Against The Darkmaster Quickstart
Against The Darkmaster Quickstart
WE'RE COMING TO
OCTOBER 22
Layout
Tommaso Galmacci
Nikola Segoloni
Artwork
Tazio Bettin
Tommaso Galmacci
Heraldo Mussolini
Marcin Ściolny
Cover Art
Tommaso Galmacci
Playtest
Davide Borgia Stefano Finzi Mike From Pittsburgh
Enrico Bosio Antonella Giancotti Daniel Mura
Martin Carpentari John Greenheck C. William Perkins
Bradly "Oak" Cozby Alessandro Grott Alessandro Petri
William D'Hollander Father Eretius Giulio Piazza
Filippo De Giorgi Gian Holland Lorenzo Raggi
Angela Di Fiore Matt Jowett Tyler Steinley
Federica Di Pietrantonio Daryl Lanz Renata Zanettini
Gabe Dybing Wesley Ligon Gabriella Zugno
· Table of Contents ·
8
· Dice & Dice Rolling ·
A gainst the Darkmaster uses only a couple of ten-sided
dice (or d10) for any roll involved during the game. Type of Dice Rolls
There are four main types of roll in VsD:
d100 Rolls ώώ Skill Rolls are used when a character is trying to ac-
complish a task of some kind, using their own skills
The vast majority of dice rolls will be percentile - or 1d100 and capabilities.
rolls. This means rolling two ten-sided dice, possibly of
different colors, and count one of them as the tens and the ώώ Save Rolls permit characters to resist the nefarious ef-
other as units, of course deciding before rolling which die fects of Spells, poisons and other perils they may en-
will have to be the tens and which the units. counter in their adventures.
So, a roll showing up a “5” on the tens die and a “7” on the ώώ Attack Rolls are made when a character assaults an-
units die will read as a “57”; a “3” and a “9” are a “39”; a “0” other with a weapon, an unarmed attack, or by casting
and a “4” a “04” - or simply “4”. a Spell.
The exception to this is a couple of zeroes, which does not ώώ Spell Casting Rolls are called when a character chan-
read as a “0” but instead as a “100”. nels the mystical energies necessary to weave a Spell.
This way, the two dice combined can produce any result
within the 1 and 100 range. Unmodified Rolls
Sometimes, when rolling the dice, the rules will state that
d10 Rolls something happens on a particular Unmodified Roll. This
means the numbers showing on the dice rolled, without
The other type of dice rolls in VsD will be simply d10 rolls. applying any bonus or modifier.
When you’d read “Roll #d10” it will mean rolling # num- Unmodified Rolls effects must be applied first and precede
ber of ten sided-dice and add the results together. So, for any other result or effect during a dice roll resolution.
example, a “3d10” wording means rolling three ten-sided
dice and if they come up a “5”, “4”, and “9” the final result
will be “18”. Open Ended Rolls
When the game rules call for an Open-Ended Roll, it means
that if you obtain an Unmodified Roll between 96 and 100
on your d100, you must pick up the dice and roll again,
adding the new result to the first one. If also this roll is
96 or more, you must keep on rolling and adding together
the results until your dice land on a result of 95 or less.
On the other hand, if your dice come up with an Unmod-
ified Roll between 01 and 05, you’ll have to roll again and
subtract the new roll from the first. If this second roll is 96
or more, you’ll have to roll a third time, again subtracting
the result from the first two; repeating this process until
you get a result of 95 or less.
9
• Creating a Character •
· Character Creation Checklist ·
T o generate your playing character, you will have to
undergo the character creation process, which is es-
sentially made of 7 milestones and some minor steps in
4. Background and Equipment
ώώ Determine your Background Options
between. Find below summarized and briefly explained
the Character Creation steps for your convenience. ώώ Take note of your character’s starting gear and pos-
sessions.
12
· Stats ·
Characters in Against the Darkmaster are defined by a set
of six Stats, which measure their intrinsic capabilities and Generating Stats
basic strengths or flaws.
Players can choose their characters’ Stats by distributing
Each Stat has an associated Value, which can be positive 50 points (in slots of 5 points each) among them as they
or negative, and tells you how good a character is in a par- see fit.
ticular field.
No Stat may be given a starting value higher than 25 or low-
er than 0. Some examples of Stat Values arrays generated
Stats Description with this method are given below:
ώώ +20, +15, +10, +5, +0, +0
ώώ +25, +20, +5, +0, +0, +0
Brawn (BRN)
ώώ +10, +10, +10, +10, +5, +5
Measures a character’s muscular strength and physical You can use those standard arrays of stats as well if you
power. prefer.
Swiftness (SWI)
Is the measure of a character’s dexterity, speed, coordina-
tion, balance, and general agility.
Fortitude (FOR)
Is the measure of a character’s resistance and vigor.
Wits (WIT)
Measures a character’s reasoning, cleverness, mnemonic
ability, and mental agility.
Wits value modifies the number of Magic Points a Wizard
character gains at each level. See the Magic & Spells chap-
ter for more.
Wisdom (WSD)
Measures a character’s empathy, intuition, willpower,
awareness, and attention to detail.
Wisdom value modifies the number of Magic Points an An-
imist character gains at each level. See the Magic & Spells
chapter for more.
Bearing (BEA)
Is a measure of a character’s presence, charisma, and so-
cial influence.
13
· Kins ·
T he world of Against the Darkmaster is inhabited by
many different Kins. Fair and otherworldly elves;
stocky dwarves; massive trolls; stunted orcs; nimble hal-
Players must choose their Kins during character creation,
right before selecting their character’s Vocation.
14
Special Traits Starting Wealth Level
Each character gains a series of Special Traits, which re- This is the Wealth Level a character from a Kin starts with.
flect particular abilities common to members of their Kin. Add this to the character’s cultural starting Wealth Level
Players should take note of their Special Traits on their to determine their total WL, as described in the Wealth
character’s sheet. chapter.
Kin BRA SWI FOR WIT WSD BEA HP Max HP MP TSR WSR BG WL
Man +5 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 30 120 +0 +0 +0 5 0
Half-Elf * +5 +5 +5 +0 +0 +5 25 120 +2 +5 +0 4 1
Stone Troll * +20 -10 +15 -15 -15 -10 60 250 +0 +30 +0 3 0
*Half-Elf, Silver Elf, Orc, Stone Troll: these kins will be detailed in the full rules; game stats are included here for
completeness.
BRA, SWI, FOR, WIT, WSD, BEA: these modifiers are applied directly to the corresponding Stat Value of the character
belonging to this Kin. Players should note these on their character’s sheet, altering their Total Stat Values accordingly.
HP: this value is added as a bonus to the character’s total starting Hit Points number.
Max HP: a character can never have more HPs than the value shown on this column for their Kin.
MP: this is the number of additional Magic Points the character gains at 1st level as a one-time bonus.
TSR: this bonus is added as a bonus to the character’s Toughness Save Rolls.
WSR: this bonus is added as a bonus to the character’s Willpower Save Rolls.
BG: this value represents the initial amount of Background Points available for a specific Kin.
WL: this value represents the Wealth Level provided by a specific Kin.
[1.1]
15
· Kins Description ·
Man
The Mannish race is the most numerous and adaptable of
all Kins. Men of all sizes and colors can be found through
the land; valiantly struggling against the forces of the
Darkmaster, and even serving under their rule, either
willingly or as slaves to their ruinous power.
Special Traits
ώώ Specialization: Men get a +10 bonus to any one skill of
their choice.
Suggested Cultures: Any but Deep, Fey or Marauding
Starting Wealth Level: 0
Background Options: Men start with 5 Background Points.
16
High Man
The High Men are the last survivors of a rare and ancient
Mannish Kin. They’re said to be the last descendants of the
forefathers of all Men, forced to flee from their crumbling
empire centuries ago.
They tend to be higher and more muscular than common
Men, often surpassing 190 cm of height and usually weigh-
ing around 100 Kg.
They’ve either a very fair or very dark skin tone, dark hairs
and hazel, blue or green eyes.
High Men are long-lived, probably because they have some
traces of elven blood in their veins, living an average of 200
years, and in rare instances even surpassing 300 years of
age.
Special Traits
ώώ Imposing: High Men get a +15 bonus to their Charisma
Skill.
Suggested Cultures: Noble, City or Seafaring
Starting Wealth Level: 1
Background Options: High Men start with 4 Background
Points.
17
Dwarf
Legends say Dwarves were born from stone. Sculpted
to life from their gods at the beginning of time. Surely,
Dwarves seems to have an affinity with stone or to have at
least inherited some of its resistance and durability.
Dwarves are short and stout, usually just around 140 to
150 cm of height, but often weighing as a much higher,
full-grown man. They tend to have muscular arms, strong
legs and barrel-bellied bodies. Adult males have very long,
curly beards, often worn in braids.
They have incredibly long lifespans and, while not immor-
tal as the elven Kin, they can live over 300 years. This tends
to influence their worldview and temperament, which
members of the shorter-lived Kins often find somber and
brooding.
Special Traits
ώώ Dark Sight: Dwarves can see up to 30m in dim light
(treating the first 15m as if they were standing in bright
light); and up to 3m in total darkness.
ώώ Forgekin: Dwarves get a +30 bonus to their RRs and
defenses against Heat and Cold attacks, and to all their
rolls to work metals, stone and gems, or craft items
using these materials. Additionally, any metal item suc-
cessfully created by a dwarf will always be at least of
High Quality.
ώώ Stoneborn: Dwarves cannot swim, but they get a +20
bonus to their Nature and Wandering rolls while un-
derground.
ώώ Superstitious: Dwarves can’t be Wizards, Champions or
Dabblers.
Suggested Cultures: Deep.
Starting Wealth Level: 1
Background Options: Dwarves start with 4 Background
Points.
18
Halfling
Halflings are a diminutive people, even smaller than
Dwarves. Despite that they tend to be fat or pudgy, they’re
surprisingly nimble and possess an uncanny, almost mag-
ical, ability to disappear from sight and to move unheard.
Their skin tones have the same range and variety of those
of the Mannish Kin, but their hairs tend to be curly more
often than not. While male Halflings rarely grow beards,
they have big, hairy feet, of which they’re often very proud.
Halflings live slightly longer than Men but somehow man-
age to maintain a joyous, almost childish, disposition for
most of their lives.
For some reason, Halflings seem to be impervious to mag-
ic. They have great difficulties in learning and understand-
ing Spell Lores and tend to resist magical effects more
easily than the other Kins. No one really knows the reason
behind this magical incompatibility, but up to now, no Hal-
fling mage was ever born.
Special Traits
ώώ Nimble: Halflings get a special +20 bonus to their Stealth
and Acrobatic skills.
ώώ Sure-Shot: Halflings get a special +10 bonus to their
Ranged skill.
ώώ Second Breakfast: Halflings double their HP recovery
for the day if they manage to have a lavish meal (a real
meal, not rations!) before resting.
ώώ Superstitious: Halflings can’t be Wizards, Champions or
Dabblers.
Suggested Cultures: Pastoral
Starting Wealth Level: 1
Background Options: Halflings start with 5 Background
Points.
19
Special Traits
Dusk Elf ώώ Keen Senses: Elves superior senses grant them a special
Among the elven Kins, Dusk Elves are the most closely +10 bonus to their Perception skill. Additionally, they
tied to the mortal world. Unlike the other elves, they never can see in moonlight or starlight as if it were day, and
traveled to the Immortal Lands, preferring to roam free up to 30m in dim light (treating the first 15m as if they
in the wilderness than following their brethren. For this were standing in bright light).
reason, they are sometimes called Wild Elves and seen as
ώώ Immortal: Elves do not age, are immune to disease, and
somewhat rustic and unrefined by their cousins, the Silver,
are resistant to the effects of natural cold (gaining a
and Star Elves - while still having sophisticated culture
+10 bonus against any Cold-based threat). They don’t
and society compared to most Men.
need to sleep and will gain the benefits of a night’s rest
Dusk Elves have slightly pointed ears and are tall and simply by meditating for 3 hours.
slender, averaging around 180 cm of height, but usually
ώώ Light-Footed: Rough terrain does not affect Elves’
weighing far less than a man of the same size. They tend
movement, as long as they are unencumbered and
to have a ruddy complexion, sandy or golden hairs and
wearing light or no armor.
green or blue eyes.
ώώ Sure-Shot: Dusk Elves get a special +10 bonus to their
Ranged skill.
ώώ Lithe and Graceful: Dusk Elves must assign one of their
three highest Stat Values to their Bearing. They get a
+10 bonus to their Acrobatics skill and a +20 bonus to
their Stealth rolls in any natural environment.
Suggested Cultures: Fey or Woad
Starting Wealth Level: 1
Background Options: Dusk Elves start with 3 Background
Points.
20
When the Gods invited them, they sailed across the Sea to
Star Elf live by their side as peers. However, some of the proud-
est of them grew envious of the Gods, and begun a strife
Star Elves are the most ancient, the proudest and fairest of against the Gods and the other Elven Kins. After the war
all the Elven Kins. They’ve been created and awakened by ended with countless lives lost, those of them that re-
the Gods in the south-eastern Middle Lands when there mained faithful to the Gods preferred to sail back to the
were still neither Sun nor Moon; instead the sky was light- Middle Lands and settle there. They tried to live in peace
ed by a billion silver Stars - hence their name. They have with the other Elven Kins but their arrogance was never
always been the dearest Kin to the Gods, having been cre- really forgiven and they’re still not fully trusted. They also
ated in their image and likeness and having inherited al- tend to have a haughty attitude of contempt for all other
most all their best - and worst qualities. Kins, which they consider inferior to themselves.
Star Elves are incredibly tall, males averaging 200 cm or
more, and slender as other Elves, but possibly more mus-
cular. They have incredibly deep and wise eyes, and their
stare is often deemed disquieting by members of other
Kins. Star Elves prefer golden, silver, purple, white and
black clothes.
Special Traits
ώώ Keen Senses: Elves superior senses grant them a special
+10 bonus to their Perception skill. Additionally, they
can see in moonlight or starlight as if it were day, and
up to 30m in dim light (treating the first 15m as if they
were standing in bright light).
ώώ Immortal: Elves do not age, are immune to disease, and
are resistant to the effects of natural cold (gaining a
+10 bonus against any Cold-based threat). They don’t
need to sleep, and will gain the benefits of a night’s rest
simply by meditating for 3 hours.
ώώ Light-Footed: Rough terrain does not affect Elves’
movement, as long as they are unencumbered and wear
light or no armor.
ώώ Star Blessed: The fairest of all the elven kindred, Star
Elves must assign their highest Stat Value to their Bear-
ing. They also get a special +20 bonus to their Arcana,
Songs & Tales and Charisma skills.
ώώ Lore of the Ages: Star Elves gain access to two Kin Spell
Lores: Elven Lore and Spell Songs (see Magic & Spells
chapter for more information about Kin Spell Lores)
They also gain 2 ranks to distribute among these Spell
Lores as they see fit.
Suggested Cultures: Fey or Noble
Starting Wealth Level: 1
Background Options: Star Elves start with 2 Background
Points.
21
· Cultures ·
C haracters coming from different environments will
have different skill sets and inclinations, different out-
fits, and possibly different worldviews, values, and beliefs.
Outfitting
Characters will begin with some items typical of their Cul-
In Against the Darkmaster, Culture represents a character’s ture, which are added to their starting equipment. These
upbringing, and the influence the environment they grew items are presented in the Culture’s description as a series
up in had on their life. of outfitting options the players can pick and choose from.
A character’s Culture will grant them a certain number
of ranks in a series of Skills; determines the equipment
they carry when they begin their adventure, and influences Passions and Worldview
their starting Wealth Level. Cultures will also give players
ideas on how to roleplay their characters, and some sug- Each Culture description will also include some of the be-
gestions about writing their Passions. Players choose their liefs, opinions, and prejudices commonly held by members
character’s Culture during character creation, right after of that Culture, as well as some suggestions on how they
selecting their Kin. could influence a character’s Passions. Obviously, these
guidelines are only general assumptions made to help
players bring their characters to life, and are in no way
Cultural Skill Ranks prescriptive. Players are free to interpret their characters
as they wish, either playing along with these concepts or
To represent a character’s early training and education, a creating an atypical member of their character’s Culture.
Culture will grant them a predetermined number of ranks
in a series of Skills, as shown in the Cultural Skill Ranks
Table. Starting Wealth Level
Cultural ranks are gained as soon as the player selects
This is the Wealth Level a character from a Culture starts
their character’s culture, and do not count toward the
with. Add this to the character’s Kin’s starting Wealth Level
maximum number of developable ranks (see character
to determine their total WL, as described in the Wealth
development chapter).
chapter.
Spells
Some Cultures grant a number of ranks in Spell Lores.
Players may distribute these ranks as they wish among the
Spell Lores listed in the Culture’s description.
22
· Cultures Description ·
Deep Fey
Characters from the Deep Culture build their homes un- Members of the Fey Culture are the descendant of those
derground. They could live in small mining communities; who used their magical arts to shield their communities
or in extensive, intricate warrens, sprawling beneath the from the perils of the mortal world. They live deep in the
earth’s surface; or maybe in great halls and fortresses, forest, in strange villages, hidden on the tops of ancient
carved into the side of hills or mountains. They’re prac- trees; or in the weird, moonlit halls of enchanted castles,
tical, hard-working people, often strangely fascinated by on islands that seems to appear only when certain condi-
gems, precious ores, and stone-cutting. They tend to dis- tions are met.
like vast open spaces like plains and grasslands and to be
They tend to be unconcerned by the problems of the out-
unnerved by boats and the concept of sailing in general.
side world unless they menace to threaten the wellbeing
Concepts such as honor and kinship are usually kept in of their idyllic communities.
high regard by characters from this Culture.
Since they are raised in almost complete isolation, char-
A player wishing to underline their character’s Culture acters from a Fey Culture, while often cultured, can show
could write a Motivation about protecting their home or surprise for the most ridiculously mundane things.
clan from the forces of the Darkmaster. Alternatively, they
Players can be inspired by this Culture to write the Motiva-
could link their Nature to a code of honor, or maybe to
tion that made their character take an interest in the events
their character’s lust for gold and precious stones. Finally,
of the outside world — a Fey character erratic Nature can
they could write about their unlikely or unstable Allegiance
be used to give them some interesting trait or unique pe-
with one of their companions from another Culture.
culiarity. Maybe they’re unable to lie, and must carefully
Outfitting: Choose one of each: weigh every sentence they utter. Or maybe they’re driv-
en by powerful emotions, that can overwhelm their good
ώώ Bright colored, practical clothing; heavy cloak and
judgment and push them to grand, theatrical deeds.
chain shirt; woolen tunic and leather jerkin.
Outfitting: Choose one of each:
ώώ War mattock or battle axe; sword & shield; short sword
or dagger. ώώ Silver or gold embroidered silk clothes; short tunic and
flowing cape.
ώώ Mining helm, tinderbox & rope; light crossbow with
bolts; a flask of ale and preserved rations. ώώ Longsword and short spear; longbow, quiver and ar-
rows; leaf-shaped dagger.
Starting Wealth Level: 1
ώώ Reviving cordial; lute, lyre or flute; healer’s kit.
Starting Wealth Level: 2
Spell Lores: Characters from the Fey Culture gain two ad-
ditional ranks that they can distribute as they wish among
the following Spell Lores: Detections; Movements of Na-
ture; Illusions; Mind Control and their Kin Spell Lores
23
Woad Noble
Woad characters are often seen as primitive or barbar- Noble characters come from a privileged class or caste
ic by characters coming from other Cultures. They live that elevates them above common people, at least in terms
deep in the wilderness, usually as part of small nomadic of influence and power. Hailing from the landed gentry;
or semi-nomadic tribes or clans guided by Animists and forgotten imperial bloodlines; or recently parvenu fami-
shamans. They have a deep respect of the natural envi- lies, they’re well trained and educated, as well as better
ronment and its inhabitants, relying almost exclusively on equipped, and generally richer than most of the other
what they’re able to hunt and forage for survival. characters.
Characters from the Woad Culture wear elaborate tattoos Whatever be their origins, Nobles tend to give a particular
and ritual scars all over their bodies, from which their Cul- importance to ancestry and bloodline, to which they link
ture takes its name. A Woad character could tell not only one’s valor, honor and, ultimately, worthiness. Their char-
from which tribe another character hails from, but often acter’s family’s past could inspire players to write a Mo-
also their name, social standing, and significant life events, tivation about restoring its honor or recovering one of its
just by looking at their tattoos. legendary heirlooms from the clutches of the Darkmaster.
Their Noble Nature could manifest as a haughty attitude,
For this reason, Woad characters can be suspicious of “un-
or as an inclination to defend the less fortunate. It could
painted” individuals, who can be seen as purposely hiding
also mean an Allegiance binds their character to the king’s
their past and motives.
court or a powerful order.
Once in their life, usually at their coming of age, characters
Outfitting: Choose one of each:
from the Woad Culture undergo a special ceremony, dur-
ing which they’re given a portent about their future or des- ώώ Elaborate clothing; enameled breastplate; dark-green
tiny. Players could write a Motivation about the fate their clothes and travel-stained cloak.
character was given during this ceremony. Their charac-
ώώ Two-handed sword; composite bow, quiver and ar-
ter’s tattoos could tell something about their Nature. Or
rows; morning star or mace and shield; dagger.
maybe they could write about their character’s Allegiance
to the natural spirits that protect their clan. ώώ Scroll, ink and quill; a horse; engraved warhorn.
Outfitting: Choose one of each: Starting Wealth Level: 2
ώώ Swirling tattoos; ritual scars; stripe tattoos; scary tat- Spell Lores: Noble characters gain an additional rank in one
toos. of the following Spell Lores: Detections; Healing; Cleans-
ing; Soul Soothing or in one of their Kin Spell Lores.
ώώ Furs; simple tunic; loincloth.
ώώ Short spear; bow and arrows; quarterstaff.
ώώ Bundle of healing herbs; hunting trap; bone ornaments.
Starting Wealth Level: 0
24
Pastoral City
Characters belonging to the Pastoral Culture come from Urban environments, from high-walled, bustling metrop-
rural communities, farmsteads or small villages. They’re olises, to smaller and quieter border towns, are the origin
peaceful, simple people, who like to enjoy life’s little pleas- of the City Culture.
ures, like a nice warm meal, a pint of ale with friends, or
Characters from the City often like to think they’re more
sitting in their gardens and smoking their pipes on a sunny
civilized and refined than those living outside it. They tend
holiday.
to be friendly and relatively open-minded, as they’re ac-
They’re a quite conservative Culture, deeply tied to their customed to dealing with strangers and more exposed to
roots and customs. They tend to be suspicious of novelties different world views and ideas. However, ancient grudges
and, more than any other thing, they dislike adventures. and old enmities are hard to forget, so they might hold
Or that’s what they say. Many of them, are actually quite some prejudice against the dwellers of a neighboring town
curious and, while they may never admit to it, are particu- or foreigners from a certain land.
larly fond of tales of great heroes and legendary journeys.
They have at least some basic combat abilities, either from
Characters from this Culture are usually uncomfortable serving in the local militia or from having to deal with life
around violence and rarely take up arms, save as a last on the streets on their own. In any case, brute force isn’t
resort to defend their homes from a direct threat. often the best solution in the City, so characters from this
Culture usually prefer to defuse the situation with careful-
A character belonging to the Pastoral Culture will often
ly placed words, or avoid confrontation altogether.
have their Motivation thrown upon them, despite their
best efforts to avoid any kind of adventure. They could The life of members of this Culture revolves around their
somehow find himself in possession of a mysterious item, City, so they’ll often need a powerful Motivation to leave it.
drawing the attention of the minions of the Darkmaster. Maybe they were wrongly accused and forced to flee on a
Or they could be almost forcibly recruited by a wandering quest to clear their name. Sometimes is their Allegiance to
wizard for a seemingly impossible task. their companions or a loved one, that spurs them to action.
Alternatively, it could be their naturally inquisitive Nature, Outfitting: Choose one of each:
that drew them away from their peaceful, but ultimately
ώώ Plain clothing; leather jerkin; chain shirt.
dull life.
ώώ Longsword; battle axe; bow and arrows; short sword.
Or it could be their Allegiance, that convinced them to an-
swer the call of a friend in need. ώώ Bandages and healing salve; lock-pick; lantern and oil.
Outfitting: Choose one of each: Starting Wealth Level: 1
ώώ Colorful clothes; coat and waistcoat; traveling clothes.
ώώ Ancient dagger; shepherd’s sling; walking stick.
ώώ Hat and pocket-handkerchief; pipe, tobacco and a bag-
ful of food; a pony.
Starting Wealth Level: 1
25
· Cultural Skill Ranks Table ·
Skills Deep Fey Weald* Woad Noble Pastor Plains* City Maraud* Hill* Desert* Seafar* Arctic*
Armor 3 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 2
Blunt 4 1 2
Blades 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 2
Ranged 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2
Polearms 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 2
Brawl 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1
Athletics 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1
Ride 1 5 1 2
Hunting 2 2 1 1 1 2
Nature 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 2
Wandering 2 1 1 1 2 3 2
Acrobatics 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1
Stealth 3 2 2 1 1 2 1
Perception 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Deceive 1 1 2 2 1
Arcana 1 1 1
Charisma 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1
Cultures 1 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 3 1
Healer 1 1 1 2
Body 2 2 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 2
Spell Lores 2 1
* Weald, Plains, Marauding, Hill, Desert, Seafaring, Arctic: these cultures will be detailed in the full rules; game stats are included here
for completeness.
[1.2]
26
· Cultural Wealth and Outfits Table ·
Culture WL Outfits
Bright colored, practical clothing; heavy cloak and chain shirt; woolen tunic and leather jerkin.
Deep 1 War mattock or battle axe; sword & shield; short sword or dagger.
Mining helm, tinderbox & rope; light crossbow with bolts; flask of ale and preserved rations.
Silver or gold embroidered silk clothes; short tunic and flowing cape.
Fey 2 Longsword and short spear; longbow, quiver and arrows; leaf-shaped dagger.
Reviving cordial; lute, lyre or flute; healer’s kit.
Simple clothing; hunting garbs; leather armor
Weald 1 Handaxe and shield; short sword and sling; hunting bows and arrows.
Wineskin and twice-baked cakes; fire-starting kit; hunting knife and a bundle of pelts.
Elaborate clothing; enameled breastplate; dark-green clothes and travel-stained cloak.
Noble 2 Two-handed sword; composite bow, quiver and arrows; morning star or mace and shield; dagger.
Scroll, ink and quill; a horse; engraved warhorn.
Colorful clothes; coat and waistcoat; travelling clothes.
Pastoral 1 Ancient dagger; shepherd's sling; walking stick.
Hat and pocket-handkerchief; pipe, tobacco and a bagful of food; a pony.
Chain mail; reinforced leather armor; woolen tunic and leather trousers.
Plains 1 Arming sword and long spear; scimitar, short bow and arrows; dagger.
Metal helmet and shield; a riding beast; a bundle of javelins.
Plain clothing; leather jerkin; chain shirt.
City 1 Longsword; battle axe; bow and arrows; short sword.
Bandages and healing salve; lockpick; lantern and oil.
Leather armor; loincloth; chain mail.
Marauding 0 Scimitar; heavy mace; great axe; short bow and arrows.
Gruesome trophies; healing poultice; half-eaten mutton.
Belted plaid; hide tunic and woolen skirt; leather jerkin.
Hill 0 Short spear and painted shield; claymore; quarterstaff.
Harp or bagpipes; rope and iron pitons; a pouch of dried healing mushrooms.
Colorful kaftan over embroidered silk blouse and pants; lamellar armor; cotton tunic and leather jerkin
Desert 1 Composite bow,arrows and dagger; battleaxe or scimitar and sling; short spear and target shield.
Preserved rations and waterskin; horse or camel; tent and bedroll.
Dashing clothes; lamellar armor; salt-stained clothing.
Seafaring 1 Falchion; light crossbow with bolts; whip and dagger.
Rope and grappling hook; a flask of ale or liquor; map and seafaring sunstone.
Heavy furs; leather armor; suede tunic and pelt cloak.
Harpoon; ice axe; short bow and arrows; net and dagger.
Arctic 0
Elegant mask; driftwood mask; mysterious mask.
Fishing tools and smoked fish; crampons, rope and snow goggles.
Swirling tattoos; ritual scars; stripe tattoos; scary tattoos.
Furs; simple tunic; loincloth
Woad 0
Short spear; bow and arrows; quarterstaff.
Bundle of healing herbs; hunting trap; bone ornaments.
[1.3]
27
· Vocations ·
E ach character in Against the Darkmaster has a Voca-
tion, which represents a mix of innate aptitude and
specific, intense training. A character’s Vocation describes
Development Points
how their apprenticeship and natural inclination influence Each Vocation gets a certain amount of Development
their starting abilities and also how easy (or difficult) it is Points for each level to distribute between their Skills.
for them to develop Skills in various fields of expertise. Development Points are spent to buy Skill Ranks on a 1:1
basis. A maximum of 2 Skill Ranks can be purchased at
each new level - so basically a maximum of 2 Development
Vocational Bonuses Points can be spent on a single Skill at each new level.
Development Points can also be set apart and transferred
Each Vocation gives a series of fixed bonuses to specific to different Skill Categories. This is made on a 2:1 basis.
Skills, called Vocational Bonuses. They represent the edge So, for example, a character has 2DPs spare from devel-
that members of that Vocation have over other characters, oping skills in various Categories and decides to transfer
thanks to their focused training. them to another Category. They will get to spend 1 point
These bonuses are applied during character creation, as this way in the new Category. This point can be stacked
soon as one’s Vocation is chosen. with those they already have to spend in that Category (e.g.
if they already had 3 DPs to spend, they will now have 4).
Please refer to the Vocation Development Points and Pro-
fessionals Bonuses Table to find out the Professional Bo-
nuses of each Vocation.
Magic Points Gain per Level
This number is the Magic Points the character adds to
Vocational Spell Lores their maximum number of MPs for each level to cast their
Spells (see Magic & Spells for more).
Vocational Spell Lores are those that characters belonging
to a specific Vocation can learn and cast without restric- Skill Ranks from other categories can be transferred here
tions, as explained in detail the Magic & Spells chapter. on a 3:1 basis from any other category. So, for example,
a character who already gains 2 MPs per level can gain a
one-time additional MP if they transfer 3 DPs from any
Skill Category.
28
Wizard Rogue
Wizards are adept at sorcerous skills, always immersed The Rogue is adept at disguise, stealth, and subterfuge.
in their studies of dusty tomes and moldy scrolls, seeking They can go unnoticed in a crowd or be silent and unseen
enlightenment and trying to uncover the deepest secrets like a deadly shadow deep in a dark cave as well as in the
and mysteries of Magic. back alleys of the city.
Vocational Spell Lores: Wizard Spell Lores Vocational Spell Lores: None
Warrior Animist
The Warrior is the master of arms and combat. They pos- An Animist is a shaman, a druid, a spirit-monger, and a
sess unparalleled skills in fighting with both melee weap- holy man. The Animist is a master of the healing arts, and
ons, unarmed combat, and missile or thrown weapons. they’re also in communion with Nature, calling the ancient
They also can wear heavy, cumbersome armor and be Spirits at their service.
more efficient and functional than any other character
Vocational Spell Lores: Animist Spell Lores
while doing that.
Vocational Spell Lores: None
· Spell Lores ·
Wizard Spell Lores Animist Spell Lores Elven Spell Lores Common Spell Lores
[1.4]
29
· Vocation Development Points and Vocational Bonuses ·
Armor 2 1 0 0 1 2
Combat 5 3 0 1 2 3
Adventuring 4 4 1 2 3 3
Hunting +5 +5 +5 +5
Nature +5 +5 +15 +5
Wandering +5 +5 +5 +5
Roguery 2 5 1 1 3 0
Lore 0 1 5 4 1 1
Cultures +15 +5
Healer +5 +15
Spells 0 0 5 5 3 3
Body 2 1 0 0 1 2
Body +15 +5 +5
MP per Level 0 0 3 2 1 1
* Dabbler and Champion Vocations will be detailed in the full rules; game stats are included here for completeness. [1.5]
30
· Skills ·
kind of tasks. For example, dexterous characters with a
Introduction to Skills high Swiftness Stat will be generally good in activities re-
I
quiring agility and coordination, like acrobatic maneuvers
n Against the Darkmaster, Skills represent a character’s or firing missile weapons.
specialized capabilities developed with experience from
training, while Stats represent innate abilities and poten- Some Skills does not have any Stat associated; thus no Stat
tial attitudes. bonus is provided for that Skill.
Skills are organized into 8 Categories, which group to- Other Skills may accept more than one bonus and either
gether Skills with a similar theme or purpose. For example, the character or other circumstances decide which Stat
the Combat Category contains Skills that are commonly bonus will apply.
used during combat situations.
Find more information on Skills Stat Bonuses summarized
Categories are used in game for quick reference, and for in the table below and further specified in each Skill’s de-
the purpose of determining characters’ advancement, ac- scription.
cording to their Vocation.
Ranks
Stat Bonus
Ranks represent a character’s training in a particular Skill.
Each Skill is associated with a particular Stat, which deter- As characters gain experience during their adventures,
mines the natural affinity a character has with that specific they’ll develop new ranks in their Skills, improving their
chance of success. There’s no maximum number of ranks
· Skill Stat Bonuses · that can be developed for any skill: the higher the rank, the
highest the bonus linked to that particular skill, the abler
Stat Stat the character is at it.
Categories/Skills Categories/Skills
Bonus Bonus
The first ten ranks give +5 bonus each; the second ten +2
Armor Roguery
each, and any subsequent rank gives +1. Refer to the Skill
Armor - Acrobatics SWI Ranks Bonus Table below for calculated bonuses.
Combat Stealth SWI
[1.6] [1.7]
31
Skills Description
Armor Adventuring
This skill represents the character’s ability to offset the This category includes those skills that are often used in
penalty that they would face when using certain oth- an outdoor environment.
er Skills and moving around while wearing an armor.
Generally, the penalty is applied to all Spell Casting and to Athletics
the following skills: athletics, acrobatics, ride, and stealth.
An exhaustive list of armors and their specific bonuses This skill is rolled when a character has to use their
and penalties can be consulted in the Equipment Chapter. strength or stamina to overcome an obstacle.
Ride
Combat
This skill is rolled when a character uses their ability to
This set of skills determines how effective is the charac- control and maneuver a mount or drive an animal-pow-
ter in performing an attack with various type of weapon. ered land vehicle.
These skills can be also used to asses the enemy combat
skill, and to evaluate combat gear and equipment.
Hunting
Rather than developing skills in each specific weapon, the
character assigns the development points to a skill that This skill is rolled whenever a character wants to track
represents a broad group of similar weapons. down a creature or set up traps in an outdoor environ-
ment.
Blunt
Blunt weapons, often called also mass weapons, produce
damage on impacting the target with blunt force to crush,
cut and break.
Blades
Bladed weapons are made to cut and slash through the
target’s flesh.
Ranged
Nature
Ranged weapons encompass all weapons that either shoot
projectiles of some sort or are themselves thrown as pro- This skill is used when a character wants to apply their
jectiles. outdoor knowledge to identify plants, recognize beasts,
and understand a natural phenomenon, or actively inter-
act with animals or with the surrounding environment.
Polearms
Polearms encompass any weapon consisting of a piercing, Wandering
slashing or blunt head mounted on a longer (from 1.5 to 3
meters) shaft. This skill is used when a character needs to apply their
outdoor knowledge in order to navigate and survive in the
wilderness properly.
Brawl
Brawl is a catch-all skill encompassing all manners of
fist-fighting, unarmed techniques and also the use of the
so-called “hand weapons” such as daggers and armored
fists and improvised weapons such as stones and other
small objects.
32
Roguery Cultures
This category includes those skills that are related to the This skill represents the general knowledge that the char-
character swiftness, agility, dexterity, and more in general acter has of a specific culture. This skill can also be used
their ability to deceive. to try to establish communication with another culture by
using particular knowledge of that culture which includes
spoken, written or signed language.
Acrobatics
This skill is rolled when a character needs to perform Healer
maneuvers that require a big deal of agility, balance, and
motor coordination. This skill is used when a character needs to perform med-
ical maneuvers that will lead to a healing of himself or oth-
ers.
Stealth
This skill is rolled whenever the character needs to avoid Songs & Tales
being seen or heard by an opponent to gain an advantage
against them or a situation. This skill represents the character’s knowledge of the folk-
lore, the history, and the myths and legends of a specific
region.
Locks & Traps
This skill allows the character to successfully pick locks,
padlocks, traps, and similar devices. Spells
Charisma
This skill is rolled when the character is trying to convince
others in doing something that would benefit them or im-
prove their situation.
33
· Backgrounds ·
I n Against the Darkmaster, players can use Background
Options to flesh out the past of their characters, bringing
the most important details about it in play.
Exceptional Training
You’ve studied under a renowned mentor, who taught you
the secrets of a particular skill.
A character’s Kin gives them a certain number of Back-
ground Points (BPs). ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): name your mentor, you gain 2 ranks
in any one Skill of your choice (except Spell Lores), or
Players use these points to buy some of the Background 5 ranks in a Secondary Skill of your choice.
Options described in this chapter, choosing those that they
think best reflect the past of their character. ώώ Major (cost 2 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
Tier of this Option, and your mentor also left you an
Players can buy each Option only once for their character, item specially tailored to you as a keepsake. This item
and only if they have enough BPs left. grants you a special +10 bonus to the chosen skill.
Each Option has two different Tiers: Minor and Major.
When selecting an Option, players must choose which Tier Ancient Heirloom
to buy, and pay the cost in BPs associated with that Tier.
You’ve either inherited an ancient item of power or ac-
Unspent BPs are lost after character creation. Background quired it in unusual circumstances.
Options
ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): choose one of the cultural Outfitting
Options selected for your character. That item either
Elven Training grant you a +10 magical item bonus to a specific skill;
You have been raised, or have lived among the Elves. You acts as a +1 Magical Focus; or lets you cast a 1st Weave
received a special training reflecting the time you spent spell of your choice twice a day. Give it a name, an or-
learning from the Fair Kin. igin, and record it on your character sheet.
ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): choose the elven community that ώώ Major (cost 3 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
raised you. You gain the Lore of the Ages Kin trait as if Tier of this Option, and the item also lets you cast a
you were a Silver Elf. If you already have this Kin trait, spell up to the Third Weave twice a day, or a Fifth Weave
you gain 2 ranks to spend in your Kins Spell Lores as spell once a day. However, the item is either stolen or
you see fit. sought by agents of the Darkmaster.
ώώ Major (cost 3 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
Tier of this Option, and you also can use SWI instead of
BRN as a Stat modifier for your Blades skill, provided
you’re using a Short Sword, Long Sword or Scimitar.
34
Keeper of the Hidden Lore Strider
You’re an initiate of a secret magical tradition or part of You lived most of your life in the wilderness, and are ac-
an arcane organization. Other initiates (and, sometimes, customed to the laws of Nature. You are stigmatized as an
sworn enemies of your faction) could recognize you, and “outsider” by most part of the civilized people you meet
may either aid or hinder you, depending on the situation. - but you probably don’t care.
ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): name the magical tradition or ar- ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): Write your Nature about why did you
cane organization you’re part of; you gain two ranks prefer the harshness of the wilds to the comforts of
in one of your Kin, Vocational or Common Spell Lores civilization. You gain a special +10 bonus to all your Ad-
(see Magic & Spells chapter for more information on venturing skills while you are outdoors, far from civi-
Spell Lores). lization. Furthermore, you can travel up to 1.5x normal
overland distance per day while moving alone, either
ώώ Major (cost 3 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
by foot or mounted, as long as you are Unencumbered
Tier of this Option, and your training also unlocked a
or Lightly Encumbered.
previously untapped reserve of magical power stored
within you. Add 1 MP to your Vocation MP gain per lev- ώώ Major (cost 3 BPs): You gain the benefits of the Minor
el. However, the enemies of your faction both fear and Tier. Additionally, you get a +30 bonus on your Save
long for your potential, and will go to great length to Rolls against Weariness and Starvation, and a +20 bo-
win you over to their cause. nus to your Stealth and Perception Skills while you are
outdoor in the wilderlands.
Geared for Adventure
Shapechanger
Your companions may joke about the quantity of gear you
manage to stuff in your backpack, but you know that being The totemic animal of your people blesses you with a
prepared always pays well during an adventure. righteous fury, granting you the strength to crush your
enemies.
ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): you can add two items with a Fare of
2 or less (see the Equipment section in the Appendix) or ώώ Minor (cost 2 BP): choose a medium-sized wild animal
one Fare 3 item to your starting equipment. (like a wolf, a boar or a mountain lion) as the totem of
your people. Whenever you become Bruised or when-
ώώ Major (cost 2 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
ever you gain a Drive Point because of one of your Pas-
Tier of this Option, and you also get a suit of armor or
sions, you can assume the form of the animal you’ve
a riding beast of your choice.
chosen. While in this form, you have the AT, DEF, HP,
natural physical abilities, skills, and attacks (you can
decide if using the animal CMB or your Brawl skill bo-
nus when using these attacks) of your totemic animal,
or your own skill bonus +10, whichever are higher. Your
Lore and mental skills (those skills that require con-
centration and human intellect) suffer instead a penalty
of -50. While in animal form you cannot speak nor cast
spells whatsoever, too. You’re also pervaded by a bes-
tial fury. At the beginning of each Assessment Phase, if
you’re not Engaged, you must pass a Perception Roll or
attack the nearest creature. You revert to your original
form if you’re Incapacitated or if there aren’t enemies
Greater Fortune within sight and you pass your Perception Roll. When
You come from a wealthy family, or managed to grow in you return to your original form, you become Weary.
richness and social standing with hard work… or blind ώώ Major (cost 4 BPs): you gain the benefits of the Minor
luck. Tier, but you can also choose a Large animal as your
ώώ Minor (cost 1 BP): you can raise your starting Wealth totem, and you can spend a Drive Point to transform
Level by one, up to a maximum WL of 4. into your totemic animal with a Full Action.
35
· Passions and Drive ·
Passions Changing Passions
I n Against the Darkmaster, each character is driven by Passions will change during play. They’re written down for
Passions.Passions are statements that tell something anyone to remember, but they’re not engraved in stone.
significant about the character: why they went adventuring Characters can change as the game goes on, just like every
in the first place, and the reason why they fight and stand; one of us changes over the course of our lives, according to
how they deal with difficult and dangerous situations; and the experiences they endure and the challenges that Fate
who they’re sworn to protect or serve, or has decided to has in store for them.
fight and destroy. Each player chooses up to three Passions Examples of possible good motivations for changing a
for their character during creation and writes them down character’s Passions are listed below.
on the sheet.
ώώ The reason why the Passion existed in the first place
There are three standard Passions in Against the Darkmas-
ceases to be
ter: Motivation, Nature, and Allegiance.
ώώ An event during the game made the character (and thus
Motivation is what pushes the character forth: a goal set
the player) change their mind about their whole beliefs
either in the near future or in the farthest, a personal be-
system;
lief, a strong conviction. Examples of good Motivations are:
ώώ The character goes through a very heart-rending or
ώώ I will find out the fabled Sword of the Tuatha and prove
mind-bending experience, like coming back from the
myself worthy of wielding it.
dead or literally being through Hell.
ώώ I will wipe out the Orcs that burned down my village
Typically Passions can be changed when the story reaches
and killed my family.
a significative turn point or milestone.
Nature is how a character behaves in most situations, due
Players and Game Masters are encouraged to be creative
to their inherent instincts, demeanor or ethical and phil-
about Passions and how and when to change and evolve
osophical convictions. Find below some examples of fine
them. On the other hand, we suggest not to shift Passions
Natures.
too quickly and too often, giving instead each of them a fair
ώώ Trust no one, and have your sword ready. chance to be kicked in during play and let the character
shine their own light.
ώώ As a Holy Knight, I’m sworn to protect the meek, avenge
the wrongs, and fight Evil.
Allegiance is who the character is loyal to, or loves, or - on
the other hand - has sworn to destroy. Some examples of
serviceable Allegiance may be:
ώώ The love for my family drives me forward.
ώώ I will follow my companion and master Eoin wherever
our path will lead us.
Choosing Passions
Passions are decided during character creation by the
player for their character, according to the opinion of oth-
er players and of the Game Master. Creating interesting
Passions is a collective process that really must involve all
the players at the table, since it’s vital for a VsD game to
come alive with vibrant and interesting characters, and
it’s also an excellent opportunity to tie characters to each
other and to NPCs and root them to the story.
36
Drive
Drive is a measure of how strongly a character is motivated A character can also spend five Drive Points at once to:
and how far they would push himself to get what they’re
ώώ Consider the result of any open-ended Attack, Skill or
after. Drive has a fluctuating value during play: it can grow
Spell roll as a natural 100 after rolling the dice.
and decrease over the course of the story and even in a
single session, following the character’s actions and other ώώ Treat a Critical Strike they scored as Slaying. This can
circumstances. Drive value can never be less than 0 and be chosen after the Attack Roll.
more than 5. Each character starts the game with a Drive
ώώ Ignore all penalties to actions from wounds and ad-
value of 1.
verse Conditions for the duration of a whole scene.
Increasing Drive
Drive increases by pushing the game forward with one-
self’s Passions.
Whenever a character willingly puts himself into a danger-
ous situation, in a challenge, puts himself in a bad light be-
cause of one of their Passions, or makes the story change
in a new and interesting direction following their Passion,
they then get to increase their Drive score by one - to a
maximum of five.
37
· Finishing Touches ·
Move Rate Magic Points
A character’s Move Rate indicates how far they can move
in a single combat round.
Magic Points (MPs) represent a reserve of mystical ener-
gies used by characters to cast magical spells.
All characters have a basic Move Rate of 15, meaning that A first level character starts with one MP for each 10 full
they can move up to 15 meters at a walking pace (or up to points of their MP Stat (WIT for Wizards; WSD for Animists
30 meters when Sprinting) each round. and BEA for all the other Vocations). The character’s Kin
MP bonus and Vocation MP gain are added to this number
to determine the character’s starting total Magic Points.
Defense See the Magic & Spells chapter for more information about
Characters can shield themselves from harm by wearing Magic Points and their use.
armor and others protections, but their ability of deflect-
ing and evading blows is represented by their Defense
score (or DEF for short). Starting Equipment
A character’s DEF is equal to their Swiftness score or zero, Each character starts the game with:
whichever is higher.
ώώ a set of normal traveling clothes;
Characters can temporarily improve their DEF by wielding
shields and parrying; while Spells, Conditions and other ώώ a belt with scabbards to hold their weapons;
effects can modify it in other ways, so a character’s DEF ώώ a side arm;
score will probably change quite often during the game.
ώώ a pouch for their coins and personal belongings;
ώώ a small bag or rucksack;
Save Rolls the items gained through their Background Points and
their Culture Outfitting Options.
Not every attack can be dodged or parried. Save Rolls (SR)
represent a character’s ability to resist pernicious effects.
There are two kinds of Save Rolls in Against the Darkmas-
ter: Toughness Save Rolls (TSR), and Willpower Save Rolls
Naming your Character
(WSR). At this point, the players will only have to find a suitable
A character’s TSR bonus is equal to their Fortitude stat, name for their characters and are ready to start the game.
plus 5 times their current Level, plus their Kin bonus and While choosing a character’s name is based purely on per-
special modifiers. sonal tastes and preferences, try to keep in mind the game
Their WSR bonus is equal to their Wisdom stat, plus 5 tone and setting when selecting names.
times their current Level, plus their Kin bonus and spe-
cial modifiers.
38
• Adventuring •
· Resolving Actions ·
M ost of the times, players only need to describe their
characters’ actions for them to automatically resolve
as they want. However, when a character is facing some
Helping
kind of opposition, or when failure could lead the game When characters team up to accomplish a difficult task or
in an exciting direction, Against the Darkmaster uses dice are performing a single task as a group (such as searching
rolls to determine the outcome of an action. a room, trying to sneak past some guards or lifting a heavy
object all together), one of them must take the role of the
lead character, while the others will act as helpers.
Skill Rolls Helpers must describe how they’re aiding their compan-
ion, and then make a Skill Roll based on the action they’re
When a character tries to accomplish a task whose out- performing.
come has a meaningful and interesting influence on the
situation at hand, the GM must call for a Skill Roll. On a Success, the helper will grant a +10 bonus to the lead
character’s roll, while with an Outstanding Success they’ll
The player controlling the character makes an Open End- grant a +20 bonus.
ed 1d100 roll and adds their character’s relevant Skill Bo-
nus, plus any possible modifier. On a Partial Success, the helper will still grant a +10 bonus,
but will also expose themselves to some kind of complica-
The final result is then applied to the Action Resolution tion, cost or trouble.
Table to determine the outcome of the task.
On a Failure, the helper will grant no bonus to the lead
character, and on a Critical Failure, they’ll expose them-
Difficulty selves to trouble without allowing any bonus.
Should the lead character Skill Roll fail, helpers will share
Some tasks are more difficult than others, requiring great- the consequences of their failure, in addition to any cost
er skill or luck to be accomplished successfully. or complication coming from their helping roll.
When a Skill Roll is called, the GM must determine how Only Skill Rolls can benefit from the helping rules: Attack,
difficult the task that is being attempted is, choosing a Spell Casting, and Save Rolls can never be helped. The GM
Difficulty for it. The higher the Difficulty, the higher the always has the final say on which task can or cannot be
negative modifier associated with it. There’s no theoretical helped.
limit to the Difficulty of a skill roll and thus to the penalty
associated to it, however, you can follow the guidelines in
the table to quickly assess the Difficulty and determine the
inherent modifier of the action attempted.
You don’t get what you were trying to obtain and you put yourself in danger; break a piece of equip-
Critical
4 or less ment; take twice the time normally required; or grant your foes a +20 bonus to their next roll against
Failure
you.
5 -74 Failure You don’t get what you were trying to obtain.
Partial You only partially accomplish what you were trying to do, or manage to do it, but with a cost, complica-
75-99
Success tion or trouble.
100-174 Success You accomplish what you were trying to do.
You accomplish what you were trying to do,and you get a +20 bonus to your (or one of your ally’s) next
Outstanding
175 or more related roll; gain additional information; or take less time than normally required to complete your
Success
task.
[2.1]
40
· Skill Roll Difficulty Table ·
50/50*
Difficulty Modifier Description
Partial Outst.
Succes
Succes Succes
* This is the Skill bonus required to have a 50/50 chance of getting that result (assuming a ‘51’ roll on 1d100) [2.2]
41
Resolving Save Rolls · Save Rolls Table ·
When an SR is called, a character must make an Open End- Defender Level SR Bonus Attack Level SR Difficulty
ed roll and add their relevant SR Bonus, plus any applicable
modifier. 1 +5 1 55
If the final result is higher than the Save Roll Difficulty, the 2 +10 2 60
SR is successful, and the character manages to resist the 3 +15 3 65
effects of the attack.
4 +20 4 70
The standard Difficulty of a Save Roll is 50 plus 5 times the
Attack Level of the effect the character is trying to resist 5 +25 5 75
or avoid, which is usually given in the description of the 6 +30 6 80
attack.
7 +35 7 85
For Spells, the Difficulty of the Save Roll is given by the
8 +40 8 90
result rolled by the caster on the Spell Casting Table, as
explained in the Magic & Spells chapter. 9 +45 9 95
10 +50 10 100
[2.3]
42
· Magic & Spells ·
T he world of Against the Darkmaster is imbued with
magic. The elves gather under the silvery stars to sing
their enchanted songs. Primordial spirits bathe in the
chances of casting it successfully), but cannot cast any
Spell over the Fifth Weave, unless it’s in a Spell Lore from
their Vocational or Kin Spell Lores Groups.
waters of remote mountain lakes. Fallen kings raise from
Vocational Spell Lores are tied to a specific Vocation.
the grave to protect their barrows against plunderers and
They’re carefully guarded secrets, that only characters
trespassers. And, of course, the evil sorcery of the Dark-
with very specific training and mindset can hope to grasp.
master and their servants taints the land, menacing to
plunge it in a perpetual night. A character can learn and cast Spells included in their Vo-
cational Spell Lores Group without restrictions.
Spell Lores Kin Spell Lores are similar to Vocational but are tied to
a character’s Kin, rather than their Vocation. Characters
The ability to cast magical spells in VsD is represented by can learn and cast Spells from their Kin Spell Lores with-
a set of unique skills called Spell Lores. out restrictions and can develop them using DPs from any
category to buy ranks in them on a 1:1 ratio.
Each Spell Lore is a single skill, which must be developed
separately from other Lores, and gives the character
knowledge of a specific “branch” or “school” of magic. Magic Points
Spell Lores are made by different Spells, organized in
Weaves, from the least to the most powerful. First Weave In VsD, the amount of magical energy a character can har-
Spells are simple tricks and basic cantrips, easily mastered ness and use over a given period of time is represented by
even by the least gifted magical practitioner. Tenth Weave a value called Magic Points (MPs for short).
Spells, on the other hand, are incredibly complex, reali- Each character has a certain number of MPs, determined
ty-altering enchantments, the mark of a real archmage. by their level, kin, and profession. To cast a Spell, the char-
Each rank developed by a character in a Spell Lore grants acter must spend a number of MPs equal to the Weave of
them the knowledge of a Spell from a new Weave, starting that Spell. So, a First Weave Spell costs 1 MP; a Second
from the First and up to the Tenth. For example, a char- Weave Spell 2 MPs, and so on.
acter with 3 ranks in a Spell Lore, will know all the Spells MPs spent are deducted from a character’s current MPs
from the first three Weaves of that Spell Lore. total, down to a minimum of zero. A character cannot
Spell Lores are developed like any other Skill, by spending spend more MPs than they currently have (so, a wizard
DPs when leveling up or during character creation, and are with 2 remaining MPs will not usually be able to cast Third
subject to the same rules and restrictions as others Skills. or higher Weave spells).
A Spell Lore total skill bonus is influenced by one of the
character’s Stats. Refer to the specific Spell Lores descrip-
tion to see which particular Stat applies for each of them.
Totaling Magic Points
The total number of Magic Points available to a character
is based on their level and on the sum of the following
Spell Learning Restrictions factors:
Spell Lores are divided into three Groups, which deter- ώώ Stat MP gain per level;
mine their availability to the characters. These are Com- ώώ Vocation MP gain per level;
mon Spell Lores, Vocational Spell Lores, and Kin Spell
Lores. ώώ Kin MP bonus.
Common Spell Lores are open to all Vocations. Any char- · Common Spell Lores ·
acter can develop Spell Lores in this Group and cast Spells
Detections Movem. of Nature Resistance
from them up to the Fifth Weave.
Eldritch Senses Nature’s Path Sounds & Lights
Note that characters may put as many ranks as they want
in a Spell Lore from the Common Group (to improve their Eldritch Wards Open the Way Ways of Nature
[2.4]
43
Stat MP gain per level Vocation MP gain per level
Each level, starting from the first level, characters gain a This is the number of MPs indicated in the Vocations Table
number of MPs based on the value of their MP Stat, deter- on the Vocations chapter. It’s added to the Stat MP gain and
mined by their Vocation: multiplied for the character’s current level to determine
their MPs total.
ώώ Wizards use the Wits Stat value;
ώώ Animists use the Wisdom Stat value;
Kin MP bonus
ώώ All other Vocations use the Bearing Stat Value.
This is a flat one-time bonus added to the MP total of the
The number of MPs gained by the characters each level is character for their Kin. Check it in the Kins Modifiers table
equal to 1 MP for every 10 full points of their MP Stat value. in the Kins chapter.
Thus, a 10 or 15 Stat value gives 1 MP each level, a 20 or 25
gives 2 MPs each level, a 30 or 35 gives 3 MPs each level,
and so on. Recovering Magic Points
Magic Points are recovered by resting (or meditating, in
the case of elven characters). A full night’s (8 hours) sleep
is sufficient to completely replenish a character’s MPs, re-
storing them to their original value.
If the spell requires a Save Roll, the targets automatically succeed in their Save Roll against it
Otherwise, choose the one that applies best:
26-50 Partial Success
ώώ The spell Duration is reduced to half the original duration (rounded down)
ώώ The spell area of effect is reduced to half the original area (rounded down)
ώώ The spell has no effect, but the caster retains the Magic Points
51-80 50
81-95 60
96-105 65
106-110 70
131-135 85
135-140 90
141-145 95
146-150 100
151-155 105
If the spell does not require a Save Roll, it succeeds.
156-160 110
If the spell requires a Save Roll, read the Difficulty of the Save.
161-165 120 Furthermore, choose one:
166-170 130 ώώ The spell costs half the Magic Points to cast.
ώώ You can choose to add a Warping option to the spell for free, provided that its cost is no
171-175 140 more than half the cost of the Spell itself.
176+ 150
[2.5]
44
Casting Spells Instantaneous Spells
Spells marked as Instantaneous gain no benefit from Con-
centration but can be Improvised without incurring in the
Spell Casting Requirements normal -10 penalty and are cast as a Half Action.
First to fourth round of preparation (up to +40) +10/r. Up to 3m +10 31-90m -20
Target is static +10 4-15m +0 More than 90m -30
[2.6]
45
Spells and Unwilling Targets Magical Resonance
Some Spells grant a Save Roll to unwilling targets to resist The use of Magic is never completely safe. Even the casting
their effects. See the description of each individual spell, of the lesser of cantrips creates a Resonance, a ripple in
to see if it grants a Save Roll. the fabric of reality, which can attract the attention of Dark
Powers and Servants of the Shadows.
Warping a Spell Each time a character rolls a double result on the dice (i.e.,
11, 22, 33) of their Spell Casting Roll, the GM makes a roll
Some Spells may be Warped, which means that a character on the Magical Resonance Roll Table, adding the Weave of
can choose to cast them as a higher Weave Spell, obtaining the Spell cast and the following modifiers.
a more powerful effect.
Only Spells with Warping Options in their description may
be Warped. Each Warping Option may be selected multi- · Magical Resonance Roll Mod. ·
ple times unless the spell description prohibits explicitly
In a Safe Haven -20
doing so.The final Weave of a Warped Spell is equal to the
Weave of the basic form of that Spell, plus the Weave of In a Blighted Land +20
the Warping Option chosen, and its MP cost changes ac-
Healing Spell -20
cordingly.
Natural or Elven Spell -10
Roll Effects
Nothing: an inquisitive shadow passes over the caster, but soon its attention is drawn somewhere else. The character is safe, for
30 or less
now...
Awareness: the Darkmaster is aware of the caster presence, but unable to locate their current position. The next spell the character
31-60
cast within the next hour automatically results in a Magical Resonance Roll.
61-80 Attention: the Darkmaster has located the general position of the caster, and will send agents and spies to investigate.
Pursuit: the caster has been located and deemed worthy of the Darkmaster attention. A small band of servants will be sent to kidnap
81-90
or apprehend the caster and their allies.
91-100 Assault: the Darkmaster has located the caster, and will send a band of capable servants to destroy them.
Lieutenant: the character has been found by a overwhelmingly powerful servant of the Darkmaster, sent to bring them over to the
101 or more
dark side or utterly destroy them.
[2.8]
46
Spell Failure · Spell Failures Modifiers ·
Another danger of Spell Casting is Spell Failure.
+0 Healing, information and divination spells.
Whenever a character rolls a Spell Failure result on the
+10 Utility, personal, defensive and Nature Magic spells.
Spell Casting Table or on one of the Spell Attack Tables,
the Spell automatically fails (missing its target if it was +20 Enchantment Magic.
an attack), and the character must roll another percentile
+30 Alteration Magic.
dice, adding the Spell Failure Modifiers
+50 Dark and Elemental Magic.
The result of this roll is then confronted with the Spell
Failures table, and its effects are immediately applied, [2.9]
substituting those of the Spell cast.
· Spell Failures ·
1d100 Effect
[2.10]
47
· Movement and Traveling ·
D uring a game of Against the Darkmaster, the characters
will seldom be found resting and relaxing; more likely,
when they’re not fighting they will be moving around and
Determining Encumbrance Level
Determining a character’s EL, as mentioned, is mainly
traveling relentlessly. about common sense and mutual judgment. The players
and GM must discuss the argument without stressing it
too much, considering elements like the character’s actual
Encumbrance size, strength, physical conditions - the GM has the final
say in determining the actual character’s EL.
Encumbrance is Against the Darkmaster's way of repre-
However, in the Encumbrance Levels Table below are pro-
senting how much a character is hampered in their move-
vided some guidelines to determine the EL of a man-sized
ments and actions by the number of objects they carry on
character or normal strength and endurance.
themselves and their overall weight and volume. VsD does
not use a complicated system of recording every single A more robust character (perhaps a character factoring
object and its specific weight to determine the total En- a total +30 bonus or their Brawn and Fortitude stats) can
cumbrance of the character; rather it relies on the players eventually decrease the Encumbrance Level by one; as well
and GM common sense in determining how effectively a as a larger size character, like a Troll.
character is cluttered.
Encumbrance is measured in Encumbrance Levels or EL. Armors and Encumbrance
There are 5 ELs:
Armors are never considered when factoring a character’s
ώώ Unencumbered: The character has no penalties
EL. Armors have their own inherent associated penalties
ώώ Lightly Encumbered: The character suffers -10 to At- to maneuvering, attacking and general activities that you
tacks and Moving Actions can find in the Equipment chapter. Remember that any
ώώ Encumbered: The character suffer-20 to Attacks and negative penalty to movement or attacks coming from Ar-
Moving Actions mors always stacks with those associated to Encumbrance.
· Encumbrance Levels ·
Clothes, a belt with a small pouch, a single weapon or two light weapons, and light traveling gear (a small 5 kg backpack
Unencumbered
or bag).
Clothes, a belt with a scabbard and a single heavy weapon or two light weapons, a small quiver with a few arrows and
Lightly Encumbered
some traveling gear (a 10 kg backpack or bag).
Clothes, a belt with a pouch, a heavy weapon or two light weapons, a heavy backpack with 1-week worth of rations, a
Encumbered
bedroll and various traveling equipment.
Clothes, several melee or missile weapons, a big and very heavy (25+ kg) backpack with lots (2 weeks) rations, a camp-
Heavily Encumbered ing tent and other encumbering traveling gear, special equipment like a rope and pulley, chains, heavy treasure (like a
bag with a thousand coins).
The character is really overburdened, like dragging a sled with a big load (or pulling or carrying the body of a wound-
Over Encumbered ed companion). Generally this is not how the character runs around during adventuring but more likely a particular
condition the character can endure only for a short period.
[2.11]
48
Travels Traveling Hazards
Travels start by setting a destination the heroes have to The GM must prepare Hazards and obstacles the heroes
reach. If the exact location of their destination is known, will face during their travel.
the characters must simply choose the trail they’ll follow The number and nature of these Hazards depends on the
to reach it, marking it on their map. Once the path is set, length of the journey, the type of terrain traversed, and
the GM establish the time required to travel to the chosen the notable locations and regions the characters will travel
location, using the Overland Movement Table below through.
The distance covered each day by the characters is influ- Usually, characters will face 2-3 Hazards during a medi-
enced by their level of Encumbrance and by the type of um-length journey.
Terrain crossed.
Each Hazard is resolved as a separate scene. The GM
Roads, open plains, light forests and similar areas, where zooms in, presents the obstacle and the PCs face it as they
characters can advance easily, are considered to be Nor- deem appropriate. So, each of them is potentially an ad-
mal Terrain. venture on its own.
Woods, forested areas, deserts, hills and other areas where Failure to overcome an Hazard means a setback and could
advancement is slowed down by rugged ground or small lead to a detour, loss of resources or a condition imposed
obstacles, are considered Rough Terrain. on the party. The GM should come up with appropriate
Lastly, mountains, bogs, swamps, jungles, thick forests and consequences, based on the PCs’ decisions and actions.
other hard to cross areas are considered Arduous Terrain. After each Hazard, the PCs regroup and decide to push on
For each day of travel, each character must consume a and proceed to the next step of their journey, or stop to
ration, or suffer the effects of weariness, as detailed in the rest and/or resupply.
Weariness and Starvation paragraph.
49
Weariness and Starvation
Characters that do not rest, eat or drink for one day will or resting at the end of each day. Characters failing this
become Weary (See Damage & Wounds, Health & Healing SR will suffer a cumulative -20 Exhaustion penalty to all
chapter). their Actions and Attacks. Should this penalty ever reach
the total of -100, the character will die of exhaustion.
Weary characters that fail to rest, eat or drink, must make a
Toughness Save Roll against an Attack Level equal to twice Exhaustion penalties are recovered at the rate of 20 points
the number of days they’re gone without eating, drinking per day of complete rest and proper nourishment.
Up to Lightly Encumbered 50 95 30 40 15 8
Encumbered 30 65 15 25 8 8
Heavily Encumbered 15 30 8 15 3 0
Over Encumbered 0 0 0 0 0 0
[2.12]
91-00 Ancient World Perils Ancient World Perils Ancient World Perils
[2.13]
50
· Wealth and Treasure ·
I n Against the Darkmaster, Wealth and Social Status are
determined by a somewhat abstract system. Instead of
keeping track of each and every single coin, a character
Buying Goods
“buys out” equipment and any other mundane goods or
services looking at their Wealth. Wealth Level vs. Fare
Any good or service, be it an item or weapon, or a horse, or
Wealth Level food and lodging, or transportation, has a Fare value listed
to it in the Equipment chapter.
A character’s Wealth and Social Status are measured in When during the game there’s a need to determine wheth-
Wealth Levels (WL), ranging from 0 to 5. Refer to the list er a character can afford to buy a particular good or not,
below for a definition of what each WL means. you must compare the character’s current Wealth Level to
ώώ WL0 - Serf or Slave the good’s Fare value. Refer to the WL vs. Fare chart below.
ώώ WL1 - Struggling
ώώ WL2 - Commoner Modifying Fare
ώώ WL3 - Gentry Sometimes, there’s a need to modify the base Fare of any
goods the character may want to purchase. In these cases,
ώώ WL4 - Lesser Noble
refer to the Modifiers to base Fare table below.
ώώ WL5 - Greater Noble/Ruler
[2.15]
51
Increasing Wealth · Treasures Values ·
Decreasing Wealth can happen during play by making A pouch of silver or bronze coins, a handful of gold piec-
TV1 es. A small semiprecious stone, a valuable trinket. A very
purchases or because of other unfortunate occurrences. weathered fine art piece.
Now let’s take a look at how to increase one’s WL instead
A bag of silver coins or a small chest of gold pieces and/or
- which is the reason most characters go adventuring in TV2
smaller jewellery. A fine art piece, a fine little gemstone.
the first place!
A big chest of silver and gold coins. A beautiful jewel set
with gemstones. A collection of fine arts pieces or valua-
TV3
ble and/or rare, exotic objects like chandeliers, incenso-
Treasure ries, and the like.
Elven or Dwarven-made jewellery worth thousands of
Finding and retrieving lost Treasure, be it a fabled Drag-
gold pieces. Precious ore like Truesilver. A fist-sized radi-
on’s hoard or the smaller loot of a band of brigands, is TV4
ant gemstone. The treasure hidden in the Lost Island by
something happening a lot in a Darkmaster game, and also the famous Pirate Captain.
something the characters are often actively seeking for. TV5
The hoard of an ancient Dragon. The treasure of the High
King.
First things first, it’s necessary to assess the actual value of
the found Treasure, referred to as the Treasure Value - or [2.13]
TV. TV ranges from 1 to 5.
When characters find Treasure (and are able to keep it for · Wealth Level vs Treasure Value ·
themselves of course!), they must compare their current
Character’s WL < TV Increase character’s WL to the TV
WL with the TV. Refer to the table 2.14.
Character’s WL = TV Increase character’s WL by +1
Character’s WL > TV No change in character’s WL
[2.14]
52
· Character Advancement ·
A character’s Level measures their power, competence,
and experience. During their adventures heroes will
gain Experience Points (XPs) by visiting new places, com-
the GM has the final say if the character gains the XP re-
ward or not.
1 10 6 70
ώώ You tricked an NPC more powerful than you.
2 20 7 90
Wizard
3 30 8 110
ώώ You cleverly cast spell turned overwhelming odds in
4 40 9 130 your favor.
5 50 10 150
ώώ Your academic knowledge granted you an edge in a
[2.15] challenging situation.
Animist
Gaining Experience Points ώώ Your wisdom or healing arts solved a desperate situ-
Experience Points are awarded at the end of each session. ation.
Each player, together with the GM and the others at the ώώ You destroyed an unhallowed item or defeated an un-
table, briefly review what happened during the game. Then natural creature more powerful than you.
reads aloud the General Experience list and the Vocation
Based Experience list appropriate to their character’s Vo-
cation.
Levelling Up
Their character gains 1XP for each point in these lists the
group agrees that happened at least once during the ses- When a character levels up, they increase their total MPs
sion. If an agreement over some point cannot be reached, and gains a new set of Development Points for each Skill
53
Category according to their Vocation, as shown in the Level up should always happen between sessions, possibly
Character Advancement Table below. right after assigning XPs or before starting a new game. If
you think it makes more sense, try waiting until the char-
They can then spend their new DPs to buy more ranks for
acters reach a place where they can rest and meditate or
their Skills, precisely as they did during character creation.
practice what they learned, before advancing a level.
DPs cannot be “carried over” from one level to the next.
Unspent or unused Development Points are lost.
Armor 2 1 0 0 1 2
Combat 5 3 0 1 2 3
Adventuring 4 4 1 2 3 3
Roguery 2 5 1 1 3 0
Lore 0 1 5 4 1 1
Spells 0 0 5 5 3 3
Body 2 1 0 0 1 2
MP per level 0 0 3 2 1 1
* Dabbler and Champion Vocations will be detailed in the full rules; game stats are included here for completeness. [2.16]
54
• Combat •
· Combat ·
Introduction to Combat
C ombat is a serious thing in Against the Darkmaster.
While characters are assumed to be heroic, even the
most skillful fighter must take combat seriously because
However, to give a sense of completeness and plausibility,
we can assume that a standard Tactical Round lasts about
five seconds of game time.
of the high chance of being wounded or killed with a single
blow.
The Tactical Round Sequence
The Tactical Round The Tactical Round Sequence, or TRS, is a quick reference
list used to determine what actions should take place and
A “Round” in game terms is a convention to indicate a short when, and what characters get to act in which order during
time interval during which a series of tactical actions can each round.
take place, when it’s essential to determine which actions
fit during this time frame and whoever gets to act first. The TRS is somehow fluid: not necessarily each Phase has
to take place in each round, only the Phases in which one
During a standard game of Against the Darkmaster, when or more characters actually want and get to act will be
time is not a relevant factor to consider, there’s no real counted down, and the actions resolved in the order sug-
need to take note of single time units other than for fic- gested. Additionally, the TRS is not as strict as it may seem.
tional purposes. Common sense must always be used to judge a situation
When, however, the game’s coming down to frantic action and determine if there’s some specific event or condition
like melee combat, missile fire, spell casting and move- that will eventually alter the normal flow of the Phases and
ment in a tactical situation, then it’s necessary to rule the Actions in the round.
thing by assuming a standard, countable time unit - and We will discuss each of the above in depth. For now, let’s
that’s the Tactical Round, or simply Round (rnd), for brev- take a look at how a typical TRS looks like.
ity.
Assessment Phase
How long is a Round? In this Phase characters get their turn at assessing the sit-
Since when counting down rounds there’s no real need to uation, and decide what they want to do in the following
keep count of any other time unit, it’s not really important Phases and for the rest of the round, thus declaring their
how long (in game time terms) actually a Tactical Round is. actions.
In the Assessment Phase, each character gets their chance
to take a Perception skill roll, if needed, to assess the sit-
uation.
This roll is not always necessary but only if the GM deems
it appropriate and specifically when a character has been
struck by a Critical Strike that
ώώ Stunned or knocked them down
ώώ Has just awakened from sleep or faint in the middle of
the action
ώώ Has been ambushed
ώώ Has been affected by a disorienting effect, such as a fall,
tumble or the like.
If the Assess roll fails, the character gets not to declare any
56
actions in the following Action Declaration Phase for that to higher ground, etc.).
round. They can still melee in defense, Parrying with half
In case it’s necessary to determine which character starts
their maximum CMB available.
moving earlier (for example in case of conflicting actions
like a chase), the character capable of moving farther in a
single round or the character with the highest Skill bonus
for the involved maneuver gets to act first.
· The Tactical Round Sequence ·
57
ώώ Hand: Daggers, Improvised Weapons, Brawling
The longer the weapon, the first its turn to attack.
In case of a tie between attacker wielding weapons of the
same length, the attacker with the highest CMB goes first.
In the case of identical CMB, the attacks are considered to
occur simultaneously.
There are a few exceptions to the aforementioned rules:
Positional Bonuses & Dashing Attacks.
Positional Bonus
A Positional Bonus is a circumstance in which one attacker
has a positional advantage against their opponents, re-
flected by a CMB bonus. There are three basic circum-
stances this kind of bonus:
ώώ Attacking from higher ground (or being horse-mount-
ed)
ώώ Flanking a foe
ώώ Attacking from the Rear of a foe.
An attacker with a Positional Bonus is considered as wield-
ing a weapon one step longer than its actual length. Thus,
a Longsword becomes Longest, and a Hand Axe becomes
Long for the purpose of determining who gets to attack
first in a melee.
Dashing Attack
A Dashing Attacks is an audacious and daring attempt at
lunging at the opponent trying to take them off with a sin-
gle surprise blow. A dashing attack gets a special -30 CMB,
but the attacker is considered as wielding a weapon one
step longer than its actual length for the purpose of deter-
mining which combatant gets to attack first in the melee.
A character who decides to make a Dashing Attack action
can not Parry in the same round: they must commit all of
their CMB to attack.
Ranged Phase B
In this Phase, the second volley of missile weapons shoot.
These will be all the missile and thrown weapons that
hadn’t already been fired in Ranged Phase A or missile
weapons reloaded in the same round with a reload action.
Spell Phase B
In this Phase, the second round of spells goes off. These
will be unprepared spells (e.g., spells cast without prepa-
ration, taking the maximum penalty for a 0-round prep
casting).
58
Other Actions Phase
In this Phase, the character gets their chance at using their
other Skills which weren’t involved in the previous Phases.
Types of Actions
There are three basic types of actions that can be per-
formed during the TRS: Full Round Actions, Half Actions,
and Free Actions.
Examples of Full Round Actions are:
ώώ Making a melee or ranged attack
ώώ Casting a non-instantaneous spell
ώώ Moving at Full Move speed while sprinting
Examples of Half Actions are:
ώώ Reading an item or drawing a weapon
ώώ Casting an instantaneous spell
ώώ Knocking an arrow and taking aim
ώώ Moving to engage a foe in melee
Examples of Free Actions are:
ώώ Talking/Singing/Chanting
ώώ Making an Assessment (Perception) Roll
ώώ Declare Actions
A Full Round Action takes place in the appropriate TRS
Phase according to it. A Half Action takes place any-
time during the TRS, generally in conjunction with an-
other action. If combined with a Full Round Action,
both actions (the Half Action and the Full Round Ac-
tion) suffer a special -20 penalty to any roll involved.
If combined with another Half Action, there will be no as-
sociated penalty.
A Free Action can be taken anytime during the round
and does not count against other actions; however, only
one Free Action per round is allowed for each character
in each round; subsequent actions that should typically
count as Free Actions in the same round must be taken
as Half Actions.
Combining Actions
Here are the possible combinations of actions a character
can take during each round:
ώώ One Full Round Action and a Free Action
ώώ One Full Round Action and a Half Action, both at a
-20 penalty
ώώ Two Half Actions with no penalty and a Free Action
59
Readied Actions action does not take place immediately in the Phase in
which the character should have taken it, but can be de-
Readied Actions are those actions that a character volun- layed indefinitely until the character wants it to go off. At
tarily holds and releases only when a specific circumstance that point, it takes place anytime, in any phase, and inter-
arises, or when they deem appropriate. rupts other actions in order of resolution.
If a character declares they want to Ready an Action, that
Action Action Declaration The character must declare the target of their attacks for
Free Action -
Declaration Phase the round.
Talking, Can take place anytime in the round, as long as the players
Free Action Any -
Singing and GM see fit.
Moving up to full The character can move up to their Move Rate or either
Full Round Action Move Phase -
Move Rate move up to twice their Move Rate by Sprinting.
Moving up to half The character can move up to half their Move Rate walk-
Half Action Move Phase -
Move Rate ing.
Rolling for a Roll for Athletics, Swim, Ride, Stealth, Acrobatics will
Full Round Action Move Phase Varies
Move Skill probably fall under this.
Shooting
Ranged Phase A,
Missiles, Throw- Full Round Action - See details on reloading and aiming.
Ranged Phase B
ing Weapons
A character can split their CMB as they sees fit and com-
Melee Combat Full Round Action Melee Phase Varies
mit a part of it to Parry and another part to Attack.
Reloading Bow Full Round Action Ranged Phase A - In the following round it can be shot without penalties.
Reloading Cross-
Multi-Round Action (2) Ranged Phase A - In the following round it can be shot without penalties.
bow
Drawing a Weap-
Melee or Move -20 to Melee CMB For each weapon/item drawn (e.g. drawing two different
on or Ready an Half Action
Phase or Move Skill rolls weapons will result in a -40 penalty).
Item
All other Full Round or Multi-Round Duration may depend on the Skill rolled, the Skill Roll
Other Action Phase Varies
actions Action difficulty, wounds and other factors.
[3.2]
60
Multi-Round Actions Making an Attack
Multi-Round Actions are - as the name may suggest - ac- To make an attack, a character rolls a D100 (open-ended)
tions that last more than a single round. and adds their Combat Bonus (or CMB) to the roll and any
other applicable modifier. Then they must subtract the
Multi-Round Actions and their duration are usually ad-
target Defensive Bonus (or DEF) to the roll. This is called
judicated by the players and GM by common sense. Some
an Attack Roll.
particular cases may have a minimum duration associated
with them. If that’s the case, the minimum duration is in- The final score of the Attack Roll is then cross-referenced
dicated in brackets like “Reload (2)”. with the appropriate Attack Table for the weapon, spell
or other forms of attack the character is using to perform
Multi-Round Actions count to all effects as an uninter-
their Attack action, and the Armor Type the target’s wear-
rupted series of Full Round Actions linked together: the
ing.
character can not interrupt the sequence without losing
the full action (i.e., they must start over again). A Mul- Two important things to remember:
ti-Round Action cannot be combined with other actions
ώώ An Attack is a Full Round Action that occurs in the ap-
(except for Free Actions).
propriate Phase.
ώώ To make an Attack, a character must have at least a +0
Tactical Movement or higher CMB remaining. If any effect or modifiers
lowers the CMB of a character under +0, they can’t
Movement needs to be more regulated during Combat make attacks for that round.
than in other situations.
Each character has a Move Rate, which indicates how far Reading the Attack Tables Results
they can move in a single round.
The result on the Attack Table is read as it is instructed
below.
The Battlefield
ώώ If the final modified Attack Roll result falls into the “up
At the beginning of combat, the GM describes the area to 10” range, the attack automatically misses. Also, if
where the fight is taking place, including potential ob- the Unmodified Roll range (e.g. considering only the
stacles, lighting conditions and terrain features that may d100 roll before applying any modifier) falls into the
influence the battle. They also set the position of each Clumsy Range for the weapon or spell the attack’s using
combatant, according to the situation and listening to the attack also fumbles, causing the attacker to roll on
the players’ opinion about their characters. We suggest to the appropriate Fumble Table for the weapon, attack
sketch a map of the battlefield, to give everyone at the table or spell they're using (see more at “Weapon Fumbles”).
a good sense of the situation. ώώ If the modified Attack Roll result indicates a “-al St”,
then the attack had missed its target, and no harm is
inflicted.
Movement & Positioning
ώώ If the modified Attack Roll result indicates a “0”, the
During the Move Phase, a character can spend a Full Ac- attack actually hit the target, but dealt no damage, due
tion to cover many meters up to their Move Rate or Sprint to scant power or the target’s armor blocking or de-
to up to twice their Move Rate in meters. A Sprinting char- flecting the attack’s force.
acter can not Parry and can not get the Shield bonus to
their DEF. ώώ If the result of the modified Attack Roll is a number dif-
ferent from “0” (for example “7”), that’s the number of
Characters can also use a Half Action to Move to Engage an Hit Points the attack inflicts to the target. This is called
enemy within half of their Move Rate in meters or to move the Base Damage of the attack. Said Hit Points must be
for the same distance at a walking pace. subtracted from the target’s Current HPs (see “Damage
Usually, there’s no Skill Roll involved for movement un- and Injuries” for more).
less the character is trying to cross treacherous terrain, ώώ If the result of the modified Attack Roll is a number
or overcoming an obstacle. and an acronym, like “16 Mod”, then the result is read
as follow. The number on the left is the Base Damage
of the attack, as above mentioned. The acronym indi-
61
cates that in addition to the base damage also a Critical This value is used to determine if the ranged attack suf-
Strike has been dealt with the target of the attack and fers any penalty due to the target’s distance, as explained
indicates the severity of the Critical Strike inflicted to below:
the target - read below for more.
ώώ Attacks made by a character against a target within the
Base Range of their weapon, suffer no modifier to the
attacker’s total CMB.
Range and Reloading ώώ Attacks against a target between a weapon Base Range
The distance from which missile and thrown weapons can and double its Base Range, are considered to be Me-
make an attack against a target is determined by their Base dium Range attacks, and incur in a -25 penalty to the
Range value, shown under each weapon description in the attacker’s total CMB.
Weapon Table.
62
ώώ If the target is between two and three times the weap- ώώ If the character’s wielding a Shield, they can Parry
on’s Base Range, the attack is considered to be at Long all attacks from multiple opponents coming from the
Range, and impose a -50 penalty to the attacker’s total same side in a single round.
CMB.
ώώ Stunned characters can only Parry with up to half their
ώώ Targets between three and four times a weapon’s Base CMB, whatever the weapon they’re using is.
Range are said to be at Extreme Range, and attacks
ώώ Incapacitated, Held or Surprised characters, or charac-
against them incur in a -75 penalty to the attacker’s
ters suffering any condition negating them to subtract
total CMB.
their DEF from incoming attacks can not Parry at all.
ώώ Targets beyond the Extreme Range limit are just too far
away to be attacked.
Missile weapons must be loaded, and thrown weapons Critical Strikes
readied to be used to attack. Reloading a missile weapon
There are five degrees of Critical Strikes of increasing se-
is usually a Full Round or a Multi-Round action. The exact
verity (and thus potentially inflicting increasingly serious
number of rounds required to load each weapon is listed
damage to the target).
in the Weapon Table.
ώώ Superficial (or Sup) - the less damaging type of Criti-
Some missile weapons, like slings or certain bows, can also
cal Strike, often associated with minor scratches and
be Quick Loaded as a Half Action, permitting their wielder
bruises.
to attack in Ranged Phase B of the same round with a -20
penalty to their CMB. ώώ Light (or Lig) are still not so serious wound and are
seldom instantly fatal, but can still result in crippling
Reading a thrown weapon is always a Half Action.
damage, and death may well occur if the target’s un-
treated. Light Critical Strikes rolls are modified by +10.
Parrying ώώ Moderate (or Mod) Critical Strikes are a more serious
matter. They can easily maim, stun or inflict bleeding
Parrying means sacrificing one’s offensive capabili- and put the target at a serious disadvantage, tearing it
ties during combat to protect oneself. When a character down very quickly. Moderate Critical Strikes rolls are
Parries, they subtract any number up to their total CMB modified by +20.
and adds this amount to their DEF for the current round
ώώ Grievous (or Gri) Critical Strikes are less than forgiving
against incoming attacks.
on the target. Grievous Critical Strikes rolls are mod-
There are some special rules and cases to be considered ified by +30.
when Parrying.
ώώ Lethal (or Let) Critical Strikes are something you’d
ώώ A character wielding a two-handed weapon (e.g., a prefer to inflict on a target than suffer on you. Lethal
weapon that requires both hands to be wielded in com- Critical Strikes rolls are modified by +50.
bat) can only use up to half their total CMB to Parry.
Critical Strikes are rolled on a separate table - the appro-
ώώ A character wielding a one-handed weapon and no priate Critical Strike Table for the weapon, spell or attack.
shield can only use up to half their total CMB to Parry This is a D100 non-open ended roll, modified by the se-
a two-handed weapon attack. verity of the Critical Strike inflicted and seldom by other
modifiers.
ώώ An unarmed character cannot Parry armed attacks but
can still Parry unarmed attacks and animal attacks.
ώώ You can not Parry with a missile weapon at all! Weapon Fumbles
ώώ Ranged attacks from missile and thrown weapons or
spells cannot be parried at all, except if the defending Whenever a character rolls within the Clumsy Range of
character’s wielding a shield. their weapon or attack, the attack automatically misses
its target, and the character has Fumbled their weapon
ώώ A character can only Parry attacks directed at them or attack. Roll another 1d100 (not open-ended), add the
from a single opponent each combat round. Addition- Weapon Fumbles Modifiers and confront the result with
ally, these attacks must come from the same opponent the Melee and Ranged Fumbles table.
the character’s facing and eventually attacking back -
you can not Parry a foe you’re not attacking!
63
· Melee and Ranged Fumbles ·
The character must Assess or be Stunned next The character must Assess or be Stunned next round.
01-75
round.
The character must Assess or be Stunned next The character must Assess or be Stunned next round and gets to choose:
round, and gets to choose one: ώώ Drops their weapon.
76-100 ώώ Drops their weapon. ώώ Drops all their ammunition.
ώώ Takes a Superficial Critical Strike of the appro- ώώ Breaks the weapon’s string - if applicable.
priate type on himself.
The character must Assess or be Stunned next round The character must Assess or be Stunned next round and gets to choose two:
and gets to choose one: ώώ Drops their weapon.
ώώ Drops their weapon. ώώ Drops all their ammunition.
101-125 ώώ Takes a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate ώώ Breaks the weapon’s string - if applicable.
type on himself. ώώ Inflicts a Superficial Critical Strike of the appropriate type on himself.
ώώ Inflicts a Superficial Critical Strike upon a near- ώώ Inflicts a Superficial Critical Strike of the appropriate type on an ally with-
by ally (if applicable). in the weapon’s range - if applicable.
The character is Stunned and gets to choose two: The character must Assess or be Stunned next round and gets to choose two:
ώώ Drops their weapon. ώώ Breaks their weapon.
ώώ Takes a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate ώώ Drops all their ammunition.
126-150 type on himself. ώώ Inflicts a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate type on himself.
ώώ Inflicts a Light Critical Strike upon a nearby ally ώώ Inflicts a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate type on an ally within the
(if applicable). weapon’s range - if applicable.
ώώ The weapon breaks.
The character is Stunned and gets to choose two: The character must Assess or be Stunned next round and gets to choose three:
ώώ Drops their weapon. ώώ Breaks their weapon.
ώώ Takes a Moderate Critical Strike of the appropri- ώώ Drops all their ammunition.
151+ ate type on himself. ώώ Inflicts a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate type on himself.
ώώ Inflicts a Moderate Critical Strike upon a nearby ώώ Inflicts a Light Critical Strike of the appropriate type on an ally within the
ally (if applicable). weapon’s range.
ώώ The weapon breaks.
[3.3]
Combat Conditions
Generally, different conditions can stack with each other, be free to move (e.g., they cannot be Held or Incapaci-
while conditions with the same name never stack upon tated). While Standing up, the character can Parry and
themselves. apply their DEF, but they're still considered Prone.
Prone Surprised
A Prone character is knocked off their feet to the ground, A character is considered Surprised when they're am-
or either drops willingly to the ground, for example, to bushed without being aware of it. Generally, the Surprised
avoid ranged fire - in this case, they can use a Free Action condition only lasts one combat round.
to drop to the ground anytime if they're aware of the in-
A Surprised character cannot Attack and can only take Half
coming attack.
or Free Actions. They can not Parry or apply any Shield
ώώ Fighting while Prone from the ground implies a -20 bonus to their DEF.
CMB penalty and the character cannot use two-handed
Attacks against a Surprised character get a +20 situational
weapons. However, a Prone character free to side roll
bonus. Additionally, characters attacking a Surprised foe
gets a +20 bonus to their DEF against ranged attacks.
with a hand weapon gain a special +10 bonus to their Crit-
ώώ Standing up from Prone is a Full Round action in the ical Strike rolls against that foe.
Move Phase that requires the character performing to
64
· Weapon Fumbles Modifiers ·
+0 Brawl, hand weapons, short impact weapons, thrown daggers. Light Crossbow.
+10 Short edged weapons, long impact weapons, handed axes, javelins. Short Bow, Sling.
[3.4]
Stunned Flanking
A Stunned character cannot take Full Actions, but can still A character who’s Flanking another character is consid-
defend himself, using up to half their CMB to Parry. Attacks ered attacking from the side. A Flanking attacker gets a +15
against Stunned characters gain a +20 situational bonus. bonus to their atacks against the target. Furthermore, if
the target’s wielding a shield, they can only use it against
Characters suffering from the Stunned condition at the
attacks coming from their front and shield side.
beginning of the Assessment Phase of a round stop being
Stunned at the end of the Other Action Phase, unless they
are Stunned again during the course of the same round. On Rear
A character who’s On Rear of another character gets a +30
Incapacitated bonus to their attacks against the said target. As per the
Flanking condition, the target can not use a Shield to de-
Incapacitated characters cannot take Actions and cannot
fend against attacks from the rear.
Defend themselves in combat. Attacks against Incapaci-
tated characters always inflict maximum damage for the Consider using the following diagram to determine if a
weapon (no attack roll is required), and the attacker can character’s Flanked or attacked From Rear.
choose the Critical Strike result, instead of rolling for it.
Held FRONT
A Held character is not capable of moving freely and is
slowed down. A Held character is not completely paralyzed
(completely paralyzed characters are considered Incapac-
itated) but can only move 1/10 of their standard movement
rate as Half Action, and cannot sprint. Furthermore, the
FLANK
FLANK
Held character suffers a -30 penalty to both their CMB
and DEF, and all melee attacks against them have a special
+30 bonus.
If a Held character wants to attack another character
holding them (for example, their grappler), they can only
use Hand or Short weapons. A Held character cannot use
Ranged Weapons.
REAR
65
· Damage, Wounds, Health & Healing ·
Adventures are by definition dangerous businesses and ber of HPs each round until the Bleeding is stopped.
characters are bound to get hurt sooner or later; be it by
The amount of HPs lost due to Bleeding from different
the hands of the Darkmaster’s minions, by their own reck-
wounds is cumulative. So, if a character is losing 2 HPs
lessness or simply by misfortune.
each round, receiving another wound Bleeding for 3 HPs
Heroes will have to learn how to deal with the consequenc- will bring them to lose a total of 5 HPs each round.
es of wounds, bleeding, injuries and, ultimately, even the
There are three severities of Bleeding, based on the total
death of their companions.
amount of HPs lost by the character each round:
ώώ a character losing 1 to 4 HPs each round is suffering
Hit Points from Light Bleeding;
ώώ characters losing 5 to 10 HPs each round are suffering
Hit Points (HPs) are an abstract measure of the amount from Severe Bleeding;
of punishment a character can take before passing out.
Each character has a Total Hit Points value equal to their ώώ finally, those losing more than 10 HPs each round suffer
Body Skill bonus. If this Skill bonus changes for any reason, from Exsanguination, and are considered to be Dying
the character’s Total HPs value also immediately changes (see the Conditions paragraph below) in a number of
accordingly. rounds equal to 20 - their Bleeding value (down to a
minimum of 1 round).
A character’s Current HPs value is equal to their Total HPs,
minus any damage (see Combat chapter) received. Lost Bleeding characters cannot recover HPs until their wound
HPs can be recovered with rest and healing, but a char- is treated and blood loss is healed.
acter’s Current HPs value can never be higher than their Outside of combat, Bleeding can be temporarily stopped
Total HPs, save for particular exceptions. simply by applying some bandages or a tourniquet. How-
If a character’s Current HPs drop to 0 or less, they pass ever, unless successfully treated, Bleeding will resume as
out and become Incapacitated (see below). If their Current soon as they enter combat again or perform any strenuous
HPs fall to -50 or less, a character starts Dying in 6 rounds, activity.
unless they're healed somehow.
66
until they’re fully healed.
Conditions A Serious Injury will turn into a Minor Injury in 10 days of
Many Conditions can negatively affect the characters dur- rest, after being treated.
ing their adventures. Crippling Injuries will become Serious after 20 days if
treated.
Dying
A Dying character will die in a given number of rounds if Death and Dismemberment
this Condition is not removed. A character will die if their Dying condition is not removed
A character Dying from HP loss can be saved by simply in time, or if they suffer an effect (such as a result from a
bringing their Current HPs over the -50 threshold. Oth- critical strike) that causes instant death.
erwise, the Dying condition will be removed as soon as its Dead characters cannot be healed by normal means, only
causes are healed. a miracle or the strongest of magic can bring them back
into play.
Weary Magical healing is also the only way to repair destroyed
organs or severed limbs.
Weary characters move at half their normal Speed, cannot
take Half Actions, and cannot recover HPs or heal from
Bleeding and Injuries until this Condition is removed. Poison and Disease
The Weary condition can be removed by resting for a least Poisons and Diseases usually have an Attack Level, against
8 hours in a safe environment. which their victims must make a Toughness Save Roll, and
a description stating their effects if the SR fail.
67
• Grimoire •
Animist Grimoire
Chanting
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Chant of Courage 0 (self) 3m radius C
Healing
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Heal 0 (touch) 1 target P
2nd Clotting 0 (touch) 1 wound P
3rd Unstun* 0 (touch) 1 target P
4th Mend Injuries 0 (touch) 1 injury P
5th Recover* 0 (touch) 1 target C
6th Clarity* 0 (touch) 1 target P
7th Rejoining 0 (touch) 1 injury P
8th Heal Injuries 0 (touch) 1 injury P
9th Suspended Animation 0 (touch) 1 target 1 day/lvl
10th Regenerate 0 (touch) 1 injury P
Master of Animals
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Animal Sleep 30m 1 animal 1 min/lvl
2nd Speak with Animals 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
3rd Animal Companion 3m 1 target P
4th Summon Animals 30m 1 creature 1 min
5th Beast Mastery 30m 1 animal C
6th Hold Beasts 30m 1 animal 1 rnd/5 fail
7th Eyes of the Forest 0 (self) caster 1 hr/lvl
8th Nature’s Friend 0 (self) 15m radius C
9th Animal Healing 0 (touch) 1 animal P
10th Plague of Insects 30m 6m 1 rnd/lvl
Master of Plants
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Hinder 30m 6m radius 1 rnd/lvl
2nd Speak with Plants 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
3rd Herbal Remedy 0 (touch) 1 herb P
4th Safe Passage 0 (self) 30m radius 1 hr/lvl
5th Locate Plant 0 (self) 1,5 km radius -
6th Purify Plant 3m 1 plant P
7th Nature’s Bounty 0 (touch) 1,5 km radius 1 day
8th Miraculous Growth 0 (touch) 1 target P
9th Defoliate 30m 6m radius -
10th Awaken Tree 3m 1 tree 1 min/lvl
Movements of Nature
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Wanderer’s Stride 0 (self) caster 10 min/lvl
2nd Squirrel’s Step 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
3rd Wolf’s Speed 0 (self) caster 10 min/lvl
4th Otter’s Breath 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
5th Water Walk 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
6th Burrowing 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
7th Spider Climb 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
8th One with Nature 0 (touch) 15m radius 1 rnd/lvl
9th Hawk Flight 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
10th Ghostwalk 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
Chanting
Invoking the protection of the Ancient Spirits and the Gods of Nature to protect oneself and
own companions from adverse magic, curse and misfortune.
Stat Bonus: WSD
Eldritch Hand
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Poltergeist 30m 1 target 1 min/lvl
2nd Magic Shield* 0 (self) caster 1 min/lvl
3rd Burden 30m 1 target 1 min/lvl
4th Telekinesis 30m 1 target C
5th Deflect* 30m 1 attack -
6th True Aim* 0 (touch) 1 attack -
7th Blade Ward* 30m 1 attack -
8th Eldritch Push 20m 1 target -
9th Shatter 30m 1 target -
10th Crushing Force 30m 1 target 1 rnd/lvl
Eldritch Fire
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Ignite 0 (touch) 1 target -
2nd Cauterization 0 (touch) 1 wound P
3rd Incandescence 3m 30cm³/lvl C
4th Wall of Fire 30m 3m*3m*15cm 1 rnd/lvl
5th Flameshield 3m 1 target 1 min/lvl
6th Fire Bolt 30m 1 target -
7th Flaming Weapon 0 (touch) 1 weapon 1 rnd/lvl
8th Fireball 30m 3m radius -
9th Immolation 0 (self) Caster 1 rnd/lvl
10th Firestorm 30m 6m radius 1 rnd/lvl
Illusion
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Phantom Sound 30m 3m radius 10 min/lvl
2nd Chameleon 3m 1 target 24 hrs
3rd Mirage 30m 3m radius 10 min/lvl
4th Invisibility 3m 1 target 24 hrs
5th Decoy* 0 (self) caster 1 rnd/lvl
6th Disguise 3m 1 target 1 hr/lvl
7th Illusion 30m 3m radius 10 min/lvl
8th Maddening Wail 0 (self) 15m radius 1 rnd/lvl
9th Crippling Gaze 20m 1 target 1 rnd/5 fail
10th Cloud Scrying 30m 6m radius 10 min/lvl
Mind Control
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Sleep 30m 3m radius 1 min/lvl
2nd Charm 30m 1 target 1 hr/lvl
3rd Fear 20m 1 target 1 rnd/lvl
4th Daze 30m 1 target 1 rnd/5 fail
5th Hostility 30m 1 target C
6th Suggestion 3m 1 target 1 hr/lvl
7th Hold Kin 30m 1 target C
8th Domination 20m 1 target 10 min/lvl
9th Charm Monsters 30m 1 target 1 hr/lvl
10th Geas 3m 1 target 1 day/lvl
Detections
Seeing the invisible, detecting magic and curses, reading the aura of living beings and magi-
cal places, beings and things.
Stat Bonus: WSD
Warping Options
1st • Detect Magic +2 Weave: the spell also works on spoken languages for
Range: 0 (self) the duration.
Area of Effect: 15 m radius +3 Weave: the caster gains a full understanding of the
Duration: Concentration analyzed text, as it were written in their mother tongue.
Save: No
For the duration, the caster is aware of the presence of
magical items or active spells in the Area of Effect.
3rd • Sense Darkness
Range: 20 m
Warping Options
Area of Effect: 1 target
+2 Weave: the caster also learn the general position of all Duration: -
sources of magic detected (with an approximation of 1,5 Save: No
meters). The caster learns if a creature or item they can see is
+3 Weave: this spell also detects passive or dormant spells either a servant of the Darkmaster, cursed, or under the
and magical effects. influence of an evil spell.
+2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level Warping Options
(cannot be chosen more than once). +2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level
(cannot be chosen more than once).
2nd • Comprehend Languages +3 Weave: the caster can see detected creatures as if they
Range: 0 (self) weren’t invisible (and suffers no penalty to attacks made
Area of Effect: Caster against them).
Duration: Concentration
Save: No
The caster can comprehend the basic concepts conveyed
by a written text in a foreign or unknown language. This
spell only works with non magical languages and cannot
decipher codes or secret messages, giving only the literal
meaning of any text analyzed.
4th • Sense Invisible Range of this spell, the caster will learn only its general
direction.
Range: 0 (self)
Area of Effect: 15 m radius Warping Options
Duration: Concentration +2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level
Save: No (cannot be chosen more than once).
For the duration, the caster is aware of the presence and
+1 Weave: the caster doesn’t need to be familiar with the
general position of any invisible creature or item in the
target, as long as it’s been described to them in detail.
Area of Effect. Attacks against creatures sensed this way
suffer a special -50 penalty. +1 Weave: add 30 meters to Range.
Warping Options
+2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level 8th • Pierce the Veil
(cannot be chosen more than once). Range: 0 (self)
+3 Weave: the caster can see detected creatures as if they Area of Effect: 15 m radius
weren’t invisible (and suffers no penalty to attacks made Duration: Concentration
against them). Save: No
For the duration, the caster sees through any illusion or
magical disguise, darkness or concealment within the
Area of Effect.
5th • Detect Traps Warping Options
Range: 0 (self) +2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level
Area of Effect: 15 m radius (cannot be chosen more than once).
Duration: Concentration
Save: No
For the duration, the caster is aware of the presence and 9th • Precognition
general position of all traps in the Area of Effect. Range: 0 (self)
Warping Options Area of Effect: Caster
Duration: 1 minute/lvl
+2 Weave: change the Duration to 1 minute per level Save: No
(cannot be chosen more than once). For the duration of the spell, the caster automatically
succeed any Assessment Roll, cannot be Surprised, and
6th • Aura Reading always acts first in each phase of the TRS.
Range: 20 m
Area of Effect: 1 target 10th • Legendary Tales
Duration: - Range: 0 (self)
Save: No Area of Effect: Caster
The caster visualizes target’s spiritual aura, gaining a Duration: -
superficial knowledge of its true essence and learning Save: No
either its Motivation, its Nature or its Allegiance (if any). The caster learns any significant legend and tale relevant
Warping Options to the powers, origins and history of any one item, place,
creature or person they chooses at the time of casting.
+2 Weave: the spell reveals one additional Passion of the
The caster must know at least a rumor about the topic,
target.
like having being told about it, or being in the presence
of the object or place.
7th • Locate In most cases, the effect of this spell may also result in a
Range: 30 m special bonus to the any Songs & Tales Skill roll variable
Area of Effect: 1 target from +50 to +100, depending on the situation. The GM
Duration: Concentration must eventually give the caster’s player any information
Save: No about the topic, perhaps possibly in the form of the cast-
The caster knows the exact position and the shortest er experiencing in first-person important events about
route to a specific item or location they’re familiar with the item, place, creature or person researched.
if it’s within the spell’s Range. If the target is outside the
Eldritch Fire
Manipulating elemental Fire to create devastating scorching attacks, erect flaming barriers,
and heat organic and inorganic materials.
Stat Bonus: WIT
8th • Domination
Range: 20 m
Area of Effect: 1 target
Duration: 10 min/lvl
Save: Yes
Target humanoid creature within Range must obey the
caster at the best of its capabilities for the Duration. This
spell ends immediately if the caster issues an obviously
harmful command, attacks or harms the target in any
way.
Elven Grimoire
Elven Lore
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Memory Palace 0 (self) caster -
2nd Artificer’s Lore 0 (touch) 1 target -
3rd Lore of Words 0 (touch) 1 target -
4th Mind’s Knowledge 15m 1 target -
5th Dreams of Lore 0 (self) caster 4 hours
6th Secrets of the Runes 0 (touch) 1 target -
7th Dark Lore 20m 1 target -
8th Hunter’s Lore 20m 1 target -
9th Mystical Lore* 20m 1 target -
10th Lore of the Ancients 0 (self) caster 4 hours
Spell Song
Weave Spell Range Area of Effect Duration
1st Song of Tranquillity 15m 1 target C
2nd Song of Courage 15m 1 target C
3rd Haunting Melody 15m 1 target C
4th Enchanted Lullaby 15m 1 target C
5th Enthralling Song 15m 1 target C
6th Resounding Rhyme 0 (self) 3m radius 1 rnd/lvl
7th Fettering Song 15m 1 target C
8th Echoing Voice 0 (self) Caster 1 rnd/lvl
9th Beguiling Song 15m 1 target C
10th Memory’s Dirge 15m 1 target P
Elven Lore
Gathering the Wisdom of the Stars, to recall upon the Lore of the Ancients about legendary
people, places, artifacts and magics.
Stat Bonus: BEA
Brawl
Dagger 1H 1 Hand Edged 120 Pierce -
Blades
The maximum result on the Attack Ta-
Grappling 2H Brawl 5 Hand Unarmed Varies Grapple - ble depends on the size of the attacker -
see the Unarmed Attack Table for details
Very heavy weapon to swing, wielder
Polearms that attacks more than once in a row
Greataxe 2H 6 Long Edged 175 Cut -
Blunt gets -10 CMB for each subsequent
attack.
Can be used to attack from 2nd line
Halberd 2H Polearm 6 Longest Edged 150 Cut -
(only Pierce Criticals) with -20 CMB.
Blunt
Handaxe 1H 2 Short Blunt 130 Cut -
Blades
Load (2), +20 CMB when attacking
targets within 15m. Bolts shot can be re-
Heavy Crossbow 2H Ranged 4 - Missile 175 Pierce 30
trieved if the target’s missed but there’s
a 50% chance they will be ruined.
The maximum result on the Attack Ta-
Kick 1H Brawl 4 Hand Unarmed Varies Impact - ble depends on the size of the attacker -
see the Unarmed Attack Table for details
Load (1), +10 CMB when attacking
targets within 15m. Bolts shot can be re-
Light Crossbow 2H Ranged 3 - Missile 150 Pierce 20
trieved if the target’s missed but there’s
a 50% chance they will be ruined.
Short Spear 1H/2H Polearm 5 Long Edged 140 Pierce - -10 CMB when used 1-Handed.
Hands: Tells if the weapon can be used with a single hand (1H) or must/can be used with two hands (2). A 1H-weap-
on can be usually used in conjunction with a shield, or another weapon in the free hand. A 2H-weapon generally is
capable of delivering heavier blows. Some weapons can be used either with 1H or 2H (the so-called "hand-and-a-half
weapons"). In this case often there are associated bonuses or penalties for the 1H vs 2H use. 2H weapons may not be
used to parry incoming attacks with more than 50% of total CMB available in each round.
Skill Used: The skill bonus that must be looked upon to determine the basic Combat Bonus (CMB). Some weapons
may be used with more than one skill; often there are penalties associated to the CMB when using a certain weapon
with a second-choice skill; in this case the penalty to the CMB is indicated next to the skill. For example "Blades -20"
means the weapon can be used with the Blades skill bonus at a -20 penalty to the actual CMB.
CR: The range in which the attacker fumbles the weapon when attacking. If the natural d100 attack roll falls into this
range, the attack automatically misses and the attacker must roll on the Weapon Fumble table to see what else worst
may happen.
Length: The length and reach of the weapon. Lengths are used in the Tactical Round Sequence to determine which
combatant gets to act first in a melee. Generally the longer the weapon, the fastest the attacker gets to act.
Attack Table: The Attack Table that must be looked upon to determine the result of attacks with this weapon. The
Weapon Attack Tables are Edged, Blunt, Thrusting, Missile, Unarmed.
Max Res: The maximum result that the modified Attack Roll can get on the Attack Table. Higher results than this cap
can't be obtained with this weapon. Generally: the heavier the weapon, the highest results it can get on the Attack
Table, the more potential damage it can inflict to the target.
Primary Critical: The primary type of Critical Strike (e.g. Impact, Pierce, Cut, Grapple) dealt by the weapon. Some
weapons may deal an alternate type of Critical Strike.
Base Range: The base range in meters for the weapon to be thrown or fired. Short range is between 1 meter and the
base range and there is no CMB modification associated. Medium range is between the base range and double the
base range, and there’s a -25 CMB modification. Long range is between double the base range and triple the base
range and there’s a -50 CMB modifier associated to it. Extreme range is between triple the base range and four times
the base range, and there’s a -75 CMB modification. Farther ranges are not obtainable. Missile weapons may not be
used if the wielder is engaged in melee.
Notes: Special notes on the use, effects and drawbacks of the weapon.
· General Gear ·
Antidote 3 Grants a second SR with a special +30 bonus against the effects of a Poison. Rare
Armor, peasant 0 Furs, padding. Provides better protection against the cold than anything else. Common
Armor, soft leather 1 A jerkin vest made with soft leather. Common
Armor, reinf. leather 1 A reinforced leather protection, not only for the torso but also for the arms and legs. Common
Armor, chain mail 2 Chain mail armor that protects most of the body. Uncommon
Armor, half plate 2 A cast iron half plate that protects most of the body. Rare
Armor, helm 1 In different shape and form but all with the same purpose, avoiding headaches Common
Bedroll 0 Without a bedroll sleeping outdoors in cold weather may make the character wake up Weary Common
Caltrops 0 10 four-pointed special nails; one spike always points up when thrown to the ground Uncommon
Clothes, Extravagant 4 Dresses to get everyone’s attention (and the blame of many) at the King’s Festival Rare
Fire-starting Kit 0 Required to start a campfire without having to spin a stick on a bark piece for hours Common
Grappling Hook 0 Used in conjunction with a rope to climb sheer surfaces Common
Hunting Trap 1 Can be set using the Hunting Skill to inflict the Held Condition and a Superficial Critical Common
Quill and Inkpot 1 Handwriting kit, enough for hundreds of pages Uncommon
Reviving Cordial 2 Removes the Weay Condition for 1-3 hours, enough for 2 draughts Uncommon
Waterskin 0 Holds enough water to quench the thirst of a person for 2 days Common
Weapon, light melee 1 Side weapon like a short sword, mace, or arming sword. Common
Quality Fare Item Bonus Rarity Item Quality Modifier Applies to...
Meal, Poor 0 Per person, prevents but doesn’t heal starvation. Common
Meal, Normal 1 Enough food for a small family or a group of 5 people. Common
Enough to get a dwarf or elf tipsy, or a man severly drunk. Heals 20 HPs and removes the
Drink, Elven Wine/Dwarven Ale 3 Rare
Weary condition but afterwards puts the character to deep sleep for 10+ hours.
Lodging, Average 1 Separate beds, include stable service for a week. Common
Lodging, Good 3 Single room/suite, including stable service and personal assistant, for 1 month. Uncommon
2 weeks worth. Light, highly nutritious, delicious-tasting and well preserved food like elven
Rations, Special 2 Uncommon
bread, twice baked cakes, or dwarven beef jerky.
· Transportation ·
The lightest form of protection one's can wear. Offers not much protection against direct heavy blows, but is somewhat effective against thrusts and
cuts.
Rigid plates leather armor counts as a Rigid Armor for the purpose of reading the effects of some Critical Strikes.
Counts as Metal Armor for the purpose of reading the effects of some Critical Strikes. Independently of the Movement Penalty, a metal armor sinks. No
character can swim with a metal armor on!
Counts as Metal and Rigid Armor for the purpose of reading the effects of some Critical Strikes. Independently of the Movement Penalty, a metal
armor sinks. No character can swim with a metal armor on!
A classic pot helmet, giving solid protection against direct blows to the head.
Armor Type: The column on the Attack Tables to be looked up when a character wearing this type of armor is being
attacked.
Zones Protected: The body partes/zones actually protected by the armor worn. Some Critical Strikes may read differ-
ent effects if a specific body part hit is covered by an amor or not. Use this information to discern the case.
Max SWI do Def: Maximum Swiftness bonus applicable to Defense when wearing said armor.
Movement Penalty: Penalty to Moving Actions and some other Actions. Generally this penalty is applied to Athletics,
Acrobatics, Ride, Stealth. Can be offset partially or wholly by the Armor Skill bonus to a minimum of 0. The total pen-
alty may be stacked: for example wearing a Chain Mail armor and holding a Wall Shield will result in a total Movement
Penalty of -65).
CMB Penalty: Penalty to the Combat Bonus (CMB) when wearing said armor. This penalty cannot be offset.
Perception Penalty: Penalty to the Perception Skill bonus when wearing said armor. This penalty cannot be offset.
Melee Defense Bonus: Straight bonus to the Defense (DEF) against melee attacks when wearing/hilding said piece of
armor.
Missile Defense Bonus: Straight bonus to the Defense (DEF) against ranged attacks when wearing/hilding said piece
of armor.
· Combat Modifiers Summary Table ·
CMB Mod DEF Mod
Condition or Circumstance
Melee Ranged Melee Ranged
Combatant is Over Encumbered Half move, no attacks, can’t add SWI to DEF
Awakened Tree 10 18L LA 40 100 60 250 +90 LGr +90 LTr Special EB 50 90 0
Dark Orc Chief. 7 15L MAs 40 65 35 100 +100 Wpn +75 Ran NH 40 40 0
Fire Drake 25 55F 18L HA 40 190 190 450 +175 CBi +150 HCl Fire Breath EB 120 110 100
Giant Eagle 15 60F 10L NA 40 105 105 180 +110 HCl +70 HBe HB 80 100 60
Mountain Giant 18 25L LA 40 120 25 350 +180 LTr +150 Ran Throw Boulder EH 20 80 20
AT: the standard Armor Type of the creature (either natural armor or armor typically worn by it):
ώώ NA = No Armor, LA= Light Armor, MA = Mediun Armor, HA = Heavy Armor.
The lowercase “s” after the Armor Type acronym indicates that the creature carries a shield (already factored in the
creature’s DEF bonus).
Attacks
ώώ Primary Attack: is the preferred (and often best) form of attack.
ώώ Second. Attack: is a backup attack the creature may decide to use in special occasions or when Primary attack is
unavailable.
When preceded by a * symbol, then the creature can perform this attack as a Free Action immediately after its primary
attack scored a Critical Strike.
ώώ Special Attack: this attacks may occur anytime at the creatures will or are triggered by other conditions and are de-
tailed in the creature’s description.
ώώ Letter codes: Wpn = Weapon, Ran = Ranged.
The others are natural or non weapon attacks, with the first letter indicating the size of the attack:
S = Small, M = Medium, L = Large, H = Huge, C = Colossal;
Types of attacks: Be = Beak, Pi = Pincher, Br = Brawl, Cl = Claw, Bi = Bite, Gr = Grapple, Ba = Bash, Tr = Trample, Ho =
Horn, St = Stinger, Ty = Tiny
Skills:
ώώ Rog: Roguery
ώώ Avd: Adventuring
ώώ Lor: Lore
· Edged Weapons Attack Table · · Blunt Weapons Attack Table ·
Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll
Attack automatically misses & there's Attack automatically misses & there's
Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10
a chance of being clumsy a chance of being clumsy
11-35 - - - - 11-35 11-35 - - - - 11-35
101-105 15 Mod 11 Sup 10 Sup 7 101-105 101-105 12 Mod 10 Lig 13 Sup 10 101-105
106-110 17 Gri 12 Lig 11 Sup 8 106-110 106-110 13 Mod 11 Lig 14 Lig 10 Sup 106-110
111-115 19 Gri 13 Lig 12 Lig 8 Sup 111-115 111-115 14 Gri 12 Mod 15 Lig 11 Sup 111-115
116-120 20 Gri 15 Mod 13 Lig 9 Sup 116-120 116-120 15 Gri 13 Mod 16 Mod 12 Lig 116-120
121-125 21 Let 16 Mod 13 Mod 10 Sup 121-125 121-125 17 Gri 15 Mod 17 Mod 13 Lig 121-125
126-130 23 Let 17 Gri 14 Mod 10 Lig 126-130 126-130 18 Let 16 Gri 18 Mod 13 Mod 126-130
131-135 25 Let 18 Gri 15 Mod 10 Lig 131-135 131-135 19 Let 17 Gri 19 Gri 14 Mod 131-135
136-140 27 Let 20 Gri 16 Gri 11 Mod 136-140 136-140 21 Let 18 Gri 20 Gri 15 Gri 136-140
141-145 28 Let 21 Let 17 Gri 11 Gri 141-145 141-145 22 Let 19 Let 21 Gri 16 Gri 141-145
146-150 30 Let 22 Let 18 Let 12 Gri 146-150 146-150 23 Let 20 Let 22 Let 16 Gri 146-150
151-155 34 Let 26 Let 21 Let 14 Gri 151-155 151-155 26 Let 22 Let 23 Let 17 Let 151-155
156-160 38 Let 30 Let 24 Let 16 Let 156-160 156-160 29 Let 24 Let 24 Let 17 Let 156-160
161-165 42 Let 34 Let 27 Let 18 Let 161-165 161-165 32 Let 26 Let 25 Let 18 Let 161-165
166-170 46 Let 37 Let 30 Let 20 Let 166-170 166-170 34 Let 28 Let 26 Let 18 Let 166-170
171-175 50 Let 40 Let 33 Let 22 Let 171-175 171-175 36 Let 30 Let 28 Let 19 Let 171-175
· Missile Weapons Attack Table · · Unarmed/Grappling Attack Tab ·
Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll
Attack automatically misses & there's Attack automatically misses & there's
Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10
a chance of being clumsy a chance of being clumsy
11-35 - - - - 11-35 11-35 - - - - 11-35
106-110 13 Mod 12 Lig 13 Lig 8 Sup 106-110 106-110 10 Sup 7 Sup 5 3 106-110
111-115 15 Mod 13 Lig 14 Lig 9 Sup 111-115 111-115 11 Sup 8 Sup 6 4 111-115
116-120 16 Gri 15 Mod 16 Lig 10 Sup 116-120 116-120 12 Lig 9 Sup 7 Sup 5 116-120
121-125 18 Gri 17 Mod 17 Mod 10 Lig 121-125 121-125 14 Lig 10 Lig 8 Sup 6 121-125
126-130 20 Gri 19 Gri 19 Mod 11 Lig 126-130 126-130 15 Lig 11 Lig 9 Sup 7 Sup 126-130
131-135 21 Let 21 Gri 20 Gri 12 Mod 131-135 131-135 16 Mod 12 Lig 10 Lig 8 Sup 131-135
136-140 23 Let 23 Gri 22 Gri 13 Mod 136-140 136-140 17 Mod 13 Mod 11 Lig 9 Sup 136-140
141-145 25 Let 25 Let 23 Let 14 Gri 141-145 141-145 18 Mod 14 Mod 12 Lig 10 Lig 141-145
146-150 27 Let 26 Let 25 Let 15 Let 146-150 146-150 19 Gri 15 Mod 13 Mod 11 Lig 146-150
151-155 29 Let 28 Let 26 Let 16 Let 151-155 151-155 20 Gri 16 Gri 14 Mod 12 Lig 151-155
156-160 31 Let 30 Let 27 Let 17 Let 156-160 156-160 22 Gri 18 Gri 15 Mod 13 Mod 156-160
161-165 33 Let 32 Let 28 Let 18 Let 161-165 161-165 24 Let 20 Gri 16 Gri 14 Mod 161-165
166-170 35 Let 33 Let 29 Let 19 Let 166-170 166-170 26 Let 22 Let 18 Gri 15 Mod 166-170
171-175 37 Let 34 Let 30 Let 20 Let 171-175 171-175 28 Let 24 Let 20 Let 16 Gri 171-175
· Area Spells Attack Table · · Bolt Spells Attack Table ·
Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll Roll NA Light Medium Heavy Roll
Attack automatically misses & there's Attack automatically misses & there's
Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10
a chance of being clumsy a chance of being clumsy
11-35 0 0 0 0 11-35 11-35 - - - - 11-35
101-105 10 Sup 4 Sup 4 4 101-105 101-105 11 Sup 5 Sup 6 Sup 5 Sup 101-105
106-110 11 Sup 5 Sup 5 Sup 5 106-110 106-110 12 Lig 6 Sup 7 Sup 6 Sup 106-110
111-115 12 Lig 6 Sup 6 Sup 5 Sup 111-115 111-115 14 Lig 8 Sup 8 Sup 7 Sup 111-115
116-120 13 Lig 7 Sup 7 Sup 6 Sup 116-120 116-120 16 Lig 10 Lig 10 Lig 8 Sup 116-120
121-125 14 Lig 8 Sup 8 Sup 7 Sup 121-125 121-125 18 Mod 12 Lig 12 Lig 12 Lig 121-125
126-130 15 Lig 10 Lig 8 Lig 7 Sup 126-130 126-130 21 Mod 14 Lig 14 Lig 13 Lig 126-130
131-135 16 Mod 12 Lig 9 Lig 7 Lig 131-135 131-135 24 Mod 16 Mod 15 Lig 14 Lig 131-135
136-140 18 Mod 13 Lig 10 Lig 8 Lig 136-140 136-140 27 Gri 17 Mod 16 Mod 15 Lig 136-140
141-145 20 Mod 14 Mod 10 Mod 9 Lig 141-145 141-145 30 Gri 18 Mod 17 Mod 16 Mod 141-145
146-150 21 Mod 16 Mod 12 Mod 9 Mod 146-150 146-150 32 Gri 19 Gri 18 Mod 17 Mod 146-150
151-155 22 Mod 18 Mod 14 Mod 10 Mod 151-155 151-155 34 Let 20 Gri 20 Mod 20 Mod 151-155
156-160 24 Gri 20 Mod 15 Mod 12 Mod 156-160 156-160 36 Let 22 Gri 22 Gri 22 Gri 156-160
161-165 26 Gri 22 Gri 16 Gri 14 Gri 161-165 161-165 38 Let 25 Let 24 Gri 24 Gri 161-165
166-170 28 Gri 24 Gri 18 Gri 16 Gri 166-170 166-170 40 Let 28 Let 26 Let 26 Gri 166-170
171-175 34 Let 26 Let 20 Let 18 Let 171-175 171-175 42 Let 31 Let 28 Let 26 Let 171-175
· Spells Modifiers ·
Target is the center point of the attack (only Ball Spells) +20 - Up to 3m +35 -
Dragon's Breath Varies (According to the Dragon's size/age) +20 - - +10 +10 Fire
36-40 - - - - 36-40
41-45 0 0 0 0 41-45
46-50 1 0 0 0 46-50
51-55 2 0 0 0 51-55
56-60 4 0 0 1 56-60
61-65 5 1 1 1 61-65
66-70 6 2 2 2 66-70
71-75 8 3 3 3 71-75
Attack Type Attack Table 1st Critical * 2nd Critical ** Small Medium Large Huge Colossal
(*) This is the primary type of Critical Strike inflicted by the attack.
(**) This is the secondary Critical Strike inflicted - if any. If the attacking creature is of Large Size or Larger, its attack also inflicts a second critical
stike of two level less severity than the first inflicted
up to 5 Flat but soft strike, no extra damage. up to 5 Weak strike doesn't cut through. No extra damage.
Flat strike to the head. If the target's wearing a helm: +10 Hits, Slash to the side of the head. If target is not wearing full metal helm,
Stunned and eardrum broken, -20 activities and -40 hearing Per- 100 ear is cut off: +10 Hits, 3 Bleed and target is Stunned and -20 activ-
100 ity. If the target is wearing full helm, +4 Hits and target is Stunned.
ception. If not: all of the above plus fractured skull, +30 hits and
target is in a coma for 4 weeks. Swing to the hand, roll 50/50 right/left. If the target is hit to the
Blow to thigh. +12 Hits, Stunned and -20 activities. If no leg armor: 101-106 shield: +4 Hits, Stunned, shield unusable. If not: 1d5 fingers sev-
101-106 ered; 1 Bleed and -10 activity for each finger severed, Stunned.
cracked thighbone, +15 hits and -40 activities instead.
Deep cut to the inside of the leg. Severs tendon and muscles: +12
Blow to the knee. Target is knocked down, +8 hits and -30 activity 107-109
Hits. Target is Stunned and 6 Bleed and -40 activity.
107-109 for a dislocation. If no leg armor: crushed knee, +20 Hits and -60
activities. Deep cut to the lower abdomen. If the target's wearing armor: +10
Vicious strike to lower back. Target's knocked down and Stunned 110 Hits, Stunned and 6 Bleed, -30 activity. If the target is unarmored,
and takes +10 hits and -20 activity. If the target is not wearing he's gutted: dies in 12 inactive rounds.
110
waist protection: cracked vertebra, -50 activity and risk of being Powerful strike to the chest. Target is Prone and Stunned and takes
paralyzed from the waist down if not treated. 111-116 +12 hits and -30 activity. If the target's not wearing metal armor:
Mighty blow to chest. Target's knocked down and drops any weap- 10 Bleed.
111-116 ons, takes +10 Hits and is Stunned. If no rigid chest armor: broken Powerful strike to the weapon's forearm. Target's disarmed,
sternum, -40 activity and +20 hits. 117-119 Stunned and takes +10 Hits. If target's not wearing arm amor: arm
Blow to forearm (50R/50L), fractured bones. If the shield is striken: severed, 10 bleed and -40 activity.
117-119 shield useless and target's Stunned. If not: target drops whatever Strike to the neck. If the target is wearing neck protection, it is
he's holding, takes +10 hits and is Stunned and at -30 activity. 120 destroyed and the target takes +10 Hits, is Stunned and 6 Bleed. If
Neck strike. If the target's wearing rigid protection in the neck not: throat cut open, target dies in 8 rounds while Stunned.
area: +12 Hits, Stunned, -20 activity and unable to speak or eat Swing to the shoulder. Deep cut. If the target has rigid armor: +10
120
solid food until healed. If not, crushed windpipe: target's Stunned Hits, Stunned, 4 Bleed and -30 activity. If not, arm almost sev-
and dies in 12 rounds. 121-126
ered: +15 Hits, target's Stunned and 10 Bleed; arm useless and -50
activity.
Blow breaks shinbone. Target is down, Stunned and at -40 activity;
121-126
+15 Hits. Strike severs target's foot. Target is downed Prone and Stunned
127-129
and Bleeds for 8. -50 activity.
Blow to shoulder and upper arm. Arm broken and useless: +15 Hits,
127-129
target's Stunned and at -40 activity. Strike to the face. If the target's wearing helm: helm, nose and
teeth destroyed, +12 Hits, Stunned, 4 Bleed and -40 activity and
Powerful blow to the jaw. If the target's wearing full helm: jaw shat- 130
permanent scar (-20 BEA). If the target has no helm: face split in
130 tered, +20 Hits, Stunned and -30 activities, can not speak or eat half, instand death.
until repaired. If not, jaw driven into brain, instant death.
Powerful strike severs weapon arm from the elbow, +12 Hits. Tar-
Blow shatters elbow in weapon arm. Arm useless and -40 other 131-136 get is Stunned and takes 12 Bleed. Arm useless and -40 all other
131-136
activities. Target's Stunned and takes +20 Hits. activities.
Blow to hip crushes bones. +35 Hits, Stunned and -75 activity. Tar- Strike severs lower leg from above the knee: +15 Hits. Target is
137-140 137-140 Prone, Stunned and takes 15 Bleed. Can not walk and -60 all other
get's knocked down.
activities.
Powerful blow to lower abdomen crushes a variety of innards. If
141-146 the target's wearing rigid armor: +12 Hits, Stunned, -20 activity. If Powerful slash accross the chest. If the target is wearing metal
not: internal bleeding, +20 Hits, Stunned and 12 Bleed, -40 activity. 141-146 armor: +12 Hits, Stunned, 8 Bleed and -40 activity. If not: lungs
destroyed & immediate heart failure - drops and dies in 6 rounds.
Blow to the side crushed ribcage and destroyes a variety of internal
147-149 Strike through the side severs target's spine. Drops immediately
organs. Target drops unconscious and dies in 6 rounds. 147-149
and is paralyzed from the chest down and at -80 all other activities.
Inexorable blow to the head shatters skull and destroys brain. In-
150 150 Target is beheaded. Instant death.
stant death.
· Pierce Critical Strikes · · Fire Critical Strikes ·
Roll Description Roll Description
up to 5 Swoosh! That was close! No extra damage. up to 5 The air around the target warms up. +0 Hits.
06-20 Intense heat, the target sweats heavy, but little extra effect. +3 Hits.
06-20 Graze to the shoulder. +3 Hits.
21-35 Minor superficial burns. +8 hits and 1 Bleed.
Thigh strike, +3 Hits. If the target's not wearing leg protection, the
21-35 36-50 Target's blinded for 1 round by hot smokes. +12 Hits, Stunned
blow lunges deeper: 3 Bleed.
Target's clothes catch fire. It takes 2 full-round actions to extin-
Minor scratch to the forearm: +2 Hits. If the target's unarmored on
36-50 51-65 guish fire. Targets takes 8 Hits per round aflame until the fire's
the forearm, he's also Stunned. extinguished. After 10 rounds, all clothing's destroyed anyway.
Target is knocked down by a roaring flame blast. Stunned and +12
51-65 Strike grazes target's side: 1 Bleed and target's Stunned. 66-79
Hits. Target loses any organic foot and lower legs covering
Direct shot the chest. If the target's unarmored, the strike pierces Fire engulfs target's weapon arm. +10 Hits, 4 Bleed, Stunned. Drops
80-89
any item and -30 activities for deep burns.
66-79 deep: +8 Hits, 4 Bleed and Stunned. If the target's wearing armor:
+4 Hits and 2 Bleed. Fiery blast to the chest spins target around, disarms and Stuns him
90-99 and inflicts +12 Hits. Target must Assess at the beginning of next
Strike to lower leg under the knee. Tendons and muscle torn. +3 round with a special -40 penalty.
80-89
Hits, Stunned and -25 activities.
Blast to the face. If the target's wearing some sort of head protec-
Major abdominal wound. If the target's armored: +4 Hits, 3 Bleed. 100 tion: Stunned, Blinded for 3 rounds, +15 Hits and 3 Bleed. If not:
90-99 knocked unconscious, 6 Bleed, and a horrible scar (-10 BEA).
If not: +10 Hits, 6 Bleed, -20 activities and Stunned.
Fire engulf target's back. All items or clothing carried on the back
Strike to the ear. If the target's wearing a helm: +5 Hits, Stunned.
100 If the target's unarmored: ear and skull pierced through; target is 101-106 is destroyed or useless. Target is knocked down and Stunned and
takes +12 hits.
in a coma and takes 5 Bleed.
Burn to the upper leg. Leg useless due to deep burn and tissue loss.
Thigh strike. If the target's wearing armor: +5 Hits, 2 Bleed. If not, 107-109
101-106 15 Hits, 5 Bleed, and Stunned, -60 activities.
very deep pierce: +7 Hits, 5 Bleed, Stunned and -30 activity.
Blast to the neck. If the target is wearing protection: +12 Hits,
Strike to lower leg. If the target's armored, torn muscle: +4 hits, 110 Stunned and 4 Bleed. If not: target unconsious and dying in 12
107-109 rounds.
-20 activities. If not, severed muscle: +6 Hits, -40 activity, Stunned.
Shield arm blast. Any shield destroyed along with the hand that
Strike to the groin. If the target's wearing armor: +12 Hits, Stunned
wields it. Stunned and 3 Bleed, -20 activity. If no shield: arm
110 and -20 activities. If not: +18 Hits, 5 Bleed, -30 activities, Stunned; 111-116
burned to the bone and useseless, +12 Hits, Stunned and 6 Bleed,
the character's permanently infertile.
-30 activity.
Piercing strike to the chest. If the target's wearing rigid armor: +5
Target inhales scalding vapors. +12 Hits, 6 Bleed, target is Prone
111-116 Hits, 4 Bleed and Stunned, -20 activities for a deep side cut. If not:
117-119 and incapable of taking any action while coughing for 6 rounds,
lung pierced, +15 Hits, Stunned and -50 activity, dies in 6 hours.
then is Stunned.
Strike through the upper weapon arm sever tendons and muscle. Strike to midsection bathes target in flames. If the target's wearing
117-119
+4 Hits, 4 Bleed, -20 activities, arm is useless. protection, he's knocked down, Stunned, takes 8 Bleed and -60
120
activities for widespread burns. If not: legs destroyed, target dies
Strike to the neck. If the target's wearing rigid neck protection: +5
in 6 unconscious rounds.
120 Hits, 4 Bleed, Stunned. If not, artery punctured: +10 Hits, 15 Bleed,
target Stunned. Powerful fiery blast. Target's knocked off his feet and sent flying
through the air falling from 3 meters high. Target is disarmed,
Strike to the rear punctures the glute deep. +8 Hits, Stunned and 121-126
121-126 takes +15 Hits and is Stunned; furthermore the target takes a Mod-
-40 activity. erate Impact Critical Strike from the fall.
Strike through the armpit breaks shoulder's ligaments. +10 Hits, 6 Fiery blaze pulverizes target's weapon arm. Arm useless, +12 hits,
127-129 127-129
Bleed, Stunned, -30 general activities and arm useless. 8 Bleed, Stunned and -40 activity.
Fire engulfs target's head. If the target is wearing metal armor:
Strike to the forehead. If the target's wearing helm: +8 Hits, armor fuses on the head and the target dies in 5 rounds. If the
130 knocked unconscious for 30 minutes. If not: skull fractured, target
130 target's wearing non-metal armor: armor destroyed, +12 Hits, 4
unconsious and dies in 10 minutes. Bleed, Stunned and -20 activity. If the target's unarmored: knocked
Strike to the rear of the knee tears ligaments and damages muscle. over and dies in 10 minutes due to extensive burns.
131-136 Target's prone and at -60 activity, takes +8 Hits and 3 Bleed and Target is bathed in flames. Extreme heat shock deals +50 Hits.
is Stunned. 131-136
Target falls into a 3-month coma.
Strike through leg severs an artery. Target falls unconscious and Strike to the head. If the target's wearing helm, he's blinded for
137-140 137-140
Bleeds for 15 to death. 2 weeks, +15 Hits. If not, dies in 6 rounds due to massive shock.
Strike through kidneys. +10 Hits. Target is knocked over and dies Blast to the chest. If the target's wearing chest armor: armor de-
141-146 141-146 stroyed +12 Hits and 6 Bleed and target's Stunned. If not: +20 Hits,
in 6 rounds of agony.
12 Bleed, target is unconscious.
Direct shot to the heart. If the target's wearing rigid armor: +20 Target is totally engulfed in roaring flame. All organic material
147-149 Hits, Stunned and 8 Bleed, -30 activity for deep cut. If not, target 147-149 on target is destroyed, and metal melts. Target dies in 6 horrible,
dies instantly. screaming rounds.
150 Strike through the eye into the brain. Instant death. All that remains of the target is a smoking pile of charred teeth
150
and bones.
• Quickstart Rules •
Against the Darkmaster is the tabletop pen & paper
role-playing game of high fantasy, epic adventures,
eldritch magic and bloody combat.
www.vsdarkmaster.com