COMPENDIUM 3

A SUPPLEMENT FOR THE GAME

INSPIRED BY THE EARLY DAYS OF
BRITISH TABLETOP GAMING

Written by Greg Saunders and the Discord community

Cover art by Imad Ottallah, design Paul Bourne
Internal art by Imad Ottallah
CONTENTS
Warlock! Compendium 3 4
About the Kingdom 5
Where did the children go? 6
Where there’s smoke… 7
Who's in the jail? 10
Weird nature 12
The local thieves are.. 16
How do they treat their
dead? 18
Remnants of the past… 19
What does the wizard seek? 22
Bad potion effects 23
How do the strange
mushrooms taste? 24
Rumours of the Traitor 25
What are you running from? 27
Shadow of the war - one 28
Inside the coffin… 30
Circus entertainment 33
Mercenaries for hire 35
Shadow of the war - two 39
On the road 41
Folk Songs 44
‘Here mate, try some of this.
You’ll love it!’ 47
Objects for a dark ritual 49
A Twisted Unman 51
Unman banner 55
A bloody business 56
Optional combat rules 57
Stance 57
Reckless stance 58
Neutral stance 58
Timid stance 58
Wild beasts 59
Critical - claw and fang 60
Critical - claw and sting 61
Cursed by the hells 62
Large blade fumble 62
Bow/crossbow fumble 64
Blackpowder fumble 66
Brawling fumble 68
Blunt weapon fumble 70
Blessed by the gods 72
The gods have smiled! 72
Blood and slaughter! 74
Spoils of war 75
A brace of fools 76
Two’s company 77
Troupe play 77
Vagabond play 77
A brace of fools 78
Game dynamic 78
Warlock in the vagabond
style 79
Vagabond characters 79
The player character 80
Companions 80
Cast 82
Companions 83
You again 83
Supporting actors 83
Individuals 83
No, three’s company 84
Changing companions 85
Losing a companion 85
Stepping up 85
Cast 87
Debts and favours 87
‘You owe me’ – Debts 87
Paying your debts 88
‘Let me help you’ – Favours 88
Calling in your favours 89
Using debts and favours 89
Vagabond mastery 91
Adding depth 91
Skill tests 91
Set player expectations 92
Say yes or roll the dice 92
Subvert expectations 92
No dead ends 93
Combat 94
Sounding board 94
 Fighting is a last resort 95
Stacking the odds 95
Escaping and
surrendering 97
Beaten, not dead 97
Companion death 97
Investigative play 98
Full stops 98
Make clues available 98
Redundancies 99
Deductions 99
Social interactions 101
Cuts both ways 101
Be prepared to be swayed 101
Finally… act! 102

AWESOME DISCORD CONTRIBUTIONS

Justin Colussy-Estes, Pete D’Amica, Sampo Keskitalo, Sean
Wills, Simon Barns, Thore Hoffmann, Tomasz Ducki, Will
Swaney.
 WARLOCK!
Introduction
COMPENDIUM 3
Compendium 3 for
Warlock! contains optional
rules and random tables
that can add colour and
weight to your games. The
content is arranged into
three parts.
Part one, About the
Kingdom, contains a
number of random tables
that can be used to spark
adventure ideas, add colour
to your games and fire
your imagination. Unless
otherwise stated, roll a d20
on each table to generate a
random result.
Part two, a Bloody
Business, contains optional
combat rules to give player
characters a little more
control over the outcome
of combat, or at least give
them a better chance of
being able to run away!
Also included are two
new critical tables and
a plethora of additional
4
tables to roll on when
things go bad, and a single
one to roll on when things
go right – such is the way
of things. Again, unless
otherwise stated, roll a d20
on the fumble and critical
success tables to see what
fate holds for you.
Many of the tables
in parts one and two
were submitted by the
awesome Warlock!
Discord community,
whose imagination and
wicked cunning knowns no
bounds.
Part three, a Brace of
Fools, has additional
mechanics and advice
for games of Warlock!
employing a single player
and a games master.
However, this information
is equally useful in normal
games with multiple
players.
ABOUT THE
KINGDOM
 WHERE DID THE CHILDREN GO?
About the
Kingdom

1. The pied piper led them away.

2. They took off with my breadloaf an hour ago.
3. Didn’t they say they’re headed to grandma’s?
4. We’ll need to wash out the blood.
5. The tear collector will be here soon!
6. They were needed for the rituals.
7. Are those ravens eating a trail of crumbs?
8. Did we rid the forest of wolves too late?
9. And what’s that smell?
10. They were arguing about a face in the lake.
11. To find where the screams come from.
12. Find them before the tooth merchant arrives!
13. Doesn’t this happen every full moon?
14. I saw them out on the ice just moments ago.
15. And where’d this pool of blood come from?
16. They’ve been told not to go in the cellar.
17. Widow Parson insists they’re not in her attic.
18. Are we finally rid of their ghosts?
19. Here they come with the entrail harvest.
20. Quick, hide before they return!

6
 WHERE THERE’S SMOKE…

About the
Kingdom
1. The charred and smouldering corpse of a troll lies
on the ground. There are trails in the dirt: footsteps,
blood and the drag marks of something heavy being
pulled away.
2. Smoke rises from the chimney of a well kept
hovel. Two peasants inside will share their meal. A
teenager watches malevolently from the corner.
3. The encampment of a group of maimed veterans
of the battle of Pomperberg, their limbs and spirits
broken. They offer entertainment for pennies, and
will shuffle awkwardly while one of them ‘sings’. It is
the saddest thing you’ve seen.
4. A gang of goblins sit by a dying fire, chattering in
animated voices. They are making ink from the black
embers and etching tattoos on each other with a
crude needle while they cackle.
5. Two blight catchers sit on their horses, they stare
intently if you approach. Their attendants are
working silently, piling firewood into a cart.
6. The body of an unman lies in the middle of a
pentagram, its eyes burnt from its head and its guts
incinerated at its feet. The birds here do not sing.
7. A crude drying shed has been set up by a gang of
trappers. They occasionally feed the fire and will
swap fruit brandy for tales and gossip.
8. A small group of young dwarves are hurriedly
working the bellows of a makeshift forge while
an older dwarf watches on, scanning a scroll. As
they pour molten metal into a mould, he starts an
incantation, and blue sparks crackle.
9. An abandoned hamlet of shattered homes, destroyed
in the war against the Traitor. A pot simmers on a
stove in one of them, but there is no one to be seen.

7
 10. A group of unusually skinny halflings with vacant,
About the
Kingdom

sunken eyes are heating a large pot. A goblin lies

bound on the ground behind them, pleading and
struggling, but they do not respond.
11. An elf sits in front of a circle of polished white
pebbles, an oily flame dancing in the centre. She
speaks to it in a twisted, gutteral tongue and it flares
back at her.
12. Four Hissaini travellers sit around a fire, heating a
pungent black beverage and chatting quietly. They
speak a soft, unfamiliar dialect and carry unusual
knives.
13. An old woman snores by a campfire, a pair of
drained jugs at her feet, and a golden amulet hanging
from her neck. Three large dogs sit by her side. They
watch you but do not immediately react.
14. Halfling fishers are curing their catch in an
improvised smokehouse. The smell is intoxicating,
they sing while they deftly work their filleting knives.
15. The kiln of a family of impoverished charcoal burners
smokes away. They are wary of strangers.
16. Four handsome elves relax around a fire, one
plucking at an elegant harp while another quietly
sings. The music is beguiling, but the whispered
lyrics pray for the downfall of the Kingdom. They are
heavily armed.
17. A band of unmen are building a fire. One of them
is gutting a deer with a grim knife while another is
sharpening a long spit. They argue with each other
incessantly.
18. In the ruins of a Golethan temple, an elven
astrologer is burning ritual herbs and charting the
stars. The Duke and his bodyguards are at hand,
anxiously waiting.

8
 About the
Kingdom
19. A troupe of itinerant entertainers are practicing their
acts in seclusion, fire-breathing and simple illusions.
Does one of them have a tail?
20. Three cloaked brigands in large hats are resting by a
fire, a blunderbuss and wicked axe leaning against a
chest. A small girl sleeps peacefully under a blanket.

9
 WHO'S IN THE JAIL?
About the
Kingdom

1. Klemet Bunce, a violent gang enforcer with filthy

tattoos and a filthier temper.
2. Bingo Leggings, a halfling pie maker who’s had some
sick customers recently. His meat is certainly ‘ripe’,
but isn’t all meat in the Kingdom?
3. Cornelia Tischler, a political rabble-rouser who's
been making increasingly vitriolic speeches about
the exploitation of the peasants by the nobility.
4. Boof One-Eye, a goblin mushroom seller who
disputed the tax on out-of-town merchants.
5. Osbert von Meinhart, an aloof minor noble who
stabbed his wife's lover. He seems confident he’ll be
released within a day.
6. A nameless elven traveller with elaborate scars
across his face, who refused to say a word when
challenged by the watch. His long blade is in the
jailor’s room.
7. Gundram and Valke, a pair of dwarven card players
accused of cheating the punters at the Wolf and Lion
inn.
8. Grete Eiffer, a fortune teller who upset the captain of
the guard with her predictions.
9. The doom mongering nun Widma Hohnsteen, thrown
in the clink for her morbid prophesying of the
Traitor’s return.
10. Lepke Platt. A hammer-wielding pit fighter who
entered the local contests and was a little too
successful. The powerful town betting syndicate had
her locked up when she refused to throw her next
bout.
11. Oggins, a goblin artificer whose workshop had
a contract to supply the guards. Pistols keep
exploding.

10
 About the
Kingdom
12. Gussie Dieters, a fence who’s ended up on the wrong
side of the local criminal gang. He got himself locked
up on purpose: it’s safer in here.
13. Brancepeth van Zuylen, perverted scion of a local
noble family. Condemned to death for unspeakable
acts with nuns of the Thrice Blessed, his family’s
bribes mean his execution keeps getting postponed.
14. The Graks, a family of carnival goblins. Everyone in
town lost money on their games, and they seem to
have hidden their takings somewhere before they got
arrested.
15. Mansel Gincks, a peasant farmer. His neighbour
claims to have heard him conversing at night with
his goat, blight-catchers have been sent for.
16. Kalir Viga, a degenerate elf with an out-of-control
dragon dust habit. His nostrils are cracked and
bleeding, his clothes ragged, he mumbles and
coughs incessantly, but keeps muttering about ‘rats
that walk on two feet’.
17. Rosalie de Wald, a trader in knick-knacks and
trinkets, accused of selling the local lord a goblet
which turned out to be cursed. She refuses to say
how she obtained it.
18. Otto Klepzig, a dancing bear handler. His bear’s
dancing got a bit too “enthusiastic” in the town
square, and several people got injured. He’s playing a
mournful tune on the squeezebox.
19. Biffy, a dancing bear, currently sleeping soundly.
20. Semund Stoltz, a pasty student who’s been accused
of using arcane scrolls and artifacts for a demon-
summoning ritual. It’s unclear if it was successful.

11
 WEIRD NATURE
About the
Kingdom

1. A mating lek of wyverns. Each male stands in his

own space, spreading his wings and uttering a long,
booming call. The females prowl and evaluate the
males’ displays. Although terrifying, the wyverns
are entirely focused on finding mates and pay little
attention to anything else.
2. A bear and cub, sleeping off a recent meal. The grey,
fetid remains are nearby: it was a ghoul. Is that a
good thing?
3. A migration of death maggots [Phantasmagoria].
They have completely stripped the corpses they
hatched on, and now animate these scoured
skeletons and direct them towards new hosts,
following the smell of fresher corpses.
4. A pack of dire wolves, afflicted with black blood
[Compendium]. They are sickly and yellow-eyed,
moving slowly but snapping at anything that comes
near them. They will die soon, but anything they bite
may suffer the same fate in a week or two.
5. A male copper scorpion [Phantasmagoria] is hunting
for a mating gift for a female. Its mating poison will
paralyse a victim, which will then be presented alive
to a prospective mate. If the gift is rejected, the
female will eat the male instead.
6. A male fire bird [Phantasmagoria] has constructed
a bower of artfully arranged rocks and burning
branches, which it is constantly replenishing. If a
female approaches, a very lucky observer might
witness the elaborate mating dance.
7. A fanged water horse [Phantasmagoria] is laying
eggs on the shore of a lake. She has scraped a pit
and will spend the night laying a clutch of oily eggs
which she will then cover with sand. She will ignore
all around her until she has completed this task.

12
 About the
Kingdom
8. Clouds of faintly glowing spores drift through the air,
released by pulsing, misshapen fungi. Breathing in a
little causes unsettling dreams of physical change.
Breathing in too much actually causes physical
change.
9. A giant wild-eyed bull, shaking and slick with sweat.
It escaped part way through a demon-summoning
sacrifice gone wrong: the robed torso of a cultist
is impaled on one of its horns, while the trapped
fiend whispers in its broken mind. Killing it will end
its misery, but what of the demon? Where are the
cultists?
10. A dragon has died and its body lies on the side of a
mountain. The air for miles is filled with the stench
of decay. Dire wolves, ghouls and a pair of trolls are
all scavenging the colossal corpse, ignoring each
other while they feast on the rotting bounty.
11. In a clearing is a dense expanse of fragrant, swollen
mushrooms that are slightly warm to the touch. A
search will reveal limbs and body parts of animals
and humanoids have been buried just under the soil
to feed these strange fungi.
12. A beaked bear [Phantasmagoria] is in winter torpor/
hibernation. It is deeply asleep, and hard to disturb. If
it is roused, it is initially sluggish, but soon it will feel
the maddening hunger of its long rest.

13
 13. A horse lies unconscious and barely alive, its
diseased body strangely taut and distended, its
About the
Kingdom

breathing pitifully shallow. It will die within hours

when the flesh borers [Phantasmagoria] that have
been feeding within emerge as mature flymen.
14. Aerial hunters [Phantasmagoria] have assembled
to migrate to Far Hissain for the winter. Some circle
in the air, others perch squawking at each other, all
seem skittish.
15. A doe with luminescent blue eyes and scaly skin
pauses in a clearing. Fringed tendrils unfurl from
her back and quiver in the air, releasing unseen
pheromones. She grazes, but her scent trail will
soon draw ardent males to this spot.
16. A gauntman [Phantasmagoria] bellows from one
side of a wooded valley. Another soon answers him,
filling the air with his roar. This continues awhile,
before they each descend to meet on the valley floor.
Animals flee as they approach each other.
17. A herd of wild boar are stumbling through the forest
and grunting noisily, having feasted on a crop of
fermented windfall apples.
18. A closed chest lies in a ruined chapel while crows
hop about it. One picks up a wooden splinter in its
beak, before poking it repeatedly into the lock. The
lid springs open, it grabs a gleaming amulet from
within and the flock departs, cawing loudly.
19. A herd of goats sniff the air. They pause then start
leaping in the air, “stotting”. They've picked up the
smell of a nearby griffin and are demonstrating their
own fitness. The griffin might look for easier prey.
20. Male and female treefolk have temporarily rooted
as part of a rare mating event. The air is dense with
perfume, thick clouds of drifting pollen make it hard
to see, the buzz of pollinating insects is intense. Your
senses might be overwhelmed if you get closer.

14
15
About the
Kingdom
 THE LOCAL THIEVES ARE..
About the
Kingdom

1. Finger-snapping street urchins, who’ll stalk and then

swarm over their prey.
2. Court-martialled dwarf sappers, deafened and bitter,
employing tunnels, traps and explosives.
3. Robbing and discrediting the rich, then recruiting
them to the ‘family’. All current members once
enjoyed wealth and status.
4. Rebellious noble youths recruited by Zanzibar
Rhodes, a louche socialite displaced in time
and space. With his waxed moustache, velvet
smoking jacket and rapier wit, his minions find him
fascinating.
5. Equipped with spell scrolls (1d6 in total) from their
shadowy backer from Far Hissain who seeks to
undermine the Kingdom's economy.
6. Governing the locality with the militia as their
enforcers. How is this allowed?
7. Zealously following an obscure tome of prophetic
visions to plot heists and intrigues for the good of
Fesselmark and its citizens. Or so they think...
8. Employed by a Priest of the Thrice Blessed to
recover artefacts stolen from churches during the
War.
9. Elves cloaked in matt black who lurk in shadows
and gather in the basement of The Sloppy Sow
after dusk, as every local knows. They are merely
a distraction for the true criminal, the nondescript
burglar Auld Nobby.
10. A recognised tax-paying Guild with membership
fees, office and emblem. Licensed to 'work' beyond
the local boundaries. All jobs considered, terms and
conditions apply.
11. Unwitting stooges of the lich Zallidus, who was
thought destroyed at Pomperburg.

16
12. Doomed, now that the ruthless Thief-Taker Manus
Kuge has arrived at sunset declaring “This is no

About the
Kingdom
night for knaves”.
13. Actually just a single Face Stealer (Phantasmagoria).
Many innocents have been tried for its crimes.
14. Three rival gangs, outwardly maintaining an uneasy
peace. Each is seeking to carve into the others
territories by using the characters as pawns.
15. Whispered to be divine aspects of the nameless
god of shadows. Possibly a rumour spread by local
guards to explain their inability to catch anyone.
16. Enterprising nuns driven to crime to raise funds to
aid veterans and orphans.
17. Far too old to be leaping across roofs and dodging
traps. They wish to take on some apprentices to
carry out ‘the biggest heist in Fesselmark’ for them.
18. Non-existent. A bogus crimewave has been
arranged to consolidate the Guard Captain’s power
and resources. Locals are persuaded to report
false crimes. Suspicion falls on any strangers or
outsiders.
19. Goblin agitators carrying out an elaborate plan
where a cursed item is planted in a councillor’s
house until ill-fortunate befalls them, then stolen
and planted in another’s house to similar effect.
20. A rival adventuring party who will try to pin the
blame on one of the characters.

17
 HOW DO THEY TREAT
THEIR DEAD?
About the
Kingdom

1. Burnt on the pyre, while the song is chanted.

2. The corpse is lashed as laments are wailed.
3. Placed in a barrow, dressed for the next life.
4. Rowed them out to sea, never to return.
5. Buried eyeless, so the dead cannot witness.
6. Buried in the fields, celebrated at first harvest.
7. Ashes used as paints for the living mural.
8. Mourned for a day, then dropped in the bog.
9. Offered as sacrifice to the god of death.
10. Buried in the ritual mausoleum up in the hills.
11. Mummified for battle in the afterlife.
12. Rendered of fat tallow to make the ritual candles.
13. Bones stripped down for ceremonial ivory.
14. Sent with the elderly and ill into the echoing caves.
15. Gutted so the entrails can judge their family’s fate.
16. Death is weakness - the family is judged.
17. Mummified hands are hung above door.
18. Skulls carved into lanterns to ward off spirits.
19. Organs are used in fertility rites.
20. Fed to a boar for the warriors to hunt.

18
 REMNANTS OF THE PAST…

About the
Kingdom
1. The rubble of an old Golethan temple, hidden in the
woods. The remaining carvings seem to depict elves
slaughtering other races.
2. A long-dead alchemist’s workshop, untouched
for centuries. It is filled with unlabelled bottles,
preserved specimens in sealed jars, soiled
notebooks, and choking dust.
3. An enormous spherical astrolabe, on an open air
platform. Although worn and damaged, it still stands,
and faint markings of the constellations are etched
into the stonework. Is that weathering or fresh
scorch marks on the dais?
4. High in the mountains, a cavern hides a long
abandoned dwarven Heartstone chapel. The carvings
inside leer down at you, there's something not right
about their faces.
5. A stone circle deep in the woods. The monoliths
are clearly ancient, the birds go quiet when anyone
stands in the centre.
6. A shattered magic lensing mechanism of the
Livenscar wizards. It is a giant, moss covered relic,
but perhaps if someone were to restore it…
7. The remains of an ancient temple dating back to the
spider kings. There’s a hidden entrance in the ruins
to catacombs beneath, filled with bones. Many of the
skulls seem misshapen and twisted.
8. A half-buried, colossal statue of a woman with
goat’s horns and scaly skin, only the upper portion
emerges from the ground. There is a look of fury on
her face.
9. A collapsed wizard’s tower. Dense ivy covers the
ruins, but the leaves are blistered and diseased. It
might be possible to find a way in.
10. An ancient and crumbling beacon tower on the edge

19
 of the mountains. Why is it here, what will happen if
it is lit?
About the
Kingdom

11. An early dwarven hill kiln, colossal arched galleries

that extend into the hillside in a warren of dark
tunnels that still smell faintly of soot.
12. The remains of a Golethan settlement. One of the
few standing walls has a lengthy inscription in
ancient Golethan carved into it. It’s all insults about
someone’s mother.
13. A huge stepwell, with eroded and dangerous stairs.
Lower down, vines and brambles hide musty tunnels
than run deep into the earth.
14. A triumphal arch dating back to the spider kings.
There are dark incantations carved into it, if only
anyone still spoke the tongue.
15. The ruins of a small amphitheatre around a
crumbling pit. Three stone pillars stand in the centre
of the pit, and plenty of bleached bones lie beneath
the surface of the dirt.
16. Between two stone outcrops, stepped rocks that may
once have been stairs. They wind up a narrow cleft,
and the wind seems to sing if anyone climbs.
17. The mausoleum of a Livenscar wizard. It has been
broken into and emptied of valuables, something has
been gnawing the bones in the broken sarcophagus.
18. The ruins of an ancient windmill, unused for
hundreds of years. The sails are long gone but
the remaining mechanism seems to extend deep
underground, although the access stairs are blocked
with debris.
19. An ancient Livenscar temple, long ago smashed and
burned. The locals say that there are sometimes
lights in it at night.
20. An ancient open air altar, overgrown with vines and
weeds. If you place your hands on the stone, it hums
ever so faintly.

20
21
About the
Kingdom
About the

WHAT DOES THE

Kingdom

WIZARD SEEK?
1. The fangs of a vampire, drawn before it meets its
final death.
2. A stone that has been taken from the deepest
depths of Lake Gossenham.
3. The water of life.
4. A word that has only been whispered once.
5. Gallows rope that has never touched the neck of
man.
6. Spittle from a man that truly hates you.
7. Needles from a pine that is thirteen years old,
planted in the lifeblood of a murdered man.
8. Sweet honey taken from a wasp’s nest.
9. Stones from Ruined Honheim.
10. A mangel-wurzel that served as a head for a
scarecrow.
11. Gravedust taken from a nameless burial.
12. The tears of a unicorn.
13. The tail and ears of a ratman.
14. A coin that has never seen the sun’s light.
15. A nine-legged spider.
16. Death maggots. Two or three should suffice.
17. The still-beating blackened heart of the Lich,
Bellarax.
18. Fur pulled from a werewolf as it changes. Or hair,
depending whether it is man or beast.
19. A goblin wizard. Live or dead. Preferably alive.
20. The blistered hands of a failed arsonist.

22
 About the
Kingdom
BAD POTION EFFECTS

1. Poison - Either somebody wants you dead, or you’re

just extremely unlucky.
2. Bloodshot eyes - Staring competitions are out of the
question.
3. Laxative - That’s going to be hard to wash off...
4. Watery eyes - Boys don’t cry, except when they do.
5. Vomit - Looks like dinner’s back on the table boys!
6. Headache - Everything and everyone becomes more
annoying than usual.
7. Drunk - Hope your friends don’t let you drive the
carriage.
8. Tired - Did You get your recommended eight hours of
sleep? Doesn’t look like it.
9. Itchy skin - You scratch my back, I scratch yours,
once I’m done scratching myself.
10. Runny nose - Get a tissue, or maybe a hundred of
them.
11. Thirsty - An annoying thirst accompanied by a dry
throat makes it hard to focus on anything except
getting a nice refreshing beverage.
12. Pimples - If there was a charisma attribute, this
would probably lower it.
13. Hunger pangs - Anything can become edible when
desperation kicks in.
14. Flavoured water - tasty, but otherwise no effects.
15. Shortness of breath - You literally need to catch your
breath.
16. Arousal - Do I really need to expand on the subject?

23
 17. Sweating - Is it just me or is it hot in here?
About the
Kingdom

18. Placebo - Your belief in the potion actually makes

you feel better. Half stamina loss restored.
19. Shivers - Are there any more blankets? I am freezing
here!
20. Not a scam? - The potion actually has the advertised
or similar effect. Lucky You.

HOW DO THE STRANGE

MUSHROOMS TASTE?

1. Musty and savoury.

2. So many singing butterflies!
3. Peppery, but my tongue is numb.
4. Buttery– wait was that a fairy ring?
5. Why does it foam in my mouth?
6. Shh! With every bite, I hear the lines of magic.
7. Flavourless, but hell, I can take on that giant!
8. Sudden rush, and don’t you seem charming!
9. Didn’t notice before, but you smell of death.
10. Better than meat, but oh god, I can’t breathe!
11. Chicken!
12. Do you also hear the voices of the dead?
13. Fizzy, then burning from the inside.
14. That tastes fantastic! I will kill to have more.
15. So tasty and filling - this could feed a city!
16. My hands are big- aren’t my hands bigger?
17. I hear you, spore master, and obey.
18. Gaaahrr! I will bite your head, little shroom!
19. Delicious, even fruity. Wait, what rash?
20. I can see what tomorrow brings!

24
 About the
Kingdom
RUMOURS OF THE TRAITOR

1. The Traitor actually won the war – no one has seen

the King have they, and who’s to say who is really
pulling the strings?
2. The Traitor never existed – it was just a story
made up by the generals who wanted to purge the
Kingdom of rebels from the lower classes.
3. The Traitor was great sorcerer, and all the wizards
are his spies. Down with magic!
4. Monsters created by the Traitor still roam the lands,
killing and eating good folk, burning their villages
and poisoning their wells. You’d do well to never
leave the city.
5. The Traitor is dead, but the trouble is, he has been
for years. He is one of them Spider Kings the stories
speak of, you know, the ones the singers sing of
when the fire burns low and quiet fills the hall.
6. I met the Traitor once. Seemed a decent enough
fellow. At least no worse than the rest of them
highborns. Oi, get off!
7. The armies of the Traitor were full of goblins, trolls
and other dark things. None of them creatures
should be trusted. In fact, you can’t trust anyone who
ain’t human.
8. The Traitor was a woman! It’s true! Sister to the King,

25
 one of those family secrets no one speaks of. Mad
she was, and full of rage.
About the
Kingdom

9. Unmen are the work of the Traitor and his masters

before him. Mixing things and tainting things, twisting
and warping nature. Makes me shudder.
10. The Traitor is still alive, holed up in Ruined Honheim.
And there’s no one brave or mad enough to worm
him out!
11. What war? Fake news, nothing happened. Just
something to make the King sound more popular.
Probably a pox or something killed all those folk.
12. The Traitor fled to Far Hissain, and is there now,
fixing to get revenge with the armies of the Sultan at
his back. Probably bring some of those devils across
the seas with him. We’re doomed!
13. It’s all lies! It was a people’s uprising, a march
against tyranny, that the King and his lot crushed,
calling it a war. It was no war - it was a massacre.
14. The war goes on! Just because you don’t see the
armies marching, doesn’t mean it’s ended. Now it’s
those Blight Catchers doing the good Kings work,
burning corrupted demons and the like.
15. What Traitor? What are you talking about?
16. The real Traitor is an elf. Never trusted those folk, or
those dwarves. Halflings are alright though, I mean,
they’re tiny!
17. The Traitor was actually trying to make things better
for the likes of you and me! There’s a meeting about
it tomorrow night where it will all be revealed, if you
want to come along…
18. The armies of the Traitor were full of the dead,
walking again. Only a matter of time until they rise
again, and our poor dead soldiers with ‘em.
19. Traitors? Kings? Who cares? We’ll all as likely end up
dead no matter who sits on the throne.
20. There’s no greater traitor in this land than the King.
You heard me. Fetch the watch if you dare.

26
 WHAT ARE YOU
RUNNING FROM?

About the
Kingdom
1. The war, isn’t everyone?
2. Your parents, they wanted you to be a priest.
3. The Parsi gang, you might have to flee the Kingdom.
4. Your plague-stricken village.
5. An unrelenting black wolf.
6. Far Hissain, the heat was too much.
7. Elven bounty hunters.
8. The law, but it wasn’t your fault that Magda died!
9. A large debt to a halfling gambling ring.
10. The duke, on account of his daughter.
11. Your spouse and children, despicable.
12. Blight catchers, but they’re just pox scars, honest!
13. A furious customer, outraged by the poor quality of
your work.
14. A violent cult who you defrauded.
15. The circus: too risky and too poorly paid.
16. The local lord, life as a serf was intolerable.
17. Demonic phantoms that haunt your dreams.
18. A monastery/convent: no-one can live like that.
19. The city: life on the streets was too dangerous.
20. Thilde the wizard, you’ve got a couple of her scrolls.

27
 SHADOW OF THE WAR - ONE
About the
Kingdom

1. A destroyed wagon train decays by the road.

Everything of value is long since gone, and the carts
are broken and decaying.
2. A fine-featured woman is begging on the streets.
She is of noble birth, but her husband was a
commander in the Traitor’s forces and she has lost
her former life.
3. A troupe of supposed veterans are re-enacting their
role in the king's glorious victory at Pomperburg.
But their skin is soft, their faces rosy-cheeked and
unscarred, and they handle their weapons ineptly.
4. A group of travelling musicians, they know all the
folk songs lauding the King’s victory. For double pay
they can also play the Traitor’s battle hymns.
5. A fortified town repulsed a siege by the Traitor’s
forces. The heads of the defeated enemies still stand
atop spikes on the town walls...
6. A destroyed dwarven battlefield smithy. Craters dot
the nearby ground, powder burns are all over the
shattered debris and detritus.
7. A ravaged and abandoned village. Among the ashes
and decay are damaged pots, pans and the detritus
of ruined lives. It’s achingly sad.
8. Returned refugees are trying to rebuild their village
which was razed to the ground by the Traitor’s
forces. They would welcome help.
9. The benevolent and much loved local lord sided with
the Traitor, and his lands have been given to another.
10. Local peasants have been ordered to come out to
celebrate the anniversary of the king’s victory, they
all look sullen.
11. Angry villagers have tied up a group of goblins
dressed in strange garb, accusing them of ties to the
Traitor. They insist fervently they're just peddlers.

28
12. Dwarven masons have been hired by the local

About the
Kingdom
duchess to build a monument to the King’s victory. It
has been hidden under scaffolds for months, she is
getting impatient.
13. A company of scarred and battle-hardened
mercenaries are offering their services. They claim
they fought for the king, but seem unable to give any
firm details beyond “you know, Pomperberg”.
14. Rumour: Finastray Elven riders have been seen
scouting the country near Ruined Honheim. What or
who are they looking for?
15. Fewer than half the houses in a hamlet are inhabited.
The remaining men and women have hard faces, the
children are wild-eyed. They all stare at strangers.
16. A man in the pub slumps forward, one of his sleeves
rides up to reveal the Traitor’s crest tattooed on his
forearm. He rouses and covers it, glancing around.
17. In an empty, war-ravaged small town, a wizard’s
tower still stands, leaning alarmingly. Is there a light
in a window?
18. A grubby gang of war orphans are surviving by their
wits on the streets. They work as a team, begging
and pickpocketing. They know every alley when it is
time to dodge the guards, no-one knows where they
sleep.
19. One of the Traitor’s mage’s has been convicted and
is being led to an execution pyre, tightly gagged. Six
of the King’s agents were killed in his capture and
the guards are twitchy, suspecting an attempt to free
him.
20. Someone has nailed a screed to the church door,
praising the Traitor and decrying the Royal family for
turning on him. The guard are out in force, arresting
people for questioning.

29
 INSIDE THE COFFIN…
About the
Kingdom

1. Two skeletons share a lovers' embrace, clutching

each other tightly.
2. A perfectly intact body untouched by time that holds
a letter in its hand. It turns into dust the moment the
letter is removed.
3. A few scraps of wood that spell out "I shall return"
4. Empty, save for a metallic skull attached to a
bronzed spine. The skull chatters as you pick it
up, its eyes glowing ruby red, then with a whirring
exhalation, all activity ceases.
5. A corpse cut into several pieces. Now they slowly
wriggle back together…
6. The withered body of a great warrior. The onion
stuffed between their skeletal jaws and the
great wooden stake through the chest are surely
coincidental...
7. A body in the tattered dirty rags of a beggar, a shiny
golden ring in a clenched fist. It bears the crest of a
rich noble house of ancient days.
8. The husk of a in the clothes of a dandy. The thick
peppery smell coming from the packages interred
with him reveals that he had a liking for snuff. Each
package is marked with a different trade seal.
9. The coffin collapses beneath you, dropping you down.
Deep down. From the darkness that surrounds you
now, you hear mewing and squeaking…
10. A skeleton within pushed tightly to one side to fit
armfuls of weapons. Sadly, all have now tarnished
into disrepair with the ages, save for one which
shines brightly.

30
 About the
Kingdom
11. The fresh corpse of a young fellow, once handsome,
terror etched on his face in death.
12. A coffin made of glass, inside is skeleton dressed in
finest garbs.
13. A small iron chest containing a still beating heart
that spills green ichor as it pumps.
14. A dark heavy slab of stone with a list of names
engraved as "Heroes of War". Calling out the name
with the stone in hand summons a ghost of the war
against the Traitor, a veteran with a tale to tell...
15. A hole has been smashed at one end, it opens onto a
tunnel, narrow enough to crawl down. Did something
get out, or get in?
16. There is nothing special about the skeleton, but
the inner side of the coffin lid is filled by desperate
scrape marks…
17. An ancient dwarf rubs his eyes, sits up and barks,
"What, even now, you won't let me sleep, after all I
did for the Queen? Does this face look happy to see
you?"
18. After the lid is prised open, gold glints within.
Anyone who climbs down to retrieve it must test
their luck: on a miss, the lid snaps shut and faint
laughter echoes from deep within the soil.
19. With an exhalation of air, the corpse within sits bolt
upright and reaches for you. Its rotten flesh writhes
and through a tear in its skin you see the movement
of maggots. Death Maggots!
20. Empty, save for a smattering of earth lining the
casket. You can see the impression of where
someone has lain within, but where they now are,
you know not.

31
 About the
Kingdom

32
 CIRCUS ENTERTAINMENT

About the
Kingdom
1. A limbless veteran, wheeled out on a cart. He tells
filthy jokes.
2. An exotic animal, with handler. It resembles a wiry
child, is covered with hair and has a prehensile tail.
It hoots and bares its teeth. If people stare, it starts
flinging faeces.
3. A goblin hedge witch. She wafts clouds of mushroom
spores into the air and starts telling spooky stories,
which soon start to feel all too real.
4. A knife thrower, reeking of wine. Her partner is
nervous.
5. A grubby wizard reads from a scroll, magical
fireworks dance in the air. Pickpockets creep
through the crowd while everyone is distracted.
6. An old musician with an enormous dancing bear,
Gerta. Saliva drips from her jaws, and she looks
hungry. The crowd are nervous.
7. Goblin artificers. They set off endless dragon dust
firecrackers and laugh maniacally the whole time.
8. The old fellow pushes his cart out, packed with
stoppered glass jars. Through the murky liquid in
the jars, you can see small figures. One opens its
eyes. "Ahh, you have an interest in Prof. Holtz' most
Hideous Homunculi! Come closer..."
9. Halfling tumblers. They roll back and forth; japes
and pratfalls abound. Whilst you're watching them,
you spy their comrade, cutting away at ties of coin
purses… Test your luck. If you fail, all your ready coin
is gone. Succeed, you grab the little thief!
10. In a large cage, a giant striped cat is half asleep. For
a few coppers, her Hissaini trainer will poke her till
she roars, deafening everyone. Hang on, is that door
unlocked?
11. A clown dressed as the Traitor cavorts for the crowd,

33
 you can buy rotten fruit to hurl at him for pennies.
12. Someone has been dressed up as a witch and
About the
Kingdom

there will be a pretend burning. It looks and sounds

awfully real, however.
13. A sleight of hand artist is doing card tricks. She'll
invite the curious to an after-hours card game if
they're interested. Good luck!
14. A hideously mutated unman crawling on all-fours,
tied to a pole. This is the only child of the circus
owner. The unman only eats human flesh and will
start howling in pain if not fed in the next 1d6 hours.
The circus happens to be recruiting....
15. A trio of dwarven strongmen, with braided beards
and pigtails. They bend bars, hoist boulders and
bellow. They'll take on anyone in an arm wrestle.
16. Bareknuckle boxing. The opponents are all pretty
handy, the referee outrageously biased. 5 gold if you
beat the champion. An ogre.
17. An elf astrologer in tired robes, “roll up, roll up,
hear your fortune!”. Roll 1d6, on a 1-5 it's random
platitudes, on a 6 it's genuinely useful information.
18. A grumpy wizard, down on his luck. “I'll make you
disappear for 5 pennies”. Problem is, he's not very
good with the reappear spell. Roll 1d6 for how many
minutes it takes, take a pluck test on returning if it's
more than 5 minutes in the void.
19. A band of jesters mocking the Traitor's court, the
mannerisms of his inner circle and his generals
trying to form battleplans. All this with such rich
detail that any Blight Catchers would take notice.
They are in fact wanted lieutenants of the Traitor.
20. A maze of mirrors. Something lives in the mirrors
and it's hungry. Test your Luck. If you succeed, you
escape, with the nagging feeling that your reflections
weren't quite right. Fail and a part of your lifeforce is
taken. Lose 1 permanent point of Stamina. What will
happen when the thing in the mirror is full?

34
 MERCENARIES FOR HIRE

About the
Kingdom
1. The Blue Dragoons – Fesselburg’s finest. Pistol-
packing light cavalry whose trick riding, tight
leathers and marksmanship displays always draw
a crowd of admirers. Formed after the war, they
have yet to prove themselves in prolonged battle.
2. The Righteous Lubbers – following a prophecy,
this motley crew of boozy buccaneers burnt their
boats and raised arms against the Traitor’s men,
ambushing supply caravans and reinforcements
with bloody fervour.
3. The Gossenham Pariahs – With their previous
commander now a Fallen Knight, these outcasts
have embraced their notoriety and are rumoured
to have admitted unmen into their ranks.
4. The Black Hounds – dropouts from militia and city
watch, experienced in street fighting and siege
defence. They have long-established links to the
criminal fraternities of Fesselmark.
5. Death from Below – goblin demolition crew and
spider riders, who recently breached and overran
the Cesst family stronghold. Led by a Dibnahz,
a bugbear tinkerer who always has an escape
route.
6. The Grey Ladies – enigmatic cadre of female
archers, often employed as caravan escorts along
The Great Way. After a disastrous foray into the
Royal Forest, they are anxious to rebuild their
numbers and reputation.
7. The Millers - Brawlers for hire, very effective
with improvised weapons, less so against cavalry.
Chant "we are not liked" after victories, for some
reason.
8. The Crossed Spears - Halberdier company from
Rebeck. Fearsome reputation and loathed by

35
About the
Kingdom

peasants for taking whatever they want. Rumoured

to have fought on both sides during the war.
9. The Desert Rose - Hissaini horsemen who despite
their name are brutal fighters. Never take prisoners,
and sail back to Far Hissain every winter with their
earnings.
10. Hands of Stone - Dwarven siege specialists, with a
crew of imaginative engineers. Discounts for jobs
against goblins.
11. Skull Roses - Wearing black and red, they specialise
in use of blunt weapons, effectively multiplying their
payment by ransoming the nobles captured during
the mission. Beware if you are a commoner though...
12. The Bloody Fist - Devotees of the Red King, led by
the hulking ex-priest Father Meiner. They only accept
"righteous" contracts, but their enthusiasm for
bloodshed ensures steady work.
13. The Flames of Death - Originally from the Black
Spine Mountains, they feature plenty of dwarven
musketeers in their ranks. Hardy, and happy to fight
in winter, unlike most.
14. Iron Thunder - Revered heavy cavalry who prefer
contracts that allow them to deploy in great numbers
to maximum effect. Seasoned campaigners who left
the King’s employ as their lowborn status rendered
them ill-paid cannon fodder.
15. The Honoured Blade - Despite their name, they
have a reputation for utter depravity. Dissolute
mercenaries led by a pair of libertine nobles who
long ago wasted their fortunes. Rumours of demon
worship follow them.

36
37
About the
Kingdom
 16. The Rottenburg Wolves - Captured in battle
About the

and ransomed to the Von Hocken family, these

Kingdom

indentured skirmishers are anxious to pay off their

debt. They are ill-equipped and prone to looting the
fallen during battle.
17. The Sha-Dzhan - A small, closed company of
unsmiling Elves, with unfamiliar weapons and
accents. They are rumoured to hail from the Morning
Lands, but anyone who wishes to hire them knows
better than to ask.
18. The Nameless - Not actually mercenaries, but a
notorious group of swindlers and con artists. They
pose as hardened infantry, demand fifty percent
payment up front, then disappear at the first sign of
trouble. While the company name changes each time,
the bounty on their heads only grows larger.
19. The Black Company - Band of dwarves who use dark
iron armour and onyx weapons, they dwell inside a
volcano that has turned their flesh ash grey. They
only fight at night and fear the sun.
20. The Wild Ones - a band of unmen who broke off from
their old ways and now roam the lands in search of
a worthy hire. They only fight for a person who beats
their leader in hand-to-hand combat.

38
 SHADOW OF THE WAR - TWO

About the
Kingdom
1. A company of gimlet-eyed Hissaini mercenaries are
looking for work. They helped to break the siege of
Rebeck, they now earn a living in the Kingdom by
their reputation.
2. Rusting cages hang on creaking chains from tall
posts outside a war-scarred town. Within each one is
the decayed skeleton of an unman.
3. A large flower meadow is filled with poppies. Rusted
weapons and armour are plentiful in the soil, some
still attached to the rotted limbs of their former
owners.
4. A burned and plundered church of the Red King
stands on a hill. All valuables have been looted, and
the door to the crypt has been barricaded shut.
5. A crude battle altar sits atop a hill, covered in scorch
marks and cracks. The grass does not grow around
it and a trail of bare earth leads to a nearby corpse.
6. A travelling group of refugees fled the bloodshed
around Fair Marenesse and are finally returning to
reclaim their homes, hoping they still stand. They
would welcome an escort.
7. A ransacked hillfort of the Traitor’s forces, its
remaining walls etched with arcane glyphs. The
stone has been pillaged by locals to rebuild their
dwellings.
8. A refugee camp outside the town walls is turning
into a permanent shanty town. There is a small
thieves market and lots of mud. Desperation
abounds.
9. A group of blight-catchers and royal guards ride
towards the Black Spine mountains, investigating a
rumoured sighting of the Traitor.
10. The farmhouses for miles around are destroyed and
decaying, the fields untended and overgrown. Feral

39
 pigs and goats forage noisily.
11. An abandoned military camp, overgrown with
About the
Kingdom

brambles. Were these soldiers of the traitor or

the king? Rusting weapons and a locked chest are
hidden among the shoots and thorns.
12. A village is celebrating a returned son, missing for
years and feared lost in the war. He smiles weakly
amidst the festivities; his eyes are blank.
13. A farmhouse was wrecked and burned in the war.
Under the debris is a locked cellar, with manacles
bolted to the walls and decaying skeletons hanging
from them. Did one of them just move?
14. A hostel for maimed veterans has been established
by the local convent of the Thrice Blessed. The
residents grumble that food and shelter isn’t worth
the incessant preaching.
15. A smashed dwarven cannon engine is sunken into
the dirt. Its giant, shattered mortar is immovable, but
tracks show some have tried.
16. Peddlers are selling swatches of the King's banner
from Pomperburg, claiming they were there when it
was hoist at the victory. It must have been extremely
large.
17. The Pomperberg magical colleges are seeking to
restore their depleted ranks. Emissaries are in town,
interviewing potential young apprentices.
18. A pair of scavengers are returning from the
battlefields in the Hills of Strife. They claim to have
been gathering discarded weapons, but their wagon
smells of rot and decay.
19. Rumour: dogmen have been prowling the hills at
night and taking sheep. They were thought to have all
died at Pomperberg.
20. Agents of the Court of Sunset are transporting
a suspected Red Knight of the Traitor’s forces to
Westerboss for trial. The prisoner keeps offering
bribes, they are not tempted, yet.

40
 About the
Kingdom
ON THE ROAD
1. Soldiers of the King, rooting out deserters hidden in
the deep woods. Best keep off the road unless you
want to be questioned and ‘processed’.
2. A priest of the Red King with a straggly band of
‘followers’. They seem more like brigands to you,
shifty eyed and malnourished. The priest is fat
though and sports a malevolent grin. There’s smoke
on the horizon behind them.
3. A group of dwarves travelling to a distant hold,
with a pony-drawn wagon containing all manner of
smithing equipment. Well-armed and capable, they
are cordial but distant. Maybe they will sell some of
their wares for the right price?

41
 4. A group of merchants formed into a caravan, with a
About the
Kingdom

collection of shifty-eyed and mean looking guards

providing protection. You get the feeling that things
aren’t right, and the head merchant has a pleading
look in his eyes…
5. A mob of cloaked and hooded beggars moving slowly
down the road, their forms hidden under their robes.
Something about the way they move tells you things
aren’t quite as they seem...
6. An elven war party, looking for an arsonist who
caused a forest fire in their sacred grove. They are
angry, and to them one human looks much like
another…
7. A pedlar, selling everything imaginable of rough
but good quality. Can also supply much gossip and
speculation about the Kingdom, and information on
the road ahead. At the small cost of a few pennies of
course.
8. A ragtag mercenary band, no doubt deserters from
one army or another. Disorganised and demoralised,
but not adverse to a little banditry to help ends meet.
Their leader eyes you appraisingly.
9. A herdsman with a herd of cattle bound for market.
Might need some help rounding up stragglers.
10. Priests of the Thrice-Blessed, out to convert the
heathen dwarves and elves. By the look of the
bruises, they’ve had little success so far.
11. A wizard, travelling alone. Somehow that’s scarier
than if they were accompanied by a band of armed
warriors. The air thrums around them with barely-
contained potential.
12. Huntsmen taking the quick route home, with several
deer carcasses slung over some ponies. In the
woods at the side of the road things are moving
alongside, drawn by the smell of meat.

42
 About the
Kingdom
13. A goblin gang, looking to cause a little mischief.
They aren’t well armed but will hurl mud and insults.
Drawing weapons on them seriously escalates
things.
14. The corpses of several riding horses, feathered
with black arrows. There are no signs of the riders,
but marks of the ground reveal that several heavy
objects have been dragged into the surrounding
woodland.
15. A travelling circus, moving to the next city of the
entertainment route. They could be persuaded to put
on a bit of a show and are always looking to trade
gossip.
16. A King’s messenger, with a lame horse. She’s
desperate to get the message to the next town as
quickly as possible, and the sky is beginning to
darken…
17. A Blight Catcher and his entourage. Anyone with
magic on them is pointed out to the Catcher by
a henchman and becomes the subject of intense
scrutiny.
18. A lone figure walks slowly down the road toward
you. As it approaches, you realise with a start that a
skull grins out from under its hood, bone-white and
terrible.
19. Students on an expedition with their master of
geography. He’s loath to admit he is totally lost. The
students look particularly woeful and cast fearful
glances at the darkening sky and the thick woods.
20. The road is empty, and trees silent. Too quiet. A
sense of foreboding creeps up your spine. Something
is coming around the bend in the road…

43
About the

FOLK SONGS
Kingdom

1. Tonight We March on Pomperburg – penned on the

eve of battle, anyone not singing along may be eyed
with suspicion as disloyal to the King.
2. Gongfarmer’s Daughter – bellowed by rowdy
students, the cause of many a brawl as the lyrics
mock the poor and unfortunate.
3. In Livenscar Where Horrors Dwell – compelling
macabre saga of dark sorcery. Unfortunately, the
chanted midsection will draw nearby corrupted to
the vicinity.
4. My Love He Left For Fair Marenesse – popular rustic
tearjerker, often leaving the listener conducive to
engaging in a similarly ill-fated romantic liaison.
5. Wreck Of The Straker – this hearty sea shanty
tells of the sinking of a Royal treasure ship off the
Wreckers Coast. Clues to it’s location are said to be
threaded throughout its verses.
6. The Bride And The Basilisk – sinister bridegroom
throws heroine to a monster. The plucky lass slays
them both. A cautionary tale should one ever come
face-to-face with such a creature.
7. A Dream Of Distant Dunes – crooned by homesick
travellers, this plaintive ode to Far Hissain seems
sensual and exotic to local ears. A feeling somewhat
heightened by the belly dancer and fumes of hashish,
but hey, a crowd means coin.
8. Black Spine Woman – fist-pumping bagpipe stomp
that purports to be a love song but is marked by the
flying sweat and spittle of reeling dwarves.

44
9. O Drowned Halls Of Kellebrik – epic songcycle
recounting the destruction of an ancient elven town.

About the
Kingdom
Failure to master the extended lute solo is met with
much disdain.
10. My Liege Lost – a bitter lament for Fesselmark, its
conspiracy theories around the King’s absence from
public life may label the singer and audience as
agitators. Call the guards !
11. Saint Agarix And The Golden Cave – sang in a lilting
acapella, this tale of piety, courage and martyrdom
emboldens the faithful against adversity.
12. The Haunting of Crookspire Keep – not just any ghost
story set to rhyme, this chilling tale guarantees
nightmares and fitful sleep. No lost Stamina will be
regained tonight.

45
 13. A Beast For The Feast – being a Halfling ballad
centred on a Noble’s banquet, this will set stomachs
About the
Kingdom

grumbling and some listeners drooling with hunger.

A pie seller just happens turn up around the final
verse. Surely just a coincidence.
14. To The Gallows, A Goblin – pithy protest against the
judiciary sang in a nasal whine after its creator, Gob
Chillum, a wandering minstrel who foresaw his own
tragic demise. Known to spark riots, the song is
forbidden due to fears of civic unrest.
15. Mushroom Mash – how a farmer’s list of mushrooms
and their uses became a popular childrens rhyming
game is a mystery. After listening, test your Luck,
success means you remember the rhyme, giving you
a +2 bonus to medicine rolls using ‘the fruit of the
dark’.
16. The Ruses Of Red Estaar – recounting the
implausible but thrilling adventures of a cunning
elven pirate, this jaunty tune is hollered in many a
dockside drinking den.
17. Black Rose of Old Rebeck – this strange song tells
of a rare magical flower located in the northern city.
One character must succeed at testing their Luck or
be compelled to quest for the Rose for 1d3 days. In
Rebeck a cult awaits them.
18. A Ship It Sailed For The Flaxen Lands – listeners are
encouraged to add a verse to this always-improvised
song, adding to the rumours about this distant
location.
19. Doomsong – a dwarven elegy for fallen warriors, its
solemn drone has many a grizzled veteran brooding
over their beer. Old grudges may resurface.
20. The Ragged Wanderer – a lengthy descriptive
travelogue of a pilgrimage through the Evening
Lands, its popularity ensures the singer will pocket
some coin if sung well.

46
 ‘HERE MATE, TRY SOME OF

About the
Kingdom
THIS. YOU’LL LOVE IT!’

1. You feel wired, twitchy and alert. First initiative in

combat for 1d6 rounds.
2. You feel supremely happy and relaxed, king/queen
of all you survey. Bonus of 2 to Bargain/Persuasion
tests for five minutes.
3. Spirits of ancient sages murmur in your mind. Bonus
of 3 to language and incantation tests for 1d6 rounds.
4. Your hands feel like granite, strength courses
through your veins. Bonus of 2 to Brawl tests for the
next hour.
5. Everything you see is as if cut from perfect crystal.
Bonus of 2 to ranged combat rolls for the day.
6. Lost in a miasma of bliss, you feel little pain. Bonus
of 2 to Endurance tests for 1d6 hours.
7. Visions of a late parent/sibling etc. drift into the
fringes of consciousness. They have useful advice.
8. Who’s there? You keep seeing (imagining?) goblins,
peeking from behind corners...
9. Take a waltz with the Dragon: your head fills with
unearthly music, and you feel an irresistible urge
to dance. Athletics test to control your limbs as
necessary, test every half hour for 1d6 hours.
10. Eyes turn deepest green, pupils like sharp, black
pinpricks. Penalty of 3 to Spot tests for the next 1d3
days.
11. Spiders, over and under my skin! Uncontrollably
itchy, wild eyes and muttering constantly for 1d6
hours.

47
 12. You feel increasingly nauseous and wracked
with cramps, before spectacularly and copiously
About the
Kingdom

projectile vomiting.
13. You see beyond the hideous veil: the shadows and
whispers of demons, trying to defile your mind.
Stumble around as if blind for 1d6 minutes.
14. Your hands feel as those of another and you
constantly stare at them, confused. Pass a
Persuasion test or they will not fight for you for 1d3
hours.
15. After 1 hour, your guts start rumbling. It gets worse.
And worse. Better find that privy, ditch or tree.
16. Hideous visions of the fall of Honheim: fire, demons,
rot and death. Sob and whimper uncontrollably for
1d6 minutes.
17. You’re my best mate, you are. You feel overly friendly
to everyone, will not fight until you next sleep.
18. So, so tasty: all you want is more. Nothing else
matters.
19. Feel the hot breath of the Dragon: you drip with
sweat. Slippery hands mean a penalty of 2 to weapon
skill tests.
20. The dragon calls! Raging desire to fight all enemies:
you take enormous insult at perceived slights, and
will turn brief interactions into physical assaults in
an instant.

48
 OBJECTS FOR A

About the
DARK RITUAL

Kingdom
1. A ceramic jar, sealed with wax. It is filled with
organs and body parts, maybe human? They're warm
and wet if you touch them.
2. A piece of red chalk that draws a line of fire when
used on a smooth surface. The fire is not hot and
lasts for one day.
3. An impressive stone altar, with intricate carvings of
dragons and demons wreathed in flames. It would
fetch a good price at auction but is very heavy.
4. A bronze censer, hanging on a chain. Pained,
screaming faces are carved into its surface, and it is
filled with herbs and incense, ready to be lit.
5. A large icon of the Thrice Blessed, defaced with
obscene, heretical images and daubed with dried
blood and charcoal.
6. The horned skull of an unman, flecked with dried
flesh. Jet black pebbles have been jammed into the
eye sockets, and a sigil carved into the crown.
7. Thick candles, spluttering and spitting as they burn,
the little light they give occluded by the clouds of
fatty smoke they put out. Best not dwell on the
origins of the fat…
8. Large cushions are scattered around a hookah pipe.
Characters who take a smoke can test their Luck – if
they fail, they experience a disturbing vision akin to a
‘See’ spell. All smokers will feel sick for an hour.
9. Seven bestial masks hang from the walls. Donning a
mask will transform a character into a unman for 1d6
hours. One use per mask.
10. Under a thick layer of dust is a heavily rusted iron
head, with a clockwork mechanism that moves the
mouth. If is cleaned, oiled and wound, it starts to
recite an ear-splitting incantation. This summons a

49
 demon in 1d3 minutes, unless it is interrupted - no
easy task.
About the
Kingdom

11. An eyeball in a cloudy jar. The pupil narrows and it

focuses on anyone who looks closely at it.
12. A wide brass dish, filled with fine red sand. In the
centre lies a withered human finger. Elsewhere in
the room is an empty box, labelled "Nelkus - right
hand".
13. A massive tongue of unknown origin that never
seems to dry or harden. Did it just twitch a little?
14. A sock marionette with only one eye and no mouth.
The marionette allows the wearer to cast unholy
spells without making a sound.
15. An ornate branding iron in a brazier. Under a new
moon those bearing its mark will be possessed by a
demonic spirit until dawn, that thirsts to commit foul
deeds. They awake with no memory of their crimes.
16. A set of carving tools and a small block of
soapstone. On a successful Incantation test, these
can be used to make a perfect sculpture of any
person or object. At the next sunrise, it reforms as a
block of stone.
17. A crude drum of hide stretched over wood. Beating
it causes listeners to fling themselves around,
cavorting with wild abandon. To stop playing, the
drummer must test their Luck. If they fail, they are
compelled to play on for a further ten minutes, with
each dancer losing 1d3 Stamina.
18. A wooden chair with armrests, covered in carvings
of flowers and plants. As soon as anyone sits in it,
vines erupt and entable the sitter.
19. A stuffed rat, a hair comb and dice made of bone -
not human, surely…
20. A tattooing needle set in bone, and shimmering
metallic inks. Test your Luck if you try to use it, fail
and you somehow mistakenly tattoo a demonic sigil.

50
 About the
Kingdom
A TWISTED UNMAN

Roll on tables 1 and 2 and then other tables as

to create the unman, approriate. All rolls are 1d6.

Table 1
1. A man with the head of a [Table A or B]…
2. A hunched man with skin [Table C]…
3. A normal man with [Table E]…
4. An humanoid thing with eyes of [Table G]…
5. A diminutive man covered in [Table I]…
6. A brutish man with [Table K]…

Table 2
1. …and the legs of a [Table A or B].
2. …and oozing [Table D].
3. …and arms ending in [Table F].
4. …and it's spine [Table H].
5. …and one arm ending in [Table J].
6. …and spewing [Table L].

51
 About the
Kingdom

52
Table A
1. Plucked eagle.
2. Slavering wolf.
3. Mangy goat.
4. Horned ram.
5. Chromatic lizard.
6. Infected rodent.
Table C
1. Covered in fine fur.
2. Etched with shifting
sigils.
3. Folds hiding more
mouths.
4. Armoured with
exoskeleton.
5. Seeping with boils and
sores.
6. Like a snake's scales.
Table E
1. Two faces.
2. A toothless hole for a
mouth.
3. Enormous stag antlers.
4. Compound fly eyes.
5. Too many teeth, way too
many...
6. D6 extra eyes.
Table B
About the
Kingdom
1. Oversized, wailing
baby.
2. Hideous, oozing leper.
3. Horned devil.
4. Bloated, melted man.
5. Grinning cadaver.
6. [there is no head].
Table D
1. Puss from its eyes.
2. Acidic phlegm.
3. Maggots from open
wounds.
4. Bile from its mouth.
5. Reeking slime on its
skin.
6. Blood from its claws.
Table F
1. Screaming mouths.
2. Diseased rotted hands.
3. Elongated human
fingers.
4. Dirty talons.
5. Bony clubs.
6. [Table A]'s extremities.
53
 Table G
1. A blasphemous goat.
About the
Kingdom
2. Seeping blood.
3. Fathomless, empty void.
4. Unbridled, unholy rage.
5. A hell spawned demon.
6. Milky white death.
Table I
1. Rat fur.
2. Crawling bugs and
vermin.
3. Armoured chitin of an
ant.
4. Tattoos that hurt to
behold.
5. Moaning, fleshy holes.
6. A few extra tentacles.
Table K
1. Comically large
muscles.
2. A bull's head.
3. Gigantic fangs instead
of teeth.
4. A voice like a thousand
whispers.
5. A booming, demonic
voice.
6. Crown of sprouting
fingers.
54
Table H
1. Sprouting bat wings.
2. Twisted and crippled.
3. Spouting spines and
quills.
4. Covered in gushing
wounds.
5. Sporting another head.
6. Ending in a tail.
Table J
1. A fleshy biotech gun.
2. A crustacean claw.
3. A monkey's paw.
4. A tentacle.
5. Another head [Tables A
or B].
6. A bony scythe.
Table L
1. Streams of puss and
maggots.
2. Inky, black smoke.
3. Flies from its face.
4. Stomach acid.
5. Magic beams from its
eyes.
6. Hellfire from its
mouth.
 About the
Kingdom
UNMAN BANNER

See what banner the foul 1d20 twice for first and last
unmen march with, roll words of their warband.

1. Bloody… 1. …Claw
2. Hated… 2. …Tooth
3. Pallid… 3. …Murder
4. Eaten… 4. …Chain
5. Deathly… 5. …Leech
6. Tortured… 6. …Hate
7. Blackened… 7. …Knife
8. Shrivelled… 8. …Cut
9. Wicked… 9. …Blight
10. Venomous… 10. …Scar
11. Foul… 11. …Bane
12. Nauseous… 12. …Maw
13. Vile… 13. …Wing
14. Evil… 14. …Moon
15. Blighted… 15. …Razor
16. Bloody… 16. …Blade
17. Unholy… 17. …Death
18. Cursed… 18. …Eye
19. Ichoric… 19. …Leech
20. Poisoned… 20. …Snarl

55
A BLOODY
BUSINESS
 OPTIONAL
COMBAT RULES
The following optional
rules can be used to add
a little more interest and
drama to combat, and also
to reduce or increase the
STANCE
Sometimes a player
character might wish
to push aggressively in
combat, at the risk of
becoming more exposed.
Conversely, defence might
be the goal, sacrificing the
ability to hurt the enemy
as a result. This can be
applied using stances.
Player characters are
automatically assumed to
be in a neutral stance. They
may however select to
adopt the reckless or timid
stances at the beginning
of each combat round. This
stance then applies to all
combat exchanges in the
Business
A Bloody
lethality of fights if that’s
what suits the table. Pick
and choose which options
to employ, assuming
everyone agrees.
round, whether initiated
by the player character or
their opponents. The same
stance can be chosen for
consecutive rounds.
Note that the effect of a
stance as detailed below
counts regardless of
whether you initiated the
attack or were attacked
yourself. The games
masters does not pick
stances for non-player
characters, instead a the
player character’s choice
of stance effects all
attacks they are involved
in.
57
 RECKLESS
STANCE
Business
A Bloody
The player character is
pushing to damage their
opponent, at the risk of
exposing themselves
should they fail to win the
exchange. The winner of
the combat rolls their total
damage dice twice and
inflicts the higher result
of the two. Mighty strikes
and armour then affect this
result as usual.
58
NEUTRAL
STANCE
The default position,
a careful balance of
aggression and defence –
damage is rolled once as
usual.
TIMID STANCE
The player character
defends themselves
as a priority, missing
opportunities to damage
their opponent in the inflicts the lower result
process. The winner of the of the two. Mighty strikes

Business
A Bloody
combat rolls their total and armour then affect this
damage dice twice and result as usual.

WILD BEASTS
The critical tables in the attacks from claws, teeth
core rules are designed and stingers, you can use
to be applicable to most the following two tables for
types of attack. However, the critical attacks of wild
if you would like to add beasts and monsters.
a little more variety to

59
Business
A Bloody

CRITICAL - CLAW AND FANG

1d6 + total negative stamina

2 Nasty bite to the arm, pass a

Sleight-of-hand test to keep hold of
your weapon.
3 Raked across the hip, falls over and
can only crawl in the dirt for 1d6
rounds, all tests at a penalty of 3.
4 Bit on thigh, can only hobble for 1d3
days, Endurance test not to end up
with a limp.
5 Teeth on your throat! Spend 1d6
rounds gasping for breath and
defending yurself at a penalty of 3.
6 Racked across the back, opening
muscles, can’t carry a pack for 1d6
days.
7 Chomp! 1d3 fingers bitten off,
randomly determine hand, drop
what you’re carrying.
8 An ear is chewed! Permanent
penalty of 2 to tests involving
hearing.
9 Hamstrung! Fall over, cannot get up
unassisted, need a crutch to walk
from now on.
10+ Throat ripped out, dead.

60
 Business
A Bloody
CRITICAL - CLAW AND STING

1d6 + total negative stamina

2 A sting in the forearm, limb swells

up, all tests with that arm at a
penalty of 3 for the next hour.
3 A sting in the rump! Very painful, all
tests at a penalty of 3 for the next
1d6 rounds.
4 Venom injected, vomit over
everyone. Spend 1d6 rounds
retching, all actions now at a
penalty of 3.
5 Clawed in the neck, can do nothing
except gasp for breath and defend
at a penalty of 2 for 1d6 rounds.
6 Racked across the back, can’t carry
a backpack for 1d6 days.
7 Limb envenomed, massive swelling,
limb immobilised for 1d6 days.
8 Stung in the face, massive swelling,
cannot talk or eat solids for 1d6
days.
9 Eye chewed out! Permanent penalty
of 2 to all tests involving sight.
10+ Venom reaches the heart, dies in
excrutiating agony.

61
 CURSED BY
Business
A Bloody

THE HELLS
Sometimes in the reckless
swirl of melee things
just don’t go your way. If
a player character rolls
a 1 on their skill test in
a combat exchange, and
they lose the opposed test,
then they have fumbled
and something bad has
happened in addition to
losing the exchange. Roll
on the appropriate fumble
tables that follow to see
how the fates have frowned
on them.

LARGE BLADE FUMBLE

1. Your opponent knocks your weapon clean out of your
hand.
2. Your opponent strikes your funny bone – drop your
weapon, you cannot hold anything for 1d3 rounds
3. The blade snaps in two (bah, cheap steel). Halve the
damage from this weapon from now on.
4. The blade shatters, you're left holding the hilt. Time
to find another weapon...
5. Clumsy! You lose hold of your weapon and comically
juggle it about in the air. Pass a dexterity test to
catch it or take 1 round to pick it up.
6. Butterfingers! You accidentally hurl your weapon at
one of your allies at random for 1d6 damage. Take 1
round to retrieve it.
7. Astonishing! You lose hold of your weapon but
somehow fling it straight at an enemy for 1d6
damage. Take 1 round to retrieve it.

62
8. You pull a muscle in your shoulder. All melee rolls at

Business
A Bloody
a penalty of 3 for the day.
9. You hyper-extend your elbow, a ligament pops. You
cannot use this arm for a week.
10. The blade lodges in the floor/wall/a tree etc. Pass an
athletics test to free it.
11. You completely overbalance and topple backwards.
It takes a round to stand up, penalty of 5 to all tests
until you do.
12. You drop the weapon straight through your boot.
Take 3 extra damage, and you can't move until you
pull it out. Then you can only hobble for 1d6 days.
13. You slice two of your toes clean off. Take 3 extra
damage, and permanently reduce your stealth by 1.
14. You opponent smacks your blade straight back into
your face, cutting you over the eyes. You can't see
because of the blood for 1d6 rounds.
15. You get too close to your opponent and your clothes/
armour get entangled. Pass a dexterity test to get
free, otherwise you can only brawl with each other.
16. You smack the pommel of your weapon into your
sensitive parts. Oooooof. Dazed for 1d3 rounds, all
tests at a penalty of 3.
17. You stumble and headbutt something hard: your nose
breaks, black eyes for a week.
18. You miss your opponent and swing completely
around. You can't attack them next round, penalty of
3 to defence rolls.
19. Your opponent sidesteps and grabs your arm – they
get an extra attack this round.
20. Your weapon transforms into a live but harmless eel
for 1d6 rounds. The backstreet pedlar you bought it
from swore it was magical!

63
 BOW/CROSSBOW FUMBLE
Business
A Bloody

1. You’re sweating profusely and can’t draw the

bowstring due to greasy hands. It’ll take 1d3 rounds
to dry them off.
2. Sudden dizziness and double vision, you can’t
tell who’s who. Test your luck: if you fail, you get
confused and take aim at an ally.
3. You don’t nock correctly and dry fire. Test your luck: if
you fail, the bow shatters.
4. That beeswax on your bowstring has attracted a
small swarm of bees…
5. The bowstring snaps. If you have another bowstring,
it’ll take a successful repair role and 1d6 rounds to
restring it.
6. With a sharp snap, a bow limb breaks - it’s useless
now.
7. The bowstring rakes down your arm, flaying the skin
and causing 1d3 damage.
8. The arrow/bolt splits and a shard hits you in the eye.
Penalty of 3 to ranged attacks for the rest of the day.
9. You trip and fall on your quiver, snapping 1d6 arrows/
bolts.
10. You trip and fall on your quiver, one arrow/bolt goes
straight into your thigh for 1d6 damage.
11. Pins and needles in your arm, it’ll take 1d3 rounds
and vigorous shaking of your arm before you can
take a shot.
12. That’s awkward… you swing about and hit one of your
allies, unless they succeed on a dodge roll.
13. You stumble while nocking an arrow/bolt, and
release it straight at your own foot. 1d6 damage as it
goes through your boot and a successful endurance
test to pull it out before you can move again.

64
14. You’re shaking from nerves and can’t fire straight:
penalty of 3 to ranged attacks this combat.

Business
A Bloody
15. It’s no elven bow after all: it shatters when you fire,
you get hit by the debris for 1d3 damage.
16. You’ve got the yips and can’t aim reliably. Succeed
on a pluck test or permanently reduce your
crossbow/bow skill by 1.
17. You pull a muscle in your arm and can’t fully
draw your bow. You only do 1d6 damage for any
successful ranged attacks for the rest of the day.
18. You dislocate your elbow drawing the bow. You can’t
fire your bow for 1d6 days.
19. The bowstring snaps and whips you across the face
for 1d3 damage and a nasty scar.
20. Your clothing gets tangled up as you load the bow/
crossbow, it’ll take 1d3 rounds to sort this out
before you can take a shot.

65
Business
A Bloody

BLACKPOWDER FUMBLE
1. Your gun explodes but you’re somehow unharmed.
Very lucky, although you have no gun.
2. Your gun jams with wadding and shot. It’ll take 1d3
rounds to clear it before you can fire again.
3. Your blackpowder’s damp and won’t ignite. Time to
find fresh powder.
4. The blackpowder has been cut with resin which has
gummed up the barrel. It’ll take a successful repair
roll and 1d3 hours to clear it.
5. Bang! The gun explodes, you lose one of your thumbs
and take 1d6 damage.
6. Boom! Your gun explodes. The shrapnel destroys one
of your eyes and you take 1d6 damage.
7. You’ve been sold defective, crumbling shot. Halve the
damage until you replace your ammunition.
8. The muzzle is damaged by a misfire. Penalty of 3
to all ranged attacks with this gun until you get it
repaired by a suitable dwarf/goblin.
9. Hangfire: there’s a fizz and a delay before your gun
suddenly fires with no warning. Test your luck, on a
success no-one is hit, on a failure you’d moved and
pointed it at an ally.
10. Butterfingers! You trip and spill all your powder,
you’ll need to get some more.
11. You snap your ramrod and now can’t reload your gun.
12. The powder flares and your clothes catch light.
It takes 1d3 rounds to put yourself out, take 1d3
damage each round.

66
13. Too much powder! There’s a massive retort and your

Business
A Bloody
ears are ringing: you can’t hear for the rest of the
day.
14. A blinding powder flash: you can’t see for 1d6 rounds.
15. Dream of the dragon: you inhale blackpowder dust
and are overcome by vivid hallucinations for 1d6
rounds, you’re incapable of action.
16. Chase the dragon: you inhale a lungful of acrid
blackpowder smoke and have a violent coughing fit
for 1d3 rounds.
17. You fall and land on your gun, the barrel is now bent
at an ugly angle
18. You left the ramrod in after reloading! Massive
bruising to the wrist/shoulder from the huge recoil,
you can’t fire or fight with that arm for the rest of the
day.
19. Flash! The gun explodes, you smell burning flesh
as the hot shrapnel hits your face. 1d6 damage, and
severe facial scarring: permanently reduce your
persuasion by 1.
20. Shellshock: an explosive, traumatising misfire. 2d6
damage, and take a jump with shock whenever
blackpowder weapons are used near your character
from now on.

67
Business
A Bloody

BRAWLING FUMBLE
1. You’re pulled into a chokehold - athletics test to
break free, penalty of 5 to attacks until you do.
2. You break your hand punching, penalty of 5 to attack
rolls, you can’t hold a weapon for a week.
3. Your opponent throws/kicks dirt in your eyes, you
can't see for 1d3 rounds
4. You take a fierce blow to the kidneys, searing pain
and can't attack for 1d3 rounds. There'll be blood in
your pee for days.
5. Your opponent kicks your leg out from under you,
leaving you flat on your back
6. Shoulder dislocated by opponent, it needs to be
forced back in. 1d3 damage when it goes back in,
penalty of 2 to combat rolls for the rest of the day
7. Take a blow straight to the mouth, 1d6 teeth are
knocked out.
8. Vicious blow to the face, one eye closes up, penalty
of 2 to combat and social rolls for the rest of the day.
9. Hit in the solar plexus and winded for 1d3 rounds,
you can’t attack or do more than stumble around.
10. One of your cheekbones gets smashed: horrible
bruising and a permanently lopsided face.
11. Your attempted headbutt goes wrong and you knock
yourself out cold for 1d3 rounds.
12. You take a punishing blow to the leg, dislocating the
kneecap. You can’t run for 1d6 days.
13. Clotheslined in the throat, you are sent sprawling to
the ground, choking for 1d3 rounds.
14. Opponent delivers a blow to the tender parts,
stunned for 1d3 rounds.

68
 Business
A Bloody
15. Sharp blow to the jaw, you bite into your own tongue
and your mouth fills with blood.
16. Eye gouged, you can only see out of the other one for
1d6 days.
17. Fingers on one hand bent back and broken.
18. Opponent pins you down and gets an extra attack
this round.
19. An elbow to the face smashes your nose, you're
covered in your own blood.
20. Opponent rips at your ear and it cauliflowers
permanently.

69
Business
A Bloody

BLUNT WEAPON FUMBLE

1. The shaft of your weapon snaps, leaving you holding
a short wooden stave (1d6-2 damage)
2. You sprain ligaments in your shoulder as you raise
the weapon above your head, you can’t use that arm
for combat for 1d3 days.
3. Your opponent sidesteps your strike, you
overbalance and fall flat on your face. It takes a
round to stand up, penalty of 5 to all tests until you
do.
4. The handle slips out of your hand as you swing your
weapon, it flies off in a random direction. It takes 1
round to retrieve it.
5. You lose grip of your weapon and fling it at a random
ally for 1d6 damage, it takes 1 round to retrieve it.
6. Zing! The vibrations from your strike jar back up your
arm. You drop your weapon and can’t use that arm
for 1d3 rounds.
7. You manage to smack your own shin. Hop around
clutching your leg for 1 round, you can only hobble
for the rest of the combat.
8. Seeing stars: you smack yourself in the head and are
dazed for 1d3 rounds, all tests at a penalty of 2.
9. You miss and smack yourself in the delicates, you lie
on the ground moaning for 1d3 rounds.
10. Your opponent manages to grab your weapon and
won’t let go. Athletics test to yank it free, you can’t
attack them with it until you do.

70
 Business
A Bloody
11. Your opponent steps in close and has a bonus
headbutt attack on you this round.
12. The head of your weapon snaps off and rebounds to
hit you in the face for 1d6 damage.
13. Your opponent roars furiously at your feeble strike:
penalty of 2 due to intimidation.
14. You smash your weapon down directly on your
own foot. Test your luck: if you fail, you crack the
metatarsals and you’ll need a crutch to walk for a
week, otherwise it is just badly bruised (no running)
for 1d3 days.
15. Your opponent smashes your hand, breaking your
fingers. You can’t use two-handed weapons until the
fingers heal (1d3+1 weeks), and suffer a -2 penalty to
all combat rolls with your weaker hand.
16. Dangling strapping/clothing gets wrapped around
the handle of your weapon. In combat you will need a
successful athletics roll to free it.
17. The head of your weapon shatters explosively as you
strike, sending sharp shards flying. Everyone close
to you takes 1d3 damage.
18. Your opponent twists your weapon out of your hand.
They use it against you if appropriate.
19. Your opponent parries your blow and ripostes with a
bonus attack this round.
20. The fury of battle fills you with fear: penalty of 2 to all
attack rolls this combat.

71
Business
A Bloody

BLESSED BY
THE GODS
Sometimes in the reckless
swirl of melee things just
go your way! If a player
character rolls a 20 on
their skill test in a combat
exchange, and they win
the test, then they have
achievd an extra effect
- something good has
happened in addition to
winning the exchange. Roll
on the following table to
see how the fates have
smiled on them.

THE GODS HAVE SMILED!

1. You strike with expert aim, ignore any armour
bonuses.
2. You blind your opponent in one eye. They do not get
the +5 attacking bonus for this combat.
3. You out-think your opponent in the cut and thrust of
combat: get a second attack this round.
4. Your opponent starts bleeding heavily, they lose 1
stamina per round from blood loss or until treated.
5. A vicious wound to the face, it causes deep,
permanent scarring.
6. You smash your opponent’s hand, they drop any
weapon they’re holding.
7. You anticipate your opponent’s attack perfectly,
bonus of 5 to your next defensive roll

72
 Business
A Bloody
8. A stunning blow: your opponent is knocked out for
1d3 rounds.
9. You aim straight for their ankle and damage the
achilles tendon, they can now only hobble.
10. A flying leap attack, add +3 damage.
11. You get up close as you clash, get an additional
headbutt attack (brawl) this round
12. The Red King smiles on you: you are seized by
bloodlust, add +7 instead of +5 when you attack for
the remainder of the combat.
13. The Dragon’s roar echoes in your head: you scream
bloody murder, if your opponent is an intelligent
humanoid, they will flee.
14. The adrenaline surges, regain 1d6 stamina if you
have taken damage.
15. Your blow shatters armour or shield.
16. You bowl your opponent over, they tumble backwards
and cannot attack you next round.
17. You spin past your opponent and put them in a
headlock. They are unable to attack, if you pass an
athletics check you can choke them unconscious for
1d3 rounds.
18. A vicious strike to the guts, your opponent spews
vomit everywhere, they drop to their knees, choking
for the next round.
19. Your opponent’s got the jitters: any more damage will
cause them to flee.
20. Seized by fear, your opponent collapses and jibbers
on the ground, incapable of fighting or fleeing.

73
Business
A Bloody
BLOOD AND SLAUGHTER!
The outcome of a single
large battle may be
resolved using these
simple mass combat rules.
The leader of the
characters’ side rolls their
Command skill versus that
of the opposing leader,
modified by +5 to the
side with any situational
advantage (greater
numbers, better terrain
etc).
If the characters’ side lost,
each character tests their
Luck. Success means they
have fled with their lives.
Failure means they have
been captured and will be
offered for ransom. They
will be indebted to their
saviour.
If the dice rolled a 1, the
character is also down to
74
zero stamina and must roll
1d6 to determine which
Critical Injury table to use:
1-2 Slashing, 3-4 Piercing,
5-6 Crushing.
If the result of the
Command roll is a tie,
there was no decisive
victory for either side. The
characters survived the
battle.
If the characters side won,
each character tests their
Luck. Success means they
survived and gathered
‘spoils of war’ (see table
opposite) from looting the
fallen. Each character may
roll on the table opposite.
Failing the Luck roll means
they have survived the
battle on the winning side
but have gathered no loot.
 Business
A Bloody
SPOILS OF WAR

1. Antimagic amulet, as spell, incantation roll required

but no Stamina loss.
2. Sack of sickly-smelling jerky, origin unknown.
3. Cloven shield bearing the Red King’s emblem.
4. Sad-looking goat on a string.
5. Bag of lustrous hair, will fetch a pretty price.
6. Goblin captive, bruised and bloodied.
7. Scrollcase stuffed with fine sketches of pastoral
family life.
8. Purse of 1d6 Gold prised from a fallen ally.
9. Keg of quality halfling cider.
10. Legendary sword coveted by treasure seekers.
11. Good boots, sweaty and caked in mud.
12. Large pouch of caltrops.
13. Blood-specked pigface helm.
14. Pack horse, slow and stubborn.
15. Vile pipeweed, +1 to Stamina recovered at rest, 1d6
uses.
16. Ornate ring bearing the Traitor’s family crest.
17. Silver brooch, crafted by a master.
18. Turnip filled with gunpowder.
19. Slashed piecemeal leather armour.
20. Eldritch jewelled dagger, tells others you’re not its
rightful owner.

75
A BRACE
OF FOOLS
 TWO’S COMPANY
In many roleplaying games,
including Warlock, a party
of characters controlled
by a group of players take
part in adventures created
by the Games Master.
However, sometimes it
is not possible to get a
group of players together,
sadly. This section
describes some advice and
mechanics for games that
involve a single player and
a games master.
TROUPE PLAY
One way to play with a
single player and games
master is for the player to
control a group of player
characters. This could be
called troupe play. The
advantage of this kind of
game is that the manner
of playing is identical
as with a large group of
players. The drawback
is that with one person
controlling so many
characters it can easily
break immersion and it
A Brace of
Fools
is unlikely for individual
characters to develop their
own personalities and
sense of depth. For that
reason, troupe play will not
be discussed further here,
instead we will focus on
the solo hero or vagabond
style of play.
VAGABOND
PLAY
In the solo hero or
vagabond mode of play,
the player controls a
single character, some
characters are shared
between the games master
and the player, and the
games master controls all
other characters in play,
the traditional non-player
characters. This allows
the player to develop
their own character, the
vagabond, and to immerse
himself or herself fully in
the game. However, it does
require the games master
to handle things slightly
differently.
77
 A BRACE OF
A Brace of
Fools
FOOLS
The vagabond style of
play requires some small
mechanical additions to
the game, and a change
to the way that some of
the rules are handled and
interpreted. Ultimately,
there’s no right or wrong
here – if you are playing
with a single player and
a games master and
having fun then you are
playing the game correctly,
however you are doing
things! But it is true that
the content of this book
may help you get the most
out of the single player,
single games master
experience.
GAME
DYNAMIC
In a typical roleplaying
game with several players
and a games master,
there are many people
78
interacting together, and
the players will often
discuss plans and ideas
as the game progresses
without directly addressing
the games master. With
only a single player,
fundamentally this
changes, so the vagabond
style of game is quite
different – the player can
only interact with the
games master, and vice
versa. This means the
games master needs to
be prepared to be a much
more prominent foil to
the player during play,
and a sounding board to
ideas and plans that the
player might develop for
their character. In this
sense vagabond play can
be more intense than a
typical game session. At
the same time however, it
is much easier to keep ‘on
track’ with a single player,
and it is likely that games
will progress much faster
than with a large group be a consideration when
looking to make consensus planning sessions.
decisions, which should
WARLOCK IN
THE VAGABOND
STYLE
The following suggestions
can be adopted by the
player and games master
to instigate the vagabond
style of play. Some of these
concepts could easily be
used in a standard game of
Warlock, but they are really
key for the two-participant
game experience. Note
that fundamentally, the
actual rules as written of
Warlock! do not change
with a single player
compared to a group of
players. However, the way
in which the rules are
implemented and rulings
are considered, particularly
by the games master, can
be quite different when
planning and running a
game with a single player
character.
A Brace of
Fools
VAGABOND
CHARACTERS
In a normal game of
Warlock, a player will
create a single character,
their player character.
In vagabond play, this
occurs in much the same
way. However, the player
character will also be
accompanied by typically
two ‘companions’ – two
characters that are closely
associated with the player
character, and form part
of a natural team. The
rest of the characters
encountered in the story
are either traditional
non-player characters or
‘cast’, both of which are
controlled by the games
master. More on this later.
79
 THE PLAYER and actions may occur
A Brace of

around them, but they are

Fools

CHARACTER
the focus of our story. This
In vagabond play the player of course stands to reason
character is created in – they are the embodiment
exactly the same way of the single player in the
as a standard Warlock fictional world.
character. Just follow the
rules in the core rulebook
as normal. If vagabond COMPANIONS
play was described like a
film, the player character Essentially companions
is the protagonist – the are characters controlled
star, although perhaps not by both the player and
necessarily the hero. The by the games master –
story is described from halfway between a player
their point of view, and they character and a traditional
are going to be involved non-player character. They
in all of the action. Events are the player character’s

80
closest allies and perhaps

A Brace of
even friends, those that
Companions are created
can be counted on when

Fools
in the same way as
things are bad, who can
standard characters
be trusted to work in the
in Warlock, as if they
player character’s interest
were player characters.
when that doesn’t jar
The player and games
dangerously with their
master should think
own. In the adventuring
carefully about how the
party, the player character
player character and
is the leader, and the
their companions ended
companions their erstwhile
up together – this is rich
accomplices. During play,
for future storytelling.
much of the time the
Below are some example
player gets to say what
character motivations
companions are doing,
that could be used
just as if they were their
to describe why the
player character. However,
companion follows the
sometimes the games
player character.
master can override the
player and decide that
the companion does
Noble – love, loyalty,
something different to the
honour, obedience,
player’s wishes. This is
protection, inequality
described in more detail
later, but basically the
Basic – survival, failure,
games master can decide
peer pressure, curiosity,
on a different course of
guilt, desire, instability
action for a companion
For each companion
when the player describes
choose one motivation
them doing something that
and make a note of it on
is completely contrary
the companion’s character
to their nature or their
sheet.
goals, or when using the
companion to spur play
along.

81
A Brace of
Fools

At the end of the character in the ongoing story but

creation process, the are not under the control
player should have three of the player. The man at
character sheets in front the food stall who sold
of them – one for their the player character a pie
player character, and two is not a member of the
for their companions. It cast, a local crime boss
is possible if the games who repeatedly gets in the
master agrees to start with player character’s way is.
more of fewer companions Cast have their own
– these options will be motivations, which may
discussed later. be good or bad. When the
games master creates
a member of the cast,
CAST they should choose a
general motivation for
Important characters who the character from those
aren’t a player character or described above. This
a companion are referred gives an idea of what
to as the ‘cast’. The games drives the cast member
master controls these to act the way they do,
individuals. Note that we which is important when
use the term cast as these we consider debts and
individuals are not just favours. It is also possible
traditional non-player for cast to become
characters – they are companions during play.
important, reoccurring More on this later.
characters that take part

82
 COMPANIONS

A Brace of
Fools
Companions are, as period, then they stop
the name implies, being companions and may
the companions and be replaced.
compatriots of the player
character. They work
together as a team, and SUPPORTING
for much of the game the
player controls the actions ACTORS
of their companions as if
they were their own player Companions are not the
characters. However, there stars of the story. They
are some important factors may work with the player
to note. character, and they may –
as the game progresses
– leave the player
character’s side. They will
YOU AGAIN never, however, become
the star of the story except
Companions are always in in one special situation
the story. They may not be described later. They are
in every scene, for example the supporting actors to
when the player character the leading man or woman
decides to deal with the – they provide help and
local mayor alone, but they assistance and work with
are always hanging about the star, but they aren’t
and soon picked up again. directing the story.
Think of a hero in a film or
story – companions are
their sidekicks, always
dependable to accompany INDIVIDUALS
the hero and lend a
hand. If, for any reason Secondly, companions
a companion cannot be are their own people, who
around for an extended make their own choices,

83
 not necessarily to the
A Brace of
immediate benefit of the
Fools
player character. To this
end the games master has
final say on the actions of
companions. This means
in certain situations the
games master can override
the player when deciding
what exactly companions
do. This will be discussed
in more detail later, but
essentially companions
are there to support the
player character, but not at
the expense of everything
they stand for. A merchant
is not going to pick up a
sword and attack a group
of soldiers just because
the player character
suggests it, not unless
circumstances make it
impossible to consider
the alternative. Giving
the games master some
control over companions
also serves to remind the
player that they are not
just ‘bonus characters’ who
can be sacrificed to make
life for the player character
easier. They are living,
breathing characters in
the fiction, who work with
84
the player character but
only because it is in their
interest to do so. Ties that
bind can be loyalty, love,
respect or any other strong
emotional connection, but
it is not the be all and end
all.
NO, THREE’S
COMPANY
In a typical vagabond game,
there are only ever two
companions and one player
character. This allows
the companions enough
‘screen time’ to develop a
character of their own, and
the player character just a
few close friends they can
rely on. During adventures
the player character
may be assisted or
accompanied by others, but
these will be cast working
through favours and debts,
as discussed later. Only
two of those working with
the player character will be
companions.
CHANGING The games master may

A Brace of
COMPANIONS allow the companion to act

Fools
as the player wants, but at
It is possible to change the price of losing them as
companions. Firstly, they a companion. If the player
may die. Secondly, the agrees, they get what
story may take them they want but they pay
someplace else such that the price. What happens
narratively it makes sense to the companion now is
that they leave. In either up to the games master.
case that leaves a ‘slot’ Perhaps they disappear,
in the player characters or perhaps they become
entourage that can be filled just another member of
by another new companion, the cast. Or perhaps, more
should a member of the interestingly, they become
cast qualify. More on this an enemy.
later.

LOSING A
COMPANION
It is also possible to
lose a companion. If, for
some narrative reason,
the player character
wants a companion to do
something completely
against their character,
the games master
may override them as
discussed. However, there
is another option, should it
be narratively interesting.
STEPPING UP
Finally, it is possible for
companions to become
player characters. This
can either be when more
players join the game (so
we revert to ‘standard
Warlock’), or when the
player character dies.
It’s always the choice of
the player whether they
wish to continue with an
‘promoted’ companion or
make up an entirely new
character.

85
 A Brace of
Fools

86
 CAST

A Brace of
Fools
Some of the non-player ‘YOU OWE ME’
characters in vagabond – DEBTS
play are called cast. These
are more persistent non- Whenever a member of
player characters, that the cast helps a player
can have meaningful long- character when it is not
term relationships with in their best interest to do
the player character. This so, that is recorded on the
is done by making use player character’s sheet
of debts and favours, as as a debt. For example,
discussed next. if a city guard caught the
player character stealing,
but decided to let them
DEBTS AND go rather than follow
FAVOURS procedure and march
them to the guard house,
Debts and favours are that would be recorded
a way of recording how as a debt to the guard
interactions with cast, that in question. Assistance
special class of long-term to companions is also
non-player character, recorded as a debt to the
has developed through player character – the
play. Whenever a player companion is part of their
character has a meaningful group, and the player
interaction with a member character is the leader
of the cast, the games of that group. Player
master should make a characters can accrue a
note of their name. This maximum of three debts
can then be used to record to the same cast member
any debts or favours that – after this, any further
occurring during the game. acts of kindness are very

87
A Brace of
unlikely, as the player
character clearly ‘does not
Fools
pay their debts’, and the
cast member is likely to be
ambivalent at best to the
player character, or even
become an outright enemy.
Should a player character
clear a debt, then that
slot is free again – only
when there are three
unpaid debts does the cast
member take issue.
PAYING YOUR
DEBTS
Player characters can
remove debts they owe by
‘paying the debt’, i.e., doing
a favour to the person to
whom the debt is owed
when it is not necessarily
in your interests to do
so. So, in the example
of the debt owed to the
guard who let you go, you
could perhaps help them
apprehend a thief, doing
them a favour and paying
the debt. This is how debts
are removed. It is certainly
88
possible to owe a member
of the cast three debts and
to pay them off one by one.
This will also allow you to
incur more debts with that
person – as long as the
total number active at any
one time does not exceed
three, then the player
character is still able to
interact as normal with
them.
‘LET ME
HELP YOU’ –
FAVOURS
Favours work in the same
way as debts – assist a
cast member when it is not
necessarily in your interest
to do so, and you can mark
a favour with them. You can
only ever have a maximum
of three favours with any
one person, however if
you would accrue a forth,
then instead of adding the
favour, that member of
the cast is now eligible to
become a new companion
 A Brace of
Fools
– you’ve done enough for favour is an act which is
them to be a considered not in the best interests
a real friend. Remember of the person performing
that unless the games it and may potentially
master agrees otherwise, get them in to trouble
adding a new companion if discovered. It isn’t
means losing one of the something more powerful
companions you already – you can’t ask someone to
have, who then becomes sacrifice their life for you
a member of the cast. The to pay off a favour you did
player and games master for them.
can work together to
decide how these events
take place in the narrative USING DEBTS
of the game world.
AND FAVOURS
Debts and favours are
a way to tie player
CALLING IN characters into the
YOUR FAVOURS world around them, by
introducing a web of
Just like debts, you can obligations (at least moral
call in favours. If you did a obligations) that player
good deed for a member characters are committed
of the cast, you can ask to. It also allows player
them to do a good deed for characters to introduce
you in return – they are new accomplices with
‘paying their own debts’. skills and abilities that
The games master is the might lie outside those of
ultimate arbitrator of what the player character and
is reasonable here – a their companions.

89
 A Brace of
Fools

90
 VAGABOND
MASTERY
The following sections give
some advice to the games
master about running
games of Warlock with a
single player. Some of the
SKILL TESTS
In Warlock, every player
character has some
expertise with all of the
adventuring skills, those
written on the character
sheet. So, it is not the
case that a single player
character will find that
they come across skill
tests that they cannot
attempt. However, in a
normal adventuring party,
different characters may
have different levels of
expertise, so that it is
common for one of the
characters to be proficient
at any task. With just one
player character, there
will be tasks that the
A Brace of
Fools
advice applies equally to
standard games with an
adventuring party, but it is
more specifically aimed at
games with a lone player.
player character cannot
perform well. This is in
part what companions do
– they extend the range
of expertise of the player
character with their own
skills and abilities.
ADDING DEPTH
In a standard game of
Warlock, with a group of
people around the table,
skill tests might come
think and fast and might be
described with a few short
words on what is being
attempted. However, with
just a single player, there
91
 is the opportunity to add
more detail and depth to
A Brace of
skill tests. The following
Fools
advice can be used to
enrich games using the
vagabond style of play.
SET PLAYER
EXPECTATIONS
Before any dice are rolled,
the player and the games
master should discuss
what the intended outcome
is. Often this will be self-
evident, but it helps to
ensure that everyone is
on the same page when
it comes to possible
outcome. Define what will
happen if the test passes
– the expectation of the
success.
SAY YES OR
ROLL THE DICE
The games master should
then consider two options
when looking at skill tests
– either say yes to what
the player is suggesting
for their character or
companion or roll the dice
92
to see what happens. It is
not always necessary to
roll dice if failure either
has no meaning or doesn’t
progress the story forward.
From the games master’s
point of view, if you
cannot think of anything
interesting coming from a
failure, then just say yes to
the player’s expectation.
SUBVERT
EXPECTATIONS
Even without discussion,
players will have some
expectations of what they
think will happen if the
test fails. For the games
master, it is often a good
idea to subvert those
failure expectations a little.
For example, if the player
character is picking a lock,
a simple failure on a roll
would be that the door
doesn’t open. However,
it may be that such an
outcome doesn’t really
move the story forward. An
alternative could be that
the door opens but the lock
pick breaks with an audible
snap. Now the story can
continue, with the added ideas and approaches to
worry of who heard… problems. In vagabond

A Brace of
play, failure in a test can

Fools
put a lot of pressure on
NO DEAD ENDS a lone player to come
up with an alternative
The most important thing solution. Clearly defining
for the games master what’s being attempted
to consider is that there and what the possible
are no dead ends – if the outcome of success might
test passes the player be helps understand what
gets their way, but if it is at stake, and the games
fails the games master master having a clear
uses that to narratively picture of what failure
move the story forward. looks like helps determine
In standard group play, how the story will progress
lots of different players once the dice are rolled.
means lots of different

93
 SOUNDING character’s party that are
BOARD at least partially controlled
A Brace of

by the games master,

Fools

Finally, unlike in standard companions allow the

play where the players player character at least to
can discuss ideas and have some discord around
proposals amongst their plans and ideas, and
themselves, in vagabond gives the games master
play the player is alone. It the opportunity to nudge
is therefore important that the adventure back on
the games master steps track, should it become
out a little further out from a little derailed through
their traditional role, and the player’s indecision for
acts as a sounding board example.
to the player, allowing
them to discuss their plan
of action and get a little Cast skill levels
feedback. This can be 0-3 Amateur
done ‘out of character’, but 4-8 Professional
also using companions. 9-13 Expert
As members of the player 14+ Master

COMBAT
In the vagabond style of
play, combat can take on an
extra level of importance.
After all, if there is only
one true hero in the party,
the player character, then
their death can mark an
end to the adventure which
can be hard to recover
from. At the same time, the
risk of fights can be one
of the most thrilling parts
of roleplaying, especially
in the fantasy genre. The
following section deals
with approaching combat
in vagabond play.

94
FIGHTING IS A that the outcome is going
to come down to luck.
LAST RESORT

A Brace of
Instead, both sides should

Fools
be looking to stack the
One of the most important
odds in their favour, such
concepts in vagabond
that an actual fight is not
play is to emphasise the
necessary – the outcome
core rules of Warlock
is a foregone conclusion.
– for right-minded
For example, engaging
individuals, fighting is
an equally sized group
a last resort. Even for
of brigands in combat is
the most aggressive
extremely dangerous. If
mercenary, although
such an encounter looks
threatening violence might
like it might happen, the
be commonplace, actual
player character and
fighting should be rare –
their companions should
no one makes a career
be looking for ways to
as a hardened warrior
stack the odds in their
by actively engaging in
favour, hopefully to such
combat. Instead, player
a degree that an actual
characters and their party
fight doesn’t occur. So,
should always be looking
for example, they might
to stack the odds if they
recruit extra people from
can such that the need to
the nearby village to back
fight is mitigated.
them up. The goal is that
when the confrontation
occurs, combat doesn’t
STACKING THE – the brigands see that
ODDS their chance of winning is
low, and as like everyone
As mentioned, no one they don’t want to die, they
wants to get into a fight. simple accept defeat and
In many ways the worst the threat of combat ends.
situation you can get into For this to happen, there
when a fight occurs is the has to be an option to
two sides to be evenly escape or surrender.
balanced – then it is likely

95
 A Brace of
Fools

96
ESCAPING AND term injury or death. As
stamina drops both sides
SURRENDERING

A Brace of
in a fight should consider

Fools
when they should cut their
Fighting to the death
loses and run rather than
makes sense when you are carry one fighting. This
cornered with no hope of is also influenced by the
escape. In most combats,
lack of any penalties to
death isn’t the end result, escaping combat – in many
instead the fight carries games, running from a
on until one side believes
fight opens you up to a free
they aren’t going to win, strike which makes retreat
and then they either flee even more dangerous
or surrender. So, it is in than carrying on. Not so in
the interests of both sides Warlock.
in a fight that the option
to escape or surrender
is present for everyone.
The games master should, COMPANION
if necessary, remind the DEATH
player that the desired
outcome of most conflicts Of course, death is always
is that the opponent flees an option, and any player
or surrenders. A fight to character that recklessly
the death should be a very enters combat risks dying.
rare thing. However, if the games
master wishes to feature
combat as a regular
BEATEN, NOT occurrence, and the
player character is killed,
DEAD they can allow one of the
character’s companions
The core rules of Warlock
to take the killing blow
support this idea, as it
instead, perhaps stepping
is only when stamina
in the way of the sword
reaches zero that there
swing for example.
is a real danger of long-

97
 INVESTIGATIVE
A Brace of
PLAY
Fools
Investigative scenarios
can be great fun to play –
players like nothing more
than a mystery to solve.
However, in vagabond
play with a single player,
investigations can present
some challenges. These
issues can exist in games
with multiple players,
but they are exacerbated
when there is only a single
player. Remember, in a
typical investigation, there
are a series of clues that
lead from the start of the
mystery to an inevitable
conclusion. It is managing
the clues where the
difficulty lies…
FULL STOPS
The biggest issue facing
investigations in any
roleplaying games is full
stops – the players come
to a point where they can’t
see a way forward, and
the investigation stops.
98
Perhaps they don’t ‘find
the clue’ or they don’t see
where one clue might lead.
This is especially likely to
happen with a single player
unless the games master
is very careful – the player
has no one to bounce ideas
off, no one to brainstorm
with to move things
forward. As mentioned, the
games master can take on
some of this responsibility
with the companion
characters, but it is a
careful act to pull off – too
much ‘guidance’ and the
player feels they are being
railroaded. Too little, and
they can get lost. So how do
you deal with investigations
in vagabond play?
MAKE CLUES
AVAILABLE
The easiest thing to is
make clues available –
make them obvious, and
their discovery not reliant
on rolls of the dice. The
clues available in a scene
can be presented to the
player via their player
character, as they would
naturally discover them.
Often in roleplaying games,
the games master makes
the mistake of expecting
specific questions before
revealing clues – ‘is there
anything strange about
the painting?’, whereas in
reality, the character would
see anything immediately
obvious without the need
to ask – ‘you notice the
painting seems to be
of someone who looks
uncannily like yourself…’.
Clues can be presented to
the via their characters for
them to puzzle over – it is
making deductions about
clues that is fun, rather
than finding the clues
themselves.
REDUNDANCIES
It is also good practice
to bring in redundancies
when introducing clues
to mysteries. Instead of
a single clue at a single
location leading to the next
A Brace of
part of the mystery, the
Fools
games master can leave
multiple clues in different
places, so that whatever
happens, the player is
likely to come across one
of the clues even if they
decide not to visit a place
or do something that the
games master expects.
Another good idea is
to have ‘floating clues’
not tied to a particular
location or person, such
that the games master can
introduce them no matter
where the player decides
to go or what they do.
DEDUCTIONS
Finally, clues lead to
deductions. If the games
master presents the
clues, the player will
need to figure out they
mystery themselves. In
vagabond play, this can be
challenging as the player
has no one to bounce ideas
off. The games master
should be prepared to
lend assistance and advice
99
 A Brace of
Fools

100
and to act as a sounding
board to the player. The
companion characters can
act a little here to ensure
that the player character
SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS
Another area that can
be quite different in
vagabond play compared
to normal roleplaying with
multiple players is social
interaction. The reason is
that the debts and favours
mechanic introduced
previously relies on player
characters’ understanding
when they have social
debts to pay, and when they
have the opportunity to
make social contracts, i.e.,
grant favours. This requires
a slightly more conscious
understanding of real
social interactions.
CUTS BOTH
WAYS
Player characters can use
stays on track, or at least
to help when the player
A Brace of
themselves become stuck
Fools
thinking where to go and
what to do next
various social skills to
influence other characters,
and when they are
successful at using those
skills, they expect to see
the outcome they wanted.
However, players have to
realise that using skills
like this cut both ways…
BE PREPARED
TO BE SWAYED
Most players don’t like
the idea of their player
characters being forced to
do something they really
shouldn’t. Who can blame
them? No one likes being
forced into actions they
might regret. However,
in the real world, we are
all often persuaded to do
101
 things that on reflection
A Brace of
were a bad idea. There’s
Fools
a tendency in roleplaying
to use the dispassionate
‘external’ view of a
character and stop them
from making what turn
out to be bad choices. In
the game however, it is
better to let persuasion,
coercion and intimidation
come down to the roll
of the dice, and then
allow the outcome to live
in the fiction. A guard
succeeds at intimidating a
FINALLY… ACT!
As a final piece of
advice, many players are
incredibly cautious about
their characters, and try
to avoid making any risky
decisions. This can lead to
inaction, analysis paralysis,
and ultimately boring
gaming! In vagabond play,
this can be even more of an
issue, as there is only one
player character acting!
Invariably, the worse thing
102
player’s character? Then
they should play them
intimidated. Similarly,
if a rogue manages
to persuade a player
character to help in a
crazy scheme, then the
player should play their
characters as committed
to the cause, at least until
something happens to
change their mind. It is this
kind of surrender to the
narrative of the story that
makes for memorable play.
you can do in a roleplaying
game is do nothing. Action,
choices and decisions
drive the story forward.
Inactivity, indecision and
over-analysis halts play.
Make the game fun – do
something! That’s how
stories are made…