A Historical Low-Fantasy OSR Rulebook

A Historical Low-Fantasy OSR Rulebook

WRITING & CONCEPT

Andre Novoa

ART WORK
Offworld Bogil Initiative
 17th CENTURY MINIMALIST
A Historical Low-Fantasy
OSR Rulebook

AUTHOR: Andre Novoa

ART WORK: Offworld Bogil Initiative
ISBN: 978-989-54641-0-4

LAYOUT/DESIGN: lina&nando
PRINTED IN PORTUGAL
PRINTER: Diário do Minho
DEP. LEGAL: 464837/19
[First Printing: 500 copies]

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

GAMES OMNIVOROUS
© 2020
AUTHOR’S NOTE

Hello.

This was originally the homebrew system for historical, low-fantasy settings that I
kept using at my gaming table. People seemed to have good fun with it, so here it is,
redesigned, published and beautifully decorated with unique art by Offworld Bogil
Initiative. This system is fit for both seasoned players and beginners. It can be used
to play quick one-shot sessions, as it cuts the rules down to their essence and allows
character generation in under five minutes. It can also be used to play small historical
campaigns set in Europe somewhere in the 17th century.

There are swords and daggers and bows. But there are also pistols.

Classes are based on what you’d expect to be tagged as “outcasts” in Early Modern
Europe: low-life vagrants and vagabonds that wander around as merchants, plague
doctors, mercenaries, jugglers or hired assassins, jumping across kingdoms and
royal courts, entertaining, tricking and murdering people.

There is no magic in this system. The talents of plague doctors can be interpreted
as miraculous treatments or folktale. The skills of illusionists can all be explained
through mechanics, sleight of hand and perception, just like a magic trick. Both
should be read as make-believe.

The following games have influenced this system, some more decisively than others.
I would like to credit them for such:

→ The Black Hack

→ Lamentations of the Flame Princess
→ Troika!
→ Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells
→ Dungeon Crawl Classics
→ Mothership
I hope you enjoy.

Thanks,
Andre.

3
HOW IS THIS GAME
DIFFERENT?

The 17th century minimalist has been primarily designed for the OSR (Old School
Renaissance) crowd, as it draws extensively from other games in the community.
But it has some design choices that make it unique:

→ All rules are simplified and compressed to their essence.

→ It assumes a historical, low-fantasy setting in the 17th century. This differs from
the bulk of OSR games, which use fantasy or medieval backgrounds.
→ It has firearms with flintlocks. Not many games do.
→ It does not have magic. The tricks of illusionists and the treatments of plague
doctors could be understood as such, but I prefer to see them as gaming
mechanics that replicate certain historical beliefs, like the existence of witchcraft,
miracles, mythical forces, and so on.
→ Combat is faster, deadlier and scarier.
→ Why? Because hit points are static: characters do not gain more HP in higher
levels. This means two things. First, that most players will think twice before
initiating hostilities against even the feeblest of adversaries. Second, that everyone
knows that, unless they are fighting a supernatural creature, all characters have
(approximately) the same number of hit points. This creates great tension and
infuses historical probability to the game.
→ Finally, the game rewards those who do what their class is best at (experience
wise) and also gives optional mechanics for reputation. The two together offer
opportunities for a more narrative style of play.

4
HOW TO USE
THIS BOOK

In various way.

You can create your own adventures and historical

campaigns and use these rules to play them.

You can run the modules as they appear in the

Mini Adventure Folder, sold separately. Those
adventures and hooks have been designed for
this system, assuming a historical setting in
the 17th century.

You can also do what I have been doing for

some time now and which I think will be the
most recurrent usage of this book: pick up
your favourite OSR modules and adapt/
convert them to this rules system, if you
want your game to have a distinct baroque
flavour rather than the usual medieval or
fantasy backdrop. The conversion efforts
are minimal.

After all, this is a minimalist game.

5
BASIC RULES
This is a roleplaying game. One player
takes the role of the Game Master (GM),
tasked with presenting challenges and
situations to the other players, who
impersonate their Player Characters
(PCs). As the GM challenges the PCs,
these will take turns in rolling dice to
determine the success or failure of
their actions. The GM also roleplays
all other characters, including Neutral
Player Characters (NPCs) and adversa-
ries that the PCs encounter.
TIME
Time is only strictly measured when
conflict or combat takes place. In such
situations, characters may perform one
action and one movement per turn. In
all other events, time is abstracted and
guided by the GM. Some situations will
take time to complete: ultimately, the
GM will decide how long a task takes
and if the PC is granted any advantages
to attempt completion.
MOVEMENT
Movement and distances are tracked
via three abstract ranges: Near, Distant
and Far-Away. These are used to
calculate the relative positions of all
characters in relation to one another.
Some weapons are only effective when
Near, whilst others are better when
Distant. It is possible to move one step
along the tracked ranges and perform
one action in the same turn.
6
ACTIONS
Simple actions automatically succeed.
More complicated actions (those with
a chance of failure) are tested and
decided by rolling 1d20. The GM will
narrate the events, accordingly.
→ If the roll is on or below the score
of the ability being tested, the
action succeeds.
→ If the roll is above, the action fails.
Advantage & Disadvantage
Characters may have advantage or
disadvantage to perform certain
actions. Many situations where this is
the case are outlined in the following
pages. The GM is always free to add an
advantage or disadvantage whenever
it seems to fit the occasion.
→ Advantage: when characters have
advantage, they roll two dice and
choose the best result.
→ Disadvantage: when characters
have disadvantage, they must roll
two dice and stick with the worst
result.
In the (unlikely) event that a character
has both advantage and disadvantage
in the same action, these cancel each
other out. The character makes a regu-
lar ability roll.
In the event that a character has more
than one advantage or disadvantage,
he or she rolls three dice and chooses
the best or worst result, respectively.
This is called a double advantage or
double disadvantage. No matter how
many (dis)advantages stack up, the
maximum a character rolls are three
dice.
ABILITIES
There are five main abilities: Charis-
ma, Dexterity, Strength, Intelligence
and Luck. Every complex action must
be tested with the appropriate ability.
These will be obvious in most occa-
sions. When not, the GM will decide
which ability best fits the action.
Charisma (CHA)
Influence and leadership. Used also
to persuade, charm, bargain and hire
retainers. Main ability of Illusionist.
Dexterity (DEX)
Agility, reflexes and ranged attacks.
Used also to search, disarm traps, pick
locks, disguise, and all-things-thief.
Main ability of Cutthroat.
Strength (STR)
Physical prowess, endurance and
melee attacks. Used also to break down
stuff and lift heavy things. Main ability
of Soldier.
Intelligence (INT)
Knowledge and insight. Also used to
assess information, read languages and
discern architecture. Main ability of
Plague Doctor.
Luck
Chance and fortune.
Used to determine
“right place, right
time”, divine favours
and general good
fate. Main ability
of Swashbuckler.
SEARCHING SECRET STUFF
When PCs wish to search for secret
things, like hidden compartments,
doors or traps, they should not make
the roll. Instead, the GM asks about
their appropriate ability value (usually
Dexterity or Luck) and makes the roll
for them behind the screen. This is to
prevent players from knowing if there
is indeed a secret thing or if they just
had a bad roll. The GM must always be
true to the dice.
SAVING THROWS
There are no separate values for saving
throws. When a character is surprised
by a harmful situation (like a trap,
falling debris, poison, etc.), the GM will
test the appropriate ability. If the test
is successful, the character has dodged
the situation.
→ Dexterity: area effects, traps,
collapsing floors, falling debris.
→ Strength: ingestion of poison,
exposure to acid, gasses, disease,
and similar.
→ Charisma: resistance to tricks,
witchcraft and illusions.
7
COMBAT
When combat takes place, all PCs
and adversaries determine the order
of combat. Then, each one of them
may move and take one action in their
turn within the round of combat.
INITIATIVE
Each PC puts one die in a bag. Add
another die for the adversaries and
one neutral die. The GM takes one
of these in turn from the bag. The
“owner” can perform his or her turn
(all adversaries act when their die is
pulled). If the neutral die is taken, the
round ends and a new initiative bag
is assembled.
→ Turn: individual action within a
round.
→ Round: starts when the first die
is taken from the bag and ends
when the neutral die is pulled.
TO HIT
To hit opponents, characters test their
Strength (in melee fight) or Dexterity
(in ranged attacks). If successful, they
inflict damage to their opponent. The
amount of damage is determined by
the weapon’s dice.
Critical Hits & Fumbles
→ An action is fumbled when a
character rolls 20. The character
hits an ally or themselves. If this
is not plausible, the weapon breaks
and becomes useless.
→ An action is a critical hit when a
character rolls 1. Add 1d4 of damage
to the roll, plus adversary can’t use
armour to prevent damage.
8
FIGHT BACK
When someone tries to hit a character
in melee combat and fails, he or she
can immediately roll to hit against that
same adversary with a melee weapon
or with a pistol. The roll to hit is made
with disadvantage.
ARMOUR
Armour Value
Cloth 1
Leather 2
Cuirass 3
Full plate 4
Shield/Helmet +1 die each
Each type of armour grants a number
of dice (d6s) equal to its armour value.
When a character is hit in combat, he
or she may use one of these dice to
ignore all damage taken. A die used in
this way is set apart and cannot be used
again until it is fixed.
Shields and helmets give one extra die
each (use another colour) and have an
armour value of 4 for fixing purposes. If
fixing fails, they are broken.
Fixing Armour
After a long rest, PCs can roll all of
the dice set apart. Those that roll
above the respective armour value are
considered fixed. Those that roll on or
below are broken and must be repaired
by an artisan (costs one quarter of
respective armour). If all dice become
broken, the armour is destroyed.
Armour Proficiency
PCs wearing armour that is not listed
in their class must add the amour value
to all ability tests.
WEAPON DAMAGE
→ Small weapons: roll 1d4 for
damage. These include blow guns,
daggers, knifes, garrottes, small
crossbows, whips, short swords,
etc.
→ Medium weapons: roll 1d6 for
damage. These include swords,
axes, heavy crossbows, maces,
cutlasses, sabres, and similar.
→ Big weapons: roll 1d8 for damage.
These are two-handed weapons
used with disadvantage by default.
User cannot wear a shield. These
include long swords, long bows,
polearms, pikes, halberds, and the
likes.
DAMAGE & HIT POINTS
If a character takes damage from an
attack, they subtract the value to their
total hit points (HP).
→ When PCs reach 0 HP, they are
taken out of the combat, wait for it
to resolve and then roll on the
table below. Survivors return with
1 HP. If the whole party loses the
conflict, the PC is presumed dead.
→ When a NPC or adversary reaches
0 HP, it is removed from the game.
Do not roll on the table below.
D6 Zero Hit Points
1 Knocked Out: gets up
2 Unconscious: out for 1d3 hours
3 Hurt: disadvantage on all rolls for
the remainder of the session
4 Scarred: loses 1d3 Charisma
5 Maimed: loses 1d3 Dexterity or
Strength
6 Dead!
DISTANCES
→ Near: melee weapons.
→ Distant: ranged weapons.
→ Far-Away: only certain special
ranged weapons work, like long
bows or muskets.
OPTIONAL RULES
Combat trigger
In tense situations, those when
combat seems inevitable, the GM
should refrain from calling initiative.
Instead, roleplay it out and, whenever
a PC or NPC does something dramatic
(like shooting a pistol or swinging a
blade), they get to do it and, technically,
are granted a bonus turn for having
the courage and audacity of starting
a fight. The initiative bag should only
be assembled after resolving this
bonus turn.
Grapple
Characters can try to grapple one
another. To do so, each side makes a
Strength test. If both win or lose, the
action is unsuccessful and wasted. If
the attacker alone wins, the defender
becomes grappled and vulnerable to
all attacks, taking automatic weapon
damage. In his or her turn, the defen-
der can make a Strength test with
disadvantage to try to get rid of the
grapple.
9
FIREARMS
Firearms are used by testing Dexterity.
Before firing the weapon, the PC must
roll for misfire. If the firearm does not
misfire and the test is successful, the
PC may inflict weapon damage on the
adversary.
RELOADING
A firearm takes a number of rounds to
reload equal to 18 minus a character’s
Dexterity.
MISFIRING
Roll 1d10 before firing the weapon on
the table below.
Result
1-8. Nice Shot. The firearm works
regularly.
9. Misfire! The firearm doesn’t
shoot and the action is entirely
wasted.
10. Backfire! The shot backfires,
causing damage to the user
instead.
Damp places (optional)
In humid locations, characters should
roll on the table below, instead of the
one above.
Result
1-6. Nice Shoot. The firearm works
regularly.
7-9. Misfire! The firearm doesn’t
shoot and the action is entirely
wasted.
10. Backfire! The shot backfires,
causing damage to the user
instead.
10
DAMAGE & DISTANCES
Firearms ignore cloth armour.
Fumbles and critical hits work as in
regular combat rules (see previous
page). To simplify, there are two types
of firearms:
→ Pistols: 1d8 of damage and can be
shot in Near or Distant ranges.
→ Muskets: 1d8 of damage and can
be shot in Distant or Far-Away
ranges (Far-Away has disadvantage).
FIRING MECHANISMS
The flintlock is used as the default
firing mechanism. If the GM wants to
introduce further historicity, it is pos-
sible to use other mechanisms:
→ Matchlock: the price of the weapon
is half. Reloading time increases by
3 rounds. Always roll on damp table
for misfiring.
→ Wheellock: the price of the weapon
is doubled. Reloading time increases
by 4 rounds. Does not backfire ever.
Misfires on a 9-10.
EXPLOSIVES
Grenades can be thrown at Distant
adversaries by testing Dexterity. Due
to their instability, characters always
roll with disadvantage.
→ Success: the grenade lands where
intended, causing 1d10 of damage
to all targets in Near range.
→ Unsuccessful: the grenade lands
in an unintended area.
→ Fumble: the grenade goes off
before launch, causing 1d10 of
damage to anyone Near it.
RARE FIREARMS
The GM can introduce the firearms below. Axe-pistols and bayonets count as rare
goods. All others are exotic items.

Misfire Damage Description & Rules

Axe-pistol Normal table 1d8 / 1d4 Pistol with embedded axe-head.
Works as pistol or small axe.
Bayonet Normal table 1d8 / 1d4 Musket with knife fitted into the
muzzle. Works as musket or knife.
Blunder- Damp table 2d6 Flintlock firearm with flared muzzle
buss that shoots large calibre bullets.
Only Near or Distant ranges.
Duck-feet 1-4. All shots fire 1d8 to Four-barrelled pistol. Can shoot up
pistol 5-8. 1d4 shots fire each target to four targets in 30º angle. Roll
9. No shots fire individually for each target with
10. 1d4 shots hit user disadvantage.
Flintlock Normal table, but 1d6 / 1d3 Resembles a Swiss army knife with
cutlery there is a 25% chance cutlery and mini pistol. Counts as
of going off whilst small knife (1d3) and pistol. User has
eating (if loaded). a surprise attack before combat.
Hand 1-6. Nice shot 1d10 to all Can launch grenades Far-Away by
mortar 7-8. Does not ignite targets testing Dexterity. Roll for misfire,
9-10. Explodes Near the first. Then, apply the same rules as
before launch explosion for explosives.
Heavy Normal table 1d8+2 Must rest atop a fork and counts as
musket very large item. No disadvantage at
Far-Away.
9-barrel 1-5. Nice shot. 1d8 per Musket that has been fitted with
musket 6-8. Misfires. bullet fired nine barrels. May shoot twice per
9-10. Backfire! round, until emptied. Reloading is
impossible during combat.

11
FOR PLAYERS
This section contains the fundamental
rules for Player Characters (PCs). These
are applied to all classes.
CHARACTER CREATION
To create a character, players must
follow these steps:
→ Roll 3d4 for each ability: Charisma,
Dexterity, Strength, Intelligence and
Luck. Then, re-roll all of the abili-
ties with a score of five or less, using
1d4+12.
→ If the character ends up with no
ability above 10, return to the step
above and re-roll all abilities once
again.
→ Choose a class: Cutthroat, Illusio-
nist, Plague Doctor, Soldier or
Swashbuckler.
→ Register the maximum hit points
(HP) as listed in the respective
class section. Hit points are static
in this game. PCs do not gain more
when advancing a level.
→ Note down the starting equipment
in your inventory.
→ Read and study the special abilities
of the class chosen.
LUCK
Luck can be expended during the course
of play. A PC can burn one point of
Luck permanently to re-roll any
failed ability test, except for fumbles.
A fumble is always a fumble. At the
end of each adventure (or whenever
the GM deems fitting), PCs gain back
1d3 of Luck, up to their original value.
12
RESTING & HEALING
There are two types of rests: long rests
and short rests. PCs need to make a
long rest of at least six hours per day.
If they do not, they get disadvantage
on all rolls until they do. Short rests
are not compulsory.
→ Long rest: PCs heal all their hit
points (HP).
→ Short rest: PCs heal one hit point
(HP) per level.
USAGE DIE
Ammunition, arrows, rations, torches,
and all other consumables are kept
track of with a usage die. When pur-
chased, it begins with a d12, unless
noted otherwise. After such an item
is used, roll the appropriate die. A
result of 1-2 means the usage die is
downgraded along the chain or, in
case of a d4, depleted.
Usage dice chain: d4<d6<d8<d10<d12
LANGUAGES
PCs know their native tongue and
those of kingdoms close to theirs.
Whenever they come across an exotic
dialect, they make an Intelligence
test with disadvantage to determine
whether they are proficient in it or
not. Dead languages are tested with
double disadvantage. PCs can never
roll for the same language twice.
FOOD
PCs must consume at least one ration
of food per day and drink a portion
of water. If they do not, the following
happens:

→ 1st day: disadvantage on all rolls.

→ 2nd day: disadvantage on all rolls.
→ 3rd day: double disadvantage.
→ 4th day: double disadvantage. Plus,
the PC loses all hit points and must
roll on the zero hit points table.
→ 5th day: double disadvantage. At
the end of the day, the PC dies if
did not eat or drink water.

ENCUMBRANCE
HUNTING & FORAGING PCs can carry a number of items equal
Hunting and foraging food is done by to their Strength. Carrying more items
testing Dexterity or Luck (PCs choose), means they are overburden. Each type
adding the appropriate modifier to the of consumable takes only one slot.
roll. If successful, PCs get the indicated Armour and main weapon do not
usage die on rations. count. All other items count, including
other weapons. Very large items take
Modifier Usage Die up slots.
Desert +8 d4
Forest 0 d10 → Inventory: PCs should list down
Jungle +1 d10 the items in their inventories in
Mountain +4 d6 the order of their choosing, in the
Plains +2 d8 character sheet. The lower the
Swamp +2 d6 score, the easier it will be to retrieve
the item.
→ Retrieving items: when PCs wish
to retrieve an item in a hurry from
their bags (during conflict or
combat), they must roll 1d10 and
score equal or higher than the
item’s position in the inventory.
If the roll is successful, they can
use the item in the same turn. If
the roll is unsuccessful, the entire
action is wasted.
→ Overburden: overburden PCs must
add +2 to every ability test for each
extra item they are carrying.

13
CAMPAIGNING
It is possible to use this game in small campaigns. Follow the
experience and reputation rules. This game assumes
a maximum level 5 for PCs.

EXPERIENCE
PCs go up a level for every 10 points
of experience. All classes gain points
for surviving adventures and reputa-
tion-changing deeds. The GM decides
how many points these are worth (usu-
ally between 2 and 4). Then, each class
gains additional points for performing
in-character feats. The feats below are
merely indicative:

→ Cutthroat: backstabbing, stealing Level advancements

exotic items, disarming hard traps. When advancing to a higher level, PCs
→ Illusionist: entertaining crowds, may try to raise one ability of their
doing tricks, wooing notable folk. choice by beating its current value on
→ Plague Doctor: curing diseases, a d20 roll (roll higher to succeed) and
rescuing a village from the plague, one of their special abilities is auto-
discovering new flora. matically boosted.
→ Soldier: killing strong enemies,
“sellswording”, going into war.
→ Swashbuckler: duelling
and slaying foes with
swashbuckling
stunts.

14
REPUTATION
Reputation is measured through a
value from 1 to 12. PCs start at 6. This
value represents an ordinary person
with no real reputation that does both
good and bad things. Whenever a PC
does a virtuous deed, they increase
their score by 1. Whenever they do
something vicious, they decrease the
score by 1. The GM decides when an
action qualifies for this. The exploits
below are merely indicative.
List of virtuous stuff
→ Rescuing someone notable
→ Saving a village
→ Doing right by the authorities
→ Paying lots of taxes to the King
→ Returning a lost object of value
→ Slaying a witch
→ Killing an aristocrat in a duel
List of vicious stuff
→ Killing innocent folk
→ Burning down a church
→ Deceiving the authorities
→ Theft and robbery
→ Backstabbing a prominent noble
→ Exhibiting greed, gluttony and envy
→ Desecrating tombs
If the reputation reaches 12, the PC is
considered famous. Famous PCs are
expected to solve social glitches, do
heroic actions and no longer have the
option of anonymity.
If the reputation drops to 1, the PC is
considered infamous. Infamous PCs
are persecuted by the authorities, are
constantly accountable for things that
go south and framed for any and all
wrongdoings.
From the moment a PC is famous or
infamous, all subsequent actions are
rewarded with a famous or infamous
token, accordingly. (Ex: a PC with 12
reputation that does two virtuous
deeds gains two famous tokens.)
PCs can hold as much as two tokens at
once and spend them to gain certain
benefits. Both the players and the GM
are encouraged to come with more, in
addition to the ones below.
Spending famous tokens
→ Having free lodging and food in the
next town they visit.
→ Being immediately received by the
authorities of the city.
→ Getting a referral from the local
priest or local elite.
→ Hiring a retainer for free – a loyal
virtuous retainer.
→ Receiving an Exotic gift.
Spending infamous tokens
→ Reaching out to the underworld for
rumours and restricted information.
→ Receiving help from a dark cult
or a thieves’ guild.
→ Hiring one retainer for free – a pesky
vicious retainer.
→ Instilling fear in the adversaries,
hindering them from attacking.
→ Rival loses at gambling on purpose.
Things to consider…
Once famous or infamous, PCs only
stop being seen as such when returning
to reputation 6. However, they only
gain tokens if their reputation stays at
1 or 12. Reputation points should only
be given once or twice per session, so
that the mechanics take some time to
become effective.
15
COMMERCE EQUIPMENT
Below is a general indication of how
prices should be calculated:
CURRENCY
This game uses a silver standard with → Common goods (1d10 SP):
silver pieces (SP). This is the only cur- All small weapons, arrows and
rency used. GMs can introduce a more ammunition (d12), backpacks,
sophisticated currency system if they bedrolls, caltrops (d12), candles
see fit, with gold pieces and copper (d12), chain, cloth armour, cooking
pieces. pots, crowbar, iron spikes, fishing
gear, flasks, flint & steel, garlic (d12),
TRADING grappling hook, helmet, lantern,
Whenever PCs enter a new town or lodging (cheap inn), pipe, oil (d12),
settlement, the GM can roll on the table pouches, rations of food (d12), rope
below to determine the current market (50’), shield, ten-foot pole, tobacco
fluctuation. (d12), torches (d12), waterskin, wine
(d12), whistle.
D6 Situation Prices
1 War Tripled → Rare goods (2d10 x 5 SP):
2 Plague Doubled All medium and big weapons, book,
3 Bad Harvest Food tripled herbs & spices (d12), holy symbol,
4 Marauders Weapons doubled grenades (d6), ink & quill, leather
5 Peace Normal armour, lock, lodging (superior inn),
6 Abundance Half mirror, musket, musical instrument,
paper (d12), pistol, riding gear,
riding horse, specialised toolkit,
superior clothing.

→ Exotic goods (4d10 x 10 SP):

Cuirass (roll twice), chemicals,
hourglass, jewellery, lodging
(extravagant or luxurious hotel),
maps, microscope, navigation tools,
plate mail (roll four times), pocket
watch, rare books, spyglass,
telescope, trained war horse.

16
PETS
PCs can acquire or train pets. Each pet
has a specific talent as described below.
The GM is free to come up with more.
Pets die if they take a successful hit –
the only exception is a wolf, which dies
after two hits.
→ Common: 1d10 SP. These include
cats, dogs, rats and spiders.
→ Rare: 2d10 x 5 SP. These include
frogs, hawks, octopuses and wolves.
→ Exotic: 4d10 x 10 SP. These include
monkeys and parrots.
Training
Training requires four ability tests over
the course of a week (once every two
days). A PC can choose which ability to
test, representing different methods
(ex: brute force with Strength, natural
leadership with Charisma, playfulness
with Dexterity, etc.). Failing one test
means the animal goes away and does
not return.
Talents
Cat -1 to all Luck rolls
Dog -2 to hunt & forage
Frog d8 of poison per week
Hawk Owner is never ambushed
in the wilds
Monkey Steals (Dexterity 12) small
items
Octopus Advantage on finding secret
doors and compartments
Parrot -2 on all Charisma rolls
Rat Attacks (Strength 4) to give
a random disease
Spider d8 of web per week
Wolf Attacks (Strength 7) for 1d6
of damage
RETAINERS
PCs can hire retainers to go on adven-
tures. The price depends on the rarity
and expertise of the retainer. Payment
is done upfront at the beginning of
each adventure. Not having enough
funds means the retainer goes away. If
put in harm’s way, the hirer must make
a Charisma test for the retainer to stay.
Each retainer has 4 HP and no armour
– the only exception is the mercenary
which has 6 HP and leather armour.
→ Common: 1d10 SP. These include
armourers, carriers and mushroom
pickers.
→ Rare: 2d10 x 5. These include animal
handlers, hunters and mercenaries.
→ Exotic: 4d10 x 10 SP. These include
alchemists, physicians, poets and
scholars.
Talents
Alchemist Creates one poison and
potion per week
Animal Gives advantage to
Handler training animals
Armourer Hirer may roll d8s instead
of d6s when fixing armour
Carrier May carry up to ten items
Hunter Gives advantage to
hunting & foraging
Mercenary Attacks (Strength 13) for
1d6 of damage
Mushroom Brings d4 rations
Picker everyday
Physician Heals 1d4 HP three times
per day
Poet Doubles the value of
experience gained
Scholar Reads all languages
17
ALCOHOL & DRUGS
When ingesting generous amounts of alcohol, PCs must succeed in a Strength test.
Otherwise, they get wasted and must roll in the table below. The effects can be both
good or bad. They are totally random each time a character gets drunk. The price of
alcohol is as a common good.

Drugs work differently. PCs make a Strength test. If they succeed, they gain the benefit
described. If they fail, they get the respective penalty. An Intelligence test is allowed to
determine whether the PC knows beforehand what the substance will do to him or her.
All drugs count as rare or exotic goods. The GM is encouraged to expand the list and
come up with odder effects.

Names of Beverages
1. Black Absinthe
2. Clown Ale
3. Dry Applejack
4. Garlic Brandy
5. Homemade Liquor
6. Long Leg Malt
7. Lucky Moonshine
8. Turtle Rum
9. Red Tonto
10. White Whiskey

Getting wasted
D12 Effects of Alcohol
1. Disadvantage to Dexterity tests until a long rest is made.
2. Gains 1d4 Strength for 6 hours.
3. Advantage to Luck tests until a long rest is made.
4. PC has Intelligence 3 for the next 12 hours.
5. Causes 1d4 of damage due vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.
6. Heals 1d8 hit points.
7. Can listen to Far-Away conversations as if Near.
8. PC has double disadvantage on all to hit tests for the next 12 hours due to sudden
impaired vision.
9. Becomes afraid of the opposite gender for 12 hours. All interactions are only
possible if character makes a Charisma test with double disadvantage.
10. Has advantage on the next two saving throws (in the next 12 hours).
11. Must roll two successful tests in the next saving throw (in the next 12 hours).
12. PC has a permanent (nipple or penile) erection for 4 hours.

18
Drugs sample
Success
Bezoar Stone Cures any disease or poison.
Black bile Is confident and optimistic.
Double advantage on all Charisma
tests for 1d4 days.
Coca leaves Does not need to eat or sleep for
three days (heals as usual during
the night).
Dead Man’s No NPC is able to tell if the PC is
Fingers lying for 24 hours.
Fly Agaric Sees right through characters
(understanding their motifs, lies,
goals, etc.) for 12 hours.
Laudanum Feels no pain. Cut all damage
received in half for one day.
Mandrake Character deeply believes he or
Roots she can communicate with ani-
mals and plants.
Valerian Causes a vision or insight related
to current adventure. The
GM must tell a relevant
detail of the
plot.
Fail
Roll on the zero hit points table
(ignore maimed or scarred).
Is depressed and melancholic.
Double disadvantage on all Cha-
risma tests for 1d6 days.
Must eat double rations and sleep
for 12 hours for three days (or does
not heal in rests).
Cannot lie to other characters for
the next 24 hours.
Becomes extremely suggestible to
commands. Must obey 1d6 basic
orders from any NPC.
Must take another drug in the next
day or commits suicide.
Character believes he or she is a
random animal and behaves like
one for 1d6 hours.
Brain activity is reduced to a
minimum. Cannot make Intelli-
gence rolls for 24 hours.
All rolls are considered
fails.
19
DISEASE
When in risk of contracting a disease, → One ability test is successful.
the GM will calculate its deadliness The PC is considered cured.
from 3 to 6, three being mild and six → Or, a number of days equal to
being very deadly. If unsure, roll 1d4+2. the deadliness have passed. If
Then, PCs must make a Strength or the PC survives, he or she is also
Luck test (the GM decides which), considered cured.
adding the deadliness to the roll. If
successful, the disease has no effect.
Otherwise, they suffer the disease’s
effects immediately. Sick characters
roll another test after each long rest
until either:

Sample Diseases
Black Develops buboes in the armpit, neck or groin, with ooze and pus coming
Death out of them. The PC has disadvantage on all rolls made with their main
ability (defined by the class chosen, not necessarily the highest score),
loses 2 hit points every eight hours (three rolls per day) and is unable to
heal during short or long rests.
Chicken Develops skin rash that itches and creates blisters. Reduce charisma by
Pox the same value of deadliness. Three times per day, the PC must pass a
Charisma test, otherwise they scratch the itches so badly that these cause
2 of damage. When this happens, all in Near range are in risk of contagion.
The Charisma points are recovered (one per day) when cured.
Dungeon Develops claustrophobia and allergic reactions to enclosed and damp
Fever places. Whilst in locations with such characteristics, the PC must make an
Intelligence test every 20 minutes of real-time play. If the test fails, the PC
has a panic attack and must roll to hit against one Near target (including
allies).
Leprosy Develops insensitivity to pain or temperature, accompanied by red spots
in the body’s extremities. Starting the following day after contagion, if still
infected, the PC must make two Strength tests per day. If both fail, a limb
becomes very infected, blackens and must be amputated. During the time
of infection, the PC can ignore all attacks that cause four or less damage,
due to not feeling pain.
River Develops bumps under the skin, lizard-skin, short-sightedness and
Blindness eventually blindness. Each time a test is failed, the PC experiences vision
problems. The Player must play with sunglasses (or blindfolded) for the
same amount of minutes shown on the failed roll. During infection, if a
total of three tests are unsuccessful, the PC becomes blind.

20
POISON
When characters are exposed to this halts any of these conditions, but
poison, the GM will ask for a Strength does not reverse ability or HP losses.
test. If it fails, the character suffers its The GM can roll a random antidote in
effects. Some poisons have an imme- the table below.
diate one-time effect, others result in
conditions that characters need to cope
with. If a victim procures an antidote,

Sample Poisons
Aqua Tofana Falls unconscious. Wakes up after 1d4 days. There is a 50% chance of
becoming in a permanent comatose state.
Belladonna Becomes immobilised except for the eyes and face muscles.
Cantarella Reduces maximum HP by 1d4 points. If this would make the HP fall to
zero or below, the character dies.
Deadly Cannot stand daylight. Sun exposure causes 2 of damage per minute
Nightshade (if the character is in combat, he or she takes damage at the start of
each round).
Eye Drops Develops proptosis (bulging eyes). Character has permanent disadvan-
tage to all Charisma rolls.
Inheritance Roll on the zero hit points table. If maimed is rolled, one limb becomes
Powder infected and must be cut. If scarred, the PC’s face suffers a dramatic
alteration.
Monk’s Must reduce a random ability by 1d4.
Blood
Weak Wash Must add 1d4 to every Strength test.

Antidotes
D10 What to do?
1. Have a sexual encounter
2. Eat someone’s heart
3. Ingest goat excrements
4. Perform self-bloodletting
5. Do a xenotransfusion
6. Cut off one finger
7. Kill a witch
8. Go on pilgrimage
9. Consume a drug
10. Drink crocodile tears

21
 Having got a name for his horse so much to his taste, he was
anxious to get one for himself, and he was eight days more
pondering over this point, till at last he made up his mind to call
himself “Don Quixote,” whence, as has been already said, the
authors of this veracious history have inferred that his name must
have been beyond a doubt Quixada, and not Quesada as others
would have it. Recollecting, however, that the valiant Amadis
was not content to call himself curtly Amadis and nothing more,
but added the name of his kingdom and country to make it famous,
and called himself Amadis of Gaul, he, like a good knight,
resolved to add on the name of his, and to style himself

Don Quixote of La Mancha,

whereby, he considered, he described accurately his origin and
country, and did honour to it in taking his surname from it.
CUTTHROAT
Max hit points: 8
Main ability: Dexterity
Weapons of choice: small weapons
Armour: cloth and leather armour
D6 Instant Background
1 Hired assassin
2 Professional thief
3 Former king’s spy
4 Death cultist
5 Nomadic ninja
6 Street pickpocket
Starting Equipment
Cutthroats start with a black disguise,
a dagger, blowgun & darts (d8), one
rope (50’), torches (d8), 2d10 SP, and
a toolkit (lock-picking tools, cutting
tools, knifes, wire, etc.).
Luck Tokens
A Cutthroat starts each session with a
number of tokens equal to their level,
as long as they are carrying their lucky
charm (player must name a charm and
hold on to it). Cutthroats can spend
these tokens to:
→ Not today: avoid death from any
trap, poison, falling debris, etc.
(a regular saving throw situation).
Use token if falling to zero hit points,
but before rolling on the zero hit
points table. Return to action with
1d8 hit points.
→ Nope: re-roll a fumble.
→ Sneak attack: deal damage to a
chosen target with a small weapon,
after successfully hiding in shadows.
Three dice of damage (3d4).
24
Cutpurse Gifts
Cutthroats have advantage in any of
the following tasks. These are all tested
with Dexterity:
→ Climbing
→ Delicate tasks
→ Disguising
→ Eavesdropping
→ Finding and disarming traps
→ Hiding in shadows
→ Picking locks
→ Searching for hidden things
→ Stealing stuff
→ Sneaking
→ Tinkering
Resourcefulness
Cutthroats’ consumables are only
downgraded along the dice chain when
the cutthroat rolls a 1 (instead of 1-2).
This is only valid for common goods,
though.
Small Weapons
Cutthroats are adepts of small, easily
concealed weapons. They can make two
attacks per turn with a small weapon,
but the second attack is made with
disadvantage.
Gaining New Levels
When advancing to a new level, Cut-
throats gain extra luck tokens and may
try to raise one ability of their choosing
(by beating its score on a d20 roll).
Extra experience points: backstab-
bing, stealing exotic items, disarming
hard traps, and similar feats.
CUTTHROAT
NAME:
BACKGROUND:

CHA INT
DEX LUCK (MAX)
STR LUCK (CURRENT)

HP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

ARMOUR: (PLACE ARMOUR DICE ATOP THE FIGURE)

MAIN WEAPON:

INVENTORY
1 9
2 10
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Luck Tokens: spend one token to avoid death, re-roll fumble or sneak attack
Cutpurse Gifts: roll with advantage on all regular thief actions
Resourcefulness: common consumables are only downgraded on a 1
Small Weapons: can make two attacks per turn, second attack has disadvantage

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT REPUTATION:

(LIST ANY REPUTATION-CHANGING EVENTS HERE)
Lv 1
Lv 2
Lv 3
Lv 4
ILLUSIONIST
Max hit points: 6
Main ability: Charisma
Weapons of choice: small weapons
Armour: cloth armour
D6 Instant Background
1 Court jester
2 Acrobat entertainer
3 Foreign fire-breather
4 Flute minstrel
5 Street juggler
6 Apprentice of magic
Starting Equipment
Illusionists start with two daggers, one
whip, one pistol & ammunition (d10),
grenades (d6), 3d10 SP, one bag of tricks
and one peculiar headgear or garment.
Déjà Vu
An Illusionist may add one extra die to
the initiative bag.
Weapon Clumsy
Illusionists have disadvantage when
wielding all non-small weapons.
They can use firearms and explosives
normally.
Entertaining Crowds
Illusionists can entertain crowds with
their tricks. At the end of the perfor-
mance, they test their Charisma. If suc-
cessful, they gain 1d10 SP for every 10
people in the audience. If unsuccessful,
they are beaten up by the crowd. Treat
the crowd as an angry mob with hit
points equivalent to the number of
people in the audience and Strength
16 (1d6 damage). The Illusionist must
prepare the performance during a long
rest, thus can only do one per day.
26
Performing Tricks
Illusionists know all tricks of their
current level and below. Each time they
perform a trick, they must test their
Charisma, adding the level of the trick
to the roll. Then, the following can
happen:
→ Success: the Illusionist may
perform the trick normally.
→ Critical Success: the trick is so
spectacular that, if it was made in
front of strangers, the Illusionist
gains one permanent point of Cha-
risma and one point of experience.
→ Fail: the trick fails and the Illu-
sionist cannot perform it again
today (representing they did not
prepare it conveniently).
→ Fumble: the trick fails and the
Illusionist is embarrassed. They
lose one permanent point of Cha-
risma, cannot do the trick again
today, and must spend 1d3 rounds
regrouping his or her trinkets.
Gaining New Levels
When advancing to a new level, Illu-
sionists gain access to new tricks and
may try to raise one ability of their
choosing (by beating its score on a d20
roll).
Extra experience points: entertaining
crowds, doing tricks, wooing notable
folk, and similar feats.
ILLUSIONIST
NAME:
BACKGROUND:

CHA INT
DEX LUCK (MAX)
STR LUCK (CURRENT)

HP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

ARMOUR: (PLACE ARMOUR DICE ATOP THE FIGURE)

MAIN WEAPON:

INVENTORY
1 9
2 10
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Déjà Vu: add extra die to the initiative bag
Weapon Clumsy: disadvantage on all non-small weapons
Entertaining Crowds: may gain experience and SP, or be beaten up by the crowd
Performing Tricks: can do tricks of current level or below

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT REPUTATION:

(LIST ANY REPUTATION-CHANGING EVENTS HERE)
Lv 1
Lv 2
Lv 3
Lv 4
BAG OF TRICKS
1 Fake Sound: creates a distracting sound within Distant range.
Card Swap: a character of inferior level is friendly for five minutes.
Knife Bogus: hits target with two flying knives (counts as consumable) for 1d4
damage each.
Ventriloquism: mimics the voice of any encountered animal, NPC or adversary.

2 Colour Spray: creates a surrounding cloud that gives disadvantage to all attacks.
Cut & Restore: may cut one 50’ rope into two pieces of 50’ rope.
Unchained: may break free from any condition of restraint.
French Drop: makes 1 SP appear.

3 Hold Portal: makes a door or passage suddenly become obstructed.

Dove Pan: doubles personal inventory (double Strength) for half day.
Disappear: mundane small object disappears and reappears when desired.
Death Hoax: may simulate being dead for 1d6 hours.

4 Hypnotism: a character of equal or inferior level obeys a basic command.

Rope Trick: makes a 50’ rope stiff, giving advantage to anyone climbing it.
Inexhaustible Bottle: makes a drink appear from a small barrel. Must have barrel
in inventory.
Pass Through Glass: may pass through glass (if failed, glass breaks and does 1d6
damage).

5 Optical Illusion: the previous two turns of combat are erased.

Catch Bullet: catches one bullet with mouth instead of being hit. This trick may be
performed in the adversary’s turn, but the Illusionist must forfeit his or her next turn.
Self-disappear: the Illusionist disappears and reappears in Far-Away range.
Invisible: invisible for 1d3 rounds (adversaries have double disadvantage to hit).

28
29
PLAGUE
DOCTOR
Max hit points: 8
Main ability: Intelligence
Weapons of choice: blunt weapons
Armour: cloth, leather and cuirass
D6 Instant Background
1 Aspiring alchemist
2 Retired monk
3 Survivor of leprosy
4 Wandering apothecary
5 Botanical cataloguer
6 Vermin collector
Starting Equipment
Plague Doctors start with an herbal &
vermin kit (d10), a plague doctor outfit
(counts as cloth armour), a wand with
an hourglass (medium weapon), a small
crossbow & arrows (d6), and 3d10 SP.
Studious
Plague Doctors are not at disadvantage
when determining if they are proficient
in exotic languages, and they have nor-
mal disadvantage (not double) in dead
languages.
Disease & Fear
Plague Doctors are immune to diseases
as long as they are wearing their cus-
tom-made outfit with a beak-like mask
filled with herbs and fragrancies. The
beak must be replenished every two
days by rolling the herbal kit usage die.
In addition, Plague Doctors roll with
advantage when poisoned to counter
its effects. Finally, they instil fear and
any Charisma rolls done against them
must be made with disadvantage.
Sanitising
Plague Doctors have advantage when
30
fighting off vermin (rats, bugs, insects,
cockroaches, etc.), diseased humans
or contaminated mammals. They know
their weaknesses.
Doing Treatments
Plague Doctors know all treatments of
their current level and below.
Before performing a treatment, Plague
Doctors must succeed in an Intelligence
test. If failed, not only is the entire acti-
on wasted, but their herbal & vermin
kit is immediately downgraded one
step, representing a lack of focus and
a bad preparation of the medicine and
its concoctions.
After performing a treatment, they roll
their herbal & vermin kit usage die,
as a regular consumable. If their kit is
depleted (rolling 1-2 on a d4), they are
unable to make any treatments until a
new kit is obtained (counts as common
good). They can try to hunt & forage for
herbs and mice in the wilds, following
the same rules as for hunting & fora-
ging. They can only attempt to do this
once per wilderness region (circa one
or two square miles).
Gaining New Levels
When advancing to a new level, Plague
Doctors gain access to new treatments
and may try to raise one ability of their
choosing (by beating its score on a d20
roll).
Extra experience points: rescuing a
village from the plague, curing disease,
discovering new flora, and similar.
PLAGUE
DOCTOR
NAME:
BACKGROUND:

CHA INT
DEX LUCK (MAX)
STR LUCK (CURRENT)

HP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

ARMOUR: (PLACE ARMOUR DICE ATOP THE FIGURE)

MAIN WEAPON:

INVENTORY
1 9
2 10
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Studious: no disadvantage in exotic languages and bonus in dead ones
Disease & Fear: immune to disease and advantage with poisons
Sanitising: advantage to fight vermin and sick humans/mammals
Doing Treatments: can do treatments of current level or below

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT REPUTATION:

(LIST ANY REPUTATION-CHANGING EVENTS HERE)
Lv 1
Lv 2
Lv 3
Lv 4
32
TREATMENTS
1 Send Rats: sends 1d6 rats towards a target (each has Strength 6 for 2 damage if hits).
Apply Light Leeches: heal a target 2 HP.
Detect Disease: detect presence of disease or sick human in Distant range.
Purify Water: 50% chance of purifying a container of water.

2 Purify Food: 50% chance of purifying a container of food.

Poison Cloud: 1d4 of damage for 1d3 rounds to all Near targets (except self).
Delay Poison: poisoned target can make a new ability test against the poison.
Spiked Dagger: infuse one small cutting or piercing weapon (knife, dagger, dart,
etc.) with paralysation poison (if hit, target is unable to move for 1d4 hours).

3 Apply Major Leeches: heal a target 1d8 HP.

Putrid Limb: target’s limb becomes putrefied (-2 Dexterity and Strength).
Speak with Vermin: can communicate (not command) with mice for a limited time.
Fragrancies: a number of targets equal to caster level have advantage in all ability
tests against disease for the next 1d4 hours.

4 Speak with the Dead: ask a corpse one question.

Cure Disease: cure one disease, but on a fail the target dies.
Inflict Disease: roll 1d6 and inflict rolled disease to a target. (1) black death, (2)
chicken pox, (3) dungeon fever, (4) leprosy, (5) river blindness, (6) any of the previous.
Instigate Fear: one chosen target must pass a Charisma test each turn to attack
the Plague Doctor until end of combat.

5 Raise Dead: return a willing target back to life (must have died in the last 48 hours)
at the cost of another life dear to both the target and/or the plague doctor.
Lice Infestation: 2d4 targets with hair/fur have disadvantage on all attacks.
Counter Death: avoid own death by disease, poison or drugs. Return with max hit
points, but lose 2 points on one random ability.
Mass Heal: heal 1d6 HP to a number of targets equal to caster level.

33
SOLDIER
Max hit points: 12
Main ability: Strength
Weapons of choice: big melee weapons
and firearms
Armour: all armour
D6 Instant Background
1 Wandering mercenary
2 Outlaw traitor
3 Fugitive deserter
4 Uncredited war hero
5 Laid-off infantryman
6 Disgraced general
Starting Equipment
Soldiers start with a leather armour,
one big weapon of their choice
(polearm, pike, halberd, etc.), one
musket & ammunition (d6), 1d10 SP,
and a war trophy.
Military training
Soldiers do not have disadvantage
when wielding big weapons and have
advantage when firing a musket.
Scars of War
Soldiers have advantage when making
Strength tests to resist disease and the
effects of drugs and alcohol. War leaves
its marks.
Combat Prowess
When Soldiers test their Strength in
combat and roll their exact Strength
value, they can perform an extra action
after resolving the first one.
34
Merciless
The threat range of critical hits of
Soldiers is equal to their level. For
example, a level 4 Soldier scores a
critical with a 1-4. When Soldiers score
a critical hit, in addition to the normal
bonuses (add 1d4 of damage and
adversary can’t use armour dice), they
may roll 1d6 in the table and apply
the effects. The table only works with
melee weapons.
D6 Critical Hit
1 Brain piercing. Kills the opponent
instantly.
2 Disembowelled. If adversary
survives, it only has one more turn
before bleeding out and dying.
3 Maimed. Adversary loses 3 points
in both Strength and Dexterity.
4 Stun attack. Target is immobilised
during this round and the next.
5 Disarmed. Destroy opponent’s
weapon, if carrying one.
6 Savage strike. Add 2 points of
damage to the damage roll.
Gaining New Levels
When advancing to a new level, Sol-
diers’ critical hit range augments and
they may try to raise one ability of their
choosing (by beating its score on a d20
roll).
Extra experience points: killing strong
enemies and foes, selling his or her
services as a mercenary, going into
war, and similar.
SOLDIER
NAME:
BACKGROUND:

CHA INT
DEX LUCK (MAX)
STR LUCK (CURRENT)

HP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

ARMOUR: (PLACE ARMOUR DICE ATOP THE FIGURE)

MAIN WEAPON:

INVENTORY
1 9
2 10
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Military training: no disadvantage with big weapons and advantage with muskets
Scars of War: advantage on resisting disease, alcohol and drugs
Combat Prowess: extra action if rolls exact Strength
Merciless: critical threat range equals level and has separate critical hit table

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT REPUTATION:

(LIST ANY REPUTATION-CHANGING EVENTS HERE)
Lv 1
Lv 2
Lv 3
Lv 4
SWASH-
BUCKLER
Max hit points: 10
Main ability: Luck
Weapons of choice: swords and
firearms
Armour: cloth and leather armour
D6 Instant Background
1 Bankrupt pirate
2 Former king’s musketeer
3 Expatriate corsair
4 Fencing tutor
5 Self-proclaimed poet
6 Duelling artiste
Starting Equipment
Swashbucklers start with one cutlass,
rapier or sabre (medium weapon), one
pistol or musket & ammunition (d8),
one cape (counts as cloth armour), 4d10
SP and one rare book (Divine Comedy
or Don Quixote).
Chance Champion
Swashbucklers regain 1d3 of Luck per
long rest, up to their original value.
Swashbuckling Deeds
At the start of combat, Swashbucklers
receive one deed token per level of
experience. They may spend these to
perform the feats below – the same
deed can be used multiple times. When
performing them, Swashbucklers may
test their Luck instead of the usual
Strength or Dexterity roll (to hit).
→ Flintluck: shoot a loaded firearm
with double advantage.
→ Touché: can fight back with a sword
even when hit by an adversary.
Does not have disadvantage.
→ Fab fencing: make an extra attack
in this turn of combat with a sword.
36
→ Quixotism: roll an extra damage
die in this turn (only with a sword).
If to hit fails, the deed is wasted.
Fortunate
Swashbucklers may test their Luck in
any saving throw situation.
Duelling
Swashbucklers can never refuse a
duel. Their pride obliges them to fight
whenever they are challenged. Before
each duel, they must roll 1d4 on the
table below.
D4 Psychology Test
1 Superiority. The Swashbuckler
can make two attacks per turn
at no additional cost (no need to
burn Luck).
2 Egotism. The Swashbuckler must
fight this duel until one of the
sides is dead.
3 Vanity. In the first two rounds,
the Swashbuckler will not attack
and simply try to dodge (make
Dexterity tests to represent this).
4 Arrogance. The pride of the
Swashbuckler obliges him or
her to fight without any piece of
armour.
Gaining New Levels
When advancing to a new level, Swash-
bucklers gain more deeds per combat
and may try to raise one ability of their
choosing (by beating its score on a d20
roll).
Extra experience points: duelling and
slaying foes with bold swashbuckling
stunts, and similar.
SWASH-
BUCKLER
NAME:
BACKGROUND:

CHA INT
DEX LUCK (MAX)
STR LUCK (CURRENT)

HP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

ARMOUR: (PLACE ARMOUR DICE ATOP THE FIGURE)

MAIN WEAPON:

INVENTORY
1 9
2 10
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Chance Champion: regains 1d3 Luck per day
Swashbuckling Deeds: do combat stunts a number of times equal to level per fight
Fortunate: can test Luck in any saving throw situation
Duelling: can never refuse a duel

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT REPUTATION:

(LIST ANY REPUTATION-CHANGING EVENTS HERE)
Lv 1
Lv 2
Lv 3
Lv 4
 So then, his armour being furbished, his morion turned into
a helmet, his hack christened, and he himself confirmed, he came
to the conclusion that nothing more was needed now but to look
out for a lady to be in love with; for a knight-errant without love
was like a tree without leaves or fruit, or a body without a soul.
As he said to himself, “If, for my sins, or by my good fortune,
I come across some giant hereabouts, a common occurrence with
knights-errant, and overthrow him in one onslaught, or cleave
him asunder to the waist, or, in short, vanquish and subdue him,
will it not be well to have some one I may send him to as
a present, that he may come in and fall on his knees before my
sweet lady, and in a humble, submissive voice say, ‘I am the
giant Caraculiambro, lord of the island of Malindrania,
vanquished in single combat by the never sufficiently
extolled knight

Don Quixote of La Mancha,

who has commanded me to present myself before your Grace,
that your Highness dispose of me at your pleasure’?” Oh, how
our good gentleman enjoyed the delivery of this speech, especially
when he had thought of some one to call his Lady! T here was,
so the story goes, in a village near his own a very good-looking
farm-girl with whom he had been at one time in love, though,
so far as is known, she never knew it nor gave a thought to
the matter. Her name was Aldonza Lorenzo, and upon her
he thought fit to confer the title of Lady of his T houghts;
and after some search for a name which should not be out
of harmony with her own, and should suggest and indicate
that of a princess and great lady, he decided upon calling
her Dulcinea del Toboso -she being of El Toboso- a name,
to his mind, musical, uncommon, and significant, like all those
he had already bestowed upon himself and the things
belonging to him.
TIP CORNER
HIT POINTS
As mentioned, in this system the hit
points of characters are static. They
do not increase when PCs advance to
a new level. This is perhaps one of the
main differences that sets it apart from
other OSR games. This choice in design
is meant to keep a historical in-play
verisimilitude: if characters are hit by
an axe in the head or take a bullet, they
will probably die. This makes combat
faster, scarier, deadlier and a lot more
dramatic.
This does not necessarily mean that the
PCs are going to die on every corner.
Many of them have tokens, healing
capabilities, tricks and so forth that
prevent damage or even death. And,
even if their hit points drop to zero,
they are still allowed to roll on the zero
hit points table, which kills them with
only a roll of 6. But this design makes
it that players are usually scared of
starting a fight and that’s exactly where
you want them.
In the event that the GM is exporting
modules from other OSR games, it
is recommended to choose and play
low-level adventures, so that the PCs
are not confronted by a human that is a
HP-mountain. If that’s the case, the GM
is advised to convert the hit points of
adversaries according to the following
table:
Max. hit points
Humans 12
(or default races)
Big animals 24
Supernatural Whatever the GM
wants
DAMAGE
Due to the hit points system, it is
recommended that weapons never
cause more than 1d8 of damage. This
means that, when converting from
other games, the GM should limit the
damage of all mundane weapons by as
much. Magic and supernatural beings
on the other hand can cause whatever
damage the GM sees fit, but their usage
should be limited. This will create a
gap between mundane weapons and
supernatural damage-inflicting stuff.
That’s in the spirit of this game and a
great way to instil a historical feeling
into the game.
SKILL ROLLS
Many OSR games use difficulty levels
(for skills) that characters must beat
using a d20 roll. This game does not
use such mechanics, simply asking
players to roll under the appropriate
ability. At the GM’s discretion, it is
possible to give PCs advantage or
disadvantage to certain actions to make
up for this. If a task appears as easy in
another game, roll with advantage. If
the task is hard, roll with disadvantage.
If it is almost impossible to achieve,
give double disadvantage to characters.
39
CONVERTING AC CONVERTING MONSTERS
To convert AC from other OSR games To adapt the stats of monsters from
that use ascending armour values, the other OSR games, the GM can convert
GM can use the chart below: any attack bonuses into extra points of
Strength (for monsters that do melee
AC Treat as damage) or Dexterity (for monsters
10 No armour who attack from range). The base
11 Helmet values for Strength and Dexterity is 8.
12 Cloth Armour For instance, a monster with an attack
13 Cloth Armour + Helmet bonus of +6 doing melee damage would
14 Leather Armour have Strength 14 in this game. The
15 Leather Armour + Helmet maximum value is 18. Attack Bonuses
16 Cuirass that would make monsters have more
17 Cuirass + Helmet than 18 points of Strength or Dexterity
18 Plate Mail are ignored. The damage that monsters
19 Plate Mail + Helmet do, as well as their hit points, remains
20 Plate Mail + Helmet + Shield the same.

40
Why this game?
Welcome to the 17 th century minimalist.
This is a fast-paced and highly-deadly game with a pinch of black
humour that puts characters as wanderers in 17 th century Europe.
You will play as tricksters, thieves, former soldiers, bankrupt
swashbucklers and petty physicians, roaming the Old Continent
in search of coin and glory.
The system is designed to allow fast character creation,
compatibility with other games (mostly in the OSR community)
and a reckless style of play.

→ All rules are simplified and compressed to their essence.

→ It assumes a historical, low-fantasy setting in the 17 th century.
→ It has firearms with flintlocks.
→ It does not have magic.
→ Combat is faster, deadlier and scarier.
→ Why? Because characters do not gain more HP in higher levels.
→ It has novel mechanics for experience and reputation. The two
together offer opportunities for a more narrative style of play.