– Black Sword Hack – 101
102 – Black Sword Hack – Impossible Creatures Appendix X By Eric Nieudan It is a well known fact that you can never have too many monsters. So here's a way to create a hundred more! A goat or elk A shark or eel A snake or lizard An armadillo or porcupine A wolf or hound a butterfly or dragonfly a lamprey or leech a carnivorous vine or orchid a classical statue an octopus or jellyfish golden light acidic flesh smoking coals solidified nightmares sinew and eyeballs a portal back to its world release from its miserable life a moment of peace and beauty gold and gems the soul of a deceased friend 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 The monster is a hideous mix of... and... (optional) even weirder, it is made of... and it is looking for... A man or woman An ape or bear A horse or cow An eagle or crow A lion or panther a spider or scorpion a cockroach or centipede a child a snail or slug a bat or moth purple slime mould mother-of-pearl a kind of bendcrystal rusty gears and nails kinetic or sonic energy shelter from the weather victims to drain of their psychic energy blood, the younger the better a carrion to drag back to its pups a player character’s liver 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10
Where Does The Portal Lead? 1. One day into your own past. What will you change? 2. To a desert world where might makes right and writing is forbidden 3. To a new continent bearing the remains of a past civilisation 4. In the middle of a battle, having to pick a side pretty damn fast 5. On another planet and in the bodies of some of its denizens 6. In the kitchen of the world's most secure fortress 7. In the middle of a demon prince's sacrificial wedding 8. In the dream of a Great Old One. You'e better be gone when it wakes 9. In a collapsed underground city. Full of riches, angry spirits, and undead guards 10. In a far future dominated by clockwork automatons 11. In a world that will die in just one day. Enough to save it or find a way home 12. In a military camp just before it is raided by an unknown enemy 13. On a prison planet guarded by three-eyed lizard folk 14. Inside a pentagram, surrounded by dumbfounded cultists 15. On the bridge of a sailing ship heading for a black hole in the sky 16. In a seemingly infinite library. Assist the librarian so they can help you go home 17. In an underwater city under attack by intelligent jellyfish 18. Inside the belly of a beast that already swallowed a city 19. Inside another world's moon, home to an insectoid civilisation 20. In the palace of a dying Chaos lord What Do You Need To Get Back? 1. A ritual tattooed on the back of a penitent knight 2. A key hidden in a grimoire protected by ancient magic 3. A pelt made from the hide of a hellhound 4. A runic weapon held by a Champion of Balance 5. There is no way to go back. You must travel to another world 6. To have a specific prayer written all over your body with the blood of a priest 7. A piece of music played by a talented musician 8. A deck of tarot cards willingly given to you by a demon 9. An oath to save a specific individual 10. A time travel ritual so you can stop yourself from going in the first place 11. Only a young child can open the portal. They are worshipped as a god 12. To destroy a crown that once belonged to an immortal queen Strange Planes Appendix XI Dimension hopping via sorcery, portals, or weird machines is a theme in a lot of the sword & sorcery Black Sword Hack seeks to emulate. You may want to run whole sessions in some strange hell, or just have the characters break into a warlock's private world by mistake. Here are a couple of tables to inspire you. – Black Sword Hack – 103
(Manx) Nation: Coobragh, Otes, Mylchreest, Austeyn, Gawne, Dolen, Otnel, Connaghyn, Burscogh, Sayle, Hugen, Aystogh, Cubbon, Nessa, Cretney, Bahee, Huchon, Ainle, Crebbin, Ratyn, Margaid, Parre, Lathom, Moirrey (Samoan) Nation: Iakopo, Asiata, Lotulelei, Akeakami, Leapai, Ioelu, Fuima Papani, Mataio, Pelesa, Rangi, Latu, Savea, Ofo, Lofi po, Tupuasa, Malaitai, Telila, Kenese, Fili, Etena, Leniu, Malie, Fanene, Tava'esina, Arihi, Tilo, Niu (Norwegian) Nation: Roe, Backe, Torbjørn, Dahl, Oddmund, Treschow, Nored, Geir, Fjelde, Kai, Stava, Steenrod, Gjermund, Aarhus, Overbey, Kile, Eline, Kvam, Torhild, Aalberg, Balke, Ungeborg, Solbakyen, Varvik, Skogstad, Fiske (Oromo) Nation: Bilisummaa, Caaltu, Dinqisee, Nabira, Elellaan, Faaya, Faantoli, Sifi , Dawwi, Filan, Ayyantu, Ibsaa, Gammadaa, Firomsaa, Galgaloo, Eba, Keeysan, Demiksa, Caala, Bultum, Fileera, Saartu, Bilisse, Lelise, Lalistu, Bohaarsa, Iree, Salbaan, Birraasaa (Basque) Nation: Etcheberry, Hirigoyen, Elissalde, Garigorta, Urrutia, Errazu, Chipirenna, Inarra-Iraegui, Hiriart, Salaberry, Eneko, Ibanarte, Ameztoy, Jauriberry, Mizquiroz, Harosteguy, Bernaola, Ciluaga, Fullaondo, Ondarza, Rosagaray, Tellaburu, Zubiagirre (Mongol) Nation: Agar, Rina, Arslan, Suren, Bayan, Sanaa, Ganbaatar, Gantulga, Khulan, Naragerel, Munkhtsgtseg, Dölgöö, Chingis, Bilgüün, Oghul, Gÿük, Chuluunbat, Zorigt, Amarjagal, Chinzorig, Togtokh, Gongor, Dorjsuren, Altai, Oidov, Gombojav (made up fantasy) Nation: Bh'osh, Arheash, D'heig, Glaetrul-Obefi th, Wwolhieh, Svel'fi os, Zelhoh, Org'shidloftha, Sshorfi lla, Uhyat, Ltaukr'dord, Ylisvalf, Grobrelf, Vbrifilr, Esgorman, Öerkmeg, Khirkirnhuk, Hyasaungo Names by origin Appendix XII By Eric Nieudan You can choose one of these for each of your nations (and write its name so you won't forget). We've included the real world origin for each list; you can look for more names online if all the characters in the list die before the world ends. For the nations one or more characters are from, you should of course choose with your players. A.K.A... Adding a nickname on the fly to an NPC, either during the game or when creating your adventure, is an easy way to come up with ideas for developing and interpreting them, or to give them an unexpected backstory. Nickname lists are easy to make. The Graceless, Two beards, the Killing Machine, Blue Belly, the Moon Child, the Giggling Killer, the Unwise, Starwatcher, Cruddy, the Inflexible, Many Tongues, the Duteous, the Questionable, Bad Fortune, the Half Great, He Who Listens, the Barbarous, No Horse, the Silent Devourer, Smallpox, the Night Beast, the Skullmonger, Godslayer, the Chewer, She Who Dances For No One, the Shadow Maker, the Painful, the Pale Sinner, the Greenish, One Tooth, the Absurdist, the Chronicler, the Unscrupulous, Demonbane, the Indomitable, the Pain Dealer, Wülf Hair, the Silver Squirrel, the Purple Usurper, the Slavemaker, the Sceptic, the Uncrowned, the Dark Rambler, the Soulless, the Golden, the Unafraid, the Creaky Marauder, the Eternal Loser, the Subjugator, Non-Dead, the Star King, the Inscrutable, the Glatisant, Three Eyes, the Walking Dread, Kingmaker, the Holy Mumbler, He Who Loves The Dead, Dogface, the Rationalist, the Ethereal Cannibal, The Wind Wanderer, She Who Comes From Below...
DoD
int wis cha int wis cha str dex con str dex con Doom Die Doom Die Damage Die Damage Die Hit Points Hit Points Unarmed Max Unarmed Max Name Name Origin Level Origin Level Backgrounds Backgrounds Gifts Gifts Equipment Equipment int wis cha str dex con Stories & Dark Secrets Name Origin Backgrounds Gifts Level Doom Die Damage Die Hit Points Unarmed Max Equipment
Damage Die unarmed Doom Die Hit Points current max Name Origin Backgrounds Level Gifts Stories & Dark Secrets Equipment Armour Weapons Miscellaneous int wis cha con str dex
Advantage: Players roll two d20s and choose which result to keep. Attribute test: When a character tries to do something that has a chance of failure, the player makes an attribute test by rolling a d20. Rolling below the attribute means the character succeeds. Rolling on or above the attribute means the character fails or that things escalate. Character or hero: A character controlled by a player. Charisma (CHA): A measure of a character's ability to influence others. Close: Usually 1.50 m or 1 square. Constitution (CON): The body's capacity to resist physical stress, pain, disease, etc. Critical failure: Getting a natural 20 on an attribute roll is a critical failure, forcing the player to make a Doom roll. Critical success: Getting a natural 1 on an attribute roll is a critical success. In combat this means the character does maximum damage and adds another damage die. Damage die: The amount of damage a character inflicts in combat. Normally 1d6 (1d4 when unarmed). Dexterity (DEX): A character's deftness and agility. Disadvantage: The player rolls two d20s and keeps the worst result. Distant: Beyond 20 m (12 squares), the farthest range in the game. Doom: Some actions bring the world closer to its end, triggering the use of the Doom usage die. Doomed: Once their Doom die is depleted, a character suffers Disadvantage on all attribute tests. Far away: Usually 20 m or 12 squares. Helpless: A character that has no HP left, making the player roll on the Helpless table (p. 18). HP: Hit points, a rough measure of the character's health, luck, and will to live. Intelligence (INT): A character's ability to apply their knowledge to the situation at hand. Long rest: A rest that takes 6 hours. Characters recover all their HP, and Doom gets back to its maximum die size. Morale test: NPCs losing half their allies or their leader must make a Morale test: the GM rolls a d12, if the result is equal or superior to the highest level in the NPC group, they run away. Nearby: Usually 10m or 6 squares. NPC: A non-player character, usually controlled by the GM. Ongoing damage: Expressed as a Usage die. Victims take damage each Turn until the die is depleted. Short rest: Lasts 1 hour. Characters recover a number of HP equal to half their CON score (rounded down). A character can take one short rest per day. Strength (STR): A character's raw physical power. Turn: The time needed for a character to move and act. The duration of a Turn varies according to the situation. Usage die (Ud): A die used to represent finite resources. When a resource is used roll its Usage die, a result of 1-2 means it is downgraded to the next smallest die. A downgraded Ud4 means the resource is depleted. Glossary 108 – Black Sword Hack –
The System Reference Document of Black Sword Hack is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license. Find it at www.themerrymushmen.com/ressources-tmm
“If life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.” Robert E. Howard, Queen of the Black Coast
BLACK SWORD HACK BY THE MERRY MUSHMEN Before the Rings had a Lord, Fantasy had other heroes. Thieves, gladiators, kings... LAW and CHAOS were battling over human souls And heroes rose and fell... Build a world, watch it burn. MADE BY HUMANS M b H