Baptism of Fire (OSR)

Sample Values ² The animal is Agreeable +1 ² The animal is Cowardly -2 (unless you want to scare it away, in which case +4) ² The animal is Distrustful -2 ² The animal is Mean -2 ² The animal is Stubborn -1 Interests Not applicable. Situational Modifiers ² The PC is bribing the animal with food: +1 to +3 (depending on its hunger) ² The animal is familiar with the PC +1 ² The animal has lived with the PC for at least 1 year, +2 ² The animal does not know the PC -1 (domesticated animals only) ² The animal is injured -1 ² The animal is panicked -2 ² The animal believes the PC is endangering its young -4 (only if the animal is a type that cares for its young) ² The animal is a predator who may hunt humans -2 ² The PC is trying to get the animal to do something within its ability but contrary to its personality -1 Animal Handling, reaction roll result 2 The animal panics and does something completely contrary to the PC’s intentions, potentially may attack the PC 3-5 The animal does not do what the PC wants; if aggressive, it will attack 6-7 The animal is confused. The PC could repeat the attempt but with a -2 modifier 8-11 The animal does more or less what the PC wants it to 12+ The animal does exactly what the PC wants in the best way possible Gossip or Information Gathering When a character is attempting to obtain gossip, intrigue, rumors, or other information from a specific person, the GM may wish to have it resolved mainly through roleplay. But if he feels a reaction roll is called for, or if the PC is instead trying to get that kind of information within a large social area (canvassing a neighborhood, chatting with many people in a tavern, circulating at a party or dinner, etc), the GM may wish to use these mechanics. The “information” in question that the PC might be seeking could be a specific piece of data (for example, the identity of an assassin), or it could be something general (for example, looking for job opportunities). In some situations, skill bonuses may apply in addition to CHA modifiers; for example, at a noble court, the Court skill would apply; if dealing with common city dwellers or the underworld, then Urban Lore might count. Obviously, in all cases, if the target(s) of the information do not actually have the information to give, then the attempt fails. 344

Sample Values (Note: these should only be applied if the PC is attempting to get information from one specific person; if trying to search through a large group, this section should be ignored) ² Target is Agreeable +1 ² Target is Cautious -1 ² Target is Distrustful -1 ² Target it Impulsive +1 ² Target is Naive +1 ² Target is Principled -2 (but only if the information is something they are dutybound to keep secret) ² Target is Greedy, and the PC offers money for information +2 Sample Interests (Note: these should usually only be applied to cases where the PC is trying to get information from one specific person, as above; the only exception would be in the case that the PC is interacting with a whole group of people who have a shared interest) ² Target is Distrustful and/or Prejudiced against a demographic the PC belongs to -2 ² The PC is well known for a trait that the target strongly admires +1 ² The information in question is tied to an obsession of the target +1 ² The target is devout, and speaking about the information would violate a religious principle -2 ² The PC is known to have or represent a position of authority which the target supports +1 ² The PC is known to have or represent a position of authority that the target opposes -1 Situational Modifiers ² The PC is known to the person/people he’s talking to +1 ² The PC is a stranger to the person/people he’s talking to -1 ² The target(s) know of the PC’s reputation and approve of it +1 ² The target(s) know of the PC’s reputation and disapprove of it -1 ² The target(s) are of the same social class as the PC +1 ² The targets(s) and the PCs are of more than one social class rank apart -1 345

² The information is relatively well-known +2 ² The information is intended to be kept secret -1 ² The GM judges that the strategy for how he tries to glean the information is particularly apt +2 ² The GM judges that the strategy for obtaining the information is particularly bad -2 Obtaining Gossip, Reaction Roll results 2 The PC fails in his attempt and may face serious backlash or retribution 3-4 The PC fails in his attempt 5-6 The PC doesn’t manage to get the information but is given some vague clue as to who or where it might be found; the PC could attempt to pursue this, but it would require further checks. 7-8 The PC doesn’t get the information itself but gets a specific idea of where or with whom to find it; he may need to make another check but with a +2 bonus. 9-11 The PC gets the information he’s looking for. 12+ The PC gets the information he wants, and if the target has any, he may get some further unexpected pieces of valuable information. Seduction This would be a check when a PC attempts to romantically or sexually seduce an NPC. Obviously, if the GM rules that there would be no possibility of attraction whatsoever, any such seduction would automatically fail. Sample Values ² Target is agreeable +1 ² Target is ascetic -2 ² Target is distrustful -1 ² Target is impulsive +1 ² Target is lecherous +2 ² Target is pleasure-seeking +2 ² If the relation is inappropriate and Target is moralist -2 ² If the relation is inappropriate and Target is cowardly -1 ² If the relation is inappropriate and Target is principled -2 ² If the relation is religiously inappropriate and Target is religious -1 346

Sample Interests ² The PC has qualities that the target has an inspirational interest in (wealth, power, wisdom, knowledge, etc.) +1 ² The target has a loyalty that the tryst would potentially harm -1 ² The target has a loyalty that the tryst would potentially serve +1 ² The target has a phobia which could apply to the situation: -1 ² The target is distrustful or prejudiced of some aspect of the PC (foreigner, other religion, etc) -1 ² The target is already in love with a Romantic Interest, though it is not yet manifested -1 ² The target is in love with a Romantic Interest and already actively manifested -3 Situational Modifiers ² There is a risk of shame or humiliation if the tryst is discovered -1 ² There is a risk of great personal ruin if the tryst is discovered -2 ² There is a risk of death if the tryst is discovered -3 ² The target has taken a sacred vow of chastity: -1 ² The PC is of a lower social status than the target, and the target is female -2 ² The PC is of a higher social status than the target +1 ² The PC is noble, and the target is not +1 ² The target is noble, and the PC is not: -1 if the target is female ² The PC is wealthy and/or influential in the area: +1 ² The PC is notably deformed in some way: -1 or the penalty from the deformity, if higher ² The PC is infirm, obese, or crippled: -2 ² The PC is male and more than 30 years older than the target: -1 ² The PC is female and more than 7 years older than the target: -1 ² The PC has some physical attributes that the target is especially attracted to: +1 ² The target was already attracted to the PC: +1 ² The target already disliked the PC: -1 ² The method the PC uses for seduction, by words or actions, is judged by the GM to be especially appealing to the target: +2 ² The method the PC uses for seduction, by words or actions, is judged by the GM to be especially distasteful to the target: -2 347

Seduction, Reaction Roll Results 2- The seduction goes horribly wrong. The target is horrified, and unless there’s a very good reason (of risk to their life, for example) not to do so, they will publicly denounce the PC for the attempt. 3-4 The seduction goes very badly. There is a chance, depending on the character of the target, that the target might publicly or privately denounce the PC’s actions to the public or selected people or say nothing. Regardless, the target will feel ill-disposed toward the PC in any further interactions. 5-6 The seduction fails. The target will only denounce it if they have especially good reasons (for example, if their morality or duty demands it), but regardless will want nothing to do with the PC. 7 The target is interested and curious but not willing to act yet, either out of caution, distrust, or fear, but there is some appeal to the idea as much as the target would wish otherwise. The PC may try again later but with a -1 penalty. 8 The target is very interested but for whatever reason, is playing a bit “hard to get.” The PC may try again later but with a +1 bonus. 9-11 The seduction succeeds. The target enters into either a romantic or sexual tryst with the PC within the bounds of the target’s personality. 12+ The seduction succeeds extremely well. The target is either in love or deeply infatuated with the PC and will act with more abandon than would be normal for them. More examples of complex social encounters can be found in the book Social Encounters Along the Silk Road, published by Mad Scribe Games. Appendix VI: Smallholding and Domain Rules Smallholding Any character who managed to obtain land, most typically from a grant or gift by a Szlachta Nobleman or the Crown, but potentially by buying said land from a landholder, could engage in basic smallhold farming. Prices could vary considerably to buy land, but an average quality acre of land would sell somewhere around 100dn. This does not include the value of any livestock, equipment, or any building(s) on the land, which would have separate costs. A family would require at least 10 acres to be able to live at more than a subsistence level. In this vast and largely empty nation, a PC could theoretically carve out a piece of wilderland and farm it for free, though he would have to clear it, build on it, and defend it for himself. At the same time, some nobleman might come along later with a claim of ownership over that land. Though in theory, if the PC were to defend the land, he could convince the local Magnate or the Crown to recognize his ownership of the land (whether this would be granted or not depends largely on politics). 348

Farming, herding or ranching are all governed by the Farming skill. If working the land once a year, the PC must make a check of 1d20+Farming+INT as an opposed check against a 1d20 roll, reflecting the challenges of the season. The PC’s total profit or loss (with living expenses already factored in) is based on the difference between the two rolls. If the difference is negative, the PC has lost money that year. Profit: Difference x Acreage x 8dn Loss: Difference x Acreage x 2dn Note that the profit is in the form of crops or meat, not coin value; these must then be traded for goods or sold at the Market. Selling to a merchant will usually be only half the listed profit value if the PC does not take the goods to market himself. Note that small-hold farming requires most of the PCs’ time during the spring and summer months, leaving little time for any other activity. Alternately, the PC could hire a steward to manage the holding, which would have an average cost of about 160dn per year. He could also attempt to grant the land to tenant farmers, who would pay a yearly rent of 4dn per acre per year. Of course, if the tenants did not do well at farming, they might be unable to pay. The PC could expel the tenants but would gain no profits unless new tenants could be found. Large Domains If a PC is a Rycerz or a Szlachta (or is made into one of these titles by a Lord or the King), they may have a right over vast tracts of land with peasants living in them. In theory, a commoner might somehow obtain enough lands through some great cunning that he would have territories and value equal to the nobler classes as well, though this would be highly unusual. At this point, the mechanics for this type of Large Domain need to be handled in a more abstract fashion, for which the following optional rules apply. Three situations might make the Large Domain rules necessary: the less common is if one or more PCs work through purchasing or conquering large tracts of land and gather together at least 50 peasants to work those lands and form a regional community. The second situation is if a powerful Szlachta Lord or the Piast Crown grants one or more PC territories (with or without a title), which may already have people settled in it, or where settlement will be up to the PC to achieve. The third is if the PC is part of Szlachta or Magnate family with lands, in which case those lands will already have peasants and resources. The PC could become the head of that domain through inheritance if his father dies. 349

If the PC builds up the domain themselves, you will calculate the core attributes of the domain based on what size and number of peasants and retainers he has and any existing special resources. On the other hand, if it is granted by gift or inheritance, the GM must either select the initial attributes or determine them randomly, with the suggestions below. The managing of a domain largely depends on two significant factors: the productivity of the domain’s peasants and the Loyalty of the higher retainers. In a medieval economy, a Lord is essentially dependent on the labor and competence of his underlings. Domains can also be affected by random turns of fate, which could help or harm it. Peasants If you are generating a random domain, you must first determine if the domain is in an area within two day’s travel from a city or town, within a day of a major road or right on a trail, or if it is in an area of wilderland (more than two days away from any town or city, and more than one day away from a major road and not on a trail). The location determines the number of peasant units that can be drawn to settle in the domain; in all cases they will accumulate in the area within 2d4 weeks, presuming that the terrain is cleared and that word is spread sufficiently to attract them. Near a City or Town: 8d12 Near a Road or on a trail: 5d12 Wilderland: 3d12 Each peasant unit represents roughly 10 people (including women and children) that actually populate the domain. The actual value rolled indicates how many able-bodied men of fighting age the ruler has for the forming of a militia for the purpose of going to war. On the other hand, if his land is under attack, the number of peasants that can defend his land is double the peasant unit value. This starting domain presumes that he is beginning with 1 Land Resource, an abstract statistic representing a variable area of land that is sufficient to sustain a number of peasants within the boundaries of the numbers above. In theory, a PC may be granted a much larger territory by a powerful lord or the Crown (though very large land grants would be unusual), in which case you would roll peasant values as above for each Land Resource the PC obtains. The productivity of the peasantry of a given domain is regulated by a statistic termed Happiness. The Happiness rating of the peasants begins at 6 +/- the domain ruler’s CHA modifier. If the PC has the Farming skill, he adds his skill level to the Happiness rating. Over time, this value may rise or fall, increasing or reducing productivity. It is also limited in its maximum value by Pagan Instability (see below). Happiness is a single score, regardless of how many land resources the ruler has. Each peasant value generates 1Gr in production per year, but this augments to 1.5Gr if the happiness value is 10-12 and reduces to 0.5GR if the happiness value is 4-5. If the happiness value is 3 or less, peasants are in revolt and generate no income. Presuming that the ruler of the domain is Christian, there is another important statistic to track with the peasantry, which is Pagan Instability. It can be presumed that the peasantry are likely converts to Christianity by necessity, but while some may have embraced 350

the faith wholeheartedly, others are only nominally or reluctantly Christian. A few are likely false converts altogether, secretly practicing their pagan traditions. Pagan Instability begins at a rating of 2 unless the surrounding region is mostly pagan, in which case it begins at a rating of 4. It mainly generates a limit to peasant happiness. The happiness score cannot be higher than 12-Instability. Various factors can affect pagan instability. If the ruler of the domain tolerates or ignores pagan activity in his domain, the instability rating will remain stable. Suppose the ruler practices toleration AND invests in the local peasant community (by spending money, as detailed below) and does not conscript the peasants into a militia for warfare or impose additional taxation (see below). In that case, there is a possibility that the Instability rating will decrease. Roll 2d6: if the roll is equal to or lower than Instability, it decreases 1 point. On the other hand, if he does not engage in toleration but seeks to repress Pagan activity, there is a possibility that he may reduce or increase instability. Potentially requiring a Loyalty check of his retainers first (if the PC is away any time in the year), he will likewise need to roll 2d6: if the number is equal to or lower than the Instability rating, instability reduces by 1 point, but if the number is higher than the instability rating it rises by 1 point, or rises by 2 points if a Loyalty check was necessary and resulted in a failure. The ruler can choose to attempt to repress paganism once a year. In most cases, Pagan Instability can only be reduced to a value of 1. But it is possible that a miraculous event could cause it to be reduced to 0, which would then mean there are no more pagans in the domain. Any time Peasant Happiness reduces to 3 or less, the peasants have risen in revolt. If this happens, the PC will have to either immediately engage in some kind of investment that can attempt to generate an increase in Happiness (see “standard domain actions” below), or he will have to use force to suppress the revolt. If he engages in the latter and is not present in the domain (in any year where the PC engages in travel, the peasants will wait to revolt at the time that the PC is away), a retainer Loyalty check will be required. If the retainers fail the check, they have been unable to suppress the revolt, and 1d6 of the retainers will have either been killed or fled (roll at random to determine if the losses are from Head Men or Men-at-arms); the revolt will continue into the following year. If they succeed in their check, the peasant value will reduce by 1d12 (per land resource), and Happiness will immediately rise to 4. If the PC is present the entire year then he can choose to let his retainers suppress the revolt for him, as above, or he can choose to personally suppress the revolt. This will require a DC10 Military skill check, modified by INT. If he succeeds, the peasant value will reduce by 1d12 per land (only 1d6 if his check total is 20+) and Happiness will rise to 4. If he fails, 1d4 of his retainers will be slain by rebels, and he will need to either seek out another solution (some kind of plan to suppress the rebellion other than force of arms or investment) or the revolt will continue into the following year. 351

Retainers To manage to make a domain function, the GM must have retainers. A typical small domain requires at least 1 personal manat-arms as a retainer and one headman to oversee the peasants. But for ideal functioning, it should have a total number of retainers (headmen and men-at-arms) equal to at least one-tenth of the peasant value. Any time that the number of retainers is less than one-tenth of the peasant value, all checks to modify peasant happiness or to reduce instability are done with a -/+ 1 penalty. If a domain is new, the GM can assume that the PC will begin with 1 head man for every 10 peasant unit value. However, he will not automatically begin with men-at-arms, though there are some conditions by which he might obtain loyal followers. If he is the head or heir (eldest son) of a house of “boot nobles,” he could assume that all his surviving male relatives (brothers, possibly his father, and potentially nephews of age) would join him as men-at-arms. If he is a younger son, he could presume that half of his male relatives younger than himself will join him. If he is of the Rycerz (knightly) social class, he can presume that half of his male relatives will join him in the new domain unless the family’s traditional lord condemns this new domain (in which case only a quarter will join him) or endorses this new domain (in which case all of them will join him). Finally, if the PC is a fighter of 9th level or more, he will begin with 1d6 men at arms (this is in addition to any family members); if he is not yet of that level, he will gain 1d6 men at arms when he reaches that level. After the 9th level, he will automatically gain 1d3-1 new man at arms every time he gains a level. Also, if you are using the rules for Legend & Infamy (see Appendix VII), any character with a Legend value of 500 or higher will draw 1d6 men at arms (this is in addition to any followers or family). This bonus repeats itself at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Legend points. If a PC does not have enough men at arms, he can always hire them, but this will have an additional cost besides the room, board and basic goods that are built-in to the costs of the domain. Even a marginally capable mercenary man-at-arms (a 1st level fighter) will require payment of 1Gr per year, and having any mercenary men at arms reduces the Loyalty value by -1 (-2 if they haven’t been paid that year). 352

In a warfare situation, a PC could take up to all but 1 of his own men-at-arms to battle. Any men-at-arms who die in battle are not automatically replaced, however. He could also take headmen with him to battle but must leave behind at least 1 headman per Land Resource. If a Headman dies in battle, they will only be replaced if the PC has less than 1 headman per 10 peasant units. Retainers have a collective Loyalty attribute. This value represents how likely they are to actually comply effectively with what the ruler wishes. By default, the retainer Loyalty begins at 6 +/- CHA modifier. If the PC has the military skill, his skill bonus adds to the loyalty rating. Other factors may modify retainer loyalty as well. Loyalty checks may be required whenever the ruler spends time away from the domain or leaves the work tasks to his retainers. If a 2d6 roll is equal to or lower than retainer loyalty, they perform their tasks appropriately. If the roll is higher than the loyalty rating, they do an inferior job or misappropriate goods or funds. Loyalty can decrease in certain circumstances regulated by the GM, if the PC abuses his men, or if he leads them in a losing battle where at least one man at arms dies, and possibly other circumstances. Loyalty may increase if the men receive special favors or the PC leads them in a winning battle (see below). A PC can also increase Loyalty by paying his men at a cost of 1Gr per man (over and above any pay that mercenaries already receive). This increases Loyalty by +1, but in any year where it does not pay, Loyalty will drop by -2. A PC could increase the pay to more than 1Gr, increasing Loyalty further, but again, the expectation of repeated pay will mean that any year he fails to pay, Loyalty will drop by a penalty equal to double the GR paid. Standard Domain Actions Investment: At any time, if he has the resources, the PC can choose to make financial investments in the domain. He can expend 30Gr to attempt to invest in new land, recruitment, peasant well-being, or special resources. Investment in a new Land Resource can involve either purchasing or claiming and clearing new property, as well as improving the current property of the domain. To claim and clear new property requires that he have access to an area of wilderland that is not currently occupied. In theory, this should be land that no one has laid claim to, although there is nothing to stop someone from taking over and clearing a property that is not being used and then trying to negotiate for it (or fight for it in battle). To purchase new land, he would need to find an area that has someone capable and interested in selling it. This should be determined by factors related to the location of the domain in the campaign, but it is important to note that occasions where people have holdings of land they can legally sell and would be willing or needing to do so are quite rare (when in doubt, presume it is a 1/6 chance). Clearing land not previously occupied will take a year before that land is productive, while land that was already populated will be functional immediately. In either case, any time a PC obtains a new land resource, he generates a new number of peasant units equal to the amounts listed above for generating a starting domain. He will also generate new headmen equal to one for every 10 peasant units generated, rounded down. 353

Alternatively, he can spend the same amount of money to invest in improving a land resource he already has. This will only increase his peasant unit value by 2d12, but it will also improve Peasant Happiness by +1. Note that any single land resource can only ever be improved once, and no single Land Resource can accommodate more than 100 Peasant Units. Recruitment is an expenditure to increase the population of peasants in a Land Resource. Spending to attempt to recruit always requires a Loyalty check, as retainers will undoubtedly be needed to bring in more occupants. If the Loyalty check succeeds, the peasant unit value of that land will increase by 4d12, but if it fails, it will only increase by 1d12. In either case, any time Recruitment takes place, the PC must make a 2d6 roll; if the result is higher than the current Happiness value, the value goes up by 1, but if it is equal or lower than the current Happiness value, the value goes down by 1 as there are conflicts between the established community and the newcomers. Peasant well-being represents investments by the ruler to improve the quality of life of the existing peasantry in a land resource. This can be done up to once per year. Any time improving peasant well-being is attempted, the PC must roll 2d6; if the result is higher than current peasant Happiness, the Happiness rating goes up 1 point. However, unless he is spending the entire year in his domain, this first requires a Loyalty check from his retainers; if the Loyalty check fails, his retainers will have failed to do an adequate job of applying the investment, and no Happiness check is generated. In any year he has successfully engaged in a wellbeing investment, has not used his peasants in battle, and has not imposed added taxation, the player may roll 2d6; if the number is equal to or lower than the Pagan Instability rating, it reduces 1 point. Any changes in Happiness and Pagan Instability only take effect at the end of the year. The ruler may also attempt to obtain certain Special Resources. The special resources that can be purchased in this way are Horses, Hunting Dogs, Falcons, Honey, Cows, Fishing (only in coastal or lake areas), Furs, Timber (only in domains in or adjacent to forest areas), Pigs, Sheep/Wool, or Brewing. Any of these resources can only be attempted to be obtained once per year, and unless the PC spends the entire year in his domain, a successful Loyalty check will be required, or the investment will fail (it can be attempted again at the same cost, at any following year). Each successful Special Resource generates 1Gr in production per year, but this augments to 1.5Gr if the happiness value is 10-12 and reduces to 0.5GR if the happiness value is 4-5. If the happiness value is 3 or less, peasants are in revolt and generate no income. A single Land Resource can only accommodate a maximum of 1 Special Resource per every 10 Peasant Units living there. Added Taxation: In situations where the ruler requires extra funding, he may impose heightened taxes on his peasantry. He can do this once a year. Any time he does so, he will be able to obtain an extra 1Gr per peasant unit, but to do so requires a Loyalty check. If the check fails, only 0.5Gr (120dn) will be collected per peasant unit. In addition, he will have to make a Happiness check, rolling 2d6; if he succeeds, the happiness level will reduce by 1. If he fails, the level reduces by 2. 354

Liquidating land: each land resource point can be theoretically liquidated for 60Gr, but it takes 2d6 weeks to effectively liquidate it. If you wished to do it immediately, it could be done in 2d6 days, but only for 20Gr. Liquidating a Land Resource means that you have essentially sold it off, and liquidating a special resource means that you have given over the rights to that special resource in exchange for a lump sum payment. When you liquidate a land resource, you will also lose all the Peasant Units living. You will also lose all special resources linked to that land resource, though each special resource will add 6Gr to the value of the sale, or 2Gr if the sale is done immediately. Obviously, if you sell off all your Land Resources, you no longer have a domain. Note also that if the domain you have was granted by a lord or the Crown, selling off the land could be looked upon very poorly by those who granted it. War: There may be situations that oblige a domain ruler to raise up a force from his lands. It may be to fight a large force of bandits, pagans, or other outlaws or to defeat a monster. Or it could involve a conflict against another lord over property or to defend his territory. Finally, he might be ordered to join a Piast army for the Polish Crown. In any of these situations, the ruler can raise up a force equal to his number of peasant units or double the number of his peasant units if the battle is in a defensive position to protect his own lands. He may also muster up to all his men-at-arms except 1, and all but 1 head man per land resource for a battle abroad or all of his retainers for a defensive battle in his own territory. If the battle is small enough in scale, the GM may wish to adjudicate it as a regular combat or to make use of some other existing system of skirmish-level combat. But if the battle is of a larger scale, the resolution of the battle will depend on whether the ruler is present or not. ² If the ruler is not personally in command of the battle, then the result will depend on the capability of his retainers. He will have to do a Loyalty Check; if he fails, the battle is lost. ² If the opposing force was less than half in numbers of the PC’s army, the army would lose 1d10 peasant units per land resource and 1d6 retainers. ² If the enemy force was equal to the PC’s army, he would lose 2d8 peasant units per land resource and 1d8 retainers. ² If the enemy force was double or more the numbers of the PC’s army, he would lose 2d12 peasant units per land resource and 2d6 retainers. ² If the loyalty check resulted in a 12, and Loyalty was 12+, the battle is still lost; but if Loyalty was less than 12, the battle is instead not fought at all, as the retainers refused to engage in battle. ² If the battle is lost, a Happiness check must be rolled; if it fails, peasant happiness drops by 2; if the check succeeds, Happiness drops by 1. Retainer Loyalty automatically drops 1 point. ² In the event that retainers refuse to engage in the battle, aside from any other consequences that this desertion might cause, the ruler loses 1d6 retainers, and retainer Loyalty drops by 2 points. If the battle is won, the army will lose 1d6 peasant units per land resource and 1d4-1 retainers in the event of defeating a foe half their size; 1d8 peasant units per land resource and 1d6-1 retainers if the army was equal 355

in numbers, or 1d12 peasant units per land resource and 1d8-1 retainers if the army was double or more their size. The PC must also roll a Happiness check: if it fails, Happiness drops -1. The PC should also roll 2d6; if the result is higher than the current Loyalty, it goes up +1. If the PC (and potentially his other PC allies) was present, he should base the check on a Military skill roll. He can use his own Military skill (modified by INT) for the check or use the Military skill of any other PC present. The skill check has the following modifiers: ² The party has twice or more the number of peasant units as the enemy force: +2 ² The party has half or less the number of peasant units as the enemy force: -2 ² The party has twice or more the number of retainers as the enemy has: +2 ² The party has half or less the number of retainers as the enemy has: -2 ² The army is fighting on their own ground: +2 ² The army is fighting on the enemy’s own ground: -2 ² The army is using magic in the battle: +2 ² The enemy is using magic in the battle: -2 ² The army has a supernatural monster/ being in the battle: +2 ² The enemy has a supernatural monster/ being in the battle: -2 Note: “Retainers” include any PCs who will actually fight in the battle and any trained fighters (this includes headmen or men-atarms on the PC side and any level 1+ fighters on the enemy side). Additionally, the ruler must make a Loyalty check. If the check succeeds, the ruler gets a +2 bonus to his military check. If the check fails, he has a -2 penalty. The GM may also add bonuses between +4 to -4 should either side have special conditions (such as favorable terrain, special weapons, surprise attack, one of the armies is exhausted, etc) against the other side. Finally, if the enemy commander has the Military skill, the commander’s Military skill acts as a penalty to the PC’s check. Military Check Result Natural 1: The battle is a rout. He loses 2d6 retainers (dead or deserters) and 2d12 peasant units per land. Peasant Happiness and Retainer Loyalty both drop -2. 2-9: Defeat. He loses 1d12 peasant units per land and 1d6 retainers. Roll a Happiness check: failure means Happiness drops -2, success means it drops -1. Loyalty drops -1. 10-14: Indecisive. He loses 1d10 peasant units per land and 1d4 retainers. Roll a Happiness check: failure means Happiness drops -2, success means it drops -1. Roll a Loyalty check; failure means it drops -1. 15-19: Victory. He loses 1d8 peasant units per land and 1d4-1 retainers. Roll a Happiness check: failure means Happiness drops -1. Roll 2d6: if the result is higher than the current Loyalty, it goes up +1. 20+: Resounding Victory: He loses 1d4 peasant units per land, and 1d3-1 retainers. Roll a Happiness check: success means Happiness goes up +1. Roll 2d6: if the result is higher than the current Loyalty, it goes up +1. 356

If the ruler or other PCs engage in the battle, the GM may wish to play through their particular participation in battle as standard combat. A domain can theoretically fight more than one battle in a year. Any year where the army was away to fight in battle, income generated from land resources drops by half (war is expensive). A battle fought on the PC’s own land will not cut productivity but may result in damage to special resources or other consequences at GM’s discretion. Annual Events Once per year, the GM should roll for a random event that occurs in the domain. Use the following table: Random Events (1d100) 1-3 Alliance Offered 4-6 Army Crossing 7-11 Bad Harvest 12-19 Banditry 20-23 Battle 24-31 Blood Retainer 32-38 Death 39-44 Drought 45-47 Flood 48-53 Harsh Winter 54-56 Miraculous Event 57-59 Plague 60-65 Poor Economy 66-71 Prosperity 72-74 Rebels 75-77 Resource Windfall 78-79 Royal Overture 80-81 Royal Visit 82-84 Scandal 85-88 Troublesome Neighbors 89-93 Unpopular Retainer 94-97 Wedding Proposal 98-00 Witchcraft/Monster Alliance Offered: A local noble makes an offer of alliance. If the PC is a fellow Szlachta, this alliance might take the form of a marriage union (either to the PC or one of his family members). If the PC is ofa lower social class, the offer could be of vassalage, promising protection in exchange for support. The alliance will come with conditions; if the noble making the offer is less powerful than the PC, the assumption will be that the PC would be expected to protect him; if they are equals, it would be for them to stand together against other outside forces, and if the PC is inferior to the noble, he might be required to join his forces to the noble’s army in the event of conflicts (even conflicts that the PC otherwise might not want to be involved in). Army Crossing: an armed force, either of a powerful noble or the Crown, is going through the territory of the PC. If the PC is allied to or sworn loyalty to the army’s Lord, he will be obliged to allow the army to make camp in his lands; which will entail a cost of 1d6+4Gr. Failure to do so will cause a breach of fidelity and severely strained relations. If the army is not of a Lord connected to the PC, the PC will have to choose to either allow the army to encamp or demand that they leave (where if the army refuses, the result will almost certainly be a battle). If they are allowed to encamp, it will still entail a cost to the PC of 1d4Gr but may lead to good relations with the army’s Lord. 357

Bad Harvest: due to weather conditions or other factors, the harvest is particularly poor that year, and income generated from land resources will be halved. This will cause a Peasant Happiness check, where failure results in -1 Happiness. Banditry: There is a heavy presence of bandit forces operating in the area. If the bandits are not dealt with, this will generate a Peasant Happiness check, where failure results in -1 Happiness. Battle: two large forces (either warring lords, a lord vs a pagan warband, or the Crown against foreign invaders) are in conflict near the PC’s domain. If the PC is allied to one of the participants, he will be expected to join the battle, and failing to do so will seriously strain relationships. Blood Retainer: A relative (most likely a nephew or cousin) of the PC arrives and wishes to join the PC’s domain. The PC gains 1 new man-at-arms. Death: One of the PC’s men-at-arms dies; it could be a relative or a follower. He may die of natural causes or disease or due to accident or violence. Drought: a local drought causes bad harvest, reducing land resource incomes by half. It also halves income from the following special resources: Horses, Cows, Pigs, Sheep/Wool, and Brewing. A Happiness check is required, where failure results in -1 Happiness. Flood: torrential rains or swells in the river cause damage to property and crops. Land Resource income is halved. A happiness check is required, where success results in -1 Happiness and failure in -2 Happiness. Harsh Winter: The winter is particularly cold. A Happiness check is required, where failure results in -1 Happiness. Miraculous Event: Some kind of event takes place that the locals interpret as a miracle. This event is not caused by the presence of a Holy Man. Examples could include the discovery of something believed to be a relic, a vision or mass visions of some divine sign, a spontaneous healing, or some other form of great blessing. Roll a Happiness check; if it succeeds, Happiness goes up +1, and Pagan Instability goes down -1. If the PC wishes to, he can take advantage of the event by spending 30Gr to generate a special resource in the form of a “Sacred Site.” Plague: Some kind of virulent and deadly disease has struck the domain. If the ruler does nothing about it, he will lose 1d12 peasant units per land resource. If he attempts measures to control the plague (like engaging in the holding of special masses, bringing in relics to ward off the disease, producing herbal cures, using magic to banish the illness, or other such things) he must make a Loyalty check: success means that only 1d6 peasant units per land resource are lost, while failure means that 1d10 peasant units per land resource are lost. Such measures are likely to either have considerable costs or require special efforts. Regardless, that year, the domain only produces half the usual value. Additionally, a Happiness check is required: success means Happiness is reduced by -1, and failure means it is reduced by -2. 358

Poor Economy: There is a significant downturn in trade. The domain produces only half its normal income. Prosperity: There is a bountiful crop or high demand in trade; the domain produces double its usual income! Rebels: a group of peasants are engaging in subversion and attempting to foment a rebellion. Roll a Happiness check: if it succeeds, the rebels are not supported by the general population (but will still have to be dealt with); if it fails, the rebels have garnered sympathy, and Happiness drops by -2. Obviously, if Happiness drops to 3 or less, the entire domain breaks out in open revolt (and must be dealt with as described in the section on Peasant Happiness above). If not, the ruler must either personally dispatch the rebels himself (if he has not left the domain in this year), or he must make a Loyalty check for his retainers: success means that the Rebels are eliminated, while failure means that the rebellion persists and the event repeats itself in the next year! Resource Windfall: The domain spontaneously develops a new special resource at no cost! This is either self-motivated by the peasantry or is the result of a discovery of some previously unknown opportunity. In any case, roll on the following table to determine the resource that is discovered. The ruler must have at least one land resource that has sufficient peasant units to accommodate it. Resources, special (1d20) 1. Horses 2. Hunting Dogs 3. Falcons 4. Sacred Site 5. Honey 6. Cows 7. Fishing 8. Tin mining 9. Salt 10. Amber mining 11. Coal 12. Furs 13. Timber 14. Pigs 15. Ferry 16. Toll road 17. Quarry 18. Sheep/wool 19. Brewing 20. Copper/Silver/Gold/Gemstone mining Royal Overture: The domain has gotten the attention of the Piast Crown. Whether this is good or bad depends on the attitude the PC has had toward the Crown. If the PC has been publicly opposed to the Piasts in some way or is part of or allied to a Szlachta family that has been in opposition to the Crown, then this overture will be presented, in the first encounter, in the form of a messenger advising the ruler of an opportunity to amend their difference and promise good behavior. Complying with this request will mean that the PC will now be viewed neutrally by the Piasts. Should he refuse, the second time he gets this result, it will involve a negative consequence. On the other hand, if he was neutral or favorable to the Piast Crown, he will be offered an opportunity to be considered a friend of the Crown. Assuming he responds 359

favorably to this offer, future incidences of this event will lead to increasing honors. After the event happens for the first time, every instance of a Royal Overture will mean that the PC will either be granted a further step of favor or disfavor. He will either be granted a favor or have a favor revoked by the Crown, depending on his behavior (as determined by the GM). The following is a guideline for the honors or punishments that could be conferred. Positive favors ² 1. Considered a friend of the Crown. ² 2. Open invitation to be present at the royal court. ² 3. Given the opportunity to swear loyalty to the Piasts (Rycerz social class only) ² 4. Given the opportunity to have a formal alliance with the Piasts (Szlachta class only) ² 5. Given a minor nominal office (requiring no special work) in the royal court. ² 6. Given the rank of Rycerz by the royal court, conditional on oath of loyalty (only for commoners) ² 7. Given a land grant (1 new land resource) by the royal court. ² 8. Given a major office (as a magistrate, marshal in the armies, or court secretary), this requires spending a considerable part of the year in the capital. ² 9. Elevated to the status of Szlachta by the royal court. This includes a further land grant of 1d4 land resources. Negative consequences begin with the removal of an office assigned to the PC by the court, the removal of land grants, and then the removal of the right to attend court if any of the above were previously granted. If none of the above are currently relevant, the next consequence would be a public declaration that the PC is in disfavor from the Crown. The next sanction would be a prohibition for the PC from being present in any property of the Crown (including the capital city of Gniezno). The next sanction after that would be for the PC to be declared banished from the Kingdom or declared an outlaw. If the PC’s domain is in an area far from the core areas of Piast power, he might choose to remain, but then any further result of this event would mean a Piast military force would attack his territory. Royal Visit: This event only takes place if the PC is in a neutral or favorable situation with the Piast court, either having never had a “royal overture” event or having positive relations with the Piasts at this time. This event also will not occur if the domain is currently in revolt. If these conditions are met, the PC’s land receives a visit from a member of the Piast family (it could be the king, any of the royal family, or a senior member of the extended family). The visit will require that the PC host his important guests at his own expense, with a cost of at least 30Gr. If he expends that amount and succeeds in a Court skill check (CHA) of DC10 (with a bonus of +1 for every 10Gr over 30 that he spends), he will receive one level of positive favor as described in the section on Royal Overture, above. 360

Scandal: One of the PC’s retainers is involved in some kind of scandal of significant proportions. It could be an accusation of major adultery, a quarrel or feud with a neighboring retainer or Lord, serious misconduct in public, murder, questionable religious views (heresy or paganism), consulting with witches, rape, extreme drunkenness, public humiliation, or other such events that embarrass the domain. The retainer will need to be either dismissed or put to justice depending on the severity of his crimes; if he does not do so, and the crime was with a neighboring ruler, serious enmity will result. If the misdeed was within the domain and nothing is done about it, the Happiness rating will suffer a -1 loss. If he does dismiss or execute his retainer, this requires an immediate Loyalty check; if the roll fails, it causes a -1 Loyalty loss. The GM should determine if the retainer was a head man or a man-at-arms and, if the latter, whether it was a family member. Troublesome Neighbors: a domain adjacent or relatively near to the PC’s has either got a problem with the PC, or designs upon his territory, or just doesn’t like him. As a result, he is either spreading troublesome rumors about the PC either in the surrounding area or to the Piast court, or he is trying to gather up allies or forces in possible preparation for an attack. It is up to the PC how he responds to this. Unpopular Retainer: One of the ruler’s retainers, either a headman or a man-at-arms, is deeply unpopular with the peasantry. He has not necessarily violated any laws or directly disobeyed any order by the ruler, but he has undoubtedly been abusive in various ways with the peasantry. They have now made their discontent sufficiently known as to require a choice. If the PC does not dismiss his retainer, he must make a Happiness check, where success leads to -1 Happiness and failure to -2 Happiness. However, if he dismisses the retainer, he will have to make a Loyalty check, where failure results in -1 Loyalty. Wedding Proposal: Another dominion adjacent or near to the PC’s proposes an alliance bound by marriage. The marriage could be to the PC, or to one of his children of marriageable age, or else to one of his retainers or their marriageable children. The GM should roll at random to see if the other dominion has a marriageable male, female, or both. The PC’s relatives would be marriageable if they were unmarried and over the age of 12 for girls or 16 for boys; in theory, there is no maximum age limit, but women beyond child-bearing age will typically not be favorable for this kind of alliance. The dominion making the offer will be of comparable social class to the PC. The dominion may want a specific marriage alliance (obviously, marrying the PC or his immediate family will lead to a stronger alliance than marrying a more distant relative), but the PC is free to attempt to negotiate alternatives. They can also reject the proposal altogether, but this will have a risk of offending the family making the offer. If the proposal is accepted, marriage can happen at any time in the next two years. If the wedding is postponed past the second year, there will be a 25% chance that the other family will call off their proposal. If the marriage is with a female member of the PC’s family, the PC will need to provide the appropriate level of dowry. If the PC himself is the one being married, he will, in turn, receive an appropriate dowry. 361

Witchcraft/Monster: a local witch or witch cult, or a powerful monster or group of monsters has been plaguing the area of the dominion. The PC can attempt to handle this himself, though he could send out his retainers to handle it (which would require a loyalty check to see if they succeed, with failure meaning that there would be a chance of retainer casualties, and the peril would continue). If the problem is not resolved in the year, it causes a -1 Happiness loss. Lifestyle Costs Maintaining a domain involves significant costs. Most of these are integrated into the calculations for generating the income of the domain; however, some costs are superlative to those fundamentals. Namely, the ruler must maintain a certain minimum lifestyle for his household and for his retainers. The annual costs of maintaining his domain are equal to the number of headmen and men-at-arms in his service, but this number is always a minimum of 10Gr even if he has less than 10 retainers. If the PC ever fails to keep whatever his minimum level of maintenance is, he must roll a Loyalty check. If he succeeds, he loses -1 Loyalty and loses 1 retainer. If he fails, he loses -2 Loyalty and loses a number of retainers equal to the difference between the Gr he spent compared to the minimum number. So, for example, if he has 13 retainers but pays only 10Gr, he will lose 3 retainers. The ruler can always choose to expend more than the minimum value, which will generally improve the level of lifestyle and apparent grandeur of the dominion. If his expenditure in a year is double the minimum (or more), he should roll 2d6: if the value is higher than the current Loyalty, his Loyalty score goes up by +1. Additionally, if his total expenditure is between 30-50Gr, he generates a +10 bonus to his Influence level (see below). If it is between 51-150Gr, he generates a +20 to Influence; and if it is higher than 150Gr, he gets a +30 to Influence. In all such cases, the duration of the bonus is only for each year. Influence Being the owner of a domain means you can attempt to make use of your personal Influence and political power. You make an influence roll (with 1d100) to bank on your prestige to gain some political favor that might otherwise be denied to you. Most commonly, this is the opportunity to get access to the court of a noble or magnate, to get a specific person appointed to an important post, to get some special favor or Influence from the leaders of a city, to get some special benefit or sanction from the Church, to push for someone to be arrested or pardoned by authorities, etc. To determine your influence level, you begin by adding the number of your Land Resources + total retainers (head-men + men at arms). To this, you add a number of potential modifiers: Influence: base = Land units + head-men + men-at-arms 362

² +10/20/30 for spending over the minimum required for maintenance in annual costs (see above) ² +30 if PC is a Szlachta Magnate ² +20 if PC is not a Magnate but from a Magnate’s clan ² +20 if PC is the Hrabia of a Szlachta house ² +10 if PC is a member of a Szlachta clan ² +10 if PC is a member of a clan that is historically allied to the Piasts ² +10 if the PC is a Rycerz who has sworn personal loyalty to the Piasts ² +10 if the PC was granted land by the Piast Court ² +10 if the PC was given an Office in the Piast Court ² +10 if the PC was elevated to the status of the Szlachta by the Piast Court ² +0 if the PC is a Rycerz ² -10 if PC is a member of a clan that is historically an enemy of the Piasts ² -10 if the PC was stripped of an office by the Piast Court ² -10 if the PC was stripped of land granted by the Piast Court ² -20 if the PC is a commoner ² -20 if the PC is a pagan ² -30 if the PC is suspected of witchcraft or heresy ² -40 if the PC was banished or declared an outlaw by the Piast Court The GM should also consider the PC’s approach and how he roleplays the situation, as well as any other built-in favorable or prejudicial conditions that the person or institution might have toward the PC. Also, negative modifiers to the Influence value can occur if what the PC is trying to achieve is especially difficult. Note that certain things might simply be impossible to obtain; usually, the PC would know this, and the GM should advise as much, but there might be some situations where he lacks the information to realize that his attempt just can’t work. If the percentage roll is equal to or less than his Influence, then (assuming the favor is possible) he should be granted what he seeks. There can also be situations where he is competing with another dominion (or dominions) who have opposite goals. In this case, the checks should be opposed, and the one who wins will be the one who succeeded by the higher margin. If none of the dominions involved succeed in their check, then the person or institution being appealed to will simply do what they would have done in the first place. Heirs If a campaign is played over the long term, family and heirs will likely be a priority of any PC, but particularly one that has a dominion of their own. Whether married or with some kind of concubine, any year that the PC is involved with someone of the opposite sex (presuming neither of the two is sterile), the GM may roll a D20. On a result of 13 or more, the woman will become pregnant. If the woman is a beneficiary of a higher than average standard of living, the chance becomes 11+ instead. There is an equal chance of the child being male or female. 363

The GM must then roll for the result of childbirth. There is a risk of death in every case, but the chances vary on the number of the child. Birth Risk Table Child Number Fatality Chance (on 1d20) 1 1-3 2 1-2 3 1-2 4 1-3 5+ 1-4 If the mother is living a higher-than-average lifestyle, the chance of fatality is reduced by 1. Likewise, if someone with medical knowledge is present during the birth, the chance is reduced by 1. A roll of natural 1 will nevertheless always indicate fatality. In the event of fatality, roll 1d6: 1-2 The child dies 3-4 The mother dies 5-6 Mother and child both die Children have a high risk of mortality in this place and time. Each year up to and including the age of 7, roll 1d20. On a result of 1-3, the child dies. If the child is a beneficiary of a higher-than-average quality of life, the risk is reduced to 1-2. If someone lives with a child who has medical knowledge, the risk is reduced by 1. Magical means to protect a mother or child, in birth or early childhood, could obviously provide even greater security. 364

Appendix VII: Legend and Infamy The following are optional rules that the GM can implement for the purposes of measuring how notable the Player Characters are in the campaign setting. Piast Poland is a society that prizes heroic virtues, and those who embody those virtues in an active way through great deeds become legends on a small or large scale. Similarly, those who do the opposite, indulging in sinful vices, become infamous. To represent this mechanically, the GM can award points in Legend or Infamy statistics based on the actions that the PCs embody. In all cases, Legend points only apply to actions where there are witnesses who see the action and are willing to spread the tale of these actions. In the Christian Piast society, there are seven principal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Faith, Hope, and Charity. Likewise, there are seven vices: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath and Pride. Since all human beings are by their nature capable of both good and evil, characters will likely, from time to time, engage in both virtuous and vicious actions, so they will likely gain points in both of these categories. Virtuous acts generate Legend, while vicious acts generate Infamy. Acts that generate Legend: Prudence: Prudence is known as the “mother of all virtues” as it reflects the power of virtuous reason, and it is through reason that all other virtues can be understood. This is manifested by the use of one’s knowledge and intellect for virtuous purposes (as opposed to mere cunning, which is the use of one’s intellect for personal benefit). If a character overcomes some great challenge by use of their knowledge or reasoning in a way that overcomes danger or difficulty and does so in a notable public form, they will gain Legend points equal to their INT score. Examples can include convincing some lord or other powerful person to behave in a virtuous way through debate or discourse, avoiding some dangerous situation by one’s own wits, or coming up with a plan or strategy in a battle or quest that proves victorious. Temperance: If a character acts in an important and public event in a way that shows himself capable of good cheer and sociability, eating, drinking, and social grace without pushing himself to excesses, he will generate a number of Legend points equal to his CHA score. This must take place in a notable 365

environment; examples include behaving with style at a noble or royal court, a wedding or other important celebration, or a feast after a victorious battle. It is also generated if he manages to resist some significant form of temptation or notably but politely refuses some kind of personal glorification, reward, office, or honor. Justice: if the character acts in a way that shows fairness to people and respect for the law in a notable situation, he will generate a number of Legend points equal to his WIS score. This must take place in a notable environment; examples include situations where a PC is acting as a judge or arbiter in some highly public way or when he publicly has the power or choice to decide the fate of another human being. Points are awarded for avoiding cruelty but giving fair punishment for wrongdoing, and treating those of lower social status fairly but not indulgently, and those of higher status respectfully but without self-interested license. Likewise, if a PC is in a situation where they must take justice into their own hands, they will receive Legend points for bringing a wrong-doer to justice but only if it is for the sake of Justice itself, rather than personal vengeance; if so, he will receive Legend points equal to his WIS + 1 point per hit die of each opponent he defeats in just combat, but only in conflicts where there are witnesses who tell the tale. Fortitude: if the character shows great bravery in situations of danger, fighting on and defeating evil foes when others have fled or in spite of injury or great odds, he will generate Legend points. Whenever a PC is in a battle (with witnesses who tell the tale) where one or more of his allies have fled but he secures victory, or where he has taken significant injury and still triumphs, he will gain legend points equal to his STR score + 1 point per hit die of each opponent he defeated. This only applies to battles that are for a righteous cause. Faith: if the character holds to the truth of the grace of God and expresses this through visible acts of piety, he will generate Legend points. A character who prays on a daily basis and attends mass whenever the opportunity avails itself defends Christians from evil forces or does some important work (of conversion, the foundation of new churches, religious teaching, or donations of sums to the Church) will gain legend points equal to his WIS score. In the event of spending his own money for the cause of the Church (in the form of money given directly to the Church or to grants of land or buildings to the Church), he will gain points equal to his WIS score, with a bonus of +1 point for any donation of at least 1Gr of value. Hope: if a character brings hope to innocent or righteous Christians in the form of saving them from death or danger or restoring their faith, he will gain Legend points. Examples could include saving a group of Christians from a monster, witch, pagan marauders, or bandits or rescuing them from some other disaster as if in answer to their prayers, where the PCs’ actions could be seen as the will of God acting through the character to aid believers and rescue them from their suffering. Characters 366

who justify the hope of believers in a public and righteous way will gain their CHA score in legend points, and if they do so by defeating forces in combat that were endangering those Christians, they gain +1 point per HD of the opponent. Charity: Charity is the manifestation of the love of God through the love of one’s neighbor; it is thus known as the most excellent of the virtues. The word is derived from the Latin “Caritas,” which is interchangeable with the idea of pious love for mankind. It is manifest in helping others without anything material to gain and without the expectation of reward or return in kind. Points can be awarded for Charity by giving significant alms to the poor, tending to or caring for the sick or indigent innocents (widows and orphans being two classic examples of the latter), or saving the life of another at personal risk but with no potential for reward. In any of these cases, the PC is awarded their WIS score in Legend points, and if they spent significant sums for the sake of charity they gain +1 point for every donation of more than 1Gr. Note: in situations of potentially granting Legend points to PCs for acts of Virtue where more than one virtue might apply, the GM should select the one that is the most applicable; he should not grant legend point awards for multiple categories to the same PC for a single incident. However, it is entirely possible that in the course of a single adventure, different PCs from the same party might gain different legend awards for individual acts they engaged in or for the same PC to gain multiple legend awards for separate acts committed over the course of the adventure. Acts that generate Infamy: Lust: Characters that indulge in the pleasures of the flesh outside the bonds of Christian marriage. Adulterers, sodomites, rapists, and seducers of innocents will generate Infamy equal to their CHA for any acts that are publicly known. Anyone who took a religious vow of chastity and is publicly known to have broken it will gain double their CHA score in Infamy. Gluttony: Characters that engage in excesses of food and drink, as well as other forms of intoxication. In a world where starvation is a real threat to the poor, someone notoriously indulging in excess eating is seen as a kind of theft. While alcohol itself is consumed by everyone, being publicly intoxicated is seen as reducing one’s humanity to the level 367

of an animal. Characters who publicly gorge themselves on food or drink or other intoxicants gain their CON in Infamy; additionally, Christians who break the rules of fasting (eating meat other than fish on a Friday, or at all during Lent, when one should only eat one meal a day) will also gain Infamy. Greed: Greed is a notable and public obsession with the accumulation of material wealth. Public displays that generate Infamy include charging unfair prices for basic necessities, making excessive demands in taxation on the poor, stealing money or goods of any kind for any reason other than survival (of yourself or another person), monetary or business fraud of any kind, and stealing from corpses (not counting lawful plunder from battle, or seeking ancient treasures from pagan tombs). Any of these will generate Infamy equal to INT + 1 for each 1Gr of wealth acquired. Anyone who took a vow of poverty will gain double the regular Infamy. Sloth: Generally seen as laziness, sloth is more accurately the rejection of one’s material or spiritual duty to labor. Slothfulness includes publicly avoiding work when one is ablebodied, but it can also mean doing inferior work and cutting corners (which is a kind of theft). This also applies to students who refuse to study, able-bodied men who avoid military duty, and any Christian who misses obligatory masses (every Sunday, as well as the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Christmas mass, the feast of Mary (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), the feast of St. Joseph (March 19), Holy Thursday (Easter), Corpus Christi (early June, usually), St. Peter & St. Paul’s feast (June 29), the assumption (August 15), and All Saints (November 1)) without good reason. Engaging in public sloth gains Infamy equal to one’s DEX, but double that if you are a clergyman avoiding mass. Envy: This vice encompasses acts caused by resentment against the success of others or their prosperity, fame, or good fortune. When someone engages in publicly known slander against another, violence, theft, destruction of property, rumor-mongering, or the use of witchcraft or sorcery against another due to envy or resentment, they will generate Infamy equal to the INT score. If they engage in battle or murder against another due to envy, they will also gain +1 infamy for each HD of their victim. Wrath: Wrath is the act of non-righteous, unjustified anger or violence. It is a type of intemperance, and any character who engages in public angry outbursts for unjustified reasons 368

or engages in undue violence, assault, or murder without righteous justification will generate Infamy equal to their STR. If their wrath manifests in the form of battle against an opponent capable of defending themselves, they will gain +1 infamy per HD of their opponent. However, if they publicly injure, maim, or kill someone who is defenseless (including the aged, women, children, or harmless animals), they will gain double infamy points. Pride: Pride can be understood as arrogance or vanity, and it includes lying about one’s deeds or actions, claiming a social status superior to one’s true class, excessively ostentatious dress, disobeying superiors, and blaspheming, denying, or mocking God. Christians participating in black magic (making pacts with demons, engaging in cursing without good cause, poisoning or causing plagues, animating undead, or using magic to kill or steal for selfish reasons) is also a sin of pride, for it is attempting to suppress the role of God. Anyone committing public acts of pride gains their CHA in Infamy, except for public blasphemy, which gains double Infamy. Polish Pagans have their own list of virtues, which are different from those of Christians. Only pagans generate Legend points from these virtues, and only Christians generate Legend points from the Christian virtues. Pagans and Christians will both recognize the legendary nature of their counterparts but will hold their own virtue-heroes in higher esteem. Pagan Virtues Fortitude: This is identical to the Christian virtue of the same name. Indulgence: A visible display of boisterous cheer and energy, indulgence differs from gluttony or pride in that it is not selfish. It is an honest, visible, and public celebration of one’s victories, success, or wealth, characterized by bombastic boastfulness and lavish displays, but also with great acts of generosity. Whenever a pagan character spends money on cheerful but meaningless feasting or celebrating, they gain Legend equal to their CHA + 1 point for any expenditures in feasting over 1GR. Fidelity: Loyalty is considered an extremely important pagan virtue. It demands certain obligations by blood (to one’s own family and to one’s own clan) and others by oath. Characters who notably stand fast to one’s blood allegiance or to a sworn oath in situations of great difficulty or peril (where their fortunes or their lives would be at stake) gain Legend equal to their WIS. Among pagans, these loyalties are so strong that fidelity must be held to even if it 369

means doing things that are otherwise wrong. Additionally, any pagan who publicly breaks an obligation (to family, clan, or hospitality) or a sworn oath (to a lord, to a cause, to the gods, or to fulfill a task) will generate Infamy equal to their WIS plus double their level. Virility: Pagan men are expected to be able to demonstrate their masculine qualities as well as their sexual potency. These are proven by deeds, including winning at contests of strength, games of horsemanship, archery or skill at arms, and, of course, bedding women. Any time a character publicly achieves a feat of great strength, wins at contests of manhood, or demonstrates their sexual prowess, they generate Legend equal to their STR score. In the case of pagan women, the demonstration of sexual prowess is not considered a virtue, but should a pagan woman succeed in any of the other examples by proving her strength and skills against a man, she generates double her STR score in Legend points. Honor: A pagan’s personal honor is meant to be valued more than their own life and must be defended. This means that a pagan must stand up to any insult to his person (or those of his immediate family members who are not capable of defending their own honor: the aged, women, and children), even at a risk to his own life. Any pagan who is publicly accused of being a coward, a liar, a traitor or oath-breaker, of having committed some kind of shameful act, of laziness, of incompetence, or of a lack of virility, or who is simply challenged to a fight, must demand satisfaction (whether or not the claim was true). If he defeats someone who impugns his honor in battle or obliges him to retract his claim, he gains his CHA in Legend (and in cases where combat was required, gains +1 per HD of his opponent). On the other hand, refusing to stand up to this offense to his honor causes him to gain double his CHA in Infamy. Vengeance: Pagan customs demand that unjustified harm against one’s family or property must be avenged. If a pagan’s family member is injured, slain, violated, or publicly humiliated without justification (such as in battle, or a fair duel, or as punishment for a crime they committed), or if their property is stolen, damaged, or destroyed, the pagan must seek out appropriate retribution. A pagan who metes out appropriate revenge (which would not include harming innocents) will gain their INT score in Legend points; if they do so in a fair battle, they also gain +1 per HD of opponents defeated. Idolatry: Pagans who show fealty to the Gods are highly esteemed. Publicly participating or funding major pagan religious ceremonies or feasts will generate Legend points, as will defending pagan holy sites or pagan people from religious persecution (most likely from Christians). Characters who do so will gain their WIS score in Legend and gain +1 points for any donation of 1Gr value or more, or +1 point per HD of enemies slain in defense of their gods. 370

Benefits of Legend/Infamy In the first place, Legend or Infamy is a relative statistic that will amount to “name recognition”; in some situations, being the most famous (or infamous) person in the room might have a special effect in terms of selection or preference. But Legend or Infamy will not supplant the role of social status; someone might be a very famous (or infamous) peasant, to the point that a Magnate might take notice of them and perhaps even treat them better (or worse) than he would treat any other peasant, but it will not make him treat that famous person as if he was a Szlachta noble. When characters reach certain landmarks of Legend or Infamy, they start to experience certain effects: ² 100: at 100 Legend or Infamy, a PC will have a known reputation (as a local hero or a scoundrel) in the locality he spends the most time in. If he is entirely itinerant, this does not take effect, but if he starts to settle down in a specific area, it will. In this home area, he may get modifiers to reaction rolls from people who are strongly drawn to or repulsed by heroic or scandalous people. ² 200: The PC’s reputation will extend to any locality within a two-day ride of their main location. ² 500: The PC will have a reputation known throughout the region of Poland he spends the most time in, even if only by name recognition. Stories are frequently told about him over campfires and at inns. The PC will have a +1 bonus or -1 penalty to reaction checks depending on whether the person in question admires virtue or vice. Note that if a character has 500+ in both Legend and Infamy, it will always be Infamy that applies for this bonus. ² 800: The PC’s fame will be spread to any city within a day’s journey of a major trade road, regardless of region. ² 1000: The PC’s fame will be spread to most parts of Poland (except possibly very isolated regions in wilderland where the PC has never traveled). If the PC reaches 1000 Legend points, he will gain a Legend Bonus, which should be based on the virtue he most commonly displayed: ™ Prudence/Vengeance: +1 to a skill-based mainly on INT (this can be a skill he didn’t previously know) ™ Temperance/Indulgence: +1 in a skillbased mainly on CHA (this can be a skill he didn’t previously have) ™ Justice/Fidelity: +1 in a skill-based mainly on WIS (this can be a skill he didn’t previously have) ™ Fortitude: +1 to damage ™ Faith: +1d6 hit points, modified by CON ™ Home/Honor: +1 to Armor Class ™ Charity/Idolatry: Reduce Saving Throw DC by 1. ™ Virility: +1 to a skill-based mainly on STR or DEX No special bonuses apply to having Infamy alone, but a character with both Legend and Infamy at this level would still gain the bonus. ² 1500: The PC will have a +2 bonus or -2 penalty to reaction checks depending on whether the person in question admires Vice or Virtue. Note that if the PC has 1500+ in both Legend and Infamy, it will always be Infamy that applies for this bonus. The PC’s name will now be known in any of the regions surrounding Poland. ² 2000: the PC will gain another Legend Bonus at this level & again at 3000. 371

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Character Name LEVEL Core Attri:utes CYMBAU CLass Bene]its Arms Dmg Injuries Spells Wealth Small Stu]] S ‰ M ‰ L ‰ Šange Special CLass Skills CLass A:ilities Player Name Hit Points Saing Uhrow (  CHA mod.) Initiatie mod. Base Attack Weapon in hand Denarii DC Grzywna Melee (str) Missile (de%) Armor Class Unarmored armor class Shield Class Attack Alignment Age Clan ‰ Bamily Name Social Class SUŠ mod. mod. DEJ mod. CYN mod. INU mod. WIS mod. CHA 373

Family Linage Virtues Vices Family xame: Spells / Grimoires / Artifacts Power & Influence Order of Precedence Heir Military Financial Political Important Ancestors: Blood Relations & Alliances: Family Enemies: Ancestral Titles & Land Holdings: Prudence Justice Temperance Fortitude Fait2 Hope Charity Pride Envy AngeR Slot2 Avarice Gluttony Lust Personal Honors: Debts & Obligations: Retainers: Mount: Eouipment: Standing 374

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