tsr01103 - AD&D - Masque Of The Red Death and Other Tales

credits i

Design: WRliam W. Cannon
Editlng: Anne Brown

FWject Coordinator: Andrla Hayday
Box Cover Mist: Robh Ruppel

Interlor Cover Artist: Stephen Fabian
Interlor Black and white M: Ned Dameron

Cartography: David suthcrland
Qraphks Coordinator: Sarah Fcggestad

Art Coordinnior: Peggy Cooper
fkcrmnlcPrepresa Coordinator: Tlm Coumbe

Typography: Angdlka Motz
Production: Paul Hanchctte

Special Thanks to:Jdvl D. Ratellff. L. Richard Baker 111, David 'Zeb" Cook, Rul-
Jon Pk$cem. Steve Winter, and of course,the Kargat.

Masque cmf the Red Death Iswarmly dcdlcated to Anne Brown,
who &ad long and hard to make me look good.Thanx.

TSR,Inc.
W B 756
Lsks Geneva

w153147
USA.

ADVANCED DUNOEONSG DRAOONS, A&, R ~ V E ? i L 6 d k N s T R O U SCOMPENDIUM. and WNOEON MASTER am wlBtemd *
tndunark. m e d by TSR, hc.
MONSTROUSMANUAL and the TSR b a n trm%nerka owned by TSR. Inc.

All TSR charactns.c h a n M names, mdUr dbtlnctlvellkcmua thenof are trdcmrks also owned by TSR. !ne.
01994 TSR. In=. All rlghta mernd. W e d In Ihe U.S.A.

1

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Learningthe Rules
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3



The ADVANCEDDwomns E Druaonse game is game. It Is mid, although thla might kwtnp?,W IP:,.. :,
known for ita tradltion of adventure and excitement. hthk firth W M e l y l of0 pa
With the additlon of the RAVENLOFPcampaign long-forgotten days. ..
setting, the game‘s rules were stretched to allow
Dungeon Masters and players to experience a new Then, as the blccka of Stomhen
type of fantasy adventure; never before had the into place and the pyramlds of
elements of gothic horror and heroic fantasy been so design, a dnlster p m e found Itswqr WD th
smoothly blended. Now, the borders of Ravenloft are world. Fleeing whatever terrible p&& It- cslld
expanding egaln-moving A D G V game heroes to a home, the creature adopted the p
new tlme and terrain. Ancknt Earth end began to cultlvata
evll.
wslcome to Gothic Lrth
One by one, nightmarish alteratlonstodc phn;
I1 Mesque of the Red Death advent- take twisted mockerlea of the once good and vlbrant
place in the macabre realm of Gothic Ea&. At thlngs that lived on the planet spread their tmdrll#
a glance. this world Is nearly identical to OUI and essences. By the time of this campaign scttlng
(the 1890’s of out Earth), no comer of the globe b
Fwn planet Earth In the year 1890. The Amerkan leff untouched by the sinister hand ofthe Red Death.

West Is a sprawling fruntler only recently brldged by theLarninq
the great transcontinental railroad. In Africa, the
Eumpean powers are smggilng to cldm land in an asque ofthe Red Death is deslgnsd to use most
undeclared war of colonlration. And on the foggy of the rules presented In the RAVENLOFT
Campaign Setthg boxed set or the Realm @
streets of London, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor
Watson stalk the m t nefarious of criminals In an Femr and Forbkiden Lore boxed sets. New players
unendhg quest for Jwtke.
and Dungton Masters should have little trouble
Under closer ~ ~ ~ t lansiyni.ster and terrible entity leamlng to play.

can be gllmpsed that Is unknom outsklcGothk To get a feel for the peculiar nature of Gothlc
Ea&. The expbrsnr of the American West flnd Earth, read the next chapter. whlch presmts a

themselves stalked and killed by splrtt creatures that hlstory of this affllctedland. In so doing, a reader
have longbeen h a n d by naUve Inhabbnts. In the may acqulre a basic knowledgeof alt that has
happened to shape the world of Gothic Earth.
darkest Junglesof Mea, supernatural beasts
spawned in the tbne of the pharaohs hunger for the With such knowledge, the reader can move on to
flesh of men. Wlthin the driftlngfcg of London M e the chapters ddinhg the rules for my. The best
way to master these rules Is to generate aome
not only the killers and criminals that Holmesstalks, charactem and then fight a few mock battler wlth
but a h a certain Transylvanian Count whose thlrut them. Once that is done, players and DMs will be
for wood has enabled him to live beyond the bounds ready to start exploring the strange realm of the Red
Death.
of ume.
“Theday she was buried therecame a fall of
Gothic Earth Is not cloaked by the mysterious
mists of Ravenloft. Thm are no dark lords cursed to ...snow,” Heathcllfsald “In the euenhg, I went to
live out their unnatural lives trapped In domains that
are at once home and prison. Are there ties between the churchyard.It blew bleak as wfnter I
this realm and the Demlplane of Dread?That Is
lmpo8sibieto say. Certalniy, the two places have dfdn’t fear that her b l of a husband would
much in common, but they are also different in
some important ways. ..wander up. Twoyards of loose earth was the

Long ago, Gothic Earth was awash wlth maglcal sole bartier between us.I sald to myself.
essences. In many ways, it was not unllke the worlds “9’11 have her In my arms ageln! Ifshe be
that evolved into the Forgotten R e a h or wondrous
Land ofGreyhawk. This was long before the advent cold, I’fl thfnk It Is the north wlnd that chflfsmc‘
ofthe h t e n word, the wheel, cold ateel, or many of andifsheismollonks.% Itissleep.’”
the other features that mark the typical ADED
--Emfly B e & ,

WutherlngHeights (1847)

A ha~p.garwlyprovfdca Th Cpwiliqht
*watthem&
the Red De&'* htwdm
w4th humanity. The
lllfcmam~ir

Icert.bdYnOtWkMtOOdby
theoommonmanaeventhe
avwaot rhdar. whst fdkrwr
babrirdhhtorydtheworld
In which countless layers of
secrecy and veils of myatary
aFsweptaskle.PloBroupd
advent- CMtrdvet to a
Ilbrw. wrivanlty, or other
mundane establkhmtnt and
Lesrnthethingsrevsri.din
this chapter. The lore that

followsla Intended only for the eyas of Dunaeon
Masters and should be uaed to establish

b&gmund materkdfor Edasquedthe Red Deaih
tompalgns.

Much isisftunmaidinthisaflcuoq muckis only

hlnbadat. Thls is done Intenthally. as it allowseeeh
Dungan M.Mr to sculpt the history o f a campaign

to suit lndlvldual needs and .tory lines.

Ellthois Note

I wlsh to point out that I luve taken a gmat many
l h & a wkh what we know a s h tdrtory dous
Earthand thc interpratsuon of vsrloro events. Tks
reader, as well asthe pbytr,should keep 4n mhd
that MasqueofulsRed Dmth ir a work of Bctlon.

andthatOotkicEsrthlaaficWousphca.Wklkthe

dates glven in thhctronology of Oothk Earth are
morc or less in r(lrcrmnntwith thc evantsdour
Earth. the motivating forces described on Oothlc
Earth and the resulthg changes in society are wholly

mm&stahmc4myima@nUh.

Resdarwlllnotea Europswfocush thlr,seUkm.
Most events describedwU1 date directly to the
history of Europe and, latar, the Amerkas. Thla
should no( be seen- a htenuonsl or accldwrt.1
dlNniaaai of culturrs inAfrica, theollcnc,or
elsewhere. The shrpb truth 16 that -ofthe

RedDsrtUpbin(mdcdtoalbwDPbandplayento

enjoy adventures faundedupon the gothtc traditkns
and literature of the Western World.

With that In mind, I hope no OM will complain
about MY~ W ~ F I'ICna~ccIuracies" In the foliowing

Chapter I:

I

7



was formhg. Working In absolute secrecy and call- to life.A respected theologian knownonly by the
ing themselves The Deflance. this coalition of adepts name of Cyril had traded what goodnssr once lay In
and mystics employed the great mscufces of the his heall
for power. prrstlge. and adoration. Hs M
library at Alexandria to piece together the history of responded tnthe v o k k commands dhb mar)rr
the R e d Death and to trace thespeed of I t s power. to MfU1hb eecntaad petty wlshea k gelhad up
AAcr nearly a century of work, membem of The hls followersand they fell upon the ubraiy. In shat
Defiance were ready to take a stand. Their power order, the leader ofThe DaRsnce, a scholarly
w.was great mndthey had managed towork In sccrrcy, W O m C n Mmad HypSth, W M slah and thG day W M
or ao they Mere weeks beforethey were to loat. EvH hadtriumphed.
weave a spcH that would have driven the R e d h t h As themhlauofdarlulers M t h e great tlbnrg
back Into the nlghbnarlsh land In whkh It had been and many membersof The Deflancedkd hcwnt-
spawned, the order was destroyed. less terrible ways, the Red Daah's power over the
FIXall their covert dlolts. theR e d Derth had pent- realm of man was arured.Wlthout dm hwwklge
bated theorder's doak of secrecy and kamed every- heldlntheUbraryofAlexsndrbdthedcMkd
~ d i t s p b n s . F ~ t s o f e v i d c n r r ~ t h a studlea d The Defiance. It tecame atl but hposwhh
one dthe number,a fernale myotic by the mame of formankhdever OD fme Itself from (hb yoke d d .
Indsvlrr,was aawuy a dlagushg redwidow. at. With the pardng oftheorder,the powsc.dheUed
though no one can prove this for certaln. Working wtth Death expankd. By the end d the 5th ccn3rry,Ita
the protearon of carrfully bid magkddl@ss and sinlster shadow had fdlcn across all of theOrknL
wards, dn saw all ofthe prsns devkd by The MI- only the k n e r k s s and the psclfk BmlnImRmaed
ance.And whatshe saw. the R e d Deathsaw asweY. free of Ita c w pFawnce, As the power dthe
When the tlme came for The Defbncetoact, the European, Arablan, and Orlental natlons grew, often
R e d Deathfocwd Ita power onthe city of under the wbtk control ofthe Red Death, the laat
Alemndria. and one of the entity's puppetshvltched hopes of ite dcdnrctknfaded.

The Shadow Orders zpha Stone

he des- d h Dalbncs w&n aot
absolute. While the qabal was cattainly
rhatsred and ,& power brokenbeyondrepelr,
individual members lived on. m,chhralry. Ratlrar,-Qbaoc
fleeing~ k x ~ l d r l a , survlv~nWttt to upon whdnrro.m&sy
legend. have keenbasad, Hved In t l m e n l y m o (
establishnew societks. All worked toward rlmtly the 6th cenbay. It wash roughly5Xtth.tRhg
different goals,but ell hoped to keep the practice of Arthur rallied h b fokwersto ddindBr#.lnagslnst
magic allve. even un&r the shadow of the Red
Death. Some of thcw @ups tlowbhd for a the, uwimrsBg~.pcrh.prnorcharour~

Mhur~lf,hoprarsr,trthemyrtabur*ltml
only to fall eventually and Mnlsh, OMw W u t Merlln.
trace. But many liveon to thb day. At the helghtd Cemdot’r ebryardthefe@d
Over the centuries, many of the ‘shadow orders” King Arthur, 6
became cormpted. Some slmplyforgotthe god d a&vaybfm#qdml
known.w’lheStoaakMmora)to#cns.xYsd.
overthmlng the Red Deathand devotedthemsdves
to the acqubltlon of p c n o ~plower. OUMrs fctl *.From theperspsctl*edmodcm -.mh
utterly under the power of the Red Death end
hilnEelf wan tlkno8t CeItnhly the head d WI

kcamc wholly evil. For aU thdr dlvergsnt
motfvations, however, nearly evefy modern qsbd
can mthfully claim to be descended hornThe
DeRancs.

I W W oftheRedih&hllouWqh&theDark
Ages saw chaos adamarch&- -ut
Europe. wigewof-

Mnlvedwlthonly
plagw In the early

. great plague throughout Europe. Around 540. pa& e h m agaktat evltcouki kfocuwd and&
of wererats spread through the cltles of Europe, darkness of the last fewcenturleadrlvm off. 0y
englneerlng thissolid union ofsacular and church
carrying the foul bubcdc plague. TMs tarribk
dlsease swept across the continent for marly 50 power, R seemed certainthat the folrar of god
years, and easlly W e d the popuh(l0n of Europe. wodd be mrroppsble.
The mlnions of darkness had a rlm%r pbn,
Masphysrclons and psrapsychob@W are qulck though they worked t o w d far less'nobltWKb. By
to point out that thh event marks the first verifiable urdtingc h m h and state Into a ~ ~ l l i l v c

: appearance of lycanthropy In the world. While It Is structure, the ofhim ofmnnkind could be
lmposslble to rule out the exlstanccof wch c d M e d . The efforts of an lndhi&nl, no mata
creatures In earller tlmes, much evidence exksts to how nobta he or h e mlght be, Fbukl aaslly be
support the belief that the Red Death felt the time
was right to introduce a new h o r n into the world. countered by the economic, thedogical, and
poliacal Juggernautof thls vast Eumpwn empire.
The New Empire In the end, n e b ride was trlwnphmt.L c h
managed to accomplish some of its goals whlk
' 0n Christmas Day In the year Boo, Pope Leo 111 failingIn others. With the schlsm that rocked the
crowned the Frankish king Charkmagne, son church In 867 and the dlvlslon of Europe ammg
of Pepln andheir to the Carolingian Dynasty, Charlemagne's three grandsons In 870,the unlty of
deeming him Emperor of a new Roman EmpIre.
Curlmly, the actlons of the qabals andthe agents Europe was broken. Over the course of the rn
of the R e d Death both contrlbukdto thls hlstorlc century. lmthside8 fully nalired that they hedfailed
event. For the followmnofda- and the m h M d
For the alued qabals, uniting all of Eumpe under a the Red Death, thls ww considered only a mhor
swe power ma& em.In thls way. mankind's setback. The d L that they envlsloned os
domtnaUng mankind could be reposltloncdand

I

.I

reforged. ?he menace of the qabalsbecame
obvious, however. The Red DeathMW that it had
serkusly undarestlmatedthe ability of men to
discem and dirnrpt Itsplans. hecrclsat.of.thcRedDcsUik.~.hrq*kar

For the shadow orders, the partial faHuFeof their many and vsrieh:Scnm,rueh asw.ghwl-
plans aliowedtham to make somc vttd and w e m w o N , & l k t h e . n @ & & X a d ~ ~
O b S W a t b l E . Tke moSt hnportSnt Of these Was M Innocent and.he#pbmb. Ohn-the
Improved undemtandIng ofthe enemy. Not since the and rakshasa, for hslancs--movt abmtduhg-
destruction of the ilbrary at Alsxandrieand the day, tawthe fonn of mortal nunand lrvcghbiw:,
scatterlng of The DaAance had manklnd lndentood Into despair and ulthote dewwtkm.
the notun of Ita greatest foe.Now,with dl that the
shadow orders had b m e d over the last few Each.typcofmhlonh.Itstcrrlbb.~,buteH
centurles, the gabas saw clearly thet they faced no
earthly menace. With this information, they began to m.have weakneuw asW. A pmpdy &ucam&&
plan again.
prepared mortslcanface these-c
The %ne Crack With luck, wisdom, and faith, a mertd cam trlunph,
and in at least a minor way, Wwback-,-
ecognI?.ingthe h a r d ofthe unitedrhdaur darkness that is the Red Death. But khiin’&&hof
orders, the sgents of darkness began to fwu
thelr attention on thls great threat to theIr the Red De& lwite in W r dforu as they have

rim h r . llm@mut the world, dark and dnstcr done at a k w ahmtegk polnts In history, mMkkg
can do uak more than &andhcrpiersryby and&
things Infiltrated and mscked the qabals. Countless
forthe powas d&tkmesto.wur.
Whlh the crwode!i walked to u l p i t m ~ ,.@

the AnMan and European worlds, a ncw nwn&w
o m . Delivered from eastem Asia and the ortsn(;

new t e r n appeared, each c r a m @ evH hands to
fulfill a specific mission. Once their taskswere
completed, many of these things faded end
vanished. Others lived on, and sadly, came to be
quite prolific.
One by one, the organhations that had come
together under the wiae guldance of the wizard
Merlln centuries before became dlstrustlul of thelr
allies. The qabals were reminded of the legendaof
the days after the destruction ofThe Detlance, when
each qabal trusted none but its own.
Eventually, all that Merlin and hls peers had
worked for was lost. By the close of the 10th
century, the qabala existed In as much fear of each
other as ofthe Red Death. Wlth surprlshg npldlsy,
groups that had been strong defenders of d)that
WM good and right dipped over the edge snd fell
under the subtle controf of theRed Death.
With the passing of the Ant mlllennium A.D., the
firat Crusade marked the beghIng of centuries of
conlllct betwoen the pndominatly Chrlatian states
of Europe and the largely M u a h Arab nations. Had
the q&nb stlll been a unUlsdh e . they might have
PmFGW,nhWowd ethveere, thtceryrfcblwelCdhbrhmeS. lInn tghe.lTr hdeisCruptedd s

and all the wfferlngthey brought to Europe and
Arabia went unchacksd.
1
12

qabal. Thls Is probably untrue, of course, for it most lnbnousofthen opponent8 was v*dthe I
seems Impossible that such a group should evoke at impakr, who made counties8terrible peaswith the
Red Deathsnd k a m e not only the Rhrce of CII
thls t h e without the ptrunwof at lesa one h e r Walachia In 1456, but upon his death, rose to
become the fatherof dl m&em vempka, olhcr II
qabal. Some evidence indicates that thls emmien, lncludlng the flend who moved among
organlratlonwas formed by one ofthe Red Death’s humanity In the guise of Nlccdo Machiavelli, battled
own minions that tumed upon I t s evil master and membcn of TtK Phoenix andanntwtly brought
sought to save manklnd hwnthe almost certain about the collapse ofthat order.
desolstlon that loomed In its future.
Althoughit survived for onfit a few htmhd ycsn,
Whatever Its roots,The Phoenlx rose wkh great
speed and was almost single-handadiymqxmible the contrlbutlons of The Phoenix to the survivd d
for sparking many of the most lmpnsslve feat8 of mankind end the ctemel war ageinst darkness
the early Renalssence. It Is possible, althoughfar cannot be ovarstaed. At a timcwhar even the
from proven, that many now-famous people, strong& ofthe shadow ordm were all but crippled
perhaps even Leonard0 da Vlncl, were Important by the chaos that ravagedthe world, thls my.tcrkus
members of thls order. order may welt have pnvnded the sbsdute
corrupttonof the b a n race.
As the Renaissance infiltrated Europe, the agents
and power of The phoenix went wlth It. They FThe New Worlds the tide of the Renaissance swelled through
Europe.the efk&ofthe Red Deathwem
recruited the flnest, most noble minds of the time g m A y hampered. Ancknt hal
and formed a powerful coalltlon Intent on the or the Rrsr dfeartha thls enclent evil fed upon,

reformation of a wpenUuoUs world and the

eknlnation of evil.

The Phoenix WM not without enemies, of course.
Both human end supernatural forcesstrove to seek
out it6 agents and de-y the order. Perhapsthe

13



The Enliqhtenment

The middle of the l&h cenhny MW a powaful
mwement arise In Europe andher cdonles.
Known slmply as the Enllghtcnnnnt. this
awakenlng seems almoot certainly to have been the
cubnlnatlon of the efforts of thm united qahls.
Known lndlvldually as the Alliance, the Sockty of
Keepers, and the swertrood, these orders jolncd
I
together under the sigll of the Enllghtened.
Many of the l e a k s of thls organirsuon were
scientists and philorophers. Their beUef was that the
keys to endIng human 6uNerhg lay in conqucrlng
Ignorance and superstltlon. To that end, the
Enlightenedbegan to assembk vaet Ubrarksand
attempted to qunntlfy all that they could. Every

aspect of human thaught and behavlor was
examined canfully and every element of human
hlstory sorutlnhed.Among the most influantisl
members of this qabd were the French philosopher
Dlderot, who worked diligently for over a quarter of a
century to compUe his great encyclopedh of all
humm knoddge, and Dcscartcs, whose
understanding of the lmportsnce ofcontemplaion
and thwgMfulness laid the groundwofkfor mueh
that was to mme In tha next hundred years.
Tha work ofthb p a t qabsl survives intothe tlm

of theMasque ofthe Rcd Death campsign. The
OrgMLCationitlelf is SUsIaid to Uist in Francc and
the surrounding countha. Its current mambershlp is
u n k m n , but given the group's preference for
members of the htdllgencla, it Is not unlikely that a
clever and hduatriousgmup of adventurers could
locate and contsctthe Enlightened In the evmt of

extreme need.

The Dark Side

A s the agents of the Enlightened and the scores
of unknowing followersthey attracted spread
their philosophy through the world, the forces
of darkness did not rest. While the natlons of Gothic
Earth appeared to openly embrace theprlnclples of
education, philosophy, and human compassion, the
evils that had so long haunted the night set about to
weaken these plllars of the Enlightenment.

In the dark comers of Eastem Europe.sinlater
creatures ofthe nlght like the v m p h e and weremlf
haunted the dreams and ltves of the innocent.On
the high seas, spectral vessels appeared out of

.<*.-, . ,' . . ..

'

on&- ._. . . *;I. .- .
ven dcasud review of ttl~ .. . . r",
..
I . , ,.

Red DaUh corn

I

..... ._ ..".I .................. .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............

n Masque of the Red any polnts to an ability score, allowing the
Death camplgns, as chanacr bD be#n the game wltha score off
In standard R A V E N L ~ ~ 3. AnysMltyscoreof18mustbemachedbyexsct
campaigns and all count. If m m r d &e areused to invasscone
ADED 2nd Edition abUlty withe number of en the dice
games, characters are would kmasetheabllity score bsyond48, ORC
deflned by slx dle must be excluded from the total. The points
numeric ratlngs called beyond 18 cMllot simply be ignored.
abflftg scores. Only
sUght differencesexlst T -he Masque of the Red Death campaign eating
between the way m e b etdcmsive use of ablllyl ck&s. While
these scores are these are described briefly In borhthe player's
typically used and the H a n W and WEOMANSTEGRufde, some
way they a n used In players and DMs may not be famfllar wlth thls
Masque campaigns. prucedun. A q u k k summary followS.
Refer to the rules An abmty check is used to determine whether a
govemlng ability character succeeds at an important feat. The
scores presented In the Player'sHandbook and Dungeon Master decldes when an ability check is
DuNOEONM A S T d Gufde. The changes for rules in called for, and chooses an ability that is nost
the Masque campaign wlll be ldentlfied in the relevant tothe actlvlty. ' h eplayer sbnpl~~ I I aS20-
rulebook you are now holding as the explanation of sbiedinegddtelaeteadn.dIcf othmepmslrleIastehqeuroalllttoootrhkeaSaMtWhaynwtohere
game mechanlcs proceeds.

Generating Ability Scores ability score, the check Is successful.

,Dr. BanedMChase has bean

d.unnkathsbrplalAD€iDgame,invhwl *kspto&a ortwrtdc.
d u A . L l c w * C l i s . r m a d t a f r a @ r e 8 t h e ~ ~ t o & b r a Dnterky check.Cha
hdRyth=l&kgard,PhYcrs:inUW&WC Makkddk,wl(h a multof 8. Fib-, ir
Earylselub#arrrjruchmorawuordlrraryhunM 13, and therefon,

MW.. o m are rolled according to
Character
Method VI deadbed In the Playcts tkndboDk To
review, a character autonutlcally receives a wore
o f ~ ~ ~oftth3e ahh ObWy scores. The pkyw
thnrcil* men six-sldcd dice. The rerutting
nrntban are added to the base scorc. a@ the player
chtmes, wlthin the parametem of thahres rules
that louow.

-.1. The points shown on any one dle must be added ..

to a single Thus, If a 5 is rolled,all 5
p h t s must be added to a singk a b w y score. ,rbmentioned earl*r,.the Masque
Thc 5 could not be used to add 3 pohcs to me c&nplgnd n g us+&t+ri. ablllty
ablllty score and 2 points to an-. the standard ADED opabpl.%re are, hmtwm, a
2. Any number ddke m y be addsdto a slngk * mfew differencesin thew',- scorerq+&td in
Iban,score, but no scorn can be raisedabove play. f&towhg sectkmru1dlscuu
18. Conversely,a player may kctdc not to add the cohursme of .' t".&.'..
muldaa(bM.



hrnctlonsas In the standard M E D game and is Recall that a character's tnftlsl Caatirutlm score
usehd to note on the character r e c d sheet.
Bend Bars/Llft Gates indlcam the number of tlmes t h t flre character
may be succeddly nsumcted if killed. H o m e r .
For use on Gothic Earth, this entry might be better such things happen so infrequently on Gothk Earth
described as featofficeptfonal Strength. It is used
in the same manner as in the ADED game. Abillty that thls rule will rarely, if ever, be needed.
checks should be used for most tests of physkai Hlt PdntA$/ustrmnt
Strength. A bend barsfllftgates roll should be
1 reserved foronly the most heroic of situations. As in the standard AD&Dgame,a character's
health is Judgedby hlt points. The Conrwutlonscore
Dexterity measures both hand/eye coordination plays an important pat Inthe determhratlon ofthe
and natural agility. For characters on Gothic Earth, a number of hit points an lndhrldusi has.
world in which handguna are not uncommon, the
Dexterity score also provides an indlcathw of Only soldiers a n entitied to a bonus of +3or 4
general marbmanshlp. Dexterity is the prime hlt points per Hit Dk. AI1 other characters a n
requisite for ail tradesman characters. to a maximum bonus of +2 points per Hit Die. Refer
to the descriptionsof indlvidual Character Classcs
Reaction AdJustment
This rating serves as an indication of the for further explanation,

character's quickness of actlon In a surprlse Sgstem Shock
situatlon. As in the ADED game, it m o d i k s the
surprise roil made at the start of some encounters. While characters In tradithwal AD&Dgamc

M W k Attack Adustment settings make fairly frequent use of this rating, the
This modifier retlects the accuracy with which a types of eventsthat call for S y & m Shock chocks
are far less common on Gothic Earth. SUII, they are
character can make missile attacks. It Is used wlth not unheard of,and this number is important to note
ail rolls made for thrown weapons (such as spears or
on the character sheet.
kniws), m M e weapons (such as bows or R c s u m Surolwl
crossbows), and firearms (revolversand rifles).
As mentlrmed, e chraaer's Inltlsl ColllltlMbn
Lkfenslue AdJustment score serves Ma maximum limit to the number of
This rating modifies a character's Armor Class tn tlmes a character may be resurrected fr0q-1deah.
Similarly,the Resurrection Survhrsl number
the same manner as in the standard ADED game.
On Qowc Earth, this defense adlustment Is indicates the percentagechance that a charcyctar will
especially important. Since firearmshave made the survive such a physically traumatic exparkncc, even

wearing of metal armor obsolete, a character's though rasumctions are far lesr c q m on Gothic
DefensiwAdjustment Is vhtually the only protectlon
available. Of course, it offers protection only agatnst Earth than In other campaiqn worlds.
iwszm saw
attacks that can be dodged, such as a thrown spear
or a gunshot. If a character is unaware of a coming In addition to the myriad toxlnr found Innrrturr.
attack and has no opportunity to dodge, then no the chemical sciences ofthe 1890's provide
adJustment is made to the base Armor Class. countless poisons unheard of in previous centwks.
For that reason. a character's natural resistewe to
ColuWvtkn toxic substances,as indicated by the Polson Save
The medical sciences of Gothic Eartha n far number, can be quite important.
superior to those on other ADED game worlds. Stili.
the best way for a character to avold de& is to be Regemtron
reairtsnt to injuries and l i t n e ~ sT.hfs qudlty is The w e ofthls rating io identical toilswe In
indicated by the Co- score. ConstMkm is
important to all characters, and is not a prknc traditional ADCD gmnes. N o m l human characten,
requislte forany slngb class.
are not able to qukkly regenerate lost hlt pdnta. In
some crrstum-genmally, the evil entitle8 that
heroes will be called upon to conhnt--thls wper
heaUng is taken for granted.

DaMgc c a d by Fin01acid ls sbaat never

healad bymgenemtim. T l t b berpsdug.lrnpatsnt



Loyalty Base modeled after the ADGD game classes of warrior j
This score modlfles an NK's basic morale, based and rogue. The other two claaseeadept and
mystlc-are dlstsntly related to whrda and priests, I
on the character's Isadershlp. It is as importan( on their ADED game counterparts.
Gothk Enrul ar it is In other game wdds.
Beforedescribing each class in detail,
Reactlon AdJustment general rules that affectcharacter creatlon are
Thls bonus or penalty modlflesa stranger's lnltial discussed. These rules explain some of the ratbnale
that affects the character classes, and detail some of
reaction to the character. Thls adjustment Is the differencesfrom the ADGD core rules.
unchanged from the ADGD core rules.
Weapon and firnor Restrictions
Character 4ace
in the standard A N D g a m , eharwtsrsm
Gethic Earth is not blessed with the great eerily reccgnked by the weapons, armor, and
diversity of humanoid and demihuman races equipment they employ. The widespread use m d
found in tnd)tbnatgame work%. Humans are avaltabtilty d Rrcamrs on GotMc EMthhar all but
the uncontested rnastss of this world. Thus. all eliminated this dWerentIabn. Large melee weapons
player charackers in a Masque of the Red Death have fallen out of use In favor of the accuracy,

campaign must be humar. range. and portability of flrearms. Metal armor Is
Thls does not prohlbk e k e s and dwarves from
obsolete as a result of its ineffectiveness agahnt
exbthrg onGothic Earth.If such races exist,they wlH bulkts. Har~dguns.uniike wonts,bows, and othu
not be enauntend in great numbers or in proximity weapons rrqulrlng trainins and practicefor afkcwIs
use,are usable with nssonsble mccessby pmonr
to human settlements. An expedition into the rainy without h a ltrsintng Thus, no rcdrietlonsb a d
fonats&?he PacfflcNorthwest rdght ahnnbk on character class are placed on the use of weapons
or annor.
a c m an enclave of elves or hafflings fighthg to
SUrvIve and remdnhlddmfmnmsn. A tesm Fdbwers

exprorins a kmg-forgottendiamond mine In southern in the ADED game.chrnsctcn a t rpcdRkdlntdr
begin to attract f o h mQn Oahk !Zmh, Wuk
Africa might And itseff suddenly in the mfdrt of a Is not used. Iyc chsractarls #Jswrnedto smact
secret colony of dwarves or gnomes. foilowerartrnply because d e~prieneekwal.

Still, these wondiour creatures a n so rare that The four character classes on Gothic Earthan
they may as wdl be conadered monsters. The sight open to persons of any alignment. No alignment
ofm elfon Oothic Earth would be no less a s u m restrictions are placed on the classes or.kIts that a
to Its cltlzens than the slght of a vamplre or ghoul. character may choose.

The late 1800's was a time of n a t i o n a h , Characters who undergo a shifl in a@mmt wffer
explorothm, end colonhstlon.It WM thedayn d an all the normal penalties associatedwlth such a
age of scient& wonders unlike any thathad come transformsuo~In the stadard ADED gome rules.
before. With thossekments in mind, a c h o r a ~ . ' s
ancestry and origins become extremtty M, Multi- and Dud-ctass Characters

When cresting a c h a r m @ okklc Earth, a B e c a w allofthe duracteraplayedinaHssque
OftheRSdDcath gemsmehumen, rnultr-cksed
Character Clsssa charactcn are not &owed. Ifa Dungeon Master L
brin(i. pt.ycn into c w w#h Qmihumn r a 8 ,
OUT d r s r s c t a &wes an avd.ble r~ 3-
characters In Miwque of Ihe Rsd [email protected]
the-ldier and tradesman-are cbseiy

the d a an~d race cotnblnatlcim allowed by the kyatS i n t c a d l t l a r d ~ , & o b n C t s n
Player’sHandBodc mlght be ancountarad. [email protected]~au
alignment, players should keep a few
pbyer charactm a n allowed to become dual-
class characters as deacrikd In the phyer’s important things in mind.
Handbook and D u mWmm Guldc. All rules and
restrlctlonspnscnted In the A N D core NIGS apply First,1890 is a umc oflaglslativesndjudickl
to dual-clsssed charactcrr on Gothic Earth.
government and colonial sxpanskn. whuc In
I PmFicicnciaS circles, talk of anarchy and revolution is

Adventures on Gothlc Earth are most realistic Indeed are the truly chaotlc souls w-
when prnficlenclcs are used. Many of the bask sklds
essoclated with character classes (such as tl thkf‘s PUrsUlt to these goals.
backstabblng ability) en treated as pmfklenck. h Overail, d m d k c h
Masqueof theRedDmth games.DMs andphyera
Earth.A -who
who a n no( fsmlliatwkh these NIGsShould reed character ta advlvd
them before gencrsthg a Gothic Earth character.
culture, psmepfiom tha Artlarlcsnw e orthe
ehaMlcter
frontiers of the African Cdar*r.
Character k b a n rpcdal tanplates that can bc
usedby players ta customhe thelr Cksreciers.The Second, evil acts damandcapdul-.
we of character kitr la optional, but it is encouraged.
A Dungeon Master WUI fInd that the kits included h In general, ~ C M Mwho act han e*umamrsdy
thcacntks,aowellasanykltatheDblorplayem
bemm.senmk.dmciety.Gucbprssaa
Invent, will glve the campaign added spice that can
result in better role-playing. unMkdykYbevlaMtSCnFurthamaa:l#ch

An example of a characterkit is the Sailor. which is would wield magkwkhm n d hearc nutthe risk d
a typeof soidler.A player who opts to play a Sailor In mtransformin(lintofculnrlnioarofthesbdD.*h~
the MasgucofuleRfdDmtbcampaign unea the Ntea (sa0 chapter v:h g k ) . )wt.**-d
an evil chsracter Is not recorn- h *ql
iathBkkUmengenersttngthccharactcr.Sucha w.A N D game envlranrsnt, t b eqmAdly
characterwill have cerWn edvantages when u d a t a k - dlscouragsd In the Gothic firth Tha
ing nautlcsladvartuns (such (IS avoldhg sesslckncM nalnfmsof theRwlDeath.rrtmywkar,mcmt
wttl act qukkiy to mcrukothsn y d o ~
or being abk to navigate by the stars), and wlll suffer myamfousordtn.
m e restrictionsin other escapades (&pa kkhg At Rrst glance. these guidelines might scam
sklll in et!quette). These bormses and penaltksususlly
balance cutOver thc coume of a campaign.

The adept character (Gothic Earth’sclosest players knoar that

approximath to a rwlrard) is not wwmed to
spcldlze In a school d m@c. If the DM plbhesto

permit players to become Specialists (as described
in the h g e r ’ s Handbwk). this may be allowed.
Common sense and a canful nvlew of arallaMe
spells should dictate the scchods open to such
characten. kr sdeprnecmmmcu is not Mkdyto
resist the powerd the Red Deathfor very lone; an
abjurer might ba awlusMc sddttbntm acampabn.

Soldier Specialty Weapons

AbUlty Score Requirement: Strength 9 like paladinsand rangers in traditionalADGD
Prime Requisite: Strength games, soldiers we not permittedto speclaliza in the
Members of the warrlor class are most commonly use offavoredweapons. The degree of devotion and
thought of as the hems who spend nearly every training required to so fully master a w ~ p o Ins not
waking hour tralnlng for battle. Although such consistent wlth llfe on Gothic Earth.
warriors are not k n o w on Oothk Earth, p r d c s s h a l
soldiers are found on every continent and in every proficiency Slots
culture. Soldiers are nearly identical to warrlors, but
a few bask dlfferencesmust be considered. like a warrkr In the ADCD game, a wldlcr begins
a career wlth fourweapon proficiencks and three
Hit ?oink nonweapon pmficlencies. One additional weapon
Soldlers roll Id10 forstarting hit points. (The and nonweapon proficiency slot Is gal& wkh every
thlrd experience level attained. Whcn using a
result of thb dl may k modifledby the weapon with which he Is not proficient, a soldier
suffers a -2 penalty to the attack roll.
Constitution bonus and may be increased by M
many as 4 polnts. Refer to Table 3: Constltutfon in As b d d l e r increases in level, he gains the ablilty
the player’s Handbook.)
to make muWpkattacksper combat round. Thls b
At each additional level up to and including the
9th. M addMona1 d10 Is rolled, modified by the played In a manner identical to theability of flghmn
character’s Conatltutlon bonus If appropriate. That
result Is added to the hlt point total. After the 9th In the standard A N D game.
level, the character no longer rolls for hlt polnts wlth
each new level, but gains 3 points per b e l . Soldier Level Attacks per Rwnd
ConstJtutionbonuses do not apply after the 9th level. 1-6 1 per round
7-12 3 per 2 rounds
13 and above 2 per round

b e d fidvancement Level Exp. Pts. Hlt Dke (d10)
A soldieruses Table 14: Warrfor €rperlence Lewls 1 01
2
for determining experience level, just as in the 2 2,000
ADED core rules. This table Is reprinted at right for 3 4,000 3
convenlence. Thus, a soldier attalns the second level 4 4
upon earning 2,000experlence points,and 5 8,000
advances to the thlrd level aRer accumulatlng4.000 6 16,000 5
experlence points. 6
7 32,000 7
A soldier who has a Strength score of 16 or 8 8
greater receives a 10%bonus to the number of 9 64,000
experience polnts that the DM awards. This allows
soldiers with high scores in the prime requisite to 10 125,000
advance In level more rapidly than thelr peers. 11 250,OOO
9
ving Throws and fitbck 12
13 500,000 9+
soldiers calculate saving throws and attack rolls In 750,000
the same manner as fightersIn the ADGD core rules. 14 9+6
Saving throw numbers appear In Table 60:Character 15 9+9
1,000,oOO
-Saolng Throwsin the Player‘s Handbook. Attack 16 1,250,000 9+12
rolls, also known as THACO, appear In Table53: 17 ~ , 5 0 0 , ~ 9+15
Calculated THACOs in the Player’s Handbook. 18 1,750,000 9+16
19
2,000,000 9+21
20 2,250.000
9+24
2,500.000 9+27

2,750,000 9+30

3.000,800 9+33

23

Adept

Ability Score Requirement: IntelHgence!
Rlme Requisite: lntelllgence
A5 mentloned prevbusly, magic is all but
unknown on Qothlc Earth.Stlll,a few individuals
have secretly kept alive the ancient knowledge of
spellcastingand magical lore. While many frauds
might claim knowledge of the arcane am, truly
talented people are few and far between.

Elit Points Adepts are the only charaaarSable to laam mkwd
hspaesltlsheonabGllolttyhitcoMcasht o.nWlyhethnefcbrarncttripe,sdbd&scqt
Adeptsrotl ld4togeMfitestaNnghitpOlnts.(ThL
rdl C M k -by (ICUUthtbn barrrS, but and reddInaglcspedls, whlkttlbnmy rcnra llks
adepts are limited to a maximum bnuaof2 hltpohrcl nothing to an clrpahnalAO%~garnemer,
per level. Refer to Table 3: constltu&lonin the phycr’s sreuppraematmrtuaeMl ohn mo ffwa lv311woE ( h e
Handhmk.) At each addltionsl level up to and lnclud- Esrth.
ingthe 10th. MI add[tknsl d4 is rolled, mediRsd by the
chamcter’sComtlWmbarmo tt-a Th.r
&isad&d0fhehit~pdhrtl.AAsrths loth
level, the character no longer rollsrOrhllpOmrwith
each mw level. but galns 1 point per level. Constku- ho-, may be [email protected]
thm bonuses do not apply afterthe loth level. Ulbchmaacr dldlomd yi lhls- Ldllaub:
In greater de4aHMsr hth*but% fmaptuvr

Level Pdvancement Msgk).

h p t s use Tablea:wiwti -ace LW& in fidept Expwience bevds
the player’s Handbook for determlnhg experknce
levels.Thistable is repIntedat @htfor convenlence. Level
Thus, an adept with 2,500 experknce points Is con- 1 0 t .*d r
2,m
sided 2nd level. An adept who has an lntelllgence 2 2
score of 16 or greater recelvesa 10% bonus tothe 5,000
number of experiencepointa that the DM awards. This 3 10,000 3
allows adepts with high acne8 h the prime nquiske 4 4
to advance In level more rapidly than their peers. 5 20,m 5
6 6
Saving Throws and fittat& I$Us 7 40,000 7
80,000 8
Adepts calculate saving throws and attack rolls In 8 9
the same manner as wirards In the ADGD core ruks. 9 90,000 10
Saving throw numbers appear ln Table M): Character 10 135,000
Saulng Thmwsin the player’s Handbook. Attack 11 250,000 10+1
rolls, also known as THACO, appear in Table 53: 12 10+2
Calculated THACOsin the player3 Handbook. 375,000
13 750,000 10+3
ProFiCiancy slots 14 1,125,000 10+4
I5
An adept begins a career with two weapon 16 1,500,~ 10+5
proficlency slots and Ave nonweapon pFoRclency
17 1,87~Wo 10+6
2,2%3,000 10+7
18 10+8
2.625.000 10+9
19 3,000,000 10+10
20 3,37s,000
3.7s00,000

Mystic uses a weapon wlth which he is not proflcient suffers
a -4 penalty on the attack roll. A mystic must
Ability Score Requirement: Wisdom 9 devote at least onenonweapon slot to Spiritcraft.
Prime Requisite: Wisdom
spen use
While some intellectuals cloister themselves and Mystics are the only characters able to learn
devote their lives to meticulous study at the cost of priest spells on Gothic Earth. Like adepts, they have
real world experience. members of the mystic cia88 spent many hours in the study of lore thought to be
tend to gain the majority of their knowkdge from forgotten or mythical. The magic they have
.systematic studies of the universe. They are a mastered: while insignificant in terms ofstandard
worldly, hardy folk, nearly a s stalwart a s soldiers. ADGD games, represents the command ofpowers
few mortals would dream of on Gothic Earth. A
Elit Points mystic begins the game with the ability to cast
bless, detect evll, and defecf maglc. A mystic who
Mystics roll Id8 for starting hit points. (The result wishes to master other spells must seek them out
may be modified by the Constitution bonus and may or invent and research them. Both processes are
be increased by as many a s 2 polnts. Refer to Table difficult and dangerous. information on the use of
3: Constitution in the Player's Handbook.) At each magic by mystics is found in Chapter V: Maglc.
additional level up to and Including the 9th. an
additional d8 is rolled. modified by the character's Turninq Llndead .
Constitution bonus if appropriate. That result is
added to the hit polnt total. After the 9th level, the A mystic's knowledge and understanding ofthe
character no longer rolls for hit points with each new afterlifeenables'him to focus energy and turn
level, but gains 2 points per level. Constitution undead, following the rules in the RAVENLOFT
bonuses do not apply after the 9th level. Campaign Setting. A mystic derives this power not
from great faith in a deity, but from knowledge and
Level Pdvancement experience of undead.

Mystics use Table 23:Prlest Erperience Levels in Mystic Experience kevds
the Player's Handbook for determlhg experience
levels. This table is reprinted at right for convenience. Level Exp. Pts. Hit Dice (d8)
A mystic who has a Wisdom score of 16 or greater
receives a 10%bonus to the number of experience 1 0 1
points that the DM awards. This allows mystics wlth 2 1,500 2
high scores Inthe prime requisite to advance in level 3 3,000 3
more rapidly than their peers. 4
5 6,000 4
Saving Throws and fittack (011s 6 13,000 5
7 27,500 6
Mystics calculate saving throws and attack rolls in 55,000 7
the same manner a s clerics in the ADGD core rules. 8
Saving throw numbers appear in Table 60:Character 110,000 8
Saulng T h k w s in the Player's Handbook. Attack 9
rolls, also known as THACO, appear in Table 53: 225,000 9
Calculated THACOs in the Player's Handbook. 10 450,000 9+2
675,000 9+4
proficiency Slots 11 900,000 9+6
12 1,125,000 9+8
A mystic begins with two weapon proficiency slots 13
and five nonweapon proficiency slots.A mystic 14 1,350,000 9+10
gains one additional weapon slot with every fifth 15 1,575,000 9+12
experience level. A mystic gains one additional 16
non 3n slot at every third level. A mystic who 17 1,800,000 9+14
9+16
18 2,025,000 9+18
19 2,250,000 9+20
20 2,475,000 9+22
2,700,000

Chapter 11:

Yradesman Proficiency Slots

Abillty Score Requirement: Dexterity 9 A tradesman begins a career wlth three weapon
proficiency slots and six nonweapon proficiency
Prime Requisite: Dexterity slots. A tradesman gains one additional weapon
Tradesman characters make up the majority of proflciency slot with ebery fourth experience level. A
the worlds population. Comer merchants, laborers, tradesman gcins one addltionai nonweapon
and all others who make the civilization of Gothic proflciency slot at every third level.
Earth run smoothly fall into this class. The class also
includes those few individuals who opt to make a A tradesman who uses a weapon with which he
living through the pursuit of crlminal activities. is not proficient suffersa -3 penalty on the attack
Characters with talents similar to the rogue in the ’ roll.
ADED game also qualify as tradesmen:

tiit Po Just a s the art of weapon specialization has
disappeared in the world of Gothic Earth, so too
Tradesmen roil Id6 for starting hit points. (The have the traditional Thieving Skills of the ADED
lFsultof this roll may be modlfled by the game. This is not to say that characters are no
Constitution bonus and may be increased by a s longer able to pick locks or climb walls. These
many as 2 points. Refer to Table 3: Constitution In skiiis are now handled a s proficiencies. Complete
the Plager’s Handbook.) information on proficiencies is presented in Chapter
Ill: hpclencies.
At each additional level up to and including the
loth, an additlonai d6 is roiled, modified by the Simllarly, the Backstabbing skill is considered a
character’s Constitution bonus if appropriate. That nonweapon proficiency for Masque of the Red Death
result is added to the hit point total. Aher the 10th campaigns and is also discussed in more detail in
level, the character no longer rolls for hit points with Chapter Ill: hpclencies.
each new level, but gains 2 polnts per level.
Constitution bonuses do not apply after the loth Tradesman Experience Levels
level.

fidvancement Level exp. Pts. Hit Dlce (d6)
0
Tradesmen use Table 25:Rogue Ekperlence 1 1
,euels in the Plager’s Handbook for determining 2 1,250 2
experlence levels. This table is reprinted at right for 3 2,500 3
convenience. Thus, a tradesman with 1,250 4 5,000
experience points is considered 2nd level. 5 10,000 4
6 20,000 5
A tradesman who has a Dexterity score of 16 or 7 40,000 6
greater receives a 10% bonus to the number of 70,000 7
experlence polnts that the DM awards. This allows 8 110,000
tradesmen with hlgh scores In the prime requisite to 9 160,000 8
advance In level more rapidly than their peers. 10 220,000 9
440,000
Saving Throws and Attach Rolls 11 660,000 10
lot2
Tradesmen calculate saving throws and attack roils 12 880,000 10+4
In the same manner as rogues in the ADED core 13 1,100,000 lot6
rules. Saving throw numbers appear in Table 60: 14 1,320,000 lot8
Character Sauing Throws in the Plager’s Handbook. 15 1,540,000 lot10
Attack rolls, also known as THACO, appear in Table 16 1,760,000 10t12
53: Calculated THACOs in the Phger’s Hi Dk. 17
18 1,980,000 lot14
19 2,200,000 lot16
20 lot18
lot20

I the traditional Trainim
4DED game,
xoficiencies are I
~Icaentedas an
m a l rule that is
:an be used or
gnored as the
hngeon Master
hires. M m u e of
!heRed Death rules.
iowever, assume
hat proflclencles

Ire used. As such.

>layemand
hngeon Masters

who are not

acqualnted wlth
proficiency rules should take &e time to
become famlllarwlth them.

TPquirinq Proficiencies
he process by which a player selects a
character's starting proflclendes Is
identical to the procedure descrlbed In the
Player's Handbook. Unless othewlse noted, all of
the rules presented In that book and the DuriaEOn
%TSR Guide apply to campaigns set on Qothk

Earth.
The tabte below summarizes Information about

proflclency slots presented in the character class
descriptions. TM. chart resembles the chart In

Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook, but the
values are adjusted to r
Earth.

c --Pori
slots Add'l
Proficiency Slots
33
Class Ww 53
Soldler 53
slots Md'l Pen 63
4 3 -2
Adept 2 5-4
Mystlc
2 5-4
Tradesman 3 4 -3

In addition to the proflciencles Ilsted, a player
character galns bonus proficlencies b a d on the
lntelllgence score. This Is detailed In the Number of
Languages column In Table4: /nteUlgenceIn the
player's Handbook, and In Chapter H of thls
rulebook.

penalty when urlng a wea

-d a t e d profieicncy.Thus,

long sword suffersonly a

pertinent to Gothic Earth.

Axes:~handaxe
Bludgeons:baton, club, Rail, footm.n'rfruce,

~,honeman'SmaCc,~~

Bows: a h t lone. C O m Q d t e

~W~hsavysndupht

--..Any**nsvy
film:all daggers and knlvcs

Rlpcs: carbine, Me.repedng carbine, mpeathgri&
Shotguns: scattergun. shc4gun
Slings: sling, staffsling
Spears:harpoon,javelin, spear,t r i d d
m,S h - b a s t a r dsword, bcoodraord,cutlara, foil,
.iwP=bbng S w W -, Mkr.
scimitar, short sword

Weapons that are not categorized above ar :
considered unique.

_.--. .. weap specldization

Thb ability b not waHaMe to pkyar dwacten
genem:undarM8squeoftheRcdDeafhndss.%
D~'MsrtsrdWZtyShWthaoptkn*toeasaOt+Rl

enemyw"FCclthsuchsnsbllky,butthatir
certolnly M exception to the rule.

28



In general, nonweapon proflciencies are treated In l h e a p o n P & i y Descriptions
exactly the same manner as in the traditional
ADED game. The table on the previous page Although many of the proficiencies set down in the
provides a complete list of the skills available to original ADED rules are unchanged in Masque of the
Masque of the Red Death game characters. Red Death, several need further explanation or slight
modificationfor use on Gothic Earth. In addition,
While some proficiencies wiii be familiar to new proficlenciesneed to be fully defined. A careful
players of the ADED game, many have been study of the proficiencies table will also reveal that
altered or renamed. Several new skills have been some proflciencles have been deleted because they
added. The proflciencieshave also been grouped in are not used on Gothic Earth (airborne riding, for
a different manner from the ADED core rules, In example).
order to better reflect the world of Gothic firth and
the 1890s. Academkian
This skill identifies a character who is a trained
Note that each character class has access to
two proficiency groups at the cost listed in the educator and who is familiar with the scholastic
tables. if a player wishes to give a character a enviranment. if the Dungeon Master chooses to use
proficiency outside those groups, such a the rules for training in proficiencies, a character
proficiency costs one slot more than the number of with the Academiclan skill can serve as a teachew
slots listed in the table. This follows the ADED provided, of course, that he is knowledgeable in the
core rules. Each proficiency group will be skill which Is to be learned. If the training ruks are
available to one or more of the character kits not used, the Academician skill can be used as a
described later in this rulebook. general check whenever an institution of leamlng
must be used by the PCs to obtain information.

Agriculture Appr4.h
Thls protklmcy W b a a character as a drilled -ihlsproRclarcybonlyollgM)y~hwnthe

farmer. Such a character wlll be able to find work as dni- the Ffager's hndbodr, Man appratssl
a farm hand far more easily than another character check iswEcdufu1,the value of an ltan Is
might. This skill also bestows a knowledge of e s t i m a e d m 10% of its actud value (&
growing cycles, crop p t s , harvest techniques, and value is daamIned by the DM).If the roll is Alkd.
the like. the character's estlmate Is incorrect by 50% of the
item's actual value. On an unmodlfled roll of 20, the
MY character 1s wlldly off In the cstknstlonof the vskn
Thh proficiency is the supernatural equivabnt of (DM'sdstcrmlrutfgl~Onanunmodtftsdrollof1,
the character's estimate is WithIn 1%ofthe SCIuel
the chemistryskill. It provldes a character w#ca value.
chance to Identify the effect of magical pcnrOns that
may be encountered In the course of saenturhg. Archaeology
Whenever such an unknown potlon Ishnd,the
In the 1890's.the study of the ancient world is
character can spend one turn (10 minutes) very much in feahlon. Thls inc4udcr all topics and
eras, from the excavation of dinosaur b w mtothe
examinlng the ellxir. The DM then makes a exploration of tonibs in Egypt. The archacdogy
proflclency check. profldency Mkatesthat a chsracter Is fsmllkr not
only with the study of the part, tut also the
If the check Is successful,the character learns the techniques by whlch such Information k
general nature of the potion. The DM should always acquired.
couch the potion's effactsIn arcane or mystical
terms. For htance, a potlon of heallreg might be Thls proAclency is simllar to the Gunnay ddll that
Id- aa "an uncommon cllxlr which is beneficial was Introduced In the historlcal reference book A
Mighty Fortress (9370).It allows a characterto
to tke fkrh of heroes." Of course, the WIW terms operatetheartlllcryofthepe~camons
might be used to describe a potion o/hndsm or and Gatiing guns.A character who devotes 0 1 d~ot
to the study of artlikry Isabteto load,clean, and
Strength. otherwise care for such a weapon, but b not
If the dle roll Is an unmodlfied 1, the character ssukiflflk. iwainthtlythdedfdkcdvototlmactduslalKy acimmdit with my great
tkc
exactly Identifies the potlon and muy be told the character kcomes a IuNy quallffed slot,
potion's precise elTed.
who m y
If the check Isfalled,the character Is unabk to dlrect the flreof heavy weapons against enemy
identify thepotiu'~T.he DMcan simply l n h the posltlons.
player that the attempt failed. if the die roll is an
unmodified 20, however, the character misjudges Altlssn
the potion and believes Itto be something h e r than Thls skill is basad on the descriptionfor Atti&Ic
It Is.If the potion is hazardous or even toxlc, M b can Ablilty presented In the Player's Ha-. When
be a crucial blunder. The DM must decide whether to this proflckncy Is selected, the player must choose a
descrlbe the misjudged potion In general terms or to specificform of attistk expressionfor the character.
Identify it as a speclflcconcoction. Art forms mieMincludspafnung, drmring. .cutptlng,
need!ecraft, pocay wriUng. or othcrmedis oftha
A n h i Husbandry player's choke.
This sklli Indicatesthat the character b cmver~nt The attiwn proficiency mlght also be combined
with another proficiency, such as photography or
with both the training and handling of dome&kated weaving, to indicate that the character Is not rnerdy
animals. As such, It canbkns end replaces the swlis cornpatant In such a Reld, but is so &lied as to
create works ofart.
of Animal Handling and Animal Training In the
Player's H a n d b o d c

Dungeon &stern should be aware tlu? the k-I-
edge assoclatcd with this &ill prlmMfly wrr&l *
domesticated animals. Attemp4s to tnln mature WHd
animals drwld suffer a -2 penelty per H i f o k d the
creature. The DMm y adlust this modi&r baaedon
the age, Intelligence. and k m l t y ofthecreature.

31

btronomy mh s k l l L . ~ h* the~
mRdboc&. .
Thls pmflciarcy l i ~ d k t ae ~d I d knawk@aof ., ,, , .

the npWy grow@ rclance of stellarobwwbtm Biokar
Whlle manklnd has watched the stsm for emtw'leh Whik botany I
a great deal ofmystffal low has alwayskma zoology Involves
associated with the heavens, to the poiaUISr the Involves the study ofall llving things, l n c l w
average c#lren can barely dlsthgulsh fact from humans. A character with the biology rkill w#&vlpau**.
myth. - ta *naAlLknowlt?dgeolplntrad~al-r)le
inter^^^ themSuch a-chanctardIU
Thls skill allowse character to ldentlfy c e W
bodks and to pmlict upcoming stellar evant.such
a5 ecltpscs and meteor showera. Charactanwkh th4
sklll galn a bonus to the Navlgation proficiency,
addlng a +1bonus to a Navigation check.

AWstka nus to atlarnpg rn render flmt aid far .',

Thl.PmfkimCy -8 thst the Wka by the DW,
a SpedRC sportorrw asUltbaslsdthe
pmfkkncy. Theexact kmats&the ldectedspnf
*--08 well as the ablllty score upon whkh chadcs witl

be made. is up to the DungconMaster. The WI
should keep in mind that many spa* COMkkrrd

common on modem-day earth have not yet bcen
Invented In the 1890's. and others (such as
baseball) a nJust starting to become popular on 8

scale.
ThirprdwaRcympkesthe~labUkyofthe
AwDmEeDnlguanmeero. rAmoahuaynaascsrowcfltahtctdhwislsthklrlloggawhbal u+w4
bonus to all attack rdlsrpadewlthrurprlMwlnst
the opponent's rear. In addltloa. a bedrsrsbi n R h a
greater amount-fo depwdiag on the
charactu'rlevs(,aa&awnonthefdknwtagch.rt:

Chsmter Damage
Level
mmpfkr
1-4
2x
5-8
3x
9-12 4x
13+ 5x

All d the mnndcMlsldtrstkns an~$mbicUu~
laid down In the Pbyar'sHandbOdrappiy80
charactem U@ng attsck 00 &aMG
Earth.

32

formulae. If the character hopes to successfully Clockwork
concoct new compounds. an additlonal dot must be A character with thi.PrOAdency is ddkdcrth
allocated. The DMmust regulate all fabrication small mscbnhms similar to ulose d i n docks
attempts to insure play balance. and music k e a . With the right rook the cbracter
con UR this talent bo construct c k h , watches, or
cumb walls similar timing mechanhs.
In a E(UC Inwhich atrap i s i . d r i f r w n such
TMS pro~ctencyrepiaces the thkfd t ~oi ithe ssme compo-, the DMmay allow a char- with thh
name. when used successfully,It allows a character to
scale virtually sheer walls. Characterswlth this dciU are sklil an attempt to d i m It (possibly with a negahrc
able to climb at the MIIN rate as an ADGD gnme thlef modlfkr to success).
(see llme and Mwement in the player's Handbodc). The initial allocationof om slot to thlr &ill d h
the character to maintain and repair dwkm of Ihb
Whenever a thief character would be called upon nature. If new devices are to be deslgned and Mt,
to make a roll against his Climb Wails ability In an an additlonal slot must be allocated.
ADED game, a character in the Masque ofthe Red
Death campaign must make a proficiency check. cobblhg
When making this check, the DMwill need to apply This skill is unchanged from the derclrptbn in the
the modlflers listed In Table €6:CllrnblngW @ e m .
Since t h e e are given as percentages, a qukk Plager's Handbook.
conversion must be made, so that every 5%bonus
or penalty equates to a 1-point modifier to the coddne
proflclencycheck. Thus, a character cllmblng a crag
wlth abundant handholds (+40%modlfler) gains a Thh skill Is unchanged from the description in thc
+8 bonus on thepmficlency check. Plager's Mandbcok,

33

Crlmlndogy Mwh
The study of crlme and ita history can be of great This skUi is unchsngcd from the description hth

Importance to an adventurn on Gothic Earth. player's Handbcok.
Whlle the flrst use of Angerprlntlng in law
PrsarlClty
enforcement has not yet occurred. and the FEU wlll The wonders of electrlclty are sweepingthrough

not be formed for another 30 years, anyone can the wuid d(loUlicEa&. Hardly a day -by thet
a new rue is not found bthk recently h a m e a d
learn much from a careful study of crlmlnais and power source. WIth this &Ill, a charecter can
underrtsndMddesi(lnVsrkus~drimSthat
their techniques. At a crime scene, a character
with this talent will generally be able to notlce dependuponekctricltyforulatroperstbn.
clues that others may miss (if such clues exist, of
course). Such a character may also have an The tnitisl p u r c h a s e o f t h b s k u I d k r s t h e ~
advantage In working with local law enforcement to undwstandand repalr such machines. tmtchsr-
agcncles.
actcrWkheStodeSlgnandbUiMdacbicaidevirrs,an
Dancing addltiaMl slot must be a l l d tothe ddll.
This skill Is unchanged from the descrlptlon in the
Endunnce
player's Handbook. This skM is unchanged hwnthe de8crIpUa-1In the

DemoUtlon player's Handbook.

Explosives are far more common In the Masque of wn=+w
the Red D a t h settlng than they are in a traditional
ADED game. Characters skilled with the use of A character with this skill is assunedtobe& to
dynamite and slmllar explosive devices can use understand, design. and bulld complex mchlncs
using the most modem advances of 1890's science.
them to collapse bridges, houses, and other For the most part, these devlcer wUI
structures with great efflclency. Whenever a be powered &
m,character atanptltoi#t.naxplorive stemn englneo or similar mcchsnfsms such Mwater
a walhloewelssaorchwalrnadcmtellrlst.oTMhwInWLIapndir-chsre of this ddll
prdickncy check must be made to avold mbhap. A
nonprdiclent character using clcpksivas nad mekc compkdc
an hte&mcechedcwlth a 4 m d l l e r t o perform mechanbms. If the char
asfdlocuamtctdm. ctlon tasks, an a
the8asmfe4bt.
t a check fob. the w m b e r d pokas by which it
was mh.adhdicates tha aeverl& d the mishap, (10 Persons wlshlng tobe dJu.d b (hlrranukcturr
determimdby the DungeonMaster. if the check falb and operatlon of electrkatmochhesWp1ngdto
banypoLnylyfiIu0t1o2&ptComlnatste,.toAr eroxaltmr bpkt ,*bthye purchase the ElecbMCy@&lmcy.
charge m y
4
3or
pdniimight indic&mfomem cotlstemi esw-n
a roll that fails by 5 pObrcl01more might indicate a Thk skill replaces the L a n & b a d
premature explosion that LJurar or klils the
character Scttlng the charge. mpredtkltresnecthy.eUdonlteisssa0lltohceawte-dk,tshteead
MdltionelInfomath arthe rue dthls
proRckncy C M be fand hlthe Cambatchaprrrd polldancy~~onfyhonah
these&. amskAplo)WrhoWkhME~tObc

Datactpkbc dp.chydsmuCfolhat

Thlr prollckncy L s d hplace dthe WefsklU of asdlrkgM.Idll=d
the -name. The [email protected] frwto blwhCnhWy

sppIymodukntothechedcfar~~sr
b a c l p p l n d n o t s o , p h y r i c s l ~Mdshdlar

CCWWYtbR





&odd understand that It nfiectsthe modem flagsof jourrmism
Thia sklll nflecta a talentforwrklng and a
the world. mllltary Inslgnia. and various Important
icons of the 1890's. famlUarlty with the business of publishing. t might
Herbalism lndkata one of a number of o c c u p a ~a. character
employed as a wrfter or edltor by a newspaper or
This skill Is unchanged from the description In the maganlne; a character ding as a h b m wlta
prclyer's Handbook. or photographer:or a character who writes Rctlonal
Hida In Shadows stories or novels.

Thls skill replaces the thief skill of the same name. Attempts by a character to sell written work will be
It is used in the same circumstances as the thief govemed by prnRdency checks and the OM'S
skill, replacing the percentage roll with a proRckncy estimate of the quality and I n t e n d of the work. h
check. any case, an unmodifkd rdl of1 indicates that a
History work is hailed a5 masterful by crltlcs, while an
unmodified roll of 20 indicates that a work urlll be
This skill Is simllar to the anclent history scorned and ridiculed.
profklency in the Player'sHandbook. When the Langlu#e, Andent
proftclency Is chosen, the player must dect a
spec* area or putodof history to be the When a player selectsthls pmflciency for a
character's area of expertise. The DungeonMaster character, a apeclfk language must be chwen.
must approve any choke, and may broadenor Languagesthat quallfy as m k n t Includeancknt
narrow any selection that may seem inappropriate. Egyptian, Babylonian,G m k , and 5us~mrknD. ue to
For example. the history of winemaking In Europe the frequency with whkh LatIn la used on Gothk
might be an appropriate choke; the hlstory of Earth, It may be seleaed aa a modem tanguy.
Europe would not be appropriate;the history of a
slngle vineyard In the Burgundy region would also Thlr profklency bestows knowlcdgcof both
be inappropriate. written and spoken ekmenta of a langua(le, If both
exist. For example. a profklency InEeypbn
It is important to make a diatlnction between this hieroglyphicsdoes not allow a character to 'speak"
sklll and the ForMdden Lore profkkncy. The player
and DM should read the description for that hiemglyphks.
profklency before making any deddons.
Hunting The DM la free to disallow any language that

Thls skill Is unchanged from the descrlptlon In the seems Inappropriate.
player's Handbmk. Language, Modsrn
Jewakr
Like the Ancient Language profidcncy, a
This skill replaces the character Is required to select a s p d f k language.
Gem Cuttlng profl- Thls skill allows the character to both speak and
ciency described write the seleaed language. As noted hthe
Anclent Language dwcriptlon, Letln Is consklered a
ioning of modem language on Gothic Earth because It la ao
Jewelryfrom precious metals and other valuable commonly used in church services, mcdiclne, and
substances. It otherwise functions as described In science, and is taught almost routinely In
the player's Handbook. grammar schools. It is not, however, used for
conversatlon.
Markomanrhlp

This ddll indicsles that the character has devo(sd
a great deal of t h e and effort to the mastery of a
speclfk Rrearm. A firearm must be selected when
the skill is purchased. A r ~ ~ r k s mms nay be akllled
wlth more than OM weapon If a proflclancy dot Is
allocated for each weapon.

I____-

Every slot (includlngthe fint) expended on this
proficiency givea the character a +I bcnw to attack
and damage rolhwhen urhgtheadectd par

loc Akned R m if the chsnctar employs Rapld Rra
the eharacterracehres thebonus toattack db.M
not to damage dls. Ifen#e#od hPMIC R r e , ~

bnw tothe sttack ordsmclgc roll is altawad.

mrony
A character with this proRckncyb&Ukd In all
manners of con- Inwiving stow, brick,
cement, anddnllar bulldcgnmtuidn. TMS
proflckmcy Isrimlbr to the
proficiency in the player's Handbedr.

Medicine
A character with this proficiency ba physlckn
who has atknded a medkal rdrad orhas studitd
closely and for m y y e w un&r a skilled
phylielsn. Such charactcnare wdl vaned In the
a@ienMchsding method.of the two's.
Phyakbns are able ta tend the wcunded, as an
charwten with the H d l n g .W.A awceadd
proficiency cheek by a phyrlci.n, however, restores
I d 4 hit points. In sdditkn,a physicisn lsabk to
render Rntaid t~ any ch.rackr once every 12 haurs
rather 4kan once par day.
Characters placed under the care of a phyCkbn
heal more rapidly thm those ncU caredfa a
doctor. Such characters recover 1 hit poi@par day If
engaging in normal activity; 2 hit points per day of
nonstrenuous activity: 3 hit points par dry of
complete rest; and 4 pohb per Qy Y placedIn a
hosprtal or slmllsr rnedkd fscllity.
A phyriw to help a poLoncd
character grantsthe character a +2 bonus to MV-
throws V e n u s polron (mgtdass of haw the p0iM
entared the system). If the physician has accessto a
rearorubly cquippcdatmeofmcdloslw p p k frurk
as a ship's Lnfhnary or doctor's office),thio mall&r
increases to +3.If care IsgIven in a hospital or
slmilar facility, the bonus Increases to +4.
Physklans are able to diagnose and treat diseases.
Treatment does not always indicate an inundate
m e (orany cure). it may colrrtttulsthe ea- d
s y m s t h w h h - hws, POrJtlm,a*
therapy. Treatmmt m y rhatanlhc duration d an
illmas dcpcndlngon the aw&ty of the cbeaw.
To ac+nhrirter swxeddtmatmmk the phvarSn
must make a proficiency c b c k #the phy.ldurhm

38 1

could be made to recall many of the speclRcr of the NOvlglUon

scene whlch he was unable to recall consclously. Thls sklH Is slmllar to the description In th
player's Handbook.
Mnh
Thls sklll Is unchanged from the descrlptlon In the Navlgsth Is much more exact on QothkEarth
than it is in most fantasy campaign worlds. A skllkd
player's Handtiwk. navigator wlth the proper equipment (mapa and a
Mountaineering compass, at the very least) can find h b way a c m
any stretch of land or KO wlth relative ease.
Thls sklll functions as described in the player's open Loeb
Hanbk.
Thls pmfickncy Is rwd In the same
MOMSilently clrcumstances as the thlef sklH of the same MUM.
The percentage roll normally used for the thlef sklll
Thls proficiency Is used In the same Is replaced wlth a pmflclency check.
circumstances as the thlef skill of the same name.
The percentage roll normally used for the thkf sklll The modt&rs normally applied to the roll for
Is replaced wlth a proficiency check. avallable took, kck construction, and the Hke M
Muskkn applied to thls proRckncy as well. Every 5%bonus
or penalty to the thlef skill check lndkaten a I-point
Thla profklency functionsas described In the adjustment to the pmflckncy roll.
player's Handbook. The player must select a
speclflc Instrument for the character at the thne the PhoWwhY
proflckncy Is chosen. The pmflckncy may be taken A character with thls pmfickncy Is skllled in the
more than once to galn proflclency In multiple
Instruments. use and repalr of camera equlpment. In addltbn.
thls talent allows a character to develop

.P

A:

i photographic plates and print plctures If the proper For the most part, hdhtldustswho practke
equipment Is available. If comblnd with the Attimn pmgnostteatbn a oothk Earth ara.lradsQ fode.
i! profkiency, the character can produce photographs They learn nothing from their efforts and know
I that are considered artlstlc rather than m m l y nothing of the true magic associated wlth forhm ' '
competent. telling. b y e 1 c h a m n , w h o . l a k atwlpalLE*asy
jj a n assumed to have an understandingd the true
The 1890's la a time In whkh the wonder of mystical nature of thelr craft, however, and can use
I thls talent to accurately predkt the future (dibu&
phokgmphy is spreading rapidly through the world.
Stereoscopes are conrlderedstytrsh novelties and
i have enamored the mlddle class. George Eastman to a llmltld degree).
I has rIencsetenatldyoIfngvleanstsedptlhateesK(oldeakssca)m,buetrsautchhat The use of this skill Is not without hazard. &cause
I fllm uses this ability taps the maglcal energles of the world-

ii cameras are not yet commonly available. energies long ago fouled by the arrival d Uw6W.n,;
Death-any use ofthbproAciencymqulreea pawem
Physics check. ..

1 A character with thls skill is familiar with the Tha chance of faillng a povcrs check is b a d w n
forces of nature and the physkal laws and structure the nature of the Informaion sought by the
prognostlcator. If the character seeks only trivlal or
i of the universe. Phyalcs In the 1890's was radicatly vague knowledge (for example, will / be luohy-at
cards th& month?) then the check h . o n t y a 1%
i different from the physlcs d wr modem Earth. chance of failure. An attempt to g l a n more
Concepts ofquantum mefhanlcr, molecular
bonding, and even electrons were unknown.

~
This proficiency includes a knowledge of forces specifk Information (forexample, wN1ourdnttk.:.
i and motion, gravity, heat, Ught msgnetlsm, and agalnst the uarnpire be wccessful?),cordesa 2%
II proficiency providea a good understanding of
propetties of matter and energy. The physlcs calhloanwcsethofemfaftlourbee. More precise questions. if the DM
asked, can result In more.
i electriclty and may provide a +2 bonus on attempts .

*II!
to (ha.Eka?ty(R ~ . t a I e & Wi .DM
dammVhm dppPlxiabc.

I h-0n-b
nuwi Inteat
~

I

~

I

i

I

~

i~II gllmpscs of the future. handllng of &s a m r is trslned In the c a n and
elected, the player &.@8@8 sufferingfrom varying typea of
by which mental I b m s s . This Includes the effects of failed
!~ the character attempts 6- the (irrurr. Possible h o n w m madness checks.
techniques include atrokey,polnv&dhg, tea I@ lRJ#PmRFknCy has no effect on failed fear
i~ reading, and numerology. checke. haelnformatlon on the use of thls
This proficiency functions in the n m e manner a8 proRckncy is found In Appcndlz I//:Aduenturfng on
i the Astrology skill d C R d in the player's H m M . OoBhkEarth.

~

mw-w RaadUp.

Aparson wlth this proficlency has a limtted This akUl h unckan@ lrom the dsscriptbmIn the
psychic gif&that enables the lndMdual bo detect the
faintImpreMicna atrached to itemslnvahred in player's Handbook.
traumatlc events. For Instance, if a psychometrlst Religion, Anclent
were to attempt a proficiencycheck on a knlfe that
was suspeaed as a murder weapon. a successful This proficiency provides a character wlth a
check mlght weal great pain and terror llnked to
the weapon. If the obJecthad no traumatic event general understanding of ancient religkmslhal am
assoclated with it, or if the roll failed, the character
would sense nothing. no IongerpmcUcedopenly on Gothk Earth.
Additbnsl dotr can be devoted bUlbpmiickncy to
In such a case. if the roll is an unmodifkd 1, the
character will relive the traumatic experience as if he make a character an expert mthctshbrsndMI&
had been present at the event. In a severe case, this
could result in a fesr or honor check or even a of a specific lost religion.
System Shock roll to avdd death or coma. This skill tends to provide macabre and unusual

In order to usa thls sklll, the character must hold information about "the dead gods" and slmltar
the obJectin qwsUon and spend one complete slnlrter-clarndhg concuns. Somsdcmsmver
round concentratingon it. exists with the Modem Religion profldcncy.
PugUIsm Religion, Modern

Chsrscten with thls profidency are hlghly akllled Thb skllltn abnllar to the ReUg&mpmkienqhthe
In unarmed combst. More than one slot m y be h g e r ' s Handkok. It grants a charsctsr a ~ a r p n l
devoted to the proficlency, and every slot dedkated famlllaritywlth religlons currently practiced on Ooihk
provides a + I bonus to the character's attack roll Earth.Addltlonal slots may be allocated to s#os,a
when punching. wrestling, or overbearing. Thls Is In
addition to all other modifiers. chsrsctertokanexpertinthetangandhlstoryof
Quick Draw
a specific faith. A small amount d crcsaover d r t r
A character wlth this skill is able to quickly aim or with the Ancient R d i g h profickncy.
prepare a weapon in combat. A specificweapon
type must be c h o m when the pmfkkncy is chosen. R O P u.s
Thus, a character may have a Quick Draw
proflcicncy wkh a handgun, but the proflctency does This skill is unchanged h m the deocripUon in the
not apply to knivea or clubs.
player's Handbook.
More thanom dot may be kvotedtotheprufi- Running
ciency. and every slot dedlcated provides a I-polnt
bonus to the initlativeroll when the character reaches Thls &Ill h unchanged frwn the darripflon in the
forthe choscn weapon. Since the modlRer applks
only to a s-e chsracter, that character may need player's Handbook.
to roil Initiative separately from the re& d his party. 8a~0lr-F~h
Read Lngua@as
A character wlth this skill has the ablltly-lo
This ablllty applies to nonma@callanguagesthat smoothly and qukkly adapt to any dtwtbn in any
originated on Earth. The pofkkncy functlmas the type d Company. A male character suddenly
thief sklll d t h e =me name. confrontad by a pack of angry thugs mlght W e a
Savoir-fakecheck to strike up a c o m ~ t l m a n d
Characters with thls profldency are unable to read pass as one dtheir own.A lemslechanchr In the
dead or anclent languages such as BabykmIan. same sltuatJon may be able to cham, ha way out d
danger. Carversely, such chancters can exhiblt dl
languages with magkal powers, and obcurr the grece and d l t y shown in the grw8CaaUaf
Europe, Pamapsgarneringthe fhrar(tabka in
shorthands and arcane script.
restaurants or thebwt su#as in hot&.
In addltkm to any effects called b b y ro*-pt.gkrg

and M s judgment In npeclflcshattora. a
successful Savolr-Aim dl a p p k a +2bonus to the
ReacUMI AdJustment and byalty Bw mcdlfiers as

d e t d n d by a chamcter's Chubnu.

41

A character wlth the Savolr-falrep d k k n c y Ls
oble toblendlnto a pettlngand kmm cwaotnsby
obaervlng the natlves. The DM may lmpuae a
Ltl penalty of 1.2, or 3 points to the die roll in cases of
unusual or obscure customs In foremlands.
c

(k.aurubp

This skill k unchanged from the dcrcrfptlonInthe

Plsyer's Handbook.It raRaas a knowledge d and

f a m h i t y wlth the more advnnced types dshlps
employed in the 1890's.

set 5-

Th& &Ill Isrmchangad hornthe dem@tkmInthe
player's Handbook.

5ww

ThIs skill Is unchangedhorn the derrlptkn In the
Plager's Handbook.

5hth 5aMa
A character wlth thls prdtckncy Is aennltlve to h e

pe- of the wpemaunlIn #Imany
manlfeatatlona. If auch a character spadsme nnmd
clearlng hla mind and makinghimaelf receptive to
the ambient mergks ofthe area, he can amsethe
p r c ~of~sp~ellause snd udesd 01 s u p m u t u d
creatures. (TheDM must &tennine whether a
creature falls Into this category.)The aenaatkn Is

only a tlnglhg awareness that supernatural ensleh.

are new. and glvea no clucastothenature dthe
energks, but it may provkie a character wlth
sufikknt wamIng to take spcclal precautbna.

5P=m-
Thk M C a n be ddindbyths ~a?bdpkycrto

ahnulate any of un wida mmge of tsbnta .vrlbMeto
chu.ctan In the 1890's. For example. a player
mlgbtwiahto have a dmmcter who b a dryhd
blcydhtor msxparhmddwpaea dhrer. h emher
sCapscec,vthewDeMredcoPdrdOnRqcbunkeaytdhoatt
the physr.yoc**

to eeeountlortha
deIhdtakntWhanthbtldYbaclb&d?uleDM
must aa@n sreWabu#yrcae; forauunpb,
Dexterity wouldapply tothe Mcyclirt, whlk
Conrtibrtton w a M apply tothedaapwsdtver.
f
This profklency h LntandedprlnwHy for actlvkk
that n\lsht serve aac.uy( hobbiaror Intee&, surh
amas M typbdiyulouihaa chamctmcan ksrn
wldhoutapcndhlOsx(rdsd(fmehad.umomor

42

sphere Involved in a check gains a +1 bonus to the

roll. A character wlth expertlse In the sphere
Involved In the check gains a t2 bonus to the roll. A
mystic character wlth maJor access to the sphere
Involved In the check gains a t3 bonus to the roll.

A character who Is an expert In the sphere In
question and also has minor access to that sphere
gains a +3bonus to checks agalnst that sphere.
If a character is an expert In and has major access to
a sphere, a t4 bonus is applied to checks agalnst
that sphere.
Survival

This skill is unchanged from the descrlptlonIn the

player’s Handbook.
Swimming

This skill is unchanged from the descriptionIn the
player’s Handbook.
TaUor

Thls skill replaces the Seamstress/Tallor
proflckncy in the player’s Handbook and Includes
competence wlth all the modemsewlng technlquea
and devices ofthe 1890’s.

TOM^

Thls sklll replaces the Leathemking pmflciency
in the Uagefs HandbuJk.
TdrmY

A character who chooses this sklll Is able to
dismember and succudully IeCOMtNCt the
carcasses of anlmals for dlsplay purposes. Such a
character may be employed by a museum or may
work Independently, posslbiy as a hobby.

When this proficiency is choecn. the player must
designate the skill to apply to mammals, birds, or
reptiles and amphibians. If addltiond slots are
allocated, an addltlonal category of anlmal may be
selected.
Teamster

A character wlth thls proflclency is able to
skllhlly drlve wagons, carts, and shnllar anlmal-
drawn conveyances. In genral, no pFdiclency

check Is requlred for thls activity unkrrs an unusual
situation arise%.such as bad weahcr or frightened
animals. In such cases. the DM may asslgn bonuses
or pcnaltles to the dl as appropriate.

43

p‘

c

prices for items llsted in the player's Handbook or production of gocub I s m m on oothk -.As
such, many o b J ethat we- once dilRntl(, mdy,
other game prod-, the DM should condder the or time comumhg to constmet have beccme
affordable. including fumfture,househo# #mds, and
difficulty in manufacturing an item. Whlle an many Items of clothing. Items In thk c a m COIL
ordinary kitchen knife is probably a mass-produced half the price listed In the player's Hi%dbwk
item on Gothlc Earth and thereforeinexpensive,
such a knife In a medleval setting would be thework The DM and player should dm conrider She
of a skilled craftsman and probably fairly costly. To choice of mass-produced gocub v e m u handcnltsd
help in this detemtinatton,the DM may c l a ~ l f y wares. A mass-produced sult of clothing, for
Items according to the following categories: example, may be comfortable,attractive, and
lnexpenslve,but a made-to-order, tallored suit,whik
Common: Most items of clothing and food,and more G X ~ ~ M ~ V mG ,ay be made of Ancr fabric, flt
more properly, and (KNC as a show of taste and
also lodging and services fall into thls category. The financial status. Players should havehoptionof
production costs of these items are conslderedto be outfitting their charactem accordingto the inmgaOT
comparable in both campaign settings. Their costs taste they wish to portray, with ttn DM amessslg
can be calculated by converting gold pleces dlrectly costs as appropriate.
to dollars.
Finally, a third etement should be comkkmd
Uncommon:Items such as sword scabbards, when determining the cost of goods:antiqw vda.
barding, and rare weapons (see ChapterUi: Whlle a long sword Is asslgned a value of 15 gph
hflclendes) are dimcult to purchase on Gothlc the player's Handbook and such a sword
Earth.In most cases, a character must locate and
commission a craftsman to fabricate such an item. manufactured on Qothlc Earth would sell for @y
Any item in this category costs double the price In 30 dollars, a medleval sword that once soid for
the player's Handbook.

hiass ploduced: While manufacturing assembly
lines are still several decades in the future. mass

45

15 gprnighl aeU on Gothic Earth forthm or four The Daily Food and HousehkI
times its orlglnal prke (or much morel). Remember
that Gothic Earthprices reflect modem goods made Provkknbrg,Animab. ad scrvle# tsbhr
In the p l a y r ’ s ~ ~ c o n t s ml ny -?hat
on Gothlc E a .Never aasume that a character are sUU available to SdueaWerson Qortric Ear(h.h
the Interest dapace. those tab*. b e notbaa,
could acquire Mauthentic medleval sword et a prke reptlated here. Players whhing 0 outstthslr
glven In these guldellnes. The price of such an Item, chstactars with ftcmsfand an these tabtermsy d@
unless purchased from an unsuspectlng Individual. so at a cost of $1.00 per gold pkcc value.
should reflectthe antlque value of the Item. The DM A few exceptions exist, but common mnnrha*l
must use dlscretbn In determlnlng such lnformatbn.

N -Sbrtinq Money allow the DungeonMsrrcr to ncognlremeK. For
~
q u e ofthe Red Death characters are not example, b d l n g prohbiy enowheram oaw*
forced to begin thelr adventurlng lives as Earth;war horses slmply do not exist.
pmnlleas beggars. All characters a r t wlth
Other Common ltsms

some cash to allow the purchase of equipment and players will shno8t arWnly u c p m thc duku to
weapons. The character’s class detennfnes s t a m purchase idemr that are not on the equlpnsnrt& h
money. thls book. If the DungeonMwer ls u m m k t a b
Character Class stamngh y ael“g prltesfotsuchthhgsorddarminlnp wh.tb
Soldkr 3d6 x SlO.00 or is not a v a W e , several r e s o m e s a becrl*d

Adept 2d6 x $10.00 Upon.
Tradesman 4d6 x $10.00
An invaluable resource forperkd equipmentcan
Mystic 2d6 x $10.00 be found In re- maNorder catdog8oftheera.
Afewpubliirshavcbwdtharscat&geiol-lla
rake ofnostalgia. Most contain reprtnbd Ute
Exceptional Funds (Optional l(ule) ortgw c a w p.gncomplete with prices and
iWWUpn8,ra#cr than reconstructed infonnatlon.
This optional rule Is Intended for players who wbh
to have characters that are not rank m a t e u n h . . %kh boakiwea hvalwble to theconstructbn d
their careers. A character could c&aInlvbe

clientele, or could be old m
chance to accumulate
on the table.

rreclvr1.8tlmesthecsrh~
The use d t h l s Nkbartirely up b

oftha DM.

Mudern Equipment

Many things are available to the paopk of QocRlE
Ea* that do not exist hthe MLddk Age%settirqc
the average fantasy rola-playlng game. The
equipment tables on the mxt page prWta playor

Oothk Lrth.TMs lht 4by no m a n s complete, but

o good &Isfrom which DMs can

. . .. ~... . . ~ -. , . . ..... ~ . ...~~ . . ~ . .~ . . . ~ , ..~ .
~ ~

46

Tripod. wooden $12.50 2

I" ""."" I

$2.50 0.1
56.00 0.1

Amwnltlon S.25 0.5
Plrtol.Army

(box d25mds)

Patol. Navy S.25 0.5
(box d 2 5 mdr) S.30 0.5
0.75
Rifle (box of 25 mds)

(box of25 mds) 5.35

S1.50 0.5

$2.00 0.1

47

i