The Witcher Manuale

200

e Far North Zerrikania Ofier

North of Kovir and Poviss, Zerrikania is a little-known land to the O er is a largely unknown land across the
north of the Hengfors League, southeast, beyond the great and terrible Ko- Great Ocean. We believe several nations live
beyond the Dragon Moun- rath Desert. Day-to-day goods show up in out on an enormous plain, and as such love
tains, is the Far North. It is our markets sometimes, probably through a their horses, value them highly, and race
tundra and deep forests, most- long chain of trade. ey are said to worship them constantly. ey are even said to have a
ly impossible to cultivate. Old a legendary gold dragon named Zerrikan- variety with black and white stripes. In battle
tales speak of white dragons in terment, with scales that glimmer like the they carry a saber, a thin, curved sword, and
the North, presumably from ocean at sunset. A queen rules this land, and a big, brass shield. It’s said that they show
the Dragon Mountains. And her tattooed warrior women learn to ght remarkable tolerance to other cultures. We
yet we know of people there. from birth. ey carry Zerrikanian sabers know that O er trades with parties in Re-
Animalscarvedof boneorivo- and recurved ze ar bows made of polished dania, as occasional O eri ships come to
ry sometimes show up in Kovir antelope horn. Zerrikania has many great Novigrad. ey trade in weapons, ne em-
and Poviss. Some believe them alchemists as well, and bomb-making is a broidered clothing, and luxury goods like
to be of religious significance, specialty. Zerrikanian re scorpions, the incense and brass or gold jewellery. ey
perhaps representing “sacrific- Nilfgaardian siege pieces that even now hurl do not trade in their horses, which are high
es” to ensure plentiful hunting. green re into Vizima use designs and al- strung and would never survive a sea voy-
chemy that came from Zerrikania. age. I once heard of a scu e when a prince
–Brandon of Oxenfurt of O er came to Redania to marry a noble
eir land is hot, and animals we woman, no doubt to seal a trade deal, but
only see in traveling menageries, like tigers, information about this is hard to nd. Such
roam the countryside. More fearsome are a lucrative trade monopoly is well worth
the creeping things, like giant spiders who protecting. A few expeditions have sailed o
prey on elephants and a y which lays an egg to look for O er, but they have not returned.
in your head so that newly hatched larvae Whether this is because they perished or be-
can feed on your brain. cause they prefer O er is not known.

Powerful Alliances 201

In a war, those who participate are warriors. spells, but people’s fear of mages means Border Crossing
ose who don’t are victims. ey live lives instant respect. In the Scoia’tael you gain
a group of fearless allies around you who Once had to cross the border
of perpetual fear and uncertainty. You feel won’t let you down, or let you hang—better from Kaedwen to Redania. Up
safe in your homeland? What happens when treasure than gold. along the Kestrels there was a
the war front rolls through your town? To little road with a toll collector
avoid the uncertainty and protect their in- But there’s always a price. e witch- on each side. One Redanian,
terests, some join alliances separate from er’s cat’s eyes which allow you to see in the sportin’theRedanianeagleand
the royal armies. dark also give you away to superstitious vil- the pyre of the Eternal Flame,
lagers who think all witchers are themselves the other Kaedweni, with that
Joining an alliance can be easy or monsters. Mage Hunters with their dimer- damn unicorn and the crossed
hard. To be a witcher you just have to be itium shackles earn the aid of villagers, but lightning bolts of Kreve on
a male child at the right place (or wrong they are target number one for any mage in his sword guard. Turns out I
place, depending on your outlook) at the town. You can get rich as a Havekar, but one was on a major trade route
right time. But in the case of the Scoia’tael of your lot may get jealous, or a commando through the Kestrels that each
or the Crescent Moon, you have to nd your may decide they don’t feel like paying you, side wanted to make some coin
alliance and then get through whatever in- or an army may catch up to you and you’ll off of. Managed to scarper out
itiation they use to make sure you’re not a dance on the gibbet. Regardless, being part of there when they both drew
spy. of an alliance gives you power but can kill steel on each other, heh.
you just as quickly.
Alliances o er advantages. Witch- –Rodolf Kazmer
ers are faster, stronger, and heal better than
regular humans. Not only do mages have

202

The Brotherhood Witchers

A few handfuls of witchers 1500 years ago the world changed. e Conjunction of the
survived the attacks on their Spheres opened doors between worlds, and magic poured
keeps and the subsequent in. With the magic came monsters of a thousand di erent
hatred of witchers, but most types never seen before—the so-called ‘relicts’ of the Con-
of them have fled into the junction. When people came to these lands, they built walls
mountains and across the and ramparts and burned forests and hedges around towns
sea to escape persecution so the monsters could be seen coming. People traveled only
or find work. Most of the during the day, and in large groups.
keeps of the witchers have
been left in disrepair or People began to harness magic, calling them-
been mostly buried by time selves sorcerers or mages. Two of the most powerful, the
or the elements. That be- legendary Alzur and his mentor Cosimo Malaspina, created
ing said, it’s not impossible an arti cial race: the witchers, bred and trained to hunt and
to find other witchers, just destroy monsters. e sorceress Carla Demetia Crest collected the full process into a single
incredibly rare. Much like book, “ e Trial of Grasses and Other Secret Witcher Practices, Seen by my Own Eyes,”
the Witcher Schools, some only available to mages. e process was extremely painful and only a handful of test sub-
long-time members may jects survived. Contrary to rumor, these sorcerers did not steal children to create witchers.
have come back to re-occu- Between wars, plagues, and the predation of monsters, ramshackle orphanages and stray
py their once-lost keeps now children were everywhere.
that witchers are neccesary ey subjected these children to alchemical potions that created genetic mutations,
again. a specialized diet, and rigorous mental and physical training. e mutation process, begin-
ning with the Trial of the Grasses, lasted for days. ere are no records of successful trials
on girls or non-humans. ose that survived the non-stop fevers, vomiting, and haemor-
rhaging emerged as di erent creatures.
e most obvious sign of the transformation are the cat’s eyes that give witchers
night vision comparable to regular day vision. It also sets them apart. ey are made ster-
ile: all witchers are made, not born. eir more e cient immune systems give them tre-
mendous resistance to disease and a prolonged lifespan. ey become stronger, faster, and
more rugged than humans in every way. ey have limited magical ability (enough to cast
short-e ect spells called “signs”) and are preternaturally aware of their environment. We’ve
taken their humanity and given them the tools to ght the ‘relicts’ of the Conjunction so
that we don’t have to. In those dark days all men lauded witchers as mankind’s defenders,
but as monsters became rare, people forgot the witcher’s purpose. Today witchers travel
constantly to nd enough monsters to make their trade pro table. Witcher traditions bar
them from ghting humans for pay. Prices for monster slaying have also dropped—people
are now more afraid of war than nekkers or common vampires. When people now see a
witcher they see only a monstrous, powerful, and dangerous being of dubious humanity.
But the monsters were not completely killed o . In these days of few witchers, some of them
are making a return, though not in large enough numbers to panic the populace. ese
days peasants have little to lose or to pay, so they are more likely to gang up on a monster
themselves. At their height, when monsters and the monstrous results of magical experi-
mentation were common, there were ve witcher Schools: Wolf, Cat, Gri n, Viper, and
Bear, each distinguished by their animal head medallion.

203

e Wolf The Manticore

e Wolf Keep, Kaer Morhen, is hidden in the Blue Mountains in Kaedwen. ese are the Now I’ve heard tell about a
witchers we hear the most about. ey ght with swords, with strong blows appropriate for sixth school of witchers called
monster killers. I have heard that there are only four or ve of them le . e legendary Ger- the Manticore. Only heard
alt of Rivia is a Wolf witcher. e tales of his exploits have grown so fantastic that many of about it from one drunk trav-
them may be just the artistic imagination of the bards, who make large sums of money from eler in a tavern though, so who
them. A riot of townspeople badly damaged their keep and killed many of the witchers. knows. Said somethin’ about
the manticore bein’ past the
e Cat Korath or somethin’ like that.
Does make a person curious
e Cats are probably what rst made the people distrust and hate witchers. eir method though. What’d witchers be
of creating witchers was di erent from other schools and the results were o en unstable like in a land with saber-wiel-
and bloodthirsty. ey didn’t have a keep, but travelled in a caravan, Dyn Marv. e Cat din’ warrior women and gold
dragons and whatnot?
ghting style is light and quick, developed from elven styles. ey may not even be consid-
ered witchers any more. e Cats adjusted to the poor market for monster slayers by be- –Rodolf Kazmer
coming assassins of men. eir presence only reinforces the fear and anger of the people. It
is not clear if there are any Cat witchers le , and it appears that their caravan has disbanded.

e Gryphon

e Gryphon Keep, Kaer y Seren, was in the North on the sea end of the Dragon Mountains.
e other schools respected the Gryphons for their study of magic and ghting style that
emphasized multiple opponents. Gryphon scholarship enhanced the existing witcher signs.
Unfortunately the Gryphon School was badly damaged in an avalanche, killing many of the
witchers. Rumor has it that a group of mages became angry when the Gryphons refused to
share important books of magic in their library, and caused the avalanche in revenge.

e Viper

e Viper Keep, Gorthvr Gvaed, is said to be in the Tir Tochairs close to Nilfgaard. eir
ghting style features sinuous, unpredictable movements and they o en carry two smaller
blades, or “fangs,” which are o en poisoned. ey are perhaps the most alien and secretive
of witchers. A er the Usurpator tried unsuccessfully to absorb the Vipers, the Nilfgaardian
army destroyed their keep and the Vipers dispersed. Letho of Gulet attempted to win back
Nilfgaardian favor for the Vipers by working for Emhyr var Emreis.

e Bear

e Bear Keep, Haern Cadvch, was a fortress in the Amell Mountains. ey wore heavy
armor more exible than plate. ey may have had an understanding with the dwarves
and gnomes of the Amell Mountains. As one would expect, the Bears were terrible to ght,
with amazing strength and endurance, but when the Bears repeatedly failed in a contract to
destroy a cabal of vampires, the frustrations of the people in the war-torn provinces around
them boiled over into riots. It is believed that the Bear Keep still stands somewhere in the
mountains.

204 Mages

Elven Mage Tutors Like many things, magic seems to favor humans. Only hu-
mans and a few elves are sources, those born with the abil-
It is well known that the elves ity to use magic.
have a legacy of magic. Per-
haps they keep their magic to Humans have taken to magic with a vengeance.
themselves. Obviously there Many non-magic users expect mages to be arrogant, sel sh,
is no love lost between elves and power-hungry. But that is a particularly visible type of
and humans. It is also possi- mage. ere are magical people all around us. e woman
ble that the power is deserting in the village that heals may be magical. e young girl who
the elves as they dwindle. Af- is especially good at nding things may be magical. People
ter the Landing of the Exiles, can manipulate the “Power” in a myriad of di erent ways,
humans took 200 identified and at many di erent levels of e ectiveness. “ en why,”
child sources to the elves to be you ask, “do mages have such a bad reputation?” Because
trained. But this didn’t last. those who are most truly gi ed with the “Power” are spe-
cially trained at the girl’s school, Aretuza, the boy’s school, Ban Ard, or Nilfgaard’s Gweision
–Brandon of Oxenfurt Haul Magic Academy. Powerful sorcerers emerge from these schools thinking themselves
superior persons a world apart. ey rarely use their powers for the good of the common
Mirt man. ey become advisers to kings, but when push comes to shove, they choose personal
power over the good of king and country.
The first seat of magical power e rst organization of great mages was the Brotherhood of the Sorcerers in the
that we know of was at Mirt, Eighth Century. Its ruling body was the Conclave, which attempted to bring all mages un-
before the relationship between der a united code controlling their actions. is started a civil war among the mages. A er
elves and men had completely the war a parallel organization joined the Brotherhood: the Supreme Council. It dealt pri-
soured. Unfortunately Mirt marily with magic experimentation and research. Eventually a Chapter of Sorcerers was
was destroyed by Falka, prin- founded within the Conclave as a higher chamber with superior authority. By this time
cess of Redania, daughter of sorcerers (male and female) were settled as advisors to most of the kings of the North.
King Vridank, during her re- At a great meeting of the Council at the island of anedd, sorcerers loyal to the
bellion. kings and the Conclave itself mounted a surprise revolt. News had come to them that a
cabal of sorcerers who had been swayed (some might say “bought”) by Nilfgaard were pre-
–Brandon of Oxenfurt paring to take over the Conclave. e loyal sorcerers arrested as many of the conspirators as
they could, putting them in dimeritium handcu s. But this could not be kept quiet for long,
and soon general violence ensued. e actions at anned ruined the Brotherhood, and
many sorcerers were expelled from the courts of the kings under suspicion of conspiracy.
Soon a er, Philippa Eilhart, once an advisor and regent of Redania, secretly formed
the Lodge of Sorceresses. is was to be an all-female organization for the protection and
betterment of magic, to counter the earlier events that had seriously de ated the prestige of
the sorcerers. Unlike the old days, the Lodge was much more secretive. en at the meeting
of the four major nations and Nilfgaard at Loc Muinne, it was discovered that Letho, the
Viper witcher, had been hired by the Lodge to kill the kings of the four nations. He success-
fully murdered King Demavend of Aedirn and King Foltest of Temeria and, incidentally or
intentionally, destroyed the Lodge.

e Havekar 205

e Scoia’tael

Even amidst the desolation of Temeria and Sodden, I suppose the Scoia’tael were inevitable. For hundreds of
there is always someone making a pro t. Where there is years a er the humans landed, the elves fell back. eir
war, rst are the vultures, then the wolves and eagles, and long lifespans made the humans seem a mere annoy-
always the Havekar. ese scavengers sprang up in Sod- ance. Starting about 200 years ago the elves continued
den to take advantage of the Scoia’tael commandos’ need to pull back but started to destroy their beautiful mar-
for supplies. ere are few safe havens for the Scoia’tael, ble cities and palaces behind them as they le . So many
especially now that many of the elves have withdrawn young elves died during the Aelirenn Uprising that quite
to Dol Blathanna where Scoia’tael cannot go, and assim- a few elves gave up on the future. ey had two choices:
ilated elves elsewhere risk death if they are even seen attempt to assimilate into human communities as sec-
with Scoia’tael. Coins, gems, jewelery, ne furs, well- ond-class citizens or withdraw into the harsh wastes of
bred horses stolen or looted from the dh’oine—only the the Blue Mountains. eir pride would not accept the
most valuable and portable of wealth is accepted by the
Havekar. ey provide services covertly to anyone who rst, and the second seemed a death sentence. Out of an-
can pay, but ash too much wealth around them and it ger and frustration arose the Scoia’tael, small comman-
may be the last thing you do. You will also want to be dos of guerilla ghters; mostly elves, and some dwarves
careful if you have a wagon. Since the Havekar stay mo- and hal ings. Many wear squirrels’ tails, leading to the
bile to keep from being caught by the regular army, wag- name given them by outsiders, Scoia’tael or Squirrels.
ons are necessary for their way of life. ey will do an-
ything for money, up to and including murdering their ey live o the land, or trade looted goods with the
own kind. eir healers may roam the battle eld looking Havekar. eir skills when ghting in forests are unpar-
for injured to heal at the price of all their goods. Mer- alleled. e Scoia’tael appeared just a er the First Nilf-
chants scour the eld for weapons, and bodies wearing gaardian War. ey killed humans and terrorized small
armor they can resell. Desperate people whose villages communities, in aming human fear and hatred, even
have been destroyed may barter arrowheads and bloody of assimilated non-humans. A er banishment from the
clothing for food, but if they ever appear to make a prof- ancestral homeland of the elves, Dol Blathanna, there is
it they will be shut down quickly—and permanently. nothing le for Scoia’tael to do except to kill dh’oine. In
Havekar are most easily found at deserted crossroads or a deal between the Nilfgaardian emperor and Francesca
the occasional brick building le standing a er the war Findabair, the elvish queen, the price of Dol Blathanna,
passes by. Some people believe that the Havekar are sim- the elvish homeland, was that the queen not recognize or
ply one aspect of organized crime elsewhere, but there support the Scoia’tael or call them back to the homeland,
are no tales of Havekar being protected or avenged by so that were doomed to ght on. Despair, hopelessness,
anyone. and anger drive them.

206

The Mage Hunters TheCrescentMoon

Few Northerners know about the Mage Hunters whose Even in the North, some know about the blue rose that
job is to nd unregistered mages within the Nilfgaard- only grows in Nazair. e roses have long been the sym-
ian Empire and take them to the capital. ey do not bol of Nazairian patriotism, and those who regularly
operate in war zones. In the Second Nilfgaardian War, wear the rose are well known to Nilfgaardian Intelli-
sorcerers of the North were a thorn in the side of the gence, though so far all Intelligence has found is ery
Emperor. He made neutralizing them a priority, winning rhetoric. Every once in a while word also dri s north of
some over, and badly damaging the reputation of others. the Crescent Moon, a provincial resistance group. It may
We know that Nilfgaardian mages are kept under close have started in Nazair, but the suggestion is that a thin
control, but Nilfgaard occupies many times its own orig- network exists in many of the provinces, especially along
inal territory. What about the provincial mages? As their the coast of the Great Sea. It goes without saying that an-
countries were incorporated, some mages voluntarily yone tied to such a group would be arrested for treason
reported to the Nilfgaardian magic academy, Gweision and executed. e fact that we in the North hear about
Haul, for registration. Others, particularly in Nazair and the Crescent Moon being used as a password probably
Gemmera, did not. During the reign of the Usurpator, means that the name has been compromised and re-
the Nilfgaardian Mage Hunters were created. e orig- placed. We have not heard about any rebellions attribut-
inal organizer of the Mage Hunters was Isaiah Coehoo- ed to this organization, but they are probably gathering
rn, a distant relative of the famous Nilfgaardian general. strength throughout the Empire, especially in recently
conquered areas like Angren, Sodden, and Cintra. ey
e Usurpator called together the most successful mine know that surely Nilfgaard would easily put down one
owners in the Empire and o ered an exclusive contract provincial rebellion, but sporadic acts of sabotage could
to the one who could discover the largest seam of di- gain them more ground with less risk. We assume that
meritium. e metal, which damps magic power, is pri- some provincial nobles must be involved to supply mon-
marily found in Kovir and Poviss, and is much rarer in ey and safe havens. I have never heard that Imperial In-
the South. Despite the Usurpator’s o er, only one vein of telligence has been in ltrated, but of course it serves the
dimeritium was found south of the Yaruga, in Gemmera. Empire best to keep any word of the resistance absolutely
quiet to maintain a façade of uniform harmony through-
Mage Hunters travel in pairs and carry dimeriti- out the provinces. It remains to be seen if King Radovid
um handcu s and collars. ey recruit hard and danger- can make use of the resistance.
ous men who demonstrate paranoia concerning magic.
Very few questions are asked about Mage Hunter meth-
ods, except as it concerns civilians. In order to ensure
cooperation with Mage Hunters and the Empire, no ci-
vilians are to be harmed unless reinforcing the Empire’s
message.

207

Powerful Religions The Church of Kreve

e earliest religions in the primitive North mion, sometimes called Mousesack. He is The cult of Kreve is a church
worshiped guardian spirits, each o en an unusual druid in that he, historically, has of the North. It is basically the
known only in a small local area. To the advised the leaders of both Skellige and Cin- worship of a not particularly
early settlers, the forests were forbidding, tra. Some druid groups may use violence if well known sky or thunder god.
but the rivers were dependable lifelines and humans invade their areas with destructive The priests of Kreve tended to
a source of water, so it makes perfect sense motives. When you go into a forest, be sure be moralistic and did much
that the cult of Veyopatis should crop up on to know if there is a local circle and how admonishing. Unfortunately
the upper Pontar. He was a erce god asso- they are disposed toward outsiders. for them, some of their priests
ciated with rivers, but colonists prayed to were co-opted by kings. These
him to protect them in the forests: to clear Soon humans moved beyond ap- priests’ messages centered on
away monsters, savage animals, and ghosts. peasing nature and developed specialized the Divine Right of kings and
Worshippers put posts in the ground with gods, and the darker and lighter sides of the the efficacy of giving large
Veyopatis’s face on them to ward o dan- human mind emerged. e early goddess of contributions to the church.
gers. e cult of Veyopatis lasted as long as destruction Lilit is still worshipped in the far This did not endear them to
he was needed. Today, when the forests and east under the name Niya. e sorcerer and their flocks. They then made
animals are known, the posts have lost their prophet Eltibald claimed to have studied the unfortunate move of going
meaning and he only receives sacri ces now the myths of the Dauk, Wozgor, and wereb- to Novigrad and proclaiming
from a few priestesses and witches living bubb. ose myths claim that Lilit’s return that the Eternal Fire was the re-
deep in the forest. would be heralded by a Black Sun and y sult of Kreve visiting Novigrad.
women with gold crowns who would ll the One hundred years ago, when
Some people believe that the Cult valleys with blood. the Cult of the Eternal Fire was
of Veyopatis evolved into structured mod- a small and somewhat tolerant
ern Druidism. e druids don’t send out e brighter side of divinity at- faith, that was fine. But as the
missionaries. In fact, they have a closed so- tempts to enlighten the minds and morals Cult has grown and become
ciety. ey live in groups in the forest called of everyday people. A good example of this more martial and more intol-
circles. ey have no particular deities, but is the Cult of Kreve. Previously worshipped erant, it is winning away the
worship nature itself and its order and har- throughout Redania, Kaedwen, and points followers of Kreve, who see its
mony. ey worship under the stars in sa- north, it is now losing ground to the Cult of power and expansion as a sign
cred groves or stone circles. ey write pe- the Eternal Flame, which o ers its follower of it being “more blessed.”
titions or supplications to local authorities the freedom to hate and to blame others for
where humans upset the balance of nature, their own failings. At the opposite pole from –Brandon of Oxenfurt
and because they are respected for their Melitele, Kreve encourages his followers to
knowledge and healing, they are generally create moral crusades, accept the Divine
listened to. Most of the druids of the North Right of kings, and make sizeable donations.
are now at Caed Myrkvid, the Touissant Many followers of Kreve are very devoted.
circle protected by the Duchess Anna Hen- You may have heard of Saint Gregory, who
rietta herself. ere is also a druid circle in used half of his ample funds to buy food
Skellige. e leader of a circle is called “hi- from Nazair to save Novigrad from starva-
erophant” if male, and “ aminika” if female. tion.

e hierophant of the Skellige circle is Er- Let’s look at the four religions that
are advancing at this time.

208 e Eternal Fire

Melitele

Many local goddess cults (always associated with fertility e church of the Eternal Flame started in Novigrad.
and the harvest and childbirth) fused into the worship e ame symbolizes Light emerging from the Dark-
of the All Mother, Melitele, who still has many followers ness, knowledge, and faith guiding the faithful. At this
in the North today. Much like later organized religions, time they were tolerant of other religions. e church’s
Melitele does have formal temples with frescoes and original militant arm was the Order of the White Rose.
stained glass, but unlike them her teachings are about As the church grew in size in Temeria and Aedirn, the
tolerance, practical knowledge, and being of service to targets of the militant arm became more widespread.
people in need. Frequently her shrines are very sim- All users of magic including witchers, hedge mages, and
ple, with o erings of fruit and owers, and three stat- all non-humans, became enemies of the Order, which
ues: Melitele as the maid, the mother, and the crone. e blamed them for everything from wars to the weather.
Goddess experiences all the ages of women and under- Jacques de Aldersberg became the rst Grand Master.
stands the problems of each, but her concerns go well When a white rose in his hand burst into ames, the re-
beyond women. ere is no complex structure and no named Order of the Flaming Rose became even more
requests for donations. militant than before, leading some to suggest that his fa-
naticism had impaired his sanity.
Melitele’s worship is centered in Temeria at the
main temple in Ellander. e head priestess is Nen- Some say that a er Jacques de Aldersberg’s
neke. Anyone in need—for food, for peace, for strength death a new Grand Master named Siegfried of Denesle
to withstand the horrors of war—can come to her. Her tempered the Order somewhat and changed the aming
temple is well known for o ering education in reading, rose banner to a rose banner with gold ribbon. But still,
writing, math, ethics, history, and healing. Melitele, like persecution continues. In Radovid, the Flaming Rose has
any good mother, is extremely understanding, although their perfect monarch. He granted the Order land near
Nenneke is not above nudging situations in her commu- Roggeven in Redania and encourages their mage hunts.
nity. Healers who train at the temple go wherever they
are needed, including the battle eld at Brenna. Melitele e Eternal Fire is now the o cial religion of Redania. It
is a goddess of the harvest and of abundance as well. is expanding rapidly, pushing out Kreve in the Northern
Farmers and other people who live o the land come countries. Recently, for unknown reasons, the Order of
to her temple. Her goodwill is very important to people the Flaming Rose has disbanded, with some of the order
whose livelihood depends on the seemingly unpredict- remaining as police forces in Novigrad and guardians of
able factors of weather, drought, insects, and warriors the now greatly enlarged Grand Picket Temple. Others
(who rarely consider that their chosen battle eld might have become o cial Witch Hunters and some have been
be someone’s life-blood). sent to the Temerian-Nilfgaard front, which is an oppor-
tunity for great works by the knights, but also a virtual
death sentence.

Freya 209

e Great Sun

Freya is the Great Mother, or Modron, of Skellige: the ere is only one o cial religion in Nilfgaard and the
patroness of domesticity, fertility, love, childbirth, and provinces. Other religions are o en tolerated, but the
the harvest. e people in Skellige live close to nature Religion of the Great Sun ties the Emperor to nature and
and still organize themselves by clans, and Freya is part thus to the people. It is a very, very old religion. Long ago
of their day-to-day lives. Her favorite sacred grove is the people believed the Emperor was the Sun incarnate.
called Hindar, on the island of Hindars all. Nearby is Backward villages still believe that he is an intermediary
the temple to Freya where the High Priestess Sigrdrifa, a between the people and the forces of nature, and make
plain, straightforward woman, calls upon and interprets sacri ces (not humans) to the Sun at the solstices and
the will of the Mother. Many have heard of the temple equinoxes. During the Winter Solstice, families come to-
on Hindars all, if only in tales of Brisingamen, the great gether at home and recite the Winter Prayer, asking the
diamond that is embedded in the statue of Freya that Sun to return and make their lives and harvests abun-
is part of the altar. People from all of the islands come dant. ey attend a service where their holiday foods,
to Hindar to collect blessed mistletoe, which they hang based on the winter crops, can be blessed. In some plac-
everywhere as protection, and to perform rituals in the es, babies born since the last winter are blessed by the
Great Modron’s name. priests as well. In the beautiful Church of the Great Sun
in Nilfgaard’s capital the Emperor may even give the ser-
Freya is also the patroness of prophetesses, mon and take part in the blessings. In the cities of Nilf-
seers, and telepaths. She herself can take the form of gaard close to the center of the Empire, the tax collectors
the cat, who hears and sees the invisible, and the falcon, of the Nilfgaardian Treasury Department go house to
who sees from above. She is worshipped as the maid, the house distributing oranges and large sun-shaped sweet
mother, and the crone, as she understands the hearts of cakes to symbolize the blessings of the Emperor and the
all. Her worship has recently expanded onto the main- Sun, and the promise of plenty in the coming year. It is
land in small pockets in Cintra, and Nazair, where the the one day of the year when people are happy to see
people crave protection and understanding and are will- the tax man. In many places throughout the Empire, e
ing to reach out to others. Church of the Great Sun is that “sweet” that balances the
sometimes “bitter” of the Imperial Will. Missionaries
ere are many similarities between Melitele have been sent to the North as well, to preach the virtues
and Freya, but suggestions that they are one and the of family, working on the land, loyalty to the Emperor,
same are not appreciated. and the responsibility of nobles to care for their land and
the people on it.

210

Game Master’s Guide 211

“Were I to attempt to be good to everyone, to the entire world and to Player Comfort

all the creatures living in it, it would be a drop of fresh water in the A big part of getting to know
your players is getting to
salt sea. In other words, a wasted e ort. us, I decided to do speci c know what they are and
aren’t comfortable with. The
good; good which would not go to waste. I’m good to myself and my Witcher is a mature setting
that often deals with un-
immediate circle.” -Andrzej Sapkowski, Baptism of Fire comfortable topics (racism,
sexism, rape, torture, etc.).
You can derail a game very
quickly by involving some-
thing that makes your play-
ers uncomfortable, angry, or
depressed so it’s a good idea
to work out boundaries and
limits ahead of time.

As the GM, or game master, you are the thetical questions about their character or
most important part of the game. Without ask them what they enjoy about gaming.
you there truly is no game. But don’t let
this power go to your head. It’s important e better you know your players, the better
to always remember that while the GM you can keep them entertained. Entertained
wields unequalable power within their players are happy players. e worst thing
game, they are there to serve a purpose. you can have is bored players or players
As the GM you apply your godlike power who feel cheated out of an experience. ese
to provide a fun and exciting story for you players will be a pain to run—bored play-
and your players. In this section we’re gon- ers may unconciously derail or try to mess
na explain what a GM does and give you up the game so they can get something in-
some guidelines for GMing well. teresting. If you keep your players happy, in
general the game will go well. is does not,
What a GM Does however, mean ‘give the players whatever
they want’. Your players should still have to
As the GM, you are the storyteller. You are work for every victory they get.
the god beyond the gods. You plan the ad-
ventures your players go on, the plot twists Players Are NOT e Enemy
they encounter, and the sub-plots they chase
or ignore. is means you need to know Always remember: the players are not your
what’s going on in your game. It’s also im- enemy. In most games it should not be your
portant to know that as the GM you play goal to kill your party. You will sometimes
every character that is not your players: the run into players with the “player vs. GM”
inn keeper, the monsters, the merchants, mentality. In most games, if you kill your
and so on. players, the game ends. Good GMs create
threats that could kill players, but will not
Get to Know Your Players necessarily kill them. Even games that are
supposed to be “player vs. GM” are more or
If you don’t already, make a point of learn- less “player vs. the game.”
ing about your players. Find out what style
of games they like and what they like to do.
Don’t feel embarrassed to ask them hypo-

212 Look, if you want to kill your players, then that strays from the path you want them on,
they are dead. Want to kill your party in let them. en draw them back onto the
Hounding Players Witcher? Make an enemy with a base 20 in main path a erward. Here are some ways to
all abilities and have them show up in town keep your players on path:
One interesting thing you with 10 rock troll bodyguards, the most
can do is hound a player powerful relic gear in the game, and a one- e Employer: is is a pretty easy way to
that is particularly difficult track mind to kill the players. No matter how get your players back on track. If they’re
to get into the group. Often- smart your players are, they will die. As the working for somebody, have said employer
times this player will already god of your world you control everything— show up and get them in line. e players
be one of the more radical there’s no point in pitting yourself against may still disagree. In that case, their em-
players. Set a powerful NPC the players in a straight-up battle. ey have ployer might use force to get them back to
on them: a bounty hunter, limits. You basically don’t. it. is in itself could get the players back on
assassin, mage, or the like. track: what’s so important to their employer
You don’t want to make your Running your game should come that he’d threaten their lives?
players feel like they can’t do down to engineering scenarios with an ap- Can’t Escape: In any situation with an
anything but follow your propriate amount of danger. If you have a opposing force, your players could get at-
plot, but oftentimes giving player who is getting in your face about be- tacked. ey know too much and now they
a player (or players) a threat ing able to “beat the GM,” feel free to smack have to be destroyed! Your players can hare
which will catch them if they them down. But remember that you don’t o as much as they want, but the threat will
don’t keep moving gives have to destroy them. A game is a joint ven- keep nding them until they nish their
them the perfect impetus to ture, and even when it seems like a duel it’s a mission.
keep going. managed duel for fun. Better Treasure: For some players, the siren
song of treasure is enough. Find some way
Invisible Walls to get it across to your players that if they
continue on the path there will be a hell of a
One of the main problems that new GMs lot more for them to gain. For some players
run into is the peril of invisible walls. Many the treasure may not be gold.
times when a new GM starts a game, they Tie It to Lifepath: If your players ran Life-
aren’t completely used to their campaign, paths for their characters, use them. Maybe
their party, or controlling a game. When one of your players has an enemy from long
players get a little out of hand or don’t follow ago that the player forgot about. Tie that
the path they have set out, a nervous GM into the plot. Did somebody have a lover
may put up invisible walls. who went missing a few years ago? Guess
where they are now! Any murdered family
ese are not logical obstacles or or deadly diseases? Finishing the mission
arguments to dissuade the players from do- might resolve that problem!
ing something or going somewhere, they are Little Hints: Interestingly enough, down-
just blocks: no matter what the players try, playing a mystery may get your players more
they can never do the thing they wanted to interested. Put your players in a situation
do or go on the path they want to follow. e with a lot of big things and drop in one tiny
GM keeps throwing more and more hasty clue to your mystery. Nothing huge: may-
blocks in front of them to trap them on the be an open door in a room or a loose oor
right path. If this continues, the players will panel. But make a point of mentioning it. In
quickly start ghting back or just get listless. many cases your players will go straight to
Some players may get so upset by it they just
quit, or worse, get mad at you personally.

e best way to avoid invisible walls
is to remember that as the GM you control
every aspect of the game except your play-
ers. You can’t control them, and shouldn’t. If
they want to go somewhere or do something

213

it. Hey, you wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t In gaming there is a concept called plot
important—obviously the other things are armor: a special, secret form of protection
just distractions! that shows up when someone is about to die
Make it Personal: When all else fails, make but you need to have them live. It can block
it personal. If you’re running a really hard- power attacks and even (in some cases) re-
core game, get your players back on track vive dead enemies. Plot armor is not tangi-
the Witcher way! Take something they love ble and it’s not on a character sheet.
from them. You don’t necessarily have to de-
stroy it, but make it clear that they have to It simply comes down to this:
pursue the mission to get it back. is works “Gwen shot the corrupt Baron Blastingot in
especially well when your players are trying the heart with and arrow and it should kill
to settle down and start a happy life with a him. But I need Baron Blastingot to show up
loving signi cant other and a few children. later in the plot, to unwittingly perform the
blood ceremony and summon the wraiths
Your “Special Snow ake” of Ard Skellig. I’ll have him get shot but I’ll
& Plot Armor put a mage in his retinue who can heal him
from this seemingly mortal wound.”
I should start by saying it’s perfectly okay to
have a character in your own game. Many, You can also, and in many cases
many GMs do it. Usually their character is should, give plot armor to players. Maybe
an NPC who is the constant companion to Lord Blastingot’s mercenary body guard
the players. is character can be special to rolls REALLY well to stab Gwen. He should
you. You can love them with all your heart kill her but you don’t want her to die yet, so
and give them cool moments. But. Your you fudge some numbers so she just loses an
character is almost never the focus of the arm.
game unless they are a McGu n.
However, plot armor should al-
e world should not revolve ways be secret, especially when it applies
around your character. ey should not to an enemy. Enemies should always sur-
always be right. ey should not always be vive through greater skill than the players,
the best at any task. If they save your players better planning, or more support. Keep co-
from something, it should not be as a de- incidences to a minimum. If your players
scending god who can handle any and all catch wise that the enemy has plot armor,
challenges. Your character should generally their morale will plummet. A er all, what’s
be at the same level as your players and, if the point in ghting something you know
possible, with complementary abilities and you will never defeat? Remember to always
skills. make plot armor seem natural, with ene-
mies or even with your players.
Your players are there to have fun
and do exciting things. ey are not there to
follow behind the cool character you made
and bask in their awesomeness. If you have
an uber-character who solves all problems
and is always special and wonderful and
amazing, your players will get sick of them
very quickly. So remember: it’s okay to have
a personal character, but give them most of
the same limits your players have.

is also applies to some extents
to your villains and important characters.

214

Romance & How to Not allude to it all day, make suggestive com-
Make It Weird ments, or have pillow talk, but if you nd
yourself calculating ‘lasting’ time based on
is may seem like an odd section, but over your Stamina score and making opposing
the years I’ve found that romance can be Seduction rolls to see who can ‘ nish o ’
very awkward to run, especially in a mature the other rst, you should probably stop,
setting like e Witcher. It can be easy for take a cold shower, and move on.
people to misconstrue things, read too far
into it, and become very uncomfortable. Beat Charts

A really good rst step to set up ro- When you’re setting up a game it can be
mance in a roleplaying game is to establish hard to keep everything in mind. Let’s face
how good all of your players—and indeed it, you’re plotting multiple hours of enter-
you—are at separation. O en, very deep tainment, with possible variations based on
“character roleplayers” who really enjoy random decisions by your players. It’s much
playing and getting really deep into their easier to break the game down into what we
character have a hard time separating them- call beats and write it all down. at gives
selves from the character, and this can make you something to refer to, and sets every ma-
romance uncomfortable. I once found my- jor point in the game out separately so you
self running a romantic scene with a friend can switch them around if needed. ere are
and realized halfway through that it felt a four beat types that make up a Beat Chart:
hell of a lot like they were irting with me.
Needless to say it made things a bit awk- e Hook: e hook is a moment or occur-
ward. Good separation also means the play- rence that draws your players into the story.
ers won’t get as upset when things go wrong
in a ctional relationship. e Development: e development is a
more cerebral moment where your players
Lastly, separation helps you run ro- realize, learn, or gain something that pro-
mances with people you would never feel gresses the story.
romantic toward. Sure, it’s easy to run a
romance for a crush or a signi cant other. e Cli -Hanger: e cli -hanger is a dra-
It gets di cult when you have to run a ro- matic, action-packed moment in the story
mance for your father, for instance, or you where the players are ghting or chasing or
have to pretend the big hairy dude across doing something active.
the table is a lusty, buxom sorceress who
wants to mark you as another notch on her e Climax: e climax is when a sto-
bedpost. ry comes to an end. A campaign o en has
more than one climax: one at the end of
Speaking of notches on bed posts... each story arc, then a big one when you de-
sex. It’s bound to happen in a mature game cide to end it.
such as e Witcher and Lord only knows To run your game smoothly, nd a hook for
how, shall we say, “adventurous” it may get. each player, then string together interesting
developments with exciting cli -hangers
e thing is, in most cases, the rest of your until you’re ready to put in your climax.
players don’t want to have it play out in front
of them. In the Top Ten list of ways to make
a game awkward, describing the sex is prob-
ably third or fourth. ere are some groups
where everyone knows each other well
enough, are open enough, or perhaps want
to see it and that’s ne. But unless you know
your group is in that demographic, stick to
this rule: all sex happens o screen. You can

For Example: planned is gone. ey know they’re walk- 215
e game begins with a hook: Gwen, who ing into an ambush. It can be the same for
Awareness checks. Your players are walking Pre-Rolling
is an Aen Seidhe bard from Cidaris, wakes down a hallway and you have them make Awareness
up to re and screaming. Her home town is an Awareness check. Nobody makes it, so
being raided by Nilfgaard! As she runs out the whole party sits around searching until If you want you can have
she encounters the development. She sees the they spot the trap. Once again, this is less of players pre-roll Awareness.
head of the Nilfgaardians, a tall man with a problem for players who can separate, but Before the game starts, have
long black hair and elegant black and gold ar- it can really ruin a surprise. all of your players roll ten or
mor. en, a cli -hanger comes: she is spot- twenty Awareness rolls and
ted by Nilfgaardians. With few weapons and e truth is that some rolls don’t mark them down (in order)
light armor, she can’t beat ve battle-primed need to be obvious. In situations where your on a piece of paper. With
Nilfgaardians in full plate with heavy weap- players are trying to tell if someone is lying your player’s awareness rolls
ons. It would do her best to run and plot for or how they are feeling, or rolls to nd hid- written down, you can refer
her revenge. den things, it helps to make the players think to them each time you need
for themselves. If the traveler o ering direc- to have your players make an
e next development comes when, tions seems sketchy, let the players decide to Awareness roll. Make sure to
a er escaping the Nilfgaardians, she comes make a Human Perception check. Now it’s cross off each Awareness re-
across two other refugees, a doctor and a them opposing the traveller, who could be sult when you use it so you
mercenary. ey agree to team up temporar- totally normal and they’re just paranoid. It’s don’t re-use results.
ily to kill the head of the Nilfgaardian troop. not as obvious as if you make them make a
check. Same for traps. e great part about
e next cli -hanger comes when they lay this method is that it makes your players
an ambush for the Nilfgaardians, setting a paranoid. ey start checking everything
bunch of traps along their path. en a de- and you know you’ve got them invested.
velopment comes when, as they are slipping
back into the shadows, they are followed. A Blue Booking
young Nilfgaardian soldier has followed them
and tells them that he is willing to help them Blue booking is a wonderful option to get
kill the general if they help him escape the your players really involved in your game.
military. In the next cli -hanger they are Get one or more of your players to keep a
brought to the general by the defector under journal for their character. is can be notes
the pretences that he caught them. ey break on their characters, thoughts or secrets their
their loose bonds and attack the general and character has, plans, past history, or just a
his guards. e climax comes when they kill general story of the events of the game.
the Nilfgaardian general.
is is a particularly good idea for players
Using a beat chart helps you focus and or- of bards. Over all, blue booking is a good
ganize your game around your players. way to keep track of the game, but can be an
excellent way to engage an otherwise unin-
Not Every Roll Has To Be volved player. Even a player who doesn’t get
Obvious that involved in the game may really enjoy
chronicling it.
You may experience this when running
your game: your players encounter a seem-
ingly innocent traveller who will lead them
in the right direction if they let him come
with. You have everybody roll a Human
Perception check! Nobody makes it...but
now they know he’s lying. Sure, this is ne if
your players can separate themselves from
their characters, but any surprise you had

216 Running Witcher

The “Hero” When running a Witcher game there are of the Rings™ or Dungeons and Dragons™.
a few things to keep in mind to get your You’re not ghting for the fate of the planet,
The world of the Witcher isn’t players in the right mood. is short sec- and nothing is ever as black and white as it
epic fantasy and you won’t tion will give you the basics. seems.
run into brilliant, gleaming
heroes...very often. In this is Isn’t Epic Fantasy Monsters Aren’t e Only Evil
dark and grim world there
are some people who at- When you sit down to run your game, it’s In e Witcher the monsters aren’t the only
tempt to uphold codes of important to remember that e Witcher is things that you have to worry about. Be-
chivalry and other ideals that not a high fantasy epic setting. In the Witch- tween bloody power struggles, hate crimes,
most people think of as anti- er stories, despite overarching plots such as and general unrest, the people of the Con-
quated. It’s often interesting the prophecy of the Elder Blood or Mad tinent can be just as dangerous as the mon-
to throw one of these more Eltibald’s prophecy of the Black Sun, the sters. In some ways, even more deadly; at
idealistic characters into a main plot is never one of epic heroes. Geralt least with a monster you know where you
group of cynical heroes and never picks up a magic sword handed down stand. You’re not safe within the walls of a
see how they deal with the to him by the gods and slays an army of de- city. ere may be guards and “civilized”
drastic difference in world mons, never travels to hell to defeat an evil people surrounding you. You may be behind
view. god, and never sets out to save the world. meter-thick stone walls guarded by archers,
but watch your back because there’s some-
However, keep e world of e Witcher is down one in every hamlet willing to slip a knife
two things in mind. First, the to earth and revolves around understanda- between your ribs, for your money, for re-
“Hero” is never 100% right. ble concepts. Many early stories have Ger- venge, or just because they don’t like you.
They may get the job done alt dealing with interpersonal problems and
and people may like them, grudges that get out of hand. Even with the Racism & How It E ects You
but they still exist in a dark invasion of Nilfgaard and the Wild Hunt
fantasy world. The world scouring the land, Geralt’s goal is still very Being one of the elderfolk in the Northern
shouldn’t start changing to fit simple: get Ciri back. Kingdoms is a very dangerous thing. is is
how this idealistic character because in the previous Nilfgaardian War,
operates. Second, this ideal- Your Witcher game shouldn’t have most of the elves and dwarves aided Nilf-
istic character should never the players traveling to the sacred mountain gaard in its invasion of the North. Now elves
feel like a mandatory role to gain mythic power and unite the world and dwarves live in ghettos in most human
model for players. They’re with magical might. Instead, pick a plot that societies and are tormented daily. Hate
there to show a contrast hits home with your players. Perhaps they crimes, lynchings, and vandalism are ram-
and play around with the were all Cidarin citizens and a er their town pant in backwater towns. Even in the capi-
idea of two outlooks inter- was wiped out by Nilfgaardians, they band- tals of the Northern Kingdoms mass purges
acting. They aren’t there to ed together to hunt down and kill the gen- are not unheard of. e Witcher TRPG rep-
show your players how they eral who ordered the attack. Maybe one of resents this through your social standing, a
should act. If you push it too your players was cursed by a sorceress and status that you get at birth with your race.
far, the players will kill the has hired the other players to escort them
character and leave them in as they look for a way to undo the curse. If is explains how the average human popu-
a ditch. you want high stakes, tie your plot to a king- lace of a settlement will deal with you.
dom or the war. Your players could be an-
archists or even Scoia’tael who are plotting Barring strange circumstances,
the assassination of a northern monarch, or dwarves are tolerated, which means that
maybe working as spies for Nilfgaard. No humans will generally stomach your pres-
matter what plot you pick for your game, ence; it only becomes a problem if you cause
remember that e Witcher is not e Lord a disturbance or are in the wrong place at
the wrong time.

217

Witchers are feared, which means towns- e world of e Witcher can be,
folk will actively avoid them— anyone who messy, di cult, and bloody. Never let your
is forced to deal with them will try to cut players get o with an obvious answer to a
their dealings short quickly. Elves, however, di cult question. Make them compromise.
having been less than friendly in the years If your whole party gets caught up discuss-
before the Nilfgaardian War, are hated. ing the ethical rami cations of what they’re
Most people view elves as lesser beings. In about to do then you’ve done a good job.
most places, the risk of hate crimes nearly
doubles; in backwaters it’s wisest to hide
your heritage.

Nothing Is Ever As It Seems

Witcher stories are rarely as simple as they
rst appear. Most times you will get halfway

through a story thinking one thing before a
plot twist sends you in exactly the opposite
direction. A mission to wipe out a group of
bandits plaguing a town may turn out to be
a death sentence for a band of war refugees
who refused to pay a toll to the town alder-
man.

In a good Witcher game your play-
ers should go in with one concept and leave
with another. Nothing is black and white.
Always look for twists and mysteries that
will make your players question if they’re
on the right side. Keep your players on their
toes. Send them out with a basic mission
that unravels into a grand mystery as they
travel (or kill) their way across the country-
side. You can tempt your players by putting
especially good loot or something they re-
ally want at the end of the trail of clues and
leaving hints along the path. Later in this
section we’ll go into how to set up a good
mystery so you can keep it all straight and
keep your players guessing.

No Question Is Easily
Answered

e Witcher world is not a nice neat little
world where the right answer is obviously
apparent the minute the question is asked.
In many cases there isn’t even a “right” an-
swer. Players must o en choose between
two answers that both seem equally “right”
or “wrong”. ey may make mistakes that
haunt them for the rest of their lives.

218

Life’s Hard. Enjoy it! As a GM it’s important to remem-
ber that while the world of e Witcher is a
By now you’ve probably noticed that the dark, grim, and deadly place, achieving hap-
Witcher TRPG is fairly ruthless. Gear is piness is possible. Players can nd someone
expensive and life is cheap. at’s because to love, settle down, and have a happy fami-
that’s what e Witcher is. It’s deadly and ly. But it doesn’t come without a price. Hap-
unforgiving. e economy is such that a piness should always be out there for your
simple throwing knife costs you an arm and players to reach for, and if they get it that
a leg, and you may lose an arm and a leg get- doesn’t mean that the game ends and noth-
ting the money to buy that throwing knife. ing more can be done. Once you’ve achieved
happiness you have to protect it. You have to
e world is hard-edged and rough, but this defend everything you care about from the
makes the happy moments all the sweeter. ravages of this war-torn world. Even if your
A er a long day of death and destruction, players discover happiness, make them ght
an almost normal home or a genuinely lov- for it. Have monsters attack their homes,
ing embrace can be the greatest reward in soldiers try to take their families. Make it
the world. e brightest of the few shining clear that they can have a happy life but it
lights in e Witcher are friendship and won’t be without cost.
love. ese two things make the grim slog
through life worth it.

Healing, Or Got Any Twos?

Not only is the Witcher TRPG more gran-
ularly brutal with the introduction of crit-
ical damage, but healing is handled more
realistically. While there are potions to heal
Health Points, either temporarily or perma-
nently, the natural healing process (espe-
cially of critical wounds) goes fairly slowly.

It’s good to remember two things
when running a Witcher game. First o , try
to make sure that your players are always
within at most a day of a doctor or a mage.

is way if they screw up horribly and get a
punctured lung, they have a chance. How-
ever, if your players knowingly venture far
from anyone who could help them, then it’s
more or less on their own heads. Secondly,
remember to make room for healing. In the
Witcher books, Geralt spends a fair amount
of time healing—extended periods in a
temple doing nothing but healing. If your
players all sustain internal organ damage
or have broken limbs, give them some time
to heal so they aren’t crippled for the rest of
their adventure. You can either “time skip”
(“Well, you guys spend a few weeks heal-
ing”) or you can actively play out some of
that time, allowing players to bond, plan, or
perhaps seduce their caretaker.

219

Encounters

When setting up an encounter in the threat categories: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Parties With No
Witcher TRPG always remember: more Each category is split into Simple, Com-
is better. Rarely will you ever be attacked plex, and Di cult to show just where on Witcher
by one monster. Usually they swarm. If the spectrum the beasts are. For most par-
you’re lucky you’ll only be attacked by ties you can play it like this: You may be running a party
three monsters, but most times it’s ve that doesn’t have a witcher.
or six. So here’s an equation to remember For every medium monster you In this case you may want
when sending enemies (monster, human- put into your encounter take out three easy to start with 1 monster per
oid, or otherwise) a er your players: monsters. player to gauge how your
players do. Monsters have
Number of Monsters = Unless your players are proven ba- resistance to steel weap-
Players + 2 dasses, don’t put a hard monster in with any ons which means your
other monsters. A party of ve or fewer can non-magical players will be
Plan on at least one monster per person in take one hard monster. doing half damage no mat-
your party. If you’re running an encounter ter what. This also applies
with one person, put in at least three mon- You can scale monster encounters to parties that are less com-
sters. is number of monsters will gen- more using the complex or di cult mon- bat-oriented. If you have a
erally be good for your players until they sters from each threat category. bard, a merchant and two
get stronger. Eventually, your players will priests you may want to start
get relic weapons and they’ll be throwing For Example: My three players (Joe, Felicia, with 1 monster per player to
around enough dice to one-shot small mon- and Mark) walk into a crypt in Temeria and gauge how well they do be-
sters. At that point you can raise the num- are set upon by ghouls! ere are three of fore throwing the full horde
ber per person, and chances are your players them, so 5 ghouls lunge out of the shadows! at them.
will love it. What’s more badass than three
heroes taking down 20 enemies? Not a lot. at’s 1 per person plus 2, and assuming they
have silver weapons it shouldn’t be that tough
You may want to throw large mon- for them. However, a er resting up a bit they
sters into your game, and that works just travel deeper into the crypt and nd another
group of monsters! is time they are facing
ne, but not using the same numbers. If you a grave hag! Once again, this shouldn’t be too
throw eight ends at four starting players, hard if the players are relatively skilled and
they are gonna be toast in no time. In the have silver weapons. But seeing as the grave
Witcher TRPG, monsters are split into three hag will take more of their focus, there will
only be two ghouls there as well, rather than
a horde.

220

Monster Ratings One more thing to remember when setting
up a Witcher encounter: monsters are not
Simple Easy Difficult very good at working together. If your
players stumble into a nest of nekkers while
Bandits Complex Wraiths being chased by wolves, the nekkers and
Drowners Ghouls wolves will not team up to ght the players
Wolves Scoia’tael Archers Endrega together. In general, whenever you have
Nekkers two di erent types of monsters in the same
Sirens encounter with players, the battle turns
into a free-for-all. Each turn, any monster
Simple Medium Difficult not being attacked or actively attacking will
Complex attack the closest thing to them. e only
Mages Noonwraiths exception to this is intelligent monsters,
Grave hags Rock trolls who will attack whatever set them o or
Werewolves looks most dangerous.

Simple Hard Difficult

Golems Complex Fiends
Wyverns Katakans
Griffins
Arachasae

Rewards 221

You have to face it, loot is a big part of Recipes Recipes
any game. Treasure and the looting of
dead bodies for money, armor, weapons, Among the best things you can nd when Diagrams & Formulae can
and magic items is the benign obsession sacking a bandit lair or looting a dead mer- be really great loot for a
of most gamers, both tabletop and video. chant on the road are diagrams and formu- large party or a party with a
And never fear, there is still loot in the lae. Take the right materials to a cra er and craftsman. One recipe for a
world of e Witcher! But it’s a bit di er- they can make you some really awesome powerful weapon or a useful
ent. stu . If you have a cra er in your party, they item like a bomb or trap can
can use them nearly on the y if they have open up a lot of doors for the
Gold, i.e. Crowns the tools. Just like magic items, however, party. Now they can prepare
powerful diagrams should be doled out over the whole party with pow-
is may be where you get a bit sad. Crowns, time. erful weapons, armor, and
the coin of the day, are not common. e gear which can turn the tide
rich are rich and the poor are poor—pain- Interesting Items in dangerous battles.
fully so. is means looting a group of
bandits you and your party just killed may With intelligent enemies, you’ll nd a lot of
net only 70 crowns, tops. When the cheap- personal items on whoever you are looting.
est longsword costs 160 crowns, 70 is not
much. While you may nd some cash, loot is stu doesn’t have to be important, but
in the world of e Witcher means items. it should be interesting. A er all, think about
You may nd 5 crowns on a guy, but also a what would happen if somebody killed you
great sword or a couple of potent alchemical right now and ri ed through all your pock-
items. ets.

Magic Items & Relics In my case, my assassin would nd
$4.91 in change, my wallet, two phones, a
Witcher magic items range from pretty good pen, a jack knife, some keys with dog tags
to truly insane. It’s always a good idea to from other people, a public transit card,
study the statistics of each item before you movie ticket stubs, and dice of all shapes
give it to your players. If you decide to hand and sizes. Not much money (and only one
your players the legendary sword Cleaver usable weapon) but a lot of interesting items
Hood for killing a bandit on the road to Te- with story. If they went through my wallet,
meria, that better be a plot-related item be- it’d get even more interesting as they found
cause it’s way too much power to give some- a library card, a science center membership
one for killing a lone bandit. card, some I.D. info, an All United States
Kendo Federation card, more movie stubs,
Dole out magic items over time. and a punch card to a piroshky restaurant.
Unlike many other fantasy games, magic You gotta admit, I’d be a pretty intriguing
and relic weapons are not commonplace. corpse.
You usually can’t buy them at a marketplace;
they require adventure and e ort to get. But Despite the fact that you creat-
once you get them it’s very worth it. Not ed them for a purpose in the game world,
only do people take notice, but 24 points of every body your players loot is a person.
average damage, Stamina regeneration, and
a 20% bleeding chance isn’t bad either. ey had a life. It’s always cool to have some
indicators of what they were like, and it’ll
give your players a sense that the world has
depth. If you want varied possessions, use
the Random Possessions table on pg.223.

222

Monster Bits & Twine Looting Monsters: On solitary monsters,
you’re most likely to only nd parts of the
Last but not least, your players will collect monster or small bits of loot mentioned in
a lot of components and ingredients, oth- its bestiary entry. However, that changes for
erwise known as ‘monster bits and twine’. intelligent monsters and monster dens.
Almost every monster you can kill in e Intelligent Monsters: Besides the usual
Witcher can be used for something, be it in- useful monster bits, it’s good to put a few
fused dust for a bomb or a delicious bowl trinkets and favorite objects of the monster
of drowner brain soup. When players kill a on or around it. For most monsters, though,
monster you can refer to its bestiary page there won’t be many. Roll 1d6 to see how
to see what useful parts you can cut, gouge, many items the monster owns, then roll on
or tear from its corpse. It’s a gruesome job, the Random Possessions table to see what
but somebody’s gotta do it and you’ll be glad they are (or decide). Even intelligent mon-
you did. sters don’t usually carry crowns, armor, or
weapons. ey might have diagrams.
Monster parts are helpful to cra a Monster Dens: In a monster den you have a
lot of potions. It’s best not to tear humans bit more room to experiment. e monsters
and elderfolk apart for alchemical materials. themselves may not carry items on them,
Nothing on a person is really all that use- but they o en have the bodies of travellers
ful for alchemy, however they do o en have or adventurers in their caves. Roll 1d6 for
twine, cloth, and other cra ing materials every 3 monsters that inhabit this cave (in
on them. Tearing down even cheap clothes this case large monsters count for 6 small
gives you stu you can use. monsters, i.e. 2d6). is is how many bod-
ies are in the cave. For each body, roll 1d6
Doling Out e Goods again to see how many items they had on
them when they died, then randomly roll or
With an idea of what makes up your loot, choose them. You can also scatter weapons
it’s important to know how to hand it out. or armor of your choosing if some of the
Here’s how it should usually go: victims were armed adventurers/bandits.
Finally, roll percentiles. On a 80-100 there is
a rare item or diagram.

Looting Humans or Non-Humans: When
looting the average bandit (or traveler, if you
are the bandits) you’ll usually nd 1d10 ran-
dom items, whatever weapons and armor
they had, and an amount of crowns based
on the enemy.

You may decide to put rare dia-
grams or items on the opposition. If you’re
looting a bandit den or somebody’s house,
roll 2d10 to nd out how many random
items you nd and percentiles to see how
many crowns you nd. Finally, roll percen-
tiles. On a 80-100 there is a rare item or dia-
gram.

Random Possessions 223

Roll Mundane Strange Occult Gear Up First

1-3 Partially used journal Strange statuette Black magic doll Always remember to roll
4-6 Wrapped turkey leg Fingernail shavings Strange mask for the items on an enemy
7-9 Strange circlet before you bring them into
10-12 Locket Pot of ashes Elf ear a combat. You don’t want to
13-15 Hand mirror Choke collar have to retcon the fact that
16-18 Instrument Taxidermied mouse Wooden stake with runes they were carrying a bedroll
19-21 Guild badge Lock of hair Book bound in skin or hauling around a griffin
22-24 Strange letter egg.
25-27 ieves tools Instructions for a trade Monster part (GM’s choice)
28-30 Pelt of some kind Fragment of stone Unit of glowing ore
31-33 Random book Pocket full of gravel
34-36 Scribbled fortunes Hallucinogenic fungus
37-39 Waterskin Ball of clay Preserved organ in a jar
40-42 Silver ring Folk remedy for something
43-45 Manacles Mechanical piece Vial of blood
46-48 Scrimshawed bone Records of black magic
49-51 Bedroll Ladies’ underwear
52-54 Dice Strange dried meat Bloody hand
55-57 Business ledger Blackmail material Bag of teeth
58-60 Cheap wine Marital aids Monster skull
61-63 Map of the area Odd dream journal Notes about the players
64-66 Flask of spirits Fish bones Map to an unknown place
67-69 Lucky charm of some form Note with one number Dead bird
70-72 Gwent deck Feverish sketches
73-75 Tent Tooth Insane notes
76-78 Sketch of a person Worn out shoe Illegible scroll
79-81 Soap Symbol written in blood
82-84 Holy symbol Reins Strange jade statuette
85-87 Flint & steel List of people A lock of blonde hair
88-90 Whistle Five iron nails A strange, empty lamp
91-93 Sun stone Strange sea shells Scrimshawed human bone
94-96 Shopping list Strange poetry Iron shoes
97-100 1 Unit of feathers Extremely mouldy bread Human skull
Dried meat or salted sh Unknown key Censer full of caked blood
Pouch of spices Paper with lipstick marks Tattooed skin
Empty vial Arrowhead Ritual dagger
Chalk Black magic ring
Severed tongue

224 Relics & Min-Maxers

Min-Maxers Aren’t e world of e Witcher is very danger- 3. Witcher items and experimental mag-
Evil ous; both the video games and the TRPG ic are very rare. ey’re trade secrets. Give
re ect that. But a well-prepared player can players one or two of these items, but make
Min-Maxers aren’t inher- acquire many abilities and bits of gear that them work for the formula.
rently evil. A lot of times make them hell on wheels— or hooves, as Your players can still become badasses, and
they min-max as a defense the case may be. In many respects that’s that’s ne. You want your players to be able
mechanism to make sure to pull o incredible feats and escapes. Ya
they don’t get overrun by ne. It’s cool for a player to plan and gath- just don’t want them to be too powerful.
other players. If you have a er gear and allies, then take down some
min-maxer in your party big monster, like a end. But beware: a You also can work around your
you’ll know pretty soon if min-maxer in the party can make life hell min-maxing players. By their nature,
they are just looking to game on earth for a new GM. min-maxers optimize for one type of thing,
the system. If they are, feel usually combat. If you have a min-maxed
free to unleash hell (within Min-Maxer combat character, change things up. Make
reason of course). If they’re the next few challenge puzzles or other such
just trying to make the most (Noun) mental problems. Pick battle elds (marshes,
survivable character they Popularity in Games: Highly unpopular roo ops) that play to their weaknesses. You
can, go ahead and let them. Simple De nition: A player who spends can deal with min-maxers and have them
They mean you no harm. hours, even days, reading through every bit in your game groups, but you have to know
They just want to make it of source material, every rule and online how to control them.
through the game on one guide, to create the ultimate character, o en
character and not get run using exploits or loopholes in the system to Why Relic Items Aren’t
over. achieve this. Craftable

Being married to a top-tier min-maxer, I One important change from the Witcher
have to deal with this a lot. e Witcher sys- video games to the TRPG is that relic items
tem o ers many possible character skills and are no longer cra able. is is a pretty big
items that grant special abilities. If you let and even frustrating change, but the TRPG
your players accumulate too many too fast, needs it, for two reasons.
you’re going to have to throw big things at
them to keep them busy. And while that can First, most relic items in e Witch-
be epic for a while, it hurts to send a big, bad er gained their power through events they
boss monster a er your players and watch experienced. It would be rather strange to
them atten it in two rounds because part of cra the cursed blade Virgin, for instance.
your party has reached a level of power you Freya doesn’t give it to you, and no horrible
were previously unaware of. betrayals taint its magic. Why’s it cursed?
Because it was made in the same way?
e GM’s key to managing that is to Wouldn’t it come out as the original un-
remember that you control when your play- cursed holy blade? Who knows. Most likely
ers get the big toys. it would just come out as a regular blade.

1. Give relics as major quest rewards. Don’t Second, being able to cra relic
hand them out le and right. items out of common parts means...well,
mass production. Say you get hold of the
2. Potions and decoctions have toxici- diagram for the legendary sword Devine,
ty, which will keep Witcher players from which does a ton of damage and has a bunch
knocking back too many. of bonuses.

225

eoretically, to make Devine you only
need:

1 Unit of Leather
2 Units of Steel Ingot
1 Unit of Diamond Dust
1 Unit of Sapphire Dust

Take that diagram to the right cra er and
you could out t every member of your par-
ty with a Devine. Or copy that diagram a
hundred times and you can sell the key to
making a tremendously powerful sword to
anyone who’ll pay and make a ton of coin.
Not only does that throw the game into cha-
os by pushing your party’s power through
the roof and blowing up the local politics
and economy, it diminishes the meaning of
the sword. Suddenly it goes from:

Devine, the legendary sword, imbued with
the power of a treacherous djinn, which killed
the wielder in a painfully ironic moment.

to

Devine, that sword design that does a lotta
damage and stu !

When you nally get a relic, it should be an
event. You should feel a certain weight, just
having the item. Relics are not meant to be
just tools that you forge over and over again
so your party has the best gear. at’s why
relics aren’t cra able in the Witcher TRPG.
Sometimes you have to compromise to get
the feel just right.

226 Good NPCs

Continuity A key ingredient in any good game is the NPCs, the non-player characters. Your plot
can be amazing, but if your NPCs are cardboard cut-outs, then the game will be dull.
Of course, when you are Not every NPC has to be a portrait, but the core characters have to be at least vaguely in-
making an NPC, keep a teresting. To make things easier, follow these charts to quickly make interesting NPCs.
certain amount of realism
and continuity. If you need Basic NPC
a farmer to give your players
information on a wyvern, Roll Race Gender Age Personality
you can generally assume
that that farmer won’t be a 1 Human Male Child Shy
nobleman. 2 Human Female Child Rebellious
3 Human Male Teen Arrogant
4 Human Female Teen Headstrong
5 Aen Seidhe Male Young adult Friendly
6 Aen Seidhe Female Young adult Secretive
7 Aen Seidhe Male Adult Nervous
8 Dwarf Female Adult Flirtatious
9 Dwarf Male Elder Eccentric
10 Dwarf Female Elder
Aloof

Background

Roll History Standing Romance Secret

1 Lost everything Slave None Is secretly a mage
Slave Found a lost treas-
2 Family was killed None
Poor ure

3 Fought in the North- Poor None Is a wanted criminal
ern War Poor
Average
4 inks they have Uninterested in Is a secret
magic Well to do love service agent
Has a secret life
5 Almost died Well to do Debauchery Has a Secret Profes-
Rich
6 Saved by a witcher Playboy sion
Nobility
7 Used to be a priest Interested in a Is a cross-dresser
player
8 Once ruled a small Is a deserter
town A dedicated
lover Has a secret lover
9 Lived as a bandit Has a hex or curse
Married
10 Killed a Star-crossed of your choice
dangerous monster
lovers

227

Campaigning

A lot of people will probably just use this strikes again. Or, your players could nd out Run Campaigns
book to run short one-shot games. And that the monster was a sign of some greater
that’s ne, but your players may have so threat to come. Either way, you need a plot I’m biased but I have to say,
much fun they beg you to make the game large enough that your players can pursue it if you can, run a campaign.
a campaign. at’s when this section will for quite a few games. One-shots are fun and if
come in handy. you don’t have stable players
e Traveling Adventurers they’re the best option. But
e Overarching Plot if you can get a few players
Alternately you can choose a “traveling ad- together, run a whole cam-
One-shots are designed to open and close venturers” campaign, where the players are paign. Players can really get
in one session. To “upgrade” your one-shot simply adventurers together, either on the attatched to their characters
to a campaign, you have to pick a core plot. road for safety in numbers or because they and it’ll give you a million
have a common destination. In a game like great stories. It may seems
e best way to do this is to connect the plot this the destination almost doesn’t matter. difficult for new GMs but
from your one-shot to an overarching plot. It just has to be a long way away, with lots that’s what this chapter is
Something that builds on it to give your of stops en route. Every episode, the players here for!
players more to do. stop along the road and encounter some is-
sue they need to overcome, either to contin-
For instance, say your players start- ue their journey or for some reward.
ed out by defeating the monster plaguing a
town. ey could nd out a mysterious en-
emy sicced the monster on the town. Your
campaign sends them to stop her before she

228 Don’t Expect Saints can play fandom to the show. Players can do
fan art, fan ction, and other things based
Roach e world of e Witcher is a dog-eat-dog around the “show.” It may sound silly but it
world. ere are people who will do things gets people really invested in the game, and
Horses with personality are out of the goodness of their hearts, but they keeps people interested whenever you can’t
surprisingly popular in my are exceedingly rare. People should rarely go get everyone together for a game for a while.
personal games. I’m not sure out of their way for the players at rst meet-
what it is but my players love ing unless the players o er something good. When A Player’s Gone
it when they get a horse or
some other pack animal and is applies to players as well. Never assume O en you’ll wind up in a situation where all
it turns out to have its own your players will follow a plot because it’s but one of your players is free for the game.
quirks and habits. I highly the right thing to do. Whether it’s the threat
encourage you to have your of death or the promise of crowns, always is can be a tricky. If that player’s impor-
own Roach in your games. give the players a reason to follow any plot tant to the plot, you may have to hold o for
arc. a while until they are free. But if they aren’t
very important to the current plot, have
“Guest Appearances” something happen to them. ey could be
kidnapped, wander o , be called away for
A er you get your game started you may some reason, or even made into a tiny jade
wind up with people who want to join it, doll.
or people you want to see in the game. e
problem is, o en you already have as many “ e NPC”
players as you can handle long-term. is is
where guest appearances come in handy. In my games I always try to give the play-
Have that person make a character, maybe ers one NPC that is their companion. “ e
give them something that ties them into the NPC” is a very important tool when run-
plot for one episode. ink of it like the long ning for more than two or three players. It’s
list of “Scooby-Doo™ Meets Some Celebri- very nice to have an NPC you control who
ty” episodes. is gets the player in for one not only is always with the party but also
game to see how it works. has some weight with them when making
decisions. Make this NPC very detailed, do-
If everybody has fun and it’s not ing a whole character sheet and Lifepath for
too hard for you to run, make them a recur- them. Remember, though: this NPC is there
ring character. Every three or four episodes to help the players when they’re lost or keep
they make another appearance and join the them on track when they go o the rails. e
“main characters” for another adventure. NPC shouldn’t be the savior of the party or
raise invisible walls around them. Use them
is is especially fun if you bring them in when the players miss an important check
as a bounty hunter or monster slayer going to move the game forward, or when your
a er the same quarry as the players. players make a suicidal or insane decision
‘just because.’
e TV eory
It even pays o to keep this char-
If you have a lot of character-based role- acter largely in the background. at way
players in your party, one fun approach is to when your players do something insane and
pretend your game is an ongoing television have to face the consequences, your NPC
show. Have people pick actors/actresses for can slip away and come to help the players
their characters. Write each new session as later when they have to escape the jail cell/
an episode in the series. execution/lake bottom.

is can even help you write better
adventures. By writing your game as a TV
show you have a lot of references for how
to pattern your game and how to lay out the
plot. If your players REALLY get into it they

229

230 Curses

Lycanthropes Curses Are A Plot Device Making Curses

If you want, you can let your ere are very few known and written hex- When making a curse, just use your im-
player play themselves while es like the Nightmare, the Devil’s Luck, or agination. Curses can do everything from
they are in werewolf form. the Hex of Shadows. Curses, on the other transmuting people to animating entire
As long as they can adhere to hand, whether in the Witcher books or vid- mansions. If you need some ideas or a pre-
the understanding that they eo games, are plot devices. You should gen- made curse, check out the tables below. Re-
are not in their right mind, erally only use curses in the TRPG either to member though: a curse should never be
it does allow the player to drive the plot or to get hooks into your play- random. Curses are poetic justice that pun-
most accurately act on their ers. Curses are too powerful to just throw ish transgressions in a tting way. e Curse
character’s worst impuls- out randomly. Building section give you more information
es. But they must be able to about making your own curses.
keep their vicious nature in
mind. Being a lycanthrope is
a curse, not a benefit.

Known Curses

e Monstrous Curse e Curse of the Wanderer

E ect: e Monstrous Curse makes a subject appear E ect: e Curse of the Wanderer is one of the most
monstrous to all who see them. While they remain vicious curses. ough it doesn’t hurt the subject, it
humanoid, their facial features take on aspects of a strips away even the most loyal friend, relative, or
random animal. Roll 1d10; 1-2: Bear, 3-4: Boar, 5-6: companion. Slowly the people around the subject
Bird, 7-8: Snake, 9-10: Insect. e curse-bearer’s are pushed away by misunderstandings, arguments,
social standing is now Hated & Feared, no matter natural interventions, or even kidnappings until (if
what it was. e cursed is not actually a monster and they stay around for more than a month) fate starts
doesn’t take damage from silver, but appears mon- conspiring to kill them.
strous and will be mistaken for a monster by anyone Intensity: High
who fails a DC:18 Education roll.
Intensity: Medium Lycanthropy

e Haunting E ect: A character a icted with Lycanthropy has a 30%
chance of changing into their werewolf form every night,
E ect: e Haunting can only curse an area. It when the moon rises. When a character changes, they
summons the spirits of every person wronged in become a vicious predator with a human’s cunning and an
the area as wraiths. When you cast this curse, roll urge to kill. If the character is a player character, they are
5d6 to see how many wraiths manifest. If the area is taken over by the GM until the sun rises. When in their
particularly horrible, roll an extra 2d6. If the area is werewolf form the character acts on all their worst impuls-
relatively tame, just roll 2d6. ese wraiths remain in es with no mercy and kills anyone in their way. While in
the area until killed and return the next night. ey their beast state the lycanthrope has all of the werewolf’s
will attack anything that enters the cursed area. e weapons, armor, and abilities. e character also adds a
only way to get rid of this curse is to somehow right bonus to 4 of their statistics as noted below.
the wrongs done in the area. Intensity: High
Intensity: Medium
Werewolf Bonuses Body+3
e Curse of Pestilence Re ex+2 Empathy-5
Speed+4
E ect: e Curse of Pestilence makes the subject a
carrier for a dangerous disease. While they are un-
a ected by the disease, they spread it to anyone who
touches them and fails a DC:18 Endurance check. If
they stay in a building for more than 3 days, every-
one in the building must make a DC:16 Endurance
check. If they stay in a town for more than a week,
everyone in that town must make a DC:14 Endur-
ance check.
Intensity: High

Curse Building 231

Building a curse is an art. No Violence Betrayal Inaction Lifting Curses
e ect in a curse should be ran-
dom; you should be able to Animals are uneasy e cursed is always People are unwilling Curses are punishments,
trace everything back to the around the cursed. le alone at night. to help the cursed. so they’re hard to get rid of.
reason the curse was cast. e cursed has vivid ose the cursed There are few curses that you
Blood pours from the can lift without some pain
If you need help mak- cursed’s eyes at night. night terrors. failed to help appear on somebody’s end. Once
ing a good curse, here are a as hallucinations. again, the steps to break a
few suggestions on what you Wraiths chase the e cursed loses the e cursed’s body curse should be related to
could bring to bear for cer- cursed every night. ability to love. the cause of the curse. You
tain actions or inactions. De- e cursed sees the becomes sick and can use the Penance table to
pending on the severity of the e cursed is com- person they betrayed twisted. get a concept for what level
curse, you can also stack a pelled to kill anyone in every mirror. of penance need be paid.
number of curse e ects on top who comes too near. Everyone the cursed Food the cursed eats
of each other. A curse should loves turns against turns to ash, but they Cursed Places
never feel too unfair, though. e cursed feels like
they are being vivi- them. can’t starve. For cursed places, penance
ere should be some hope. e tools and weap- e cursed is struck should be a bit different. If
sected in the night. ons of the cursed al- with paralysis at cru- the curse is tied to a person,
e cursed becomes cial moments. the Penance table is fine. But
hideously ugly to ways break. if the curse is specifically on
match their person- Anywhere the cursed the place then the penance
stays begins decaying usually means ending the
ality. suffering of spirits around
and falling apart. the cursed place, or perhaps
returning something to the
Penance & Su ering place.

No two curses are li ed the Intensity Penance & Su ering
same way. ree people a ict-
ed with lycanthropy may nd Low Low intensity curses are small time and don’t threat-
three entirely separate ways to en the life of the cursed. Li ing these curses require
li their curses. When some- Medium smaller things such as: the forgiveness of the person
one gets cursed in your game, High who cursed them, giving away all of their money,
take a moment to gure out or burning their most prized possession under the
how they’re gonna undo the
curse. You don’t have to tell full moon.
them but you should know, Medium intensity curses are dangerous and power-
just in case they stumble upon ful webs of magic that threaten the cursed’s life. Li -
it. Based on the severity of a ing these curses requires real su ering. e cursed
curse, here are a few sugges- must: renounce a loved one, nearly die, or spend
tions for how curses can end.
years in isolation and misery.
High intensity curses are tremendously dangerous
and, luckily, very rare. ese curses require in-
tense su ering. To li these curses the cursed must:
sacri ce a beloved companion, or lose literally

everything.

232

World States
Both fortunately and unfortunately, the
roughout the novels of Andrzej Sap- Witcher video games add quite a bit of vari-
kowski, many many events take place with ability to the world as you play. e Witcher
clear ripple e ects. Characters die, betray- 1, 2, and 3 are masterpieces of roleplaying.
als rock relationships, friends are made, Your decisions have ripple e ects and out-
and long-lasting feuds are created. All of comes that make you a real factor in the his-
these events shape the world of the novels tory of the world.
into an interesting and lively place.
But as a result, as of e Witcher 1,
the history of the Witcher world diverges
with each choice you make throughout the
three games. Important characters may die
or may not. Countries may thrive and may
collapse. It all depends on the player of the
video game, at least for their game world.

is complicates things for our roleplaying
game, especially for someone who has never
played any of the video games.

It would have been easy enough to
pick one world state based on my personal
play throughs of the video games and say
‘this is the canonical setting for the TRPG’
but that felt like cheating to me. Millions
of people have played through the Witcher
video games and cra ed their own unique
stories as they went. So this small section
gives people who played the video games
the tools to play in the world they helped
build, and also to help those who didn’t play
the video games get a feel for the choices
that were made in the video games, then
pick and choose their ideal world state for
the TRPG.

Granted, not every choice you can
make in the Witcher video games is repre-
sented here. Many small decisions are very
important to the video games but have little
in uence in the grand scheme of the setting.
Decisions like killing Loredo in Flotsam are
important in e Witcher 2, but trivial to
the larger Witcher Universe since Flotsam
is a small backwater town. However, deci-
sions like whether the siege of Vergen is a
success and what happens at the summit at
Loc Muinne are vastly important and must
be taken into account.

233

Decisive Regions

Regional Fates Description

e Fate of Vergen The small city of Vergen in Upper Aedirn was recently the site of warfare and contention between not only
e Fate of Aedirn Aedirn and Kaedwen, but also a third party—an elderfolk alliance led by a woman named Saskia, otherwise
e Fate of Temeria known as the Virgin of Aedirn. King Henselt of Kaedwen laid siege to the city recently, hoping to take back
e Fate of the Mages Northern Aedirn, which was once part of Kaedwen. This siege determines the power balance of the region
and is one of the most important events in the last year.
Last year, Letho of Gulet and the King Slayers assassinated King Demavend of Aedirn. This left Aedirn with
one remaining legitimate heir: Prince Stennis. Prince Stennis wound up in Vergen during the siege. In an at-
tempt to unify Aedirn, he poisoned the leader of the Vergen rebels, Saskia. Depending on his fate, Aedirn will
either survive or fall into madness.
In the few months since the siege of La Valette Castle, Temeria has been in turmoil, with many noble families
vying for the throne. The only solution would be the return of Anaïs La Valette, King Foltest’s only viable heir,
who has been kidnapped by Nilfgaardians. At Loc Muinne, whether the rescued Annais goes to Temerian
forces or their Redanian neighbors determines Temeria’s status during the Third Nilfgaardian War.
At the summit at Loc Muinne, the deceit of the Lodge of Sorceresses becomes public. This great betrayal turns
the people of the North against magic users of any kind. The fate of magic users across the North depends on
the fate of Triss Merigold and whether she is able to influence the kings of the North to reinstitute the Council
of Mages.

Decisive People Description

Personal Fates Saskia of Aedirn, otherwise known as the Virgin of Aedirn, is the tenacious leader of the Pontar Valley rebels.
She is a dragon in disguise who, during the events of Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, is poisoned by a prince and
Saskia of Aedirn then subsequently saved and mind-controlled by a cabal of sorceresses. She may be killed at the summit at Loc
Muinne, may escape (still under the sorceress’ control), or may be freed to return to the Pontar Valley.
Sile DeTansarville
Sile de Tansarville is a high-level sorceress and part of a cabal known as the Lodge of Sorceresses. For a time she
e King Slayer, works with Geralt of Rivia, but at the end of Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, she betrays the North and attempts
Letho of Gulet a coup. In her attempted escape she can either survive or be killed by an imperfect crystal planted by Letho of
Aryan La Valette Gulet.

aler The King Slayer, also known as Letho of Gulet, is a witcher from the School of the Viper. He was hired by the
Emperor of Nilfgaard to pretend to work for the Lodge of Sorceresses and use that guise to destabilize the
Northern Kingdoms with regicide. At the end of the summit at Loc Muinne he may be killed by Geralt of
Rivia or be spared.

Aryan La Valette is the eldest son of the Duchess of La Valette Castle. He led the forces of La Valette Castle
against a siege by King Foltest of Temeria, who had come to take back his bastard children. At the end of the
siege, Aryan La Valette is either killed by Geralt of Rivia or spared.

Thaler, otherwise known as Bernard Ducat, is a former head of Temerian Intelligence. During the events of
The Witcher 1, Thaler can fall prey to shady dealings in Vizima and wind up executed for treason. He may,
however, be saved by Geralt of Rivia.

234

Major Decisions

Decision Outcome

e Fate of Vergen

Yes: If Saskia wins the Siege of Vergen, the Kaedweni forces are repelled and the Pontar Valley remains a free and inde-
pendent state under Saskia of Aedirn. In the current timeline, the remaining forces of Saskia’s army are desperately bat-
tling against the Nilfgaardians. ey are ghting valiantly, but without the help of Iorveth and his Scoia’tael Commando,
Did Saskia Win e who le some months ago for unknown reasons, they cannot hold the valley for very long.

Siege? No: If Saskia did not win the siege of Vergen, the Pontar Valley is taken by King Henselt of Kaedwen and the elderfolk

are “paci ed.” e Pontar Valley becomes the Lormark again and Kaedweni law rules. In the current timeline with
Kaedwen in the Winter War and Nilfgaard on the borders, many elderfolk have le to join the Scoia’tael.

Did King Henselt of Yes: If King Henselt was victorious (or if Geralt of Rivia stayed the hand of Vernon Roche) King Henselt lived through
Kaedwen Survive the
the siege of Vergen. In this case Kaedwen remains strong with a steady leader. Nonetheless, in the current timeline, the
Siege of Vergen? ravages of the Winter War are destroying Kaedwen and King Henselt lies dead in a ditch, killed by some soldier on the
front lines.

No: If the siege of Vergen is won but Geralt of Rivia refuses to stay Vernon Roche’s hand, King Henselt is assassinated

for his crimes against the Temerian Blue Stripes. Kaedwen is victorious but mourns its lost leader, becoming a shade of
what it once was. In the current timeline, the Kaedweni have been rallied by the Winter War but are far short of a uni ed
army and won’t last long against King Radovid V of Redania.

e Fate of Aedirn

Was Prince Stennis Yes: If Prince Stennis is lynched in Vergen for his poisoning of Saskia of Aedirn, Aedirn is le with no living heir and
Lynched In Vergen?
falls into chaos and anarchy with no leader to keep the peace. Famine, violence, and plague run rampant through the
land. In the current timeline Aedirn is a wasteland ravaged by war and many other ailments. Nilfgaard is in the process
of cleansing the area with re and liberal slaughter.

No: If Geralt of Rivia convinces the elderfolk of Vergen to spare Prince Stennis, he survives the siege and is crowned

king of Aedirn. In the months before Nilfgaard’s siege he consolidates Aedirn and keeps the land running industriously.
He becomes beloved by the people of Aedirn. In the current timeline Aedirn has been consumed by Nilfgaard, but the
people fought hard against the oncoming wave of black and gold. Prince Stennis eventually gave in to the Nilfgaardians
when defeat seemed imminent. He rules as a puppet of the Emperor.

e Fate of Temeria

Was Anaïs Saved? Yes: If Anaïs was saved from the Nilfgaardians, Temeria’s future is secured. e question becomes, where she is during

Who Did Anaïs Go the events of the current timeline? Determine that next.
With?
No: If Anaïs is not saved from the Nilfgaardians, she has not been seen or heard from since. e fate of Temeria is un-

sure and there is no longer a legitimate heir to the throne, leaving the many noble houses to battle amongst themselves,
even during the war.

Vernon Roche: If Anaïs goes with Vernon Roche and John Natalis a er being saved from the Nilfgaardians, she is

spirited away to an unknown location to await the end of the war when she can return to Temeria. ere is a rumor that
she is being kept safe in Kovir & Poviss, or possibly beyond the Dragon Mountains.

Radovid of Redania: If Anaïs goes with Radovid of Redania, she will be kept in Tretogor and used as a chokehold

on Temeria. She is safe, but Temeria must bow to Redania’s will.

e Fate of Mages

Was the Mage Council Yes: If Triss Merigold was saved from the Nilfgaardians by Geralt of Rivia, she works hard to rebuild the Council of
Reformed?
Mages. is attempt to rein in the mages of the North narrows the ri between the magic users and the commonfolk. In
the current timeline Triss Merigold’s attempts have only delayed things—eventually Radovid of Redania’s Witch Hunts
make mages public enemy number one again.

No: If Triss Merigold was not saved by Geralt of Rivia, she is too busy escaping her captivity to reinstitute the Mage

Council, and the con ict at Loc Muinne explodes into chaos as Radovid of Redania immediately begins burning every
mage at the event. e Witch Hunt of the North begins right away, and there is no warning.

235

Personal Fates Yes: If Saskia survives the events of Loc Muinne, she is still roaming the world. Her immediate fate depends on

Does Saskia Survive whether Geralt of Rivia frees her from mind control. No matter what happens to her immediately a er Loc Muinne,
Loc Muinne? by the current timeline she is free in the wilderness and her whereabouts are unknown.

Is Saskia Freed From No: If Saskia did not survive Loc Muinne, she was slain by Geralt of Rivia when he could nd no a way to free her
e Lodge of Sorcer-
esses? from the mind control of Philippa Eilhart. She is not there to lead the Pontar Valley, but she is also no longer a weapon
of the sorceresses.
Is Sile De Tansarville
Alive? Yes: If Saskia is free of Philippa Eilhart’s mind controlling spell, she returns to Vergen to lead her people. e Lodge

Is the King Slayer of Sorceresses is le without their most powerful weapon and forced to go into hiding.
Alive?
No: If Saskia survives but is not freed from her mental compulsion, she remains under the control of the Lodge of
Is Aryan La Valette
Alive? Sorceresses as a powerful weapon. By the current time, however, she has shaken o the compulsion and ed into the
mountains somewhere.
Is aler Alive?
Yes: If Sile De Tansarville perishes at the summit at Loc Muinne, she is no longer alive to aid the Lodge of Sorceresses.
No: If Sile De Tansarville is spared by Geralt of Rivia in the chaos of Loc Muinne she lives a free life, hiding out with

the Lodge of Sorceresses. In the current timeline she has been captured by the Redanian Witch Hunters and is being
tortured for information on Philippa Eilhart.

Yes: If Geralt of Rivia spared Letho of Gulet at Loc Muinne, the renegade witcher is still alive, roaming the North,

attempting to lose his reputation and begin anew. Unfortunately, the Emperor of Nilfgaard has sent many Nilfgaardian
agents to kill him and tie up loose ends.

No: If Letho of Gulet is killed by Geralt of Rivia at the summit at Loc Muinne, all of the witcher assassins hired by

Nilfgaard are dead and knowledge of that plot fades away. e School of the Viper is almost extinct.

Yes: If Geralt of Rivia spared Aryan La Valette at the siege of La Valette Castle, Aryan returns to La Valette Castle as

the Nilfgaardians move into Sodden and Brugge. Aryan makes La Valette Castle a safe haven in the North.

No: If Aryan La Valette is killed by Geralt of Rivia at the siege of La Valette Castle, his mother is le to run La Valette

Castle and she commandeers much of the castle’s resources for the war in the south.

Yes: If Geralt of Rivia saves aler from execution, he returns to keeping the peace in Temeria. In the current time-

line he travels to Novigrad to help Vernon Roche and Sigismund Dijkstra in their plans to kill Radovid of Redania.

No: If Geralt of Rivia does not speak up on aler’s behalf, the former head of Temerian Intelligence is executed on

crimes of treason. In the current timeline he is not present to aid Vernon Roche and Sigismund Dijkstra with their
plan to kill Radovid of Redania.

236

Witchers 237

“You can’t stop a soldier from being frightened but you can give him The Physiologus on
motivation to help him overcome that fear. I have no such motiva- “Witchmen”
tion. I can’t have. I’m a witcher: an arti cially created mutant. I kill
monsters for money. I defend children when their parents pay me to. Called by some a witcher. To
If Nilfgaardian parents pay me, I’ll defend Nilfgaardian children. And summon him is most danger-
even if the world lies in ruin—which does not seem likely to me—I’ll ous, albeit one must; for when
carry on killing monsters in the ruins of this world until some mon- against the monster and the
ster kills me. at is my fate, my reason, my life and my attitude to vermin there be no aid, the
the world. And it is not what I chose. It was chosen for me.” witchman can contrive. But
careful one must be to touch
-Andrzej Sapkowski, Blood of Elves not the witchman, for thus
the mange can one acquire.
And lasses do from him hide
away, for lustful the witchman
is above all measure. Though
the witchman greatly covetous
and greedy for gold be giveth ye
not such a one more than: for
a drowner, one silver penny or
three halves; for a werecat, sil-
ver pennies two; for a plumard,
silver pennies

–The Physiologus

From the moment a child is taken to be- Unfortunately this leads to hatred among
come a witcher they are an outsider to the common folk, who in turn alienate witch-
rest of the world. ey are a creature to be ers even more, making happy coexistence
looked down on, hated, or at best pitied. nearly impossible. Witchers are also long-
Unfortunately one rarely chooses to be a lived, functioning for hundreds of years
witcher—the dubious honor is thrust upon if not killed by a monster earlier. Any
you before you’re even old enough to know witcher character in this setting has been
what it means. At your respective School alive for between 50 and 260 years. at’s
you endure hardships ranging from un- decades (and in some cases centuries) for
comfortable beds and too little food to abuse to take a mental and physical toll.
broken bones and near-death experienc-
es at the hands of monsters. e training Current Witchers
slowly breaks you down and rebuilds you
as a weapon whose only use is to kill mon- 200 or so years ago witchers were com-
sters and li curses. To some extent it’s un- mon. It wasn’t strange to see one wander-
surprising that most peasants see witchers ing through a town or stalking the marsh-
as heartless, emotionless killing machines. es near a settlement. But that was the past.
A er their horrendous training, prospects Nowadays, a er the betrayal of the Witcher
undertake a series of mutations and trials, Schools and the hunting of witchers, most
which in ict days of excruciating pain as people will go their entire lives without see-
the body is physcially broken and rebuilt. ing a witcher. More o en than not, witchers
A er all of this, your average witcher is are seen as bad omens by the common folk
emotionally cold, short of sympathy for and rumors of their lustful tendencies, dis-
the everyday problems of someone who eased bodies, and lack of emotion run wild.
hasn’t shared their horri c upbringing.

238 Witcher Lifepath

The Schools of e life of a witcher is vastly di erent from witchers are harsh and unforgiving. Even
Witchers that of any other creature on the Conti- a er this, a witcher can expect decades (if
nent. From an early age a witcher stops not centuries) of traveling the roads of the
In the heyday of witchers being a normal citizen and begins a life Continent alone, putting themselves in
there were many many sep- that most other people could only dream danger every day for measly pay and less
erate schools, which all mu- up in their wildest nightmares. A prospec- respect than the local rat-catcher. A witch-
tated new witchers and taught tive witcher’s training is rigorous, and the er never leads an ordinary life.
them the neccesary skills to trials to join the ranks of the fully- edged
hunt monsters and lift curs-
es. While it’s generally agreed When Did You Become A Witcher?
that there is a core set of skills
required to a be a witcher, Roll Age
each school taught its stu-
dents differently and focused 1-2 Infancy (-2 to the Trial of the Grasses)
on different aspects of witch- 3-8 You were taken to become a witcher when you were a toddler, between 1 and 2 years old. You have
er training. Thus, witchers 9-10 no memories of life before becoming a witcher and had nothing to cling to when taking the Trial
from different schools often of the Grasses.
act differently and go about Early Childhood (No Modi ers)
their jobs in similar but varied You were taken to become a witcher when you were young, between 4 and 6 years old. You had
ways. some normal memories to aid you when taking the Trial of the Grasses.
Late Childhood (+2 to the Trial of the Grasses)
Memories Of The You were taken to become a witcher when you were relatively old, between 8 and 11 years old.
Past While training was somewhat harder, your many memories bolstered you when you took the Trial
of the Grasses.
Witcher I knew couldn’t real-
ly remember much ‘bout his What School Did You Train In?
past. Heh, too young to really
form a lotta memories when Roll School
they took him to Kaer Y Seren.
Told me that the memory he 1-2 e Wolf School (No Penalty For Strong Strikes)
did have made the mutations You trained at Kaer Morhen in the heights of the Blue Mountains. Your training was tough and
easier. Poor bastard clung to a 3-4 structured, focusing on a very rounded approach to the Witcher profession. You were taught to
memory of his pa takin’ him on strike hard and fast to end hunts quickly.
a horse for a ride in the fields. 5-6
Don’t know why he chose that 7-8 e Gryphon School (+2 Vigor reshold)
one. Probably the only normal 9-10 You were trained at Kaer Y Seren along the coastal side of the Dragon Mountains. Your training
memory he had. was heavily focused on ghting any number of opponents and using your limited magical power
to its greatest potential.
–Rodolf Kazmer
e Cat School (Immune to Non-Magical Charm Attempts)
You trained in the Dyn Marv Caravan, a traveling troop of witchers who sold their skills to anyone
who could pay, for any job. eir mutations and training ayed your emotions, and you struggle
against violent, cruel impulses.

e Viper School (No Penalties for Dual Wielding)
You trained at Gorthwr Gvaed in the deep chasms of the Tir Tochair Mountains. Unlike other
witchers, you were trained on twin blades and an assassination-based approach to killing monsters.

e Bear School (-2 to Overall Armor Penalty)
You trained in the snowy heights of the Amell Mountains at Haern Cadvch. You conditioned your
body to endure all manner of punishment and move quickly and e ciently in heavy steel armor.

How Did Early Training Go? 239

Roll Early Training Event The Gauntlet & The
Pendulum
1 Wounded on the Gauntlet (-1 SPD)
2 You were wounded while running the gauntlet around your School. Your leg was broken badly, Speed, agility, and physical
3 and even a er healing it is still slightly sti . endurance are widely con-
4 sidered the most important
5 Stolen Knowledge (+1 Witcher Diagram) physical skills for a Witcher.
6 While training at your School you snuck into the libraries of the keep and copied one of the secret To train all three at once, most
7 witcher diagrams, smuggling the information out with you. witcher schools employ two
8 testing courses: a hanging,
9 Made a Rival (Make 1 Witcher Enemy) metal-studded log called the
10 While training at the keep you formed a rivalry with another witcher in training. Even a er mu- pendulum (which must be si-
tations, their hatred of you continues to boil. multaneously dodged and at-
tackedwhileit’sswinging)and
Easy Mutations (+2 to the Trial of the Grasses) the gauntlet, a long, winding
You adapted well to the lesser mutations and mutagenic mushrooms you were fed early in train- path (littered with traps, pits,
ing. When the time came for the Trial of the Grasses, you were well prepared. and snares) that trainees must
run nearly every day. Many
Magical Back re (-1 Vigor reshold) students die on these physical
A failure casting a sign caused minor damage to your body. It was horri cally painful, and even challenges before even reach-
a er your body healed your Vigor reshold was lowered. ing the mutations.

Top of Your Class (+1 Swordsmanship) The Trials Of The
You were one of the best swordsmen in your class and your skills haven’t dulled. You perform the Witchers
complex movements, pirouettes, and spins of the witcher with ease.
When a trainee’s body has
Bad Reaction to Mutagens (-2 to the Trial of the Grasses) been prepared (with grueling
You had allergic reactions to the mutagenic mushrooms and chemical compounds given to you in phyiscal training and sub-
early training. When the Trial of the Grasses came, it was more di cult. tly mutagenic mushroom
broths) they undertake the
Made a Friend (Make a Witcher Friend) e rough training and dangerous excruciating trials of a witcher.
You made a fast friend in your early years of witcher training. The first trial (the Trial of the
situations sealed your bond. Grasses) is designed to break
down the trainee’s body and
Wounded by the Pendulum (-1 REF) rebuild it with superior reflex-
You were wounded while training on the pendulum. You fell from the posts and broke several es and cat-like eyes. The sec-
bones on the rocks below. While healed, you are a little sti er than before. ond trial (the Trial of Dreams)
gives the trainee night vision
Extensive Research (+1 Witcher Training) among other benefits, but also
While sword training was important, you spent most of your free time in the libraries of the keep sterilizes them. The last trial
studying the monsters of the world and taking notes. (the Trial of the Mountains)
was more of an exam, intend-
How Did Your Trials Go? ed to verify whether the train-
ee remembered anything
Roll Outcome of the Trials from the previous Trials.

1 Nearly Fatal (Additional -1 EMP & -1 BODY) ough you survived the process, your body
2-3 e Trial of the Grasses nearly destroyed your body.
4-9
10 and mind were damaged permanently.

Poorly Accepted (Additional-1 EMP)
e Trial of the Grasses went poorly and the witchers in charge of mutation weren’t entirely sure

you would make it. You survived, but not without mental scars.

Passable Mutations (No Modi ers)
e Trial of the Grasses went well. You passed into the ranks of witchers with nothing more than

memories of horrible pain.

Extra Mutations (Additional +1 EMP & +1 DEX)
Your body was very receptive to the Trial of the Grasses and you had extra mutations applied to
you. Your body handled it well, and all of the pain paid o in the end.

240 What Was Your Most Important Event

Your Surprise Child Roll Most Important Event

If you want, you can dig far- 1 Given a Child by the Law of Surprises
ther into the events after you 2 Along your travels you invoked the Law of Surprises and received a child. ey may have been a boy, in
got your suprise child. 3 which case they were made into a witcher, or a girl, in which case their fate was up to you.
4 Hunted by a Sentient Monster
For boys, roll 1d10. 5
On anything but a 1-3, they 6 e tables turned during one of your hunts. Sentient monsters like grave hags and katakan can be dangerous
died during the trials. If they 7 quarry, and you wound up becoming the hunted for a stressful night.
survived, you can even roll 8 Fought Alongside a Knight
a few times on the Witcher 9 You did battle alongside a noble knight. is may have been against both of your wishes or even an accident,
Lifepath tables to see how 10 but ghting beside a noble changed your outlook on knights and your job as a witcher.
they turned out. Captured by a Mage for Testing
Mages lust a er the secrets of Witcher mutations. At some point in your life, you were captured by a mage
For girls, they could who experimented on you in an attempt to reverse-engineer them.
have stayed at your keep to Worked for a Nobleman
tend to chores, but it’s more For a time you worked for a nobleman. e pay was good, but it was strange and aggravating to have to hide
likely that you had to give most of your actions to avoid shaming the family by bringing their secrets to light.
them to the next family you Went Beyond the Boundaries
found. Witchers don’t usually Once, you traveled beyond the borders of the Continent—past the Dragon Mountains, the Tir Tochair or
make good parents. Blue Mountains, or the Great Sea. You have seen far lands unknown to most others.
Meaningful Romance
Most witchers remain neutral and avoid meaningful relationships. However, this didn’t stop you. You fell in
love and actually considered settling down. It still occurs to you sometimes.
Fought for your Keep
You fought at a siege of your keep. You were outnumbered and overpowered, but you stayed nonetheless. You
survived the siege with serious wounds, but saw your brethren dying around you.
Gained Infamy
A er helping a city with a monster, the people became afraid and turned on you. ey might have even tried
to kill you. Either way, you’ve seen what kind of reward you can expect from people.
Gained Fame
You were well-received in a town a er helping them with a monster. You didn’t expect free drinks or women
casting you glances, but that’s what you got. You haven’t seen such kindness again, but it was heartening.

Where Are You Now?

Roll Where You Are Now

1 Became a Personal Witcher
2 You signed on to work for a merchant group, noble house, or important person as a personal
3-8 witcher. You work for modest pay and hunt what they tell you to hunt. Mostly it’s monsters...
9 Looking For Work
10
e hard life of a witcher continues. You spend a lot of time on the road, lamenting the e ciency
of your kind and the extinction of monsters. You travel constantly and never settle down.
Became a Hermit
You gave up on the life of a witcher and traveled out into the wilderness. Now you live as a hermit
in the wilds. Only now that monsters are returning have you started to venture out again.
Turned to a Normal Life
You’ve tried for decades to leave the witcher life behind. It’s di cult, since people won’t ever really
accept you, but you have managed to cobble together an almost normal life. Good luck.
Became a Dangerous Criminal
Eventually all the negativity and thankless people got to you— you decided that with fewer and
fewer monsters, it was time to start hunting people. You can determine what you do to survive.

241

Life As A Witcher

Witchers are incredibly long-lived beings as long as they don’t succumb to the dangers of Old Witchers
their profession. e last witchers were made ve decades ago. During the spring, summer
and fall, witchers travel “the Path,” looking for people who need to be protected from mon- The oldest witchers were cre-
sters. In the winter they generally reconvene at the keep where they were trained. When ated around 317 years ago.
your character begins their travels, they are somewhere between 20 and 29. For each decade However, due to the rigors of
a er this, choose how much risk you took on as a witcher and roll for your decade. First, the job, most of these “ancient”
roll on the Danger row for that risk level to see if something went wrong during the decade. witchers are long dead. Your
If something did, roll on the Danger table on pg.245. A er that, roll on the Outcome row witcher character can be be-
for that decade, then on the Bene ts, Allies, or Hunt tables for details. tween 50 and 260 years old.

Danger Potential “Nothing”

Sa ey Cautious Normal Non-Neutral Risky A result of nothing means
Danger 25% 50% 75% that nothing noteworthy re-
10% Bene t ally happened for that decade
Outcome Bene t 1 Bene t 1-2 Ally of your life. You just wandered
Bene t 1 Ally 2 Ally 3-7 A Hunt 1-5 the world, slaying little mon-
Nothing 6-7 sters here and there.
Ally 2 A Hunt 3-5 A Hunt 8 8-9
Nothing 6-10 Nothing 9-10 10
A Hunt 3

Nothing 4-10

242 Bene ts

The Law of Suprises A witcher’s incredibly dangerous life can earn powerful allies and other helpful bene ts.
When your Decade roll indicates a Bene t, roll on the table below to learn the details. All
Witchers across the world all bene ts are helpful, but some help more than others.
share one ritual from their
brotherhood’s first founding. Roll Bene t
The Law of Suprises can be
invoked when an employer, or 1 Law of Surprises
anyone saved from a monster, 2 You invoked the Law of Surprises during that decade. Roll 1d10 to see what you got in return. 1: a
says some variation of “How 3 baby, 2: a dog, 3: a horse, 4: a new plow, 5: a cat, 6: a barrel of ale, 7: a piece of jewelery worth 1d6x10
can I ever repay you?” The 4 crowns, 8: a weapon worth up to 500 crowns, 9: an ox, 10: a mule.
Law of Suprises states “You 5 Romance
will grant me whatever unex- 6 You found a lover who saw past your mutations and desensitization. Somehow you managed to
pected thing you encounter 7 make a meaningful connection with a person. Roll 1d10. 1-6: it lasted a few weeks, 7-8: it lasted a
when you return home.” In 8 few months, 9-10: it’s still going, on and o .
early days this was probably 9 Windfall
used to capitalize on unfor- 10 You raked in a suprisingly large amount of coin that decade. You managed to not only pay for alche-
seen pregnancies to get new my ingredients and repairs to your gear, but also put some coin aside for a legitimate savings. You
children for Witcher Schools. gain 1d10x100 crowns.
However, the Law of Suprises A Noble Owes You
is a gamble that sometimes You performed a task for a noble. It may have been legal, it may have been illegal—either way, the
gives you something you wer- noble you helped out owes you big and knows you’ll come to collect someday. You can invoke this
en’t expecting or didn’t need. favor at any time but it must be reasonable (GM’s discretion).
Interestingly enough, the Law Witcher Secrets Passed Down
of Surprises can be invoked by Along your journeys you met with and traveled with another witcher. is witcher taught you and
anyone, and has caught on for shared some long-lost knowledge. You gain a witcher diagram: a potion, oil, or decoction of your
gamblers and those who be- choice.
lieve in fate. Knighted For Valor
At some point that decade, you fought bravely to defend a country. You may have gone to protect
someone or you may just have been in the right place at the right time. For this great deed, you were
knighted by a king/queen. You gain +1 Reputation in one country of your choice.
Fell in with Bandits
You fell in with a group of bandits or scoia’tael while on a hunt. You may not have agreed with their
methods, but they didn’t bother you and you didn’t bother them. You even shared some drinks. You
can ask them for a favor once a month as long as it’s reasonable (GM’s discretion).
Explored a Ruin
You had to hunt a monster through a large and complex ruin. Along the way you found some-
thing useful. Roll 1d10. 1-2: elven enhancement, 3-4: elven messer, 5-6: dwarven enhancement, 7-8:
gnomish hand crossbow, 9-10: dwarven cloak.
A Mage Owes You
During this decade you did a favor for a mage. You may have gathered monster parts for their ex-
periments, let them study you, or even captured a monster alive for them. Either way, the mage now
owes you one favor in return as long as it’s reasonable (GM’s discretion).
Found a Teacher
You studied under a mentor. You spent many weeks learning, practicing, and looking to your men-
tor for guidance. It was a strange experience. You may gain +1 in any INT skill or start a new INT
skill at +2.

243

Allies How Did They Die

Witchers don’t make a lot of friends, but from time to time you’ll do a job for someone or Roll Death
stick your neck out and be rewarded for it. Witchers may not see their friends and allies
very o en since they travel, but they can be very useful to get you out of a tough spot. Sadly, 1-3 Bandit Attack
even with the dangers they face, witchers outlive most friends. 4-6 Monster Attack
7-9 Casualty of War
Roll Gender Position How You Met 10 Peaceful Death

1 Male A Bounty Hunter Saved em from Something Friends Forever
2 Male A Mage Met in a Tavern
3 Male Any living friend you’ve
4 Male A Mentor or Teacher ey Saved You from Something known for more than eight
5 Male A Childhood Friend ey Hired You for Something decades is either elderfolk or a
You Were Trapped Together mage.
6 Female A Cra sman
7 Female You Were Forced to Work Together
8 Female An Old Enemy You Hired em for Something
9 Female A Duke/Duchess
10 Female A Priest/Priestess You Met While Drunk and Hit It O
You Met While Traveling
A Soldier You Fought Together
A Bard

How Close Are You? Are They Alive

Roll Closeness In the life of a witcher, friends can be very dear, but un-
1-6 Aquaintances fortunately the world often strips them away. Whenever
7-9 Friends you make a friend you must roll a percentile roll. If you
10 Bound By Bond roll a 31-100%, your friend is still alive. If you roll be-
tween 1 and 30% your friend is dead— roll 1d10 to see
how many decades later they died. You can also roll on
HowDidTheyDieto see how they died.

244 Hunt

Exciting Hunts e main activity that lls a witcher’s life is the hunting of monsters. Witchers each hunt
hundreds of monsters throughout their lives, but some hunts stand out from the rest. A
During the winter, witchers good witcher learns from these hunts. For every hunt result, roll below to see its details.
tend to live at their keep, pre- Choose a monster within the prey subcategory you rolled. You learned all about that mon-
paring for the spring, healing ster and gain a +2 to any related Witcher Training checks about it.
their wounds and socializing
with the only other people 1-What Was the Prey?
who might understand them,
other witchers. Like any group Roll Monster Type
of people who share the same
job, conversation between 1 Specter
witchers usually comes back
to hunting monsters, and a fa- 2 Cursed One
vorite past-time is to compare
hunts and share stories of par- 3 Hybrid
ticularly exciting endeavors. 4 Insectoid
5 Elementa
6
7 Relict
8 Ogroid
9 Draconid
10 Necrophage
Vampire

2-Where Was It?

Roll Location 4-Was ere a Twist?

1 A Forest Roll Twist?
2 A Building
3 An Abandoned Building 1-4 Yes
4 5-10 No
5 A Coast
e Mountains 4a- e Twist
6
7 e City Roll Twist
8 A Graveyard
9 1 e Monster Was Fake
10 A Hamlet 2 It Was All a Curse
Along the River 3 e Monster Was Already Dead
4 It Wasn’t What You ought
A Cave 5 Your Employer Wanted It Caught

3-How Did It End? 6 e Employer Is to Blame For It All
7 e Monster Was Harmless
Roll How It Ended 8 It Was a Trap For You
9
1-2 Got Your Money and Le 10 It Was More an You Were Told
3-4 Employer Refused To Pay A Mage Was Behind It All
5-6 Employer Paid You in Trade
7-8 It Was a Particularly Tough Fight
9-10 It Was a Suprisingly Easy Fight

245

5-Danger 5b-Enemies

Roll Danger Roll Gender Profession e Cause Power Escalation

1-3 Events 1-2 Male Nobleman ey Slandered You Social Standing Mostly Forgotten
4-6 Wounds You Foiled eir Plan Knowledge Backstabbing
7-10 Enemies 3-4 Female Mercenary Physical
ey Betrayed You Minions Outright Violent
5-6 Male Soldier You Killed eir Kin Magic Hunting Revenge

7-8 Female Merchant ey Cheated You Out For Blood

9-10 Male Criminal

5a-Events & Wounds

Roll Events Wounds Enemy Mortality

1 Debt Sti Knee (-1 SPD) Just as in the case of friends, a
2 rough broken gear, gwent matches, or the like A horrible wound to your leg le it shattered and witcher also rolls to see wheth-
3 nearly unrepairable. Even a er surgery and a regimen er their enemies have survived
4 you’ve grown a 1d10x100 crown debt to an establish- of witcher potions, it has never been the same. the years. Roll percentiles. On
5 ment or noble house. a 1-30% your enemy died at
6 some point. Roll 1d10 to see
7 Sentient Monster Escaped Damaged Eye (-1 Sight Awareness) how many decades it took,
8 A troll, katakan, werewolf, or other sentient monster Usually witchers are fast enough to avoid a vital strike, and then roll on the table be-
9 you were hunting escaped you and is wandering free. but some monsters are too fast. A shot to your eye le low to see what happened.
10 it mildly hazy.
ey may come for you some day. How Did They Die

Addiction Sti Arm (-1 Melee with that arm) Roll Death
You fell on hard times and contracted an addiction A shattering blow to your arm le you with weeks of 1-3 Casualty of War
(pick your poison). See addiction rules on pg.32 for recovery and a sti arm. You can still hold a sword 4-6 You Killed Them
more information. and ght, but the sti ness always aggravates you. 7-9 Monster Attack
10 Died Peacefully
Imprisoned Damaged Fingers (Can’t do signs with that hand)
You spent 1d10 years of that decade in a prison due to It may have been the result of torture or just a very A Witcher’s Neutrality
false accusation, or perhaps an actual crime that you unlucky strike to that hand in combat, but its ngers
committed. are sti and awkward. There is no universal witcher
code, but all witchers prefer to
Falsely Accused Embedded Arrowhead (-1 Physique) remain neutral. Thus, a witch-
Either someone wants you gone or you were an easy A marksman’s shot and a barbed head le an arrow- er will often lie and tell people
scapegoat. Roll 1d10. 1-3: the , 4-5: betrayal, 6-8: head deep in your body, lodged in your muscle. Stren- that involving themselves in
murder, 9: rape, 10: illegal witchcra . uous li ing has been painful ever since. non-monster related affairs is
against their code. For centu-
Betrayed Wheeze (-5 Stamina) ries witchers have used this ex-
A friend or lover has betrayed you. Roll 1d10. 1-3: you You may have been stabbed in the lung or inhaled a cuse, and it usually works. This
were blackmailed, 4-7: a secret was exposed, 8-10: you toxic gas. Either way, your lungs have been damaged; allows witchers to do their jobs
were attacked. breathing normally is somewhat di cult. and get out without having to
worry about getting caught up
Friend or Lover Killed Huge Scar (-2 Charm & Seduction) in local politics.
Someone close to you was killed. Roll 1d10. 1-3: they It’s not uncommon for a witcher’s body to be a patch-
were killed by a monster, 4-6: they were executed, 7-8: work of scars. However you have sustained a blow
they were murdered, 9-10: they were poisoned. that dis gured your face.

Outlawed in a Kingdom Damaged Nose (-2 Scent Tracking)
You were outlawed from a country a er either hei- A number of punches to the face in bar ghts (or tox-
nous acts against the kingdom or false accusations. In ic gases) have damaged your nose and nearly robbed
this kingdom, you are wanted by the Guard. you of your scent tracking.

Manipulated Venom Damage (-5 Health)
You were manipulated into breaking your neutrality. Toxins that once coursed though you le a patchwork
You decide how it happened, but anyone who knows of blackened veins around the wound and weakened
your reputation knows you aren’t neutral. your body.

Cursed Half Deafened (-1 Hearing Awareness)
You were a icted by a curse. e curse is le up to Many monsters use deadly sonic attacks. You were
your GM. e GM must also decide how you can end lucky enough to survive one, but your ears will never
it. ey are not required to tell you, however. be the same.

246

Witcher Gear

Drinking Witchers are consummate monster slayers and the near extinction of witchers, many
Witcher Potions with all the training and mutations to hunt of their secrets are buried. Information once
any monster under the sun or the moon. But traded freely between the Schools is now
Non-Witchers are capable of only a fool tries to take on monsters without hidden away in ruins and on the bodies of
drinking potions and decoc- the right tools. Over the short centuries that dead witchers around the Continent. Many
tions. However, upon drink- they thrived, the Witcher Schools developed have written o the secrets of the witchers
ing the potion the person im- many tools for hunting their beastial prey, but others, including surviving witchers,
mediately must make a DC: from mutagenic potions to deadly poisons embark on dangerous expeditions a er se-
18 Endurance check. If they to slather on their blades. Unfortunately for crets, formulae, or diagrams for tools lost
succeed, the potion affects the common man, many of these alchem- long ago.
them. If they fail, they are poi- ical creations are useless to a person who
soned and they do not gain hasn’t passed through the trials to become a Keep in mind that all gear presented
the potion effects. witcher. However, even more unfortunate is here is beyond rare. ese items and formu-
the fact that many of these tools have been lae should only be granted as quest rewards
lost. With the seiges of the witcher keeps or a er hunting for them.

247

Witcher Swords Witcher
Medallions
To this day, witchers are the only warriors to regularly carry silver or meteorite steel swords.
While some designs use meteorite they are not carried commonly, and silver weapons are Witcher medallions are small
usually custom-made for a speci c person or event. A witcher’s swords are damn near part pendants made of silver that
of him and you will likely never see a witcher without their trademark two swords. hang around a witcher’s neck.
When they come within 20m
Name Type WA DMG Hands Rel. Effect Conc. EN Weight of any monster, curse, or spell
4d6+2 1 15 Armor Piercing that is currently being cast, the
Witcher’s Steel Sword P/S +0 1d6+2 1 10 Meteorite N/A 2 2.5 medallion vibrates almost im-
perceptibly, alerting the witch-
Witcher’s Silver P/S +0 Silver (3d6) N/A 2 1.5 er.
Sword
Silver Damage
Witcher Potions
Silver weapons don’t hold an
e sweeping mutations a witcher goes through grant them tolerance for powerful potions. edge very well and are often
ese potions are made from a wide variety of alchemical ingredients and are o en rea- made lighter than their steel
sonably easy to brew. However, they are fatally toxic to anyone who hasn’t undergone the counterparts. Thus they do
mutations to become a witcher. In earlier days, many people died drinking witcher potions muchlessdamage.Ontheoth-
that they looted o dead witchers. er hand, against monsters they
do Silver Damage. When you
Each potion (as well as decoctions) has a toxicity. is toxicity shows how dan- strike a monster with a silver
gerous it is for a witcher to drink said potion. As long as the combined toxicities of all the weapon you deal not only the
potions consumed equals 100% or below there are no ill e ects. If the combined toxicity regular damage of the weapon
goes above 100%, the witcher becomes poisoned until they lower their toxicity below 100% but also the amount of dam-
or make a DC:18 Endurance check, which also ends the e ects of the last potion consumed. age marked next to the Silver
effect.
e toxicity of a potion/decoction only a ects you as long as the potion/decoction does.
Weights
Name E ects Dura. Tox.
All potions, oils, decoctions,
Black Blood e witcher’s blood poisons any creature that drinks it, doing 3 25% and mutagens have a set
points of damage per round until an Endurance check, DC:20 is 20 Rounds weight of 0.5kg.
Blizzard 75%
made. e creature is also forced to recoil 2m.
Cat 25%
+4 Re ex a er killing an enemy. Further kills do not add to the 10 Rounds
Full Moon bonus, which lasts until the potion duration ends. 75%

Golden Oriole No penalties for darkness or dim light. You also cannot be hyp- 2 Hours 50%
notised, and gain a +2 to see through illusions.
Killer Whale 25%
Maribor Forest Grants you +30 temporary Health Points until the end of the du- 1/2 Hour 50%
ration. Full Moon potions do not stack with one another. 75%
Petri’s Filter 50%
Swallow Grants immunity to poisons and neutralizes any poisons in your 1/2 Hour
system. 50%
Tawny Owl 75%
underbolt Increases your ability to hold your breath by half and negates 1/2 Hour N/A
sight penalties underwater.
White Honey
Each time you gain an adrenaline die, add a second one. 15 Rounds

+2 point in Spellcasting, Hex Weaving, and Ritual Cra ing 15 Rounds

Regenerate 3 points per round. In any round you are struck, you 20 Rounds
do not regenerate. is healing doesn’t stack with multiple uses.

Each time you use a Recovery action to gain back STA, add an 20 Rounds
extra 2 points.

+3 damage on physical attacks. 15 Rounds

Clears toxicity and removes all potion e ects. N/A

248 Blade Oils

Rodolf on Blade oils are an indispensible part of a witcher’s arsenal. Most are just pastes of animal fat
Decoctions and herbs, but each recipe is specialized to a breed of monster. e alchemical substances
used in the blade oil are highly toxic to the breed of monster it is designed for, which allows
Seen a witcher’s decoction work a witcher to do a great deal more damage without having to carry a heavier weapon or risk
before. Kinda a wild sight actu- attacking vital points. A blade oil lasts for 30 minutes.
ally. Don’t show much on the
outside but damn if it doesn’t Name E ects
make a witcher even scarier
than they already are. Pretty Beast Oil +5 damage against beasts
impressive for a jar of spirits, Cursed Oil +5 damage against cursed ones
monster parts, and herbs, that’s Draconid Oil +5 damage against draconids
for sure.
Elementa Oil +5 damage against elementa
–Rodolf Kazmer Hanged Man’s Venom +5 damage against humanoids

Hybrid Oil +5 damage against hybrids
Insectoid Oil +5 damage against insectoids
Necrophage Oil +5 damage against necrophages
Ogroid Oil +5 damage against ogroids

Relict Oil +5 damage against relicts
Specter Oil +5 damage against specters
Vampire Oil +5 damage against vampires

Witcher Decoctions

Decoctions are much rarer among witchers; some people speculate that they were either
discovered late in the age of the witchers or that the recipes were lost early on and only
rediscovered recently. Decoctions allow a witcher to temporarily mutate their body even
further to gain abilities based on the monster mutagen they absorb. All decoctions have a
toxicity of 75% and last for 30 minutes.

Name E ects

Arachas For every 10 points of ENC you have free you gain +2 SP to all locations.
Fiend Your ENC is doubled.

Grave Hag +2 HP regeneration for every enemy slain during combat. is health bonus lasts until
the end of the combat.
Gri n
Every time you take more than 5 points of damage you gain +2 SP. is SP applies to all
Katakan locations and stacks with itself.
Nekker
Noon Wraith You gain a +3 to your roll when determining the location of a critical wound.
Your mount never panics and you gain a +3 to all Ride and Athletics checks.
Troll
Werewolf You gain immunity to Stun & Blindness and cannot be knocked prone.
You regenerate 5 Health Points per round.
Wyvern
Running for long periods of time takes no stamina.
You gain +1 damage to your next strike a er a successful strike. is +1 is cumulative,

and goes up with each hit until the combat ends or you take damage.

Crafting Witcher Gear 249

Witcher gear must be cra ed—unless it’s found on the body of a dead witcher. e formulae Crafting
and diagrams below are valuble treasures that have to be quested for or granted as a reward Medallions
for another important quest. Once you have the recipe, you can cra the item like any other.
However, unlike other items, many of the formulae for witcher’s decoctions and blade oils Witcher Medallions are rela-
require speci c ingredients. tively easy to craft since they
are primarily just cast silver.
Witcher Medallion Diagram But they must be made in a
specific way and must be craft-
Name Cra ing Time Components Investment ed by a mage. A mage can craft
DC amedallionwithaunitofsilver
4 Hours Silver (x1) Etching Acid (x5), see sidebar 82 but afterward they must take it
Witcher’s Medallion 15 to a Place of Power to absorb
magic. After being left at that
Witcher Sword Diagrams Place of Power for an hour it
will function as a witcher me-
Name Cra ing Time Components Investment dallion. No other benefits can
DC be gained from the Place of
Witcher’s Steel Hardened timber (x2), Leather (x2), 507 Power while priming.
Sword 18 9 Hours Meteorite (x2), Steel (x3), Sharpening 498
grit (x2), Etching acid (x2), Ester grease Brandon on Witcher
Witcher’s Silver 19 10 Hours Formulae
Sword (x1), read (x1)
Hardened timber (x2), Leather (x2), Sil- The Witchers’ battle against
ver (x4), Steel (x1), Sharpening grit (x2), the relict monsters involves a
dazzling number of formulae,
Etching acid (x1), Ester grease (x1) potions, oils, and decoctions.
While the Trial of the Grasses
Witcher Potion Formulae which creates a witcher is highly
secret, witchers produce and/or
Name Cra DC Cra Time Components purchase a battery of substances
that are alchemical or magical
Black Blood 20 1/2 Hour (or both I suppose). From what
Blizzard 18 1/2 Hour I know, most of these make one
Cat 16 1/2 Hour tougher, stronger, faster, and
Full Moon 20 1/2 Hour other things one needs to take
16 1/2 Hour on monsters one-on-one. I have
Golden Oriole 18 1/2 Hour heard of a potion that can make
Killer Whale 18 1/2 Hour your blood poisonous to blood-
Maribor Forest 16 1/2 Hour sucking creatures. The oils are
Petri’s Filter 16 1/2 Hour used on blades to enhance their
16 1/2 Hour abilities and make their dam-
Swallow 18 1/2 Hour age more lethal. I’ve never seen
Tawny Owl 16 1/2 Hour a book of these potions, so I do
not know if witchers have these
underbolt things written down or not.
White Honey
–Brandon of Oxenfurt