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TRAITOR’S EDITION
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A GAME INSPIRED BY THE EARLY

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DAYS OF BRITISH TABLETOP

GAMING

Written by Greg Saunders

Cover art by Mustafa Bekir, design Paul Bourne
Internal art by Yuri Perkowski Domingos and Mustafa Bekir
 CONTENTS
Welcome to Warlock! 4
What is this game? 4
What do we need to play? 4
How does Warlock work? 5
What do the players do? 6
How you actually play? 6
The golden rule 7
4.5 Tomb robber
4.6 Wizard's apprentice
48
50
Traits 51
Equipment 53
The Gods 55
The Thrice Blessed 55
The Red King 55
The Wild Wood 56
The Heartstone 56

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The Dragon 56
The world of Warlock 8
Core Rules 57
Creating characters 9
Making a skill test 58

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Creating a character 10 Taking actions 58
Beginning Skills 10 Basic skill test 59
Stamina 11 Opposed skill test 59
Luck 11 Testing your luck 60
Communities 12 Testing luck in opposed tests 60
Human 12 Improving 60
Elf 12 Improving within a career 60
Dwarf 13 Gaining stamina 61
Halfling 14
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Changing careers 62
Careers and skills 15 Advanced careers 63
Adventuring skills 16 Assassin 64
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Career skill 19 Bravo 64
Basic equipment 20 Watch Captain 65
Basic careers 20 Charlatan 65
1.1 Agitator 22 Explorer 65
1.2 Beggar 23 Freelance 66
1.3 Boatman 24 Highwayman 66
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1.4 Bodyguard 25 Mercenary Captain 67

1.5 Bounty hunter 26 Merchant 67
1.6 Entertainer 28 Minstrel 68
2.1 Footpad 29 Outlaw Chief 69
2.2 Gambler 30 Priest 69
2.3 Grave robber 32 Scholar 70
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2.4 Hunter 33 Scout 71

2.5 Initiate 34 Spy 71
2.6 Mercenary 36 Veteran soldier 72
3.1 Militiaman 37 Wizard 72
3.2 Miner 38
3.3 Noble 39 Fighting 73
3.4 Outlaw 40
3.5 Pedlar 42 Combat 74
3.6 Raconteur 43 Rounds 75
4.1 Rat catcher 44 Who goes first? 75
4.2 Road warden 45 Combat actions 77
4.3 Soldier 46 Movement 77
4.4 Thief 47 The move action 78
 Melee attacks 78
Ranged attacks 79
The damage roll 80
Mighty strike 81
Armour 81
Effects of damage 82
Critical hits 82
Surrender or flee! 83
Recovery 83
Servant (4) 106
Shield (2) 106
Silence (3) 106
Sleep (3) 106
Speak (3) 107
Swarm (4) 107
Unlock (3) 109
Unseen (4) 109
Wall (4) 109

Critical - Slashing 85
Critical - Piercing 86
Critical - Crushing 87
Critical - Blast (magic etc.) 88
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Creating spells 110
Magical items 110
Bestiary 111

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Monster abilities 114
Magic 89 Chimera 116
The path of Priest or Wizard 90 Dire wolves 116
Casting spells 90 Demon 117
Wrath of the otherworld 91 Dragon 118
Casting spells in combat 92 Dwarf 119
Finding and keeping spells 92 Elf 119
Spells at character creation 93 Ghoul 120
Spells 96
e Giant 120
Alarm (3) 98 Goblin 121
Antimagic (4) 98 Griffin 122
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Armour (3) 98 Halfling 124
Banish (5) 98 Hobgoblin 124
Befriend (5) 98 Human 126
Blast (3) 99 Lich 126
Blur (4) 99 Manticore 127
Burn (3) 99 Ooze 128
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Detection (2) 99 Ratman 129

Dominate (4) 101 Skeleton 129
Enchant (3) 101 Treeman 131
Fear (4) 101 Troll 131
Feather (3) 101 Unman 133
Fix (4) 101 Wight 134
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Float (3) 102 Wraith 136

Foulness (3) 102
Fumble (5) 102
Hammer (3) 102
Heal (2) 102
Illusion (4) 103
Lightning (4) 104
Lock (3) 104
Multiply (3) 104
Night (4) 104
Path (2) 104
Read (5) 105
See (3) 106
Wyvern 136
Mastery 137
Games master 138
The Rules 138
Discuss the game first 140
The setting of Warlock 140
What do player characters do? 141
What does the games master do? 143
What is a scenario? 143
Scenario forms 144
 WELCOME TO
Introduction
WARLOCK!
Warlock is a rules-light
roleplaying game that
aims to emulate the
feeling of old-school
British tabletop games of
wondrous and fantastical
adventure. Warlock looks
to reproduce the play
style of its illustrious
e information, so you can
predecessors but in a light,
quick and simple manner,
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with a consistent rules set
that is easily hackable and
adaptable as desired.
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WHAT IS THIS
GAME?
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Warlock is a tabletop
roleplaying game, played
with pencils, paper and
dice. The implied setting is
a fantasy world in a vast
Kingdom of man. Beset on
all sides by enemies, both
without and within, the
4
e
players control characters
struggling to survive
in a fantastic world. So
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thematically, Warlock is a
fantasy game of perilous
adventure. However
Warlock does not contain
lots of explicit setting
use it with your favourite
published or home-made
settings. Instead Warlock
aims to give you a simple
and concise set of rules
that you can shape as you
need.
WHAT DO WE
NEED TO PLAY?
There are a few things you
will need before you can
play a game of Warlock.
The first is a few friends,
as role-playing is a shared
experience. Typically,
 Introduction
between three and six of
you is ideal, but you can
play with as few as two HOW DOES
if you want. You will also
need some paper and WARLOCK

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pencils (you can use pens, WORK?
but a lot of the information
you will be writing down A group of people sitting

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will change during play around a table or sharing
so pencils are better). You a space online plays the
will need a character sheet game. One of those people
such as the one shown is the games master (GM),
at the back of this book; who sets the scenes,
although you can easily takes the roles of non-
copy down the relevant
e player characters (NPCs)
information onto a blank and presents the game
pl
piece of paper should you world and the challenges
wish to. Finally, you will therein. The rest of the
need some dice, more on people around the table
them later. are players who each
control one or more player
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Warlock is a role-playing characters (PCs), their

game with a narrative avatars in the game and
emphasis, so you will the imaginary characters
not need miniatures or through which they interact
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strategic maps. Saying with the game world. Like

that, if you want to use in a spontaneously created
them to enhance your radio play, roleplaying
experience of the game games allow players and
then feel free. Finally, you the GM to create a story
will need your imagination, together by imagining
so ensure you bring it scenarios as a series of
along. interconnected scenes.

5
Introduction

WHAT DO THE any other characters

PLAYERS DO? or enemies that the
characters might interact
During the game, the with. They then typically
games master presents present a challenge that

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the players with scenes the player character face,
and encounters in which before asking the million
dollar question 'what do

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their characters are
involved. The players you do?'. Based on the
simply choose the actions answer, the games master
of their characters in each decides what occurs,
scene; relate that to the and which, if any, of the
games master, who along mechanics of the game are
invoked. The players and
with the players uses
e games master then use
the rules of the game to
decide the outcomes of the the mechanics to resolve
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character's actions. It is as the scene. Based on the
simple as that! outcome the games master
describes a new scene,
and the process repeats. It
is a very simple procedure
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HOW YOU once the games master

ACTUALLY and players have 'got into
PLAY? character' and got used to
the ebb and flow of play.
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In a roleplaying game, Warlock uses a twenty-

the games master sided die, a d20, to resolve
introduces the scene actions. You'll also need
in which the player a six-sided dice or d6 as
characters are involved to they are known. You'll need
the players. They explain these to play, and it's best
the surroundings and if everyone has their own
dice.

6
 Introduction
THE GOLDEN
RULE

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Remember that Warlock is a game, nothing more,
nothing less. The aim is to have fun, and the rules in
this book are simply a way of arbitrating actions in

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a fair way an introducing some unpredictability. This
is the golden rule - have fun! If you are having fun,
you are playing the game right!

These rules are very light as roleplaying games go.

If you come across a situation that you cannot find
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a rule for (and you will!), simply roll a die. Half the
results go in favour of the players, the other half go
against them.
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 THE WORLD OF
Introduction
WARLOCK
Warlock is set within a
fantasy world with many of
the common creatures and
beings of western fantasy
literature. The implied
area of the world in which
the game takes place by
default is a vast Kingdom
of man, established many
centuries ago. Elves,
dwarves and halflings
e and drawing goblins and
share this land, but they
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are very much in the
minority - this is a human-
centric place. Goblins and
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8
hobgoblins, rival realms
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and monsters beset the
Kingdom on all sides.
Worse still, the Kingdom
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is rotten within - the
traitor Warlock escaped
attempts to trap him and
is still at large, wrecking
ruin with his dark magics,
other fouler creatures to
his service. In look and
feel the Kingdom is at
a late medieval to early
renaissance level.
 CREATING
CHARACTERS

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 CREATING A
Characters
CHARACTER
Before you can start
playing, the players need
to create their alter
egos in the game. Player
characters (PCs, also just
referred to as characters)
are the figures through
which players interact
with the world of Warlock.
e
The personalities of these
characters are the roles
players adopt during play,
pl
their focus within the
game. It is the choices
players make for their
characters and how those
characters interact that
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creates the story. Creating
characters can be a shared
experience, and building
from each other's ideas
Sa
can help to create a more
interesting group of people.
Remember to include
the games master in the
design process, as they
have an important part to
play in creating the game
everyone will play.
10
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Characters are defined by
their skills, their Stamina
and their Luck. These are
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outlined below.
BEGINNING
SKILLS
The skills shown on the
character sheet (see the
back of this book) are
known as the adventuring
skills. All skills have a
level - the higher, the
better. Characters are
competent individuals,
so they start with some
aptitude here. Ten of the
skills on the sheet you can
mark as level 6. These are
where the character has
the most natural ability.
Ten more begin at level 5,
and the rest start at level
4. There's a description of
each of the skills starting
on page 16.
 STAMINA
The health, fitness and
all-round vitality of a
character is defined
by their stamina. The
higher the better. When a
character or enemy runs
out of stamina in combat,
they risk serious injury and
are at the mercy of their
opponent. To determine
beginning stamina, roll as
shown below.
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STAMINA: 2D6+12
LUCK: 1D6+7
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LUCK
Characters
A character's destiny and
fate are represented by
luck. At any time during a
game session, the games
master can ask a character
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to try their luck to see if
things go their way. To
determine luck, roll as
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shown below.
11
 COMMUNITIES
Characters

There are four communities within the Kingdom that

can be selected for characters at creation. There are no
mechanical differences between them, but in the default

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world of Warlock they each grant some benefits and
impose some societal restrictions. The default character
community is human, which grants neither benefit

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or restriction. Make a note of the community your
character belongs to.

HUMAN ELF
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The most populous You are part of the ancient
community in the Kingdom, community of elves,
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humans hold most of the natives to distant lands
and the deep woods. You
position of authority. They
are bright, adaptable, are rare enough in the
resourceful, aspiring to Kingdom for your presence
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nobility but all too oftento be remarked upon. Elves

destined to disappoint. think like humans, with two
differences - they live for a
Choosing to play a human long time and mature very
slowly, and they value art
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gives no benefits or
restrictions. However, above and beyond anything
as part of the dominant else. To the elves, the
community of the Kingdom, artistry of a life is worth
you'll fit in and can be more than the life itself -
expected to be treated as to endure a dull life without
'normal' - whatever that grace and beauty is less
means. than living.

12
 Elves are beautiful,
graceful and can see in
moonlight as well as in
day. However, they are
treated with mild suspicion
by most folk, and can all to
often develop a contempt
of their lesser fellows.
DWARF
The stout-hearted
dwarves are common in
the Kingdom. They are
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pl
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tenacious, hardy and wilful,
prone to greed and quick
Characters
to anger, slow to friendship
but firm in loyalty. Of the
other races, dwarves are
the most common in the
Kingdom, respected if
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kept at arm's length by
decent folk. Dwarves are
like humans, with a couple
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of differences - they are
concerned more with the
making a thing than the
thing itself, and consider
honour and respect more
13
Characters

important than anything the most accepted race

else in life. in the Kingdom besides
humans. In part this is
Dwarves are smaller but because humans have
stockier than humans, difficulty seeing a Halfling

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happiest under stone, and as anything other than a
stubborn as rock. They can child. As a result, halflings
see as well by moonlight tend to act like children -

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as in day, and have a keen they are impulsive, quick to
eye for appraising things tantrums if they don't get
that have been made. their way but also quick to
However, although they forget past slights.
are always treated with
respect, they are still
e Halflings are quiet and
considered outsiders to can move silently when
most in the Kingdom. they want to, and often go
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unnoticed by bigger folk.
However, some people
HALFLING struggle to take them
seriously.
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Diminutive and slight, yet

full of heart, halflings are
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14
 CAREERS AND
SKILLS
Your career determines
how you live - what you
do to earn your keep and
place in the Kingdom. To
determine the starting
career of the character,
roll a d6 die four times to
determine a career from
the table shown on page
21. Then pick one of the
four options that suits
your conception of your
e to include the skill levels
character, and that's your
pl
character's starting career.
Each career lists some
possessions, so write
them down (you'll also get
some basic equipment, see
m
page 20), and allows you to
roll on some small tables
which add a bit of colour
and background. Finally
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each career has a list of
adventuring skills and
levels. These are the only
adventuring skills that your
character can advance
while in the career, and
the maximum values that
those skills can have while
in that career. Tick the
boxes on your character
Characters
sheet for the two different
skill levels.
e
When you create your
character, you can assign
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10 levels to those skills
listed in your starting
career, the only restriction
being that you cannot
exceed the maximum skill
level shown. Remember
you assigned earlier
when determining your
skill level total. You also
gain a 'career skill' at a
level equal to the lowest
value of the five skills
the career grants access
to, as described on page
19 - you'll need to write
this in the space on your
character sheet.
You'll see that there are
way more adventuring
skills available than are
listed for each career - to
gain others, you'll need
to change career, as
described on page 62.
15
 ADVENTURING
Characters

SKILLS
During skill tests, skill levels are used to help you
succeed. There follows a description of the various

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adventuring skills and their use.

Appraise - the character
has a keen eye. Not only
can they appraise items for
their worth or providence,
they can also assess other
people to get a measure
e Bow - how to hunt with
of their worth and their
apparent trustworthiness.
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Athletics - a measure
of a character's ability
to use their body in
m
fil
Blunt - the use and
application of blunt
weapons such as clubs,
maces and hammers.
a bow and hit small
targets, plus the care
and maintenance of your
implements.
Brawling - a knack for

feats of movement and fighting with fist and body,

coordination, including knowing how to move and
running, jumping, climbing how to fight dirty.
etc.
Sa

Command - issuing
Bargain - the character's commands and projecting
ability to bargain with the kind of confidence that
others for something gets those orders followed.
they desire, such as a
shopkeeper for their wares Crossbow - the use of
or an informant for a piece crossbows, implements
of information. of war that advertise
their users as soldier or
hardened mercenaries.

16
 Diplomacy - the art of
charting a course through
the rocky ground of
interpersonal relations,
and getting two opposed
sides to compromise and
find a way forward. physicality and personality
Disguise - the character
can adopt a gait, voice
and mannerisms that
disguises their true nature
and convinces the casual
observer that they are
someone they are not.
Dodge - the character is
e enough of a smattering of
able to dodge incoming
missiles, be they arrows,
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stones or rotten fruit.
Endurance - the character
can resist physical
m
hardship and keep going
where others fail.
History - a knowledge
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of past events of the
Kingdom and the realms
that surround it, and some
of the major personalities
that litter history books.
Incantation - the ability
to use magic, to draw
symbols in the air with
fingers of flame and
summon the breath of
esoteric power using
Characters
scrolls.
Intimidate - the character
is able to use their
e
to intimidate others. This
doesn't necessarily mean
they are big and imposing,
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more that they are able
to push others around
with the strength of their
character.
Language - understanding
languages of the Kingdom,
the character can figure
out what people are saying,
even other races.
Large blade - this skill
covers the application
and maintenance of large
bladed weapons like both
one-handed and two-
handed swords.
Lie - the character is able
to tell quick and easy lies,
and convince others of
their honesty. The use of
this skill is often opposed
by the Appraise skill.
17
 Medicine - the character arm, both spears and long
is able to help stabilise weapons topped with a
Characters

wounds and the critical blade or axe head.

hits that can be suffered
in combat. Without some Repair - characters with
medical assistance, many this skill are mechanically
wounds can fester and minded, and able to

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deteriorate. perform repairs either
ad-hoc or planned to
Navigation - finding your keep devices and tools

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way along the roads of operating.
the Kingdom, let alone the
trackless forests, is no Sleight-of-hand - the
mean feat. This character character is able to
is skilled in choosing the use distraction and
right path. manipulation to perform
e tricks of prestidigitation,
Ostler - riding, tending and useful in picking pockets
maintaining horses is a and cheating at cards.
pl
life skill that this character Small blade - the character
has learnt. They know how is adept at using knives
to keep their mount happy and daggers in combat,
and healthy. nasty weapons in the right
m

hands.
Persuasion - the fine art
of getting someone to do Spot - with a keen eye
what you want. Persuading and a mind set for detail,
Sa

people assumes that what the character is able to

you want them to do isn't spot things out of place
against their interests - if or otherwise remarkable
it is, the games master but hidden in a scene. This
may impose a penalty to skill is often pitted against
the test. Stealth when someone
is sneaking where they
Pole-arm - the character shouldn't be.
is adept at fighting with
the various kinds of pole-

18
 Stealth - able to make use
of cover and shadows,
the character is adept at
sneaking about. This skill
is often pitted against the
spot skill of guards and
watchmen.
Streetwise - a knack for
knowing the right kind of
people to talk to and the
right places to go to meet
them, this character is
knowledgeable in facets of
the seedier side of life.
Survival - how to find a
e has spent many an hour
good camp site, find water
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CAREER SKILL
m
Each career also comes
with a skill named after
the career itself, e.g. the
‘Thief’ career comes with a
Sa
special skill called ‘Thief’.
This represents all the
knowledge and know-how
that come from working
in that profession, things
that aren't covered by
the adventuring skills
themselves. If a player
can persuade the games
master that a career skill
and forage for food, a
character with this skill is
Characters
adept at surviving in the
wilds.
Swimming - not many folks
can swim, and water is
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dangerous. This character
is able to move about in
open water without losing
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their life.
Thrown - there's an art to
hitting something with a
stone, a javelin or a tomato.
A character with this skill
honing their aim.
makes sense in the context
of a test in the game, one
that's not covered by any
of the listed adventuring
skills, they may instead
use this career skill to
determine success.
The career skill has a
level equal to the lowest
value of the skills (five for
a basic career, six for an
advanced career) granted
by the career.
19
Characters

BASIC
EQUIPMENT

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Each character begins with the following
equipment at character creation. More can be
bought with the money they have, and most careers
grant further equipment that will be described in
their entry.
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2d6 silver coins, backpack, d3 days' foods, water
skin, eating knife, clothes and boots.
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BASIC CAREERS
m

Each listing gives a

The basic careers basic description, the
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that can be taken by adventuring skills of

characters as they start the career and their
their adventure follow. maximum level, and
Roll 1d6 four times and details possessions the
choose one of the four career grants. Tables of
careers indicated. background flavour are
also included.

20
 Characters
Die number Result of d6 Career

! Agitator

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@ Beggar
1 # Boatman
$ Bodyguard

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% Bounty Hunter
^ Entertainer

! Footpad
@ Gambler
2 # Grave Robber
$
e Hunter
% Initiate
^ Mercenary
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! Militiaman
@ Miner
3 # Noble
m

$ Outlaw
% Pedlar
^ Raconteur
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! Rat Catcher
@ Road warden
4 # Soldier
$ Thief
% Tomb Robber
^ Wizard's Apprentice

21
Characters

1.1 AGITATOR
You spend your time sore spots. That grain riot
stirring things up, digging in Galdenback? That was

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into the psyche of the mob you. You had some thing to
and twisting it to your ends. do with the burning of the
You are a good speaker, warehouse on the shores

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good at manipulating of the river Eld, some say.
people, and at prodding the You don't comment.

Equipment: A notched and nasty dagger, a leather jerkin

(light armour), pamphlets, seditious writings. A bottle of
grog that could be set on fire, you know, if you had to.
e
Skills and maximum level: Small blade 10, Intimidate 10,
pl
Dodge 12, Persuasion 12, Streetwise 12

Who you've worked for.

! The Heldehall crime gang.
@ Steepleman, the Mayor's rival.
m

# The cult of the Stag.

$ The Gilvenburg trade house.
% Someone called The Knife.
^ You don't know. Which is worrying.
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Who's hunting you?

! The Guard, deadly and vengeful.
@ The Guild, bedecked with lawyers.
# The Church, saintly and poisonous.
$ Your brother, hateful but sad.
% A goblin band, angry and mad.
^ You don't know. Which is worrying.

22
 e Characters
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m

1.2 BEGGAR
Seated by the side of the unnoticed. You can spot
road, you're ignored by a soft touch in the crowd,
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almost everyone - they and when things are tight

don't even notice you are and you need some help,
there. Which doesn't help you also know people - not
you eat, but does mean good people, but useful
you tend to see things people.
others might prefer to go

Equipment: A wooden club for defence, ragged clothes,

a messy bedroll. A bottle of something that helps you
forget how hard the floor is.

23
 Skills and maximum level: Appraise 10, Blunt 10,
Lie 12, Spot 12, Streetwise 12
Characters

What you've seen.

! Things coming out of the sewers.
@ What the Mayor gets up to.
# Where the pickpockets live.

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$ The secret of Madam von Hossburg.
% A murder, silent and beautiful.
^ A person supposed to be dead.

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Who you know.
! The captain of the Peacock Guard.
@ The silent priest of the Red King.
# Silias, the silver thief.
$ The beautiful charlatan Mimirik.
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% The Dark Man and his bitter gang.
^ You don't know anyone, honest.
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1.3 BOATMAN
m

Messing about on the to be learned on the river,

river some call it, but in
reality they know the rivers
are the lifeblood of the
Kingdom, and the boatmen
Sa
and you certainly see
some interesting places
and meet some interesting
people. But the boat is

are the true lords. Or so where you heart really lies.

you say. Still, there's a lot
Equipment: A wooden club for defence, workman's
cloths, a bedroll and backpack. A pack of cards for those
slow nights, and a picture of a saint.

Skills and maximum level: Navigation 10, Repair 10,

Blunt 12, Endurance 12, Swimming 12

24
 Where you've been.
! The capital city, bedecked in flags.

Characters
@ The badlands, rife with goblins.
# The great port and wine-dark sea.
$ Lake Gossenham, and the floating fort.
% The bloody canals of Westerlan.
^ The rapids of the mighty Alase river.

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What you've seen.
! Goblins burn a town with glee.

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@ The lair of the loved Bandit king.
# Blind traders from far Arais.
$ A sea beast, deadly and beautiful.
% A handsome captain murdered for coin.
^ Enough of war to last a lifetime.
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1.4 BODYGUARD
You've guarded everyone mean - all you need, most
from merchants in fear of of the time. But things get
m

rivals to rich nobles after out of hand and you need to

some fun in the rougher pull a weapon, you're ready
parts of town. You know for that too. Never lost a
how to keep quiet and look client. So far.
Sa

Equipment: An arming sword, chain and leather with a

small shield (modest armour), knuckle-dusters. A letter
from your mother, which you cherish when times get
hard.

Skills and maximum level: Medicine 10, Thrown 10,

Dodge 12, Intimidate 12, large blade 12

25
 Who you have protected?
Characters

! Vilus, the vile priest.

@ The head of the von Tassenback family.
# The dwarven map forger, Haddous.
$ Lady Consetta, the sly opera singer.
% The crimelord Garhen the elf.

e
^ Lord Fellini, a fool in disguise.

A secret you know about them.

fil
! They drink wine like a fish.
@ They visit the more exotic brothels.
# They once killed someone, for love.
$ Where they keep the gold.
% Who their late lamented mother was.
^ Why they hate the King's guard.
e
pl
1.5 BOUNTY HUNTER
You keep to yourself. Your the right people - or the
m

face is enough to keep wrong people, as most

most people away. You would see it. But you're
have a knack for finding handy with a blade too, as
people, people that don't most of the people you are
want to be found. Mainly looking for will do a lot not
Sa

that's a result of knowing to get found.

Equipment: A dagger, chain and leather (modest

armour), a crossbow. A roll of parchment showing
faces and names for you to look out for.

Skills and maximum level: Bargain 10, Crossbow 10,

Small blade 12, Spot 12, Streetwise 12

26
 Who you have caught?
! The murderer of Madam Von Hock.

Characters
@ The Tresselback arsonist.
# Your sister. Don't ask.
$ Deserters from the royal army.
% The wrong person, but don't tell.
^ The agitator Hemlock.

e
Who you're searching for?
! The halfling poisoner Rubis.

fil
@ The lover of Jizt, a jilted noble.
# Horse thieves from Pure Ballalas.
$ The heretical priest Kinns.
% A reason to hope, in a dark land.
^ A way out and into the light.
e
pl
m
Sa

27
 1.6 ENTERTAINER
Characters

You can hold a tune, play all. But hey, everyone has
an instrument or tell a to make a living right?
story, good enough that Nothing wrong with telling
others will listen. People people what they want to

e
like you for that reason, hear, and if it helps you,
and listen to what you have that's just a coincidence,
to say. Not that you take right?

fil
advantage of that. Not at

Equipment: A musical instrument or book of stories, a

dagger, nice clothes and a jaunty hat that marks you as
someone to watch. A roll of parchment with that play
you've been working on.
e
Skills and maximum level: Diplomacy 10, History 10,
pl
Brawling 12, Disguise 12, Persuasion 12

Who you have entertained?

! The crowds outside the grand temple.
@ The patrons of the Broken Swan.
m

# The royal opera house.

$ Lady Polbeck's last and greatest party.
% The beggars, you feel sorry for them.
^ Anyone who'll listen on the streets.
Sa

What have you learned? (roll a d6)

! The mayor loves to sing.
@ Holbrick is a swindler.
# Great stories are often unappreciated.
$ Poetry is not for you.
% Sweet words hide ugly thoughts.
^ There's money in well-spoken lies.

28
 2.1 FOOTPAD

Need money? No problem.
Spot a mark, follow them,
make your move. No need
to get too violent, just
Characters
you're safe. Or as safe as
you can be anyway. You
can't trust anyone these
days. A lurker in doorways

e
enough to get the job done. and alleys, you are
Then run. Have a look at sadly one of many in the
what you got later, when Kingdom these days.

fil
Equipment: A nasty club, stained with blood. A cloak
with hood, and a sack for your gains. A few pretty
trinkets which make you feel special and aren't worth
pawning.
e
Skills and maximum level: Stealth 10, Thrown 10,
Blunt 12, Intimidate 12, Streetwise 12
pl
Who you have you robbed?
! The captain of the guard, dead drunk.
@ Your father. Needs must.
# A young noble, foppish and foolish.
m

$ A priest of the Heartstone.

% The merchant Johannes.
^ A nun - you're not proud.
Sa

What's your move?

! Slink out of doorways, cloaked.
@ Drop from a roof like a spider.
# Pretend to be a beggar, humble and sad.
$ Lurk in bars, prey on the drunk.
% Hide in the sewers, then jump!
^ Anything that comes to mind, really.

29
Characters

2.2 GAMBLER
A fool and his money are
soon parted. You're no fool,
but the gambling pits of the
Kingdom, be they back-
them. You're good at finding
a mark, and playing the
odds in your favour so that
you get what you need. And

e
street dens or aristocrat if you make a few enemies
casinos are awash with on the way, that's life huh?

fil
Equipment: A deck of cards, well-thumbed, nice clothes
and a serious hat that marks you as a player. A roll of
parchment with your best cheats scribbled on it.

Skills and maximum level: Bargain 10, Spot 10,

Lie 12, Persuasion 12, Sleight-of-hand 12
e
Who have you fleeced?
pl
! Anise, arrogant mistress of Fulbeck.
@ Your father. Needs must.
# An aspiring priest of his last coppers.
$ The mercenary Jagar. An error.
% The gullible son of Lord Vech.
m

^ Who haven't you fleeced?

Who wants revenge?

! The casino owner, who's on to you.
Sa

@ Your partner. Well, one-time partner.

# Your lover, who you gambled away.
$ That princeling, who knows you cheat.
% Your father, for your dissolute ways.
^ Who doesn't want revenge?

30