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Core Rulebook
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FLAMES OF FREEDOM Grim & Perilous RPG
copyright © 2021 by Rogue Games. All rights reserved. Printed in
China. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
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whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in
the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com
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21 22 23 24 25 SDB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-5248-6251-0

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 Researched and inspired by history, the characters, world Production Editor: Amy Strassner
and situations in FLAMES OF FREEDOM are a Production Manager: Chuck Harper
work of fiction. This game was designed, developed and Marketing & Communications: Kathy Hilliard
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ON THE COVER
Leading the charge is Verity Trowbridge, an African Puritan whose name means hope. To her right
is Azar Willington, a soldier who served with Captain Woodbridge’s Company. Azar’s Persian
namesake comes from a friend to his father: a whaler who died at sea. The final person to Verity’s
left is Mendon, who has no surname in the Massachusetts soldier’s role. Living as a tailor, they
volunteered and fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. It is believed Mendon was of Indigenous and
Spanish descent, having also fought at the battle of Jamaica Heights.
 CONTENTS

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PREAMBLE  xi ARTICLE 3:
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET  51
The Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
As A Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Actor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Merchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
As The Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Alchemist * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Midwife .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

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Playstyle .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. xv Animal Whisperer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 58 Militia .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Strength In Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi Apothecary * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 59 Milliner .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Creating A Positive Experience .. . . . . . . xix Architect .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 60 Musician .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 106
Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Mutineer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 107
Aspirant * .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Officer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 108
Auxiliary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 63 Partisan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
ARTICLE 1:
Barber .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Politician .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY  1
Bawd .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 65 Preceptor * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111
Making Skill Tests .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 Boatswain .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Printer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 112
Difficulty Rating .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 Bookkeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Privateer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113
Peril Condition Track Penalties .. . . . . . . . . 5

Critical Success/Failure .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Skill Tests Over 100% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7
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Total Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Matching Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Braucher * .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Brewer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 69
Cavalry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Clergy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Clerk .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 72
Publican .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purveyor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Rambler .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Regular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Resurrectionist .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
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116
117
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Skill Tests Lower Than 1% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Counterfeiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Road Agent .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Re-Attempting Failed Tests .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 Crook .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Assisted Skill Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Deserter .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Sin Eater * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 121
Opposed Tests .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 Dilettante .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Secret Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Diplomat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Spiritualist * .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Fail Forward Tests .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 Dispatch Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Stationer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 124
Fury & Chaos Dice .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Dowser * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 79 Surveyor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 125
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Twist Of Fate: Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Engraver .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 80 Survivalist .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Farmer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 81 Tailor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Firebrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Tax Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Folk Healer * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
ARTICLE 2:
Fortune Teller * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Tout .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
CREATING CHARACTERS  13
Freebooter .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 85 Town Crier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Step 1: Starting Allegiance . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Fur Trapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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Step 2: Basic Tier & Gambler .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 87 Translator .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Primary Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Greengrocer .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Turncoat .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 134
Step 3: Determination Grenadier .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Vagrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
& Secondary Attributes .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15 Guerilla .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Weaver .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 136
Step 4: Character Background .. .. .. .. . 17 Gunsmith .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Whaler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Step 5: Archetype & Professions List .. 26 Herbalist * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 92 Wright .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 138
Step 6: Physical Appearance .. .. .. .. .. . 40 Hired Hand .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Writer .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Step 7: Personality Traits & Conflict . . 43 Informant .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Step 8: Ratify Your Character .. . . . . . . . . 49 Lamplighter .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Lawyer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 96
ARTICLE 4:
Libertine .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 97
SKILLS & TALENTS  141
Magistrate .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 98
Mariner .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Skills Overview .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Mendicant .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 Talents Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Mentalist * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 101
 CONTENTS

ARTICLE 5: ARTICLE 9:
WARES & WEAPONS  163 HEXENMEISTER’S
ALMANACK 267
Specie Exchange Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

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Barter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 History Of Common Spells .. .. .. .. .. 267
Buying & Selling Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 History Of Black & White Magic . . . 268
Weapons .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 175 History Of Witchcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Qualities .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 175 History Of Alchemical Arts .. .. .. .. .. 271
Crafting Wares & Weapons .. .. .. .. .. 185 Learning Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

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Guide To Casting Spells .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 274
Common Spells Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Black & White Spells Listings . . . . . . . 284
ARTICLE 6:
Witchcraft Spells Listings .. .. .. .. .. .. 289
NARRATIVE TOOLS  187
Learning Alchemical Arts .. .. .. .. .. .. 294
Social Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Alchemical Art Listings .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 295
Chase Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Sample Grimoires .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Overland Travel .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
ARTICLE 12:
COLONIAL OBSCURA  365

ARTICLE 7:
COMBAT ENCOUNTERS  213
Combat Terminology .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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ARTICLE 10:
LIFE DURING WARTIME  305
Marriage & Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clothing .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
305
308
Connecticut .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delaware .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
366
368
370
372
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Movement Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Economics .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 310 Massachusetts & Maine .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 374
Attack Actions .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 221 Food & Drink .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 310 New Hampshire .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 376
Rough & Tumble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Education .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 New Jersey .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 378
Special Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Government .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 313 New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Crime & Punishment .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Guide To Attacking .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Pennsylvania .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 384
Injury Tables .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 232 Major Land Routes .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Rhode Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
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Religion .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Libraries .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 324 Virginia .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
ARTICLE 8:
HEALING, HAZARDS
& HORROR  239 ARTICLE 11: ARTICLE 13:
INDIGENOUS NATIONS  327 HISTORIAN’S SECRETS  393
Healing Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Permanent Injuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Abenaki .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Being The Historian .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 393
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Hazards .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Algonquin .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Addressing Colonialism .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 398

Ailments .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 245 Apalachee .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Using Horror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Atikamekw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Conflict & Playstyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Extreme Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Catawba .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339 Faith & Conflict .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 403
Falling .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 252 Chickasaw .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 341 Freemasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Haudenosaunee .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343 The Inquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Sleep Deprivation .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Innu .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Knights Templar .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 409
Starvation .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Lenape .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 348 Rosicrucians .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 411
Suffocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Mahican .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 350 Royal Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Horror .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 255 Massachusett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352 The Mandoag .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Three Types Of Horror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Powhatan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354 A Secret War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Despair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Seminole .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 356 Path To Rebellion .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Hardened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Shawnee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 358
Afflictions .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Tsalagi .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 360
Wampanoag .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
 CONTENTS

ARTICLE 14: THREATS  431

Alligator .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 436 Hog .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Ooze .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 516
Appalachian Giant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 Homunculus .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 477 Owl .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517

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Apparition .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 438 Hooded One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 Poisonous Snake .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 518
Apprentice Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Red Coat Captain .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 519
Attorney .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 441 Hunter-Gatherer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Red Coat Colonel .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Beaver .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 Hunting Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481 Red Coat Regular .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
Bison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Inquisition Agent .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Revenant .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 522

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Black Bear .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 444 Inquisition Fiscal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Robber .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 524
Black Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 Inquisition Witch Hunter .. .. .. .. .. .. 484 Sabertooth Tiger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Black Shuck .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 Insect Swarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Sasquatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Bog Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Journalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486 Settler .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Carcajou .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 449 Knights Templar Initiate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Shadow Thing .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Choking Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 Knights Templar Noble .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Shark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
Chupacabra .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 Knights Templar Sergeant .. .. .. .. .. .. 490 Shoal Of Spikefish .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 531
Constrictor Snake .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452 Knights Templar Squire .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Skeleton .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
Coyote .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 453 Knocker .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Skin-Walker .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 533
Crawler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Devil Dog .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dog Ant .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Eagle .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Explorer .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
e 454
456
458
459
460
Kraken .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Laborer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lady In White .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Leeds Devil .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lycanthrope .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
494
495
496
498
500
Snallygaster .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Splintercat .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Spy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Swamp Ape .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tax Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
534
535
536
537
538
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Farmer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 461 Mammoth .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 502 Timber Wolf .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 539
Freemason Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462 Mandoag Seeker .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 503 Tormentor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 540
Freemason Alchemist .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 Mandoag Sorcerer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 504 Trader .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Freemason Entered Apprentice .. . . . . . 464 Military Captain .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 506 Vampiric Bat .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 543
Freemason Fellowcraft .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 465 Military Cavalry .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 507 Vampyre .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 544
Freemason Master .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 466 Military Officer .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Vengeful Spirit .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 546
Gargantuan Spider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Military Private .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Walking Dead .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 548
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Ghoul .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Minuteman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Walrus .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 549

Golem .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 469 Mischief Of Rats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511 Water Nymph .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
Grizzly Bear .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 470 Mountain Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Whale .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
Headless Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 Mouser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 White Mage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 552
Hidebehind .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Murder Of Crows .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Wild Boar .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Hodag .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 Night Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
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ARTICLE 15: AMENDMENTS

BOSTON BESIEGED  555 Bibliography .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 608
Story Hooks .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 557 Random Encounters .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 620
Boston Besieged: Aftermath .. .. .. .. .. 595 Initiative Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Social Intrigue Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Chase Scene Tracker .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 630
Overland Travel Tracker .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 631
Index .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 632
A Collection of Maps
of the Thirteen Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . 639
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Welcome to Flames of Freedom, where your
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grim & perilous tale hangs in the balance.

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 xi

PREAMBLE

I t i s th e daw n o f th e A m e r ica n R evolu tio na ry Wa r o f 1776. A ta n g l e d w eb

o f c o n spi r acy spa n s N orth A m e r ica . I t d oe s not m at te r yo u r c r e e d, c olor,

c ultu r e , fa i th or g e n de r— a l l sta n d to g eth e r i n th e wa r for su rv iva l . Ev e ry

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R eb e l Thom a s Pa i n e’ s C om mo n S e n s e

PREAMBLE
patr iot ho l d s a lo f t a s th ey ta k e u p a r m s

aga i n st th e B r i ti s h E mpi r e . Th e ci ty o f B o sto n i s o c c u pi e d by th e R e d C oat s ,

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su r ro u n de d by R eb e l m i l i ti a s . But a s th e r evolu tio n h a s b e g u n , s om ethi n g fa r

mor e myste r io us sti rs .

Agents of the occult entreat both the Continental Army FLAMES OF FREEDOM is an American
and British Empire. Freemasons conspire in the City of gothic horror role-playing game powered by the
Brotherly Love. Maryland is in the throes of a witch ZWEIHÄNDER RPG D100 game engine. Intensely
hunt by the Knights Templar. researched and developed by a diverse group of game

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Amid the chaos, other grim fairy tales have
emerged. Ghouls have been tunneling beneath Boston.
There are sightings of witches in the Great Dismal
Swamp. Indigenous sachem speak of devils who walk
designers, this tabletop RPG explores cultures beyond
North America’s European experience. We created
this game with Black writers, cultural consultants and
Indigenous scholars of the Nations represented inside
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among the living. The Leeds Devil haunts the Pine in the book. RPG safety and trauma experts guided our
Barrens of New Jersey. And worse still, a shadowy development cycle. We hope that this game can show
collective called ‘the Mandoag’ seeks to consume all, how American gothic horror can be inclusive while
Loyalists and Rebels alike. also portraying the horrific realities of war and the
In this game, most people have either chosen to deny supernatural.
the supernatural or rationalize it away. A rare few accept
it for what it is to act. You are among those heroes and
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destined for greatness . . . or death. 

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 xii

THE SETTING GRIM & PERILOUS THEMES

It is the eve of the Revolution in 1776, and life is on Whatever level of horror you play, the game functions
the verge of drastic change. The Europeans shun folklore on the premise that everything you can imagine in
and witchcraft as the so-called Age of Reason is upon the supernatural—from the lowly dandelion plant to a

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them. Tucked between missionaries, mutineers and sleeping stone giant making her home at the base of the
midwives, some know the actual truth. Magic—along Appalachians and the spirits that haunt Williamsburg—
PREAMBLE

with monsters, demons and mythological creatures—is exists. Most people have rationalized the forces of
real. darkness away, ignoring their attacks and picking up the

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This game is also about a different horror; one mired pieces as best they can. Your reputation, mind and faith
in mysteries, secrets and plots. The horror of 1776 relies are all on the line. Your characters are the last line of
heavily upon your imagination and ingenuity, using the defense for the innocent.
tools we provide for you to play the game. As you discover
more about the villainy of this world, you’ll realize that
some enemies are all too human, while others are actual
monsters from folklore. Some of these you will uncover FLAMES OF FREEDOM draws heavily
for yourself, but there are far more sinister secrets that upon the American Gothic genre, rooted in

or campaign.

USE & ABUSE OF HISTORY

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you will uncover only in the late stages of an adventure Christian (specifically Puritan) ideas of good and
evil, humanity’s sinfulness and the supernatural.
However, Christianity is not the only religion
practiced in this game, and players can and should
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The game will thrust your character into situations play characters from a wide variety of spiritual
where they will stand against enemies who use and religious backgrounds. Article 10: Life
historically harmful acts to meet their heinous During Wartime provides a historical context for
goals. While FLAMES OF FREEDOM creates portraying characters of different faiths.
a narrative of liberation and opportunity in-game,
this was not the reality for many living within
and near North America. We mustn’t ignore that
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the past’s terrible truths happend, even in a game On a larger scale, there is something off about the
centered in colonial America. world: something sinister, malicious and purposeful. No
one truly knows what is causing this world to go awry,
not even the Indigenous Nations who have lived in this
New World for many, many years. Whatever evil has
infected the lands, it is up to the player characters to
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stand together against it.

GENDER NEUTRAL
LANGUAGE
Throughout this book, we use the singular they
along with its inflected forms—them or their—
for indeterminate gender. Play examples will
reference the pronoun appropriate to the identity
of the player or their character.
 xiii

AS A CHARACTER . . . K I am a Black and Indigenous woman. My mother tells

One or more people in the gaming group will each me stories of our homeland across the sea, while my
create a player character, an alternative personality in father tells one of our ancestors’ journey across vast
which you’ll take part in a supernatural horror tale set lakes and oceans. I have learned medicine from the

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in and around the Thirteen Colonies. As a character, elders of my Nation, while my mother teaches me to
you can change the story’s outcome by deciding ‘in cultivate the earth. My time as a matriarch approaches

PREAMBLE
character’—putting yourself in their shoes to think like quickly—in my dreams, the ancestors tell me to be
the character you’ve made. Rooted in the themes of grim vigilant, for change is on the horizon.

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& perilous gaming, your character’s story will be very
personal, occupying a morass of conflicting values and
K Every parent tends to their little ones, soothing scuffed
hands and caring for them after their nightmares.
credos, while set against the rise of the supernatural and
For every nightmare, we administer love and prayer.
the machinations of secret societies. Although you will
However, they seem to grow worse. The children speak
come to better understand the game’s rules specific for
of ‘the skinny monster’ dwelling in the cupboards. We,
your character, you must also share the load with other
too, are now experiencing the same dreams as the little
players and the referee (the Historian) to make the game
ones.
enjoyable for everyone.

CHARACTER PERSPECTIVES
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Here are some example character types you may
experience in this game:
K I walk deer paths and roads carved into the earth from
a time before Roanoke. With a gun or bow in hand, I
hunt to provide for my family. I have spent many years
learning the ways of the woodlands. But among the
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trees, I have seen something . . . strange. The woods are
K As I walk the streets of my new homeland, it is hard not what they seem and herald a change that speaks of
not to see the preparations for war. The very air calls
an evil as old as time itself.
for rebellion. Raising the liberty pole, we join in the
cries of liberation with our fellow Rebels. Give me a K Do you ask if I am a Quaker, a member of the Society
position and show me where the ammunition is! of Friends? I once was, but I am now a Universal
Friend. What is that, you ask? I have walked with
K The frontier is fraught with wild animals, robbers and
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Public Universal Friend, but likely you’ve never heard

the armies of King George. It takes a stalwart heart,
their story. They were a Quaker who succumbed to
healthy communities and a primed musket when
typhus but resurrected by God’s light. ‘The Friend’
needed to eke out a living. When the sun sets, I’ve
has attracted several women to their side. Like all
seen glowing eyes in the hills. We bar the door and
Universal Friends, we now spread the word of free will
windows at night to keep us safe. We look to others
and abolition.
for guidance, but even they are fearful of what has
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come from across the sea. Some whisper of an evil that K We are free . . . in a way. My ancestors came to this
predates our ancestors. land against their will. I, too, spent time in bondage
and have family members who remain disenfranchised.
K I come from a long line of people from Turtle Island, However, I am conflicted—there is no going home.
and we have lived here long before the British Empire
I must make a life here now. What the people don’t
arrived. Change is in the air. Some of my people
understand is that stowaways of an older age were also
live among their own, standing against the invaders.
in the holds. We have set these monsters loose and
Others live in harmony with the Europeans, keeping
they will devour all, limb by limb.
our traditions. As tempers flare in the cities, I cannot
doubt that a war is coming. There is another war—a
secret war—that we have fought for generations. It is
against those who call themselves the Mandoag, and
they seek to consume all.
 xiv

K They sometimes call my trade ‘the world’s oldest,’ and

its practice dates well before Mary Chilton stepped
ashore at Plymouth. I imagine that she’s rolling in her
grave, knowing what I have to do to survive. As the

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conflict calls for people to report on the front lines, I
worry for them—and myself.
PREAMBLE

K I’ve cared for many women during birth, welcoming

these little bundles of joy into the world. And

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helped the wives convalesce and pray when a child
was stillborn. I take this charge seriously, and as
the impending war places additional stresses upon
women, I hold these labors even more sacred than
before.
K We’ve tended the land, but it has grown sick. My
husband says that the trees ‘speak’ to him in his dreams.

e He’s become addled, growing more despondent. The

children and I have taken over his duties, but we can
feel something creeping into our dreams.
K “Believe in God and fear the Devil” is the guiding
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principle that gives me strength. We shall stand
together to protect believers and non-believers alike.
We will fight the minions of darkness who linger
at the periphery of the world. Fear not this evil, for
you stand in the light—and that light is vast and will
drive away the devils!
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K As both a partner and trusted confidante, the politician

I serve is one of incredible influence and means. There
is also one made behind closed doors behind every
public dealing—necessary for the coming troubles.
But I grow worried about darker dealings being done,
not made in the light of the Lord, but made with the
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servants of Lucifer.
K I have walked the path of the occult; I have made the
darkness kneel before me. Others like me understand
an ever-present evil over this Age of Reason. A pox
K There is an ancient art; one whose roots trace back to on all who think I am delusional! Magic is real, and
ancient times. Though many now have embraced the
my people have practiced it for as long as time itself.
natural sciences and have used it to define the world,
What do the petty going-on of the Loyalists and
I scoff at it. It is through the crucible, the forge and
Rebels have to do with the greater evil? Despite how
the elements I create objects that bring purity. If any
many times they call me ‘mad,’ they’ll be begging for
seek to know the real secrets of this world, they only
my help when they realize the truth of the world, to
need to follow me to the forge. It is there I will show
protect them from things in the darkness.
them the true face of God.
 xv

AS THE HISTORIAN . . . its practice is well-hidden by mages. The Devil and his
One person in the gaming group will be the Historian. minions seek to corrupt all. Films like Brotherhood of the
The Historian will create adventures inspired by North Wolf, Bone Tomahawk and Edge of the Knife have dark
American history set in 1776. You’ll be responsible as forces that fit this style. In works of literature, Mary

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the chief narrator of the character’s stories; you’ll be the Shelley’s Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus and
keeper of secret plots and you’ll portray other personas Bram Stoker’s Dracula also evoke this horror style.

PREAMBLE
(called a non-player character or NPC) and threats. You Monsters are at the fore of the game, and players and
also serve as a ‘fan’ of the characters, promoting fun and their characters will use this learning to their advantage

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fairness for players in equal measure. Although you will against the horrors that stalk the world.
have to learn more about the game’s rules than players,
you are not alone, as the players will share the load. A OCCULT MYSTERY
Historian will also be the ultimate arbiter of rules and This style introduces players and their characters to the
detail a narrative that encapsulates what the players and mysteries of 1776 but softens the horror. Adventures
their characters are experiencing. center on the mysteries of secret societies who pull strings
behind the scenes. Video games such as Assassin’s Creed
YOUR FIRST ADVENTURE III and Never Alone, along with films like From Hell,

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Using the Boston Besieged adventure in the back
of this book, the game will start by enlisting
the player characters in a conspiracy that spans
Boston’s city, leading up to the siege of the city
Sleepy Hollow and The VVitch share elements suited to an
occult mystery campaign. The works of Edgar Allan Poe,
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Robert E. Howard’s Solomon
Kane also represent a similar tone and scope.
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by George Washington. With the gaming group, This playstyle encourages investigation of
you will explore the story, arbitrate the game rules, conspiracies and secret societies while downplaying
enact the NPCs’ plans and create your own vision magic and monsters.
of FLAMES OF FREEDOM.
HIGH ACTION
Instead of slaying monsters, the characters will fight
threats like French traders and the British Imperial
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PLAYSTYLE
military. It is rooted in ‘historical gaming,’ but without
A Historian will use playstyles to craft stories with the
reprehensible actions like the genocide of Indigenous
players. Playstyles will evolve with the needs of the
Nations and slavery. This style draws inspiration from
story and may change from adventure to adventure.
the stories of James Fenimore Cooper and Brian Wood’s
The following refers to various books and films that fit
comic book Rebels. Films like The Last of the Mohicans,
the style. While not all the aforementioned media are
The Revenant and the television series John Adams and
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perfect in their depictions, they represent a starting

TURN: Washington’s Spies are also a great fit. Adventures
point to inspire a sense of historical fantasy.
could also take the shape of a military campaign or a
SUPERNATURAL HORROR story of spy-versus-spy. 
This style implies a greater sense of heroism and
This style exposes the player characters to situations
spycraft and works well for those who want to explore
and experiences that give them a new perspective upon
the natural, mortal world of 1776.
reality. They realize supernatural forces have made
themselves known to the world. Sorcery is abroad, but
 xvi

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY BLACK PERSPECTIVES

FLAMES OF FREEDOM represents a mélange of Slavery ensured thousands of Black people lived and
heritages and conflicting beliefs, one where cultures died in the fields of the New World—a small, but no less
and genders outside traditional standards were equally tragic, percentage of millions that toiled outside of North

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instrumental in fomenting and conducting the America. This gives those players wishing to play Black
rebellion. And, although traditional games set during characters an exciting period to explore. Religious folk
PREAMBLE

the Revolution place English men at the fore of the spoke against these terrible institutions, while freedmen
conflict, this game calls upon the secret history: one were building churches and communities of their own.

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where heritage and genders outside the norm were just Abolitionist groups are growing, with memories of
as important—and, often working behind the scenes— the New York Insurrection and Stono Rebellion fresh
during this pivotal time in America’s founding. in the current generation’s minds to stoke the fires of
freedom. Crispus Attucks was the first casualty of the
early American Revolutionary War.

e THIS IS AN exciting time in history and one

that demands both respect and introspection in
the portrayal of the African diaspora. The Rebels
work side by side with Black people as spies in the
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war (consider Cato, a Rebel courier for Hercules
Mulligan), and still, more are fleeing to join
Indigenous communities, each hoping for a life
better than a drastically shorter existence of toil
and misery. As a Black character, will you be a
preacher with your church, desperate to keep your
flock safe from the wolves prowling for conscripts
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in a war you have no stake in? Perhaps you are

a woman looking to rescue her loved ones and
so is reaching out to the power of her ancient
ancestors to incite her own rebellion? Whether
your character is a doctor, evangelist, magistrate
or soldier, they will doubtless find themselves on
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the front lines of many battles, some far beyond

human comprehension and others all too painfully
human. We’ll help provide tips to help you create
interesting Black characters without turning
them into caricatures. We’ll provide guidance on
how to portray Black people from this period in
Article 10: Life During Wartime.
 xvii

INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES
For the people of Turtle Island (North America and
Canada), this tumultuous time is rife with conflict and
intrigue. The Europeans are encroaching on the lands

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they have stewarded since before time had a name.
Malevolent spirits threaten lives across community

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and clan lines. While Indigenous people look to their
elders, each must choose: will they take a chance on

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these foreigners’ promises? Will they use their talents
in medicine to support their own or help these haggard
newcomers? Will they intercede with the spirits for
their communities and beyond? Or will they swindle the
descendants of pilgrims who cheated them first? 

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ONE IMPORTANT ASPECT to know about
the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island is that
they are a varied people and not a monolithic
culture. They do not fit the television and cinema
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tropes of a tanned folk with stern faces on
horseback but are individuals who still exist today.
Matriarchs, two-spirit people (some of which
were healers) and children gifted with dreams
made up some of the most influential people in
these communities. Some may have been noble in
their pursuits, while others look to make a quick
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sterling before skipping town. While varied, their

cultures tended toward respect for the earth and
all the living and non-living beings living on it.
There are obvious cases where European
and Indigenous peoples have integrated into
each other’s societies, conforming to new norms.
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How you juggle these concepts is what will make

your Indigenous character of this background
believable. We’ll provide you with guidance on
how to portray a member of the Indigenous
Nations prevalent from this period in Article 11:
Indigenous Nations.
 xviii

WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES
Despite their culture, women bring strict roles and
beliefs with them wherever they came from. They
decided what each could or could not do, rather than

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who they are or what they are capable of. But in the face
of war, everything has changed. Those previously strictly
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bound by their gender find freedom in taking jobs and

professions otherwise denied to them. Women now dare

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to express their true selves, sometimes openly and other
times within the private company of those they trust.
No one can afford to turn away help, and even fewer can
afford to abide by cultural beliefs that no longer serve in
the fires of war.

e REMEMBER THAT WOMEN have shed

the constraints of what should and shouldn’t be
and dare to be a light in the dark during this
tumultuous time. Everyone can feel the pressure
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from the rising violence, and no one lifts a brow
at those who break out of traditional gender roles
to embrace themselves and manifest what women
are just as capable of as men. Women take jobs
as doctors, Indigenous two-spirit people become
generals for the Colonies and men stay home
to care for frightened children, the supposed
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‘natural order’ forgotten in the battle for survival.

Beyond the impending revolution, something
else stirs. The darkness wages another war, the
kind that destroys any notion of decency for the
sake of survival. Evil doesn’t care who or what you
are. It cares about how it can tempt you into its
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embrace. We’ll provide you guidance on how to

portray women from this period in Article 10:
Life During Wartime.
 xix

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NO DISCRIMINATION
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Let us be clear: FLAMES OF FREEDOM is not a
tabletop role-playing game where you will discriminate
against women, practice slavery and indentured servitude,
CREATING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
Hopefully, this game will teach you how to create
engaging, meaningful and nuanced stories set during
the American Revolutionary War. To do that, everyone
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slaughter innocent people or ‘tame the wilderness’ of at the table must have a positive gaming experience. It
Indigenous Nations. It is a game where people come is the responsibility of every person at the game table to
together to fend off a secret war that took root long create an enriching, positive experience for themselves
before the American Revolutionary War. In it, you are a and for each other. It’s important to share our ideas,
person fighting against unseen powers which mean harm but doubly so when introducing content that could
to every person. It is also a game where you’ll blaze your upset some players. Consent and agreement are vital to
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own path, free from outdated thinking. History informs collaborative storytelling. 
the story, but we do not mean it to be entirely historically
accurate. It is up to the gaming group to decide how
strictly it will hew to history. Everyone should be a part
of this decision, and it should be a unanimous one. FOR THOSE WHO need RPG safety tools
at their game table or for online and convention
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play, you can download the Entreat The Darkness

TTRPG Safety Tool from http://darkness.
THIS GAME DOES not endorse racial or zweihander.game. It is designed for role-playing
gender discrimination based on differences in games Powered By ZWEIHÄNDER RPG.
the period. Regardless of their identity, there are
no mechanical, intellectual, physical, emotional or
spiritual distinctions between women,men,intersex,
agender, non-binary and transgender characters. Always remember that a positive experience doesn’t
That said, people relate differently to one another, have to mean the game isn’t disturbing, horrifying
and there is no reason to ignore differences because or visceral. It means that everyone at the table works
the game world does not embrace discrimination together to make the game they want to play—leaving
as its real-world counterpart. no one behind—and actively engaging with each other
to ensure everyone gets what they want out of the game.
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Article  1
BASICS of G A M E P L AY
L ike oth e r rol e - pl ay i n g ga m e s Pow e r e d by ZWEIHÄNDER, thi s ga m e

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ac c om modate s a pl aystyl e w h e r e rol e - pl ay i n g dr iv e s th e story. Th e e xc ep tio n

to thi s i s w h e n th e r e a r e c o n s e qu e n c e s for fa i lu r e . Th e n —a n d o nly th e n — a r e

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dic e ca l l e d u po n to dete r m i n e th e o u tc om e .

THE GOLDEN RULE K If you rolled a face ‘00’ on the tens die and a face ‘0’ on
Remember the most important rule: keep the game the units die, you generated a result of 100%.
moving forward! Rulings are far more important
than rules. If you have forgotten a specific game
K If you rolled a face ‘00’ on the tens die and a face ‘1’ on
the units die, it is equal to 01%.
rule, ignore it and look it up later. If a rule gets in

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the way of having fun, your game group should
work together to create a ‘house rule,’ personalizing
it for your table.
K If you rolled a face ‘10’ on the tens die and a face ‘0’ on
the units die, it is equal to 10%.

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
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MAKING SKILL TESTS
Melded with traditional narrative gameplay elements,
there are four pillars of gameplay: Social Interaction,
Chase Scenes, Overland Travel and Combat
Encounters. All modes require you to roll percentile
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dice to determine success or failure using a Skill Test

(also called a Test). Rolling equal to or under the Total
Chance for success means you succeed. Rolling over
means you failed.

READING PERCENTILE DICE (D100 )

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To make a Skill Test, you will roll percentile dice,

referred to as D100 throughout the book. One die is
the tens die (the die with faces 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60,
70, 80, 90, 00) and the other is the units die (the die
with faces 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0). Given that D100 can
sometimes generate odd results for those accustomed
to using twenty-sided dice (D20) in other TTRPGs,
consider these outcomes:
K If you rolled a face ‘60’ on the tens die and a face ‘9’ on
the units die, you generated a result of 69%.
K If you rolled a face ‘60’ on the tens die and a face ‘0’ on
the units die, you generated a result of 60%.
 № 2

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QUICK GUIDE TO SKILL TESTS PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES
In general, the Historian will call upon you to Test a Your character has seven Primary Attributes, representing
specific Skill as you role-play within the campaign world. physical, mental and social capabilities. They range in a
However, you can also request to use a Skill yourself if numeric value between 28% and 55%, with the average
you want to change events into your or another’s favor. value being 42%.The seven Primary Attributes are Combat,
Here is how all Skill Tests work:
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K Refer to the Primary Attribute percentage value related
Brawn, Agility, Perception, Intelligence, Willpower
and Fellowship. Coupled with Skills, they define your
character’s baseline chances for succeeding at Skill Tests.
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY

to the Skill you are using.

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K Take account of how many Skill Ranks you have in the K Combat: This is your ability to use ranged and
Skill you are using. Every Skill Rank adds a cumulative melee weapons.
+10%.
K Brawn: This is your physical prowess, durability
K Apply any penalties from your Peril Condition Track, as and overall endurance.
it may force you to ignore some or all your Skill Ranks.
K Agility: This is your speed, nimbleness and
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K Add modifiers from Talents, Traits and Spells that physical readiness. 
may apply to the Skill’s use. The maximum modifier
that can be applied is +30%, while the minimum total
K Perception: This is for your senses and ability to
react.
modifier is -30%.
K Intelligence: This is your ability to learn and
K The sum of the values above is all added up to determine memorize.
the Base Chance. 
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K The Historian will impose the drama of the situation as K Willpower: This is your mental wherewithal and
force for magic.
a final modifier to Base Chance called Difficulty Rating.
K Take your Base Chance, and add or subtract the
K Fellowship: This is your charisma, likability and
social savvy.
Difficulty Rating to determine Total Chance to
succeed in the Skill Test.
You will never ‘test’ against Primary Attributes alone.
K Grab D100, call out to the Historian what your Total Here are alternative Skills to consider:
Chance is and roll the dice. If the results are equal to
or less than your Total Chance, you have succeeded at
K Feats of visual acuity: Awareness (Perception) 
the Skill Test. If the results are greater than the Total K Feats of brute strength: Athletics (Brawn) 
Chance, you have failed the Skill Test. If the dice
match, it is a Critical Success or a Critical Failure.
K Feats of nimbleness: Coordination (Agility) 
You’ll learn more about this below. K Feats of audial discernment: Eavesdrop (Perception) 
 № 3

K Feats of stoutheartedness: Resolve (Willpower)  SKILLS

Skills define what your character can do, such as

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K Feats of problem-solving: Scrutinize (Perception)  fire a musket, bluff your way past a Red Coat patrol,
K Feats of physical wherewithal: Toughness (Brawn) distinguish between safe and poisonous herbs and so
forth. Each Primary Attribute has a series of related
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE BONUSES Skills (a breakdown of what these Skills are in Article 4:

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Each Primary Attribute has a related benefit called Skills & Talents):
a Primary Attribute Bonus, relevant to calculating
K Combat: Martial Melee, Martial Ranged, Simple
Secondary Attributes in Article 2: Creating Characters.
Melee & Simple Ranged
This bonus is equal to the tens digit of the related Primary
Attribute, plus any related Bonus Advances you gain K Brawn: Athletics, Drive, Intimidate & Toughness
from your Profession later on. Below is a breakdown of
what they affect and their abbreviated form:
K Agility: Coordination, Pilot, Ride, Skulduggery &
Stealth
K Combat Bonus [CB]
with melee and ranged weapons.
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affects Total Damage inflicted

K Brawn Bonus [BB] affects Damage Threshold and

K Perception:
Survival
Awareness, Eavesdrop, Scrutinize &

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
K Intelligence: Alchemy, Counterfeit, Education,
Encumbrance Limit.
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Folklore, Gamble, Heal, Navigation & Warfare
K Agility Bonus [AB] affects Movement. K Willpower: Incantation, Interrogation, Resolve &
K Perception Bonus [PB] affects Initiative and Distances Tradecraft
for ranged weapons.
K Fellowship: Bargain, Charm, Disguise, Guile, Handle
K Intelligence Bonus [IB] affects the maximum number Animal, Leadership & Rumor
of Spells you can learn.
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SKILL RANKS
K Willpower Bonus [WB] affects Peril Threshold and
Skill Ranks represent a dedication to a Skill, providing
miscellaneous modifiers for spells.
mechanical bonuses beyond mere raw ability. In addition
K Fellowship Bonus [FB] affects how many people you to their mechanical modifiers, they also inform the
influence with Fellowship-based Skill Tests and the level of experience a character possesses with the skill.
number of languages you can become fluent in. If you’re using the official character sheet, you will see
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three circles beside each Skill. Each Skill Rank marked

For example, if a character has a Willpower of 52%
grants a cumulative +10% bonus when using the Skill.
(which results in 5 [WB]) and two Bonus Advances from
their Profession, they will have 7 [WB] (5+2). Primary FLIP THE RESULTS TO FAIL
Attribute Bonuses will grow independently from your
When your character wants to use a Special Skill they
Primary Attributes, modified by Bonus Advances you
do not have any Skill Ranks in or during other rare
earn during Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Tiers.
circumstances, you will flip the results to fail at a Skill
PENALIZED PRIMARY Test and take the worst result. Simply roll your units
& SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES and tens dice together, but do not designate which die is
the tens die and the units die. Compare both potential
There are times when game mechanics will
outcomes and accept the worst of the results.
temporarily penalize these values. Never reduce
them below a value of 1.
 № 4

M endon picks u p an enemy’s sabre. This USING COMMON SKILLS

particular weapon requires the use of the Martial Skills that require no training to use are called Common
Melee Skill, which they possess no Skill Ranks in. Skills. Even though you may not have any Skill Ranks
Their Total Chance for success is 34%. Mendon in a Common Skill, refer to your Primary Attribute to

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rolls D100, generating 34%. Unfortunately, determine your Base Chance. However, some of the
Mendon’s player must flip the results to fail, so Talents and Traits you gain from your Profession may
Mendon instead has an output of 43%, failing further modify the Base Chance.
their Martial Melee Skill Test. 
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Wi l l i n g to n ’ s te n t has been
set ablaze, and he is also On Fire. The Historian
FLIP THE RESULTS TO SUCCEED announces that it will be an (Easy +20%)
Under some circumstances, an ability will allow you to Coordination Test to snuff out the flames.
flip the results to succeed at a Skill Test and take the best Given that Azar does not have any Skill Ranks
results. Simply roll your units and tens dice together, but in the Common Skill of Coordination, he can
do not designate which die is the tens die and the units only refer to his Agility to determine his Total
die. Compare both potential outcomes and accept the Chance of success.

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best of the two results. If you have two or more Traits
that confer the ability to flip dice, you can only take
advantage of one or the other, not both. USING SPECIAL SKILLS
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY

Skills that require formal training are called Special

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Wi l l i n g to n i s housing Red Skills. These are on your character sheet with an asterisk
Coats. Inside, the officers are secretly plotting (*) beside them. If you do not possess at least one Skill
against General George Washington and his Rank in a Special Skill, refer to your Primary Attribute
army at Whitemarsh. Their murmurs arouse to determine your Base Chance and you must flip the
Azar’s suspicions. Azar attempts to listen in on a results to fail the Test.
conversation between the Red Coats through a
keyhole. Their player knows this is an Eavesdrop V e r i ty Trow br i d g e ste a l s a foe’s pistol
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Test, and Azar has a pretty good chance of and aims at her foe. The Historian announces
succeeding. However, they fail at Azar’s Skill that it will be a (Hard -20%) Martial Ranged
Test by rolling an 81%. Fortunately, Azar also Test to fire the pistol, and she successfully shoots
possesses a particular Trait, which allows the the enemy. Given that Verity doesn’t have any
player to flip the results to succeed at Eavesdrop Skill Ranks in Martial Ranged, her player can
Tests. Azar’s player flips the dice, making the only refer to Verity’s Combat Primary Attribute
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18% instead, which means they succeed, hearing to determine her Total Chance of success.
what the Loyalist’s plans are. Furthermore, when calculating results, Verity’s
player must flip the results to fail this Skill Test.

EDGE CASES
Should you possess an ability that allows you
to flip the results to succeed and is opposed by
another’s ability or situation that forces you to flip
the results to fail, they simply cancel each other
out, meaning that you attempt a regular Skill Test.
 № 5

DIFFICULTY RATING TOOLS: Do you have the right tool to get the job done?
Circumstances directly impact your ability to succeed If not, are there available substitutes that would do in a
or fail with a Skill Test, and the Historian will assign pinch? A crowbar or mallet would break down a door
a Difficulty Rating to any particular task you wish to (using Athletics), but a knife or a fire poker can remove

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attempt. A Historian will generally call out the Difficulty the hinges (using Coordination).
Rating for the Skill Test instead of telling you the bonus
or penalty.
PERIL CONDITION TRACK PENALTIES

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DIFF. RATING BASE CHANCE MODIFIER
Your Peril Condition Track may impose penalties on
Arduous -30% Base Chance your Total Chance for success. If you are Unhindered or
Hard -20% Base Chance Imperiled, you suffer no additional penalties. However,
if your status on the Peril Condition Track is Ignore 1
Challenging -10% Base Chance
Skill Rank, Ignore 2 Skill Ranks or Ignore 3 Skill Ranks,
Standard +/-0% Base Chance you must subtract the bonuses your Skill Ranks typically
Routine +10% Base Chance confer to you.

A f te r
Easy +20% Base Chance
Trivial
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+30% Base Chance
m a n y w e e ks at sea, Verity
Trowbridge prepares to step off the ship Sea
Dragon. As the ship docks at Plymouth’s Wharf,

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
M endon
she sees the famed Plymouth Rock. Faced with
watc h e s a lo n g the edge of the
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nervousness and excitement at the prospect of
woods for signs that anyone followed them when
a New World unknown to Verity, the Historian
they left for the Penobscot truck house to declare
tells their player they will need to make a Resolve
the nation’s allegiance to the Continental Army.
Test. Resolve is a Willpower-based Skill. Verity’s
It is dark outside, and Mendon has no light. The
Willpower is 55%, while they have three total
Historian considers the situation to determine
Skill Ranks in Resolve. This gives her a Base
the Difficulty Rating, telling Mendon’s player
Chance of 85% (55+10+10+10). However, Verity
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that it is a (Hard -20%) Awareness Test.

is suffering from ‘Ignore 2 Skill Ranks’ on the
Peril Condition Track. This means that her Base
ADJUDICATING DIFFICULTY RATING 
Chance is now only 65% (55+10).
Here are the three most important considerations that a
When your status on the Peril Condition Track is at
Historian will use to determine the level of hardship or
Incapacitated!, do not roll D100, as you cannot succeed
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ease of a Skill Test: 

at any Skill Test until recovering. You will learn more
DISTRACTION: Would something in the area prohibit about how your Peril Condition Track works and the
you from doing things quickly? Would being surrounded effect it will have on your character in Article 7: Combat
cause you to load an arrow poorly or a raging fire be a Encounters.
distraction? 
TIME: How much time does it take to complete the
task? Do you need an immediate result (like steering a
cart away from tumbling off a cliff using Drive) or can
you take your time to get it right (spending an extra few
minutes to unlock a door using Skulduggery)? 
 № 6

MATCHING DICE
In some instances, you may generate matching dice results
with D100. It occurs whenever you generate the same
die result on both the tens and units dice (for example,

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11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 00). In these cases, it is
either a Critical Success or Critical Failure.

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CRITICAL SUCCESS
If you succeed at your Skill Test and the dice match, it is
a Critical Success. The effects are always to your benefit.
These are contextual, and the Historian will announce
any additional help or penalties tied to a match result. 
TOTAL CHANCE

V e r i ty Trow br i d g e i s fighting the Loyalist

Once the Historian tells you the Difficulty Rating, you
will announce your Total Chance to succeed in the Skill
army at the Battle of Great Bridge. To keep the
the Skill Test.

V e r i ty
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Test. After rolling, announce whether you succeed or fail
Red Coats from crossing the bridge, she attempts
to rip up one of its massive planks, despite being
under heavy musket fire. Verity has a 55% Total
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY

Trow br i d g e n e e d s to make a
Chance for success. Rolling D100, her player
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Bargain to convince a group of Loyalist soldiers
rolls a 33%! Because it is below the Total Chance
to let her enter Boston. Verity’s Base Chance is
for success, it qualifies as a Critical Success. The
76%, but the Historian has deemed it an (Arduous
Historian notes that it is a Critically Successful
-30%) Skill Test. Her Total Chance for success is
Skill Test and considers other benefits. If Verity’s
46%. Grabbing D100, Verity’s player rolls a 45%
player rolled a 55%, 44%, 33%, 22%, 11% or 01%,
and succeeds! If she had rolled a 46% or lower,
it would be treated as a Critical Success.
Verity would still have been successful. However,
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rolling 47% or higher would have failed.

CRITICAL FAILURE
COMMITTING TO YOUR ACTIONS Conversely, should you fail your Skill Test and the dice
match, it is a Critical Failure. The effects are always to
Once you have announced what your character
your detriment, determined by the Historian.
intends to do and the Historian calls out the
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U n de r a h a i l of gunfire, the Red Coats storm

Difficulty Rating, you must commit to your
intended action.
the Barren Hill, where Azar Willington defends
This game does not provide a complete list of
the approach in a thicket of bayonets. Azar has
every single Difficulty Rating for the situations
a 55% Total Chance for success. Rolling D100,
your character may find themselves in. These
his player rolls a 66%! But, because it is above
decisions rely on the Historian’s adjudication of
his Total Chance for success and it is a match,
the rules. However, Article 4: Skills & Talents
it qualifies as a Critical Failure. The Historian
include example Difficulty Ratings to consider.
notes that it is a Critically Failed Skill Test and
considers other complications. If Azar’s player
had rolled a 66%, 77%, 88%, 99% or 100%, it
would be a Critical Failure.
 № 7

SKILL TESTS OVER 100 % There are some exceptions to this rule for combat, as
It is possible to have a Total Chance for success over every swing and shot promotes a new set of circumstances.
100%. However, the Total Chance for success is capped We will talk more about how this works in Article 7:
at 99%. A result of 100% on D100 is always treated as a Combat Encounters.

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Critical Failure.

ASSISTED SKILL TESTS

SKILL TESTS LOWER THAN 1 % Other characters can Assist your Skill Tests. Follow

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At other times, it is possible to have a Total Chance for these steps whenever you receive or assist in others’ Skill
success less than 1%. Roll a Skill Test regardless. A result Tests: 
of 01% on D100 is always treated as a Critical Success,
despite not being a match.
K Only one ally can assist a Test. The Historian may
adjust the Difficulty Rating if multiple allies try to
NO RISK? NO TEST! help, however.
Tasks without risk, such as climbing up ladders, K The Assisting ally must have at least one Skill Rank in
maintaining a trusty musket, impressively riding the Skill they are assisting you with but cannot Assist

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your horse or writing in your character’s journal,
are good examples of when not to Test. The
Historian will be the final judge, merely asking the
if they are Incapacitated!.
K The assisting player must describe their character’s
action to illustrate to the Historian how they intend

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
player to narrate what happens.
to help.
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K Another player can announce assistance with a Test
RE-ATTEMPTING FAILED TESTS before or after the Difficulty Rating has been called
out.
Whenever you re-attempt a failed Skill Test, the
penalties rely on narrative changes or the imposition K An Assisting player hands one of their D100 (their
of other mitigating factors that the Historian decides. tens die) to you. This Assist Die can replace the tens
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Only by gaining help, finding better tools, waiting an die result of the next Skill Test you make. 
appropriate amount of time or increasing the Difficulty
Rating allows you to re-attempt a failed Test.
K Roll both your D100 and the Assist Die together.
When determining results, refer to either the original
V e r i ty
tens die or the Assist Die for the results you prefer
Trow br i d g e’ s n ew house has been
(typically the lowest result). If you had rolled a 45%,
set on fire by the Sons of Liberty, angry that she
and your Assist Die comes up as face ‘30,’ your new
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has continued distributing stamped paper upon

derived result is 35%.
the Stamp Act order. Verity has been fighting a
furious battle against the flames spreading across K Always assume the best result when gaining assistance
her foyer. Narratively, Verity is trying to beat out with an Assist Die, unless it is a Critical Failure. If
the fire, but it is growing too big to snuff out the results are both a Critical Success and a Critical
independently. Mechanically, this means that Failure, re-roll the Skill Test.
Verity’s player has failed at her Coordination
Test. With this consideration in mind, Verity
begins running as quickly as possible to fetch
water from a nearby well. With a few buckets
of water in-hand, the Historian allows Verity to
attempt another Coordination Test to put out
the flames.
 № 8

OPPOSED TESTS
Most Skill Tests assess a binary outcome of success or
failure. Should there ever be a time when an Opposed
Test is required (such as in a leg wrestling contest or

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competitive games of chance), not only do you need
to succeed at the Skill Test, you must also refer to your
Degrees of Success.

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DEGREES OF SUCCESS
You determine Degrees of Success by adding the tens
die (a result between 1 and 10) and the relevant Primary
Attribute Bonus the Skill is derived from. Whoever
succeeds at their Skill Test and has the highest Degrees
of Success automatically wins the Opposed Test. If the
Degrees of Success match, make another Opposed Test
until one side is declared the winner. In cases where you

e automatically succeed at a Skill Test, simply roll a 1D10

and add the related Primary Attribute Bonus as above.
Any time a Skill Test in an Opposed Test results
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY

in Critical Success, that participant automatically wins

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the contest. If both participants roll a Critical Success,
refer to the Degrees of Success to determine the winner.
V e r i ty Trow br i d g e h a s bottomed out a But, if the Opposed Test results in a Critical Failure, the
wagon on the bed of a river as she attempted a participant automatically loses the contest.
crossing. The horses are struggling, and she and
her friends are trying to drag it out without A za r Wi l l i n g to n i s posing as a
harming the draught animals. Verity knows how schoolmaster while surveying the Loyalist
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to ready oxen to hitch up to a wagon, having defenses in Huntington. However, Major

spent time loading trunks for ‘bigwigs’ in the Robert Rogers of the British military has grown
city. Hence, her player asks the Historian if she suspicious, so he corners Azar and interrogates
can roll a Handle Animal Test to determine him. The Historian decides to have Azar and
whether there is an easier way to unhitch the Major Robert make an Opposed Test. Azar has
horses without further Injury. The Historian an [FB] of 4. He then rolls 25%, succeeding at
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announces that the Skill Test’s Difficulty his Skill Test; he has generated 6 Degrees of
Rating will be (Challenging -10%), which Success (2+6). Major Robert has a [PB] of 2. He
means Verity’s Total Chance for success is 55%. then rolls a 22%, a Critical Success. A Critical
Another player immediately pipes up, indicating Success always wins in an Opposed Test—Azar
that Mendon has raised horses and may provide Willington has been discovered!
some assistance with the work. The Historian
tells Mendon’s player they can confer an Assist
Die to Verity’s Skill Test. Verity’s player rolls a
63% on their D100 and a face ‘30’ on the other
player’s Assist Die. Verity swaps the face ‘60’ for
a face ‘30,’ with Verity’s derived result now a
33%—a Critical Success!
 № 9

TARGET NUMBER Under these circumstances, you will already have

In some cases, the Historian may rule that the Opposed described what your character is doing. Should you
Test should play out dramatically. These sorts of Opposed possess a Talent or Trait, which allows you to flip or
Tests take place over several rolls. The Historian will otherwise modify the Skill, be sure to tell the Historian.

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announce how many Degrees of Success is required to Under these circumstances, the Historian will not reveal
win (called the Target Number). Each participant will the Difficulty Rating to you but keep it a secret. Simply
take Turns making the relevant Skill Test, counting up announce your Base Chance and then roll the dice; the
their respective Degrees of Success. The first to exceed the Historian will record the results secretly from you.

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Target Number with their total Degrees of Success wins. The Historian will obfuscate the result within the
narrative without directly revealing if you succeeded at
V e r i ty Trow br i d g e i s engaging in the Test or not. The only exception is if you Critically
propaganda against the Loyalists. Key to this is Succeeded or Critically Failed, in which case the
the war of words to remove Thomas Hutchinson Historian will immediately reveal the results. No matter
as governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. the situation, you cannot Assist a Secret Test.
Using her propaganda against Hutchinson’s own,
the Historian says that the first to succeed in their M endon i s at temp ti n g to contact a spirit

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Charm Tests and reach the Target Number of
20 wins. Both Verity and Thomas roll opposed
Charm Tests. Both succeed at their Charm Tests,
to reveal to them the location of a Freemason
hideout. Although they have taken the proper
precautions, spirits rarely bow so easily to

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
so it is time to compare Degrees of Success. Verity human demands. After successfully casting their
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rolls a 45% and adds her Fellowship Bonus [FB] of Spell, the creature appears, clad in chains and
5. Her total Degrees of Success is 9 (4+5). Thomas ectoplasm. The Historian secretly determines
Hutchinson rolls a 35% and adds his [FB] of 7. what the Difficulty Rating is and asks Mendon’s
His total Degrees of Success is 10 (3+7). The player to make a Secret Test using their character’s
Historian makes a note of the current Degrees of Bargain Skill to determine if Mendon’s force
Success, and the political bout continues. Verity of will is enough to command the ghost to do
rolls her Charm and Critically Succeeds! Unable their bidding. Recording the result in secret, the
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to roll any longer due to Verity’s Critical Success, Historian will narrate the outcome.
Thomas Hutchinson lost the political contest
and is recalled to London, never to return to the
Thirteen Colonies.
FAIL FORWARD TESTS
There are times where a failed Skill Test does not always
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equate to failure. For instance, when you are sneaking,

SECRET TESTS a Historian will ask for a Stealth Test. However, the
Sometimes, the Historian may not want you to know circumstances may be so much in your favor that failing
whether you were successful or not. Secret Tests hide the the Test will not reveal your location: this is an example
mechanics beneath the narrative, ensuring that you, as of a Fail Forward Test. If you failed the Stealth Test
a player, do not know the immediate result. Examples and the Historian felt it was appropriate, you instead
include: suffer 1D10+1 Peril due to the anxiety of being caught.
Similarly, a Historian can call for an Athletics Test
K Determine motivations (Scrutinize) to climb up a wall. However, the wall is riddled with
K Forge a document (Counterfeit) outcroppings, putting circumstances mostly in your
favor. Failing the Skill Test to climb would result in
K Holdout a weapon (Skulduggery) additional fatigue, as you suffer 2D10+2 Peril.
K Change your appearance (Disguise)
 № 10

HISTORIAN TIP: ASSIGNING Risk Backlash. You’ll learn more about Chaos Dice as
PERIL FOR FAIL FORWARD they relate to Injuries in Article 7: Combat Encounters
The Historian will not always reveal if a Skill and Chaos Dice as they pertain to Spells in Article 9:
Test is a Fail Forward Test before rolling dice. Hexenmeister’s Almanack.

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Furthermore, not all Tests are Fail Forward; a
Historian will use them when it best fits the
situation. TWIST OF FATE: COINS
Instead of outright failing in your task, the When the dice don’t work in your favor, you can call

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Historian would assign 1D10+1, 2D10+2 or upon a dramatic ‘currency’ called Coins, which both
3D10+3 Peril, based on the relative challenge and players and the Historian can leverage to ramp up the
conditions of the Test. However, Critical Failures action. Spend one Coin to gain one of these benefits:
have perilous results. Using the examples above, a
Critical Failure for being caught if sneaking and
climbing would result in the character falling to
the ground. K Immediately after you roll D100, re-roll to try
generating a better result, but you must accept

FURY & CHAOS DICE

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Throughout this work, you’ll see mention of Fury Dice
the outcome of the new die roll. Note that you
cannot spend Coins to re-roll a Critical Failure
on a Skill Test.
BASICS OF GAMEPLAY

to generate Damage for melee and ranged weapons. A

K Immediately after you roll a 1D6 Chaos Die
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Fury Die is a six-sided die (the die with faces 1, 2, 3, 4,
or 1D6 Fury Die, you may treat the result as a
5, 6). Fury Dice are covered more thoroughly in Article
face ‘6.’ However, you cannot spend more than a
7: Combat Encounters. Anytime you roll for Damage,
Coin to turn multiple Chaos or Fury Dice into
if it generates a face ‘6’ on the Fury Die, the Fury Die
face ‘6’ on the same Turn.
explodes, roll another Fury Die and add it to the Total
Damage value. If that Fury Die generates another face K During combat, gain 1 Action Point to use
‘6,’ it continues to explode, and so on. There is no upper immediately. You’ll learn more about this in
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limit to the number of times a Fury Die can explode. Article 7: Combat Encounters.
Calculate all results together to determine Total
Damage. 
K Suggest a momentary ‘edit’ to a situation
to the player’s advantage or the Historian’s
A za r
disadvantage. It introduces a new narrative
Wi l l i n g to n suc c e s s f ul ly
change, provided that it doesn’t directly
shoots a Loyalist with his musket. Azar’s Combat
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contradict anything the Historian has already

Bonus [CB] is 3. His player rolls a Fury Die,
established or seriously disrupts the story flow.
resulting in a face ‘6.’ Azar now adds another
The ‘rule of cool’ generally follows here; players
Fury Die, generating another face ‘6.’ His player
can have their characters do heroic, over-the-
rolls yet another Fury Die, resulting in a face ‘1.’
top actions that fit into the story milieu but are
Azar inflicts 16 Total Damage (3+6+6+1).
bound in reality. Edits don’t allow characters
to avoid being Slain! or suffering an Injury,
Similarly, you may see mention of Chaos Dice. A
however (that is the function of Determination,
Chaos Die is also a six-sided die (the die with faces 1,
which you’ll learn more about in Article 2:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Chaos Dice are for special situations that
Creating Characters).
dictate something terrible will happen whenever it
lands on face ‘6.’ They are generally brought into play
when determining if an Injury occurs. Chaos Dice also
have different implications, such as suffering Peril for
 № 11

DETERMINE COIN POOLS

Unlike ZWEIHÄNDER, this game uses two Coin
Pools. The players share a Player Pool, while the
Historian has their own Historian Pool. The interplay

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between the two pools by the Coin mechanic results in
a tug of war during each game session.
At the beginning of the game session, place pennies
or tokens representing Coins in a stack, equal to 1 plus

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the number of players present. For example, if there are
six players, then there are seven Coins in the stack.
The Historian immediately takes one of these Coins
and adds it to their Historian Pool. Then, each player
rolls 1D6 Chaos Die. For every face 1–5, take a Coin
from the stack and put it into the shared Player Pool.
For every result of face ‘6,’ the Historian takes a Coin
from the stack and places it into the Historian Pool.

V e r i ty
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Trow br i d g e , A za r Willington
and Mendon are sharing libations at the Green

BASICS OF GAMEPLAY
Dragon Tavern (the birthplace of the Sons of
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Liberty) when a group of three Red Coats and
their captain enter, intent on arresting everyone.
One of the players explains to the Historian that
they wish to spend a Coin to establish that the
pub not only has a back exit but that their table
is conveniently located near it so they can beat a
hasty retreat—unseen by the Red Coats. Unless
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the Historian has stated that there is neither a

back exit nor a table located far from the door,
this is a Coin’s legitimate use. However, if a player
instead said that the ceiling collapses on the Red
Coats, the Historian could refuse the edit.
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EBB & FLOW OF THE POOLS

Once spending a Coin, remove it from the Pool
and place it into the other. If a Historian spent
a Coin, it transfers into the Player Pool after
use. The same goes for the players;
for every Coin they spend from
the Player Pool, it is moved into
the Historian Pool. Once the
next game session starts, you’ll
determine the initial size of both
pools once again, as Coin doesn’t
carry over between sessions.
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 № 13
Article  2
C R E ATI N G C H A R AC TE R S
D iv e rs e str e n g th s i n p eopl e , c ultu r e a n d tho ug h t s h ap e d A m e r ica . Yo u r

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c h a r acte r i s th e l e n s th ro ug h w hic h yo u i n te r act w i thi n th e wor l d o f

FLAMES OF FREEDOM. I n th e f ictio n , w e c h a n n e l a wor l d m i r ror i n g a n d

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i n spi r e d by c o lo ni a l A m e r ica , i n for m e d by our shared hi story. Thi s ga m e

pr e s e n t s th e pl ay e rs a n opportu ni ty to s how w h at nor m a lcy c o ul d lo ok l i k e

in 1776 b u t d oe s not di sr e ga r d th e hor r i f ic tru th s i n A m e r ica n hi story.

STEP 1: STARTING ALLEGIANCE

CHARACTER CREATION IS a mosaic, and Whenever you create characters in FLAMES OF

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to frame how this crosses paths with the period,
randomly generate your first character.
FREEDOM, you’re forming a party: a group of
characters bonded by fidelity in the rebellion against
the British Empire. Abstinence from the conflict is
impossible. There is no middle ground.
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Your Allegiance will impact social interactions in
To create a character, you’ll need three 10-sided dice, a the game. Every character begins gameplay by pledging
pencil and the character sheet found in the back of the their Allegiance to the Rebels, which you will write
book under Amendments. Create one with your entire onto your character sheet now. What follows are the two
gaming group so that everyone can share in the experience.  major factions of the American Revolutionary War.
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THE REBELS
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER Call them patriots or Rebels, but they believe
Following these steps, you will create a ‘Mad Lib’ persona in the rallying cry of “No taxation without
at the top of the character sheet. It provides a way to representation.” From taxes on tea and sugar to
speak aloud your character’s background to others at the stamp duty, they believe levying these taxes upon
game table: the people without their say is wrong. Even though
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the Rebels may feel a sense of fidelity to ol’ split lip

K STEP 1: Starting Allegiance King George, they affirm self-governance. Before CREATING CHARACTERS
K STEP 2: Basic Tier & Primary Attributes the French and Indian War, it left the Colonials to
manage their affairs and protect themselves with
K STEP 3: Determination & Secondary Attributes little to no help from the British Empire. They
K STEP 4: Character Background who call for rebellion want but one thing: self-
rule. Whereas Loyalists are resistant to change, the
K STEP 5: Archetype & Professions List Rebels are more progressive in ideals.
K STEP 6: Physical Appearance
K STEP 7: Personality Traits & Conflict
K STEP 8: Ratify Your Character
 № 14

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THE LOYALISTS
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Loyalists are what the name implies: faith to the
British Empire. Once called Tories and Royalists,
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES
It’s time to generate your Primary Attributes, a set of
seven innate scores representing an intriguing mix of
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they politically stand against self-styled Rebels strengths and flaws.
who support the revolution. The Rebels do not
trust them, and their hostility makes Loyalists’ lives
dangerous. Some Loyalists have fled the Thirteen
Colonies, but others stand against the fear and, ROLL 3 D10 AND add each face value to 25 to
despite the risk, work tirelessly for King George generate a total percentage result. That means if
and the British Empire’s desires. The lessons the dice land on faces ‘8,’ ‘5’ and a ‘9,’ you end up
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learned from the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion have with 47% (25+8+5+9). As you generate each result,
instilled a harsh reality, one where the promises record it in the following order on your character
of a ‘shining new future’ would be an absolute sheet: Combat, Brawn, Agility, Perception,
nightmare. Loyalists already know the outcome Intelligence, Willpower & Fellowship.
and fight to put conservatism at the fore.
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CREATING CHARACTERS

STEP 2 : BASIC TIER &

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE BONUSES
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES
Each Primary Attribute has a related benefit called
Now that you know your character’s starting Allegiance,
a Primary Attribute Bonus, relevant to calculating
let’s move onto the nuts and bolts of character creation.
Secondary Attributes. This bonus is equal to the tens digit
BASIC TIER of the related Primary Attribute and any Bonus Advances
you earn through gameplay. Here is what they affect:
A Tier is a measurement of mechanical competence,
reflecting a character’s experiences throughout the story. K Combat Bonus [CB] affects Total Damage with melee
As with other games Powered by ZWEIHÄNDER, and ranged weapons.
there are three Tiers—Basic, Intermediate and Advanced
K Brawn Bonus [BB] affects Damage Threshold and
Tiers. Mark that your character starts in Basic Tier.
Encumbrance Limit.
 № 15

K Agility Bonus [AB] affects Movement and could also use it to save someone else from death or to
miscellaneous modifiers. slay a foe when it feels appropriate.

R e f e r e n ci n g
K Perception Bonus [PB] affects Initiative and ranged
from Article
th e e x a mpl e
weapon Distance.

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1: Basics of Gameplay, the characters share
K Intelligence Bonus [IB] affects the maximum number libations at the Green Dragon Tavern when
of Spells learned. a group of three Red Coats and their captain
enter, intent on arresting everyone. Stating to the
K Willpower Bonus [WB] affects Peril Threshold and

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Historian you wish to sacrifice Determination to
modifiers for Spells.
dispatch of the Red Coat captain, the Historian
K Fellowship Bonus [FB] affects how many people you blesses the decision. Taking the narrative reins
sway and languages. of the scene, you tell the story of how your
character silently rears up with a knife behind the
V e r i ty
Trow br i d g e h a s a Willpower of captain to deliver a killing blow. The Historian
52% (which results in 5 [WB]). She later gains then resumes narrative control, telling you the
two Bonus Advances from her Profession, which repercussions.
means Verity has 7 [WB] (5+2).
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Calculate your Primary Attribute Bonuses now
on your character sheet. Don’t mark any of the Bonus
The remaining soldiers sound the alarm and
work to apprehend all the characters. Everyone in the
tavern is quick to point out the characters and quickly
spread the word about their reprehensible actions.
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Advances yet, as you will earn them through gameplay. The characters will need to run for their lives.

Once sacrificed, remove it from your character sheet

STEP 3 : DETERMINATION & permanently. You will gain more Determination as you
SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES embroil your character in the ongoing conflict (which you’ll
Secondary Attributes home in on combat statistics, learn about under Step 7: Personality Traits & Conflict).
affecting your survivability. Once reading this section,
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OTHER BENEFITS: Your Determination value also

calculate all values on your character sheet.
changes your Damage Threshold. Which brings us to . . .
DETERMINATION
DAMAGE THRESHOLDS
Player characters are something special, cut from a
Wounds inflicted by weapons, burns from fire, falling
different cloth than non-player characters and other
off high precipices, Spells, some environmental effects
threats. Call it individualism, the providence of a higher
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and poisons’ effects can harm characters. Your Damage

power or luck, made manifest through a mechanic called
Thresholds protect you from Damage, while each step of CREATING CHARACTERS
Determination.
the Damage Condition Track illustrates how wounded
When you first create a character in the Basic Tier,
your character is. 
you begin gameplay with 2 Determination.
Your character begins at Unharmed and will go
SACRIFICING & GAINING DETERMINATION up and down the Damage Condition Track as they
adventure. You’ll suffer many Damage types, but they’ll
If spending Coins allows you to ‘edit’ a situation,
all track to Damage Threshold. Whenever a character
Determination will enable you to take complete narrative
suffers Damage that exceeds their Damage Threshold,
control of a scene. By sacrificing 1 Determination
they move one or more steps down the Damage
permanently from your character sheet, you could avoid
Condition Track negatively. The further down the track
suffering an Injury, avoid being Slain! or becoming
a character goes, the more likely they are to incur Injuries
Incapacitated! Other ways they could use it would be
or face death:
to undo the effects of Spells and Spell-like effects. You
 № 16

K Unharmed: You may have old wounds, stitches and Peril Threshold, they move one or more steps down
sutures that no longer threaten to open and bandaged the Peril Condition Track negatively. The further down
limbs. the track a character shifts, the more likely they are to
temporarily ‘forget’ some of their training in their Skills
K Hurt: You have cuts, light bruising and an itch or mild

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as the pressure rises:
pain. You can shrug most of this off with perhaps a
visit to the barber. K Unhindered: You are the very model of health. You
face no road weariness, anxiety or other mental
K Moderately Wounded: You have moderate bruises,
states . . . yet. 

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cuts that require sutures and lesions. You’re suffering
in pain, and it’s about to get much, much worse.  K Imperiled: Although you’re operating under a minimal
amount of strain, consider all choices with more care. 
K Seriously Wounded: As your wounds get worse, your
clothing darkens with blood. You likely have a busted K Ignore 1 Skill Rank: The pressure is on, and you can
nose, irregular gait and difficulty speaking. feel it. Your brow beads with sweat and you are more
ponderous and slower with all actions.
K Grievously Wounded: Bone bruises, hyper-extended
muscles, deep cuts and black contusions cover your K Ignore 2 Skill Ranks: You are toiling with every step

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body. Your clothing is likely blood-soaked.
K Slain!: Sadly, you are to the grave and food for the
worms. But will you heed death’s calling or defy it?
Sacrifice Determination to die another day.
you take, filled with anxiety. Likely, you’re suffering
from intense doubt and worn to a frazzle.
K Ignore 3 Skill Ranks: You can barely hold on. You’re
facing a significantly reduced chance to succeed at any
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task but hold on . . . help may be on the way!
K Incapacitated!: Your body betrays you, dragging with
every step. When in this state, you cannot succeed at
DETERMINE YOUR DAMAGE THRESHOLDS
Skill Tests.
now by adding [BB] to your Determination
value. We also note each additional step of
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Damage Threshold on the character sheet as

(Damage Threshold+6), (Damage Threshold+12)
DETERMINE YOUR PERIL THRESHOLDS
and (Damage Threshold+18). For example, if the
now by adding 3+[WB]. We also note each
Damage Threshold is 6, record it as 6 (12/18/24).
additional step of the Peril Threshold on the
You will learn more about the Damage Condition
character sheet as (Peril Threshold+6), (Peril
Track in Article 7: Combat Encounters.
Threshold+12) and (Peril Threshold+18). For
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example, if Peril Threshold is 10, record it as 10

CREATING CHARACTERS

(16/22/28). You will learn more about the Peril

Condition Track in Article 7: Combat Encounters.
PERIL THRESHOLDS
Psychological stress, road fatigue, exposure to the horrors
of the secret world, intimidation, suffocation, starvation,
exposure, intoxication, social shame and the effects of
drugs can harm characters. Your Peril Thresholds protect ENCUMBRANCE LIMIT 
you from Peril while each step of the Peril Condition Encumbrance Limit governs how much your character
Track illustrates how wounded your character is. can carry during combat without incurring penalties
Your character begins at Unhindered and will go up to Distance with ranged weapons, Initiative and
and down the Peril Condition Track as they adventure. Movement. Determine your Encumbrance Limit now by
Whenever a character suffers Peril that exceeds their adding 3+[BB].
 № 17

CULTURE
OVERAGE
‘Culture’ is a catch-all word that could speak to your
For every point beyond your Encumbrance Limit,
heritage, nationality or adoptive family—it is up to
you suffer Overage: an ongoing, cumulative -1
you to define what it means for your character. We do
to Distances with ranged weapons, Initiative

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not intend it to imply that the culture is monolithic in
and Movement. Should your Overage reduce
sentiment or thought, as people are individuals.
Distance, Initiative or Movement to 0, you must
We have represented a handful of cultures important
drop enough wares & weapons to bring the value
to this period. They are purposefully brief and related
back to at least 1. For now, do nothing until you’ve

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in the abstract. More in-depth details around common
recorded all your wares & weapons. You will learn
practices, national identities and other mannerisms are
more about wares & weapons’ Encumbrance
in Article 10: Life During Wartime and Article 11:
values in Article 5: Wares & Weapons.
Indigenous Nations.

PLAYING CULTURES OTHER

INITIATIVE
THAN YOUR OWN
During combat, Initiative determines the order of
As you read the different cultures, they talk about
actions. Determine your Initiative now by adding
3+[PB].

MOVEMENT
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During combat, Movement governs how far you can
experiences related to the American Revolutionary
War. Consider the implications of playing a
culture that isn’t your own. Your character is an
inspiration formed from culture, not a stereotype.
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It is a manifestation of history, experiences, arts
move. Determine your Movement now by adding
and achievements. Some people wear their culture
3+[AB]. You will learn more about Movement in Article
proudly and in everything they do—like cooking,
7: Combat Encounters.
music and social interaction. How can you celebrate
it? Where do you want to draw inspiration?
STEP 4 : CHARACTER BACKGROUND
Determine your culture now, record starting languages
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Your character is far more than a collection of values on

and randomly determine additional language(s). For
paper. To fully flesh them out, you will generate details
Indigenous cultures, also determine the member nation
about their identity.
you’re descended from. Replace the Indigenous cultural
AGE
term with the one related to your member nation (e.g.,
Mahican) on your character sheet.
Is your character a hotshot young clerk still wet behind
For Multicultural characters, randomly roll twice on
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the ears and eager to prove their worth beyond the

the culture table to determine your mixed heritage. If
Caribbean? Or are they an old soldier who has been on CREATING CHARACTERS
you end up with the same results, roll again.
one too many campaigns and seen too many friends die?
Tracking distinct numbers isn’t necessary, as we use age
as a descriptor. Determine your age now.
D100 AGE

1 to 20 Young
21 to 49 Adult
50 to 70 Mature
71 to 90 Aging
91 to 100 Elderly
 № 18

D100 CULTURE STARTING LANGUAGES D100 ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES

English and two 1 to 3 Abenaki
1 to 12 Black
additional languages
4 to 7 Algonquin
English and two

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13 to 26 British 8 to 10 Apalachee
additional languages
English and two 11 to 17 Atikamekw
27 to 41 Colonial
additional languages
18 to 21 Catawba
French, English and one

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42 to 57 French
additional language 22 to 24 Chickasaw
Member Nation 25 to 28 Creole
58 to 72 Indigenous language, English and one
additional language 29 to 31 Dutch
English and two 32 to 35 English
73 to 86 Multicultural
additional languages
36 to 38 French
Spanish, English and one
87 to 100 Spanish
additional language 39 to 42 German

D100

1 to 6
MEMBER NATION

Abenaki
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46 to 49
Greek
Haudenosaunee
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7 to 11 Algonquin 50 to 52 Hebrew
12 to 18 Apalachee 53 to 55 Innu
19 to 24 Atikamekw 56 to 58 Latin
25 to 30 Catawba
59 to 61 Lenape
31 to 37 Chickasaw
62 to 64 Lingua Franca
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38 to 41 Haudenosaunee
65 to 67 Mahican
42 to 48 Innu
49 to 54 Lenape 68 to 70 Massachusett

55 to 61 Mahican 71 to 73 Pidgin
62 to 68 Massachusett 74 to 76 Portuguese
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69 to 75 Powhatan 77 to 79 Powhatan
CREATING CHARACTERS

76 to 82 Seminole 80 to 82 Russian
83 to 88 Shawnee
83 to 85 Seminole
89 to 94 Tsalagi
86 to 88 Shawnee
95 to 100 Wampanoag
89 to 91 Spanish
92 to 94 Swedish
95 to 97 Tsalagi
98 to 100 Wampanoag
 № 19

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BLACK
I a m f r e e , a n d none can stand against this. My freedom is one I exercise
daily: I choose where and how to live, and I root my beliefs in the plight of
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my ancestors. Some of my family came to this country in bondage. Others

came to the Thirteen Colonies as indentured servants, guaranteed passage
and opportunity. A rare few were born free. I am a part of the next generation
of free folk and will make my mark on this world.
Yet, there are other dangers afoot you’ve not seen . . . but I have. Something
else is afoot. I have looked through the window into the world of spirits. The
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coming war—and make no mistake there will be one—is not a fight against
the Rebels or Loyalists. It is a fight against perversions who recoil from the CREATING CHARACTERS
light. These shadows protest against the living and care not for the pigment of
our skin. It is against this evil I will align myself with other unlikely heroes to
bring stability and peace, and we shall gain our freedom from this inexorable
fear that overshadows all.
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BRITISH
My fa m i ly tr ac e s its roots back to England, Ireland, Scotland or
Wales—but that doesn’t make me a Loyalist. Some of my friends and family
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arrived in the colonies later, but we are all British, through and through. Some
of us believe the Rebels’ needs take a backseat to the needs of the many in the
British Empire. It is for this reason the Loyalists believe themselves best to
govern the Thirteen Colonies. But there are other ways to ensure that the rule
of law remains intact. Whether we be a Loyalist or Rebel, there is one truism:
debate, compromise and consideration will solve the issue.
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The actions taken against Parliament by the Rebels are probably illegal.
The British Empire defended us all, and now it’s time to pay up. Nothing
CREATING CHARACTERS

comes without a price, some say, and these seven bloody years cost much
more than wealth and blood. Freedom isn’t free. As for the ‘stories’ of things
stalking the night, or forces most malign festering in the shadows? Those
are untrue. The only malign forces in this world are radicals who do not
understand that we must reason with one another to achieve peace.
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COLONIAL
I a m a C o lo ni a l , regardless of whether I was a German stepping off the
docks in Philadelphia or born of British parents. Call me a New Englander,
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a Virginian or a resident of Baltimore, but whatever you do, remember that

we do not bend the knee. We are something different and new—we are loyal
to the ideals of freedom. We have no time for Parliament’s ignorant demands
for the price of the French and Indian War. We already paid this price in
blood!
Where was Parliament when the people of Roanoke went missing?
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Where was the King when Jamestown’s survival was hanging by a thread? I
will tell you: they were safe across the sea. Yet, I have learned an important CREATING CHARACTERS
secret—there are evil forces who walk among us, and feed in the shadows.
There are shadowy threats and enemies within that go unseen. These ‘things’
are alive and want to kill us all. They care little if one is British, or Indigenous,
or even the damned French. It will be up to me and my kin to fight and pay
the ultimate price.
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FRENCH
My ro ot s ru n deep in this New World—I can trace them back to
Jacques Cartier, who surveyed the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. My family’s
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beginnings started when the first Europeans stepped foot into Quebec. I can
trace my lineage back to the Huguenots, who sought a new home safe from
the Catholics’ persecution. Like an Acadian, we fled land with my family, and
we carved out a life for ourselves in the New World.
There is simmering anger toward the Loyalists and their ascension to the
status of world power. You can see the self-made trap that they are about to
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walk into. If war comes to the New World, it’s a chance for France to strike
a blow and weaken our long-standing enemy. Though my country may not
CREATING CHARACTERS

be public with its support, I offer it in secret from the shadows. But there are
whispers of something else hiding among them. I fear there is an inhuman
foe to face, one which will force us to befriend our enemies to fight against
the shadow.
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INDIGENOUS
My p eopl e h av e always been here, but we are not one people. The
Europeans—outsiders—see my people as children and, at worst, obstacles to
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run roughshod over. They all bring disease and their backward ways. Some of
us have learned to adapt to European society, using it for our shared economic
advantage. Yet, while our people debate, it is the young ones who pledge to
fight on whichever side promises more.
Despite the side we choose, the European’s promises are temporary and
often broken. What they don’t realize is that there is a greater enemy. It is one
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who walked the land before all our people did. It is a sinister evil, one who
feeds upon the unaware and whispers sweet words of venom. They speak with CREATING CHARACTERS
serpents’ tongues from the darkness and show no fear of the other evils that
lurk in the periphery. They are the true enemy and threaten us all.
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MULTI C ULT UR A L
W e m ay h av e been taken in by French settlers or raised among Indigenous
communities. We are also sometimes from Colonial birthright, born as a Black
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person in the British Empire. Maybe we are Spanish by blood but French
in name. Or even born in the Caribbean from a Scotsman dropped in the
middle of a forgotten spot, I was made from many experiences. The situations
of others do not devalue my own experience. I recognize these different
parts of myself, and in doing so, I’m able to celebrate the me they blended
to become.
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There are plenty of people around me who think the stories of the shadow
people wandering the forgotten boweries are mere myths, but I know from
CREATING CHARACTERS

one side of my life that they aren’t. The shadows are real, they take many
shapes, and their presence has existed in stories and songs across every culture
who lives in this New World. I will show you that no matter whose womb you
were born from, the nation you lay claim to or the king you kneel before, that
none will escape the oncoming storm.
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SPA NISH
I a m S pa ni s h, w h eth e r I was born in New Spain or arrived here from
the motherland. The New World is ours, and it is one which my people came
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to first and mined her riches. Did England or France pay the price we gave in
blood? Did they map uncharted lands filled with danger? Did they suffer the
illness that killed many of our own? No. We Spanish are tied to this land by
birthright, and it is this land I will fight for.
Despite this, there is growing darkness that the priests have warned
against. It is something that our Indigenous allies whisper in hushed tones. I
Sa

have seen this evil . . . or at least glimpsed it. Their eyes glow from the shadows,
and their chants carry upon the night’s wind. They are a shadow which our CREATING CHARACTERS
grandparents fought against in the Old World and stole away in our ship
holds to come to the New World. They hide in forests, among swampy depths
of the south and on islands throughout the Caribbean. Winning is out of the
question; survival is the only thing we can hope for.
 № 26

STEP 5 : ARCHETYPE
& PROFESSIONS LIST
It’s essential to know who your character is and what
occupation they have practiced for most of their life

e
because of their upbringing or choice made at an early
age. An Archetype categorizes similar Professions
together, imprints a unique ability upon your character
and determines what their starting Profession is in the

fil
Basic Tier.
Determine your Archetype now, but don’t record
it. Consulting the related Archetype Tables, record
your wares & weapons, starting money and randomly
determine a related Archetype Trait. You’ll determine
your Archetype’s related Profession after this step.
D100 ARCHETYPE

e 1 to 12
13 to 26
27 to 41
42 to 57
Commoner
Frontier
Intellectual
Lawbreaker
pl
58 to 72 Mage
73 to 86 Urbane
87 to 100 Warrior
m

OTHER CULTURES ARCHETYPE: COMMONER

While we’ve presented the most common cultures Professions of this Archetype are typically run-of-the-
from the American Revolutionary War, you can work mill people, taking on regular jobs. Their occupations
with the Historian to introduce other cultures or may vary by culture, but they live by the philosophy
Indigenous member nations that best fit the vision that hard work will ensure a bountiful, healthy and
you have for your character.The Additional Languages productive life.
Sa

table is a great place to start! Remember: cultures do

not impart attribute changes but will inform their STARTING WARES,
CREATING CHARACTERS

three starting languages. English must be one of those WEAPONS & MONEY
starting languages unless the Historian and players K Backpack, Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/
have a different story in mind to tell together. Bullets (18), Candles (9), Fowler musket, Knife,
Laudanum, Set of inferior clothes, Smelling salt
and Tincture 
IDENTITY
This game asserts no mechanical differences based on
K 22 pence (p)
gender. This is because gender is a diverse experience
and, just as in actual life, gender is fluid and shifts as
people age and learn. Pick your character’s identity and
write it down on the character sheet.
 № 27

D100 COMMONER TRAIT

1 to 10 Its Own Reward THREATS—A GENERAL TERM which

11 to 20 Jack Of All Trades includes NPCs, creatures and other non-hostile

e
21 to 30 Keep It Simple entities in FLAMES OF FREEDOM—are always
classified by one of these types: Abyssal, Animal,
31 to 40 Low Profile
Beast, Humanoid or Supernatural. Humans and
41 to 50 Makeshift Tools player cultures are always classified as Humanoid.

fil
51 to 60 Nose To The Grindstone
61 to 70 Salt Of The Earth
71 to 80 Show The Heels MAKESHIFT TOOLS

81 to 90 Skeleton Key I’ve got a real ‘get ’er done’ attitude and don’t tarry over the
details.
91 to 100 Work, Work, Work
Effect: You can construct any tool smaller than an ox
with materials you have on-hand without fail. After
ITS OWN REWARD

e
Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.
Effect: You never suffer Peril because of failed or
Critically Failed Toughness Tests.
using the tool once, roll a 1D6 Chaos Die. On a result
of face ‘1-5,’ nothing happens. On a result of face ‘6,’ the
tool breaks and its user suffers 2D10+2 Peril.
pl
NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE

JACK OF ALL TRADES I always say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
I’ve always had a knack for learning. Effect: Whenever you triple the time required to make a
Skill Test, ignore Peril Condition Track penalties when
Effect: Add +5% Base Chance to any Skill you don’t
calculating Total Chance for success.
have a Skill Rank in.
m

SALT OF THE EARTH

KEEP IT SIMPLE
My beginnings were humble, and people readily forgive my
A famous man once said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings
transgressions.
of freedom must undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
Effect: Whenever you fail a Bargain or Rumor Test, re-
Effect: When in combat, you never gain Conflict
roll to generate a better result (but you must accept the
because of failed and Critically Failed Skill Tests, nor
outcome).
Sa

from Injuries.
CREATING CHARACTERS
SHOW THE HEELS
LOW PROFILE
It’s better to run and survive than to stay behind to die.
I try to stay out of other peoples’ way by keeping to myself.
Effect: Whenever you Charge or Run, add +6 yards to
Effect: All threats classified as Humanoid (including
Movement on foot.
player cultures) suffer a -20% Base Chance to hit you
until you initiate violence toward them or their allies.
SKELETON KEY
To call me overprepared is a vast understatement; I’m ready
for anything you throw my way.
Effect: Providing you can narratively justify it, you can
substitute any Primary Attribute in place of another
when making a Skill Test.
 № 28

WORK, WORK, WORK A TALL TALE

There’s always something left to do during the day, some tasks I was born ‘bigger’ than most others—what big means is
left incomplete. relative, I suppose.
Effect: You do not suffer the ill-effects of Peril until Effect: Are you abnormally short or extraordinarily

e
you are at ‘Ignore 3 Skill Ranks’ on the Peril Condition tall? Choose one. If Tall, you automatically inflict
Track. Moderate Injuries when fighting bare-handed in
combat, but permanently reduce your Initiative by -1.
ARCHETYPE: FRONTIER If Slight, permanently add +1 to your Damage Threshold,

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Professions of this Archetype typically live on the but you cannot use two-handed melee weapons. When you
fringes of urban society and in the frontier lands. They come to determining stature, select the aforementioned size.
make trade off the bounty the land affords them, hiring
themselves out as surveyors and protecting others. DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors and
STARTING WARES, let every new year find you a better person.
WEAPONS & MONEY
Effect: Immediately after you suffer Damage from a
K Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/Bullets (18),
e
Camping kit, Hatchet, Hunting bag, Musketoon,
Laudanum, Set of inferior clothes, Smelling salt
and Tincture 
melee or ranged weapon, spend a Coin to ignore it.

FORTUITOUS OUTCOMES
Touched by the darkness, but yet, I persist.
pl
K 33 pence (p) Effect: Whenever you gain an Affliction, immediately
gain one Belief Rank. You’ll learn more about Afflictions
D100 FRONTIER TRAIT in Article 8: Healing, Hazards & Horror.
1 to 10 A Tall Tale
FRONTIER-WALKER
11 to 20 Diamond In The Rough
I have learned the most important lesson of traveling in the
m

21 to 30 Fortuitous Outcomes wild—leave no evidence, extinguish the fire and stagger ones’
31 to 40 Frontier-Walker steps to avoid being found. 
41 to 50 Gut Founded Effect: When moving through uninhabited rural areas,
51 to 60 Hands Of A Healer you leave no trace of your passing and cannot be found
with Skills or Spells.
61 to 70 Hit The Hay
Sa

71 to 80 Shadows Begone GUT FOUNDED

CREATING CHARACTERS

81 to 90 Sleep Tight Whether I’m in the frontier or the cold climes of New France,
91 to 100 To The Bitter End I always find a way to survive.
Effect: In rural areas, you can always provide yourself
with food and water to live on, never suffering from the
effects of Starvation.

HANDS OF A HEALER
I have medical stigmata on my hands, and these have been
present in our family.
Effect: Whenever you fail or Critically Fail a Heal Test,
spend a Coin to turn it into a Critical Success.
 № 29

TO THE BITTER END

Those that can have patience can have what will be.
Effect: Whenever rolling to determine which Injury you
suffer, roll twice and choose the preferred results. 

e
ARCHETYPE: INTELLECTUAL
Professions of this Archetype are learned, lettered and
understand the value of the written word. They are of

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higher means, malleable and socially mobile.

STARTING WARES,
WEAPONS & MONEY
K Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/Bullets (18), Book
(one topic), Flintlock pistol, Knife, Laudanum,
Set of average clothes, Smelling salt, Tincture
and Writing kit

e K 33 shilling (s)

D100 INTELLECTUAL TRAIT

pl
1 to 10 By The Book
11 to 20 Chaos Is A Ladder
21 to 30 Encyclopedic Memory
31 to 40 Enfant Terrible
HIT THE HAY
41 to 50 Fit As A Fiddle
m

I can sleep anywhere: on the road, in the back alley and even
51 to 60 Hold On A Moment
with one eye closed on horseback.
61 to 70 Knowledge Is Power
Effect: You only need three hours of Sleep to restore
your Peril Condition Track. In addition, you are always 71 to 80 Logician
restored to Unhindered after Sleeping, even in unsafe 81 to 90 Stiff Upper Lip
places or when traveling.
Sa

91 to 100 Tongue-Lashing
CREATING CHARACTERS
SHADOWS BEGONE
I was born with a gift, one that runs deep in our family. BY THE BOOK

Effect: You treat Total Darkness as if it is Perfect Light, There is a process and a procedure to everything.
able to see in the dark. Effect: You treat all Special Skills as Common Skills.

SLEEP TIGHT CHAOS IS A LADDER

While the hand of a Barber or laudanum would be appreciated, In moments of violence, I can sense an opportunity.
I generally get by on my own. Effect: Whenever combat begins, you always gain the
Effect: Whenever you awaken from six hours of Sleep, benefits of Surprise on your first Turn.
you move one step up the Damage Condition Track
positively.
 № 30

e
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ENCYCLOPEDIC MEMORY e
I can absorb numbers and cipher at an alarming rate.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
My words may be frightening, yes, but that’s precisely the
pl
Effect: When attempting to recall written numbers or point.
copy content, you automatically succeed at the Skill Test. Effect: When you succeed at an Education Test, spend a
Coin to provoke Stress in one foe who can see and hear
ENFANT TERRIBLE you clearly.
My ways may be unorthodox and shocking, but it gets things
done. LOGICIAN
m

Effect: Whenever someone fails an Intelligence-based I’ve learned the patterns of magic and can break it down into
Skill Test, you can interject and have them re-roll using simple arithmetic.
your Base Chance without spending Coins. However, Effect: You may substitute Education when it comes to
they gain 3 Conflict. Resisting Spells and Spell-like effects.

FIT AS A FIDDLE STIFF UPPER LIP

Sa

“Cleanliness is next to godliness,” as they say. I’m just biding my time until the moment is ready to strike.
CREATING CHARACTERS

Effect: You are immune to Smallpox. Whenever you are Effect: When in a social situation, you never gain
exposed to an Ailment, sacrifice one Determination to Conflict because of failed or Critically Failed Skill Tests.
become immune to it.
TONGUE-LASHING
HOLD ON A MOMENT As you grace death’s door, let me enumerate the ways in which
Surely, we can find a way out of this mess that’s both beneficial you’ll be tormented . . .
for you and us . . . Effect: Whenever you inflict an Injury, your foe moves
Effect: Foes will never attack you on their first Turn of one step down the Peril Condition Track negatively
combat. if they suffer a Moderate Injury; two steps down if a
Serious Injury; or, three steps down if a Grievous Injury.
This only works on foes who can see and hear you clearly.
 № 31

ARCHETYPE: LAWBREAKER ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Professions of this Archetype are typically oath breakers Flattery will get me everywhere.
or on the run from something or someone. They deal in
Effect: Whenever you succeed at Skill Test to cheat, lie
lies, steal from the unwary and rabble-rouse to earn their
or steal, roll a D6 Chaos Die. If it lands on face ‘6,’ move

e
keep, and with nothing to lose, they have little to fear.
one Coin from one Pool into another Pool.
STARTING WARES,
FAKE IT TILL I MAKE IT
WEAPONS & MONEY
I’m good at pretending; it does what it says on the tin.

fil
K Antidote, Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/Bullets
(18), Knife, Laudanum, Set of dark clothes, Effect: You never suffer the effects of Critical Failures in
Smelling salt, Tincture, Tobacco (3) and Turn- Skills you don’t have Skill Ranks in.
out pistol
MOSTLY HARMLESS
K 11 pence (p)
If I just lie here and pretend to be hurt, they’ll think I’m dead
or at worst harmless . . .
D100 LAWBREAKER TRAIT
Effect: Add +1 to your Damage & Peril Thresholds.
1 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 30
Dead To Rights e
Better Lucky Than Good

Entrepreneurial Spirit
TAKE A MULLIGAN
If at first I don’t succeed, I’ll try, try again.
pl
31 to 40 Fake It Till I Make It Effect: Whenever you spend a Coin to re-roll a Skill
Test and fail, re-roll a final time (but you must accept the
41 to 50 Mostly Harmless
results of this final roll).
51 to 60 Take A Mulligan
61 to 70 Treachery TREACHERY
71 to 80 Ring Of Truth I’ve learned to read people and know when to act treacherously,
m

catching them unaware.

81 to 90 Windfall
91 to 100 White Feathered Effect: Whenever you deal Damage against a foe for the
first time, add a 1D6 Fury Die to Total Damage. You can
take advantage of this in combat by switching between
BETTER LUCKY THAN GOOD multiple foes.
Some higher power is looking out for me, thank God.
Sa

RING OF TRUTH
Effect: Whenever you spend a Coin to re-roll a Skill CREATING CHARACTERS
Test, if you fail the Test, put the Coin back into your As Thomas Paine said, “Of more worth is one honest person to
respective pool (but you must accept the results of the society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians.”
die roll). Effect: Add an Assist Die whenever you make Guile Tests.
In addition, you always succeed at Skill Tests to tell lies.
DEAD TO RIGHTS
Snooping, cheating and stealing are my most valuable assets. WINDFALL

Effect: Any Skill Rank you gain in Eavesdrop, Guile and The wheel turns and turns, in favor of the just and the unjust
Skulduggery modify your Base Chance by +15, instead alike.
of +10. Effect: Anytime you generate a Critical Failure, gain a Coin
for yourself. Once spent, discard it permanently. It must be
used before the end of the game session, or else it expires.
 № 32

WHITE FEATHERED ABRACADABRA

I’m no coward—I am just adept at avoiding the worst of It’s difficult to be discovered if you’re keeping to yourself and
situations . . . particularly when they’re delivered at the end moving among the crowds.
of a musket.

e
Effect: When moving through crowded urban areas, you
Effect: You may flip the results to succeed at Coordination leave no trace of your passing and cannot be found with
Tests to Defend against attacks made with ranged Skills or Spells.
weapons.

fil
ABSOLUTION
ARCHETYPE: MAGE Mine own sins shall be forgotten, for I carry a light which
Professions of this Archetype make use of strange healing cannot be extinguished within.
arts, plumb the depths of the supernatural and study
Effect: You never gain Conflict for actions you can justify
Spells. They come from all walks of life and have sacrificed
to the Historian are religiously or spiritually motivated.
some part of their humanity to further their aims.
DEVIL IN THE EYE
STARTING WARES,
WEAPONS & MONEY I’ve always spoken with the shadows, and they speak to me of

e
K Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/Bullets (18),
Book of Common Spells, Knife, Laudanum,
Overcoat pistol, Set of average clothes, Smelling
a greater darkness at play here.
Effect: You can use any Fellowship-based Skill to directly
communicate with Abyssal threats you can see and
pl
salt, Tincture and Writing kit hear clearly. This empathy acts as an all but paranormal
type of communication, the complexity determined by
K 11 pounds (£) the Historian. In addition, you are immune to being
Compelled (a Trait that some threats possess).
D100 MAGE TRAIT
HAND OF GOD
1 to 10 Abracadabra
m

There’s a power inside of me that I don’t yet understand, but

11 to 20 Absolution
it’s urging me to pick up iron to fight against the shadow . . .
21 to 30 Devil In The Eye
Effect: Any weapon you hold is treated as magically
31 to 40 Hand Of God enhanced for purposes of striking threats that can only
41 to 50 No Illusions be affected by Spells or weapons imbued with it.
51 to 60 Ritualistic
Sa

NO ILLUSIONS
61 to 70 Second Sight
CREATING CHARACTERS

Conjurers of cheap tricks cannot persuade me!

71 to 80 Twist Of Fate
Effect: You are immune to mind control and can see
81 to 90 Well-Grounded
through illusions.
91 to 100 Witches’ Mark
RITUALISTIC
I begin my mornings in prayer, giving thanks and offering
succor for the bounty provided.
Effect: Whenever you awaken from six hours Sleep,
make a Resolve Test to pray. If successful, you add +1
to three different Bonus Advances until you rest once
again. These effects are not cumulative day over day.
 № 33

SECOND SIGHT ARCHETYPE: URBANE

I have a gift that’s been passed down generations; I can see the Professions of this Archetype are typically knitted into social
ghosts that haunt these halls. circles and ingratiate themselves to others with their skills in
bending people to their whim. They are able to weaponize
Effect: With a successful Scrutinize Test, you can detect

e
words and art for good and as cruel barbs when necessary.
the presence of supernatural phenomena nearby. If you
Critically Succeed this Skill Test, you can accurately STARTING WARES,
track where the phenomena is (as if you were tracking WEAPONS & MONEY
someone using Survival).

fil
K Bandages (3), Blackpowder w/Bullets (18),
Flintlock pistol, Knife, Laudanum, Ledger, Set
TWIST OF FATE
of superior clothes, Smelling salt, Tincture and
I can see where the warp and weft of the world come together, Writing kit
and with a simple tug, I can cause it to come unraveled.
Effect: Whenever you spend a Coin, roll a 1D6 Chaos
K 22 pounds (£)
Die. If the result is face ‘6,’ the Coin doesn’t convert to
the other pool. D100 URBANE TRAIT

WELL-GROUNDED
e
I have walked in the world of spirits, and the stain they leave
on others’ souls I am able to simply shrug off.
1 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 30
Between Two Worlds
Dyed In The Wool
E Pluribus Unum
pl
Effect: Whenever you suffer from Stress, Fear and Terror 31 to 40 Fostering Community
provoked by threats classified as Supernatural, you do 41 to 50 Level-Headed
not gain Conflict.  51 to 60 People Person

WITCHES’ MARK 61 to 70 Self-Reliant

I carry a terrible gift . . . one that could get me strung from a 71 to 80 Seventh Sense
m

bridge if discovered.
81 to 90 Titan Of Industry
Effect: Whenever you fail or Critically Fail an Incantation
Test, you may turn it into a Critical Success. You move 91 to 100 Vox Populi
one step down the Peril Condition Track negatively as
a result.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Sa

In these streets, I have seen things you couldn’t imagine— CREATING CHARACTERS
things best left unspoken.
Effect: Immediately after you suffer Peril from a threat
classified as Abyssal, Supernatural or other situations
deemed otherworldly, spend a Coin to ignore it.

DYED IN THE WOOL

My ways aren’t capricious; I believe in what I believe.
Effect: Whenever you gain Conflict, decrease the
number you gain by three (to a minimum of 1). This
means that if you gain 6 Conflict, you gain 3 instead.
 № 34

E PLURIBUS UNUM TITAN OF INDUSTRY

Out of the many, there is one—one union, one strength and My handiwork is unparalleled, and you’ve likely seen my
one that’s strengthened by our diversity. maker’s mark before.
Effect: Whenever you Assist Skill Tests, the ally you’re Effect: Any object you craft with your own hands cannot

e
helping gains one additional Assist Die. be broken or destroyed by normal means.

FOSTERING COMMUNITY VOX POPULI

“Talk less, smile more” is the best way to navigate the politics Friends, people of Boston, countryfolk—lend me your ears!

fil
of our time. Effect: Treat each Bonus Advance in Fellowship Bonus
Effect: Whenever using social-based Skill Tests, gain [FB] as if it were three times its normal value. This means
two Assist Dice, using the best of all the results you roll. if you had a [FB] 6, treat it as [FB] 18 instead.

LEVEL-HEADED ARCHETYPE: WARRIOR

When it comes to resolving the hardships we’ve wrought, I’m Professions of this Archetype are typically fighters of
less inclined to give in to melancholy. a type, but not necessarily trained in the ways of the

e
Effect: At the end of the game session, roll two Conflict
Dice and choose the preferred results.

PEOPLE PERSON
military. Most are not long for this world, as the trades
they ply deal strictly in violence as a means to an end.

STARTING WARES,
pl
WEAPONS & MONEY
Don’t call me an effete doodle; I just like rubbing shoulders
K Bandages (3), Bayonet, Bedroll, Blackpowder
with everyone . . . and know what makes them tick. w/Bullets (18), Brown Bess musket, Knapsack,
Effect: You can sway any number of people who can Laudanum, Set of inferior clothes, Smelling salt
clearly see and hear you with Fellowship-based Skill and Tincture 
Tests. This includes actions such as Words As Weapons
in combat.
K 22 pence (p)
m

SELF-RELIANT D100 WARRIOR TRAIT

I always persevere, despite my circumstances. 1 to 10 Armed To The Teeth
Effect: You never have to spend money on clothing, food 11 to 20 Battle Hymn
or lodging, as you always have enough spare coins to pay 21 to 30 Bite The Bullet
Sa

for yourself and stable a horse.

31 to 40 Bloody-Minded
CREATING CHARACTERS

SEVENTH SENSE 41 to 50 Feather In The Cap

I understand how to cultivate relationships and feel for the 51 to 60 Liberty Or Death
possibilities and nuances of societies and their expectations. 61 to 70 Lock, Stock & Barrel
Effect: Whenever you interact with others using 71 to 80 Make A Beeline
Fellowship-based Skill Tests, treat their Social
81 to 90 Set My Sights
Disposition as Helpful. You can learn more about
Dispositions in Article 6: Narrative Tools. 91 to 100 Turn The Tables
 № 35

ARMED TO THE TEETH

Anything—and I mean anything—I pick up I can turn into
a deadly weapon.
Effect: Add both the Punishing and Vicious Qualities

e
to any melee weapons you wield.

BATTLE HYMN
Behold, growing strong and revered!

fil
Effect: Whenever you suffer an Injury, immediately
move one step up the Damage & Peril Condition Tracks
positively.

BITE THE BULLET

I power through the pain to get the job done.
Effect: Whenever you suffer an Injury, ignore its effects
until one hour later.

BLOODY-MINDED
e
Feh, you don’t scare me—I’m just biding my time for the right
pl
moment to strike back.
Effect: You do not flinch from scenes of blood and
viscera, nor gain Conflict because of it.

FEATHER IN THE CAP

m

I’m a decorated warrior and earned every accolade I wear.

Effect: Immediately gain 1 Determination.

LIBERTY OR DEATH
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
Effect: Whenever you would be Slain!, you gain 3 Action
Sa

Points that must be used immediately. If you kill the foe CREATING CHARACTERS
who slew you, you are Grievously Wounded instead. 

LOCK, STOCK & BARREL

I’ve got everything a marksman needs to execute a foe at range.
Effect: When you use Fury Dice to determine ranged
weapon Damage, the dice explode on face ‘5–6.’
 № 36

e
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e
pl
MAKE A BEELINE PROFESSIONS LIST
When bullets and arrows reign down, I manage to find an Every Archetype has a series of Professions tied to it. As a
out. part of character creation, you’ll begin in one Profession.
Although it is assumed your character has spent most of
Effect: Whenever you Charge, add +3 to your Damage
their life in this career, a Profession is more meaningful
Threshold until the beginning of your next Turn. When
than a simple job. It represents a personal attitude of the
m

you Run, add +6 instead. This does not stack with the
world at large, their economic fortunes and communal
action of Take Cover in combat.
responsibilities, and lays out a blueprint for abilities
you’ll develop.
SET MY SIGHTS
Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes, then fire low!
Effect: Whenever you inflict Damage from a Targeted
Sa

Attack, they also suffer an equal amount of Peril. AS YOU CONTINUE in the Basic Tier in your
CREATING CHARACTERS

Profession,you’ll eventually graduate to Intermediate

TURN THE TABLES and Advanced Tiers, taking on new Professions.
I can call upon Providence to alter the course of events, but I You will learn more about how Professions function
dare not abuse Her favor. in Article 3: Professions Pamphlet.
Effect: Whenever a Coin is about to be spent, call out
that you ‘turn the tables.’ The benefit of the Coin doesn’t
take effect, and it is permanently discarded from both
Determine your Profession now, referencing the
pools until the next game session. You can do this once
appropriate Archetype Table. Professions marked with a *
a game session.
beside it gain access to Spells, which you’ll learn more about
later when filling in the details of your Profession. Record
the iconic wares & weapons the Profession gives you.
 № 37

COMMONER PROFESSIONS LIST

D100 COMMONER PROFESSIONS ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS

1 to 8 Brewer Wagon & Coach horse

e
9 to 16 Gunsmith Brown Bess musket & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
17 to 25 Hired Hand General repair tools
26 to 33 Merchant 10 pounds (£) in various commodities

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34 to 41 Midwife Tincture (9)
42 to 49 Publican 1D10+1 pounds (£), 2D10+2 shilling (s) & 3D10+3 pence (p)
50 to 58 Purveyor Cart & Donkey
59 to 67 Servant Pocket watch
68 to 76 Smith Smithing tools
77 to 85 Tailor Tailoring tools
86 to 92 Weaver Weaving tools
93 to 100 Wright

FRONTIER PROFESSIONS LIST

e Stone-working tools
pl
D100 FRONTIER PROFESSIONS ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS

1 to 8 Animal Whisperer Hunting dog

9 to 16 Boatswain Rowboat
17 to 25 Dispatch Rider Road horse & Horse tack
m

26 to 33 Farmer Farming tools & Field horse

34 to 41 Greengrocer Provisions (30)
42 to 49 Mariner Scrimshaw tools
50 to 58 Mendicant Cross (superior)
59 to 67 Rambler Spyglass
Sa

68 to 76 Road Agent Duck-foot pistol & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)

CREATING CHARACTERS
77 to 85 Surveyor Surveying tools
86 to 92 Survivalist Selfbow, Quiver & Arrows (18)
93 to 100 Whaler Harpoon & Six yards of rope
 № 38

INTELLECTUAL PROFESSIONS LIST

INTELLECTUAL
D100 ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS
PROFESSIONS
1 to 8 Architect Drafting tools

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9 to 16 Artist Artist’s tools
17 to 25 Barber Surgical kit
26 to 33 Bookkeeper Ledger

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34 to 41 Dilettante Snuff & Snuffbox
42 to 49 Diplomat Passport
50 to 58 Engraver Engraving tools
59 to 67 Lawyer Book (law)
68 to 76 Printer Magnifying glass & Reading glasses
77 to 85 Stationer Stamped blank letters (25)
86 to 92 Teacher Microscope
93 to 100 Translator

LAWBREAKER PROFESSIONS LIST

e
Book (foreign languages)
pl
LAWBREAKER
D100 ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS
PROFESSIONS
1 to 8 Counterfeiter Counterfeiting tools
9 to 16 Crook Blackjack
17 to 25 Firebrand Blank pamphlets (10)
m

26 to 33 Freebooter Large chest & padlock & key (Arduous -30%)

34 to 41 Gambler Weighted dice & Cheat cards
42 to 49 Informant Broadsheet (12) & Magazines (4)
50 to 58 Mutineer Double-barrel pistol & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
59 to 67 Partisan Powder bomb (3)
Sa

68 to 76 Resurrectionist ‘Quick dig’ wood shovel

CREATING CHARACTERS

77 to 85 Tout Maps: local & regional (9)

86 to 92 Turncoat Red Coat uniform (superior)
93 to 100 Vagrant Cloak (winter)
 № 39

MAGE PROFESSIONS LIST

D100 MAGE PROFESSIONS ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS

1 to 8 Alchemist * Portable alchemy kit

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9 to 16 Apothecary * Portable alchemy kit
17 to 25 Aspirant * Amulet
26 to 33 Braucher * Symbol of faith

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34 to 41 Dowser * Divining rod
42 to 49 Folk Healer * Tincture (3) & Tobacco (9)
50 to 58 Fortune Teller * Oracular device
59 to 67 Herbalist * Sacred tool
68 to 76 Mentalist * Stage magician kit
77 to 85 Preceptor * Book (ancient history)
86 to 92 Sin Eater * Holy water (9)
93 to 100 Spiritualist *

URBANE PROFESSIONS LIST

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Spirit board
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D100 URBANE PROFESSIONS ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS

1 to 8 Actor Disguise kit

9 to 16 Bawd Turn-out pistol & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
17 to 25 Clergy Holy book
m

26 to 33 Clerk Blank book

34 to 41 Libertine Opium (9)
42 to 49 Magistrate Screw pistol & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
50 to 58 Milliner Mercury (9)
59 to 67 Musician Any musical instrument
Sa

68 to 76 Politician Powdered wig and Parisian fashion clothing

CREATING CHARACTERS
77 to 85 Tax Collector Small chest & padlock w/key (Standard +/-0%)
86 to 92 Town Crier Young colt, Bit & saddle
93 to 100 Writer Book (fiction) & Writing kit
 № 40

WARRIOR PROFESSIONS LIST

D100 WARRIOR PROFESSIONS ICONIC WARES & WEAPONS

1 to 8 Auxiliary Dutch longpistol & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)

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9 to 16 Cavalry Horse tack & Turf horse
17 to 25 Deserter Blunderbuss & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
26 to 33 Fur Trapper Pennsylvania longrifle & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18) 

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34 to 41 Grenadier Fused grenade (6)
42 to 49 Guerilla Girardoni air rifle & Blackpowder w/Bullets (18)
50 to 58 Lamplighter Lantern & Oil (9)
59 to 67 Militia Hanger sword
68 to 76 Officer Cavalry sabre
77 to 85 Privateer Boarding axe
86 to 92 Regular Infantry sword
93 to 100 Tracker

STEP 6 : PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

e Gunstock club

STYLE
pl
The game world is populated by a diverse, rich tapestry The fashion stylings in 1776 are complex and varied,
of people of various body types, skin tones and styles best told in Article 10: Life During Wartime and Article
of dress. As with age, a character’s physical appearance 11: Indigenous Nations. For now, reference this table to
has no bearing on game mechanics. If you end up with give you a quick overview of how your character tends to
unusual results, simply choose those that best fit the dress. Determine your style now.
vision you have for your character.
m

D100 STYLE

STATURE 1 to 33 Shabbily
Determine your stature now. 34 to 67 Modestly
D100 STATURE 68 to 100 Fashionably
1 to 33 Slight
Sa

34 to 67 Average EYES
Determine your eyes now.
CREATING CHARACTERS

68 to 100 Tall
D100 EYES

BUILD  1 to 4 Big blue

Determine your build now. 5 to 8 Bright hazel
D100 BUILD 9 to 12 Dark, deep-set
1 to 33 Lean 13 to 16 Dark, soulful
34 to 67 Normal 17 to 20 Dreamy hazel
68 to 100 Stocky 21 to 24 Emerald green
 № 41

D100 EYES

25 to 28 Fiery dark

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29 to 32 Grass green
33 to 36 Green, wistful
37 to 40 Icey blue

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41 to 44 Innocent blue
45 to 48 Intelligent grey
49 to 52 Intense hazel
53 to 56 Keen grey
57 to 60 Kindly blue
61 to 64 Large green
65 to 68 Large hazel
69 to 72
73 to 76
77 to 80
Mournful brown
Shrewd hazel
Small brown
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81 to 84 Soft green
85 to 88 Startling grey
89 to 92 Stormy grey
93 to 96 Thoughtful grey
97 to 100 Unblinking blue
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D100 STYLE

1 to 16 Braided
HAIR
17 to 33 Curly
Determine your hair now by rolling twice now,
combining length, style & color on your character sheet 34 to 50 Natural
(e.g. short textured brown). 51 to 67 Straight
Sa

D 100 LENGTH 68 to 83 Textured

CREATING CHARACTERS
1 to 16 Cropped 84 to 100 Wavy
17 to 33 Long
D100 COLOR
34 to 50 Medium
1 to 16 Auburn
51 to 67 Near shaved
17 to 33 Black
68 to 83 Short
34 to 50 Blonde
84 to 100 Very long
51 to 67 Brown
68 to 83 Grey
84 to 100 Red
 № 42

MARK 
Every character has a distinguishing mark; a physical
affectation that they’re remembered by. Determine
your mark now.

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D 100 MARK D100 MARK D100 MARK D100 MARK

1 A bald patch 27 A scarred face 51 Chickenpox scars Prominent

77 wrinkles
2 A big forehead A serious Constant

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28 underbite 52 congestion Purple
3 A bulbous nose 78 birthmarks
29 A small nose 53 Crooked teeth
4 A cherubic face Rancid breath
79
30 A square jaw 54 Dimples
5 A Cheshire grin Red cheeks
80
31 A thin nose 55 Droopy eyelids
6 A cleft lip Rotting teeth
Excessive body 81
32 A torn ear
7 A clubfoot 56 hair Ruddy cheeks
82
33 A turned-up nose
8 A crooked nose Facial paralysis Scarified skin
57 83
9
10
11
A double chin
A freckled face
A gaunt face
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34
35
36
A visible tattoo
A wide grin
A widow’s peak
58
59
60
Flatulent
Gangly arms
Grimy fingernails
84
85
86
Several moles
Short legs
Skin tags
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37 A winning smile
12 A Glasgow smile Hookworm Sleepy eyes
87
38 Acne scars 61 rashes
13 A gravelly voice Sloping shoulders
88
39 An aquiline nose Jaundice
14 A lazy eye 62
89 Slouchy posture
An ominous Keloid scars
15 A leering sneer 40 63
birthmark 90 Small hands
A lightning- 64 Large hands
16 An unfriendly 91 Smallpox scars
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strike scar 41 smile Long fingers

65
92 Squinting eyes
17 A long gait Bad acne Luxurious hair
42 66
93 Stumpy legs
18 A long neck Balding pate Mismatched eyes
43 67
94 Stilted speech
19 A mark of shame Beauty mark Missing teeth
44 68
95 Sunburned skin
A missing Bloodstained Patchy skin
20 69
Sa

eyebrow 45 clothes 96 Sweat profusely

70 Patchy white hair
CREATING CHARACTERS

21 A missing finger Broad shoulders Thick, luscious

46 97
71 Perfect posture eyelashes
22 A narrow face Broken teeth
47
72 Perfect skin 98 Unkempt hair
A persistent Bruised skin
23 48 Wind-chapped
cough 73 Perfect teeth
Bushy eyebrows 99 cheeks
49 Permanent
24 A pierced ear
Chapped lips 74 makeup Wooden dentures
50 100
25 A pot belly
75 Plump lips
26 A red birthmark
76 Pockmarked skin
 № 43

STEP 7: PERSONALITY TRAITS & CONFLICT

Morally grey choices and the depths to which people YOUR BELIEF
will plunge to see their goals come to fruition will all Your Belief represents a strength that refuses to be
weigh against a character’s mind. The ensuing internal extinguished and something you strive to idealize. In the

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tug-of-war is reflected by two simple, understandable course of gameplay, it is your Belief that leads you to gain
personality traits: your Belief and Flaw. Determination. Determine your Belief now.

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D100 BELIEF DESCRIPTION

1 to 3 Achievement Completing something worthy of remembrance is an honor due to my well-lived life.

Personal achievements are significant, but leading others to achievement changes the
4 to 6 Authority
world.
Free will is our original and most precious gift, and I intend to cherish it for the rest of
7 to 9 Autonomy
my days.
They will speak of glory and legacy; I believe beauty is the most authentic and passionate
10 to 12 Beauty
pursuit.
13 to 15

16 to 19
Community

Compassion
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Alone, we are fallible, but we can accomplish anything as a society by helping each other.
Life is hard and cruel, and it is my responsibility as a moral person to provide the balm,
through comfort and kindness.
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I believe that conquering one’s problems is mostly accomplished by boldly facing one’s
19 to 21 Courage
problems.
War will decide borders, and laws will choose leaders, but our works of art will define us
22 to 24 Creativity
as who we indeed are.
25 to 27 Curiosity Knowledge and achievement can be elusive, but the pursuit of these is open to us all.
We are defined by a purpose, a role we all must play. To try and deny what fate plans for
m

28 to 30 Destiny
me is a disservice.
The world deserves a drastic, fundamental shift toward something new, and I will help
31 to 33 Evolution
bring it about.
A greater entity guides my path and my salvation, and I trust in them to guide me to my
34 to 36 Faith
purpose.
I have sworn an oath to take care of my family, and this kinship bond steadies my home
Sa

37 to 39 Family
as much as brick or stone. CREATING CHARACTERS
Chosen bonds are strong as iron, and I will fight alongside my friends to the end of the
40 to 42 Friendship
world.
Tales will be told of the deeds great people accomplished, and my name will be
43 to 45 Glory
prominently listed among them.
I aspire to be better each day than the last, a path upon which I will stumble, but one
46 to 48 Growth
that will always lead home.
The foundation of virtue is to be truthful, and it is my responsibility to honor the trust
49 to 51 Honesty
others place in me.
My deliberations with others are built on a foundation of fairness, a code I follow with
52 to 54 Honor
friend and foe alike.
 № 44

D100 BELIEF DESCRIPTION

Every achievement is built on the backs of those before me, and to boast of my deeds is
55 to 57 Humility
to diminish them and myself.
A light heart will carry me to the clouds and beyond . . . the great marvels and pleasures

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58 to 60 Joy
of this world give me meaning.
What we as a people have made wrong, it is my duty to set right. All folk should get
61 to 63 Justice
what they deserve, for better or ill.
My pursuit has always been to learn the unknown, and to have those great discoveries to

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64 to 66 Knowledge
determine my legacy.
Decisions on the scale are complicated, and the morass of grey in the middle is not the
67 to 69 Logic
stuff of religious texts.
Are lonely days worthy of living at all? My heart yearns for the day it can be gifted to
70 to 72 Love
the one who will set me free.
My peers’ respect is of tremendous importance to me, and to earn that is worth a
73 to 75 Recognition
lifetime of toil.

76 to 78

79 to 81
Responsibility

Retribution
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To know that I am relied upon with serious tasks intended for only the most studious is
the highest honor.
What was taken from me can never be replaced. But, I can certainly take something in
return or die trying.
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The way of righteousness is to give of yourself so that others may live, and I aim to fulfill
82 to 84 Sacrifice
that creed daily.
D100 BELIEF DESCRIPTION
Peace is achieved through demonstrated strength. Let my strength serve as a challenge
85 to 87 Security
to those who dare us.
A healthy body is nothing if the spirit starves. I strive to commune and find answers
m

88 to 90 Spirituality
through prayer or meditation.
91 to 93 Tolerance I endeavor to fight for the rights of those who are marginalized by society.
94 to 97 Truth The pursuit of truth is a challenging blend of honesty, logic and spirit. 
The harshest lessons have come at the expense of pain. Strife and struggle will grant me
98 to 100 Wisdom
foresight.
Sa
CREATING CHARACTERS
 № 45
YOUR FLAW 
Conversely, you are troubled by a Flaw: a personal weakness that comes to the fore in stressful times, leading you to
act in your worst interests. In the course of gameplay, it is your Flaw that leads you to gain Afflictions. We’ll talk about
Afflictions in further detail below. Determine your Flaw now.

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D100 FLAW DESCRIPTION
I am so terrified of certain situations that I can’t stop thinking about them, leaving me
1 to 3 Apprehension
frozen for a moment whilst others act.
So much of my value is in my fragile self-worth . . . and I can’t help but let others know

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4 to 6 Arrogance
how great I am.
I have unusual appetites and behaviors that I find sometimes difficult to control. I try to
7 to 9 Avarice
hide these if at all possible.
I don’t read social cues well and come off as inconsiderate. I call myself honest; others
10 to 12 Callousness
call me a donkey’s ass.
I have a terrible tendency to forget what I’m doing or working on . . . I just get so
13 to 15 Carelessness
focused.

16 to 19

19 to 21
Cowardice

Deviance
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I might talk a big game, but when it’s time to take action, I’m incapable of doing so for
fear of failure.
Whether it be to derive sympathy or only gratification from pain, I find satisfaction in
suffering.
pl
22 to 24 Disloyalty I owe no fealty to others and am always looking for a better deal and greener grass.
I strongly dislike being told what to do. I may choose a path I wouldn’t if simply to spite
25 to 27 Disobedience
others.
I will compulsively lie to get what I want, either not knowing or uncaring about those
28 to 30 Duplicity
who get hurt in the process.
Others have possessions, titles and notoriety that are rightfully mine, and the thought of
m

31 to 33 Envy
it just makes me sick.
I am told I am joyless company because I do not enjoy the japes and tomfoolery of idle
34 to 36 Formality
minds. We have work to do!
Those who have wronged me have lit a fire in my heart. My seething distaste
37 to 39 Hatred
overwhelms my reason.
I give excellent advice but don’t always know how to apply it myself. Sometimes this is
Sa

40 to 42 Hypocrisy
innocuous, sometimes a betrayal.
CREATING CHARACTERS
I call myself a person of action, while others would call me impetuous and twitchy. I
43 to 45 Impatience
prefer action to words.
I don’t think it’s my job to show respect for others’ faiths and go out of my way to let
46 to 48 Impiousness
them know it.
I find reasons to make every single possible decision difficult and will debate them all
49 to 51 Indecisiveness
endlessly. I can see all the angles.
I become frustrated with a fit of quick-to-spark anger when even the slightest irritation
52 to 54 Irritability
breaks my focus.
Whether it’s a cycle of self-defeat or something more mystical, I expect failure, so I
55 to 57 Jinxed
continually harvest it.
 № 46

D100 FLAW DESCRIPTION

So much of this frontier life is simply toil. I don’t understand the rush, as the work will
58 to 60 Laziness
be there tomorrow.
I will use trickery and emotional leverage on those close to me to make them feel how I

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61 to 63 Machiavellian
want.
I want to cause pain to those who stand between me and my goals. I enjoy the feeling of
64 to 66 Misanthropy
inflicting power on others.
67 to 69 Naivete I trust people when they tell me things and believe they have my best interests at heart.

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Once you’ve had the finer things in life, it’s acceptable to be discerning. Why settle for
70 to 72 Petulance
an inferior quality of life?
73 to 75 Pride I refuse to tarnish my dignity, no matter what outcome it might protect.
As long as I make a choice, that action cannot fail, even if unreasonable. Commitment
76 to 78 Recklessness
over deliberation, I say.
I am unable to brook stupidity. If I am uncomfortable in a conversation, I will make sure
79 to 81 Sarcasm
they are, too, with caustic wit.

82 to 84

85 to 87
Selfishness

Superstitious
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My own regard has to come above all others. Who else will look out for me, if not
myself?
All of our books speak of omens and warnings, and I’d prefer to be cautious, thank you
very much.
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I will not do justice to those who have wronged me or my kin but instead punish those
88 to 90 Vengeful
responsible tenfold.
My anger is a bold and bright flash when it strikes. People will get hurt . . . sometimes
91 to 93 Vexation
even those I don’t intend.
The things I have earned—such as trinkets and power—belong to me. I am disinclined
94 to 97 Yearning
to share them with others.
m

I do not believe that others take their faith seriously enough. I feel that salvation requires
98 to 100 Zealotry
total devotion and that I can give.
Sa
CREATING CHARACTERS
 № 47

U si n g
CONFLICT TRACKER
th e e x a mpl e from Step 3:
Characters will make morally ambiguous choices, be put
Determination & Secondary Attributes, a
in situations where there is no clear right or wrong answer
character has murdered a Red Coat in the Green
and will fall prey to their worst fears. Your character will
Dragon Tavern. No matter how grim & perilous

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face at least one problem of this type during a game
the game is, murder is still murder. The Historian
session. Based on your choices and the outcome, the
deems that the character who killed the Red
Historian will give you a certain number of Conflict.
Coat captain gains 6 Conflict, while the other
Looking at the character sheet, you’ll see Conflict sits
characters gain 3 Conflict for being accomplices.

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right in the middle of both your Belief & Flaw. This is
the Conflict Tracker and is the tool you’ll use to track
whether your character is pulled toward their Belief or END OF SESSION RESULTS
Flaw by the end of a game session.
Conflict builds during a game session and will pull you
V e r i ty
toward one of your personality traits by the end. At
Trow br i d g e h a s captured a group
the end of every session, the Historian will roll a 1D10
of Red Coats. Five of the Red Coats give up and
Conflict Die to see if the effects scar your character
toss their muskets down, while the sixth Red Coat
(converting into Flaw Ranks) or if they become more

e
runs away to alert others of the Rebel presence.
There are few choices: does Verity shoot the Red
Coat in the back, killing them before the fleeing
soldier can alert others? Will she put a knife to
resolute (converting into Belief Ranks): 
K If the Conflict Die result is equal to or lesser than any
Conflict earned, mark one Flaw Rank on the Conflict
pl
one of the captured Red Coat’s throats to warn Tracker.
the other Red Coat to stop running? Will Verity
take flight before the Red Coat comes back
K If the Conflict Die result is greater than any Conflict
earned, mark one Belief Rank on the Conflict Tracker.
with reinforcements? There is no right or wrong
answer, and these hard choices represent how K If you gained zero Conflict, you choose: mark one
the Historian would bestow conflict. Belief Rank or one Flaw Rank.
m

However, if you gain more than 10 Conflict in a

GAINING CONFLICT game session, you automatically gain one Flaw Rank
and must roll against the remainder to see if you gain
The Historian determines the exact number of
additional Flaw Ranks. It is entirely possible to gain two
points of Conflict your character gains during a
or more Flaw Ranks in a single game session.
game session. This is all based on the playstyle the
R ic h a r d’s c h a r acte r ac c umul ate d 12
Historian is using for the adventure: Supernatural
Sa

Horror, Occult Mystery or High Action. Each

Conflict in one game session. He automatically CREATING CHARACTERS
playstyle has its own frameworks the Historian
gains one Flaw Rank, and the Historian rolls
will reference when giving out Conflict (covered
a 1D10 Conflict Die against the remaining 2
more thoroughly in Article 13: Historian’s Secrets).
Conflict to see if he gains an additional rank.
Depending on the severity of the situation,
Fortunately, the Historian rolled a 3 on the
your character will gain anywhere between 1 to
Conflict Die, so it does not result in another
10 Conflict. The more situations your character
Flaw Rank.
faces in a session, however, the more Conflict you
potentially gain. Finally, only player characters
After rolling, erase the amount of Conflict you
gain Conflict and benefit from Determination.
gained that game session, resetting it at zero for the next
game session.
 № 48

REACHING 10 BELIEF RANKS

Once you have marked 10 Belief Ranks, you gain one
Determination (as described previously in this article).
Update your Determination value and modify the

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Damage Condition Track. Finally, reset your Belief
Ranks to 0 (unless you have permanent ranks) on the
Conflict Tracker.

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YOUR CHARACTER CANNOT have
more than 6 Determination. If you ever gain 7
Determination, you’ll remain at 6 and mark a
permanent Belief Rank in its place.

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REACHING 10 FLAW RANKS
Once you have marked 10 Flaw Ranks, you gain a
pl
permanent Affliction: an impairment that also bestows a
survival strategy, arising out of the horrors you’ve endured.
Assignment of an Affliction is handled between you and
the Historian, with consideration to your character’s story
arc, and always at the end of the game session. Further
details for Afflictions can be found in Article 8: Healing,
Hazards & Horror. Update your character sheet with the
m

Affliction. Finally, reset your Flaw Ranks to 0 (unless you

have permanent ranks) on the Conflict Tracker.

THERE ARE RARE cases where you may

Sa

gain permanent Flaw Ranks. If you ever have

CREATING CHARACTERS

10 permanent Flaw Ranks, you must retire your

player character as an NPC.

There is no upper limit to how many times Belief &

Flaw Ranks are moved and reset, outside of the Historian’s
approval. They continuously oscillate in both directions
as the story plays out, blossoming into additional
Determination or manifesting into new Afflictions.
 № 49

STEP 8 : RATIFY YOUR CHARACTER

By now, you’ve learned that randomly generated
characters break down traditional stereotypes you may
have about the period. Some of these results may feel

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at odds with one another. After all, why would a Black
Milliner align themselves with an Indigenous Actor
and a British Turncoat? Shared hardship can cultivate
camaraderie during adversity while underscoring the

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importance of diversity in character makeup.

YOUR CHARACTER’S NAME

Decide on a name for your character, and sign it at the
top of the character sheet.

FINAL PREP
Before gameplay begins, flip to the articles ahead to fill

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in these final details on your character sheet:
K Find your Profession in Article 3: Professions
Pamphlet and write in the effects of the paired Trait &
Quirk. Also, your Profession has 10 Skill Ranks listed
pl
in a table called Abilities. Mark every Skill Rank it
provides by filling in the circle on your character sheet.
Each Skill Rank gives you a +10% Base Chance to use
that Skill.
K Find your wares & weapons in Article 5: Wares &
Weapons and write in the details.
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K As a group, head to Article 6: Narrative Tools to learn

how to begin and end a FLAMES OF FREEDOM
game session. It’s time to play!
Sa

CREATING CHARACTERS
Sa
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pl
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 № 51
Article  3
P RO F E S S I O N S
PA MPH L ET

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
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Y our c h a r acte r h a s sp e n t mo st o f th e i r l i f e i n th e i r sta rti n g P ro f e s sio n
b u t h a s not m a ste r e d a l l o f i t s abi l i ti e s . A f te r su rv iv i n g th e wor l d ’ s m a n y

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hor rors , u n r av e l i n g c o n spi r aci e s a n d dr iv i n g away s e rva n t s o f th e o c c ult,

yo u w i l l ga i n n ew abi l i ti e s a n d mov e i n to n ew P ro f e s sio n s .

EARNING REWARD POINTS BASIC TIER

Success is as essential as failures are in a grim & perilous As mentioned before, a Tier is a measurement of
game. As you adventure, your character earns Reward mechanical competence, reflecting a character’s

e
Points (RP from here on out). They are awarded to you
for role-playing your character’s personality, surviving
and participating in the story. Once earned, you can
spend RP to gain mechanical benefits from your
experiences throughout the story. There are three Tiers—
Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Tiers. Characters
begin gameplay in Basic Tier.
pl
Profession, called Profession Abilities. SPENDING RP &
There are three distinct ways players will earn RP. COMPLETING BASIC TIER
We’ll talk more in-depth about earning RP in Article Refer to the Profession Abilities: each costs 100
6: Narrative Tools: RP. Buy them in any order you desire, but you
must buy them all to complete the Basic Tier:
K PRE-GAME RECAP: Before the game session
formally begins, all attending players should jointly K Buy all three Talents. Talents are found in the
m

recap what happened during the previous one. Every second half of Article 4: Skills & Talents.
player who participates gains 50 RP.
K Buy all seven Bonus Advances. You can buy each
K END OF SESSION: Every attending player gains but once in this Tier, and they grant a cumulative
25 RP for every real-world hour played. If the +1 to the related Primary Attribute Bonus.
session was at least a half-hour, the Historian will
After you’ve bought the three Talents and seven
round up to treat it as if it were a full real-world
Sa

Bonus Advances from your Profession’s Basic Tier,

hour played.
you are ready to move onto the Intermediate Tier.
K POST-GAME DEBRIEF: As the game session As a reward, you can remove your Basic Tier
formally wraps up, each player will go around the Profession’s Quirk, as your character has overcome
table to briefly talk about how the story impacted its adverse effects throughout the story.
their character. Every player who participates gains
50 RP.
 № 52

INTERMEDIATE TIER 
SPENDING RP & COMPLETING
The Intermediate Tier represents a new chapter in your INTERMEDIATE TIER
character’s ongoing story—a definitive change from
Refer to the Profession Abilities: each costs 200
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

your Basic Tier.

RP. Buy them in any order you desire, but you

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PICK A NEW PROFESSION must buy them all to complete the Intermediate
Tier:
As you move into and through your second Profession,
you will continue to draw from your past, so you never K Buy all ten Skill Ranks. You can buy each but

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lose your old abilities. Take a look at the other Professions once in this Tier, and they grant you a cumulative
within your Archetype. Providing it is within the same +10% to use the Skill. Skills are found in the first
Archetype, you can move freely into any other Profession. half of Article 4: Skills & Talents.

L et ’s lo ok at Verity Trowbridge. In
K Buy all three Talents. If it is a duplicate Talent
from a previous Profession, work with the
the Basic Tier, she enlisted as a Regular with
Historian to find a new one appropriate to the
the Rebels. Her experiences fighting in the
Profession.
Virginian battles of Kemp’s Landing and Great

make her a Guerilla. e

Bridge have swayed her chosen Profession. In
the Intermediate Tier, Verity’s player decides to
K Buy all seven Bonus Advances. You can buy each
but once in this Tier, and they grant a cumulative
+1 to the related Primary Attribute Bonus.
After you’ve bought all Profession Abilities
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Should you elect to move into another Profession
from your Profession, you are ready to move onto
outside of your Archetype, the Historian must approve
the Advanced Tier.
the switch.
As a reward, you can remove your Intermediate
BUY TRAIT & QUIRK Tier Profession’s Quirk, as your character has
overcome its adverse effects throughout the story.
Mark on your character sheet that your character is now
in the Intermediate Tier. Spend 200 RP to enter your
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second Profession, gaining its Trait & Quirk. ADVANCED TIER

The Advanced Tier is the final chapter in your character’s
story, representing the culmination of their total growth
throughout the campaign.
Sa

PICK A FINAL PROFESSION

As you move into and through your third Profession, you
will continue to draw from your past, so you never lose
your old abilities. Take a look at the other Professions
within your Archetype. Providing it is within the
same Archetype, you may move freely into any other
Profession.
 № 53

L o ok i n g at Verity Trowbridge,
o n c e aga i n
she has completed the Basic Tier as a Regular,

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
and Intermediate Tier as a Guerilla. Her player

e
decides that Verity’s final Profession in the
Advanced Tier will be as an Officer.

Should you elect to move into a Profession outside of

fil
your Archetype, the Historian must approve the switch.

BUY TRAIT & QUIRK

Mark on your character sheet that they are now in the
Advanced Tier. Then, spend 300 RP to enter your third
Profession, gaining its Trait & Quirk.

SPENDING RP & COMPLETING

ADVANCED TIER

e
Refer to the Profession Abilities: each costs 300
RP. Buy them in any order you desire, but you
must buy them all to complete the Advanced Tier:
pl
K Buy all ten Skill Ranks. You can buy each but
once in this Tier, and they grant you a cumulative
+10% to use the Skill.
K Buy all three Talents. If it’s a duplicate Talent
from a previous Profession, work with the
Historian to find a new one appropriate to the
m

Profession.
K Buy all seven Bonus Advances. You can buy each
but once in this Tier, and they grant a cumulative
+1 to the related Primary Attribute Bonus.
After you’ve bought all Profession Abilities
Sa

from your Profession, your character has officially

reached the upper limits of their potential.
As a reward, remove your Advanced Tier
Profession’s Quirk, as your character has overcome
its adverse effects throughout their story.
 № 54

UNIQUE ABILITIES K You must spend double the RP to buy the Skill Rank.
While there are other prerequisites set in place to govern For example, if you are in the Intermediate Tier,
how to move through a Profession, you can also spend Profession Abilities normally cost 200 RP. A Skill
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

RP on Unique Abilities. There are no upper limits on Rank from outside of your Profession would cost 400

e
how many Unique Abilities you can purchase. RP instead.

LEARN NEW LANGUAGES K You cannot buy more than one Skill Rank in the same
Skill within the same Tier. For example, this means
By spending 100 RP, you become fluent in a new
you cannot buy two Skill Ranks in Simple Melee in

fil
language. It is always at the discretion of the Historian,
the Basic Tier or three Skill Ranks in the Intermediate
who may impose additional limitations on how quickly
Tier. 
you can learn the language. If you have at least one Skill
Rank in Education, you can also read and write the TALENTS OUTSIDE YOUR PROFESSION
language if it has a written form. However, your [FB]
The Historian may allow you to use your RP to buy
directly affects the number of maximum languages you
different Talents that fall outside of your Profession
can learn.
Abilities under the following conditions:
LEARN SPELLS

e
By spending 100 RP you can also learn Spells. However,
your [IB] limits the maximum number you can learn.
Learning Spells is covered more thoroughly in Article 9:
K You can either replace a Talent you have yet to acquire
from your Profession Abilities or replace a Talent you
previously bought.
K You must spend double the RP to buy the Talent. For
pl
Hexenmeister’s Almanack.
example, if you are in the Advanced Tier, Profession
LEARN ALCHEMICAL ARTS Abilities normally cost 300 RP. A Talent from outside
of your Profession would cost 600 RP instead.
By spending 100 RP you can also learn Alchemical Arts.
However, your [IB] limits the maximum number you REMAINING IN
can learn. Learning Alchemical Arts is covered more THE SAME PROFESSION
thoroughly in Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack.
m

Some players may want their character to remain

SKILL RANKS OUTSIDE YOUR PROFESSION in the same Profession for Intermediate and
Advanced Tiers. Simply spend future RP on
The Historian may allow you to use your RP to buy
the same Profession Abilities indicated by your
different Skill Ranks that fall outside of your Profession
Profession. However, instead of buying a Trait &
Abilities under the following conditions:
Quirk, spend your RP to buy an Archetype Trait.
Sa

K You can either replace a Skill Rank you have yet to Otherwise, spend 200 RP in Intermediate Tier
acquire from your Profession Abilities or replace a and 300 RP in Advanced Tier for Professions
Skill Rank you previously bought. Abilities.
 № 55

⅞
PROFESSIONS LISTING

P ro f e s sio n s are arranged alphabetically, using

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
the following format:

e
NAME: A Profession’s namesake is a guideline; you may
have very different ideas about the attitudes it conveys and
how it fits into your character’s culture. While some may
have gendered names, you are not limited by identifying

fil
gender or sex as to what Profession your character can
become. Finally, Professions that start with access to
Spells are indicated in their listings and in the table below
with a plus (+) beside their names. 
TRAIT & QUIRK: Every Profession possesses a
unique knack, an ability that no other Profession has
access to. The Trait immediately follows the Profession’s

e
description. Whenever you acquire a Trait, it is paired
with a Quirk which comes at no additional RP cost. The
Quirk immediately follows the Profession’s Trait effects.
COMMON SPELLS TABLE: Some Professions grant
pl
knowledge of Common Spells, marked with a * after
its name. You can learn more about casting Spells and
learning new ones in Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack.

COMMON SPELLS LISTINGS

m

D100 SPELL NAME

1 to 8 Babblebook
9 to 16 Bludgeon With Elements
17 to 25 Discern Persona
26 to 33 Divine Breath
Sa

34 to 41 Eyes Of The Eagle

42 to 49 Inspiring Homily
50 to 58 Liquid Courage
59 to 67 Petition The Mountain
68 to 76 Quicken Blood
77 to 85 Raise The Alarm THE BOOK OF COMMON SPELLS Mage
86 to 92 Strike True characters begin with contains every single Spell
listed to the left, including the ones listed as
93 to 100 Wind’s Grace
Intermediate and Advanced Tier Spells in Article
9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack.
 № 56

ACTOR
W ho in times such as these?
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

n e e d s p e r for m e rs
Preposterous. I am more needed than ever! Whether I

e
hail from the English stage and feel complete reenacting
Shakespeare’s King Lear upon these tawdry stages or
have honed my performances in the cold winter nights
of my clan’s lodge, I am a performer who deserves the

fil
esteem of my community. My abilities as a singer, dancer
and thespian are self-evident, whether or not the fools
can appreciate them in these Colonies.
Maybe I should cut the people a break, as things are
growing rather dire. The rising anger toward Britain, the
Intolerable Acts and the increased military presence are
lighting a fuse that will indeed explode into something
bombastic and terrible. However, if push comes to shove,

e
I will follow whoever can ensure my survival. Otherwise,
the world would lose one of its great performers, which
is a crime I cannot forgive!
pl
PERSONA, COME FORTH!
I slip into character as quickly as another may slip into costume,
altering my appearance and mannerisms with only minutes of
preparation.
Effect: You may flip the results to succeed at Disguise
Tests. When you succeed, it is always considered a
m

Critical Success. In addition, when you successfully

masquerade as a specific person, you can perfectly mimic
their Allegiance.
ACTOR ABILITIES
QUIRK: METHOD ACTOR
{ Trait & Quirk
When I take on a role, I often lose myself so thoroughly that I
Sa

can forget who I really am.  SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Effect: Whenever you break character or fail in your { Charm { [AB] { Charismatic
Disguise, you gain 1 Conflict. { Disguise { [CB] { Costuming
{ Eavesdrop { [FB] { Simon Pure
{ Education { [FB]
{ Folklore { [IB]
{ Rumor { [PB]
{ Scrutinize { [PB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
{ Skulduggery
 № 57

ALCHEMIST *
My sacred, and my desire to purify,

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
wor k is
mature and perfect formulas are ceaseless. It is through

e
common aims that transmutation and distillation
bring understanding to all. While the world might be
embracing a more elevated view of itself, I know that
this is pure folly. Through the concept of ‘natural science,’

fil
the learned attempt to define God, His works and His
creations within their alchemical practices.But they never
will. God cannot be defined, nor can He be examined.
He just is, and we live in a world of His creation.
My ancient knowledge is written upon the Tabula
Smaragdina, codified in Liber de Compositione Alchemiae and
defined by Robert Bacon: it is the true path of understanding
how the world works. The shadows loom over the world,

e
and I have seen them. There is evil seeping into the whole of
creation. To aid in the coming battle—and make no mistake,
a battle is coming—new tools must be forged. The first is
the Elixir of Life, which wards away death. The second is
pl
the Philosopher’s Stone, which brings change. Finally, there is
Alkahest, which will break the shadows.

THROUGH MY EYES
Through your time spent in the forge plumbing the hidden
knowledge of God’s works, you have the ability to notice the
m

smallest of things.
Effect: You know the Alchemical Arts of Create Acid
Bomb and Create Alkali (from Article 9: Hexenmeister’s
Almanack) and randomly determine three Common Spells ALCHEMIST ABILITIES
you learn as free Unique Abilities from the Common Spells
Listings table. You treat all Critically Failed Alchemy Tests { Trait & Quirk
Sa

as regular failures, and treat all successful Alchemy Tests SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
as Critical Successes. Finally, you can Risk Backlash and
{ Alchemy { [AB] { Distilling
Unfetter your Spells (as covered in Article 7: Combat
Encounters and Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack).  { Awareness { [BB] { Pharmacopoeia
{ Education { [IB] { Science
QUIRK: BOUND TO THE FORGE { Folklore { [IB]
You have spent most of your life in a space filled with fumes, { Incantation { [PB]
liquids and the forge’s heat. { Rumor { [WB]
Effect: Whenever you engage in physical activities such { Simple Melee { [WB]
as running, jumping and climbing, you must flip the { Skulduggery
results to fail Brawn-based Skill Tests. { Toughness
{ Tradecraft
 № 58

ANIMAL WHISPERER
S om e can read others like a book, while
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

say th ey
others proclaim they read nature. I, however, read

e
animals. Scoff if you must, but I know how to speak
with them, and animals know how to talk with me. We
share a bond, a means that is intuitive. I can tell you
when they are frightened, when they suffer and—more

fil
importantly—what they feel. And, before you ask: no,
I was not raised by wolves. I run with all beasts, even
human ones.
I run with the bison. I hunt with the fox. I climb
with the squirrel in the forest’s green, leafy boughs. I
respect them as equals, but I do not think for a moment
that our understanding lets me control them. Nor can
they control the change evident in the air. As I make

e
my way through this wilderness, I learn from the rabbit
something is wrong. My friend the pigeon tells me she
has seen a shadow grow. Worse still, the salmon whispers
of rot here. I talk with my brother turtle and sister snake,
pl
and both warn me. Their message is always the same:
darkness is here.

WAY OF THE BEAST

Beasts are pure, primal creatures who must be treated as
equals—not as some potential trophy or cattle led to slaughter.
m

Effect: Threats classified as Animals or Beasts will never

make you a target of attacks until you initiate violence
toward them or their allies.
ANIMAL WHISPERER ABILITIES
QUIRK: AN OUTSIDER IN ALL WAYS
{ Trait & Quirk
All see me as nothing but an animal, and I let them . . . after
Sa

all, beasts are far more civilized. SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Effect: When interacting directly with anyone who is { Athletics { [AB] { Husbandry
not classified as an Animal or Beast, you must flip the { Awareness { [BB] { Mimicry
results to fail Fellowship-based Skill Tests. { Charm { [CB] { Train Animals
{ Folklore { [FB]
{ Handle Animal { [FB]
{ Simple Melee { [PB]
{ Simple Ranged { [PB]
{ Stealth
{ Survival
{ Toughness
 № 59

A P O T H E C A RY *
I how the human body

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
po s s e s s k nowl e d g e o f
works, how the various medicinal treatments aid suffering

e
and how to mend a body that’s been thoroughly broken.
Though Barbers and Midwives are able to perform some
of my duties, I bring to bear greater knowledge through the
application of drugs called ‘sorcerous’ by some, traditional

fil
by others. Whether healing through the use of yarrow
and milkweed, or powders and tinctures, I know what the
people need to be well. As an Apothecary, I have learned
herbology, the use of spices—and truthfully, anything that
is natural—to fortify the body against sickness.
The art I practice may have its roots in the ancient
medical practices of white witches and survivalists or
Indigenous medicine people, but the integration of

e
medicines from many cultures is the only way to face
the world in which we now live. I keep myself ahead of
the latest discoveries to continue to hone my skills and
perfect my craft. To do this, I work with patients who
pl
consent to my new, experimental treatments.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW

Though I pride myself on keeping abreast of the latest
developments of medicinal discoveries in Europe, I also possess
deep knowledge of the ancient ways.
m

Effect: You know the Alchemical Art of Create Medicine

(from Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack) and
randomly determine three Common Spells you learn as
free Unique Abilities from the Common Spells Listings A P O T H E C A RY A B I L I TI E S
table. Laudanum you create moves a person two steps up
the Damage Condition Track positively, while Smelling { Trait & Quirk
Sa

Salt you create moves a person two steps up the Peril SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
Condition Track positively. Finally, you can Risk Backlash
{ Alchemy { [AB] { Brains Over
and Unfetter your Spells (covered in Article 7: Combat Brawn
Encounters and Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack). { Awareness { [FB]
{ Bargain { [IB] { Pharmacopoeia
QUIRK: THEOREM, DEDUCTION, OUTCOME { Folklore { [IB] { Self-
Medication
When treating patients, I always need to test my experimental { Heal { [PB]
theories—for good or for ill. { Incantation { [WB]
Effect: After a person has used one of your medicines { Resolve { [WB]
and goes to Sleep, roll a 1D6 Chaos Die. On a result of { Rumor
face ‘1–5,’ nothing happens. On a result of face ‘6,’ the { Simple Melee
person awakens Imperiled. { Survival
 № 60

A RCHITEC T
T h e r e i s a symphonic perfection in planes, angles and
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

arches. Some might write in prose or paint the world as

e
they see it, but I create using the universal language most
ancient: mathematics. With physics and engineering,
I manifest form and function through the buildings I
design. Math is God’s language and using it, I design

fil
everlasting works. My structures are not just places to
live, but places speaking the language of the heavens. It
is with geometry and calculus that I become closer to
God and the enlightenment of His work.
Many likely do not understand me. My thoughts are
lofty, looking to the heavens, not as an astronomer would,
but to realize the gifts God has given humankind—the
ability to create from their mind’s eye. Even in the garden

e
of this great world, however, something roils beneath the
surface. The more I work in God’s language—the more
angles and planes and calculations I perform—the more
I learn those dark, unnatural secrets that belie God’s
pl
intention in the dark corners of this world.

THE GOLDEN RATIO

There is one precept in all mathematics I hold dearest: the
divine golden ratio of triangles that returns again and again
in both nature and Man’s creations.
m

Effect: You automatically succeed at any Skill Test to

determine distances. In addition, you treat Extreme and
Long Distances as Medium Distance for purposes of
using ranged weapons. A RCHITECT ABI L ITI E S

QUIRK: THE CORNERS BETRAY { Trait & Quirk

Sa

When flat planes converge, the corners turn to shadowed SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
portals, and from them emerge unspeakable shapes and vistas. { Arithmetic
{ Awareness { [CB]
Effect: Whenever you fail a Resolve Test to withstand { Bargain { [FB] { Perceptive
Stress, Fear or Terror afflicted by threats classified { Education { [IB] { Stonemasonry
as Abyssal or Supernatural, you suffer an additional
{ Navigation { [IB]
1D10+1 Peril and 3 Conflict.
{ Rumor { [PB]
{ Scrutinize { [PB]
{ Simple Melee { [WB]
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
{ Tradecraft
 № 61

A RTI S T
I s e e th e wor l d through a different lens. For me,

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
there is beauty in everything, and to celebrate this

e
beauty, I capture it so that it is preserved, and others
may celebrate it. There is no ugly, for in everything, inner
beauty shines. The way I capture this beauty depends on
what my muse demands. I might write using language

fil
as my medium of choice. Perhaps I use beads and trade
cloth to create beautiful costumes entirely representative
of my client. Or, I might use oils to capture the shining
world upon the canvas. Even still, I might weave baskets,
engrave, print, carve or really do anything to capture the
world around me.
What I do not tell anyone is the truth in what you
see. I must follow my muse and travel in the direction it

e
guides me, but often this direction leads into darkness.
There is a hidden world, one that many see only out
of the corner of their eye. I have seen this world and it
frightens me. I have even entered stupors while in my
pl
studio, creating in a frenzy only to snap out of it and
discover my blasphemous, damned creation while in this
fugue.

THE ARTIST’S EYE

There is always some person, place or thing which wholly
m

absorbs me and is my muse to create.

Effect: You gain a muse, which may be an object, person
or place. When in the presence of your muse, you ignore
Peril Condition penalties when creating works of art. A RTI ST A B I L ITI E S
You’ll gain new muses at each Tier.
{ Trait & Quirk
Sa

QUIRK: A TORTURED ARTIST SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Evil seeps from the shadows and covers purity’s light in { Artistry
{ Awareness { [FB]
corruption—the darkness has eyes, and it is in these eyes I see
{ Bargain { [FB] { Brains Over
something, or someone, familiar. Brawn
{ Counterfeit { [IB]
Effect: Whenever in Fleeting Shadows and Total { Perceptive
{ Folklore { [PB]
Darkness, you must flip the results to fail Resolve Tests.
{ Guile { [PB]
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Rumor { [WB]
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Melee
{ Tradecraft
 № 62

ASPIRANT *
I wa n t mor e . Not more wealth. Not more power.
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

But something else—something that gives my life

e
meaning. As to what, I do not have an answer . . . yet. I
search for it in books. I search for it by working with my
hands. I spend time in the wild communing with nature
in hopes of gaining insight on my path to follow. It

fil
seems at every turn I am thwarted, and I remain empty
and confused to my very core. What do I aspire to be?
Sadly that is the question I still cannot answer.
For as long as I can remember, I have asked myself
a question: Is there more? The life that I live is a good
one, but not the one I feel destiny wants for me—has
created for me since the earth was made. I search for it,
but it is something that remains just out of my grasp—

e
taunting me like a child, laughing at my frustration. I
have learned to see the world differently, and because
of this, I know something is wrong. As is often the case
with destiny, I do not know what stirs—yet this time, I
pl
feel, all will be revealed.

IN TUNE WITH ÆTHER

Though you might try to deny it for your own peace of mind, I
feel a divine connection to something otherworldly.
Effect: When you hold an amulet and Risk Backlash,
m

you must roll two or more face ‘6s’ on Chaos Dice to

trigger it. Randomly determine three Common Spells
you learn as free Unique Abilities from the Common
Spells Listings table. Finally, you can Risk Backlash ASPIRANT ABILITIES
and Unfetter your Spells (covered in Article 7: Combat
Encounters and Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack).  { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: THERE IS SO MUCH TO KNOW
{ Alchemy { [CB] { Astronomy
In my pursuit for the true path, something new always pulls
{ Eavesdrop { [IB] { Occult
me away from that one thing.
{ Education { [IB] { Planar
Effect: When attempting Intelligence-based Skill Tests, Alignment
{ Folklore { [PB]
you cannot take advantage of the Coin Pool or gain
{ Incantation { [PB]
Assist Dice.
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Rumor { [WB]
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
 № 63

AUX I L I A RY
C o n tr a ry you might believe, I am no

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
to w h at
mere ‘irregular.’ My forebears hail from the greatest

e
warriors the world has ever seen! Do not confuse this
reverence with being beholden to them. I fight under my
own flag and proudly wear the uniform of my homeland.
I bear loyalty to only two things: my people and the

fil
mission in front of me. Nothing shall see me deviating
from those two loyalties, no matter what hardships I
may face.
I have been sent, along with my fellow soldiers, to
protect our people. No matter what our enemies say, they
are all damn fools anyway, quarreling like children with
their home country instead of fighting for what they
believe. I am not paid to have an opinion, however—I

e
am paid to guard and watch and fight if need be, and it
seems the likelihood of filling that need increases by the
day. That is the mark of a proud soldier anyway—stand
up, be quiet and do your job, as heavens know they’d be
pl
lost without us.

HONED BY CONFLICT
To secure peace is to prepare for war.
Effect: Whenever you make an Attack Action using
a ranged weapon, foes must flip the results to fail to
m

Defend or Resist it.

QUIRK: STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

You have little in common with the plights of strangers. AUX I L I A RY A B I L I TI E S
Effect: You must flip the results to fail all Fellowship- { Trait & Quirk
Sa

based Skill Tests when interacting with cultures other

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
than your own.
{ Athletics { [AB] { Animalistic
{ Awareness { [BB] { Friendly Fire
{ Folklore { [CB] { Nimble
{ Martial Melee { [CB]
Fingers
{ Martial Ranged { [IB]
{ Resolve { [PB]
{ Simple Melee { [WB]
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
{ Warfare
 № 64

BARBER
H um a nk i n d perfect machine, and in that
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

i s th e
same vein, I could be called the body’s carpenter. I wake

e
up early every morning and here in my shop I prepare
for the day. Ah, what a life, what a pleasure for a Barber
of my quality! I am ready for anything, night and day—a
nobler life cannot be found. With razors, combs, lancets

fil
and scissors at my command, I am ready for everyone
who asks for me. Here are my wigs for powdering, my
razor for shaving, leeches for bleeding—I mend and
groom and send my clients on their way.
I am a Barber, quick with the razor, quick with
setting a broken bone, quick with whatever ails a person.
Young and old, sick or well, I do not care—they are all the
same. This war may come, or it may not, but I will stand

e
stalwart as I always have. Everyone needs my services,
and my work cares not for what someone believes or
to whom they pledge loyalty. Though, if I were honest,
there is something peculiar afoot that sometimes chills
pl
my spine. I see it in the eyes of those who come for my
services. What this is, I hope never to find out.

AT EASE, MY FRIEND
I am a people person; I know how to talk with them and how
to ease their tensions.
m

Effect: You ignore Peril Condition penalties associated

with Skill Tests to heal people. In addition, your
medicinal practices never result in a patient suffering
from Sepsis. Finally, add an Assist Die when using any BARBER ABILITIES
Healing Practice (as indicated in Article 8: Healing,
Hazards & Horror). { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: MY HUBRIS
{ Alchemy { [CB] { Field Dressing
I am always busy because I am the only person dedicated and
{ Awareness { [FB] { Ribaldry
knowledgeable enough to complete the task the right way.
{ Bargain { [FB] { Sagacity
Effect: Whenever your Flaw causes you to gain Conflict,
{ Charm { [IB]
you gain 3 additional Conflict.
{ Education { [IB]
{ Heal { [PB]
{ Rumor { [WB]
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Melee
{ Toughness
 № 65

B AW D
L o n e l i n e s s h au n t s thi s world, as it always has. It

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
isn’t desperation that drives people to me. It’s the need

e
for tenderness and companionship, the need to feel
cared for in a world too cold to be safe. My lips hold
the promise of release and of silence. I am one of the
greatest keepers of secrets. For every need in the city,

fil
there is someone who can provide. I meet them without
flinching, for no desire is too strange, no hunger too
consuming and no lust too overwhelming. But in these
times, it is all a means to an end as secrets are sold for
pounds sterling.
My delicious skills have put me in touch with people
from all parts of society. Rich or poor, prominent or
unknown, I give them the comfort they seek. Secrets

e
always spill forth from between lovers’ lips. Some deal
with the coming conflict while others are of darker
origin. I know how to whisper those secrets into the right
ear, for the right price. Some private affairs, however,
pl
are particularly troubling. I suppose the secrets of the
coming war are inconsequential when there’s something
else stalking all of us out there.

YOUR SECRETS REVEALED

I’ve always had a way with words, an ability to comfort others
m

in their darkest moments.

Effect: Whenever you fail a Charm or Stealth Test, you
may re-roll to generate a better result, but must accept
the outcome. In addition, whenever you hide in urban B AW D A B I L I T I E S
environments during a Combat Encounter, it only costs
1 AP. { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: WORLD’S OLDEST PROFESSION
{ Charm { [AB] { Charismatic
Some consider my work tawdry in the streets, but they tend to
{ Eavesdrop { [AB] { Dressed To
think differently in the sheets. The Nines
{ Folklore { [FB]
Effect: When foes or strangers recognize you as a Bawd, { Talk Less,
{ Guile { [FB]
you cannot gain an Assist for Skill Tests. Smile More
{ Resolve { [PB]
{ Rumor { [PB]
{ Scrutinize { [WB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Skulduggery
{ Stealth
 № 66

B O AT S WA I N
As B oat swa i n (pronounced BOH-sn), two
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

a
things make me happy. The first is life upon the water.

e
The second is a well-ordered dock. Though many might
think there is no glamour in what I do, they would be
wrong. I bring order to the chaos that is life at sea. The
waters are the lifeblood of the world’s empires, and it

fil
is people like me who keep towns and settlements well
supplied. Without me, no one working the deck would
know their role, nor would the ship be able to function,
nor would the world even function properly.
Though I might appear to be skilled at producing
order out of chaos, I harbor a secret: there is no order, only
chaos. The things I have seen while sailing have shaken
me to the very core. Things lurk within the water and

e
dance in cresting waves while the storms surge. I’ve seen
good people plunge overboard, searching for a mermaid
I myself was not entirely convinced wasn’t real. There is
another form of chaos brewing as well. But, between the
pl
blaring of the foghorn and the drums of war, an elder
evil silently creeps into our world.

A KNOTTED ROPE
Not everyone can tie a rope so tight and firm that a man-
o’-war won’t drift headlong into the shoals and scatter its
m

precious cargo.
Effect: You may flip the results to succeed at Pilot Tests.
When you succeed, it is always considered a Critical
Success. In addition, when using the Movement subtype B O AT S WA I N A B I L I T I E S
of Rowing, you do not have to add the additional 1
Action Point cost. { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: TOO MUCH TIME AT SEA
{ Athletics { [AB] { Cast-Iron
Though I would not trade my life for anything, working and Stomach
{ Awareness { [AB]
living at sea has taken its toll. { Full Of Beans
{ Coordination { [BB]
Effect: Reduce your Willpower by -9%. { Sailing
{ Folklore { [CB]
{ Martial Melee { [CB]
{ Pilot { [PB]
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
 № 67

BOOKKEEPER
B a nk e rs the money, merchants may

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
m ay h av e
make the money, but only I know how to hide the

e
money. Without me, no one knows where anything is.
That shipment of tea? That ‘arrived’ last week and ‘sold’
yesterday. The truth is that it arrived a month ago and
I sold it for twice the asking price—netting myself a

fil
tidy profit. This is not to say that I am a thief. Still, with
one stroke of my pen I can make a merchant’s wealth
disappear or improve fortunes of the deserving. In truth,
I am just an upstanding person who does what I love:
keeping and fixing the books to my pleasure.
In the booming ports along the coast, business grows.
Money is made, deals are struck and debts are called in.
What I do might not be the most dangerous job; after

e
all, I record in ledgers and the only risk to my health
is an ink spill or a papercut. Yet, things are changing.
Dimly along the horizon, I see clouds gather as a storm
brews. Soon the lightning will strike, and the peace will
pl
be shattered, and my books will do little good then.

IN THE MARGINS
I have an uncanny knack for seeing mistakes and making
the numbers work for me, even if I have to exploit it to my
advantage.
m

Effect: Whenever you fail Counterfeit or Scrutinize

Tests, you may re-roll to generate a better result but must
accept the outcome. In addition, you always succeed at
Skill Tests for mathematical exercises. BOOKKEEPER ABILITIES

QUIRK: BAD POSTURE { Trait & Quirk

Sa

My life has been a soft one—my eyes are strained, and my back SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
bent from spending countless hours hunched at a desk. { Cheat Sheet
{ Bargain { [FB]
Effect: You cannot take advantage of Long or Extreme { Counterfeit { [FB] { Ebb & Flow
Distances with ranged weapons. { Eavesdrop { [IB] { Poker Face
{ Education { [IB]
{ Folklore { [PB]
{ Guile { [PB]
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Rumor
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Ranged
 № 68

BRAUCHER *
I a m f e rv e n tly r e l ig io us and hold deep beliefs,
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

far more profound than even my local preacher. Some

e
claim to channel the power of God and work miracles in
His name, but I have truly learned these mysteries. The
Bible is only a fraction of God’s word—the Romanus-
Buchlein, Egyptian Secrets of Albertus Magnus and the

fil
Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses have opened the divine
path to me! I know God’s true whims and meaning, and
because of this, He has chosen to grant me the boon of
performing miracles. Ministers have long tried to hide
the truth but have failed in their endeavors to hide it
from me.
Many see me as deluded or even evil, saying my claim
of this power is asinine at best and heretical at worst. Yet,

e
I know the truth. The word of God—which is codified
and written by the Prophet of Moses—gives one who is
willing to read and learn the means of communing with
God. I do not lie when I say I have spoken with God,
pl
and my powers are proof. But perhaps worse, God has
warned me of a great coming calamity, second only to
Judgment Day.

FIND THE HIDDEN WORD

There is no greater act than adhering to the word of God, and
m

he has rewarded me greatly for my penitence and devotion.

Effect: Whenever you bear a symbol of faith in hand, add
+1 to your Damage and Peril Thresholds. Randomly
determine three Common Spells you learn as free BRAUCHER ABILITIES
Unique Abilities from the Common Spells Listings
table. Finally, you can Risk Backlash and Unfetter your { Trait & Quirk
Sa

Spells (covered in Article 7: Combat Encounters and SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack).
{ Awareness { [CB] { Manna Of
{ Education { [FB]
God
QUIRK: I ANSWER TO ONE LAW
{ Occult
There is no greater law than the Law of God, and I adhere to { Folklore { [IB]
{ Theology
it, even if it costs me my life. { Guile { [PB]
{ Incantation { [PB]
Effect: If you reach 10 Conflict during a game session,
you temporarily lose your ability to cast Spells until the { Resolve { [WB]
next game session. { Scrutinize { [WB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
 № 69

BREWER
N ot my name, but they are

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
many k now
undoubtedly familiar with my work. Brewing is a craft

e
so ancient, so needed and in such demand that when it
is done right, people sing my praises. Yes, the work is hot
and dirty and breaks my back, but the results speak for
themselves. Be it barrels of brown cow, cider, mead, rum,

fil
whiskey, wine or anything else with the kick of fire and
the ability to make you forget, I can fill a keg with the
sweet nectar. Truly, brewing is an art for the ages, and
my skill equates me with the great masters of old who
brewed the finest wines and meads for royal banquets
and mighty emperors.
In these troubling times—and make no mistake,
these times are troubling—my job has elevated

e
importance above its typical station. Not only can I help
people forget their troubles, but my brews can numb
pain and flush wounds. With the growing call for the
rebellion and rumors of strange things seen in the dark
pl
of night, my skills are needed even more. After all, how
better to gain courage than through a stiff and heady
drink?

I HAVE TASTED IT ALL

My palate is so refined that I know if something is not aged
m

right or if something is made incorrectly, or perhaps even

poisoned.
Effect: You know the Alchemical Art of Create Drugs
(from Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack). With a sip, BREWER ABILITIES
you automatically succeed at any Skill Test to determine
if drinks have been drugged. Finally, you never suffer { Trait & Quirk
Sa

from the negative effects associated with Intoxication. SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: JUST A SIP { Alchemy { [BB] { Distilling

{ Athletics { [BB] { Hobnobbery
I adore the taste of booze and its aroma—just a nip or two in
{ Awareness { [CB] { Pot Valiant
the morning is enough to get me started.
{ Folklore { [IB]
Effect: You never gain the positive effects associated
{ Resolve { [PB]
with Intoxication.
{ Rumor { [WB]
{ Simple Melee { [WB]
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
{ Tradecraft
 № 70

C AVA L RY
T h e r e i s no greater feeling than being in the saddle
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

atop a strong destrier racing with the wind. The horse

e
is something I understand—while a simple Farmer
sees them as a tool and others as simply a means of
transportation, I see them as both a symbol of my status
and a tool of war. A horse is not merely a luxury or a

fil
beast of burden, as it is truly an extension of one’s skill.
I was born in the saddle and, by the grace of Divine
Providence, was blessed with exceptional horsemanship
and the chance to use this gift to its fullest.
I am skilled in an art many will never be able to take
part in, and for that, I’m truly blessed. My skills have
been honed on the battlefields. I fight from the saddle,
and due to my financial means, I am able to pay for the

e
right to be in the Cavalry. Though I hear tales of things
in the shadows, I laugh at such nonsense. War is in the
air, and with its arrival, I once again take the saddle and
bring the fight to the enemy—whoever they may be.
pl
DEVIL IN THE SADDLE
I fear that my enemies have underestimated my power while
in the saddle.
Effect: Every time you inflict Damage on horseback
using Actions In Combat, temporarily increase your
m

Total Damage by +1 cumulatively, lasting until you are

Slain! or combat ends.

QUIRK: STABLE STENCH C AVA L RY A B I L I T I E S

I spend so much time around horses, I’ve forgotten how to pick
{ Trait & Quirk
up on social cues and feel ill at ease in social situations.
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Effect: Whenever you spend a Coin in a social situation,
roll a 1D6 Chaos Die. If the result is face ‘6,’ you must { Coordination { [AB] { Horse Sense
spend two Coins instead. { Handle Animal { [AB] { Off The
{ Martial Melee { [BB]
Bridle
{ Stalwart
{ Martial Ranged { [CB]
{ Navigation { [CB]
{ Ride { [FB]
{ Rumor { [IB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
 № 71

CL E RGY
I through which heavenly grace

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
a m a s h eph e r d
and compassion are brought to the world. I have spent

e
years studying the scriptures, attending seminary and
worshipping with every fiber of my being. By living by
the tenets of my faith, I demonstrate to all that the only
way to live is the way our faith teaches. God provides

fil
comfort and shelter, all in exchange for our devotion. I
bring comfort to those in need, strength to those who
are weak and guidance to those who are lost. I am at the
heart of a community, providing stability and shelter to
those in need, be they without a home or the wealthiest
amongst us.
The world is changing fast, and not for the better.
There is lawlessness, there is blasphemy and there is anger.

e
God sits in Heaven, enraged by the cruelty sweeping this
land, leaving blood and tears in its wake. All of this heresy
and sin stems from the current troubles. The British
Empire and its church have its eyes turned toward this
pl
New World, and many want to rebel. The shadows are
darkening as well, coalescing into something that may
swallow the entire flock.

HEAVEN SENT
It is through my devotion that I am shielded, and as such, I
m

walk amongst the shadows with no fear.

Effect: All foes classified as Abyssal or Supernatural
suffer a -10% Base Chance to hit you, regardless of the
actions you take against them. CLERGY ABI LITIE S

QUIRK: THE ONLY LAW { Trait & Quirk

Sa

There is only but one law, and that law is found in the book SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
of our faith. { Brains Over
{ Awareness { [BB]
Effect: Whenever your Flaw causes you to gain Conflict, { Bargain { [FB]
Brawn
you gain 3 additional Conflict. { Tenacity
{ Charm { [FB]
{ Theology
{ Education { [IB]
{ Folklore { [PB]
{ Resolve { [PB]
{ Rumor { [WB]
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Melee
{ Toughness
 № 72

CLERK
Gov e r nm e n t, b usi n e s s, fa r m i n g and the military
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

all have one thing in common: paper. From invoices

e
to letters, to charters of governing and command,
all documents require an expert skilled in writing
and organizing. Clerical work may seem like simple
drudgery, but the work I do provides me secrets that few

fil
can access. I know all that people want to conceal: troop
movements, bank exchanges, decrees and upcoming
events. I keep them under my wig for safety’s sake. If the
price is right, I may allow my lips to loosen and my desk
drawers to open for perusal.
I have known about the brewing conflict for months
now—orders of war, diplomatic correspondences and
government decrees have all passed over my desk and

e
under my eyes. However, there are other unsettling
things—reports of strange animals, prisoners going
missing and other disturbing stories that chill one’s
spine. These all add up to a mystery to even myself, but
pl
I am sure that nothing good can come from either them
or the looming conflict.

STROKE OF MY QUILL
The long hours spent with a quill has trained me how to write
in another’s hand.
m

Effect: You reduce the time required to use Counterfeit

Tests by half (suggestions include faking a seal, writing
propaganda, determining false documentation, etc.). In
addition, you automatically succeed at all Skill Tests to CLERK ABILITIES
decipher counterfeited writing.
{ Trait & Quirk
Sa

QUIRK: TIRED EYES SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

All of that time spent writing might have given me the hands { Bookbinding
{ Awareness { [AB]
of an artist, but it has done a number on my eyesight.
{ Bargain { [FB] { Role Reversal
Effect: You have difficulty seeing in low-light conditions, { Counterfeit { [FB] { Turn The
treating Fleeting Shadows as if it were Total Darkness. Page
{ Education { [IB]
{ Folklore { [IB]
{ Guile { [PB]
{ Rumor { [PB]
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Ranged
{ Stealth
 № 73

COUNTERFEITER
Bi l l s o f sa l e , discharge orders, land deeds—I can

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
take any document and make it appear as great as the

e
real thing. I can do more than forge, though—I can clip
and shave coins, gild objects with colored lead, even print
banknotes if the price is worth the risk. I’m a master
artist of deception, and every new job is an opportunity

fil
to demonstrate and test my skills. And the few times I
have been caught, they had no evidence of any kind to
convict me.
With the shortage of hard cash and the new Stamp
Act, my services have been in massive demand. People
are becoming more and more desperate, and I am simply
filling a need in a time of trouble—at a fair price, of
course. But as I work away at my printing plates, a

e
thought does enter my mind that all may not be well. I
have little worry that as time grows grimmer, I will get
richer, but there is always a turning point when money is
not enough to shield one from violence. And with each
pl
protest or riot that occurs, it seems more and more likely
the world will need to forge a new identity itself.

MARK OF INAUTHENTICITY
Franklin said, “To counterfeit is death.” What does his opinion
really matter to me in the end?
m

Effect: Any object you counterfeit is treated and

appraised at its full value. Furthermore, you may flip
the results to succeed Skill Tests to identify and create
counterfeited objects. COUNTERFEITER ABILITIES

QUIRK: EVERYONE SUSPECTS ME { Trait & Quirk

Sa

My reputation precedes me, and various run-ins with the law SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
have not made me many friends. { Cheat Sheet
{ Awareness { [FB]
Effect: Whenever attempting to buy, sell or trade { Bargain { [FB] { Sagacity
counterfeited objects or fake cash, you cannot use Coins { Counterfeit { [IB] { Twistical
to modify your Skill Test results.
{ Folklore { [IB]
{ Gamble { [PB]
{ Guile { [PB]
{ Rumor
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Ranged
{ Tradecraft
 № 74

C RO O K
Ev e ryo n e make a living. Some might
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

needs to
choose to do it honestly—after all, the world needs its

e
deckhands, ditch diggers and laborers. That requires
backbreaking work, though, and I’m not in favor of such
hard labor. I prefer a more subtle approach to make my
living, and that’s by robbery. Some people are shocked

fil
I’m so willing to admit it so plainly, but if people didn’t
want their possessions stolen, they would lock their
doors and shutters. Let’s face it: I am teaching people
a lesson in both security and appreciation. As a great
philosopher once said, “You don’t know what you got ’til
it’s gone.”
I am not a bad person, really—I just don’t have a
problem with performing tasks others find dubious. I

e
have missed being stabbed by the Bridport dagger many
times. At least I’m honest with myself, unlike most
people. Now there’s a chance to earn more loot with the
coming war—as people flee their homes. A workday
pl
simply involves walking into these hovels and taking
anything not nailed down. I don’t really care which side
is right, or even which side wins, as I’m happy to plunder
from Loyalists and Rebels equally.

WHAT I DO IN SHADOWS
m

Chief among my skills is the ability to blend in with my

surroundings and stick to the shadows.
Effect: When you fail a Skulduggery or Stealth Test, you
may re-roll to generate a better result but must accept C RO OK A B I L ITI E S
the outcome. In addition, you always succeed at Skill
Tests to disable locks. { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: NOT ABOVE SUSPICION
{ Awareness { [AB] { Fleece The
While I pride myself on being able to steal things without Sheep
{ Disguise { [AB]
being noticed, there is always the chance that I will get caught. { Full Of Beans
{ Folklore { [CB]
Effect: When foes or strangers recognize you by your { Nom De
{ Gamble { [FB]
real name or by your crimes, you suffer from Stress. Guerre
{ Guile { [FB]
{ Rumor { [IB]
{ Simple Melee { [PB]
{ Simple Ranged
{ Skulduggery
{ Stealth
 № 75

D E S E RTE R
I a m c o n si de r e d by many to be a coward. I broke

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
a commitment to fight for my country, be it on land or if

e
by sea. I am not a coward, very far from it, to be exact—I
am a realist. War never changes, and with it comes the
highest cost of all: one’s life. I am by no means a pacifist
or a scared child, but I know a fool’s gambit when I

fil
see one. The only people who win at war are great and
powerful, and I am neither—so I slipped away with a
clear conscience.
The world is in turmoil and opinions are mixed.
On one side, I have those who are calling for rebellion
and tossing off the yoke of tyranny. On the other side,
I have those who see the pointlessness of rebelling and
instead search for a way to find common ground. I know

e
what is coming—a fight. Like all fights, soldiers will be
needed, not for philosophizing, but to be tossed into
the machine of war only to be spat back out, changed
forever, or worse. No matter what happens, I refuse to be
pl
one of those numbers.

A SENSE FOR DANGER

To slip away from the military is a crime punishable by death,
but I’m just someone who wishes to live a long life.
Effect: Whenever you are Surprised, roll an Awareness
m

Test. If successful, you and a number of allies equal to

[PB] avoid Surprise.

QUIRK: WANTED D E S E RTE R A B I L ITI E S

I must always be careful and cautious with whom I trust—if
{ Trait & Quirk
anyone uncovers my secret, it’s to the gallows for me.
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Effect: When foes or strangers recognize you as a
Deserter, you cannot take advantage of Determination. { Disguise { [BB] { Linear Tactics
{ Guile { [CB] { Poker Face
{ Intimidate { [CB] { The Third
{ Martial Melee { [FB]
Degree
{ Martial Ranged { [FB]
{ Rumor { [IB]
{ Simple Melee { [WB]
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
{ Warfare
 № 76

D I L E T TA N T E
N othi n g ev e r s e em s good enough or interesting
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

enough, and as soon as something novel piques my

e
interest, my attention is then like gossamer, floating
along with the breeze. It is not that I lack drive or a
sense of commitment—it is just that I really do not care.
I have money—or at least an inheritance coming to

fil
me—which ensures my needs are met. To fill my time, I
must do something fun, which often means seeking new
experiences. Sadly, even these new dalliances can hardly
hold my attention for long.
My idylls have brought me many things—namely
connections and knowledge that come in handy from
time to time. The downside of these experiences is that
I have come into contact with some unsavory sorts, as

e
well as seeing things I rather wish I did not. I have seen
many unspeakable events and some unspeakable things
no one should see. Though many fear a brewing violent
confrontation here in the New World, I fear a greater
pl
darkness engulfing all.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

I’ve got friends in high and low places, and because of this,
there’s always someone for me to lean on.
Effect: Whenever you gain the benefits of an Assist Die,
m

you gain two instead.

QUIRK: CAN’T FEND FOR MYSELF

I am adequate at most things, but very rarely good at anything. D I L E T TA N T E A B I L I TI E S
Effect: Whenever you fail or Critically Fail at Skill Tests, { Trait & Quirk
Sa

gain 1 Conflict.
SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

{ Bargain { [FB] { Charismatic

{ Charm { [FB] { Common
{ Eavesdrop { [IB]
Sense
{ Dressed To
{ Education { [IB]
The Nines
{ Folklore { [PB]
{ Gamble { [PB]
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Rumor
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Ranged
 № 77

D I PL OM AT
T here been a problem that could not

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
h a s n ev e r
be solved through compromise, and as an emissary, I

e
pride myself on being the hand that reaches across the
aisle. When dealing with aggrieved parties who are
entrenched in their opinions, it takes a particular knack
to sail between the two sides and find common ground.

fil
In the current time we live in, violence cannot be the
answer. While some may try to strike at their friends, we
must work in the best interests of our kin.
That being said, I sense there is a shift in the air.
I watch with growing dismay over the tensions rising
between the Loyalists, Rebels and other factions. There
is no need for these groups to escalate the troubles, and
there is no need for their side to try and play a zero-sum

e
game. Sadly, I feel that these growing tensions are about
to explode and destroy everything around it. As for me,
I am the best equipped to try to ease these tensions, and
I promise I will try my damnedest to ensure that no war
pl
comes to this world.

READ THE ROOM

Being skilled in the soft art of diplomacy has provided me a
number of tools I have honed over the years.
Effect: By presenting a passport, you determine the
m

Allegiance, culture and Disposition of any person you

interact with. Dispositions are covered in Article 6:
Narrative Tools.
DI PLOM AT A B I L ITI E S
QUIRK: THINK BEFORE ACTING
{ Trait & Quirk
Every action needs careful consideration, and actions must
Sa

never be rushed. SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

Effect: Whenever your Turn in combat comes up, roll a { Awareness { [FB] { Charismatic
1D6 Chaos Die. If it results in face ‘6,’ you lose 1 Action { Bargain { [FB] { Smooth
Point on this Turn. { Education { [IB]
Talker
{ Talk Less,
{ Folklore { [IB]
Smile More
{ Guile { [PB]
{ Leadership { [PB]
{ Resolve { [WB]
{ Rumor
{ Scrutinize
{ Simple Ranged
 № 78

D I SPAT C H R I D E R
T he letters and parcels is absolutely
PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET

mov em e n t o f
vital, though I admit, it can be relatively slow even as a

e
Dispatch Rider. Roads between towns—if they do exist—
are nothing but two runs in a row. The less important
mail is shipped on carriages that stop between towns to
transport travelers in the safest way possible. If a person

fil
needs a message or package delivered with haste, they
come and see me. The letter will arrive as quickly as my
horse can carry me, and I can fend for myself should I be
waylaid—that is, if anyone can ever catch me.
Traveling by myself and carrying messages filled
with private, sensitive content is not an easy task. Often
it is just my trusty horse and me facing the dangers of
the wild and any who see value in my letters—and the

e
value is there, there is no denying. However, out of all
the open road’s perils, it is the wilderness that has left
a mark on me. I have seen for myself things hiding in
the shadows—unnatural things. I have heard voices of
pl
unseen origin chanting at the night sky as I ride through
the forests. Let others scoff at these omens, but I know
evil is real.

BORN IN THE SADDLE

A life spent in the saddle has brought me much, including an
m

empathetic bond with horses.

Effect: When you fail a Handle Animal or Ride Test, you
may re-roll to generate a better result, but must accept
the outcome. In addition, when using the Movement DI SPAT C H R I D E R A B I L ITI E S
subtype of Riding, you do not have to add the additional
1 Action Point cost. { Trait & Quirk
Sa

SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT

QUIRK: I DISLIKE CROWDS
{ Awareness { [AB] { Danger Sense
I have spent the majority of my life alone, and this has put me
{ Coordination { [AB] { Horse Sense
at a disadvantage.
{ Handle Animal { [IB] { Polar Star
Effect: When foes outnumber you 3:1 or more in an
{ Martial Ranged { [CB]
Engagement, they add a 1D6 Chaos Die to determine
{ Navigation { [CB]
Injuries against you.
{ Ride { [FB]
{ Rumor { [PB]
{ Simple Melee
{ Simple Ranged
{ Toughness
 № 79

D OWSE R *
T he many secrets unseen by mortal

PROFESSIONS PAMPHLET
e a rth hol d s
man. Within its fertile ground, the bounty necessary for

e
life grows. As we push the frontier of this new land ever
westward, we must ensure we have the most precious of
Mother Earth’s gifts—water. I have the skill to divine
what lies beneath the soil, and though most employ me

fil
for my skills at finding water, I can sense many things—
good clay for throwing, burrows of vermin and even
veins of lustrous gold. Some think me an off the hook
charlatan, but the results of my labors more than support
my claims.
I did not ask for this gift, however. Though often
it may seem a blessing, it is in fact a curse. The earth
hides many things, good and bad, but lately, it seems the

e
ground sours more and more every day. I used to find
simple objects, precious stones or other sundry things,
but I have stumbled on grotesqueries as of late: massive
graves, pits leading to unknown depths and vile toxins
pl
that devour the land. A shadow seeps out of the earth,
and it nourishes a vile crop, one that seems unnatural
and hungry. The earth is growing ever darker, and I
cannot reckon why.

TELL ME WHAT YOU SEEK

m

This simple forked stick allows me to commune with the earth,

and I can ask it to provide me with her bounty.
Effect: Whenever attempting to track a threat classified
as Humanoid (including player cultures), find a source D OWSE R ABI L ITI E S
of water or navigate to a location using a divining rod,
substitute Incantation in place of other Skills required { Trait & Quirk
Sa

to do so. Randomly determine three Common Spells SKILL RANK BONUS ADVANCE TALENT
you learn as free Unique Abilities from the Common
{ Athletics { [BB] { Ebb & Flow
Spells Listings table. Finally, you can Risk Backlash
and Unfetter your Spells (covered in Article 7: Combat { Awareness { [CB] { Ironclad
Encounters and Article 9: Hexenmeister’s Almanack). { Folklore { [IB] { Perceptive
{ Incantation { [PB]
QUIRK: NO RESPECT { Navigation { [PB]
Many look down upon me and believe my talents are a farce. { Resolve { [WB]
Effect: Whenever you attempt to re-roll Fellowship- { Rumor { [WB]
based Skill Tests using Coins, you must spend two Coins { Simple Melee
instead. { Survival
{ Toughness