Character creation in Guts and Glory is easy, and can be

quite fun. By using these rules and your imagination, you can make
just about any kind of character you can think of. Say you want a
burly lizardman that can spit acid, it’s easy and do-able with the
rules. Simply make a Garr Berserker with one point in his magic
stat. Want a dark elf assassin? Try rolling a skirmisher with a point
of magic to enhance her stealth abilities. Want a charming rogue,
just as able to talk his way out of something as stabbing it? Try a
Jackling Thief! The possibilities are endless.

Character Creation Summary

Follow these steps to make a Character.

1. Choose stats. A character’s stats are his physical attributes.

2. Pick a race. Race determines your character’s species.
3. Choose job. What does your character do for a living?
4. Pick skills. Skills are what a character knows.
5. Buy equipment. Take your character sword shopping.
6. Finish filling out character sheet.

Each Step of character creation is explained in detail over

the following pages and includes examples of how to perform them.
Grab a character sheet, follow the directions and you’ll be adven-
turing in no time.
 Humans
Choose stats
All stats start at 2 with the exception of magic, which starts
at 0. New characters are given 4 points to put in their stats. No new
character may have a stat higher than 5 after character creation.

Example: Leon wants to make the burly lizardman men-

tioned in the introduction. He talks with his Gamemaster and finds
out that he can get that acid spitting power by putting a point in
magic. Next he puts a point in strength and his last two points in
endurance.
Pick a Race
Guts and Glory has the standard fantasy races, plus 2 that
keep showing up in the author’s campaigns. If you want to play a
race that’s not listed here, no problem. Choose a race that is close
to what you want and work with your Gamemaster to figure out
the rest. It might be as simple as changing the name. Or, you might
have to rearrange a skill or 2. Just remember, that if you want to
roleplay it, then it’s possible through creative use of the rules.

Example: Leon wants his lizard man to be a real brute. After dis-
cussing his needs with the Gamemaster he chooses Garr for his
race. He adds a point to his Strength, bringing it up to 4. he records
his starting languages of garr-speak and common. He wants his
character to be a decent bounty hunter, so he picks +2 Tracking for
his racial skill. Lastly, he records his character’s race as “lizard-man”.
Humanity, an entire race of average Joes. Or are they?
The ubiquitous Homo Sapiens can be found in every land and
genre. They are also the most mutable. If you want to play a “Half ”
something, start here.
Humans start with no stat bonuses, however they get any 2
language skills and a further +2 in any 3 skills of their choice.
Elves
Tall and regal, long lived and magically attuned, Most Elves
dwell in the forests or in fantastic cities cloistered away from the
other races. An elf wandering the world can do so for any number
of reasons, but you can bet, it’s always a good one. If you want to
play a race in tune with the ways of magic, start with an elf.
Elves get an additional point in their Magic stat. They start
with Language (Elvish) and one other language of their choice.
They also start with either +2 Perception OR +2 Lore (any).
Dwarves
Dwarves are stout, sturdy, and gifted with fantastic beards.
A dwarf is most happy while working; whether it be digging,
slaying or singing. A dwarf encountered in the world is likely plying
his trade, selling his goods, or prospecting the site of a new mine. If
you want your adventurer to be hardy and industrious, start with a
dwarf.
Dwarves get an additional point in their Endurance stat.
They start with Language (Dwarvish) and one other language of
their choice. They also start with +2 Tradeskill (any).
Jacklings
The bizarre, yet adorable Jacklings are a young, prolific
species. They are the result of a mad wizard’s experiment that
combined a jackalope with the now extinct halfling. When the
wizard was killed by intrepid adventurers, the jacklings escaped
into the wild and multiplied. Jacklings are now as widespread as
humans are, and fill the societal niches traditionally reserved for
races of short and nimble stature.
Jacklings get an additional point in their Dexterity stat.
They start with two languages of your choice. They also start with
+2 Persuasion OR +2 Stealth.
Garr
Native to the wastelands of the world, the savage Garr tribes
live in a culture of ‘might makes right’. Some sages think that they
were once men, mutated by magic energies. None know for sure.
A Garr in civilized lands may be a mercenary, gladiator or even a
bandit. If you want a strong brute of a character, start with a Garr.
Garr get an additional point in their Strength stat. They
start with Language (garr-speak) and one other language of their
choice. They also get +2 Tracking or +2 Navigation.
 Warrior
Choose Job
A character’s race determines what he is biologically, but a
character’s Job defines him professionally. Imagine what you want A skilled melee combatant,
your character’s role in society to be, and choose the appropriate the Warrior is adept in the
job. Keep in mind that there may be more than one job that fits use of a sword and shield, in
your character’s description. For example, you want your guy to addition to heavy armor. Not
be a dastardly ninja. Thief immediately comes to mind due to concerned with doling out huge
the amount of cheap skills available, yet skirmisher may be more amounts of damage, a warrior
appropriate if you think he’ll be more combat minded. Look uses his defensive skills to his
through the following pages and see what’s right for you. advantage, always aiming to
outlast his opponents. In a group,
Once you’ve chosen your character’s job, look at that job’s the warrior serves as a living
skill discounts and check off the discount box next to those skills on shield, defending his scrawnier
the character sheet. After that write out the job’s apprentice power compatriots from physical harm.
in the powers section.
Skill discounts: Weapon Skill
Example: Looking over the different jobs, Leon sees three (any), Lore (Tactics), First Aid.
that appeal to him. Warrior, Skirmisher, and Berserker. Since he
has a decent Strength score, Berserker looks rather nice, but doesn’t Powers:
quite fit with Leon’s bounty hunter concept. While Leon might like Apprentice: The warrior
a Skirmisher, the emphasis on light armor and movement doesn’t can spend a point of Guts to
seem right for his hulking brute. With that in mind, he chooses ‘taunt’ his foes. All enemies
Warrior. Looking at his character sheet, he checks the discount within earshot must attack
boxes next to Weapon Skill, Lore (Tactics), and First Aid. Next he him instead of their current targets, however they can roll their
writes down his apprentice power in the powers section. Willpower, TN:8 to resist.
500 Exp Journeyman: The warrior may apply -1 to all his
shield rolls.
2000 Exp Master: The warrior may swing his weapon at
additional foes, provided they are adjacent to the original target, at
a cost of 1 Guts per extra foe attacked.
Thief Magi

Always on the lookout for Able to bend reality itself, the

treasures, the Thief plys his trade Magi is a master of the arcane. By
through stealth, trickery, and focusing his will, the Magi can
the occasional knife through the burn foes to oblivion, mesmerise a
populace, turn peasants into newts,
kidney. While other characters
and accomplish innumerable other
may slog through combat, or
feats with the fantastic powers of
delve into sorcery, a Thief solves magic. The Magi can tap into the
problems by using his wits and powers of magic to a greater degree
cunning. In a group, Thieves than his comrades by eschewing
hang to the sides in combat, the development of his physical
waiting in the shadows to plunge prowess, and concentrating solely
a dagger into their foe’s back. In on his mystic abilities. In a group,
other situations, a thief could be the Magi stays behind a protective
called upon to open a lock, or wall of his fellows and destroys his
find a fence for the group’s loot. foes at range. Alternatively, he could
use his powers to bolster his friends.
Skill discounts: Pickpocket,
Persuade, Trade Skill (Locksmith), Skill discounts: Lore (any),
Perception, Stealth, Gambling. Willpower, Perception, Language
(any), Literacy (any).
Powers:
Apprentice: The Thief can spend 2 Guts while directly Powers:
behind a foe to backstab. He gets +2 Attack, and double damage if Apprentice: The Magi can spend 3 Guts and meditate for a
successful. Can only be used while wielding a one handed weapon. whole round in order to regain 1d6+1 MP.
500 Exp Journeyman: The Thief can apply half his Dexterity 500 Exp Journeyman: All air and earth spells get a free
stat to Pickpocket, Stealth, and Trade Skill (Locksmith) rolls. duration element.
2000 Exp Master: The Thief can spend 3 Guts to make use 2000 Exp Master: MP is now calculated as Magic x4.
of a convenient distraction and hide in plain sight. Roll Stealth TN:
10 to succeed.
Cleric Paladin

Compassionate, charitable, and Clad in steel, and armed with faith,

sometimes zealous, the Cleric is the Paladin stands as the symbol
a man of faith. He channels the of justice. Usually members of a
power of magic to heal and aid; holy order, Paladins travel the lands
guided by the hand of his god. fighting lawlessness, and bringing
When not tending to the sick and order and stability to savage lands.
injured, a Cleric preaches to the Their moral code constantly
peasants, converts unbelievers and puts them in opposition with the
engages in spirited theological unscrupulous knaves of the world.
debate with learned colleagues. In a In a group, Paladins fight in the
group, the Cleric bolsters his allies front, dealing justice with their
with healing magic, and rousing weapons, as well as healing and
oratory. defending their allies.

Skill discounts: Lore (religion), Skill discounts: Persuasion, Lore

Lore (herbs), Literacy(Any), First (religion), Lore (law), Weapon
Aid, Willpower, Persuasion. Skill.

Powers: Powers:
Apprentice: May spend Apprentice: May spend
1 Guts and make a TN:7 Lore MP on a 2 for 1 basis to raise his
(religion) roll to give an ally +2 to any one roll. attack value for one attack.
500 Exp Journeyman: Water elements now cost 1 MP. 500 Exp Journeyman: May spend Guts on a 1 for 1 basis to
2000 Exp Master: May spend all Guts but 1, all MP (at least heal an adjacent ally.
10) and permanently lose a point of Magic to raise one ally from 2000 Exp Master: May spend Guts on a 1 for 1 basis to gain
the dead. The ally can be dead for no longer than one day prior to damage reduction for 1 round.
using this power.
Skirmisher Berserker

A whirling dervish of dancing A Berserker is one who is

blades and fanciful footwork, the afflicted with a barely contained
Skirmisher is the consummate blood rage. When in danger,
warrior acrobat. He deals Berserkers fly off the handle,
tremendous damage to his foes start foaming at the mouth, and
while being more nimble than hack their enemies to pieces,
his steel clad fellows. In a group, until there is naught left except
Skirmishers are on the front lines puddles of goo. In a group,
of the melee, working with other Berserkers charge far ahead of
characters to sidestep and flank their fellows, to where the foes
their enemies. are the thickest, eager to bathe in
their blood.

Skill discounts: Weapon Skill

(any), Perception, Stealth.
Skill discounts: Weapon Skill
Powers: (any). Thats all, folks.
Apprentice: The
Skirmisher gains +1 damage to Powers:
all attacks. Apprentice: Whenever
500 Exp Journeyman: the Berserker hits his target, he
May spend 3 Guts to make an extra attack at the end of the current may spend Guts on a 2 for 1 basis to add to his damage dealt for
round. that attack.
2000 Exp Master: May move twice in one round, so long as 500 Exp Journeyman: Any damage received by the
he is wearing DR 2 or less armor. Berserker in a given round can be added to his damage dealt in the
following round.
2000 Exp Master: If the Berserker survives this long, his
apprentice power is changed to raise damage on a 1 for 1 basis.
Huntsman Pick Skills
The next step in the character creation process is choosing
your starting skills. Each character is given 200 experience points to
spend on skills. The cost to raise a skill is the skill’s new level times
10. Skills are raised one level at a time. The cost to raise a skill that
Able to shoot the nose ring is discounted by the character’s job is the skill’s new level times 5.
off a charging minotaur, the Refer to the Skills section of the book for a complete description of
Huntsman rains death at range. what each skill entails. Any leftover points are converted into gold
Huntsmen lie in wait, patiently pieces.
eyeing their targets until the
time is right. Then… BAM! an Example: Leon makes a note that he has 200 points to spend
arrow sprouts from the target’s on skills. He starts by spending 30 points on 3 levels of Weapon
face. In a group, the Huntsman Skill (Battle axe). That was a skill discounted by his job, so he only
maneuvers into an advantageous needs to spend points equal to the new level times 5. 5 for the first
position, the lines up his shots to level, 10 more for the second, and 15 more for the third, for a total
inflict maximum damage. of 30 points.

Next, Leon spends 60 points on 3 levels of Persuade. He

figures that being a bounty hunter might need a hint of social skills
Skill discounts: Weapon Skill in order to find his quarry. Since Persuade is not discounted by his
(any ranged), Perception, Stealth, job, he has to spend points equal to the new level times 10. Thats 10
Navigation, Tracking. points for the first level, 20 more for the second, and 30 more for
the third, for a total of 60 points.
Powers:
Apprentice: The Being a bounty hunter also might entail following some-
Huntsman may make a TN 10 one’s trail, so he puts points in Tracking. Since his character tech-
Perception check in order to call a shot on an opponent’s arms or nically counts as a Garr, he already has 2 levels of Tracking. Leon
legs. spends 30 more points to raise this skill to level 3.
500 Exp Journeyman: May spend 3 Guts to make an extra attack at
the end of the round. Going down the list; Leon spends 15 points for 2 levels of
2000 Exp Master: May make a TN 15 Perception check to call a First Aid, 15 points for 2 levels of Lore (tactics), 10 points for 1 level
shot on an opponent’s head. If this attack deals damage equal to at in Navigation, and 30 points for 2 levels of Perception. He is left
least half the target’s HP, it is killed instantly. with 10 points which he doesn’t wish to spend, so he converts them
into an equal number of Gold Pieces.
 Skills
Skills represent what your character knows. Any specific
field of knowledge you can think of can usually be represented
in-game with a skill. The higher your skill is, the better chance you
have at succeeding in a task.
What follows is a list of each skill available in the game and
descriptions of their function.
First Aid
Through the use of healing herbs and ban-
dages, characters with the First Aid skill can stop bleeding wounds
and speed up the healing process. To stop bleeding, roll this skill
versus a TN equal to the wound’s value. To speed natural healing,
roll versus TN 5. If successful, reduce the healing time needed for
that wound by one day. For each multiple of 5 you exceed the TN
by, reduce the healing time by an additional day.
Gambling
To participate in games of chance, use this
skill. Regardless of the game being portrayed, each participant
makes a wager and rolls this skill. Whoever rolls highest wins the
amount wagered by the other participants.
Language
To be fluent in a spoken language, take this
skill. Each language is it’s own separate skill, denoted by parenthe-
ses. For example; Language (Dwarven) and Language (Norse) are
two separate skills. Only one rank in this skill is required to speak
and understand a language.
Literacy
To be able to read and write a given lan-
guage, take this skill. Each language is it’s own separate skill, de-
noted by parentheses. For example; Literacy (Elvish) and Literacy
(Desert Tribes) are two separate skills. Only one rank in this skill is
required to read and write a language.
Lore
The Lore skill covers specialized knowledge
of a given subject. Each Lore is it’s own separate skill, denoted by
parentheses. For example; Lore (Tactics) and Lore (Herbs) are two
separate skills. To see if your character knows something that falls
within the subject, or to gain special insight into a situation involv-
ing that subject, roll this skill.
Navigation
Roll this skill to not get lost in the woods.
You can use it to plan a travel route for sea or over-land. When
using this skill out in the field, conditions such as weather, visibility
and the time of year can all contribute to the TN of a Navigation
skill roll.
Performance
Do you want to sing? Dance? Do magic
tricks? Any type of performing art that is to be done in front of an
audience falls under this skill. The base TN for this skill is 7. For
each additional 5 over this you roll, the better you do in the eyes of
the audience.
Perception
Do you notice the boulder hurtling at your
character? What about the smell of orcs on the wind? The Percep-
tion skill represents how well characters see, hear, smell, taste and
touch the world around them. Many times, this skill is used to roll
against someone else’s Stealth check. Other times it’s used to see
how well you’ve been paying attention to your surroundings.
Pick Pocket
Pick Pocket is useful for larcenous types to
lift items off another’s person without them noticing. The check’s
difficulty is based off of the size of the object to be purloined. The
target’s perception is also taken into account.
 Persuade
This skill can be used for a multitude of
reasons. Convince the guard that the goat you have isn’t stolen, or
if you’re really good, convince that same guard that said goat is a
local prince that’s been polymorphed. Cleric types can find it useful
in regards to converting folk into believers. Persuade is generally
rolled versus the target’s own willpower check. If one is engaged in
a debate, each participant rolls persuade. Whoever wins this check
3 times is the debate’s winner.
Stealth
Whether you’re sneaking through a fortress
under a box, or cowering behind a tree, the Stealth skill is a must
for those situations where you’d rather remain un-noticed. Declare
how you’re going to hide/sneak and roll the skill. Your Gamemaster
will make the appropriate perception rolls to see how successful
you were.
Tracking
Use this skill to follow a person or creature’s
path through an area. The difficulty varies depending on the ter-
rain, weather, and amount of time that’s passed. The Tracking skill
can also be used to identify creatures based on their footprints, as
well as sundry other information based on how well you roll.
Trade Skill
The Trade skill covers the actions used by
a given profession. For example, you want to slaughter a bear that
you defeated in the woods and want to sell it’s meat in town. To
make the appropriate cuts with any degree of precision, you would
want the Trade skill (Butcher) skill. If you wanted to sell the bear’s
hide and fur, you would need Trade skill (Leather worker). Each
Trade skill is it’s own separate skill, denoted by parentheses. For
example; Trade skill (Locksmith) and Trade skill (Butcher) are two
separate skills. If you aren’t sure what falls under this skill, ask your
Game master, but generally the rule is if an action isnt covered by
the other skills, then it probably is a Trade skill.
Willpower
The ability to resist persuasion, mind affect-
ing powers and other temptations can be quite useful. The Will-
power skill is usually rolled in opposition to the persuade skill, but
other situations may call for it. Sometimes the Gamemaster will roll
this skill for you secretly.

Weapon Skill
Quite arguably the most important skill in
the game, Weapon Skill determines how practiced you are at using
various weapons. Each weapon is it’s own separate skill, denoted by
parentheses. For example; Weapon (longsword) and Weapon (battle
axe) are two separate skills. Consult the combat section of the book
for a more detailed treatise on the use of this skill.

 Buy Equipment Table of arms and armor
Starting characters are given 50 gold pieces to spend on Armor
their starting equipment. Refer to the equipment section for a list of Leather armor DR1 10gp
arms and armor and their costs. Hide armor DR2 20gp
Chainmail DR3 30gp
Example: Leon makes a note that he has 50 GP to spend on
Shields
his starting equipment. He also remembers that he has 10 addition-
Small shield Value:6 Hp10 10gp
al GP from having leftover skill points. He flips to the equipment Medium shield Value:5-6 Hp15 20gp
section of the book and begins shopping. First, he spends 20 GP on Kite shield Value:4-6 Hp 20 30gp
a Battle Axe. Next he spends 30 GP on a set of Chain Armor. Lastly, Shields are made of wood. Can be made of metal for 3 times the cost.
he spends his remaining 10 GP on a small Wooden Shield. Metal shields have DR3 in addition to their other stats.

Melee Weapons
Longsword DMG=1+Str, 10gp, Str
Dagger DMG=0+Str, 5gp, Str/Dex
Battleaxe DMG=2+Str, 20gp, Str -1 to hit
(2H) Claymore DMG=2+(Str*1.5), 40gp, Str
(2H) Giant F*cking Axe DMG=3+(Str*1.5), 60gp, Str -2 to hit
(2H) Polearm DMG=1+(Str*1.5), 30gp, Str Can attack targets up to 10ft
away.

Ranged Weapons
Longbow DMG=2+Str, 40gp
Shortbow DMG=1+Str, 20gp
Crossbow DMG=5, 30gp, Takes a round to reload.
20 arrows/bolts, 1gp

Other Items
Standard adventuring kit, 15gp,
Contains: 30ft of rope, 3 torches, 1 weeks worth of rations, 3 empty sacks,
1 roll of bandage cloth, 1 packet of healing herbs, and a waterskin, all
contained in a leather backpack.

Skill Tools: Players may buy a tool or modify an existing item for 20gp
that confers +1 to a skill when used with that skill. Examples include a
compass that enhances Navigation, or a hammer that enhances Trade
Skill (Blacksmith).
 Crafting Items Krunk-fist’s quality 2 goat meat, and a normal quality onion bought
in town. As he gets the chili ready, steve’s player calculates the av-
erage of the ingredients qualities and gets 1. (2+1+0=3, 3/1=1) He
Purchasing equipment is all well and good, but there are times
rolls his Trade Skill (cooking) and gets a total of 13. This brings up
when characters will want to make things for themselves.
the chili’s quality to 2.
Quality Level
Example 2: Harl Ironblack wants to make a greatsword that his
When an item is crafted, it receives a quality level. Ordinary items
friends can imbue with magic powers. He gathers his ingredients;
are of normal quality. Items suitable for enchantment must be of
Quality 3 iron, a quality 2 grinding stone, a quality 3 ruby for the
epic quality or higher. The quality of an item is based on the skill
hilt, and quality 2 leather for the grip. The average quality comes
roll and the quality of it’s ingredients. All crafting is governed by
to 2.5, rounded down to 2. He rolls his Trade skill: (blacksmithing)
various Trade Skills. These can be grouped into two kinds; Gath-
and gets a 23! This brings the finished sword’s quality to 4 which is
ering and assembling. Gathering skills like Mining, or Butcher, are
legendary.
those skills where all one needs are proper tools and raw materials.
Assembling skills such as Blacksmithing and cooking take Materials
from various sources and combine them into other items. Quality table Use modifier Gathering skill needed
Legendary 3 20
Gathering
To use a gathering skill a player may once daily make a check with Epic 2 15
the relevant trade skill as long as he has proper tools. Each multiple Superior 1 10
of 5 rolled increases the quality level of the item by one (starting at Normal 0 5
poor). Poor -1 Start here
Shoddy -2 Botched roll
Example: While protecting a desert caravan, Krunk-Fist is tasked to
help out the party’s cook by getting meat for the evening meal. He
finds a nice looking goat, takes out his knife and uses his Trade Skill
(Butcher). He rolls an 8 and adds his skill of 3 to get 11. Consulting
the quality table he sees that the meat is level one; superior quality.

Assembling
To use an assembly skill a player needs 3 or more ingredients. The
finished item’s quality is the average of the qualities of the ingredi-
ents used (round down) +1 for every multiple of 10 rolled on the
appropriate skill check.

Example 1: Steve the Mangler is the party cook and wants to make
some chili that the group can use to recover Guts in the near-
by dungeon. He gathers his ingredients; some quality 1 peppers,
 Finish filling out character sheet. Combat
Finally, finish your character by filling in all the remaining The singing of steel on steel. The flash of spells flying across
gray spaces on your character sheet. These spaces are self explana- the field. Combat is the meat and potatoes of Guts and Glory.
tory and refer to values already determined by the character cre-
ation process. Combat summary
Roll initiative. Each player and the game master rolls initia-
Attack = Skill + Stat tive. Roll 1d6 and add your Dexterity. Whoever rolled highest goes
Damage = Strength + Weapon first, followed by the next highest and so on and so forth. A round
Defense = 10 + Dexterity of combat concludes when all participants have taken their turn.
Damage Reduction = Determined by Armor worn. after that, the player who rolled the highest takes his turn and this
Speed = Dexterity + Endurance continues until combat is resolved.
Hit Points = Endurance x 2
Guts = Endurance + Strength Actions. During your turn, you may move and attack, use
Magic Points = Magic x 3 magic or a skill.
Shield = Determined by shield used. Movement. Once during your turn, your character may
move up to his Speed score. Generally this translates to squares or
Example: Time for Leon to finish his Lizard-man Warrior. Using hexes on a map.
the Character sheet as a reference, he fills it out as follows: Attack. Attacking a foe consists of several steps. Rolling the
Attack = +6 attack, shield check, calculate damage and apply wounds.
Damage = 6 Roll the attack. Roll 2d6, and add your Attack value. If you
Defense = 9 beat the target’s Defense value, then you go on to the next steps.
Damage Reduction = 3 Shield check. If you beat the target’s Defense value, and
Speed = 6 they are using a shield, they roll 1d6. If it falls in the value of the
Hit Points = 8 shield they are using, then they take a point of Fatigue and the
Guts = 8 shield takes the damage. If not, then go on to the next step.
Magic Points = 3 Calculate damage. Look at the Damage value on your char-
Shield = 1, with 7 hits acter sheet and subtract the target’s Damage Reduction Value.
The only things left to fill out now are his character name, and level. Apply wounds. The target subtracts from his hit points the
He names this hero, Krunk-Fist, and records his level as apprentice. damage dealt from the previous step. Next, roll 1d6 and see where
the wound falls. If it falls on an arm, the target takes a penalty to his
attacks equal to the damage dealt. If it falls on a leg, the target takes
a penalty to his speed equal to the damage dealt. If it falls on the
torso, then the wound bleeds, forcing the target to lose 1 HP each
round until first aid or healing magic is applied. If the target loses
all his HP, then he is dead.
 Guts
Guts represents a character’s energy levels. The more Guts
are used, the more tired a character gets. If a character runs out of
Guts, he passes out. Guts can be lost as a result of combat, but can
also be spent voluntarily. Once per round, Characters may spend 1
Guts for one of the following bonuses.
+2 Attack
+2 Damage
+2 Speed
+2 Defense
Luck
Every time you fail a roll, be it an attack roll, skill check, or
whatever, adds to the luck meter. Every time you fail something,
put a check on the luck meter. When you reach 10 checks, fill in
one of the Stars and reset the meter to zero.
You can expend a Star at any time to automatically
succeed at any check or attack roll.
Glory
Glory is the measure of a hero’s deeds as represented by his fame
or renown. A character with a high glory score is respected (or
Feared) by the populace. Glory determines what circles of society
a character may enter or what kind of attitude others may have for
him. Slaying foes, saving princesses or working great magic will all
increase a character’s glory. Fleeing from battle, acting with dishon-
or and betrayal will all lower ones glory.
A character’s starting glory is equal to his highest stat or skill. It’s
what he’s known for among his friends and family.
As his glory increases, the character will find himself being asked to
do bigger and more dangerous things. For example a party of new
adventurers might be asked to clear out some caves by the local
barkeep. Later though, once they have become seasoned, the king
might trust them with a clandestine operation in the borders of a
rival country. Similarly one’s glory can be used to garner assistance.
The low level party cleaning out caves might get a free hunk of
cheese to help them along, while the more glorious adventurers can
expect that king to provide them with a list of contacts and possibly
a safe house to use during their mission.
When a character’s glory gets to 20 the public gives him a nick-
name. This is usually related to some feat or deed performed by the
character but could be anything suitably cool.
Example: Krunk-Fist has reached 20 glory, among his exploits are
lifting multiple bar wenches above his head, kicking an orc chieftain
in the face and stealing the hat off of the head of a visiting dignitary.
His nickname might be wenchlifter, face smasher, or hat theif. Leon
goes with Face Smasher and the game master agrees.
When a character reaches 50 glory, he gains a powerful enemy.
Some villain has taken notice of the hero and seeks to do him in!
Delivering final defeat to this foe would be a great feat indeed.
When a character reaches 100 glory his renown is such that most Summon a creature from another plane - 10
people have heard of him and thus he begins to attract followers Summon a major creature from another plane (at least 10 elements
and disciples. Each job gets a different bonus. worth) and control it for an entire day - 15

Cleric
Warriors: the warrior attracts a platoon of 48 soldiers.
Convert someone to your faith - 5
Theif: a gang begins to pay the thief tribute.
Heal the wounds of 10 different people - 10
Magi: the mage gains the services of a being from another Create 10 healing potions - 10
plane of existence. Convert 100 people to your faith - 10
Cleric: the faithful in the area build a temple to your god. Raise someone from the dead - 15
Paladin: a pair of well equipped squires pledge you their ser-
vice. Paladin
Skirmisher: you gain 15 disciples who form a school around Smite a foe in the name of your god - 5
your fighting style. Obtain magic armor - 10
Huntsman: you befriend a dangerous beast. Quest for, and find a holy relic - 10
Berserker: A tribe of barbarians seeks you out and makes you Smite 10 foes in the name of your god - 10
Quest for, and find a legendary relic of your order - 15
their leader.
Skirmisher
Class Specific Glory gains Win a duel - 5
The different jobs also have different ways of gaining glory. Each Win 10 duels - 10
job specific bonus can only be gained once. Obtain a magic weapon - 10
Kill a foe in one hit - 10
Warrior Fight 3 evenly matched foes at once and win - 15
Obtain a metal shield - 5
Obtain a magic weapon - 10 Berserker
Obtain magic armor - 10 Go berserk! - 5
Lead an assault/defence - 10 Kill a foe who wounded you and eat his heart. - 10
Lead a heroic assault/defence -15 Obtain a magic weapon - 10
Survive to reach master level - 10
Thief Deliver the killing blow to a dragon or similarly tough monster - 15
Pick a pocket and not get caught - 5
Fence 100g worth of stolen goods - 10 Huntsman
Fence 1000g worth of stolen goods - 10 Make a called shot - 5
Backstab 10 foes - 10 Successfully track a foe through the wilderness - 10
Steal from royalty and not get caught - 15 Obtain a magic bow - 10
Make a called shot to the head and kill the target - 10
Magi Track a foe, or make a called shot under extremely adverse conditions -
Create a signature spell and use it 5 times - 5 15
Create a one use magic item - 10
Create a magic weapon or armor - 10
 Magic Secondary elements
The powers of the arcane are
Range: Adds 30 ft. of range beyond touch to the spell per MP
open to any who would expend the
spent.
effort to master them. By drawing on
Area of effect: Adds 10 ft. of diameter to the area of effect of a spell
the energy of the area and focusing
per MP spent. If No range elements are added, the area of effect
his will, a spellcaster is a force to be
shoots out adjacent to the caster.
reckoned with.
Duration: Adds one round of duration to the spell per MP spent.
In order to use magic a
Creating Magic Items
character must first build his spell.
The creation of magic items requires rare ingredients,
Spells are composed of one prima-
a magic place (a temple, ley lines, etc..) and at least three magic users
ry and any number of secondary
to participate in the ritual. Duration-wise, the ritual takes a number of
elements. Once the spell is built,
hours equal to the number of spell elements used to create the item. For
then the character rolls 2d6 plus his
example, a potion that heals 2 hp per round for 3 rounds would take 5
magic stat. The difficulty of this roll
hours to create. Additional participants reduce this time by one hour per
is equal the number of elements in
extra participant. Each participant makes a Concentrate roll with a TN
the spell.
equal to the number of elements of the spell. Failures could lead to to the
item being a dud, or one that functions (with hilarious side effects). Other
For example: Paco the magician wants to throw a fireball at a
factors can contribute to the quality of a magic item. things like time of
group of orcs. He chooses Fire as his primary element. He wants to deal
the year, moon phase, and even the whims of the gods can all effect magic
5 damage, this costs 5 mp. The orcs are 50 feet away, so he spends 3 MP
item creation.
for 60 feet of range. Finally, he spends 2 more MP to increase the area of
effect by 10 feet in diameter. The total mp cost of the spell is 10 MP, and
Example: A player wants to create a wand that shoots
the difficulty is TN 10.
fireballs. He builds his spell to have 3 points in damage, 1 point in range,
and 2 points of area of effect. To make this, his Gamemaster decides that
Another example: The Berserker in Maverick-san’s group took a
he needs a branch from a Treant, and a large ruby. Once these materials
nasty hit to his arm and suffered 3 damage. Maverick runs up and starts
are obtained, he finds a wizard’s tower to rent for the ritual. The spell
his magic. First he starts by choosing water as his primary element. He
has 6 elements and he wants the wand to hold 5 charges. This makes the
spends 2 MP in order for one point of healing. He then spends 2 more
casting time 30 hours. Since our player is a member in good standing at
MP for 2 rounds of duration. This way the Berserker can heal and Mav-
his local mages guild, he asks 6 of his fellows to assist him in the ritual,
erick won’t have to chase him around. The total MP cost of the spell is 4.
bringing the casting time down to 24 hours. Our player has scheduled his
The difficulty is TN 3.
ritual to occur on a full moon. The game master informs him that if his
ritual is successful the wand will get an point in it’s range. At last! The mo-
Primary elements
ment of truth! Everyone makes their concentrate rolls…. except for one
Fire: Deals 1 damage per MP spent.
of the guild novices. The Gamemaster decides that since so much careful
Earth: Adds or subtracts 1 from a stat or derived stat per MP
planning went into this endeavor, and since there was only one failure,
spent. (This includes DR, Fatigue, and Speed, but not MP)
that the wand will work as intended, with the exception that whenever it’s
Water: Heals 1 damage on one wound per 2 MP spent.
used a small cloud of soot will backfire at the caster. Not bad, i’d say.
Air: Adds or subtracts 1 from a skill per MP spent.

 Spending Experience
At the end of a game session, the game master will award
players with experience points. Players can spend these on skills or
perks. Spending points on skills works exactly as it does in the skills
section of the book. To buy a perk, consult the list below and pay
the appropriate experience cost.

Perks
Brawler: 100 Exp. Adds +1 to Attack & Defense.
Beefy: 100 Exp. Adds +2 to total Hit Points.
Magical: 100 Exp. Adds +2 to total Magic Points.
Steady: 100 Exp. Adds +2 to total Fatigue.
Fleet: 100 Exp. Adds +2 to total Speed.
Educated: 150 Exp. Choose a skill that isn’t a job skill. It
becomes discounted as if it were a job skill.
Lucky: 300 Exp. You start each game session with a filled in
Luck Star. You can only take this perk once.

Once a character has earned 500 experience points he gains

access to his journeyman ability, and is given 2 points to add to any For The Game Master
stats he chooses. No points are spent to get this bonus, you only This section is devoted solely to the gamemaster. It contains
need to have accrued the required running total. everything he needs to run an adventure.

Once a character has earned 2000 experience points he

gains access to his Master ability, and is given 2 points to add to any
stats he chooses. No points are spent to get this bonus, you only
need to have accrued the required running total.
 Creating monsters Calculate derived values
Rather than fill the book up with the stats of a hun- Figure out the derived values just like you would for making
dred hum drum opponents, I’ve decided that you, the Gamemaster a character.
should use your imagination and make some terrible foes for your- Attack = Skill + Stat
self! Using these rules, you can create interesting yet balanced foes Damage = Strength + Weapon
to throw at your players. Defense = 12 + Dexterity
Damage Reduction = Determined by Armor worn.
Choose a concept Speed = Dexterity + Endurance
Much like character generation, it helps when making up a Hit Points = Endurance x 2
new monster to have an idea in mind. Fatigue = Endurance + Strength
Example: Patrick’s group has wandered into a forest that’s Magic Points = Magic x 3
been frozen by supernatural ice. He decides to make some creatures Shield = Determined by shield used.
that might live in this area natively. Huge Ice beetles!
Example: Here are the final stats for the ice beetle
Choosing stats Attack = +4
Choose whatever stats you think your monster needs. It’s Damage = 3
always good to keep in mind the average power level of your group, Defense = 14
however that’s just a guideline. Some monsters are supposed to be Damage Reduction = 2
super deadly. I’m looking at you, dragons! Speed = 5
Example: Patrick’s Ice Beetles are more of a wandering mon- Hit Points = 6
ster type encounter, as opposed to something truly horrifying. Still, Fatigue = 5
they need to be interesting enough to keep players guessing. With Magic Points = 9
that in mind, he sets the Strength and Dexterity at 2 each, puts 3 Shield = 1
into Endurance (hearty little buggers), and 3 points in Magic. He
makes a note that the magic will be used for a breath weapon that
slows enemy movement. Figuring costs, Experience and Gold value
The last step is to figure out how much experience and gold
Final details your creature is worth. First compare each of the 4 base stats to the
Once you’ve picked the stats, there are a few more things table and record the cost given. If you have a monster with a stat
to determine. They are: Damage Reduction value, Shield value (if greater than 5, determine the cost as if the creature had a class that
any), Natural Weapon value (if any) and skills. raised it’s stats at a rate of x35.
Example: The ice beetles get assigned a DR of 2 due to their 1 35
thick shells. Patrick then gives them a Shield value of 1. He figures 2 105
that they have horns and can crudely parry blows with them. Since 3 210
these are wild creatures they will use their mandibles as Natural 4 350
weapons. Patrick records a 1 for Natural Weapon. Lastly he assigns 5 525
the beetles Stealth: +2, Weapon Skill (Natural): +2, and Perception:
+2.
Next, do the same thing for each skill it has.
1 10
2 30
3 60
4 100
5 150
Lastly, add the creature’s Damage Reduction value x10,
shield value x5, and if it is using any weapons, include their gold
piece value.
Giving out experience
Generally the standard procedure for giving out experience
points is to wait till the end of a session. Add up the total number
of experience points from slain monsters, and other challenges and
divide the result by the number of players. Each player will gain
one of those shares. Another thing to do is to choose a player who
played his character best, either by being amusing, or by being in
character when it really wouldn’t be beneficial to do so, and give
this player an extra 10 % more points as a reward for his efforts.
If an encounter was significantly more or less difficult to the players
to overcome, feel free to adjust the points awarded as needed.

Once you have these numbers, total them and divide the Dealing out treasure
result by 10. This number is how much Experience that monster is Giving out the total gold piece amount for an encounter
worth when defeated. Then, take the Exp. value and divide that by is all well and good, but it’s not very exciting. A group that just
4. This is how much Gold to give out when building treasures. slaughtered a pack of demonic ooze things might be entitled to
47gp, but how do you make that interesting? One way is to bunch
Example: The costs for Patrick’s ice beetle are as follows. up the treasures from several encounters into a large pile and have
Strength: 2 = 105 it guarded by some fierce and difficult to kill beast. Another way is
Dexterity: 2 = 105 to “spend” the treasure on the foes, that is to say, equip them up to
Endurance: 3 = 210 the value of the treasure assigned to them with gear that would be
Magic: 3 = 210 quite unexpected. It’s one thing to fight a pack of goblins, but what
Weapon Skill (natural): 2 = 30 if their leaders were decked out in full-plate armor and wielding
Stealth: 2 = 30 weapons of exceptional quality?
Perception: 2 = 30
Natural Weapon: 1 = 10
Damage Reduction: 2 = 20 Making adventures
Shield: 1 = 5 Essentially an adventure is a series of linked encoun-
Total = 755 ters that you run the players through in order to propel some sort
Exp value = 76 of story forward. The types of encounters you build are entirely
Gold Value = 19 dependent on the type of story you want to tell. Having the heroes
face loads of undead monsters might be fine if your game leans
toward horror and combat, but the same encounters won’t be ap-
propriate for a group trying to navigate the intrigues of the various
guilds and noble houses of a desert metropolis.

Example: Patrick is a Gamemaster who likes to keep his

party moving. His adventures typically take a few game sessions
to complete, then the players move to a different area to explore or
look for work. At some point the players get wise and establish their
own base of operations and then the campaign shifts from one of
wandering mercenaries, to one of kingdom building.

Example: Sandy is a Gamemaster that puts the players in

the role of imperial magistrates. In this function, they are nobles
who travel about dispensing justice and battling evil, whilst varying
factions try to curry the favor of the emperor and his minions.

What this boils down to, is the types of adventures you

make will shape your campaign world and vice versa. Have fun
with it.