Paw of the Fire God (Cr Py 40) This ritual blasts an entire city with fire, doing P/3-Soak fire damage to everyone in it - and killing every small animal in it, setting every building ablaze, and generally causing great devastation. This ritual is very dangerous to know: cities that suspect that they may be targets for it will usually take steps to kill people who know it. Cley: 24. Time: 16 hours. Cost: 8,000 lozens. Preparation: 1 week, unstable, single. Ritual Element: C. sets up an elaborate city of waxed cardboard, populated by live rats dressed in dolls' clothes, and (what else?) sets it on fire. The Ritual of A Fertile Union (Mu Cr HI Co 40) Cast on two subjects, at least one of whom must have organs which could normally bear children, at least approximately. (Ordinarily one of the two will be female, though not necessarily fertile. The ritual works on, e.g., two females, or a hermaphrodite and a co-lover, but not on two males - unless one of them is of an egg-laying species or the like, in which case the ritual's behavior will be alarming but effective.) If the subjects couple at any time after the spell is cast, the union will be fruitful. The child of a different-species mix will be a shifter hybrid, shifting back and forth between his parents' species every few hours, and subject to a variety of unpleasant physical afflictions. Unwilling subjects are allowed Magic Resistance rolls. Cley: 16. Time: 4 hours. Cost: 200 lozens. Preparation: minimal. Ritual Element: The riftial elements are generally not mentioned. The Ritual of Raising the Dead (HI Ru Co Me Sp 60) Under ideal conditions, this spell has a (P/2)% (but never more than 50%) chance of restoring a dead subject to life. This ritual can work if S. is in the afterlife; it cannot work if S. has been reincarnated. It is very hard to tell how long S. will be in the afterlife; it might be minutes or millennia, subject to the god's whim. If the (P/2)% roll fails, any of a variety of unpleasant things will happen: e.g., S.'s body is restored to life, with the wrong spirit or mind or both in it. S.'s body must be hale and sound, or S. may die again. Cley: 40. Time: 6 hours. Cost: 14,000 lozens. Preparation: 1 week, stable, single. \ Ritual Element: C. ritually blinds and robs an idol of S.'s creator god that was stolen from an active temple to that god. Read the World's Book (Ke Lo Te II 70) Reveal any one event that has happened, at any place, at any time. C. may watch and listen and. smell as the event transpires. Cley: 80. Time: 2 minutes. Cost: 24,000 lozens. Preparation: 1 year, stable, multiple. Ritual Element: C. shrinks a thousand different history books to dust and sprinkles them in her eyes. (Getting them out again is occasionally a problem.) The Ritual of The Complete Census (Ke Co Me Te 80) C. gains knowledge of everyone that was ever bom: their birthnames, birth-weights, sexes, and locations of birth. Cley: 20. Time: 16 hours. Cost: 1,800 lozens. Preparation: 1 year, unstable, single. Ritual Element: C. burns a vast quantity of genealogical records, reduces the ashes to powder, mixes them with a mother's milk, and drinks it down. There is a half-hour break in the ritual immediately after that, which is usually enough time for C. to stop vomiting.
Her e ar e som e standar d Advantage s an d Disadvantages. Players ma y inven t others a s the y wish , subjec t t o th e gamemas ter's approval . Eve n usin g thes e advantage s is subjec t t o th e gamemaster's approval ; e.g., a gam e ma y b e planne d i n whic h everyon e starts ou t poor. Professional Disadvantages: Ther e ar e man y Disadvantage s tha t onl y matte r t o certai n people . Fo r example , "Missin g Hand " is a sever e handica p for a warrior, an d definitel y a -1 5 disad vantage . It's onl y a mino r inconvenienc e for a mag e wh o neve r intend s t o d o anythin g physical . Th e gamemaste r shoul d reduc e t h e costs o f inappropriat e Disadvantages: dividin g b y 3 whe n t h e disadvantag e is irrelevant , o r 2 if it is marginal . Th e pur e mag e coul d tak e "Missin g Hand " a s a -15/ 3 = - 5 Disadvantage . A mag e wh o wil l tak e a substantia l bu t no t overwhelmin g penal t y from missin g th e han d woul d coun t it a s a -15/ 2 = - 8 Disadvantage . Herethro y an d Khtsoyis, havin g mor e hands, shouldn' t ge t th e full -1 5 penalty . Decidin g wha t t o d o is ultimatel y u p t o th e gamemaster . Role-Playing Disadvantages: Mos t Advantage s hav e con cret e gam e mechanics : gettin g eigh t extr a spells o r a + 4 o n all rolls t o cast Rulo c spells. Others, socia l Disadvantage s i n particular, requir e reinforcemen t b y role-playing . (I n fact, w e class a numbe r o f points o f characterizatio n a s -1 Disadvantages, essentiall y givin g yo u a n Advantag e bonu s if yo u choos e t o giv e a fe w word s o f descriptio n abou t you r character's personality.) If yo u hav e th e Moros e Disadvantage , pla y a moros e character: wee p an d whin e abou t th e unpleasan t surrounding s o r you r lost lov e o r whatever . If yo u neglec t you r role-playin g Disadvantages, th e gamemaste r migh t hav e a n annoye d wizar d giv e yo u a curs e t o b e moros e about . I n an y event , fe w charac ters shoul d hav e mor e tha n - 3 o r - 4 tota l role-playin g disadvan tages. Fee l free t o describ e you r personalit y i n a s muc h detai l a s y o u like ; just don' t tak e th e points for it. Good Disadvantages: Som e Disadvantage s see m mor e lik e Advantages. Thes e Disadvantage s ar e thing s w e hav e foun d t o b e helpfu l t o hav e i n play . "Sleet h Friend" , for example , just say s tha t a Sleet h player-characte r is a goo d frien d o f a non - Sleet h player-character. It migh t hav e som e ba d effects i n play , b u t th e rea l purpos e is t o provid e Sleet h characters som e reaso n t o adventur e wit h th e rest o f th e grou p - an d th e rest o f th e grou p som e reaso n t o accep t th e Sleeth . Disadvantage s lik e "Honest " limi t th e character's options, an d impos e restriction s o n th e player's actions. This is wh y w e mak e the m Disadvantages. Ther e ar e certai n Advantage s tha t ofte n g o wit h honesty : e.g., a reputatio n for honesty , o r a strengt h o f will . It woul d b e quit e sensibl e t o us e th e + 1 Advantag e tha t matche s t h e -1 Disadvantag e o f "Honest " for on e o r th e othe r o f these . (Som e peopl e wil l hav e th e reputatio n an d th e wil l withou t actu all y bein g honest , too . That's life.) Gaining Advantage s In Play: Som e Advantage s ar e obvi ousl y innate ; if yo u don' t start off life a s a bloo d relativ e o f a n o l d nobl e family , you'r e neve r goin g t o b e one . Others ar e obvi ousl y acquired ; a s soo n a s yo u acquir e a magi c item, you'v e go t t h e Advantag e o f "Magi c Item" . Th e rest ar e u p t o th e gamemaster ; e.g., ther e coirkith e som e wa y whereb y yo u coul d acquir e th e "Reliabl e Skill " Advantage durin g play , bu t it's no t somethin g yo u ca n just ge t taught . Eliminating Disadvantage s In Play: It is possibl e t o ge t ri d o f mos t Disadvantage s a s th e character's stor y unfolds, bu t ther e shoul d b e som e goo d reaso n for ever y change . Gettin g ri d o f th e " N o Cash " Disadvantag e is eas y - just ge t som e cash . Gettin g r i d o f a majo r curs e wil l b e a majo r story . Gettin g ri d o f "Thoughtless " wil l usuall y tak e som e characte r development : someho w discoverin g tha t othe r peopl e d o i n fac t hav e feeling s tha t matter. Large Advantage s and Disadvantages: Som e Advantage s a n d Disadvantage s ar e s o expensiv e the y canno t b e take n wit h t h e standar d characte r creatio n limits. Thes e Advantage s ar e liste d for perspective , fo r us e wit h NPCs , an d for campaign s wit h mor e extrem e limits. Optional Rule: Sometimes , especiall y whe n a stor y is gettin g started , yo u wil l wis h t o choos e Advantage s an d Disadvantage s a n d leav e som e o f th e details unspecified . Wit h th e gamemas ter's approval , yo u ca n tak e th e Advantage , an d fill i n th e details later. Fo r example , yo u ma y wan t t o hav e a n enemy , bu t no t kno w enoug h abou t th e settin g t o kno w wh o th e enem y is. A t som e poin t i n pla y yo u o r th e gamemaste r migh t decid e tha t Duk e Zimolf o woul d mak e a goo d enem y for you , an d eithe r inven t a past explainin g wh y yo u ar e enemies, o r simpl y hav e t h e duk e tak e offens e a t somethin g yo u say. Gamemaste r Issues: Th e gamemaste r ha s final sa y i n you r Advantages. If sh e is plannin g th e stor y t o start wit h everyon e dirt-poor, sh e migh t vet o "Cash" . Sh e migh t mak e change s for game-balanc e reasons: if yo u find a - 6 Disadvantag e tha t ca n b e negate d b y a + 1 Advantag e tha t yo u als o take , sh e migh t deval u e th e - 6 t o -1 o r -2 . (Sav e yoursel f an d he r th e work , an d don' t eve n tr y t o snea k suc h a thin g past her: tell he r wha t yo u thin k t h e Disadvantag e ough t t o b e wort h fo r you. ) Similarly , if yo u com e u p wit h a fe w Advantage s tha t wor k spectacularl y togeth er, th e gamemaste r ma y charg e yo u mor e tha n th e liste d cost fo r them . S h e migh t eve n decid e tha t you'r e skimpin g yoursel f b y takin g a + 6 Knac k in Flowe r Arrangin g i n a hig h fantas y adventure , a n d giv e yo u th e knac k fo r free bu t requir e yo u t o tak e usefu l Advantage s a s well .
ABILITY DISADVANTAGES Deep Sleeper (-1) You are hard to wake up. (-5 if there's ever a roll; an extra action in typical circumstances.) You tend to be grouchy when just woken up. Low Alcohol Tolerance (-1) Alcohol hits you harder than it does most people. Each drink you actually drink counts as two. Note that some spells will feed you alcohol even if you do not ordinarily drink. Unknown Advantage (-1) You have an Advantage that you are unaware of, such as a knack in a skill that you have never used, or a magic item that you do not know is magical. The player and gamemaster design the unknown Advantage. You must pay for the Advantage separately. (Alternative: the gamemaster gives the character a secret Advantage, without telling the player what it is, for half the usual Advantage cost. Tor example, the player would ask for +6 worth of unknown Advantages, to be taken as a +3 Advantage. This imposes an extra burden on the gamemaster, so the gamemaster may not allow it.) Bad Balance (-2) You have very poor balance. You are unusually likely to trip (typically, 3 extra botch dice). You cannot climb well (-3 on Climb rolls). You are in grave danger if you are standing on a precipice. Colorblind (-2) You cannot tell the difference between two colors: red and green is the most common pair, blue and yellow somewhat less common, but other combinations of common colors are possible. Minor Curse (-2) You have a minor curse, that can only be removed under some nontrivial conditions. Perhaps you have been cursed to be wounded in every battle you join, and the curse will require a substantial counterspell to remove. Perhaps you cannot hear the words "yes" and "no", until you return your stolen magic amulet to the now-distant sorceress Krazelle. Perhaps your left hand is covered with itchy scales. (The actual penalty for the curse may be more or less at the gamemaster's discretion.) Attribute Reduced (-2) Reduce an Attribute of your choice by 1. This disadvantage may be taken repeatedly. Strong Personal Scent (-2) Your personal scent is strong and distinctive to people with good noses, such as CanLand Sleeth. It's not particularly pleasant or unpleasant. You can be "recognized easily, tracked easily (+5 on rolls). You might have trouble sneaking around, unless the wind is in your favor. Yoar possessions are readily identifiable as yours by scent. Susceptible to Poison (-2) You are unusually vulnerable to one kind of poison (see page 166 for the common kinds of poison). Treat the dosages of that poison as doubled. For example, if you aVe bitten by a spider for Itchy 4, take Itchy 8. (The usual limits on strength of the poison are doubled for that kind as well.) / Incompetent at Skill (-4) You are extraordinarily bacf at some skill that you think is very important, and you persistently try to use. Whenever you use that skill, roll a d6. On a 1, you botch; on a 2-3, you fail, and on a 4-6, you may roll ordinarily. You may only take this Disadvantage in skills you have a skill of 8 or more in at the beginning of the game. You must use the skill at all reasonable opportunities; you do not really believe that you are incompetent. It works best with skills where failure is fuzzy or excusable, such as knowledges and performance skills. You may not be incompetent at skills that aren't used in conventional rolls, such as Life Base, Combat Stance Base, or Cley Base. Open Mind (-4) People near you occasionally get glimpses of what you are thinking, without you being aware of it. The people in question rarely know they have read your mind; they usually think they have made a guess about your thoughts, but a guess which turns out to be correct. It rarely happens more than once or twice a day. It is most likely to happen under some particular circumstance, such as when you arc sleepy or as just after you have eaten, but it could happen any time. It is easy to read your mind: -10 on Magic Resistance rolls against mindreading. Medium Curse (-6) You have a significant curse that will require both luck and skill to remove. Perhaps you have been cursed to botch with your first spell in each battle you join, until you rescue a Cani maiden from kidnappers. Perhaps you will have misfortune every time you fall in love, which you do frequently. (The actual penalty for the curse may be more or less at the gamemaster's discretion) Preferred Target (-6) People and monsters who randomly pick a target will tend to pick you. You also get more insect bites than other people. Your friends are probably grateful, as are local healers. Hard to Heal (-7) Healing spells are only half as effective for you as for most people. Spells to cure crippling injuries (broken bones, missing eyes, etc) fail for no obvious reason one time in six; when they fail this way, there is no chance that they will work again for 2d6 days. Deaf (-10) You cannot hear. You are at a major disadvantage in most social circumstances and many adventuring ones. Major Curse (-10) You have been cursed dreadfully, and the curse can only be lifted under exceptional circumstances. Perhaps invisible spirits slash your cheeks every time you lie, doing d 10 unsoakable damage and revealing your deceit, and only Iraz Halix the Spiridor goddess can remove this curse. Perhaps you cannot sleep twice under the same roof until you have slain your father's murderer. (The actual penalty for the curse may be more or less at the gamemaster's discretion.) Magic Vulnerability (-12) You have no resistance whatever to some kind of magic that is commonly used against you. You automatically fail magic resistance rolls, Dodge rolls, and the like against it. Protective devices and spells might be helpful - but ones that give bonuses on Magic Resistance will not help you, since you have none in the first place. This is a -12 Disadvantage for most magic arts. For Kennoc, Healoc, Sustenoc, Illusidor, Magiador, and Tempador, it is -8. For Creoc, Ruloc, Mutoc, Corpador, Mentador, and Pyrador, it is -16. Hallucinations (-15) You suffer from occasional hallucinations, seeing things that are not really there. Some of them are things that could be real; others could not. You cannot distinguish them from reality, no matter how impossible they are. Expect one bout of hallucinations a day - sometimes more, sometimes fewer. Idiot (-15) You're really dumb. Subtract 2 from Wits and Memory. Subtract 1 from Faith and Will. Even if this leaves you with good attributes, you are still stupid; be sure to play that way. Zero Magic Resistance (-20) You have a permanent score of 0 in your Magic Resistance skill, which makes you easy to affect with magic. Spells or charms to protect you from magic are unendurably painful after a minute or two. Counterspells, your own or someone else's, will help you. You are allowed Magic Resistance rolls, and all the usual things will help you on those rolls. "TP , 251i
ABILITY ADVANTAGES Expensive Resistance to a Noun (+1) You have a significant but expensive ability to resist spells in a particular Noun. Ordinarily, the expensive resistance does nothing for you. If you use cley to boost your Magic Resistance roll against spells involving the particular Noun, the effects are doubled: that is, each cley you spend protecting yourself gives +2s20 {no botch dice} rather than the usual +s20. Keen Nose (+1) +5 on all totals involving smelling. Note that this doesn't give you the discrimination of a Cani or Sleeth, if you aren't one; you will be able to detect three-day-old perfume or track a Rassimel, but will not be able to describe the perfume in Cani terms, or tell two Rassimel apart by smell. See "Discriminating Nose" for that. Never Lost (+1) You never get lost. Even if you are knocked unconscious and carried and spun around, you will wake up knowing which way the cardinal directions are at least. Sleeth Eyes (+1) You can see in the dark or in very bright light, as Sleeth can. Your eyes look unusual, most likely like Sleeth eyes. Specific Magic Resistance (+1) You ire hard to affect with some Noun+Verb combination, getting +s20 on Magic Resistance rolls, and getting double effect from cley spent on resisting that combination. Strong-Willed (+1) You get +5 on all rolls to resist coercion or domination, magical or otherwise. This does not apply to uses of Will in spellbinding or other magic. Tenuous Arcane Connections (+1) Arcane connections to you tend to work very badly. This means that it is hard to affect you with spells cast at you from a distance, by foes or friends. Such spells fail 2/3 of the time; when they fail, the connection no longer connects to you. Inscrutable Magic (+2) Your magic is hard to analyze. You have a skill, called "Inscrutable Magic"; subtract your score in that skill from all Magic Analysis used on your spells. Mystic Wisdom (+2) You receive inspirations and prophecies from some source, perhaps one of the gods. You have little control over it; you are likely to have visions when you do not intend to, and not have visions when you want them. The inspirations leave a residuum of deeper understanding with you. Take a skill in "Mystic Wisdom" reflecting this skill. This Advantage gives you level 3 in Mystic Wisdom, but you may add other starting experience to it. At the very least, you may ask to see if your mystic wisdom tells you anything about some circumstance or situation, or what you feel. The details of this are up to your source and the gamemaster. Observant (+2) You tend to notice clues. The effects of this are up to the gamemaster, when she remembers. Weak Personal Scent (+2) You have only a very minor personal scent. This makes it hard to track you by scent, or to identify your possessions as yours. Cani regard you with suspicion and distrust. Attribute Increased (+3) Add +1 to an attribute of your choice. This may be taken repeatedly. Discriminating Nose (+3) You can smell extremely precisely, as Cani and Sleeth do. You can, for example, tell the difference between two Rassimel by smell alone. This Advantage does not confer the extreme sensitivity of Cani or Sleeth noses; you can't follow a scent trail three days old, or even a fresh one. Someone with both "Keen Nose" and "Discriminating Nose" can smell as well as Cani or Sleeth. Solar Healing (+3) Sleeping in sunlight or bright light heals you d6 life points an hour, as it does for Sleeth. Orren-style Learning (+4) You leam new topics very readily, as Orren do. See page 129. Self-Healing (+5) You may spend two cley and heal yourself d6+Stamina life points, whenever you wish, as Khtsoyis do. Wild Rush (+6) You can enter a wild rush, as Orren can. See page 129. Shifter Hybrid (+7) Your parents were different species, which makes you a rare and unusual child to say the least. (Serious magic was involved in your conception.) You can assume the form of either parent's species, and get all the physical Advantages and Disadvantages of that shape while you are in it - including the attribute modifiers. You have all the intellectual and magical Advantages and Disadvantages of both species at all times, including the god-connections. Changing between the two takes an action, and is somewhat painful. Staying in one shape for more than an hour or two is uncomfortable; after four or five hours, seriously painful. Your initial experience is largely from the species you grew up with; you have that species' full experience, and half the experience of the other. There are some disadvantages to being a shifter hybrid. Many people, including the gods, consider you a perversion of nature and the divine plan. Some more fanatical people may try to dispose of you; you will be an object of confusion, horror, scorn, and pity in some mix. You are infertile and will experience strange degenerative illnesses around age 60 and beyond, which will eventually kill you by age 70 oivse-if nothing else gets you sooner. Fast Learner (+8) You get an extra 1/3 experience, as Rassimel do. Innate Resistance to a Noun (+14) You are innately resistant to one kind of substance: Airador, Aquador, Corpador, Durudor, Herbador, or Pyrador. You have a skill, "Airador Resistance" (or whatever). Add twice your Resistance skill to all Defense and Magic Resistance against the substance (magical or not); a high score in Resistance leaves you virtually immune to attacks of that form. (Airador and Aquador are +9; the others are +14) Charmed Life (+20) You cannot die from wounds or disease; injuries that would kill you may leave you horribly crippled or disfigured, but alive. The circumstances of your death are prescribed, commonly in a near-paradoxical way ("neither inside a house nor outside, neither by man nor woman, neither by spell nor weapon"). Beware if other people learn of the conditions! When they occur, your death is unavoidable and permanent. BACKGROUND DISADVANTAGES Guild Enmity (-1) The guild of your main profession in the area detests you for some reason. You are not legally allowed to practice, and you may be threatened or assaulted. Making peace will be possible but difficult. In Honorable Service (-1) You are currently in someone's service, in a role that is suitable for an adventurer of your skills and background. Perhaps you are a city guard, a wizard's apprentice, a junior knight, or a crime-lord's lieutenant. Your job is not entirely routine. Your liege is likely to send you on tasks, some of them dangerous or complex, and you will do them as well as you can. You will be given equipment, training, and assistance (often in the form of the chance to hire other player-characters) as your liege thinks suitable for the task at hand, but you will rarely be allowed to keep them afterwards. Of course you get suitable wages and other benefits as well; your liege is obliged to treat you well. You are allowed
a reasonable amount of discretion and free time, but may not be able to get time off when you most need it. Leaving service in the next ten years is difficult or impossible. This is a worse Disadvantage if your liege is problematic: overly demanding (-3), cruel (-4), miserly (-5), incompetent (-6), insane (-8), or determined to destroy you (-10). Injured (-1) You have some significant injury, such as a broken bone, that will bother you for a few games and then heal. Minor /Promise (-1) You have promised to do something relatively easy, like bring your dying sister the healing herbs that will save her life. You can probably discharge this promise in your first few adventures ... but if you fail, you will be shamed or unhappy forever. Poor Family (-1) You come from a poor family. Whatever gifts and advantages you get from your family will be small and unimpressive. (Applies only to people who have gifts or family connections, like Cani.) Unimportant Child (-1) You are an unimportant or unwanted child; e.g., a bastard Cani. You will not inherit much from your family (as your family measures "much"). This Disadvantage is only worth -1 when family connections matter, such as for a noble or Cani family. Working for Kvarse (-1) For some reason, you are working for the goddess Kvarse, probably for seven years (which may already have started). This is an honorable occupation for a hero or would-be hero. You will get a certain amount of respect, and possibly assistance - especially from Healers' Guilds. Dark Secret (-2) You have some secret that haunts you, and would lead to your great shame or worse if it were known, e.g., you might have killed your twin sister and made it look like an accident. Hints about the secret continually arise. Perhaps the character - or even the player - does not know what the secret is. Illegitimate (-2) Your parentage is in doubt, and it matters to you. Your family connections are not strong; you cannot get full advantage out of them. This is a -1 Disadvantage (or none) if your family is not important and political. In Shock (-2) You have just experienced something dreadful, such as returning to your family's home just as the fire wizards finished destroying it and your entire family, or witnessing the angel ripping your sorcery teacher's heart out and devouring it. You will be dazed, depressed, confused, or the like for weeks or months. You probably have some other Disadvantages to go with this, like "Alone" or "Personal Hatred". This is entirely a role-playing penalty. It is a good choice for new players who haven't read the rules in detail; it gives a good explanation for why your character may have temporarily forgotten or ignored things that everyone on World Tree knows. Naive (-2) You are extremely naive about the world. You are unaware of things that almost everyone knbws; perhaps you don't know what some of the prime species look like. You will probably learn rapidly, erasing this Disadvantage over a few games. This is only available to players who have not read the rule book. Sleeth Friend (-2) You and another player's character are close friends, and one (not both) of you is a Sleeth. Both friends take this as a -2 Disadvantage, and get the corresponding +2 Advantages from it; it is good form to choose Advantages which are related to the friendship, or your previous history together. This Disadvantage causes very little difficulty for the characters; it is a good way to give a Sleeth character a motivation to adventure with a party. Slow Doom (-2) You are suffering from an ailment, poison, or curse that will kill you in a year unless it is healed. Healing it may be as simple as a sufficiently strong Healoc Corpador spell (requiring you to get the money to pay the wizard) or something more interesting. In any event, it will have a great deal of your attention this year. Dependents (-3) You are responsible for some other people: children, younger siblings, aged parents, or the like. You can get enough free time to be an adventurer (usually), but you must give them various kinds of support, and they will be in trouble if you die. The exact cost of this depends on the circumstances. Outlaw (-3) You are associated with a famous criminal, political exile, or the like, and have powerful enemies. You may expect to be hunted, either to be brought back for (real or fake) justice, or simply to be killed, if you are discovered by the wrong people. Personal Hatred (-3) You bear a consuming hatred for someone powerful, so powerful that revenge is out of the question - for a while. Your actions are directed towards vengeance in the long run. (After that, what will you do with your life?) Arranged Marriage (-4) Your family has arranged an unpleasant marriage for you. Perhaps you have run away to avoid it; perhaps it is still impending; perhaps you are already married. In any event it will cause you trouble for some time to come. Major Family Obligations (-4) Your family is in some kind of serious trouble, which will require a great deal of your time and attention. Perhaps you are adventuring to get money (or something else) to support them. Escaped Slave (-5) You were recently enslaved or indentured, but you ran away. Your former masters will probably offer a reward for your return, and you have little legal recourse in most places. You have only dlOO lozens starting money. Tell your story. BACKGROUND ADVANTAGES Steady Job (0) You have a steady job. You get a decent salary - from 5 to 20 lozens a workday. If you want to leave town, you will have to negotiate with your employer. Unusual Upbringing (0) You were raised in an unusual way for your species. You may move up to 50 experience points of species experience between skills, with the gamemaster's permission. This will deform your personality from your species' stereotype. For example, perhaps you are Cani, but you were beaten and maltreated as a child, moving the 25 exp from Command to Life Base from the beating, and 15 points from Friendliness to Guile; you are cringing and sneaky and have little self-confidence. Bet (+1) You have bet someone that you will do something. The prize and contest should be decided with the gamemaster. Perhaps you have an indefinite-term bet on a nearly impossible task with a huge reward: e.g., if you ever slay the great nendrai Gara Gramerzagon, Lord Rillynor will give you his prized magic sword. Perhaps you have a fixed-term bet on a possible task with a respectable reward: if you earn a thousand lozens in your first month adventuring, your parents (who don't believe that adventurers can make a profit) will give you five thousand. If you fail in the bet, the Advantage will do you no good and perhaps some harm or expense. Guild Member (+1) You belong to one of the professional guilds of
your area, like the Healers, Smiths, or Tree-Mages. You will have access to suitable advanced spells when you are ready to cast them, for a fixed and low price. Take 20 exp in the guild's nonmagical craft (e.g., medicine, smithing, or woodworking) and 10 exp in two other related skills or magical arts. You owe guild dues, which start at 10 lozens/month and go up as your income rises; if you get too far behind in payments, you can get in serious trouble. If your guild is ordinarily closed to your species, you will need the Unusual Background advantage as well. (Healers should consider the advantage of Healers' Guild Training instead, which confers membership and a substantial amount of training.) Heir (+1) You are the important child in your generation of your family: perhaps the firstborn, or the last-bom female, or whatever. You stand to inherit your family's main property, and otherwise play an important role. If your family is not unusually wealthy or powerful, this has no Advantage cost. If it is particularly wealthy, the Advantage cost may be higher. Minor Nobility (+1) You are a minor noble, with some social status but no great wealth or power. You have^a title and a few special rights and responsibilities. You or your family own some property (a manor house or the like), which you cannot sell outright. You have a modest allowance, perhaps 20+dlOO lozens a month. Unusual Background (+1) You have an unusual combination of species and profession; e.g., you are a Sleeth but somehow managed to join a knightly order. Explain how this unusual circumstance came about. You will suffer from various social disadvantages until you somehow manage to overcome the prejudices concerning your species. Wizard Friend (+1) A local wizard is a friend of yours: a professional healer or tree-mage or some such. His power is respectable but not overwhelming. He may give you advice, or discounts on spells, or occasional help. Rich Family (+2) Your family is rich, and still supports you. Perhaps you are doing things which your family considers worthwhile; more likely, you are considered to be wasting your time adventuring. You have an income of 200+d200 lozens/month (roll each month), and can get loans or other funds easily. Get +10 experience in each of four upper-class skills, like Knowledges or Etiquette, and in skill at your family trade if there is one. Family Connections (+3) Your immediate family is wealthy and widely known. You can expect to find help or other support anywhere large and cosmopolitan enough to know of them. (+1 Advantage for Cani.) Major Nobility (+12) You come from one of the most important families in the area. Your family probably rules a city-state You are probably rich; if you don't have cash on hand, you can probably get a loan on the strength of your name. Everyone in the area recognizes you; most defer to you, many beg for favors or suck up to you; a few try to kidnap or kill you. Take 10xd6 experience in each of: Command, Etiquette, History & Literature, Law, Social, and Dance. You may well be in line to inherit leadership one day. (Gamemaster will adjust the Advantage according to the situation.) CHARACTERIZATIO N DISADVANTAGE S Characterizations help delineate your character (which is good for the game) and restrict what you can do (which limits your play). Thus there are no characterization Advantages, only Disadvantages. You shouldn't count more than -3 points of minor characterization Disadvantages, though of course you should describe your character in as much detail you want. Bizarre Belief (-1) You believe in something that is manifestly untrue, or at least contrary to the general World Tree belief. You argue your beliefs vehemently on occasion. Perhaps you believe that matter is made of minute indivisible particles, or that the universe is governed by immutable impersonal laws, or that slavery is immoral, or that Kvarse really created all the prime races, or that the universe was created as a refuge for the survivors of the destruction of the universe Snabarr. Bully (-1) You like to push people around, and frequently do. Complainer (-1) You complain a lot, and you're really a pain at times. Egotist (-1) When you do something of note, you want everyone to know. You mark your deeds (cf. "Mark of Zorro"), and you brag a lot. Flippant (-1) You make jokes in situations that ought to be serious. Most of the time, this is just a bit of characterization. Occasionally it will get you in trouble; e.g., telling a bad joke to the recently-bereaved wizard. Forgiving (-1) You tend to forgive people who seem sincerely repentant or apologetic. History (-1) A few events that other people might consider minor in your early life made a real impression on you. You talk about them frequently, and they influence your choice of activities. Perhaps you got trampled by a horse as^a child; you now hate to ride horses, and badmouth them at every ©Dportunity. Perhaps you saw a traveling illusionist perform some cheap wonders, and you decided to study Illusidor as a hobby yourself. Honest (-1) You are honest. You rarely lie or cheat in significant ways, and when you do you are ashamed of yourself. Minor Vow (-1) You have taken a vow to do or avoid something, that is relatively easy. For example, you might never wear shoes, or always give a coin to anyone who begs one from you if you have one, or plant an apple tree wherever you sleep. Morose (-1) You are frequently morose and whiny. Perhaps you have1 some reason, like a lost lover or a destroyed homeland. Perhaps you'rft just whiny. ; i Needs Kathia Each Morning (-1) You drink kathia, a hot stimulating beverage along the lines. of coffee, tea or mate, andj you need it to wake u p in the morning. It is easy enough to come by in most of prime territory, because a great many primes enjoy it. You are grouchy and annoying , before you have your morning kathia, and somewhat clumsy (Trouble 2) for an hour or three. Breaking the habit takes a few weeks of grouchiness and Trouble 2. There is nothing shameful about needing kathia - indeed, scholars and judges and wizards are a bit embarrassed if they don't drink it. Obsessed (-1) You are obsessed with something fairly minor, like keeping your expensive metal sword with you at all times. Odd Habit (-1) You have some kind of a minor action that you perform unconsciously: winking, blinking, licking the fur on the back of! your paws, flicking your tail or whiskers, twisting one ear in your fingers, licking your chops, and so on. Optimistic (-1) You are usually cheerful and optimistic, especially when the circumstances don't call for it. Packrat (-1) You never throw anything away. You carry amazing amounts of stuff with you at all times, which will encumber you (Trouble 2 at your maximum load) but may prove useful. You pick up interesting objects and souvenirs on adventures.
Pompous (-1) You are pompous and full of yourself. Power Hungry (-1) You want to become powerful, and everyone knows it. You talk about it constantly. People may distrust you or think ill of your motives. Respectful (-1) You tend to defer to people in positions of authority, even if it's probably a bad idea. This works to your advantage with most people in authority, but will often get you into danger. Sensitive (-1) You are very sensitive to something that many people regard as unpleasant, like poor food or poor manners or lack of civilized amenities. Under these circumstances you are angry, grouchy, or otherwise unpleasant. Short Attention Span (-1) You cannot pay attention to things that bore you. You tend to be fairly bad at conversation, guard-work, and the like. Suspicious (-1) You trust very few people. You assume that most people are out for their own advantage, and will cheat you or otherwise take advantage of you if you let them. Thoughtless (-1) You rarely think about other peoples' feelings - you barely realize that they have feelings. Trusts Peers (-1) You expect that people in some class that includes you will be honest, e.g., perhaps you trust people of your own species, or social class, or profession. (No Disadvantage for knights and other classes who are ordinarily honest.) Unconfident (-1) You do not have much self-confidence. You are likely to ask for help at tasks that you could do perfectly well by yourself. Your companions may find this annoying now and again. Vain (-1) You care how you look. A lot. Perhaps you dress in fancy clothing, or spend a lot of time grooming yourself. You are annoyed when your appearance is compromised. Vandal (-1) You like destroying things or writing graffiti, and do so at bad times. Weakness for Something (-1) You like something, and may well neglect important duties or common sense to get it. Common choices are money, sex, and wine; Rassimel in particular choose less common things, such as rare shells. (-1 or worse, depending on the choice of thing and how tempted you are by it.) Bizarre Practice (-2) For reasons you consider sufficient and few other people can or bother to understand, you do something bizarre on a daily basis. Perhaps it is as simple as wearing beggar's rags (if you are a noble) or a silver skullcap to ward off the mind-controlling beams that you are sure that Birkozon constantly emits. Perhaps it an action, like a daily animal sacrifice in honor of your ancestors. Cruel (-2) You are unnecessarily cruel, enjoying tormenting helpless people and the like. Many people are disgusted by your tastes. (-1 for Sleeth, who are usually somewhat cruel.) Impatient (-2) You want to get started. Now. Why is everyone else wasting time chatting around and planning and getting bound spells and extra weapons? Lecheroas (-2) You make passes at people you find attractive. Sometimes you even mean them. You are not necessarily very good at it; see the Flirting skill. Nervous in Circumstance (-2) Under some circumstances, you are particularly nervous and more than usually likely to screw things up. Typical circumstances include: when other Cani are watching; when members of the opposite sex are watching; when you are outside of your home city; when you are fighting. Concretely, all rolls in that circumstance are stress rolls, and you have four extra botch dice. Offensive to a Group (-2) You are offensive to a certain category of people: merchants, Cani, adolescents, educated people, and so on. The category may not be much smaller than these (except that all eight prime species are acceptable). Concretely, you have a -3 on social skills dealing with such people, and 4 extra botch dice in dealing with them. Violent (-2) You enjoy fighting, and start fights whenever you can find a good excuse. A -1 Disadvantage for Gormoror and Khtsoyis, who are ordinarily somewhat violent. Absent-minded (-3) You are absent-minded. You have difficulty paying attention to immediate concerns, when your mind is on more distant and important things - as it often is. You make most rolls for being aware of things at -5. You are likely to put down your sword in one minute, and not be able to find it the next. You are likely to forget to deal with practical matters, too, such as making sure that you have all your bound spells, or even all your clothing. Coward (-3) You're a coward. You hate to be in danger of injury or death. Actually sane people usually do, but it bothers you more than most people. When you are in physical danger, you get clumsy from fear: Trouble 2. Irreverent (-3) You cannot take authority or dignity seriously. You enjoy humiliating and making fun of pompous people and monsters. Expect a regular dose of trouble. Miserly (-3) You hate to spend money. You'll avoid buying new armor until your current set of leather is completely useless, and even then you might get a new set of leather even if you can afford platemail. Then you might return the leather and get the platemail after the first battle. You're not stupid; you just need more of a reason to spend money than most people do. Religious Fanatic (-3) You believe in some rare and rather extreme form of religion, which concerns many important aspects of your life. Perhaps you believe that your racial god is superior to the others and that all the species should worship him. Perhaps you are a devotee of some god other than the canonical 7+12, or something posing as one. You are obnoxious and not well liked because of this. You are probably under a number of restrictions that nonbelievers find stupid. See page 73 for orthodox theology. Speech Impediment (-3) You stutter, or lisp, or the like. (Your player should speak with that impediment when playing the character.) You suffer a -2 penalty on rolls in many social situations. Trusting (-3) You expect everyone to be honest, unless you have some good reason that you think they'll be dishonest. Excessively Helpful (-4) You want to help everyone who needs help. You won't do anything too ridiculous, but you'd like to ... and you'll do lots of things that aren't completely ridiculous. Gullible (-4) You're easy to fool. You may have to make Wits or Memory rolls to avoid believing lies that people tell you: usually Wits + s20 >= 15. If you're lucky, you'll be able to use a Knowledge in that roll as well on occasion. Practical Joker (-4) You are a practical joker. The lure of playing a good prank will often take precedence over common sense. Expect lots of trouble, an early death, and lots of laughter when people tell your story. Shameful Compulsion (-4) You experience occasional compulsions, which you have no choice but to obey. The compulsions are all of some particular kind: to steal something (kleptomania) or bum something (pyromania) are common. You will be in some trouble or shame if you are caught. When the compulsion strikes, you have only a few minutes before it becomes overwhelming: rarely enough time to plan a careful theft or blaze. You are ashamed of your compulsions and your deeds.
You have a skill, Resist Compulsion; you may make Will + Resist Compulsion rolls to avoid having to give in to your compulsion, usually with a threshold of 20. You start with a level of 3 in Resist Compulsion, but may not add more experience to it until you start playing. (Easier thresholds or less dangerous compulsions are smaller Disadvantages). Learning to control your compulsions, and deal with their consequences, will be a significant part of your story. Strange Priorities (-4) You have some very strange priorities. Perhaps something minor is unusually important to you, and you venture into danger to deliver thank-you notes or rescue baby birds. Perhaps something major is unimportant to you, and you casually agree to guard a tavern for a week when you're on an urgent errand. You probably get annoyed when your friends try to save you from yourself. Honorable Warrior (-5) You refuse to attack by surprise. You prefer to have your enemy attack first, and will frequently refuse to strike before he has a chance to. Virtuous (-6) You are determinedly pure, doing your best to avoid anything that seems sinful or bad. When you do such things (e.g., telling white lies), you are ashamed of yourself for days afterwards. Extravagant (-7) You are profligate with your money when you have it. You cannot save any, not even for medium-term goals such as good equipment. Bribable (-8) You are easy to bribe, if offered the right inducement. (Decide what that inducement is: money, rare books, sex, or whatever. Rare or obscure inducements reduce this to a -4 Disadvantage.) If you are offered an adequate bribe, you must make a s20 roll in order to avoid taking it. The gamemaster will decide the threshold. For example, if you want money and are offered 10% of your current wealth to do something illegal and repugnant to you, you must roll 18 or better. This is more severe than "Weakness for Something", because you are not in full control of yourself. Terrors (-8) You are deathly afraid of something (like fire or insects), or in some circumstance. When confronted with it, you will freeze or try to escape, no matter what else is going on. Explain the source of your terror: perhaps you were tortured with insects, or watched your family killed by fire. Compulsively Truthful (-10) You are unable to lie or mislead people, even about small matters. Fury (-10) A violent temper sometimes overwhelms you, sending you into a berserk frenzy. Choose something that is particularly likely to bring on the frenzy - but any frustration might do it. You get +s20 on Attack, and must choose your most aggressive combat stance, but -s20 on all others skill rolls (and -s20 on Defense), while in the frenzy. You are too angry to cast spells safely; you must roll one botch die on each cast, no matter what your casting roll is. The destruction of the object of your rage will calm you down, as will s20 minutes without a fight. If you want to calm down, roll d20; on a 20, you can be calm. You may try this roll once an action. Major Vow (-12) You have taken some major vow that controls important aspects of your life. Perhaps you have vowed never to use metal equipment, or to help any maiden who asks it of you. If you fail at your vow, you will be ashamed or cursed. Compulsive Altruist (-20) You try to help everyone who needs help, no matter what the situation or how much trouble they have been for you. Physical Coward (-20) You are afraid of getting injured, in a way that tends to get you injured a lot. You cannot get any experience in any weapon, Brawling, or Dodge skills; your score in those skills will always be zero. You suffer Trouble 6 on all rolls to do anything if someone is attacking you directly. EQUIPMENT DISADVANTAGES Debt (-1) You owe someone something. You intend to pay it back as soon as you can, either out of moral obligation or threat. If someone loaned you your starting money (or your "Cash" Advantage), this is a -1 disadvantage; if your debt is larger, the disadvantage is larger. No Cash (-1) For some reason, you have little money or equipment at the moment. You have 2d6 lozens on hand, and perhaps a meng knife, backpack, and change of clothes. You only have bound spells that you can bind. If other Advantages give you equipment, you have that as well. EQUIPMENT ADVANTAGES Cash (+1) You have 800 + 100xd6 lozens extra starting money (or whatever the gamemaster deems a suitable amount of money). Explain where it came from; there won't be any more from that particular source without at least a significant adventure. Loyal Pet (+1) You have a loyal pet, some kind of animal (e.g., World Tree equivalent of a cat or dog). It's not particularly intelligent or powerful. C " Metal Weapon (+1) You have a metal weapon, shield, or similar items worth 2000 lozens in total. You may take this Advantage repeatedly to get more valuable weapons. Explain where such valuable things came from. (If you arc rich enough to buy a weapon initially, and live in a place with an armorer's shop, you may buy one at character creation time instead of taking this Advantage.) Slaves (+1) You have several (typically 2d6) slaves or indentured servants, who are your personal property. They aren't particularly powerful, and are probably not fanatically loyal either. You probably won't bring them on dangerous adventures, but they make your life more convenient at most times. Treasure Map (+1) You have^a map to a substantial hidden treasure. Getting there and obtaining it will require an adventure; keeping your proper share may be challenging as well. Magic Item (+3) You have a magic item: perhaps a sword that bums, inflicting an extra s6 damage on each hit, or a talisman that turns you into a bird twelve times a day. Negotiate with the gamemaster for the details. The Advantage cost may be more or less for items of different powers. This advantage is +3 for modest magic items, smaller for minor ones, larger for bigger ones. Animal Companion (+8) Some reasonably powerful animal is your loyal companion: perhaps a krango, a two-headed great cat, as strong as an experienced Sleeth warrior. The animal is fairly smart for an animal, but not sentient. It will generally obey you when it can understand you. (The cost of this will vary with the power of the companion.)
EXPERIENCE ADVANTAGES These Advantages represent working for some time in some profession or occupation. The list is not complete; it includes mainly professions which lead naturally to adventuring. Players may request that the gamemaster develop others, following the patterns of these Advantages. Broad Experience (+1) You have had a wide range of experiences, giving you some minor acquaintance with many skills. Take 10 experience points in each of nine skills. You may not raise these skills further during character creation. Extra Experience (+1) You have more experience than starting characters ordinarily do. Take 30 experience points which you may use as you wish. This usually corresponds to a year or so of extra age. This is a poor deal compared to most other Experience advantages. Feather Mage Experience (+2) You worked for four years as a feather mage: a seller of feather-cast spells, charging low prices and giving low quality. You learned Cley Base (20 exp), Magic Resistance (10 exp), Feather Casting (25 exp), five magic arts (10 exp each), Dodge (10 exp), and Etiquette (5xd3 exp). You also acquired 10+dl0 complexity-5 and 6+d6 complexity-10 spells, mostly very practical, most of which you would expect to be able to sell at very low power. Feather mages are generally seen as nearly-incompetent scoundrels who prey on the poor; this employment could mar your reputation for life. May be taken repeatedly. Burglar Experience (+3) You supported yourself for four years as a burglar, breaking into buildings or guarded caravans - generally owned by people who were not citizens of your native city. You learned Magic Analysis (5xd3 exp), Magic Resistance (5xd3 exp), Life Base (5xd3 exp), Climb (30 exp), Dodge (5xd3 exp), Jump (5xd6 exp), Run (5xd6 exp), Alertness (10 exp), Disguise (10xd3 exp), Pick Locks (30 exp), Pick Pockets (5 exp), Search (30 exp), Set/Disarm Traps (30 exp), Sneak (30 exp), Sleight of Hand (5 exp), and Judge Value (5 exp). You saved (slO x slO x slO) lozens from this time. This Advantage may be taken repeatedly. Con Artist Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a con artist, parting fools from their money in ways that they might not approve of if they were to leam the full details. You learned Life Base (5xd3 exp), Alertness (10 exp), Forgery (5xd6 exp), Bargain (40 exp), Interrogate (5xd8 exp), Empathy (5xd8 exp), Etiquette (5xd8 exp), Friendliness (30 exp), Guile (30 exp), General Knowledge (5xd6 exp), Judge Value (5xd8 exp), and Law (5xd3 exp). This Advantage may be taken repeatedly. Guard Mage Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a mage in a city guard, or some other fairly aggressive setting, such as light adventuring. You learned Cley Base (15 exp), Feather Casting (5 exp), Finesse (5 exp), Hammer Casting (5 exp), Magic Analysis (5 exp), Magic Resistance (5 exp), Meditation (5 exp), Spontaneous Force (5 exp), Spellbinding (5 exp), six magical arts (10 exp each), one weapon (10 exp), Life Base (5 exp), Dodge (5 exp), Alertness (5 exp), and Intimidate (5 exp). You also acquired a variety of spells: 6+d6 complexity-5 spells and 3+d3 complexity-10 spells. These were straightforward spells useful in guarding cities: attack, defense, and enhancement. The city guard bought them for you; they are not fancy. This Advantage may be taken repeatedly. Guard Warrior Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a guard in a city, mostly on the physical end of matters. You learned Magic Resistance (5 exp), Magic Analysis (5 exp), a preferred weapon (25 exp), two alternate weapons (10 exp each), Brawling (5xd6 exp), Combat Stance Base (20 exp), Dodge (20 exp), Life Base (5xd4 exp), Alertness (5 exp), Etiquette (5 exp), Interrogate (5 exp), Intimidate (5 exp), and Law (5 exp). You may have three bound defensive spells, or similar disposable items, saved from your time as a guard. This may be taken repeatedly. Healer Experience (+3) You have worked as a healer for four years. You learned: Cley Base (20 exp), Spellbinding (5 exp), Healoc (25 exp), Corpador (20 exp), Medicine (25 exp), Bargain (5xd3 exp), Empathy (5xd3 exp), Etiquette (5xd3 exp), Friendliness (5xd6 exp), and Interrogate (5xd3 exp). You have acquired one (or two if you are a Healers' Guild member) healing spells of complexity 25 or below (but only ones that you can cast). Most people who take this have previously taken Healer's Guild Training. Healers' Guild Training (+3) You have taken the Healers' Guild's four-year standard course in magical healing. Take experience in Cley Base (10 exp), Healoc (30 exp), Corpador (10 exp), Medicine (35 exp), Knowledge: Natural Science (30 exp). You know the Healoc Corpador spells Kiss th s Stinging Cut (HI Co 5), Heal Once (HI Co 10), Pretense of Health (HI Co 15). and Heal the Awful Wound (HI Co 20). You may start with other healing spells at half the usual Advantage cost: the Guild only sells spells that actually heal people (and not all healing spells may be available), not just any Healoc spell. You are a Healers'
Guild member (at no further Advantage cost), and should pay dues. Merchant Experience (+3) You worked as a merchant for few years. You learned: Bargain (40 exp), Empathy (30 exp), Etiquette (20 exp), Guile (20 exp), Interrogate (40 exp), Judge Value (40 exp), Knowledge: Social (20 exp), and Law (10 exp). You also have an extra s6xl00 {no botch dice} lozens starting money. May be taken repeatedly. For an extra +1 Advantage, you own a small business; it takes much of your time (and may be the focus of most of your adventuring), but provides you an income of a respectable 300-500 lozens a month. Officer Experience (+3) You worked for four years as an officer in a city guard or private army. You probably were either an ordinary guardsperson before you became an officer, or are a noble or educated person. You learned Combat Stance Base (15 exp), Life Base (10 exp), three weapons (10 exp each), Dodge (10 exp), Alertness (10 exp), Command (20 exp), Etiquette (20 exp), Interrogate (10 exp), Intimidate (5xd6 exp), and Law (20 exp). You probably have contacts in the organization you worked in; you may still be working there. Pattern Mage Experience (+3) You worked as a pattern mage for four years. You used Cley Base (15 ejcp), three other Magic skills (10 exp each), and five Nouns and Verbs total (15 exp on each of the five). You also picked up some spells: 6+d6 complexity-5 spells and 3+d3 complexity-10's. These spells were what you sold: fireproofing spells are more reasonable than fireblasting. May be taken repeatedly. Pickpocket Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a thief, removing things from people's purses and bodies politely, without troubling them. You learned Life Base (5xd3 exp), Dodge (5xd6 exp), Run (30 exp), Track (5xd4 exp), Alertness (20 exp), Disguise (5xd6 exp), Pick Pockets (40 exp), Search (10 exp), Sleight of Hand (20 exp), Sneak (20 exp), and Judge Value (10 exp). You have saved (slO x slO x slO) lozens from this time. This may be taken repeatedly. Priest Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a priest. You specialized in 1-3 of the gods. You learned Cley Base (10 exp), Concentration (15 exp), Finesse (5 exp), Magic Analysis (20 exp), Magic Theory (20 exp), Meditation (30 exp), the magical arts of the gods you worked with (30 experience, split evenly among the gods you were a priest of), Bargain (5 exp), Empathy (10 exp), Etiquette (20 exp), Friendliness (10 exp), Enchantment (10 exp), Gods' Tongue (30 exp), History and Literature (30 exp), Natural Science (10 exp), and Theology (30 exp). Self-taught Mage (+3) You explored your magic extensively as a child, mainly using spontaneous magic. Take d20 experience in each magical art, and in Cley Base, Magic Resistance, Spontaneous Force, and Life Base. This is considered an unsophisticated way to team; few people admit to studying magic this way. Smith Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a smith, probably an apprentice or journeyman. You learned Cley Base (20 exp), Durudor (30 exp), Creoc (20 exp), Mutoc (20 exp), Sustenoc (20 exp), the Craft skill of Smithing (40 exp), which you should add to the Crafts section of your character sheet. Roll a dlO; on a 10, gain one point of Strength. You learned one or two of the spells for creating or working metal or stone, such as Create a Lump of Iron (Cr[Su] Du 25), Forge and Form Metal (Mu Du 20), or three or four lesser ones such as Sharpen The Blade (HI Du 10) or Make a Rock (Cr [Su] Du 15). You may well have acquired spells that you cannot cast yet; getting those vital, secret spells - and the right to cast them - is the major payment for your labors as an apprentice and your substantial guild dues. This Advantage may be taken repeatedly. You are a member of the Smiths' Guild - probably not a master - and owe dues. Spellbinder Experience (+3) You worked as a spellbinder for four years. Cley Base (15 exp), Meditation (20 exp), Spellbinding (30 exp), and four magic arts (15 exp each). You also picked up spells (6+d6 complexity-5 and 3+d3 complexity-10's) as part of your stock in trade. These spells were ones which you could sell as bound spells, and must be ones that you could actually bind. May be taken repeatedly. Spellweaving Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a spellweaver. You learned Cley Base (20 exp), Magic Resistance (5xd6 exp), Magic Analysis (15 exp), Magic Theory (20 exp), Meditation (5 exp), Spellweaving (30 exp), and six magic arts (15 exp each). University Education (+3) You have attended a university for about five years. You learned each Knowledge (5xd6 exp each). People will generally give you some respect (or disrespect) because of your education. May be repeated if you can pay for it. Weapons Master Experience (+3) You worked for four years as a combat instructor, probably in an academy; or you trained heavily in a weapons academy for four years. You learned Combat Stance Base (30 exp), Life Base (10 exp), three major weapons (20 exp each), all the other weapons (10 exp each), and Dodge (20 exp). You have many inexpensive weapons, and may get two metal or other expensive weapons for the Advantage cost of one. This Advantage may be taken repeatedly. Wilds Experience (+3) You have spent four years working in th woods: hunting or gathering wild foods or surveying or the like. Yoi have learned Life Base (5xd3 exp), one weapon (5xd3 exp), Climb (5xd6 exp), Dodge (5xd3 exp), Hunt (5xd6 exp), Jump (5xd3 exp), Ride (5xd3 exp), Run (5xd6 exp), Swim (5xd3 exp), Track (5xd6 exp), Set/Disarm Traps (5xd6 exp), Stealth (5xd6 exp), Animal Handling (5xd6 exp), Armor Repair (5xd3 exp), Medicine (5xd3 exp), Wilds Survival (40 exp), and Woodworking (5xd3 exp). This may be taken repeatedly. Mercenary Experience (+4) You have been a warrior-for-hire for four years or so. You have learned Cley Base (5xd3 exp), Magic Resistance (5xd3 exp), a preferred weapon (30 exp), an alternate weapon, probably a missile (15 exp), Combat Stance Base (25 exp), Life Base (20 exp), Dodge (20 exp), Ride (5xd4), Alertness (5xd4 exp), Bargain (5xd4 exp), Run (5xd6 exp), Intimidate (5xd4 exp), Armor Repair (20 exp). You have not saved anything from this time unless you take it as a separate Advantage. This may be taken repeatedly. University Mage (+4) You have studied all the aspects of magic, probably in a five-year course in a university or magical academy - but in very little depth. You learned d20 experience (or 10 experience if you prefer not to roll) in each Magic skill, each Noun, each Verb, and Enchantment, Spellweaving, Gods' Tongue, and Theology. You also have 6+d6 complexity-5 spells that you found interesting, including at least one that you invented. This may be taken repeatedly if you could have paid for it. You may also take "University Education" as a +1 Advantage and two years. Advanced University Mage (+5) You have a graduate education (five years) after your University Mage time1 ; take that Advantage separately. Leam Cley Base (30 exp), Magic Theory (40 exp), and Magic Resistance (20 exp). You also studied six magical topics in depth, getting 30 exp in each; the six topics are chosen from the Magic skills, the Nouns, the Verbs, or Enchantment, Spellweaving, Theology, or Gods' Tongue. Typically you will study two Nouns, two Verbs, and two other topics, but you may have chosen different courses. Because you traded spells with your fellow students, you may purchase further spell Advantages at half of their Advantage cost. You may use up to +5 Advantage points in this way, and you may only use them for spells of professional or academic interest (specifically excluding attack and defense spells, but ask the gamemaster). You may take this Advantage repeatedly regardless of your finances: graduate students are often funded by the academy.
Knight Training (+8) You were trained as a knight: a warrior of the highest and most noble orders. The training started at age 15 or so, and continued to age 30 or so. This training gives you great status and great responsibility. You will be subject to your superiors' commands for decades, until you move up the ranks and give the orders yourself. You must also hold to high standards of behavior, a code of chivalry: you must protect the innocent, prevent atrocities, uphold local laws even if they are bad laws, and so forth. The penalties for failure (even when no success was possible) arc extraordinarily harsh. You have learned Cley Base (20 exp), Magic Resistance (40 exp), four weapons (30 exp each), Combat Stance Base (30 exp), Life Base (40 exp), Dodge (40 exp), Command (10 exp), and Etiquette (30 exp). You have metal weapons and chain armor. Knight-Mage Training (+8) You were trained as a knight-mage: a warrior wizard of the highest order. The training started at age 15 or so, and continued to age 30 or so. This training gives you great status and great responsibility. You will be subject to your superiors' commands for decades, until you move up the ranks in the order and give the orders yourself. You must also hold to high standards of behavior, a code of chivalry: you must protect the innocent, prevent atrocities, uphold local laws even if they are bad laws, and so forth. The penalties for failure are extraordinarily harsh, even in situations where failure was inevitable. You have learned Cley Base (25 exp), Magic Resistance (25 exp), two Verbs (25 exp each) and two Nouns (25 exp each), two weapons (25 exp each), Combat Stance Base (30 exp), Life Base (25 exp), Dodge (25 exp), Command (10 exp), and Etiquette(30 exp). You also have one complexity-20 spell, four complexity-15 spells, twelve complexity-10 spells and a metal weapon. KNACK DISADVANTAGES Anti-Knack -5 (-1) You are particularly bad at some skill, taking a -5 penalty on all totals involving it. You may only take this in skills that obviously do (or should) matter to you to some extent; e.g., one of the skills your species learns as a child, or one which you have a skill of 5 or more, or one which is important to your chosen profession. Nearsighted (-1) You can't see well at a distance. Trouble 3 on all rolls involving seeing things at a distance, like targeting spells and missiles. Glasses will help, but they're fragile and expensive: correcting one point of trouble with glasses costs 200 lozens, two points 1000 lozens, and three points 5000 lozens. Poor Hearing (-1) You can't hear very well. -3 on all hearing rolls. Poor Magic Sense (-1) Your magic sense is unusually bad: -3 on rolls involving it. Susceptible to Magic (-2) You are unusually easy to affect with magic: -3 on all rolls. Weak-Willed (-2) You get -5 on all rolls to resist coercion, intimidation, domination. This does not apply to uses of Will in spellbinding and other magic. KNACK ADVANTAGES Cluster of Knacks +1 (+1) You have three +1 knacks in three related skills, representing some broad aptitude. For example, you might be a natural-bom thief, with knacks in picking pockets, sneaking, and climbing. Ordinarily only mundane skills are suitable for clusters of knacks. (A cluster of three +2 knacks is a +2 Advantage; of +3 knacks, a +4 Advantage.) Common Sense (+1) You are a sensible person, at least if you take a second to think. You have explicit permission to ask the gamemaster for advice about what a sensible person would do. You don't have to follow that advice. This is mainly intended for new players. As you get more experienced, you should ask the gamemaster less often. Keen Vision (+1) +3 on all totals to see something. Knack (+1 or more) You are good with some skill; add +2 or more to all rolls and totals concerning it. See page 145 for more details. Large knacks cost more: Knack s Knac k Advantag e Cos t +2 +1 +3 +2 +4 +3 +5 +4 +6 +5 +7 +6 +8 +7 +9 +8 If you already have a knack for some other reason and wish to improve it, take the price of your existing knack as a credit. For example, if you are a Cani and wish to improve your innate +4 knack at Ruloc to a +6 knack, it costs 2 Advantage points more. Reliable Skill (+1) You can use one particular skill coolly and collectedly under stress. Whenever you roll botch dice with it, roll two sets of botch dice and take the most favorable result. Sharp Ears (+1) +3 on all totals involving hearing. Sharp Magic Sense (+1) Your magic sense is unusually good: +3 on rolls involving magic sense. Broad Circumstantial Bonus (+5) Under some common set of circumstances, you have a +1 bonus on all stress rolls. The Cani Species Advantage "Loyalty Bonus" is an example of this. MAGICAL DISADVANTAGES Can't Write Spells (-1) You cannot copy spells for other people to leam. Cley Dependent (-1) Having no cley is physically unpleasant to you. When you are out of cley, you get three extra botch dice on all actions, and are probably whiny or sarcastic or otherwise hard to endure. If you have a cley debt, you're even worse. Cley Gap (-1) There is a full minute's gap between the time that your cley leaves you and the time it is refreshed. During this time you have, of course, no cley. Nouns-blind (-1) You cannot tell the difference between three specific Nouns (e.g., Airador, Pyrador, and Locador) when you attempt Magic Analysis, rather as a color-blind person cannot tell the difference between two specific colors. Pick one Noun, and roll the others. Can't Graft One Noun (-2) You cannot graft pattern spells involving one Noun; that is, you cannot leam such spells that other people have invented. This cuts you off from the most useful advanced magic involving that Noun. This Disadvantage applies only to learning spells: in particular, you can invent spells in that Noun yourself (and have them as pattern spells). You may not have any spells in that Noun when you start play, unless you take the "Invented Spells" Advantage. (This is a -3 Disadvantage for a Verb, and a -1 Disadvantage for the relatively obscure arts of Locador, Magiador, Mentador, Spiridor, and Tempador.) Cley Overlap (-2) There is a full minute's overlap between the time you get new cley (which comes first for you, unlike for most people) and the time that your old cley leaves you. Unless you take careful measures in advance - every day - during this time you will have a
tremendous cley overcharge, and will probably set off dangerous magical effects even if you try not to. On the good side, if you happen to need massive amounts of cley for one minute on occasion, you can arrange to have it. Cley Isolated (-2) You cannot transfer cley to other people, nor accept transfers from them, nor otherwise share cley. Daily Backfire (-2) Your magic backfires once a day, usually early in the day, but only when you use cley. Roll a d6; on a 1 or 2, your spell botches. After this has happened once, your magic is fine for the rest of the day. Bad Relationship with a God (-4) You have an unusually bad relationship with the god controlling one of your magical arts. Whenever you cast a spell in that god's art, you botch on a Power or complexity dieroll of 1, in addition to any botches that you might roll. Casting Trouble (-5) Under certain common circumstances, your spells are weak: -5 on complexity (so you may not be able to use your best spells) and -20 on power. Typical circumstances include: in a town or city, in dense forest, on the Verticals, around Sleeth. Inflexible Pattern Magic (-5) You can only cast your pattern spells in the ordinary way (e.g., no hammer or feather casting), and bind them in the ordinary way (no binding with reasoning). Shaky Pattern Magic (-5) When you cast a pattern spell, you must roll to see if you can cast it: Memory + Noun + Verb - dlO >= complexity. If your Memory + Noun + Verb is 10 more than the spell's complexity, you will have no trouble (except in stress). If you fail this roll, nothing happens; you do not spend cley. Trouble Grafting Pattern Spells (-5) You have trouble grafting pattern spells onto yourself. Whenever you try to graft a spell, roll a d6; on a 1, the graft failed and the spell is lost. Make this roll on all the spells that you start with initially. Reduced Bound Spells (-7) You cannot use as many bound spells as ordinary people; you may only possess half the usual number. There is a 1% chance per day that a bound spell that you own will decay and vanish. Cley Vessel (-10) Other people may take your cley by touching you and trying to take it: you lose two cley, they gain one cley, which they must use immediately. When this happens, you are stunned for two actions; people can continue to drain your cley. When your cley is exhausted, so are you: you collapse for an hour or two. Anyone with a reasonable skill at Magic Analysis can see that you are a Cley Vessel by looking at you. You would make an excellent slave for a powerful and unscrupulous mage. Feeble Spontaneous Magic (-10) Your spontaneous magic is weak and frequently ineffective. Roll s6's rather than s20's for complexity and power rolls. Note that this means you will botch frequently. Handicapped in Art (-10) You are unable to use one Noun or Verb yourself. You cannot cast any spell involving that art. (-5 for Durudor, Tempador, Spiridor, Magiador, Locador, Illusidor, Sustenoc, Healoc. - 12 for Corpador, Herbador, and the remaining Verbs). Poor Cley Supply (-12) For some reason, you do not get as many cley as ordinary people; subtract dl2 from each day's supply. (Roll the dl2 anew each day.) Round negative or zero amounts to one; you aren't totally without cley. Slow Magic (-12) Your spells that would normally go off next action (including most attack spells) actually go off the action after that, putting you at a major disadvantage in magical fights. Your fast spells go off as normal. Terrible Casting Requirement (-15) You can only cast spells in certain circumstances, which are hard to achieve, humiliating, or otherwise terrible. For example, you might need to have just killed an animal, or be naked (if your species is ordinarily clothed). No Bound Spells (-20) Due to some flaw in your magerium, you cannot owh bound spells, or perform spellbinding. No Spontaneous Magic (-20) Due to some flaw in your magerium or personality, you cannot cast spontaneous magic, or perform spellweaving. SPELL ADVANTAGES These Advantages let you start the game with some pattern spells. You can start the game with spells you can't cast, but it is usually worth checking to be sure you can cast them; see page 175. Cantrip Scribe (+1) You worked for a while as a spell scribe, learning and copying spells for a spell-seller. You have learned 10+d 10 spells of complexity 5, and 6+d6 spells of complexity 10. These spells are mostly practical or entertaining - e.g., spells for dishwashing, woodworking, contraception, and so on. Four of the 5's and two of the 10's may be specifically useful for adventuring. You must get the gamemaster's approval of the spells on the list. You have learned 10 experience in each of Finesse, Magic Theory, and Concentration. To take this advantage, those three skills must total 10 or more after the experience. Wizard's Scribe (+2) You worked for a while copying spells for a major magician. You know 5-6 spells of complexity 15 or more, part of the magician's stock in trade; these will be salable spells, and some of them might be useful for adventuring. These spells are in arts you had minimal skill in at the time - wizards do not give their major spells to scribes who can use them - but eventually you may get to be strong enough to use them. You are under oath not to copy any of these spells for a dozen years. You have learned 20 experience in each of Concentration, Magic Analysis, and Finesse. You can only take this Advantage if your Concentration + Magic Analysis + Finesse will be 15 or more with the Advantage, and you can only get spells with that total or less as their complexity. Complexity-5 Spells (+1) You have 12 complexity-5 spells. Complexity-10 Spells (+1) You have 4 spell^ of complexity 10. Complexity-15 Spells (+1) You have a spell of complexity 15. Complexity-20 Spell (+2) You have a complexity-20 spell. Complexity-25 Spell (+4) You managed to get a spell of complexity 25. Complexity-30 Spell (+6) You somehow managed to get a spell of complexity 30. Complexity-35 Spell (+9) You somehow managed to get a spell of complexity 35. Wow. Complexity-40 Spell (+12) You somehow managed to get a spell of complexity 40. This is impressive, especially if you can cast it. Explain how this happened. MAGICAL ADVANTAGES Unusual Cley Refresh Time (0) You get your day's supply of cley at some time other than dawn: most likely noon, sunout, or midnight (a sinister time for cley refresh). You get the same number of cley as anyone else, just at a different time. Cley Holder (+1) You can tolerate a higher overcharge of cley than most people. The limit of the comfortable charge is 6 higher than your ordinary maximum; that is, you can hold up to Faith + Cley Base + 12
cley. This Advantage gives you no special wuy to gel extra cley; but the ordinary ways (e.g., Meditation) will work. Emergency Spell (+1) Once per day, in an emergency, you may add 20+d20 to the power of a pattern or spontaneous spell that you cast. Extra Bound Spells (+1) You may own four more bound spells than usual. Invented Spells (+1) You have invented some of the spells that you know. Very few people know about them: you, perhaps a few teachers or parents or friends. You (the character) must have enough Magic Theory to invent those spells; sec page 199. You (the player) must make them up, and pay the regular Advantage cost for them in addition to the +1 for Invented Spells. You might be able to sell copies of your invented spells, or otherwise take advantage of the fact that they are new. Note that other people might have invented similar spells before you.did, and that many people may be able to spont the spell you have invented. Also note that any player may invent spells for their character without this Advantage; the Advantage means that the character has invented those spells. Quick Spell Grafter (+1) You are unusually good at copying spells for others to graft, and at grafting them on yourself. Subtract (10xd6)% from the time and cley cost for each task. Specific Magic Power Manipulation (+1) You can modify the power of spells cast on you (and only on you) in some specific Noun+Verb combination, either adding or subtracting s20 to/from the spell's power, as Orren do with Mutoc Corpador spells cast on them. Rituals of Divine Favor (+2) You have an unusually good relationship with one of the gods. When you perform a five-minute ritual, you get +s20 on Complexity and Power rolls of one spell you cast immediately after the ritual, involving that god's art. You may also be subject to the god's scrutiny or influence. It is unwise to use this more than three times a day on a regular basis. Special Circumstances on Casting (+2) Under some simple circumstances of your choice, you gain a +5 bonus on the power of every spell that you cast. The circumstances may be reasonably common, but there should be some challenge. The circumstances may be environmental: you may need to be standing in a strong wind, or have both feet upon soil. They may be related to the target of your spells: you may get the bonus when casting spells upon Cani. Or they may be based on equipment: you may get the bonus when you are holding the wand that your mentor gave you as a starting apprentice (and you will lose the bonus forever if the wand is destroyed). The gamemaster may grant a larger bonus for more challenging circumstances, or make it smaller for easier ones. i Strong Bound Spells (+2) When you bind spells, they are stronger than most peoples': add dl2 to their Power. Living Magic (+3) You may use your own life in place of cley; for each such point of cley you use, you take d6 damage. You may gain at most your Cley Base points of cley a day this way. You can easily kill yourself doing this, but sometimes it's worth it. Intuitive Magic (+4) You have an intuitive insight into some particular combination of magical arts. You can cast weak spontaneous spells in that combination (cqmplexity 5, power 5) without using cley. You have +10 on complexity limits and Power of spells which use that combination, even if they include other arts as well. You get +10 on complexity rolls of those two arts when you use them together in spontaneous magic, and +10 Power of the spontaneous spell. Ritual of Extra Cley (+5) You have some personal ritual (which usually takes about ten minutes to perform, and may require props) which restores d6 points of cley to you when you perform it. Describe the ritual: perhaps you whirl around and chant your creator god's name, or gaze deeply into your crystal pendant. The first two uses in a day are safe. Performing it three times in a day is costly - typically, giving you an extra botch die on all rolls you make that day. Performing it four times in a day probably won't kill you, but you'll feel like it had. If the ritual depends on a prop, the Advantage is only +4; the prop can be replaced, but getting attuned to a new one may take several weeks. Fast Caster (+8) You may spend an extra cley casting a spell that ordinarily takes effect next action to make it take effect as a fast spell instead. This makes it very hard to counterspell except by bound counterspells or previously-cast defenses. Cley Vampire (+9) You can steal cley from other people by touch. They lose two cley; you gain one. Stealing cley is an intentional act on your part. The victim is not allowed a resistance roll, though he may try to get away from you. The theft is painful to the victim and pleasurable to you. The act of cley vampirism is illegal almost everywhere, and simply being a cley vampire whether you do it or not is illegal in many places. If you are discovered, you will be exiled if you're lucky. PHYSICAL DISADVANTAGES Disfigured (-1) You have a scar or other blemish that makes you easy to recognize. If it makes you significantly unattractive, take the Ugly Disadvantage as well. Obese (-2) You're huge and fat. You have +3 Knack in Life Base, but you are slow; subtract two from your Agility. Missing Ear (-3) You're missing an ear. You cannot tell which direction sounds are coming from; you are easy to recognize; and you have a -5 on all hearing rolls. A -2 Disadvantage to species without external ears, or if the ear is deaf but not actually cut off. Maladroit (-6) You tend to run into things and hurt yourself a lot. You roll an extra botch die on all Agility rolls, in particular on all Defense rolls. If you botch a Defense roll, you take an extra dlO damage in addition to the ordinary botch. Vulnerable to Fire (-8) You are more sensitive than most people to fire: it does an extra 50% damage to you (computed after Soak). Missing Eye (-9) -4 on rolls involving distance, including targeting at a distance. You have a blind side; people get a +4 bonus on Attack and Defense when they are on your blind side. For Khtsoyis, missing one eye is a -1 Disadvantage disfigurement; missing two adjacent eyes is -3 and gives a small blind spot; missing three adjacent eyes is -5 and gives a significant blind spot, and missing four eyes is the full -9 Disadvantage. Lame (-15) You are crippled, by birth or accident. Anyone can outrun you. You have a -10 penalty on rolls involving quick or agile motion, a -6 penalty on Defense, and a -3 on most other combat scores. Missing Hand (-15) You take a -4 to -8 penalty on most physical actions. This Disadvantage is a mere -3 for a Khtsoyis missing one tentacle, or -6 for a Herethroy missing one hand; it is -10 for Zi Ri and Sleeth. Blind (-20) You cannot see. This is a serious problem in many situations. PHYSICAL ADVANTAGES Ambidextrous (+1) You are equally dexterous with all your hands. Furthermore, if you have the Multiple Weapons combat option you are expert at it. High Alcohol Tolerance (+1) You can stand more alcohol than most people of your species; it takes two more drinks than usual before you feel the effects. Typically, this means that two drinks don't affect you, and the third one causes you some Trouble. Easy to Heal (+2) You take healing spells more readily than other people. The first two overlapping healing spells cast on you do true
healing instead; in effect, simple healing spells that ordinary people can only get full benefit of once per day, you get full benefit of three per day. There may be other advantages as well. Reserves of Strength (+3) You can put forth an incredible show of strength for a moment. If you are using it to fight, you will have Strength = 12 for an action or two. In other situations it might last as long as a minute; e.g., if you're holding the roof up while your companions flee. After using Reserves of Strength, you will collapse exhausted for an hour or two. Simple Shapechanger (+4) You can turn into a single kind of animal by an act of innate magic. You have a Craft skill called "Shapechanging". You may change shgpe into your animal or back on a roll of Will + Shapechanging + s20 >= 15. You may try repeatedly; each transformation or attempt takes a full action, but has no other cost. Botches on the s20 typically leave you in some awkward intermediate shape, requiring another roll to get to one or the other. You may shapechange part of the way on a roll of 20+; e.g., getting a cat's eyes or claws on your regular body. The +4 Advantage cost is for unimposing animals: the World Tree equivalents of cats, mice, sheep, bats, songbirds, trout, and so on. The Advantage cost for more dangerous animals is larger. Extra unimposing shapes are +1 Advantages each; extra dangerous shapes are correspondingly cheap. Large (+7) You are a very large person: about 10-15% taller (and thus 30-50% heavier) than a regular person of your species. You have a +4 Knack in Life Base; add one point to your Strength, and take a +1 damage bonus with claws, teeth, crushing, pole, staff, and thrown weapons. SOCIAL DISADVANTAGES Abrasive (-1) You are personally more abrasive than your Charisma would indicate: an effective -3 on rolls to be friendly and the like. Bad Reputation (-1) You have a bad reputation for something in particular: letting an ally die, being a tax collector or informer, cheating friends, or the like. Particularly bad reputations may be -2 Disadvantages. Childhood Friend (-1) You and another player's characters are childhood friends, or otherwise have some long-standing relationship that binds you closely. Either of you can call upon the other for assistance at any time, for anything, no matter how suicidal. The two of you trust each other completely, and deserve that trust. Both characters get the -1 Disadvantage. Dietary Restriction (-1) You have some unusual dietary restriction (e.g., you are a vegetarian Rassimel). Finding suitable food on the road will be a periodic annoyance, and may get you into occasional fights. Mongrel or Bad Breed (-1) You are either of blatantly and inappropriately mixed breed (a mutt), or of some breed that is not well respected (a Dachshund-morph or Chihuahua-morph). Members of your own species are generally not impressed: -5 on some social rolls. Mainly a Cani or Herethroy Disadvantage; not available to Sleeth or Khtsoyis. Odd Coloration (-1) Your fur or carapace or scales is an unusual color or fur pattern for your species or breed, (e.g., you are from a Cani family with Dalmatian features, except you have stripes.) You are easily recognizable; people may think you are a freak. Extremely odd coloration (a Rassimel who is purple and pink instead of black and white) may get a -2 Disadvantage. You may conceal your coloration in various ways, but all are flawed: your true colors will be seen on a regular basis. Snorer (-1) You snore. It is annoying to share a room with you, and you might be heard more easily by monsters in the wild. Zi Ri with this disadvantage sometimes breathe fire when they snore; in this case, it is a -3 Disadvantage. Ugly (-1) You're uglier than your Charisma would ordinarily indicate: an effective -3 on Charisma for matters of beauty. Unkempt (-1) You aren't very good at dressing or grooming yourself. You usually look messy: your fur isn't properly brushed, there are spots on your vest, your shirt is hanging out in back, your armor is stained. Take -3 on social rolls in appropriate circumstances. If someone with better style takes charge of your appearance, you can circumvent this Disadvantage - until you spill soup on your shirt and don't care. Unpersuasive (-1) You are less persuasive than your Charisma would indicate: an effective -3 on rolls. Bad Impression (-2) People frequently make some bad assumption about you: that you are a troublemaker, or that you are trying to con them, or that you are trying to seduce them, or that you are an evil wizard. It may well be true. Heart on Sleeve (-2) You do not conceal your emotions well. People who pay attention can usually tell what you are feeling. (+5 on Empathy rolls used on you). Abrasive to Inferiors (-3) You tend to accidentally offend people who are serving you: servants, waiters, bartenders, and so on. Things mysteriously go wrong: your horse's gear isn't buckled right, unsavory substances are found in your beer, and insects in your bed. Extravagant tipping alleviates this to some extent. Curse of Beauty (-5) People you despise frequently get crushes on you; people you like rarely do. SOCIAL ADVANTAGES Distinctive Breed (+1) You are a member of some distinctive and admired breed of your species: e.g., a Cani who looks like an anthropomorphic black Labrador or Samoyed. Members of your own species consider you handsome (+5 on occasional relevant rolls). Most important for Cani and Herethroy, but also available for Gormoror, Orren, Rassimel, and Zi Ri. Sleeth can have a distinctive breed, but other Sleeth usually don't care. Good Reputation (+1) You have a good reputation for something. It might be a heroic action in your past, or some personality trait (such as never lying). This may give you benefits in dealing with people. It also gives you something to live up to -e.g., if you have a reputation for never lying, and are caught telling a small lie, you will be publicly shamed.
Inoffensive (+1) Something in your manner keeps people from taking offense at you (usually). You can get away with mild insults and the like (usually). If you are not trying to insult someone, you won't (usually). Married (+1) You are married, to someone (or several people) who you can generally rely on to support and help you in most respects. With the +1 Advantage, your spouse(s) are not of adventurer power; their skills should fit the situation, and they should have (Advantages + Disadvantages) - excluding "Married" - total of about 0. Each spouse of adventurer power is an additional +2 Advantage. Spouses are ordinarily run by the gamemaster as non-player characters. If your spouse is another player's character, this is a -3 Disadvantage instead. The gamemaster's approval is required for this Advantage. Social Contacts (+1) You have a broad range of acquaintances in some large geographic area. You can almost always get in touch with someone sympathetic and possibly helpful: a friend of a friend. Street Smart (+1) You know how to deal with the dangerous side of city life: useful when negotiating with gangs, finding a fence for dubious goods, and so on. Typically a +3 on rolls involving such things. Blessing of Beauty (+2) People are often attracted to you, and frequently get crushes on you. Often this will be helpful, but occasionally it will be a problem. You may take this Advantage even if your Charisma is low; in this case, perhaps you are exotic or enticing without being pretty. Elegant (+2) You know how to dress and groom yourself well. People usually think you look sharp. (This can compensate for being ugly.) Take +3 on social rolls in appropriate circumstances. Friendly (+2) You are friendlier and more personable than your Charisma would indicate: an effective +3 on rolls. Poker Face (+2) You conceal your emotions very well. People can rarely tell what you feel. (-5 on Empathy rolls used on you, and +s20 on resisting magical attempts to understand you.) Pretty (+2) You're prettier than your Charisma would ordinarily indicate: an effective +3 on Charisma for matters of beauty. You cannot take both Pretty and Persuasive; take a higher Charisma instead. Persuasive (+3) You are more persuasive than your Charisma would indicate: an effective +3 on rolls. WARRIOR DISADVANTAGES Clumsy (-2) You are clumsy; take an extra botch die on most Dexterity rolls. You are especially clumsy in some situation, like parties or battle, and will be required to make botch rolls more often there. Fragile -1 (-4) You are easy to injure: -1 on Soak. May be taken repeatedly if you really want it. Vulnerable to Metal (-4) Metal weapons do +2 damage against you. Any hit by a metal weapon will do at least 3 damage. Fragile Bones (-5) You have fragile bones. You are easily hurt by crushing weapons, falling, and the like: typically +3 damage. On a Defense botch, you frequently break a bone. Not available to Khtsoyis, who have no bones. Allergic to Metal (-6) The touch and presence of metal makes you itchy and uncomfortable. You get two extra botch dice when you use
meta l weapon s o r shields, and four extra botc h dic e if yo u are wearin g meta l armor. Magi c or paddin g will alleviate this (half the extra botch dice). You prefe r to avoi d meta l wheneve r possible . A -3 Disadvantag e for Zi Ri and Sleeth. Bloodfir e (-8) Whe n you r bloo d is spilled, it catche s fire. Fo r an ordinary wound , this doe s d6 damag e to yo u (no Soak), and to anyone close enough to yo u to get splattered. Fireproof armo r and clothing is recommended . (-1 Disadvantag e for Zi Ri, wh o take n o damag e from the flame.) N o Armo r (-8) Fo r some reason, yo u cannot wea r armor (or us e a shield). Expec t man y unpleasant wounds. A -2 Disadvantag e for Sleeth, Khtsoyis, and Zi Ri, wh o rarely us e armor. Bleede r (-20) Wheneve r yo u are wounded , yo u bleed until you r woun d is boun d or healed. (An action, a bandage , and a Dexterity + Medicine + s2 0 >= 10 roll will suffice). You take d 4 damag e pe r action until this is done . If yo u hav e multipl e wounds, roll the d4's for all of them and take the worst. WARRIOR ADVANTAGES Exper t A t On e Comba t Optio n (+1) You are an expert at one combat option; choos e whic h one (page 156). You ma y us e that comba t option even if you r Comba t Stance Bas e woul d not ordinarily allow it. Shar p Claw s (+2) Your claws ar e especially large and sharp, doing +1 damage . This applies only to specie s that hav e claws. Berser k Lif e (+3) You ma y continue fighting after yo u are incapac itated, as Gormoro r can. Strengt h whe n Outnumbere d (+3) Whe n yo u are severely outnumbered , or otherwis e confronted with a hopeless fight, yo u fight extremely well, gaining + 5 on Strength and Dexterity for that fight. This only happen s whe n the gamemaste r expects yo u to lose the fight withou t it. Toug h (+4) You are resistant to wounds: yo u get a +1 bonu s on Soak. Ma y b e taken repeatedly. Natura l Warrio r (+15) You are expert at all comba t options. CANI DISADVANTAGES Run t of th e Pac k (-1) You have been the smallest and least impressive person in you r family o r pac k or whatever. You hav e rarely if eve r held affan in anything worthwhile , and yo u probably won't. You hav e a ba d athtud e becaus e o f it. Nose-Dea f (-6) You are a Cani, but yo u are nose-deaf: yo u cannot smell, or yo u can only smell as well as members of other prime species. You cannot us e an y ability that depend s on your species' usua l sens e o f smell, and suffer an additional -2 penalty on thos e skills. You ar e unawar e of man y important Can i social cues. Other Can i wh o d o not know of you r handicap find yo u hideously rude ; -4 on most social rolls. Cani wh o do kno w of yoa r handica p might give y o u some leeway (-2 penalty), o r migh t b e even mor e awkwar d aroun d yo u (-6 penalty). Missin g Can i Emotion s (-4) You are a Cani, but yo u d o not expe rienc e salaffan or deffa. You probably try to fake them, but you cannot d o it perfectly. Your lack make s yo u a n object of horror and scorn in Can i society. Can i will often refuse to accept choofs from you, so y o u will rarely hold affan, and thus rarely get respect. You probably cannot ge t married. GORMOROR DISADVANTAGES Gav m Fenjos k (-2). You have broke n you r Word o f Honor, and spent a yea r in the harsh penanc e of gavmkjorok. You ar e no w finished with the penance , but it ha s left traces on you r personality, and yo u are less than never-tainted Gormoror. Gavmkjoro k (-10) You hav e just broken you r Word of Honor, with in the last day or two . You are just starting a yea r of gavmkjorok. You are thoroughly humiliated, and unfit for honor. You will obe y all of the restrictions and penance s of gavmkjorok, and deserv e them. Describ e the heinous dee d that yo u hav e done .
HERETHROY DISADVANTAGES Herethroy Gender Stereotype (0) If yo u ar e a co-love r Herethroy, you ma y increas e you r Charisma b y 1 and reduc e you r Strength or Stamina b y 1. If yo u are a female Herethroy, yo u ma y increase your Strength or Stamina b y 1 and reduc e you r Charisma b y 1. Herethroy Both-Female (-1) You are a Herethro y both-female, capabl e of acting as either femal e or co-lover. This puts yo u in an uncomfortabl e position in Herethro y society; you wer e probably exiled or at best ostracized from you r village. You ma y expec t other Herethroy to disapprove of yo u whe n yo u mee t them: typically -2 on reaction rolls. You ma y choos e either gende r stereotype Advantage , or neither. SLEETH DISADVANTAGES Sleeth Friend (-2) You hav e a close friend wh o is not a Sleeth; see the Backgroun d Disadvantage of the same name . Nose-Deaf (-4) You are a Sleeth, but yo u ar e nose-deaf: yo u cannot smell, or yo u can only smell as well a s members o f other prime species. You cannot us e any ability that depend s on you r species' usua l sense of smell, and suffer an additional -2 penalty on thos e skills. You are unawar e of important social cues, but Sleeth don't care about such things very much . You will miss some important things; e.g., yo u will not b e abl e to tell if you r Sleeth girlfriend is fertile.
W e describ e som e kind s o f creature s o n th e Worl d Tree . Thes e a r e broa d gener a o r families, no t species. Mos t kind s o f creatur e var y a grea t dea l withi n their genu s o r family , s o on e mher - obum p migh t b e a s differen t fro m anothe r a s a lio n is fro m a poodl e o r otter. W e giv e som e typica l range s o f th e basi c statistics, bu t the y ar e suggestiv e only . Man y specie s follo w th e prim e rules, e.g. havin g 3x(Lif e Bas e + Stamina ) lif e points; w e generall y writ e th e statistic s for thes e specie s a s "varies" . Gamemaster s ma y choos e t o pic k convenien t number s i n th e righ t rang e rathe r tha n workin g throug h th e formulas, especiall y i n casua l encounters. COMMO N ANIMALS W e briefl y describ e som e o f the animals mentione d elsewher e i n th e text . Usuall y we'l l just translate th e Worl d Tre e riding animals a s "horse" , an d ignor e th e fac t tha t th e kin d o f "horse " use d a s a charge r ha s feathers an d claw s and isn't eve n th e sam e zoo logica l phylu m a s th e "horse " use d a s a draft horse . Blossomary A prett y littl e animal , a foo t an d a hal f lon g plu s anothe r foo t o f tail. It ha s a dens e garde n o f smal l flowers instea d o f fur, in stripe d pattern s tha t chang e wit h th e seasons. Asid e fro m that , it behave s lik e a weasel : playfu l an d confusedl y affectionat e if well-fe d an d raise d a s a pet , an d a rathe r viciou s predato r o f smal l bird s an d rodents i n th e wild . Devotee s o f Viri d ofte n tak e blossomarie s a s pets, thoug h natura l philosophers thin k tha t they'r e a creatio n o f Gnarn . Enstarba A littl e beast , somewher e betwee n a wood - chuc k an d a rabbit . The y ar e mor e fireproo f tha n Z i Ri . I n th e wild , the y prefe r t o liv e nea r perpetuall y burnin g places, wher e the y c a n hid e from predators. The y hav e bee n domesticated . Thei r hide s ar e use d for cookin g pans. Thei r fles h is tasty , bu t must b e eate n ra w a s cookin g ha s n o effec t o n it. Gun try S i x legs, short muzzle , straggl y whit e fur comin g t o ridiculou s points ove r the ears an d hin d legs. A hundre d pound s o r so , a l o t o f whic h is deliciou s ric h fatt y meat . Horse Ther e ar e nin e unrelate d gener a o f anima l tha t w e call "horse" , use d for riding o r pack-beasts. Tw o ar e commonl y judge d suitabl e for combat . Chargers ar e brave , quick , beake d an d feath ered , an d ca n b e viciou s wit h their claws. Heav y horse s hav e plate s o f bon e unde r their skin ; the y ar e quit e tough , bu t canno t b e mad e t o hurry . Th e others ar e o f mor e economi c value : pac k horse s hav e a distinc t flavo r o f hippopotamu s an d the y mak e heav y horse s loo k fast, bu t the y ca n carr y a grea t deal . Horse s Charge r Heav y Pac k Lif e 20-40 50-70 15-25 Attac k +10 to +15 none non e Damag e 7-10, di 3-5 none none Defens e +10 to +25 +15 to +20 +5 to +15 Soa k O t o 1 4 to 8 O t o 1 M.R . 1-10 10-20 1-5 Cle y 0 0 0 Pocker Pocke r ar e th e tastiest o f th e bird s farme d fo r egg s an d food . They'r e smalle r tha n 21st centur y chickens, an d ther e ar e a doze n othe r assorte d difference s tha t ver y fe w adventurers car e about . Contraceptiv e spells ar e traditionall y boun d o n pocke r wishbones, leadin g t o man y ba d jokes. Wudgeon Wudgeo n ar e heft y birds, te n o r fiftee n pounds , wit h lon g neck s an d ver y short legs. The y fly prett y fast, bu t if yo u ar e a Sleet h an d yo u pounc e on e befor e it ca n tak e off (o r befor e it ca n g e t ou t o f rang e o f you r Rulo c Corpador , if you'r e hungry ) yo u c a n ba t a t it wit h a paw . Hi t it ofte n enoug h an d it can' t tak e off; they'r e no t ver y coordinated . The y mak e goo d eatin g whe n yo u g e t bore d wit h wudgeon-bouncing . Othe r specie s lik e t o ea t the m too ; Herethro y ofte n far m the m t o sell.
CIVILIZED NONPRIME S Ahigrane Ahigran e ar e fox-heade d birds, th e siz e o f a pigeon , wit h fou r sets o f legs. Th e fron t pai r o f leg s end s in smal l hands; th e sec o n d pai r end s i n tentacle s wit h littl e stingers (comparabl e t o larg e was p stings); th e thir d an d fourt h pair ar e ordinar y birds' legs. Despit e their size , ahigran e ar e sentient . The y ar e adul t afte r on e year, an d liv e abou t fifteen o r twent y years. Ahigran e liv e i n flock s o f a fe w hundred , ofte n o n th e edge s o f prime-inhabite d lands. Unlik e their large r cousin s th e ulgrane , the y ar e no t generall y though t o f a s a menace . A t worst , they'r e a nuisance ; they'r e mor e tha n happ y t o stea l fro m primes. A t best , they'r e a usefu l ally, warnin g prime s abou t comin g dangers. They'l l probabl y stea l a fe w figs o r lozen s whe n th e prime s ar e o ff protectin g themselve s against th e remorshk a o r cyarr. Ahigran e livin g in citie s ten d t o becom e thieve s an d vandals afte r a fe w generations, an d they'r e ver y har d t o ge t ri d of. Prim e citie s hav e stric t law s keepin g the m out . The y hav e access t o a half-doze n magica l arts, an d ca n lea m a n y o f th e others wit h priestl y help . Fe w ahigran e achiev e an y grea t degre e o f magica l power . Ahigrane Life Attack C.S.B Damage 3-9 5-1 0 2 - 5 1 di 1 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 15-25 0 5-1 0 3-1 0 Akkamagga Akkamagg a ar e six-legge d lizards: foa r fee t o f body , tw o o f nec k an d head , tw o o f tail. Thei r forepaw s ar e lon g an d fingery, their eye s ar e clea r an d bright . The y pain t their scale s i n zigzag s o f re d an d yellow , gree n leaf-shape s fo r mourning , whit e bars t o indicat e tha t their prospectiv e harvest o f insects an d grub s is larg e enoug h s o tha t the y ar e seekin g mates. The y ar e quit e intelligent , albei t inflexible . Akkamagg a liv e i n villages, muc h lik e Herethroy . Thei r town s ar e bi g mound s o f mud , wit h wooden-reinforce d tunnels, holdin g hundred s o f people . The y gro w grain s an d roo t vegeta ble s i n fields outside , mushroom s an d insects an d grub s i n their cellars. A t th e cente r o f th e tow n is a vast caver n i n th e mud , wher e seve n akkamagg a priests bu m tallo w fires an d tormen t animals for th e hono r o f th e thre e akkamagg a gods, who m prime s generall y understan d t o b e thre e angels o f Virid . Whe n t h e Hollo w Moo n open s wide , th e priests declar e a festiva l an d t h e akkamagga 1 pain t themselve s i n purpl e an d crimso n t o perfor m their seve n traditiona l plays. O n th e whole , akkamagg a ar e neutra l o r slightl y friendl y t o th e prim e species. The y lov e Z i Ri intensely . The y ca n smel l a s wel l a s Cani ; the y appreciat e gifts o f high-qualit y perfume . The y lik e Herethro y personally ; th e tw o specie s hav e simila r culture s an d attitudes. However , akkamagg a an d Herethro y us e t h e sam e kin d o f land , for differen t enoug h purpose s s o tha t the y can't shar e it effectively ; th e tw o specie s ofte n find themselve s i n conflict . Akkamagg a ar e on e o f th e civilize d non-prim e species. I n som e regions, the y ar e give n th e sam e rights an d socia l statu s a s Herethroy , an d no t treate d muc h differentl y from th e prim e species. In others, the y ar e considere d sub-primes, a n inferio r specie s to b e deporte d o r kille d if the y ge t i n th e wa y - a classification the y resen t an d d o no t lightl y tolerate . Akkamagg a village s ar e rich enoug h (mainl y in vegetabl e wealth , spice s an d glirrie s an d th e like ) t o b e wort h adventurers' tim e clearing , a fac t whic h lead s t o their classificatio n a s inferior. The y ar e no t ver y powerfu l magically , bu t the y ar e quit e magic-resistant . Akkamagga Life Attack C.S.B Damage 20-5 0 10-2 0 5-1 5 weapo n Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 10-2 0 2+armo r 30-6 0 3-1 0 Blee Ble e loo k lik e larg e bu t ordinar y dogs, wit h fou r four-jointe d arm s added . Eac h han d is provide d wit h a tin y ey e o n a short stal k nex t t o th e thumb , a n d a slightl y longe r tendri l tha t ca n tast e lik e a tongue . Ble e are a s intelligen t an d socia l a s Rassimel. , an d a s likel y t o b e civilized . Prime s usuall y regar d the m wit h suspicio n an d mistrust , an d con flicts ar e frequent ; bu t ther e a r e place s wher e ble e an d prime s coexist happily . Ble e ar e give n connection s t o all Verb s a t birth , an d t o Magiador . Ordinar y non - prim e method s wil l giv e a ble e a connectio n t o a singl e furthe r Noun . A ble e wh o strike s th e deathblo w o n a prim e (o r kazorm , cyarr, o r a f e w others) ca n lea m anothe r Noun ; eac h furthe r Nou n require s t w o murders. Ble e wizard s ar e rar e an d ruthless. I n genera l ble e d o no t approv e o f murder , bu t prim e civilizatio n regard s the m a s suspect , sinc e the y alway s hav e a motiv e for it. Ble e generall y fight wit h fret-spears: lon g spears wit h man y handholds, hel d abov e th e bod y wit h all fou r hands. Ble e achiev e considerabl e forc e wit h fret-spears, eve n woode n ones. Ble e ca n als o us e tw o bow s a t once , if they wish . Sinc e ble e kno w Magiado r an d no t muc h else , the y generall y u s e goo d counterspells whe n the y fight primes. Blee Life Attack C.S.B Damage varie s varie s varie s 6+Str di 6, (metal: 9+Str di 9) Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley varie s 1+armo r varies, but goo d varie s
Cyarr Cyar r are hyena-centaurs, nobl e an d j. honorabl e an d civilize d an d distinctl y oppose d t o th e primes. Cyar r believ e tha t if the y wip e o u t on e o f th e prim e species, they wil l tak e tha t species' plac e amon g th e prime s - and , furthermore , wil l becom e the suprem e prim e specie s du e t o their superio r hono r a n d nobility . Cyar r societ y is ver y hierarchica l an d ver y mili taristic ; th e uppe r classe s hol d code s o f persona l hono r an d dut y a s fierc e a s t h e idealize d Japanes e samurai's. T h e cyar r rule parts o f som e branches, includin g on e side-branc h off Ketheri a abou t a thousan d mile s fro m th e mai n trunk . Typically , o n th e border, the y figh t prime s fiercely for a fe w years, the n sett l e int o a n uneas y truc e tha t lasts for a centur y o r two . Trad e is profitabl e durin g time s o f peac e - especiall y i n healin g an d metal , whic h cyar r canno t d o themselve s an d whic h mos t prim e citie s tr y t o forbi d t o th e cyarr. Cyar r all hav e Thre e Snaps, thre e mino r spells whic h the y ca n u s e b y snappin g their fingers, withou t cle y o r othe r cost . Typicall y th e snap s ar e thre e mino r defensiv e spells. A fe w Cyarr, mainl y priests, ca n chang e whic h spells the y ca n Snap . Cyar r ge t connection s t o Destroc , Mutoc , Ruloc , Corpador , Herbador , Magiador , an d Mentador . Wit h th e hel p o f a suitabl e priest , the y ca n acquir e connection s t o man y othe r arts, bu t no t t o Healoc , Sustenoc , Durudor , o r Tempador . Th e lac k o f heali n g an d meta l magi c is a perennia l proble m for this warrio r species. Cyarr Life Attack C.S.B Damage 20-5 0 10-2 0 5-1 5 weapo n Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-2 0 armo r 5-1 5 6-1 5 Gornazzits Gornazzits ar e a n anomaly : a friendl y specie s tha t live s in the Verticals. The y ar e bi g furr y slugs, their eye s brigh t wit h intelligence . Babie s ar e onl y tw o fee t long , and thi n a s snakes; ordinar y adults ar e te n fee t lon g an d tw o fee t diameter ; elders ge t u p t o thirt y fee t lon g an d eigh t fee t diameter. Gornazzits ca n clim b o n anything, slitherin g lik e slugs. I n particular, the y ca n clim b o n the air, oozin g throug h th e breez e i n a n alarming-lookin g style . The y usuall y liv e in clusters o f a doze n o r so , itrth e uppe r verticals - i n th e safe r parts, becaus e the y ar e no t all that power ful themselves. The y hav e moderat e magica l skills; the y ten d t o stud y Locado r a n d othe r way s o f escapin g dangerou s situations. The y are rein carnate d a s chilthe n afte r the y die , an d (unlik e mos t othe r crea tures) the y remembe r all their past lives. So , ther e ar e gornazz - it childre n aliv e toda y wh o remembe r wha t wa s goin g o n befor e ther e wer e primes. Mos t othe r creature s don' t bothe r them . Zi Ri ten d no t t o lik e them ; they'r e competition . Gornazzits Life Attack C.S.B Damage 100-15 0 none non e non e Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 0 - 5 5 20-4 0 10-2 0 Greft Greft ar e ratfolk , roughl y Rassime l in size , bu t o f leane r build . The y ar e physicall y notabl e i n tha t the y hav e tw o heads: a n ordi nar y ratlik e on e o n th e left, an d a hea d o f the sam e shap e whic h appears t o b e mad e o f seashells o n the right. Th e hollo w eye - sockets o f th e shell-hea d se e just a s wel l a s th e gleamin g eye s o f t h e flesh-head . Greft ar e a s intelligen t a s primes, a s sociable , an d i n most way s comparable . Greft ar e no t give n magica l arts a t birth ; however , the y ca n acquir e an y o r all arts b y straightforwar d rituals i n temples. Greft hav e tw o natura l piece s o f magic . First , man y greft hav e a crest o f u p t o seve n crimso n shells o n th e shell-head . The y m a y sacrific e a crimso n shel l fo r protectio n against magic : eithe r complet e protectio n o r eve n cancelin g o f a singl e spell , o r a substantia l boost (fro m +s2 0 t o +6s20 ) i n Magi c Resistanc e for a perio d o f minute s t o hours. Th e sacrific e is mor e than just appearance : it costs a measur e o f willpowe r an d emotiona l strength , an d greft wh o hav e lost mos t o f their shells ar e i n a sorr y shape . Th e crest-shells ca n b e regrow n b y a Healo c Corpado r Magiado r spel l o f complexit y 85 . Second , greft ar e natura l telepaths. The y ma y communicat e wit h othe r greft withi n a substantia l range , hundred s o f fee t t o a f e w miles. The y ca n ofte n mak e menta l contac t wit h willin g member s o f othe r species. Greft telepath y canno t b e use d aggressivel y against non-telepath s (thoug h greft-greft telepathi c struggle s occur) , bu t unskille d prime s castin g Mentado r spells o n greft ofte n find themselve s briefl y floode d an d overwhelme d wit h the greft's emotion s o r eve n personality . Greft ar e know n t o b e harmless and ofte n friendl y t o primes, a n d ar e a s welcom e i n prim e territor y a s an y nonprime s are . Greft skills an d statistic s ar e simila r t o thos e o f primes. Greft hav e n o particula r advantage s a s warriors o r mages , bu t (asid e fro m havin g t o wor k t o ge t magica l arts) n o particula r disadvan tage s either. Greft Life Attack C.S.B Damage Varie s Varie s Varie s Weapo n Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley Varie s Armo r Varie s + shells Varie s
Mherobump Mherobum p ar e rhinocerospeople : bipedal , si x t o seve n feet tall, ski n lik e knobb y cop per, shinin g glass y hom s o n their lon g snouts, tin y piggis h eyes, short tufte d tails. The y ar e a s stron g a s Gormoror , o r stronger, bu t cowardl y unless annoyed . The y ar e ofte n motivate d b y andile , a n emo tio n experience d b y fe w othe r people , whic h ca n onl y b e satisfied b y har d labor. Andil e move s th e mherobum p t o extrem e feats, diggin g immens e cavern s o r cartin g hills fro m on e sid e o f a river t o the other, fo r n o reaso n othe r tha n th e nee d t o indulg e i n backbreakin g work . Mherobum p ar e no t common . Prime s generall y recogniz e the m a s safe , an d the y ar e allowe d freel y i n prim e cities. The y ar e unsophisticate d magically ; the y ar e unabl e t o lea m spells o f complexit y 15 o r more . Mherobump Ltfe Attack C.S.B Damage 30-8 0 10-1 5 0 - 5 weapon +3 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 5-1 0 5 5-1 5 3-6 Nendrai Nendra i ar e imposin g creatures: huge , unfairl y quick , devi ousl y intelligent , magicall y gifted , ironicall y cruel . Nendra i ar e coarse-feature d lizard s large r tha n rhinoceroses, wit h lon g lash y tails. The y hav e overwhelmin g magica l power s in thos e tails: wit h on e touch , the y ca n improvis e a grea t Muto c spel l withou t nee d for cley . Scholars rat e th e averag e nendrai's improvisatio n a t com plexit y 4 0 an d powe r 80 , thoug h there's a grea t dea l o f variation . T h e spells ca n involv e othe r Verb s (excep t Healoc) , though eac h Ver b cuts th e complexit y an d powe r somewhat ; the y ca n involv e a n y Nouns . Nentha i ca n lea m othe r magic , bu t rarel y bother. The y liv e lon g an d fairl y solitar y lives. Thei r home s ar e usual ly swolle n curls o f world-bark , dar k a n d twisty . The y enjo y a variet y o f luxuries: their sitting-room s hav e fine carpets; their librarie s hav e all t h e classics; their cellars hav e rar e vintages; an d the y hir e o r kidna p excellen t cook s an d othe r servants. The y exploi t prim e civilization . They'l l acquir e their luxurie s i n th e easiest o r mos t amusin g wa y the y ca n thin k of: sometime s sellin g their poten t Muto c spells, sometime s basi c pillaging , sometime s subtl e extortion . Nentha i ar e terribl e foes. Thei r innat e Muto c magi c provide s the m a grea t variet y o f defenses, whic h the y wea r routinely , an d a devastatin g variet y o f tricky attack s a s well . The y ar e clever, a n d pla n situation s i n whic h their power s pla y t o best advantage . The y ca n bit e an d tailflic k o n eac h action . The y generall y hav e spie s an d allie s t o alert the m o f dangers; almost any creatur e appreciate s a nenthai's favo r an d fears its wrath . The y rarel y stan d an d fight; a flick o f the tail an d a Muto c Locado r spel l ca n sen d the m a hundre d mile s awa y a t th e first sig n o f danger. A determine d prim e cit y coul d kil l a nendrai , bu t th e cost woul d probabl y b e high . Nendrai Life Attack C.S.B Damage 200-50 0 20-6 0 10-3 0 15 di 5 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 20-5 0 5-1 0 30-5 0 30-6 0 Scawn Scaw n ar e perhap s the mos t annoyin g o f th e non-prim e species: small , fairl y stupid , haphazardl y devious, utterl y uncon cerne d wit h their ow n safet y o r anyon e else's. Th e basic , j unmodifie d scaw n is a rat- o r mouse-person : abou t fou r fee t tall , rathe r chubby , lon g pointe d muzzl e endin g i n a brigh t re d nose , roun d pin k ears, short bu t shar p teet h an d claws, an d a lon g bar e tail. Scaw n ar e rarel y unmodified . The y can , onc e o r twic e i n a lifetime , chang e a fe w o f their features, u p t o givin g them selve s wing s o r horn s o r stingertails. Man y change s bree d true . Scaw n liv e i n tribe s j describe d b y appearance : "Blac k bat-win g scawn" . Scaw n liv e i n medium-size d villages, hal f huts and hal f tun nels, indistinctl y ruled b y a chieftai n an d a fe w priests. Scaw n livin g i n prim e land s ar e usuall y peaceful , bu t ar e no t abov e th e occasiona l murde r o r robbery . Scaw n hav e a n od d (an d false ) belie f connectin g deat h an d Sleeth . Mos t believ e that , if the y are kille d b y a Sleeth , the y wil l b e reincarnate d a s a Sleeth . Th e rest believ e tha t if they kill a Sleeth , the y wil l b e reincarnate d a s a Sleeth . This bit o f dogm a make s Sleet h furious. If they deig n t o tak e notic e o f it, the y ma y kil l a fe w scaw n t o giv e the m a chanc e t o se e ho w the y reincarnate . Scawn Life Attack C.S.B Damage 5-1 5 5-1 0 0 - 5 4 di 2 Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 5-1 0 0 - 2 5-1 0 1-3
Taptet Tapte t ar e smal l people , thre e o r fou r fee t tall, wit h feature s resemblin g deer : tin y antlers, smal l hooves, short dapple d brow n fur. The y a r e no t a powerfu l people , wit h littl e physica l o r magica l forc e a t their disposal. Give n their choice , the y liv e i n smal l village s i n th e middl e o f civilize d lands, protecte d b y th e civilization , bu t no t both ere d b y it. The y ar e rarel y give n th e choice . The y usuall y ar e subservien t t o othe r species, workin g o n primes' spic e plantation s o r cyarr farms: protected , t o b e sure , bu t payin g fo r it wit h constan t labor. A fe w tapte t hav e th e specia l abilit y - hal f a species-specifi c skill, hal f secre t knowl edg e - t o mak e strong , perilou s potions. The y ca n brew*viciou s poisons, potion s whic h gran t temporar y physica l strengt h bu t sometime s cost it, potion s o f healin g tha t migh t leav e th e patien t wit h tremors. Sensibl e peopl e generall y prefe r ordinar y magic , whic h is weake r bu t safer. Taptet , especiall y whe n they ar e badl y oppressed , ar e no t alway s sensible . The y hol d secre t rebellions, poisonin g their masters, makin g alliance s wit h anyon e wh o migh t hel p them , tradin g o r drinkin g their potions, an d usin g cleverness an d sub tlet y t o mak e u p for their lac k o f force . Taptet Life Attack C.S.B Damage 5-1 5 5-1 0 0 - 5 2 di 2 Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 5-1 0 0 - 2 5-1 0 4-1 2 Ulgrane Ulgran e ar e th e peri l o f th e skies: larg e intelligen t bird s wit h poten t magic , livin g i n levitatin g nests, wh o guar d their domain s jealousl y an d commi t atrocitie s against eve n th e mos t innocen t incursion . Ulgran e com e i n man y species. Re d ulgrane , a commo n kind , a r e huge , th e siz e o f ponies, wit h a wingspa n o f fort y o r fifty feet. The y are eight-legged . Th e hin d fou r leg s hav e talon s lik e ordinar y birds' legs; th e nex t pair ar e heav y clubbis h paws ; the fron t leg s en d i n spin y poisonou s (Itch y d6 ) starfis h shapes. Th e nec k is lon g an d sinuous, th e hea d adorne d wit h horns, th e bea k short an d jagged , th e eye s glea m wit h a n insidiou s intellect . The y liv e i n smal l groups, centere d o n their levitatin g nests o f world-wrac k an d flotsam, and the y conside r themselves th e rulers o f th e air for mile s around . The y swoo p ou t t o attac k airship s an d fliers, attackin g wit h poisone d hand s an d poten t aira n d water-magic , protecte d b y armor. The y ar e happ y t o visit prim e lands, tradin g their loo t for lux urie s mor e t o their tastes: cloth , aromatic pastes, bitte r beers. The y neve r commi t their piracie s o n th e ground . The y swagge r past th e guild-halls o f th e sk y pilots, fleein g wit h mockin g crie s if th e pilots attemp t revenge . Wh o trade s wit h them ? Anyon e w h o want s ric h cargoe s for lo w prices. Ulgrane Life Attack C.S.B Damage 50-10 0 10-3 0 10-1 5 10 di 5; poiso n Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-3 0 3-1 0 10-3 0 5-2 0 Wherriwheffle Wherriwheffl e ar e ferre t people : abou t te n fee t fro m nos e t o tailbase , eigh t legs, brigh t inquisi- j tiv e eyes, bubbl y an d energetic . The y ar e sinuou s a s serpents. They ! usuall y rea r u p their forequarters j a n d us e their forepaw s a s hands, ! lookin g lik e ferret-centaars. They' ' a r e sentient ; ver y cleve r a t puzzle s a n d othe r smal l interestin g things, 1 less tha n wis e abou t long-ter m mat ters. The y ar e friendl y t o anyon e w h o isn't activel y unfriendly . The y a r e subjec t t o quic k bursts o f over whelmin g enthusias m abou t any thin g tha t catche s their fancy , an d likel y t o d o anythin g tha t sound s excitin g o r amusing . The y cove t shin y objects. The y frequentl y ge t involve d i n mino r prank s an d thefts a n d othe r crimes. Wherriwheffl e liv e i n civilize d land s whe n the y can . The y liv e i n smal l village s o f a fe w doze n wherriwheffl e o f all ages, wit h hundred s o f foo d animals o f all shape s an d sizes. The y don' t d o muc h farming , excep t for kind s o f anima l fodde r tha t don' t nee d muc h tending . The y sell foo d animals t o cities. The y conside r themselve s t o b e on e o f th e prim e species, bu t they'r e not . The y ar e no t generall y welcom e i n prim e cities. They'r e to o annoying . The y hav e n o respec t fo r anyone . The y a s k obnoxiou s persona l question s i n th e middl e o f business dealings. The y pla y pranks. The y das h aroun d th e streets a t to p speed , knockin g childre n an d cit y guard s over. The y stea l smal l shin y objects, glass an d glaze d potter y an d meta l - intendin g n o harm , bu t costin g a lot. Wherriwheffl e livin g i n civilize d land s a r e usuall y considere d second-class citizens. Killin g o r indiscriminatel y lootin g the m is a crim e - bu t th e la w recognize s that ofte n on e ha s t o retriev e valuable s fro m them , an d th e la w rarel y is willin g t o d o it. Th e wherriwheffl e don' t car e a bit whethe r they'r e welcom e o r not : they'r e brigh t an d cheerfu l an d friendl y a n d bubbl y n o matte r ho w badl y yo u scow l an d insul t them . The y can , withou t training , cast spontaneou s Aquador , Corpador , Herbador , an d Mentado r spells o f complexit y 15 an d a Powe r fro m 10 t o 40 . The y ca n i n principl e lea m othe r magic , b u t fe w wherriwheffl e hav e th e patienc e for it. Wherriwheffle Life Attack C.S.B Damage 10-4 0 10-1 5 5-1 0 8 di 2 Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 20-4 0 0 5-2 0 5-1 5
MONSTER S AN D DANGEROU S ANIMALS Creature s liste d her e ar e generall y considere d to o dangerou s t o hav e around . On e ma y trad e wit h cyarr, o r pa y a ver y polit e visit t o a nendrai ; bu t bonstable s an d remorshk a wil l usuall y b e kille d o r drive n off o n sight . Monster s are traditionall y measure d i n term s o f ho w man y goo d warriors it take s t o safel y dispos e o f them . A churshash , rate d a t "fou r warriors, " wil l usuall y los e a fight against fou r warriors; thre e warriors fighting a churshas h wil l probabl y win , b u t migh t los e on e o f their number . Thes e rating s ar e frequentl y wrong : a bi g churshas h migh t demolis h fou r goo d warriors. Bonstable Bonstable s ar e trick y doom . The y ar e cleve r an d ingenious, helpfu l an d charming , sympatheti c an d honest , an d utterl y devious. Bonstable s ar e capriforms, a s muc h lik e goats a s Can i ar e lik e dogs. The y hav e roughl y huma n features, short muzzles. Thei r horn s ar e lyre-shaped ; betwee n the m th e hea d is a shinin g dom e o f impenetrabl e bone . The y neve r sa y anythin g they think is false . Bu t the y hav e end less capabilitie s fo r selfdelusion . Whe n the y pla n t o sel l you r famil y t o th e ' nendra i a s slaves, they'l l jus tify it t o themselve s a s bein g a ll fo r th e best fo r you . Whe n the y ar e disguise d a s Rassimel , they'l l persuad e themselve s that , for all prac tica l purposes , the y ar e Rassimel . Fe w form s o f lie - detectio n o r mindreadin g ca n penetrat e thei r delusions. They'r e perfectl y capabl e o f changin g their min d whe n convenient , an d believ e tha t the y wer e perfectl y correc t a t all times. Bonstable s ca n shapeshift , int o an y o f th e prim e specie s o r int o silver-winge d birds. The y hav e substantia l pow e rs o f guil e an d persuasion . Bonstable s liv e complex , deviou s lives, a s swindlers o n a gran d scale , cheatin g adventurers, cities, an d mon sters. A n ambitiou s bonsta b l e ma y tr y t o rule a n entir e prim e cit y - an d wil l brin g it t o rui n an d destruction , an d escap e wit h th e proceeds. The y ar e indiscriminatel y libidinous, attemptin g seduction s o f peopl e it woul d b e wise r no t to . The y ar e fertil e wit h all species, a n d ten d t o tak e charg e o f an d the n ignor e contraception . Th e childre n ar e alway s bonstables. The y aren' t ver y imposin g i n direc t comba t - you r averag e adventure r traine d i n physica l comba t woul d wi n i n a direc t fight - bu t that's no t wh y they'r e dangerous. Bonstable Life Attack C.S.B Damage 10-2 0 5-1 0 0 - 5 4 d i 2 Defens e Soak Mag . Re s Cley 5-1 0 0 - 2 5-1 0 1-3 Churshash Tak e a bear, a smar t one . Giv e it antenna e off o f a gian t ant , a lon g tail, an d a doubl e ro w o f venomou s spine s dow n its chest . Starv e it for a week . Sla p its fac e wit h a rake , s o tha t it ha s five painfu l gashe s dow n eac h cheek . That's a n adul t churshas h i n shap e an d temperament . Th e gashe s ope n onc e th e churshas h reache s adulthood , drippin g a littl e blood , an d the y neve r closing . If churshas h wer e sentient , the y woul d curs e their creato r (Accanax , probably) ; a s it is, the y las h ou t a t everythin g tha t come s near. Churshas h bloo d induce s brie f bu t intens e rag e i n anyon e wh o touche s it, usuall y directe d a t their closest friend . Onl y the strong-wille d ar e abl e t o resist , an d tha t no t often . The y ar e cunning , though no t intelligent . Fo r example , the y t r y t o flick their bloo d aroun d whe n they'r e fighting, an d crus h peopl e against their chest spike s fo r Itch y d6 . The y ar e considere d quit e dangerous: fou r goo d warriors, an d they' d bette r hav e way s o f dealin g wit h th e rage . Churshash Life Attack C.S.B Damage 40-8 0 10-3 0 10-1 5 10 di 5 plu s Itchy d 6 Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 10-2 0 3-6 10-2 0 5-1 0 Helletumug A helletumu g is a mushroom , a Herbador-base d creature , som e tw o t o five fee t high , an d covere d wit h a scal y bark . Helletumu g hav e u p t o a doze n protrudin g appendage s (lookin g lik e a cross betwee n a n ey e an d a finger), from whic h the y pro duc e certai n poten t spells. Th e difficultie s o f fighting helletu m u g ar e several : th e spells ar e dangerous; th e spells d o no t requir e cley ; th e powe r o f th e spells range s int o th e eightie s for larg e helletumug ; th e spells ar e largel y fast; th e helletumu g use s severa l spells a t once ; th e mor e warriors facin g th e appendages, t h e mor e spells th e helletumu g ca n use ; and , denie d mobility , th e
helletumu g fight t o th e death . Th e on e poin t t o not e is that, althoug h helletumu g ca n furn o n their stems, the y canno t d o s o quickly . Hellethmu g ar e nativ e t o the Verticals, thoug h occasionall y the y ar e brough t whil e youn g t o th e flats t o b e unwillin g guardian s for something . The y reproduc e b y spores, lik e othe r fungi ; the y liv e som e 30-6 0 years. The y ar e edible , an d their fles h command s a n extremel y hig h pric e du e t o th e difficult y o f obtainin g it. The y ar e generall y sentient , wit h a col d vegetabl e intellec t tha t doe s no t com e int o accor d wit h man y prim e concepts. The y generall y canno t spea k - thoug h helletumu g ca n communicat e wit h eac h othe r ove r ver y lon g distances. A typica l assortmen t o f spells migh t includ e true healin g (healin g d2 0 damag e o n the helletumu g itself); paralysis; drill a 1/2-inch hol e through fles h (d2 0 damag e an d Troubl e d6) ; intens e pai n (Troubl e dl2) ; an d a percussiv e forc e (s 6 damag e t o every o n e o n tha t sid e o f th e helletumug) . Hellethmu g ar e rate d a t fifteen warriors includin g five healers, o r eigh t warriors wit h fewe r healers if permanen t injurie s ar e no t a concern . Attackin g helletumu g is rarel y desirable . Helletumug Life Attack C.S.B Damage 100-30 0 none none none Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 0-1 0 0-1 2 10-5 0 0-2 0 Jack-O'-Hooks A Jack-O'-Hook s is a mas s o f cableis h tentacle s wit h tripl e grapne l hoo k o n th e ends, springin g fro m a bod y lik e a giganti c coconut . It live s i n th e mor e foreste d parts o f th e Verticals, swingin g easil y from tre e t o tree. It is a cleve r an d a viciou s beast . It guard s its territor y fiercely, against prime s an d most othe r intruders a s wel l a s othe r Jack-O'-Hook s o f th e sam e sex . Territorie s ar e large , an d a part y migh t pass throug h a give n Jack's territor y a doze n time s befor e meetin g th e Jack . A Jack-O'-Hook s wil l usuall y attac k prime s b y swingin g ove r their heads, reachin g ou t wit h grapnels, hookin g standin g primes, an d heavin g the m off th e Verticals (o r a t least ou t o f th e Jack's territory). A typica l Jac k wil l b e abl e t o strik e a t d 4 peo p l e a t once , hookin g the m an d tossin g the m off th e world - branc h entirel y o r crushin g their skulls. Jack s ar e use d t o fightin g flyin g enemies, an d ar e smart enoug h t o us e differen t tactics. Hook s mak e nast y weapons , whe n swun g wit h a Jack-O'-Hooks' nativ e strength . Jack-O'-Hook s ar e tough . Hackin g a t a tentacl e is lik e bash i n g a cable , an d eve n onc e th e tentacl e is severed , th e rest o f th e Jac k ha s take n n o grea t injury . Lik e man y othe r territoria l animals, Jack-O'-Hook s rarel y fight t o th e death . A Jac k wh o ha s bee n badl y hurt - losin g sev era l tentacles, sa y - wil l tr y t o run away . It probabl y won' t com e bac k t o that spo t fo r quit e a while , thinkin g tha t it ha s lost a territory fight. A Jac k ma y chas e a fleein g party , especiall y if they'r e no t goin g fast enoug h t o sui t th e Jack , bu t neve r past th e edg e o f th e Jack's territory . A Jack-O'-Hook s is rate d a t a doze n warriors, bu t this is a loos e estimate , a s the y neve r leav e th e Verticals. Jack O'Hooks Lif e Attack C.S.B Damage 100-100 0 30-6 0 5-1 0 10-3 0 di 5 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 0 5-1 5 0-5 0 1-5 Jaran-jabow Jaran-jabo w ar e three-heade d birds, bodie s th e siz e o f horses, talon s bi g enoug h t o pic k u p a fat Cani . Thei r wingspa n is tin y - five o r si x fee t - bu t their wing s ar e tremendously strong . The y a r e swift an d maneuverable , an d ca n fly throug h forests withou t grea t difficulty . T h e middl e hea d is use d for th e usua l hea d activities, suc h a s thinkin g an d eating . It is equippe d wit h a short hooke d beak , goo d fo r tearin g gobbets o f mea t off o f dea d (o r living ) animals, a pair o f re d eye s wit h a n intimidatin g stare , a min d bot h crue l a n d cunnin g an d a s intelligen t a s a prime . T h e left an d righ t head s ar e weapons . Thei r beak s ar e lon g a n d heav y an d sharp . I n battle , spira l fires lea p off their homs , scorchin g fles h an d consumin g defensiv e spells. The y ar e capabl e o f Airador, Pyrador, an d Magiado r magic , a n d severa l Verbs. The y rarel y hav e man y patter n spells - mos t spell-sellers d o no t accep t the m a s customers - bu t hav e a grea t dea l o f Spontaneou s Force . The y ar e not, o n th e whole , a persisten t o r courageou s people . The y fee l a n obligatio n t o tak e prime s a s their prey , bu t the y understan d th e long-ter m dangers o f doin g so . The y frequentl y strik e onc e o r twic e a t a solitar y prime , o r prime s i n smal l groups, bu t if the y d o no t kill o r captur e someon e quickly , the y giv e u p th e attemp t an d fly awa y screamin g insults. The y ar e n o t a bit reluctan t t o takin g far m animals o r othe r valuabl e prey . Jaran-jabo w prefe r t o liv e i n th e Verticals i n pack s o f hal f a doze n adults an d a fe w children . Socia l pressare s ofte n sen d solitar y jaran-jabo w (usuall y youn g adul t males) t o th e Flats.
In a fight t o th e death , a n adul t jaran-jabo w is rate d a t thre e warriors. However , the y usuall y fle e prime s a t th e first injur y o r disappointment . Jaran-jabow Life Attack C.S.B Damage 20-4 0 15-2 5 5-1 0 thre e heads, 10-15 di 3 eac h Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-2 0 2 - 3 5-2 0 10-2 0 Krango Krang o ar e two-heade d tigers. Th e head s cooperat e quit e happily , thoug h the y d o hav e separat e minds. Usuall y a t least o n e hea d wil l b e awak e a t an y give n time . Krang o hav e super b sense s (bas e Perceptio n +8) , an d ar e a s dangerou s a s an y bi g cat . The y hav e anima l intelligence . It is possibl e t o rais e a krang o kitte n a s a pe t an d friend . Th e krang o wil l regar d th e traine r a s its mothe r fo r its entir e life , shreddin g his curtains, bringin g hi m half-kille d guntrie s i n bed , demolishin g his houseplants, terrorizin g his neighbors' dogs, an d bein g a super b all y i n huntin g an d battle . Krango , i n combat , fight lik e Sleet h - o r lik e othe r bi g cats. The y ge t thre e attack s (tw o bite s an d a claw) , o r a n extr a cla w attac k i n clos e combat . The y ar e no t brave . I n th e wild , the y fle e rathe r tha n ris k th e Troubl e fro m half damage . Pe t krang o a r e reluctan t t o fight immediatel y afte r the y hav e bee n hurt , eve n if the y ar e heale d b y magic . Krang o ar e rate d a t tw o warriors, bu t tha t is foolish . On e armore d warrio r ca n scar e a krang o off, bu t it take s thre e t o pur s u e an d kill one . Krango Life Attack C.S.B Damage 40-7 0 20-3 0 10-1 5 a s Sleeth, but t wo bite s Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 20-3 0 2 - 5 5-1 0 1-6 Mewellicaps Mewellicap s ar e sibling s t o th e Khtsoyis: simila r character, simila r style , simila r basi c powers . If it weren' t for a n acciden t o f Accanax' s timing , th e tw o woul d b e allie s against th e prim e species. A s it is, th e mewellicap s ar e i n a peculia r position . O n o n e hand , the y ar e a s monstrou s a s anythin g o n th e Worl d Tree . O n th e other, the y are friendly wit h Khtsoyis. So , most mewell icap s liv e i n th e Verticals wit h th e othe r monsters; a fe w liv e in citie s wit h Khtsoyis, an d th e philosophicall y incline d one s won d e r abou t th e vagarie s o f fate . Mewellicap s loo k lik e bi g floating mant a rays: six-foo t bod y a n d ten-foo t wingspa n for th e largest . The y hav e tw o six-inc h tendrils a t th e side s o f their mouths , tippe d wit h dar k fog : a bit o f elementa l Destroc . Thei r tail is adorne d wit h a spike , tha t ca n b e throw n lik e a poisone d javelin . The y floa t in th e air lik e Khtsoyis, bu t the y ca n flap their wing s an d fly at a n amazin g speed . The y shar e mos t o f the generalitie s o f Khtsoyis person ality, bein g usuall y violen t an d destructiv e o n a smal l scale . Wher e Khtsoyis ar e comfortabl y crude , mewellicap s tr y t o ac t suav e an d elegan t - withou t th e knowledg e o r personalit y t o d o it right . Wher e Khtsoyis shou t coars e insults, mewellicap s mak e disparagin g comment s tha t tr y t o b e elegant , subtl e and under stated , an d rarel y succeed . (Mewellicap: "You r sword , sh e is stee l from the forge s o f Dolnacia , is sh e not ? A true beauty . I shal l treasure he r whe n I tak e he r from you r dea d hand. " - Rassimel: "Huh ? It's just a men g nu t swor d .. . an d yo u can' t us e a swor d anyway!" ) Mewellicap s ar e rate d a t abou t 1 1/2 warriors each . Mewellicaps Life Attack C.S.B Damage 20-4 0 10-2 0 10-2 0 5-1 0 di 3 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-2 0 0 - 2 20-4 0 5-1 0 Nrex Nre x ar e centipede s three yard s lon g and ove r a foo t high , their bodie s armore d i n glowin g gree n glass. The y ar e faceless. Th e fron t en d is tippe d wit h a spiralin g blac k horn ; th e bac k wit h tw o pairs o f viciou s pincers. The y ar e sentien t an d clever. The y communicat e b y a languag e o f flashes an d leg-gesture s tha t non - nre x canno t speak , an d ca n lea m wit h onl y th e greatest difficulty. The y canno t speak , an d the y rarel y hav e th e patienc e for communicatin g wit h primes. The y ar e eas y t o annoy , an d fight viciousl y whe n annoyed ; in mos t civilize d regions, the y hav e bee n thiven t o th e Verticals. The y ar e dangerou s foes. The y ar e mad e o f Durudo r a s wel l a s Corpador , makin g the m har d t o touc h wit h magic . Thei r hom s are a s dangerou s a s swords, an d whe n they ar e angr y their pincers dri p wit h Itch y venom . Nre x wh o hav e bee n subjecte d t o th e ufxu-nha a ritua l are capabl e o f significan t magica l acts, especiall y Durudo r an d Destroc ; their glass chiti n ripple s wit h viole t an d black , the y ar e pron e t o excitemen t an d viciousness, a n d the y shoul d b e avoide d if a t all possible . Adul t nre x hav e certai n limite d magica l power s whic h behav e lik e patter n spells, includin g a short-rang e teleport (th e nre x stretche s almost instantl y t o som e thirt y yard s long , the n shrink s t o its regula r siz e i n a differen t spot), th e productio n o f variou s temporar y gol d encumbrance s (Troubl e 4 ) an d eve n walls, an d t h e castin g o f bolts o f pin k lightnin g (damag e a s Fir e Flowe r j . Thos e wh o hav e ha d th e ufxu-nha a ritua l ca n d o a goo d dea l more . Nrex Life Attack C.S.B Damage 30-5 0 10-2 0 10-2 0 5-1 0 di 5, Itchy d 4 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-2 0 5-1 0 15-4 0 10-2 0 Perdithorne Perdithom e loo k lik e skeleta l lynxes, wit h hal f th e fles h - bu t whic h hal f ha s flesh flickers lik e fire. (Or, it look s lik e a lynx , hal f o f whic h is invisibl e excep t fo r th e bones, bu t whic h hal f is invisibl e change s fro m secon d t o second. ) The y ar e a ne w crea ture , introduce d b y som e aanoye d go d i n th e last century , prob -
abl y i n respons e t o th e prim e inventio n o f spellbinding . The y are natura l spellbinders themselves, bein g abl e t o hol d a few doze n boun d spells - an d the y ca n dispe l d 4 o f you r boun d spells wit h just a stare . The y hav e access t o 4- 6 Noun s an d 4- 6 Verbs. Thei r innat e spellbindin g powe r include s th e abilit y t o bin d spontaneou s magic , bu t prime s caano t us e their techniques. The y liv e i n pack s o f tw o o r three . The y ar e intelligent ; the y cooperat e wel l wit h eac h other, an d pla n their defense s well . Don' t mistak e the m fo r skeleto n Sleeth ; they'r e friendl y an d persuasiv e (mostl y t o othe r monsters) , an d likel y t o b e allie d wit h most o f the othe r dangerou s thing s i n th e area . The y don' t lik e dayligh t o r Can i ver y much . Perdithorne Life Attack C.S.B Damage 30-5 0 10-2 0 10-2 0 a s Sleet h Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 20-3 0 4 15-3 0 30-5 0 Remorshka Tak e a cra b th e siz e o f a larg e car. Giv e it leg s lik e a tiger's a n d a lon g tiger's tail endin g i n a n optiona l bal l o f fire. That's a remorshk a - on e o f th e mos t commo n kind s o f remorshka , a t least; ther e ar e a hundre d varieties. They'r e straightforwar d marauder s wit h straightforwar d tastes: lots o f meat , preferabl y recentl y kille d an d roasted . The y attac k village s an d ea t th e live stoc k an d villagers. If yo u wav e a yello w fla g i n a remorshka's fac e a s it wake s up , it wil l follo w th e flag a s lon g a s yo u kee p it moving . Remorshk a hav e hug e foreclaws, an d enjo y snippin g Herethro y i n hal f wit h them . The y ca n swee p wit h their tails, bashin g a t everythin g behin d them. The y ar e ver y dangerous. I n a direc t fight, a n average-size d remorshk a is rate d a t eigh t warriors. I n a n ambush , fou r shoul d suffice . Remorshka Life Attack CS.B Damage 100-60 0 20-4 0 ( 2 attacks) 10-2 0 cla w 15-2 0 di 5-1 0 tail 5s 6 di s 6 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 10-2 0 5-1 0 5-4 0 1-6 River-Gunch B i g a s a shed , stron g a s a fallin g tree , dum b a s a stum p th e tre e leave s behind . A river-gunc h ha s som e aspects o f hippopotamu s a n d som e o f bear, an d a rac k o f bright-colore d waxe n spines. Thei r ski n is smoot h an d shiny-black , glistenin g wit h riverwater. The y usuall y slo g throug h th e wate r o n fou r flat-foote d legs, thoug h the y rea r u p o n tw o whe n the y wish . O n fou r leg s the y ar e abou t five fee t hig h a t th e shoulder ; o n two , te n o r twelve . River-gunc h ar e barel y intelligent . The y ca n grun t ou t a fe w coars e sentence s in th e commo n tongue . The y d o prett y wel l a t "This is mine" , thoug h fe w ar e abl e t o manag e "This is yours" . The y lik e t o floa t for hours, all submerge d i n th e wate r excep t their spines, nibblin g o n underwate r plants an d fishes. The y sport a rac k o f waxe n spines, fourtee n spike s tw o fee t lon g an d stripe d in gaud y rainbo w colors. The y ar e extremel y prou d o f their spines. Sometime s the y ador n them wit h ribbon s o f river-weed for extr a beauty . If their spine s ar e damaged , th e river-gunc h enters a n extravagan t fury, hurlin g objects an d teari n g dow n trees, gainin g a n effectiv e +1 0 o n Strengt h (an d dam age ) until th e insul t is assuaged . Mage s beware : eve n a fe w spark s o f fire wil l leav e hole s an d warp s i n th e spines, an d eve n t h e mos t peacefu l gunc h is likel y t o g o berser k whe n confronte d b y fire. Th e spine s regro w i n a yea r o r two : no t soo n enoug h for t h e gunch . Gunc h spine s ar e wort h a fe w lozen s eac h a s novel ties, o r a fe w hunthe d fo r a high-qualit y rac k i n prim e condition . River-gunche s ar e rate d a t si x warriors, o r thre e wh o ca n fly. River Gunch Life Attack C.S.B Damage 100-30 0 30-5 0 5-1 0 2 0 di 8 Defense Soak Mag. Re s Cley 10-2 0 2 - 5 10-3 0 3-1 0
Rongon Rongo n ar e thre e hundre d poun d lump s o f gristl e an d tusk . The y ar e shagg y an d thick-skinned . Th e scen t o f th e prim e specie s irritate s them , Herethro y an d Rassime l in particular; whe n the y smel l it, the y ar e move d t o a n intens e fury. The y charge , the y grow l an d grunt , the y spea r wit h their tusks, the y exud e a char m whic h tie s peopl e in hempe n ropes. The y hav e t h e dubiou s distinctio n o f bein g th e first monste r t o attac k an y prim e person . The y ar e no t intelligent . The y ca n b e calme d o r deterre d b y variou s means , lik e tossin g the m int o a pon d o r thumpin g the m o n th e hea d wit h a heav y object . The y ar e rate d a t on e warrior. Rongon Life Attack C.S.B Damage 10-4 0 10-2 0 0 - 5 5 di 5 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 5-1 5 2 - 4 10-1 5 1-3 Slunder Slunde r ar e larg e snakes: seve n fee t long , patterne d blu e scales. The y ar e fairl y mild-tempered , whic h is good , becaus e the y hav e ver y stron g Itch y poison . The y lur k i n lo w branche s o f trees, an d strik e a t passin g smal l animals. The y ar e fascinate d b y re d an d blu e jigglin g together. Stree t entertainers some time s lea d the m aroun d b y re d an d blu e bangle s o n th e en d o f a stick ; sometime s th e slunde r escape , t o th e audience's panic . The y hav e a reputatio n for bein g deadlie r tha n the y are ; an y competen t adul t shoul d b e abl e t o dea l wit h one . Slunder Life Attack C.S.B Damage 3 - 9 5-1 0 0 - 5 3+Itchy d 6 di 3 Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 5-1 0 0 5-1 0 0 to a viscou s mass, o r chil l iro n agonizingly . (Treat this a s spon taneou s magic , wit h effects of complexit y 10 an d powe r 40 , but the spell mus t be a ttache d t o the clou d o f fo g a n d can o n l y affect peopl e wh o ar e insid e it.) Thei r lairs ar e surrounde d b y fogs, som e o f whic h hav e bee n ther e for decades. Zon n attac k village s i n group s o f hal f a dozen ; the y usuall y jum p in , sprea d confusio n an d othe r fogs, jum p out , an d the n com e bac k i n a fe w minute s whe n th e fog s hav e take n effect. The y attac k citie s i n armie s o f dozen s o r occasionall y huntheds, whic h is a grea t disaster. Mos t o f wha t the y ow n is befoule d past use . Th e rest - large ly meta l an d magi c - wil l hav e t o b e cleane d befor e it ca n b e used . Zon n ar e rate d a t tw o warriors. Zonn Life Attack C.S.B Damage 10-4 0 none none non e Defense Soak Mag. Res Cley 5-1 5 5-1 0 10-2 0 5-1 0 Zonn (Field Leaper) Zon n ar e on e o f th e mor e noxiou s creature s o n th e Worl d Tree . The y ar e grasshoppers th e siz e o f cattle : intelligen t enoug h t o b e a rea l nuisance , powerfu l enoug h t o b e dangerous, possesse d o f a n intens e single-minde d devotio n t o selfish , foolis h goals. The y ar e wanto n an d wasteful . The y descen d i n swarm s o n Herethro y villages; the y slaughte r a doze n peopl e an d ea t on e o r two . The y smas h bam s an d granaries, gulpin g dow n a fe w mouthfuls an d befoulin g th e rest. The y sometime s descen d o n t h e grea t cities, filling the m wit h stinkin g miasmas , lootin g a litt l e an d destroyin g a lot. Zon n exud e a wea k Confusio n 1 venom : anyon e wh o breathe s withi n fiv e fee t o f on e wil l b e afflicted . The y ca n spra y a stink i n g brow n liquid , stick y an d slightl y corrosive ; the y spra y it o n everythin g the y don' t want . The y ca n jum p ove r buildings, an d fly short distance s o n their stiff wings. The y ca n inven t weapon s i n the for m o f fogs: cloud s o f stick y vapo r tha t hol d togethe r fo r longe r tha n mist should , an d tha t conve y unpleasan t spells t o thos e wh o breath e the m o r touc h them . The y enjo y makin g cloud s tha t caus e wounds , mel t clot h
ELEMENTALS Tyr-Agruuniel's associations are these: His color is clear blue; his seal is a hut of seven sides. His name in the Gardens ofNight is "The Fountain of Quartz and Serpents Pouring Sweet Waters."; his incense is scathnard and gall. His celestial body of exaltation is the god-eidolon of Pararenenzu; his celestial bodies of torment are the track of the sun and the star Horuzthe-Catastrophe; his celestial body of redemption is Mikrah, the Eye of the Sailor; he has no known celestial body of debasement. His substance is blue wood; his fluid is anomalous milk; his creatures are cattle and serpents; his services are mundane tasks or impossible variants thereof. Tyr-Agruuniel's main task for Iraz Varuun seems to be dealing with the worse excesses of Iraz Varuun. In one of the goddess' tournaments, Tyr-Agruuniel was present in the form of a giant Cani wielding a hammer the size of a horse, with which he struck the goddess five or seven times (records vary) at peaks of her enthusiasm. There are suspicions that he manifests in peasant villages to help build wells, at which he writes obscure oracles. There is cause to believe that he is one ofTenmen's lovers (of whom there are very few). He maintains quiet residences in several of the sub-realms, including a palace of blue wood in Dorniafroo at which several primes have been visitors. In the years 2218-9, he had the wizard Sze-Narn of Olmth make him a scimitar capable of slicing through a steel bar from a hundred yards away. — From a manual of elementals T h e creature s i n this sectio n ar e strange r tha n th e one s in othe r sections. Man y o f them ar e no t Corpador-base d - tha t is, their bodie s are no t flesh . Som e are suspecte d o f bein g fro m outsid e t h e Worl d Tree , brough t her e a s servitors o r kinsfol k o r pets o r parasite s o f th e gods. Perhap s som e o f the m snuc k i n fro m th e outside , bu t weren' t annoyin g enoug h o r larg e enoug h for th e god s t o dea l with . Certainl y som e o f them ar e creation s o f th e gods, just buil t mor e strangel y tha n most . Som e elementals ar e terrifyin g an d malevolent ; the y ar e calle d b y word s w e translat e a s "demon " o r th e like . Som e elementals a r e i n direc t servic e o f a god ; they ar e ofte n calle d b y a titl e w e translat e a s "angel " o r the A ike . Th e translatio n is imprecise : suc h being s ar e unlikel y t o b e completel y beneficen t unless th e g o d is i n a particularl y gentl e mood . Som e elementals follo w their ow n whimsy , an d ar e calle d b y word s w e translat e a s "fairy " o r th e like . Th e translatio n is imperfect . Ymru-Wyxyhyr , a n awesom e Locado r elemental , h a s vast responsibilitie s fro m "Here" , an d fulfills the m in vicious, capriciou s ways ; it deserve s all thre e title s a t once . Ther e ar e a grea t variet y o f elementals, eve n o f th e sam e ele ment : tw o air elementals coul d b e a s differen t a s a Rassime l an d a lichen . Fire Elementals Fir e elementals com e i n a wid e variet y o f shape s an d poten cies. The y ten d t o b e stupi d an d destructive . The y ar e ver y har d t o kill ; in a fight t o th e death , brin g fort y warriors an d expec t hal f t o die . Fightin g t o the deat h is the wron g approach . Fir e ele mentals ar e eas y t o trick, an d ofte n amuse d b y bein g tricked . If the y ar e no t enraged , the y wil l usuall y leav e a fight a s soo n a s it become s uncomfortabl e - eve n a figh t the y woul d surel y win . T h e bein g name d Crashk a is typica l o f the workin g fire ele mental . It govern s th e rat e a t whic h thing s bu m o n a segmen t o f a branch . Whe n it is encountere d i n perso n - whic h is no t ofte n - it generall y ha s th e for m o f a vast serpen t o f fire, fort y yard s lon g an d tw o yard s high . It is abl e t o converse , thoug h no t well . F o r on e thing , it is no t smart , an d barel y understand s eve n th e commo n tongue . Fo r another, its word s carr y suc h hea t a s to severel y hurt livin g people . Ever y sentenc e it speak s doe s d 6 damage , n o Soak , t o everyon e wh o hears. Eve n goo d protec tio n doesn' t hel p much . Crashk a ha s appeare d i n pla y once , doin g its simpleminde d best t o tell th e part y somethin g they neede d t o kno w befor e th e hea t o f its voic e kille d them . Locador Demons Locado r demon s are , it is believed , th e kindre d o f "Here" . The y com e i n a variet y o f shape s an d potentialities. Thos e o f t h e secon d insta r ar e bi g blac k domes , te n o r twent y fee t in diameter, covere d wit h bi g blac k spikes: unabl e t o move , sav e b y teleporting , an d wit h n o mobil e appendage s mos t o f th e time . Thei r magica l power s ar e impressive , especiall y their Locado r powers. I n on e battle , a Locado r demo n o f th e secon d insta r teleporte d a wizard's stomac h t o itself, turne d th e ti p o f its spik e int o a many-fange d mouth , chewe d th e stomac h hal f t o rags, an d sen t it bac k t o th e wizar d in a n instant . Locado r demon s ar e a s viciou s a s "Here" , bu t unlik e "Here " the y hav e n o sens e o f responsibility . The y ar e no t reliabl y rated . Onc e thre e second - insta r Locado r demon s destroye d a city ; i n anothe r instance , fou r stron g adventurers wer e abl e t o (apparently ) kill on e with o u t grea t difficulty. The y ar e quit e intelligent ; bu t th e characte r o f their intellec t is incompatibl e wit h prim e intellect, an d ver y fe w idea s ca n use fully b e exchanged . This is, o n th e whole , a goo d thing . Th e mind-wizar d Truncallister, wit h considerabl e effort, evulge d a momen t o f clea r comprehensio n wit h th e Locado r demo n "Curse d Direction" . Afte r this experience , Truncalliste r chos e t o mak e a flock o f duck s carnivorous, an d spen t som e tim e eac h mornin g slicin g bits off o f herself an d feedin g the m t o th e ducks. Whe n aske d abou t this atypica l pastime , sh e replie d tha t it firml y an d clearl y focuse d he r min d o n matters o f this universe , thereb y helpin g he r avoi d thinkin g to o muc h abou t th e concepts s h e learne d fro m "Curse d Direction" . Fligh t fro m a Locado r demo n is wors e tha n useless; it make s y o u loo k lik e mor e o f a plaything ; an d i n an y even t escap e is impossibl e fro m a creatur e o f elementa l position . Created Elementals Sorcerers ca n creat e their ow n elementals: livin g creature s wit h bodie s o f fire o r wate r o r spac e o r othe r Nouns . Create d elementals ar e considerabl y weake r an d mor e limite d tha n natu ra l ones: Crashk a woul d hav e onl y contemp t for a n Angr y Dragon . Create d elementals rarel y liv e for long ; thos e tha t d o rarel y sta y san e for long . Create d elementals ar e nonetheless ver y usefu l fo r mages . Som e ar e mindfu l spells, whic h obe y th e caster's desire s withou t needin g t o b e commanded . Easie r spells creat e elementals whic h ar e onl y partiall y obedient : Angr y Dragon . Crue l Ic e Fairy , an d s o on . Suc h elementals hav e seriou s personalit y flaw s tha t limi t their use : most attac k othe r elementals o n sight , eve n in defianc e o f their creator's wishes. Nonetheless the y ar e ver y usefu l whe n properl y applied .
OTHE R GOD S T h e strangest o f th e strange being s ar c thos e wh o are consid ere d divine , fo r on e reaso n o r another. They are best treate d individually . W e presen t tw o examples: one benign , one malev olent . Example Other God: Snadza T h e Grea t an d Pleasan t Go d Snadz a is a typica l exampl e o f a mino r Othe r God . Zi e exists in a pocke t univers e calle d "Snadza's Grea t an d Pleasan t Paradise" , attache d loosel y t o th e Worl d Tre e unde r th e branc h Wolluxeia . Th e details o f th e go d zirself ar e scarce ; mor e is known abou t zir cult. Snadz a promise s zir worshippers tha t th e one s foun d worth y wil l b e reincarnate d afte r deat h in Snadza's Grea t an d Pleasan t Paradise , t o dwel l foreve r in th e effulgen t love-ligh t o f th e deity , nibblin g delicacie s fro m plate s o f copper, an d consortin g wit h othe r worth y reincamee s o f th e Grea t Orde r o f Lastin g Niceness. On e demonstrate s one's worthiness primaril y b y gifts o f cle y an d mone y t o th e church , usuall y pai d durin g drugge d orgiasti c celebrations. T h e cul t o f Snadz a is run i n a stric t hierarchy . Snadzanist priests o f ran k Precepto r wor k a s priests, runnin g services, performin g enchantments, an d extractin g mone y fro m their flocks. Arch-preceptors ar e priests at the eleve n Grea t Cathedrals an d manag e th e Preceptors. Th e Crenchife x rules th e cult an d con spire s directl y wit h Snadza . T h e iconoclast Z i Ri wizar d Tsemnomide s exerte d a grea t Muto c Locado r spel l an d arrive d bodil y i n Snadza's Grea t an d Pleasan t Paradise , whic h zi e describe d a s " a vast wastelan d o f dust y corridors, th e wainscotin g eate n b y termites. Onl y twen ty-eigh t souls hav e actuall y bee n inducte d int o Snadza's 'Grea t Orde r o f Lastin g Niceness' ; their principa l activitie s ar e com plainin g abou t certai n gross inaccuracie s i n th e Snadzanist doc trin e an d holdin g termite-races. Snadz a zirself is a corpulen t lapin e entit y wit h man y flacci d tendrils; I believ e zir t o b e a rab bit-demo n fro m th e sub-real m Domiafroo , o r som e simila r spa tia l pravuncul e o f th e Worl d Tree . I n an y event , zi e di d no t respon d t o eithe r polit e conversatio n o r th e Gran d Inferno : a n omissio n whic h leave s zir menta l acuit y i n doubt. " T h e Snadzanist priests hastene d t o demonstrat e th e concrete , tempora l gifts o f their religion . Afte r som e ver y goo d partie s a n d a certai n amoun t o f blackmail , fe w followers left th e churc h despit e Tsemnomides ' report an d best efforts. It is har d t o sa y if Snadz a is reall y a go d i n an y sense . Zi e is certainl y capabl e o f manipulatin g spirits afte r deat h i n way s that a r e beyon d th e capabilitie s o f an y livin g Worl d Tre e wizard , holdin g min d an d spirit togethe r an d creatin g ne w bodie s for them . Zi r othe r power s ar e o f unknow n degree . Zir pocke t univers e wa s th e creatio n o f th e first Crenchife x rathe r tha n Snadz a zirself. Th e tru e god s kno w abou t Snadz a bu t ar e no t concerned . Kvars e refuse d t o d o anythin g abou t Snadza , no t eve n whe n Tsemnomide s yelle d a t he r fo r thre e day s straigh t an d finally blaste d he r wit h th e Gran d Inferno " Example Other God: the Vospoleth T h e god s o f th e Worl d Tre e conside r Snadz a harmless, bu t som e othe r god s ar e less so . Th e Vospoleth , t o th e best o f prim e knowledge , is a deit y o f a worl d calle d bot h Yest an d Coitajja . N o t a well-love d god , either. It evidentl y fough t th e othe r god s o f tha t world , eithe r politicall y o r physically , an d fled o r wa s evicted . It cam e t o th e Worl d Tre e a thousan d years ago , form less an d furious, an d installe d itself i n the cit y o f Goztarn u i n oute r Ketheria , usin g a Can i woma n name d Melancth e a s its mai n vehicle . Mos t o f the Can i i n th e cit y cam e unde r its influ ence : a n agonizin g perversio n o f th e Can i loyalt y instinct , leav i n g th e Can i endlessl y an d helplessl y obedien t t o th e Vospoleth . T h e citizen s wh o ha d enoug h wil l left fled th e city. Thos e wh o remaine d wer e worke d nigh t an d da y o n th e productio n o f appa ratu s wit h obscur e purpos e an d function . Mos t o f th e refugee s fle d t o nearb y cities. On e smal l grou p trekke d further. I n time , the y happene d t o encounte r th e fireg o d Flokin , an d explaine d their stor y t o it. Floki n wen t t o Goztarn u t o investigate ; an d ou t o f kindness t o th e residents it destroye d th e cit y an d everyon e i n it. Th e Vospolet h left th e Worl d tree wit h man y woand s an d bum s o n its immateria l body . Som e centurie s later, th e Vospolet h returned , insinuatin g itself int o th e Enchanters' Guil d o f Marra , startin g wit h th e Can i ma n Grag : a linea l descendan t an d (accordin g t o Lenhirrik ) the rein carnatio n o f Melancthe . Th e Enchanters' Guil d soo n stoppe d takin g orders fo r ne w magi c items, an d worke d full-time o n th e alie n apparatus. Th e abandone d husban d o f on e o f th e enchanters spok e t o a priest , wh o organize d a n expeditio n t o tal k t o Lenhirrik , wh o seeme d t o kno w all abou t th e situatio n already , an d referre d th e matte r t o Flokin . Floki n sle w th e Vospolet h fou r hunthe d an d eight y times, an d the n evicte d it fro m th e Worl d Tree . Floki n assemble d a fe w Worl d Tre e wizards, an d gav e the m t h e proble m o f makin g sur e tha t Gra g woul d no t b e eithe r rein carnate d o r usabl e a s a vehicl e fo r th e Vospolet h again . The y left Gra g wrappe d i n endless slee p an d hidde n behin d a doze n magica l walls. Afte r that , Floki n burne d th e Enchanters' Guil d o f Marra , an d all th e othe r enchanters an d all their works, t o a poo l o f as h tha t is still there today . It als o fingere d a grou p o f loca l adventurers an d mad e the m responsibl e for dealin g wit h loca l problem s cause d b y th e events. -' To be fair to Snadza, Kvarse didn't respond to the Grand Inferno either.
HERBA L T h e flor a o f th e Worl d Tre e is a s varie d a s th e fauna . O n th e whol e it is less aggressive ; ther e ar e comparativel y fe w specie s o f plants no t allowe d in cities. A s wit h animals, w e translat e plants t o vaguel y simila r terrestria l specie s (pine , mint , garlic), o r simpl y transliterate th e wor d (arke n trees, luth-moss) . W e d o n o t includ e thes e plants i n the herbal . Magica l herb s ar e generall y no t wort h cultivating ; domesti c plants usuall y gro w wit h onl y a fractio n o f th e wil d plants' potenc y Fres h herb s kee p a da y o r two , thied herb s kee p a fe w months , an d tincture s kee p a fe w years; Susteno c Herbado r wil l exten d thes e times. Axacanthus Axacanthu s flowers ar e fire-aspected orchids. A fres h axa canthu s throw n int o a fire will mak e it bu m abou t twic e a s ho t a n d twic e a s lon g a s usual . A sniff o f axacanthu s polle n befor e castin g a fire creatio n spel l wil l increas e th e spell's powe r b y s2 0 - thoug h mage s wh o us e it to o ofte n find tha t their fire magi c withou t axacanthu s become s muc h weaker . Cley apples T h e mos t commo n natura l sourc e o f usabl e cley , no t countin g dawn . A cle y appl e hold s d 6 cle y (it is har d t o tell ho w man y withou t eatin g it), whic h it give s t o whoev e r eats th e whol e apple , cor e an d all. H o w lon g this take s depend s o n th e species: a Gormoro r c a n gul p it dow n i n a round , a Z i R i wil l tak e a lo t longer, an d a carnivorou s Sleet h wil l b e sic k te n min ute s afterwards. Cle y apple s ar e wort h 1300-250 0 lozen s eac h whe n they'r e fresh ; the y kee p abou t a decad e o r s o wit h car e b y a goo d Susteno c Herbado r spell . Cle y apple s sho w u p fo r n o know n reaso n o n fruit trees o f all kinds; they'r e no t alway s apples, no r alway s lik e th e tree's fruit. Th e averag e farmin g villag e see s a cle y appl e ever y fe w years. Cobbithy Cobbith y tree s ar e roughl y lik e gnarle d maples, wit h toug h wood , spik y leaves, seed s scattere d b y littl e gliders. The y gro w fairl y wel l o n th e flats, an d ar e reasonabl y commo n o n most world-branches. The y ar e mainl y wort h mentionin g becaus e the y ar e unusuall y susceptibl e t o Herbado r magic . Th e Power s o f most Herbado r spells whic h affec t existin g liv e cobbith y tree s are tripled. Th e Power s o f mos t Herbado r spells whic h affec t fres h cobbith y woo d ar e doubled . Afte r a mont h o r so , th e extr a susceptibilit y fades. A tree-mag e ca n buil d a stockad e o f cob bith y quickly , give n a grov e o f trees. Anyon e wit h a bit o f Herbado r ca n ge t throug h it equall y easily . Codelieth Codeliet h is a chubb y succulen t plan t wit h bulbou s leave s an d b i g orange-re d flowers tha t stin k terribly . Fro m thes e flowers c a n b e distille d codeliet h perfume , whic h ha s a spic y carrio n scen t tha t Can i ador e an d nobod y els e likes. Codeliet h plants a r e quit e rare . Decent-qualit y codeliet h perfum e bas e is wort h a hundre d lozen s a n ounce . Dullog Dullo g is a heav y orang e fungu s tha t grow s in th e shape s o f jars o r chambers. A typica l matur e dullo g plan t abov e groun d will b e a fe w hundre d fee t i n diamete r an d fort y fee t high , con sistin g o f a mas s o f 10-2 0 foo t cells mostl y connecte d b y holes. T h e walls o f th e cells ar e a foo t o r tw o thick , an d dullo g is fairl y strong , s o dullo g plants mak e excellen t home s - mostl y for nonprimes. Dullo g glow s a dul l Orang e whe n it is wet , whic h dwellers i n th e inne r cells ofte n find convenient . Dullo g require s darkness t o grow , muc h a s man y plants requir e light; dullo g plants ar e mos t ofte n foun d i n cave s o r heavil y shade d places. Dullo g grow s slowly , bu t suitabl e magi c an d fertiliza tio n ca n spee d it u p som e an d sculp t it considerably . Grabrell Grabrel l wee d inhibits th e magi c sense , makin g th e use r hard e r t o sens e o r analyz e - an d givin g th e sam e penalt y for th e user's us e o f magi c sense . Simpl y wearin g a tuft o f fres h grabrel l blunts th e sense : a - 2 penalty . A handfu l o f drie d pow dere d grabrel l bring s a -1 0 penalt y a t first, wearin g off a t abou t o n e poin t o f penalt y pe r hour. A spoonfu l o f tinctur e o f grabrel l roo t bring s a -2 0 penalt y for d 4 hours; splashin g th e tinctur e o n externall y is th e sam e a s th e powder . Herbado r spells (wit h Corpado r for already-swallowe d tincture ) ca n denatur e th e grabrell , restorin g others' abilit y t o sens e th e take r immediately ; t h e taker's sens e need s a fe w minute s t o recover. Ther e is n o advantag e t o usin g extr a grabrel l o r combinin g way s o f apply i n g it. Grabrel l smells an d taste s lik e a vil e bitte r licorice . Grabrel l wee d is rare . It's wort h a fe w lozen s fresh , te n drie d a n d powdered , o r twent y i n tinctur e - bu t mainl y t o thieve s an d othe r scoundrels. Ham toad Hamtoa d is a dul l blobb y gray-gree n water-vegetable , on e o f man y tha t gro w best i n tota l darkness. It is dens e an d meaty , a n d a n essentia l par t o f ecolog y an d cuisin e i n man y place s tha t neve r ge t sunlight . Hyprie Hypri e ar e smal l fruits, th e siz e o f a grape , bu t sweete r an d headier. Eatin g hypri e make s th e intellec t quic k an d creative , whic h is good , an d wil d an d diffuse , whic h is no t s o good . Th e goo d effects amoun t t o a + 3 o n Wits fo r mos t purposes, o r a +1 0 o n complexit y an d powe r rolls for spontaneou s magic ; this starts d 6 minute s afte r th e hypri e is eaten , an d lasts for anothe r d 6 minutes. Th e ba d effects ar e worse , startin g d 3 minute s afte r t h e hypri e is eaten , an d continuin g fo r a n hou r o r so . Th e wild ness amount s t o a n extr a botc h di e o n most actions, tw o o n most magica l actions, an d thre e o n spontaneou s magic . Th e diffuse - ness is a matte r o f role-playing : som e mixtur e o f eccentricity , menta l leaps, an d genera l weirdness. Hypri e ar e wort h perhap s 5 0 lozens.
Hypri e win e - reall y a heavil y distille d essence of hypric - is muc h lik e hypri e fruit: faste r to act, longer-lasting in both good a n d bad . Th e goo d effects start after dlO seconds, and last 2d6 minutes. Th e ba d effec ts start after d 10 seconds, and last abou t t w o hours. Hypri e wine is sol d to adventurers in little glass beads, whic h th e take r crushe s between his teeth. (People wh o tak e hypri e hav e mor e to worry about than a few littl e glass cuts in their mouths. ) Bead s of hyprie wine cost a few hundre d lozens. Nolotham Nolotha m tree s are rathe r lik e birch ; their gree n leather y bar k peels off i n wid e smoot h sheets. Once , whe n th e worl d wa s young , Accana x ha d offende d Pararenenz u gravely , an d Pararenenz u chase d Accana x wit h fourfol d lightnings. Accana x curle d u p tigh t insid e a nolotha m tree , an d Pararenenz u passe d h i m by . So , nolotha m tree s hav e th e virtu e o f resistanc e t o Kenno c spells an d Magi c Analysis. Liv e nolotha m tree s ar e nearl y impossibl e t o detec t (-30). Th e bar k b y itself isn't a s stron g (-d20). Nolotha m usuall y make s it see m tha t nothin g is ther e (if th e Kenno c spel l wer e lookin g for something) , rathe r tha n simpl y cancelin g th e spell . Th e spel l Weav e the Blin d Hu t ( M u S u II H r 10 ) empower s dea d nolotha m bark , addin g hal f the spell's powe r t o th e bark's resistance . Nolotha m isn't a s usefu l a s it migh t see m t o be . Wearin g clothe s o f nolotha m bar k migh t kee p peopl e fro m inspectin g you r body , bu t if an y o f you r fles h is exposed , mos t Kenno c spells wil l wor k a t full strength . It's mainl y use d t o lin e whol e rooms ; th e righ t perso n migh t b e willi n g t o spen d a thousan d lozen s t o reliabl y lin e a room , o r a few hundre d t o lin e a barre l t o hid e in. Healing herbs A thousan d kind s o f herb s hav e healin g propertie s o f som e kin d o r other. A doze n o f thos e ar e stron g enoug h t o b e o f valu e t o adventurers in a pinch , healin g d 3 t o d 6 damag e whe n th e fres h herb s ar e mad e int o a poultice ; mos t ca n onl y b e take n safel y a fe w time s a day . The y wor k i n a differen t wa y tha n Corpado r healin g magic , s o th e sam e patien t ca n b e give n both . The y ca n b e sol d for three o r fou r lozen s fresh ; they'r e mor e use ful t o adventurers directly . Pycorns Pyco m tree s ar e tall an d spiky , lookin g a s if they're abou t t o fall over. The y bea r pycoms : smal l red-huske d nuts, edibl e fresh an d tast y roasted . Pycom s ar e harveste d i n grea t quantitie s a t th e beginnin g o f spring , an d i n smalle r amount s constantl y throughou t th e year; the y ar e a stapl e foo d i n man y places. Eac h year, a fe w pyco m shells harveste d o n th e first da y o f sprin g concea l a blu e ge m lik e a spike d sapphire , whic h ha s th e virtu e o f restorin g yout h t o th e perso n wh o wear s it. Unfortunatel y pyco m sapphire s crumbl e t o blu e san d o n th e last d a y o f winter, an d the wearer's tru e ag e returns; bu t still pyco m sapphire s ar e wort h hug e sums. Salt Bushes Sal t bushe s com e i n man y shapes, bu t th e difference s ar e mostl y o f interest t o Rassimel . The y ar e typicall y short , squat , a n d thick-leafed , rathe r lik e terrestria l jad e plants i n bushes. T h e leave s tast e a bit salty . If yo u cho p th e leave s up , boi l the m in water, an d dr y th e water, yo u ge t a gree n stick y salt (bus h salt) tha t taste s a bi t lik e spinach ; it's goo d enoug h for mos t people . Bus h salt ca n b e refine d furthe r t o giv e pur e salt, whic h is a lux u r y item . Ulumbo Ulumb o is a short , harshly-scented , bush y tre e wit h spira l leave s and , i n th e wintertime , ugl y umbrella-shape d flowers. It is notabl e mainl y fo r its immunit y t o magic . A health y ulumb o h a s a Magi c Resistanc e o f som e 20-40 , whic h is hig h for a plant . Unhealth y o r distresse d ulumbo s ca n gro w t o hav e Magi c Resistanc e score s around 50-100 . Noble s an d sorcerers ofte n choos e t o espalie r ulumb o trees aroun d room s the y wis h t o defend . Wenezza Fee d someon e a wenezz a blosso m wit h a dro p o f you r bloo d o n it, an d tha t perso n wil l lov e yo u wit h a desperat e consumin g passio n unti l th e nex t day's dawning . Magi c resistanc e is use less; Wil l migh t hel p th e perso n avoi d embarrassmen t an d trouble . Dried , powdere d wenezz a induce s a n obsessiv e if unfo cuse d aphrodesi a fo r a n hou r o r two ; peopl e ar e mor e likel y t o u s e it o n others tha n themselves. Illega l i n mos t places.
Fiv e minute s ou t o f ever y six , gamemasterin g Worl d Tre e is muc h lik e gamemasterin g an y othe r seriou s role-playin g game . This chapte r is fo r tha t sixt h minute , wher e the details o f the worl d com e int o play . Gamemaster y is a n intensel y persona l art form ; you r styl e is differen t tha n ours. This chapte r is ou r musing s an d advice . Eve n if you'r e tryin g t o follo w ever y rul e i n th e boo k exactl y a s written , yo u don' t nee d t o tak e it. CHARACTE R CREATIO N Gamemasterin g characte r creatio n is walkin g o n a narro w edge . O n on e hand , yo u don' t wan t t o stifl e you r players' cre ativity , o r kee p the m fro m playin g somethin g tha t the y desper atel y wan t t o play . O n the othe r hand , yo u nee d t o kee p tru e to t h e spirit o f you r campaign , an d t o preven t mistakes, abuse s an d imbalance s tha t wil l kee p you r playe r fro m havin g fun. Artistic Vision: Theirs and Yours O n e o f th e aspects o f gamin g tha t players mos t lov e is th e abili t y t o b e someon e else , someon e tha t the y woul d lik e t o be . Sometime s it's a pure r essenc e o f par t o f their personality : th e real-lif e lone r wh o enjoy s playin g Sleeth , th e real-lif e potte r playin g th e clay-mage . Sometime s it's a n intentiona l contrast t o rea l life : th e Ph.D . studen t in advance d physic s playin g th e idio t Khtsoyis thug ; the real-lif e lone r playin g a ver y politica l Cani . Worl d Tre e allow s a wide r rang e o f persona s an d specie s tha n som e games . If a playe r is fascinate d wit h something , yo u shoul d d o you r best t o find a wa y fo r hi m t o pla y it. Sometime s this migh t mea n twistin g plausibility : fe w Sleet h hav e universit y education , bu t there's n o reaso n wh y the y can't. O n th e othe r hand , b e tru e t o the spirit o f you r campaign . Fo r example , characters i n a Treverr e campaig n wer e intende d t o th e best o f th e generatio n just comin g o f ag e i n Treverre , th e peopl e w h o wil l probabl y shap e th e nex t half-centur y o f Treverre's destiny . Mos t o f th e characters wer e students a t th e magica l acad emies, smiths, importan t cit y guards, princes, an d the like . Th e frivolou s minstre l characte r wit h n o long-ter m interests o r ambi tion s di d no t fit i n ver y well , an d wa s quickl y abandoned . Often , players wil l nee d som e mino r tunin g o f you r settin g t o fit their characters in well . Fo r example , th e Smiths ' Guil d o f Treverr e wa s a singl e sentenc e o f tex t originally . Whe n some o n e wante d t o pla y a youn g smith , workin g i n a n armor-sho p a n d waitin g for a n openin g t o joi n th e guild , w e develope d it i n mor e detail . W e limite d th e guil d t o seve n masters s o sh e woul d hav e somethin g t o wor k towards. Smiths'-guil d politic s starte d showin g u p in games , an d s o on . Game Balance Abuse s an d imbalance s ar e less troubl e t o dea l wit h tha n artist i c vision , if onl y becaus e ther e isn't a s muc h o f a fundamenta l conflic t abou t fixing them . The y ten d t o tur n u p whe n players a r e choosin g Advantage s an d Disadvantages. Som e players tak e grea t jo y i n findin g loophole s i n th e rule s tha t le t the m b e overl y powerful . A n eas y par t o f you r jo b is to catc h th e abuses. A har d part is t o correc t th e abuse s withou t makin g an y players (especiall y th e abuser) unhappy . A favorit e loophol e is takin g overlappin g o r irrelevan t Disadvantages. Fo r example , on e perso n chos e t o b e unusuall y vulnerabl e to fire, metal , hits b y weapons , an d wood . If tha t characte r staye d i n a fight, zi e wa s doomed . Bu t it wasn' t a high - comba t story , an d th e characte r use d te n o f the fort y o r s o points o f Advantag e t o mak e sur e zi e coul d ge t awa y fro m just abou t a n y situation . Th e characte r wasn' t goin g t o b e i n comba t much , s o th e Disadvantage s didn' t matte r much . Zi e prove d over whelmingl y powerful , an d w e ha d t o remov e zir fro m th e cam paign . Less extrem e case s ar e harde r t o dea l with . Ver y ofte n you'l l hav e a characte r who's mostl y a fighte r an d negotiator, say, wit h modest powe r a s a mag e - bu t hav e five mino r Disadvantage s tha t mostl y limi t he r magic . Reasonabl e peopl e wil l disagre e o n whethe r this characte r is acceptabl e o r not . O n on e hand , she's enoug h o f a mag e s o tha t th e Disadvantage s wil l i n fac t caus e h e r trouble . There's eve n goo d reaso n for he r bein g a s sh e is: she' d lik e t o b e mor e o f a mage , bu t isn't capabl e enoug h t o d o
it realistically . O n the other hand, there are a lot of Disadvantages, an d they don't get in the way o f her main activities. Conside r askin g the player to change a few Disadvantages t o one s wit h actua l teeth . T h e convers e o f preventing abuse is making sure that characters ar e powerfu l enough . If they are doing somethi n g that look s stupid , gentl y as k them why they're doing it. If they have a goo d reason , le t the m do it - or help them out, perhaps with a few extr a points o f Advant ages. If they have a bad reason , tr y t o tal k the m ou t o f it. Ultimately , th e Advan tage /Disadvantag e syste m is suppose d t o b e a wa y t o construct decen t characters of approximatel y equa l power . You, as gamemaster , shoul d ben d th e rules if th e characters ar e comin g out to o differen t i n power . Fo r example , o n e characte r too k a + 7 Knac k in Dancing , mostl y a s a bit o f characterizatio n to giv e a n otherwis e plai n Khtsoyis fighter som e personality . It woul d hav e bee n har d t o giv e hi m th e full valu e o f tha t Advantage : wh o wants t o danc e wit h a Khtsoyis thug , n o matte r ho w goo d a dance r h e is ? Ho w man y time s ca n t h e fat e o f anythin g han g o n someon e doin g th e heptapo d hop ? A + 2 o r + 3 Knac k woul d b e plent y for characterizatio n - o r th e + 7 Knac k for th e Advantag e cost o f a + 2 o r + 3 knack . Sometime s players decid e t o b e ba d a t something , an d mak e themselve s extraordinaril y ba d a t it. On e starte d wit h a - 3 Agility , an d decide d tha t h e like d the though t o f playin g a n extremel y clums y person . H e trie d t o tak e severa l Disadvantage s abou t that : reducin g his Agilit y still further, bein g clums y (gettin g extr a botc h dic e o n mos t Agilit y rolls), a n d s o on . Th e characte r wa s nearl y th e clumsiest perso n o n th e Worl d Tree : wors e tha n bein g disabled , becaus e th e characte r trie d t o d o things that'th e disable d kne w the y coul d no t do . This manage s t o ge t bot h side s o f th e problem : it's abusiv e (takin g overlappin g Disadvantages) an d incapacitatin g a t th e sam e time . Som e thing s t o loo k ou t for are : Basic Skills: Everyon e shoul d b e reasonabl y goo d a t Lif e Base , Dodge , an d Cle y Base : 5- 8 a t least. Everyon e use s cley, f or resistin g spells eve n if the y don' t cast many . Professional Skills: Characters shoul d b e goo d a t the skills o f their profession : 9-1 2 o r more . A warrio r wit h a Lif e Bas e o f 4 o r n o skill in Comba t Stanc e Bas e won' t b e a ver y goo d one . T h e advantage s lik e "Guar d Warrio r Experience " ar e goo d guide s for th e importan t skills t o individua l professions; a war rio r wh o doesn' t hav e th e Guar d Warrio r skills isn't a goo d war rior. Some magical power : Everyon e ca n us e magic , an d most effectiv e peopl e are capabl e o f doin g somethin g worthwhil e - a t least their god-connectio n ver b an d Corpado r o r Herbador . A f e w points o f skil l her e ar e ver y helpful . Mak e sur e tha t the y tak e th e handfu l o f complexity- 5 s pells that com e for free, an d hel p them choos e magica l skills enoug h t o le t the m cast th e spells. E noug h spells: A seriou s adventurin g mag e shoul d probabl y hav e on e o r tw o usefu l complexity-2 0 spells. A typica l warrio r will hav e a selectio n o f defensiv e an d evasiv e complexity-1 0 spells: no t attac k spells, becaus e h e won' t hav e th e Powe r t o mak e the m useful ^ Changing Character Creation Schemes I n th e chapte r o n characte r creation , ther e ar e parameters for creatin g characters : 20x3 0 experienc e points, + 5 tota l Advantages , -1 0 maximu m Disadvantages. This make s begin nin g characters fairl y powerful : the y are significantl y mor e powerfu l tha n th e averag e Worl d Tre e person , bu t muc h weake r tha n th e most powerfu l peopl e around . Yo u don' t nee d t o worr y abou t killin g the m b y mistake , an d yo u ca n choos e a wid e varie t y o f storie s an d still b e withi n their powers . Bu t the y can't g o aroun d trashin g th e majo r force s o f th e worl d o n their own , either. B u t yo u ma y prefe r t o run game s wit h a differen t flavor. Changin g the details o f characte r creatio n is a goo d wa y to adjust th e powe r level . Having , say, 15x3 0 experienc e an d + 0 tota l Advantage s wil l leav e th e characters significantl y weaker , b u t still powerfu l enoug h t o b e effective . Doublin g th e startin g experienc e an d Advantage s wil l giv e yo u som e ver y powerfu l characters, fo r a heroi c game . Also , fee l free t o hav e othe r restrictions. If yo u wan t t o run a stor y wit h a lo t o f Can i politics, yo u migh t insist tha t everyon e pla y member s o f th e Antorro n family . It's best t o mak e the restriction s a s loos e a s yo u ca n withou t losin g th e story , s o yo u migh t instea d insist tha t everyon e hav e a compellin g reaso n t o b e involve d i n Antorro n famil y politics. Mos t peopl e wil l prob abl y choos e Can i famil y member s (th e wmne r i n th e stor y wil l b e a famil y member) , bu t someon e els e migh t b e the ol d Rassime l butler, o r th e newly-hire d Herethro y guard , o r th e Sleet h kitte n tha t gre w u p wit h them. MOMENT S I N PLA Y Minut e t o minute , gamemasterin g Worl d Tre e is muc h lik e gamemasterin g othe r games . Ther e are a fe w thing s t o kee p i n mind , a fe w situation s that migh t no t hav e arise n i n othe r game s you'v e run. Rules Issues Ther e are a fe w tricky spots i n th e rules t o b e awar e o f - trick y becaus e you r decision s an d styl e migh t mak e you r players unhappy , and they com e u p frequently . FOLLOWIN G THE . RULE S T h e Worl d Tre e rules ar e mostl y good , w e think. S o o f cours e w e wan t yo u t o follo w them , an d us e the m a s guidelines. B u t what's reall y importan t is tha t yo u an d you r players enjo y t h e game . Follo w th e styl e o f th e rea l rules - mos t rolls ar e Attribut e + Skil l + s2 0 vs. a threshold yo u decid e i n advanc e - b u t it's O K if yo u don' t us e exactl y th e sam e attributes, skills, a n d threshold s w e use . ( A typica l exchange : GM : "Rol l Wits + Guil e + s2 0 t o se e ho w wel l yo u tal k hi m int o it. " Player: "Ca n I us e Charism a + Friendliness instead? " GM : [think s a minute ] "Sure." , o r "No." ) Als o it's O K if you'r e no t consistent , a s lon g a s you r players don' t thin k you'r e capriciou s o r playin g favorites. Ther e ar e som e situation s wher e yo u ough t t o follo w th e rules carefull y - no t just becaus e they'r e goo d rules, bu t becaus e th e players ar e countin g o n yo u t o b e impartial . An y tim e a charac t e r migh t di e permanentl y o r b e evicte d fro m the campaign , mak e sur e that th e playe r ca n d o anythin g th e rules allow , an d know s tha t yo u ar e no t sendin g hi m anfairly t o death . (If yo u nee d t o manipulat e th e outcom e o f th e fight - t o sav e o r t o sla y - d o it i n way s the playe r can' t see.) Player-characte r vs. player - characte r conflicts shoul d alway s b e run strictl y b y th e rules, s o tha t everyon e know s yo u ar e no t favorin g anyone . Som e players ar e rule lawyers. The y kno w the rule s bette r tha n y o u do , an d us e ever y sentenc e t o their advantage . It's dread -
fully annoying . Unfortunately , the y hav e a goo d point . Th e rule s (a s written , o r a s yo u hav e modifie d them ) ar e all the y hav e t o g o on . If th e rules aren' t solid , the n all you r players are lost a n d hav e ever y right t o b e upse t wit h you . Still, don' t le t th e rule lawyers wrec k you r game . Le t the m poin t ou t rules t o you , an d briefl y explai n their points; the n decide , an d g o on . If they hav e a goo d point , eve n if yo u disagre e wit h it, it ma y b e goo d for you r gamin g grou p t o le t the m hav e their wa y on e tim e an d chang e o r clarif y th e rules for th e future . ACTIN G orr INITIATIV E T h e par t o f fat e tha t frustrate s players most seem s t o b e whe n initiative s g o against them . Th e monste r - or, worse , th e player's friend s - ge t thre e action s t o their one . That's th e luc k o f th e cards. Whe n yo u se e the playe r fuming , o r th e characte r dying , yo u m a y b e tempte d t o le t th e characte r ac t off initiative . Yo u can , if yo u wan t to ; w e prefe r no t to . Muc h o f th e time , th e standar d way s b y whic h characters ca n ac t off o f initiativ e are enough . Boun d spells withou t targets ca n g o off a t a word , an d ofte n tha t ca n happe n off initiative . Creo c Tempado r spells ca n giv e characters extr a actions. Goo d enoug h warriors an d spear-users c a n us e th e "Counterattack " defens e option , gettin g attack s o n their opponents' actions. Players ma y als o yel l a t their friend s abou t wha t the y shoul d d o whe n the y ge t th e chance . If you r players coun t initiativ e cards, reshuffl e th e deck s fre quently . BOUN D MAGI C T h e officia l rules for boun d magi c ar e carefu l an d precise . I n practice , hal f o f th e players don' t see m t o rea d the m for th e first yea r o f gaming . Mak e sur e you do : they'r e carefull y tune d t o avoi d som e abuses. Som e details t o remember : / • Boun d healin g magi c doesn' t usuall y wor k ver y well . Healin g spells depen d o n th e Medicin e scor e o f th e caster; for boun d spells, th e caster's Medicin e skill is zero . Whe n th e spel l is cast befor e th e woun d happens, th e docto r can' t se e what's wrong , an d therefor e can' t d o anythin g i n particula r abou t it. (This goe s for all boun d spells whic h involv e skills - includin g Finesse . Th e Power-base d part o f th e boun d spel l still works. ) • Boun d spells i n store s ar e fairl y expensive , an d unusua l one s migh t no t b e availabl e a t all. Yo u ca n us e this t o restric t spells tha t caus e problems. Yo u ca n als o previe w ho w a spel l work s in pla y b y havin g a boun d versio n sho w up . • Sinc e boun d spells ar e s o expensive , part y member s wil l usuall y bin d spells fo r eac h other. This is a sig n o f cooperatio n a n d nothin g t o b e worrie d about . B e warned , though : whe n the y figure ou t ho w t o us e boun d magi c effectively , they'l l suddenl y see m a grea t dea l mor e powerful . SPONTANEOU S MAGI C You r players, an d you , wil l b e usin g a grea t dea l o f sponta neou s magic . You'll thro w som e trick y situatio n a t them , an d they'l l improvis e a spel l t o dea l wit h it - probabl y i n som e wa y y o u didn' t expect . T h e technica l matters o f spontaneou s magi c com e dow n t o decidin g ho w comple x a spontaneou s spel l shoul d be , an d ho w effective . Th e spel l list give s som e guidance , an d th e list o f standar d modification s o n pag e 19 7 wil l giv e som e more . Usually , yo u won' t wan t t o spen d five minute s o f valuabl e game - tim e shufflin g throug h lists, s o mak e a quic k judgment . Th e First La w o f Magi c implie s that , if yo u late r decid e yo u don' t lik e wha t yo u sai d i n on e session , yo u ca n d o it differentl y i n th e nex t session . D o tr y t o b e consistent , bu t a ba d spur-of-the - momen t decisio n doe s no t becom e a preceden t tha t yo u mus t follo w forever, no r doe s it obligat e yo u t o repla y a scene . T h e dramati c issue s o f spontaneou s magi c mostl y com e dow n t o , t o wha t exten t ar e yo u willin g t o le t som e cleve r bit o f impro vise d magi c demolis h you r plans ? Yo u hav e th e abilit y t o decid e if th e spon t shoul d b e eas y o r nearl y impossible . Remembe r tha t you r jo b a s gamemaste r is t o mak e th e gam e fu n for you r play ers. If the y hav e actuall y foun d a sneak y wa y t o mak e a har d tas k eas y - spel l o r otherwis e - it's usuall y mor e satisfyin g t o le t the m succeed . A s yo u ge t mor e experienc e wit h yoa r players a n d th e system , you'l l hav e fewe r scene s trashe d b y sneak y tricks. Spontaneou s magi c turn s ou t t o b e a n excellen t wa y t o ge t characters t o bur n vast amount s o f cle y fo r littl e benefit . Som e characters enjo y spontaneou s magi c s o muc h tha t they'l l impro vis e a spel l t o mak e a bloc k o f ic e no t slippery , instea d o f dump i n g a fe w handfuls o f dirt o n it. We'v e generall y foun d this t o b e a goo d thing ; it mean s th e part y ha s less cle y i n crisis (makin g t h e crisis mor e terrifying), an d lets th e peopl e wh o enjo y play i n g mage s hav e their fu n i n way s tha t don' t den t ou r plan s to o much . An d whe n their mor e conservativ e companion s che w the m ou t in-characte r for wastin g cley , the role-playin g ca n b e ver y goo d t o watch . KENNO C SPEL L FAILUR E Kenno c spells fail 5 % o f th e time ; se e pag e 192 . Yo u shoul d generall y mak e this roll secretly . Remin d you r players regularl y abou t th e chanc e o f failure : you r characters ma y b e unhapp y whe n th e roo m the y scrie d t o b e empt y turn s ou t t o b e full o f remorshka , bu t you r players shoul d remembe r th e rule . ORREN' S WIL D RUS H T h e Orre n advantag e "Wil d Rush " is a n amazingl y powerfu l advantage . Usuall y a player-characters mai n limitatio n i n a fight is waitin g fo r his initiativ e t o com e up . Wil d Rus h is th e easiest w a y for certai n characters t o ge t lots o f extr a actions. This is a proble m for you . Orre n characters rushin g ge t a lo t mor e o f you r attentio n tha n others, an d a lo t mor e o f th e glory . Players o f non-Orre n ca n ge t unhapp y whe n th e Orre n alway s swoo p in an d hav e mos t o f th e fun . S o , yo u nee d t o enforc e th e penaltie s o f rushing . Th e mai n rul e penalt y - thre e extr a botc h dic e - isn't th e whol e problem . Rushin g Orre n ar e careless, random , impulsive , an d dowarigh t stupid . A goo d playe r wil l d o th e first halfwa y reasonabl e thin g tha t pop s int o he r head , eve n if it doesn' t win d u p bein g ver y smart : Orre n frequentl y toss Fir e Flowers a t fire elementals, o r charg e half-dresse d int o combat . T h e proble m come s whe n th e playe r is bein g ver y careful , considerin g alternatives, lookin g fo r th e mos t sensibl e move , min-maxin g his attack , an d s o on . Yo u can' t sto p a rusher fro m thinkin g whe n h e doesn' t hav e initiative , bu t whe n it's his turn , h e shoul d ac t fast. Whe n yo u realiz e a rushe r is bein g tha t care ful, remin d hi m he's rushing a fe w times, an d poin t ou t tha t he's n o t role-playin g th e Wil d Rus h right. If tha t doesn' t work , ge t a bit cruel . Whe n h e asks, "Whic h on e look s th e easiest t o hit?" , say, "You'r e rushing. D o something. " Whe n h e starts lookin g throug h his spel l list fo r just th e right
thing , deman d tha t h e tell yo u his actio n right now. If that doesn' t work , start takin g awa y his turn s o r droppin g h i m ou t o f th e rush whe n he's thinkin g to o much . If h e can't pla y a rus h appropriately , an d is stealin g tim e from th e othe r players, don' t le t hi m rush. If you'r e havin g troubl e wit h to o man y characters rushin g - a s i n ou r part y that's hal f Orre n - remin d th e players abou t th e way s tha t anyon e ca n ge t extr a action s in tens e situations; se e pag e 150 . COMPLE X RULE S A few, o f th e rules ar e intentionall y complicated : whe n a mag e doe s a grea t enchantment , th e playe r - an d yo u - hav e t o g o throug h somethin g lik e th e menta l wor k th e characte r does. Thes e rule s shouldn' t com e u p a t all unless someon e wants them t o . Whe n the y do , ge t ou t you r calculato r an d han g ont o you r hat . World View Alway s remembe r wha t gam e you'r e running . Hal f th e poin t o f Worl d Tre e is th e setting . Th e mor e yo u mak e th e settin g com e aliv e for you r players, th e bette r their gamin g experienc e wil l b e - i n Worl d Tre e o r mos t othe r games . Her e ar e som e thing s wort h payin g attentio n to . MULTIPL E SPECIE S Worl d Tre e ha s lots o f species, an d th e prime s a t least ge t alon g fairl y well . Wheneve r yo u mak e u p a NPC , choos e its specie s a t th e sam e tim e yo u choos e its sex . Tr y t o stic k wit h t h e commo n specie s (Herethroy , Cani , Rassimel , Orren ) fo r most non-playe r characters, wit h just enoug h o f th e rar e one s for interest . Tr y t o mak e th e non-playe r characters specie s fit its role : farmers ten d t o b e Herethroy , merchant s ar e ofte n Rassimel , prostitute s ar e almost neve r Z i Ri , an d s o on . Ther e aren' t an y human s o n th e Worl d Tree . If yo u introduc e a specie s o f anthropomorphi c rabbits, describ e the m a s "lik e rabbits o n a Rassime l body" , o r whatever . Th e Worl d Tre e viewpoin t starts from th e primes, no t from humans . Don' t g o t o t h e othe r extrem e either. Th e concep t o f the huma n shap e isn't a n y sillie r o r strange r o r uglie r t o prime s than , say , anthropo morphi c lizard s o r deer, an d is a goo d dea l less disturbin g tha n helletumu g o r gomazzits. Th e standar d Worl d Tre e reactio n t o a huma n woul d be , "Wh o cares? " CIVILIZATIO N T h e Worl d Tre e is mostl y fairl y civilized . You r characters migh t b e abl e t o ge t awa y wit h murde r i n th e countryside , an d killin g monsters is usuall y applauded . Bu t cuttin g dow n a villai n i n a cit y stree t - o r eve n drawin g deadl y weapon s - is a crim ina l ac t i n Treverre , just lik e Boston , an d if you r player-charac ters tr y it, th e la w wil l ste p i n a s best it can . A n d th e rest o f civilizatio n is there , too . W e mostl y tak e cue s from 18t h o r 19t h centur y Europe . Th e countess can' t se e th e part y tonight ; she's off havin g dinne r a t a restauran t tha t would n't le t the m int o th e fron t door, an d afte r tha t she'll b e a t th e opera . Th e ric h rid e around tow n i n fanc y carriages. Yoa r avera g e farme r ha s a nic e house , a soli d sixth-grad e education , hal f a doze n usefu l spells, on e magi c ite m ( a plow) , an d a fe w hun dre d o r thousan d lozen s i n th e bank . COMMO N MAGI C Magi c is a n everyday , mundan e matte r o n th e Worl d Tre e - eas y magic , a t least. Villagers aren' t goin g t o ru n i n terro r whe n a player-characte r heals a wound , an d they're no t goin g t o b e particularl y impresse d whe n a player-characte r create s a fe w loave s o f bread . The y migh t ge t scare d whe n a player-characte r starts throwin g Fir e Flowers aroun d lik e wate r - bu t i n th e sam e w a y 20t h centur y farmers woul d b e scare d o f someon e wh o walk s int o their villag e firing a pisto l ("Goo d god ! He's tryin g t o kill us!") , no t th e wa y 10t h centur y farmers woul d b e ("It's th e devi l himself, arme d wit h thunder!") Advance d magi c wil l impress people , bu t they'l l b e impresse d i n a n educate d way . A Can i wizar d wh o stomp s int o a villag e castin g Angr y Drago n is rathe r lik e a huma n ridin g int o a 20t h centur y villag e i n a tank . It's mor e firepower tha n th e villagers have , bu t they'l l kno w mor e o r less wha t th e tan k is, wha t it ca n d o , wha t its weaknesse s ar e - an d they'l l hav e smalle r version s o f th e sam e thin g themselves, Fir e Flower s o r gun s an d cars. MAGI C SENS E AN D SCEN T Everyon e o n th e Worl d Tre e ha s magi c sense , an d is directl y abl e t o perceiv e magi c t o som e extent . You r players wil l hav e t o wor k har d t o cast their spells secretly . (Magi c sens e is designe d t o le t peopl e us e magi c subtly , bu t the y hav e t o b e cleve r abou t it. Remembe r tha t peopl e hav e t o activel y us e magi c sense.) Magi c sens e is on e o f th e primar y senses, an d yo u
shoul d describ e th e magic s o n thing s almost a s ofte n a s yo u describ e their colors an d sounds. F o r Can i an d Sleeth , scen t is als o a primar y sense . The y ca n routinel y tell th e differenc e betwee n identica l twin s a t a sniff, o r follo w th e pat h that someon e too k a n hou r ago , o r notic e tha t there's a bi g lizar d monste r a hunthe d fee t upwin d o f them . Remembe r t o describ e scents a s ofte n an d prominentl y a s yo u describ e sights an d sounds. MATERIAL S There's almost n o ston e o n th e Worl d Tree , an d almost n o metal . It's eas y t o tri p u p o n stone , visualizin g home s mad e wit h bric k walls o r cave s carve d i n rock y hillsides, o r lettin g charac ters pic k pebble s u p t o toss int o wells. Tr y t o correc t yoursel f wheneve r yo u notice . Home s are mad e o f wood . Cave s ar e i n hills o f soil hel d togethe r b y thic k matte d roots. Peopl e toss sticks int o wells. Non e o f this make s muc h o f a differenc e t o plot , bu t it's a crucia l part o f the economic s an d th e background . Meta l seem s t o b e less troubl e t o remember . Still, if th e rogu e h a s a n iro n dagger, she's go t a substantia l ne t wort h right there . T h e heav y iro n chai n bindin g th e prisone r t o th e wal l o n Eart h is wort h a lord's ranso m o n th e Worl d Tree . Door s ar e mor e like l y t o b e hel d close d b y Rulo c Herbado r spells tha n meta l lock s - a goo d meta l loc k migh t wel l b e mor e valuabl e tha n what's in t h e room . Th e duke's silverwar e probabl y isn't silver, o r eve n iron , unless th e duk e is s o ric h he' d us e soli d gol d silverwar e if h e wer e o n Earth . Iro n is slightl y mor e valuabl e than gol d o r silver. CAMPAIGN ISSUES Giving Experience Experienc e ha s a fe w purposes. It lets characters gro w in power . It give s players a rewar d for doin g well , an d a consola tio n priz e fo r doin g badly . Y o u ca n contro l th e pac e o f you r campaig n b y ho w muc h experienc e yo u give . Rhwdain's Roa d wa s intende d to tak e abou t a yea r (o f playe r time), gamin g onc e a week , wit h th e characters becomin g quit e powerfu l ove r tha t year. W e decide d t o hav e mos t characters gai n tw o o r thre e points o f skill eac h game , s o that th e players fee l tha t their characters ar e constantl y gettin g stronger. Fo r a sessio n that w e felt tha t th e players di d a lo t - successfu l o r no t - w e usuall y gav e 5 points i n on e skill category , 0- 3 i n th e others, plu s abou t five d6's. If yo u wan t t o run a weekl y campaig n for a decad e an d no t hav e near-demigo d characters halfwa y through , giv e less. It's a goo d ide a t o giv e players extr a experienc e whe n the y d o things yo u like : whe n the y d o somethin g tha t impresse s you , o r amuse s you , o r work s particularl y wel l - o r eve n particularl y poorly , o n th e ground s tha t disasters ar e goo d learnin g experiences. Boxed Spells T h e trickiest powe r objects i n th e gam e ar e boxe d spells, read y f o r characters t o leam . Patter n spells ar e permanen t addition s t o a character's armamentarium , an d there's no t muc h yo u ca n d o abou t on e afte r it's bee n give n ou t i n th e game . There's no t muc h poin t t o restrictin g low-complexit y spells: characters ca n spon t complexity- 5 an d 1 0 spells withou t muc h trouble . 20's an d abov e ar e serious: a singl e on e is a substantia l gai n o f power . They'r e ver y expensive , s o controllin g cas h lets yo u contro l spells t o som e extent . Yo u ca n als o decid e that spells aren't available , o r aren' t eas y t o find - spells i n the list ca n b e foun d somewher e i n Ketheria , bu t th e obscur e one s won' t b e i n th e loca l spel l shop . If a characte r reall y wants a majo r spell , mak e it int o a quest . Dependin g o n th e timescal e o f you r game , you r PC s migh t cop y spells for eac h other. They'l l thin k they'r e gettin g a fan tasti c deal , cuttin g th e pric e o f som e 30,000-loze n spel l dow n t o 10,00 0 lozen s each . This shouldn' t bothe r you . There's no t muc h differenc e betwee n on e perso n havin g som e majo r spel l a n d everyon e havin g it. I n mos t case s the y coul d bin d it an d giv e it t o everyon e anyway . DESIGNING STORIES Setting Includ e plo t hook s i n you r setting : details that coul d gro w int o games. Whe n w e wrot e th e first Treverr e description , ever y sec tio n ha d a hoo k o r tw o i n it. Whe n players mad e characters in t h e setting , man y o f the m picke d ou t hook s that intereste d them . T h e cit y walls i n tha t gam e wer e ol d an d shabby ; on e characte r decide d that zi e woul d someho w ge t th e cit y t o hir e hi m t o buil d n e w ones. Someon e els e decide d t o pla y aroun d th e edge s o f th e smal l bu t politicall y powerfu l Smith's Guild . Ther e wer e a basketfu l o f othe r hook s that nobod y wa s intereste d t o tak e a s part o f their characte r concept . Eac h o f the m coul d b e expande d int o a stor y o f almost an y size . Sometime s w e kno w th e stor y i n advance . Th e curren t duk e is "capriciou s an d crank y i n his ol d age , an d th e littl e forc e h e exerts is largel y destructive" . This stor y coul d start ou t wit h hi m doin g unpleasan t o r errati c things: a fe w strang e proclamation s o r heav y surprisin g taxes. Som e wil l hit th e whol e city, som e wil l b e new s happenin g t o othe r people , som e wil l b e game s tha t t h e player-characters ge t entangle d in . Thing s wil l ge t worse . Perhap s th e duk e wil l die , o r ge t assassinated , o r something . Sinc e on e player-characte r is on e o f th e duke's children , th e suc cessio n wil l certainl y b e in doubt . This on e sentenc e is a possi b l e tease r for a year's wort h o f stories. N o t all th e hook s hav e tha t muc h detai l behin d them . There's a nearb y branc h name d Cacodril l Twig , o f whic h th e entir e descriptio n is "peopl e d o no t g o there. " Someday , perhaps, w e wil l find ou t wh y peopl e d o no t g o there , an d perhap s som e interestin g storie s wil l com e o f it. Power Balance O n e challeng e o f th e Worl d Tre e settin g is tha t th e player-char acters ar e rarel y th e strongest peopl e around . Th e typica l cit y wil l hav e a doze n recentl y retire d adventurers, mor e experience d tha n the player-characters an d ever y bi t a s cleve r an d ruthless. Ther e ar e als o wizards, ol d Zi Ri , senio r scholar-mages, knights, a n d a doze n othe r kind s o f stron g people . S o , yo u hav e t o desig n you r storie s s o tha t (1 ) they interest th e player-characters, an d (2 ) the y don' t interest to o man y othe r peo ple . If yo u threate n a city, th e whol e cit y wil l respon d - th e play er-characters wh o liv e there , bu t als o th e sorcerers i n th e acade mies, the cit y guard , noble s an d their privat e guards, th e healers a n d tree-mage s an d smith s - a veritabl e arm y o f skille d an d pow erfu l people . If you'r e no t extremel y clever, th e player-charac ters wil l ge t lost i n th e crowd . That's completel y appropriat e for Worl d Tree , bu t wil l mak e a lous y evenin g o f gaming . Wit h suitabl e planning , yo u ca n craft a stor y t o giv e th e char-
acters cente r stage . For example, once the player-characters and a fe w doze n othe r people got invited to a birthday party for a friend , Vale n Antorron. Valen's enemy sent a present o f an extremel y nast y knif e dipped in Howly venom. The playercharacters walke d in the door right after the knife had starte d its awfu l work ; Vale n was nearly dead, and another had gotte n stabbe d i n th e arm . Sure, the Antorrons were a bi g powerfu l Can i famil y an d could have gotten twenty people stronge r tha n t h e player-charac ter s on six hours notic e - but the player-characters wer e o n th e spot right when thing s happened , an d the y deal t wit h it. Somewha t later, the p layer-characters were invite d t o Vale n Antorron's wedding , since they had save d his life . Can i wed ding s ar e no t small: the hall had a thousan d Can i i n it, plu s th e player-characters and a few othe r honore d guests. Th e archene my's attac k starte d with a creature producin g a stingin g fo g tha t incapacitate d all the Cant . Th e player-characters (non e o f who m wer e Cani ) wer e th e onl y peopl e presen t an d abl e to d o anythin g effective . Onc e th e player-characters deal t wit h th e immediat e situation, ther e wer e a n arm y o f Can i eage r t o ge t revenge , includin g som e ver y stron g people . Bu t th e playercharacters ha d establishe d affa n i n th e situation , s o th e Can i le t t h e player-characters tak e charg e - an d th e players enjoye d giv i n g orders t o som e ver y senio r an d powerfu l people . RUNNIN G MONSTER S Monster s ar e peopl e too . The y hav e their ow n motivations, their ow n purpose s an d plan s an d hope s an d fears. Pla y the m a s seriousl y a s yo u pla y anyon e els e A fe w monsters wil l attac k prime s o n sigh t an d fight t o th e death . Summone d mdnsters an d mindfu l spells wil l ofte n d o so . Onc e i n a while , a go d wil l mak e a specie s whic h s o hate s prime s tha t it fights withou t regar d for itself; marauders from th e Verticals ar e th e most commo n example . A fe w monsters - an d Can i - are s o loya l t o their grou p tha t the y wil l sacrific e their live s casually . B u t that's rare . Mos t monsters wil l pic k their fights carefully , if the y fight a t all, an d the y won' t fight t o th e deat h withou t a goo d reason . F o r example. , suppos e tha t a ban d o f arme d prim e warriors (you r player's characters) show s u p a t th e lair o f a gan g o f mewellicaps. Th e mewellicap s wil l no t b e happy : woul d yo u b e happ y if a ban d o f arme d warriors showe d u p a t you r door ? Bu t t h e mewellicap s probabl y won' t jum p u p an d start fighting. They'r e mor e likel y to , say, politel y as k th e warriors t o leav e - o r eve n invit e the m t o dinner. If the y do fight, they'l l fight sensibly . They'l l tak e advantag e o f their ow n powers . They'l l probabl y hav e som e defenses, an d quit e likel y som e allie s i n the area . They'r e no t goin g t o spen d their live s defendin g their silverware , o r eve n all their treasur e - thoug h the y migh t wel l fight t o th e deat h t o defen d their children . Whe n the y decid e they'v e bee n beate n - which , if their oppo nents are player-characters, wil l probabl y happe n eve n if yo u intende d th e monsters t o wi n - they'l l still behav e lik e people . If the y ca n escape , the y will . If the y hav e t o surrender, they'l l probabl y b e cautiou s abou t it: switc h t o a defensiv e comba t stanc e an d no t attac k at all, bu t no t actuall y dro p their weapon s unti l the y thin k the y won' t b e slaughtere d ou t o f hand . Man y monsters hav e discovere d winnin g on e character's sympath y is a ver y goo d surviva l tactic . TON E O F TH E WORL D T h e Worl d Tre e is a civilize d an d decen t place . A t least, it's a civilize d an d decen t plac e i n prime-populate d region s nea r Ketheria , whe n they'r e a t peace , whe n ther e aren' t an y god s o r wizard s o r monsters doin g distressin g things, an d if you'r e on e o f the majo r prim e species. Sleet h and scaw n migh t argu e tha t t h e whol e worl d is tilte d against them. T h e ton e o f th e worl d range s from the terrestria l 13t h centur y t o th e 2 3 d, bu t mos t ofte n th e 18th . Civilize d place s ar e quit e civilized ; wil d place s are quit e wild . Educatio n is common place ; mos t citie s hav e dail y newssheets tacke d u p i n tavern s a n d publi c squares, an d lots o f peopl e rea d them. Farmers ar e prou d an d well-off, no t starvin g dirt y peasants. Th e wa y t o powe r usuall y starts off a t a n universit y o r magica l academy , a n d is a s likel y t o lea d through guildhalls o r socia l club s o r courts a s throug h th e battlefield . I n most ways , th e worl d ha s com e a lon g wa y sinc e th e day s o f creation . There's ne w technology , lik e boun d spells. Mos t prime s expec t mor e t o come . Progress is considere d a goo d thing : fewe r chilthe n ar e dyin g from miscastin g their ow n spells a s the y lea m magic ; th e wil d region s o f th e worl d ar e gettin g explore d an d colonize d mor e rapidly . Ther e neve r wa s a Golde n Age , an d ther e probabl y neve r wil l b e - bu t th e worl d is gettin g better, fro m th e middle-class prime's poin t o f view . GOD S IN PLA Y God s ar e no t eas y t o gamemaster . It's ver y temptin g t o run som e amazin g world-shakin g stor y wit h god s all ove r it. Unformnatel y it's ver y har d t o ge t thos e storie s t o b e fu n for yoa r players. T h e god s o f th e Worl d Tre e are far, fa r beyon d th e playe r characters - eve n if you'r e running a seriou s munchki n game . They'r e being s wh o creat e universe s fo r fun, wh o suppl y a n entir e hug e worl d wit h magi c withou t eve n thinkin g abou t it, w h o migh t creat e a n entir e specie s a s a diversionar y tacti c a s part o f on e actio n i n melee . Th e powe r o f suc h being s blots all lesse r being s right ou t o f th e scene . T h e situatio n isn't muc h bette r if yo u have , say , first-generatio n Z i R i wizard s around. They'r e no t god s o f th e Worl d Tree , b u t the y migh t a s wel l b e fo r mos t purposes. Again , there's nothin g muc h player-characters ca n d o wit h the m around . It is possibl e t o hav e god s o r othe r power s aroun d withou t ruining yoa r game . Bu t it take s a grea t dea l o f delicacy , an d yo u shoul d think twic e befor e trying . Perhap s th e go d is makin g th e characters d o som e wor k tha t th e go d woul d find tediou s o r difficult: Floki n ha s tappe d player-characters t o d o detectiv e wor k f or it, wor k whic h th e god's vast destructiv e power s an d limite d intellec t ar e littl e hel p with . Kvars e an d Lenhirri k ofte n requir e heroe s t o perfor m nobl e acts fo r the goddesses' ow n motives. Wit h som e care , yo u migh t b e abl e t o arrang e a stor y i n whic h t h e characters manipulat e the go d - gettin g Floki n t o spar e th e guilty-but-tricke d underlings. ARTIFACTS T h e ancien t artifact, that ol d fantas y staple , take s a n od d twist o n th e Worl d Tree . Mos t o f th e time , ancien t artifacts are less powerfu l tha n magi c item s tha t coul d b e buil t today . A fe w thousan d years' advanc e i n magi c theor y hav e produce d a grea t deal . Th e feats tha t wo n Glikkone n an d Halamoo n the titl e "wizard " i n th e yea r 8 8 ar e
wel l withi n th e abilit y o f an y second-yea r studen t a t a magica l academ y i n yea r 4,260 . Mos t o f th e grea t artifacts o f th e earl y time s ar e technicall y unsophisticate d an d mediocr e b y moder n standards. B u t tha t doesn' t mea n they'r e no t valuable . Oh , th e Swor d o f Yanahaywa , enchante d b y Glikkone n i n th e thir d century , woul d b e a n eas y laborator y exercis e toda y - bu t ther e ar e a hun dre d collectors o f antiquitie s wh o woul d pa y duke's ransom s for suc h a famou s an d ancien t thing . A s gamemasters, w e find tha t suc h item s ar e easie r t o dea l wit h i n a long-ter m campaig n tha n ultra-powerfu l magi c items. A n ultra-powerfu l magi c ite m simpl y wil l b e use d against ou r stories, makin g it harde r for u s t o find opponents worth y o f th e players' attention . Bu t a tremendousl y valuabl e thin g wit h n o grea t powe r help s th e storie s immensely . Onc e it become s know n tha t th e part y ha s th e thing , they'r e a targe t fo r ever y ambitiou s rogu e an d croo k o n th e branc h - and , sinc e th e artifac t isn't powerful , it doesn' t giv e th e part y an y protection . Still, if yo u wan t t o hav e powerfu l ol d magi c items, the y d o exist . A t th e start o f things, th e god s walke d th e worl d mor e ofte n an d mor e openly , an d th e wizard s kne w the m mor e familiarly. S o ther e ar e ancien t mysterie s an d surprises, wrough t b y wizard s an d god s befor e thing s settle d dow n t o th e wa y the y ar e now . Certainl y the y wil l b e technicall y clums y - bu t the y coul d n o t b e duplicate d withou t th e direc t favo r o f th e gods. T h e wizard s o f th e secon d millenniu m di d thing s tha t moder n wizard s kno w ar e hideousl y unsafe . Th e teleport chain s ar e th e best example , bu t ther e ar e smalle r device s a s well . Ther e ar e som e horri d an d dangerou s leftovers fro m th e Holocaust Wars fro m th e tim e th e Calanchia n Empir e starte d disintegrating . Now , suc h thing s ar e mor e likel y t o b e elthitc h perils tha n use ful tools; bu t the y still ca n fill a valuabl e plac e i n a plot . (Neithe r god-buil t device s no r th e work s o f craze d wizard s is limite d t o th e first o r secon d millennium. ) EXTRAPLANA R VISITATION S A N D OTHE R HORROR S T h e edge s o f th e Worl d Tree's univers e ar e porous. Entitie s wande r i n fo r their ow n reasons: a fe w benign , mos t troublesom e o r worse . Th e god s dea l wit h th e mos t dreadfu l intruders; onc e in a while , a s a bit o f atmosphere , yo u migh t hav e Floki n chasin g som e vast demo n across th e sky . Th e servants o f th e god s mostl y dea l wit h th e medium-size d intruders. B u t prime s d o win d u p havin g t o dea l wit h smal l stuff no w an d then . This ca n mak e a goo d occasiona l sourc e o f antagonists. It work s best afte r you r players ar e experience d a t ho w th e Worl d Tre e works , sinc e mos t o f th e valu e o f extraplanars is tha t the y don' t follo w th e standar d rules. The y still d o follo w some rules - th e rule s o f their nativ e world , an d usuall y limite d t o wha t th e god s o f th e Worl d Tre e wil l permit . Fo r example , perhap s you r players hav e gotte n expert a t bluntin g magi c use d against the m befor e it take s effect. A n encounte r wit h a creatur e whos e magi c is innatel y fast wil l kee p the m fro m gettin g to o cocky . O n th e whole , it is best t o kee p th e extraplana r creature s scarce . Th e whol e poin t o f the m is tha t the y ar e spooky . If they'r e encountere d ever y thir d game , the y wil l rapidl y ge t to o familiar. We'v e onl y ha d a fe w appea r i n play . Th e mai n on e w a s th e Vospolet h - an d no t th e Vospolet h i n person , bu t simpl y t h e fals e suggestio n tha t it migh t b e returning . Anothe r on e wa s a throwawa y monster : th e players cam e o n a fight betwee n a fe w smal l elementals an d a n extraplana r horro r th e elementals wer e fighting . Th e purpos e o f tha t scen e wa s t o hav e th e elementals o w e th e part y a favor; an d afterward s th e part y wasn' t convince d t h e horro r wa s actuall y extraplanar. If you'r e thinkin g o f draggin g i n a n extraplana r nasty , thin k abou t its dramati c purpose . Givin g you r players somethin g unusua l t o dea l wit h is a goo d reaso n - if they'r e gettin g bore d wit h th e standar d fare . If you'r e simpl y lookin g for somethin g scary , ther e ar e goo d source s o f nast y surprise s fro m withi n th e universe : T h e Verticals, an d eve n mor e th e Underneaths . Eve n i n oute r Ketheria , th e Underneath s hav e neve r bee n adequatel y explored , an d som e unpleasan t creature s liv e there . Newly-create d specie s o f monster . Th e god s ar e makin g n e w kind s o f monsters t o oppos e th e primes. No t lon g afte r spellbindin g becam e commonplace , severa l specie s o f monsters wit h innat e spellbindin g power s wer e encountere d for th e first tim e - an d som e othe r specie s whic h coul d influenc e o r weake n boun d spells. Elementals . Elementals shoul d generall y no t b e unfriendl y t o prime s a s a whol e (thoug h the y migh t hav e reason s fo r opposin g you r players i n particular). Bu t tha t doesn' t help . The y ar e being s o f considerabl e forc e an d ofte n quit e alie n nature , an d eve n whe n the y ar e friendl y an d cooperatin g the y ca n b e quit e dangerous. I n a recen t game , the part y trie d t o ge t informatio n from a friendly fire elemental . Bu t th e fire elemental's nature " w a s s o ho t tha t its ver y word s inflicte d substantia l fire damag e o n everyon e wh o hear d them , whic h mad e th e conversatio n difficult. Locado r elementals - usuall y calle d Locado r demon s - ar e particularl y terrifying . H. R Lovecraft is a goo d sourc e o f inspira tion ; if th e Cthulh u Mytho s is a t all relate d t o Worl d Tree , the n "Here " is a relativ e o f Yog-Sothot h - literaril y if no t b y whatev e r horri d icho r passe s fo r bloo d i n suc h beings. An d describin g o n e i n crawlin g Lovecraftia n terms, an d the n insistin g o n callin g it a Locado r angel for th e rest o f th e gam e ca n b e quit e disturb ing . Elementals alway s deman d a servic e in exchang e fo r anythin g the y d o fo r a prim e - eve n if the y ar e doin g it a t a god's com mand . Us e this custo m for you r advantage . PLAYING NONPRIME S Occasionally , a playe r wil l wis h t o pla y a nonprime . Fee l fre e t o forbi d it. If yo u decid e tha t you r campaig n wil l wor k bette r wit h a player-characte r nonprime , her e ar e guideline s for them . T o desig n a n individua l monste r character, tak e th e prim e specie s templat e whic h seem s mos t appropriate , an d rearrang e its number s an d chang e its skills. Thro w awa y all th e speciesspecifi c specialties, an d ad d th e one s tha t see m appropriat e for t h e monste r species. If th e monste r species' specialtie s ar e bett e r tha n th e prime's, charg e th e characte r Advantag e points. If they'r e muc h worse , grudgingl y giv e th e characte r a fe w Disadvantag e points. A l l nonprime s hav e a fe w problems, bu t d o no t ge t an y Disadvantag e points for them . • Nonprime s ar e considere d monsters. The y wil l b e regarde d wit h suspicio n b y most prime s - th e wa y Sleet h an d Khtsoyis are , bu t eve n mor e so . The y wil l b e give n littl e slack , an d ma y n o t b e allowe d in prim e cities. (Most monsters ge t wors e treatmen t tha n that , bu t tha t make s playin g ver y hard. )
• Nonprime s d o no t ge t access t o all magica l arts. Th e typica l player-characte r nonprim e will ge t 2d 6 arts initially. Acquirin g n e w arts wil l requir e a significan t religiou s ceremony , durin g play , fo r each ne w art. If a nonprim e doc s no t hav e a n art, the y canno t us e any spells whic h involv e thut art: it's muc h wors e tha n simpl y havin g a n art scor e o f 0 . • Nonprime s d o no t ge t god-connections. • Nonprime s d o no t ge t automati c experienc e in categorie s o f skills the y used . The y ge t th e sam e amoun t o f free-choic e expe rienc e a s primes, bu t tha t is all. O N THE ART OF GAMEMASTERY The Prime Directive Ultimately , yo u ar e a performer. You r success o r failur e is entirel y in ho w yo u an d you r players, wh o ar e you r audience , enjo y you r game . If you r players enjo y it, they'l l b e bac k for more . If the y hat e it, the y won' t be . Al l othe r consideration s ar e secondary . T h e followin g thing s encourag e you r players t o hav e a goo d tim e i n th e lon g run : Fairness : You r players ar e mor e comfortabl e if the y kno w tha t t h e dec k isn't stacke d against them , o r against som e o f the m - o r t o o blatantl y i n their favor. Control : You r players shoul d fee l tha t the y hav e a grea t dea l o f contro l o f their destiny . Action : You r players shoul d fee l tha t they'v e ha d th e chanc e t o d o something . Drama : You r players shoul d fee l tha t they'v e bee n characters i n a goo d story . S o , kno w you r players an d their characters. Desig n you r gam e wit h the m i n mind . STYL E of GAM E Decid e wha t kind(s) o f campaign s an d game s t o run. Her e a r e som e goo d styles. Growth : A stapl e o f campaign s for matur e players, wher e th e poin t o f th e campaig n is t o tell th e stor y o f th e PC s a s the y gro w fro m novice s t o th e leaders o f their generatio n i n their hom e cit y o r wherever . I n contrast t o a Munchki n gam e below , the growt h wil l b e a s muc h i n reputatio n an d contacts a s powe r and wealth . F o r example , on e perso n migh t gro w fro m a journeyma n smit h t o th e hea d o f th e Smiths' Guil d i n Treverr e - mostl y b y impressi n g the guildmember s wit h he r determinatio n an d cleverness, a n d gainin g th e respec t and friendshi p o f a n assortmen t o f importan t peopl e i n Treverre . (He r Durudo r an d Smithin g skills didn' t suffe r eithe r - bu t th e socia l factors wer e th e one s tha t gav e he r the positio n a s guild-head. ) Mystery : Anothe r stapl e o f campaign s an d stories. Somethin g strang e o r horribl e ha s happened , an d it's Up t o th e characters t o figure ou t wh y - that's th e har d par t - an d t o fix th e situation . Murde r mysterie s are a classi c o f fiction, an d wor k reasonabl y wel l o n th e Worl d Tree . Bu t you r mysterie s ca n b e anythin g mysterious. Yo u coul d hav e th e characters tr y t o trac k dow n a Z i Ri wh o storme d ou t o f a marriag e tw o hundre d years ago . Zi e wasn' t tryin g to cove r zir trail, bu t afte r tw o hundre d years th e trail is ver y col d indeed . It's ofte n goo d t o hav e a fe w centra l mysterie s i n a campaign . Y o u don' t hav e t o pus h the m ver y much ; just kee p droppin g hints her e an d there , an d eventuall y peopl e wil l catc h on . A n earl y Treverr e campaig n wa s marke d b y regula r reports o f peo p l e gettin g surprisingly , unreasonabl y angry , fightin g duels o r doin g othe r horribl e things. Once , a player-characte r wa s th e victi m o f a duel . It too k quit e a whil e for th e characters to discove r th e agent provocateur wit h th e subtle , nast y Creo c Mentado r ritual.. . Adve ntu r e : A goo d complemen t t o Mystery . Onc e th e characters hav e figured ou t what's goin g on , they'll hav e t o d o some thin g abou t it... an d that ca n involv e anythin g from , say , sneak i n g int o the Ovirucc i embass y an d stealin g bac k th e stole n magi c ite m t o stagin g a pitche d battl e against th e cyarr incursions. Pun k/Go t hic : Th e worl d is blea k an d depressing , an d you r characters' souls ar e tainte d eve n a s the y tr y t o overcom e th e horrors aroun d them . This is no t ou r natura l idiom : Worl d Tre e a s writte n is overal l optimistic . Still, the Worl d Tre e is a full world , and there are parts o f it tha t aren' t ver y nice . Conside r playin g a pac k o f Can i rejecte d from polit e society : mayb e on e doesn' t experienc e salaffa n o r deffa , anothe r is a mangle d bree d onl y possibl e fro m a miscast Purebree d Pupp y ritua l (an d thu s a bastar d an d worse) , a thir d can' t smell , an d s o on . H u m o r : Sometime s you'l l ge t you r players int o a reall y hilariou s situation ; say, havin g messe d u p an d give n a lov e potio n t o t h e wron g person , a s i n A Midsummer Night's Dream. Goo d humo r is remarkabl y har d t o pul l off i n a mostly-seriou s cam paign , if you'r e concerne d abou t consistency . If yo u run A Midsummer Night's Dream, you r characters migh t b e arreste d f or usin g mind-contro l spells i n th e nex t game . A bi t o f humo r fits nicel y i n a n otherwis e seriou s story . You'l l ofte n hav e mino r non-playe r characters, an d yo u ca n hav e fu n wit h them . Th e wanderin g herbalist i n th e wood s nea r Treverr e is th e Rassime l equivalen t o f a n agin g hippie , whic h make s for som e wonderfu l scene s whe n th e cit y guar d player-characters nee d t o lea m somethin g fro m hi m an d forge t t o tak e their uniform s off. Humo r als o ha s darke r uses. It gets you r players off guard . A nic e fluffy scen e wit h th e stone d herbalist wil l hav e you r play e rs relaxed , expectin g a n evenin g o f cheerfu l gaming . The n the nre x come.. . M u n chki n : Som e players enjoyin g runnin g around , trashing t h e world , collectin g treasure , an d gettin g t o b e amazingl y pow erful amazingl y fast. There's a stereotyp e tha t clueless teenagers d o this an d olde r gamer s outgro w it. Still, beatin g u p god s is sometime s fun . If yo u pla y this way , yo u migh t wan t t o kee p it a secret , bu t tha t shouldn' t sto p you r fun .
FAIRNES S It's usuall y importan t tha t you r players thin k you'r e bein g fair t o them . Ther e ar e a fe w goo d way s t o kee p th e appearanc e o f fairness. First o f all, follo w the rules mos t o f th e time. 2 2 If yo u players kno w tha t you r characters ar e constraine d b y the sam e limita tion s tha t theirs are , they fee l better. Fightin g a doome d battl e against a n incredibl y powerfu l wizar d lor d wh o tosse s Power - 1 0 0 spells lik e wate r is on e thing. Fightin g a doome d battl e against a n incredibl y powerfu l wizar d lor d wh o ca n cast stan dar d spells tha t don' t ge t magi c resistanc e a t all is a n entirel y differen t thing. Second , don' t pla y favorites. Ever y playe r shoul d fee l tha t the y hav e you r attention , tha t their characte r gets enoug h chance s t o ac t i n eac h game . An d n o playe r shoul d fee l tha t someon e els e gets a distinc t advantag e for outside-gam e reasons. Ther e ar e som e goo d method s for seemin g fair. 2 3 Mak e a fe w publi c die-rolls, especiall y for rando m treats o r troubles. Fo r example , if someone's abou t t o ge t stun g b y a secre t spider, numbe r th e characters (Azliet=l , Rrengra=2 , Herobash= 3 -goin g aroun d the roo m wit h th e perso n o n you r left bein g 1 is a goo d way ) an d roll a di e o n th e tabl e wher e th e play e rs ca n se e it. Kee p a menta l recor d o f who's gotte n goodie s recently . If someone's gettin g to o few, mak e sur e tha t a fe w sho w u p for them . Takin g goodie s awa y fro m peopl e who'vl e ha d to o man y is a distinctl y wors e choice ; it make s th e perso n wh o lost thing s fee l tha t lif e is unfair, an d th e peopl e wh o neve r go t anythin g is n o happie r either. GAMEMASTER' S LOVER S AN D FRIEND S "You know it's gonna be a bad game when the DM's girlfriend sits in his lap while she's rolling up her character". B e especiall y carefu l whe n you r love r is on e o f you r players. If you'v e bee n togethe r fo r any lengt h o f time , zi e ha s a majo r if hidde n advantage . Zi e ca n guess accuratel y whe n you'r e hidin g something . Zi e probabl y know s ho w t o persuad e you r non-play e r characters effectively . You'r e likel y t o g o a littl e lighte r o n zir tha n o n mos t people , n o matte r ho w har d yo u try. Th e best yo u c a n hop e for is t o kee p you r lover's advantag e fro m bein g to o noticeable , o r botherin g yoa r othe r players. If yo u fin d tha t you r love r is doin g to o well , co-op t zir. Giv e z ir som e importan t characters t o pla y - bu t one s tha t ar e partiall y plot , characters tha t migh t reasonabl y b e non-playe r charac ters. Le t zir pla y th e rich merchan t wh o hire d th e adventurers t o retriev e the Amule t o f Sloniracious, an d wh o insists o n comin g alon g t o supervise . It's no t exactl y a n ordinar y player-characte r rol e - bu t that's just righ t if yoa r love r isn't exactl y a n ordinar y player. Yo u shoul d not giv e you r lover's characters extr a troubl e b y wa y o f compensatio n for their out-of-gam e advantages. If you r love r is a player, zi e shoul d hav e all th e rights o f an y othe r playe r - and yo u shouldn' t d o thing s in-gam e tha t will damag e you r relationship . 22 If you have house rules, follow them all the time. You're allowed to overrule anything in this book, but if you've written something yourself, courtesy demands that you hold to it. We certainly got in trouble over that, having written this whole big book and not being able to remember all of it all the time. 2fIt's not enough just to be fair. You have to seem fair. Gamemasterin g for you r goo d friend s ha s mos t o f th e sam e dangers. Eve n a grou p consistin g o f hal f peopl e tha t you'v e game d wit h fo r years, an d hal f peopl e you'v e just met , is a chal lenge . D o you r best for th e newcomers , an d you r friend s wil l understand . GAMEMASTER' S LNEMIE S Neve r gamemaste r fo r you r enemies. You'll b e ashame d o f yoursel f afterwards. Running Tense Scenes I n a goo d game , there'll b e peak s o f drama . Deadl y fight scenes, o r characters scramblin g t o ope n a chest befor e th e guard s brea k dow n th e door, o r th e momen t tha t th e long - planne d sca m is abou t t o succee d o r fail... Game-tim e is critical . If th e fo e hits again , th e characte r wil l die . I n the rea l world , adjudicatin g precis e timin g calls fo r initia tives. Th e players sto p an d dra w card s (o r roll dic e o r whatev er). Th e gamemaste r draw s a whol e handfu l o f cards, the n look s aroun d th e roo m t o se e wh o gets t o g o first. There's a problem , though . Tw o minute s o f fiddlin g wit h card s an d dic e an d rule - book s befor e th e first actio n wil l los e th e momentu m o f th e tens e scene . It work s best if yo u ru n tens e scene s quickly . Ski p th e detaile d mat h o f spells an d attacks(excep t whe n ever y poin t counts). Don' t allo w players to o muc h tim e t o pla n their deeds. If a play e r ask s detaile d questions, " Which one is the most damaged? Do I think I can get over there and still hit this action? Do I think they're vulnerable to Itchy poison?", declar e tha t the y spen t their, actio n plannin g (an d giv e the m all th e answers, s o th e actio n wasn' t wholl y wasted) . Sometime s you r tens e scen e wil l tur n boring . Th e player-char acters hav e foun d a stratage m t o slaughte r th e demo n cattl e wit h n o rea l ris k t o themselves, an d it's just a matte r o f tossin g log s a n d sprayin g vodk a o r whatever . Playin g it ou t woul d giv e yo u ver y accurat e results, bu t migh t tak e a lon g tim e an d no t b e muc h f u n for anyone . Fee l fre e t o fast-forwar d ove r th e rest o f th e scene . W e mentall y estimat e abou t ho w muc h dange r ther e is left in th e scen e an d hav e everyon e roll a d20 . Peopl e wh o rol l badl y (wha t "badly " mean s depend s o n th e perso n an d wha t they'r e doing ) ge t som e damag e o r spen d som e cle y o r whatev er. GAMEMASTE R CHEATIN G You'r e allowe d t o chea t a s muc h a s necessar y t o improv e th e game . Wheneve r yo u kno w tha t th e dramati c flow demand s tha t t h e arro w kill th e messenge r halfwa y throug h his message , the n mak e sur e it doe s - an d retrofit it wit h a boun d spel l tha t prevents healing , whe n th e heale r rushe s over. If a characte r ha s ran doml y decide d t o spen d a vast amoun t o f tim e an d mone y gettin g a stron g defens e against Aquador , mak e sur e tha t sh e gets attacke d b y Aquado r a lot. Rol l th e dic e secretly , loo k a t them , ignor e them , an d decid e th e resul t an d its effect. Makin g extr a rolls o r botc h rolls make s it loo k mor e plausible . Don' t chea t i n smal l way s much , though . Killin g a messenge r for th e sak e o f a plo t is a goo d dramati c technique . Adjustin g hit points s o tha t on e characte r kills th e beast rathe r tha n anothe r is unfair fo r n o goo d reason . Cheatin g o n dierolls is a clums y tool . You'r e settin g u p th e entir e universe , decidin g all th e number s a n d power s an d potentials. If yo u wan t t o hav e a ver y stron g scawn , just mak e it strong .
Planning a Game O n on e hom , yo u hav e t o pla n game s tightly . Yo u ar e takin g responsibilit y for entertainin g people . If yo u don' t pla n thing s carefully , yo u ru n th e ris k o f trippin g u p an d doin g borin g o r use less thing s all evening , alienatin g you r players, an d generall y makin g everyon e unhappy . O n th e othe r hom , yo u hav e to pla n game s loosely . There's n o w a y t o predic t wha t th e players wil l wan t to d o - certainl y no t wha t they'l l d o i n a give n situation , an d no t alway s wha t they'll wan t t o d o i n th e lon g term . We'v e go t a ver y tightl y planne d gam e t o ru n a t conventions, whic h we'v e playe d severa l times. Ever y tim e the characters d o somethin g whic h w e hadn' t expecte d . W e hav e t o b e flexible enoug h t o mak e th e gam e g o i n fu n direction s n o matte r wha t craziness th e players decid e t o do . S o yo u absolutel y mus t d o it bot h ways . A s yo u ge t experienc e gamemastering , yo u wil l figure ou t you r best style , wha t yo u ca n g e t awa y with , wha t neve r work s for you . W e find tha t w e wor k best b y preparin g a solid , detaile d back ground - wh o th e mai n non-playe r characters are , wha t their motivation s are , wha t ha s gon e o n before , an d s o on . This lets u s figure ou t ho w th e non-playe r characters reac t t o th e playercharacters - an d help s u s inven t details tha t w e didn' t kno w tha t we' d need . W e usuall y tr y t o hav e a situation, includin g knowin g wha t menace s ar e lurkin g i n whic h comers . This lets u s avoi d havin g t o com e u p wit h nast y surprise s o n th e fly. W e find tha t w e ca n mak e th e surprise s mor e interestin g if w e hav e tim e t o thin k o f the m i n advance . W e als o tr y t o hav e a p ossi b l e story, a goo d an d enjoyabl e wa y tha t thing s migh t g o - if yo u can' t thin k o f an y goo d an d enjoy abl e wa y you r stor y migh t go , the n it's goin g t o stink . W e don' t forc e thing s t o follo w th e possibl e story ; mor e ofte n tha n not , the y won't . Bu t it's a usefu l tool . O n e advantag e o f plannin g is tha t yo u ca n prepar e nift y props, a n d brin g the m ou t a t th e prope r time , an d impress everyone . T h e aforementione d gam e fo r con s ha s severa l map s an d a ran s o m note . Othe r game s hav e ha d real-lif e magi c item s (imple mente d a s compute r programs) , foo d lik e that whic h th e charac ters wer e eating , masks , specially-mad e plastic-cla y token s fo r representin g th e characters o n th e map , an d s o on . This wil l impress you r players an d ad d ambience . TRICK S AN D TRAP S Trick s ar e tricky , for gamemaster s a s wel l a s characters. The y hav e t o b e survivable . If yo u kill off a se t o f characters b y dumpin g a thousan d ton s o f woo d o n them wit h n o warning , t h e players wil l b e annoyed . Ther e ha s t o b e som e wa y ou t - som e wa y tha t a cleve r an d perhap s slightl y luck y characte r ca n survive . Dic e rolls aren' t a goo d wa y out . Havin g a characte r ge t squishe d fo r failin g a Perceptio n rol l is n o bette r tha n gettin g squishe d fro m pur e malice . The y hav e t o b e plausible . Droppin g th e roo f o n the characters migh t mak e sens e sometime s - bu t if a corrido r i n a dungeo n collapse s wheneve r anyon e walk s in it, an d th e dungeo n ha s bee n aroun d a thousan d years an d ha s wanderin g monsters, ho w com e t h e corrido r is still up ? Perhap s there's som e enchantmen t ther e tha t fixe s it .. . bu t wa s tha t enchantmen t withi n th e capabilitie s o f th e peopl e wh o mad e th e place , an d didn' t the y hav e anythin g bette r t o d o wit h their magic ? It take s a n unusua l kin d o f psy c h e t o spen d a lon g tim e makin g deat h traps. No t tha t unusua l psyche s are s o har d - eccentri c Rassime l wizard s ar e ver y con venien t peopl e t o hav e around - bu t they'r e n o t tha t common . Mos t traps ar e mor e alon g the line s o f ca r alarms: noisy , scary , sometime s inconvenient , rarel y fatal. Whe n w e inven t a trap , w e mak e sur e tha t there's som e rea sonabl e wa y for th e characters w e expec t t o b e ther e t o survive . The n w e st o p thinkin g abou t it. I f the tra p is plausible , usuall y t h e characters find som e wa y w e didn' t expect . That's part o f th e fun . SURPRISE S & Y YOU R PLAYER S You r players wil l surpris e yo u a lot. Worl d Tre e is ver y flex ible . Spontaneou s magi c an d spellweavin g give s experience d mage s limitless abilitie s t o com e u p wit h tricks. Boun d magi c h a s mor e use s tha n yo u expect . Eve n i n th e purel y physica l realm , you r players wil l inven t tactic s an d device s that yo u did n't predict . They'l l mak e you r hardest traps harmless, they'l l avoi d o r befrien d the nastiest o f you r monsters, they'll mak e has h o f you r plans. You r gam e wil l g o off i n unexpecte d direc tions. That's exac t l y wher e it shoul d go . Gamemaster Mistakes Y o u wil l mak e mistake s gamemastering : misrememberin g th e rules, givin g ou t magi c item s yo u though t wer e mino r and tur n o u t t o b e major, an d s o on . Yo u hav e t o dea l wit h you r mistake s withou t offendin g you r players. Her e ar e som e approache s tha t migh t help . A t th e start o f th e nex t game , poin t ou t tha t somethin g unusu a l happened . ("Fir e Flowe r usuall y doe s P/5+s6-Soa k damage . F o r som e reason , yours wer e doin g P/2+s6-Soa k damag e yesterday , bu t they'r e bac k t o norma l today." ) Th e ultimat e power s o f th e Worl d Tre e are people , an d weir d an d capriciou s peopl e a t that ; anomalie s happe n all th e time . Sometime s yo u shoul d offe r you r players a chanc e t o revis e their character. If they buil t a characte r around complexity- 5 Creo c Durudo r attac k spells, an d yo u didn' t realiz e tha t suc h thing s wer e impossible , the n it migh t b e polit e t o le t the m switc h t o Pyrador . If yo u accidentall y gav e a n ite m that's to o strong , yo u hav e a f e w choices. If it's a catastrophi c mistake , the n yo u migh t declar e a n anomal y - o r hav e someon e stea l it, o r bu y it. If it simpl y offend s you r sens e o f gam e balance , usuall y th e best thin g t o d o is t o leav e it an d dea l wit h the ne w balance . Dice and Formulas Worl d Tre e ha s a lo t o f formula s an d dice-rolls. I n mos t gam ing , w e ignor e them , o r mak e the m ver y informally . Officially , pickin g a cu p off a tabl e require s a Dexterity+s2 0 roll. Whe n Rrengr a tries t o catc h som e smal l animals t o fee d th e party , th e officia l gam e sequenc e calls for a Perception+Huntin g roll t o find som e game , the n a whol e comba t a s th e hug e fierce Sleet h slaughters a rabbit , an d s o on . Whe n this isn't critica l t o th e plo t o r interestin g i n its ow n right, w e recornm e n d that the gamemas t e r take s a simple r approach . Som e goo d one s are : Aut o m a t i c Su ccess: Sure , Azlie t migh t fumbl e pickin g th e glass up , dro p it an d cu t hersel f - bu t it's unlikely , an d eve n if sh e make s a n amazin g fumble , it won' t matter. A goo d gamemaste r won' t eve n bothe r havin g he r roll . Onc e i n a rar e while , ther e wil l b e som e chanc e o f interestin g failur e -mayb e Azlie t is nerv o u s a t Duk e Agglomerax' s part y t o mak e the rolls stress rolls,
a n d a botc h coul d ge t re d win e ove r th e duke's whit e outfit. W e don' t hav e a formulai c automati c success rule, bu t outsid e o f stressfu l situation s an d difficult skills, w e generall y giv e play e rs automati c successes. Qualit y o f Lif e Roll : Mor e often , there's a smal l chanc e o f failur e tha t woul d b e wort h checking . Rrengra's huntin g tri p doesn' t hav e a lo t t o d o wit h th e plo t - bu t if sh e doesn' t ge t much , she'll g o t o be d hungry . Tha t bi t o f scen e is wort h a fe w second s o f gam e time . Th e gamemaste r rolls a d2 0 o r something , a "quality o f life " dieroll . An y reasonabl y goo d roll mean s success. A b a d roll mean s failure . Exactl y wha t "reasonabl y good " an d "bad " ar e is subjective , an d yo u d o no t nee d t o decid e the m unti l y o u se e th e dieroll . Fo r a goo d huntress, w e migh t decid e tha t a rol l o f 5-2 0 wa s goo d enoug h t o conten t Rrengra ; a 2- 4 woul d giv e he r a smal l dinner, an d a 1 woul d leav e he r hungr y - o r perhap s we' d roll botc h dic e an d hav e he r ru n int o somethin g dan gerous, if w e felt tha t th e encounte r woul d b e interesting . Rounding Whe n it matters, w e hav e tol d ho w t o roun d fractions. Th e rest o f th e time , yo u ca n trea t the m howeve r yo u like . W e usuall y kee p fractions, especiall y if we'r e usin g a calculator, o r ignor e the m if we'r e sur e tha t the y won' t matte r for the dramati c flo w o f t h e scene . Whe n w e roun d them , w e us e th e followin g con vention . Number s ar e rounde d t o th e nearest integer: 4 1/3 round s t o 4 , an d 4 2/ 3 round s t o 5. Halve s ar e rounde d t o th e eve n number : 31/2 an d 41/2 bot h roun d t o 4 . A t th e gamemaster's option , a serie s o f 4 1/2's wil l alternatel y roun d t o 4 an d 5 , bein g righ t o n th e average . Following the Rules W e hav e designe d an d teste d th e rule s i n this boo k ver y care fully. We'v e spen t hours debatin g ho w t o balanc e th e opposin g demand s o f realis m an d playability , an d fixed thing s whe n the y didn' t wor k right i n play . We'v e don e ou r best t o ge t everythin g t o fit togethe r int o a seamless whole , wit h importan t bits o f cultur e matchin g fine points o f som e o f th e rules. If yo u chang e th e rules, you'l l brea k all that. B u t remembe r the prim e directive . Chang e o r dum p anything tha t doesn' t wor k righ t for you r group . If yo u tras h th e rule s int o somethin g yo u lik e better, you'l l b e missin g th e poin t o f th e gam e a s w e envisione d it - bu t you'l l b e followin g the poin t o f gamin g i n th e first place . Details Details matter. Don' t drow n you r players i n details, bu t a fe w smal l one s slippe d i n her e an d ther e wil l mak e th e worl d muc h mor e real . "Three Khtsoyis thugs drift through the door and come to your table. The one with the blue scar says, 'Hey. The boss wants ta see you." Th e blu e sca r is a gratuitou s detail . It probabl y won' t matte r i n you r stor y - thoug h yoa r players migh t surpris e yo u an d mak e it matter. It doe s hel p everyon e visualiz e t h e scene . It contribute s a bi t t o th e characterization : thes e Khtsoyis hav e bee n i n fights. N o surpris e fo r Khtsoyis, bu t it's a bit o f subtl e emphasis. It eve n leave s a dro p o f mystery : wh y is the sca r blue ? Wha t kin d o f a fight leave s blu e scars ? Is it a n tatto o o r something ; if so , wha t doe s it mean ? A fe w suc h phrase s wil l mak e you r worl d live . Magi c item s shoul d hav e character. Tha t doesn' t mea n the y all shoul d hav e nove l trick y effects; most shoul d simpl y d o some thin g i n som e sensibl e way . Fo r example , som e commo n enchante d weapon s simpl y d o extr a damage . Th e Brigh t Spea r doe s + 3 damage . Bu t thin k abou t that further: wh y doe s it d o th e extr a damage ? Ther e ar e an y numbe r o f choice s - th e Brigh t Spea r ha s a spar k o f fire o n its point , th e Fallin g Mountai n Mac e gets heavier, a swor d migh t b e unusuall y sharp , a n arro w migh t squir m an d twist in th e victim's entrails. W e trie d t o mak e choice s tha t fit th e weapons , tha t woul d appea l t o th e peopl e w h o use d them : you r averag e mace-wielde r enjoy s crushin g things. Th e differen t form s d o hav e a fe w mino r effects - con side r th e difficultie s o f ownin g a lon g pol e wit h a n unquench abl e fire o n th e en d whe n yo u liv e i n a woode n house . If you'r e i n th e mood , tha t ca n mak e th e gam e mor e fun than a simpl e "+ 3 spear" . If you'r e not , the n it's just a + 3 spea r an d n o har m done . Use of Dice Whe n w e gamemaster , w e mentall y distinguis h betwee n "dice - heavy " an d "dice-light " scenes. Dice-heav y scene s ar e fo r situ ation s wher e w e wan t t o b e sur e t o b e fair, t o giv e th e players th e chanc e t o succee d o r fail despit e us. Seriou s combat s ar e usual l y dice-heavy , whe n th e enem y is powerfu l enoug h s o tha t th e characters hav e t o struggl e t o wi n - o r wher e th e enem y is wea k b u t deviou s enoug h t o escap e if th e characters aren' t careful . Dice-heav y scene s ar e fo r whe n w e ar e willin g t o b e surprise d b y wha t happens. On e time , a Rassime l an d a n Orre n wer e sneakin g int o a guarde d house . Th e Orre n wa s injure d b y a trap, a n d screame d once , an d th e guard s cam e looking . Th e Orre n hid ; th e Rassime l use d a spel l t o becom e a ba t an d fluttered aroun d th e guard's head . Th e Rassimel's playe r astounde d u s b y sayin g tha t sh e wa s goin g t o tr y t o screa m lik e a n Orre n scream ing . Ridiculous! Bu t just barel y possible , sinc e bats ca n mak e nois e if the y want . W e tol d th e playe r t o roll Charism a + Mimicr y + s2 0 >= 40 ; it woul d hav e bee n har d eve n if sh e ha d a skill in Mimicry . An d o f cours e sh e rolle d a 4 2 o n th e s20 , an d succeeded . W e wer e stunned . Th e playe r wa s glowin g fo r th e rest o f th e evening . Th e grou p ha d a ne w bit o f commo n mythology . An d n o significan t damag e ha d bee n don e t o th e plot . This coul d no t hav e happene d withou t th e dic e overrulin g th e gamemaster's judgment . O f course , usuall y th e gamemaste r ha s better judgmen t tha n som e bits o f plastic . Dice-ligh t scene s ar e fo r whe n yo u wan t t o pla y quickly , o r t o contro l th e story . W e usuall y pla y socia l scene s dice-light : whe n characters ar e tryin g t o bu y spells, w e role-pla y th e shopkeepers an d le t th e characters tr y t o bargai n for themselves. (T o b e fair, if th e playe r is a wea k bargaine r in rea l lif e bu t th e characte r ha s a stron g Bargainin g skill, w e le t th e characte r b e mor e persuasiv e tha n th e player's word s indicate.) Dice-ligh t scene s le t yo u contro l th e story . Sometime s you'l l nee d to . If you r plo t demand s tha t th e duk e b e assassinated , yo u don' t wan t you r assassin s t o fumbl e their weapon s an d tri p ove r their tails. W e prefe r t o just tell th e stor y i n scene s lik e this, rathe r tha n t o roll dic e an d li e abou t it, becaus e w e wan t th e players t o thin k tha t dic e ar e use d fairl y i n dice-heav y scenes. O n th e goo d side , dice-heav y scene s see m fair, the y le t characters' skills ge t use d fully, an d the y ca n surpris e you . O n th e b a d side , the y ca n b e ponderous, especiall y if peopl e aren' t com pletel y familia r wit h th e mechanics. O n th e goo d side , dice - ligh t scene s g o quickly , an d yo u hav e full dramati c control . O n t h e ba d side , yo u ca n see m heavy-handed , an d you r worl d won' t d o anythin g interestin g for you . W e switc h bac k an d fort h a doze n time s a game .
First Law of Magic T h e importanc e o f th e First La w fo r players is tha t none of t h e rules in this book is absolute. Violation s o f all the othe r rules a r e categoricall y allowe d unde r th e First La w o f Magic . I n play , w e hav e onl y use d th e First La w t o justif y th e gamemaste r forgettin g th e rules, o r changin g the m i n mid-game . "Yes, I kno w tha t you r Levitat e spel l use d t o wor k o n othe r peo ple . Kvars e mus t hav e bee n bein g nic e t o you , lettin g yo u d o that . Th e spel l ca n usuall y onl y levitat e th e caster, an d no w it seem s t o b e bac k t o its usua l behavior. " Th e players wh o hear d this understoo d it t o mean , "Bar d forgo t ho w Levitat e worked , b u t h e just looke d it u p an d realize d tha t h e go t it wrong . No w he's usin g th e First La w o f Magi c a s a chea p devic e for coverin g u p his mistake. " Anothe r wa y o f phrasin g th e First La w o f Magi c fro m th e play ers' sid e is tha t gamemaster's mistakes are permanent. Onc e somethin g ha s happened , it ha s happene d an d tha t is that. Scene s shoul d no t b e replayed . Th e gamemaste r migh t apolo giz e in-gam e fo r accidentall y messin g th e players u p - charac ters wh o wer e thu s blesse d b y Kvars e frequentl y find themselve s i n possessio n o f th e Levitat e Othe r spel l reasonabl y soo n - bu t t h e events tha t happened , actuall y happened . It is utterl y prope r fo r a playe r t o remin d th e gamemaste r wha t t h e writte n rules are . Th e gamemaste r migh t sa y "Oops " an d interpre t the m i n th e ordinar y fashion . Or, th e gamemaste r migh t s a y "That's no t wha t happen s this time" , a t whic h poin t the play e r ha s n o ground s fo r arguin g further. A goo d gamemaste r wil l d o this delicatel y an d no t anno y th e players to o much . It is legitimat e bu t usuall y ba d for m for a gamemaste r t o inten tionall y invok e th e First La w o f Magi c fo r an y majo r purpose . If t h e gamemaste r wants t o kee p th e characters from teleportin g awa y from a fight, sh e shoul d hav e on e o f th e opponents cast a teleport block , rathe r tha n hav e "Here " refus e t o le t th e charac ters teleport away . CAMPAIGN SETTINGS T h e followin g place s ar e unusua l for som e reaso n o r other. Som e o f the m ar e a t crisis poin ts i n their history ; som e hav e interna l tensions, o r externa l threats; som e ar e simpl y strange . The y migh t b e goo d place s t o run a campaign . Ymarku Ymarku , th e vast Cit y o f Obelisks, is ruled agonizingl y b y th e Vendrexi , th e seve n secre t wizards. Nobod y know s wha t th e Vendrex i loo k like , no t eve n wha t species. Th e on e tim e a yea r tha t the y ca n b e seen , th e Burnin g Knif e Procession , the y wea r dreadfu l illusor y forms. The y ar e presume d t o b e prime . The y rul e throug h edicts presente d o n brazinio n scrolls t o th e terrifie d bureaucrats wh o run th e cit y from da y t o day . Recently , som e hidde n an d unfinishe d catastroph e ha s se t th e wizard s a t eac h others' throats. Grenduu r an d Xlo-xmas m an d Tyronia d oppos e Shursha x an d Soulcooke r an d Black . Th e bureaucrats ge t con tradictor y orders, an d their scream s ech o amon g th e obelisk s whe n the y disobey . Moumu , mos t terribl e o f all, ha s no t bee n hear d from, sav e i n th e cracklin g voic e o f wrat h an d fea r echo i n g fro m th e to p o f his chambe r o f prophecy . Campaign Ideas: • Mos t natura l woul d b e t o pla y a resistanc e movement , tryin g t o tak e advantag e o f th e discor d an d overthro w the wizards. • Fo r a darke r campaign , pla y partisan s o f on e factio n o f wiz ards. Initiall y th e goals wil l b e gainin g powe r ove r th e othe r fac tion . Perhap s th e hidde n prophec y tha t Moum u ha s hear d a hun dre d time s bu t refuse s t o accep t wil l chang e matters. Trehani Trehan i is a fairl y ordinar y multi-specie s city-stat e o n th e branc h Donstraeia , tw o levels dow n fro m Ketheria . Its inwar d neighbo r Ob s Discuru s wa s just annexe d b y th e expandin g Codu n Empire . Trehan i is obviousl y nex t - mayb e nex t year, mayb e tw o years afte r - unless somethin g is done . T h e Codu n Empir e is no t th e worst empir e tha t eve r was. It is rule d b y Empero r Lorrend , a Can i woma n o f hono r an d consid erabl e experience ; it ha s a writte n cod e o f laws, carefull y an d fairl y enforced . Still, Herethro y an d Orre n ar e distinctl y second - class citizen s (whic h woul d mak e two-third s o f Trehan i unhap py) , an d Gormoror , Khtsoyis, an d Sleet h ar e execute d a t th e slightest provocation . Th e Empir e als o charge s ver y hig h taxe s - especiall y for "specia l services" , suc h a s havin g th e Empir e conque r you r city-state , o r havin g you r so n impale d fo r treason. • Playin g th e resistanc e o f Trehan i against th e Empir e is mor e tha n enoug h wor k for an y se t o f characters. Th e first phase s o f t h e resistanc e migh t b e politica l (e.g., stirrin g u p troubl e i n Ob s Discurus, o r tryin g t o mak e othe r allies). Semt F a r dow n i n th e branches, a t least ninet y layers belo w Ketheria , is Semt : si x o r seve n limbs, angle d an d tangled , hal f wrappe d i n eterna l ice . Th e su n ca n onl y b e see n twic e a year. Sem t is a singl e kingdom , ruled b y th e shagg y gian t furom i an d their tin y cousin s th e thunglaze . Sem t is far, fa r belo w prim e territory ; mos t o f th e inhabitants ar e apelik e wengo , ophidia n trasm , an d long-necke d broon , raisin g herd s o f ice-goats o r farmin g fields o f th e slo w sharp-edge d plants tha t gro w o n gla ciers i n darkness. Onl y th e furom i an d thunglaz e hav e an y sig nifican t skill a t magic . Som e tw o centurie s ago , th e Universit y o f Lenkasi a buil t a vast airboat , th e Falcon Striking, whic h wa s t o fly dow n an d down , an d find ou t wha t is a t th e roo t o f th e tree . Th e Falcon Striking gyre d down , circlin g th e mai n trunk ; bu t i n a viciou s winte r stor m it crashe d i n Duru , a provincia l capito l o f Semt . T h e explorers wer e stunne d an d shaken , bu t th e thunglaz e rescue d the m - somewhat . Th e remain s o f th e Falcon Striking wer e lost o r destroyed . Th e explorers wer e employe d a s priests an d sorcerers b y th e noble s o f Semt . Bi t b y bit their employmen t w a s turne d t o slavery ; outnumbere d an d alon e an d trapped , the y coul d scarcel y resist. Now , afte r tw o centuries, th e prime s hav e all bu t forgotte n th e sunli t worl d their grea t grandparents cam e from. (An d th e sunli t worl d ha s lon g sinc e give n the m u p fo r lost.) The y ar e scattered , hel d i n position s o f honore d servitude , usin g their natura l magic . Som e belon g t o individua l noble s o r wealth y clans; th e rest serv e th e King . • Th e focu s o f this gam e shoul d b e o n isolatio n from th e rest o f th e prim e world . Prim e civilizatio n ha s n o ide a tha t Semt , furomi , an d s o o n eve n exist ; thos e fe w wh o hear d abou t th e Falcon Striking woul d assum e it perished . • Th e natura l stor y woul d b e havin g th e characters rediscove r t h e Falcon Striking, lea m som e o f their ol d history , an d tr y t o escape . Perhap s a survivo r o f th e cras h wa s foun d (probabl y Zi R i , someho w aslee p fo r tw o hundre d years) . • A variatio n is t o hav e th e characters b e anothe r crow d o f
explorers (o r peopl e blow n fa r off course) , newl y arrive d i n Semt . Wha t wil l the y d o whe n the y discove r their fello w prime s held ? • A stor y o f decaden t politic s inside Sem t migh t b e amusing . T h e characters woul d b e i n position s o f subtl e power , a s the mage s o f nobles; wit h a bi t o f cleverness, the y migh t b e abl e t o hav e their wa y wit h th e kingdom . Lekkmark Lekkmar k is a province , abou t a thir d o f Hanverr y Mene . Bi g a n d prosperous, it is read y t o b e a city-stat e i n its ow n right. Hanverr y doesn' t wan t t o le t it g o - especiall y Gran d Duk e Zondernik , wh o intend s for he r incompeten t foo l o f a so n Drum m t o inheri t Lekkmark . Th e politic s o f independenc e migh t ge t bloody . • Th e standar d them e is t o pla y Lekkmarker s strivin g for inde pendence . Approache s ca n includ e everythin g fro m high-leve l politica l intrigu e t o a n outrigh t wa r o f independence . • Th e revers e them e woul d als o b e appropriate : playin g th e peopl e i n Hanverr y charge d wit h keepin g Lekkmar k par t o f th e city-state . Hanverr y isn't a n evi l empire , afte r all; just a slightl y oversize d countr y wit h interna l problems. • Combinin g th e tw o - playin g th e leaders o f bot h Hanverr y a n d Lekkmar k - coul d mak e a n excitin g if risky gam e for a larg e group . Ruskeia Ruskei a is a whol e world-branch , unoccupie d an d largel y unexplore d b y primes. Th e city-stat e Onaza , o n th e branc h abov e Ruskeia , sen t thre e group s o f explorers: the y hav e returned , wit h new s o f vast meta l orchards, fields o f glirries, lusciou s ne w fruits, astoundin g perfumes. Onaz a ha s just pu t ou t a n officia l cal l fo r colonists. Th e first settlers wil l hav e years o f har d wor k an d danger, bu t afte r tha t the y shoul d b e very , ver y rich . • Straightforwar d storyline : the colonists g o t o Ruskei a an d try t o se t u p a colon y town . Probabl y whateve r is nativ e t o Ruskei a wil l no t b e pleased . Straightforwar d adventurers coul d pla y this a s a n endless strin g o f monster-fights an d treasure-gathering , perhap s punctuate d b y th e efforts o f defendin g a ne w hom e tow n against th e loca l dangers. • Politically-correc t players coul d tak e this a s a chanc e t o tell a stor y lik e th e colonizatio n o f Americ a don e right , payin g atten tio n t o th e rights an d need s o f th e natives. O f course , most prime s wil l thin k tha t th e characters ar e crazy : th e worl d wa s se t u p fo r th e prime s t o tak e control . (No t necessaril y t o conque r a n d grin d t o th e ground , though. ) Novae rum Novaeru m is a n old , ol d confederatio n o f city-state s i n Ketheria , ruled b y th e powerfu l ol d Can i Duk e Morun . Moru n is o n his deathbed , withou t a n obviou s heir. His cousin s Pleius, Tunteia , Muo , an d Reru m hav e alread y starte d contestin g for th e succession . Foreig n governments hav e fingers i n th e stewpot , too . • D o th e characters suppor t on e o f th e cousins ? • D o th e characters tr y t o tak e ove r Novaeru m themselves ? Tancrane Tancran e is o n th e fring e o f prim e territory . Abou t fifty years ago , a stron g ban d o f explorers conquere d it, unitin g thre e war rin g nonprim e specie s int o a singl e big , ric h empir e - ruled , o f course , b y th e primes. It ha s som e contac t wit h th e rest o f prim e civilization , bu t no t ver y much . Now , th e empir e is startin g t o fall apart . Th e prime s wh o con quere d it an d hel d it togethe r b y forc e o f personalit y an d powe r a r e dea d o r doddering . Th e players, their childre n an d grand children , ar e abou t t o com e in t o a bi g an d troublesom e inheritance . • Th e natura l campaig n them e is, the players tryin g t o hol d Tancran e together. • Alternatively , the y coul d tr y t o hel p Tancran e fall apart int o som e reasonabl e pieces, preferabl y no t a t wa r wit h eac h other. Ob Murend O b Muren d is a larg e an d mostl y wil d region , no t badl y both ere d b y verticals-beasts, wit h smal l village s o f prime s livin g a fairly peaceful , fairl y pastora l lifestyle . Last year, som e explore rs fro m outsid e discovere d coppe r nu t tree s i n its forests, an d returne d t o th e citie s an d tol d people . Th e coppe r rus h is just starting : peopl e fro m th e citie s ar e comin g t o O b Murend , lure d b y th e chanc e o f eas y wealth . An d it's no t th e fine upstandin g cityfol k wh o ar e coming : th e prospectors aren' t abov e eatin g you r goats whe n the y ge t hungry , o r gettin g their coppe r b y raid i n g you r villag e if the y can' t find enoug h trees. To ad d t o th e mess , a bein g callin g itself the Ange l Vientag , Prophe t o f Reluu , ha s com e t o th e cities, an d its believers com e wit h their messag e o f peace , justice , brotherhoo d an d liv e sac rific e o f primes. • Th e obviou s storie s concer n th e players protectin g their fam ilie s an d villages. • Th e O b Muren d settin g coul d als o wor k for a variet y o f sto rie s translate d fro m westerns. Eamaranth Eamarant h is a t th e ver y edg e o f prim e territory , o n a branc h n o t eve n connecte d t o th e mai n trunk , fort y thousan d mile s fro m Ketheria . Ther e ar e onl y a fe w smal l handfuls o f prime s there : familie s wh o hav e migrate d a n averag e o f te n mile s a yea r outwar d sinc e th e beginnin g o f time . Th e prime s o f Eamarant h hav e bee n i n on e plac e to o lon g b y no w - som e o f them haven' t move d in thre e years - an d it's abou t tim e t o start th e migratio n further, agai n int o unknown , uninhabite d territory . • This is ver y muc h a frontie r setting . Th e prime s probabl y hav e a fe w patter n spells an d a fe w bits o f metal , bu t migh t no t kno w abou t boun d magi c Th e centers o f prim e cultur e an d learnin g ar e simpl y to o far away . • Th e unknow n territor y migh t no t b e a s unknow n o r uninhab ite d a s migh t b e thought .
The Order of the Tholos T h e Orde r o f th e Tholo s is a quie t an d secretiv e cult, worship pin g Gna m an d Accana x an d "Here " an d Ira z Varuun , their secre t an d ill-rumore d rituals conceale d behin d a doze n magica l blinding-spells i n their crypti c roun d temples. Thei r leaders are n o t reassuring . Th e Orde r wa s founde d som e sixt y years ag o b y Zova r Lamtha y an d Zova r Rra u Rrah , Khtsoyis an d Sleet h scholar-mage s wh o ha d bee n expelle d fro m severa l academie s for performin g vil e medico-magica l experiments o n willin g students. Mor e recen t Zovars hav e bee n worse , t o th e poin t o f Zova r Catabolensis, wh o wa s barel y recognizabl e a s Rassime l whe n th e knights sle w hi m fo r th e murde r o f th e Dea n o f Candlesfame . Th e Orde r attracts excellen t mages , unsatisfie d wit h th e limitation s tha t commo n sens e an d commo n safet y impos e o n their experiments. The y ar e rumore d t o tak e terribl e risks, consortin g wit h dangerou s nonprime s an d elementals, tradin g prim e secrets fo r knowledge . The y hav e bee n outlawe d i n a doze n city-states, expelle d fro m tw o doze n universities, hunte d b y three knightl y orders. The y strik e mercilessl y an d subtl y against peopl e wh o oppos e them , inflictin g injurie s wors e tha n simpl e death , an d their enemie s alway s suffe r wors e tha n t h e Orde r itself i n an y encounter. (Not e Tha t th e Orde r worship s onl y tru e gods, an d tha t th e tru e god s trea t the m wit h a t least a s muc h respec t a s the y trea t ortho d o x mage s an d priests.) • Th e Orde r woul d mak e effective , if traditional enemies, acti n g lik e classica l half-ma d evil wizards. • Perhap s mor e interestin g is t o hav e a wizar d o f the Orde r b e a potentia l ally. Perhap s som e magi c onl y the Orde r use s is all that ca n hel p th e players, makin g th e Orde r int o charitable , help ful half-ma d evi l wizards. Scorux T h e Scoru x is a long , narro w valle y - tw o o r thre e mile s belo w t h e surfac e o f th e branc h it's on , wit h perpetua l mists hidin g its bottom . Yo u ca n hun t valuabl e prize s unde r th e mists: glirrie s large r tha n any growin g i n sunlight . Bu t th e zem-ze m wil l hun t you , too.. . • A worthwhil e plac e t o visi t i n a campaign . Yo u migh t no t wan t t o liv e there .
GAMEMASTE R TOOLS Botch Tables Whe n a playe r botche s a roll, somethin g ba d happens. Th e details o f wha t happen s ar e entirel y subjec t t o th e gamemaster's whim . If som e resul t is natural , obvious, o r fits th e story , the gamemaste r is encourage d t o just pic k it. Fo r example , if Wave y is tryin g t o lea p across th e chas m an d botche s his Jum p roll, h e fell in. Usuall y mino r (single ) botche s ar e disappointin g o r annoyin g o f themselves, mediu m (double ) botche s ar e dangerous, an d majo r (tripl e an d beyond ) botche s are catastrophic . Eve n a sin g l e botc h ca n b e a disaste r - bu t usuall y it wil l b e a ba d bu t ordinar y outcome , lik e failin g t o lea p th e chasm . A doubl e botc h migh t be , slammin g har d int o th e sid e o f the chas m for significan t damage . A tripl e botc h migh t b e Wave y knockin g himsel f unconsciou s o n th e wal l o f th e chasm . W e provid e som e table s o f standar d botches, for gamemaste r convenience . Thes e table s are goo d for: • Givin g a n ide a o f th e typica l scop e o f botches. Whil e it is completel y withi n th e rule s for th e nendra i t o impal e hersel f an d d i e o n th e novic e warrior's spea r o n a singl e Defens e botch , a loo k a t th e tabl e wil l poin t ou t tha t it is unusual . • Providin g usefu l suggestion s for whe n th e gamemaster's cre ativit y o r attentio n is best spen t elsewhere . I n th e middl e o f a larg e battle , w e us e th e comba t botc h table , whic h w e migh t no t i n a mor e intimat e conflict . • Providin g standard s o f fairness. I n a due l betwee n tw o play er-characters, w e woul d us e th e tables, s o tha t neithe r playe r woul d fee l tha t th e gamemaste r wa s favorin g th e other. Botche s can b e beneficia l t o th e perso n rollin g them . A botc h ordinaril y indicate s tha t a n attemp t t o d o somethin g failed . If y o u fire th e Wan d o f Incredibl e Devastatio n a t th e Rassime l comin g throug h the door, an d realiz e just afte r yo u trigge r it tha t t h e Rassime l is you r mother , no t th e Insidiou s Overlord , yo u migh t welcom e a targetin g botch . (However , th e gamemaste r is allowe d t o interpre t botche s a s "events occurrin g i n th e wa y tha t cause s th e characte r th e most anguish".) Still, botc h results shoul d almost neve r b e beneficial , an d whe n the y are , the y shoul d b e mixe d goo d an d bad . Th e mos t beneficia l botc h o n th e tabl e for spells is "us e d 6 extr a cley , gettin g s2 0 extr a Powe r fo r eac h one" . Th e extr a Powe r migh t ver y wel l sav e a character's life, bu t there is th e penalt y o f the us e o f extr a cley . That's abou t th e nicest tha t a botc h shoul d be . Spell Botch : Single d 2 0 Meaning 1-3 Spel l doesn' t g o off (bu t C. spend s cley) . 4 Spel l is severel y weakened : reduc e powe r b y 50-80% . 5 Spel l build s slowly : take s effec t in d 6 action s extra . 6 - 8 Spel l doe s the wron g thing : e.g. . a Fir e Flowe r cast o n C. herself, o r a Magnificen t D o that give s S. a mohaw k rathe r tha n a poodle-cut . 9 Spel l goe s off, bu t use s d 6 extr a cley . Ad d a n extr a s2 0 Powe r for eac h cley . l Ol l T h e spell's effec t is devastatingl y flawe d in a w a v tha t make s it useless: e.g., a Fir e Flowe r coverin g S. in harmless light. 12- 13 T h e spel l is cast wit h a n extr a art, wit h the ne w a rt takin g a t least half the spell's power . Fo r example , a Fir e Flowe r migh t b e cast wit h Aquado r a s well , dampenin g the fire a s it is created . 14- 15 O n e o f the spell's arts is missing . Fo r two-ar t spells, this simpl y make s the spel l fail. Fo r spells wit h mor e tha n two , pic k on e to fail; e.g., a n Angr v Drago n migh t appea r withou t Spirido r (bein g a non-livin g mass o f fire that just goe s ou t quickly), o r withou t Pyrado r (bein g a bodiless ineffectua l spirit). 16 O n e o f the spell's arts is change d to anothe r art. E.g. . a Fir e Flowe r migh t b e cast wit h Illusidor, lookin g a s if it worke d bu t doin g n o damage . 17 T h e spel l is change d in som e wa y tha t amuse s its governin g gods. This chang e mor e o r less keep s the purpos e o f th e spell ; e.g., a Fir e Flowe r tha t give s its targe t a hotfoot, doin g thre e points less damage . 18 T h e spel l is cast normall y (rerol l for Power ) bu t C . is straine d an d shake n b y the forc e o f it, an d suffers Troubl e dl O for the nex t dl O actions. 19 T h e spel l is cast normall y (rerol l for Power ) b u t C. is injured , takin g s 6 damage . 2 0 Rerol l twice , o r treat a s doubl e botch .
Spell Bo tch : Doubl e d 20 Meaning 1-2 Spel l build s slowly : take s effec t i n si0 0 minute s extra . 3 - 4 Spel l is ver y powerfu l (+4s2 0 Power ) bu t illcontrolled , an d doe s the wron g thin g wit h considerabl e force . 5 - 6 Spel l goe s off, bu t use s d 6 extr a cley . Th e extr a cle y d o n o goo d a t all . 7 - 8 T h e spel l is cast normall y (rerol l for Power ) bu t C. is straine d an d shake n b y the forc e o f it, an d suffers Troubl e dl O for th e nex t dl O hours. 9 - 10 T h e spel l is cast normall y (rerol l for Power ) b u t C. is seriousl y injured , takin g 2s 6 damage . 1 1 - 12 T h e spel l is cast normall y (rerol l for Power ) bu t C. is knocke d unconsciou s for s2 0 actions. 1 3 - 15 T h e spel l is hideousl y warpe d in som e wa y tha t directl y oppose s C.'s intents o r wishes. Fo r example , a n Etherea l Plan e spel l migh t leav e th e woo d covere d wit h nettle-barbs. 1 6 - 17 T h e spel l is change d i n som e wa y tha t amuse s its governin g gods. Th e resul t wil l not b e ver y helpful : e.g.. a Fir e Flowe r tha t give s S. a lon g droop y nos e o f flame (minima l damage , bu t look s silly). 1 8 - 19 C. acquire s a mino r carse , probabl y thematicall y relate d t o th e spell . 2 0 Rerol l twice , o r rol l a s a tripl e botch . Feathe r Casting Bo t c h d20 Meaning 1 Spell is not cast, an d further attempts at feathe r castin g in the next s 6 hours requir e a botc h roll. T h e god s are watching. 2 Spell is not cast, bu t the cley is lost. 3 Spell is cast a t a quarte r Power, costin g a cley. 4 - 5 Spell is full-cast, bu t botches. 6 Spell is full-cast, bu t double-botches. Th e god s a r e annoyed . 7 Spell is feathe r cast, bu t with Powe r = 1. 8- 2 0 Magically confused : C . can't cast a spell o n he r next actbn . Spell is not cast. Spell Botch : Triple o r mor e d20 Meaning 1 C. attracts the attentio n o f a Nou n god , probabl y o n e o f th e one s involve d i n th e spell . Th e go d is probabl y annoyed , eve n if sh e is normall y in favo r o f C. A commo n reactio n is to den y C . access t o an y o f th e god's spells until C. apologize s i n a temple . Th e go d wil l rarel y sho w up , o r eve n mak e he r opinio n visible . 2 C . is severel y injured : los e s 6 lif e points permanently . 3 - 4 C. lose s d 6 levels from on e o f th e arts o f the spell . 5 Somethin g nearb y is destroyed : usuall y somethin g o f grea t valu e to C. 6 C . is dreadfull y injared , left a t -s 8 lif e points. 7 - 8 C. use s all he r cley . Eac h on e contribute s s2 0 powe r to the spel l - wit h on e botc h di e o n eac h s20 . 9 - 11 C. use s all he r cley . Th e spel l is cast normally . 1 2 - 13 C. falls int o a trance , an d remain s ther e for s 6 days. 1 4 - 15 T h e spel l is hideousl y warpe d i n som e wa y tha t directl y oppose s C.'s intents o r wishes. Fo r example , a n Etherea l Plan e spel l migh t leav e the woo d covere d wit h nettle-barbs. Furthermore , the spel l ha s 1-3 extr a Arts an d 6s2 0 extr a Powe r to d o so . 16 C.'s bod y is modifie d horribl y i n a wa y relate d t o the spell ; e.g. on e o f he r eye s become s a glowin g ember. 17 C . acquire s a majo r carse , probabl y thematicall y relate d to th e spell . 1 8 C . lose s tha t spell ; th e graft break s off o f her. s 6 damage . If it wasn' t a patter n spell , reroll . 19 Rol l twice . 2 0 Reroll , bu t mak e th e resul t reall y brutal . Doubl e penaltie s an d injaries, a t least.
Attack Botch: Single d20 Botch Meaning 1-2 Miss Miss, eve n if the attack woul d otherwis e hi t 3-5 Feebl e hit If it hits, attack doe s only 1 damage , and looks really dumb . 6-7 Wimp y hit If it hits, attack doe s s6 less damag e than usual. 8-9 Drive n Bac k Attacke r has to retrea t 2s 6 feet, o r suffer 2s 6 Troubl e for d 6 actions. lOl l Leav e Openin g F o e may counterattack at no penalty. 12- 13 Dro p Weapo n Attacke r rolls (De x + Agil + s2 0 >= 20 ) o r drop s weapon . Ma y still hit. 14- 15 Off Balanc e Attacke r has Troubl e slO until end of next action. 16- 17 Sprai n Attacke r sprains a muscle ; Troubl e d 4 for s6 days. 1 8 - 19 Fall Dow n Attacke r rolls (De x + Agil + s2 0 >= 20 ) or falls down . 2 0 H it Wron g Targe t Attacker make s a strike a t a target he did not intend to (possibl y himself). Reroll the Attack, without comba t options, a t a -1 0 penalty on Attack. Attack Botch: Multiple d20 Botch Mea n i n g 1-4 Leav e Openin g F o e ma y counterattac k at +10 . 5-6 Dro p Weapo n Attacke r misse s and drop s his weapon . 7 - 10 Off Balanc e Attacke r lose s next action, and ha s Troubl e 10 until the action after the lost one . 1 1 - 12 Sprai n Attacke r injure s himself badly ; Troubl e 2d 4 for s6 week s or until treated. 1 3 - 14 Fall Dow n Attacke r falls down . 15 Brea k Weapo n Attacke r rolls (De x + Agil + s2 0 >= 2 0 + Strength + Weapo n Skill), o r break s the weapon . Reroll to decid e if the attack hits. Som e weapon s will hav e different thresholds. Not e that the harde r yo u hit , the mor e likely you ar e to brea k your weapon . 16 H i t Wron g Targe t Attacke r strike s at a ba d target, suc h a s himself o r an ally o r his horse . Rerol l the Attack, withou t comba t options, at a +s2 0 bonu s to Attack. 17- 2 0 B a d Armo r Attacker's armo r come s unbuckle d o r the like; los e dl O from Defens e and s 3 from Soak. Rerol l for peopl e not wearin g armor. Defense Botch: Single d20 Botch Meaning 1-2 G e t hit The attack hits. (Not e that the Triumph may b e negative in this case , and the hit ma y d o little damage.) 3 - 5 Hit Har d If the attack hits, it doe s +s 6 damage . 6 - 7 Dro p Something Roll De x + Agil + s2 0 >= 20), o r defende r drop s something being held. 8- 10 Attacke r gets Critical T h e attacke r gets a critical hit, and ma y change comba t options. 1 1 - 12 Sprain Defende r sprains a muscle; Trouble d 4 for s6 days. 1 3 - 15 Fall Dow n Defende r rolls De x + Agil + s2 0 >= 2 0 o r fells down . 16- 17 Extra Hit Attacke r gets a secon d attack this action; reroll if this doe s not mak e sense . 18- 2 0 Off Balanc e Defende r has Trouble slO until end of next actbn . Defense Botch: Multiple d20 Botch Meaning 1-2 G e t hit T h e attack hits wit h Triump h 3 (o r more), and is critical. 3 - 4 H it Har d If the attack hits, it doe s +2sl 0 damage . 4 - 7 Dro p Somethin g Defende r drop s somethin g bein g held. 8-9 Sprai n Defende r injure s himself badly ; Troubl e 2d 4 for s 6 week s o r until treated . 10- 12 Fall Dow n Defende r falls down . 1 3 - 14 Off Balanc e Defende r lose s next action, and suffers Troubl e 10 through the en d o f the followin g actio n 15 Brea k Equipmen t Defender's weapon , shield, o r armo r break s a nd is useless. (Claw s an d teeth ar e breakable , but som e enchante d items ar e not.) 16- 17 Trounce d T h e attack hits, an d doe s an extr a 2s 6 damage . 18- 19 Stunned Roll Stamin a + Will + s2 0 abov e 20 , o r b e knocke d unconscious. If knocke d unconscious, make anothe r Stamina+Will roll eac h actio n to recover. 2 0 Majo r Injury If the attack hits, on e of the defender's limb s is badl y injured: cripple d o r severed . Troubl e 10, and that limb is unusabl e until healed . O n a tripl e botc h o r worse , it ma y wel l b e the head.
NPC Guidelines T h e characte r creatio n syste m is intende d for players, no t gamemasters. I n general , gamemaster s shoul d creat e non-play e r characters a s appropriat e fo r th e situation . Her e ar e som e guideline s fo r wha t range s o f number s ar e appropriat e for com m o n kind s o f peopl e an d monsters. I n mos t circumstances, w e d o no t bothe r workin g ou t precis e attribut e number s an d skill levels. "Best Arts " mean s th e skill levels o f th e magica l arts tha t th e perso n is best at ; typically , a perso n wil l focu s o n betwee n tw o a n d fou r arts. "Nex t Arts " ar e th e second-best arts, th e one s use d i n conjunctio n wit h th e best arts; mos t peopl e wil l ge t 3- 6 o f them . Mos t peopl e hav e their Go d Connectio n art a s on e o f their best , an d practica l arts lik e Corpado r an d Herbador . Childre n ar e children . Townsfol k ar e peopl e who' d rathe r no t b e adventurers, an d don' t hav e an y grea t physica l o r magica l force . Laborers ar e peopl e wh o d o mor e physicall y demandin g NPC Guidelines 1 Child Townsfolk Laborer Life Points 3 - 6 9-1 2 12-3 0 Attack + 5 + 5 to +1 0 + 5 to +1 5 Damage 1-3 d i 1 2 - 7 di 2- 3 5-1 0 di 2- 3 Comb. Stnc. Bs. 0 - 1 1-3 1-6 Defense + 5 + 5 to +1 0 + 5 to +1 5 Soak 0 - 2 0 - 3 1-4 Magic Resist. 0 - 5 3-1 0 4-1 0 Cley 1-10 3-1 3 5-1 5 Best Arts (2-4) 5 (go d conn.) 5-1 0 5-1 0 Next Arts (3-6) 2 2 - 5 2 - 5 Top Cplx. Spells 5 5-1 0 5 jobs : farmers, smiths, teamsters, an d s o on . W e informall y divid e fighters int o thre e grades. Guard s (cit y guards, carava n guards, noblemen's guards, taver n bouncers, an d eve n thug s an d ruffians) are arme d an d hav e som e comba t training , bu t prefe r no t t o fight. Adventare r fighters d o lik e t o fight, a n d hav e th e equipmen t and skill t o d o so . Fight y startin g PC s a r e abou t i n this category . Heroe s are excellen t fighters - and, usually , stron g mage s a s well ; a cit y wil l usuall y hav e a fe w NPC Guidelines 2 Guard Advent. Fight. Hero (fighter) Life Points 15-3 0 20-5 0 35-7 0 Attack + 1 0 to +2 0 + 1 5 to +2 5 + 2 0 to +3 0 Damage 5-1 0 d i 2- 3 5-1 0 d i 3- 4 8-1 2 di 4- 5 Comb. Stnc. Bs. 5-1 0 10-1 5 12-2 0 Defense + 1 0 to +2 0 + 1 5 to +2 5 + 2 0 to +3 0 Soak 1-4 3 - 6 3 - 8 Magic Resist. 6-1 0 10-1 5 15-2 0 Cley 6-1 3 10-2 0 15-3 0 Best Arts (2-4) 5-1 0 7-1 2 10-1 5 Next Arts (3-6) 2 - 5 3 - 7 5-1 0 Top Cplx. Spells 5-1 0 10-1 5 15-2 0 hero-class people , if tha t many . Guar d mage s are lik e guards, excep t the y wor k mor e on the magica l en d o f matters. Professiona l mage s (smiths, tree -mages, healers, professors, an d s o on ) ar e lik e townspeople , except that they'r e stron g mage s an d hav e goo d spells - usually , o f course, spells the y us e professionally . Adventare r mage s ar e lik e adventure r fighters, b u t focu s o n th e magica l sid e o f matters - but most o f them ca n fight prett y wel l too . Sorcerers ar e th e equivalent o f heroes; they're ver y potent , and ver y scarce . N PC Guidelines 3 Guard Mage Pro. Mage Advent. Mage Sorcere r Life Points 12-3 0 9-1 8 20-4 0 30-60 Attack + 5 to +2 5 + 5 to +1 0 + 1 0 to +20 +15 to +2 3 Damage 3-1 0 di 2- 3 2 - 6 di 2- 3 3 - 8 d i 3-4 5-1 0 di 3-4 Comb. Stnc. Bs. 5-1 0 1-4 7-1 2 1 0 - 1 5 Defense + 1 0 to +2 0 + 5 to +1 5 +15 to +20 +I5W+2 3 Soak 1-6 0 - 3 2 - 6 4-8 Magic Resist. 10-1 5 8-1 5 10-15 15-2 0 Cley 10-2 5 10-2 5 15-25 20-30 Best Arts (2-4) 10-1 5 10-1 5 10-15 13-2 0 Next Arts (3-6) 5-1 0 5-1 0 5-10 10-1 3 Top Cplx. Spells 10-1 5 15-2 5 15-20 20-40
APPENDIX 1 CHARACTE R CREATION WORKSHEE T Step 1: Characte r Concept. Decid e wha t kin d o f perso n yo u wan t t o play : specie s an d gende r an d name . Nam e Specie s Gende r Step 2: Species Template. Rea d you r specie s template . Writ e th e attribute s the y giv e i n th e "specie s default " colum n i n ste p 3 . Writ e t h e experienc e it give s yo u i n th e "Sp" colum n o f th e skil l tabl e o n th e nex t page . Writ e th e knack s you r specie s give s yo u i n th e "Kn " column . Step 3 : Generat e Attributes. I n th e "Fixed " row , arrang e th e number s +3 , +2 , +2 , +1 , +1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , -1 , -1 , on e pe r attribute , howeve r yo u like . I n the "Variable " row , yo u ma y choos e t o roll a d 6 for any , all, o r non e o f th e attributes: a roll o f 1 o r 2 counts a s -1 , a roll o f 3 counts a s 0 , a roll o f 4 o r 5 counts a s +1 , a roll o f 6 counts a s +2 . Strengt h Stamin a Dexterit y Agilit y Perceptio n Fait h Memor y Wits Wil l Charism a Specie s Default Fixe d Variabl e Othe r total Step 4: Advantage s and Disadvantages. Tota l is . Maximu m Advantages- - an d Maximu m Disadvantages- - (se t b y gamemaster ; standar d is + 5 total, +15/-1 0 max. ) Experienc e from Advantage s goe s int o th e "Ad. " colum n o f th e skill table , an d Knack s g o int o th e "Kn " column . Remembe r tha t mos t spells mus t b e bough t a s Advantages ; recor d the m i n ste p 7 . Attribut e mod ifiers g o i n th e "other " colum n i n ste p 3 . Adv+ Disad - Name Page Details TOTALS S t e p 5: Experienc e int o Pools: 2 0 block s o f 3 0 ex p each . Writ e th e experienc e i n th e "Pool " line s o f th e skill tabl e o n th e nex t page . Step 6: Pools int o Skills: Distribut e th e experienc e i n eac h poo l int o th e skills i n tha t pool , writin g it i n the "Exp " column . (Fightin g experienc e ma y b e pu t int o Lif e Bas e o r Archery , bu t no t Dancing. ) Ad d u p th e "Sp" , "Ad" , an d "Exp " column s t o find you r tota l experienc e i n tha t skill. Writ e you r skill level i n th e "lvl " column . Tr y t o mak e skil l levels com e ou t even , a s give n i n th e "Experienc e Levels an d Skill " table . If yo u hav e 2 0 experienc e fro m elsewhere , pu t on e mor e poin t t o ge t 2 1 ex p = leve l 6 , o r pu t eigh t mor e points t o ge t 2 8 ex p = leve l 6 , etc . Leftove r experienc e goe s bac k int o th e pool , an d yo u ca n us e it afte r you r first game . (You may photocopy this page for your personal use. World Tree is copyright 2000 Bard Bloom and Victoria Borah Bloom)