Frank Brunner

Table of Contents
Welcome................................................................... 4 Chapter Five: Social Encounters................... 43
Reputations................................................... 44
Chapter One: Rules............................................... 5 Secrets.................................................. 44
Core Mechanic .............................................. 6 Fashion.................................................. 45
Modifiers ....................................................... 6 Special Attacks....................................... 45
Doom.............................................................. 7 Improv.................................................. 45
Mood.............................................................. 8
Inspirations..................................................... 9 Chapter Six: War........................................... 47
Death and Destiny......................................... 11 Troops and Units..................................... 48
True Love...................................................... 13 Command Points..................................... 49
History and Skills.......................................... 14 Attacking and Defending.......................... 49
Characteristic and skill checks...................... 15 Health and Spirit..................................... 49
Scene order play............................................ 16 Secret Troops......................................... 50
Example of scene order play......................... 17 Heroic Actions........................................ 50
Terrain and Weather................................. 50
Chapter Two: Combat......................................... 20 Movement.............................................. 51
Combat Styles............................................... 21 Stacking Units (Brigades)......................... 51
Initiative ....................................................... 22 Recovery............................................... 52
Damage and Effects ..................................... 24 Fallout: Economy and Mood..................... 53
Miscellaneous Actions ................................. 25 Buildings and Sieges............................... 53
Movement .................................................... 25 Aftermath.............................................. 54
Environmental tricks .................................... 26 Shadow Wars.......................................... 54
Armor and Weapons ..................................... 28
Chapter Seven: Wealth and World................ 55
Range ........................................................... 28
Wealth Level and Cash Value.................... 56
Critical Hits .................................................. 29
Economy............................................... 56
Grab ............................................................. 29
Modifiers, Lighting, and Blindness ............. 29 Culture.................................................. 57
Reputations............................................ 58
Healing ........................................................ 30
Disease.................................................. 59
Coup de Grace ............................................. 30
Example of Combat ..................................... 31 Disasters................................................ 61
Deprivation (Starving, Freezing)................ 62
Chapter Three: Magic......................................... 33 Breaking Items....................................... 62
Interference and Surges................................. 34 Crafting................................................. 62
Surge Effects and Crisis Surges.................... 35 Experience and Advancement................... 63
Magic Attack and Defense Dice................... 36
Trapped Spells (Magic/Spellbound Items)... 37 Chapter Eight: Character Creation,
Close and High Spells................................... 38 Races, and Characteristics................................. 64
Human: Nineblood.................................. 65
Chapter Four: Chases.................................... 39 Human: Islanders.................................... 66
Actions.......................................................... 40
Human: Wights....................................... 67
Chase Rolls................................................... 41
Human: Prince or Princess of Wolves......... 68
Example Chase.............................................. 42
Troll: Rain............................................. 69

2
 Troll: Seradynn....................................... 71 Alchemy Items...................................... 141
Characteristics........................................ 72 Engineering Items................................. 147
Buildings............................................. 152
Chapter Nine: Character Classes.................. 74 Mounts and Vehicles.............................. 155
Talents................................................... 74 Wonders............................................... 157
Multiclassing.......................................... 74 Troops................................................. 159
Chosen One............................................ 75 Infantry, Cavalry, Special........................ 161
Engineer................................................ 78 Naval Vessels....................................... 167
Fixer..................................................... 82 Airships............................................... 169
Noble, Priest, Courtesan........................... 86 Beasts.................................................. 169
Rogue, Assassin...................................... 90 Magical Beasts...................................... 170
Savage.................................................. 93 Siege Weapons...................................... 173
Trader................................................... 97
Wizard................................................. 101 Chapter Thirteen: GM's Toolbox.................... 175
Warrior................................................ 105 Tips..................................................... 175
Starting Character Wealth and Gear.......... 107 Bestiary............................................... 180
Sample NPCs....................................... 201
Chapter Ten: Talents.................................... 108
Magic Talents....................................... 108 Chapter Fourteen: Setting:
Martial Talents...................................... 110 The Spellbound Kingdoms.......................... 204
Shadow Talents..................................... 112 The Three Forces.................................. 205
Social Talents........................................ 114 The Four Estates................................... 208
Map of the Claw.................................... 211
Chapter Eleven: Organizations Marnh................................................. 212
and Research.................................................117 Akra.................................................... 215
Organization Characteristics.................... 118 Thyre................................................... 221
Organization Actions.............................. 120 Other Kingdoms.......................................... 228
Multiple PCs in One Organization............ 122
Creating an Organization....................... 124 Appendix One: Combat Glosses..............................234
Advancing an Organization..................... 124 Appendix Two: Magic Glosses and Spell Lists.......240
Armed Legion....................................... 125 Appendix Three: Investigation and Flavor Tables...258
Cabal, Coven........................................ 125 Appendix Four: Character Sheet..............................262
Church, Temple, Sect............................. 126 Character Sheet with Achievements........... 263
Noble House......................................... 127
Savage Tribe......................................... 128
Secret Socieety..................................... 128
Thieves Guild....................................... 129
Trading Company.................................. 130
Research.............................................. 131

Chapter Twelve: Gear, Buildings,

and Troops................................................... 134
Armor.................................................. 134
Weapons.............................................. 136
Fashion Items....................................... 140

3
 Welcome Rule Zero
Welcome to the revised and complete edition Rule Zero applies. Make whatever rules you
of Spellbound Kingdoms. I am very excited about this need to have fun, and toss out the rules that aren’t fun.
game! I hope that it becomes your “go-to” fantasy This is your game now. Find what works for you and
RPG. your group, and go with that.
There are a lot of ideas here that might be new That said, fear not! I do not mean to abdi-
even to seasoned roleplayers. These include: cate my responsibility as a game designer or absolve
• Scene-order play myself of any poor choices by saying, “Hey, just
• Inspirations Rule Zero it.” It’s my job to design these rules so that
• Mood what’s here is the most fun for the most people. I have
• Organizations that allow you to “zoom in” tried very hard to do that. I hope that Rule Zero will be
and “zoom out,” scaling the campaign action from needed rarely.
personal all the way up to global There is another point that goes along with
• Integrated culture, war, shadow war, and Rule Zero: hew to the spirit of the rules, not the letter.
economy rules That way leads to adventure!
• Improv social scenes
Even if SK does not become your go-to fantasy
RPG, I hope that you take some of these ideas and
Materials
drop them into your other games. You’ll need a set of seven gaming dice: d2, d4,
I deserved and took a lot of grief for the lay- d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. You’ll also want copies of
out in the first release of SK. I hope that this simpler the fighting styles that your character might use (at the
layout is, if not Ennie-worthy, at least better. end of this book) and something to mark position on
Simplification is a theme that runs throughout your style sheet. I use a miniature figure that repre-
this edition. I simplified many rules, from Mood and sents my character.

Prior Knowledge
Inspiration to character creation and culture. The same
spirit is there, but it now has a more elegant expres-
sion. For those of you who have read the first book, I assume you already know what an RPG is,
there is enough new material here that I believe that what a GM is, and how RPGs with a GM are typically
your present perusal will be rewarded. played.
Remember to stop by the forums. One of the If you don’t, then I don’t know how you came
combat styles in this book (Matt Miller's Long Arm to be reading this book. My marketing-fu is not that
spear-fighting style) had its start on our homebrew strong! Perhaps a spouse handed you or emailed you
forum. Who knows what future content will pop up? this book? Regardless, I’ve got your back, Mystery
Above all else, I hope that you have fun with Reader: go to your favorite search engine, look up
the game. roleplaying games, and come on back. You’ll be glad
Enjoy! you did. RPGs rock.

Credits
Design, Writing, and Layout: Frank Brunner
Playtesting: Beth Abel, Ken Butcher, Phil Coburn, Zach Hoefler, and Jody Kuhns
Additional Playtesting: MG, IF, SB, the NS d20 Club, Chris Dodd, and Matt Urbanski
Long Arm Fighting style: Matt Miller
Art credits on p. 299. Logo and website by Mark Quire of Quire Graphics.
Come join us online at www.spellboundkingdoms.com!

4
 Chapter One: Rules
Take a look at that picture up there. Igor Ki- Igor did a good job of capturing the spirit of
eryluk drew it for this game. Those are three Axemen, the game. It’s the spirit of Axemen raiding, of love, of
so named after Jason of Thyre presented his lover desperation, of creaking leather and rough rope stand-
Siobhan with a hematite-and-gold axe pendant, saying, ing against all the ice and magic and stone and inertia
“Your love is like an axe to the frozen sea that was of centuries.
within me.” That’s the spirit that these rules support.
The Axemen above are raiding a Thyran castle, The rules drive the game at a fast pace and
perhaps to assassinate a tyrant, to blackmail the ty- set it on a collision course with the most dearly held
rant’s wife, or to steal the bottle containing his daugh- inspirations of both PCs and NPCs. If lovers are riven,
ter’s ability to love - a bottle that the tyrant has prom- homes are burned, and true love conquers all, then
ised to give back to her once she reaches her majority you are playing the game as it was meant to be played.
without ruining herself. May you find as much enjoyment in so doing as the
rest of us!

5
 Overview Modifiers
The core mechanic is a die-step, roll-over- There are no modifiers applied to the result
target-number system. Each kingdom or region has its of the roll. The number showing on the die is what
own target number, called the Doom. you get. Once you have a feel for it, you can resolve
Inspirations are at the heart of every character. actions from the battlefield to the salon extremely
Use them like action points in any scene to give quickly this way.
you a bonus. Unlike other action points you SK does use two modifiers to rolls, but they are
may be familiar with, Inspirations are represented used before rolling.
directly in the game world, and you can lose them The first modifier is a die size change.
(if someone kills your wife, for example). Example. Celeste lunges with her longsword at
SK's five main scene types are combat, mass a madman. Normally that is a d8 attack, but since her
combat, chases, investigations (or explorations), and previous round was spent feinting, she gains a one die
social encounters. size increase. She rolls a d10.
The mode of play is classic RPG play or scene Dice can never be lowered below a d2. Any
order play. “Scene order play” is optional. It means increase above a d20 results in rolling a second d20
that players take turns picking what they want to (and another d20 for each increase beyond that). Take
accomplish in a scene (find a password, intimidate the highest single roll as your result.
a rival, loot a tomb, etc.) and how they want to ac- Example. Raleigh Arbuthnot is firing a zeppe-
complish it (stealth, combat, chase, social, war). Then lin’s ballista at an amphitheater of people attending an
the group plays through the set scene, and if the PCs unsanctioned violin concert. Normally he rolls a d12,
“win” they get the desired result; if they “lose,” some- but for various reasons, the GM awards him 3 die size
thing gets worse for them. A single campaign may increases. He ends up rolling 3d20 (d12 --> d20 is the
switch between modes of play, or use only one mode first die size increase, and there are two remaining in-
or the other. creases for a total of three big d20s). He rolls the three
d20s and takes the highest single roll as his result.
The second modifier is a bonus die or a penalty
Core die.
If it is a bonus die, roll all the dice and take the
Mechanic single highest roll as your result.
If it is a penalty die, roll all the dice and take
Spellbound Kingdoms uses d2, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, the single lowest roll as your result.
and d20 dice. The size of the die that you roll is deter- Example. Rex Shorn attempts to disarm a
mined by the relevant characteristic, attack, vehicle, or Jakattan needle trap. He rolls a d8 for his Quickness,
whatever else you are using. Roll the highest die that but he also has a bonus die from his “History: Trap-
does not exceed the value of your characteristic. finder for Rithaign Factors, Haulers, and Panhandlers
Example. If your Strength is 7, roll a d6 when (10).” He rolls a d8 and a d10 and gets a 5 and a 3. He
using Strength. takes the 5 as his result.
Example. Sometimes this is noted dStr. For Example. Orton Shieldbearer is so shaken by a
example, dStr if your Strength is 8 means d8. magic surge (one that caused ghosts to flit through the
If you meet or beat the target number, you battlefield) that his heart fails him. He takes a Heart
succeed. The target number is usually the Doom (see penalty die on his next attack. He normally would
below) or your opponent's opposed roll. roll a d8 for a Lunge. Now he rolls a d8 and a d6 (his
Heart score is 6) and gets a 7 and a 2. He takes the 2 as
his result.

6
 Doom & Target
Numbers
In the uncommon case you have both a penalty If you are rolling against an opponent, then
die and a bonus die on the same roll, apply the bonus you each roll and the higher roll wins.
die last. This applies to Mood and Inspiration (see On the other hand, if you are rolling against the
below) as well; they apply after any penalty dice. environment, the target number is usually the Doom of
Example. Mercy Manthorpe unwittingly ate the region. The Doom is born of magic, the king, and
madfire ashes at dinner, giving her a Reason penalty fate. It measures the difficulty of life. Woe and misery
die to all activity for the next hour. Looking for a walk in lands with high Doom, while the sun shines
safehouse, she attempts to leap across a rooftop. Her warmer, and there are fewer children wailing from
Quickness is a 9, so she rolls a d8 as her base die. She plague-flagged tenement windows, in lands with low
has a Reason of 5, so she rolls a d4 as her penalty die. Doom. Doom opposes heroic actions; a peasant need
Rolling these two, she gets a 2 on the base and a 3 not roll against the Doom to cook lunch.
on the penalty. The 2 is her result so far. But she also From a game design point of view, the Doom
has a “History: Nightrunner for the Rithaign Factors, is an aid to the GM. Instead of feeling forced to come
Haulers, and Panhandlers (9),” so she rolls a d8 bonus up with difficulties or target numbers on the spot, the
die. On this bonus die, she rolls a 5, and therefore she GM uses the Doom.
takes the 5 as her final result. Example. Nicholas the Nail is galloping on

Ties
horseback through an open-air bazaar. He needs to
jump Zeb, his horse, over a table of rye loaves. This
In an opposed die roll, ties go to the higher die is Rithaign, where the Doom is only 3 (the king’s
size. If both tying dice are the same size, re-roll. (Re- wrath is focused on fractious East Fire across the bay).
roll only the two tying dice, not any other dice such as Nicholas rolls a d6 because his Quickness is 6. He gets
Inspirations, bonus dice, etc. if you have them.) a 5 on his roll. This is greater than the Doom, so he
If the roll is not actively opposed (as when it is clears the table and races on.
made against the Doom), then a tie - a result equal to The GM can, of course, adjust the target num-
the target number - counts as a success.

Dice Explode A Note on Dice

d12 to d20 may seem like a
Dice explode. That is, when you roll the high- large or uneven jump, but in fact
est number possible on a die, also increase the die by it is not. Consider the jump from
one size and roll again. The largest number showing d2 to d4: you have doubled your
on any die is the result of your roll. Dice can explode maximum roll. The jump from
multiple times. d10 to d12 is nowhere near that
Example. Elena of Muda-Tarsk rolls a 10 on large a relative increase. d12 to
a d10. This explodes, so she rolls a d12. She gets a 7 d20 merely brings the increases
on the d12. The result of her roll is the 10 that she had back to the same scale.
originally. There are many other considerations, but
Example. Minette Viera rolls a 4 on a d4. This considering them, including the almost visceral
explodes, so she rolls a d6. She gets a 6 on the d6. fun of rolling the big ol’ d20 while your oppo-
This explodes too, so she rolls a d8. She gets a 3 on nent rolls a pathetic d8, the jump from d12 to
the d8. The result of this roll is a 6, the highest number d20 is justified, mathematically and otherwise.
on any of the dice.

7
ber for any task to be different from the Doom. Par- You can use Mood in these ways:
ticularly easy or difficult tasks are often so adjusted. Spend one Mood point to gain the maximum
The GM is also encouraged to reward roleplaying as result on your current die. You can do this even after
appropriate with an adjustment to the target number. you have rolled the die and know the result. The die
If a player describes a stunningly clever method to does not explode. There is one exception; maximiz-
accomplish his goal, or if his description of his attempt ing a d20 with Mood (or an Inspiration) gives you a
entertains the entire table to the point of universal ac- 12 (not a 20). You can roll the die also, if you haven't
claim, then the GM should give serious consideration already, and take either the 12 or the roll.
to lowering the PC's target number. Spend one Mood point to prevent a point of
Body or characteristic damage in combat or elsewhere.
Mood You can lose Mood by spending it, but also
to social attacks, living contrary to the culture of a
A king's mood can crucify a hundred witches region, moving through haunted environments, spells,
- or set them free. A trader's mood can help close the and more. There are many ways to fall in the King-
deal on a dozen zeppelins - or ruin his fortunes for- doms.
ever. In the Kingdoms, mood is a critical social tool. Mood cannot be reduced below zero.
In battle, a character’s Mood can mean the dif- When your Mood is at zero, your Inspirations
ference between survival and death. Those who know are vulnerable to social attack. A successful social at-
they can win, who fight with energy and vim, who by tack against you causes you to lose 1 Inspiration point.
dint of psyche dodge their opponent’s worst blows and The social attack must specifically target your Inspira-
connect with their own - these are the champions. tion. If your Mood is above zero, your Inspirations are
At creation, a PC's Mood is half his Heart generally safe from social attacks.
score. You can use only one Mood point per check.
You gain Mood by: For example, you cannot use one Mood point on the
Winning a social attack (usually Charisma vs. main die and another on a bonus die.
Charisma roll) and choosing to gain a Mood point Example. Saul throws a grappling hook up to
rather than inflict a point of Mood damage. the parapet. He rolls his Strength (5, for a d4) and gets
Executing a daring combat trick, such as a 3. The Doom is 4, so Saul would fail. He spends a
swinging from a chandelier, can increase your Mood Mood point, however, raising his result to the maxi-
(see the fighting style sheets at book’s end). Using mum on his Strength die, namely, a 4. This ties the
these maneuvers outside of combat does not raise Doom, and Saul catches the hook on the parapet.
Mood; only the rush and risk of combat seasons your Example. Rusudan, the Yoked Usurer of Syrbi-
maneuvers with the proper zest. zond, tries to identify a foreign gold coin. She rolls
Various character class abilities, talents, and her Reason (8, for a d8) and her bonus die, History:
outstanding roleplay (at the option of the GM and the Moneychanger of Syrbizond (10, for a d10). She gets
other players) can increase Mood. a 7 and a 5. Her target number was 9, and neither of
Spending a scene (or a full day outside of these rolls is good enough. So she spends a Mood
scene play) and narrating or roleplaying how you use point and gains the maximum on her bonus die, that is,
the time to elevate your Mood also works. This raises a 10, which surpasses the target number.
Mood to its maximum (or beyond, for exceptional The Mood rules push gameplay toward social
roleplay). This only works if scenes are in limited sup- interaction. An insult can haunt you, and a friendly
ply; there should be a cost (opportunity or otherwise) beer and game of slap-ass with the serving girl can
for raising Mood. The GM may call for a roll to see buouy you through the day.
if a character's time is spent successfully, or impose a Note that because Mood can soak damage,
monetary cost (good times aren't cheap!), especially if insulting your opponent during combat is an effective
an adversary or organization is working against you. tactic. Swashbuckling characters and their players usu-
Your maximum Mood is equal to your Heart. ally love this.

8
 Inspirations
To understand the Kingdoms, you must under- Love for your brother is an Inspiration. Ven-
stand Inspirations. This is a world where love and fear geance against the savage warlord who destroyed your
hold dominion even over death. Inspirations drive the village is another. Paranoia inspires the madman. Faith
architect to build, the lover to woo, and the warrior to inspires the priest. The list is endless.
fight. They move the world, and they have the power PCs and important NPCs have Inspirations.
of magic. For all of these reasons, the nobles condition There are always numbers attached, for example:
the commoners to accept a life of blandness and to “Seeks vengeance on Baron Vountainne (2)” or “Faith
settle for tepid passions. Inspirations are far too dan- in the return of her husband from Ku-to-en (4).” These
gerous for just anyone.

9
values cannot sum higher than the character’s Heart You can voluntarily lose Inspirations in the
score. same way that you regain lost Inspiration points; see
Example. Serrated Penelope has a 7 Heart. She below.
could have “Fear of aging (3),” “Ambition to see the Inspirations cannot go below zero. An Inspi-
Descent (3),” and “Love of diamonds (1).” She could ration that falls to zero is erased from the character
not have another inspiration because the sum of her sheet.
values already equals her Heart score (3+3+1=7). To regain a lost Inspiration point, spend
In play, similar to Mood, Inspirations func- several days (or at least one full scene) and narrate
tion as action points. That is, a character can use an how you use the time. This raises your Inspiration by
Inspiration to gain a boost to an action. His love, fear, one. In some cases, the GM may determine that there
madness, or other inspiration spurs him on to greater is opposition to your recovery - an enemy organization
deeds. with agents in your mother’s household, for example,
You begin the game with any number of Inspri- could prevent you from improving your relationship
ations whose total point value equals your Heart score. with your mother. In such cases, you may be required
You can use each of your Inspirations once per to win a contested roll or to succeed in a roll against
scene. Any more often than that and the focus be- the Doom in order to regain lost Inspiration.
comes a distraction rather than an inspiration. Unlike To gain a new Inspiration, spend a week (or
with Mood, using an Inspiration does not diminish that at least two scenes) pursuing your new Inspiration.
Inspiration's value. You must narrate and succeed in two unmodified Heart
You can use only one Inspiration per check. rolls against the Doom (if you fail, begin again next
For example, you cannot use one Inspiration on the scene). If a previous Inspiration of yours was reduced
main die and a different Inspiration on a bonus die. to zero, you must follow this “new Inspiration” proce-
When you use an Inspiration: dure to re-establish it.
You roll your Heart die as a bonus die, taking You can use an Inspiration:
its result if it is higher than your current die's result. Only when you are aware of the check. If you
If you narrate how your Inspiration relates to don't know that you've been exposed to a disease, you
the task at hand (called “stunting”) and your Inspira- cannot use an Inspiration to resist it. Spells generally
tion has a value of 2 or more, then your current die make the target aware of his status as a spell-target,
and Heart die both yield their maximum value. They and therefore you can use Inspirations against spells.
also explode. You can choose to use an Inspiration To use an Inspiration, the character must be
after seeing the result of the initial roll. inspired by the importance of the situation. Usually
Note the one exception: if you are rolling a d20 this occurs only during tense scenes with major conse-
and use an Inspiration to maximize it, instead of an quences at stake. If the GM asks for a flavor roll - just
automatic 20, you get a 12 and a roll of the d20, taking a fun roll to see what happens - Inspirations do not ap-
the higher result. ply. For example, you couldn't use an Inspiration when
You can lose Inspiration: rolling to see if your character cooked a tasty break-
If your Mood is zero, a successful social attack fast, or to see if your character avoids being splashed
specifically directed at your Inspiration reduces that by mud when the Dauphin's carriage wheels by.
Inspiration by 1 point. If a character wants to use an Inspiration on an
After any scene (or day) when there was a important roll that is not part of a scene where Inspira-
direct attack on the focus of your Inspiration, reduce tion scarcity is a threat - such as casting a high spell
your Inspiration by 1. If the attack destroys the focus, and making its Magic roll during a week of campaign
you may lose the Inspiration entirely if the GM rules downtime - then the character starts off the next threat-
that the memory of the focus cannot provide sufficient ening scene (chase, social, combat, mass combat, in-
Inspiration. vestiagtion, etc.) already having spent one Inspiration
The goal of a scene in scene order play can be use.
a reduction of an Inspiration (one or more points). Example. Theo Rush makes a Warrior’s Strike,

10
a d6 Attack. He rolls a 4, which misses against his op-
ponent’s 5. Theo uses his Inspiration: Hatred of Valte Use Your Inspirations
Riel nobility (1). This allows him to roll his d8 Heart There is no carryover. That is,
die, getting a 6. He hits! you do not get to use an Inspira-
Example. Isolde Ravelli is running from kings- tion twice in the next scene if
men across a spell smuggler’s barge in Rithaign. She you don’t use it now. With one
is attempting to “push it” and sprint; she needs to roll exception, then, it is to the char-
a 7. Her Quickness is only a 6. She invokes her Inspi- acter’s advantage to use all of
ration: Find and free her brother (3) and narrates that his Inspirations in every scene.
the spell she is smuggling will help her find her broth- That one exception is in the
er. Now she gets the maximum roll on her Quickness case of a secret. A character may want to keep
(6) and on her Heart (6). These scores are not good his Inspirations a secret, probably so that no one
enough, but both dice explode, and on one of the two attacks them. In that case, a character who fears
d8s that she rolls next, she gets a 7, making her chase he can be read too easily might not want to use -
roll. She escapes! and risk revealing - an Inspiration.
Example. Ciomathe the Scarlet is attempting to
forge a love letter to the Archbishop of Rithaign. She you thought, and you really, really need to escape!
has Reason 6 and History: Calligraphy Prefect at Be- Fear can motivate, but it can also paralyze. You
loved King’s School (4). She wants to roll as high as take a Heart penalty die on every roll in the first round
possible, so she uses an Inspiration: Advance the cause of any encounter where you are face-to-face with your
of the Low God Iuchus (3). By using the Inspiration fear (or, in the case of an intangible fear, when you are
and narrating its relevance, she gains the maximum directly faced with the fear’s implications).
on her normal dice (a 6 on her characteristic die and a

Death, Destiny, &

4 on her history die). She also gains the maximum on
her Heart die; in her case, a 6. Finally, all of these dice
explode!
I addressed “you,” the player, in this section.
But the same rules apply to NPCs with inspirations. As
Narrative
a player, if you come up against a major NPC, attack
him through his Inspirations first! Tyrants, wizards,
Control
and madmen alike are less formidable after their spir- Love and fear are the most powerful forces in
its have been crushed. the world. Where there is love, death has no dominion,
and where there is fear, peace finds no purchase.
Fear Inspirations can change the world. You have
already seen how Inspirations can act as action points.
The Kingdoms breed fear. Fear rises in the
howls of wolf children in the night; in the moans of They can do more: they can save a character when
madfire victims, shambling through streets lined with nothing else can.
hastily shuttered windows; in the creaking of the zep- If a character has a Love with a value of 3 or
pelin hulls overhead, as kingsmen patrol and watch for more, she cannot be killed or indefinitely removed
poets and lovers. from play except by natural causes. If any other inspi-
You gain fear more easily than you can other ration has a value of 4 or more, the same is true. Love,
Inspirations. In any scene, once per scene, you can Fear, and other inspirations are the masters of fate in
take a new Fear as an Inspiration or add a point to the Kingdoms.
an existing Fear. Your Inspiration points still cannot Magic runs deep and permeates everything.
exceed your Heart score. Adding to your Fear this way The stronger a character’s passion, the greater her
requires no action and is instantaneous: you suddenly destiny. A strong enough passion yields an undeniable
discover that you’re more afraid of something than destiny.

11
 This mechanic impacts gameplay in several torture a friend, or set fire to a business. The villain
ways. First, it allows players to retain narrative can only go in for the kill after the hero’s Inspirations
control over their characters. A character with a strong are low enough – after his fields lie in flames and his
unfulfilled destiny is not going to die because of a hopes are nothing more than ash in the streets of East
lucky crit from a goon in a tavern brawl. A character Fire.
can only be killed after he has been hunted, harried, Players, in response, look to participate in role-
and forced to watch his wife and daughter die. playing scenes that build up their loves, ambitions, and
This mechanic also encourages play that other Inspirations. The higher they can raise a love, the
involves assaults on Inspirations rather than bodies. more proof it is against attack.
Enemies become true villains as they attack a PC’s Of course, players also look to attack the In-
Inspirations. They might kidnap and murder a son, spirations of important antagonist NPCs before taking

12
on the NPC himself. Upon meeting the warlord for the True love cannot be ignored. Any time a
first time at an opera, a PC may choose not to draw her character invokes true love (which cannot be more
longsword, scream an oath to a Low God, and charge. than once/scene, as with any Inspiration), the Doom is
Instead, she is more likely to trade jibes over canapés, lowered by 1 for the roll.
to embarrass the warlord in front of his troops, or to Adventure and true love go hand in hand. For
steal whatever he loves most: his horses, his trophies, many adventurers, true love is the impetus for their
his women. Once the warlord has been hurt enough - life beyond banality. For others, it is a treasured ben-
truly hurt - then our heroine screams and charges. efit. In either case, adventurers are wise to risk loving
Not all NPCs should have Inspirations of 3 or so passionately, but they must be careful to safeguard
greater, of course. That would be boring. It also would their loved one.
not be true to the Kingdoms. People in the Kingdoms If a character ever loses his true love, his maxi-
are aware of the power of Inspirations, and the nobility mum Mood is reduced by half for a year and perma-
has worked for years to stamp out all sparks of the pre- nently reduced by two points: one for him, and one for
cious stuff among the commoners. Only very special his lost love.
people defy this training and culture. In a sense, high If you ever are in doubt as to how to adjudicate
Inspirations are what make the PCs special. the power of true love, do not be. True love is the most
What happens when a character loses a fight powerful force in the world. That is why kings destroy
or drives off a cliff in a chariot, but escapes death it.
because of an inspiration? The GM and player nar-
rate the outcome together, but the rule of lost scenes Removed from Play
applies: things get worse. The character might be When the rules say that a character with a
captured. Perhaps he catches a branch on his plummet sufficiently high inspiration cannot be indefinitely
down the chasm, or he lands in a river but now finds removed from play, they do not mean that he can-
himself a stowaway on a ship bound for the Dragon not be captured, or petrified, or confined to a fixer’s
Isles. Perhaps a kingsman rescues the character only to lung with consumption. By many means, the world
demand cooperation in blackmailing an archmage. and its agents can capture, petrify, and infect the
PCs.
But this cannot remove a PC from play in-
definitely. That is, if a PC is captured, or petrified,

True Love or bedridden, there still must be scenes that give

the PC a shot at coming back or afford him a mean-
ingful play experience. PCs being what they are,
Once in his life, a character can select a love and players enjoying what they enjoy, this prob-
with a value of 4 or more to be his true love. True love ably means that one of the attempts at a comeback
is the ne plus ultra in the Kingdoms, celebrated in is successful, sooner rather than later. Of course,
songs though it is death for any bard to sing them and if his Inspirations have been lowered enough, then
a taking for any poet to write them. the PC can be removed from play not only indefi-
True love cannot be denied. There may be nitely, but permanently.
spells, environments, and conditions that prevent a The same is true of vil-
character from tapping his Inspirations. Such do not lains! A PC can capture a villain,
prevail against true love. A character can always be but that villain is allowed repeat-
inspired by his true love. ed escape chances, quite likely
True love cannot be doubted. A true love is successful, if he is sufficiently
proof against social attacks, even if the character’s inspired. Until his Inspirations
Mood is zero. Only a direct assault on the object of the are lowered, the villain remains a
love makes an effective attack against true love. threat.

13
 how a character’s choices and experience contribute to
History & his combat and magic abilities.
Skills take practice to keep up. You can drop

Skills a skill at will. This can be useful to make room for a

new skill.
Languages are history items like any other
A character’s history determines her skills. skill. One point allows you to speak, read, write, and
If she runs away to join the wagon shows, she might comprehend the language at a functional level. Two
have skill in shadow drama, acrobatics, and bribery. points allow fluency. Three points or more signify flu-
If she grows up in the wings of the opera house, she ency, eloquence, etymological scholarship, and literary
might have skill in singing, sewing, and disguise. flair. Your author aspires to a 2.
A history item might say, “Piloted walking Remember this trick for calculating skill val-
ballista in the Opana campaign (4),” or “Spent St. ues: the skill value is always 3 more than the points
Vartan’s Eve in Rithaign celebrating with the twin invested.
daughters of Duke Tumenant (5).” Anything that you
can write down in a sentence, clause or phrase can be
a history and therefore a skill.
The GM and the game group must accept
Characteristic
your skill phrasing. For example, “Guild thief (5)”
is too general for most groups, but “Tomb robber for & Skill Checks
Rithaign Factors, Haulers, and Panhandlers (6)” is
specific enough. Many checks are simply characteristic rolls,
You gain at least one skill point at the end of either against the Doom or against a competitor’s roll.
each adventure session. The GM may award additional When you have an applicable skill, however, you roll
skill points during or after the session according to the that skill as a bonus die.
run of play. Example. Sgt-Errant Oliver Ghespure attempts
The first skill point spent in a particular history to repair his stolen lamellar armor after escaping the
gives you a history rated 4. This supplies a bonus d4 docks in far Ku-to-en. The Doom is 5. His Strength is
die to roll whenever that history is applicable. This is 8, and he has the history, “Armor smith in the Royal
noted as, for example, “Spent four years indentured to Halberdiers (9).” He rolls a d8 for his Strength and a
puncture priests in Oryn-ja (4).” d8 for his History, taking the higher of the two dice as
Each skill point that you gain after the first his result.
increases that skill by one. Your bonus die size is the Perception is a Reason check unless there is an
largest die size that does not exceed your skill value. obvious reason for it not to be. Animals and monsters
For example, after putting four points into a skill, with animal-level Reason scores (2 or lower) use a d6
your skill value would be 7 (4 for the first point, one for perception checks unless their description states
increase for each point thereafter). You would roll a otherwise.
d6 bonus die for this skill, as that is the largest die size Some tasks cannot be reasonably attempted
that does not exceed 7. without training. The GM judges which tasks those
You cannot have more histories than your are. Simple characteristic rolls are not allowed for
Reason score. For example, a character with Reason 5 those tasks; only characters with a relevant history can
cannot have more than five different histories. even attempt the task.
You cannot use a history to aid a combat roll or If two or more histories apply to the same
magic roll. Histories in Spellbound Kingdoms measure check, you can use them all, gaining multiple bonus
different quantities; there are other systems (talents, dice on the roll. As always, only the single highest roll
fighting styles, magic schools, and so on) to measure counts.

14
 Scene Types effects could be nothing more nor less severe than the
damage they suffered during the scene. After losing
a chase, the PCs may be captured, or they may be the
You can play Spellbound Kingdoms in two butt of a garrulous bystander’s jokes, earning them a
different modes, classic play or scene order. In either negative reputation with the townsfolk. A lost battle
case, although much more discretely in scene order in a war might destroy part of a PC's wealth, home,
play, the in-character portions of the game are com- or organization - or the effects may be limited to the
posed mainly of these types of scenes. troops that were lost in combat. The GM must rule for
• Combat. the good of the campaign as a whole, with an eye for
• War (mass combat, shadow wars, and self-consistency and a purblind sense of justice.
cold war conflicts between organizations). Why use scene order play at all? Classic play
• Social encounters. has worked fine for almost forty years of tabletop
• Chases. RPGs. You can play Spellbound Kingdoms just fine
• Investigation, exploration, and stealth without ever using scene order. But scene order can
(espionage). bring a briskness to games where the pace is flagging.
In scene order play, the group jumps from one defined
Classic & Scene conflict to the next. There is little downtime,
few if any stalled investigations, and hardly ever a

Order Play time when one player is haggling with the blacksmith
over the price of stirrups while the rest of the party is
mounted and ready to ride. The GM still provides a
There are two modes of play in Spellbound narrative function by bridging scenes, and the players
Kingdoms. Use both at different times in the cam- jump from significant scene to significant scene.
paign, however and whenever your group prefers. Or Importantly, players choose the types of scenes they
use only one mode or the other - choose what works want, helping the GM set the pace with the right mix
for you and your group! of action, talk, and reaction.
The first mode is classic play. Classic play Every group is different, but classic play tends
is the style of many RPGs: the GM presents events, to excel at grand missions with well-defined goals,
sometimes with player input, and the players respond prepared plot branches, and clear choices for the PCs.
to those events. When characters fight through dens These are often adventures that require a session or
of howling troglodytes, disarm poison needle traps on more to complete. Exploring a sprawling ruin, break-
secret doors, fight through undead slaves to the chant- ing into a school in the mountains and rescuing a
ing necromancer, and unshackle the maiden on the student, or escorting a musician out of a city where
altar before the necromancer’s dagger comes down, he has become too famous. Classic play adventures
that is classic play. sizzle when the entire group is working toward the
The second mode is scene order. In scene same goal, facing well-defined options, and fighting to
order play, players and the GM take turns presenting overcome a series of challenges.
scenes. Choose one player or the GM to set the first Scene order excels at sandbox play, “in be-
scene. To set a scene, the player describes what he tween” time, investigations, and scripted play. Discrete
wants to accomplish (find a password, intimidate a scenes make it easy for GMs to hand their players a
rival, loot a tomb) and how he wants to accomplish it sandbox and let them explore and build at will. Scene
(stealth, combat, war, social encounter, chase). If the order gives you a definite method for resolving “in
players “win” the scene, they get the desired accom- between” time – those sandbox moments that come
plishment. If they “lose” the scene, something gets after a grand adventure, when the party is back in
worse. town and fissiparous, with the thief wanting to job a
Something getting worse is dictated by the wagon of drakatizon, the engineer wanting to build a
scene. In a combat or a social encounter, the adverse mechanical songbird, and the warrior wanting to go

15
with his mercenary company to squash trouble down jealously destroyed his family.
in the river colony of leper-wights. Scene order also 7) Consult with the Baroness’s priest.
supports scripted play, which is a method of play that For each scene, the players choose stealth,
uses scene-type sequencing to produce good pacing combat, a social encounter, or another scene type. If
and story structure. they choose combat with scene 3), they battle the Salt
Give scene order a try and see when it works Widow’s pirate crew across the deck and through the
for you. Remember, though, that in the end both play rigging. If they win the battle, they find a diary and
styles are valid and useful, and both play out with as jewels undeniably proving Half-ear was in the Baron-
much excitement and vigor as you bring to them. ess’s circle of nobility twenty-five years ago, though
he may or may not have been her lover. If the party

Scene List & had chosen stealth, or a chase, or a social encounter,

they could sneak through the ship at night, race the
ship to an isle where Half-ear buried the diary and
Scene Order Play jewels, or talk their way past the possessive first mate
and his lubricious wife. No matter the type of scene
Commonly for scene order play, I put a list played, the PCs find the diary and jewels if they suc-
in front of the players at the table. The list speci- ceed, and something gets worse if they fail.
fies scenes that advance the plot and fit the current Don’t be fooled by scenes 1) and 2). Though
milieu or adventure. It helps players think of scenes. they say “Talk to” this or that eared pirate, each could
Of course, players are free to take play in any direc- easily be a combat or other scene type. Perhaps Pretty
tion they choose with their scenes, but a scene list is a Ear is so truculent that he attacks immediately upon
helpful prompt, especially for hesitant players. seeing the party, only giving up his information if the
I do this most often for investigations and party bests him in a pirate bar brawl. Or perhaps when
explorations. For down-time scene order play, even the party meets Half-ear to talk, he turns tail and runs,
the most timorous player usually puts forth a myriad leading them on a chase scene through the pomegran-
of scene ideas for his character (although, even then, ate stands and dream apple carts in the dock slums. If
to be safe I always keep a quickly jotted list of two or the PCs catch him, he talks.
three scenes per character that I can run to focus on When you create your adventure and its scene
that PC and keep the player active). list, jot down how each plot point could be resolved
Example. Two pirates, identical save one man’s by combat, by a social scene, and by stealth, investiga-
half-missing ear, both claim to be the Baroness’s lost tion, or exploration. I do not show this list to the play-
childhood lover. She is offering officers’ commissions ers ahead of time; I only use it so I can quickly run
for an upcoming zeppelin expedition to the Descent the scene no matter if the player says, “I want to run a
for anyone who can help her determine which man, combat scene where we beat the stalks off the confes-
if either, is her dear one. The party wants to steal a sor and his bodyguards until they talk,” or, "I want to
zeppelin. Their opportunity arises through the officers’ run a social scene with the confessor at the daily hang-
commissions. Here is a potential scene list that I might ings and try to embarrass him in front of the crowd."
put down to prompt efficient investigation: And a final note: let’s say the party attacked,
1) Talk to Half-ear. starting a fight to learn what the confessor knows. In
2) Talk to Pretty Ear. classic play, the GM might start the PCs outside the
3) Explore Half-ear’s ship, the Salt Widow. cathedral, forcing them to battle through novitiates
4) Explore Pretty Ear’s ship, the Covenant. and other pious mooks, to overcome trapped idols, and
5) Confront the harbormaster. ultimately to discover a hidden sanctum sanctorum,
6) Search the lover’s childhood home, where at last they face the priest in a climactic battle.
abandoned after the Crown Inamorata And the GM could do that in scene order play, too. It
would be a long scene, but that may be what the group

16
desires.
On the other hand, in scene order play, the GM
could flash right to the battle with the priest, describ-
Example of
ing the cathedral and how the party came to this battle
in as much or as little detail as necessary.
Scene Order
Flashing to a conflict like this does not mean
that the group must discard all the entertaining con-
sequences that can result from a raid on a busy cathe-
Play
dral. One character’s organization can quickly make The characters have just returned from a raid
a Shadow roll against the Church’s Shadow roll, and into the jungles of the Sun Goddess. They hacked their
the result could determine if the PCs face any negative way through creepers to a ziggurat where a priest of
consequences for the raid. The consequences might the Sun Goddess was sacrificing idolaters. They res-
be a lingering curse because one of the PCs’ mooks cued the idolaters and escaped on a riverboat, sailing
offended a seradynn witch who was praying at the and paddling across the border into Naklion with the
votives; or a temporary reduction in the PCs’ organi- templars of the Sun Goddess hurling atlatls right up
zation’s Force because the priests captured the PCs’ to Fort Gau. This was all done in classic play. Now,
brute squad during the raid; or any other narration the back in the desert capital of Naklion, the party has en-
GM and players provide. Remember that negative countered a problem: the noble whose idolatrous son
consequences like this are fine opportunities for the they rescued is missing. They want to find the noble,
GM to foreshadow or introduce plot hooks! one Joaquin Nata, the Negus Fiqir.
Sam is GMing. Mike is playing Edmond Rhe-

Declining A
ims, a mercenary archer. Izzy is playing Amaranth
Hushcar, a seradynn troll noble of Naklion. Peter is
playing Cyrus Mawi, a Naklion vagabond, and Emily
Scene is playing Cressida Jonta, a fixer who maintains trade
with both the underworld and the nobility of Naklion.
What happens if the GM sets a scene, say a GM. So it is true: the Negus Fiqir has van-
social scene at a masquerade ball, and a player says, ished. His wife weeps in the searing sunlight on the
“No, it’s tailor-made for Henrietta to try to seduce marble porch, and her servants fan her with peacock
me there, I’m not going!” Of course, this can happen tail feathers. She is in no condition to talk today. Since
in classic play too, but it happens more obviously in you’re back in town, this investigation could go in a
scene order play. zillion directions. Let’s break this up into scene order.
You could just roleplay the situation, of course! Who’s got a scene they want to run? Remember that
No doubt that would be fun. now, especially after the Fiqir’s disappearance, the
But if you want to focus on other events in the Negus Negast rules the city under martial law, and
campaign and not devote time to dodging invitations, spearmen click in lockstep on every cobbleshell street
then resolve the conflict with a quick Charisma vs. corner. Also, Cressida and Cyrus are wanted; reputa-
Charisma roll, or, even better if available, appropriate tions of 7 and 8 for that.
organization rolls (often Efficiency vs. Efficiency). (Sam puts out a Scene List for the players
The roll could represent jockeying for social position, with recommended points in the investigation. The
identifying potential traps, spying on the other orga- list includes 1) Finding a safehouse with the thieves
nization or individual, or anything else appropriate to guild or Amaranth’s family for Cressida and Cyrus;
the situation. 2) Talking to the Fiqir’s wife; 3) Searching the Fiqir’s
If you win the roll, you are free to decline the house; 4) Talking to the rescued son about his miss-
invitation. If you lose the roll, you are still free to de- ing father; and 5) Interrogating the Fiqir’s remaining
cline it, but if you do, you take 4 Mood damage from bodyguards.)
the stress of avoidance. Amaranth. Cress and Cy can hide with my

17
family. And I’ll kill two birds with one scene, asking puzzle-box containing the Fiqir’s diary. After overcom-
my father what he’s heard among the nobles. So, a ing these challenges...)
social scene to find out what daddy knows. Edmond. I love puzzle-boxes. So, the Negus
Edmond. Hm, barring anything stunning Fiqir wanted to start his own little Low God tiger cult
resulting from that, I want a stealth scene searching here in Naklion? I wonder how his son and wife will
the Fiqir’s house for a clue about his disappearance. take that news.
GM. Ok. Let’s tackle Amaranth’s scene first. Cy. Let’s talk to this Tewfik first. I want to
Cy and Cress, I’m rolling your reputations to see if the know just what we’re dealing with in this idol. And
guards recognize you as you come into the Hushcar you know what? I’m sick and tired of the guards in
estate. Guards' perception vs. your Charisma. (The GM Twefik's bazaar harassing me about my fashion sense.
rolls the guards’ Reason check with the PCs' reputa- I’m going to pick a fight. If we win,the guards will
tions as bonus dice, but still neither guard beats either talk, and Tewfik will be scared into talking too. Who’s
PC’s charisma roll.) The Hushcar gate sentries dump with me? Combat scene!
a tub of rose water over your head to clean you up, (The bazaar fight unfolds. The GM doesn’t
Cyrus, but they don’t recognize either of you. Inside, have stats but scribbles down, "5 bazaar guards,
you hear cries, squawking, and mad fluttering. In the Mood 2, Body 5, Guardsman style (x3) and Black
sunroom, you find the Hushcar patriarch clipping his powder Musketeer (x2)" - and that’s all he needs to
parrots’ wings. The way he’s doing it clearly hurts the run the fight. Unfortunately for Cyrus, the guards win.
birds. They cry and try to hop away. The rule of lost scenes applies: something gets worse.
Amaranth. Daddy, what happened to the Negus In this case, the GM decides that all the players in the
Fiqir? (There is a good deal more roleplay that in- scene get three points added to a Reputation: Wanted
forms the social attack upcoming and could provide and Dangerous, applicable in all of Naklion.)
bonuses or penalties, but we skip to the mechanics) Amaranth. That’s great, Cyrus. You suck.
That’s an 8 on my social attack. Cyrus. Oh please. How was I to know there
GM. (Rolls for Daddy, gets a 6, and decides were musketeers puffing out back? Those smackbrains
that Daddy doesn’t want to lose Mood. He answers his probably spiked their hookah with something from the
daughter honestly.) “My dear Amaranth, I’ve been local fixer. I smelled more than coconut in that water!
wondering the same thing. Tewfik, the man who sells
the pelts and curiosities in the bazaar, tells me that he
sold a chryselephantine tiger idol to the Negus Fiqir
just before the man disappeared. Twefik claimed the
idol was cursed by the Sun Goddess’s templars. With
the other ear, in the nobles’ baths I heard that the crew
of the Princecatcher is talking about spotting a body
bobbing out by the reef. How did I hear these things?
Oh, a little bird told me.” He chuckles, snaps his
shears, and clips a shrieking parrot’s wing.
(Izzy is done, so the group moves to Edmond’s
scene.)
Edmond. I’m waiting until night, then search-
ing the Negus Fiqir’s house. Anyone else coming?
(After determining that no one wants to miss
out on the raid, the GM runs an investigation scene
for the party that features a stake-out every night for a
week, with traps, a covert exploration a lively bar-
racks, two quick combats with guard panthers, and a

18
 Amaranth. How could you smell when your
face was in the dirt?
Edmond. All right, you two, I’ve got a scene.
Time & Area
There are two different scales for area in Spell-
Let’s go to talk to the Princecatcher’s crew. I want bound Kingdoms. In both cases, an area is an abstract
information about the body they saw in the bay. territory defined by the GM or the player who built or
(The group jumps to a social encounter on the owns the region.
boat. The GM roleplays First Mate Janson Skwee, and Use small scale areas for combats and close
after name-dropping and threats, Edmond, Amaranth, spells. For example, a small keep might be broken
Cyrus, and Cressida lower the mate's Mood enough into areas that include the antechamber, the great hall,
that he decides to talk rather than go to 0 Mood and the kitchen, the dungeon, the second-floor barracks,
risk his Inspirations.) and a top-floor lord’s chamber. The toll bridge over
GM. So he tells you the location of the corpse the Rill might be broken up into the west end, the east
by the harbor reef. I’m going to jump in with a scene end, the toll house, and the toll house's roof.
here, assuming people go out to find the body. Use large scale areas - often called "regions"
Cressida. My guild has a sloop that the mon- in these rules - for economics, politics, wars, shadow
archy doesn’t know about – let’s take it and find the wars, and high spells. For example, the city and envi-
body. rons of Thyre might be broken up into regions includ-
GM. Great. Everyone gets out to the reef just ing different neighborhoods in Thyre (High Thyre,
in time to see three bare-chested men, with tulwars Low Thyre, the Old Bastion, and the Ghosts in Silver),
and waist sashes, haul a body out of the saltwater and the western Free Road, the southern plains, the dam on
let it thud down into their skiff. The body is covered in the Rill, and the Theater Road. Define regions as best
seaweed and blood. The men see you, shout something suits your campaign!
in a language you do not recognize, and hoist their Some abilities have two recharge times: per
skiff’s lone sail. The chase is on! Unless of course you scene or per day/week/season/etc. The latter is self-
want to let them escape? explanatory. The former means that if you are using
(Here the party engages in a chase scene scene order play, the abilities recharge once per scene.
that ends with the two vessels capsized near an out- Do not hesitate to make a scene last for a week, if that
cropping glowing faintly in the sunset. The party suits the campaign. For example, an overland journey
has learned from the diary that the Negus Fiqir was from Syrbizond to Oryn-ja may be one fortnight-long
involved in a Low God tiger cult, but they do not know scene. This forces players to concentrate on resource
where he might be presently. Shark fins cut through the management and, I hope, adds to the fun by creating a
water as the players debate what to do next...) challenge and increasing suspense.

Maybe that is how your group plays all the

time! Skipping from one focused scene to the next,
set by both players and GMs, is not necessarily a new
Exclusivity
As you read on, bear in mind that powers in
idea for RPGs. It is at its heart no more than a method
Spellbound Kingdoms are not exclusive. That is, just
to keep the game moving from one point of interest to
because a character class or organization or any-
the next.
thing else has a specific power listed does not mean
Scene order is not for everybody, and you can
that someone else cannot accomplish the same thing
just ignore it if you like. No game mechanics require
through clever play, unstoppable ambition, or blind
it. For some groups, classic play is quite similar to
luck. For example, a secret society has the power
scene order play. Other groups might see a large dif-
Fanaticism. This does not mean that another person or
ference between a more free-form, stream-of-action
agency cannot inspire a region of people to zealotry.
roleplay and the discrete set pieces of scene order.
It only means that the secret society can do this in one
Often, a mix of the two styles is best.
(powerful) action, while others must invest roleplay,
resources, and risk.

19
 Chapter Two: Combat
Blade, pistol, and fist all have their place in column; any maneuver in the same row or column as
combat, as do falling sandbags, eggshell grenades your current maneuver is possible. Think of a rook on
soaked in flake spores, and the most unpredictable a chessboard. If a rook could move from the maneuver
destructive force of all, magic. No matter what your you just executed to the maneuver in question, then
combat style is, clear tactical thinking is vital. that maneuver is possible. If a rook couldn’t get there,
Part of that tactical thinking is the decision then it’s not possible. Your style doesn’t teach such a
when to use Mood and Inspirations. Combat is so fast transition. (There is an occasional exception to this; an
that the next round can start before a player realizes arrow on a style sheet means that you can move in the
that he should have used a Mood or Inspiration last direction of the arrow, from the maneuver at the tail of
round. Don’t be that player! the arrow to the maneuver at the tip of the arrow - but
Another large part of the tactical thinking is the not backwards.)
choice of fighting styles and maneuvers within those Second, who reveals his maneuver choices first
styles, as we shall see. in a round, or is it simultaneous? In a duel, it is always
simultaneous. In larger conflicts, the GM may choose

Overview to use duel initiative, where choice and revelation of

maneuver are simultaneous (try to outguess your op-
ponents!), or melee initiative, which allows one side
1) Choose your fighting style and opening
of the melee to get a jump on the other (this is further
combat maneuver. Fighting style and a character’s cur-
explained below).
rent maneuver limit his choice of actions next round.
Some styles don’t teach you how to follow a lunge
with a parry, for example.

2) Reveal your chosen maneuver. Each maneu-

ver has an attack die (on the left) and a defense die (on
the right). Roll the attack die against your target. Roll
the defense die against anyone attacking you. On a
hit, the default damage is 1 Body. That can change, so
know your maneuvers and weapons.

More information follows, but that’s the basic

idea. In other words, “Consider your opponent’s fight-
ing style and current maneuver. Pick your maneuver,
Fighting
then roll your attack die against your target (if any),
and roll your defense die against anyone attacking Styles
you. Repeat.”
There are two more things you might want to Fighting skillfully in the Kingdoms means
know right away. First, which maneuvers are possible fighting in a particular style.
in a given round? Look at your style’s sheet (at the end Every style is different. One style may teach
of this book). Balancing maneuvers are underlined, the student how to disarm his opponent after parrying,
and they’re always possible. Beyond that, the only ma- while another may teach the student how to disarm
neuvers that you can execute are those that are in the only when he is on the offensive and backing his op-
same row or column as your current maneuver. You ponent down. A third style might never teach a disarm
do not have to move one at a time through a row or maneuver at all.

20
 The key point to understand is that each style maneuvers you are capable of executing next round,
requires its own footwork, balance, timing, grip, and but it is also important to know what maneuvers your
positioning. Each develops its own mental, physical, opponent is capable of executing. That way, you can
and emotional approach to combat. Swashbucklers anticipate his actions and choose your own maneuvers
swing from chandeliers and slash at opponents, to counter.
savages charge and bear hug and bite, and guardsmen Characters begin combat with one of the
hunker behind shields and probe for a counterattack. underlined maneuvers, the so-called balancing
Each fighting style has requirements listed maneuvers. Characters may also rebalance to a
in the lower left hand corner. If you do not meet the balancing maneuver at any time during combat. In
fighting style’s requirements, you cannot fight in that this case, the balancing maneuver does not need to be
style. If, possibly through injury or fatigue, you do not in the same column or row as the character’s current
meet the requirements of any styles that you know, maneuver.
you can only use the basic combat maneuvers. The As I said in the overview, think of a rook
basic combat maneuvers are listed in the lower right on a chessboard. If a rook can get there (without
of every style sheet, and anyone can use them. jumping over any gaps in the row or column), then
your style allows you to flow into that maneuver from
your current maneuver. This represents the style’s
teachings: one style may teach the footwork necessary
to follow a spin with a jab, while another may teach
you how to follow a spin with a parry or feint.
Two more notes on accessible maneuvers: if an
arrow appears on a combat sheet, you can transition
to a maneuver in the direction it points but not against
the direction it points. Also, you can repeat a maneu-
ver unless it is marked with an (r) (which means you
must rebalance next round; see p. 24).
A player can use a figure or a die to keep track
of her maneuvers on her style sheet. When it is time

Style Sheets & to reveal her choice for the round’s maneuver, she
simply moves her figure or die to the new maneuver.
The combat style sheets are located at the end
Choosing Actions of this book.
Example. Fighting in Free Sword style, Vin-
Each style has a flowchart, or style sheet, that cent Vasquez feints and dodges to open the combat.
depicts the maneuvers taught by that combat style. The Dodge and Feint is in the same column as Counter-
attack die of the maneuver is to the left of the ma- strike, Spin, and Unbalancing Feint, so he could use
neuver, and the defense die is to the right. When you any of those maneuvers next round. He could also use
execute a maneuver, roll the attack die. Whenever you any of the re-balancing maneuvers next round (Lunge,
are attacked, roll the defense die. If the attack die beats Warrior’s Strike, or Dodge and Feint again). But that’s
the defender’s die, the attack scores and does one it. He could not make a Driving Cut or push forward
point of damage (possibly more, depending on various in an Onslaught. Those maneuvers can’t follow a Feint
factors, as we will see below). Ties go to the larger die in the Free Sword style.
size; rolls that are still tied are rerolled. Example. Jude is sniping with a bow in Arrow-
The style sheet also shows which maneuvers heart style. He can open the combat with Archer’s
are accessible from which other maneuvers. An Shot, Shot on the Run, Shoot and Dive, or Aim and
accessible maneuver is one in the same row or column Breathe. He decides to take an Archer’s Shot. Now his
as the current maneuver. It is important to know what choices are the same three as before, plus Trick Shot,

21
Double Shot, and Mighty Pull. He chooses Aim and
Breathe in the second round. After he has aimed, in
the next round he can choose any action on the chart
Initiative
with the exception of Penetrate and Anticipate (both of There are two initiative methods: duel and
which must be preceded by a Mighty Pull). traditional. For duels, that is, one-on-one combat, use
Example. Inverness Dugray is shielding his duel initiative. For combats with more than one par-
wizard, Tomas, against Anointed archers. He fights in ticipant on either or both sides, use duel or traditional
Guardsman style. He can begin the fight with Shield initative. Of course, at the option of the GM and the
Run, Block, Guard’s Strike, or Shield Other. He knows group, you may use either initiative system for all
he wants to run to the next tent so that Tomas can grab combats. The game is yours. Find what works for you!
the dangling zeppelin rope there and make his escape. In duel initiative, the combatants choose their
He chooses Shield Other because in Guardsman style, maneuvers in secret and reveal them simultaneously.
first you must set yourself and your shield in position, Each combatant tries to anticipate his opponent’s next
and then you can run with your charge. That is, first action based on the accessible maneuvers in the op-
you use the Shield Other maneuver, and then you can ponent’s fighting style. Tactical thinking and planning
Escort. If Inverness should happen to stop and attack, is critical.
he can do so using the Distracting Blow maneuver In traditional initiative, every participant on
to attack and still defend Tomas. On the round fol- each side rolls his Quickness die. The PC rolling the
lowing a Distracting Blow, Inverness could return to highest has the option of going first or delaying. When
Escorting, or he could Bodyguard, Body Blow, Knock a PC goes (that is, chooses an action from his combat
Down, or use Shield Tactics. style sheet), resolve his attack immediately. In the first
round of combat, everyone chooses his opening ma-

22
neuver simultaenously, but the maneuvers are resolved
in initiative order. A delaying PC can jump in at any Seize the Initiative
later moment save the middle of another characters' Originally, SK used only duel
turn. initiative for all combats. I still
In duel initiative, effects such as Grabbed and love that style of play, but many
Rebalance take effect after the round ends. All ac- people prefer the ease of nar-
tions occur simultaneously, so that two swordsmen ration afforded by traditional
can kill each other in a round. In traditional initiative, initiative. I admit that I enjoy it
effects occur immediately on a character's turn. This also, both as a GM and a player.
often exposes a fighter to more rebalancing attacks and In addition to the narration
makes the maneuvers deeper in the combat tree harder focus, I have fun trying to pick the perfect ma-
to reach. neuver, already knowing what my opponent has
In traditional initiative, roll for initiative selected to defend with.
only at the start of the combat. Keep the same order A third initiative system is the modified
throughout the subsequent rounds. duel initiative system. The side with the highest
Mood and Inspirations can be used on initia- single Quickness roll among its fighters gains the
tive rolls as usual. advantage in the chaos of melee. That side wins
initiative and can choose whether to go first as
a group - everyone choosing and revealing ma-
neuvers before the other side - or to go second,
Simultaneous waiting to choose and reveal maneuvers until after
the entire other side has done so for the round.

Results
All effects apply simultaneously at the end of the
round, as usual for duel initiative. In modified duel
initiative, re-roll initiative each round.
In duel initiative, results occur simultane-
ously. In other words, even if a troglodyte’s Bash does
enough damage to drop a PC to 0 Body, that PC still
gets a chance to resolve his own attack and deal dam- Targeting &
Round Length
age this round.
This applies to effects other than damage, too.
Effects apply at the end of a round and before the next
round starts. Combat is a terrible mix of chaos and threat.
Example. The PCs are fighting a nest of spell- Each round, you are assumed to be engaged with
stalk victims. The PCs and the spellstalk victims and threatening all other creatures in your area. Your
choose their maneuvers simultaneously, in secret, and action for the round – usually a combat maneuver -
then reveal them. The two sides resolve their actions, represents your best chance to score damage or cause
and all resolution takes place simultaneously. As the some other effect. You can target any other creature
resolution plays out, the PCs burn and stun the stalk- in your area with a melee attack. See Movement and
ers. But the stalkers still resolve their actions this Maps below for more information on areas.
round without being burned or stunned. The stunning Rounds vary in length. Generally, they are
and burning does not take place until the end of the about six seconds long, but a round where all combat-
round, after all other actions have been resolved. ants circle each other, posture, and trade insults might
be much longer. The GM is the final arbiter of round
length, should it ever matter (usually it only matters
for how long a noble can prattle on while the warriors
go about the real business of combat!).

23
Multiple Attacks Damage &
& Defenses Effects
If an attack is listed as d4/d4, that means that If a maneuver lists no effect, then it deals 1
the character attacks twice. The attacks may be made Body damage on a hit. If it lists only an effect, it does
against separate targets. no Body damage; rather it causes the effect on a hit. If
If a character executes a maneuver with a it lists “1 + [effect],” then it does both 1 Body dam-
bonus such as “+1 attack die size next round,” and he age and the effect (still, only on a hit; misses cause no
follows that with a multiple attack maneuver such as damage or other effect).
d4/d4, the bonus applies to both of the attacks, making Many effects are possible.
it d6/d6 in this case. “Rebalance” means that on a successful hit,
Multiple defense dice – say d4/d4 – are rolled your opponent must rebalance next round (that is,
against each attack. For example, if a character is execute a maneuver that is underlined on the style
two-hand-parrying for d4/d4 defense and comes under sheet, or else break style completely with one of the
attack from two assailants, each making two attacks, maneuvers in the lower right corner of the style sheet).
then the defender rolls d4 and a d4 against the first as- Your opponent also loses any bonuses he might have
sailant’s first attack, a d4 and a d4 against the first as- built up, such as “+1 die size to next attack.”
sailant’s second attack, a d4 and d4 against the second “1[characteristic]” such as “1 Str” means that
assailant’s first attack, and finally a d4 and a d4 against the attack does 1 point of damage to the characteristic.
the second assailant’s second attack. Every time, he This is important partly because of the minimum
takes the highest single score on his two d4s as his characteristic requirements for a style. A character
result. brought below his minimum Strength for a style, for
If a character executes a maneuver with a bo- example, is too fatigued or injured to carry on in that
nus such as “+1 defense die size next round,” and he style. He might be reduced to panting and heaving,
follows that with a multiple defense maneuver such as using only the basic “no-style” maneuvers available to
d4/d4, the bonus applies to both of the defenses, mak- everyone (in the bottom right of every style sheet).
ing it d6/d6 in this case. “Move target 1 area” means you may move
your target 1 area into an area of your choice. A target

Maneuvers
moved against its will must also rebalance.
“Move 1 area” means you may move as part of
the maneuver. A move is normal horizontal movement.
Require Targets Fancy moves that let you gain altitude – like Climb –
say “Climb” or “Gain altitude” or something similar.
Attack maneuvers must be executed against a “(r)” after a maneuver means that you must
target. rebalance after executing that maneuver.
A character cannot advance through the ma- "+1 damage next round" applies to all of your
neuvers of his style unless he is engaged with an attacks in the next round. If you execute a maneuver
enemy. Put another way, a character can’t go through with three attacks next round, each one does +1 dam-
his forms in the villain’s coat closet and then burst out age.
with his ultimate maneuver just as the villain opens "Until forced to rebalance" means that the
the door. This is because a large part of any fighting effect lasts until an opponent or your own maneuver
style involves knocking your opponent off his rhythm, (marked (r)) forces you to rebalance.
positioning him for your next blow, and judging his Some maneuvers are marked with an M in the
own movements in order to set up yours. You can’t do upper-right hand corner. A character cannot use these
that if you’re fighting a mink stole in the coat closet. maneuvers unless he is a master of the style.

24
 Words Have Master,
Meaning Apprentice, &
Words mean what they say. If an attack says
Trip, then it causes the target to fall down. It cannot
Neophyte
be successful against a creature that is not standing A character who knows the style but has not
upright. If an attack says Death from Above, it cannot yet mastered it is called an apprentice of the style. The
be executed without attacking from higher ground. apprentice can use all the maneuvers in a style save
Note that just because an attack trips a target those maneuvers marked with "M."
does not mean that the target begins the next round A character who knows only the rebalancing
prone. On the contrary, although Trip maneuvers cause maneuvers and two others (which must be accessible
the target to fall down, in most cases it is assumed from balancing positions) is called a neophyte of the
that, although the target falls, he quickly stands back style.
up, ready to fight again (probably needing to rebal-
ance, as the Trip maneuver states).
Switching Styles
Switching styles requires a Trick, which is a
maneuver located in the lower right corner of the style
sheet. After executing the trick, the character begins
the next round executing one of the balancing maneu-
vers of his new style.

Movement
& Maps
Combat is broken up into abstract areas. The
GM defines areas qualitatively: the library, the bal-
cony, the space inside the giant cake before the royal
chef’s birthday feast.
Miscellaneous Movement within an area is free and assumed
as part of the positioning of combat. Movement be-
Actions tween areas requires a move action (one action moves
one area), which is usually the Trick maneuver in the
In general, any non-attack action is covered lower right corner of the style sheet. Some styles have
by the Trick/Misc. Action maneuver in the lower right maneuvers that offer optional movement as part of the
corner of the style sheet. This includes picking up a attack (Bull Rush Assault, for example).
weapon, cutting the cord on the portcullis’s counter- In duel initiative, when you move, you can
weight, mounting, opening a door, and more. be attacked in both areas of your movement. That is,
A few flamboyant combat styles, such as if you are rushing up the stairs from the library floor
Swashbuckler and Dagger-and-wine, feature maneu- to the balcony, then both the guards on the floor and
vers that allow for a Trick without breaking style. the kingsman on the balcony can hit you with melee
Others must rebalance after a Trick. attacks this round, assuming they anticipated your

25
 Sample Environment Tricks
charge and targeted you. On the other hand, when you Trick adjustment Possible
charge to attack, you can only make a melee attack to Doom Effects
against a target in the area into which you are moving. Pour oil on bed, 0 1 dmg/rd to all in bed
That is, if you are rushing up the stairs from the library light bed
floor to the balcony, then you can only make attacks Dramatic charge 0 1 dmg to you; +1
this round against targets on the balcony. (This applies crashing through Mood to visible allies
only to melee attacks; ranged attacks may aim in any stained glass window
direction as usual.) Take cover 0 d8 bonus defense die
This means that you do not need a map to play vs. ranged attacks
Spellbound Kingdoms. By all means, however, use Rip open bag of flour 0 -2 attack die size to
one if you enjoy doing so. Maps can be beautiful, il- all in area next round
luminating, and inspiring. They can also remind play-
Drop sandbag on head 0 d4 attack; 1 dmg +
ers and the GM of the environment tricks available in
rebalance on hit
different areas.
Soup in the face 0 d6 attack; -2 attack

Environment and defense die size

on foe next round

Tricks Strew marbles, fruit

rind, ice, basilisk eyes
0 Succeed Qck vs.
(Doom-2) or rebal-
Environment tricks are special actions afforded ance for all in area;
by the environment. works only once/area
The best environment tricks destroy scenery: Toss screeching cat 0 d4 attack; rebalance
collapsing a ceiling, upending a vat of boiling troll- Pull down tapestry 1 d6 attack; up to 3
blood, setting fire to the baron’s bed, releasing the targets grabbed
sawmill so the snarling blade careens around the room, Topple wardrobe, 1 d8 attack; 1 dmg vs
slicing open the school’s manticore cadaver and hiding hack down chandelier up to 3 foes
inside while madfire rips through the lab. Environment Blinding sun reflec- 1 d6 attack; blind 1
tricks are fueled by creativity and drama. tion off shield in eye round
It is the player’s responsibility to narrate how
Sip tea while fencing 1 d2 defense; +1 Repu-
her character is manipulating the environment. If the
tation if you end up
GM and the group agree that her actions are plausible,
winning
she can attempt the trick.
Attempting an environmental trick requires a Threaten a hostage 1 Deal a Coup de Grace
check against the Doom. Roll your appropriate char- to hostage if you’re
acteristic die against the Doom. Unlike other combat attacked
rolls, histories or skills can provide bonus dice to this Scatter coins to create 1 d4 attack vs all in
roll. The GM modifies the Doom according to his a crowd in street area; rebalance
judgment of the difficulty of the maneuver. Leap onto moving 2 Str. vs. Str. check if
If you fail the check vs. the Doom, your attack vehicle or horse there are other riders
and defense this round are normal for a Trick/Mis- fighting to keep you
cellaneous action (0/d4), and nothing comes of your off
attempt. Collapse weak bal- 2 d8 attack; 2 dmg to
If you make the Doom roll, the trick goes off. cony up to three foes
The specifics of the trick are up to the GM and Fight on rolling log, 2 d6 attack; +1 Mood
the group. I recommend that the player negotiate with railing, floating spar to you, -1 Mood to
the GM before attempting the trick, so that it is clear foe

26
what the effects will be before trying the Doom roll. Sample Environment Tricks (cont.)
Example. Zach is playing Ricardo Luzanne. He Trick adjustment Possible
negotiates with his GM for an environment trick. to Doom Effects
Zach. I want to hack off the spigot from the Skewer apple on 2 d2 Defense; + 2
rice whiskey cask and hold a torch in front of the sword; eat it while Reputation if you end
opening, so that when the pressurized liquor shoots fencing up winning (+4 if you
out, everyone in the room gets sprayed with a flaming also sipped tea while
jet. fencing this combat)
GM. Nice, but everyone in the room? That’s Swing on chandelier, 2 Move, +2 dmg next
going to be a high Doom. slide down bannister, round
Zach. All right, just the three Halberdiers. etc. to gain momen-
GM (looking to make sure everyone is ok with tum
this level of swashbucklery): Ok, Strength vs. Doom,
Bag over the head 3 d4 attack; blinded
but the Doom is a 6 for this, not 4.
until removed
Zach. And they’ll be on fire afterwards, 1 body
per round until they take a trick to put it out, if I make Hit ignorant bystand- 3 Succeed at Cha vs.
a Strength vs. 6 Doom roll? er; frame foe bystander’s Rsn or
GM. Sure. It’ll only be a d6 attack against their you are found out
defense, though. Use bystander as 4 d6 attack; 2 + 2 Mood
Zach. I’m trying it. Here’s to you, Halber- marionette to attack for you + 1 Mood for
dolts! (He rolls against the Doom and fails, then uses for you allies
an Inspiration to get an 8 on his Strength check. He Tie foe to ox cart, 4 d8 attack; 1 +
goes on to roll a d6 against each Halberdier, causing 1 slap ox grabbed + foe moved
damage this round and 1 ongoing fire damage to each 1d4 areas, ongoing
Halberdier that he hits.) until foe uses Trick to
There are two final notes on Environment untie
Tricks. First, if you as the GM want your game to in- Living shield: grand- 4 d10 defense; 50%
clude amazing feats and stunts, I recommend using the mother in babooshka, of misses hit living
“Say yes” philosophy when it comes to Environment baby, puppy shield, -4 reputation
Tricks. That is, err on the side of the possible. Let the to you and attacker
players go for it and reward them for doing so. Domino improvised 5 Hit chandelier, it
That said, the second note is to be careful of weapon knocks torch, it hits
an all-Trick all-the-time campaign. If all the PCs and stein, stein falls on
NPCs are pulling tapestries down and using puppies as foe; 1 + 2 Mood for
body shields every round, Tricks can lose their drama. all allies, ranged
One way to limit this is to say that a second similar Collapse mine shaft 5 d20 attack; 5 damage
Trick in a combat is much more difficult to pull off, ceiling to all in area
since everyone is looking for it now. Raise the Doom
Tie or manacle two 5 d6 attack on each;
to a prohbitively high number. Another way is to allow
enemies together Both enemies are
only Tricks that take the table by surprise, reasoning
grabbed until undone
that if the player can’t surprise a table of gamers with
her Trick, how would her character surprise a seasoned Cut or scar an op- 5 After 3 such tricks,
foe? ponent (alternatively, you succeed. Op-
paint his face) so that ponent loses 4 Mood
he now resembles a and takes 2 reputation
duck, pig, or clown damage. You and all
allies gain 2 Mood.

27
 Conflicting Weapon Quality is also important for resisting

Actions attacks that target your weapon. Sundering weapon

attacks, muriatic acid, spells, and monster abilities can
all degrade your weapon's Quality.
Simultaneous initiative and environmental
tricks can lead to simultaneous, conflicting actions.
Two characters might pick up the same dropped mus- Dying &
ket at the same time, for example. Or one character
might try to shove a door closed in the same round that
another tries to prop it open, or one character grabs a
Death
second while he is trying to flee. When a character reaches 0 Body, he can no
Roll a characteristic check to determine longer fight.
the winner. Keep in mind this is not necessarily a What happens next depends on the character.
Quickness check to see who does his action first. If he has nothing calling him to this world - no love
The actions are likely simultaneous. Instead, in the or other Inspiration of appropriately high value - then
above examples, each character would roll Strength. he is unconscious. Another point of Body damage
The higher rolling character yanks the weapon away, pushes him over the edge, and he dies.
or pushes the door into place, or drags the grabbed If he does have something calling him to
character into his area. the world, then the player and the GM narrate the
character’s survival. Perhaps he is captured, perhaps
Armor & marooned, perhaps he suffers a blow to a Reputation
or an Inspiration in the process.
Weapons Remember, too, that psyche, morale, and ambi-
tion play key roles in combat, especially in a world
Weapons and armor are ranked according where love, fear, and other emotions have such power.
to Quality. Quality can stem from different sources. A character can always spend a Mood point to prevent
One weapon might have a high Quality because of its a point of Body damage.
material, another because of its craftsmanship, and yet
another because of a spell or a crisis surge.
Armor absorbs damage in combat. For each
two points of Quality, armor absorbs one point of
Range
physical (not magical) damage per combat. This dam- Ranged attacks suffer a -1 die size penalty per
age is normally temporary. Post-battle adjustments, area after the adjacent area.
re-seatings, and fixes return the armor close to its Example. Wet Tessa, captain of the Opanan
original condition. There are, however, special attacks ship Tumult, shoots an arrow from the deck of her
that more seriously damage armor Quality (until a real caravel, across the docks, and into the harbormaster’s
armorsmith's repair is made). Armor damage absorp- office. This is two areas away (deck > docks > office),
tion is an abstraction; it represents an armor's protec- so she takes a -1 die size penalty to her attack die.
tion over the course of a fight. Example. Samuel Torch throws his knife from
Weapon quality is important for penetrating the entryway all the way across the great hall, which
armor. There are many armors which ignore 1 point the GM has described as divided into four areas
of damage per strike from weapons below Quality X. (entryway at the foot of the hall, feasting tables, low
If you know that the baron's son has inherited a suit stairs, and lord’s table). Samuel takes a -2 die size
of dragon plate, then you had best arm yourself with a penalty because the lord’s table is three areas away
weapon of Quality 6 or higher if you want to threaten (foot > feasting tables > stairs > lord’s table).
him in combat.

28
 Critical Hits Modifiers, Light-
Any time the defender rolls a 1 and the at-
tacker rolls over half on his die, the hit is a critical ing, & Blindness
hit. The attack does two extra points of damage in Many situational modifiers are already in-
physical combat and one extra point in social combat. cluded in the fighting styles. The Savage style’s Dive
and Tackle, and the Swashbuckler style’s Death from
Above, for example, both include a higher ground
Grab advantage for the attacker.
Modifiers should only be applied for truly un-
You can grab someone else in combat. Most of usual circumstances, such as an earthquake causing
the time, if you succeed with a grab attack, then both the Hall of Mirrors to collapse on the combatants, or
you and your target are considered grabbed. Some at- the revelation of your secret twin before fighting that
tacks, such as Dagger-and-wine’s Tangled Cloak, grab twin in a duel, or several ballistae firing directly into
a target without causing the attacker to be grabbed. the combat. When modifiers are applied, they usually
When grabbed, you can’t move, and you take the form of a penalty to attack or defense dice.
can only execute re-balancing maneuvers or grab Lighting modifiers are not included in combat
maneuvers (such as Bear Hug or Throw). You can also styles. There are two lighting conditions. In deep shad-
execute reasonable tricks, including a Strength vs. ow, attack dice are reduced by two sizes. In complete
Strength check to break the grab. darkness, all melee attack and defense dice are re-
Grabs end after one turn if not maintained. For duced four sizes to a minimum of d2. Ranged attacks
example, if Octavia entangles Wilhelm in a bedsheet are impossible without some special ability or mitigat-
in round one, then Wilhelm is grabbed during round ing circumstance. The darkness penalties also apply to
two (in traditional initiative, the grab ends after Octa- a character who is blind.
via goes again). He is free after that (unless, of course,
Octavia had successfully executed a second Tangled
Cloak maneuver in round two).
Terrain
Terrain’s effect on combat is so severe and
ubiquitous that some styles teach footwork and bal-
Surprise ance specifically for shifting or uneven terrain. Here
are some common effects.
If one combatant surprises the other, he can Bouncing/rolling/jolting vehicle (ship or zep-
enter his fighting style before the other does. In the pelin deck, back of escape wagon, etc.). Each round,
surprise round, the surprised defender uses a d2 to roll a Quickness check against the Doom or be forced
defend, and the attacker uses whatever maneuver he to rebalance.
chooses to open the combat with. Water. Any water deeper than knee deep
A defender is surprised only if he is completely prevents the use of all maneuvers except rebalancing
unaware of the attacker. Simply drawing a sword maneuvers.
quickly, say in the middle of an argument over the Thick underbrush, deep snow. Moving to a
origin and recent history of a playing card, surprises new area in combat requires a Strength check against
no one. the Doom.
Gale, deluge, blizzard. -2 die sizes to all
ranged attacks and perception checks.
Uneven terrain. Any time you are hit, roll a
Quickness check against the Doom or be forced to
rebalance.

29
 Healing The third way is to take a scar. If a player
wishes, his character can be maimed or scarred. This
brings his Body and characteristics up to maximum in
Healing occurs in three ways.
one day, for the wound cannot now heal fully - it is as
First, immediately after a combat, chase, or
healthy as it ever will be again. The wound could be a
other damaging scene, a character has a chance to
lame leg, a missing eye, a scarred lower lip, etc.
recoup some Body or characteristic loss. Some of the
A scarring is an important event in the char-
Body and characteristic damage taken in the fight may
acter’s history. It cannot be forgotten. When a player
turn out to be shock, an easily stanched wound, or
takes a scar, he loses one history slot. For every three
swelling that is severe but short term.
scars, a character loses one point from his strength
The PC rolls his Strength vs. the Doom for
score.
every Body or characteristic point that he lost. For
each successful roll, he regains a point of Body or
characteristic damage. Mood and Inspirations can
modify these healing rolls, but for Inspiration pur-
poses, the healing rolls count as part of the previous
Coup de Grace
scene (meaning that some characters may not have an If an opponent is completely helpless and you
Inspiration use remaining after battle). are free to attack without harassment, you can roll
The second way to heal is at 1 Body/week and your Strength or Quickness die as damage each round.
1 characteristic point/week.

30
 Example of tom, middle, and top like the last time we fought in a
Rithaign alley, so my environment trick as I climb is
to run along one laundry line and use my roofsword to
Combat cut the line above me, dropping one of those swords-
men into a more rapid descent than he planned.
Patrick is playing Tibor Valtseng, a smuggler GM: All right, roll Strength and Quickness vs.
and swashubuckler from Muda-Tarsk, while Kasey the Doom in order to hit the laundry line in the right
Lynn is playing a Rithite rogue named Emmaline La- place and send the swordsman plunging, probably a
foi. The GM is Collin. d10 attack for a 3 damage drop.
Emmaline has stolen a set of children's dolls, Tibor: Strength and Quickness vs. the Doom?
each carrying a Dramba Healing Loa. The Archbishop How about just Quickness.
of Rithaign wants them back and has dispatched a trio GM: The laundry lines are strong. but you
of the High Church's requisitors to that end. The req- could roll just to twang the line. Then the swordsmen
uisitors catch up to our two heroes as Emmaline and would have a more controlled fall, breaking on other
Tibor are exiting the Shuddering Lion through a back lines and awnings. Say a d10 attack for 1 damage.
alley in a vain attempt to avoid being spotted. Patrick decides Tibor goes for that. He rolls
GM: The alley smells of rotting banana peels, his Quickness vs. the Doom and ties it; a success.
gnarsk bones, and spilled liquor. Three shadows flit in Then Patrick rolls a d10 attack against the swords-
rapid succession across the refuse-strewn dirt. Look- man's d4 defense (the swordsman is using the Move 0/
ing up, you see a trio of black-clad armsmen leap from d4 generic combat maneuver in the lower right of his
rooftop to rooftop. One of them draws a bow; the other Free Sword style sheet). The swordsman tumbles head-
two sport back-strapped broadswords and start leaping over-caiman boots to the ground, taking 1 damage.
from balcony to laundry line to sill, descending toward GM: The swordsman springs to his feet and
you. Roll for initiative! swipes his broadsword through the canopy where he
Tibor: Piss on a spellstalk. If that archer is a last saw Emmaline.
master he can probably get a headshot off before we The swordsman uses the Warrior's Strike
get up there. I'd go defense next round. rebalancing maneuver from the Free Sword style. He
Emmaline: Yep. I'm going Dagger-and-Wine, rolls a d6 against Emmaline's d8 (for the Dodge into
as usual. Shadows are my friend. Shadows maneuver from the Dagger-and-Wine style).
Tibor: I'm thinking I'll need vertical mobility, The swordsman rolls a 4, and Emmaline rolls a 4. Em-
so I'll start in Swashbuckler instead of Free Sword. maline wins the tie because her die is bigger.
GM: It looks like the swordsmen are going GM: The other swordsman continues his de-
Free Sword and the archer is using Arrowheart. scent. So, as we start the second round, Tibor and one
Both sides roll their Quickness dice. Emmaline swordsman are in the middle area among the laundry,
uses an Inspiration to roll the highest, then the archer where the air is awash with clean linen angels. Emma-
goes, then Tibor, and then the two swordswingers. line and one swordsman are on the alley floor, while
Emmaline: I'm dodging into the shadows. As- the archer is at the top shooting.
suming these guys are after the Comneni dolls, they've The initiative order stays the same.
probably been told to target me. Time to hide. Emmaline: I'm skulking in the shadows. No
GM: The archer is nocking a cardinal-feathered way I'm giving the archer an easy target.
arrow, aiming and breathing. It appears your theory is GM: The archer looses the arrow at where he
sound, Kasey Lynn, because the arrow's tip is aimed thinks he sees you skulking and dodging. Red-feath-
straight at Emmaline's heart. ered death shoots toward you.
Tibor: Daredevil move, and with my "world The GM rolls the Called Shot: Head attack die
is a weapon" talent, I'm adding an environment trick from the Arrowheart maneuver, a d6 (d4 increased one
to the climb.I'm assuming it's three areas here, bot- die size by the Aim & Breathe maneuver). He rolls a 2

31
and decides that the archer will use his lone Inspira- leap out from the other side of the ox-cart and back-
tion, Fear of the Archbishop (2). That gives the archer stab him.
an 6 for his attack roll (maximum on his attack d6) She rolls a d10 attack, getting a 6. The swords-
and a 6 on his Heart die (which also happens to be a man rolls his d6 onslaught defense die, gets a 5.
d6). The dice also explode. The archer rolls two d8s, He has no Inspirations or Mood, so he is hit by the
and gets a 7 on one. That 7 is his result. backstab. This does 4 points of damage, which, com-
Meanwhile, Emmaline's defense dice for her bined with the 1 point of damage he took from falling,
Skulk in Shadows maneuver are d8/dQck. She rolls finishes him (his Mood was 0).
and gets a 6 and a 4. She spends a point of Mood to GM: Blood spurts in pulses from the swords-
maximimize one roll, getting an 8, beating the archer's man's chest. He had no idea that you were on that side
7. of the ox-cart. He slides off the end of your dagger,
GM: The arrow blazes by your head and thuds, Emmaline, and belly-crawls for three elbow-pulls.
quivering, into an ergot victim's discarded crutch. Then he moans "Coretta...," and expires.
Tibor: You're down a Mood point. Emmaline: Pretty dramatic death for a fool.
Emmaline: Yes but if that head shot had hit me, He should have left the area when I started skulking
I'd take 5 damage. I'll trade 1 Mood for that any day. around. I wonder who Coretta is?
Plus you're a swashbuckler! With all your spectacular GM: The archer drops his bow, pulls a broad-
shenanigans wowing me and raising my Mood, I can sword and switches style to Free Sword.
spend Mood like candy. Tibor. Spectacular Strike! As he pulls his
Tibor: Sure. I'm just here to entertain you. sword, I thwack his blade with my own, forcing him
Emmaline: Pretty much. to pull it out at an awkward angle and slice his own
Tibor: Ok, I make an Acrobatic Charge up to neck!
the roof where the archer is ensconced. My environ- Tibor rolls a d8, getting a 5. The archer, using
ment trick as I go is - the Trick 0/d4 generic maneuver to switch styles, rolls
GM: Hold on. Acrobatic Charge doesn't in- a 3. The strike does 1 damage.
clude a climb, so you can't do it from the laundry lines Emmaline: About time you did something en-
up to the roof. tertaining. She ticks up her Mood by 1 according to the
Tibor: Flipping trog lips. All right, just another Spectacular Strike description.
Daredevil Move, up to the roof. No environment trick; Tibor. For my environment trick, I kick his
I don't have the major version of the talent. bow over the edge of the roof.
GM: The swordsman in the middle area drops GM: Sure thing; no roll required for that one.
next to Emmaline, and the other one swings twice at Now, the last swordsman attacks Emmaline with a
the spot where he sees her ducking behind an aban- Warrior's Strike.
doned ox cart. The swordsman rolls a 6, exploding to a d8, on
The swordsman uses the onslaught maneu- which he rolls a 7. Emmaline's d4 rolls a 1, but rather
ver, rolling a d6 and a d4, getting a 5 and a 1. Both than take the critical hit, she spends a Mood point to
of these widely miss against Emmaline's d8/dQuick- raise her defense roll to a 4. She is still hit and takes 1
ness rolls, a 3 and a 7 against the 5, and a 4 and a 5 point of damage, but she avoids the +2 damage from
against the 1. the critical.
GM: Same initiative. We have Emmaline fac- Emmaline: That's 2 damage, effectively, in-
ing off against two swordsman on the ground - one of stead of 3. Time for more entertainment, swashy!
them is building up a nice attack against you, Em- With Tibor and Emmaline clearly having the
maline, already executing an Onslaught. The archer is upper hand, the GM moves the action to a Chase
not faring so well, gulping and staring at Tibor, who is scene (p. 42).
suddenly in his face with a roofsword.
Emmaline: That swordsman does need to be
taken down before he can Eviscerate me. I'm going to

32
 Chapter Three: Magic
Magic is the greatest curse and the greatest Here’s an overview of the important magic
treasure known to man. It is a force of nature, and a concepts in the game.
wild one. With no cause or warning, it can burn down Interference. Spells and spellbound creatures
a city of 10,000 people or sicken every first born son interfere. Interference can cause a wild magic surge.
in a kingdom. People fear magic. People resent magic. Natural vs. artificial. Natural magic is an ex-
Yet every day, men risk death for spells. A single spell ception to the interference rule. Natural magic never
can save a life. interferes. Anything not man-made is natural. A troll’s
There is a saying in the Kingdoms: “Hate what ability to regenerate, a spontaneously risen ghoul, and
you love.” They say that the High God teaches us a cave haunted by the whispers of murdered lovers are
to mix our emotions, to dilute love with hate so that all natural magic.
neither emotion becomes too strong. Emotions contain Styles, schools and traditions. Spells are
powerful magic, so we must keep our emotions weak learned in styles, schools and traditions. Each school
to limit any collateral damage their magic causes. has different spells and different requirements.
But when it comes to magic itself, “Hate what Combat styles. Each school has a combat style
you love” does not mean what the priests mean. It sheet. These are used just like a fighting style’s combat
means that people love magic, and they hate magic, style sheet.
both so strongly that the two emotions do not cancel Spellbound. You are spellbound if you have
out but roil and intensify, tearing apart whoever dwells learned a magic style (neophyte or greater). Being
too long in the arcane shadow. Magic leads to mad- spellbound can amplify magic’s effect on you.
ness.

33
 Natural Magic Artificial Magic
Like the weather, magic is always present, of- Wizards and witches can master magic, but to
ten unpredictable, and occasionally devastating. Most do so they must also submit. This is the first rule of
days, in most places, it is unnoticeable. A lucky village magic “Magic, to be commanded, must be obeyed.”
can go for generations without any ill magic. But Those who obey are the spellbound.
its menace is never too far removed. Everyone knows You are spellbound if you choose to learn to
someone who has been touched by magic. cast spells (at the neophyte level or greater). Learning
Magic events on a minor scale are uncommon. a magic style is a decision that cannot be reversed.
In a town of 10,000 people, roughly one minor- to Once you are spellbound, you are spellbound forever.
medium-scale magic event occurs each week. These Being spellbound has consequences. The first
events are almost always destructive. They might be a consequence is that you and your spells interfere with
magical disease striking a young woman, all the glass other spells. This is the second rule of magic, namely,
in a church’s windows suddenly shattering, or all the “Magic hates magic.” Because of this, if you are not
cheese in a fromagerie deliquescing. In a larger city, given leave to be spellbound in a kingdom, you are
something like this happens somewhere every day. likely marked for death and hunted.
Magic events on a larger scale are rarer. In a A second consequence is that some spells and
town of 100,000 people, a larger event happens on wild surges may affect you differently than they affect
average once per season. This could be a town park others.
getting wet as if it were raining without anyone actu- Finally, being spellbound stains you. Some
ally seeing rain; a statue tumbling prone, dragging recognize you on sight. Others can recognize you
itself through the dirt to a crossroads, and then speak- with a quick spell, using mandrake root or a topaz
ing in a language no one knows before reverting to rubbed between the forefingers. Sometimes you can
lifelessness; a blacksmith shrieking and turning into a disguise your nature. But do not count on it. The
six-legged, carapaced beetle freak who attempts to de- stains of magic are not easy to hide.

Interference &
vour his apprentice; or the landlady discovering she is
inexplicably and irresistibly in love with the old man
who rents a room from her.
Approximately once a decade, somewhere in
the known world, there is a magical cataclysm. These
Surges
Magic is a limited resource. When two or more
events are bizarre and catastrophic. All the males in a wizards in an area attempt to control it, they are like
city might fall into a coma for fifteen years. Doubles two beggars fighting for a single pot of stew. One
of every person might be spawned in a city fifty miles might grab it, or the other, or both. More likely, the
distant. Tentacles might sprout over a village and drag stew spills and scalds them.
it underground to a fate unknown. A dragon might When you cast a spell, if you roll a 1 and there
become intelligent. are other spellbound creatures or items in your area,
Most cataclysms are acute, but there is also then you cause a wild surge, regardless of whether or
chronic natural magic. The trolls’ regeneration ability not you subsequently use Inspiration, Mood, or an-
is undoubtedly magical, yet it has persisted through all other means to modify the roll.
history. The haunting of Indrazhe, Descent beasts, and If your spell does not normally require a roll,
the eastern sea storms are all examples of persistent but there is the possibility of a surge, then you must
natural magic. roll your Magic die when the spell takes effect, with a
1 causing a surge.
Remember that “area” for close spells means
your immediate area: the bunk room, the laboratory,
the zeppelin deck. For high spells, “area” is more
likely to mean a county, a town, or a forest.

34
 Surges & Effects Crisis Surges
A wild surge is an uncontrolled eruption of A crisis surge occurs when a wild surge criti-
magical energy that occurs when a caster rolls a 1 and cally hits. Crisis surges are the largest single reason
there are other spellbound creatures or items in the that people throughout the Claw fear and despise
area. magic. When a crisis surge occurs, almost anything
Surges occur in addition to the intended spell can happen.
effect. When a wizard casts a spell, it always goes off. The GM narrates the effects of a crisis surge.
It may or may not have a surge to go with it. The effects may be nothing more than a ringing in the
When you cause a wild surge, the eruption of ears and a point of Mood damage. Or they could be a
energy assaults all spellbound creatures (including volcano erupting, a spellstalk plague, a princess cursed
you) plus one random creature in your area. The at- to a thirty-year slumber, a second head - be creative!
tack is magical and uses the same die as the spell that Note that because high spells affect large areas,
caused the surge. Those attacked must defend with a there is a significant chance that each high spell wild
Magic roll ("taking the hit" is not an option). If they surge is a crisis surge.
are hit, they suffer 1 damage per spellbound creature
in the area.The GM narrates the disaster, which can
manifest in vastly different forms: a shower of acid, a
Master &
sword suddenly heated to 1000º, an ear-splitting peal
of thunder.
Apprentice
If the GM wishes, she may have the wild surge Masters and apprentices do not interfere with
do something other than body damage. A wild surge each other so long as the master and apprentice talent
that sucks memories and brain tissue may attack a is used (see the Chapter on Talents).
character's Histories, for example, or his Reason score. Cabal members interfere with each other, but
Example. Aldraic the druid begins a Fertility cabalistic casting, a power that your Arcane Order can
ritual targeting a Kvalt savage. The ritual gestates a bestow, helps cabal members to cooperate.
stunted freak twin under the savage's skin. There is no
attack roll and no spell effect yet, so there is no inter-
ference. The next round, while the Kvalt savage pan- Magic in Combat
ics, Aldraic casts Birth. This causes the freak to burst
to the surface and begin to bite. Aldraic rolls his attack Like fighting styles, magic schools use a
die, a d8 for Birth. He rolls a 1. Aldraic’s spell warps flowchart in combat. Although magic in the Kingdoms
out of control and becomes a wild surge. is learned as schools and traditions as well as styles, I
The GM narrates the freak screaming as it is call magic flowcharts “style sheets” for convenience
born. The spell still takes effect, but in this case, that and consistency.
does not mean much: the spell missed its target (it Use a magic style sheet like a fighting style
rolled a 1 on the attack die) and Aldraic is not using sheet. Each action represents a step in casting a spell.
Mood or an Inspiration to raise the attack roll. You might begin with an incantation and then decide
Now the GM determines the random character to burn coriander. That decision determines which
to be attacked by Aldraic’s spell. After that, he re-rolls magical energies you can loose upon the world when
Aldraic’s original d8 magic die against the two spell- the spell is finally completed. Or you might dedicate
bound creatures plus the one randomly selected target. a doll on the first round, chant and point the needle on
He narrates the freak exploding out of the skin, shoot- the second round, then shout and stick the needle into
ing across the room, and exploding in fragments of the doll’s leg on the third round, collapsing your target
sinew and bone, dealing 1 Body and 1 Charisma to the in a shrieking heap.
affected targets. Underlined actions are re-casting actions. They

35
 Sample Magic Surges are always accessible, just as rebalancing actions are
in a fighting style. Other accessible actions are those
1. Lightning arcs from the caster to all victims actions in the same row or column. Again, this is iden-
2. Ears bleed, head aches, followed a minute later by tical to the way that a martial style sheet works.
a dying slug oozing from the left ear There is only one difference between a
3. Thunder claps loud enough to break glass magic style sheet and a fighting style sheet. Namely,
4. All gear carried by victim spikes temperature to the magic attack and defense dice.
100 degrees Celsius or more
5. Victim coughs up pins and one item related to an
Inspiration Magic Attack &
6.Daylight nightmares: the victims see their worst
fears and take Mood damage Defense Dice
7.Septic dark lines spread through veins causing Spells that list their attack die in the lower left
Strength damage make physical attacks. Crimson Bands of Hessek in
8. Hounds of ill omen howl in the distance. The Battlecraft, for example, are physical bands that en-
victims take a Heart penalty on checks against the circle, constrict, and burn or consume the victim.
Doom for a number of checks equal to the damage of Use a physical defense – one in the lower right
the surge. of a maneuver – to defend against a physical spell.
9. Victims steam and dessicate Spells that list their attack die in the upper left
10. Boils and pustules cover the victims; damage is make magical attacks. There is no physical
to Charisma and/or Reputations manifestation that can be dodged or blocked. Curse
11.Fireball! Doll and Pin Through the Head in the Dramba style,
12. Skulls reverberate with magical backlash; dam- for examples, are magic attacks.
age is to Reason Use two dice to defend against a magical at-
13. Objects animate and fly at high speeds, colliding tack. First, always use your magic die. Second, if your
into victims current maneuver provides a magical defense die listed
in the upper right, use that magical defense die also.
14. Victims' gear swept as if in an unstoppable cur-
The majority of maneuvers and many spells do not
rent toward the nearest fountain/tavern/blood spill,
have a magic defense die, so most of the time when
dragging victim, causing Quality damage to gear
you resist a magical attack, you will be rolling only
15. Ghosts of dragons howl through the area, causing your magic score.
Mood and Body damage
16. Victims' skin is flayed by invisible whips.
17. Allies' breath turns caustic, searing the lips, Range
mouth, nose, and airway from the inside out
Unless stated otherwise, ranged magic effects
18. Mushrooms grow in area; 1 round later they
have a range equal to the caster’s line of sight within
explode with spores that cause Magic and Quickness
the appropriate area. That is, a close spell has a range
damage
of wherever the caster can see, so long as it is still
19. Quincunx small holes open in the foreheads of
within the caster’s area, as judged by the GM. For
victims; blood geysers
example, a caster in his tower could cast a close spell
20. Dozens of 1-foot high copies of the victims anywhere in his study, but not anywhere in the valley
spawn and swarm ankles that he can see out his tower window (though he can
see the valley floor, it is not in his area).

36
 Re-Casting
Any attack that causes a rebalance also causes
a recast. An attack that causes a re-cast does not neces-
sarily cause a rebalance.

Scrolls, Potions,
& Candles
A wizard can trap any of his spells in an inani-
mate object. Spellbound or not, anyone can then use
the object and release the spell. Triggering the release
may or may not require a command word; the wizard
trapping his spell makes this decision at the time of the
trapping. The person releasing the spell chooses the
spell's target, using the original wizard's Magic die or
attack die. A spell can only be released once; after that,
the object no longer holds a trapped spell.
Common triggers and spell objects are: drink-
Releasing a combat spell in combat requires as many
ing a potion; burning a paper charm; snuffing or burn-
consecutive Tricks as rounds it would take to progress
ing a candle; sacrificing a calf; kissing a girl; reading a
from a re-casting maneuver up to the combat spell.
scroll; defacing a doll or image; cutting the skin hold-
Releasing a high spell in combat requires five consec-
ing a tattoo; immersing a relic in blood; inhaling from
utive Tricks.
a hookah; winding, setting, and releasing an orrery.
Holding or releasing a spell does not make you
At any one time, a wizard can have trapped a
spellbound. On the other hand, the objects that contain
maximum of 1 close or combat spell per 3 magic lev-
the spells are themselves spellbound. They are spell-
els. Thus, a 10-level wizard/4th-level warrior can have
bound even with respect to their creator, that is, they
3 close or combat spells trapped at a time.
interfere with their own creators’ other spells.
A wizard can trap a high spell, but if he does,
If an object holding a trapped spell is de-
he cannot cast another high spell until that one is
stroyed, the spell dissipates without effect.
released. There is one exception to this, however, and
A spellbound creature who touches a spell-
it involves the form that spells are bound in. When he
trapping object knows that there is a spell in it, though
first creates a trapped spell, the wizard must make a
he does not necessarily know what spell or the com-
choice that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
mand words to release it.
Will he specialize in one form of trap, or will he be a
generalist? A generalist can trap spells in any form:
potion, sacrificial animal, a child’s dreams, etc. He Learning Spells
gains nothing beyond versatility. A specialist wizard When you are an apprentice of a style, you
chooses one type of trap. He can never make any trap know all the close spells and combat spells save the
except this kind of trap or one specified in the spell's Master spells (marked with an M). When you are a
description, but in return for the lost versatility, he can master of a style, you know all of the close spells, all
keep one high spell in a trap and still be able to cast of the combat spells, and all of the high spells. If you
one high spell per day as normal. Under no circum- are only a neophyte of a style, you know only two
stances can he keep more than one high spell trapped close spells, the re-casting combat spells, and two
at a time. other combat spells. Remember, once you learn any
Releasing a close spell in combat is a Trick. magic style at any level, you are spellbound.

37
 Combat, Close, Detection
& High Spells In general, combat spells and close spells do
not broadcast your location. There are ways for a
Every school has close spells, combat spells, caster or an organization to track down another caster,
and high Spells. however, so caution is advised.
Combat spells are spells that are quick enough A high spell, on the other hand, allows all orga-
to be cast in a combat. They appear on the magic nizations and casters in an area to roll their Arcana or
school’s style sheet and are explained in the gloss. Magic against the caster’s Magic. If the caster wins,
They can be cast outside of combat too, of course. he remains undetected. If another caster or organiza-
Close spells are spells that draw only on the tion wins, then that caster or organization knows that a
magic in the area immediately around the witch. high spell has been cast, and the rough location of the
They can be cast in combat as a trick/miscellaneous caster (but nothing else, such as the identity of the
action. They are low risk spells because the witch can caster or the spell cast).
remove nearby creatures, assuring herself that she is When a crisis surge occurs, every spellbound
the only spellbound creature in the area. A witch can creature in the region knows it. They also know the
cast any close spell as often as she likes as long as rough location of the caster.
she is an apprentice or master of the style. A neophyte
picks two close spells (as she picks two combat spells
beyond the rebalancing spells), and she can cast those
two close spells, and only those two close spells, as
often as she likes.
High spells are profound spells with the ability
to affect the course of the world. They draw on magic
from a large region. A wizard can attempt only one
high spell per scene (or day). A wizard can only cast a
high spell if he has mastered the style.
When casting a high spell, a wizard
faces a significant risk of interference from other
spellbound creatures. The GM must decide, when
building his world, what the average number of spell-
bound creatures per area is. This number has logical
consequences. High spellbound densities imply many
outlaws, anarchy, overcrowdedness, or possibly ad-
vanced sociology, along with many wild surges. Low
spellbound densities imply less chaos, low popula-
tions, savages, or possibly advanced tyranny and
social control, along with fewer wild surges.

38
 Chapter Four: Chases
There are many reasons to run in the King-
doms. You could run for your life, like the thief dash-
Locales
ing through the palace with the spell in her pouch In most locales, the Chase Difficulty is the
and the guards on her tail. You could run for some- Doom. Some particularly easy locales - deserted bou-
thing more important than your life, like the groom levards in moonlight, a level meadow at noon - may
on horseback galloping through the canals, jumping have a Chase Difficulty lower than the Doom. Particu-
bridge to gondola to barge, trying to catch up to the larly hard locales - the icy rapids of the Vrandenmark
pirates and the abducted bride. And of course you River, the Gauntlet of the Rithaign Factors, Haulers,
could run a race, like the ice sleds sailing and skidding and Panhandlers - may have a Chase Difficulty higher
around the walls of Thyre at the Neverlight Festival. than the Doom.
Some locales also have a consequence for fail-
Overview ure that goes beyond just losing ground in the chase.
Failing to run across the parapet may cause you to
fall into the moat; failing a chase roll while dodging
In a chase, the GM presents the players with
through the castle kitchen may leave you splattered
a series of locales: a cavern dripping with lava gobs,
with boiling tomato sauce (perhaps 1 dmg + 1 to any
a natural arch over a chasm, a secret temple entrance
existing negative reputation in the castle!).
that is peristyled with whirling scythe traps and col-

Actions
lapsing columns of alchemist's fire. The PCs take one
or more rounds to cross each locale. In each round:
1. The GM describes the locale and tells the
players its Chase Difficulty. Usually that’s just the The six basic actions that a chracter can choose
Doom. are:
2. Each PC decides if she wants to keep pace, • Run. This is the default action. You run, pilot,
push it, take it easy, or if she wants to take an action or ride as fast as you can while maintaining moderate
such as attacking or strewing caltrops in her wake. control. If you succeed, you don't gain ground on the
3. PC and NPC actions (attacks, using an item, others in the race, but you don't lose any either. If you
etc.) are resolved. fail, you lose one range increment.
4. Everyone rolls against the Chase Difficulty. • Push it. You sprint or push your vehicle until
Those who succeed can gain ground, those who fail it threatens to fly apart. Increase your Chase Difficulty
fall behind. by 1, but if you succeed, you gain a range increment.
Naturally, the characters’ actions (step 3) If you fail, you lose one range increment, as always.
may make it easier or harder to race (step 4). It’s not • Under control. Slow and steady wins the race.
easy to steer your cave boat through the rapids when Subtract three from the Chase Difficulty. Whether or
screaming Low God cultists are hurling javelins from not you succeed at your Chase Difficulty roll, you lose
the boat behind yours! one range increment. But you have the best possible
chance to make the Chase Roll. This option is best
used when a failed chase roll carries consequences
far worse than losing ground - perhaps when you are
running a bridge over shark-infested waters or driving
a yak wagon through a bazaar of peasants shouting for
your head.

39
 • Attack. You can make an attack using any through a window for a shortcut; racing a horse
of the basic maneuvers (lower right hand corner of through underbrush to cut ahead through a hairpin
the style sheet) or one of the rebalancing maneuvers curve; stoking the zeppelin’s engines with an experi-
from a style that you know, as long as that maneuver mental fuel mix; using a grappling hook with your
includes movement. Each range increment in a chase ice-runner sail-sled to take a turn tighter than anyone
counts as one area for ranged attacks. If you hit, your else is able to. In general, trying a Trick increases the
opponent’s Chase Difficulty increases by 2 in addition Chase Difficulty by 1 or more, although some might
to any damage that you do. When you attack, you in- not, for example, using a Knowledge (streetwise)
crease your own Chase Difficulty by 1 whether you hit history to remember a shortcut. As with Environment
or not. If you make your Chase roll while attacking, Tricks in combat, the player and the GM should ne-
you keep pace in the chase, neither gaining nor losing gotiate the Difficulty increase and attendant risks and
ground. rewards until a bargain is struck.
• Defend. Normally you defend with a d4
while running. Choosing to Defend allows you to
use your Quickness die instead. You can also use one
Resolving
of the rebalancing maneuvers from a style that you
know, as long as that maneuver includes movement. Actions
When you defend, you increase your Chase Difficulty Everyone reveals her action choice simultane-
by 1. If you make your Chase roll while defending, ously, just as in duel initiative combat. Resolution also
you keep pace in the chase, neither gaining nor losing occurs simultaneously. It is possible, for example, to
ground. be felled by a kingsman's arrow just as you cross the
• Trick. You can try an environment trick. drawbridge.
These often rocket you ahead two or even three range Remember that if you are attacked, you defend
increments if they work: swinging on a chandelier with a d4 unless using the Defend action this round.

Chase Actions
Your Chase If You If You Other
Action Difficulty Pass Your Fail Your Effects
Modifier Chase Roll Chase Roll
Run - - Lose 1 range -
increment
Push It +1 Gain 1 range Lose 1 range -
increment increment
Under Control -3 Lose 1 range Lose 1 range -
increment increment
Attack +1 - Lose 1 range Make an attack; +2 to
increment target’s Chase Difficulty this
round if you hit
Defend +1 - Lose 1 range Defend with Quickness
increment instead of d4
Trick +1 or more - Lose 1 range Attempt an environment
increment trick as negotiated with GM

40
 Chase Rolls
After resolving all the actions for the round, Tarion rolls his basic shoot attack (dQuickness)
players make their chase rolls against the Chase Dif- against the guard’s defense of d4 and hits, doing 1
ficulty. A roll that equals or exceeds the Chase Diffi- point of damage, but more importantly increasing the
culty succeeds. kingsman’s Chase Difficulty by 2 this round.
Chase rolls are usually Quickness rolls along Now that the action is resolved, Tarion and the
with any relevant skill as bonus dice. guard make their chase rolls. The Chase Difficulty is
Example. Ivor the Boneless has a 5 Quickness the Doom, 4, but Tarion has to beat a 5 because his At-
and a History: Trail runner in the Fyrajj (8). He rolls tack action increased the difficulty by 1. The guard is
a d4 for his Quickness and a d8 bonus die for his skill pushing it and was hit, so he increases his difficulty by
when attempting to make a chase roll. 3; he needs a 7. Tarion rolls his Quickness die and gets
A chase roll does not always have to be Quick- a 5, so he keeps pace. The guard rolls and fails, but he
ness. The player narrates what her character is doing uses a point of Mood to maximize his d8 Quickness
to keep up with the chase. If that is sprinting, then roll. He therefore makes the roll and gains a range
Quickness is the appropriate die. But if your character increment on Tarion.
is paddling an outrigger to escape savages in the Drag-
on Isles, then Strength is the right die. In a crowded
street, a player can enlist the aid of street urchins to
point out a quick shortcut through vendor’s stalls - and Range
then he rolls Charisma for his chase roll. As always,
creativity and fun should be rewarded. Increments
Also as always, be careful not to stretch belief.
Running, swimming, climbing, and leaping are inher- There are six range increments: 1-5 and Long
ently physical activities, and players should not abuse Range. If you gain a range increment as a result of
the ability to narrate substitutes for physical, speed- pushing it or an environmental trick, then you move
related characteristics and abilities. In other words, be up one or more increments; if you fail a roll or use
vigilant about what narrations make sense or are too the under control maneuver, then you drop one incre-
cool to deny. A good rule of thumb is that in a typi- ment. (At best! Remember that failing a chase roll in
cal chase scene, a character will only find one or two the wrong locale can take you out of the chase perma-
environments where she can use Reason, Charisma, or nently!)
a related skill instead of Quickness or a physical skill You can’t fall further behind than Long Range.
related to speed and chases. A player who has made Range increments are relative. If two people
the choice for her character to excel in chase scenes by are tied in the first increment, and then one gains a
choosing chase-related histories and abilities should spot while the other holds steady, the “holding steady”
not be overshadowed by weakly justified narrations is now in the second range increment while the gainer
from players eager to run every chase scene down the is alone in the first range increment.
yellow brick road (that is, munchkin it up).
Example. Tarion Gottvilse races down a corri-
dor of the Rithaign Tower dungeon, chased by a kings-
man. The corridor has difficulty 3, and Tarion chooses
to shoot behind him with his wheellock as he runs.
The GM decides that the kingsman is going to try to
push it to catch Tarion.

41
 Example of A for the night and flaps by as you run.The Chase Diffi-
culty starts at Doom + 1 this round because of the bats
and because you'll have to leap across an alley divid-
Chase ing a narghile den from a whorehouse.
Emmaline: Bloody hell, I don't want to fall
Tibor Valtseng, swashbuckler and thief, is on now. I'm running normally, but I'm using my "Grew
the roof when the Church's archer turns and flees. Em- up on the streets of Rithaign" history to find a shortcut
maline Lafoi, enchantress and thief, is at the bottom of here. Maybe there's a ledge to scurry across on the
the alley with a Church swordsman when he turns and next building.
flees through an alley door. Patrick and Kasey Lynn, GM: The archer, for his part, is trying an envi-
playing Tibor and Emmaline, decide to chase the ronment trick. As he runs through the narghile den, he
Church agents, and Collin, the GM, sets the scene. shouts "Kingsmen! Kingsmen! It's a raid!" hoping that
GM: Tibor sees a sharply sloped tenement roof the chaos in his wake will slow you down.
ahead of him. The archer scrambles over the peak out Tibor: I'm going to push it. This guy is going to
of sight. Emmaline sees her quarry disappear into an ruin my reputation down here if I don't catch him.
alley doorway. The GM rolls to resolve the archer's action
Emmaline: "Never split the party" is my rule, first. The archer rolls his Charisma against the Doom
so I'm not going after that quarry. Instead I'm scaling and fails. The GM describes the addicts as too burned
the alley walls - using those laundry lines that Tibor out to notice.
left dangling - and following in Tibor's wake. I'm Now everyone rolls chase rolls. The Chase
pushing it because I assume I'm at Long Range. Difficulty is 5, but the archer needs a 6 because he
GM: No, just rank 5. The archer is in the first tried an environment trick. He rolls a 4 and loses one
rank, and Tibor's in rank 2. range increment. Emmaline needs a 5, but she gets
Tibor: Assuming the Chase Difficulty is the to roll both her d6 Quickness and the d8 History that
Doom of 4, I'm pushing it too. she is using this round. She rolls a 5 and a 2, succeed-
GM: The archer ahead of you is simply run- ing, which means she doesn't lose ground and has a
ning. Tibor, if you fail, you'll have to make another net gain of 1 on the archer. Finally, Tibor needs a 6
Quickness check against the Doom or fall to the because he is pushing it; he rolls a 4 and falls back a
ground, taking damage and probably ending the chase. range increment.
Tibor agrees and they all roll. No one nar- GM: You dash across the rooftop strewn with
rated otherwise, so they all use their Quickness dice. drug addicts. The archer is in the first rank, Tibor in
The two PCs need a 5; the Doom is 4 but they are the third, and Emmaline is now up to third also. On
each pushing it. Emmaline rolls a 5 and gains a range the far side of the roof, the archer rounds a cistern and
increment. Tibor rolls a 1 and decides against using a blazing bonfire comes into view. This is a still, you
Mood or an Inspiration. He has to roll his Quick- can tell by the smell, and the moonshiners are startled
ness again against the Doom; he makes this roll and and angry as you prepare to barrel through their work
catches the tenement's gutter just before going over area. Across the still, maybe a building or two away,
the edge. He loses a range increment in the process. you can see a zeppelin cord dangling - if the archer
The archbishop's archer has an unmodified Chase beats you there, the chase will be over. You've got two
Difficulty, so he needs a 4. He rolls his Quickness and areas left to make up the ground!
gets a 6, so he avoids losing ground.
GM: Emmaline, you shoulder yourself up onto
the roof and start sprinting, boot heels pounding on
slate. All of you, your three silhouettes streak past the
setting sun one after the other: the archer is in the first
rank, Tibor follows in the third, and Emmaline in rank
4. This round there is a huge swarm of bats that rises

42
Chapter Five: Social Encounters
Harpsichords and waltzes one year, fiddles and Improv social scenes are an option. Some
jigs another; décolletage one season and buttons up to groups enjoy them, others do not. Include them as you
the collarbone the next. Fashions change, but the truth like. When you do, a player who notches an Improv
does not. And the truth is that fashion kills. Achievement gains an in-game benefit: a bonus to at-
Fashion and reputation are weapon and armor tack or defend, a soupcon of healing, a History point,
to the socialite. Other deadly tools of the trade are or something else the GM deems fit.
manners, innuendo, rumor, art, and proteges. Social
encounters can doom a man as surely as any physical
combat.
Social Attacks
Overview Roll your Charisma die to make a social attack.
Your opponent defends with his Charisma.
Social encounters consist of good old-fash- If you win the opposed roll, your opponent
ioned roleplay. At whatever points are appropriate in takes 1 point of Mood damage. If his Mood is already
the roleplay, one person or another can make a social 0, then you can cause 1 point of damage to one of his
attack, which is a Charisma vs. Charisma roll. The Inspirations instead, provided you meet two condi-
loser takes 1 point of Mood damage. This goes on, tions. First, your social attack must somehow relate
back and forth between sides, until one side surrenders to the targeted Inspiration. Second, you must know
or escapes. what Inspiration you’re targeting. In other words, if

43
you don’t know what your opponent’s Inspirations are
- at least one of them - then you cannot damage them. How Much Can He Take?
How do you find out what an opponent's Inspirations When PCs attack an NPC
are? The same way you find out any other secret: role- and try to force the fellow to
play, investigate, threaten, cajole - whatever it takes! acquiesce to a demand, the GM
There is often a way that allows the victim to must decide how much
avoid the Mood damage. If you have a demand, then emotional pain the NPC can
your opponent can agree to it and avoid the mood take, that is, how low the NPC
damage. You might want him to divulge a secret, let will let his Mood drop before
you pass through a city gate, have dinner with you, surrendering.
give up his faith, abandon one of his Inspirations In some cases, the answer is obvious.
– whatever your desire. If the opponent agrees, he Some lords will never betray their word of honor,
avoids Mood damage. even if they are battered to 0 Mood and 0 Inspi-
Of course, if you have no demands and just rations; some craven wretches yield at the first
want to watch the world burn, then your opponent can- threat. But what to do about the in-between cases?
not acquiesce and suffers accordingly. A moderately committed NPC usually
After your attack, you continue roleplaying caves once his Mood is zero if not before. He can-
until your opponent makes an attack roll. After that, not countenance a threat to his Inspirations.
it’s back to you, and so on until one side surrenders or But to keep the scene moving, you may
flees. want to roll the moderately committed NPC’s
Note there are also special social attacks that Heart vs. the Doom every time he loses a Mood
have effects other than Mood damage; see below. point. If he fails the roll, he yields. This can be a
fun roll to make while all the players watch if the
Reputations PCs only have time to make one or two attacks be-
fore the city watch arrives or the suicide pill stops

& Histories the NPC’s lungs.

Relevant reputations (p. 58) and histories can

Secrets
be used as bonus dice in social encounters. Each repu-
tation or history, however, can only be used once per
scene. After that, your tales of your days at court grow
stale, and people realize that behind your reputation, If you reveal to your target knowledge of a
you are just a person after all. scandal involving the target, you increase your accom-
Relevant negative reputations are also limited panying social attack die size by three. The GM and
to being used against you once per scene. Your reputa- the other players judge what is a scandal and what is
tion oozes before you, but repeated obloquy begins to not.
sound petty. Negative reputations continue to inform This only works once per secret.
the GM’s roleplay of NPCs, of course, including any Example. Tess is in the cool air of the upstairs
decisions such NPCs may make. balcony at the Shadows and Sparrows, a mirage club
in Rithaign. She is leaning against Horace, who is
Critical Hits leaning against the marble railing. Casually, Tess men-
tions that she knows Horace is sleeping with the boss
An insult can score as deeply as a sabre. As of the Cutters Guild. Horace stiffens, and Tess increas-
in physical combat, if you roll over half on your die es her next attack roll by three die sizes.
while the defender rolls a 1, you score an extra point
of damage.

44
 Fashion Is a • Self-aggrandize. If your social attack hits,
instead of doing Mood damage, you gain 1 point of
Weapon reputation with one group that is present.

Clothes, jewelry, perfumes, heirloom rapi-

ers and other gewgaws make excellent conversation
Improv
Improv social scenes are drama or theater
pieces and status symbols.
games. They force players to think quickly and adapt
Select one fashion item per scene. One time in
to a dynamic chain of events. Because they are played
the scene, you can use that item's Quality as a bo-
out in real time, they challenge the player and not the
nus attack or defense die when making or defending
character. This goes against a core tenet of much RPG
against a social attack.
play, and thus they are only an optional rule.
I mean that, dear reader! Improv social scenes
Special Attacks are not for everyone. Some people strongly dislike
them. But others love them. Try them and see for
Not every attack is a dagger to the heart, and yourself. I have listed them here in relative order of
not every comment is a wound to the ego. You may popularity in playtesting.
also attempt these attacks in a social encounter. • Lines. The GM prepares lines of dialogue
• Disarm. Clothes and other conversation ahead of time. The lines should support the themes
pieces can be “disarmed.” Make an attack as normal; and the atmosphere the adventure is intended to create.
if you succeed, your opponent cannout use that item At the beginning of the session, the GM hands out
until she gains a Mood point (either through an effort the lines on slips of paper to all players. Whenever
of her own or someone else). a player uses one of these lines in roleplay, he slaps
• Power attack: Your attack is emotional and down the slip of paper, says the line or paraphrases it,
illogical, but if it hits home, it hits home deeply. You and gains a d10 bonus die that can be used with any
decrease your attack die by two sizes, but if you hit, social die roll in the current scene. A player can only
you do one extra point of damage. use one line per scene. Lines can be an effective
• Mood Lift (Schadenfreude). If your social method for keeping the atmosphere in a social scene
attack hits, you may forego causing Mood damage close to what was intended for the adventure.
to your opponent. Instead, you gain a point of Mood • Prop. At the start of a social scene, the GM
yourself. hands a single Prop to a random player. A player who
• Narrated attack. You can narrate action that is holding the prop and uses it logically in conjunction
allows you to use a characteristic other than Charisma with a social attack gains a d12 bonus die to the attack.
for your social attack or defense. A card trick that Everyone who asks for the prop in character (with a
embarrasses your host, or a flex of your muscles at logical reason) must be handed the prop; there is no
the young noblewoman, and you can use Quickness refusing. A character cannot be asked for the prop until
or Strength to make a social roll. The GM is encour- she has had a reasonable chance to use it. A “reason-
aged to limit de facto the use of Narrated attacks to able chance” is usually a few lines of dialogue.
one or two per scene. Charisma is the primary mover As with Lines, the GM should choose props
in social encounters, and Charisma-based characters' that reinforce intended themes. The skull of a betrayed
investment is to be protected. uncle for adventures focusing on death and fear; a
• Smear. You drag someone’s name through the white plume for adventures focusing on swordplay,
stalks. After your social attack hits, instead of losing honor, and romance; a canary in a yellow gold cage
Mood, he loses 1 reputation. Someone from the rel- for adventures focusing on freedom and duty. This
evant reputation group must be present; if a tree falls is your chance to inject literary symbolism into your
alone in the forest, it doesn’t lose reputation with the game with a capital scarlet A.
rose bushes in the city.

45
 • Voiceover. In Voiceover, each player in the not his PC really did act the way the Ensigns said he
scene is allowed to do one inner-monologue voiceover did. If he accepts the Ensigns’ narration, he gains 2
for someone else’s character, including an NPC. mood and all inspirations are increased by one for one
For example, “I really didn’t want to threaten him. I week.
thought he was kind of cute,” or, “I wonder how that • Sets. There are several sets laid out. Each
would taste.” A player who accepts the voiceover as set consists of three related actions in a theme. The
the true inner thoughts of her PC and roleplays accord- Lecher set might consist of ogling young women,
ingly gains a d12 bonus die to use at any time during whistling and innuendo, and pinching what’s been
the scene. ogled. The Martyr set might consist of offering labor
• Rudolph. The Rudolph variation starts with to other people despite the pain in one’s back (which is
the GM giving everyone a perceived handicap at the of course loudly mentioned), mumbling while
start of the scene. A chocolate smear on a party dress, staring at the floor and insisting that nothing is wrong,
a bad haircut, or a wasp sting to the tongue that causes and praising every little thing that someone else does
a lisp.The player must roleplay accordingly. No penal- as far beyond one’s own meager capabilities. Anyone
ties arise, but if the player manages to turn the handi- who completes a set of three in a scene gains a d12
cap into an advantage, he gains two d12 bonus dice bonus die to use in this or the next social encounter.
to use in this encounter. For example, the young lady Note that this one tends to force characters in certain
with a chocolate smear on her dress might use it as an directions. Players don’t like to have their characters
excuse to chat up the major domo and get on his good forced! So unless you know the players and characters
side by offering her bodice to his roaming hands, all well, and you can provide sets that you know the play-
in the name of a good cleaning. The young man with ers will find interesting and in character, steer clear.
a bad haircut might tell the story of how he has such a Some sets that work well are Heroic, Provocateur,
noble soul that he likes to slum and shower poor bar- Blank Stare, Adventurous, Rebel, Flirt, Stoic, Expert,
bers with his gold rather than patronize wealthy coif- and Entertainer.
feuses. The trader with the wasp sting to the tongue
might use it as a demonstration of a new fixer’s poison
that he is selling.
• Trigger. Each character has one trigger that
will prompt a reaction: anger, despair, lust, etc. Trig-
gers and reactions are prepared ahead of time with
the character’s history in mind (random triggers are
not conducive to character continuity). In a long-term
campaign, PCs can learn other PCs’ and major NPCs’
stimuli, and any social scene can be a Trigger scene.
When a target character is triggered and reacts, she
gains a d10 bonus die for use anywhere in the encoun-
ter. The character who triggers the reaction gains no
bonus other than the manipulation of the target charac-
ter into a certain reaction and emotional state.
• Ensigns. The GM hands out new character
sheets representing the maids, stewards, sommeliers
and stableboys of the PCs. The players play these
“ensigns” discussing what they have heard about their
masters and their masters’ recent activities. After the
ensigns’ scene, each player must choose whether or

46
 Chapter Six: War
Sometimes the story of a man’s life explodes Most of the conventions from individual com-
to a scale too large for individual combat. Then siege bat also apply to mass combat: attack dice, defense
engines rumble across the fields, boots pound the mud, dice, multiple attacks, and so on. But there are a few
and the horns of a hundred legions summon kingdoms new concepts as well, such as command points and
to war. spirit.

War Overview War in Abstract

War never changes. It destroys wealth, it sun- This is the first method for dealing with war.
ders families, and it forges history. Use it for battles or entire wars fought in the back-
There are two ways to deal with war in the ground of the campaign. In other words, if you want a
campaign milieu. First, there is an abstract method. In quick way to resolve battles in a war without playing
the abstract method, the warring organizations (king- out every maneuver and counter-maneuver, this is the
doms, mercenary companies, religious movements, method to use. You may find it works well to use this
etc.) make opposed characteristic rolls. Winning the abstract method for most of the preliminary battles in
roll wins the battle. a war, and then use the detailed method for the climac-
Second, you can play out each battle. A battle tic battle(s).
is broken into rounds. In each round, you: To resolve a battle in abstract, roll the Force
1. Issue formation orders. (x3), Shadow, Arcana, and Efficiency dice of the com-
2. Issue maneuver orders using command manding organizations on each side. Compare the dice
points. in the order they were rolled: first force die vs. first
3. Reveal your formations and maneuvers. force die, second force die vs. second force die, etc.
4. Resolve all actions simultaneously. Find the winner of each roll. The side with the most

47
winning rolls is the victor in the battle.
In the case of a tie, roll the Force dice one
Troops & Units
more time to decide the battle (and re-roll this last Troops are the smallest divisions of an armed
Force again if there is still another tie). force. They are recruited as one group and cannot be
Example. The Marquis of Chert's army is bat- usefully broken down further. The number of indi-
tling a tribe of savages pouring out of the Fyrajj. The vidual creatures in a troop varies depending on its
army rolls a 7, 2, and 5 on its Force dice; a 3 for Shad- nature. A troop of short pikemen from Valte Riel might
ow; a 2 for Arcana; and a 6 for Efficiency. The tribe have seventy-five men in it, while a unit of mammoth
rolls a 6, 5, and 4 on its Force dice; a 2 for Shadow; cavalry from Windhover Valley might have only ten
a 3 for Arcana; and a 5 for Efficiency. Comparing the mammoths and their crews. The numbers are variable
rolls, we see that the Marquis's army won two of three to keep the threat levels constant. In other words, ten
Force rolls (7 over 6 and 5 over 4), the Shadow roll, war mammoths and their riders have (very) roughly
and the Efficiency roll. This means the Marquis's army the same combat effectiveness as seventy-five Rielien
has won more aspects of the battle than the tribe has, infantry.
and therefore it carries the day. Brigades are two or more troops combined into
The normal effects of war apply (see War and one group. A brigade receives its orders, forms up,
Economy and Aftermath, p. 53 and p. 54 respectively). and maneuvers as if it were a single unit. The rules for
stacking troops into brigades are below.

48
 Unit can refer to either a brigade or troop. a brigade apart into troops, costs one command point
Finally, legions or armies are the entire force (and only one, regardless of how many troops are
belonging to one faction. A legion or army may be involved in the sorting out).
made up of any combination of troops and brigades. • Make a Force roll against the Doom to grant
a point of Spirit to a unit (up to its maximum). This
Formation & is useful to rally units at 0 Spirit, who are routed and
fleeing the battle.
Maneuver Orders
Every troop’s description states the formations Attacking
it is capable of. Each round, you can re-set a troop’s
formation. & Defending
If a formation lists an attack die, then you also Each formation and maneuver lists an attack
issue orders giving the troop its target. die and a defense die. The attack die is listed first.
You can also spend a command point to order When attacking, roll your attack die. If it beats
troops to perform maneuvers. Maneuvers are more the defender’s roll on his defense die, you cause dam-
complicated than formations, and the maneuvers a age to the targeted troop or brigade. The default dam-
troop performs may depend on the troop’s current age is 1 health, but many formations and circumstanc-
formation. es can modify this. Just like a character with Mood, a
unit can sacrifice a point of Spirit to soak up damage.
Command Points You roll your troop’s defense die separately
against every incoming attack this round. The rules for
Command points represent your ability to com- rolling attacks and defenses are the same as they are in
municate with and control your troops. An enemy can individual combat. So, for example, if a maneuver lists
specifically target your officers and your lines of (d4 and d6)/d8, then you roll a d4 and d6 to attack one
communication. Such an attack denies you the ability or two targets, and you roll a d8 every time you are
to command your troops. You may lose command attacked this round.
points or find that command points cannot be applied Non-ranged attacks can target any other unit in
to panicked or leaderless units. your area.
Each PC acting as a general produces one com- Magic attacks specify if they are defended
mand point. If a PC has 5 or more martial levels and is against by anything other than the normal physical
the field marshal, then that PC produces two command defense die.
points. Other organization- or class-specific abilities
can produce more command points.
Your command points can never exceed the
Health & Spirit
efficiency score of the commanding organization. Health measures a troop or brigade’s physical
At the beginning of each round, in secret, you wellbeing. When it reaches zero, the troop or brigade
allot your command points. There are five ways: is removed from the fight.
• Moving a unit to a new area costs one com- Spirit measures a troop or brigade’s willing-
mand point. ness to fight. When it reaches zero, the unit retreats
• Executing a maneuver costs one command each round until it has escaped the battle. If a com-
point. mander rallies the unit by restoring its spirit to any
• Using an organization's ability or making a value above zero before it leaves the map, it comes
characteristic roll with an organization costs one com- back under command and fights. If it escapes off the
mand point. map, then it appears at the end of the battle some-
• Combining troops into a brigade, or breaking where in the region (a number of areas away equal to

49
its speed, if you are using regional areas). of heroic actions. Defeating an enemy champion may
There is no upper maximum to spirit. A unit cause spirit damage to every troop in the entire enemy
can be inspired beyond its normal spirit value dur- legion, while shattering a dam will change the terrain
ing a battle. At the end of a battle, units return to their of the battlefield.
normal spirit value.

Ranged Attacks Terrain

As in individual combat, reduce the attack die
by one size per range increment beyond the first. For & Weather
example, if a target is three areas away, reduce the at-
A rainy day can save a kingdom.See the table.
tack die size by two.
for environmental effects on battle.

Secret Troops Terrain Effects On Mass Battles

Terrain Effect
Some troops are secret. They cannot be tar-
Gale -2 die size to all ranged attacks
geted on the battlefield until detected. A cabal of
mages casting from inside one of the command tents, Heavy rain Roll organization's Force as a penalty
a disguised squad sneaking behind enemy lines to as- die with every roll. Black powder
sassinate officers, and a sky hook lurking in a fog bank weapons require an Efficiency roll
are all examples of secret troops. vs. the Doom to operate.
To detect a secret group, either use a counterin- Fog -4 die size to ranged attacks.
filtration unit’s maneuver or stance (see troops in Lightning +1 die size to all magic rolls. Other-
chapter 16) or use a command point to allow your wise, same as heavy rain.
organization to roll its Shadow or Force against the se- Madfire Wild surge attack rolls increased two
cret troop’s defense die. If your organization wins the die sizes. Any unit that rolls a 1, for
roll, it has acquired the secret troop, and it may target any reason, creates a wild surge.
that troop for the rest of the battle. Moonlight -1 die size to all attacks.
Starlight -2 die sizes to all attacks.

Heroic Actions Darkness -4 die sizes to all attacks.

Mountainous, Every attempted maneuver requires
A PC can leave the command structure on the hazardous Force vs. Doom first; failure means
battlefield to act on her own. When she does so, she no the maneuver is not executed (the
longer contributes a command point to the total. unit remains in its old formation or
Typical heroic actions include using a class maneuver).
ability, challenging an enemy champion to a duel, Sand (desert), Movement requires a Force vs.
opening a parley, attaching to a unit, or undertaking snow Doom roll.
any number of battle-specific missions (pull back the Ice Every action requires a Force vs.
chain to open the dam; light the signal fires so the re- Doom roll; failure means the unit
inforcements know to come; run down the splinter unit does not act this round.
before it reaches the city walls). Extreme Every successful hit inflicts an ad-
In many cases, the GM must judge the effect temperature ditional 1 Spirit damage.

50
 Movement Forming a second brigade requires another command.
Multiple units in the same brigade gain one bo-
nus die for every unit beyond the first that can perform
Moving a unit costs one command point. By
that maneuver or assume that formation. The bonus
default, a unit can move one area. Special units, forma
die is the same size as the original attack die. Each
tions, maneuvers, and terrain may allow more or less
additional unit also increases the damage by one on a
movement.
successful attack.
The battlefield is divided into areas by the GM.
Example. A brigade has three infantry and
As in smaller-scale combat, the GM uses his judgment
three archer units in it. The archer units have the “Vol-
and divides according to the dictates of narrative and
ley (Darken the Heavens)” formation, normally d8/
logic.
d2 for 1damage. If the brigade attacks with this ma-
Unlike in smaller-scale combat, a troop can-
neuver, the attack is d8/d2, but the attacker rolls three
not move through an enemy troop's area. A troop can
d8s and takes the best roll. If the attack hits, it does 3
enter an enemy's area and retreat from it to the same
damage.
area from which it entered. It may not leave the enemy
Siege weapons and units capable of siege dam-
troop's area in any other direction until the enemy
age are an exception. Instead of gaining a bonus die,
troop leaves or is defeated. Note that this allows infan-
for each additional siege weapon in the brigade up
try lines to shield archer lines. Secret or hidden troops,
to four, they gain an attack die size. A single onager
aerial troops, and some troops with special abilities
might attack with a d8, but a brigade with four onagers
(such as giants) can ignore this restriction and move
attacks with two d20s (taking the best result).
through enemy areas.
All troops in a brigade add their health scores

Notation together to find the health of the brigade. The spirit

score of a brigade is equal to the lowest spirit score of
any troop.
For large battles with many units, you might
A brigade defends with the defense die of
want to track your commands each round. List your
whatever maneuver it is executing that round.
units down one side of a piece of paper. Next to each
Disbanding a brigade (called unstacking)
unit, write a one- or two-word note stating its action
requires a command point. An unstack command only
for the upcoming round. Put a tick mark next to each
applies to one brigade, but from that brigade, you
action that requires a command point so that you can
may unstack as many troops as you like into as many
easily make sure you spend neither too many nor too
troops or smaller brigades as you like.
few command points. For successive rounds, simply
When a brigade unstacks, its health and spirit
carry the procedure across the page.
damage is spread equally among all the troops. In the
Once an action is resolved, circle it. This will
likely event that there is an uneven amount of damage,
prevent you from missing actions or resolving them
determine randomly which groups take a greater share
twice.
of the health damage.

Stacks & Brigades Targeting

The advantage of forming troops into a brigade
When you command a unit to attack, you
is that a single command point can now cause many
designate a unit as the target. Unless it has a special
troops to perform the same maneuver.
targeting ability, the attacking unit cannot pick out an
Combining troops into a brigade (called stack-
individual troop within a brigade as its target. It at-
ing) requires a command. You may start a battle with
tacks the brigade as a whole.
your troops stacked as you wish. You may stack as
Similarly, no unit can target an individual
many troops into one brigade as you like with a stack
creature. Entire squards can't leave the front and chase
command. The units must all be in the same area.

51
down an officer. However, there is one exception to
this "troops can't target individuals" rule: if the oppo- Starts, Ends,
nent has nothing remaining but individual units, then
all units can attack those individuals.. In this rare case
– perhaps when the opposing legions have been routed
& Escapes
An army can start a battle at any time by at-
while their heroes stay behind – a mass combat unit
tacking another army. If you are using a regional map,
can attack an individual creature. When this happens,
the two forces must be in the same area.
the mass unit always captures or destroys the creature.
On the tactical map at the start of the battle, the
Note, finally, that there may be some giant
GM points out where you can place your units to start
creatures with both mass combat and individual com-
the battle based on terrain, position on the strategic
bat statistics. These creatures can be targeted in mass
regional map, and the events in the campaign world.
combat like any other unit.
You escape a battle by moving off the tactical
map.
Magic Surges If a troop, brigade, or legion leaves a battle by
escaping, it appears on the regional map at any dis-
Magic units count as a single spellbound tance up to the limit of its strategic movement speed,
creature for purposes of surges (they are assumed to be at the player’s discretion.
using master-apprentice chains).
Wild surges occur at this scale just as they
do on the individual scale. A magic unit that rolls a 1 Recovery
when casting creates a wild surge. That surge attacks
all spellbound units plus one other random unit any- After a battle, the winner’s forces remain in the
where on the battlefield. A wild surge that hits deals area. The loser’s remaining forces appear together in
1 point of health damage per spellbound unit on the an area of their choice, no farther away from the battle
battlefield. site than double the slowest troop's movement speed.
Crisis surges are possible and probably cata- For every troop that was brought to zero
strophic. health, each side rolls its organization’s Force score
against the region’s Doom. A successful roll means
Strategic that enough members of the troop have survived to
maintain the troop. It has Health 2 (and Spirit 2 if its
Movement Spirit was lower after the battle). An unsuccessful
roll means that the troop is lost. A new one may be
Strategic movement refers to movement out- mustered in its place at the normal cost.
side of combat. A legion uses strategic movement to Troops regain Health and Spirit at the rate of 1
patrol a road, march to a different earldom, or haul each per week as long as they are well supplied and do
equipment to a naval port. Unit descriptions state their not engage in battle during the week.
strategic speed. The scale used for this is abstract and
is for your reference, especially as a comparison to
other units. In your game world, you should decide
Time
how long it takes a basic troop - light footmen, say - to A round in battle takes anywhere from ten
cross a region. Then scale the other movements from minutes for fluid, fast field battles to ten days for
there. castle sieges. Most open-field battles are fought over
Tactical movement occurs within a battle. It is several days, with periods of furious action punctuated
smaller in scale and is suitable for individual heroes. by extended detentes. Many sieges take weeks or even
Unless otherwise stated, a unit can move 1 area per seasons.
round in a combat (and only if it receives orders to do
so!).

52
 War Affects Buildings
Economy & Mood & Sieges
When a region is first plunged into war, the fol- Any troop inside a building gains the build-
lowing effects occur: ing’s defense score as a bonus stat to its defense die
• All items in the region move up one Wealth when defending against invading attacks, melee or
Level. War makes resources scarce, travel hazardous, ranged. For example, a halberdier unit in a borderlands
and labor expensive; this causes prices to rise. keep with Defense 10 cannot be hit unless the attacker
• The maximum Mood of everyone in the rolls 10 or higher. The attacker must also beat the
region decreases by 1. This includes travelers if they defender's defense roll. Once a building's quality is 0,
stay in the region longer than one week. troops can storm it. Defenders do not gain the build-
Each one of these effects occurs again every ing's defense against attackers who are already inside.
two seasons. That is, every six months, all items move To reduce a building's quality, attack it. Only
up one Wealth Level and everyone's maximum Mood siege engines (and a few spells and special abilities)
decreases by one. can damage a building. The siege engine makes its
Finally, if a region is at war for more than a attack roll and must roll the building's defense value
year, one of its culture lines may be rewritten to touch or higher. If it does so, it damages the building. The
upon the topic of war. It need not be supportive, but it default damage is 1 unless otherwise stated. If you
should somehow involve the war. are wondering how a trebuchet with a d8 attack can
damage a castle with Defense 16, check p. 51 and the
stacking rules (in other words, stack!).
A city or building comes under siege when it
runs short on food. In the absence of stores or relief
supplies, food shortages occur three weeks after the
beginning of the assault. With stores, rain, and court-
yard farming, this pre-siege time can be prolonged

53
 discern your target among the shadows. This is best
indefinitely. handled in the course of play. In the absence of full
Once a city is running short on food, it must roleplay, an expedient method is a Shadow vs. Shadow
roll its Efficiency (the efficiency of the commanding roll.
organization in the city) against the Force or Effi- Once you have acquired your target, narrate
ciency roll of the attacking organization (the attacker your organization’s attack and roll the appropriate
chooses which die to use). This opposed roll occurs dice. For example, if you narrate a gang of thugs shat-
each week. If the city under siege loses the roll, all tering windows at midnight and dragging the mer-
troops inside lose 1 spirit and 1 health. Once all troops chants of your enemy’s guild out into the streets and
reach 0 spirit or 0 health, mutineers open the city gates beating them, then you roll Force to attack. Your en-
to the invaders. emy can narrate his own defense using Force, Arcana,
Aftermath or Shadow (though it would be highly unlikely that a
merchant guild has significant access to Arcana!). The
After a battle, the victors decrease one of the higher roll wins.
losing organization's characteristics (Force, Arcana, If you successfully attack, reduce one of your
Shadow, Efficiency, or Scope) by one if the battle was opponent’s characteristics by one (Force, Arcana,
a skirmish, two if a significant battle. More (possibly Shadow, Scope, or Wealth Level) or destroy one of its
much more) damage can be inflicted for very im- buildings (but not a wonder).
portant battles, per the judgment of the GM and the Shadow war attacks require timing (usually
group. night-time) and planning (bribes) to remain out of the
A war is over when one side surrenders or has public eye. Because of this complication, you cannot
no troops (or is removed from play because it has zero attack the same characteristic two attacks in a row.
Force and zero Scope). The victors can dictate terms Because the opportunistic nature of the war
to the losing side. If the losing side refuses the terms, precludes focusing fire on one characteristic week
the victors can roll a Force vs. Force check each day after week, a shadow war is generally longer and more
to cause a point of damage to the losing side's Scope torturous than an open war. It can be just as deadly,
or Force. Once a side has lost all its troops and been however, in the end. Also note that organizations in
brought to zero Scope and Force, the victors claim its Shadow Wars pay a high opportunity cost, namely,
assets (including territory, buildings, vehicles, troops, whatever else they could have spent that action on this
and one-quarter of its Wealth) and remove it from week.
play. Shadow wars depress the economy, but not
Mood, as most citizens are unaware of the Shadow
Shadow Wars War and, of those that are aware, a fair number are
crazy enough to enjoy it. Each side in the Shadow War
As the Organizations chapter states, some picks one commodity (weapons, foodstuffs, lumber,
organizations cannot be targeted by wars. These clan- fixer's items, etc.) and increases the Wealth Level for
destine groups operate out of sight and are too nebu- that item by one. For every season that the shadow war
lous, with power bases that are too hidden, to directly continues, increase the Wealth Level of the affected
assault. Thieves Guilds and Secret Societies are two items by a further point.
such organizations. Shadow wars are most often won by capitula-
These two types of organizations can be as- tion and truce, but organizations can resist fanatically
saulted, however, by means of a shadow war. In fact, until brought to zero Scope, zero Force, and zero
any organization can be attacked in a shadow war. Shadow. Once at that point, an organization ceases to
Assassins, blackmail, sabotage, and unexplained "ac- exist outside the annals of history. The victorious or-
cidents" replace the troops, orders, and supply lines of ganization can claim the vanished organization's assets
an open war. (including territory, buildings, vehicles, troops, and
To fight a Shadow War battle, first you must one-half of its Wealth).

54
Chapter Seven: Wealth & World
The wealth of kingdoms is not fixed. Wars items, but not until a week passes, giving his cash flow
destroy it, and work builds it. Nor does wealth fix the time to adjust.
world or hold it inviolate against the vicissitudes of To advance to the next Wealth Level, you must
culture, economy, craft, disease, and disaster, which invest gold equal to your current wealth level times
happen to be the topic of this chapter. 1000. For example, if you are at wealth level 2, then
you must invest 2000 gold to advance to wealth
Wealth level 3. Once invested, the gold is gone, and you live
at one higher Wealth Level.
Characters have Wealth Levels. A Wealth Not everyone wishes to convert their cash into
Level is an abstract representation of a character's Wealth Levels. By changing gold into a Wealth Level,
economic and social standing, his credit, his capital, a character climbs the social and economic strata of
his income, his debt, his earning potential and more. the world. A Wealth Level 10 character may receive an
Wealth Levels make it easy to model a region's invitation to the archbishop's ordination or the Baron's
economy, which is important when PCs begin waging polo match, but a Wealth Level 2 character never
shadow wars that plunge a kingdom into an economic will. On the other hand, enemies have an easier time
depression, or when they discover a new technology destroying a character's wealth if it is represented in
that enriches the nobility, the serfs, or both. Wealth Wealth Levels because they can attempt blackmail, ar-
Levels also make it easy for players to track PC inven- son, embezzlement, and other crimes beyond theft.
tory without spending the time to track every last coin The maximum Wealth Level is 20. Any item
in the PC's purse. above 20 is “priceless.” This is a misnomer, of course.
• PCs begin at Wealth Level 2 unless otherwise The point is that such items can only be purchased in
stated. cash, for hard gold, not by virtue of wealth level and
• By virtue of his Wealth Level, a PC can its attendant status, social influence, and credit.
own up to 5 items of his Wealth Level and
up to 5 items of each level below that. In
addition, he can always buy with cash as
many items (of any level) as he likes.
• A PC can "trade up" and buy a Wealth
Level 2 item with a Wealth Level 3 slot.
• PCs cannot use multiple lower Wealth Level
slots to purchase a single higher-level item.
For example, you cannot use two Wealth
Level 2 slots to buy a single Wealth Level 3
item. You can voluntarily drop a Wealth Level (by
• PCs must wait at least a week before selling off assets, cashing in favors, etc.) and gain
replacing a broken, consumable, or back half of what you invested to attain that wealth
unwanted item. level. For example, if you drop from wealth level 7 to
Example. Nicolas Dantes is Wealth Level 4. 6, you gain back 3000 orbs. Wear and transaction costs
He purchases a sword, a shield, and armor, each of prevent you from regaining the full amount in cash.
Wealth Level 4. He also purchases a fixer’s potion, (Note, however, that there are properties that
Wealth Level 4, and a black market Letter in the Wine do return positive value on your investment. These are
spell, Wealth Level 4. If he drinks the fixer’s potion buildings that increase an organization’s income; see
and reads the spell, then he can buy two more Level 4 the Equipment chapter.)

55
 Selling Items Item's
Cash Value of Items
Item's Cash Value
If you sell an item that you found in a treasure Wealth Level in Gold
hoard, stole from a kingsman, or obtained in any way 1 50
other than using your Wealth Level, then you gain 2 100
cash (gold) for the item as dictated by your roleplay
3 300
with the GM.
In contrast, items that you acquired using your 4 600
wealth level do not generate gold for you when you 5 1000
sell them. Their sale price is subsumed in your Wealth 6 1500
Level statistic. You obtained them partially on credit, 7 2100
investment, and social standing. Just as you didn’t pay 8 2800
cash for them at purchase, you do not gain cash for 9 3600
them at sale.
10 4500
11 5500
Cost of Living 12 6600
13 7800
& Begging 14 9100
15 10500
Anyone with a wealth level of 1 or higher is
assumed to have enough wealth on hand to afford 16 12000
the necessities of life that are available at level 0. For 17 13600
those destitute characters at wealth level 0, the cost 18 15300
(usually in moons and dirt) of necessity items is left to 19 17100
the GM and roleplay, as prices at that level are vari- 20 19000
able, being whatever the miserables can get for their The formula for the cash value of an item of level n
wares. In other words, haggle! is [n(n-1)/2]*100.

Coins Economy
Gold coins in the Kingdoms go by many Track economies in deviations from the norm.
names: kings, crowns, suns, dragons, and orbs in vari- If the economy is rolling, then items become avail-
ous kingdoms. Along the Free Road, the gold coins of able at Wealth Levels lower than normal. For example,
different realms are collectively called dux or ducats. a spool of riotwire is normally Wealth Level 4. In
Silver and copper coins exist too, usually a region where the economy in the weapons sector
called moons and dirts (or bits, for bits-o-dirt) respec- is doing very well, that spool might be available at
tively. A silver coin is usually worth 1/10 of a gold; a Wealth Level 3 or even 2. Conversely, if the economy
copper is worth 1/100. foundering, then items are available at wealth levels
higher than normal. In a region where war has driven
up prices, roofswords, normally Wealth Level 4, might
be Wealth Level 5 or 6.
More than two deviations in any direction, no
matter the source, is generally impossible without ac-
complishing significant story goals.

56
 Items at wealth level 0 are a special case. They Wealth Level & Social Class
do not jump up to wealth level 1, or higher, in tough
WL Examples
economic conditions. Even in a wartorn land, where
the economy is in shambles, people still manage to 0 Beggar, shepherd who has lost his sheep,
subsist. Food does not suddenly cost 400 gold per sailor (pre-voyage); rogue or miser keeping
meal. But the food does rise in cash price, per the GM, funds in cash
and decrease in quality, from potatoes to roots to grubs 1 Peasant, hired hand, common townsfolk,
to scavenged leather, vellum and insects. brute, whore, impoverished trader
There are many ways to affect the economy. 2 Farm holder, guildsman, novitiate priest,
Organization powers, royal fiat, disasters, wars, and fixer, sailor (immediately post-voyage)
plagues can all have an impact. Remember story goals, 3 Artisan, guild official, low Dryght or other
also. Story goals are a straightforward path to altering cabal wizard, successful trader
a region's economy. Perhaps the goal of an evening’s 4-7 Kingsman, priest, artist with patrons, estab-
play session is to infiiltrate a rival kingdom's iron lished fixer, petty bourgeoisie
mine and collapse it, thus causing an increase of 2 8-12 Bishop, guild boss, master trader, ship’s
in the Wealth Level of weapons, armor, and armored captain, bourgeoisie, ranking wizard
troops for that Kingdom. The spike in prices leaves the
13-17 Peerage, nobility, archbishops, guild found-
Kingdom undermanned and vulnerable when the PCs'
ers, transmuters, archmagi
legions invade.
18-20 Royalty, Cardinal, select nobility

Culture
Every region has three "culture lines." A
culture line is a line - a sentence or two - describing
what the people in that region value, fear, or practice.
The royalty sets two of a region's culture lines, and the
most powerful local organization (the regional organi-
zation with the largest Scope) sets the third.
If all three culture lines are reflected in a char-
acter's Inspirations, then she is at home. Her maximum
Mood is increased by 1.
If a character has an Inspiration opposed to the
culture of her current region, her maximum Mood is
decreased by 1 for each such culture.
Changing the culture is a monumental task.
Minds grow roots deeper than Waylorn pines, and
they change reluctantly and then but desultorily. The
royalty and powerful organizations can change their
culture lines at will, but barring a special event, a
year or more is required before the culture changes
take place. Revolutions, that is, changes in royalty or
power, are rare in the Kingdoms' history, but they can
change culture much more quickly. A Chosen One can
also change culture quickly through a combination of
fulfilled prophesy and unstoppable Charisma.

57
 Investigations Organizations
& Dead Ends
Organizations are easy to neglect. If this is
your first time playing Spellbound Kingdoms, you
might even be better off mastering and applying the
If the players in your group are at a dead end
other rules before you tackle organizations.
in an investigation and are content to follow other plot
But when you can, do use organizations. They
leads, by all means let them. The threat of failure in
can avoid the need for deus ex machina in a dead-end
the game world needs to be real.
investigation scene, for example. Just allow the player
The game also needs to be fun, however, and if
to make an organiztion roll to find the clue; if the orga-
your players are stymied in an investigation that they
nization makes its Shadow roll against the Doom, then
feel they must continue, then hide the clue elsewhere.
someone in the PC's organization has found the neces-
In this case, "elsewhere" means "behind a different
sary clue. Then the Doom need not rise and the players
sort of challenge." For example, if the PCs failed to
need not feel vouchsafed.
discover the clue in a dialogue scene, then provide a
Organizations perform many other tasks, as
lead to a chase scene where the PCs can win the same
outlined in Chapter 11, but they provide a rich back-
clue. If the PCs are determined to track down a clue,
ground to your campaign world. Remember to use it.
keep giving them opportunities, but vary the approach.
At the GM's option, increase the Doom by 1
for each extra opportunity. This makes the players pay Reputations
a price for each failed attempt. When they come to the
Reputations are similar to histories. Players
climactic encounter of the investigation, whether it is
use them after much the same fashion. Reputations do
a dialogue scene in court or a "boss fight" or anything
not count against a player's history total. There is no
else, the players are more likely to feel a sense of
maximum number of Reputations per character. If Cal
achievement if they have had to overcome difficulties
of Birgholdt offends every faction in Azenahal with
to arrive at the climax.
his outlandish "native dress" and insulting accent, then
he amasses as much ill will as he is due.
Pacing Positive reputations are awarded by the GM,
the adventure, or the acclaim of the group when a PC
does something memorable. They work as Histories
Paying attention to scene types and sequence
do: the first point in a Reputation grants a d4 bonus
can help the GM to pace her campaign. If she has four
die. Subsequent points count up from 4, so that after
social encounters in a row, for example, that may spell
3 points, a character has a Reputation 6 (1 point for
trouble. Or it may be perfect for her group. One of the
the d4, then another point to bring it to 5, then another
GM's first duties is to read her group; little else avails
to bring it to 6) and he rolls a d6 bonus die. A PC can
if she does not know what the group enjoys and what
roll one Reputation bonus die any time that he could
it does not.
use a History or skill bonus die, and he can use both a
In order of "thrilling action" for most groups,
Reputation and a History together on the same roll.
the scene types are action, chase, war, social encoun-
Negative reputations are also awarded by the
ter, investigation. In order of real-world time spent on
GM, the adventure, or the acclaim of the group. They
the scenes, they can (for most groups) run in roughly
are used as bonus dice by the opposition. For example,
reverse order. Use social encounters and investiga-
if a PC with a -9 Reputation: Hunted by Dynn tries to
tions to build tension. Stack your clues like rocks. Use
haggle with a Dynni merchant, the merchant gains a
a combat scene at the climax to send all your rocks
d8 bonus die (d8 being the largest die size not larger
avalanching down at once.
than 9).
Reputations fade. Once a player has more

58
reputations than his Charisma score (or when the GM After a disease is shaken off, healing occurs naturally
and the group simply feel that a Reputation has been (1 characteristic or Body point/week).
on the character sheet long enough), at the end of the Here are some common diseases in the King-
gaming session, the player rolls his Charisma vs. the doms along with their virulence, their symptoms, and
Doom for each Reputation. If he fails, that Reputation their effects.
loses one point. The player rolls for each Reputation Common cold (3). Strength and Quickness
he has except for Reputations that he used or built are reduced by one.
upon in the just-finished gaming session. Influenza (3). Strength and Quickness are
reduced by 1 each week. If the recovery check never
succeeds before both statistics reach zero, it is fatal.
Pox (3). Strength and Charisma are reduced
by 2 for the duration of the disease. Once the victim
recovers, the victim rolls a Charisma check (2). Fail-
ure indicates a permanent loss of one Charisma point
due to severe pockmarking and scarring. A character
can never have the pox twice.
Dysentery (4). This proceeds as the flu, except
that the loss of strength and quickness in the first
week is 2.
Ague (3). Reason and Strength are reduced
by 2 until the character begins to recover.
Scabies (3). Maddening itching reduces Rea-
son by 1. The mites jump to anyone who touches the
victim (including in combat).
Consumption (3 to resist contraction; 6 to
recover). Strength is reduced by 1 each month. When
it reaches 0, the victim dies without care. With care,
she is bedridden for a number of months equal her
original strength score, and then dies (recovery checks

Disease
continue as normal).
Flake plague (4). A noxious odor accompanies
The Kingdoms are unclean. Diseases are com- the flaking of skin. A stiff wind can cause a flake
mon, progress rapidly, and range in effect from cos- plague victim to resemble a tree in autumn shedding
metic to lethal. its leaves. Flaking of mucosal membranes makes
Diseases are resisted with a Strength check speech above a hoarse whisper difficult and painful.
made against the virulence numbers given here. A Strength, Quickness, and Charisma are reduced by one
check that equals or exceeds the virulence avoids the each week. Once all three are zero, the character dies.
disease. The plow (3 to resist contraction; 5 to recover).
If a person fails the first Strength check, then A black v-shaped line plows its way across the
she contracts the disease. She suffers from it for a victim’s skin, usually in the upper chest, arms, or back,
week, and then she can attempt to shake it off. Shak- during the course of this disease. The plow is accom-
ing it off requires a second Strength vs. virulence panied by muscle spasm and amnesia. Quickness is
check. Continue checking once per week until the reduced by 2, and the victim must roll a reason check
victim shakes it off. against the recovery virulence or forget one randomly

59
selected history each day (memory of it returns the off, slither away, and the victim devolves into nothing
next day). The plow is chronic and does not worsen more than an ooze of tissue. Sloughed or not, stalks
over time. Even after recovery, the v-shaped line made often display a strange intelligence, and there are
by the disease remains. many who believe that spellstalks communicate and
Leprosy (2 to resist contraction (3 for conspire to steal man's world for their own.
wights); 4 for monthly checks; cannot be shaken off). Reason and Charisma are reduced by one each
A Strength check against the virulence is made each week when the victim fails his Magic check against
month. If failed, another piece of the body (GM or the virulence. When either characteristic reaches zero,
player’s choice) withers away over the course of the the victim has completed his transformation and is no
next month. Each time something withers away, Cha- longer a player character. If spellstalks are resisted, the
risma is reduced by 1. The character does not die when victim desquamates and is rid of the stalks. Though
Charisma reaches 0. He must fail two more consecu- the victim has recovered, the stalks may slither off,
tive Strength checks (1/month) before he dies. In the forming an aberration with strange goals and a hatred
meantime he gains a reputation point as a legendary for its parent character (p. 192).
leper every time he makes a Strength check. Madfire (4; cannot be shaken off). The fire of
The tics (4). The victim has contorted facial wild magic burns in your eyes; everyone can see it.
tics and blurts strange noises. Reduce all social attack You are spellbound. Whenever a wild surge occurs in
dice by three sizes. your area, fire roars from your skin in a blast wave.
Ergotism (4). Caused by eating bad wheat, Everyone in the area is attacked by a magic attack
ergotism induces auto-amputation and hallucinations. (d6; physical and magical defenses apply) for 1 point
Once per scene, at a stressful point, roll Reason vs. the of Body and 1 point of Reason damage. Every time
virulence. Failure results in a hallucination, and the you blast like this, you permanently replace one of
character spends every other round dealing with the your inspirations with something utterly mad, chosen
hallucination rather than the real world (GMs may rule by you and the GM. Once all of your inspirations are
that exceptionally good roleplay with the hallucination replaced, you have gone mad and become a madfire
– a stirring speech, for example – may still have burner.
an influence on others in the real world who happen to Blink (3; cannot be shaken off). Pieces of the
overhear). In addition, once per week, roll Strength vs. victim blink out of existence for a short time. As time
the virulence. Failure indicates that a piece of the body goes on, larger pieces blink away for longer times.
has atrophied and auto-amputated. The character takes Eventually, all of the victim disappears for all of time.
a scar or a maiming wound (see Healing, p. 30) after The victim is not simply invisible; she is gone. There
the auto-amputation, and the disease is gone. is a recorded case of a woman who blinked away, was
presumed gone, and then fifty-two years later returned,
weeping, at her husband’s side. He didn’t have the
Magical Disease chance to finish his exclamation of surprise and joy
Magical diseases are rarer than physical diseas- before she blinked away again.
es, but they can be even more devastating. A magical Once per scene, the victim rolls Magic against
disease is resisted with the Magic score. Otherwise, the virulence. In the first season that the victim has the
they are similar to physical diseases. disease, if the roll fails, a vital part of the victim blinks
Spellstalks (6). First an eye appears in the skin, away. Any combat or social dice the victim rolls this
blinking, gazing out at the world. Then a stalk appears round are reduced by three sizes. After one season,
supportinig the eye, pushing it out of the body, always when the victim blinks, she disappears entirely for
watching. Or it may not be an eye – sometimes one round. After two seasons, she disappears for two
a finger, or a talon, or a dripping pustule tips the stalk. rounds. This continues for eight seasons, and as the
Sometimes the victim becomes a madman, recogniz- second year of the disease begins, the victim blinks
able as once-human. Other times the stalks slough away forever.

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 Abynder akkas (4). Glyphs and letters appear the Doom.
in relief n the victim’s skin. Often they are red and Hurricane.* Hurricanes do damage as a flood
angry, as if hot irons were pressing up from within with maximum damage equal to half the Doom
the body, trying to break out. Any spellbound creature (rounded down). A hurricane can cause a flood, and
can read the glyphs, which spell out the secrets of the then the flood does additional damage.
victim: his loves, his hates, his inmost considerations. Blizzard. The blizzard freezes characters
The abynder akkas victim can attempt to con- outside of shelter, causing 1 point of damage per half
ceal this with long sleevs and perukes up to the chin, hour unless the character makes a Strength check
but somehow the disease always finds a way to betray against the Doom. Pilots crash vehicles unless they
him in the end. Any spellbound creature looking on an make a piloting check against the Doom each half
uncovered abynder akkas victim learns one secret and hour.
knows his current thoughts. Unfortunately for kings Creeping doom.* Locusts, ants, beetles, wasps
who would use abynder akkas against suspected spies and a hundred other stinging, biting, buzzing insects
or prisoners to be interrogated, the akkas seems to be cause damage equal to the Doom to all living creatures
completely resistant to domestication. who do not make a reason check against the Doom.
Drain (3). Whenever the victim loses Mood - The creeping doom endures until sundown (or sun-
including when he uses Mood to benefit himself - ev- rise).
eryone else in the area must make a Magic roll against Fire. The fire burns wooden buildings in the
the Doom or lose a point of Mood also. Spellbound area for damage equal to twice the Doom. It does dam-
characters must make two checks, possibly losing two age equal to the Doom to any character that does not
Mood. Characters with the drain are also, idiopathi- make a quickness or reason check against the Doom.
cally, magnets for undead. Avalanche/mudslide. Avalanches do damage as

Disasters
an earthquake, but they trap and suffocate any char-
acter who critically fails his Quickness check (that is,
Misfortune is not limited to a personal scale. rolls a 1).
Disasters on a regional scale – both natural and man- Rain of rocks. Pebbles and boulders fall.
made – have shaped the physical and emotional land- Buildings and characters take damage equal to the
scapes of the Kingdoms. Doom; characters can avoid this damage with a suc-
Earthquake.* Temblors shake all buildings for cessful Reason check against the Doom. Immediately
damage equal to the Doom. Falling debris, landslides, after rocks fall, one prophesy comes true.
and cracks in the shifting earth harm characters for the Rain of frogs. Somehow, most frogs live. They
same amount of damage unless the character makes a are an ill omen, however, and they do more structural
quickness check against the Doom. damage than one might think. As the omen portends,
Tornadoes. Twisters rip 1 in every 20 build- any magical sector of the economy is depressed by 1
ings. They destroy wooden buildings; they cause for the next season, and all buildings have their de-
damage equal to the Doom to stone buildings. Twisters fense value reduced by two.
have the same chance of hitting a character in the area, Madfire. Madfire ignites and burns throughout
and if the character fails a Quickness check against the the area: on a wainwright’s sign; on the nightgown
doom, he takes damage equal to the Doom. of the cooper’s wife; on a milking jar or a violin or a
Flood.* Floods do 1 damage per hour to all duelist’s best plume. Double the number of spellbound
structures in the affected areas. The flood crests, creatures and objects in the area, as each madfire
peaks, and ebbs over a number of hours equal to twice counts as one. One in every ten creatures must make a
the doom. Crashing flotsam, collapsing buildings, and Magic check against the Doom or contract the madfire
cascades harm characters similarly for each hour they disease.
do not succeed in a Quickness or Reason check against Faces like pillars of light. Scholars do not

61
understand why this bizarre disaster is so frequently
associated with crisis surges. This disaster transforms Deprivation
everyone in the region who fails a Magic roll against Characters can last three weeks without food
the Doom. A transformed creature loses his face; and three days without water. After that, they lose 1
where it once was, a beam of light shoots forth. The point from each characteristic each day (in the case of
beam projects an image in the manner of a masked food) or every two hours (in the case of water).
spotlight, and it is powerful enough to put the image A character can last without air undamaged
even on clouds in a night sky. The image might be for two minutes. After that, a character who cannot
dragons diving, or a burning witch, or a freak hatch- breathe must make Strength rolls against the Doom,
ing from a cracked skull. An afflicted creature takes one per round.
damage equal to the Doom. The GM or an instigating After he fails one, then he starts losing 1 Body
player selects the image. and 1 Reason per round until his Body reaches zero.
Glass. Buildings and characters begin to turn Characters exposed to extreme environments
to glass unless successful on a Quality or Magic check take 1 point of damage per half hour unless they suc-
against the Doom. The vitrification takes seven days. ceed in a Strength check against the Doom.
Each day, a new body part or building area vitrifies,
but each day allows a new Quality or Magic check.
Vitrification of a body part must be taken as a maim-
ing, taking the place of one history item. If the eyes Breaking Objects
are cut out of a fully vitrified man, then for a day af- Roll an attack against the defense value of the
terwards, no matter how far away they are taken, what building or the quality of the item. If you succeed, you
they see appears as an image in the glass of the eyeless deal one quality damage to the building or item.
body. The GM may rule that some items cannot dam-
Sink. Creatures sink into surfaces that they age other items on a reasonable time scale (daggers
are touching. Once inside, they do not die, but cannot vs. iron bars, river water vs. desert rock, &c.). He may
speak to those outside. They slide around through also rule that some items always break others (can-
the surfaces, able to gesture, but not able to manipulate nonball vs. stained glass window, headsman’s axe vs.
any objects save those they brought with them. neck, knife vs. gnarsk sausage, &c.).
A sunken character cannot affect the outside world Only siege weapons can do damage to build-
in any way, though he may be able to communicate ings or other objects with a defense value.
with it through silent images, pantomimes, or writing.
A magic check against the doom allows the character
to avoid sinking; one check is allowed per hour. The
Crafting
sinking process takes four hours, during which the To make an item, roll your skill vs. the Quality
character is stuck to the surface into which he is sink- of the item. If you succeed, you have put one Quality
ing. point in the item. Once it reaches its full total of Qual-
Soulhail. No one works or plays; all thrash in ity points, the item is complete. If you ever critically
bed or on the ground in paroxysms of agony as stones fail a roll, the item is botched and must be started over.
plummet from a livid sky. Inspirations drop one point You must have a History or skill of the appro-
for every Heart roll failed against the Doom; roll every priate sort; no crafting roll is possible without some
half hour. The hail takes three hours to clear. Acting in training.
any coherent manner during a storm requires a Reason You may make a new crafting check to add
check against the Doom. another point of Quality to the item after a number of
*After these disasters, the agriculture economy days equal to the final quality of the item. For ex-
is damaged by 1 (75%) or 2 (25%) wealth levels. Agri- ample,. if you are making a roofsword (quality 4), then
culture generally includes a kingdom’s troops, subsist- you can make a new check every four days. After four
ing as they do on food.

62
successful checks, your sword is finished.
The time spent working is “off-screen”; as long Experience
& Advancement
as you have several hours per day to devote to craft-
ing, you can continue your normal adventuring career
while crafting. You may even adventure on the road
or in semi-hostile climes, depending on what you are After a game session, the GM awards charac-
crafting. ters History points. The standard award is one or two
The total cost of the creating the item is equal History points, but this can be adjusted as the GM
to half its cash purchase cost. judges. The History points may be spent on anything
Especially large items, including buildings, the player decides, but if he spends them on something
operate on a different time scale. Use the same rules as that he did in play, the GM typically awards a bonus
above, but all times are doubled. Buildings that are History point or other perk reinforcing the character's
critically botched lose only half of their current total development.
of quality points. After every second or third game session, the
Organizations can contribute a bonus die to characters gain an experience level instead. If the play-
your roll. Crafting can also be conducted entirely ers have met a major story goal, then it is appropriate
by organizations, freeing up characters for more to award the level after two sessions; otherwise, award
adventurous concerns. Of course, in that case the the level every three sessions. Similarly, if players fail
crafting is conducted using the organization’s relevant to accomplish story goals, a level may not be awarded
score rather than the character’s skill. for four, five, or more sessions.

63
 Chapter Eight:
Character Creation,
Races, & Characteristics
There are many in the Kingdoms who have the terparts. Trolls possess no more acute senses than hu-
potential to be greater than what they are today. There mans; they are no more able to see in the dark or smell
are many loves forgotten and many lives half-lived. peppermint across a city street or hear a mouse’s heart-
Will your character be one of those? Or will he re- beat across a clearing.
member? Will he live? But there are differences. Magic is first and
To create a character, follow these steps: foremost.
I. Choose species and race.
II. Assign chracteristic scores.
III. Choose a class. Humans, Trolls,
& Magic
IV. Choose one history or skill
V. Choose what inspires your character.
Trolls use magic to regenerate. This is natural
Humans & Trolls magic, which means that regeneration does not make
a troll spellbound or interfere with other magic. As
There are two intelligent species in the King- you would imagine, regeneration informs the troll
doms: humans and trolls. Other intelligent psyche. Rain trolls, especially, tend to be equanimous
creatures exist, but they are singletons, sterile freaks of and favor the long-range view of life. They are slow to
magic: a cranky aspen, a riddling weasel, a man gone anger: why fret when whatever went wrong will just
to spellstalks. grow back in a month? This attitude also makes trolls
There are two races of trolls: “rain” trolls, appear brutal to some humans. Instead of confining
sometimes called simply trolls, and the seradynn. Both his misbehaving son to the home, a troll father rips his
races of trolls appear quite similar to humans. Rain son’s arms off for a week.
trolls are ten percent taller and more massive than the Humans have adapted differently to a world
average human, and their skin tones vary from icy suffused with the chaos of natural and artificial spells.
blue to deep water green. Occasionally, rain trolls have Where troll bodies exploit magic with regeneration,
one- to six-inch horns, and some annually shed and human spirits exploit magic with inspiration. The hu-
regrow two- to ten-point antlers. man heart and its capacity for inspiration have ex-
Seradynn are on average ten percent smaller panded slowly through the millenia, allowing humans
than humans, and their skin tones include all the hu- to achieve feats far beyond what would otherwise be
man tones, rain troll tones, plus a few shades running their limit.
from rose to gold. Their eyes are often amber, scarlet, This point must be emphasized: generalizations
or lavender, although human colors are also seen. Se- do not apply to individuals. There are friendly trolls
radynn are much more likely to have small horns than and friendly humans, cruel trolls and cruel humans,
rain trolls are. Prehensile tails are known but uncom- generous and vindictive and moronic and beautiful
mon. examples of both species.
Intellectually, trolls and humans are on par. In the end, choice of action, not chance of
Troll engineers, troll wizards, and troll artists are, on birth, defines the man.
the whole, no better or worse than their human coun-

64
 Humans tain. There are many who believe that the nineblood
race is ready to boil over – or evaporate.
There are four different human races: In the game. Ninebloods make excellent all-
• Nineblood. These are the most common hu- around characters. Their racial abilities are useful
mans, sturdy, industrious, and intense. everywhere from royal audience chambers to muddy
• Islander. Brought up in the chaotic islands, battlefields. The human intensity that manifests as
these humans have a reputation for being survivors. a bonus to the Heart score is a valuable resource in
• Prince and princess of wolves. These are every conflict. Whatever class you pursue, you should
feral children, abandoned to the wild and reared by an play to the strengths of the nineblood: his heart and his
awakened pack of wolves or dogs. Inspirations.
• Wights. Tampering with lifespan and the Spend game time cultivating your Inspirations.
origin of life itself has prolonged, and some would say Learn talents that capitalize on your relationships and
stained, the wights’ lives. values. When pinned down, do not be afraid to take on
Fear as a spur-of-the-moment Inspiration; your high
All humans receive +1 Heart. They also re- Heart score means that you can afford to do a little
ceive one further ability depending on their race. more of this than others. Since you expect to rely on
your Inspirations, choose talents and place characteris-
tic scores that protect and serve them. If many of your
Ninebloods Inspirations are personal relationships, take social tal-
ents and a high Charisma score. If many are material
This is the most common race in the King- possessions, take shadow or martial talents to seize
doms, and for a reason, or so the ninebloods say. Nine- and safeguard them.
blood humans are the distillation of thousands years of Creating and playing a nineblood. Creating a
civilization. nineblood leaves you with a lot of possibilities. Ap-
They are hardy on the whole and variegated on pearance, culture, and history can vary widely because
the part: tone of skin, tint of hair, and timbre of voice ninebloods are present in so many different fields and
vary, but their sculpted frames and annealed constitu- so many different forms. There are skinny merchant
tions are consistent and renowned. Ninebloods are the ninebloods, fat noble ninebloods, dark ninebloods,
first thought for most upon hearing the word “human.” light ninebloods, redheads and brunettes and twenty
The nineblood intensity is legendary. There is different sorts of blondes. The most common factor,
an old joke: How many mining picks does a nineblood which is by no means a universal factor, is the nine-
need? None. He just stares at the shaft wall until the blood intensity and passion. Here are a few ideas to
wall gives up. take to the game table with your nineblood character.
In many places, that intensity has been frus- • Bring the intensity. Every now and then, bang
trated. Ninebloods are entrepreneurs, innovators, and the table for emphasis when talking. Look
explorers; beggars when they must be and princes directly at the person you are addressing.
when they can be. They are found in every Kingdom React with passion in combat: exult in your
and at many levels of society. Their range of settle- victories and curse your defeats.
ment and trade has fostered a race of multiple talents • Develop an oath and utter it whenever your
and sundry beauties. But the culture of the Kingdoms character is angered, frustrated, or just plain
is restraint. As men have learned more and more of the fired up. Something mundane like “Blood of
secrets of magic, the kings have hoarded a greater and the dog” works, but something specific to
greater share of those secrets for themselves. The les- the setting, like “Mother’s madfire milk,” or
son of magic in the current age is fear, and the spirit of “Jungle piles!” is great too.
the times is paranoia. While the intensity of the nine- • Spend time on your inspirations. Make sure
bloods has brought them this far, the future is uncer-

65
 that everyone at the table knows what your what it means to be an islander. In short, it is
Inspirations are. Talk about them often. this: islanders are the most paranoid and superstitious
• If possible, pick someone else at the table to of people. From natural disasters to the walking dead,
be one of your inspirations. Friend, rival, from madfire one season to a mad free mage the next,
lover, sister or brother; it doesn’t matter. By the islands are roiling with peril. Even if she is reclin-
involving another character with your own, ing in a bower of heliotrope, sipping indaja nectar
you are helping to focus and layer the game from a teak cup and licking roast peacock juices from
play. her fingers, an islander is always on edge, watching
Racial abilities. Ninebloods have +1 Heart, as for shadows in the bower and poison in the nectar. It is
all humans do. Additionally, they can use one Inspria- not something taught, this edginess; it is simply how
tion a second time in a scene. the blood runs on the edge of the world.
Finally, if he chooses at character creation In the game. Islanders make excellent shadow
forever to forfeit the extra use per scene of an Inspira- and social class characters. Their paranoia is excellent
tion, he receives the other pan-human benefit. Namely, for intelligence operations, scouting missions, and
he increases his Magic die one size whenever resisting dinner parties that are little more than open interroga-
magic. tions. The ability to decrease a Doom is a potentially
life-saving ability for a spy who plans to operate in
Islanders dangerous environments without immediate back-up.
Most rolls against the Doom are made by skills
At the edge of the world, assailed by storms and characteristic checks. Try to amass as many skills
and surrounded by skies and seas, the islanders have as possible. Again, shadow and social classes excel
remained distinct from the nineblood humans of the here.
Claw. Creating and roleplaying an Islander. Full of
The islanders are a race of survivors. Cyclones, salt water and magma, sun and storm, islanders are
volcanoes, madfire, sodden hordes of undead, and prone to paradox. Remember the “hate what you love”
soulhail have all failed to scour life from the Dragon adage that is common in the Kingdoms; it meshes
Isles. Because the islands are isolated, each one is an paritcularly well with the islander mind set. Other
ideal demesne (in some cases, ‘toy’ is the better word) roleplaying tips follow.
for any wizard that can chase off or exterminate all • Pick one island for your home and develop
others casters on her island. Witch doctors, houngans, it. Who lives there? How did it influence
magi, skinstealers and loa callers rise and fall as magi- you? There are unnumbered islands in the
cal chiefs and queens in the Dragon Isles, some faster Dragon archipelago, so there is plenty of
than the seasons can change. The Ephemera, these room for one more that you make up. Match
kingdoms are called, and they bring war and destruc- it with your character’s inspirations, history,
tion to the sands and jungles of the archipelago. and goals.
To persevere athwart this tide of misfortune, • Indulge yourself. A typical islander grew up
the islanders possess slightly more control over magic in the midst of hauntings, jungle drumbeats
than even the ninebloods. Their magic resistance with unnerving origins, and dragon flight
extends even to the land’s Doom. When pushed, an clashes that shook the stones off the volca
islander can push back against the Doom, diminishing noes. Yet you managed to survive. Likely,
it. your character is the type who knows
Another difference from the ninebloods is the how to relish a meal of roast pig while
islanders’ appearance. Where the mainlanders have a watching the end of all things.
great diversity in appearance, the islanders almost all • Develop some paranoid habits. Maybe your
are brunet, with blue or silver eyes, and dark skin. character has facial tics. Maybe he stutters
The last difference is subtle. It goes to the heart of (but keep this one minimal; it can annoy your

66
 fellow players). Maybe your character of their weaker, unaltered cousins. It is this ability, the
carries two coconut seeds in his left hand, ability to thrive on others’ fears, that other humans
and he won’t stop rolling and clicking them. find most threatening in wights.
• Give your character a motive for leaving the Wights are rarely tolerated by Kingdoms
islands. A lost love, a chance at riches, an society. More fequently they are pariah or even prey.
arcane compulsion. Tie it to an inspiration. There are rumors of kings keeping covens of wights
Racial abilities. Islanders have +1 Heart, as allfor purposes only guessed at. In a few places, how-
humans do. Additionally, they can lower the Doom by ever, wights dominate. The kings are cold in Varteka,
one for another person or themselves, once per scene Malyrigaaz, and many (likely ephemeral) kingdoms of
per person. This is done at will; it does not require a the Dragon Isles. Where wights rule, common folk of
Trick in combat, a touch, or any action save willing it. other races emigrate. They have no desire to live in a
Finally, if an Islander chooses at character cre-territory ruled by a monarch who can eat their fear.
ation forever to forfeit the ability to lower the Doom, In the game. Fear is a powerful tool for you.
he receives the other pan-human benefit. Namely, he The more your adversaries are afraid, the better off
increases his Magic die one size whenever resisting you will be. Consequently, learn talents that play on
magic. fear. Your home can be another way another way to
raise hackles. Appoint it in keeping with your desire to
Wights inspire fear and its heralds, unease and dread. Choose
your organization to support your lifestyle. The sunny
If fear is the oldest emotion, then power is the amphitheater of the Royal Jongleurs’ Repertory com-
oldest desire. That desire formed the wight race. pany probably is no place for a wight; but the mauso-
Unlike the other races, with the arguable ex- leum of the Necromancer’s Guild is.
ception of the princes and princesses of wolves, the Wights, like ninebloods, have no specific pre-
wights are artificial. They made themselves. It started ferred class. Battlefields are often awash in fear, and
millennia ago, in the inner caves of the outer isles, wights are able warriors. But they also make danger-
where chalk and ochre drawings on cave walls depict ous diplomats, courtiers, and traders. The battlefield
the early kings dangling stick-figure infants over is not the only place where a wave of fear can turn the
bubbling cauldrons. The fire spits groaned under the tide.
weight of undying sacrifices, mothers burnt charms Creating and playing a wight. Artificial wights
over wailing babes, and the kings anointed the first- may be, but they are not necessarily wicked. Most
born in each warren. Misguided or inspired as they wights struggle to decide whether or not to promulgate
may have been, these people were not cowards. Seek- fear and dread. True, the wight gains personal power
ing power, immortality, or knowledge, they fashioned from doing so. But the wight may have a conscience,
their hearts, souls, and minds from darkness and hu- or he may wish to avoid finding himself at the end of
man clay. The wights emerged. a pitchfork or tied to a stake after spreading one terror
Today wights partially fulfill the dreams – or too many. Emphasize the temptation and struggle of
nightmares – of those early cauldron tenders. They a wight in your roleplay (unless you are consciously
are human, but they are also more. They live some- playing against type).
what longer than other humans and trolls; up to 100 Here are some tips for freighting your wight’s
years of undiminished agility and acumen precede a scenes with fear.
precipitous decline into dust. Wights can survive for • Give your wight a distinctive presence.
six minutes without air, six days without water, and six Maybe she smells like humus. Maybe black
weeks without food (roughly double the human norm). birds always land near her when she’s out-
A wight's body is cool to the touch, and his blood doors. Maybe her voice sometimes sounds
smells of bitter almonds. But the early kings would be much further away than it should, or
most proud of the wights’ ability to thrive on the fear windows and wine glasses break when she

67
 walks by.
• Consider appearance. A wight’s skin is pale, Prince of Wolves,
Princess of
although it may have garnet, black, or
sallow overtones. They have lightning-white
hair, or bitumen hair, or hair that is white
with black like a snowfield crossed by ra-
vens. Most wights are thin. Eyes range
Wolves
from black to cerulean, and facial features A prince or princess of wolves is a child aban-
tend toward aquiline and vulpine. doned in the wild.
• Keep some mystery. The oldest and strongest Why would a mother do this? If you lived in
fear is the fear of the unknown. Keep the the Kingdoms, you wouldn’t have to ask. Kings are
other players apprehensive with your secrets. not kind to children. Children dream, and hope, and
• The best way to be associated with fear is to love. The kings teach them how wrong this is, how un-
be scary. To scare NPCs, consider the tactics bridled inspirations can have disastrous consequences.
discussed in “In the game” above. To scare Their lessons are not gentle. The lessons are wicked
your fellow PCs, learn some risky spells or enough that a tradition has developed, fervently
maneuvers. If you disregard the chance of denounced by the monarchies, that if the stars are the
magical catastrophe every time you start an right color, and the season is right, then when a mother
incantation, you can bet the other players are lays her babe down on a bed of moss and ferns in
going to think you’re a little bit scary. They the forest, or rubbish in the alley, magic can save the
might think other things about you, too, but child. The tradition says that a pack of wolves, or per-
that’s what playing a wight is all about. haps wild dogs, awakens to intelligence, and runs with
Racial abilities. Wights have +1 Heart, as all the child, keeping it safe from kings and cruelty.
humans do. Additionally, they know if another person The mothers are driven to this from different
in the area has a Fear. They can sense the Fear's rela- backgrounds. A courtier who despises the society she
tive strength, and they can prey upon it. When a wight uses. A farmer’s wife who refuses to watch another
thus feeds, she uses her target's Fear as her own Inspi- son broken by the Duke’s professors. A housemaid
ration for one roll. This also causes the target to lose who sees what the nobility do to children with too
2 Mood unless the target makes a Reason roll against much spirit. All that they share is desperation. They
the Doom. A wight can feed on Fear once per scene, at don't want their son to hate what he loves. So they
will, requiring no action save a moment's volition and choose to leave the boy to the wolves rather than to
no contact save line of sight. let him be brought up in a Kingdom where he will
Finally, if a wight chooses at character creation learn to forego passion, forget love, lose himself in the
forever to forfeit the ability to feed upon Fear, she safety of the Kingdom.
receives the other pan-human benefit. Namely, she Most times, the trick does not work. The chil-
increases her Magic die one size whenever resisting dren are never seen again. But now and then, when
magic. magic and the stars are right, it does work. The advent
of a human child awakens the wolves. The pack
becomes intelligent. It raises the child, and it loves the
child. And then the child leaves the pack. Often many
years have passed, and he is now a man. At night, he
jogs over manicured lawns and scampers over city
walls. He is coming back. Some come back wild,
some angry, some hurt. Some come back to the very
house they were born in; others come back to villages

68
and cities they have never seen before. They are never times just to see if any thing howls back.
the same. They always come back missing the pieces Pace in circles. Try to set up the party like a
left with the wolves and carrying the pieces the wolves pack, with an alpha, beta, and omega.
are missing. There are sorrowful howls in the forest • Twin princes or princesses of wolves are leg-
where the child has left. endary and held to be omens: future kings,
From there, stories diverge. Some princes of saints, or destroyers. Are you a twin?
wolves are able to masquerade in society; happy in Who is your twin? Male, female, lost,
some fashion for decades. Others return to their packs known, loyal, traitor?
after tasting and despising society. Some take the time Racial abilities. Princesses of wolves have +1
before returning to the woods to break their mothers’ Heart, as all humans do. Additionally, once per scene,
hearts, cruelly and at length. And there are some who a princess of wolves can loan an Inspiration to help
successfully reunite with both their wolf family and another person, be he one of her "pack" or not. The
their human family. recipient uses the princess's Inspiration as if it were
In the game. Princes of wolves make excellent one of his own. This allows him to roll his Heart die
fixers. Some say this is because they need to fix their as a bonus die. If the princess's Inspiration was 2 or
own broken childhood. Regardless of the reason, a higher, and if she narrates her Inspiration's relevance,
prince's ability to benefit another through his Inspira- then the recipient maxes his current die and the prin-
tion use meshes well with a fixer's alchemical suite. cess's Heart die, and both dice explode. This counts
A prince has learned to benefit others through as the princess's use of that Inspiration for this scene;
the intensity of the pack-bond. Most sages say this she cannot use it again, on herself or another, until the
tendency toward bonding is self-fulfilling, leading the group decides the scene is over. Doing this takes no
right feral children to be saved, while also explaining time in-game; the princess of wolves can use this abil-
the prevalence of twins. Naturally, organizations prize ity even on another's turn.
princes and princesses of wolves. They make excellent Finally, if a princess of wolves chooses at
officers in armed legions, prefects in arcane orders, character creation forever to forfeit the ability to help
and trade princes in guilds. Some organizations also others with her Inspiration, she receives the other pan-
value princes of wolves highly for the princes' iconic human benefit. Namely, she increases her magic die
value as symbols of resistance to the kings. one size whenever resisting magic.
Creating and roleplaying a prince of wolves. In
some ways, the prince of wolves is a narrower concept Troll
than other races. You must work harder to make your
character stand out from other princes of wolves.
Consider these tips:
(Rain Troll)
The rain trolls have always been in the Claw.
• Describe your pack. Name the wolves,
In the days before the seradynn arrived, they were
sketch their personalities, draw a map of their
called simply trolls. Nowadays, they are sometimes
hunting grounds, talk about the way the pack
still called simply trolls, but they are also known as
smelled on cold mornings and summer morn
‘rain trolls’ because of their high populations and pre-
ings and after crossing a river. Talk about
sumed origins in the deluge jungles of Jakatta.
memorable hunts, favorite prey, and pack en-
Other than occasional horns, slightly larger
emies.
frames, and blue-green skin tones, rain trolls appear
• Know why you came back (or didn’t). This
similar to humans. Appearances do not tell the whole
is arguably the most important decision a
story, however, for there is an important difference.
prince of wolves ever makes: Ought I return to
Trolls regnerate.
society? Make sure that your prince has an
Regeneration allows trolls to approach crises
answer to that question.
more philosophically than many humans would. After
• Bring the wolf. Sniff everything. Howl some
all, it is easier to remain calm despite an arrow pierc-

69
ing your liver if you know that the organ can heal Consider these tips for roleplay:
itself almost as quickly as you can remove the shaft. • If you are playing an iconic advisor troll,
This calm and deliberate outlook is stereotypical of the think of some aphorisms ahead of time. “The
rain trolls. Many humans in the Kingdoms say that to rose does not always go to the most beauti-
truly understand a troll, you have to understand some- ful.” “Such a tragedy that love does not pre-
one who would rip his own arm off just to scratch his clude hate.” “How sad that what is pleasing
back. This is an exaggeration, of course. Trolls to the purse is not always pleasing to the
feel pain as humans do, and they avoid autoamputa- heart.” Utter them often to chide your fellow
tion. As with much hyperbole, however, the adage players or to make wise but obscure state
contains a kernel of truth. Troll regeneration offers ments about the future.
options beyond the reach of humans. • Know how your regeneration works, and take
The iconic image of the troll is a cool, reserved advantage of it. Often this means contriving
schemer, whether that means a shiftless grifter lean- some short rest after combats. Think about
ing against a pillar outside a Jakattan sun temple or how your regeneration looks and sounds (do
an eminence grise who lurks behind the throne of you hear bones pop back together? Does it
successive Cardinals in Valte Riel. The trolls' “long smell like ozone?). Be ready to describe your
view” approach to life allows them to master a broad regeneration as well as use it.
array of skills. But they are not exclusively con men • Play up to or play against the stereotype of
and viziers. On the contrary, rain trolls are to trollkind the troll as a wise counselor. Either nod
what ninebloods are to humankind: the most numer- sagely and treat everyone else in the party as
ous, successful, and known of their species. Trolls fill a student, or play a fixer-loving, wizard-
many roles across the Kingdoms. They are farmers, mocking, wild troll with a mess of a personal
miners, rebels, bakers, soldiers, brewers, and anything life and a shaved stripe down his scalp tat-
else that can make gold and love in the world. tooed with Thus to Tyrants.
In the game. Troll regeneration is a valuable • In social encounters, maintain an even
ability for any warrior, but it can be handy for emotional keel. When someone insults you,
other characters as well. Using it in combat requires raise an eyebrow. When someone insults
two rounds, so look for talents, fighting styles, class your parents, your homeland, your children,
abilities, and allies that can buy you a round. Also, and what your parents and your children do
avoid overconfidence. Regeneration is best used out- in your homeland, pause a beat and then say,
side of combat. During combat, in the midst of flash- "Fascinating."
ing blades, regeneration is anything but a guarantee of Racial abilities. Trolls regenerate. They can re-
survival. generate their Body score per season (so, 4 or 5 Body
A rain troll’s equanimity is a boon in negotia- per season for the average troll). This can re-attach
tions.Trolls make excellent “face” characters because limbs, organs, and the head. If a vital part of a troll’s
their focus on skills supplies them with a bonus die anatomy is withheld or prevented from regrowing for
in many situations. Trader, courtier, and rogue are a a season, then the troll dies. Parts with the ability to
natural character class for this reason. Trolls also make move (crawling hands, inching legs) move dumbly
excellent fixers and engineers because of those classes' toward their fellow parts if such exist within 50 feet;
reliance on skill. otherwise, detached parts are inert. If a troll is brought
Creating and roleplaying a rain troll. When to 0 Body and burned, it cannot regenerate. In combat,
describing your rain troll’s appearance, remember that a troll can regenerate 1 Body by using two consecutive
rain trolls are ten percent larger than humans, with tricks. Troll regeneration does not regenerate charac-
skin tones ranging from icy blue to deep-water green, teristic damage unless the troll has another ability that
and small permanent horns or seasonal antlers. allows this.
Trolls also have one body part that functions

70
remotely. For example, if you are an eye troll, you can a tail. Despite these bestial accents, the seradynn retain
detach your eye, leave it up to a mile away on a shelf, elegant facial features. This combination of the savage
and have it spy for you; if you're a hand troll, you can and the beautiful has earned the seradynn the epithets
toss your hand in a fixer's wagon, then at night crawl it Dark Graces, Fury Troll, and Beast Troll (the word
out, feel your way to the door, and unlock it from the seradynn itself derives from a prophecy of the Inquisi-
inside to let the rest of your body in. Choose one body tion in Dynn that speaks of a race of fiends rising in
part; you can never change your choice. The remote the land of men).
functioning works up to one mile away. Seradynn do not in general share the same sage
Rain trolls start all histories or skills at 6, minds as the rain trolls. Their closer relationship with
rather than 4, for the first point that they put into the magic leads them down other paths.
history. Subsequent points work normally. For exam- In the game. Seradynn are known to be magi-
ple, a rain troll with 5 points in a history would have a cal, so be prepared for enemies to meet you with
value of 10 (6 for the first point plus 4 for each of the Parapet Defense in combat and a spellbound coterie at
following four points). feasts and social occasions.
Finally, if a rain troll chooses at character cre- Keep in mind that the strength of the seradynn
ation forever to forfeit his bonus to skills, he gains the as a race is magic. Pick up talents, abilities, and styles
other pan-troll ability, viz +1 Body. that capitalize on your Magic score. If you are spell-
bound, consider choosing a magic style that empha-

Seradynn sizes spells with magic rather than physical attacks;

Dramba and Hearts are good choices.
Of course, the bonus to magic does not mean
The seradynn arrived forty-eight years ago, in that you need to be a witch or wizard. Far from it.
living memory for some in the Kingdoms. Magic permeates the world. There are many ways to
The first discovery took place aboard a caravel draw on its power and leverage your increased Magic
named the Windsnare. The discovery was a troll foot, score: building your home in a magical place, acquir-
wrapped in cheesecloth, in a crate of bacon forks des- ing and using items that only function for someone
tined for the table of a tycoon of far Oryn-ja. The ste- with a high Magic score, or learning combat maneu-
vedore who unwrapped the foot did not know what to vers that train physical defenses while leaving you
make of it. Contrastingly, the foot knew exactly what to rely on natural talent (ie, your high Magic score)
to make of itself. Namely, a new troll. It twitched out rather than Parapet Defense maneuvers for magical
of the shocked stevedore’s hand and began an awk- defense.
ward toecrawl toward a pottery crate. Out of that crate Creating and roleplaying a seradynn troll. The
flopped a troll leg. The foot and leg attached. Then seradynn are a blank slate. They have appeared in the
they knee-inched to a wine barrel, where a one-armed Kingdoms with no past and no memories.
torso hauled itself over the rim and assembled itself • Decide what your character believes about
with the footleg. And so on. Other stevedores watched the origin of the seradynn. Are they on the
troll bodies reform all across the Windsnare. run from one of the savage parts of the
The same events played out everywhere in the world? Are they an experiment by a mad
harbor of far Oryn-ja that day. Not a single regener- king? A magic accident? There
ated troll knew where he had come from or why he is a popular culture in the Kingdoms that has
arrived dismembered and scattered in cargo holds. The decided the seradynn must be on the run
origin of the seradynn remains a mystery to this day. from someone or something. But there is no
The new trolls were not the same as the old. consensus as to what that someone or some
Where rain trolls are slightly taller than humans and thing is, and there is little evidence
thick, seradynn are slightly shorter and lithe. The save the seemingly last-resort nature of the
horns of seradynn are varied, and many seradynn have seradynn’s arrival to support the culture in

71
 the first place.
• Affect a habit involving one of your non- Characteristics
human body parts. Perhaps you’re ashamed
Assign a 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, and 8 to each of the
of your tail and always hiding it. Perhaps
following characteristics (you get two 6s). You can
your polish your horns when nervous. Or
increase these characteristics as you gain levels.
maybe your tail always rises embarrassingly
The characteristics are:
whenever you smell chocolate.
• Strength
• Seradynn often feel the need to settle. Own
• Quickness
a home and secure it. When other characters
• Reason
come over, make them wait while your
• Charisma
guards check them.
• Magic
• As always, choose Inspirations to match your
• Heart
character’s goals, personality, and back
As you advance, your characteristics increase
ground. Does she embrace magic or resent
(see the next chapter). But there is a limit to troll and
it? Does she want to discover her race’s past
human bodies and minds. No characteristic can be
or forget it?
raised above 12. As always, magic and other excep-
Racial abilities. Trolls regenerate. They can re-
tions may apply, but 12 is the normal limit to charac-
generate their Body score per season (so, 4 or 5 Body
teristic scores.
per season for the average troll). This can re-attach
Strength. Strength measures the force you can
limbs, organs, and the head. If a vital part of a troll’s
exert and the punishment you can take. Some fighting
anatomy is withheld or prevented from regrowing for
styles, weapons, and armor require minimum strength
a season, then the troll dies. Parts with the ability to
scores.
move (crawling hands, inching legs) move dumbly
Stronger characters are more likely to resist
toward their fellow parts if such exist within 50 feet;
diseases, withstand the elements, or hang on to the
otherwise, detached parts are inert. If a troll is brought
peak of the obelisk until the zeppelin arrives and
to 0 body and burned, it cannot regenerate. In combat,
throws down a rope. During the course of play, you
a troll can regenerate 1 body by using two consecutive
might need to make a strength roll to bend bars or lift
tricks. Troll regeneration does not regenerate charac-
gates, to push a wizard off a cliff, to shrug off the ef-
teristic damage unless the troll has another ability that
fects of a poison, or to endure in a blizzard.
allows this.
Quickness. A quick character can dodge blows
Seradynn also have one body part that func-
and strike with an accuracy improved by speed.
tions remotely, as all trolls do. For example, if you are
Quickness is also an index of a character’s agility. You
a mouth troll, you can detach your maxilla and man-
want a high quickness if you plan on picking pockets
dible and everything in between, set the whole on the
in the bazaar, scaling courtyard walls, or melting into
bar, and talk to your friends even if the rest of you is a
the shadows before the queen’s guards can see you.
mile away; if you're a tail troll, you can paint your tail
As with Strength, certain fighting styles and
like a snake and slither it through the Inamorata's gar-
weapons require minimum quickness scores. Quick-
dens to steal her scarf (you'd have to have some means
ness is the default characteristic in chase scenes, mak-
of seeing where it went). Choose one body part; you
ing it essential for characters that live on the run.
can never change your choice. The remote functioning
Reason. Reason allows you to perceive pres-
works up to one mile away.
ence and meaning, decipher codes, pilot a zeppelin,
Seradynn gain +1 Magic.
and alight upon lucid conclusions that a dimmer mind
Finally, if a Seradynn chooses at character cre-
misses. If you want a character that builds trebuchets,
ation forever to forfet his +1 Magic, he gains the other
challenges princes to games of nine men's doom,
pan-troll ability, viz +1 Body.
maintains a castle, and notices the flaw in a diamond

72
brooch from across the dance floor, you want that
character to have a high reason score. Health
Reason also determines your maximum num- There is more than one way to hurt a man.
ber of skills, so if you would like to excel in many dif- Body represents physical health. Mood represents
ferent fields, assign a high value to your Reason score. mental health. Both affect each other.
Magic. Every child is born with some amount Body. Wounds, disease, poison, fatigue and
of magical aptitude. This characteristic measures that more can lower Body. Rest, care, and magic can raise
aptitude. Magic is used to cast spells, but it is also Body.
used to resist spells. You roll your magic die to survive Body starts at 5. Rules for Body and Mood
magic storms, activate a warded item, or fight off a damage and recovery are given in Chapter Two. Re-
magical disease. member, after each battle, roll Strength vs. the Doom
A wizard character needs a high magic score. to recover each point of Body (or characterstic) lost.
Many magic styles have steep minimum magic score Mood. A character’s mood shades his actions.
requirements. Anyone who expects to be fighting Characters mired in depression are less effective than
witches and wizards also does well to invest in a high characters energized by a sense of purpose. A high
magic score. Even if he is not spellbound, he will use mood score might represent happiness and fulfill-
his magic score to resist the spells flying his way. ment, but it could just as easily represent intensity,
Charisma. A character with a high charisma confidence or righteousness. A low score might rep-
might be a leader, a comedian, or a beauty. A high resent sadness or despair, but it could also represent
charisma score may mean that you create a great first frustration, confusion, or guilt. Mood starts at half a
impression, that you are a warm friend, or that you cut character's Heart score. The full rules for Mood are in
an imposing figure on the battlefield. You should de- Chapter One (p. 8).
cide at character creation the origin of your character’s Reputation. Reputation measures the social
charisma (or lack thereof!). health of a character. Unlike body and mood, a charac-
As the game plays out, you might make a ter can have multiple reputation scores. All his
charisma roll to barter for a cheaper sword at the reputations start at zero; they change when a
blacksmith, to win the princess’s hand, or to rally your character makes an impression on enough members of
troops. this or that group.
Not surprisingly, charisma is very important in
social scenes. It is also important if you want to fully
employ flamboyant, extroverted combat styles like
Swashbuckler.
Heart. Courageous men have conquered more
kingdoms than all the clever magicians and strong
warriors combined. A character with a large heart
may be generous, ambitious, kind, or intransigent.
His passions burn hotter, his loves are fiercer, than
those of ordinary men. You might need Heart to swing
your sword even as your vision grows dark from your
wounds, or to love a woman that the entire kingdom
despises, or to persevere after your son falls in battle.
Heart raises your maximum Mood and is a ve-
hicle for your Inspirations. I recommend a high Heart
score. In the end, Heart is what makes a hero who he
is.

73
 Chapter Nine:
Character Classes
Your character’s choice of class determines his that can shock and awe the untalented. They require
access to fighting styles, magic styles, talents, charac- intense practice. You can have, at most, three talents
teristic increases, and special abilities. Choices within trained at one time. It is easy to let your training lapse
a class are often more important than the class itself. and lose a talent; you can do this at will. A week after
A rogue who learns free sword and chooses martial your abandonment, the talent disappears. Whenever
talents plays much differently than a rogue who learns you level up, or after training a suitable time as judged
dagger- and-wine and chooses social talents, for ex- by your GM, you can replace any forgotten talents
ample. Still, class makes a difference. with new ones for which you are eligible.
When creating a new character and whenever Talents come in three tiers: minor, major, and
your character gains a level, select a class and grand. In every case, the higher tier talent includes the
advance one level in that class. The classes are: lower tier talents' abilities. For that reason, there is no
• Chosen One need to have a minor talent when you are able to learn
• Engineer the major one. The major one includes the minor one.
• Fixer Still, if you like a minor talent but do not like its major
• Noble, Priest, Courtesan, Courtier or grand forms, you are welcome to keep that minor
• Rogue, Assassin talent. It still counts as one of your three talents. Train-
• Savage ing more than three is too difficult.
• Trader Characteristic increases can be split as you
• Warrior wish. "+4 Str or Qck" could be +3 Strength and +1
• Wizard, Witch Quickness, for example.

Tables & Talents Multiclassing

There are two tables for each character class, When your character is ready to rise a level,
the main table and the talent table. pick a class and add 1 to your previous level in it. You
Both tables spell out totals. In other words, at gain all the appropriate abilities. A 7th level Chosen
each level, the class tables list the abilites gained in One/7th level Rogue, for example, has all the charac-
total from level zero, rather than simply listing "what's teristic increases, class abilties, and styles of a 7th-
new." "+4 Str or Qck" means total from level 0 in this level Chosen One and a 7th-level Rogue.
class; you do not gain 4 Strength or Quickness points There is one exception to the "just take all
this level! abilities from both classes and add them together"
I did this to help you (and me) create high-lev- rule. That exception is talents. Even when you mul-
el NPCs quickly. Now we do not have to add up all the ticlass, you cannot train more than three talents at a
previously earned class abilities; we need look only at time. To determine the number and level of talents a
the current level line in the table. So much faster! multiclassed character gets, add up all the character's
Styles. On the class table, a fighting or magic class levels and then use whichever class table the
style with (n) is at the neophyte level; (a) at the ap- player chooses to determine the number and type of
prentice level; and (m) at the master level. You must talents.
already be an apprentice of a style before you can Example. In the case of a 7th-level Chosen
master it. One/7th-level Rogue, the player would find the "14th
Talents. Talents are extraordinary abilities level" line on either the Rogue's or the Chosen One's

74
talents table, and he would use the numbers on that
14th level line to determine the talents of his 7/7 Cho-
sen One/Rogue.
Multiclasing strains the psyche. If you take
a level in a new class before you have reached name
level in all your previous classes, your maximum
Mood is cut in half (round down), and you take 3
Mood damage at the start of each scene (or day).

Chosen One
[Magic or Martial]
A chosen one only gets one choice for herself.
At the start of things, at least, that's how it is, and
that's how it probably will be for the rest of her life.
A chosen one is a child of fate, an inheritor
of doom, an unlucky soul who did not choose great
power or great responsibility but has both thrust upon
her. Her one choice comes as soon as Destiny chooses
her, and it is this: live up to the responsibility or die.
A chosen one might be the reincarnation of an
ancient mystery cult’s savior, with no knowledge of
her true identity until the cult lamas come to venerate
and instruct their reincarnated goddess. A chosen one
might be a farm girl whose tilling turns up an ancient
sword that begins to whisper to her and urges her to
join a millennia-old shadow war. Another chosen one
might be a young girl who catches a book falling from
a passing zeppelin, reads it, and suddenly finds herself
empowered and thrust into a conflict older than the
Age of Cartonnage.
Hosting an ancient spirit, inheriting forbidden
knowledge, discovering new secrets; there are many
ways to be chosen. The result is what matters. The
character is now part of something greater than her-
self.
Some chosen ones develop physical prowess,
others arcane. All are powerful. A chosen one:
• Draws power from a source of legend.
• Battles with blade, spell, or both.
• Gathers followers and leads a movement
that could change history.
• Heralds a time of great change – if she lives.
Note that a Chosen One's levels can count as
either martial class levels or magic class levels. If
her first style is magic, then her class levels count as
magic. If her first style is martial, then her class levels

75
 Chosen One
Level Title Cumulative Cumulative Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting Spell
1 Awakened - 1a * Destiny history.
2 +1 Str, Qck, or Mgc 1a * Destiny history.
3 +1 Str, Qck, or Mgc 1a * Destiny history.
4 +1 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2a * Destiny history.
5 Anointed +1 Str, Qck, or Mgc 1m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration.
6 +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 1m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration.
7 +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 1m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration.
8 +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration.
9 +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration.
10 Chosen +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots.
11 +2 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots.
12 +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots.
13 +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 2m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots.
14 +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots.
15 Destined +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots, mass following.
16 +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots, mass following.
17 +3 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
zealots, mass following.
18 +4 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
focused zealots, mass following.
19 +4 Str, Qck, or Mgc 3m, 1a * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
focused zealots, mass following.
20 The One +5 Str, Qck, or Mgc 4m * Destiny history, Destiny inspiration,
focused zealots, mass following,
revolution.
As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You
must be an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.
* A Chosen One can substitute a magic style for any fighting style. For exanple, at level 9, a chosen one
could be a master of a fighting style and an apprentice of two magic styles; or she could be a master of a magic
style, apprentice of another magic style, and apprentice of a fighting style.

76
 fighting off the cults that have arisen over the centuries
Chosen One Cumulative to prevent a prophesy girl like you from coming to
Talents power.
Level Title Minor Major Grand In the Kingdoms. Kings hunt the chosen. Some
kings act on the barest hint of prophecy, and they fill
rows of oubliettes with children in iron masks and
1 Awakened - - - manacles, each child bearing the stink of destiny from
2 - - - one soothsayer or another. Kings suspect everyone,
3 1 - - and they know that their suspicions are correct, al-
4 1 - - ways, when it comes to a child of fate. Kings cannot
5 Anointed 2 - - suffer prophecy.
6 2 - - Commoners hunt the chosen too. Often, the
7 3 - - villagers blame a chosen for the latest magical
disasters, droughts, and famines. The chosen may be
8 3 - -
stoned. If she is charismatic enough, however, and
9 2 1 - especially if she is powerful enough, a village or
10 Chosen 2 1 - neighborhood may adopt her as a totem. She wakes up
11 1 2 - every morning to strawberries, peonies, and weak beer
12 1 2 - on her sill.
13 - 3 - If she grows powerful enough and wise
14 - 3 - enough, a chosen one fulfills her destiny. Usually
this destiny is greater than her and affects her world
15 Destined - 2 1
in profound ways. She might change the culture of
16 - 2 1 an entire kingdom, quiet the magic that has made life a
17 - 1 2 nightmare for generations of villagers, or stave off the
18 - 1 2 collapse of civilization.
19 - 0 3
20 The One - 0 3
Chosen One
NB: A Chosen One's talents are martial or
magic. After becoming Chosen (level 10), one talent Abilities
may be social.
Destiny history. Name the focus of your abili-
ties. What chose you? A cult, a sword, the spirit of
count as martial. your grandfather, a philosophy - you learn from it.
Adventure ideas. Chosen are almost precluded You gain a History (6) in something related to your
by their nature from leading normal lives. A momen- focus. This does not count toward your normal limit of
tous event has brought great power to them, and noth- Histories. You can raise this History as you would any
ing can ever be the same again. other, that is, by spending points awarded in play.
Chosen adventures concentrate on several Destiny inspiration. Your destiny provides In-
themes. Self-exploration is a major one. Why was I spiration. Choose an Inspiration in keeping with your
chosen? What is special about me, if anything? chosen destiny and write it down on your character
And if nothing is, do I deserve my gift or its burden? sheet. With this ability, you may exceed your normal
Other themes in chosen adventures include liv- Inspiration limit by one.
ing up to one’s destiny, discovering one’s destiny, and Zealots. A dozen zealots follow you every-

77
where that you let them. You may have other follow-
ers, of course, in your organization or elsewhere. But
these zealots are always ready to fight and die for you.
Engineer
They prefer to fight in Mob style and have 16 Body Need a zeppelin pilot to drop your cords-
(effectively) and 6 Mood, although they never use men precisely on the parapet and not in the moat? An
their Mood to soak Damage in combat, believing it engineer is your man. Need someone to sap a castle,
is more devout to shed blood in your name. At each bombard a fleet, and then build a monument after the
subsequent level, your zealots gain 1 effective Body war is won? Find an engineer.
when fighting in Mob style. Individually, they have 4 Engineers live by their wits. This is not so dif-
Body (they are ascetics, fasting and meditating upon ferent from a courtesan or an ambassador, but where
you rather than eating) 6 Mood (again, Mood is never those seek to master men, an engineer seeks to master
used to soak Damage), and fight in Berserker style. nature.
Once you are Destined, they also learn Guardian style. An engineer’s devices must survive and func-
Fallen zealots are replaced at the rate of one per week, tion in a world filled with magic and chaos. Not every
although after you are Destined, this changes to one device functions perfectly every time, but engineer-
per scene (or day). ing in the Kingdoms has advanced to the point where
Mass following. Your destiny pulls others. A reliable black powder weapons and a few more com-
cultural movement gathers in your wake. If you do not plicated machines are possible. Most people, at every
already have one, you gain an organization of follow- level of society, know of the benefits that an engineer
ers. Usually this is an armed legion or secret society. affords his fellow man. The heated floors, soaring
If you do already have one, increase its scope by 4 and aqueducts, giant mills and dams, and ponderous zep-
its efficiency and one other characteristic by 6. pelins are testimony to the efficacy of engineers.
You also gain a reputation equal to your Cha- An engineer on an adventure usually clutches
risma with a population of your choice (you may be a his gadgets like talismans. Tuned monocles, trick
faceless, anonymous hero if you prefer). staves, wheellock pistols and spring-loaded grappling
Finally, you can rewrite one of your home re- hooks are staples of the engineer’s adventuring kit.
gion's culture lines. This change in culture takes effect Play an engineer if you want to:
immediately. • Direct bombardments and sieges.
Revolution. Your destiny has rallied the people • Collapse walls and crash chandeliers on
to your cause. In any war that is fought in pursuit of your opponents’ heads.
your destiny, you give +2 Spirit and +1 Health to all • Deploy an arsenal of gadgets.
allied units.
Also, your ability to change the culture ex- Adventure ideas. Engineers find power in
pands. You can rewrite a second line of culture for machines. They constantly go into the field to test new
your home region, and you also can write a line of gears, new vehicles, new weapons. Among the armed
culture that applies to the entire kingdom, replacing legions, engineers are valued highly. A combat engi-
one of the royal culture lines. neer can change the course of a battle with sapping,
Talents. As a Chosen One, your talents begin entrenchment, or a trebuchet bombardment. On a more
as martial or magic - your choice, but it must be the individual scale, adventuring companies also value
same as your first style choice. After becoming Cho- engineers. A dungeon engineer is frequently essential
sen (level 10), one talent may be social. for crossing difficult impasses or breaking into sealed
NB If a Chosen One's destiny involves an vaults, and a wilderness engineer is indispensable for
object such as a sword or shield, that object typically piloting the expedition’s vehicles and crafting traps,
gains 1 Quality point per PC Chosen One level. This is shelter, and artillery from scavenged local materials.
to ensure that the PC is not fighting with a sub-optimal In the Kingdoms. Engineering is a new profes-
focus object when she reaches high level. sion. It is rare, but its advances have made engineers

78
 Engineer
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting
1 Draftsman - 1n Engineering.
2 - 1a Engineering, signature item.
3 +1 Reason 1a Engineering, signature item.
4 +1 Reason 1a Engineering, signature item.
5 Engineer +1 Reason 1a Engineering, signature item, combat engineer.
6 +1 Reason 1a Engineering, signature item, combat engineer.
7 +2 Reason 1a,1n Engineering, signature item, combat engineer.
8 +2 Reason 1a, 1n Engineering, signature item, combat engineer.
9 +2 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, combat engineer.
10 Chief +2 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, chief combat engineer,
Engineer mechanical advantage.
11 +2 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, chief combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar.
12 +2 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, chief combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar.
13 +3 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, chief combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar.
14 +3 Reason 2a Engineering, signature item, chief combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar.
15 +3 Reason 2a, 1n Engineering, signature item, master combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks.
16 +3 Reason 2a, 1n Engineering, signature item, master combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks.
17 +3 Reason 2a, 1n Engineering, signature item, master combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks.
18 Architect +3 Reason 3a Engineering, signature item, master combat engineer,
of Wonder mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks, wonder
worker.
19 +3 Reason 3a Engineering, signature item, master combat engineer,
mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks, wonder
worker.
20 Prime +4 Reason 3a Engineering, signature item, grandmaster combat en-
Mover gineer, mechanical advantage, scholar, masterworks,
wonders without end.

As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You
must be an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.

79
prominent in many circles. They are a frequent target
of vituperation from the bankers, schoolmasters, and Engineer Abilities
clergymen whom the commoners still see as more re- Engineering. Add 1 bonus point per engineer
spectable, if not more adventurous. Reliable zeppelins level to (up to) three Histories that are primarily fo-
are perhaps the engineers’ most significant achieve- cused on engineering.
ment, and the new prototype submersibles may soon Signature item. Choose one engineering item
rival them. Kings as well as commoners are taking to be your signature item. As long as you can plausibly
notice. Whether or not that is bodes good or ill for the narrate how you use your signature item to perform
engineers remains to be seen. an environment trick, you roll your Reason rather
than Strength or Quickness (or any other stat) against
Engineer Cumulative the Doom when you attempt to initiate the trick. For
Talents example, a spring-launched grappling hook with a
Level Title Minor Major Grand
mechanized winch is Nikolai Khury's signature item.
In a fight against highwaymen on the Free Road,
Nikolai attempts an environmental trick where he
1 Draftsman - - - shoots the grappling hook into the upholstery of the
2 - - - pole's seat on the stagecoach. Then he rips the seat free
3 - - - of the coach so that it crashes into the highwaymen. To
4 1 - - beat the Doom, rather than roll Strength, he rolls his
5 Engineer 1 - - Reason by attaching the hook in just the right spot (if
he succeeds, as normal, he goes on to roll a d8 attack
6 2 - -
for 2 points of damage against each highwayman - or
7 2 - -
whatever attack and damage combo he and his GM
8 3 - - work out).
9 3 - - Combat engineer. When you use an engineer-
10 Chief 2 1 - ing item that normally causes damage in combat, such
Engineer as a grapeshot bomb or a whiplash gyre, it causes 1
11 2 1 - extra point of damage on a hit. In a battle, you can
12 1 2 - gain this bonus with siege weapons.You must be at-
13 1 2 - tached to the siege weapon unit (thus not contributing
a command point). When you are a chief, the bonus
14 - 3 -
damage increases to 2 extra points; at 15th level, 3
15 - 3 - extra points; and as Prime Mover, 4 extra points.
16 - 2 1 Mechanical advantage. Treat any engineer-
17 - 2 1 ing item you use as two Quality points higher than it
18 Architect - 1 2 actually is. This includes any zeppelin, ship, or sub-
of Wonder mersible on which you are an officer. Any building or
19 - 1 2 vehicle that you construct is also two Quality points
20 Prime - 0 3 higher than normal. At 15th level, both of these bo-
Mover nuses become 4 points higher than normal.
NB: An engineer's talents are martial or shadow. After Scholar. When an engineer ascends to 11th
you become a Chief Engineer, one talent may be so- level, and twice more when he ascends to 17th level
cial. and 19th level, he gains three History points beyond
what the GM awards.
Masterworks. Given time, your forge, and

80
your lab, you can improve by one the quality of any many wonders as resources permit. You may only
weapon, armor, vehicle, building, engineering item, work on one wonder at a time.
or mass combat troop's weapons. This takes one day Talents. An engineer's talents are martial or
per quality point. In the case of a mass combat troop, shadow. After you become a Chief Engineer, one tal-
weapon improvements increase damage by one from ent may be social.
all maneuvers (not formations).
Wonder worker. Once in your life, you can
construct a wonder.
Wonders without end. You may construct as

81
 Fixer
[Shadow]
Fixers are the alchemists, surgeons, fences,
healers and sages of the underworld. Like the traders,
they maintain a loose network across the Claw. Unlike
the traders, the fixers are not all harnessed in the ben-
eficial service of profit. Their fraternity is built upon
centuries of secrets, upon knowledge lost and found
and lost again, upon betrayals masked with lies. Some
fixers are heroes in the slums. They cure the sick and
shelter the innocent. Other fixers are kingsmen and
sadists. They exult in pouring ratlight attar, redolent of
anise and decay, down the throats of captured traitors.
A fixer refines nature in order to create some-
thing more than nature. He transmutes ash to death
and water to life. His potions, dusts, elixirs, sticks, and
salves can burn, disintegrate, petrify, heal, and trans-
form.
But fixers do not rule their underworld de-
mesnes because they can distill from the natural world
a spell’s power. They rule because they can nullify a
spell’s power. Kings despise this ability, and they seek
to co-opt or crush any fixer who dares operate outside
a royal charter.
Yet those fixers persevere. Theirs is the Great
Work.
You should play a fixer if you want to:
• Brew alchemical mixtures and transmute
substances and people.
• Fight against atrocities of magic.
• Join a clandestine fraternity that extends as
far as the Claw reaches.

Adventure ideas. Fixers always need reagents,

but even more than that, they need knowledge. A
rumor of an eastern island king who knows how to in-
tensify drakatizon is enough to send a fixer sailing into
the sunrise. Fixers plumb tombs and rummage through
every table overflowing with gewgaws in the bazaar.
They whisper with haggard old crones on their death-
beds and lonely nobles in their marriage beds. All for a
chance at knowledge.

82
 Fixer
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting
1 Nephew - 1n Fix.
2 - 1n Fix, fraternity.
3 - 1a Fix, fraternity.
4 +1 Reason or Charisma 1a Fix, fraternity.
5 Brother, +1 Reason or Charisma 1a Fix, fraternity, alchemy.
Fixer
6 +1 Reason or Charisma 1a Fix, fraternity, alchemy.
7 +1 Reason or Charisma 1a,1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy.
8 +2 Reason or Charisma 1a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy.
9 +2 Reason or Charisma 1a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix.
10 Father, +2 Reason or Charisma 1a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse.
Artiste
11 +2 Reason or Charisma 2a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse.
12 +2 Reason or Charisma 2a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse.
13 +3 Reason or Charisma 2a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute.
14 +3 Reason or Charisma 2a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute.
15 Grand- +3 Reason or Charisma 2a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
father mute, mortal dram.
16 +3 Reason or Charisma 2a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute, mortal dram.
17 +3 Reason or Charisma 2a, 1n Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute, mortal dram, scholar.
18 +3 Reason or Charisma 3a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute, mortal d ram, scholar.
19 +3 Reason or Charisma 3a Fix, fraternity, alchemy, quick fix, transfuse, trans-
mute, mortal dram, scholar.
20 Allfather +4 Reason or Charisma 3a Fix, fraternity, quick fix, alchemy, alchemy, trans-
mute, mortal dram, scholar, the Great Work.

As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You
must be an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.

83
 Often – too often for some - adventure comes
looking for a fixer. Jealous magi, supplicating cripples, Fixer Cumulative
enraged inquisitors, and desperate children all seek out Talents
fixers to one end or another. It’s up to you what you do Level Title Minor Major Grand
with them.
In the Kingdoms. Fixers are breaking history.
For centuries, there were wizards, witches, and every- 1 Nephew - - -
one else. Eventually engineers began to part the 2 - - -
clouds with their zeppelins and bombard walls with 3 - - -
their cannon, but even then the kings viewed these 4 1 - -
rude mechanicals as tools to be manipulated. 5 Brother, 1 - -
Fixers are different. Fixers have always been Fixer
moving in the undercurrents of society. The first King 6 2 - -
Below in East Fire was an alchemist. There are alche- 7 2 - -
mists’ marks on the walls in the Old Bastion in Thyre
8 3 - -
that talk about the time before the stars had color.
Alchemy has been around for centuries, and there 9 3 - -
are ruins under the streets of Varteka and Muda-tarsk 10 Father, 2 1 -
where the cisterns still reek of alchemist acid. Artiste
Not until recently, however, did alchemy have 11 2 1 -
the power to turn a man into a quickruby golem. Not 12 1 2 -
until recently did alchemy have the power to dissolve 13 1 2 -
spellstalks, stop the blink, quench madfire, and chase 14 - 3 -
the abynder akkas. Not until recently did alchemy
15 Grandfa- - 3 -
have the power to stop magic.
ther
Small wonder the kings are concerned.
16 - 2 1

Fixer Abilities 17
18
-
-
2
1
1
2
Fix. You can cure any disease, stop any magic 19 - 1 2
or alchemical effect, or neutralize any poison that tar- 20 Allfather - 0 3
gets an individual creature. In the case of disease, al- NB: A fixer's talents are shadow or social. He must
chemy, or poison, if your fixer level is greater than the always have at least one shadow talent.
virulence of the disease or the quality of the alchemi-
cal item or poison, you are successful. In the case of Alchemy. Add 1 bonus point per Fixer level to
a spell, your Reason roll must beat the Magic roll of (up to) three Histories that primarily focus on alchemy.
the spell's caster. A fix can only be attempted once per Also, treat any alchemical item you use as being two
week per victim because of the stress involved, and Quality points higher than it actually is. When you are
the attempt requires one hour per point of virulence, a Grandfather in the fraternity, this bonus increases to
quality, or caster level. You must have access to your 4 Quality points.
laboratory or a source of fixer's supplies. Quick fix. In combat or any other scene, you
Fraternity. You gain a reputation 8 "One of us" can attempt a quick fix. This functions as the Fix abil-
with other fixers, and you can call upon the Fraternity ity, but it requires a Trick to execute, and it is only
(Scope 15, Force 6, Arcana 6, Shadow 14, Efficiency successful if your Reason check beats the Doom, viru-
8) for one organization action per month. lence, or opposed Magic check, as appropriate. You

84
may attempt this only once per condition; if you fail, for one scene (or day).
then the situation is not treatable by your quick fix. If • Quickruby or quicksludge. Your injection
the quick fix is successful, the condition returns after enlarges and transforms the victim into a quickruby or
combat (if its duration would normally have it do so). quicksludge golem (p. 186). The golem obeys you as
You may attempt a more permanent cure with the Fix a dimwitted automaton, although commands against
ability. You must have a Fixer's kit on hand. its original personality allow it a Reason or Charisma
Transfuse. The patient lies down on your table, roll (its choice) to resist, opposed by your Reason roll.
and you perform a transfusion. You must have access A transfused golem understands and carries out simple
to your alchemical laboratory, and the transfusion commands, such as "Guard this room and attack
takes one hour. If you fail your Reason roll (aided by anyone who enters without displaying the Sign of the
your alchemy skill as a bonus die, of course) against Dryght" but can do nothing much more complicated
the Doom, then the patient loses all Mood and all but than that. This tranfusion lasts until the victim makes
one Body without gaining any of the transfusion's a Strength check against the Doom; he has the oppor-
effects. A character can withstand one Transfusion at- tunity to do so once per scene (or day) beginning two
tempt per week. Choose your transfusion: days after the injection. Preparing a quickruby golem
• Phlegm. You restore up to 4 points of Char- requires one full scene (or at least one day) and three
acteristic damage (Strength, Quickness, etc.). Increase injections totaling Wealth Level 14.
this to 6 points when you are a Grandfather. Transmute. You can turn lead into gold. The
• Bile. You restore up to 3 points of Body dam- transmutation requires expensive materials and skilled
age. Increase this to 5 points when you are a Grandfa- labor, but as long as you can be in your lab one week
ther. out of every two for a season, then for that season you
• Sanguine clots. You raise the recipient's gain 100 gold per fixer level.
maximum Mood by 3 for one scene (or one day). Mortal dram. When you use an alchemical
• Ichor. You lay a corpse out on your table, item that normally causes damage, it causes 1 addi-
inject it with ichor, and a zombie arises. It is as likely tional point of damage. As an Allfather, this increases
to kill you as anyone else, so manacles are advised. to 3 additional points of damage.
Conducting the process is a Wealth Level 3 item, or Scholar. When a fixer ascends to 17th level,
300 gold orbs under normal economic circumstances. and again when he ascends to 19th level, he gains
When you are a Grandfather, you can create contagion three History points beyond what the GM awards.
zombies and human-raptor cross-stitch zombies as The Great Work. You can prepare the Ultimate
Wealth Level 6 items. As an Allfather, you can create Solution, which is proof against magic. Creating a
Undead Giants as Wealth Level 11 items. dose of the solution requires a week in your lab, and
• Liquid breath. The recipient can survive with- it loses all potency if not used within the following
out air for 5 hours per fixer level. If he does not re- week. After a man drinks it, for one scene (or one
ceive a reverse transfusion – this time back to blood – day), he gains a d12 bonus die on any roll to resist
before the time is up, he takes 1 Body damage per half magic, and he is immune to surges and magical dis-
hour until he does receive a transfusion. The process is ease. The Ultimate Solution is a Wealth Level 18 item,
a Wealth Level 4 item, or 600 gold orbs under normal or 15,300 gold orbs under normal economic condi-
economic conditions. tions.
• Quicksilver. The recipient gains 6 Quickness Talents. A fixer's talents are shadow or social.
and can outrun a horse. The effects last for one hour, He must always have at least one shadow talent.
and afterwards, the recipient ages 1d4 years. Each
such transfusion is a Wealth Level 7 item, or 2100
gold orbs under normal economic conditions.
• Spellstalk cruor. The recipient is spellbound

85
 Noble, Priest,
Courtesan
[Social]
Do nobles feel guilt? Do they hear the screams
of the longshoreman's wife as her baby dies for lack of
a spell? Do they hear the cries of the children up past
bedtime, nagged by pain, wanting only a powder from
an outlawed fixer? Do those sounds crash dissonantly
in nobles' nightmares - or are they actually the melo-
dies of sweet dreams? If you can answer those ques-
tions, you can play a noble.
Nobles are the ruling class, with priests, court-
iers, and courtesans providing moral, economic, and
social support. Priests grant to nobles the blessing of
the High God for protecting society from the evils of
magic; courtiers and courtesans grant to nobles intel-
lectual and social justification and relief. Most nobles
are born to the privilege; most priests come from
noble families; most courtiers are in houses bred to a
particular court. Very few are elevated from the sub-
ject class,and then only after blackmail, murder, or a
fortune in bribes.
Nobles are no stranger to swordplay and
combat, as duels, hereditary appointments to military
offices, and tournaments form a significant part of the
lifestyle. There is a saying in the kingdoms: The dif-
ference between a noble and a savage is that the noble
wipes his sword after stabbing you.
A courtesan plays many roles: politician, bro-
ker, socialite, ambassador, concubine. Many peasant
girls dream of a life at court filled with glitter,
masquerades, spice wines and rose attar. Some of
them grow up to realize their dreams, and they learn
that there is all of that and more at court. There are
whispers behind closed doors, backstabbing, the buy-
ing and selling of friendships, and bodies bobbing in
the moat at dawn.
Some courtesans retain their innocence, but
most lose it. Whether her days and nights take her to
the exchequery, the party halls, or the bed chambers,
a courtesan either masters her social skills or finds

86
 Noble, Priest, Courtesan
Level Title** Cumulative Cumulative Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting Spell Noble Courtesan, Priest
1 Debutante - 1a * Noble house, reputation. Friends at court, reputation.
2 +1 Charisma 1a * Noble house, reputation. Friends at court, reputation.
3 +1 Charisma 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation. Friends at court, reputation.
4 +1 Charisma 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation. Friends at court, reputation.
5 Courtesan +1 Charisma 1m, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose. impose.
6 +1 Charisma 1m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader. impose, leader.
7 +2 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader. impose, leader.
8 +2 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader. impose, leader.
9 +2 Charisma 1m, 2a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader. impose, leader.
10 Mondaine +2 Charisma 2m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader, ruin. impose, leader, secrets.
11 +3 Charisma 2m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader, ruin. impose, leader, secrets.
12 +3 Charisma 2m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader, ruin. impose, leader, secrets.
13 +3 Charisma 2m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader, ruin. impose, leader, secrets.
14 +3 Charisma 2m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, leader, ruin. impose, leader, secrets.
15 Aura +3 Charisma 2m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, ruin, secrets. impose, secrets, twist the knife.
16 +3 Charisma 2m, 1a, 1n * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, ruin, secrets. impose, secrets, twist the knife.
17 +4 Charisma 2m, 2a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, ruin, secrets. impose, secrets, twist the knife.
18 +4 Charisma 2m, 2a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, ruin, secrets. impose, secrets, twist the knife.
19 +4 Charisma 3m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
impose, ruin, secrets. impose, secrets, twist the knife.
20 Eminence +4 Charisma 3m, 1a * Noble house, reputation, Friends at court, reputation,
Grise, impose, leader, ruin, se- impose, leader, secrets, twist the
crets, the taking. knife, ruin, toys and games.
Doyenne
As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.
* A Noble can substitute a magic style for any fighting style. A priest or courtesan, propinquity and intimacy not-
withstanding, may learn a maximum of one magic style, and even then may face legal and social repercussions.
** Titles given are for courtiers and courtesans. Noble titles vary by region. For the Old Kingdoms, a standard
progression is 1: Lord; 5: Baron; 10: Earl or Count; 15: Marquis; 20: Duke. In the southern islands, a standard progression
is 1: Haile; 5: Haile Addaka; 10: Negus; 15: Negus Ras; 20 Negus Negai. In the High Church, priest titles are 1: Novice;
5: Priest; 10: Bishop; 15: Archbishop; 20: Cardinal.

87
herself suffering her worst nightmare: exclusion.
Priests of the High Church are at once the no- Noble, Priest,
bles' masters, equals, and slaves. On Church grounds, Courtesan
canon law superceds even royal decree. Elsewhere,
the relationship is most often dependent upon a simple Cumulative Talents
question: How much does the king need the Church's Level Title Minor Major Grand
blessing? There are many ways to answer that ques-
tion, and many forms of blessing. Each answer and 1 Debutante - - -
each blessing could change a priest's life forever. 2 - - -
The noble class (but not priest or courtesan) 3 - - -
can only be picked at character creation or after a suit-
4 1 - -
able story development within the campaign.
Play a noble if you want to: 5 Courtesan 1 - -
• Glitter in social encounters. 6 2 - -
• Ruin your enemies with an insult at the 7 2 - -
dinner table as easily as a counter-lunge on 8 3 - -
the duelist’s mat. 9 3 - -
• Crush a kingdom against the rocks of Fate. 10 Mondaine 2 1 -
Adventure ideas. For a courtesan, living in the
11 2 1 -
capital does not just mean court life: it means court
12 1 2 -
life or death. Everyday, tea in the salon, promenade in
the tulip garden, verbal snipes and subtle knives trans- 13 1 2 -
form the course of life into a gauntlet of hazards. One 14 - 3 -
wrong word and a life – a kingdom – can be changed 15 Aura - 3 -
forever. Courtiers and nobles live adventure without 16 - 2 1
ever leaving the sweetmeats, custards, and violin mu- 17 - 2 1
sic of the palazzo. 18 - 1 2
It is the culture all across the Claw (it is dif-
19 - 1 2
ferent in Jakatta) that nobles take the field with their
legions, albeit usually in the back of the ranks rather 20 Eminence - 0 3
than the front. But courtiers and nobles can be thrown Grise,
out or lured out of the palace for reasons short of war: Doyenne
exile, ambassadorship, parties, the founding of a new NB: A noble or courtier's talents are social, martial,
keep on the borderlands, a parade, a rare tulip rising or magic, but he must always have at least one social
on a hilltop north of the Caves of Komark. But any ex- talent.
cursion beyond the curtain walls is freighted with risk
and treated as such. An entourage of lancers, muske- magic. Most of them consider the nobles to be bearing
teers, and a wizard accompanies any noble not slum- a heavy burden by controlling magic, limiting magi-
ming incognito. For the ruling class, even the calmest cal access, and thus preventing wild surges and crises.
social opportunity can boil over with peril. A few radical thinkers believe that commoners should
In the Kingdoms. Nobles and courtiers are a have the right to wield magic, but most people believe
separate class of people, not the same as common folk. that a ruling class with exclusive control over magic is
Most commoners look on nobles with deep respect, a necessary evil.
fear and gratitude. Respect because the nobles are
powerful; fear because the nobles are vindictive and
covetous; and gratitude because the nobles are often
spellbound. The commoners know the dangers of

88
 Noble, Priest, & the new one at the first opportunity.
Ruin. When you hit with a social attack in front
Courtesan Abilities of a suitable audience, instead of causing damage as
normal, you can cause the victim to lose 1d6 Wealth
Noble house. You begin play with control of Levels. You can do this only once per season per
a noble house with Scope 1 (or a faction of Scope 1 target, and the audience must include people whose
within a greater noble house). You also begin play at opprobrium can ruin your opponent's credit, honor,
Wealth Level 4. holdings, or contact network.
Reputation. Spend your Charisma score in Secrets. Once per scene, when you do Mood
points on Reputations. You cannot spend more than damage with a social attack, you either force the op-
4 points in a single reputation from this ability. For ponent to lose 4 Mood or reveal a secret.
example, if Angetorix Lauge, Lord Dreach, has an 8 Twist the knife. If you exploit a secret concern-
Charisma, he can spend 4 points in two different repu- ing your target along with a successful social attack,
tations and end up with Reputation: Merciless admin- you force your opponent to flee the scene or lose all
istrator of the king's justice (7) and Reputation: master Mood and 2 points from an Inspiration (you must
of Court Sword style (7). Every time you gain a new know of and allude to the Inspiration, as usual, or
title (levels 5, 10, 15 and 20), you gain your Charisma you cannot attack it). This can only be done once per
in reputation points. secret, of course; after that the secret is out.
Friends at court. You can call in a favor from a Toys and games. The lives of others are toys
friendly organization once per scene (or week). When and games to you. The ambitious and the lustful are
you are first level, pick from the campaign world one your weapons, the gullible and the love-blind are your
organization with a presence at court and a scope of 5 puppets, and anyone who bores you is your target.
or less. Each time you gain a new title, name one new Create an NPC protege or puppet of half your level,
friendly organization that you may call upon. Its scope with Inspirations that aim to humiliate your foes or
cannot exceed your priest or courtesan level. In some ruin their lives, and set that NPC loose in the cam-
cases, the GM may require a roll from you in order to paign world. When he dies, create another one.
use this ability successfully. Organizations refuse to Taking. Once per season, you bless a wizard
commit any acts perceived as self-injurious. Finally, with the ability to cast the high spell Taking. With this
note that "friends at court" may be a euphemism for spell, the wizard can take someone's capacity for an
"people you can blackmail at court," "people who emotion. If the wizard succeeds, the target never again
worship you without requital at court," "useful idiots knows love, or hate, or sorrow, or fear, or faith or any
at court," etc. other Inspiration designated by you. The wizard must
Leader. Once per scene (or day) per person, win a Magic vs. Magic roll to take the target's emo-
you can raise a friend's Mood by 3 points with only tion.
a short conversation, blessing, command, or gesture. The taken emotion is bottled and can be de-
At 15th level, you can use your leadership to raise an canted into 1d6 doses. It tastes exquisite, spiced and
ally's Mood by 5, but still only once per scene (or day) bitter. Drinking it allows you to use an Inspiration of
per person. the taken type once within the next minute. It keeps
Impose. When an opponent is at 0 Mood and forever.
you make a successful social attack against him, you If the target had any Inspirations using the
can impose yourself on his psyche and force him to taken emotion, they are lost. They can never be re-
take you or something about you as a point of Inspira- gained.
tion. This could be a fear of you, lust for you, hatred Taking is difficult. A wizard can only attempt
for you, or any other Inspiration depending on your this after a week of fasting, and only once per season.
roleplay. This happens in lieu of other effects, such as Talents. A noble or courtier's talents are social,
damaging an Inspiration. If the opponent has no room martial, or magic, but he must always have at least one
for new Inspirations, he abandons an old one and takes social talent.

89
 Rogue, Assassin
[Shadow]
Rogues and assassins share many traits. Both
deceive, beguile, and sneak. They learn many of the
same abilities as they gain levels, but there are signifi-
cant differences.
The focus of an assassin is needle sharp:
infiltrate, execute, and escape. To be sure, a tricky
infiltration may require scaling the castle wall or im-
personating the target’s daughter, and thus to a master
assassin, wit and charm can be as valuable as poison
and riotwire. But for an assassin the point is, logically,
assassination.
Rogues have a broader focus. Spy, thief, con-
fidence man: few lives are as varied and eventful as a
rogue’s. Although he attempts to remain in the shad-
ows as much as possible, the rogue knows that there
are times when he will be alone in the camp of the
enemy. At these times, he must have the right tool for
the job, whether it is a smile and a pat, a ribald joke in
the enemy’s native tongue, or a dagger in the gut.
When an assassin or a rogue does his job well,
no one knows who he is. There are statues of generals,
kings, and wizards, but of the world’s greatest rogues,
there are no records at all. On the other hand, it may
be that there are many such records, each under a dif-
ferent name...
Play a rogue if you want to:
• Sneak through shadows and cut your enemy
down quickly.
• Play the knave and break hearts.
• Embarrass your enemies in chases across
rooftops.

Adventure ideas. Rogue and assassin adven-

tures start and end in the shadows. Stealing signet
rings from nobles to forge war orders, prying jacinth
eyes from horned idols in sealed temples, tempting the
dauphin into the salubrious underworld of the city to
distract him from the dangers of the coming revolution
– all of these are adventures fit for rogues. Assassin
adventures are much the same, but they end with more
blood on the flagstones.

90
 Rogue, Assassin
Level Title* Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities**
Fighting
1 Right Person - 1a, 1n Hunted.
2 +1 Quickness 2a Hunted.
3 +1 Quickness 2a Hunted.
4 Rogue +1 Quickness 2a Hunted, trickster.
5 +1 Quickness 1m, 1a Hunted, trickster.
6 +2 Quickness 1m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush.
7 +2 Quickness 1m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush.
8 +2 Quickness 1m, 1a, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush.
9 +2 Quickness 1m, 1a, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush.
10 Boss +2 Quickness 2m, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity.
+1 Charisma
11 +2 Quickness 2m, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity.
+1 Charisma
12 +3 Quickness 2m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity.
+1 Charisma
13 +3 Quickness 2m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity.
+1 Charisma
14 +3 Quickness 2m, 1a, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity.
+1 Charisma
15 Duke Below +3 Quickness 2m, 1a, 1n Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+2 Charisma rogue's life.
16 +3 Quickness 2m, 2a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+2 Charisma rogue's life.
17 +3 Quickness 2m, 2a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+2 Charisma rogue's life.
18 +4 Quickness 3m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+2 Charisma rogue's life.
19 +4 Quickness 3m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+2 Charisma rogue's life.
20 King Below +4 Quickness 3m, 1a Hunted, trickster, ambush, false identity, headhunter,
+3 Charisma rogue's life, impostor, haunt the memory's halls.

As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.
* Titles given are for rogues. Assassin titles are 1: Thug; 5: Killer; 10: Assassin; 15: Death Artist; 20: Death Lord.
** Class abilities are for rogues. Assassins have the same progression with two exceptions: at 10th level, assassins
receive the Assassinate ability instead of False Identity, and they never receive Trickster, Rogue's Life or Impostor.

91
 Rogues and assassins often combine forces
with members of other classes. Warriors provide Rogue & Assassin
muscle and occupy the guards while the rogue tries to Cumulative Talents
sneak behind the lines and purloin the wizard’s tome. Level Title Minor Major Grand
Social characters such as traders and courtesans hire
rogues and assassins to protect them on diplomatic
missions. Rogue bodyguards make much better con- 1 Right - - -
versation than warrior or savage bodyguards, and if Person
anyone knows how to foil a thief, it is another thief. 2 - - -
In the Kingdoms. In public, nobles denounce 3 1 - -
thieves guilds, decry the sins of the demimonde, and 4 Rogue 1 - -
outlaw all assassinations and assassin brotherhoods. 5 2 - -
In private, the aristocracy delights in the company 6 2 - -
of rogues – many are rogues – and would not know 7 3 - -
what to do if there were not an assassins’ brotherhood
8 3 - -
to add a dash of lethality to their daily stew of court
speeches, polo matches, and serf trading. 9 2 1 -
Day to day, rogues and assassins have mun- 10 Boss 2 1 -
dane lives among the right people. Hours pass ho- 11 1 2 -
hum, as they practice their slight of hand on lemons 12 1 2 -
and cards, trail watchmen to learn the patrol patterns, 13 - 3 -
and leave wine, gold, chocolate, or roses on the proper 14 - 3 -
doorsteps. Then, when opportunity comes like a cloud
15 Duke - 2 1
across the face of the sun, the rogue’s time is at hand.
Below
He raids warehouses, dungeon vaults, and the freesia-
scented boudoirs, conservatories, and libraries of the 16 - 2 1
city’s oldest and noblest families. 17 - 1 2
18 - 1 2
19 - 0 3
Rogue & Assassin 20 King - 0 3
Below
Abilities NB: A rogue's talents are shadow, martial, or social.
An assassin's talents are shadow or martial, but at 10th
Hunted. When making Chase rolls, increase
level and higher an assassin can select one social tal-
your Quickness by one die size.
ent.
Trickster. Add 1 bonus point per rogue/assassin
level to (up to) three Histories that primarily involve
hiding, sneaking, deceiving, bluffing, or tricking. instantly.
Ambush. Use the ambush ability after you hit False identity. You have a false identity with
someone who was not in combat, was not aware of up to 12 Reputation points, spent as you wish, and
your presence, and has fewer levels than you have membership in (not command of) one organization
shadow levels. If your Quickness score is equal to of your choice. When you choose to live under this
or greater than his total Body + Mood, you slay him identity, all Reputation gains or losses accrue to this

92
identity, not your true identity. When you become a Savage
Duke Below and again when you become a King Be- [Martial]
low, you create a second and a third false identity. An
assassin gains only one false identity, and it does not Savages are the hunters, herders, husbands, and
come until he is a Death Artist. wives of the hordes that roam the wilderness. From
Assassinate. You can kill someone even if they birth, they struggle in an environment of predator and
have an Inspiration of 4 or more (3 or more in the case prey. Wyvern shrieks and wolf howls are the lullabies
of love). Adventurers, kingsmen, and possibly even of the wild.
kings fear this ability. The civilized folk say that the savages have
Headhunter. Once per week, you may under- the mercy of a thunderstorm and the intelligence of
take a mission to murder or incapacitate key members a soil clod. The latter is false, the former often true.
of an organization. While the GM may have you play Savage culture is intricate and nuanced, but it reflects
out the scene in special cases, in an abstract approach and informs the lives of people who live with scarcity.
you roll your Quickness against the organization's Hope is the scarcest resource of all: hope for control
Shadow roll. If you win, you have kidnapped or slain of their destinies, hope for a long future, hope for
key members in that organization, reducing its Effi- their children. These are people who feel that they are
ciency by 1 and one other characteristic save Scope by playthings in the hands of the gods of magic, weather,
1 (your choice of Force, Arcana,or Shadow). If you hit luck, and beasts.
the same organization three weeks running, it loses 1 A savage:
Scope. • Leaps into battle and fights like a wild
Rogue's life. You gain an extra major talent. If animal.
you are crowned a King Below, this extra talent be- • Exults in the fury of battle.
comes a grand talent. You now have four talents, one • Finds strength and comfort in the horde.
more than the normal maximum. As usual for rogues, Adventure ideas. Like warriors, savages are
your extra talent must be shadow, martial, or social. at home in combat. When raiders start harassing his
Impostor. One of your fake identities has tribe, a savage attacks the threat with steel and sinew,
grown so powerful that you can now direct the fake's not charm and treaties. His adventures highlight
organization's actions once per week. If you are found martial action: shoot-and-run bow combat through the
out, of course, you lose this ability, although you can forest, or a visionquest to wrestle a lake serpent, or an
create a new fake identity immediately and grow back honor war to sack a decadent city.
into this ability after two shadow levels. In adventuring groups, many savages play
Haunt the memory's halls. You haunt the the role of guide. They frequently have skills that
thoughts of those who come up against you. Some fear aid survival in the wilderness, and their homes are
you, some obsess over you, some pray for your death. almost always in such a place. Many of the savage’s
Anyone who is covered by one of your reputations, adventures, therefore, take place outdoors. Some may
who has an Inspiration involving you, or who has met involve his native tribe. Single combat for the right to
you at least once before in any sort of conflict, takes be chieftain, bloody skirmishes in territorial wars, and
a Heart penalty on all rolls in the first round of his hunting the witch doctors of enemy tribes are common
encounter with you. If he has a Fear of you, this effect blazes along the life trail of the savage.
stacks, extending the Heart penalty to two rounds. In the Kingdoms. Savages are found on the
Talents. A rogue's talents are shadow, martial, fringes of the Kingdoms. The Fyrajj forest, the Way-
or social. An assassin's talents are shadow or martial, lorn Mountains, the Kvalt range, and the plains north
but at 10th level and higher an assassin can select one and south of Windhover valley are almost exclusively
social talent. populated by savages. Especially along the Free Road

93
in the north, savages rely on trade with the civilized
world for steel, black powder, and even spells; they
sell furs, ivory, herbs, and intelligence in return.
Sometimes slaves are traded, although this occurs
more in the Dragon Isles than anywhere else.
In the old Claw, most commoners and nobles
have never met a savage. They tell jump-stories
around winter fires about the Savage Who Crawls,
the Horde of a Thousand Ruptures, and Zenin, whose
beard could scratch diamonds. Occasionally expedi-
tions to the Fyrajj bring back to civilization savages
chained behind wagons, and there is a circus at court
while the savages are forced to perform for the nobles.
Some civilized folk of the Old Claw do hire savages
as guides or even exotic bodyguards. But a savage is
never to be trusted, relied upon, or respected.

94
 Savage
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting
1 Maagaazod, - 1a Bloodlust.
Brave
2 +1 Strength 2a Bloodlust, beast world.
3 +1 Strength 2a Bloodlust, beast world.
4 Ogichidaa, +1 Strength 1m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, visionquest.
Savage
5 +1 Strength 1m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest.
6 +2 Strength 1m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest.
7 +2 Strength 1m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest.
8 +2 Strength 2m Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off.
9 +2 Strength 2m Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off.
10 Ogimaa, +2 Strength 2m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
Chief frenzy.
11 +2 Strength 2m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy.
12 +3 Strength 2m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy.
13 +3 Strength 2m, 2a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy.
14 +3 Strength 3m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy.
15 Ogimaa +3 Strength 3m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
Miigaadiwin, frenzy, horde.
War Chief
16 +3 Strength 3m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy, horde.
17 +3 Strength 3m, 1a Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy, horde.
18 +4 Strength 4m Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy, horde.
19 +4 Strength 4m Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
frenzy, horde.
20 Maagaazod +4 Strength 4m Bloodlust, beast world, vision quest, shake it off,
Makwa, frenzy, horde, totem beast.
Beast Warrior

As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.

95
 Savage Abilities Savage
Bloodlust. Whenever you begin a combat, Cumulative Talents
increase your Mood by 2 (without exceeding your Level Title Minor Major Grand
maximum).
Beast world. At 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 20th levels, 1 Maagaazod - - -
you grow closer to the beast world. Choose one of the
2 - - -
following:
• Bear: +1 Body. 3 1 - -
• Cat: +1 Quickness. 4 Ogichidaa 1 - -
• Eagle: Add 1 bonus point per Savage level to 5 2 - -
any skill involving perception. 6 2 - -
• Barracuda: You swim as though born to 7 3 - -
water. Reduce the Doom by 3 when 8 3 - -
making Swim (or related) checks.
9 2 1 -
• Jungle strider: You leap uncannily well. Re
10 Ogimaa 2 1 -
duce the Doom by 3 when you leap.
• Ox: You are hale. Reduce the Doom, Quality, 11 1 2 -
or virulence by 3 when resisting disease, 12 1 2 -
poison, or alchemy. 13 - 3 -
• Owl. You can see well in all but complete 14 - 3 -
darkness. 15 Ogimaa - 2 1
You can take each one multiple times, allowing Miigaadiwin
you to gain +4 Body by level 20, for example. 16 - 2 1
Vision quest. Each time you gain a level, you
17 - 1 2
enter the sweat lodge and receive a vision quest.
Often the quest is to slay in personal combat a mon- 18 - 1 2
ster or wizard. The vision quest may take a month, a 19 - 0 3
day, or years. The GM decides the specifics based on 20 Maagaazod - 0 3
the nature and needs of the campaign, or he may roll Makwa
randomly to determine the object and complexity of NB: A savage's talents are martial. After a savage be-
your vision quest. If you accomplish your quest before comes an Ogimaa, one of his talents may be social.
you reach the next level, you gain +1 Heart until your
next level increase, whereupon your Heart returns to of all units under your command by 1.
normal and you must embark on a new vision quest to Totem beast. You can fight in one of the fol-
gain the bonus. lowing beast styles: Carapace, Claw/Claw/Bite, Poison
Shake it off. You can shake off damage once Sting, Gore and Trample. You are a master of the style.
per scene. When your enemy hits you with an attack Some maneuvers may require that you wield poisoned
roll that is less than your Strength characteristic, you punch daggers, wear a horned helm, or use some other
can invoke this power and reduce the damage to 0. item that can provide for the style's maneuvers.
Frenzy. You can spend a Mood point to cause Talents. A savage's talents are martial. After a
one additional point of damage with a melee attack. savage becomes an Ogimaa, one of his talents may be
Horde. If you have a tribe, that is, a "savage social.
tribe" organization per the Organization chapter rules,
increase its Force by 4. Increase the health and spirit

96
 Trader [Social] Sample Vision Quests
Roll Complexity Possible
Traders know that money is the root of all (by Approx. time Vision Quests
good. to complete)
Some are champions of freedom, some are 1 Over one year Sack a major city
kingsmen through and through, but all believe that the 2 One year Change the mind of a
next big deal is waiting in the village just around the Low God
bend. 3 One year Sew a headdress of wiz-
Entrepreneurship knows no borders. Traders ards' tongues
journey beyond the fields we know and process the
4 Half a year Slay a dragon
unknown world into the known world. They are the
pollinators of civilizations, sowing secrets like seeds 5 Half a year Slay a giant in single
across the Claw. Silks, jewels, spells, art, arms, and combat
new fighting styles are their harvest. Few can claim to 6 Half a year Plant a field with
have seen as much territory, lived as many cultures, spellstalks
and learned as much recondite lore as a trader. On the 7 Half a year Track and slay an all-
rare days that a trader is at home in a village or city white descent cat
neighborhood of his own, the locals often ply him for 8 Half a year Love a woman raised by
tales and advice. wolves
Traders, like members of all classes, are not 9 One season Break a griffon to your
uniform. There are those who conduct business with- saddle
out ever leaving a table: usurers, goldsmiths, insurers. 10 One season Slay one hundred undead
Some traders are hucksters peddling ogre-strength
11 One season Hold a dragon in your
gnarskleather breechcloths and roc feather suits (you
hand
can fly!) from the back of a covered wagon. There
are caravans that trade in delirium, slaves, and spells. 12 One season Enslave a noble
There are traders who deal in intangibles: territory 13 One season Eat steak boiled in the
rights and mine claims and ruin hoard shares. And tears of troglodytes
when nobles don't trust their advisors, they call in a 14 Next new moon Gaze upon the White Sea
trader to negotiate treaties, ransoms, and spell ex- 15 Next new moon Steal a wizard's child
changes. But no matter if he travels or not, no matter 16 Next new moon Teach a wizard to hunt
the value of his goods, a trader lives by his words and with a stone dagger
his salesmanship. In the end, the trader may aim for 17 Next new moon Climb Koshtra Noln.
gold, but he deals with people. 18 Fortnight Crash a zeppelin
Play a trader if you want to:
19 Fortnight Break every window in
• Reap profits.
a nobleman's church and
• Risk everything on one caravan.
deface his altar
• Wield the art of the deal like a rapier.
20 One week Capture an assassin
Adventure ideas. When traders plan for ad-
venture, they welcome it. An expedition to a recently
discovered Age of Cartonnage tomb in order to re-
cover a fortune in lapis lazuli artifacts? In an instant. A
caravan through the Fyrajj to deliver poultices to Chert
and make a killing off the sea plague? Of course. Trad-

97
ers are born to risk everything in grand schemes.
On the other hand, traders abhor unplanned ad-
ventures. Too bad for them that their gold attracts un-
planned adventures on a regular basis: complications
at court when two different nobles claim the same set
of bowls from Oryn-ja; highwaymen raiding along the
Kingsroad; wizards demanding suicide trading runs
to the last family of sane wights living in the Oudren
Miasma. Unplanned adventures destroy wealth.
In the Kingdoms. Traders wander four out of
five seasons. They have a repuation as catalysts of
change and heralds of new ideas. That is a dangerous
reputation in the Old Claw, where kings measure their
rule in centuries of stability.
In the north, traders move along the famed
Free Road between Thyre and far Oryn-ja. This road
skirts the northern edge of the Old Claw in the west,
and marches further and further into the dawn-strange
East as it goes. As its name suggests, the Free Road is
free from tolls, taxes, and other predations perpetrated
by kingsmen. As much as anywhere, the Free Road is
home to traders.
But few traders stay exclusively on the Free
Road. The lure of gold and the pressure of competi-
tion drives them to venture further south. In the Old
Claw, there are two popular routes. The first is a sea
route ferrying foodstuffs north and ore south. It runs
a circuit putting into port at Muda-Tarsk, Kharvov,
Azenahal, East Fire, Valte Riel, Rithaign, and, when
necessary, Steerk. The second is a land route running
along the Harvest Road and Kings Road through Ave-
dine, Dresgilioch, and Hessek.

Trader Abilities
To the heart. You can see a man's inner heart,
and you can crush it. Or inspire it, as you wish.
Once per scene per target, you can damage an
Inspiration with a successful social attack, whether or
not your opponent is at 0 Mood.
Exotica. Dropping anchor in sundry seaports,
hitching your wagon to freezing iron rings in the
northern mountains, and making stops at every hearth
in between can teach you a lot. At every titled level,
you gain a new ability that you have picked up from
one of your foreign exposures:

98
 Trader
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Fighting
1 Clerk - 1n To the heart, exotica.
2 +1 Charisma 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot.
3 +1 Charisma 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot.
4 +1 Charisma 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader.
5 Trader +1 Charisma 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader.
6 +2 Charisma 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
7 +2 Charisma 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
8 +2 Charisma 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
9 +2 Charisma 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
10 Far Trader +2 Charisma 1m, 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
11 +2 Charisma 1m, 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
12 +3 Charisma 1m, 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell.
13 +3 Charisma 1m, 1a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port.
14 +3 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port.
15 Magnate +3 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port, new society.
16 +3 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port, new society.
17 +3 Charisma 1m, 1a, 1n To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port, new society.
18 +4 Charisma 1m, 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port, new society.
19 +4 Charisma 1m, 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
every port, new society.
20 Merchant +4 Charisma 1m, 2a To the heart, exotica, polyglot, leader, sell, friend in
Prince every port, new society.
As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.

• A familiar (p. 103). This makes you spell- demands your ultimate capital: time. You may choose
bound. this only twice.
• A Beast World ability (p. 96). • An extra social or shadow talent, scaled to the
• An apprentice magic style (making you spell- level of your highest-level talent.
bound). Magic is rare even in the trader's world. You • An increase of 2 in your organization's scope,
may choose this only once. efficiency, and one other score of your choice.
• An apprentice fighting style. Combat training Polyglot. You learn a language at the proficien-

99
 Trader something. This includes selling in the metaphorical
sense; for example, convincing someone that your
Cumulative Talents point of view is the correct one.
Level Title Minor Major Grand As a Far Trader, you can use the sell ability to
impose yourself on a social opponent. When an op-
1 Clerk - - - ponent is at 0 Mood and you make a successful social
2 - - - attack against him, you can force him to take you or
something about you as a point of Inspiration. This
3 1 - -
could be a fear of you, lust for you, hatred for you,
4 1 - -
or any other Inspiration depending on your roleplay.
5 Trader 2 - - This happens in lieu of other effects, such as damaging
6 2 - - an Inspiration. If the opponent has no room for new
7 3 - - Inspirations, he abandons an old one and takes the new
8 3 - - one at the first opportunity.
9 2 1 - Friend in every port. Your journeys and your
10 Far Trader 2 1 - winning nature have brushed the world with your
colors. No matter where you are, your organization
11 1 2 -
can help you. Deep in a dungeon? Someone from your
12 1 2 - guild has left blazes and a cache. On a ship? Some-
13 - 3 - one in the crew turns out to be a cousin of that orphan
14 - 3 - you saved from the "Summer Surprise" thunder drake
15 Magnate - 2 1 stampede in Avedine.
16 - 2 1 New society. The long road has brought you
17 - 1 2 to the doorstep of a new society or culture. Create an
organization whose scope does not exceed your level.
18 - 1 2
The organization must fit with your recent journeys,
19 - 0 3
and you mnust explain why it has gone unnoticed until
20 Merchant - 0 3 now. That organization is now a part of the campaign
Prince world. For example, you might create an armed legion
NB: A trader's talents are of any sort. He must always that is marching on your enemy's castle, or a secret
have at least one social talent. society of courtiers dedicated to assassinating the king.
You discover a second new society when you become
cy level. At every new level title, you learn another a Merchant Prince.
language at the proficiency level and upgrade one old Talents. A trader's talents are of any sort. He
language to the fluent level. None of these languages must always have at least one social talent.
count toward your normal history cap.
Leader. Your leadership bolsters your allies'
spirits. Once per scene (or day) per person, you can
raise a friend's Mood by 3 points with only a short
conversation or even a simple gesture such as sharing
a swig from your hip flask. Once you are a Magnate,
you can use your leadership to raise an ally's Mood by
5, but still only once per scene (or day) per person.
Sell. Whether it is ivory flatware from Oryn-ja
or a threat to scar a courtesan from ear to ear, no one
sells it like you do. Once per scene, you can use your
Trader level as a bonus die when you attempt to sell

100
 Wizard, Witch
[Magic]
There are two laws of magic: "Magic hates
magic," and "Magic, to be commanded, must be
obeyed." The first describes interference, the second
describes how magi must submit and become spell-
bound before they can attempt to control magic. But
to many who are not spellbound, there is a third law of
magic: Witches must burn.
Wizards and witches haunt the loneliest tow-
ers on the bleakest moors and the highest spires in the
most uncaring cities. There, they struggle to control
nature's true fury: magic. One mistake, and a thousand
mothers might go blind, a thousand fathers spontane-
ously bleed to death. What hubris, to dabble with such
forces! A hubris that leads inevitably to the third law
of magic.
And yet witches persist, and men are willingly
spellbound every day. Some seek the power of magic
to save a loved one. Some seek the power of magic
to burn the neighboring village. The reason is always
important, always life or death. It has to be. If a witch
is not powerful or hidden, she will burn.
A wizard:
• Throws fireballs.
• Visits nightmares.
• Burns for his sins.
NB: ‘Wizard’ usually, but not always, refers to a male;
‘witch’ always refers to a female. The abilities they
gain are identical.
Adventure ideas. A wizard’s style influences
his adventuring choices. Battlecraft wizards find
adventure on the battlefield, while dramba houngans
plunge into dungeons and uncharted lands in search of
ingredients and recipes for their cauldrons. With the
right styles, a wizard is capable of meeting challenges
in any number of arenas: guild halls, noble courts,
tombs, battlefields, and ill-favored alleys.
Like fixers, wizards find adventure comes to
them. The proverbial pitchfork-and-torch-bearing mob
of peasants is always a threat. Kings seeking advice,
rivals seeking to lower the spellbound density, and bit-
ter souls seeking a weapon powerful enough to yield
vengeance are just a few of those who might seek out

101
 Wizard
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases Styles Class Abilities
Magic
1 Prestidigitator - 1a Familiar.
2 +1 Magic 1a, 1n Familiar.
3 +1 Magic 2a Faniliar.
4 +1 Magic 1m, 1a Familiar.
5 Thaumaturge +1 Magic 1m, 1a, 1n Faniliar, implement, arcane defense.
6 +2 Magic 1m, 1a, 1n Familiar, implement, arcane defense.
7 +2 Magic 1m, 2a Familiar, implement, arcane defense.
8 +2 Magic 2m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense.
9 +2 Magic 2m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense.
10 Wizard, Witch +2 Magic 2m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life.
11 +2 Magic 2m, 1a, 1n Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life.
12 +3 Magic 2m, 2a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life.
13 +3 Magic 2m, 2a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life.
14 +3 Magic 3m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life.
15 Mage +3 Magic 3m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus.
16 +3 Magic 3m, 1a, 1n Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus.
17 +3 Magic 3m, 1a, 1n Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus.
18 +4 Magic 3m, 2a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus.
19 +4 Magic 3m, 2a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus.
20 Archmage +4 Magic 4m, 1a Familiar, implement, arcane defense, detect spell-
bound, wizard's life, famulus, arcane supremacy.

As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.

102
a wizard - and become irate if the wizard is not helpful
enough. Wizard
Like rogues, wizards that do good must often Cumulative Talents
remain anonymous. The rain troll swilling beer and Level Title Minor Major Grand
swinging a battleaxe is a recognized hero; he returns
to town and a honey pig is roasted in his honor. The
seradynn mumbling incantations and crackling with 1 Prestidigi- - - -
subcutaneous lightning is an unrecognized hero; she tator
returns to town and is as likely as the honey pig to be 2 - - -
roasted. Wizard adventurers must find rewards other 3 1 - -
than adulations and memorial fountains. 4 1 - -
In the Kingdoms. Wizards and witches are the 5 Thauma- 2 - -
most magical people in the known world, and as such, turge
they are among the most feared, hated, and entreated. 6 2 - -
Common folk fear and rue magic. Nobles hunt outlaw 7 3 - -
magi zealously and persistently. The only exceptions –
8 3 - -
the only wizards not widely hunted - are noble wizards
or their handpicked apprentices. In most Kingdoms, 9 2 1 -
these are recognized as the sole legitimate users of 10 Wizard, 2 1 -
magic. Any non-noble or designee of a noble who Witch
dares to use magic is an outlaw. In most kingdoms, 11 1 2 -
the nobles are so jealous that the penalty for unlawful 12 1 2 -
magic use is death. Noble and noble-designated wiz- 13 - 3 -
ardry is shielded from the commoners, but it is widely 14 - 3 -
known that there are many spellcasters of all styles
15 Mage - 2 1
among the Kingdoms’ nobles.
16 - 2 1

Wizard Abilities 17
18
-
-
1
1
2
2
Familiar. Choose a familiar from the list be- 19 - 0 3
low. The familiar must also be an Inspiration in some 20 Archmage - 0 3
manner. NB: A wizard's talents are magic.
A familiar is a small creature that serves its
friend and master, to wit, you. Unless otherwise noted,
familiars start with 0 Mood and have 1 Body, Strength Dwarf bear plate armor is available in many styles at
2, and all other characteristics 4. Their intellect is all quality levels (wealth level = quality level + 3).
roughly equivalent to that of a human child. Familiars Toad – add 1 to your Body score.
understand but cannot speak their master’s native lan- Floating Skull – The skull knows two Histories
guage. Familiars are spellbound. or skills of your choice at a level equal to your magic
The exact benefits conferred by a familiar are: levels (minimum 4), and it can speak your language,
Mongoose – In combat, three times per scene, often acerbically.
you may add a move to any action. Raven – You can see through the raven’s eyes
Cat – Increase your Quickness by one and your 10 minutes/day to a range of 10 miles/magic level.
organization’s Efficiency and Arcana scores by one. House Dragon – Your dragon grants you a 1
Dwarf Bear –Has Str 6, Qck 6, and 3 Body. point Mood increase once per scene at a time of your

103
choosing by licking you in the face, playing hide-and- Warrior [Martial]
go-seek in another character's gear, or twanging on its
tail like a sitar. It can also generate a 3" flame equiva- Warriors are soldiers, pit fighters, tavern brawl-
lent to a large candle at will. ers, mercenaries, and bodyguards. Some warriors are
A familiar cannot be killed or peranently re- charismatic generals, some are straight-ahead bashers,
moved from play unless your Inspiration for it is first and still others are spellbound multi-talents. But all
reduced to zero. If the familiar is removed from play, share one trait: their craft is violence.
then you may call a new one after one season passes. Warriors laugh at those who say that violence
Finally, such is the way of magic that famuli- never settles anything. Throughout history, nothing
cide is arguably beneficial. You may kill and eat has ever settled more issues than violence has.
your familiar to gain +1 to your magic score. You can A warrior:
never have another familiar again. * charges into combat.
Arcane defense. You roll your Magic die as * commands and inspires troops.
a defense die against all spells, even those that at- * exploits armor and weapons to master
tack physically. For example, Stone Pincer Slash in the battlefield.
the Battlecraft style attacks physically. Normally, the Adventure ideas. Gear is important to a war-
target rolls only its physical defense die against the rior, and the desire to acquire sharper weapons and
Pincer. You roll your physical defense die as normal, stronger armor is always an impetus to adventure.
but you also roll your Magic as a bonus defense die. Ultimately, however, there are things far more impor-
Implement. Once per scene, you may use your tant to a warrior than gear. Glory and honor motivate
implement (staff, wand, orb, talisman, amulet; pick some. Many more fight for a cause. Whether this is
one) to grant one spell a bonus die equal to your magic one of your Inspirations or not, you should decide why
levels, useable on any one roll. If you are in combat, your warrior risks his life in armed combat.
the bonus die can be for attack or defense (magical de- Warrior adventures are red-blooded and whi-
fense, not physical). If you lose your implement, you teknuckled. Ringing steel, narrow escapes, and the
must spend a season replacing it. cries of battle take the stage in physical, visceral
Detect spellbound. Once per scene per target, adventures. Not for warriors the niceties and subtle wit
roll your Magic vs. the target’s Magic. If you win, you of court. Warrior adventures are more likely to feature
know if he is spellbound or not. You can use this once action: slaughtering zombies, hunting manticores on
per person per scene. the borderlands, and charging enemy lines.
Wizard's life. You gain an extra major talent. In the Kingdoms. Warriors are the most versa-
Once you become an archmage, this extra talent be- tile and abundant armed combatants in the Kingdoms.
comes a grand talent. You now have four talents, one They serve in the armies of Marnh and Syrbizond;
more than the normal maximum. As usual for wizards, they guard the Crypt August in Varteka; they bounce
your extra talent must be magic. in the glitter clubs of Azenahal. It takes gold and time
Famulus. Your familiar can activate your to train a warrior, and those two investments are what
trapped spells, that is, it can read a scroll, burn a separate the warrior from the savage. Warriors are
candle, grind an organ or any other action to release a awarded respect and even friendship by the villagers
spell that you have placed in an object (see page 34). It and common folk of most kingdoms. The commoners
cannot release any spells trapped by other casters. respect the reliability of arms much more than they
Arcane supremacy. Any time one of your spells respect the vicissitudes of magic.
hits someone with fewer levels than you, increase the
damage by 1. Mastery maneuvers increase the damage
by 2.
Talents. A wizard's talents are magic.

104
 Warrior Abilities
Armor. You exploit your armor to the
fullest. Your armor can absorb 1 Body per quality
point, rather than the normal 1 Body per two qual-
ity points.
Combat mastery. Any time you hit with
a mastery maneuver against someone with fewer
levels than you have martial levels, increase the
damage by 2.
Training. At 6th level and again at 16th
level, you gain +1 Body.
War stories. Once per scene, you can tell a
war story. Instead of using your Charisma to make
a social roll, roll your martial level die.
Warrior's life. You gain an extra major
talent. Once you become a Living Legend, this
extra talent becomes a grand talent. You now have
four talents, one more than the normal maximum.
As usual for warriors, your extra talent must be
martial.
Devastation. If your weapon is greater
Quality than your opponent's armor, your mastery
maneuvers cause 3 additional points of damage.
This does not stack with Combat Mastery.
Combat supremacy. Any time you hit
someone with fewer levels than you, increase the
damage by 1. Mastery maneuvers increase the
damage by 4. This does not stack with Combat
Mastery.
Talents. A warrior's talents are martial.
After a warrior becomes a Hero, one of his talents
may be social.

105
 Warrior
Level Title Cumulative Cum. Cumulative
Increases* Styles Class Abilities
Fighting
1 Fighter - 2a Armor.
2 +1 Strength 2a, 1n Armor.
3 +1 Strength 2a, 1n Armor.
4 +1 Strength 1m, 1a, 1n Armor.
5 Warrior +1 Strength 1m, 1a, 1n Armor, combat mastery.
6 +2 Strength 1m, 1a, 1n Armor, training, combat mastery.
7 +2 Strength 1m, 2a Armor, training, combat mastery.
8 Veteran +2 Strength 2m, 1a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories.
9 +2 Strength 2m, 1a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories.
10 Hero +2 Strength 2m, 1a, 1n Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life.
11 +2 Strength 2m, 1a, 1n Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life.
12 +3 Strength 2m, 2a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life.
13 +3 Strength 2m, 2a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life.
14 +3 Strength 3m, 1a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life.
15 Master +3 Strength 3m, 1a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life, devastation.
16 +3 Strength 3m, 1a, 1n Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life, devastation.
17 +3 Strength 3m, 1a, 1n Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life, devastation.
18 +4 Strength 3m, 2a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life, devastation.
19 +4 Strength 3m, 2a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
life, devastation.
20 Living +4 Strength 4m, 1a Armor, training, combat mastery, war stories, warrior's
Legend life, devastation, combat supremacy.
As always, in the styles column, "a" means apprentice, "n" means neophyte, and "m" means master. You must be
an apprentice of a style before you can become a master of that style.
* A warrior may substitute a Quickness increase for any Strength increase.

106
 Warrior Starting
Cumulative Talents
Level Title Minor Major Grand History & Gear
If you are creating a character, then remember
1 Fighter - - - to follow the steps on page 64. After choosing your
2 - - - species, race, characteristics, and class, you need to
3 1 - - describe one History item that will function as your
4 1 - - character's skill. It starts with a value of 4 (so you roll
5 Warrior 2 - - a d4 bonus die when attempting checks that are based
6 2 - - on this skill).
Also, choose Inspirations for your character.
7 3 - -
Remember, the total point value of your Inspirations
8 Veteran 3 - - cannot exceed your Heart score.
9 2 1 - Finally, equip your character. Your character
10 Hero 2 1 - starts at Wealth Level 2 unless your class says other-
11 1 2 - wise. He also gains additional gear as listed below.
12 1 2 -
13 - 3 - Additional
14 - 3 - Starting Gear
15 Lord, - 2 1 Class Gear Choices
Master
16 - 2 1 Chosen One Two WL 3 items from any table
17 - 1 2 Engineer One WL 4 and one WL 3 item
18 - 1 2 from the Engineering or Weapon
19 - 0 3 tables
20 Living - 0 3 Fixer One WL 4 and one WL 3 item
Legend from the Alchemy tables
NB: A warrior's talents are martial. After a warrior Noble, Courtesan One WL 8 item from the Mounts
becomes a Hero, one of his talents may be social. & Vehicles list or the Building
list, or one WL 5 item from any
table
Rogue, Assassin Two WL 3 items from any table
Savage Two WL 3 items from the weap-
on or armor tables
Trader Three WL 3 items from any table
Warrior One WL 4 item from either the
weapon or armor table, and one
WL 3 item from the other table
Witch, Wizard Two WL 3 items from any table

107
 Chapter Ten: Talents
To recap, here are the rules for talents. adding clairaudience to the raven's clairvoyance, or a
• Talents have minor, major, and grand effects. second language to the floating skull.
• The number and level of talents that you have Lace. Roll your alchemy or poison skill against
is determined by your class's talent table in the Doom. If you succeed, you lace your spell with a
Chapter Ten. Talents require practice, and poison that you are carrying. If and when your spell
keeping up more than your class and level does damage, then the poison's effects are added to
allow is not possible. the spell's effects. If you fail your skill check, the spell
• You can drop any number of talents and has no effect and you must re-cast (minor). The major
learn any new ones for which you are eligible version of this talent grants 1 bonus damage to the
when you go up a level. poison; the grand version grants 2 bonus damage. The
poison is consumed if and only if you succeed in your
Magic Talents skill check.
Ley lines. Pick one location; your magic is
Amulet. An amulet is the wizard's shield and concentrated in the land there. Three times per scene,
the witch's refuge. If you have the implement class you gain a d10 bonus die on a magic roll you make in
ability and have selected the amulet, then you ignore that place (including magic attack and defense rolls).
the first two points of magic damage you take in a At the major level, choose a second location; at the
scene (minor), the first four points (major), or the first grand level, choose a third location and increase the
four points plus one point per magic attack from any bonus die to a d12.
creature below level 10 (grand). Magic bloodlines. As Fate would have it,
Curse. You can trap your spell not just on an magic pulses in your family line like blood in a vein
object but on another person. The trap comes with a waiting to be tapped. At the minor level, you gain one
contingent condtion that triggers the spell. The trigger of the effects listed below (other effects are possible;
must be an action taken by the victim, not a natural consult with your group and your GM).
event such as "every sunrise." "When the victim walks Minor effects:
into the sunlight," however, does work. The trigger • Glowing eyes (one candlepower each)
is chosen by you, the caster. The spell functions just • Touch wilts plants
as any other trapped spell, except that you must win • Tattoo birthmark, shifts over weeks
a Magic vs. Magic roll to set the trap on your target, • Thunderclap when you use an Inspiration
and nothing will trigger the spell except fulfillment • Worms surface in your wake when you walk
of the trigger condition. You can place a fireball curse on soil and sometimes other surfaces
that blasts the victim if he sets foot in your city, for • Your blood is flammable as lantern oil
example, or a silence spell that activates if the victim At the major level, in addition, you gain a bo-
starts to say your name. The curse lasts for one day nus point to Strength, Quickness, Reason, or Charisma
(minor); one season (major); or permanently (grand). that you can assign anew each day.
A grand curse may be triggered more than once, the At the grand level, in addition to the minor and
other curses vanish after one use. major effects, you pick one activity: triggering an en-
Improved familiar. Increase two of your gineering item, casting a spell, handling animals, leap-
familiar's characteristics by 2 (minor); two of your ing, swimming, balancing, etc. You can never change
familiar's characteristics plus his Body by 3 (major) or this activity once you pick it. You force the Doom
all of your familiar's characteristics plus his Body by 3 against that activity to increase by 2 for everyone in
(grand). At your GM's option, you may instead (or in your area, always, excluding you.
addition) add an extension to a special ability, such as Unlike other talents, magic bloodlines, once

108
chosen, cannot be "forgotten" (not when gaining a a man, the fighting and magic styles known by a man,
level nor any other time). and his surface thoughts over the last minute (major);
Magical beast lord. You and your organization all of the preceding plus the approximate strengths of
can breed and raise magical beasts at a Wealth Level a man's Inspirations (though not their source), the His-
one below normal (minor), two below normal (major), tories of a man and their approximate strengths, and
or two below normal with Health and Spirit increased the surface memories of a man going back a number
by 2 each (grand). of hours equal to your magic levels (grand).
Master and apprentice. You can be a master Put your heart into it. Temporarily decrease
and an apprentice. Both casters must have this talent, your Heart by 1 when you create a trapped spell
which functions for both at the master's level (minor, (scroll, potion, etc.). You gain the Heart point back
major, or grand). A master must have more magic lev- when the spell is released. When it is released, if the
els than his apprentice. spell has been stored for more than one day, increase
At the minor level, master and apprentice do all the spell's numeric effects by 1 (minor), 2 (major),
not count as spellbound for each other, that is, each or 3 (grand).
never causes interference with the other's spells. The Rush. Increase your Mood by 1 whenever your
major level includes the minor level bonus and also Magic roll (or a magic attack roll) exceeds the Doom.
raises the apprentice's Magic score to one below the You can benefit from this ability once per scene (mi-
master's score as long as the pair are in the same area. nor), twice per scene (major), three times per scene
The grand level includes the major level and also (grand).
grants each partner a new magic talent as long as both Shadow caster. You roll your magic levels as a
are in the same area. bonus die when attempting to remain unhidden while
The apprentice of your apprentice also counts casting a spell or when attempting to avoid being de-
as your apprentice, and so on, so long master-appren- tected as spellbound. You can use this once per scene
tice chains are possible. Each individual wizard can (minor), three times per scene (major), or an unlimited
only have one immediate master and one immedi- number of times (grand).
ate apprentice. Acquiring a new apprentice or master Staff. The staff is the symbol of wisdom. If you
requires at least one week of attunement and practice. have the implement class ability and have chosen the
A master can dismiss his apprentice's spells staff, increase your Reason by 1 (minor), 2 (major), or
or force him to re-cast with a successful Magic vs. 4 (grand).
Magic roll; this is a free action. Most masters and ap- Talisman. A talisman is a luck charm against
prentices write a covenant with elaborate clauses and chaos, especially the chaos of magic. If you have the
subsections detailing their mutual responsibilities and implement class ability and have selected the talis-
retained rights under scores of different eventualities. man, you are never damaged by a wild magic surge
Orb. Orbs are the symbol of vision and per- that you create. In addition, you can force any surge
ception. If you have the implement class ability and that targets you to re-roll its attack roll once (minor) or
have chosen the orb, you roll a d20 when attempting twice (major). The grand version of this talent works
to discern if someone is spellbound or not. You can as described above, twice per scene, but is effective
also make a Magic vs. Magic (or Doom, in the case against crisis surges as well.
of environments) roll once per target per scene. With Vampiric implement. When you cast a spell
each roll, you detect any and all of the following: with your implement and cause damage to your target,
the presence of a spell, invisible or magically hidden you gain 1 Body or 1 Mood (your choice) (minor); or
objects, undead or other magical creatures (minor); 1 Body and 1 Mood (major); or 1 Body, 2 Mood, and
all of the preceding plus the approximate Mood of a up to 2 points of characteristic damage you may have
man, the approximate characteristics (Str, Qck, etc.) of suffered (grand). In any case, you can never exceed

109
your maximum scores through this vampiric effect, or fewer levels" and pick a second type of enemies at
and you can only benefit from this ability once per the grand level. You cannot take this talent twice and
injury, that is, you cannot use this ability a second time thereby gain more slayer target types, nor can you
until you have healed to your maximum and are again have this talent and Precise Slayer. Too much concen-
injured. tration and single-minded focus is required.
Vizier. You increase your organization's Arcana Dugray's feint. When executing a mastery ma-
score by 2 (minor), 4 (major), or 6 (grand). neuver while wielding a one-handed weapon, you can
Wand. A wand is the most popular implement add a dQck feint attack. It does no damage, but if it
among arcane duelists. If your implement is the wand, hits, your opponent is forced to rebalance. You can use
you may use your class "implement" ability one extra this feint once per scene (minor), three times per scene
time per scene as long as the extra use is against a (major), or with every mastery attack (grand).
spellbound creature (minor), two extra times per scene Field marshal. When you are in command
(major), or five extra times per scene (grand). of a legion in battle, you contribute one extra com-
Zur's feedback. When you are hit by a wild mand point four times per battle (minor); every round
surge, you can choose to inflict 1 point of damage on (major); or every round and you can make reasonable
the caster who caused the surge (minor). The major hero actions while still contributing command points
form of Zur's feedback causes 2 points of Body dam- (grand).
age and 1 point of Magic damage to the caster, and Fleet commander. One zeppelin, naval, or
the grand form causes 3 points of Body damage and 3 siege unit gains +1 damage on all attacks under your
points of Magic damage to the caster. command (minor); up to three such units gain +1 dam-
age on all attacks under your command (major); up

Martial Talents
to five such units gain +1 damage on all attacks and a
free move of 1 area each turn (grand).
Great weapon overpower. When attacking
Atrocity. Your violence unnerves even veter- with a mastery maneuver while wielding a two-hand-
ans. When you kill an enemy in battle, all remaining ed weapon, add a dStr attack to your normal attack
opponents in the area take 1 Mood damage (minor); roll(s). If you hit, your opponent takes a Strength
take 1 Mood damage and take a Heart penalty die on penalty die on all physical rolls next round (physical
their next attack (major); take 1 Mood damage, take attacks, defenses, athletic skill or History checks, etc.).
a Heart penalty die on all rolls next round, and must You can use this attack once per scene (minor), three
make a Heart check against the Doom or rebalance times per scene (major), or with every mastery attack
(grand). (grand).
Brutal slayer. Pick one type of enemy: undead, Hold ground. You gain your Strength as a bo-
giants, descent cats, troglodytes, dragons, etc. Work nus die when resisting attempts to move you in com-
with your GM to find an appropriate category for the bat. You can use this talent once per scene (minor),
campaign. Humans and trolls are categories that are three times per scene (major), or an unlimited number
too broad, but "Earl Montjaune's Personal Guard" or of times per scene (grand).
"Templars of the Sun Goddess" may be appropriate for Improved critical. Your critical hits do +3
your campaign. rather than +2 damage (minor); +4 damage (major);
When you hit a target of your chosen type with +4 damage and you crit when your opponent rolls a
a mastery maneuver and that foe has three or fewer 1, 2, or 3 rather than just a 1 (grand, and note that you
levels, compare your Strength score to his total Mood still must roll in the top half of your attack range).
+ Body (before calculating damage from the blow). Intimidate. You can roll your Strength instead
If your Strength is equal to or greater than that total, of Charisma as a social attack die whenever you at-
you slay your foe (minor). Upgrade this to "six or tempt to intimidate your opponent. You can do this
fewer levels" at the major level. Upgrade this to "nine once (minor), twice (major), or an unlimited number

110
(grand) of times per scene. make one extra dQck attack against the same or a dif-
Hammer knockback. When attacking with a ferent target. You may do this once per scene for one
mastery maneuver while wielding a two-handed, blunt point of damage (minor); three times per scene for two
weapon such as a maul or great hammer, you may add points (major); or with every mastery attack for two
a dStr attack against your target, pushing your oppo- points of damage (grand).
nent one area away if you hit. You may do this once Shield bulwark. When executing a mastery
per scene (minor); three times per scene (major); or maneuver and wielding a shield, you gain an addition-
with every mastery attack (grand). al dStr defense die for you and one ally in your area.
Martial bloodlines. As Fate would have it, You may use this once per scene (minor); three times
you are the scion of a family tree rooted in blood and per scene (major); or with every mastery maneuver
blossoming with violence. You learn an extra fighting (grand).
style at the neophyte level (minor); at the apprentice Smith. When crafting a weapon, armor piece,
level (major); and at the master level (grand). Unlike engineering item, siege item, building or fortification,
other talents, martial bloodlines, once chosen, cannot the cost of creating the item is only 40%, rather than
be "forgotten" (not when gaining a level nor any other 50%, of the item's gold value. Also, reduce by one day
time). the amount of time you must wait before attempting to
Measure of a man. Roll your martial levels die add another quality point to the item (minor); reduce
against the Doom. On a success, you can determine a that time by two days and ignore any critical failure
creature's approximate Body score, Mood score, and rolls (major); as the major talent, plus increase the
martial levels (minor); also his approximate Strength, final value of the item by two quality levels (grand).
Quickness, and gear quality (major); also, if you ob- Steadfast. When someone tries to damage your
serve him in combat, which fighting styles he knows, Mood during combat, you gain a bonus Heart die to
which styles he has mastered, and any combat-orient- defend, once per scene (minor); three times per scene
ed talents he has (grand). (major); or on every attempt (grand).
Parry. When wielding a one-handed weapon Sweep the leg. When attacking with a mastery
without a shield, you gain an additional dQck defense maneuver while wielding a pole arm, spiked chain,
die. You can use this ability once per scene (minor), whip, or similar weapon, or while fighting unarmed,
three times per scene (major), or three times per scene you may add an additional dQck trip attack against
plus with every mastery maneuver (grand). your target, forcing him to rebalance if you hit. You
Precise slayer. As brutal slayer above, but use may do this once per scene (minor); three times per
Quickness rather than Strength. scene (major); or with every mastery attack (grand).
Rip and break. When you hit with a mastery Tactical commander. When you are in com-
maneuver, you can convert one point of the damage mand of a legion in battle, you can use your organiza-
to characteristic damage (Strength, Quickness, or tion's Force as a bonus die for a non-siege unit's attack
Reason). With the major talent, you can convert up to roll once per unit (minor); for a unit's attack or defense
two points to any two characteristics (out of Strength, roll once per unit (major); for a unit's attack and de-
Quickness, or Reason, no more than one point per fense roll once per unit, including siege units (grand).
characteristic), and as a grand talent, you can convert The bigger they are. When you slay a creature
up to three points of damage to one point to all three significantly larger than man-sized, you can cause its
characteristics. You cannot use rip and break at the hemorraghing corpse to fall on an enemy. This is a
same time that you use another mastery maneuver d12 attack for 3 damage against one target (minor); or
talent (such as scimitar dervish, hammer knockback, a d20 attack for 3 damage against up to three targets
etc.). (major); or a d20 attack for 5 damage + rebalance
Scimitar dervish. When attacking with a against up to five targets (grand). The targets must be
mastery maneuver while wielding a scimitar, you may man-sized or smaller.

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 Shadow Talents Examples of such items are dangling earrings, neck-
laces, fobs, or scabbarded or holstered sidearms such
as main-gauches or spare wheellocks. With the minor
talent, you can take the disarmed man's weapon; with
Byways. You can lead a chase through dan-
the major talent, you can take the weapon and a small
gerous territory: alleys littered with broken glass,
item. With the grand talent, you can take any item the
abandoned fixer labs dripping with acid, or the most
other man is carrying, so long as it is small enough to
rat-infested sewer tunnels. When you are in the lead
snatch with one hand.
of a chase, you make everyone else roll a supple-
Death study. Each round that you remain
mental Chase roll against the Doom. Those that fail
completely hidden while the target of your study is in
take 2 points of damage. You can use this ability once
combat, you uncover weaknesses in his technique and
per chase (minor); three times per chase (major); or
add +1 damage to your next strike. If you are spotted,
three times per chase against a Doom increased by 2
your opponent becomes aware of you, you are forced
(grand).
to rebalance, or if you miss with your strike, you lose
Combat pick. When you disarm your oppo-
the bonus damage. You can gain a maximum bonus
nent in combat, you can make an opposed Quickness
damage of 4 from this maneuver (minor); maximum of
check. If you win, you can snatch from your opponent
6 but you gain two per round (major); 9 but you gain 3
his weapon or one small object worn or carried in
per round (grand).
sight and accessible (GMs must judge this, as always).
Gambler. Add 4 bonus points to any History

112
that involves gambling. In addition, during a gambling (minor); as previous plus you were carrying, doing, or
scene, you can re-roll any die or re-draw any card once saying something of your choice (major); as pervious
(minor), three times (major), or every time (grand). or he sees another person or creature entirely moving
Harrowing. Often useful as a threat during in another direction, doing something different, etc.
interrogations, you can create such a nightmarish du- (grand).
rance vile for a captive that he is forced to take a scar Poisoner. Increase the quality level of any poi-
(see p. 30) if he does not acquiesce to your demands. son you use by 1 (minor), 2 (major), or 4 (grand). This
The art of scarring the psyche as well as the body is stacks with the Fixer's alchemy ability (and any other
difficult. You can give any particular captive such relevant ability), but only to a maximum of 6 points
torture no more than once (minor) or three times (ma- higher than listed.
jor). Or, it must be said, an unlimited number of times Precise slayer. As brutal slayer above (p. 110),
(grand), which leaves the captive a husk of a being, but use Quickness rather than Strength.
unable to recall any of its own history, only remember- Rend. When you hit with a mastery maneuver
ing the pain and fear you have left in its place. while wielding a piercing or slashing weapon, you can
Improved critical. Your critical hits do +3 convert one point of the damage to characteristic dam-
rather than +1 damage (minor); +4 damage (major); age (Strength, Quickness, or Reason). With the major
+4 damage and you crit when your opponent rolls a 1, talent, you can convert up to two points of damage to
2, or a 3 rather than just a 1 (you still must roll in the one point to any two characteristics (out of Strength,
top half of your attack range). Quickness, or Reason, no more than one point per
Insidious fear. When a character uses an Inspi- characteristic), and as a grand talent, you can convert
ration and still fails his roll against you - whether it be up to three points of damage to one point to all three
in a social attack, chase, combat, or any other scene - characteristics. You cannot use rend at the same time
you may make an immediate social attack against him. that you use another mastery maneuver talent (such as
If you win, that character must take one Inspiration scimitar dervish, hammer knockback, etc.).
point of Fear for you. If he is already at his maximum Right people. You know all the right people.
Inspiration limit, this has no effect. You can use this When you or your organization attempts to gain infor-
once per scene (minor), three times per scene (major), mation that can be had by contacting other members
or an unlimited number of times per scene (grand). As of the underworld, lower the Doom by 1 (minor), by
a grand talent, there is no secondary social attack nec- 3 (major), or by 6 (grand). Dooms of 7 or higher are
essary; anyone who fails a roll against you after using rare; the grand version of the talent is meant to imply
an Inspiration instantly gains Fear for you. that your friends in the underworld can find out nearly
Lost. You add 4 points to your organization's any "normal secret" information, leaving only the
Shadow score when it attempts to hide information, "world-changing secret" information as a challenge.
smuggle contraband, sequester a dignitary, or, in gen- You may use this talent once per topic per week.
eral, prevent something from being found. With the Shadow general. When your organization is
major talent, add 6 points; with the grand talent, add 8 waging a shadow war, you cause one bonus point of
points. If the bonus points put your Shadow score over damage when you hit an enemy organization. You can
20, you gain a second d20 bonus die instead. use this ability once every three attacks (minor); once
Lucre. Any time you hit another organization every other attack (major); or every attack (grand).
in a shadow war, you gain ten times their scope in Shutter conscience. A selective memory is a
gold (minor); twenty times their scope in gold (major); sinner's friend. You have forgotten more pain, heart-
forty times their scope in gold (grand). break, and atrocity than most people have ever seen.
Misdirect. When someone fails to see you (that After a round finishes, you forget 1 Mood or Inspira-
is, you win a hide roll against him), you can misdirect tion damage you took during that round (minor), 3
him. He thinks you went in a direction of your choice Mood or Inspiration damage (major), or all Mood and

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Inspiration damage (grand). You cannot use this ability Bad. You're not just bad for a little while,
to recoup any Mood you spent yourself or Mood lost you're bad for good. Pick one negative reputation that
to something other than damage. You may do this once you have. You gain a positive reputation at half that
per scene; you pick the round immediately after it has value (round up, minimum 4) with a group of your
finished. choice. The group must be one that is logically pleased
Sprint and snipe. In a chase, when you attack by your negative reputation (usually the enemy of
with a ranged attack and hit, you deal 1 extra point of your enemy). With the major talent, pick two negative
damage. Use this ability three times per chase (minor); reputations to gain partnered positive reputations; with
every round (major); every round for 2 extra points the grand talent, pick three. If you ever lose the nega-
(grand). tive reputations, you also lose the associated positive
Trap artist. Increase your relevant die by one ones.
size when rolling to see if you successfully set a trap Bolstering wit. Your insults wound their target
(minor); in addition, the trap does 2 extra points of but amuse everyone else. Once per scene, when you
damage (major); in addition to all of the above, the cause Mood damage with a social attack, you also
trap affects two more targets or, if it is already an area grant 2 Mood points to one ally (minor), three allies
of effect trap, it affects a second area (grand). (major), all allies (grand).
Unscathed. You are accustomed to sliding Contempt. You have no time to waste on your
through curls of riotwire and tumbling off balconies. social inferiors. You deal one additional point of Mood
In a chase, you can ignore two points of damage damage with every social attack against a target with
caused by the environment. You can split these points less than 3 levels (minor); against any target with 6
up over different rounds. With the major talent, you or fewer levels (major); against any target with 9 or
can ignore up to four points of damge, and with the fewer levels (grand).
grand talent up to eight points. Deflect the blame. It's all their fault. You can
World is a weapon. You are adept at environ- blame one of your reputation groups instead of your-
ment tricks. You can add an environment trick to any self, sacrificing an entire positive reputation (it must
other chase action at no cost (no modifier to the Doom have at least two points in it) to avoid up to four points
or the Chase Difficulty, no increased penalty if your of Mood or Reputation damage (from a single attack).
trick fails). In combat, you can add an environment You must narrate how you are scapegoating the fac-
trick to any maneuver that includes a move. You can tion. At the major level, you sacrifice 5 reputation
do this once per scene (minor), twice per scene (ma- points (you need not lose the entire reputation), and at
jor), or three times per scene (grand). the grand level, 3 reputation points. You can use this
ability once per scene.

Social Talents Emotional paralysis. After you win a social

scene, your opponent (pick one if there are many) can-
not gain Mood for one day (minor); two days (major);
Administrator. Increase by 1 the score of one
a week (grand). The grand talent also prevents the
of your organization's characteristics (Force, Arcana,
opponent from gaining Inspiration points.
or Shadow). At the major level, increase it by 3; at the
Fashion kills. Treat any fashion item that you
grand level, increase it by 6.
use in a social scene as one Quality point higher than
Audience chamber. You have an audience
it really is (minor); two points higher (major); four
chamber, be it a throne room, battlefield command pa-
points higher (grand).
vilion, or the back room at the Shadows and Sparrows.
Fashion maven. You can use a second fashion
When in your audience chamber, your social attacks
item for a social attack or defense die in a scene (mi-
affect everyone that you are speaking to, up to three
nor); a second and a third item (major); or three items
people (minor), six people (major), or everyone in the
including the same one twice (grand).
audience chamber (grand).

114
 Inspirational leader. A unit in your army
can roll your Charisma as a bonus die on any
roll. You can use this ability once per battle (mi-
nor), twice per battle (major), or four times per
battle (grand).
Keen eye. Roll your social levels die or
your Reason against the Doom. On a success,
you can ascertain a character's Mood, Wealth
Level, and home region simply by studying him
as he interacts with others for a few minutes.
With the major talent, you learn all of the above,
plus all class titles he has earned and the general
areas of his Inspirations (but not their specific
sources). With the grand talent, you learn all of
the above, and you can adapt your approach so
that, when interacting with the target of your
study, your Charisma is two points higher than
normal. (NB: The preceding assumes the target
of your study is not trying to actively conceal
his nature. If he is, then rather than roll against
the Doom, make an opposed Charisma check.)
Manager. Increase the Efficiency of your
Organization by 1 (minor), 3 (major), 5 and
increase another characteristic by 2 (grand).
Moral support. You can allow an ally
to roll your Charisma as a bonus social defense
die. You can do this once per scene (minor),
twice per scene (major), or four times per scene
(grand).
Moved by propinquity. If the focus of
your Inspiration is another person and she is
present in your area, you may use that Inspira-
tion one extra time per scene. With the major
talent, you can do the same but your Inspiration
need only be less than a handful of areas away;
with the grand talent, you can use this ability
as long as you saw your Inspiration sometime
today.
Nemesis. Pick one of your social tormen-
tors. When resisting her or attacking her in a
social scene, treat your Charisma as if it were
two points higher (minor); four points higher
(major); or six points higher (major).

115
 Public relations. You are a master at public re-
lations. For every positive reputation you have at 7 or
higher, you gain a gift from the admiring multitudes.
If your reputation is 7 or higher, you gain one item of
Wealth Level 9 or less (minor). Impoverished popula-
tions may present you with land, livestock, slaves,
advantageous marriages, or lionizing skalds instead of
an item listed in the Equipment chapter. In addition,
if your reputation is 11-15 and you have the major
version of this talent, you gain a statue and a holiday.
The statue grants you a new reputation, Memorialized
(6), with anyone who sees the statue. In a region that
celebrates your holiday, on that day, your maximum
Mood increases to 6 above its maximum, and you
receive as tribute one item of Wealth Level equal to
your character level. Finally, if your reputation is 16
or more and you have the grand version of this talent,
your public clamors for you to be granted a noble title
or for you to be beatified. As a living saint, you roll
a d20 bonus die in each and every dealing with the
Church, you may claim canon law regardless of loca-
tion, and you command the respect and awe of a saint she increases her maximum Mood by 1. This lasts un-
(which the GM must judge). til the secret is no longer a secret (whether you sold it
Reasoned defense. You can defend against or whether it was exposed through anothere eventual-
a social attack using your Reason rather than your ity). At the minor level, you can share one secret each
Charisma. You can do this once per encounter (minor); from three people; at the major level, you can share
three times per encounter (major); every time (grand). two secrets each from four people; and at the grand
Ridicule. When you make a social attack level, you can share two secrets each from a number
against anyone whose highest Wealth Level fashion of people equal to your Charisma.
item is 4 or more levels below your highest Wealth Spiritual leader. Your organization restores
Level fashion item, you do one additional point of 2 Spirit points rather than 1 when it rallies a troop or
damage. You can do this once per scene (minor); three unit in a battle. You can use this ability once per unit
times (major); or with every attack (grand). (minor); twice per unit for 3 Spirit points (major);
Rumors. Once per week, you can launch a ru- or an unlimited number of times for 3 Spirit points
mor with sufficient traction that it damages or bolsters (grand).
someone's reputation. Roll your Charisma against Stake your word on it. Choose a reputation of
the Doom (to help) or your opponent's Charisma (to yours that covers your target and attack him with a so-
harm). If you succeed, you alter one of your target's cial attack. If you hit, you do one extra point of dam-
reputations by one, up or down according to the rumor age, but if you miss, you lose one reputation point. Per
you spread. This is a minor talent. The major tal- attack, you can risk up to one reputation point (minor),
ent allows you to hit two different targets in a week; two reputation points (major), or four reputation points
the grand allows you to hit three different targets per (grand). Each risked reputation point causes 1 extra
week. point of damage; if you miss, all risked reputation
Secret sharer. You tempt people into divulging points are lost. You can use this talent once per scene
their secrets. When a person confides a secret in you, per target.

116
 Chapter Eleven:
Organizations & research
Famous organizations in the Claw include the advancement, subverting the economy of a kingdom
Church; the 23 Daughters of Asenkut Ragul; and the or bolstering it.
Rithaign Factors, Haulers, and Panhandlers. There is of course more. While your sword arm
Organizations provide another level of play, al- reaches only so far, organizations allow you to wield a
lowing you to "zoom out" the focus of your campaign lever large enough to move the world.
to include wars, shadow wars, cultural decline and

117
 Why
organizations? the enemies they've made in the Dryght? Then, "The
Dryght have been rumormongering again, and mer-
The big picture answer is, of course, "Because chants bite their thumbs at you as you walk by. Roll
they make the game more fun." If they are not making your Charisma or lose 2 Mood. The Dryght get a 9 on
your game more fun, get rid of them. their Shadow roll." And there you have it - quick tar-
Here's where you can find some of this fun. geting, quick result, a layer of depth to the world, and
• They make characters more powerful. Many a recurring villain popping up!
times after a campaign has reached a high level of
PC power, the players look to influence their world in
ways beyond swinging a sword and stabbing a chi- Organization
mera in the goat eye. Organizations provide that world
influence. A priest is a priest, but a priest with a con-
gregation is a political power.
Characteristics
• They also make characters more vulnerable. Each organization has these characteristics.
Players become attached to their characters' organiza- Force. Force is physical might. A church’s
tions. GMs can exploit this, threatening organizations Force score might derive from its templars and the
to challenge players and add tension to the campaign. crusaders it can call up, while a barony’s Force score
• Organizations add another layer to the world. might derive from the baron’s knights, mercenaries,
While ultra-simulationism is not the goal, organiza- and soldiers. Force also represents force of spirit, and
tions do add to verisimilitude, suspension of disbelief, your ability to resist attacks upon battlefield morale.
and immersion. Each organization makes the milieu You might roll Force to defend a castle, hold a border,
more nuanced, more worthy of exploration, more real. sweep the thieves out of the docks district, or main-
• Organizations empower unique villains. The tain open shipping lanes through a hostile Kingdom’s
unctuous city councilman who wouldn't know a sword waters.
from a goosequill is no nemesis in an RPG system Arcana. Arcana measures the organization’s
whose only conflict resolution is armed combat. But magical power. Magic is dangerous, and most orga-
the useless-in-combat adventurer-hating councilman nizations have no facility with it. Others clutch after
becomes a recurring villain like no other when you magic with obsessive zeal, seeking the secrets that
add an organization that can torment the PCs with Kings and Queens hold in jealous hearts. You might
taxes, bogus criminal charges, city watch harassment, roll Arcana to change the weather, to prevent a rival
the Inquisition, and military drafts and impressment. organization from controlling the magic in the area, or
• Organizations bring options to classes that to increase or decrease the number of freak magical
traditionally plateau at high levels. Can a high-level monster births to unsuspecting mothers.
wizard of the Druidic school summon a plague that Shadow. An organization's Shadow score is
terrorizes an entire barony? You bet. Fun! Can a high- its power in darkness, its power to commit acts never
level rogue do that? Nope. But his thieves guild can meant to see the light of day, and its ability to es-
loose anarchy on the barony, sending thugs to haul cape the consequences of its actions. You might roll
farmers out of bed in the middle of the night, burn gra- Shadow to steal from another organization, spy on an
naries, bleed cattle and maim random travelers. Fun! individual, or to cover up your tracks so that no one
(For a certain type of rogue, anyway.) knows who has been working against them.
Can you do this without organizations? Sure. Efficiency. Efficiency determines how quickly
But organizations give you a quick, fast-paced way your organization can accomplish tasks and how many
to do so. Are the PCs heading off to an audience at resources it burns through in doing so. Efficiency
the Baron's chateau, but you want to remind them of can also rule out some tasks as too difficult. Finally,

118
Efficiency is also transparency. That is, the more ef- Player Control
ficient an organization is, the more easily it allows its Through their characters, players control or-
members to communicate information and wealth. You ganizations. At low levels, this may seem a contradic-
might roll Efficiency to act before another organiza- tion. If Geoffrey is newly knighted in the Impale, how
tion can, to conclude a deal without wasting gold, or to could he be in charge of his entire knightly order? The
issue multiple commands during wartime. answer is: he’s not in charge of the entire order, he’s in
Scope. Scope represents the reach and influ- charge of a little piece of it. His squire, his banner man
ence of the organization. The material size of the or page, his mount, and a drunk blacksmith are prob-
organization as measured in population, buildings, and ably the extent of his organization when he begins.
territory influences its Ecope. Other factors also influ- Instead of writing down “The Impale” as his
ence Ecope: contacts, favors, secrets, spells, artifacts, organization on his character sheet, he could write
enslaved monsters, and more. One religion may have a down, “Western Patrol, Twenty-Sixth Wyverns Er-
scope of 15 because it has many temples and a con- rant, Order of the Impale.” As he gains status, follow-
gregation spread throughout the countryside. Another ers, and allies, he gains more and more power within
religion with only one small temple and a small con- the order. When he rolls his organization die, the aid
gregation may still have a scope of 15 because it has might come from his own small faction within the
a network of allies at court, a strong bloodline in two large organization, or it might rely on allies in the
noble houses, and a millenia-old alliance with a secret large organization itself. His organization's character-
society of assassins. istics represent both his own faction's abilities and his
An organization’s characteristics can be dimin- ability to call upon the larger organization for aid. For
ished. An invading army can burn your fields, raiders example, when Nassar Benbarak rolls the Force die
can steal your artifacts, and whispers in the night can from his Dynni Inquisition organization, using it as a
turn your agents. It is also possible to have a large bonus die when attempting to intimidate foreigners, he
Scope and yet have little real power. This represents a relies on the name and power of the entire organiza-
“hollow man” organization, one that was once great, tion. When he rolls a Dynni Inquisition Shadow die
or that has a widely known name and reputation, and when attempting to smuggle a spell past the harbor-
yet has little power to back up its reputation. Hollow master at Muda-Tarsk, he might use people from his
men result when an organization’s Scope is large but own faction within the larger Inquisition. In each case,
its Force, Arcana, Shadow or Efficiency have been he rolls the same size die, but the source of the power
reduced to almost meaningless levels. is slightly different.
An organization is eradicated and removed Eventually, when a character's faction is equal
from play if its Scope and Force are both brought to 0. in Scope to the entire organization's Scope, the charac-
Scope, Force, and Shadow must all be brought to 0 to ter can challenge for leadership of the entire organiza-
remove a Thieves Guild or Secret Society. tion. Succession struggles and power intrigues often
attend a PC's rise to prominence. The GM should pres-
ent grand roleplay opportunities in this case! The GM
should also present roleplay opportunities if a player
wants to go higher up in his organization for more
power than his own characteristic dice provide.
Of course, it is also possible, even common,
for a PC to found an organization that begins very
small. In that case, the PC does not command a faction
within the organization, he commands the full organi-
zation itself. As the Scope increases, so does the size
of the organization.

119
 Organization
Actions
Organizations can act once per scene (or twice how her trading company has fed her information
per week outside of scene order play). If there ever is a about her target’s preferences in women. She dresses
question as to which organization acts first, the com- accordingly, flirts outrageously, and, when the time
peting organizations roll an Efficiency check. comes, rolls her organization’s Shadow die as a bonus
An organization can only act in a region if die along with her social attack.
it has its headquarters or at least one building in the Example. The Red Cheroot thieves guild is try-
region. ing to abduct a kingsman to be run through the gaunt-
Organizations act in two ways. First, they can let as entertainment at this year's All Below. They roll
support a character and provide a bonus die on a roll. a 9 on their Shadow die, beating the Doom, so the GM
Second, they can act independently. rules that they abduct a minor functionary in the king's
Example. Nicolette Themis, the Fire Sage of bureaucratic apparatus.
Kharkov, is trying to corner a trader at a party and
winnow a secret about the Dragon Isles. She narrates

Organizations: Examples of Aid

Scene Type Action Benefit
Player narrates: Organization maintains a safe house Roll Shadow as bonus die on chase
here, so PC kows the area well roll.
Player narrates: Organization regularly roughs up the Roll Force as bonus die on chase roll.
Chase
locals in this part of town, so they get out of my way.
An organization skiff is tied up at the docks. Open a new path across the water in
the chase.
Organization digs up dirt on opposing barrister preced- If a Shadow vs. Doom roll succeeds,
ing a trial before the Marquis. you know a secret about your oppo-
nent
Social Organization's tailors work on your outfit. Roll Efficiency as bonus die on one
social roll
Party is hosted at organization's summer villa. If an Efficiency vs. Doom roll suc-
ceeds, you gain 1 Mood.
Network of organization informants funnels rumors Roll Efficiency and Shadow as bonus
your way. dice to gather information.
Investiga- Organization whispers about you in the right ears. Increase a reputation by one die on
tion this investigation.
Requisition orders go through. Organization loans a zeppelin with ten
cordsmen.
Local members provide crack snow gear. One troop ignores terrain modifiers.
Organization assists with command and control. Roll your Efficiency as a bonus die on
War any non-combat roll.
Local scouts run recon during the battle. Roll Shadow as a bonus die when
looking for enemy secret troops

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 How To Use Organization vs.
Organizations in Organization &
Actual Play PC
First, don't use them if you don't like them. It's Violent conflict between organizations is either
your game. Or, use them as pure fluff, or something a war or a shadow war. See Chapter Six for the war
with a minimal story bonus. For example, only PCs rules.
with scope 5 or higher organizations are invited to the Conflict between an organization and a PC is
Fifth Season Royal Ball, or, no woman of the upper asymmetric. Rarely can a PC harm an organization.
class will marry someone without a Wealth Level 10 Organizations are too diffuse to target with a sword
and an organization of scope 8. and too expansive to curtail with a single man's admo-
But if you like organizations as I do, then nition. A PC needs people to listen to him - followers
you'll want to use them for more. Some people im- of his own, his own cabal or tribe or legion - to bring
mediately grok organizations. If you're having a little down an organization.
trouble, though, here's the way to think of it. Organizations, however, can affect a single
Remember when you were first learning to PC. The typical attack is harassment. An armed legion
play RPGs. You had a character, and maybe you sends goons to beat the PC's sister. A thieves' guild
asked, "What can my guy do?" I hope that your GM plants a severed finger in the PC's drink at a tavern.
said something like, "Whatever you want. Just tell me Roll the organization's relevant die against the PC's
what you want to do." Charisma or Reason, as the GM judges, with a bonus
Do that same thing with organizatons. What defense die, probably Shadow or Force, from the PC's
can your organization do? Whatever you want. Just organization (defending in this way does not count as
tell your GM, and he'll judge. You have Force, Arcana, the organization's action for the scene or week). If the
Shadow, and Efficiency scores. Use them to roll op- attacking organization wins, it causes 1 Mood damage,
posed checks and to roll against the Doom. When you or perhaps 2 Mood damage for especially keen attacks.
attack another organization, use the rules in Chapter Other attacks and effects are possible. Thieves'
Six for wars and shadow wars. guilds can steal wealth levels; noble houses can ruin
See the table on the preceding page for ex- reputations; secret societies can hide forbidden knowl-
amples of organization action by scene type. Some edge or assassinate key allies. Resolve these attacks in
organizations are more suited to certain actions than the same way, namely, the organization rolls its rele-
others, of course. By no means take the table as a lim- vant characteristic against the PC's relevant character-
iting or even prescriptive treatment of organizations. istic. The PC's roll can be aided by a skill or his own
They are yours to use as best fits your campaign and organization. Attacks such as these can make fearsome
your play style. foes of NPCs who don't know a single fighting or
magic style.
Finally, consider that the Third Ward Baker's
Guild of Steerk might be powerful in the Third Ward
of Steerk, but probably does not have the clout to
harass a peer of Avedine. An organization that is 5 or
more scope below a character's level cannot harm the
character.

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 Wealth Level as running across enemy forces. You do not need to
use an organization action to keep a troop moving. It
Organizations track their wealth level just as moves on until it hits its destination or receives orders
characters do. directing it elsewhere.
Organizations are not as efficient as individual
characters are. An organization can only hold and
maintain two items of its wealth level and two items of Joining Forces
each wealth level below that. The rest of the organiza-
tion’s wealth is tied up in maintenance, transaction, All for one! Sometimes the players want
and other costs. every PC to belong to the same organization. Four
To bring an organization to the next wealth musketeers working for the archbishop, perhaps, or
level requires the same amount of gold as an individu- five rogues charming and backstabbing their way up
al requires, namely, the current wealth level multiplied the guild ranks, or four students at the same wizard
by 1000. For example, to go from 6th to 7th level school.
requires 6000 gold. This is a fortunate situation because common
Like individuals, organizations can buy items player interests allow the GM to challenge all of the
with cash instead of using wealth level. The table on players at once. She does not need to create an armed
page 56 lists the gold to wealth level conversions. legion to challenge the warrior's armed legion, plus
A character can have his organization purchase a Low God cult to challenge the priest's temple, plus
items for him, although this may upset others involved a secret society to challenge the chosen one's rise.
with the organization (investors, rival members, supe- Instead, one challenge fits all. (Of course, a common
riors). A character may also take gold out of his orga- GM trick in any game is to structure challenges so that
nization by subtracting one from its wealth level. This the challenges always fit multiple PCs, no matter how
returns to him one-half the gold needed to advance to diverse the PCs' interests - but when all the PCs are in
the old wealth level. For example, the southern family the same organization, doing so is much easier.)
line of a distinguished noble house is at wealth level Beyond efficiency, focused plots, and reduced
9. The matriarch subtracts 1, leaving the noble house GM burden, theme is another advantage of PCs join-
family at wealth level 8, but giving her 4000 gold (half ing forces in one organization. Instead of a sequence
what is needed to advance from wealth level 8 to 9). of scenes cutting from a druid's grove to a fixer's lab to
Any financial action, including selling off a an admiral's flagship, the campaign has time to brood
wealth level or making a trade with another organiza- over one theme and trace motifs from one scene to the
tion or individual, counts as one of the organization’s next.
actions for the week. Here are the rules for troupe organizations.
• In troupe organization play, the PCs work and
Troops communicate within a single organization. For every
PC beyond the first in an organization, increase the
An armed legion can muster, command, and Efficiency and one other score by one. If the PC's pri-
maintain as many troops as it can afford. Other orga- mary class (highest number of levels) is martial, he in-
nizations cannot have a number of troops exceeding creases the organization's Force score; shadow classes
their Force score. increase the Shadow score; magic classes increase the
Moving all of its troops – or just a few – on the Magic score; and social classes increase any score (eac
overland map counts as one of the organization’s PC chooses and may switch once per season).
actions for the week (or scene, in scene order play). • Because multiple PCs are directly involved,
Troops continue on the orders you’ve given the organization gains one extra action per scene (or
them until they reach their destination or some other two per week) per PC after the first. For example, if
event occurs that would cause them to stop, such three PCs join the same organization, it gains 2 extra

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actions. This puts it close to par with the number of or- example, if Magnus, Philip, and Isidore are all in the
ganization actions that would be available in the game same armed legion, levels 4, 6, and 5 respectively, then
if every PC ran his own organization. the armed legion gains an automatic Scope increase
• Costs do not increase. While there is no ad- every other time Magnus (level 4) increases his level.
ditional wealth level or prerequisite cost for the extra
actions per organization, there is the increased risk to
the PCs of placing all of their fortunes in one organi-
zation's well-being.
Stunting
• If there is a conflict over who commands an Although PCs cannot use their individual
organization or a portion of the organization, the PCs Inspirations and Mood to aid an organization's die roll,
make opposed Charisma rolls to see who has com- there is a way to stunt and gain a bonus.
mand. Histories modify this opposed roll as usual. If a player details his organization's roster,
• When stunting (see below), a player cannot maps its headquarters, or writes a few lines describ-
use other players' PCs as the sole basis of the stunt. ing the organization, then he can stunt on these details
• Advancement by level (see below) proceeds once per week. He gains a re-roll of the organization's
with the lowest-level PC. That is, the automatic Scope die roll for his stunt.
increase at every other level happens when the low- "Details his organization's roster" often means
est-leveled PC in the organization gains a level. For naming at least one NPC per Scope level and describ-

Organizations: Story Goal Advancement

Type Story Goal Advancement
Fight on the winning side in a major war. Increase Scope by 2.
Armed Legion In a treasure horde, discover a legendary general's Increase Efficiency by 1.
treatise on military logistics.
Marry the Nightshade Queen of Syrbizond. Dowry of 6 buildings, 3 troops.
Cabal, Coven
Capture the Living Fire of Koshtra Indege. Increase Arcana by 1.
Visit from the Cardinal. Increase Scope by 5 for one month.
Church, Temple,
Capture and impale a Low God and its cultists. +6 reputation for every member of
Sect
the organization.
Clear out and reclaim a border keep teeming with Gain keep and its surrounding
Noble House chimera above and troglodytes below. buildings.
Exchange foster sons with Nahalite royal cousins. +1 Scope
Conquer a neighboring tribe. +1 Scope, +1 Force.
Savage Tribe Gain control of standing stones. +1 Arcana and gain two magical
beasts as troops.
Blackmail or turn a noble. +2 income.
Secret Society Win a shadow war against the regional detachment of Install your puppet officer as the
the royal legion. commander; +1 Force.
Steal the logbooks from the royal exchequery. +1 Shadow, +1 income.
Thieves Guild Destroy all other local thieves guilds in a shadow +2 Shadow, +1 Force.
war.
Survive a trading mission to the Dragon Isles. +2 income.
Trading Company
Break a siege and deliver goods to a starving city. Gain two buildings in the city.

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ing that NPC's role in the organization. The GM may crowns. Your Scope starts at 1. Assign a 4, 4, 3, and 2
accept other player-made details as the basis of ac- to the other four scores.
ceptable stunts. These details could include designing Temple, church, sect. You must invest 500
and stamping a logo for the organization, making a gold, have a building (any building will do), have a
flowchart hierarchy of positions and communications Charisma 6 or higher, and choose the High God or a
within the organization, writing fiction about a day in Low God. State your creed and publish it in an ap-
the life of the organization, or any of the many geeky, propriate form. Your scope starts at 1. Assign a 4, 4, 3,
super fun things we love to do to enrich our immer- and 2 to your other four scores.
sion. Thieves guild. You must be name level in a
Example. Horace Threet, Fixer of the Scar shadow class and own a safe house (any building will
Ward in Dresgilioch, sends a member of his trading do). Your Shadow starts at 6 and your Scope at 1. As-
company to investigate rumors of a ship in harbor sign a 4, 2, and 1 to the other scores.
carrying seven Taken emotions. His company has a 7 Trading company. You must invest 2,000 gold
Shadow score, so he rolls a d6 to investigate. Horace's crowns. Your Efficiency starts at 4 and your Scope at
player, however, has a roster for the trading company 1. Assign a 4, 3, and 2 to the other three scores.
and explains in detail which trader goes to the harbor,
and why. As a result of this stunting, Horace's com-
pany gains a re-roll of the d6, should he need it.
Advancement
Organization advancement comes through
Creating an three means: PC level advancement, acquired build-
ings, and story goal achievement.
Organization Increase your organization’s Scope by 1 every
other time you gain a character level. This represents
Some classes, such as the noble, grant you an your experience and growth as a leader. It also repre-
organization for free. Other characters must found sents the time you have invested in the organization
their organizations according to the following rules. and your accumulation of financial and political capi-
Arcane order. You must have mastered one tal. As your character levels up, you also increase your
spell school and own any type of wizard’s refuge (a organization's Force, Arcana, Shadow, and Efficiency
building of wealth level 5, at the least). Your Arcana scores according to individual organization schemes
starts at 6 and your Scope at 1. Assign a 4, 3, and 2 (see the following section). If you have more than one
to the other three scores. Note that arcane orders are organization, choose only one to benefit when you
high treason unless sanctioned by the nobility. level up.
Armed legion. Recruit two troops (purchasing Buildings, wonders, cultures, and other actions
them normally as an individual) and invest 1000 gold may also increase your organization’s characteristics.
crowns. Your Force starts at 6 and your Scope at 1. As- See Chapter Eleven (p. 152) for buildings that can
sign a 4, 2, and 1 to the other three scores. make your organization more powerful.
Noble house. You gain a noble house if you Story goal achievements can also increase an
have a level in the noble class. Barring that, you must organization's characteristics. The GM should handle
gain a noble title during the course of play. Your Scope this like treasure. He must judge what is an appropri-
starts at 1. Assign a 6, 6, 4, and 2 to the other four ate award for the players' accomplishments. The chart
scores. on p. 123 offers some examples.
Savage tribe. You must be an ogiichiida savage Finally, bear in mind that organizations are
(4th level). Your force starts at 4 and your Scope at 1. only as good as the man at the top. An organization
Assign a 4, 3, and 2 to the other four scores. cannot grow to a Scope larger than the number of
Secret society. Fanaticism informs every secret character levels of its leader. (An organization whose
society. You must have an Inspiration 4 or more that leader is somehow removed and replaced with a
relates to the purpose of the society and invest 500 lower-level leader retains its current Scope.)

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 and its members. (PCs and NPCs alike drop other
Armed Legion inspirations as quickly as possible in order to make
room for this fear.) This last can be avoided if a
While the fops at court prattle on, and the wiz- character rolls Reason vs. the Doom, but the roll is
ards stargaze from their towers, the legions get things repeated each month until the character learns fear.
done. Examples of armed legions are the king's army,
a band of mercenaries, and a homeless armada sailing
from an island Kingdom that sank beneath the waves.
Cabal, Coven
Special. Armed legions can command any There are wizards in the Kingdoms who have
number of troops (normally, an organization's troops the power to boil seas and to whisper to a lover across
cannot outnumber its Force score). a continent. Most of these are jealous, insular fiends.
Advancement. Each time you increase your But some witches manage to cooperate with coven sis-
Scope, raise your legion's Force by one. Every other ters, and some wizards manage to form cabals, despite
Scope increase, raise two other characteristics by one the constant threat of backstabbing and betrayal.
or one other characteristic by two. In the Kingdoms, a cabal must have the king's
Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than sanction to function legally. Illegal cabals are hunted
every other organization in your region, then you are with prejudice. Even legal cabals are dangerous; a
in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's king's blessing is as inconstant as the moon and far
culture lines. Changing to a new culture line requires less predictable.
approximately one year. Possible culture lines include Special. Wizards and witches in a cabal or
but are not limited to: coven gain cabalistic casting. If a magic surge hits a
• Martial architecture. Even the normal build- cabal member, any fellow cabalists in the area do not
ings in your region begin to look like military build- add to the surge's damage (normally, a person hit by
ings. Reduce by 1 the wealth level of all military a magic surge takes 1 point of damage per spellbound
buildings. creature in the area).
• Martial youth. The kids in your region are Advancement. Each time you increase your
born to soldier. Increase the spirit of all newly recruit- Scope, raise your Cabal's Arcana by one. Every other
ed troops in your region by 1. Scope increase, raise two other characteristics by one
• One True Style. Your culture venerates one or one characteristic by two.
particular fighting style over all others. Anyone who Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than
has mastered that style gains a Reputation 8, appli- every other organization in your region, then you are
cable to every citizen in the region. in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's
• Culture of Strength. The farmers, the sailors, cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires
and even the bankers of your region scoff at the weak. approximately one year. Possible culture lines include
Anyone with a Strength of 4 or less must roll his Rea- but are not limited to:
son against the Doom each morning. Failure indicates • Tradition of tomes. Everyone in your region
that he loses 1 Mood. writes. Even the goodwives on the farthest homesteads
In addition, you may choose to institute either keep diaries on treated birchbark or horn slate. Any
a Pax Arma or a Tyranny of Arms. research roll is increased by one die size.
• Pax Arma. Peace rules throughout your • Tradition of scholarship. In your region,
region. The entire economy improves by one step, every History that involves scholarship or research be-
meaning that all items now cost one less Wealth Level. gins at 6 rather than 4 (8 rather than 6 for rain trolls).
• Tyranny of Arms. All organizations headquar- • Monstrous breeding ground. Your region
tered in the region that are not armed legions have has become a breeding ground for enormous magical
their wealth levels reduced by 2, and everyone in the beasts. Decrease the wealth level of all magical beast
region gains fear (2) of your organization troops by one.

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 • Favored familiar. Choose one type of famil- war).
iar. There are two effects. First, that type of animal Advancement. Each time you increase your
is venerated almost unto a sacrament in your region. Scope, raise your sect's Arcana or Shadow by one.
Killing one is unheard of and punished with the most Every other Scope increase, raise two other character-
painful tortures leading to slow, public death. Even istics by one.
brushing one off of a windowsill is forbidden. Second, Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than
all familiars of that type gain four characteristic score every other organization in your region, then you are
points to be spent as the wizard chooses. in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's
In addition, you may choose to institute either cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires
eminent domain or sacrificial casting. approximately one year. Possible culture lines include
• Eminent domain. Any wizard who is capable but are not limited to:
of casting a high spell can seize property in the name • Pious. The people in your region are passion-
of isolation. The rationale is this: the more empty ately religious. Anyone with an Inspiration honoring
space a wizard has around him, the fewer people there the High God, the church, or your temple gains one
are to be affected by surges if anything goes wrong. point in that Inspiration (this does not count against
The property remains under the wizard's control for the maximum allowed).
half a week per magic level, so a wizard/warrior 12/5, • Intolerance. Anyone with a religion differ-
for example, could hold seized property for 6 weeks. ent from yours takes a negative Reputation (8) in your
• Sacrificial casting. If you sacrifice a living region.
creature of sufficient power and rarity in front of your • Holy war. In a battle against a foe your
entire cabal, then on every Magic roll over the next church has excommunicated, all troops mustered and
day, you can roll your cabal's Arcana score as a bonus maintained by the church increase their spirit by 2.
die. • Closed minds. Any attempt to proselytize the
devoted folk in your region is difficult. Your subject
rolls your sect's Efficiency die as a bonus die to resist
Church, Temple, the conversion attempt.
In addition, you may choose to institute either

Sect Beatification or an Inquisition.

Beatification. Your sect elevates someone to
Churches legitimize government. Who dares sainthood. If yours is a heretic sect, you can even raise
move against the Marquis when he has the High God up someone or something as a Low God. All relics and
on his side? artifacts of the new saint are worth a minimum Wealth
Many PCs who found churches do so simply as Level of 2 (and possibly much more, according to
a congregation of the High Church. If you prefer, you the GM's judgment and the roleplay occurring at the
may pick a Low God to be the object of your sect's table), and any member of your sect with an Inspira-
devotion. tion point in the new saint can use that Inspiration two
Special. If your church is a congregation of the extra times per scene while on consecrated ground.
High Church, then throughout the Old Claw (roughly Inquisition. The church leaders seat a body of
the Claw's two westernmost peninsulas), it is entitled investigators, judges and executioners. This body is
to Canon Law. That is, on the church's grounds, the the Inquisition, charged with purging your region of
laws of the Cardinal in Valte Riel supercede the laws infidels. Everyone in your region gains a Fear (2) of
of the local nobility or even the Kingdom. If your con- the Inquisition as soon as they have an unallocated
gregation is not part of the High Church, then instead Inspiration point (immediately in most cases).
you gain the secret status (like Thieves Guilds and
Secret societies, you can only be targeted in a shadow

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 Noble House Anyone who does not have Fear or Suspicion as an
inspiration has their maximum Mood lowered by 3.
A noble house is a an extended family with • Numb. No one can be allowed to love, or
a history of power and wealth. Most go to great fear, or feel anything too strongly. It is too danger-
lengths to secure their ancient privilege against chal- ous. Only nobles and rebels have any Inspiration at
lenge. all in your region. Anyone with an Inspiration of 2 or
Some houses are built in the shadows, while higher must make a Heart roll against the Doom once
other houses are in effect shrines bustling with pious per week; failure results in the loss of one Inspiration
churchgoers supporting the High God. Whatever their point (determined at random).
differences, all noble houses that last long do so by • Misery. While this culture line is in effect,
dealing ruthlessly with allies and enemies alike. your house and family members increase their Wealth
Special. Everywhere but on High Church Level by 1. Everyone else in the region decreases his
ground, you are the law. If your noble house's Scope wealth level by 1.
outranks the local city watch's Scope, you are never • Salon. Your noble house fosters new ideas
arrested or seriously harassed by the watch or any and free thinking. You gain a positive reputation of
other local, official force. 8 applicable to everyone in your region save other
Advancement. Each time you increase your nobles, and all researchers roll your House's Efficiency
Scope, raise one of your House's characteristic scores as a bonus die in their efforts.
by one. Every other time you increase your organiza- In addition, you may choose to institute either
tion's Scope, also increase one other characteristic Famine or a Tyranny of Kings.
score by two or two other characteristic scores by one. • Famine. Hunger is a timeless tool of despots.
Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than Every non-noble in the region for a week or longer
every other organization in your region, then you are lowers his Body, Strength, and Quickness by 1.
in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's • Tyranny of Kings. Pick one Inspiration type
cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires (love, revenge, ambition). You forbid all forms of it.
approximately one year. Possible culture lines include Anyone who has an Inspiration of one of the verboten
but are not limited to: types faces an increase of +2 to the Doom on all rolls.
• Paranoia. Fear and suspicion pervade society.

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 Savage Tribe against the Doom or is broken.
Savages are demons and sirens, howling and
calling beyond the lands of civilization. They are foils
to the discipline of the armed legion and the sophisti-
Secret Society
cation of the noble house, and they are danger, adven- Secret societies move in the penumbra of his-
ture, and the unknown to all of the settled Kingdoms. tory, pulling the strings of lords, priests, and generals.
Special. In your homeland, your power mul- Rumors in a tavern, the stubs of incriminating pages
tiplies. Your organization may act twice per scene (or ripped from an ancient text, and ritual murders are
three times per week), it gains +1 Force and +1 Effi- often the only signs that a secret society exists. Some
ciency, and your troops gain +1 Spirit. societies are devoted to preserving a kingdom-shatter-
Advancement. Each time you increase your ing secret. Others want to accomplish a goal: the
Scope, raise your tribe's Force by one. Every other silencing of the dragons, eradication of a centuries-old
time you increase your tribe's Scope, also increase two noble house, finding a Chosen One, or preventing a
other characteristic scores by one. prophesied cataclysm. Secret societies recruit all man-
Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than ner of agents: magicians, assassins, soldiers, spies,
every other organization in your region, then you are and courtesans. The only common trait is fanaticism.
in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's For a secret society, two tenets always hold:
cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires Survival depends on remaining hidden, and success
approximately one year. Possible culture lines include lies in manipulation. Many secret societies view their
but are not limited to: job as building a house of cards: they stack up the
• Tribal law. In your region, people live by opinions and forces of the world in just the right way,
your rules. There is no property ownership, no sanc- so that one breath from the society crumbles every-
tioned magic, and there might not be permanent dwell- thing.
ings. You set the laws, and the tribe enforces them. Special. Your society is secret. It can never be
• Raiding. Your people embrace raiding the targeted by a war. Only a shadow war can hurt it, and
civilized folk as a way of life. All troops recruited even then, any would-be attacker must first identify
from among your savages retain your homeland bo- you (through the regular course of play).
nuses (under 'Special' above) when raiding a bordering Advancement. Each time you increase your
civilization. Scope, raise any characteristic except Force by one.
• Sack. Your people hate cities and all signs of Every other time you increase your society's Scope,
civilization. Your troops deal one extra point of dam- also increase one other characteristic score by two.
age to buildings, vehicles, and siege engines. Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than
• Beast world. All savages who have the beast every other organization in your region, then you are
world class ability gain an extra use of it at 1st level. in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's
In addition, you may choose to institute either cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires
Closed Culture or Tyranny of Nature. approximately one year. Possible culture lines include
• Closed culture. Any native of your region ig- but are not limited to:
nores all culture lines when traveling to other regions • Agents of obliteration. Thanks to your culture
and, in fact, retains the culture lines of your region. honoring the obliteration of history, your agents are
• Tyranny of nature. All engineering items, well placed to suppress forbidden knowledge. Roll
alchemical items, trapped spells, and technically your Shadow, Arcana, or Force die (your choice) as a
sophisticated vehicles (ships, zeppelins) brought into bonus die whenever you or your organization attempts
your homeland lose 2 Quality points immediately and to destroy knowledge, silence news and rumor, keep a
1 more per week until the item wins a Quality roll

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secret, or limit the spread of ideas. gang, a pirate crew, or any other organization that lives
• Fire inside. Your culture values fanatic devo- outside the law.
tion. Increase your die size by one when resisting any Special. Your guild is hidden. It can never be
attempt to infiltrate your organization or turn your targeted by a war. Only a shadow war can hurt it, and
agents. even then, any would-be attacker must first identify
• Taboo. Name one custom or practice. Usually you (through the regular course of play).
this is something that threatens the secret your society Advancement. Each time you increase your
is sworn to protect. The taboo could be expeditions to Scope, raise your guild's Shadow score by one. Ev-
the Descent, political marriages, romantic marriages, ery other time you increase your guild's Scope, also
settlement within a dozen miles of Koshtra Noln, etc. increase two other characteristics by one or one other
Anyone who commits the taboo has her maximum characteristic by two.
Mood lowered by 3. Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than
• Trust. You create a false sense of trust in the every other organization in your region, then you are
culture, making it very easy for you to infiltrate other in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's
organizations. Once per week, when rolling against cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires
another organization, for any check which infiltration approximately one year. Possible culture lines include
may reasonably aid, you force the target organization but are not limited to:
to roll its Shadow die as a penalty die. • Scofflaw. Your success encourages contempt
In addition, you may choose to institute either for nobles. All nobles, kingsmen, courtiers, city watch-
Fanaticism or Ignorance is Bliss. men, and other representatives of the aristocracy lose
Fanaticism. You create a culture of fanaticism. six points from every positive reputation.
Anyone with an Inspiration that involves your soci- • Smugglers' haven. Anyone attemptng to
ety's goals (in a positive way) gains one bonus point smuggle or cross a border (including into and out of a
in that Inspiration. This bonus point does not count walled city) in your region gains an increase of one die
against a character's normal limit. size on all relevant rolls.
Ignorance is bliss. You nudge the people in • Seize the night. The nights are wild in your
your region toward blissful ignorance. They resent region. Members of your guild, black market fixers,
anyone who upsets their reverie. Any character known spell smugglers, and all other outlaws gain one Mood
to be an investigator, a secret seeker, or a searcher for every sunset (not exceeding their maximum).
truth earns an instant negative Reputation (8). • In broad daylight. You promote such an atmo-
sphere of corruption that crime becomes easier than

Thieves Guild honest work. Decrease the Doom by one whenever

making a roll to engage in criminal activity.
Life as an outlaw is never easy. The thief al- In addition, you may choose to institute either
ways hears the boot of the city watch at his back, and Black Market Extortion or Circle of Trust.
he always listens for his partner‘s slumbering breaths Black Market Extortion. Through legal and
before he allows himself sleep. court machinations, you drive goods out of the open
Despite the harrowing days of a life on the run market and onto the black market. Any engineering,
and the eternal air of suspicion, for some the tempta- alchemical, stolen spell, weapon, or armor is treated
tion of the next big score is too great. For others, the as its normal wealth level for you because of your
law itself has become evil, and justice is only to be position in the black market. For everyone who is not
found outside its confines. in your guild, the same items are two wealth levels
A thieves’ guild can be a den of scoundrels, higher than normal.
a band of merry men, a syndicate of slavers, a street Circle of Trust. You make one other organiza-

129
tion secret, so that it can only be attacked in a shadow trolls).
war (and must be detected first). The organization • Signature item. Your region is famous for
must have a lower scope than your guild. The organi- producing or trading in one particular item. Increase
zation loses its secret status if it engages in a war (but its Quality level by 1 and decrease its Wealth Level by
not a shadow war) or, of course, if it is detected. Once 1 when manufactured or traded in your region.
detected, it cannot again be hidden by this ability. If • Mutual benefit. The people of the region
your guild's Scope is 10 or higher, you can bring a know that trade benefits all. Once per scene (or week),
second organization into your circle. after completing a significant trade, both trading
partners gain one Mood. The GM and the group must

Trading Company judge which trades are significant; passing a rock and
a burnt hookah stub back and forth benefits no one.
Trading companies travel the Old Claw and In addition, you may choose to institute either
beyond, forging or bringing back treasures that every- Trade Center or Invest Capital.
one wants at prices that just enough people can afford. Trade center. Your region is a thriving trade
Brigands, tempests, predatory nobles and kingdoms at center. Decrease the Wealth Level of all transportation
war are only a few of the hazards braved by traders in and imported items by one.
their travels. Invest capital. Once per season, you can in-
No organization is as diverse as a trading crease by one any characteristic score of any organiza-
company. No organization is needed by so many and tion in the region - your own or another's. You cannot
appreciated by so few. raise any characteristic score above 10 in this manner.
Special. Trading companies can act in a region Many trading companies sell the use of their capital,
even if they do not have a headquarters there. All that that is, they extract a high price for using this ability
is necessary for a trading company to act in a region is on others.
a building or a headquarters in an adjacent region, or a
WL 10 or greater ship in port or zeppelin at the dock-
ing tower.
Advancement. Each time you increase your
Scope, raise your company's Efficiency score by one.
Every other time you increase your company's Scope,
also increase two other characteristics by one or one
other characteristic by two.
Ascendancy. If you have a greater Scope than
every other organization in your region, then you are
in ascendancy. You may re-write one of your region's
cultural lines. Changing to a new culture line requires
approximately one year. Possible culture lines include
but are not limited to:
• Cultural ties. Your region develops a fond-
ness for the goods of a particular culture. Everyone
from that culture gains a positive Reputation (6) in
your region.
• Worldly. People in your region travel more
than most, and they are familiar with more of the Claw
than most. All cultural, geographical, and navigational
skills start at 6 rather than 4 (8 rather than 6 for rain

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 Research
The world is not constant. Monuments crum- Both organizations and individuals can conduct
ble, memories fade, and villages sicken and die. Night research. Organizations conduct research more com-
dives down, always, like a great crow to the feast. monly than individuals, but individuals can research
While it is the nature of things to fall, man can, with independently if they have a source of financial and
effort, on some nights, send up a flare against the dark- material support.
ness. Research can lead to advancements in warfare,
Research is the engine that launches that flare. engineering, magic, the arts, or nearly any other field
Building upon what has been learned, engineers, wiz- of endeavor.
ards, and others advance their work and achieve feats
out of the reach of previous generations.
Some would say that this advancement has led
to the present crisis in the Kingdoms. Others would
say that it is the only chance that the Kingdoms have.

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 Conducting Results of
Research Research
Research on objects - or anything with a Research can do any of the following:
wealth level - is just like crafting. Roll your research- • Raise the attack or defense die size of a
er’s skill against the research subject’s quality (or troop maneuver or stance. You share the knowledge
wealth level if it has no quality rating). If he matches with all your troops, so that all troops capable of that
or surpasses it, then he has put one point into the re- maneuver (now and future recruits) gain the benefit
search. This takes a number of days equal to the qual- of the research. For example, a cavalry charge that is
ity (or wealth level) of the item. After the researcher normally d6/d4 becomes d8/d4 for every cavalry unit
has put a number of points into the research equal to of that type in your organization.
the quality of the item, then the research is complete. • Raise the quality of every item of a given
Research can be conducted by organizations, type manufactured by your organization, including
freeing up characters for more adventurous concerns. items, troops, vehicles, services, and buildings. For
Of course, in that case the research is conducted using example, all Rithite maces are now quality 5 instead of
the organization’s relevant score rather than the char- quality 4.
acter’s skill. Research counts as one of the organiza- • Reduce by 1 the wealth level of all items of a
tion’s actions for the week. given type, including items, troops, vehicles, services,
Always use the original wealth level of an and buildings.
item that has been researched to a lower wealth level. • Grant a bonus charisma die to any representa-
To research a method or anything else without tive of your organization dealing with a foreign culture
a wealth level, roll against the Doom. The GM can that you have researched. This bonus die can be used
modify the Doom as necessary. For example, if an or- at any point in the social encounter, but a representa-
ganization is conducting military research to improve tive of the foreign culture must be present. The size
the defense of Longbowmen troops in their Close of the Charisma die is determined by the Charisma of
Quarters formation, then the GM makes the organiza- your representative.
tion roll against the Doom. To increase the Longbow- • Increase an organization's characteristic by 1.
men's attack die on their Scout-guided Shot maneuver, • Increase by 1 any statistic of a building, ve-
however, requires a roll against the Doom + 8 because hicle, or siege engine.
it is a maneuver that is already close to the pinnacle of • Discover resources. You discover a cache
human performance. of a new type of natural resources. Name the type of
For method research, the number of successful natural resources, specify where they were found, and
research rolls to finish the item is equal to the die size then state what the resources help you do or build. For
being modified. In the Close Quarters example, the items, after you specify what item the resources help,
researcher needs four successes to finish; in the Scout- you reduce by 2 the Wealth Level of up to 4 items
guided Shot example, the researcher needs at least 12 made with the same resources. For methords, after
successes to finish. As always, the GM is free to alter you specify which method the materials help, you gain
or set different timelines and success numbers, as best your organization's Efficiency die as a bonus die when
suits the campaign. using the specified method.

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 Stealing & Limits Research
Of Research Prerequisites
The results of research are secret. They can be To be eligible to achieve an advance in an
stolen from or forced out of your organization or your area, you must meet the prerequisites. In general,
organization leader as any other secret can be. there is no cost other than meeting the prereq-
Natural resources are an exception to this. uisites. If you can support one of these research
They cannot be stolen. If you wish to take them, you buildings, then you can support the research that
must conquer the land where they are found. goes on inside. There may be specific exceptions
Research is limited to two steps. That is, no nu- when research is too specific. For example, the
meric factor can be increased or decreased more than GM may rule that only an Armed Legion can re-
two steps, ever. search how to increase the attack die of a troop of
Musketeers.
• Warfare. A barracks plus at least four
brigades capable of any maneuver you wish to
advance.
• Magic. A tower or other isolated building
of at least Wealth Level 7.
• Engineering. An engineer’s shop and
equipment of at least Wealth Level 8.
• Arts. A university, theater, publishing
house, studio, or other artistic building.
• Social skills. A wealth level 6 or better
residence.
• Economy. A wealth level 8 or better
storefront or merchant building.

133
 Chapter Twelve:
Gear, Buildings, and Troops
A grappling hook hurtles through the night sky, ment – are also detailed here.
falling against a backdrop of stars and distant spires, Gear is not all. It isn’t love, it can’t guarantee
then clangs on the cistern pipe, scrapes and catches happiness or change how you treated your son or
fast… and the thief escapes. whisper in your ear on the eve of St. Jhess. And yet
A flute plays notes of sugar and dreams… and many a man meets Death every day for lack of gear
the dragon is charmed. alone.
A corset is unlaced… and the kingdom is un- NB The items listed are typical, not definitive.
done. There's nothing stopping you from having a Quality
Grappling hooks, flutes, corsets, ten-foot poles 10 hauberk made from the finest steel by the finest
and more are in this chapter. Larger purchases – build- smiths. Simply adjust the wealth level as the GM and
ings, siege engines, ships, troop training and recruit- the group judge.

Armor
Quality Min. Wealth Gold
Strength Level Price
Clothing 0 - - -
Breastplate and mail 6 6 5 1000
Brigandine 6 7 4 600
Cave boat mail 3 5 5 1000
Dragon plate 12 8 14 9100
Fang ropes 1 2 1 50
Gnarsk hide jerkin; bracers; sewer leathers; buckler 1 2 1 50
Horn lamellar 3 5 3 300
House vambraces 1 2 3 300
Inquisitor mail 4 6 6 1500
Leather armor 2 3 3 300
Mail hauberk 5 7 3 300
Masterpiece silkmetal mail 10 7 12 6600
Plate armor; coat-of-plates 8 7 6 1500
Round shield; teardrop shield; pavise; troop shield; et al. 2 5 2 100
Silkmetal hauberk 8 5 10 4500
Silkmetal tunic 4 3 7 2100
Steel and bone lamellar 4 4 5 1000
Studded leather armor; hamata 2 4 2 100
Sun plate 2 3 5 1000
Wyrm plate 14 9 18 15300

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 Quality: Half of this can be used as Body to Jakatta, sun plate reveals as much as it conceals. It was
soak damage in combat (round down). With the right and is used by the nobles of the south to dress their
class abilities (warrior), you can use the entire quality concubines provocatively. Nonetheless, it does provide
as Body. a small measure of protection, and it has become
Min. Strength: You can wear an armor whose popular in fashionable courts on the mainland, where
minimum strength exceeds your Strength, but all your it is called slave, sun, or dancer’s plate. Unlike most
physical rolls, including attack and defense rolls, are at other armors, it is effective in social encounters as
-2 die sizes. well as martial. Moreover, in social encounters, the
NB Armor does not stack. Use the highest sun plate’s quality is equal to its wealth level.
single value selected from all the armor you are wear- Wyrm plate. The only six wyrm plate suits
ing. This includes shields. known to exist are all sewn from the scales of the
wyrm known as Sore (or perhaps Soar; the Middle
Cave boat mail. The men who ply the dark Rithite is ambiguous), a beast slaughtered by Joachim
network of cave rivers running from Dynn to Azena- Tumenant four centuries ago. Wyrm plate ignores 1
hal often wear this bulbous mail. When a ripcord is point of damage per strike from weapons of quality 8
pulled, air plackets inflate underneath the low-density or less.
horn and bone plates. The swimmer gains a d12 bonus
die for swim checks. The plackets must be inflated
with a Quickness check against the doom. Repeat tries
on subsequent rounds are possible until the plackets
inflate.
Clothing. Clothing provides no armor or Body
bonus regardless of its quality.
Dragon plate. Made from tiled dragon scales,
dragon plate ignores 1 point of damage per strike from
weapons of quality 5 or less.
Fang ropes. Often seen on Dramba witch doc-
tors and Fyrajji savages, these ropes are sinews pulled
from trophy beasts and adorned with rows and rows of
fangs. A savage drapes the fang ropes over her body
(often otherwise bare) to gain an intimidating pres-
ence. If you have savage levels, these are quality 6 in a
social encounter.
House vambraces. These forearm plates have
been fashionable for centuries in the western Claw.
Unlike other armors, they can be used in social en-
counters if you have levels in the noble class. In such a
case, their quality is equal to their wealth level.
Inquisitor mail. Night-haunted Dynn manu-
factures blackened mail insulated against the flames of
Inquisition. Those wearing Dynn mail take 1 less point
of damage from any heat source.
Masterpiece silkmetal mail. This potentially
legendary armor ignores 1 point of damage per strike
from weapons of Quality 4 or less.
Sun plate. Originally a decorative armor of

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 Melee Weapons
Quality Min. Wealth Gold
Strength Level Price
All-Below Roofsword 12 4 14 9100
An Rach 18 5 18 15300
Club; peasant’s flail; smith's hammer; laced femur; et al. 1 4 1 50
Courtsmith rapier, longsword, saber, greatsword (great- 9 7 10 4500
sword is two-handed)
Engineer’s chain blade 6 5 8 2800
Fixer's fang 7 3 8 2800
Greatsword, two-handed 5 8 3 300
Halberd; glaive; partisan; billhook (all two-handed) 4 6 3 300
Honor axe; Queensport broadsword 7 5 7 2100
Jakattan templar machete 8 5 9 3600
King's Avenger 17 7 16 12000
Kingsman longsword 6 6 5 1000
Lance, mounted only 4 5 5 1000
Longsword, poor; hand axe, crude morningstar 2 4 2 100
Longsword; battleaxe; warhammer; mace; falchion 3 4 3 300
Masterpiece longsword; masterpiece falchion; et al. 14 4 18 15300
Orynjan kris 3 2 7 2100
Petrified head 2 2 1 50
Rithite mace 4 4 5 1000
Roofsword 5 5 4 600
Saint sword 15 6 15 10500
Shortsword, dagger, stiletto 1 2 2 100
Spear 3 6 2 100
Spiked whip 2 3 4 600
Staff, two-handed 2 6 1 50
Surge weapon (Gate, Stillness, Suske, Twice Sara, et al.) 18 5 18 15300
Syrbizond tulwar 8 8 7 2100
Trick staff, engineer's staff 2 6 4 600
Zeppelin flight officer's cutlass 6 3 7 2100

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 Ranged Weapons
Quality Min. Wealth Gold
Strength Level Price
Angon, Pilum 2 5 2 100
Blowgun 1 2 1 50
Bow 4 4 2 100
Crossbow 4 3 4 600
Dragon culverin 7 8 11 5500
Engineer's crossbow 11 6 10 4500
Honor axe (throwing) 7 6 4 600
Javelin 3 5 1 50
Kitaarsa shortbow 5 4 3 300
Longbow 5 7 4 600
Masterpiece bow 14 6 15 10500
Masterpiece wheel lock caliver 15 6 16 12000
Musket, matchlock; arquebus 5 5 4 600
Musket, wheel lock; caliver 8 3 10 4500
Pistol, matchlock 5 1 6 1500
Pistol, wheel lock 7 1 9 3600
Shuriken; Orynjan hair pin; chakram collar and bracelet 3 2 3 300
Siege crossbow 8 8 3 300
Snake culverin 5 7 8 2800
Throwing knife 2 2 2 100

All-Below Roofsword. This is a roofsword handed greatsword with jacinth intaglio along the
made by the best smiths in the underground. Increase spine of the blade. Whenever a clan member or lover
the die size by two when attacking to break an object. uses an inspiration within the same area, you benefit as
If your opponent has armor quality 5 or less, you do if using that inspiration. Choose one roll this round on
one extra point of damage which to apply the inspiration. An Rach is spellbound.
Angon, pilum. If this hits a character wielding Billhook. A polearm with a hook designed for
a shield, and the pilum is of equal or superior quality, anticavalry measures, the billhook adds one to all at-
the pilum penetrates the shield, does 3 damage to the tack die sizes when attacking a mounted opponent. It
shield's Quality, and remains stuck in the shield. A is wealth level 4, but otherwise the same as the hal-
shield with a dangling pilum is unusable. The shield- berd.
bearer (or anyone) can take one round as a trick to Courtsmith weapon. If your opponent has
extract the pilum from the shield. Shields reduced to armor quality 3 or less, you do one extra point of dam-
0 quality or less are unusable even after the pilum is age.
removed. Engineer’s chain blade: Tiny serrated teeth
An Rach. The legendary An Rach is also are set into the edge of a broadsword blade and spring-
known as the Clan Blade. It is a single-edged, two- loaded on a gear-and-pulley system. When you drive

137
the blade against an opponent, you can choose to fist weapons. Often the face is studded with spikes or
release the spring. The freed chain zips around the razor flanges. If the head is a person known to the
blade’s edge, sawing your opponent’s flesh and armor. target and your attack roll exceeds the target's Reason
You do 1 point of damage to your opponent’s armor. roll, then the target takes a Heart penalty on all attack
Furthermore, if the chain blade’s quality is greater than rolls next round.
your opponent’s new armor value, you do 1 extra point Rithite mace. On a critical hit, these spiked
of body damage. Reloading a spring blade requires and flanged clubs deal one point of quality damage to
a trick and a Reason check against the Doom. opponent's armor.
Fixer's fang. A dagger made for poison, the Roofsword. Used by thieves on the rooftops of
Fang's hilt contains three separate reservoirs. A thumb Rithaign, sailors on the Sea of Princes, and all manner
press on a brass valve, a flick of the wrist, and poison of vagabonds in between, the roofsword is a mon-
seeps down the blade (this does not require a Trick in grel child of cutlass and longsword. Many men have
combat; it is a free action). You can coat the Fang with journeyed halfway across the world with nothing but
any poison you have placed in one of the reservoirs. the shirt on their backs and their roofsword. It is used
Honor axe. These are becoming the iconic to cut rope, split gold coins into pieces of eight, hack
weapon of the Axemen, those who have taken up Ja- down doors in boarding raids, and jimmy guild
son's War after the fall of Thyre. All else being equal, strongboxes. Increase the attack die size by two when
kingsmen preferentially target honor axe wielders. attempting to damage an item.
King's avenger. For several centuries, it Spiked whip. Whips are favorites of swash-
was tradition in the Old Claw for Kings to forge an bucklers who use them to wrap around cross beams
Avenger sword for their champion. The swords are and swing through battlefields. A spiked whip requires
tuned to avenge a particular inspiration. Love is the a minimum 6 quickness. It increases any trip attack die
most commonly avenged inspiration; Hope, Ambition, by one size.
and Beauty are also famously avenged. If the King's Spear. Spears are standard polearms, and can
Avenger hits someone with such an inspiration, they be thrown awkwardly (reduce the attack die by one
take two additional points of damage. Anyone with size).
control over the Doom in a region can change the Saint sword. Somewhere in the sword, usu-
sword's attunement after a day spent doing nothing ally in a hollow hilt, a relic chamber holds a piece of
else. King's avenger's are spellbound. a saint or hero. A fingernail, a lock of hair, or petrified
Masterpiece sword. When attacking an oppo- flake of skin are common relics. Not all saint swords
nent with armor quality 8 or less, your strikes do one are religious; many are simply so-called after their
extra point of damage. similarity to swords originally made by the Church.
Orynjan kris. For almost a century, this The one commonality is that the relic is always from
wavy-bladed dagger is the de rigueur fashion blade of someone who died spellbound. The relic provides a
the Old Claw. Very rarely is a noble asked to leave an bonus magic defense d6 die once per round, at a time
Orynjan kris at the door; it is assumed that if one of the wielder's choosing. The sword is spellbound.
can afford a kris, then one can also afford to pay for Surge weapon. No one forges a surge weapon.
any trouble that might be caused. In social scenes, a Instead, surge weapons form naturally from cooling
kris’s quality is equal to its wealth level. metaphysics after a crisis surge. Known surge weap-
Petrified head. West of the westernmost king- ons include Gate, a jet black short sword that spreads
doms, where the mountains rise to bite the sky, savag- the blink disease with every hit; and Suske, a sooty
es leave the heads of their enemies in Waylorn glaciers morningstar with an animated fanged maw in its spiky
for many new moons. When they return, the heads are head, which attaches to its target and chews for many
petrified. The heads are then hollowed out and used as rounds on a hit. Surge weapons are spellbound.

138
 Trick staff. The trick staff sprouts a welter to load a matchlock and prepare it for firing.
of buttons,levers, and ripcords along the shaft. These Shuriken, hair pins, chakram collar and
conceal or project hooks, blades, telescoping rods, bracelet. These weapons of far Oryn-ja are easily con-
spring-loaded darts, detachable pulleys and line, and cealable (+2 die sizes to any such attempts). They are
more. Their chief use is by engineers who use them also fashionable, and you may use their wealth level as
to execute environment tricks (see the signature item a fashion Quality level in social encounters.
ability, page 77). Siege crossbow. This crossbow is almost a bal-
lista. In addition to all other effects, a creature struck
Ranged Weapons by a siege crossbow must roll his Quickness against
the crossbow's attack roll. If he fails, he must re-bal-
Ammunition. The cost of ammunition is sub- ance. Loading a siege crossbow requires three rounds
sumed in the wealth level or gold cost of the item that (some styles might cut this to two rounds).
expends it. Snake culverin. This and the dragon culverin
Firearms. In addition to their other effects, are two different versions of a man-portable cannon.
firearms thunder. Any untrained, noncombative crea- The snake is lighter, easier to manufacture, and does
ture with intelligence 2 or less must roll its Heart not hold as great a charge. Firing a snake culverin
vs. the Quality of the firearm; failure indicates the requires four consecutive Tricks to position and load,
creature flees, probably permanently, but at least one with the shot coming on the fifth round. The standard
round. attack with a culverin is the “Shoot” quickness/d2
Crossbow. Crossbows and arbalests shoot basic combat maneuver, and its damage is 4. If you
bolts from a stock with an orthogonally mounted have a style that allows for the use of black powder
bow. Loading a crossbow is a trick in combat, and a weapons, you may fire a culverin as part of a maneu-
strength roll (3) is required to complete the job in one ver, provided that you spend one extra round loading,
rather than two rounds. and provided that the maneuver is one that logically
Dragon culverin. This is a more powerful, matches your actions. In such a case, use the maneu-
heavier hand cannon than the snake culverin. You ver's normal attack and defense dice and add 2 to the
must carry a shooting brace to rest the cannon against damage if the culverin hits (add 4 for a dragon cul-
when firing. The cannon’s default damage is 6. Setting verin).
the brace and priming the cannon requires four Tricks.
The standard attack with a culverin is the “Shoot”
quickness/d2 basic combat maneuver, but see the note
under snake culverin.
Engineer's crossbow. This crossbow can
shoot bolts and quarrels like a normal crossbow, but
it can also shoot a bolt fitted with a glass bulb, a vial, Wheel lock pistol or musket. A wheel lock
a trailing grappling line, or a chuted flare bolt. With a fires by creating sparks between pyrite and a steel
glass bulb bolt, the wielder can shoot a bulb filled with wheel inside a housing. As such, it can fire in any
any contact poison at a target. The bolt does no dam- weather. A more significant advantage is that the wheel
age, but the bulb breaks and splatters the target with lock can carry a charge and ammunition for hours and
its contents. A vial on a bolt is used to ferry messages, still be ready to fire as soon as it is pulled from a con-
signet rings, charms, potions or the like across a bat- cealed holster (a match lock weapon cannot do this for
tlescene. Parachute flare bolts can dispel darkness for a number of reasons). Reloading a wheel lock requires
half a minute. three consecutive combat tricks. Most wheel lock
Matchlock pistol or musket. A matchlock artists carry multiple wheel lock pistols rather than
fires by touching a smoldering cord or burning match reloading in the midst of battle. Masterpieces do one
to a charge. Matchlocks cannot fire in wet or humid extra point of damage when your opponent's armor
weather. Five consecutive combat Tricks are required Quality is 5 or less.

139
 Fashion
Quality Wealth Gold
Level Price
Every day
Bourgeoisie wardrobe 5 4 600
Court wardrobe 12 12 6600
Farmer, trader, guildsman, smith mundane wardrobe 2 1 50
Farmer, trader, guildsman, smith exceptional wardrobe 3 2 100
Labor subfusc (serf, slave, apprentice, indentured servant) 1 - 2
Noble wardrobe 10 9 3600
Priest, artisan, magnate, kingsman wardrobe 4 3 300
Rags, castoffs, slum motley, horsehair shift 0 - <1
Occasional
Ball gown, dancing jacket, masquerade mask and gown 7 10 4500
9 10 - 18 4500-
Cabochon ruby ring, pear diamond necklace, gold earrings, et al.
15300
Dragon basque, dragon corset, tapestry cape, trophy bandolier, train skirt 8 8 2800
Fixer’s ink tattoo (specify location, subject, colors, and scents) 6 4 600
Gem-encrusted tortoise, portrait tortoise, kidnapped or orphaned wizard's 9 12 6600
familiar, clockwork canary
Hunting leathers, horse track jaunting kit, boating hat and coat 4 4 600
Pedigreed taille, Nahalite veil, house ascot, Opana tiara 8 11 5500
Pegleg (Queensport tale-carved), pegleg (springblade), monocle, wooden 5 7 2100
eye (painted with the Language of Stars), glass eye (hollow for cricket),
meerschaum
Slumming shirt and britches, burlesque tournure 4 6 1500
Tattoo (specify location and subject) 2 1 50
Temple best, High God holiday chasuble, Vartekan phylactery 5 9 3600

Jewels. As with every fashion item, you can generation).

purchase jewelry at a range of wealth and quality lev- Pedigreed taille, dragon basque, Nahalite
els. Talk with your GM if you want something that is veil, ball gown, pegleg, wooden eye. By dint of bare
not shown; what is listed in the table is typical for the midriffs, deep decolletage, a skin-tight fit, fashion
Old Claw. legend, or sheer aristry, these fashion items can be
Labor subfusc. This is not to be confused with used once per scene to Distract your opponent. Make
the academic subfusc of the colleges at Queensport a normal social attack using this item as your Qual-
and Thyre. Academic is black and often has a subtle ity die. If you succeed, your opponent takes a Reason
satin sheen; labor subfusc is brown to mute the blood, penalty die on all rolls next round.
mud, and grease stains. Labor subfusc is also more Tapestry cape. These capes are woven like a
practically cut in laced leggings and loose tunics, multi-panelled tapestry that depicts a story. Against
providing for the ability to pass the subfusc on to fu- anyone with a reputation or History involving the
ture generations (or surviving members of the current events on your tapestry, increase the quality of the

140
cape by 4. stare at your pet (your fashionable pet!) and pretend
Tattoos. A tattoo has double its quality when not to have heard someone's biting remark. In any
first revealed: a fighter ripping his shirt off to reveal a round in which you use your fashion pet, you can
death's head inked on his pectorals, a woman raising ignore a point of social damage. You may use your pet
her dress to expose the ink on her thighs, a forbidden once per scene. The pet must be fashionable; no one
sigil tattooed on a disciple's scalp under hair that must brings a hound dog to a coronation.
be shorn before the tattoo is visible.
Tortoise, familiar, canary. You can always

Alchemy
Quality Wealth Gold
Level Price
Nephew's kit 3 3 300
Fixer's kit 5 8 2800
Fixer's lab 12 10 4500

Distillations and fabrications (well known)

Alchemist's fire 4 2 100
Alkahest (Fixer's bane) 5 6 1500
Antivenin 4 4 600
Carmot powder 6 4 600
Drakatizon (cat's eye) 7 5 1000
Dream gel 9 10 4500
Ice rose 4 3 300
Jakattan spider incubation vial 4 8 2800
Lilac delirium 5 7 2100
Midnight kohl 8 6 1500
Muriatic acid 5 4 600
Muriatic catalyst 5 1 50
Oil of cat's foot 4-6 2-4 100-600
Orichalcum` 6 8 2800
Red kohl 4 5 1000
Stranglesmoke stick 6 3 300
Vapors of Muda-Tarsk 6 5 1000
Vitriol 6 4 600
Water of kings (aqua regia, dispel water) 6 9 3600
White kohl 4 3 300
Wound paste 5 3 300

141
 Alchemy (cont.)
Quality Wealth Gold
Level Price
Distillations and fabrications (obscure)

Alchemist's grease 4 2 100

Alchemist's soul fire 10 14 9100
Binary inferno 8 10 4500
Bitter grog 3 6 1500
Cockatrice whip 4 10 4500
Embrace 5 4 600
Fixer’s gum 3 3 300
Null jelly 5 7 2100
Red sulfur 2 2 100
Spagyric poultice 3 2 100
Twitcher head 5 4 600
White sulfur 6 3 300

Poisons
Asp venom 3 6 1500
Bonding syrup 4 4 600
Cinnacide 3 5 1000
Crushed lotus 4 7 2100
Dragon dream dust 4 3 300
Dynn oil 4 4 600
Madfire ash 3 4 600
Ouroboros 8 17 13,600
Salt mamba 6 8 2800
Scorpion 3 6 1500
Venom meduse 7 10 4500
Werevenom 5 8 2800
Wight blood 3 3 300

Nephew's kit, fixer's kit, fixer's lab. Each set Alchemist’s fire. Alchemist’s fire is an oil that
of gear allows you to prepare alchemical items up to burns violently when lit, even if it is mixed in water.
the quality of the kit or lab. Each also allows a fixer to This makes it especially useful for attacking ships,
use his fix ability, and a lab allows the use of the trans- kraken, dragon, and other magical beasts deployed
fuse class ability. in naval warfare. Alchemist’s fire does one point of
fire damage to its target. (The attack must hit with a

142
“Shoot” basic maneuver, or the equivalent, in combat.
You may substitute the Quality of the alchemist's fire
for your Quickness when making the "Shoot" attack
roll, if you like.) The fire then does 1 point of damage
in each subsequent round until the target uses a trick to
put it out.
Alchemist's grease. This is enough to cover
one flight of stairs, a small room’s floor, or a handheld
object. To move through the greased area or to pick up
a greased object, a quickness roll against the grease’s
quality is required. Spreading the grease in combat
requires three tricks.
Alchemist's soul fire. This is the same as
alchemist's fire, but it also deals one point of Strength,
Quickness, Reason, or Charisma damage per round
(the fixer chooses the type of damage when creating
the soul fire). Furthermore, when a character attempts
to quench the fire, he must succeed at a Reason or
Quickness roll (the character chooses which) opposed
by the soul fire's Quality roll.
Alkahest. A clear liquid, alkahest is a violent Bitter grog. This beverage tastes of anise and
emulsifier. Roll the alkahest's Quality die against the clove. An imbiber loses one point of Mood and gains
Quality of any alchemical substance it touches. If the one point of Magic. You can quaff multiple steins, but
alkahest wins, the contacted alchemical substance is your Magic score cannot exceed its normal maximum
rendered an inert, valueless ecru goo. by more than 2. Mood damage is not so limited. The
Anti-venin. Anti-venin is effective prophy- effects persist for one hour.
lactically as well as therapeutically. The antivenin is Camraderie. This pecan powder is added to
effective for a number of hours equal to its quality. wine. Drink it with up to six of your fellows, and for
Roll the anti-venin's Quality die as a bonus die for any the next six hours, you can track them by scent, as
attempt to resist poison. they can you. If someone tries to obscure the tracks,
Binary inferno. A sticky amber liquid is half roll your Reason against their attempt (probably their
of the binary inferno. The fixer keys the liquid to a Reason), and use the embrace’s Quality as a bonus die
particular person's chemistry; the fixer must have Carmot powder. Carmot is a red paste that
several tissue samples from the target (hair, sweat, spurs transmutation. As a loose powder, it can be scat-
skin, blood). When the liquid is exposed to air within tered across an area, attacking the integrity of every
several feet of the target, the liquid ignites in an item therein, prompting decay and damaging transfor-
inferno. The inferno rolls its Quality as an attack die mation. An exposed item must roll its Quality against
against the keyed target and up to five others in the the carmot’s Quality. Failure means that the item loses
area. Those struck take three points of damage and are 1 Quality point. An item cannot lose more than 2
burning with intense flames, taking one point of dam- Quality points to carmot in one week. During combat,
age per round until a Trick is used to douse the flames. spreading carmot in an area requires a trick. Assume
Assassins often coat a trained bird with the binary liq- that weapons, armor, and clothes are exposed, but no
uid. When the bird alights near the target, the inferno other items are.
erupts, and in the confusion, the assassin finishes the Cockatrice whip. This leather whip is tufted
job. with cockatrice feathers. Wield it as a normal weapon.

143
If it hits, the whip and the target make an opposed Ice rose. This is a red rose that, when planted
Quality vs. Strength roll. If the target loses, his flesh in carmot (it is ineffective without the red paste), rap-
partially petrifies. He is treated as Grabbed for a num- idly blanches (within one combat round). The whiten-
ber of rounds equal to the whip's Quality. The whip ing rose drinks in the heat in the area. The temperature
degrades rapidly; it lasts for a number of attempts drops to freezing, water throughout the area ices over,
equal to its quality. and canteens crack as the water expands into ice.
Drakatizon. Applying two drops of this cherry Temperatures begin rising normally on the follow-
red liquid, one onto each eye, grants vision in the ing round, returning to normal after several minutes
dark for one hour. The vision is far from perfect; the (depending on the ambient temperature before the
user sees as if in a dim, shadowy room. Only blacks, endothermic event). Anyone in an area where an ice
whites, and shades of gray are visible. rose is growing is attacked by the ice rose's Quality die
Dream gel. Dream gel is stored under alcho- rolling against the individual's Strength die. If the ice
hol. It is clear, odorless, and has the consistency of rose wins, the person takes 1 point of damage from the
thick mucus. When removed, it sours and becomes shocking freeze.
useless if not smeared within a minute against the Jakattan spider incubation vial. When this
forearm-sized porcelain canister shatters, a Jakattan
spider swarm spills out over the area. The swarm at-
tacks and defends with its Quality die, and it does 1
point of damage on a hit. The swarm absorbs 3 points
of damage before dispersing. Single weapon strikes
cannot hurt the swarm, but many environment tricks,
spells, and items can.
Lilac delirium. Inhaling and succumbing to
these fumes, the victim gains 1 Mood at the cost of
1 point of damage to a random characteristic score.
For each half hour spent in the fumes, another 1-for-1
trade occurs. Two hours can be spent in the lilac fumes
per dose (and per day or scene).
Midnight kohl. This kohl is black and some-
times contains gold glitter. You gain a bonus social die
equal to the kohl’s Quality when attempting to conceal
or learn a secret. The kohl wears off in six hours, and
you cannot wear it with any other kohl.
Muriatic acid. Drizzled on a metallic surface,
muriatic acid rolls its Quality die against the metallic
surface's Quality, causing one point of Quality dam-
shaven head of a creature with a Reason score of 3 age if it wins the roll. Roll once per hour, and continue
or more. If it is so smeared, dream gel provides the rolling as long as the acid wins the roll or until the
proper interface between a Dream Projector and a metal is eaten away.
dreaming creature (see p. 149). Muriatic catalyst. This reduces muriatic acid's
Fixer's gum. Fixer’s gum is stored in bricks damage period to minutes instead of hours. That is,
the size of a rain troll’s thumb. One brick forms a bond roll a damage check each minute for muriatic acid
that can only be broken by a Strength check higher quickened by a catalyst.
than the Quality of the gum. The gum loses its potency Null jelly. Any item (not creature) coated by
after a number of days equal to its quality. null jelly rolls the jelly’s quality as a bonus die when

144
resisting magic. The jelly remains active for one day. vision is not affected. The smoke dissipates after two
Oil of cat’s foot. Two applications of oil of rounds.
cat’s foot, one on each foot, quiet a character’s move- Twitcher head. A twitcher zombie’s head
ments for one hour. The character rolls the Quality of begins to twitch after being lifted out of its alchemical
the oil as a bonus on his stealth checks. preserving fluids. It can be pulled from its storage sack
Orichalcum. Golden red, stiff, and dense, and tossed in the same round as a Trick in combat. The
orichalcum is an unnatural metal that sublimates over next round, it explodes, rolling its Quality die as an at-
a period of days when exposed to air. Orichalcum tack die against all in the area. It causes two points of
glows in the presence of the spellbound, be it creature, damage and exposes those hit to the flake plague (see
item, or location. When used while you are creating p. 59).
an alchemical item, orichalcum mixes with the other Vapors of Muda-Tarsk. When you burn an
ingredients to increase the final product's Quality by incense stick marinated in alkahest and red sulfur, you
1. Orichalcum can also be laid into a building’s con- produce the vapors of Muda-Tarsk. In the thin, trans-
crete mix, where it increases the walls’ quality by one. parent vapors, the faces and voices of your loved ones
The price reflects enough orichalcum to mix with one call out to you. Sounds and smells of battles and feasts
alchemical item or to lace the concrete in a typical from your youth swim through the mists. Everyone
cottage. Orichalcum does not stack with itself, that is, in the area raises his Heart score by two. The effect
multiple applications to the same item yield no benefit lasts for one minute. The mists are not thick enough to
beyond the initial benefit. obscure vision.
Red kohl. This make-up cannot be worn with Vitriol. Vitriol is mixed with black powder and
any other kohl. It increases the wearer's Charisma by 1 then loaded into a musket or pistol. After, when the
for six hours. weapon fires, the vitriol coats the ball or shot with a
Red sulfur. At high speeds, red sulfur reacts tarry, burning black goo. The painful attack does one
with air to shed lurid light. In night battles, especially extra point of damage if it hits.
at sea, cannon balls and ballista bolts are treated with Water of kings (aqua regia). This colorless
red sulfur and launched in high arcs to illuminate the liquid appears, feels, and even tastes as water, but it
enemy’s position. On a smaller scale, an arrow, cross- never casts any reflection, nor does it refract light.
bow bolt, or musket ball covered in red sulfur lights When a spellbound item is immersed in aqua regia,
up the entire path of its flight. The light persists in the roll the Quality die of the aqua regia against the Magic
air even after the cannonball or arrow has passed. The die of the wizard who created the item. If the aqua
air fades to black over the course of two minutes (high regia wins, the spellbound item loses its spell or spells.
winds cut this time to two rounds). While glowing, the The aqua regia loses its potency after dissolving the
red sulfur eliminates any effects of darkness. spell or spells from one item.
Spagyric poultice. Strapping this net of White kohl. In the Old Claw, white kohl is
crushed and oiled herbs against your skin for a day an ancient art. Each shade, each whorl, is freighted
grants you a bonus for the remainder of the week. Roll with meaning from centuries of tradition. White kohl
the poultice's Quality die as a bonus die whenever at- performance ceremonies are most common in the
tempting to shake off or avoid contracting disease. long stretch between midwinter and spring but can
Stranglesmoke stick. The smell of apples occur throughout the year. Increase any one of your
rotting in the fields rises with the smoke when this Reputations by two if, at a significant white kohl party,
stick is lit. Everyone in the area must make a Strength yours is applied by someone whose skill roll beats the
check against the quality of the Stranglesmoke stick Doom. White kohl wears off after six hours, and it
or be seized in a coughing and choking fit, unable to cannot be worn with other kohl.
do anything but move. The smoke is thin enough that White sulfur. White sulfur, when dissolved in

145
water and quaffed, speeds and strengthens the user. In- breathing it and not resisting loses one point of Reason
crease by 1 the damage caused by basic melee attacks per round until unconscious or until he leaves the area.
(Str/d2) and use the sulfur's Quality as a bonus die on Each round, the character can stop the progression by
all Stength and Quickness rolls. The sulfur's effects making a Strength check against the fixed Quality of
last for one hour. For a week after using white sulfur, the poison. In any case, the cinnacide cannot cause a
each day the user must roll his Strength vs. the Doom. person more reason damage than its quality. Cinnacide
Failure indicates that the user's Reason and Charisma can be spread throughout an area using an atomizer.
are reduced to 3 that day. Once the victim is no longer taking damage from the
Wound paste. When applied after a combat, cinnacide, he recovers his lost reason at the rate of
wound paste grants the user its Quality as a bonus die one point per minute.
on two rolls made to recover Body damage (see Heal- Crushed lotus. When burnt, prepared crushed
ing, p. 30). lotus petals act as a powerful amnesiac. Anyone in the
area who does not resist the poison loses access to one
Poisons randomly determined Inspiration and one randomly
determined History. The memories, the Inspiration,
Unless otherwise stated, a poison is resisted by and the History return after a Reason check vs. the
Strength vs. static Quality (not an opposed roll, this is Doom, made daily until success.
simply a Strength roll against a fixed number, namely, Dragon dream dust. Anyone in the area who
the Quality of the poison). Failure to resist means that does not resist the effects of inhaling this dust rolls a
the poison takes effect next round. Reason penalty die on all rolls next round. Concentra-
Wound or contact poisons are difficult to apply tion is difficult when your mind is falling through a
to a weapon and can only be applied in combat with reverie of fire and rapine.
three consecutive Tricks and an alchemy skill check Dynn oil. Developed by Inquisitors who had
against the Doom. If a character fails this check, he no wish to hear the blasphemies of their subjects,
must spend another three rounds applying the poison Dynn oil induces an aphasia that prevents all writ-
before making another check. Most of the time, poi- ing and speech. The oil must be swallowed. A new
sons are applied outside of combat. The poison coats a Strength check is allowed once every half hour (the
weapon only until the first successful blow. effects wear off in a maximum of 6 hours).
Asp venom. A character wounded with asp Madfire ash. Spellbound creatures who eat
venom loses one point of Strength per round until madfire ash immediately attack anyone around them.
dead. Each round, the character may make a Strength The victim tries to cast a spell every round and is
check (at his maximum, not current, Strength) against unable to distinguish between friend and foe. She at-
the quality of the poison to stop the progression. In tempts to burn everything to the ground. Each round, a
any case, the asp venom cannot cause a person more new Strength vs. Quality check is applicable.
Strength damage than its quality. Ouroboros. Distilled from dragon cerebral
Bonding syrup. If not resisted when eaten, this blood and cardiac tissue, ouroboros poison causes
syrup causes the victim to fall in love with (automati- your heart to eat itself. After failing to resist when con-
cally adding an appropriate Inspiration) and attempt to tacted by the poison, the victim rolls his Heart against
seduce the next person he meets. If he is already at his the Doom once for each Inspiration that he has. If the
Inspiration maximum, there is no Inspiration added, as Heart roll fails, he takes Body damage and Heart dam-
the syrup wears off in three hours. Some couples share age equal to the value of the Inspiration, and he loses
bonding syrup purposefully, usually on top of iced access to that Inspiration for one week.
cream. Salt mamba. Smelling of azaleas, on contact
Cinnacide. This vermilion dust smells of cin- the salt mamba’s venom causes living tissue to desali-
namon. It can be spread throughout an area using an nize and necrose. The victim loses 2 Body per round
atomizer (in combat, this is a single Trick). Anyone for three rounds, with a new Strength vs. fixed Quality

146
check each round to stop the damage. Werevenom. Werevenom in a wound imme-
Scorpion. A character wounded with this diately causes 1 body and 1 strength damage if not
venom loses 1 Quickness per round until paralyzed resisted. Futhermore, anyone infected with wereven-
and then dead (the lungs, too, are paralyzed). Each om must roll his Strength against the Doom when in
round, the character makes a Strength check against moonlight. If he fails, he spends the next half hour out
the Quality of the poison to stop the progression. In of his mind, believing himself a werewolf. There are
any case, the scorpion venom cannot cause a person persistent rumors of "true" werevenom that transforms
more Quickness damage than its quality. a man into a half-wolf beast, but only the Fixer's
Venom meduse. When contacted by this poi- brotherhood and perhaps a few unfortunate howling
son, and after failing to resist, the victim hears music souls know the veracity of those rumors.
and hissing in his ears as he slowly petrifies. The Wight blood. Redolent of coconut, prepared
victim loses 1 Quickness each round, as if affected by wight blood poison causes hallucinations of fear when
scorpion venom, but the damage is not limited by the injected. For two combat rounds after being injected
poison's Quality. If the victim reaches 0 Quickness, he or wounded, or for one minute outside of physical
is petrified for a number of weeks equal to the poison's combat, the victim must roll a Heart penalty die with
Quality. all other rolls.

Engineering
Quality Wealth Gold
Level Price
10' pole (engineer's) 7 3 300
Atomizer, plunger or squeeze bulb 2 2 100
Automata (theater, tree, clock, ferry) 8 14 9100
Bear trap 4 2 100
Breakaway wheel lock (pistol or musket) 7 12 6600
Burr bomb 6 5 1000
Clockwork canary 9 12 6600
Detonator 6 2 100
Divine wind rat 6 8 2800
Dream projector 12 15 10,500
Drop cord 6 3 300
Ejector saddle or ejector seat 4 5 1000
Engineer's crowbar 3 2 100
Grapeshot bomb 6 4 600
Grapple gun and belt winch 4 3 300
Haptic gauntlets 9 10 4500
Hook prosthesis: branding iron 5 8 2800
Hook prosthesis: geared and self-propelled 5 7 2100
Hook prosthesis: geared double-claw 4 5 1000
Lightning gyre 7 11 5500
Mechanical dirge bird, dancer, apocalypse 10 18 15,300
Mirror helmet 4 3 300

147
 Engineering (cont.)
Quality Wealth Gold
Level Price
Moth bomb 6 5 1000
Orrery 6 15 10,500
Piston boots 8 5 1000
Plunger piton 7 3 300
Riotwire 7 3 300
Riotwire arrow 6 4 600
Scope goggles 7 9 3600
Shadow show 4 5 1000
Smoke bomb 6 2 100
Speaking tubes (zeppelin, ship, submersible, castle) 8 13 7800
Spyglass 6 5 1000
Whip gyre 7 9 3600
Whisper chamber 7 8 2800

10' pole (engineer's). An engineer's 10' pole, tomata's Quality die once per scene as a bonus die on
also called a longspoon army knife, weighs 5 pounds any type of social roll (the automata is impressive!) or
and telescopes between 2' and 11'. It contains a peri- combat roll (the automata interferes in just the right
scope for seeing around corners or through dimension- way!).
al portals. The staff also has thermometers to detect Bear trap. Laid on a stair, in a wading pool,
temperatures and thermal gradients along the length of or amidst the detritus of the forest floor, a bear trap
the pole. A sliding bullseye lantern can move between attacks with its Quality die against the defender’s
2' and 10'. Finally, two flint-tipped and three drill- Quickness (or his Defense die, if in combat). A crea-
tipped grippers form a retractable waldo that grabs ture caught in the bear trap is Grabbed. To detect a
with Strength 3 and has the dexterity to write one's hidden bear trap, a character rolls Reason vs. the trap-
name with a quill, spark a fire, or drill a 0.5"-diameter making skill of the trapmaker (usually Reason with
bore hole up to 1 foot deep. a trapmaking skill for a bonus die). A Strength check
Atomizer, plunger, or squeeze bulb. These against the Quality sets the trapped victim free.
allow you to disperse a liquid or fine powder over a Breakaway wheel lock musket or pistol. The
wide area. Without a device like this, poisons such as firearm breaks down into seemingly innocuous parts.
dragon dream dust only affect one target rather than all You gain the item’s Quality as a bonus die when at-
creatures in an area. tempting to conceal it. These can be smuggled with a
Automata. These statues and sculptures have ball loaded. They are otherwise identical to wheel lock
a limited motive force. They are powered by falling pistols and muskets, above. Breaking down or reas-
weights, wound springs, and, rarely, heated bulbs of sembling one of these weapons requires one round for
steam with escape valves whose reaction force induces anyone with a history in engineering and two rounds
rotation. When in his theater, castle, garden, harbor, or for everyone else.
other property, an automata owner can roll the au- Burr bomb. This bomb scatters thousands of

148
burrs marinated in nettle extract. The bomb attacks
up to five people in its area with a Quality roll op-
posed by the target's Defense or Quickness roll (if out
of combat). Targets that are hit are covered in burrs.
They take 1 point of Mood damage and roll a Rea-
son penalty die on attack rolls next round. To throw
this bomb up to 1 area away, you must succeed at a until he has nothing left to hide. The third use of the
Strength check vs. the Doom (enginering histories or dream projector is manipulation. Anyone who has seen
skills count as bonus dice for this check). If you fail, another's dreams gains the projector's Quality die as a
the bomb stays in your area, possibly attacking you. bonus die on the next appropriate social roll.
Clockwork canary. These works of art are Drop cord. These cords are 500 feet long and
social marvels (see p. 141). feature a ratcheted handheld slide. A cordsman can zip
Detonator. You can attach a detonator to any down up to 100 feet in a single round. His defense
of the four bomb types. The detonator allows you to while doing so is d4.
drop the bomb, move up to three areas away - possi- Ejector seat or ejector saddle. Roll the ejec-
bly to a concealed position - and detonate the bomb (a tor seat’s Quality die. If it beats the Doom, then you
Trick in combat). For every two points by which the eject without damage from a vehicle that is crashing,
Detonator's Quality exceeds the Doom, you can trigger flying apart, or speeding toward certain doom. If it
an additional bomb with the same detonator. fails, then you still eject, but you take damage equal to
Divine wind rat. This mechanical contraption, the Doom.
customarily built to look like a rat, rolls forward trail- Engineer's crowbar. This crowbar has a
ing black powder and tiny fragmentary shells behind gearshaft handle that cranks the bar through an angle,
it. It moves one area per round, and it has one body allowing the wielder to make a Strength 12 check
and d2 defense. When the trail is lit, determine five against anything that could be opened with a crowbar.
people per area randomly along the trail (five people Grapeshot bomb. A grapeshot bomb rolls
in each of the areas the rat has crossed). Roll the rat's its Quality die as an attack against up to 5 randomly
Quality against the targets' Defense or Quickness (if determined targets in its area. Each hit does 1 point of
out of combat); each target hit takes 2 points of dam- damage. You must succeed at a Strength check vs. the
age. The rat is destroyed. Detecting the rat’s motion, Doom to throw this bomb up to one area away (en-
if one is not looking for it, requires a Reason check ginering histories or skills count as bonus dice for this
opposed by the Quality roll of the rat. check). If you fail, the bomb stays in your area and
Dream projector. A dream projector is a dull, could hit you.
lockable iron helmet with opaque lenses covering Grapple gun and belt winch. With a range of
the eyes and six articulated wires as thick as a baby's 150 feet, the rocket grapple can launch to even very
forearm and yards long. It only functions when locked high roofs. Catching it on a proper support is a bit
on the head of a patient covered with dream gel (see tricky and requires a Quickness roll against the Doom
p.144). When functioning, a dream projector projects (and, of course, Engineering skills are bonus dice to
overhead, in three dimensions and with full sound, the this roll). The cable can support up to 250 lbs. The
dreams of the patient. The first use of this is entertain- winch reels in with 8 Strength. It allows the wearer
ment. Nobles often place serfs, one per chamber, in to be lifted by the cable attached to a rocket grapple,
dream projectors and host parties where they and their once the grapple has caught something. The wearer
peers laugh deep into the night. The second use of the moves at a walking pace.
dream projector is information. The patient must roll Haptic gauntlets. These gauntlets have feed-
his Reason die against the projector's Quality die each back gears calibrated to give valuable data to an engi-
night or give up one secret (randomly determined) neer (only someone with an engineering skill can use

149
them). When an engineer attempts to learn something work boxes surmounted by a figurine. The box winds
about an item or a structure, these gloves lend their up and plays music, usually somber bagpipes with
Quality as a bonus die. Possible data include tem- sackbut and harpsichord harmonies, while the figure
perature, Quality, age, typical Wealth Level, region of moves through a punch-sheet set repertoire. They are
origin, and Defense (for buildings and vehicles). These highly sought after as works of art and status symbols.
gloves also lend their Quality as a bonus die whenever Owning one grants you a reputation equal to the Qual-
the engineer crafts something. ity of the item as an art collector. Increase the reputa-
Hook prosthesis: branding iron. A reservoir tion size by two for each further item you possess. The
of oil burns in the base of this hook-topped cuff. The fear associated with these figurines comes from their
oil heats the iron to branding temperatures. Anyone hit final use. When a taking is poured in libation over the
by the hook in hand-to-hand combat must roll Quick- figurine, a crisis surge occurs. One of the effects of
ness against the fixed Quality of the branding hook. the surge is that the figurine becomes intelligent; other
Failure causes 1 additional point of damage and marks effects are left to the GM. The figurine's new person-
the victim with a burn that leaves a pale white scar ality matches its music and the taking. It can speak,
after healing. and its repertoire of motions becomes unlimited. It is
Hook prosthesis: geared double claw. This still bound to the top of its music box, however, save
is two opposed hooks on a cuff that fits over an arm for at most one hour per day. During this hour, on its
stump. The hooks are geared and spring-loaded. The master's command, the figurine enlarges to become
owner can activate the spring as a free action, caus- a manticore (bird); a Mondaine, that is a 10th-level
ing the double claw to snap shut. This gives him a courtesan (white kohl dancer), or a 10th-level Assassin
Strength of 12 for one suitable action. In combat, (apocalypse assassin). The animated figurine becomes
resetting the spring is a Trick. the same NPC each time upon animation. Wounds,
Hook prosthesis: geared and self-propelled. reputations, histories, and so forth persist. While ani-
This is another cuff with a hook, intended to be fit mated, the figurine obeys the commands of its master
over an arm stump. Springs and a pressurized air blad- as it best understands them.
der propel the hook through the air when released. It Mirror helmet. This full leather helmet zips
trails up to a 50' tether, allowing the owner to use the tight in the back of the head. The eye pieces are mir-
prosthesis as a propelled grappling hook. It can also rored and shielded against glare, allowing the wearer
be used as a basic ranged attack (dQuality/d2) for 1 to use the helmet's Quality as a bonus die when resist-
damage + the target is grabbed. Reloading the tethered ing blinding lights, gaze attacks, and the like. There
hook requires 4 rounds in combat. are also two projecting mirrors at either side of the
Lightning gyre. This steel sphere pockmarked helmet that face the rear and allow the wearer to see
with teardrop-shaped spigots whirs, sparks, and rotates behind himself. The wearer reduces his Quickness and
blindingly fast when activated. The gyre sparks to Charisma each by 4 while wearing the helmet, as it is
every character in the area wearing metal armor or car- disconcerting, interferes with instinctual reflexes, and
rying a metal weapon (up to 30 targets maximum). If looks silly.
there are no characters in the area with metal armor or Moth bomb. This bomb explodes with a bril-
weapons, the gyre sparks to five randomly determined liant flash of light that has a chance to blind (p. 29) ev-
targets. It attacks with a Quality vs. Defense roll and eryone in the area for 1 round; roll its Quality vs. each
does 2 points of damage per strike. The lightning gyre defender's Quickness. After the blast, incandescent
operates for a number of rounds equal to its Quality. white flakes flutter through the area for three rounds.
You may toss the gyre one area for every three points Anyone in the area during one of these rounds must
of Strength that you have. make an opposed Quickness check against the Quality
Mechanical dirge bird, white kohl dancer, of the bomb. Failure indicates the interloper touched
or apocalypse assassin. These are some of the most a “moth,” as they are called, and takes 2 points of
feared devices in the Kingdoms. They are small clock- damage. You must succeed at a Strength check vs. the

150
Doom to throw this bomb up to one area away (en-
ginering histories or skills count as bonus dice for this
check). If you fail, the bomb stays in your area.
Orrery. This room-sized model of the stars
turns in circles, shells, and ellipses. These are compli-
cated, expensive, and impressive devices. The owner
gains a reputation as an orrery owner among academ-
ics and priests of stars. The reputation is equal to the
quality of the device.
Piston boots. Pistons in these boots' heels aid
your jumps. Roll the boots' Quality as a bonus die on
any jump. Unfortunately, your Quickness is reduced
by 3 when wearing these heavy boots.
Plunger piton. With a charge of black powder
and a silkmetal spiked tip, the plunger piton drives
itslef into any stone or softer surface and sticks fast. It
can support up to 400 pounds. Removed pitons cannot
be reused.
Riotwire. A character risks laceration when
entering, exiting, or moving within an area strung with
riotwire. The riotwire attacks with its Quality die, and
if it hits, it does 1 point of damage and attacks again. area-of-effect are impossible without some special
It can attack up to three times in a round if it keeps hit- ability. Visual perception checks fail unless they beat
ting. Riotwire is ineffective against armor of equal or the Quality of the smoke bomb. You must succeed at a
superior quality. Strength check vs. the Doom to throw this bomb up to
Riotwire comet arrow. A riotwire comet ar- one area away (enginering histories or skills count as
row spools out multiple coils of riotwire as it flies, bonus dice for this check). If you fail, the bomb stays
leaving behind it a wide tail of razor-sharp filaments. in your area.
The “safe ends” of the tail wires are simple cable for Speaking tubes. These tubes snake through
three or four feet, attached to belt loops on the archer’s the infrastructure of the building or vehicle and ter-
belt. This allows the archer to tie off the cable after the minate in brass horns. By speaking into a horn and
arrow has flown. Comet arrows provide a quick way to manipulating a series of levers, a speaker can make
spread riotwire across an area of up to 100 feet by 10 herself heard in any other part of the building or ve-
feet (the most wire that can fit in an arrow capsule). hicle. In a castle, or if more than half of the zeppelins,
Scope goggles. Roll the goggles' Quality die as ships, submersibles, and other capital vehicles in an
a bonus die when you search an area for tracks, small armed legion have speaking tubes, the commanding
objects, blood spatters, etc. organization rolls the speaking tubes' Quality as a
Shadow show. A shadow show apparatus is a bonus die when making Efficiency tests.
small (4’ wide by 8’ high) shadow theater with auto- Spyglass. This allows you to see with accuracy
mated curtains, puppets, lights, and sound effects. If up to one mile away, eliminating range penalties to vi-
you have a History in a relevant performance skill, sual perception rolls and rolling the spyglass's Quality
increase your History value by the Quality of the as a bonus die when observing objects more than 100
shadow show. yards distant.
Smoke bomb. Smoke obscures the area, Whisper chamber. An engineer can design
providing cover equal to deep shadows: all attack die a room with elliptical walls that focus sound on two
sizes are reduced by one. Ranged attacks that are not points up to 100 feet apart. Two people standing at

151
these two points can communicate via whispers that two more rounds. You may toss the gyre one area for
no one else hears. every three points of Strength that you have. A cable
Whip gyre. When activated and tossed, ten- attached to the gyre allows you to pull the gyre one
drils sprout isotropically from the gyre and begin to area back toward you each round as a Trick. The gyre
lash furiously. Up to five randomly determined people blocks sight and prevents missile attacks through its
in the area take 1 point of damage and must rebalance area.
if struck by a Quality vs Defense roll. The gyre contin-
ues to spin, lashing everything in the same manner, for

Buildings
Defense Quality Wealth Gold Effect
Level Price
Businesses and establishments
Arcane Tower, 40’radius, 11 23 - 30,000 +2 Arcana and Reputation 12:
seven stories Wizard or Witch
Barracks and drill grounds 5 9 13 7800 +1 Force
Bazaar stall, kiosk - 1 4 600 +1 income
Blacksmith shop 3 5 10 4500 +1 income or +1 Force
8 18 20 19,000 +2 Force, Arcana, Shadow, or
Cathedral
income
6 10 13 7800 +1 Force, Arcana, Shadow, or
Church, temple
income
City building, ¼ block, three 2 6 13 7800 -
stories
Copyist, printer 2 3 9 3600 +1 Efficiency
Engineer’s shop 3 4 9 3600 +1 income or +1 Efficiency
Farm, family 2 4 8 2800 +1 income
Goldsmith shop 3 4 16 12,000 +4 income
Inn, crossroads wayside 2 3 9 3600 +1 income; can be residence too
Inn, grand 4 5 14 9100 1 theme; +2 income; residence
7 12 15 10,500 +1 Shadow, +1 Arcana, and
King's school
Reputation 12: Cruelty
Library 3 5 13 7800 +1 Arcana
Market, fairgrounds, bazaar 2 4 10 4500 +2 income
Mill 4 5 11 5500 +1 income and +1 Efficiency
Mine (mother lode) 9 7 17 13,600 +3 income
6 10 13 7800 +1 Force, Arcana, Shadow, or
Mine (standard)
income
Rune wall, stele, or obelisk (i) 4 10 14 9100 +2 Arcana
Safehouse (i) +3 +4 14 9100 +1 Shadow
3 2 10 4500 +1 Force, Arcana, Shadow, or
Shrine
income
Storefront 2 2 8 2800 +1 income

152
 Buildings (cont.)
Defense Quality Wealth Gold Effect
Level Price
Tannery 2 3 9 3600 +1 income
Tavern, blind pig (i) 3 2 5 1000 +1 Shadow or +1 income
Tavern, kingsman 2 4 9 3600 +1 income
Theater below (i) 2 3 9 3600 1 theme and +1 income
Theater, grand; amphitheater 2 6 17 13,600 2 themes and +2 income
Thieves’ training gauntlet (i) 2 2 10 4500 +2 Shadow
Tower, 40’radius, four stories 4 5 14 9100 +1 income
Warehouse 2 4 6 1500 +1 income
Waxworks (i) 3 4 9 3600 +1 income and +1 Shadow
Wood shop 2 3 8 2800 +1 income
Homes and residences
Homeless - - 0 - Reputation 6: Dirty Bum
Shack, shanty, shed, tenement - - 1 - -
room; rented and shared
Shack, shanty, shed 2 1 2 100 -
Cabin, rented; - - 3 - -
tenement room, rented
Cottage, rent - - 4 - -
Cabin 2 2 6 1500 Reputation 4: Landed
Tenement room, ownership - - 7 2100 -
Row house, rent - - 8 -
Cottage 2 3 8 2800 Reputation 6: Landed
Manor house 2 5 15 10,500 1 theme; Reputation 8: Landed
Tenement building 3 10 15 10,500 Reputation 10: Slumlord
Rowhouse 3 5 15 10,500 1 theme; Reputation 6: Landed
3 15 20 19,000 4 themes; Reputation 12: Landed
Chateau
and wealthy
10 20 15 10,500 1 theme; Reputation 10:
Keep, outpost, fort Landed and Powerful;
+2 Force
10 30 - 60,000 3 themes; Reputation 12: Landed
Castle, barony
and Powerful; +3 Force
12 36 - 87,000 5 themes; Reputation 12: Landed
Castle, earldom
and Powerful; +4 Force
14 42 - 119,000 7 themes; Reputation 16: Landed
Castle, duchy
and Powerful; +5 Force
16 50 - 156,000 8 themes; Reputation 18: Landed
Castle, royal
and Powerful; + 5 Force

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 (i). The buildings marked (i) are illicit. If such ings of a given type stack their bonuses. Beyond that,
a building's secret location is ever revealed, the kings- organization scores do not rise. Redundancy can still
men will attack within a season. be useful in times of war, of course, in the event that
Defense. The static number that must be hit to one building is razed or captured.
damage the building. Only siege weapons can damage Effect: income. Gold income (or drain) stacks.
an object with a defense quality If the economy in a given sector is depressed, then the
Structural quality. The number of points that income is negative. For example, if agriculture items
must be crafted to build the building, or that must be are more expensive than normal in a region, then a
taken out to destroy it. small farm’s income is -1, not +1. At the end of each
Effect: organization score. The first two build- season, roll your total income die against the Doom.

154
On a success, you gain one-quarter the gold needed another building. The location becomes a secret. The
to advance to the next wealth level (or, at wealth level safehouse built-ins must be purchased at the same time
20 and above, 5000 gold). For example, if you have that you purchase another building.
five buildings at +2 income and one at -1 income, then Shrine, church, temple, cathedral. These are
your income is +9. You roll a d8 against the Doom. If dedicated to the High God. Any such holy or unholy
you roll more than double the Doom, you gain one- site consecrated to a low god is illicit (i), has its Qual-
third the gold necessary to advance. ity decreased by 1, Wealth level reduced by 2, and
Effect: theme. The architecture, ornamentation, gives +1 Shadow and +1 Arcana.
and decoration of your building or chamber supports Theater below. This underground theater is
a theme: fidelity, death, artifice, lust or another theme. anathema to kings. Uncensored art breeds inspiration
If you host someone in that room, you roll the build- like carrion breeds maggots. The nobility has a duty to
ing's Quality up to three times per scene as a bonus die protect the commoners from the dangers of excessive
when your social attack or defense exploits that room's love, passion, and sorrow. The penalty for owning or
theme. To gain the bonus, you must narrate how your working at a theater below is death, often after watch-
character exploits the theme as part of your social at- ing one’s family tortured and maimed on the theater’s
tack or defense. stage in a Last Show, popular among certain nobles.
Effect: Reputation. This reputation applies in Waxworks. On rolls relating to disguise, the
the building's region. waxworks bonus to your organization's Shadow score
Bazaar stall, kiosk. Unlike other buildings, is +3.
this can be damaged in a reasonable time by an indi-
vidual acting alone. He can break it as any other item;
see chapter 10 for the rules on breaking items.
Mounts
Castle, any size. It is unheard of in the Old
Claw, and rare elsewhere, for someone other than a
& Vehicles
titled noble to command one of these castles (other Vehicles without a defense value can be hacked
than in a stewardship or regency position). A PC noble apart by a determined axeman (p. 62). Vehicles with
may inherit such a castle through advancing in levels, a defense value can only be damaged on a reasonable
or he may need to finance his own for various reasons, time scale by siege weapons.
at the GM's judgment. Other classed PCs should be Effect: Fashion item. You can use this item's
barred from owning castles barring unusual circum- Wealth Level as a bonus die on a social roll once per
stances. scene.
Grand theater. Most grand theaters are named Effect: Mobile audience chamber. When rid-
after a sponsoring noble, and most theaters open with ing in this item, you can use the Audience Chamber
a flattering biographical play about that noble. In regardless of where your "true" audience chamber is.
return, grand theaters are the second-most likely place Effect: naval stealth. The commanding organi-
to find most nobles (court, of course, is first). Enter- zation can roll the vehicle's Quality as a bonus Shad-
tainments never include plays that challenge the status ow or Force die once per week or up to three times per
quo, but they do feature opera, straight plays, miracle battle. The submersible is a secret troop in battle (p.
plays, commedia dell'arte, cat burning, bear baiting, 50) as well as a secret outside of battle. The submers-
orange girls, and, in Thyre and Queensport, lectures on ible's effective range is 100 miles, but an onboard en-
the wonders of the age. gineer can extend this indefinitely with the right skill
Safehouse. A trapdoor in the wine cellar, a checks, allowing extended missions of exploration and
pivoting fireplace leading to a secret chamber, a priest discovery.
hole – somehow you disguise your building's true
nature. Add the safehouse's characteristics to those of

155
 Mounts & Vehicles
Defense Quality Wealth Gold Effect
Level Price
Draft horse - - 3 300 -
War horse - - 6 1500 Can use in mounted combat
Race horse - - 6 1500 -
Camel - - 4 600 -
Ice sled - 1 1 50 -
- 3 15 10,500 Fashion item; mobile audience
Screened box palanquin, litter
chamber
Open wagon and gnarsk team - 6 8 2800 -
Box wagon and gnarsk team - 7 9 3600 -
Puzzle-box Wagon (Hidden - 9 10 4500 Use Quality as bonus die to
City of the Free Road) and smuggling attempts
gnarsk team
Zeppelin, trader 4 8 17 13,600 +2 income
5 9 19 17,100 +1 income; Reputation 18: Won-
Zeppelin, crown
drous, wealthy, and wise
Balloon and gondola 2 4 7 2100 -
Barge 5 5 8 2800 +1 income
Caravel 5 6 9 3600 +1 income
Ferry 3 5 5 1000 +1 income
3 6 10 4500 Use Quality as bonus die for
Bathysphere
undersea Research attempts
5 8 - 100,000 +2 Force, Efficiency, or Shadow;
Submersible, prototype
naval stealth

Wonders babies scream in apartments all along your creation.

In this city microcosm, you have a chance to mold the
Only an architect of wonder (18th-level engi- economy of the region. Pick two sectors of the econ-
neer) can craft a wonder. omy, and as long as you control the bridge, you can
Unless otherwise noted, any reputation bonus adjust each of the four sectors up or down one level at
granted by a wonder applies throughout the civilized will. Your organization also gains +4 Efficiency and
world. either +3 Force or +3 Shadow.
Cathedral of ages. No dome is wider, and no Doomsday device. A doomsday device always
steeple higher, than the cathedral of ages. It soars. Ev- operates mechanically or alchemically, though many
ery troop that you command increases its spirit value believe it uses magic to draw strength from the Inspi-
by 2, so long as they share the cathedral's religion. ration of its creator. The device can have many forms:
City bridge. You build a bridge so wide, so an explosive mine dam holding back lava that will
high, and so strong that an entire city neighborhood divert and engulf a city, or an earthquake projector the
develops on its surface, in its walls, and in its supports. size of Koshtra Noln, or a toxin in the rats of a city
Church bells ring, lambs cry at slaughterhouses, and that is released upon reaching critical mass. A dooms-

156
 Wonders
Defense Quality Wealth Gold Effect
Level Price
Cathedral of ages 10 20 - 90,000 Spirit
City bridge 12 25 - 90,000 Microcosm
Doomsday device 10 18 - 120,000 Bring doomsday to one target
Dragon garden 4 8 - 120,000 Dragons; +6 income
Flower of forgetfulness - 20 - 100,000 Forgetfulness
Giant 8 15 - 50,000 Reputation; drink the taking
Glorious arena 8 15 - 70,000 Glory
Legion below - 50 - 120,000 Replace fallen troops
Spectacular theater 4 10 - 60,000 Write culture
10 10 - 100,000 +2 Force, Efficiency, and Shad-
Submersible
ow; naval stealth
Triumph: arch, obelisk, wall 4 10 - 60,000 Reputation
World's orrery - 20 - 90,000 View history
As ma- 20 - 100,000 See Troops section, below.
Zeppelin dreadnought
neuver
Ziggurat, pyramid 8 18 - 60,000 Arcana

day device always takes from one season to one year roll, Reason vs. Quality (a d20 for the Flower), or stare
from its setting to its triggering. During this time, the at the bowl for an hour. After that hour, another roll is
city, council, region, or any other single-entity target allowed. Anyone staring at the bowl for more than one
knows that a Doomsday device has been triggered, hour loses two points from a random Inspiration, as all
usually through rumors from laborers who worked for else is forgotten when contemplating the Flower. Note
the engineer while constructing the device. Even if that although the flower's Quality is 20, a single hit
there were no such laborers, somehow, word always from any weapon will destroy it.
leaks out when a doomsday device is counting down; Giant. This colossal statue towers over
perhaps that is another part of the device that blurs the your city. You choose its likeness, pose, and import;
boundary between magic and engineering. If the de- through this choice you can assign a Reputation 20,
vice is not stopped, then it utterly destroys the target. positive or negative, to any individual that you like.
Dragon garden. Your garden attracts dragons The reputation cannot be brought below 10 while the
like a flame attracts moths. You can capture and train Giant yet stands. Furthermore, the Giant can animate
two dragons at no cost, and they do not count against in defense of your city if it is fed the proper takings:
your organization’s troop limit. The dragons are re- the Love of a Maid, the Rage of a savage, the Hope of
placed one season after they fall in combat, again at no a Child, and the Wrath of a Father. When these takings
cost. are poured out on the Giant's feet, it animates for one
Dreadnought zeppelin. These are detailed in season in defense of its city (see Colossus, p. 170).
the Troop section below. Glorious arena. Anyone who wins a gladiato-
Flower of forgetfulness. This porcelain rial match in the glorious arena gains a point of Repu-
sculpture (actually a bowl, not a flower) is the most tation. The exact Reputation is up to the player, but it
beautiful art object in the world - or, at least, the most must be appropriate for the arena. Anyone who views
hypnotic. Anyone looking at it must make an opposed a championship match in the arena (occurring once

157
per season) leaves with a bonus Inspiration: Glory of events of the day are shown in the stained glass slide,
Combat (1) that endures for a week. This inspiration so sages using a world's orrery roll its Quality die as
can exceed the normal maximum. a bonus die on any relevant knowledge check, includ-
Legion Below. Fixers and thieves are not the ing all historical or geographic research attempts and
only ones who use the underworld. A king who has attempts to uncover relevant secrets. The orrery must
constructed a Legion Below has thousands of terra have a team of engineers and artists devoted to it to
cotta soldiers prepared to animate and swell the ranks keep it up to date. These artisans' wages constitute a
of his forces. The Legion Below cannot move of its Wealth Level 15 item.
own power before being brought to life; it must be Ziggurat, pyramid. Enduring and powerful,
transported. It is the equivalent of 5 troops when fill- pyramids and ziggurats are statements of raw power.
ing a zeppelin, barge, or wagon's cargo hold. Once Increase your organization’s arcana score by 6 and all
deployed, it can negate up to 50 Health damage in a maneuver attacks and defenses of spellbound troops
battle by replacing living units as they fall. The Legion and beasts by one die size.
Below can only be used once; its clay falls lifeless af-
ter the use. The Legion Below is built by an engineer,
but the final step of its preparation is to anoint it with Troops
two takings (this is similar to the Giant, above). The
Troops have wealth levels, as do any other pur-
takings must be the Peace of a warrior and the Faith of
chase. You can, as always, convert the wealth level to
a criminal.
a cash gold price. However, if you purchase troops for
Spectacular. A spectacular is a theater of
cash, you must pay that price in gold every other week
dreams, an opulent, intricate marvel that elevates the
in order to maintain that troop. If you purchase a troop
art of any violinist, harpsichordist, player, acrobat, cat-
using the wealth level system, the maintenance cost
burner, bear-baiter, or soprano who trods its boards.
is already included; it is represented by the use of one
People idolize the spectacular stars. The king loses one
of your wealth level "slots" to own the troop. Own-
of his culture lines when a Spectacular is built. Now,
ing troops using the wealth level system is easier than
the three culture lines are written as follows: 1 by the
paying cash. This represents the advantages of credit,
king, 1 by the most powerful locally-based organiza-
capital, usury, banking and more.
tion, and 1 by the owner of the Spectacular.
Remember that an armed legion can own as
Submersible. Except for the differences noted
many troops as it can afford, but other organizations
in the table, these are similar to the prototype submers-
can own and command no number of troops greater
ibles listed under Mounts and Vehicles above.
than the organization's Force score. Individuals may
Triumph. A marble monument, tradtionally
own and command one troop for every four points of
built after victory in war, memorializes your triumphs
Charisma.
and your history. Up to six people can be assigned a
Remember that strategic movement is abstract
reputation (20) as you like, positive or negative. The
and relative (see p. 52).
reputation cannot be brought below 10 while the tri-
Remember also that an attack does 1 damage
umph yet stands. Every person known to be a member
on a hit unless another damage value is specified.
of the organization that built the triumph gains a repu-
tation 8: Triumphant.
World's orrery. This orrery contains miniature
stained glass slides of nearly every important event
in recorded history. Set the orrery for any date, and it
spins to the correct alignment. Then it uses a bullseye
lantern to project the image on that day's stained glass
slide onto a larger-than-life screen. All the important

158
 Troops
Wealth Gold Description
Level Price
Angry mob - - Pitchforks and torches
Archers 8 2800 Ranged attack
Combat engineers 8 2800 Repairmen for siege engines
Convicts, slaves, impressed troops 5 1000 Expensive and listless
Cordsmen 9 3600 Aerial drop troops
Crossbowmen 7 2100 Cheap, versatile ranged attackers
Desperate and untrained: cooks, camp follow- - - Last resort
ers, townsfolk, schoolchildren
Dramba coven 8 2800 Stealthy hex witches
Druids 8 2800 Attackers and healers
Expert wheel lock musketeers 12 6,600 Skilled ranged attack
Fanatics, cultists, brainwashed canaille 1 50 Crazed zealots
Fieldcraft & Battlecraft wizard & apprentices 11 5500 Battlefield terrain control magic
Fyrajji savages 4 (merc) 600 (merc) Stealthy forest barbarians
Heavy cavalry 10 4500 Shock cavalry
Heavy footmen 7 2100 Armored infantry
Kingsmen, assassins, and spies 9 3600 Stealthy special forces
Kvalt savages 4 (merc) 600 (merc) Hardy, snow/mountain guerrillas
Light cavalry 8 2800 Rapid-response/vanguard cavalry
Light footmen 6 1500 Mobile infantry
Longbowmen 10 4500 Powerful ranged attack
Maelstrom wizard & apprentices 11 5500 Weather wizards
Match lock musketeers 6 1500 Cheap, slow ranged attack
Mounted archers 10 4500 Mobile ranged attack
Mounted Serai savages 4 (merc) 600 (merc) Desert nomad cavalry
Parapet defenders 9 3600 Anti-magic armored warriors
Pikemen 7 2100 Anti-cavalry infantry
Sailors, pirates, privateers 7 2100 Individuals armed with cutlasses
Shield bearers 6 1500 Guardian troops
Spearmen 7 2100 Anti-mobility troops
Templars 9 3600 Special forces: spirit and defense
Town militia 5 1000 Spirited, desperate defenders

159
 Troops (cont.)
Wealth Gold Description
Level Price
Naval vessels
Carrack 13 7800 3-4 masts, fo'csl, aftcastle, bowsprit
Galleon 15 10,500 3-4 masts, lateen-rigged, aftcastle
Sloop 11 5500 Single mast, sleek and low
Galley, longship 10 4500 Propelled by oars
Trireme galley 11 5500 Propelled by three rows of oars
Pump boat with cistern 7 2100 Fire defense ship
Fire ship 3 300 Burning shell, anti-formation ship
Airships
Dreadnought zeppelin - 100,000 A wonder of the world
Escort zeppelin, yacht 17 13,600 Nimble raiding zeppelin
Frigate zeppelin 18 15,300 Ship of the line for aerial combat
Beasts
Descent cat cage-wagons 8 2800 Vicious horse-sized cats
Mammoth cavalry 12 6600 Powerful, pinning cavalry
Mammoth cavalry: howdah-mounted cannon 12 6600 Cannon on mammoth back
Raptor horde and handlers 5 1000 Uncontrollable dinosaur stampede
War apes 8 2800 Brachiating bloodthirsty primates
Magical beasts
Chimera chariots 12 6600 Mobile, multiple-attack cavalry
Colossus - - A wonder of the world
Dragon - - A wonder of the world
Giant - - Single-creature troop
Jungle strider - - A village fits on its back
Manticore flight 12 6600 Trained aerial monsters
Quickruby golem knot - - Anti-magic brutes
Roc 14 9100 Single-creature troop
Skeletons, children's legion - - Wailing child skeletons
Skeleton legion - - Brittle, fearless horde
Undead giant - - One-creature troop
Zombie legion - - Contagious brain eaters
Zombie legion, twitcher - - Exploding brain eaters
Zombie legion, human-raptor cross-stitch - - Fast and bounding brain eaters

160
 Troops (cont.)
Wealth Gold Description
Level Price
Siege tower 4 600 Built on site to surmount walls
Trebuchet 4 600 Catapult + sling
Battering ram 3 300 Anti-fortification
Ballista 4 600 Siege vs. large creatures
Onager (Bishop's mule) 3 300 Kicking torsional catapult
Turtle 4 600 Portable cover for special unit
Light cannon 7 2100 Anti-fortification artillery
Heavy cannon 8 2800 Anti-fortification artillery

Angry mob Combat engineers

Speed (strategic): 1 Speed (strategic): 3
Health: 2 Health: 2
Spirit: 5 Spirit: 2
Maneuvers: Maneuvers:
1. Restraint – 0/d4. 1.Repair – 0/d4. Add 1 structural quality
Formations: point to a building, vehicle, etc. Can only be used
1. Go wild – d4/d2. for half the building’s quality points in any one battle.
Wealth level: - (only acquired through roleplay) 2. Entrench – All allies in area gain one de-
fense die size as long as they do not leave the area.
Archers 3. Camouflage - 0/d8. You can hide another
Speed (strategic): 3 group. If it has not yet attacked in this battle, it be-
Health: 3 comes secret until it moves or attacks (or until discov-
Spirit: 4 ered).
Maneuvers: Formations:
1. Scout-guided shot – d8/d2 and roll 1. Defend – 0/d4.
organization’s Force as bonus attack die. 2 health. 2. Fortify – 0/d4. Add 2 to the defense value of
Only from Volley formation. any building, vehicle, or structure. Engineers must be
2. Aim and mighty pull - +2 attack die size inside the structure.
and +1 damage next round. Wealth level: 8
Formations:
1.Volley – d8/d2. Conscripts, slaves, impressed troops
2. Close quarters (melee) – d2/d4. Speed (strategic): 3
3. Readied shot – 0/d4 and name a condition Health: 2
(a troop moves, a spell is cast, etc.). In subsequent Spirit: 2
rounds, as long as you have not changed from this Maneuvers:
stance, you gain a d12/d2 attack at the moment the 1. Charge – d4/d4, move.
named condition manifests. Formations:
Wealth level: 7 1. Skirmish – d4/d4.
Wealth level: 5

161
Cordsmen and moved out of the area where it was attacking, and
Speed (strategic): 3 (or zeppelin speed) no one attacks it for a round, it can be reshrouded.
Health: 3 2. Boil – d8/d2. 2 health. The targeted troop
Spirit: 6 uses the commanding organization’s Arcana score to
Maneuvers: defend.
1. Rappel – 0/d10 and descend on cord Formations:
from zeppelin, detach optional. 1. Zombie army – 0/d2. Raise and command
2. Descending storm (ranged) – d8/d6 and one zombie legion in any other area occupied by an
descend from zeppelin. 1 health and 2 spirit. Detach allied unit. The dramba coven has one command point
optional. per round that it can use only to direct the zombies’
3. Ascend – 0/d6 and reel up to zeppelin. Re- maneuvers. The coven does not need line of sight;
quires two consecutive maneuvers. it sees through the zombies' eyes. The zombies mill
4. Attach – re-attach to cords if detached. about ineffectively unless the dramba coven maintains
Formations: this formation and uses the coven's command point to
1. Blades from clouds – d6/d6. Must be de- command the zombie legion.
tached from cords. 2. Cotton ear – d12/d2. Target troop cannot
2. Pendulum (sky hook) – d10/d2, 2 health, receive orders and therefore cannot execute maneuvers
move with zeppelin, take double damage if hit by me- next round. Target resists with commanding organiza-
lee. tion’s Arcana.
Wealth level: 9 Special: Dramba covens’ locations on the battlefield
are secret until discovered.
Crossbowmen Wealth level: 9
Speed (strategic): 3
Health: 3 Druids
Spirit: 3 Speed (strategic): 3
Maneuvers: Health: 2
1. Aim – 0/d2 - +2 attack die size and +1 dam- Spirit: 4
age next round. Maneuvers:
2. Charge & shoot – d6/d4 + move. 1. Sacrifice – 0/d4. Take 1 health and 1 spirit
Formations: from one allied troop and give 1 health to another.
1. Crank & shoot – d8/d2. Crank & shoot re- 2. Gale of fire - d8/d4. 2 health to up to 5 units
quires one round to crank and one round to shoot. The in one area. Only from Sun Curse. The target units
“aim” maneuver can occur in between. defend with their organization's Arcana score.
2. Bash (melee) – d4/d4. 2. Faces and Names in the Blood – d10/d4. 1
Wealth level: 6 spirit to up to 5 troops in one area. The target troops
defend with their organization’s Arcana score.
Dramba coven 3. Read the sky – 0/d6. Roll a d6 to detect
Speed (strategic): 3 secret troops or learn an enemy secret in three differ-
Health: 2 ent areas (selected by the druids). Secret troops defend
Spirit: 4 with their defense die; organization secrets are defend-
Maneuvers: ed by the organization’s Shadow score.
1. Shroud – 0/d2. One unit of no more than five Formations:
troops is secret until the coven stops chanting this ma- 1. Sun curse – d4/d4, ranged. Troop takes 1
neuver or until the unit attacks. Multiple covens can health and 1 spirit damage. If killed by sun curse,
shroud multiple units. If a unit has stopped attacking a conflagration arises attacking at d6 against other

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troops in area (randomly selected, maximum five). The the bridge. The bridge disappears instantly if the
conflagration does 2 health damage. Target defends Battlemaster and his acolytes break this stance.
with its commanding organization's Arcana score. 5. Wizard wall – 0/d4. One area is blocked
2. Fear the Harvest – d10/d4. 1 spirit. Target by wall on one side. Ranged, spell, and other attacks
defends with its commanding organization’s Arcana through the wall are impossible. The wall has struc-
score. tural quality 2 and defense value 4. It disappears if the
Wealth level: 9 Fieldcraft master and his acolytes break this stance. A
second wall placed in the same spot as the first always
Fanatic canaille or rabid mass generates a wild surge.
Speed (strategic): 3 6. Eyes of Marnhok – 0/d6. Increase com-
Health: 2 manding organization’s Shadow score by 4 and all
Spirit: 5 troops’ defense die size by one when defending against
Formations: attacks from secret troops.
1. Suicide wave – d12/d2, 1 health damage to 7. Brilliant Signals - Adds 1 to the command
target and self. point total next round.
2. Human shield – 0/d4. Give d4 bonus defense Wealth level: 11
die to one ally unit.
Wealth level: (must be gained through roleplay) Fyrajj savages
Speed (strategic): 3 (5 in homeland)
Fieldcraft, Battlecraft wizard and acolytes Health: 4
Speed (strategic): 4 Spirit: 4 (7 in homeland)
Health: 2 Maneuvers:
Spirit: 4 1. Stalk – d4/d6 ranged. Fyrajji are unseen and
Maneuvers: considered secret (can only be targeted if detected; see
1. Burning Ribbons – d6/d4. Each ribbon does secret troops in chapter on war). Can only be used in
1 health and 1 spirit per round as long as the wizard forest.
and his acolytes cast this spell or remain in the Burn- 2. Hack and Scalp – d4/d4. 1 health + 1 spirit.
ing Ribbons stance. Multiple ribbons are possible. Formations:
2. Orbfall (ranged) – d8/d4. 2 health to up to 1. Skirmish – d4/d4 (d6/d6 in homeland).
four units in area. 2. Defend – 0/d6.
3. Stone slam (ranged) - d10/d4 vs. buildings. Wealth level: 4 as mercenaries.
1 quality.
4. Disguise Troop - 0/d4. One troop blends Heavy cavalry
with the scenery. It is secret until the Battlemaster Speed (strategic): 4
and his acolytes stop chanting this maneuver or until Health: 6
the troop attacks. If a troop has stopped attacking and Spirit: 5
moved out of the area where it was attacking, and no Maneuvers:
one attacks it for a round, it can be disguised again. 1. Charge – d10/d8, move, break formation. 2
Formations: health + 2 spirit. The move is not optional.
1. Blur (ranged) – 0/d4 – increase defense die 2. Smash the line – d12/d10 vs. infantry. 2
size of three troops by one die size each. health.
2. Sharpen - Increase the attack die of one Formations:
unit's melee attack next round by one die size. 1. Skirmish – d8/d8. 2 health.
3. Burning ribbons – 0/d4. 2. Defensive Line – d4/d12.
4. Bridge - This forms a narrow stone bridge Wealth level: 10
crossing one area. It takes one troop 2 rounds to cross

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Heavy footmen
Speed (strategic): 2 Knights
Health: 5 Speed (strategic): 5
Spirit: 4 Health: 8
Maneuvers: Spirit: 8
1. Column push – d10/d8, 2 health. Maneuvers:
2. Shield other – 0/d6. Other gets your defense 1. Charge – d10/d10, move, 3 health + 2 spirit.
die. The move is not optional.
Formations: 2. Break the line - d12/d10 vs. infantry. 3
1. Skirmish – d6/d6. health damage.
2. Defend – 0/d10. Formations:
Wealth level: 7 1. Skirmish – d8/d10. 2 health.
2. Defensive line - d4/d12.
Kingsmen, assassins, spies Wealth level: 14
Speed (strategic): 5
Health: 3 Kvalt savages
Spirit: 6 Speed (strategic): 3 (5 in homeland)
Maneuvers: Health: 4
1. Assassinate officers – d8/d6 vs. enemy Spirit: 3 (7 in homeland)
organization. Enemy organization defends with its Maneuvers:
Force or Shadow score. 1 Efficiency damage plus one 1. Avalanche charge. d8/d6, move, 1 health.
fewer command point next round. 2. Rage - 0/d4. Ignore 1 damage to you this
2. Sneak – 0/d10, move. round and gain +1 damage and commanding organiza-
3. Disappear in the chaos – 0/d8. Regain secret tion’s Force as bonus attack die next round.
status. Formations:
4. Spy – d8/d6 vs. organization’s Efficiency 1. Skirmish – d4/d4 (d6/d6 in homeland).
or Shadow score. If you win, you learn one secret (eg 2. Defend – 0/d6.
location of a secret troop, maneuvers and Formations Wealth level: 4 as mercenaries.
of a troop, brigade composition, heroes’ locations).
5. Sneak attack – d12/d6. 3 health. Must have Light cavalry
been undetected. Breaks stealth. Speed (strategic): 5
6. False orders – d12/d8 vs. organization's Health: 5
Efficiency score. You intercept orders in the enemy’s Spirit: 4
command structure. Next round, use the kingsmen’s Maneuvers:
action to issue false orders, giving you control over 1. Charge – d8/d4, move 2 areas, 1 health.
one enemy unit. 2. Wheeling cover run – 0/d8, move.
7. Camouflage - 0/d8. You can hide another Formations:
group. If it has not yet attacked in this battle, it be- 1. Skirmish – d6/d6.
comes secret until it moves or attacks (or until discov- 2. Harrow and Harass – d8/d2. 1 health + 1
ered). spirit.
Formations: 3. Cut off - d6/d4. 0 health, 0 spirit, but target,
1. Lie low – 0/d10. if hit, cannot move.
2. Hunt and kill - d8/d4. Wealth level: 8
Special: Kingsmen are a secret group until discovered
or until they attack.
Wealth level: 10

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Light footmen 1 quality to buildings; 1 health to up to three units.
Speed (strategic): 3 2. Gale – 0/d4. Missile fire other than siege
Health: 3 weapons suffers a five die size penalty in up to three
Spirit: 4 adjacent areas.
Maneuvers: 3. Chain lightning – d10/d4. The lightning
1. Wedge – d10/d6. 2 health. does 1 health to up to three units in one area, each of
2. Run and counter – 0/d6, move. Add a d6 whom defends with its organization’s Arcana score.
attack against one unit that attacks you; otherwise, no Wealth level: 11
attack.
Formations: Mounted archers
1. Skirmish – d6/d4. Speed (strategic): 5
2. Defend 0/d6. Health: 5
Wealth level: 6 Spirit: 5
Maneuvers:
Longbowmen 1. Gallop and shoot - d6/d4. Move, 1 health.
Speed (strategic): 3 Formations:
Health: 3 1. Ranged skirmish - d6/d4.
Spirit: 6 2. Draw and fight – d4/d4. d6/d6 vs. infantry.
Maneuvers: Wealth level: 10
1. Scout-guided shot – d12/d2 and roll
organization’s Force as bonus attack die. 3 health. Musketeers, match lock
2. Aim and mighty pull - +2 attack die size, Speed (strategic): 3
+2 damage, and ignore range modifiers out to 3 areas Health: 4
next round. Spirit: 3
Formations: Formations:
1. Volley – d10/d2. 2 health. 1. Load & fire – d8/d2. Load & fire requires
2.Close quarters (melee) – d4/d4. two rounds to load and one round to fire. 3 health.
3. Double time - d6/d2. 2 health. Attack the 2. Rapid load & fire – d4/d2. Reduces loading
same target twice. Longbowmen lose 1 Spirit per time to one round, but a roll of 1 fouls the troop’s
round spent in double time. guns so badly that a command point must be spent to
Wealth level: 10 restore order. Until the point is spent, the troop cannot
do anything but move or use their bayonets and
Maelstrom wizard and acolytes stocks. 2 health.
Speed (strategic): 3 3. Bayonet & stock (melee) – d6/d4.
Health: 2 Wealth level: 6
Spirit: 4
Maneuvers: Musketeers; wheel lock experts
1. Weather – change the weather to anything Speed (strategic): 3
desired (see p. 50). This can only be used once per Health: 5
battle (by any maelstrom group) and requires three Spirit: 6
consecutive maneuvers without breaking formation. Maneuvers:
2. Windwalk - Increase one unit's movement 1. Charge & fire – d10/d2 + move. 2 health.
rate by one next round. Also, it can move through 2. Sharpshooter aim – 0/d2 - +2 attack die size
enemy troops. and +2 damage next round.
Formations: 3. Fusillade – d10/d2, target loses one com-
1. Twister – d6/d4 vs. buildings and troops. mand point next round, 1 health.

165
Formations: attack for 3 health damage.
1. Rapid load & fire – d12/d2. Load & fire Formations:
requires one round to load and one round to fire. 1. Skirmish – d6/d4.
Sharpshooter aim can be used between rounds. 2. Set vs. charge. 0/d4; d8/d10 vs. any group
2. Regimental load & fire – d12/d2. Regimen- that moves into your area; 2 health.
tal load & fire requires two rounds to load and Wealth level: 7
one round to fire. If the first shot hits, the troop also
rolls the commanding organization’s Force score as a Sailor, pirate, privateer
second and third attack. 2 health. Speed (strategic): 2 (or ship’s speed)
Wealth level: 12 Health: 3
Spirit: 4
Parapet defenders Maneuvers:
Speed (strategic): 3 1. Board – d10/d10, 2 health, when first enter-
Health: 4 ing a ship.
Spirit: 5 2. Crack crew - +1 defensive value to the ship
Maneuvers: and +1 die size to all the ship’s attacks (only one crack
1. Countershot – 0/d8. d8 ranged attack crew can benefit a ship at a time).
against any who attack you, up to five targets. Formations:
2. Repulse (melee) – d8/d8. 1 health and push 1. Deck fighting – d8/d8 only on ship's deck, 2
troop back out of castle, keep, wall, etc. if within one health.
area of outside. 2. Land fighting – d4/d4.
3. Hunger flight arrows - d8/d2. 1 health; +2 Wealth level: 7
health (3 total) against flying or spellbound units. Only
while defending castle or similar. Scouts
Formations: Speed (strategic): 6
1. Arcane Forms (melee or ranged) – d4/d6. Health: 3
2 health and one unit in your area gains your defense Spirit: 6
die as a bonus die against any magic attack. Maneuvers:
2. Skirmish – d8/d6. 1. Stalk (ranged) – d6/d8, 1 health. Scouts are
3. Abjuring Forms - 0/d10. Up to two allied secret while executing this maneuver (p. 50).
units in your area gain your defense die as a bonus die 2. Coordinated scouting – Move + roll d6 plus
against magic. organization rolls its Force or Efficiency vs. secret
Special: Roll parapet defenders' defense die as a bonus troop’s defense die to detect it. All secret groups in the
die against attacks normally defended against by an scouts’ area and adjacent areas can be detected.
organization's Arcana score. Troop is spellbound. Formations:
Wealth level: 10 1. Scout – 0/d6. Roll d6 to detect hidden or
secret troops in immediate or adjacent areas.
Pikemen 2. Skirmish – d4/d4.
Speed (strategic): 3 3. Lay low – 0/d10. Secret.
Health: 4 Wealth level: 8
Spirit: 4 NB:”Second finger” scouts are available at Wealth
Maneuvers: Level 6. Reduce all defense dice by one size and re-
1. Unhorse and spike – d12/d6 vs. cavalry, 2 move the “Lay low” stance.
health.
2. Tie down. 0/d8. If your target moves, d12

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Serai savages, mounted Templars
Speed (strategic): 4 (7 in homeland) Speed (strategic): 4
Health: 3 (4 in homeland) Health: 5
Spirit: 3 (7 in homeland) Spirit: 9
Maneuvers: Maneuvers:
1. Wind of heaven – move 3 areas. 1. Column Push – d10/d8, 2 health.
2. Charge – d6/d4, move 2 areas. (d8/d4, 3 2. Shield others – 0/d8. One ally gains d8 as a
health, in homeland) bonus defense die.
Formations: Formations:
1. Skirmish – d4/d4 (d6/d6, 2 in homeland). 1. Skirmish – d6/d6, 2 health.
2. Run interference – 0/d4. Ally also gains d4 2. Pray and preach - +1 to spirit and next
bonus defense die. round’s attack and defense dice for templars and one
3. Cut off - d4/d4. Target, if hit, cannot move. ally unit.
Wealth level: 4 as mercenaries. Wealth level: 10

Shield bearers Town militia

Speed (strategic): 2 Speed (strategic): 2
Health: 3 Health: 3
Spirit: 3 Spirit: 2 (7 in hometown)
Maneuvers: Maneuvers:
1. Guard – 0/d8. One ally troop also gains 1. Charge – d4/d4, move, 1 health.
d8 as a bonus defense die. Formations:
Formations: 1. Hold the line – d4/d6.
1. Defend – 0/d6. One ally troop gains a d6 as 2. Town song – 0/d4, increase next attack die
a bonus defense die. size by 2 and damage by 2.
2. Skirmish – d2/d4. Wealth level: 5
Special: If placed in a brigade with as many shield
bearer troops as ranged troops, the archer troops all Untrained militia, townsfolk, and camp fol-
gain 1 die size defense bonus to all formations and lowers
maneuvers. Speed (strategic): 2
Wealth level: 7 Health: 2
Spirit: 1
Spearmen Maneuvers: 1. Scramble – d2/d4.
Speed (strategic): 3 Formations: 1. Stand in harm’s way – 0/d4.
Health: 4 Wealth level: - (acquired only through roleplay)
Spirit: 3
Maneuvers:
1. Javelin (ranged) – d6/d4, 2 health.
2. Pilum (ranged) – d8/d4. No health damage,
Naval Vessels
but target cannot shield or guard another next round.
Carrack
Formations:
Speed (strategic): 10
1. Skirmish – d4/d4.
Health: 14
2. Tie down – 0/d6. If target moves, then you
Spirit: 5 (crew)
get a d10 attack for 2 health.
Maneuvers:
Wealth level: 7

167
 1. Broadside – 0/10. Half cannons fire. Galley, longship
2. Sail – 0/10. Move and fire 2 cannon. Speed (strategic): 8
Formations: Health: 9
1. Harass – 0/10. Two cannon fire. Spirit: 5 (crew)
2. Load & Unload – move 2 troops/round into Maneuvers:
or out of the carrack. 1. Row & Sail – 0/7 – move 2 areas. The
Special: A carrack can carry up to 4 troops and up to galley cannot execute this maneuver in consecutive
10 cannon or ballistae. rounds.
Wealth level: 13 2. Ram - d12/7 and move. 1 quality to target
ship, which cannot move or execute a maneuver next
Fire ship, fire husk round. You or the target must leave the area before
Speed (strategic): 1 ramming again.
Health: 1 Formations:
Spirit: n/a 1. Harass – 0/7. Two cannon fire.
Maneuvers: 2. Load & Unload – 0/7. Move 2 troops/round
1. Launch and collide – d8/d2. Disrupts target into or out of the galley.
(target cannot maneuver next round), causes 2 dam- Special: A longship can carry up to 2 troops and 2
age, and sets ships on fire (fire continues until put out cannon or ballistae.
with a pump boat or by the commanding organization Wealth level: 10
making an Efficiency roll against the Doom). Ships on
fire cannot act other than to move. NB: Trireme galleys have the same statistics as the
Formations: longship galley, except the defensive value is 8 and:
1. Drift and burn - 0/4. Galley, trireme
Special: If a fire ship hits its target, it is consumed in Speed (strategic): 8
the conflagration. If it misses, the commanding orga- Health: 9
nization can recapture the fire boat and have a second Spirit: 4
chance at re-launching it toward a target only if it Maneuvers:
makes an Efficiency roll against the Doom, spending a 1. Trireme ram – d12/8 and move. 2 quality
command point to do so. damage to target ship, which cannot move or execute a
Wealth level: 4 maneuver next round. You or the target must leave the
area before ramming again.
Galleon Wealth level: 11
Speed (strategic): 9
Health: 16 Pumpers with cistern, fire control team
Spirit: 5 (crew) Speed (strategic): 1
Maneuvers: Health: 2
1. Broadside – 0/11. Half cannons fire. Spirit: 4
2. Sail – 0/11. Move and fire 2 cannon. Formations:
Formations: 1. Put out fire - 0/4. Puts out one fire per round
1. Harass – 0/11. Two cannon fire. in its area or adjacent area with no need for you to
2. Load & Unload – 0/11. move 2 troops/ spend a maneuver.
round into or out of the galleon. Wealth level: 4
Special: A galleon can carry up to 5 troops and up to
12 cannon or ballistae. Sloop
Wealth level: 15 Speed (strategic): 10

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Health: 11 1. Harrass – 0/9. One cannon fires.
Spirit: 5 2. Load & unload –0/11. Move two troops into
Maneuvers: or out of the frigate.
1. Broadside – 0/9. Half cannons fire. Special: An escort zeppelin can carry 1 troop and up
2. Sail – 0/9. Move and fire 2 cannon. to 4 cannon or ballistae.
Formations: Wealth level: 17
1. Harass – 0/9. Two cannon fire.
2. Load & Unload – 0/9. move 2 troops/round Zeppelin, frigate
into or out of the sloop. Speed (strategic): 8 (aerial)
Special: A sloop can carry up to 3 troops and up to 6 Health: 9
canon or ballistae. Spirit: 5
Wealth level: 11 Maneuvers:
1. Full sail – 0/11. Move 2 areas.
Airships 2. Broadside – 0/11. Half cannon fire.
Formations:
Zeppelin, dreadnought 1. Sky command – 0/11. +1 command point
Speed (strategic): 7 (aerial) next round.
Health: 20 2. Harass – 0/11. Two cannon fire.
Spirit: 5 3. Load & unload –0/11 move two troops per
Maneuvers: round into or out of the frigate.
1. Full sail – 0/12. Move 2 areas. 4. Surveillance - d8/11. Roll d8 to detect secret
2. Dreadnought broadside – 0/12. Half cannon troops in up to three designated areas.
fire at +1 attack die size. 2 health and 1 spirit to a unit, Special: Frigates can carry up to four troops and 8
or 1 quality to a building, and in either case, an enemy cannon or ballistae.
whose forces are hit loses 1 command point next Wealth level: 18
round from the shock and awe of the bombardment.
Formations:
1. Sky command – 0/12. +1 command point Beasts
and +1 to all commanding organization’s characteris-
tics save arcana, both next round, as usual. Descent cats
2. Harass – 0/12. 4 cannon fire. Speed (strategic): 1
3. Load & unload – 0/12. Move three troops/ Health: 10
round into or out of the dreadnought. Spirit: 4 cats, 3 handlers (cannot soak health damage)
Special: A dreadnought can carry 12 cannon and 5 Maneuvers:
troops. 1. Pounce 0/d6 - move 2 areas including
Wealth level: A dreadnought can only be built as a through an enemy-occupied area.
wonder of the world. 2. Pack assault - d10/d4 - 4 health + 1 spirit.
Formations:
Zeppelin, escort; yacht 1. Unleashed – d8/d4, 2 health + 1 spirit.
Speed (strategic): 9 (aerial) 2. Cornered - 0/d6 - d8 attack against any who
Health: 7 attack you (up to five attacks).
Spirit: 5 Special: The cats disperse and lope for the hills four
Maneuvers: rounds after being released from their cages, regard-
1. Wind race – 0/9. Move 3 areas. less of what they did during those four rounds.
2. Broadside – 0/9. Half cannon fire. Wealth level: 10
Formations:

169
Mammoth cavalry less of what the horde did during its three rounds
Speed (strategic): 4 under control.
Health: 9 Wealth level: 5
Spirit: 5
Maneuvers: War apes
1. Net – d10/d6. Netted troop cannot act Speed (strategic): 2
until the round in which a command point is spent Health: 6
to unfoul it (and a second command point must be Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage)
spent if the troop is to maneuver during that round). Maneuvers:
Each mammoth carries three nets. After they are 1. Bounding charge – d6/d2, 2 health, and
gone, this maneuver cannot be used. move 2 areas. Requires 2 command points.
2. Trample charge – d10/d2. 1 health, 1 2. Track scent – 0/d4. Roll d8 to detect any
spirit, move. secret troop in the immediate or any adjacent area.
Formations: Formations:
1. Trample – d10/d6. 1. Frenzy – d4/d4. If first attack hits, roll
Wealth level: 12 another attack. Continue until miss; a maximum of 3
attacks are possible.
Mammoth, howdah-mounted cannon 2. Scatter – 0/d6.
Speed (strategic): 3 Special: War apes take no terrain penalties under
Health: 8 normal circumstances. They are able to brachiate,
Spirit: 5 leap, clamber, and climb with uncanny alacrity.
Maneuvers: Special: War apes are territorial and cannot be
1. Trample & fire – d10/d4. 1 health, 1 stacked into a brigade with another war ape troop.
spirit, and cannon fires. Wealth level: 8 or increase wealth level by one for
2. Charge & fire – cannon fires and move. armored war apes, whose health is 8.
Formations:
1. Trample – d6/d6.
Special: The platform in a mammoth howdah can sup- Magical Beasts
port one cannon (heavy or light).
Wealth level: 12 Chimera chariots
Speed (strategic): 5
Raptor horde and handlers Health: 4
Speed (strategic): 1 Spirit: 4
Health: 2 Maneuvers:
Spirit: Fearless (handlers 3) 1.Overrun – d8/d8. 2 health. Move 1 area,
Formations: including through an enemy's occupied area.
1. Unleashed – d8/d2, 1 health, 1 spirit. 2.Miasmal breath – d8/d6. Two attacks against
2. Caged and snarling - d2/d2 - 1 spirit separate targets in your area. 1 health and disorganized
Special: Any gunfire or cannon shot causes the raptors (unit cannot maneuver next round). Cannot use con-
to flee for the following round unless the commanding secutively.
organization makes a Force roll vs. the Doom. Formations:
Special: The horde disperses three rounds after be- 1. Skirmish – d4/d4, 3 attacks.
ing releasead from its cages, meandering through the 2. Circle the chariots – 0/d8, +2 attack die size
battlefield and feeding on grass. This happens regard- to all attacks next round.

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Wealth level: 12
Giant
Colossus Speed (strategic): 4
Speed (strategic): 5 Health: 9
Health: 16 Spirit: 3
Spirit: Fearless Maneuvers:
Maneuvers: 1. Earthquake club – d10/d6, three separate
1. Stomp and pound (melee) - d20/d20, two attacks (all targets must be in your area). 2 health +
attacks, 3 health. knocked off balance (the unit can't move next round,
2. Hurl boulder (ranged) – d20/d12, 3 health. although it can attack, including with a maneuver).
This may also be Hurl Uprooted Tree, Hurl Chunk of 2. Overstep – 0/d8. Move two areas, including
Curtain Wall, and so forth as appropriate. This attack movement through an enemy troop.
can do siege damage against buildings and other large Formations:
structures. 1. Pound - d10/d8. 2 health.
3. Overstep – 0/d12. Move two areas, includ- 2. Hurl boulder - d10/d6. 2 health. This attack
ing movement through an enemy troop. Only from can do siege damage against buildings and other large
Sweeping Blow (or another maneuver). structures.
Formations: Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay.
1. Sweeping blow - d10/d10, three attacks vs.
separate targets, 1 health and push one troop/hit one Jungle Strider
area away. Speed (strategic): 6
2. Pack earth - 0/d10 - Regenerate two health Health: 18
as long as in contact with ground. Spirit: 3
3. Crush - d10/d10 - 3 health. Maneuvers:
Wealth level: (obtained through roleplay) 1. Stomp – d12/d2 vs. 5 units in same area.
2. Load & unload – 0/d2. Unload up to two
Dragon troops per round, to ground level or castle wall level.
Speed (strategic): 12 (aerial) Special: A jungle strider can transport up to ten troops.
Health: 16 Wealth level: Only obtained through roleplay.
Spirit: As individual dragon’s Heart
Maneuvers: Manticore flight
1. Fire breath (ranged) – d20/d10 vs. Speed (strategic): 4 (aerial)
three units in same area. Cannot use on consecutive Health: 6
rounds. 2 Health. Spirit: 3
2. Rampage (melee) – d20/d12, four attacks, Maneuvers:
1 health + 1 spirit (each attack). 1. Tail spike volley (ranged) - d10/d8. 3 health.
3. Dragon flight – d10/d20. Move two areas. Can use three times per battle.
1 spirit to up to five units in area flown over; units 2. Dive, rend, and fly - d10/d4, two attacks.
defend with commanding organization’s Force score. 2 health. Move 1 area. Cannot use in consecutive
Formations: rounds.
1. Circle and wait – 0/d12. +2 fire damage Formations:
next round. 1. Dive and rend - d10/d4. 2 health.
2. Destruction – d12/d12, two attacks, 2 health 2. Aerial harassment - d6/d8. 1 health.
and 1 spirit. 3. Wing circle - 0/d10.
Wealth level: (obtained through roleplay) Wealth level: 12.

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 Speed (strategic): 2
Roc Health: 2
Speed (strategic): 4 (aerial) Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage)
Health: 7 Maneuvers:
Spirit: 4 1. Wedge – d6/d4. 1 health + 1 spirit.
Maneuvers: Formations:
1. Dive – d20/d6. 3 health, 2 spirit. Cannot use 1. Skirmish – d4/d4. 1 health + 1 spirit.
in consecutive rounds. 2. Defend 0/d6.
2. Screening flight - 0/d8 - one unit gains your Special: Skeletons are spellbound.
defense die as a bonus die against ranged physical at- Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay.
tacks.
3. Snatch - d6/d6. Grab a siege engine or Skeleton, children’s legion
officer-and-horse. Siege engine: when you drop it next Speed (strategic): 4
round, it is destroyed. Officer-and-horse: enemy loses Health: 4
1 command point for three rounds. Cannot snatch Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage)
more than one in three rounds. Maneuvers:
Formations: 1. Wail – d8/d6. 1 spirit; -1 attack and defense
1. Talon rake - d10/d4. 2 health. die size until a command point is spent to calm
2. Wing buffet - d6/d4, five attacks against the troop. Targeted unit defends with its commanding
separate targets (all must be in same area). 1 health. organization’s Force or Efficiency.
Wealth level: 14. 2. Gleeful swarm – d6/d6, three attacks on
same target, 1 health + 1 spirit each attack.
Ruby golem knot Formations:
Speed (strategic): 4 1. Brigade drill – d4/d6. 1 health + 1 spirit.
Health: 9 Special: The legion is spellbound.
Spirit: 4 Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay.
Maneuvers:
1. Smash the ranks – d8/d8. 2 health and disor- Undead Giant
ganized (cannot maneuver next round). Speed (strategic): 4
2. Knot heart - 0/d10. Remove magic effect Health: 10
from one unit or area if your d10 roll beats enemy Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage)
organization's Arcana roll. Maneuvers:
Formations: 1. Snatch and devour – d8/d6. 2 Health, 2 spirit
1. Smash - d8/d8. 2 health. and -1 attack die size until a command point is spent to
2. Tangle - d8/d8. If enemy moves this or next calm the troops. Also, the Giant gains 1 Health. Only
round, you gain a d12 attack that does 2 health and accessible from the Hunger formation (not repeatable
disorganizes the enemy (cannot maneuver next round). in consecutive rounds).
Special: Any brigade containing a quickruby golem 2. Slap – d12/d6. 2 health and 2 spirit.
knot gains a d8 bonus defense die against every magi- Formations:
cal attack. 1. Trample – d10/d4. 2 health and 1 spirit.
Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay. Nine ruby 2. Guard – 0/d8. d10 attack, 2 health, against
golems make one knot. up to five enemy units that enter your area this turn.
3. Hunger - 0/d4. Hunger for one designated
Skeleton legion unit. Move up to one area to stay adjacent to or within
the same area as that unit. Can move through other

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units. 1. Rend – d8/d4. 2 health + 1 spirit.
Special: The giant is spellbound. 2. Leap and gnaw – d12/d4. 2 health, 2 spirit,
Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay. and move 1 area including through an enemy's area.
Only from Stalk.
Zombie legion Formations:
Speed (strategic): 2 1. Skirmish – d6/d4. 1 health + 1 spirit.
Health: 3 2. Stalk - 0/d8.
Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage) Special: The zombies are spellbound.
Maneuvers: Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay or a dramba
1. Rend – d8/d2. 1 health + 1 spirit. coven.
2. Gnaw and infect – d4/d4. Only accessible
from the Feed formation. If the zombies gnaw upon
a troop that subsequently dies at any time before this Siege Weapons
battle concludes, that troop rises as a zombie legion
under the control of the zombies’ masters. Default damage (if nothing else is listed) for
Formations: siege weapons is 1 Quality to a building or siege
1. Feed – 0/d4. Feeding on corpses raises the weapon or 1 health to a troop.
zombie legion’s health by 1 to a maximum of 7.
2. Slam – d4/d4. 1 health + 1 spirit. Ballista
Special: The zombies are spellbound. Speed (strategic): 1 (or build on site)
Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay or a dramba Health: 2
coven. Spirit: 3 (shot team)
Maneuvers:
Zombie legion, twitcher 1. Aim. 0/d3; +2 attack die size next
Speed (strategic): 2 round.
Health: 2 2.Sky shot. d6/3 vs. aerial target
Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage) 3. Beast shot. d8/3 vs. war beast (dragon,
Maneuvers: jungle strider, undead giant, similar)
1. Exploding head – d12/-. 3 health + 3 spirit. Formations:
The zombie legion expires after their heads explode. 1. Load and shoot. d6/3.
Only accessible from Twitch stance. The attack targets Load and shoot requires two consecutive rounds to
up to three units in the area with gore, slime, and spiky load; shoots on the third round. The “aim” maneuver
bone fragments. can be used in between; that is, just after loading and
Formations: just before shooting.
1. Skirmish – d6/d6. 1 health. Wealth level: 4
2. Twitch – 0/d8.
Special: The zombies are spellbound. Heavy Cannon
Wealth level: Obtained through roleplay or a dramba Speed (strategic): 1
coven. Health: 3 (cannon); 2 (fire team)
Spirit: 0 (cannon); 5 (fire team)
Zombie legion, human-raptor cross-stitch Maneuvers:
Speed (strategic): 5 1. Aim. 0/2; +1 attack die size next round.
Health: 3 2. Fire with extra powder. d10/2; 2 damage. On
Spirit: Fearless (cannot soak health damage) a 1 or 2 the cannon cracks and takes 3 Health damage.
Maneuvers: Formations:

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 1. Load and fire. d10/2. Loads cannon in
the first two rounds and fires it in the last round. The Trebuchet
“aim” maneuver can be used in between: just after Speed (strategic): - (must be built on site)
loading and just before firing. Health: 3
Wealth level: 8 Spirit: 3 (launch team)
NB: Light cannon are the same as Heavy cannon, but Maneuvers:
they are wealth level 7, cannot fire with extra powder, 1. Aim. 0/d3; +2 attack die size next round.
and move at strategic speed 2. 2. Unorthodox launch. d4/3; enemy heads do
Special: When cannon are mounted, as on zeppelins or 1 spirit damage; infected animal carcasses do 1 spirit
in a mammoth howdah, they still require two rounds damage and cause struck troop to check vs. pox (roll
to load and one round to fire. Even when a zeppelin organization’s Force vs. virulence); firepot causes 1
maneuver says, for instance “Broadside… half cannon dmg/rd to wooden buildings until the enemy organiza-
fire,” it means that half the cannon fire only if they are tion uses a command point to put out the fire. Must
already loaded and ready to fire. spend prior two rounds loading.
Formations:
Onager (Bishop’s mule) 1. Load & Launch. d8/3; 1 quality vs. build-
Speed (strategic): 1 or built on site ings. Load and launch requires two consecutive rounds
Health: 2 to load; launches on the third round. The “aim” ma-
Spirit: 3 (launch team) neuver can be used in between; that is, just after load-
Maneuvers: ing and just before launching.
1. Aim. 0/d2; +1 attack die size next round. Wealth level: 4
2. Unorthodox launch. d2/2; see trebuchet for NB: An Akran trebuchet is a WL 6 trebuchet that ig-
damage. Must spend prior two rounds loading. nores range penalties for the first two areas, rather than
Formations: the first area. In other words, do not apply the one die
1. Launch and load. d6/2. 1 damage. Load and size penalty per area until the third area distant from
launch requires two consecutive rounds to load; shoots the Akran trebuchet.
on the third round. The “aim” maneuver can be used
in between; that is, just after loading and just before Turtle
launch. Speed (strategic): 1
Wealth level: 3 Health: 3
NB: An archbishop’s mule is to the onager as the Spirit: 3
Akran trebuchet is to the trebuchet. Formations:
1. Give cover. Add d8 bonus die to the defense
Siege Tower of a battering ram, combat engineer troop, or pump
Speed (strategic): - (must be built on site) and cistern fire team.
Health: 4 Wealth level: 4
Spirit: 3 (haul team) NB: A wealth level 7 turtle called a battleroof is avail-
Maneuvers: able that provides the same d8 bonus defense die to
1. Unload. 0/3; 1 troop moves out of the top of ballistae.
the siege tower
2. Load. 0/3; 1 troop moves into the bottom of
the siege tower.
Wealth level: 4
Special: A siege tower can hold up to three standard
sized troops. With a tower, troops can storm a building
before its defense value has been reduced to 0.

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 Chapter Thirteen:
GM's Toolbox:
Monsters, Tips, and Setting
This chapter aims to help the GM run his cam- ten to their reactions to different parts of the game. Do
paign. A setting is here, and monsters, but let's start they get excited when a chase scene starts? When it's
with a few tips for running the game and the system. a game break for pizza, which NPC's downfall are the
players plotting? What "war stories" get told the most?
Big Picture Tips Listen to everything your players say. That way you
can have the best shot at building a campaign enter-
The game is yours. This book presents guide- taining both for them and for you.
lines only. Please adopt and discard guidelines as best SK provides several tools to help you figure
suits your group! Remember the two cardinal rules of out what your players want. Look at their Inspirations.
house rules: 1) Be consistent. The rules need to work A player who writes for his rogue's inspiration, "Seeks
the same way, for every character, every time. 2) Be balance in his soul between two conflicting forces:
minimalist. Don't change things that aren't broken for greed (for gold and power) and honor (in the name of
your group, even if you see people on the interwebz his fallen father)" is probably looking for a different
claiming that a rule is the most broken rule since Pro- sort of gaming experience than the fellow who writes,
hibition. "Die trog!"
If you have a question, please ask on the fo- A character's Histories also tell you what kind
rums. If I seem to be caught up raising my daughter of character the player wants to build. Give him chal-
and teaching, by all means email me to get my atten- lenges and rewards along the path to building that
tion. character.
Finally, note the game's portability. It's easy to In scene order play, you can tell by the scene
port over much of this game to your second-favorite types what sort of game the players gravitate towards.
RPG. Mood and Inspirations are almost trivially easy Let none of these cues - scene choice, His-
to implement in another RPG (especially a "tradi- tories, Inspirations, or anything else - substitute for
tional" RPG without a similar pre-existing mechanic). direct, clear communication. Ask your PCs what kind
Mass combat, social combat, the improv social combat of a game they want and tell them what kind of a game
games, and the chase rules can all be exported, to- you want.
gether or separately, in whole or in part. And the idea Once you know what kind of game you all are
of scene order play is one hundred percent system- shooting for, use the SK tools to shape your world.
independent. So please, try SK mechanics with other Use culture lines to tweak a setting's ambience. Use
games. Hack. Bash kits. Have fun! organizations to make the background come alive. Are
you shooting for a high fantasy, Good Kingdom vs.
Bad Kingdom? Then write culture lines that raise the
Running the Campaign Heart of defenders of innocents, and in the Bad King-
Tips dom write culture lines that raise the Doom for any-
one offended by the nobles' nearly constant torture of
The single most important step in being an the serfs. (Most of the time, try to word culture lines
entertaining GM is to listen to your players. Listen to so that they affect the PCs.) If you really want high
what they say they want out of the game, but also lis- fantasy, take out the "magic hates magic" interference

175
rules and ignore the sociopolitical consequences of In- challenge more than one PC in a scene, then take the
spirations. Or do your players want a grimdark world opportunity and do it. It's almost always a good idea
with exquisite moral choices? Then make your most to directly challenge as many PCs as possible in a
powerful organizations Shadow and Martial, paint ev- scene. One way to do this is to encourage the PCs
ery powerful NPC as morally ambiguous at best, twist to have shared Inspirations. If all of the PCs have an
economies by increasing the Wealth Level of all non- Inspiration that reads, "Thwart the naga cult's plans to
martial items by 2, and boost grimdark Inspirations by enthrall the baron," then every PC is instantly hooked
1 through culture lines. Use the "lines" improv game when the party uncovers a clue pointing in this direc-
to reinforce the grimdark themes. SK has a lot of ways tion.
to flavor your campaign to taste! Arguably, this is suboptimal play on the PCs'
parts (they're putting all their gold in one loot sack,
Scene Play and Plot so to speak). Gamers tend to be strongly individualis-
tic, too, so PC Inspirations will not always be shared.
Tips When this happens, work to see if you can weave
disparate Inspirations together. For example, if one
If your group is using scene order play, then PC had the Inspiration, "Thwart the naga cult's plans
remember the scene list and other tips from page 13. to enthrall the baron," and another PC had the Inspi-
One idea that I didn't mention back on that ration, "Become the guildmaster of the Axe Bridge
page is to read your group. That is, when someone thieves guild," then you could tweak your world so
is suggesting a scene, watch the faces and the reac- that the Baron is positioned to help the PC thief reach
tions of the other players. If they are excited, make the his guildmastership. Then voila! the PCs both have an
scene a full one, with roleplay and action as appropri- interest in saving the baron.
ate. But if the other players are rolling their eyes, then There will always be some PCs who are more
shorten the scene. Resolve it by an opposed organi- in the spotlight than others in any given scene. Make
zation roll, or by the proposing player's PC rolling sure that an even mix of scenes occurs so that the spot-
against the Doom, or a similar single-roll mechanic. light is spread evenly over the campaign and over each
Rely on organizations often in scene play. An session.
obvious benefit is that because of the "zoomed out" Finally, consider the time scale of some abili-
level of abstraction, organization rolls can resolve a ties and effects when setting your scene length. Some
host of intricacies in a single die roll. But there are less abilities can only function once per scene. If you
obvious benefits too. One of the most important is the make your scenes long, PCs stand a greater chance of
fact that players love to tinker with their organizations running out of resources and becoming less effective.
during another player's scene. That is a generalization This can be a desired effect, but it can also sneak up
(every player is different), but it is worth investigating on you unaware if you do not consider the effect of
for your group. You may well have the sort of player scene length on character efficacy.
who, while his character is "off camera" for a scene,
loves detailing his organization. The organization
stunting rules are designed to support, encourage, and Combat, Social Combat, and
capitalize on this sort of tinkering. If it's going on in Chase Tips
your group, use it by devoting time to organizations -
as much time as the group enjoys. Combat sheets can clutter up the gaming table.
One more tip about scene play is that you don't To cut down on this clutter while still putting a lot
have to use all the scene types. If your group hates of monsters into play simultaneously, make sure that
mass combat, for example, then those scenes don't oc- many of the monsters fight in the same style. Then
cur in your campaign, as simple as that. use multiple counters on the same style sheet for these
If you can address more than one goal or monsters. You can easily have six to ten monsters

176
fighting this way on only one or two pieces of paper. relevant Reputation, and one relevant History. To wing
If you have more monsters than ten in a fight, consider a chase scene, assign to the NPC a Quickness score,
using the Mob combat style, at least until the Mob is 4 or 5 Body, and 1 or 2 Mood. If anyting else comes
cut below 10 Body or so. up - say, you roll a History for the NPC - write it down
Another way to reduce clutter is to shrink the as it happens so that you can note it later. Notes are a
combat sheets to half size before printing or copying sandbox GM's bestfriend!
them (I don't like this option, personally, but some do). Winging war scenes is a bit harder. Here's one
Remember that low level NPCs and monsters way. Count how many units are in the PCs' legion.
can present reasonable challenges for mid- to high- Give that same number of units to the other side, 1/3
level PCs. In social combat, a low-level NPC with one light infantry, 1/3 heavy infantry, 1/6 archers or mus-
or two high reputation scores can devastate a PC with keteers, and 1/6 cavalry. If the PCs' legion is small,
ten more levels. Use this to develop NPCs that are instead include equal numbers of light infantry and
despised by your players. Send a 1st-level officious archers or musketeers. This is just for winging it, of
bureaucrat who can't even lift a sword to dress down course. By far the better course, especially with a war
your 10th-level PCs - damaging their Mood, Reputa- scene, is to engage in plenty of individual-scale role-
tions, or even Inspirations - and you have built an play beforehand. Each combat or social encounter or
adversary that your players cannot wait to quash. How theft-and-chase will affect the big battle to come: what
about a 1st-level NPC rogue with 8 Charisma and a troops the enemy has available, what plans to allow
History as a successful lothario (8) sent to seduce a for ambushes the PCs have access to, which traitors
PC's wife, who happens to be his main Inspiration? reveal which secrets, and so on. This sort of roleplay
Combat encounters, too, can use low-level has a natural "build up to the climax" progression,
creatures to threaten high-level PCs. A group of 1st- with the battle scene being the climax. However, if
level warriors, half using Guardsman (or even Guard- you do need to wing it, the above guidelines are a
ian) and the other half using Great Weapon or Free good bet.
Sword, can pose a challenge for characters who are A final note on combat: be aware of the Cara-
signicantly higher level. pace, Guardian, and Guardsman styles' impact on
What's the advantage of using low-level play. Namely, they lengthen combats (because they're
creatures or NPCs? They're easier and faster to create, defensive). This can be just the ticket for groups who
allowing you more time to focus on other aspects of find Spellbound Kingdoms's blistering combat pace in
your campaign. Also, players get annoyed when they need of a relaxing, catch-your-breath deceleration now
reach 15th level only to find that the common city and then. But if you're trying to squeeze in a quick
watchmen are now 15th level also. A world where the combat scene before the ham pizza and nachos deliv-
NPCs don't magically scale with the PCs is a world ery arrives, enemies with Carapace style might not be
with a touch more verisimilitude. the best choice.
Along the same lines, please don't feel that you
need to protect low-level PCs from high-level NPCs. Creating your Own Combat
Low-level PCs equipped with Inspirations and Mood
can take on - or at least survive - encounters with high- and Magic Style Tips
level foes. If your PCs stumble into the Archduke's
secret lab or the dragon's lair at 1st level, have at it! Even moreso than the previous tip sections,
Any time, in fact, that the PCs stumble into an this section is far from exhaustive. Different groups
area you have not fully prepared, you'll need to wing have different play styles, and what might be a fantas-
it. One way to wing it in combat is to pick out a com- tic spell style in one group could be boring or broken
bat style for your impromptu NPC and assign him 5 in another. Not every combat style in this book was
Body and 2 Mood (add Inspirations if it's an important created according to these tips. Use your own judg-
NPC). In social combat, assign a Charisma score, one ment, as always.

177
 For combat styles, there are three different People who read your style for the first time should be
classifications that are useful. able to have fun trying to find which other styles are
First, does your style emphasize attack, de- the best counters for it. (And, by the same token, it can
fense, or an all-around approach? If it is an attacking be a lot of fun to search through existing styles to see
style, then its maneuvers (with perhaps one exception) which ones your new style will totally destroy).
should have an attack die greater than the defense die. Magic styles are even more dependent upon
Attacking styles might have a d6 attack for a rebal- theme than combat styles. Because of the freeform
ancing maneuver ranging up to a d12 for a mastery spell rules, you cannot provide a complete list of the
maneuver. Defensive styles should have most defense spells available in a style. Instead, provide a clear
dice greater than attack dice, with a d6 defense on a theme to the style, one that spurs creativity and does
rebalancing maneuver ranging up to a d12 for a mas- not overlap more than 50% or so with existing styles
tery maneuver. All-around maneuvers should have (the lower the overlap the better). History and tradition
lower defense dice than a defensive style and lower are two of the best tools to use when crafting a style
attack dice than an attacking style. that must spur creativity while remaining unambigu-
Second, classify your style according to the ous. Tap into myth, pop culture, other RPGs, or any
one special maneuver, or one type of special maneu- other source that your group knows.
ver, that the style's theme implies. A defensive style Consider carefully the spells or maneuvers
might emphasize tripping or bodyguarding; an attack- available in a spell's combat sheet. These spells are
ing style might emphasize characteristic damage or also available outside of combat as close spells. A
ranged damage. An all-around style might emphasize quick healing spell providing +1 Body during combat
attack and defense versatility at the cost of mobility. I might seem like an innocuous spell, but if there are no
recommend restricting your style to only a couple of other restrictions, then such a spell would wreak havoc
special maneuvers partly because of balance reasons with the campaign world when used at will outside of
and partly because your style needs a focus in order to combat (by "wreak havoc" I mean "change fundamen-
be evocative and inspiring. tally" the typical pseudo-Renaissance life that is the
Third and last, classify your style according to default supposition for background characters in SK as
timing. That is, does your style concentrate on set-up written).
maneuvers that do little damage but set you up for a
mortal strike in the fourth round? Or does your style
try to do as much damage as it can in the first and sec- Focus of Play Tips:
ond rounds, before a more cautious style has a chance What Do We Actually Do?
to take advantage of superior positioning, feinting,
footwork, and counterattacking? Here's where I try to help you and the game
In case it is not clear, one reason that you avoid the trap of "This is cool stuff, Inspirations are
should classify your styles this way is to make sure super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot, but now we're sitting
that your style has a counter-style. Designing an uber- at the table with these characters and... what do we
style is, in general, a poor choice because it sucks actually do?"
flavor from the game: soon everyone will be fighting I think SK is in a better position than, say,
in the uber-style and all others will go by the wayside. Changeling in this respect, but let's elucidate regard-
Instead, design your styles so that they have counters. less. Keep in mind that there are many ways to play
For example, styles that require a few rounds to set up SK, and as always, you should do what your group
big maneuvers are vulnerable to forced rebalancing. enjoys the most.
As another example, attack styles that rely upon mul- The Kingdoms are on the brink. One push in
tiple low-attack-dice attacks are vulnerable to defen- either direction can bring them to an age of Enlighten-
sive styles. Every style should should have a counter. ment or plunge them into a new era of darkness. That's

178
the "big idea" campaign in SK: will the
players bring the Kingdoms into Enlighten-
ment or push them back into darkness?
Of course that subsumes many other
questions. How do the PCs become powerful
enough to influence the fates of kingdoms
and civilization? Adventures! Adventures in
dungeons and savage forests and the courts
of the mighty, saving princesses and slaying
dragons, raiding a tomb for a Legion Be-
low, chasing a traitor through the capital's
streets, winning allies and defeating ene-
mies. As the characters become more power-
ful, they gain more leverage in world affairs.
Eventually, the players will have to decide
what to do with their own piece of the King-
doms: will they allow commoners to use
magic, despite the risk? Or will they defer to
the danger of uncontrolled magic and curtail
it accordingly? Will they crush Inspirations,
or allow Inspirations to grow freely? What is
right: to recognize freedom or to protect the
safety of others? Who should decide? What
price is too high? Is there any price that is
worth giving up love for?
You can also play SK without ever
considering the "big idea" campaign. Al-
most any type of traditional fantasy RPG
campaign is possible, from dungeon crawls
to fetch-the-macguffin-of-seven-parts to
Western-March-sandbox.
A third "what do we do now?"
answer is a hybrid of the "big idea" cam-
paign with a traditional adventure arc. In
this game, conduct a typical fantasy RPG,
but place emphasis on the roles of Love and
Fear. Relentlessly attacking a PCs' Inspira-
tions is a good way to do this. Traditional
campaigns are great, but they take on a new suppress them. Make your characters feel this sup-
dimension when the villain returns every pression as they go about their adventuring, and their
week and is intent on ruining everything victories will be all the sweeter.
that a PC loves. PCs with high Inspirations Remember the conflict inherent with magic,
should be regular targets of kingsmen. too. Will the PCs risk damaging innocents by casting
In Spellbound Kingdoms, love and a magic spell? Have they committed a morally wrong
fear are the most powerful forces in the act if they do? Engage the players on this topic early
world. As a result, the kings and the church and often to add depth to the campaign.

179
 Bestiary
Here is a table summarizing the monsters and facing a high-level party, while at the same time a low-
each one's challenge level. Remember, though, that level party of four has a chance to take down some of
low and high level, while different, are still capable the tougher creatures in the bestiary (dragons, likely,
of challenging each other in physical combat. You can are the exception).
pose a credible threat with a few low-level creatures

Creature Description Level

Basilisk Fearless, agressive great lizard with petrifying gaze. Low-Mid

Chimera Magical hybrid of two or more species. Low-Mid
Cockatrice Unintelligent fowl with petrifying feathers. Low
Descent cat Four breeds of large cat. Aggressive, cunning predators. High
Dragon Legendary aerial beast. High
Giant Plodding brutes. Mid
Golem Four varieties of living artifice. Low-Mid
Griffon Aerial flock hunter. Low
Jungle strider Docile. Tall as the jungle canopy; broad enough for a village on its back. Mid (deter)
Kraken Mainly aquatic, but cloud krakens are born in storms. High
Lich Powerful, spellbound, dispassionate undead. Mid-High
Living fire/earth/etc. Devastating animation of fire, earth, water, or air. Mid-High
Madfire burner Madmen consumed by wild magic. Mid
Manticore A chimera, man-bat-lion, aerial ranged attacker. Low
Naga Intelligent human-serpent chimera. Mid-High
Raptors and drakes Four terrestrial, large reptiles. Fast and often pack hunters. Low-Mid
Roc Enormous bird of prey. Hunts mammoths. High
Skeletons Three varieties of brittle, unintelligent undead. Low
Spellstalks Three varieties of infectious, intelligent tentacle masses. Mid
Swarm of vermin Rats, spiders, scarab beetles. Low-Mid
Troglodyte Degenerate descendants of the kingdoms' refugees. Low
Vampire Powerful, spellbound, passionate undead. Mid-High
Various animals Wolf, elk, gnarsk, Waylorn bear, python, mammoth; pets and guards. Low
War ape Trained simian guard and/or shock troop, usually with spiked gauntlets. Low-Mid
Were-beast Five varieties of half-man, half-beast. Mid
Zombies Walking dead with moderate cunning and immoderate hunger. Low-Mid

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 Perception: Beasts with animal Reason (d2)
use a d6 for perception checks unless otherwise noted.

Basilisk (king lizard)

Level 5
Str 6, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 9, Hrt 5
Body 3, Mood 0
Armor Quality 6, Claw Quality 5
Fighting Style: Claw/Claw/Bite (master)
Variation: King Lizard. 1) Replace "Bounding Sprint"
with "Burning Eyes," 0/d6, effect: Add d8 magic at-
tack to next round's attack. If the attack hits, the target
loses 2 Quickness, and the attack automatically recurs
each round until the attack misses or until the target is
turned to stone at 0 Quickness.
2) Add a petrifying attack as a fourth attack, at
d6 magic/d4 defense, to the Claw/Claw/Bite maneu-
ver. The attack has the same effect as above.
In the Kingdoms: Kings raise these lizards to create
statue gardens for princes and princesses to play in,
and those of royal blood are immune to the lizards'
petrifying gaze. At least, that is what the legends say. Chimera
A basilisk is a four- to six-foot long lizard,
covered with dry black and green scales, and standing Chimeras are freaks, misbegotten of crisis surges.
three or four feet high at the shoulder. There are both Magic fuses sundry creatures into one, shattering their
four- and six-legged varieties, the six-legged one be- minds and bodies, then sweeping up and fixing the
ing more common in the Old Claw. Its eyes are filmy parts together in the shape of a mad beast. Chimeras
and ecru. are sterile, but certain forms are commonly enough
In the wild, the basilisk is an aggressive preda- created by magic that they have their own societies.
tor. It is assumed by most that the basilisk uses its gaze The two most common hybrids are the manticores and
attack defensively when faced by superior opposition the nagas, each of which merits a separate entry below
as it cannot digest stone. There are sages, however, (pp. 189-190).
who believe that the king lizard uses statues as incu- There are several known types of base chime-
bators for its eggs. Some kings do keep basilisks, but ra.
they are not fully domesticable and can turn at any
moment on even the most skilled handler. Chimera, island (lion-goat-serpent)
A fixer's ability is potent against basilisk Level 3
petrification. Statues older than 1 week per fixer level Str 8, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 3, Mgc 5, Hrt 5
require special ingredients to revive, including the Body 4, Mood 0
bones of the basilisk who turned the statue. Armor Quality 2, Claw Quality 3
Fighting Style: Claw/Claw/Bite (master)
Variation: Island Chimera. 1) Poison: Whenever the
bite attack of a claw/claw/bite attack hits, the target is
poisoned with asp venom (p. 146).
2) Replace "Foreclaw Rush (r)" with "Butt (r),"

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d4/d4, no damage, move target one area. Body 14, Mood 0
The island chimera has three heads: a lion, a Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 4 (tusk, hoof)
serpent, and a goat. The lion head's roar carries for Fighting Styles: Behemoth (master)
miles over the oceans and beaches of the East, the ser- The most recent recorded winged mammoth
pent's head drips asp venom, and the goat head is used was spotted over the Windhover Valley by a natural-
to butt creatures off the island bluffs the chimera calls ist accompanying Inverness Dugray's expedition to
home. the Descent. In the Age of Cartonnage, a flight of the
The chimera's body is that of a lion, and it has beasts was used as aerial cavalry to assault Thyre from
wings that resemble a large bat's. Four feet tall at the over the Waylorn Mountains, but such a large group-
shoulder and not particularly dense, the chimera can ing is unheard of in the modern age (such a group is
fly for short bursts of two to five seconds at a time. It also, presumably, made obsolete by the advent of zep-
is fond of cliff-hopping for prey and diving down upon pelins).
incautious islanders beaching outriggers on the coast
below. Chimera, mini-head swarm (human-milli-
pede-earwig)
Chimera, sheencayese (man-scorpion) Level 7
Level 5 Str 2, Qck 9, Rsn 1, Cha 2, Mgc 7, Hrt 2
Str 10, Qck 7, Rsn 3, Cha 5, Mgc 4, Hrt 6 Body 4, Mood 0
Body 5, Mood 1 Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 3
Armor Quality 2, Weapon Quality 2 (varies) Fighting Styles: Swarm (master; add 1 Reason damage
Fighting Styles: Poison Sting (master; increase Whip- to both Invade Orifice and Emerge from Orifice (r))
lash to d8/d6 attack and d6 defense), Carapace (ap- Each of this swarm's tiny creatures is a mil-
prentice) lipede or earwig with a human head. Each head is an
Wind tambourines, staked skulls, and pungent individual, with its own features, hairstyle, earrings,
bags soaked in sudor mark the perimeter of sheen- black eye, gold tooth or the like. A cacophony of high-
cayese territory. Sheencayese are intelligent (barely) pitched screams rises from the swarm. Half of the
and angry (very) at the world for the damage that screams are "Help me!" and half are "Die! Die!"
magic has done to them. They are sterile half-men, The swarm is voracious and attacks every last
half-scorpions, with the head, torso, arms, and hands living thing. A given individual mini-head may or may
of a human or troll man or woman and the body of a not be as mindless or insane as the swarm, but separat-
giant scorpion. Though they have no special protection ing the right individual from the swarm is a task for a
against magic, they have nothing special to live for, Cardinal or a King, at the least.
either, and thus their anger leads them to preferentially
target the spellbound in combat. Cockatrice
In their desert camps, the sheencayese main- Level 2
tain a shambles of their former society (often an entire Str 3, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 3, Mgc 4, Hrt 4
village is turned by a crisis surge into sheencayese). Body 2, Mood 0
One of the highlights of the year in a sheencayese en- Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 2
campment is the Fifth Season, when all the spellbound Fighting Style: Slasher (apprentice; replace Double
captives are sacrificed, dipped one appendage per day Jab with Feather Storm (r), d6/d6 attack d6 defense, 1
into a pit of desert leeches. + 1 Qck damage. If the Feather Storm hits, the target
loses 1 Quickness, and the attack automatically recurs
Chimera, winged mammoth (roc-mam- each round until the attack misses or until the target is
moth) turned to stone at 0 Quickness.
Level 7 Cockatrices are gangly fowl whose feathers
Str 13, Qck 5, Rsn 2, Cha 3, Mgc 6, Hrt 5 petrify flesh. They are the size of a chicken, and their

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elongated body is squamous posterior to the wings. direct charge and all-out assault. Its hunts men more
They are farmed by some for their feathers, which patiently. After tracking down a party of mountain
have wide applications in alchemy and engineering. travelers or a zeppelin crew grounding its ship for
repairs after a mountain storm, the cat stalks the edges
Descent Cat of the camp until a single person separates himself.
The cat then pounces and attempts to kill and carry off
A descent cat is to a tiger what a tiger is to a house its prey as quickly as possible. It expends all Mood
cat. They are massive, compact cats, with the largest possible on the first blows of this attack, and it bounds
massing over 1000 lbs and standing five feet high at and climbs away if the alarm is raised.
the shoulder. The shadowcat's fur is void black. Its eyes are
Descent cats have keen senses and roll a d8 equally black with zero albedo, even in direct light.
Perception die unless otherwise stated.
That descent cats hail from the near-mythical Descent cat, jump cat
Descent is a well-supported conjecture, but still a Level 13
conjecture. Their numbers are greatest in the north- Str 10, Qck 13, Rsn 2, Cha 7, Mgc 5, Hrt 8
ern lands and only climb as one climbs the Waylorns. Body 10, Mood 4
Short of an expedition returning more volubly than Armor Quality 8 (hide), Weapon Quality 8 (claw,
Inverness DuGray's, however, there is no proof that tooth)
descent cats are not indigenous to the Waylorns. Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master).
Variation: Jump cat. 1) A jump cat using Bounding
Descent cat, shadow prince Sprint can climb two areas instead of just one.
Level 13 2) Three times per scene, a jump cat can add a
Str 10, Qck 13, Rsn 2, Cha 7, Mgc 8, Hrt 9 move or a climb to any other maneuver.
Body 7, Mood 4 3) Increase all claw attacks to d8 and all bite
Armor Quality 6 (hide), Weapon Quality 8 (claw, attacks to d12.
tooth) 4) Increase claw and bite damage by 1 each.
Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master). 5) Pounce is +2 damage next round.
Variation: Shadow Prince. 1) Increase all claw attacks Jump cats are diurnal. They prefer the dense
to d8 and all bite attacks to d12. boreal woods of the Waylorns, where the evergreen
2) Increase claw and bite damage by 1 each. canopy rarely drops below 100 feet, and where they
3) At night or in shadow, the shadow cat adds a can spend weeks without touching soil, bounding from
dQck defense die to every maneuver. treetop to treetop. Their striped coat is tan and taupe
4) During the hours from sunset to sunrise, the and much longer than that of any other descent cat.
shadowcat emanates darkness. He rolls his Magic die
against any artificial lighting attempt (use the Qual- Descent cat, snow cat
ity of a mundane light source (1 for a lantern) and the Level 13
caster's Magic roll for a magical light source). If the Str 10, Qck 11, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 9, Hrt 6
shadowcat succeeds, the light is extinguished and deep Body 9, Mood 4
shadow (p. 29) engulfs the area. The shadowcat gains Armor Quality 10 (hide)
a new roll each round against all light sources in the Weapon Quality 10 (searing claws)
area. Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master)
The shadowcat is a cunning nocturnal predator. Variation: Snow cat. 1) Increase all claw attacks to d8
It stalks prey by scent, heat, sound, and sight, using and all bite attacks to d12.
a d12 die on all perception checks. It hunts animals 2) Increase claw and bite damage by 1 each.
directly, rarely bothering with anything other than a 3) Snow cats steal heat. Everyone in the same

183
area as a snow cat is targeted by a d6 magic attack Dragon
that does 1 point of damage by sucking heat. The heat Level 18
repairs the snow cat's Mood on a point-for-point basis. Str 22, Qck 15, Rsn 2, Cha 13, Mgc 10, Hrt 9
4) Increase claw and bite maneuver defense Body 40, Mood 9
dice to d8. Armor Quality 16 (scales)
Snow cats are dense predators, densely furred Weapon Quality 16 (claws and jaws)
with pure white pelts, the best specimens of which are Fighting styles: Dragon (master), behemoth (master),
valued at WL 7. They hunt over wide areas and blend aerial (master).
well with the snow and ice terrain even while on the Dragons are legends. Each one takes wing with
move. The snow cat's signature trait is its aggressive a hundred stories weighing it down. They are among
theft of the body heat from other fauna. When hunt- the most puissant creatures in the known world, and
ing humans or trolls, the cat often steals up outside a even in this age empowered to pierce the clouds with
tent, steals heat through the tent walls, and kills a man a zeppelin's bowsprit there is no marvel to surpass a
while he sleeps. Then the cat slinks inside the tent to dragon in flight.
snatch up and abscond with the frozen body, stopping Despite their grandeur, most dragons are no
to eat it in a location at least two miles distant. more intelligent than an average beast. They do have
uncanny senses, however, and roll a d12 for perception
Descent cat, lord checks.
Level 16 Instead of intelligence, dragons rely on their
Str 13, Qck 20, Rsn 2, Cha 9, Mgc 8, Hrt 8 breathtakingly powerful natural gifts. Their scales are
Body 11, Mood 6 proof against minor cuts: dragons ignore 1 point of
Armor Quality 10 (hide) damage per hit from weapons of Quality 14 or less.
Weapon Quality 10 (claws) Dragons also exploit their scales to the fullest: their
Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master) armor soaks damage on a 1:1 basis, rather than the
Variation: Descent cat lord. 1) Increase all claw at- normal 1:2. And even unintelligent dragons are canny
tacks to d12, all bite attacks to dQck, and all claw or enough to increase their armor's effectiveness by using
bite defenses to d8. the Melt breath weapon attack against foes with high
2) Increase claw damage by 1 and bite damage Quality weapons.
by 2. Occasionally, the vicissitudes of magic gener-
3) Pounce does +3 damage next round. ate intelligence in a dragon. One might conclude that
4) Increase Swipe and Foreclaw Rush to d10/ the legends of these creatures outshine by far those of
d8. their beastly kin, but such is not the case. With intelli-
The Descent cat lord's gracefulness belies its gence comes caution. Most intelligent dragons become
size. With red stripes on sable fur, the cat lord's first spellbound, often learning a form of weremagic that
appearance is often when he divides the branches at allows them to pass for a man, be it human or troll.
the edge of a camp and stares into the fire circle. After Intelligent dragons find life much less dangerous in
the campers have scattered, he leisurely takes his fill such a guise. There are constant rumors that a were-
of supplies and stragglers. dragon (an awkward but common usage) sits on this
The cat lord has no shadow ability, no heat- throne or that throne. Ehansk and Avedine are often
draining aura, and no special jumping ability. But it thrown under suspicion in this manner. In the far east,
holds its title as the most devastating Descent cat, not the Dragon Isles have earned their name because of
because of minor magic but because of devastating the several dragons that eschew dissembling and reign
power and speed. openly as kings.

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Giant
Level 8-10
Str 14, Qck 5, Rsn 5, Cha 4, Mgc 6, Hrt 5
Body 9, Mood 2
Armor Quality 3 (varies), Weapon Quality 4 (varies)
Fighting styles: Giant (usually master).
Unlike dragons and descent cats, giants are not
a true species or race. Rather they are a collection of
freaks spawned from magic, alchemy, and, to hear the
kings' sages tell it, overweening ambition.
Most giants are solitary and lonely, and al-
though the latter condition prompts attempts at ame-
liorating the former, the attempts are rarely successful.
Giants are awkward and angry. They are susceptible to
bluffs and charms, but even when befriended, a giant
is unstable. His temper, magically shortened as his
body was lengthened, brings early doom to peaceful
relationships.
Giants vary in appearance. Pied skin, horns,
elliptical eyes, dragging knuckles - there are as many
variations as there are giants. Most are between ten
and twelve feet tall but can range higher. In combat,
giants are clever enough to use terrain, Block the Way,
and their reach maneuvers to crush opposition effi-
ciently. Many will also sacrifice the low defense of a
Wind Up - possibly offsetting damage with Mood - in
order to execute a Two-Handed Overhand Smash.

Golem

Golems are artificial. This makes them spiritual

kindred of a sort with wights, although golems are
not sentient. Wights feel this affinity and create more
golems than any other race. Weapon Quality 6 (morning star)
There are two types of golems to create: Wealth Level 12
crafted and transmuted. Battlecrafters fashion the Fighting Styles: Guardian (master), Giant.
crafted golems from lifeless materials: brass, Brass golems are 10' tall bodyguards. They
clay, and orichalcum are the most common. appear as ornate sculptures of wariors, brass figures
Fixers create the trasmuted golems via of heroes from the Age of Cartonnage. To be guarded
injections into a living human or troll. by one is to announce your importance to the king, for
they are walking, obvious, trapped high spells. Noth-
Brass Golem (crafted) ing like it could be suffered without the king's express
Level 6 permission. Each point of a brass golem's armor soaks
Str 10, Qck 4, Rsn 2, Cha 2, Mgc 8, Hrt 5 one point of damage.
Body 8 (or Battlecrafter level), Mood 0
Armor Quality 8 (brass plates)

185
Clay Golem (crafted) Fighting styles: Berserker (master)
Level 6 Variation: Quicksludge Tar Needle. 1. Replace "Trip"
Str 9, Qck 4, Rsn 2, Cha 2, Mgc 9, Hrt 5 with "Flick Tar Needle," d8/d2 ranged 1 + tarred.
Body 7 (or Battlecrafter level), Mood 0 2. Replace "Bite Face Off" with "Slag Needle
Armor Quality 7 (skin), Weapon Quality 5 (fists) Storm (r)" mastery maneuver, d8/d4, ranged, 5 targets,
Wealth Level 12 1 damage + tarred.
Fighting Styles: Brute, Carapace. 3. The damage of "Reckless Thrust (r)" is 2 +
Clay golems are especially resistant to fire tarred.
damage; they ignore 2 points of fire damage per hit. 4. Tarred opponents are attacked by the golem's
They also resist elemental and magic damage, ignor- Magic score each round until a Trick is used to remove
ing 1 point per hit. As such they are often used by their the tar. The tar sticks and hampers movement. A tarred
wizard creators as forge runners and lab servants, able creature takes a Strength penalty die on every physical
to walk straight into a smith's open hearth and survive. roll (attack, defense, climb, etc.). Tar globs stack, so
Clay golems are 7' tall and have a sheen over their that a character slimed by three tar globs takes three
hardened clay skin. Their features are rounded and an- Strength penalty dice each round. One Trick removes
thropic, although some wizards paint outlandish colors all tar globs, no matter how many there are.
and sigils on the clay. The Language of Stars' magic Quicksludge golems are slender and 7' tall.
mouth is a common spell placed on a clay golem. They resemble an emaciated, rack-stretched human
Like brass golems, a clay golem counts as the whose flesh has been transmuted into tar. And that is
caster's bound high spell. for good reason, to wit, that is exactly what they are.
A fixer's injection changes a human or troll
Quickruby golem (transmuted) into a quicksludge golem. The golem has little mind,
Level 9 but can obey simple commands. It enters a peculiar
Str 13, Qck 7, Rsn 2, Cha 2, Mgc 8, Hrt 5 frenzy in combat and can gain and use Mood, but this
Body 8 (or Fixer level), Mood 0 frenzied Mood re-sets to 0 as soon as the quicksludge
Armor Quality 8 (corundum skin) golem calms.
Weapon Quality 8 (fists)
Fighting Styles: Brute (master), Carapace (master) Griffon
Quickruby golems are the product of a fixer's Level 4
transfusion and a living human or troll. They are two Str 8, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 5, Hrt 6
to four feet taller than the original creature, with skin Body 8, Mood 0
of incarnadine corundum, lustrous and cool to the Armor Quality 4 (hide)
touch. The skin absorbs damage on a 1:1 basis. Weapon Quality 6 (talons and beak)
A quickruby golem rolls its Magic die as a bo- Fighting styles: Aerial, Claw/Claw/Bite.
nus die with any mastery attack. If the Magic die rolls Griffons magnificent winged beasts. They
higher than the target's defense die, then one randomly resemble an eagle crossed with a lion, but are a true
determined, ongoing spell effect on the target (if any) race, not a chimeric one.
is extinguished. Griffons adore horseflesh and will sometimes
attack caravans for the horses. This is a particular
Quicksludge golem (transmuted) problem in the Windhover Valley region of the Free
Level 9 Road, where flocks of griffons darken the skies and
Str 10, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 2, Mgc 10, Hrt 5 drown out the thunder with the flaps of their wings.
Body 9 (or Fixer level), Mood 0 Sages in Chert are convinced that there is an intel-
Armor Quality 6 (sludge skin) ligent griffon behind this behavior, but no matter the
Weapon Quality 6 (fists) truth, the traders on the Free Road carry on. They

186
sometimes bring spare horses to leave behind in an at- ies, scaled and more massive than any galleon. Double
tempt to appease the griffon flocks. tentacles flail at either side of the monster, and its
body terminates in a flipper said to be massive enough
Jungle Strider to cause a wave to bring down a city.
Level 10 (deter) Krakens are beastly in disposition and, in
Str 8, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 5, Hrt 6 sages' recorded history, gain intelligence much less
Body 20 (deter), Mood 0 frequently than dragons do (and it is rare in dragons).
Armor Quality 8, Weapon Quality 6 Krakens are thankfully uncommon, and although spec-
Fighting styles: Behemoth (master). tacular, a kraken attack on a ship or a coastal town is
Jungle striders are scenery. They are broad almost (but not quite) unheard of.
enough that entire towns grow up upon their backs. In mass combat, a kraken uses a dragon's
Indeed, in Jakatta, only the three favored cities of statistics, but does not gain any of the fire attacks. A
the Sun Goddess are allowed to exist upon Her holy critical hit on a water-going boat capsizes it.
jungle floor. All other settlements are located in trees
or on the backs of jungle striders. Lich
The combat characteristics listed here represent
what it takes to deter or drive off a jungle strider. The Liches are created when powerful wizards embrace
entire jungle strider is taller than the emergent layer of death. There is power in death, and by giving the Lord
the jungle canopy, that is, over two hundred feet tall. Archer dominion over his body, a wizard seizes some
Bringing him down, dead, is more a matter of civil of death's power for his own. Liches can also be cre-
engineering than combat. ated from whole cloth by natural magic.
When attacked, jungle striders respond lethar- Liches have the characteristic odor of mildew,
gically. They flick at the minor annoyances; this is body, and rot. They are gaunt, with brittle hair and
represented by their mastery of the Behemoth style skin that appears bruised and shadowed, but they re-
above. Beyond that, if the jungle strider is assaulted by tain their flesh. As they age, trauma can expose bone,
a troop-level force, use the warfare rules (p. 47), while for a lich's flesh does not heal well (sometimes not at
if the jungle strider is assaulted by an individual force, all) when abraded or lacerated.
resolve the combat using the Behemoth style. Note Statistics for liches are varied. For the more
that if the jungle strider is brought to zero deterrance common type - a human or troll wizard who becomes
health, it will leave the region for at least a day. a lich - use the template below. For the spontaneous
lich, you may use the characteristics presented here,
Kraken which are typical for a powerful lich. You are also
Level 15 encouraged to make your own, as well - this is your
Str 20, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 7, Mgc 5, Hrt 5 game, and these are only guidelines.
Body 40, Mood 0
Armor Quality 11, Weapon Quality 12 Lich Template
Fighting styles: Behemoth (master), Slasher (master). Level As character
Variation (Slasher): Kraken. 1. All d8 attacks become Str 7, Qck 6, Rsn/Cha/Mgc As character, Hrt 4
d12s. Body As character, Mood (varies, maximum 4)
2. The kraken executes 4 maneuvers each Inspirations As character
round, one for each spiked arm-tentacle. Track these Armor Quality/Weapon Quality As character (varies)
as separate creatures. Fighting styles: As character
3. Increase all damage by 2. Magic styles: Death Lore (master); others as character.
Krakens are aquatic beasts. They have serpen- Changes:
tine heads wider than a castle gate and leviathan bod- Cold resistance. Liches take 1 less point of

187
damage per strike from any source of cold damage, the love must be vile; if he dreams, his dreams must
including environmental cold damage. fester. He cannot know True Love, although, tragi-
Poison and disease resistance. A lich rolls his cally, someone may have True Love for him.
Magic die as a bonus die when resisting poisons and Racial loss. A lich loses the racial abilities it
disease. had in life.
Age. A lich ages only 1 year for every 5 years
that pass. Sample Lich
Chilling spells. All lich mastery spells that deal Luis Castro, Don Ferrante, lich, Castellan of Torre
damage deal one extra point of cold damage. Cabra, spiteful father
Soul rip. A lich can rip a piece of your soul out Level 15: Wizard 10/Warrior 5
of your body. On a successful critical melee hit or any Str 7, Qck 6, Rsn 7, Cha 6, Mgc 10, Hrt 4
melee hit with a mastery attack, armed or unarmed, a Body 6, Mood 4
lich rips one of your Inspirations from your body. The Inspirations: Jealously protects his titles and positions
ripped-out piece of your soul resembles a ghostly light (2); Seeks vengeance on his daughter and wants to
throbbing and whimpering in the lich's grasp. If the humiliate her for turning to the Free Road and trading
lich lets go, the piece bobs in the air at head height. (2).
The piece rolls a d4 defense die and has 2 body points. Armor Quality 8, Weapon Quality 6
If the piece is an Inspiration and is destroyed, then you Fighting styles: Court Sword (master), Free Sword
lose that Inspiration and all Mood. Both can be re- (apprentice), Guardsman (neophyte; Shield Tactics
gained subsequently, albeit with work (pp. 8 and 9). A and Escort).
lich cannot rip away True Love (p. 13). The soul piece Magic styles: Death Lore (master); Battlecraft (mas-
can survive in the lich's possession indefinitely. Liches ter); Language of Stars (apprentice).
revel in torturing victims, threatening to destroy the Gear: silkmetal hauberk, zeppelin flight officer's cut-
pieces of a victim's soul or threatening to throw the lass, toad familiar named Goncalvo, wand of northern
pieces into a spellstalk colony. cork and maple (wizard's implement), twenty-two gold
If you regain control of the piece before the Riel coins, miniature Nail book, relic chamber hold-
lich destroys it, you can reunite with it at a touch. In ing hairs from Saint Therese of the Scales; makeup
combat, this reunion requires a trick. and eleven thumb-boxes of kohl; notes on disguising a
Crux/phylactery. A lich has torn his own soul lich's skin and shadowed features.
into pieces - one piece for every six character levels, Special: Don Ferrante has all the abilities and
to be precise. He stores the pieces of his own soul in vulnerabilities of a lich, listed above. His phylacteries
cruxes or phylacteries, which can be any object and are a bottle of wine stored in the Cardinal's cellar and
can even be a living creature. If the lich's body and his daughter's eyes, which enchanted him as she grew
Inspirations are destroyed, as long as even one phylac- up, but which he now loathes and covets.
tery survives, the lich's body will regenerate, and he Class abilities: Arcane defense, implement,
will return after a number of seasons equal to his level. detect spellbound, armor, combat mastery.
Corrupted Heart. A lich's Heart score is re- Talents: Wand (grand), vampiric implement
duced to 4, or stays at its previous value, if the lich is (grand), rush (major), magical beast lord (major).
a turned human or troll with a former Heart score less Histories: Maintains the castle Torre Cabra
than 4. (12); has studied the historical masters of Court
Corrupted Inspirations. A lich can only have
unwholesome Inspirations. If he loves, the object of

188
Sword style (6); has held onto his position as Cas- mad to remember to feed themselves. A few are savvy
tellan for over three decades through intimidation enough to do so and last longer, but in both cases, the
of rivals and melodramatic public displays of faith dangers to the rational world are grave.
(8). Whenever a spell is cast in the presence of a
Reputations: Held in the esteem of the bishops madfire burner, the burner blasts madfire. The blast at-
of Valte Riel (8); feared throughout Torre Cabra and tacks all creatures in the area with a d6 physical burst
its village (10); known to the nobles of Valte Riel (4). of fire. The damage is 1 point of Body and 1 point of
Reason. Those hit are exposed to madfire (Srength vs.
the virulence, 4, to resist).
Living Fire, Living Earth, Living Water,
Madfire burners are capable of goals and cun-
Living Air ning. They are willing to do anything to accomplish
Level 10 their goals, and it is this recklessness that causes them
Str 14, Qck 11, Rsn 3, Cha 8, Mgc 8, Hrt 3 to be such a danger to themselves and others.
Body 14, Mood 0
Armor Quality 2, Weapon Quality 9
Fighting styles: Aerial (air only; master); Giant (mas-
Manticore
Level 4
ter); Gore and Trample (master).
Str 12, Qck 7, Rsn 4, Cha 4, Mgc 5, Hrt 4
Variations: Gore and Trample. Improve Impale to d10/
Body 5, Mood 2
d4, 2 + grabbed. Improve Trample (r) to d10/d6, 2 +
Armor Quality 3 (hide), Weapon Quality 5 (varies)
rebalance, 3 targets.
Fighting styles: Aerial, Claw/Claw/Bite.
Giant. Hurl Boulder is Hurl Element.
Variation: Aerial. Replace Talon Rake with Tail Spike
Living elements are massive creatures that
Launch, d6/d6, 1 (ranged) + fly.
generally manifest as humanoids 10' or more tall, or
Variation: Claw/Claw/Bite. Replace Foreclaw Rush (r)
as bulls or stags racing across the sky or open fields.
(mastery) with Tail Spike Launch (non mastery), d6/
Their elemental bodies are almost completely mal-
d6, 1 (ranged) + fly.
leable, so more forms are possible if not common.
Manticores are human- or troll-headed, bat-
A living element can cause a disaster of the
winged lions with spiked tails. They can fling these
appropriate type: fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane (p.
spikes over great distances, and a preferred combat
58). Doing so causes the elemental to discorporate for
tactic is to fly overhead and throw down deadly spikes
up to a year. Understandably, living elementals are
on landbound targets.
loathe to use this ability. Nonetheless, they can occa-
Manticore society is shamanistic. There are
sionally be forced or cajoled into using it.
druidic and dramba witches - magic is almost exclu-
sively practiced by females - and there are individuals
Madfire Burner who have mastered Claw/Claw/Bite or Aerial style.
Level 8 The above characteristics, however, represent a typi-
Str 5, Qck 8, Rsn 4, Cha 5, Mgc 6, Hrt 4 cal manticore. Chiefs and warriors gain Mood from
Body 5, Mood 0 elaborate chanting, flight rituals, and facial scarring.
Armor Quality 2 (leather shirt)
Weapon Quality 3 (varies)
Fighting styles: Skulker, Elemental Maelstrom (fire
Naga
Level 10
spells only).
Str 5, Qck 7, Rsn 10, Cha 8, Mgc 10, Hrt 6
These insane individuals are always wreathed
Body 5, Mood 6
by faint flames just visible against the background.
Armor Quality 4 (scales)
When a person finally goes completely mad from
Weapon Qualtity 4 (constricting tail)
madfire (p. 57), she becomes a madfire burner. Most
Fighting Styles: Tentacles and Spellstalks.
burners die within several weeks because they are too

189
Magic Styles: Two masteries; varies. Typical choices 2. Change Throw (mastery) to Shred (mastery),
are Elemental Maelstrom, Hearts, and Weremagic. d10/d4, 2 + 3 Quality to armor.
Variations: Tentacles and Spellstalks. 1) Remove 3. Change Lunatic Pursuit (r) to Lunatic Pur-
"Align with Mouth" and all subsequent maneuvers. suit (r), 5 damage + move.
2) Replace Align with Ear with Coil 0/d6; The lace raptor has patterns on its scales that
replace Drill the Ear with Loop and Coil d6/d4 1 + resemble lace. There is nothing soft about its small,
grabbed; replace Suck Tissue (r) with Constrict, d10/ pebble-hard scales, however, except this appearance
d6, 2 + grabbed. from a distance. The raptor stands about 4 feet high,
Naga are intelligent, and therefore can have with powerful hindlegs, stunted forelimbs, an over-
Inspirations and Histories suitable to the individual. sized skull, and wide jaws bristling with incisors.
In almost all cases, however, naga are vain, covetous, Lace raptors travel and hunt in packs whenever
and contemptuous of men, trolls, and other naga. Their possible. A typical pack consists of seven individuals
Inspirations tend toward the hateful and the degrading, and has 21 Body.
their Histories tend toward the bloody and the amoral.
Naga have troll or human heads atop a ser- Plated drake (ankhyscera drake, okitairu)
pent's body. Lengths of 20 or more feet are possible. Level 5
They have forked tongues, and their speech is a hiss- Str 11, Qck 4, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 3, Hrt 6
ing tempest of dissonant sibilance. The uninitiated Body 7, Mood 0
would surmise that a naga, hating life, leads a solitary Armor Quality 8 (scales)
existence. This is not true. Nagas hate life, but that Weapon Qualtity 3 (horns, hooves, and tail)
drives them toward it, not away. Nagas gather cults to Fighting Styles: Carapace, Trample and Gore.
worship the serpents as Low Gods; nagas form secret Special: Armor. The plated drake can use its Armor
socieities bent on the destruction of the most noble Quality 8 to soak Body damage on a 1-for-1 basis.
families; nagas corrupt the best and the brightest in the The plated drake is a ponderous, quadrupedal
kings's schools. It is, in fact, a very rare naga who does reptile with a massive head plate projecting a single
not insinuate herself into the fabric of society, only to horn. The horn is 4' or more long, almost half again as
unravel it from within. long as the 10' long drake. The plated drake's head-
plate and skin are smooth, dull green, and cool to the
Raptors and Drakes touch while the horn is rough, opalescent, and warm.
Plated drakes are omnivores with a preference
These reptiles are common throughout the Claw. for vegetables, but they will take meat when it pres-
Many savage tribes take a raptor or a drake as a totem; ents itself.
many Masters of the Hunt keep raptors or drakes for
their lords's sport. War raptors find exotic use on the Flesh-Eater raptor (voras raptor, tabe-
field of battle. mono)
Level 3
Lace raptor (ardax raptor, kawairiza) Str 5, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 3, Hrt 5
Level 2 (individual) 7 (pack) Body 2, Mood 0
Str 6, Qck 10, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 3, Hrt 3 Armor Quality 1 (scales)
Body 3, Mood 0 Weapon Qualtity 3 (talons, poison)
Armor Quality 3 (scales) Fighting Styles: Poison Sting
Weapon Qualtity 6 (claws and jaws) Variation: Reduce Grab and Pierce damage to 1 +
Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite. In sufficient num- poison.
bers, Mob (master). Poison: Raptor poison. Quality 3. A character wound-
Variation: Mob. 1. Remove Stone and Detritus Bar- ed with this venom loses 1 Body per round until dead.
rage. Each round, the character may make a Strength check

190
(at his maximum, not current, Strength) against the Str 20, Qck 8, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 8, Hrt 6
quality of the poison to stop the progression. In any Body 25, Mood 0
case, the Raptor venom cannot cause a person more Armor Quality 6, Weapon Quality 12
strength damage than its quality. Fighting styles: Aerial (master).
These diminutive raptors are knee-high to a Variation: Aerial. 1. Increase all Talon attack dice to
rain troll, but they have fan-like sails on their backs, d10.
between their forelimbs and bodies, and behind their 2. Replace Snatch Object (r) with the Grasp -->
heads (a hood sail). This allows them to sail and climb Carry Off two-maneuver chain from the Dragon style.
with ease: d12 bonus die to such checks. One of their Special: A roc's talons deal one extra point of damage
favorite tactics in combat is to skitter, twist, and leap per attack against anything with Armor Quality 4 or
to gain an advantage on their foe, and then grab and less.
inject their poison repeatedly. A roc is an enormous bird of prey. It can carry
The poision is delivered via two fangs. Few off a mammoth in its talons and drop the carcass in a
can survive repeated injections of the raptor's flesh- nest the size of a city block for its fledglings to feast
eating venom. The raptor is more properly called a upon. Their eyesight is famously keen; a roc can
marrow-eater, since that is what it sucks out of bones resolve the points on a rain troll's antlers from two and
after its victim's flesh has been eaten away. a half miles away. It also hears well, and traders buy
extra marten oil in Thyre to lube their wagons' wooden
Thunder drake (ptumbra drake, yomimazi) wheels and axles. Young rocs, hearing the squeaks
Level 9 (individual), Level 15 Mob of the wagons, have been known to mistake the boxy
Str 7, Qck 8, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 5, Hrt 6 vehicles for bleating mammoth calves.
Body 8, Mood 0
Armor Quality 1 (feathers) Skeleton, humanoid
Weapon Quality 4 (talons) Level 2
Fighting styles: Gore and Trample (master), Aerial as Str 6, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 7, Hrt 4
Spellbound creatures permit, Mob (master) as num- Body 3, Mood 0
bers permit. Armor Quality 0 (varies), Weapon Quality 3 (varies)
The thunder drake is a scarlet-feathered scav- Fighting Styles: Slasher (varies)
enger roughly the same size as the plated drake. When Necromancers use Death Lore to raise skel-
there is a spellbound creature in the area, thunder etons for a variety of reasons. Massed skeletons are
drakes can fly. When a herd of thunder drakes passes effective shock troops in combat, while individual
overhead, the sun is darkened. undead can be useful servants and protectors.
Omnivorous, thunder drakes are opportunis- In general, a skeleton knows the fighting
tic feeders. They can be spooked, and the herd's first style it was most closely associated with in life. The
instinct is to shy away from loud and bright displays. skeleton of a bodyguard fights in Guardian style; the
When hunger or another reason presses them, how- skeleton of a guild enforcer uses Brute. Guardian-style
ever, the herd is capable of mounting a terrible attack. skeletons are particularly prized as they can be valu-
The so-called "Summer Surprise" thunder drake heard able shields for deathmasters.
of Avedine stampeded through four villages in one Note that skeletons are artificial, not natural,
night in the Rill valley some years ago, leaving noth- creations and therefore count as spellbound creatures.
ing standing upright in the mud save a few broken-off
planks. Skeleton, beast
Level 2
Roc Str 6, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 5, Hrt 3
Level 14 Body 4, Mood 0

191
Armor Quality 0 (varies), Weapon Quality 3 (varies) spread out to a 10' reach, but when packed into a ball
Fighting Styles: Trample and Gore (varies) is only 3' in diameter.
Beast skeletons comprise wolf, raptor, gnarsk, While no one can fathom the workings of the
and many other animals' skeletons. While slightly spellstalk psyche, it appears that boluses are used to
more massive than humanoid skeletons, they are not scout, watch, and guard. They roll a d10 for percep-
as magically resistant. tion checks. A bolus can also preserve the tissue that it
Like all skeletons, these are spellbound. has sucked after drilling through the ear canal. After it
presents this tissue to a vivinaculum or an aberration,
Skeleton, frenzy the more sophisticated spellstalk entity reads the tis-
Level 4 sue's memory and learn a secret about the donor.
Str 6, Qck 8, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 6, Hrt 4
Body 3, Mood 0 Spellstalk victim
Armor Quality 0 (varies), Weapon Quality 3 (varies) Characteristics as character
Fighting Styles: Berserker (master), Undead (master) Fighting Style: As character; Tentacles and Spellstalks
There is always a telltale mark on a frenzy (master).
skeleton. Wisps of flame in the eye sockets, an intact Magic Style: Language of Stars (varies).
tongue gibbering constantly, or even a ruby beating When a spellstalk victim succumbs to the
warmly where the heart should be. disease and dies, this is one of two possible results.
Frenzy skeletons are more dangerous than In this case, the character continues on with his same
other animated skeletons because they can gain Mood. Histories, fighting styles, characteristics, etc. - but
Deathmasters have little control over the creation of now he is completely under the spellstalks' control, an
frenzy skeletons. Although many schemes have been agent for their alien designs, despising his former life.
tried, their production is random. Roughly 1 in 4 skel- The spellstalks can hide themselves under
etons created is a frenzy skeleton. clothing with a disguise check (Reason + applicable
History/skill) opposed by the target's perception roll.
Spellstalks

One man's disease is another creature's birth. Spell-

stalks are parasites that grow in a human or troll host,
opening eyes in a man's chest, extruding stalks from
his thighs and neck, and feeding on the flesh of the
host as they grow. Eventually, the host is consumed, or
the stalks are shed.

Spellstalk bolus
Level 5
Str 6, Qck 9, Rsn 6, Cha 6, Mgc 9, Hrt 5
Body 3, Mood 3
Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 3
Fighting Style: Tentacles and Spellstalks
Magic Style: Language of Stars (varies)
These are the least inimical of the spellstalk
strains. A bolus is composed of sloughed-off stalks
that failed to kill their host. Many stalks boast eyes,
fingers, shanks of hair, and teratomas constantly near
to bursting. The bolus slithers for locomotion and can

192
 school of magic.
Spellstalk vivinaculum
Level 12 Spellstalk aberration
Str 9, Qck 8, Rsn 10, Cha 7, Mgc 11, Hrt 6 Level 10
Body 5, Mood 3 Str 10, Qck 5, Rsn 7, Cha 4, Mgc 9, Hrt 6
Armor Quality 4 (scales) Body 8, Mood 3
Weapon Quality 3 (tentacles) Armor Quality 4 (scales)
Fighting Style: Tentacles and Spellstalks (master) Weapon Quality 6 (tentacles)
Magic Style: Language of Stars (master) (varies) Fighting Style: Tentacles and Spellstalks (master)
A vivinaculum is the second possible result Magic Style: Language of Stars (master)
when a host succumbs to the spellstalk invasion and Armor: A spellstalk aberration can use its armor Qual-
dies. Within an hour of death, the body is barely dis- ity 4 to soak damage on a 1-for-1 basis.
cernible beneath the writhing mass of tentacles, eyes, Variation: Tentacles and Spellstalks. Replace Fibrous
teeth, hair, and sinew. Vivinacula can grow to be 20 Invasion to the Brainstem with Seed, d8/d4, 1 + ex-
feet across with tentacles fully stretched. posed to spellstalks disease (p. 57).
Magic is second nature to spellstalks. As Spellstalk aberrations are the result of spell-
always, their minds are inscrutable, but many sages stalks conquering a host who is unintelligent. Waylorn
believe that spellstalks have a plan and are executing bears, mammoth, basilisks, and other creatures can fall
it. prey to the spellstalks' infection as easily as a human
Every vivinaculum knows at least one spell or troll.
school at the highest level. There have been many While the resulting abomination is intelligent,
reports over the centuries of spellstalk vivinacula cast- it is distinct from a vivinaculum. Not quite as smart,
ing spells that belong to no known school. With such not quite as magically talented, the spellstalk aberra-
a creature, the temptation to exaggeration is obvious, tion is physically hardier than the vivinaculum.
but there are many wizards across the Claw who be- Stealth is a hallmark of the aberration, despite
lieve that spellstalks hold clues pointing toward a new its bulk. Spellstalk aberrations roll a d10 bonus die
when attempting to avoid detction. Too often, victims
see a splat of goo drip into their porridge tin, look
up, and find that an aberration has been stuck to the
cabin ceiling all night, doing whatever bizarre things
that spellstalks do. The aberration then slithers out the
window while the stunned diner gapes - or it attacks.

Swarm, rats
Level 2
Str 4, Qck 7, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 3, Hrt 5
Body 4, Mood 0
Armor Quality 0
Weapon Quality 1 (teeth)
Fighting Style: Swarm
Variation: Swarm. 1. Replace Invade Orifice with
Strip, d8/d6, 1 + remove one item (jewelry, clothing,
clutched document, etc.) from the victim.
2. Replace Emerge from Orifice with Retrieve,
0/d6, move + carry stripped items.

193
 The arrival of a rat swarm is heralded by an Str 7, Qck 6, Rsn 4, Cha 4, Mgc 5, Hrt 4
aroma of sewage and a chorus of squeaks. Often, a Body 4, Mood 2
ratmaster accompanies a swarm of rats. The ratmaster Inspiration: Fear 3 (object varies)
uses the Weremagic spell Horde or a variant to direct Armor Quality 2 (rags) (varies)
the rats. One typical scenario sees the ratmaster on a Weapon Quality 2 (stone club) (varies)
rooftop, directing his rats to swarm a noble in the dark Fighting Style: Skulker (varies)
street below, strip all the shiny objects from the noble, The first troglodyte paintings show Kings from
and then retrieve the shinies to the top of the building the Age of Cartonnage sealed in their painted boxes
for the ratmaster. and floating through the ancient streets of Dresgilioch,
Oudren, and Massara. In those early sewer and cave
Swarm, spiders paintings, energy crackles from the cartonnage boxes
Level 2 and scores of crudely drawn men fall over dead in the
Str 2, Qck 6, Rsn 1, Cha 3, Mgc 3, Hrt 4 wake of the mighty passage.
Body 3, Mood 0 Scenes like this, no doubt, caused the men and
Armor Quality 0 women who would become troglodytes to flee under-
Weapon Quality 1 (teeth) ground. In some ways a forerunner of the wolf-child
Fighting Style: Swarm phenomena of the past five centuries, the retreat of the
Variation: Swarm. On any damaging attack, the victim troglodytes underground has produced a race that is
is also exposed to spider poison (Quality 3, 1 point of far more phenotypically different from its progenitors.
Body and Quickness, non-recurring). Unlike the races that live under the sun, troglo-
Spider swarms are common in tombs, aban- dytes have rough, scaly skin ranging in hue from gray
doned schools, and mines. Given half an hour, spiders to green. If their skin is like a lizard's, their eyes are
can fill an area with sticky, irritating webs that cause like a cat's, with cabochon yellow irises and ellipti-
1 Mood damage to anyone entering the area (a per- cal pupils. These eyes allow troglodytes to function
ception check against the Doom allows a character to normally in all but complete darkness (where they are
notice the webs before moving into the area). as blind as everyone else). Troglodyte fingernails are
more akin to one-inch claws.
Swarm, scarab beetles Troglodytes fled the surface in fear, and they
Level 3 live in fear. All troglodytes have a Fear Inspiration
Str 2, Qck 11, Rsn 2, Cha 5, Mgc 6, Hrt 4 of at least 3 points. When used, the flight instinct in
Body 3, Mood 0 troglodytes releases a stench laden with information.
Armor Quality 6 (hard shell) Troglodytes in neighboring areas and any troglodyte
Weapon Quality 1 (teeth) entering the area within an hour can learn by scent
Fighting Style: Swarm what caused the fear and any other information in-
Scarab beetles can fly, but they prefer to bur- cluded by the frightened trogs (if they fled, where they
row. In sand, loose soil, or a similarly porous surface, were heading, what the threat was, who was present,
scarab beetles can move through the earth as easily as and more).
they can skitter across its surface. If they burst up from The fear-stench is in fact only one example
the ground to attack a foe who is unaware of their of the rich scent language used by the troglodytes.
presence, they pour forth with such vigor and angry A gland near the sinus allows a troglodyte to mark a
buzzing that the opponent takes a Heart penalty roll on spot by spittle or by licking. A great deal of informa-
all rolls in the first round. tion can be included in the marking scent, something
equivalent to a brief human conversation. A human or
troll can learn this language but pays triple the number
Troglodyte
of skill points (p. 11).
Level 2
In the modern era, typical troglodyte terrain

194
include sewers, mines, underground cisterns, deep Honored are bloated troglodytes propped up
caverns, Oudren and other cities sunk by crisis surges, on the softest straw and brought the cleanest water
and the vast river network running underneath Dynn, in the warrens. Under Chiefs watch over the hon-
Ehansk, and Azenahal. ored, and the workers and warriors of the tribe fetch
Troglodytes lose 1 point of Mood for every a steady diet of insects, spiders, lizards, cavefish, and
half hour spent in sunlight. various fungal admixtures that have a narcotic effect.
Number of Exceptional The honored spend much of their time in and out of
Troglodytes Individuals a stupor, although in most cases they have enough
Appearing coherent, waking moments that they are able to play
a part in tribal politics, albeit a sedentary one. When
3-6 Runt
brought on a litter to the site of a combat, the honored
7-12 1d3 Runts, 1 Champion are set down next to the chief or under chief. When the
13-18 1d4 Runts, 1 Champion, chief cuts the honored down her side and she screams,
1 Under Chief every troglodyte wihtin earshot gains 1 Mood, believ-
19-26 1d4 Runts, 2 Champions, 1 ing the screams both a blessing and a threat from his
Honored, 1 Under Chief chief. This causes 1 Body damage to the honored. The
27-50 1d6 Runts, 3 Champions, 2 chief can also cut free up to two swarms of spiders or
Under Chiefs, 2 Honored, scarab beetles from the subcutaneous pustules where
1 Chief they breed inside the honored's body. This also causes
1 Body damage to the honored. The swarms do not
Runts are troglodytes who never grew to full necessarily obey the chief, so this is often used in
size. Malnutrition and fear of growing up may both combination with traps, hit-and-run tactics, or the like.
be to blame. Whatever the cause, a runt has Strength Chiefs have Strength 10, Quickness 7, Reason
4 and Body 2 and is only a neophyte of his fighting 6, Charisma 9, Magic 4, Heart 6, Body 6, Mood 6, and
style; other stats are unchanged. Runts are a tortured 3 Inspiration points beyond the Fear 3 that all troglo-
underlcass in troglodyte society and are forced to wear dytes have. Chiefs are masters of Savage, Skulker, and
leather harnesses with handles at the shoulderblades. one other fighting style, often Twin Weapon. Chiefs
Any other troglodyte can steer a runt, load a runt as a have the same stench ability as Champions and the
pack animal, force a runt down an unexplored tunnel, same sentinel and tracking ability as Under Chiefs.
or whip it screaming down a shaft as a diversion while When space permits, troglodytes often mob
the main tribe circles behind an enemy. Runts, in turn, together and fight in the Mob style. For every four
are often vile, nasty, and vicious to anyone they can troglodytes in a Mob, it has an effective body of 5. For
find power over. example, a Mob of twenty troglodytes would have an
Champions are troglodytes with Strength 8, effective body of 25.
Quickness 7, and Body 5. They know the Savage, There are rumors that troglodytes can be turned
Skulker, and Guardian fighting styles at the apprentice back into humans or trolls if their fears are conquered,
level. Additionally, when a Champion uses his Fear just as there are rumors that a person fleeing the kings
inspiration and secretes his fear stench, any non-trog- can become a troglodyte if he flees fast and deep
lodyte in the area who fails a Sterngth vs. Doom roll is enough.
sickened by the stench. He takes a Strength penalty to
all rolls next round. Vampire
Under Chiefs have the same characteristics and
stench ability as Champions. They are masters of the Vampires are created when a powerful wizard turns
Savage and Skulker styles, and they are fantastic senti- his back on life and embraces death. Unlike liches,
nels and subterranean trackers, rolling a d10 bonus die vampires do not suffer shadowed skin or hair that falls
for perception and tracking checks. out in patches; many say that a vampire's beauty actu-

195
ally increases compared to his mortal life. However, Body, the elder vampire drains one randomly selected
vampires do gain a host of vulnerabilities that liches History. The History is gone, vanished, rather than
do not share. transferred to the vampire.
When a wizard turns and becomes a vampire, If the vampire wishes it, a victim drained to 0
add the template below to the wizard's characteristics. Body in this way rises in one day's time as the vam-
Natural magic can also create a vampire. In pire's get; see below. A victim that has an Inspiration
this case, the GM builds the monster as the campaign for the vampire that drains her to 0 Body (usually over
dictates. That may mean creating the base character a period of days) can return in undeath as a full vam-
first and then applying this template, but it may not. pire, if the initiating vampire wishes it.
In particular, there are many vampires who know no Captivate. Anyone looking at a vampire and
magic styles at all. It's your game, do what is best for failing a Reason vs. the Doom roll is captivated. She
it. takes a Reason penalty roll on all attempts to do any-
thing except defend herself. She can make a Reason
Vampire Template vs. Doom check to break her fascination once per
Level As character round. Once resisted, the vampire cannot captivate the
Str 10, Qck 10, Rsn/Cha/Mgc As character, Hrt 8 same target again this scene (or day). A vampire can
Body 8, Mood 8 suppress this ability at will.
Inspirations As character Command. The vampire can command any-
Armor Quality/Weapon Quality As character (varies) one who is captivated. The target gains a Reason roll
Fighting styles: Undead (master); as character. against the vampire's Charisma to resist. If the target
Magic styles: Death Lore (master); others as character. fails, the vampire can command actions that do not
Variation: Undead. Replace Twitch with Arreting obviously lead to self-injury. The target gains a new
Stare (mastery), d8 vs. Reason/d4, ranged, rebalance. chance to resist (Reason vs. Charisma) with each new
Replace Exploding Head with Command (mastery), command. Once he has sucessfully resisted, the target
d6 vs. Reason or Charisma (defender's choice)/d4, can not again be captivated by this vampire in this
ranged, force the target to take a specific action next scene (or day).
round. Stakes. If the attacker is wielding a wooden
Changes: stake (typically a Quality 1 weapon) and hits the vam-
Cold resistance. Vampires take 1 less point of pire with a mastery maneuver that causes damage, the
damage per strike from any source of cold damage, stake goes through the heart and slays the vampire in-
including environmental cold damage. stantly. A coup de grace, or any other strike that stakes
Poison and disease resistance. A vampire rolls a vampire's heart, also kills the vampire instantly.
his Strength die as a bonus die when resisting poisons Sunlight. Vampires take 1 damage every
and disease. twelve seconds they are exposed to sunlight.
Age. A vampire does not show any signs of Craving. Vampires must drink a quart or more
aging. He does age, albeit at a rate of only 1 year for of blood at least four times per week. If they fail to do
every 5 years that pass. so, they lose 1 point of Strength, Quickness, Mood,
Drain. A vampire that hits with a grab at- and Body per day. Vampires can enter a state of torpor;
tack can bite his target with a successful Strength vs. a vampire who does not stir from his coffin for a day
Strength check. Anyone bitten by a vampire loses 1 does not count that day against his feeding require-
Mood and 1 Body, and the vampire gains an equal ments. If the blood is not human, the vampire reduces
amount. Elder vampires - those with more than ten his maximum Mood by half.
levels earned as a vapire - can also drain the experi- Racial loss. A vampire loses the racial abilities
ence from a life. In addition to the 1 Mood and 1 it had in life.

196
 Gear: varies.
Vampire get are the inferior spawn of a true
vampire. A true vampire always knows the direction
Sample Vampire and approximate distance to his get, and he knows if
Tobias "Toby" Bolche, fat adolescent aristocrat, secret one of his get has disobeyed a direct order, no matter
vampire the distance between the two. A get can only disobey a
Level 4: Noble 4 direct order from its master if it rolls it Reason against
Str 10, Qck 10, Rsn 4, Cha 5, Mgc 6, Hrt 8 the Doom. If a true vampire is destroyed, all of his get
Body 8, Mood 8 are instantly turned to dust.
Inspirations: Insatiable gluttony, revels in surfeit (3);
revenge against schoolmates (2); fear of discovery (3) War ape
Armor Quality 6, Weapon Quality 6 Level 5
Fighting styles: Court Sword (apprentice); Undead Str 10, Qck 7, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 4, Hrt 6
(master). Body 7, Mood 0
Magic styles: Death Lore (neophyte, Pillar of Ash and Armor Quality 3 (hide or barding)
Rapture of Ash). Weapon Quality 4 (spiked gauntlets)
Gear: brigandine, court clothes, kingsman longsword, Fighting styles: Brute (master); Berserker (master).
31 gold coins of Hessek, black scroll containing the Variation: Any Mood a war ape gains from Berserker's
names of his targets of vengeance and lust alternating rage maneuvers can only be used to maximize attack
with obscene stick-figure sketches. rolls or Strength rolls.
Special: Toby has all the abilities and vulner- War apes are a foot taller than most humans
abilities of a vampire, listed above. and trolls, although this is not immediately evident
Class abilities: Noble house (Baronet in the because the apes typically walk hunched over on
House of Bolche; scope 2, Force 7, Magic 4, Shadow knuckles or spiked gauntlets. The apes are native to
6, Efficiency 2), reputation. the tepui jungles of Jakatta, but their trainability and
Talents: Contempt (minor; 1 additional Mood keen senses have driven their spread through the Claw.
point of damage in a social attack against any target War apes roll a d8 for perception checks.
with 3 or fewer levels). Fitted with armor, the apes are used as sen-
Histories: Has spent a year skulking tinels, hunting and tracking beasts, bodyguards, and
through the castle, hiding his vampiric nature even massed into war troops. The apes are fiercely
(8); research on the nature of undead (8); relishes devoted to their trainers. Outside of combat, they are
scanning royal and noble laws of succession (7). . loving and family-oriented.
Reputations: Feared by the locals dependent on
the House of Bolche (6); feared throughout Torre Ca- Were-beasts
bra and its village (10); known to the nobles of Valte
Riel (4). True were-beasts are created by natural magic. They
are human or troll but are forced assume a wereshape
Vampire get once per month..
Level 6 Werelords, as the masters of the weremagic
Str 8, Qck 9, Rsn 5, Cha 6, Mgc 6, Hrt 4 style are called, can also assume the shape of a were-
Body 4, Mood 4 beast for some time during each lunar cycle.
Armor Quality 3 (varies) The shape of a true were-beast or a trans-
Weapon Quality 4 (fists, fangs) formed werelord is usually an anthropomorphic hybrid
Fighting styles: Undead (master). form expressing traits from both root species. Were-
Variation: Remove Twitch and Exploding Head. lords can transform when they please (as long as they
are willing to risk a magic surge; p. 215), while natural

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were-beasts transform on the night of the full moon the werelord cannot cast again before using a Trick to
and remain in their shape for a 1d6 days. cleanse her mind and tongue.
Every type of true were-beast ignores 1 point
of damage from every physical strike that was not Wererat
caused by a silver weapon. Level 7
The statistics below are for typical were-beasts. Str 5, Qck 8, Rsn 6, Cha 7, Mgc 4, Hrt 5
Werelord wizards using the wereshape high spell may Body 4, Mood 2
have different characteristics (p. 215). Armor Quality 2 (leather armor)
Weapon Quality 2 (dagger)
Werebear Fighting styles: Skulker (master), Slasher.
Level 7 City alleys and sewers are the domain of the
Str 10, Qck 5, Rsn 6, Cha 5, Mgc 4, Hrt 7 wererat. Their natural allies, the rats, are found here.
Body 9, Mood 5 In any environment were sufficient quantities of rats
Armor Quality 2 (hide), Weapon Quality 4 (claws) are present, a wererat, including a transformed were-
Fighting Styles: Brute (master), Guardian. lord, can call a swarm of rats at will (one swarm at at
Werebears are an exception to the were-beast time). The swarm obeys the wererat's commands. Issu-
norm in that they appear almost identical to a com- ing a command in combat requires a trick.
mon, albeit enormous, cave bear or brown bear. The If a wererat haunts the same stretch of sew-
telltale differences are the werebear's claws, which are ers or the same network of alleys for a season, he can
crimson and hyaline, and the eyes, which are human or raise one giant rat, which has the statistics of a wolf.
troll (the same eyes the werebear has in human form). He can raise one giant rat per season that he spends in
Werebears who have mastered their style do 1 the same location.
extra point of damage with Brutal Throw, Brutal Grab,
and Shake and Shield. Weretiger, Werecat
Level 7
Wereraptor Str 9, Qck 9, Rsn 4, Cha 5, Mgc 6, Hrt 4
Level 7 Body 7, Mood 3
Str 6, Qck 9, Rsn 5, Cha 4, Mgc 6, Hrt 6 Armor Quality 2 (hide)
Body 5, Mood 3 Weapon Quality 6 (claws)
Armor Quality 2 (scales), Weapon Quality 4 (claws) Fighting styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master). Pounce does
Fighting Styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master). Wereraptors +2 damage next round.
do 1 extra damage on bite attacks. In the south, werecats have the coloring of
Often called lizardmen, wereraptors are agile tigers from the Marnh jungle; in the north, they have
predators, sometimes partially feathered, sometimes the coloring of descent cats. But color doesn't matter:
not. Their features are more saurian than human, with the beast is always vicious.
scales, talons, forked tongue, and nictitating mem- Werecats, including transformed werecat lords,
branes. A were-raptor's nod to its human or troll side have the same keen senses as a descent cat, rolling a
is its upright posture. Raptors and drakes recognize d8 for perception checks.
were-raptors as one of their own and do not attack
despite the were-beast's anthropomorphism. Werewolf
A lizardman is the only wereshape capable of Level 7
speech. It is a sibilant, hissing speech, but it is intel- Str 10, Qck 8, Rsn 4, Cha 6, Mgc 7, Hrt 4
ligible. It even makes spellcasting in combat a pos- Body 5, Mood 2
sibility for werelords (although mastery spells are still Armor Quality 2 (hide)
impossible). If any one of the lizardman's Magic de- Weapon Quality 4 (claws)
fense or attack rolls does not beat the Doom, however,

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Fighting styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master); maneuver before selecting his own maneuver.
Werewolves are the most common of the were-
beasts. Their howls can be heard for ten miles around. Zombie, human or troll contagion
Every werewolf has different fur, whether long and Level 3
brown and brushed to a sheen, or short and smelling of Str 6, Qck 8, Rsn 3, Cha 3, Mgc 5, Hrt 3
woodsmoke, or possessed of any other distinguishing Body 3, Mood 0
characteristic. Armor Quality 0 (rags)
Werelords who shapechange into a werewolf Weapon Quality 2 (fists)
share the were-beasts' ability to ignore 1 point of Fighting styles: Undead; Mob (master) in sufficient
damage per round from a physical weapon that is not numbers.
silver. A werewolf is so frenzied in battle, however, As human or troll zombie, but anyone hit by
that a werelord must make a Reason check against the Gnaw/Feed maneuver and subsequently killed by
the attack roll every time he does take damage. If he the zombie rises 1d10 minutes later as a contagion
fails, he is out of control for the next round, attack the zombie.
creature who attacked him with the highest damage
available attack. Zombie, human-raptor cross-stitch
Werewolves, including transformed werelords, Level 5
also gain a d8 perception die on all perception checks Str 6, Qck 6, Rsn 3, Cha 4, Mgc 6, Hrt 3
that involve scent. Body 3, Mood 0
Armor Quality 4 (scales and joint plates)
Zombie Weapon Quality 4 (one claw, one fist)
Fighting styles: Undead (master); Claw/Claw/Bite;
Zombies are re-animated corpses. They are unintel- Mob (master) in sufficient numbers.
ligent, although those created from troll and human The corpses of the two species are stitched
corpses are capable of understanding very simple together first and subsequently animated.
commands.
Understanding and obedience are two different Zombie, undead giant
things, however, and most zombies obey nothing but Level 11
their hunger. Zombies are carnivores. A zombie that Str 14, Qck 5, Rsn 3, Cha 4, Mgc 9, Hrt 3
does not feed on flesh at least once a day loses one Body 18, Mood 0
Strength and Body point until it de-animates. Armor Quality 0 (varies)
Weapon Quality 4 (spiked tree trunk; varies)
Zombie, human or troll Fighting styles: Giant (master), Undead (master).
Level 2 Variation: Undead Giant. Add 1 damage to Rip and
Str 6, Qck 4, Rsn 3, Cha 3, Mgc 4, Hrt 3 Tear and Lunge in the Undead style. Also, an undead
Body 3, Mood 0 giant can switch between its two combat styles with-
Armor Quality 0 (rags) out using a trick.
Weapon Quality 2 (fists) Undead giants are towering foes at fourteen
Fighting styles: Undead; Mob (master) in sufficient to sixteen feet tall. They suffer from the same hunger
numbers. as other zombies, but they have a more magical and
When they have the numbers, zombies instinc- horrifying means of sating it. Any undead giant who
tually mob their targets. Typical mobs have 1 Body per kills a foe with the Drink/Feed maneuver eats up the
zombie. foe entirely. The giant gains Body equal to half of the
These zombies are so slow and lumbering that killed creature's total Body (up to a maximum of 24
their opponent in combat can always see the zombies' Body). These extra Body points fade after one hour

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and a postprandial fatigue sets in, reducing the Giant's Body 6, Mood 0
Strength and Quickness by 2 until it rests. Armor Quality 1 (hide), Weapon Quality 1 (hooves)
Fighting Style: Gore and Trample.
Gnarsk are long-haired ungulates resembling
Addendum: Selected Animals a cross between an ox and a cow. They are famously
good-natured and kept as pets as well as draft animals
Bear (Waylorn bear) and feed cattle. Often one gnarsk is the Toddle Gnarsk
Level 5 and carries very young children on its back through
Str 10, Qck 6, Rsn 2, Cha 6, Mgc 3, Hrt 4 the fields while adults in the community till their lord's
Body 9, Mood 0 soil.
Armor Quality 2 (hide)
Weapon Quality 4 (claws)
Mammoth
Fighting styles: Claw/Claw/Bite (master). Replace
Level 7
Foreclaw Rush (r) with Rush (r), d6/d6, move target
Str 12, Qck 5, Rsn 2, Cha 6, Mgc 4, Hrt 4
1 area. Replace Pounce with Bear Hug, d6/d4, 1 +
Body 12, Mood 0
grabbed.
Armor Quality 2 (hide)
Weapon Quality 4 (tusks and hooves)
Cleaner Crab Fighting styles: Gore and Trample (master); Behe-
Level 3 moth.
Str 6, Qck 4, Rsn 2, Cha 4, Mgc 6, Hrt 5
Body 4, Mood 0
Stake monkey
Armor Quality 4 (shell), Weapon Quality 2 (pincers)
Level 2
Fighting Style: Carapace (master)
Str 9, Qck 9, Rsn 2, Cha 6, Mgc 4, Hrt 5
Special: Armor. A cleaner crab can use its Armor
Body 7, Mood 3
Quality 4 to soak Body damage on a 1-for-1 basis.
Armor Quality 2 (hide)
Locked in sand pits below stairs during the
Weapon Quality 4 (claws)
day, cleaner crabs shuffle slowly through the halls of
Fighting styles: Aerial (neophyte, Stake Frenzy, Slam
chateaux and castles at night. They naturally scour
into Target).
each surface as they move, taking sustenance from the
Stake monkeys are monkeys with no feet.
tiniest specks of waste and grit.
Rather, they have sharpened tibia that protrude as
Cleaner crabs are three to four feet high and ill-
stakes several inches straight down from their lower
tempered. They cannot abide being disturbed and will
legs. From high in the jungle, stake monkeys plummet,
sometimes charge even their handlers if interrupted on
impaling their prey with both stakes. Outside of thick
their nightly rounds.
forest canopy, or on the ground, unable to brachiate, a
stake monkey is virtually helpless.
Elk
Level 1
Wolf
Str 8, Qck 5, Rsn 2, Cha 3, Mgc 3, Hrt 4
Level 1 (higher for pack)
Body 4, Mood 0
Str 6, Qck 7, Rsn 2, Cha 6, Mgc 3, Hrt 4
Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 3 (antlers)
Body 3, Mood 0
Fighting Style: Gore and Trample.
Armor Quality 1 (hide)
Weapon Quality 3 (claws and jaws)
Gnarsk Fighting style: Claw/Claw/Bite; Mob (as pack size
Level 1 permits, usually 1 Body per wolf in the pack).
Str 10, Qck 4, Rsn 2, Cha 6, Mgc 3, Hrt 4

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 Sample NPCs
This section presents a few sample NPCs. the shadows. He typically wears a satin neckerchief to
Remember that History points, Inspirations, Mood, conceal his face when his jaw is missing.
and Reputations are fluid in Spellbound Kingdoms. Inspirations: Ambition: gain a position of power and
Not every NPC will have the maximum possible for luxury at court, by any means necessary (2).
his level. This happens for many reasons, but the chief Armor Quality 0, Weapon Quality 2 (dagger)
among them is that the kings are constantly trying to Magic style: Hearts.
grind away any Inspiration or Mood. Fighting style: Basic maneuvers only.
Class ability: Friends at court. Once per week, Ar-
Ballard Shonk, hired muscle dinho can call in a favor from the Royal Solicitors'
Nineblood human Council, a Scope 5 organization with Force 2, Shadow
Level 1 Warrior 6, Magic 2, and Efficiency 4.
Str 8, Qck 7, Rsn 4, Cha 6, Mgc 5, Hrt 7 History: Has a natural talent for negotiations and court
Body 5, Mood 4 politics (6).
Racial ability: Ballard can use one Inspiration twice in : Bourgeoisie wardrobe, fixer's ink tattoo on right
a scene. scapula of a courtier with a swallow on one shoul-
Inspirations: Must look good in front of his dream der and a canary on the other shoulder, Orynjan kris
girl, Rhisti Cooke, the owner's daughter at his tavern (Quality 4) once belonging to Asenkut Ragul's neph-
(1). ew.
Armor Quality 5, Weapon Quality 3 Wealth Level 4
Fighting styles: Free Sword, Guardsman. Reputations: Seen as a potential threat at court (6);
Class ability: Armor. Ballard can use his armor to ab- feared and hated in his home village of Arford (6).
sorb damage up to its Quality on a 1-for-1 basis.
History: Works as enforcer at a local tavern (6). Lord Desmond Ashmont, heir to the Saxtine Barony
Gear: Mail hauberk; broadsword; in a locket, a dated of Thyre, explorer, adventurer, and lion of the people
three-year-old scrap of paper on which Rhisti had Nineblood human
written what needed to be ordered for the tavern. Bal- Level 6 Noble
lard does not read and does not know what the note Str 8, Qck 6, Rsn 6, Cha 8, Mgc 4, Hrt 6
says, although he treasures it for he recognizes Rhisti's Body 5, Mood 6
handwriting. Racial ability: Lord Desmond can use one Inspiration
Wealth Level 2 twice in a scene.
Inspirations:Lust for adventure (4); desire to see the
Ardinho Estrella, loquacious courtier and unctuous Descent (2).
sycophant Armor Quality 8, Weapon Quality 7
Rain troll Fighting styles: Free Sword (master); Court sword
Level 1 Courtier (apprentice).
Str 4, Qck 6, Rsn 7, Cha 8, Mgc 5, Hrt 6 Class abilities: Impose. When an opponent is at 0
Body 5, Mood 2 Mood, Lord Desmond can use a social attack to force
Racial ability: Ardinho can regenerate. His jaws still the opponent to take Lord Desmond as an Inspiration.
function under his control up to a mile away, so that Leader. Once per scene (or day) per person,
he can detach mandible, TMJ and maxilla and leave Lord Desmond can use a brief conversation or other
his mouth on the table to describe what he is seeing, or interaction to restore 3 Mood to an ally.
to whisper advice to a minion while Ardinho stands in Talents: Bad, Bolstering wit.

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History: Expert sailor (8); expert zeppelin hand (8); from Oryn-ja; roofsword; artisan's wardrobe; fixer's
loves to ride (8); oversees financing and accounting on lab in Rithaign near the slums; iron ring of the Fixer's
expeditions (6); organizes and leads expeditions (6); Fraternity, usually worn as a hair tie.
pores over geography tomes (8). Reputations: Member of the Fixer's Fraternity (8);
Gear: Gilded coat-of-plates armor emblazoned with known as a fixer and a fence among the underworld of
the Saxtine seal; Queensport broadsword; platinum the Old Claw (6).
spyglass; noble wardrobe; escort zeppelin Rose Whis- Wealth level: 5
key.
Reputations: Famous and lionized by the people of the Sigfried Davos, kingsman, veteran, duke's champion,
Saxtine Barony (8); suspected of heresy by the High and cruel master
Church (6); known as an adventurer throughout Thyre Nineblood human
(8); reputation for competence and ruggedness among Level 8 Warrior
zeppelin crews (10); remembered as a good-natured Str 10, Qck 7, Rsn 5, Cha 4, Mgc 6, Hrt 7
hellion at University of Queensport (8). Body 6, Mood 5
Wealth Level 10 Racial ability: The veteran kingsman can use one
Inspiration twice in a scene.
Leisette Versayre, fence and factor Inspirations: Delight in causing pain (4); lust for pow-
Seradynn troll er (2); vengeance on anyone insulting his honor (1).
Level 4/3 Rogue/Fixer Armor quality 6, Weapon quality 6
Str 4, Qck 8, Rsn 5, Cha 8, Mgc 6, Hrt 6 Fighting styles: Great weapon (master), Guardsman
Body 5, Mood 3 (master), Free Sword (apprentice).
Racial ability: Leisette can regenerate. She can also Class abilities: Armor. Siegfried Davos can use his
detach her prehensile tail and control it from up to a armor to absorb damage up to its Quality on a 1-for-1
mile away (although she does so blindly if she does basis.
not have line-of-sight). Combat mastery. Any time the kingsman hits
Inspirations: Love of gold (3); wants to be acknowl- with a mastery maneuver against someone with fewer
dged as a talented fixer (2); fear of magic (1). than 8 levels, increase the damage by 2.
Armor Quality 4, Weapon Quality 4 War stories. Once per scene, Siegfried can use
Fighting styles: Dagger-and-wine (apprentice), Twin his martial level die instead of a Charisma die to make
Weapon (apprentice), Parapet Defense (apprentice). a social roll.
Class abilities: Hunted. Leisette uses a d10 for Quick- Talents: Atrocity (minor), Great weapon overpower
ness when making Chase rolls. (minor), Sweep the leg (minor).
Fix. Leisette can cure any disease, stop any History: Expert cordsman and climber, veteran of
magic or alchemical effect, or neutralize any poison many zeppelin cord-drop deployments (8); survived
that targets an individual creature. months in the Serai desert waiting for the siege of
Fraternity. Leisette can call on her Fixer's Fra- Eastfire to be lifted (11); weaponsmith (9); familiar
ternity for one action per month (p. 81 for details on with the nobles of Eastfire (6).
this organization). Gear: Brigandine, superior halberd, writs of owner-
Talents: Harrowing (minor), Lucre (minor), Right ship of several Jakattan slaves, smith's kit.
people (minor). Reputations: Feared as a powerful warrior by nobles
History: Disguise artist (8); adept at confidence games of Rithaign and Eastfire (8); Respected as a powerful
and bluffing (10); expert black market trader (8); first- warrior by militaries of Rithaign and Eastfire (6); wel-
hand knowledge of the sewers, alleys, and rooftop comed as a Sand Brother in the Serai desert (10).
byways of Rithagin (10). Wealth level 6
Gear: Form-fitting steel-and-bone lamellar imported

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Cressida Vanche, outlaw witch Magic styles: Dramba (apprentice).
Wight Fighting styles: Swashbuckler (master), Blackpowder
Level 10 Witch musketeer (apprentice), Dagger-and-wine (apprentice).
Str 4, Qck 5, Rsn 6, Cha 6, Mgc 10, Hrt 8 Class abilities: To the heart, leader, sell, signature
Body 5, Mood 0 item, combat engineering.
Racial ability: Oncer per scene, Cressida can feast Talents: Stake your word on it (grand), moved by pro-
upon another person's Fear inspiration. She gains 2 pinquity (major), right people (major).
Mood, the target loses 2 Mood, and Cressida can use History: Built, disarmed, re-set traps for the Thyran
the Fear as if it were her own Inspiration that round. Axman's gauntlet (10); maintains own boat and wagon
Inspirations: Hates magic (4); mourns loss of two (13); geography and cultures of the Free Road (15);
daughters and husband killed in a crisis surge she studies locks incessantly, particular locks used in the
caused (4); self-loathing (2). kingsmen's schools (10); built his two wheel lock pis-
Armor Quality 2, Weapon Quality 2 tols himself (8).
Magic styles: Death Lore (master), Elemental Mael- Gear: Silkmetal hauberk, artisan's wardrobe, bourgeoi-
strom (master), Language of stars (apprentice). sie wardrobe, two wheel lock pistols, one wheel lock
Class abilities: Familiar, implement, arcane defense, musket, red cat familiar named Trenton, engineer's 10'
detect spellbound, wizard's life. pole, map of the Free Road, one-time pad of Scholar
Talents: Amulet (major), improved familiar (major), Axmen phrases, thank-you parchment drawings from
curse (minor), master and apprentice (minor). rescued shoolchildren.
History: Housewife for eight years (6); hide from Reputations: Recognized in the North as successful
kingsmen while practicing magic for a secret society trader and trading company head (8); excellent repua-
for sixteen years (8); since the death of her daughters tions with the artisans and traders of Thyre, Chert,
and husband, deals with people through intimdation Syrbizond, Windhover Valley, and Oryn-ja (10 each);
(6). grudging respect from the nobles of Thyre and Chert
Gear: Gnarsk leather armor she picks at constantly, (6); has smuggled over 100 schoolchildren out of
dagger used to pick at armor, bedroll, trail rations, schools using the northern Invisible Zeppelin network
faded miniature portrait painting of family inside lock- (12).
ing amulet, raven familiar named Wilhelm (Str 4, Hrt Wealth level 12
6, all other characteristics 4, Body 4).
Reputations: Known among spell smugglers and
rebels as a powerful mercenary witch (8); Hated by
nobility (10).
Wealth Level 2

Feargus Shorminrac, Far Trader, engineer, spell

smuggler, and Terror of Schools
Trader 10/Engineer 5
Str 5, Qck 6, Rsn 8, Cha 10, Mgc 4, Hrt 7
Body 5, Mood 6
Racial ability: Feargus can use one Inspiration twice
in a scene.
Inspirations: Love for his wife Bethany (3), love for
his nine-year-old daughter Abigail "Deadeye" (3).
Armor quality 8, Weapon quality 8

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 Chapter Fourteen:
The Spellbound Kingdoms
"The map, my lord." - secondarily. Secondarily because theme is not the
This was at sunset on the last day of the Glim- most important thing in the game. That would be f-u-n
mering in 1605. The baron stood on his galleon, and fun. The setting is built primarily to bring fun to the
the galleon rode on the sea, rocking. Heat sank with game.
the sun. The vellum map was cool and smooth in his The aim of this chapter is to tell you about the
hands, like a dying carp. The baron stared at it. setting and to show you how to use it to make your
"Do you see the center, my lord? Of our map? game fun.
It is empty. The heart of our world is a cold sea."
It was true. A Note on History
"He is a threat, my lord. He loves you too
much. He loves everyone too much. His heart is too Historians have difficulty researching and
soon made glad." scribing when their sons and daughters are burning
They brought the baron's son on deck. He was with madfire, wailing in hunger, or disappearing from
older than usual for this. Three and three seasons. schools where torture is just one tool to eradicate pas-
"Papa!" the boy yelled. He started to run to his sion and control thought. In other words, magic, kings,
father but was scooped up into the arms of a kings- priests, disaster, and disease have made history an
man. erratically practiced endeavor.
"You see, my lord? He loves you too much. Kings sometimes work with nature to bury the
He cannot stop. You have whipped him, and you have past. An unknown history is a useful lockbox,in which
starved him. Nothing stops it." secrets can be hidden and from which bogeymen and
The baron wanted to argue that love was the wonders can be pulled as necessary to cow, entertain,
province of the nobility. But he knew that all noble- awe, and frustrate the commoners.
born children were commoners until the king lifted There appear to have been kings from the be-
them up. And there was no way a king would lift up ginning of civilization. The dry sandstone caves of the
such a son as this. eastern isles are scratched and ochred with stick draw-
"Do it." ings of tribal chiefs, bellowing with arms raised while
The kingsman threw the boy into the water. masses of islanders bow and chant on the beaches. The
The boy screamed all the way down until the splash, earliest inscriptions of the Fallen Kingdom’s ossuaries,
and the baron knew the scream was not for fear but for metopes, and fragmented friezes trace kings back to
pain at having been rejected by his father. the beginning of the Claw, when the High God set his
The galleon turned for home. Being noble was hand on the world to make a place for people to live.
not easy. Monarchy, whether feudal, tribal, or socialist, has been
on the Claw longer than written records.
Love and fear are the most powerful forces in
the Kingdoms. Kings know this, serfs know this, and
everyone knows this. Love and fear are masters over A Note on the Present
even magic and death. And that is why the kings must
control love and fear, at any cost. There is one question that arises not only for
This is the theme of Spellbound Kingdoms. historians but for many citizens of all ages: where do
The setting is built to allow you to explore this theme we stand? What do we make of our age?

204
 Now, in the Kingdoms, that answer is clear. Trastamara, the Muda-Tarsk zombie swarms, the bar-
The Kingdoms stand on the brink. ren wombs of Chalve.
Whether on the brink of enlightenment, The fighting slowed over generations. The
or on the brink of a new dark age, only time and the Age, probably begun with the discovery and founding
PCs' actions can tell. of the modern seven magic styles, ended with
Never has there been a time such as now. Zep- the consolidation of power. New nobles, kings in the
pelins and submersibles are making mountain, sea, and modern sense, emerged victorious.
under-ice crossings possible with acceptable losses of In Hessek, that same king still rules after 1600
life (a few officers, half the crew). Fixers threaten to years.
control some of magic’s worst ravages. This loosens But that may be about to change.
the kings’ grips on the commoners, cowed for centu-
ries by magical disasters and the need for a monarch to The Three Forces
prevent the worst spell conflicts and crisis surges. En-
gineers work wonders that attest to a great power not Ideas move history. Two old ideas and one
subject to magic's vagaries. And in the alleyways and new idea are setting the course of human events in the
undercrofts and taverns of the Old Claw, the Axemen Claw right now.
have ignited a shadow war. Already, Thyre is burning. First, the concept of nobility. Man's society
naturally sorts out leaders and followers, but the nobil-
Rise to Modernity ity of the Claw has origins in a force beyond human
nature: magic. Pervasive and pernicious, it inspires
The modern kingdoms coalesced from smaller fear across the known world. True, it has wrought mir-
dominions and tribal lands during the Age of Car- acles over the centuries: Saint Aldric’s survival at sea,
tonnage 1500 to 1700 years ago. This was a terrible the plague-healing tears of the maidens of Dresgilioch,
time of fighting, Low Gods, and entire families of and the destruction of the Descent horde. But those
dead kings and magi wheeled before armies into miracles are not enough to redeem magic in the eyes
battle. (The elaborate presentation of these totemic of most.
dead names the Age, along with the decorated boxes And therein lies the creation of the nobility. Af-
thought at the time to provide magical protection to ter the nobles seized power and claimed magic as an
the monarchs sealed within). In that Age, wild magic exclusive right (and by extension also claimed exclu-
exploded in the streets. Mortar and brick and potsherds sive rights to strong emotions and inspirations, which
clattered into the streets. Wails were everywhere. clearly have extreme magical power), the worst of
The dead nobles’ organs were scooped out, the magic’s interference effects were prevented. If no one
bodies embalmed, their souls bleached for the High but the nobles is allowed to use magic, then there are
God, and the new idols took their place at the front of fewer opportunities for interference and wild surges.
the columns. The peasants were piled on mass pyres or The nobles ruthlessly hunted down and ex-
rolled into the cesspool to ferment. The Age of Car- ecuted any free magi. Soon there were far fewer crisis
tonnage did much to demonstrate the horrors of free surges. For many, especially in the wake of the Car-
magic use to the people of the Claw. In their sundry tonnage wars, this was a concession devoutly to be
battles, would-be kings’ magic interfered with each wished. These people – not all of the commonfolk by
other to the extent that villages suffocated overnight; any means, but most - were content to worship in a
babies were born chimeras or angels; and entire moun- (pre- Wrandt) church, feed their families, and live days
tains erupted in pyroclastic flows in which people bound each to each in natural piety.
could hear their grandparents wailing and cursing The nobles went further. Everyone can see
them hysterically. The magic interferences brought the power that inspirations can have. Love can keep a
disasters that are legend today: the engulfment of mother alive across mountain ranges as she searches

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 for the children her husband sold to kingsmen.
Desire and ambition make the heart beat faster,
the sculptor’s adze cut cleaner, and the chef’s herb
soufflé rise until it quivers on the plate, ready to
float away.
Must these emotions, so tied to worldly
power, be connected to magic?
Yes.
Must they be controlled to prevent magical
interference and disaster?
Yes.
Many peasants rebelled, many did not, as
the nobles took this further step. Children were
forced into schools and taught, by chalk and by
brand, to dim their joys and temper their ardor. In
many lands, restrained courtly love was extolled in
plays, songs, and poems, while romantic love was
attacked. Any man, woman, or child seen to live
with too much light, work with too much fury, or
burn with too much ambition was taken to one of
the king’s villages. If they returned, they returned
calmer, dimmer, emptier.
The wolf children are one reaction to this.
What mother wants her child to grow up without
love? True, not all love is banned in the Kingdoms.
Only strong, deep, and powerful love. True love.
Through inertia, noble aggression, church collusion,
and mostly through the fear of magic, the nobles’
grip on society has not loosened over six hundred
years. And there are many who think it should not.
After all, is a love worth a city sinking into the sea?
But now the Axemen say yes. They have
revealed themselves, rebelled, and Thyre is burning.
Axemen plays and poems (art is ever the vanguard
of revolution) point out that emotions are powerful
but are not known to cause crisis surges as spell-
bound magic does. The Kingdoms are on the brink,
with the nobles pushing one way and the Axemen
pushing another. Each side, of course, claims to
be pushing toward the light while the other pushes
toward the darkness.
After nobility, the second idea that is set-
ting the course of human events in the Claw is the

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Church.The Church has always been quick to support Then the priest Arvind Wrandt changed every-
the noble class’s claim to exclusive magic and emo- thing. He began a movement in 1271, ripping the
tion. That claim and the asceticism it makes incum- anachronistic cartonnage off the dead Archibishop of
bent upon the masses match well with the Church’s Hessek as he lay in state. The cartonnage and its recall
teaching that this world is not as important as the of an earlier Age offended Wrandt and prompted him
next. There are many cynics, however, like the ma- to retreat to his cell to scribe a manifesto. He shortly
jority of the Fixers’ Fraternity, who see this as noth- returned to where the Archbishop lay, placed the mani-
ing more than a quid pro quo: the church gives the festo parchment on the corpse's forehead, and nailed it
nobles religious blessing and justification in return into the skull with an iron nail, using his Book as a
for an increased societal status. Indeed, the clergy’s hammer.
status rivals that of the lower nobility in many places, Wrandt’s Turn, as the manifesto and the move-
and canon law supersedes kingdom law on church ment came to be called, is easily summarized: the
grounds. Low Gods are not Gods, only blasphemers or devils
The Church's relationship with nobles has or wizards. The High God was the only God, and he
not changed for a millenia. What has changed, and in heard everyone: peasant, priest, and king.
some minds prompted the drive to a new Age, is the The theosophy was more complicated, but it
Church's relationship with the commoners. carried the day. The peasants could now speak directly
Until roughly three hundred years ago, men to the High God. They could avoid the priest-tax.
divided the heavens into two categories: the High God Wrandt’s turn went from shock to heresy to doctrine in
and the Low Gods. The High God was the lord of all. the span of two generations, though not before Wrandt
He was king to other gods, and he commanded the became St. Wrandt, one of the first to die on the pyres
worship on Earth of paupers, princes, and priests. He of Dynn (though some say that the fires still burn so
showed his compassion by placing his hand on the strongly there because the Dynni are trying to purge
Earth to form the Claw and give his people a home. their history of this original sin).
He showed his terribleness by doing it violently, mak- Lastly, the third idea that is guiding human
ing a Claw-slash instead of a handprint. He had to do events in the Kingdoms is love. Since Wrandt's Turn,
it violently because bringing order out of chaos and commoners believe they have the ability to commun-
magic hurt him. In stained glass windows, mosaics, ciate directly with the High God. This has led to a
and baldachins, he is often shown with a disfigured revolution in thought. If the High God listens to com-
hand, watchful eyes, and the raiment of a king. moners, then they must, somehow, matter. For the first
In the old days, only kings and nobles could time in history, the individual commoner's life is to be
worship the High God directly. Peasants paid priest- respected, to be valued, to be loved. This emphasis on
tax for the priests to intercede. The priests prepared the individual has inspired and fueled the Axemen's
Scripts and organized ceremonies to guide the nobles, shadow war from the start.
who would read the peasants’ prayers and cooperate The "Hate what you love" adage is being re-
with the priests to conduct the High God’s ceremony. imagined and quoted as "Hate what you love, and love
Low Gods were for the peasants. There were what you hate," to emphasize love's role. New inter-
many, and they were everywhere. Gods of waterfalls, pretations are "Live with passion," "Risk all for love,"
stars, birth, avarice, a town, a book. A Low God could and even, "Love is worth the hate," rather than the old
live around any corner. There are many stories of "Dilute and moderate your strong emotions." Where
people encountering Low Gods, of Low Gods work- is this new idea taking the people of the Claw? In the
ing great magics, and of Low Gods warring amongst grand campaign of Spellbound Kingdoms, your play-
themselves, often using cults of mortals as ers can answer that.
proxies.

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 Magic and Disease societal structure, assigning the right to wield magic to
the relatively small noble class. Magic has also sown
Natural forces are also at work in the Claw, of a self-loathing in many people, as they seek magic's
course, and have a profound effect on daily life. power but know that they do so at a danger to their
Diseases like spellstalks, influenza, and the neighbors' lives. The typical commoner throughout
bloody flux are frequent hazards. Every city has a the Claw loathes magic, saying "Magic hates magic,
plague quarantine system with flags, heavy padlocks, and so do I," though that does not stop him from us-
and leather-masked fixers rounding through the shut- ing magic if he has access to it. In the East, magic is
tered districts. Despite these systems, the extremely slightly more accepted. Most commoners there view
crowded living conditions in cities make a new out- magic as otherworldly, the province of the Low Gods
break a constant risk. A city can lose ten percent of its and of the nobles.
population in a standard outbreak. Some plague years
see a city's population decline by a third or even a half. The Four Estates
The nobles seem to be doing more in the last
year or two, possibly in response to the Axemen's In the Old Claw - the western two peninsulas
uprising, or possibly in response to some as-yet unan- of the Claw - civilization comprises four estates. In
nounced magical or alchemical breakthrough. Spell- increasing status, these are the peasants, the clergy, the
stalk and plow victims, tied thrashing to litters, are nobility, and the king. The class divide is drawn sharp-
brought into university laboratories in Queensport and ly between the peasants and the other three estates.
Thyre frequently in the past months. The closest alliance is between the priests and
Magic's effect on the world is difficult to over- the nobles. Kings are crowned by priests, archbishops
state. The populace's fear of crisis surges has informed are appointed by kings, and each institution lends to

208
the other power and legitimacy. There are constant For their part, many of the nobles do take their
tensions over where canon law ends and where king- responsibilities seriously. They could be callous, rude,
dom law starts, but for the most part the nobility and and contemptuous of the lower class, but
the church are fast allies. The launch of a Deic Fleet many do see it as a duty, even a noble duty, to safe-
to Jakatta, for example, rumored to be on the horizon, guard the peasants and shepherd them through this
could never happen without the cooperation of both of world to the next. Although they enjoy the privileges
these upper estates. of rank – magic, love, overwhelming passion, ven-
Nor could it occur without the blessing of the geance, lust – these dutiful nobles police their domain
king, the ultimate estate. The power of a king in the out of a sense of righteousness. These nobles view the
kingdom is not to be underestimated. Ancient Lu- Axemen's shadow war Jason of Thyre's treachery as
cius in Hessek has ruled for sixteen centuries, and he evil. They have born the burdens of lordship, endured
exemplifies the power of the monarchy. Kings become isolation and sacrificed their personal ambitions, plac-
their demesnes even more than other nobles. The ing the needs of the throne and the safety of the major-
true depth of a king’s power is not known nor often ity above all else. Now Jason has betrayed them and
plumbed. put their charges at risk. They hate him for it.
The fourth and lowest estate lives a life vastly
different from the other three. For the peasants, bread The Axemen and
and ale (and sometimes laundry water) replace cakes
and wine; 20’x30’x6’ tenement flats shared with the Claw as It Is Now
twenty other wretches replace palace apartments
shared with twenty servants; and the reek and roar of When Jason became King of Thyre. The
cities replaces the fragrance and harpsichord of the heavens themselves blazed forth his ascension to the
rose garden. throne; a comet appeared on the night of his corona-
Most different for the peasants, however, is the tion. His twenty eight-year reign was a lightning flash
constant surveillance. The lower classes are forbidden compared to the reigns of other kings, who measure
magic. The nobility employs numerous agents to their rule in centuries. But it was a reign as fateful as
enforce this. The ubiquitous agents called kingsmen the comet portended.
(though many work for dukes, earls, and lesser nobili- Jason worked constantly to reduce the power
ty) are a primary means of enforcement. The kingsmen of the nobles' estate and to expand the scope of the
do not wear uniforms, and a baker may live next to a commoners'. He finally went too far when he mar-
butcher all his life, only to wake up and find that the ried a commoner, Siobhan of Arredenthe, and openly
butcher is a trained warrior, come with three others to encouraged passion beyond the nobility. Predcitably,
seize the baker’s wife in the middle of the night thanks Jason and Siobhan were caught in a swift coup and
to her name appearing on a list of suspected magi. A executed in the royal palace in Thyre. In the wake of
kingsman revealing himself in public causes silence, that execution, a shadow war has begun. A group call-
even in a crowd of a hundred screaming at a horse race ing itself the Axemen is working to finish what Jason
but a moment before. In most kingdoms, kingsmen started, to bring down the institution of nobility in
can seize, beat, and torture members of the lower class Thyre and, if they can, the rest of the Claw.
with almost complete impunity. A painter who inspires Some say that this shadow war is exactly what
too much joy with his paintings; two lovers in a pub Jason intended, and that he and Siobhan were happy
whose laughter and sighs are too soft and too sincere; to die for it. Others say that Jason's fellow nobles used
a free druid making a sacrifice in a by-way atelier; a Taking to remove Jason's love for Siobhan, and then
anyone could be taken without warning by a they were able to kill him with finality. Still others say
kingsman. an assassin, perhaps the Fourth Sage or Trebb Quinlan

209
of Rithaign, killed Jason. The Ceremony
The Axemen's shadow war is the most volatile
force acting in the Claw right now. The effects are be- The Ceremony is the one piece of magic that no King
ing felt far beyond Thyre; nearly all of the kingdoms denies to his subjects. A Ceremony can be enacted
of the Old Claw are dealing with some form of Axe- even by creatures who are not spellbound, and it
men activity. But there are other new ideas that could brings minor magical benefits - or detriments.
shape the years to come. Each region's Ceremony is different. In Marnh,
Abolitionists. These people believe that magic people drop stones in water and observe the ripples. In
can and should be (must be!) abolished from civiliza- the Grenmarch, you plunge your hand into knotholes
tion. The King and Inquisitor of Dynn is one such in a log. Some knotholes contain only sawdust, others
believer, and it must be said that his people are in pearls, and still others are crawling with lethal slake
full-throated fury behind him. Other, less violent, beetles. You cannot know what your hand will meet
abolitionists are common among the pioneers of the until it is too late.
Windhover valley. At least two people participate in a ceremony.
Rethuid Woods. Named for the location of the The participants take turns generating a random event
scriptorium and university where the idea first became – drawing a card, throwing a stone into a pool, sip-
known, the Woods idea is that noble titles should be ping from one of a hundred shot glasses – and then
bought, fought over, or voted on rather than inherited. roleplaying a response to the event. If you threw a
Some Woodsmen even believe that the nobility should stone into a pool and the ripples formed a dragon, for
be assigned by lot. None suggest that the king should example, you could warn your fellow celebrants that
be changed. Many kings, thanks to longevity magic, the dragon symbolizes the brigand lord in the western
have ruled for so long that the idea of a change is a counties. If the stone suspends itself on the water be-
difficult one, even after Jason's beheading in Thyre. fore sinking slowly, you might advise your conversa-
Deic Fleet. This movement wants to send a tion partner to be careful, like the stone, to settle into
fleet to Jakatta and conquer it for the High God. They matters rather than plunge.
contend that all activity should be focused on the No event can come up twice in a Ceremony. If
Fleet, just as after the Turn all activity was focused on you are using dice instead of cards, re-roll any repeats.
building the cathedrals. The celebrant can choose to take his result at any time,
Romantics. This movement has been the most or he can pass over the current omen. As soon as one
secretive so far. There are many rumors as to its pur- participant takes an omen, however, the other partici-
pose, but it seems clear enough that it wants to win pant must accept the next omen that he draws.
the power of love, fear, and other inspirations for the Some ceremonies are harsh, with little chance
masses. It may be simply another name for the Axe- of a positive benefit. Yet they survive. Their people
men. are proud of them, see them as a test of honor, and use
Windhover pioneers. In the last one hundred them as a way to measure another man’s willingness
years, with the improvement of both engineering and to sacrifice himself.
magic, Thyre and Oryn-ja have been able to maintain No matter the results, a man cannot participate
the Free Road and keep it open, at least in the summer in a ceremony more than twice per season.
months. This in turn has led to settlements in the
Windhover valley. The pioneers of this frontier-settle-
ment movement share distaste for the Kingdoms and
a desire to strike out independently, casting aside the
idea that a man needs a king to protect him from wild
magic.

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In the descriptions that follow, "Spellbound density" twin rivers, the Diamond and the Mantis, and its long
refers to the number of spellbound creatures likely in coastline. The rivers flow southward through temper-
the region when a high spell is cast. ate forest highlands giving way to tropical jungle
lowlands.
Surveillance. King Ephraim brooks no chal-
Marnh lenge or pretense of freedom on the part of the peas-
antry.
King: Ephraim IV, House Ipres In the jungle-clearings where the stupa and
Doom: 4 (5 in Queensport, 12 in Dresgilioch) stone towers rise, or in the low coastal villages where
Capital: Dresgilioch fisheries and dock houses sprawl, the one constant
Economy: Average, with strong sea (all sea-related of life is the lottery. Conducted by House Ipres, the
objects, including troops such as sailors, are obtainable lotteries inspire a fear known as far as Dynn.
at one wealth level lower than usual) In a Marnh lottery, all of the commoners gather
Spellbound density: 3 countryside, 5 town, 7-20 city. in the village or town center. Sometimes a local baron,
Culture: Royal: Anyone whose childhood is spent in sometimes a bishop, and sometimes a peasant honored
Marnh gains 2 skill points to be spent on a sea-related as the Peasant King masters the ceremony. The details
skill. vary: the pick could be a true lottery, by tiles drawn
Royal: All naval organizations of Marnh in- from a box. Other times, the master of the ceremony
crease their force score by 2. simply chooses someone. The “winner” of the lottery
Queensport: Anyone who does not have at is usually a man or woman with a family, as this is
least one History relating to the sea or to the Univer- considered to have the benefit of instructing everyone
sity cannot use Mood for History or skill rolls. in the family.
Military: There are 6 duchies with one WL 17 army The lottery winners' first prize is relocation.
and one WL 19 navy each. There are also two royal The kingsmen explain that there are camps and vil-
navies, each WL 20. lages maintained in the northern forests and western
Symbol: Cutlass and crozier crossed over sea waves jungles. In these villages, the lottery winners serve
Ceremony: Stones in the Sea the king merely by enjoying themselves, drinking the
Organizations of note: House Ipres - noble house - F king's wine and eating his venison. While the winners
14, S 8, A 11, E 6, scope 14. are so doing, the king's wizards work day and night
House Leir - noble house, ancient allies of in the villages, examining every memory the winners
Ipres - F 6, S 13, A 10, E 9, scope 9. ever have had. The wizards search the winners' minds
Drum Tide Argosy - seafaring trading company for evidence of betrayal or free thinking, not just in
- F 7, S 10, A 6, E 12, scope 10. the winner, but in anything that he may have seen in
Angel Scream - upstart thieves guild - F 2, S 8, all his years back in his home village. Lovers have no
A 4, E 4, scope 3. choice but to betray themselves and their lover; engi-
Vine and Wave Expeditionary Force - kings- neers cannot help but give up their plans. Of course,
men secret police - F 8, S 8, A 7, E 7, scope 7. if the winners have nothing to hide, there is nothing
at all painful about the memory-search process. The
Jungles and seas define Marnh. It is one of the kingsmen are very clear on that point when explaining
great powers of the world, along with Azenahal, Akra, the process to the commoners.
and perhaps Thyre. Its strengths are its naval power, Most winners - called "explorers" by the kings-
its sea-trading network, its mastery of the Dramba and men - never return home. Ostensibly this is because of
Elemental Maelstrom magic schools, and its Univer- a fear of reprisal. Once in a while, a few explorers do
sity. The University at Queensport is rivalled only by return home, but whether these are the same people or
that of Thyre. changelings is fiercely, but extremely secretively,
Geographically, Marnh is dominated the the debated.

212
 In addition to the lottery and the terror it in- ing, and Azenahal is a rival in alchemical study, the
spires, House Ipres and the other noble houses main- University at Queensport is the equal of all and mas-
tain the usual network of kingsmen, informants, and tered by none. The university libraries and archives
diviner wizards. Dramba houngan using Switch are a hive of intrigue. More bodies turn up in the
Bodies, Loa Walk, Magic Jar, and Transposition are University than anywhere else, as noble houses and
particularly effective. magic orders employ agents to live here year-round
University at Queensport. Formal education and plumb the halls’ secrets. The Museum of St. Jhess’
is not as strictly enforced as it is in most of the rest Rock dazzles paying visitors with its selection of trea-
of the west. Some say King Ephraim doesn’t educate sures from every part of the known world (entrance is
the youth because he relishes punishing the adults for only open to patrons at wealth level 3 or higher).
transgressions they never knew were wrong. The Shadows and Sparrows. This is a theater,
Perhaps ironically, the non-compulsory nature tavern, and night club. The Shadows are the mirages
of early education has led to the development of the and illusions created by spellsmiths to entertain. The
best academic university in the Claw. While Thyre Sparrows are the typically female singers that the tav-
challenges in aeronautical and submersible engineer- ern is famous for. On any given night, patrons might

213
find a play involving a smuggler trying to smuggle his few eyes, a dutiful crown princess, set to take over the
bride out of Dynn; hear a vocal recital of the classic crown. In private, she is a desperate, tough, but very
Azenahal elegies; or join in dancing to the violins, scared young woman. Ephraim’s younger son, with
roundly acknowledged to be superior to those of Marta, is named Antonin. Grace is sure that he and his
Rithaign. father are scheming to remove her. Never one to let
The proprietor is Buckminster Silk, a nine- matters fall to chance, and also never one to turn down
blood standing well over six feet tall and built like a bit of the wild side, Grace has started the Angel
an inverted Jakattan ziggurat. Despite his imposing Scream. Its primary goal is to keep her alive, by any
physique, Buck is amiable and friendly to student and means necessary. Its secondary goal is to discover who
kingsman alike. There are rumors that he is an aboli- her father is.
tionist, but those may be wishful thinking among the Ceremony. The ceremony in Marnh is called
increasingly wild students. Stones in the Sea. Celebrants take turns dropping
The Shadows and Sparrows only lets in people stones into water and observing the ripples.
at wealth level 3 and above. Bribes or an argument is Adventure seeds. One: The Museum at St.
the only way in otherwise! Jhess’s Rock has had a break-in. The thief took an am-
Grace Shalloch’s Angel Scream. The Angel ulet worn by the first Queen of Marnh and Queensport,
Scream is a thieves guild in Dresgilioch. It is fairly Helen Rilokithera, called Helen the Grey-Eyed. The
new, and not an especially powerful organization amulet is not spellbound, but it does have an inscrip-
(scope 7, efficiency 4, F 3, A 4, S 6). It is notable tion about her great grand-daughter, the current queen.
for two reasons. One, Grace Shalloch is the daugh- There is panic in the capital about just what it might
ter of the Queen, Ephraim’s wife Marta. She is not say, especially given the situation with Grace Shal-
Ephraim’s daughter, however, and Ephraim knows loch. The Angel Scream contacts the PCs and enlists
this. The public does not and believes Grace to be their aid, desperate to recover the amulet before any of
Ephraim's daughter. Grace Shalloch is, to all but a the more powerful factions can.

Stones in the Sea Ceremony

Card Die Ceremony Omen Interpretation
(no ace) Roll
J 1 The stone combusts like a me- Your fate is burning. Your Heart score is halved for the
teor and vaporizes in mid-air. next week.
2 2 The stone rests on top of the You fail every Quickness roll for the next day unless
water for three heartbeats be- you use an Inspiration or Mood.
fore sinking slowly.
3 3 The stone is snatched mid-air Your highest Quality item falls into the possession of a
by a jumping fish. stranger.
4-6 4-6 Ripples form in the shape of a You lose one point from an Inspiration.
crown.
7-10 7-10 Ripples form the shape of a Your next journey will be safe.
ship.
Q 11 Ripples form the shape of a The next time you use an Inspiration, your Heart die
dragon. explodes twice rather than once.
K 12 Water shoots up. Bobbing atop Look at your stone the next time you have a dilemma.
the fountain is your stone, WIth 90% reliability, the stone has written on it the
bearing indecipherable writing. answer to the dilemma. The writing fades away after
that, never to return.

214
 don't trust him, he's got a fishy jib"; "Now look at her,
there's a jib I'd ride from here to East Fire."

Akra
King: Lucius (I), House Anfield
Doom: 5 (3 in Rithaign, 6 in East Fire, 9 in Hessek)
Capital: Hessek
Economy: In the East, strong textile and smithing (-1
wealth level to fashion and armor, though not weapons
due to various kingsmen machinations and regula-
tions). In the West, poor (+1 wealth level to all items).
Spellbound density: 4 countryside, 6 town, 7-15 city.
Culture: Royal: Beauty is fleeting, shallow, cheap,
and hateful. Anyone with an Inspiration valuing
beauty or art has his maximum Mood lowered by 1
while in the kingdom.
Royal: Beauty, especially in art, is the high-
est, most noble pursuit possible in this life. Anyone
who does not have a skill valuing beauty or art has his
Mood lowered by 1 while in the kingdom.
Another one: Dennis Hage, a lottery winner in (Yes, the two royal culture lines are self-
Dresgilioch, panicked and fled after he was chosen. contradictory. Lucius has intentionally established a
The kingsmen have tracked this reluctant explorer to culture that drives people to practice skills in which
the PCs’ location and decided that the PCs will do. If they find no Inspiration, probably because he is mad,
they don’t find Hage, the PCs are the new winners of sadistic, or both.
the lottery. Led by Jaspar Kreech, a master of Hearts Rithaign: Rithites love adventure. Anyone who
and Language of Stars, the kingsmen kick back and has completed what can be considered "an adventure"
drink pineapple ale on a sun-drenched porch while the boosts all existing positive reputations by 1 while in
PCs sweat, trying to find the true lottery winner. the city.
Local flavor at the table. If your game is set Military: There are eight duchies, five of which field
in Marnh, you want it to feel like it's in Marnh. First, a WL 19 army and a WL 16 navy. There is also a royal
the nautical theme is everywhere. The Diamond and army and navy, each WL 20. The remaining three
Mantis rivers dominate the interior of the kingdom, duchies in the wesetern hinterlands are impoverished
and the sea dominates the south. To get this across to and field WL 10 armies.
your characters, perhaps make all the NPCs former Symbol: Fragments of a stained glass rose
sailors or shipwrights or fishermen, half of them with Ceremony: Petals and wine
hookhands, peglegs, and brightly colored cane pants. Organizations of note: House Anfield – ruling noble
Every meal should be seafood, and the smell of the house - F 16, S 9, A 14, E 6, scope 16.
air - freshwater or saltwater - should tell the PC if he's House Tumenant, the queen's noble house in
near a river or near the coast. Rithaign, favored by house Anfield for a millenia - F
The language is called Marnhate and spoken 14, S 11, A 10, E 9, scope 14.
with a brogue. Local jargon includes "spellropes" for The Dryght - arcane order used as secret police
spellstalks, "haul" and "hoist" for any type of push or - F 7, S 13, A 18, E 8, scope 12.
pull or carry, and one's "jib" for anything about a per- Rithaign Factors, Insurers, and Beggars -
son: "Got a guano volcano in his jib, that one does"; "I thieves guild - F 6, S 14, A 9, scope 10.

215
 Cutters Guild - thieves guild - F 8, S 11, A 6, has many blessings. The deep harbor in Rithaign on
scope 7. the most important body of water in the word; an eas-
Orchids of Hessek - trading company - F 8, S ily defended capital atop a tepui; the Harvest road and
6, A 7, E 11, scope 12. the Grand Hilt Bay for trade with the north; the Two
Kings’ Road for trade with Marnh to the south; and
Akra is one of the most powerful kingdoms in badlands and forests in the west and south that conceal
the Claw. Only Marnh, Azenahal, and perhaps Thyre entire villages that are little more than experimental
rival it. Lucius I has ruled with an army of kingsmen laboratories for the Dryght.
and the Dryght, his school of wizards, since the Age of Surveillance. Akra has a two-tiered surveil-
Cartonnage. For the last five hundred years, he has lance organization. The first tier is overt. Actively so,
been sealed in an ornate box pulsing with the spells it attempts to be one of the most obvious displays of
that sustain him. The box is a wicked sieve, trapping royal power in the Claw. Uniformed kingsmen march
life but straining out all vigor. Lucius speaks through regular routes along city streets and all along country
a gilded grating in a hoarse whisper and cannot, most roads. Zeppelins bristling with archers patrol the city
think, ever again leave his hermitage. The box, bejew- skies. Dryght Listeners to the Language of Stars make
eled and elaborately re-decorated on the occasion of a spectacle of themselves in villages, riding in and
the new year, recalls the Age of Cartonnage, especially casting Seek Spellbound in the village square.
when Lucius, inside, levitates across his throne room The second tier is covert. It consists of rogues
to blast a petitioner into smoking black paste. and wizards specializing in Battlecraft and Language
Physically and geographically, the kingdom of Stars. These people go to great lengths to remain

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undetected, and some may go for years undercover trend (1 higher quality than normal for all these items
before taking any action on behalf of the Dryght or the while the trend lasts).
king. Guide to Rithaign. Rithaign makes an excellent
The Dryght. Wizards from the king's personal starter city. The king's attention is constantly drawn to
school constantly pry into the minds of randomly ab- East Fire, that eternal bauble in Akran-Nahalite con-
ducted peasants to intimidate, enthrall, or torture them. flicts. The Axemen's uprising has only further distract-
Often the wizards are seeking no particular informa- ed the king. Rithaign is more free than it has been in a
tion, but they are happy to act on anything incriminat- millenia.
ing. Dream projectors have been very helpful in the Mechanically, all this has helped put Rithaign's
Dryght's interrogations. Doom at 3, which is quite conducive to a budding
The archmage of the order is Isabella Raixe. adventuring career.
She sets a cruel standard of behavior for the order. Rithaign has approximately 100,000 people,
Many Dryght work covertly, but many also compressed to a hideous density within the city walls.
work openly. These obvious Dryght wizards and The ports and gates are constantly busy, but the harbor
witches take a haughty pride in flaunting their identity chain, river chain, and gate portcullises come down at
and status while dressed in gold robes, usually with dusk every evening. The city entrances open again at
intricate headdresses that trail off down the back into dawn. Only characters of Wealth Level 2 or higher
strings of charms. may enter the city; others must pay a 100 gold "good
School and family. Family life in Akra revolves faith deposit" that is nearly impossible to ever recover
around work. Education is compulsory for children (Charisma or Efficiency vs. Doom + 5). To bring
until the age of twelve, though many try to escape it weapons or armor into the city, a character must be
either because they need to help at home or because Wealth Level 5 or higher. Base commoners are simply
their families cannot bear to see the love and hope not allowed that privilege, although they can be spon-
beaten out of them. sored by anyone with a sufficiently high Wealth Level
That is the goal of the schools: to train the stu- (5, as above).
dents in restraint, to teach them the dangers of magic 1. Old City walls. These are ten to twenty feet
and love. Whippings, holiday mutilations, and perhaps thick at the base. They mark the old boundaries of the
one mortality per term, often at the hands of the kings- city, at a time just before the Turn. Now, the Dryght
men or the Dryght, are normal in an Akran school. use them as a means to patrol through the city without
Beauty. Akrans fancy themselves the arbiters mingling with the peasants. Only a Dryght wizard or
of beauty for the entire Claw, yet it is considered silly, his acolyte may enter the walls, on pain of death. Con-
wrong, and sometimes downright evil to actually feel sequently, the exact nature of the interior of the old
inspired by Beauty. How can one find meaning in city walls remains a mystery.
beauty, when there is so much misery in the world? 2. New City walls. The New City walls are
Yet the galleris, most underground, do great looped for cannon and ballista. Unlike the old city
business, and the noble whose house is not filled with walls, they are patrolled by the watch, not the Dryght.
beautiful objects is considered, at best, a war ape who Consequently they are far more porous, and rumors
has learned to not make messes in the house. abound of entire communities of street people living in
Fashion. The fashion of Akra, and especially the walls, especially near the Meander.
Rithaign, is elaborate. Tri-corner hats, perukes, vel- 3. River chain. A vessel trying to sail across the
vet brocade breeches with ruffled tails borne up by river chain is stopped and takes a d20 attack for 3
butlers, manticore wing-bone corsets and basques as quality damage. The chain itself is defense 12 and
outerwear, and satin gowns with a twenty-five foot quality 14. Breaking the chain in a siege is very dif-
circumference (and what may seem an equal measure ficult; breaking the humans that control it is probably a
of decolletage) are the norm. Pineapple snuff from much easier alternative. The watch can raise the
Queensport and sun plate from Jakatta are also on chain to bar the river in four rounds; they can drop it

217
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in two. remembers nothing before she woke up in the harbor
4. River gate. The watch contingent stationed of far Oryn-ja. Every year on St. Jhess’s Day, she cuts
at this gate is captained by Gareth Mintar (Warrior 5/ off her antlers and gives them to whoever can stand on
Noble 3). Gareth hates trolls and is proud of it; he the Bat’s lower porch rail and down the most shots of
doesn’t trust anything that can heal a bullet wound Dynn nightgut without falling off into the river.
faster than he can eat his porridge. He also suspects 6. Ferries. Some days, according to the Duke’s
that anyone entering the gate is a troll in disguise, and whims, there is a toll to cross the bridge. Those that
often threatens to cut off thumbs to test his theory. His don’t wish to pay it can always take the ferries across.
weakness is war stories. Anyone who can tell him a Larger ferries that also dock here sail across the hilt
stirring war story (increase the social attack's die size to East Fire, taking a day or more to make the journey
by two if the story's villains are trolls) can ask almost into the Burning Bauble’s harbor.
any favor of Gareth. 7. Docks. The harbormaster of Rithaign is the
5. Bridge of Rithaign. The bridge is the heart Duke’s nephew, Marius Nentarsce (Noble 8, werelord
of the city. There is little in the Claw that cannot be (rat)). Though Duke Raoul has no idea, Marius is sym-
found here: pineapples and mangoes from Queensport, pathetic in part to the Axemen (mostly the part where
sun plate from Zocith, spice from Surcyre, silk and he makes heaps of gold by allowing their smuggling).
steel from Oryn-ja. Thus the Rithaign port is open to all manner of black
The Bat Bar is a tavern that hangs underneath market activity, amplifying the element of subversion
the bridge, with glass floors to observe the boats that in a city that already passes beneath the king’s eye.
pass underneath. The Bat is dark and sooty because 8. Odren Square. The city slopes uphill from
of the fallout from the traffic above, but it attracts a the bridge to Odren Square, gaining perhaps 500 feet
loyal following. The owner goes by Gretchen (Rogue along the Processional, which continues over the
3/Engineer 1); she is a first-generation Seradynn who summit at Odren Square and then down to the South

219
Gate. Odren Square is the second busiest section of the chants and Treb Quinlan (Assassin 14) of the Cutters
city after the Bridge. It is the legal and noble mind of meet.
the city, whose regulars look down, literally, upon the 10. River chain house. This is the guardhouse
business conducted at the Bridge. There are parks and that controls access to the river chain. There are typi-
fountains here, most dedicated to generals who have cally a dozen watchmen here at any time, as they also
died fighting in East Fire. Odren Square is also the site sleep here and use it as a base for their patrols. There
of the summer Academy violin concerts. is a roughly 50% chance of encountering a Dryght
9. Grey Manor. Grey Manor is a chateau in the wizard here also.
heart of the very fashionable Winter Hill neighbor- 11. Mills. The mills of Rithaign are not grain
hood. It is also a safe house for the Cutters guild. The mills, although they could be converted to that pur-
Cutters are one of two major thieves guilds operating pose (and probably have been used as such at times in
in Rithaign. The Cutters and the Merchants Below the past). Instead, they are used to power the bellows,
(as the shadow arm of the Rithaign Factors, Insurers, gears, and pulley systems of the various engineering
and Beggars Guild is known) signed a treaty in 1585. laboratories set up along the river.
The Cutters took everything west of the Processional, 12. Dryght tower. The Dryght use this tower
and the Merchants Below took everything to the east. for two purposes. First, to survey the southern half of
Carved into the back of the violin of each guild boss, the city and monitor the populace. There are zeppelin
that agreement expires this year. The world below in docks near the top of the tower, and airships heavy
Rithaign is on edge. The Axemen's shadow war com- with crossbowmen and wizards often depart to drift
plicates matters, and everyone has a different opinion over the city and watch for trouble. On holidays,
about what should happen when guild bosses Ginny there are as many as ten zeppelins floating in and out
“Wheellock” Siddal (Rogue 12/Witch 4) of the Mer- of the tower’s docks. Second, the Dryght use the tower

Petals and Wine Ceremony

Card Die Omen Interpretation
(no ace) Roll
J 1 An eyeball surfaces in the A noble has fixed his eye on you and devleoped a
wine. hatred.
2 2 The rose petals turn the wine Your passions fail you. Instead of the maximizing the
into water. result, using Mood on a die roll gives you a result of 4.
This lasts for two nights.
3 3 Your wine glass cracks and You take 2 Strength and Reason damage.
begins to drip.
4-6 4-6 Rose petals crumble to dust. You lose one Wealth level.
7-10 7-10 A bee lands on the rose. You recover 3 Mood (this has no effect if you are at
full Mood).
Q 11 Wine catches fire. A person or You learn one secret about a rival. You choose the topic
place is visible in the flames. (arcane, martial, shadow, social) but not the specific
secret.
K 12 Wine freezes, then shatters. In You can re-write your Inspirations completely, spend-
each frozen shard is a different ing up to your full normal Heart value on them, as at
view of a rose. character creation.

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to elevate themselves away from the masses in order open taverns, and hitching a ride on a stay-line dan-
to reduce the number of spellbound that may inter- gling from a zeppelin.
fere with their spells. As much as they would like to Another one: The two thieves guilds in the city
claim otherwise, there are many rogue spellbound in want to preserve the peace, but neither wants to lose
Rithaign. face. They hire the PCs to build up a straw man enemy
13. King’s Mausoleum. This was the site of the - the fabled Shadow Golem long sought by the Dryght
worst undead rising since the Age of Cartonnage - for the guilds to unite against and fight. But when the
swarms in Muda-Tarsk. There is a former king of Valte straw man turns out to be real, and the Dryght show up
Riel buried in a mausoleum here, and many suspect to claim the Shadow Golem spell, the PCs are caught
that is what led to the magic disaster. In 1499, zom- between three guilds and a mad golem.
bies, skeletons, and ghouls climbed up out of their Local flavor at the table. To let your players
graves at dawn. Some of the reanimated were corpses know that the game is in Akra, emphasize fashion,
hundreds of years old. How they escaped decay is only the constant smell of pineapple snuff, the haze of wig
one more of the mysteries of the rising. Following the powder when they enter an upper class establishment,
path of least resistance, the undead flowed downhill to and the many art galleries in the street. Perhaps an
the docks, spilled out into the harbor, and crossed over artist develops a fixation on a PC, and he constantly
into the Old City as they pursued fleeing sailors and sketches her whether she consents to be his model or
stevedores. Their hunger was insatiable, and over the not. Perhaps a noble fixates on a PC, and demands that
course of the morning they were drawn uphill as the she model for him. All the food in Rithaign is covered
human population withdrew. The undead were met by in sauce, but the sauces are delicious.
a line of watchmen and Dryght wizards halfway up the The language is Akran, and it is spoken with
hill to Odren Square. The wizards burned the undead nasal tones and a lot of scornful sniffs. Jargon includes
to the ground, but not without some losses. A statue "bloody" and "trolly," meaning cheap, trivial, easily
stands at the edge of the Odren Square to comemorate replaced. This last is a racist pejorative that has great
the battle. Various Low God cults have been trying to currency at the moment, even among humans who
duplicate the reanimation ever since. have many friends who are trolls, and even among the
14-17. These gates are similar to the river gate, trolls themselves.
although they are not staffed by anyone as colorful
as Sergeant Mintar. The watch chiefs are, in order
of keyed location on the map, Hans Renton (Noble 3), Thyre
Aubrey Gofirth (Noble 5/Engineer 3), Estrellita Vaya
Requistes de Contrador (Noble 6/Rog 4), and Stephen King: None (formerly Jason II, House Rohn)
Rutt (Rog 5). Doom: 4
Ceremony. The ceremony in Akra is called pet- Capital: Thyre
als and wine. The celebrants take turns pulling a petal Economy: The economy is under siege from the
from a rose, toasting the destruction of beauty, and shadow war. There is normally a strong engineering
sipping the wine. sector. (All items except engineering at +1 Wealth
Adventure seeds. A Dryght wizard wants to Level; engineering items at normal Wealth Level.)
defect. He asks the PCs to escort him from the Dryght Spellbound density: 2 countryside, 4 town, 5-10 city.
tower to the ferries under the City Bridge. At midnight Culture: Royal: With the current unrest, trade is
of the appointed night, the PCs meet the wizard at valued more than ever in Thyre. Any character with a
the tower and set off a grand chase through the city, trading History gains 1 extra Inspiration point, above
sprinting through closed markets, skulking through his maximum, to be assigned by the player.
Because of the unrest, there is no second Royal

221
culture line.
Thyre: Jason's last effort still stands. Anyone
who has an Inspiration involving freedom or love
increases his Heart score by 1.
Military: There are four duchies with WL 16 armies,
eight marches with WL 13 legions, and two Royal Air
Forces of WL 19.
Symbol: Coins under a zeppelin
Ceremony: World sculpting
Organizations of note: Axemen - secret society - F 9,
S 12, A 4, E 8, scope 10.
House Vorshannen - noble house, royalist - F
11, S 4, A 9, E 8, scope 8.
House Rohn - noble house, revolutionary - F 8,
S 10, A 7, E 7, scope 9.
House Eckredda - noble house, royalist - F 9, S
5, A 8, E 5, scope 7.
Drangund Pit Company - trading company, alists in Low Town and High Town, and the Church,
Axemen allies - F 5, S 8, A 7, E 10, scope 9. which has grounds and jealously enforces canon law
Free Road Amber Flag - trading company, in all three geographic districts. None of the three
Oryn-ja allies - F 8, S 4, A 8, E 10, scope 9. states trusts any other (although the Church and the
The Collared - thieves guild growing in the nobles have a history of alliance), and each is prepared
wake of misery caused by the shadow war - F 6, S 8, A to shed more blood for its cause.
4, E 6, scope 6. Traders still flock here, some despite the
near-anarchy, some because of it. Nowhere in the
North of the Rill flood plains, the icy peaks of Kingdoms are traders allowed more freedom, and thus
the Waylorns rise like a diamond wall. Set like a nowhere do they generate more wealth. The Univer-
basalt cameo against this perpetual snow-and-ice sity continues, too, and the shadow war stays largely
background is Thyre, the largest city of the north. away from it. All sides seem to value the knowledge
Thyre and Dynn dominate the northern Claw just as of the University and the goods of the trading routes
Marnh, Akra, and Azenahal dominate the south. too highly to risk their destruction.
Thyre has long prided itself on being at the Geographically, Thyre is surrounded by ob-
forefront of engineering, alchemy, and trade. It should stacles: forbidding peaks to the north, and west sav-
be no surprise then, that as the world teeters on the ages in the Fyrajj Forest to the east, and predatory
brink, Thyre was the first to go over the edge. kingdoms to the south trying to feast upon what they
Thyre is burning. Jason, the king of only three perceive as the corpse of a failed kingdom.
decades, took it upon himself to war against the in- Surveillance. The Learning Halls of Thyre are
stitution of the nobility. He and his young bride were set in caves in the Waylorns. Not to be confused with
executed for his troubles, but a secret society calling Thyre's University, the Learning Halls are mandatory
itself the Axemen has taken up his cause. They are schools for children 12 and under. The halls are cold
most powerful here in the north, and they have effec- places far from any cities or villages. Their distance
tively prevented any new king from taking power after and imposing locations are in large part intended to
Jason. Thyre is currently three intertwined but separate prevent escape. The Halls are the harshest, and argu-
states: the commoners and trade companies in Low ably most effective, schools in the Claw. The Thyrarn
Town and the Ghosts district, the nobles and their loy- nobles' philosophy is that a properly trained youth

222
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needs little monitoring as an adult. Even under Jason, cally induced wretching and sickness are used to drive
the schools continued. Most observers felt that the home the point. Then the safe foods just happen to
young King did, ultimately, recognize the need for be struck by famine and disappear from the pantry.
social order to prevent magic disasters and emotional When the kids believing themselves to be allergic do
disturbances, and he chose to mold children rather anything, including use magic, to find food that they
than torture adults. That the molding sometimes broke can safely eat, the professors seize them and flay them
the clay was unfortunate but unavoidable. publicly.
The professors of Thyre are as frigid and Small wonder that more wolf children come
uncaring as their climate. They encourage cliques from the hills of the north than anywhere else. Small
and exclusion to study social engineering among wonder that the Axemen's first uprising is here.
populations, and they use fear and threats as behavior Before that uprising, adults in Thyre were
modification tools. One example is to make an exam- monitored by different noble houses. Each noble
ple. The professors and collaborating students choose house was assigned an industry or a district and was
one girl and tell her that she is deformed, for years on responsible for the people therein. There was no secret
end. Other students stand up and leave when the cho- police force in Thyre as there is in nearly every other
sen girl sits down near them. Students are forbidden kingdom in the Claw. Instead, a paternalistic noble
to touch the chosen girl and are told to run screaming house watched every citizen assigned to it. Some
for water if they accidentally brush against her. The noble houses were more draconian than others.
chosen girl is laughed at day after day and told by Currently, the noble houses are all at war
everyone in the community how horrible she is. Then with the Axemen. It is a war fought in shadows, ris-
an agent of the professors, posing as a new student, ing when the sun sets, and after a night's clashes the
befriends the outcast girl. After years of isolation, the sun rises on bodies bleeding in the snowy streets
outcast girl has a friend. The friend offers the girl a and buildings smoldering in frigid air. This has only
way out: magic. Of course the instant that the girl ac- increased the houses' surveillance efforts. Most noble
cepts and uses the spell her friend has given her, the houses now have required "check ins" for their charg-
spell turns horribly wrong. Warts and bleeding pus- es. The least trustworthy citizens are required to sleep
tules burst on the girl’s face, and her hair falls out in in the noble house's stable under guard, and are only
shanks. The professors then put the victim in pillories allowed out to Low Town or the mines during the day.
or a standing carousel for all the other students to taunt This is a bit of closing the barn door after the horses
and mock. After that, the girl is usually a broken shell. have already left, however, as many of the nobles'
Some nobles collect these girls, but most are charges have fled beyond their reach to the Ghosts in
paraded around towns for a season, as the professors Silver district, and of those that have stayed in Low
travel and lecture. In some demesnes, the victims are and High Town, many have fallen through the cracks
used as scapegoats for natural magical disasters or due to forged death reports, lost records, or aristocratic
anything else the local noble is currently being held incompetence.
accountable for. The noble houses have been hard pressed to
Few recover. There are other similar tactics wage the shadow war and keep up with the policing.
used in Thyran schools, all in the name of teaching However, aid from the southern kingdoms is now ar-
children the dangers of magic and powerful emotions. riving daily by zeppelin, and the outcome of the Axe-
Budding romances are common targets. First men's uprising is anybody's guess.
encouraged and then sabotaged by professors, these Ghosts in Silver. This is largely Axemen terri-
mutilated relationships leave the young men and tory now.The Ghosts is the mining district of Thyre.
women with guilt, self-loathing, and the scorn of peers Built on a different mountainside than the city itself,
for having dared to love. Other kids are told that they it is reached by three gondolas, one running to High
have allergies and can only eat certain foods. Magi- Town and two to Low Town. The name arises from

224
impurities in the many silver veins shooting through the Cub are exclusively women. The owner, Tandy
the deep Thyran mines; the miners call these impuri- Dressenson nee St. Miljean, is an islander who for-
ties ghosts. merly lived in Rithaign and Steerk. She arrived in
The Ghosts district was a rowdy and unfriend- Thyre many years ago in a manner that she will not
ly place compared to cosmopolitan Lowtown. discuss. But now she is married to one of the best
The miners and engineers who lived and worked here engineers ever to come up the gondola (Locke Dres-
were a breed apart and considered themselvs a bit senson), deliriously happy, and brags of her happiness
superior to the folks on the "city mountain." Since the in daily missives to her old friends in the south. As a
Axemen's war began, however, the Ghosts has turned result, there has been a stream of northward migration
into an armed camp with many large tents. Outsiders in answer to her news, and many marriages to grizzled
are welcomed if they support the cause of freedom. miners have been the result. Tandy is bubbling over
The Mayor is Strom Redskegg (Engineer 12), and with pride at her matchmaking, and even in these
most of the Ghosts' forces are provided by trading times she is not above trying to make a match with a
companies that have rallied to the cause (secretly, of PC, or asking a PC to escort a girl from the south up to
course, not wanting to upset any of their southern aris- meet her pen-pal in the mines.
tocratic trading partners). Royal Zeppelin Hangar. The Thyran Uni-
The Shivering Cub. The Cub is the most popu- versity in High Town is, in engineering at least, the
lar public house in the Ghosts district, and its second match of the University of Queensport to the south. As
floor has become the home of the new Mayor's hastily such, their zeppelin fleet is impressive (WL 20). It is
constructed government. housed here. Recently, zeppelins from the south dock
The tenders, maids, cooks, and hostesses at here daily. They are carrying men and magic from the

225
south, meant to support the nobles in their war against
the Axemen. Because of its importance, the hangar has
been a frequent target of Axemen raids.
Palace of the Aurora. Despite House Vorshan-
nen's best efforts - and those of the other noble houses
with lesser claims on the throne - the Palace has been
proof against all intrusion since Jason's execution. The
rumor is that he cursed the place with a high spell,
making it proof against nobility. But if any Axemen
have been able to steal inside, they are keeping quiet
about it. Howls and clanks resound from the mountain
walls behind the castle at night, and the wind seems
calmer around the palace than elsewhere. PCs would
be rewarded well by any side in the war if they can
find a way into the palace.
The Old Bastion. This is the stronghold of the
Ghosts/Axemen faction in the Low City. There are
numerous secret passageways burrowing deep into
the mountain from the Old Bastion, including two that
lead to different entry points to the Vrandenmark River
before it emerges onto the surface. The commander
of the Old Bastion is Lissa Danneskjold (Warrior 5/
Rogue 5). She reports directly to Strom Redskegg.
They control only one of the two Low Town - Ghosts
gondolas, and they are currently researching ways to
protect it from the near nightly assaults. They would
also like to damage or destroy the other two gondolas. property for the duration of the war. The Griffon Ram-
If Lissa and Strom trust the PCs, they ask the heroes to pant want the PCs to retrieve the zeppelin, and if they
do this. happen to deliver to the Ghosts some materiel that the
Ceremony. The ceremony in Thyre is called company just happens to give to the PCs, so much the
World Sculpting. The celebrants take turns sculpt- better.
ing an ice or snow model of one object: the world, a Another: An old man named Jarvis Arbuthnot
sword, the Archibishop of Thyre. is convinced that the PCs are Axemen. This stops be-
Adventure seeds. It is more difficult to avoid ing a harmless joke when he hands them a map to "the
adventure in Thyre than to find it. The PCs may be biggest Axe of them all" and falls over, unconscious
asked to guard a gondola, assault a gondola, smuggle from the strain of tracking down his heroes.
letters through the districts, break into the Palace, res- Local flavor at the table. Emphasize the cold
cue a child at school, lead a skirmish, defend a cross- in Thyre. Impose Mood or other characteristic penal-
roads, steal a battle map, retrieve Jason's signet ring, ties for characters whose Wealth Level is so low that
or any of a thousand other things. Here are a couple of they cannot afford warm enough clothing. Build up the
specific seeds. atmosphere of paranoia. NPCs should constantly be
The Griffon Rampant trading company wishes sizing up the PCs, trying to judge which of the three
to remain publicly neutral in the Axemen-nobility dis- factions they support. Act out strange hand signals
pute. They need their zeppelin back, however, and it from the NPCs that may or may not be secret signs
was stuck in the royal hangar when the troubles began. testing the PCs' membership in this or that society.
Now it has been seized by House Vorshannen as state

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227
 World Sculpting Ceremony
Card Die Omen Interpretation
(no ace) Roll
J 1 Sculpture's eyes blink open. An enemy learns your greatest Inspiration.
2 2 Sculpture spontaneously melts At a random time (5% cumulative chance per day),
to a puddle. your Histories melt away - are inusable - for one day.
After they return, you are no longer affected by this
omen.
3 3 Sculpture resembles a roc and Your enemies feast on you. You grant your enemies +1
a mammoth. Mood at the start of every scene, though never to the
same enemy more than once in a month.
4-6 4-6 Sculpture resembles a boy or Your memories are clouded. Reduce all skills to d4 for
girl. the next day.
7-10 7-10 Ice and snow in the sculpture You ignore the first 5 points of cold damage from any
turn hot but do not melt. source for the next three days.
Q 11 Chipped off ice regenerates. You restore 4 Body (this has no effect if your Body is
already at its maximum).
K 12 A vein of silver dust appears in You know the direction, approximate distance to, and
the sculpture. name of a vast treasure hoard.

Other Kingdoms
Agremarck, the Sealed Kingdom to know why. As was the parents' custom when pass-
King: Last known to be John II, House Sentime ing this way, they stopped near the Sealed Kingdom to
Doom: 16? teach their children fear.
The Sealed Kingdom has been so since before "'Nothing passes through these walls. No one
the Turn. King John walled off his realm from the knows who sealed the kingdom, or when it was sealed,
world using a high spell, and no one can enter or exit. or how. You have seen men impaled like street decora-
Rumors persist, of course. Here is the rumor, tions in Azenahal. You have seen Queen Sophia
or story, or history - no one knows if it is true - that is erase her courtiers' memories of children, loves, youth
told around the campfires of the traders, when the day and leave only pain. You have heard the screams of
is done and sleep has not yet come. the sinful in Queensport, the roar of the dragons in
Rithaign, and the chants of the witch-hunting mobs in
"This is what happened in the Deep of 1504, night-cursed Dynn. But this place, this Sealed King-
when the summer lay slumped on the kingdoms like a dom, is the place that men avoid.'
dragon slain on a cave floor, and the wheat was dry in "They turned to leave. Josef was old enough to
the field. know why the kingdom must have been sealed. Kings
"There were four traders. A father, a mother, a are jealous. They do not allow interference with their
son Josef who was old enough to know that he wanted magic. This one was more successful than most in iso-
more out of the summer but not old enough to know lating himself and his subjects. That was all. But Josef
what, and a daughter Elaine, who was old enough to was not old enough to ignore it.
know that her brother was hurting but not old enough "He looked back.

228
 "And saw a paper flutter over the edge of the
wall.
"It was a scroll sheet that landed on daisies
wilting in the heat. Josef turned his horse and was
reading the message before his parents noticed his
absence.
"'What does it mean?'" he asked when his fam-
ily came to him.
"There was handwriting on the paper. It read,
'Please help me find spells. Sara Holshomb.'
"The mother caught her breath and looked
away. The father shook his head. Elaine did not read
yet, but she put her hand on her brother's arm and
played with the creases in the leather. The only sound
was the easy sweep of the wind on the dry fields.
"After some time, the father said, 'We have
miles to go, yet.'
"And the family of traders moved on. This
time, Josef did not turn back. He had learned fear.
"That is what happened in the Deep of 1604,
when the summer lay slumped on the kingdoms like a
dragon slain on a cave floor, and the sun blackened the
daisies from the center outward."

The Holy Empire of Dynn

King: Neiman Glabe, Holy Emperor of the Turn,
House Glabe
Doom: 6 The Reach is the great dream of almost all
Spiked into the mountains like a head on a Dynni, troll and human. The Reach is the great war
pike, Dynn glowers over its territory. Its walls are that will bring the Claw’s civilization across the
half iron, just like its heart. West to Muda-Tarsk run mountains and the seas, to Jakatta, to the Fallen Isle,
its lands, and south to the northern rides of decadent to the Descent and whatever may lie beyond. But
Azenahal. not just any Claw civilization – the Dynni civilization.
The Empire is defined by the Inquisition and Such a Reach by the true Claw will bring all the
the Reach. The Inquisition is almost self-explanatory. people closer to the High God. The Deic Fleet, which
The emperor and his fanatically loyal populace toler- has great support among the pious masses in other
ate no magic at all. They believe that the High God so kingdoms, is the current focus of the Glabe house.
commanded them. Traders, fixers, nobles – none are
welcome if they are spellbound or carrying any spell- The Lordship of Azenahal
bound item. In fact, any spellbound travelers are King: Vulpin Muharram, Doge of House Muhar
seized at the gates and executed in the gatehouse. Doom: 4 (6 in the Serai badlands)
Bishops conduct posthumous trials, but since the next Lush Azenahal is the unquestioned power n the
world is more important anyway, and since they are second peninsula of the Old Claw. The Serai savages
doing the High God’s work, the Dynni are not con- pay tribute from their desert to the south, and the scat-
cerned with innocent deaths at their gates. tered islands between the second and third peninsulas

229
are almost exclusively Nahalite colonies. But to the
west and north, the Doge's efforts at expansion are Windhover Valley
stymied by mighty Akra and immovable Dynn. No government
The Doge, who would in the west be called Doom: 3
king, is Vulpin Muharram. Vulpin is a hawkfaced This fertile plain was almost completely
man and a master of all known magic schools. His unpopulated by humans and trolls up until the 1400s.
familiar, a dwarf bear named Xera, is hardly a Then, as Thyre and Oryn-ja began to maintain the Free
dwarf. She is as fat as Vulpin is thin. Road, traders began to settle in the rich fields and roll-
Nahalite society worships the High God in a ing hills of the far north. The winters are not quite as
different way than in the western peninsula. The ser- harsh here as in Thyre to the west. Snows, avalanches,
vices are more numerous but shorter. Three times per and spring floods are still a danger, to be sure, but the
day, Nahalites are called upon to pray while hammer- pioneers who have settled here find those hazards pref-
ing or rapping with the knuckles a semander. If they erable to the constant surveillance in the south.
do not have a true semander with them, any nearby There are two current difficulties in the Valley.
piece of wood suffices. The use of the semander calls First, the rocs, chimerae, griffons, and manticores that
the High God to the faithful. Nahalites recognize both fly out of the Waylorns are persistent predators. Occa-
the Cardinal in Valte Riel and the Archbishop of Aze- sionally people, but more often horses, cattle, and do-
nahal as equal authorities and representatives of the mesticated mammoth are their prey. There have been
High God. rumors that the chimera are led by a beast who is at
There are a greater number of trolls here than least highly intelligent, with one troll head, one human
in the west, and society tends to be more formal in head, and one snake head. The second difficulty with
some ways and more reckless in others. The formal- life in the valley is the influx of wizards. Set free from
ity includes more etiquette at elaborate dinners; ornate the chains of the south, these wizards have caused
architecture of minarets and onion domes; labyrinthine several disasters over the recent years. The common
networks and hierarchies of friends, superiors and opinion is that something needs to be done, and boun-
inferiors;and an extremely thorough legal code that ties on free wizards have begun to be posted in general
addresses topics not often seen in the West (how a stores across the land.
husband treats his family, what time of day guildsmen
may work, the price of licenses to make clothes with The Doomholds
a hundred different dyes, and so on). The recklessness Twenty-three kings
extends to narghiles, opium, and licentiousness to a Dooms: varies (average 6)
degree that is virtually never seen outside of the canals They clutch the strongest who have the least.
and their vassal lands. Such is the situation in the Doomholds. Though
As a result of this, many consider Azenahal its kings have very small domains compared to the
decadent and about to fall. Yet it survives, and its mighty plains realms, they hold fiercely to what they
legions are as strong as its two great southern rivals, have.
Akra and Marnh. There are twenty-three separate kingdoms in
In general, you may think of Azenahal as an the stretch of steep, rounded hills west of the Rill and
Indian (in a few ways Greek) analog to the Old Claw's north of Avedine. Collectively called the Doomholds,
generally European flavor. Language is different here: these kingdoms are often too focused on internecine
shri (male) and shrimati (female) are terms of respect, strife to commit any energy to external politics.
priests are prophets, spells are rites, wizards are vi-
ziers, and fixers are guru or yogi.

230
 the occasion of his coronation three decades ago,
seems to suggest that he supports the grand ambition
of Dynn. In return, Dynn has most likely promised
funds for a war against hated Avedine.

Opana
Queen: Sophia I, House Desquin
Doom: 6
Opana has long been a queendom. Sophia has
been on her throne almost as long as Lucius in Hessek.
In that time, she has taken two husbands, who were
awarded the title Prince rather than King. Theresa
favors females : most of the marches and baronies are
vested in Marchionesses and Baronesses.
Many of these noble ladies own vast vineyards,
as Opana has been a wine-producing region for cen-
Avedine turies. Its vintages are shipped as far as Oryn-ja. The
King: Saul VI, House Regolier Amber King has visited Opana, as recently as the year
Doom: 5 1588, and there are still vast unoccupied apartments in
Bitter rival with Dunlor to the East, Avedine the palace waiting for his return.
has never reached the heights of power enjoyed by
Marnh, Akra, or even Thyre. Nonetheless, it is a power Oryn-ja
in its own right, with several scope 15 or higher orga- King: Asenkut Ragul, the August King in Amber
nizations. The most notable of these is the Crescent, an Doom: 5
order of weremagic masters. The order’s research into Oryn-ja is a culture distinct from the west. The
its strange school has brought their king much success Low Gods are still worshipped here, although they are
raiding by moonlight across the Rill and into hated worshipped in a manner far different from the mystery
Dunlor. The zoos of Priete, the capital, are the most cults in Rithaign or Dresgilioch. Most homes have a
extensive in the world so that the Crescent masters can shrine in a corner of one room or another, and in this
have the beasts for study. The most recent rumor from shrine one or two Low Gods are venerated. Because
Priete, however, claims that two of the zoos’ descent the Low Gods actually walk the Earth, it is possible
cats, augmented with witch-dusted claws, escaped. for a Low God to visit his shrine and bless the venera-
The cats’ association with a troll wolf child, an indi- tor.
rect descendant of the Archbishop of Priete, further Unfortunately, there is room for fraud because
complicates the matter. many Low Gods, in legends, take on the guise of old,
mendicant beggars. When a wizened, smiling old man
Dunlor appears at the door claiming to be the Lord of Myrrh,
King: Ramond of the Reach, House Glabe is he telling the truth? It is unthinkable to question
Doom: 6 a God. Consequently, the old man or woman is wel-
Through intricacies of marriage, the Dynn comed in and feted. As a result of this social institu-
Emperor’s cousin is now the King of Dunlor. Few tion, there are many Low Gods walking the streets and
in the Kingdoms know what to make of this, but the fields of Oryn-ja, though how many, if any, of these
number of caravels sailing across the Hilt has certainly are actually Low Gods is nearly impossible to deter-
increased. For now, it seems that the two relatives are mine.
cooperating. Ramond’s epithet, insisted by him upon Oryn-ja has maintained the Free Road with

231
Thyre, and to a lesser extent Syrbizond, for almost a Across the Waylorn mountains to the North
century now. The wealth that free trade has brought to lies the Descent. The Descent is one of the deepest
the city has inspired architecture, fashion, and music, puzzles in the Kingdoms. Its lure may be judged by
although it is all different from anything in the west. the number of scholars who have abandoned the many
Single-string instruments called neko-chi, fifteen present troubles of the Kingdoms to ponder the distant
feet long, are played by three musicians dancing and Descent. For it is there, across the vast Waylorns and
strumming the string in many places simultaneously. the Ocean-in-the-Mountains, called Kvalt, that live the
A neko-chi show is a fascinating spectacle, often most powerful savages the Kingdoms have ever seen.
performed under the stupa-like towers constructed of Only once have the savages of the Descent
redwood and basalt. swelled up into the mountains like a rising tide, threat-
The panjandrums of Oryn-ja have long sold ening to spill over and down into the Kingdoms. This
dispensations for spells. This practice is unthinkable in was in 371, and only the miracle of the soulhail, asso-
the west, but it allows a man to buy the right to cast or ciated with Saint Vartan, stopped the horde just north
carry a single spell. A dispensation is usually a WL 5 of what is now Thyre’s famed High Fort.
or higher item. There are many mysteries about the Descent
beyond the strength and quickness of its populace.
Kitaarsa Why is it warm, this forest and plains-land that lies
King: Goldry Daha past the Waylorns? In the Kingdoms, the weather
Doom: 7 grows colder as one journeys north. But once one
The Kitaarsans are born on the backs of horses, comes down out of the Waylorns, on the Descent side,
or so the legend goes. This is a riding culture, whose the weather is balmy. At least, so say the journals of
capital is a vast circular city with low walls and plenty Inverness Dugray and Chaistlin Marque, the only
of room for both horses and men. two explorers known for certain to have journeyed all
The King is the younger brother of the August the way down to the Descent and back. (Thyre’s new
King in Amber. Although technically sovereign, Kita- submersible, able to cross the Ocean-in-the-Mountains
arsa is becoming more and more a vassal of Oryn-ja. beneath its perpetual ice, may make the crossing to the
The riders are not enamored of that idea, but thus far Descent much easier in this new age.)
Oryn-ja has done nothing to antagonize them outright. Another mystery about the Descent: the sav-
Livestock are collected as tax in the spring, but no ages have never been observed to use magic. This is
more than they were previously, and the border to the unusual, as even the most primitive savage cultures
east has grown increasingly peaceful. Oryn-ja has not of the debased eastern islands always have a witch or
required Daha to swear fealty yet, but many believe houngan or spirit man. The lack of observed witches
that time cannot be far away. by Dugray, Marque, and the fallen mountain warriors
during the incursion of 371 is fascinating to many
academics.
Beyond the Claw And yet another mystery: what has happened
to the many expeditions launched to the Descent,
No other place has achieved a civilization to especially over the last five decades? The zeppelin
match the Claw. Savage villages of wattle and daub Jacenda, launched in 1597 from High Fort and carry-
dot the windy bluffs west of Opana and Marnh. They ing the Jason of Thyre's son, is only the most recent of
are few and far between, the people subsisting on thin the famous losses.
fish and mountain game, and often between the call To the east and south lie the only known
of one trade ship and the next, the village has disap- societies that are outside the Claw and not benighted.
peared. In the warm south of the Sea of Princes, the subconti-
nent island Jakatta rises in a series of bluffs and tepuis.

232
Blistering sun and the cries of a thousand different
species of iridescent birds greet the northern visi-
tor. Once a visitor has parted the twenty-foot thorned
creeper hedges and hacked through yards of steam-
slick underbrush, she finds the flowstone paths of the
Sun Goddess’s people. Living in open-air, marblepil-
lared cities with pergolas and ziggurats redolent
of heliotrope and canopy mint, these people worship
according to a different religion than that of the High
God in the Claw. They worship a sun goddess, and
they claim she lives among them, as a queen, atop the
highest tepui in central Jakatta. The veracity of this
claim is obscured by the lethal shadow of the jun-
gledwellers’ xenophobia. Dressed in sun plate and
armed with witch-dusted machetes and golden blow
guns, the Jakattan templars protect their goddess at all
costs. He hoped he was not leaving them.
There are rumors that Inverness Dugray Inside the cabin, the courtier looked up, star-
once met the Sun Goddess, but to his death he never tled. The old man was hunched over a workbench.
claimed that, or so wrote his companion Roget Spellbound? A surprise.
Thibault in his "Extempore Effusion: In Memoriam But not the biggest surprise this night.
I. D." In the Claw, there have been many arguments "You," the courtier breathed in recognition.
over the true nature of the Sun Goddess. Many in the "Me."
church believe that she is a Low God. The peasants "But we threw you into the water..."
seem to believe as the church does, and there have The boy, now a man, advanced into the cabin.
been populist stirrings to form a Deic Fleet to sail to The fire's warmth danced in him, as if heating his soul
the subcontinent and purge it. back into motion after all this time. He smelled the
In the eastern Dragon Isles, mad kingdoms maple porridge pot and hungered for warm food for
rise from the sea like embers from a fire: crackling, the first time that he could remember.
intense, and brief. The geographical isolation of each The courtier was bargaining. "Wait! My lord! I
island lures power-mad men. These mayfly kings are can give you gold. Enough gold to buy your own king-
able to quickly establish a monopoly over the magic in dom. I can give you women. Or men. I can give you
an island, freeing them from the worry of magical in- answers, and power. I can give you spells! I confess it.
terference. But something in the tyrants’ nature causes I am spellbound!"
them to overreach. Almost all such nascent kingdoms The man at the door threw a bone spike, and
never last. it pierced the courtier's shoulder. The scream was like
` music, a single rapturous note.
"Wait! I can give you your father."
His hand pushed the door open. Warm in the "I love my father." Jason paused. "I love him
snowstorm from the fire burning in the cabin, the so much. But I hate him too."
rough oak was the first man-made item he had touched The second spike pierced the courtier's heart.
in a dozen years. Except, of course, for the items he
made himself. Like the weapons he carried. Welcome to the Kingdoms. Hate what you
His pack howled in the moonlit miles of hus- love.
tled snow behind him. He knew why they were crying.

233
 Appendix One: Combat Glosses
Arrowheart General Notes
"Until you are forced ro rebal-
Arrowheart is the most common archery style ance" effects end when you are
in the Claw. It relies on range and allies to keep the forced to rebalance, whether
archer protected while providing numerous stances an opponent or your own style
and grips. forces you to rebalance. To be
Trick Shot. The environment trick is caused by specific, any maneuver whose
either you or the arrow, at any point in its flight. You name is followed by (r) forces
could shoot the arrow so that it knocked over a torch you to rebalance and ends an
onto an enemy's head and still continued on its way ongoing effect with a duration of "until you are
with a d4 attack roll. forced to rebalance." Switching styles or break-
Called Shot: Pin. The arrow shoots through ing form also forces you to rebalance, so you
the target's clothing or flesh and fastens him to an lose the effect. Also, multiple uses of "until
object. There must be something to pin the target too: forced rebalance" maneuvers do not stack.
a hitching post, a tavern wall, a cow, or something Remember page 21 lists the effects and
similar. Unlike most other Grab maneuvers, the target their meanings. In particular, remember that "1+
is considered Grabbed until he uses a Trick (environ- move" means you do 1 damage and you can
mental or otherwise) to remove the pinning arrow. move, while "1 + move target 1 area" means you
Called Shot: Head. You can't use this maneuver do 1 damage and can push your target one area.
if hit while Aiming and Breathing during the previous
round.
Anticipate. Predict your target's next maneuver Black Powder
and write it down secretly. When your target reveals
his next maneuver choice, your shot goes off. It misses
if your opponent chose a maneuver different from
Musketeer
This style combines panache with firearms. To
your prediction. On the other hand, if he did choose hear a musketeer tell it, the most important footwork
the maneuver that you predicted, your deadly shot is devoted to keeping the powder off your plume, so
goes off and attacks with a d10 for 4 damage + rebal- to speak. Two load actions are required to load. You
ance. can, of course, enter combat with one or more loaded
You can use a crossbow with Arrowheart in a wheel locks, ready to fire.
variation often called Boltheart. In the Boltheart varia- Powder Burn. This cannot be used consecu-
tion, make the following changes: tively on the same target, as blind creatures are im-
Your crossbow must be loaded before you can mune to the attack. Powder Burn uses a considerable
shoot. One action is required to load the crossbow. amount of powder; GMs are within their rights to rule
Aim and Breathe becomes Reload and Breathe, that the powder is expended after three to five Powder
0/d2, +1 damage on your next shot. Burns.
Double Shot becomes Stock Bash, d6/d6, 2 Plume and Blade. The d8 attack is for 1 dam-
damage. age; the opposed Charisma roll is for 1 Mood damage.
Mighty Pull becomes Crossbow Snipe. Your Called Shot: Head. You can't use this maneu-
next Penetrate or Anticipate shot scores a critical if the ver if hit while Aiming and Breathing in the previous
opponent rolls a 1, 2, or 3 on his defense die, regard- round.
less of what you roll on your attack die, as long as you Flash Smoke Screen. Spot checks are also at -2
hit. die size while the smoke screen persists (two rounds).

234
 Court Sword Dagger & Wine
The Old Claw nobility consider this their style, This style is designed for a quick transition
and it is the only accepted style at most tournaments. from drinking wine with your target to stabbing him
You can only use a Reputation in this style if your in the eye, or from rolling in the sheets with him to
opponent is one of those to whom your Reputation rolling him into his grave. To put it another way, once
applies. For example, if you have Reputation 7 Feared you have the information, you fade into the shadows,
and hated by the peasants of Marnh, that does you no there's a flash of blade, and your work is done. None-
good when fighting a peasant of Azenahal or a savage theless, complications do arise, and so this has become
from the Dragon Isles. a full-fledged fighting style for spies, courtesans, and
Pose. At the time you strike the pose, you anyone else who expects to be fighting in bedcham-
choose whether or not your bonus Reputation die bers and porticos with a glass of wine in one hand and
applies to attack or defense in the coming rounds. A a dagger in the other.
second Pose does not stack with the first, but it does Its roots being what they are, however, this
allow you to switch your bonus from attack to defense style suffers against armor of superior quality. Its
or vice versa. popularity despite this shortcoming is a testament to
Satirical Portrayal. You mock the combat style, its overall effectiveness and the enduring appeal of the
demeanor, and comportment of one audience member. Duck and Slip maneuver.
You must know the audience member well enough to Stunning Secret. You must know and com-
make your caricature tell. The "audience" need not municate a secret to the target; the GM judges if it is
be staid; it can be anyone able to see you, including stunning. Any given secret may only be used this way
other combatants. The "audience" does not include the once.
person you are attacking, as his view is too close to Intimations. This also requires a secret, and
understand fully what you are doing. The Reputation the secret must pertain to the Inspiration you seek to
damage occurs only if someone from a relevant group block.
is there to witness the satire. Tangled cloak. The entangling attack requires
Riposte. If more than one enemy misses you, something resembling bedsheets: a tapestry to pull
you can target your choice with the riposte. down, a carpet to pull up, a bridal train to wrap and
Demand. The ally chooses which roll the bo- trap, a cerecloth to wind. You are not grabbed next
nus applies to. round. The opponent is only grabbed for one round.
Signature Strike. The arrows are actually "two Disarming Embrace. Only a grabbed target can
way," so that you can return to this maneuver from be targeted by this maneuver.
either of the two mastery maneuvers. Duck and Slip. If an attack misses you, you
Lord's Punishment. The d8 threatens the 2 can choose another creature in your area to be targeted
damage; the dReputation causes the Reputation dam- by the attack. The attacker rolls the same attack die
age. As always, a member of the group with whom the against the new target, dealing the usual damage if he
Reputation is to apply must be present. hits. You may also choose for the attack to target an
object instead of another creature. The attacker cannot
Black Powder & be the new target of the attack. Only attacks with a
physical attack die can be ducked and slipped.
Crimson Blade
Backstab and Spine Shot. The 3 damage shot is
ranged, the 2 damage stab is not.
Called Shot to the Head. You cannot use this
maneuver if you were hit while Bracing and Aiming in
the previous round.

235
 Five Seasons Free Sword
No fighting style emphasizes the mind and Free Sword is the most common fighting style
the soul as much as Five Seasons does. Learning Free in the Claw, versatile and effective.
Sword or Great Weapon or Arrowheart, the young Dodge and Feint. At the time you dodge and
warrior practices move after combat move, learns feint, you choose whether or not your bonus applies
footwork, strengthens his body, hones his quickness. to attack or defense in the coming rounds. A second
The Five Seasons novice does those things, too, but dodge and feint does not stack with the first, but it
he is equally likely to train by drinking ixsinthe with does allow you to switch your bonus from attack to
his grandfather, listening to the music in the cold snow defense or vice versa. The bonus begins to apply the
outside an abandoned concert hall for a day and a round after you dodge and feint. As always, the bonus
night, or attempting to walk across rice paper without cannot grant an attack where none existed before; 0
tearing it. As such, any fighter using the Five Seasons attack does not increase to d2 attack.
style gains a bonus Reason defense die whenever any- Whirlwind. You may not attack the same target
one attacks his Mood. more than once.
Stunning Fist. The hit target can still fight next Counterstrike. Again, there is only one attack
round, but he is barely holding on to his style. He can't per foe. If fewer than 5 people attack you, then the
leave the area; his mind and legs are too wobbly. extra attacks are wasted.
Meditation on Fleeting Summer. The bonus Spin. As always, the bonus damage applies to
move does not stack with other moves. That is, if you each attack next round. Whirlwind, then, does 3 points
execute a maneuver next round that includes a move, of damage to each foe following a Spin, Counterstrike
you do not receive two moves. the same.
Sere Pressure Point. You choose which column Ranieri's Attack. This attack's sure-footed
or row to remove. The lockout lasts until your oppo- stance grants the bonus defense die against any at-
nent uses a Trick to roll his Strength against yours and tack or environmental factor, physical or magical, that
wins the roll. causes you to move, rebalance, fall, trip, slip, be swept
Fists Like Sobs of Autumn. As always, the away, etc. To be clear, the bonus die is also to be rolled
damage listed is per strike, so if you hit with both fists, on any check you make against such effects, whether
the damage will be 4 + 2 Str. or not the effect is described as an attack.
Blizzard Mind. The extra d8 attack next round Eviscerate. As always, the damage listed is for
does damage equal to the maneuver's normal d8 at- each attack, so that if both attacks hit the total damage
tack, or 1 damage if the maneuver does not have a d8 is 6 + 2 Str + 2 Qck.
attack. There is a common variation of Free Sword
Inner Life Flashback. Your life flashes before named Free Shield or, colloquially, Free Board. This
you, and you focus on one particular scene that gives variation first replaces Dodge and Feint with Block, 0/
you insight into your current travail. You can only do d10, with the same bonus but removing the offensive
this effectively once per scene. option, that is, you can only gain a +1 bonus to de-
fense die sizes until you rebalance. Second, the varia-
tion replaces Driving Cut (r) with Shield Drive (2r),
d8/d8, 1 + move target 1 area. If you hit initially with
Shield Drive, you may move with your target and then
attempt to use it again in the following round on the
same target. After that, you must rebalance. Finally,
Free Shield upgrades Counterstrike's defense to d8/d6
while leaving the maneuver unchanged otherwise.

236
 Great Weapon stance grants the bonus defense die against any at-
Great weapon leverages the power of a two- tack or environmental factor, physical or magical, that
handed weapon. Not mobile, the style seeks to make causes you to move, rebalance, fall, trip, slip, be swept
up for it in raw force. away, etc. To be clear, the bonus die is also to be rolled
Argenwald's Stance. You decide each round on any check you make against such effects, whether
whether to use your Strength bonus die for your attack or not the effect is described as an attack.
or defense roll. It does not grant an additional attack; Escort. You can move while granting one ally
it is simply a bonus die. Roll it along with your normal the use of your defense die (d8) as a bonus defense
attack or defense dice and take the single highest re- die. This maneuver does not grant a move to your ally;
sult. You can use it for attack in one round and defense he must be executing a manuever of his own that al-
in the next, deciding on the spot as usual with bonus lows him to move with you.
dice, even after seeing the results of the unmodified Bodyguard. As Escort, this does not grant a
roll. You cannot use the bonus die for anything other move to your ally. He must be executing a manuever
than a physical defense or attack. of his own that allows him to move with you.
Maim. Normally a character rolls Strength vs. Bull Rush Assault. If you move with your
the Doom after a fight to have a chance at recovering target after hitting the first time, you can use a bull
some of the damage. Maim prevents that and any other rush assault on the same target again in the next round.
form of accelerated healing, whether magical or from After that, you must rebalance.
a fixer. Only time (1 body/week) or a scar (p. 30) heal Repel. You keep the rabble from entering your
this wound. area. You can only make attacks against people try-
Pin. The target is grabbed next round, but un- ing to enter your area during this round; if there are
like the basic Grab maneuver, you are not grabbed. none such, you make no attacks. Those who are hit are
The grab lasts only for a round, and it cannot, in gen- denied entry and return to the area they left this round.
eral, be repeated because it can only target someone There is a variation called Rescue Artist that
who is tripped. replaces Repel with Rescue. This is the same as Body-
Cleaving Crescent Swing and Sweep. You can guard but does grant a move to your ally. Rescue is not
only attack each target once with a Crescent Swing or a rebalance maneuver, and if you have the gear (grap-
a Sweep. pling hook and line, cargo net with crane and winch,
Interpose Weapon. You and your ally must be whip, etc.), it functions at range.
in the same area. You can use your Strength bonus die
from Argenwald's Stance with your defense roll here,
further benefiting your friend.
Long Arm
Keep at bay The target is not shoved out of the Long Arm style capitalizes on the reach of the
area, but your great weapon holds him further than spear. It is popular among witch-hunters who want to
arm's length away. If you hit, he cannot get into a posi- keep their distance from spellbound creatures.
tion to make a melee attack against you next round. Scorpion Stance. The bonus only applies if the
target of your maneuver is outside your current area.
Guardsman spear.
Javelin Throw. You throw a javelin, not your

Guardsman is one of the nobles' most valued Repelling Wind. This targets any creature (six
styles. Not that they deign to learn it (everything is in- maximum) who attempts to enter your area this round.
ferior to the elegance of Court Sword), but they value Pin. If hit, the target cannot move next round.
it for the protection it affords. It is rare to encounter a The target is under no other restrictions (he need not
high-ranking noble's champion who does not know the rebalance, etc.).
Guardsman style. Meteor tip. The move occurs regardless of
Rampart Defense. This maneuver's sure-footed whether or not either strike hits. The move is optional.

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 Mounted Parapet Defense
The basic maneuvers in the lower right are dif- This is the ancient style of castle defenders,
ferent for Mounted style. Use them for a skilled rider often claimed by scholars to be the reason that castles
fighting out of style from horseback. are still largely proof against sieging armies with magi
When you're mounted, any attack that forces support. The fighter weaves his weapon in patterns
you to rebalance may also unhorse you. Make a ride that are themselves magical. This raises the fighter's
check against the Doom to stay on your mount. A ride magic defenses, but it also makes him spellbound until
check is like any other skill check: roll your relevant he breaks style.
characteristic die (in this case, either Strength or Heart Pattern. You and your allies must be in
Quickness) and the die of one associated history, if the same area.
you have one (in this case, a history of riding, mount- Nightwind Run. You cannot attack any target
ed combat, dressage, or something similar). If either more than once. The move between areas is optional.
die equals or beats the Doom, you stay on your mount. Veil. If a wizard cannot see you, he cannot tar-
Scoop or Drop. To drop an unwilling passen- get you with single-target spells. Area of effect spells
ger, win opposed Strength check. To become a pas- may still effect you.
senger against your will, the assailant needs to make a Fredegar's Gorge. Against a spellbound crea-
suitable environment trick (p. 26). ture, you do 1 point of damage and heal 1 point of
Stomp and Smash. Only the d12 Stomp attack recent damage (a Body, Mood, or characteristic point
forces the target to rebalance. The d8 weapon attack that was lost during this combat).
does 2 damage without forcing a rebalance. Devour. If your blow kills a spellbound crea-
Trample. You cannot attack any target more ture, you gain that creature's Magic die as a bonus die
than once. on all your rolls next round.
Overrun. The move is not optional. Steadfast Defense. See Free Sword Ranieri's
Attack.

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 There is a variation called Parapet Disrupt that Spectacular Strike. You gain the Mood bo-
replaces Storm of Arrows with Disrupting Shot, d8/d6, nus to allies if both the environmental trick and the
2 + re-cast. d8 strike are successful. Usually, but not always, the
strike and the trick are related.
Savage Acrobatic Charge. The move is required.
Death from Above. You must have some alti-
The savages of the Fyrajj forest and the Kvalt tude over your opponent to execute this maneuver.
range are the main practitioners of this style. Many of Swath of Destruction. You cannot attack any
its maneuvers resemble the lunges and claw-swipes of target more than once. Each attack deals 3 damage.
beasts native to the savages' homeland. You can attempt to cut a swath even if yourDeath from
Weapons are optional for many of the savage's Above strike missed.
combat maneuvers, but Fury Strike requires one. Disrobe. You can only target an unarmed oppo-
Savage requires freedom of movement such nent. On a hit, you remove most of his clothing or, if
that you cannot wear any armor with a Minimum he is wearing armor that makes that almost impossible,
Strength requirement higher than 5. you put his armor in such disarray that it is effectively
Savage Charge. The move is not optional; you two Quality lower than it is rated. After the combat,
must build momentum for the charge. The d4 is for the the owner of the armor can rearrange the armor to re-
1 damage; the d6 is for the "move target 1 area." store its full Quality. Furthermore, a disrobed character
Bear Hug. You may execute another Bear Hug suffers 2 Mood damage and 2 reputation damage with
or a Throw next round, despite the fact that you are any interested reputation faction that has witnesses
considered grabbed (p. 29). present.
Rampage. You do not move twice (it is 1/1 and
a move, not (1+move)/(1+move)). The move that you
do get, however, is optional - and it may be a climb Twin Weapon
rather than a sprint or charge. Twin Weapon is most often seen in the World
There is a very popular variation called Savage Below, as guild thieves and assassins are the most
Leaper that replaces Rampage with Leap, 0/d6, move likely souls to have the Quickness for the style and the
+ add rebalance to next attack. gold for the multiple weapons.
Blade Storm and Master's Blade Storm. You
Swashbuckler may not attack any target more than once.
Dervish Spin. The move is optional.
Disparaged by nobles as a poor man's Court Disarm. The two attacks, as usual for a dX/
Sword, Swashbuckler is a flamboyant, daring style dX maneuver, can target two separate enemies. You
that is an inspiration to many and an effrontery to a can disarm two foes this round if both of your disarm
few. attacks hit. You can also attack your original target a
Flourish. Your flourish is rolled against the second time if your first disarm attempt fails.
Doom, not any opposing roll from a foe. Rend. This excruciating maneuver does 2
Jest. As with Flourish, you vie against the points of damage on each hit, but if both strikes hit an
Doom, not an opponent, to cheer your ally. unarmed foe, then you rend him. The blows force him
Stab and Mock. You do 1 damage and 1 Mood to rebalance and the pain causes him to take a Heart
damage. penalty die on all rolls next round (use d4 for Heart if
Humiliating Blow. The reputation damage you do not have the NPC stats hand).
must be to a reputation with a group having witnesses Whirling Backlash. This targets only an dis-
present. If there are no witnesses, there is no reputa- armed opponent; opponents fighting in an unarmed
tion damage. style such as Five Seasons are not eligible targets.
Each attack does 2 + 1 Strength damage.

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 Appendix Two:
Magic Glosses & Spell Lists
See p. 35 for more information on combat, attack without a physical manifestation can be cast
close, and high spells. In general, spell effects do not through the wall; spells with a physical manifestation
stack. An increase in Quality from one spell does not cannot pass through or target someone beyond the
add to the increase in Quality from another spell. In- very real wall.
stead, take the greater of the two increases. Crimson Bands of Hessek. Each time this spell
All of these spell schools have the following hits, a crimson band snaps into being on the target's
two spells. body. Traditionally, the band is acidic dragon sinew,
Abjure. This dispels other close spells. Roll but some battlecrafters have different manifestations,
your Magic die vs. the caster's Magic die; if you win, for example, the sparkling velvet ribbons of Asenkut
the spell is dispelled. You can only attempt an abjura- Ragul's twenty-six daughters, each ribbon a different
tion once per spell. color constrictor stronger than any python. Each band
High Abjuration. This is the high spell version does 1 point of damage per round until the caster is
abjure. It works in the same way, but it affects high forced to re-cast.
spells (and is itself a high spell). Stone Pincer Hurl. The target must be grabbed,
Spells marked with (M), high spells, and free- so you can't repeat this maneuver in consecutive
form spells can only be cast by a master of the style. rounds. Re-grab your victim, and then toss him again.
In general, freeform spells are cosmetic, nar- Explode Orb. Each target is attacked only
rative, or not as powerful as the listed spells. When a once. The orb discriminates and will not harm allies.
freeform spell is mechanically consequential, these are Enter the Orb. Spreading both arms in a grand
useful guidelines for freeform spells: gesture of opening, you expand your sculpted orb until
1. The scale is the smaller "area" scale rather it is large enough to step into. You step in, and it be-
than the wider "region" scale. stows many bonuses until you are forced to rebalance.
2. The timeframe is seconds or minutes; in rare Every battlecrafter has a unique orb; spend some time
cases a scene or day; almost never longer. designing yours!
3. A Magic roll against the Doom, or an op- Close spell list.
posed Magic roll, resolves the spell's effects. Disguise Terrain. You can mask a doorway,
4. When they are numeric, the spell's effects create the illusion of a cave, hide a window, or make
are almost always 1 point or less. a flowering meadow appear to be a miasmal fen. The
5. If the spell is a "stretch" for the style or to- illusion is only visual, and it can only be applied to
ward the more powerful end of the spectrum, the GM scenery, both indoor and outdoor. A character who
may increase the Doom in step 3 above. knows his vision to be an illusion can interact with the
Freeform high spells are possible, but usually true terrain, but he takes a Reason penalty on all such
are beyond the reach of a single researcher. checks. You can only have one active disguised terrain
at a time. If you leave the area, the spell fades after a
Battlecraft few minutes.
Flick. Without preparation, you can exert ap-
Combat Spell Glosses. proximately one pound of force per magic point. With
Wall of Force. The wall can curve, but it can- a 10 Magic, then, you can exert 10 pounds of force for
not lie flat or form a circle that closes on itself so as one or two seconds. This is enough to flick a lever, tip
to trap those inside. It is transparent but shot through a water jug, rock a chandelier, etc. You can use this
with the colors of the battlemaster's orb. Spells that for environment tricks in social and physical combat

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and chases (usually this allows for a Magic roll vs. the been given. You must have pre-arranged context with
Doom instead of a Strength roll, plus it allows for ef- your receiver if you wish to communicate more than
fects at range). this.
Ignore Pain. Pain is a distractor, and it can Strengthen (M). You can add 2 points of Qual-
cause a character to take a penalty die on actions. This ity to any fixed object. Field marshals often exploit
spell numbs the body, deadens most pain, and elimi- this ability to strengthen their fortifications. You can-
nates penalty dice caused by pain. Ignore pain persists not strengthen something whose Quality exceeds your
indefinitely, but it counts as one of your bound spells. magic levels. The strengthened object is strengthened
This is a sought-after spell among spell smugglers. indefinitely, but it counts as one of your trapped spells.
Mine. You bind an exploding mine spell to an Multiple strengthens do not stack.
inanimate object. When the trigger condition is ful- Wall of Force (M). See the combat spell gloss
filled, the object explodes, making a magic attack roll above. You can have one Wall of Force standing at a
with your Magic die vs. the targets' Magic dice, doing time. It is Quality 6, so opponents would have to roll a
1 point of damage for every two magic levels you 6 to hit it and cause 6 points of damage before bring-
have. The trigger condition can be simple ("Someone ing it down. If your wall is destroyed, you cannot cast
touches the mine") or complicated, ("Anyone remov- another one this scene (or day). You can dismiss your
ing the ewer from the sanctum sanctorum, unless with- wall at will, or as a Trick in combat.
in the half-hour the ewer is filled with virgin's blood, Freeform close spells.
and then only on the eves of St. Vartan, St. Jhess, A battlemaster is not limited to the close spells
or St. Dominic").The mine targets the three closest above. In general, any spell that deforms terrain,
people to the object and the object itself. You should masks scenery, improves or degrades equipment, or
flavor your mine appropriately: lightning, shrapnel, aids construction or demolition falls within the Battle-
acid, etc. A mine counts as one of your trapped spells. craft style.
Repair. You can repair simple objects with no High spell list.
interior structure and no complicated moving parts. Construct. You can construct any building with
This includes curtain walls, swords, gate doors, anchor a Quality up to half your Magic levels. The building
chains, and breastplates, for example, but it excludes lasts for a scene (or a day), and then disintegrates into
black powder weapons, drawbridges, mills, wagons, non-magical sawdust and rubble. If you cast a second
zeppelins, and musical instruments. When you repair consecutive Construct, the original building collapses
an item, you add 2 Quality to it, but it cannot exceed before the second one springs into place. Creatures
its original value. You can only repair a particular item caught in the area of a new construction are shoved
once per scene (or day). For more complicated items, aside to an adjoining area, while the existing scenery
someone with engineering skill can do the work neces- is held suspended elsewhere, returning unharmed upon
sary. the spell's completion.
Sculpt. You can sculpt small, simple objects Crafted golem. You can create any of the craft-
with no interior structure and a very straightforward ed golems (p. 185). The Wealth Level costs apply in
exterior, such as a shovel, a cup, or a rope. The raw full. A crafted golem counts as your bound high spell
materials to make the item must be present. The item until it is destroyed, which you can do voluntarily,
is spellbound and counts as one of your trapped spells leaving behind an inanimate shell.
until you dismiss it. Harden. You raise one troop's defense die size
Signal. You can send your characteristic signal by one for all formations and maneuvers. The bonus
across a battlefield-sized area. Your signal might be lasts for one battle. This only applies to troops that
a personal seal waving, a streak of your color against wear armor (and not, for example, magical beasts,
the sky, a flare, or a conjured signal fire. The signal siege engines, or caster units).
conveys no other information; only that the signal has New terrain. This spell requires three consecu-

241
tive rounds of casting. When you are done, your area dust for a round, and when they come back, they are
is a completely different area. You can create terrain in not the same.
your new area as you wish; see pp. 29 and 50 for in- Death Spell. You choose the victims; they must
formation on how terrain can affect combat and mass all be within the same area. That area must either be
combat. Once cast, it lasts indefinitely, but it counts as your area or one adjacent to it. If a target's current
your trapped high spell (until you dismiss it). Mood + Body is less than 10 and he is hit by this spell,
Recovery. This spell causes all troops after a he dies.
battle to recover (p. 52) without the need to roll. Close spell list.
Rescue. You grant one troop the ability to re- Animate Corpse. After a minute of your chant-
treat off the battle map in a single move. The troop can ing, one corpse shudders to its feet like a puppet
move through enemy units. This spell does not grant whose strings have been lifted. As long as you concen-
any other movement powers, however, so the troop trate on it, do not let it leave your sight, and take no
still cannot cross a chasm, leap over a burning pitch- actions more strenuous than strolling, it is animated as
line, or swim in a raging current. This magic can only a humanoid zombie under your control. At the end of
be safely used for a retreat; if used as part of some ten minutes' control, the corpse's ligature fails and it
greater scheme, a crisis surge is the normal result. collapses, no longer fit for animation by any magic or
Sharpen.You raise one troop's attack die size alchemy short of a wild surge.
by one for all formations and maneuvers. The bonus Chill. You can lower the ambient temperature
lasts for one battle. This only applies to troops that in your area by approximately 15 degrees Celsius.
wield edged or piercing weapons (and not, for exam- This spell endures for a scene (or a day) or until you
ple, magical beasts, siege engines, or caster units). cast it again in another area.
Weeping wounds. The commanding organiza- Death Scene. Placing your hand on a corpse
tion of the losing side in a battle takes one additional of a person who has died no more days ago than you
point of characteristic damage when this spell is cast have magic levels, you can learn one thing about the
within an hour of the battle's conclusion. Even more corpse per round or minute. If you have enough time,
significantly, the losing side cannot recover any deci- you can learn or experience:
mated troops (p. 52). • The corpse's name.
• Where the corpse lived.
• The corpse's former Inspirations at
Death Lore

time of death.
• If the corpse was or is spellbound.
Combat spell glosses. Death Touch (M). Plants and unintelligent
Rapture of Silence. The bonus applies to both creatures (including pets, but not familiars) massing
physical and magical defense dice. up to 1 pound/magic level die at your touch - if you
Masque of Ash/Silence. The masque continues wish.
to attack each round until you are forced to re-cast. If Disrupt Unead. Placing a dollop of null jelly
it hits it does 1 point of Strength and Charisma dam- (p. 144) under the tongue of an undead creature and
age (Ash) or silences the target (Silence). A masque intoning this spell lights a shining radiance within the
counts as one of your trapped spells. undead, a radiance that quickly intensifies, heating and
Dustform. You still occupy the same volume cracking the effulgent undead's skin and likely killing
that you always do, so you can't store yourself in a the creature. Roll your Magic score with your Reason
dashberry cup. You could probably fit in a large chest, score as a bonus die against the undead's Magic roll to
however. If you are in a tight space when the duration succeed in destroying it. If you attempt this in com-
expires, you are ejected to the nearest unoccupied suit- bat, three consecutive tricks are required: the first and
able space. quite difficult (Doom + 5 or more) trick is to place the
Limbs of Dust. Your opponent's arms turn to null jelly, the second two tricks require you or an ally

242
to hold the null jelly trapped in the undead's mouth generates are as loud as normal.
while you cast the disruption. More often, an undead Freeform close spells.
is captured, strapped down, and disrupted - among Deathmasters are not limied to the close spells
semi-intelligent undead hordes, one or two disruptions listed above. In general, any spell touching death, the
a week improve discipline measurably. border between life and death, undead, silence, ash,
Dustform (M). You can only do this for one dust, and the void falls within the Death Lore style.
minute per scene (or day), and the minute cannot be High spell list.
broken down into six seconds here, five seconds there, Hush. You steal the voices of every person liv-
and forty-nine seconds after supper. It adds no new ing in an area the size of a small town. The voices are
forms of movement, so you cannot fly, float, drift, levi- placed in a puzzle box, cameo locket, or corked bottle.
tate, etc. You can squeeze through extremely narrow Only spellbound creatures have a chance to resist by
spaces, pour yourself through tiny holes, even climb rolling their Magic against yours. The town silence
up a squirrel-sized chimney, but you must be contigu- continues as long as you maintain the box, locket, or
ous at all times and occupy your full volume at all bottle, which counts as your trapped high spell. If the
times. voice vessel is broken, all voices are returned and can-
Feign Death. You can stop the metabolism of not be stolen again for one year.
one willing creature up to human size (and larger if Longevity. This spell wards off old age. The
you are a master of the style). The faker has no need to recipient ages only one year, effectively, over the next
eat or breathe, and his temperature drops to the ambi- 1d6 years. Any wild surge caused by this spell results
ent. He cannot move, but he or the caster can end the in a crisis surge. These crisis surges tend to leave
spell at any time. At a casual glance or even a reason- either the recipient or the caster deformed or deranged.
able examination, the faker appears dead. An extreme- This has caused the spell to develop an odious reputa-
ly thorough and determined investigation, however, tion, albeit an odious reputation that diminishes its
grants anyone so persisting a Reason or Magic roll popularity not a whit.
against the caster's Magic score (not a roll) to deter- Raise Undead. You create a skeleton, zombie,
mine the faker's true status. human raptor cross-stitch zombie, or some other un-
Grave portent. You see a scratch through all intelligent undead, depending on the corpse available
creatures whose Mood + Body total is less than 5, as if and your intent. If your Magic roll beats the Doom,
that creature had been painted in portrait and someone the unintelligent undead serves under your control
has torn the canvas. (with the intelligence of a half-trained hound) until it
Moaning Decay. All corpses in the area, in- is destroyed. If you fail the roll, the mindless creature
cluding those long buried in graves, moan and decay attacks. If you have two or more apprentices, you can
into putrescence. The shrieking moans and the noxious each raise one undead per day, forming a mass combat
fumes of decay persist over the period of an hour. troop in a few weeks or even less time, depending on
Anyone in the area takes a Heart penalty die on all the number of apprentices you have to join you in your
checks during this hour. There must be a reasonable casting.
number of corpses in the area for this spell to succeed. Repulse Death. When this spell is cast, walls
The GM judges what is reasonable; a small sleeping rattle in their foundations like children shaking in
chamber above the mill requires only a single corpse, anger, and clouds buck and shudder in the sky. This
while the bazaar at the city's center would require at spell thwarts Death, just as a high Inspiration thwarts
least 20 corpses. Death. The spell lies like a mantle on the recipient
Silence of the Grave. When you place silence for an indefinite time, and during this time it counts as
of the grave upon a willing target, including yourself, your one bound High spell (or your one High spell for
he can cast spells in complete silence. Other noises he the day; see p. 37). When the recipient would die of

243
a violent, "unnatural" cause, the spell is triggered and 1-4: 1d4 Human zombies.
spent. Instead of dying, the recipient escapes. The GM 5-8: 2d4 Human zombies and 1 undead giant.
and the player, if any, narrate together how the Re- 9-12: 1d4 Human zombies and 1d4 twitchers.
pulse Death recipient escaped from near-certain death. 13-15: 1d4 undead giants.
Turn. You become a vampire or lich. This is 16-17: 1d4 human zombies, 1d4 twitchers, and
an irreversible process. You gain the Strength and 1d4 undead giants.
Quickness of the undead in question. You also gain the 18-19: 2d20 human zombies and 2d20
resistances (cold, poison, disease), the special attacks twitchers.
(drain, captivate, soul rip, command) and the vulnera- 20: 3d4 human zombies, 1d4 undead giants,
bilities (sunlight, stakes, phylactery, craving, corrupted and 1 lich.
or ruined Inspirations and Heart). Histories and other
characteristics do not change. See the monster entries
for more detail.
The Dead Walk. The dead of centuries claw to
Dramba
the surface and stalk the streets of their former homes. Combat spell glosses.
This spell can only be cast at night. Uncontrolled, the Dedicate Doll. You dedicate a doll to a par-
zombies act as two zombie legions (p. 173) if met by ticular target. If you want to switch targets, you must
troop- or brigade-level resistance. In such a case, re- re-dedicate the doll.
solve the battle normally using the mass combat rule. Salve Doll. This heals up to 2 points of char-
If the zombies win the battle, or if there is no mass acteristic damage, but they must have been inflicted
resistance, then every organization in the region must within the last four rounds. Thus, if you begin the
roll Force against your Magic or lose 1 Scope. Ad- Dedicate Doll > Bless Doll > Salve Doll sequence
ditionally, 10% of the regions population is lost. PCs immediately after an ally is injured, your Salve Doll
abroad in the night when the dead walk can expect to is effective, but with a delay of even one round the
find undead in varying densities in each new area they sequence culminates too late.
enter, according to the following table. Burn Doll (r). The cleansing fire removes al-
most any negative magic, poison, or alchemical effect
from a person, as long as that effect originated within
the last 4 rounds. Against a magic effect, you must win
a Magic vs. Magic roll. For poisons and alchemy, roll
your Magic die against the static Quality of the poison
or alchemical substance.
Hex Eye. The target rolls his own Magic die
(not yours) as a penalty die on all defense rolls (phys-
cial, magical, or social) next round.
Cloud eye. If an opponent who cannot see you
attempts to attack you, he does so as if blinded (p. 29;
4 die size penalty to attack rolls, minimum d2).
Body switch. Each creature retains its own
mind but gains the physical characteristics of the
other's body (Strength, Quickness, Body). Attempting
to directly damage the host body is psychologically
difficult and requires a Reason roll against the Doom.
In any case, only re-balancing maneuvers and generic
maneuvers are possible. Both of you are spellbound
for the round in which your bodies are switched.

244
 Brick dust circle. If you move outside of the one effect of your choice from the following list. The
circle, you lose the bonus (and you must have broken choice cannot change subsequently. The model and its
style, since none of the Dramba spells grant move- hexed land count as one of your trapped spells. You
ment). cannot have more than one hexed land at a time.
Corn Dust Shower. The protection expires after • No magic dice (for the Magic char-
one scene (or day) if unused. acteristic, or attack, or defense)
Close spells. explode.
Brick Dust Line. You pour out a line of brick • One characteristic (Str, Qck, Mgc,
dust while invoking the loa. Whenever a creature etc.) is always one die size smaller,
matching the conditions you set crosses the brick dust for everyone, than it is elsewhere.
line, you are aware of it (and waken if asleep). The • Mood cannot be recovered here.
conditions you set may be broad or narrow, general or • Anyone with a particular Inspiration
specific, anything from "all creatures" to "that sera- (your choice: Fear, Love, Hope,
dynn with the red horns I met at the AllBelow." Vengeance, etc.) has her Mood and
Burn Doll. You can, of course, use this spell maximum Mood reduced by 2 here.
out of combat to purify a target, provided it is cast • Everyone entering the area sees and
quickly enough. hears a brief, twisted version of their
Loa Walk. You spend time walking with the comrades and surroundings,
loa, listening to their whispers and drumbeats, moving causing 1 Mood damage.
in their abstruse rhythms. You can converse with the Patch. The loa flow from your hands and heal
loa, who may or may not be willing to answer ques- your target for 1 Body, as long as the damage occurred
tions. The GM should develop loa spirits as NPCs like within the last minute. This spell is only effective once
any other, and you may run a social scene or quick so- per injured state. That is, when a character is wounded
cial combat with the loa in order to coax them to coop- and then receives this spell, he cannot again benefit
erate. The loa spirits generally have access to regions from this spell until after he has healed to maximum
up to one dozen miles around the caster, and they can Body.
appear to any spellbound creature visually, but not Salve doll. You can of course use this spell out
audibly, within that range. If you are a houngan, that of combat, too, as long as it is applied quickly enough
is, a master of the dramba style, you can ask the loa to the injury.
to bring you a material item through the spirit realm. Weal bone. After dedicating a doll in effigy
In the next scene (or the next day), if the loa assents of the target, you chant over the doll and a prepared
to you request, it returns with the mundane object you chicken bone for thirteen minutes. Luck swirls and
asked it to fetch. Secrets, items belonging to a person, funnels. When the recipient breaks the bone, which
and extraordinary objects cannot be retrieved by loa may be weeks later, he gains a bonus die equal to your
via this spell. Magic die on his next roll. A weal bone counts as one
Hex. The target's dice cannot explode. You of your trapped spells.
must maintain a doll in effigy of the target, and this Freeform close spells.
doll counts as one of your trapped spells. You must Dramba houngans are not limited to the close
make an opposed Magic check when first casting this spells listed above. In general, any spell that involves
spell. If the target resists, you cannot target him or her curses, hexes, regeneration, transposition, wards,
again in the scene (or in the week). If the target fails, blessings, and spirit loa falls within the Dramba style.
the spell lasts until dispelled, you choose to end it, or High spell.
the doll is destroyed. Brick dust hedge. A brick dust line prevents
Hex land (M). Choose one area of the game a target from crossing. You must name the target and
world. You build a model of it using bricks, chicken maintain a doll in its likeness. The target gains a Mag-
bones, and blonde human hair. In this area, apply ic roll, opposed by your Magic roll, when the spell is

245
first cast. If the target wins, the spell is ineffective. If binding, you steal someone's soul and trap it in a jar.
you win, then the target cannot step over the brick dust The target can make a Magic roll against yours to
line. It is possible - notoriously so, in fact - to make resist; success means that he cannot again this season
the brick dust hedge a circle, pointing inward, so that a be targeted by your magic jar. The remaining husk of
creature is imprisoned in the brick dust circle. a person will, on your successful Charisma vs. Doom
Heap loa salve. This spell does one of the fol- roll, follow your simple commands. You make the Cha
lowing: roll once per scene; if you fail it, you cannot establish
• Removes one alchemical, magic, control this scene. You can choose to release the mind
disease, or poison effect from the from the jar at any time; if the jar shatters, the mind
target. Magic effects roll their within is restored to its body. The jar and its trapped
caster's Magic die against yours to soul count as your bound high spell.
resist. Transposition. You cause two people to switch
• Heals up to 2 Body. bodies. One morning, the chief of guards for the Mar-
• Heals up to 2 points of characteristic quis wakes up to find himself in a scrawny body, tied
damage. to a rack in the bowels of the city, while an assassin
There is no time limit as there is for Patch, wakes up in the chief's body, assumes the chief's role
above, for example. The high spell is effective wether for the day, and moves in for the kill. The transposed
the injury occurred a minute ago or a year ago. The mind retains its Magic, Heart, Reason, and Charisma
heap loa salve spell, however, still cannot heal more dice, along with its Mood, Histories, fighting styles,
than once per injured state (as Patch, above). and magic styles. The bodies keep their respective
House curse. After dipping a doll in arsenic Strength, Quickness, Body, and Reputation scores.
and wine, you set it ablaze, cursing the doll's likeness. One of the people that switch can be you. This switch
The most widely known dramba curse causes the vic- initially counts as your bound high spell, but if it is
tim to grow thinner day by day while catching horrify- still in place after a fortnight, it no longer counts as
ing glimpses of murder and beasts of rapine, always your bound high spell.
just out of the corner of the eye, slipping away when
focused on directly - but you can generate your own
curse symptoms as you wish. The curse wears down
the target's maximum Mood cumulatively, 1 point per
Druidic
scene (or day) and, if you wish, it also wears down Combat spell glosses.
one other characteristic of your choice, cumulatively, Burn Mistletoe. This spell has no effect other
also by 1 in every scene. The curse continues until the than to burn the mistletoe. Next round, you fan the
target is disabled or dead, until you break the spell, flames into a Gale of Fire or flare them into an en-
or until the ashes of the doll used to cast the spell are emy's eyes with the Sun and Fire Glare spell.
purified (usually with a salve doll or heap loa salve Sacrifice. You must burn a plant (preferably
spell). The curse attacks with your Magic die; if the mistletoe, but it need not be), slaughter an animal
target wins the initial roll, the curse is resisted. A curse (mouse-size or larger), or pour a libation. If you do not
that is not resisted attacks anew each day. If the target have any of these things at hand, you cannot cast this
fails the initial roll but wins a subsequent roll, he is spell.
still cursed but does not take damage in that scene (or Bog. A character can exit or enter the area only
day). If the target of the curse has wronged you, then after making a successful Strength vs. Doom roll.
should you wish it, your curse outlasts the target's (and Chill Bog. This has the same effects as a bog.
your) death, moving on to plague his heir or another In addition, the freezing peat and miasmal morass
person in his house, and from there to another per- makes a d8 attack that is physical, not magical, each
son, one at a time without mercy, until the house is no round. The attack goes against all in the area affected,
more. be they friend or foe, and it does 1 point of damage
Magic jar. After invoking the loa of theft and and forces a rebalance on a hit.

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 Sun's Bounty. As usual, the bonus damage flames light it, but otherwise the flames fade in a flash.
applies to each attack. So if the druid's 5 allies each Without wood or oil or something similar to light,
execute a maneuver with two attacks next round and then, this spell is not suitable for use as a substitute
all attacks hit, this spell supplies a total of 20 points of torch.
extra damage. Fortify or debilitate. You increase or decrease
Fertility. Something quickens subcutaneously the Quality of a single dose of poison by 1 (or 2 if
in your target; the swelling causes 1 point of Quick- you are a master of the style). This Quality increase
ness damage. After the target has taken 3 points of lasts indefinitely, but the poison counts as one of your
Quickness damage from this spell, you can cast Birth bound spells.
on him. The Quickness damage need not be in con- Libation. With this spell, you can multiply or
secutive rounds. extend other objects or effects. The libation is fresh
Birth. Crazed with jealousy or bestial blood- blood, usually from a sacrifice, but in any case the
lust, a stunted freak twin bursts from the target's skin. blood must be from a wound that causes at least 2
Usually the freak twin is a tiny head with misshapen Body damage. You mix the blood with mistletoe in a
hands on spindly arms and a torso that melds with the silver bowl, and then you pour it out onto the object
host's body. The Freak has 3 Body, rolls a d4 defense or area that you want to bless. Any mundane, time-
each round, and bites its host or an adjacent ally at d10 limited object or effect is doubled. For example, 6 fish
for 1 point of damage each round. In special cases, the become 12, 7 loaves become 14, an hourglass requires
GM may assign other qualities, defenses, or attacks to two hours to pour through its sand.
the freak. Rust and decay. You accelerate the aging pro-
Close spells. cess of any item fashioned primarily of metal or wood.
Blight or thrive. You cause a farm's yield to in- If your Magic roll equals or exceeds the Quality of the
crease or decrease one wealth level. You must cast this item, you decrease its Quality by 1. There is a limit to
spell at least one month before harvest, and the crop this forced aging. You cannot make an item age this
counts as one of your trapped spells until it is sold. way more than once per season. If you are a master,
Cleanse or sour. You freshen spoiled food, and then this spell can affect buildings, vehicles, and other
you clean dirty water. Alternatively, you sour milk large-scale objects.
and wine, foul water, or rot food. When you cast this Seed. Given soil, you cause a seed to sprout
on a poison or on a creature that has been poisoned, and grow to a fully ripened plant in a matter of min-
roll your Magic die. If you equal or exceed the Qual- utes. This counts as one of your trapped spells; if you
ity of the poison, you have neutralized the poison. release the spell, the plant withers and dies.
You may only attempt to neutralize a poison once per Speak with animals. You can speak with ani-
poisoning. That is, if you fail to neutralize a poison on mals as if they were NPCs of very low intelligence.
the first roll, no subsequent cleansing spell of yours While a full social scene may be neither necessary nor
will neutralize the poison. possible (rare is the prolix badger), you do need to roll
Cages of life (M). In a ritual that lasts from at least one check (Charisma vs. Doom unless your
noon to noon, you can bleed one creature to give life GM specifies otherwise) to obtain useful information.
to another creature of the same species. Both victim Freeform close spells.
and beneficiary must be held in wicker frames sus- Masters of the druidic style - called archdru-
pended over a double crescent of mistletoe, part of ids, grand druids, or great druids - are not limited to
which is burned every hour. Once every four hours, the close spells listed above. In general, any spell that
the victim suffers two Body damage and the benefi- involves the savagery of the natural world, the cycles
ciary gains one Body. While the ritual proceeds, each of life and death, growth, decay, the sun, and sacrifice
pair of cages counts as one trapped spell. falls within the Druidic style.
Flame. You can cause flames the size of a High Spells.
camp fire to leap into existence. If there is dry fuel, the Disaster. This spell can only be cast from a

247
significant geographic point in the landscape: a ring
of standing stones, the highest peak in the range, the Elemental
deepest cavern below the city, or somewhere simi-
larly significant. It also requires a WL 14 quantity
of mistletoe, gold dust, and sacrificial beasts. After a
Maelstrom
night of casting, you wreak disaster upon the region at Combat spell glosses.
the rising of the sun. You can cause any of the follow- Flame shroud. This works against all attacks
ing disasters (p. 61): creeping doom, earthquake, fire, with a physical attack die, including those with a
flood, rain of rocks, rain of frogs, faces like pillars of magical source. A flare erupts from your flaming body
light, soulhail. The disaster strikes the region that you as necessary to respond to ranged attacks.
are in. Wall of Fire. The wall must be vertical. It can
Eclipse. The sun or the moon darkens to a void curve, but it cannot lie flat or form a circle that closes
within a minute, and darkness prevails for a number of on itself so as to trap those inside. It is translucent, and
minutes equal to your magic levels. Furthermore, dur- spells can be cast through it.
ing the eclipse, you can choose to increase or decrease Fire Nova. The fire bursts from within the
the Doom by up to 4 (minimum 1). targets' hearts. There is no fan of flames or flying ball
Fertility. A druid can ensure a pregnancy that can be dodged.
within a season with a Magic roll against the Doom. Petrify. This spell does 1 point of Quickness
Only one attempt per mother per season is possible. damage when it hits. In each subsequent round, you
Flocks. Birds dive and attack throughout the are able to maintain the magic that is slowly petrifying
region. For a number of days equal to your magic the target. Roll a d8 Magic attack against the petrify-
score, anyone going out of doors draws four attacks ing creature; if you hit again, he takes another point of
per minute, each attack a d4 for 1 point of damage. Quickness damage. You are free to cast another spell
Plague. This prevents everyone in the region or take any other action. The ongoing petrification
from using Mood or Inspiration when resisting a dis- attacks end when you are forced to re-cast, when the
ease. It counts as your bound high spell. target is petrified, or when you and the target are no
Sacred ground. The blood of multiple sacrifices longer in the same scene (usually this means that one
consecrates a grove, a ring of standing stones, or a or the other has escaped combat or fled).
temple, dedicating the area to one of your Inspirations. Mistwalk. This does not allow levitation or
The Inspiration must have a value of 4 or more. Any- grant you a completely immaterial, misty form. It does
one, including you, who shares that Inspiration gains lighten your body so that moving and climbing is easy
one die size to his Magic and Heart rolls when on the and can be done in combat without breaking style. It
sacred ground. This spell may also be cast in reverse also transforms just enough of your body into wispy
to defile previously consecrated ground. The casting cloudstuff that spells have a hard time affecting you.
must take place on the grounds in question. The cast- Close spells.
ing requires a number of days equal to the Doom and Airy water. As you stand on the shore or edge
ten times that number of sacrifices. of a large body of water, you gesture, and the water
Season of Life. Any human or troll born during begins to bubble. Soon gobs of air are mixed into the
this season in your region gains a +2 to his maximum water. You and all other air-breathers can breathe this
Mood. air. The airy water extends in a 10-foot sphere around
Wild fertility or famine. A druid can increase you, and it lasts until you exit the body of water. When
or decrease the Wealth Level of the region's agricul- fighting in airy water, combatants take a Strength pen-
tural sector by 1. alty die with every nonmagical attack and defense roll,
and nonmagical ranged attacks are impossible.
Flame. You can cause flames the size of a
camp fire to leap into existence. If there is dry fuel, the

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flames light it, but otherwise the flames fade in a flash. you must let the new weather pattern run its natural
Without wood or oil or something similar to light, course before casting this spell again.
then, this spell is not suitable for use as a substitute Calm. Throughout the maritime region where
torch. you cast this spell, winds do not blow. Sail-powered
Fog. Fog rolls in and obscures one area. Per- ships cannot move. This quells any winds that were
ception checks in the fog are at a one die size penalty. in the area, even storm winds, although other storm
Characters not in the fog's area take a two die size effects such as lightning, rain, or snow continue. The
penalty on perception checks and ranged attacks for calm endures for a day.
each area between them and the fog. Disaster. After an hour of casting, you wreak a
Gust of wind. At your gesture, a strong gust of disaster on your region. You can cause an earthquake,
wind (50 kph) blows from you to the edge of the area. flood, blizzard, tornado, avalanche, or hurricane (p.
Ice rime. At the end of your incantation (four 61).
consecutive Tricks in combat), a coating of ice crys- Living fire, living air, etc. Magic animates an
tallizes on all exposed surfaces. In the next round, element (p. 189). The living elemental is twice as tall
anyone carrying an item must make a Quickness or as a man and proportionately thick. The elemental
Strength (her choice) roll against your Magic roll or obeys you as long as you make a Reason check against
drop the item. Until the ice melts, anyone moving the elemental's Charisma; if you fail, the elemental
or fighting in the area must make a Quickness check ceases to live. The spell lasts for only one scene.
against the Doom to avoid slipping and falling (rebal- Travelling mercies. Your spell follows the cara-
ancing if in combat). van, armada, craft or individual that you specify. The
Warmth. You can keep a person warm even if attendant fair weather increases the large-scale speed
he wears nothing but a loincloth on the peak of Kosh- of travel by 125%. This counts as a bound High Spell.
tra Indege. The protection lasts indefinitely, but each Storm blessing or storm curse. By calling an
person so treated counts as one of your bound spells. intense storm at the wrong time, or calming it at the
Weather burst. A weather burst causes a brief right time, a maelstrom mage can increase or decrease
but strong outburst of weather. A deluge on a sunny the Wealth Level of the region's agricultural sector by
day and a rainbow at an overcast wedding are two ex- 1.
amples of what is possible. The weather outburst lasts Vortex. An arcane twister roars through the
for a minute, and then all returns to normal. region along a path you specify up to half a mlie long.
Weather witching. A weather witching changes Anything alive and touched by the vortex is trans-
the weather by one step: a light rain becomes a heavy ported elsewhere. Creatures aware of the vortex and
rain; a drizzle becomes a light rain; a sunny day attempting to avoid it can make a chase roll against
becomes a brilliant, hot day; a gale becomes a strong the Doom (or, if appropriate to the game, run a Chase
wind; and so forth. You can cast this spell once per scene against the vortex). Determine the destination of
weather system; that is, you cannot cast this spell a those caught in the vortex by rolling percentile dice.
second time until the weather changes naturally. 1-10: Bottom of nearest major body of water.
Whispers on the Wind. You can whisper so that 11-20: Bottom of the nearest dungeon, prison,
the winds carry your words to anyone within sight. or school.
Freeform close spells. 21-35: Nearest enemy's courtyard, orchard,
Masters of the Elemental Maelstrom style are lists, peristyle, docks, or similar .
not limited to the close spells listed above. In general, 35-50: Heart of nearest magical beast's lair.
any spell that involves storms, the elements, or weath- 51-65: Nearest active battleground.
er falls within the Elemental Maelstrom style. 66-75: Altar room of a Low God cult in
High spells. a land at least 3 days journey from here.
Call weather. You can change the weather. 76-80: Same spot, one week in the future.
The new weather can be any weather possible for the 81-85: Inside a sarcophagus in a royal tomb.
region for the year. After changing the weather once, 86-90: Top of the canopy in a royal

249
 bedchamber. scene (or day). While so ensorcelled, the target counts
91-95: Ally's home. as one of your trapped spells.
96-00: Home. Emotioal theme (M). You subtly alter the
emotional theme of a location. Shadows deepen, or
gargoyles leer, or the sun comes out, or the fire blazes
Hearts warmer - depending on the theme you add. For the
remainder of the scene or until you leave the location,
Combat spell glosses. you can add a theme, just as a building's architecture
Awaken Heart. This targets the caster or an- and design can add a theme (p. 155). You can only use
other creature. one theme per scene (or day).
Hearten. You hearten only one ally at a time. Inspiration sympathy. You become aware of
Name him; if he hits next round, he gains 1 Mood. anyone in sight who shares one of your Inspirations.
Two Hearts Beast as One. Both allies must be The Inspiration must match closely. Merely sharing
willing. "Ambition" is not enough, nor is "Ambition: be suc-
Sympathy. You must hit both creatures to be cessful." "Ambition: win the Unicorn Downs gauntlet
targeted; roll the d6 Magic attack separately for each. race" is specific enough.
Despicable, desperate, or clever mages can cast this Masquerade. You mask your heart. Roll your
on a willing ally or slave who waives the to-hit roll, Magic die as a bonus die when resisting any attempt
leaving only the true enemy needing to be hit by the to read your emotions or discover your Inspirations or
d6 Magic attack roll. intentions. This spell lasts indefinitely but counts as
There is a variation called "Strange Victory" one of your trapped spells while in effect.
that replaces Doubt with Loss (d6 Magic attack/d4 Read Inspiration. If the target used an Inspira-
defense). Loss wounds the target's psyche. For the tion in this scene, you can read the Inspiration's type
remainder of the scene, Despair and Suffering causes 3 (anger, desire, fear, love, vengeance, etc.) but not its
damage and prevents the target from using an Inspira- focus.
tion, as well as Mood, in the subsequent round. Read Mood. You can tell if a person is close to
Close spells. maximum Mood, half Mood, or in danger of despair
Apathy. Weak hearts lack will. Against a crea- (zero Mood).
ture who is not spellbound and has a Heart of 5 or less, Serenity (M). This spell is highly sought after
this spell succeeds unless you roll a 1 on your Magic on the black market. A person with serenity feels a
roll. Against other targets, it fails. When it succeeds, preternatural happiness and calm. Although her Mood
the target fails to act when he otherwise would. You can decrease, she feels no associated pain or trauma.
convince the target to not sound an alarm, to refuse to She does not roll any Heart penalty dice or take any
fight, to ignore the crime he has just noticed. This spell other penalties associated with losing Mood, being
can be successful once per target per scene (or day). insulted, facing Fears, or going against a region's
Boost. Once per scene (or day) per person, you culture. She cannot use any Inspiration which involves
can boost an ally's Mood by two with this spell. In violent, angry feelings, and she cannot use any Inspi-
combat, this spell requires two consecutive Tricks. ration at all in combat or mass combat.
Dead memory. You double the rate at which Trollhearts. Two people who have each other
the spell recipient can voluntarily lose Inspiration as Inspirations can use this spell to know what the
points. This is especially popular as a trapped spell other is feeling at any distance, as long as they are in
sold to a broken-hearted lover. the same region. Communication is impossible; only
Despair. Cast this upon a person at 0 Mood. He vague feelings come through the link: fear, content-
must then make a Heart roll against the Doom before ment, worry, and anger, for instance. No other infor-
he can regain any Mood. He can attempt one roll per mation, including the object or cause of the emotion,
is shared. A bonded couple counts as one of the Troll-

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hearts-casting wizard's trapped spells. or suffer 1 Mood damage.This spell persists for one
Freeform close spells. month or until you cast it in a different region.
Masters of Hearts are not limited to the close Zeal. All units in a legion gain one Spirit for
spells listed above. In general, any spell that involves the battle that must already be occurring when you
emotions, friendships, enmity, and spirit falls within cast this spell.
the Hearts style.
High spells.
Anger. Grudges break to mutiny on all sides. Language of Stars
Any attempt to parley instead of fight, to make peace
instead of war, to talk down instead of ratchet up must Combat spell glosses.
beat the Doom in addition to any opposed roll. This Whispers in Starlight. You can only commu-
spell must be renewed each scene (or day). nicate with one ally at a time, and you can only have
Devotion. The members of an organization one ally designated by this spell at a time. NB this
redouble their efforts on its behalf. The organization spell works perfectly well out of combat. You and the
gains 2 Efficiency and 1 to one other characteristic. ally must be within sight or within the same area. This
It persists indefinitely, but while in effect, this spell spell does not count as one of your trapped spells;
counts as your trapped High spell. such are the mysteries of the stars.
Forsaken Hearts. You sap the will from ev- Glow. You must hit each individual spellbound
eryone in the region. Friends and foes alike take a -1 creature with your d10 magic attack. The GM may
penalty to their Heart scores unless they succeed in a choose not to tell you whom you are attacking, so that
Magic roll against the Doom. Each person attempts she can keep the identity of spellbound creatures in the
the roll once per day. The spell persists for one month area anonymous (in the event your attack fails). You
or until you cast it in a different region. choose the glow color and pattern for each individual
Fountainhead. As Forsaken Hearts, but friends spellbound creature you light up. The glow is equiva-
and foes gain a +1 bonus to their Heart scores. lent to half a dozen candles. While even one spell-
Guilt. Anyone in the region whose Inspirations bound creature is glowing, all magic in the area that
run counter to the region's culture reduces his maxi- rolls a 1 or a 2 - not just a 1 - causes a magic surge.
mum Mood by 2, rather than 1, for each such Inspira- Astral homunculus. As those who have studied
tion. This spell must be renewed each scene (or day). DuGray's account of the Descent observe, magic in
Hardened Heart. A person with a hardened the Descent is strange, strong, and wrong. Of course,
heart rolls your Magic die as a bonus die whenever sages say the same of the Language of Stars style, so
he is resisting an attack that would cause Mood or the two are perhaps a perfect match. This spell sum-
Inspiration damage. The Hardened Heart reduces the mons the astral homunculus of a descent cat; the hom-
character's maximum Mood to 2. Hardening a heart culus's stats are those of a wolf (p. 200). If you fail
this way counts as your bound High spell. the Charisma roll to control the homunculus, the cat is
Intimations. Whispers inflame the heart and the disoriented, enraged, and attacks you. If you succeed,
temper, in one meeting of the eyes there are a thousand the cat works for you and fights for you for twelve
declarations of love. The bonds and feuds amongst minutes. The same cat's homunculus returns each
people become stronger. Any Inspiration involving time (fading away, painfully, instead of truly dying,
another person or group of people is increased by one. if severely injured), so it can be trained though never
This allows people to exceed their normal maximum domesticated.
Inspiration capacity. The spell persists for one month Star in the Skull. Unlike normal, the rebal-
or until you cast it in a different region. ance forced by this spell does not stop the seed from
Tranquility. The aura of peace and calm in the expanding in the skull and making more attacks. Any
region is so overpowering that anyone engaging in subsequent forced rebalancing, including that from
violence must make a Heart check against the Doom casting another Star in the Skull spell, will cause the

251
star seed's attacks to stop. Here's an example of how if his Reason roll does not beat your Magic roll. The
the spell works: The Listener (apprentices of the style command must be clear and present, and it must be
are called Speakers; masters are Listeners) casts Star completable within one round. "Eat the dashberry
in the Skull, makes a d8 Magic attack, and beats the cake" and "Lock the door" work; "Craft a window for
target's Magic defense roll. The attack does 1 Reason St. Jhess's cathedral" does not. This spell requires two
damage, and the target's head starts to glow, beam- consecutive Tricks in combat (the first is to invoke the
ing especially through the eyes, ears, wounds, etc. stars, the second to utter the command). It can only
The Listener is forced to rebalance. Next round, the be used in a chase if the target is close enough to hear
Listener Invokes the Stars, but a sliver of his concen- your shouted command after the second round. Com-
tration maintains the Star in the Skull spell. The Star pelling Stars cannot affect the same person more than
spell makes another d8 Magic attack. It hits and does once per scene.
another 1 Reason damage. On the third round, the Lis- Encrypt. With a wave of your hand, writing
tener casts Celestial Tongue, and his Star in the Skull transforms into ciphers unreadable by any who are
makes another attack, this time missing. Also on the not at least apprentices in the Language of Stars spell
third round, the Listener is hit by a Doubt spell cast school. You can decrypt the text with another wave
from a Hearts witch. This forces him to rebalace, so of your hand. Spellbound texts require you to make a
next round, the Star in the Skull does not attack. The
sliver of the Listener's concentration has been disrupt- Roll Vision
ed by Doubt; a new Star in the Skull must be planted. 1-2 Child is eating a rat raw.
Prophecy. The prophecy must match the final 3-4 Child is receiving broomstick beating from mother.
actions closely. Foresaying attempts suffices; results 5-6 Adolescent is crying into a mangled bouquet of
need not be specified. Predicting, "The Son of Loss flowers.
will attack," is not specific enough. "The Son of Loss 7-8 Adolescent is practicing the Rithaign Waltz, in
cheap fancy dress, in front of a pier glass - and
will constrain his rage in Argenwald's Stance" works.
performing poorly.
Only one prophecy per person per scene grants the
9-10 Adolescent is composing a breathless love note to
Mood bonus. The GM is free, naturally, to award "My One Daffodil."
larger bonuses for more detailed prophecies. Duel-
11-12 Drakness, the smell of lemons, and two voices
ing players, or players in groups haunted by mistrust, screaming.
may elect to write prophecies on scrap paper, reveal- 13 The leering face of a dog-headed Low God cult
ing them after the round in question. Any player not idol.
made aware of the prophecy does not receive the 14 Eating a pot of honey.
Mood bonus should it come true. Whispers in Starlight 15 Meeting a man with a purple-plumed hat outside of
can communicate prophecies while maintaining their a tobacco shop.
secrecy. A character cannot benefit from more than 16 Buying a Serenity spell from a seradynn spell
one Prophecy per scene (or day); even the miraculous smuggler.
becomes mundane with repetition. 17 Blackmailing a local noble with the truth about
Close spells. "what happened at Dunwood."
As always, combat spells can be used at any 18 Shoveling dirt on a glass coffin, which contains
time. For most schools, casting one tends to transition twin brother and sister, screaming and clawing to
the scene into a combat scene, but that is less true for get out.
Language of Stars. Glow and Whispers in Starlight are 19 Hauling a dead Islander body onto a fishing sloop
particularly useful outside of combat. Prophecy can in the Sea of Princes. The vision ends as the body's
eyes open.
be, too.
20 Adult is being shrived by a priest when the priest
Compelling Stars. In the Language of Stars,
spontaneously combusts.
you intone one short command. The target can refuse,
but in that case he takes one point of Mood damage

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Magic roll against the Doom. speaking, the mouth returns to its dormant state until
Fade. Memories fade. The target loses two the next time it is triggered. A magic mouth counts as
points from one history item if she fails an opposed one of your bound spells.
Magic roll. The points return after the scene (or day). Obliterate. You can erase a book or scroll with
Gift of the Stars. Once per person, usually a touch. Spellbound objects require you to make a
upon first meeting, you have a vision of one random Magic roll against the Doom.
moment from your new acquaintance's history. This Sage History (M). You can determine which
spell could place a high demand on a GM's improvisa- stars are right for a person. Once per season, a person
tion skill, but GMs should understand that the random can present two lifepaths to you, and you can direct
moment need have no bearing on anything else of her down the more fruitful path. In game terms, when
relevance to the campaign. (To GMs: In practice, in a character has a choice of how to spend history or
my experience, this spell can be wondrous fun. Toss skill points, you can advise him. If he follows your
something out there, let the players attempt to exploit advice, he gains a bonus history point, which must be
it or torture it into relevance, and once they've done spent in the same history as the first.
so, run with the result. Some great moments can come Freeform close spells.
from random visions!) Here is a brief sample of ran- Masters of the Language of Stars are not
dom Gifts of the Stars. limited to the close spells listed above. In general, any
History locus. At a touch, you learn the last spell that involves clairvoyance, mysticism, language,
seven spells and the last seven Inspirations used in an or portents falls within the Language of Stars style.
area. Minor illusions and lighting effects are also possible.
Imminence. This spell grants minor foresight High spells.
and clairvoyance against non-spellbouind creatures. Capture History. Your mind captures the
When someone knocks at the door, you can see who is history of your target. You must touch your victim's
on the other side a moment before you open it. When temples, jaw, or eyelids throughout the one-hour cast-
you are chasing someone through the Arredenthian ing of this spell. At the conclusion, if your Magic roll
Vaults, you know what lurks ahead the instant before beats your target's Magic roll, you have captured one
you round the corner. Your visions never extend more history of your choice possessed by your target. The
than a second or two into the future. In addition to target's history is cut in half while you have it, and can
the obvious perks, Imminence allows you to roll your use it, at its full value. You keep it for one scene (or
Magic die as a bonus die when making a chase roll, day). The first captured history is erased if you capture
but you cannot then do anything other than Run or go a second history.
Under Control this round. Disjunction. You separate the spellbound from
Listen to the Same Stars. After listening to their spells. Any spellbound person who attempts to
the stars for a night, you learn the name of the most cast a spell must make a Magic roll against the Doom
powerful organization in the region and have a vision first. If it fails, she is unable to cast; if it succeeds, she
of one of the organization's recent actions. can cast normally. In combat, this extra Magic roll
Magic Mouth. You place a mouth, no more does not require a separate action, however, if a witch
than half a meter square, in any location: a wall, the fails to beat the Doom with this Magic roll, she must
inside of a variorum cover, hanging in the air in a cave recast. This spell persists for one scene (or day).
entrance, etc. The mouth is invisible until a trigger Mass Abjuration. As abjuration (p. 240), but
condition is met. Then, the mouth appears and shouts, this spell affects every spellbound item and persistent
whispers, or speaks up to twenty-three words of your spell in the region. High spells are unaffected.
choice, in any language you know (including the Occult Doom. In one area (small-scale area,
Language of the Stars, which can only be understood not a large-scale region) you raise or lower the Doom
by fellow Speakers and Listeners). The trigger condi- by 2 with respect to Magic. This counts as your bound
tion can be as complex or as simple as you like. After high spell. The spell persists until you cast it in an-

253
other location or dismiss it. ver, as always.
Seek Spellbound. Name a spellbound person Warp Flesh. Your spell twists your target's
and describe her well enough to identify her uniquely flesh, ripping it, inflicting 2 points of damage, and
while casting this spell, which requires a mirror, pool, causing it, if you wish, to take on the appearance of
or other gazing surface. You know the direction and a werecreature. Victims typically appear half-trans-
approximate distance to the spellbound witch you are formed into anthropomorphic wolves, rats, or bears.
hunting. Each noon, roll your Magic die against hers. The warped flesh does not prevent using weapons or
If she wins, your spell is blocked for the day and she manipulating objects, but the lycanthropic appearance
is aware of your hunting. The spell persists until you influences social interactions, typically using yourr
reach your quarry, until you cast it again to seek an- Magic roll as either a bonus or penalty die, depending
other, or until the hunted witch leaves the region. on the situation.
Vatic Annunciation. You prophesy something Wolf curse. The target of this spell can be will-
about the region, and the power of your magic carries ing, in which case no attack roll is necessary. The tar-
it from mouth to mouth, ear to ear, until everyone in get must make a Reason roll opposed by your Magic
the region has heard of your prophesy from a priest, roll or lose his mind while a wolf, even if he is a will-
friend, relative, or lord. Your prophecy carries such ing target (this is because "Magic, to be commanded,
fear of magic and fate that anyone in the region who is must be obeyed," that is, magic has its own rules that
not working toward making your prophecy come true are often outside even a wizard's control). Used in a
(perhaps simply by believing in it, if there is no direct non-combat scene, this spell persists for a number of
action reasonably available), has his maximum Mood minutes equal to your Magic score. In any case, the
reduced by three if he does not succeed at a Heart roll spell cannot be effective against the same target more
against the Doom. This roll must be re-made each than once in a scene (or day); the power of the spell
week. The prophecy counts as your bound high spell, does not render the flesh sufficiently malleable. You
and it cannot be unbound by you until it either comes cannot target yourself with this spell.
to pass or fails. If you are known as the prophet of a Transformation. This spell requires the blood-
failed prophecy, you may gain negative Reputation, at lust of combat. If you cast this spell to transform into
the GM's option. Spellbound creatures are immune to your wereshape and do not engage in combat on the
this spell; they have long since learned to live with the subsequent rounds, you take 2 Reason damage per
terrible entropy of magic. round. When you reach 2 Reason, you are of a beast
Void. After a night of casting with at least two mind; hand your character sheet to the GM until she
acolytes, you drop a hole out of the magic in an area. determines that your mind has healed. Every wizard
One type of Inspiration - your choice - is now unus- has one wereshape which is chosen upon first learning
able in the region. Void persists indefinitely; it counts this Magic style; it cannot change thereafter.
as your bound high spell. Any wild surge caused by Shred. A history check against the Doom suf-
casting this spell results in a crisis surge. fices to repair armor after the battle.
Frenzy. Only the d12 attack delivers wereven-
om.
Weremagic Close Spells.
Alter Appearance. A werewizard can warp his
Combat spell glosses. own flesh routinely, altering his appearance. The su-
Corrupting Light. The shaft of light weakens perficial changes can include hair color and length, eye
the target for one round only. color, maxillofacial bone structure, height, and weight.
Lunacy. The target attacks one of his allies Not all of these features can be changed at once. There
with a randomly determined attack in his current style. is always some vestige of the werewizard's original
The attack must be accessible from the current maneu- appearance. The spell grants the caster's Magic die

254
as a bonus die to any attempt to avoid the disguise's Freeform Close Spells.
detection. This is not an illusion; the physical form of Masters of Weremagic, called werelords, are
the caster actually shifts. Race cannot change. not limited to the close spells listed above. In general,
Catch Scent. Useful once per trail, this incanta- any spell that involves shapeshifting, lunacy, lycan-
tion allows you to roll your Magic die as a bonus die thropic beasts, and warped flesh fall within the Wer-
when tracking something by scent. emagic style.
Frighten. Mundane animals are frightened off High Spells.
by werecreatures. Inconsequential animals scatter, Curse shape. To curse someone this way, you
perhaps supplying you with a social bonus die equal to must have a piece of their body (hair, fingernail, pound
your Magic die, if you exploit the staging well. Threat- of flesh, etc.) and a figurine of the cursed shape. After
ening animals roll their Heart against your Magic; if the spell is cast, which requires three consecutive
their heart fails, they flee. tricks if in combat, the target rolls a Magic roll against
Inconstant Moon (M). This lunacy inflicts your Magic roll to resist. If he fails, he is forced into
upon the target a lack of constancy. The target cannot a new shape. He retains his mind: Reason, Heart,
concentrate and cannot complete any task that requires Magic, and Charisma scores, Inspirations, Mood, plus
more than a minute's worth of attention. Smithing a histories and skills (although he may not be able to
sword, commanding a battle, reading a long letter; all use them in his new form). His other attributes are
impossible. The first successful resistance roll breaks those of the new form: Strength, Quickness, and Body.
the spell, which otherwise persists indefinitely (though The shape of the cursed target depends on the caster's
it counts as one of your bound spells). A resistance wereshape, although substitutions are possible if the
roll can be attempted once per day. A person cannot group and GM see fit.
suffer from this spell more than once per lunar cycle
(month). Wereshape Cursed Shape
Leap. When leaping, you have an effective
Strength of 8 (10 for werelords, that is, masters of the
Wolf Frog
weremagic style). If you roll a 1 on your leap, how-
Bear Puppy
ever, this causes a magic surge just as if you had rolled
a 1 on your Magic roll. Tiger, descent cat Kitten
Purge Flesh. While grisly, this is an effective Raptor Lizard
disease cure, and it sells well on the black market. Rat Mouse
The recipient must already have contracted a disease.
When this spell is cast, his flesh changes. He gains The victim gains a new Magic roll to break the spell,
your Magic die on all subsequent rolls to resist the dis- opposed by your Magic roll, each fortnight for one
ease. However, he also gains a distintive, beastly scar season. During this time, the spell counts as your
or feature such as excessive hirsutism, cat-like eyes, bound high spell. After this, the curse becomes per-
or a dewclaw. This feature acts as a maiming, scar or manent and does not count as a bound high spell.
crippling wound (p. 30). There is, however, always a condition that breaks the
Shifting Psyche. For a moment, the target curse, set by the caster at the time of casting: a kiss
forgets his own history. He takes a Reason penalty die from a princess, the true love of a troll, the throne falls
on his next skill use, provided it is within the hour. and shatters, etc. Note that because the cursed victim
Your spell is negated, and cannot be used on this target retains his Inspirations, killing him may be difficult,
again this scene, if the target resists your Magic roll even in the cursed animal shape.
with a Reason roll of his own. Horde. You summon a pack of wolves, horde
Sniff silver. With a quick olfactory enchant- of rats, or swarm of spiders and command them. This
ment, you can sniff out any silver in the area. takes six minutes; the vermin follow and obey you for
one hour or until destroyed. You can also issue com-

255
mands to any members of the species that you did not 5 - Paranoia - The character is convinced
summon with a Magic vs. Doom roll. Commanding someone is out to get him. He suffers
creatures in this way takes a Trick in combat. a Reason penalty die on every roll in
Moonbane. You can suspend the moon's pro- the first round and last rounds of every
gression through its phases. It stays at the phase you encounter as he looks over his shoulder.
stop it for one month. The moonbane affects the entire 6 - Idiot Savant - The character's Reason is
region. reduced to 2 in all but one field, where
New Moon: Characters with primarily shadow his Reason is 12. Typical fields include
levels (a shadow class is their highest class level) gain music, memorization, arithmetic, and
a single extra use of one Inspiration in a scene, as detailed knowledge of crisis surges.
long as the extra use of the Inspiration is used to trick, 7 - Borrowed personality - The character
deceive, charm, sneak, or something similar. Shadow believes he is another PC or NPC
organizations (those with Shadow as their highest and behaves accordingly.
characteristic) increase their Shadow scores by 2. 8 - Schematic monomania - The character
Crescent Moon: The Doom is increased by one is obsessed with accomplishing
for people who are not spellbound. an involved scheme. Every hour
Gibbous Moon: The Doom is lowered by one that the character does not work
for spellbound characters. on his scheme, he loses 1 Mood point,
Full Moon: Characters with primarily magic progressing into Inspiration damage.
levels (a magic class is their highest class level) gain a Once affected, the victim rolls a Magic roll
single extra use of one Inspiration in a scene, as long against your Magic roll once each day until he throws
as the extra use of the Inspiration is used when cast- off the madness.
ing a spell. Magic organizations (those with Arcana Obsession. You must cast this during the
as their highest characteristic) increase their Arcana midnight hour of a full or new moon. The target need
scores by 2. not be present, but he must be within the region. The
Lunacy. The target is afflicted with one of the target of this spell fixates on one of his Inspirations,
following manias, determined randomly, unless his determined randomly, to the exclusion of all others.
Magic roll beats yours. Over time, he puts all of his possible points into that
1 - Dipsomania. The character loses one Mood one Inspiration, and he spends as much time as pos-
point every hour he is not drunk, sible pursuing it. The target gains a Reason roll against
progressing into Inspiration damage. your Magic roll each time the moon changes phases;
Drunkenness reduces all characteristics success breaks the spell. This spell counts as your
save Strength and Quickness by 2 and trapped high spell.
forces a Reason penalty die with every Rave Night. A full moon or a new moon must
roll. be in the sky when this spell is cast. For one night, ev-
2 - Kleptomaia - The character must steal. eryone in the region goes mad. Individuals can make
He makes a Reason roll against the an initial Magic roll against the Doom to stave off
Doom to avoid stealing something in madness; otherwise, they succumb. Those who go mad
every scene. are wild and shameless, seeking to sate the most basic
3 - Homicidal mania - The character becomes drives: hunger, lust, anger, greed. An armed legion try-
catatonic for 1d12 hours if he has not ing to restore order to the streets must fight off waves
killed in the last scene (or day). of angry mobs (p. 161). All organizations in the region
4 - Megalomania - The character believes he must roll Efficiency against your Magic roll or suffer a
is King and becomes enraged (1 1 point loss to all characteristics for the next week. An
Mood point loss) every time someone individual out in public on a Rave Night can expect to
transgresses this belief.

256
encounter 1d4 lunatic revelers per area, in most cases
a brawl results without a successful Charisma check
against the Doom.
Wereshape. Choose one wereshape: wolf, bear,
tiger, descent cat, raptor, rat. Once chosen, you can
never change your wereshape. When you cast this
spell, over the course of half a minute, you transform
into one of these were-beasts (counts as five consecu-
tive Tricks in combat). Your Reason, Heart, Magic,
Charisma, Mood, Inspirations, and Histories remain
your own, but you gain the Strength, Quickness,
Body, Armor and Weapon Quality, shape, and fighting
styles of the were-beast, with two exceptions. First, no
characteristic can be raised higher than your number
of magic levels. For example, if you are a wizard 6/
assassin 6 and you shapechange into a werebear, your
Strength and Body are 6 rather than the 10 and 9 nor-
mally listed for a were-bear. Second, you gain fighting
styles only at the apprentice level, even if the were-
beast normally has mastered the fighting style. You
may also gain other special abilities; these are noted
in the were-beast's description. Unless noted, you do
not gain other were-beast abilities, such as being proof
against all but silver weapons.
You can remain in wereshape for up to one day
per magic level per lunar cycle, retaking your origi-
nal shape over the course of another half a minute.
For example, if you are a wizard/chosen one 5/3, and
your chosen one levels are magic levels, then you can
remain in your wereshape for 8 days per month.
Carried items, including clothing, do not
change form with you. Wounds do. That is, if you
have suffered 4 points of Body damage in your human
form, and then you shift into your wereform, you will
still have 4 points of Body damage.
Casting close spells is possible but difficult in
wereshape; you must roll your Magic score against
the Doom to have a chance at success. Casting spells
in combat and casting high spells at any time while in
wereshape is impossible.

257
 Appendix Three:
Investigation & Flavor Tables
A: Locations for Scenes & Clues B: Locations for Scenes & Clues
Castle Castle, Pt. II Cathedral/ Countryside/
1 Great hall Alchemist’s atelier Church Wilderness
Grounds
2 Kitchen Engineer’s shop
1 Undercroft Burnt oak trunk
3 Study Zeppelin hangar
2 Library of Wrandt's Ruins of a Low God
4 Trophy room, game Conservatory
Turn books shrine
5 Trophy room, peasant Inside iron maiden in
3 Vestibule Wildflower patch
dungeon
4 Pipe Organ, in B Abandoned hermit’s
6 Dream projection Cleaner crab pen
storm pipe house
room
5 Sanctuary, under Occupied hedge wiz-
7 Audience room Clerestory
prayer kneeler ard’s tower
8 Privy Indoor brook
6 Where sunlight passes Manticore ossuary
9 Kennels Greenhouse through stained glass
10 Map room Hall of mirrors Wrandt's Nail at noon
11 Armory Chapel 7 Baldachin Lake
12 Tasting room, wine Anchorite prayer 8 Carved column con- Burial cairn covered
and taken emotions cells taining secret door to with mud displaying
spiral stair naga tracks
Village Pt. I Village Pt. II 9 Monk’s cell Brook
1 Rich tavern’s wine Churchyard with 10 Holy font Mine operated by
cellar lilac bush inbred family
2 Poor tavern’s flop Inside the mind of a 11 Wine press Dead spellstalk mass
room/floor child who never 12 Choir loft Natural rock arch
speaks Miscellaneous Miscellaneous
3 The town square well Stables 1 In the zeppelin cap- In the dreams of a
4 Troll butcher’s ice Home of a miser tain's staterom leper-wight
house 2 Winter ballroom The Free Road
5 Nest abandoned by Home of an Axeman
wolf child 3 Dissolved in wine A field marshal's
glass with Language command tent
6 Blacksmith’s forge Home of a kings-
of Stars freeform
man
"Letter in Wine" spell
7 Monument to lost Building burned by
4 In the scabbard of the On the Sun Goddess’
school children kingsmen
Duke Below's broad- tepui
8 Outdoor bazaar Gallows sword

258
 C: Challenges D: Names + Roles
Urban Miscellaneous Names (M, F) Roles
1 Break into cathedral Translate and inter- 1 Julio, Maria Trapper, ratter
to search baptismal pret journal page 2 Anselm, Lieve Informant
records 3 Joachim, Anneka Shipwright
2 Kidnap familiar of a Tap signal onto wall 4 Thierry, Minette Deacon
king’s Battlecrafter of Sealed Kingdom 5 Desmond, Wilhelmina Fruitmonger
3 Learn a secret from a Beat a rain troll in 6 Ichabod, Giselle Teacher, tutor
kingsman a pain endurance
7 Peter, Quinn Butcher
contest
8 Liam, Penelope Sailor
4 Negotiate with thieves Ice sled race around
guild recruiter the walls of Thyre 9 Richard, Regan Heir to a bourgeois
fortune
5 Fight spellstalk vic- Make a pilgrimage to
tim, wild in streets seven Wrandt cathe- 10 John, Catherine Kingsman
drals 11 Arvind, Branwyn Farmer
6 Track a wolf child Outdress the Duchess 12 Mark, Elena Sewer worker
7 Dance with a noble at Court one of Asen-
midsummer revel kut Ragul's nineteen Surnames Tavern Names
daughters 1 Thenson, Leval, Sher- The Dripping Rag
8 Learn the story of Reunite a distant malhatma
the innkeeper's last trader and his wife 2 Forks, Eikenvald, (An orange X on the
adventure Ruiz sign)
9 Write and stage a play Clean (clear the 3 Tor, Usetai, Gosh The Eye in the Pot
monsters) and open 4 Winthorp, Holg, The Old Trastamara
a noble's summer Tehjad
house
5 Millais, Drussen, The Saints
10 Fight trading caravel’s Win the confidence Mubai
impressment squad of a Zocith templar
6 Crathminster, Three Hearts and
11 Chase down thieves Speak to a Low God Endwell, Mhamalyan Three Dragons
12 Flee kingsmen Race the Free Road 7 Smith, Gruenfeldt, The Violet Room
Dungeon Dungeon Jaan
8 Hefflovich, Hotung, Hearth on the Heath
1 Ford underground Pick sarcophagus
Bansal
river locks
2 Fight troglodyte tribe Disarm crazed engi-
neer's lab
3 Decipher madman’s Help dying explorer
diary as spiked ceiling reach the surface
descends
4 Zombie ambush Shatter golems

259
 E: Conflicts and Foreshadows
Conflict Adumbrations
1 Dramba body switcher has been masquerading Man in iron mask thrashing in dungeon, dramba
as noble houngan puffing narghile in tavern
2 Dragon has gained intelligence and startd to Nobles are moving to summer residences, shadow
carve out a kingdom society is becoming more obvious in power vacuum
left behind
3 War is coming with a new Descent horde Widewater has stopped communications, Free Trade
road caravans going missing
4 Dynn fanatics are tracking down spellbound in Ranting preachers on street corners, plate armor stash
the area found in harbor warehouse
5 Cover-up of noble’s accidental murder of vil- Several families in village are suddenly wealthy, argu-
lage boy ments heard inside nobles’carriages
6 Wizard has attacked zeppelin, crashing it, and Strange requests from disguised wizards in town mar-
there is currently a battle raging in the moun- ket, increase in spellbound density, wild surges caus-
tains between wizard’s forces and the trader’s ing chaos in town
zeppelin
7 City neighborhood is being torn apart by Bodies found impaled on wagon cart handles in the
shadow war over the allegiance of a refugee morning, cracks in the pavement from spells and
magic order from a collapsed Eastern Isle earthquake wild surges
wight kingdom
8 Trader has found new veins in abandoned mine Caravans toAlhos Verradas are ambushed, thieves
in badlands south of Azenahal; he and nobles swarm streets to steal copies of map or claim
are (sometimes violently) negotiating rights
9 A peasant has found a book of five Death Lots of dead bodies of peasant’s enemies from the
Spells first two spells, increase in wild surges, thieves guild
bosses and archamgi suddenly in town to investigate
purchase, theft, and vengeance
10 A cult worshipping Grish Torsce, the god of Priest in the local church is acting strangely, dis-ap-
reptiles, has taken over an outlying village pearances of victims with no coins being taken from
surrounding villages, monstrous snake and raptor
sightings in woods
11 A fixer is sparing no cost and has no regard for Poisonous vessels from his workshop have found their
safety as he seeks revenge on the assassin he way to the tavern and are sickening people, caustic
blames for his wife’s death pockmarks in building walls at site of alley fight
12 A baroness is hunting down two lovers and Kingsmen are questioning people about something, by
wizards, namely her maniacal fugitive husband force if necessary; city watch may start chasing PCs,
and his sadistic Druidess lover only to apologize for mistaken identity

260
 F: Pickpocket Results I: Deus ex Machinae
1 Ivory comb (10 m) 1 Lost love or estranged friend returns
2 Dremel, punch, awl 2 A secret door opens, and a seradynn troll
3 Bag of bread beckons
4 Prayer nails 3 A new witness appears
5 Wrandt’s book 4 A crisis surge shakes the earth, distracting
6 Pocket knife all
7 Plague flag, charm 5 PC finds a trapped spell scroll
8 High God woodcut 6 The lights go out
9 Fixer’s gum 7 A companion reveals an unsuspected tal-
10 1d10 gold coins ent
8 Enemy's disguise fails

G: Social Functions J: On the Menu

1 Theater, comedy 1 Ale, pint
2 Theater, cat burning 2 Mead, pint
3 Theater below, music 3 Ale, Thyrian
4 Theater below, satire 4 Wine, bottle
5 Prayer service 56 Wine, spiced, bottle Venison
6 Harvest festival 7 Pheasant
7 Stake monkey hunt 8 Pork chop
8 Ballroom dancing 9 Hunter’s stew
9 Tavern dancing 10 Shepherd’s pie (haggis or venison)
10 Dinner at theArch-bishop’s

H: Contraband K: Art Objects

1 Trapped spell scroll: Body Switch (dram- 1 Statue: falcon trapped in ice
ba) 2 Statue: chimera devouring man
2 Trapped spell candle: Disaster (druid) 3 Statue: an angel's fire-birth (midwife is
3 Stirring sheet music blindfolded)
4 Love poem 4 Painting: priest under comet
5 Noble caricature hand puppets 5 Painting: arrival of the seradynn
6 Low God idol 6 Tapestry: St. Vartan chained
7 Cup from royal table 7 Tapestry: Ste. Jhess burning witches
8 Directions to safe house 8 Reliquary: fingernail clipping of St.
9 Priest's chasuble Wrandt
10 Bishop's accounting ledger

261
 Name

Class and Level Race and Sex

Strength ______

Quickness ______
Max.
Mood (in Region)
Reason ______

Charisma ______

Magic ______

Heart ______ Body Max.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Inspirations
_____________________________________________

Fighting Styles: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________

Magic Styles: ________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Racial Abilities: _____________________________________ History and Skills

Class Abilities: ______________________________________ ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Talents: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ Reputations

Gear: ___________________________________________________________________________

Wealth __________________________________________________________________________________
Level
__________________________________________________________________________________
________
Property: _______________________________________________________________________

Organization: _________________________________________________________________

F: ___ S: ____ A: ____ E: ____ Scope:: ________

 Name

Class and Level Race and Sex

Strength ______

Quickness ______
Max.
Mood (in Region)
Reason ______

Charisma ______

Magic ______

Heart ______ Body Max.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Inspirations
_____________________________________________

Fighting Styles: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________

Magic Styles: ________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Racial Abilities: _____________________________________ History and Skills

Class Abilities: ______________________________________ ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Talents: _____________________________________________ Reputations

Wealth Level: ______ Gear & Property: __________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Organization: __________________________________________________________ F:__ S:__ A:__ E:__ Scope:_____

□ Win a social scene □ Meet a spellstalk victim □ Experience True Love. □ Command an army that includes a raptor horde
□ Win a duel □ Rescue a child from school □ Master a combat style □ Undergo a transfusion in a fixer’s lab
□ Win a chase □ Ride a zeppelin □ Cast a high spell □ Wear a WL 12+ fashion item
□ Win a race at the Unicorn □ Jump from a moving □ Survive a crisis surge □ Seduce an NPC (make them have a Love or Lust
Downs in Rithaign zeppelin □ Live a night as a noble Inspiration for you)
□ Win a Marnh lottery □ Sing at the Shadows and □ Fight a lich □ Participate in Free Ale Night in Steerk
Sparrows □ Fight a dragon □ Witness a Wonder
□ Increase a History to 20 □ Own a castle □ Gain a Reputation in Dynn
□ Be Wealth Level 15 or □ Meet a king □ Set foot in Jakatta
higher □ Survive by Inspiration alone

Achievements
 Arrowheart
Combat Style

d8 d2 0 d2 d10 d2
Penetrate (r) Mighty Pull Anticipate (r)
3 + 1 Str Ignore range penalties Name maneuver;
for first three areas if correct do
next round 4 + rebalance

d6/
d4 d2
Double Shot (r)
2/1
M M

d6
d10 d4 vs dStr d2 0 d2 d6 d2 d4 d2
Called Shot: Torso Called Shot: Aim and Breathe Called Shot: Called Shot: Head (r)
2 Held Item (r) +1 attack die size Pin (r) 5
1 + item dropped 2 + grabbed
next round
(Trick ends)

d4 d4
Trick Shot
1 + environment trick

d4 d6 d6 d2 d4 d2
Shoot and Dive (r) Archer’s Shot Shot on the Run
1 1 1 + Move
Requires bow.
Strike Defend Grab
All attacks are ranged. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
You cannot execute a Called Shot to the Head if you are
hit while Aiming & Breathing in the previous round. Qck/d2 0/d4
 Battlecraft
Spell Combat Style

M d10/d10/ d6 M
d10 0

d4 d6
d20 d6 d8 d6
Lightning Orb Enter Orb
Stone Pincer Hurl Stone Pincer Grab 1/1/1
2 + hurl grabbed Grabbed
Add move, climb, +1 physical
(ranged)
tgt 1 area and magic defense die size,
d10 d6 and +1 damage
until you are forced to re-cast
d4
d10 d6
Explode Orb (r)
Stone Pincer Slash 2
2 5 targets in one area
(ranged)
M
d6 d6
d4 d8

d8 d4 0 d6 0 d6 0 d4 0 d6
Crimson Bands Gather Stone Wards Sculpt Orb Improved Arcane Wards
of Hessek +2 physical defense die size +1 magic defense die size
Banded. Each band does and +1 magic defense die size until you re-cast
1 damage per round until until you are forced
you are forced to re-cast M
to re-cast

0 d6
0 d4 Wall of Force
Pause the Crimson Bands A Quality 6 invisible wall
Suspends (not dismisses) (10’ high, as long or wide
the bands’ continuing as the area) stands until
damage while, for example, smashed or you are forced
you interrogate the victim. to rebalance

Requires no weapon, no shield. Strike Defend Grab

All are ranged. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Reason 8, Magic 8.
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Black Powder and Crimson Blade
Combat Style
M

d6 d4 d12 d8 d4 d4
Approach Cut Muzzle in the Face Called Shot: Head (r)
2 7 6

d8/
d4 d8 d4 d6
Artery Jabs
Called Shot: Limb
1/1
3 + rebalance
M

0 d8
d4 d4 d10 d4 0 d4
d6 d6
Slash Blade Feint Quick Shot Brace & Aim Fade into Shadows
1 and Pistol Whip 2 +1 attack die size 0
1 + rebalance next round

d8/
d8 d4
0 dQck Backstab and
Dodge & Load Point-Blank Spine Shot (r)
2/3

dQck/
0 d12 d8 0
d4 d8
Shift and Load Shot from the Dark (r) Hide and Brace
4
Move

Strike Defend Grab

Requires one-handed slashing or piercing weapon,
Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
pistol, no shield, no armor with Min. Str. greater than 4.
2 load actions required to load.
Quickness 6. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Shots are ranged; others not.
Qck/0 0/d4
Cannot use Called Shot: Head if hit while Bracing & Aiming.
 Black Powder Musketeer
Combat Style
M

Cha d8/
d12 d4 0 d4 d4
vs. Cha d4 d6
Load and Jeer Quick Shot Flash Smoke Screen Double Shot
1 Mood 2 -2 attack die size 2/2
next 2 rounds Requires two
for all in area wheellocks
(out of powder after this)
Cha
vs.
d4 d8/
Doom
d8 d4
Load and Jape Shoot, Stab & Dash
+1 to one ally’s mood 3/1 + move
M Second attack is not ranged M

d4 d4 d6 d4 d4 d4
0 d2
Ricochet Shot (r) Called Shot: Limb Aim & Breathe Called Shot: Head (r)
3 + can go around corner 4 + rebalance +1 attack die size Double range penalties
+ shot triggers next round 7
environment trick
d8/
dQck Cha
0 d6
vs Cha
Dodge & Load Plume & Blade
1 + 1 Mood M

d8 d6 d6 d4
0 d4 d6 d4
Run and Load Thrust and Feint Slash Powder Burn
Move 1 and + 1 melee damage until 1 Blind 1 round
you are forced to rebalance (not ranged)

Requires blackpowder weapon and blade, no shield. Strike Defend Grab

2 load actions required to load. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Quickness 6, Charisma 5, Strength 5.
You cannot execute a Called Shot: Head if you are hit Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
while Aiming & Breathing in the previous round.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Brute
Humanoid Monster Combat Style
M

d6/
d4 d6 d4 d4 d4 d6 d4 d6
Overhead Bash, Hack at Slam Haymaker (r)
Below-the-belt Knee the Head
1 3
2/1 4

d4 d6 d4
d6 d4 d4 d6
d8
Block and Bash Hack Brutal Throw Brutal Grab
Move one area 1 + Grabbed M
1 1

Hack and Bash maneuvers

require a weapon. Slam and d6 d8
d4 d6
Brutal maneuvers do not. Shake and Shield
Headbutt (r)
Requires Str 5. 2 + Grabbed
Rebalance

Skulker
Humanoid Monster Combat Style
M
Skulker does 1 point less damage per hit
if the attacking weapon is lower Quality
than the defending armor.
Requires Qck 5, weapon, no shield. d8 d8
Stab and Flit
2 + move

d8 dQck 0 d8 d4 d4 0 d8
Sneak and Stab (r) Flit Through Shadows Stab Focus from Shadows
2 Move, climb 1 +1 damage next round

d8 d8 d10 d2 Strike Defend Grab

Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Shoot from Shadows Deadeye Shot
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
1 (ranged) 2 (ranged) Qck/0 0/d4
 Claw/Claw/Bite
Combat Style

d4 d4 0 d6
Bite Bounding Sprint
2 Move, climb

d6/
d8 d4
Claw/Feint/Bite
1/2
All bite attacks d10
M until forced to rebalance M

d6/
d8/ d6 d4
d6 d4 d4 d6/ d6 0 d6
d6
Claw/Claw d8 Pounce Foreclaw Rush (r)
Swipe Claw/Claw/Bite
Disarm 1/1 Move Both move 1 area together
1/1/2 +1 damage next round

d6 d4
0 d8
Claw Circle
1
Strike Defend Grab
Requires Str 4, Qck 5. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Court Sword
Combat Style
M M

d8/ dRep/
dRep d6 d6
d8
Lord’s Punishment Lord’s Stance
2/2 Reputation 2

0 d4 d4 d4 d8 d4
Demand Signature Strike Disarm
Allies gain your Reputation 1 and Disarm
as bonus die on one attack +1 Mood to self
or defense roll next round

d6 d8

Lord’s Feint
Rebalance

dRep d6 dRep d4
0 d10
Satirical Portrayal (r) Riposte Beat
2 Reputation and 2 Mood d10 attack for 3 damage against 2 + 1 Mood
to one audience member one enemy that misses you

0 d4 d8 d2 0 d4 0 d6 d6 d6
Spin Lunge (r) Pose Feint Demeaning Swat
+1 damage Bonus Reputation 2 Mood
+1 attack die
next round die on attack or size next round
defense until forced
to rebalance Strike Defend Grab
Requires weapon, no shield. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Dagger-and-Wine
Combat Style
M

d10 d6
d10 d4
Between the Ribs (r) Backstab (r)
3 + 1 Str 4

dQck/
0 d8 d8
d6 dQck d6 d4 0
Disarming Embrace Tangled Cloak Dodge into Shadows Skulk in Shadows
1 Mood + Disarm Grabbed Move
+2 damage
a grabbed target Requires cloak, bedsheets, etc.
next round

0 d8 d8 d2
Whirling Trick Sneak Attack
Move + env. trick 2

d6/ 0 d8
d4 d6
Dagger Flurry Duck and Slip
2/1 If you are missed, attack goes vs.
creature of your choice (in area)
M

d6 d6 dCha dCha dCha

d4 d6 vs dRsn d4 d4 vs dRsn d4
vs dRsn
Low Blow (r) Cut Intimations Stunning Secret Bitter Whispers
2 Qck + 2 Str 1 For the rest of the fight, 2 Mood + rebalance; 1 Mood
recovered after 1 round target cannot use the Requires secret
Inspiration attacked by
the secret you reveal.
Requires secret
Requires Cha 6, Qck 6, dagger or similar, no Strike Defend Grab
shield. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

-1 damage vs. any armor with Quality greater Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.

than your weapon’s Quality. Qck/0 0/d4
 Death Lore
Spell Combat Style
M
d10

d2
Death Spell (r)
Death
5 targets with
M
(Mood + Body) < 10
d6 0 d20 d6

d6 d12 0 d4 d4
d4
Limbs of Dust Dustform Open the Gate Mind of the Void
Void (r)
1 Str + 1 Qck Move through cracks, of Ash and Dust 1 Rsn + 1 Mgc
4 + re-cast
pour through holes
(1 minute/scene or day)

d6 d6

d4 d4
Masque of Ash Masque of Dust
Target takes 1 point of Strength Target takes 1 point of Magic
and Charisma per round until and Mood per round until
you are forced to re-cast you are forced to re-cast
d4 0
0

d6 d4 d6 0 d6
d12 d4
Sign of Ash Rapture of Ash Sign of Silence
Pillar of Ash Rapture of Silence
1 +2 die size next attack +1 to all your Add re-cast to
2
defense die sizes until next atk
you are forced to rebalance

Strike Defend Grab

Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Requires no weapon, no shield.
All are ranged. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Reason 6, Magic 7. Qck/0 0/d4
 Dragon
Monster Combat Style

d10/
d10/
d10 d6 d12 d6
Carry Off Draconic Frenzy (r)
Grabbed + fly 3/3/3
dStr d6 you and target 1 area d20 d6
Grasp Slam
Grabbed M 3 + rebalance
M M

d10 d8 d12 d10 0 d8 d8 d10 0 d6

Claw Fire Claw Shroud of Flames Wings Fan the Firestorm Dive
3 + 2 Magic d10 attack for 1 flame 2 + rebalance +2 damage next round
2 damage against any who Requires altitude
to all in area
target you until you rebalance.

d8 d6 0 d6
0 d10
Bite Roar Fly
3 +1 Mood to self Fly 2 areas

d12/ d8
d12/ vs
d8 d10 d12 d4 d6
Rsn
Claw/Claw/Bite Breathe Fire Shadow Pass (r)
2/2/3 3 1 Mood to all
enemies in area + fly

d20/
d20 d12 d12
d20
Breathe Fire (r) Breathe Fire (r)
(Cone) (Melt)
5 to all in area 5 to target/3 Quality to all of target’s gear

Requires dragon.
A dragon gains a Strength bonus die
against any physical attempt to force
it to rebalance or move.
 Dramba
Spell Combat Style

d8

0 d4 0 d4 0 d4
Corn Dust Shower Charm Trance Brick Dust Circle M
+2 to your magic defense Mgc
Target ignores 1 point
die size until you are vs
of damage from
d6 forced to re-cast Mgc
next 3 attacks
d4
d10
d4 Burn Doll (r)
Remove one magic, disease,
Burn Doll d6
poison or similar effect
1 + 1 Cha + 1 Str Hex Eye applied within last 3 rounds
Target takes Magic penalty die on
all defenses next round M
d8 d8
0 d6
d4 Salve Doll (r)
d4
Cloud Eye +2 to any characteristic
Pin to Head
Target cannot see you next round harmed within last 3 rounds
1 + recast
d4 M
d6

0 d2
d2
d4 Anoint Doll
Body Switch (r) Target uses caster’s magic
Pin to Heart
Switch bodies with target die as bonus die for 2 rolls
3 (next round only) next round
Rebalance actions only
d8
Cha
vs
d4
0 d2 0 d2 Doom
d4
Dedicate Doll Bless Doll
Curse Doll Dedicate Doll
+1 Mood to target
-1 Mood
Strike Defend Grab
Requires no weapon, no shield. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
All but dust spells are ranged. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Charisma 6, Reason 5, Magic 6.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Druidic
Spell Combat Style

d8 M d4 M d6 d8

d6 d6
d2 d2
Fertility Distant Cut Sickle Reap (r)
Birth (r)
Stunted Freak Twin erupts Swelling: -1 Qck 2 3 + 1 Str
from target’s flesh: per round Ranged Ranged
Freak, Bite d10/d4, 1 dmg until Birth Cha
0 Mood, 0 armor, 3 Body vs.
Doom d2 M
M
Sacrifice
+1 Mood to self
d8 d2 0 d2 0 d4 0 d4
Chill Bog Bog Sun’s Blessing Sun’s Bounty (r)
1 + rebalance 1 area becomes bog Ally does +1 Up to 5 allies do +2
0 d6
and as Bog (Str. vs. Doom to move) damage next round damage next round
Lasts until you re-cast Harvest Cant
+1 damage until forced to recast

d4 d4
Sickle Slash
1
d8
d8

d4 0 d2 d2
Sun and Fire Glare (r) Burn Mistletoe Gale of Fire (r)
-2 attack die size next round 2
Attack 3 targets Attack 5 targets in same area

Requires sickle, no shield. Strike Defend Grab

All are ranged except Sickle Slash. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Reason 6, Magic 7.
Sacrifice requires plant or animal to burn or Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
wine to pour.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Elemental Maelstrom
Spell Combat Style

d8 M
d8

0 d4 d4
d4
Intensify Petrify
Thunderbolt
1 Qck/round Rebalance
until you are forced M
d6 d10
to re-cast d12 d6

d8 d2 d4 0 d4 d4
Rain of Rocks d4 Intensify Tempest
Lightning Bolt
1 4 1 and -2 attack die size
up to 3 targets d6
to all in area
0 d4
Flame Shroud 0 d12/
d6 magic attack for 1 Magic
vs every attack targeting you, Mistwalk
until you are forced to re-cast Move, Climb

d4

d10 d4
0 d4
Fireball (r)
3 (ranged) Summon Storm
up to 5 targets in same area
M
d6 d12

0 d4 0 d4
d4
Intensify Fire Nova (r)
Wall of Fire
3
10’ high wall separates two areas up to 5 targets in your area
d12 magic attack for 3 damage
against any crossing the wall
(lasts until you are forced to re-cast)
Strike Defend Grab
Requires no weapon, no shield. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
All attacks are ranged.
Reason 8, Magic 8. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Five Seasons
Combat Style

0 d8 d8 d10 d8 d6 0 d8
Melting Ice Stance Fist of Ice Winter Wind Throw Blizzard Mind
Ignore next 2 points 2 + 1 Qck 1 + move target 1 area
Add d8 attack
of damage next round
M

d12/
d6 d4 d8/ d8
Fevered Spring Kick d4
Cyclone Kick
1 3/2/1
M

0 d6 0 d6 d12 d8
Budding Leaf Movement Inner Life Flashback Sere Pressure Point (r)
Remove 1 column or
Move Recharge one inspiration and
row from target’s style;
recover half your total mood.
Trick (Str vs. Str) ends.
Once per scene.
M

d8/
d4 d4 d8 d10
Stunning Fist Fists Like Sobs
of Autumn
1 + can’t move next round
2 + 1 Str

0 d8 d10 d4 d10 d6 0 d8
Fires of Spring Stance Earthfall Trip Summer Sun Kick Meditation
+2 damage next round 1 + rebalance 2 + move on Fleeting Summer
Add move next round
* All maneuvers gain a bonus Reason defense
die when resisting Mood attacks. Strike Defend Grab
Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Requires Rsn 6, Qck 5, Str 5,
no armor, no shield, no weapon or exotic Throw/Shoot Trick/Scheme
weapon (at GM’s judgment). Qck/0 0/d4
 Free Sword
Combat Style

d12/
d8
d12
Eviscerate (r)
3 + 1 Str + 1 Qck
(each attack)

d6 d6 d10 d10 d6/

d4 d6
Unbalancing Feint Free Sword Strike Onslaught
Rebalance 2 2/2

d8/
0
d4 d8 d8
Counterstrike
d8 attack for 1 damage Ranieri’s Attack
against up to 5 foes who miss you 1 + d12 defense against
any terrain effect, move, or rebalance M
M

d8 d8 0 d8 d10 d6 d6 d4 d8 d6
Driving Cut (r) Spin Body Chop (r) Passing Slash Whirlwind
2 + move +2 damage nezt round 2 1 + move 1
target 1 area Attack 3 targets

0 d8 d8 d2 d6 d4

Dodge and Feint Lunge (r) Warrior’s Strike

+1 attack or defense die size 1 1
until forced to rebalance
Strike Defend Grab
Requires: one-handed sword or similar edged Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
weapon, armor, Str 6, Qck 6.
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Giant
Combat Style

d4/
0 d8 d6 d4 d4 d4
Leap Up and Dodge Slam Clobber Walk
2 2/2 + Move
M

d12 d2 d6/
d6 d2
Smash Landing (r)
Giant Rampage (r)
3 + rebalance
3/3 + move

d4 d4 d8 d4 0 d4
Reaching Sweep (r) Block the Way Wind Up
1 Target can’t enter
3 targets up to one area away or leave your area

d6 d6
d4 d4 d6 d6
Bat (r)
Reaching Slam (r) Kick
2 + move target
2 3 2 areas
Up to 1 area away M

d8 d4 d6 d4
Hurl Boulder Two-handed Overhead
2 (ranged) Smash (r)
4 + 1 Str + rebalance

Requires Str 9 and giant size. Strike Defend Grab

A giant gains a Strength bonus die Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
against any physical attempt to force
him to rebalance or move. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Gore & Trample
Monster Combat Style
d4/
d4 d4
Hoof/Hoof
1/1 M

0 d6 d8 d6 d6 d6 d8 d4 d6 d2
Charge Charging Gore Trample (r) Head Butt (r) Impale
+2 damage next round 1 + move 1 + rebalance 1 + move target 2 + grabbed
+ move 3 targets one area

d6 d4 d8 d6
Requires Str 6 and
Gore Flip horns or similar.
1 1 + move gored target
one area

Carapace
Monster Combat Style

d4/ d6/
d4 d6 0 d6 0 d8 0 d10 d4 d4
Shielded Flurry (r) Bracing Stance Carapace Defense Blocking Stance Heedless Swing
2/1 Ignore 1 point of 1
damage this round

d6 d8 d8 d8
Slap Away Slam
Disarm 2 Requires Str 6 and
M carapace, armored
hide, or similar.

d6 d10 d4 d10
Bash Back Careful Crush
1 + move target 1 area 3
 Great Weapon
Combat Style

M M

d4 d8 dStr d6 d8 d4 d10 d6
Maim Rising Strike Trip Pin
2 + this damage Rebalance
2 1 + tripped target is
can only be cured grabbed by your weapon
by time or taking a scar

0 d6 d4 d4
0 d6
Mighty Swing Argenwald’s Stance Great Weapon Strike
+1 damage 1 Str bonus die/round 2
next round until forced to
rebalance

dStr dStr d4 d6 d6
d6 d8 d4
Keep at Bay Overhead Strike Cleaving Crescent Swing Sweep
1 + target can’t melee 3 2 2
attack you next round 2 targets 5 targets
M M

d8 d6
d12 d6
0 d4 Sweeping Trip Assault (r)
Devastation Interpose Weapon
5 + move target 1 area 5 targets
Ally rolls your 3 + rebalance
defense die as
bonus defense die

Requires two-handed weapon. Strike Defend Grab

Strength 7. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Guardian
Humanoid Monster Combat Style
M

d6 d8 d6 d6 d4 d4
Guard and Strike Knock Back Thrust
1 + as Guard Move target 1
one area

d6/
d4 0 d6 d4 d8
d8
Guard and Run Slam and Kick
Block and Counter
1 As Guard + move 1/1

0 d6 Reqires Str 6, weapon

0 d8 0 d6
Guard and shield or equivalent.
Block Block and Guard
Ally rolls d8 Ally rolls your defense
as a bonus die as a bonus defense die
defense die Strike Defend Grab
Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Berserker Throw/Shoot
Qck/0
Trick/Misc.
0/d4
Humanoid Monster Combat Style

0 d4 0 d6 d8 d2
Final Rage Rage Harder Leaping Stab (r)
+2 damage until +2 Mood 1 + move
forced to rebalance (1/scene)
(does not stack
with Berserk Rage) d8/
0 d6 d8 d2 0 d6 d6 d2 d10 d2
Berserk Rage Cross-Body Slash Charge Spin and Slash Reckless Thrust (r)
M +1 damage until 1 Move 1/1 2
forced to rebalance
Reqires Str 5,
d8 d2 d6 d4 Qck 5, weapon.
Bite Face Off Trip
2 + grabbed + 1 Cha +1 Mood
Rebalance
(Mood vs. all enemies watching)
(targets tripped foe only)
 Guardsman
Combat Style

M M

d10 d12 d8 d12

Repel Bull Rush Assault (2r)
Attack only those entering your area 3 + move target one area
1+ Target can’t enter your area + optionally move with target
Up to 3 targets

d4 d4 d4 d8 0 d8 d6 d8 dStr d4
Distracting Blow Bodyguard Shield Tactics Body Blow Knock Down
2 + Ally rolls your attack 2 + move + +1 defense die size 3 Rebalance
die as a bonus defense die as Shield Other until you are forced
to rebalance

0 d8 d4 d6 d4 d12
Escort Guard’s Strike Rampart Defense
Move + as 1 + d12 bonus defense die against
Shield Other 1 any terrain, move, or rebalance

0 d6 d6 d8 0 d8 0 d8 0 d10
Shield Other Shield Bash Shield Run Screened Riposte Block
Ally rolls your defense Rebalance d6 attack for 1 damage
die as a bonus defense die Move against up to three
who miss you

Requires: Str 6, weapon, armor, shield. Strike Defend Grab

Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/d2 0/d4
 Hearts
Spell Combat Style

d8 d10 d6 d6

d4 d2
d2 d4
Doubt Pain
Fear Hate
Tgt rolls Heart penalty die Target must Rebalance -3 Strength (next round
on one roll of caster’s choice attack M only)
next round d12
next round

d2
Suffering and Despair
0 3 + cannot use mood 0 d2
d2
next round Awaken Grief
Awaken Fear

M
d6

0 d4 0 d4 d2
Two Hearts Beat as One Hearten Sympathy
Target two allies; when Ally who hits Target two creatures:
one is hit, the other can next round when one is hit, the other takes
take the wound instead gains 1 Mood an identical wound
(lasts until you re-cast) (lasts until you re-cast)

0 d6
Awaken Heart
+2 to your Heart next round

Requires no weapon, no shield. Strike Defend Grab

All are ranged. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Charisma 7, Magic 7.
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Language of Stars
Spell Combat Style

d8 M

d4
Star in the Skull (r) 0
d8 Target’s head is effulgent.
1 Reason. New attack each round
until you are forced to re-cast. d2
d4 At Reason 0, head explodes. Astral Homonculus (r)
Star Seed Descent cat homunculus
1 appears; Cha vs. Doom
(ranged) to force it to obey.

d10 d6
d8
0

d6 d4
0 d6
Glow
Invoke the Stars Whispers in Starlight
All spellbound glow
one color of your choice. Can whisper to communicate
Wild surges happen with one ally until either of you
on a 1 or a 2. are forced to rebalance
d6 0
d8

d2
d2
Celestial Tongue Prophecy (r)
Target cannot Predict enemy’s action
speak or comprehend d8 d6 next round.
any language If true, +2 Mood to all allies
until you are forced to re-cast
d6
Music of the Stars
Reason penalty die on
all attacks next round
Strike Defend Grab
Requires no weapon, no shield. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
All are ranged.
Magic 7. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Long Arm
Combat Style

d8/
d6 d6
Double Stab
2/1

d10 d6 d8 d2 d8 d4
Long Pierce Overextend Pin
2 1 1 and target
Up to 1 area away Up to 1 area away cannot move;
M up to 1 area away M

d10/
d10 d6 d8 d6
0 d6
Meteor Tip Impale
2/2 + move Vault 3 + grabbed
Up to 1 area away Move, Climb Up to 1 area away

d6 d4
Thrust
1

d8 d4 d4 d4 d6 d8
Javelin Throw Whirlwind Repelling Wind
2 1 + cannot enter
ranged 1
Two targets your area. Targets all
who attempt to enter area.

Requires Str 6, Qck 5, spear or 0 d4

similar polearm; no shield. Once you Scorpion Stance Strike Defend Grab
have mastered the style, “Vault” Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
becomes “Vault Foe (M),” d2/d6, 1 + +1 attack die size and +1 damage
Move, Climb. to attacks outside your area Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
until forced to rebalance
Qck/d2 0/d4
 Mob
Combat Style

d6 d4 0 d6
Stone and Detritus Inflame
Barrage +1 Mood to mob
1 ranged

d8 d4
`Trample
2

d10 d2 d8 d4 d6 d4
Crush Engulf Sweep
2 1 Move and move
target with mob 1 area M

d8 d2 0 d4 d10 d4
Crush and Rend Rush Throw
2 + 1 Str + rebalance Move 2 + move Swept
target one area
M
M

d12 d4 d12 d2
Hysterical Crush Lunatic Pursuit (r)
3 + rebalance + 1 Mood to Mob Move onto Thrown
target + 5 damage
Requires mob.
Mobs below 15 body cannot use Mastery maneuvers. Strike Defend Grab
Mobs are forced to rebalance only when they take 1
damage/5 body in a round. That is, a Mob with 23 body is Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
forced to rebalance after it takes 4 or more points of damage
in a round. A maneuver with attacks that target multiple Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
creatures can direct all of those attacks against a mob. Qck/0 0/d4
 Mounted
Combat Style

M
dStr d8
d12/
Stand in Stirrups: d8 d8
Windmill Swing
3 + disarm Stomp and Smash
2 + rebalance/2

d8/ d6/ d6 d6
d8 d4 d12 d4
d8 d6
Overrun Stand in Stirrups: Darkin’s Skirmish Trample
1 + rebalance + move Overhead Chop 2/2 1
3 Attack five targets

0 d6 0 d10 d8 d4
Horseman’s Strike
Gallop Evade
Move 2 areas 1

d6 d4 d4 d4
Charge Scoop or Drop
1 + move 2 areas Scoop up a willing target
with a Str vs. Doom check;
Drop a willing passenger

Requires mount, weapon. Strike Defend Grab

Str/d2 0/dQuality -
Strength 5, Quickness 5. of mount
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Any time you are forced to rebalance, you must make a
d4/d2 0/d4
Ride check against the Doom. If you fail, you are
unhorsed.
 Parapet Defense
M
Combat Style
d4 M
d8 d8
d10 d8
Over the Rampart (r) d8 d8 d6 d8
1 + move + move
Occult Thirst Devour (r)
target one area
1, 3 vs. Drain 2 + recast,
spellbound only affects spellbound,
d6
d8 on a killing blow you
gain deader’s Mgc die
d10 as a bonus die on all
d6
Steadfast Defense d6 d8 rolls next round
2 + d10 bonus defense die against Fredegar’s Gorge
any terrain, move, or rebalance 1, drain 1 vs. spellbound
d6 d6 d6
d6

0 d6 d6 d8 d4 d8 d4 d6
Wind Pattern Heart Pattern Night Pattern Hunger Pattern
Move, climb 1 + up to 3 allies 1 1
gain your magic d8
d6
defense die as a
bonus die
d6 d8
d8 d2
Shoot Eclipse Strike
2 1 + Recast
M
d4 Ranged d8 d10
d8/
d6/ d2 d8 d8 d8 d10
d4 Veil
Storm of Arrows Nightwind Run
2/1/1 1 + move 2 + target, if spellbound,
Ranged 3 targets cannot see you next round

Requires weapon, Strength 5, Magic 5. Strike Defend Grab

Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
You are spellbound while in this style.
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Poison Sting
Monster Combat Style

d6 d2
Stinger Lunge
2 + poison

d4/
d4/d6 d4 0 d6 d6 d4 0 d6 0 d10
Snap/Snap/Sting Stinger Feint Snap Skitter Twisting Leap
1/1/2+ poison +1 attack die size 1 Move, climb,
Move, climb
until rebalance +1 damage next round
M

d4/ d4/ d6/

d4 d4 d4 d6 d6
d6
Whiplash Double Sting (r) Requires Qck 5,
Grab and Pierce
Str 5, poison.
1 + rebalnce/ 2 + poison/2+ poison 3 + poison/Grabbed
2 + poison (Attacker must rebalance if
the grab misses)

Behemoth
M Monster Combat Style

d10 d4 dStr d2 d8 d2
Smack and Sweep Pin and Smother Crush
3 + 1 Str 2 + 1 Str + Grabbed 1 + Grabbed
5 targets 2 targets 5 targets
M

d8/
Requires Str 9 and giant size. d6 d4 d4
0 d8 d8 d4 d6/d4
A behemoth gains a bonus
Strength die against any Ground Pound (r) Rear Up Stomp (r) Trample (r)
physical attempt to force it Rebalance +1 damage next round 3 + 1 Str 2/2/2 + move
to rebalance or move All in area,
friend and foe
 Savage
Combat Style

0 d4 d8 d2
Climb Dive
Gain altitude 2 + rebalance
M Requires altitude

Str d2 Str d2 d8 d6
Bear Hug Grab Throw (r)
1 + 1 Str Grabbed 2 + move target
+ grabbed 1 area

0 d6
Rage
+1 damage
until forced to rebalance
M

d6/
d10 d6 0 d4 d4
d6
Fury Strike Mighty Rage Rampage
2 Ignore 1 point of 1/1 + move, climb
damage per round
until forced to rebalance
d4/ d2
d6
d6 d4
Slam Savage Charge
1 1 + move/
move target 1 area

Requires: Str or Qck 7. No Shield, no armor that Strike Defend Grab

requires a Strength greater than 5. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Weapon required for Fury Strike. Weapon is
Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
otherwise optional.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Slasher
Humanoid Monster Combat Style
Monster Combat Style

d8/
d8 d4 d6 d8 0 d6
Double Jab Guard and Counter Feint
1/1 1
Only attack those
who attack you.
Up to 3 targets. d6 d4 0 d6 d8 d6
d10 d8
Slash Whirl Crosscut Slash
Cut Low 1 +2 damage 1
1 + 1 Qck + 1 Str (r) next round
M

d8/
Requires Qck 5 and d8 d6 d10 d4
weapon (for humanoid). Raking Assault Lunging Feint (r)
1/1 Rebalance

Aerial
Monster Combat Style

d8/
0 d6 d6 d4 d8 d4 d6 d6
Dive Talon Frenzy (r) Slam Into Target (r) Snatch Object (r)
+1 damage next round 2/2 1 + rebalance Take one item from target
Requires altitude M
Requires Str 4, Qck 5.
0 d6
Fly d6 d6
Fly 2 areas d6/ Crashing Swoop (r)
d6/ 1 + move opponent
d6 d6 d4 d8 d6 d4 d8 d8 1 area
Talon Rake Eye Scratch Talon/Talon/Beak Swoop
1 + blind next 2
1 + fly 1/1/2
round + fly
 Swashbuckler
Combat Style

M
M

d6 d6
d8 d6
Disrobe (r)
Swath of Destruction (r) Lose clothing
3 or 2 to armor Quality
3 targets (recovered after battle)
plus 3 reputation and
d10 d4 2 Mood damage d6 d4
Death from Above
Disarm
2 Disarmed
Req. altitude

d4 d6 0 d8
d8 d8 d8 d8
d4 d6
Humiliating Blow (r) Spin and Pose
Acrobatic Charge Spectacular Strike Stab and Mock
1 + 2 Reputation +2 damage next
1 + Move 1 + 1 Mood to all allies 1 + 1 Mood
round, +1 Mood
+ environmental trick + environmental trick
to self now
Cha
d6 d6 d4 d4 vs.
d4
Doom
Trip Thrust Jest
Rebalance +1 Mood to ally

Cha
0 d6 vs. d4
Daredevil Move Doom
Flourish
Move, climb or
environmental trick +1 Mood to self

Strike Defend Grab

Requires Cha 7, no shield, no armor, swashbuckling Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
weapon (as judged appropriate for your campaign’s
approach to swashbuckling). Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Tentacles/Spellstalks
Monster Combat Style

Cha. d8/d8
Vs. Rsn d4
d4/d4 d6
Sickening Undulation Thrash (r)
1/1/2/2
Move, climb
1 Mood

d6 d6 0 d4
Whiplash Align with the Ear
1

0 d4 d6 d6
d6 d10
Align with the Mouth
Drill the Ear Suck Tissue (r)
M 3 + 1 Reason
1
d8/ + rebalance
d4 vs. + learn secret
d4 d8 d4 d12 d6 (learn secret applies
Rsn
Tunnel and Burst only for masters
Fibrous Invasion Shoot the Mouth
3 of the style)
to Brainstem 1
1/Act as tentacles’ puppet,
attacking ally next round

Swarm d12 d4
Monster Combat Style
Devour
3

Swarms cannot be damaged by

individual physical weapons. d8 d2 0 d2 d10 d4
Area of effect weapons, environ- Overrun Rush Engulf
ment tricks, and spells can
damage swarms. 1 + Move Move, climb 1

Basic attacks (Str/d2) with d10/

torches or similar can damage a d8 vs.
swarm (1 point). d8 d6 Rsn d2
Invade Orifice Emerge from Orifice (r)
2 + 2 Mood 3 + rebalance/
1 Mood to enemies watching
 Twin Weapon
Combat Style
M M

d8/
d8 d4 d8 d6
Rend (r) Master’s Blade Storm
2/2 + if both attacks hit unarmed foe, 3
foe must rebalance and takes Attack 5 targets
a Heart penalty die on all rolls next round

d8/ d8/ d6/

d6 d4 d8/d6 d4
Whirling Cross Backslash Lightning Blades
2 + 1 Str 2/2/2
vs. disarmed opponent

d6/ d6/
0 dQck d6 0 d4 d4/d4 d4 0 d4
d4
Flip Disarm Double Feint Flashing Blades
Qck bonus die on Disarmed Dervish Spin
Add d10 attack next 2/1/1
defense next round round for 2 damage Move + 1 damage
next round

d8/
d6/ d6 d2
d4 d4 d8
d6
Warding Flurry Blade Storm Double Lunge (r)
1 1/1
1
Attack 5 targets

d4/
d4 d6 d4 d4 d6 d2
Off-hand Strike Twin Strike Main-hand Strike
1 1/1 1

Strike Defend Grab

Requires Quickness 7, twin blade or piercing
weapons. Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Undead
Monster Combat Style

Str/
d10/ Str d4
d4 d4
Drink/Feed/Gnaw/Chew
Rip and Tear
2 + 1 Str/Grabbed
1/3

d6 d4 Str d4
Swing Death Grip
1 Grabbed
M

d12 d2 0 d6
Lunge Hunger
1 +1 dmg until forced
to rebalance

d8
d4 0 d2
vs. Rsn
Scream/Moan/ Twitch
Slough Body Part
1 Mood vs. 5 enemies watching
d4 d4
Exploding Head
3 dmg + 2 mood to all in area
0 d6
Shamble/Stalk
Move Strike Defend Grab
Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2

Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 Weremagic
Spell Combat Style

0 d8

d6 d2 d6/ 0 d4
d6
Inconstant Moon Corrupting Light d6
Claw/Claw Transformation
Move 1 + 2 Str (2 Str is
2/2
next round only)
d6

d2 0 d4 d10 0 d4
d6
Lunacy Gibbous Swell Bite Spring
Tgt attacks his +2 damage until 3 Move, Climb
ally next round you are forced to re-cast
with random attack
d4

d2 d10 d10
Shred
Warp Flesh
1 + 3 to armor quality
2 + appear as anthropomorhic creature
until you are forced to re-cast

d4 M M

d2 d8/
d8/d12 d6
Wolf Curse (r)
Target becomes wolf, gains Frenzy
Claw/Claw/Bite fighting style, Rsn vs. your Mgc 1/1/2 and infected with
to retain mind (otherwise attacks randomly), werevenom (p. 143)
lasts until you are forced to re-cast

Requires no weapon, no shield. Strike Defend Grab

Spells in the left fang (Inconstant Moon, Str/d2 0/Qck Str/d2
Lunacy, etc.) are ranged. Right fang
spells/maneuvers are melee.
Quickness 6, Magic 7. Throw/Shoot Trick/Misc.
Qck/0 0/d4
 disaster 61
Index disease 59
Doom 7
Aerial monster combat style 292 dragon 184
alchemical items 141 Dragon monster combat style 273
Akra 215 drakes 190
area 19 Dramba spell style 274
Arcana (organization score) 118 Druidic spell style 275
Armed legion 125 drowning 62
army builder 9.75
armor rules 28; purchasing and statistics 134 economy 56
Arrowheart combat style 264 effects of combat maneuvers 24
Assassin 90 Efficiency (organization score) 118
Axemen 5, 209 elemental (living fire, earth, water or air) 187
Elemental Maelstrom spell style 276
Battlecraft spell style 265 Engineer 78
basilisk 181 engineering items 147
Behemoth monster combat style 290 environmental trick 26
Berserker humanoid monster combat style 282 experience and character advancement 63
Black Powder and Crimson Blade combat style 266
Black Powder Musketeer combat style 267 fashion items in social encounters 45; purchasing and
blindness 29 statistics 140
breaking items 62 Five Seasons combat style 277
brigades 51 Fixer 82
Brute humanoid monster combat style 268 Force (organization score) 118
buildings, purchasing and statistics 152; and sieges 53 Free Sword combat style 278
freezing 62
Cabal 125
Carapace monster combat style 280 giant 184
character advancement from experience 63; by level 74ff. Giant monster combat style 279
characteristic checks 15 GM tips 175
Charisma 72 golem 185
Chases 39; chase actions 40; chase rolls 41; example of 42 Gore and Trample monster combat style 280
chimera 181 grab (combat maneuver) 29
Chosen One 75 Great Weapon combat style 281
Church PC organization 126; as institution 207, 208 griffon 186
Claw map 211; origin of name 207 Guardian humanoid monster combat style 282
Claw/Claw/Bite monster combat style 269 Guardsman combat style 283
close spell 38
cockatrice 182 healing 30
combat styles 21 health in mass combat 49
command points 49 Heart 72
core mechanic 6 Hearts spell style 284
coup de grace 30 high spell 38
Court Sword combat style 270 Histories (skills) 14
Courtesan/Courtier 78
Coven 125 improv social encounters 45
crafting 62 initiative 22
critical hits in physical combat 29; in social combat 44 Inspirations 9
culture 57 interference (magic) 33
islander 66
Dagger-and-Wine combat style 271
damage from combat maneuvers 24 jungle strider 187
darkness (lighting conditions) 29
death 11 kraken 187
death, no save; see "Lava."
Death Lore spell style 272 lava; see "Death. No save."
depression, economic from war 53; from culture 57 Language of the Stars spell style 285
descent cat 183 lich 187

298
lighting conditions 29 siege 53
living elemental 187 skeleton 191
Long Arm combat style 286 Skill checks 15
Skills (histories) 14
madfire burner 189 Skulker humanoid monster combat style 268
magic 33; attacks and defenses 36; characteristic 72; Slasher humanoid monster combat style 292
close 38; high 38; items 37 social encounters 43; special attacks 45
manticore 189 spellstalks 192
mass combat 47; attacking and defending 49; spirit 49
troops 159 stacking troops 51
Marnh 212 starting wealth and gear 107
Mob mass combat style 287 starving 62
modifiers 6 Strength 72
Mood 8 swarm (rats, spiders, or scaracb beetles) 193
mounts 155 Swarm monster combat style 294
Mounted combat style 288 Swashbuckler combat style 293
movement in combat 25; in mass combat 51; strategic suffocating 62
troop movement 52 surges (magic) 34, effects 35
multiclassing 74
talent rules 74; magic 108; martial 110; shadow 112;
naga 189 social 114
nineblood 65 Tentacles and Spellstalks monster combat style 294
Noble 86 terrain in combat 29; in mass combat 50
Noble house PC organization 127 Thieves Guild PC organization 129
Thyre 221
organization actions 120; advancement 124; creation 124; and trapped spell 37
multiple PCs in one oragnization 122; Trader 97
Trading company 130
Parapet Defense combat style 289 troglodyte 194
perception check 14 True love 13
Poison Sting monster combat style 290 Twin Weapon combat style 295
Priest character class 86; and the Church 207, 208
prince or princess of wolves 68 Undead monster combat style 296

Quickness 72 vampire 195

vehicles 155
rain troll 69
range in combat 28 war; see "mass combat"
raptors 190 war ape 197
Reason 72 Warrior 105
recovery (after mass combat) 52 wealth level 56
region 19 weapons rules 28; purchasing and statistics 136
reputation rules 58; in social encounters 44 weather in mass combat 50
research 131 were-beasts 197
roc 191 Weremagic spell style 297
Rogue 90 wight 67
Wizard 101
Savage 93 wonders 157
Savage combat style 291
Savage tribe PC organization 128 zombie 199
scene order play 16; example of 17
Scope (organization score) 118
secrets in social encounters 44; in Dagger-and-wine
combat style 235
Secret society PC organization 128
secret troops 50
seradynn 71
Shadow (organization score) 118
shadow war 54

299
 Art Credits Afterword
All of the fantastic maps were done by Gillian Pearce. This book does not contain the spirit, energy, or fun that
I re-lettered the map of the Claw from Gillian's original (the one a game of Spellbound Kingdoms can create. My lame writing
that was in the first release of SK), so if you do not like the letter- guarantees that. Although I hope you enjoy reading this book
ing there, blame me and not her. and contemplating the ideas within, the true joy and adventure of
Luis Noguez did the Chapter Five title picture and the Spellbound Kingdoms are to be found in the game as it is played.
zeppelin view on p. 226. You can read about the idea of love and fear being the
Elisabet-Stacy Hurley did the moody Claw landscapes most powerful forces in the world - or you can create a character
on pages 18, 215, 216, 222, 225, 229, 231, and 233. and explore that world.
Jason McLellan did the inspiring character class illustra- You can read about the idea of zero-sum resources (mag-
tions. ic in this case) - or you can create a spellbound character and join
The giant on p. 185 is by Kimagu, Kiss Marton Gyula. the fight for that resource yourself.
Coloring by me. You can read this book and analyze its motifs, themes,
Peter Szabo Gabor of Eastern Raider Games did the doubling, commentary on human issues - or you can get out the
zombie hand on p. 244. dice and play.
James Yee of Nebulous creations did the weapon and I know which one I would choose. See you at the table!
armor spot pieces on pages 20, 21, and 25.
Antal Keninger of Lightworker Publications did the
basilisk in the bestiary.
The prolific Sade created the pieces on pages 37, 38,
143, 144, 151, 192, and 193.
And of course Igor Kieryluk, who has gone on to work
for some of the biggest names in the industry, did the cover; the
title illustrations for chapters 1, 3, 6, and 11; the haunting genre
homage on p. 9; the submersible on p. 131; and the city on p.
219.
In addition to the above, I have used a number of paint-
ings from old masters. Some highlights:
p. 12 is Francesco Hayez's "Kiss."
p. 22 is Jean-Leon Gerome's "Duel after a Masquerade
Ball."
p. 30 is by Ilya Repin.
p. 48 is by John Thomas Serres.
p. 53 is by Victor Vasnetsov.
p. 57 is by Carl Spitzweg.
p. 59 is by Georges de La Tour.
p. 63 is Joseph Wright of Derby's "An Iron Forge
Viewed from Without."
p. 112 is Gerrit van Honthorst's "The Matchmaker."
p. 115 is Edmund Blair Leighton's "A Stolen Interview."
p. 116 is by Lovis Corinth.
p. 154 is by Carl Gustav Carus.
p. 179 is John William Waterhouse's "Magic Circle."
p. 206 is Repin again.
p. 208 is Klasztor Kartuzow's monastery.
p. 238 is Vasnetsov again.

300