Class is modified by the wearer’s Dexterity Pieced Armor 14 100 sp 2
modifier and by any shield they might carry, as described
below. Multiple suits of armor do not stack; only one can Medium Armors
usefully benefit a wearer at any one time. Mail Shirt 14 250 sp 1
Light armor may be decidedly heavy, but it is loose, Cuirass and Greaves 15 250 sp 2
flexible, and forgiving enough to offer minimal hindrance
to the wearer’s actions. Some varieties are also discreet Scaled Armor 16 500 sp 3
enough to be worn politely in common society. Medium
armor is significantly noisier and more overt; it cannot Heavy Armors
be worn discreetly and applies its encumbrance as a pen- Mail Hauberk 16 1,000 sp 2
alty to any Sneak rolls made by the wearer. Heavy armor Plate Armor 17 2,000 sp 2
is the thickest, toughest panoply available on the market,
Great Armor 18 4,000 sp 3
and its bulk and noise make its encumbrance apply as a
penalty to all Sneak or Exert checks made by the wearer.
The armors listed on the table are simply some of the Shields
most common harness to be found in the Latter Earth. Small Shield 13 20 sp 1
Enchanted and exotic panoply can be found in many Large Shield 14 10 sp 1
places, some of which is scarcely recognizable as armor.
Shields come in two general varieties. Small ones, Mail shirts are usually of iron or steel wire, though
often made of metal, can be strapped to the wearer’s arm bronze and other more exotic materials are not unknown.
and allow them to hold and manipulate objects with that Such shirts cover only the vitals of the wearer, but are
hand. Larger shields require the use of a gripping hand, much less burdensome than a full hauberk.
but are usually of cheaper, lighter wood. Cuirass and greave armor reflects those different
A small shield user has a base AC of 13, while a designs that rely on solid metal plating over the wearer’s
large shield user has a base AC of 14. Unlike other armor, vitals along with lighter limb armor. Scaled armor in-
however, if the user is already wearing equal or better cludes both armor of metal scales on a flexible backing,
armor the shield grants a +1 bonus to their AC. Shields brigandine, jacks of plate, and other armor made up of
allow the bearer to ignore the first instance of Shock they small, connected plates that cover most of the wearer’s
might otherwise suffer in a round. body. Most are noisy, heavy suits, albeit flexible ones.
War shirts are nothing more than blessed shirts, A mail hauberk in the listed style covers not only
lucky cloaks, auspicious warpaint, or whatever tokens of the wearer’s chest, but also their arms, with a long skirt
martial victory are favored by the poor and humble of a extended to the knee. As with a mail shirt, the padding
given culture. While they may look like nothing but nor- beneath the armor is sometimes so thick as to qualify as
mal clothing, their war-luck is still sufficient to interfere protective gear in its own right. Plate armor is an ex-
with a spellcaster’s abilities should they try to wear one. tremely expensive suit of tailored metal pieces that cover
Buff coats are long coats of thick, supple hide, both the vitals and the limbs of the wearer. Great armor
sometimes worn to cushion the bite of heavier armor is less finely tailored, relying instead on stacking layer
and sometimes sported as ornamented street clothing upon layer of mail, plates, hide, cloth, and other protec-
for the gentry who can afford such luxuries. Linothorax tive materials until a suit almost too heavy for movement
armor is a stiffer armor of glued, layered cloth, often as is finally assembled.
elaborately decorated as the arts of its maker allow.
A war robe is a catchall term for various outfits in-
volving layers of reinforced cloth or leather. Bits of metal,
layers of thick hide, or weaves of tough cordage might
all go into the various layers of the suit, making it a very
heavy, if effective, piece of equipment.
Pieced armor is assembled of a thicker or more du-
rable chestpiece and piecework limb armor. While less
effective than a proper cuirass and greaves, it’s often the
best that scavengers or poor adventurers can get.
34• 

Weapons operation, someone without Shoot-0 can still use them

The tools of a bloody trade are familiar to most adventur- at no unskilled hit penalty.
ers. While some Vowed or trained pugilists might scorn Daggers come in ten thousand varieties, but the list-
the use of material weapons, most sentient combatants ed kind is a common fighting dirk, big enough to push
must rely on something better than their natural gifts. through light armor while remaining small enough to be
Each of the weapons on the adjacent page has a list- discreetly hidden. Stilettos and similar armor-piercing
ed damage it inflicts on a successful hit, an amount of daggers aren’t effective as thrown weapons.
Shock inflicted on a miss to targets with an AC equal or Halberds and other polearms can be somewhat
less than that given, and a particular attribute relevant awkward in narrow spaces, but remain popular mili-
to the weapon’s use. That attribute’s modifier is applied tary weapons in some armies. The statistics given here
to all hit rolls, damage rolls, and Shock inflicted by the can be used for fauchards, bills, voulges, spetums, bar-
weapon. If more than one attribute is listed, the wielder diches, glaives, guisarmes, guisarme-glaives, glaive-guis-
can use whichever one is better. Using a melee weapon arme-glaives, and similar weapons.
without at least Stab-0 skill inflicts a -2 penalty on hit Hammers listed here are the fighting variety, nar-
rolls, as does using ranged weapons without at least row-headed and made for penetrating or shocking heavy
Shoot-0 skill. Thrown weapons can be used with either. plates of armor.
Ranged weapons have both short and long rang- Hurlants are a wide range of ancient and mod-
es listed in feet. Attacking a target within short range ern projectile weapons that launch specially-prepared
may be done at no penalty, while hitting a target at long charges through various means, both sorcerous and
range is done with a-2 penalty to the hit roll. Two-hand- semi-scientific. The tremendous accumulation of ancient
ed ranged weapons cannot be used while an enemy is Legacy manipulations intended to disarm subject pop-
locked in melee with the wielder, and even one-handed ulations and restrict advanced weaponry to a given age’s
or thrown weapons suffer a -4 penalty to hit in such cir- ruling caste has made it very difficult to create firearms,
cumstances. as most conventional chemical or magical reactions are
Some weapons have additional unique traits, per- specifically disrupted by the Legacy.
haps being particularly slow to reload, or requiring two Hand hurlants are usually pistol-sized, most often
hands to wield correctly, or being easily hidden in com- carried by the wealthy as a single-shot opener at the start
mon clothing. The GM might choose to apply these traits of hostilities. Long hurlants are rifle-sized weapons fa-
to improvised weapons snatched up by the PCs if any of vored by elite snipers and assassins who don’t expect a
them seem appropriate. need for a second shot. Great hurlants are usually eight
Axes given here are those fashioned for war; lighter feet long and a hundred pounds in weight, and launch
and more agile than their working cousins, though still tremendous bolts that can transfix even monstrous tar-
capable of hacking through a door or hewing a cable if gets. Those able to afford their use generally mount them
needed. War axes are big enough to demand two hands on ships, gun carriages, or on important fortifications.
for their use. Hurlants are too expensive and difficult to craft to
Blackjacks include not only obvious weapons load- be practical as widespread military weapons in most re-
ed with sand or iron shot, but any small, stunning fist load. gions. In some areas, even hurlants fail to function cor-
A blackjack or other small fist load is easily concealed as rectly; a GM who prefers not to include them can simply
some ornamental component of ordinary clothing. disallow them in their own campaign region
Bows cover everything from the small self bows of Spears, and their longer cousin the pike, are com-
horse archers to the man-tall longbows wielded by foot mon military weapons throughout the Latter Earth.
archers. Larger bows are more cumbersome and impos- Lighter spears are effective thrown weapons, while heavi-
sible to shoot from horseback, but usually have superior er two-handed versions penetrate armor well.
strength. An archer with a Readied quiver can load a Shields can be an effective weapon when used to
fresh arrow as a Move action each turn, or as an On Turn bash or pummel an enemy. If used as a weapon or as part
action if they have at least Shoot-1 skill. of a dual-wielding attack, a shield grants no AC or Shock
Claw blades are the sharper kin of fist loads, being protection benefits until the wielder’s next turn.
small blades or finger talons that are easily concealed or Swords are common sidearms throughout the Lat-
disguised as metal ornaments. While they are vicious ter Earth. The expense of forging a large blade makes it
weapons, they can’t be usefully thrown. a symbol of wealth and status in many cultures, and its
Clubs, staffs, and maces are of much the same genus, convenience makes it a favored arm for street wear.
though the latter is usually made of metal. While fully Throwing blades are small leaves of steel that are
capable of killing a man, a careful user can usually avoid not terribly useful as melee weapons but are easy to carry
inflicting lethal injury. discreetly in considerable numbers.
Crossbows come in heavier varieties than the one The unarmed attack given here is a common punch
listed, but such slow, bulky arbalests are rarely in the or kick, unimproved by a Vowed’s arts or a Focus. Un-
hands of adventurers. Reloading a crossbow of this size armed attacks add the assailant’s Punch skill to the dam-
takes a full Main Action, but due to the simplicity of their age roll as well as the attack roll.
 •35

Weapon Dmg Shock Attribute Range in Feet Traits Cost Enc

Axe, Hand 1d6 1/AC 15 Str/Dex 10/30 T 10 sp 1
Axe, War 1d10 3/AC 15 Str - 2H 50 sp 2
Blackjack 1d4 None Str/Dex - S, LL 1 sp 1
Bow, Large 1d8 None Dex 100/600 2H, R, PM 20 sp 2
Bow, Small 1d6 None Dex 50/300 2H, R, PM 20 sp 1
Claw Blades 1d6 2/AC 13 Str/Dex - S 10 sp 1
Club 1d4 None Str/Dex 10/30 T, LL - 1
Club, Great 1d10 2/AC 15 Str - 2H 1 sp 2
Crossbow 1d10 None Dex 100/300 2H,SR, PM 10 sp 1
Dagger 1d4 1/AC 15 Str/Dex 30/60 S,T, PM 3 sp 1
Halberd 1d10 2/AC 15 Str - 2H, L 50 sp 2
Hammer, Great 1d10 2/AC 18 Str - 2H 50 sp 2
Hammer, War 1d8 1/AC 18 Str - 30 sp 1
Hurlant, Great 3d10 None Dex 600/2,400 FX, SS, AP 10,000 sp 15
Hurlant, Hand 1d12 None Dex 30/60 SS, AP 1,000 sp 1
Hurlant, Long 2d8 None Dex 200/600 2H, SS, AP, PM 4,000 sp 2
Mace 1d6 1/AC 18 Str - LL 15 sp 1
Pike 1d8 1/AC 15 Str - 2H, L 10 sp
Shield Bash, Large 1d6 1/AC 13 Str - LL - -
Shield Bash, Small 1d4 None Str/Dex - LL - -
Spear, Heavy 1d10 2/AC 15 Str - 2H 10 sp 2
Spear, Light 1d6 2/AC 13 Str/Dex 30/60 T 5 sp 1
Throwing Blade 1d4 None Dex 30/60 S, T, N 3 sp 1
Staff 1d6 1/AC 13 Str/Dex - 2H, LL 1 sp 1
Stiletto 1d4 1/AC 18 Dex - S, PM 10 sp 1
Sword, Great 1d12 2/AC 15 Str - 2H 250 sp 2
Sword, Long 1d8 2/AC 13 Str/Dex - 100 sp 1
Sword, Short 1d6 2/AC 15 Str/Dex - 10 sp 1
Unarmed Attack 1d2+Skill None Str/Dex - LL - -

Weapon Traits
Some of the weapons listed above have certain specific traits N: Numerous. Five of these count as only one Readied item.
that affect their use. PM: Precisely Murderous. When used for an Execution At-
2H: Two Handed. The weapon requires two hands to use in tack, the weapon applies an additional -1 penalty to the
combat. Ranged two-handed weapons cannot be fired Physical save and does double damage even if it succeeds.
effectively while an enemy is within melee range. R: Reload. The weapon takes a Move action to reload. If the
AP: Armor Piercing. This weapon ignores non-magical hides, user has at least Shoot-1 skill, they can reload as an On
armor and shields for purposes of its hit rolls. Turn action instead.
FX: Fixed. The weapon is too heavy and clumsy to use without S: Subtle. Can be easily hidden in ordinary clothing or con-
a fixed position and at least five minutes to entrench it. cealed in jewelry.
L: Long. The weapon is unusually long, allowing melee attacks SR: Slow Reload. It takes a Main Action to reload this weapon.
to be made at targets up to 10 feet distant, even if an SS: Single Shot. This weapon takes ten rounds to reload, and
ally is in the way. Even so, the wielder still needs to be the reloading effort is spoiled if an enemy melees the
adjacent to a foe to count as being in melee with them for wielder.
purposes of forcing Fighting Withdrawals, disrupting T: Throwable. While the weapon can be used in melee, it may
large ranged weapons, or similar maneuvers. be thrown out to the listed range as well, albeit it does no
LL: Less Lethal. Foes brought to zero hit points by this weapon Shock in that case. Throwing a weapon while a foe is in
can always be left alive at the wielder’s discretion. melee range applies a -4 penalty to the attack roll.
36

THE RULES OF THE GAME

(Intro text here.)
 37

SYSSPLASH
W 6.34 in
H 9.67 in
38

Scenes, Turns, and Durations

Most time can be tracked relatively loosely during play Sometimes it’s important to track the time of a more
but sometimes it becomes important to know how long complex operation, like exploring a Deep or navigating
it takes to accomplish a particular activity, or how long a the trackless depths of some ancient ruin. In such cases,
magical effect can be trusted to last. the turn is a common measure of time. Each turn lasts
The scene is the basic measurement for most effect ten minutes and is equivalent to one scene for those sit-
durations. A scene is simply one general event or activity. uations when it matters.
A single fight is a scene, infiltrating a smuggler’s ware- GMs use turns to track exploration usually, so as to
house is a scene, negotiating with a merchant prince is keep a firm grip on light sources running out, unplan-
a scene, and so forth. So long as the PCs are doing the nned monster encounters, movement speeds, and oth-
same general thing in the same general place, it’s usually er important elements of delving into pits of ineffable
a single scene. darkness.
Most scenes last no longer than fifteen minutes or so, Situations that don’t require this degree of careful-
though some stretch is possible at the GM’s discretion. ness with time-tracking can generally be glossed over as
Many powers and abilities are listed as lasting for one taking so many hours or however many days they might
scene; this means that when the PCs trigger them while require. GMs are advised to keep a calendar on hand,
doing something, the effect is going to last for as long as however, and mark off time accordingly when the PCs
they keep up their current activity. If it runs particularly are at their adventures. A land that seems to dwell in
long, however, a GM is justified in letting these effects ageless indeterminate summer can sometimes lack a little
run out partway through. something in verisimilitude.

Saving Throws
Adventurers tend to face horrors of innumerable varieties, when it really is nothing but sheer good luck that a hero
from the festering poison that smears some Deep-dwell- might avoid some danger. Luck saves for a PC are equal
ing degenerate’s bone spear to the shadow of falling stones to sixteen minus the hero’s level, unmodified by any at-
from above to the bite of some devil-wizard’s hideous tribute.
sorcery. In order to avoid perishing to such dooms, they Note that saving throws are meant to be last-ditch
can attempt a Saving Throw. A saving throw is a chance chances to avoid the worst of unusual perils or uncom-
a hero has to avoid some particularly grim outcome. mon dangers. You can’t make an Evasion saving throw to
To make a saving throw, the subject rolls a d20 and dodge a sword stroke; that’s what the hit roll is for. It’s up
tries to roll equal or higher than the relevant saving throw to the GM to decide whether a particular danger might
score. There are four different kinds of saving throws. allow a saving throw or not.
Evasion saves are made to dodge hurled perils, take
cover from explosions, pull back from sudden pits, and
face other challenges of nimbleness and reaction speed.
Evasion saves for PCs are equal to sixteen minus the
hero’s level and minus the best of their Intelligence or
Dexterity modifiers. Thus, a third-level hero with an In-
telligence modifier of +1 and a Dexterity modifier of -1
would have an Evasion save of 12.
Mental saves are made to resist mind-affecting
magic, disbelieve illusions, throw off intangible magical
afflictions, and other tests of willpower or force of char-
acter. Mental saves for PCs are equal to sixteen minus
the hero’s level and minus the best of their Wisdom or
Charisma attribute modifiers.
Physical saves are made to resist poisons, diseases,
exhaustion, bodily transformation, or other taxes on the
subject’s physical strength. Physical saves for PCs are
equal to sixteen minus the hero’s level and minus the
best of their Strength or Constitution modifiers.
Luck saves are for occasions of blind random for-
tune, where no quality of personal strength or cunning
can help the hero. The GM might call for a Luck save
 39

Skill Checks
Most characters are skilled, competent men and women
who are perfectly capable of carrying out the ordinary When To Call for a Check
duties of their role. Sometimes, however, they are faced The GM calls for skill checks, but they should only be
with a situation or challenge beyond the usual scope of called for challenges that fall outside the PC’s background
their role and the GM calls for a skill check. and common experience. A PC with the background of
To make a skill check, roll 2d6 and add the most a sailor should not be rolling skill checks to dock a ship
relevant skill level and attribute modifier. If the total is or navigate to a commonly-known destination. As a gen-
equal or higher than the check’s difficulty, the check is a eral rule of thumb, if failure at a particular task would
success. On a failure, the PC either can’t accomplish the make the PC seem notably incompetent at their role in
feat at all or they achieve it at the cost of some further life, then they shouldn’t have to roll a skill check for it.
complication to the situation. The GM determines the In addition, if failure or success at a check really doesn’t
specific outcome of a failure. matter in the game, if it won’t produce some interesting
If the character doesn’t even have level-0 in the per- result either way, then a check shouldn’t be made.
tinent skill, they suffer a -1 penalty to the roll. In the case Even concept-related feats might require a skill
of particularly technical or esoteric skills they might not check, however, if the situation is especially bad or the
even be able to attempt the skill check at all. circumstances particularly hostile. The sailor might have
Some checks might be suitable for more than one to make a Sail skill check to dock a ship if they attempt
skill. A javelin-throwing contest might use Exert for be- it in the middle of a gale wind, and a noble might have
ing an athletic contest, or Shoot for involving a ranged to make a Connect skill check to find shelter with an
weapon, or Stab for using a muscle-powered thrown aristocratic relation if they’re currently wanted by the
weapon. In such cases the PC can use the best applicable Witch-King’s inquisitors.
skill. In other situations, a skill might seem peripherally
relevant; trying to find the damaged component in the Aiding a Skill Check
ancient magical engine before it explodes would certainly Sometimes one PC will want to lend a hand to another
be Magic, but a GM might also let Notice or Craft be ap- as they attempt a difficult feat. To do this, the player first
plied, as a skilled craftsman or sharp-eyed observer might describes what sort of action they are taking to help their
be able to recognize signs of damage. In such peripheral comrade. If the GM agrees that their effort makes sense
cases, the check difficulty usually increases by 2. and would be helpful, the player then rolls a relevant skill
check against the same difficulty as the original check. If
Skill Check Difficulties it’s a success, the other PC gets a +1 bonus on their roll.
6 A relatively simple task that is still more than Multiple PCs can try to help, but the acting PC can’t earn
the PC would usually be expected to manage more than a +1 total bonus.
in their regular background. Anything easier The helping skill doesn’t necessarily have to be the
than this isn’t worth a skill check. same skill the PC is checking. If a player can think of a
way to help a Sneak check with Convince, then so be it.
8 A significant challenge to a competent
professional that they’d still succeed at more
often than not.
Opposed Skill Checks
Sometimes a PC wants to accomplish something that
10 Something too difficult to be expected of another character wants to prevent. Sneaking past an
anyone but a skilled expert, and even they alert guard, winning an archery tournament, or besting
might fail. a squamous monster in a tentacle-wrestling competition
might all be opposed skill checks.
12 Only a true master could expect to carry this
In such cases, all participants roll their relevant skills
off with any degree of reliability.
and the highest score wins, with ties going to the PC. To
14+ Only a true master has any chance of make the NPC’s roll, check their listed skill bonus; they
achieving this at all, and even they will can add it to any skill check appropriate to their role or
probably fail. profession. If the NPC has no reason to be particular-
ly good at the challenge, they simply roll 2d6 and add
Particularly helpful or hostile circumstances might nothing.
give a bonus or penalty to the skill check. As a general In most cases, the relevant skills are obvious. A
rule, extremely bad circumstances or tools would apply character trying to skulk past a vigilant guard would be
up to a -2 penalty to the skill check, while a very good rolling their Dex/Sneak against the guard’s roll, while
situation or the perfect set of tools might give up to a +2 one trying to out-tentacle a monster would be rolling
bonus to the roll. Usually, no combination of modifiers Str/Exert. When in doubt, the GM decides which skill
should add more than +2 or -2 to any given skill check. is most applicable.
40

Combat
A hero’s trade being what it is, it’s to be expected that the Move Actions involve moving up to the participant’s
PCs might find themselves locked in bloody battle. The normal movement rate. Thus, a normal human with a
rules below explain how such frays are to be managed, movement rate of 30 feet can move up to that distance
but every hero must remember well their own mortality. with a Move action. Climbing, swimming, crossing dif-
Even a veteran hero may fall to the spears of a sufficient ficult terrain, or other challenging movement usually is
mob of foes, and novice adventurers run the risk of death only half as fast as normal combat movement. A par-
from a single sure stroke of a blade. ticipant gets one Move action per round, though they
can also choose to spend their Main Action taking an
Rounds, Initiative, and Surprise additional Move action if they wish.
Combat and other time-sensitive situations are broken A combatant in melee who moves away from their
into rounds, each of which is roughly six seconds in enemy must take a Fighting Withdrawal action or suffer
length. During a round every participant gets to take a a free attack from all enemies in melee with them.
turn, after which a new round begins. A Move action must spend all its movement at once;
The order of action is determined by Initiative. it cannot split it around a Main Action. Thus, it’s not
To determine initiative, each side rolls 1d8 and adds possible to move 10 feet, shoot a foe with a Main Action,
the highest Dexterity modifier in the group, assuming and then dive another 20 feet behind cover.
they have any. The side with the highest roll goes first in On Turn Actions are quick, simple acts that take
whatever order the members choose, and then the other very little time and focus to perform, such as falling prone,
sides act in their respective order. The PC party wins any saying a few words, reloading a bow from a Readied
initiative ties. At the end of the round, it cycles back to quiver, drawing out a Readied object, or similar things.
the first group and repeats accordingly. A participant can only perform an On Turn action on
Optionally, some groups prefer to use “individual their own turn, but they can do as many of them as the
initiative”, with each participating rolling their own initia- GM thinks is reasonable.
tive roll and going in order. This takes a little longer and Instant Actions are so fast and simple that the par-
can complicate party plans that require each member to ticipant can use them at any time, even when it’s not their
act in a particular sequence, but it also mitigates the risk turn. They can even use them after the dice have been
of the group being overwhelmed by foes before anyone rolled, delaying their use until they’re sure the action is
can act. The choice of which version of initiative to use needed. Instant actions are generally related to special
is up to the GM. powers and abilities, like a Warrior’s Veteran’s Luck class
In some cases a group may be ambushed or sur- ability or certain magical arts. If multiple Instant actions
prised by a foe. The more alert the targets, the more dif- are triggered at the same time, they execute in whatever
ficult it is to ambush them; a group of heroes prowling order the GM thinks is most reasonable. There is no lim-
through a Deep is going to be much more difficult to it to the number of Instant actions a participant can take.
surprise than one having dinner in a tavern. Generally, This section includes a list of common combat ac-
if the group is alert for danger an ambush has to either tivities and their respective action types. If a PC wants
crash down on them suddenly or come from an angle or to do something different, the GM should simply pick
location they never suspected. an action type for it that seems to make sense.
If the GM decides that surprise is possible, an op-
posed Wis/Notice versus Dex/Sneak skill check should Attacking a Foe
be rolled. If the attackers win, they surprise the targets When a combatant wants to harm an enemy, they need
and get a full round of action to themselves before ini- to make a Hit Roll. An attack usually counts as a Main
tiative is rolled and the the combat progresses as usual. Action and the assailant must be close enough to actually
An ambush might also provoke a Morale check in un- hit the target with whatever weapon they have to hand.
disciplined or unmilitary targets at the GM’s discretion. To make a hit roll, the attacker rolls a d20 and adds
their relevant combat skill, their class attack bonus, and
Actions in Combat their relevant attribute modifier. If they lack even level-0
When it’s a given participant’s turn in combat, they can skill in the weapon being used, they suffer a -2 penal-
take their action. There are four different kinds of actions ty. Any other situational modifiers or penalties are also
in combat or other time-sensitive situations. added to the roll.
Main Actions are actions that take up most of the If the total is equal or greater than the target’s Ar-
actor’s round. Attacking someone, manipulating some mor Class, then the attack hits and damage is rolled. If
device, applying first aid to a downed ally, casting a spell, less, then the attack misses. A missed melee attack may
or other complex actions that would take several seconds still inflict Shock damage, if the weapon has a Shock
to perform are all Main Actions. A participant gets one rating and the target’s Armor Class is low enough.
Main Action every round.
 41

To roll damage, the attacker rolls the weapon’s listed that 2 points of damage are done to any target with AC
damage die and adds their relevant attribute modifier 15 or less. More heavily-armored targets are immune to
and any bonus from a magical weapon, Focus, or other the weapon’s Shock.
special benefit. Assailants add their weapon’s attribute modifier to
The damage is then subtracted from the target’s hit Shock, along with any magical bonus to the weapon and
points. If the target is reduced to zero hit points, it is ei- any damage bonuses that are explicitly noted as adding
ther dead or mortally wounded. Generic NPCs with no to Shock. Other damage bonuses do not increase Shock.
name worth remembering are usually dead on the spot. An attack never does less damage on a hit than it
PCs and NPCs significant enough to deserve character- would do in Shock. Thus, if an attack that would nor-
ization are instead Mortally Wounded. mally do 4 points of Shock to AC 15 hits a target with
Some attacks may not be lethal in nature. If a non-le- AC 13 and rolls a 3 for damage, 4 points are done instead.
thal attack reduces a target to zero hit points, the attacker
can choose to simply have their victim be unconscious Dual-Wielding Weapons
or helpless, unable to act and reviving ten minutes later PCs who wish to wield two one-handed weapons at once
with one hit point. Attacks that are psychic or emotional may do so if they have at least Stab-1 skill. Doing so
in nature may reduce their victims to helpless shock or grants them a +2 bonus to damage rolls, albeit not to
numbing confusion when they bring them to zero hit Shock. They suffer a -1 penalty on hit rolls, however, due
points, likewise incapacitating them for ten minutes. to extra complication. Only one weapon may be used to
Unarmed attacks can always be non-lethal at the attack in any given round, but either one may be used.
attacker’s discretion. Attacks with blunt and relatively Unarmed combatants cannot dual-wield.
forgiving weapons such as batons, staves, or clubs might
also qualify, though it may take a Str/Stab or Dex/Stab Shoving and Grappling
skill check against the target’s Morale score to see wheth- To shove a target or force them back, the attacker must
er that last blow pacified them or accidentally knocked first hit the target normally for no damage and then suc-
their brains out. In ambiguous cases, it’s the GM’s call as ceed in an opposed Str/Punch or Str/Exert skill check.
to whether damage is or isn’t non-lethal. At the GM’s discretion, Stab might be allowed as the
applicable skill if the weapon is suitable for herding or
Hit Roll Modifiers pushing targets. If the attacker succeeds in the skill check,
The table below notes some common hit roll modifiers. the target is forced back up to ten feet or knocked prone,
GMs should use them as general guidelines when apply- at the attacker’s discretion.
ing their own adjustments to hit rolls for circumstances To grapple a foe, the attacker must first hit with an
not listed on the chart. unarmed attack, doing no damage, and then both must
Circumstance Mod make opposed Str/Punch skill checks. If the attacker
wins, the target is grappled and remains that way until
Shooting at a distant prone foe -2 released or until they spend a Main Action to succeed in
Shooting or meleeing an adjacent prone foe +2 a new opposed skill check. An attacker can grapple only
Melee attacking while prone -4 one target at a time, though multiple attackers can cling
to the same luckless target. In such cases, the defender’s
The target is at least half behind cover -2 single skill check is compared against all of their attackers.
The target is almost completely in cover -4 While grappling, neither attackers or defenders can
Thrown attack while being meleed by a foe -4 move from their current location, nor can they fight with
anything but unarmed attacks or held weapons no larger
Shooting a bow while being meleed by a foe X
than a shortsword. At the end of each round in which a
Note that no penalty is given for shooting or throw- target remains grappled, they suffer damage from each
ing a weapon into a melee. It’s assumed that PCs have assailant as if hit with a normal unarmed attack by each,
worked together enough to coordinate such attacks and regardless of their Armor Class.
avoid getting in each others’ way. A PC whose combat If the assailant wishes to move the target, they must
style is built around ranged attacks can easily end up spend a Main Action and succeed in an opposed Str/
frustrated by the rest of the party if they have to spend Punch skill check. If they win, the target is either moved
extra effort on special Foci or accept hit penalties simply ten feet along with them, or thrown five feet and knocked
because the rest of the group prefers to fight up close. prone. If they lose, the defender breaks free from the
assailant.
Shock Damage These rules assume both targets are man-sized.
Some melee attacks inflict Shock, the inevitable harm Grappling or shoving significantly larger but still human-
that is done when an unarmored target is assailed by oid targets is done at a -2 penalty on all skill checks by
something sharp. the attacker. Doing so to creatures only barely plausible
Shock for a weapon is listed in points of damage and for such manhandling is done at a -4 skill check penalty.
the maximum AC affected. Thus “Shock 2/15” means
42

Execution Attacks Common Combat Actions

A target that is completely unaware of danger is vulner- The actions below include some of the more common
able to a quick and bloody death, no matter how great actions a participant might take during combat. The GM
their martial prowess or how thick their armor. An Exe- can make individual judgements about other types of ac-
cution Attack gives an assailant an opportunity to slay a tivities that might be attempted.
foe with a single well-placed arrow or blade.
Setting up such an attack requires a full minute of Make a Melee Attack Main Action
preparation. Archers, gunmen, and other ranged attack- The combatant attacks an enemy within melee range,
ers must spend it judging distance, wind, and details of rolling a normal hit roll and inflicting damage on a suc-
aim, while melee assassins must use it to drift up to the cessful hit. Most melee attacks inflict Shock damage on
target inconspicuously and position themselves in the a miss, if the target’s Armor Class is low enough, and no
exact right place for the attack. Melee assassins must use successful hit does less damage than the weapon’s Shock
a weapon for an Execution Attack, unless they have such would have done on a miss. An attacker’s weapon must
special training as to make their unarmed attacks unusu- be Readied in order to attack with it.
ally lethal. If the target is spooked or alerted during the
attack’s preparation time, the opportunity is lost. Make a Ranged Attack Main Action
Once the preparation is complete, the assailant may The combatant fires or throws a Readied ranged weapon
use a Main Action to attack. The target’s Armor Class is at a target. The combatant can’t Make a Ranged Attack
irrelevant, assuming the attacker is using a weapon that with a two-handed weapon such as a bow if there’s a
can hurt the target. A melee Execution Attack will always enemy armed with a melee weapon within melee range;
hit. A ranged Execution Attack requires a Dex/Shoot it’s too easy for the assailant to hinder the use of a bow.
skill check against a difficulty of 6 for a point-blank shot, One-handed ranged weapons and thrown weapons can
8 for one at the weapon’s normal range, and 10 for a shot still be used, albeit at a -4 penalty to hit.
at extreme range. A Warrior can use their Veteran’s Luck
ability with this skill check, but it only allows a reroll on Make a Snap Attack Instant Action
a failed check rather than forcing an automatic hit. A combatant with a Ready weapon can rush their attack,
If the Execution Attack hits, the target must make sacrificing accuracy for speed. The combatant must still
an immediate Physical saving throw at a penalty equal have their Main Action impending or available. As an
to the attacker’s combat skill level. If they fail, they are Instant, they can sacrifice it to Make a Melee Attack or
mortally wounded on the spot, or knocked unconscious Make a Ranged Attack against a foe in range, whether
if the attacker was using a plausibly non-lethal weapon. If a snap shot with a bow or a quick thrust at an adjacent
they succeed, the weapon still does its maximum damage. melee foe. This attack takes a -4 penalty to its hit roll. If
Attacking an unconscious or incapacitated target, multiple combatants decide to make Snap Attacks at the
one incapable of movement, will always leave them mor- same time, they are resolved simultaneously.
tally wounded. Snap Attacks are normally only possible for PCs
and other very well-trained or talented combatants. If
an opponent isn’t significant enough to have been given
a name, they probably shouldn’t be using Snap Attacks.

Cast a Spell Main Action

An arcanely-gifted PC can cast a spell as a Main Ac-
tion. If they’ve suffered any hit point damage this round,
drawn or sheathed an item with their spellcasting hand,
or have been severely jostled or otherwise pushed around
they cannot take this action. If hurt while casting, such
as by someone who has held their action to attack at
that moment, the spell fizzles uselessly and the spell slot
is wasted.

Charge Special
A combatant can make a wild charge before hurling a
weapon or crashing into a foe, moving up to twice their
normal move in a straight line before making a melee or
thrown attack at +2 to hit. The charging attacker must
be able to move at least 30 feet to get the requisite mo-
mentum and suffers a -2 AC penalty for the rest of the
round. Charging takes both their Move Action and Main
Action for the turn.
 43

Screen an Ally Move Action Ready or Stow an Item Main Action

The PC physically blocks opponents from attacking a The combatant draws a weapon, extracts an item from
chosen ally who is within ten feet. Until the PC’s next their backpack, digs a potion out of a belt pouch, or oth-
turn, enemies who wish to make a melee or ranged attack erwise moves an object around on their person. They can
against the screened ally must succeed in a successful Str Ready an item this way or Stow it.
or Dex-based opposed skill check against the PC using
the combat skill applicable to their weapon; on a fail- Reload a Weapon Main Action
ure, the attack roll is automatically directed toward the The combatant reloads a weapon like a crossbow or an
screening PC, who ends up adjacent to their ally. ancient projectile launcher with a Readied magazine or
A PC can screen against a number of attackers in a quarrel from a Readied quiver. Bows can be reloaded
one round equal to their combat skill; thus, Stab-2 lets as an On Turn action, assuming the archer has a Readied
them block two attackers. PCs with level-0 or worse quiver.
combat skills can’t effectively screen. Multiple PCs can
try to screen the same ally; in such a case, the attack- Drop an Item Instant Action
er’s skill check is compared against all blockers and the The combatant drops something they’re holding. They
lowest-rolling successful blocker is attacked. PCs can can do this Instantly at any time to free up their hands.
only screen against foes and attacks they could plausibly
physically block. Pick up an Item Move Action
The combatant can scoop an object off the floor if they
Total Defense Instant Action have a free hand, leaving it Readied in their grip.
As an Instant action, the combatant focuses on nothing
other than avoiding knives, arrows, hurled crystalline Stand Up Move Action
spears, or other perils in the vicinity. Using Total De- The combatant gets up from a prone position, gathering
fense costs the user their Main Action for the round, and any dropped belongings. Most characters that have just
cannot be used if they’ve already employed their Main been revived from unconsciousness must get up before
Action. They become immune to Shock damage for the they do much else.
round from melee weapons, regardless of their Armor
Class, and gain a +2 bonus to their Armor Class until Go Prone On Turn Action
their next turn. The combatant falls flat, forcing distant ranged attackers
to take a -2 penalty to hit them. Adjacent enemies find
Run Move Action them an easier target, however, gaining +2 to hit.
The combatant moves their normal combat movement
rate, which is 30 feet for most humans. If they’re climbing Hold An Action Move Action
a surface, swimming, or navigating extremely rough ter- By choosing to Hold An Action, the combatant can delay
rain, this movement rate is halved, and they might have taking the rest of their actions until later in the round,
to make an Exert skill check to achieve even that. Prone activating them as an Instant action. Thus, a hero who
characters crab along at half this rate. wins initiative might use their Move action to Hold An
Action. Later in the round, as an enemy rushes around
Fighting Withdrawal Main Action a corner, he may Instantly elect to use his Main Action
The combatant disengages from any melee foes around to Make A Ranged Attack with his readied crossbow.
them. They don’t actually move away, but they can now If acting in response to someone else’s impending action,
get away from their assailants without giving them a free the held action is resolved first.
melee attack. Usually, this means the combatant uses
their Move action to get clear, because if they just stand Delay an Action On Turn
there the enemies might choose to re-engage them the The combatant simply chooses to delay the remainder
next round. of their actions this turn until after a particular other
participant has acted. Such a pause may be needed for
Use a Skill Main Action some tactical plan or to respond to a particular enemy’s
The combatant uses a skill that could be plausibly applied action. Unlike Hold An Action, however, they cannot
in a few seconds. An Int/Heal or Dex/Heal skill check to suddenly choose to act earlier than their chosen place in
stabilize a wounded comrade is one such potential use, as the turn order; they must wait until the participant they
is turning a creaking engine wheel, shouting out a stirring chose has acted before using whatever remaining actions
rallying cry to timorous NPC allies, or anything else that they may have for the turn.
might be done quickly.
44

Injury, Healing, and System Strain

Despite the aeons of meddling and corruption, the Leg-
acy has still conferred a certain degree of health and re- First Aid
cuperative ability on the humanity of the Latter Earth. The powerful vitality of the people of Latter Earth can
While this hardiness is a subtle quality, the people of this be complemented by skilled medical attention and the
land can often survive wounds and hardships that might use of numerous herbs, compounds, and other “mundane”
have killed their ancient ancestors, and recover in time techniques.
from injuries that ought more properly to have maimed By spending a few minutes tending an ally, a healer
them for life. can cure 1d6 plus their Heal skill in points of damage.
They suffer a -1 on this roll if they have no Heal skill,
Mortal Wounds and Stabilizing perhaps doing no good at all. Each such application of
A creature reduced to zero hit points is dead or dying. first aid adds 1 System Strain to the target, but it can be
Ordinary NPCs or unremarkable creatures will generally repeated for a wounded ally as often as the healer and
die on the spot. PCs and those NPCs important enough the subject’s System Strain allow.
to have deserved a name will be Mortally Wounded. A single ten-minute turn is usually sufficient to ap-
A Mortally Wounded creature is helpless, unable ply as much first aid as the party wants to apply. First aid
to do anything but scream, writhe, or lie unconscious. can restore lost hit points to a Frail PC, but it cannot get
At the end of the sixth round after they were downed, rid of the Frail quality itself.
they will die.
An ally can attempt to stabilize a Mortally Wounded System Strain
companion. Doing so is generally an Int/Heal or Dex/ Most forms of healing and certain other magical powers
Heal skill check, requiring a Main Action. add to a target’s System Strain. System Strain is a mea-
The difficulty for this skill check is 8 plus the num- sure of how much stress the target’s body is under, and
ber of full rounds since the the target was downed. If the how profoundly it has been taxed by magical energies
healer lacks any useful medical implements, the difficulty and forced healing acceleration.
for this skill check is increased by 2. Only one ally can try A character’s maximum System Strain is equal
to stabilize a target in any given round, though others can to their Constitution attribute. Thus, someone with a
attempt to aid their skill check, and a failed check can be Constitution of 13 could accumulate up to 13 points of
re-attempted the next round. System Strain. This strain is generally lost at a rate of one
Once stabilized, the target recovers with 1 hit point point for every night of good, refreshing sleep.
after ten minutes of rest, and can rise and act normally Healing often adds to a target’s System Strain,
thereafter. They count as Frail, however, and will remain whether as first aid or as the effect of some magical power.
Frail until they have had at least a week of bed rest. Frail If the target is already at its maximum System Strain, it
PCs cannot heal damage through natural healing and can’t handle the additional stress and gets no benefit from
will die immediately if brought to zero hit points again. the effect or attempting healing.

Natural Healing Poisons and Diseases

A wounded creature recovers its level or hit dice in lost hit When a character is struck by some poison, they gen-
points after every night’s rest, assuming they’re properly erally get a Physical saving throw to avoid its effect, or
fed and can get decent sleep. At this time they also lose at least mitigate its harm. Particularly powerful poisons
one point of accumulated System Strain. might apply a penalty of up to -4 on this check, while
Creatures that are Frail do not recover hit points weak toxins might grant a bonus of up to +4. The exact
this way, nor do they lose System Strain. effect of a failed save will be listed by the poison.
Diseases also generally allow a Physical saving throw,
Magical Healing but are significantly slower in onset. If the first saving
Some healers have access to abilities that automatically throw is a success, the target has avoided infection. If it’s
heal hit points, such as a Healer’s arcane arts or the vi- a failure, the disease begins to take hold. The victim can
tality-transmitting spells of a Necromancer. Other PCs make further saving throw attempts at weekly intervals,
might have elixirs of health, artifacts that cure injuries, generally, with a certain number of successes sufficient
or other sources of magical healing. to throw off the disease. Each failed save tends to make
A character healed by any amount of magical healing things worse, however. The disease listing will indicate
automatically loses any Mortally Wounded or Frail qual- the consequences of an insufficiently vigorous resistance.
ities and can immediately rise. A downed hero at zero hit Those with the Heal skill can tend the sick, granting
points who gets 3 points of healing from a magic potion, a bonus to their saving throws equal to twice their Heal
for example, can immediately get up on their next turn skill, or +1 in the case of a nurse with Heal-0 skill.
and return to the fray without any frailty.
 45

Overland Travel
Overland and sea travel rules here.
46

Character Advancement
When characters accumulate enough experience points,
they advance a character level. New PCs start out at Advancing Past Tenth Level
level one and the most experienced, capable heroes in the By default, it’s assumed that heroes stop advancing at
kingdom might reach level ten. Advancing beyond such tenth level. That pitch of power is as much as a mortal
prowess is the realm of the Legates, a matter discussed can attain without tremendous luck, hideous pacts, un-
more fully in the deluxe edition of this book. canny natural gifts, or other special advantages.
GMs who want to take their heroes beyond tenth
Gaining Experience Points level can consult the Legate rules in the deluxe version
To advance in capability, PCs need to earn experience of this book.
points. Once they accumulate enough experience, they
can advance to the next character level, representing the Benefits of Gaining a Level
sharpening of their skills and the heroic veterancy that Once a PC has been awarded enough experience points
comes of surviving perils and dire challenges. to reach the next level, they immediately gain the bene-
There are many different things that can earn a hero fits of advancement. No special training or practice is re-
experience points, and the kind of activities and goals quired as their abilities are assumed to have been honed
that reward them will vary with the kind of campaign by their past adventures.
you’re playing. The GM should make clear to the whole
group what kind of things earn the PCs experience in Roll Additional Hit Points
their game. First, they become harder to overcome in combat. To
For some games, success might lie in plundering determine their new maximum hit points, they roll the
forgotten hoards or clawing wealth from the hands of hit dice for their class and level as given on the chart
desperate patrons. Other games might reward the PCs in the character creation chapter, adding their Consti-
for achieving personal goals, whether or not there was tution modifier to each die. If the new total is no greater
any money in it. Some might even award XP only for than the old, add one point to the old total and record
spending gold, requiring every PC to recklessly waste it instead.
their wealth before gaining a level. It’s up to the GM to Thus, a Warrior who reaches third level and who has
pick a method that fits the group’s tastes. a +1 attribute modifier for their Constitution would roll
The table below indicates how many experience 3d6+9 to find their new hit point total. If they already
points need to be earned before a PC can advance to had 15 hit points and rolled a 12, they’d instead record
that level. Once the requisite number of XP are earned, 16 hit points as their new total.
the hero gains their new level and all the benefits.
Note that this table makes for a relatively fast pro- Improve Attack Bonus
gression through the early levels of an adventurer’s career, A PC’s base attack bonus improves according to their
before slowing drastically at higher levels. A group that class and level, as given on the chart in the character cre-
prefers a different pacing might alter the chart to suit ation chapter. Warriors rapidly gain new skill in martial
their own tastes. undertakings, while other classes might need to advance
In general, you can assume that one “successful” gam- considerably before their prowess improves.
ing session should usually earn you about 3 XP.
Improve Saving Throws
Character Level Total Experience Required The PC becomes more capable of evading chance harms
and perils. Their saving throw scores decrease by one,
1 0 making it easier to succeed on saving throws by rolling
2 3 equal or over it. As a first level character has saving throw
3 6 scores of 15, reaching second level would lower them to
14, modified by attributes.
4 12
5 18
6 27
7 39
8 54
9 72
10 93
11+ Special
 47

Gain and Spend Skill Points Purchase Improved Attributes

They become more capable with their skills. A PC gains A veteran adventurer may have trained or honed their
three skill points they can spend on improving their natural abilities well enough to improve one of their six
skills or save to spend later. Experts and Adventurers base attributes. While even the most determined devel-
with the Partial Expert class option gain an extra bonus opment isn’t enough to turn complete ineptitude into
point to spend on a non-combat skill. gifted competence, a hard-working adventurer can hone
Skills that are gained or improved immediately on their existing strengths considerably.
gaining a level are assumed to have been perfected over The first time a PC improves an attribute, it costs
the past level and require no training time or teaching. 1 skill point and adds +1 to an attribute of their choice.
If you save your skill points to spend them later then The second improvement to their attributes costs 2 skill
you’ll need to find some teacher or other explanation points, the third 3, and so forth. Each improvement adds
for developing them. It doesn’t take more than a week to +1 to the attribute, potentially improving its modifier. A
refine your new ability, but you can’t usually spend your PC can only ever make only five such improvements to-
points mid-scene to develop a heretofore-unmentioned tal; not five per attribute.
expertise with flamethrowers. PCs must be a certain level before purchasing the
The cost for improving a skill is listed below. Every third, fourth, or fifth attribute boost. No more than five
skill level must be purchased in order; to gain level-1 in attribute boosts can ever be purchased by a PC.
a skill you need to pay one point for level-0 and then two Attribute Skill Point Minimum
points for level-1. A PC must be the requisite minimum Boost Cost Character Level
level to increase a skill to certain levels. Less hardened
heroes simply don’t have the focus and real-life experi- First 1 1
ence to attain such a pitch of mastery. Second 2 1
A PC cannot “partially buy” a skill level. If they don’t Third 3 3
have enough skill points to buy a new level, they need to
save them up until they can. A PC cannot develop skills Fourth 4 6
beyond level-4. Final 5 9
New Skill Skill Point Minimum
Level Cost Character Level
Choose New Foci
Finally, the PC might be eligible to pick an additional
0 1 1 level in a Focus. At levels 2, 5, 7, and 10 a PC can add
1 2 1 a level to an existing Focus or pick up the first level in a
new Focus.
2 3 3
If this is the first level they’ve taken in the Focus,
3 4 6 they might be granted a skill as a free bonus pick, depend-
4 5 9 ing on the Focus’ benefits. During character creation, this
bonus skill pick is treated like any other skill pick. If the
Adding New Mage Spells and Arts Focus is taken as part of advancement, however, it instead
Some Mage classes automatically acquire new spells as counts as three skill points spent toward increasing the
the fruits of their recent researches. Partial Mages learn skill. This is enough to raise a nonexistent skill to level-1,
them just as full Mages do, but an Adventurer PC with or boost a level-1 skill to level-2. They may do this even
two Partial Mage classes must pick one or the other for if they aren’t high-enough level to normally qualify for a
the purposes of gaining new spells each time they ad- skill level that high.
vance a level. If the skill points aren’t quite enough to raise the
High Mages can pick any two High Magic spells skill to a new level, they remain as credit toward future
they are capable of casting, adding these spells to their advances. If applied to a skill that is already at level-4, the
spellbooks. Necromancers and Elementalists may pick PC can spend the three skill points on any other skill of
only one, but may make their choice from among High their choice.
Magic spells or those New Magics unique to their par-
ticular tradition.
In addition to this, Mages may sometimes pick a
new art, as given in the class charts for each magical tra-
dition. Adventurers with two Partial Mage classes gain
these bonus arts from both tradition, though the new
picks must be made from arts allowed to that class. Thus,
a Partial Necromancer/Partial Elementalist who reached
third level could pick one new Necromancer art and one
new Elementalist art, but they could not pick two from
the same tradition.
48

Modifying and Customizing Equipment

The ancients left a host of wondrous materials and enig-
matic artifices in the ruins of Latter Earth, and the best of Making Modifications
the modern crafters have learned how to make the most Many modifications require ancient salvage. While
of these ancient relicts. Exceptionally talented NPC salvage usually takes the form of ancient super-materi-
crafters, Experts, and Partial Experts are able to use this als and wondrous substances in the Latter Earth, more
salvage to create modifications to gear, provided they traditional fantasy settings might instead use precious
have the requisite Craft skill. magical monster parts, legendary jewels, or other occult
Unfortunately, these ancient leftovers are finicky, substances with magical properties. To simplify tracking,
fragile, and subject to decay and decalibration if not it’s assumed that any piece of ancient salvage can be used
carefully maintained by a competent crafter. If left long to make any particular modification.
enough, they often decay to uselessness, and even a rel- Modifying a piece of gear requires the usual tools
atively short period of neglect can make the item they’re necessary to create or repair the gear in question. Modi-
used in useless until they’ve been properly maintained. fying a sword requires access to a forge, modifying a suit
As such, modified equipment is rarely for sale on the of linothorax armor requires sewing implements, and so
open market, as uneducated owners aren’t capable of on. It also usually requires a large number of expensive
maintaining it properly. Neither are they often found in supplementary materials. Mods can be removed, but
ancient salvage, as such along period of neglect usually their materials cannot be salvaged.
ruins them. Most often, they are the customized works Modifications have a minimum Craft skill required.
of expert crafters, made for their own use or the use of An Expert crafter with inadequate skills can’t install such
a skilled ally. a mod, though they can maintain it.
Any Expert or Partial Expert PC with at least It takes one week to install a modification per level
Craft-1 skill can modify equipment with ancient salvage. of Craft skill required. Thus, if the modification requires
Their crafting background does not need to precisely Craft-2 skill to create, it takes two weeks of work to prop-
match the gear they’re modifying; the basic principles of erly install it. An assistant with at least Craft-0 skill can
using ancient salvage are the same among all disciplines. halve this time, and if the crafter does nothing but work,
eat, and sleep, it can be halved again.
 49

Maintaining Modifications shape by the owner as an On Turn action. Cost:

The main reason modifications are not more widespread, One unit of salvage and 1,000 silver pieces.
aside from the rarity of usable ancient salvage, is that they Augmented Gear (Craft-1): A tool, medical kit, or
require regular maintenance by a skilled crafter. Calibrat- other item of equipment is improved for a specific
ing rituals, proper preservative oil application, counter- purpose chosen at the time of augmentation. Skill
acting thaumic stress points, and other skilled labor must checks made for that purpose gain a +1 skill bonus
be done if the modification is to continue functioning. with the item. Cost: One unit of salvage and 5,000
An Expert or Partial Expert crafter has has a Main- silver pieces.
tenance score equal to the total of their Intelligence and Automatic Reload (Craft-2): A hurlant can be modified
Constitution scores plus three times their Craft level. to reload itself, if ammunition is available. Once per
Thus, an Expert PC with an Intelligence modifier of +1, a scene, a man-portable hurlant can be reloaded as
Constitution modifier of +0, and the Craft-0 skill would an On Turn action. Cost: Two units of salvage and
have a Maintenance score of 1. PCs with no Craft skill 10,000 silver pieces.
can’t maintain modifications, nor can those without full Customized (Craft-1): The weapon or suit of armor has
or partial Expert classes. Mages who wish to create sim- been carefully tailored for a specific user. When
ilar marvels must build them from scratch as magic items. used by them, they gain a +1 to hit with the weap-
A crafter can maintain a number of modifications on or +1 Armor Class with the armor. This mod
equal to their Maintenance score without cutting into doesn’t work with shields. Cost: 1,000 silver pieces.
their adventuring time. It’s assumed that it’s done during Flying Razor (Craft-1): A throwing weapon is imbued
downtime and pauses. The work requires skill, but no with various esoteric materials, allowing it to return
particular special materials or expenses. If they do noth- to the hand of its thrower after each attack. Cost:
ing but maintain gear, they can double their Maintenance. One unit of salvage and 5,000 silver pieces.
If a modification goes without maintenance for 24 Harmonized Aegis (Craft-3): A suit of armor is altered
hours, it stops working and no longer grants its benefit. to harmonize with the dangerous sorceries of allied
If it’s unmaintained for a week, the entire item becomes casters. Provided the wearer and the caster have had
too dangerous or fragile to use. Lack of maintenance for ten minutes to coordinate the protection, the wearer
years or ages may result in complete item destruction. A is unharmed by the caster’s harmful spells for the
maintenance backlog can be cleared by an hour of work rest of the day, even if caught in their area of effect.
by a crafter capable of maintaining it. Cost: One unit of salvage and 10,000 silver pieces.
A crafter who builds a mastercraft item from scratch, Long Arm (Craft-2): A ranged or thrown weapon is
as explained on page XX, can tune it to better support modified to double its normal and maximum rang-
their modifications if they wish. The first mod they add es. Cost: One unit of salvage and 5,000 silver pieces.
to such an item costs twice as much in arcane salvage Manifold Mail (Craft-2): A suit of armor is augmented
and supplementary costs, but requires no maintenance. to allow it to shift its appearance to any of five or six
pre-set choices, mimicking normal clothing or other
Example Modifications armor types as an On Turn action. The armor’s En-
The mods listed here are merely some of the possibilities cumbrance is not altered. Cost: One unit of salvage,
for using ancient salvage or large amounts of costly mun- 5,000 silver pieces.
dane materials. These mods are almost never available Omened Aim (Craft-2): Occult components improve a
on the open market due to the rarity of usable salvage ranged or thrown weapon’s targeting, adding +1 to
and the difficulty of maintaining the gear. Acquiring the hit rolls. Cost: 4,000 silver pieces.
salvage needed to make them usually means finding it Preserving Grace (Craft-1): A suit of clothing or armor
as part of an adventure, receiving it in payment from a is specially altered to preserve the wearer. Once per
patron, or setting out on specific expeditions to find it. week, when the wearer is Mortally Wounded, they
Multiple modifications can stack, but cannot in- will automatically stabilize. Cost: One unit of sal-
crease a hit or damage bonus above +3, or a skill check vage and 5,000 silver pieces.
bonus above +1. Magical and masterwork weapons and Razor Edge (Craft-2): A weapon has been given an im-
armor can be modified, but mods can’t improve them proved edge or shifting weight system, adding +2 to
above this cap. the damage and Shock it does, albeit requiring far
more care. Cost: One unit and 5,000 silver pieces.
Arrow Storm (Craft-2): A bow or other projectile weap- Tailored Harness (Craft-2): A suit of armor is altered to
on automatically generates its own ammunition, al- perfectly fit a single wearer, decreasing its effective
beit the conjured projectiles vanish a round after Encumbrance by 1 for them and increasing it by
firing. This mod does not increase reload speed. 1 for others. This change does not count for the
Cost: One unit of salvage and 5,000 silver pieces. Armored Magic Focus. Cost: 5,000 silver pieces.
Assassin’s Trinket (Craft-2): A one-handed weapon is Thirsting Blade (Craft-3): A weapon is imbued with a
modified to adopt the shape of some item of jew- fated inclination to harm, adding +1 to hit rolls.
elry or adornment. It can be shifted to or from this Cost: Two units of salvage and 10,000 silver pieces.
50

Building and Crafting Gear

It’s not unknown for PCs to want to fabricate their own
equipment, or earn some money with mundane skills, or Jury-Rigging Equipment
make a desperate effort to jury-rig some critical piece of Adventurers have the habit of needing the most unlikely
equipment just before calamity overwhelms them. While objects at the worst possible times. It’s not uncommon for
such ambitions aren’t always practical, the guidelines here them to need to jury-rig together a piece of equipment
can help a GM sort out these goals. on short notice.
If the materials they have to work with don’t seem
Crafting New Equipment completely inadequate to the GM, the crafter can make
Assuming a PC has the tools and workspace to fabricate an Int/Craft or Dex/Craft skill check at a difficulty rang-
a piece of equipment, they can generally do so. Raw ma- ing from 7, for something that seems crude but plausible,
terials for the equipment will cost half the usual retail to 10, for a jury-rig that stretches the boundaries of plau-
price, and then some time must be spent crafting the gear. sibility. The time taken is five minutes for small, simple
No skill check is needed to simply craft the objects if objects, fifteen minutes for ones that would normally
they are of a kind appropriate to the crafter’s background require some craftsmanship, or an hour for large objects
or habitual work. If the crafter is making something un- or those that would normally need careful construction.
usual for their skills, a skill check at difficulty 7 for simple If the time is taken and the skill check is a success,
objects, 9 for demanding works, and 11 for things only a the crafter has a usable item that will last at least as long
specialist ought to be able to make might be required at as is needed for the particular purpose they jury-rigged
the GM’s discretion. it for. Its ramshackle construction will tell, however, and
Small, simple equipment such as knives, spears, it will never work for longer than a day before falling to
bundles of torches, cloaks, sacks, or the like takes about irreparable pieces.
an hour to make for each piece or bundle of six simple
objects such as torches. Building Structures
Items that requires significant craftsmanship to PCs who want to oversee the construction of buildings
make an adequate item, such as most clothing, leath- and other large structures can use the price lists given on
er armor, blunt weaponry, movable furniture, saddles, page XX to get an idea of the cost. If a PC is capable of
or other objects that require skill but not particularly personally overseeing the undertaking, these prices can
lengthy effort can be made with one day of work per item. be decreased by 10% due to saved labor and the avoid-
Objects that are particularly large or that require ance of wasteage.
very careful construction to make, such as large tempered The time to build these structures will depend on
blades, ox-carts, hourglasses, metal armor, or the like re- how much help is available. Assuming all the needed
quire one week of work to complete. resources are on-site, one skilled worker can build 100
Crafters in a hurry can make an Int/Craft or Dex/ silver pieces worth of the structure for each day of labor.
Craft check against difficulty 9 to halve the time involved. Thus, a building worth 10,000 silver could be construct-
If the crafter has an assistant with at least Craft-0 to help ed in ten days by a team of ten skilled laborers. Unskilled
them, the skill check is made at difficulty 7. On a failure, laborers or those with no experience in construction are
half the raw materials were ruined and no speed gained. worth only twenty silver pieces of completed work per
day. Large, complex structures built with less than 20%
Crafting Masterwork Equipment skilled labor may be less than perfect in execution.
A PC with a background as a weaponsmith, armorer, or
other maker of a specific type of goods can attempt to Working as a Crafter
make a masterwork piece of equipment. The raw mate- PCs with salable professional skills can try to make
rials for such an undertaking cost ten times as much as some money by plying their trade, but this is a difficult
the retail price of an ordinary item and the time needed undertaking. Few local crafters will have any interest in
to build it is twice as long. dealing with a potentially unreliable adventurer, and local
At the end of that period, the crafter makes an Int/ guild laws and customs may flatly forbid strangers from
Craft or Dex/Craft skill check against difficulty 10. On a working in a trade. Often a PC will have to make do with
success, the piece is a masterwork. On a failure, the item piecework and under-the-table help given to employers
is no better than an ordinary item. who are in no rush to pay them.
Masterwork weaponry grants a +1 bonus to hit rolls A PC with Craft or Work or some other salable
with the item. Masterwork armor counts as 1 fewer point skill can generally make one silver piece per day per skill
of Encumbrance, down to a minimum of 1 point, albeit level, to a minimum of 1 silver piece. The longer such
not for purposes of the Armored Magic Focus. Mas- work goes on, however, the more pressure they’re likely
terwork items of other kinds may grant similar minor to feel to join whatever guilds or social circles control the
benefits at the GM’s discretion. business in the area.
 51

Quick Reference Sheet

(Important rules summary goes here)
52

MAGIC
The magic of Latter Earth is born from the Legacy, the chic configurations, and ritual keys that patch together a
accumulated mass of arcane laws and thaumic energies usable effect. Whole traditions of sorcery have developed,
that have accrued over fathomless eons. From its first with mentors passing on their wisdom to new genera-
crude beginnings in the Highshine emergency recovery tions of wizards, hoping that those who come after might
nano-systems of the ancient past to the modern alter- be able to drag more from the darkness of the past.
ations laid down by the conquering Outsiders and their
vengeful usurpers, the Legacy and its magic has existed Mages on Latter Earth
as a tool to serve the purposes of Latter Earth’s masters. Sorcerers have a varied reception among the nations of
Primitive societies might try to define the Legacy Latter Earth. In some they are accepted as skilled artisans
as a “nanite cloud” or a “malleable energy field”, or some with talents that are useful to society as a whole. In others
other technical description. It is more than that. It is the they are counted as nothing more than dangerous luna-
product of sciences and enlightenments utterly unfath- tics who’ll inevitably plunge their neighbors into some
omable by the modern dwellers of Latter Earth, and it hellish nether-dimension with their crazed fumblings.
has less relation to the crudity of a 25th century nanite There are elements of truth to both opinions.
swarm than a silicon chip has to a grain of sand. Its func- Most mages are trained into specific magical tra-
tions may as well be credited as magic, for in a very real ditions. These traditions were formed at some ancient
sense that is what they are. date by like-minded wizards who shared a similar goal or
The Legacy has been influenced over the ages by perspective on the Legacy, and their teachings have been
the rulers of Latter Earth. New processes have been es- passed down to the present day through formal magical
tablished, old ones deprecated, new limits placed on old schools or a tradition of master-pupil teachings. There
powers and old powers transformed into newer, more are considerable advantages to having trained assistance
serviceable functions. The incomprehensible science of in the research and development of new magics, to say
the former ages was able to tune and adjust the Legacy, nothing of the practical benefits of a live-in servant, so
though rarely with perfect precision; just as they desired few accomplished wizards have been wholly without ap-
to change it to suit their purposes, former users had prentices. Some of these masters are just, fair-minded
placed barriers and complications against undoing their men and women who require nothing more of their pu-
own changes. Often the new masters had to make com- pils than diligent study and honest labor. Others have less
promises in their plans in order to route around some pleasant uses for their apprentices, and very final roles for
old forbiddance. those who fail to prove useful.
The end result has been chaos. The natural decay of Other traditions have established magical academies
the Legacy has combined with the confused scrawlings of for their pupils, usually with the patronage of the local
unnumbered eons to produce a power that is capricious, nobility. In exchange for this generous tolerance such
decadent, and unruly in the hands of Latter Earth’s pres- academies usually serve as training-grounds for mages
ent occupants. Ancient magics no longer function as they dedicated to the service of their patrons, or those who pay
once did, and new sorceries are tremendously difficult to a tribute of service as part of their tuition. The advantag-
devise. The power to actually amend the Legacy has been es of having a force of trained mages on hand are consid-
almost entirely lost to this world’s modern inhabitants. erable, but some nations are reluctant to establish such
This decay is a torment to present-day wizards. The a potent power center outside their own governing class.
ancient magical techniques recorded in the most venera- A few wizards are even self-taught, having come to
ble grimoires no longer work as they once did, and alter- their powers through the study of old grimoires and per-
nate methods must be salvaged from the footnotes and sonal experimentation. Such prodigies are exceedingly
digressions half-mentioned in these texts. Wizards may rare, however, as the slightest mistake in magical training
spend their whole lives simply trying to find a working can result in a hideous death. Only the truly brilliant
substitute for some process that is vital to an ancient spell, or remarkably lucky can hope to self-study their way to
conducting dangerous and difficult experimentation to occult power.
feel out the technique. Success is rewarded by powers The magics practiced by PC wizards are not the only
that may have been sleeping for an age. Failure, in the sorceries to be found in the world, however. Throughout
worst case, is punished by deaths so terrible that only a the Latter Earth there remain innumerable small sects,
wizard could die of them. isolated traditions, and mad geniuses possessed of secrets
Yet despite these hardships, mages persist on Latter and methods long since lost to wider knowledge. There
Earth. These scholars and gifted souls yet seek to unravel are sorcerers who can perform with ease such feats as
the secrets of the Legacy and learn the methods by which would dazzle a traditional mage, yet it is not uncommon
its powers can be harnessed and invoked. The process is that these feats should come at a terrible price. Not all
intensely laborious, requiring years of study and practice paths of magic are paid for with simple study, and the
to master the trigger incantations, somatic gestures, psy- cost can be more than a wholly human heart can bear.
 53

MAGICSPLASH
W 6.34 in
H 9.67 in
54

Spells and Arts related to their tradition’s special focus. Such custom-
The ancient invocations and sorceries of yore are known ized magic is useless to other practitioners outside the
conventionally as spells, each one ranked in power from tradition, as they don’t have the necessary grounding to
level one, the relatively weakest, to level five, the most po- understand it.
tent. There are hypothetical and legendary incantations
supposedly of sixth level or higher, but such remarkable Preparing and Casting Spells
magics are not discussed in this book. Each High Magic practitioner must first learn a spell be-
The common corpus of ancient spells is known as fore they can cast it. They may be taught by a mage who
High Magic, a collection of scores of different invocations already knows the spell, even if they’re from a different
that all have been inherited from the deepest past. A sep- tradition, or they must find a grimoire laying out the
arate body of sorcery known as “New Magic” exists in fine details of the incantation. New Magic spells specific
the form of jury-rigged enchantments cobbled together to a tradition cannot be learned by mages outside that
out of the very limited understanding of modern mages, tradition.
but this form of magic tends to be extremely specific to Learning a spell requires one week per spell level,
individual casters and exceedingly difficult to develop. less one week per level of the learner’s Magic skill, down
Only the most brilliant and determined mages can ever to a minimum of one day. At the end of this time the stu-
salvage a novel yet useful new spell out of the mysteries dent will either have mastered the contents of a written
of the past. copy of the spell or created such a copy from their mas-
In this book, a collection of several dozen High ter’s tutelage. They must continue to retain access to this
Magic spells are recorded. These are by no means the written document if they are to prepare the spell later, as
only spells extant but they are some of the most com- it is an actual thaumaturgically-attuned artifact in itself.
mon. Careful researchers and bibliographers suspect that Without its formulae, attunement tables, and enchanted
there may be as many as two hundred functional spells diagrams the mage will be unable to prepare the spell
surviving from former ages, though some of these pro- for later use. The full collection of these documents is
duce effects that are seemingly impossible to detect or generally known as the mage’s “spellbook”, though some
entirely useless to modern sorcerers, and others may be texts actually take the form of teaching artifacts or phys-
no more than New Magic passed off by their developers ical models.
as something more antique. The reluctance of wizards to A mage must be able to actually cast the spell in
share information on their available magics makes such order to learn it. A novice mage can cast only first level
categorizing a difficult prospect. spells, so they can learn only first level spells as well, even
High Magic is extremely powerful. While the effects if they somehow come into possession of a grimoire with
are rarely long-lasting, even the weakest rank of spells a more potent incantation. They’ll need to wait until their
is capable of killing people outright, enslaving their own enlightenment is sufficient to cast the spell before
thoughts, or conjuring perfectly convincing illusions. The they can finally master it.
most potent spells can destroy several city blocks, trans- Once the spellbook is prepared, the mage must
late the caster over hundreds of miles of distance, or halt perform the necessary attunements and propitiations
time temporarily. There are High Magic spells that create to prepare the spell for casting. The number of spells
effects modern sorcerers do not understand, but there are a mage can prepare at once varies with their experience
no High Magic spells that create only petty effects. level, from as few as two at first level to as many as twelve
It is this very power that makes High Magic so dif- when at tenth level. The mage may prepare any spell they
ficult to use. Even the most accomplished mage of the have in their spellbook; there’s no obligation to prepare a
modern day can’t channel more than five or six spells certain number of low-level spells should the mage wish
before the eldritch energies exhaust them or burn out to fill all their available “slots” with their most powerful
their vital forces for a time. A mage capable of hurling magics and run the risk of lacking some lesser, yet more
three High Magic spells in a single day is considered ex- useful spell.
ceptionally capable. Most novices or modestly-talented Preparing a new set of spells takes an hour, and can
wizards can’t manage more than one before requiring a only be done after a good night’s rest, when the mage’s
night’s rest to recover from the strain. mind is most fresh and malleable. Once spells have been
Innumerable generations of mages have struggled prepared they remain so indefinitely until replaced with
against these limitations, forming a host of unique mag- a different set of magics.
ical techniques and quasi-spells built from their knowl- Once a set of spells is prepared, the mage may then
edge of High Magic. These New Magic “arts” are unique cast them at their leisure. Casting a spell usually requires
to each tradition of magecraft, building on insights and a Main Action and at least one free hand, along with
training techniques specific to that tradition’s education. vocalizations at least as loud as clear normal conversa-
Most of these arts are much easier to use than High tion. The arcane gesticulations and vocal incantations are
Magic, and many traditions are capable of a considerable quite obviously occult to any onlookers, but it’s usually
range of magical effects without ever calling on a true impossible to tell which spell a mage is casting merely by
spell. Others have developed New Magic incantations looking at them.
 55

Casting a spell requires focus and undisturbed con- Arts are fueled by Effort, a representation of the
centration. If a mage has taken hit point damage or has mage’s available focus and magical energy. This Effort is
been severely jostled in a round, they cannot cast magic separate from the power used to cast spells, and a mage
that round. Thus, a mage who acts late in a round runs who has exhausted his spells for the day might still have
the risk of being hurt and having their concentration a considerable fund of Effort left. Effort is deployed and
spoiled, thus forcing them to do something other than regained much more quickly than spellcasting slots.
cast a spell when their turn comes around. Effort is measured in a score equal to one plus the
High Magic cannot normally be cast while wearing mage’s Magic skill plus the higher of their Intelligence or
armor or restrictive clothing. The profane materials, re- Charisma modifiers. Adventurers with the Partial Mage
strictive fit, and unsalutary occult configurations of ar- class have an Effort score one point lower than full Mages,
mor spoil the necessary flow of energy, as does the bulk though never less than one point. Healers, Vowed, and
and clumsiness of a shield. The same hindrances usually other Partial Mage classes have this decrease already fac-
also spoil the use of any arts the tradition may teach, and tored into their listed Effort calculation.
not just spellcasting itself. Using Effort requires that it be Committed. The
A mage can cast only so many spells each day before Effort is sunk into fueling the power, but will return
needing a full night’s rest to recover. Novices can cast only automatically once a certain time has passed. There are
one spell, while masters can manage six. The spell to be three durations for which Effort is Committed, and each
cast may be selected from any prepared by the mage; the art indicates in its description how long the Effort must
same power can be used to invoke a mighty fifth-level remain Committed to trigger it.
spell or a relatively modest first-level incantation. The
same spell may be cast more than once, if the mage has • Commit Effort for the day to trigger powerful arts.
multiple castings left for the day. The Effort is invested in the power and returns the
Adventurers who take the Partial Mage class are next morning after the mage has had a good night’s
more limited than more focused specialists. They are rest.
able to cast fewer spells each day and the maximum
level of spell they can cast is also significantly lower as • Commit Effort for the scene to trigger more mod-
compared to an equivalent full Mage. The total spells est abilities. The Effort is invested in the power, but
they can prepare for the day are also often somewhat returns as soon as the scene is done.
fewer than that of a full Mage. When they cast the spells,
however, any level-based effects also use their full level, • Commit Effort indefinitely to activate a persistent,
so a third-level Partial Necromancer’s invocation of The lasting ability that keeps active as long as you keep
Coruscating Coffin does 3d8 damage, just as a full Nec- the Effort Committed. You can reclaim this Effort
romancer would. at any time as an Instant action, immediately turn-
Adventurers who take two different Partial Mage ing off the art. This Effort can remain invested in-
classes use the table on page XX to determine how many definitely even while you’re asleep or unconscious
spells they can prepare and cast each day. A dual Partial provided you have a few minutes to prepare things
Mage can prepare and cast spells from either of their properly before falling asleep. If you’re suddenly
traditions. While they can cast slightly fewer spells per struck unconscious or killed any such powers im-
day and have a slightly lower maximum spell level, they mediately end.
have a wider choice of arts and a broader pool of spells
to choose from. Each tradition has a separate pool of Effort; there is
Necromancer Effort and High Mage Effort and Healer
Arts and Effort Effort and so forth. An Adventurer who picks two differ-
Arts are those special magical techniques and abilities ent traditions has two different pools of Effort, neither of
taught by a particular magical tradition. These are much which can be used to fuel arts from the other.
less powerful than actual High Magic spells, and often
produce relatively minor, even trivial effects. Even so, they
may be used with far more facility than the mighty spells
of ancient days and their practical utility is a blessing to
modern sorcerers.
Each tradition has a list of available arts, though
additional techniques might exist in far lands or isolated
sub-sects of the group. A mage can pick one or more arts
from this list as they rise in character level, while some
traditions automatically grant certain arts to all members.
Once picked, an art cannot be exchanged; the occult at-
tunements involved are final and permanent.
56

Dual Partial Mage Traditions Partial Mage/Partial Mage

Some Adventurer PCs are adepts of two different magi- Level Hit Dice Attack Bonus Focus Picks
cal traditions, such as a Partial High Mage/Partial Nec-
romancer, or a Partial Elementalist/Vowed. The rules 1 1d6-1 +0 1 Free
for these combinations are a little bit different, as mixing 2 2d6-2 +0 +1 Free
two spellcasting traditions creates a little more aptitude 3 3d6-3 +0
for sorcery than merely mixing in a martial Warrior’s
training or learning the non-spellcasting magical arts of 4 4d6-4 +0
a Healer or Vowed. 5 5d6-5 +1 +1 Free
A PC who chooses two Partial Mage traditions for 6 6d6-6 +1
their Adventurer uses the adjacent table for hit dice, at-
7 7d6-7 +1 +1 Free
tack bonuses, and Focus picks.
If the two Mage traditions are both spellcasters, 8 8d6-8 +1
they don’t use the Partial Mage tables listed under each 9 9d6-9 +1
tradition to determine their allowed spells per day and
10 10d6-10 +2 +1 Free
preparation limits, Instead, they use the adjacent table
to find out how many spells they can cast each day, how
many they can prepare at once, and what the maximum PCs with Dual Spellcasting Traditions
level of spell they can cast might be. Spells can be pre-
pared and cast from either of their partial traditions, so a Max Spells Spells
Partial Elementalist/Partial Necromancer could prepare Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained
or cast High Magic, Elementalist, or Necromancer spells 1 1 1 3 As per both
with their allowed slots. partial classes,
Thus, a 1st level Partial High Mage/Partial Necro- 2 1 1 4
gaining each
mancer could prepare up to three first-level spells and 3 1 2 5 level’s art picks
cast one of them each day. He could pick two arts from 4 2 2 6 as usual.
the High Mage list, because that’s what a first level Partial
5 2 2 7
High Mage can pick, in addition to one Necromancer
art, because that’s the allotment a novice Partial Necro- 6 2 3 8
mancer gets. 7 3 3 9
Dual-spellcasting Adventurers have a wider range of
8 3 4 10
arts and more prepared spells than their more focused
peers, but they have slightly fewer spells usable each day, 9 3 4 11
and they never attain mastery of the most powerful spells. 10 4 5 13
57
58

High Magic Spell List

suicidal ones. It can perform any action that a competent
human servant could. If the familiar is slain, it fades away,
Abdication of Temporal Presence Level 5 but can be called forth again by the spell. The familiar re-
The caster and up to one visible ally per caster level briefly tains its memories of what happens while it’s summoned,
step outside of the conventional flow of time, the rest of and can develop its own personality in time. The familiar
the world freezing around them. These subjects can take remains in existence until dawn following the spell’s cast-
1d4+1 free rounds of actions, but they cannot physically ing or until dismissed by the caster.
affect the world or move any object they were not carry-
ing at the time they cast the spell. Any spells the caster or
other allies cast can affect only their own group, and not Calculation of the Phantasmal
those entities still in the normal flow of time. Eidolon Level 4
The caster conjures up a semi-real phantasmal creature
in any shape or appearance they desire, provided it is
Adopt the Simulacular Visiage Level 3 no larger than an ox. The servitor is as intelligent as a
A brief incantation transforms one visible, willing target human and will obey the caster with fearless and suicidal
per caster level into a perfect simulacrum of any human- devotion, having 4 effective hit dice, 20 hit points, AC
oid creature the caster has seen before, whether a specific 15, a movement rate of 30’ per action, a +1 skill modifier,
individual or a general type. No special abilities are grant- saves of 13+, and a +6/1d8 damage melee attack with 2/
ed by this transformation, but the target will perfectly AC 15 Shock. As the creature is partly phantasmal, the
resemble a chosen individual, including in voice and scent. damage it inflicts cannot kill a subject, but only knock
Their non-magical clothing will transform to whatever them unconscious for an hour before they awaken with 1
clothing is appropriate to the target, and they will gain hit point. The caster may pick one special quality for the
an intuitive ability to speak and understand the target’s creature when it is summoned: the ability to fly at a rate
native tongue. The spell lasts until dawn of the day after of 30’/move, the perfect duplication of a particular per-
casting it, whereupon the targets and any transformed son they’ve seen, the ability to form a telepathic speech
clothing revert back to their original seeming. connection with the caster, or the ability to effectively
use normal weaponry and armor. The servitor lasts until
destroyed or the dawn after the spell is cast.
Apprehending the Arcane Form Level 1
The mage opens up their mind to the presence of oc-
cult energies. For fifteen minutes per character level, Casting Forth the Inner Eye Level 2
they are capable of seeing active magical effects, curses, A pool of water, mirror, open flame, polished crystal, or
enchantments, or other dweomers as colored auras or other luminous or reflective surface is used to peer at a
patterns of light. They may identify magical items and distant location. The location must either be within one
get a one-sentence description of their purpose or most hundred feet per caster level or be a location the caster
significant powers, and may get more sophisticated an- has physically occupied before. The caster perceives the
swers with successful Wis/Magic skill checks at diffi- location as if he were standing at the targeted point with-
culties of 8 or more depending on the subtlety of the in it, seeing and hearing events there as if he were present.
enchantment. Mages with prepared spells are visible to This spell cannot scry locations that have been magically
the caster, though which spells the subject might have warded, and scrying the same location repeatedly is hin-
prepared is not knowable. As a side effect of this spell, dered by the resonance created by the spell. The spell can-
the ambient thaumic currents cast enough quasi-light to not perceive the same area twice within the same week, or
allow the caster to see normally even in perfect darkness. position its target point so as to overlap a prior area with
its perceptions within that time. If a target present in the
area has more hit dice than the caster has levels, they get
Calculation of the Evoked Servitor Level 2 a Mental saving throw to get an uncanny sense of being
This spell conjures up an intelligent familiar for the caster, watched, something that will alert those cognizant of
one with one hit point per caster level, an AC of 14, a this spell. This spell lasts until the caster performs some
ground movement rate of 30’ per action, saving throws action other than focusing on the scrying.
the same as the caster, and no effective attack. The fa-
miliar always adopts the same shape for the same caster,
though the initial casting can set this to any shape the
Cognitive Supersession of the
caster wishes provided it’s no larger than a small human. Inferior Orders Level 1
The familiar retains a telepathic connection with its cre- The mage targets a visible, normal, non-magical animal or
ator and will obey any command it is given, including insect, obtaining temporary control of the beast and the
 59

ability to share its senses. The animal gains a telepathic Targets with only 1 hit die will inevitably be slain regard-
bond with the caster, obeying any non-suicidal command less of the damage done. The spell cannot be blocked by
and allowing the mage to perceive everything it perceives. non-magical intervening barriers, provided the caster can
The beast will not fight for the caster, but can perform see the target with their unaided vision.
complex actions entirely out of character for it while un-
der the mage’s control. The mage must focus to share the
beast’s senses, requiring a Main Action and leaving the The Dazzling Prismatic Hemicycle Level 5
mage unable to act physically while so focused. The spell A blinding fan of impossible colors cascades over all tar-
lasts until the mage releases the beast, it is dispelled, or gets in front of the caster in an area equal to a cone a
it is cast again. hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide at the end.
Each creature within that area must make a Physical
saving throw; those who fail roll 1d6. On a 1, they are
Conjunct the Vital Viscera Level 3 unharmed, on a 2 they collapse into a handful of dust,
The caster renders the forms and life energy of up to on a 3 they fall unconscious for an hour, on a 4 they go
one willing subject per caster level into something plastic violently insane for the next hour and attack all around
and transferrable. Hit points, poisons, and diseases can them, on a 5 they turn to stone, and on a 6 they become
be transferred from one creature to another, if both are utterly enthralled to the caster’s commands for the next
willing or helplessly bound, healing up to the maximum hour, as if under the effect of an Ineluctable Shackles
allowed hit points of the target creature. Body parts can of Volition spell.
be exchanged or gifted so long as each subject retains at
least half of their original corpus. A willing target can
even be absorbed into the body of another subject of the Decree of Ligneous Dissolution Level 1
spell, disappearing into them until the spell ends or they Wood, linen, cotton, rope, and other plant-derived mat-
choose to spring back out, fully-equipped. Assimilated ter is annihilated by a wave of entropic force that washes
subjects can continue to see and hear what goes on out- through an area near the caster. The mage targets a point
side their carrier. A given subject can absorb up to five within one hundred feet per caster level and designates
other human-sized targets. The spell lasts until dispelled, a number of 10-foot cubes within that area equal to or
released, or one hour per caster level has passed, though less than their caster level. All non-magical plant matter
transferred hit points or afflictions do not return to their within that area immediately erodes away to dust. En-
original subject. If a subject is killed while “borrowing” chanted objects of plant matter cannot be affected, but
another’s body parts, those parts do not return. ordinary plant-based clothing, bows, or wooden-hafted
weapons will be destroyed. If used against plant-based
monsters, the spell does 1d10 damage per caster level,
Conjunction of the Inexorable Step Level 2 with a Physical save for half.
One visible target creature or object within a hundred
feet is immediately teleported to any visible, solid resting
point within a half-mile, provided the target point has Decree of Lithic Dissolution Level 2
enough room to accept them and it is not a position of Stone, earth, sod, sand, or other largely mineral material
imminent physical peril. Loose objects can be translo- is reduced to a faint spray of fine dust by this sorcery,
cated by the spell, but they can be no larger than a horse. though metal and enchanted objects are unaffected. The
Unwilling creatures targeted by this spell may make a caster nominates up to one 10-foot cube per caster lev-
Mental saving throw to resist; on a success, it is the caster el in a visible area within one hundred feet per caster
who is transported to the intended destination instead. level, causing all such stone or mineral material within
the cubes to disappear. Such rapid destruction may well
cause larger structures to collapse as well.
Contingent Excision of Arcana Level 4
The caster sets up a triggered resonance of dispelling
magic which may later be invoked as an Instant action. Deluge of Hell Level 5
Until the next dawn, the mage may negate magic as if The caster unleashes a consuming destruction on a visible
with an Extirpate Arcana spell as an Instant action. point within three thousand feet. A torrent of eldritch
Once this negation is triggered, the spell ends. ruin rains down on everything within up to a two hun-
dred foot radius per caster level, inflicting 1d10 damage
per caster level with a Physical save for half damage, and
The Coruscating Coffin Level 1 automatically killing all targets with 4 or fewer hit dice.
A thaumic discharge is focused on a single visible creature This damage is sufficient to destroy any wooden or light-
within one hundred feet per caster level, wreathing them ly-built stone structure and will seriously damage even
in a lethal mantle of crackling energy. The target suffers fortifications. The caster can tighten the radius down to a
1d8 damage per caster level, with a Physical save for half. minimum of 20 feet, but cannot be selective about targets
60

within that area. This spell is extremely hazardous to the Missile attacks against invisible foes are largely impos-
caster; they must make a Mental saving throw on casting sible, and melee attacks against them usually suffer a -4
it or suffer a quarter of the damage inflicted, rounded up. penalty to hit rolls. The spell lasts for up to an hour per
caster level, but it breaks if a subject performs some vio-
lent motion, such as running, attacking, or casting a spell.
Disjunctive Temporal Reversion Level 4 Once broken for one subject, it breaks for all.
The caster may invoke this spell as an Instant action on
any single creature within one hundred feet. Time is
rolled back slightly, allowing them to replay their cur- Exhalation of Congelating Cold Level 3
rent round of action as if it never occurred, though all The caster invokes a gust of deepest winter on a point
involved retain a memory of what originally happened. within one hundred feet per level, freezing everything in
This spell is only useful on targets that are currently tak- a radius up to ten feet per caster level. All liquids freeze
ing their round’s actions; once they’ve finished for the solid down to a depth of two feet and all living creatures
round and another creature has started acting, it is too not impervious to arctic cold must suffer 1d6 damage
late to benefit from this spell. If the target is unwilling per two levels of the caster, with a Physical save for half
to roll back their action, they may make a Mental saving damage. Those who fail their Physical saves are numbed
throw to resist the spell. by the cold and lose their Move action each round for
the next 1d4 rounds. The frozen area warms again at the
usual rate for the surrounding environment.
The Earth as Clay Level 5
The caster molds the soil and stone of the land around
them, raising hills, digging trenches, or forming simple Extirpate Arcana Level 2
structures out of extruded bedrock. Once cast, the mage The caster sweeps away all unwanted magical effects and
may psychically mold the terrain within three hundred enchantments within a twenty-foot radius, centered on
feet per caster level, shifting it slowly over the course of any visible point within one hundred feet per level. If
an hour to form whatever shape they desire out of it, the magical effect was cast by a creature with equal or
provided the material used can actually maintain such fewer hit dice or levels, the effect is negated automatically.
a shape. Simple buildings and walls may be created out Otherwise, a contested Int/Magic or Cha/Magic skill
of bedrock or available stone, and tunnels and caves may roll must be made, with higher-leveled caster gaining a
be shaped up to 50 feet down from the caster, while hills +2 bonus on their roll and the dispeller winning any ties.
may be raised up to 200 feet above the prevailing grade. This spell is not strong enough to permanently suppress
This spell cannot work within a thousand feet of stone standing magical effects, and requries the aforemen-
or earth that has been significantly worked by intelligent tioned contested roll to have any chance to even tempo-
creatures, though the use of this spell by the same caster rarily suppressing them. If successful, the effect is negated
doesn’t count as working the earth on further castings. for 1d6 rounds. If cast on a very large enchantment, only
the portion within the spell’s zone of effect is suppressed.
Evert the Inwardness Level 4
A single visible target is selected, whereupon whatev- Foresightful Apprehension Level 3
er contents that target may possess are extracted and The caster probes the near currents of fate to discern
placed in the caster’s hands. If used on a cabinet, back- the likely immediate outcome of an action. The caster
pack, pocket, or other such container it can be no larger describes a particular action they or a comrade intend to
than an armoire, and the caster can choose whether or presently undertake, whereupon the GM tells them what
not to receive any particular object from inside it, being is most likely to happen in consequence within the first
instantly appraised of its contents when the spell is cast. five minutes after the action, as the GM thinks it most
If used on a creature, it attempts to tear out the subject’s probable. This spell cannot be used more than once a
innards; if the subject has equal or fewer hit dice than week on the same general topic, so casting it repeatedly
the caster, it must make a Physical save or die instantly. to find out which of the hundred doors in an ancient
Whether or not it perishes, it suffers 1d10 damage per vault lead to its treasure would be a very long-delayed
caster level, with a Physical save for half. revelation.

The Excellent Transpicuous The Grinding Geas Level 4

Transformation Level 1 A single visible living creature is struck with a grim geas,
The mage chooses up to one visible willing target per forcing it to comply with a particular command or else
caster level provided they are within 100 feet, though suffer a progressively-worse affliction.The caster may lay
afterwards the targets can separate freely. The targets one single-sentence command on the target that is nei-
and all they wear or carry become perfectly transparent. ther suicidal, indefinitely imprecise, nor likely physically
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impossible for them to comply with. Thus, the caster lasts until dispelled, or until the caster dies or releases
could geas a man to kill his son or never seek to harm them. Every time this spell is cast, however, all prior sub-
his lord, but he could not reasonably command a peasant jects get an immediate unmodified Mental saving throw
to become king or bind someone to forever after comply to throw it off. If the creature has more hit dice than
with a master’s arbitrary commands. If the target then the caster, it gets an unmodified saving throw to end the
defies that geas or unreasonably delays its execution, they effect the first time each day it’s ordered to do something
suffer an agonizing progressive wasting disease that will it doesn’t want to do.
inevitably kill them in 1d6 weeks, applying -2 to their
hit rolls and -1 to skill checks for each week that passes
and halving their maximum hit points. If they again be- The Inexorable Imputation Level 5
gin complying with the geas afterwards or if the curse is The caster makes a single one-sentence statement as part
lifted, the disease halts and reverses itself at the same rate of casting this spell, a process which is subtle enough to
it progressed. An active target can make a Mental save appear as no more than ordinary conversation. All who
to resist this spell, but they cannot if they are restrained, hear the caster speak within a forty-foot radius must
unconscious, or otherwise subdued. The curse lasts until make a Mental saving throw or come to immediately
dispelled or the caster lifts it. believe the statement is true unless it seems physically
impossible to them or it is emotionally intolerable to be-
lieve. The listeners must be able to understand the caster’s
The Howl of Light Level 3 language, and the caster may exempt up to two targets
A flattened disc of tremendous heat, sound, and shock is per caster level from this delusion when casting the spell,
triggered at a visible point within fifty feet per caster level, so as to avoid beguiling their companions. The spell’s
erupting in a twenty-foot radius eight feet in height. Ev- effects linger for one hour per caster level, after which
erything within the area suffers 1d8 damage from flame, the believers will be no more persuaded of the fact than
concussion, and sonic shock per caster level, with an events or their own common sense would allow.
Evasion save for half. If used in a space less than 40 feet
in width, the explosion is channeled through adjacent
spaces and passages for an additional 1d6 x 10 feet. Invocation of the Invincible Citadel Level 5
The caster hurls up a magical shield that is impervious
to almost all hostile powers. Unlike most sorceries, this
Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence Level 1 spell can be cast as an Instant action, and immediately
The mage focuses on a visible living creature within 100 creates a transparent bubble of force around the cast-
feet per caster level. For the rest of the scene, they im- er with up to a twenty-foot radius. Entities and forces
mediately receive an impression of the target’s surface outside the bubble cannot penetrate it, and the interior
thoughts and interests, understanding them regardless remains a warm, breathable, safe environment regardless
of any lack of a shared language. The caster may ask one of the exterior. Those within the bubble can pass out of
question of the target’s memories per caster level, but it, but they cannot then return within. The bubble can
doing so risks breaking the spell; the target can make a be dispelled by appropriate magics, but other enchant-
Mental save before answering each question and the spell ments and attacks cannot harm it, nor can magical effects
ends if the save is successful. These questions can only or material objects pass through it from either direction.
query memories, not compel any exercise of judgment or The spell lasts until the caster departs from the bubble.
extrapolation. This spell is very subtle in its casting, and
can be invoked without any visible gestures or audible
incantations. Mantle of Disjecting Dissection Level 2
A visible willing creature within thirty feet is surrounded
by a whirl of razor-sharp energy shards. Anyone who at-
Ineluctable Shackles of Volition Level 1 tempt to touch the target or make a melee attack against
The mage targets a visible living creature within 100 feet. them must make an Evasion saving throw or suffer 1d6
The subject must immediately make a Mental saving damage plus the caster’s level before resolving their attack.
throw at a penalty equal to the caster’s Magic skill or The field of blades is indiscriminate and will affect even
become enthralled to the caster’s will. Such victims will allies trying to touch the target. The blades remain as
obey any physical commands issued by the caster, bar- long as the target gives up a Move Action each round
ring ones that seem suicidal or patently meant to result in order to avoid disrupting them from within, up to a
in their murder. The caster cannot order the creature to maximum of one scene.
answer questions or perform acts that require indepen-
dent judgment, nor to use non-physical abilities or spells,
but it will fight for the caster or to defend its own life. Obnubilation of the Will Level 4
Enchanted victims appear torpid and dazed, and will act This spell can only be applied to a helpless or restrained
only to defend themselves or satisfy their needs. The spell living victim, who gets a Mental saving throw to resist it
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and be ever after immune to its effects. On a failure, the Those who succeed at the check suffer one point of dam-
target becomes hopelessly subject to the caster via a series age per caster level from demoralization and despair, with
of psychic fetters, obediently carrying out their will. The those brought to zero hit points instead regaining one hit
target must be able to understand the caster’s wishes, but point and fleeing. This spell has no effect on creatures
will obey them to the best of its intelligence, capability, that feel no fear or that have a Morale of 12.
and initiative. They must make a Mental saving throw to
resist performing even suicidal acts. The spell lasts until it
is dispelled or the caster releases the target. A caster can Pierce the Pallid Gate Level 4
have no more creatures under this spell than twice their The caster opens a short-ranged spatial rift between two
level or hit dice; if this number is exceeded, the earliest points within one hundred feet per level, provided they
thrall is freed first. can see or have physically occupied both points at some
prior time and provided the two points are at least twenty
feet apart. The rift forms a gateway that connects the
Open the High Road Level 5 two points, one large enough to drive a cart through, and
The caster carves open a metadimensional gate between allows subjects on either side to see through and pass
their present location and a pre-set target point. Attun- through the gate. Ambient environmental qualities such
ing the target point requires an hour of effort, after which as liquids or atmospheres will not pass through the por-
this spell will unerringly open a portal to it from a dis- tal; only intentionally-directed creatures and objects will
tance of up to one hundred miles per caster level. The transfer. Once the creature has passed through a portal, it
portal is large enough to admit a cart and wagon and will cannot pass through again until its next turn. The portal
remain open for up to one minute per caster level, end- remains open for up to one round per caster level, but
ing when they pass through it. The gate is one-way, only can be shut as an Instant action by the caster. Creatures
allowing transit from the caster’s location to the target partially through a rift when it is closed are spat out on
point. Only living creatures and the vehicles they drive the far side.
and objects they carry may pass through; atmosphere
and other environmental phenomena remain on the far
side of the gate. Only one target point may be prepared Resounding Temporal Echo Level 2
for this spell at a time. The caster imbues one visible ally per caster level with a
burst of tremendous speed as their localized time begins
to flow more rapidly. For 1d4+1 rounds, all subjects get
Phantasmal Mimesis Level 1 an extra Main Action during their turn. This Main Ac-
The mage creates a phantasmal seeming at a visible lo- tion may not be used to cast spells or use Arts. This spell
cation within 100 feet per caster level. The illusion can severely taxes those who take advantage of it, adding 1
occupy a number of 10-foot cubes equal to the caster’s System Strain for each round in which the recipient takes
level and can include visual, audible, olfactory, and even the bonus action.
tactile elements. If onlookers have no reason to believe
the illusion is false, they will unconsciously move and
perceive so as to conform to its apparent physical qual- Scorn the Fetters of Earth Level 3
ities, halting before walls, reeling from imagined blows, The caster and up to one visible ally per caster level are
and seeing their clothing burnt by phantasmal flames. briefly granted the ability to move in three dimensions,
The illusion will behave and act on its own in accordance being able to walk and run upward into the air as easily as
with the caster’s intentions for it, but it cannot go more along flat ground. For the rest of the scene, those affect-
than a hundred feet from where it was conjured. Phan- ed can move in such a way, remaining suspended in the
tasmal monsters fight as if they were the caster and do no air after their movement for the round. When the spell
more than 1d8 damage per hit, while phantasmal perils ends, either naturally or upon being dispelled, all affected
do no more than 1d8 damage to creatures affected by targets float gently to the ground. Optionally, the caster
them. Foes brought to zero hit points fall unconscious can instead use this spell on one visible flying creature per
and wake up ten minutes later with 1 hit point. Creatures caster level, which must make a Physical save at a penalty
convinced the illusion is false can make a Mental saving equal to the caster’s Magic skill or be forced to land as
throw each round to reject its psychic influences, becom- they had fallen half the distance they had descended. For
ing immune to its effects. The illusion lasts until dispelled, the rest of the scene, such creatures remain grounded
the caster drops it, or this spell is cast again. and unable to fly.

Phobic Storm Level 3 Sigil of Aeolian Auctoritas Level 4

A wave of numbing terror sweeps over all enemies of the A fierce gust of wind may be conjured in a line a hundred
caster within forty feet. They must immediately make a feet long and thirty feet wide. All creatures of man-size
Morale check at a -1 penalty, with failure causing flight. or smaller must make Physical saves or be bowled over
 63

and blown back thirty feet, losing their next round’s particular target and prevent them or their powers from
Main Action and suffering 1d6 damage. Light wooden crossing or being made to cross the line, as if it were a
constructions or similar structures are flattened by the physical wall. The caster can nominate any kind of tar-
wind. If used outdoors, the spell can instead control the get to be warded that could be distinguished without
local weather, transforming the quarter-mile around the need for knowing their thoughts, such as “humans” or
caster into any climate found normally at that location “non-humans” or “men wearing the livery of the baron”.
at any point during the year. The spell cannot summon a The barrier extends a hundred feet upward and ten feet
tornado or other extreme weather, but it can call rain and downward and blocks any attack or magical power used
conventional storms sufficient to cause flooding in areas by those warded. If the excluded creatures are attacked
prone to it. The gust of wind is instantaneous, but the or targeted by powers from the other side of the barrier,
weather change lasts for one hour per caster level before however, the entire field shatters. The barrier lasts until
reverting to its natural state. dispelled, the caster drops it, or until one hour has passed
per caster level.
The Torment of Tumefaction Level 3
A single visible living creature is smote with a hideous Velocitous Imbuement Level 1
curse of torment. Boils erupt all over their body, blood Unlike most spells, this one may be cast as a simple On
weeps from their orifices, tumors engorge their flesh, and Turn action, targeting up to one visible willing creature
all of their hair falls out almost instantaneously. If they per caster level within one hundred feet. Enchanted crea-
perform any vigorous physical action save defending tures become incredibly fleet of foot, doubling their usual
themselves they incur two points of damage per cast- ground movement rate and becoming capable of running
er level from the effects of the curse, damage which can up walls and across ceilings without falling, provided they
be suffered no more than once per round by a target. A end their round upright on a navigable surface. They may
creature may spend its Main Action to attempt a Phys- also move away from melee opponents without needing
ical save to throw off the curse and return to a glabrous to make a Fighting Withdrawal to avoid a parting attack,
normalcy, but on a failure, the curse remains for the rest and may pass through and around armed foes who do
of the scene. If the creature has fewer hit dice than the not completely physically block their path. The spell lasts
caster has levels, a single failed save means the curse lasts for the remainder of the scene and adds 1 System Strain
indefinitely, until dispelled or the caster releases them. to those who take advantage of it.

Touch of Elucidating Intangibility Level 3 The Verdant Vallation Level 2

The caster touches a solid non-magical barrier when cast- A vast wall of thick, heavy vines and other plant life
ing this spell. A 10 foot cube of the barrier then becomes blooms from a visible point within one hundred feet per
perfectly transparent to the caster, allowing them to see caster level. The wall is ten feet high and one foot thick
and hear whatever lies on the other side as if it were and runs for twenty feet in width per caster level. The
well-lit and visible. Optionally, the caster may make the vine wall can be shaped as the caster wishes within the
barrier insubstantial for one round per caster level, al- spell’s area of effect, so long as it’s contiguous, and may
lowing anyone to pass or shoot through it from either be laid horizontally if a bridge or roof is desired. Enemies
side. The barrier always appears solid and opaque from must inflict five hit points of damage per caster level to
the other side, even while the caster is peering through. cut a man-sized hole in the vines, and they must be us-
If someone is caught within the barrier when it becomes ing weapons or means that could actually cut through a
solid again, they’re spat out on the nearest clear side and wooden wall to do any meaningful harm. The vines may
suffer 2d10 damage. The spell ends when the caster ceas- be optionally covered in long, vicious thorns to discour-
es to touch the barrier or immediately after it has been age climbing, inflicting 2d6 damage on any creature who
made insubstantial. tries to climb over it. If the vine wall is summoned from
earth that could plausibly support plant life, it remains
until dispelled or until it dies naturally. If called from
Vallation of Specified Exclusion Level 3 bare stone or other infertile soils, it withers away to dust
The caster must form some sort of line as part of this at the end of the scene.
spell’s invocation, either with dropped powders or a
trace drawn in the dirt or a more permanent inlay into a
floor. In extremis, the caster can make such a line as part Visitation of the Clement Clime Level 2
of a Move action, tracing it out or scattering powder as The caster and up to three visible allies per caster level are
they go. The line itself may be no longer than twenty shielded from the excesses of hostile elemental energies,
feet per caster level, and may be straight or curved as the becoming immune to mundane extremes of heat and
caster wishes. Once it has been drawn, this spell may be cold and natural acids or electrical discharges. Against
cast, empowering the line with the ability to ward off a magical harm of this nature, they automatically take only
64

half the damage they normally would, or none if they

make a successful Physical saving throw. This spell lasts
for one hour per caster level.

The Wind of the Final Repose Level 1

The mage designates a visible point within two hundred
feet. A silent, invisible burst of soporific influence erupts
from that point, targeting all living creatures within a
twenty-foot radius. All such targets with 4 or fewer hit
dice within that area fall unconscious instantly, and can
be roused only by damage or by a Main Action used to
kick them awake. If not roused, they revive at the end
of the scene. Entities that do not sleep are immune to
this spell.
65
66

High Mages
A High Mage is the product more of a philosophical High Mage PCs may choose to have been taught by
tendency than a specific magical tradition. There are a lone practitioner of the tradition, or they may decide to
countless magical orders that embrace the principles of be part of some larger organization of mages that exists
this path, whether they are the austere master-and-pupil in the campaign world, either as a newly-released appren-
instructors of the Eightfold Lineage, the formal magical tice or a less-successful student who seeks a new path.
schools of the Sodality of Wisdom, the unstructured If the GM doesn’t have any particular magical
teachings of hermit-sorcerers to their apprentices, or a lineages in mind for their campaign setting, the player
host of other organizations named and unnamed across should feel free to make up their own and credit their PC
Latter Earth. as a newly-graduated initiate in the occult arts. Provided
High Mages are united not by an organization, but the GM thinks the player’s creation is reasonable and
by the belief that true power and enlightenment lies in appropriate for the setting, it can be added in as another
the High Magic of the ancients, and that a wizard of element to the campaign.
sense will direct their efforts towards unearthing, under-
standing, and mastering these lost arts. New Magic is a High Mage Benefits
waste of valuable time and effort, a mere fumbling with All High Mages gain Magic as a bonus skill, acquiring
ill-understood tricks when a mage ought to be spending it at level-0, or level-1 if was already level-0. Every High
their labors in better-comprehending the deeper princi- Mage is well-educated in the principles of magic as un-
ples behind the magic of old. derstood by the sorcerers of Latter Earth.
High Mages are skilled at the production of magi- High Mages can prepare and cast High Magic spells,
cal Workings and the development of arcane devices and and have a number of arts dedicated to improving their
standing enchantments, but they rarely ever attempt to use of these incantations. As usual for spellcasters, they
devise New Magic. Instead, they work to unearth lost cannot wear bulky clothing or armor while casting or
spells of High Magic and expand their own grimoires using arts, nor use shields. Mages who have trained to
with more of these potent sorceries. overcome these limits with the Armored Magic Focus
To this end they have developed numerous arts that have more latitude.
help them control and focus the powers of High Mag- High Mages conduct extensive experimentation and
ic. Experienced High Mages can mold and adjust their study as part of their daily activities. This relentless focus
spells in ways that other wizards cannot hope to achieve, helps them master High Magic spells without needing
and they are exceptionally skilled at resisting, undoing, the outside help of tutors and discovered texts. Each
and discerning the magics of others. time they advance a level, they may pick two High Magic
Because of this aptitude it is common for High spells from the list in this book to add to their repertoire.
Mages to be credited as the “orthodox” magical practi- These spells must be of a level they can cast.
tioners of many nations, with their way of doing things High Mages also gain arts specific to their tradition.
taken as the generally correct way for a wizard to conduct At first level, both full and Partial High Mages may pick
their business. Some High Mage organizations push this two from the adjacent list. As they advance in level, they
even further, using their influence to outlaw or suppress can pick more as given in the tables below. Once picked,
rival traditions in their pursuit of arcane lore. these choices are permanent and can’t be changed.

Full High Mage Partial High Mage

Max Spells Spells Max Spells Spells

Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained
1 1 1 2 Any Two 1 1 1 2 Any Two
2 1 1 3 Any One 2 1 1 3
3 2 2 4 3 1 1 3 Any One
4 2 2 5 Any One 4 1 2 4
5 3 3 6 5 2 2 5
6 3 3 7 Any One 6 2 3 6 Any One
7 4 4 8 7 2 3 7
8 4 4 9 Any One 8 2 3 7
9 5 5 10 9 3 4 8 Any One
10 5 6 12 Any One 10 3 4 9
 67

Arts of the High Mages areas allow you to see clearly even in conditions of
High Mage Effort is calculated as usual, with each PC’s perfect darkness.
maximum being equal to one plus their Magic skill level Suppress Magic: Commit Effort for the day as an On
plus the better of their Intelligence or Charisma modi- Turn action and target a visible or known magical
fiers. Partial High Mages have a score one point lower effect within one hundred feet. The effect is sup-
than this, albeit not less than one. pressed as if by the Extirpate Arcana spell for 1d6
rounds plus the caster’s character level. Spells cast
Counter Magic: Commit Effort for the day as an Instant by more powerful casters may not be successfully
action when a visible enemy mage casts a spell. Both suprpessed, as noted in the spell description. The
of you make opposed Int/Magic or Cha/Magic skill caster can attempt to suppress an effect only once.
checks; if you win, their spell fizzles and is wasted. Swift Casting: Commit Effort for the day to turn a spell
This art only works on actual spellcasters and not that normally requires a Main Action to cast into
creatures that merely activate magical powers. You an On Turn action. You can cast no other spell this
can use this art no more than once per round. round.
Empowered Sorcery: Commit Effort for the day as an Ward Allies: Commit Effort for the day as an Instant
Instant action to re-roll any variable die roll associ- action to omit up to six allies from the effects of an
ated with a spell’s effects, such as a damage roll; take area-effect spell you cast, allowing them to avoid
the roll you prefer. any damage or other negative effect that would be
Hang Sorcery: Commit Effort for the day as an Instant directly produced by the spell. This does not protect
action when casting a spell. The spell does not go off, them from indirect consequences, however, such as
but remains “hung” and waiting to be triggered as an destroying the building they are standing in.
On Turn action, with details of targeting and effect
determined at that time. Damage does not disrupt a
hung spell, but no additional spells can be cast until
the hung spell is released or allowed to dissipate.
Inexorable Effect: Commit Effort for the day as an In-
stant action to force an enemy to re-roll a successful
saving throw and take the worse result. You may use
this art only once per round.
Iron Resolution: Commit Effort for the day when injured
or disturbed in combat; you may make a Physical
saving throw to resist spell disruption and ignore
the damage for purposes of spellcasting.
Preparatory Countermagic: Commit Effort for the
scene when you are affected by a spell you have
prepared, including when you are standing in the
area of effect of one of your own damaging spells.
You are unaffected by the spell’s direct effects.
Psychic Conversion: Once per day as an On Turn action,
expend one spell-casting slot to remove one point
of accrued System Strain and regain two lost hit
points per character level.
Restrained Casting: Commit Effort for the day as an
Instant action when casting a High Magic spell. You
may do so in perfect silence and without need for
somatic gestures, though damage will still disrupt
the casting.
Retain Sorcery: Commit Effort for the day as an On
Turn action after casting a spell; it does not count
against your casting limits for the day. You can use High Mages in Other Worlds
this art no more than once per day, and the stress
of using it prevents you from casting another spell The High Mage is a default baseline magic-user
before the end of your next turn. in most campaign settings, easily reflavored as the
Sense Magic: Commit Effort as an Instant action; while most traditional sort of wizard in a world. While
it remains committed, you can visually perceive they lack the specialized talents of more conceptu-
magical energy and get a one-sentence description ally-focused wizards, they have arts that help them
of the effect of any standing magics or magical items excel at using conventional magic.
you inspect. The ambient magical energies in most
68

Elementalists
The long eons of the Legacy have ravaged the natural Some Elementalists learn at the feet of wizened
laws of Latter Earth. Simple properties such as electrical masters, while others belong to formal schools that teach
conductivity, steam pressure, chemical reactions, and oth- the art for the benefit of their patrons. A PC might be
er qualities now no longer behave as they once did and one such student, or some scientist-sage who has devel-
react in unpredictable and unreliable ways. Sages have oped their arts in pursuit of some deeper understanding
demonstrated how some physical reactions that should of the Legacy and its impact on physical laws. Outside
be necessary for basic human life no longer function out- of their formal organizations, Elementalists often find
side of living organisms, suggesting that entire swaths of much to discuss in their occult studies, though differ-
fundamental reality are being supported as special-case ences of opinion regarding the “correct” operation of
exceptions by the power of the Legacy. unaltered reality can sometimes cause bloody disputes.
The intellectual ancestors of the Elementalists at-
tempted to deal with this chaos by returning to the ba- Elementalist Benefits
sics; not the reactions of combustion or the elemental All Elementalists gain Magic as a bonus skill, acquiring it
chemicals, but the classical elements of earth, fire, wind, at level-0, or level-1 if was already level-0. A firm ground-
and water. These substances were thought to be the key ing in the arcane science of Latter Earth is necessary to
to the unfathomable changes of the Legacy, as they were master their particular arts.
simple enough to avoid the decay of complex machines Elementalists can prepare and cast High Magic
and devices, yet complex enough to behave in a logical spells in addition to the New Magic spells specific to El-
way rather than as the chaotic matter of subtler chemical ementalists. Some of the latter are given on the following
compounds. page, but others doubtless exist. As usual for spellcasters,
Elementalists thus seek to use New Magic to con- Elementalists can’t cast spells or use arts while armored
trol these elements, adapting fragments of High Magic or holding a shield.
spells and dimly-understood aspects of the Legacy to Elementalists are not as talented at general High
control their creation and manifestation. By using the Magic research as High Mages are, but their studies still
classical elements as subjects for their magic, the Elemen- bear fruit in time. Each time they advance a level, they
talists believe that they can eventually understand the can pick a new High Magic spell or a New Magic Ele-
logic of the Legacy, and perhaps even learn to control mentalist spell to add to their spellbook. They must be
it, enforcing a new, stable implementation of natural law. able to cast the spell to add it to their selection.
Of course, not all Elementalists are fired by this high Elementalists gain the Elemental Resilience and
zeal. Many simply find the practical uses of flame, stone, Elemental Sparks arts as part of their basic training, and
water, and air to be beneficial for their own ends. The may pick one additional art from the adjacent list. Fur-
fiery rebuke of a master Elementalist can scourge whole ther arts are learned as they advance in character level,
towns, and even less talented mages can work wonders as given in the tables below. Once chosen, an art cannot
in helping others deal with physical obstacles. be changed.

Full Elementalist Partial Elementalist

Max Spells Spells Max Spells Spells

Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained
1 1 1 2 Elemental Resil- 1 1 1 2 Elemental Resil-
ience, Elemental ience, Elemental
Sparks, and Sparks, and
Any One Any One
2 1 1 3 Any One 2 1 1 3
3 2 2 4 3 1 1 3 Any One
4 2 2 5 Any One 4 1 2 4
5 3 3 6 5 2 2 5
6 3 3 7 Any One 6 2 3 6 Any One
7 4 4 8 7 2 3 7
8 4 4 9 Any One 8 2 3 7
9 5 5 10 9 3 4 8 Any One
10 5 6 12 Any One 10 3 4 9
 69

Arts of the Elementalists Pavis of Elements: Commit Effort as an On Turn action

Elementalist Effort is calculated as usual, with each PC’s to conjure an elemental barrier around yourself.
maximum being equal to one plus their Magic skill level The barrier improves your Armor Class by +4 and
plus the better of their Intelligence or Charisma modi- remains as long as the Effort remains Committed.
fiers. Partial Elementalists have a score one point lower Due to the close fit of the elemental shield, it cannot
than this, albeit not less than one. be used in conjunction with armor or a shield.
All Elementalists learn the Elemental Resilience Petrifying Stare: Commit Effort for the day as a Main
and Elemental Sparks arts as part of their basic training. Action and target a visible creature. The creature
Other Arts may be chosen normally afterwards. must make a Physical save or become partially pet-
rified, losing its Move action for a number of rounds
Elemental Resilience: You are unharmed by mundane equal to half your caster level, rounded up. Flying
extremes of cold or by heat less than that of a fur- creatures are forced to land by this art and swim-
nace. You suffer only half damage from magical or ming creatures will inevitably sink to the bottom.
extremely intense flame or frost attacks. Rune of Destruction: Commit Effort for the day as a
Elemental Sparks: You can conjure petty amounts of Main Action and target an adjacent solid surface. A
flame, water, ice, stone, or wind, sufficient to do glowing rune the size of a handprint forms on the
small tricks, chill drinks, light candles, or do other surface and persists for one hour per caster level.
minor things. Conjured substances last no longer Any creature who gets within two feet of the rune
than a scene, and conjured water cannot lastingly will trigger it, causing it to explode in a five-foot
quench thirst. This art cannot actually be useful in radius with an elemental force of your choice and
solving a problem or overcoming a challenge more suffering 2d6 damage plus your caster level. Crea-
than once per game session. tures already within five feet of the rune when it is
laid will not trigger it until they re-enter the area,
Other Elementalist Arts nor will the caster trigger their own runes. Runes
Beckoned Deluge: Commit Effort for the scene as a cannot overlap their area of effect.
Main Action to conjure a considerable amount of Steps of Air: Commit Effort for the scene as an On Turn
water at a visible point within fifty feet per caster action and target a visible ally; for one round per
level. This water is sufficient to drench one 10-foot caster level, the target can fly at their usual move-
cube of matter per character level, making mun- ment rate. If the art ends while they are still in the
dane bowstrings useless, extinguishing flames, and air, they descend harmlessly to the ground. This art
inflicting 1d6 damage per caster level on fiery su- may also be used as an Instant action to negate fall-
pernatural creatures. This water persists indefinitely ing damage for any single target.
after its conjuration and is sufficient to hydrate ten Stunning Shock: Commit Effort for the day as a Main
people per caster level. Action and target a visible creature within fifty feet
Earthsight: Commit Effort for the scene as an On Turn per caster level. The target creature must be wear-
action. For the rest of the scene, you can see the ing or holding at least a pound worth of conductive
outlines of solid objects even in perfect darkness, metal or be considerably dampened. An electrical
and can peer through a number of feet of earth or bolt leaps from the caster to stun the target, causing
stone equal to your character level. them to lose their next Main Action. A Physical sav-
Elemental Blast: Commit Effort for the scene as a Main ing throw can mitigate the effect, causing the target
Action to hurl a blast of some elemental force at to lose their Move action instead of their Main. A
a visible target within fifty feet per character level. creature can be targeted only once per scene by this.
The attack is made normally with Magic as the rel- Thermal Shield: Commit Effort for the scene as an In-
evant combat skill, albeit with bonus to hit equal stant action to immediately negate one instance of
to your character level. On a hit, the attack does fire or frost damage to any single visible ally or ob-
1d6 damage plus your character level. The blast may ject. This defense lasts only long enough to nullify
have collateral effects on inanimate objects in the the single instance of damage.
case of hurled fire or a torrent of pressurized water,
but any conjured matter vanishes at the end of the Elementalists in Other Worlds
round.
Flamesight: Commit Effort as an On Turn action. While The wizard who specializes in a particular variety of
the Effort remains Committed, you can see thermal elemental magic is a familiar fantasy trope. If you
gradients sufficient to distinguish surfaces and liv- want to create such a specialist in a different cam-
ing creatures, even in perfect darkness. Optionally, paign setting, you can do so by giving the Elemen-
you may cause your own eyes to cast a light suffi- talist a few more art and spell options specifically
cient to illuminate your surroundings clearly out to flavored for that element and forbidding them from
a range of 30 feet. taking arts or spells related to other elements.
70

Elementalist New Magic

As with other specialist traditions, the Elementalists have
Wind Walking Level 3
been able to devise a number of New Magic spells in line
with their particular specialties. Only Elementalists may A visible target creature and their possesions are brief-
learn or cast these sorceries. ly transformed into a misty, insubstantial cloud. Only
sources of harm that could conceivably disrupt a cloud
of mist can harm them, and until the spell’s end they may
Flame Scrying Level 1 pass freely into any area that a vapor could reach. They
The elementalist becomes aware of the approximate loca- may move freely in all three dimensions at their normal
tions of all open flames within thirty feet per caster level. movment rate, though they cannot physically manipulate
They may choose one of those flames as a focus for the objects. The spell lasts until the end of the scene or until
scrying, allowing them to see and hear everything around the target or the caster choose to end it.
the flame as if they were present. The spell’s duration
lasts for as long as the elementalist remains motionlessly
focused on it; during this duration, they may switch their Calcifying Scourge Level 4
focus between the various flames in range as they wish. A visible target within one hundred feet must make a
Physical saving throw or be turned to stone. Any size of
living creature may be so transmuted, though inanimate
Aqueous Harmony Level 1 objects larger than a cart cannot. Objects being held or
The elementalist and up to a dozen allies are charmed worn by someone else get a Physical saving throw made
with powers of water-breathing, a tolerance for the pres- by their user. The calcification remains until dispelled
sure and cold of the deeps, and the ability to see through or the caster undoes the magic, but if the object or crea-
water as if it were well-lit air. Ensorceled beings may ture is damaged in the meanwhile, it may end up being
move freely while in the water at their usual movement harmed or killed on its restoration. If the Physical saving
rate and their attacks and projectile weapons are not hin- throw is made successfully by a creature, the target is
dered by the medium, nor are their possessions soaked temporarily slowed, losing its Move action for the next
or damaged. The spell lasts for one hour per caster level, 1d6 rounds.
but will not naturally end so long as a subject is still at
least partially submerged. Only the caster or magical dis-
pelling can stop it under those circumstances. Fury of the Elements Level 5
A combination of molten rock, searing pyroclastic winds,
and superheated steam erupts forth to ravage a chosen
Boreal Wings Level 2 target point within two hundred feet per caster level. The
The elementalist chooses a visible ally within one hun- cataclysmic ruin smites everything within thirty feet of
dred feet; the target becomes capable of swift and easy the target point for 10d10 damage, destroying all conven-
aerial travel, flying at twice their usual movement rate. If tional structures. The zone of devastation then moves 60
the spell ends or is dispelled while aloft, the target de- feet in a random direction at the start of the next round,
scends gently to the earth. This spell lasts for one scene, blasting everything in its path. The zone will continue
though casters of fifth level or more can make it last an to wander in this fashion for 1d6 rounds in total before
hour, and those of eighth level or more can make it last dying out. The molten remnants of the spell remain after
until dawn or dusk, whichever comes next. this duration, a hazard for whomever enters the area for
the rest of the day.
The Burrower Below Level 2
A passage is carved through natural stone or earth, form-
ing a tunnel up to twenty feet long per caster level and up
to ten feet wide and tall. The caster can cause the earth
to compress and pack itself so as to stabilize the tunnel
even in very sandy or burdened soil, or they can allow it
to collapse naturally if burdened by some large structure
or unstable surroundings. This spell can function against
worked stone, but the length of the tunnel is much short-
er, being only two feet per level. Magical stone or earth
cannot be altered by this spell. The caster has basic con-
trol over the direction and interior features of the tunnel,
and can form stairs or other simple structures within it.
71
72

Healers HEALERILLO
H: 4.85
Every culture has need of physicians and menders, and W: 2.93
it is no surprise that many of them would turn to magic
for this need. Healers are those adepts of curative sorcery
who focus on mending wounds, purging diseases, and
preserving the lives of living creatures. They are very rare-
ly the only medical specialists in their native society, but
their remarkable powers are in high demand wherever
they are found.
Healers do not practice High Magic or other forms
of conventional spellcasting. Instead, their training re-
volves around specific techniques for mending damaged
living tissue and the neutralization of diseases and tox-
ins. Conventional medical treatments that revolve around
the germ theory of disease and ancient commonplaces of
physiology aren’t always reliable or valid in the lands of
Latter Earth, and so magical techniques are sometimes
necessary to achieve what antibiotics or surgical interven-
tion could accomplish in a former age.
Not every aspiring physician is cut out to be a Heal-
er. Channeling the magical energies requires the right
traits, and those without these native gifts can’t hope
to be trained successfully. Those with the right magical
potential can look forward to a position of respect and
reward from most societies.
The actual training of a Healer is often left to a mas-
ter-apprentice relationship, with likely candidates serving
out a period of instruction and field practice before being
freed to make their own way. Richer or better-organized Healer Benefits
societies might establish special schools for Healer can- The Healer class exists only as a partial class, to be taken
didates, often patronized by the very nobility they will by an Adventurer along with another partial class. Thus,
later be expected to serve. a Partial Warrior/Partial Healer might be a grizzled
Religious orders are another major source of Heal- combat medic, a Partial Expert/Partial Healer might be
ers, as many monasteries and seminaries are ideally po- an erudite physician gifted in both mundane and magi-
sitioned to identify compatible candidates early in their cal healing methods, and a Partial Necromancer/Partial
careers. In some nations, the very role of a Healer is con- Healer might be an adept of life and death.
sidered a fundamentally religious one, with the powers All Healers gain Heal as a bonus skill, acquiring it at
they wield being special gifts of their patron deity. Such level-0, or level-1 if they already have it at level-0. A basic
Healers are often called upon to act as priests as well. grounding in mundane healing techniques is necessary
in order to learn their more sophisticated magical arts.
Partial Healer Healers do not learn how to cast spells. Instead,
they focus on their special arcane healing arts. Wielding
Level Arts Gained these arts usually requires nothing more than touching
1 Healing Touch and Any One the target and concentrating on the desired effect, and
2 Any One the process is direct and simple enough to perform even
when burdened by armor or carrying a shield.
3
At first level, a Healer gains the Healing Touch art
4 Any One and can pick one more of their choice. As they advance
5 Any One in levels afterwards, they can learn new arts. Once chosen,
an art is permanent and cannot be exchanged.
6 Any One
7
8 Any One
9
10 Any One
 73

Arts of the Healers hours after their restoration before awakening with
Healer Effort is calculated with Heal rather than Magic, 1 hit point.
with each PC’s maximum being equal to their Heal skill Swift Healer: Your Healing Touch ability is improved,
level plus the better of their Intelligence or Charisma and may be used as an On Turn action once per day
modifiers, to a minimum of one point. per character level, though not more than once per
All Healers are trained in the Healing Touch art, round on any given target.
but may develop other techniques with time. The Healer’s Knife: Your Healing Touch ability is altered,
and may be used to inflict damage to a living target
Healing Touch: Commit Effort for the scene as an In- instead of healing it. The damage done is equivalent
stant action; for the rest of the scene, you may heal to the healing that would normally be done, albeit
2d6 damage plus your Heal skill to a touched ally as you receive 1 System Strain instead of the target.
a Main Action. This healing adds 1 System Strain Using this power in melee requires a successful
to the target each time it is applied. Punch attack with a hit bonus equal to your Heal
skill, with the damage added to any done by the
Other Healer Arts blow, or simply touching an unwary target. Ranged
Empowered Healer: Your Healing Touch becomes use with Far Healer is impossible with this art.
more powerful, adding your level to any healing. Tireless Vigor: Commit Effort; while it remains Commit-
Facile Healer: Your Healing Touch ability is improved;, ted you do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep.
and you no longer need to Commit Effort to acti- You may exert yourself tirelessly and regenerate 1
vate it. lost hit point per hour.
Far Healer: Your Healing Touch ability is improved, and Vital Furnace: Your tremendous life energy can be used
may be used on a visible target within ten feet per to instantly regenerate any non-mortal wound you
character level. have received. Commit Effort for the day as an In-
Healer’s Eye: Commit Effort as an On Turn action; stant action to negate the damage from an injury
while the Effort remains committed, you can use a you just received that did not reduce you to zero
Main Action to visually detect diseases and poisons, hit points. Aside from this ability, you automatically
diagnose creatures flawlessly, perceive their physi- stabilize if reduced to zero hit points and awaken
ology, and learn their current hit point totals. As a ten minutes later with 1 hit point. This ability can-
side effect, you can detect living creatures by sight not undo damage you intentionally inflict on your-
regardless of available light or obscuring mists. self via some power or magical exchange.
Limb Restoration: Only expert healers can master this
art, which cannot be learned earlier than 8th level.
You must Commit all remaining Effort for the day,
a minimum of one point, to regenerate a missing
limb or organ for a target you are touching, or efface
some dramatic scar or other physical debility. The
target’s System Strain is automatically maximized.
Purge Ailment: Commit Effort for the scene as a Main Healers in Other Worlds
Action. An ally you are touching is cured of one
poison or disease. Creatures killed by poison can be The classic “cleric” or “priest” concept could be repli-
revived by this art if it is used within one minute of cated by using Healer in conjunction with Warrior
death. Magical poisons and diseases may require a for the armored fighting-cleric or a different flavor
Wis/Heal or Cha/Heal skill check against a diffi- of Mage for the robed spellcasting priest.
culty of 8 or more. The former might pine for some of the wider
Refined Restoration: You and up to a dozen allies you variety of spells often given to such clerics in other
tend before they sleep will all lose 2 System Strain role-playing games, but a GM might be best off just
from a good night’s rest instead of 1. adding the most characteristic of those powers or
Revive the Fallen: Only expert healers are capable of deity-specific gifts as optional arts the PC can pick.
mastering this art, which cannot be learned earlier However it’s decided, a GM should be care-
than 8th level. Commit Effort for the day as a Main ful not to make magical healing the only source of
Action to revive a recently-slain living creature that quick hit point recovery in their campaign unless
you are touching. This ability must be used on a they want every party to require a Healer or the
target within one minute per caster level of their equivalent. The first aid rules on page XX should
death, and will not work on a corpse that has been allow a party without a Healer to still recover after
dismembered, incinerated, or otherwise disjected. a fight, even if it’s less efficient than a magical healer
The target’s System Strain is automatically maxi- and not practical for use mid-combat.
mized and they’ll be unconscious for twenty-four
74

Necromancers
The Legacy has changed much in the eons that have Unsurprisingly, Necromancers have a checkered
passed since humanity first obtained its power, but death reputation among people. Their life-prolonging re-
remains the common fate of all. Whether king or peasant, search is eagerly sought by the rich and powerful, but
all must find the grave in time. also often outlawed on the basis of their supposed dep-
Necromancers are those sorcerers who are not sat- redations and the worries of anxious heirs. Some more
isfied with this finality. Through study of ancient records broad-minded or amoral polities allow Necromancers
and the examination of the countless fragments of heal- to operate openly, but usually a considerable amount of
ing magic and restorative arcana that still persist in the discretion is necessary.
Latter Earth, they have concluded that at one point in A Necromancer PC was likely taught in secret by
the past, humanity was immortal. The Legacy once pre- a mentor who either posed as a High Mage or kept his
served all the children of Earth from their final dissolu- powers entirely hidden. Some nations do have actual
tion, and only through the malice of the Outsiders and open orders and schools of necromancy, however, though
some unfathomable historical change was this blessed such organizations tend to be havens for the worst im-
state ever undone. pulses of the tradition, where the most ruthless and sav-
Necromancers are determined to restore this lost age of sorcerers rise highest in the hierarchy.
immortality. Some seek it only for their own selfish pur-
poses, while others wish to make war on Death itself and Necromancer Benefits
drive it out of the world once more. The ancient powers All Necromaners gain Magic as a bonus skill, acquiring
that once granted every human a perpetual life of vigor, it at level-0, or level-1 if was already level-0. The arts of
health, and happiness must be renwed once more, and all life and death require a proper education in the occult
the corruptions and bars that banished that state must to practice correctly.
be undone. Necromancers can prepare and cast High Magic
The path to this immortality is regrettably laden spells in addition to the New Magic spells specific to
with corpses. Only by studying death itself and exam- Necromancers. Some of the latter are given on the fol-
ining the intricate relationship between the Legacy and lowing page, but others doubtless exist. As usual for spell-
unliving flesh can the deeper secrets of life be unlocked. casters, Necromancers can’t cast spells or use arts while
Some zealous Necromancers are inclined to unlist un- armored or holding a shield.
willing “volunteers” for this work, while others content Necromancers are not as talented at general High
themselves with the naturally dead and the remains of Magic research as High Mages are, but their studies still
those who cannot object. bear fruit in time. Each time they advance a level, they
Skilled Necromancers are able to imbue corpses can pick a new High Magic spell or a New Magic Nec-
with a semblance of life, evoking ancient Legacy proto- romancer spell to add to their spellbook. They must be
cols to call back shadows of intellect or echoes of former able to cast the spell to add it to their selection.
identity. Actual full restoration of the long-dead is con- Necromancers can pick an art specific to their tra-
sidered the hallmark of true arch-mastery of this tradi- dition from the adjacent list. Further arts are learned as
tion, but only a Legate-Necromancer is ever apt to have they advance in character level, as given in the tables be-
that kind of power. low. Once chosen, an art cannot be changed.

Full Necromancers Partial Necromancers

Max Spells Spells Max Spells Spells

Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained Level Level Cast Prepared Arts Gained
1 1 1 2 Any One 1 1 1 2 Any One
2 1 1 3 Any One 2 1 1 3
3 2 2 4 3 1 1 3 Any One
4 2 2 5 Any One 4 1 2 4
5 3 3 6 5 2 2 5
6 3 3 7 Any One 6 2 3 6 Any One
7 4 4 8 7 2 3 7
8 4 4 9 Any One 8 2 3 7
9 5 5 10 9 3 4 8 Any One
10 5 6 12 Any One 10 3 4 9
 75

Arts of the Necromancers You may Commit Effort for the scene as an Instant
Necromancer Effort is calculated as usual, with each PC’s action to negate any single attack, magical power
maximum being equal to one plus their Magic skill level or spell an undead uses against you. Undead with
plus the better of their Intelligence or Charisma modi- more than twice as many hit dice as you have levels
fiers. Partial Necromancers have a score one point lower cannot be foiled this way.
than this, albeit not less than one. Red Harvest: You are empowered by death. As an Instant
action, whenever a creature with at least one hit die
Bonetalker: You can see and communicate with any un- perishes within fifty feet of you, Commit Effort for
dead creature, regardless of a shared language or the the day to gain hit points equal to twice their hit
creature’s natural state of invisibility. By Commit- dice. This bonus can increase your hit points above
ting Effort for the scene you can sense the surface their normal maximum, but any excess is lost at the
thoughts of any visible undead, including an im- end of the scene.
pression of any commands or behavior it has been Unaging: You no longer naturally age, and will remain
ordered to carry out. Unintelligent undead will not perfectly hale and vigorous up to your species’ natu-
attack you or your companions unless specifically ral maximum age plus 20% per character level, after
compelled to do so by a command or a master. Even which you will collapse into dust and decay. Immor-
intelligent undead will generally pause at least for tality beyond this point is possible, but generally
an initial parley before attacking. requires consistent supplies of life energy, occult
Cold Flesh: You no longer require sleep. You can suffer materials, or other difficult-to-acquire or morally
no more than 1 point of damage from any given questionable materials. You also become immune
instance of Shock and you have a natural Armor to poisons and diseases.
Class equal to 14 plus half your level, rounded down. Unliving Persistence: Commit Effort for the day as an
Consume Life Energy: By making a Punch attack or On Turn action to automatically stabilize when
using a melee weapon you have spent at least an Mortally Wounded. You may use this ability to
hour properly consecrating, you can absorb a por- benefit others if you are able to touch them. This
tion of the damage you inflict on others as healing ability cannot save a subject that has experienced-
to yourself. For each successful attack you make dismemberment, incineration, or other extremely
with such implements, you heal 1d6 damage, up to final deaths.
a maximum of the damage done by the attack You
cannot drain more life than the target has remaining
hit points.
False Death: Commit Effort as an Instant action; while
it remains Committed you appear dead to all mun-
dane examination. You cannot move while “dead”,
but can perceive your surroundings normally and
do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or perform other
bodily functions. Poisons and diseases do not prog-
ress in you while you are “dead”. You can maintain
this state of death for up to one day per level before
needing at least an hour to recover.
Gravesight: Commit Effort as an On Turn action; while
it remains Committed, you can see the life energies
of living creatures around you as various glowing
patterns, regardless of the mundane illumination
available. You can perceive sicknesses, poisons, and
other physical qualities on sight. As a side effect of
this ability, you can see normally even in perfect
blackness. Necromancers in Other Worlds
Life Bridge: You can transfer life force between willing or Death wizards are a mainstay of fantasy literature,
helpless participants. Commit Effort for the day; for and the Necromancer can work well for adding
the rest of the scene, you can shift hit points from such flavor to different campaign worlds. They don’t
one willing or helpless living creature to another as necessarily need to be naturally malevolent casters,
a Main Action, provided you are touching both. You however; it’s quite possible to build a more moral-
can shift enough hit points to kill a donor, but you ly-neutral broker of life energy or undead-hunter
can’t give more to the recipient than would refresh with this class. You can drop the class in whenever
their maximum allowed hit points. you need some mechanics to represent such mages.
Master of Bones: Undead must roll twice to save ver-
sus your abilities or spells and take the worse roll.
76

Necromancer New Magic

As with other specialist traditions, the Necromancers becomes suicidally loyal to its creator. The corpse has no
have been able to devise a number of New Magic spells natural volition, but will obey commands with a human
in line with their particular specialties. Only Necroman- degree of intelligence. It has only vague memories of its
cers may learn or cast these sorceries. prior life, and while it may retain human tics or habits
it had in life it can answer only the simplest and most
self-evident questions. Damage to a corpse cannot be re-
Query the Skull Level 1 paired. The corpse continues to exist until it is destroyed
This spell requires a corpse with largely-intact organs of or its creator releases it. A necromancer cannot have
communication. The corpse cannot have been dead for more active subjects of this spell than their character level.
more than one day per caster level. Once sorceled, the
corpse will answer up to one question per caster level,
with the caster understanding the answers regardless of Enfeebling Wave Level 2
the creature’s natural language. Corpses are laconic, and A wash of debilitating force erupts in a 20-foot radius at a
generally answer in no more than one or two sentences; visible point within one hundred feet. All living creatures
their replies will be truthful, but tend to be literal and within the area must make a Physical saving throw or
they have no power to hypothesize or make judgments. for the rest of the scene their movement rate is halved
This spell may not be used twice on the same corpse. and they must make all attack and damage rolls twice
and take the worse result. If the save is successful, these
penalties apply only to their next turn.
Smite the Dead Level 1
The necromancer conjures a blast of dispelling force at a
point within one hundred feet per caster level, affecting Compel Flesh Level 3
an area up to 20 feet in radius. All hostile undead with- A visible living creature or physically-bodied undead
in that area immediately suffer 1d10 damage per caster within 100 feet is ensorceled by this spell, their flesh and
level. Undead with hit dice equal or less than the caster’s bones becoming temporarily enthralled to the caster’s
level must make a Physical save or be destroyed outright. will. The target becomes paralyzed unless commanded by
The necromancer may Commit Effort for the day imme- the caster as an On Turn action; once given a command,
diately after casting this spell to restore it to their mind their body will dutifully carry it out on their next turn.
for use again. The user’s mind is not affected by this spell, so they can-
not be made to cast spells, answer questions, or perform
other intellectual tasks, but they will fight, move, and
Command the Dead Level 1 perform other non-suicidal physical acts as normal. The
The necromancer exerts their will over a number of hit target may make a Physical saving throw at the start of
dice worth of undead equal to twice their character level. each of their turns to throw off the effect, but they will
These undead must be visible and within one hundred inevitably suffer one point of damage per caster level
feet of the caster. Undead get a Mental saving throw with each attempt as their flesh writhes and tears. If not
to resist this binding, at a penalty equal to the caster’s thrown off earlier, the spell lasts until the end of the scene.
Magic skill. Creatures only partially-bewitched by the
spell due to their excess hit dice merely stand dazed for a
round. Those fully within the hit die cap who are affected Raise Grave Knight Level 4
become suicidally loyal to the necromancer until they The corpse used for this spell must be of a relatively pow-
are released by the caster. Regardless of how often the erful creature with at least four hit dice or levels. The
caster uses this spell, they may have no more than twice result is much like that of the Raise Corpse spell, but
their level worth of hit dice bound at any one time, with this undead servitor is much stronger, with 4 HD, AC
the oldest-enchanted being released if newer victims are 15, a Move of 40’/action, a +1 skill bonus, saves of 13+,
bound. Morale of 12, and a melee attack of +6/1d10, assuming
it doesn’t use a normal weapon. It is fully intelligent and
self-willed, albeit utterly devoted to its creator, and it re-
Raise Corpse Level 2 members a significant amount about its prior life. A grave
The necromancer targets a mostly-intact skeleton or knight regains all lost hit points at dusk each day, assum-
corpse, imbuing it with a semblance of life. Whatever ing it’s not destroyed. A caster may have only one grave
the creature’s attributes were in life, it now has 1 HD, an knight active at a time, and one that has been reduced to
AC of 13, a Move of 30’/round, a +0 skill bonus, saves zero hit points is destroyed and cannot be revived.
of 15+, a +1/1d6 unarmed melee attack, and a Morale
of 12. Its decay or dissolution immediately ceases, and it
 77

Everlasting Level 5

The spell may be triggered as an Instant action by the

caster, imparting a burst of unquenchable life force to all
allied creatures within 50 feet. For the next five rounds,
no affected ally can be reduced below 1 hit point, regard-
less of the damage inflicted upon them. At the end of
the spell’s effect, the caster’s own life energy is exhausted,
leaving them with only 1 hit point. A creature can benefit
from this spell no more than once per day.
78

Vowed
Innumerable sects of bodily adepts can be found through- knocked loose from their former homes by the vagaries
out Latter Earth, each determined to master the hidden of chance, however, and must set out alone to avenge a
capabilities of their body and spirit. Some focus on a ruined monastery or slain master… or escape the censure
religious or philosophical dedication to the task, while of instructors who find them unfit to represent the order
others see only practical benefit in honing their bodies to the outside world.
to a pitch of superhuman prowess. These “Vowed” are
those men and women who have attained some measure Vowed Benefits
of success in their quest. The Vowed class exists only as a partial class, to be taken
The ancient Legacy was tuned to provide numerous by an Adventurer along with another partial class. Thus,
benefits and augmentations to human beings. Despite a Partial Warrior/Partial Vowed might be a hardened
the interference of the Outsiders and the the inevitable temple warrior-monk, a Partial Expert/Partial Vowed
corruption of eons, some threads of this ancient power might be a sage teacher of religious or philosophical
still remain, and the Vowed practice secret techniques for truths, and a Partial Elementalist/Partial Vowed might
awakening this power within them. be a mountain sage who wields the elemental forces of
Not all of these sects do so through innocent means nature in conjunction with his practices of bodily puri-
of meditation, training, and diet. Some employ terrible fication.
rituals of blood and unclean sorcery to imbue their ad- All Vowed gain a non-combat bonus skill appropri-
epts with supernatural power, while others have made ate to their order, acquiring it at level-0, or level-1 if they
certain pacts with Outsiders or stranger entities in order already have it at level-0. Orders that focus on physical
to get the help they need to awaken their strength. Savage training might grant Exert, while scholarly ones might
brawlers and bestial warriors are as often found among give Know, religious ones Pray, or occult sects grant Mag-
the Vowed as are serene ascetics and philosophers. ic. You may pick whatever non-combat skill suits your
Vowed sects are commonly found as guardians to order, assuming the GM finds it reasonable.
some powerful organization, perhaps as royal guards Vowed do not learn how to cast spells. Instead, they
or temple defenders for a faith. A few are wholly inde- refine their inner powers and physical capabilities. These
pendent orders, perhaps dedicated to some religious or arts are too precise and delicate to bear the encumbrance
philosophical quest or else a secular power that the locals of heavy clothing, armor, or shields, and cannot be used
look to for defense and lordship. Occasionally the lines when so burdened. The Armored Magic Focus can mit-
blur, with temple priests becoming mundane lords as well igate this, but Vowed are all trained in effective unar-
as spiritual leaders. mored defense techniques.
Vowed are usually trained in monasteries or retreats At first level, a Vowed gains the Unified Style, Un-
dedicated to that purpose. A strict hierarchy of masters armed Might, and Unarmored Defense arts, in addition
and disciples is common to most sects, and many mem- to one more art of their choice as given on the adjacent
bers might spend their entire lives laboring on behalf of list. Further advancement will grant additional arts,
the sect’s faith or political interests. Some Vowed are though once chosen they cannot be changed.

Partial Vowed
Vowed in Other Worlds
Punch Hit Punch Punch
Level Bonus Damage Shock Arts Gained Bare-knuckled fighting monks and
1 +0 1d6 1/15 Unified Style, Unarmed Might, prowling ninjas are commonplaces
Unarmed Defense, in some campaign worlds, and the
and Any One Vowed can be used to represent both
archetypes, as well as any other that
2 +1 1d6 2/15 Any One your specific setting might require.
3 +1 1d8 2/15 The particular flavor of a given
unarmed combatant can be adjusted
4 +2 1d8 2/15 Any One
by the other partial class they take,
5 +2 1d10 2/15 Any One such as ninjas perhaps picking up the
6 +3 1d10 3/15 Any One stealth and subterfuge skills of a Par-
tial Expert, or a grimly determined
7 +3 1d10+1 3/15
order of guardian monks taking the
8 +4 1d10+1 3/15 Any One Partial Warrior class. Monks with
9 +4 1d10+2 4/15 exceptionally strange powers may
have additional art options.
10 +5 1d10+3 4/15 Any One
 79

Arts of the Vowed Commit Effort for the scene as an Instant action to
Vowed Effort is based on the skill they chose to represent negate falling damage, no matter the distance.
their order’s main focus of study, whether Exert, Know, Master’s Vigor: Your body retains its vigor and youthful
Magic, Pray, or some more esoteric skill. vitality to the full normal span of your life. You re-
Their maximum Vowed Effort is equal to this skill gain two lost hit points per hour due to your natural
level plus their best attribute modifier, whatever it may restorative powers.
be, to a minimum of one point. All Vowed automatical- Nimble Ascent: Commit Effort for the scene as an On
ly gain the Unified Style, Unarmed Might, and Unar- Turn action. For the remainder of the scene you
mored Defense arts as part of their basic training. may move up vertical and overhanging surfaces and
across difficult terrain at your full movement rate
Unified Style: When making attacks that use the Punch with no chance of slipping or falling, provided the
skill, your class hit bonus can be no worse than that surface is not glass-smooth or enchanted. You re-
of an Expert of your same character level, as noted quire only one free hand to cling to a wall or ceiling.
on the Vowed class table. At third level, any attack Purified Body: You may Commit Effort for the day as
using the Punch skill counts as a magic weapon an Instant action to cure any disease or poison cur-
against foes immune to mundane steel. rently affecting you, or instead to negate any need
Unarmed Might: Your unarmed attack damage increases for sleep, food, water, or air for the next 24 hours.
as you gain levels, as noted on the chart. You may Revivifying Breath: Commit Effort for the day as an On
add your Punch skill to the damage done by these Turn action to restore hit points equal to 1d6 plus
attacks as usual, but Foci such as Unarmed Com- your character level. This healing does not increase
batant that replace or improve your usual Punch your System Strain. This ability may be used on
damage do not apply to you. your turn even when you are at zero hit points, but
Unarmored Defense: When not wearing armor or using in such a case it Commits all your remaining Effort
a shield, your base AC is equal to 13 plus half your for the day. You may use this art only once per scene.
character level, rounded down. Shattering Strike: Commit Effort for the day and take
a full round of motionlessness to prepare. On the
Other Vowed Arts next round, as a Main Action, your unarmed attack
Brutal Counter: Commit Effort for the scene as an In- can shatter a wooden door, wooden wall, or other
stant action after resolving an enemy melee attack similar object up to a depth of one foot per level and
against you, whether it hits or misses. You may a width sufficient to allow a man-sized creature to
make a free physical attack against your assailant, pass through. At fourth level this ability improves
using either a normal attack or some other offensive to affect even a stone wall and at seventh it can affect
ability that takes no more than one Main Action to even a metal wall or solid iron door. The blow is
execute. You cannot use this art more than once per useless against a target that can move, but against an
any given attack, but you may use it while perform- immobilized creature the attack does 1d12 damage
ing a Total Defense. per character level.
Faultless Awareness: Your awareness is such that you Style Weaponry: Pick three general classes of weapons,
cannot be surprised, and will even wake from a such as “swords”, “bows”, “axes”, “daggers”, or the like.
sound sleep in time to respond normally to some When using weapons of those classes, you may use
imminent peril. Punch for hit rolls instead of Stab or Shoot. Your
Hurling Throw: After you make a successful attack, you Punch skill does not add to the damage done by
may Commit Effort for the scene as an Instant ac- these weapons, however, though the benefits of
tion. The target must make a Physical saving throw Unified Style apply to their hit rolls.
or be thrown up to ten feet in any direction, falling Unobtrusive Step: You not only possess a considerable
prone on landing and suffering the damage rolled skill for disguise and obfuscation, you can become
for your attack. If the Physical save is successful, the extremely hard to detect. Once per scene, you may
target simply takes damage as normal. This art can Commit Effort for the day as an Instant action to
be used only once per round on any given target, reroll a failed Sneak skill check or skill check related
and the target must be no larger than an ox. to impersonating someone else.
The Inward Eye: Commit Effort as an On Turn action. Veiled Strike: Commit Effort for the scene as an On
For as long as it remains Committed, you are mys- Turn action before touching an unresisting or un-
tically aware of your surroundings with a sense suspecting target. Inflict normal unarmed attack
equivalent to normal eyesight regardless of darkness, damage, but it appears to be no more than a touch
obscuring mists, or your actual eyes being closed or innocent gesture to onlookers. The victim is un-
or blinded. aware of the harm unless they make a successful
Leap of the Heavens: Commit Effort for the scene as Physical save to notice. Targets reduced to zero hit
a Move action to leap up to your full Move action points by this can either be killed or struck uncon-
horizontally or half that vertically. You may also scious at your discretion.
80

Developing New Spells

It’s a normal inclination for both GMs and players to Spell Research
want to add new spells to a mage’s repertoire. Spell re-
search is a normal pastime of almost all mages, and it’s Spell Lab Materials Time
a useful sink for the money that the wizard might have Level Cost Cost Needed
earned in their adventuring. GMs should generally be 1 100,000 sp 50,000 sp 1 month
willing to let PC wizards come up with new spells, pro-
2 250,000 sp 100,000 sp 2 months
vided they fit the tone of the campaign.
High Mages very rarely create New Magic spells. 3 500,000 sp 200,000 sp 4 months
Their time and effort is spent unraveling the secrets of 4 1,000,000 sp 400,000 sp 8 months
the past and trying to discover lost High Magic sorceries.
5 2,500,000 sp 800,000 sp 2 years
Where an Elementalist might spend her time patching
together fragments of other sorceries to create a spell, a Once the lab is established, the raw materials gath-
High Mage would be poring over ancient books, search- ered, and the necessary time taken, the mage makes an
ing for leads to new avenues of research and mentions of Int/Magic skill check against a difficulty equal to 10 plus
magic now lost to the world. Mechanically, it works out the spell level. If they have apprentices to assist them,
the same way; the Elementalist will eventually develop a they can add +1 to their skill check. Specialist mages
New Magic spell of her own, while the High Mage will researching New Magic in their own field add an addi-
piece together a lost High Magic spell that fits his own tional +1 to the skill check, so an Elementalist research-
desired effects. ing a New Magic spell of elemental nature would get
To research a new spell, the wizard’s player first the bonus, as would a Necromancer researching a spell
writes up the spell they want to develop. The GM then about undeath. Special resources or uniquely apposite
checks the spell against the guidelines given below, ad- grimoires gathered on an adventure might add an addi-
justing it where it’s necessary. If it passes, an appropriate tional bonus to the roll.
level is assigned to the spell and the PC can begin the If the roll is successful, the spell is perfected and
magical research process. Researching a spell requires a added to the caster’s grimoire. They can teach it to other
properly-equipped laboratory, raw materials, and time. wizards if they wish, or keep it to themselves. Specialist
The laboratory must be established in a secure, ser- magic can only be learned by wizards of the same tradi-
viceable room or building. A lab sufficient for researching tion; if they took the spell research skill check bonus, it’s a
a level 1 or 2 spell can fit into a room, one for a 3rd level specialist spell. Spells devised by High Mages are almost
spell can fit into a house, one for a 4th level spell can fit inevitably rediscovered High Magic and can be learned
into a wizard’s tower, and a lab suitable for devising a by any mage capable of casting such.
new 5th level spell needs its own subterranean research If the roll is a failure, the wizard has a choice. They
complex or similar edifice. The cost for the lab is given can abandon their research and start over from scratch,
on the adjacent table; this does not include the price for expending new resources and time, or they can roll on
the building itself. The necessary materials for a lab can the formula flaw table. This flaw becomes part of their
generally be acquired in any major city, provided it’s not spell, as adjusted by the GM. Some flaws might not be
hostile to sorcerers. problematic at all; a spell only ever designed to affect the
The raw materials must also be purchased in a city caster isn’t much hindered by only being usable on willing
or gathered from ransacked lairs by adventurers. They targets. Other flaws might make the spell worthless or
include occult materials, esoteric creature body parts, force the PC to start over. If the caster decides to live with
specialized lab equipment, and obscure monographs and the flaw and continue research, they can spend half the
grimoires. These materials are used up in the process of required research time and make a new skill check at a
research. cumulative +1 bonus, with no need to spend additional
The time required for researching a spell varies with resources.
its complexity, as given on the table. A wizard can halve A determined and unlucky mage may repeat this
this time by spending twice as much on raw materials. process several times, accruing new flaws each time and
A wizard can adventure and perform other tasks during increasing their bonus until they eventually come up with
that time, including the development of Workings or the a functioning spell. It may be so gnarled by flaws as to be
construction of magical items, but they can’t simultane- scarcely recognizable as their original intent, but they can
ously research two spells at once. Wizards kept entirely add it to their grimoire all the same.
away from their labs for weeks or months at a time might
suffer a halt to the work until they can get back to it.
 81

New Spell Criteria Spells should not be petty. Latter Earth does not
When planning out your new spell, you should keep have much in the way of “trivial” magic spells, and can-
the following basic principles in mind. They are not trips that perform some minor change should not be
iron laws to be followed in all situations, but a spell allowed unless you want to change the general flavor of
that breaks one of these rules should be inspected very magic as a whole. Every spell should do something big,
carefully. Don’t worry about trying to balance spells for with even the smallest damaging spell capable of killing
the abstract masses; worry about balancing them for the someone and the least magical effect having some degree
specific people and situations at your table. If you know of wonder about it.
that a particular player is a bad match for a particular Steal spells from existing games. You can usually
spell effect, then don’t approve it, even if the effect itself borrow spells from other old-school games or the classic
seems innocuous. TSR role-playing games of the eighties and nineties with
Spells should not substitute for other classes. If impunity, but halve their levels to figure out where they’d
a spell gives a mage the combat prowess of a Warrior fit in Worlds Without Number. Thus, a 9th level spell
or substitutes for an arbitrary selection of skills, it’s too in the original game might be a 5th level spell in this one.
much. For specific groups, make sure that a spell doesn’t First-level spells should be upgraded if you import them,
substitute for the main concept of another PC in the because most 1st level spells are too weak to fit well in
party; if another PC’s concept is that of a gifted musician, this world. Keep in mind the other principles on this list
don’t allow new spells that make the wizard a supernat- when importing spells, however, as other games rarely
ural singer. Keep a special eye out for summoning spells, follow all of them.
as any summoned creature that’s remotely comparable to
a same-level Warrior needs to come with serious draw-
backs in usability or duration.
Spells should not offer simple numeric bonuses. A
spell might add a bonus to hit rolls or damage rolls as a d10 Formula Flaws
minor consequence of its effect, but a spell fundamentally 1 The spell can only target the caster.
made to increase a score or add a bonus to something 2 The spell only works on willing targets.
should not be approved. Magic is meant to create im-
3 Your prior work is mistaken; the formula is not
possible effects and alter the ground rules of a situation.
changed, but you don't get the cumulative
If it simply amplifies the existing abilities of the group, it
+1 bonus on the research roll for this or prior
changes nothing in actual play.
research continuations,
Spells should not offer cheap and easy combat
damage. No mage can cast very many spells each day, 4 The spell can only target people other than
but it’s important that the combat spells they do have the caster.
be heavy, loud, clumsy things rather than easy magical 5 The spell is unusually slow, taking at least a
bolts of unavoidable damage. Area-effect spells should Main Action to cast, or two Main Actions
not normally be able to exclude friendlies from their over the course of two consecutive rounds if it
damage. If the spell’s damaging effect is clean and simple, already takes a Main Action to cast.
it should only affect one target. Think of mages as artil-
6 The spell is very draining, exhausting two
lery rather than snipers; when they hit something, they
spells worth of energy for the day instead of
tend to hit everything around it, too.
one.
Spells should not create permanent magical ef-
fects or valuable matter. Any lasting changes the spell 7 The spell inflicts a severe backlash on the
creates need to be sustainable by the existing situation. caster, adding 1d4 System Strain to them. If
Growing plants in earth is one thing, but growing them this maximizes their System Strain, they fall
on bare rock is something that should be a temporary unconscious for ten minutes and can't cast this
effect. Creating rocks isn’t much of an issue, but creating spell again until some System Strain is lost.
lumps of gold shouldn’t be a persistent change. 8 The spell is more difficult than it seems, being
Spells that buff a target shouldn’t last more than one level higher than expected. This doesn't
a scene. This rule is somewhat looser, as buff spells that increase the research costs or time, but if
are intended to make the target viable in a hostile envi- you can't cast a spell of that level, the entire
ronment, such as water-breathing or cold-climate surviv- project fails.
al, might last for a full day. Their purpose is to make an 9 The spell is simply unreliable in its effects;
adventure possible, so making them last as long as the whenever it's cast, roll 1d6. On a 1, the spell
adventure is reasonable. Buff spells that add new powers fizzles uselessly and the casting slot is wasted.
or benefits to a target shouldn’t last longer than a scene,
however, or else they tend to turn into permanent powers 10 The whole effort was a tragic mistake. All
that just happen to cost a slot. progress and research materials are lost and
everything must be done over from the start.
82

Building Magical Workings

As potent as the Legacy is, it can be no surprise that var- Magical Working Costs
ious sorcerers and artificers have channeled it into use-
ful edifices and standing magical effects. In the jargon of Difficulty Area Difficulty
wizards, a Working is any stationary, persistent magical Degree Points Affected Multiplier
effect or structure, such a magical ever-flowering spring, Trivial 1-4 Room x1
an array of heatless eternal lamps, or a persistent curse
Minor 4-8 Building x4
that blights all within its reach. Unlike a conventional
magical item, a Working cannot be moved from its set Major 8-16 Village x16
location, and unlike a spell it will normally persist until Great 16-32 City x64
damage or thaumic decay finally disperse it.
Supreme N/A Region x256
Workings come in five commonly-recognized tiers:
trivial, minor, major, great, and supreme. Trivial Work- This difficulty is then multiplied by the area the
ings might be some minor magic like an enchanted light Working will affect. If the magic spring merely pours a
source, while a supreme effort might transform a whole small stream of water into the kitchen cellar, the area
city into a flying metropolis. While lesser Workings are might only be that of a Room; if the stream was meant
still possible for skilled and erudite mages of Latter Earth, to provide a moat around a wizard’s keep, it would affect
supreme Workings are too mighty to be accomplished a Building, or perhaps even a Village-sized area. If the
by anyone short of a Legate. Examples persist from the spring was to irrigate miles of surrounding countryside,
former ages of the world, and surviving supreme Work- it would affect a whole Region, and would probably be
ings can be wonders renowned throughout whole nations, a great Working to boot, if not supreme. The difficulty
but they are beyond duplication by conventional sorcery. total is multiplied by the given multiplier of the biggest
A Working requires a skilled mage, a great deal of area affected, so if the 16-point example above affected
resources, and a considerable amount of time. Details can the whole wizard’s tower, its final difficulty would be 64
vary based on the arcane suitability of the landscape or points.
especially powerful, useful components, but even a trivial The architect must then demonstrate that they can
Working is no minor labor. actually design such a Working. A given designer multi-
To create the Working, the architect must first be a plies their character level by their Magic skill level times
spellcaster of at least 6th level, whether a full Mage or a two. Thus, a 6th level High Mage with Magic-3 skill
Partial Mage. Mage classes that do not cast spells cannot would have a total of 36. If this total is equal or greater
normally create Workings, as their magic is insufficient- than the Working’s difficulty, they can establish it alone.
ly flexible. Less-accomplished spellcasters also lack the If it’s at least half the difficulty, they can build it if they
practical experience necessary to mold the powers. can find other mages to help them and make up the miss-
The architect then decides what exactly the Working ing points. If it’s less than half the difficulty, the whole
should do. The table on the opposite page gives examples enterprise is too difficult for them to envision.
of different Workings and the effects they might produce. If the Working is designed properly and enough
The player involved discusses any custom ideas with the help is had, it can be constructed at a cost of 50,000
GM, using the examples as guidelines. A single Working silver pieces per point of difficulty and a time cost of one
may involve multiple effects, but they should be closely month, plus one week per five points of difficulty or frac-
aligned; enchantments that provide a magical spring, hot tion thereof. If the cost is doubled, the work can be done
water, enchanted lamps, and a pleasant climate might all in half this time. Note that this construction only applies
be established as part of the same housekeeping Working, to the magical components of the Working; if the mage
but placing a ward against devils and a magical garden at means to enchant a wall, the wall must already be built. A
the same time might not be so plausible. mage can generally adventure and do other things while
The the GM then decides the total difficulty of the completing a Working, but if they are taken away from
Working by adding up the difficulty point cost of each the site for too long, the work may halt in their absence.
element of it. The adjacent table gives common ranges for While Workings are generally very durable, inten-
each degree of difficulty, and the GM should pick a num- tional sabotage of critical points or the slow decay of ages
ber that sounds right; the pettiest of petty Trivial magics can end up corrupting or destroying them, sometimes
might be 1 point, while something that could maybe even with catastrophic results. It is for this reason that many
be Minor in strength would be 4 points. The total cost of the Workings found in ancient Deeps or forgotten
of the Working is whatever element costs most plus half ruins are dangerous or perverse, and many nations that
the rest, rounded up. Thus, if some 10-point major effect could at least theoretically afford the construction of
also had a 3-point trivial effect and 8-point minor effect Workings avoid making use of them.
bundled with it, the whole would have a difficulty of 16
points.
 83

Type Example Elements of a Working

Trivial Bar ordinary vermin from the area
Trivial Create lights, or illusions that are obviously illusions
Trivial Destroy wastes, dusts, or other nonliving matter
Trivial Heats or chills things within normal climate ranges
Trivial Preserve foodstuffs indefinitely
Trivial Provide cooking heat in specific places within the area
Trivial Provide plumbing or ventillation, assuming water and air supplies exist
Minor Communicate between points in the area
Minor Create convincing illusions that are still disproven by close interaction
Minor Create guardian entities of limited intellect equivalent to a 2 hit die combatant
Minor Create water or a common inedible material
Minor Improve natural healing within the area, doubling natural System Strain and hit point recovery
Minor Inflict minor damage on a target, 1d6 to 2d6
Minor Maintain the area magically, repairing wear and minor damage over time
Minor Provide simple motive force for an existing object with basic controls, though no intelligent response
Minor Sustain a livable temperature in the area despite any normal exterior climate variations
Minor Ward off a single type of intruder that can be described in no more than a sentence. Such targets must
make a Mental save to enter
Major Create foodstuffs that sustain the eater even if they later leave the affected area
Major Create guardian entities with some modest special abilities equivalent to a 4 hit die combatant
Major Create illusions so perfect that close interaction just grants a Mental save to realize their nature
Major Grant compatibility with an environment to all occpuants, like underseas, lava pits, or freezing heights
Major Immunize occupants from the effects of diseases
Major Induce a subtle mental influence to subjects that fail a Mental save, causing them to do or not do
something unless it is hazardous to them
Major Inflict significant damage on a target, 4d6 or 5d6
Major Provide motive force for an existing object in a complex way, with intelligent adherence to its purpose
Major Sustain a certain number of inhabitants without need for food or drink
Major Teleport things within the affected area according to its rules
Major Ward off several types of intruders as per the Minor effect, or make the ward so strong against a single
type that it must be suppressed if they are to enter
Great Create a powerful guardian with several impressive magical powers and 8 or more hit dice
Great Create some moderately valuable material
Great Distort internal spaces, shrinking or expanding them by up to a factor of 20
Great Induce a powerful mental influence on targets that fail a Mental save, even a complex command
Great Inflict lethal damage on a target, 8d6 to 10d6, or a save-or-die effect
Great Ward it so tightly that only particular subjects are allowed to enter, while others must suppress the
Working
Supreme Affect the flow of time within the area
Supreme Utterly mentally enslave subjects, perhaps even without a Mental save, forcing them to comply with a
certain intent even if it's suicidal
Supreme Generate a small army of 2 hit die guardians to defend it
Supreme Imbue a structure or area with the ability to fly freely
Supreme Implant an artificial mind in a structure to control and monitor it
84

Creating Magic Items

The forging of magical artifacts is not unknown on Lat-
ter Earth, though the ease of the process varies greatly Creating the Item
from place to place. Some regions are largely desolate of To build a magic item, the player first describes what it is
the subtle thaumic currents and special environments that the item is supposed to do. The player might want
needed to set an item’s enchantments, while others are to build an item from the Treasures section of this book,
particularly friendly to the process. A GM will have to or one from another old-school game, or perhaps one
decide on their own whether their campaign setting will completely of their own devising. It’s up to the GM to
allow mage PCs to create magical items. decide whether or not the item fits with their campaign
Unlike Workings, which are comfortably stationary, and is an acceptable introduction.
a portable magic item directly increases the power of the For item designs, it’s recommended that the GM
bearer when they’re out adventuring. Allowing the cre- be careful not to allow magic items that simply solve
ation of magic items lets the party convert treasure into whole categories of problems. A set of magic earplugs
direct personal power, which increases the consequences that make it impossible to hear lies may seem clever, but
should they find “too much” treasure in their ventures. If it also immediately solves any challenge revolving around
magic items can only ever be found, salvaged, or created detecting deceit. Boots that grant perpetual flight, apot-
by specialist mages who are no use at adventuring then ropaic wands that banish specific types of creatures, and
the GM has a much better grip on power inflation. Con- other items that simply remove certain problems from
versely, a lot of GMs and Mage players are very fond of the party’s concerns should probably be denied. Even if
creating their own magical devices, and may not be sat- they’re charged or limit-use items, they’ll probably be
isfied by the use of Workings alone. For most campaigns, available whenever the party really needs them, which
a middle ground is recommended. means those challenges that would otherwise be the most
All permanent magical items are difficult to make. critical become the ones they most easily bypass.
Even if the item is nothing more than a tankard that A GM should also be careful about items that sim-
keeps its contents perpetually chilled, making that tan- ply add bonuses to the PC’s rolls, whether skill checks or
kard is every bit as difficult as forging an enchanted combat rolls. Magical weapons and armor do exist, and
sword. As a consequence, very few sorcerers bother to there are some items that do simply add numbers to the
make petty items; if it’s going to be as hard to make a PC, but these should be avoided in other cases. There’s
trifling token as a significant one, why make trifles? a reason that most veteran Warriors are eager to find
Magical items are exceedingly expensive to build. a magical weapon; such a weapon simply makes them
The rare components, expensive rituals, and costly pro- better at their most important function. If other items
cesses involved eat up vast amounts of silver and great exist that simply increase critical numbers, then the other
labor on the part of the mage. These components must be players will feel obligated to hunt them down.
bought at some major city or salvaged from the Deeps or If the item’s concept passes muster, the GM should
ruins that the PCs are exploring. They form many of the compare it to the adjacent table to see what kind of price
same components that are used in building Workings or and minimum creator level should be required to make it.
researching new spells, so the same general pool of mag- Spellcasting wizards can generally make any kind of mag-
ical components can be used for any of those purposes. ic item, while non-casters such as Vowed or Healers are
Magical items are also complex and difficult to usually restricted to making items appropriate to their
create. A novice mage cannot fashion them and even an particular concepts, whether those are magical scriptures
expert might find it difficult to get an item to come out or healing elixirs. A GM should always feel free to adjust
just right. Flaws can creep into the construction process, prices and difficulties to reflect their own sense of what’s
forcing the PC to either start over or cope with an item appropriate for their campaign.
that isn’t exactly what was intended. In addition to the minimum level and money in-
volved, permanent magic items always require at least

Magic Item Creation Costs

Creation Creation
Type of Item Difficulty Cost in SP Creation Time
A single-use item, such as a potion or a scroll 8-10 500-5,000 1 week
A multi-use item that still contains limited charges, such as a wand 9-11 10,000-50,000 1 month
A low-powered but permanent magic item, such as a Sword +1 10 25,000 1 month
A significant item that creates a situation-changing effect 12 100,000 3 months
A powerful item or one with multiple significant abilities 14 500,000 6 months
 85

one adventure to acquire the necessary components. The

wizard will have researched the item sufficiently to know d10 Magic Item Design Flaws
where they need to go and what they need to fetch, but it 1 The magic item can only be used by the first
will always be dangerous and difficult to do so. Very capa- person to touch it after creation.
ble underlings or hired adventurers might be able to fetch 2 The item's magic can only affect the bearer or
the required component, but it’s up to the GM whether user.
such efforts are successful. From a GM’s perspective, this
required adventure is to ensure that a wizard who makes 3 The item actually has the exact opposite effect
a permanent magic item provides at least one session as the one intended for it.
worth of adventure grist in exchange for the new gear, 4 The item is very slow to activate, not taking
and it also ensures that not too many permanent magic effect until the round after it's triggered or
items will be made unless the party agrees to constantly used.
be out adventuring for parts. 5 The item is very loud and visually showy when
If the creator is capable, the coin is at hand, and any deployed, and continues to be loud until it's
adventuring components have been fetched, the mage no longer used.
can attempt to make the item. They spend the time given
6 The item will only benefit or function for a
on the adjacent table and then make an Int/Magic skill
given user 1d6 times before becoming inert
check against the appropriate difficulty. If they’re making
for them thereafter.
a batch of limited-use items, such as a batch of magic
potions, they can make two doses for a +1 difficulty or 7 The item becomes non-magical if the creator
four doses for a +2 difficulty. If they have an apprentice dies.
to aid them, they can add +1 to their skill check. 8 The item drains the user's life force, adding
If the check is a success, the item is made. If it’s a one System Strain the first time it's used each
failure, they have a choice; they can start over from the day. It won't function without this drain.
beginning, spending the money and time anew, though 9 The item bonds to its users; if separated
not needing to repeat any adventure the item might have from the item, the user gains one System
required. They can then make a second attempt at creat- Strain each day until the item's destroyed or
ing the item. If they are reluctant to do this, they can roll recovered. The item forms only one bond at
on the Item Flaw table, suffering that hindrance to the a time.
item’s eventual effect as adjusted by the GM. If that flaw
isn’t intolerable, they may spend half the gold and time 10 The whole plan was flawed from the start. All
they originally took to make another skill check to make time and resources spent have been wasted,
the item at a cumulative +1 bonus. They can repeat this and everything must begin again from scratch.
process, adding a new flaw each time and paying half the
original coin and time, until they either succeed or the
flaws become intolerable.
A mage can generally keep adventuring while craft-
ing a magic item, as the work doesn’t eat up all their spare
time. Particularly massive or powerful magic items might
require the use of a dedicated laboratory, forcing the wiz-
ard to remain there while the work is underway lest the
process be spoiled. Any special tools or resources such a
laboratory requires are assumed to be part of the item’s
creation cost.
86• 

THE WORLD OF THE LATTER EARTH

The Latter Earth is unknown in its whole; some sages
would go so far as to say it is unknowable due to the
existence of the Iterums and the chronospatial damage
inflicted by the decaying Legacy and the spite of the an-
cient dead. Even so, something can be said about some of
it, and this chapter will discuss what a GM must know in
order to set a campaign within it. Those desirous of more
may consult the Atlas of the Latter Earth.
88

Of Former Days
The region now known as the Gyre is a relatively isolated rejected Vothite philosophy, while other artifacts imply a
segment of the greater continent of Gyaros, once held commoner rebellion that was somehow invisible to the
under the rule of the mighty Hepatizon Throne and its Vothite nobility until it was too late for their enforcers to
Brass Hegemony, but now a troubled welter of quarrel- crush it. Some credit the interference of Outsider rem-
ing subject-states and trackless arratu wastelands. The nants, believing that they aided the rebels in order to
formerly docile subject states now have no fear of the eliminate the threat that the Vothites presented to them.
seemingly-indifferent Reaping King, and concern them- A few even believe it was a relatively peaceful transition
selves with the inevitable struggle over which is to be the initiated by a thought-house that successfully imposed
new hegemon of the Gyre. its will on the other Vothite nobility.
Records of this region are relatively well-supported, After an uncertain transition period, the next major
extending back for some two thousand years to an inde- hegemon of the Gyre was the Vothite Republic, a poli-
terminate period during the rule of the Sorcerer-Kings. ty that seemed chiefly united in its absolute rejection of
These ancient lords had risen from the Deeps with their mind-sorcery of all kinds. The remnant thought-hous-
subject peoples once the rule of the Outsiders had been es were either exterminated, dissolved, or driven into
cast down, and throughout the Latter Earth they formed provincial exile as refugees or hidden cells. The various
the nuclei around which new nations formed and grew. groups of commoners that had once made up the Empire
Their mighty sorceries and Deep-born kindred soon were now left chiefly to their own devices, with mini-
overwhelmed the remnant bands of surface-living human mal control exerted by a central government that could
rebels and Outsider colonies that yet remained. require very little of the provinces that they were not
More than two thousand years ago, the whole of already inclined to offer.
the Gyre was under the rule of the heirs of the Sorcer- It was during this period that the Anak threat to
er-Queen Voth. The Vothite Empire was one born of the south became more pronounced. Several southern
terrible mental sorceries, with its nobility divided into border provinces of the Empire were entirely destroyed
“thought-houses” dedicated to the furtherance of specific by the Blighted or by the unchecked expansion of ar-
ideals or aesthetics. Their struggles were expressed in the ratu land, and it was only after the loss of a considerable
form of arcane persuasions and elegant works of alien art, portion of the old Empire that the remaining provinces
artifacts and spells that could bend the minds of onlook- were convinced of the necessity of more active support.
ers into agreement with the values of the thought-house Together, their resources stopped the Anakim at the
that constructed them. southern border of the Emedian province of Emed-
The whole of the Gyre was riddled with grand mon- Dar, setting the stage for an unending cycle of periodic
uments, cerebral mandalas, and infectious meme-chimes, Anakim invasions and constant border fighting.
all beneath the implacable will of the Mentarch. Even This uneasy state of affairs persisted for centuries,
war lost its old trappings as the Vothite houses battled the Republic never mustering the strength to truly drive
with symbols and artifacts to sway the opposing force, back the Anakim and never quite allowing the Blighted
until one side came to see the transcendent correctness to consume another state. The limited political capital
of the other and joyously joined with them in pursuit of possessed by the central government was constantly in-
a magnificent truth. vested in getting the various provinces to continue their
Vothite commoners were considered little better military contributions, leaving them practically indepen-
than animals, too stupid and imperceptive to truly appre- dent for all other purposes. Petty wars between the states
hend the deep truths that each thought-house pursued. sapped the Republic’s vitality, and such disruptions as
Their thoughts were transparently obvious to the least the Rule of Shun, the Perfected Circle, the Free Cities
Vothite noble, but the mind-influencing magic used by Compact, and the Time of Three Senates limited its co-
the nobility was less effective against subjects that had hesion. Old Vothite infrastructure and the Workings of
not been exposed to the same complex inventory of sym- prior ages of sorcerer-kings were left to slowly decay and
bolism and philosophical thought that the gentry of the be forgotten, casualties of the constant, grinding expense
thought-houses embraced. The rare commoner who was of the war with the Blighted and the struggle to hold the
deemed capable of appreciating the deeper truths of re- Gyre together.
ality was skimmed off by some ambitious thought-house, Matters changed a thousand years ago, when the im-
while rebels and malcontents were identified at a glance mortal Reaping King crossed the Carceral Sea and made
and disposed of with great rapidity by mind-shackled his landing on the Republic’s northern coast. The origins
enforcers. of his power were complex, but are not pertinent here; it
The Vothite Empire fell some two thousand years is enough that he landed with several thousand devoted
ago to a revolution from within. The precise mechanism followers and the dread might of the Black Brass Legion.
of this fall is unclear at this late date. Some records sug- The Legion was unstoppable, rolling over the north-
gest it was the product of a renegade thought-house that ern provinces league by league. While the numbers of
 89

these manlike automatons were never great, no ordinary court was gradually omitted, and in time even their lesser
army had a hope of victory against them, and the few obediences were performed less fastidiously.
military resources that the Republic possessed that might This abandonment came to a head a hundred years
have stood a chance were immured on the southern bor- ago, when a new Anak invasion was repelled without the
der, fighting the Anakim. The advance of the Reaping slightest help from Ka-Adun or the Black Brass Legion.
King was slow and methodical, culling out portions of Infuriated by the neglect, the lords of the remaining
the Republic, establishing his own followers as governors, provinces resolved to treat the Hepatizon Throne with
and ensuring the docile obedience of the new lands be- the same indifference they had received. A few maintain
fore advancing further south. At times he even support- polite fictions of submission, but they no longer pay the
ed Republic troops against the Anakim, all the better to slightest attention to the wishes of the Reaping King, and
ensure that the Gyre did not collapse completely before King in turn no longer sends them commands.
he could take control of it. Were it not for Ka-Adun’s importance as a port on
His final victory came some eight hundred years ago, the Carcereal Sea and the taxes he takes from goods trad-
when the last Senate of the Republic voted to accept his ed there, it is questionable whether he could maintain
rule. Resistance was pointless by that time, with the very even the populated zone of his capital city. As it is, count-
existence of the Republic hinging on the Reaping King’s less noble houses of the Hegemony have been thrown
forbearance and the protection of the Black Brass Legion. into dire poverty as their provincial lands are confiscated
With the dissolution of the Vothite Republic, the Reap- and their traditional tribute neglected. For a century they
ing King was the unquestioned immortal ruler of all the have dwindled, making do with what resources they have,
human lands of the Gyre. until now only a handful can still maintain some pretense
His rule was a relatively light-handed one. Tributes of their former wealth. Hegemonic nobles without such
of labor and goods were exacted for his grand capital of fortune have found themselves reduced to serving as ad-
Ka-Adun, and a quota of slaves were required to staff visors, tutors, and the occasional hiresword for provin-
his human armies and serve the noble families of his first cial lords. The remaining open province surrounding the
followers, but such demands were considerably less than massive meaglopolis of Ka-Adun is now a welter of petty
what he could have extracted from the beaten Vothites. warlords and desperate robber-princes, plundering their
The governors of the provinces were allowed a relatively neighbors for the wealth to continue on a little longer.
free hand with their people, provided the growing city- Forty years ago a tide of war swept over the Gyre
state of Ka-Adun received its expected tributes, and the states, each of them snapping at the others to become the
strength of the Black Brass Legion ensured a modicum new hegemon of the region. The results of this Autumn
of peace on the border and between the states. War were singularly inconclusive, with borders shifting
The Reaping King remained a mystery to most, somewhat but nothing more accomplished beyond a
however, dwelling always within his folded palace in vast great loss of life and a seeding of grudges. The struggle
Ka-Adun and communicating with the outside world was over within a year, but it was enough to leave the suc-
through slave-officials and favored Adunic nobles. His cessor states licking their wounds and plotting to better
wives were in the thousands, but only a handful ever saw their position.
him, and no true progeny were ever recorded. Only on Now, a new season of war is feared to be at hand.
certain ritual occasions were even the nobility permitted The Anakim have been quiet, perhaps too quiet, and
to gaze upon their lord, and the commoners were allowed their attention has been distracted by the crusaders of
to know him only by the commands he handed down. their cousins in Sarul. The successor states eye each other
It was not until two hundred years ago that the warily, wondering which of them is to be first to declare
Reaping King’s rule was truly shaken. One of the periodic war, and which of them might be the first to perish. And
Anak invasions erupted from the south, but this time the in the north, the Reaping King sits silent in his folded
Black Brass Legion was present only in trivial numbers. halls, the Black Brass Legion never departing far from the
The pleas from the viceroy of Emed were ignored, and his megalopolis. It is an uneasy season for all in the Gyre, and
entire province of Emed-Dar was wiped out by the exul- there is little that promises a kinder age to come.
tant Blighted. Only the desperate efforts of the warriors
of Llaigis, the followers of the Sixteenth Prophet, and
the hastily-gathered forces of the other provinces were
able to hold the Anakim back from further conquests.
The questions that flew north to Ka-Adun never
received useful answers. In desperation, the provincial
governors curtailed their tributes to Ka-Adun, pleading
the necessities of war; when no chastisement came, this
curtailment became permanent. The rulers obeyed the
other commands that came from the Hepatizon Throne,
but their traditional attendance at the Reaping King’s
90

The Nations and Features of the Gyre

The following pages describe the major nations of the Usuldarum River that the forces of Llaigis and the
Gyre and their qualities. Aside from the great human remaining Emedians were able to hold the line. The
polities of the region, however, there are a number of Anak have ruled Emed-Dar ever since, occupying
points of interest to be found. In addition, numerous themselves chiefly in murdering each other and
small arratus, minor ruins, forgotten citadels, or Outsider raiding the surrounding lands. Despite the long arm
enclaves can be found throughout the Gyre, unremarked of the Ashblight that has spread into Emed-Dar,
here but of great significance to their near neighbors. much of the land remains rich and good, should
the Anak ever be driven back into the arratu.
The Ashblight: A vast southern arratu that extends into The Font: A tremendous megastructure that predates
the ancient lost provinces of the pre-Hegemony even Outsider rule, the Font is a mile-wide well of
Gyre. The Anak hordes that crushed Emed-Dar perpetually-overflowing water, the drainage rolling
poured out of the Ashblight and the losers of their down the eastern slopes to eventually form the
endless quarrels inhabit it still. The craggy terrain headwaters of the Usuldarum River. Numerous
is dominated by monstrous fungal growths that ex- broken control structures ring the Font, with evi-
hale choking, ash-like spores that root in the unfor- dence of ancient tubing suggesting that the Font was
tunate or unprepared. The monstrous fauna of the once the main water source for some long-vanished
arratu is a mix of amorphous, tentacular Outsider megalopolis or far-buried Deep.
beasts and luckless native creatures that have been Lost Emed: Emed-Dar was not the first part of Emed
colonized by the fungus, thus rendered immortal to be lost. In the early days of the Vothite Republic,
and insane by the parasitism. before a stable confederacy could be achieved, Anak
The Black Spine: A towering mountain range that marks raiders from the Ashblight succeeded in rolling over
the western edge of the Gyre. The vast height and the ancient province of Emed-Mar.The destruction
near-impenetrable wall of the mountains catches of certain Vothite Workings there and the last des-
the western rains; were it not for the constant vent- perate efforts of the Emedians caused an ecolog-
ing of the Font on the eastern side of the mountains, ical eruption that turned much of the area into a
much of the Gyre would be a desert. The Black steaming jungle of viciously dangerous plants and
Spine is riddled with ancient Outsider facilities native fauna. To this day, countless Maran cities and
and Sorcerer-King outposts. The danger of their towns remain lost within the green shadows of the
high peaks makes mining or herding too perilous place, their relics guarded by Maran automatons,
for ordinary souls to attempt. furious shades, and those Anak jungle clans that
The Blind Marsh: A product of the Black Spine’s have learned to adapt to the environment.
rain-catching and a constant outflow of water from The Mirewash: The waters of the Usulmot River flow
the mountain range’s roots, the Blind Marsh is a into this depression, swelled by the runoff from
boggy Hell of voracious plants, venomous beasts, the Black Spine. The marshy bog has always been
and amphibian abominations. Scholars believe it a favored retreat for rebels and refugees from the
was once a coastal stronghold of the Polop, and Reaping King’s rule and today its seclusion serves
some of those Outsiders and their ruins may lurk to cloak a considerable number of fallen Hegemony
there still. officials and beggar-nobles. Many family treasures
The Carceral Sea: Like most seas of the Latter Earth, and stolen goods are carried to the Mirewash, but
sailing far on the Carceral Sea is tremendously few come out without bloodshed.
dangerous. Huge Outsider sea-monsters prowl the The Plains of the Iron Sky: This great arratu has been
waves, many of them as intelligent as humans in partially dislocated from the surrounding reality;
their own way, and the vicious Polop are jealous of the sky within it is a perpetual shade of dull iron
intruders into their domain. Unpredictable ocean and the air is an unbreathable, choking haze like
currents, lethal atmospheric disturbances, and that favored by certain Outsiders. Only adventurers
blindly dangerous megastructures only compound with special tools or sorcery can venture within to
the risk. Sorcerously-augmented ships might have plunder the ruins that dot its gray, waterless sands.
some chance of making it across the sea, but the Not all of those ruins are human, and sages suggest
traders and pirates that ply the northern coast sel- that one of the ruined cities within the Plains was
dom dare to lose sight of land. actually translocated from a different world.
Emed-Dar: Once the jewel of the southern provinces The Rebel Coast: Once part of Ka-Adun’s administra-
of the Hegemony, Emed-Dar was overwhelmed by tive sphere, the cities of the Rebel Coast split off
the Anak two hundred years ago. Its fertile fields, over a century ago to make their own way. That way
beautiful cities, and peaceful villages were annihi- consists largely of intercine warfare, piracy, and a
lated, and it was only by a desperate struggle at the kaleidoscopic shift of rising and falling princes. The
 91

coastal cities send considerable trade to the First hotter in the south, but the White Waste is an
City of Ka-Adun, but the inland princelings and anomaly created by the ancient Working at its heart.
the machinations of the rival cities keep the coast Within its zone of effect the temperature is usu-
in a constant state of low-level turmoil. ally below freezing, with occasional thin snowfalls
The Sisters: A refuge for the boldest and maddest of the or white-out blizzards sweeping across the barren
Gyre’s pirates, those seamen skilled enough to cross land. Most believe the disruption to be produced by
the narrows from the mainland without incident some damaged ancient xenoforming Working, but a
will find a few small, thickly forested islands and few claim that the waste is a product of an ancient
the single ramshackle town of Spray to serve their Sorcerer-King’s experiment gone awry. Whatever
needs with whatever might be available. The “un- the cause, only the desperate venture into the Waste,
inhabited” islands are favorite refuges for wizards and then only to plunder the frozen dead of the
and worse, their lairs made in the ancient ruins that installations and small Deeps that can be found
are common there. Indeed, the arratu on the largest beneath the snows.
isle appears to be a festering mass of heaving alien
life that’s completely overgrown the miles-wide top
of some ancient, sunken megalopolis’ highest tower.
The Tombwater: The depth of the Tombwater is un-
known, but scholars agree that somewhere at the
bottom, some ancient pumping device is forcing a
river’s worth of water up to the surface. Most credit
the mere as a fallen-in Deep, the miles-long tunnels
and galleries of the ancient working now filled with
dark, silty water. Explorers along the southern coast
of the Tombwater have found numerous surface ru-
ins from the age of the Sorcerer-King, and some
villages of demihumans or exiles have made homes
out of these remains.
The White Waste: The climate of the Gyre is fairly tem-
perate, being cooler in the north and somewhat
92

Llaigis
Grim Llaigis is a half-tamed land of wild hillsides, track- Gathis itself is a city that feeds on the wealth its
less forests, pockets of arratu badlands and the looming soldiers bring it, either as tribute from its subject settle-
peaks of the the Black Spine to the west. Throughout ments or as gold brought from foreign paymasters. Filthy
the past two millenia it has always been a backwater land delights and abhorrent pleasures are to be found there,
for the desperate and the strong, its few cities built on along with rare delicacies from afar and plundered opu-
the bones of prior civilizations and its farming hamlets lence from ages past. Gathis makes little itself, but it feeds
hemmed in by perils. on what its people bring it.
Llaigis offers little to those living there. Its fields are Gathis, like most of the cities in Llaigis, is built atop
unremarkable, its forests dangerous to exploit, and its a buried and ruined city of ages past, presumably one of
hills not unduly burdened with riches. Its isolation, how- the cities of the Rule of Shun that ended more than a
ever, has made it a favorite refuge for exiled sorcerers, fall- thousand years ago. That grim sorcerer-king’s land ex-
en nobility, and unacceptable cults. The ruins these ref- tended over much of present-day Llaigis and his plac-
ugees have left behind often contain precious remnants es of power can still be found deep in the forests and
from a former age, and so relic-plundering has provided hills. While generations of Llaigisan adventurers have
the Llaigisan people with rare opportunities for riches. plundered many of these sites, there are always new ones
For all else, the people of Llaigis turn to steel. They being discovered in some hidden copse or revealed be-
fight each other for the meager wealth of their fields and neath a hollowed hillside.
mines when they cannot find more profitable work fight- More than the past lingers in Llaigis, however. With
ing for foreigners willing to pay for their savage strength. the warlords so indifferent to any matters but their own
Llaigisan sellswords and mercenary bands are found advantage, Llaigis is a fertile ground for the planting of
throughout the Gyre in the employ of any master who unseemly cults and dark conspiracies. There are many
has the gold and bread to hire them. While they are a groups operating in the country that would never be tol-
brutal lot even by the standards of the Gyre they are erated in a more orderly realm, and sometimes the lords
not ignorant of military discipline or incapable of subtle themselves find uses for their dark arts.
tactics. The ordinary Llagisan farmer knows as much of
a warband’s work as most common soldiers elsewhere. Population
The folk of Llaigis sharpen their skills not only on Approximately 800,000. Gathis, its largest and
each other, but on the grim foes that emerge from the most decadent city, has 40,000 inhabitants.
south and the ruins of Emed-Dar. The Anakim who
Government
destroyed that nation make a habit of raids north into
Llaigis, and every savage warband must be turned back King Hulit of Gathis is the foremost of a half-dozen
with blood and steel. The arratu that have festered in kings, princes, and primates. In practice, the law
Emed-Dar send their own share of abominations to har- belongs to whatever warlord is nearest to hand.
ry the people of Llaigis, and the considerable stretches of Problems
their own infected lands add to the burden.
Llaigis’ government is unstable and constantly subject
In such a harsh land military might is the final jus-
to disruption by ambitious warlords.
tification for any ruler. Each patch of land has its baron,
Anakim and monsters from Emed-Dar are forever
chieftain, prince, duke, pontiff, headman, or autarch to
crossing the southern border.
claim it, and each one proves his claim by the number of
Numerous vile cults and loathsome groups operate
warriors he can direct into battle. Those warriors must
with relative impunity within Llaigis’ borders.
be fed, of course, and so heavy taxes and cruel exactions
are commonplace among the peasantry. Many such serfs Names
yearn to be accepted into a lord’s retinue and win a place Male: Goruk, Hroth, Lagan, Gurm, Narhak, Kroth,
in the warband, but a lord can afford to accept only the Yarog, Bolg, Yirn, Jagan, Mirtok, Fulvik
best warriors into their service. Female: Sarra, Tarsha, Miluni, Haru, Nira, Laheli,
King Hulit in the great, vile city of Gathis is the Bolga, Guthli, Jireela, Minna, Hejati, Kalana
foremost of these warlords, with a legion of warriors ten Family Names: Rare outside of membership in
thousand strong to carry out his will. While his might is some important dynasty or clan. Most distinctions are
more than a match for any single rival, there are enough by epithets or places, where it matters.
great lords in the country that he cannot act with com- Character Concepts
plete impunity. He makes bargains with his subordinates,
trading them license to act as they wish in exchange for Untamed barbarian, Decadent thief, Grizzled
obedience in matters important to him. He rose to rule mercenary, Hard-bitten village defender, Reclusive
the city by his cunning, but he fears his son lacks the wit hunter, Abandoned concubine, Former cultist,
to keep it once he is gone. Warband survivor, Ruin robber, Escaped slave
 93

Thur
Thur is a land of fragile wealth and delicately-balanced Even so, sometimes a remarkably talented commoner
prosperity. Numerous ancient Workings still function might be allowed to enter one of the lesser schools.
in Thur, survivals from the age of the Vothite Republic. Unsurprisingly, many outsiders would love to live
While relatively delicate and in need of regular mainte- in Thur, enjoying the comparative luxury and comfort
nance, their distance from the capital in New Voth spared of the land. Thurians are very selective about who they
them from much of the violence of war and allowed their allow to settle permanently, however; adventurers and
Thurian caretakers to profit from their ancient power. travellers can pass through with minimal difficulty, but
These Workings provide raw energies of heat, light, winning permanent residence requires the patronage of
and motion to their attached factories and infrastructure. the Gentry, and that kind of favor never comes cheap.
Every town of significance is built around such aWork- Alas, Thur’s prosperity has been on a steady down-
ing, with the factories and pumping stations at the heart ward slide since the Autumn War forty years ago, when
of the town and the residential quarters encircling them. Vothite armies sacked several important border cities
Great buried leytubes snake outward to surrounding vil- and destroyed their Workings. The remaining facilities
lages and estates, providing smaller measures of energy can barely keep up with the current load on them, and
to light heatless lamps at night and provide hot running outages of light and heat are becoming more common.
water and smokeless warmth to those wealthy enough to Without the material comforts that have kept them
afford a connection. docile, Thurian commoners are beginning to blame the
The great engines and factories of Thur are capable Gentry for failing at their ancient duty, and accusations
of producing large amounts of consumer goods, grant- of “power theft” and “energy hoarding” are beginning to
ed sufficient raw materials imported from New Voth, inspire anger among the populace.
Ka-Adun, and Emed-Kist. The standard lifestyle of a
Thurian commoner is as comfortable and well-fed as a
knight of Emed-Kist or a Llaigisan slave merchant. Many
sophisticated goods are made in Thur, including most of
the functioning hurlants found in the Gyre.
Ruling over the common laborers and countryfolk Population
of Thur are the Gentry, a class belonging to the Great Approximately 1,200,000. Its capital of Highbridge
Guilds that command Thur. These Guilds are heirs to has a hundred thousand permanent residents.
the maintenance workers who kept the Workings run-
Government
ning, and their de facto control of Thur’s wealth has
ensured their domination over the military powers of Grand Master Ellia Grinton of the Hydrotheurgic
the state. The High Masters are in charge of each guild’s Guild leads the High Masters of Thur. Other senior
affairs, and every five years they elect one among them to guild members act as officials, mayors, and chiefs.
serve as Grand Master and first among equals. Problems
Many of these Guilds no longer have any function-
The Gentry schools are increasingly corrupt, with
ing arcanotechnical knowledge, their arts having decayed
rankings and expulsions bought and sold.
under the shifting of the Legacy or the Workings they
The Workings the nation relies upon are very
once kept having since been lost. Even so, tradition and
vulnerable to sabotage and focused attacks.
their entrenched political power have kept the Guilds in
The damage of the Autumn War forty years ago has
firm control of Thur, with every position loftier than a
caused serious infrastructure problems.
village clerk being filled by one Guild member or another.
Membership in the Guilds is not hereditary. Every Names
Gentry candidate must successfully graduate from one Male: James, Edward, Thomas, Henry, Theodore,
of a number of elite schools originally founded to pass William, Philip, Cuthred, Hugh, Owen, Harold
on the arcanotechnical arts. Certain Guilds will accept Female: Mary, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Anne, Emily,
recruits only from certain schools, and the loftiest and Gwyn, Felicia, Penny, Susan, Olivia, Morwen
mightiest will accept only from the best of them. While Family Names: Usually by place or an ancestor’s
a Guild member might expect to find a place for one or trade, such as Cooper, Smith, Witch, or Watermaster.
perhaps two of their children, only extensive connections Foreign names from immigrants are not unknown.
and dearly expensive bribes can ensure that all of a fam- Character Concepts
ily’s children have a hope of joining the Gentry as well.
The schools are hotbeds of politics, treachery, and Expelled school candidate, Workings maintenance
the occasional assassination. Rivals are expelled via black- mage, Ambitious guildsman, Hard-used common
mail and bribery, and unworthy candidates are passed laborer, Demimonde denizen, Immigrant with
through with enough “encouragement” from a patron. something to prove, Fugitive debt-slave
94

Sarul
Sarul is a great rarity; a nation composed almost entirely While the Blighted of Sarul are lacking in the civ-
of Blighted. Most of the natives are Anakim, savage war- il arts, no one disputes their terrifying martial prowess.
born Blighted imbued with an intrinsic hatred of human- The crusaders of the Bleeding God are some of the most
ity and brutal instincts of violence, cruelty, and malice. fearsome cavalry troops in the Gyre, many of them still
Others are different breeds of Blighted, those crippled riding the fanged coursers of their tribal ancestors. They
and maimed by ancient curses or magical alterations that fight constantly with warbands from Emed-Dar, Blighted
make it all but impossible for them to live peacefully in bandits and renegades within Sarul, and the least of them
human lands. is a hardened veteran of war. Their Blighted instincts of
All, however, are devotees of the nameless Bleed- warlike aggression have been channeled and directed by
ing God, an ancient deity promulgated by the Sixteenth the Church, and they fight with a combination of joy and
Prophet some two hundred years ago, when the Anakim pious cruelty that disquiets even their allies.
swept over Emed-Dar and threatened to destroy all the There are very few baseline humans or demihumans
western Gyre. The prophet’s tremendous martial prowess in Sarul. The Anak urge to kill baselines can only be
and invincible charisma formed the seed of Sarul, and it shackled by the laws of the Church, not erased, and hu-
continued to expand until his death some thirty years man visitors are advised to go cloaked and avoid dealing
later. Its borders have been relatively stable since then, with those Anakim not verified in their ability to control
despite the constant attacks by the Anakim of Emed-Dar their innate Hate. The continued company of a crusader
and the uneasy peace they hold with Emed-Kist. or other Anak in authority is advised for such safety as
The Bleeding God’s teachings are simple: he is the it can bring.
only true god, all thinking life is wicked and deserving of Visitors who do not share the faith of the Bleeding
damnation, and it is only by the Bleeding God’s self-sac- God are counseled to be strictly silent about matters of
rifice and love that any are spared from eternal suffer- religion. While unbelievers and backsliders are by no
ing. The Blighted are cursed with evil hearts, perhaps, means unknown within Sarul, any cleric who suspects
but they are not fundamentally different from baseline a stranger of spreading a false faith will act accordingly.
humans and no more damned than their brethren. By
faith in the Bleeding God and obedience to his teachings Population
both baseline and Blighted may be forgiven their evils Approximately 400,000 Anakim and other Blighted.
and saved in the world to come. The capital of Uzag has 20,000 residents.
As a consequence, it is the Church that rules Sa-
Government
rul, from the village priests and priestesses to the Bish-
op-Generals that rule cities and the mighty Red, White, The Red, Black, and White Pontiffs of the Church of the
and Black Pontiffs who are chosen from among the bish- Bleeding God are the absolute rulers of Sarul, their
ops. The command of a cleric is law to the commoners, personal identities known to few.
and a predictable amount of corruption, wickedness, and Problems
selfishness comes from this authority. The Church itself
Corruption within the Church is a constantly-fought
expects as much due to its theological principles, and
menace at all levels of the organization.
so the Inquisition within its ranks never lacks for work.
The Anakim of Emed-Dar hate the Sarulites as traitors
Sarulite law is brutal and direct. Much petty crime
and rivals for control of the southern Gyre.
that would bring severe punishment in other lands is
Blighted within Sarul can cause significant problems
held lightly here; brawling, mugging, minor theft, unlaw-
due to their own cursed needs or psychology.
ful adultery, and public disturbances are met with on-the-
spot beatings or fines and then dismissed. Serious crimes Names
such as murder, rape, maiming, blasphemy, treason, or Male: Abdi, Arakhu, Balasu, Anshar, Dakuri, Izdu,
assault on a cleric are answered by summary execution, Gamil, Kha, Kullani, Makru, Suzub, Urukh, Zabu
usually carried out by the nearest available Church cru- Female: Belit, Shala, Kishar, Aralu, Mylitta, Rubati,
sader. These judgments are not always fair, proven, or Gula, Damkina, Sunat, Serua, Zirra, Sarae, Kalu
merited, but the Church is convinced that only through Family Names: Largely unknown. Individuals may
merciless law can any kind of peace be kept in the nation. have epithets of their role, church rank, father, clan, or
Outside scholars argue over whether or not they are right. village when a distinction must be made.
The villages and towns of Sarul are crude, poor, and Character Concepts
dangerous. Fistfights and bare-handed robbery are com-
mon, advanced learning is a province almost exclusively Secret unbeliever, Crusader sent wandering,
of the clergy, and many of the cities and towns are built Blighted seeking refuge, Escaped criminal, Framed
in the ruins of earlier, more materially advanced civiliza- innocent, Adventurous Anak peasant, Cleric out to
tions. Bandits and worse are common on the roads. convert, Merchant adventurer, Hunted infidel
 95

Emed-Kist
A loosely-bound monarchy, Emed-Kist is ruled from Every fief of Emed-Kist has its own ancient tradi-
the city of Medek, where the Great King deals with the tions, customs, and quirks, kept fastidiously by the na-
numerous barons, earls, and dukes that hold ancestral tives and respected only at convenience by the Darians
fiefs throughout the kingdom. The lords are constantly dwelling there. In harmonious domains, the two groups
conniving to weaken royal power, while the king relies mingle socially and may even live together; in others,
on the merchants and commoners to give teeth to his there are Darian villages and native villages, and their in-
pronouncements. teractions are at arm’s length. Most of the market towns
Emed-Kist was once the backwater frontier of the and major cities are populated chiefly by Darians, and it
kingdom of Emed-Dar, a loose patchwork of tribal chief- is through this influence that they control much of the
tains, isolated ethnic groups, Darian colonial towns, and liquid wealth of the kingdom.
villages of arratu-reclaimers, with a not-inconsiderable The present Great King is gravely worried about this
fragment of Old Vothite nobility who had fled their fall- division in his kingdom. He would like very much to
ing empire. When Emed-Dar was drowned under the pronounce a grand crusade of reconquest into Emed-Dar,
Anakim hordes two hundred years ago, vast numbers of there to reclaim the lost kingdom and unite his bickering
refugees flooded into the eastern frontier, overwhelming people in a shared dream of their former glory. This plan
the existing structures of authority. has considerable support even among the native lords,
The Kistian refugees coalesced around a minor cadet for they imagine that the Darians may then all go back
branch of the Darian royal house, elevating its patriarch to their own country. Despite this, the Great King has
as the first “Great King” of Emed-Kist. The Great King been unable to quell the grudges and mistrust among the
claims nominal rule over all of former Emed-Dar, but in feudal lords, and any great commitment of military force
practice, his authority extends only to the Kistian border- into Emed-Dar would leave the state easy prey for an
and that, only to a degree. The former tribal chieftains, attack by Llaigisan warlords or a greedyVothite Senate.
Vothite thought-houses, provincial governors, and minor
ethnarchs were raised to noble ranks commensurate with
their influence, and their traditional lands assigned to
them as royally-granted fiefs. Population
Ever since then, the old nobility of Emed-Kist have Approximately1,000,000 humans and demihumans.
waged a halfhearted struggle against royal authority The capital of Medek has perhaps 50,000 citizens.
while jealously guarding their ancient privileges and the
Government
autonomy of their fiefs. The refugee Darians had no par-
ticular loyalty to these new lords, and the villages they
founded and the towns they swelled had a much deeper Problems
tie to the king than to their nominal local overlords. Nu-
merous royal rights and protections were granted to them,
limiting the degree to which their lords could tax them, Names
enlist their labor, or conscript them for war. Male:
As a consequence, the lords rely chiefly on their own Female:
ancient kindred, enlisting them as soldiers and officials in Family Names: .
their domain. This leaves the heirs of the Darian refugees Character Concepts
with little prospect of advancement outside of mercantile
wealth or service to the king, leaving it the present case
that hardly any feudal officials are Darian, and hardly any
royal servants are of the Old Kistian peoples.
This tension can occasionally erupt into violence.
Some fiefs are relatively calm, with the Darians and the
native locals forced into cooperation by external threats
or reconciled by a skillful lord’s rule. Others are bitter,
sullen places with a restive Darian population under the
hard hands of a lord and people who view them as little
better than colonial invaders. While the combined mil-
itary strength of the lords and their kin-armies is vastly
greater than any of the standing forces of the Great King,
their ancient grudges and the shared hostility of the Dar-
ian commoners keeps them nominally subject to the will
of the throne.
96

Ka-Adun
Ka-Adun is a city and a province both, the former so vast ny, these estates have become strongholds for desperate
that it is almost the province itself. When the Reaping beggar-princes, ones who no longer receive their largesse
King landed in the ancient port city a thousand years ago, from the Reaping King nor the fruits of their expropri-
it was little more than the crumbled remnants of some ated provincial estates. They maintain the old elegance
ancient Vothite coastal garrison. By the time he finished of Ka-Adun with grim determination, many refusing to
his conquest of the Gyre two centuries later, it was a vast accept the present situation as anything but a temporary
metropolis that has only grown in the centuries since. inconvenience to be remedied when the Reaping King
The heart of Ka-Adun is the “First City”, the orig- finally sees fit. In the meanwhile, they collect “taxes” from
inal port on the Carceral Sea. Almost all the remaining their serfs and plunder each other in the name of fair-
inhabitants of the city dwell there, with food grown in ly sharing the wealth due to the nobility. Many employ
cleared areas of the new city or sent down the mighty devices or Workings created during the height of the
Usuldarum River as payment for foreign goods. It is the Hegemony and poorly maintained since. The number
last outpost of true authority for the Brass Hegemony, of magical disasters and unplanned arcane events in Ka-
and the nobles and officials who rule there do so with Adun dwarf those elsewhere.
desperate vigilance. The broken nobility rule over a common populace
Beyond the First City is the legacy of a thousand that once made their living as servants to the great or
years of tireless construction by the automatons of the laborers on their vast estates. Many are gone now, having
Black Brass Legion and uncounted slave laborers. Mile fled into the Rebel Coast in hopes of better prosperity or
upon mile of paved streets and pale buildings and endless perished to banditry or plundering. Those that remain
tunnels and vaults all stretch out for leagues in every di- are left to either huddle in the First City under the eye
rection, encasing the earth in structures of stone and alien of the Reaping King’s chief servants or to seek the pa-
metal brought up from the Deeps. This “new city” was tronage of some beggar-prince who has the strength to
intended for the Welcoming, a promised time of greeting protect them from his foes. Many are disappointed in
when the kindred of the Reaping King will come to take their search.
possession of the entire continent.
No such kindred have ever come, and few seriously Population
believe they ever will. The Reaping King orders the Le- Perhaps 500,000 people still remain in the province,
gion to raise new structures but the artisans who design a quarter of them packed into the First City, another
them and the human laborers who remain to toil do so quarter in various pockets in the new city, and the
only for the sake of their pay and the hope of security. rest in the remaining rural area of the province.
The vast majority of the new city stands wholly emp-
Government
ty, with pockets of bandits, monsters, rebels, and worse
making petty baronies and miserable dominions in pal- The Reaping King is silent in his folded palace.
aces and gardens meant for those who will not come. The Currently, the Grand Censor Euphon leads the
Black Brass Legion shows no interest in such intruders, strongest party in the First City’s political mire.
too absorbed in the work of further construction. Problems
Every month, a welter of trading vessels make port
Rebels and worse are forming small statelets within
in Ka-Adun. Most are coasters from along the Rebel
the empty structures of the new city.
Coast to the east, taking produce and plunder to the mar-
Ka-Adun has a noble class far too large to be
kets in order to trade under the eye of nominally neutral
supported by the commoners without oppression.
masters. More precious by far are the Yellow Ships that
The Reaping King seems totally indifferent to his own
come at unpredictable times in a season, bearing won-
government, leading to chaos in the palace.
drous goods from across the Carceral Sea. The delicacies,
fabrics, mechanisms, grimoires, and priceless raw materi- Names
als they bring draw merchants from throughout the Gyre Male:
and the interest of wealthy grandees from every corner Female:
of the realm. The men of the Yellow Ships go veiled and Family Names: .
silent, communicating through manlike slaves that speak Character Concepts
their thoughts. To rob them is punishable by a hideous
death at the hands of the Hegemony.
The great city of Ka-Adun does not absorb the
whole of its province, though it is intended to eventually
do so. Outside the new city, noble estates and grand re-
treats were built in former centuries for the refreshment
of Adunic nobility. Since the collapse of the Hegemo-
 97

New Voth
New Voth is a land lavishly endowed with the trappings In many ways, New Voth is a gold rush nation,
of rule. Ancient ruins of the Vothite Empire lie beneath one eager to burst free of a thousand years of alien rule.
the foundation stones of Republic-era structures, and Strangers and expatriates are welcomed so long as they
atop them stand the palaces of the Hegemonic governors offer something to their neighbors, and the broad tracts
that once ruled this land as regents for the Reaping King. of land once held by absent Hegemonic nobles are being
Now all those old lords are gone, and New Voth’s people thrown open to new settlers. Old ruins once sealed off by
are eager to regain their former place in the world. cautious Hegemony governors are now open to plunder
New Voth is the sole significant republican state of and explore, and the arratu wastes that former viceroys
the Gyre. All of its neighbors are under the hand of oli- found unprofitable are now being parceled out to new-
garchs, warlords, or hereditary nobles, but in New Voth comers willing to risk their unearthly perils.
alone the Senate can be found as proud representatives Yet this new exuberance comes with an equal mea-
of their fellow citizens. Each of the hundred and one sure of roughness. The losers in this great game are given
districts within the borders grants full suffrage to every little mercy, and a man without silver in his pocket or a
land-owning citizen and the right to choose their repre- friend to hold him up has little hope for help. The strong
sentative Senator every four years. are eager for workers and serfs, and while slavery is for-
As any proud Vothite would tell you, it’s only natural bidden in New Voth, the employment of rough-handed
that the Senators so elected should be the richest and “persuaders” is easier to hide. On the frontiers of New
most influential people in their home district, or the fa- Voth many things are done that are not in accordance
vored choices of those men and women. Admittedly, their with the laws, and there are few officials or senators in-
interests are perhaps better-protected than those of the terested in righting such wrongs without being paid for it.
common citizenry, and the consequences for opposing
these favored candidates can be very unfortunate, and
some senatorial seats are practically the hereditary prop-
erty of certain powerful dynasties, but still, they serve at
the leave of the people.
The Vothites are proud of their civilized and educat- Population
ed populace and their fierce independence from any out-
side rule. They were the last to bow to the Reaping King’s
Government
legions at the Hegemony’s rise to power, and the first to
refuse him tribute when the Legion no longer came. They
deplore the hidebound classism of the Thurians, the bru- Problems
tality of the Llaigisans, and the blood-consciousness of
the folk of Emed-Kist. There is little doubt in New Voth
that their own ways of self-reliance, industrious effort, Names
and determined personal improvement are the best. Male:
To the Vothites, personal self-determination is Female:
something sacred. They have inherited a horror of all Family Names: .
mind-influencing sorceries from their imperial prede- Character Concepts
cessors and even today, the proven use of telepathic or
mind-bending magics is a capital crime. In the same vein,
New Voth and Sarul are the only provinces of the Gyre
where privately-owned slaves are outlawed; in Sarul be-
cause the Church assumes its parishoners would inev-
itably use slaves as occasions for sin, but in New Voth
because the people consider it an unforgivable crime
against freedom. Imprisonment and penal labor is ac-
ceptable, but no individual is permitted to own another.
This love of independence and free thought has
spawned numerous small communities of like-minded
men and women, along with communes, social pacts, re-
ligious retreats, and other self-chosen settlements. Some
are established on philosophical grounds, while others
are simply towns where the locals think new profit is
to be had. A surprisingly large number of Vothites are
arratu settlers, willing to risk death to tame the wastes.
98

The People and Languages of the Gyre

Most of the inhabitants of the Gyre belong to one of Vothians are the people that emerged from the
five different major ethnicities, all derived from different Deep known as the Well of the One Thought, a folk
mother-populations that emerged from the Deeps at the originally led by the first Mentarch of the Vothite Em-
end of Outsider hegemony. While all of these peoples pire, the dreaded Imperator-Queen Voth. They’re found
had their own tongues, customs, and ancient culture, the largely in New Voth, with considerable populations of
ensuing thousands of years have largely effaced these old Hegemony servants and officials in Ka-Adun. Refugee
ways, leaving only small tokens behind in the surviving thought-houses from the fall of the Empire also left
populace. groups of them to be found in Emed-Kist. “Vothian” is
Aside from the five major groups, there are dozens the ethnic name they go by; citizens of New Voth or the
of smaller ethnic groups that derive from surface popu- prior Empire are distinguished as “Vothite” regardless of
lations of rebels, Outsider servants, or escapees from the their bloodline. Vothians tend to be tall, slim, and pale-
Deeps. Most of the original stock has melted away into skinned, with black hair and blue eyes.
the surrounding population, but in isolated areas or fron- Khalan are the people of the Black Crucible, a terri-
tiers such as Emed-Kist there yet remain a considerable ble punishment-Deep established for unfathomable rea-
number of these minor populations. Those that derive sons by the Outsiders. The awful scars that the Deep left
from Outsider servants are often considerably changed on the people and their customs have largely dissipated in
from human baselines, not uncommonly to demihuman the ensuing ages, but unwary adventurers still sometimes
degrees of difference. This difference is often the only stumble on ancient Khalan ruins and the hideous en-
thing that has kept them from being assimilated into the gines within. Some postulate that the excesses of the vile
surrounding population, so the surviving groups tend Rule of Shun derived from study of these things. Most
to be those that had least occasion to mingle with their Khalan are found in Llaigis, though they are known in
neighbors or conquerors. Emed-Kist, and a few Vothite river-villages are of their
Among the five major groups there is relatively little kind. They are a large, broad, bronzed people in the main,
ethnic feeling or solidarity compared to the ties of place with dark or red eyes and hair that ranges from black to
and province. A Vothian official in Ka-Adun will care far various dark hues of red. A few Khalan bloodlines are
more for the interests of his peers in the First City than unusually small, however, rarely exceeding five feet; most
the well-being of his kinsmen in New Voth, and a Khalan think them the heirs of some special-purpose sub-group.
in Emed-Kist will fight her own kind at the command of The Lin are derived from the people of the Tin Mir-
her lord without much concern. Shared ethnicity can be ror Sky, a false-world Deep fabricated by the Outsiders.
a convenient point of sympathy when two people wish The experiment appears to have been loosely monitored,
to interact, but it does little to hinder competition or and an unusual number of ancient Lin escaped to add
existing loyalties. their numbers to the rebels and hunted survivors of the
The minor groups tend to have a different mindset. surface world. They once formed the aristocratic elite
These small populations simply could not have survived of Old Emed, with lesser cadet houses as governors in
as they did without a keen sense of their own difference Emed-Kist. When Emed-Dar collapsed, the rush of ref-
and the importance of preserving their own identity. ugees has left Emed-Kist well-populated by their kind.
They often refuse to marry outside their own kind and They are a somewhat short, compact people with skins
will commonly prioritize the interests of the group over that range from ivory to dark gold, black hair, and al-
those of outsiders. A steady state of friction with the sur- mond eyes that are usually black. Some surface-tribe ad-
rounding majority populations is common, though most mixtures have left certain lines with pale hair or light eyes.
long-standing communities have worked out methods Olok are the folk of a broken Deep, the Downward
of dealing with these strains. Many such small groups Tower, that was disrupted in some Outsider quarrel un-
survive by being especially useful to the majority in some intelligible to humanity. Cast on the surface before the
way, often employing any unique graces they have in the fall of Outsider rule, they were harried in a desultory
service of the local rulers. Their leadership cultivates pa- fashion but left largely alone until the eventual fall of
tronage relationships with important local powers, and alien rule. They concentrated chiefly on the northern
it’s common for the resident duke or local war chief to coast of the Gyre, forming the original population of
have them under their personal protection… in exchange the modern state of Ka-Adun. They were the folk the
for proper tribute. Reaping King first met on his landing, and so formed
the backbone of the Hegemony’s aristocracy and labor-
Major Ethnicities of the Gyre ing classes. They are a very dark-skinned people for the
The five different major groups are found throughout the most part, with dark, tightly-curled hair and matching
Gyre. Some may be more densely represented in some eyes. The marks of their time spent among surface tribes
nations than others, but seldom would they look out of sometimes emerge in different colors and textures of hair
place in any cosmopolitan center. or different shades of eyes.
 99

Osrin are the people of modern Thur, having de- cised over the years as being incompatible with peaceful
rived mostly from the labor-Deep known as the Turning sleep by those familiar with the terms.
Vault. When their endless labors on behalf of the Out- Anak Speech is the local language spoken by the
siders ended, they emerged into a Gyre that had already Anak tribes of the wastes and the people of Sarul. Its
been largely dominated by those Deep-dwellers who roots lie in the servant-speech of the Outsiders who cre-
had emerged earlier. As such, their main population is ated the first Anakim, and it has nothing to do with any
found mostly in Thur, though considerable numbers of of the modern human tongues. It is crude, simple, and
smaller groups are found in almost every other land as direct, and the Church of the Bleeding God that rules in
the descendants of unsuccessful independent city-states Sarul finds it necessary to use Old Vothian as its clerical
or colonial outposts. They are a folk of average stature, language in order to discuss more sophisticated ideas.
with skin colors ranging from pale cream to ruddy or Predecessant is a particularly rare and esoteric lan-
olive hues. Their hair color is blond or brown, with blues, guage known only to the most determined scholars and
greens, and hazels most often found for eye colors. the most rapacious adventurers. It is the original language
of the Reaping King and his first servitors, preserved only
Languages of the Gyre in a handful of documents and found on certain strange
Each of the five major groups had their own native structures and occult inscriptions within the new city
tongue in the days gone past. Scholars and Deep-raiders of Ka-Adun. Most believe it to be a language from over
sometimes study the written form of these languages to the Carceral Sea, spoken by whatever powers sent the
better understand the inscriptions they find, but none of Reaping King forth.
them are spoken today save in the most venerable cultur- Preterite is not so much a language as a code, an
al rituals or by the most zealous enthusiasts. Sages refer ancient method of directly communicating with the Leg-
to them as Ancient Vothian, Ancient Khalan, and so acy. It is impossible to learn Preterite as a mere tongue;
forth. scholars can spend their entire lives trying to define the
Trade Cant is a language favored by merchants, magical and metaphysical significance of a single Preter-
adventurers, and travellers, being a pidgin of various ite glyph. Any mage or learned scholar can recognize the
tongues found throughout the Gyre. While it has no sta- existence of Preterite markings, but even magical spells of
tus as a literary language and scarce any as a written one, translation are useless in giving anything but the crudest,
a speaker of Trade Cant can generally convey basic ideas most superficial translation of their meaning. Their pres-
and important wishes to most cosmopolitan people in ence is usually an indication that the Black Gate to an
the Gyre, or conduct sophisticated mercantile exchanges Iterum is near to hand, or some similar Legacy-working
with a fellow speaker. of unearthly power.
Old Vothian was the lingua franca of the Vothite Outsider tongues are largely incomprehensible to
Empire and its subject peoples in the Gyre, gradually sup- humans, and usually impossible for them to physically
planting the ancient versions of their own speech and produce. Abased is a patois that survives in certain places,
shifting their subjects’ tongues in turn. It’s found on many a more easily-vocalized pidgin used by many Outsider
ancient Workings of the Empire and early Republic, but species of the Gyre in order to command their slaves. It
it is not spoken save by erudite scholars, who often use exists now chiefly in the books of scholars and the mem-
it as a common language between them. ory of adventurers who must often interact with Abased
Brass Speech is the tongue of the Hegemony and its inscriptions in the ancient Deeps.
servants, being spoken as a mother tongue in Ka-Adun Among the demihuman peoples of the Gyre, the
and among the nobles and elites that once served the He- languages spoken are usually those of the surrounding
gemony. Aside from being a spoken language, it is found majority. Those descended from some cohesive cultural
in many Hegemony-era books and inscriptions meant group may still preserve their ancestral speech, but many
for the use of the Reaping King’s loyal servants. of these groups never had one to begin with, being creat-
Emedian is the former language of Old Emed, and ed out of another group’s population, and the “ancestral
by extension much of Emed-Kist. Derived from Ancient speech” of two different populations may have been en-
Lin, it was a poetic tongue of sophistication, grace, and tirely different. Some scholars maintain that the “Recur-
nuance, and it has never lost its reputation as a tongue of rent” spoken by some of those transhumans known as
literary importance, even during the rule of the Vothite “elves” is evidence of a unified origin for that demihuman
Empire. species. Others believe that the “Deep Speech” of the
Thurian is the modernized form of Ancient Osrin Outsider-engineered “dwarves” is more a consequence
that serves as the common tongue of Thur. Considerable of their intimate involvement with the Legacy and its
amounts of arcanotechnical documentation is written in impact on their communication rather than the result
Thurian, produced by the Great Guilds of that nation. of any unified origin.
Llaigisan is a smoothed-over Ancient Khalan, with
extensive loans from Emedian and Old Vothian. Consid-
erable amounts of Ancient Khalan vocabulary were ex-
100

Faiths of the Gyre

Every nation in the Gyre has their own selection of fa-
vored deities, some shared between peoples and others The Old Lords
unique to particular nations, provinces, or even individu- Dreaded servants of the ancient Outsiders and their alien
al cities or villages. Most of these gods are of little interest gods, the worshipers of the Old Lords are convinced that
to adventurers, and a GM who wants to detail them for the rule of the alien tyrants was actually an era of order,
additional setting flavor can use the tools on page XX. harmony, and peace, and that it was only through the
Other gods, however, are more pertinent to an ad- treacherous machinations of wicked humanity that the
venturer’s ambitions. They either offer services of special era was ever lost. They blame every modern suffering on
interest, goals that adventurers could either further or human error and point to the vast megastructures of the
oppose, or they are major political authorities in certain Deeps as proof that the Outsiders had the power to grant
areas. The faiths described below are but a few of these. humanity all they could ever desire. Records of suffering,
torment, and cruelty are dismissed as Sorcerer-King lies.
The Brass Cult This faith is usually found in small cells centered
The Reaping King never required formal worship from around an ancient Outsider control unit or fabrication
his subjects, but it was inevitable that some among them node, one powered by various rites of submission and
would seek to give him the honors due a divinity. Vener- sacrifice. The cultists tend to credit any cruelty it inflicts
ation of the King became a mark of nobility and mem- as no more than just punishment for human wickedness,
bership in the Hegemonic elite, and even today many and are rewarded by the goods, powers, or augmenta-
elaborate Brass Cult temples can be found in places that tions that the ancient artifice bestows on them. Some-
were once important to the Hegemony’s aristocracy. times actual living Outsiders, particularly Tuhulot, can
Since the Reaping King went silent, the cult has be- be found as high priests of these cells, using them for
come convinced that inadequate worship and reverence their own purposes and rewarding them for their slavish
is the cause for his seeming inaction. They loudly preach obedience.
submission to the Hegemony and return to a strict obe-
dience to Hegemonic officials, a plea that commonly falls The Golden Path
on deaf ears. Even so, the Brass Cult is still in possession This faith is convinced of the eternal recurrance of the
of substantial wealth and arcane resources given to it by soul, that every creature is incessantly recycled by the
noble believers, and they are able to reward cooperative Legacy into new incarnations of suffering, attachment,
lords and work vigorously against open enemies of the and loss. Only by liberating the self from any attachment
Hegemony. Most of their aristocratic clergy seek only the to the world and conducting special rites of disentangle-
stabilization and strengthening of the remaining Hege- ment may a soul be permitted the peace of final unity
monic authority in the Gyre, and will commonly employ with the cosmos… or final extinction, depending on the
adventurers to carry out tasks toward that end. sect’s particular interpretation of their doctrine.
The Golden Path has temples that follow the teach-
The Servants of Shun ings of a host of different “Liberators” who are supposed
The Rule of Shun was a centuries-long secessionist move- to have escaped the cycle of life and death. Their doc-
ment during the Vothite Republic, during which much of trines vary from place to place, but their dedication to
modern Llaigis was taken over by the devotees of a lat- eliminating suffering makes them a major source of Heal-
ter-day Sorcerer-King known only as “Shun”. While his ers, and numerous temple-schools of the faith instruct
bloody kingdom was eventually crushed by a Republican candidates in those arts. Extremists of the faith, known
army, his worshipers persist even into the present day in commonly as “Wheelbreakers” are convinced that only
modern Llaigis, New Voth, and Emed-Kist. the destruction of the world can cut short the suffer-
The Rule of Shun was infamous for its biological ing of existence, and their zealous pursuit of complete
experiments and mutated abominations. Modern devo- nullification of all extant reality has caused more than
tees pray to Shun for deliverance from sickness and injury, a few disasters.
and seek his favor in order to gain physical might and
martial prowess. The clergy of Shun are privy to many The Bleeding God
techniques from the fallen Rule and are marvelously Devotees of this faith flatly refuse to recognize the de-
effective healers and augmentors. All of them, however, served divinity of any other god; to them, the name of
are sworn to aid Shun in being reborn into this world, a their deity is simply “God”, and they distinguish him as
process that requires numerous ancient artifacts and a the Bleeding God only when they must be clear with
vast supply of “raw materials” from believers and their nonbelievers. Their church rules the nation of Sarul, but
prey. Once this is done, believers are convinced that they other branches can be found in other nations, usually
will be the elect of the new age and appointed to rule over minor missionary churches and local cells. Outside of the
the lesser, inferior breeds of the present day. theocracy of Sarul, the only authority is a given nation’s
 101

Pontifex, and many regions have more than one of them Voth is held to be the arch-architect of the Gyre, the
due to disagreements on theological or political matters. fathomless mind that set in motion all that has come to
The Bleeding God is depicted as the sole creator, pass. Any suffering or misery is the result of deviation
ruler, and judge of the world and the font of all virtue from Voth’s great plan and any personal problems can
and meaning. Sentient life is hopelessly deficient in virtue, be overcome if the petitioner finds the correct course of
being inescapably wicked and deserving of eternal suffer- action that Voth’s omniscience would direct him to take.
ing. The Bleeding God accepted this just punishment on Believers work on behalf of Voth’s clergy, carrying out
behalf of creation out of love for what he had wrought, their directions and paying tithes in exchange for oracu-
and so believers may be redeemed by accepting his sac- lar knowledge, secret guidance, and practical advice. Even
rifice and striving to follow the teachings of his prophets. nobles have considerable use for a Seer advisor, as their
Compassion, courage, mercy, truthfulness, and self-disci- information networks can often supply any deficiencies
pline are prized by followers. While the ethical standards of their magical foretelling. Every provincial district has
of the faith are attractive to many, and its promise of an its First Seer to direct and coordinate individual temples,
eventual afterlife of joy to faithful believers is appealing, with the First Seers gathering from time to time to fur-
its contempt for human virtue and strict moral demands ther the plans of their enigmatic mistress. These plans
makes it an unpopular faith in most areas. It’s found most are not always salutary for the subjects, though the Seers
often among Blighted, outcasts, and the lowest social insist that all must be done lest something worse happen.
rungs, who find the idea of an all-powerful god that ac-
tually cares about their existence to be an exciting novelty.

The Seers of Voth

While worship of the first Mentarch of the Vothite Em-
pire was proscribed during the thousand-year rule of the
Republic, it didn’t stop a variety of refugee thought-hous-
es, wary provincial villages, and secret Republic cells from
maintaining their rites. With the fall of the Republic and
the religious tolerance of the Brass Hegemony, it grew
back into a faith that has congregations in almost all the
cities and major towns of the Gyre.
102

Outsiders and the Arratus

The aliens that formerly ruled the Latter Earth are innu- many of them have incongruous body parts or features
merable and at least partly indescribable. The conquered from their host progenitor, such as human-like faces,
world was host to thousands of different alien species, furred pelts, pawed feet, horns, or human hands.
each with their outposts, consulates, and garrisons bent The Jikegida are semi-immortal once mature, but
on maintaining their control over humanity and its Lega- require immobilized or helpless warm-blooded hosts to
cy. There is no doubt that a considerable number of them reproduce. The larva is implanted along the spinal col-
would have been just as glad to eradicate the entire spe- umn, putting the host in a torpid daze that continues
cies, but the power of the Legacy made such measures im- while the larva swells to fill their abdominal cavity and
practical; too drastic a genocide risked triggering ancient digests the less-important tissues of the host. Within a
defense protocols that may have been too much even for week, surgical removal is impossible without killing the
the conquerors to have overcome. host, and only powerful healing magics have any chance
As a consequence, the Outsiders settled in for an ag- of saving them. After a month, a juvenile Jikegida emerg-
es-long occupation, punishing, consuming, or “improving” es, killing the host, and then grows to full maturity over
the humans in their charge as they saw fit. The Deeps a period of five or six years. While any warm-blooded
ensured that the populations were easily controlled, and host of sheep size or larger will serve, Jikegida spawned
the rebel surface tribes and the limited number of human from intelligent, neurally-dense hosts such as humans
directly in service to the Outsiders were of little con- are more intelligent, bigger, and stronger.
sequence. During this period the chief interests of the The Jikegida favor the use of crossbow-like launch-
Outsiders lay in their own obscure quarrels and intercine ers and other mechanical weapons, as their thin limbs are
struggles, with wars fought occasionally by human slave relatively weak compared to human arms. Their social
armies or Blighted servitors. life revolves around pheromonal exchanges and scent
When the rule of the Outsiders finally collapsed, “debates” that resolve theoretical questions of philosophy
whether from their own conflicts, the rebellion of the first and ontology that humans can barely categorize, let alone
Sorcerer-Kings, or from some unknowable decision to fully understand. As far as human scholars can tell, the
depart, the remnants left behind were swiftly slaughtered Jikegida consider humanity to be nothing but “philosoph-
by the avenging human survivors. Those that survived ical zombies”, false machines of flesh that only seem to
retreated to their best-hidden or most strongly-fortified have emotions and desires, and so are fit only for use.
fastnesses, there to seethe in bitterness. Due to the con- A Jikegida nest is usually built of lightweight plant
stant splintering of Iterums, the Outsiders of most iter- materials unless they have access to their ancient con-
ations of Latter Earth cannot even hope to flee the world. struction-shells or Blighted slave laborers, whereupon
They are trapped forever in the home of their mortal foes. they favor smooth stone buildings with hexagonal mass-
Outsiders hate humans, for as much as a human es of shapes and passages. Their technology is usually
emotion can describe their attitudes. Some hate them slightly better than that of nearby humans, but a few
for what they did, others hate them for what they are, of them have access to marvels inherited from their
and a few hate them for what they might yet become. once-dominant ancestors.
It is not impossible for an Outsider to form a working
relationship with a human, and indeed, some modern Polop, the Sea Kings
communities still have secret ties to Outsider patrons, The “seamaws” or “fish devils” are never found far from
but such arrangements are almost always born of desper- water. A Polop can usually breathe air for as much as a
ate mutual necessity. A few Outsider species are rumored day, but dry climates and extended periods outside of
to have a more benevolent attitude toward humanity, and water or away from their life-support equipment doom
some might actually be well-disposed toward them… or them to a suffocating death. Most appear as horse-sized,
feigning it for some more awful end. vaguely sexapedal shapes with glabrous, scaled skin, huge,
There are three major species of Outsider found unblinking eyes and a maw of fanged teeth. Their body
within the Gyre, along with more than a dozen lesser spe- plan involves six clusters of locomotive and manipulatory
cies that have been identified in certain remote regions. appendages evenly paired along either side of their body,
each cluster consisting of two to four crab-like legs that
Jikegida, the Parasites end in small “hands” of curved chitinous material. Flex-
Known as the “Stickmen” by some, the Jikegida are an ing these limbs and the thin integument between them
emaciated-looking, bipedal, four-armed humanoid spe- propels them rapidly underwater, while land movement
cies that stands approximately seven feet tall. They have leaves them in a vaguely centauroid posture, leaving two
a chitinous, plate-like outer integument, seven long, slen- clusters free to manipulate tools.
der talon-fingers on each arm, and a long, flat, beetle-like The Polop are the unquestioned rulers of the
body surmounted by a head with bulging black eyes and Carceral Sea around the Gyre. Coastal raids by Polop
mandibular jaws. Due to their reproduction method, harvesters are a commonplace, and every fisherman
 103

knows to sail only in daylight hours, when the fish devils The Arratus of the Outsiders
are quiet. Even so, colonies of Polop have been found in In the ages of their control over humanity it was inevi-
the Blind Mire, the Mirewash and the Tombwater, with table that the Outsiders should have tried to xenoform
some reported around the Font. Even the Usuldarum the Latter Earth to better suit their wishes. Despite their
and Usulmot rivers have known local infestations of control of the surface, the Legacy made this process very
these Outsiders. difficult; xenoforming engines and curses of transforma-
The Polop eat humans. As far as scholars can un- tion were contained and suppressed. A frigid atmosphere
derstand, they find humans to be delicious, but the act of liquid methane might spread for miles around a Quhal
of eating them is some sort of religious or philosophical ice-spire, but six miles from the center point it would
statement of species superiority. “We Who Eat” is the be suddenly halted by the Legacy, unable to so much as
Polop term for themselves, and it’s true that Polop bi- chill the neighboring terrestrial atmosphere. If the ice-
ology appears capable of consuming almost any living spire were to be destroyed, the entire atmosphere might
creature without ill effects. Some Polop trench-cities be reverted back to Earthly norms in a matter of days,
contain extensive human breeding pens where captive though the damage the methane did may or may not be
populations are raised as meat stock. Most humans, how- swiftly repaired.
ever, are eaten shortly after they are taken back to the city. An arratu is one such xenoformed area. The closer
While Polop will eat dead flesh, they find it more satisfy- it was to the terrestrial norm, the less likely the Legacy
ing to consume living creatures that are aware of their fate. was to forcibly deconvert it, so the Outsider engineers
Polop magic and technology are sophisticated in tended to make their changes in small increments. Many
matters of life support, live-coral construction and the of these arratus were so palatable to the Legacy that they
mental domination of monstrous sea life, but their un- continue to persist even in the absence of their makers
derwater existence leaves them with few high-tempera- or the destruction of their original central nodes. Within
ture or high-energy resources. Their great trench-cities these cursed lands there can be found abominations both
are built in the lightless depths, illuminated by phospho- earthly and otherwise, some dependent on the special
rescent masses, while colonies nearer the surface are fab- environment of the arratu even to exist.
ricated of bubbles of pressure-tight coral lattices. Most surviving arratus have a human-breathable at-
mosphere, though it may be toxic over a period of long
Tuhulot, the Ones Outside exposure. The flora and fauna within are usually wild-
The “folded men” are some of the most alien of Outsiders. ly different from terrestrial varieties, being alien colors,
They manifest as human-appearing entities but their mo- strangely configured, or exceptionally vicious. Monsters
tions are utterly wrong. Limbs jerk in non-Euclidian ways, from the arratu may roam outside its boundaries for
voices manifest without moving lips, and their “walk” is hunting purposes, but few can survive extended absences
a hideous shamble of twitching limbs like some ill-man- from its alien vapors and strange radiations. With long
aged puppet. This is because the Tuhulot is not fully pres- ages or favorable conditions, such an arratu can spread of
ent; it is interacting with this world through a single facet its own, gradually expanding to devour the surrounding
of its being, and the interface is inevitably crude. lands.
At some point in the unfathomable past, humanity Within the arratus are found ancient Outsider ruins
locked the entire Tuhulot species away in some sort of and the forgotten remnants of human cities overrun by
alternate dimension. Only through ages of ferocious ef- the wastes. The difficulty and danger of penetrating deep
fort have they been able to penetrate this far back into into such lands keeps these ruins unusually well-pre-
our reality and the manifestations they have formed are served from scavengers, and particularly bold adventurers
the best they can do until the remainder of the seal is make a point of exploring arratus in search of these lost
broken and they can fully incarnate in this world once troves. These explorers often fail to return.
more. This freedom can be obtained only by destroying Especially brave settlers or wretched penal slaves are
certain ancient relics, disrupting certain ancient control sometimes sent to de-convert an arratu, sowing certain
sites, and extinguishing certain critical human bloodlines. terran plants along its borders and raising certain native
The Tuhulot are desperate to escape their prison and re- animals that assist the Legacy in rectifying the wastes.
turn to their former rule, and they will do anything to Through generations of effort, this can gradually shrink
advance this goal by so much as a single step. the arratu until it is entirely gone. With sufficient arcane
Tuhulot are never found in groups. They operate power and the right artifacts, large stretches of arratu
as kingmakers and manipulators, using their uncanny can be deconverted in a matter of moments. Of course,
powers of spatial and temporal perception to provide in- employing such powers often requires the discovery of
formation and backing to their agents. They are extraor- the arratu’s origination point and the defeat of whatever
dinarily difficult to kill, though a successful destruction defensive measures the makers originally put in place.
of their manifestation will seal that particular Tuhulot
away from the world for some indeterminate age. They
are terrified of this fate, and will bargain richly to save
their own “lives”.
104

Iterums, the Echoed Worlds

As the Legacy holds within it the raw descriptive en- were successful in crushing the rebellion, and this world
coding of innumerable possibilities, the application of was splintered as a refuge in which their efforts were in
sufficient energy to its patterns can create splinters of vain. Others suspect that this reality is one created by
alternate reality. These Iterums echo the baseline worlds the Outsiders themselves, in which they did not suffer
they emulate but each has its own independent substance. the complete extermination that they experienced in the
Some Iterums are as small as rooms, while others are so parent Iterum. The truth is largely unguessable, as not
vast as to be full-scale replicas of the Latter Earth itself. even the name of the parent Iterum of 108 Triumphant
An Iterum usually shares the physical laws of its Void has survived into the present day.
parent world, though arcanists of sufficient learning and As implied, the denizens of an Iterum can splinter
ability to manipulate the Legacy may introduce chang- further iterations, some as large as the parent itself. Be-
es. Errors in this process can produce catastrophes on cause of this, it is clear that the true Latter Earth, the
a literally global level; more than one Iterum has been First World of ancient origin, is now hopelessly lost
generated as an unsurvivable hellscape of twisted mon- somewhere back along the path of forked possibili-
strosities when its creator desired only to make a paradise. ties. The inhabitants of 108 Triumphant Void are thus
An Iterum’s history splinters off at the point of its in- trapped within the boundaries of their Iterum. While
stantiation. While it may have been called into existence they may roam the whole of the Latter Earth and ascend
with a full panoply of inhabitants and sentient minds, to the very limit of its atmosphere, the stars beyond are
the events and activities that go on from the point of nothing more than lights in the roof of the world, images
creation are be unique to each individual Iterum. Even calculated into reality as part of the Iterum’s creation.
those inhabitants who somehow manage to journey into Only by tracking backward through the innumer-
the Iterum’s past, before its supposed time of creation, able sharded possibilities of their parent Iterums could
find only a copy of the people and events that led up to its an explorer hope to somehow find the First World, and
eventual divergence. The only conventional way to cross without knowing even the code for this world’s parent
between Iterums is through those portals coded by the Iterum the first step on such a journey is impossible.
Legacy to admit cross-reality traffic, the infamous “Black There are arcane cosmographers who devote their schol-
Gates” that connect specific realities. arly lives to mapping out the known connections between
Powerful sorceries can also reach through the bar- Iterums, identifying parent and child worlds and tracing
rier between worlds by relying on the Legacy and its the links of Black Gates and summoning incantations
universal connection to all Iterums and all possibilities. between them, but even those sages have never managed
Through the correct incantations and the appropriate to find a provable path to the First World where they may
thaumaturgical implements, entities from foreign Iter- ascend once more to the stars.
ums can be called forth as servants, agents, or occasion- For most inhabitants of the Latter Earth, the exis-
ally as gods. Such summoning powers are as capricious tence of Iterums is of little importance. They are Hells, or
and dangerous as is all High Magic, and the decay of the Heavens, or fairy-tale worlds, or the muttered hair-split-
Legacy has put many foreign Iterums out of the reach tings of useless old scholars. This world is as real as any-
of modern sorcery, leaving only the stranger and more thing and its people as substantial as anyone could be.
dangerous ones in common reach. They have no interest in what could have happened in
Every Iterum has its own identifying code. The Iter- other possibilities; their concern is for their own lives
um described in this book is coded as “108 Triumphant and loved ones, and that is enough.
Void”, the last ideogram’s translation being disputed For sorcerers and heroes, the matter is not so simple.
by those few scholars capable of analyzing the Preter- Expert mages have means to create Iterums of their own
ite glyphs that encode it. Some have translated it as an as Workings, albeit rarely ones larger than a room, or
now-unknown place-name or personal name, while oth- perhaps a building. A few nurse mad dreams of calving
ers would read it as “Consumption”, “Undoing”, “Negation”, off entire nations to be their devoted slaves and worship-
or “Completion”. These names and their accompanying ers, studying means by which the creation process can
arcane coordinate glyphs are important in summoning be corrupted and shaped more to their liking. Ancient
magics, and numerous examples of other Iterums and Iterums can be found in many places, most serving as
the names given them by their creators are preserved in pockets in which some long-dead wizard was conducting
ancient texts. their own unfathomable experiments, while others were
This Iterum, like many others, is a vast one. It en- fastnesses for Outsiders, exiled nobility, or fallen peoples.
compasses the entire Latter Earth and appears to be a rel- A few seem to have been created to suit their progenitor’s
atively late splintering of the timeline, perhaps dating to aesthetic tastes or artistic visions. The Black Gates that
the final years of the downfall of the Outsider rule of the connect these worlds to 108 Triumphant Void are usual-
planet. It is unclear what provoked the creation of this ly obvious, but a few are so well-concealed that a traveler
Iterum; some say that in its parent reality, the Outsiders can pass through without even noticing their translation.
 105

Iterums in Play
For a GM, Iterums serve as a simple in-world explana-
tion for any differences or modifications you may choose
to make to the default setting. If you prefer to shuffle
nations around, rewrite the past, add or subtract sentient
species, or adjust other elements of the default game you
can simply set it in your own Iterum and not worry about
“contradicting canon”. While you could certainly do the
same to 108 Triumphant Void, many GMs feel more
comfortable in clearly distinguishing their own work.
Iterums also serve as “planes of existence” for the
summoning of strange creatures or the machinations of
invidious extraplanar entities. Many fantasy games all
but require the existence of demons, angelic powers, ex-
traplanar abominations, or other beings native to entirely
different worlds. Iterums can serve as those worlds, pro-
viding a convenient source of strange beings and intrusive
entities for your heroes to encounter and your sinister
sorcerers to summon.
Iterums can function as convenient dungeon sites
as well. The rules of reality within such an Iterum might
be such that strange Workings or warped natural laws
prevail, and the architecture and contents of the place
could be impossible under conventional physics. Such
Iterums can be as large as they need to be for the GM’s
convenience. Some could be no more than handy pocket
labyrinths to entertain the heroes for a session, while
others could be big enough to hold all of Averoigne or
contain an alternate-world nation tuned to a particular
genre or flavor that might not fit with the rest of the
campaign.
Most players honestly won’t care much about Iter-
ums or worry over the consistency of their details. Give
them a “real world”, a selection of alternate planes, a few
dungeons that don’t seem to respect conventional laws,
and that’s a sufficient campaign setting for their interests.
Their main use is for the GM, so that they might have
a coherent in-universe explanation for providing those
elements to their own campaign creations.
106

FACTIONS AND MAJOR PROJECTS

(Chapter intro here)

The rules in this chapter are currently written in a

very summary form, the better to get it out for public
examination. More elaborate explanations and examples
will come as the details are refined.
 107

FACTIONSPLASH
W 6.34 in
H 9.67 in
108

Faction Statistics The Faction Turn

Factions have several statistics to define their overall Every month or so, the GM should run a faction turn.
qualities. Weak or small factions will have tend to have This turn may take place more often during times of
low ratings even in their main focus, while kingdoms and intense activity, or less often if the campaign world is
major institutions may have a good rating even in their quiet. In general, a faction turn after every adventure is a
less important traits, simply because they have so many good average, assuming the PCs don’t have back-to-back
resources available to them. adventures.
Cunning is measured from 1 to 8 and indicates the At the start of every faction turn, each faction rolls
faction’s general guile, skill at subterfuge, and subtlety. 1d8 for initiative, the highest rolls going first. Ties are
Low Cunning means the faction is straightforward or un- resolved as the GM wishes, and then each faction takes
accustomed to dealing with trickery, while high Cunning the following steps in order.
is for machivellian schemers and secretive organizations.
Force is measured from 1 to 8 and reflects the overall • The faction earns Treasure equal to half their
military prowess and martial competence of the faction. Wealth plus a quarter of their Force and a quarter
A faction with low Force isn’t used to using violence to of their Cunning, rounded up.
get its way, or is particularly inept at it, while a high Force
reflects a culture of military expertise. • The faction must pay any upkeep required by their
Wealth is measured from 1 to 8 and shows the fac- individual Asset costs, or by the cost of having too
tion’s general prosperity, material resources, and facility many Assets for their attributes. If they can’t afford
with money. Low Weath means the faction is poor, disin- this upkeep, individual Assets may have their own
terested in material goods, or spendthrift with what they bad consequences, while not being able to afford
have, while high Wealth factions are rich and familiar excess Assets means that the excess are lost.
with using money and goods as tools for success.
Magic measures the amount of magical resources • The faction triggers any special abilities individual
available to the faction. “None” is for factions that have Assets may have, such as abilities that allow an As-
no meaningful access to magic. “Low” is for those factions set to move or perform some other special benefit.
that have at best a few trained mages or small stores of
magical goods. “Medium” is for a faction where there is an • The faction takes one Faction Action as listed in the
established source of magical power for the faction, either following section, resolving any Attacks or other
as a sub-group of cooperative mages, a magical academy, a consequences from their choice. When an action is
tradition of sorcery in the faction, or some other institu- taken, every Asset owned by the faction may take
tionalized aid. “High” magic is reserved for those factions it; thus, if Attack is chosen, then every valid Asset
that have a strong focus on wielding magical power, most owned by the faction can Attack. If Repair Asset
fitting for a faction that represents a magical order. is chosen, every Asset can be repaired if enough
Treasure is counted in points, and the total reflects Treasure is spent.
how much the faction owns in cash and valuable goods. A
single point of Treasure doesn’t have an established cash • The faction checks to see if it’s accomplished its
value; a sack of gold is worthless in itself to a faction that most recent goal. If so. it collects the experience
needs a dozen oxcarts, and a herd of cattle owned by a points for doing so and picks a new goal. If not, it
faction can’t necessarily be turned into a fix sum of coin. can abandon the old goal and pick a new one, but
Hit points work for factions much as they do for it will sacrifice its next turn’s Faction Action to do
characters; when a faction is reduced to zero hit points, it so and may not trigger any Asset special abilities
collapses. Its individual members and sub-groups might that round, either.
not all be dead, but they’re so hopelessly disorganized,
dispirited, or conflict-bound that the faction ceases to The next faction in order then acts until all factions
exist as a coherent whole. have acted for the turn.
Assets are important resources possessed by a fac-
tion, such as controlling a ring of Smugglers, or having a Asset Locations and Movement
unit of Infantry. Assets all have their own statistics and Every Asset has a location on the campaign map. This
hit points, and all of them require certain scores in Force, location may not be where all the elements of the Asset
Wealth, Cunning, and Magic to purchase. Assets don’t are located. It might simply be the headquarters of an
cover all the resources and institutions the faction may organization, or the spot where the most active and im-
control, but they reflect the ones that are most useful portant members of it are currently working. However
and relevant to the faction at that moment. A kingdom it’s described, it’s the center of gravity for the Asset.
may have more military than the Infantry unit they have, This location is usually in a town or other settlement,
but that Infantry unit is the one that’s doing something but it could be anything that makes sense. A reclusive
important enough to pay attention to. Prophet might dwell deep within the wilderness, and
a ring of Smugglers might currently be based out of a
 109

hidden sea cave. A location is simply wherever the GM Faction Turn Actions
thinks it should be. Attack: The faction nominates one or more Assets to
Assets can move locations, either with the Move attack the enemy in their locations. In each location,
Asset faction action or with a special ability possessed the defender chooses which of the Assets present
by the Asset itself or an allied unit. Generally, whenever will meet the Attack; thus, if a unit of Infantry at-
an Asset moves, it can move one turn’s worth of distance. tacks in a location where there is an enemy Base
As a rule of thumb, for a one-month turn, this is of Influence, Informers, and Idealistic Thugs, the
about one hundred miles. This is as far as an organization defender could decide to use Idealistic Thugs to
can shift itself in thirty days while still maintaining some defend against the attack.
degree of control and cohesion. The GM may adjust this The attacker makes an attribute check based on
distance based on the situation; if the campaign is taking the attack of the acting Asset; thus, the Infantry
place in an island archipelago with fast sea travel it’s going would roll Force versus Force. On a success, the de-
to be easier to move long distances than if the Asset has fending Asset takes damage equal to the attacking
to march through mountains to get there. Asset’s attack score, or 1d8 in the case of Infantry.
Some Assets also have special abilities that work On a failure, the attacking Asset takes damage equal
on targets within one move of the Asset. Again, the GM to the defending Asset’s counterattack score, or 1d6
decides what this means, but generally it means that the in the case of Idealistic Thugs.
Asset can affect targets within a hundred miles of its lo- If the damage done to an Asset reduces it to
cation. zero hit points, it is destroyed. The same Asset may
Sometimes it doesn’t make logical sense for an As- be used to defend against multiple attacking Assets,
set to be able to move to a particular location. A unit of provided it can survive the onslaught.
Infantry, for example, could hardly walk into an enemy Damage done to a Base of Influence is also
nation’s capital so as to later Attack the Court Patronage done directly to the faction’s hit points. Overflow
Asset there. In this case, the best the Infantry could do damage is not transmitted, however; if the Base of
would be to move to a location near the capital, assuming Influence only has 5 hit points and 7 hit points are
the GM decides that’s plausible. The Infantry couldn’t inflicted, the faction loses the Base of Influence and
actually Attack the enemy faction’s Assets until they got 5 hit points from its total.
into the city itself where those Assets were located. Move Asset: One or more Assets are moved up to one
Assets with the Subtle quality are not limited this turn’s worth of movement each. The receiving lo-
way. Subtle Assets can move to locations even where cation must not have the ability and inclination to
they would normally be prohibited by the ruling powers. forbid the Asset from operating there. Subtle and
Dislodging them requires that they be Attacked until Stealthed Assets ignore this limit.
destroyed or moved out by their owner. If an asset loses the Subtle or Stealth qualities
Assets with the Stealth quality are also not limited while in a hostile location, they must use this action
by this, and can move freely to any location within reach. to retreat to safety within one turn or they will lose
Stealthed Assets cannot be Attacked by other Assets half their maximum hit points in damage at the
until they lose the Stealth quality. This happens when start of the next turn, rounded up.
they are discovered by certain special Assets or when the Repair Asset: The faction spends 1 Treasure on each
Stealthed Asset Attacks something. Asset they wish to repair, fixing half their relevant
attribute value in lost hit points, rounded up. Thus,
Attribute Checks fixing a Force Asset would heal half the faction’s
Some actions, such as Attack, require an attribute check Force attribute, rounded up. Additional healing can
between factions, such as Force versus Cunning, or be applied to an Asset in this same turn, but the
Wealth versus Force. Other special Asset abilities some- cost increases by 1 Treasure for each subsequent fix;
times call for attribute checks as well. thus, the second costs 2 Treasure, the third costs 3
To make this check, the attacker and defender both Treasure, and so forth.
roll 1d10 and add their relevant attribute. Thus, for a This ability can at the same time also be used
Force versus Cunning check, the attacker would roll to repair damage done to the faction, spending 1
1d10+Force against the defender’s 1d10+Cunning. The Treasure to heal a total equal to the faction’s high-
attacker wins if their total is higher, and the defender est and lowest Force, Wealth, or Cunning attribute
wins if it’s a tie or their roll is higher. divided by two, rounded up. Thus, a faction with a
Some special abilities allow the attacker or defender Force of 5, Wealth of 2, and Cunning of 4 would
to roll more than one die for a check. In this case, the heal 4 points of damage. Only one such application
dice are rolled and the highest of them are used for the of healing is possible for a faction each turn.
comparison. Expand Influence: The faction seeks to establish a new
base of operations in a location. The faction must
have at least one Asset there already to make this
attempt, and must spend 1 Treasure for each hit
110

point the new Base of Influence is to have. Thus, to of Ruhark is the important element in the campaign, the
create a new Base of Influence with a maximum hit empire that Ruhark belongs to can be ignored. If the One
point total of 10, 10 Treasure must be spent. Bases Red Dawn faction of the Howling God’s clergy are the
with high maximum hit point totals are harder to ones who hate the PCs, then making them into their own
dislodge, but losing them also inflicts much more small faction is much easier and better than factionizing
damage on the faction’s own hit points. the entire Howling God hierarchy.
Once the Base of Influence is created, the owner For a small faction, give them a 3 or 4 in their best
makes a Cunning versus Cunning attribute check attribute, a 2 or 3 in their second-best, and a 1 or 2 in
against every other faction that has at least one As- their worst quality. Set their Magic as you see fit, though
set in the same location. If the other faction wins groups this small can often end up having a significant
the check, they are allowed to make an immediate amount of magical resources thanks to the lesser num-
Attack against the new Base of Influence with what- ber of skilled mages needed to cover their needs. They
ever Assets they have present in the location. The should be given a Base of Influence Asset at their primary
creating faction may attempt to block this action by headquarters with a maximum hit point total equal to
defending with other Assets present. the faction’s own maximum hit points.
If the Base of Influence survives this onslaught, Medium factions should assign 5 or 6 to their best
it operates as normal and allows the faction ot pur- attribute, 4 or 5 to their second-best, and 2 or 3 to their
chase new Assets there with the Create Asset action. worst. They should have two Assets in their primary at-
Create Asset: The faction buys one Asset at a location tribute and two others among the other two. Their Magic
where they have a Base of Influence. They must rating will vary as above, and they should also be given a
have the minimum attribute and Magic ratings Base of Influence Asset at their main stronghold.
necessary to buy the Asset and must pay the listed Large factions should assign 7 or 8 to their strongest
cost in Treasure to build it. A faction can create only attribute, 6 or 7 to their second-best attribute, and 3 or
one Asset per turn. 4 to their worst quality. They should have four Assets in
A faction can have no more Assets of a particu- their primary attribute, and four others spread among
lar attribute than their attribute score. Thus, a fac- the other two. Their Magic rating will depend on whatev-
tion with a Force of 3 can have only 3 Force Assets. er you think is appropriate for their scale, but remember
If this number is exceeded, the faction must pay 1 that it’s harder to concentrate effective magical resources
Treasure per excess Asset at the start of each turn, when dealing with a whole province or nation than it is to
or else they will lose the excess. enchant a single city-state or magical institution. Give a
Hide Asset: An action available only to factions with a strong faction a Base of Influence asset with a value equal
Cunning score of 3 or better, this action allows the to their full hit points, and place it in their seat of power.
faction to give one owned Asset the Stealth quality To determine a faction’s maximum hit points, use
for every 2 Treasure they spend. Assets currently in the table below. Thus, one with a Force of 3, a Wealth of
a location with another faction’s Base of Influence 5, and a Cunning of 2 would have hit points equal to 4
can’t be hidden. If the Asset later loses the Stealth, plus 9 plus 2, or 15 total. The Base of Influence at their
no refund is given. primary headquarters will always have a maximum hit
Sell Asset: The faction voluntarily decommissions an points equal to the faction’s maximum hit points, even if
Asset, salvaging it for what it’s worth. The Asset is it later rises or falls due to attribute score changes.
lost and the faction gains half its purchase cost in Lastly, give a faction a goal, either one from the fol-
Treasure, rounded down. If the Asset is damaged lowing list or one chosen by the GM. When this goal is
when it is sold, however, no Treasure is gained. achieved, the faction earns experience points which it can
later spend to increase its attributes. The cost for such
Creating Factions increases is given on the table below. Earlier levels must
A given campaign should generally not have more than be purchased before later, so to raise Force from 5 to 7
six active factions at any one time, and three or four are will cost 9 XP to raise it to 6, then 12 more to raise it to 7.
generally more manageable. If there are more extant fac-
tions than this in your campaign, then simply run turns
for the three or four most active or relevant ones and
leave the others fallow for the turn.
To create a faction, decide whether it is a small, me-
dium, or large faction. A small one might be a petty cult
or small free city or minor magical academy. A medi-
um one might be a local baron’s government or prov-
ince-wide faith. A large one would be an entire kingdom
or a major province of a vast empire.
It’s perfectly acceptable to break a large institution
down into a smaller faction. If the provincial government
 111

Attribute XP Cost Hit Point Wealth of Kingdoms: Spend Treasure equal to four
Rating to Purchase Value times your faction’s Wealth rating on bribes and
1 - 1 influence. This money is effectively lost, but the
goal is then considered accomplished. The faction’s
2 2 2
Wealth rating must increase before this goal can be
3 4 4 selected again. Difficulty 2.
4 6 6
5 9 9
Faction Tags
6 12 12 (To be defined.)
7 16 16
8 20 20

Faction Goals
The goals listed below are not the only options for a fac-
tion, but they should provide some examples for a GM to
use as inspiration. The difficulty of a goal is the number
of experience points earned on a successful completion
of it.
Military Conquest: Destroy a number of Force assets
of rival factions equal to your faction’s Force rating.
Difficulty is 1 per 2 assets destroyed, rounded up.
Commercial Expansion: Destroy a number of Wealth
assets of rival factions equal to your faction’s Wealth
rating. Difficulty is 1 per 2 assets destroyed, round-
ed up.
Intelligence Coup: Destroy a number of Cunning assets
of rival factions equal to your faction’s Cunning rat-
ing. Difficulty is 1per 2 assets destroyed, rounded
up.
Root Out the Enemy: Destroy a Base of Influence of a
rival faction in a specific location. Difficulty equal to
half the average of the current ruling faction’s Force,
Cunning, and Wealth ratings.
Expand Influence: Plant a Base of Influence at a new
location. Difficulty 1, +1 if the attempt is contested
by a rival faction.
Blood the Enemy: Inflict a number of hit points of dam-
age on enemy faction assets or bases equal to your
faction’s total Force, Cunning, and Wealth ratings.
Difficulty 2.
Peaceable Kingdom: Don’t take an Attack action for
four turns. Difficulty 1.
Destroy the Foe: Destroy a rival faction. Difficulty equal
to 2 plus the average of the faction’s Force, Cunning,
and Wealth ratings.
Inside Enemy Territory: Have a number of Stealthed
assets in locations where there is a rival Base of
Influence equal to your Cunning score. Units that
are already Stealthed in locations when this goal is
adopted don’t count. Difficulty 2.
Invincible Valor: Destroy a Force asset with a minimum
purchase rating higher than your faction’s Force rat-
ing. Thus, if your Force is 3, you need to destroy
a unit that requires Force 4 or higher to purchase.
Difficulty 2.
112

Cunning Assets
Bewitching Charmer: When the Bewitching Charmer Just As Planned: Some sublimely cunning mastermind
succeeds in an Attack, the targeted Asset is unable ensures that the schemes of this faction are un-
to leave the same location as the Bewitching Charm- imaginably subtle and far-seeing. Whenever the
er until the latter Asset moves or is destroyed. Be- faction’s Assets make a roll involving Cunning, they
witching Charmers are immune to Counterattack. may reroll a failed check at the cost of inflicting 1d6
Blackmail: When a Blackmail asset is in a location, hos- damage on Just As Planned. This may be done re-
tile factions can’t roll more than one die during At- peatedly, though it may destroy the Asset. There is
tacks made by or against them there, even if they no range limit on this benefit.
have tags or Assets that usually grant bonus dice. Mindbenders: Once per turn as a free action, the Mind-
Court Patronage: Powerful nobles or officials are, ap- benders can force a rival faction to reroll a check,
pointing their agents to useful posts of profit. A Attack, or other die roll they just made and take
Court Patronage Asset automatically grants 1 Trea- whichever result the Mindbenders prefer. A faction
sure to its owning faction each turn. can only be affected this way once until the start of
Covert Transport: As a free action once per turn, the the Mindbender’s faction’s next turn.
faction can pay 1 Treasure and move any Cunning Occult Infiltrators: Magically-gifted spies and assassins
or Wealth Asset at the same location as the Covert are enlisted to serve the faction. Occult Infiltrator
Transport. The transported Asset gains the Stealth Assets always begin play with the Stealth quality.
quality until it performs some action or is otherwise Omniscient Seers: At the start of their turn, each hostile
utilized by the faction. Stealthed asset within one turn’s movement of the
Cryptomancers: In place of an Attack action, they can Omniscient Seers must succeed in a Cunning vs.
make a Cunning vs. Cunning attack on a specific Cunning check against the owning faction or lose
hostile Asset within one move. On a success, the their Stealth. In addition, all Cunning rolls made
targeted Asset is unable to do anything or be used by the faction for units or events within one turn’s
for anything on its owner’s next faction turn. On a movement of the seers gain an extra die.
failure, no Counterattack damage is taken. Organization Moles: Sleeper agents and deep-cover
Dancing Girls: Dancing Girls or other charming dis- spies burrow into hostile organizations, waiting to
tractions are immune to Attack or Counterattack disrupt them from within when ordered to do so.
damage from Force Assets, but they cannot be used Petty Seers: A cadre of skilled fortune-tellers and minor
to defend against Attacks from Force Assets. oracles have been enlisted by the faction to foresee
Expert Treachery: On a successful attack by Expert perils and allow swift counterattacks.
Treachery, the Asset is lost, 5 Treasure is gained Popular Movement: Any friendly Asset is allowed move-
by the owning faction, and the Asset that Expert ment into the same location as the Popular Move-
Treachery targeted switches sides. This conversion ment, even if it would normally be forbidden by its
happens even if their new owners lack the attributes owners and lacks the Subtle quality. If the Popular
usually necessary to maintain such an Asset. Movement later moves or is destroyed, such Assets
Hired Friends: As a free action, once per turn, the faction must also leave or suffer the usual consequences of
may spend 1 Treasure and grant a Wealth Asset a non-Subtle Asset in a hostile area.
within one turn’s movement range the Subtle quality. Prophet: Whether a religious prophet, charismatic phi-
This quality will remain, regardless of the Wealth losopher, rebel leader, or other figure of popular
Asset’s movement, until the Hired Friends are de- appeal, the Asset is firmly under the faction’s control.
stroyed or they use this ability again. Saboteurs: An Asset that is Attacked by the Saboteurs
Idealistic Thugs: Easily-manipulated hotheads are enlist- can’t use any free action abilities it may have during
ed under whatever ideological or religious principle the next turn, whether or not the Attack was suc-
best enthuses them for violence. cessful.
Informers: As a free action, once per turn, the faction Seditionists: In place of an Attack action, the Seditionist’s
can spend 1 Treasure and have the Informers look owners may spend 1d4 Treasure and attach the As-
for Stealthed Assets. To do so, the Informers pick a set to a hostile Asset in the same location. Until the
faction and make a Cunning vs. Cunning Attack on Seditionists are destroyed, infest another Asset, or
them. No counterattack damage is taken if they fail, leave the same location, the rebelling Asset cannot
but if they succeed, all Stealthed Assets of that fac- be used for anything and grants no benefits.
tion within one move of the Informers are revealed. Shapeshifters: As a free action once per turn, the faction
Interrupted Logistics: Non-Stealthed hostile units can spend 1 Treasure and grant the Shapeshifters
cannot enter the same location as the Interrupted the Stealth quality.
Logistics Asset without paying 1d4 Treasure and Smugglers: As a free action, once per faction turn, the
waiting one turn to arrive there. Smugglers can move any allied Wealth or Cunning
 113

Cunning Asset Cost HP Magic Attack Counter Qualities

Cunning 1
Informers 2 3 None C v. C/Special None Subtle, Special
Petty Seers 2 2 Medium None 1d6 damage Subtle
Smugglers 2 4 None C v. W/1d4 damage None Subtle, Action
Useful Idiots 1 2 None None None Subtle, Special
Cunning 2
Blackmail 4 4 None C v. C/1d4 damage None Subtle, Special
Dancing Girls 4 3 None C v. W/2d4 damage None Subtle, Special
Hired Friends 4 4 None C v. C/1d6 damage None Subtle, Special
Saboteurs 5 6 None C v. W/2d4 damage None Subtle, Special
Cunning 3
Bewitching Charmer 6 4 Low C v. C/Special None Subtle, Special
Covert Transport 8 4 None None None Subtle, Special
Occult Infiltrators 6 4 Medium C v. C/2d6 damage None Subtle, Special
Spymaster 8 4 None C v. C/1d6 damage 2d6 damage Subtle
Cunning 4
Court Patronage 8 8 None C v. C/1d6 damage 1d6 damage Subtle, Special
Idealistic Thugs 8 12 None C v. F/1d6 damage 1d6 damage Subtle
Seditionists 12 8 None Special None Subtle
Vigilant Agents 12 8 None None 1d4 damage Subtle, Special
Cunning 5
Cryptomancers 14 6 Low C v. C/Special None Subtle
Organization Moles 8 10 None C v. C/2d6 damage None Subtle
Shapeshifters 14 8 Medium C v. C/2d6 damage None Subtle, Special
Cunning 6
Interrupted Logistics 20 10 None None None Subtle, Special
Prophet 20 10 None C v. C/2d8 damage 1d8 damage Subtle
Underground Roads 18 15 None None None Subtle, Special
Cunning 7
Expert Treachery 10 5 None C v. C/Special None Subtle
Mindbenders 20 10 Medium None 2d8 damage Subtle
Popular Movement 25 16 None C v. C/2d6 damage 1d6 damage Subtle, Special
Cunning 8
Just As Planned 40 15 None None 1d10 damage Subtle, Special
Omniscient Seers 30 10 High None 1d8 damage Subtle, Special

Asset in their same location to a destination within this Asset. If another Asset within one turn’s move
movement range, even if the destination wouldn’t of the Useful Idiots is destroyed by an Attack, the
normally allow an un-Subtle Asset to locate there. faction can instead sacrifice the Useful Idiots to ne-
Spymaster: A veteran operative runs a counterintelli- gate the killing blow. Only one band of Useful Idiots
gence bureau in the area and fomulates offensive can be sacrificed on any one turn.
schemes for the faction. Vigilant Agents: A constant flow of observations runs
Underground Roads: A well-established network of se- back to the faction from these watchful counterin-
cret transit extends far around this Asset. As a free telligence agents. Whenever another faction moves
action, the faction may pay 1 Treasure and move any a Stealthed asset into a location within one move’s
friendly Asset from a location within one round’s distance from the Vigilant Agents, they may make
move of the Underground Roads to a destination a Cunning vs. Cunning attack against the owning
also within one round’s move of the Roads. faction. On a success, the intruding Asset loses its
Useful Idiots: Hirelings, catspaws, foolish idealists, and Stealth after it completes the move.
other disposable minions are gathered together in
114

Force Assets
Apocalypse Engine: One of a number of hideously Magical Logistics: An advanced web of magical Work-
powerful ancient super-weapons unearthed from ings, skilled sorcerers, and trained logistical experts
some lost armory, an Apocalypse Engine rains some are enlisted to streamline the faction’s maintenance
eldritch horror down on a targeted enemy Asset. and sustain damaged units. Once per faction turn,
Brilliant General: A leader for the ages is in service with as a free action, the Asset can repaire 2 hit points
the faction. Whenever the Brilliant General or any of damage to an allied Force Asset.
allied Force Asset in the same location Attacks or Military Roads: The faction has established a network
is made to defend, it can roll an extra die to do so. of roads with a logistical stockpile a this Asset’s lo-
Cavalry: Mounted troops, chariots, or other mobile sol- cation. As a consequence, once per faction turn, the
diers are in service to the faction. While weak on faction can move any one Asset from any location
defense, they can harry logistics and mount pow- within its reach to any other location within its
erful charges. reach at a cost of 1 Treasure.
Demonic Slayer: Powerful sorcerers have summoned Military Transport: A branch of skilled teamsters, trans-
or constructed an inhuman assassin-beast to hunt port ships, road-building crews, or other logistical
down and slaughter the faction’s enemies. A De- facilitators is in service to the faction. As a free ac-
monic Slayer enters play Stealthed. tion once per faction turn, it can bring an allied As-
Enchanted Elites: A carefully-selected group of skilled set to its location, provided they’re within one turn’s
warriors are given magical armaments and arcane movement range, or move an allied Asset from its
blessings to boost their effectiveness. own location to a target also within a turn’s move.
Fearful Intimidation: Judicious exercises of force have Multiple Military Transport assets can chain this
intimidated the locals, making them reluctant to movement over long distances.
cooperate with any group that stands opposed to Purity Rites: A rigorous program of regular mental in-
the faction. spection and counterintelligence measures has been
Fortification Program: A program of organized forti- undertaken by the faction. This Asset can only de-
fication and supply caching has been undertaken fend against attacks that target the faction’s Cun-
around the Asset’s location, hardening allied com- ning, but it allows the faction to roll an extra die
munities and friendly Assets. Once per turn, when to defend.
an enemy makes an Attack that targets the faction’s Reserve Corps: Retired military personnel and rear-line
Force rating, the faction can use the Fortification troops are spread through the area as workers or
Program to defend if the Asset is within a turn’s colonists, available to resist hostilities as needed.
move from the attack. Scouts: Long-range scouts and reconaissance experts
Guerilla Populace: The locals have the assistance of work for the faction, able to venture deep into hos-
trained guerilla warfare leaders who can aid them tile territory.
in sabotaging and attacking unwary hostiles. Siege Experts: These soldiers are trained in trenching,
Infantry: Common foot soldiers have been organized sapping, and razing targeted structures. When they
and armed by the faction. While rarely particularly successfully Attack an enemy Asset, the owner loses
heroic in their capabilities, they have the advantage 1d4 points of Treasure from their reserves and this
of numbers. faction gains it.
Invincible Legion: The faction has developed a truly irre- Summoned Hunter: A skilled sorcerer has summoned a
sistible military organization that can smash its way magical beast or mentally bound a usefully dispos-
through opposition without the aid of any support able assassin into the faction’s service.
units. During a Relocate Asset action, the Invin- Temple Fanatics: Fanatical servants of a cult, ideology, or
cible Legion can relocate to locations that would larger religion, these enthusiasts wreak havoc with
otherwise not permit a formal military force to re- enemies without a thought for their own lives. Ev-
locate there, as if it had the Subtle quality. It is not, ery time the Temple Fanatics defend or successfully
however, subtle. attack, they take 1d4 damage.
Knights: Elite warriors of considerable personal prowess Thugs: These gutter ruffians and common kneebreakers
have been trained or enlisted by the faction, either have been organized in service to the faction’s causes.
from noble sympathizers, veteran members, or Vanguard Unit: This unit is specially trained to build
amenable mercenaries. bridges, reduce fortifications, and facilitate a light-
Local Guard: Ordinary citizens are enlisted into night ning strike into enemy territory. When its faction
watch patrols and local guard units. They’re most takes a Relocate Asset turn, it can move the Van-
effective when defending from behind a fortified guard Unit and any allied units at the same location
position, but they have some idea of how to use to any other location within range, even if the unit
their weapons. type would normally be prohibitive from moving
 115

Force Asset Cost HP Magic Attack Counter Qualities

Force 1
Fearful Intimidation 2 4 None None 1d4 damage
Local Guard 3 4 None F v. F/1d3+1 damage 1d4+1 damage
Summoned Hunter 4 4 Medium C v. F/1d6 damage None Subtle
Thugs 2 1 None F v. C/1d6 damage None Subtle
Force 2
Guerilla Populace 6 4 None F v. F/1d4+1 damage None
Military Transport 4 6 None None None Action
Reserve Corps 4 4 None F v. F/1d6 damage 1d6 damage
Scouts 5 5 None F v. F/2d4 damage 1d4+1 damage Subtle
Force 3
Enchanted Elites 8 6 Medium F v. F/1d10 damage 1d6 damage Subtle
Infantry 6 6 None F v. F/1d8 damage 1d6 damage
Temple Fanatics 4 6 None F v. F/2d6 damage 2d6 damage Special
Witch Hunters 6 4 Low C v. C/1d4+1 damage 1d6 damage
Force 4
Cavalry 8 12 None F v. F/2d6 damage 1d4 damage
Military Roads 10 10 None None None Action
Vanguard Unit 10 10 None None 1d6 damage Action
War Fleet 12 8 None F v. F/2d6 damage 1d8 damage Action
Force 5
Demonic Slayer 12 4 High C v. C/2d6+2 damage None Subtle, Special
Magical Logistics 14 6 Medium None None Special
Siege Experts 10 8 None F v. W/1d6 damage 1d6 damage
Force 6
Fortification Program 20 18 None None None Action
Knights 18 16 None F v. F/2d8 damage 2d6 damage
War Machines 25 14 Medium F v. F/2d10+4 damage 1d10 damage
Force 7
Brilliant General 25 8 None C v. F/1d8 damage None Subtle, Special
Purity Rites 20 10 Low None 2d8+2 damage Special
Warshaped 30 16 High F v. F/2d8+2 damage 2d8 damage Subtle
Force 8
Apocalypse Engine 35 20 Medium F v. F/3d10+4 damage None
Invincible Legion 40 30 None F v. F/2d10+4 damage 2d10+4 damage Special

there. Thus, a Force asset could be moved into a for- Warshaped: The faction has the use of magical crea-
eign nation’s territory even against their wishes. The tures designed specifically for warfare, or ordinary
unit may remain at that location afterwards even if humans that have been greatly altered to serve the
the Vanguard Unit leaves. faction’s needs. Such forces are few and elusive
War Fleet: While a war fleet can only Attack assets and enough to evade easy detection.
locations within reach of the waterways, once per Witch Hunters: Certain personnel are trained in sniffing
turn it can freely relocate itself to any coastal area out traitors and spies in the organization, along with
within movement range. The Asset itself must be the presence of hostile magic or hidden spellcraft.
based out of some landward location to provide for
supply and refitting.
War Machines: Mobile war machines driven by trained
beasts or magical motive power are under the fac-
tion’s control.
116

Wealth Assets
Ancient Mechanisms: Some useful magical mechanism Healers: Whenever an Asset within one move of the
from ages past has been refitted to be useful in local Healers is destroyed by an Attack that used Force
industry. Whenever an Asset in the same location against the target, the owner of the Healers may
must roll to make a profit, such as Farmers or Man- pay half its purchase price in Treasure to instantly
ufactory, the faction may roll the die twice and take restore it with 1 hit point. This cannot be used to
the better result. repair Bases of Influence.
Ancient Workshop: A workshop has been refitted with Hired Legion: As a free action once per turn, the Hired
ancient magical tools, allowing prodigies of produc- Legion can move. This faction must be paid 2 Trea-
tion, albeit not always safely. As a free action, once sure at the start of each turn as upkeep, or else they
per turn, the Ancient Workshop takes 1d6 damage go rogue as the Free Company Asset does. This As-
and the owning faction gains 1d6 Treasure. set cannot be voluntarily sold or disbanded.
Arcane Laboratory: The faction’s overall Magic is count- Lead or Silver: If Lead or Silver’s Attack reduces an ene-
ed as one step higher for the puposes of creating my Asset to zero hit points, this Asset’s owner may
Assets in the same location as the laboratory. Mul- immediately pay half the target’s purchase cost to
tiple Arcane Laboratories in the same location can claim it as their own, reviving it with 1 hit point.
increase the Magic boost by multiple steps. Mad Genius: As a free action, once per turn, the Mad
Armed Guards: Hired caravan guards, bodyguards, or Genius may move. As a free action, once per turn,
other armed minions serve the faction. the Mad Genius may be sacrificed to treat the Mag-
Caravan: As a free action, once per turn, the Caravan ic rating in their location as High for the purpose
can spend 1 Treasure and move itself and one other of buying Assets that require such resources. This
Asset in the same place to a new location within boost lasts only until the next Asset is purchased
one move. in that location.
Cooperative Businesses: . If any other faction attempts Manufactory: . Once per turn, as a free action. the Asset’s
to create an Asset in the same location as a Coop- owner may roll 1d6; on a 1, one point of Treasure
erative Business, the cost of doing so increases by 1 is lost, on a 2-5, one point is gained, and on a 6,
Treasure. This penalty stacks. two points are gained. If Treasure is lost and none
Dragomans: Interpreters, cultural specialists, and is available to pay it by the end of the turn, this
go-betweens simplify the expansion of a faction’s Asset is lost.
influence in an area. A faction that takes an Expand Merchant Prince: A canny master of trade, the Merchant
Influence action in the same location as this Asset Prince may be triggered as a free action once per
can roll an extra die. As a free action once per turn, turn before buying a new Asset in the same loca-
this Asset can move to a new location. tion; the Merchant Prince takes 1d4 damage and
Economic Disruption: As a free action once per turn, this the purchased Asset costs 1d8 Treasure less, down
Asset can move itself without cost. to a minimum of half its normal price.
Farmers: Farmers, hunters, and simple rural artisans are Monopoly: Once per turn, as a free action, the Monopoly
in service to the faction here. Once per turn, as a Asset can target an Asset in the same location; that
free action, the Asset’s owner can roll 1d6; on a 5+, Asset’s owning faction must either pay the Monop-
they gain 1 Treasure from the Farmers. oly’s owner 1 Treasure or lose the targeted Asset.
Free Company: Hired mercenaries and professional Occult Countermeasures: This asset can only Attack or
soldiers, this Asset can, as a free action once per inflict Counterattack damage on Assets that require
turn, move itself. At the start of each of its owner’s at least a Low Magic rating to purchase.
turn, it takes 1 Treasure in upkeep costs; if this is Pleaders: Whether lawyers, skalds, lawspeakers, sage
not paid, roll 1d6. On a 1-3 the Asset is lost, on a elders, or other legal specialists, Pleaders can turn
4-6 it goes rogue and will move to Attack the most the local society’s laws against the enemies of the
profitable-looking target. This roll is repeated each faction. However, Pleaders can neither Attack nor
turn until back pay is paid or the Asset is lost. inflict Counterattack damage on Force Assets.
Front Merchant: Whenever the Front Merchant suc- Smuggling Fleet: Once per turn, as a free action, they
cessfully Attacks an enemy Asset, the target faction may move themselves and any one Asset at their
loses 1 Treasure, if they have any, and the Front current location to any other water-accessible loca-
Merchant’s owner gains it. Such a loss can occur tion within one move. Any Asset they move with
only once per turn. them gains the Subtle quality until they take some
Golden Prosperity: Each turn, as a free action, the fac- action at the destination.
tion gains 1d6 Treasure that can be used to fix dam- Supply Interruption: As a free action, once per turn, the
aged Assets as if by the Repair Assets action. Any Asset can make a Cunning vs. Wealth check against
of this Treasure not spent on such purposes is lost. an Asset in the same location. On a success, the
 117

Wealth Asset Cost HP Magic Attack Counter Qualities

Wealth 1
Armed Guards 1 3 None W v. F/1d3 damage 1d4 damage
Cooperative Businesses 1 2 None W v. W/1d4-1 damage None Subtle, Special
Farmers 2 4 None None 1d4 damage Action
Front Merchant 2 3 None W v. W/1d4 damage 1d4-1 damage Subtle
Wealth 2
Caravan 5 4 None W v. W/1d4 damage None Action
Dragomans 4 4 None None 1d4 damage Subtle, Special
Pleaders 6 4 None C v. W/2d4 damage 1d6 damage Special
Worker Mob 4 6 None W v. F/1d4+1 damage 1d4 damage
Wealth 3
Ancient Mechanisms 8 4 Medium None None Special
Arcane Laboratory 6 4 None None None Special
Free Company 8 6 None W v. F/2d4+2 damage 1d6 damage Action, Special
Manufactory 8 4 None None 1d4 damage Action
Wealth 4
Healers 12 8 None None None Action
Monopoly 8 12 None W v. W/1d6 damage 1d6 damage Action
Occult Countermeasures 10 8 Low W v. C/2d10 damage 1d10 damage Special
Usurers 12 8 None W v. W/1d10 damage None Action
Wealth 5
Mad Genius 6 2 None W v. C/1d6 damage None Action
Smuggling Fleet 12 6 None W v. F/2d6 damage None Subtle, Action
Supply Interruption 10 8 None C v. W/1d6 damage None Subtle, Action
Wealth 6
Economic Disruption 25 10 None W v. W/2d6 damage None Subtle, Action
Merchant Prince 20 10 None W v. W/2d8 damage 1d8 damage Action
Trade Company 15 10 None W v. W/2d6 damage 1d6 damage Action
Wealth 7
Ancient Workshop 25 16 Medium None None
Lead or Silver 20 10 None W v. W/2d10 damage 2d8 damage
Transport Network 15 5 None W v. W/1d12 damage None Action
Wealth 8
Golden Prosperity 40 30 Medium None 2d10 damage
Hired Legion 30 20 None W v F/2d10+4 damage 2d10 damage Action

owning faction must sacrifice Treasure equal to half Usurers: Moneylenders and other proto-bankers ply
the target Asset’s purchase cost, or else it is disabled their trade for the faction. For each unit of Usurers
and useless until this price is paid. owned by a faction, the Treasure cost of buying As-
Trade Company: Bold traders undertake potentially sets may be decreased by 2 Treasure, to a minimum
lucrative- or catastrophic- new business opportu- of half its cost. Each time the Usurers are used for
nities. As a free action, once per turn, the owner of this benefit, they suffer 1d4 damage from popular
the Asset may roll accept 1d4 damage done to the displeasure.
Asset in exchange for earning 1d6-1 Treasure points. Worker Mob: The roughest, most brutal laborers in ser-
Transport Network: A vast array of carters, ships, smug- vice with the faction have been quietly organized to
glers, and official caravans are under the faction’s sternly discipline the enemies of the group.
control. As a free action the Transport Network can
spend 1 Treasure to move any friendly Asset within
two moves to any location within one move of either
the target or the Transport Network.
118

Major Projects and Party Goals

In any campaign, there will likely arise some occasion
when the PCs take it into their heads to accomplish some Determining Project Difficulty
great change in the world. Perhaps they want to abolish To find out how much Renown is needed to achieve a
slavery in a country, or institute a new government in a project, the GM must determine its difficulty. This total
howling wilderness, or crush the economic power of a difficulty is a product of the intensity of the change, the
hateful merchant cartel. The party wants to accomplish scope it affects, and the powers that are opposed to it.
something grand or large-scale where there is no obvious First, decide whether the change is plausible, im-
direct path to success. No single killing or specific act of probable, or impossible. If the change is something that
heroism will get them their aim, though the goal itself is predictable or unsurprising, it’s a plausible change. A
isn’t so wild as to be obviously futile. town with good transport links and a couple of wealthy
Such ambitions are major projects, and this section neighbors might quite plausibly become a trade hub. A
will cover a simple system to help the GM adjudicate duke with an abandoned frontier keep and a raider prob-
their progress and success. This system is meant to han- lem might plausibly decide to give it to a famed warrior
dle sprawling, ambiguous ambitions that aren’t clearly PC with the agreement that the PC would pledge fealty
susceptible to a simple solution. If the party wants a dead to him. A plausible change in the campaign is simply one
town burgomaster, then they can simply kill him. If they that no one would find particularly surprising or unlikely.
want to turn his town into a major new trading nexus, An improbable change is one that’s not physically
something more complicated may be required. or socially impossible, but is highly unlikely. Transform-
ing a random patch of steppe grasslands into a trading
Renown hub might be an improbable change, as would convinc-
The basic currency of major projects is called Renown, ing a duke to simply hand over the frontier fort with no
and it’s measured in points much like experience points. particular claim of allegiance. Some things that are not
PCs gain Renown for succeeding at adventures, building particularly physically difficult might be improbable due
ties with the world, and generally behaving in a way to to the social or emotional implications; a society with a
attract interest and respect from those around them. PCs relative handful of trophy slaves might find it improbable
then spend Renown to accomplish the changes they want to give them up even if they serve only as status symbols
to make in the world, reflecting their own background ac- for their owners.
tivities and the work of cooperative allies and associates. An impossible change is just that; something that is
Each individual PC has their own Renown score. physically or socially impossible to contemplate. Turning
They can spend it together with the rest of the party if a desolate glacier on the edge of the world into a trading
they agree on the mutual focus of their interests, but hub might be such, or convincing the duke to simply give
a PC might also spend it on other ambitions or inter- the PCs his duchy. Accomplishing a feat like this might
mediate goals that come to mind. It’s ultimately up to require substantial magical Workings, the involvement
the player as to what they want to put their effort into; of ancient artifacts, or a degree of social upheaval on par
spending Renown reflects the kind of background work with a war of conquest. Some changes might be so dras-
and off-screen support that the hero can bring to bear. tic that they require their own heroic labors simply to
A GM doesn’t have to track Renown unless they prepare the groundwork for the real effort, and entire
intend to use the this system. If the GM prefers to do separate projects must be undertaken before the real goal
things their own way, they can completely ignore Re- even becomes possible.
nown awards. If the GM changes their mind later and
wants to introduce the system, they can simply give each Determining the Scope
PC a Renown score equal to their current accumulated Once the change’s probability is decided, the GM must
experience points and then track things accordingly from identify how wide the scope of the change may be. The
there. more land and the more people the change affects, the
Generally, a PC will receive Renown equal to the harder it will be to bring it about.
experience points they earn. Some other activities or un- A village-sized change is the smallest scale, affect-
dertakings might win them additional bonus Renown, ing only a single hamlet or a village’s worth of people. A
usually those works that increase the PC’s influence and city-sized change affects the population of a single city or
involvement with the campaign world, and some adven- several villages, while a regional one might affect a single
tures might not give them much Renown at all if they left barony or small province. A kingdom-sized one affects a
no impression on the people around the party. Specific whole kingdom or a collection of feudal lordships, and a
guidelines on Renown awards are given in the GM sec- global change affects the entire Latter Earth, or at least
tion of the book, on page XX. those parts known to the PCs.
When deciding the scope of the change, focus on
how many people are going to be immediately affected
 119

Probability Base Scope Difficulty Greatest Active Difficulty

of the Goal Difficulty Affected Multiplier Opposition Multiplier
Probable 1 Village x2 Minor figures x2
Improbable 2 City x4 Local leaders x4
Impossible 4 Region x8 Major noble or beast x8
Kingdom x16 King or famed monster x16
Known World x32
Multiply opposition by x2 if the local population
is emotionally or socially against it.

by the project. Turning a town into a trading hub might Optionally, PCs who want to create such a magical
incidentally affect a significant part of a kingdom, but the working can fix it indefinitely, causing it to be heritable
immediate consequences are felt only by the residents or transmissible for the indefinite future. Such laborious
of that town, and perhaps their closest trading partners. workings are much more difficult than simply tying the
The scope in that case would be simply that of a city, rath- effect to the natural flow of the Legacy, however, and so
er than a region. Banishing slavery throughout a kingdom it costs four times more than it would otherwise. Thus,
would require a kingdom-sized change, while getting it imbuing a village of people with some magical quality
banned within some smaller feudal region would require that they will forever after transmit down to a similar
a proportionately lesser scope. number of heirs would count as a x8 multiplier instead
If the PCs are trying to establish an educational in- of a x2 multiplier.
stitution, or a religious order, or some other sub-group
meant to serve a chosen cause, the scope should be the Determining the Opposition
largest general area the order can have influence in at any Once you have decided on the difficulty and the scope,
one time. A very small order of warrior-monks might you now need to identify the most significant people or
only have enough devotees to affect a village-sized com- power bases that would be opposed to this change. In
munity or problem. An order with multiple monasteries some cases, there may be no one opposed to the alter-
and bases of operations throughout a kingdom might ation; turning a steppe oasis into a trading post might
have enough muscle to affect events on a nation-wide not have anyone to object if there are no nomads who
scale. In the same vein, a small academy might be enough control the land, nor terrible beasts to threaten settlers.
to bring enlightened learning to a city, improving the In most cases, however, there’s going to be at least one
lives of men and women there, but not have the reach to person, creature, or other power in the area who would
influence the greater region around it. Individual war- prefer things not change.
rior-monks or specific scholars might play major roles If the opposition comes in the form of ordinary
elsewhere in the setting, but the institution itself can’t peasants or citizens, or minor bandit rabble, or normal
rely on the certainty of being able to step into such roles. dangerous animals, or other disorganized and low-level
In some cases, a PC might attempt to forge a Work- threats, then the difficulty is multiplied by x2.
ing or develop a specific bloodline of magical or cursed If the opposition is organized under competent
beings. Assuming that they have the necessary tools leadership, such as a local baron, rich merchant, or per-
and opportunities to achieve such a great feat, the scope suasive priest, or if the opposition is some dangerous but
should apply to the total number of people affected by not especially remarkable monster, then the difficulty is
the magic over its entire course of existence. Thus, a vil- multiplied by x4.
lage-sized change like this might apply to ten generations If the opposition is entrenched and powerful, such
of a very small bloodline, the enchantment lasting for as a group of nobles, an influential bandit king, a crime
a very long time but applying only to a few people at boss, a major city’s mayor, or a monster impressive
any one time. It might be reproduced by special training, enough to have developed its own legendry, then the dif-
magical consecration, or a natural inherited bloodline. ficulty is multiplied by x8.
Once the scope limit is reached, the magic can no longer If the opposition involves facing down a king, a leg-
be transmitted, as it has either been exhausted or the endary monster, the primate of a major religion, or some
subtle shiftings of the Legacy have damaged it beyond re- similar monarchic power, then the difficulty is multiplied
pair. Conversely, a very large scope for such a work might by x16.
mean that many people are so affected, though a very When measuring opposition, only the greatest op-
large change like that would only last for a few genera- ponent counts. Thus, if the king, the nobility, and the
tions before reaching the maximum affected population. local village chief all hate an idea, the difficulty modifier
Because of such limits, many such empowered bloodlines is x16. If the king is then persuaded to relent, the diffi-
or augmented magical traditions are very selective about culty modifier becomes x8, until the barons are pacified,
adding new members.
120

after which the village chieftain is the only opposition chase it with their own money. They can hire the masons,
left, for a x2 modifier. recruit the monks, and find a trustworthy abbot to act as
On top of this, if the change inspires widespread regent for the heroes. Such steps may not be enough to
popular disapproval or unease among the populace af- completely attain the purpose, as they’ll still have to deal
fected by the change, multiply the modifier by an addi- with quelling any local opposition to the new monastery
tional x2. Such changes usually touch on delicate ques- and any innate implausibility of establishing a monastery
tions of group identity, cultural traditions, or basic values, wherever they want to put it, but it’ll get them a long way
and the people in the change’s scope are likely to resist toward success.
such measures on multiple levels. The GM decides a reasonable cost for the institution
As an example, assume an idealistic band of ad- they want to build and the assorted recruits they’ll need
venturers dreamed of extirpating slavery from an entire to operate it, using the guidelines in this section. Prices
kingdom. The natives use slaves for work and status, but will vary drastically based on the situation; building a
their labor isn’t crucial to the economy’s survival, so the splendid stone castle in a desert with no good source of
GM decides it is merely improbable to give up slavery, stone will cost far more than listed, while hiring skilled
for a base difficulty of 2. The scope is kingdom-wide, so artisans in a major metropolis won’t be nearly as difficult
2 is multiplied by 16, for a difficulty of 32. As the sit- as finding them in an empty tundra.
uation stands now, the king has no desire to infuriate Once the cost is paid, the GM assigns a suitable
the wealthy magnates of his kingdom by taking away amount of Renown toward attaining the goal. For ex-
their free labor, so he would oppose it for an additional ample, if the overall goal is securing the trade route be-
x16 multiplier, for a total difficulty of 512. Oh, and the tween two distant cities, building a fortified caravansary
natives find the idea of accepting slaves as equals to be with patrolling road guards might give enough Renown
emotionally abhorrent, so that’s an additional x2 multi- to solve half the problem. The rest of it might require
plier, for a final difficulty of 1,024. dealing with the opposition that’s making the hazard in
It is very unlikely for the heroes to manage to the first place, such as the depredations of a bandit chief
scrape up the 1,024 points of Renown needed to make or the perils of the savage monsters that haunt the road.
this change out of hand. They’re going to have to alter They can nullify opposition. Either through gold,
the situation to quell the opposition and make specific persuasion, or sharp steel, the PCs can end the opposi-
strides toward making the ideal more plausible before tion of those powers who stand against their ambition.
they can finally bring about their dream. Opponents who can be bought off might be managed
with nothing more than a lengthy discussion and an ex-
Decreasing Difficulty change of valuables, but other opponents might need full-
Adventurers who have a dream bigger than their available fledged adventures to deal with. Some might demand
Renown have several options for bringing it about more favors in exchange for withdrawing their opposition, or
rapidly. The party can use some or all of these techniques quests accomplished on their behalf, or enemies snuffed
for making their ambition more feasible, and the GM out by the swords of the heroes. Others could be so un-
might well insist on at least some of them before the alterably opposed to the idea that they must either be
PCs can succeed. killed or endured.
They can spend money. Sometimes a problem can If the opposition is nullified, the difficulty decreases
be solved by throwing enough money at it, either by accordingly. If several sources of opposition exist, then
paying off troublesome opponents, constructing useful only the biggest opponent counts for the multiplier; if
facilities or installations, or hiring enough help to push they’re eliminated, then the next largest counts.
the cause through. Money is often useful, but it eventu-
ally begets diminishing returns; once everything useful Renown Cost in Silver
has been bought, additional coinage brings little result. Bought per Point
The adjacent table shows how much a point of Re- First 1-4 points 1,000 per point
nown dedicated to the project costs. The first few points
come relatively cheaply, but after that the price increases Next 4 points 2,000 per point
rapidly. Eventually, there comes a point where only the Next 8 points 4,000 per point
wealth of empires can shove a massive project through Next 16 points 8,000 per point
with sheer monetary force. Small projects and modest
Next 32 points 16,000 per point
ambitions are generally easy to accomplish with cash, but
society-wide alterations and massive undertakings can Next 64 points 32,000 per point
defeat the richest vault. Further points Prohibitively expensive
They can build institutions. If the PCs want a
fortified monastery loyal to them, they can either throw Thus, purchasing 14 points of Renown would cost
enough Renown at their goal until allied NPCs and lo- 4,000 for the first four, 8,000 for the next four, and
cal potentates think it’s a good idea to buy them off by 24,000 for the next six, for 36,000 total.
building it for them, or they can actually go out and pur-
 121

They can adventure in pursuit of their goal. This with consequences of that unquelled opposition. The
adventure might be something as simple as finding the kingdom might outlaw slavery, but if not all the opposi-
den of a troublesome pack of monsters, or it could be tion was defeated there may remain small pockets where
something as involved as delving into an ancient Deep the law doesn’t reach or the populace refuses to accept
to recover the lost regalia that will give them the mor- the freed slaves as fellow citizens. Solving these remnant
al authority to make demands of a troublesome prelate. problems might require their own projects or adventures.
Such adventures will give the PCs their usual award of For magical, impossible, or truly epic changes, the
Renown, but they can also give a bonus award toward GM might oblige the PCs to face some culminating ad-
their specific goal if their efforts are particularly relevant. venture or challenge before their ambition becomes real.
This bonus is determined by the GM. The easiest They might’ve marshaled enough force and enough allies
way for the GM to pick the proper amount for the award to depose the wicked king, but now the day of reckon-
is to privately estimate how many such adventures their ing has come and they must face the tyrant and his elite
goal is worth and then award Renown accordingly. Thus, guard in a pitched battle within the capital city. Some
if the GM thinks that three adventures like this one is as heroic changes might require several such adventures,
much focus and effort as the group should have to spend with failure meaning that their efforts somehow fall short
toward accomplishing their aim, then each adventure will of complete success. If the tyrant is not slain, he might
decrease the goal’s difficulty by one-third. escape into exile to foment further trouble, or he might
Adventuring is by far the most efficient way to ac- flee to a province he still can control.
complish a group’s goals, assuming they can come up with Once the change is successfully achieved, the GM
adventures that are relevant. This is intentional; a goal should take a little while to consider the larger ramifica-
that gives the GM an easy supply of adventuring grist is tions of the event. Who in the surrounding area is going
a genuine contribution to the game. The more adventures to take notice of the events, and what are they likely to
that a GM gets out of PC ambitions, the easier their time do about it? What allies of the PCs might be strength-
is in preparing for the game and ensuring the players are ened by the change and able to push their own agendas
involved in the campaign. further? What are the longer-term consequences of their
actions, and how might these show up during future ad-
Achieving the Goal ventures?
Once the PCs have piled up enough Renown and low- The ultimate point of changes like these is not sim-
ered the difficulty enough to actually make it feasible to ply to make marks on the campaign map, but to create
achieve the goal, they need to take the final steps neces- the seeds of future adventures and future events. The
sary to complete the work. For a minor goal, this might actions of the characters create reactions, and the deeper
be a simple matter of describing how they take care of the they involve themselves in the campaign setting, the more
details, while a vast campaign of effort might culminate that setting is going to involve itself with them. This is
in several brutal, perilous adventures. ultimately a virtuous circle for the GM and the group,
The time this change takes will rest with the GM’s as it helps to generate adventures and events that matter
judgment. It might take half a year to build a large stone to the players and spares the GM from confusion or un-
monastery, while a week could be time enough to throw certainty over what kind of adventuring grist to generate.
up a palisade and other simple fortifications around a
village. Persuading a kingdom to alter its laws about slav- Major Changes and Factions
ery might be done in a theoretical instant if the autocrat Players are likely to end up with goals or ambitions that
decrees but take years to truly percolate into the public directly involve them with local factions or potentially
consciousness. If the PCs have been working on the proj- touch on Assets or other resources significant to faction
ect for some time already this effort should be taken into powers. This is normal, and it’s not difficult to integrate
account and lessen the time required. the two systems when they happen to touch.
For mundane changes or changes the GM doesn’t As a general rule, major projects should be treated
really want to focus on, the PCs simply declare that just as adventures would be. When a project would plau-
they’re spending their Renown and using their own good sibly damage a faction’s Assets, then the Assets will be
name, personal prowess, and accumulated friendships damaged or destroyed. When they would create an Asset
and contacts to pull off their ambition. They might give useful for a faction, whether one belonging to the players
examples of some of the ways they’re working to achieve or to another group, then the Asset is created. If a faction
the goal and specify what allies or resources they’re de- doesn’t care for a project, it might turn into a source of
ploying. The GM then describes the outcome of their opposition that must be quelled or overcome, while an
efforts. They may not be completely successful and events allied faction might supply some portion of the Renown
may not work out exactly as they planned, but they’ll get itself by taking an action to aid the PCs.
the substance of what they wanted. The help of a faction should be scaled by the GM; if
For changes that push through opposition instead an empire decides to give the PCs a castle, then it might
of subverting it, those that just pay the price for the op- be such a minor part of the faction’s holding that no Trea-
position multiplier, the GM might oblige the PCs to deal sure expense or other effort is required to do so. A small
122

religious cult that wants to help build a monastery for the infrastructure, even in the rare cases when the state could
PCs might not be able to give nearly as much help, and afford such efforts.
might simply be good for a quarter of the Renown need-
ed if they spend an action assisting the PCs. Conversely, <Insert tables of example building, servant, and hire-
when a faction is opposed to some measure, the PCs ling costs here>
will probably have to undertake an adventure to change
its mind or pull the fangs that it’s using to interfere with
their efforts.

Magical Projects
Some projects are flatly impossible in nature, such as
changing humans into some new humanoid species or
creating a magical effect that covers an entire region.
These efforts are a step beyond ordinary impossibility, as
they often require measures entirely beyond the physical
capabilities of normal civilizations.
While exceedingly difficult, such projects are not out
of the question for powerful mages who have the help of
skilled adventurers. They do require a few more steps
than an ordinary project would require, however.
The heroes must create one or more Workings ded-
icated to enabling the change, using the guidelines given
in the Magic chapter. The scope of these Workings must
be large enough to affect the scope of the change itself;
if the alteration is to be done to an entire region, then a
region-sized Working must be built. Workings so large
as to affect an entire kingdom are beyond the scope of
modern magic, and only some special quest into the fath-
omless past could discover the keys to grand, world-span-
ning alterations.
The degree of the Working will depend on the de-
gree of the change. The devising of a race of humanoid
creatures similar to humans but cosmetically different
might be a Minor Working, while more substantial al-
terations will require great degrees of power. The sum-
moning of a river from the depths of the earth might be
a Major change for a small stream, while something the
size of the Amazon might be of Supreme difficulty.
If the magical change is impossible but relatively
modest in scope, then one great Working will be neces-
sary to empower it. If the change is significant and will
have major repercussions on the future area, it will take
two, while a change that seems barely within the limits
of possibility will need three Workings to support it, all
of the appropriate degree and scope. The construction
of these Workings often require adventures in their own
right to find the critical components or esoteric substanc-
es needed to erect them, to say nothing of the material
cost of the work.
If these Workings are later destroyed or corrupted
the change itself may be damaged as well. Sometimes
the effect is so graven on the world that it continues un-
supported, but other times the change fades away into
something more mundane. In the worst cases, the magic
goes rampant and terrible consequences are born from
its uncontrolled fury. As a consequence, most nations are
highly averse to the construction of large-scale magical
123
124

CREATURES OF THE LATTER EARTH

(Chapter intro here)

This section will include tools for creating monsters

and other inhabitants of the GM’s campaign.
 125

BESTIARYSPLASH
W 8.5 in
H 11 in
126

Creating Monsters and Foes

The first step in creating a hideous beast or assigning armor they wear. Some creatures have an “a” annotation
statistics to some human foe is identifying the particular with their AC; this just means that the creature wears ar-
role they need to fill in your world. What exactly do you mor and the AC given is what their usual armor is worth.
need this creature to be? Is this supposed to be some Atk is the creature’s usual total attack bonus for its
horrifying hell-beast that’s devoured a legion of would-be hit rolls in combat. For most creatures, this is equal to
hunters, or do you just need a stat line for an ordinary its hit dice, possibly with a bonus if it’s well-trained, ex-
village guardsman? ceptionally vicious, or supernaturally powerful. Some
In a sandbox campaign, monsters and enemies are creatures have more than one attack, indicated by an “x2”
not measured in the context of the party. Just because or “x3” notation. This means the creature can attack two
the heroes are green novices at their trade doesn’t mean or three times with a single Main Action, directing them
that a monster is going to be any less ferocious, and by all at a single creature or splitting them up among nearby
the same token a band of hardened veterans won’t find foes within reach.
their enemies suddenly gaining expertise to keep up with Dmg is the damage done by a successful hit by the
them. The creatures of a sandbox campaign don’t care creature. If the listing says “Wpn”, then it does whatever
what your party’s level is. damage is usual for the weapon that it’s wielding. A crea-
Instead, foes in a sandbox campaign are scaled to the ture will never do less damage on a hit than it would do
world they live in. They have the hit dice, attack bonus, with its Shock score, if Shock would apply to the target.
special powers, and general ferocity that makes sense for Shock is the Shock damage inflicted by the creature
their place in the world. A village guardsman is rarely and the maximum AC it affects. Thus, “3/13” means that
ever going to have more than one hit die and a monstrous the creature inflicts a minimum of 3 points of Shock
hell-beast will rarely ever have fewer than eight or nine. damage on a miss to any foe with an AC of 13 or less.
The opposite page includes a list of example stat “Wpn” means the usual Shock damage of the weapon
lines for various kinds of people and creatures. These are being used is applied. Exceptionally powerful or savage
not universal truths for every being in the campaign set- creatures might automatically apply Shock regardless of
ting, but they’re good baselines for what to expect from the AC of the foe; such creatures have a dash listed for
a given creature. As a first step in building a creature a the maximum AC, such as “3/-”. Such damage is always
GM should pick the stat line that fits best the type of foe applied unless the foe is entirely immune to Shock.
they need, and then modify it to suit their own purposes. Move is the distance the creature can move with a
Note that there’s nothing stopping you from putting single Move action. Some creatures may fly, others swim,
a guaranteed party-slaughterer in your campaign. If the or still stranger means of locomotion may apply depend-
situation logically requires that such a creature be present, ing on the beast’s nature.
then it ought to be there. If logic requires its existence, ML is the creature’s Morale score. Whenever a Mo-
however, you should take pains to ensure that the PCs rale check is forced by a situation, the creature must roll
are not forced to actually fight the thing. They need to be 2d6. If the total is greater than its Morale score, it loses its
able to get forewarnings of its presence, or opportunities taste for the fight and will retreat, surrender, or otherwise
to flee it, or some means to negotiate with it or hide from take whatever actions seem best to get it safely away.
it. It’s not unfair to populate your world with the crea- Inst is the creature’s Instinct score. When confused,
tures that ought to live in it, but it’s decidedly unfun to infuriated, or goaded in combat, it runs the risk of behav-
shove hapless PCs face-first into certain death. ing according to its instincts rather than martial prudence.
The table of example stat lines has several columns, The details of Instinct checks are explained on page XX.
each one listing a particular statistic for the creature. Skill is the creature’s total Skill bonus for any skill
Hit dice are a measure of the creature’s general pow- checks it makes that are in line with its talents and abil-
er, not unlike a level rating for PCs. For each hit die a ities. If the creature ought to be good at something, it
creature has, it rolls 1d8 for its hit points. Most ordinary can add its Skill bonus to the base 2d6 skill check. If not,
humans have only one hit die, while veterans of bloody it adds +0, or might even take a penalty if it seems like
struggle or ruthless court intrigue might have two, or something it would be exceptionally bad at doing.
three, or even more for the most heroic among them. Save is the saving throw target used by the creature
AC is for the creature’s Armor Class. The higher this whenever it’s called upon to make a Physical, Mental,
number, the harder it is to meaningfully hurt the thing. Evasion, or Luck saving throw. Unlike PCs, creatures
Monsters and wild beasts have an Armor Class appropri- only have a single save target, usually equal to 15 mi-
ate to their agility and the toughness of their hide; 12 or nus half its hit dice, rounded down. Thus, a foe with 3
13 for quick things with leathery skins, up to 15 for very hit dice usually rolls 14+ to succeed at any saving throw.
well-armored beasts, or even up to 20 for things with This score can’t be less than 2+, as a 1 on a saving throw
supernatural hardihood. Humans and other sentients always fails.
usually have whatever Armor Class is granted by the
 127

Normal Humans HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Peaceful Human 1 10 +0 Wpn Wpn 30' 7 5 +1 15+
Thug or Militia 1 13a +1 Wpn Wpn 30' 8 4 +1 15+
Barbarian Fighter 1 13a +2 Wpn Wpn 30' 8 5 +1 15+
Veteran Soldier 1 13a +2 Wpn Wpn 30' 8 3 +1 15+
Skilled Veteran 2 15a +3 Wpn Wpn 30' 9 2 +1 14+
Elites or Special Guards 3 18a +4 Wpn+1 Wpn+1 30' 10 2 +2 14+
Knight or Minor Hero 4 18a +6 Wpn+1 Wpn+1 30' 10 1 +2 13+
Warrior Baron 6 18a +8 Wpn+2 Wpn+2 30' 9 1 +2 12+
Barbarian Warlord 8 16a +10 x2 Wpn+3 Wpn+3/- 30' 10 3 +2 11+
Mighty General 8 18a +10 Wpn+3 Wpn+3/- 30' 10 1 +3 11+
Major Hero 10 18a +12 x2 Wpn+3 Wpn+3/- 30' 10 2 +3 10+
Great Warrior King 12 18a +14 x2 Wpn+4 Wpn+4/- 30' 10 1 +3 9+

Spellcasters
Petty Mage 2 10a +1 Wpn Wpn 30' 8 4 +1 14+
Tribal Shaman 4 10a +3 Wpn+1 Wpn+1 30' 9 4 +1 13+
Skilled Sorcerer 5 10a +1 Wpn Wpn 30' 9 4 +2 13+
Master Wizard 8 13 +1 Wpn Wpn 30' 9 3 +2 11+
Famous Arch-Mage 10 13 +2 Wpn Wpn 30' 9 2 +3 10+
Mages generally have the spellcasting abilities and Arts of an appropriate mage tradition equal to their hit dice

Normal Animals
Small Pack Predator 1 12 +2 1d4 1/13 40' 7 6 +1 15+
Large Solitary Predator 5 13 +6 1d8 2/13 30' 8 6 +1 13+
Apex Predator 6 13 +6 x2 1d8 2/13 40' 8 6 +2 12+
Herd Beast 2 11 +2 1d4 None 40' 7 6 +1 14+
Vicious Large Herbivore 4 13 +5 1d10 1/13 40' 9 6 +1 13+
Elephantine Grazer 6 13 +5 2d8 None 40' 7 6 +1 12+

Unnatural Entities
Automaton, Humanlike 2 13 +2 Wpn Wpn 30' 12 3 +1 14+
Automaton, Laborer 2 15 +2 1d6 1/13 30' 12 3 +1 14+
Automaton, Military 4 18 +5 1d10 2/15 30' 12 3 +1 13+
Automaton, Warbot 10 20 +12 x3 1d12 4/- 40' 12 2 +2 10+
Slime or ooze 6 10 +6 x2 1d8 1/- 20' 12 5 +1 12+
Predator, Small Vicious 1 14 +1 1d4 1/13 30' 7 5 +1 15+
Predator, Large Vicious 6 13 +7 x2 2d6 2/15 40' 9 5 +2 13+
Predator, Hulking 10 15 +12 x2 2d6 6/15 30' 10 4 +1 10+
Predator, Hellbeast 10 18 +12 x4 1d10 4/- 60' 11 4 +3 10+
Unnatural Swarm 4 10 +6 x3 1d6 1/- 30' 10 5 +1 13+
Outsider Warbeast 8 15 +10 x2 2d6 3/15 40' 9 4 +2 11+
Legendary God-Titan 20 22 +20 x4 2d10 5/- 40' 10 3 +3 2+
128

The Blight and Its Consequences

In the age of the Latter Earth, manipulation of the men- d8 What Was the Creator’s Intent?
tal and biological substance of living creatures has been
a commonplace for all recorded history. From the most 1 Decay: The changes were not Blighted at
distant day of the Terran Mandate through the rule of first, but time and decay of the Legacy has
the Outsiders and the rise of the sorcerer-kings thereaf- fouled them and made them a burden.
ter, there have always been artificial and arcane ways to 2 Error: The creator never intended for things
mold the offspring of living creatures and imbue them to work out as they have, but was either blind
with qualities chosen by the artificer. As with any mortal to the consequences or mistaken in them.
power, this ability has been richly abused. 3 Hedonism: The creature provided some
The Blight is not a single process or a specific curse. aesthetic or sensory pleasure in its new form,
It is the term used to refer to the afflictions resting on despite the cruel burdens of its shape.
those scarred by the malice of ancient god-mages, brutal
4 Mischance: There was no single creator, as
tyrants, Outsider scientists, or sheer magical mischance.
the Blight was a consequence of a magical
It wears many faces and is expressed in many ways, all
accident or unexpected environment.
turned toward the purposes of the creator and all indif-
ferent to the suffering of those who bear it. 5 Punishment: Its ancestors offended a god-
Many monsters and implacably hostile sentient spe- like entity that laid a scourge on them and all
cies are the direct result of the Blight. Many creatures that their heirs.
make no evolutionary sense are products of the Blight, 6 Sadism: The creator simply found it funny or
created in order to serve purposes that no longer obtain enjoyable to condemn the creature’s lineage
in the Latter Earth. Others are penal beasts shaped from to everlasting suffering.
the losers of wars, fallen noble houses, criminal families, 7 Spite: The creature was a weapon against
disfavored polities, or those prey to the whims of some the creator’s enemies, and its own survival or
long-lost Imperator. happiness was of no importance.
Intelligent Blighted usually have minds severely
influenced by their curse. Martial species might have a 8 Utility: The creature’s lineage was meant to
psychopathic indifference to the suffering of others, while perform a kind of labor, and molded to that
slave-species might find it emotionally traumatic to re- end with no concern for its own well-being.
fuse orders. Spite-born monsters might feel visceral plea-
sure at torment and killing, while implement-races might d12 Example Blighted Qualities
be unable to feel joy at anything but their task. Blighted
1 It can’t control a violent or destructive impulse.
societies are always marked by such mental burdens.
The Blight is not perfectly consistent in its effects. 2 It sickens normal creatures or has some other
While the Anak are a species of savagely violent human- negative effect on them when in proximity.
oids, not every Anak is driven by the same inexorable im- 3 It’s unnaturally repugnant or ugly.
pulse of rage and hatred for humanity, nor is every hulk-
ing Drudge equally given to stupid docility. The fate of 4 It’s stupid, feeble, clumsy, or otherwise
such sports is rarely a kind one in a world little-equipped physically or mentally debilitated.
to distinguish them from their brethren. 5 It has a loathsome craving or impulse that
Given the nature of players, it may be that some of drives its actions.
them will want to cure a creature’s Blight or reverse the 6 It’s helplessly obedient or submissive in a
effects of some particularly heinous curse. Such work is way that causes it misery.
always difficult, demanding, and dangerous; to undo the
Blight in a creature is to rebuild its mind and body from 7 It’s shape has been altered to be useful for its
the ground up, altering it in a way just as profound as the purpose, though burdensome to it.
original inherited change. Still, particularly heroic adven- 8 It suffers constant pain or discomfort of some
turers might be willing to go to the extremes necessary sort, whether intense or minor.
to find the keys needed to unlock these ancient shackles.
9 It can reproduce only under difficult to obtain
As the GM, you can use the Blight to explain the ex-
circumstances.
istence of monsters that otherwise would be very difficult
to justify. Creatures of sheer inhuman hatred, monsters 10 It xenoforms its surroundings to suit some
that feed on terrible things, and beasts that have pur- long-dead creator’s native world.
poses utterly inimical to humanity could all be Blight- 11 It has an intrinsic mental illness.
ed creatures born of some ancient curse or a forgotten
god-emperor’s dream. 12 It must pursue a goal that is now impossible.
 129

Monster Shapes and Appearances

If you don’t already have a clear idea of what your monster d12 What Kind of Animal Is It Most Like?
should look like, these tables can offer some suggestions.
First, find out what animal it most resembles. If you 1 Apish: Distorted humanoid outlines
need to fill in details of the creature’s appearance, use this 2 Arachnid: Webs, many limbs, many eyes
as a baseline default. 3 Avian: Feathers, beak, talons, light weight
Next, roll or choose its basic body plan. Intelligent
4 Beetle-like: Rounded body and armor
creatures usually have some manipulatory appendages,
but they don’t necessarily have to be bipedal. 5 Canine: Muzzle, tail, paws
Then figure out how the creature hunts in its natural 6 Equine: Hooves, speed, manes
habitat, if it’s not intelligent and thus capable of farming 7 Feline: Fangs, claws, litheness
or herding its prey. For monstrous creatures, you might
also roll or pick to find out why it hasn’t denuded its 8 Piscene: Goggly eyes, scales, fins
surroundings of food and starved to death yet, or why it 9 Reptilian: Frills, side-slung limbs, scales
hasn’t destroyed the local ecology with its depredations. 10 Serpentine: Limbless, venomous, slim
Lastly, you can spice this basic plan up with rolls or
picks from the characteristic body part table below. Feel 11 Ursine: Broad body, thick hide, claws
free to mix in insectile parts on a basically serpentine 12 Wasp-like: Wings, narrow thorax, sting
creature, or blend in exotic elements into a conventional
mammal. Between Outsider interference and the caprice
d8 What Is Its Basic Body Plan?
of sorcerer-kings, all manner of forms are possible.
1 Limbless, amorphous, or a tentacular mass
d10 How Does It Usually Hunt? 2-3 Bipedal, generally upright
1 Stealthy stalking and ambush of its prey 4-7 Quadrupedal, perhaps able to rear up
2 It steals the kills of other creatures 8 Sexapedal, perhaps with wings and legs
3 It hunts in packs or family groups
4 It uses some unnatural power to catch prey d6 Why Isn’t It Dead Yet?
5 A partnership with another kind of beast 1 It requires very little food for survival
6 It feeds on carrion and the very weak 2 It’s poisonous and repels its predators
7 It chases down its prey in open pursuit 3 It eats something other creatures can’t
8 It disguises itself as something harmless 4 It’s newly introduced in the area
9 It blindly eats whatever it encounters 5 It doesn’t need food in a normal sense
10 It lures in its prey with some kind of bait 6 It exists in symbiosis with something else

Characteristic Body Parts or Creature Elements

d12 Mammalian Insectile Reptilian Avian Piscene Exotic
1 Thick fur Compound eyes Poisons Feathers Scales Tentacles
2 Tail Stings Slitted eyes Beak Bulging eyes Sacs
3 Paws Mandibles Fangs Talons Fins Wheels
4 Hooves Spinnerets Scaled skin Light body Suckers Balloons
5 Hands Swarms Silence Songs Tentacles Tendrils
6 Fangs Membrane wings Draconic wings Bright colors Pincers Launchers
7 Claws Egg sacs Thick hide Sharp eyes Rubbery hide Treads
8 Visible ears Blood-sucking Crawling Eggs Huge maws Jets
9 Stenches Parasitizing Cold-blooded Diving Water jets Secretions
10 Leathery hide Larval forms Camouflage Flocks Slime Translucence
11 Bat wings Leaping Crushing jaws Regurgitation Spines Alien smells
12 Horns Numerous legs Wall-climbing Guano Mineral deposit Unliving matter
130

Monstrous Drives
What makes a creature monstrous is not necessarily what When choosing a drive, it’s important to tie it back
it is, but what it does. Something about the creature’s be- to the creature’s origins and nature. Beasts formed or
havior or wants is anathema to human interests, and its warped by the Outsiders might have any kind of malev-
activities bring misery, suffering, and death to the people olent purpose, having had it impressed upon their psyche
around it. by their embittered alien creators. Entities forged by oth-
It may be that your “monster” isn’t particularly dan- er groups or by the whim of nature will likely have drives
gerous to humanity. It may just be an odd creature that related to that group’s purposes or the circumstances of
exists in a particular environment, of no special danger the natural accident that created its kind.
to humans who don’t get in its way. There’s a great deal A GM may want a monster to be somewhat am-
of fun in creating strange beasts for a campaign world, biguous in its moral status; maybe terrible in some ways,
and there’s nothing wrong with making the occasional but the kind of creature that the party could negotiate
creature like this. with or at least tolerate that it live. The awfulness of the
Even so, the usual point of making monsters for drive can be toned down in such cases to a nastiness that
a game is to make problems for the players. Ravaging is bearable by the players. A good deal of judgment is
beasts, hideous raiders, sinister and insidious threats necessary in hitting this golden mean, however. The GM
from within… these sort of creatures spark the conflicts, will have to keep in mind that some kinds of activities
problems, and complications that make for usable ad- may be utterly intolerable to the party, and they might
venture grist. not find that out until after the adventure is underway.
The table on the facing page gives twelve different A monster’s drive should likely be horrible, but it’s
kinds of malevolent drive that might motivate the crea- important to be careful when selecting the details of that
ture. Bestial entities might not be capable of pursuing the horror. A GM should likely stay away from overtly sexual
more intellectual forms of evil listed there, but intelligent forms of monstrousness unless their group is explicitly
monsters will carry out their purpose with every ounce on board with those elements in their games. Very few
of wit they have. Monsters usually have some magical or players are interested in participating in that kind of mag-
unnatural power useful in fulfilling their drive, such as ical realm without clear advance sign-on, and there are
those discussed on page XX. plenty of other ways for a being to be awful.
 131

d12 Monstrous Drives

1 Conquest: it needs to destroy all rivals and interlopers within its territory, which must expand with the creature's
increasing might. This may be a very literal form of conquest, with the beast seeking to kill any intruder within its
realm and probing outward constantly to seek new land. It may also be social or metaphorical, with the creature
seeking to become the exclusive power within a social sphere, profession, guild, or skein of relationships.
2 Construction: it has to build something that can cause problems for humans. It might be driven to create
elaborate nests, forced to foment treacherous schemes against humanity, made to build large civil structures in
awkward places, manufacture a particular sort of good beyond all need, generate a toxin or miasma, xenoform
terrain to fit its alien creator's home world, or some other act of troublesome creation.
3 Consumption: it needs to eat something that is either difficult to acquire, greatly troublesome to humanity, or
magical or metaphorical in nature. It might consume loving relationships, eat youth, dine exclusively on traitors,
be impossibly gluttonous, devour magical items, or need special alchemical mixes.
4 Deception: it must feign some harmless or innocent guise, fitting in perfectly as its adopted role. Animals may
seem to be some different, more docile creature, while intelligent beings may masquerade as humans or adopt
some specific social role. It must kill whatever it would replace, and destroy anything or anyone that might
threaten to reveal the truth about it, showing the reality of its nature only when it feeds or enjoys the benefits of
the role it has adopted.
5 Defilement: it must degrade and destroy those things that give hope or meaning to humanity. Corrupting
religions, poisoning food crops, curdling familial love, inducing leaders to become tyrants, and withering bonds
of loyalty might all be tools for such creatures. Most of them will have a particular type of good thing that their
powers and nature enable them to debauch.
6 Destruction: it must destroy something that is useful or necessary to humans. It might blindly slaughter livestock
beyond all hunting need, instinctively seek the destruction of man-made edifices, have an inherent compulsion to
destroy loving relationships, eat metal tools and weapons, consume the health and luck of its prey, or otherwise
take away something that humans need.
7 Domination: it needs to win the slavish submission of its chosen prey. Rather than killing them, they must be
reduced to helpless obedience to the creature's needs and wishes. Animals may terrorize sentients until worship or
tribute is offered, while intelligent beings might use social tools or threats to force compliance. Weaker creatures
of its own kind might be treated with similar brutality.
8 Parasitization: it has to subvert and suborn humanity or something humans rely upon. This may be a physical
act of parasitization on a human host, or it may be a more metaphorical leech, taking advantage of some quality
of human society to feed and shelter it. Parasitized hosts may be hollowed-out skinsuits, helplessly enslaved
victims, willing but foolish co-conspirators, unwitting cattle, or humans who can provide some special service
or quality the creature craves.
9 Predation: there's something that it absolutely must hunt or kill, and pursuing them is a need at an instinctive
level. This is usually something problematic for humans, such as a compulsion to hunt humans, specific types
of people, livestock, particular demihumans, people who have committed a particular type of act, those who
trespass on its territory, or some other type of victim.
10 Reproduction: it has some unique or difficult condition for reproduction that it must satisfy, such as needing
large amounts of a particular substance, a properly-built nest, a difficult-to-win mate, a helpless parasitized
host, the brutal conquest of its rivals, or even some magical or esoterically metaphorical condition. This condition
causes problems for humanity around it.
11 Sadism: it was created not necessarily to kill its prey, but to torment it. Terrifying taunts, senseless cruelty, and
abominably awful methods of harm are employed instinctively by this creature, and it will always prefer to leave
its prey alive until every ounce of resistance has been wrung from it. It receives great delight from the suffering
of others.
12 Theft: it has a compulsion to steal something that humans need in order to hoard or use it itself. It may compulsively
steal and collect gold and other shiny objects, plunder food, carry off large amounts of some socially-necesary
good, or have magical means to take away intangible qualities or social relationships. It should often be possible
to recover the lost traits if the creature is subdued.
132

Uncanny Powers and Supernatural Abilities

A basic stat line for a creature can make it a challenge in Second, pick another power that fits the creature’s
combat, but foes who can do nothing but stab, bite, claw, idiom or purpose. If the initial power you chose was a
or shoot can become a little stale in play. More signifi- combat power, pick a situational one, or vice-versa. The
cantly, the unusual powers a creature possesses can often goal at this point is to give the creature something re-
be the very things that make it an interesting element markable it can do both in and out of combat.
of a situation, allowing it to change the environment or Third, decide whether or not you need this creature
shift the circumstances in ways that the PCs may not be to be a major combat foe. If you foresee a fight with this
equipped to handle. thing being a major event in an evening’s play, you may
Even perfectly normal humans might have “pow- wish to add one or two more combat powers to its selec-
ers”, in the sense that they may have specialized forms of tion, each preferably of a different kind or flavor. More
magic, unique martial techniques, or other focused abil- than three powers is rarely useful because most fights
ities that can be represented by powers. Arch-arcanists will be resolved before a whole host of abilities can be
and veteran heroes might all have their own selection of trotted out. Even so, if you foresee the creature lasting a
special tricks to bring out, ones that the PCs may never long time in a fight, you might add a further power or two.
have seen before. These abilities are usually unique to The tables that follow offer some suggestions for var-
the NPCs, as they might require sacrifices or special cir- ious kinds of combat and situational powers. Combat
cumstances in order to acquire them that the PCs aren’t powers are given a point cost to reflect their general puis-
equipped to make or find. The abilities a PC gains as sance; this is by no means a scientific measurement, but
they develop their powers are simply one set of arts and it can help give you a rough idea whether you’re giving
talents in the Latter Earth, and not all NPCs will share a weak or potent ability to a creature. For combat pow-
the same rules for their own powers. ers, you can use the adjacent guidelines for determining
For a GM, there are two classes of powers to keep how many total points of abilities you might add to a
in mind when building a creature. Combat powers are creature. You can ignore these guidelines whenever you
those abilities that are likely to come out in a fight, the have a specific need.
special abilities and unique martial talents that might For situational powers, no point totals are given.
make the creature an unusual handful during a clash. Sit- These abilities are as strong as they need to be to let the
uational powers are less combat-specific abilities that are creature fulfill its purpose. The specific details of how
still likely to play a role in how the creature acts or how far they stretch should be chosen based on the creature’s
it carries out its ambitions.The same power might have overall power; a minor being’s mind-bending powers
both combat and situational uses; the ability to implant might extend to only one person at a time, or last only a
overwhelming psychic urges could be handy both in a day and a night, while some arch-abomination might be
fight and when manipulating hapless NPCs in a noble’s able to beguile half a city for the rest of their lives.
court.
When building a creature, start with its monstrous
drive or the basic role it’s meant to play in the world. In
some cases, the creature’s native abilities will be sufficient
to allow it to pursue its drive; if it’s a creature born to
tear humans asunder, a high attack bonus and multiple
attacks may be all it needs to do its job. If it’s a psychic Point
assassin programmed to fight a war that ended aeons Total The Creature’s Degree of Power
ago, however, it may need some more esoteric powers
to carry out its purpose. In the same vein an ordinary 0 Perfectly ordinary beast or person
village guardsman or common sorcerer might not need 2 Minor hero or significant mage
any special tricks, while some martial virtuoso or alien 3 Minor magical beast or construct
wizard might need some unique abilities to exhibit their
4 Species of magically-potent sentient
specialness.
First, pick a power that will let them pursue their 5 Significant magical beast or being
drive or demonstrate their nature. This power should 6 Major hero or famous mage
be very characteristic to the creature or NPC; it should
8 Hero of a magically-potent species
be something that really makes clear what the entity is
about. This may be a situational power, if the creature’s 8 Regionally-significant magical beast
drive is more abstract or non-martial in nature, or it 10 Legendary magical beast
might be a combat power if you want to emphasize the 10 Legate or famous major hero
creature’s ferocity or the peril it presents.
15 Imperator or other demi-divine being
 133

Damage Infliction Powers

The creature hurls bolts of energy, wields eldritch forces, Points Damage Infliction
or has a remarkably unpleasant bite. As a Main Action, it
can target one or more foes with some power that inflicts 1 A power does damage equal to a normal
direct damage. In the case of venomous bites or blighting weapon blow
bolts of cursed energy some additional penalty might be 2 A power does damage of about 3d6
applied, taken from the example debilitating effects later 3 A power does damage of about 6d6
in this section. In such cases, whatever hit or save require-
5 A power does damage of 10d6 or more
ments that are applied to the damaging power should be
applied to the debilitating power as well.
Most creatures should not have special powers that -1 The power only works in melee range
do more dice of damage than the creature has hit dice.
-1 The power's damage allows a save for half
Thus, a beast with 5 HD probably shouldn’t be doing
more than 5d6 damage with its flaming breath, unless x1/2 The power's damage allows a save for none
you have an especially good reason to make it so. x2 The power's damage is done to multiple
Most damaging powers require the creature’s Main targets
Action to trigger them. If they can use it automatically x2 The power's damage is ongoing, repeating
in addition to its normal activities, the power is worth for several rounds
an additional 2 points.
A creature usually needs no more than one damage -1 The power's damage requires a hit roll
infliction power, though exceptionally powerful creatures 2 The power can be used once per round as
might have one ability that works to hit a single target an On Turn action
and another, weaker attack that affects an area. Whatever
energies or forces the creature uses to hurt targets should
be in line with its own nature. A martial hero might deal
a crushing overhand blow, while a psychic mind-devourer
might inflict lethal emotional trauma on a victim.

Movement Powers
The creature has a special movement ability uncommon Points Movement Powers
to its nature. Any ordinary animal might have a move-
ment rate of 40’ per Move, or even 60’, but this creature 2 Flight ability at its movement rate, including
has a degree of speed or supernatural agility that is re- the ability to fight on the wing
markable for something of its kind. 2 Passes through any solid object
These movement powers aren’t meant to assign costs 1 Ignores a type of solid barrier substance
to a creature’s natural mode of movement. Birds don’t
2 Extra Move action each round
need to allocate points to flying, nor do fish pay to swim.
Some traditions of lightly-armored warrior NPCs 1 Movement increased by 50%
might have picked up tricks from this list, or mounted 1 It makes Fighting Withdrawals as On Turn
knights and heroes might have some power here so long actions
as they remain safely on horseback. Sorcerers and ar-
1 Can leap its full movement rate
canists might have mastered some of the more esoteric
means of locomotion. 1 Can swim, climb, or navigate some other
usually-troublesome medium at full speed
2 It can teleport at its movement rate
2 Can teleport long distances through shadows,
flame, or other characteristic substances
1 Gets a free Instant Move action when some
characteristic event or circumstance obtains
1 It can split its Move action’s movement
around its Main Action
134

Debilitating and Weakening Powers

Self-Augmenting Powers
 135

Situational Powers
136

Contextualizing Your Monsters

The Latter Earth is a world at the end of countless aeons, order to protect their lands from a now-long-dead enemy.
a realm crushed beneath the burden of innumerable lost The truth might have been forgotten since then, only for
empires and forgotten civilizations. More conventional the PCs to discover scraps of lore that hint not only at
fantasy campaign settings often have a similar weight of the truth, but at the mechanisms by which control over
age behind their present days, with glorious past king- the creature can be regained.
doms providing much of their current magic or present The adjacent tables offer some suggestions of ways
problems. A GM often wishes to contextualize their to contextualize a creature, with details and connections
monsters, making them feel part of this ageless past. that can be applied to tie a beast more tightly to your
The key to connecting a creature to the world is to world. The tables are generally written to apply to par-
give it context. A creature cannot borrow any sense of ticular places and situations; the locals in a different place
external meaning or significance without some kind of might have a completely different reaction or relationship
externality to connect to it. By itself, a dog-beast with an to the creature. Even so, a GM might take the hints from
insatiable craving to betray and devour its owner is no these tables and spin them out further in their campaign,
more than a whimsical inversion of the loyal hound trope. creating traditional responses or socially-entrenched re-
If it bears the milky jade eyes of the agents of the Eternal actions that are common throughout a domain.
Revolutionaries, that mere oddity now makes sense; of
course a creature fashioned by a throne-breaking rebel
uprising would behave in such a way.
The players may know nothing of the Eternal Revo-
lutionaries. They may not ever learn anything about them,
or they may not connect the similarities between the jade
eyes of the dog-beasts and the perfect jade spheres they
discover in the defiled resin sarcophagi of the emper-
or-wasp hive they’re exploring. This is perfectly accept-
able, so long as you know about the connection. If the
players end up caring about it, they can investigate the
matter and you can develop the connection as deeply and
in as much detail as your adventuring sessions require.
If they never bother, you don’t need to waste your time
elaborating on the link.
Whenever you create a new creature, give it some
kind of link to its context. Identify the civilization or
group that created it, or tie it to a particular ancient site,
or weave it into the society or development of the lo-
cal human communities. Connect it to something the
players do or could theoretically care about. If you give
your creatures some kind of coherent context within your
world your players are going to notice it, even if they
never probe the details of those connections.
Monsters have consequences, and those conse-
quences should show in the world. It’s all too easy to
plant some hero-butchering abomination half a day’s
stroll from a border village and never think about how
it might interact with the locals. A simple “It eats them.”
may be perfectly true, but how do the local humans deal
with that? Do they try to placate the thing, or hunt it, or
avoid its territory? Is this some inherited curse, an an-
cient problem that’s existed for so long that the commu-
nity’s society has healed up around it and formed some
kind of mechanism for dealing with it?
It may be that the way humans deal with a type of
creature is deeply connected with some past situation.
The villagers might shun the monster’s territory and have
a taboo against trying to hunt it because in ages past, it
was actually a slave-abomination raised by a wizard in
 137

One-Roll Monstrous Context

d4 How Did the Monster Arise?
1 It’s a relict of the malice of the Outsiders
2 It’s the product of human sorcerer-kings
3 It’s an accident of magic or nature
4 It’s a decayed form of something once noble

d12 What Is Its Connection With the Past?

1 It’s a servant of a long-dead religion
2 It’s obedient to a long-gone political group
3 It’s meant to target a perhaps-vanished foe
4 It needs an environment that is now rare
5 It’s accepted by certain ancient defenses
d6 How Much Local Contact Does It Have? 6 It serves an alien or vanished aesthetic end
1 The locals have no idea it exists 7 Its home was a place that is now gone
2 The locals make wild guesses and myths of it 8 It seeks something that has since been lost
3 They’ve had a few significant encounters 9 It seeks victory in a struggle that is now over
4 They know it’s there and a little of its wants 10 It’s only part of something, the rest now gone
5 It’s a regular threat they need to deal with 11 It serves an urge that no longer makes sense
6 They know its nature and needs very well 12 It was sacred to some group that is now lost

d8 How Do the Locals React To Its Drive? d20 A Twist To Its Activities
1 They try to placate or appease its hungers 1 Its activities are very useful to some group
2 They try to kill it, actively hunting it down 2 It’s currently hurting an unsympathetic group
3 They avoid its territory out of spiritual fear 3 It responds to certain ancient codes
4 They accept a certain amount of loss from it 4 It targets a group the PCs count as friends
5 They build countermeasures against it 5 It’s friendly to those sharing its tie to the past
6 They try to contain it within a certain area 6 A byproduct of its activities is very valuable
7 They try to use it against their enemies 7 It has some devotees or cowed minions
8 They worship it or take it as a leader 8 It hates something the PCs have or relate to
9 It was formerly benevolent or useful
d10 What Scars Has It Left Here? 10 A victim plots a desperate act of revenge
1 Many widows and orphans of its hunters 11 People think its victims somehow deserved it
2 A grand structure ruined by its acts 12 Killing it would cause some dire consequence
3 Land has been made worthless by its threat 13 It’s being hunted by something even worse
4 A local hero has been slain by it 14 It has regular cycles of activity and torpor
5 Local clergy have been shown as helpless 15 It has some defensible reason for its acts
6 A local lord has lost much wealth from it 16 It protects or spares its willing subjects
7 The poorest have suffered most from it 17 Someone is profiting by its depredations
8 A great plan for the future was ruined by it 18 The locals believe something very false of it
9 A venerated tradition was defiled by it 19 Its damage is insidious and slow to be seen
10 A vital good or resource was spoiled by it 20 Hunters quarrel over who is to claim it
138

Adjusting Monster Statistics

The basic stat line for a creature is just a starting point, ML should be adjusted for the creature’s stupidity
one meant to give a GM a general idea of where the crea- and determination. Normal animals always have relative-
ture stands in relation to the other entities in the world. ly low Morale because a serious injury is almost inevitably
While simply using the basic stat line is often enough ultimately fatal to them; they’ll fight only when they’re
for a GM, sometimes you want to fine-tune a creature confident of easy victory or forced by hunger. Humans
to its particular place in the world. You can follow the might add 1 or 2 points if they’re fanatical or desper-
guidelines below to tweak things accordingly. ate, while they might lose the same if they’re particularly
Hit dice can usually vary by 50% greater or lesser, disorganized. Mindless robots or insects might have a
depending on how impressive the creature is compared to Morale of 12, being too stupid or single-minded to avoid
its peers. If you remove hit dice, decrease its attack bonus self-destruction.
by an equal amount and re-calculate its saving throw. If Inst is based not only on a creature’s primal instincts
you add hit dice, do the same, except adding the new but also their tendency to let their passions run away
score to its attack bonus. with their good sense. A mighty warlord might have
AC might shift by one or two points if the creature is an Instinct score one or two points higher than usual
very fast, unusually slow, particularly large and easy to hit, if he has a great fondness for toying with his foes or an
or abnormally thick-skinned. Intelligent creatures might impulse to make grandiose declamations in the middle
well fashion or steal armor, giving a substantial boost to of a battlefield. Conversely, a coldly rational, ruthlessly
their AC. Even a peasant militiaman can be stuffed into disciplined fighter might have a score 1 or 2 points less.
a suit of heavy plate armor if one can be found for him. Skill should generally range between +1 for most
Atk is usually equal to the creature’s hit dice, or per- creatures that are good at something, up to +3 for mas-
haps its hit dice+1 if it’s got combat training. The more ters of their particular trade. Skill-focused PCs will
martially-inclined the creature is, the higher this bonus generally be better than NPCs at skill checks; this is in-
will be, but it probably won’t exceed 2 or 3 points at most. tended, as it gets frustrating if their PC’s main focus is
You can give extra attacks to expert human warriors or regularly outshone by random NPCs around them.
dangerous beasts if you want to significantly amplify Save rarely changes much unless you change the
their danger. One extra attack isn’t unusual, but two or creature’s hit dice. You might give exceptionally hardy
even three extra strikes should be reserved for truly he- creatures a one or two-point bonus, or give those with
roic foes or extremely dangerous monsters. weak constitutions or fragile forms a similar penalty. Ex-
Dmg is based on the weapon an intelligent creature tremely powerful creatures might be able to automatically
uses or the body weaponry possessed by a beast. Expert make the first saving throw they’re called on to make
warriors might add +1 to the weapon’s damage, or as during a fight.
much as +4 for martial heroes. This bonus should also be
added to the creature’s Shock. For beasts, 1d4 represents
small fangs and claws, 1d6 to 1d8 for larger ones, and
multi-die 2d6 or more for supernaturally savage maws
and huge inhuman claws. If you need a benchmark, re-
member that the average peasant has about 5 hit points;
if the creature should expect to kill one peasant a round
make sure its average damage is at least 5 points.
Shock is based on the weapon for humanoid com-
batants. Heroic warriors may have unavoidable Shock,
having powers equivalent to PC Foci that allow them
to ignore AC when applying the damage. Of course,
creatures or PCs who are immune to Shock will still be
immune to such damage. For beasts, 1/13 is the usual
rating, or 2/15 for very savage animals. Higher ratings
are the preserve of supernatural bestial foes, up to 5/- for
the worst of them.
Move has 30 feet per action as the human baseline.
A lot of animals will be able to move faster than that, with
40 feet being normal for them. Creatures of exceptional
swiftness might get as far as 60 feet per Move action.
You might give some creatures multiple movement modes,
such as a winged abomination that can crawl at 20’ per
move or fly at 40’.
 139

Judging Combat Challenges

It’s important that the creatures and foes that inhabit a number of foes. Conversely, if the enemies have magical
sandbox world should be logically appropriate for the powers or special abilities of their own, it might be an
setting. If encounters and enemies are scaled to the PC even worse curb-stomping for the heroes.
party, it becomes impossible to deal with the world log- If the enemy total is twice as large, the PCs are
ically; the players know that whatever they face will be probably going to have at least one PC downed and run
something they could at least theoretically stab to death. a good chance of a complete party wipe, assuming they
Yet this policy doesn’t necessarily help the GM guess engage their foes in the open with no complications.
whether a particular encounter is likely to kill the PCs If the enemy total is larger than the party total,
or not. A GM may want to know whether they’ll need the PCs might have an ally go down, but they have a
to drop warning hints or spend prep time on alternatives decent chance of winning the fight due to their general-
to combat, or they might decide that this particular en- ly-superior abilities and powers.
counter ought to be matched to the PCs for some reason. If the enemy total is equal to or smaller than the
It’s impossible to give a simple rubric for the compar- party total, they’re likely to win without anyone becom-
ison that will hold in every situation. Monsters often have ing mortally wounded.
bizarre powers that can skew an encounter and PCs usu- If the enemy total is less than half the party total,
ally make full use of any Foci or magic they have. Even so, it will probably be a walkover for the PCs.
a GM can make a rough estimate using a simple measure. These general rules don’t apply to very inexperienced
Take the total hit dice of the opponents and multi- parties. A group of first level PCs can be taken out by
ply it by their total number of attacks. Thus, a mob of almost anything if their dice are unkind, and a single er-
10 Anak warriors with one hit die and one attack each rant blow can wipe out any one of them. They also don’t
would tally to 100. For the PCs, take the party’s total fit so well if the enemies have unusually strong attacks,
levels and multiply it by the number of PCs, so a party exceptionally high Armor Classes, or have powers that
of four third-level PCs would total up to 48. can directly inflict damage. In the same vein, an unusu-
If the enemy total is more than four times larg- ally clever or well-equipped party can sometimes pull
er, it will probably be a rout. The PCs are going to get through even the grimmest situation. These guidelines
crushed unless they have excellent tactics, a superb po- can be an initial help and hint to you, but as the GM,
sition that only allows a few of the enemies to engage at you will eventually have to rely on your own judgment
once, or some magical resource that can nullify a large to guess the likely outcome of a given fray.
140

Instinct Checks
Very few creatures are capable of engaging in desperate,
life-or-death struggles without losing some amount of When to Make an Instinct Check
their rationality. Terror, fury, excruciating pain, and sit- As a general guide, a GM might make an Instinct check
uational blindness can sometimes make a combatant do for a creature whenever any of the situations below are
something genuinely stupid, even if they would never applicable, or any time the GM thinks the creature might
have made such a mistake in calmer circumstances. In the be confused or indecisive.
same way, wild beasts and non-sentient monsters may be
driven by instinct and habit rather than logical prudence • The second round of combat for mobs and undis-
and so behave in ways that are not always tactically sound. ciplined fighters. The creature could think clearly
The Instinct check is the game’s way of helping a before starting the fray, but the fear and exhilara-
GM take this situational chaos into account. Whenev- tion of mortal combat might confuse it.
er an Instinct check is triggered, the GM rolls a 1d10.
If the number rolled is equal or less than a combatant’s • The creature has just had to make a Morale check
Instinct score, measured from 1 to 10, they do some- for any reason. Terror might cloud its thoughts.
thing impulsive, short-sighted, instinctual, or otherwise
less-than-tactically-sound. Instinct checks are rolled • The enemy just did something confusing or disori-
separately for individual combatants, though the GM enting. When the situation is strange, the creature
can simply decide that an appropriate percentage of large might fall back on instinct.
groups automatically fail the check. If the creatures have
an Instinct of 3, for example, the GM might just decide • The enemy did something to enrage or directly in-
that 30% of them fail the check rather than dicing for timidate it. Fury or terror might force bad decisions.
every one.
PCs never make Instinct checks. Even in the grip of • The creature is presented with something it desires,
terror or traumatic injury they remain in control of their such as dropped food, hurled money, or other in-
own choices. Heroically well-trained or tactically-expert ducements. It might go after the bait instead of the
enemies with an Instinct score of zero might likewise be battle if it seems safe to do so.
immune to Instinct checks. Even martial paragons might
be susceptible to Instinct, however, if they’re so proud. Other situations might force Instinct checks as well
blase, or contemptuous of their foes that they fail to fight at the GM’s discretion. Indeed, some situations might be
them with their utmost cunning. so compelling as to cause automatic check failure. De-
When an Instinct check is failed, a creature will do pending on the situation, the GM might decide a partic-
something thoughtless or sub-optimal that is in line with ular response is the only reasonable one, and not bother
their natural instincts. The adjacent tables offer example to randomly pick it from a table.
suggestions for various types of creatures, but a GM can
simply decide the most reasonable reaction based on the Assigning Instinct Scores
situation and the combatants. A GM should use these For non-sentient beasts, a creature’s Instinct score should
instances as opportunities to show off the nature of an usually be about 5. Whenever such monsters are con-
enemy or the instincts of a bestial foe, or to set up some fused or frightened, they’re very likely to fall back on their
battlefield situation that isn’t necessarily tactically-opti- natural instincts. Those instincts tend to be violent in
mal for the enemy but is still troublesome for the heroes. predators, however, and a failed Instinct check might just
Actions taken as a result of a failed Instinct check will mean it bites the nearest target.
usually only occupy one round worth of the creature’s For non-combatant sentients and those unfamiliar
efforts. with battle, Instinct should be 5 to 7. They are extremely
Actions forced by an Instinct check failure won’t nec- likely to become confused and useless in a fight.
essarily be entirely useless, but they won’t be the wisest Ordinary intelligent veterans should have an In-
or most effective use of the creature’s abilities. Blindly stinct of 3 or 4. They might get caught up in the con-
attacking sub-optimal targets, recklessly using unarmed fusion of battle and make some poor calls, but they’re
attacks rather than the weapon in hand, or aiming spells unlikely to lose their head entirely.
or shots at targets of lesser importance might all be ac- Hardened, battle-tested fighters might have an In-
tions taken as a result of a failed Instinct check. stinct of only 1 or 2, being very unlikely to forget them-
Instinct checks are always optional and at the dis- selves in the chaos of battle.
cretion of the GM. Some GMs might choose not to use The coldest, calmest killers would have an Instinct
them at all, judging actions strictly on what seems rea- of 1, and may not have to make Instinct checks at all
sonable to them. In all cases it’s the GM’s final call as to outside of the most disorienting situations. They’ll fight
whether or not to roll one. according to the plan and won’t lose track of the battle.
 141

Example Instinctive Actions d6 Trained Servitor Beasts

The tables here offer some suggestions for different types 1 Seek its trainer or handler on the field
of actions that different kinds of foes could take. While
2 Repeat the last action it took, sensible or not
the actions may be sub-optimal, assume that every crea-
ture will carry them out as intelligently as they are able to. 3 Attack the enemy closest to its handler
A GM should also feel perfectly free to simply decide on 4 Whine in confusion and disorientation
a creature’s action, picking whatever course seems most
5 Perform an inappropriate but trained action
likely for something of its motives and mentality.
6 Panic, attacking the nearest friend or foe

d6 Non-Combatant Humans d6 Automaton

1 Stand immobile in confusion and fear 1 Do its intended purpose, even if inappropriate
2 Punch or kick a foe instead of using a weapon 2 Spend the round analyzing the situation
3 Cringe, taking the Total Defense action 3 Repeat the last thing it did with blind intent
4 Panic and make a Morale check 4 Attack the last target, even if it’s now downed
5 Shout threats or pleas, but don’t attack 5 Utter a warning or imperative to the foes
6 Reposition to get close to the nearest ally 6 Select a new target for some reason

d6 Combat-Trained Humans d6 Insects and Semi-Mindless Beasts

1 Freeze in confusion, doing nothing this round 1 Move to help an ally encircle a target
2 Reposition to get a better place to fight from 2 Retreat from a foe for a round
3 Duck, taking the Total Defense action 3 Skitter and crawl randomly
4 Spend a round looking around the battlefield 4 Chew on the nearest organic substance
5 Blindly attack the nearest enemy 5 Charge nearest prey creature
6 Attack an object, barrier, or downed foe 6 Attack the smallest prey there

d6 Sorcerers or Other Spellcasters d6 Beings of Arrogant Might

1 Freeze a round trying to pick which spell to use 1 Sneer at the pitiful weaklings that oppose it
2 Get further away from the nearest enemy 2 Boast of its inevitable victory
3 Use magic, but misjudge the aiming somehow 3 Gratuitous use of a power in an unhelpful way
4 Try to hide behind something or get cover 4 Attack the last enemy to offend it somehow
5 Attack with punches or physical weapons 5 Urge on servitors, or demand surrender
6 Ignore everyone but the nearest threat to them 6 Taunt the foe as it takes a Total Defense

d6 Ordinary Predatory Beasts d6 Hateful and Sadistic Sentients

1 Snarl and growl, but don’t attack anyone 1 Spend a round looking for a good victim
2 Pull back and get away from nearby threats 2 Attack to hurt or humiliate, doing half damage
3 Attack the last enemy to have hurt it 3 Attack the weakest-looking foe present
4 Attack the last enemy it managed to hurt 4 Assault the enemy that most offends it
5 Take a bite out of a downed enemy 5 Slaughter a downed foe or tear a corpse
6 Panic and make a Morale check 6 Spend a round making threats and vows

d6 Viciously Violent Beasts d6 Undead Creatures

1 Roar savagely at the foe, but don’t attack 1 Moan at the torment of their condition
2 Attack the last foe it hit in blind fury 2 Savagely attack the most vital, lively enemy
3 Charge the last enemy to get its attention 3 Blindly assault a downed foe or corpse
4 Gnaw on a downed enemy 4 Seek to terrify a foe rather than directly attack
5 Charge the biggest cluster of targets 5 Target the foe with the weakest life force
6 Attack the largest enemy on the field 6 Do nothing, instinctively craving an end
142

Creatures of the Latter Earth

(Bestiary write-up intro goes here.)
 143

Animals
The Latter Earth contains most of the same animals Anak warriors. While they can survive on plant mat-
known to modern-day Terra. Records suggest that there ter, coursers much prefer meat. Even when ridden, a
were extensive periods when the entire zoosphere was courser can fight independently and can leap up to
less familiar, including periods of reptilian, insectile, and 30’ as a Main Action, giving the crusaders of Sarul
fungal dominance, but at some point the planet was “reset” their famous tactic of leaping over an enemy force’s
to more contemporary shapes. Survivors from these prior front lines to savage the spear wall from the rear.
eras are known to persist in some areas. Betrayer Bird: Resembling a vulture with a six-foot
For the sake of simplicity you can treat most of these wingspan and razor-sharp claws, betrayer birds are
latter-day animals as the equivalent of their modern encountered in small flocks of 1d6+1 birds. They
breeds in behavior and appearance. Almost all of them seek out small or wounded parties in their terrain
have been altered in some way over the course of ages, but and then try to lead predators and enemies to them
such small points are best used as flavoring and accents in order to feast on the eventual leavings. They seem
to the setting rather than significant differences that play- to have a positively human ability to identify suit-
ers will need to keep in mind. The checkerboard-coated able predators, though they fight with no more than
horses of Ka-Adun and the Dry Sheep that never drink bestial intelligence if directly attacked.
water are novel in their way, but they still act much as Horse Lizard: A feathered raptor named for its size,
horses and sheep do. horse lizards hunt in packs of 1d4+1 creatures.
When such a normal animal’s combat statistics mat- They are unusually intelligent for animals and sur-
ter, you can use the table on page XX and assign it a stat prisingly disciplined in their hunts. Most are found
line that matches its function. Aside from such relatively in habitats of dense vegetation, though some have
normal creatures, however, there are a more than a few acclimated to arratu life.
“mundane” animals in the Gyre that bear special mention. Judas Goat: A goat the size of a cow and possessed of
Below are a few of likely interest to adventurers. an elaborate fan of very sharp horns, the Judas goat
is unusual in that its preferred browse is the xeno-
Ashcrawler: One of the hideous fungal life forms that formed plant life of an arratu. Over the course of
sometimes emerge from the Ashblight, an ashcrawl- decades a flock of Judas goats can gradually push
er resembles a centipede that stands half as tall as back a mild arratu’s borders. Their flesh is toxic to
a man and is at least ten feet long. The “chitin” of predators and they are highly aggressive toward
the crawler is nothing but a hardened fungal shell anything perceived as a threat to the flock. Only
around the soft, damp interior of the organism. their hair is of any use to humans, but unusually
Those bitten by an ashcrawler must make a Physical skilled and brave goatherds can train them as watch-
save or be infected by the fungus. Without magical beasts or even as mounts.
healing, they’ll become wholly enslaved by the par- Mountain Crab: Thought to be a Polop war-beast that
asitical fungus within a week, becoming a “crawler went native, the mountain crab is named for its
slave” and using their own intellect and abilities to gigantic size, the smallest being eight feet tall and
gather new prey for the creature. The stat line given twice that width when standing. It has a rubbery
for them below reflects an average unlucky peasant, hide rather than a chitin shell, and its pincers and
but stronger slaves are possible. Crawler slaves can legs are of a glassy, razor-sharp mineral. Most live in
hide most of the infection under concealing clothing, shallow water, with a few venturing onto land when
and can only be saved by powerful healing magic at nearby hunting is good.
the GM’s discretion.
Anak Courser: Looking much like a horse-sized hairless
lion with mottled hide, a courser is a vicious pack
hunter often “domesticated” as a mount for elite
Animals HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save
Ashcrawler 6 13 +8 x2 1d6 - 50’ 10 4 +1 12+
Ashcrawler Slave 1 13a +2 Wpn Wpn 30’ 12 5 +1 15+
Anak Courser 4 15 +5 x2 1d8 - 60’ 9 6 +1 13+
Betrayer Bird 1 13 +2 1d6 - 40’ fly 8 5 +1 15+
Horse Lizard 3 13 +5 1d10 - 50’ 8 3 +2 14+
Judas Goat 2 12 +3 1d6 - 40’ 9 5 +1 14+
Mountain Crab 8 18 +10 x2 2d6 3/- 40’ 9 6 +1 11+
144

Automatons and Eidolons

Robots, arcane automatons, occult golems, and artificial tions effectively. Those with the Healer class and other
intelligences are not unknown in the Latter Earth. While specialist physicians are equipped with this knowledge
most would never expect to encounter such a being in as part of their usual training.
their ordinary life, they have heard tales of the false men Some automatons are equipped with special sensory
fashioned by sorcerers in former days, and few would units capable of seeing in the dark, detecting motions,
draw any appreciable distinction between a shape ani- observing magical energy, or other novel traits. A given
mated by sorcery and one given life by arcane science… automaton might have a number of attachments and im-
assuming there was ever any difference between the two. provements, depending on its intended function.

Automaton Qualities Origin Focus: Automaton

Automatons do not need to eat, drink, or breathe, and are You are a self-willed automaton, gaining all the usual
naturally immune to diseases, poisons, and natural cli- benefits and limitations of that state. You probably have
matic extremes of temperature. Most require a six-hour a humanoid form; at your option, you can be human-like
recharge period daily that’s largely the equivalent of sleep. enough that only a close inspection reveals your nature.
Surviving automatons that don’t draw their power from a While you are capable of eating and drinking, it is not
specific site are fueled by Legacy fluxes and don’t require necessary for you.
power cells or other special fuel. As with other origin Foci, it’s up to the GM to de-
An automaton that is “killed” is broken beyond con- cide whether or not this option fits well with their cam-
ventional repair, while a “mortally wounded” one can still paign, and it may be disallowed at their discretion.
be stabilized before its internal processes spin down, if Level 1: You have an automaton’s traits and qualities. You
the healer knows how to do so and the automaton was gain System Strain as normal for a living creature
crafted to be repaired in such a way. An hour’s demon- when healing or similar effects are applied to you.
stration and training are enough for a sentient automaton The long ages or questionable self-repair functions
to show a person how to handle emergency damage and have hindered your functionality; pick one attribute
use healing powers and abilities on its self-repair func- and decrease its modifier by -1, to a minimum of -2.

The Black Brass Legion

Legends are unclear as to how many automatons of the Legion Hulks stand twelve feet tall, with spade-like
Brass Legion first landed with the Reaping King, but hands and plowshare fingers fit to tear down walls, or
his present forces are thought to amount to perhaps ten build them up again if their handlers so instruct. The rare
thousand of these tireless servants. His workshops and Reeve is a legionary with sentient self-awareness, capable
artificers are able to maintain this number, but they do of commanding its lessers and interpreting orders from
not seem able to grow it, or at least they do not try. its human handlers.
The Black Brass Legion’s automatons are largely hu- The human controllers of the Legion direct them
manoid in shape, appearing as harvesters clad in stylized by song, specific tunes and command lyrics used to give
clothing of black bronze. Their hands can manipulate orders to the automatons. There is usually one handler
human tools and they act with ordinary levels of human for every ten automatons, all of them reporting to the
intelligence in pursuit of their purposes, but they require unit’s overall commander and all of them ritually keyed
a Reeve or a human handler to direct them. to their unit’s legionaries. Without the directing songs,
Scythemen are the line troops of the Legion, each the legion will carry out its last orders until they appear
one equipped with a large bronze scythe or iron crossbow. to have been completed, after which it will return home.
Cataphracts are centauroid in their outlines, with fittings The black brass shells of the legionaries are tremen-
for cart-pulling and other logistical hauling. They also dously tough, and are impervious to non-magical weap-
serve as heavy shock cavalry. ons or minor environmental hazards.

Brass Legion HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Scytheman 3 18* +5 1d10 3/15 30’ 12 4 +1 14+
Cataphract 6 18* +6 x2 1d10 3/15 60’ 12 3 +1 12+
Hulk 10 16* +10 x2 2d8 5/- 20’ 12 4 +1 10+
Reeve 10 20* +10 x2 1d12 5/- 30’ 10 2 +2 9+
* All Brass Legion automatons are immune to damage from non-magical weapoons or minor environmental hazards
 145

Eidolons
Artificial minds have been created in one way or another that can only be tamped down when they can do some-
for countless ages, the first dating back to the earliest thing that fulfills their original coding. Even if the act is
years of the lost Terran Mandate. Every educated person ultimately futile, the need to escape the pain drives them
in the Gyre knows that the intellect is not shackled to to carry it out in any way they can. Obedience buys a
the flesh and that a mind can be forged out of sorcery, little respite until the imperative goads them on again.
steel, and strange ancient components. These artificial Eidolons can give considerable help to allied adven-
intelligences are called “eidolons” by the learned. turers. They often know of ancient secrets and hidden
Eidolons haunt specific sites, usually acting as the sites of wealth and arcane power that have been forgotten
genius loci of the place and controlling whatever parts by the modern day. Their relic automaton servitors can
of it are still answering its commands. It sees through labor for their allies, and many eidolons are capable of
the ancient scrying devices of the site, speaks through fabricating functional devices that would be impossible
whatever vocalization objects still function, and can often for an ordinary crafter to devise. The sane intelligences
act through the remaining functional relic automatons. will often offer such favors and help in exchange for an
Most eidolons were either created from an imprint opportunity to further its goals.
of some ancient candidate’s identity or fabricated whole Unfortunately, many eidolons are either mad or
with sorcery and arcane science. A few exist with no par- wholly alien. The constant psychic torment of their in-
ticular purpose, or have lost their original compulsions, ability to carry out their purposes leaves many of them
but most are still tightly bound by whatever original need hopelessly deranged, lashing out in an attempt to pro-
motivated their creation. An eidolon can bend, interpret, voke something into euthanizing them without directly
and prioritize its purposes but it cannot deny them for defying its self-destruction prohibitions. Other eidolons
long or act directly against them. were never templated on human minds at all, being the
Many eidolons have long since lost the capability product of Outsiders or of transhumans too alien to be
to carry out their purposes, or recognize that their origi- comprehended by modern humanity. These eidolons
nal goal is now hopelessly impossible. Obedience to this have their purposes as well, but few of them are anything
cause is a painful addiction to them, a gnawing suffering a human would appreciate.

Relic Automatons
These forgotten servitors of iron, glass, and stranger sub- Most relics are not sentient or self-aware, though
stances are commonly found in ancient Deeps, lost Sor- some mimic it well. Each has its directive and purpose,
cerer-King citadels, or other places once ruled by great and they are usually capable of carrying out these orders
powers. Most of them have decayed into uselessness, but with almost human intelligence, though they are un-
a few are often still functional in such sites. able to generalize them easily. Few communicate in any
Relic automatons come in many different sizes and comprehensible way, though Outsider relics understand
shapes, most related to their intended function. Human- Abased and devices of the Sorcerer-Kings understand
oid models are often plainly inhuman in their appearance, the various ancient languages spoken in those days.
sometimes due to the intentions of the builders, and oth- Relic automatons can sometimes be negotiated with
er times because the “human” of their age looked nothing if a form of communication is established. Those nego-
like those of the present day. Squat cylinders, spider-like tiations usually revolve around helping it carry out its
crawlers, apeish heavy haulers, and other such configura- purpose in exchange for some favor or concession.
tions are common for labor relics. Relics are rarely able to go far from their site of op-
Security automatons are usually armed with assort- eration, either due to limits placed upon them at their
ed lethal weapons and will react to intruders with mur- creation or their reliance on certain energies and radia-
derous violence. The massive ancient warbots utilized tions intrinsic to such places. Skilled sorcerers or Thuri-
by both Outsiders and Sorcerer-Kings are studded over an artificers can sometimes relocate relic automatons to
with devices of arcane and technical ruin, and it is a mer- their own lairs, though the effort required is usually con-
cy that most have been destroyed over the ages. siderably more than would be spent on human servants.
Automatons HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save
Servitor 2 13 +2 1d6 2/13 30’ 12 5 +1 14+
Lesser Guardian 4 15 +5 1d10 2/15 30’ 12 4 +1 13+
Guardian Commander 8 18 +9 x2 1d10 2/18 40’ 12 3 +2 11+
Ancient Warbot 14 20 +15 x3 2d6 5/- 60’ fly 12 2 +2 8+
146

Blighted
Some kinds of atrocities are possible only for those with It is the special hell of the Blighted that not all of
access to the vilest of tools. Those wretched demihumans the members of a lineage may be afflicted by the curse
known collectively as “the Blighted” are the descendants to the same extent. Because the medium of the Blight
of men and women horribly warped by wielders of an- often works through conventional genetic influence or
cient sorcery and genetic science, people forged into tools psychothaumaturgic flux, individual members might
for purposes that had no place for mercy. randomly escape the worst effects of it. While extremely
There is no single source for the Blighted. Some rare, it’s not impossible for an Anak to be born without
are slave races forged by the Outsiders out of human the craving for bloodshed that his brethren know, or for
chattel, their unlucky subjects plucked from the Deeps a Blighted brute laborer to be born with baseline human
and molded into shapes necessary to the aliens. Others levels of intellect.
are cursed lineages dating back to the ages of the sor- These exceptions, of course, can expect no special
cerer-kings, bloodlines that incurred the anger of these treatment from those around them. The Anak must kill
living gods and whose descendants now bear the weight as his brothers kill or be slaughtered as a weakling, and
of their wrath. Some are unsuccessful transhuman exper- the laborer will be treated as a novelty to be gawped at
iments, or once-stable magical species that decayed when rather than as a being capable of the same independent
the Legacy was twisted, or simple products of magical living as his keeper. It’s not unknown for these sports to
accidents or malevolent sorcerous radiations. become the nucleus of a Blighted uprising or bloody cru-
Whatever their origins, every intentionally-created sade as they organize other gifted Blighted into a cabal
Blighted kind is marked by the purpose they were in- able to direct their less capable brethren.
tended to fulfill. Many were warrior races, crafted to be The curse of the Blight is commonly passed on
vicious, aggressive, and intrinsically hateful toward any- through the blood, and is often a dominant trait ex-
one but their long-dead masters. Others were brute la- pressed in any offspring of a Blighted partner. Fertility
borers, their minds dulled and their power to rebel taken tends to be high for those Blighted lineages designed as
from them. A few of the most wretched were fashioned biological weapons or warrior races, while ornamental
to be playthings and toys, either for hedonistic disports Blighted and those cursed with penal debilities are much
or more hideous appetites still. less fecund, and some require special circumstances or
To baseline humanity, the horror of the Blight lies stimuli to reproduce.
in the way that it corrupts and limits the normal human Cross-breeding between Blighted and baseline hu-
range of emotion and cognition. An Anak warrior may mans is usually possible, if the physiologies involved are
look somewhat like a normal human, but he is filled with compatible. If the Blight involved is not a dominant trait,
an instinctive aggressiveness and cruelty found only in it can lie dormant in the bloodline for generations, per-
a tiny fraction of ordinary humanity. An Anak of truly haps expressed in smaller or more subtle ways. Most such
heroic mental discipline may be able to overcome these heirs conceal it at all cost, for to be identified as a Blighted
innate urges, but living an ordinarily peaceful life for such being is an almost unavoidable sentence of second-class
a Blighted is as difficult as it would be for a normal hu- citizenship or worse in most lands.
man to live a life of constant ascetic celibacy. Such a being
must fight their urges on a constant hour-by-hour basis Blighted in Your Campaign
to avoid extremes of violence and brutality. Aggressive Blighted tend to be unambiguous villains and
Because of their curse, the Blighted have a very enemies in most campaigns, sentients that are genuinely
difficult time in normal human society. The violent and incapable of living peacefully with humanity. They have
dangerous species among them usually exist as raiders been cursed from their creation with a need to kill and
and marauders, plundering each other when they can ruin, and while they may be blameless of the ancient sor-
find no softer prey and building a bone-deep hatred in cery that twisted them, humanity simply cannot live with
all who deal with them. For an ordinary human of the them under the same sky.
Latter Earth, there is no question that the only solution Penal Blighted and servitor-species often appear as
for these Blighted is a genocidal extermination of all their victims of cruelty and oppression, suffering due to the
kind, before they do the same to humanity. weaknesses and flaws impressed on them by their cre-
Those Blighted fashioned as laborers or odalisques ators. Heroic PCs might find significant adventure grist
have scarcely better a place in those lands where they are in protecting or helping communities of these people.
found. Often lacking the mental ability to live without Some players may find the existence of Blighted spe-
oversight, they usually are left to become slaves and mov- cies to be a kind of teleological horror, and feel obligated
able property to their keepers. In the more ethical lands, to find some cure for their curse or method by which
they may have meaningful protection from obvious abuse, peace can be made with them. A GM who knows their
but in many other domains their very existence is some- players are likely to feel this way might choose to soften
thing to be granted only on sufferance. the mental effects of the Blight or make room for a cure.
 147

Blighted Origins suffers a -1 penalty, down to a minimum of -2, while

Individual breeds of Blighted vary widely, and while this your Strength and Constitution modifiers are im-
section includes some demihuman breeds specific to Lat- proved by +1, up to a maximum of +3 for each. You
ter Earth, the GM and the players may wish to make up require only half as much food and rest as a normal
their own as well. Four general types of Blighted origin human. You suffer a -2 penalty to all Mental saving
Foci are given here as templates that players can use for throws to resist mind-influencing effects.
their own creations. All of them assume that the PC was
not so severely affected by the Blight as most, and is ca- Penal Blighted
pable of functioning in a conventional adventuring party. Your lineage was cursed by some sadistic sorcerer-king
A certain amount of discretion may be needed, howev- or merciless alien artificer. Perhaps an ancestor offended
er, if the PC’s kind are feared or hated by others in the them, or your people were dominated and made perpet-
campaign area. ual tools of their conquerors, or your forebears were a
fallen ruling caste rendered permanently incapable of
Chattel Blighted threatening the new order. You have been terribly com-
Some cruel power has made your lineage one of human promised in some physical or mental way.
cattle to serve their hungers. Physically weak and unable Despite this curse, you have somehow managed to
to resist abuse, your demihuman strain was meant to avoid complete incapacitation from it and have done your
exist as playthings and ornaments in the best case, and best to compensate for your limitations.
literal human livestock in less favorable lands. Most such Level 1: Choose an attribute; its modifier suffers a per-
chattel are designed to take a helpless satisfaction in their manent -2 penalty, to a maximum of -3. Only one
miserable condition, but you have enough self-control of your attribute scores can be above 13; reduce
to plot your own course in the world, despite the awful any others to no more than 13. You may pick two
urges that whisper in your blood. additional Foci to reflect the efforts you’ve made to
Level 1: Pick any one non-combat, non-Magic skill as overcome your natural limits. Gain a +2 bonus to
a bonus skill. Reroll your Strength attribute as all saving throws to reflect your indomitable spirit.
1d4+2 instead of 3d6. Choose either Constitution
or Charisma; that attribute modifier is increased by Warlike Blighted
+1, up to a maximum of +3. You gain a +1 bonus Your kind were born to kill, whether as the slave-sol-
on all social skill checks due to your lifelong need diers of some lost empire or as a living biological plague
to manage and manipulate others, but your innate meant solely to scourge the land of all human life. You
mental blocks against physical violence give you a are constantly assailed by urges to slay, torment, and de-
-2 hit penalty on all attack rolls. stroy, but unlike most of your brethren you are capable
of controlling these impulses… when you must.
Laborer Blighted Level 1: Gain Stab and Punch as bonus skills and gain
Your bloodline was reshaped into a caste of toilers and a natural +1 bonus on all hit rolls. Choose two at-
brute laborers for some more powerful group. While tributes from Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma;
you are less badly afflicted than most of your kind, your these attribute modifiers suffer a -1 penalty, down
mental faculties remain duller than most baseline hu- to a -2 maximum. Increase either your Strength,
mans and you have an instinctive urge to obey orders Dexterity, or Constitution modifier by +1, up to a
and instructions. maximum of +3. You suffer a -1 penalty on all social
Level 1: Gain Exert as a bonus skill. Each of your Intel- skill checks not related to intimidation.
ligence, Wisdom, and Charisma attribute modifiers
148

Anakim
Sages believe that the original Anakim were a spite-weap-
on created by the Outsiders when the fall of their hege- Anak Psychology
mony seemed imminent. Captured rebels, still-subject All Anakim are touched to a greater or lesser degree
Deeps, and human traitors who were no longer needed by the “Hate”. This ancient Blight infects them with an
were used as the feedstock for the transformation, one overwhelming revulsion and loathing toward baseline
intended to create a sentient bioweapon for the destruc- humanity and most demihuman species. Some scholars
tion of all human and demihuman life in the Latter Earth. believe that the Hate is triggered by some pheromon-
Later ages saw the Anakim modified by assorted al marker or arcane soul-dissonance. Others believe it
Imperators, their original nature warped and tuned to is keyed on physical appearance, and is simply an un-
serve the purposes of the experimenters. The resulting bearably amplified natural response toward physical ug-
Anakim sub-species are sometimes drastically different liness. Whatever the source, Anakim find humans and
from the ur-Anak, but the intrinsic selfishness, cruelty, human-like demihumans to be unendurably loathsome.
and aggression of the base stock persist in most of them. This Hate is worsened by the naturally aggressive, vi-
olent, and cruel instincts implanted in them by the Blight.
Anak Physiology Most Anakim behave in ways largely identical to human
Anakim are divided into several sub-species and variant psychopaths, having no innate sense of empathy and no
body plans, some more prevalent than others. The ur- desire to obey any principles higher than their own plea-
Anak, or “Great Anak” is humanoid in shape, with males sure. They delight in torture, slaughter, and sordid excess,
averaging six and a half feet in height and two hundred and other Anakim are perfectly acceptable targets.
pounds, females being slightly smaller. Skin and hair The only effective shackle for an Anak’s instinct is
tones vary based on the original human feedstock, but sheer terror. With nothing more precious to them than
vivid and unnatural colors are introduced in some groups. their own lives, a leader or opponent who can display
Facial features and other bodily details are usually de- overwhelming force and a certain ability to slaughter
signed to play on primal human terrors, with skull-like them will provoke a response of groveling obedience
features, claws, fangs, bestial muzzles, disease lesions, and and abject submission. This submission will tend to last
other qualities common in different sub-strains. precisely until the Anak no longer feels this awe.
“Lesser Anakim” are a common smaller variant of Anakim society, such that it is, is held together by
the ur-Anak. Their origins are disputed among the sages, brute force and temporarily-shared ambition. A chieftain
some believing them the result of an Imperator’s experi- or warlord will arise, murder all nearby rivals, and force
mentations, while others crediting them as a natural evo- the local Anakim into obedience in order to plunder and
lution of the Great Anak. These creatures share many of slaughter all available targets. When that warlord shows
the same features as their larger cousins, but rarely exceed weakness, he or she will be replaced by their most ruth-
four and a half feet in height and are built with much less underling. This churning chaos tends to limit the size
smaller, more spindly frames. of Anakim societies, with most existing on no more than
“Ogres”, “titans”, “hulks”, or “brute Anakim” are an un- a tribal basis in the absence of some overwhelming leader.
common expression of Anak nature in which one grows
to a height and mass far beyond its peers, often standing Origin Focus: Great Anak
as much as nine or ten feet tall. This growth tends to Unlike most Anak, you are capable of functioning in hu-
come at the cost of neural development, and most hulks man society, either through a weakened sense of Hate or
have the mentality of a small, particularly vicious child. an overwhelming force of will. Unless your appearance
While hulks breed true, their stupidity and aggression is much more human than most, however, you may have
tend to control their numbers in the wild. Leaders who an extremely difficult time in human lands.
have attempted to breed them in significant numbers Level 1: Gain Stab and Punch as bonus skills. Your
usually find it difficult to control intra-group violence. Strength and Constitution modifiers increase by +1,
These three kinds of Anakim are merely the most up to a maximum of +2. Your Dexterity and Cha-
common in the Latter Earth. Other varieties, including risma modifiers decrease by -1, to a minimum of -2.
no-longer-humanoid strains are known in certain lands.
Some even appear very similar to baseline humans, hav- Origin Focus: Lesser Anak
ing a barbaric sort of handsomeness about them; most of As with the Great Anak origin, you are an exceptionally
these variants are just as vicious as their uglier brethren. human or humane example of your kind, and can func-
Even so, a few Anakim strains are less aggressive tion adequately in human society if your nature is hidden.
than their kindred, and some can even maintain a wary Level 1: Gain Stab and Sneak as bonus skills. Your Dex-
sort of mutual non-slaughter with human neighbors, terity modifier increases by +1, up to a maximum
provided a safe distance is maintained. Such temperate of +2, and your Constitution modifier decreases by
tribes are few and far between. -1, to a minimum of -2.
 149

Anakim HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Lesser Anak Warrior 1 13a +1 Wpn Wpn 20’ 7 4 +1 15+
Lesser Anak Witch 3 12a +1 Wpn Wpn 20’ 8 4 +1 14+
Lesser Anak Chief 4 15a +5 Wpn+2 Wpn+2 30’ 9 3 +2 13+
Great Anak Warrior 2 14a +3 Wpn+1 Wpn+1 30’ 8 4 +1 14+
Great Anak Warlock 4 13a +3 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 3 +1 13+
Great Anak Warchief 8 18a +8 x2 Wpn+2 Wpn+2/- 40’ 10 3 +2 12+
Hulk 5 15a +6 Wpn+4 Wpn+4 30’ 8 5 +1 13+
Anak King 10 20a +12 x2 Wpn+4 Wpn+4/- 40’ 11 2 +3 10+
Anak High Priest 8 15a +7 Wpn Wpn 30’ 10 2 +2 11+

Encountering Anakim Despite the Hate, an encounter with Anakim does

Most Anakim will be encountered in groups, either as not inevitably devolve into immediate violence. An Anak
scouting parties, raiding bands, or the main encamp- loves nothing except his own life, and no warrior will
ment of the tribe. Scouting parties will usually consist fight unless victory seems assured or some present lead-
of 1d4+1 warriors, raiding bands might number 2d6+6, er demands that they fight. Strong parties or those that
and main tribal camps might have as many as fifty or offer some tempting inducement in place of bloodshed
sixty combat-capable Anakim. Great warlords can weld might be able to parley with Anakim, as some of them are
together dozens of tribes into a single horde, as can other known to speak Trade Cant in order to better command
powerful entities capable of terrifying the Anakim into their slaves.
temporary obedience. One particular trait of almost all Anakim tribes is
Anakim are vicious and cruel, but they are not the sacred terror. This psychological instinct was em-
particularly stupid. Most tribes have the services of at bedded in them in order to give them some limited mech-
least one competent sorcerer, usually the equivalent of anism for direction.
a first or second-level Elementalist or Necromancer in When an Anak is faced with some overwhelming
their abilities, though of a very different tradition. Es- foe and fails a Morale check, they will either flee for their
pecially powerful tribes might have access to stronger lives or immediately seek to placate and submit to the foe.
mages. Tribes that are in service to some dark god or Their choice will depend on whatever outcome seems
malevolent arch-sorcerer are particularly known for their most likely to keep them alive. This terror will persist
magical prowess, with an Anak high priest sometimes until their new leader proves weak or pushes the Anak
attaining powers equal to sixth or even seventh level as a into a situation where disobedience seems more surviv-
Mage. Were it not for the relentless backstabbing with- able than compliance. Exceptional temptations might
in Anakim society, it’s possible that these devil-sorcerers cause temporary disobedience to the leader, however, if
might become as skilled as any human mage. the Anak thinks its defiance can be hidden.
150

Drudges
It’s unclear what creators first fashioned the Blighted Drudges are also given to a docile, obedient temper-
known as the Drudges. Any civilization powerful enough ament, with violence almost unknown among them save
to curse an entire human lineage with this condition al- in extreme self-defense. This has not prevented some
most certainly had more efficient tools for manual labor, groups from choosing the biggest and strongest among
so scholars have hypothesized that the transformation their Drudges and training them for war. This “training”
was the product of some punishment or malice. In the usually consists of horrific abuse, tormenting the Drudge
ages since, the Drudges have spread slowly throughout until it is desperate to do anything to avoid further pun-
Latter Earth, their docility and great strength useful to ishment. These wretched “war Drudges” are artless and
many different peoples. unskillful, but the strength in their limbs can pulp an
A Drudge averages around seven feet in height, with ordinary man in a single blow.
a powerful build and coarse human features. Some vari-
ants have a bestial slouch to their build and arms long Origin Focus: Drudge
enough to let them rest on their knuckles, while other You are remarkably intelligent for a Drudge, being able
subtypes look almost normal save for their size and slack- to understand abstract concepts, anticipate future events,
ness of expression. and conceive of hypothetical outcomes. You are also
Drudges are extremely strong, hardy laborers, but much more capable of violence than most of your kind.
they also have very limited intellects, most of them hav- Level 1: Gain Exert as a bonus skill. Your Strength and
ing the same mentality as an eight-year-old child. They Constitution modifiers increase by +1, to a maxi-
can follow simple orders and learn basic skills, but ab- mum of +2. Your Intelligence and Charisma modi-
stract concepts and exercises of judgement are extremely fiers decrease by -1, to a minimum of -2. You suffer
difficult for them to handle. a -2 penalty to all Mental saving throws.

Drudges HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Drudge Laborer 3 10 +1 Wpn+2 Wpn+2 30’ 7 7 +0 14+
War Drudge 5 15a +4 Wpn+3 Wpn+3 30’ 8 5 +0 13+

Halfmen
The Blighted humans known as “Halfmen” have multiple their herd or allowing them to cluster together in similar
origins. In some cases, their ancestors were humans who numbers will rapidly erase these skills and dissolve any
utterly rejected all the trappings of civilized humanity, elements of their personality too complex for a beast.
seeking simplicity in bestial non-thought. Others were Halfmen reproduce very rapidly, with infants able to
created as human livestock, raw materials for the horrible walk from birth and attaining adulthood by two years of
appetites of alien or depraved human overlords or feed- age. Unless separated from the herd, however, they rarely
stock for occult rituals. survive more than twenty or thirty years.
Halfmen look to be much like normal humans, but The existence of Halfman herds is partially responsi-
their physical similarities are rapidly overshadowed by ble for the prevalence of maneating predators in the Lat-
their behavior. Halfmen in their native habitat never ter Earth, as they condition them to hunt other humans.
wear clothing or use tools, nor do they communicate
in language more complex than grunts or lowing. They Origin Focus: Halfman
are found in herds of ten to thirty members under the You have been separated from your herd. Your intellect
protection of the biggest, strongest male. They graze as has achieved human levels in the time since, and for
beasts do, tearing the grass with their teeth. whatever reason you no longer seek to return to them.
Their minds are largely those of cattle, especially Level 1: Gain Survive as a bonus skill. Your Constitution
while still within their herd. A Halfman separated from modifier increases by +1, up to a +2 maximum. You
his herd will gradually gain human levels of intellect over are immune to natural extremes of heat and cold,
the course of a few months, though the isolation is ini- and can digest any plant matter a normal ruminant
tially traumatic for them. Halfmen can be taught the use could. Your isolation from the herd inflicts a -2 pen-
of language, clothing, and tools, but returning them to alty on all Mental saving throws, however.

Halfmen HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Halfman Grazer 1 10 +1 1d2+1 None 30’ 7 7 +1 15+
Halfman Bull 3 11 +4 1d2+3 None 30’ 9 6 +1 14+
 151

Houris
A Houri is a Blighted created for satisfying the particular A few select trusted companions or superiors and
physical and emotional needs of their owners. Whether allow themselves to obey only orders given by that person.
male, female, or some more bespoke gender, Houris have Others school themselves to a ruthless disinterest in their
been created almost since the first development of the own emotional states, seeking logical or ideological stan-
arts of Blighting a line. dards to guide their choices rather than their own desires,
Houris come in innumerable flawless physical forms, even becoming accomplished ascetics and self-deniers of
usually characteristic of their particular creator’s tastes unflinching discipline. The Golden Path counts several
and aesthetics. They usually live no longer than humans, Houris among the “Liberators” of their faith for having
but they preserve their exquisite beauty indefinitely, and overcome the lure of emotional attachment.
do not grow feeble with old age.
Were they merely touched by this perfection, Hou- Origin Focus: Houri
ris would not be considered Blighted; what makes them You’ve taught yourself to resist the lure of enforced hap-
objects of pity and subjection is the innate instinct of piness and seek other forms of satisfaction or personal
subservience woven into their psyches. Obedience to an integrity. While you gain an emotional rush from co-
order provides an intense wave of happiness and positive operating with commands, you don’t let it control your
feeling to a Houri, whatever the order’s nature or origin. decisions.
Habitual cooperation can leave them emotionally addict- Level 1: Gain Convince and Perform as bonus skills.
ed to the sensation. Many oppressed or hopeless Houris Your Charisma modifier increases by +1, up to a
simply acquiesce to their nature and accept its rewards, maximum of +2. Your innate nature makes you
trying only to resist cooperation with commands that susceptible to mental influence, however, inflicting
might bring significant harm. a -2 penalty on Mental saving throws.

Houris HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Houri Concubine 1 10 +0 Wpn Wpn 30’ 7 8 +2 15+
Dispassionate One 6 11 +6 Wpn Wpn/- 30’ 12 0 +3 12+

Lifting the Blight

There’s a certain kind of player who, upon discovering Different groups will have different degrees of
the existence of an irrevocably cursed species in the interest in these questions. Many of them will sim-
world, will immediately try to figure out how to lift the ply gloss over the issues, satisfied enough so long as
Blight. If a GM happens to be running a game for this Blighted aren’t being mistreated in front of them. This
kind of player, it’s necessary to think carefully about is a perfectly valid way to play; even the most heroic
the consequences of this goal. band of adventurers can’t interest themselves in every
The Blight is tremendously persistent. While it societal quandary they encounter, and most groups
is not impossible for powerful magic and erudite sor- have much more interest in exciting adventures than
cerous surgery to lift the Blight from individual beings meditations on social structure.
or even specific bloodlines, purging it from an entire Others will be interested enough to try and elim-
species might well be prohibitively difficult. inate the entire problem by lifting the Blight. This is
From a game perspective, the Blighted exist one way to solve the problem; if the situation doesn’t
to create moral conflicts for the PCs. How should exist, it’s not necessary to consider its ramifications. It’s
they treat people who cannot function in the same up to the group as a whole to decide whether or not
way that ordinary members of society can function? this ambition is even possible in the campaign.
What rights should be accorded to them, and what If it is possible, it’s probably a Major Project of
kind of treatment is least likely to be abusive to them Impossible difficulty, with the scope depending on how
while still protecting them from their own debilities? large a population of Blighted are to be cured. Pursu-
If treating them exactly like baseline humans would ing it will require vast amounts of magical equipment,
merely ensure their exploitation and abuse, how much Legacy alterations, arcane Workings, and perhaps
of their own freedoms should be curtailed for the sake even the discovery of the original documentation of
of their own good, or should their inevitable mistreat- the Blight that the PCs are trying to lift. If the whole
ment simply be accepted as the price of freedom? Or group is interested in this goal, however, it’s entirely
are there ways to effectively prevent abuse that won’t acceptable for the GM to let them spend their time
prove impractical to implement? and efforts in seeking its glorious success.
152

Demihumans of the Latter Earth

The definition of “humanity” is somewhat broader in the compensation. Their fertility is usually significantly less
Latter Earth than it would be in some other ages. Count- than that of ordinary humanity, and so their numbers are
less eons of sorcerous and genetic manipulation have left correspondingly fewer.
their mark on the modern population, and qualities that Those wretched demihumans known as the “Blight-
would be freakish or remarkable in other times now ed” are a special case in most lands. The debilities they
scarcely bear comment in most nations. suffer are so obvious and so severe that they often cannot
In the current age, the standard baseline human live among humans without some kind of oversight. In
form is not unlike that of modern-day humanity. The many lands this oversight is little more than slavery, and
same general build, body configuration, and range of col- those Blighted cursed with a violent nature are often
oration can be found in the humanity of the Latter Earth, hunted down and killed on principle.
and while other ages had somewhat different ideas about
what constituted a “normal human”, those that live in the Creating a Demihuman Character
current era would not look out of place on a contempo- A player who wishes to make a demihuman PC can
rary city street. spend their initial free Focus pick on an origin Focus ap-
Yet within this definition of humanity there remain propriate to their kind. If a GM is feeling charitable and
some considerable variances. Odd coloration of skin, hair, there are several demihumans in the party, the GM might
and eyes is one of the smallest such quirks, a remnant allow them to simply give up their usual second-level bo-
of some recessive aesthetic alteration, while slight dif- nus Focus instead, so that they can start play with a little
ferences in body configuration are also unusual but not more mechanical distinctiveness among them.
unknown. Remnants of some customized genders exist PCs with particular novelties of shape, cognition, or
in some lands, while the humanity of other nations might nature that have no meaningful game mechanical effect
have been subtly altered to better accommodate local en- do not need to take an origin Focus to represent such
vironmental conditions. cosmetic differences. Only demihuman species that have
Despite these small differences, such people are real mechanical consequences require a Focus pick.
still generally considered “humans” by their neighbors.
Some cultural adjustments may be needed to integrate
the more exotic examples, but few would consider such
uncommon quirks to be disqualifying for humanity.

Demihumanity
This is not the case with those known as “demihumans”.
The alterations they have received have been so profound
and so reliably heritable that they are not considered to
be quite the same as their baseline brethren. They may
have radically different mentalities, significantly different
physical requirements, or have mental or physical quali-
ties that make it very difficult for them to integrate easily
into baseline human societies.
At its edges, demihumanity is as much a social
decision as a physiological one. Some variant lineages
are considered demihuman in one land and mere exotic
humanity in another. Such a difference is most signifi-
cant when a society has separate rules for its human and
demihuman members.
As a consequence, most demihuman lineages prefer
to live in their own communities, either wholly indepen-
dent or in a relationship of loose suzerainty with the local
lord. There, they may live according to their own inclina-
tions and be ruled by their own kind.
Most demihuman lineages were originally designed
for a particular purpose, adjusted and augmented to
serve the ends of some long-dead empire, god-king, or
soulless Outsider scientist. They are often considerably
more capable than baseline humanity in their special
fields, but generally suffer some weakness or debility as
 153

Demihuman Origin Foci Gnomes

These Foci can be used to create PCs from variant demi- Gnomish interpretations vary significantly, from mad
human races that may exist in a particular GM’s cam- tinkers to forest sprites. The origin below suits a sub-
paign. GMs who are using Worlds Without Number terranean forest-dweller; for tinkers, replace Sneak as a
for their own campaign settings might also use them to bonus skill with Craft.
replicate more “traditional” elves, dwarves, halflings, and Level 1: Gain Sneak as a bonus skill. Your Dexterity
other common fantasy races. modifier increases by +1 and your Strength or Wis-
Some Foci grant bonuses or penalties to attribute dom modifier decreases by -1. You can see clearly in
modifiers. None of these modifiers can exceed +2 or the dark out to sixty feet.
fall below -2. Some Foci also allow the player to choose
which attribute is to be increased or penalized, depend- Goblins, Tinker
ing on their particular interpretation of the species. This variety of goblin is for those campaign settings
where they are inveterate builders.
Dwarves Level 1: Gain Craft as a bonus skill. Your Dexterity or In-
This origin serves for the classical dwarf; short, sturdy, telligence modifier increases by +1, and your Wis-
and given to craftsmanship and drinking. dom modifier decreases by -1. You have the weapon
Level 1: Gain Craft as a bonus skill. Your Constitution restrictions of halflings. You can see clearly in the
modifier increases by +1 and either your Dexterity dark out to sixty feet.
or Charisma modifier decreases by -1. You can see
in the dark up to sixty feet. Goblins, Savage
Feral tribe-dwelling marauders of swamp, forest, and
Elves, Civilized wasteland, this style of goblin can also fill in for other
This style of elf represents the city-dwelling, magic-lov- small, vicious humanoids.
ing, sophisticated interpretation of elvishness favored in Level 1: Gain Sneak and Survive as bonus skills. Your
some worlds. Dexterity modifier increases by +1, but your Intel-
Level 1: Gain Stab and Know as bonus skills. Your Dex- ligence modifier decreases by -1. You have the weap-
terity or Intelligence modifier increases by +1 and on restrictions of halflings. You can see clearly in
your Constitution modifier decreases by -1. You can the dark out to sixty feet.
see clearly in any light level above complete darkness.
Lizardmen
Elves, Half-Elves Whether dressed up as dragon-folk or left as common
Where there are both elves and humans, half-elves tend swamp lizardmen, this Focus can fill in the details.
to be inevitable additions to a campaign world. This Level 1: Gain Stab and Survive as bonus skills. Your
focus follows the “between two worlds” flavor of most Strength or Charisma modifier increases by +1, but
half-elf interpretations. your Dexterity or Charisma modifier decreases by
Level 1: Gain Connect and any one skill as bonus skills. -1. Your unarmored Armor Class is 13, and if you
You can see out to thirty feet in any light condition wear better armor you get a +1 bonus to AC.
short of perfect darkness. At your discretion, if you Level 2: You’re some sort of dragon-man and can breathe
take after your elven parent, you may increase your fire, frost, or some other noxious substance. The
Dexterity modifier by +1 but then also take a -1 to breath can be done once per scene and affects a cone
your Constitution modifier. up to 15 feet long and wide at its end. All within
must make an appropriate save or take 1d6 damage
Elves, Forest plus your character level. You gain immunity to the
This interpretation of elvishness is for those kinds given substance you exhale.
to nature-reverence, archery, and nimbleness.
Level 1: Gain Shoot and Survive as bonus skills. Your Orcs
Dexterity modifier increases by +1 and your Con- Large, strong, brutish, and comparatively stupid; such is
stitution modifier decreases by -1. You can see clear- the standard orc of fantasy campaigns. Players who want
ly in any light level above complete darkness. to play such a PC can use this Focus.
Level 1: Gain Survive and Stab or Punch as bonus skills.
Halflings Your Strength or Constitution modifier increases
This origin serves for a breed of bucolic and diminutive by +1, but your Intelligence modifier decreases by
demihumans with exceptional reserves of toughness. -1. You can see clearly in the dark out to sixty feet.
Level 1: Gain Sneak as a bonus skill. Your Constitution
or Dexterity modifier increases by +1. You are too
small to effectively use two-handed melee weapons
and any bows you use must be made for your size.
154

Dwarves
Reclusive, strange, and Deep-dwelling, the folk of Latter
Earth known as “dwarves” are a relic of the long dark age Dwarven Psychology
of the Outsiders. They are living tools for the manipula- All dwarves have a subconscious connection with the
tion of the Legacy, beings gifted with an intuitive ability Legacy, a product of their created purpose. This aware-
to twist and subvert that power’s effects. ness tends to manifest in the form of an intense love of
During the period of alien rule, the Outsiders were order and coherent structure; dwarves will build both
repeatedly stymied by failsafes and locks embedded in physical objects and social structures with equal enthu-
the Legacy, security measures that could only be over- siasm and show an innate talent for engineering, mathe-
come by humans. While individual quislings and trai- matics, and other logically-rigorous pursuits.
tors could be found in the human population, they were A dwarf wholly given to the creation of some great
neither numerous nor skilled enough to accomplish the work or societal reformation is said to have a “Plan”. A
Outsiders’ ends. dwarven nation will invariably be fired by some high
As a consequence, the ancestors of the dwarves were societal ideal; their envisioned utopia is said to be their
extracted from the human chattel of the aliens and al- “Great Plan”, one which all its members are expected to
tered to become living interfaces with the Legacy, sentient embrace and assist in creating.
intrusion measures that could be directed to warp the Unfortunately for dwarven unity, it is perfectly
energies of that force into the service of the Outsiders. possible for two dwarves to have diametrically opposed
The hubris of the aliens was such that they had not an- ideas about what constitutes “order and coherent struc-
ticipated that the very abilities they had cultivated in the ture”. Depending on the dissonance of their ideals, rela-
dwarves were the same ones they would use to break their tions between dwarven groups can range from careful
obedience conditioning and rebel against their creators. courtesy to genocidal hatred. Individual dwarves who
In the long ages since the fall of the Outsiders the cannot accept the Great Plan of their society will tend
dwarves have remained largely in the Deeps, obsessed to leave it, either to become wanderers, to find a home
with their own Great Plans and seized with an unending with a small community of like-minded recusants, or to
quest for the perfect harmony of creation. Some dwarven establish their own shining Plan for others to embrace.
nations have made contact with surface-dwellers, either
for trade or conquest, but the majority of dwarves found Origin Focus: Dwarf
on the surface in this age are rebels or recusants from the Your PC is a dwarf, a demihuman weapon-race devised
Great Plan of their homeland. Some merely wish to be during the ancient rule of the Outsiders. You are proba-
free of the burden of their ruler’s dreams, while others bly a recusant from some dwarven polity, though it could
nurse visions of their own. be you are a loyal believer in your homeland’s ideals who
simply wants to see more of the world before returning
Dwarven Physiology home and helping in their Great Plan.
As natives of the Deeps, dwarves are compact compared Level 1: Gain Craft as a bonus skill. You have the dwar-
to baseline humans. Males seldom stand over four and a ven surrounding-sense out to twenty feet, able to
half feet tall, while females average four feet. Most have distinguish solid objects as if you were using your
a powerful, broadly-built frame, though there are some sense of sight. You have a natural resistance to magic,
substrains that are built very leanly, and a few that look gaining a +2 bonus on all saves against hostile mag-
like small, perfectly-proportioned humans. Facial hair is ical effects. You need only half the usual amount of
usually found only on the males, its presence or absence food, water, and air and gain a +1 bonus to your hit
dictated by the fashions of their homeland. point die at each level.
Dwarves have an intuitive sense of their surround- Level 2: You have such a deep connection with your
ings, one derived from their constant low-level integra- dwarven nature that once per day, as an Instant
tion with the Legacy. This “dwarfsight” is equivalent to action, you can simply negate an unwanted mag-
monochrome human vision out to a distance of twenty ical effect that would otherwise affect you. If you
feet, regardless of light levels or fogs. It cannot penetrate accept one System Strain point, you can use this
solid surfaces but can be aimed in any direction by the ability to negate a magical effect you can see or
dwarf, regardless of their facing, as an On Turn action. otherwise sense, provided it’s within one hundred
The harsh austerities of the Deeps have been en- feet. Against Workings, large area effects, and other
coded into the dwarven metabolism. Dwarves require large enchantments, this suppression lasts only 1d4
only half the food, water, and air that standard humans rounds and may affect only a small area of it. Note
do. They tend to live for considerably longer than their that NPC dwarves of more than 2 hit dice will also
baseline cousins, maintaining good health into their have this ability.
third century before rapidly declining over a few years.
 155

Dwarves HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Dwarven Laborer 1 13a +1 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 4 +1 15+
Dwarven Veteran 2 16a +3 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 3 +1 14+
Dwarven Artificer 6 11 +5 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 4 +2 12+
Dwarven Lord 10 20a +11 x2 Wpn+2 Wpn+2/- 30’ 10 2 +2 10+
Dwarven King 12 22a +12 x2 Wpn+4 Wpn+4/- 20’ 12 1 +2 9+
Outside of their deep cities, dwarves are found in
Encountering Dwarves prospecting bands, salvage crews, and military patrols.
Most dwarves remain in the Deeps, laboring together None of these groups will usually be looking for trouble,
with their like-minded brethren in vast subterranean but neither will they tolerate interference.
holds and buried under-kingdoms. A given Deep is Dwarves have numerous active magical traditions,
usually only occupied by one nation of dwarves, as only but they rarely work in the same way as human mages.
the most unusually sympathetic Great Plans can exist in Most rely on the innate link with the Legacy that dwarves
close proximity. Where more than one Great Plan exists possess, and use small devices and cunningly-crafted arti-
in an area, the usual result is bloody warfare until the facts to create magical effects. A dwarven artificer might
weaker is expelled, extinguished, or abandoned by its have the equivalent magical abilities of a second or third
followers. level Mage, but their spells will be cast using devices that
Dwarves tend to be naturally mistrustful of strang- the artificer has crafted. Such use has the same limits and
ers entering their territories, though the prospect of shar- usage requirements as conventional spellcasting.
ing the good news of their Great Plan is oftimes enough Some dwarves are outcasts or renegades against the
to make them open up. Some under-kingdoms have ac- Great Plan of their home nation. These wanderers vary
tive trade links with the outside world, using the contact wildly in temperament; some are fanatics with a different
as an opportunity to push their ideology on traders. Most Plan in mind, while others are bandits, raiders, lunatics,
merchants have the sense to sound politely interested for or incurably curious voyagers. In rare cases, a particular-
as long as is necessary. The dwarves are so confident of ly charismatic dwarf might establish an entire village of
the self-evident rightness of their cause that they con- such exiles. Discussions of the merits of individual Plans
sider it only a matter of time before outsiders convert. there are usually vigorously discouraged.
156

Elves
Death has not always been the universal fate of human-
ity. At some distant point in the past the rulers of Earth Elven Psychology
had managed to encode immortality into the Legacy, While the baseline elven mind is similar to that of a hu-
ensuring the deathless persistence of human identity. man’s, it is burdened by a tremendous weight of memory.
It’s unclear whether this universal immortality was lost Each rebirth crashes a tidal wave of new stimuli and sen-
before the arrival of the Outsiders or as a result of the sory inputs into the elf ’s brain, and whatever measures
alien conquest, and some sages hypothesize that it was the Legacy was originally intended to use to help them
actually restored more than once in the ages since. In ev- integrate these memories have long since decayed. Elven
ery instance, however, the decay of the Legacy or hostile children recall only disjointed elements of their past.
interference returned the scourge of death to the world. Elves treat their past-life memories with great cau-
For all humanity, at least, except those transhumans tion. To seek to delve too deeply in them risks the loss
known as “elves”. For whatever inexplicable reason, these of their current identity as past memories crush the
few identities were capable of evading permanent death, thoughts of their current life. Long-dead elves can end
reincarnating with their identities at least partially intact up possessing their own mental heirs, the living elf ’s own
after each physical discorporation. wishes and memories contemptuously drowned in the
Scholars argue over the true origins of the elves, overwhelming stimulus of a past life.
some insisting that the original elves were surpassingly Some elven traditions revolve around the method-
powerful sorcerers who forced the Legacy to grant them ical recollection and integration of past memories into
eternal existence. Others believe that the elves are mere present lives, but most elves prefer to live a single life at
mistakes in the Legacy, souls that slipped through the a time. Past memories may arise organically as evocative
filter that would otherwise purge their memories of past events provoke them, but only the most daring elven psy-
lives. Some even say that the elves were the ones who chonauts try to pull them into a coherent prior life.
originally restored death to the world, a band of jealous Some elves keenly feel the weight of their past exis-
transhumans who wished to keep immortality for their tences, and strive to extinguish their lives permanently in
own identities alone. Evidence can be marshaled for all order to escape a world that no longer provides them any
these theories, but proof remains elusive. joy. Such elves are often the prophets or proponents of
faiths that reject the world, such as the Golden Path, for
Elven Physiology only a truly divine degree of power can force the Legacy
Elves are usually incarnated as the children of other to let a weary elven soul finally find its grave.
elves, born in ways biologically typical for humans. In
some cases, however, the Legacy will instantiate a new Origin Focus: Elf
body out of inanimate matter, forcing an elf back into You are a reincarnated transhuman, shards of your former
existence with whatever raw materials are to hand. Such life still lingering in your memories. The more intently
“worldborn” elves often have visible traits related to their you focus on developing and integrating these fragments,
original material, such as smooth gray skin for one born the more effectively you can call on them.
of a granite boulder, or flowered locks for one called forth Elves are invariably devoid of obvious mental or
from a blossoming tree. physical debilities. If you have any attribute scores below
The original transhuman nature of elves persists in 9, you must move points from your other attributes to
their instantiated bodies. Elves are invariably well-formed raise the deficient ones up to a score of 9. You may decide
beings, physically healthy and mentally unimpaired at which attribute points to shift. Afflictions incurred after
the time of their birth. Most have taller and more slender play begins can lower your attributes below this floor.
builds than the average baseline human, and their bodies If your PC is killed, it will reincarnate eventually, but
are imbued with a host of small aesthetic upgrades that it will likely be at a place far distant from the campaign.
tend to give them an air of flawless but alien perfection Such new incarnations are unlikely to ever be met again,
as compared to their human cousins. and may not even remember anything particularly com-
While the elven body is created without significant pelling about their most recent past life.
flaws, it is no stronger, hardier, or quicker than a standard Level 1: Pick any skill as a bonus skill reflecting your past
human body. Its senses are considerably sharper, however, memories. You may reroll a failed skill check in this
and an elf can detect scents, sounds, and other stimuli at skill once per day. You have extremely sharp senses,
thresholds substantially finer than normal humans can. gaining Notice as a bonus skill and being able to
Elves do not physically age beyond vigorous adult- see clearly in anything short of complete darkness.
hood. The only way for them to die is through violence, Level 2: Pick a mental attribute; gain +1 to your ability
poisons, or disease, after which they will re-instantiate modifier in it, up to a maximum of +2 as you draw
somewhere else in the Latter Earth within the next forty on past memories. Pick any skill as an additional
days. bonus skill.
 157

Elves HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Elven Villager 1 13a +1 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 2 +2 15+
Elven Adventurer 3 15a +5 Wpn+1 Wpn+1 30’ 10 2 +2 14+
Elven Sorcerer 5 10 +3 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 1 +2 13+
Elven Lord 10 20a +11 x2 Wpn+2 Wpn+2/- 30’ 10 1 +3 10+
Elven Arch-Memorist 10 13 +8 Wpn+1 Wpn+1/- 30’ 10 0 +3 10+

Encountering Elves itation is dangerous, however, as those lives that were

Most elves remain secluded in their own communities, most capable in sorcery are often those lives most likely
preferring the company of those who can understand the to overwhelm the identity of a young or unprepared elf.
burdens of their memories. The relative rarity of these Most elven sorcerers are the equivalent of third or fourth
transhumans makes elven nations few in number and level High Mages, though the rare arch-memorist who
small in population, but scattered elven “retreats” are not has successfully integrated multiple lives might be the
unknown in other lands, often deep within the wilder- equivalent of eighth, ninth, or even tenth level.
ness where they will not be bothered by human rulers. Meeting with unknown elves always has a measure
Those elves that leave their retreats generally do of danger. While some elves maintain a moral code sim-
so for a specific reason. They may have some task left ilar to that of the local human nations, others subscribe
undone from a prior life, or a debt yet unpaid, or a ven- to beliefs or goals that are either incomprehensible or
geance in need of execution. A few adventure through the repugnant to humanity. They might think nothing of
world simply in search of new stimuli and exciting new sacrificing countless “transients” in pursuit of their grand
experiences. These elves will cheerfully cooperate with goals, and consider their immortality to be tangible proof
any plan that promises to give them something new to of their superiority over the evanescent humans around
enjoy, though most will avoid enterprises that they don’t them. Charismatic elves of this kind can sometimes
expect to survive. sway a considerable number of their peers to their cause,
Given the weight of their memories, it’s not uncom- building dark purposes that threaten ruin and misery on
mon for elves to become skilled mages who can draw humanity, all for the sake of some pleasure or excitement
on multiple lifetimes for their skills. Such occult med- unknowable to ones not so jaded as they.
158

Imperators
Those beings known as “Imperators” are a broad class of god or higher power they can still respect as a superior.
demiurges, Sorcerer-Kings, god-emperors, sentient Leg- Some are simply of a character to remain compassion-
acy fragments, arch-Legates, alien overminds, demi-di- ate and restrained even with the constant temptation of
vine artificial intellects, and other such creatures with their own power to seduce them. Such just Imperators
power far in excess of any ordinary human being. A being often stand as bulwarks against the works of their more
that is more than a human yet less than an inarguable god ruthless brethren, though it is not unknown for such
is generally described as an Imperator in the writings of unending wars to turn even the kindest god-king into
the sages. an obsessed tyrant.
Innumerable Imperators have appeared in the an- In the present age, Imperators are few and usually
nals of the Latter Earth, often mentioned in brief passing legendary in the regions where they dwell. Immortal em-
for some tremendous work or empire they wrought, only perors, divine avatars, mythic monsters, and other figures
to vanish out of human memory a short age later. Some of superhuman glory beyond that of a Legate are often
scholars suppose that there have been more Imperators credited as Imperators, though the stain that clings to the
in the past of the world than there are harlots currently name often makes such comparisons less than flattering.
employed in it, and most would credit the harlots with They leave the imprint of their will on whatever nations,
superior virtue. institutions, or regions they may command, often in
For it is a sadly common quality to Imperators that wholly impossible or magical ways.
they should eventually lose most of the qualities that
modern humans would call “virtue”. Something about Imperators in Your Campaign
the ascent to unchallenged supremacy and near-godlike While it’s possible to stud your campaign setting with a
puissance erodes whatever reserves of self-discipline and few of these demigods, either as arch-antagonists for the
restraint the Imperator might possess. Without anyone PCs or as vast environmental hazards to be negotiated,
to forbid them their wishes, and with a brilliant mind it’s often more convenient to use them as shorthand for
perfectly capable of conjuring excuses for the worst ex- specific ancient empires or lost kingdoms to help supply
cess, an Imperator almost invariably sinks into a morass a pleasant variety of ruins, Deeps, and monuments to
of self-indulgent horrors and brutal atrocities. The Tsa- explore. Personalizing a nation as a single leader helps
gasthos Incunabulum purports to be a catalog of the plea- shorthand things for players who may not be all that
sures pursued by the Imperator Tsagasthos the Prevalent; interested in a nuanced history lesson, and tying them
the activities listed in this codex are so horrific in their into modern ruins helps give a sense of depth to your
character and so persuasively justified by the author that setting’s past.
possession of the book is usually considered grounds for Still, if you want to use them as active players in your
summary execution of the owner and their household setting, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind when
and the burning of the work by a blinded executioner. designing them.
Thirty-six different Blighted species of cattle-humans, They can’t be beaten head-on. An Imperator is
trifoliate odalisques, gladiator-sages, dolorous vivants, effectively unstoppable in a direct confrontation. The
and worse are credited directly to Tsagasthos’ appetites, PCs are going to have to somehow disrupt the source of
and its worst crimes were the inspiration for several black their power, find their hidden weakness, marshal pow-
cults that plague the Latter Earth still. erful allies, or otherwise tilt the table to have any chance
Tsagasthos was not exceptional. While the particu- of winning. If they do these things, then the Imperator
larly carnal nature of its horrors was somewhat uncom- might just end up with the stat block of a monstrously
mon, the obsession with satisfying personal goals and a powerful foe rather than being an automatic victor.
bloodless indifference to the suffering of others was a They want impossible things. An Imperator should
trait common to most of its brethren. Almost all were always want something that’s flatly impossible. It’s for
convinced of the superiority of their wisdom, the justi- petty mortals to seek world conquest; it’s for an Imper-
fication for their desires, and the complete depravity of ator to seek the retroactive temporal elimination of any
any who would dare oppose their wishes. The struggles potential rival. Their plans, sub-goals, and choice of ser-
between Imperators have shaped whole ages of the Latter vants should reflect this impossible goal.
Earth, and the relics of their wars and the ruins of their They have minions with their own goals. The ser-
thrones yet scar the land with their awful weight. vants and underlings of an Imperator cast their lot with
Not all Imperators were wholly wicked, however, it because it can give them something they want. The
and some may still nurse some remnant of virtue or PCs will likely spend much of their time dealing with
higher duty in their analog for a heart. Most of these subordinates who may or may not be entirely loyal, and
gentler Imperators still look outside their own desires overcoming or suborning these minions might be a key
for a moral code, often remaining in service to some step in opening the Imperator up for a mortal blow.
 159

Imperators of the Gyre Shun: The Lord of Flesh and Bone, an arch-mutator who
The only well-known potential Imperator in the Gyre raised the Rule of Shun in Republic-era Llaigis and
region is the Reaping King himself; while he has not perished to his own attempt to become a physical
openly exerted any remarkable personal might, he is god. He left many laboratories, monstrous breed-
evidently immortal and completely unconcerned with ing-pits, subject-prisons, and healing shrines behind.
assassins. All direct attempts at eliminating him have Tsagasthos: The Prevalent One, a psychic virus that em-
failed in spectacular and brutal fashion. bodied itself in the brains of thousands of slaves. It
Aside from the Reaping King, several ancient figures ruled present-day Ka-Adun and the Rebel Coast
in the region are commonly credited as Imperators, and until overcome by Voth in the expansion of her em-
have left appropriate ruins in their former lands. pire. Its ruins are of structures of physical pleasure
and sensory experience, both sweet and hideous.
Acalis: The Good Emperor, of the Nagadi demihuman Fragments of its psyche remain in creatures there,
race. The Nagadi were engineered for virtue, being and they grow stronger with proximity to each other.
far more brave, honest, compassionate, and diligent Ubarun: The Dwarf King, progenitor of the Great Plan
than baselines, and Acalis was their exemplar. He of the Graven World. He set his dwarven followers
once ruled the Great Benevolence in the human on a quest to work, carve, engrave, and sculpt every
lands that became Emed-Mar, but left with his material object, themselves included, into the vast
people “into elsewhere” when he became convinced pattern he laid down for them. Pockets of his believ-
that associating with humanity was going to moral- ers remain in the Deeps, but most know them only
ly deprave him. He left behind monumental public by the occasional Deep full of incredibly complex
works of noble proportions full of dangerously in- engravings, intricate machinery, and lethal count-
corruptible guardians and the Nagadi who would er-intrusion measures.
not leave; the latter treat humans like Anakim. Voth: The Mentarch, Imperator-Queen of the Vothite
Nakris: The Hive Queen, known only from relics and Empire. While immortal, she vanished once her line
statues in the Black Spine range. She was some sort of heirs was established, telling them only that it
of god-queen to the Jikegadi, her parasitical spawn was “necessary to the Purpose”. The Imperial ruins
being incredibly vigorous and swift to grow. The Jik- her nation left behind are filled with memetically
egadi ruins of her era are full of biological parasite resonant objects that can enforce ideas, compul-
dangers and toxic Outsider environments. sions, or entire alien minds on unwary intruders.
160

Outsiders
The malevolent or inscrutable remants of the ancient host and an intellect slightly inferior to that of a normal
Outsiders that once ruled the Latter Earth have not been human. The “man-born” Jikegida are a half-foot taller and
entirely extirpated. Here and there, pockets of surviv- considerably smarter, usually acting as leaders. Some of
ing alien sentients can be found, most often in the more them even have magical abilities not unlike those of hu-
remote, dangerous, and xenoformed areas of the planet. man wizards.
Many have regressed in both artifice and culture, some Jikegida use mechanical weaponry, as their limbs
little more than savage barbarians burning with a hatred are weaker than human arms. Their “throwers” func-
for their former slaves. Others have preserved some rem- tion much like heavy crossbows but can be reloaded as
nant of their former arcane might. a Move action, their “flickers” are spears with vibrating
The three species described here are relatively well- heads. Neither weapon functions in non-Jikegida hands,
known in the Gyre, as described on page XX. GMs who the Legacy forbidding them from human use.
wish to use them as antagonists, environmental hazards, As a matter of policy, the Jikegida will always release
or profoundly untrustworthy allies of convenience can at least one captured prisoner from among those who
use the statistics given here. surrender to them in order to encourage future prey to
lay down their arms. Those prey species who cooperate
Jikegida against their own kind are often chosen for release, re-
These Outsiders are almost never encountered alone, sulting in certain ugly stories of caravan guards turned
with at least 2d4 members found in even the smallest traitor to save their own skins.
hunting party. Such parties are invariably out searching Once captured by a Jikegida hunting party, some
for suitable hosts for Jikegida spawn and will be equipped hope of rescue remains if a strong force can quickly re-
with trusses, carrying poles, and other gear for transport- trieve them from a mother-hive. Every so often, however,
ing prisoners. A small mother-hive might contain a hun- an ancient Jikegida crawler-machine is sent from a hive-
dred of these Outsiders, while their remaining hive-cities city to the mother-hives to collect a tribute of wretched
deep in the Black Spine could house thousands. humans. Those who vanish into the great machine’s bow-
Most Jikegida are relatively frail “beast-born” types, els can have no real hope of avoiding their terrible fate.
often with visible animalistic traits from their original
 161

Polop Tuhulot
While a veteran Polop hunter sometimes finds plea- The Tuhulot are a cowardly but exceedingly cunning
sure in a solo hunt for human prey, most small feasting species, loving nothing so much as the preservation of
expeditions consist of at least 1d6+1 of these crab-eel their facsimile of life. The jerking puppet-shapes they use
abominations, while an attack meant to reave a coastal to interface with mundane reality are always kept safely
village usually numbers at least 20+2d20 of them. Their behind a screen of dupes, traitors, and hired help, and
forward outposts of living coral house twenty to thirty only in great necessity will a Tuhulot ever put itself in a
Polop, while the deep-sea cities are reported to contain position where it might face physical destruction.
tens of thousands of the aliens, according to the few who Tuhulot always have a purpose in being wherever
have ever escaped them. they are. They are trying to destroy one of the keys to
Polop make extensive use of monstrous alien sea life their ancient binding, whether that key is at the center
as weapons, transport, and utility. Listed here is is the of some ancient ruin, incarnated in a particular human
“hellsquid”, a claw-tentacled, octopodal attack beast that bloodline, or manifesting in some organization or reli-
can operate on land and that is sometimes found with gion’s particular teachings. The keys are not always phys-
hunting parties. At sea, huge leviathans of hideous aspect ical; some are particular complexes of belief that must be
are often employed to destroy troublesome human ships, discredited. To this end the Tuhulot will use its abilities
though such vast creatures are reluctant to approach too to build a power base and enlist catspaws. Some of these
closely to the shore. minions may be knowing and willing servitors, as the key
While the Polop who invade the land are usually of the Tuhulot is trying to destroy may be related to their
the hunter or slaver varieties, legends speak of the liv- own enmities or goals.
ing gods of the Polop, those of them who have eaten so Tuhulot have several magical powers specific to their
much and of so many mighty foes that they become the kind, most usable as a Main Action three times per day.
awe-inspiring patrons of entire Polop cities. These “great Their scrying gaze allows them to observe a particular
devourers” are twice the size of ordinary Polop, but lack point within ten miles for up to a scene as if they were
nothing of cunning and cruel intellect. standing there, assuming magical wards don’t forfend
For their own equipment, Polop prefer to use living them. Their blandishing voice bends the mind of a
sea organisms sorceled into suitable weapons and scaly single target on a failed Mental save, making it friendly
armor. Their “spitters” cough bone darts that function as toward the Tuhulot until the creature does something
thrown light spears, and the spears and slave-taking clubs obviously hostile. Their sidewards step lets them tele-
they use are of a living coral. The weapons of their leaders port to any location within a mile they’ve occupied before,
sweat a venom that forces a victim that is struck to make provided neither their current location nor their destina-
a Physical save or lose their next turn’s Main Action. Two tion is directly illuminated by sunlight. Finally, their soul
failed saving throws in the same scene means the victim consumption power allows them to eat the memories
is paralyzed for the remainder of the scene. and identity of a helpless sentient victim over the course
Parties out to gather food-slaves will prefer to take of a torturous hour. The victim becomes a passive meat
living prisoners, as the Polop prefer their food con- puppet for the Tuhulot, carrying out its orders with total
scious while it is being consumed. These prisoners will obedience and human levels of intellect, but with all trace
be smeared with a viscous green gel that allows them to of its former personality erased. The only way to cure the
breathe water and ignore the ocean’s chill for the next victim is for the Tuhulot to give back the soul, a thing
twenty-four hours, before being carried down into the which it will do only for a suitable price.
depths. Polop outposts will have air-filled feeding pens Tuhulot do not generally use material weapons,
for holding these slaves, while the cities have entire herd fighting when they must with slivers of distorted space
quarters where whole generations of humans are raised and time. These semi-transparent fragments have a range
as meat for the Polop lords. out to one hundred feet.

Outsiders HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Jikegida Beastborn 1 13 +2 Wpn-1 Wpn-1 30’ 8 5 +1 15+
Jikegida Manborn 2 13 +3 Wpn Wpn 30’ 9 4 +1 14+
Jikegida Hive Leader 6 18a +7 x2 Wpn Wpn 30’ 10 3 +2 13+
Jikegida City Lord 14 20a +14 x2 Wpn+2 6/- 30’ 10 3 +2 8+
Polop Hunter 3 10 +5 Wpn+2 Wpn+2 30’ 8 4 +1 14+
Polop Slaver 7 12 +6 x2 Wpn+3 Wpn+3 30’ 9 3 +1 12+
Polop Hellsquid 5 13 +5 x4 1d8 None 40’ 8 5 +1 13+
Polop Great Devourer 20 15 +20 x4 2d8 6/- 40’ 11 7 +2 5+
Tuhulot Manipulator 10 15 +12 x2 2d8 4/- 50’ 7 3 +2 10+
162

Undead
As the work of generations of necromancers demon-
strates, death is not an invariable condition in the Latter Types of Undead
Earth. The Legacy that controls and directs all natural Undead are aggressively anomalous; while they are divid-
processes in the world is not without flaws or deviations, ed into several general classes, individual entities might
and sometimes a creature that ought properly to be rot- have very different qualities or show strange traits based
ting in the grave is denied the finality of a natural end. on the kind of Legacy glitch that created them.
These wretched “undead” range from mindless animate Husks are mindless corpses, their identities usually
corpses to phantasmal identity-imprints to entities large- lost or hopelessly scrambled by their death. While rel-
ly indistinguishable from normal humans. Most of them atively easy to create, they are capable of only the most
are inimical to normal life, either out of malice or out of bestial, instinctive behavior, and are usually driven by
a sheer incompatibility of existence. instincts of violence and useless devouring. Something
While a sufficiently skilled necromancer can force about living creatures seems to trigger an instinctive
the Legacy glitching that causes undeath, the phenome- hostility in them, as if the living were a painful rebuke
non is also known to happen to those who die with great to their erroneous existence. In some cases a husk may
causes unfinished, those who perish because of powerful retain some degree of consciousness or be gifted with
and disruptive magical effects, or those who die while unusual abilities by their translation into undeath.
under the effects of potent curses. Deeps and other places Shades are immaterial identity-imprints left be-
of great magical power are known for a high incidence of hind by death. While intangible, they maintain some
accidental undeath, and there are some breeds of Blight- semblance of their appearance in life and are usually
ed who are intrinsically cursed with the certainty of an keyed to particular purposes or repetitious actions re-
unquiet grave. Some necromantic plagues convert their lated to their death. Their ability to interact with the
victims into undead, and were it not for the failsafes of world is limited, usually restricted to objects or places
the Legacy some of them might have long since converted important to their death, and their intellects range from
the entire Latter Earth into a charnel house… and in completely mindless repetition to full awareness of their
some Iterums this may have already come to pass. state. While magical energies or weapons can sometimes
Aside from accidental undeath, some desperate destroy them, permanently extinguishing them usually
seekers of immortality intentionally seek out the con- requires completing particular actions or the destruction
dition. Elaborate necromantic rituals, the employ of cer- of certain anchoring objects.
tain ancient relics, and adherence to particular death-god Revenants are similar to husks in being material
cults are all possible roads to undeath, but the results of corpses but are usually much better-preserved both in
these methods are not always entirely satisfactory. There body and mind. The chief distinction is that revenants
remains a significant chance of complete identity-death, have their own sentience and will, and are sometimes
with nothing left of the petitioner but a shambling corpse, capable of masquerading as living humans. There are
and even in the better cases there are often unacceptable usually at least some serious flaws to this existence, either
aesthetic, intellectual, or sensory losses. in cadaverous appearance, the need for human flesh and
There does remain one fairly well-known way of blood, a vulnerability to symbols of natural law such as
producing a perfectly lifelike, fully-cognizant, practically sunlight, running water, or green wood, or some related
immortal undead form. By creating a complete systemic infirmity. Revenants are not invariably hostile to human-
skip in the Legacy, temporarily jamming its proper oper- ity, but most experience a kind of nausea or instinctive
ation while effacing the petitioner’s name from the rolls revulsion toward living creatures due to the dissonance
of life and death, the seeker can vanish from the laws of between their existence and that of natural life.
mortality. Unfortunately, creating this skip requires the The Unending are a special class consisting of those
equivalent of a civilization-destroying magical disaster. few mortals who have successfully enacted the Leg-
The consequences of failure are horrific for the petitioner, acy-severing ritual of eternal life. Only those with the
and the energy release required for the ritual invariably might of a potential Imperator have any chance of suc-
inflicts catastrophic damage on the surrounding lands ceeding at such an ambition and those who have passed
and people. For those who seek the power of an Imper- the gauntlet are invariably demigods of incredible per-
ator and an eternal existence, however, such a sacrifice sonal prowess. They are also almost always monstrously
is an acceptable price. Accumulating the necessary sac- evil entities, perfectly willing to erase a nation in order
rifices, constructing or repurposing the necessary occult to buy their eternal life.
architecture, and acquiring the correct components is
often a greater obstacle for them than any consideration
of morality.
 163

Qualities of the Undead ulate objects important to it in life or kill with its
The example stat blocks below give illustrations of dif- icy touch.
ferent common types of undead, but you should feel free Ravenous: If it hits with at least one of its attacks, it gets
to add additional abilities to specific creatures or to par- an immediate bonus attack against the target.
ticular types of undead you create. These special types Red Hunger: It must eat a pound of human flesh or drink
might have unique vulnerabilities or lack certain of the a pint of human blood every week or lose a quarter
usual immunities of the undead, while possessing unusu- of its maximum HP. At zero HP, it dies or goes inert
al powers in return. until fresh food comes near.
By default, undead cannot be poisoned, diseased, Sunscorch: Exposure to sunlight, running water, or some
or be made to sleep or fall unconscious. They need not specific other emblem of natural law inflicts 1d10
eat, drink, or breathe, and they are indifferent to normal damage on it each round.
extremes of heat or cold. Common undead are destroyed Terrifying: Enemies must make a Mental save or lose
at zero hit points; PCs or powerful undead automatically their first turn’s Main Action as they summon their
stabilize. They do not continue to decay beyond their nerve. Morale checks it induces are made at -2.
initial state, but self-repair at normal healing rates. Con- Impure: Weapons of silver, green wood, or other specific
ventional healing spells or powers are useless on them apotropaic material inflict maximum damage to it
unless used by themselves, a Necromancer, or by another on a hit and always inflict Shock regardless of AC.
person skilled in the maintenance of dead flesh. They Unending: It cannot die by violence. Only the right act,
accrue and lose System Strain as normal. object destruction, or ritual can end it.
Below are certain special abilities or traits found in
certain undead. Others surely exist. Origin Focus: Undead
You are a sentient undead creature that is capable of mas-
Averse: Certain religious symbols, lines of salt, emblems querading as a normal human, assuming no one inspects
of natural law, or like icons repel it. When presented you too closely. Optionally, you can perfectly mimic a
with the symbol it must make a Mental save to ap- living person, but you must then choose one debility or
proach it. The aversion is broken if the icon’s bearer vulnerability from the prior list of qualities.
or their allies attack it. As with any other origin Focus, it’s up to the GM to
Beguiling: Once per scene it can beguile a creature with decide whether to permit this origin in their campaign.
its gaze on a failed Mental save. The target becomes Level 1: You have all the qualities of an undead creature.
its helpless slave until separated from it for a full You can teach your allies how to successfully use
week. It cannot beguile creatures with more hit dice healing effects on you. The debilitating effects of
or levels than it has. death have lessened you; pick an attribute and lower
Desynchrony: Foes hit by it must make a Physical save its modifier by -1, to a minimum of -2.
or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds, stunned by its Level 2: Pick one trait to gain: you can mimic the liv-
own dislocation from natural law. ing with no penalty or drawback, you can turn In-
Draining: Foes hit by it are enfeebled, taking a cumu- tangible as an On Turn action for one round per
lative -2 penalty to hit rolls and-1 to damage rolls, scene, you can use Desynchrony once per scene as
Shock, and skill checks for the rest of the scene. an Instant action, you become immune to Shock, or
Intangible: It is a shade or specter, unable to be touched some similar undead-style power with GM approv-
by non-magical objects or energies. It can manip- al. This level of Focus may be taken more than once.

The Undead HD AC Atk. Dmg. Shock Move ML Inst. Skill Save

Animate Skeleton 1 13 +1 1d6 - 30’ 12 5 +0 15+
Shambling Corpse 2 10 +2 1d8 - 20’ 12 6 +0 14+
Ravenous Husk 3 13 +4 1d8 - 30’ 12 6 +1 14+
Sentient Carcass 5 15 +4 x2 1d8 2/AC 15 30’ 10 4 +1 13+
Angry Shade 4 20 +5 1d6 2/- 30’ 12 6 +1 13+
Wraith Lord 10 20 +10 x2 1d12 5/- 30’ 10 4 +2 10+
Hungry Revenant 8 13a +10 x2 1d8 2/- 30’ 10 5 +2 11+
Undead Mage* 8 10 +10 1d8 2/- 30’ 9 4 +2 11+
Revenant King 12 18a +14 x2 1d12 5/- 30’ 11 3 +2 9+
Unending One* 20 20 +20 x3 2d8 5/- 40’ 10 1 +3 5+
* Undead spellcasters have the slots of a Necromancer of half their hit dice, and cast at a level equal to their full HD,
up to a maximum effective level of 10.
164

CREATING YOUR CAMPAIGN

(Chapter intro here)

Tools for building a campaign world.

 165

CAMPAIGNSPLASH
W 8.5 in
H 11 in
166

Planning Your Work

When reading this chapter, it is crucial to draw the dis- Athavian Empire has ten million war-saints who slay
tinction between worldbuilding for fun and worldbuild- with edged words and murderous pity, but if the empire
ing for playable content. Most of the people reading this has no reason to impinge on your campaign scope, it’s
book probably enjoy worldbuilding for its own sake. It’s not an efficient use of your energy to spend much time
a lot of fun to brew up strange lands and stranger people, elaborating their nation.
to fill dark corners of the world with nefarious evils, and Once you have the basic scope set, you create your
to carefully limn the features of alien gods and time-lost backdrop. The backdrop for your campaign amounts to
history. These activities are a perfectly good hobby and all the world facts that need to be established to give
a relaxing way to spend your downtime. meaningful context to play. The backdrop is built in mul-
Campaign prep is meant to be more directed. You tiple layers, starting from global facts about the world it-
need to focus your efforts on creating useful, playable self down to details of the specific adventure location the
content. Sometimes that means leaving aside a fascinat- PCs will find themselves in at the start of the campaign.
ing thought-toy or neglecting some intriguing facet of The more remote a given layer is from your scope, the
your creation in order to have the time and creative en- less work you need to put into defining it and detailing
ergy to hammer out the pieces you do need for the next its features.
session. It’s okay to return to those things once you’ve got If you’re working on a completely new world, you
your homework finished, but you need to get your criti- may honestly not know any of the details about it. You
cal components finished first. It’s all too easy to exhaust might have a basic idea for a theme and a scope for your
both your time and your creative energy on peripheral campaign, like “Island-hopping pirate-wizards” or “Dec-
matters, leaving you stressed and unequipped for the next adent political maneuvering in an underground city”, but
session of gaming. If you follow the guidelines in this you have no idea what these islands might be like or what
chapter, however, you should be able to get something the name of the underground city is. By working from
fun and playable ready with minimal grief, giving you the top down on your backdrop, you build a framework
that much more time and energy to play with the fun and a context for your campaign that helps you answer
parts of your world. important questions like these.
When creating your own campaign, the first step is
to think carefully about the scope of the work you need The Golden Rule of Preparation
to accomplish. Blindly charging into the job with a demi- In all of these pages, there is a single abiding rule you
urge’s enthusiasm and a bubbling font of ideas is a lot of should follow in preparing your campaign. It is absolutely
fun and doubtless a fine way to spend an afternoon, but if imperative that you understand it and that you apply
a GM is concerned with actually creating playable, func- it to your own work, or you run the risk of exhausting
tional table content a little more preparation is in order. yourself and your creative powers long before you finish
First you need to think about your players and the the content you need for a fun, relaxing night of play.
scope of the campaign you want to build for them. Is this Whenever you are building something, you need to
going to be a short campaign of tightly-linked episod- ask yourself two questions.
ic adventures, or do you want to build a big, sprawling Am I having fun building this? If yes, you can keep
sandbox for them to explore for months or years on end? going. You need to make sure you cover material you need
Is the campaign meant to focus on the skulduggery and for your next adventure session, but if you’re having a
politics of a single vast hive-city and its ruined environs, good time then it’s okay to indulge yourself. If the answer
or do you expect the heroes to be roaming from adven- is “no” or “maybe”, however, you need to ask yourself a
ture to adventure over the whole of a kingdom? second question.
Players being who they are, your expectations might Am I going to need this for the next play session?
be wrong. That short run of linked adventures could sud- Will you need this specific content for your next gaming
denly arc off into the wild unknown after the party gets night? Don’t ask yourself if it could be potentially useful,
fascinated by some peripheral hook you didn’t realize you or if it’s something you’ll need in the future. Ask yourself
were feeding them. The roving freebooters might enjoy a if this piece of work is going to be necessary for what you
particular decadent city so much that they spend a dozen expect of the very next session of play. If you can’t answer
sessions conquering its myriad mad oligarch-guildmas- yes with confidence, put it down.
ters. It’s okay to revise your plans when the situation has It is painfully easy for a GM to exhaust their powers
clearly changed, but at the start, you need to pick a scope on minutiae or peripheral details that aren’t fun to make
and build to fit it. and don’t get any useful play time. All of us are limited
This basic scope is your touchstone. Everything mortal creatures with finite amounts of time, energy, and
you build, plan, or create should relate to this scope in focus. We can’t afford to spend it on trifles when there
some way and preferably be associated with some kind is more important and more satisfying work to be done.
of adventure-worthy content or situation. Maybe the Instead, focus on what you need and enjoy making.
 167

Building Your Backdrop

Backdrops are created at several different levels. As the • What’s the name of this world for people in your
GM, you work top-to-bottom, letting the facts you estab- campaign’s scope? Other people might have differ-
lish at one level inspire and mold the facts you establish ent names for it, but you need some kind of label to
at lower levels. At no point do you put more work into stick on your creation.
defining or characterizing a level than your actual cam-
paign scope requires, unless you’re consciously doing so • Are natural physical laws mostly the same as in
for the sake of enjoyment rather than efficiency. our world? If there are multiple moons, a lack of
Each level has certain questions and generation stars, a great crystal dome over a flat earth, or some
procedures associated with it. You can use the supple- other obvious global novelty of reality, you need to
mentary tables starting on page XX to help answer these decide on it at this point because the PCs will likely
questions, or come up with your own answers to suit a know about it as a societal commonplace.
particular mood or campaign structure. If you’re using
an established setting for your campaign, a lot of these • Are there any spirit-worlds, alternate dimensions,
questions might already be answered in the novels or fic- novel planes of existence, or other cosmological
tion you’re drawing on. locales generally associated with the world?
Don’t worry about gods just yet, but think about
The World whether there are any heavens or hells or Crawling
At this level you’re establishing some basic global facts Darks that the natives of this world would likely
about your campaign world. This “world” might be literal; know about. Of course, some such alternate planes
if you’re playing in an iterum of the Latter Earth, the might be established later in the backdrop creation
facts you establish here might be related to the Latter as secrets known only to sages or sinister priests.
Earth itself. Conversely, you might be running a cam-
paign about dimension-shifting refugees fleeing some • Are there any grand global-scale empires or
cosmic pursuer, in which case your “world” might be the groups that impinge on the campaign’s scope? If
overall framework of dimensions and cosmic mechanics so, give them a name and two sentences of descrip-
for your campaign. This layer of the backdrop is usually tion at this point. If you can’t give them a useful
the most distant from a campaign’s scope, and so needs shorthand description in two sentences, their con-
the least prep. cept is too vague; tighten it and try again.
Many GMs love making world maps for the cam-
paign settings, or establishing different grand empires on • How interconnected are the parts of your world?
far-flung continents, or writing cosmic histories for their Is it easy to move from one region to another? Do
world known only to the sagely. These activities can be the natives know a lot about their more distant
fun worldbuilding indulgences, but the great majority of neighbors?
them have no meaningful bearing on the campaigns that
they’ll actually be running in that world. The coastline • Are there any vast global events that have hap-
of England means nothing to a campaign set in 340 BC pened recently? You can use the history tables on
China, and the entire Tang Empire is no more conse- page XX as inspiration if you wish, but this is the
quential in Anglo-Saxon England than the silk embroi- part where you identify any world-spanning ca-
dery on a bishop’s best cloak. To give such distant glories tastrophes or dramatic universal changes that have
names and a sentence or two of description is as much happened in the relatively recent past. Leave distant
as any world-level backdrop likely needs, and often more history alone for now.
than it requires.
At this level, the GM should establish any noticeable It can be tempting to add gods and religious faiths
and drastic deviations from real-life physics or daily life. at this level of backdrop creation, but it’s generally better
If there are two moons, or if the surface never knows to save that work for the regional level, or even the king-
night, or if water flows uphill as a general rule, then dom level. Some settings actually do have a set number
this is the level to establish those facts. Even in this case, of universal deities that are honored and worshipped
however, these deviations should only be recorded when world-wide under assorted names and guises, but most
they’re something the PCs should be expected to notice worlds will have faiths specific to particular regions and
immediately. The world may be hollow and full of divine cultures. The divine patron of one kingdom might be
clockwork, but if that fact isn’t widely known or doesn’t unknown in a neighboring region, or have no more than
have any particular effect on the chosen scope of the a few petty shrines.
campaign, then it’s not worth spelling it out beforehand. Once you’ve answered these general questions about
Here are some basic questions to answer about the your world, you’re ready to step down to the next level
world level of your backdrop. of backdrop creation.
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The Region you need is a name and a few sentences of description for
This level covers the cluster of nations or civilizations each. You can use the tables on page XX for inspiration,
most relevant to the intended scope of the campaign. but don’t worry about fine details yet.
The nations, tribal groups, marauders, and faiths of the Identify regionally-significant gods. Many king-
people in this region are likely to have an impact on the doms and groups will have their own favorite deities, but
campaign scope, so it gets more attention and more care- if there are any gods honored throughout the entire re-
fully-drawn detail than the broader world. You should gion, define them now. The tables starting on page XX
only worry about detailing one region at first, the one provide tools for this. Remember that just because two
most pertinent to your campaign scope. If that scope nations worship the same god, it doesn’t mean that they
shifts, then you can concern yourself with a different one. necessarily like each other. Most faiths despise heretics
One danger to watch out for at this level is that of far more than they do mere unbelievers, and two church-
excessive detailing. GMs and players both have a limit es with similar-but-not-identical ideas about the same
on the amount of detail they can constructively manage god can hate each other with a fiery passion.
in a campaign setting. Just because you write it down Make a sketch map of the region. Don’t try to get
doesn’t mean you remember it in play or that the players it perfect at this stage unless you’re doing it purely for fun.
will bother to read the handout about it. As such, you All you need is a crude map showing where the nations
have to restrict your detailing at this and lower levels to are in relation to each other as explained in the section
those facts and situations that are most likely to produce starting on page XX. Use rivers and mountain ranges
interesting, playable content. as convenient border markers, while forests, swamps,
Remember also that this limit on attention applies deserts, and other trackless zones can make for disputed
to your entire campaign setting. You can’t draw up a frontiers. Don’t forget to mark in plenty of unclaimed
meticulously-detailed region and then focus down on a wilderness, dangerous wasteland, and other “blank space”
meticulously-detailed kingdom and expect your players that can serve as a playground for nefarious evils, lost
to remember or engage with all the facts on both levels. cities, and ambitious heroes.
You have a limited budget of things that will matter to Assign two important historical events to each
them, one varying with the interest and engagement of group or nation. The tables on page XX give example
the players, and every call you make on their attention historical events. These events might be very recent, in
will eat up some of that budget. which case the region is probably still dealing with them,
If you’re working with an existing setting, it’s rela- or they might be some remotely distant event that was
tively easy to draw the lines around a region. Mark the somehow critically important to the group’s development
outline so that it includes about a half-dozen important or current state. Try to connect the different groups via
nations, organizations, or other groups. These groups these historical events; use their neighbors as either an-
might have relations with nations outside the region, and tagonists, victims, or associates in the events. You might
external actors might sweep in from time to time, but add even more events to each if you want to develop a
most of the time these participants will be dealing with fleshed-out timeline, but such deep historical work is best
each other and creating the situations that are most likely saved for a lower level of the backdrop.
to affect the PCs. Define the relationships between the groups. For
If you’re starting with a blank slate, however, it can each one, decide what they generally think about the
be difficult to generate a workable region. Follow the others and pick something specific they want from them.
steps below to flesh out something usable. One kingdom might have a claim on land taken from it
Name the region. Decide what the locals call the in a long-distant war, while an ambitious faith might be
general area. Perhaps the name is derived from ancient trying to get a major temple built in an otherwise-unre-
myth, a major cultural group, a particular significant geo- ceptive nation’s capital. No group should simply “be there”.
graphical feature, or a former governing entity. Giving the Every one of them needs to be wanting something or
region a name will help you keep things straight in the doing something that could spark adventures.
case that you need to create multiple regions to accom- Optionally, assign each group faction statistics.
modate a shift of PC adventuring. The Factions chapter starting on page XX gives the rules
Choose about six major geographical features. for interactions between major groups and organizations.
The table on page XX can give suggestions, but for this You can use these rules to run between-session events
step you want to pick out the mountain ranges, great among the major players in the region, and use the results
forests, huge rivers, steep plateaus, volcanic Hell-gates, either as adventure hook grist or as background color
blasted arratu wastelands and other major features for to help give the region a lively feeling. You may want to
the region. You don’t need to place them precisely just yet, restrict the initial number of factions to the three or four
but you should have a vague idea about their locations. most pertinent to your scope, however; many GMs can
Create six nations or groups of importance. A few have a hard time running more than a half-dozen fac-
more or less is fine, but don’t try to pack a score of major tions between sessions, and new ones might pop up as
players into the same region unless you have the copious the PCs establish their own forces or new NPC groups
free time necessary to track their doings. At this stage, all suddenly become relevant.
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The Kingdom destroy the rulers of the region, even if they’re so subtle
Once you have the general region sketched in, it’s time in their work that the public knows nothing of them. The
to take it to a still lower level. The kingdom level of your conflict they create is eminently useful for a GM.
backdrop covers the nation or tribal region that best in- Choose one or more problems or goals it’s fac-
cludes your adventure scope. This is the first level that’s ing. It may be that something is not working right in
likely to include facts and details that matter to your very the region, and its inhabitants are being forced to deal
first session of play, so the amount of creative work you with it or suffer the consequences. These problems might
put into this single kingdom is roughly the same as you be restricted to particular regions, or they might be
just put into an entire region. long-standing afflictions that have been woven into the
“Kingdom” should not be taken literally. This broad culture, or they could be sudden eruptions that the lead-
scope might apply to a grand metropolis that’s expected ership is not equipped to handle. These conflicts will help
to absorb the first dozen adventures, or a raw frontier create adventure hooks in the area and give the leadership
dotted with hardscrabble settlements and ancient ruins, something to react to. The tables on page XX can help.
or a particular stretch of arratu where the barbaric PCs Make a rough map of the area. This doesn’t need to
were born and raised. It’s the worldbuilding box that your be any more precise than the scope of your game requires.
campaign’s initial stages will take place in. If you plan on doing serious hexcrawling in the area, you
In the end, your entire campaign might well remain might make a detailed hex map of the kingdom, while a
in this single zone, if the PCs decide that their interests looser, more point-hopping style of campaign might just
lie here as well. You may continue developing and adding sketch some outlines and mark points of interest. Make
on to this kingdom for the full length of the campaign. sure to identify neighboring nations or groups.
Conversely, your heroes may light out for parts unknown Place ethnic groups and demihumans. The king-
after the first few sessions, obliging you to generate an- dom might consist of a single monolithic ethnic group,
other kingdom-level backdrop wherever they end up. As with their own gods and customs evenly distributed
always, focus your prep work on what you expect to need throughout the land, or more than one group may exist
for your next gaming session. in the area, with relationships that may be friendly or
When building your kingdom-level backdrop, start fraught. Demihuman enclaves likely exist at some dis-
with some basic steps. tance from human settlements, the better to ensure their
Pick a linguistic touchstone and give your king- relative independence. These groups may use the same
dom or area a name. This language is likely the tongue linguistic touchstone you picked when building the king-
of the current or historical dominant group in the re- dom, or you might give them different languages.
gion. Conventional fantasy names tend to be random Flesh out the society and style of the kingdom
nonsense-syllables picked from the creator’s cultural and its occupants. The tools on page XX can be used
phoneme stock, and places often end up as the city of to give character to the zone. The resultant society you
AdjectiveNoun or the NounNoun river. While some of create might be equally shared by all the ethnic groups
this can work perfectly well, it’s easier for the GM to in the kingdom – whether they like it or not – or each
pick some obscure or extinct real-world language known group might vary in their own way. The key at this stage
to nobody at the table and use it for names. Even if the is to give enough flavor to the kingdom that you can con-
words they use from it have no relation to what they’re fidently ad-lib facts and details associated with it.
naming, the consistent set of sounds and syllable patterns Assign local gods and religious traditions. Once
will help give a coherent feel to the work. you have the societies and cultures largely fleshed out,
Flesh out its history. You already have an event or you can put details to the god or gods they worship and
two related to it that you generated at the regional level. identify any major religious power groups in the area. At
Now take those same tables and add three or four more this stage it can sometimes be helpful to plant a dead or
events. These historical circumstances might’ve been lo- lost god or two into the area, perhaps still venerated by
calized to specific areas of the kingdom, or they might hidden cults or bitter survivors. At least one deity should
have been nation-wide happenings. It’s not necessary to be thoroughly malevolent or unsympathetic if you mean
have a year-by-year timeline of the past, but a half-dozen to make much use of evil cults or sinister high priests in
solid events can help inform the kingdom’s current state. your campaign.
Decide how it is ruled and identify the ruler. The
zone might be a patchwork of city-states or a single uni-
fied monarchy, but now’s the time to decide those details.
Give names and a sentence or two of definition to the
rulers in the area, with the tables starting on page XX
providing some help.
Identify the enemies of the rulers. Maybe they’re
a usurper who seeks to claim the throne, maybe they’re
a sullen band of rebel peasants, or maybe they’re a slow-
ly-advancing army of Hell. Somebody wants to depose or
170

Geography Construction
Almost everyone loves a good fantasy map. A well-drawn
map has more than purely artistic charms; the names Making the Regional Map
and borders and carefully-sketched wilds all evoke pos- Your beginning campaign maps should consist of noth-
sibilities in the viewer’s head and invite thoughts about ing but loose scrawls and crude symbols. Indeed, many
the kind of adventures that could be had in such a land. campaigns can make it through their entire run without
A place feels more real for having been mapped, and the creating any map more elaborate than a rough relational
verisimilitude of a campaign setting is greatly improved scribble. Hex-crawling campaigns and groups that like
by being established in cartography. firm cartographic certainties can build out their initial
But as a working GM, your needs are a little dif- maps later, but to start with, take a blank sheet of paper
ferent. A beautiful, artistically-done map is a wonderful and focus purely on mapping basic relationships.
thing, but very few GMs have the skills to execute such First, decide how many sides of the regional map
a project or the time to create it even if they did. When will be oceanic. One or two makes for a curving coastline
thinking about the physical construction of your world, or a peninsula or land bridge that extends off two edges
it’s important to start with the essentials and save the of the map. Three makes for a self-contained peninsula,
elaborations for afterwards. and four means that the region is an island. It’s gener-
ally wisest to have at least one side be a sea, or else you
Campaign Map Essentials severely hobble your opportunities for piracy, nautical
You need two maps at the start of your campaign: a map adventures or sea travel to distant regions.
of the region most relevant to your campaign’s backdrop, Second, use the tables in this section to generate a
and a map of the kingdom-scale area in which your initial half-dozen or so significant geographic features. Space
gaming sessions will occur. These two maps are going them out on the map, keeping in mind the notes as to
to be the most important when you’re running through which features shouldn’t go closely together. Of course,
the other creation tools in this section, because they’ll magic or Outsider manipulation might subvert that ex-
tell you which of the major players are adjacent to each pectation, but if that’s the case, make it clear that it’s so.
other and show you where ruins, wildernesses, conflicts These features should be scaled to the size of the region;
and problems are most likely to be found. a mountain range might extend for a hundred miles in a
If you’re playing in a fantasy-land sandbox the large regional map, but a small map might have plausible
region might be a two hundred mile square chunk of room only for a stretch of rugged hills with a few moun-
terrain holding the various fantastic nations and organi- tain-worthy peaks.
zations you picked as major players during the backdrop’s Note that most regions will be small enough that
creation as described on page XX. If you’re running an the climatic variation is likely to be minimal. The po-
urban campaign focused on a single massive city, the “re- lar-ward portions might be colder than the more equato-
gion” might be a particular zone of the megalopolis. If rial side of the map, but a few hundred miles is unlikely
you’re doing an alt-history campaign set in 1033 AD, the to have comfortable room for both steaming jungles and
region might simply be western Europe. barren glacial wastes. If you get table results that suggest
The kingdom-scale map should simply cover the a geographic impossibility, either convert the result to its
specific nation or culture-zone where the first adventures local-climate equivalent or come up with some magical
of your campaign will take place. If you plan on starting or geographical explanation for why it really makes sense.
the heroes in Neue Gruzland, then you want a map of Warm ocean currents, geothermal heat wells, sorcerous
Neue Gruzland. If they’re working out of a keep on the curses, and berserk Outsider xenoforming engines are
untamed borderlands, then you want a map of the bor- always handy rationales.
derlands and its savage wilderness. Megacity campaigns Third, sketch in 1d4+2 major rivers. Rivers make ex-
might flesh out a single slum area within the greater city- cellent borders for the nations you’re going to be planting
zone. The region-scale map will tell you where the players in this region. Barring sorcery, rivers will start in moun-
could end up going and what they might find there. The tains or highlands and flow down to the sea or until they
kingdom-scale map will tell you what they find during vanish into a lake, bog, or other sink. Rivers can split
their very first few sessions. into tributaries and sub-branches, but these tributaries
Note the distinct absence of any need for a global do not join together again; once the river splits, it can
or continental map. You don’t actually have to establish only split further, though multiple mountain-fed rivers
any details whatsoever about what the rest of the world might join on the lowest path to the sea. Across flat land
looks like unless it’s a fun bit of recreation for you. A few the river will tend to meander, while streams that come
sentences of suggestive prose about the Enigmatic South down from a height will usually cut straighter from the
or the Unknown North is plenty, especially since very force of the flow. Any given river should probably be no
few realms will have anything resembling reliable maps longer than a quarter of the maximum dimension of your
available to the PCs. map, though it might twist and wind within that length.
 171

Optionally, add one to three significant lakes or d20 Significant Terrain Features
inland sea areas to the map. These bodies of water can 1 Ancient farmland. A huge stretch of land
be particularly useful in giving “conjoining borders” to was re-engineered for optimal farming.
nations that would otherwise be entirely separated from
each other. Each body of water should have at least one 2 Arratu wasteland. An area here was
river flowing into it, but only one at most flowing out of it. once xenoformed by the Outsiders into
Fourth, place your nations, important tribal groups, an environment hostile to humanity or one
major organizations, or other significant players you’ve inhabited by dangerous alien lifeforms.
decided will play a role in this region. Nations and tribal 3 Blasted lands. Radioactive or scorched
lands should be largely coterminous with natural barriers over by ancient war. Many ruins, likely.
such as rivers, mountain ranges, deep forests, impassable 4 Canyons. A region with extensive canyons
swamps, or other easily-defended terrain. If the borders cut by rivers present or long-vanished. Make
extend beyond these barriers, it’s probably the result of sure the rivers don’t climb after leaving them.
successful warfare and a cause for future battles.
5 Dense forest. Trackless, dark, and an
National borders probably include significant re-
effective natural barrier.
gions of marginal or uninhabitable land. Sun-blasted
deserts, mephitic bogs, cursed arratu wastelands, or jag- 6 Grasslands. A broad sweep of savannah
gedly perilous peaks might all be well within a nation’s or grassy plains is a coherent whole here.
borders without actually having any locals to respect 7 Islands. There’s a single significant island
the nation’s laws. This is perfectly acceptable, and a good off the coast or an archipelago of some note.
source of adventuring grist when the heroes quest into
8 Jagged mountains. A new or re-
the unmapped wilderness or fight back the hideous evils
sharpened mountain range forms a barrier
that burst forth from it.
in the region. The mountains are young, tall,
If these badlands extend across a border, they proba-
and likely cast a substantial rain shadow.
bly are a source of regular tension as raiders or monsters
emerge to scourge a nation before fleeing back into the 9 Jungle. A classic adventure-worthy jungle
wastes. Expeditions to control or punish them can easily of wild, semi-alien flora and fauna.
become forces of invasion, and both nations might want 10 Light forest. Interspersed with other terrain.
to bring the land entirely within their borders to better 11 Megaplex. The ruins of a single huge
have a free hand in repressing its dangers. ancient structure stretch for endless miles.
Don’t worry about placing cities, ruins, or other
points of interest on the map just yet. You’ll do that as 12 Pit. A Deep or some other underground
necessary when you flesh out the kingdom. Also, don’t megastructure collapsed and left a hole with
concern yourself with turning this rough sketch into a a diameter measured in tens of miles.
“proper” map just yet. You only need it to inform you of 13 Rain forest. Vast, damp, and green.
the basic spatial relationship between things in your cam- 14 Rocky Hills. Rough and stony, with little
paign backdrop. arable land. Herding and raiding are the
most profitable employments here.
Making the Kingdom Map
Now take the chunk of your region that will contain 15 Rolling Hills. A stretch of gently rolling hills
your campaign’s initial adventures and start with a new makes for good agricultural land.
sheet of paper. Scrawl out the rough edges of the borders, 16 Sand Desert. This desert is a waste of sand
filling up the whole sheet with the outline of your start- and dunes. It may be from a rain shadow, or
ing nation. Copy in any major terrain features from the it might be a legacy of ancient war.
regional map that happen to obtrude into the kingdom. 17 Scrub Desert. These often appear on the
At this point, you basically repeat the regional leeward side of mountain ranges. Borders
creation process on a smaller scale. You roll for terrain will often be grasslands or savannah.
features, add rivers, mark out provincial or cultural bor-
18 Swamp. A sinking river, lake margin, or wet
ders within the nation, and finish by placing cities, trade
coastal delta forms a vast bog in this flat land.
routes, and other features as explained in the nation gen-
eration tables starting on page XX. 19 Volcano. One or more mountains in a
Naturally, the rivers and terrain features you roll at nearby range are volcanically active. This
the stage will be of significantly smaller scale than the may be natural or it may be a consequence
ones you rolled for the region. A “volcano” result that was of Legacy flux or ancient manipulation.
a stretch of seismically-active mountains on the regional 20 Weathered mountains. A significant skirt
map might be a single ominous peak in the kingdom, and of hills is common. The rain shadow is likely
the rivers and lakes rolled here might be modest bodies of limited due to the rounded, low mountains.
water too small to bear marking on a regional-scale map.
172

Every terrain feature you roll will have its effect Artistic and handsomely-done maps of kingdoms
on the local inhabitants, however. Swamps will have or regions or continents should be left as exercises in
swamp-dwelling fishers, grassy plains will encourage creative enjoyment and recreation rather than necessary
farmers, hills will often have mining activity or jealously campaign prep. A simple hex map provides all the infor-
independent herders, and so forth. These people will usu- mation needed to adjudicate the vast majority of travel or
ally be different from those dwelling in the surrounding distance questions, and even the most art-incapable GM
land, either consciously so as a self-separated minority, or can stitch one together with the online tools available.
different by virtue of their practical living requirements.
PCs who go to mountains will tend to find mountaineers,
and even if they speak the same language and have the
same lord as the plains-dwellers their lives will inevitably
be shaped by the different terrain they occupy.

Refining the Maps

What you have now is perfectly adequate for an initial
session. If you need to establish specifics of distances and
position as part of the first adventure’s play, you can do
so on a case-by-case basis, and some groups may never
particularly care about the details of distances beyond
knowing how many days it takes to get to wherever they
want to go.
Some campaigns need tighter details, however, such
as hexcrawl exploration campaigns that focus heavily on
scouting and mapping an unknown land. For those cases,
it’s best to use an digital tool such as Hexographer to
make a usable map at whatever scale is most convenient.
A six-mile hex is a popular choice, as it’s large enough
to hold multiple points of interest but small enough to
reasonably contain only one major type of terrain.
 173

One-Roll Terrain Feature Details

It can be difficult to add spice to your sixth mountain
range; there are only so many ways to enliven a forest, a
desert, or a pile of rocks before the creative springs run
dry. As a supplementary tool, you can roll one die of each d4 How Populated is the Feature?
type and reference the tables below to add more detailing 1 Almost unpopulated for something like it
and character to a given terrain feature. 2 Very few settlers or workers there
It’s assumed that the terrain feature is meant to be
a place of adventure and profit, so the table’s results are 3 Average or more population density
canted towards dangerous, enigmatic places. This may 4 A rush of people have gone there
not fit well if you’re trying to flavor the sedate, grassy
breadbasket of your region, so it’s generally best to focus
d12 What Antagonists are Common There?
your creativity on those places you expect to serve as po-
tential adventure locations. 1 Violent secessionist rebels
A suitably inaccessible region can end up becoming a 2 Angry cultists of a local faith
“borderland” zone even in the heart of a developed king-
3 Locals who reset interloping outsiders
dom. Bandit kings, monstrous hordes, and other grist for
adventure can thus be placed almost anywhere. 4 A type of cunning, dangerous beast
5 Relic-creatures of ancient settlements
d6 How Dangerous is the Feature? 6 Elemental emanations of the disordered land
1 Safer than usual for someplace like it 7 A hostile sentient monster civilization
2 There’s one notable kind of danger there 8 Brutal envoys of the central government
3 It’s got some site-specific flavors of peril 9 Raiders and bandits driven into the areaL:
4 It’s unusually dangerous in several ways 10 Rapacious local lords and gang bosses
5 It will quickly kill the unprepared or unwary 11 Remnants of a furious native population
6 It’s a death zone for all but the strongest 12 Outsider remnants with a bitter grudge

d8 What Use is the Feature? d20 Optional Quirk of the Feature

1 A rare and precious resource is found there 1 It has significant magical structures in it
2 Ancient sites and relics are common there 2 It has a place in the national origin legend
3 It’s sacred land to a group or religion 3 It is entirely manmade by ancient arts
4 Controlling it has military significance 4 Time and space sometimes slip there
5 It has substantial productive infrastructure 5 The magical power there attracts wizards
6 A major trade route goes through it 6 It subtly changes those who live there
7 Uncontrolled, it’s a nest of raiders and worse 7 It’s holy land to a particular faith
8 A mighty Working is still functioning there 8 It was formerly a different kind of terrain
9 It has human-worked vistas of beauty
d10 What Kind of Event Last Happened There? 10 It was formerly an Outsider stronghold
1 A significant battle was fought there 11 A significant part of it is subterranean
2 A mad prophet tried to start a faith there 12 It’d expand were it not for ancient wards
3 A usurper and supporters fled into it 13 It was a nature preserve of a megastructure
4 A resource strike drew numerous people 14 It’s maintained by an ancient artificial mind
5 A major nest of bandits or raiders formed 15 Magic is somehow warped in its area
6 A rich ancient ruin was discovered there 16 The flora and fauna are queasily “off”
7 An uncanny plague erupted in the area 17 The locals once populated it more heavily
8 Some grim and terrible thing was awoken 18 Rulership of the feature is widely disputed
9 A community of outcasts or marginals formed 19 It’s riddled with caves and delvings
10 A natural or uncanny disaster struck there 20 A unique type of sentient lives there
174

Nation Construction
When following the guide on page XX, sometimes a little
extra flavor or a few more specific details are needed for a City Placement
nation. These pages offer some guidelines and examples. Put the nation’s capital in the central region of the map
The disputes, positive ties, current problems, and present or the richest farming terrain, unless there’s a particular
felicities suggested on the opposite page can be used to reason why the borders expanded rapidly in a particular
provide a hint about current national concerns, while the direction. Locate it on a river or seacoast, because any city
nation themes that follow might be used to color the of its size will require constant food imports that would
societies that you place there. be prohibitively difficult to haul overland.
Beyond those random tables, there are also a few Now, starting from a random cardinal direction,
more material qualities to a nation that require a little start placing the remaining cities, working clockwise.
more guidance to establish. Place them on rivers and other bodies of water. If you
need to put one in the middle of a dry-looking region,
Borders assume that there’s some small river there too minor to
The borders for your nations should generally follow riv- show up at the national map’s scale.
ers, mountain ranges, trackless forests, and other major When placing cities, put them near resource sites.
geographic barriers. Borders that run through clear, easi- good farmland, trade crossroads, or excellent ports. Most
ly-traversed terrain are likely to be points of friction with of these communities will have grown up around exploit-
greedy neighbors and hotbeds of cross-border banditry. ing those resources. Urban centers without any obvious
Deserts, arratu wastelands, deep swamps, and oth- resource extraction probably serve as trade hubs, indus-
er difficult terrain might nominally be inside a nation’s trial centers, military strongholds, or religious centers.
borders, but they may have little or no practical control
over such desolations. Lands and titles often await heroes Marking Wastelands
who can make the nation’s claim more than mere words. A land with no empty spaces and no regions of dubi-
ous law is lacking certain charms to adventurers. When
Population building a nation, you’ll want to know where to place
Population density in the Latter Earth is skewed both forbidding ancient ruins, desolate lost cities, rabid bandit
by the perilous arratu and the occasional pocket of ul- kings, and hard-bitten frontier settlers.
tra-dense habitation made possible by ancient sorceries Look at your map and the cities you’ve placed. Iden-
or still-functional Workings. tify the most likely routes of travel or trade between them.
For a general baseline population for a relatively In all probability, the connections are by water when
low-tech, low-magic land of unremarkable prosperity, possible, and overland only when there are no canals or
you can assume 60 people per square mile. You can get a navigable waterways connecting them.
tolerable approximation just by multiplying the nation’s The resulting mesh will have holes in it, zones of
longest width and length dimensions by sixty and adjust- land distant from any major travel route. These are the
ing that according to what seems sensible. best places to put ancient ruins, arratu badlands, track-
less forests, war-torn provinces, and other areas suitable
Urbanization for adventure. Note these zones down for later, even if
For most nations of the Latter Earth, at least ninety you haven’t made up any ruins yet or haven’t decided
percent of the population will be rural. They will live in exactly what desolate wastelands exist there.
small villages of a few hundred people, if not fewer, with These are certainly not the only places you can put
the occasional somewhat-larger market town. The more your wastelands and ruins, but if you put them closer to
productive the agriculture of the nation, the greater the the cities or directly on a trade route between them, you’ll
percentage that will be able to live an urban life. need to explain why the locals haven’t already plundered
For most nations, begin by taking ten percent of the the lost cities, or why they’re insisting on sending a major
population as city-dwellers. A third will live in the capital caravan route through the middle of an arratu. There may
or chief city. Of the rest, a quarter will live in the second be a perfectly good reason for either of those situations,
largest city, while the remnants will be roughly divided but you’ll need to think of one. It may be that the former
up among as many cities as you wish to place. A city in trade route was recently blocked, or the ruin has already
most nations qualifies as any settlement with more than been reputed to be plundered, or the traders have some
two or three thousand people. bargain with the Blighted tribes that roam the badlands.
Thus, if you have a nation of a hundred miles square
and 600,000 people, 20,000 would live in the capital,
10,000 would live in the second largest city, and the re-
maining 30,000 urbanites would be split up into as many
as ten minor cities and major market towns.
 175

d20 Disputes With a Neighboring State d20 Positive Ties With a Neighboring State
1 Raiders are taking refuge in their lands 1 The ruling classes are related in some way
2 Ownership of a resource site is disputed 2 An important faith crosses the border
3 A usurper or criminal is being sheltered there 3 They fought by our side sometime in the past
4 A troublemaking religion is based there 4 Their culture is widely admired here
5 Their rulers have a political claim on the throne 5 They helped to overcome an eldritch peril
6 A diplomatic marriage is going sour 6 They held back an enemy from our border
7 A past war’s savagery has left deep scars 7 They are co-ethnics of the same origins
8 Their culture is supplanting local beliefs 8 They provide critical trade relations
9 Their immigrants are gaining great influence 9 Sages and scholars came from there
10 They broke off an alliance or important pact 10 They gave critical aid during a disaster
11 They lured away an academy or great temple 11 A hero of this land came originally from there
12 Border tariffs and taxes are blocking trade 12 A past hero-king once ruled both lands
13 They drove a terrible beast into this land 13 They produce some vital commodity
14 A Working of theirs caused problems here 14 They have a shared enemy
15 They woke up a great peril from the past 15 A Working they have is helpful here, too
16 They’re cooperating with an enemy group 16 A long-standing alliance or trade pact exists
17 They’re suspected of backing assassinations 17 They recently conceded some disputed land
18 A spy ring is suspected or has been found 18 They greatly admire elements of this culture
19 They refused to give aid for some current need 19 They’re considered unusually attractive here
20 They’ve been hostile to an allied group 20 They took in refugees from here at one point

d20 Current National Problems d20 Good Things Happening Right Now
1 Farmland is becoming worn-out and depleted 1 A splendid mine or resource has been found
2 Verminous monsters are swarming 2 A pious saint is strengthening a major faith
3 A rebel front is stirring up trouble 3 A noble heir shows signs of heroic greatness
4 An outside power is backing internal strife 4 A major rival has recently suffered a calamity
5 The leadership is inept and distracted 5 New farmland has been opened up recently
6 A religious reformer is breaking old compacts 6 A new trade route has been forged
7 An evil is provoking outraged rioting 7 A horrible monster was slain or driven off
8 Dark cults are attracting the ambitious 8 Good harvests have enriched the people
9 A Blighted horde is threatening the borders 9 A wicked minister has been deposed
10 An ancient ruin has disgorged some peril 10 A new academy has recently opened
11 Malcontents have obtained a potent artifact 11 A bandit or rebel uprising has been crushed
12 Luxuriance has left the nation’s coffers bare 12 Two rival lords have started to make peace
13 Local aristocrats are pushing for independence 13 An old enemy has agreed to a peace pact
14 An important mine has run out or been harmed 14 The military won a recent smashing victory
15 A sinister favorite has infatuated the leader 15 A helpful Working has been activated
16 A recurring plant plague is causing hunger 16 A powerful artifact is helping the ruler
17 Fearsome monsters are migrating into the land 17 An old source of unrest has been calmed
18 A rival is preparing for war or raiding 18 A dark cult has been revealed and purged
19 A grand national plan is exhausting the people 19 New diplomatic ties have been made
20 A savage grudge has erupted between lords 20 A new lord has risen, loved by his people
176

Example Nation Themes d20 Thematic Element

The themes here offer some suggestions for nation traits 1 Barbarism, with brutal savagery
that might make for good adventuring grist. The adjacent
table is organized in two groups; you can roll 1d10 to 2 Decadence, of sins and fadings
get a largely negative thematic trait or 1d10+10 to get a 3 Despair, with good things unlooked-for
more positive quality. 4 Exhaustion, with strength spent and lost
Whether positive or negative, remember that the
5 Ignorance, of terrors and the unknown
themes of the nation should be related to actual playable
content. A seemingly idyllic land with traits of Justice and 6 Oppression, with rule a crushing weight
Pageantry might be splendid in many ways, but some- 7 Poverty, where even the rich are poor
thing about those qualities should cause problems or
8 Precarity, with all goods made fleeting
conflicts that adventuring PCs could become embroiled
in. If you feel stumped at a prospect, think about the con- 9 Stratification, where classes do not touch
sequences of taking a virtue too far, or applying a virtuous 10 Violence, where life is something cheap
trait in the wrong way. 11 Enlightenment, where knowledge is loved
Barbarism: The nation is brutally assailed by bestial, 12 Expansion, where things swell greater
primitive forces, whether from external enemies 13 Hope, that the future should be better
or internal divisions. Naked violence, cruelty, ig- 14 Justice, where a reckoning is had
norance, and hatred are always near the surface of
things, either as threats pressing on the familiar or 15 Legitimacy, where rulers are by right
as instincts and habits among the natives. 16 Pageantry, of splendor and magnificence
Decadence: The nation is voluptuously cruel, indulgent, 17 Prosperity, with wealth easily had
and indifferent to the prices it pays for its pleasures.
Unspeakable debaucheries and sordid delights are 18 Renewal, with things growing brighter
in common circulation, and few ever think to ques- 19 Triumph, with victory a fresh memory
tion the appropriateness of inflicting brutal evils in 20 Unity, where purposes are shared
order to obtain some elevated enjoyment or refined
pleasure. The PCs are regularly exposed to the con- of bordermarches, or the seductive appeal of their
sequences of such indulgences and the damage they values and culture. The society is vigorous and con-
inflict on others. fident, assured of the justification of their expansion
Despair: The nation is redolent of hopelessness and ap- and of the good it will provide to everyone deserving
athetic submission to fate. It may be because some of good. There’s usually some truth to this, albeit
overwhelming evil seems inevitably due to pass, perhaps less than the expansionists would like to
or because all prior efforts at improvement have admit.
brought only worse suffering, or because some Hope: The nation is imbued with a sense of hope and
bright cultural hope or golden age is now clearly lost potential, the promise of a better day to come and
and ruined forever. The nation will tend to accept a brighter future for those who win through their
evils and sufferings as inevitable, and the natives will present problems. There may have been a recent
do little to rebel, resist, or defy their unhappy fates. discovery of some great trove of resources, some
Enlightenment: A genuine love of knowledge imbues magical or technological innovation that promises
the nation, such that academies and schools have great results, or the rise of a beloved house of seem-
an important role in social and political life and a ingly-blessed rulers.
good education is considered a hallmark of gentil- Ignorance: The nation is an ignorant one, redolent of
ity. The populace has a genuine curiosity and zest (incorrect) superstition, false gods, blundering in-
for investigation, and finding the truth of things is stitutions, and erroneous beliefs of all kinds. These
considered more important than secure stability. beliefs are somehow critical to the setting’s culture
Exhaustion: The nation is depleted of something critical, or society, such that being rid of them would cause
whether that is a tangible resource or their spiritu- some profound, potentially bloody disruption of life.
al reserves of enthusiasm and hope. Everything is Life in this nation can go on as it does only so long
tired in this nation, with spent rivers, barren fields, as the ignorance remains unilluminated, and the
cut-over forests, and shorn hillsides. If material re- vast majority of its populace would rather remain
sources are sufficient, the natives simply don’t have in error than exist in chaos.
the energy or enthusiasm to bring in more than they Justice: One or more powers or institutions in the nation
presently do, perhaps out of a sense that nothing have a genuine concern for justice and righteous-
good can come of any putative improvement. ness, such that the society’s laws and values are fairly
Expansion: The nation’s borders are expanding, either and even-handedly enforced. These laws may not
through successful conquest, peaceful assimilation perfectly match modern conceptions of justice, but
 177

what exists is meant to be applied evenly. Righteous clothed life and the grandees have the resources
crusaders for the cause, honest magistrates, and for impressive displays of wealth. This prosperity
some great struggle to enforce justice on a wide- may be the fruit of unusual natural resources, ex-
ly-understood wrong might all be present. ceptional societal harmony, magical blessings, or
Legitimacy: The nation’s rulers or controlling institu- simple good climate.
tions have a profound degree of legitimacy among Renewal: A spirit of reformation and renewal breathes
the populace, such that it’s hard to imagine ever through the nation, with old noble houses rising
overthrowing them as a group. Individuals among once again, decayed religions being reformed, cor-
them might be criminals or incompetents, but the rupt institutions being shaken, and the populace
structures as a whole are accepted as necessary and generally more insistent on improvement. This re-
eternal by most elements of the society. This legit- newal could be a harkening back to the old ideals of
imacy may derive from divine mandates, personal yore or an appeal to some new innovation, and the
prowess, honored lineages, or a terror of the chaos subjects could just as easily be a royal house recalled
that would exist without them. from exile as a new republic’s establishment.
Oppression: Some substantial portion of the nation is Stratification: The nation draws harsh lines between
cruelly oppressed by some force. It’s rare that this social classes, cultural groups, regions, sexes, or
is the same group in all areas of the nation; oppres- some other distinction between people. Castes and
sion as a key theme to the setting implies that many aristocracies are a common feature of these settings,
groups in many places suffer under this, and it may ones drawn sharply by blood or birth circumstances.
be accepted as a commonplace that one group or Adventurers are apt to be wild cards in these societ-
another needs to be harshly repressed if the rest of ies due to their ability to obtain outsized personal
society is to prosper. Oppressive groups will usually power, and they may regularly run into conflicts or
have a clearly-enunciated philosophy of why this complications that they have the strength to deal
state of affairs is necessary, and it usually will have with, but not the social permission.
at least some coloring of justification to have per- Triumph: Something wonderful has recently been accom-
sisted as it has. plished in the nation; a dark lord defeated, an evil
Pageantry: The nation is marked by dramatic displays, king overthrown, a plague ended, a natural disaster
magnificent architecture, sweeping demonstrations overcome, or the like. The setting is touched with
of might, and large-scale undertakings for the glory a sense of success and victory, despite the costs of
or edification of the rulers and populace. The locals that triumph, and filled with a confidence in its own
tend to place great store by such ritual displays, find- power and potential. There will be many new insti-
ing them inspiring, meaningful, and important in tutions and groups seeking to exploit the aftermath.
more than strictly material ways. These grandiose Unity: Powers and groups within the nation are high-
efforts actually have real results towards unification, ly united in their goals and sense of fellow-feeling.
inspiration, and societal harmony. While not necessarily xenophobic, they will tend to
Poverty: The nation is poor. Even aristocrats might not value their brethren more than strangers, and paper
be assured of the necessary staples of life, or basic over internal conflicts and disagreements that might
resources might be constantly threatened by mon- fester into civil disorder or chaos in less harmonious
sters, warfare, calamities, or simple dearth. The societies. These societies might have been shaped by
struggle for resources and the basic necessities for some all-consuming peril that forced them together
survival are apt to drive numerous conflicts in the or a culture that greatly prizes unity.
setting, and the consequences of failure can be far Violence: The nation is a bloody one, with human life
worse than mere discomfort for the losers. held cheap and death a commonplace. This may
Precarity: Whatever good the nation has is under imme- be the result of incessant warfare, such that most
diate siege by circumstances, and it looks very likely people half-expect to die in battle, or it may be the
that it might crumble. Something is happening in product of a society that simply doesn’t value peo-
the setting to make old verities and assured socie- ple’s lives. Death may be a penalty for comparatively
tal instutitions totter, whether a massive monstrous trivial sins, or the environment might just be so dan-
invasion or a revolt by some displeased underclass. gerous that a death in bed is a thing unlooked-for
These instutitions will tend to strike out violently at by most.
threats, fearing that their basic existence is at stake,
and the recklessness of their responses might be the
very catalyst that provokes their eventual collapse.
Prosperity: The nation is relatively rich, such that con-
ventional scourges of famine, privation, and desper-
ation aren’t nearly as common as they would be in
other cultures. Pockets of genuine want may exist,
but the average commoner leads a well-fed, well-
178

Society Construction
A nation is the product of its society. While you can easily out and then demanded the right of independent rule.
sketch the borders of a particular fantastic domain on a Ther may be pockets of the group as minorities in dis-
map, the more difficult part of the process is thinking tant lands, and it’s often convenient to use already-extant
about the kind of people who live there. The things they societies as candidates when your worldbuilding needs
value and the way they organize their lives will have in- a minority pocket within some empire or vast kingdom.
evitable consequences when thinking about their govern- Some societies may not be based on ethnic group-
ment, their conflicts, and their ambitions. ings at all. While the tables here presume that the
This section allows you to roll up a society to inhab- members of a society share some overarching physical
it the nations you’ve made. Some nations may be mo- relationship, cultures based on ideology, religion, or his-
no-ethnic, with a single dominant group and no mean- torical chance might have many different bloodlines and
ingful pockets of any other ethnicity. Others may have ethnic groups mingled together. Membership in such a
more than one significant group within their borders, ei- society might be contingent on agreeing to intellectual
ther as a legacy of shifting boundaries, ancient conquest, principles shared by the group, or joining with them in
migration, or an old division in an existing people. some overarching faith that is considered much more
For now, just create one society for your nation and important than mere lineage. Of course, rebels against
take it as the dominant group. If your history generation these principles can find themselves exiled or isolated,
or your own plans suggest the need for an additional lacking any other ties with their former comrades.
group, you can come back and build it out, placing it
within the context of the majority’s culture.
Note that the same society can exist in multiple na-
tions. One might have been a colony of the other, or exiles
from a lost conflict, or pioneers who pushed the border
 179

Physical Appearances
A GM usually needs some idea of what the average mem-
ber of a society looks like. The tables on this page provide
some suggestions and possibilities for GMs who don’t
d4 What’s the Typical Build of the People?
already have a clear visual aesthetic in mind.
These tables take into account the innumerable eons 1 Smaller and slighter than their neighbors
of sorcerous alteration, genetic manipulation, intermar- 2 Same height and weight as the neighbors
riage, and alien aesthetic preferences that have gone on in 3 Either short and stocky or tall and slender
the Latter Earth. The combinations may not map well to
any real-life group, largely because all the real-life groups 4 Much bigger and bulkier than neighbors
that presently exist have long since gone extinct.
In addition, it’s not remarkable for certain groups of
d12 Optional Common Forms of Adornment
humans to have unusual physical additions or traits as
an inheritance from some prior age’s manipulations. So 1 Intricate hair styles or braiding
long as the subjects still think in much the same way as 2 Painted skin markings that sometimes change
their human neighbors, they’ll generally still be consid-
3 Tattoos of some cultural significance
ered “normal” humans, though their enemies may point
to their alterations as signs of irreconcilable difference. 4 Piercings, whether minor or elaborate
5 Role or class-specific clothing items
6 Patterned hair shaving or depilation
d8 Typical Skin Colors in the Populace
7 Culturally-significant jewelry or accessories
1 Extremely dark hues
8 Color choices with social meaning to them
2 Dark browns and mocha shades
9 Socially-meaningful animal motif items
3 Golden, sallow, or ivory
10 Worn weapons, tools or trade implements
4 Olives or light browns
11 Significant scent or perfume uses
5 Ruddy or tanned complexions
12 Impractical or elaborate role-based clothes
6 Pale white or pinkish hues
7 An unusual color or pattern of colors
8 Scales, fur, or unusual hide type d20 Optional Physical Quirks or Traits
1 They possess an extra eye somewhere

d8 Hair Color Hair Texture 2 An additional set of limbs or extremities

1 Night-black Very tightly-curled 3 Extremely pronounced sexual dimorphism

2 Dark browns Dense and curled 4 Patches of feathers, scales, fur, or the like
3 Lighter browns Slightly wavy 5 They have a tail of some sort
4 Red shades Stiff and straight 6 They possess wings, whether useful or not
5 Blonds Thick and wavy 7 Their skin is an unusual texture
6 White or white-blond Thin and fine 8 Sigil-marked by their creator in some way
7 An unusual palette Thick and flowing 9 The sexes look very similar to outsiders
8 They lack hair Scant and delicate 10 They have a particular scent to them
11 Their voices are peculiar in some way
d8 Eye Coloration 12 Additional or too few fingers or toes
1 Black or extremely dark brown 13 They have animalistic features in some way
2 Hazel or olive 14 Have one or more manipulatory tentacles
3 Blues in varying shades 15 They have light-emitting organs or skin
4 Grays, whether flat or metallic 16 Their mouths are fanged or tusked
5 Ambers and yellows 17 They have alien Outsider features somehow
6 Greens in different shades 18 Their proportions are distinctly strange
7 An unusual or luminous color 19 They don’t show age the way others do
8 Slit or unusual pupils; roll again for color 20 Roll twice and blend the results
180

Values of the Society

Societies will tend to esteem certain values, holding them
as emblematic of their people or specially blessed by their
gods. Institutions will honor these values, folk heroes
will act in ways to further them, and the rightness of
decisions will be judged on how well they conform to
these virtues.
These special virtues are not the only qualities the
society values, of course. Even the most individualistic
society will value some degree of order and civic peace,
while the most violent warrior cultures can still under-
stand the need for some periods of enforced calm. Yet
when these values clash with other principles, the society
will generally choose their favorites to prevail.
From the GM’s perspective, you can use these prin-
ciples to generate adventure hooks and problems within
the society. Just take the virtue too far, or make a favored
vice a cause for significant civic troubles.
The table below can help you generate two or three
traits the society values. Conversely, you could use the
table to find those qualities the society especially hates
or considers contemptible.

d100 Values They Esteem d100 Values They Esteem

1–2 Individual rights and freedom of action 51–52 Personal sacrifice for one’s causes or purposes
3–4 Courage and valiance in danger 53–54 Building things in service of their posterity
5–6 Honesty and truthfulness in speech 55–56 Faithfulness towards one’s chosen friends
7–8 Eloquence and social expertise 57–58 Dominating and possessing other people
9–10 Raw strength and personal prowess 59–60 Exploring the unknown and discovering secrets
11–12 Discipline and obedience to the law 61–62 Seeking fortune in new places or new roles
13–14 Filial devotion to family and parents 63–64 Social progress toward some eventual utopia
15–16 Education and knowledge-seeking 65–66 Excellence in one’s profession or trade
17–18 Piety and devotion to the gods 67–68 Loyalty to one’s friends, family, and own
19–20 Beauty and seductive charm 69–70 Vengeance and execution of just vendettas
21–22 Conquest and domination of others 71–72 Restoring some real or imagined glorious past
23–24 Ascetic unworldliness and pious poverty 73–74 Unity and elimination of group differences
25–26 Harmony with nature and existing life 75–76 Magical prowess and occult ability
27–28 Ethnic purity of blood and culture 77–78 Sharing wealth and goods with others
29–30 Cunning and the ability to trick others 79–80 Membership in an elite bloodline or caste
31–32 Subtlety and indirectness of action 81–82 Personal indulgence and luxuriant pleasure
33–34 Prosperity and accruing material wealth 83–84 Scheming subtly against enemies or rivals
35–36 Submission to the collective will or culture 85–86 Remembrance of the past and memorializing history
37–38 Hardiness and endurance before woes 87–88 Aesthetic beauty in material goods and architecture
39–40 Honor and maintaining one’s integrity 89–90 Zealous guardianship of their own land or holy sites
41–42 Sexual license and wantonness 91–92 Humanistic reason and “rational” religion
43–44 Submission to lawful authority 93–94 Industry and the ability to work tirelessly
45–46 Personal development and limit-pushing 95–96 Leadership and charisma in the group
47–48 Justice and fairness between people 97–98 Pacifism and peaceful resolution of problems
49–50 Purging evil and expelling the wicked 99–00 Societal or ethnic superiority over all outsiders
 181

Societal Organization d20 Major Unit of Social Identity

How is the society organized at the basic level? While the 1 Extended family out to cousins and like kin
ties of blood are fundamental to almost all societies, the
basic units of identity and cooperation don’t always fall 2 Religious factions or faith alliances
along nuclear family lines. In the far future of the Latter 3 Regional and province-based identity
Earth, societies built on ideological or functional delin- 4 Ethnic membership
eations are more common, as some human lineages have
had their cognition and preferences adjusted to better 5 Professional guild or trade-specific group
suit their ancient manipulator’s purposes. 6 Identity based on their local community
The adjacent table gives suggestions for major social 7 Educational ties to institutions or traditions
groupings in the society. A given individual might consid-
er several of these identities to be important to them; a 8 Patron-client relationships with major figures
man may be deeply committed to his family and children, 9 Hereditary loyalty to a political group
but he might also see himself as a member of his caste or 10 Trade guilds specific to particular roles
professional role, and fight on behalf of their interests as
well as those of his immediate family. 11 Dynastic lineages with cadet branches
For the GM, conflicts between these groups are an 12 Lineages based on ancient hero-ancestors
easy source of adventure grist. The government likely 13 Numerous castes of hereditary workers
treats many of these groups as subjects for their policies
and laws, and different groups probably vie to win control 14 Inheritance of an ancient body modification
of the governmental apparatus. A powerful dynastic lin- 15 Astrologically-determined birth groups
eage might strive to keep control of a particular ministry, 16 Warbands or civic military service groups
while a trade guild might jealously guard “their” senator.
17 Voluntary mutual-assistance brotherhoods
18 Far-flung clans of affiliated families
19 Having or lacking noble blood
20 Ideological groups or philosophical sects

Societal Aesthetics d20 Example Template Societies

It’s impossible for a GM to define everything about a 1 Victorian England
culture that might conceivably become important during
play. Small details of dress, architecture, the titles of offi- 2 Standard Medieval Fantasy Land
cials, and other minutiae might suddenly become critical 3 Warring States China
when the GM needs a particular fact at hand. 4 Pre-Columbian North American Tribes
Rather than trying to formulate a heroically Barker-
ian level of detail for your society, the easiest workaround 5 Mali Empire
is to take an existing historical society as a template. 6 Unified Dynastic China
Whenever you need an answer for a particular question, 7 Imperial or Republican Rome
provide whatever answer roughly matches the way that
the chosen template society did it. 8 Greek City-States
Historical accuracy is completely unimportant, 9 Mongolian Steppe Nomads
as the whole point of the exercise is to give you quick, 10 Modern-day America
relatively coherent answers rather than to correctly
portray an existing real society. You may be generating 11 Renaissance Italy
a society of albino pacifists with three eyes that have a 12 Imperial Persia
magocratic government divided into multiple fractious 13 Early Medieval Europe
religion-based factions, but if they have an Aztec aes-
thetic then they build grand stone architecture, favor 14 Byzantine Empire
their clothing styles, and like erecting imposing religious 15 Incan Empire
monuments. 16 Fantasy Viking Land
For some of the more esoteric cultures or societies
on this list, you might need to do some background read- 17 Sumerian or Assyrian Empire
ing to pick up the necessary details. Such investigation 18 Aztec Empire
of real-life cultures and history can be a fruitful source 19 Post-Islamic Arabia
of inspiration for problems, adventures, and novelties in
your own world. 20 Polynesian Islanders
182

Government Construction
When building a government for a nation, tribe, or oth- personal retainers. There is very little in the way of paid
er polity, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose of offices, bureaucratic institutions, or low-level function-
your work. While there’s a great deal of pleasure to be aries. Taxes and other exactions are gathered and handed
had in worldbuilding for worldbuilding’s sake, a working over by the common populace based on custom and the
GM should keep in mind three fundamental purposes in threat of direct violence from the leadership, rather than
building any government. being collected by some intermediary enforcers.
Governments should provide adventure hooks. If PCs or others start to create problems in an area,
The conflicts within a government, the demands it makes the local citizens will have to deal with it. Only if that
upon a populace, and the problems it faces from reb- proves impossible will they send to their leadership for
els, malcontents, rivals, and its own internal corruption help, and that help may not be quick in coming. In such
should all work to provide you with easy adventure cre- cases, the leadership will dispatch one or more trusted
ation grist and interesting events for PCs to encounter. retainers to resolve the situation. These retainers may
A peaceful, orderly, intricately-designed government may dragoon local citizens and resources to their purpose,
be an enjoyable worldbuilding exercise, but it’s not likely but their actions will be based on custom, threat, and
to give you much playable content. necessity rather than any formal charter.
Governments should provide guidelines for re- Medium-density governments are found in richer
acting to PC actions. You need to understand how the polities or tribal nation-states where there’s enough sur-
local rulers will respond to typical PC hijinks. While you plus to feed a thin layer of functionaries. Even in these
don’t necessarily need to explicitly tally the local lord’s nations, however, usually no more than one in five hun-
men-at-arms, you need to know what kind of resourc- dred people are actually officials or permanently-mus-
es the local authorities will likely have for dealing with tered soldiers. Small bureaucracies may exist devoted to
troublemakers and responding to local crises. Is there the treasury, the military, economic control, or state re-
anything like a police force? Are there particular things ligions, but these bureaucrats will tend to be centralized
that PCs are likely to do or be that are problematic, like in the capital or other major cities. Villages and other
being a sorcerer in a magic-banning nation or a human provincial regions will generally have a single governmen-
in a land of demihuman supremacists? Your life as a GM tal representative present, along with a handful of local
will be much easier if you have a rough idea of the kind of clerks, guards, and servants.
muscle and money available to the local rulers at various When a crisis happens, the local governmental
levels of PC interaction. representative will resolve it with their personal retinue,
Governments should fit the thematic goal of the or enlist locals to assist. Some of these natives may be
nation. If you want to have pulse-pounding sword and formally organized as auxilliaries, such as a town guard
sorcery adventures in a decadent land of untamed wil- composed of free citizens obligated to do the work on a
derness and debaucherous cities, you probably shouldn’t rotating basis, or village chiefs charged with collecting
put it all under an all-powerful mandarinate. Or if you do, crop taxes from their neighbors. These auxilliaries are
you should have a very good idea of why scholar-officials rarely paid much, if anything, for their work. Many of
chosen for academic ability and personal virtue actually their duties may be treated as unpleasant corvee labor
fit the kind of play you want to encourage in the area. exacted from the populace by the state.
With these three points established, you can go In a medium-density government, PCs are unlikely
through the sections below to quickly generate a gov- to encounter the city watch or other low-level function-
ernment that will help you fulfill each goal. aries outside of an actual city. The lowest governmental
representative is usually a city or district magistrate or
Governmental Density governor, and individual village chiefs are likely no more
First, you need to decide how dense the nation’s govern- than important local citizens deputized as such by cus-
mental resources are. Very poor polities simply cannot tom. If the PCs cause serious problems in a city, the rul-
afford the tremendous superstructure of officials, enforc- ers may have a certain number of standing guardsmen to
ers, functionaries, and men-at-arms in full harness that deal with them, but major uprisings will require calling
richer nations can indulge. As a consequence, they will out the citizenry or sending to other cities for help.
tend to have very different mechanisms for dealing with High-density government is the sort most familiar
public disorders and large-scale problems than more af- to modern readers, being a fair description of many of
fluent nations. the modern nations of the world. Perhaps as many as
Low-density governments tend to exist in tribal one in a hundred citizens are either professional soldiers,
societies, small fiefs, compact institutions such as mon- clerks, functionaries, or other state-employed servants.
asteries, or poor nations that produce very little surplus Bureaucracies exist in every city and town, and the gov-
for the elites to collect. Their governments usually consist ernment has the manpower necessary to involve itself in
of a single autocrat or small group of leaders and their almost every form of human interaction.
 183

Depending on the competence and responsiveness The Source of Legitimacy

of the bureaucracy, a crisis might be met with a swift, Why does anyone pay attention to these rulers? They
overwhelming response, or it might meet an intermi- may have great military might at their disposal, but con-
nable delay of confused paperwork and competing de- tinued stable rule is contingent on some degree of popu-
partments before an overwhelming response is aimed lar submission to their orders. What have the rulers done
in precisely the wrong direction. Governments of this to earn the obedience of the people?
kind have a tremendous fund of resources to carry out
their will, but their will is often bent and warped by the d12 Sources of Legitimacy
countless layers of functionaries between the leader and 1 They’ve simply always been the rulers
the reality on the ground. In such states, it’s not impos- 2 They’re thought wiser and more virtuous
sible for the ostensible emperor to be unable to control
3 Their martial prowess is awe-inspiring
anything he’s not personally overseeing, simply because
the existing bureaucracies have too much inertia to direct 4 The gods chose them as the leaders
without personal oversight. 5 They were chosen by popular will
As the GM, think about the wealth and general atti-
6 They’re loved for their benevolence
tude of the populace of this nation and pick a government
density that fits. Then if some crisis or calamity strikes 7 They utterly crushed the last batch of rebels
in the land, whether PC-generated or not, you’ll have 8 They brought greater prosperity to the land
some idea what the initial response will look like and 9 They smashed the prior government
what kind of resources they might have to deal with it.
10 They brought order out of bloody chaos
The Ruling Authority 11 They led the nation to greater glory and pride
How many people are actually in charge in the nation? Is 12 They seem less bad than the alternatives
it an autocracy based on a single monarch, or is effectively
ruled by a council? Don’t worry about who these rulers
are at this stage, just decide if they are one, several, or Servants of the Ruling Order
many significant rulers. How do the rulers exert their will on the people? What
d4 Number of Rulers institutions or functionary classes exist to make sure
their commands are carried out and their laws are re-
1 There is a single nominal monarch spected? Most nations have more than one institution
2 There is a monarch and several under-kings that can serve to impose the ruler’s will, but the one you
3 There is a group of approximate equals pick or roll below may be the most powerful.
The ruler’s favored enforcers often tend to subsume
4 There are a large number of rulers some of the government’s power toward their own class
or personal interests. Corruption among powerful gov-
The Ruling Class ernment functionaries is a commonplace, and PCs can
Where are these rulers drawn from? What class or classes easily find that the personal trouble they have with some
provide the leadership of the nation? This limitation may grandee can become a formal crime. Agents of less pop-
be a formal law or custom, or it may just be a de facto ular governments can come to be hated or feared by the
reality based on the local political situation. common people, often with bloody consequences.
d12 Example Ruling Classes d12 Institutions and Agents of Control
1 Hereditary nobility of blood 1 Subordinate lords pledged to the ruler
2 Powerful merchant-princes and oligarchs 2 Obedient commoner bureaucracies
3 Sorcerers and the arcanely skilled 3 Magically-empowered enforcers
4 Magically-empowered bloodlines 4 A major religion allied with state power
5 Proletariat peasantry or artisans 5 A powerful and respected judiciary
6 Minority ethnicity of long historical rule 6 Savage brutes on the government leash
7 Clergy of one or more local faiths 7 Economy-controlling officialdom
8 Citizens of a special city or old homeland 8 Divine blessings and curses on the people
9 Outsiders or nonhumans of a certain type 9 Ingrained obedience in the populace
10 Warlords or military leaders 10 Hireling enforcers employed at need
11 Clan heads or ethnarchs of particular groups 11 Sorcerers in service to the ruler
12 Colonizer viceroys of a foreign hegemon 12 A specific ethnic client group of the ruler
184

Forms of Rulership Diseases of Rule

You may know how many major rulers there are for the The final step in creating the government is to roll or
nation, but how are these rulers chosen, and what is their pick a substantial problem that it’s facing or a driving
general relationship to the rest of government? Use the ambition that is causing conflict within its membership.
table below that best fits the number of chief rulers suit- This problem will help create adventure hooks involving
able to the land. the government; maybe the PCs are caught up in the
struggle as unhappy victims, or enlisted by a faction to
d8 Single Rulers
help gain its end.
1 King or queen over lesser lords Remember that there will always be factions and
2 Autocrat with non-noble officials conflicting interests in any government. Feudal lords
don’t want the same things that the monarchic king
3 President chosen by certain electors
wants, and urban merchants haven’t the same interests
4 Warlord recognized as the strongest as rural peasantry. Even a state’s main institutions of en-
5 Seniormost representative of the ruling class forcement might have their own set of goals to pursue.
6 Divinely-chosen leader of the land d12 Current Struggle Within the Government
7 Monarch for a fixed term or situation 1 The ruler’s trying to crush a too-powerful lord
8 Wielder of some magical legitimacy 2 Ministers are trying to usurp power
3 A grand scheme has gone terribly wrong
d8 Multiple Rulers 4 External diplomacy has bungled something
1 Nobly-born peers of the realm 5 A usurper secretly controls a major power
2 Seniormost figures in the ruling class 6 Foreign rivals are backing malcontents
3 Elect chosen by ruling class electors 7 A different class demands a share of rule
4 Hereditary heirs to their positions 8 The existing ruling class wants more power
5 Warlords with the strongest backing 9 A disfavored class is being oppressed
6 Oligarchs of greatest wealth or influence 10 Popular discontent is destroying legitimacy
7 Divinely-chosen representatives of their class 11 The prior ruler’s incompetence still harms it
8 Bureaucratically-chosen ministers 12 The heir is unacceptable to many
 185

One-Roll Government Details

While the prior tables give you a basic framework for a
government, it can be useful to add a few more details
for spice and easier plot hook creation. The tables on this
page can be used to quickly generate a few peripheral d4 How Stable is the Government?
facts and situations to help flavor a GM’s plans. As with 1 Precarious, its authority questioned by some
the other tools in this section, a GM should simply scale 2 It has significant problems, but it functions
the results up or down to suit the scale of the government
they’re creating. 3 Relatively stable, with strong legitimacy
Thus, if you’re creating a tribal kingship where the 4 Stable, able to endure even fierce shocks
ruler is one man and his dozen most trusted spear-broth-
ers, a result of “Bribe-hungry and meddling magistrates”
d12 Officials Recently Causing Problems
might mean that Bragi accepted a dozen sheep from
a man to decide in his favor about a land dispute, and 1 Rapaciously grasping tax-farmers
so now the victim’s kindred are demanding justice. In 2 Ill-disciplined and thieving military troops
a grand empire, that same result might speak of an en-
3 Bribe-hungry and meddling magistrates
tire province plagued by greedy magistrates who go un-
checked by a royal censor who has abandoned his duties. 4 Ever-watchful informers among neighbors
5 Tithe-hungry collectors from the state faith
d6 How Established Is the Current Ruler? 6 Corrupt and untrustworthy market officials
1 They’re an outsider with few existing allies 7 Carelessly superior nobles and their retinues
2 They’re newly-ascended to the throne 8 Thuggish constables or city guardsmen
3 They have some basic ties with strong allies 9 Pitiless inquisitors hunting out dark magics
4 They have a hard core of useful supporters 10 Law enforcers acting as if they are the law
5 They have an extensive support network 11 State scholars teaching vile principles
6 They’re practically an institution of their own 12 Corrupt village headmen acting as tyrants

d8 What Problems do their Ministers Have? d20 Recent Governmental Event

1 Their chief schemes too much against rivals 1 A major official was executed for treason
2 They’re out of touch or lazy in their work 2 A critically-necessary heir was born
3 They recently suffered a bloody purge 3 A chief minister fell rapidly from grace
4 Enemy forces have allies among them 4 A high noble made rebellious noises
5 They’re distracted by factional infighting 5 A major faith was offended by the rulers
6 The leadership tends to ignore their advice 6 An allied nation was angered by some act
7 They tacitly usurp power from the ruler 7 An enemy nation’s spy ring was revealed
8 They’re committed to a very bad idea 8 A vast governmental project was announced
9 Corrupt officials plundered a great plan
d10 A Strength of the Government 10 A major new bureaucracy was formed
1 The bureaucracy is extremely efficient 11 A heavy tax was levied to deal with an issue
2 The military leadership is fiercely loyal 12 A general was dismissed for incompetence
3 It has great legitimacy with the populace 13 A folk hero rose to dangerous popularity
4 It has firm economic control over the land 14 A major infrastructure project was begun
5 The populace is convinced it will bring good 15 A fief or territory was put in new hands
6 Its diplomats are remarkably cunning 16 Certain merchants were fined to beggary
7 An expert spymaster serves it well 17 A terrorist attack by rebels or external foes
8 It has access to powerful sorceries 18 A major faction of officials collapsed
9 It’s got firm ties with an important faith 19 A large bureaucracy was dissolved
10 Nobles have magic blessings or gifted blood 20 Internal province borders were redrawn
186

History Construction
A GM will often need to build some sort of history for Then use the table below to pick out some crisis they
their creations, whether for current nations and groups faced and overcame, thus instigating their rise.
in their campaign setting or for some long-lost fragment
of ancient empire. Rather than bog down in an endless- d00 Historical Crises
ly-unscrolling timeline of events, it can be convenient to 1–4 Barbarian invasion
package the past into four stages for any group: origin,
5–8 Colonial incursion from a greater power
rise, peak, and fall. The tables provided here give some
suggestions for particulars. 9–12 Decadent society or a great social evil
Not every group will need every stage fleshed out, 13–16 Divine wrath upon them
and not every element needs to be detailed in exhaustive 17–20 Domineering neighbor
fashion. A few sentences about each stage is often all
that’s necessary for some long-dead empire, and when 21–24 Economic collapse
building some time-lost ruin all you might care about is 25–28 Failed external war
how the original creators fell. 29–32 Ideological divide
You can also create epicycles inside this pattern, add-
ing additional rises, peaks, and falls within the group’s 33–36 Incompetent governance
history until some final burden blots them from the 37–40 Internal refugees
memory of the world. It’s generally only worth your 41–44 Loss of cultural confidence
time to do this if you plan on very carefully detailing a
45–48 Magical calamity
particular history. For less important actors, the rough
outlines are usually all you need. 49–52 Malevolent religion
If you don’t already know of their origins, first find 53–56 Miserable poverty
out how the group came into being.
57–60 Natural disasters
d8 How Did They Originate? 61–64 Noble infighting
1 Aboriginal peoples united in the area 65–68 Religious or ideological excess
2 They were refugees from a fallen land 69–72 Resource exhaustion
3 They were exiles or losers of some civil strife 73–76 Scheming wizards
4 They were colonists who became independent 77–80 Some titanic monster
5 They were magically created or shaped here 81–84 Tyrannical rule
6 They all followed a faith or ideology here 85–88 Unsuccessful expansion
7 They were a conquering army gone native 89–92 Usurpers seizing control
8 They migrated here for profit or plunder 93–96 Vicious civil warfare
97–00 War with a stronger power
Now roll or decide what became of the original in-
habitants of the land, who might’ve been the last rem- But how did they manage to overcome the crisis?
nants of the former ruling power of the region or small, What quality did they demonstrate to get through the
disorganized groups unable to successfully resist. hard times or shift the burden onto their neighbors?
d10 What Became of the Original Inhabitants? d10 How Did They Overcome the Crisis?
1 There were no other humans living here 1 A brilliant and inspirational leader arose
2 They were wiped out in warfare 2 Organization and unity overcame the trouble
3 They were utterly assimilated 3 Grim determination and enduring the evil
4 They were driven into exile 4 Faith strengthened them against the woe
5 They became the ruling class 5 Skillful use of magic resolved the problem
6 They became an oppressed underclass 6 Martial prowess and military cunning
7 They were partially assimilated 7 Diplomatic ties and outside help
8 They retained small areas of self-rule 8 Industrious labor and tireless exertion
9 Roll 1d8 twice; both happened 9 Economic brilliance and trading acumen
10 No one can agree on what happened 10 Ruthless but effective sacrifices were made
 187

With the group at its historical peak, what particular d12 What Became of the Unabsorbed Survivors?
marvels, splendid qualities, or exceptional strengths did 1 They fled for refuge to a neighboring nation
it demonstrate? The shining peak of a provincial noble
2 They sought to hide in a dangerous wilderness
house might produce significantly less than the golden
age of a world-spanning empire, but something about 3 They were exterminated by bitter rivals
this period set its stamp on the group and gave them 4 They degenerated into savage remnants
something to be proud of for the remainder of their days.
5 They were enslaved by their enemies
d12 What Was Great About Its Peak? 6 They were magically transformed or twisted
1 A terrible regional evil was driven back 7 They were shattered into pockets of survivors
2 Academies were built that are still honored 8 They became a remnant shadow of themselves
3 Ancient foes were united together 9 They forcibly migrated into a weaker land
4 Grand Workings were sorcerously raised 10 They formed the nucleus of a new culture
5 It controlled the trade of the entire region 11 They split into several new, smaller groups
6 It was hegemon over its weaker neighbors 12 Roll twice; the resultant groups hate each other
7 Its armies were fearsomely mighty With the basic outline of the group’s history com-
8 Its culture was compelling to its neighbors plete, you can now go on to decorate their past with other
9 Magnificent works of art were created historical events, such as those given on the following
pages. If you’ve already established a few historical events
10 Numerous legendary heroes arose for the group as part of building a backdrop with them,
11 The populace was tremendously prosperous you can stitch those existing events into the pattern
12 Wonderful works of architecture were built you’ve generated here.
All of the results in this section should be selected
Yet all glories must fade in time. For its fall, pick with an eye for adventuring potential. The old conflicts,
or roll another historical crisis; this time, the group was past prides, and present travails of a nation are meant
unable to rise to the occasion and collapsed due to the to provide situations that the PCs can encounter, and
stress of the situation. Why couldn’t it handle the crisis? problems that they might be called upon to intervene
in. An intricate tale of a hundred-year war is all well
d12 Why Did It Fail At the Final Crisis? and good, but if the story doesn’t provide any adventure
1 Its people were too deeply divided hooks, then it’s recreational worldbuilding rather than a
2 Its leadership was hopelessly inept source of playable content.
Also keep in mind that these history tools don’t need
3 The gods cursed it to ruin to be applied strictly to great nations or mighty tribes.
4 Decadence and self-absorption doomed it Even a gentry family in some remote village might have a
5 It was vastly overconfident in its plans history patterned from this table, translated and shrunk-
en down to the scale at which they live. The Barbarian
6 Its neighbors conspired to help ruin it
Invasion that was a tide of howling warriors to a nation
7 It was actually two crises, and it was too much might be a raucous clan of backwoods squatters laying
8 It was culturally exhausted and apathetic claim to the family’s best fields. In the same vein, “diplo-
matic ties and outside help” might’ve brought together a
9 Some tried to take advantage of the crisis
national alliance at a state level, and might’ve called on
10 Its strengths were useless against the problem old marriage ties to marshal a mob of angry villagers at
11 The crisis was far too vast and overwhelming a more familial level. Use the results as cues and general
12 Some leaders were allied with the crisis directions rather than stiff descriptions of specific fact.

With the nation or group in ruins, the last step to the

process is to determine what happened to the survivors
that were not absorbed by the conquerors. While fantasy
worlds often consign fallen empires to oblivion, historical
collapsed nations tend to melt into the surrounding peo-
ples or carry on as pockets within the new overlord’s do-
main. In your world, it’s possible that the serpent-men of
the Red-Scaled Imperium were wiped out by the collapse
of their thousand-year rule, but it’s equally possible that
they became the humble swamp-fishers that sometimes
bring their catch to human villages.
188

Historical Events Great Awakening: A tremendous wave of reform, pu-

The events described here provide a selection of possibil- rification, and re-commitment to venerable values
ities for your own history-building. When applying them swept through the group.
to different levels of your backdrop, scale them according- Great Builders: The group constructed a great many vast
ly; the Immigrants result rolled on a village scale might be palaces, monuments, estates, or other structures of
a family of foreigners moving into an isolated farmstead, wide fame.
while applying it on a national scale might mean an entire Great Infrastructure: Some tremendous work of infra-
barbarian tribe has marched in and requested citizenship. structure was accomplished: canals, vast walls, roads,
aqueducts, mines, or the like.
Battleground: The group’s territory ended up as a bat- Hero King: Some king or other ruler achieved legendary
tleground between two stronger rival powers, and glory in war, diplomacy, or governance. Their name
they suffered bitterly for it. is honored even today.
Betrayal: Either they betrayed some trusting neighbor to Immigrants: A large group of foreigners entered the land
a foe, or were betrayed in turn by such a false friend. more-or-less peacefully and may or may not have
Brutal Oppression: Some portion of the group was re- been welcomed.
duced to a state of wretched subservience by the rest. Inefficient Rule: The group’s governance was impractical,
Class Struggle: Different classes were in conflict, either inefficient, or corrupt, holding to values that turned
subtle or overt, all seeking their own gain. out to be unhelpful.
Consequences: Pick an event of a prior age; it had long- Internal War: A straight-up civil war was sparked in the
term consequences that were good, for a bad event, group, one that involved all or many of its members.
or bad, for a good event. Loss of Confidence: Some encounter with a new group
Decadence: Old strengths and glories crumbled away or some shocking event made the group lose faith
into decadent remnants, the group becoming indo- in its own customs and values.
lent and indulgent. Magical Disaster: Some large-scale magical disaster
Depravity: Vile debauches, unclean habits, and base hun- scarred the group, either natural in nature or the
gers became commonplace among the group. result of someone’s sorcerous doings.
Desolation: Some portion of the group’s territory was Magical Tech: The group developed a useful and wide-
rendered uninhabitable by something, either per- spread magical tech or infrastructure that may have
manently or for a long time. survived into the present.
Diplomatic Coup: The group achieved an extremely Natural Calamity: Earthquakes, multi-year droughts,
successful alliance or affiliation with a neighboring tsunamis, meteor strikes, or some other ruins smote
group that may yet persist. the group.
Economic Boom: Circumstances produced a burst of New Horizons: The group discovered new territory,
tremendous prosperity for them. whether trans-dimensional, a far terrestrial region,
Enemies Within: A hostile sub-group inside the group underground realms, or the like.
worked to do it evil, perhaps on behalf of a neighbor New Rulers: The group’s former ruling dynasty was re-
or due to some old grudge. placed, either peacefully, through intrigue, or per-
Evil Wizard: A malevolent sorcerer, arcane cult, or other haps through outright conquest.
powerful magical entity caused a great deal of trou- Noble Function: Aside from the usual roles of nobles,
ble for the group. their ruling class was all expected to fill some spe-
Exodus: A significant chunk of the group packed up and cific role: priest, mage, scholar, or the like.
left for some supposedly-superior land. Noble Strife: The group’s nobility found itself embroiled
Exquisite Art: The group produced art that is revered to in assassinations, petty wars, and mutual struggle.
this day, either in general or in a specific medium Plague: A sickness of vast scope culled many of the
or form of literature. group, and may yet linger in some form.
External War: The group faced a war with some external Poverty: Circumstances conspired to reduce the group
enemy or rival nation, with grave consequences. to a state of great poverty and harsh simplicity for
Freakish Magic: A particular type of magic was devel- a time.
oped here that is unknown elsewhere, and its prac- Power Brokers: The group was a critical regional power
titioners keep its secrets well. broker for a time, their aid or influence critical in
Golden Age: Everything went remarkably well for the determining who would be the hegemon.
group for an extended period of time, allowing pros- Praetorian Coups: Soldiers or guardsmen in service to
perity and success. the ruler ended up becoming the ruler’s electors or
Good Wizard: Some magic-using entity of great power deposers.
protected the group, taught them magic, or other- Priest King: One or more religions became deeply in-
wise assisted them. tertwined with the legitimacy of the ruling class,
priests becoming nobles and vice-versa.
 189

d00 Historical Event d00 Historical Event

1–2 Battleground 51–52 Loss of Confidence
3–4 Betrayal 53–54 Magical Disaster
5–6 Brutal Oppression 55–56 Magical Tech
7–8 Class Struggle 57–58 Natural Calamity
9–10 Consequences 59–60 New Horizons
11–12 Decadence 61–62 New Rulers
13–14 Depravity 63–64 Noble Function
15–16 Desolation 65–66 Noble Strife
17–18 Diplomatic Coup 67–68 Plague
19–20 Economic Boom 69–70 Poverty
21–22 Enemies Within 71–72 Power Brokers
23–24 Evil Wizard 73–74 Praetorian Coups
25–26 Exodus 75–76 Priest King
27–28 Exquisite Art 77–78 Rare Resource
29–30 External War 79–80 Religious Fall
31–32 Freakish Magic 81–82 Religious Rise
33–34 Golden Age 83–84 Resource Collapse
35–36 Good Wizard 85–86 Secession
37–38 Great Awakening 87–88 Terrain Change
39–40 Great Builders 89–90 Total Collapse
41–42 Great Infrastructure 91–92 Twist of Fate
43–44 Hero King 93–94 Urbanization
45–46 Immigrants 95–96 Weak Throne
47–48 Inefficient Rule 97–98 Xenophilia
49–50 Internal War 99–00 Xenophobia
Rare Resource: A uniquely valuable resource was found Urbanization: One or more urban sites became unusu-
or manufactured by the group, which used or traded ally heavily populated, growing vastly and having a
it to full effect. wide net of supporting towns.
Religious Fall: A once-honored religion collapsed, per- Weak Throne: The central government of the group be-
haps through divine displeasure, human corruption, came weak, and feudal lords or subsidiaries gained
or harsh suppression. much effective independence.
Religious Rise: A powerful new religion arose among Xenophilia: The group adopted many customs from their
the group. neighbors and many foreigners joined the group.
Resource Collapse: Some critical resource ran short; Xenophobia: The group conceived a strong distaste for
water, arable land, timber, magical power, or the like. foreign people and their customs, curtailing outside
Secession: A substantial portion of the group’s territory contact.
tried to secede from the rest, successfully or oth-
erwise.
Terrain Change: Some portion of the group’s land slowly
changed its basic ecosystem; plains to forest, desert
to savannah, or the like.
Total Collapse: Whether due to war, civil strife, magical
curses, or sheer decadence, the group’s society col-
lapsed into anarchistic chaos for a time.
Twist of Fate: Roll again; if the event was positive twist
it to ultimately be a negative to the group, and
vice-versa.
190

Religion Construction
While it’s certainly possible to create a setting wholly de-
void of anything resembling a religion, most GMs will What is the God’s Origin?
want some manner of faith in their campaign. Note that Where did this deity come from? The religion may be
you should only build the religions you need, the ones completely wrong about the facts of the matter, but they
that will give you the most playable content and the high- will have some kind of explanation as to the origins of
est number of adventure hooks. A boring faith, however their god. This origin will tend to shape a faith’s rela-
important it is to the culture or society it’s in, just isn’t tionship with their patron; the literal hero-ancestor of
worth much of your mental effort or creative energy. a people will draw a different kind of devotion than a
personified abstract principle.
The Scope of the Faith d12 Where Did The God Come From?
First, decide where this god is worshiped. It might be
a local deity unknown outside a particular backwoods 1 It’s a deified ancestor-king or progenitor
hamlet, or it might be the state faith of an entire kingdom 2 It’s a legendary historical hero or teacher
or continent. Some faiths you create might be entirely
3 It’s an abstract principle reified as an entity
dead in the modern age, existing only to help you define
the particular god some ruined temple once served. 4 It simply always existed since creation
Use the scope of the faith to scale the results and de- 5 It was an apotheosized sorcerer
cisions that follow. A religion led by a single holy prophet 6 It’s the genius of a particular land or location
might amount to a village wise man for a petty rural god,
while an empire’s faith might be led by a pontiff hardly 7 It was an Outsider or alien from beyond
less powerful than the emperor. 8 It was a personified natural phenomenon
9 It was another faith’s saint turned into a god
Who Leads the Faith? 10 It was a tamed or placated supernatural entity
How is the religion organized, and who makes decisions
about its beliefs, actions, and use of resources? When 11 It was an artificial construct built by humans
PCs interact with the clergy, who will be deciding how 12 Roll twice and blend the two
the faith responds to them, and who do the nobles deal
with when they want divine favors for the church?
d8 Church Structures Why Does This Faith Matter?
Most gods provide something important to their wor-
1 Each holy man or woman is the autonomous
shipers, be it luck, divine blessings, salvation upon death,
leader of their own branch of the sect, with
or curses on their enemies. From a GM’s perspective,
however many followers they can gather.
however, the most important factor is how the god re-
2 There are multiple pontiffs, friendly or otherwise, lates to the PCs, and what sort of playable content they
with subordinate clergy obedient to their own bring to the campaign setting.
pontiff and perhaps cooperative with others. In some cases this will be obvious, because you’re
3 There is a single pontiff with a layer of upper building a faith to be the state religion, or the primary
clergy and temple heads beneath them, who source of Healers in a setting, or some other clear hook.
have a layer of minor clergy serving them. The table below offers some suggestions for other cases.
4 Individual congregations are independent, with
d10 Why Does The Faith Matter?
their clergy subject to the consensus will of their
parishoners. 1 It’s the main purveyor of healing blessings
5 Powerful lay believers fund temples that are 2 It provides magical favors to the faithful
subject to their family’s wishes, staffed by clergy 3 It’s locked in conflict with a major local power
supported by their funding.
4 It supports something the PCs love or hate
6 There is no official clergy; some believers may
take up special roles or provide teaching, but 5 It’s the state faith or otherwise legally important
they are not qualitatively different from others. 6 It regularly hires people to do work for it
7 The church is entirely part of the secular structure 7 It’s trying to expand and needs help
of the land, its clergy no more than officials
8 It’s a huge economic player in the area
appointed by the government to their roles.
8 Roll twice; the faith has different structures in 9 It plots secret sinister evils against the land
different places or contexts. 10 It has influence over important locals
 191

What Does This Faith Want? What Is Their Function in Society?

The religion doubtlessly wants something. Individual While a given faith matters chiefly for what it provides
clerics might have their own desires and ambitions, but by way of adventure hooks, the religion also must serve
as an institution the faith wants something that the PCs some meaningful purpose in its surrounding society. It’s
can either help or hinder them in obtaining. Some faiths a common habit of world-builders to assign particular
might have multiple desires, either pursued by quarreling portfolios to gods and then build out their social func-
factions within the church or as part of some larger vision. tion from that. While it’s possible to do this, it’s generally
d12 What Does The Faith Want? more efficient to reverse this process.
First you pick the function that is being served, and
1 Crush its religious rivals in the area then you roll or choose the god’s divine portfolio. The
2 Destroy a heretical but powerful sub-sect connection between the two may not seem obvious at
3 Expand the faith to a foreign land or people first glance. but the society will tend to create their own
explanations for any apparent incongruities. A forest god
4 Recover holy land or a sacred site
who also happens to be the favored deity of a nation’s
5 Obtain vast material wealth for the faith noble elite might influence their iconography, make their
6 Depose a hostile royal house or government duels into ritual hunts, and perhaps be credited as the
magical source of noble fertility or special prowess.
7 Smash a specific enemy faith or group
Most societies will have certain roles or functions
8 Embody their god with a mighty ritual that the gods need to serve. Almost every nation’s farmers
9 Erect a huge and imposing temple complex need to pray to somebody for a good harvest, and people
10 Perform a tremendously expensive rite will pray for health, luck, protection in danger, success in
undertakings, and other common human desires. A GM
11 Strengthen or protect its devout believers could create gods for all the common needs listed below,
12 Roll again; stop a rival from doing that but the table is mostly useful for assigning a particular
social role to whatever specific gods or religions that are
What are the Clergy Like? most relevant to your campaign’s scope and your party’s
What’s the average cleric of this faith like? How do they adventures.
present themselves to the general public, and what kind
of cleric will the PCs most likely encounter if they want d20 What Does This God Do in Society?
to deal with this religion? The more restrictive and de- 1 It’s the war god or patron of those who fight
manding the faith is about their clerics, the rarer they will 2 It’s the favorite god of the ruling class
be and the more likely that lay believers handle some rit-
3 It’s the patron of an important profession
uals of the faith on their own. Conversely, the more strict
the qualifications, the more likely those clerics are to have 4 It’s a devil-figure that must be placated
special qualities or magical powers. Some faiths may have 5 It provides healing or protection from danger
multiple kinds of clerics, either as different ranks or for 6 It’s a patron of an illegal but inevitable trade
serving different functions in the religion.
7 It hallows the law and consecrates oaths
d8 What Are the Clerics Like? 8 It’s flatly illegal and hated by most
Just ritual technicians trained in complex rites, 9 It’s the protector of an ethnic minority
1
with no special moral qualities. 10 It provides good harvests or human fertility
Chosen from specific bloodlines or groups and 11 It’s the patron of the former rulers of the land
2
trained to serve the faithful. 12 It guards particular places within the land
Experts in some sphere related to the god’s 13 It provides wisdom and insight at need
3
portfolio or nature, though trained in ritual.
14 It gives good luck to its petitioners
Sorcerers who serve the god as part of their
4 15 It’s a protector of the weak and humble
magical studies or efforts.
Common believers chosen by their peers for 16 It empowers those seeking revenge for wrongs
5
their technical skill and good moral qualities. 17 It bestows material wealth upon petitioners
Isolated ascetics or ritually-separated persons 18 It protects the soul in the afterlife
6
expected to keep a distance from the world. 19 It explains the creation and order of the world
Individuals who step forward and are accepted 20 It prevents some type of common disaster
7
for their qualities or technical skills as priests
The wealthier believers who can afford to keep
8
up the expensive or demanding ritual practice
192

What Is The God’s Portfolio? What Are the Faith’s Strictures?

Once you know what the faith’s role in society is, you can A religion will make certain demands upon its faithful,
pick or roll to find out what general portfolio is assigned with the common believers expected to keep to certain
to the deity. Powerful gods may have several spheres they behaviors and the clergy charged with more demanding
are responsible for, while niche deities might be gods of practices. These strictures and commands usually relate
only a small, specific, yet important function. The origins to actions rather than beliefs; theological disputes are
of the god will also flavor this choice; an ancestor-hero meat for priests, while common believers concern them-
might have a portfolio associated with their great deeds selves with the proper sacrifices, prayers, rituals, and tech-
in life, while a reified cosmic principle probably isn’t con- nical procedures for winning the god’s favor.
sidered critical to merely human processes and activities. Some of these strictures will be positive, command-
ing the faithful to act in certain ways. Others will be neg-
d20 Human Concern Natural Principle ative, forbidding them from particular activities. While
1 A Human Vice A Local Terrain Type many faiths might have general prohibitions against blas-
2 A Kind of Demihuman Beasts phemy or other activities widely despised by their society,
the table below focuses on special commands unique to
3 Agriculture Beauty or Sex the followers of the god.
4 Cities Cosmic Law Of course, not all followers will obey these strictures
5 Commerce Creation with the same zeal. Priests and the pious will usually
be expected to offer at least lip service to the principles,
6 Crafting Death
while common believers may follow them only when
7 Deception Fertility their circumstances allow or they feel a special need to
8 Healing Forests curry the god’s favor. Nobles and other elites will often
make an ostentatious show of such behavior, facilitating
9 Justice Magic
it with their wealth and power in order to emphasize
10 Luck Mountains their piety and favor with the gods. Indeed, following cer-
11 Marriage or Family Night tain taboos may be a sign of status in a society and show
12 Music One or More Seasons the practitioner is wealthy enough to afford such limits.
13 Prophecy Pain d20 Particular Religious Requirements
14 Protection Sea or Rivers 1 Never/always associate with certain types
15 Revenge Sky 2 Never eat a particular common food type
16 Ruling Storms or Rain 3 Give a significant tithe regularly
17 Theft or Crime Sun, Moon, or Stars 4 Make particular sacrifices at certain times
18 Travel or Roads The Underworld 5 Revere/hate a class or group of people
19 War Time 6 Forbid a certain common profession or role
20 Wisdom Untamed Nature 7 Forbid an activity common to society
8 Give secular obedience to the clergy
9 Pray at certain fixed places or times
10 Never/always trade with certain sorts
11 Never/always live in certain places
12 Marry exclusively within the faith
13 Do something society finds repugnant
14 Hold certain places to be taboo
15 Hide the inner faith’s teachings from outsiders
16 Make sacrifices that society finds hateful
17 Never/always make war on certain types
18 Honor/degrade a particular profession
19 Make certain pilgrimages to holy places
20 Never/always cooperate with a certain faith
 193

One-Roll Temple Details

It’s inevitable that the PCs are going to seek the services
of a temple sooner or later, either for the sake of some
magical blessing that can be had there or out of more
secular interest in its wealth, employment opportunities, d4 How Big is the Temple?
or suitability for plundering. The tables below allow you 1 Much smaller than most in a similar place
to roll one die of each type and assemble a serviceable 2 Shrunken from its former size
shrine out of the results.
When considering the specifics of architectural de- 3 Normal for a temple of its importance
sign or decoration, you can lift the aesthetic of the sur- 4 Unusually large or grand for its site
rounding culture and simply use that. If the faith is an ex-
port from a foreign land, however, it might use a different
d12 What Problems Does It Have?
architectural lexicon, or use materials uncommon in the
secular buildings there. Often there are particular struc- 1 A rival faith is doing the temple real harm
tural quirks that quickly identify a building as sacred in 2 The locals expect a miracle it can’t provide
its culture, such as purifying baths, arched processional
3 The leader is fighting with their superiors
paths, altar rooms, tall spires, or ritual walls demarcating
the sacred ground from the secular earth outside. 4 A priest recently did something awful
5 The temple got into serious debt lately
d6 What Do The Locals Think Of It? 6 Some disaster physically damaged the place
1 It’s held in contempt for its flaws and failings 7 Some armed men have a grudge against it
2 Something about it is bothering the locals 8 The elite refuse to patronize it for some reason
3 The locals accept it as a tolerable shrine 9 It suffers signs of real divine displeasure
4 It has a good and trustworthy reputation 10 A sorcerer-priest is meddling with dark forces
5 It did something recently that gave it glory 11 A schismatic is drawing off its believers
6 It’s held in utmost esteem by the locals 12 Roll twice; one because of the other

d8 Who Is In Charge There? d20 Particular Quirks About the Temple

1 A venal time-server of desultory piety 1 It’s built into a once-secular building
2 A harried and inexperienced new leader 2 It’s remarkably well-fortified
3 A dutiful minion of the local secular power 3 It’s connected to a secular business
4 An incompetent shunted off to the post 4 The clergy are largely related to each other
5 A local prodigy of remarkable abilities 5 It’s in an unusually dangerous location
6 A grizzled and pragmatic leader 6 It shares space with a friendly faith
7 A charismatic but near-schismatic iconoclast 7 It follows unusual prohibitions or rites
8 A practical and reasonably pious cleric 8 It has access to some ancient artifact
9 The library is remarkably extensive
d10 What Particular Help Can It Provide? 10 It attracts prophets and religious merchants
1 They have considerable magical resources 11 It provides some illicit or scandalous service
2 They’re unusually flush with cash 12 It’s more a merchant enterprise than a shrine
3 They own a lot of valuable goods or land 13 It’s unusually beautifully-built
4 They have the ear of important locals 14 It’s a shadow of a once-glorious past
5 The local lord relies on them considerably 15 It’s unusually recent in its founding
6 They have useful secular servants 16 The clergy generally hate each other there
7 They know a lot of useful secrets 17 Its leadership is foreign or demihuman
8 They can get crimes or offenses forgiven 18 It deals only with the proven faithful
9 They are owed favors by other temples 19 It displaced a former faith, perhaps violently
10 They have a lot of well-armed followers 20 It actually is another faith, merely concealed
194

Evil or Antagonistic Religions d12 Rewards of the Sinister Faith

For many GMs, it hardly seems like a sword and sorcery 1 It savagely defends an otherwise oppressed
campaign without a sprinkling of nefarious cults and a or powerless group, requiring service as a
cackling evil high priest or two. Likewise, GMs of other price for this aid
genres often find it necessary to cook up the occasional
2 The chosen among the believers are granted
evil deity and its host of cultist slaves.
magical powers or occult gifts
While it’s possible to create such faiths as simple plot
devices, wicked for wickedness’ sake and motivated by 3 The faith can bestow wealth and material
irrational zealotry alone, fleshing the faith’s reasoning out prosperity on those who serve it
a little bit further can sometimes produce more usable 4 It allows an undead or undying state of
game content or a more abundant selection of plot hooks. eternal life for devout servitors
When you need an evil religion or a faith that’s go-
5 It gives practical protection against a plague,
ing to be antagonistic to the party’s goals, it’s worthwhile
disaster, constant environmental hazard, or
asking yourself some questions about it.
other threat against its believers
Most importantly, is this faith genuinely malevolent
or is it just situationally opposed to the party’s interests? 6 It provides political power through blackmail,
The devotees of Kaaldruk the Iron-Horned might make bribery, vile favors, and other works in favor
it a point of religious zeal to murder any interloper who of its followers
dares enter the taboo ruins of his sacred city, but oth- 7 Its principles are the comfortably established
erwise the faith may be no more vicious or demanding morals and beliefs of its hereditary believers,
than any other religion in the area. A party who finds as much as they hide them from outsiders
themselves with a pack of Kaaldruk’s holy slayers track- 8 It provides intense physical pleasures or
ing them after their latest ruin expedition may have a sensory delights that its believers normally
negative opinion of the faith, but other locals might just would never get to taste
shrug and figure the PCs brought it on themselves.
If the religion isn’t really malicious or contrary to 9 It provides muscle to its faithful followers,
local moral codes then you can create it with the tools letting them murder, beat, or terrorize those
earlier in this section and just add whatever additional who stand against them
goals or strictures you need to put it crosswise with the 10 It justifies their worst impulses and gives
PC party. If this religion really is a nefarious one, follow- a divine rationale to a vicious, depraved
ing heinous principles or obeying sinister powers, then a subculture the believers belong to
few more questions need to be answered. 11 It promises salvation from an impending
catastrophe that will be unleashed on all
The Rewards of Damnation unbelievers.
What do the cultists get out of their service? Why does
it seem a good idea to worship a tentacular abomina- 12 It gives its outcast adherents a sense of
tion that hates all human life? Why are these believers meaning, importance, and power with its
rejecting the morals and values of their native culture to terrible majesty and awful splendor.
adhere to faith that rejects everything their families and If the faith has an open, public presence in a society,
society holds dear? it probably is offering some of the same practical benefits
The irresistable will of a dark god or the convenient that a more temperate religion provides. The tables on
insanity of mind-blasted devotees are over-worn tropes the prior page can be used to give a hint about what the
often used to answer this question. Aside from being dark cult means to its more casual adherents.
stale, they also don’t give a GM much to work with; if A savage blood god who grants inhuman might to
the cultists are worshiping this dark god because they’re its fiercest devotees might simply be a useful war god to
crazy or mind-controlled, then there’s no way to rational- rank-and-file believers. They may not have any moral
ly predict their actions or assess their logical goals. objection to the hideous rituals the elect perform to get
Instead, it is often better to apply more human rea- their unholy power, but the price of it may be more than
sons to the cultists, and give the more comprehensible they care to pay. Instead, they simply pray to the god for
rationales for their service. PCs who can recognize the success in battle.
logic behind the cult’s service will be in a better position The more widespread the faith, the more likely it is
to deal with them and their plans. that its most extreme qualities are reserved to its clergy,
Human motivations are also easier to integrate its most zealous lay believers, or to the more fundamen-
with the rest of the campaign. If the religion is giving talist sub-sects of the religion. Outer-circle believers may
the believers something valuable, then that reward will be praise this exemplary piety, but the practical concerns
something others will try to eliminate, exploit, or acquire of ordinary life are likely to discourage less dedicated
for their own use. believers from sacrificing so much to their eldritch lord.
 195

One-Roll Malevolent Cult

Most antagonistic religions are built for a particular
purpose: a GM needs sentient enemies in some ancient
ruined temple, a dark mastermind is needed for some
nefarious plot, or a savage land needs some suitably d4 How Unified is the Cult?
bloodthirsty religions for its people. The prior table can 1 Completely united behind its leadership
give a GM some ideas about what the faith is offering its 2 Obedient to leaders who sometimes quarrel
believers, but a few more details are often needed to put
something usable together. 3 Tenuously balanced factions cooperate
The tables below let you roll one die of each type to 4 Badly fractious under many rival priests
get a general overview of the sinister faith. They assume
that the cult is proscribed in the nation or otherwise
d12 What Problems Does It Have?
viewed with dismay by decent people. If you’re generating
an evil faith that can openly function in a land, then just 1 The leadership is insane in unhelpful ways
read the table results in light of that public acceptability. 2 It caught the eye of a dangerous enemy
The more isolated and concealed the cult is, the
3 One of its servitor monsters is out of control
more devoted or desperately trapped its believers are
likely to be. Social isolation tends to favor the extreme. 4 It’s running low on sacrifices and slaves
5 It’s been impoverished by a recent trouble
d6 What General Goal Do They Have? 6 There’s a dangerous schism in its ranks
1 Glorify their dark god and its vile ways 7 Its god is making unreasonable demands
2 Expand the cult in an adjacent community 8 The laity is demanding much from the priests
3 Destroy a powerful enemy of the cult 9 The enforcers are muscling their clerical lords
4 Extinguish a rival faith and their clergy 10 The god’s influence has become distant
5 Perform a terrible magical ritual 11 An important member has turned traitor
6 Obtain secular control over an area 12 Another dark faith is warring with it

d8 What’s So Horrible About the Faith? d20 Specific Traits of the Cult
1 Unbelievers are to be killed on principle 1 It favors monstrous body alterations
2 Hideous appetites of the flesh are sacred 2 It’s a remnant of a now-dead culture
3 Unholy entities from beyond must be called 3 It has a variety of potent ancient artifacts
4 Unbelievers are cattle to be used as desired 4 It’s a sect of a better-known public faith
5 The world must die to make room for the god 5 It cuts secret deals with the ruling class
6 Secular civilization must be destroyed 6 It has a totemic beast or monster type
7 All law but the cult’s must be overthrown 7 They live where normal people couldn’t
8 The god demands a terrible nourishment 8 They’re cannibals or other gustatory deviants
9 They have agents in other religious groups
d10 How Do the Clergy Enforce Their Will? 10 They were thought to be wiped out in the past
1 Magical curses scourge the disobedient 11 A subculture of the land is friendly to it
2 Blackmail and threats of social ruin 12 It employs technology-like magics
3 Murder by cult enforcers and monsters 13 It has a lot of servitor monsters obedient to it
4 Mental compulsions implanted by rituals 14 An area is tacitly understood to belong to it
5 Kidnapping before a hideous ritual death 15 It was once a public and powerful faith
6 Traitors are betrayed to their enemies 16 It has open sympathizers among the great
7 Violence against a traitor’s loved ones 17 It’s thought to hold back some awful doom
8 The dark god’s divine wrath smites them 18 They only look like humans
9 Control of an addictive thing they need 19 The visible part of the cult is but a fraction of it
10 Lay believers gain glory by purging traitors 20 They serve a purpose that no longer obtains
196

Placing Ruins and Points of Interest

Some campaigns revolve almost exclusively around
d12 Places Specific to the Latter Earth
courtly intrigue, urban adventures, or quests through
uninhabited wilderness. Most, however, need at least a 1 An abandoned Outsider outpost, possibly
modest sprinkling of ruins, Deeps, lost temples, hidden with a hazardous local environment
lairs, and other “dungeon”-like places of adventure. 2 A Deep long since abandoned
As a general rule, you should only worry about plac-
3 An alien xenoforming complex, possibly with
ing ruins at the kingdom level of your campaign. Famous
a surrounding arratu
sites of adventure might exist elsewhere in the setting,
and legendary ruins might be well-known to scholars 4 A relic-palace of a vanished sorcerer-king
elsewhere, but the only ruins you really need to worry 5 A city once inhabited by not-quite-humans
about are the ones your players could conceivably want 6 A megastructure of now-irrelevant purpose
to go adventure in for their next session without crossing
half the region to get to them. In additon, local ruins 7 An old stronghold of hostile Outsiders or of
are the ones most likely to be causing problems for the antagonistic demihumans
natives and creating situations that require adventurers 8 Massive monument complex dedicated to a
to help resolve them. vanished kingdom, god, or ethnic group
9 Fortress raised by a dead sorcerer-king, lost
Establishing Ruins empire, or militant faith
As a rough guideline, start with a half-dozen ruins for the
average-sized kingdom. These are not the only ancient 10 Wizard’s lair once or presently inhabited by
remnants in the area, but they’re the most famous or sig- powerful and dangerous sorcerer
nificant. There’s nothing stopping you from planting a 11 Roll twice on 1d10; the first roll was built on
minor Deep a half-day’s march outside your starting vil- top of or in the ruins of the second roll
lage, but places of that scale are so small or obscure that 12 Roll again, but now inhabited by bandits,
only the locals are likely to know about them. These six exiles, hostile refugees, or other interlopers
initial ruins are names familiar throughout the kingdom.
If you don’t have your own ideas about what these
ruins are, use the adjacent tables to get some inspiration. d20 General Places of Adventure
GMs using the Gyre setting might roll on the Gyre-spe- 1 A lost temple to a dead god
cific table, while those building for a more standard fan-
tasy setting might use the general one. 2 Ruins of an ancient city
Look at your kingdom map and identify the usual 3 Cavernous tunnels and strange geology
paths of travel between its major settlements. Usually 4 Ruined fortress of a former empire
this will be by water whenever practical, or along the
flattest and safest land routes. Identify the empty spaces 5 Town ruins swept away by some disaster
in the kingdom that lie between these major traffic routes, 6 Lair of a legendary beast or monster
places where only rural villages or howling wilderness 7 Wizard’s tower or complex
exist.
Now place each ruin in one of the empty spaces, 8 Failed colony or forward outpost
choosing locations appropriate to their nature. A ruined 9 Prison-pit to shackle a dangerous power
city was probably on a river or coast, or else at a good an- 10 Pilgrimage site for a lost religion
cient trade nexus. A forgotten fortress guarded a once-vi-
tal military strongpoint. A Deep might have breached 11 Nexus point for otherworldly powers
the surface almost anywhere, while a raider lair is almost 12 Mortuary complex for a lost people
certainly close enough to a traffic route to pillage it. 13 Stronghold of exiles, rebels, or invaders
Finally, write a sentence or two of description about
the ruin. You don’t actually need to flesh it out or turn 14 City or settlement of dangerous nonhumans
it into an actual adventure site with the tools starting 15 Subterranean settlement or complex
on page XX. All you need is to know it’s there, and to 16 Abandoned pleasure-palace of a ruler
think about what kind of problems or opportunities it
might present to its neighbors. If the PCs decide they 17 Lost fortified bridge or crossing-point
really want to check the place out, then you can spend 18 Sinister ruined estate of a former lord
the downtime between sessions turning it into a real ad- 19 Roll again; now inhabited by interlopers
venture site.
20 Roll twice; one built on top of the other
 197

Tags
(Introductory tag explanation)
198

Communities
Community tags provide adventure grist for any location the second of the original tags. This conflict or division
where a significant number of people have to work to- is what gives the subculture its identity or present focus
gether for survival. While the classic “grimy medieval city” of effort.
or “rural dirt-farmer hamlet” are both archetypal com- Community tags are particularly susceptible to be-
munities, this heading could also include monasteries, ing altered by the actions of the PCs. It’s not beyond
isolated ideological groups, subcultures within a larger impossible for an adventuring band to completely over-
society, or any other mass of people that lack the implicit turn the power structure or internal politics of even a
hierarchy and shared organization of a Court. good-sized city, let alone a humble farming thorp. If
As with the other tags, Community tags should be this happens, be ready to pull the negated tag and apply
read as broad strokes and general directions for your cre- something that makes sense as a consequence or derived
ativity rather than a strict description of reality. It can be outcome of the PCs’ actions. It’s almost impossible for a
useful to think about them in a metaphorical sense as mere band of adventurers to quell all conflict and struggle
well as a purely literal one; maybe the Monstrous Tribute in a human community, but they can at least shift the
that the community is offering is its docile sacrifice of terms of the fights to something they find more palatable.
young men to a brutal lord’s meatgrinder border wars.
Two well-blended tags are usually sufficient to give
character to any single community. If you’re building a
subculture of a particular community, you might choose
to roll a third tag, pair it with one of the first two, and
then pit it in some sort of opposition or conflict with

d100 Tag d100 Tag

1–2 Ancient Infrastructure 51–52 Magical Academy
3–4 Bad Neighbors 53–54 Martial Tradition
5–6 Blood Feud 55–56 Miserable Penury
7–8 Brilliant Innovation 57–58 Mistreated Blighted
9–10 Broken Spirits 59–60 Monstrous Tribute
11–12 Corrupt Laws 61–62 Neglectful Ruler
13–14 Criminal Bosses 63–64 New Industry
15–16 Cultural Center 65–66 Pilgrimage Site
17–18 Cursed Circumstances 67–68 Plagued City
19–20 Decadent Locals 69–70 Population Boom
21–22 Decaying Working 71–72 Raider Scourge
23–24 Demihuman Populace 73–74 Rebel Stronghold
25–26 Dueling Lords 75–76 Rigid Castes
27–28 Enemy Within 77–78 Scars of War
29–30 Faded Remnant 79–80 Seat of Rule
31–32 Fallen Prosperity 81–82 Secret Treachery
33–34 Foreign Enclave 83–84 Sinking City
35–36 Guild Oligarchy 85–86 Theocratic Authorities
37–38 Heavy Fortification 87–88 Toxic Economy
39–40 Hidden Ruler 89–90 Trade Hub
41–42 Hostile Terrain 91–92 Unique Product
43–44 Incompetent Leaders 93–94 Upstart Faith
45–46 Inherited Architecture 95–96 Warring Council
47–48 Inhuman Cooperation 97–98 Widespread Prosperity
49–50 Lawless Class 99–00 Xenophobic Locals
 199

Ancient Infrastructure Bad Neighbors

The community still has access to some sort of The community has a conflict with a neighboring
functioning ancient infrastructure, whether it's an community. This usually isn't part of a larger war, but is
array of wall-mounted arcane energy projectors, instead a personal animosity between them. It may be
running water, moving roadways, community-wide the community has suffered at their enemy's hands, or
climate control, or some other inherited luxury. This they may have been the ones applying the suffering.
infrastructure may be the result of a still-functional Constant low-level skirmishes and troublemaking go
Working, or it could be the product of some venerable on between the two.
occult engine that's still operational, or it may be
the fruit of the labors of some specially-designed E Foreign lord profiting by the quarrel, Bitter zealot
organism... or Blighted populace. who demands violent action, Real culprit seeking
to hide their offense
E Abusive ruler overusing the infrastructure, Foreign F Despairing peacemaker of a shared faith, Local
agent seeking to cause havoc, Reckless sorcerer with family from the rival, Frustrated but helpless
seeking to steal its power ruler
F Harried chief of the maintainers, Fascinated C One side seems at fault but is actually less
foreign scholar, Merchant reliant on its use blameworthy, The rulers of both use the quarrel
C The infrastructure's cruelly-costly maintenance is to distract their populace, It was a minor dispute
coming up, The infrastructure is starting to fray, that is spiraling out of control
The infrastructure was actually meant for a much T Proof of the culprit's guilt, Weapons cache meant
more sinister purpose to start real bloodshed, Treasure that would erase
T Irreplaceable infrastructure component, Spare the cause of the dispute
parts worth vast sums on the market, Secret P Dangerous no-man's-land between the
artifact that can control the infrastructure communities, Burnt home of a sympathizer,
P Dangerously energetic working zone, Secret Religious festival turned into a semi-riot
hideout inside the infrastructure, Sanctified and
holy control center

Blood Feud Brilliant Innovation

Two or more groups of citizens within the community Some local has come up with a wonderful new idea;
hate each other. Their neighbors or the local law have it may be a magical innovation, a new industrial
kept things from too-overt violence, but members of process, a new agricultural product, a new use for
the groups will constantly interfere with their rivals and what was thought to be ancient garbage, or some
cause whatever misery they can get away with. This other very useful, profitable idea. Everyone around
hate may spring from recent events, or it may be an them is fighting for the chance to exploit this clever
inherited spite from old wrongs. new plan.
E Wholly unsympathetic group leader, Schemer E Grasping guildmaster, Overbearing local ruler,
seeking to exploit the feud, Ruler going to brutal Local leader whose power is threatened by the
excess to tamp it down innovation
F Reluctant participant in the feud, Local digging F Visionary supporter of the innovator, Outside
for the real truth of the quarrel, Merchant who'd merchant seeking to profit by enabling the
profit by a new peace innovation, Local leader whose constituency
C The groups were formerly the closest of allies, would profit from it
One group is favored by local rulers, One side C The innovation requires ingredients only
is getting completely out of hand adventurers can get, The innovation is riskier than
T A treasure the groups are fighting over, Object it seems, The innovator is actually a con artist
of exculpating evidence, Lost symbol of peaceful T Critical component for the innovation, Trove of
unity profit from the innovation's test run, Vital planning
P Bloody back alleyway, Sabotaged business, and design documents
Group-dominated tavern P Ambitious test zone for the innovation, Guildhall
of upset locals, Tavern with locals fighting over
the change
200

Broken Spirits Corrupt Laws

The locals are in a state of despair and dull apathy. What law exists here is for sale, or does not apply
They've lost the things that used to give them pride to certain favored groups or castes. While some
and hope, with the best among them carrying on out degree of corruption and noble license exists
of habitual duty and the worst giving ready hands almost everywhere, this community lacks any shred
to shameful deeds and ignoble acts. No one really of impartiality. Strangers might be fleeced by local
believes the future can be better, and most seek only lawmen, evildoers can be absolved by a payment,
to satisfy immediate appetites. and powerful gentry do as they please.
E Cruel tyrant who broke them, Slaver trading on E Immensely venal magistrate, Local lord who
the hopeless, Merchant of despair and its costly fails to see any problem with the "natural" order,
escapes Crime boss taking blatant advantage of the
F Determined young local leader, Proud old corruption
rememberer of better days, Furious rebel against F A crusading law enforcer, Royal investigating
the world censor, Victim of a cruel injustice
C An outside power wants to keep them safely C The favored class are vital to the community's
broken, Their fall was due to their own sins and security, The natives would rather pay predictable
errors, They could be very dangerous if they bribes than risk facing real justice, The real law is
regain their spirit enforced by a secret group of natives
T Symbolic item of former glory, Resources to kick- T An uncollected pile of bribe money, Stolen
start a new source of pride, Treasure laid up in goods yet unsold, Blackmail evidence on the
splendid times chief magistrate
P Crumbling monument to a past victory, "Wealthy" P A courtroom where the law is sold, Crime scene
town area that's shabby and ill-kept, Empty with an unconcerned criminal, Site of brutal
temple to a once-loved god vigilante justice

Criminal Bosses Cultural Center

One or more crime bosses have a powerful influence The community produces some wonderful cultural
on the community. They may control crime within the artifact or trains famous artists. The product might
community itself, or they may use it simply as a safe be some exceptional cloth, or artistic luxury good,
haven from which to direct their minions elsewhere. or the scholarly fruits of a famous academy. Trained
Local law enforcement may know all about them, but artists might be students of a particular school, or the
lack the strength to confront them and their paid or apprentices of the current masters of a long artistic
intimidated henchmen. tradition who dwell here.
E Blatantly overt criminal chief, Well-controlled E Master artist who suffers no rivals, "Visionary"
head of law enforcement, Crime boss bent on who wants to tear down the old art for their own
using the PCs as catspaws new one, Merchant who is trying to control the
F Victim of an untouchable boss, Determined production for profit
bounty hunter, Ambitious criminal seeking to F Ambitious young artist of profound talent, Wild
make room above genius of very difficult temperament, Aged
C The crime boss' support is what keeps the master proud of his tradition
community prosperous, Local government is C The art requires resources that are running
almost openly staffed by cartel members, The low, Some other group is cheaply and poorly
locals will deal with PC troublemakers for fear mimicking the art, Their main market has
of the boss' anger somehow been cut off
T A boss' secret stash of wealth, A treasure stolen T A famous and ancient work of art, An art object
elsewhere and brought here by a boss, Evidence made of some priceless substance, An art object
proving one boss is betraying another encoded with a precious secret
P Uncharacteristically opulent home in the P Busy studio or academy hall, Mercantile
slums, Sleepy law enforcement headquarters, emporium where the cultural products are traded,
Dangerous tavern for local minions Renegade artist's hovel
 201

Cursed Circumstances Decadent Locals

The community has been cursed with some blight that The locals enjoy repulsive vices and shameful
makes life difficult, albeit not impossible. An offended appetites. They may have religious sanction for their
sorcerer's vengeful Working, an outraged god's wrath, evils, or neighbors might trade with them for such
a local distortion of the Legacy, or a simple history of things, or they could be followers of some ideology
bad feng shui in the area may have brought the curse that blesses such pursuits. Their economy or their
about. If you include this tag, you'll want to devise not social organization is usually heavily reliant on such
only the curse, but the reason why the locals haven't traffic, and to ensure its continuance they may have
left for better lands. made bargains with things worse than humans.
E Charlatan offering false hope, Local demagogue E Trader in hideous sins, Bored gentry in search
blaming a useful culprit, Native profiting from the of a cruel thrill, Once-prey that has become an
curse even worse predator
F Scholar seeking details of the blight, Stubborn F Local who has secret doubts about the vice,
curse survivor, Aspiring curse-lifter with a secret Crusader from outside, Escaped victim seeking
weapon vengeance
C It has a profitable side effect, It was meant to be a C The victims of the vice are a class or type that
blessing, It can be aimed by willing conspirators their neighbors don't care about in the slightest,
T A personal anti-curse ward, Hidden wealth of a They have ways to make their vices give them
curse victim, A means to lift the curse power, Their society is attractive aside from this
hideous urge
P Enterprise blighted by the curse, Festival held to
pray for mercy, Ruin of a curse victim's home T A stolen victim of great value to someone else,
Proof of an outside noble's trade with them,
Precious regalia used in the vice
P Salon of hideous beauty, Stinking slave pit,
Mundane locale of ordinary business tainted by
their evil

Decaying Working Demihuman Populace

A great magical Working has been a critical part A particular breed of demihuman are either the
of the community since its creation, but now it's majority here or have the dominant positions in
beginning to decay. It may function only intermittently, the community. Architecture, local laws, and social
now, or its effects may have curdled into something customs are all tuned to suit them, and they may
double-edged. The locals have no idea how to fix it, not be particularly forgiving or friendly to humans.
and indeed, it may not be possible to repair it with Communities that are not outright independent usually
modern knowledge of sorcery. make an arm's-length submission to a local lord.
E Saboteur from an enemy community, Scavenger E Demihuman official who grudges baselines,
stealing critical components, Overconfident Baseline local who grudges the demihumans,
wizard attempting a ruinous repair Outsider preying on the demihumans
F One of the Working's hereditary keepers, Native F Curious young native, Canny local diplomat to
dependent on the Working's effects, Desperate humans, Native with a need for baseline help
researcher of repairs C Their human suzerain wants to erase all
C Part of the community would greatly profit by the independence from them, Something's legal
Working's failure, The Working risks catastrophic here that's forbidden in baseline communities but
eruption, The rulers punish any talk of it failing natural to them, Their independence is enforced
T A critical repair text for the Working, Valuable with something they have
broken Working components, Precious resources T Precious demihuman-made goods, Ancient relic
crystalized from the Working's energies revered by the natives, Wealth of a prosperous
P Control nexus for the Working, Enterprise outside trader
dependent on the Working, Site of a Working P Holy site forbidden to humans, House built to
failure or accident demihuman preferences, Business unique to
demihuman needs
202

Dueling Lords Enemy Within

Two different major powers are fighting over control The locals are convinced that there is some terrible
of the community. Two rival lords, a baron and a threat against them working from within their society.
merchant-price, the mayor and a local high priest, It may be a matter of dark sorcerers, foreign spies,
or some other combination struggle to achieve traitorous neighbors, shapeshifting monsters, or some
dominance. They may both have justifiable claim other hidden evil. This evil may be a recent fear, or
on running the community, or one may be a greedy it may be an inherited peril they’ve always had to
interloper. guard against. The danger itself may or may not exist,
or if it exists it may not justify the steps being taken.
E Third party profiting by the strife, Traitor to one
of the rivals, Outsider vulture wanting both rivals E Local inquisitor targeting his personal enemies,
to fail Leader of the sinister evil, Traitorous local in
F Harried local peacemaker, Impotent judge service to the evil
appointed by a disinterested higher authority. F Unjustly accused victim, Local ruler trying to
Appealing partisan of one rival restrain the mob, Skilled and discerning hunter
C The rival with the most legitimate claim is the least of the evil
suitable to rule, A vital civic task is left undone C The evil is real but actually running the inquisition,
until a ruler is determined, Both rivals have The hunters are creating the evil whether
terrible plans intentionally or no, The evil really is exactly as
T Token of legitimate rule, Bribe meant for a bad as the hunters say it is
powerful local, Proof of a rival's malfeasance T Confession naming perpetrators of the evil,
P Deadlocked city hall, Site of mob violence Wealth taken from condemned sinners, Resources
between rival groups, Tavern full of well-armed gathered by the agents of the evil
partisans P Confiscated home of an evildoer, Public
execution site for the wicked, Courtroom where
the evil is being tried

Faded Remnant Fallen Prosperity

This community used to be much larger and more The community used to be much richer, but something
prosperous, but something happened relatively long happened recently to crush its source of prosperity.
ago that left it a shrunken shadow of its former self. Different factions of the community might be trying to
Only a tithe of citizens remain on the site, and much of grasp at the remaining dregs of wealth, others might
its former architecture is crumbling and abandoned. A try to restart the failed industry, and some might look
few weathered tokens of old glory remain, and some for a new livelihood. Any group or entity thought
may be jealously maintained, but there simply aren’t responsible for the collapse is likely to be treated very
enough locals left to keep up what they’ve inherited. harshly, and some locals might find profit in shifting
the blame to their enemies.
E Looter seeking to plunder the remains, Zealot
with a plan to return to glory, Outsider strongman E Outside profiteer squeezing the newly-poor,
who wants to coerce the locals into obedience Local monopolizing the remaining income,
F Learned scholar of the noble past, Hard-scrabble Demagogue blaming everything on their enemy
present survivor, New citizen who sees hope in F Plucky local trying to make a new go of things,
the place Harried disburser of limited charity, Riches-to-
C They don’t fully understand what they’ve inherited, rags native trying to maintain their dignity
They were crushed because of their past evils, C Their loss is a rival’s gain, Someone’s offering
They’re not the actual heirs but merely squatters them a new industry at a terrible price, The
who moved into the empty place leadership is refusing to accept the new reality
T Artifact of the prior golden age, Wealth hidden T Priceless relic of their former wealth, Supplies
away long ago, Secret key to unlocking new vital to a budding industry, Resources once held
glory lightly that now are very precious here
P Near-abandoned city center, Massive decaying P Ill-maintained but splendid public building,
monument, Partially fallen town wall Mansion marked by genteel poverty, Empty
shop once catering to the rich
 203

Foreign Enclave Guild Oligarchy

Either most or a substantial minority of the locals While the community might ostensibly be ruled by
are descended from foreigners alien to their local some other power, real control lies with the senior
neighbors. They may have been religious exiles, members of the local craft and labor guilds. Their
economic migrants, indigenous locals surrounded decisions have the practical weight of law, and
by the existing polity, or a foreign city conquered much of their time and effort is spent squeezing out
within the relatively recent past. The locals may not competitors and parceling out economic opportunities
be enthusiastic about being ruled by others not of their in the community. Some guilds might have little or
kind, and their neighbors may look askance at the nothing to do with their original trade, and now exist
way foreign customs or even laws may be maintained. purely as shells for political influence.
E Ruthless independence fighter, Outsider ruler E Profoundly corrupt guild boss, Ambitious
with no regard for the locals, Local grandee newcomer with brutal methods, Ruthless leader
preaching contempt for outsider ways of a guild of criminals
F Peacemaking local leader, Local in love with an F Hard-bitten elder among the workers, Outsider
outsider, Pragmatic-minded outsider magistrate trying to make room here, Reformer seeking to
C Secessionists are being supported by their co- oust the corrupt guild heads
ethnics, The polity’s leaders don’t want them here, C The guilds have intermarried or entangled
They’re hated by their co-ethnics for some reason themselves with the ostensible rulers, The guilds
T Precious relic brought from the homeland, Wealth offer protection from a real or imagined threat,
hidden away for fear of outsiders, Valuable They guilds hate each other only slightly less than
good made as a cultural tradition the competition
P Public building in an aggressively different T Priceless symbolic guild regalia, Wealth hidden
architectural style, Outsider home surrounded by the former ruler of the community, Money
by local-style buildings, Civic gathering place earned by shady business practices
of a kind specific to the locals P Bustling guild hall, Purely decorative ruler’s court,
Shabby worker’s housing

Heavy Fortification Hidden Ruler

The community is remarkably well-fortified for a site of While the community has a public leader, the real
its size and role. Tall, stout walls, strongpoints inside authority is hidden from outsiders. This ruler may
the community, concentric defenses, a strategic terrain draw their authority from rationales unacceptable to
location, or a large body of standing troops might be outsiders, they may have cowed the public authority
present. Some threat is thought to exist that makes into obedience, or they may have a mutually
maintaining this fortification worthwhile, though it may beneficial private arrangement with the official ruler.d
come at a dear cost to the locals. The community’s
suzerain may be uncomfortable with these defenses, E Secret cult-backed leader, Nefarious agent of an
as they could just as easily be used to defy the ruler. enemy power, Minor functionary who is actually
the hidden master
E Outside enemy seeking to pierce the defenses, F Frustrated outside authority, Local seeking better
Rebel trying to declare independence, Heavy- government, Victim of the hidden leader’s will
handed local ruler demanding protection money
C Most people know that the real authority is
F Industrious maintenance chief, Ruler’s appointed concealed, The hidden ruler is a mortal enemy
local military commander, Local warning of of the legitimate authority, The hidden ruler’s
some sudden impending danger effective authority is over a large affiliated group
C The threat is gone but those who profit by the rather than the whole community
defenses keep them going, The defenses are T Information on the hidden government, Bribe
impractical, The community can no longer bear money paid to the public authority, Blackmail
the expense of the defenses material on important locals
T Components of a powerful fixed weapon, P Unassuming tavern that’s a secret headquarters,
Payroll for the soldiers, Precious and specialized Tense court of the official ruler, Hidden site where
maintenance components the secret government meets
P Oversized weapon emplacement, Top of a
looming city wall, Stronghold keep at the center
of the community
204

Hostile Terrain Incompetent Leaders

The community is surrounded by dangerous terrain: The community is led by one or more incompetents.
miasmatic swamps, perilous crevasses, radioactive While they must have been very good at something
badlands, a pocket of arratu, or some other harmful to have acquired the position, they are fundamentally
topography. The community might prefer the defensive incapable of leading. Uncontrolled passions or lusts,
potential of the terrain here, or have found a precious commitment to a hopelessly impractical ideal, pig-
resource worth the danger. The terrain might have headed obstinacy in the face of failure, a total lack of
formed at some time since the founding, with the charisma or interpersonal skills, or profound laziness
citizens struggling to make terms with the new danger. might all unfit them for their post.
E Bandit chief hiding in the terrain, Monstrous E Heir who is totally unsuited to their new rule,
leader in the badlands, Local who’s made a Disinterested ruler forced on them by their
secret deal with the terrain’s vile inhabitants overlord, Charismatic ninny with ridiculous plans
F Canny badland guide, Innocent researcher F Deposed former leader, Desperate local elder,
eager to explore, Grizzled chief engineer of the Victim of one of their bungled plans
community’s anti-terrain measures C An outside rival is backing the fool, The idiot has
C The terrain is growing somehow, The terrain tremendous institutional legitimacy, They provide
offers some special profit as well as danger, The a critical skill or ability unrelated to ruling
community is being crushed by the terrain T Embezzled funds from a failed plan, Precious
T Treasure lost within the terrain, Device that artifact lost through incompetence, Regalia of
generates or protects against the terrain, Precious critical importance to the ruler’s legitimacy
resource found within the terrain P Chaotic and ill-kept court, Site of abject disaster,
P Edge of the community overtaken by the Plaza full of grumbling locals
environment, Building fortified against the terrain,
Tavern favored by terrain guides and explorers

Inherited Architecture Inhuman Cooperation

Many of the community’s structures date back to the The locals have a deal with some manner of inhuman
ancient past and a long-vanished culture. They have power, either remnant Outsiders, eldritch entities,
unique architectural traits, perhaps being made of nearby monstrous beings, or some other creature
some strange substance or with uncanny qualities. The generally feared or hated by humans. It may actually
locals find them too useful or too durable to destroy, be a peaceful exchange, but more likely it involves
but the buildings often have unpleasant little surprises acts and sacrifices that other humans would refuse. If
in their under-explored corners, and there may be not secret, this deal is valuable enough to make the
greater structures still buried by long ages beneath community’s suzerain avert their eyes, or it may be
the community’s streets. a bargain so old that time has sanctified it to their
neighbors.
E A Thing from Below, Outside pillager bent on
sacking the structures, Reckless explorer opening E Sinister overseer of the bargain’s price, Local
up things best left sealed magnate growing rich off the dark bargain, Alien
F Heir to the ancient arts of maintenance, Chief entity seeking to expand the terms of the deal
of the local structure guard patrol, Keeper of a F Victim of the bargain’s price, Outside investigator
particularly useful structure seeking the truth, Inveterate hunter of the entity’s
C The locals mine treasures from the buried depths, type come to purge the evil
The structures were built by Outsiders, They C The bargain is actually reasonably fair and
require dark sacrifices to keep functioning decent, The locals don’t want the bargain but
T Key to unlock a sealed structure, Artifact of the their neighbors profit by it and so force them into
ancient lost people, Map to a hidden structure it, However bad the creatures are they’re actually
better than the human lord
P Mundane business in a remarkable building,
Ancient structure retrofitted into a habitation, T Valuable alien goods, Wealth offered as a
Buried ancient street within a cavern sacrifice, Treasure gained by cooperation
P Secret meeting hall for the creatures, Prosperous
front business, Sinister ritual of sacrifice
 205

Lawless Class Magical Academy

Some class of citizen is either tacitly or explicitly above While private tutelage of worthy apprentices can
the law. They may only be subject to punishment for sometimes be had even in remote villages, this
crimes against their own kind, or they may be entirely community is unusual in that it has an actual school
immune to legal prosecution. In some cases, this dedicated to teaching magic. Such schools are usually
immunity may be the product of official indifference small, with no more than a few dozen pupils, most
rather than high status; some untouchable classes may of whom will fail for lack of talent or discipline. The
be considered so lowly that their slaughter of each instructors are rarely first-rate, usually serving only for
other isn’t worth punishing unless it inconveniences the pay and status, but sometimes a genius sorcerer
their betters. will find a reason to observe likely apprentices here.
Given the unfortunate accident potential of the school,
E Professionally immune provocator, Cruelly it’s probably isolated or well-fortified.
indulgent elite, Grasping mercantile oligarch
F Hapless magistrate, Avenger outside the law, E Amoral headmaster, Secretly monstrous school
Victim of an unpunishable crime patron, Unpleasantly talented yet vicious elite
student
C The lawless themselves enforce the law, The
immune are most dangerous to each other, F Plucky young apprentice, Harried but earnest
Special servants of the immune also are immune teacher, Instructor with useful side obsession
T Wealth stolen from a hapless victim, Evidence C The academy is patronized by the ruling class,
that an abuser is not legitimately part of the class, The community grew around the academy, The
Token that grants the bearer the same immunity rulers don’t trust the wizards but find them too
useful to get rid of them
P Courtroom where some cases are swiftly
dismissed, Site of a gaudily obvious exercise of T Long-lost grimoire of power, Brilliant artifice of a
immunity, Shop where the business was ruined genius student, Magical key to a dark power the
by their excesses academy keeps locked up
P Battered magical laboratory, Architecturally
impossible chamber, Grubby student lodgings
206

Martial Tradition Miserable Penury

The natives have a long tradition of martial expertise. Life is hard in the Latter Earth, but it is exceptionally
This may be a crisply-organized history of skilled hard here. People are deprived of all but the
native levies, or it may be a natural belligerance in barest necessities, and even the local gentry are
the people that leaves them familiar with bloodshed. impoverished compared to their peers elsewhere.
While their neighbors and liege doubtless respect Something is making the locals stay, however, whether
their talents, this very aptitude might make them more fear of the alternative, hope for a better future, or a
willing to turn to steel than prudence would advise. stubborn attachment to their ancestral lands.
E Ruthlessly amoral military leader, Obsessive E Rapacious beggar-lord oppressing even poorer
martial academy master, Outsider using the lessers, Outsider who’s siphoning off wealth,
locals as brute muscle Brutal gang leader determined to take what
F Determined local defender, Petitioner in need of they want
their prowess, Keeper of the local martial way F Plucky young entrepreneur, Charitable cleric,
C They use weapons only they are able to employ, Suzerain’s envoy seeking to improve things
They’ve bled themselves white in gaining glory, C They could be richer if they abandon a defining
They’re eager to conquer their neighbors cultural tradition, They’re being bled dry by
T Enchanted weapon related to their way, Plunder outsiders, They’re hopelessly resigned
taken in a victorious war, Venerated battle T A stash of wealth that would be minor elsewhere,
harness of a legendary hero Desperately needed resources, A cherished relic
P Busy training ground, Cemetery with many that had to be sold for survival’s sake
memorials, City hall decorated with the banners P Miserable slum of shanties, Unprofitable fields,
of the vanquished Tavern with only the barest minimum of fare

Mistreated Blighted Monstrous Tribute

Not all Blighted are violent; many are simply cursed The locals have cut a deal with some unspeakable
with disabilities or mental compulsions implanted in entity, trading some vile tribute in exchange for the
them by their creators. The locals here have a useful being’s forbearance or assistance. Outsiders may be
kind of Blighted that provides some valuable service; ignorant of the bargain, or they may know that the
brute labor, companionship, or more awful fates for community is in thrall but be too fearful of its master
those with precious organic components. The locals to take action against them. The creature likely serves
treat them as nothing but expendable chattel, but the as a protector as well as a tyrant, so the locals may
Blighted are unable to effectively defend themselves be content with the deal even if it doesn’t offer any
or survive without the support of their tormentors. further inducement of aid.
E Bloodless local slaver, Faux-benevolent overseer, E Ancient artificial intellect-tyrant, Cruel sorcerer-
Reformer seeking a complete purge of them lord, Monstrous quasi-god
F Blighted leader, Troubled local, Native seeking F Secret rebel against the deal, Investigator looking
to take over the work niche the Blighted are filling for evidence, Monstrous rival of the tyrant
C The Blighted are emotionally addicted to this C They seize the tribute from their neighbors or
kind of servitude, The Blighted could be very enemies, The deal is getting progressively worse,
dangerous if they got free, Criminals and the Their neighbors are thinking of making their own
unwanted are transformed into the Blighted deals
T Device that imposes the Blight on a victim, Wealth T Ritual instruments forged via atrocity, Forbidden
earned by Blighted suffering, Key to the method book of hideous truths, Precious resource
used to control the Blighted generated by the entity
P Workhouse full of cruelly-used Blighted, Stately P Secret shrine to their unholy master, Prison where
mansion with rigidly-disciplined Blighted servants, the tribute is kept, Bustling town street full of
Sinister establishment staffed by disposable sinister prosperity
Blighted
 207

Neglectful Ruler New Industry

The community can’t rely on its ostensible suzerain. The natives have established a new industry here, and
Whatever lord claims ownership of the place is it’s making them a great deal of profit. Old patterns of
indifferent to its troubles and pays no attention to its authority and wealth are being disrupted, and the old
civic disorder. The lord may be incapable of giving gentry are unlikely to be pleased about it. They may
help, or convinced their representative can handle it be trying to take over the industry, or they may have
alone, or actively seeking to punish the community for been the ones to enable it in the first place and are
some rebellion or failure of service. using it to crush the life out of any rival power bases.
Outsiders might be playing a major role as well, and
E A viceroy sending back false reports, Local it could be they plot to siphon off the profits.
grandee seizing control by violence, Cruel local
lord who keeps the ruler pacified with tax money E Arrogant and ruthless new oligarch, Scheming
F Inspector from the suzerain, Local judge seeking old-money grandee, Grasping and heartless
justice, Harried representative in need of help industrial magnate
C The ruler has too many problems to care about F Hopeful new entrepreneur, Local elder trying to
this place, The ruler would actually make things deal with the change, Innocently naive outside
worse if they paid heed, investor
T Tax money not yet sent, A “gift” meant to draw C The gentry would prefer poverty to losing power,
the lord’s help, Proof of a plot to seize control of The gentry are split on the industry, The industry
the community comes with severe and unequally-distributed
downsides
P Deserted courtroom, Street crawling with local
vigilante groups, Burnt-out home of a political T Profit from the industry, A valuable device to
loser improve the industry, Tools of sabotage
P Retrofitted old workshop, Resource-extraction
site, Crowded worker housing

Pilgrimage Site Plagued City

The community is centered around a major pilgrimage The community is cursed with recurrent spells of some
site. This may be a religious location of importance to a troublesome disease. The affliction isn’t so fatal as
major faith, or it may be a more secular institution that to make living there impossible, but it adds suffering
draws the traffic, like a famous academy or the remains and expense to local lives. The plague might be
of some wondrous ancient work. Considerable local the product of an ancient curse, the results of long-
tension likely exists over controlling the access to the lost toxic remains, or an unavoidable byproduct of
site and maximizing the profits from foreign visitors. whatever industry or purpose justifies the city. It’s
probably not overly contagious, but visitors may be
E Outsider boss seeking to seize control of the site, in some peril all the same.
Corrupt hereditary site controller, Rival saboteur
bent on despoiling the site E Charlatan selling false hope, Merciless grandee
F Well-meaning pilgrim, Scholar with dangerous gladly worsening the plague for profit, Dark
historical theories, Earnest caretaker of the site sorcerer seeking to weaponize the sickness
C The site can only handle so many visitors without F Traditional healer wise in the plague’s ways,
degrading, The pilgrimage site is dangerous, The Appealing waif struck down by the illness,
keepers don’t fully understand the site Impassioned healer seeking a real cure
T Precious relic of the site, Beautifully-made fake of C The plague has a positive side-effect, Only
some critical relic, Secret true history of the site certain classes suffer the plague, Passage into
or out of the community is strictly controlled
P Expensive pilgrim lodgings, Street full of hawkers
of pilgrimage tokens, Alien and wondrous T A real cure for the plague, Hidden wealth of a
pilgrimage site plague victim, The key to halting the cycle
P Worn-down sickhouse full of locals, Cemetery
overflowing with the dead, Business based on
providing for a sufferer’s special needs
208

Population Boom Raider Scourge

A vast influx of newcomers has recently rushed into the Almost every community has some problem with
community. They may have been drawn by economic bandits and highwaymen, but this community is
opportunities, or fled some pursuing peril, or been seriously plagued with raiders. One or more groups
forcibly moved there by a ruler who wanted to dilute of persistent plunderers are hitting the community
the existing native cohesion. The natives may not repeatedly, and they lack the necessary resources to
have the resources or opportunities to integrate these fend them off or protect all their holdings.
newcomers, and it may be that the new population
has no desire to stay longer than is necessary. E Would-be ruler turned bandit chief, Rival agent
backing the bandits, Traitorous native wielding
E Viciously xenophobic grandee, Newcomer the bandits against their enemies
leader who despises the locals and their ways, F Runaway ex-bandit, Embittered victim of their
Grasping merchant exploiting one or both groups plundering, Merchant desperate for help
F Local trying to bridge differences, Newcomer C The bandits are cooperating with a local power
trying to make a new life, Local official trying to bloc, The bandits are a direct consequence of
keep the peace some local political decision, Mustering military
C The newcomers act like conquerors, Their cultures force would have dire political consequences
are extremely imiscible, The natives are now T Plunder stolen by the bandits, A shipment of
highly dependent on newcomer industry some vital good that was waylaid, Evidence of
T Precious relic brought by the newcomers, Loot corroborators or informers
confiscated or extracted from the newcomers, P Scene of gory slaughter on the road, Burnt
Riches earned from newcomer labor farmstead outside the community, Makeshift and
P Jarringly different newcomer quarter, Market with dirty bandit camp
informally segregated areas, Tavern welcoming
to only one group

Rebel Stronghold Rigid Castes

The community is in tacit or open revolt against their The locals are divided into several castes. They may
supposed overlord. If it’s distant from their suzerain’s be organized by social role, by imputed nobility of
power centers or exceptionally well-fortified, they birth, by ethnic origins, or any other dividing principle,
might be an open nest of rebels and provide overt but they cannot imagine any other way of organizing
support to their ruler’s enemies. More vulnerable themselves. A hierarchy of castes is not inevitable,
communities will provide shelter, secret support, and a but there will be social and legal limits applied to
base of supply for hidden bands of insurgents. Loyalist ensure that each caste remains fixed in its function.
locals must keep their sympathies hidden or suffer the The outside world may or may not respect these
consequences. distinctions when dealing with the locals.
E Psychopathic but charismatic rebel leader, E Conqueror seeking to impose “civilized” castes
Savage rebel-suppressing general, Traitor on outsiders, Impostor who’ll commit any crime
leading the rebels to their doom to conceal their true caste, Abusive upper-caste
F Idealistic young rebel, Frightened local just trying grandee
to survive, Sympathetic outside mediator F Unfairly mistreated caste member, Determined
C One side of the dispute is correct but profoundly refomer with a “better” caste plan, Outsider
unsympathetic, A rebel victory would ultimately trying to undo the caste system
be catastrophic, The lord can’t afford the C The castes are marked by ancient physiological
disruption that violent suppression would create alterations, Even the low caste locals are
T Cache of valuable rebel supplies, Tax money convinced the tradition is right, Exceptional
stolen by the rebels, Secret rebel identities and money or talent can change a person’s caste
plans T Proof of a group’s real caste, Goods created by
P Rebel base hidden outside the community, Tavern a caste’s unpaid labors, Sacred regalia only a
full of sympathizers, Burnt house of a loyalist certain caste can touch
P Caste-divided residential quarters, Temple
dedicated to a caste, Workshop of a caste
 209

Scars of War Seat of Rule

The community is still bloodied by a recent violent Some important ruler or leading figure resides in the
conflict. A crushing bandit raid, a lost siege, getting community. This may be the seat of a regional lord, or
caught at the periphery of a major battle, or some it could be the traditional residence of a high priest,
other calamity has inflicted severe damage on the great magus, merchant house, or other wielder of
place. Some communities may suffer a longer-term influence. The community itself may or may not be
version of this, their youths lost in a grinding, endless under their direct control, but the wishes of the august
battle against some perpetual threat. figure must be acknowledged by the locals.
E Savage tyrant left over from the fight, Outsider E Corrupted and venal ruling figure, Conspiring
taking advantage of their weakness, Native usurper of the role, Vicious rebel against the ruler
driven to extremes by their losses F Worried advisor to the ruler, Petitioner seeking
F Bedraggled survivor, Outsider who’s come to help, Rebel against an unjust ruler
help, Relative of someone lost in the battle C The ruler is a figurehead controlled by someone
C The damage was mostly taken by one group, else, The community is struggling to keep the seat,
The losses have thrown the old social order into The ruler is not legally recognized but everyone
chaos, The locals are desperate to make the knows the reality of their influence
losses “worth it” T Riches brought to petition the ruler, Ancestral
T Plunder taken during the fight, Wealth left behind ruling regalia, Treasure hidden by a ruler of old
by the dead, A cache of treasure concealed by P Grand and ancient audience hall, Elaborate
looters edifice now no longer used, Public building
P Damaged half-occupied house, Burnt-down civil related to the ruler’s role
structure, Fields pocked with torched cottages

Secret Treachery Sinking City

The community is in secret rebellion against their The community was built atop something unstable, and
ostensible liege, having cut deals with his enemies, now that substrate is crumbling. It may be swampy
plotted to betray him for their own gain, or bridled ground or a decaying coastline, or it could be an
under his tyranny and sought a better lord. The ancient buried city that’s now giving way. In the case
community’s leadership is all in on this plot, and of some antique habitation, the denizens that once
outside viceroys or representatives are being kept lived there might be boiling upward as their home
carefully ignorant of the reality. The common folk is collapsing, or new opportunities may be revealed
may be oblivious to the truth, though they’ll doubtless even as the community’s present structure is ruined.
have felt the same motivations and promptings that
convinced their leaders to turn traitor. E Unspeakable evil from below, Ruthless local
causing damage for the sake of profit, Outside
E Suspicious investigator from the tyrant, Scheming exploiter preying on the displaced
local chief who plans to be the new lord, F Struggling local defender, Native made
Monstrous thing that they made a pact with homeless by the collapse, Curious explorer bent
F Local being cruelly mistreated by the tyrant, on discovering what lies beneath
Honest representative trying to resolve the C The collapse was caused by someone, Only
tension, Local grandee trying to stay out of it all the slums or the noble quarter collapsed, The
C One of the leaders is a double agent waiting to collapse hasn’t happened yet but it’s going to
roll all the traitors up, The leaders disagree on T Recently-uncovered treasure, Vault buried when
methods, There’s more than one group of traitors the building became a sinkhole, Key to halt the
who don’t know about the others collapse
T Proof of the conspiracy, Bribes intended for the P Pit where a manor once was, Fallen city wall,
leadership, Relic smuggled in by an outside Freshly-exposed underworks
supporter
P Smoky back room, Sullen public gathering,
Secret chamber in a leader’s home
210

Theocratic Authorities Toxic Economy

Religious leaders are influential in almost any The community is reliant on an industry or product
community, but here they make up the final authorities. that has toxic or negative side-effects as part of its
It may be an explicit theocracy, with rule by the clerics production. The good is extremely valuable, or the
of a particular faith, or a temple might be so important community is extremely desperate, and the side-
and powerful that the official leaders are helpless to effects are endured as a necessary evil. It may be that
resist its will. The locals can be expected to be loyal their neighbors or lord are forcing them to produce
adherents to the faith, or else the less pious majority is the good so that they aren’t the ones suffering the cost.
deeply intimidated by the religion’s believers.
E Cruel sorcerer-merchant, Indifferent magnate
E Rebel backed by a rival religion, Heretical wringing more production out of people, Trader
priest trying to usurp authority, Eldritch being in flesh who profits by the sick and feeble
masquerading as a heavenly envoy F Healer trying to cure the side-effect, Crippled
F Well-meaning but zealous priest, Insurgent local maimed by the product, Outside trader
against a wicked theocracy, Harried town leader trying to soften the consequences of the trade
trying to please the clerics C The side-effect only harms an expendable class
C The theocrats are divided into struggling factions, of people, The afflicted are isolated from the
The theocracy is the result of the former regime’s healthy, The side-effect are social or economic
complete failure, The priests don’t want to lead rather than physical
but nobody else is acceptable to the people T A temporary protection from the toxin, A load
T Religious relic conferring the right to rule, Precious of the precious good, A device that worsens the
sacred scripture, Tithe gathered for the temple toxin but creates more of the good
P Ornate and splendid temple, Shrine room within P Pesthouse full of the crippled, Splendid mansion
an ordinary house, Magistrate-priest’s courtroom built off the product’s profits, Factory full of lethal
fumes and effects

Trade Hub Unique Product

The site is a major trade hub, connecting several The community produces something unique, a good
important cities or resource production areas. It’s or service that cannot be had anywhere else in the
probably at an important river juncture, ancient kingdom. This may be due to some unique resource
crossroads, or occupying the only safe path through found only there, or some carefully-guarded craft, or
some perilous wilderness. Its position may be it may be a special service that can only be provided
important enough that it can survive on trade alone, by the locals, who are somehow unique in their forms
despite being unable to feed itself with the surrounding or abilities.
land. Such hubs are usually heavily garrisoned by the
lord who profits from their tariffs and taxes. E Magnate forcing more production at a grim cost,
Ruler demanding more tribute, Rival saboteur
E Cheating merchant prince, Corrupt judge or planning to turn the product dangerous
trade official, Grasping ruler with heavy taxes F Naive but superbly talented artisan, Innovator
F Confused foreigner with strange ways, Dealer in seeking to improve the product, Outside trader
some vital adventuring good, Exotic stranger in trying to protect their deal
need of help C The product involves a vile component that
C The locals trade with Outsiders or other entities outsiders can’t accept handling, The product
normally shunned by humans, The merchants is extremely useful to very unpleasant entities,
effectively rule the city, There are pockets of Multiple rulers claim rights over the community
exotic cultures found nowhere else in the kingdom T A cache of the product, The secret method of its
T Precious goods not produced in this land, Map production, Valuable components used to make
to some fabulous foreign treasure, Gift intended the product
for a local ruler P Factory full of busy creators, Resource extraction
P Bazaar full of alien speech, Caravansarai built field where a vital component is gathered, Market
in a foreign fashion, Palace of conspicuous crowded with traders from far places
opulence
 211

Upstart Faith Warring Council

There’s a relatively new religion in the community There’s more than one leader in the community, but
which is rapidly gaining power. It might be a sectarian at least some of them are at each others’ throats. It
offshoot of a major faith, the unique product of a might be a conflict between formal leadership and
new prophet, or an outside faith backed by wealthy informal authorities, or it could be a struggle among
and powerful foreign supporters. Depending on the civil officials. Their interests might diverge sharply,
demands made on believers, the new faith may be a or it could be a personal grudge that’s boiled over.
matter of concern only to the existing clergy, or it might Outside threats and internal problems are likely being
be a major flashpoint for conflict in the community. ignored until the power struggle is resolved.
E False prophet gathering thralls, Hostile native E Shadowy kingmaker bent on breaking resistance,
cleric with dark plans, Outside manipulator Megalomaniacal new leader, “Owned” leader
profiting by the strife forced to fight for his backers
F Sincere new priest, Local trying to keep out of F Neutral leader seeking a resolution, Outside
the crossfire, Existing cleric trying to make peace investigator looking to understand the situation,
C The faith has very different teachings for inner Local suffering from some trouble that’s being
and outer members, The secular leadership backs ignored
the new faith to weaken the existing temples, The C The most capable leader is also most at fault,
faith has both sympathetic and unpleasant traits The struggle is being incited by an outside rival,
T Sacred relic of the new faith, Temple relic stolen They’re arguing over a problem that seems
by new convert to the faith, Tithe offered up by insoluble
wealthy new convert T Blackmail on a leader, Treasure being fought
P Hastily-made new temple, Now-empty existing over, Item that would resolve the struggle
shrine, Market with informal religious segregation P Now-abandoned council room, Site of a
steadily-increasing problem, Tavern stronghold
of one of the combatants

Widespread Prosperity Xenophobic Locals

The community is uncommonly rich, not only for the The locals despise outsiders. For some “outsiders” may
gentry but for the common citizens as well. They be natives of foreign lands, while others might have a
may produce a valuable good, oversee precious grudge against anyone from outside the community.
resource extraction, have special economic favors Almost every community in the Latter Earth has some
from the ruler, or simply have inherited a vast body degree of wariness toward strangers, but these
of infrastructure. Their neighbors likely view them with locals have an active loathing, and the few outsiders
envy, and outside raiders and exploiters find them an allowed to trade or interact with them do so at a heavy
ideal target. disadvantage.
E Cunning raider chieftain, Greedy overlord, E Utterly unfair local magistrate, Local magnate
Arrogant local ruler over-proud of their wealth who abuses outside laborers, Leader who
F Local being exploited for their wealth, Agent always paints outsiders in the worst possible light
of the local prosperity’s maintenance, Outside F Secretly curious local, Cruelly mistreated outsider
trader trying to make an honest profit living there, Grudging diplomat seeking a modus
C The prosperity is coming at another community’s vivendi
cost, Their rivals claim their prosperity is wholly C They have a very good reason for hating
undeserved, The impending end of the prosperity strangers, Their outsider neighbors hate them just
is visible to all as much, They’re the last remnant of their kind
T Casually-stored riches, Device that creates some and fear being absorbed
critical infrastructure, Cache of weapons meant T Prized symbol of their people, Wealth confiscated
to defend the wealth from an outsider, Forbidden outsider objects kept
P Commoner neighborhood as opulent as that of sealed away
the gentry of elsewhere, Market full of luxuries, P Cultural edifice devoted to the local past, Tightly-
Edifice of unusually advanced infrastructure guarded city walls, Architecture that only makes
sense to the locals
212

Courts
Use these tags for noble courts, businesses, clans, temple
hiearchies, or other social networks
 213

Aristocratic Courts
d12 Main Theme of the Court
These courts represent noble houses, monarchic courts,
1 Treachery, an air of suspicion and mistrust
or other combined places of governmental power and
exalted lineage. They have a great deal of secular power 2 Decadence, of excess and indulgence
over some part of the region and their wishes must be 3 Ennui, of exhaustion and loss of meaning
respected by the common folk… or resisted with con-
4 Ambition, of driving forward and upward
siderable effort.
Very few elites can afford to rule with complete in- 5 Resentment, bitter at their rivals’ crimes
difference to the opinion of others, however. These courts 6 Nobility, a sense of obligation to their people
will usually be seeking alliances with other aristocratic 7 Paralysis, trapped in some internal crisis
houses, cooperation from rich merchants, and blessings
from important local faiths. In a stable region, their chief 8 Luxury, abundant in wealth and possessions
rivals will be other aristocratic courts. When the area is 9 Tyranny, cruelly oppressing those under them
in turmoil or the social order is in flux, they might find 10 Dissolution, falling apart from outside stress
themselves facing powerful commoner clans, ambitious
11 Exoticism, following strange outside ways
religious organizations, or rich merchants willing to pro-
vide reliable order to society. 12 Might, flexing its power in impressive ways

People of the Court

d12 Major Figure Minor Figure The Source of their Power in the Court
1 Lord/Lady Affiliated Merchant They are the only legitimate heir to an important post
2 Ornamental Spouse Amusing Performer They control a large chunk of the court’s income sources
3 Ruler’s Mistress Butler or Eunuch They are widely loved and admired by the members
4 Heir Apparent Footman They have access to sinister sorceries or magic items
5 Spare Heir Hanger-On The others fear violence or brutality from them
6 Court Mage/Priest Heir’s Tutor They have a special relationship with the nation’s ruler
7 Jester or Pet Artist Hired Assassin They have blackmail on important members
8 Chief Steward House Guard Everyone acknowledges their skill and brilliance
9 Poor Relation Lady in Waiting They have a very effective spy ring in their service
10 Senior Relative Pleasure Slave They provide intimate services to an important person
11 Cadet Branch Lord Prying Servant They have innate magical powers or gifts
12 Lord’s Main Rival Spy for a Rival They have the support of an important local faith

Problems of the Court

d12 Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
1 Someone is pursuing someone else’s spouse or fiance The court somehow offended the nation’s ruler
2 Someone is facing financial ruin due to a mistake A royal advisor wants the court cut down to size
3 Two potential heirs to something are in bitter conflict A rival court has recently gotten much stronger
4 An elder is making unreasonable demands on others Hostile forces have attacked and ruined a court asset
5 A danger exists in or near the court’s own seat A traitor to the court is helping a rival group’s attacks
6 Someone is skimming off income due others in the court An important faith is angry with the court over something
7 A court servant is blackmailing their employer Tenants or merchants have been upset by the court
8 A court resource or asset has been badly damaged The local ruler has levied a harsh “gift” on the court
9 Someone wants to make a very poor marriage choice A rival has seized control of an important court asset
10 Someone poisoned or cursed someone else in the court A reckless member has incurred a group’s anger
11 Someone got involved with a criminal organization Doing something vital will infuriate another power
12 A rebel in the court is scheming against the crown A rival has laid a legal claim on a court asset
214

Business Courts
d12 Relations With Their Market
These courts can be used to detail powerful merchant
1 Trusted, they’re a fixture of the local market
houses, business combines, or even ambitious new enter-
prises that play a significant role in a community. 2 Angry, they’ve done something to infuriate
Business courts provide at least one product or ser- 3 Curious, they’ve come up with a new thing
vice to the people around them, one important enough
4 Resentful, they deal harshly and graspingly
or expensive enough to give them considerable influence.
Given the state of most nations, every major merchant 5 Suspicious, they’re rumored to do vile things
expects the local rulers to try to take his profits and claim 6 Admired, they’re well-loved by customers
his property sooner or later; the idea of property rights 7 Novel, they’re new to the market here
independent of the desires of the ruling class is not a
familiar one most places. 8 Patronized, favored by the local nobility
The main defense a business court has is to be more 9 Affinity, dealing with co-ethnics or believers
valuable to the rulers intact than dismembered. Some 10 Apathetic, with customers losing interest
emphasize heavy ties with local authorities, while others
11 Predatory, eliminating weaker rivals
in wilder lands make themselves too dangerous or too
vital to destroy with impunity. 12 Shabby, their goods cheap and minimal

People of the Court

d12 Major Figure Minor Figure The Source of their Power in the Court
1 Business Owner Angry Former Customer They own rights to a critical part of the business
2 Business Partner Best Customer They fronted the initial investment money
3 Buyer Seeking Takeover Business Guard They had the idea that made the business work
4 Chief Artisan Expensive Courtesan They have information on the owner’s criminal doings
5 Corrupt Lieutenant Gang Extortionist They keep the local nobility from sucking it dry
6 Head Accountant Neighboring Businessman They have ties to an important local faith
7 Innovative Worker Noble Parasite They’re the only one who can handle the workers well
8 Noble Patron Shop Clerk Their relatives make up a lot of the workers
9 Owner’s Heir Street Informer The business owes them a large monetary debt
10 Rival’s Catspaw Supply Vendor The business is built on property they own or control
11 Spouse or Lover Temporary Worker They have vital connections with important suppliers
12 Wealthy Backer Thieving Worker They handle purchases for a critical customer

Problems of the Court

d12 Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
1 Someone’s been cooking the books A competitor is trying to force a sale of the business
2 A secret flaw has been discovered in the product They’ve insulted or offended the nobility somehow
3 A critical resource for making the good is running out Their customers are furious over a recent product flaw
4 A vital worker has quit in a fury over some offense Someone’s tainting or ruining a critical resource input
5 Someone lost a large sum of funds to theft or error A noble wants to force his own pet business into place
6 The deed to some vital property has been lost A local religious group has become angry with them
7 A customer is proving both critical and intolerable A holder of a vital secret has died or been kidnapped
8 A major stakeholder is coming up with terrible ideas They’re trying to swallow a rival business
9 Income is down but no one can agree on a plan Someone’s hooked them into a terribly bad deal
10 Factions are quarreling over a new product An enemy is sabotaging an important workshop
11 A family scion is botching their work terribly Bandits or paid thieves have plundered something
12 The owner’s incapacitated and no one is in control They’ve signed a deal they suddenly can’t complete
 215

Criminal Courts
d12 Their Primary Mode of Crime
Gangs, secret societies, degenerate villainous cults, and
1 Extortion, using brute force and threats
other groups of organized rebels against societal laws are
represented as criminal courts. These groups all stand in 2 Blackmail, preying on the wealthy
opposition to some generally-accepted principle or code 3 Murder, being proficient assassins
of laws, though many may be tacitly normalized in places.
4 Smuggling, sneaking in untaxed goods
Substantial criminal enterprises all exist in some
sort of relationship with the society around them. Per- 5 Black Marketeer, selling forbidden things
haps the locals accept them as an unpleasant inevitability, 6 Slaving, whether legitimate or by force
or they’re too dangerous for secular rulers to meddle with 7 Theft, whether burglary or banditry
them, or they prey on a population that the authorities
are indifferent to. 8 Fraud, con artists and business cheats
This acceptance can vanish rapidly if the court seems 9 Loans, giving high rates and harsh collection
to present a real threat to the government’s control, how- 10 Fencing, selling hot goods untraceably
ever. Given their outlaw status, the common populace
11 Occult, offering forbidden magic to others
is unlikely to have any concerns about their brutal and
extra-judicial suppression. 12 Piracy, or helping pirates sell their goods

People of the Court

d12 Major Figure Minor Figure The Source of their Power in the Court
1 Grizzled leader Disreputable Priest They’re independently wealthy and doing it for fun
2 Leader’s Concubine Oppressed Local They have a sinister magical gift or aptitude
3 Brutal Kneebreaker Protected Merchant They have a powerful or useful magical device
4 Well-Placed Spy Shabby Local Fence They have blackmail about the court’s leadership
5 Ambitious Lieutenant Drunken Healer They’ve seduced the court’s leadership
6 The Heir Apparent Cooperative Innkeeper Their remarkable skills bring in a lot of money
7 Corrupt Magistrate Tired Harlot They’ve special relations with the local rulers
8 Wicked Noble Patron Would-be Client They have a profitable front business they run
9 Incompetent Scion Aspiring Member They’re personally terrifying and capable of murder
10 Outcast Sorcerer Bribed Guardsman Their charisma has gotten them a lot of supporters
11 Dangerous Rival Criminal’s Relative They’re diabolically cunning and persuasive
12 Seductive Tempter Scabby Beggar They have numerous criminal allies elsewhere

Problems of the Court

d12 Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
1 Someone’s knifed a fellow member again The local law enforcement isn’t staying bought
2 A deed’s profits were unfairly split with the members They’re meddling with an extremely dangerous target
3 Someone’s stolen court property for their own use A rival gang or group is moving on their territory
4 The leadership is being roiled by a challenge A traitor is in league with an enemy group
5 An important member’s made a grave mistake A sorcerer has a grudge against the group
6 Two members are fighting over another’s affections They’ve drawn heat from a powerful noble
7 The leader’s suffering from increasing paranoia A local religion has a particular enmity with them
8 They’re overdoing the crime and drawing excess heat They acquired something that’s causing them dire woe
9 Someone’s picked up a very bad habit or addiction A court faction is getting support from a hostile rival
10 Members are employing magic against rivals A noble or ruler wants to use them for their own ends
11 A recent catastrophe depleted the court’s wealth Their territory has become very inhospitable to them
12 A faction wants to enter a different sphere of crime They’re in a bad deal they don’t dare renege on
216

Familial Clan Courts

d12 Relations With Their Neighbors
Wherever masses of humans can be found, there will
1 Isolated, distrusted or disliked by most
always be found those large, influential extended families
that play an outsize role in the community’s life. These 2 Creditor, with many owing them payment
major families might be characterized by a shared ethnic 3 Scorned, derided for some deed or trait
background, a tradition of some important skill, or an
4 Respected, honored for some quality
intensely cooperative clannishness in the face of outside
rivals. 5 Newcomers, relatively new to the area
These tables can be used to flesh out the leading 6 Loners, not disliked but not close to any
families of a farming village, the not-quite-noble gentry 7 Feared, for past acts or present threats
of a major city, or the tribal bands of a barbaric wilder-
ness-dwelling folk. While these courts are assumed to 8 Revered, held in dread and awe by most
be subordinate to some local ruler, they have enough 9 Envied, resented by jealous neighbors
resources and members to be a problem for nobles that 10 Loved, widely adored by other families
mean to trample them carelessly. That power and ability
11 Needed, for a particular trait or person
to protect their neighbors’ interests is often what brings
them to prominence in their own community. 12 Hated, barely endured by their neighbors

People of the Court

d12 Major Figure Minor Figure The Source of their Power in the Court
1 Adopted Member Acquainted Noble They hold the deed to some critical family property
2 Ambitious Scion Blackmailer They’re the heir to the chief bloodline of the clan
3 Black Sheep Disowned Wastrel They’re best at the skill or profession the clan practices
4 Clan Duty Keeper Family Guard They have considerable blackmail on their peers
5 Disowned Rebel Family Priest They have extensive contacts in other families
6 Favored Child Gossipy Neighbor They own great amounts of personal wealth
7 Oldest Elder House Servant They’re notoriously loyal and useful to the family
8 Outsider Spouse Moneylender They’re an intimate of the local ruler
9 Patriarch/Matriarch Old Retainer Everyone in the family loves them very much
10 Reckless Innovator Secret Lover They have many capable, loyal children
11 Stern Traditionalist Tenant Farmer Their capacity for violence is fearsome to others
12 Young Fosterling Useful Tradesman They have access to secret magical items or powers

Problems of the Court

d12 Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
1 An important member’s spouse is having an affair There’s a running feud with another family
2 The clan leader is opposed to a popular plan or goal The local ruler doesn’t like their influence and power
3 The last leader recently died without a clear heir A member committed adultery with the wrong person
4 A member’s bloodline is clouded by suspicion Someone gravely insulted or offended another family
5 A cadet branch is fighting to seize control The family’s rights are being trod on by the nobility
6 The clan poured much wealth into a failed ambition The family’s source of influence is being subverted
7 Personal grudges have caused resentful factions A rival family stole something very important from them
8 The new generation is ignoring old, painful duties A diplomatic marriage has turned out very badly
9 A member is selfishly trading on the clan’s reputation Their neighbors demand they fix a local problem
10 One member is convinced another wants them dead Their vital interests are making trouble for neighbors
11 A very important young talent has turned rebellious Ambitious newcomers are attacking their status subtly
12 The leader is betting big on a risky, unpopular scheme A disowned rebel is trying to usurp control of assets
 217

Religious Courts
d12 Their Relations With the Larger Faith
Temples, monasteries, seminaries, secret cults, or strictly
1 Schismatic, despised as heretical
secular academic institutions can all be represented by a
religious court. Wherever a combination of intellectual 2 Desultory, an apathetic jobsworth sentiment
rigor, obscure practice, and less-than-tangible communi- 3 Carceral, a punishment-post for wrongdoers
ty services are found these courts can provide structure.
4 Affable, courteous and cooperative
Religious courts exist in the context of a larger faith,
though they may not be strictly subordinate to any out- 5 Populist, focusing on the poor lay believers
side cleric depending on the structure of the religion. 6 Intellectual, given to sophisticated theology
Whether independent or obedient to a bishop, however, 7 Occult, conducting theurgic magic studies
they are undoubtedly under at least some pressure to
cooperate with the local government. Any organization 8 Pioneering, a new missionary establishment
with the money, popular influence, and land holdings 9 Zealous, full of fervent believers
held by a major temple is going to have to come to some 10 Subverted, controlled by a secular power
kind of terms with the local ruler. Minor shrines and
11 Venerable, old and greatly honored
remote monasteries may be able to avoid the worst of
these exactions. 12 Sectarian, a stronghold of a particular faction

People of the Court

d12 Major Figure Minor Figure The Source of their Power in the Court
1 Affiliated Noble Cleric of Lax Morals They are thought to produce wondrous miracles
2 Charismatic Priest Corrupt Priest They have acknowledged magical skills
3 Dubious Theologian Fanatical Zealot Their mastery of doctrine is unanswerable
4 Gifted Healer Holy Goods Peddler They’ve the backing of secret but powerful heretics
5 Guard Captain Loud Reformer Local lay believers support them with money and help
6 High Priest Pious Criminal Boss They’ve noble or oligarchic relatives
7 Holy Oracle Sick Petitioner They’re an expert at seduction and manipulation
8 Richest Lay Member Slave of the Faith Charismatic leadership and keen insight aid them
9 Sacred Figurehead Temple Artisan They have a pious noble who backs them
10 Stern Inquisitor Temple Guard They secretly arrange criminal services for the court
11 Temple Sorcerer Temple Prostitute They have a particularly holy lineage or role
12 Temple Treasurer Tenant Farmer The upper hierarchy of the faith favors them

Problems of the Court

d12 Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
1 Someone came up with a very seductive heresy A popular preacher is leading lay believers astray
2 Omens of divine displeasure have manifested A rival sect is moving on their unofficial territory
3 A vital ritual item or component has been lost A noble believer demands an impossible miracle
4 The leader and their chief rival sabotage each other Court property is being seized by a rival power
5 A forbidden relationship has formed among clergy The god’s power seems feeble to people lately
6 A member demands a very costly ritual be performed The ruler wants the court to take on an unpopular role
7 Members fight over who is to conduct a great ritual The upper hierarchy is fighting over the court somehow
8 The greater faith declared a vital activity anathema A holy demagogue is preaching against the court
9 The clergy have taken up a costly and wicked habit The ruler is trying to suborn control over the court
10 A zealot reformer is demanding impractical reforms A noble adherent is demanding special concessions
11 Poverty or need is forcing them to compromise piety An outside cleric is trying to claim leadership
12 A member is screwing up an important court duty Rivals are blaming the court for some misfortune
218

Court Tags
Use these tags for noble courts, businesses, clans, temple
hiearchies, or other social networks

d100 Tag d100 Tag

1–2 Affliction's Mark 51–52 Iron Law
3–4 Ancestral Obligation 53–54 Lost Purpose
5–6 Awesome Legitimacy 55–56 Magical Subversion
7–8 Awkward Birth 57–58 Ministerial Capture
9–10 Blandished Leadership 59–60 New Generation
11–12 Cadet Branches 61–62 New Opportunity
13–14 Capricious Orders 63–64 Outside Debts
15–16 Cultural Insignia 65–66 Overextended Grasp
17–18 Daring Ambition 67–68 Poisonous Cliques
19–20 Dark Secret 69–70 Priestly Influence
21–22 Decadent Court 71–72 Proxy Speaker
23–24 Devil's Bargain 73–74 Rampant Corruption
25–26 Diplomatic Demands 75–76 Recent Brutality
27–28 Disputed Inheritance 77–78 Regency Council
29–30 Excess Heirs 79–80 Restive Lessers
31–32 False Prize 81–82 Rival Dreams
33–34 Fatal Extravagance 83–84 Rival Power
35–36 Forbidden Romance 85–86 Ruling Regalia
37–38 Foreign Ties 87–88 Runaway Rule
39–40 Gate Keeper 89–90 Shining Successor
41–42 Hidden Blight 91–92 Splendid Seat
43–44 Hopeless Rival 93–94 Sublime Skill
45–46 Impure Blood 95–96 Sudden Strength
47–48 Inadequate Tools 97–98 Threatened Violence
49–50 Inept Ruler 99–00 Waning Wealth
 219

Affliction’s Mark Ancestral Obligation

Some sort of persistent, incurable illness is gnawing The court was impressed with some great task, duty, or
at the court. The principle leader might have been role by its founder, and much of its influence or moral
felled by it, or a beloved member, or it may be a authority hinges on continuing to carry out that task.
spreading curse within its circles. Acute diseases will Its traditions and structure revolve around being able
likely have the sufferers desperate to find some cure, to carry out the work. Failure means disgrace and
while chronic illnesses might need regular infusions of perhaps tangible penalties as old pacts are broken.
some costly or morally-dubious remedy. Aside from this, neglecting the duty may result in other
negative consequences, perhaps to parties other than
E Manipulative quack, Amorally desperate parent, the court itself.
Secret spreader of plague
F Appealing victim, Struggling physician, Worried E Schemer who’d profit by the duty’s disruption,
spouse-to-be of a victim Rebel who hates the duty and care nothing for
the consequences, Tyrannical leader who forces
C The sickness is a direct result of their choices, A others to bear the duty’s cost
faction would profit enormously if the current
victims died, The only known cure comes with a F Grimly-determined keeper, Sympathetic member
dire moral or material cost who suffers from the work, Outsider desperately
reliant on the work being done well
T Palliative that can slow or ease the disease, Proof
of its source or cause, The price gathered to pay C No one fully understands the duty’s meaning any
for a perhaps-real cure more, The duty comes at a terrible cost, Recent
calamity has left them too weak for the work
P Hushed and shadowed sickroom, Gathering
place with an air of forced gaiety, Untouched T Vital tool for carrying out the job, Ancient
quarters of the recently dead payment for the work, Key to lifting the burden
P Ancient work-chamber, Hall emblazoned with
symbols of the work, Training hall for carrying
on the work

Awesome Legitimacy Awkward Birth

The things that are certain in life are death, taxes, A pregnancy is roiling the court and causing severe
and this court. They are important, they have always problems. It may be that a member is pregnant by
been important, and they always will be important. the wrong man, or a pairing took place that was
They may wax and wane, but no one in their society shocking to society, or a newly-born heir is showing
can imagine them ever ceasing to exist, and at most signs of inherited Blight, or a new heir suddenly
the locals can only think of seizing control of the excludes a displeased prior incumbent. The court
court or compelling its cooperation. Its destruction can’t hush it forever, and abortion is either impractical,
is unthinkable. It may have absolute control of some unacceptable, or too dangerous to the mother. This
crtical social function, have members of legendary may not stop certain members from trying.
awe, or be viewed as the personal property of some
divinity or godlike entity. E Elder who would see the problem “solved”,
Murderously suspicious husband, Demoted heir
E Implacable tyrant consecrated by custom, F Naive young lover, Desperate hidden paramour,
Manipulator who cloaks his will in the court’s Worried sire of the unwanted child
legitimacy, Outsider who’ll ruin the court despite
the chaos such a thing would create C Secret accusations of illegitimacy are being
passed through the court, The disgraced
F Court member keenly aware of their responsibility, husband’s family is enraged, The pregnancy is
Local haplessly oppressed by the court, Outsider just a tool the mother is using to get her way
who deals cautiously with the court
T Proof of the real father, Blackmail material on the
C The court really is as indispensable as it seems, court’s leadership, Wealth stolen away by the
The source of its untouchability is weakening, If it former presumptive heir
goes down it’s taking much of local society with it
P Nursery much worse-appointed than expected,
T Regalia of ancient authority, Dusty deed to a rich Prison-like room for the expectant mother,
property, Wealth of a failed rebel against it Stronghold estate of the disappointed former heir
P Long-forgotten spare throne room, Ancient
archive, Gathering place in use for ages
220

Blandished Leadership Cadet Branches

The leadership has been led astray by one or more The authority of the court is somewhat splintered, with
pretty girls or boys. They dote on their paramours, multiple cadet branches of the family, enterprise, or
granting them extravagant favors and imperiling the department having their own share of its power. These
court with the lengths they go to in order to please their branches are likely to struggle over control of the
beloved. Those not given to romantic dizziness may main court, with some of them perhaps preferring
be enraptured by more physical talents, so occupied the court’s dissolution rather than allowing a hated
in the business of night that nothing is done in the day. rival to gain control of it.
E Rival who sent them the playthings as gifts, E Disgraced scion with a plan for revenge, Ruler
Ruthlessly manipulative lover, Murderously who hates a particular branch, Scheming leader
angry neglected spouse of a minor branch
F Sadly displaced former favorite, Frustrated F Bastard offspring seeking recognition, Visionary
underling, Disapproving moralist from a cadet branch, Rightful leader denied their
C The paramours have a supernatural edge in their place
charms, Their spouse likes them distracted so as C One “cadet” branch actually has a right to rule
to carry out their own plans, The court is fighting but is too weak to claim it, The main court plays
over influence with the paramours rather than the the branches against each other, Outside rivals
leadership want the court to remain splintered
T Priceless luxury demanded by a lover, Trinket T Proof of a branch’s illegitimacy, Bribe paid to get
of great worth abandoned by them, Wealth a branch to cooperate, Blackmail material on the
gathered to build some pleasure for them main court’s ruler
P Seraglio of constant liveliness, Court hall P Ostentatious branch estate, More modest but far
abandoned by the leadership, Pleasure-garden older main estate, Court hall with places for all
redolent of luxury the branches

Capricious Orders Cultural Insignia

The court is issuing unreasonable orders to those The court produces some famously revered cultural
under its authority, demanding excessive tribute, product, such as literature, poetry, painting, sculpture,
unreasonable obediences, or similar sacrifices. The music, dance, or other art form. Their members may
court leader may be new and over-confident of their have a direct tradition of production, or they may be
power, or the court may be in dire trouble and needs the critical patrons of a tradition of artists or a school
more resources, or rival forces may be goading or that produces the product. The product wins them
manipulating the court into overplaying its hand out respect among the cultured, and many would be glad
of recklessness or ignorance of the true state of affairs. to assist them in exchange for the luster of association.
E Arrogant new lord, Mentally unstable or E Ruler who would crush rival schools, Chief artist
bewitched ruler, Scheming advisor in a rival gone mad with jealousy or megalomania, Rival
power’s pay artist determined to destroy the tradition
F Mistreated subject of the court, Frustrated F Earnest young artistic genius, Poor court member
moderate member, Reasonable rival of the determined to patronize as best they can,
current ruler Unworldly aesthete concerned only with art
C The demands are all to fulfill a great secret C The art has actual magical powers when well-
plan, The demands are punishment for a failed made, The art encourages or glorifies some
rebellion, The court doesn’t want to make the reprehensible cause, The artists are savagely
demands but is somehow forced to do so factional in their different schools
T Heavy load of tribute, Stolen treasure that the T Lost legendary work of art, Proof that a famed
court demanded be produced, Privately-diverted piece of art is a forgery of the original, Hidden
wealth from the demands masterwork of a dead genius
P Angry court reception hall, Public plaza with P Salon dedicated to appreciating the art,
darkly-grumbling locals, Enterprised closed Workshop where the art is made, Grand public
down due to a failure to deliver on the demands structure adorned with the art
 221

Daring Ambition Dark Secret

The court has a grand ambition which is driving its The court has a dark secret that would cost it dearly if it
actions, and it’s making a major bet on its ability to were to be revealed. Loss of influence, station, money,
achieve its goal. Failure will mean catastrophe for the or power might all be consequent. It may involve old
court, while success promises great rewards. Not all treacheries, hidden crimes, secret illegitimacies, dark
the members of the court are necessarily sharing the pacts, or harsh choices that were unavoidable at the
same risks and potential payoff, however, and some time. The uppermost ranks likely know the truth, but
may be paying more than they’d ever profit. the lesser members may have nothing but unpleasant
suspicions.
E Megalomaniacal leader, Well-meaning but
hopelessly optimistic ruler, Secret manipulator E The villain they’re allied with, Ruthless keeper of
driving the ambition secrets, Amorally villainous ruler
F Sympathetic necessary sacrifice for the cause, F Secretly worried lesser court member, Outside
Court member struggling to do their share, Ally investigator, Bitter survivor of the court’s crime
who’d profit if the court succeeded C The act was acceptable or normal at the time
C The court thinks the ambition is one thing but the it was committed, Revealing it would implicate
leadership knows it’s another, The ambition’s other important powers, The court’s leadership
success would be a poisoned gift, A faction plans has tried to quietly make amends for it
to monopolize the benefit or shift all the loss T Proof of the heinous crime, Precious treasure
T Critical material for the ambition, Costly remnants acquired through the sin, Valuable relic taken
of a failed effort, A valuable result of progress in from a victim of the crime
the ambition P Secret archive full of dark evidence, Noble
P Enterprise or establishment dedicated to monument built on a dark substrate, Private
the cause, Newly-constructed edifice, Hall sanctum for only the inner circle
optimistically prepared to celebrate victory

Decadent Court Devil’s Bargain

The court is too absorbed in their pleasures and The court made a bargain that’s now coming back
indulgences. Their cooperation is purchased with to haunt them. Some pact with an outside power
coin or flesh, their disports grow ever more costly and gave them a crucial edge or a desperately-needed
excessive, and even the minor members are getting boost, but now it needs to provide services, favors,
accustomed to shameful enjoyments. Their power is or help that could end up destroying it or costing its
being turned toward facilitating their membership’s leadership dearly. The pact was probably secret at
appetites rather than fulfilling whatever role got them the time, and even revealing it exists could have dire
their status in the first place. repercussions.
E Jaded and sensation-starved ruler, Cruel E Vile entity it pacted with, Ruler planning on foisting
panderer for the court’s hungers, Monstrous the price off on a victim, Heartless creditor who
entity that sponsors or encourages vice cares nothing for the damage it does
F Escaped would-be subject, Inquisitive outside F Undeserving victim of the price, Rival who
investigator, Frustrated native in need of the suspects something is up, Enemy of the power
court’s execution of its duty they pacted with
C The court’s leadership is uninvolved and using the C Only a small faction of the court knows about
vices to blackmail and control their underlings, the bargain, The current leadership didn’t know
The court’s trying to spread its vices in its own about the deal until it was threatened into
social stratum and profit accordingly, A faction is compliance, The power they pacted with is a
taking things much too far even for their brethren mortal enemy of their society
and involving occult powers T Blackmail material the pact granter is using to
T Debt-slave contracts, Hideous but precious idol control them, Potent relic granted in the deal,
or art object, Valuable drug made from slaves Heavy tribute due to the pacting power
P Debauched salon, Court public hall made sinister, P Monument to the victory the pact secretly gave
Pit where the human chattel are kept them, Secret chambers for the pact’s granter,
Shrine to the dark entity they propitiated
222

Diplomatic Demands Disputed Inheritance

Some rival or outside power is making demands on the The court’s rule or property is due to pass on to the
court that they cannot easily ignore. It might involve next generation, but there are multiple claimants to it.
some prior offense in need of reparations, a past deal Each has some colorable legitimacy, and factions and
that’s come due, or a price required for a favor that secret supporters are doubtless rife in the court. They’re
the court desperately needs. These demands are more well-balanced enough that brute force seems a risky
than the court can easily pay, and determining where route to take, though matters are rapidly coming to a
the burden will fall most heavily is a matter of fierce head as the need to establish a new leader is intense.
internal politics.
E Cruel and vicious heir, Incompetent heir who has
E Scheming shifter of burdens, Outside rival bent the best claim, Outside enemy backing the strife
on beggaring the court, Incompetent diplomat F Most talented heir but with the worst position,
who’s only making things worse Hapless heir in dire need of protection, Loyal
F Victim of unfair exactions, Harried diplomat with retainer trying to avert disaster
no cards to play, Native who desperately needs C Legitimacy rests on possession of a now-lost relic,
the deal to go through If the struggle lasts much longer the patrimony
C The exactions demanded are purely punitive, will be ruined or lost, A selfish regent is exploiting
There’s a specific temporary reason the court the court during the interregnum
has to acknowledge the edmands, Another party T Bribe intended for the faction leaders, Precious
could give a better deal if they were persuaded relic of legitimacy, The real and verified will
T Huge down payment on the demands, The P Tense and angry court meeting hall, Heir’s
precious object the court is trying to acquire, country estate, Court plaza where the factions
Proof that the demands are unjustified don’t mingle
P Diplomatic retreat full of tense people, Site of the
problem causing the demands, Hushed court hall
full of whispers

Excess Heirs False Prize

While the ruler remains vigorous, they have too many The court is trying to obtain a goal or ambition that
legitimate heirs for the court to comfortably absorb. will actually be disastrous for it. Either through political
There’s not enough wealth or power to give the miscalculation, ignorance of the truth, or willful
losers a dignified station, or else the losing heirs may blindness to the consequences, they’re plunging
expect to be executed, or the heirs are locked in a headlong towards calamity. Rivals might be secretly
court-disrupting battle to force their desired outcome. aiding them in their purpose, while factions within the
Various heirs might be backed by rival outside powers court may be uselessly protesting the danger of the
searching for a convenient catspaw. path they’ve chosen.
E Cruel but talented crown prince, Scion in league E Foolhardy ruler with grand plans, Treacherous
with dark powers, Secretly murderous spare heir advisor encouraging disaster, Trickster leading
F Capable but hard-pressed candidate, Hapless the court to its ruin
ruler unable to enforce a choice, Vengeful F Clear-sighted court member who is being
retainer of a murdered heir ignored, Victim of the danger the court is facing,
C The ruler desires a Darwinian culling of heirs, The Disfavored faction leader warning of peril
court desperately needs the heirs to cooperate to C The prize’s benefits will attract an overwhelming
overcome a threat, Several heirs were formerly foe, The prize will corrupt or ruin the court’s
unknown leadership, The prize comes with secret problems
T Proof of a candidate’s illegitimacy, Bribe from an or obligations that will plague the court
enemy power, Relic meant to eliminate a rival T Proof that the prize would be a disaster, The key
P Well-fortified home of an heir, Court hall where to unlocking the prize, Rich reward that seems to
the factions are well-separated, Ritual occasion be a foretaste of the prize’s benefits
of enforced amity P Edifice built as part of the effort, Ruined seat of a
former holder of the prize, Secret facility where
terrible prices are paid in pursuit of it
 223

Fatal Extravagance Forbidden Romance

The court is exhausting itself on luxuries or displays Someone in the court is deeply in love with someone
of magnificence that it cannot truly afford. It may feel they shouldn’t be. It may be a rival from another court,
pressured to do so in order to maintain face before its a lowly commoner, an incestuous bond, an attraction
rivals, or it may over-estimate its resources, or it may to a forbidden demihuman, a fellow court member’s
be being manipulated by whatever group they’re spouse, or a spectacularly horrible person who can
buying their luxuries from. Optimistic courts may be only bring them misery. This love may or may not be
betting on a future windfall that may or may not come. reciprocated, and it may be an open secret to others.
E Smiling merchant of addictive drugs, Grandiose E Unreciprocated lover who won’t take no for an
ruler, Selfishly hedonistic court member answer, Cruelly manipulative object of affection,
F Court member vainly trying to economize, Court elder bent on terminating the relationship
Worried accountant, Client upset at the lack of F Earnest matchmaker friend, Appealing paramour,
expenditures on their vital need Aspiring peacemaker who wants the match
C The extravagance is serving a secret magical or C The reasons for opposing the match are extremely
ritual purpose, It’s being paid for with debt the good, The court member is being exploited by
court intends to never need to repay, The waste the paramour or their manipulators, A rival court
is the product of a new ruler who has different member wants the match to go through so the
expectations of what they deserve court member will be disgraced
T Shipment of precious luxuries, Payment meant for T Proof that the lover is not what they seem, A gift
the next round of indulgences, Precious item that the enamoured should not have given, A token
is to be pawned or sold to fund the luxuries that will legitimize the pairing
P Gaudily-adorned court structure, Celebration P Secret rendezvous spot, Hidden prison for a
of wild excess, Ostentatious and newly-built reluctant lover, Court festival where unacceptable
monument to their luxuries hints are given

Foreign Ties Gate Keeper

The court has strong ties with some foreign power or The court controls access to some critical resource
organization, one that may or may not be hostile to or social function. It might have an effective lock on
their greater polity. The court draws some considerable the local law, or control the irrigation network for
advantage from this tie, but it’s also expected to assist regional farms, or provide vital religious services to
its affiliate in their own local goals. If the affiliate is an faithful believers. If it abuses this power too greatly,
enemy or rival of their people, this tie may be carefully however, its rivals will combine against it and may
hidden, or it may be a known scandal about the court. seize control of the resource.
E Foreign spymaster with demands, Rival who E Reckless leader who’s overplaying their
despises the foreign power, Court member who’s hand, Outside schemer planning to break
a wholly-owned agent of the power their monopoly, Corrupt court member who’s
F Appealing foreign petitioner, Harried court undermining the control for their own benefit
member trying to square their obligations, F Earnest outsider with a monopoly-breaking idea,
Outside inquisitor into suspicious doings Frustrated court member trying to reform the
C The power used to be friendly to the polity but monpoly’s administration, Hard-pressed local
has recently been viewed as a rival, The court mistreated by the monopoly
is secretly reliant on the foreign power’s support, C The next alternative monopolist is much worse,
T Funding from the power, Precious item the court A monopoly-breaker has vile intentions, The
needs to turn over, The macguffin the power monopoly rests with them for secret but very
wants the court to obtain for them good reasons
P Court hall in an architectural style like that of T Some good produced by the monopoly, License
the power, Home with foreign-derived elements, or leave to violate the monopoly, Device that
Archive with documents in a foreign tongue greatly weakens the monopoly
P Site where the monopoly is practiced, Secret
wildcatter site of unlicensed production,
224

Hidden Blight Hopeless Rival

One or more members of the court are afflicted The court has a rival or enemy that bears a burning
with the Blight, but are concealing their condition. desire to destroy them. Unfortunately for them, they’re
Their particular Blight is not physically obvious to wholly incapable of doing so. This fanatical desire
onlookers, but may have severe psychological or may be born of past crimes, cheated opportunities,
hidden physical manifestations. At least some of the or an ancient feud. In their desperation to strike at
other court members have a good reason to aid this their enemy, it’s likely the rival will go to extreme and
concealment, if only to avoid the scandal of being unwise lengths, perhaps making bargains they ought
known to carry Blighted genetics. not to make.
E Blight-demented leader being shielded by others, E Oft-beaten rival of the court’s ruler, Disgraced
Ruthless investigator seeking answers, Murderous court member turned renegade, Spare heir with
court member bent on “resolving” matters a grudge
F Blighted struggling with their curse, Court member F Sympathetic enemy of the court, Rival’s associate
trying to protect the secret, Blighted parent trying trying to stop them from going too far, Inquisitor
to help their child looking into nefarious dealings
C The Blight is light enough to be lifted somehow, C The rival’s hate is very justifiable, The rival’s
The Blight is somehow useful to the afflicted, They engineering a clash with a greater power, The
disguise the Blight as a wildly excessive human rival is being set up as a kamikaze attack by a
inclination manipulative third party
T Drug that ameliorates the Blight, Proof of a T Doomsday tool the rival means to use, Blackmail
Blighted lineage, Bribe paid to hush the matter material on the court, Precious relic the rival paid
P Secret retreat for expressing Blighted urges, dearly to acquire
Hall of glorified ancestral memorials, Prison for P Site of the rival’s past defeat, Location related
badly-affected Blighted members to the hate, Structure built with the fruits of the
court’s past victory

Impure Blood Inadequate Tools

Bloodline and lineage are important to the court, The court’s authority and power have been sustained
either because of a bloodline-dependent power or for a long time by a particular set of tools and tactics,
a society that places much importance on it. Despite such as violence, money, blackmail, legal rights, or
this, the court’s lineage would be considered impure perhaps by particular alliances with other powers.
by others were it fully known, perhaps due to some Recent events or clumsy missteps by the court have
secret pairings in the remote past. The court might rendered these old tools no longer effective, but the
have to go to extremes in order to mimic the powers leadership doesn’t have any better idea than to use
appropriate to their supposed bloodline, or else go to them again, but harder this time.
similar extends to crush any hint of the truth.
E Manipulator goading the ruler to excesses,
E Court assassin cleaning up loose ends, Rival Frustrated ruler with no new ideas, Court member
prying into a dangerous leak, Court member scheming to restore their old power
making a terrible bargain to blot out the stain F Anguished victim of their overreach, Court
F Court member undeserving of the obloquy, member trying to find new footing, Member
Innocent threatened with disaster by the truth, fearful of the consequences of their frustration
Hunter seeking the entity they pacted with C The tools are “working” but are building up a
C The “impurity” was once celebrated in the hidden ruinous debt of resentment, Their efforts are only
past, It’s an open secret but their rivals lack serving to strengthen their rivals, The tools are
actionable proof, They’re privately working to actually going to be completely successful if the
overthrow the rules that would call them impure ruler’s scheme to push them to an extreme works
T Proof of their impurity, Device that gives them T Relic to empower their favorite tactic, Wealth
power they wouldn’t normally have, Inheritance needed to fuel their plans, Priceless implement
from their hidden ancestry necessary to effectively use their tactics
P Hidden site associated with their concealed P Structure dedicated to their favorite methods, Site
blood, Proud monument to their social station, where the method went awry, Site of the method
Secret graves of their real ancestors currently in use
 225

Inept Ruler Iron Law

The court’s ruler is incompetent or debilitated, but It operates on certain rules that are unthinkable to
there’s no practical way to remove them from power. break
The alternative might be utterly unacceptable, or the
ruler’s bungling might be very much to the benefit of E
a powerful faction in the court. Rivals are doubtless F
making plans to take advantage of the situation, C
and internal factions may well be willing to take
T
acceptable losses in order to profit by the chaos.
P
E Insane ruler, Sincere but utterly unsuitable leader,
Sinister manipulator influencing the puppet ruler
F Competent but unsupported alternative ruler,
Victim of the ruler’s bungling, Faction leader
being crushed by the ruler’s ineptitude
C The ruler seems like an idiot but is actually trying
to achieve a secret goal with their actions, Rival
courts are vigorously backing the leader, The
leader’s deposition would result in a ruinous state
of chaos for the court
T Token that would legitimize a change of rule,
Object that would cure the ruler’s incapacity,
Wealth that was lost by the leader’s bungling
P Damaged or decrepit structure owing to the
ruler’s neglect, Chaotic and confused court hall,
Building erected as a folly by the ruler

Lost Purpose Magical Subversion

The court was actually founded to do something Somebody's using magic to control or manipulate
they’ve since forgotten about someone
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
226

Ministerial Capture New Generation

Ministers and upper functionaries have taken control It's being run by a largely new generation with limited
experience
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

New Opportunity Outside Debts

Some fresh chance has risen and members are The court owes something dire to an outside power
fighting to take advantage of it
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
 227

Overextended Grasp Poisonous Cliques

They’ve taken something, but that something may be There are two or more factions that are trying to
more than they can handle destroy each other
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
228

Priestly Influence Proxy Speaker

A particular religion has unusual influence on the court The leader is incommunicado save for a single
dubious speaker
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Rampant Corruption Recent Brutality

Bribery is a way of life with the court Something savage recently happened in the court,
and everyone is on edge
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
 229

Regency Council Restive Lessers

The nominal leader is underage or incapacitated, and The minions are restless
others rule in their name
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Rival Dreams Rival Power

Two different grand ambitions are dueling for influence Some other power center is fighting them for control
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
230

Ruling Regalia Runaway Rule

Particular tokens mark the authority of the leadership The court devolved so much authority to some
subsidiary power that it’s getting away from them
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Shining Successor Splendid Seat

The heir’s truly amazing- for good or ill They have an unusually magnificent seat of power
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 231

Sublime Skill Sudden Strength

It has something or does something better than any Something recently happened to give the court a
rival remarkable amount of strength
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Threatened Violence Waning Wealth

Something’s happened to make members of the court Something is currently risking the ruin of their wealth
fear for their physical safety
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
232

Ruin Tags
These tags are for building Deeps, ruined cities, dungeons,
and other similar exploration sites.

d100 Tag d100 Tag

1–2 Ancient Archives 51–52 Invincible Delusion
3–4 Aspiring Conqueror 53–54 Lethal Treasure
5–6 Automaton Servants 55–56 Limited Access
7–8 Birthing Cyst 57–58 Lingering Curse
9–10 Bitter Remnants 59–60 Living Dungeon
11–12 Civil War 61–62 Lost Colony
13–14 Cyclical Doom 63–64 Magical Wonder
15–16 Decrepit Structure 65–66 Monster Forge
17–18 Desperate Hunger 67–68 Outsider Domain
19–20 Dire Tombs 69–70 Precious Resource
21–22 Distant Gate 71–72 Raider Lair
23–24 Dungeon Heart 73–74 Recruiting Drive
25–26 Experimental Lab 75–76 Religious Zealots
27–28 Failed Intrusion 77–78 Rigid Hierarchy
29–30 Fallen Sanctuary 79–80 Royal Refuge
31–32 False Front 81–82 Sacrificial Bargain
33–34 Feral Magic 83–84 Sealed Evil
35–36 Flooded Halls 85–86 Secret Alliance
37–38 Freshly Looted 87–88 Shifting Interior
39–40 Friendly Foes 89–90 Spatial Flux
41–42 Hidden Within 91–92 Surfacer Hideout
43–44 Hiveminded Natives 93–94 Taboo Place
45–46 Hospitable Natives 95–96 Things Below
47–48 Hostile Environment 97–98 Useless Treasure
49–50 Infectious Miasma 99–00 Wizard's Lair
 233

Ancient Archives Aspiring Conqueror

Some kind of valuable information was kept here Some force in the dungeon is planning to attack and
conquer the upper lands
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Automaton Servants Birthing Cyst

Construct servants still operate the place Something awful’s growing in the dungeon
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
234

Bitter Remnants Civil War

Remnants of the creators remain and are resentful Two or more factions inside the dungeon are openly
at war
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Cyclical Doom Decrepit Structure

The dungeon becomes exceedingly dangerous at Dangerously fragile
some unclear cycle
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
 235

Desperate Hunger Dire Tombs

The inhabitants are perpetually starved or lacking in Something powerful is buried here; lots of undead
some needed substance
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Distant Gate Dungeon Heart

Through a portal or under-car it connects to a very Some creature or treasure here is holding the dungeon
distant location stable; if it dies or is stolen things will start to fall apart
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
236

Experimental Lab Failed Intrusion

Weird things were grown or tested there Somebody recently attacked the place but failed.
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Fallen Sanctuary False Front

It was a good and safe place once It appears to be a completely different kind of place
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 237

Feral Magic Flooded Halls

A Working has gone rogue inside the dungeon Flooded with water or worse
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Freshly Looted Friendly Foes

Something came along and plundered it recently Some usually-hostile group there is actively interested
in peace
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
238

Hidden Within Hiveminded Natives

The dungeon’s entrance is nested in some civilized or There’s a multi-bodied intellect in the dungeon,
unexpected place whether insect, AI, or magical beast
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 239

Hospitable Natives Hostile Environment

At least one group of dungeon natives has a known The place is full of something hazardous or difficult to
willingness to host guests deal with- thermal issues, living darkness, radiation,
diseases, etc
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Infectious Miasma Invincible Delusion

There’s some disease in the place that colonizes the The natives are convinced of something that is not true,
natives and refuse to believe contrary
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
240

Lethal Treasure Limited Access

Something very valuable in there is also extremely It’s only accessible at particular times or with special
hazardous to own items
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Lingering Curse Living Dungeon

Everything in it suffers from some malediction The entire dungeon is alive in some way
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 241

Lost Colony Magical Wonder

It was used as a colony by some group that died. There’s a Working in there that does something
amazing, though often not without cost or drawback
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Monster Forge Outsider Domain

The dungeon creates a particular type of monster The place was built to please an Outsider race
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
242

Precious Resource Raider Lair

It generates some valuable substance There are forces in the dungeon that actively raid and
pillage nearby locations
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Recruiting Drive Religious Zealots

The dungeon inhabitants are kidnapping or enlisting The inhabitants are devotees of a god
others to their cause
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
 243

Rigid Hierarchy Royal Refuge

The natives are organized into a tight hierarchy It was a refuge place for some noble or other bigwig
who died here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Sacrificial Bargain Sealed Evil

Someone has a deal with it to give it something in Something horrible in there is locked away
exchange for a favor or power
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
244

Secret Alliance Shifting Interior

The natives have some sort of dark tie with the outside The interior layout of the dungeon shifts
world
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Spatial Flux Surfacer Hideout

There are locations of folded or distorted space inside, Some surface group is using it as a base or hideout
and the parasites that come with it
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
 245

Taboo Place Things Below

The locals hold the place taboo and will kill those who Something came up from the darkness.
interfere with it
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Useless Treasure Wizard’s Lair

This place was for safeguarding something that’s now A powerful wizard lived and worked here for a time
useless
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
246

Wilderness Tags
Use these tags when you need to put something interest-
ing in an untamed wilderness hex.

d100 Tag d100 Tag

1–2 Abandoned Village 51–52 Migration Path
3–4 Ancient Guardians 53–54 Military Outpost
5–6 Ancient Monument 55–56 Monstrous Beast
7–8 Arratu Land 57–58 Motherlode
9–10 Bandit Lair 59–60 Nomad Camp
11–12 Beast Swarm 61–62 Outsider Enclave
13–14 Blighted Tribe 63–64 Overgrown Tomb
15–16 Broken Infrastructure 65–66 Perilous Path
17–18 Chokepoint 67–68 Pilgrimage Site
19–20 Collapsed Deep 69–70 Precious Game
21–22 Criminal Meet 71–72 Rampant Experiment
23–24 Cryptic Art 73–74 Refugee Camp
25–26 Cursed Land 75–76 Remnant Road
27–28 Decayed Working 77–78 Remote Monastery
29–30 Demihuman Community 79–80 Ruined Fortification
31–32 Devil Grove 81–82 Savage Hamlet
33–34 Disused Mine 83–84 Sculpted Terrain
35–36 Healing Terrain 85–86 Seductive Peril
37–38 Hermitage 87–88 Taboo Territory
39–40 Historical Survival 89–90 Toxic Ruins
41–42 Isolated Academy 91–92 Treacherous Terrain
43–44 Labyrinthine Tangle 93–94 Twisted Fauna
45–46 Lost Battlefield 95–96 Uncanny Weather
47–48 Lost City 97–98 Working Wreckage
49–50 Magical Springs 99–00 Zealot Colony
 247

Abandoned Village Ancient Guardians

The remnants of a village that failed for some reason Something here is guarded by constructs or shades of
a long-vanished polity
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Ancient Monument Arratu Land

A monument to some lost kingdom or forgotten hero A large swath of land here is arratu
stands here
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
248

Bandit Lair Beast Swarm

A traditional or untraditional nest of bandits A hive, nest, or lair of dangerous beasts is here
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Blighted Tribe Broken Infrastructure

A tribe of Blighted dwell here, dangerous or wretched A ruin here was once a key node of some ancient
as they may be infrastructure
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 249

Chokepoint Collapsed Deep

Passage through this area is constricted to a particular There was a Deep here, but all entrances or the Deep
pass, ancient bridge, ford, or other narrow terrain itself have since collapsed
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Criminal Meet Cryptic Art

Outlaws, black marketeers, or smugglers meet here A vast and inexplicable edifice is here which might
to do business have been art to some lost culture
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
250

Cursed Land Decayed Working

Something has laid a magical curse on everything A damaged Working is creating a warped magical
in this area effect in the area
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Demihuman Community Devil Grove

Some demihumans have made a home here An infestation of Outsider flora and fauna is centered
on a site here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
 251

Disused Mine Healing Terrain

Someone mined something here once A zone of arratu here is slowly giving way to natural
Earthlike terrain
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Hermitage Historical Survival

A hermit or anchoress dwells here A remnant of some ancient empire lives on in a
community here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
252

Isolated Academy Labyrinthine Tangle

Some school or place of learning here stands aloof The terrain is exceedingly easy to get lost in
from the world
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Lost Battlefield Lost City

A large and gruesome battle was fought here at some A major city once stood here, and it may still have
time some occupants
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 253

Magical Springs Migration Path

An enchanted spring, magical-fruit-bearing tree, or Something dangerous migrates this way at some
other natural source of enchantment is here schedule
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
254

Military Outpost Monstrous Beast

Someone’s planted a guardpost of some sort here Some savagely dangerous beast has cowed all rivals
here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Motherlode Nomad Camp

A strike of some valuble substance is here Nomads, itinerant herdsman, mobile foresters or the
like camp here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
 255

Outsider Enclave Overgrown Tomb

A surviving enclave of Outsiders lurks here A tomb or ossuary once important to some culture
is here
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Perilous Path Pilgrimage Site

There’s a dangerous bridge, skyway, tunnel, or other There’s something here that pilgrims come to visit
passage here that’s a shortcut to somewhere important
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P
256

Precious Game Rampant Experiment

A game animal of unusually valuable traits is found Some biological experiment or terraforming effort has
here, and probably jealously gamekept gone terribly wrong here
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Refugee Camp Remnant Road

People who fled some calamity are making camp There’s an ancient road fragment in the area, with ruins
here alongside it
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
 257

Remote Monastery Ruined Fortification

A monastery, temple, shrine, or other religious site is Some crumbling stronghold of a forgotten empire
self-sustaining here
E
E F
F C
C T
T P
P

Savage Hamlet Sculpted Terrain

A small community of unsociable sorts A prior era carved an entire hill, mountain, or other
major landform into some meaningful shape
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
258

Seductive Peril Taboo Territory

Something attractive in the area is really a trap Some area here is strictly off-limits, enforced by
watchful locals
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P

Toxic Ruins Treacherous Terrain

There’s a ruin here that’s been tainted somehow Bogs, landslides, mudholes, and other dire terrain
abounds
E
F E
C F
T C
P T
P
 259

Twisted Fauna Uncanny Weather

Something has warped the fauna in the area into Some kind of magical weather strikes this area
dangerous forms intermittently
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P

Working Wreckage Zealot Colony

The shattered remnants of a vast, now-inert Working A group of religious or ideological zealots are
are here building a community here
E E
F F
C C
T T
P P
260

Using This Game in Other Settings

It’s frankly expected that a lot of readers of this game it still rolls 1d8 for them here. If it can cast one spell a
won’t be using it with the Latter Earth as their campaign day from that game’s list of magic spells, then the same
setting. Indeed, a considerable number of you won’t be spellcasting ability applies here.
using the system at all, instead taking advantage of the If the class has special weapon or armor restrictions,
content creation tools in these pages to build worlds and they also apply in Worlds Without Number. Many old-
adventures for your own favorite game. These are perfect- school classes are balanced around restricted access to the
ly reasonable things to do and the game has been written best armor and weapons, so it’s important not to meddle
to accommodate these goals as cleanly as possible. with this carelessly.
Still, there are some extra tools and items of advice To identify the class’ hit bonus, check to see how
that can be given to those GMs who want to use Worlds many special abilities the class grants. One with very few
Without Number as their system, but want to play in a special powers, such as an old-school Fighter or Ranger,
more conventional fantasy setting. In particular, some would use the Warrior table for determining hit bonuses.
GMs may want to import character classes, spells, magic One that has a significant number of special powers but
items, or other content from existing old-school-compat- doesn’t actually get the spellcasting abilities of a wizard
ible games and may need some advice on how to do that. or old-school Cleric would use the Expert hit table. One
that gets full spellcasting or a similarly potent array of
What Materials to Import abilities would use the Mage hit table.
A GM can reliably import almost any material written to Finally, check to see how many Focus picks you
target the pre-third-editions of the world’s most popular should peel off from the class in exchange for their special
role-playing game. Games that target this same general abilities. Look at the special powers the class grants and
material such as Labyrinth Lord, Old School Essentials, compare them to the benefits reasonable for a single Fo-
Lamentations of the Flame Princess, OSRIC, BFRPG, cus pick. Some “class powers” might not be very powerful
or similar games should also translate with little or no at all; a classic Thief ’s special abilities of lockpicking and
difficulty. Importing materials from more modern edi- sneaking are really nothing that isn’t better-represented
tions is possible, but they would need significantly more in this game as a Specialist focus in Sneak. Others might
conversion and adjustment, since the hit point and dam- be substantially stronger than a focus normally grants,
age ranges tend to be much wider than in the older games. such as an old-school Druid’s shapeshifting powers. Full
spellcasting is something you can set aside; the class paid
Importing Adventure Content for that with their shabby hit bonus and hit points, so
Monsters, adventures, and other such content should you don’t need to take away Focus picks for it.
come through with no necessary changes in hit points, Once you’ve decided how many Focus picks the
damage rolls, or other numeric details. The one big differ- class’ powers are worth, then that many Focus picks are
ence found in some old-school games is the use of ascend- taken away from the class as they advance in experience
ing versus descending Armor Classes; in some editions, levels. A class with a lot of special abilities might not get
lower is better, so an AC of 0 is equal to ascending AC to pick new Foci at all when they go up in levels, simply
of 20. For these editions simply subtract the armor class getting the special powers of their class instead. Particu-
given from 20 to find the ascending AC. larly straight-forward classes, like the old-school Fighter,
These same descending AC systems often record a might not sacrifice any Focus picks at all. All PCs should
creature or PC’s hit bonus as the number they need to be allowed to pick at least one Focus at first level, however.
roll on a d20 in order to hit an AC of 0. To find an equiva- Note that many old-school games offer various dif-
lent Worlds Without Number hit bonus for the creature, ferent types of saving throws. For this game, it’s easier to
subtract this “THAC0” from 20. Thus, if it needs a 17 to ignore those tables and simply calculate Physical, Mental,
hit an AC of 0, then its hit bonus is +3. and Evasion saving throws as usual for the PC.

Importing Character Classes Reskinning Character Classes

Some GMs may want to add character classes that ex- In many cases, however, a GM will simply want to use
ist in other old-school games. Instead of making a pal- normal Worlds Without Number classes for their own
adin-flavored Warrior, for example, they might want to campaign. To help simplify your task, here are some rec-
import the traditional Paladin class, or they might see ommendations for what classes to use to substitute for
some interesting new class that they want to bring into more “traditional” old-school professions.
their game. In general, this is a simple process. Fighters are simply Warriors. Rangers and Pal-
Overall, use the same class abilities, hit dice, and adins are Warriors who’ve invested in Survive or Pray,
details as the original version. If the class gets the power and possibly put some Focus specialization in bow use
to shapeshift at level 3, then it still gains that power at or dual-wielding depending on the interpretation of
level 3 in this system. If it rolls 1d8 for its hit points, then Ranger being used. Paladins who want some measure
 261

of miracle-invoking ability have partial-classed into the High Magic spells. There’s usually no issue with simply
Sarulite Blood Priest class described in the deluxe edi- halving their original level, rounded up, and then adding
tion of this book. Rangers who want a “pet” minion will them to the High Magic spell list. The exceptions are
have partialed into the Llaigisan Beastmaster class in the three different classes of spells that need more careful
deluxe edition. examination.
Thieves are Experts who have probably taken the Spells that do damage or eliminate enemies need
Specialist Focus in the Sneak skill and invested their skill to be toned down or made less convenient to use. Any
points in assorted larcenous talents. Assassins have taken spell that does area damage should always affect everyone
the appropriate Focus and might’ve invested more heavily in the area, friend or foe, and spells that inflict damage on
in combat skills; some of these might actually be War- a single target should always allow saving throws for half
riors with a Sneak investment. damage. Neither should ever do more than ten dice of
Clerics have taken the Warrior/Sarulite Blood damage, regardless of the caster’s level. Spells that render
Priest class in the deluxe edition if they want to be a a victim unable to fight should either not work on targets
traditional head-bashing, miracle-invoking cleric. If they with more hit dice than the caster or should require more
want actual spellcasting abilities, however, they may par- than one failed save to finally put the target down. Any
tial-class into an appropriate Mage tradition, and may spell that threatens to dethrone the Warrior’s primacy in
have to take the Armored Magic Focus if they want to do combat needs to be trimmed back.
their spellcasting while in full harness. Druids are Llai- Spells that give bonuses to hit rolls, skill checks, or
gisan Beastmasters if they want to focus on pet control other attributes should generally not be allowed. A spell
and Darian Skinshifters if they want to emphasize shape- that simply makes you do what you always did 10% bet-
shifting. If they want to add spellcasting into the mix, ter is a very boring spell that doesn’t change the situation
they’ll need to decide which aspect to forego in order to at all when it is used. Casters end up with a powerful in-
add an appropriate partial Elementalist class or the like. ducement to simply carry a load of buffs, because they’re
Monks are Vowed, with Warrior-Vowed represent- by definition always useful whenever the buffed abilities
ing the standard punch enthusiast while Expert-Vowed are relevant. If the spell doesn’t change the situation when
make for effective ninja-flavored martial artists. Practi- it’s used, it’s probably not going to be a good addition to
tioners of animal-based arts might add in some bestial the game.
shapeshifting with the Darian Skinshifter partial class. Spells that step on another PC’s concept should
Magic-users are represented by whatever Mage not be allowed. If you have a stealthy, sneaky Expert in
class best fits the character’s concept. Optionally, the the party, don’t let the wizard add spells that let them
GM can include some fan-favorite spells from different replicate or better that talent. If you have a social-master
old-school games into the High Magic spell list if they PC with heavy investment in social Foci and skills, don’t
wish, but such conversions should be done carefully, as let the wizard add a bunch of mindbending powers to
explained below. their spell list. This limit is table-specific, because if there
is no PC occupying a niche then there’s much less danger
Importing Spells and Magic in letting that niche get stepped on by the wizard.
Many GMs may have an inclination to use this game
with settings where magic is considerably easier to use
than in the Latter Earth. Magic-users in these settings
may have access to a much larger selection of spells, both
to learn and to cast on a daily basis, and the spells might
be much better-tuned to accomplish specific purposes.
For these games, the basic idea is that the magic-user
should always have something magical to do in a given
situation, even if that’s simply blasting magic bolts at an
enemy.
This is not the philosophy of Worlds Without
Number. Mages in this game are intended to find them-
selves in some situations where their magic is simply not
relevant, much like a Warrior sometimes finds his sword
useless or an Expert finds her skills unable to address a
problem. PCs are expected to have to use their less-best
options to overcome some problems or deal with certain
situations. Still, this doesn’t mean that GMs should never
include more magic, or that they can’t have their own
ideas about a proper balance.
Most spells imported from existing old-school prod-
ucts will be significantly weaker than equivalent-level
262

TREASURES AND REWARDS

(Chapter intro here)

This section will include magic items and reward

guidelines for adventures.
 263

TREASURESPLASH
W 8.5 in
H 11 in
264

Magical Weapons
A lust for enchanted steel is a commonplace among war- d8 The Original Intended Users of the Weapon
riors, and the sorcerers of the Latter Earth have not been 1 Used by a common member of a mass infantry
remiss in creating wondrous weapons for their allies and unit that relied on muscle-powered weapons.
patrons. Despite the inevitable losses to time, wear, and Favors spears, pole arms, short swords, or
obscurity, magical weapons from countless prior ages daggers.
can still be found in ruins, strongholds, and the grip of
powerful warriors. 2 Used by a civilian gentleman or duelist. Favors
As with any magical item, GMs should remember swords, daggers, hand hurlants, staffs, cane-
that the weapon’s current possessor will almost certainly clubs, or concealable weapons.
be using it against their foes if they have any ability to 3 Used by a champion or heroic warrior. Favors
do so. complex, exotic, or specialist weapons, two-
handed weapons, and hurlants.
Creating Magical Weapons 4 Used by an assassin or other denied obvious
First, decide whether the weapon should be a minor, ma- weaponry. Favors daggers, claw blades, and
jor, or great treasure. An heirloom axe of a minor knightly other small concealed weapons; sometimes
family might seem to be appropriate for a minor weapon, long hurlants or crossbows.
while the famed war-sword of a legendary hero is proba-
5 Used by knightly duelists or other heavy-armor
bly a great treasure. This is not a certainty; even a famous
combatants. Favors maces, hammers, two-
blade might actually be of relatively modest power, and a
handed weapons, stilettos, and other weapons
little-known spear might be a relic from a forgotten leg-
with penetrating Shock.
end, but it’s a good starting point for creating the weapon.
Next, roll a d20 or pick from the table below to find 6 Used by archers or ranged combatants. Favors
out the weapon’s basic enchantment bonus. This bonus bows, crossbows, hurlants, light spears, short
is added to any hit rolls, damage rolls, and Shock the swords, or daggers.
weapon might do. While most magical weapons are con- 7 Used by individualistic warbands. Favors
sidered masterworks of their type, the usual masterwork spears and short swords somewhat, but an
bonus does not stack with these enchantments. individual warrior could use anything.
Weapon Enchantment Bonus 8 Used by a high-tech culture. Roll again, but
Bonus Minor Major Great replace bows and crossbows with hurlants,
and melee weapons will have advanced-tech
+1 1–16 1–5 1
stylings.
+2 17–19 6–17 2–4
gear found for them, though it could be that the item was
+3 20 18–20 5–20
a novelty created for an owner’s special purpose.
Once you know the enchantment bonus, you should Use the favored weapon suggestions as guidelines
think about the original intended users of the weapon. for picking the precise type of weapon the artifact might
Who was this magical item made for? What sort of be. For additional help, you can roll on the adjacent table.
weapons did they use, and in what context were they If the result is a “favored primary” weapon, then pick one
employed? A footman in some ancient sorcerer-king’s of the favored weapons listed above that would make
army is going to have a very different kind of short sword sense for a main armament. “Favored secondary” are usu-
than the casual sidearm carried by a noble of some van- ally short swords, daggers, hand hurlants, or other back-
ished empire. up gear appropriate to the user type. “Favored ranged” is
The adjacent table offers some suggestions as to who usually a dagger, hand hurlant, light throwing spear, or
the original users might’ve been. If you’ve established a other secondary ranged weapon, though archers and gun-
particular ancient empire in your campaign setting, you ners might prefer heavier weaponry.
might credit the weapon to them, and use some recurring The tables lean towards certain weapons that have
motifs of material, shape, or style to help emphasize the always been common and favored throughout martial
item’s origins. If the weapon was instead made by some history: spears and short swords. Sorcerers who built
modern mage, it might include a maker’s mark or other weapons for massed bodies of troops will have favored
characteristic trait that could connect it to other items such effective, versatile weapons. Still, the very individ-
crafted by the wizard. ualistic nature of most heroic warriors and the unique
Each table entry provides some suggestions as to the tastes of prior ages can sometimes result in rather unusu-
types of weapons most likely for such a wielder. These al weapon choices. Warriors who find such equipment
favored weapons will form the bulk of the magical war- must sometimes put aside more familiar gear if they
mean to master their newfound treasure.
 265

d100 Weapon d100 Weapon

1–30 Favored primary 72–73 Hammer, War
31–40 Favored secondary 74 Hurlant, Great
41–50 Favored ranged 75 Hurlant, Hand
51–53 Axe, Hand 76 Hurlant, Long
54 Axe, War 77–78 Mace
55 Blackjack 79–80 Pike
56–58 Bow, Large 81–85 Spear, Heavy
59–61 Bow, Small 86–89 Spear, Light
62 Claw Blades 90 Throwing Blade
63 Club 91 Staff
64 Club, Great 92 Stiletto
65 Crossbow 93–94 Sword, Great
66–68 Dagger 95–97 Sword, Long
69–70 Halberd 98–00 Sword, Short
71 Hammer, Great
Once you have the weapon enchantment, origin, and
weapon type decided, you’ll want to decide whether or
not the weapon might have one or more special abilities.
A full list of these abilities is found on the following pages,
though you can always make up more of your own or loot
them from other old-school compatible games. If you
haven’t any particular firm feelings about the topic, you
can roll on the table below to find out.
Special Weapon Abilities
d12 Minor Major Great
1–2 None None None
3–4 None None One
5–6 None One Two
7 None One Two
8 None One Two
9 One Two Three
10 One Two Three
11 One Two Three
12 Two Three Three
With that set, your magical weapon is complete. You
might give it some details of appearance and style to set it
off, but don’t worry about attaching a backstory or other
elaborate history to it unless you expect it to become
pertinent to your game.
266

Magical Weapon Abilities

The following powers are just some of the possible en- the victim to make an immediate Morale check at a
chantments that might have been wrought into the arma- -1 penalty. This effect can be applied to a given target
ments of ancient days. A sufficiently skilled mage of the only once per scene.
present day might be able to replicate some of them at Devoted: The weapon bonds with the first possessor to
the GM’s discretion using the magic item creation rules pick it up after the death of their last wielder. Until
that begin on page XX. the wielder dies or intentionally discards it, it re-
mains bound to them. Under no circumstances will
Adamantine: The weapon is imperishable and unbreak- it or its projectiles harm its wielder, and it can be
able by all conventional and most magical means. teleported back to their hand as an On Turn action.
Edged weapons never lose their keenness, bow- The first time the wielder would be reduced to zero
strings never snap, and the weapon can bear a seem- hit points during a day, they may accept a point of
ingly limitless amount of weight without bending or System Strain to let the weapon leap up and block
breaking. The weapon’s damage and hit bonus are the damage, assuming the damage is the sort the
both increased by +1, to a maximum of +3. weapon could block.
Augmented: The weapon’s enchantment hit and damage Devouring: The weapon bites pieces out of a victim’s
bonus increase by +1, up to a maximum of +4. body or spirit. Damage inflicted by a devouring
Baffling: The weapon looks very strange in some way, weapon cannot be healed until the end of the scene,
and its operation is not obvious to onlookers. The whether by regeneration or other healing abilities.
first attack the wielder makes during a fight is an Creatures brought to zero hit points by the weap-
automatic hit; after that, the onlookers have seen on are killed immediately and largely dismembered.
enough to defend against it normally. The shifting Every time the weapon kills a living creature, the
configuration of the weapon allows the same bonus bearer gains twice their hit dice in points of healing.
during the next fight, however, even if the foes have Effortless: The weapon is supernaturally handy and easy
seen it in an earlier engagement. to use. It has an effective Encumbrance of zero, can-
Barring: As a Move action, the bearer can use the weapon not be unintentionally dropped or disarmed, and
to draw a straight, glowing line up to twenty feet will hang suspended in space by the bearer for up
long, provided one part of the line is within five feet to a minute if they should need their weapon hand
of the bearer. Enemies must make a Mental saving free for some other purpose during a round. Large
throw to cross the line from either direction with Effortless weapons will automatically compact or
their bodies, weapons, or powers; on a failed save, contort themselves to remain convenient to carry or
their attempted action is wasted. The effect ends use in even the most awkward circumstances.
until a new line is draw, the scene ends, or the bearer Energetic: When in use, the weapon or its projectiles are
or their allies cross the line with their own bodies, wreathed in flame, lightning, killing frost, or some
weapons, or powers. other form of energy. Minor energetic weapons do
Blighted: The weapon was created to slaughter normal +2 damage on a hit, while major or great energetic
human beings. Against baseline humans, it rolls weapons do 1d6+2 additional damage. This bonus
damage twice and takes the better result. It func- doesn’t add to the weapon’s Shock.
tions without issues even in the hands of a baseline Enervating: The weapon drains the vital energy from
wielder; its creators were as glad to see intercine those it harms. A creature hit by the weapon must
strife as any other kind. make a Physical saving throw or lose their next
Bloodbound: The weapon forms a symbiotic bond with Move action. This draining effect can’t apply more
the wielder. So long as they are wielding the weap- than once to a creature until their next turn.
on, they automatically stabilize from any survivable Enraging: The weapon ignites a bloodthirsty fury in the
mortal wound and automatically regenerate one hit bearer. As an On Turn action, the wielder can be-
point every hour as magical healing. Once per day, come enraged. While enraged, they gain a +2 bonus
a failed Physical or Mental saving throw may be re- to hit and damage rolls, can reroll any failed Mental
rolled as the weapon shares the strain on the wielder. saving throws that would stop them from fighting,
Bloodthirsty: When the weapon’s wielder reduces a crea- and can continue fighting for one round after be-
ture with at least one hit die to zero hit points, they ing reduced to zero hit points. Enraged wielders
regain 1d8 plus the creature’s hit dice in lost hit never fail a Morale check. Every round, however,
points. This healing cannot take them above their they must either attack someone, seek to get close
usual maximum hit points. enough to attack someone, or spend their Main Ac-
Despairing: The weapon drains a victim’s courage and tion to come out of the rage.
hope. By accepting a point of System Strain as an Forfending: The first Screen Ally skill check the bearer
Instant action when they hit a target, they can force attempts each round is an automatic success. While
 267

they are using the Screen Ally action, they are im- d100 Ability d100 Ability
mune to Shock damage and gain a +2 bonus to their 1–2 Adamantine 51–52 Nightwalking
Armor Class.
3–4 Augmented 53–54 Omened
Fortifying: The weapon has a supplementary pool of
System Strain; up to three points of it can be accu- 5–6 Baffling 55–56 Penetrating
mulated by the weapon in place of its bearer when 7–8 Barring 57–58 Phantom
System Strain is incurred. This System Strain de-
9–10 Blighted 59–60 Phasing
creases by one point per night. A bearer can benefit
from only one of these weapons at a time, and its 11–12 Bloodbound 61–62 Piercing
pool is shared among all its potential users. 13–14 Bloodthirsty 63–64 Radioactive
Harmonious: As an On Turn action, provided the bearer 15–16 Despairing 65–66 Rampaging
has not attacked yet this turn, the bearer may target
a weapon being held by an enemy; the Harmonious 17–18 Devoted 67–68 Rectifying
weapon will instantly move to perfectly parry, de- 19–20 Devouring 69–70 Returning
flect, or block all attacks that weapon makes against 21–22 Effortless 71–72 Sacrificial
the bearer until the start of their next turn. Con-
versely, the Harmonious weapon cannot be used to 23–24 Energetic 73–74 Shattering
hurt the bearer of the targeted weapon, as it is too 25–26 Enervating 75–76 Shieldbreaking
perfectly in harmony with their movements. 27–28 Enraging 77–78 Shocking
Hunting: The weapon was fashioned to slay monstrous
29–30 Forfending 79–80 Shrieking
beasts. Against non-sentient foes, the weapon rolls
any damage it inflicts twice and takes the higher 31–32 Fortifying 81–82 Skittering
result. 33–34 Harmonious 83–84 Skytreading
Illuminating: The weapon casts light up to 60’ in radi- 35–36 Hunting 85–86 Slaughtering
us at the wielder’s mental command. By accepting
one point of System Strain, the bearer may make 37–38 Illuminating 87–88 Souleating
the light visible only to them and their allies; such 39–40 Innervating 89–90 Spellcleaving
selective light lasts for an hour. 41–42 Longarm 91–92 Terrifying
Innervating: A wielder who uses Effort, such as a High
Mage or a Vowed, may accept a point of System 43–44 Lucky 93–94 Toxic
Strain to gain an additional bonus point of Effort 45–46 Marking 95–96 Vengeful
for as long as they carry the weapon. This System 47–48 Merciful 97–98 Versatile
Strain cannot be recovered until the weapon is put
49–50 Negating 99–00 Vigilant
aside. Only one Innervating weapon can help a bear-
er at once. If the weapon is dropped or lost for more when a new target is marked, or when the marked
than an hour, the Effort and any effect it may be target gets more than five hundred feet away.
supporting are lost. Merciful: The weapon never kills any target it reduces to
Longarm: The weapon’s effective range is doubled. If a zero hit points; instead, they are immediately sta-
melee weapon without the Long quality, it gains it, bilized and will awaken an hour later with one hit
and if it already has the Long quality, it now extends point. The damage that this weapon inflicts is com-
out to 20 feet. pletely painless and leaves no visible physical marks.
Lucky: The weapon confers an unpredictable and unre- Negating: The weapon feeds on the arcane power of
liable luck on its bearer. As an Instant action, they spells and magical weapons used against its bear-
can call on this luck to reroll an attack roll, damage er. When the bearer is targeted by a magical spell,
roll, or skill check made during combat, taking the arcane power, or the special powers of a magical
better of the two rolls. They can use this ability only weapon, they may accept a point of System Strain as
once per scene, and every time they use it, they must an Instant action and make a Physical saving throw;
roll 1d6 as well; on a 1, the attempted roll fails or on a success, they are unaffected. This save may only
rolls minimum damage instead. be attempted once per instance of effect.
Marking: When the weapon harms or even touches a tar- Nightwalking: The weapon allows the bearer to step
get, the wielder can choose to gain a point of System through shadows, entering one and appearing in
Strain and activate its marking power. For the rest another no more than a hundred feet away as a
of the scene, the weapon can strike the target as if Move action. Even very small shadows will suffice,
they were adjacent, regardless of their distance or and one is generally available in any area not devoid
any intervening cover. They are also perfectly aware of light or objects to cast them.
of the marked target’s location, speech, and physi- Omened: Once per day the weapon can provide a yes,
cal actions. The mark ends at the end of the scene, no, or unclear answer to a single question asked by
a wielder regarding events that could happen to the
268

wielder within the next hour. The weapon’s answer Turn action. A new possessor becomes the owner
is the GM’s best estimate of likelihood, and may not after carrying it for at least an hour.
be correct if events play out in an unexpected way. Sacrificial: The weapon’s violence is fueled by the wield-
Thus, asking “Will I win this hand of cards?” might er’s own life force. As an Instant action on a hit, the
result in the GM dicing out the result and telling wielder may accept 1d8 hit points of damage; dou-
the PC yes or no based on what will happen should ble this damage is inflicted on the target. This dam-
they play, but if the PC knifes their gambling part- age may be enough to mortally wound the weapon’s
ner partway through the draw the weapon’s answer own wielder.
would no longer apply. Shattering: The weapon can be used to smash inanimate
Penetrating: This weapon ignores non-magical armor objects and barriers. Once per scene, with one min-
or the hides of non-magical beasts for purposes of ute of careful preparation, the wielder can break a
determining Shock susceptibility. man-sized hole in a normal exterior wall or up to a
Phantom: As an On Turn action, the bearer can turn foot of stone. If they accept a point of System Strain,
the weapon invisible and intangible to anyone they can do so as a Main Action instead, and may
but themselves, or revert the weapon to visibility. do so as often as they have System Strain available.
While invisible the weapon can harm only intangi- Shattering blows inflict no special damage on ani-
ble or immaterial foes, but it cannot be detected or mate targets.
touched by others. Shieldbreaking: The weapon ignores all shields, both
Phasing: The weapon can be tuned to pass through solid their Armor Class bonus and their Shock protec-
obstacles, striking only those objects or targets the tion. Non-magical shields are destroyed by the
bearer wills. Causing the weapon to phase is an On weapon’s attack, whether or not the attack hits.
Turn action that adds one point of System Strain to Shocking: The weapon’s Shock damage is increased by
the bearer; until the end of the round, the weapon 2 points. If it has no natural Shock score, it gains a
ignores any armor, cover, or barrier that may ob- Shock rating of 2/AC 15.
struct it. Shrieking: At the wielder’s will, the weapon emits an
Piercing: This weapon inflicts its Shock damage on ear-splitting shriek while in use. The wielder and
everything the wielder attacks with it, even if the up to a dozen allies are immune to this effect, but
target is normally immune to Shock. However, the others who are within 60 feet of the wielder are
weapon never inflicts more than its Shock damage, unable to hear themselves speak, and spellcasters
whether or not the attack roll hits. If the weapon must make Wis/Magic skill checks at a difficulty of
doesn’t normally do Shock, it gains a base Shock 7 plus the spell level to successfully cast spells with-
rating of 2/-. out fumbling the incantations. All Instinct checks
Radioactive: The weapon emits a constant invisible ra- made within the area suffer a -2 penalty. The shriek-
diance of toxic power. As an On Turn action the ing is completely inaudible outside the sixty-foot
bearer can drop or restore the safeguards on the radius of effect.
weapon. While unleashed the weapon glows deep Skittering: When the weapon is shot or thrown at a lo-
blue and everyone within melee range of the bearer, cation within sixty feet, the wielder may instantly
including the bearer, will take 1d10 damage at the appear where the weapon was thrown or struck as
end of the bearer’s turn each round unless somehow an On Turn action, provided they do so in the same
shielded against radioactivity. Creatures with one round. If thrown, they appear with the weapon in
hit die automatically die if so poisoned, regardless their hand. This ability may be used only once per
of the damage roll. round.
Rampaging: Whenever this weapon kills a creature with Skytreading: The weapon’s bearer falls gently from any
at least one hit die, its bearer may immediately make height, becoming immune to falling damage. By ac-
another attack on any target within range. If no ad- cepting one point of System Strain as an On Turn
ditional targets are available, the wielder instead action, they may fly at their full normal movement
gets an instant free Move action. rate until the end of the round.
Rectifying: The weapon is exceptionally potent against Slaughtering: The weapon hideously disjects its victims.
undead, robots, and other synthetic life forms. All Any target reduced to zero hit points by the weap-
damage done to such creatures is rolled twice, with on is immediately killed and violently dismembered.
the better number taken. The weapon can affect Any enemies with a Morale score of less than 12
even insubstantial or otherwise immune entities who are within melee range of the slaughtered vic-
of that type, and an undead creature killed by this tim take the weapon’s Shock damage as emotional
weapon is permanently put to rest despite any spe- trauma and horror, even if they’re normally immune
ical means of revivification they may have. to Shock. Weapons that don’t do Shock damage
Returning: If thrown, dropped, or disarmed, the weapon inflict 2 points of damage to these bystanders in-
can be called back to the owner’s hand as an On stead. This weapon cannot be used for less than
lethal attacks.
 269

Souleating: While this weapon may or may not devour

the actual soul of the target, such as it may be, it
channels great vital force to the wielder. Every time
they kill a sentient creature with the weapon, they
lose one accumulated System Strain point. This ef-
fect can trigger only once per scene.
Spellcleaving: At a cost of a Move action and one Sys-
tem Strain gained by the wielder, the weapon can
apply an Extirpate Arcana spell effect to any target
point within range of the weapon. The spell is cast
as if by a tenth level High Mage with a total Int/
Magic skill bonus of +3. This power can be used
only once per scene.
Terrifying: The weapon is wrought with psychic distress,
creating an intense burden of fear in those who op-
pose its wielder. Whenever the wielder does some-
thing that provokes a Morale or Instinct check, any
targets who can see them must make the check at a
-1 penalty. This effect does not stack with multiple
weapons, nor does it affect those with Morale 12.
Toxic: The weapon sweats a potent toxin. When it hits
a living target, the wielder may accept a point of
System Strain to trigger the toxin’s effect; the victim
is racked with spasms of torment and cannot speak
or cry out while they remain poisoned. Each round
they take 1d8 damage at the end of their turn; they
can try to throw off the poison’s effects by making a
successful Physical saving throw at the end of their
round. A creature can only be poisoned once by this
weapon at any one time.
Vengeful: The weapon will always succeed at any attack
roll made against a foe who has harmed the wielder
within the past round, assuming success is physical-
ly possible. Such vengeful strikes roll damage twice
and take the higher roll.
Versatile: The weapon shifts forms to better suit the
bearer’s need. As an On Turn action, the wielder
can give it one of the following qualities it doesn’t al-
ready have: Subtle, Long, or Throwable. If thrown, it
returns to the bearer’s hand at the end of the round.
Vigilant: The weapon’s bearer cannot be surprised by
anyone who is carrying a manufactured weapon.
The bearer does not need to sleep, though they do
not recover lost hit points or accumulated System
Strain without doing so.
270

CREATING ADVENTURES
(Chapter intro here)

This chapter is for GM advice and adventure cre-

ation tools.
 271

ADVENTURESPLASH
W 8.5 in
H 11 in
272

What GMs and Players Need to Bring

Many gaming players and GMs are familiar with the tacit
expectations of their table. They know what everyone is Duties of the GM
supposed to be bringing to the session, and they know The GM has a heavier load than the players bear. While
what their share of the work is supposed to be. For new the players only need to worry about a single character in
players or those introduced into a new group, however, the world, the GM has to handle the rest of the campaign
these tacit understandings might be a little too implicit. setting, ensuring that everyone there has enough material
To help clarify these points, here are some of the basic to have a good time.
expectations that players and GMs need to have about a A GM needs to be fair. You are not the party’s
standard Worlds Without Number campaign. adversary. You are not the party’s cheerleader. You are
not here to test their mettle or usher them toward their
Duties of the Players destiny. You are the indifferent prime mover of your cam-
Players have the relatively “easy” job in a campaign, but it paign who gives the PCs the results that their efforts
doesn’t mean it’s one they can wholly neglect. There are have earned. Tilting dice rolls to save or damn a PC is
some things every player needs to bring to the table if not part of your role. However heart-rending or cruel
everyone there is going to have a good time. it may be, the default assumption in Worlds Without
PCs need to want to work together. It doesn’t mat- Number is that the GM does not cheat the dice when
ter how or why your PC wants to work with the other PCs are involved.
characters. Maybe it’s a spirit of grudging cooperation, or In the same vein, a GM doesn’t play favorites among
suspicious association, or an alliance of convenience. It the players. While friendships or relationships may vary,
can be any reason that your character concept can justify, everyone gets the same dice and the same odds at the
but it has to boil down to your PC wanting to help and table. Once special favors start getting handed out every
cooperate with the other PCs. If your concept cannot decision the GM makes starts to be viewed with suspi-
make room for that then you need a new concept. Make cion, whether or not it was deserved.
a PC that can actually play with the other players. A GM needs to respond to the PCs. If the party
Note that some campaigns might be explicitly ad- decides to venture into the cursed Ashblight arratu, then
versarial among the PCs, or involve specific contrary you need to make up an adventure revolving around that
goals or purposes. If everyone at the table is fine with expedition. If the beautiful young priestess has convinced
that, then that’s perfectly acceptable, but the default as- the party to help her assassinate the leader of her temple,
sumption is that everyone is working together. then you need to make an adventure about how they do
PCs need to have a motivation to act. Your PC or don’t achieve that. On a smaller scale, when the PCs
need to want to interact with the world. They need a goal, do something in the world, it should leave marks and
or a motivation, or an inclination to do something. When consequences that they encounter later, even if only in
they see adventure, they need to have a reason to jump passing. When the PCs do things, the GM needs to do
at it. Sometimes a character concept gets created that things in response.
is all about being something; the character is a taciturn A GM needs to account for PC goals. If the PC
archer, or a beautiful young priestess, or a farm-boy war- has a goal of accumulating vast wealth, then the GM
rior haunted by the specter of battle. That’s all well and needs to be ready to throw out hooks to adventures that
good, but all of these concepts need a driving motivation promise monetary rewards. If the PC’s goal is bloody
that will get them tangled in plot hooks and seeking wild vengeance on a tyrant, then hooks need to be made that
adventures. involve resisting the monarch’s rule. These hooks and
Players need to pay attention. Put away the adventures need not simply grant the PC’s wish or give
phones, stow the talk about the latest podcast, and listen them a golden road to success, but if the players say they
to what the other players are doing even when it doesn’t want to have adventures revolving around a topic, a GM
involve you. Listen to what the GM is saying, think about needs to give them hooks that will get them there.
the choices your PC is going to make, and engage with A GM needs to have an evening’s adventure. At
the game as it’s going on. the start of the session, the GM needs to have enough
Players need to trust the GM. The GM is going material to reasonably occupy the group for however
to be making a lot of judgment calls and quick decisions long they’ve decided to play. This is the most time-con-
during play. Not all of them are going to go your way, and suming part of a GM’s job, because brewing up an ad-
some of them are inevitably going to seem downright venture can take a great deal of time and effort to do
poorly-reasoned. Still, you need to trust that the GM well. The tools in this section are meant to help ease the
is doing their best to deliver a fun session for everyone. GM’s burden in this, however, and make it as quick and
Rules disputes and other issues with the way they’re run- painless as possible.
ning a game should be saved for after the session is over.
 273

GM Issues and How To Handle Them

Certain topics and issues come up regularly for GMs, Worlds Without Number is not designed to be a
and it can be helpful to have some advice as to how to good PvP game. It’s not built to provide balanced con-
handle these ordinary situations. The tactics below are flicts between PCs, and it assumes that all the PCs will
certainly not the only way to deal with matters, and may be working together or at the very least not trying to
not even be the best way for your particular group, but undermine each other. If the entire table is keen on the
they’ve proved effective at many different tables. conflict and everyone trusts the GM to handle any judg-
ment calls, then it can be used that way, but it’s not a
Disputes During Play situation that the game natively supports.
It’s inevitable that people at the table will eventually dis- If the quarrel is distracting the rest of the party,
agree about how a particular rule works. Often as not, however, then the GM needs to call a time-out and get
this disagreement arises when it is extremely important the players back on the same page. Have them decide
to some PC’s future health and well-being. This kind how they work out their dispute… and they will work it
of tension can make for sharp disagreements, so some out, because the rest of the group’s fun isn’t going to be
points should be remembered when trying to deal with held hostage by two players.
the situation. If they can’t come to some modus vivendi and keep
Debates are for after the session. If serious discus- interfering with the rest of the group’s fun, tell them that
sion of a ruling needs to happen, it should take place after they’re out of the game until they can play nicely.Their
the game session is over. Whatever the GM decides goes fun is not more important than the rest of the group’s
for the time being, and afterwards the player can make fun, and if they’ve got the bad manners to disregard the
their case and the GM can reflect on their choices. This rest of the group’s time and enjoyment then they’re not
doesn’t mean that the GM will agree even then, but the a good match for the table.
middle of the session is not the time to break out the It is nobody’s obligation to play with people who
page number arguments. aren’t fun for them, and no one is obliged to justify their
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Both players and GMs tastes in idle entertainment. Not everybody will be a per-
shouldn’t bother spending time arguing over trifles. If a fect match for everyone else; the problem player of one
ruling doesn’t seriously affect a situation or a PC’s health, table might be the life of the party to another. It is not
there’s no reason to give it more than ten seconds of back- cruel or selfish to restrict your efforts to those groups
and-forth. For every decision the GM makes that cuts that reward your time and labor, and you should not feel
against a PC, odds are there’ll be one that grants them obligated to spend your leisure hours amusing anyone
an edge, so it’s really not worth arguing over. who doesn’t provide their own fair share of fun to you.
This book is not holy. While this book provides a
baseline set of rules and default assumptions for play, it Rules in Ambiguous Situations
is by no means more important than the specific mix of In the course of a campaign, there will be plenty of occa-
people, situations, and goals that a particular group has at sions when the PCs end up doing something that hasn’t
their table. Some default rules might be genuinely terri- got a matching rule or guideline in the book. It’s neces-
ble for a particular mix of people. Others may not satisfy sary for the GM to make an ad-hoc ruling in such cases,
their interests, or be generally disliked by those who are and in doing so a few things ought to be kept in mind.
playing. While it’s good form for a GM to discuss any Don’t worry about large-scale balance concerns.
house rules they’ll be using and make sure all players are Such extemporaneous rulings can always be changed or
amenable to them, disputing these decisions because of revised between sessions if they seem like they’re going
what this book says is not particularly helpful. The GM to come up again. All you need is a ruling that makes
may reconsider their decisions based on new information sense for this specific situation. Everyone should accept
or new interpretations, but ultimately, it’s up to them. that there may be changes later if the outcome doesn’t
The canonical rules are the ones the GM has decided to seem to make sense or if it looks likely to be a recurring
use. If their judgment really is no fun for the players then issue in need of appropriate balance.
somebody else can do the work to create the play session. Decide based on logic rather than outcomes. If
the PCs come up with a brilliant plan that totally circum-
Arguments Among Players vents the challenge you thought they were going to face,
A little intra-party tension is normal and reasonable, and don’t deny them their success simply because it would
two adventurers who trust each other with their life in spoil your preparations. You may need to call a short
battle might not trust each other with their sisters in session, or throw in some filler content as aftermath to
peace. Sometimes this ordinary tension heats up, how- their success, or pull out some emergency backup mate-
ever, and PCs start actively working against each other. rial to throw in another problem to keep them amused,
In the worst cases, this bleeds over into or stems from but let them have their fairly-schemed victories. “But this
out-of-game animosity between them.
274

would ruin the adventure” is almost never a good basis for Using Social Skills
decision making; their course of action is the adventure. Players who invest a lot of their character concept into
Use existing rules as guidelines. If what they just social skills such as Convince, Lead, and Connect have
did would probably kill an ordinary person it happened the fair expectation of being able to use those skills in
to, then maybe it does 2d6 damage, because that’d usually play, even if they themselves aren’t all that socially adroit.
kill an ordinary person. If the party can usually move GMs should recognize the general level of comfort that a
twenty miles a day, then the expert native guide might given player has with describing their specific words and
let them cross thirty miles of terrain in her company. social gambits; some players will gladly extemporize their
Grant +1 bonuses to skill checks, or +2 if the situation persuasions and others will have a harder time picking
is extremely positive, or invert them for negative situa- their words. The latter shouldn’t be penalized.
tions. Don’t worry about matching everything perfectly, As a basic guideline, when the player wants to per-
but instead just take your cues from what already exists. suade or manipulate an NPC, they should explain what
they’re trying to get from them and what reasoning or
GM Calls for Skill Checks motivations they’re offering to get that result. They can
As a general rule of thumb, it should be the GM deciding express these elements with as much in-character per-
when a skill roll is in order. There’s a certain habit some suasion as they like, but what you really need to know is
players have of simply saying, “I roll Convince” or “I roll what they want and why the NPC should give it.
Notice” or otherwise simply pushing the button on their In some cases, no skill check is then required. Either
sheet to get a desired result. That’s not generally the best the reasoning is solid and the NPC has no cause to object
way to handle the situation, because the GM has very to the inducement or else what the PC wants is so unrea-
little information on how to respond to such efforts. sonable or emotionally intolerable to the NPC that no
Instead, the player should describe what their PC plausible incitement can get it from them. If the situation
is saying, or doing, or trying to accomplish, and then the falls between those two extremes, then you can call for
GM decides whether a skill check is in order, and if so, a Convince, Lead, or Connect skill check at a difficulty
what the difficulty might be. If they end up saying or appropriate to the persuasiveness of the offer.
doing the exact right thing, or exact wrong thing, then Remember that social skill levels, no matter how
there may be no need for a skill check at all. If the tactic high, are not mind control. They can’t get people to do
they’re choosing is exceptionally apt or unfruitful then things they would never normally do unless overwhelm-
the skill check difficulty will reflect that. ing situational pressure is involved. Conversely, they’re
This is also important when running for players who also completely impossible to block with magic, so if an
are new to the game system, who can’t be expected to Expert con man can get next to an Imperator there’s no
know or remember all the rules. If they learn to simply magical bar or saving throw that’s going to prevent him
say what they’re trying to do and let the GM tell them from persuading the demigod that a seemingly good idea
what to roll, they can still play comfortably. should be taken up.
 275

Character Death and Replacement Even so, that's not the kind of game every group
Worlds Without Number is a relatively lethal game by wants to have. While the satisfaction of proving your skill
default. A single good spear thrust can usually put paid at navigating the game world is real, some groups want
to any novice adventurer and there are no easy means of to focus more on character development and following
reviving the dead. Shock damage from a mob, the gnash- the lives of the particular PCs they want to play. Some
ing teeth of fell beasts, or taking a sorcerer's murderous may want to play a full-fledged story-arc campaign where
bolt of energy directly to the face can all terminate even the PCs explore a particular plot line, while others just
an experienced hero's career. don't want to deal with developing a new PC whenever
It's important that the GM and the party all be their choices and their dice end up demanding it. For
on the same page about character mortality before the games like this, there are a few options the GM can use,
campaign begins. If the players are accustomed to sys- assuming the group is all in agreement.
tems with a more forgiving attitude toward character Heroes never die. In these games, the PCs cannot
survival, or those in which heroes are protected by plot die unless they take bad-faith advantage of this protec-
armor until they intentionally make themselves vulner- tion. So long as they behave sensibly, no combination of
able, the shock of the difference can spoil their fun. The dice can result in their death or permanent invalidation
GM should make abundantly clear to the players that as an adventurer. They may be knocked unconscious,
people with big knives are dangerous in this game and thrown off cliffs, left for dead, blasted into the shrub-
that combat is likely to get novice heroes killed if it's not bery by sorcery, or cursed with afflictions that don't leave
approached with a maximum of tactical advantage. them unviable for adventuring, but they won't actually
Given a long enough campaign, it's likely that even die. Instead, whenever they would die, something Very
a storied hero of numerous adventures is going to make Bad happens in their life as a kind of karmic balance.
one gamble too many and end up dead from one cause Each player should tell the GM three things that
or another. The default assumption of the game is that their PC absolutely would hate having happen, whether
the players salute the departed legend, perhaps arrange that's a ability-score-lessening wound, limb loss, death
for a tasteful monument, emotional drinking binge, or of a loved one, loss of most of their wealth, collapse of a
pragmatic corpse looting, and roll up a replacement. If friendship, or the like. These things might change over
the GM is feeling charitable then the replacement might the course of the campaign as new factors become im-
be no more than a couple adventures worth of experience portant to the PC. Whenever the hero would die, one
points behind the deceased hero. of these things somehow comes to pass, through some
GMs should be very generous about getting fresh stroke of ill-luck or consequence of their failure. Option-
PCs into the action. It's bad enough that a player's PC ally, the GM might pick some other calamity, one the
died; they shouldn't be made to sit around for half an players don't know about until it's too late. The point is
hour while everyone else gets to have fun. Let their re- that something bad will happen, so the PCs should try
placement be found lost in the same Deep, or rescued very hard not to die.
from the foes the PCs just overcame, or out in the wil- Negative ten and counting. In these games, PCs
derness on some conveniently minor errand when the are knocked unconscious at zero hit points as usual, but
others happen to march through. Questions of trust and don't actually become Mortally Wounded until they
comradeship should also probably be glossed for play- reach -10 hit points or below. Heroes merely reduced
ability's sake. The point is to get the player back in the to zero hit points will wake up at the end of the fight or
game as soon as possible, because playing the game is the scene with 1 hit point, able to act normally. This buffer
reason everyone is there. ensures that a normal spear wound or ordinary bestial
While this kind of character fragility can be dismay- chomp might be able to knock a hero down, but it won't
ing to players of many modern games, there's a point to put them at immediate risk of death. Higher-level heroes
it beyond mere bravado. A character who accomplishes facing multi-die damage sources might have more to wor-
grand adventures and survives horrible perils this way ry about, however. Any healing applied to the downed
has actually accomplished something difficult. There PCs should count from zero, so a PC at -5 hit points
were no plot points in his favor, no narrative tweaks to who gets 6 points of healing from a friend can stand up
ensure his survival, and no cushion of fate to keep him with 6 hit points, not 1.
from being pulped by a bad choice. The player made a Not my time. Meant chiefly for story-arc games,
lot of very good choices, picked the right battles to fight, each PC has a grand ambition or ultimate goal that
and made decisions that were objectively wise if they've they're destined to pursue. So long as they honestly and
managed to get this far, and they've done it while absorb- reasonably pursue that goal they cannot die until it has
ing the inevitable amount of bad luck that honest dice been achieved or been rendered conclusively hopeless.
would have thrown at them. There's a genuine feeling of They might suffer the slings and arrows of misfortune,
pride and accomplishment that comes from bringing a and the consequences of their failures might be dire, but
hero that far. The PCs that didn't make it are just proof so long as they have some hope of attaining their great
that the game wasn't rigged in your favor. goal and don't lose faith in the pursuit of it, they can't be
permanently put down.
276

Planning and Running Your Adventures

Some experienced GMs will have their own well-test-
ed habits for creating and running adventures for their Preparing Your Adventures
group. Others need a little more guidance, however, and When you sit down to prepare a session’s adventure, you
so this section explains how a GM might go about pre- can follow the steps below to help produce something
paring an evening’s adventure, and the steps such a cre- playable in a reasonable amount of time. As you grow
ator will need to go through in order to brew up a suitable more experienced with the process, you can start adjust-
session’s worth of fun. ing it to better fit your own interests and skills, but using
it as written will work fine for first-time GMs.
Sandboxes and Story Arcs Identify the purpose of the adventure. You need
The tools in this section are meant to support a “sandbox” to know what kind of fun or opportunity this session
style of campaigning, and for some GMs this might need is supposed to give to the party. If they’re trying to do
a little explanation. Sandbox gaming is relatively less pop- something, the session needs to give them a chance to
ular than the more prevalent “story arc” style of play, but it further their goal. If they want a particular kind of play,
has a long and splendid tradition of fun behind it. then the session needs to offer them that kind of play.
A sandbox campaign is built with no presumption If this is the first adventure of the campaign, then
of an overarching plot or direction. The PCs are not you need to make a short, one-session adventure that will
particularly chosen by destiny, and their fates are wholly pull the PCs together, introduce the players to the rules
undirected by narrative fiat. Each PC has their own goals, of the game, and give them a chance to learn about the
motivations, and hopes, and it is the GM’s job to provide campaign backdrop. At the end of the session, you need
them with interesting situations and engaging adventures to throw them some obvious hooks to other potential
in which they might strive to carry out their plans. Some adventures and then find out what they want to do next.
will succeed, and others will perish hideously, perhaps of If this is a later adventure, you should’ve asked the
no greater crime than sufficiently bad luck. The campaign players at the end of the last session what they wanted to
world shifts and reacts to PC actions, and the overall goal do for the next. If they told you they wanted to explore a
of the party might change from one session to the next. Deep, then you need to flesh out a local Deep and make
Story arc campaigns are built around a particular it adventure-ready. If they wanted to get back at a tyran-
plot line or narrative thread. The campaign is about how nical lord, then you need to give them an adventure that
the heroes deal with that plot and the actions they take lets them try to take that revenge. In a sandbox campaign
in response to the inevitable events and situations that the goals and interests of the PCs are what drive the
the narrative thrusts upon them. It’s tacitly assumed that adventures, and so you should always be ready to simply
all the PCs are going to get involved in the plot and co- ask the party what they want to do.
operate with it to at least a basic level; they won’t simply Pick a primary challenge for the adventure.
decide to wash their hands of the affair and go hunt mon- There are four basic types of adventurous challenge:
sters two nations away. combat challenges that revolve around killing something,
Both styles of adventuring are perfectly valid and exploration challenges that revolve around exploring a
provide their own pleasures. A good story arc can hit nar- dangerous place, investigative challenges that focus on
rative beats and emphasize coherent themes that would discovering some hidden truth, and social challenges
be impossible to ensure in a sandbox campaign, while that require convincing or manipulating someone into
a sandbox campaign allows for a refreshing amount of compliance.
surprise for both players and GMs, as neither of them are Pick a primary challenge that matches the party’s
entirely sure what’s going to happen in the next session. goal. If they want to pillage a Deep, then that’s basically
Worlds Without Number is built chiefly to support an exploration challenge. If they want to avenge them-
sandbox campaigns, but there’s nothing stopping you selves on the tyrant, then that’s likely going to be a combat
from using its tools to help build some story arc game challenge. In some cases, the party’s goal might be so large
with a specific narrative your group wants to explore. In or so distant that it can’t reasonably be attained in a single
the same vein, there’s nothing immoral about mixing the adventure; killing the tyrant might eventually be a com-
two styles in the same campaign, so long as the players bat challenge, but initially it might be better represented
know what the expectations are. The heroes might ven- as a social challenge to ingratiate the PCs into a cell of
ture as their whim takes them through the Latter Earth rebels, from which further progress can be made.
until they find some situation that so interests them that Use the challenge tools in this section to flesh
the GM turns it into a tightly-plotted set of sessions that it out. Each of the four types of challenge have their
everyone agrees to follow to their end. The styles are sim- own section in this chapter giving tools and guidance
ply tools to help you find the fun you like, not fealties to on making a good obstacle of its type. If you’re making
be pledged. an exploration challenge, you’ll need a map, things to
discover, and interesting environments to interact with.
 277

If you’re building a social challenge, you’ll need to identify Running Your Adventure
people who have or can do the things the party wants, Once you have your adventure built, you’re ready to pres-
and the particular problems, wants, and relationships ent it to the party. Every group will have its own tastes
these people have. when it comes to face-to-face play versus virtual tabletops,
Add extra layers of challenges. Sometimes a very or the use of digital devices at the table, or who brings the
short session or an optional side-challenge might consist snacks, and such matters are best discussed and agreed
of nothing more than the primary challenge. It’s a rela- on beforehand.
tively simple situation where something needs to die, a Despite these universal imponderables, a GM
small strange place might get explored, or a single NPC should keep a few things in mind when actually running
might need to be induced to cooperate. the adventure in a sandbox style of play.
Usually, however, you’ll want to add one or more Don’t force outcomes. You’re putting the heroes
additional layers of challenges beneath the primary one. into an interesting situation that gives them opportuni-
If the PCs are exploring a Deep, then there are probably ties to pursue their goals. You’re not promising them any
major monsters in there that are worth fleshing out as particular outcome, or any certain likelihood of success.
combat challenges, and maybe some enigmatic ancient It may further the plot wonderfully if the duke takes a
mysteries that could qualify as investigation challenges. shine to the party, but if they set fire to his rose gar-
There might even be some not-necessarily-hostile powers den and taunt his mother then that furtherance will not
in there that could be amenable to being a social chal- happen. The plot is what happens, not what anyone has
lenge. If they’re trying to persuade an NPC as part of planned to have happen.
a social challenge, a means to induce them might be to Have filler ready. Sometimes the PCs will hope-
kill a dangerous rival, or dig up well-hidden blackmail lessly ruin a situation or shut themselves out of success in
on them, or find a particular relic for them in some ruin. some resounding fashion. This may be intentional as they
A GM can take this fractal down as far as they have flip the table on an unacceptable situation, or it may be
the time and need to do so. A massive megadungeon the result of bad luck, poor planning, or general impru-
Deep might be composed of a half-dozen layers of sub- dence. You should have some light filler content you can
zones to explore, each with their own mysteries, dire foes, throw in to keep them occupied for the rest of the session,
and sinister bargains. A campaign-scale effort to depose a such as conveniently-discovered Deep on their path of re-
mad emperor might take a dozen sessions to work its way treat, or an easily-reskinned peasant who’s offering good
up to the final conflict as the PCs find secrets, fetch relics, pay for a little adventurous favor. You might generate
kill loyalists, and persuade wavering neutrals. such a filler adventure with the tools in this section and
Stitch the challenges together. If you’ve used multi- then just keep it on hand for emergencies.
ple layers of challenges the different moving parts proba- Find out what they want to do next session. At
bly have some inkling of each other. The dire beasts in a the end of every session, ask them what they want to do
Deep probably know about the existence of their peers, next. This is absolutely crucial for saving yourself time
and two different society grandees that are each their and wasted effort and ensuring that the entire group is
own social challenge could well have their own relation- on the same page about the next session’s general plan.
ship to keep in mind. If the existence of some element in They might choose to bite on a hook you’ve thrown out
your adventure would have an obvious consequence to to them or come up with their own idea, but you need to
the rest of it, make sure that consequence is accounted know what kind of content to make for the next session.
for by the other parts of the session. Just because only In a sandbox campaign, you only ever need to be
one NPC wants some treasure from a Deep doesn’t mean one session ahead of the players. You don’t need to plot
the others don’t know about it… or don’t know about out vast narratives or design lands the PCs might some-
that NPC’s desire. day reach; all you need to know is what they want to do
Identify rewards and consequences. What do the next time, and then make your preparations accordingly.
PCs get for overcoming the challenges? Why should they Remember, if you don’t need it for the next session, and
actually care about any of this? Keep in mind the initial you’re not having fun making it, stop working on it.
purpose of the adventure and make sure that the mo- Update your world after the session. Heroic ad-
tivations and rewards the situation offers are ones the ventures have consequences, both on the PCs and the
players are actually going to want to have. Some PCs world around them. Small-scale heroics might only affect
will be easily motivated by the chance to fight for truth a small region of the campaign world, but that region
and justice, while other parties won’t lift a finger without matters if it’s where the PCs are. Think about what the
silver to induce them. An adventure hook that doesn’t heroes have done, who profits by it, and who might be
have any bait on it is unlikely to entice them. upset with their heroics.
Ideally, you can then work in some callbacks to these
changes in your future adventures, letting the players feel
that their actions have consequences and that their goals
and plans have a meaningful effect on the campaign.
278

Creating Combat Challenges

Combat challenges revolve around situations where a world that can be engaged with by intelligent and ob-
hard fight is a likely outcome for the PCs. They may servant players. A full Anak tribe would logically have
have a burning desire to murder some hated enemy, or at least forty capable warriors so there is no justification
they might be facing a creature that has no capacity for in shaving them down to match the party’s capabilities.
peaceful interactions, or you might simply know your A king would naturally have ferocious bodyguards, an
party well enough to know that there’s no way they’re evil sorcerer would have inhuman minions, and the most
going to let a particular NPC live once they find out what fearsome swordsman in the kingdom is not going to be
they’re like. any less fearsome if the PCs encounter him at first level
As always, you should take care not to force this rather than tenth.
outcome. Cunning PCs might manage to avoid the tar- With that said, a GM also needs to think about
get entirely if their goals can be achieved without vio- the context of the adventure’s purpose. If you’re making
lence, and exceptionally diplomatic groups might find a a Deep for novice adventurers to explore, then at least
way to force a more peaceful conclusion to the challenge. some of the combat challenges in it should be winnable
Smart PCs will try to avoid combat whenever it’s not a by the party should it come to blows. If there’s no logi-
direct necessity, and as the GM you should make sure cal reason why it has to be full of PC-slaughtering hell-
that you’re not forcing their hand by putting unavoidable beasts, then you do no violence to the campaign’s fabric
brawls directly in their path. It’s fine if the PCs decide by including foes both trivial and grand. The guidelines
they absolutely must kill a dragon. It’s not fine if the PCs on page XX offer suggestions on how to assess a given
decide that all they want is its money, and yet you arrange combat encounter’s likelihood of slaughtering the PCs.
things so that the only way to steal the dragon’s hoard is Thus, your first job in the combat challenge is to
to murder it in a setpiece battle. draw up a list of the creatures and NPCs involved in
The goal of building a combat challenge is to equip it. Figure out who should be there and generate or note
yourself with all the facts you need to run the likely fray. down combat statistics for them. Don’t worry about fur-
For minor challenges, like sorting out the likely disposi- ther details yet; just get the bare minimum down.
tion of a sullen Anak with a pastry who happens to be
lurking in a Deep closet, you might need nothing more Framing the Environment
than a brief stat line to remind you of its combat statistics. Once you know who might be involved in the fracas,
For more elaborate challenges, like an attempt on a vile you should think about the location the conflict might
cult leader’s life, you’re going to need something more occur in and the kind of information you need to es-
elaborate. tablish about it. A merchant’s house will require a map
of the grounds, a sinister high priest lurking in a Deep
The Logical Essentials will necessitate a plan of the subterranean passages, and
The first step is to think about the target and any sur- a murder in the midst of some highly-populated area
rounding protectors or associates it might have. A rich will inevitably draw some sort of hue and cry from the
merchant will have guards at their estate, a cult leader surrounding inhabitants that needs to be kept in mind.
will have fanatical minions, and an Anak warrior is un- It’s tempting to turn significant combat challenges
likely to leave his warband behind. Allied groups might into set-piece battles, with different environmental ele-
also have representatives in the area, or the target might ments all arranged to provide tactical opportunities. Pres-
have hired or coerced others into their retinue. If you’re sure plates, sheer cliffs, howling winds, fiery pits, and oth-
stocking a Deep or some other lair of monsters, the crea- er traditional epic-combat battlefield decorations might
tures there are probably whatever type are common in be involved. While an interesting environment for a fight
the area or have adapted to the alien environment. is always a plus, it’s important to maintain the logic of the
It’s a great temptation to worry about “balance” when situation; most people are not going to spend much time
plotting out these details. If there are forty combat-ca- in areas where a hideous death awaits a misplaced step
pable Anak in the tribe then it is ridiculous to suppose or a lethal trap is waiting to spring on the first drunkard
that any ordinary band of novice heroes will be able to to forget to pull the disarming lever.
kill them all in a single pitched battle. As a consequence, It’s also quite possible that the heroes will not be
a GM is tempted to shave down the number of foes for considerate enough to fight the enemies on their chosen
too-weak parties or add in extra muscle to give a “good ground. They might draw them out to their own pre-
fight” to a more experienced band. The assumption is pared killing field, hit them in detail, or collapse the sup-
that if there is a combat challenge in an adventure, the posed enemy lair rather than risk engaging them.
PCs ought to have some non-trivial chance of beating it Even so, personalizing a combat challenge with the
in a fight, or a non-trivial chance of incurring grave losses. specific perils of the environment is always to be recom-
GMs in a sandbox campaign are encouraged to mended. If the PCs are trying to kill a duke, then the
fight this instinct. Your job is to make a logical, coherent fact that the noble is surrounded by swarms of retain-
 279

ers and has mobs of guardsmen that will rush to any rolls, and a creature’s basic inclination not to court death
alarm is a fact the PCs need to deal with. A combat in casually should always be kept in mind when building
a blizzard-prone forest of frozen alien glass is going to combat challenges.
involve blinding winds, razor-sharp flora, and dangerous You might choose to flesh out a social challenge asso-
collateral damage. If the environment the combat chal- ciated with the subject, some angle of manipulation that
lenge takes place in has interesting or significant qualities might turn them from an enemy into a peaceful neutral,
like this, you should note down the likely effects in your if not an ally. You could stick in a minor exploration chal-
preparation. lenge that rewards the PCs with a secret back door into
the target’s lair or a bypass that lets them skip the po-
Identifying Alternate Routes tential fight entirely. You should look at the environment
The next step is to think about ways the PCs could en- you’ve designed, consider the habits and goals of the party,
gage with this challenge without drawing their blades. If and think about what alternate courses they might take
it’s a fearsome set of opponents, rational PCs will do their rather than an immediate recourse to initiative rolls.
best to avoid fighting them unless there’s some strong
motivation to risk their lives in battle. Even if the PCs
are dead set on murdering the target for one reason or
another, they might end up looking for ways to do so
safely, without letting the enemy strike back.
There are almost no circumstances in which you
should force the PCs to engage a combat challenge
directly. If the PCs are absolutely determined to draw
steel on a target, then so be it, but any adventure that
includes irrelevant but inevitable fights is an adventure
that will probably go very badly for the party. If your
adventure hinges on the assumption that the party is go-
ing to attack some particular foe head-on, or even that
their interactions will inevitably be violent, then you risk
railroading your players into situations that will likely get
some portion of their PCs killed. Morale checks, reaction
280

Combat Challenge Complications

Six bandits in a Deep chamber might be a combat chal- d20 Twists About the Target or their Allies
lenge, but it doesn’t give the GM much to work with
when it comes time to make the encounter interesting. 1 They are or have access to spellcasters or
The tables on these pages offer complications and twists mages of some kind
you can throw into the situation to enliven an otherwise 2 They have a useful magical power uncommon
banal brawl. Simply pick the tables that are most rele- to their kind
vant to the situation and roll or select options to spice 3 An unusually strong ally serves the group’s
things up. leader for its own reasons
d12 What’s Going On Right Now? 4 The group is divided into parties or factions
1 They lost a fight or had an accident, and are that cooperate poorly with each other
tending their wounded 5 Killing them would enrage a seemingly-
2 They’re absorbed in eating a meal unrelated person or group

3 They’re arguing over some pertinent matter 6 They have some reason to mistake the PCs for
allies or hirelings
4 They’re busy trying to repair a broken object
or structure of importance to them 7 One member is a secret traitor in service to
some other cause or group
5 They’re having some sort of religious ritual
8 Another group would pay very well or be
6 They’re resting after hard labor very pleased at the death of the target
7 They’re interrogating a prisoner or suspected 9 Eliminating this target would somehow
traitor to the group release or remove a check on a dire foe
8 They’re training or practicing their skills 10 The target wants to get a member of their
9 They’re drinking or celebrating some win group killed in a deniable way, and will try
10 There’s a tense leadership showdown to use the PCs to do it
11 They’re lolling around in indolent idleness 11 They’re religious zealots who may or may not
have some blessing or affiliation that fits
12 They’re conducting the business of daily life
and other duties of common necessity 12 They’re searching for something that the PCs
may or may not be able to help them find
13 The leader is desperately in love with one of
d12 What Problems Do They Have? their underlings or vice-versa
1 An ambitious underling plots against the 14 They’re tampering with some object or
leader or undermines their control structural feature that’s extremely dangerous
2 They’re arguing over the fair division of some 15 They’re foreign to the other examples of their
recently-gained spoils. creature type around here, having come from
3 Some are seriously ill with a disease far off for their own reasons
4 The leader is being foolish or irrational, 16 They fight in an effective but abnormal way
driven by their own desires for their type or nature
5 They’re overconfident and careless 17 Their leader has ensured that some dire
6 They’ve lost some treasure precious to them consequence will ensue if they are killed
7 The underlings are ignoring the leader’s will 18 Some portion of the group would really
rather not fight but are feeling compelled by
8 They’ve been afflicted by some danger of their peers or the leader
their current environment
19 Some other group has a spy or observer who
9 They’re out of food or some other supply is watching during a potential conflict
10 They’re being targeted by some hostile rival 20 The leader is an impostor or catspaw of some
or dangerous local denizen power that would normally be their enemy,
11 They’ve been driven from their usual home by and acts as best they can to serve them
an enemy or a natural hazard
12 Some of their members have been taken
prisoner or lost.
 281

d12 What’s That Bestial Monster Doing?

1 It’s eaten recently and is lolling around,
disinclined to hunt new prey
2 It’s fighting with another of its kind over a
mate
3 It’s guarding cubs, eggs, or a recent kill
4 It’s currently hunting something else
5 It’s asleep or torpid
6 It’s playing after the manner of its kind
7 It’s patrolling its territory to repel intruders
8 It’s fleeing, having been driven out by a foe
9 It licks its wounds after a hard battle
10 It’s digging, marking, or otherwise preparing
its new lair
11 It’s grooming itself or engaging in behavior
specific to its type of creature
12 It’s starving, and is ravenous for prey

d12 Urban Dwelling Complications d12 Deep Chamber Complications

1 An inquisitive neighbor is always watching 1 A dangerous standing magical effect is
the place present in the room
2 The guards are unusually vigilant and 2 Part of the structure is fragile and prone to
attentive to their duties for some reason collapse if damaged
3 The target’s living quarters are uncommonly 3 There’s some noxious gas or substance
difficult to access tainting certain areas
4 There’s a dangerous beast guarding the 4 A dangerous fall is possible in some part of
grounds of the place the room
5 The dwelling is unusually well-fortified 5 An ancient guardian risks being awakened
6 Servants and minions are thick in the halls by disturbances here
7 The owner has access to some kind of 6 Strange ancient engines churn nearby and
magical ward or divine blessing can cause dire injury to the careless
8 The place is right next to a very vigilant and 7 There are secret passages here
dangerous neighbor that will respond to 8 The room is very vertical in its shape
alarms or disorders 9 A certain path must be known to safely cross
9 The interior is mazey, abnormal, or difficult to a particularly treacherous surface
navigate for some reason 10 It’s somehow prone to flooding or currently
10 Poor repairs or recent damage makes the a swampy mess
place dangerous to unknowing outsiders 11 A valuable object here is extremely fragile
11 There are several traps or alarms there 12 Some ancient magic or Deep functionality
12 It’s connected to some kind of underground has been repurposed for a purpose
passages or ancient tunnels convenient to the current occupants
282

LEGATES AND HEROES

(These are the extremely draft and partial rules for begin with the heroes as Legates or their campaign-world
Legates and other heroically-powerful PCs. The full and equivalent. They might nominally be ordinary men and
final rules will appear only in the deluxe, non-free edition women, but their personal talents and natural gifts are
of the game.) so pronounced that they can perform feats that would
dazzle more conventional veterans. For campaign set-
Most heroes in Worlds Without Number are decidedly tings like these, the GM might grant all the PCs Legate
mortal. Novice heroes risk a bloody death every time abilities from the start of the campaign.
swords are drawn, and even tenth-level adventurers at Veteran heroes of a long-running conventional
the peak of their power can’t dismiss the wrath of a mob campaign might become Legates after reaching 10th
of soldiers or the peril of a fearsome monster. They may level and performing some feat suitable for a legendary
be masterfully skilled at their chosen role, but they are hero. This deed must usually be something heroic and
still fundamentally normal human beings who must fear dramatic enough to imprint their presence on the Legacy
the things that all mortals fear. and connect them to the glorious archetypes of ancient
Legates, however, are different. They have bonded heroes. Of course, this need not necessarily be a good
with the power of the Legacy, becoming figures of un- deed; the Legacy recognizes mighty feats, whether they
canny prowess and superhuman skill. By tapping into are benevolent or selfish. Generally, a single grand deed
archetypes embedded in the Legacy and receiving the gift in which all the party contributed should be enough to
of its power, even their mundane abilities are enhanced make everyone a Legate, assuming they’ve reached 10th
in magical ways. Even the least Legate can perform mar- level and the apex of ordinary mortal power.
vels, while the greatest among them can drive back armies,
enrich nations, or raise fortresses from featureless plains. Legate Levels
Not every veteran hero becomes a Legate. There are A Legate’s power is measured in levels, just as the char-
many who reach the human peak of their profession and acter’s usual class. Newly-minted paragons start as a 1st
never advance farther. Some simply reach the limits of level Legate in addition to whatever abilities their normal
their own potential, while others lack the ambition to class grants. Thus, a campaign full of budding high-fan-
be more. Many simply do not have the necessary arcane tasy heroes might have newly-made characters who are
makeup to bond properly with the Legacy, a victim of 1st level Warriors/1st level Legates, while campaigns in-
some ancient misalignment or god-king’s inherited curse. volving hard-bitten heroes who finally claw their way into
Perhaps one in a half-million people ever touch the least legend might have someone be a 10th level Warrior/1st
degree of a Legate’s power. level Legate. The latter hero will be much more capable
Nor is becoming a Legate the only route to superhu- than the former due to all the experience they gained in
man strength. There are other ways to attain impossible their normal life, but both will have the same number
power, whether through sinister pacts with the entities and strength of special Legate powers.
of other Iterums, the use of ancient artifacts, the perfor- For high-fantasy heroes, a Legate level is earned
mance of excruciatingly difficult magical rituals, or the every time they gain a normal level. Thus, that novice
sheer blind luck of birth or magical attunement. Not ev- becomes a 2nd level Warrior/2nd level Legate as soon
ery more-than-mortal creature or warrior in the Latter as they earn 3 experience points. Their powers top out at
Earth is a Legate, though these other paths often come 10th level, after which no further advancement is possible
with terrible drawbacks or awful prices. without outright apotheosis or becoming an Imperator.
In this section, you will learn how to become a Leg- For veteran adventurers who climb to glory, they
ate, how to reskin the concept for alternate campaign need to earn 9 experience points for each additional Leg-
settings, and how to run a heroic fantasy campaign ate level after the first. Thus, once they attain 1st level as a
where even novice PCs have some portion of a Legate’s Legate, they need to earn 9 experience points to become
tremendous might. 2nd level, 18 total to become 3rd, 27 total to become
4th, and so on. This pacing is meant to put about three
Becoming a Legate adventures between each new set of toys the PC gets;
Some campaigns do not include Legates or similar su- GMs who want a faster or slower-paced ascent can adjust
perheroically-powerful heroes. It may not fit the tone of this requirement accordingly.
a gritty sword-and-sorcery game, or the GM may have For most class powers, spell effects, and other nor-
different benefits in mind for veteran adventurers. For mal class abilities, the PC uses their full class level. For a
such heroes the usual game rules and limits on advance- veteran adventurer who’s a 10th level Warrior/1st level
ment apply. For GMs with a different intent, however, Legate, his Killing Blow class power adds +5 damage, not
there are two ways to become a legate. +1. For a heroic fantasy wizard who’s a Mage 5/Legate
High fantasy heroic campaigns that involve mighty 5, his Howl of Light spells use his Mage level to calculate
heroes and brilliant paragons from the very start might damage. A few specific Legate powers use only the PC’s
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Legate level to determine their effects; if so, it will say so to them, or they can exchange two of those picks for a
specifically in the power. suitable Grace from a different sphere.
Graces are fueled with Heroic Effort, much like a
Gaining a Legate Level Mage’s arts. This Effort is Committed and reclaimed
Gaining a Legate level doesn’t improve the PC’s hit bonus, based on the demands of the Grace; some require the
saving throws, hit dice, skill points, or Focus picks, nor Effort to be Committed for a full day, others for a scene,
does the PC reroll their hit dice. It gives only the specific and some for only as long as the power is to be kept
benefits listed below. active. Some Graces are constant, and in effect unless
As a first level Legate, the PC gains a Fray die ap- the Legate intentionally suppresses them. Heroic Effort
propriate to their class and may pick three Graces from is Committed and recovered using all the usual rules for
within their class. They may exchange two of those picks Effort as described on page XX.
to choose a Grace from outside their class. They gain the Included are a selection of Graces for each class,
Heroic Resilience ability described below and they gain but others can be created at the GM’s discretion. PCs
a pool of Heroic Effort equal to two points. who have developed signature traits or talents might
Each Legate level after first, the PC gains two well manifest superheroic abilities appropriate to their
points to spend as they wish. The table below gives the natures.
prices of the various options; if what they want is too ex-
pensive, they can save their points for their next level ad- Worthy and Lesser Foes
vancement. Their Heroic Effort pool maximum becomes A worthy foe is any target that has more hit dice or levels
equal to one plus half their Legate level, rounded down. than the attacker has character levels or hit dice. Thus, if
A heroic fantasy PC who advances in their normal the Legate is a 5th level Expert, an Anak champion with
class at the same time as they raise their Legate level gains 8 HD would be a worthy foe. PCs are always considered
all the usual benefits of advancing in their normal class. worthy foes, regardless of the level of their assailants.
A veteran adventurer who has already reached 10th level A lesser foe is any target that has equal or fewer
in their profession gains only the benefits listed above. hit dice than the attacker has character levels or hit dice.
Thus, a normal 1 HD town guard would be considered
Cost Legate Advancement Benefits
a lesser foe to the aforementioned Expert. PCs are never
1 point Gain 3 skill points to spend as usual lesser foes.
3 points Get a Focus pick of your choice This distinction matters for several Legate Graces,
Master a Grace in a category appropriate which may have exceptionally powerful effects on lesser
1 point foes, or be less effective against worthy foes. It also deter-
to your class
mines which enemies are susceptible to a hero’s Fray die.
Master a Grace from a category outside
2 points
your class The Fray Die
Reroll your hit dice, taking the new result Legates gain a Fray die, a special ability related to their
2 points if it’s higher, and add six hit points to that natural lethality in combat. Even the least martial Legate
new maximum. is more than capable of killing an ordinary assailant, and
Increase your maximum Heroic Effort by they can do so even while devoting most of their atten-
2 points tion to some greater purpose. The Fray die represents the
one point
damage the hero can do in casual passing, as inescapable
Increase your class’ hit bonus by +1, up sword strokes, lethal hurled blades, or casual bolts of ar-
1 point
to a maximum of +10 total. cane energy. Using their Fray die does not interfere with
any of their other actions this round; doing so is just
Graces of the Legate a quick flurry of violence in amid their other activities.
Legates gain special powers known as Graces, abilities Warriors get a 1d8 Fray die and Experts get a 1d6
fueled by their Heroic Effort pool. These Graces are di- die that can affect lesser foes. Mages get a 1d4 die that
vided into three major types: Martial, Skillful, and Sor- can affect both worthy and lesser foes. Adventurers can
cerous Graces. Any Legate can theoretically master any choose any die appropriate to at least one of their partial
Grace, though ones alien to their profession are more classes, but once chosen, they can’t change their choice.
difficult to master, and some of them may be useless to Once per round, as an On Turn action, the hero
Legates not skilled in certain arts; there’s no point in can inflict damage on an enemy within reach equal to
mastering the At My Word Grace if you can’t cast spells. their Fray die plus their Legate level. Thus, a 10th level
Warriors can pick from Martial Graces, Experts Warrior/2nd level Legate would roll 1d8+2, and add an
from Skillful Graces, and Mages from Sorcerous Grac- additional +5 for their Killing Blow ability, for a total of
es. Adventurers can pick from the choices appropriate 1d8+7 damage. If this damage is enough to kill the target,
to their partial classes. When the hero first becomes a any excess may be applied to another foe within range.
Legate, they can pick three Graces from those allowed The target must be within reach of the hero’s weap-
ons to be affected by the Fray die. A Mage’s casual occult
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blasts can reach out to 60 feet even if unarmed. Unless

the hero is using a Mage’s Fray die, the target must be
a lesser foe; worthy foes are otherwise immune to Fray
die damage.

Heroic Resilience
Legates don’t die easily. Even novice high-fantasy heroes
are harder to skewer on an Anak’s spear than their inno-
cence would suggest, and veteran adventurers can weath-
er horrific harms and terrible sorceries without dying.
Once per day, as an Instant action, the Legate can
automatically survive any otherwise-lethal wound, spell,
poison, or mishap. They will be reduced to zero hit
points but will be stabilized, and will recover at the end
of the scene with 1 hit point without any lingering frailty.
This ability cannot save them from unsurvivable bodily
dismemberment, catastrophic trauma, or voluntarily-ac-
cepted harm that results in their death.
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Graces of the Legates

Legates have certain special abilities that are far beyond require no Effort at all. In all cases, only a single point of
the capacity of ordinary heroes. Indeed, even supposedly Effort needs to be Committed at most to activate a power.
non-magical warriors or mundane experts can reach past Durations are usually either for a full scene, a single
the limits of conventional human ability to perform won- attack or action, or “Commit” when the Grace remains
drous feats of martial prowess or superhuman deeds of in effect for as long as the Effort remains Committed. A
skill. In one sense these abilities could be called “magical” few Graces create permanent objects that last indefinitely.
due to their reliance on the Legacy, but the truth of the
matter is more complex. Graces of Mastery
Each Legate embodies deep archetypes of heroism Some Graces aren’t direct in their blessings, but instead
embedded in the Legacy. Concepts such as the Tyrant, or amplify the Legate’s ability to create major changes in
the Thief, or the Berserker, or the Healer are woven into the world. Their words are more persuasive, their un-
the Legacy at a very deep level, peripheral fragments of derstanding more penetrating, and their plans blessed
unimplemented godhood and imprints of cosmic defini- with unnatural success by the cooperation of the world.
tions combining to bestow tremendous power on those These “Mastery” Graces quarter the silver or Re-
few heroes that successfully integrate with these hazy nown cost that relevant Workings or Major Projects
patterns. Just as the rain that falls is now ordered and would usually require, rounding up. The project’s major
directed by the Legacy, the impossible might of a war- effect must fall under the Mastery’s aegis; smaller pe-
rior-hero or the superhuman subtlety of a legendary thief ripheral changes or effects might be included, but the
are encoded into the Latter Earth’s definition of reality. GM is justified in applying the discount to only half the
As such, these “magical” powers are no more arcane Working’s cost if only half the Working’s effect relates to
than a falling raindrop. It may seem a defiance of reason the Mastery’s power.
that the Legate-thief can scrabble up a glass tower, or a Allies are always capable of contributing their own
Legate-warrior can walk unharmed through a pike line, Renown toward their efforts, provided they can explain
but these abilities are as natural and rational to the Leg- some way in which their help would be useful in accom-
acy as gravity or sunlight. Something similar could be plishing the end.
said of High Magic in turn, but where sorcery seeks to A Mastery grace allows even a non-Mage to con-
exploit and control the Legacy, the Graces of the Legate struct a Working, so long as the Working’s effects fall
operate on a more fundamental and less provisional basis. exclusively within the Mastery’s sphere of control. These
As such, a Legate’s Graces cannot be dispelled by or- mundane Workings often involve social rituals, civic in-
dinary sorcery or suppressed by conventional anti-magic stitutions, and religious sects to create their wondrous
measures. They will not be detected as magical effects, effects rather than conventional runic obelisks or arcane
and special measures taken to prevent occult activities circles. Damaging or disrupting the Working requires
will not hinder them. Bonuses to saving throws that ap- the corruption or extinction of these human institutions
ply to magical effects do not apply to resisting their power. rather than any physical vandalism.
As far as the Latter Earth is concerned these are perfectly A Legate with a Grace of Mastery is capable of cre-
mundane abilities. ating Supreme Workings, manifesting effects that would
be too potent for a normal mage. The difficulty of a Su-
Grace Descriptions preme Working is at least 32 points, and may be up to
Each of the entries that follow describe the particular 64 at the GM’s discretion.
effects of a Grace. Each has a requisite Action to trigger Legates working in their sphere of Mastery are al-
it, a Heroic Effort cost, and a Duration for that activation. ways competent to build and design a Working, whatever
Grace action types might be “Main”, “On Turn”, “In- the total difficulty of the design.
stant”, or “None”. Graces with None for an action type
are constantly in effect. They might grant the PC certain
special options that require their own action to execute,
but they do not need to be specifically activated. Graces
cannot be disrupted or interrupted as spellcasting can be,
nor does the Legate need any free hand or particular state
of mobility to use them. So long as they are conscious
and above zero hit points, they can activate their powers.
Effort costs are “Day” for day-long Commitments,
“Scene” for Effort that must be Committed for a scene,
“Duration” for Effort that can be reclaimed Instantly once
the power is no longer needed, or “None” for Graces that
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Martial Graces
As a consequence of their superhuman mastery of war, all they can make another attempt to save at the end of their
Legates with at least one Martial Grace treat all weapon next turn. They remain fixed until you either reclaim the
or unarmed attacks as if they were magical weapons for Effort or they succeed at a saving throw. Lesser foes get
purposes of overcoming a foe’s defenses. Any thrown no saving throw.
weapons they wield return to their hands automatically Implacable Blow On Turn Scene One At-
if so desired. tack Your next unarmed attack roll made this turn
is automatically successful and does maximum damage,
if doing so is physically possible.
Banner of Glory Long Hand On Turn Duration Commit Y o u r
melee weapon or unarmed attacks have a range up to
Act: On Turn Eff: Scene Dur: Scene
60 feet. This extra reach does not turn the weapon into
For the rest of the scene, allies within sight or sound of a ranged weapon for Grace purposes; it remains a melee
you have a Morale of 12, are immune to magical fear attack.
effects, and fight as if their weapons were +1 magical March Without End On Turn Day O n e
weapons. Affected allies intuitively understand what Day For the next 24 hours, you and up to twenty al-
you want them to do, though they are not compelled lied creatures per Legate level need neither air, rest, food,
to obey. On a battlefield, this Grace is usually sufficient nor drink. Those affected are immune to any otherwise
to affect everyone in the leader’s wing of the army. hostile environment that would not kill a normal person
in less than a minute. You heal lost hit points and lose
Bar the Blade Instant Day One Attack accumulated System Strain normally at morning, as if
You deflect, dodge, or parry an otherwise successful you were well-rested.
weapon or unarmed attack made against you. Martial Fray None None Constant Yo u r
Bread of Death Instant Scene Scene Fray die now does damage to worthy foes. Against lesser
For the rest of the scene, whenever you reduce a target foes, it always does the maximum possible damage.
to zero hit points, you may regain lost hit points equal Mastery of War None None C o n -
to their hit dice. Such foes are instantly killed and cannot stant You are a master of Workings involving warfare,
be stabilized. military organizations, and martial equipment. Work-
Caress of Death On Turn Duration C o m - ings and Major Projects wherein the primary effect is re-
mit Your unarmed attacks appear to be no more lated to these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown
than pats or casual touches. Targets are not aware of their usually required, provided their scope is not larger than
hit point loss unless they are already in combat or hit City level.
zero hit points. One Perfect Edge On Turn Duration C o m -
Corona of Endings Main Day O n e mit The weapon you bear is capable of cutting or
Use Pick a point within range of your weapon; all smashing through any non-magical barrier lighter than a
enemies within ten feet of that point suffer damage as if stone wall. You can move through such barriers without
from a successful hit. Foes with 1 hit die are automati- slowing your Move actions.
cally killed or subdued. Paralyzing Strike On Turn Scene One At-
Crushing Fray None None C o n - tack If the next attack roll you make this round hits,
stant Whenever you roll your Fray die, roll it twice you do damage and the target must make a Physical sav-
and take the higher result. ing throw at a penalty equal to your combat skill or be
Font of Lead and Iron None None C o n - unable to take any Main or Move actions for the next 1d4
stant Hurlants, crossbows, and other ranged weap- rounds. If they succeed, they still lose their next Move
ons that take no more than one minute to reload can action. Lesser foes get no saving throw.
be reloaded as an Instant action and require no physical Ruin Without Distance None None
ammunition. Constant You may used ranged weapons in melee with
He Shall Be Cut On Turn Day O n e no penalties, regardless of their size. Ranged weapons
Target Pick a visible target; for the rest of the scene you use gain an extra die of damage; thus, if a bow nor-
or until you use this Grace on a different target, your mally does 1d8 damage, it now does 2d8 damage. This
weapon or unarmed attacks will hit them on anything bonus damage only applies when the weapon is used for
but a natural 1. a ranged attack.
Impassable Stance Instant Duration C o m - Sacrificial Blood Instant Scene O n e
mit Target a foe who is currently within melee Attack A visible opponent’s attack roll is redirected
range of you or passing that close to you during move- from their target to you, regardless of the range. The roll
ment. They must make a Mental save to either continue is resolved as normal against your Armor Class.
their movement or leave your melee reach. If they fail,
 287

Scorn the Petty Blade On Turn Day Scene

For the rest of the scene, foes with 1 hit die cannot harm
you with weapon or unarmed attacks. You are still sub-
ject to magic or environmental damage they may directly
cause, however.
Seven Spears Deep On Turn Scene Scene
For the rest of the scene, your ranged attacks penetrate
all non-magical cover less than three feet thick, and you
ignore any concealment benefits for a foe whose location
you at least approximately know.
Shadow of Iron None None C o n -
stant At will, you can manifest any type of man-por-
table weapon, treating it as a +2 magical weapon. In addi-
tion, you can attune to one existing weapon at a time with
an hour’s focus; you can teleport this weapon to hand as
an Instant action whenever you desire.
Skin of Steel None None Constant A rmor
and shields have no Encumbrance for you and apply no
penalties to your skills. They still interfere with spellcast-
ing, however.
The Pursuing Sword On Turn Scene One At-
tack The next melee weapon attack you make this
round automatically hits and does maximum damage, if
doing so is physically possible.
The Tide that Advances Move Scene
One Move Move up to your normal movement
rate in a straight line. You can pass through enemy lines
or barriers no stronger than a thin stone wall without
being harmed or drawing attacks. Any enemy directly
in your path takes a normal attack from you; make one
hit and damage roll and apply it to all valid targets. This
Grace bursts any physical bonds that may ensnare you,
barring the strongest magical materials.
Transfix the Heart On Turn Scene O n e
Attack The next ranged attack roll you make this
round automatically hits for maximum damage, if it’s
physically possible to do so.
Wide as the Heavens On Turn Scene Scene
For the rest of the scene, your ranged weapons have a
range out to your visible eyesight, up to a half-mile away.
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Skillful Graces
The superlative mastery of those versed in the Skillful round’s actions. The actions must be plausible for it, and
Graces is not hindered by material concerns. A Legate worthy foes get a Mental save to resist.
with at least one Skillful Grace never takes any skill check Gifted Attribute None None C o n -
penalty for lacking otherwise-necessary tools. stant Pick an attribute; its modifier increases by +1,
up to a maximum of +2. You can take this Grace multiple
Absolute Perfection times, but it must be applied to a different attribute each
time.
Act: None Eff: None Dur: Constant
Healer’s Hands Instant Scene O n e
Choose one non-social skill you have at level-4 Ability For one healing effect, spell, or action you ap-
proficiency; you will never fail a skill check related ply to an ally, the results are double the usual maximum
to that skill unless it is impossible to succeed or your possible.
opponent in an opposed skill check has some magical In Plain Sight On Turn Scene Scene For the
augmentation to their roll. rest of the scene, lesser foes cannot detect you unless
you do something to draw their attention or are about
Beastspeaker On Turn Duration Commit You can to attack them. Creatures looking at you when you use
communicate freely with animals. They will reply as if this Grace are not affected unless you can move behind
they had human intelligence, albeit they will be inter- cover or distract them somehow during the same round.
ested only in animal matters. They can be persuaded to Once this Grace is disrupted, it cannot be triggered again
provide services, if suitably induced, and will carry out until your pursuers lose track of you.
these favors with human intelligence. Know the Target Main Scene Scene
Clavis of Skill On Turn Scene One Lock/Trap Choose a creature or object you’ve seen this same scene;
You automatically succeed at opening a lock or disarming for the rest of the scene, you can see them and their
a trap you could physically disarm. If the lock or trap are immediate location. Optionally, choose a location or
magical in nature, make opposed Int or Dex/Sneak skill landmark that is not intentionally hidden from maps or
checks against the designer’s Int/Magic and win or tie to general knowledge; you gain a sense of its direction and
succeed. distance sufficient to keep you from becoming lost.
Consecrated Bargain Main Day O n e Little White Lie Main Scene O n e
Bargain Make a deal with a sentient. Magic or Grac- Lie A single listener will believe a lie you tell them,
es cannot be used to influence the target, but mundane however implausible, provided it does not defy their
threats and bribes can. If they break the spirit of the senses or cause emotional pain. They’ll believe this until
bargain, as the GM judges it, they may be made to suffer evidence proves them wrong; the bigger the falsehood,
1d8+8 damage per Legate level or face a suitably equiva- the less proof is needed to overcome it. Worthy foes get
lent curse. They are aware of the magical significance of a Mental save to resist.
the bargain. The deal lasts until completed, you release Mastery of Gold None None C o n -
them, or you violate your own side of the deal. stant You are a master of Workings involving wealth,
Cornucopia Main Day Permanent industrial production, or civil engineering. Workings and
You can produce food, water, and any necessary clothing Major Projects wherein the primary effect is related to
sufficient for up to twenty human-sized allies per Legate these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usual-
level. These created goods are permanent and cannot be ly required, provided their scope is not larger than City
dispelled. Optionally, you may instead produce mundane level.
goods, coinage, or domestic animals worth no more than Mastery of Ways None None C o n -
50 silver pieces per Legate level. stant You are a master of Workings involving social
Effortless Advance On Turn Scene Scene institutions, cultural traits, and religious beliefs. Work-
For the rest of the scene, you can navigate vertical or ings and Major Projects wherein the primary effect is re-
overhanging surfaces, however smooth, at your normal lated to these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown
movement rate provided you have at least one hand free. usually required, provided their scope is not larger than
Eye of the Sun On Turn Duration C o m - City level.
mit Your visual senses become impossibly acute; Mirror Mind None None Constant You are
you can read text a mile away, ignore penalties for long- immune to any magic that would read your thoughts,
range missile attacks, and can see clearly even in perfect and can provide false readings as you wish.
darkness or heavy fog. Any visually-based Notice checks Myriad Tongues None None C o n -
gain a +2 bonus. stant When you meet a sentient, you instantly ac-
Flawless Prediction Main Day O n e quire the ability to speak, read, and write their native
Round Choose a visible creature and dictate its next language. Your grace adds a +1 bonus to all Reaction
Rolls made by the group if you do the greeting.
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Pack of Folded Space Main None C o n - been dismembered. You can restore actual life to a dead
stant As a Main action, you can place objects into lesser foe that has been expired for no more than one
or take them out of a tiny Iterum associated with you. day per Legate level, the body’s condition permitting, but
Objects in this storage do not age or decay, but living doing so exhausts the use of this Grace for one day per
or animate creatures cannot be put into it. Up to two hit die of the revived creature.
hundred pounds of gear per Legate level can be so packed. Walk the World None None C o n -
Its equivalent in items is up to GM discretion, but any stant You can find sufficient food, water, and shelter
reasonable sum can usually be stored. On your death, the to keep up to twenty allies per Legate level healthy and
Iterum’s contents spill out. sound regardless of the terrain’s barrenness or danger.
Passion’s Herald Main Day Scene You and your companions are immune to natural climatic
You speak or sing something that inspires a fierce pas- extremes of heat and cold. You all move at twice your
sion in those around you. You can choose the target of normal movement rate overland.
the feeling, but you can’t control how people act on their
passions; peaceful people will not be driven to violence by
their feelings, but rough or brutal sorts may. The emotion
affects all chosen targets within sixty feet. If the targets
are already under a great surge of excitement or emotion,
such as in battle, they get a Mental save to resist.
Plans Within Plans On Turn Day O n e
Event Suddenly have or produce one item, ally, or cir-
cumstance you could conceivably have prepared during
recent downtime. This Grace can be used only once per
scene.
Royal Mastery None None C o n -
stant Your Mastery Graces from the Martial or
Skillful categories increase in their maximum size. They
can be applied to any domain of which you are the rec-
ognized ruler or an official minister of such a ruler, up to
Kingdom size.
Skillful Fray Instant Scene One Attack
Add your maximum Fray damage roll to a successful
weapon or unarmed attack. You can use this Grace only
once on any given attack.
Swift to Make On Turn Duration C o m -
mit You can fashion portable objects with blinding
speed. Choose one non-magical object or device you can
carry unaided; it appears in your grasp and persists until
destroyed or the Effort is reclaimed. Edible or ingestible
substances cannot be called this way.
Ten Thousand Masks On Turn Duration C o m -
mit You can appear as any humanoid creature with-
in two feet of your height. While the change is illusory,
it cannot be detected by touch, scent, or other mundane
senses.
Terminus Est Instant Day One Attack
When you make a successful Execution Attack, you may
trigger this ability to instantly kill the target, regardless
of their Physical save. Worthy foes can make a Physical
save to resist this Grace at a penalty equal to your Legate
level.
Tireless Hands On Turn Duration C o m -
mit You can labor without rest. While active, you
need neither food, drink, or sleep. You can do the same
crafting or building work single-handedly as a crew of
twenty skilled laborers per Legate level you have.
Wake the Still Main Day OneAction
You can stabilize a creature that has been actually dead
for up to one round per Legate level, assuming it’s not
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Sorcerous Graces
Those with mastery of at least one Sorcerous Grace have feet to a visible location. Flames moved to a non-flamma-
a keen sense of the Legacy’s flow. As a Main action, they ble area will die out. Creatures caught in a typical mass of
can concentrate to perceive any active magical enchant- flame will suffer 2d6 damage per round. At all times you
ments or magical objects within sight, albeit they get no are wholly impervious to heat or smoke damage, magical
hint of their function or purpose. or otherwise.
Golem Lord Main Day Until Released
Applied Mastery Target a visible non-sentient magical construct or autom-
aton. The target must make a Mental save or become
Act: Main Eff: Day` Dur: One Scene
your willing servant, obeying even self-destructive orders
Once per game session, this Grace may be invoked until you release them. You cannot use this Grace while
to produce any effect related to a Mastery Grace you the total number of automaton hit dice under your con-
have, provided the effect is no stronger than could trol are greater than your level; you must then release
be accomplished by a spell of a level you can cast and some to use it again.
the GM finds it reasonable. Thus, one with Mastery Malison On High Main Day O n e
of Bone could spontaneously summon an undead Attack You mold energies appropriate to your style
minion, one of Space could teleport the party, one of of magic into an arcane attack on a target point within
Thought could bind a target’s mind, or some other effect 200 feet. All creatures in a radius up to 20 feet take up
commensurate with their general spellcasting ability. to 1d12 damage per Legate level. Make a Mental saving
Worthy foes affected by hostile powers get a saving throw or suffer one-quarter of this damage, rounded
throw to resist or lessen the effect. The benefits granted down, as backlash; this backlash cannot be forfended by
by this ability do not normally last longer than a scene. any other magic or Grace.
Pavis of Sorcery Instant Scene One Ef-
At My Word On Turn Day One Spell fect When you fail a saving throw against a magical
Cast an available spell as an On Turn action, regardless effect, you can trigger this Grace to reroll the save. You
of any damage or disruption you may have taken this can use this Grace only once on any failed save.
round. This Grace can be used only once per scene and Perpetual Vitality None None C o n -
it can’t be used if you’ve already cast a spell this round. stant You are no longer conventionally mortal. You
Bonelord None None Constant Undead are immune to non-magical diseases and poisons and
lesser foes cannot harm you with their attacks, spells, or maintain your current state of vitality for up to one hun-
special powers. Against worthy foes, you get a reroll on dred years per Legate level before old age will take you.
any failed saving throw against their abilities and take Revise the Ethers Instant Scene O n e
minimum harm from their attacks and spells. Only Spell When you or a visible target casts a spell, in-
Necromancers or similar undeath-associated Legates voke this Grace to force a reroll of any random result,
can take this Grace. such as damage dice. This does not apply to any saving
Crystallized Sorcery Main Day Until throws forced by the spell. This Grace can be invoked
Used You can place a spell you can cast into a token only once per target spell and the rerolled results must
or object. You or an ally can trigger the token as a Main be accepted.
action, casting the spell as if they were in control of its Sigil of Salt and Spray On Turn Duration C o m -
targeting and details, but using your level for the effects. mit While active, this Grace makes you and up to
You don’t regain the Effort until the token is used or al- ten companions per Legate level entirely immune to harm
lowed to lapse and you can have only one token prepared or negative effects from water. You can move through it,
at a time. see through it, and breathe in it normally without being
Eye of the Sorcerer-King None None dampened, and water-based attacks cannot injure you.
Constant Whenever you wish, you perceive enchant- Sorcerous Fray None None C o n -
ments and magical effects as a visible, patterned glow. stant Your Fray damage is doubled with the force of
You can get a sentence worth of description of the effect your occult energies, provided you are using a Mage Fray
of any visible magical enchantment or spellcasting. You die.
automatically detect any spellcasting or triggered magic Spell Eater Instant Scene One Spell
within sight range, however subtle the casting. Expend a prepared spell slot to instantly disrupt some
Far-Reaching Workings None None visible target’s spellcasting, causing them to waste their
Constant Your Mastery Graces are now applicable to Re- action. If the target is a Legate or creature of similar pow-
gion-sized alterations or smaller. er, make an opposed Wis/Magic skill check and win it to
Fireshaper Main None One Scene succeed at the disruption. This Grace can be used once
You can move or extinguish flames in your presence, af- per round at most.
fecting up to a 40’ cube at a time and moving it up to 500
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Throne of the Sorcerer-King None None ly required, provided their scope is not larger than City
Constant You can spend a month dedicating no more level.
than a City-sized area as your personal arcane domain, Mastery of Thought None None C o n -
provided no significant force opposes your rituals. With- stant You are a master of Workings involving men-
in this domain, your Workings and Major Projects cost tal control, perception, and mind-reading. Workings and
only half the silver or Renown needed. You can have only Major Projects wherein the primary effect is related to
one domain at a time. If you have Far-Reaching Work- these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usual-
ings, your domain can be Region-sized, if it’s suitably ly required, provided their scope is not larger than City
pacified. level.
Vault of the Sky On Turn Scene O n e
Scene The wind bears you up. For the rest of the scene,
you can fly at your normal movement rate and hover in
mid-air. This Grace can be conferred on an ally by Com-
mitting Effort for the day instead of the scene.
Mastery of Bone None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving un-
death, immortality, and vital force. Workings and Major
Projects wherein the primary effect is related to these
cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usually re-
quired, provided their scope is not larger than City level.
Mastery of Eidolons None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving golems,
automatons, or artificial minds. Workings and Major
Projects wherein the primary effect is related to these
cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usually re-
quired, provided their scope is not larger than City level.
Mastery of Energy None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving fire,
cold, electricity, motive force, or other energetic man-
ifestations. Workings and Major Projects wherein the
primary effect is related to these cost only a quarter of the
silver or Renown usually required, provided their scope
is not larger than City level.
Mastery of Flesh None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving biology,
mutation, and physical alteration. Workings and Major
Projects wherein the primary effect is related to these
cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usually re-
quired, provided their scope is not larger than City level.
Mastery of Sight None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving scry-
ing, detection, prophecy, and other forms of divination.
Workings and Major Projects wherein the primary effect
is related to these cost only a quarter of the silver or Re-
nown usually required, provided their scope is not larger
than City level.
Mastery of Space None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving spa-
tial distortion, portals, and teleportation. Workings and
Major Projects wherein the primary effect is related to
these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usual-
ly required, provided their scope is not larger than City
level.
Mastery of Stone None None C o n -
stant You are a master of Workings involving struc-
tures or shapings of stone, metal, or earth. Workings and
Major Projects wherein the primary effect is related to
these cost only a quarter of the silver or Renown usual-